Managers may not deem the Blues to be very good potential employers
HIGHLIGHT
- Eustace’s sacking as Birmingham City manager was surprising and perplexing, especially considering the team’s success under his leadership.
- Rooney’s tenure has been marked by poor performance and a drop in the Championship table, putting the club at risk of relegation.
- The harsh treatment of Eustace may make it difficult for Birmingham City to attract top managers in the future.
Birmingham City‘s decision to sack Wayne Rooney on Tuesday morning, after just 15 games in charge of the Blues, is arguably the ultimate proof that he should never have been appointed in the first place.
Former manager John Eustace, who was sacked on October 9th 2023, just three days after a 3-1 win over local rivals West Bromwich Albion, was a very capable manager at St Andrew’s.
In his first season in charge at the club, Eustace guided the Blues to a 17th-placed finish, five spots above the relegation zone, after many had predicted that they would get relegated that season.
Then, even more impressively, the 44-year-old had the Blues sitting in the top six when he was dismissed from his post as Blues manager in October.
The decision to sack Eustace will not be forgotten easily
The Blues picked up wins in both of Eustace’s last two games in charge of the side, scoring seven goals, and conceding just two in the process, which potentially makes the dismissal of their former manager one of the most bizarre sackings in Championship history.
Under Eustace’s Stewardship, the St Andrew’s outfit occupied a play-off spot but dismal form in Rooney’s tenure has seen the Blues drop all the way down to 20th in the Championship table, and just six points above the relegation zone.
| Championship Table (As it stands January 2nd) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 26 | -9 | 32 |
| 18 | Plymouth Argyle | 26 | -2 | 29 |
| 19 | Stoke City | 26 | -7 | 29 |
| 20 | Birmingham City | 26 | -11 | 28 |
| 21 | Huddersfield Town | 26 | -18 | 25 |
| 22 | Sheffield Wednesday | 26 | -19 | 22 |
| 23 | QPR | 26 | -16 | 21 |
| 24 | Rotherham United | 26 | -26 | 18 |
Six points is by no means a comfortable margin, and Sheffield Wednesday, who sit 22nd, have won three of their last five games, so you could make the case that if the Blues did not sack Rooney, then relegation was a real possibility.
That may still be the case, but it is very blatant that Rooney was not able to get the best out of the Blues squad, in the way that Eustace was, and many other managers might have been able to add more points on the board with these players than the former England captain.
The Blues may find it hard to recruit a Rooney replacement
The harsh sacking of Eustace more or less mirrors the perplexing dismissal of Gary Rowett in 2016, as Rowett had the Blues in play-off contention and was replaced by the higher profile Gianfranco Zola, who managed just two wins in 22 games and was sacked in April 2017, before Harry Redknapp was brought in and kept the club in the Championship following a dramatic relegation battle.
Eustace barely put a foot wrong at the Blues and was still sacked so other managers may not deem the Blues to be very good potential employers, and could opt to steer clear of an ownership group who seem prone to erratic decision-making.
There will certainly be plenty of coaches interested as the club’s American owners have made it clear they’re very ambitious and are willing to spend in the hope of getting Birmingham back to the Premier League.
But some, and their more ambitious targets might well be in this camp, will look at the treatment of Eustace as something of a red flag and a reason not to throw their hat in the ring.
Indeed, the surprising circumstances in which Rooney was appointed and the way his predecessor was dealt with may make finding his replacement a little tougher.
Ironically though, Eustace himself is reportedly willing to put himself in the picture to become Rooney’s successor. Right now, however, it is said the Birmingham chiefs aren’t exploring that reunion.
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