HIGHLIGHTS

  • Don Goodman cautions Birmingham City’s owners on the importance of hiring football experts to manage the team.
  • The owners made the foolish choice to insert Wayne Rooney in place of John Eustace right away.
  • Under Rooney, Birmingham City’s league standing has dropped to 15th, and January will be a crucial month for the team to demonstrate desire and make wise investment choic

A warning has been sent to the new owners of Birmingham City by Don Goodman.

The transfer of ownership of the Blues earlier this year, with Tom Wagner taking charge of the Championship team, pleased the club’s supporters.

Later, Wagner offered Tom Brady a small portion of his stock to enlist the former NFL player in his endeavor.

But when John Eustace was fired in favor of Wayne Rooney in October, fan feeling shifted against the American billionaire.

Rooney was not as competitive as he had been under the previous manager, and Eustace was well-liked by the supporters.

A caution to the owners of Birmingham City

Goodman feels that since Todd Boehly took over at Chelsea in 2022, he has made mistakes that Wagner needs to learn from.

The 57-year-old has suggested that the Birmingham owners hire football experts with greater knowledge of the game to manage the team on a daily basis.

According to Goodman, “the owners probably got a little excited.”

“Tom Brady is involved with them.”

“They have asked themselves, ‘Who is the biggest name in football right now?'” I doubt that they have heeded the counsel of football enthusiasts.

Craig Gardner is employed there in a certain role, but how much of a fight will he put up if the owners declare that they would prefer Wayne Rooney?

Therefore, I think it’s great that owners like them are investing, but they should also strive to understand the game and include football players.

“I felt that their decision to remove John Eustace and quickly replace him with Wayne Rooney showed a hint of inexperience.

“Shaun Harvey and Les Reed can be seen in the background of Wrexham, as that is how people equate American owners to them.

These are football experts with decades of experience in the game, and they will be available to offer them direction and counsel.

“I don’t know how much of that the owners of Birmingham have had.

Even at Chelsea, under Todd Boehly, who arrived with ease and quickly rose to the position of sporting director before amassing a roster of players, the approach was somewhat disorganized.

“I don’t know how much guidance he was receiving at the time on football, but it appears to have leveled down now.

“Some footballing intelligence is needed in the background for Birmingham.”

Birmingham City league position

Championship Table (As it stands December 4th)
Team P GD Pts
9 Sunderland 19 7 27
10 Watford 19 5 27
11 Cardiff City 19 4 27
12 Middlesbrough 19 2 27
13 Norwich City 19 -2 26
14 Bristol City 19 -1 25
15 Birmingham City 19 -4 23
16 Plymouth Argyle 19 2 22

Birmingham have slipped to 15th in the Championship table under Rooney, having previously been inside the top six prior to Eustace’s departure.

Collage Maker-19-Oct-2023-01-54-PM-7616
Wayne Rooney has given his verdict on the rise of Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City to Real Madrid

A big January ahead for Birmingham City

Rooney is under pressure to get results, with supporters expressing their discontent at the moment.

The owners will feel the need to back him given the nature of his arrival, which will likely result in some January spending.

But Birmingham needs to be careful, as the previous owners showed how precarious things can be when money is wasted.

This is set to be a very important period for the club, and a good indicator of what kind of ambition the new owner has to succeed.

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