For the new American owners of Birmingham, the ‘big name’ in football world was an ideal choice for a head coach. Out went John Eustace, who was in charge for only 15 months and guided Birmingham to sixth place in the Championship this season and in came Wayne Rooney. One of the best European footballers in the last 20 years, former Everton and Manchester United striker had a modest career in coaching prior to this gig (137, games 39 wins, 34draws and 64 losses), but was given the job and lost it after only 15 games (two wins, four draws and nine defeats). Birmingham is now in 20th place, just six points off the relegation zone and 12 behind that sixth place.”I’m sad that it’s happened and I know he will bounce back!” 🤝Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson shows his support for Wayne Rooney, who was recently sacked after 15 games in charge at Birmingham City 👇 pic.twitter.com/Iu9ZSYqeCm— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 3, 2024 But if you ask Crystal Palace coach Roy Hodgson, it’s all because the today’s owners don’t have time and also they have less patience when it comes to former great footballers who turned into coaches.”I think sometimes the bigger-name players won’t be given a chance at a top club or a club in an elevated position. I’m thinking in particular Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard even more than Wayne, but unfortunately the way the climate is these days is that the judgement on them will come very, very quickly and will be quite severe“ said Crystal Palace coach.Rooney was one of the best footballers – and he’s one of the worst coachesHodgson is in the ‘average player/good coach’ group, and the 75 year old was even Rooney’s coach back in the England team, so he believes that Wayne’s football knowledge is not in question. But his name and reputation as a former great player is a problem.”They’ll be welcomed into the club because of their name and they’ll be expected because they are Steven Gerrard and because they are Frank Lampard that suddenly you’re going to come in and the team that you’re going to be taking over, which hasn’t been doing brilliantly is suddenly going to fly because you’re here. That’s unrealistic. They’ve got a point when they say, ‘I didn’t really get a chance. No one gave me two years. I didn’t get three or four transfer windows, I didn’t get a chance to really decide when I took over the group of players. Let’s get Rooney, let’s get Lampard, let’s get Gerrard, and there’s no change? Well, that’s where the dream, the myth, is quite often proliferated, that a manager has some sort of magic wand and he will wave that wand and the team that has been doing badly will now do well, because he is there. Sometimes it works, but it is by no means a certainty” said Hodgson.##NAJAVA_MECA_7775514##
