New Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney says that promotion to the Premier League is his aim this season following his appointment at St Andrew’s earlier this week.
The former Manchester United and England striker left his role as manager of Major League Soccer outfit DC United at the weekend following their failure to reach the end of season play-offs. He immediately set his sights on a return to England and links to the Blues immediately surfaced.
This was despite Birmingham’s excellent start to the season, with manager John Eustace having guided the club up to sixth in the table following back-to-back wins, including last Friday’s 3-1 win over rivals West Bromwich Albion. It wasn’t enough to save his job however, and it is claimed that the 43-year-old was bitterly disappointed, although unsurprised to have been cast on the scrap heap.
Rooney knows that all eyes will be on him now and many will be eagerly awaiting his first slip up. The former Derby County boss is used to pressure though and speaking to the press for the first time, via Birmingham Live, revealed that he had received plenty of offers over the past few weeks.
“For myself to get into English football is great. I have had opportunities at other clubs in the last six weeks to do that. Seeing where Birmingham want to get to excited me. Everything we spoke about was very similar. It was a really easy decision once I spoke to them.”
The 37-year-old acknowledged Eustace’s good work this season and how he hopes to build on that;
“I love the fact we are in a good position, the challenge, that is something I have dealt with since I was a young kid. What it might be new to is some of the players.
“It’s my job I get them ready for that and to go out and be successful. We have got tough games coming up which I can’t wait to go into. Get the mentality and the mindset right to be consistent.”
It’s been 12 years and counting since Birmingham were last in the Premier League. Rooney however, states that has to be the aim for this season;
“The goal for myself is to get this cub back to the Premier League. There is a lot of work to be done throughout the football club.
“I really enjoy developing young players, we have had two lads training with us from the academy, I want to see where they are at.
“But the Premier League is where we want to get to. It’s an ambition of mine and the club and we will do everything we can to do that.”
Rooney’s first match in charge will see him come up against a former teammate in Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough when he travels to the Riverside Stadium next Saturday.
Writer’s View
It’s no surprise to see Rooney calm and collected in what is already a high-pressure environment due to the nature of John Eustace’s sacking. He is someone who has witnessed first-hand how to deal with those pressures under the guidance of the great Sir Alex Ferguson, but it will be interesting to see if he can back it up over the course of the next seven months.
The one-time England record goalscorer did a decent job at Derby, although he will always have their relegation to League One hanging over his head. However, most forget the nature of the job he had on his hands at Pride Park and he did well to keep them in a survival battle for so long. All eyes will be on the Riverside next weekend.
