Birmingham’s US backers are falling for the typical new-owner tropes

The Championship club, part-owned by Tom Brady, chased a Hollywood name when they appointed Wayne Rooney. They fired the head coach after 15 games

Wayne Rooney's most memorable contribution as Birmingham City manager was the unforgettable meme that summed up his ill-fated 15-game spell. Captured despondently leaning against a wall in the St Andrew's tunnel, visibly exasperated after a disappointing match (of which there were many), the picture was never a positive one for the former England and Manchester United striker at the club. His sacking had been coming.

Birmingham City were sixth in the Championship table when Rooney took over in October. Now, 15 matches and just two wins later, they are slumped in 20th place. A season that was shaping up to be a promotion push has become a fight against relegation. Rooney believes he should have been given more time to get it right, but the situation had become unsalvageable. Keeping Rooney for any longer could have caused even more damage, on and off the pitch.