- Wayne Rooney has come under pressure following a string of poor results
- The former Derby County manager only took over at St Andrew’s in October
- Moans and groans about Eddie Howe’s tactics are NONSENSE, Newcastle have to be patient – Listen to It’s All Kicking Off
Birmingham City have distanced themselves from a report that they are plotting an ‘audacious’ swoop for Steve Cooper should results not turn around at St Andrew’s.
Manager Wayne Rooney is under increasing pressure at the club after presiding over a run of just two wins from 13 league games since taking charge in October.
The Blues’ owners made the shock decision to replace John Eustace at the helm with the side sitting in sixth place after 11 games. But the move is yet to pay dividends, as Birmingham have plummeted to 19th in the division.
Nonetheless, Mail Sport understands a report that ownership are now plotting a move for Cooper is wide of the mark.
The recently departed Nottingham Forest manager is however sought after by Crystal Palace.
Wayne Rooney is under increasing pressure at St Andrew’s amid a run that has seen the club fall from sixth to 19th in the Championship
Steve Cooper enjoyed a hugely successful spell with Nottingham Forest, first taking them into the top-flight and then securing survival last term
Birmingham City chairman Tom Wagner (far left) CEO Garry Cook (left) and co-owner Tom Brady (right) watch the side’s Championship win over Leeds in August
Rooney said after the 3-1 defeat to Stoke that he ‘wished’ he could have ‘changed all 11 players at half-time’.
‘We just weren’t doing the right things – the basics,’ he said.
‘It wasn’t lack of effort, that would be unfair to say. It was lack of game knowledge.
‘It’s hard to put into words. I didn’t see that performance coming. I didn’t recognise the team out there on the pitch.’
Birmingham’s owners made a splash when they took over in July, with the group’s most visible – and famous face – NFL legend Tom Brady, pledging to make the ‘iconic’ club ‘second to none’ a month later.
Their eagerness to bring about positive change was highlighted best by their decision to remove Eustace, who had led the side to safety in the previous season.
Rooney was also thought to be a peculiar choice by many for the Midlands club after recently enduring an uninspiring spell in MLS with DC United.
