The recent “identity” claims made by Wayne Rooney are positive for Birmingham City

admin | November 6, 2023 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Wayne Rooney’s recent move to Birmingham City has been well-documented, with the new Blues ownership installung the former Manchester United and England cult hero to produce a “no-fear” style of football at St Andrew’s.

Whilst this differs from his predecessor, John Eustace’s play style, there is reason to be excited in the long-term should the 38-year-old be given sufficient time and backing to implement his ideas to a Blues squad that have had an indifferent start in terms of results at the beginning of his tenure.

Why are Rooney’s “identity” claims good news for Birmingham City fans?

Although the fear of Tom Wagner and Garry Cook potentially replicating the scenario played out in 2016 when Blues swapped fans favourite Gary Rowett with Gianfranco Zola is understandable, there are still plenty of reasons to believe that Rooney could be the man to bring success back to the blue half of the Second City.

After a summer of change which saw 12 incomings, including a number of technically-gifted players at the top end of the pitch that were allowed to flourish under Eustace prior to his dismissal on October 9th, having the coaching of someone like Rooney will only inspire the likes of Jay Stansfield, who has started his maiden Championship campaign in relatively good form – recording five goals in 12 games – but under the new management could improve on certain statistics such as only 0.31 goal creating actions per 90 minutes.

Rooney also has a solid foundation in midfield with the likes of Krystian Bielik and Ivan Sunjic as well as the continued spine through Dion Sanderson and the veteran John Ruddy in goal, but outlined the risk taking he wants from his side straight away.

“They are going to make mistakes, that is normal in a game of football. Players make mistakes. How many times do you see a midfielder and you hear the crowd getting on players’ backs because they play backwards or sideways? I want the players to play forwards. We have got really good attacking players in this squad, so we have to use them. We have to get them the ball, we have to get crosses into the box and back it up.” He told Birmingham Live.

Whilst on the face of it, the Liverpudlian’s win percentage prior to his appointment seemed below-par at face value at just 28.2% at Derby County and 26.4% at D.C. United, Blues fans should perhaps pay attention to the meticulous progression of fellow Championship outfit Hull City under Rooney’s Rams’ deputy, Liam Rosenior to give themselves more cause for optimism.

How have Hull City progressed under Rooney’s former assistant’s management?

Rosenior was able to solidify Hull , who at the time of his arrival last November were sat 21st in the Championship after a hectic summer under the management of Shota Arveladze. In 28 games last season, Rosenior recorded an average of 1.36 points per game.

One key strength of Rosenior’s was making the MKM Stadium a fortress, as only three sides have emerged victorious from East Yorkshire in his tenure in the form of Reading, Burnley and Southampton.

Much like Rooney’s aforementioned prior comments, the 39-year-old is a fan of risk-taking, and his Hull side have used this to both their advantage and disadvantage on multiple occasions but stick to their principles regardless. This is echoed by the likes of Alfie Jones and Jacob Greaves’ respective 48 and 53 progressive passes in the first 15 outings of this campaign as the Tigers currently find themselves two points behind the final play-off place in what is a congested second tier table at present.

“We play out from the back – that’s we do and that’s what’s given us the control that we’ve had this season.

“Mika’s (Jean Michaël Seri) made a mistake – he’ll hold his hands up and I’ll hold my hands up because I’m asking the players to play that way.

“In fact, playing that way gets us back into the game. We take complete control of the game and Lewie scores a fantastic goal.” Rosenior told Hull’s official club channels after their recent defeat to West Brom.

Have Rooney’s new employers taken his identity on board?

At the same time that Hull were defeated a few miles west of St Andrews’, Rooney’s men were in the midst of an enthralling encounter with early pace-setters Ipswich Town.

Despite two late goals from Marcus Harness, the 2-2 draw with Kieran McKenna’s side saw Blues’ players showcase their best performance under Rooney’s management so far for a large proportion of the game.

Although they were ultimately dominated in possession by the 2nd place Tractor Boys and could only conger up three attempts at goal from 13 shots, the new boss believes that his side are improving week-on-week.

“I’m seeing improvement every week. There were good signs against Southampton last week too – and we’ve now improved on that against a good, tough Ipswich Town side.” Rooney told the BBC.

“The subs have to do better when they come on. But I’m pleased with the overall performance levels. It’s different to what the players had been used to – and we knew it was never going to happen overnight.”

Whilst the likes of Lukas Jutkiewicz, Siriki Dembele and Emanuel Longelo weren’t able to aid Birmingham’s cause to claim their first win since October 6th, there has been a clear improvement from the previous home defeat to Hull, where Rooney stated that the side’s fitness levels had to be improved in order to sustain such an intensity for a 90-minute period.

What next for Birmingham City?

The draw against Ipswich was definitely a positive step after a difficult introduction to life back in the Championship for Rooney and his new chargers’ adjustment to a new style of play.

Another stern test comes their way however, as Birmingham travel to the Stadium of Light as they look to record their first away success since August 19th, and a first victory in this part of the North East since 2006.