Tom Brady and Birmingham City investors were criticized for getting Wayne Rooney’s timing ‘all wrong’ before…

Tom Brady and Birmingham City investors were chastised for getting Wayne Rooney’s timing ‘all wrong’ before dismissing the Manchester United and England legend after only 87 days in command.

According to Sky Sports analyst Don Goodman, Tom Brady and the Birmingham board “got their timing all wrong,” putting Wayne Rooney on the “back foot.”

Rooney was fired after only 87 days in command, with the Blues taking only 10 points from 15 Championship games. The club has now turned to expertise in the form of Tony Mowbray to navigate the team to safety, just months after supporters were preparing for a promotion campaign.

While Rooney recovers from his ordeal, Sky Sports analyst Goodman sympathizes with the former England captain’s brief tenure in command and places the responsibility firmly on the timing of the board’s choice to hire him.

“The Birmingham board got their timing all wrong,” Goodman said, referring to Rooney’s first five games in command. “Middlesbrough, Hull, Southampton, Ipswich, and Sunderland are all on the list.” Even with Jon Eustace, they might have done better in those games, but I doubt they would have won them. So, I believe the timing was off, and Wayne Rooney is now on the defensive.

“Because he’s Wayne Rooney, he’s always in the spotlight, and everyone is rooting for him to fail.”

“The hierarchy must have been scratching their heads, but Wayne Rooney is correct: nobody can build something in 87 days.” When I say “build something,” I mean gathering a group of people who are accustomed to playing in a specific manner, tearing it down, and starting over. Few people are capable of doing so. Let alone someone in the early stages of his coaching career.”

Birmingham’s new American ownership, which includes seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady, made the audacious decision to replace Eustace with Rooney in October, when the club was sixth in the Championship. The decision was immediately unpopular with fans, and the atmosphere at St Andrew’s became toxic as results began to deteriorate and the team’s confidence began to dwindle.

Less than three months later, the board had little choice but to sack Rooney and replace him with Mowbray, who had led Sunderland from League One to the upper echelons of the Championship.

City will be hopeful that Mowbray’s calming influence will help them climb the Championship table. The 60-year-old took charge for the first time on Saturday when Birmingham drew with Swansea. He has a busy week ahead with an FA Cup third-round replay against Hull City on Wednesday and a trip to fellow strugglers Stoke City on Saturday.