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Wayne Rooney savaged by Tom Brady as brutal 'lazy' verdict given on Man Utd icon

Wayne Rooney was unable to save Birmingham City from relegation as their manager in 2023 and a new documentary shows what Tom Brady thought of the Manchester United and England icon

[Wayne Rooney's stint in charge of Birmingham City was short-lived]

Wayne Rooney's stint in charge of Birmingham City was short-lived(Image: Getty Images)

Birmingham City co-owner Tom Brady has been captured making brutal comments about Wayne Rooney's managerial capabilities in a documentary about the Championship club.

The Manchester United and England legend was appointed as manager following a high-profile takeover but his miserable tenure lasted less than a season, with his successors failing to prevent the Blues from sinking. Rooney was sacked and Chris Davies assumed managerial duties in the summer of 2024 and promptly led the team back to the second tier.

Fresh footage from the 2023-24 campaign reveals the club's earlier struggles. The new documentary, 'Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues', is set to premiere on Amazon Prime this Friday. Alongside a burgeoning rivalry with fellow promotion contenders Wrexham last season, the documentary offers an inside look at the Blues' relegation and subsequent promotion.

"I'm a little worried about our head coach's work ethic," former NFL star Brady is heard saying to business manager Ben Rawitz after a visit to Birmingham's training ground during Rooney's stint.

In response, Rawitz suggests that the former Everton striker "comes across as lackadaisical" - a word defined by the Oxford dictionary as meaning "lacking enthusiasm and determination" or "carelessly lazy".

[Tom Brady and Ben Rawitz in conversation]

Tom Brady and Ben Rawitz in conversation

Brady is also seen conversing with Rooney amid concerns about the squad's efforts, advising the ex-England striker: "What's the difference between [American football] and soccer? Nothing. I treated practice like it was the Super Bowl. Put pressure on them, make them run for everything."

When Rooney assumed control in October 2023, Birmingham were sitting comfortably at fifth place in the Championship table, , reports the Mirror. However, by the time he was sacked in January, they had plummeted to 20th position and ultimately faced relegation on the final day despite accumulating 50 points.

"I had good advice, 'Don't go in there and make sweeping changes. You guys have time,'" Brady mused. "But we made sweeping changes that put us in decline. That was our doing."

[Tom Brady blasts Wayne Rooney's "work ethic" in the damning fly-on-the-wall documentary]

Tom Brady blasts Wayne Rooney's "work ethic" in the damning fly-on-the-wall documentary(Image: Prime Video)

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Rooney was given another chance to manage in the Championship last season with Plymouth Argyle. However, this stint was also short-lived, with the 39-year-old being dismissed in December and Argyle subsequently facing relegation.

In contrast, Birmingham flourished under Davies last term. They clinched League One with a record-breaking 111 points, winning 34 out of their 46 matches and finishing a staggering 19 points ahead of second-place Wrexham.

The club's owners showed their support for Davies in the transfer market, with strikers Jay Stansfield and Alfie May scoring goals aplenty to secure the Blues' effortless promotion.

Although May has since departed, it's been another bustling summer with academy graduate Demarai Gray returning to St Andrews and former Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi signing from Rennes.

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