Birmingham City have sacked manager Wayne Rooney.
Rooney won just two of his 15 Championship matches at the helm, seeing the club slip from sixth to 20th in the table.
First team coach Carl Robinson has also been dismissed.
A club statement read: “Birmingham City has today parted company with manager, Wayne Rooney, and first team coach, Carl Robinson.
“Despite their best efforts, results have not met the expectations that were made clear at the outset. Therefore, the board feels that a change in management is in the best interests of the football club.
“The club’s board and management are fully aligned and will continue to drive transformation and take bold steps to rebuild Birmingham City into the organisation its fans and community deserve.
“The board would like to place on record their sincere thanks to Wayne and Carl for all of their efforts.”
Rooney said in a statement: “I would like to thank Tom Wagner, Tom Brady and Garry Cook for the opportunity to manage Birmingham City and the support they all gave me during my short period with the club.
“Football is a results business – and I recognise they have not been at the level I wanted them to be. However, time is the most precious commodity a manager requires and I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed.
“Personally, it will take me some time to get over this setback. I have been involved in professional football, as either a player or manager, since I was 16. Now, I plan to take some time with my family as I prepare for the next opportunity in my journey as a manager.
“Finally, I wish Birmingham City and its owners my best wishes in the pursuit of their ambitions.”
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Birmingham CEO, Garry Cook, added: “We are committed to doing what is necessary to bring success to St Andrew’s.
“Unfortunately, Wayne’s time with us did not go as planned and we have decided to move in a different direction.
“The search for a successor begins with immediate effect and we will update supporters when we have further news.”
It has been confirmed that professional development coach Steve Spooner will take charge on an interim basis until a permanent successor is found.
Birmingham’s new owners dismissed Rooney’s predecessor John Eustace in October despite an impressive start to the season, citing the need for “a winning mentality” and “a culture of ambition”.
Rooney, 38, was appointed when Birmingham were in a promotion play-off spot, having collected 18 points from their opening 11 Championship matches.
But a poor run of results, which has included nine league defeats, has left Birmingham looking over their shoulders at a potential relegation battle, being just two places above the drop zone.
Eustace, 44, departed when Birmingham were sixth in the standings and followed a campaign in which he led them to their highest points total since 2016 as they avoided relegation despite off-field uncertainty over the club’s ownership.
US-based Shelby Companies Limited completed its takeover at St Andrew’s back in July with NFL legend Tom Brady announced as a minority investor in August.
Rooney previously spent 19 months at the helm of Derby County, but was unable to prevent their relegation to League One in 2022 following a 21-point deduction and the club spending virtually the entirety of the 2021-22 season in administration.
The former Everton and Manchester United forward also spent 15 months at the helm of MLS side D.C. United, but left by mutual consent in October after they failed to qualify for the play-offs.
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(Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
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