With a managerial track record that was less than impressive, no one can really be surprised that Wayne Rooney has been sacked by Birmingham City.
The only surprise has to be that he was appointed in the first place, given that previous incumbent, John Eustace, wasn’t doing badly at all in the position.
Like many owners, the thought of having a big name in charge tends to blind those making the decisions.
Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are another two from England’s golden generation that clearly don’t have what it takes to be a top-class manager and the sooner clubs realise the same the better.
As the Daily Mail report, it was the 3-0 defeat by Daniel Farke’s Leeds United, Birmingham’s ninth loss in the 15 games since Rooney took over, that spelled the end of his ill-fated time in charge.
The former Man United legend took over the club when they were riding relatively high in sixth position in the Championship, and leaves them in 20th, just six points above the bottom three.
If nothing else, the hiring and firing of England’s greatest ever goalscorer will have taught the Birmingham owners a valuable lesson.
They have at least been decisive in bringing the curtain down early on Rooney’s disastrous reign, meaning that anyone brought in still has the majority of the transfer window to reshape his side and, hopefully, push them forward to a successful end to a tumultuous campaign.