Tom Brady and Birmingham City owners blasted for getting Wayne Rooney timing 'all wrong' before sacking Man Utd and England legend after just 87 days

Rooney was sacked after just 87 days in charge which saw the Blues take just 10 points from 15 Championship fixtures. The club have now turned to experience in the form of Tony Mowbray to steer the club to safety just months after fans were gearing up for a promotion push.

While Rooney regroups from the experience, Sky Sports pundit Goodman has some sympathy for the limited time the former England man had in charge and lays the blame squarely at the timing of the board's decision to appoint him.

“The Birmingham board got their timing all wrong," Goodman told Genting Casino, pointing to Rooney's first five fixtures in charge. "Middlesbrough, Hull, Southampton, Ipswich and Sunderland. Even with Jon Eustace, they might have made a better fist of competing in those games but I'm not sure they would have won them. So, I think the timing was all wrong and it instantly puts Wayne Rooney on the back foot.

“Because he's Wayne Rooney, he is always in the spotlight with everybody watching and wanting him to fail.

"The hierarchy must've been questioning themselves but Wayne Rooney is right, nobody can build something in 87 days. When I say build something, I mean getting a group of players that are used to playing in a certain way, ripping it up and starting again. There are not many people who can do that. Let alone, somebody in the first knockings of his coaching career."

Birmingham's new American ownership, which includes seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady, made the bold call to replace Eustace with Rooney in October with the club sixth in the Championship. The decision proved instantly unpopular with fans and the atmosphere at St Andrew's turned toxic as results began unravelling and confidence drained from the team.

Less than three months later the board was faced with little option but to dismiss Rooney replacing him with Mowbray, sacked by Sunderland despite guiding them from League One to the upper echelons of the Championship.

City will be hoping the calming influence of Mowbray helps push the club up the Championship table. The 60-year-old took charge for the first time as Birmingham drew with Swansea on Saturday and has a busy week ahead with a FA Cup third-round replay against Hull City on Wednesday followed by a trip to fellow strugglers Stoke City on Saturday.