TIME JUST RAN OUT AS NO FEAR BECAME NO IDEA

Blues' 'football royalty' experiment failed again as it started poorly and got even worse

- NEIL MOXLEY

BY NEIL MOXLEY WAYNE ROONEY might not have understood the importance of history in learning lessons. Which is a shame.

Had he studied the recent past at Birmingham City, he perhaps would have lasted longer than 83 days in office.

It was eight years ago that a pragmatic young boss named Gary Rowett was kicked out St Andrew's in favour of stellar name, charged with playing progressive footba with a group of players incapable of delivering it.

Gian franco Zola took City to the brink of League One before Harry Redknapp's last cameo in management saved the club from falling into the third tier.

Fast forward to the present day and only the names had changed.

The manager Rooney replaced John Eustace (right) is cut from the same cloth as Rowett. The 38-year-old Rooney and Zola are part of football's royalty. It was a tough brief for the former Manchester United and England great, coming as it did days after he left DC United.

He was asked to implement 'no fear' football by the club's I new American owners, who were so determined to jazz up a life at St Andrew's they persuaded NFL legend Tom f Brady to be a part of it.

Unfortunately, 'no fear' 1 turned into 'no idea' as results nose-dived.

It started poorly with a last-minute defeat 100 at Middlesbrough and the mood among home fans was not helped days later with a toe-curling bad display against Hull.