It’s easy to point and laugh at Rooney, who led Blues from sixth place to 20th in the Championship, failed to impose any kind of identity and spent his 83 days in charge mumbling glumly about buying players in January.
But everybody in football could see that the former Manchester United and England captain was a disaster waiting to happen.
If you want ‘No Fear’ football, go and get Ian Evatt from Bolton. Don’t hire a famous name whose managerial CV features a relegation with Derby, a dismal 26 per cent win rate at DC United and teams that play without any semblance of a tactical structure.
Appointing Rooney to implement ‘No Fear’ football was like asking Barratt Homes to build the Burj Khalifa.
Yet Cook did it anyway Whether or not this was due to a close personal relationship with Rooney and his agent Paul Stretford is largely irrelevant.
The broader point is that the 66-year-old was hired by American owner Tom Wagner and his Knighthead consortium to prevent exactly this sort of debacle.
Denne historien er fra January 07, 2024-utgaven av The Football League Paper.
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Denne historien er fra January 07, 2024-utgaven av The Football League Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Pride at the park is perfect for Paul
EVERYONE deserved a pat on the back was Paul Warne’s verdict as his Derby County side hung on for all three points.
ACE HARRIS NETS TOP AWARD WITH GOAL RUSH
STRIKER Mark Harris has led the Oxford United assault on the second tier – and now it’s landed him the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month award for August.
SEASIDE LATE SHOW GIVES BRUCE BUZZ
IN HIS first match back in football, new Blackpool boss Steve Bruce admitted this was a tense encounter.
CLEMENCE GETS BLUEBIRDS TO
BARROW boss Stephen Clemence was delighted with his side’s multi faceted performance as they beat Grimsby to continue their strong league start.
KARL FUMES DESPITE LATE SUB HEROICS
KARL Robinson was delighted to see Salford City come back from behind to beat Cheltenham Town thanks to Hakeeb Adelakun’s second-half brace.
PATIENCE REQUIRED OVER NEW BOY ALZATE
HULL City boss Tim Walter says fans will have to wait to see “perfect” midfielder Steven Alzate unleashed on the Championship
DOM AIMS TO HAVE A BALL AT THE O'S...
DOM Ball is eager to use all his experience to help Leyton Orient achieve ‘something special’ this season.
DEL-BOY IS CUSHTY FOR CLEVERLEY
ALTHOUGH it needed a second-half strike from Tom Dele-Bashiru to rescue a point for Watford against Coventry, Hornets’ relieved head coach Tom Cleverley was determined not to point the finger at his slow-starting players.
MACKEMS' PERFECT RECORD IS ROO-INED
WAYNE Rooney expressed his delight after his first Championship win as Plymouth Argyle boss came by beating previously unbeaten leaders Sunderland at the death.
Spanish starlet is seizing his big chance
SUNDERLAND'S failure to sign an established striker this summer left fans apoplectic, but Eliezer Mayenda is doing his best to quell the dissent.
