'Wayne Rooney will need plenty of help to deliver what Birmingham owners want'
Wayne Rooney's return to English football with Birmingham City is an ambitious move – but to play the 'no-fear' football the owners demand, he will need no-fear players.
And in a dog-eat-dog league like the Championship, you can't always deliver pretty football like going to a restaurant and ordering the most expensive dish on a menu. Rooney is joining a club in a good position, which is down to his predecessor as manager, John Eustace, who was very harshly treated.
Eustace did not deserve to be cast aside with the Blues in the top six, after leading them to 17th last season when he had virtually no money to spend and he achieved safety by surfing the loan market wisely.
For Rooney, the bottom line is not going to be pretty football – it's winning football. He has to finish higher than sixth, where he came in, and he knows he will be expected to deliver promotion.
It's a fantastic club, where I enjoyed some of the best years of my career as a player, and if he gets it right, he will be a hero among the Bluenose legions. But it's also a demanding fan base. Those supporters know their porridge from their oats, and Birmingham have been here before.
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In 2016, under different owners, they sacked Gary Rowett when the club was seventh in the table and brought in Gianfranco Zola on a licence to play more expansive football. Zola inherited a squad unable to play that way, and he didn't even last the season.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Did Birmingham make the right decision by appointing Wayne Rooney? Comment below.
Wayne Rooney was appointed as Birmingham manager this week (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)After just two wins in 24 games, he left St Andrews and it needed Harry Redknapp to step in a save them from relegation by winning on the final day at Bristol City. To play no-fear football, Birmingham will have to invest in the January transfer window if not next summer, and there's no doubt Rooney standing in the game will bring high-quality signings to the club.
He's a huge name who will attract huge players. Wayne's brother, John, plays for us at Macclesfield, so I'm sure I'll be chatting to him about how things are progressing, but what an opportunity this is for him.
I thought Rooney did a good job at Derby, under very difficult circumstances, but to play the free-flowing football Birmingham's owners want he will need his players to stand up and play bravely, without fear.
He will have to get the balance right between winning and artistic merit because the fans liked Eustace - a Birmingham lad who connected with the supporters - and Rooney must live up to the high expectations and ambition.
The owners, with NFL superstar Tom Brady on board, will improve the stadium and restore the bottom tier to the Kop and Tilton Road stands, and St Andrews will be rocking when it's full. But I repeat: Above all, Rooney will have to deliver winning football.
If he does that, Birmingham City is a wonderful place to be popular – especially when you beat Aston Villa (and I never lost against Villa as a Blues player). It's a big club where big names are hailed as heroes – just ask French World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry, whose career probably peaked at St Andrews.
What an honour it must have been for him to finish second behind me in the club's Player of the Year poll! Good luck, Wayne. It's great to have you back.
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