Rooney Hits Back at Brady Over ‘Work Ethic’ Jibe

Wayne Rooney has criticised NFL legend Tom Brady over comments questioning his work ethic during his brief spell as Birmingham City manager.

Rooney, sacked after just 83 days in January 2024, addressed the remarks on his new podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, which launches Friday on BBC Sounds, YouTube and iPlayer.

Brady, who became a minority owner at St Andrew’s in August 2023, voiced concerns about Rooney’s attitude in a behind-the-scenes documentary filmed during his first months at the club. Following a training ground visit in November 2023, the seven-time Super Bowl champion told colleagues he was “a little worried about our head coach’s work ethic.”

Rooney responded: “I think Tom came in once, the day before a game when the workload is lighter anyway. I don’t think he really understood football that well. But what he does understand is hard work, we all know that. Football isn’t the NFL. NFL players work three months a year; footballers need rest too. I think it’s very unfair how he’s portrayed it.”

Birmingham’s American owners, Knighthead Capital Management, took control in June 2023, replacing popular manager John Eustace with Rooney in October while the club sat sixth in the Championship. But the former England captain’s tenure unravelled quickly, winning just two of 15 matches and leaving the Blues 20th in the table.

Tony Mowbray replaced Rooney but stepped aside after a bowel cancer diagnosis, with the club ultimately going through seven managers in 10 months before suffering relegation to League One.

Reflecting on his stint, Rooney said: “When I went in, Birmingham were in a mess. The players weren’t really capable of taking the club forward. Tony Mowbray and Gary Rowett struggled after me as well.”

A £30m summer investment in 2024, the largest ever for a League One side, transformed fortunes under manager Chris Davies. Birmingham stormed to the title with a record 111 points in 2024-25.

Despite his grievances, Rooney paid tribute to Brady: “I respect Tom massively, he’s one of the greatest athletes of all time. Birmingham are getting it right now. They’ve got rid of the players they needed to.”

In the same documentary, Brady also branded members of the 2023-24 squad “lazy and entitled.”