The American nightmare! Birmingham Metropolis are staring relegation within the face after the disastrous hiring and firing of Wayne Rooney within the first season for the reason that membership’s Tom Brady-fronted takeover

This was bought because the yr Birmingham Metropolis would embrace the American Dream however the actuality is proving a nightmare.

When NFL nice Tom Brady, a minority proprietor of the Championship membership, joined followers for a pint at The Roost pub earlier than the 1-0 win over Leeds final August, it ought to have been the beginning of an incredible sporting partnership. 

But since sacking John Eustace in October with the membership mendacity sixth within the Championship, little or no has gone proper for Blues.

They’ve plans value £2billion to remodel the membership however these huge concepts will take some launching from the third tier of English soccer.

Beating Norwich on Saturday shall be a tall order and if Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday win, even that won’t be sufficient to maintain them out of League One.

Had Tony Mowbray, the membership’s third supervisor of the season, not needed to step away from the job in February to obtain medical remedy, it’s uncertain Blues can be on this predicament. They collected 10 factors from six matches underneath Mowbray and had they maintained that kind, Birmingham would have been protected way back.

But that doesn’t masks the massive error made by the Blues hierarchy, led by chairman Tom Wagner and chief govt Garry Cook dinner, that successfully derailed the membership’s season. Bewitched by huge names and apparently determined to discover a sporting icon to match Brady’s fame, they employed Wayne Rooney as supervisor final October, despite the fact that there was no foundation in any respect for doing so.

Cook dinner promised a ‘no worry’ method underneath Rooney however that label should terrify him now. As a result of worry was precisely what Rooney’s appointment unfold all through the membership.

First among the many gamers, who had understood their jobs inside out underneath Eustace and had been all of the sudden anticipated to show into Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. Then among the many followers, who had been livid with Cook dinner and Wagner for attempting to repair what was not damaged. 

Lastly the worry reached these on the prime, who swallowed their pleasure and sacked Rooney in January, after a haul of 9 factors from 15 video games. If Blues are relegated, it is going to be remembered as a colossal act of self-sabotage.

Requested about Birmingham’s season in April, Wagner admitted: ‘We made one resolution that if we had been to return in time we wouldn’t have made. I don’t suppose we are able to ever guarantee each resolution we make shall be an ideal one.

‘There have been some good classes discovered with a few of the selections we’ve made this yr and there have been substantial learnings about how we take into consideration making necessary selections on the sporting aspect.

‘Within the context of getting made hundreds of selections foe the membership this season, we made one which wasn’t excellent.’

Although Wagner talked about neither Eustace nor Rooney by identify, Mail Sport understands the membership settle for they sacked Eustace too quickly. If they are saying that just one resolution ‘wasn’t excellent’, meaning they nonetheless consider Rooney was the proper appointment. If they don’t seem to be ready to acknowledge that mistake even in public, it’s a vital concern.

But it could be unfair to gloss over the great work Knighthead have carried out and what they could nonetheless obtain.

The proposed £2billion funding wouldn’t solely ship a brand new stadium at tremendously elevated capability, there would even be new coaching and academy amenities, with Manchester Metropolis’s Etihad Campus the inspiration for the venture. The funds would even have the potential remodel a part of the east of Birmingham.

These are not any homeowners in it to make a fast buck and to hell with the results. Their intention is to take Birmingham into the Premier League and sooner or later problem Aston Villa to be the kings of this metropolis.

Until the playing cards fall of their favour on Saturday, although, this American Dream will take a bit longer to come back true.