Wayne Rooney reflects on his playing days and the challenges that comes with management, chatting on the latest episode of The Overlap.
Rooney took over Derby under dire circumstances, initially as a player-coach before becoming permanent manager.
He faced a 21-point deduction due to financial breaches, which led to relegation to League One in 2021–22, despite earning 55 points that would have secured 17th place without penalties.
Rooney highlighted his ability to galvanise the team and community, emphasising positivity amid adversity, such as winning games after setbacks.
He noted the challenge of managing young and senior players while implementing an attacking, high-pressing style, crediting assistants like Liam Rosenior for on-field training.
He expressed pride in giving debuts to youngsters like Festy Ebosele, though he acknowledged the relegation stung, mitigated only by the points deduction.
Rooney joined DC United in July 2022, hoping to replicate his impactful playing stint there (2018–2019).
His 18-month tenure was underwhelming, with a 25.9% win rate (14 wins, 14 draws, 26 losses) and no playoff qualification in 2023.
Rooney’s brief 83-day stint at Birmingham was his most criticised, taking over a team in sixth place and leaving them 20th with only two wins in 15 games (13.3% win rate).
Fans and media blamed his appointment—replacing the popular John Eustace — for the club’s eventual relegation to League One.
Appointed in May 2024, despite backlash from fans, Rooney aimed to rebuild at Plymouth, but his tenure ended by December with the team bottom of the Championship.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:57 Wayne Rooney on Great Strikers
01:45 Adapting as a Young Player
04:07 The Evolution of the Striker Role
06:36 Challenges of Modern Strikers
06:56 Toughest Defenders Faced
08:05 Comparing Modern Strikers
15:05 On The Winning Track Game
20:12 Wayne Rooney’s Goal Scoring Insights
25:22 Dressing Room Drama
26:31 Tactical Insights and Player Roles
27:09 Challenges of Modern Football
28:40 Toughest Opponents and Defensive Strategies
39:13 Psychology of Scoring Goals
47:17 Scouting and Recruitment
53:38 Management Challenges and Player Behaviour
He said on a flaw in Plymouth’s transfer model: “At Plymouth, scouting was basically all data, which is good in certain ways, but not in other ways.
“My big question that I had was that the data can give you an outline of a player, but what is the player’s character?
“What will he be like if you lose a couple of games? The data doesn’t give you that, but it gives you an outline – for your budget, it will give you the top 10 players for that budget and then I look through them all.”
Rooney spoke on how the transfer strategies differed at previous employers, Derby, DC United and Birmingham before stressing the need for a cohesive backroom department.
“Recruitment is a collective, and I heard [Mikel] Arteta speaking about this, as a manager you’ve got so much work to do with your squad and preparation and everything else,” he said.
“In the background you need a good recruitment team – I’ve said it has to be better at Manchester United, especially this period where United are.
“You need a good recruitment team who can identify the players that will fit the club and fit the culture – and budget-wise – can fit into what you want. Then, once they go through all that process, then the manager can go to meet the player.
“Sometimes you can meet the player and walk away and say, ‘He’s not for me,’ or meet a player and you maybe have a doubt, but you can see that personality in a player – having those characters in your team is important as well.”
“I was sacked on January 1st!” 🙄
Wayne Rooney looks back on his tenure in charge of Birmingham City. 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/NtQDm6nOO2
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) May 10, 2025
Rooney also looked back on his tenure in charge of Birmingham, saying: “When I signed, when I joined Birmingham, they brought me into this is how we wanna play and, so I presented, done the presentation to them and this is how we want we wanna play this exactly what, they want to do to move forward as a team.
“So after two games, I said to them, they can’t place, can’t do it.
“I wanna adjust and adapt the time to get results. That’s what I was saying before. I need to get results the way the game is.
“And then the message I got was, you know, keep doing it. And then in January, we’ll get you players in who can and I got sacked on January.”
Twitter users reacted as Wayne Rooney reflects on his playing days and the challenges that comes with management…
@Kieranbcfc2: He’s got 3 different sides relegated, he just needs to accept he’s a shit manager.
@CraigDHoare: This is how he could confidently roll into another job though …he genuinely believes it’s everyone else’s fault but his own management ability.
@Jak_Collier: I think it’s going to take him going to a club with stacks to spend in a summer with big expectations for clubs, pundits his pals etc to finally realize he’s shite!
@1994BCFC: None of his mates question how bad his record as a manager is! #bcfc
@T251051: 2 wins in 15 at Blues. Rooted at the bottom with Plymouth. Useless manager
@mickbcfc1975: What was his excuse at Plymouth ?
@CraigDHoare: 13% win record at Blues and a 20% at Plymouth..it’s always someone else’s fault.
@COMP_GAME_PLAYR: Worst manager in our history. Worse even than Zola. Inept in game situations. Tactical disaster from game one. Blamed players for his shortcomings… And Rosenior is currently proving that he was always the brains behind Rooney’s only decent spell, at Derby. Absolute clown #BCFC
@JoshBCFC_: So now he’s blaming the board for telling him to play a certain way. Not how it works pal, relegated 3 teams from the championship, when’s it time you start taking the blame wayne?
@joephinton: Did well to last until January – 30 minutes into his first game he could’ve been sacked we were that bad
@Doddzie09: He got sacked because he was shit 👍
@HC1875_: He was fucking shite. No accountability at all
@twelvty: Option (A) Stand up to your bosses tell them you’ll adapt the playing style when the window comes around and get results in meantime. Option (B) Adapt the language directed at throwing the players under the bus.
@Greekbluenose: It was on 2nd January, the day after a 3-0 pumping by Leeds, but that’s just detail. Why is there never any push back in these interviews or any acknowledgment that Rooney didn’t have the skillset required?
@benwilsonn29: We would’ve stayed up in 23/24 comfortably if it wasn’t for him and plymouth the same last season. Genuinely should never be given a managers job again
@bcfckian: Wayne Rooney vs accountability
@TheGJRichards: Nah, you’re just shit, Wayne. God help the Club he ends up at. #BCFC
@lennonkian_: Let’s just forget about the fact he only won 2 of his 15 games at blues and won 5 games out of 25 at Plymouth. Only 100% ratio Rooney has is getting sides relegated 😂 #bcfc
@BluessJack: He chats so much shit, he’s known to be a shit manager he’s managed 3 sides in England and got all 3 relegated…
@Kieee_7: Full of shite, so it was the boards fault that he was dog ahit and not his, ah make sense…
@IMRMEZZI: Actually never known a manager to blame everyone else but himself as much as this bloke #bcfc #pafc
@Chapmann_x: Oh here he is taking no accountability again 🤣 worse than Zola
@REASONSTOL1VE: so now he’s blaming the board for not backing him 🤣 maybe he needs to wake up and realise management isn’t for him 💀 2 wins in 15 with us and has helped get another championship side relegated this season! that’s 3 relegations and a failed stint in the mls 🔥
@JamesGall101: It’s a shame he didn’t get another chance to prove he can be a decent manager ain’t it, baller league wouldn’t even have him #bcfc
