Birmingham City have had a dramatic week in which John Eustace was sacked by the club and replaced by one of the greatest players the country has produced in Wayne Rooney.
It is a story that has dominated headlines and back pages at regional and national level and shows no sign of slowing down as Rooney officially took charge of his first training session.
As Blues fans wait for the Rooney era to get under way, here are all the latest Birmingham City headlines that have captured attention in the last 24 hours.
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Savage has his say
Robbie Savage says John Eustace was "harshly treated" by Birmingham City and says the club will have to spend in the transfer market to play in order for Wayne Rooney to play "no fear" football.
Rooney was confirmed as Blues boss this week replacing John Eustace who was sacked despite leading the club to sixth in the Championship table. Explaining their decision to part company, Birmingham said there was a "misalignment" with the leadership of the club.
They then hired Rooney within 48 hours of that statement with the former Manchester United striker back in English football management for the first time since quitting Derby. And while Birmingham said they wanted a "no fear" approach, Savage says Blues will need the players capable of producing that kind of football.
Writing in his Mirror column, former Birmingham favourite Savage said: "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."
Keown's Rooney verdict
Martin Keown says he is excited to see if Wayne Rooney can transform from being a great player into a great manager at Birmingham City - but has sympathy for his predecessor John Eustace.
Rooney was this week confirmed as new Blues boss after the club took the decision to axe Eustace despite him sitting sixth in the Championship table.
Birmingham explained Eustace's departure as a "misalignment" with the leadership of the club before appointing Rooney within 48 hours after his exit. All eyes are on the former Manchester United striker to see if he can maintain Eustace's good work and he will be under considerable scrutiny. And speaking about Rooney's goal now he has taken charge following his split from DC United, talkSPORT pundit Keown said: "Well he is in a play-off position, isn't he?
"That's what he's obviously trying to do - get them up. That would be an incredible turnaround for this football club. Why not? There is a momentum there. They just beat their local rivals and won their last two games. It's very unusual to win your last two games and get the sack. I do feel sorry for the outgoing manager."
Rooney could emulate Poch
Wayne Rooney could turn out to be as inspired an appointment for Birmingham City as Mauricio Pochettino was for Southampton.
That’s according to The Athletic ’s respected Football Correspondent David Ornstein who admits the decision to move on from the popular John Eustace was a harsh one but potentially worth the risk.
Writing in his Ask Ornstein column the former BBC journalist was quizzed about Rooney’s arrival at St Andrew’s and outlined the qualities the 37-year-old has to be a success with Blues. Indeed Ornstein drew comparisons with what happened at St Mary’s ten years ago when having guided the Saints to successive promotions from League One to the Premier League, Adkins was dispensed with and Pochettino appointed.
Ornstein wrote: “I feel sorry for Eustace; he was doing a good job and was popular with the fans. Football can be cruel, but it’s not the first time we’ve seen a decision like this — I immediately think back to Southampton’s controversial decision to replace Nigel Adkins with Mauricio Pochettino in 2013. That generated huge criticism but turned out to be the right call."
Rooney's Brady invite
Wayne Rooney wants Tom Brady to share his story with Birmingham City’s players on his next visit to the second city.
The club’s new manager spoke to Brady - who was confirmed as a minority investor in Blues in August - before taking over from John Eustace. While Brady is based in the United States, the seven-time Super Bowl winner is keen to influence goings on at St Andrew’s from afar.
He was part of the committee that hand-picked Rooney to become the club’s manager, alongside chief executive Garry Cook and owner Tom Wagner. And Rooney wants Blues’ players to learn from the man who many call the greatest NFL player in history.
“He is one of, if not the greatest athlete of all time, so I’m sure he has got a lot of advice and a lot of things which worked for him throughout his career,” said Rooney. “Sports are different. I’ve had Kevin Sinfield and Tony Bellew, different athletes from different sports, come in and speak to my teams in the past to tell their stories about how they reached that level."
