Tom Brady learned the hard way that being a great player like him doesn’t automatically mean matching his leadership.
The NFL legend and Birmingham City minority shareholder has lifted the lid on Wayne Rooney’s doomed spell in charge of the club in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT’s Troy Deeney.
The record seven-time Super Bowl winner sat down with talkSPORT’s Troy Deeney ahead of the release of his new five-part series, which is titled Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues.
Within it, Brady candidly discussed the mistakes made since he joined in August 2023, chief among them being Rooney’s appointment.
The Blues raised eyebrows that October when manager John Eustace was axed and replaced by the Manchester United legend.
The club were sixth in the Championship table at the time, with the controversial decision made even worse by Rooney’s poor record.
The 39-year-old had recorded just 38 wins across 139 games as a manager across his two previous clubs, Derby County and DC United.
The England legend then failed to win 13 of his 15 games in the Birmingham dugout as the club dropped 14 places in the league.
He was sacked after just 83 days in charge, but the damage had already been done, as the Blues suffered relegation months later.
Brady has now admitted the warning signs were there after a visit to Rooney in late November, shortly after he became manager.
In only his second trip to the Second City since investing in Birmingham, the 47-year-old stopped by the club’s Elite Performance and Innovation Centre in Henley-in-Arden.
In footage set to be released in ‘Built in Birmingham: Brady & The Blues’ on Prime Video on 1 August, Brady also sat in on one of Rooney’s training ground meetings, and by the end, appeared to be left questioning the ex-England captain’s work ethic.
Brady was in the stands days later when Rooney failed to beat managerless RotherhamGetty Rooney’s win percentage at the Blues was just 13.3GettyWhy Rooney was sacked by Birmingham
‘Dedication and work ethic’ were two words included in the club statement announcing Eustace’s departure, but conspicuous by their absence in the notice of his successor’s axing months later.
Like Rooney did with Sir Alex Ferguson, Brady worked under a demanding boss as a player, legendary NFL coach Belichick.
Deeney asked Brady why it took him so long to part company with Rooney after his first impression from that meeting.
In response, Brady told talkSPORT: “Well, at different times, you always want to give people opportunities to succeed.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Wayne and what he accomplished. He’s one of the greatest players that’s ever been on a pitch.
“At the same time, I have very high expectations for what leadership looks like.”
Rooney also criticised the lack of time afforded to him during his stint at St Andrew’sRooney was replaced by Tony Mowbray, who was later forced to step back from the role on medical leave, which led to Gary Rowett rejoining the club as interim manager for the last eight games of a tumultuous 2023/24 season.
Amid all the uncertainty, Blues were relegated to League One for the first time in nearly three decades.
However, the club bounced back immediately to the second division, under new manager Chris Davies, by winning the League One title.
Brady added: “I really felt like in the time that I had that we have to give everything we can to the players in terms of our time and energy and our commitment to seeing them succeed.“We found that in Chris, in our second season, who’s done an incredible job as manager.
“He’s been a great leader for the organisation, and I’m very excited to see how he continues to build on what he’s already accomplished last season, going into the year, because the reality is this year is very different and two years ago was very different from last year. “This year is going to be very different from last year, and the work to accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish is all about what you’re doing today, not about what you did two years ago or five years ago.
“It’s about what you do today and moving forward every single day.”
Things are now going very well for Birmingham on and off the pitchGettyWhat is the expectation for Birmingham this season?
Davies’ side broke the record for the most points in a single EFL season on their return to the Championship.
Birmingham oversaw the arrival of Jay Stansfield from Fulham last year for a League One transfer record that could reach £20million.
They also had a trip to Wembley, but came up short against Peterborough United in the EFL Trophy final, losing 2-0.
The Blues have since signed Tommy Doyle on loan from Wolves and sealed Demarai Gray’s return ahead of life back in the second tier.
On the expectation of the club this season, Brady told talkSPORT: “I want these players to know that they have all the support they need for them to out there and accomplish their goals.
“The only people that really can get things done are the people that are within that locker room. The staff and those players, they’re the ones that are going to decide the fate of this season.
Birmingham spent £25m during the 2024 summer transfer window on 17 new playersGetty“It’s our job and opportunity to help solve problems for them and to put them in a great position to succeed.
“So it’s not going to be anything I say here in late July that matters. It’s going to be about what they do when they show up to training, how they recover, how they eat, the individual choices they make, whether they win or lose.
“Do we learn from our mistakes? Do we show up the next day with a competitive attitude to be successful? Does the manager continue to think and study different tactics week in and week out because every week is something different. You’re going against different teams that have different strengths and weaknesses.
“Then ultimately, can those players go out and execute under pressure? And that’s what we’re trying to find.
“The people that are doing that, they’re going to be in this club for a long time and the ones that aren’t, they’re going to have to find other places.
“That’s the reality of sports. That’s what I realised as a sportsman. You got to show up every day with a great attitude to be successful and if you don’t, there’s other people that are there that are trying to take your job.
“If you have ambition to play at the highest level, the competition is within yourself. It’s about what you bring to the table. It’s not about what someone else does.
“If you show up every day with a great winning competitive attitude and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to make the team successful, I promise you there’s going to be a place for you.”
The former quarterback has helped guide the club back into the second tierGetty‘Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues’
The club’s new Amazon documentary hopes to challenge the ‘Welcome To Wrexham’ series, having already won the battle of the celebrity owners on the pitch.
However, Brady stressed a key difference between the two behind-the-scenes ventures is the edge that Birmingham as a city brings.
On the thought process behind standing out from other football-based TV shows, he added: “That’s the creative team behind the project that really understands what Birmingham is all about.
“I think when you see the contributions from a lot of people that are in the doc, certainly someone like Steven Knight, he’s got a great understanding of what this city and culture really is.
“I think there’s an edge to it. I think it brings out the heart and the values of the community of what the supporters really are, how much they believe in the club.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to all go out there and continue to build on what’s happened in the last few years.
“We really have great ambition, and it’s great that the fans get an inside look into what we’re doing.”
“We’ve been capturing stuff for the last few years, since we were able to make the investment in the club,” he continued.
“We’ve wanted to document all these things, certainly from the fans so that they understand the commitment that so many people have made in our making to try to make Birmingham City as successful as possible.
“So it’s been a really great journey. We’re kind of back to where we started, but hopefully the club’s in a much better place in terms of process and infrastructure, and it’s going to be a great season ahead.
“I can’t wait to get started.”
Built in Birmingham: Brady & The Blues launches on Prime Video on 1 August
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