'Always in the spotlight' - Man Utd legend defended over disastrous managerial spell

Pundit Don Goodman recently spoken in support of Wayne Rooney after he was sacked by Birmingham City earlier in January, saying that 'nobody' can achieve success in the minimal amount of time he was given - let alone someone with the 38-year-old's managerial inexperience.

He also believes that it was a poor decision to appoint Rooney in the first place, saying that they 'may have made a better fist of competing' had they chosen to keep ex-boss John Eustace. The United icon has shown he can be successful in football management, as shown by his admirable spell at Derby County which came under incredibly difficult circumstances.

Rooney's time in charge at Birmingham was nothing short of a disaster. He mustered just two wins from his time in charge, drawing four and losing nine. All in all, he spent just 87 days at the helm of the Blues before being replaced by Tony Mowbray.

What did Don Goodman say about the decision to sack Wayne Rooney?

On the decision to sack Rooney, Goodman said [via Goal]: "The Birmingham board got their timing all wrong. Middlesbrough, Hull, Southampton, Ipswich and Sunderland. Even with John Eustace, they might have made a better fist of competing in those games but I'm not sure they would have won them. So, I think the timing was all wrong and it instantly puts Wayne Rooney on the back foot. Because he's Wayne Rooney, he is always in the spotlight with everybody watching and wanting him to fail.

"The hierarchy must've been questioning themselves but Wayne Rooney is right, nobody can build something in 87 days. When I say build something, I mean getting a group of players that are used to playing in a certain way, ripping it up and starting again. There are not many people who can do that. Let alone, somebody in the first knockings of his coaching career."