Gary Lineker once called for the BBC to delete a social media post as he stuck up for Wayne Rooney. The plea came after Rooney, who turns 40 on Friday, was sacked as Birmingham City manager after just 15 games at the helm, winning only two of them.
The Blues had been sitting in the play-off places when he replaced John Eustace, but failed to win over either his players or the fans. After his reign was brutally cut short by the club’s American ownership group, which includes NFL icon Tom Brady, the BBC posted a mock-up of Rooney dressed in a three-piece suit, a reference to the hit Birmingham-based show Peaky Blinders. The image was accompanied by the caption: “By order of the Peaky Blinders, Wayne Rooney has been sacked by Birmingham City.”
The post sparked a backlash on X, with some fans calling it “cringe” and a “bad idea” before Lineker, then the host of Match of the Day and the corporation’s highest-paid star, weighed in with a two-word demand.
Clearly seeing the post as disrespectful, Lineker wrote: “Delete this.” The response was promptly granted by the BBC, with the post being taken down.
Rooney responded to his sacking by insisting he wasn’t given enough time at St Andrew’s. He said: “Football is a results business and I recognise they have not been at the level I wanted them to be.
“However, time is the most precious commodity a manager requires and I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed.
“Personally, it will take me some time to get over this setback. I have been involved in professional football, as either a player or manager, since I was 16.
“Now, I plan to take some time with my family as I prepare for the next opportunity in my journey as a manager. Finally, I wish Birmingham City FC and its owners my best wishes in the pursuit of their ambitions.”
Rooney’s break was brief, though, as he returned to management just a few months later after being appointed by Plymouth Argyle, then of the Championship. But again, his tenure was cut short as he left the Pilgrims on New Year’s Eve 2024 after just four wins in 23 games.
Like Birmingham had been the season before, Plymouth ended up being relegated after Rooney’s departure. Birmingham bounced back by romping to the League One title last season and have grand plans to return to the Premier League.