Wayne Rooney sacked as Birmingham City manager after 15 games and 83 days in charge
Wayne Rooney has been sacked as Birmingham City manager after less than three months at the helm and says it will take him “some time to get over” his dismissal.
The former England and Manchester United captain took over from John Eustace on 11 October on a three-and-a-half-year deal and has overseen just two wins in 15 games during his 83 days at St Andrew’s.
His team have lost nine of those matches, leaving the Championship club 20th in the table, six points above the relegation zone.
City were sixth and in the play-off positions when he became manager.
Birmingham suffered a 3-0 defeat at Leeds on New Year’s Day, prompting the club to dismiss Rooney and first team coach, Carl Robinson.
City’s chief executive Garry Cook said: “We are committed to doing what is necessary to bring success to St Andrew’s.
“Unfortunately, Wayne’s time with us did not go as planned and we have decided to move in a different direction.
“The search for a successor begins with immediate effect and we will update supporters when we have further news.”
Rooney, 38, was the first managerial hire by new Birmingham owner Tom Wagner and his Knighthead Capital Management group, which bought the club in August.
Rooney scored more than 250 goals for Manchester United. Pic: AP
Rooney said in a statement that “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.
“I would like to thank Tom Wagner, Tom Brady and Garry Cook for the opportunity to manage Birmingham City FC and the support they all gave me during my short period with the club.
“Finally, I wish Birmingham City FC and its owners my best wishes in the pursuit of their ambitions.”
Speaking after Monday’s defeat, he said: “I’m a fighter and I get football fans’ opinions.
“I have to draw on my career, my playing career wasn’t always about success. I was in a relegation battle with Everton, I believe in myself.”
Rooney during his time as Derby County manager
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Birmingham was Rooney’s third club as a manager, following spells at Derby County and Major League Soccer (MLS) side, DC United, initially as player-manager.
He made 883 appearances in a playing career stretching over almost two decades, 119 of them with England and totalled 366 goals, including 53 for his country, officialwaynerooney.com said.
UK
Mother of Jools Sweeney, 14, who took his own life is fighting social media companies for his search history
A bereaved mother who has “absolutely no idea” why her son took his own life aged 14 is fighting social media companies to hand over his search history.
Jools Sweeney was found dead in April 2022. A coroner was unable to rule his death was a suicide as they were unable to prove he was in a “suicidal mood”, his mother Ellen Roome tells Sky News.
Ms Roome says he showed no signs of depression and police have ruled out any third-party involvement.
As a result, she says she has been left with “absolutely no idea why he isn’t here anymore”.
Having read about other teenagers taking their lives after viewing harmful content online, Ms Roome asked various social media companies for her son’s browsing history to shed light on why he died.
Ellen Roome and her son Jools Sweeney (right). Pic: Ellen Roome
But she says: “Since my son’s death, I have not been able to access information to see what my son was looking at that could have contributed to him taking his own life.
“Parents should have the right to full access to their child’s social media accounts either whilst they are still alive (to protect them) or if they die as in my case.”
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She launched a petition to have the issue debated in parliament. But in light of the general election on 4 July, all parliamentary petitions will be automatically closed on 30 May.
This leaves her with just days to reach her 100,000-signature target.
She tells Sky News: “It’s very ambitious but I need 85,000 signatures to hit my target which might give me access to Jools’s information to find out why he died.”
Asked about the impact of her son’s unexpected death, she adds: “It’s impossibly hard, it’s horrific, it consumes me.
“I have to try the only thing we haven’t tried and that is social media.
“It might not be that. But I don’t see why social media companies wouldn’t let me see if they’ve got nothing to hide.”
Pic: Ellen Roome
Quarter of children addicted to devices
A recent House of Commons Education Committee report suggested there has been a 52% increase in children’s screen time between 2020 and 2022, with a quarter said to be using their devices in an addictive manner.
MPs on the committee said that while the Online Safety Act will play a role in keeping children safe from online harms, full protection will not come until the Act is fully implemented in 2026.
They suggest the next government should ban all under-16s from having phones.
The 14-year-old took his own life in 2022. Pic: Ellen Roome
Pic: Ellen Roome
Ms Roome said: “I think there’s a bigger issue than banning outright under-16s.
“Because they still have access to other devices. That is a bigger problem. We need to control what’s on those devices. It’s shocking about what a child can see these days.”
Online safety campaigner Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life after viewing harmful material, said such a ban would “cause more harm than good” and would “punish children for the failures of tech companies to protect them”.
“The quickest and most effective route to protect children’s online safety and wellbeing is to strengthen the Online Safety Act in the next parliament and we call on all parties to commit to this in their manifestos,” he said.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Ms Roome adds: “Companies need to step up and stop waiting for the bill to make some changes.”
She describes her son as “entirely beautiful” and a “really polite young man”.
“I’m appealing to anybody out there to kindly share my petition. I want this debated in parliament. Parents need the right to be able to protect their children.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
An aircraft has crashed in a field in Lincolnshire, police say.
Emergency crews are at the scene in Coningsby following reports the aircraft went down shortly before 1.20pm.
A Lincolnshire Police spokesperson said a “single occupant aircraft” is believed to have crashed and nobody else is thought to have been involved.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was aware of the incident but it was not involved as it was a military investigation.
It has been reported the crash involved a Spitfire taking part in a Battle of Britain memorial event.
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Road closures are in place in the areas of Dogdyke Road and Sandy Bank.
Motorists have been asked to avoid the area and seek alternative routes.
Broadcasters Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford have announced they are going to divorce after 14 years of marriage.
The pair, who presented ITV daytime chat show This Morning together for 15 years before quitting the show in 2021, tied the knot in 2010.
They confirmed their split through a representative, who said: “Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes have confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing.”
After leaving This Morning, Holmes, 64, joined GB News where he presents the channel’s breakfast show and Langsford, also 64, is a regular on ITV’s Loose Women.
The pair in 2007. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock
Together they also presented Channel 5 programmes including How The Other Half Lives and Do The Right Thing With Eamonn And Ruth, and made numerous appearances on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox.
Holmes and Langsford started dating in 1997.
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Their wedding was attended by TV presenters Gloria Hunniford and Jeremy Kyle, EastEnders actress Zoe Lucker and former champion boxer Barry McGuigan.
Eamonn and Ruth quit This Morning in 2021. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
They have one son, Jack, who was born in 2002. Holmes also has three children, Declan, Rebecca and Niall, from his first marriage.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
In the 2018 New Year Honours, Holmes became an OBE for services to broadcasting and was congratulated by Langsford, who called him her “darling”.
Langsford has also been a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered with Anton Du Beke before he became a judge on the BBC show.
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