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| Wayne Rooney won 24 of his 85 games in charge of Derby County, with 22 draws and 39 defeats. He was put in interim charge of the team in November of that year - his first job in management - with the club bottom of the Championship after they parted company with Phillip Cocu. (Photo by= Rex Features) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] Wayne Rooney has told troubled Derby County that he wishes to be "relieved of his duties as first-team manager" with immediate effect. The 36-year-old's contract with the club had another year to run, BBC Sports reported.
The Rams have been in administration since September last year and were relegated to League One last season. "I feel the club now needs to be led by someone with fresh energy and not affected by events that have happened over the last 18 months," he said. The former Everton, Manchester United, and England forward said he had been "closely following developments" regarding the ownership of the club and informed joint administrators Quantuma of his decision at a meeting on Friday when they tried "tremendously hard" to change his mind.
The news came on the same day that property developer David Clowes announced a bid to buy the club after purchasing Derby's Pride Park stadium. His company Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, has also given a loan to the club to allow them to start next season. It followed the collapse of US businessman Chris Kirchner's takeover plans on 13 June - a bid that Rooney had publicly backed in April when he was confirmed as the preferred bidder.
