Tom Brady’s history of winning has not rubbed off on the English soccer club he is now a co-owner of, apparently.
Despite a 1-0 win over Norwich City on Saturday, Birmingham City has been relegated from the second-tier English Football League Championship and will compete in the third-tier League One next season. Birmingham finished 22nd in the EFL Championship this season, which is third from the bottom. In English soccer, a bottom-three finish means relegation to a lower league.
Birmingham had a bit of a wild campaign that featured three different head coaches, including English soccer legend Wayne Rooney, whose tenure lasted less than three months. It’s the first time in about 30 years — and just the third time in the club’s history — that it’s been demoted to the third-tier league.
BIRMINGHAM CITY RELEGATED to 3rd tier, club's lowest ebb in 29 years. 🔵
Blues were in the playoffs when first manager was sacked, Wayne Rooney came & went, but rot had set in. Harsh lesson for Tom Brady & friends on how not to run a football club.
Their season in a picture. 🫣 pic.twitter.com/CXCUmhskSI
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) May 4, 2024
Brady — the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback — was part of the ownership group that bought Birmingham City last summer. He became the chairman of the advisory board for the club. Around the time of his ownership group taking over, Brady told ESPN:
“And maybe you’re asking what do you know about English football, Tom? Well let’s just say I’ve got a lot to learn. But I do know a few things about winning, and I think they may translate pretty well.”
Well, maybe next season, Tom. Perhaps he can learn from other celebrity soccer owners, like Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny, whose Welsh club Wrexham just got promoted again.
The good news for Brady is that the other professional team he co-owns, the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, are favored to win the championship again.