Tom Brady's transition from NFL icon to football club executive has brought an entirely new level of scrutiny-and brutal honesty-to Birmingham City. The seven-time Super Bowl champion's journey as a minority owner is now at the center of Built In Birmingham: Brady & the Blues, the new Amazon Prime docuseries chronicling the highs and lows of the club's past two seasons.

Brady's candid assessment of the Blues' 2023-24 campaign leaves no room for interpretation. Reflecting on the tumultuous spell under former manager Wayne Rooney, Brady admits in the series, "I'm a little worried about our head coach's [Rooney's] work ethic. I mean, I don't know, I don't have great instincts on that."

Rooney, appointed shortly after Birmingham's new ownership arrived in August 2023, lasted less than three months at St Andrew's.

During his brief tenure, Birmingham slipped from play-off hopefuls to a relegation battle, winning just two matches before Rooney was dismissed. Even after the change in leadership, the club was unable to stave off relegation to League One.

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Brady pulls no punches in his evaluation

For Brady, however, the problems ran deeper than the manager. He reserved his harshest words for the playing squad: "Well, we've already changed the coach, so it's really the players because the coach doesn't go out there and put the ball in the goal," he said.

"They were lazy, they were entitled and when you're lazy and entitled, you don't have much of a chance to succeed. We've got to change all the people that are associated with losing, so I think this summer there's going to be a lot of people gone."

That blunt diagnosis marked a turning point. Birmingham City underwent a dramatic overhaul in the following offseason. Under new head coach Chris Davies, the Blues mounted a dominant campaign in League One, claiming the title and automatic promotion back to the Championship. It was a season that also saw Wrexham-co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney-rise alongside them.

From League One champions to new ambitions

For Brady, last season's title is just the beginning. With Birmingham now back in the Championship, the focus shifts to earning a coveted spot in the Premier League-a challenge that will test whether the culture shift he demanded truly takes hold.

Built In Birmingham: Brady & the Blues gives fans an inside look at Brady's approach, laying bare the standards and expectations he is setting at the club. With the NFL icon's trademark competitiveness driving changes behind the scenes, Birmingham City will be watched as closely as ever as they set their sights on English football's biggest stage.