Wayne Rooney said Birmingham fans did not accept him "from day one", reflecting on his short spell at St Andrews and more on the Stick to Football podcast.
Rooney replaced John Eustace in October but was sacked last month after winning two of his 15 games in charge and losing nine.
Birmingham were sixth in the Championship when Rooney was appointed but sat just six points above the relegation zone by the time of his departure.
"Birmingham City fans didn't accept me from day one,' he said on the Stick to Footballpodcast from Sky Bet. "John Eustace had done a good job, to be fair to him, but they made the change and asked me to go in.
"I went in, but I knew straight away that I wasn't accepted by the fans. I think it was more because John Eustace had done well. They were in sixth place when he got sacked.
"If you're a Birmingham fan, the last 10 years they've had, and they are touching the play-offs - I know it was early in the season - and then the manager gets sacked
"They had the situation with [Gianfranco] Zola a couple of years ago, and that comes back into the minds as well.
"I think they [Birmingham City] were in a false position [when I arrived], but you back yourself. I'm someone who has always done that, I've always been a confident person.
"To be fair, the first five games we had were probably the toughest five games of the season, so that didn't help with what happened in the end.
"I backed myself - it didn't pay off - so I'll move on."
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