Wayne Rooney hit out at his Birmingham City players after their defeat to Blackburn Rovers.
Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney has slammed his team’s defense after they were defeated 4-2 at Blackburn Rovers last night.
Wayne Rooney’s struggles in Birmingham continue.
After picking up just one point in his first five games in charge, Rooney’s first win against Sheffield on Saturday came as a huge relief.
Blues, however, were unable to build on their success, falling to Rovers in an entertaining match at Ewood Park.
Rooney’s men gave the championship’s top scorer, Sammie Szmodic, too much space on two occasions, which cost them, before a John Ruddy error allowed James Hill to make it 3-0.
To their credit, the Blues didn’t give up, and a classy Siriki Dembele double ensured a frantic ending, but it was the hosts who would grab the sixth goal of the game through Harry Leonard to take the points.
What did Wayne Rooney say after Birmingham’s defeat?
Speaking to Birmingham Live after the game, Rooney was honest with his assessment, as he criticised the way his side defended as a team.
“The goals were very poor from our point of view. For large parts of the game, we were very good and caused Blackburn a lot of problems. But the goals are schoolboys. Of course, I take responsibility for that, but as defenders, goalkeepers, and midfielders, we need to get better. We can’t keep allowing teams to score goals like that against us.
“I felt in the first half we really quietened their crowd, and I told the players not to give them momentum and encouragement to get up, and we did the opposite. It’s hard to sit here and accept the defeat after such a positive performance.
“I’m not going to sit up here and hammer players because ultimately I’m picking the team and working with the players, and it’s my responsibility, but it’s also my responsibility to get it right. As a team and as individuals, when the lads are doing what I’m asking them to do, we’re very difficult to play against.”
Leave a Reply