Man Utd legend Wayne Rooney tells his Birmingham flops to ‘grow a pair’ and slams ‘sloppy’ play in Rotherham stalemate
WAYNE ROONEY has hit out at his players as Birmingham’s dismal form continued.
The Blues welcomed second-bottom Rotherham to St Andrew’s on Saturday and the game ended 0-0.
Rooney has only won one of the eight matches he has taken charge of since replacing John Eustace in the dugout.
Birmingham were 12th in the Championship and one point off the play-offs when he took over.
But the club have now slumped to 15th and are seven points behind the top six.
Rooney’s side were booed off after the stalemate to Rotherham with minority owner and NFL legend Tom Brady in the stands.
And after the game the fuming Manchester United icon admitted his team were lucky not to lose.
Rooney ranted: “I thought we started the game really well. But we got sloppy, we got slow, and we created a lot of our own problems.
“A lot of things we need to address, basics of the game like heading the ball, it was not there today.
“I think some players in there need to grow a pair of balls, basically, because I’m watching what they do in training and the minute there is fans out there they become a different player, a different person.
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“That is football. You are going to have to play in front of fans, wherever you play.
“It is okay doing things on the training pitch but you have to take that into the games.
“We are still a young team but then the leaders in the team… that’s where Lukas Jutkiewicz has been brilliant. He is frustrated he doesn’t play all the games but you can see he is a leader, he is talking in there.
“But there are some players who have got enough experience to stand up and be leaders.
“They are trying but it’s silly errors, decision-making. Game management is a big part of the game we need to improve on.
“I’m completely different as a manager to what I was as a player.
“You might see me on the sidelines quite calm. But the players know exactly what I expect of them, and if they are not doing it, they won’t play.
“And by not playing, they won’t be at this football club. We will get different players in.
“The players are very aware of what I want from them and the expectations I have of them, my own expectations as well.”
Birmingham next face Coventry away on Friday night.