Former Birmingham City boss Lee Clark has slammed Wayne Rooney for recent comments he made about John Eustace’s style of play in the St. Andrew’s dugout.
Rooney has had a turbulent start to life with the Blues, losing four of his opening five matches and picking up merely a point. His side have dropped from sixth in the Championship to 18th under his tutelage.
Birmingham’s most recent disappointment came in the form of a 3-1 defeat at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland and, speaking after the game, Rooney admitted that the international break came at the right time for his side [quotes via Birmingham Live]:
“I think the break has come at a good time for us. It’s a chance for the players to put some really good fitness work in ahead of a tough three or four months.
“We are seeing improvements but we can’t just keep saying we’re seeing improvements, we need to pick up results. The fitness work is such an important thing with how I want my teams to play.”
Rooney’s appointment wasn’t a very popular one amongst supporters given how well the team were performing under Eustace. The latter’s most recent result was a 3-1 win in the West Midlands Derby against rivals West Bromwich Albion.
The former Derby County boss was always facing an uphill battle at the club given Eustace’s popularity with the players and supporters, but the Manchester United legend is also keen to play a more attack-minded style.
Nevertheless, ex-Blues manager Lee Clark has criticised Rooney’s comments, believing they were a cheap shot towards his predecessor. Speaking to the Toon Radio, Clark said [quotes via Football League World]:
“They got rid of a manager who had the team in a better position that they should have been in terms of the finances, the situation.
“I know this new ownership had come into Birmingham but they hadn’t invested a lot in the group because they’d missed the transfer window,” Clark continued.
“John Eustace hadn’t had huge backing in terms of the Championship and he got the team playing in a specific way. Sometimes it’s alright saying you want your team to play in a certain way but if the players and the group of players can’t do that, you have to do something different in the short-term to get results to get through to the next transfer window.
“I was a bit disappointed with Rooney’s quotes saying the players weren’t as fit as he wanted them to go on and do what he wanted. It sounds to me as if he’s trying to play a high-pressing game, win the ball high up the pitch and play quick football through the thirds.
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