Most recent news on Birmingham City features an interview with John Ruddy following the Blues’ subsequent mistakes in the Championship.
John Ruddy believes Birmingham City “are carrying a few too many” and wants to abandon tactics and concepts in order to get points and stay in the league.
Tuesday night at St Andrew’s, Riley McGree’s thunderbolt gave Middlesbrough all three points and put Blues further down in the Championship relegation zone.With four losses in their past five games, the Blues are ranked twenty-first on the table.
“We have quality, fight, and effort in the squad, so it’s unfortunate,” Ruddy remarked. However, in trying times, everyone must rise to the occasion and be counted, and I believe that right now we’re perhaps carrying a bit too many throughout the games.
“The quality isn’t quite there, but we still need to stick together and fight as a team because it will take the management team and every player available to get us out of this.”
“We must stick together and make every effort to maintain our optimistic attitude. Moving forward, we must ensure that we are correcting our mistakes and offer no excuses.
Ruddy declared that the game against Watford on Saturday was a “must win.” After just one win in their previous 12 games, the Hornets fired Valerien Ismael over the weekend and installed Tom Cleverley as their acting head coach. On Tuesday, Cleverley visited St Andrew’s to keep an eye on the Blues.
This season, the Blues have struggled in part because they haven’t been able to retain clean sheets. Compared to 14 shutouts in the Championship last season, Ruddy has only managed seven this season. The Blues’ decline on that front is surely partly due to instability on the touchline and in defence.
“Different managers have different styles,” Ruddy remarked. Described as a realistic and transitional boss, John Eustace managed to achieve a great balance between us.
“Obviously, we then adopted a more possession-based approach, which I don’t believe worked out so well for us. Right now, we’re attempting to strike a compromise where we can resume our strong defensive play while still posing a danger offensively.
“In the last two games, we didn’t work their keeper nearly enough—tonight and Saturday against Millwall. Along with maintaining efforts and goals out the other end, that is a problem.
Three weeks ago, when Tony Mowbray oversaw back-to-back victories against Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland in the span of four days, things were looking considerably more promising. The team has been shaken by his extended medical leave of absence.
Since Mowbray resigned, Blues have only managed one point out of a potential fifteen, and everyone—including acting manager Mark Venus—wants him back.
Ruddy continued, “When he departed, he stated he couldn’t pinpoint a specific timetable, but he was positive he would be making every effort to return. He serves as the club’s leader and focal point.
Even if the other coaches have stepped up and done a great job filling in for him, they are more of a coaching team, so it’s still very hard for them to implement themselves as managers. Instead of just one voice, it’s the combined voices of all of them.
“It’s always challenging because, in the end, you lose your leader, but Veno, Ash (Cole), Pete (Shuttleworth), and Maik (Taylor) are trying their hardest. We players try our hardest, but there comes a point where ideas and playing styles are thrown out the window and we are left with nothing to do but struggle for nine games.
“There are 27 points up for grabs. We will have to kick our way through nine games if that’s what it takes to earn the necessary number of points. There comes a time when compromise is necessary, and that time is now.
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