After making harsh remarks about Wayne Rooney, a Sky Sports commentator claims Birmingham City, saying “I’d be surprised.”

Wayne Rooney is nearly two months into his spell as Birmingham City manager, and the former England international striker probably didn’t see it going like it has done.

Rooney arrived at the Midlands outfit in a promising position, with Birmingham sitting sixth in the Championship table, but just one win from his eight matches in charge has presented an issue.

City have slid down the table into 15th spot, and whilst the gap to the play-off places isn’t huge, there appears to be a real lack of confidence within the playing squad.

And after Birmingham faced Rotherham United at home this past weekend in a match that ended in a draw, Rooney expressed his anger at the current state of affairs.

Rooney accuses players of ‘lacking balls’

Following the 0-0 draw with the struggling Millers on Saturday, Rooney slammed his squad post-match, who were clearly showing promising signs on the training pitch but not so much in Championship action.

“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 are fans out there they become a different player, a different person,” Rooney said – via Goal.

“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 Jukey (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, and decision-making. Game management is a big part of the game we need to improve on.”

The Blues are potentially looking to bring Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill back to England after a stint in Hungary

Goodman ‘would be surprised’ if Birmingham players downed tools

EFL pundit Don Goodman believes that despite Rooney’s comments towards his squad following the stalemate against Rotherham, he does not believe that it will have an adverse effect on the upcoming performances on the pitch.

And despite having to welcome Leicester City to St. Andrew’s in the next few weeks, Goodman thinks that results should improve after a difficult beginning – but the owners may have to look at the situation if they do not change.

“I’d be surprised,” Goodman said when questioned if he can see the Blues’ bad form continuing.

“I don’t think they could have had a harder run in his first five or six games. The last three, less so, because they’ve played Sheffield Wednesday, Blackburn and Rotherham.

“Two of those three they would have been expected to win, but they won one, drew one and lost one.

“They’ve got Coventry away, which will be a very tough game, then they’re away to Cardiff and then at home to Leicester. So it doesn’t really get that much easier.

“After that, they’ve got Plymouth, a cup final, Stoke, a cup final, Bristol City, which will be massive and then it’s Leeds.

“So they’ve got some tough looking fixtures coming their way. While the owners will be patient, and he is their man, obviously they can’t keep not winning games of football.

“It’s one win in eight now, but if it’s one win in 12 then we might be having a different conversation.”

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