Wayne Rooney unhappy as Birmingham are held by Rotherham
Stats Perform
December 2, 2023 02:35 MYT
December 2, 2023 02:35 MYT
Wayne Rooney said his Birmingham squad need to show improvements as he was left frustrated by a “very bad” performance against Rotherham in the Sky Bet Championship as the Blues were held to a 0-0 draw.
Rooney and Birmingham were booed off the pitch after failing to defeat a struggling Rotherham side still winless on the road this season, with minority owner Tom Brady in attendance.
Rooney admitted it was not a good game and his side were fortunate to come away with a point.
“I thought we started the game really well for 20 minutes,” Rooney said.
“But we got sloppy, we got slow, and we created a lot of our own problems.
“We were probably fortunate in the end to come away with a point.
“A lot of things we need to address, basics of the game like heading the ball, it was not there today.”
On whether the current crop of players are good enough, he added: “Today was a really frustrating day.
“My job is to improve them as players so in the next six months we hope there will be changes because you want to bring players in and players will leave.
“It’s important we don’t get carried away we do have a lot of good players but today we should win that game.
“That’s an accountability the players need to understand.”
Rooney believed his team did not win the game because of complacency after a positive start.
“We haven’t won the game because we got complacent,” he said.
“I felt in the first 20 minutes we (found) it easy to get into their final third so the players then felt the game was a bit too easy for them.
“They get sloppy and forget to do the right things.”
Rooney also spoke of the presence of Brady at the game and at the training ground during the week, adding: “Tom was around all the players, and it was great to have him over.
“He was speaking to players individually, so the more he is here the better it is for us.”
Rotherham caretaker boss Wayne Carlisle felt the Millers deserved more than a point.
“I’m pleased with the performance but I’m slightly disappointed that we didn’t come out with the three points,” Carlisle said.
“We wanted a reaction after the Hull game (4-1 loss) and the boys rolled their sleeves up and gave a real Rotherham United performance.
“I’m delighted we were creating changes away from home and putting ourselves in these positions but disappointed we were not taking them.”
Carlisle said this result and the draw with Leeds last weekend can be a building block for his side and that he has a job to do until a new manager is appointed.
“I’ve got a job to do, my most important job is keeping the guys together and now it’s to try and win games of football until someone tells me I’m not doing it”, he added.