Birmingham fans say ‘we’re doomed’ after Wayne Rooney press conference as club drop from 6th to 18th under Man Utd icon
Brum supporters more bewildered than ever that Eustace was axed last month
BIRMINGHAM fans fear it’s all doom ‘n Roon as a steep slide continues.
Saturday’s 3-1 Championship defeat at Sunderland means the Blues have plunged from sixth to 18th since making Wayne Rooney boss last month.
And after hearing the Manchester United legend’s latest press conference, supporters are worried about possible relegation, as well as being angrier than ever at John Eustace’s sacking.
Rooney has picked up just one point in five matches since succeeding popular Eustace.
The former England skipper insists “the last three games have seen positives and improvement”.
But Rooney’s failure to solve defensive problems alarms many fans.
Blues’ old boy Jobe Bellingham – Jude‘s younger brother – hit a stylish opener for promotion-seeking Sunderland.
Koji Miyoshi levelled neatly but a Dion Sanderson own goal and a close-range finish from sub Adil Aouchiche clinched the Black Cats’ victory.
Rooney said: “The goals are really sloppy goals.
‘’I mentioned this to the players before the game about their concentration, especially on set pieces. In this league, set pieces are so important, and we didn’t defend them well enough.
“The second goal was the decisive one in the game and we lost concentration for the third.
“We know Sunderland play a lot of short corners. We had warned the lads that we have to stay with our men. We didn’t do that – and it cost us.”
Rooney, 38, added: “It could have gone either way. We caused them some big problems throughout and got into some excellent positions.”
But fans saw it differently – even getting anxious about a drop into League One.
“We’re doomed,” said one, and “Another weekend, another excuse,” claimed another.
Assessments of Rooney’s overall suitability as a boss were equally brutal.
These included: “Terrible” and “He should quit managing, he is horrible”.
Several supporters also argued: “Great players hardly make great managers.”
And some believe Rooney’s plight shows what a good job Eustace was doing.
One said: “They literally sacked their coach for no reason, they deserve this.”
A second observer posted: “Birmingham City messed up sacking the previous manager for nothing.”
Blues’ CEO Garry Cook blamed Eustace’s axing in October on the 44-year-old not matching the club’s “ambition”.
Cook added that replacing him so early in the season would enable his replacement to evaluate the squad ahead of the January transfer window.
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