October 25th 2023.
Wayne Rooney was not pleased after his Birmingham City side were booed off the pitch following a 2-0 defeat to Hull City at St Andrew's on Wednesday night. This was the Blues' first home defeat of the season and the former DC United boss' first game in charge at St Andrew's.
The England and Manchester United legend was left disappointed by his side's lack of fight after they conceded an early lead through Liam Delap. Jaden Philogene put the game to bed in the 74th minute and the team were met with jeers and even one fan shouting for Rooney to 'f*** off back to America'.
The 38-year-old spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live after the game to express his discontent with the performance. He said: "The really disappointing thing for me was after they got the second goal I didn’t see a reaction at all, so that was really disappointing and that can’t happen again and they’re aware of that."
Rooney also hinted that he could start to make changes in the side, suggesting that the last 10 minutes of the game had shown him a lot and that he does not accept players not fighting or running in the last 10 to 15 minutes of the game.
Hull boss Liam Rosenior defended Rooney afterwards, saying: "I would be excited if I was a Birmingham fan and Wayne Rooney walked in. Why? Because I worked with him for a long period of time and I know his qualities as a manager and a coach. It takes time."
He went on to urge Birmingham fans to give Rooney time, saying: "I would ask, because I know Wayne, that you give him time. And I’m sure if you give him time he will get things completely right."
The Blues have now dropped from sixth place to 12th in the two weeks since Rooney replaced John Eustace. Rooney will be hoping to turn things around quickly as the team face a difficult trip to Southampton this weekend.
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