Latest Birmingham City news from BirminghamLive includes an interview with John Ruddy after the defeat to Middlesbrough
John Ruddy admits the sacking of John Eustace left Birmingham City’s dressing room stunned. The Blues board fired Eustace two weeks ago when the team was sixth in the Championship and had just secured back-to-back victories. They replaced him with England and Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney, who had left DC United a few days earlier.
Ruddy, who posted a message thanking Eustace hours after his departure was confirmed, has become the first player to speak publicly about the controversial decision. “At the time it was a big shock to the players, that’s understandable,” said Ruddy.
“At the end of the day John did a very good job and I don’t think that should be forgotten. But the owners and club management have decided to make that decision.
“At the end of the day John did a very good job and I don’t think that should be forgotten. But the owners and club management have decided to make that decision.
“They have brought in a manager with an incredible resume as a player, alongside his coaches as well, who have had fantastic careers in their own right. They have come with clear and concise ideas of how they want us to play, and the communication in the first week has been superb.
“Once that decision was made by the club and you get over the initial shock, it’s back to work, and that’s how it has to be. That’s how it has been for the last week or so.”
Blues fell to a 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in Rooney’s first game in charge. Ruddy was beaten by Morgan Rogers in the dying stages at The Riverside.
It was a vastly different Blues set-up to the one we have become accustomed to. Rooney deployed an aggressive 4-3-3 formation and asked his players to take risks in possession – a message Ruddy took literally in the first half when he ventured out of his goal to take on three Middlesbrough players unsuccessfully.
“To be honest, I made a bad decision there,” Ruddy said. “If you compare this year’s and previous year’s numbers, my sweeper keeper actions rank among the highest in the league. The manager has made it quite evident that he expects us to do well, and I share that desire.
“That incident in the first half is just bad decision making. He has been clear about what he expects from me but it’s not something that is alien to me, it’s not something I’m uncomfortable with.
“I felt comfortable in my starting positions and in possession as well. The more we get used to the way he wants us to play, I think that will come across. We need to be a little bit better in our retention of the ball and knowing where the passes are.
“It’s very early days. I don’t think the manager is going to change his ideas and philosophy, and nor should he. We have good players and I think we will be able to achieve what he wants.”
shocking decision by the owners, will live to regret it, if we had been top of the league, EUSTACE will have still be sacked, it was cut \and dried well before, the problem nearly all of the foreign nationals who buy the clubs have no idea, about British Football