WAYNE ROONEY has broken his silence on fan criticism following a torrid start to life as Birmingham City manager.
The former England and Manchester United legend has lost his first two matches in charge of the Blues after replacing John Eustace this month.
A 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough was followed by a 2-0 loss to Hull City, with a section of fans booing Rooney and the team as they trudged down the St Andrews tunnel.
According to ESPN’s Mark Ogden, one fan told Rooney to “f*** off back to America” as he headed for the exit.
Eustace, 43, was sacked despite back-to-back wins, which had seen Birmingham climb to sixth in the Championship table.
That’s led to particular anger from the St Andrews fans at Rooney’s poor start.
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While Rooney accepted that fans are unhappy, he pleaded for time as he aims to get his philosophy across to the Birmingham players.
Rooney told Sky Sports: “Be patient. I get it, I understand.
“They parted ways with a very popular manager who did a good job in stabilising the club, so I understand a bit of frustration, of course I do.
“But we need to realise where we’re trying to go. Not where we are now, where we’re trying to go.
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“That’s our aim, that’s our ambition and that’s what we’re hoping to achieve.
“My first line to the players is that we’re going to try and play in a different way, which might be a bit uncomfortable for some of you.
“If you’re not comfortable with it, please tell me.
“What you don’t want to do… Of course you want to change how we want to play, I’m very open and clear on what I’m saying on that.
“What I don’t want to do is put someone completely out of their comfort zone, which I probably think the last two games, in terms of building out from the back, we have been. So that’s something for me to adjust.
“Then obviously throughout January, throughout the summer you start building your squad for what you want.
“But that’s not saying that the players now don’t have an opportunity to show me what they can do and that they’re on board with that. The players have been great from that point of view.’
Rooney explained that the Birmingham City job is a chance for him to prove himself as a manager that plays attractive football.
He continued: “We need to get better on game management, on decision-making, that needs to improve a lot.
“For me now this is an opportunity for me to prove myself as a coach here at Birmingham, to get Birmingham out of the Championship.”
Rooney’s side travel to Southampton in their next fixture in The Championship as they look to get their first win under the England hero.
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Southampton are currently fifth in the league on 21 points and playing decent football under Russell Martin.
But victory for Birmingham would see them move above The Saints on goal difference.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
