Gary Rowett praised the Bluenoses’ contribution as Birmingham City overcame Coventry City handily on Saturday afternoon.
His team easily defeated the play-off contenders, making a mockery of the 16-team gap that separated the two teams prior to the match. This was his second win since rejoining the Club as an interim manager during the Men’s international break in March.
Similar to the first game, against Preston North End, the hosts maintained a clean sheet, but this time they made full use of their attacking prowess, scoring three goals past their West Midlands rivals in front of the second-largest St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park attendance of the 2023–24 campaign.
Gary Rowett, the interim manager, motivates his group.
Speaking with BluesTV after the game, Rowett stressed the importance of the near-sell-out attendance to the team’s performance on the field.
“I believe we’ve demonstrated our capabilities. We’ve depicted the vibe at St. Andrew’s. We have previously discussed that as well as the strength of our fan base. If that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know, that is, in my opinion, five wins and full houses. It also raises the players’ spirits and the level of tension.
“Today just seemed like such a good day, but it is a good day because we have worked extremely hard.” As I’ve mentioned previously, the club has a lot of great players, but talent is meaningless without effort, drive, and the sense that you have to prove yourself every game.
“I think there were numerous instances today that demonstrated the caliber of our players, and the three goals perfectly capture that.” “That then brings out the quality.”
Supporters are pleased with B9’s performance.
Two of these occurred in the first half; after 13 minutes, defender Bobby Thomas turned Keshi Anderson’s center into his own net, and Ivan Sunjic’s first goal for the Blues in almost two years gave the home team the lead.
On the stroke of the hour, Tyler Roberts, who had similarly cut through the Sky Blues defense in the build-up to the first game, played a sharp reverse pass that was unnervingly stroked in by Jay Stansfield, sealing the victory.
However, Rowett had the audacity to give credit to players he included in the starting lineup as well as others whose contributions might not be immediately apparent, like midfielder Gary Gardner.
We made a few adjustments because I thought it was probably time for an update. When people like Keshi, Tyler, and Ivan entered, they were really amazing. It is a squad game, and when people don’t get the chance, it affects them and you can see it pains them, so I’m extremely happy for those guys. Being on the pitch is the only way to give them the sense of belonging that they desire.
“However, there are numerous other players, including Gary Gardner. It’s easy to focus on players when they’re on the field, but players like Gards—who does everything right for the team—in the locker room and on the touchline deserve recognition as well. He loves this club with all of his heart. Moments like these truly capture the essence of what the group ought to stand for.”
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