Gary Rowett: Birmingham City in danger of 'sleepwalking into disaster' as relegation fears increase
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Gary Rowett is a former Birmingham City player and has also managed Burton, Derby, Stoke and Millwall
Struggling Birmingham City "lack toughness" and are in danger of "sleepwalking into disaster" says interim manager Gary Rowett.
Blues latest defeat on Wednesday by Cardiff City left them in 23rd place in the Championship, one point from safety with four games remaining.
They take on play-off chasing Coventry City at St Andrew's on Saturday in their penultimate home match.
"A few home truths have been said in the dressing room," Rowett said.
"At the moment, it would be easy for me to attempt to gloss over it [the current situation] but it was a performance of a team almost waiting for things to happen to them and I'd like to see a lot more fight than that."
Although Blues had their moments against Cardiff, they could not make them count and mustered just one shot on target all night as Josh Bowler's 65th-minute goal proved enough to send Rowett's side to a sixth defeat in seven games.
"The game lacked spark. You're looking for someone to go and take the game by the scruff of the neck," Rowett told BBC Radio WM.
"I thought we got into some nice areas and positions but you need to be braver with the quality.
"I think the group's got some quality but we just lack a bit of toughness at the right time and it's hard to give people that. You have to find that from within in difficult moments."
Since stepping in for the ill Tony Mowbray on 19 March, following a temporary six-match stint from assistant Mark Venus, Rowett has overseen only one win in four games - a 1-0 victory over Preston at the start of the month.
With the side in trouble, with only already-relegated Rotherham below them in the Championship table, Rowett says the squad need take proper stock of their situation and "at the very least, start to play for a bit of pride".
"I'd like to see a team that are really desperate to do everything we can to get results to stay in this division because if you're not careful you'll sleepwalk into disaster," he said.
"We're in a difficult moment and we've got to try to fight our way out of it - that's what the fans expect.
"If you fight to very end - like the Leicester game - and you lose it late on, I think they can accept that but if you show a lack of fight and lack of character they get just as frustrated as I do."
'You have to show some fight and pride in the shirt'
Blues face one of their most precarious situations since being relegated from the Premier League in 2011.
They play the top-six hopeful Sky Blues at the weekend before back-to-back trips to Rotherham and fellow relegation candidates Huddersfield Town with another promotion contender Norwich City at home in the final game on Saturday, 4 May.
Rowett, who took the club to two top-10 finishes in his previous spell as boss between October 2014 and December 2016, knows the key to maintaining the club's record as the Championship's longest servants can only be achieved by the players' desire to do it.
Josh Bowler's goal was enough to secure victory for Cardiff City and condemn Birmingham to an eighth defeat in 10 Championship games
"As a manager you give them everything they need to play well but it has to come from the players," the 50-year-old said.
"You can't make people run, head the ball out the box or track a runner to not concede a goal.
"We've tried different things and different ways of doing it and it's difficult when you're in for a short period to say what you really want to say sometimes - but we've been pretty honest with the group and given them good structure and training.
"In this position, they've got to show some fight and pride in the shirt. Think about all the players who have worn the shirt in the past. It's easy to talk about it, it's more difficult to go and do it."