Blues boss Lee Bowyer gives passionate rant following Coventry City, claims football has become ‘soft’

Birmingham City manager Lee Bowyer has criticised the goals his side conceded against Coventry City and laid into modern football as a whole in a passionate rant following Good Friday’s loss.

Three of the four goals that found the back of Zach Jeacock’s net on Friday afternoon were from set pieces with the fourth coming after a comedy of errors.

Bowyer’s instant reaction was to call them ‘soft’ and added that there is no room for passengers at this level.

“You can’t carry anyone in this division,” he said.

“People criticised me before because of the way I say things or the way I work with the players because they want to criticise.

“But guess what, before I came, this team, this club was in a relegation fight until the last day for the last four years. That’s not changed.

“So I’ve come in and I’m going to push them and get everything out of them that I can and sometimes you have to tell people some things they don’t want to hear but being soft, that’s something that you can’t push people too hard.

“To concede the way we did today, it’s not good enough.”

The manager claimed that the Blues are lacking a leader and following that delivered a huge rant about how football in general has turned soft in 2022.

Bowyer also added that he has no problem with delivering home truths to his players.

“The problem with football now is a lot of people have got a lot of things to say who haven’t really done anything in the game, that’s across the board,” he explained.

“I think players now are soft. All I do is see players fall on the floor every single week because they have the minimal contact. It’s pathetic. Again today.

“I just think the game has become soft. If someone tells someone off or shouts at someone they take it personally. It’s not personal.

“You have to push each other as a group, that’s how you become strong, powerful and win games but now you can’t even see anything to a player because it’s personal and ‘you’ve upset me’ and it’s crazy.

“I tell them (if they are being soft).

“Some sulk for a little bit and some take it on board.

“The players have improved because I tell them.

“I’m taking in general I just think players are so soft now it’s crazy.

“You’ve heard me in here, Scott Hogan for example, missed too many chance, not good enough but now he’s scored 10 goals.

“I just say it how it is. My job is to push every player, I’m just using Scotty as an example and people might think that’s out of order or ‘why is he saying that.’ Well guess what? I’ve got the right reaction from the player. That’s my job, that’s why he’s improving.

“Today he didn’t do much wrong, hold up play was good. Last week against Forest, he held the ball up unbelievably well. That’s his weakness. Running around, working hard for the team.

“That’s why we aren’t going to the final day and having a relegation fight.”

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