'Not a team I want to put out' - Wayne Rooney issues desperate transfer plea to Tom Brady after Birmingham's 'unacceptable' performance in 3-1 home defeat to Stoke City

Birmingham lost 3-1 to Stoke City on Boxing Day, their eighth defeat in 13 games since Rooney took charge as manager. Speaking after the game, Rooney expressed his hope that the club will use the transfer market to try and turn their form around.

On his side's performance, Rooney told Sky Sports: "There's no excuse for putting in good performances then doing that today. It's unacceptable and personal pride has to come into it. Today I have questioned that because we were nowhere near good enough and not a team I want to put out."

When asked if Birmingham - who are partly funded by minority shareholder and NFL legend Tom Brady - will bring in new faces in the market next month, Rooney said: "I hope so. It's clear that there are issues there. It's something we're looking at, we don't want players for the sake of it though. We want players who make an impact."

Since replacing manager John Eustace with Manchester United legend Rooney in October, Birmingham have fallen from fourth in the Championship table to 19th. They are now just seven points above the relegation zone, and nine adrift of the play-offs. It's not a situation Brady would have envisioned when he became a minority owner of the club in August.

Rooney is surely walking on thin ice, but if he is allowed to make some squad additions in January then that would indicate that he'll be given time to sort things out. In the meantime, the former Manchester United striker will focus on his side's upcoming games against Bristol City and Leeds United on December 29 and January 1 respectively.