Birmingham City manager Darren Carter believes his players can “change the narrative” at the club after a sustained period of turmoil.
The Blues, bottom of the Women’s Super League, have faced criticism over the past 18 months amid reports of player unrest, concerns over facilities and medical care.
Carter, who took over as interim head coach in November, has challenged his players to “revamp” public perception of the club – by doing all they can to defy the odds and avoid relegation from the WSL.
Birmingham are eight points adrift at the foot of the table following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by West Ham, with just five games left to play.
“We can change the perception of this team and this club. It needs a revamp,” the ex-Birmingham player told BBC Sport.
“People need to realise we’re doing things the right way and we will continue to do things the right way, get stronger for it and change the narrative.”
Former manager Carla Ward’s resignation last May – a year before her contract ended – followed a season of turmoil, during which it got to the stage where players wrote to Birmingham’s hierarchy to protest about the club’s off-field issues.
Her replacement Scott Booth, who agreed a three-year contract in June, was sacked after just seven WSL games in charge.
Carter took over and led his side to a shock 2-0 win over league leaders Arsenal in January but they have suffered six defeats in a row since then.
“Everyone knows what’s gone on in the last 18 months but that’s one thing I’m driven to change,” Carter added.
“If you came in and spoke to the players and staff now, that’s already happening. The mindset and those changes are happening. We just need to change the exterior now because there’s still a lot of noise from certain areas.
“We can only control what we’re doing and I can ensure you things are moving in the right direction and will continue to do so. It’s a process but we’ll strive to be better in all areas.”
‘We want this club to be great’
Carter said he is “learning every day” in the role but hopes he has created an environment which his players and staff “enjoy” coming into.
Alongside assistant coaches Tony Elliott and Marcus Bignot, the Blues boss insists there are “good people who care about the club”.
Asked what the club were doing to make improvements, Carter said: “It’s just everything. The way we train and the mindset within the club and team, facilities and everything else – we’re constantly looking to improve in every area.
“Recruitment is an ongoing process but I want to do a lot better. We can make huge strides with the right decision-making.
“We have very good people at this football club who care about it. We want this team and this club to be great. We’re doing everything we can to achieve that. We want to be better at everything so we can make it successful.”
‘I can live with the results’
It would take a remarkable comeback for Birmingham to avoid relegation. Rivals Leicester City are now eight points ahead, while third-bottom Aston Villa are 12 points in front of them.
So how does Carter motivate his players each week to stay in the fight?
“You just remind the players that we still have an amazing opportunity to prove a lot of people wrong. If you polled 100 people now, 99 of them would probably say we’re going down,” he said.
“Yes, it looks daunting but we’ve been thrown a fair bit of adversity before. These players have shown the fight and grit they have.
“We will get points, I have no doubt that we will. Whether they will be enough… who knows? As long as they continue to give me everything, that’s all I can ask and I can live with the results.”
