Birmingham late show piles pressure on McClaren

02 October 2011 20:05

Nottingham Forest fans called for Steve McClaren to quit after New Zealand striker Chris Wood scored twice in the closing stages to give Birmingham a 3-1 win at the City Ground on Sunday.

Forest boss McClaren was already under pressure following his side's woeful start to the season and the former England coach faced renewed calls for his resignation at the end of another abject defeat.

With Tuesday's 5-1 thrashing at Burnley still fresh in the memory, McClaren desperately needed a victory to buy him some breathing space and it looked like he might get it when Ishmael Miller put the hosts ahead in the 35th minute.

But Birmingham piled on the misery for former Wolfsburg boss McClaren as Chris Burke equalised in the 75th minute before Kiwi forward Wood struck in the 79th and 88th minutes to leave Forest still waiting for their first home win this season.

With Forest just one point and one place above the relegation zone, McClaren must be in severe danger of being relieved of his duties before the team's next match at Coventry on October 15.

He failed to show up for his scheduled post-match press conference after the Birmingham defeat, with some reports suggesting he was locked in talks with chairman Nigel Doughty to decide his future.

Source: AFP