Leeds striker Patrick Bamford is a ‘joke’ for criticizing Jesse Marsch’s tactics in the defeat at Nottingham Forest, former striker Chris Sutton has claimed.
Bamford said Sunday 1-0 loss was ‘difficult’ because Forest centre-backs ‘just had to focus on me’.
March was fired Monday after seven Premier League games without a win.
“Keep it within the confines of the locker room if that’s how you feel,” Sutton said. Monday Night Club from BBC Radio 5 Live.
“He takes no responsibility. I don’t like it.
“He’s no fool – he knows the implications this will have. This will be seen as a criticism of the manager and his tactics.
“It’s a joke for putting this in the public domain.”
Bamford said in his post-match interview: “We needed more runners running past me to hang around [Forest’s centre-backs] out of position and create a little more space.
“The whole game was literally two-to-one which made it difficult, and unfortunately today I couldn’t find the answers to fix that.”
Leeds are 17th in the table – above the relegation zone on goal difference alone – and last won the league on November 5.
They face Manchester United twice this week before taking on fellow wrestlers Everton and Southampton.
Following Sutton’s comments on the show, Adam Pope of BBC Radio Leeds said: “It was a criticism, I agree, but I don’t think it was to ‘push the bear’ as much as you may be suggesting it.
“Players are asked very quickly after games to respond.”
New York Times reporter Rory Smith added: “It could also be a criticism of his teammates. It’s an honest thing to say – it’s an assessment – and it might not be entirely makes the ulterior motive that you read there.”
Sutton, who won the Premier League with Blackburn in 1995 and made one appearance for England, replied: “It’s open to interpretation. He (Bamford) doesn’t strike me as someone who wouldn’t understand not where comments like this would lead.
“He criticizes the manager, the tactics. Things like that snowball. It’s good that he’s honest – but that’s only going to cause problems.”
