Birmingham are still waiting for a positive result after two games in charge by Garry Monk.

The Birmingham City board opted to sack Steve Cotterill after five consecutive defeats which left the club two points from safety.

Monk was brought in to replace him, but he has been unable to pick up any points in tough games against Middlesbrough and Cardiff City. However, they have a big game at home against Hull City next, which they must win if they want to entertain notions of staying up.

James Beattie has worked with Monk throughout his spells at different clubs, so he has a great understanding of Monk's methods and the playing style he is aiming to bring to the team.

Here's what Beattie had to say in an interview with BluesTV: "We try and simplify what we are doing, making it very, very clear on a daily basis and a bit longer term, what we need and what we want from players."

I’ve said it before, I think the gaffer is one of the best young managers. How thorough he is, how much detail he goes into. And of course that drop feeds into the rest of us."

That’s something we are really big on: organisation and clarity as well, of what is demanded of the players and what we want them to do in the specific roles."

He also had this to say about his own role: "We always talk about it. It’s having the personality. OK, it’s having that knowledge, but it’s having that personality to put those things across and to be able to give that information to the players in a way that they are going to understand it."

The Verdict

This was an interesting piece of insight from Beattie because it reveals how he and other ex-players such as Monk have adapted to being coaches and managers respectively.

They understand the importance of communicating across to individuals their roles within a team shape without making it too complicated, which is vital in creating a well-drilled and well-organised side.

It will be interesting to see whether this approach brings results.

Thoughts, Blues fans? Let us know below!