Actions will speak louder than words now – Steve

STEVE Spooner has responded to Harlee Dean’s frank interview in the aftermath of Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Stoke.

Spooner (pictured left), who is in joint-caretaker charge of Blues alongside Craig Gardner following Pep Clotet’s departure earlier this month, revealed a meeting had been held following the reverse in the Potteries. Skipper Dean admitted he was starting to question the desire of some of his team-mates after a fourth defeat in a row.

Spooner revealed a meeting had been held after the Stoke game but said it wasn’t any different to a usual post-match briefing after a loss.

“I wouldn’t say clear-theair (meeting),” he said.

“I think it’s just a case of everybody’s point of view being valid and we have to listen.’’

He stressed the need for a productive dialogue between players and management.

“It has to be constructive and it was, because there’s no point in people flying off on different tangents,” said Spooner.

“It was not an inquest or anything like that, it was no different to when you’d lose any game.

“There have to be some reasons and you have to look at those reasons and discuss them, both as a group and sometimes with the individuals within a unit.”

Spooner insisted it’s now time to make those words count.

“It’s about action,” he said, “we’re all different characters.

“Some like a rallying cry, we’ve been with warriors who shout and there are warriors who are calm and relaxed and that’s just how they handle it.

“We all handle situations different and Harlee thought that was correct and we respect that.

“But everybody is different and the silent one who doesn’t say anything doesn’t have to say he’s not as fired up as someone who is a little bit more vociferous.”