Ruud van Nistelrooy reacts to boos for Bilal El Khannouss sub as Leicester City manager heckled
Ruud van Nistelrooy refused to explain exactly why he substituted Bilal El Khannouss in a change that prompted a backlash from the stands at the King Power Stadium.
Playmaker El Khannouss was the first player substituted off during Leicester City’s 2-0 defeat to Fulham, the Moroccan replaced by Kasey McAteer in the 64th minute. Boos from the crowd greeted the decision, with fans then chanting “you don’t know what you’re doing!” in the direction of the manager.
Four minutes later, City conceded a second goal and there was little hope of a comeback. It’s now seven defeats in a row in the Premier League, the club’s worst run in the top flight since 2001.
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Speaking after the game, van Nistelrooy turned down the opportunity to specifically explain the El Khannouss substitution, saying it’s not something he has to make public. Instead he spoke more generally about the crowd’s reaction and why he makes changes.
Van Nistelrooy said: “It’s okay, you have to accept it and I am. I’m making substitutions to impact the game. It can be in different areas, physical, profile of a player, the opposition. When it’s not received well for once, then I’ll take that one.
“Because the crowd boo one substitution of me, it doesn’t mean I have to explain all the reasons behind the substitution. It’s not for the public to know.
“It’s respect to the players who come on. They are valuable members of the squad and deserve minutes to help this team as well. It’s not about one person in this team and in this squad. That for me is very clear.”
The toxic atmosphere extended beyond boos for the substitution too. After the second goal went in, there were chants of “sack the board” and “we want Rudkin out”, in reference to the club’s director of football. Chairman Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha was in the stands watching on.
But that’s not something van Nistelrooy or his players can use as an excuse. He said: “We have to deal with it. We cannot change it. We have to face it. Don’t feel sorry for anybody. We are professionals and we have to deal with it.
“We have to make sure that we perform so the crowd is up and supportive. That’s our task. There’s no other excuse or explanation necessary. It’s up to us and sometimes you deserve criticism and you have to accept it because it wasn’t good enough and do better next time.”
