“Our supporters deserve a hell of a lot better than what we’re giving up.”
(Image: Will Cooper/Shutterstock)
Darrell Clarke described the Bristol Rovers changing room as a “real negative place at the minute” as his side fell to a seventh consecutive league defeat against Cheltenham Town.
Jonathan Tomkinson’s 70th-minute strike was the only goal of the game, dragging Rovers to 20th, only two points above the relegation zone.
Fabrizio Cavegn looked the most likely to score for the Gas, with a couple of first-half chances, but was unable to find the target as Rovers’ goalscoring woes continued.
OPINION
READ MORE: Darrell Clarke ’embarrassed’ but will ‘come out fighting’ to end Bristol Rovers losing run
“I don’t see any happiness after the result when you’ve lost, if I’m honest with you, because at the end of the day, if you’re not going to do the basics of the game, you concede a goal from a set-piece, there’s nothing positive to be about that,” said Clarke when reflecting on the 1-0 defeat.
“I’m sick of saying to be honest with you. But what I will do is keep fighting, always. It’s a real negative place at the minute, rightly so with the results that we’re having at the minute.
“I’ve got to keep a siege mentality within the players, but I’ve also got to keep smashing out that softness out of them, because one soft moment costs us the points again today, so it’s not acceptable. I always let my feelings known to my players, but I also can’t become victim. We’ve got to roll our sleeves up and go again.”
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Shaq Forde and Ruel Sotiriou were both left out of the squad after starting in the recent league games against Gillingham and Accrington Stanley.
Speaking about their absence from the Rovers squad, Clarke said: “No, not selected. Need more. Need more from the forward-thinking players. Need more from every single one of them. Need everybody to be training with the intensity that I demand. And if not, not in the squad. It’s simple.
“Quite simple with me, you know, for me is that I can only mollycoddle players so long, and I’m not chucking players on the bus. I’ll take accountability – I’ll do that, but what I won’t do is, I won’t mollycoddle players if they haven’t got the intensity right in our training, because the only way you get into form is by training right every single day, by body language, by attitude.
“And if they’re not, I don’t care who they are. They won’t be in the squad. Well, you know, we’ll reset Monday morning. There’ll be another 18 bodies picked next Saturday, and we’ll see who wants it.”
Jonathan Tomkinson of Cheltenham Town celebrates scoring a goal to make it 1-0(Image: Will Cooper/Shutterstock)
Next up for the Gas is a home game against Notts County on Saturday, as they look to avoid an eighth consecutive League Two defeat. The Magpies have picked up one point from their last two games, including a disappointing 3-1 home defeat against Colchester United today. Despite this, they still sit fifth and will provide a stern test for a Rovers side lacking in confidence.
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When asked about whether his message is getting through to the players ahead of their return to The Mem next Saturday, Clarke said: “Well, Obviously not at the minute, no. No, it isn’t – the amount of defeats we’ve lost in the league – there’s nowhere near getting through, to be honest with you, but I want to keep drilling that message, keep fighting that message.
“Me and my staff, keep working away, chipping away, to give our supporters something that they deserve and they deserve a hell of a lot better than what we’re giving up.”
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