Gaffer hurt by derby day defeat.
Rob Jones pulled no punches when he came to his assessment of Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at the hands of local rivals Sheffield United.The interim manager watched on as his side made what he termed “basic errors.”
“It’s taken a while to sink in,” Jones said in his post match interview.
“We spent a lot of time in the dressing room after the game discussing various things.
“We can hide behind the fact that we went down to ten men but when you provide so many basic errors and wrong decisions – especially in a game like this with a hot atmosphere, big pitch, local derby – it magnifies, so there’s a lot of questions being asked about them as a group and as individuals and I’m not accepting it.”
Jones cut a frustrated figure despite his side registering their first away league goal of the campaign through Cameron Stewart. Crystal Palace loanee Keshi Anderson made his league debut and special praise was reserved for the twenty-year old.
“I knew it was going to be difficult when I took the reins three weeks ago but when you’re constantly having to say the same things over and over again and they’re not sinking in with individuals then you have a problem,” said Jones.
“I knew it was going to be difficult and I’m not going to shirk away from that. I knew it would be tough and I’ve made it my aim to turn it around.
“He (Anderson) looked very bright and is one of the few positives from today. He started the game really well and could have possibly scored with a deflected shot. He got the free kick for our goal, his feet looked good and he looked aggressive.
“He looked like he’s desperate to do well and all those traits are the reasons I brought him here. He’s gone from non-league to Premier League very quickly, a lot of teams have tried taking him and it’s a great steal from our point of view. Alan Pardew has been magnificent in getting the deal done quickly and he’s been like a breath of fresh air so long may that continue.”
Rovers host Swindon Town on Tuesday night. Tickets are available by CLICKING HERE or by calling 01302 762576.