Typical Rovers...

Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm noticing a pattern emerging in Rovers matches at the moment. We start games well and look lively. We began brightly at Oxford, against Rotherham and today against Burton, but in all those matches came a point (around half way through the first half) where we didn't defend well and conceded a goal. But that one goal quickly becomes two or three, which leaves us with an absolute mountain to climb for the rest of the game, meaning that if we aren't 2/3 up by the time we concede the first, we aren't going to win the game. Simple as that. We look like a great team when we press forward and get the ball down, so it's infuriating when our performance collapses and we end up shipping goals, which the opposition simply don't deserve. Our defence is weak and needs sorting. Individually I like Cian Bolger and Gary Sawyer who are our current centre halves, but together the partnership clearly isn't working, so hopefully Buckle can bring in a commanding loanee to tighten up our back-line.

We were okay against Rotherham because we were 3-0 up before we gifted them a route back in to the game. Luckily for us Guy Branston was sent off and any confidence and hope the Millers had of winning evaporated. Unfortunately today we didn't get three goals, so when we did crumble there wasn't a big enough lead. There should have been though. After Matt Harrold headed us in front, Scott McGleish missed a good chance when through on his left foot, whilst Scott Rendell had a shot blocked for a corner. Had we got another goal I feel it would have been a completely different game, because we were so dominant in the opening 25 minutes. But, they netted one undeservedly and when our heads dropped they nicked a second. Game over.

It needs to improve and quickly. There is a massive worry over our defence, it simply leaks way too any goals which we don't deserve to be conceding judging by our attacking play. For this reason, we aren't going to make the 7 this season. We have no consistency and aren't picking up points regularly enough to be up the top end of the league. No matter how disappointing it is for us fans, we're going nowhere this season.

Sad but true unless something dramatic happens very soon. We have the chance to put things right against Port Vale on Tuesday - hopefully we can win it, lord knows it's needed!