Bristol Rovers must end losing streak against Exeter

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Daniel Wales and Charles Hague-Jones preview Bristol Rovers’ next game.

Transcript

00:00Dan, looking at Bristol Rovers and their next game,

00:04obviously Exeter at home.

00:06Bristol Rovers on the back of five League One losses on the bounce.

00:10I mean, that's certainly not a great stat to have

00:12at this stage of the season.

00:14We've mentioned they've sort of gone a fair few spells this season

00:17with three or four wins on the bounce.

00:19And then it all comes crumbling down in the next few games.

00:22I mean, that's seemingly happened again.

00:24They are currently sat just a few points above the relegation zone,

00:29one position as well, looking precariously over their shoulders

00:32towards the likes of Burton Albion.

00:34I think they're the only real team that can catch them at this point

00:37with a game in hand as well.

00:39So a home game, a home fixture, a massive chance to just pull

00:44that little bit further away.

00:46But, you know, it's getting closer and you can't keep going

00:49on these losing streaks near this back end of the season

00:52because it could come back to bite them.

00:54They've hit bad form, as you say.

00:56They're the absolute worst time of the season.

00:58They just can't seem to find a win for the life of them at the moment.

01:01And it's really frustrating because before this little bad spell,

01:05they've actually been playing quite well.

01:06I mean, maybe not as much away from home as we've mentioned before,

01:09but certainly at home they've picked up some really important wins.

01:13Bolton, for example, springs to mind.

01:14But now all of a sudden, never mind getting a win away from home,

01:18they can't find a win at home as well.

01:20And you just have to worry because, as you say there,

01:23Burton have got that game in hand and there's not a huge gap between them.

01:26And there's enough, but that can easily change.

01:29And there's enough games for it to change as well at present.

01:33So that's the worry.

01:34And if they're not picking up wins, then you have to think,

01:37well, where's one going to come from?

01:38Because, of course, the confidence will be shot at the moment.

01:41So that's got to be rediscovered somehow because, at the moment,

01:46they're on such a slippery slope that if Burton find any sort of impetus

01:50and any sort of result or confidence from anywhere,

01:54their tails will be right up.

01:56And they'll sense the fear in Bristol Rovers and they'll think,

01:59we can catch them now.

02:01Bristol Rovers, certainly under an eagle called the one,

02:03have tried to play much more of a natural style of football,

02:07using the pitch, using the weight as well and trying to be a bit more

02:11progressive as a team that they perhaps were under Matt Taylor.

02:14But that's all well and good, but it's whether they actually have

02:17the players for it.

02:18And to be fair, it seemed to have worked for a part when they were getting

02:22some results under Calderon, but now it's sort of stopped.

02:25And you just think, well, is it just time to just go back to basics

02:28and just to make sure that they're doing those things right

02:31and that would create the goals and create the opportunities

02:37that they need at this time of the season?

02:38Because, as I say, if you're trying to persist with a style of play

02:44that's not working, then really you think, well, why are they persisting?

02:48Because at the moment, as I say, they're walking such a tightrope

02:51and sleepwalking to their own relocation.

02:53And it's the last thing they need as a club when they've just had

02:55new ownership sort of change and they're wanting to be

02:59a more ambitious club.

03:01The last thing they want is to be back in League 2 again.

03:03It's not a place they want to be as a club because of the ambitions

03:06they have.

03:07It would certainly put their ambitions on the back burner

03:10for a little bit because all they'd have to focus on is just getting

03:12back out of League 2 again.

03:14Yeah, too many goals conceded throughout the Championship,

03:18but then not enough goals scored as well.

03:21I mean, obviously that's clearly been a huge issue this season.

03:23How do you sort of address that going forward in these last few games?

03:27You know, Stevenage are the lowest side they play now, you know,

03:30until the end of the season.

03:31They have some big games coming up, the likes of Wrexham.

03:35But, you know, they have, the stats are really damning towards Bristol Rovers.

03:39They've conceded, you know, almost the most in the division.

03:42They haven't scored anywhere near enough in terms of the division as well.

03:46Do you feel that's been the key sort of factors this season?

03:49It's just not scoring enough, letting too many in.

03:51Their away form has been really poor.

03:54They've obviously, they've had some good home results in the midst of this all,

03:59as you say, but inconsistency, lack of confidence, it's all affected them greatly.

04:05And you just have to think, well, if they can get out of this this season,

04:09it would be something of a miracle.

04:10But just because of the way they've been, the fact that there's been a few sides

04:13not as good as them, which seems quite surprising to say.

04:16But if anything, though, it would probably allow for a reset going into next season

04:20and just allow them to rebuild themselves as a squad, as a club,

04:24and actually attack League One a bit more next season,

04:27even if they don't necessarily challenge at the top of League One next season.

04:29Just be safe and secure for the majority of it.

04:33But you just have to think that that's a long way off now.

04:36And just for now, doing the basics right and making sure that their defence is solid

04:40and that they're scoring at least enough goals.

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