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