Mark Robins went into the international break in a furious mood after Stoke City turned in a night to forget at Preston.
Stoke had given themselves a brilliant start when Sorba Thomas volleyed in a cross from Junior Tchamadeu on Friday but it was all downhill from there. Preston, who had been in horrible form, snapped back to win 3-1 while Tchamadeu and Steven Nzonzi were forced off with injuries.
Robins was unimpressed with all three goals. Having had one of the Championship’s tightest defences all season they have now conceded 13 goals in the last seven.
“It’s unlike us, totally unlike us,” said the manager. “I’ve spoken about wanting to score more goals and we still got enough balls in the box to go and win a game, even at 3-1 down, to go and win 4-3.
“I’m saying it tongue in cheek, by the way, when I say I’d rather win 4-3. I’d rather win 4-0. Essentially that’s what I’m talking about. We’ve got to be much, much better than that.
“There were individuals in the team that were really off it.”
Robins had to make a couple of forced changes due to those injuries but he was keen to be positive with his substitutions, sending on Sam Gallagher, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Bae Junho and Divin Mubama.
He said: “We were trying to do something to provoke a reaction in a positive way to make some chances to score.
“We just didn’t use the ball well enough and they grabbed hold of us and took the game away because we allowed them to. It was honestly so frustrating and so annoying.”
Fit-again Mubama, Ashley Phillips and Tommy Simkin have been called away for England under-21s, Thomas is with Wales, Tomas Rigo with Slovakia, Bosun Lawal with Republic of Ireland and Junho with South Korea,
The rest of the squad won’t have much time off as they prepare for an Easter weekend double header against Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County – and get over the Preston performance.
Robins said: “Again it’s into an international break. The first one was West Brom, the second one (a draw at Blackburn) we were rubbish and this time we were rubbish and unacceptable.”
He added: “I’ve got to wait and see who is available but they’re in and they’re working.
“When players come back in they’re not fit. Bosun Lawal didn’t play (at Preston) because he’s not fit, I can’t risk him, he’s not ready.
“Junior, obviously, came off and then I’ve got to start to look at what happens beyond that for the two games. After the international break we’ve got Friday-Monday games, which is absolutely ridiculous. We get players back on the Thursday and we play on the Friday.
“So that’s what I’ll be doing, we’ll be working and ensuring this is a one-off because it was really, really poor.”
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