Matt Taylor has admitted that he is concerned for his future at Bristol Rovers after the Gas dropped to 20th place in League One, just two points clear of the relegation zone after a third consecutive league defeat at Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon.
Rovers’ hopes to start the game with any form of solidity against the division’s promotion favourites crumbled after just seven minutes as a poorly defended corner led to Lee Buchanan firing home a good finish on the volley to hand the hosts the lead.
The Gas had to remain resolute as Blues started strongly but they managed to weather the storm and have some spells of possession themselves. However, there was no evidence of quality in the final third which has been a major issue of late with just two goals scored in their last seven matches.
A questionable Jay Stansfield penalty decision doubled the hosts’ lead before half-time with Rovers standing firm throughout the second half but still struggling to mustre any sort of attacking threat.
Taylor’s side have now won just once in their last 10 games across all competitions within 90 minute spells with FA Cup victories over Weston-super-Mare and Barnsley secured in extra-time and on penalties respectively.
Fans part of the Gas’ biggest away following of the season so far voiced frustrations towards the dugout, not for the first time this campaign, and when asked whether he is concerned about his future at the club, Taylor responded: “Yes but I can’t control that. Whoever’s in charge of this football team, I think the same patterns will occur. People will just say, ‘kick it and chase it’ but we haven’t got the physicality to do that.
“In terms of the plan at the very start, a slightly younger profile. Quite different in terms of using the ball and manipulating it. So we have to still believe that they can improve.
“Confidence is now a big factor and the fact that it constantly gets highlighted in these discussions and when you watch the game back and feedback to the players, you can’t hide away from it. You can’t hide away from the training pitch.
“So you need the ones who are going to stand up and be counted and take a breath in all moments of the game, despite how hard they’re working without the ball, work even harder with the ball.
“It’s my team and results haven’t been good enough,” he added. The Leyton Orient one was a different one to my frustrations today. I think that’s fair to say.
“I think in Leyton Orient the players didn’t put in the effort the shirt deserved whereas today I thought they did. But in terms of the skillset on show, that was short.
“So it’s still the problem of the result and the out and the feeling of not scoring and not creating enough but give me all you’ve got in terms of your intent and hopefully, and I expect, certain aspects of our ball use to improve.”
Around 2,000 Gasheads made the trip to St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park, the club’s biggest away following of the season with a significant proportion of the fanbase now evidently calling for change in the dugout.
The 3-0 defeat at Leyton Orient almost a fortnight ago saw Rovers’ players produce their worst performance of the season, in the league at least, with Taylor absent from the dugout on that occasion as he dealt with a family emergency.
Although it was another loss, against Birmingham there was more fight with James Wilson and Connor Taylor the stand out performers. But the recent run of results, the team’s precarious position in the league table and a severe lack of attacking quality has meant that a damaging amount of supporters have turned against the manager, seemingly beyond a point of no return.
Asked what his message to those supporters was, the Gas manager said: “Great that they came in numbers. They’ve seen the best team in the league. Hopefully they understand what today was.
“If I had been on the touchline or more involved at the Leyton Orient defeat then by all means, give me pelters for that and I mean pelters because if they see my team not trying then by all means give it to me.
“But the one thing that we were short of today was a certain skillset and, as much as that’s my responsibility, it’s something where we are looking to improve as quickly as we can and they just need a little bit of confidence from outside as well as inside.”
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