Rotherham United Manager Matt Taylor saw his team lose to Preston North End this evening saying that he thinks some of his players were still suffering from the defeat at Birmingham on Saturday.
Speaking to Radio Sheffield after the two-one defeat, the Millers Boss said, ‘We lacked quality at certain times and we didn’t deliver the ball into the opposition box enough and we didn’t get tight enough either in other areas of the pitch.
‘The one good cross we got in all evening was from Wes (Harding) for Jordan (Hugill’s) header. (Ed Note – well, I thought the corner ball from Shane Ferguson for Odoffin’s goal wasn’t too bad either). We had a lot of opportunities to put the ball in the opposition box, but we didn’t manage it but it wasn’t for the want of trying.
‘I demanded at half-time that we attacked down the left as well as the right but sometimes, if you don’t believe in yourself, you take the easy option to play it sideways or backwards.
‘It’s frustrating for me that the only time Preston’s ‘keeper came out to touch the ball in anger was in the ninety-sixth minute of the game. And I look at what Jordan Hugill goes through every week in terms of being battered, doubled up and tripled up and man-handled yet Ched Evans can control a ball, turn, have a look up and down and then put it in the bottom corner.
‘Tariqe (Fosu) didn’t have his best night and he’ll hold his hands up to that but it’s the same conversation we have with Chieo (Ogbene) they are marked men because they are our biggest threats. There were a few players who didn’t believe in themselves tonight and we can’t allow that because the game never waits for you. I expected more players to stand up and be counted out there tonight. It’s a lesson learnt for some of the players.’
To be honest, there isn’t a lot I can add to that. Times our forward thinking players had moved up the pitch only for someone in defence to send the ball backwards, times players put the ball out for a throw-in when it could have been sent up-field and the free-kicks we gave away in dangerous areas tonight didn’t help my frustration. We can’t always blame the ref – although . . . well, you know. On a school report it would say ‘must do better’.
