Rotherham United Manager Paul Warne said he was ‘hugely disappointed’ after today’s three-one loss away against Coventry City.
‘We came into this on the back of two performances,’ the Millers Boss told Radio Sheffield, ‘but we weren’t at the races today. They (Coventry) were superior to us in every department and their victory could have been even greater.
‘I thought we started the game really well then one goal caused confusion with my centre-halves and after that we were on a rocky road. I honestly didn’t think we were going to score, we weren’t creating enough chances although we did have some chances but when you are having a poor day at the office you need to take the chances when they come.’
Haven’t we been saying that for some time? Chances probably won’t come often in this league and when they do you should at least be getting shots on target. And, like the Gaffer, I couldn’t see where a goal was coming from. Again some of our passing wasn’t the best and some of our defending was woeful.
‘We’ve been in there and had a heart-to-heart with the team and it is heart-breaking,’ Warney said. I’ve told the lads that I would do anything for them and I expect that back. Our job is to be open and honest and to encourage them but our performance level wasn’t there today. I don’t think we addressed the basic’s well enough today to win a football game and we need to get better at the basics.’
Going back to basics might be a good thing. I thought we’d got over the ‘when the other team score we stand in shock until they score again’ routine. You can’t play poorly for sixty minutes then expect to get something from a game – although, to be fair, that’s exactly what Manchester United did today so maybe I am wrong.
Warney ended by saying, ‘On Tuesday night I need a team who are going to start well and keep us in the game.’
On Tuesday night we need to defend much much better than today as I can’t see us getting much going forward.