Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Rovers must command key moments – Clarke
DARRELL Clarke believes his Bristol Rovers players have had their opportunity to shine so far this season.
The Pirates are on a wretched run of form that has seen them win just once in seven League games, scoring just two goals in that period – both in the 2-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon.
Clarke has changed his line-up regularly over this period, but says that the players have had the chance to perform – and that they are letting key moments pass them by.
He said: “The players are profes- sional athletes who train every single day and work hard every single day. Every team, whatever personnel I’m picking in games, a lot of them can say they’ve had their opportunity in games to make the most of it.
“Like I said, it’s certain different players all the time not taking their opportunities, it’s not always forward-thinking players as well.
“Centre midfielders have had opportunities, wide players have had opportunities, just as a group we’ve got to take more of them.”
Rovers travel to Blackpool today and Clarke says the players have been watching videos to pinpoint the key opportunities they need to seize from now on.
“We’ll just keep working away, we did some video analysis, over the last four or five league games certainly, we’re not taking those key moments, those key chances,” he said.
“We’ve missed good chances, or the final pass has been letting us down, so a video of the last four or five, a bits and pieces clip. It just goes to show we could have quite easily have had a nine or ten-point swing the other way had we been more ruthless in the final third.
“It’s not rocket science, we know what needs working on, but we keep working on it. It’s got to be done on Saturdays, hasn’t it?
“We can do as much work on the training ground as we can – as we do – and get it into them and give them the confidence but, at the end of the day, they’ve got to perform and be ruthless in the final third.”