Tranmere Rovers’ FA Cup defeat by Oldham Athletic last weekend has heaped more pressure on manager Nigel Adkins after a recent run of poor results.
Newport County’s arrival at Prenton Park on Saturday provides an opportunity for Rovers to ease growing concern among fans as they face a side in a similar vein of form.
Adkins admits results haven’t been good enough recently and acknowledged the fans grievances after losing to National League opponents last time out.
He said: “The last result wasn’t what we wanted but we have to pick ourselves up and go again.
“We can’t be a victim. We started the game ever so well, but the outcome is that we lost the game and on the back of that I understand where the frustrations come from.”
Rovers form has been concerning for the fans and Adkins alike but he is confident that recent performances have been good enough to warrant better results. He also hopes his side can win what would be only their second home league game of the season on Saturday.
He said: “As a fan myself I know you can’t get beat at home. We played well against Bradford, Grimsby and Oldham but we didn’t get the results. The stats and data back that up but we all know it’s about the final thing, the result.
“My dad keeps saying ‘son you can do whatever you want but you’ve got to find a way to win.’
“Sometimes it is fine margins. We have played against good teams, and we have done well against them. Some of those games could have been victories instead of draws and some games like Gillingham and Swindon, we were the better side, and without insulting anybody the data backed that up.”
Fans have criticised Adkins positivity after their last few defeats with one fan in particular left feeling insulted by the Tranmere boss’ comments after the defeat to Oldham as he praised the team’s performance.
The 59-year-old was defiant in his response. He said: “I’m sad he thinks that way, I don’t want to insult anybody, I’m a bit disappointed when I hear that.
“All I can do is be honest and I do that. The players work hard here, the staff work hard here, and I get it that the only thing that matters is the result.”
Tranmere did the double over Newport last season but Adkins expects a different test with new manager Nelson Jardim this time round as the visitors sit just five points ahead Rovers in 14th place.
He said: “They will probably sit in a deep block and intercept and try and counter away from home. They’re a good side. But it’s the next game for us and again we approach the game like all of them and see where their strengths and weaknesses are.”
Adkins said his team has to develop better resilience in order to turn the good performances into positive results. He stated the growth mindset the club, the staff and players will have to stick to in aid of a better team.
He said: “You have to keep moving forward and adapt and we have to get better, and you learn by failure and reviewing it.
“Many people will play their computer games and probably fail 20-30 times but then they keep going back to it again and again until they find a way to the next level and we have to find a way to get to that next level.”
Conor Jennings scored his 50th goal for the club against Oldham. Adkins used the Tranmere stalwart as an example of what his players should do to help turn their season around.
He said: “He is the ultimate pro, even when he was having a challenging time with his form not being to the level he wanted come matchday. He still did all the right things every day with all the basics at an elite level and his dip in form turned because he was doing the right things.
“That is infectious on everybody else if we keep doing the right things, that will give ourselves the results we are after.”
