ROVERS’ season suffered yet another disappointing setback with a 1-0 defeat at Accrington Stanley on Saturday.

Mark McGhee pulled no punches afterwards, highlighting the unacceptable performances of three or four players who he accused of not putting in the required level of effort.

Like any good manager he did not name them publicly, but assured fans that words had been spoken during the dressing room inquest following the game and they were told in no uncertain terms what the boss thought of their ‘contribution’.

It was a damning statement to say players were not giving their all and is particularly galling for the fans who save up their hard earned cash every week to watch their favourite team play.

The minimum Gasheads expect is 100 per cent commitment and if they cannot be bothered to put it in they do not deserve to wear the shirt.

If some players feel that they just have to turn up to win games then we can only hope that McGhee’s blast will have brought them down to earth.

It is true that we have a lengthy injury list but we still have a good enough side to be achieving far more than we are currently managing.

The FA Cup will provide a welcome distraction from our miserable league form this weekend, although the Round One draw could not have been any tougher for the Pirates as League One promotion favourites Sheffield United come to the Memorial Stadium for a mouth-watering tie.

The players will have to raise their game to stand a chance but we are boosted by the return of Parkes, who was suspended on Saturday, and Riordan’s recovery from injury.

A good performance could be just the catalyst needed to re-ignite our league form while a cup run would spark renewed enthusiasm among the fans.

It marks the first of three games at the Mem in a week, with Southend the visitors next Tuesday.

We can only hope that the words of McGhee will be heeded by those who failed to perform on Saturday and the home fans will be given something to cheer about.

Do you agree with Jeff’s views? Have your say below.