'For certain, that was not acceptable but if I am honest its only the third time that I haven't defended the players, so in 30 games, its not so bad and I hope I only have to do it a couple of more times before the end of the season. I cannot defend performances like that. I've come out before and defended them after defeats but I've pretty much told them just what I think of them.

I can't defend that performance, not can I explain it. With all due respect to Rochdale - before the game kicked off and whether they are or are not, the league table said they were bottom of the table. We have to play Charlton on Tuesday night and with all due respect, we were not at Charlton on Saturday. The only thing I can say is that Rochdale out worked us.

As a football team, I think we are a good side but in terms of work rate on Saturday - we were absolutely miles off. They were first to the ball, they were sharper - it was everything. We told the players before the game that it was all going to be based around hard work, work rate and desire.

Appointing a new manager was going to lift the whole place, it was going to lift the players. We told them they would come at us, close us down, rat away at their feet, going to play forward, get he ball into the box and that's just what they did. We didn't match them, we didn't track runners, and we didn't tackle. We probably won ten percent of our headers and ten percent of our tackles.

You can't go into a local derby game and expect to get anything - whether they are bottom of the table or not and win a football match like that. They closed us down and stopped us playing. The balls into Bish were not great, but when they were, they just stepped in front and took it off him. Our two centre halves showed far too much respect to their centre forwards and at times they made him look like a good player.

In terms of what they do on the ball, I want them to try and play and at times it's an optional extra, but I still expect us to defend. I don't want them to play on the ball and when they have got it - just not defend. I expect them to do their defensive duties first, and then what we get beyond that is the way I want it to go. I don't ask them to play and not defend. Their centre forward must have brought the ball down in space, with nobody inside five years of him, at least fifteen times. They know exactly what my opinion of playing against a team with one centre forward is; it's the same as when we play against teams. All the way across the back four just was not acceptable, they ran the game in midfield and we didn't create enough up the top.

Rochdale had won four games before Saturday; they are not in the habit of winning games. They hadn't won in their last ten games. If you get the first goal within ten minutes then you fancy them to go on and win the game and to be fair at 0-1, we had a couple of really good half chances. We could have gone it at half time at 2-2. It would have been a travesty for Rochdale because we didn't deserve to go in at 2-2, then I would have fancied us to go on and win the game, but in the second half, we didn't look like scoring.

I haven't defended the players for the two Rochdale games and the Colchester game, they are all exactly the same. They worked harder than us, they pressed us and they stopped us playing in midfield, they won their headers, they won their tackles, we didn't defend properly - all three games are exactly the same. That's three games I cannot defend them and if its one game in every ten - then I will take that because nobody expected us to be where we are and to only have to defend them once in every ten games is not too bad.

I would imagine that Rochdale would swap places with is tomorrow and it's not my responsibility what fans sing, but when there fans were singing can we play you every week, I bet they would swap league positions with us. I hope Rochdale stay up because days like this are fantastic and it's great for the area.

This has hurt our supporters, we wanted to put it right in terms of the stick that they got last time and again they have turned out in great numbers which is massively appreciated. I dare say there will be one or two who will say they are not bothered where they finish in the league - as long as we beat Rochdale. I hope it's the other way round. I can see why they are disappointed. I grew up a Sheffield Wednesday fan and I took a lot of stick from Sheff United fans, and I dare say the Bury fans will not be looking forward to going to work so we can only apologise from that point of view.'

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