Matt Taylor: Manner of defeat epitomises Walsall season
Boss Matt Taylor says Walsall's fifth straight defeat at the hands of 10-man Bristol Rovers is a reflection of their season as a whole.
The Saddlers find themselves 19th in League Two after a horrendous display at the Memorial Stadium.
Taylor's lot were a man up for most of it after Luca Hoole's sending off for the hosts, but they failed to capitalise before gifting Aaron Collins a last-gasp winner.
"It reflects, probably, the season in terms of the inconsistency," said Taylor.
"The players are going through a period where confidence is low.
"It's up to the leaders in the group and us as staff members to pick them up.
"But when they go onto the pitch, I just feel they didn't deal with the pressure of the game as well as they could have.
"It comes down to really wanting to be that player that will risk the ball – taking somebody on or making a defence-splitting pass.
"We didn't do that well enough.
"It's got to come from within, that's how I feel. We just took too many easy options on the ball.
"Obviously, it's my job now to make sure in the next game, we're better."
Hoole was sent off for Rovers towards half-time after picking up two yellow cards.
Taylor, though, opted not to shift from their usual 4-2-3-1 formation as Walsall failed to create any clear-cut openings.
A mistake at the back then allowed Collins to head home.
"In the first 20 minutes, we didn't deal with their threats," said Taylor.
"We made too many wrong decisions and turned over possession too easily.
"That built a bit of sustained pressure for them.
"Then, they had a player sent off. We regrouped at half-time and had a conversation about taking risks with the ball.
"But I just felt the players didn't do that anywhere near enough in the second half.
"When you don't do that and you don't move 10 men around, that's not playing correctly and the way we want."
Despite a fifth straight defeat and sixth game without winning, Taylor remains adamant that the answers to the Saddlers' problems are in his squad.
"I know the answers are there based on what we've done previously," he added.
"When we perform well, as we have done on numerous occasions, we win football matches.
"The answers are 100 per cent within the dressing room, yes.
"Will it take a bit of magic, conversations and hard work? It will take all of that.
"Today, we just played too safe, and that's it."
