FROM delight to despair. Seven days can be a long time in football but in the world of Blackburn Rovers it can feel like an eternity.

The scenes of jubilation at the iPro Stadium seem an age ago after a week in which fans told the board exactly how they feel about the club’s absent owners before turning their ire to its manager.

Owen Coyle could not fail to hear the criticism that came his way from sections of the away support after his side went down to their second straight league defeat and their seventh of the season.

If it came as a response to his decision to substitute Marvin Emnes then it was harsh as the striker was injured after being given little protection by whistle-happy referee James Linington.

But as Coyle admitted afterwards the chants of disapproval would not have been aired had the outcome been different.

And it is unlikely they would have been aired had Venky’s not taken the unpopular decision to hire him in the first place.

Given Coyle’s past, which was brought up for the first time here, he was never going to be granted the honeymoon period afforded to most new managers.

But not for the first time in their reign Venky’s did not take into consideration the mood of the fan base when appointing the former Burnley boss.

To Coyle’s credit he has never hid and, unlike his paymasters, he fronted up at the supporters’ consultation meeting at which the Rao family’s latest empty statement from afar fell on deaf ears.

His is a hard job. Being handed £250,000 to spend after selling, in the words of Birmingham boss Gary Rowett, two of the best centre-backs in the Championship for £10m does not constitute ‘backing’ the manager.

But, around a quarter of the way into the campaign, there is no escaping the fact that results are not good enough.

From a low base Rovers have improved since the closure of the transfer window.

They have taken seven points from the last 18 on offer, after accruing just one from their opening five matches, and the three losses they have suffered have been by the finest of margins.

But, if they are going to avoid a season of struggle, Rovers need to find a way of getting on the right side of those margins.

They could start by giving themselves a chance.

One of only two teams in the division yet to keep a clean sheet, Rovers have now gone behind in 10 of their 11 league games, mostly through their own doing.

You cannot expect to have to keep battling back like they did against Rotherham United and Derby County to briefly raise hopes among their long-suffering supporters.

But, notwithstanding the genuine problems caused by the enforced departures of Emnes, Danny Graham and Corry Evans, Rovers’ response to gifting Stephen Gleeson what proved to be the winner was disappointing.

After Gleeson punished slack passing and tracking a Birmingham side more than the sum of its parts dominated. Indeed the final scoreline would have been greater had the post and Jason Steele not denied David Cotterill and Lukas Jutkiewicz respectively.

That was frustrating as up until the moment the deadlock was broken Rovers had held their own against the team enjoying the longest unbeaten run in the division.

Tommie Hoban headed one chance wastefully wide before Emnes saw another superbly saved. If Rovers had gone in front then who knows what would have happened.

But, as the fans made clear, ifs, buts or maybes are not going to cut the ice.