A soft touch

Graeme Souness's side have now won just once in their last seven league games.

And Thompson insists it's high time Rovers stopped leaking soft goals with games against Manchester United and Liverpool looming large on the horizon.

"It's getting a bit like a stuck record, isn't it? We played really well but we were unlucky again," groaned Thompson.

"I thought we created a number of chances and their keeper pulled off a good save at the death.

"But once we got a goal, we were too easy in giving another one back and then we let an absolutely disgraceful goal in.

"It was a long ball forward then one bounce and it's in the back of the net.

"If we'd scored a goal like that, we would have thought we'd won the lottery.

"So I'm disappointed and all the lads were absolutely gutted in the dressing room afterwards.

"We are just struggling to win games at the moment.

"I'd sooner be like Everton and not play too well but still win the game 2-1 and work hard for each other because, at the moment, we are turning into a team which is becoming too easy to beat.

"Teams aren't having to play very well against us to win and it's getting a bit of a joke, the way we are losing games we should be winning."

Rovers could hardly have made a better start after Andy Cole headed them into a sixth minute lead.

But sloppy defending then contributed to goals for Lee Carsley and Wayne Rooney as Everton went on to complete a quick-fire league double, prompting Thompson to call for a possible change in approach.

"The lads are getting really fed-up with it now but we've just got to bounce back because that's football, you've got to get on with it, and look to the next game.

"Maybe we need a change in style or formation or something just to make us look a bit more solid.

"At set-pieces we look a bit vulnerable but on Saturday we looked really dangerous from them as well."

To sum up their frustrations, Rovers were also the victims of two highly questionable refereeing decisions during the course of the afternoon.

Thompson was denied what looked like a clear penalty just seconds after Rooney had fired Everton 2-1 up front.

Then, to rub salt into the wounds, referee Graham Barber also sent off Lucas Neill for a second bookable offence which outraged manager Graeme Souness.

"I thought the sending off was harsh but the referee was just a shambles," said Thompson.

"At 2-1, we should have had a definite penalty but he said I went down too easily.

"The way I saw it, though, he brought me down so, in my eyes, it was a definite penalty."

"I really couldn't believe it when he didn't give it so I think I'm going to have to learn how to go down gracefully.

"When I go down, I go down. I'm not looking for a penalty but that was a penalty."

It was Barber who was at the centre of the storm surrounding Neill's sending off in an FA Cup tie at Middlesbrough last season.

His decision to show the Aussie a red-card was later rescinded following TV evidence.

But it still cost Souness a touchline ban for the remarks he made about the official after the game so the Rovers boss chose to be more cautious this time around.

"I don't really want to talk about the referee because that could get me in trouble," said Souness.

"But that's the second time Mr Barber has sent Lucas Neill off.

"I feel sympathy for Lucas but when we saw who the referee was we knew it was going to be a difficult afternoon.

"Referees don't like admitting they are wrong. A year ago we had Lucas sent off in an FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough but I don't want to go overboard on that, I'd prefer people to write about how well we played."