Tony Mowbray feels he shouldn’t have to defend his rotation policy in recent weeks that saw Rovers make a combined 28 changes in their last five matches.

Injuries certainly haven’t helped their cause, with Ryan Nyambe and Lewis Holtby missing the last two matches, top scorer Bradley Dack joining Greg Cunningham on the long-term absentee list, while Corry Evans and Derrick Williams returned to the squad at the City Ground after their own injury troubles. 

Tosin Adarabioyo is another player to been unavailable within the last two weeks, with Darragh Lenihan the only outfield player to have started each of Rovers’ last five matches.  

Mowbray made four changes on New Year’s Day, with recalls with recalls for Amari’i Bell, Evans, Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton, having made five at Huddersfield, three of which were enforced, six against Birmingham (three enforced), seven against Wigan (none enforced) and six at Bristol City on December 14 as the manager shuffled his pack.

And Mowbray sees no problem in rotating his squad, even without the injuries, believing each player knows their role when they take to the field.

But he accepts that results, with Rovers taking just two points from their last four matches, leaves his decision open to scrutiny. 

He explained: “They all know their jobs, their roles.

“I’m the guy who works with these players every day. I see certain players struggling after a game, they're in the treatment room, come out and train the day before and it’s not right to just keep putting them back out there when you have someone else chomping at the bit to have a go, that’s how you manage football squads.

“When you get beat, as I’ve always said, people can criticise your selection.

“But you have to trust them all. They all know their jobs, they all have positions to play, the expectations of them in that position.

“If player A has played two games in three days, and there’s another game in two days, why wouldn’t you give the other guy a chance? That’s what football is.

“I don’t feel I should have to defend myself about the selection. We have a squad and we have to use it.”