Tony Mowbray says the Rovers players know the standards that are expected of them and have felt his emotion during the run of one win in 14 matches.

Mowbray has bore the brunt of the criticism during a run in which Rovers have taken just seven points from the last 42 available to fall to 17th in the table.

Yet the players’ displays have also come under scrutiny in what has been a disappointing season at Ewood Park, fallen well below the top six aspirations built up by the manager, the transfer recruitment and a goal-laden start to the campaign.

However, Rovers have now failed to score in four of their last five matches and 14 in their 18 fixtures in the calendar year.

It’s been a miserable run which has left supporters looking over their shoulders ahead of today’s game at Cardiff City, with five of the sides below them to play before the season is out.

“The players set their own standards. I set the standards of what I expect. They feel it after the games,” Mowbray explained.

“If you’ve ever been in a professional dressing room after a win, loss or defeat, you feel the emotion. You know when you’ve played well enough to win a game and you have to deal with the frustrations, deal with them and move on.

“The team know the figures, they know how they’re playing, they how we’re doing in relation to how we practice and unfortunately for us at this minute the results aren’t falling our way.

“That (Bournemouth) was the first time in this run that we’ve lost by more than one goal, that’s not a positive, just a fact that all the games are really tight, and we have to find a way of turning those tight games into victories as opposed the odd goal defeats that we’re having.”

Mowbray has continued to rotate his squad in a bid to find a winning formula, with three alterations for the Easter Monday defeat to Bournemouth from the side beaten at Wycombe Wanderers on Good Friday.

More are expected today at the Cardiff City Stadium with Lewis Travis among the players eyeing a recall.

Mowbray, his coaching staff and the players have held regular video sessions reviewing matches and previewing their upcoming opponents.

And asked if the players have accepted responsibility for their role in the results, Mowbray said: “I don’t ask them that question, we just talk about what went well, what didn’t go well.

“They’re frustrated, all footballers want to win, we all want to win, and we have to keep going, keep working hard and I hope this turns in our favour.

“The performance of the team, they know what they do well and what they don’t do well, the fine margins in this division and if we keep working hard I’m sure it’ll turn for us.”