Four games without a win, but Tony Mowbray says context and circumstance have to be added in to avoid a ‘bust or boom’ outlook.

Rovers haven't collected three points since their comprehensive 5-1 victory over Cardiff City last month, with three defeats on the road to go alongside last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Coventry City where they let a two-goal lead slip.

Tomorrow's visit of Reading is the first of three home games in four matches before the international break, but despite seeing his side take one point from the last 12 available to drop out of the top half, Mowbray says he can’t fault his side.

He pointed to injuries to Darragh Lenihan and Ryan Nyambe, Ben Brereton’s international commitments and the inconsistency of all sides in the division as mitigating factors to results which he hopes will turn in their favour moving forward.

“We’re disappointed with the results but I think the performance level of the players on the pitch has been fine,” Mowbray said.

“I think the first half against Blackpool was very poor, the second half was good.

“We all get judged on results, I understand that, but I do sit after every game and think of the circumstances of each game. With how the squad is, you lose some important players, Lenihan and Nyambe for two games, when you look four games down the line and throw those two in, you have to accept it as the manager of course.

“How’s the team? The team are working really hard, doing really well, but the results dictate and you throw those circumstances into it, and you might have played two of those games without your main defenders, and another game without your main striker, and you throw that into the equation, I just judge the overall assessment that the team are working hard and competing in a really tough division.

“Most teams, bar the top teams, are finding the inconsistency of results are there for everyone because the league is so tough.

“We’re in there competing with everyone else.”

Rovers started the season with only one defeat in 11 games, but the positive start has been dented by three successive defeats on their travels. Extending that into last season, it’s just two wins in 17 away from home for Rovers who have only won eight of their previous 34 matches.

Mowbray accepts that he and his team will be judged on results, but is focused on getting the best out of, and improving, his young squad rather than get caught up in the emotions of runs of form.

“It’s about these young players and their development and growth, their understanding of football,” he added.

“I try to pick them up from a defeat, put them together and give them a game plan. They have to play with emotion and passion to connect with the support base, hopefully they can see a team fighting really hard, win, lose or draw.

“Yet the emotion of modern day football, if you lose even when you’ve fought really, really hard and tried to soldier on through injury, you get beaten and you’re rubbish. That’s generally the way football is these days. You win and it’s great. We just try and win as we do every single game.

“As it goes on, another game comes and we get another result. Is it positive or is it negative? Then another game comes. It can’t be a bust or boom in my mind. The world you live in might be but from my perspective let’s just keep working with these players, let’s build them up and try to make them better footballers.”

Rovers’ bid to get back winning ways sees them welcome a Reading side who had looked set for a sixth win in seven when they moved into a 2-0 lead over Blackpool in midweek.

However, like Rovers at the weekend, they were unable to hold on to all three points as the Seasiders fought back and snatched a 3-2 victory.

“Reading are a little bit like us really in that they’ve had some good results but they have also had some disappointing results as well,” the Rovers boss said.

“They’ll be smarting from that (Blackpool) result and it will be a tough game.

“They have some individuals who can hurt you. (John) Swift is right up there this season when it comes to goals and assists from midfield.

“They’ve been tough games against Reading over the last couple of years and we’ve come out on the wrong side of some results against them.

“The home game last season saw us play really well and yet we gave a goal away really early, got ourselves back in it and then shot ourselves in the foot.

“Let’s have some solidity and find a way to win. That’s what we’re talking to the group about.”