The question was posed at the weekend as to how we should judge this Rovers team, but a more pertinent one after the Cardiff City defeat, and indeed the return to action after the international break, is what team do they want to be?

Rovers’ best football under Jon Dahl Tomasson has been incisive, one-touch passing, with cases in point being the winning goal at Blackpool and opener against Watford. The first goal in the win at Swansea City was also created through a high press, the second and third both clinical counter-attacks.

Watford were suffocated for space and Blackpool blitzed by passes played forward at every opportunity, and the focus was placed on intensity.  Yet Rovers have emerged from the international break intent on playing out from the back, slow, methodical build-up play and precise passing.

The switch of formation, to a back four, and personnel, with Sam Szmodics joining Tyrhys Dolan in central attacking positions, looked as though Rovers could revert to the previous style, pressing, disrupting, and having a nuisance factor to their forward line.

Instead, they lacked the same presence in attack that Callum Robinson gave Cardiff, the striker alone having the same number of shots (5) that Rovers managed all night.

Having taken one man away from their defensive line, their insistence of playing the ball out from the ball and taking short goal kicks merely invited Cardiff on and handed the impetus to the hosts.

Risk-taking in unnecessary areas will do little to ease the nerves of supporters, and the sight of Daniel Ayala having to twist and turn his way out of trouble was an all too often occurrence.

If that style is here to stay, then it would pose another question as to whether Rovers have recruited to match that, and whether it is one which suits the style of the squad?

If it is here to stay, then supporters’ will need to brace themselves for the prospect of their nerves being shredded, but also be convinced that it’s the way to go.

Tomasson believes a focus on ball retention is needed to create value in the squad, but whether it is one to get the best out of the players will be learned over time should it stay.

Irrespective of styles and systems however, a lack of care in possession was to a continued downfall.

Lewis Travis was dispossessed on five occasions throughout the 90 minutes, and he wasn’t alone.

John Buckley, back in the side for the first time since August 27, was uncharacteristically sloppy on the ball, Ben Brereton had a night to forget, and despite three attackers being sent on, Rovers struggled to create.

The best piece of football of the match came five minutes after the re-start, Buckley and Dolan involved to create a chance for Szmodics, and a better connection with a finish that had Ryan Allsop wrong-footed would have brought the opening goal.

Yet that proved to be a false dawn.

Indeed, Rovers’ penalty was won through a free kick played some 30 yards into the box, nodded from one centre half to the other as Ayala’s flick saw Hyam clattered into the box.

There were complaints from Rovers that an advantage wasn’t played, yet referee John Brooks would first have been focused on getting the decision right, while in his defence, the ball had run away from goal before Ryan Hedges squared for Bradley Dack to turn into the empty net. Rovers’ frustrations at that were clear to see, and understandable.

Of all the things to criticise on the night, it was a surprise to see some call into question the decision of George Hirst to take the penalty. Indeed, would it not be more remiss of a striker not to pick up the ball in such a situation?

It was a poor penalty, easily saved by Allsop, but there was no criticism from his manager over the taker, while the situation was amplified by not only the match situation, but the time it took from the penalty award to it being taken due to the ‘keeper receiving treatment.

Bradley Dack was on the pitch, but failed to convert from the spot against Bristol City on his return to the side in March, and has only taken eight penalties in his professional career, scoring five and failing to convert three times.

Hirst on the other hand has scored 10, and now missed three.

Sam Gallagher hasn’t taken a penalty in his professional career, and missed one taken for Southampton Under-21s in 2016, while Ryan Hedges has never stepped up to take one.

So with Ben Brereton off the pitch, Hirst was the likeliest taker.

His failure to convert from 12 yards meant Rovers didn’t take back a point, but their downfall didn’t come down to that single moment, nor did the decision of the referee not to play the advantage.

It meant Rovers were unable to break the sequence of results which now reads LWLWLWL and lost again when going behind.

Yet it feels as though results are currently outperforming their displays, even in this inconsistent run.

While Tomasson was pleased with the performance against Millwall, bar a 20-minute spell at the start of the second half, they rarely threatened. They managed two attempts at goal against Cardiff, having gone 83 minutes without one at Luton.

Chance creation has become a real issue, and on their travels they have now scored just once in their last five fixtures, despite seeing more of the ball.