Tony Mowbray felt Rovers said he wouldn't be protecting his players after the 3-2 defeat at Rotherham United. 

Rovers are now winless in six games after a 3-2 loss at the New York Stadium, with their inability in dealing with balls in to their box costing them dear.

Semi Ajayi scored twice for the Millers, including a header from a Will Vaulks long throw inside two minutes.

Amari’i Bell levelled seven minutes after the re-start, only for substitute Ryan Williams to pounce on some hesitant Rovers defending to restore the Millers’ lead.

Ajayi scored a second free header of the afternoon before a Charlie Mulgrew penalty proved too little too late.

And a deflated Mowbray said: “It’s the same as what we’ve been getting, an inability to defend properly, an inability to keep clean sheets, an inability to head the ball out of our box.

“I don’t want to go too deep but if you had watched our training this week and then see the goal we lost inside two minutes, you wouldn’t believe it.

“You can protect your footballers sometimes and skirt around the edges but I can’t do that today.

“We have to defend, to head the ball.

“I know what we have to do, yet the one player we have who likes to head the ball out (Darragh Lenihan) is unavailable at the moment.

“My job is to go and get some players and that’s their stock. There will be days when we can pass it out from the back but others when we have to go to war and put your head on things and head the ball.”

The Rovers boss felt not doing the basics cost his side who have now shipped 38 goals in 18 away matches, the most in the Championship.

“You can see the positives that are there, we played some half decent stuff and created enough chances to win this game,” he added.

“Yet a long throw in to our box is headed in to our net, a simple cross is headed in to our net, a goalkeeper, wow, two pathetic kicks and the ball is in the air in his six yard box yet he’s practically in the net rather than coming to catch it.

“Basics, I can’t protect them every week, I can’t do anything about it at the moment other than sticking together, working hard.

“They understand the problems, they are not self-protected, they are feeling what’s required and it was quite a vociferous dressing room after the match.

“We expect to come to Rotherham and win and we didn’t because of basic things.

“I’d like to think the preparation for this game was all there, yet it unfolded in front of our eyes that we couldn’t deal with what we knew was coming.

“That’s difficult to take. We needed to have players against Rotherham away who when they are throwing balls in to your box they can’t just head in to your net.

“And while there might be defenders who aren’t as talented as others, they make their living out of heading the ball out of the box and that’s where we have to get to.”