Mark Robins blasts 'certain players drifting through games' in Stoke defeat

Stoke conceded two baffling goals inside barely more than a minute mid-way through the first-half to lose a dire game 2-0 at Wrexham. The result inches Wrexham closer to gatecrashing the play-offs while Stoke are now in 17th, albeit still only two points off the top half.

Robins was in a mood to match the performance but insists he is looking forward to doing work in the summer that goes a long way to sorting out Stoke’s problems – and “stands the club in good stead for a long, long time.”

He said: "There was nothing in (the opening stages) except it wasn't a great game to start with, plenty of balls turning over. We didn't look in any real threat. They were trying to turn it down the side of us which we kind of handled pretty well. The wind was taking it out of play or we dealt with it. There wasn't a great deal in it apart from two ridiculous moments.

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"But I've got to say before those goals, we were losing tackles, we weren't making those tackles which meant that this was always likely to happen. It just looked like we were drifting. Certain players are drifting in the game and that costs you.

"The fact we had the starting XI that we had is difficult already. You've got to have a really good performance from everybody to make things right for you and give you a platform to go and win it but the two goals were poor. The second one was inexplicable, a really disappointing goal to concede. Just a lack of communication and really poor. Really poor.

"Two-nil down and we have to find a way back in but feeling that you could do that because in possession we were ok from back to final third at times. Didn't move the ball quickly enough.

"I've said this a lot this year: we make the wrong decisions. There are three men around Lamine and he tries to take them on. Just pass it. Three around him, seven somewhere else and we've got men spare. Just go and find them.

"Then it's the detail on the pass. If the detail on the pass is right you can put it in first time rather than it bobbling and bouncing. There are a lot of things that are wrong and poor and need sorting out. Then you don't get yourself in those positions.

"If there are times you have to sprint, you've got to sprint. It might not just be one. We do things where you have responsibilities, in these situations you've got to go and do that but the game changes from time to time and you make one run and then you might have to sprint again a second time. If people want to take the easy option, players want to take the easy option, they're not going to be for me.

"I know this anyway because it's not right, it really isn't right. We have to make sure the work we get done this summer stands us in good stead for the rest of my tenure or for a long, long time.

"I'm in a position when it's really uncomfortable because you have to make changes not to go and win a game or a positive tactical outcome - a tactical positive outcome for us is almost to maintain the bodies that we've got available. That's not ideal, it's not fun, it's not what it's meant to be and it causes us a real problem.

"That's been the story of the second half of the season, or since November. It's disappointing but it can be sorted out. It will be sorted out. I'm looking forward to that."

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