Darrell Clarke: Bristol Rovers need 'siege mentality' to improve poor form

Darrell Clarke has won 87 of his 187 games in charge of Bristol Rovers since taking over in March 2014

Bristol Rovers need to create a "siege mentality" to turn around their poor form, says manager Darrell Clarke.

Rovers were knocked out of the Checkatrade Trophy following a 4-2 defeat by Swindon Town on Wednesday.

Clarke's side also exited the FA Cup in the first round on Friday after losing by the same scoreline to Notts County.

"I'm very concerned. We're so inconsistent on the pitch at times and the goals we're giving away are giving us mountains to climb," he said.

"It's not been good enough and the players know my thoughts."

Although Rovers are 13th in League One, they have lost three of their last five league matches and have the second-worst defensive record in the division, having conceded 29 goals in 16 games.

"There is a lot of negativity surrounding the club and sometimes it becomes tough to manage," Clarke told BBC Radio Bristol.

"It's about regrouping, [creating] a siege mentality and responding in the right fashion."

Rovers will now solely concentrate on their league campaign and Clarke is looking for an improvement from his players before the January transfer window.

"We've got an important couple of months now before the [transfer] window opens," he said.

"All of us are under scrutiny to see how well we do in these eight weeks before I make changes - there will obviously have to be players going out to bring some in."