Calderon wants Rovers to play with 'passion'

Spaniard Inigo Calderon has been appointed Bristol Rovers' new head coach

Bristol Rovers head coach Inigo Calderon said he wants his side to play with passion and be a "proactive team".

The Spaniard was announced as Rovers' new boss and watched their defeat away to Exeter on Boxing Day, before taking full charge

Calderon is a former defender at Brighton and was working as the club's under-18s boss with this his first managerial appointment.

"When I came here they talked about the passion of the fans and if it is about passion that is not going to be a problem with me because it is something I have, passion for this sport," Calderon told BBC Radio Bristol.

"[I want] a team that wants to play football, honest, and wants to give a lot for the fans."

Calderon takes over from Matt Taylor who was sacked on 16 December after just over a year in charge.

He joins a team in the midst of a relegation struggle at the mid-point of the season, with Rovers three points above the drop zone and without a win in their past five league matches.

Yet the 41-year-old said the team's plight at the bottom of the table will not change his mentality to how he will try and approach matches.

"We have to approach the game the same way even if we are playing the top one, and that is the mentality I have to be a proactive team," Calderon said.

Calderon retired as a player in 2019 after making more than 230 appearances for Brighton, as well as playing for Spanish sides Alicante and Deportivo Alaves.

He has been an academy coach at his former side since the start of last season and said he 'loves' being on the other side in the dugout.

"Playing football is great but sometimes i think you can affect more things when you are a coach," Calderon said.

Rovers travel to Stevenage for their next fixture on 29 December, before they face Leyton Orient at home on New Years' Day.

Calderon said he has been watching the team a lot and that there is "big, big room to improve".

"I said to the boys this morning the table doesn't lie," Calderon said.

"You have to do things better than the ones we are doing at the moment.

"I don't know if it's going to be one week, two weeks, three weeks but we are going to improve 100%."