Liam Manning says he and MK Dons must fight their way out of their recent form, as they look to improve on their current league position.
Manning’s men sit 22nd in Sky Bet League One, following a run of three straight league defeats which culminated in Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Bristol Rovers at Stadium MK.
Speaking after the defeat, the MK Dons Head Coach said: “I've had to fight my whole career to get where I am so it's in me to fight but all I can control is how we react to tonight and what work we do before Saturday.
“Until I'm told otherwise, it's head down, fight and scrap to give the players the best chance to fight for the win on Saturday.”
Manning continued: “I totally get the fans' frustrations and I'm realistic - we have to win matches and get points. We have to turn it around and start getting points.
“We feel that emotion and frustration too because we all want the club to do well. We just all have to stick together and go again.
“We're not the first team to be in this position and we won't be the last. We have to understand how to get out of it, and that'll largely be down to sticking together.”
On Tuesday’s game itself, Manning commented: “We're really disappointed. There wasn't a huge amount in the game to be honest but it came down to discipline and quality.
“We gave away a cheap penalty and, ultimately, didn't have enough quality high up the pitch to cause problems and create.
“We just can't knit it all together at the moment. At the weekend, we had chances but couldn't deal with long balls then, tonight, we dealt with long balls but couldn't create. That's where we're at, at the moment.
“We have to look at it and learn quick, going into the weekend. I don’t look at the players and think there isn’t any fight in us, it’s just coming down to discipline and quality.
“Not enough people are delivering at the moment. We need someone to step up and grab the game and take responsibility.
“When we got up the pitch, we were asking who is going to get on the ball, show some quality in the attacking half? And we didn't see that. We have to be brave and step up.
“It's not that we're not fighting, competing. We're just lacking discipline and quality to create chances, quality control the game by passing. We have to go away and look at that.”
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Liam Manning and MK Dons will look to bounce back on Saturday when they welcome Plymouth Argyle to Stadium MK for a match which has been designated as the Club's Family Fun Day.
Supporters can expect carnival activities, virtual reality games, football challenges and competitions, face painting, arts and crafts plus, much, much more. Further to that, fans can watch the early Premier League kick-off LIVE on the big screens inside the Marshall Arena.
Tickets, meanwhile, have been heavily discounted, with Under-7s able to attend for just 50p in the Family Area. Adult tickets are priced from £12, seniors/under-25s from £9, under-18s from £3 and under-12s from £1.50.
To purchase tickets CLICK HERE, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK or call 01908 622933. Tickets will be available to buy right up until kick-off but please note, ticket prices will increase by £2 on the day of the game.
