Bristol Rovers boss Inigo Calderon felt his team showed the Blues too much respect as they were defeated 3-0 in the FA Cup third round at Portman Road and was critical of referee Oliver Langford for Jack Taylor’s goal, which looked offside, and the Blues’ second-half penalty, but admitted the officiating wasn’t why his team was beaten.
Goals in the first half from Kalvin Phillips, Jack Clarke and Taylor saw Town into the fourth round in which they will travel to face Championship Coventry City, now managed by Frank Lampard.
"I think the big thing was in the first half,” Calderon said at his press conference. "I don't think we started well enough. I think we showed them too much respect. I don't think we were good defensively. Especially when you want to try to defend high up the pitch, you have to do everything perfect and when we had the ball, we couldn't keep it at all.
"So I think it was coming in the first 15 minutes. You could see that the goal was coming and we couldn't stop that and listen, there is the difference. That's why they play where they play and that's why we play where we play.
"We knew that we had to do everything perfectly to have a chance to win it and I don't think we did in the first half, especially.
"It's true in the second half that I think we improved. I think we were improving during the game but, as I say, I think that’s the price when you play a different style of game. Last game we played Cambridge away, that was a completely different to this game and we have to adapt and we have to learn during the game and that's not the best thing.”
He added: "It's not just the goals. It was the feeling that it was coming and we couldn't stop that. Without the ball, as I say, with the ball, we couldn't hold it, so we were disappointed.
"I insist, I have to understand the players. It's not easy to play on a pitch like this one because against really good players, especially the way they play, it asks you a lot of questions and you have to answer very well, and I don't think we answered the questions they asked well.
"After that, it was even more complicated because when you are losing 2-0, 3-0 and you want to keep defending high up the pitch, it's a price that you can pay if you make a mistake.
"So, credit to the boys that they kept trying to do things right and, for me, that was the most positive thing. I think we kept trying and I think we improved during the game.
"But we are in the process, but at the same time, we are playing games and that can cost us.”
Calderon felt referee Langford and his assistants were wrong to allow Taylor’s goal and also to give the penalty, which Ali Al-Hamadi scuffed well wide, for handball against ex-Blues midfielder Grant Ward.
"It was offside or not? For me it was, but I don’t want to speak about the ref because I don’t think we lost because of him,” he said.
"I said from the first day that I don’t want to talk about the referees but every day something happens in our games, every single day.
"Even the penalty, for me it was not a penalty and some free-kicks, I said to the fourth [official], I don’t think they need help, I think they were better than us, much better than us, I don’t think they needed help.
"As I say, it’s when you’re the small club or the one playing in the lower division, but we didn’t lose because of the ref, that’s for sure.”
Regarding the penalty decision, he added: "For me, it was chest, chest, hand. But, from my side, I’m probably not objective.”