ROVERS supporters, justifiably so, were angry on Tuesday night.

A swift refresh of your Twitter timeline in the minutes immediately after the disheartening defeat at Rotherham told you as much.

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But it was something that happened earlier on, on what was a chastening evening in South Yorkshire, that was more significant.

The backing Rovers receive on the road, both in terms of noise and number, never fails to impress.

It was no different at the New York Stadium with more than 1,300 fans beating the rush-hour traffic to make it to Rotherham’s compact and atmospheric new ground.

The travelling blue and white army, packed behind one goal, never wavered in their support and they did all they could to suck the ball into the back of the net after Rovers finally decided to show up.

But it showed just how bad Gary Bowyer’s side were in the first half that some of those die-hard supporters, who spend a fortune following their team around the country, chose to boo at the sound of the half-time whistle.

Rovers could hardly complain.

The goals they conceded were bad enough, the second of which will give Ryan Tunnicliffe and Jason Steele nightmares for years to come.

But it was the way Rotherham wanted it more that really disappointed.

A lack of desire is not a criticism that can often be levelled at this Rovers side, so from that respect, the way they performed in the opening period came as a surprise.

But the fact they could produce a half of football diametrically opposed to the one that came before it – Saturday’s spirited second-half fightback against Watford – was entirely predictable.

Let alone game by game, it is now impossible to guess exactly what Rovers team will turn up in each half.

And it can hardly be called a new problem.

There have been times this season when they have clicked and Rovers have been very good – think the first half against Bournemouth and the second half against Wigan and Watford – but there is not one match, out of the 11 they have played so far, when you could say they were really at it for 90 minutes.

Little wonder, then, that results have fluctuated so wildly and little wonder, then, that fans’ patience is beginning to be tested.

It is a problem that Rovers boss Bowyer and his coaching staff, together with their players, simply has to solve.

The aim for this season, we are told, is to improve on last season’s eighth place finish.

But there is little chance of that happening if Rovers continue to be so frustratingly consistently inconsistent.