Bristol Rovers chairman Nick Higgs has pointed the finger at the club's players for the lowly league standing that cost boss Paul Trollope his job.Trollope was sacked on Wednesday, but Higgs said the men on the pitch were responsible for the club's slide into the League One relegation zone.
He told BBC Radio Bristol: "Ultimately the players take responsibility.
"At the end of the day if you're paying good money for players, they should be producing the goods."
Higgs continued: "We've backed both [former director of football] Lennie [Lawrence] and Paul [Trollope] financially, despite reports given out recently.
"We still have a very large wage bill for this division, more than double some of the clubs.
Paul's had five good years here now but unfortunately we are results-based and results recently haven't gone our way
Nick Higgs
Asked how the board came to the decision to dismiss Trollope, Higgs said: "The events speak for themselves.
"The second half of last season ended almost in relegation form and despite a slight upturn at the start of this season we've seen a dramatic slide and we're now into the relegation zone.
"I wouldn't say the Johnstone's Paint Trophy [defeat to Exeter] was a deciding factor but considerations come in and the decision was made off the back of that.
"The risk is that you get into a relegation battle and the ultimate risk is you get relegated and that's why the decision was made."
I don't believe our board had any intentions of keeping PT as manager for a while now.
Captain Jack Sparrow (U13757044)
Trollope, who was at the training ground on Thursday morning to say goodbye to his former charges, released a statement that read: "It has been a fantastic experience and I am proud to have been in charge during such a successful period in the club's history.
"Naturally I was saddened to receive the news. However I would like to thank the club for giving me my first opportunity in management and I will always be grateful to them for that."
Higgs added: "It's never easy saying goodbye to someone who's been such a great stalwart at the club.
"Paul's had five good years here now but unfortunately we are results-based and results recently haven't gone our way."
The club have confirmed that caretaker manager Darren Patterson will be in charge for the games over the Christmas period and say they hope to announce a permanent replacement early in the new year.
Source: BBC Sport
Source: BBC Sport