Planet Swans ArchivesRodgers was speaking after a section of fans booed the side off after Friday’s 1-1 draw with Millwall which kept the Swans in third place although moved them to the same level of points.
“I’m not going to tell the supporters what to do, but I was standing midway through the second-half and I wrote down the word patience,” Rodgers told Wales on Sunday.
“That is what will be required both on and off the field this season.
“The supporters have been magnificent for us but we all entered the game with expectations of being able to move up into second. For that not to happen with the way the game went was frustrating.
“But the message between now and the end of the season is for us all to be patient.
“We have to maintain our style and our identity. If we lose that we will not be effective, so the team has to be patient and continue to pass the ball.
“One of the big attractions of me coming here was that the supporters understand that. But I could also understand their frustrations because we were so disappointing.
“And I will never be anything but honest when it comes to games like that.
“However, it is important for the future to remain patient, both as a team and in the stands.
“Across the game we were nowhere near our usual levels and defensively we were in total contrast to how we have been this season.
“The goal we conceded was like watching an under-sevens goal that you see on a Sunday morning.
“It was like jam-jar football with so many people around the ball and we still couldn’t defend it.
“In the end, we were very thankful for our goalkeeper, who made a couple of wonderful saves.
“We knew what to expect from them.
“They were well-organised, pressed and made it difficult for us. But we weren’t good enough with the ball.
“We didn’t control the game; our identity as a team is to control and dominate possession and, although stats show me might have shaded it, it wasn’t good enough for us.
“Our positioning wasn’t good and with and without the ball we weren’t set up to play.
“So we’re thankful it’s a point because we didn’t deserve much else from that performance.
“And when there were expectancy levels about going into the top two, it wasn’t good enough.”
