KEITH Hill has asked fans to persevere as he tries to change round a losing culture at Wanderers.

Saturday’s defeat at Rochdale was the club’s 60th in the league since the start of the 2017/18 campaign – a span of 98 games.

Expectation levels around the current team have risen slightly as performances improved in recent weeks, although injuries have again dented progress.

Hill is yet to get his first win since taking charge in August but he hopes fans can appreciate the longer-term plan he believes will benefit the club.

“I knew what I was getting into. We have created an expectation,” he said.

“We want the supporters to be 100 per cent behind us, to see what I see. There will always be criticism and I’ll criticise myself and the players because we always want more from them but I need people to see there are building blocks being put in place.

“The fans aren’t experiencing anything new here. The club has lost 53 games in the league in the last two seasons – so this isn’t anything new.

“They are witnessing a change and it has to change. I am honest and I do my homework. People sometimes see that as being critical, or trying to offend someone. I am not.

“I am a massive advocate of spending what you have got. I can go back 12 years and we (Rochdale) got beat at Wembley by Stockport County 3-2. We knew as a club we were spending what we earned. Stockport were spending far in excess to get promoted but look where they are now.

“We do things methodically, correctly, and build teams. If, for example, in the last two seasons we as a club had won 53 games and then gone through administration I’d fully understand if people were upset.

"I think people have got to understand and persevere, trust the processes we go through with the players and I won’t beat anyone up for playing and trying to represent our values in the way they did Saturday.”