So they should be if that's what they call doing their best for the club that they play for, there was nothing on show, very little skill, even less passion, it might as well have been a Sunday afternoon kick about in the park for as much as they seemed to care.
Millwall went through by scoring just one goal, but that was more than enough against a side that could have still been playing 24 hours later and still not looked like finding the net.
So now we just have to sit back and hope that we have enough points to stay up while Millwall go to Wembley with Wigan, for a game that could have meant oh so much to the areas of Wigan and Blackburn.
Appleton yet again claimed he was happy with the performance, the sort of performance that can only attract 9,000 through the gates to watch and I dare say it's only going to get worse.
Appleton told the club's website after the game: (Well in fact, who really cares what he said, we have heard it all before.)