Bristol Rovers

[Dave_Pougher]

It will intereting to watch what happens there. How did we lose to them? How many times have you seen a club perform badly when a new stadium is in the pipeline? Of course the only reason for that and a clubs sebsequent rise after stadium build is a chairman wanting to reduce the wage bill. I don't think this is the case here. So whats the reason for a club of their resources constantly putting their loyal fans through the torture gas heads have to frequently suffer? They were robbed of three points yesterday after their game with Wycombe was called off earlier in the season when Rovers were winning comfortably but that has little to do with things currently. They now have the potential to field a side of ex recent managers! Buckle, in my opnion didn't have the experience (mainly of the "bad times" in football) to be employed by a club with Rovers potential, so I think that whoever employed him at Rovers should take a good look at themselves and ask why they didn't do the research on him. With that in mind and the fact that they are, currently and historically, performing worse than clubs with half their gates (ie us !)you have to ask if indeed it's any managers fault at all or just a case of those above not knowing what they are doing or worse knowing what they are doing. If the latter is the case then why? When Rovers fans find the answer to that I think they might start to realise their potential.

All clubs act when gates start to fall, I know it's a hard one for loyal supporters that have attended through thick and thin but the Gas heads seriously should consider making their "historically under achieving board" think long and hard as to why they are board members, and the only way to do that is by keepng their gate money in their pocket.

[AustrianAndyGull]

It may be a simple response to your question why Bristol Rovers are struggling all the time and for that i apologise for not putting some flesh on the bones as it were but maybe they have just had a succession of crap managers. They are fast becoming the new 'Bradford' in terms of massive underachievement year in year out in relation to squad size, budget and the quality of players they have had at their disposal. Rather than blame external issues or a workman blaming his tool for bad craftsmanship, maybe it is just a case of the managers themselves being out of their depth, being unable to gel a squad together, being tactically inept, bringing in the wrong players, not motivating the players and the list goes on. These are all key aspects of being a manager and if you keep getting them wrong then you keep losing games. They had Bevan, Stanley and Zebs from us and also Carayol and a host of other players who would probably start if they were employed at Plainmoor but if you can't get them to play as a team they you're not doing your job properly.

So IMO the reason why Rovers are consistently sh*te is because they appoint sh*te managers.

[ferrarilover]

I don't have the facts to hand, so I'm flying by the seat of my pants a little bit here, but I don't think that can possibly be right, can it? They've been through nine managers in the last few years and each of them are presently employed, some at a higher level or are doing well or are just generally not being compete retards.
There is a much more through reply in this, but I'm on my phone, the Wombles match is on and it'll take some research.

Matt.

[Glostergull]

Ok Guys. I think it takes a little more inside knowledge here.
Rovers had a very good manager in the making years ago in Ollie Ollaway. he was a legend as a player and is stll regarded very highly by most at Rovers.
The Backroom boys in the boardroom have a long long history of putting thier size tens in thier size eight mouths and making a hash out of a prize.
Long ago they had a lifelong fan called Harry Dolman. He wanted to build up Rovers but the rest of the board said no. He went across the River and built up the other lot into a club to be respected (well unless you are a Rovers fan that is)
City went from strength to strength.
Latterly Rovers had another young man come and want to put money in eventually with his own plans to take over the club. Yet again the board didn't want to know. Size ten in mouth again. His name was Lansdown. he built a bank. Nuff said.
Rovers problems start in the boardroom to a large extent. Many years ago I did some work for the board. I was present when the then Chairman walked into the room and was asked by another Director who is still on the board whether he was going to the match that night. Nah. Can't be bothered was the reply. I lost respect for that guy from that moment and wondered why I was there.
Later on as I could not travel to Plainmoor I went to Eastville and used the coach coming from the Dursley area. #
I realised that the coach was on the verge of stopping when only 4 fans boarded for the journey. it carried on losing money and they were going to stop it. I took over and ran it for 5 years. in the last 2 years I was unemployed and still used my money to help subsidise it when the coach company want to stop it. But i won through. by the time Rovers left Eastville I had managed to fill the coach and we even ran some away coaches. 2 ran to Cardiff full to the brim. I got no thanks, only grief. Fans complained that I was making money out of it. yet when I implored them to put thier hands in pockets they moaned. I had to. I only needed that money back on occassions. fair enough to many.
The club at first seemd gratefull.
later on one day I had started to follow at Plainmoor on a more regular basis but still saw Rovers as and when I could despite losing my job half way through a season. One day I had to deliver a letter from Frank Prince to Thier FA rep at Rovers, Roger Brinsford came to the gate to collect it as the match started. I passed it to him and he looked at me and asked. are you coming in. I said I had been made redundant and had no money to afford it that day. He looked at me and said. never mind. You can make it another day when you feeling more flush.
Now I don't know about you, But do you think he could have seen into future a little more than he did. He could have relaxed the rules that day and given me a day to remember. but no. he turned his back. This is what Rovers have suffered from for years. a club which has lost it's way. Lost it's touch with fans and wandered like a lost sheep bleating about whether it's fair or not. The great fans they have ( and by and large they do have terrific fans) have been sold down the Rivers.
Yes some members of the present board did rescue Rovers from going out of business years ago. But it takes a little more than that to keep it building up.
The old days with Holloway was the top for them. He was close to the club. maybe too close. the Club was practicaly he wife. he married into Rovers more ways than one. I would love it to bits to see him at Torqauy. wow what he would do here.
They have been on a downward spiral since. it has been reported to me by another close to the club that there is intereference by certain people. who don't do the club or players any good. I can't go into it too much but there needs to be a clean sweep there and start all over. not just tinkering by changing a manager. he can only do what he is allowed to do with what he has at his disposal. The atmosphere at the mem now is nothing short of abysmal. Some even claim it's on the verge of Poisonous. it's a crying shame. I would think it will take a big money guy to take them over and completely revamp everything. from the foundations up. The club could then climb to the heights it's potential claims.
Rovers could be a big club. In fact it could be a very very big club. But not in it's present state.

[SteveDeckchair]

Got to admit to being fascinated by the car crash that is Brizzle Rovers at the moment.

It certainly looks like an unsavoury place to be and if their fans can't rally around the players, I feel it will only end one way.

Changing the manager is clearly not the issue though as it's been done so many times recently.

Maybe they need to go down so they can start again, much as ourselves and countless others have done.

[Glostergull]

Bristol Football is in a complete mess at the moment and we must learn a lesson from them when we want to critisise our management. We are 10th in the league. No debt and expanding the facilities at Plainmoor.
City are near bottom of their league. crowds are falling and they lost 14.1 million last year. on top of 11 million the year before
Rovers are now one off bottom of league two. They have totaly lost cohesion. no real direction and crowds also falling fast. Todays was someway off the 5k mark. They are 6.2 million in debt. It seems that debt is now catching up on all teams and i hope we are the lucky ones who will benifit when we have kept out own house in order. We will be challenging for honours where as the others will be struggling with relegation.
We may be small but we ain't done yet.

[Gullscorer]

I once had a female acquaintance (friend of a friend) who had a succession of boy friends and partners and failed relationships, and she would always blame these failures on the men in her life and on men in general. But there was one common denominator in all this, and she would never think to look in the mirror at herself to realise it was her, and so she never got herself and her life sorted and turned around.

Same with Bristol Rovers and its succession of failed managers, most of whom failed only with Rovers but did well elsewhere. One common denominator. Something wrong with, in, or around the club itself; the squad, the board, the fans, whatever. Rather than blame all the managers they've had, they should sort out the club itself, their sense of unity, community spirit, whatever it may be.

For all their advantages in terms of fan base, size, budget, etc., there has for some time been something lacking at Rovers which the Gulls at Plainmoor, club, squad and supporters, seem to have in abundance, and of which we should all be proud..

[Dave_Pougher]

JEEPERS !! What is going on at ROVERS ? If they don't act like NOW their down !!! By my reckoning you need a min of 45 points to be safe in L2 (48 when Luton went down ironicly!) They currently have 18 with 23 games played leaving 23 to play and 27 points to get !! thats an average of 1.17 points to get !!! Or put another way if you lose a match you have to win the next !! I'm very worried about them.

We have them in our last match what happens if it's between them and Plymouth and up to us. I never want TQY to lose and think you should play to win regardless of the consequences, but if the scenario above happens can't help but think I wouldn't be too upset if we lost. lol

[ferrarilover]

I once had a female acquaintance (friend of a friend) who had a succession of boy friends and partners and failed relationships, and she would always blame these failures on the men in her life and on men in general. But there was one common denominator in all this, and she would never think to look in the mirror at herself to realise it was her, and so she never got herself and her life sorted and turned around.

Same with Bristol Rovers and its succession of failed managers, most of whom failed only with Rovers but did well elsewhere. One common denominator. Something wrong with, in, or around the club itself; the squad, the board, the fans, whatever. Rather than blame all the managers they've had, they should sort out the club itself, their sense of unity, community spirit, whatever it may be.

For all their advantages in terms of fan base, size, budget, etc., there has for some time been something lacking at Rovers which the Gulls at Plainmoor, club, squad and supporters, seem to have in abundance, and of which we should all be proud..

A genuinely excellent post. Nothing more to add, just that.

Matt.