BR Fans and Buckle

[tauntongull]

It's times like this in a season when you look back and consider all the gloating that went on by the BR fans getting our man and that we should all shut up and stop crying. The optimism of finishing in the top 3 by some kind of divine right, and the constant barrage of abuse and taunts we all received after the departure of PB by the BR fans.

During all of this I am proud to see that our fans never got into any kind of slanging match, we merely stuck to the facts and made fair and reasonable comments about the players that moved and the manager.

Many people felt that 'karma' if you believe in that kind of thing would find a way of paying us back and it is interesting to see that many of our fans pointed out the tactical weaknesses in our previous managers manager to the BR fans pre-season. Yet they were adamant he was the 'Messiah' and all their problems would be solved by spending a fortune and getting their man, despite the fact we all pointed out they would not have an easy time in this league this season.

Well a trip to the BR forum this morning would seem to cement our views and oh how things change over a 7 week period. It would appear from a fans perspective that PB is on borrowed time. I never like to see a manager sacked or a club in trouble on the pitch but it did give me a warm feeling inside this morning and it wasn't my porridge.

Football is a fickle game and fans are equally the same. Whether TUFC are up, down, winning or losing I will always be there - that's what I love about this club and our fans. Even after celebrating the 4th goal last night by jumping up and down did I realise when I looked down that I had dropped by iPhone and I was actually smashing it to pieces on each bounce! Look at me, I'm jumping on my iPhone - didn't stop me celebrating tho!

My expectations are mid-table this season - perhaps if the BR fans were more real in theirs, they wouldn't be so shocked right now.

[chippygull]

A worthy sacrifice for your excellent support and a fine result, sir!

[Glostergull]

I received a load of abuse from Rovers fans when I commented on Rovers being in a shambles. I think it went along the lines of "There is challenges and then there is Rovers". I don't think they realised at the time what was meant but I stick by my comment.
Rovers are still deep in debt and while this goes on they are going to go deeper in debt. I believe to the tune of 4 million at the moment. City also up there with 11 million debt. Although they are lucky with Lansdown digging into his own pockets it's not a real worry for them.
Untill Rovers Find a buyer who has pockets as deep they won't have the power to realise the fans ambitions. A bit like us to a degree but more expensive ambitions.
The real crunch will come when the board has had enough and think it will be time to replace him. But can they afford to. I really doubt it and I think they feel they are stuck with him for the moment. Thick or thin.
If they can scrape up the money to get him out then the budget will be so reduced that Campbell will find it hard to make a go of anything. I am not decrying the efforts of the supporters. In the main they are a great bunch. and i remember a couple of times when they raised enough money themselves to buy a player, but this time there is the Depression. (it's too deep in my view to call it a reccession) the fans havn't got the money. They are more worried quite rightly about their own livings to worry about financing anyone elses. The board has similar worries as they see their own shares and business suffer.
It's a shame when football clubs slide like this but Rovers have been a constant slide since Ian Holloway left. He was a legend at the club and is still a great bloke. But every time someone asks if he will ever return he says no and you can see the hurt in his eyes as he says it. I think he was way too close to the club, it's the one thing that can ruin a great relationship, he at the time couldn't stand back as a manager needs to and he can also see that Rovers can't afford him as well now. Too much water under the bridge and all that.
I for one won't be gloating to see them in the state their in. I would like to hear the old Eastville roar again but it will be a long time coming in their present state.I just hope this new stadium happens. It will be another poisoned victory for the numbies if it doesn't and I even have a tad of sympathy for City in this case. after all we wouldn't be any different if we tried to move. I also hope the board can find the money without Rovers going deeper into debt. or it will all be a waste of time.

[royalgull]

The thing i never really got about all the Rovers fans was how and why they deemed themselves as a 'big club'. In terms of League 2 they are a biger club than some like ourselves without question. However how can a club be big when it spends it's entire time in the bottom 2 divisions of the English game? And from a city that has never produced one top flight team...and they are the 2nd biggest club in that very city. Peculiar. If you want to look at attendances just over 5000 last night so it sort of puts them on a par with your Port Vale's, Northampton's, Southend's of this world but not near Swindon, Oxford or Bradford. In terms of actual recent success they are well down. In the whole time they were in League 1 over the last 12 years or so I can only remember them getting even remotely close to getting out of it (the right way) once. They were top of the league by a street and managed to finish 7th in a 1 horse race that was in about 99/00 ish. Since then it's been a story of relegation, narrowly avoiding relegation, League 2, one promotion from league 2 and then relegation again. Yet still there is a massive expectancy there, poisoned chalice springs to mind. Bristol Rovers have rarely ever been any good for any period of time and when there is a chance they might be, a real big club nicks their best players and back they go to square 1.

I always supported Buckle while he was here I think whilst he did have better resources than say Ling has they still weren't really big resources. He signed some rough diamonds and used the loan system incredibly well on the whole. What you can't buy is confidence and also a positive atmosphere. He's walked into a club that are used to losing, he's tried to make drastic changes and his usual tactic tinkering seems to be going down like a fart in a lift....wrong on so many levels. Buckle over the course had as many detractors here as he did supporters and to be fair we had equally shocking runs where folk thought he should go, I saw Buckle Out banners at one game and he turned it around so he's not a quitter. I look at Rovers squad and for this level they should be doing better than they are, but like i said it's hard to turn around a culture of losing especially in 13 games or whatever it is.

What Ling definitely has over Buckle is that he is just a more likeable down to earth chap and that will buy him more time. When you are the type of self confident/arrogant person that Buckle is, when it works it's fine when it doesn't people are after you. Having said that there is no way Rovers will sack him, as if they can afford to pay him off when they gave him 3 years 13 games ago. So they are stuck with him and he's stuck with them. Sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone and I'm wondering now if Bucks is thinking this ambition lark isn't all it's cracked up to be.

[Plymouth Gull]

Read pages 2 & 3 of this..

http://www.thefootballforum.net/index.p ... rs-v-vale/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hehehe. It's so tempting to comment on it but I'm trying to refrain from it right now..

[Colorado Gull]

I'm enjoying Buckle's new nickname, "Brainless Buckle!"

[A J]

Rovers fans should have read FourFourTwo's guide to the new season, which read something along the lines of: Buckle often lacks a Plan B when his team isn't winning. Spot on!

Shame he cant even find a Plan A this season!

[bobby93]

Just reading through that forum makes me so pleased that Buckle's gone. I genuinely think he was a perfect match for us in the BSP and was just what we needed, but since we got promoted I think the signs were always there that he couldn't handle league management and despite getting us up to the playoffs last year I don't think he's done anything to prove the doubters wrong. You can say what you like about Ling, and he isn't perfect I'm sure, but I'd rather have him than Buckle.

[stevegull]

Some top stuff on the brizzle forum, with a topic simply people guessing Buckle's latest excuse. Including gems like 'Corner flags were too tall' and 'Our shorts are too white'.

Despite this, i still feel they will come good if they stick by Buckle. He may be a snake in the grass but he can be a clever snake at times...

[Southampton Gull]

Some top stuff on the brizzle forum, with a topic simply people guessing Buckle's latest excuse. Including gems like 'Corner flags were too tall' and 'Our shorts are too white'.

Despite this, i still feel they will come good if they stick by Buckle. He may be a snake in the grass but he can be a clever snake at times...

Substitute "lucky" for "clever" and I would agree

[gullsflyinghigh]

Read pages 2 & 3 of this..

http://www.thefootballforum.net/index.p ... rs-v-vale/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hehehe. It's so tempting to comment on it but I'm trying to refrain from it right now..

[ferrarilover]

I reckon PB is in serious trouble. He didn't rock up for the post match interviews last night, which is NEVER a good thing. I had noticed that Matt Gill had made the post match comments on their OS, and did note the absence of Buckle, but rather assumed that it was to follow today.

Despite their certainty that he won't be sacked, I think, if they lose to D&R at home on Saturday, he might well be for the chop.

Matt.

[chippygull]

This made me giggle:

"Up to now our manager has not had the common decency to comment on last nights "fiasco".
Says a lot about the man to me, can only be a matter of time before the chairman makes an important statement.
The sooner the better in my opinion."

[stevegull]

Didn't realise he avoided the post-match thing. You're right matt, never a good sign. We can only hope this has dented his ego.

[diamondgirl]

Just reading through that forum makes me so pleased that Buckle's gone. I genuinely think he was a perfect match for us in the BSP and was just what we needed, but since we got promoted I think the signs were always there that he couldn't handle league management and despite getting us up to the playoffs last year I don't think he's done anything to prove the doubters wrong. You can say what you like about Ling, and he isn't perfect I'm sure, but I'd rather have him than Buckle.

Spot on. Wonder what this season is doing for Buckles "Ambitions". Don't imagine Sir Alex is quaking in his boots.I'm so glad we have Lingy.