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Post by markczgas on May 29, 2015 7:29:28 GMT
Hello Gasheads,
I sent a letter to Darrell Clarke yesterday, which you can read below.
I would welcome support for what I have suggested and would also welcome any comments - don't forget attack (if you want to ) the contents rather than the poster !!
p.s. My intentions ? To find out about what Rovers are about and going to do next, and to help in any way to ensure that Rovers consolidate and have continued success !
Using the avenue of the Board ( i.e. requesting/asking for things like an Internal Review Publication have been fruitless) but as we know for genuine progression at the club we need the whole club pulling in the right direction, with good leadership, transparency in how and why the club is being run the way it is and real opportunities for the fans to feel that they are part of the club !!).
UTG !
Dear Darrell,
Many many congratulations to you, the coaching staff and the players on gaining promotion to League 2 this season just gone.
I think what stuck out for me and I hope most Rovers supporters this season was the way the players REALLY played for the shirt whether they were winning, drawing or losing in any game during the season. There was also a notable togetherness about the team that was even evident from newer recruits to the team, such as Jermaine Easter and Chris Lines. No doubt these two ingredients should stand us in good stead for the forthcoming season in League 2.
I would also like to comment on the team’s formation and the playing style that you have introduced with some questions to you incorporated into this.
With the team’s formation, for most of the season, we saw the team play 4 - 4 - 2 and I’m sure in saying that most , if not all Gasheads, were relieved and happy that we moved away from (the defensive -looking approach) 4 - 5 - 1 that our previous manager favoured when we were last in league 2. So Darrell, can you guarantee that Rovers will adopt this same formation when we play in League 2 for the 2015 -16 season ? I obviously don’t know how many Rovers supporters I speak for but hearing your intent to play like this will probably persuade me to buy a season ticket for myself and my young son for next season.
As regards playing style, I also think that many Rovers supporters were delighted to see that on many occasions we played football on the deck ( how I personally think it should always be played) from the backline, via the midfield and through to the forward line. However, we did also witness a number of games where we seemed to abandon this philosophy and play a long (high) ball approach, Eastleigh (H), Macclesfield (A) and even Grimsby at Wembley to name but a few. So I was wondering whether you could outline to the fans what your intention will be for the forthcoming season so that we will have a better understanding of what you and the team are trying to achieve ? - apart from 3 points in every game :-)
Finally, and again I think many fans would welcome this, rather than replying to a letter like mine in person, whether you could address the issues above (and also your’s / the club’s transfer policy) via the local media, the club’s website, BUT ALSO by way of a Question and Answer with all supporters before the season starts (perhaps in July when you have had a chance to add the recruits that you have already stated you wish to bring in). Having a Question and Answer after some success would be GREAT rather than the customary, as for Rovers in recent seasons, a get together after having a BAD season.
Wishing you the best of health, confidence and of course continued success for the forthcoming season ( challenging for promotion out of League 2 ??).
Mark Czekalski
A massive Gashead (and all the family) since 1972.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 7:51:32 GMT
I think at Wembley you will see most teams when tiring resort to longer ball tactics. Also if the game is at stalemate, when the clock is ticking down fear of a mistake from defenders plays a part in that I think. Not sure if style has had a major impact on our success this season it seems to have been more mental strength and togetherness. Anyway nice letter goat!
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Post by Antonio Fargas on May 29, 2015 7:56:37 GMT
Well, I don't think formations are inherently positive or negative, it's how they interact with the opponents and the instructions given to individual positions that make them so.
Also, there's nothing wrong with having a plan B. A team that can play in two or three different formations, or have a couple of ways of dealing with the opposition is obviously gonna be more flexible, and therefore potentially more effective, than a team that sticks to only one way of playing.
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Post by supergas on May 29, 2015 8:01:16 GMT
I want DC to pick a team, a formation and a style to beat the opposition in any given game. I also don't want him to let the opposition know in advance what those three things will be, so I'm quite happy after this season to let him figure out the best way of winning 90 points next season internally...I can't wait to see what it is, and I don't need him to tell me how he's going to do it now...
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Post by Warmley Gas (form Harbourside) on May 29, 2015 8:01:40 GMT
Well, I don't think formations are inherently positive or negative, it's how they interact with the opponents and the instructions given to individual positions that make them so. Also, there's nothing wrong with having a plan B. A team that can play in two or three different formations, or have a couple of ways of dealing with the opposition is obviously gonna be more flexible, and therefore potentially more effective, than a team that sticks to only one way of playing. I agree, it all depends on what the other team's formation is going to be so you can then work out a way to exploit weaknesses. Announcing the exact formation of what you will be going for in the coming season would sound quite amateur and unprofessional. Was this letter really necessary? I know we all want to know what the plan is going forward etc but there is only so much he can tell us. Surely it will be up to the NH blog to do this. Don't want to slate the letter for trying but i think there might be a quite vague response if any.
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Post by RD on May 29, 2015 8:02:10 GMT
Ummm. Hmmmmm.
Parts of this are good, other points I'm not really sure I can quite believe what I'm reading.
We potentially have one of the best young managers in the country and, arguably a manager on his way to becoming the greatest appointment this club has ever made.
Is he absolute perfection? No - otherwise he'd be managing one of the best clubs in the world. He's a bloody good manager though.
Yet reading your letter, it seems you are suggesting... I almost used the word telling him... how to play.
The football wasn't always breathtaking last season, but in case people failed to realise, we were a NON-LEAGUE side; we won't be passing it around on the deck week in, week out.
The cold hard fact is, that regardless of what you, me or anyone else thinks, DC is the manager of this football club and he will set the team out in a way that he believes will stand us in best stead of getting the desired result. He knows far more than any one of us, as has been proved beyond any doubt whatsoever with 3 promotions from 4 years in management and all at a very young age.
I could partly understand it if we had missed out on promotion last season and could definitely understand it if this letter had been addressed to John Ward or Mark McGhee etc when we were an abomination.
But sending something like this just after we've won promotion back to the Football League at the first time of asking - something that was last achieved a decade ago and has only EVER been done 5 times in history - well... the mind boggles frankly.
I get that you have an opinion and of course you are entitled to it. But surely that's what this forum is for? Not writing letters to the manager requesting him to speak to all Gasheads regarding his intentions for the forseeable future. I understand that might be something that you'd like to find out, but it's certainly not something we all want and I don't feel it's your place to be requesting it on our behalf - I am more than happy to let him get on doing the grand job he is already doing.
I am well aware that this post comes across as incredibly harsh as I'm sure your intentions were good, but I just don't understand what you're expecting him to say? It's like you're expecting him to say: "Gasheads, great news. From next season, whenever you watch us play, you'll find it impossible to tell the difference between us and Bayern Munich. The similarities will be unfathomable. Fluid football on the deck, no long ball, just brilliant, brilliant football."
Newsflash: Last season we were a NON-LEAGUE side. We are now a football club in the bottom tier of the Football League; there will be times when we play football beyond the level we are at - similarly there will be times where the football isn't great on the eye, due to the fact that we are a League Two side.
Clarke has already proven he knows what he's doing and I'm more than happy to let him get on with it. I certainly don't need him to make any promises to me in regards to how he's going to play; the reality is, that will be decided on a fixture by fixture basis dependant on the opposition.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 8:12:07 GMT
If it had ended at -League 2. It would have been a great letter! I quite like the idea of fans writing letters but fear DC will be like " Cheers then". Also, we have varying opinions on what we want from the team, evidently.
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Post by tumshie on May 29, 2015 8:14:17 GMT
Good on you i say.
I hope you get a letter back from Darrell. It may not be what you want to hear and it may not reveal much, but no harm whatsoever in this imo.
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Post by RD on May 29, 2015 8:15:27 GMT
If it had ended at -League 2. It would have been a great letter! I quite like the idea of fans writing letters but fear DC will be like " Cheers then". Also, we have varying opinions on what we want from the team, evidently. ^ This. Nothing wrong with having an opinion and sharing it with DC, but depending on writing style and how the point is made, it can often come across that the opinion of one person is an opinion shared by many. And that is dangerous IMO. I couldn't be further distanced from Mark's stance in terms of "wanting to know what DCs intentions are". As long as he intends to make us as successful as possible (which he undoubtedly does), then I don't care how he goes about doing it if he succeeds. And, regardless of that, I trust him to have a far better idea of how to achieve that than me, and am happy to leave him to it as a result.
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Post by gretschgas on May 29, 2015 8:19:13 GMT
I don't think playing 4-4-2 really affects our mentality or how we play football. We saw a 5-3-2 system last season a number of times with wing backs which worked well at times and less so on other occasions and also 4-3-3 (or 4-5-1 when we were defending) a couple of times too. Don't forget that 4-4-2 didn't always work either. It's all about how DC approached each game and the formation should be decided based on what players we have available and also to a certain degree, how the opposition play. I do agree with a consistent system will help the fluidness of the side but there is no harm in mixing it up from time to time.
Good idea about the Q&A session though, it takes me back to that radio interview DC did with Twentyman last year about his intentions which was when I really got behind him and it gave me extra confidence in the man.
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Post by BishopstonBRFC on May 29, 2015 8:42:07 GMT
I want DC to pick a team, a formation and a style to beat the opposition in any given game. I also don't want him to let the opposition know in advance what those three things will be, so I'm quite happy after this season to let him figure out the best way of winning 90 points next season internally...I can't wait to see what it is, and I don't need him to tell me how he's going to do it now... That was JWs biggest flaw, he never had a plan B. DC changes it if what he's started with isn't working which is more than can be said for our last manager. DC tinkered and tinkered with his side throughout the season and I can't exactly complain as it got us up.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 8:46:48 GMT
Nice letter, However I am pretty sure Darren is his own man and will pick teams and formations as he sees fit.
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Post by Strange Gas on May 29, 2015 8:58:45 GMT
Good intentions, but let the manager manage. External perspective and feedback always welcome but I don't think he should welcome micro management. It's his job to decide how to play and I for one am willing to respect that, have been since Wycombe with a few blips. I hope the chairman and board are too. His interviews tell me what I need to hear (ambition to progress not just consolidate is his key theme) so happy for now to trust him to get on with it. I think his focus is to flex around squad, opposition and how the game is going to ensure he gets a result. More please!
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Post by seanclevedongas on May 29, 2015 9:05:37 GMT
Nice letter, However I am pretty sure Darren is his own man and will pick teams and formations as he sees fit. And so he should
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Post by supergas on May 29, 2015 9:06:28 GMT
I want DC to pick a team, a formation and a style to beat the opposition in any given game. I also don't want him to let the opposition know in advance what those three things will be, so I'm quite happy after this season to let him figure out the best way of winning 90 points next season internally...I can't wait to see what it is, and I don't need him to tell me how he's going to do it now... That was JWs biggest flaw, he never had a plan B. DC changes it if what he's started with isn't working which is more than can be said for our last manager. DC tinkered and tinkered with his side throughout the season and I can't exactly complain as it got us up. I agree, but as it was a successful season I would say "altered the side" rather than "tinkered with the side". Tinkering is a negative phrase as we all have mental images of Premiership teams making changes for the sake of making changes. At our level, I reckon DC has had great success last season making positive changes based on the opposition or on our own squad availability. And as for it being JW's biggest flaw last season of course it was - there were many better teams than us that season and they all took advantage of knowing more or less how we were going to play each game, every game...
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 9:22:54 GMT
Personally I think you should keep it and any reply you receive private but I'm old fashioned and this is the modern world. (duh duh dunna duh, this is the modern world)
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 9:40:04 GMT
I still want DC's babies.
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Post by RD on May 29, 2015 9:58:31 GMT
I still want DC's babies. Um, there's a queue mister. Wait your turn.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 10:03:25 GMT
I still want DC's babies. Um, there's a queue mister. Wait your turn. Mmm.....sloppy 30,000th's. Nurse!
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Post by dragonfly on May 29, 2015 10:15:15 GMT
I see no harm in the letter but what interests me is what is the general plan going forwards 10 years and beyond. As I have written before we need to study Dc's methods including recruitment so that we appoint the right type of Manager if he were to leave. Dc is a rare catch for us and he was promoted from within which is how I hope it will remain in the future. Higgs and co need to prepare a Bristol Rovers manual based on DC. The ways of the recent past should be ditched, never to return.
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