Article on the increasingly desperate situation at Rovers
Oct 4, 2021 16:18:15 GMT
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Post by cj on Oct 4, 2021 16:18:15 GMT
Bristol Live article from Benji Deane: www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/joey-barton-bristol-rovers-forecast-6008576
Joey Barton has failed to lift dark clouds over Bristol Rovers and the forecast looks grim
Bristol Live fan columnist Benji Deane on the increasingly desperate situation at Bristol Rovers, the manager's position and why he is not alone in being culpable for the current malaise.
The dejection of leaving the Mem empty handed is an all too familiar feeling for Gasheads. Trudging towards the exit to the soundtrack of 'Tote End Boys' has become the apathetic routine of the last few years. The feeling around the club is bleak like the October weather.
The storm clouds have been gathering in BS7 for some time now. They parted briefly last week in Walsall in what was a rare burst of sunshine for the club. But perhaps fittingly, they erupted last week in the form of a defeat at the hands of Ben Garner’s Swindon Town. 10 games in and the forecast looks hostile.
I wasn’t able to get to the game on Saturday and frankly I’m glad I couldn’t. As BBC Bristol's Ed Hadwin told the story of the equaliser, the half-full glass was half-empty as the reality of an impending defeat sank in once more. A review of the highlights told me all I needed to know with mistakes and disjointed performances littering our display.
The storm clouds have been gathering in BS7 for some time now. They parted briefly last week in Walsall in what was a rare burst of sunshine for the club. But perhaps fittingly, they erupted last week in the form of a defeat at the hands of Ben Garner’s Swindon Town. 10 games in and the forecast looks hostile.
I wasn’t able to get to the game on Saturday and frankly I’m glad I couldn’t. As BBC Bristol's Ed Hadwin told the story of the equaliser, the half-full glass was half-empty as the reality of an impending defeat sank in once more. A review of the highlights told me all I needed to know with mistakes and disjointed performances littering our display.
If ever the plot was written in advance of a game, then this was it. Barton used his pre-match press conference to call Garner out as the man mostly accountable for Rovers’ relegation, which was another delusional tactic given he had a worse record with the same players. Granted, he held his hands up in part but the scoreline come 5pm was deserved for those comments alone.
No Rovers fan needs a reminder of Barton’s medical comparisons of the Swindon Town manager. Never before had such brutal comments left the mouth of a Gas manager and at the time it felt somewhat refreshing. It was as though the layers of the onion had finally been peeled back and the fans could see where the rot had stemmed from.
Fast forward eight months and the rot has grown. The "cancer" he distastefully claimed he would cut from the club remains and the ship is stuck firmly in reverse. A team full of his own players have not been able to produce the goods and Rovers find themselves at the wrong end of the league table.
Fast forward eight months and the rot has grown. The "cancer" he distastefully claimed he would cut from the club remains and the ship is stuck firmly in reverse. A team full of his own players have not been able to produce the goods and Rovers find themselves at the wrong end of the league table.
The stats are ominous and they pre-date the Joey Barton era. My thanks to @not606_TheGas on Twitter for these. Since Martyn Starnes told us the wheels wouldn’t come off, Rovers have won just 14 of the 70 games they’ve played. In that time, we’ve sunk from second in League 1 to 20th in League Two. Just four teams sit below Rovers and non-league.
In that time, Rovers have amassed just 55 points from 210 available. That’s worse than Southend, a club in real crisis who have taken 67 points in the same period. Our goal difference of -55 is far worse than Southend’s -44 and we’ve shipped 18 more goals in total. They have suffered successive relegations but have a better record than us. Who is the real crisis team here?
In that time, Rovers have amassed just 55 points from 210 available. That’s worse than Southend, a club in real crisis who have taken 67 points in the same period. Our goal difference of -55 is far worse than Southend’s -44 and we’ve shipped 18 more goals in total. They have suffered successive relegations but have a better record than us. Who is the real crisis team here?
But Barton’s own record as manager shows he has not turned the course of events. He has lost 67% of games with just six victories coming from 28 fixtures. We have failed to score in 13 of those games, kept just three clean sheets and taken only 21 points from 84 available.
History shows Joey Barton is a good manager through what he did with Fleetwood. But the overall stats show the problem is greater than Barton.
His comments after the Swindon loss were defeatist and were the words of a man who looks like he’s ready to give up. If he were to walk, three successive managers have not stopped us slipping through the leagues.
History shows Joey Barton is a good manager through what he did with Fleetwood. But the overall stats show the problem is greater than Barton.
His comments after the Swindon loss were defeatist and were the words of a man who looks like he’s ready to give up. If he were to walk, three successive managers have not stopped us slipping through the leagues.
Where is the CEO?
That points to problems at the top. Nobody doubts Wael Al Qadi’s unwavering commitment – what he has done for this football club is nothing short of incredible. But you must question the people he has surrounded himself with and Starnes is the first in line here.
He has been involved in the appointment of these three managers (although it's unclear how much Barton was his pick). He is nowhere to be seen as the club slide down the leagues and must answer serious questions if our slide does not stop. Surely the club needs a fresh structure with new faces in at the top?
The problems on the pitch can also be put down to our failure to learn lessons of the past. In the Garner days, a lopsided squad was assembled with a lack of leadership and experience.
More left-backs than you could shake a stick at and barely a striker to be seen. But the Barton squad has done the opposite – too many elder statesman and one out-and-out full-back in the squad. If Luca Hoole gets injured, we have no ability to play with a back four.
That points to problems at the top. Nobody doubts Wael Al Qadi’s unwavering commitment – what he has done for this football club is nothing short of incredible. But you must question the people he has surrounded himself with and Starnes is the first in line here.
He has been involved in the appointment of these three managers (although it's unclear how much Barton was his pick). He is nowhere to be seen as the club slide down the leagues and must answer serious questions if our slide does not stop. Surely the club needs a fresh structure with new faces in at the top?
The problems on the pitch can also be put down to our failure to learn lessons of the past. In the Garner days, a lopsided squad was assembled with a lack of leadership and experience.
More left-backs than you could shake a stick at and barely a striker to be seen. But the Barton squad has done the opposite – too many elder statesman and one out-and-out full-back in the squad. If Luca Hoole gets injured, we have no ability to play with a back four.
The striker issue from last season still remains. We were told Brandon Hanlan did not need to be sold and wouldn’t be sold without a replacement. It was not a surprise then when we he left for Wycombe and the club has no replacement lined up. We then brought in a 36-year-old who sustained a career-threatening injury almost as soon as he started for us and a 33-year-old in Pitman who will soon be out for two weeks anyway.
Pitman is unfit and is not the platform we need to build from – he is a poacher and just that. We have just two orthodox strikers, one of which is injured. Collins and Saunders are more wide forwards or number 10s. So who will take the blame for the striker recruitment? Who sanctioned the make-up of this squad?
Pitman is unfit and is not the platform we need to build from – he is a poacher and just that. We have just two orthodox strikers, one of which is injured. Collins and Saunders are more wide forwards or number 10s. So who will take the blame for the striker recruitment? Who sanctioned the make-up of this squad?
The change in mood from the promotion rhetoric to talking about walking away is startling. Perhaps Joey is a square peg in a round hole, or is he frustrated at other matters? Time will tell – Barton is surely the type to spill the beans and tell us what really went on behind the scenes if he is to leave.
If results continue and the frustration on the terraces continue, it is hard to see Barton lasting past the Bradford game. That won’t be on Wael’s part though, as he was revealed to have given the manager his full support. It would be of Barton’s own accord given his comments and visible frustrations.
If results continue and the frustration on the terraces continue, it is hard to see Barton lasting past the Bradford game. That won’t be on Wael’s part though, as he was revealed to have given the manager his full support. It would be of Barton’s own accord given his comments and visible frustrations.
I had predicted in a previous column we would start to go on a run in October. That is now looking increasingly unlikely as no cohesion or identity has formed on the pitch. Every game looks as though we do not have a game plan and there is no consistency in our style of play.
Ask any fan and I bet you they won’t be able to tell you what our style of play is. The worst part of watching Rovers is that we just want our team to fight and get at the opposition – but they aren’t doing that, with the exception of the Walsall game. It’s a horrible time to be on the terraces right now, but we’re used to that after the last few years.
What Rovers need now are wins and they need them fast. There is no option other than victory at home to Carlisle – the Mem will be a hostile place if we don’t perform.
Ask any fan and I bet you they won’t be able to tell you what our style of play is. The worst part of watching Rovers is that we just want our team to fight and get at the opposition – but they aren’t doing that, with the exception of the Walsall game. It’s a horrible time to be on the terraces right now, but we’re used to that after the last few years.
What Rovers need now are wins and they need them fast. There is no option other than victory at home to Carlisle – the Mem will be a hostile place if we don’t perform.
On the evidence of this season though I don’t expect a win or a good performance. The frustrating thing is we haven’t even been tested yet – none of the league’s top teams have played us. That changes after a mid-week cup match with a tough trip to Bradford. If Swindon could have scored six against us, just how many could we lose by against the bigger teams?
Barton said after the Walsall game that we’ve turned a corner. But it seems instead that we’ve retraced our steps and set off once more on the path towards the trap door of the Football League. That must change with victory on Saturday – lose, and Barton’s time may well be up.
Barton said after the Walsall game that we’ve turned a corner. But it seems instead that we’ve retraced our steps and set off once more on the path towards the trap door of the Football League. That must change with victory on Saturday – lose, and Barton’s time may well be up.