Post by truegas on Mar 9, 2015 4:53:29 GMT
I've seen myself on Bristol Post. I need to explain myself fully. I want to express my feelings.
At the end of last season and the start of this season, Darrell Clarke was getting A LOT of ''stick'' from our fans. Seems that people were calling for him to be sacked. He was getting the blame for the disaster that had been caused before he was anywhere near Bristol Rovers FC. That disgusts me.
From the get-go he seemed, to me, an honest, very hard working man who genuinely cares about succeeding with/for our club. I suspect that some of that feeling had rubbed off on him from being an assistant to John Ward. Now... what happened to that man disgusts me even more!
John Ward was/is a Gashead. I genuinely believe he cares deeply about the fate of this club. It really was a deep personal feeling inside of him, that meant he would do absolutely everything he could to get Bristol Rovers moving in the right direction. When he joined us for his second spell as manager, he specifically mentioned that a big part of his inspiration to re-join us, was for his good friend Ron Craig. The fact that he mentioned that, shows what it meant to John, in his heart.
I think Ward actually did very well in his second spell with us. He was close to being able to turn us around in time to save us from DISASTER. He brought in Ryan Brunt, who to me, was a breath of fresh air compared to what we'd had to deal with in the previous season or 2. He looked dangerous, and actually looked like he was prepared to run himself into the ground for the cause. And in a massive ''6 pointer'' game on the Friday night against Barnet, he gave us a huge moment of joy when he scored the last minute winner! Probably my last great Rovers memory.
John Ward also brought in John-Joe O'Toole. Does anyone remember the reaction at half time of his first game for us at the Mem on loan? I was hearing people saying ''well, if we had a few more like him, we'd be well away'''. He looked quality. Tough & strong for his size, with lots of determination, and on top of that, great ability with the ball at his feet, to pass and to shoot and score goals. I honestly believe he was a great player and without his goals, we'd have been relegated a lot earlier, last season. I know people were unhappy with the manner of his departure and the things he might have said prior to that, but a big part of me can understand how he felt. And the fact remained, if Ward had had the time & money to bring in a couple more players of O'Toole's quality, we'd never have lost our league status.
Unfortunately though, the hole that had been dug prior to Ward rejoining the club, eventually proved just too deep. Look how it's left his reputation, among those who hold Rovers dear to their hearts, of a man who previously was well respected and regarded as someone who truly loved the club and Bristol football generally. The amount of stick/abuse he got, it left the name 'John Ward' in tatters, as it relates to Bristol Rovers. I think that's a CRYING shame.
Despite the amount of people who place a huge chunk of the blame on him, I actually feel sorry for our Chairman, Nick Higgs. (Not too sorry for him. Not in all aspects of life, as he does have a swimming pool in his back garden). But in terms of what has happened at the football club, I genuinely feel sad for the amount of criticism he's taken. In my view, that man has tried so so hard for us. He's given absolutely every effort he could to secure us a brand new stadium, which would open up the prospect of a bright future for the club. I also believe he did all he could to make sure he made the right selections of who was going to manage our club. At one point, he made a decision which, I think, has to/will be looked upon as one of the biggest decisions in the club's history. Like Mr Higgs (and so many other Gasheads), at the time, I thought it was the RIGHT decision ... a GREAT decision! He selected Mr Paul Buckle to manage Bristol Rovers FC.
Who could be more perfect? A young manager, hungry for success, who'd just led Torquay United to the League Two Play-Off Final. ''If he can do that with Torquay, just imagine what he could do with a club with the potential of Bristol Rovers''.
Mr Buckle was presented with a young football managers DREAM OPPORTUNITY. We were starting a fresh. ''Here is the money Paul. Go out and build a squad that is entirely your own''. He did not take over the job mid-season with a group of players assembled by another manager, with the only option to add 2 or 3 players as loan-signings. No. With a budget much larger than what he'd worked with at Torquay, he was given the freedom to choose the players HE wanted. They would be HIS players, a true 100% Paul Buckle team. What more could any young manager ask for? And what a crying shame that it was given to a man who clearly (in hindsight) did not have the knowledge/ability to make it a success. This has cost us so so dearly.
Long contracts, with huge salaries for players who simply did not come close to having the ability to justify them. 90% of the Paul Buckle squad were soon to be either proven to be severely lacking in ability, or injured to the point where over months and months and months, we had to pay them thousands and thousands of pounds for absolutely NOTHING.
Come the end of Buckle's reign at the club, he was literally being told to ''F OFF BUCKLE'' by the entire Blackthorn End. It seems that people had seen just how much of a hole he'd dug for our club. Unfortunately within the next year or 2, it seems most of those people had forgotten about that, and instead blamed the managers who put their heart & soul into desperately trying to save us from the misery that Buckle had caused. Well, as you can tell... I haven't forgotten.
What a major major blow for our club. The amount of time & money in contracts that we had put into the Buckle reign, left us on the brink of the unthinkable. Who could save us?? Well, Mark McGhee is a big and supposedly proven name. He must have lots of contacts in high places - the kind of high places that we'll need to contact if we're going to climb out of such a hole. Like Higgs, so many of us thought it was the right move. Oh how wrong we were.
More long contracts on crazy money, for players not up to it/shortly to be injured to the point of no return. Gary Kenneth has to be the biggest example that springs to mind (and when I say biggest, I'm not talking about the fact that his physical size meant that he was barely able to move!). Soon he made one physical movement too far and he was gone. Another huge chunk of wage money down the drain.
Many of you may say ''yes, and Higgs gave them that money!''. Well yes but, he did it because he trusted McGhee. With his ''contacts'' and experience, there was EVERY reason to believe that the players he'd bring in would be the right ones. I put my trust and faith into McGhee, as I had with Buckle, but again, how wrong we were.
Looking back, I actually can't believe how close John Ward got to actually steadying the ship and turning us around. But the ship was just too badly damaged, and we fell to a point that none of us ever imagined. I don't mind being called a ''CRY BABY'' in the news, because yes, I did physically cry when we lost our football league status, just like the fans of so many other clubs would do.
The embarrassment. The shame. The utter humiliation. We were supposed to be catching up with THEM, not falling further and further. When it's all said and done. It's the SUPPORTERS that suffer, and I include Nick Higgs in that. He is a Gashead/Bristol Rovers supporter too.
On Saturday, the emotion I feel just came to the surface and it seems I brought even more shame on myself as a result. Our captain, Lee Mansell, seemed to understand. He said ''no worries mate, I know how emotional things can get. Keep supporting the boys''. Unfortunately is seems so many Gasheads don't understand, and as a result, it goes up on the local news that Bristol Rovers fans turn on ME!
I only did it because of how much I love being a Bristol Rovers supporter. Obviously I wasn't meaning to do the club harm... I'd do anything to see us succeed!
Now it seems, I'll be banned
Years I've loved the Rovers. As a kid I had 'Bristol Rovers' everything. Bedding, curtains, wallpaper. I turned up for football training in full Bristol Rovers kit, every time. When a new kit came out, the very next training session I'd be in full, brand new Bristol Rovers kit. Proudly walking with my head held high, dreaming that maybe one day, I could be to other Gasheads, what Ian Holloway or Barry Hayles or Andy Tilson were to me.
I've put a lot of time and a lot of money into my love for the club, season tickets and away trips, but it seemed like no price to pay, when I knew that I was going to support Bristol Rovers.
Looks like that could all be over for me now, but please just know, that I wanted to Bristol Rovers to win, SO SO MUCH.
Goodnight Irene, I'll see you in my dreams.
At the end of last season and the start of this season, Darrell Clarke was getting A LOT of ''stick'' from our fans. Seems that people were calling for him to be sacked. He was getting the blame for the disaster that had been caused before he was anywhere near Bristol Rovers FC. That disgusts me.
From the get-go he seemed, to me, an honest, very hard working man who genuinely cares about succeeding with/for our club. I suspect that some of that feeling had rubbed off on him from being an assistant to John Ward. Now... what happened to that man disgusts me even more!
John Ward was/is a Gashead. I genuinely believe he cares deeply about the fate of this club. It really was a deep personal feeling inside of him, that meant he would do absolutely everything he could to get Bristol Rovers moving in the right direction. When he joined us for his second spell as manager, he specifically mentioned that a big part of his inspiration to re-join us, was for his good friend Ron Craig. The fact that he mentioned that, shows what it meant to John, in his heart.
I think Ward actually did very well in his second spell with us. He was close to being able to turn us around in time to save us from DISASTER. He brought in Ryan Brunt, who to me, was a breath of fresh air compared to what we'd had to deal with in the previous season or 2. He looked dangerous, and actually looked like he was prepared to run himself into the ground for the cause. And in a massive ''6 pointer'' game on the Friday night against Barnet, he gave us a huge moment of joy when he scored the last minute winner! Probably my last great Rovers memory.
John Ward also brought in John-Joe O'Toole. Does anyone remember the reaction at half time of his first game for us at the Mem on loan? I was hearing people saying ''well, if we had a few more like him, we'd be well away'''. He looked quality. Tough & strong for his size, with lots of determination, and on top of that, great ability with the ball at his feet, to pass and to shoot and score goals. I honestly believe he was a great player and without his goals, we'd have been relegated a lot earlier, last season. I know people were unhappy with the manner of his departure and the things he might have said prior to that, but a big part of me can understand how he felt. And the fact remained, if Ward had had the time & money to bring in a couple more players of O'Toole's quality, we'd never have lost our league status.
Unfortunately though, the hole that had been dug prior to Ward rejoining the club, eventually proved just too deep. Look how it's left his reputation, among those who hold Rovers dear to their hearts, of a man who previously was well respected and regarded as someone who truly loved the club and Bristol football generally. The amount of stick/abuse he got, it left the name 'John Ward' in tatters, as it relates to Bristol Rovers. I think that's a CRYING shame.
Despite the amount of people who place a huge chunk of the blame on him, I actually feel sorry for our Chairman, Nick Higgs. (Not too sorry for him. Not in all aspects of life, as he does have a swimming pool in his back garden). But in terms of what has happened at the football club, I genuinely feel sad for the amount of criticism he's taken. In my view, that man has tried so so hard for us. He's given absolutely every effort he could to secure us a brand new stadium, which would open up the prospect of a bright future for the club. I also believe he did all he could to make sure he made the right selections of who was going to manage our club. At one point, he made a decision which, I think, has to/will be looked upon as one of the biggest decisions in the club's history. Like Mr Higgs (and so many other Gasheads), at the time, I thought it was the RIGHT decision ... a GREAT decision! He selected Mr Paul Buckle to manage Bristol Rovers FC.
Who could be more perfect? A young manager, hungry for success, who'd just led Torquay United to the League Two Play-Off Final. ''If he can do that with Torquay, just imagine what he could do with a club with the potential of Bristol Rovers''.
Mr Buckle was presented with a young football managers DREAM OPPORTUNITY. We were starting a fresh. ''Here is the money Paul. Go out and build a squad that is entirely your own''. He did not take over the job mid-season with a group of players assembled by another manager, with the only option to add 2 or 3 players as loan-signings. No. With a budget much larger than what he'd worked with at Torquay, he was given the freedom to choose the players HE wanted. They would be HIS players, a true 100% Paul Buckle team. What more could any young manager ask for? And what a crying shame that it was given to a man who clearly (in hindsight) did not have the knowledge/ability to make it a success. This has cost us so so dearly.
Long contracts, with huge salaries for players who simply did not come close to having the ability to justify them. 90% of the Paul Buckle squad were soon to be either proven to be severely lacking in ability, or injured to the point where over months and months and months, we had to pay them thousands and thousands of pounds for absolutely NOTHING.
Come the end of Buckle's reign at the club, he was literally being told to ''F OFF BUCKLE'' by the entire Blackthorn End. It seems that people had seen just how much of a hole he'd dug for our club. Unfortunately within the next year or 2, it seems most of those people had forgotten about that, and instead blamed the managers who put their heart & soul into desperately trying to save us from the misery that Buckle had caused. Well, as you can tell... I haven't forgotten.
What a major major blow for our club. The amount of time & money in contracts that we had put into the Buckle reign, left us on the brink of the unthinkable. Who could save us?? Well, Mark McGhee is a big and supposedly proven name. He must have lots of contacts in high places - the kind of high places that we'll need to contact if we're going to climb out of such a hole. Like Higgs, so many of us thought it was the right move. Oh how wrong we were.
More long contracts on crazy money, for players not up to it/shortly to be injured to the point of no return. Gary Kenneth has to be the biggest example that springs to mind (and when I say biggest, I'm not talking about the fact that his physical size meant that he was barely able to move!). Soon he made one physical movement too far and he was gone. Another huge chunk of wage money down the drain.
Many of you may say ''yes, and Higgs gave them that money!''. Well yes but, he did it because he trusted McGhee. With his ''contacts'' and experience, there was EVERY reason to believe that the players he'd bring in would be the right ones. I put my trust and faith into McGhee, as I had with Buckle, but again, how wrong we were.
Looking back, I actually can't believe how close John Ward got to actually steadying the ship and turning us around. But the ship was just too badly damaged, and we fell to a point that none of us ever imagined. I don't mind being called a ''CRY BABY'' in the news, because yes, I did physically cry when we lost our football league status, just like the fans of so many other clubs would do.
The embarrassment. The shame. The utter humiliation. We were supposed to be catching up with THEM, not falling further and further. When it's all said and done. It's the SUPPORTERS that suffer, and I include Nick Higgs in that. He is a Gashead/Bristol Rovers supporter too.
On Saturday, the emotion I feel just came to the surface and it seems I brought even more shame on myself as a result. Our captain, Lee Mansell, seemed to understand. He said ''no worries mate, I know how emotional things can get. Keep supporting the boys''. Unfortunately is seems so many Gasheads don't understand, and as a result, it goes up on the local news that Bristol Rovers fans turn on ME!
I only did it because of how much I love being a Bristol Rovers supporter. Obviously I wasn't meaning to do the club harm... I'd do anything to see us succeed!
Now it seems, I'll be banned
Years I've loved the Rovers. As a kid I had 'Bristol Rovers' everything. Bedding, curtains, wallpaper. I turned up for football training in full Bristol Rovers kit, every time. When a new kit came out, the very next training session I'd be in full, brand new Bristol Rovers kit. Proudly walking with my head held high, dreaming that maybe one day, I could be to other Gasheads, what Ian Holloway or Barry Hayles or Andy Tilson were to me.
I've put a lot of time and a lot of money into my love for the club, season tickets and away trips, but it seemed like no price to pay, when I knew that I was going to support Bristol Rovers.
Looks like that could all be over for me now, but please just know, that I wanted to Bristol Rovers to win, SO SO MUCH.
Goodnight Irene, I'll see you in my dreams.
