Post by Gas Go Marching In on Aug 6, 2015 10:53:03 GMT
BRISTOL Rovers boss Darrell Clarke has told his players to go out and prove they have what it takes to mount a sustained League Two play-off challenge ahead of the new season.
Clarke has managed to keep the majority of his Vanarama Conference promotion-winning squad together and will start the season with a squad that includes several Football League first-timers, but he said: "It is a challenge for everyone."
He added: "It is the same for every player whether they are playing in the Football League for the first time or whether they have already played 500 games in it.
"It would be a concern for me if any of the players feared the challenge that is ahead of them because that would be a sign of mental weakness. I know the lads are good enough so my message to them is to go and show me that they can do what I believe they are capable of."
Clarke insists that coming through the mental challenges that accompanied the promotion run-in, which ended in a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory at Wembley in May, will stand his players in good stead for the upcoming campaign.
He said: "Are the lads going to have a higher-pressure game that the one we won at Wembley to get promotion?
"Had we not managed to come out of that game with victory there was a real threat that this club could have been out of the Football League for five or six seasons. It took Luton Town six years and lot of millions to get back so that was how important that game was from my point of view.
"There were also a lot of livelihoods other than those of mine or my players on the line that day. Are the lads going to have to face as big a challenge as that? There are better teams in front of us but I am confident that we will do ourselves justice."
Clarke has warned, however, that any players who fail to keep pace with his ambition to achieve back-to-back promotions will "fall by the wayside."
"I'm happy with the business we have done over the summer," he said. "We have found ourselves in a situation where we have managed to keep the majority of the squad together and that was important.
"I've added to that albeit as the season progresses I am sure one or two players will fall by the wayside because they will not be able to show me that they have what it takes to be a League Two player.
"That happened with some players last season and I don't anticipate that it will be any different this time around. I've told the lads that it is now down to them to show me that they are good enough to be a top seven League Two player. It is up to them to go and prove it now."
On Northampton Town, who are tipped to be amongst the promotion contenders ahead of the new season, Clarke added: "They finished last season very well, but it is hard to say who will be there or thereabouts before a ball is kicked.
"It is a long season and all sorts of things can happen that will have an effect on how you do over 46 games.
"We will see who the leaders of the pack will be after the first ten league games and it will be important for me that we are in amongst that group.
"We want to have a good start but you mustn't panic if it doesn't go to plan straight away. Throughout the season things will not always go our way and the individual form of players will be up and down. It is about staying strong as a group because that stood us in really good stead last year."
Clarke has managed to keep the majority of his Vanarama Conference promotion-winning squad together and will start the season with a squad that includes several Football League first-timers, but he said: "It is a challenge for everyone."
He added: "It is the same for every player whether they are playing in the Football League for the first time or whether they have already played 500 games in it.
"It would be a concern for me if any of the players feared the challenge that is ahead of them because that would be a sign of mental weakness. I know the lads are good enough so my message to them is to go and show me that they can do what I believe they are capable of."
Clarke insists that coming through the mental challenges that accompanied the promotion run-in, which ended in a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory at Wembley in May, will stand his players in good stead for the upcoming campaign.
He said: "Are the lads going to have a higher-pressure game that the one we won at Wembley to get promotion?
"Had we not managed to come out of that game with victory there was a real threat that this club could have been out of the Football League for five or six seasons. It took Luton Town six years and lot of millions to get back so that was how important that game was from my point of view.
"There were also a lot of livelihoods other than those of mine or my players on the line that day. Are the lads going to have to face as big a challenge as that? There are better teams in front of us but I am confident that we will do ourselves justice."
Clarke has warned, however, that any players who fail to keep pace with his ambition to achieve back-to-back promotions will "fall by the wayside."
"I'm happy with the business we have done over the summer," he said. "We have found ourselves in a situation where we have managed to keep the majority of the squad together and that was important.
"I've added to that albeit as the season progresses I am sure one or two players will fall by the wayside because they will not be able to show me that they have what it takes to be a League Two player.
"That happened with some players last season and I don't anticipate that it will be any different this time around. I've told the lads that it is now down to them to show me that they are good enough to be a top seven League Two player. It is up to them to go and prove it now."
On Northampton Town, who are tipped to be amongst the promotion contenders ahead of the new season, Clarke added: "They finished last season very well, but it is hard to say who will be there or thereabouts before a ball is kicked.
"It is a long season and all sorts of things can happen that will have an effect on how you do over 46 games.
"We will see who the leaders of the pack will be after the first ten league games and it will be important for me that we are in amongst that group.
"We want to have a good start but you mustn't panic if it doesn't go to plan straight away. Throughout the season things will not always go our way and the individual form of players will be up and down. It is about staying strong as a group because that stood us in really good stead last year."