Bristol Rovers legend Ian Holloway explains why Bristol City need the Gas The Gas legend has spoken exclusively to Bristol Live. Subs Bench has returned as a part of a new series on Bristol Live and with Ian Holloway the first special guest on the show, it was guaranteed to bring some talking points. Among other topics, Holloway had his say on the current state of Football in Bristol, he said: “The funny thing is that we [Bristol Rovers and Bristol City] need each other. “When Rovers were failing a couple of years ago – and Darrell has done brilliantly to get them back – when they were failing, it affected City, I don’t care what you say. “You need some competition and the closer they get, the better it’s going to be.” It’s an interesting point that Holloway makes. Matches between Rovers and City are few and far between, with the Football League Trophy (now EFL trophy) providing the last three meetings between the clubs. The last fixture was over five years ago, when goals from Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and Joe Bryan saw Bristol City defeat Rovers by 2 goals to 1 in a tense game at Ashton Gate. Some would argue that having to wait for these grudge matches makes each match that little bit more special, but when the fixtures are released in the summer, fans are immediately drawn to derby-day fixtures. Football fans in North London, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield etc. know that they are guaranteed two big derby encounters each season, but there is no such luck for Bristolians. Holloway discussed how Rovers have got a way to go if they are going to catch City and that’s not just on the pitch. “Rovers have got to try and catch up to them, because with what the ground and what they’ve done, it’s not annoying – well done to them – but from the other side [Rovers perspective] … why aren’t we getting that?” Holloway’s feelings echo what many Rovers fans must be feeling about the situation. There are growing concerns among the fanbase about the training ground and stadium situation, so resolving those situations is only going to help a Rovers attempt to compete with their local rivals. One thing that is clear to see from Holloway, is just how much he cares about football in Bristol. Asked whether Bristol football is looked upon as a bit of a backwater, he replied: “The minute you get outside of Swindon, you get questions of ‘who did you play for?’ “That’s what I couldn’t get when I went to QPR. I couldn’t get it. I used to get angry. I played for Bristol Rovers, they’re a really good team! “I cared that much. It was like every minute of every day, wherever I went it was like, hang on a minute, I’m going to stand up and fight for Rovers because that’s who I believe in.” Aside from his services to the club as both a player and manager, this clear passion that Holloway expresses about his boyhood club is a large part of the reason why he is so highly regarded by those associated with Bristol Rovers. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport...ws/bristol-rovers-legend-ian-holloway-2160335
There was me thinking all of these years and we have managed without them, he comes along and states we need them and he doesn't care what we say, he is still living on another planet. 'When Rovers were failing a couple of years ago – and Darrell has done brilliantly to get them back – when they were failing, it affected City, I don’t care what you say.'
I have to agree - the gap has become so big over the past decade that the rivalry has really gone on the back burner & City hasn't really suffered from it. Without wanting to sound too patronising, it's a comment borne from wanting to stay relevant. Who knows though? Say a billionaire decides he/she wants to blow a wedge on a plaything and they manage to make their way to the Championship, I'd certainly look forward to playing them.
I'd definitely agree that I'd love to play them at a high level, a Championship or Premier League Bristol derby would be immense. But for him to say that Rovers failing has affected us is nonsense. We've probably had our longest era of sustained Championship football since being in the top flight throughout their decline.
Hollowhead is as much a pantomime dame as Neil Warnock - but I quite like him. He is trying to get a reaction from the City fans that’s all. For my part; we don’t need the Gas - of course not, but I agree a Championship local derby would be tasty - except it would be a 12:00 kickoff on a Sunday probably!!! It will be a long time before we see that - we could see an FA cup draw though......
I’m old enough to remember that 11 game without beating them. It was unbearable times so I’m glad they are where they are.
The gap between us is as big as I can remember. There is a huge gap between the two clubs at present.
City reaching the Premiership is more likely right now than Rovers reaching the Championship. I genuinely believe that. We have the owner, the infrastructure, the whole setup. Ok it won’t be as quickly as some of us feel it should be, but the signs are good for our future. Rovers however, barely have enough to achieve survival. Unless someone comes in with a significant investment I can see another spell in League 2 beckoning and possibly even the conference. On a more positive note regarding the Gas - I did quietly admire them coming straight back from the conference - not many teams manage that. I’m also very grateful to them for Matty Taylor - it was nice of them to let us have the Snake at ‘mates rates’ too!!!!
I wasn't that impressed by them coming straight back up from the conference. For a club of their stature to have been relegated out of the football league in the first place was quite shocking/embarrassing/hilarious, so anything less than an immediate return should have been considered a failure. Given that League 2 is composed mostly of teams from Towns rather than Cities, you'd think that League 1 ought to be their level, so from that perspective they're doing ok at the minute, though they're likely to spend the whole of this season in and around the relegation zone. It's hard to put a finger on exactly what it is they need, other than the obvious suggestion of 'more investment'. If they had been successful in their new stadium plans then that could've been the shot in the arm to raise their standing, but after their glee at our own issues on that front, there was more than a little schadenfreude when that fell through. Back to the original post, I really don't think there's any kind of symbiotic relationship between the two clubs and has been pointed out, we've enjoyed some of our highest points in decades whilst they've suffered their lowest.
I’m sure some have done it, but I can’t think of any (and don’t have time to research it), but when you consider that there is only 1 automatic promotion place it’s a harder league to get out of (in the right direction) than any other of the top 4 (you can’t get promoted from the Prem so I haven’t included that) And some Historic league clubs have spent several seasons trying (and failing); Luton, Grimsby, Cambridge, Lincoln, Wrexham, Torquay, Chesterfield, Leyton Orient - Hartlepool are there now and currently sit 9th.
True, but Rovers should be considered a bigger club than the majority of those - the biggest exception is probably Luton, but that was down to their disastrous administration problems, from which they're only just now seemingly recovered from. The point I was making was that it should never have gotten as bad as that for them, and only a certain amount of praise should be bestowed on them righting what ought to have been an unthinkable situation.
