On Rovers Official twitter page: "So we have another new signing to announce this morning" They usually give a time but this time they havent!
Someone has replied when will it be announced and the reply said 15 minutes.... and that was 5 minutes ago.
Lee Mansell, 31, has been the Captain for Torquay since 2010 and plays CM position which is what we need. His experience (played over 400 league games) will hopefully help us to control the midfield which we have lacked for some time - since the Campbell and Disley days in my opinion. My personal opinion is this is a great signing for us.
I might have just forgiven him for those two goals he scored against us a couple of years ago when we were 2-0 up... But no I think he's a player that we've badly needed.
On another forum, a Torquay fan posted the following... "Sad to see him leave but like most Torquay fans I feel this is probably good for all parties. He has been a great servant but for whatever reason his lack of quality has really shown in the last 18 months. A fresh start will hopefully do him good." hmm.
Yes, I've been talking to a Torquay fan who pretty much said the same. TQ are trying to reduce wages and his are probably in the higher category. Consider him not so much a goal scorer as someone who can keep the midfield in order and provide service to the front men.
Torquay offered him a new deal so cant be a case that Torquay let him go to reduce wages unless they offered a new deal with a pay cut? He has the experience for our new level and he has won promotion from this league too. Could he be the new Campbell? Could he show the leadership on the pitch that we have lacked since Steve Elliott and the Campbell days! Lets hope he dont pick up a 9 month injury in pre-season!
Experienced midfielder Lee Mansell today became the latest player to join Bristol Rovers. The former Torquay man has plied his trade in both League Two and the Conference, and knows what is needed to gain promotion back into the Football League. Mansell said: “I talked with a couple of other clubs, but I met with Darrell, the meeting went really well and we got on really well. Darrell is really infectious and wants to succeed. We need to build a solid base in the squad to not only take us up from this league, but to do well in League Two in forthcoming years. Relegation is very difficult. It hurts and it is hard to build yourself back up. Conference football is very tough; as a club we cannot go into game thinking we don’t deserve to be in this league – we are in this league for a reason. We are going to go to places where our fans outnumber theirs, and you need strong characters in the changing rooms and on the pitch. You have to be mentally strong and physically strong, and if our quality can shine through, we can be promoted." When asked what we can expect from him as a player, Mansell said: “I am honest and hard working and I like winning. I have not been used to that the last 18 months, and I want to change that. I want to be successful again. I want to be able to take a club like Rovers back into the league.” http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/article/mansell-on-joining-1689866.aspx
