I am fully aware that today's result was extremely disappointing, not to mention embarrassing. Not as embarrassing as Altrincham, because Braintree are a competitive side in the Conference and are looking for their fourth consecutive top 10 finish, but embarrassing all the same, as at the end of the day they are a part-time team and a much smaller club. However, I believe that there has been a little bit of an overreaction from my fellow Rovers supporters and Not 606 contributors. It's as if the last three games have been totally forgotten. I for one will refuse to believe that they were a flash in the pan. They provided signs of a team growing in confidence, and we outplayed a side in Forest Green who are one of the best sides in the division, and then ground out a win against a Halifax side who had a 100% record. Winning that game when we weren't at our best was something to be very positive about. The expectation is from most supporters is that we should be going to places like Altricham and Braintree and rolling them over. That will not happen until we completely settle down into the reality of this division. Darrell Clarke is refreshingly realistic and refreshingly honest. I still truly think he can be a very good manager for us. I've seen the odd comment on this site that he couldn't manage a pub team. I'm sorry but that is total garbage. What he achieved with Salisbury cannot be ignored - no matter what size the club is. He also knows this division - as well as League Two very well. My only concern about him is his lack of contacts regarding recruitment. As for our summer signings, a couple clearly aren't good enough. Leadbitter and Gosling can't seem to get in the team, which makes me wonder why we bothered bringing them in in the first place. Monkhouse is good on the ball and is an intelligent footballer, but he doesn't look as though he fits into our system. White was a gamble, Taylor seems to lack something in front of goal, while Sinclair works really hard but seems to have little quality. Mansell and Trotman have proved to be outstanding acquisitions, but the recruitment still hasn't been good enough, and that isn't much down to Clarke. It is mostly down to those upstairs who cannot be bothered to implement any kind of scouting network. For me, the blame for most of our problems has to lie with the board and those who make all the decisions at the top of the club. Clarke has made a few mistakes, I'm not denying that, but he is too easy a target. Higgs and Jelf have openly said it - BLAME THE BOARD. One last thing - Clarke and the players cannot legislate for the fact that each and every referee in the Conference seems to have a personal vendetta against Rovers.
Things need to get much better on the road. Forest Green was excellent, but just a short drive and no change in tactics half way through the game. They drove to Cheshire on a busy Saturday and got delayed and probably did the same today.
I can't agree with much of that. We haven't looked good all season - our wins have been scruffy and unconvincing. Clarke has not signed any decent strikers and I have yet to see evidence of any kind of fighting spirit in the side. There are brief patches of quality play, but these are interspersed with long periods of aimless hoofing dross. Clarke has been in charge for 15 games and he has won four of them. Clarke is as culpable as Higgs and co - I have little confidence in his ability to turn us around. The alarming lack of attacking intent or quality runs like a thread from last season to this.
You mean THE CLUB hasn't signed any decent strikers. The situation we find ourselves in in the context of this season is concerning, but not desperate. I am indeed very worried about our lack of a goal threat, but that goes back to what I said about our lack of a scouting network.
every player that rovers got over this summer and failed to get over the summer was clarkes targets. not the boards targets. its clarkes players, its clarkes formations and its clarkes tactics. today in DC's post match interview he said the players in the last 30 mins looked clueless. the players are either confused with DC's tactics or they are not good enough to implement them. so either way that has to go down to DC. he has admitted to making mistakes. therefore clarke is to blame. but he is not alone. the board is also to blame. its their budgets that clarke has to work within. its their managerial appointments that have not worked out in the last 5 years or so. its them that sanction players contracts - allowing 3 year deals on stupid money for injury prone / journeyman players. they have admitted to making mistakes. the players are also to blame. the end of the day its just a game of football. you pass the ball to someone wearing the same kit and to try and get the ball in the oppositions net. its simple. doing the basics of the game is a must and any skill and flair along with confidence will be a bonus. a lot of games our players down the years cant even do the simple basics right. some are lazy. reports of players off field activities such as a drinking culture is unacceptable. the fans are also to blame too. yes we have the faithful 5000 that turn up to every home game but some of the things you hear in the blackthorn end is shocking. the abuse players get for making 1 mistake is unreal. players need encouragement at times not abuse. the abuse does not help the players. it will simply do the reverse which then creates more abuse when more mistakes happen. i cant believe some things i hear. the atmosphere is poisonous at times. the club has a cancer. its spread from the board to the manager to the players to the fans. this cancer has been spreading for years and now its got to a point where we are on life support. thats how i feel anyway. just my opinion. there may be some positives like unbeaten at home and we got 7 points from 3 games but i think that just papered over the cracks. we dont have a striker in the club who is capable of getting 20 goals, we dont even look capable of getting 20 goals between the whole team. we have the same issues as last season which is cant create and cant score. final 3rd is a massive issue. we just havent learnt a thing. however i dont think its time to get rid of DC yet. what would a new manager be able to achieve? transfer window is closed so he is stuck with the same players. may as well let DC stay as he knows these players and may be able to sort things. i think we should give him to at least november before we go to the lengths of sacking him. then higgs got time to gte in a new manager ready for jan transfer window. unless higgs does the right thing and quit for yet another failure.
Sorry to say this but its like listening to the same song over and over again every season.. all that's different is the managers name!! for example, We need a striker? Give the Manager time? We did not bring in any new players during the transfer window? We are not creating anything in the final 3rd of the pitch bluh bluh bluh!!! Its becoming very boring to say the least...
It's a tough league. Many have tried and failed to get out at the first attempt and I for one am resigned to a few more years of hurt yet...
This just about sums it up . A tough league ? It's the f*ckin Conference !! When I first started watching the Rovers in the early 70's we were a top half of what is now the Championship side. Now we're talking that non-league football is tough. It's becoming incresingly hard to hold your head up high and say you support Rovers without people either pitying you or laughing at you - either of which I can totally understand !! More to the point I can't see it chaanging any time soon either, we've got to this point with great support - look at our crowds compared to other clubs even in League Two and One even, once that support statrs drifting away which is bound to happen if we're struggling at this level, then things could get even worse.
Success is hardly ever down to the size of a club, it is often down to the quality of the players and how well the club is run.
Problem as I see is we are in the conference and have a majority of seasoned conference performers....that have failed elsewhere and not lived up to expectations which is why we have them. This club never learnt from the past by going for the cheap option in DC. The club should have offered part time contracts to a lot of the players with the exception of Monkhouse, Mildenhall, Lockyer, Brown and Mansell. Perhaps that would have solved the issues in the team as we would have been able to push the boat out to get that 20 goal a season striker DC keeps banging on about.
