Higgs: http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/article/nick-higgs-on-relegation-1525579.aspx Nick Higgs came to speak to the press following Bristol Roversâ relegation to the Conference this afternoon. He said: âI think this is the saddest day in the history of the club. I am extremely sorry we have got into this situation, I can only apologise on behalf of everybody working with the club. This is not something we take lightly, we will do everything we can to address the situation. I am devastated and I feel for everyone associated with the club. I understand the anger and frustration going around at the moment, but we have to take stock and think about things carefully and make some decisions which are in the best interest of Bristol Rovers Football Club." âUltimately the Chairman and the Board take responsibility for whatever happens at the club. We make the appointments and we run the club, so it is only right we should take the flack when things go wrong. This is a sad, sad day for Bristol Rovers, but it is not the end of Bristol Rovers, we will come back fighting. We have to make sure we make the right decisions now, on what is best for the club both on and off the pitch, and donât make any knee jerk decisions, because in my experience they are usually the wrong decisions." The Chairman confirmed that Darrell Clarke has a contract for next season, but says that big changes will have to be made. Nick said: âDarrell Clarke has a contract to be manager of Bristol Rovers next season, and that is as certain as anyone can be about anything at this point in time. I have to consider everything from top to bottom and take the emotion out of everything. All the efforts made to try and take the club forward have been made for the right reasons, and we will continue to do so. We have to look at the whole club from top to bottom. We had plans to make radical changes anyway to ultimately move the club forward.â The Chairman also confirmed that he does not think the stadium has been a distraction. He said: âI donât think the stadium has been a distraction â I think they are two separate issues. The stadium and the playing side are not linked in anyway. The stadium plans still continue, what we need to do at this moment in time is look at the situation with the club going into the Conference, and the effect that has on both playing and non-playing staff. We have had an unsuccessful side for the last two or three seasons, and we have tried to do something about it, but unfortunately it hasnât happened this year.â And Nick is confident Rovers will come back fighting. He said: âI havenât got a crystal ball, I cannot possibly say how long it is going to take us to bounce back, all I can say is that we are Bristol Rovers, we have been through lots of adversity over the years, we will fight back, and we will get stronger.â
Clarke: http://www.bristolrovers.co.uk/news/article/darrell-on-relegation-1525718.aspx An emotional Darrell Clarke came to speak to the press following Bristol Rovers’ relegation to the Conference this afternoon. The manager wanted to apologise to the supporters, and accepted responsibility for what happened. He said: “Words cannot describe how I feel, I am devastated and I apologise to the supporters. I take responsibility; I picked the team for the last eight games, and didn’t get the points required. I am not going to look for excuses, it is a 46 game season, and we have not done enough. We had a lot of chances today, but we did not take any of them. The supporters are devastated and I can only apologise, my heart goes out to them.” Darrell has asked the players to have a look at themselves and ask if they have done enough. He said: “The players have to look at themselves as individuals and ask if they have done enough. Have they lived their lives right, have they given everything in every match they have played this season. I think there are some lads in the changing room who have done that, but you get relegated because there are quite a lot of lads in there who haven’t as well.” And the manager believes it will be next week before the dust settles and things start to sink in. He said: “It hasn’t sunk it yet that Rovers will be in the Conference next season. We will see what the future holds for myself, no doubt we will have talks next week when the dust settles, and the inquest will start then. I eat, sleep and dream football, and I have tried my best for this football club since I have been here, but it hasn’t been good enough obviously, as we are in the situation we are in.”
Clarke: [video=youtube;2_sIQlkG_Fw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_sIQlkG_Fw&feature=youtu.be[/video]
McChrystal: [video=youtube;0UUK0iU7Jtk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UUK0iU7Jtk&feature=youtu.be[/video]
Can't argue with anything they say here, but at the end of the day you've got to do your talking on the pitch and this team didn't do that.
Apart from the ground, the board have made a string of really poor decisions which have ruined the playing side of the club. I don't have any confidence in them really. I want them to succeed. But how long have they had to sort things out? And where has it got us? It shouldn't have been a shock to them after last year's narrow escape. And who was the last signing who wasn't carrying some long term injury? It's not much good Higgs saying that's he's going to make sweeping changes now after the horse has bolted. He should have had a better long term plan in the first place.
Higgs' reign (since 2008) has seen huge instability - particularly since Trollope left in 2010. I'm sure his heart's in the right place but he needs to take a long hard look in the mirror and recognise that he's not the man for this job.
1 selling lambert and never replaced him was a mistake. 2 getting rid of lennie was a mistake. i never wanted him gone. dont fix something that wasnt broken. him and trolls worked well. 3 getting rid of trolls was a mistake. i never wanted him gone. never given funds after lambert left. never given a chance on his own. 4 feel sorry for penney as only given 12 games. never enough time to do anything. that was a mistake. 5 giving a player (campbell) the manager job, who dont have any football league manager experience, the task of saving rovers from relegation. (hmm, seen that before havent we?) that was a mistake. it was a massive gamble which didnt pay off. 6 getting buckle was a mistake. i never wanted him and i said that before and after we got him. seen what was going to happen and it did. 7 getting mcghee was at the time a good appointment. good track record and good contacts. unfortunately it never worked out nor did his contacts! done some dumb things like admit he never prepared for certain games like wimbledon away which we lost 3-0 and he played virgo up front!! crazy. to me thats the only 'in hindsight' moment. the rest i was right. 8 getting in ward was a good appointment which was proved when he rejoined us. this season i have no idea why he couldnt see what every on could. his appointment of darrell clarke sums it up for me. he phoned clarke for another reason and got talking and then decided to offer clarke his assistant manager job. that is just crazy. no interview process or nothing. his decisions this season seems very odd. i honestly think something is wrong in his head. 9 moving ward upstairs instead of getting rid full stop was a mistake. what he done this season shows he should be capable of being a DoF. 10 moving ward when there was 8 games left and the loan window shut just is really stupid timing. 11 giving clarke the manager job who dont have any football league manager experience, the task of saving rovers from relegation. see point 5. 12 throughout these points he has made allowed 3 year contracts and high wages to injury prone players. wrong decision after wrong decision after wrong decision. i dont think higgs can remember how to make a good decision anymore regarding on the pitch matters.
The rot set in when Lennie left. Letting all those leaders go - Elliott. Disley, Phillips,Lambert, Campbell...a succession of loan players and keepers and not bringing in the right permanent players...Gill etc I agree that Penney should have been given longer. Things could have been very different...
apparently according to someone on the OS forum, steve elliott is out of contract. just the leader that clarke will need on the pitch. age is a concern but he has done a blooming good job at cheltenham and i think could do a great job in the conference. he will help youngsters like lockyer for example.
If Penney stayed, I think we would have been certainties to go down from League One anyway, but he would have given us a better chance of coming back up.
Age won't matter so much in the Conference. Bring Elliott back as captain. The right blend of experience and youth would do well. I think Clarkson would be worth keeping too.
