‘Darrell Clarke is the best manager in Rovers’ history’

So, has anything much gone on since my predecessor predicted an easy win over York back in April? Let me rack my brains…

Well, there was probably the best Bristol Rovers moment most of us will live to see – Lee Brown’s right-footed tap-in and the scenes of pandemonium that followed, I guess.

Arsenal fans bang on about Michael Thomas and Man City fans talk about the title-winning Aguero goal non-stop – now we have our own perfect moment to bore all and sundry with for ever more.

Exactly a year ago, I’d imagine I felt like many Gasheads did – delighted and relieved that our stay in non-league turned out to be a gap year rather than the eternity it must seem for fans of grand clubs like Wrexham, Hereford, and Stockport.

Also, confident that we’d not be in trouble of going back down – Darrell Clarke had, after all, done such a great job in building a tight-knit, hardworking squad. But also not too convinced that we were going to challenge in the higher reaches of League Two, and very worried over the club’s future off the field. 

Fast forward seven months, we’re a point shy of the play-offs and being introduced to an impressive new owner, with reassurances over the long-running new stadium saga and the playing side –  he wasn’t going to rip up all of Clarke’s good work and start interfering.

Three months after that, he was being lifted on the shoulders of Gasheads down the temporarily-closed Gloucester Road along with several players, basking in the glory of promotion.

I have to come back to Darrell Clarke. For my money he’s  – not only has he got us promoted twice but has done so amidst a backdrop of uncertainty, acrimony (remember some fans never wanted him in charge, some blamed him for John Ward’s unbalanced squad of kids and overpaid wastrels getting us relegated, and a couple even stooped low enough to deface the club’s training ground with posters demanding his departure in those early days in the Conference).

I’ve always been an advocate of giving managers time (after all, Rovers’ revolving door policy with bosses before Clarke came in never served us well), but even I was questioning the odd decision – why was this Taylor kid getting so much game time?

It was right to give Darrell time; boy has that paid off, he’s basically saved the football club. As for that Taylor kid; turns out he came good in the end. And, amazingly, we’ve still got him – thanks to Clarke’s relationship with the player and the new owners’ sensible approach to negotiations.

Even more amazingly, we’ve still got Darrell – having fought off interest from Leeds United, no less! To top things off, we’ve kept the squad together too – even with one player scoring 27 league goals, make no mistake that we’ve bounced back from the club’s lowest ebb because Clarke built a TEAM.

This pre-season has been quieter than the previous two, even taking into account promotion, and almost losing a manager and top scorer. Usually there are rumours about this and that going wrong – but this year the only gripes I’ve seen are about not having an open-top bus parade, rumours of a bizarre minute’s applause for Harambe, the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla, at a recent friendly, how long it’s taken for the new kit to be on sale, and a possible change in the matchday pies! First world problems, eh?

True to the new owner’s word, we’ve made sensible signings – players with a good record or decent potential. The only “marquee signing” has been, well, a marquee. Well, I say that, it’s actually a small new temporary stand next to the West Stand, but that’d ruin my joke, wouldn’t it.

So how will we do? When trying to answer that question, ignore pre-season games. Getting beaten soundly by Premier League Swansea doesn’t mean we’ve turned rubbish overnight, and drawing with Aston Villa doesn’t mean we’ll be champions by Easter either.

With a couple more signings in key areas (now that those righteous and true guys over at FIFA have closed the emergency loan loophole), I don’t see us worrying about relegation. A winning mentality like the one built up over recent seasons doesn’t disappear overnight. 

But, given that this is Rovers I’m talking about, the club where nothing ever comes easy, I’d take finishing 5th bottom by a point if you offered me it right now.

Brief match preview for Scunthorpe away then – they’re decent but we’re good on the road. I’ve seen odds of 6-1 on a one-all draw. Easiest money you’ll make all season.

James Hodges is Bristol24/7’s Bristol Rovers columnist for the 2016/17 season.