Football / Fan's View
‘No comfort playing well in defeat’
Two defeats on the bounce is not exactly a crisis for Bristol Rovers. The defeat at Leyton Orient was not entirely unexpected and defeat by the odd goal in one against Oxford United is hardly the end of the world as we know it.
Whilst it would be an exaggeration to say that this weekend’s clash against Accrington Stanley is a must win game – it is, after all, still September – it would be handy to get something out of it, like a win.
I do not share the view that there is comfort to be gained from playing well in defeat, that there are somehow positives that come out of it. My limited experience of football, played out over 25 years (it seemed much longer at the time) on the municipal public parks of Bristol, felt the opposite.
is needed now More than ever
Failing to find the net when being on top caused frustration and doubt. From doubt you lost confidence and when you lose confidence the habit of losing can become part of the psyche. That’s how managers get sacked, even popular ones.
I am a great admirer of Darrell Clarke and I do not consider that he is in any threat of leaving the club. No one in their right mind would be after his achievement in leading the club back into the Football League at the first attempt.
I do not think Darrell will “turn things round” as they say because there is nothing much to turn round. The fundamentals are in place there’s no need to tinker.
We should have ambitions to do well this season, but the ambitions should be tempered by the relatively threadbare recruitment of the summer. Whether Darrell decided to go with what he had or if he was forced to is neither here nor there, although the signing and release within a week of former Manchester City youngster Adam Drury strongly suggests it was the latter.
Chairman Nick Higgs has stated that if Rovers are “in the mix” come the next transfer window, the club will “speculate to accumulate” (not exactly his exact words, but you get my drift) to give themselves the best possible chance of escaping League Two at the first attempt.
And perhaps, by January, the Sainsbury’s situation will be better known and the club might just be sitting on a cash windfall which could be invested in the playing squad.
No, there’s no crisis and nor should there be unless we are still losing when the clocks change for winter next month. And Accrington is not so much a “must win” game, but a “should win” – and that’s the way we should look at it.
Picture from Bristol Rovers.
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
