Bristol Rovers and Nick Higgs: a diabolical saga?

Yesterday’s news is today’s fish and chip paper, says age-old wisdom, and so it is that already the sorry saga of Bristol Rovers’ court defeat against Sainsbury’s is already beginning to slip down the Bristol Post’s website. At least the story made it to the Post’s website timeously yesterday, unlike the bizarre priorities at BBC Radio Bristol, where it took fully 20 minutes to report a story that anyone with an internet connection will have already known about. Much more important to play a Hollies record from 1964 to entertain it’s septuagenarian listenership than inform the fans of a professional football club who were, frankly, shitting bricks.

The Post website today picks some quotes from a forum, from supporters using monikers. One, Archie Stevens (sic), says: “Another sorry story to add to the whole diabolical saga of Higgs’ chairmanship. I guess we all should have expected it really.” Another commends Rovers for “(making) a stand against Sainsburys”, which is fair enough, but it was a stand that was ultimately futile. Rovers Financial Director Toni Watola’s bold assertion last summer that the contract was “watertight” proved to be false. Another senior club official announced that they would “Smash Sainsbury’s in court”. Legal advice suggested the club’s advice was sound. The trouble is that something like half the legal advice issued fails in court. I don’t blame the club for making a stand – they would have been slaughtered if they hadn’t – but I was a little concerned by the certainties that emanated from the top table. But should someone resign? What’s the point?

I do not pretend to be in close touch with the strength of feeling among Gasheads, but I don’t sense that there is much of a will to see the chairman Nick Higgs stand down as chairman. A few short weeks ago, he was celebrating a forthcoming trip to Wembley, waving a large flag from up in Box One. No one was calling for his head then and certainly no one was when Rovers won at Wembley to seal an early return to the Football League. Whether Mr Higgs’ chairmanship has represented “a whole diabolical saga” I don’t know, but the poster does not call for him to quit.

You could argue that if you do not resign after two relegations, a series of disastrous managerial appointments and the failure to build a new stadium at huge cost, then you never will, but what would resignation actually mean? Mr Higgs has already made it clear that there is no “white knight” at the gates of Horfield, just waiting to shovel millions of pounds into the boardroom. Geoff Dunford is no longer on the board. Who do people want to succeed Mr Higgs? Barry Bradshaw? Ed Ware? Brian Seymour Smith? Ken Masters? I have had my issues with Mr Higgs but I do not see anyone else within that boardroom who would do a better job but there are a few who would be even worse.

I feel that the arguments for Mr Higgs remaining as chairman are stronger than those calling him to quit. After all, the stadium saga was his baby. If the dream of the UWE really is all over, should he not be afforded the opportunity to come up with a Plan B, or even a new Plan A? And would it not be good to fully involve the fan base who, at least spiritually, are the true owners of the club? As of now, the aforementioned Messrs Seymour Smith and Masters are not fan representatives in the conventional sense. Masters, for example, does a lot of good work for the community, hence his occasional nickname “Ken in the Community”, but any director could do that. Did supporters really pay in a million quid in donations for him to do that? A form of supporter stake holding, by way of a meaningful shareholding and democratically accountability. That’s probably me looking from Dream Town, but in reality the current “fan directors” are just directors and nothing more.

Calm heads. That’s what’s needed now. Not silly protests at Sainsbury’s. A plan for the future that all Gasheads can believe in. A vision that incorporates the views and ambitions of supporters, more than just words from the top about how great the supporters are – all directors everywhere say that – but meaningful representation at the top table. Some or all of that.

I am certainly not interested in returning to the arguments of the past. They’re all done now, we’ve most of us gotten over ourselves and moved on. The fans are united, united behind Darrell Clarke and the team. Perhaps it’s best to let the board get on with the off-the-field stuff and just support the team. That’s what I used to do before I foolishly got involved at Bristol Rovers and the rest is a pin-prick in history. I’d like to think I’ll be back one day at the Mem (or wherever they end up playing) but it’s certainly not about me and it’s not really about Nick Higgs.

Whether Mr Higgs’ tenure has represented “A diabolical saga” is neither here nor there. He owns the club, I don’t see him walking away from it anytime soon and in the current circumstances I am not sure he should either.