In what is likely to be my last year of writing about Bristol Rovers, recently for the website of an excellent organ that operates all day and every day, it was disappointing, though not necessarily surprising, to observe from a distance that the wheels appear to be coming off. If they’re not actually coming off, then they’re certainly a little loose.
I can’t justify writing about a subject about which I am now completely out of touch. Soon it will be four years since I last watch the Gas in action (or should that be inaction?) and whilst my personal boycott is now over, my enthusiasm for Bristol Rovers was waned to the point of near apathy. I say near apathy because I still had it in me to watch Soccer Saturday this afternoon to watch the scores flooding in, including the not exactly great news from Fratton Park. So, what sort of idiot theorises on the basis of little or no knowledge? This one.
As we football folk say, we are approaching the ‘business end’ of the season. After a stumbling start, Rovers have gradually eased through the gears and were looking certainties for the play offs and worth a shot at automatic promotion too. Tonight, after an apparent thumping at Portsmouth, they have slipped out of a play off position. This need not be terminal. There are plenty of games to go and plenty of time to finish in the top seven. What is happening?
Do you remember the 1999/2000 season, when Rovers led League One until the beginning of spring but then collapsed and then failed to even make the play offs? There were reasons for this, but one of them was that the team buckled under pressure. From turning up expecting to win, often by a hatful, the team turned inward, lost confidence, lost belief and, I’m afraid in some cases, some players raised the white flag.
I have no idea whether the same thing is happening this year. Perhaps it is just one big coincidence, perhaps some key players are carrying injuries and cannot perform at their highest levels. This happens at every club in every league in the land. If enough players lose, say, 10% from their game foe whatever reason the differences in performance and results can be immense.
I would say that the key word here is pressure. Darrell Clarke’s team has not faced big pressure since he took over. In 2014, they were almost down and out, in 2015 they came up on the rails. Now, there is expectation. With the success, crowds are up. When they do something right, the cheers are louder but when they do something wrong, the collective moans and groans are louder too. That is the way of the world. Where a player did something almost by instinct, he might now be taking a fraction of a second longer or taking an extra touch. Too much thinking can be a bad thing in football.
My feeling, based on nothing except observations from the internet and the radio, is that Rovers will still make the play offs and probably do so with not very much to spare. Another feeling, also based on nothing, is that this might not be their year.
I would say promotion in their first year back in the league would be a bonus to the club and a quite incredible achievement. There is obviously not much wrong with the squad although you have to wonder why they did not invest in a few major signings in the transfer window. Time, I guess, will tell.
From next year, it would probably be better if someone who actually knew who Tom Lockyer was was to write about both his and the team’s exploits. I’m doing my best, but my heart really isn’t in it anymore.
