If you don’t want to see more praise for Bristol Rovers, then look away now.
A few short weeks ago, Bristol Rovers visited Chelsea in the EFL Cup. Everyone agreed that Darrell Clarke’s side performed extremely well throughout the game and could even have got something out of it. Unfortunately, three of the coaches arrived late at Stamford Bridge and a large number of supporters missed the early stages of the game. People were very angry about this and when it was announced that Bristol Rovers Supporters Club (BRSC), who organise away travel, were to investigate what had gone wrong, there were plenty of people who thought to themselves, “Yeah, right. We know what happens next: nothing.” But this time, nothing didn’t happen and something did happen.
As you can see here, BRSC carried out a thorough investigation, outlining everything that led fans missing part of the game. It strikes me that every aspect of the day, what went wrong and the lessons that can be learned for the future, have been covered. The best bit is that those who arrived late on the day will get full refunds of the coach travel costs. Whilst I felt, right from the start, that only a full refund to those affected would suffice, the whole point is that BRSC agreed.
I have been extremely critical of BRSC in the past, I believe with good reason. Whilst I would not ever accuse anyone on the BRSC committee of not doing what they felt was the best thing for the football club, I did not believe the way in which it operated was consistent with that aim. But the decision to reimburse loyal fans who were denied the opportunity of seeing the full 90 minutes of their team playing against Chelsea shows a dramatic change in attitude and thinking.
This decision should be roundly applauded by all Gasheads. Whereas clubs like Swindon still live in the dark ages, trying to rip off fans for the rescheduled game at the County Ground, Bristol Rovers, the club and Supporters Club shows a better way is possible.
