Should I stay or should I go?

I am not in a position to be able to gauge the mood of Bristol Rovers supporters following manager Joey Barton’s court appearance last week when he was charged with assault by beating. I see the occasional comments on social media and, although I rarely use forums, I can imagine there is a lively debate about whether Barton should continue as manager, at least until his case comes up in court. For what it’s worth, I don’t think he should and if had I still been a regular attender of games, I would not have attended future games on a matter of principle, at least until matters were resolved. So, for me it’s all easy. It’s hypothetical because I have no decision to make. But what should other Gasheads do? Simple: make their own decision as to whether to go or not.

I’m a hopeless case anyway. I see things almost always in black and white with no shades of grey. The situation that has arisen at BRFC frankly appals me, particularly at a club that has long seen itself, indeed promoted itself, as a ‘family club’. Not only that, some supporters have been at the forefront of the excellent #HerGameToo campaign which is described as ‘a new campaign run by female football fans to raise awareness of sexist abuse in the game.’ I would not be part of any organisation, never mind a football club, that didn’t have a hard line against all forms of abuse, let alone one which initially, and incredibly, described an alleged violent act as a ‘victimless crime’. But that is me and it isn’t you.

The last thing the club would have needed on the eve of a new season was a shit show like this, but we are where we are. And let’s be honest: with the track record of current managerial incumbent, it was only a matter of time until something kicked off. (Apologies for the choice of words, there.)

What I will say is that this is a new low for the club I started supporting in the early 1970s. And I don’t think the issue at hand could have been handled any worse.

And what concerns me, more than just about anything else, is that at the top of the club there is not a single Gashead. No one on the board has any geographic or familial links with the club: they are all paid hired hands. Who knows if the club’s clunky handling of Barton’s court appearance was merely a result of incompetence or maybe something worse?

Either way, it’s a total mess at the moment and the club needs, more than anything and, without delay, strong leadership and vision. From where I am sitting, there’s precious little evidence of either.

You do what you think is the right thing to do because one day Gasheads will be singing from the same hymn sheet, as well as praying things don’t any worse at the Rovers. History suggest things can always get worse at the Gas.