The much touted evolutionary plans about building Bristol Rovers expressed by Wael Al-Qadi, as opposed to the old “boom and bust” mindset of the past, is potentially under great pressure. Not because of any change of heart – why should there be? – but because of the startlingly rapid change of fortunes that has happened in BS7. Two years since we were in the Conference and now, with many of the same players, the club stands a few points away from the play offs and just a few games away from an astonishing promotion to the Championship. Do we really want it?
The simple answer to that is yes we would. Given the choice between standing still in League One and elevation to the second tier of English football, you’d plump for the latter. Much of the Championship looks like the Premiership with mighty clubs with once mighty teams lining up against your boys every week. What’s not to love?
Footballers, like most people, want to be the best they can and they will all, to a man, want to play at the highest level. The gaffer, Darrell Clarke, will undoubtedly want to manage at the best level he can. And the owners will want their club, their investment, to be at the highest level possible. That’s how football works. But what if we get there?
The gap between the Championship and League One is colossal and we should not pretend that we would survive with the current squad. It is a matter of opinion as to whether how many new players would need to be recruited to stay in the higher division, but it would be a lot. I am not writing off the talents of those players who have taken us to where we are today, nor diminishing the talents of our young manager, but only a fool would suggest we would survive if nothing changed.
Would we, the supporters, tolerate an immediate and very painful relegation? Would we accept what some of us have always called for, that the club should not spend money it hasn’t got in a desperate gamble to survive?
The new owners have opted to build the infrastructure of the club as a priority, putting in place deep foundations to enable the club to function well into the future. This is a very different business model and the traditional “luck and chemistry” of the past. There may be painful years ahead as we build a better future.
Speaking personally, I would not want Wael Al-Qadi to break the bank – even if it was his own bank – to gamble on trying to stay in the Championship. I would expect some canny dealing in the transfer market but let’s be honest: we will not, yet, be able to compete with clubs like Newcastle United and Aston Villa. If somehow we made the Championship maybe five years ahead of schedule (I have plucked a number from the air) we’s need to ensure we didn’t destroy the steady forward momentum we have enjoyed since Darrell Clarke took the managerial reins. As winning is a habit, so is losing, mainly down to the C word: confidence.
I believe that the club will keep its nerve as we move forward, whether or not we make it into the play offs and beyond. We will surely finish much higher than we ever thought possible and that in itself will constitute progress and, I would say, success.
If promotion happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, the good days can still be ahead of us. I don’t remember feeling that way for a very long time at Bristol Rovers. Maybe never before.
