Matt Taylor

Grüezi Bas

Are you saying you still think love is only true in fairy tales ?

They beat Truro who play home games at Gloucester currently?

'Backfired' - Matt Taylor makes team selection point after Bristol Rovers' victory at Cheltenham..By Daniel Hargraves.

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Matt Taylor applauds the travelling Bristol Rovers supporters at Cheltenham Town

Matt Taylor has declared that he has tried to give players look ins ahead of summer which has "backfired" and now he'll pick what he believes is his best available side for the remaining three games of the season as Bristol Rovers returned to winning ways with an excellent 3-1 win at Cheltenham Town on Saturday afternoon.

Scott Sinclair was the man to put an end to Rovers' goal drought of over seven games, slotting past Luke Southwood in the 12th minute after smart play from Luke Thomas before the visiting side dominated proceedings at Whaddon Road.

Outstanding link up play saw Antony Evans taken out by Southwood late in the first half with a penalty awarded, however the midfielder could only fire into the Cheltenham goalkeeper's hands, handing the hosts a lifeline.

Thankfully, the Gas begun the second half as they finished the first with substitute Brandon Aguilera firing in a second from the bench before Elkan Baggott added a third from a corner. Frustratingly, the clean sheet was lost as former Rovers midfielder Liam Sercombe fired in a consolation in added time.

After a run of two points from the last seven matches with no goals, Taylor made eight changes in an attempt to improve his side's fortunes and that's exactly what happened with the Gas manager saying post-match: "I probably tried to do that [give chances out] in the last few weeks and it’s backfired. The stick I was getting on Tuesday, I was trying to do the right thing for the club and for everyone else who’s indicated they want to see this and that so I thought, ‘okay if I’m going to get some stick I may as well put what I think is the best team out there.’

"So it’s not going to be like that for the last few games and if we do have to make substitutions as the games go on, so be it. I’m going to put what I feel is the best group of players on that pitch from the start."

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Taylor marched off the pitch after a 2-0 defeat to Reading on Tuesday night facing boos from home supporters still in attendance but was able to celebrate a much-needed victory with the sold out away end which has seen Rovers improve their points tally of 53 from last season.

It was a deserved win for the Gas who seemed to have a real intent about their play from the first minute and they can now go into the final three matches of the campaign positive once again with little to play for regarding the league table.

On the performance itself, Taylor added: "We started the game well but then you need something to show for it and, in fairness to Scotty, his composure in attacking moments is excellent because of his experience and he travelled with the ball for a long period. I just spoke to him then, it just opened up for him and he was cool, calm in that terms of that finish and that was a moment of quality on top of it.

But you could just sense that they way we started the game, we were getting to the ball first. The ball often goes through this team, it didn’t do that today against a team who were really trying to do that to us so that’s my biggest pleasing factor. And then as a manager you always take what comes on the back of that and we were in the better field position and got chances.

"It should have been more at half-time and that’s no disrespect to Cheltenham. We’ll have to assess who takes our penalties in the next few games if we win any but we created enough chances and backed that up against a hill and you could just sense that they wanted something from the game and the second and third goals are vitally important."

I wonder who he has been trying to please and why? 
Get the Barton players on side?
Play players who want contracts renewed.

I want him to know his best side and, depending on the opposition, play it
I want him to be playing players for the future.
If Barton is in touch with some of his old players [as rumoured] and they are not doing their best or causing disruption, then let them sweat outside the core players and train on their own if necessary. 
They lessen their chances of getting a club somewhere else if they are unfit or get a reputation of belligerence.

Time to put your big boy shorts on MT and act like a boss!

As the saying goes, if they are good enough then they are old enough. 
I want us to be producing young players as we used to with the South Wales and West network.
George Friend needs to be making contacts with all the local clubs in the South West and put in an incentive scheme for referrals.
We have a training ground, let's grow it and use it. A long term plan that our owners have harped on about!

I would add that the board should be taking disciplinary action against any player ever undermining or not putting in a shift for any manager. Every BRFC employee should work for the club, not for the manager they support. Get shot.

Matt Taylor hails Bristol Rovers' first half against Cambridge despite sealing victory late on..by Daniel Hargraves.

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Matt Taylor has hailed his Bristol Rovers side's performance, particularly in the first half, against Cambridge United as the Gas made it two wins in four days with a 1-0 victory over the U's at the Mem on Tuesday night.

A great move saw Luke Thomas released into space to square for Chris Martin to convert the decisive goal after 87 minutes but Rovers shouldn't have had to wait that long to find the breakthrough with a handful of decent opportunities falling to them in the first half with the most notable a saved penalty from Martin.

After Antony Evans saw a weak penalty saved at Cheltenham Town on the weekend, the spot-kick duties were handed to the striker who hadn't scored in eight matches but his effort was also tame and ended up in the grasp of Cambridge goalkeeper Will Mannion.
However, despite coming up against a more resolute U's side in the second half, the Gas managed to find the breakthrough to everyone's relief with the victory Rovers' first at home in almost two months.

"It’s been a while, at the Mem especially," Taylor exclaimed when asked for his verdict on the match. "A clean sheet and a very good goal to win the game to boot. I was really pleased with our first half performance. I think we deserved to be ahead in the game. Another missed penalty and enough opportunities to be in a more comfortable position than we were.

"As the second half went on, certainly the way the opposition set up, it became more and more frustrating for us and we couldn’t quite force their centre-halves or their goalkeeper to work really. But then you only need one moment as long as you’ve got that clean sheet behind you and a solid basis you only need one moment of quality and thankfully it’s come in the form of a late goal.

"There was a defence there all night," the Rovers manager added regarding the way in which Garry Monk's side set up. "Usually in half a pitch and usually all 10 outfield players plus the goalkeeper behind the ball so very difficult and you can obviously get drawn into forcing it too much as opposed to working the ball and working the space. I still want us to threaten a little bit more behind and beyond than we did in that second half and to get more crosses in the box and be a more effective set-piece team. But I’ll certainly take where we are right now compared to where we’ve been recently."

There has been a much-needed lift in the mood at the football club over the past couple of days after a 3-1 victory at Cheltenham last Saturday put an end to a seven-match run without a goal that became a club-record and now the Gas have picked up maximum points in back-to-back games. Admittedly, there's little to play for now regarding the league table but with two matches left in the calendar, Rovers are looking to finish as strongly as possibly going into a crucial summer.

However, they were made to work for the three points while also putting themselves in a situation that didn't need to be as strenuous as they made it for themselves. Evans dragged an effort narrowly wide within the first couple of minutes before the opportunity that presented itself from the spot after good pressing from Thomas saw Scott Sinclair snatch the ball before being taken down in the penalty area.

Going into half-time goalless, there was a sense that Rovers could well be made to pay for not finishing their chances with Cambridge demonstrating potential threat from set-pieces. The U's set up particularly resolutely, similar to their strategy that saw them run out 2-0 victors in the reverse fixture back in August, in the second half but were eventually worn down three minutes from time.

On the visitors setting up defensively for the second period, Taylor stated: "It felt like that. The first half performance deserved more. Bar a penalty or a save or a couple of misses, we’ve got to do better in those moments because that play warranted to be ahead and then that does affect the opposition because it was 0-0 they could sit a little bit deeper, hit us on the counter attack, wait for set-piece moments.

"So it was a real test of the metal of our minds in terms of how to win a game of football. Even if it had been 0-0, I know I would have been criticised but I wouldn’t have been overly frustrated with the group because their intent stayed right throughout and their recovery runs and their will to win the ball back when we did give it away or we did force it too much was excellent.

"So to get the goal in the manner we did and as late as we did was a great moment for that group because I think they’ve come through another hurdle tonight."

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Two in a row. Keep building on this, please!

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I don't talk of the Championship. Second division football will come in the end, if you stick with a manager who wins more than his predecessor, and wins more than he loses. Neither objective is yet achieved, but both remain within reach. Every win is one step forwards: every loss is one step back. Come on, Taylor; prove me right about you.