Review of the season 2023-24

My review - we finally got rid of Barton but we're still paying a heavy price for appointing him in the first place. Things will get better eventually.

We finished on 57 points.

- 6th place was 76 points

- 2nd place was 92 points

- 21st place was 44 points

What could we have done differently to have achieved 7 extra victories? We lost 21 games and drew 9 games.

Should we have sold Collins - Bolton Wanderers are very happy with their end of the deal. If we had stuck with Belshaw and Ward would we have had a better outcome than Cox in goal? Did Jevani Brown have an opportunity cost of 10+ goals had we signed an alternative striker with more potentcy?

I hope MT and the board work have a well thought out plan for both next season's squad and future player recruitment, development and sense of belonging.

Like the way you avoided the dreaded B***** Bas.

The BRFC accounts show that in 2023 we were on the brink of disaster with no money coming in from Dwane Sports, the fixtures & fittings needing to be sold to raise cash and the Nationwide loan ( which was meant to be for the South Stand) used to pay running expenses.

But even then Wael was determined to maintain a stake in Rovers at ALL costs so BDO were unable to find serious investors with serious money who could have transformed the club but needed 100% of the equity

Instead we have become the plaything of the son of a relatively rich man who was so desperate to buy a football club he agreed to Wael keeping 45% and appears to believe he can be successful without an experienced CEO and CFO on board. 

If you bought an ocean going yacht you wouldn’t sail it yourself you’d appoint an experienced captain and crew because that way you minimize the risk of accident and maximize your chance of enjoying the experience.

If you bought an expensive racehorse you wouldn’t train it yourself you’d appoint an experienced trainer because that way you minimize the risk of accident and maximize your chance of enjoying the experience.

The way things are I’m afraid Rovers are an accident waiting to happen.

Bristol Rovers fans discuss the highs and lows of 2023/24, Matt Taylor, summer ahead and more..By Daniel Hargraves.

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It wasn't necessarily the season supporters would have wanted, particularly after the pre-campaign hype after a strong-looking transfer window, but ultimately Bristol Rovers have endured a tough year with plenty of transition and were still able to mark improvement on their previous season.

15th place certainly doesn't reflect a finish that most felt this group was capable of but the vast majority of the second half of the campaign was spent looking ahead to the inevitable just as much, if not more sometimes, as what was happening on the pitch. Matt Taylor's arrival in December coincided with a significant number of players being out of contract and then a consistent lack of consistency caused by numerous issues has meant that a lot of focus has been directed towards what happens this summer.

We're now at that point and, to no surprise, 13 players have left the football club, six of them loanees, and a significant recruitment task is essential. But, although it may be daunting, it should also be seen as an exciting prospect.

Although our last fan's view piece was less than two months ago, once again there's plenty of discussion points on the agenda on the back of one campaign and ahead of another. Bristol Live spoke to 7 Gasheads to get their respective takes on the highs and lows of the 2023/24 season, Matt Taylor and the job he's done so far and what needs to be done before a ball is kicked in League One once again on August 10th.

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Bristol Rovers' celebrations after scoring a late winner against Portsmouth was a season highlight

Which game from the 2023/24 season was your favourite and why?

Paul Robinson, 67, Loosley Row: "There have been a few; away wins at Bolton and Carlisle and the performance at Norwich stand out, but probably my favourite game was against Portsmouth at home on Boxing Day. Aside from the fact we won (which we hardly ever seem to do on Boxing Day) it was a great performance against a side at the top of the league and eventually crowned champions.
"We pressed well and played some quick passing, flowing football. It seemed that Matt Taylor had steadied the ship and put his mark on the team’s style of play. The fans appeared to be more united and I felt like this would be the springboard to a successful second half of the season."

Harvey Baber, 21, Portishead: "Stevenage 2-3 Rovers, by far my favourite of the season. Great comeback after a terrible start to the game, made the journey worth it. Caught [Scott] Sinclair’s shirt at the end as well, which is now on the wall. Great to beat Steve Evans as well."

Jake Barber, 25, Bristol: "There isn’t a big list to choose from, but the 2-1 home win over Portsmouth is the one that stands out to me. Over the course of the 90 minutes, it was probably the best we played all season. Even after we conceded and were on the back foot, I still felt like we could get the winner. To me, it summed up the attitude of what a football team should have which is never say die."

Luca Rosewell, 22, St George: "Has to be Leyton Orient away - think that was the best game I’d see them play all season. Defence kept solid for 90+ and Antony Evan’s free kick for Chris Martin's goal sent us crazy. Good vibes."

George Uppington, 34, Chepstow: "It has to be the 2-1 victory over Portsmouth on Boxing Day. It was a great performance against the eventual champions and showed that we could perform against the top sides. It was made even more special with it being a last minute winner and it being one of the Christmas fixtures."

Benji Deane, 33, Peterborough: "Charlton away back in August. It wasn’t the best performance, but it was our first win of the season. A 98th minute winner from McCormick brought sheer pandemonium in the away end. At that point, we’d drawn with Portsmouth and Barnsley, then beaten Charlton, so our season was looking up. Chest, bang, goal!"

Joshua Hemmings, 28, St George: "It has to Pompey at home on Boxing Day - absolute scenes! Evo’s free kick was majestic & Thomass 94th minute winner was unreal - The Mem went crazy."

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Bristol Rovers narrowly missed out on a club-record deal for Jonson Clarke-Harris on deadline day last summer

What do you feel was the biggest factor that held Bristol Rovers back from achieving what many felt they were capable of going into the campaign?

Paul Robinson: "Lack of a goal scoring striker - take nothing away from Chris Martin, without whose goals we might have been in real trouble, but we’ve lacked a serious goal threat all season. So although there were perhaps a number of mistakes in recruitment, i.e. too many injury prone players, perhaps the biggest mistake was not securing somebody like Alfie May. I’m not sure that Jonson Clarke-Harris would have been (or is likely to be) the answer, either, but we certainly need more up front next season."

Harvey Baber: "I felt missing out on Jonson Clarke-Harris would be a massive problem for us, and even though Martin has done brilliantly, we do still lack a cutting edge. Changing manager is never easy, although it was probably the correct decision. Taylor clearly didn’t rate a lot of the squad, and we have had a lot of injuries to key players."

Jake Barber: "To me, it’s very hard to come up with the biggest factor as I don’t think one stands out more than the other. But I would say the players' attitudes have definitely played a big role in our season. The complete lack of interest in the final 12 weeks is what stood out to me the most. If the players don’t care, why should I?"

Luca Rosewell: "Probably a combination of having injury prone players and senior players who were brought in to restore some order at the back but did the opposite. On paper, the squad looked great. It is so important to get a good balance of team composition, and you can really see how it lacked this year."

George Uppington: "Whilst some of the injuries to key personnel undoubtedly didn’t help, I would say it is the lack of attacking options and lack of pace in those positions. We went half a season with two strikers in the twilight of their careers and not particularly mobile and a veteran winger as well as Luke Thomas. So many teams hurt us with pace and it was a real shame we never had that option."

Benji Deane: "For me, there are several key factors that collectively held us back rather than ones. Performances have obviously been below par. We showed what we were capable of with wins against Portsmouth and Charlton, but there were far too many poor team and individual performances.
"Injuries are another obvious factor, with Grant Ward’s injury against Norwich a key example and senior figures such as Jack Hunt being in and out of the team. For too often we looked like a team that had not been recruited to play a specific style of football either.
The loss of Aaron Collins, although he was out of form and his sale was the right decision for the club, left us short up top with little flexibility. We were also over-reliant on Chris Martin in that period too. It doesn’t bear thinking about what might have been without his goals."

Joshua Hemmings: "A lack of leadership, stability & doing the basic things right. Defensively we have been calamitous at times, genuinely. Also, we are not clinical in the slightest, we have to learn to take our chances, because nine times out of 10 they come back to haunt us."

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Grant Ward's hamstring injury early in 2024 was a major blow for Bristol Rovers

What are your thoughts on the retained list? Was it fair? Were there any surprises for you?

Paul Robinson: "I’m glad he’s offered a contract to Luca Hoole, whilst he’s not reached the level he did a couple of seasons ago, he’s still young and capable of improvement. I was a bit disappointed to see Harvey Greenslade released when I thought we were supposed to be building on our youth development system.
"I think Jordan Rossiter deserves a chance to prove his fitness and could be a key player. Of those retained there are one or two I’d be looking to move on. Both Jevani Brown and James Wilson have been huge disappointments this season."

Harvey Baber: "I think it’s all fair. Sam Finley in particular has been a great servant, but it’s been clear for a while a lot of the players probably aren’t at the level required. Really hope Jordan Rossiter and Scott Sinclair renew."

Jake Barber: "I feel like it was fair. Shame to see Greenslade go, being a local lad, but none of the senior departures shocked me. But I wish them all the best."

Luca Rosewell: "Very fair. Sad to see Finley go and don’t fall in love with loan players, especially Harvey Vale. Good to see some deadwood depart.
"A decent squad left, give them a pre-season to get into shape, and give Taylor the opportunity to bring in his own and we go from there."

George Uppington: "I don’t think I was particularly surprised or disappointed in any of the retained list but I would have liked to have seen Gordon kept as a backup left back option as I’m not sure we will get much better. I’m hoping Rossiter agrees his new deal too as he looked great when he came back and it would be nice if he gave us another year after we’ve put him through his recovery."

Benji Deane: "The release of Ryan Jones and Harvey Greenslade surprised me. Jones has done well when I’ve seen him thrown into a first team environment and should have been given a chance. Taylor had a good look at him in training after he was sent back from loan and clearly didn’t rate him, referring to him as a “training body” in his post-season interview. I’ve not seen much of Greenslade, but reports suggest he was a stand-out amongst a poor team on loan, so perhaps he was deserving of a contract.
"Lewis Gordon did raise an eyebrow too. Although I don’t see him as our first choice left-back, there could have been space for him as an understudy. Perhaps it’s better for him to be playing regularly elsewhere at his age though."

Joshua Hemmings: "Mostly spot on. I was a little surprised Flash wasn’t offered a contract, purely because we have no left-back at the club - but that looks to be a priority in the transfer window now I suppose. The other one I was surprised about was Harvey Greenslade - in my personal opinion he showed a lot of promise and was highly rated at the club, I thought he would get another loan in all honesty. Other than that, it’s hard to argue with any of the decisions."

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Bristol Rovers captain Sam Finley will be leaving the club this summer

How are you feeling about the summer and the work that needs to be done in preparation for the new season?

Paul Robinson: "A major re-build is never a good thing as it always takes time for teams to gel - when a certain Paul Buckle was manager he brought in 15 or 16 new players and they never 'gelled.' I want to see a team of younger, stronger, faster players, but I also want to see us play fast attacking football and not just a defensive unit playing on the break, so there’s a lot of work to be done.
"While much has been said about re-building the recruitment set up, it remains to be seen if the new team will have the contacts to attract the right players and bring in some key loans signings, in the mode of an Elliot Anderson or a Harvey Vale. Not that I want us to be over reliant on loan players."

Harvey Baber: "I think it’s going to be tough. I think we practically need a new player in every single position. Ideally need new faces in as quickly as possible to have a good pre season and for Taylor to get his ideas across, but probably unlikely with so many needed."

Jake Barber: "Mixed feelings, I always try to feel optimistic going into the new season, but from hearing interviews from the manager and the owners, it sounds like the budget will be smaller next season. Which with the teams coming up into League One in particular, that does concern me a little bit."

Luca Rosewell: "It’s clear from this season we are well off competing and maintaining top six. As said before - give the players a pre-season under Taylor, lets just get the basics right, and build on it."

George Uppington: "It’s a huge rebuild and I don’t envy Taylor, his scouting team and the owners with the job they’ve got to do. But it’s also a chance for them to put their mark on the playing squad and get the players in that will hopefully be more suited to the way Taylor wants us to play. Early signings would be nice too to give the team more time to gel but also to give the players a full pre-season as that seemed to be an issue for some last season."

Benji Deane: "I’m usually a glass half full guy, but part of me is still apathetic after the damp squib of the 2023/2024 season. A break from football and a signing or 10 will change that! Taylor needs to make some early statement signings, given the amount, type and positioning of signings we need. The other big question to be addressed is our playing style and formation. Taylor rightly said we should be the fittest team in the league when asked, but gave us little to go on in terms of how we’d play. Once we begin to see the type of team he wants to build, I’m sure the optimism will return."

Joshua Hemmings: "Anxious, if I’m honest. I know that Matt Taylor wants to invest in the right characters and hard working players but I just hope we actually add quality too. It’s all well and good having passionate players but we need to add players that are game changers as well. Other than that, the plans at the training ground are looking good and the idea to refurbish The Mem is a crowd favourite - I just hope the communication between club and fans is better moving forward. Lots of work to be done, but I have faith."

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New Director of Football George Friend will be leading a major summer rebuild

Of course it’s still extremely early but, based on this season gone and how the league will look next term, what do you think would be deemed as a successful campaign for Bristol Rovers next year?

Paul Robinson: "I think next season will be difficult, there will be a couple of big teams coming down from the Championship and teams coming up like Stockport and Wrexham will be riding the promotion wave. We will essentially have a new team and will need to get off to a reasonable start or else fans will be calling for the manager to go.
"I’m not a big fan of Matt Taylor (yet) but equally I don't think constantly changing managers is a good thing. I’d like to see us in the top half at Christmas and with one or two tweaks in the January window challenging the play-off places in the New Year. A top 10 finish has to be the target, to set a platform for a promotion push in 2025/26."

Harvey Baber: "Maybe a bit pessimistic, but I’d take a top half finish. Like I said, I think we may struggle early on in the season, and a year or two too soon for a play-off push in my opinion. Would love a Wembley trip in the Bristol Street Motors trophy as well!"

Jake Barber: "I always want to see us progress, but as I alluded to in the previous question, I think the league will be very tough next season. I said going into this season that I thought a top half finish would be more than doable with the players we had. But at this moment I would be happy with mid table come this time next year."

Luca Rosewell: "As said before, it’s clear we are well off top six with all the talent in the league. Positive steps are being taken by the club which is great to see, but some of those classic Rovers aspects are still there.
"In a perfect ideal world, I’d love for us to not ship so many goals so easily, and put up a fight against top and lower sides. If we are in a good place by Christmas, we’d be more than capable to push on. I’d aim for 7-10th, bit of progression from last season which can hopefully push us on for more."

George Uppington: "With the rebuild required, I think mid-table, possibly flirting with the play-offs, would be deemed a success but may also be a big ask. It’s looking like it will be a higher quality league this time around but with the right signings and a good start, it’s definitely possible."

Benji Deane: "This is impossible to answer without knowing how recruitment goes. We already know it will be a tougher league with big teams coming down from the Championship and the teams coming up from League Two having good financial backing. If recruitment goes well and is done early, a top-half finish would be a good result and would build on last season. MT needs good players in early, to give him time to gel the squad and instil his playing style."

Joshua Hemmings: "I genuinely think that the league will be even stronger next season with some of the teams dropping into the league and some of teams already in League One have showed real promise this season, some even being very unfortunate of missing out on play-offs etc. It’s going to be very tough next season.
"That being said, if our three year plan is anything to go by I believe that next season we have to aim for a top half finish. Tough ask, I know - but we need to start showing what we are about. So I’m hoping for a top half finish next season!"

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