Bristol Rovers v Walsall – Basement

I’ll be at the Memorial Ground this evening as Dave Penney takes charge of Rovers for the first time tonight against fellow basement strugglers Walsall.

Walsall have yet to appoint a new manager themselves following the sacking of Chris Hutchings and Dean Smith who headed up the youth team under Hutchings will continue to look after the first team and hope to build on the 3-3 draw he oversaw at Tranmere last weekend.

Apparently Penney will not take charge of the team, but will have some input this evening and I always find it strange when this happens. Either you’re in charge or you’re not. If they beat Walsall 7-0 will he give full credit to caretaker boss Darren Patterson? I doubt it. If they lose 7-0 he can always lay the blame at someone else’s door of course.

I think the key to getting off to a flyer though is the support that Penney/Patterson and the team get tonight. The Gas faithful were quick to turn on the side last week during the 3-2 home reverse against Plymouth.

In the first half Rovers dominated the game to take a 2-0 lead, but as soon as Plymouth scored their first goal the atmosphere changed. The fans became nervous and then openly hostile. There were several youngsters playing that night for Rovers and they needed backing no booing.

Rovers have some very good kids, but the club has very little money and so it’s time for the fans to back them if they want to help Penney get out of the mess they are in. It’s all very well ‘screaming’ on the forums for a big name manager or for the board to step aside for a sugar daddy to take over, but as far as I am aware there isn’t anyone out there prepared to sink millions into Rovers.

The situation is a similar one at Walsall. While the club is probably a little healthier than Rovers in terms of finance, there’s not a lot in it and the board have to make do with what they’ve got in the bank (or what the bank allows them in terms of an overdraft).

Unfortunately when you’re passionate about your team – as both sets of supporters undoubtedly are – you often don’t have a clear perspective. Jeering the lads out on the pitch isn’t necessarily going to help. Fans should step back and ask themselves the question: “Would I put in any extra effort if my own supporters were slagging me off?” or, as someone who has no emotional links with the club might think: “ Would I have an eye on the exit door and try to get to it as soon as possible?”.

That’s not to say I excuse any lack of effort by professionals, but ultimately they are just human beings and will react to perceived bad treatment accordingly.

I’ve always felt that win, lose or draw you should never turn on your own team. There’s always another game to be played and it’s a long season. Things can – and often do –change.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Rovers turn the corner tonight or whether Walsall already have.