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Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers make managerial announcement
Bristol Rovers have confirmed the appointment of Joey Barton as the club’s new manager, with the Gas announcing the news via their Twitter page earlier today.
The 38-year-old takes on the top job at the Memorial Stadium with the Pirates sitting just two points shy of the relegation places in League One, meaning that Barton has a lot of work on his hands to secure the club’s third tier status for another season.
A former Newcastle United and Manchester City player, Barton’s only previous experience of management came at Fleetwood Town, with the Huyton-born boss having led the Cod Army to finishes of 11th and 6th place respectively during his first two seasons in charge before being given the sack back in January of this year.
🤝 We are delighted to announce the appointment of Joey Barton as our new first-team Manager! #BristolRovers pic.twitter.com/jrYzDLX5ci
— Bristol Rovers (@Official_BRFC) February 22, 2021
Prone to acts of controversy throughout both his playing and managerial career, Barton succeeds Paul Tisdale at the helm of the Gas and will be tasked with guiding them to safety over the next few months.
Quiz: Can you remember how many league goals each of Bristol Rovers’ last 15 top goalscorers scored?
It as yet unclear as to whether the new manager will be in the dugout for his side’s home game against Wigan Athletic tomorrow or not.
The Verdict
This is an intriguing appointment by Bristol Rovers and I for one believe it could prove to be a very successful one in the long-term for the Gas.
Barton’s record at Fleetwood is hard to ignore and it is therefore unsurprising that he has been snapped up this quickly.
The club had previously looked to have been picking up in terms of form under Tisdale before a big slump and now I feel they could pull away from danger with the newly-installed 38-year-old in charge.
One things for sure, things are never dull when Barton is around and I feel a lot more attention will be directed towards the Memorial Stadium now that this deal has been completed.
