Rovers Add Kalala To Their Ranks

Bristol Rovers have confirmed the signing of Jean-Paul Kalala from Yeovil Town.

The Congolese midfielder will be with Rovers until the end of June.

The 28 year old started his career in Europe with Nice, spending four seasons in their B team before being promoted to the first team squad. He never made it in Ligue 1 and was brought over to England by then Grimsby manager Russell Slade, making 21 league appearances during his single season at Blundell Park. He is best remembered by Grimsby fans for scoring the goal that knocked Tottenham out of the League cup in 2005. Kalala fell down the pecking order with the Mariners who made it to the play off final, losing to Cheltenham at the Millennium Stadium.

Kalala then followed Russell Slade to Yeovil Town where he spent a season playing regularly for the League 1 side in the season that they famously made the play off final at Wembley, losing out to Blackpool. From Yeovil he joined Oldham and was with the Latics for two seasons, though he spent the second half of his final season back on loan at Grimsby. After being released by Oldham Kalala once again linked up with Yeovil Town where he would remain for a further season and a half before signing for the Gas.

Kalala has made seven international appearances for DR Congo and has twice been a squad member at the African Nations Cup in 2004 and 2006.

The battling midfielder will add some edge to the Rovers midfield who have often been overrun this season.

Rovers manager Dave Penney is pleased with his new signing, saying:

"We have been looking for a combative midfielder with a bit of experience, and JP fits that bill.

"We need a bit more of a competitive edge and a bit more bite, and I think JP can provide that for us.

"He will complement what we already have here, and I welcome him to the squad."

McCracken Stays As Pell Goes

There were two pieces of transfer news for Bristol Rovers on deadline day, both involving loans.

Dave McCracken has had his loan spell from Brentford extended from its initial month long period until the end of the season. The central defender has made three appearances for the Gas since he joined, helping Rovers to a first clean sheet in 17 games on his debut againstin Hartlepool. He also started in the home win over Swindon and the 6-1 mauling at the Bescot Stadium on Saturday.

Rovers manager Dave Penney showed his pleasure at securing the Scot for the season, saying:

"Dave has shown his qualities in the few games he has played for us.

"His leadership and communication skills will be an asset to us and I am delighted that he will be with us until the end of the season."

McCracken started his career in Scotland with Dundee United playing 203 games for a club he joined as a professional in 1998. He moved to England to play for League 2 Wycombe, helping them gain promotion in 2009 and being named in the PFA League 2 team of the year. He moved onto MK Dons and made 41 league starts at Stadium:MK before moving onto Brentford at the start of the current season. His time with the Bees has been frustrating as he has made only 3 appearances before joining Rovers on January 17th.

In other news youngster Harry Pell has move to League 2 Hereford United for a just over a month, his loan spell ending on March 5th.

Pell joined Rovers in the summer having been released by Charlton and has played just once, coming on as a substitute for Stuart Campbell in the 3-0 defeat by Leyton Orient. The 19 year old will jump straight into the Bulls squad to face Torquay United on Tuesday night.

Young professional Jack McKenna has had his loan spell at Southern Premier League Chippenham town extended for another month.

Blizzard, Brown And A Big Load Of...

Dear me, 6-1. Do I really want to write about this? I guess I'll be alright as long as nobody in my house starts to play any Leonard Cohen. Keep the medicine cabinet locked please, mother.

And to think I nearly went today, on two occasions. A few weeks ago I thought to myself 'it's about time I went to an away game', I've got none to my name thus far this season, not even Swindon away thanks to Sky's arrival meaning the game was rescheduled for a Monday night. Walsall isn't that far and there's a train station right next to the ground, so I thought I might as well, but alas, I never followed through with my plan, £18 for each train journey eventually putting me off. Then just a couple of days ago my neighbour said they may be going, that never came off either. Add a match ticket, a couple of beers and a bacon roll into the equation and I've saved myself a good 70 odd quid.

The radio it was then. I'm used to that, tuning into good old Geoff Twentyman and the BBC Radio Bristol crew, so much so that it's nearly an every-other-Saturday tradition. The first shock of the day came when I read on my laptop that Dominic Blizzard was in the starting XI, his first start since facing Aldershot in the JPT in October.

Blizz has always been an enigma to me and many other Rovers fans alike, his first season started off with him suffering from a virus and other niggling injuries meant he never started off fully fit and from then on he found himself unable to dislodge the central midfield partnership of Campbell and Lines and spent much of his time wide on the right, a position that he was clearly uncomfortable in. Stockport fans used to call him 'The Hoover' as he was always sucking up the loose balls that dropped in the middle and they loved him for it. But he has never been given the opportunity in that position while playing for the Gas and was eventually made available for loan by Paul Trollope having become frustrated at the lack of chances he was getting.

Since Trollope's departure he was given a role on the bench under Darren Patterson and subsequently Dave Penney before being placed on the transfer list by the new manager. With Chris Lines suspended he was given his chance in his preferred central position but that seems to have gone spectacularly wrong for him given the result, and I fear that Wayne Brown could end up in the same boat too.

After the Swindon game Penney came out and said that he had only two central midfielders he could trust, namely Campbell and Lines, but with Lines suspended and Blizzard transfer listed Brown looked to have a chance, even playing in front of his gaffer in a reserve team game in the week, but for whatever reason he wasn't picked today, not even coming off of the bench unlike new loanee Scott Davies who came on and played wide right. Brown is young and inexperienced but from the few times I've seen him I feel that there's definately some talent there, it's just how to use him. At 5'5" he won't have much of a physical presence in the middle of the park so perhaps Penney felt that putting him in alongside Campbell would leave his midfield a bit too weak. Brown's best spell in football came at TPS Turku in the Finnish Premier League where he was allowed to play in much more of a free role sat just behind the striker and he was successful, scoring nine goals and setting up numerous others, but in Rovers situation he may be a luxury player, not the sort of battling type that is needed in a relegation dogfight.

Friday saw the arrival of two new players on loan, the aforementioned Scott Davies and striker Rene Howe. I don't know a great deal about either player but having looked at the stats I feel confident about Davies, but not so much Howe. Davies has played a lot of games for both Aldershot and Wycombe as well as a brief stint with Yeovil, spending two seasons with the Shots, and has a decent goal scoring record for a central midfielder and with Lines looking rather out of form this season he has a real opportunity at getting a run in the side and would most likely have started against Walsall had he met and trained with his new teammates before their pre-match meal.

Rene Howe could go either way, he has had good spells out on loan before but never in League 1, his most recent run of games coming at Conference side Rushden & Diamonds, though their manager has come out and said that there were various league clubs after him. He has never made it at Peterborough and clearly wants out and Rovers is his big chance to remain a League 1 player. From what I've seen and heard he is a decent unit and will provide the power up front that Rovers have lacked since the departure of Rickie Lambert, although he has previously come out and said that he is not a target man during his time at Rushden, so whether he will be able to fulfill the role Penney wants from him remains to be seen.

The game itself sounded like a total disaster from start to finish and we should have gone behind earlier, only for Jason Price to put the ball wide. The first was a header from a free kick, the second came from a backheeled pass inside the box and the third was a volley from outside the box, the first two at least seem to be the fault of poor marking in the penalty area. The team seemed to come out with a bit more verve at the start of the second half and when Jeff Hughes pulled one back you could have thought that bottom of the table Walsall would crumble under the pressure but that never happened as they ran straight to the other end to score, and they went and got two more to rub it in. Needless to say I won't be staying up to watch the goals at 00:45 on The Football League Show, I'll save that for when the highlights go up on the BBC Sport website on Monday.

The scoreline has demoralised the Rovers fans and will do no good for the players fragile confidence either so it hangs on Dave Penney and his management team to motivate them for the visit of MK Dons on Wednesday. I'll be there, watching, hoping for something to change, whether that will come against a team sat in the play-off places remains to be seen, though, and there's only so much praying I and my fellow Gasheads can do. Will any more signings between now and then change anything? We've already got six loan players in and only five can be named in a matchday squad at a time. Post-match Dave Penney has also come out and talked about the budget for ne players, so there may be no new faces before Wednesday.

For me it's a matter of mental preparation for the players that is going to keep us up. Davies and Howe making starts could surprise our opponents, we've looked rather one dimensional for the past two years, so I'm going to cross my fingers for that, as I do at least expect to see Davies start.

A bad day all round for anyone who has something to do with Bristol Rovers, but at least I've got an extra £70 in my pocket, that should be a good night down the pub.

Walsall Preview

The tides are changing. A win over local rivals Swindon a week ago has transformed the mindset of the Bristol Rovers fanbase and the new found confidence looks to have spread throughout the club. The players are upbeat and the manager is hard at work trying to bring new blood into the squad, and quickly too.

Dave Penney has come out and stated his belief that he will have at least one new man in before the Walsall game this weekend. Speaking to bristolrovers.co.uk he said:

"The problem we have got is Colesy and Linesy both missing two games through suspension.

"We have a problem with centre midfield we have to address, and we have been trying to do that all week on the phone.

"We will get someone in before the weekend I would think, hopefully in a couple of positions.

"It is a difficult during the window, everyone wants a permanent deal, but we have to make sure we get the right one, not just anybody.

"I have been on the phone and watching games and I am trying to bring the right one in. Hopefully we will either do it later today or tomorrow."

And he hasn't disappointed.

Friday afternoon came the announcement that Penney had signed forward Rene Howe from Peterborough United, initially on a months loan. 24 year old Howe started his career with his home town club Bedford United before moving onto Conference North side Kettering who he helped reach second place in the league with 25 goals and from there he moved onto his current parent club Peterborough. To date he has made only three starts for the London Road club, scoring just a single goal.



Much of Howe's time has seen him out on loan, scoring 9 in 23 for Rochdale and 12 in 41 for Morecambe, both spells in League 2. Further loan terms saw him spend time at Gillingham, then in League 1, and Lincoln last season and at the beginning of this footballing year the 6ft striker went to Conference side Rusdhen & Diamonds, netting 6 times in 20 appearances and leaving with Diamonds manager Justin Edinburgh claiming numerous Football League sides were interested in claiming the strikers signature. Some fans of LivingTV's reality show Dating In The Dark may also remember Howe's appearance on the programme, which didn't end particularly well and saw him described as a 'cocky footballer' by the Sky TV Guide.

And just a couple of hours later details of another loan signing were released in the form of Scott Davies of Reading. Davies began his youth career at Watford before joining Wycombe and then current club Reading. Oppurtunities at the Madejski have been limited for the 22 year old who has spent a great deal of time out on loan, spending two seasons with Aldershot, who gained promotion from the Conference National with Davies in the side, scoring 13 goals in his second spell with the Shots in League 2. Two stints back at Wycombe and a short loan to Yeovil followed to give the midfielder a decent level of Football League experience.

The issue at the centre of defence looks to have been solved, Dave McCracken coming into the team and putting in two commanding performances at the back and young Cian Bolger taking a place on the bench for the last two home games. Whether Bolger will remain with Rovers beyond the initial one month loan he is on is yet to be seen as Danny Coles will be coming back into contention when his ban is over after the midweek MK Dons game. Penney has also come out and said that he hopes to get David McCracken on a loan deal until the end of the season on Monday while young midfielder Charlie Clough has joined Weymouth, bottom of the Southern League Premier Division, on a months loan deal.

There has been no indication from anyone within Rovers as to who might be coming in, although the three key positions for Penney to bolster are on the right and in the centre of midfield and a target man to give his side a different option if the game requires it. There had been talk of a Rovers return for Paul Heffernan but that was dependent on Wednesday manager Alan Irvine bringing in either of the Notts County strikers Lee Hughes and Craig Westcarr, neither of which has come off and with pressure mounting on Irvine it could be that the manager leaves before a deal could be made.

At the start of the month bottom of the table Walsall sacked manager Chris Hutchings and ever since Dean Smith has been in charge. Smith was promoted from heading the clubs youth section and has taken three points from the five games he has been in charge of the club for, including a draw away at the Memorial Stadium earlier this month. After his spell as caretaker boss he was confirmed as Hutchings permanent replacement on January 21st and has since lost to Exeter and drawn with Oldham. There will be one signing making his Walsall debut this weekend, Jason Price, whom Walsall have acquired on a one month loan deal from Carlisle.

It has been seven long games since Walsall claimed a victory, that coming against Charlton in a surprise result at the Valley, the only game the Saddlers played in December. Since then Walsall have conceded 19 goals so Rovers can go into the game confident that they can put the ball in the net. Walsall are still nine points off of safety and have been way off the pace all season, going out of the League Cup and Johnstone's Paint Trophy to Tranmere and Chesterfield respectively. They also required a replay to get past Conference National side Fleetwood in the first round of the FA Cup before losing to another lower division side in Torquay in the second round.

Rovers much needed triumph over Swindon was their first in 13 league games since a 2-1 win against Rochdale in mid October but for their last away win you have to look back to the start of that month, Will Hoskins bending in a superb late winner at the Galpharm Stadium against Huddersfield. There have been two heavy defeats on the road since then, a 6-2 loss to Sheffield Wednesday standing out, especially having gone a goal to the good. Recently there was also a 4-0 defeat at Carlisle where Rovers finished the game with ten men. Despite being two points off of 20th placed Swindon it is likely that Rovers will need to make up three points on their rivals, owing to their -16 goal difference.



The only link between the two sides is Walsall defender Aaron Lescott. The full back joined Rovers under then manager Ian Atkins, having originally been loaned out to Rovers from Stockport County. In six years at Rovers he made 234 appearances, scoring five goals, netting his first in a brace against Walsall. After failing to win his place back in the Rovers squad following injury Lescott was sent out on loan to Cheltenham before Paul Trollope released him at the end of the 2009/10 season.

The two sides have played each other 94 times in their history. The first match came way back in 1927 and Rovers went on to win the first six meetings between the sides. More recent meetings have been even, however, although the two games from the 2008/09 season are notable for nine goals being scored over their two matches. In September 2008 Walsall came, saw and conquered at the Mem, coming through with a 3-1 margin of victory thanks to two goals from Michael Ricketts, one of which was a penalty, and a strike fro Stephen Roberts. Steve Elliott scored for Rovers and Byron Anthony was sent off, the more remarkable scoreline came at the Bescot six months later, however. Just six minutes in Rovers were two goals to the good thanks to Darryl Duffy and Craig Disley before Aaron Lescott scored his first for Rovers to make it 3-0 within 20 minutes. Duffy was again on the scoresheet in the second half and Lescott got his second to round off a miserable afternoon for the Saddlers as it finished 5-0 to the away side.

New loan signing Rene Howe will go straight into the squad to face Walsall, but is unlikely to dislodge either top scorer Will Hoskins or the in form Jo Kuffour from the starting line up. Scott Davies will also join him in the squad but Cian Bolger is likely to miss out as Rovers are only aloud to name five loan players in their matchday squad.

Both Chris Lines and Danny Coles will be unavailable for Rovers due to suspension, Lines for picking up his tenth yellow card of the season against Swindon while Coles will be serving the third of his four match ban following his second red card of the season at Carlisle. Both will also be missing from the match against MK Dons on Wednesday.

Walsall will give a debut to new loan signing Jason Price who joined from Carlisle on Friday as long as all of the necessary paperwork goes through in time.

Manny Smith and Richard Taundry are facing fitness tests having been left out of the squad for Tuesday's game against Oldham.

Former Bristol City striker Darren Byfield has failed to fully recover from a long-term knee injury in time to face Rovers.



In his pre-match interview Dave Penney talked about Walsall's situation and the threats that they possess, saying:

"They [Walsall] have had a change of manager as well, and we had them watched on Tuesday.

"They keep going right to the death, they got a late goal against us and they got a late goal against Oldham on Tuesday, they are really trying hard to get points and help the manager.

"It will be a tough game, as they are battling away for points just like we are.

"We are hoping we can go there with the confidence we have built up, and keep that momentum and confidence going."

Walsall manager Dean Smith is unfazed by his teams struggle and dares any team to write them off, he told BBC West Midlands:

"Most of the teams will have probably written us off already and will see us as being adrift.

"Our job is to start catching them up and for them to start looking over their shoulder.

"We've looked fearless in the games we've played and the commitment and the spirit has been there."

Rovers Make Double Loan Swoop

Bristol Rovers have secured the signings of Rene Howe and Scott Davies on a months loan each.

24 year old forward Howe started his career with his home town club Bedford United before moving onto Conference North side Kettering who he helped reach second place in the league with 25 goals and from there he moved onto his current parent club Peterborough. To date he has made only three starts for the London Road club, scoring just a single goal.

Much of Howe's time has seen him out on loan, scoring 9 in 23 for Rochdale and 12 in 41 for Morecambe, both spells in League 2. Further loan terms saw him spend time at Gillingham, then in League 1, and Lincoln last season and at the beginning of this footballing year the 6ft striker went to Conference side Rusdhen & Diamonds, netting 6 times in 20 appearances and leaving with Diamonds manager Justin Edinburgh claiming numerous Football League sides were interested in claiming the strikers signature. Some fans of LivingTV's reality show Dating In The Dark may also remember Howe's appearance on the programme, which didn't end particularly well and saw him described as a 'cocky footballer' by the Sky TV Guide.

Howe talked about his pleasure at joining Rovers and knows that the deal could be extended, he said:

"I've signed a one month loan initially, with both parties pretty much in agreement that it can be extended at the end of that time.

"I'm happy to come here. I just needed to get away from Peterborough and to play some games.

"It's not been the best of times for me at Peterborough and I've been out on loan quite a lot during my time there."

Rovers manager Dave Penney is pleased to have a bulkier striker in his squad, giving him an extra option:

"Obviously we have been looking round for a bigger striker and Rene fits that bill.

"He's got the physical presence that we have been looking for as a different option for Jo and Will and it just gives me a different option up front."

The second name announced to have joined was that of Reading central midfielder Scott Davies.


Davies began his youth career at Watford before joining Wycombe and then current club Reading. Opportunities at the Madejski have been limited for the 22 year old who has spent a great deal of time out on loan, spending two seasons with Aldershot, who gained promotion from the Conference National with Davies in the side, scoring 13 goals in his second spell with the Shots in League 2. Two stints back at Wycombe and a short loan to Yeovil followed to give the attacking midfielder a decent level of Football League experience.

Penney also spoke about Davies and how he is bolstering his midfield choices, saying:

"Scott is a midfielder who we've known about for a while and he's been out on loan at Aldershot and at Wycombe where he's gained some invaluable experience.

"It gives us another body in midfield, where we were going to be a little bit lightweight due to the fact that Chris Lines is suspended for the next two games, and Scott goes straight into the squad for tomorrow's game."

Both Howe and Davies will go straight into the squad for Rovers game against Walsall at the weekend. Howe will wear squad number 9 while Davies has been assigned 33.

Midweek League 1 Round Up - 25/01/2011

Six fixtures took place on Tuesday evening in League 1, the highlight being Brighton, top of the division, taking on Colchester at the Withdean but there were also important games taking place at Hillsborough and The County Ground in Swindon.

Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Colchester United


With MK Dons being the only other member of the top six to be playing Brighton had the chance to extend their lead at the top of League 1 to six points and they didn't disappoint, remaining at the head of the table for the 18th consecutive game.

Albion threatened early and loan signing Chris Woods nodded a shot towards goal, only to see it come back off of the post, but it was just before half time that the home side took the lead, Inigo Calderon stroking home, the full backs fifth goal of the season.

With 75 minutes on the clock Brighton doubled their advantage thanks to Craig Noone's first goal for the club since joining from Plymouth at the start of the month, beating numerous before driving past Ben Williams from the edge of the area. Colchester will be without Pat Baldwin for their next game after the defender was shown red for a second bookable offence late on.

Leyton Orient 2-2 MK Dons


Despite a patchy run of form MK Dons find themselves sat in fifth place in League 1 following an exciting encounter at Brisbane Road. A win would have taken the Dons up to fourth but Orient are decent at home, having gone unbeaten in their previous eight fixtures at their own place including a thumping 4-0 weekend win over big guns Sheffield Wednesday. Orient were without manager Russel Slade for this game, the gaffer having to spend time in hospital following minor surgery, so assistant manager Kevin Nugent was to take charge, and it wasn't long before they found themselves behind in a pulsating first half.

It was Stephen Gleeson who gave the Dons the lead with a stunning volley from 25 yards out having controlled the ball on his chest. Two minutes was all the lasted, though, Scott McGleish taking advantage of Dean Lewington's slip to draw Orient onto level terms. That goal totally changed the game and the O's started to make real headway, Dean Cox rifling a shot back off the post before the winger turned provider, sending in a cross for experienced defender Terrell Forbes to head home and it remained that way until 56 minutes. Sean O'Hanlon heading in from close range from a Peter Leven delivery.

It remained that way until the end pushing Orient a point further from the relegation zone and propelling the Dons into the play-off zone, although the away side would have preferred the victory they arguably deserved, having a negative goal difference and playing at least two games more than many of the teams on their tail.

Walsall 1-1 Oldham Athletic



Before this game Walsall were cut adrift at the bottom of the table, nine points behind 20th placed Swindon Town and after this draw nothing had changed. Oldham on the other hand knew that a win against the strugglers would see themselves jump Charlton, Peterborough and possibly the MK Dons and into the play-off places.

Much of the early pressure came from the hosts but on a number of ocassions striker Will Grigg, recently called up to the Northern Irish under-21 side, found himself unable to beat Oldham stopper Ben Amos and they were punished for their carelessness when Filipe Morais scored in his second successive game to give Latics the lead. Just past the hour mark Walsall levelled thanks to a fierce Darryl Westlake effort from just inside the penalty area.

It was a result that will do no side any great favours as they continue in their own personal battles at either end of the league table.

Sheffield Wednesday 2-2 Yeovil Town



Following an appauling mauling from Leyton Orient on Saturday Sheffield Wednesday looked to get their play-off challenge back on trakc against relegation threatened Yeovil, but there was to be no relief for under fire Owls boss Alan Irvine following a clash that had it all.

Dean Bowditch opened the scoring for Yeovil, running into the area and seeing his shot take a deflection off of a home defender to loop over the stranded Nicky Weaver and into the net. It was down to Wednesday's new signing Gary Madine to level it up for the home team, heading in from six yards out. Two melees took place on the pitch as the game really started to heat up and tensions boiled over.

The Somerset side took the lead again in the second half, Paul Huntington heading goalwards from an Andy Welsh corner before the context of the game changed due to a second yellow card for Yeovil full back Luke Ayling. Adam Virgo came on to shore up the Glovers defence, only to be sent off for fouling Madine in the area moments later. It was down to Giles Coke to level it up for Wednesday and if it weren't for Paul Heffernan encroaching into the area it would been, but as it stood the penalty had to be retaken and this time it didn't end well for the former Motherwell midfielder as he skied the ball well over the crossbar.

With four minutes left, however, Wednesday drew level. Despite a fine double save from Yeovil man of the match Stephen Henderson Reda Johnson knocked the ball over the line to deny Yeovil a battling win. The home side sit 10th, off of the pace and will hope for an up turn in fortunes between now and the end of the season. Yeovil remain in the relegation zone but their good form in recent games will give them the confidence that they need to stay up.

Hartlepool United 1-1 Notts County



Injury hit Notts County faced a trip to Hartlepool where a draw always looked the likely result. County were unbeaten in their last four games on the road, drawing three and winning one trip, while Pools had gone 419 minutes without scoring a goal.

It was Hartlepool who made the breakthrough in the 38th minute, Gary Liddle the scorer despite claims of offside from the Notts defence. The Magpies had to wait until the second half for their equaliser, Lee Hughes stepping off of the bench to secure a point for the visitors, knocking the ball over the line from a position he could hardly miss from. The striker is the subject of transfer interest from Sheffield Wednesday, who are looking to bolster an already strong frontline in their promotion challenge.

County moved a further point away from the relegation zone while Hartlepool have now failed to win in five games.

Swindon Town 0-0 Tranmere Rovers



Following Saturday's 3-1 defeat to local rivals Bristol Rovers Danny Wilson is starting to look down the barrel as his side slip deeper into relegation trouble. Tranmere have moved slightly away from trouble after they shocked Southampton 2-0 at the weekend.

The best chance of a dour game fell to Charlie Austin but the wantaway striker saw his penalty saved by former Fulham goalkeeper Tony Warner after Michael Timlin was fouled in the area by Joss Labadie. Tranmere's best chance fell to Lateef Elford-Alliyu who hit the post while Rovers also saw two penalty shouts turned down. In the second half Austin had another great chance but his drive from a tight angle hit the underside of the crossbar before bouncing to safetey for the Merseysiders.

A draw does neither of the sides any real favours as they both remain in trouble at the wrong end of the League 1 table.

Relief At Last

Commitment, passion, pride. Three attributes required to win any game of football, let alone a local derby. And did I mention survival on the line?

Twelve games had gone by since Gasheads had seen a Bristol Rovers victory and the wait for the next was becoming tense.

Rovers were sat in 22nd place in the League 1 table, two points off of survival but having played a game more than both Yeovil and Tranmere above them. The Glovers had won their last three games too so no change could mean Rovers slipping adrift of the pack. Swindon had been in decidedly dodgy form also and last years play-off finalists were just four points above Rovers in 19th place leaving it all to play for, and it all started so well.

Just six minutes in a neat passing move saw Chris Lines slip in Will Hoskins who dinked the ball over the onrushing Phil Smith to put the Gas into the lead, but having let advantages slip in two of their last three home games the fans and players alike knew it wasn't over yet.

For the first ten minutes it seemed that Dave Penney's application of pressing tactics was being implemented well, the midfield weren't dropping immediately to the edge of their own area as they had been under the leadership of Paul Trollope, all good then, or maybe not. A goal to the good and putting decent pressure onto Swindon, Rovers began to drop off the opposition and allow them masses of time and space and the match started to go backwards for them.

They kept battling and creating chances though, and there were signs that some of their neat passing may pay-off later in the game, there were less hopeful punts up field towards the 5'9" and 5'7" strikers and possession was being kept well.

It was all even until the second goal of the game, Jo Kuffour capitalising on dodgy passing among the Swindon back line as he rounded the 'keeper to double Rovers advantage. The home side continued to force themselves back and give Swindon time on the ball, Robins captain Jonothan Douglas sitting deep and spraying a number of passes to his teammates as they pushed for a way back into the game and with 24 minutes left they found one, David McCracken, on loan from Brentford, missed a header on the edge of the area and allowed John-Paul McGovern into the penalty area and smash the ball past a rooted Luke Daniels.

This only spurred the Pirates on, however, and they began to work the ball around again and a Will Hoskins cross found Jeff Hughes who glanced in to seal victory, his fourth goal in his last four games against Swindon.

It was an impressive and confident performance from a side who have lacked a solidity over recent months and although Swindon had overall more chances than Rovers it was only the goal and one other effort that really looked dangerous, Luke Daniels mopping up a number of weak attempts on his goal. The dangerman for Swindon was supposed to be Charlie Austin. The youngster scored 20 goals in his first season since signing from Poole Town last term and was already on 17 this year and has scored against Rovers in the past but he was kept subdued by the partnership of Anthony and McCracken, the latter being dominant in the air. Carl Regan and Gary Sawyer in the full back positions had erratic moments and were often caught out by the pace of McGovern and Ritchie on the flanks, and failed to close down Swindon in the wide areas, something that was a purposeful tactic under Paul Trollope.

The midfield area has been a problem this season, often outmuscled and missing when it matters they were much improved, Jeff Hughes and Chris Lines putting in real shifts and showing that their form last season wasn't just a fluke. Lines in particular was singled out by Dave Penney in his post match interview, Penney saying:

"I thought Chris Lines had his best game since I had been here today, running the midfield, and you could see he is a good player.

Ben Swallow continues to make progress on the left flank and is certainly looking a good prospect for seasons to come as he looked to force himself upon defenders and the way he harried the Swindon back four when in they had the ball will earn him the respect of the Rovers fans.

Will Hoskins form up to now has been imperious, and it was to be no different against the Robins. After his early goal, following a surging run and a cheeky finish, he continued in the same vain. Not only did he work hard in the centre of the pitch Hoskins also worked the channels and wasn't afraid to get into wide areas, Rovers third coming courtesy of a Hoskins cross from the left. If he keeps working away the Leagues joint second highest scorer could come under the transfer spotlight again, Rovers already having turned down three bids from Championship Scunthorpe.

His strike partner Jo Kuffour worked hard, showing good strength to hold the ball up on numerous occasions, most notably in the sixth minute when he controlled the ball and laid it off to Lines to skip Hoskins in for the opener. The former Arsenal trainee also showed his intelligence as he took full advantage of Swindon's mistake at the back to slot home.

Rovers boss Dave Penney was delighted with the way his team applied themselves to the game, telling bristolrovers.co.uk:

"We got the early goal which got us going, got the supporters behind us.

"We score at the right times really, just after half time we scored the second and killed the game off a little bit, they got one and then we went back down the other end and got the third and really killed the game off.

"I couldn't have asked for much more from the players, the 11 stayed out on the pitch as they were excellent, there was no need to change it, and they all looked fit and sharp.

"It was important for me as a manager to get a result, and I think it is a bit sweeter that it was against a team just down the road."

When Penney took over one of his biggest complaints with the squad was the lack of fitness among the players and so to see the starting eleven remain on the pitch until full time will be heartening and shows the progress that has been made already.

One comment from the gaffers post match interview that some fans may find disheartening was that he feels he only has two players in central midfield that he feels he can rely on in Chris Lines and Stuart Campbell. With Dominic Blizzard having been placed on the transfer list on Friday it is becoming apparent that Wayne Brown, signed on a free from Fulham in the summer, is now falling out of favour. Brown has scored a single goal in his eleven starts thus far this season but has made little impact overall, spending the majority of his time on the right hand side of midfield, whereas his preferred position is in the centre. He is still young, though, and learning his trade as he goes along and there have been glimpses of talent there but perhaps Penney feels that his 5'5" frame is not what is required in the centre with his side in the mire.

On two occasions Rovers fans could be forgiven for having a look of fright on their faces, firstly when Byron Anthony smashed head first into the Swindon woodwork when committedly flinging himself at a corner. Deeper into the first half top scorer Will Hoskins pulled up after chasing a ball wide on the Swindon back line, collapsing off of the pitch and requiring Rovers physio Phil Kite to sprint round from the opposite touchline to treat the former Watford man. A slice of tape later and the striker was soon back up on his feet, sprinting straight back into the action and Gashead hearts dropped from their mouths.

For Swindon it looks as though there is a real threat from the drop zone and the pressure on Danny Wilson looks to be reaching an insurmountable level. Keeping hold of Charlie Austin will be key for the Robins but that seems less and less likely as the days go by, although any scouts the the Memorial Stadium wouldn't have seen the display of a potential Championship striker.

If it weren't for Tranmere stunning Southampton, Rovers would be out of the relegation zone but overall results went their way, Dagenham and Walsall below them losing ground on the Gas, and Notts County, plus Swindon of course, losing means that they are within touching distance of those above them. Walsall are the next team to challenge the Gas, the sort of game that Rovers must be getting three points from if they are to survive. The Bescot beckons.

A Season On The Line - Swindon Preview

It may be January still but this could be one of the biggest games of the season for Bristol Rovers. A chance for a vociferous atmosphere against a local rival if Dave Penney can get things right the fans will get behind him and his team, breeding confidence among the players while putting fear into opposition hearts. The atmosphere at the Memorial Stadium has been subdued over recent months, poor form and disturbingly bad football giving them nothing to shout about but things are steadily progressing.

A first clean sheet in 17 games came in midweek against Hartlepool, with loan signing David McCracken making a big impact on the home fans with a commanding performance at the heart of the Rovers defence. McCracken joined on the day of the game from Brentford, initially on a months loan deal, who seem to be looking to let the defender go having put a clause in the deal that allows them to recall the Scot if another club makes a permanent offer for him. The loanee is confident that his new team can gain confidence from the clean sheet at Hartlepool and start to force the results they so desperately need, he told thisisbristol.co.uk:

"I want to do well for the club during my time here and my first impressions are that there is a hard-working bunch of boys here desperate to get out of trouble.

"You can see that there are obviously a few players lacking in confidence, but that happens in a team that has been struggling.

"I saw enough in the Hartlepool game to suggest that the lads are prepared to pull together and grind results out.

"We need to start picking up points and I don't think it matters how we go about it. The game against Hartlepool may not have been the prettiest to watch, but we got a clean sheet and a point and now we have something to build on. If we have to do things the ugly way to get us up the table, then so be it."

Dave Penney has been busy in the transfer market as Monday saw the arrival of a central defender in the shape of Cian Bolger, again on loan. A Leicester City academy graduate the Irishman only took up a place on the bench against Hartlepool but will hope to break into the first team reckoning during the month he is with the club.

There is still work to be done, however, and Penney is keeping an eye out for potential signings, especially in terms of his frontline, a targetman remaining a priority, although there are rumours coming out of Hillsborough that Paul Heffernan, whom Rovers took on loan from Doncaster towards the end of last season, could be in line for a return to the Memorial Stadium where he would play under a manager in Dave Penney who signed him for Doncaster in the summer of 2005. Any release of Hefferan from Wednesday, however, will depend on whether the club can follow through with their interest in Notts County hitman Lee Hughes. Penney is also thought to be in the market for a midfielder.

One player who could be on his way out of the club is Dominic Blizzard who has been placed on the transfer list after failing to make a big impact at the club since he joined at the start of last season. The Wycombe born midfielder will be available on either a loan or a permanent move away from the club.

It's not just on the pitch that there have been arrivals, though, as Friday saw the announcement of Martin Foyle joining the club as first team coach. Foyle was at one point linked with the managerial vacancy with the Gas before the appointment of Dave Penney but will still be able to bring his wealth of experience to the staff at the club. Foyle and Penney have previous with each other, having played together at Oxford United in the late 1980's.

Swindon have been in the transfer market news recently as well. The Wiltshire side have sold one of their star defenders in Sean Morrison to Reading in the week for a £250,000 fee. A youthful member has also been added to the squad with the capture of Aden Flint from Alfreton Town, though the youngster may end up back on loan at the Conference North club if he finds himself unable to break into the matchday squad at the County Ground. A talent search run by sponsors Samsung also saw Swindon sign the winner, Jordan Pavett, on a twelve month-deal.

But the big news surrounds Charlie Austin and the potential transfer saga that could surround him. On Tuesday BBC Wiltshire reported that the forward had put in a transfer request at the club who gave him his break in the professional game, having signed him from Poole Town in October 2009. Austin has scored 17 goals thus far this season, having netted 20 times in his first season with the Robins and it is thought that enquiries from a number of Championship clubs have been met with a 'not for sale' message. Town manager Danny Wilson has come out and commented on the situation, claiming that Austin's actions are down to his 'immaturity in footballing terms'.



Abhorrent is the best way to describe Rovers recent form, the side having failed to win in their last 12 league games, that victory coming against Rochdale in October, while 28 goals have been conceded, a record of more than two per-game, and included conceding three on three separate occasions as well as four at Carlisle last weekend and six at Sheffield Wednesday in December. The two incoming defenders, the experienced McCracken especially, should help to stem that flow and a clean sheet has already been kept in Rovers last game, though it is always risky to make assumptions based on one game.

Having come so close to promotion last season Swindon will be massively disappointed with their showing this season. Town currently occupy 19th place having won only two away games this season. They have already lost one west country derby this month, losing to Yeovil in last time out and seeing Michael Rose receive a red card in the process. The Robins last six away games have seen three losses, two draws and a win for a struggling side who have won just two of their last eight league matches. A humiliating 3-2 extra time loss in the second round of the FA Cup to Crawley Town has seen the pressure mount on ex-Bristol City manager Danny Wilson, who is sure to come in receipt of a hot reception when 3 O'clock comes.

League Form
Bristol Rovers - LLLDLD - Home Form - WDLLDD
Swindon Town - WDLWLL - Away Form - LDDLWL

This is the fifth consecutive season that Rovers and Swindon have played in the same division and during that time it is Saturday's visitors who hold the advantage, having won five of the nine games played, including a 2-1 victory in the Sky televised game earlier this season, last season was much different, though. With Rovers sat behind Swindon by only goal difference in 7th place what looked like a tough encounter turned out to be a stroll in the park as the Gas came out winners by a 3-0 margin to move up a place, but since that game Rovers had slipped to ten points adrift of the play-offs while Swindon had gone unbeaten for two and a half months and no-one could have foreseen the match that was about to take place.

Swindon hit the post from a free kick early on and the travelling blue army could have started to worry until Jo Kuffour broke through and curled the ball over Swindon 'keeper Lucas. Paul Heffernan doubled that lead before an exquisite free kick on the stroke of half time from Chris Lines sent Rovers in 3-0 up at the break. A further goal from Jeff Hughes sent the away fans home in raptures singing 'seven nil on aggregate'. On a side note Jeff Hughes has scored in each of his last three appearances against Swindon, so could history repeat itself and see the Northern Ireland international score again?

Rovers will be without Danny Coles for the game as he serves the second of his four match suspension for picking up his second red card of the season at Carlisle last weekend. Jeff Hughes has recovered sufficiently to at least take a place on the bench against Swindon.

Michael Rose will be suspended for Swindon following his red card against Yeovil last Saturday and he will likely be replaced by Alan Sheehan who is just returning from a thigh injury. Andy Frampton will be available for selection having missed Town's last match with a groin strain. Goalkeeper David Lucas will be out with a knee injury. Despite the recent transfer furore surrounding him Charlie Austin will start up front for the Reds.

New signing Aden Flint is unlikely to be included in the squad while Samsung talent search winner Jordan Pavett will not be revealed to supporters until Swindon's home game against Exeter on January 29th.



Dave Penney is looking forward to the atmosphere at the Mem for the local derby and hopes his team can start looking up the table very soon, he told bristolrovers.co.uk:

"It is a local derby, it should be a cup tie atmosphere, and I am looking forward to it. We need three points, we need to start picking threes up.

"It was nice to get a clean sheet and a point on Tuesday, but we would have liked three and we need three on Saturday to close the two point gap.

"We can then push on and start climbing the table. I am not interested in dragging teams into a relegation fight, I just want to drag us out.

"We have got to play with our heads as well as our hearts in these games, but supporters want a fully committed performance in any game, but even more so in a derby game."

Swindon Town manager Danny Wilson knows the importance of the game in terms of both sides league positions, as well as the fact that it is a local derby, he told swindontownfc.co.uk:

"It's a massive game for both sides. Neither team wants to be looking over their shoulders, and with a win we can pull ourself away from the danger zone.

"With it being a derby it adds that little bit of extra spice, and motivation-wise these games take care of themselves so I'm expecting us to perform well."

Foyle Joins Rovers Staff

Bristol Rovers have announced the appointment of Martin Foyle as first team coach at the Memorial Stadium and will start his new role immediately and will start working with the squad today. At one point the former Port Vale and York City gaffer was linked with the managerial vacancy with Rovers before Dave Penney joined the club. Foyle was earlier speaking to bristolrovers.co.uk about his new job, saying:

"It was an easy decision to come here.

"Dave Penney is one of those people that I've respected for a long time in the game. I played with him for about a season and a half at Oxford and to get back into League One again was major for me.

"Whilst I was keen to get back in the game as quickly as possible, it had to be the right opportunity. I have had the chance to get back in at Conference and League Two level but I didn't feel that those were the right moves for me.

"I'll be working closely with Darren Patterson and Dave. I know them both well and I think, at this level, you have to have people you can trust and work with and I'm certainly one of those people. I'm a hard worker and anything they need I'm here to get what they want."

Born in the west country Foyle started his professional career at Southampton where he never made a big impact on the first team during a four year stay on the south coast before he joined Aldershot. After his extended stay in Hampshire Foyle moved onto Oxford where he spent some time playing with his new boss Dave Penney. Following this he joined Port Vale, where he scored 83 goals in 296 league appearances for the potteries club before injury forced him into retirement.

Foyle's managerial career started as manager of the youth team at Vale before he took charge of the first team in 2004, missing out on the League 1 play-offs in his first season before guiding the club to two mid-table finishes. He eventually left the club by mutual consent after a poor start to the 2007/08 season. After a spell as a coach at Wrexham and one game in caretaker charge he was appointed manager at Conference side York where, over two seasons in charge, he took the club to Wembley twice, losing an FA Trophy final and last seasons Conference play-off final.

Carlisle Preview

Bristol Rovers face their longest trip of the season at a time when they would have preferred to not to travel so far. Carlisle United provide the opposition for Dave Penney's second game in charge of the Gas and for the first time it will be the new manager who will decide on the starting line-up.

It is likely the Yorkshireman will employ a similar 4-4-2 system to that he used for the second half of the midweek draw with Walsall, assistant manager for-the-time-being Darren Patterson choosing to play 4-3-3. The new manager has had his first training sessions with the Rovers players over the last couple of days and has spent some time changing the defensive work ethic that Paul Trollope instilled in his team, working with the players on defending from the front and pushing the play up the pitch.

Not only has Penney identified the changes he wants to make to the way his team plays but also where he needs to strengthen the squad. The first player he wanted to bring in was a big, burly targetman to add some power to the spine of the team and following Tuesday nights game with Walsall he told bristolrovers.co.uk that he hoped to have a player in prior to this weekends Cumbrian clash. That has not happened however, but he still plans to address the issue of new signings and will continue to look at the options available.

On Wednesday it was reported by unnofficial Rovers news website Vital Gas that the club were in discussions with Charlton to loan forward Pawel Abbott, previously at player under Penney at Darlington and Oldham, but Penney has confirmed that Rovers are not interested in signing him, in his pre-match interview he spoke about Abbott, saying:

"At this moment in time Pawel will not be coming here.

"I bought him at Darlington and took him through to Oldham, but even though he is a big lad he is a similar footballer to Will Hoskins.

"He is not a target man, he is 6ft 2in but he likes to play with a bigger striker, and he had his best joy at Huddersfield when he had Andy Booth who took the pressure of being a target man off of him and let him score the goals.

"We have not spoken to Charlton or to Pawel."

Another addition that Penney would like to make is his own assistant manager. His original target for the post was unable to join the club, turning it down so his family could remain in their current area, as a result Darren Patterson will remain in the role for the time being.

But it's not only Rovers transfers in that have made the news as Scunthorpe United manager Ian Baraclough has confirmed that they have had three bids for star striker Will Hoskins rejected by the club and have now turned their attention elsewhere.

There has been good news for Carlisle fans this week as they completed the signing of Lubomir Michalik on a permanent basis. The big central defender was initially on loan at Brunton Park for the first half of the season and had his contract at Leeds cancelled so that he could join the Blues.

In their last six league games Carlisle have won just once and that came at the start of the sequence, coming courtesy of a 3-2 win over Southampton. Sprinkled into that run were two cup games, one in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy which ended in a thumping 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday and last weekends FA Cup defeat to League 2 side Torquay. Fans of Carlisle will be upset at the way the season has turned for them, having been sat in second place after eleven games, just one win off of pace setters Brighton. That poor run of results since the aforementioned Southampton win has seen them pick up just two points and drop from 4th to 17th in the League 1 standings.

Rovers have been similarly poor, if not even worse having failed to win a league match since mid-October's victory over Rochdale, their only win coming courtesy of a 6-3 JPT win over Wycombe. During the time between that last win and now they have also flumped out of the FA Cup at Darlington, lost 6-2 at Sheffield Wednesday and let a two goals lead at home to Plymouth slip away. On the road the Gas's last win was on October 2nd, a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield owing to a last minute Will Hoskins strike, although they have picked up points at both Brighton and Charlton since.

Top scorer for Carlisle this season is Gary Madine with 13 goals, four of those coming in an FA Cup first round tie with Midland Football Alliance side Tipton Town. Aside from his goal scoring ability it is his height that is a major assett, standing as he does at 6'5". Over the last two seasons Madine attracted attention from Championship side Coventry, who he joined on loan in October 2009, and more recently Reading, purportedly in a £1,000,000 deal, though nothing eventually came of the rumours.

The record between the two sides is tight. Having met 33 times in their history there have been 13 Bristol Rovers wins, 11 Carlisle triumphs and 9 drawn games and the more recent history has been just as tight. Since Rovers earned promotion from League 2 in 2007 the two clubs have two wins apeice out of seven games played, one of the more dramatic meetings between the two coming at the Memorial Stadium last season.

On a day otherwise remembered for Ben Swallow's first league start Ian Harte put Carlisle ahead in swirling wind and pouring rain, only to see his goal cancelled out by Jo Kuffour before the half was up. With 18 minutes to go it looked as though Rovers had thrown the game away as former Bristol City defender Richard Keogh once again put the visitors ahead. Ten minutes later, however, it was level again thanks to Jeff Hughes and with the game looking as though at had been drowned out a late Rovers corner saw Stuart Campbell swing the ball in towards Chris Lines who bundled the ball over the line to rob Carlisle of a victory that they most likely deserved.

Rovers go into the game with just one doubt in the form of Byron Anthony. The central defender has been suffering from both food poisoning and flu and could make the bench. Eliot Richards is likely to drop back to a substitute role as Dave Penney will change the starting formation from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2, Jo Kuffour the man who is likely to replace him after his impressive sub performance against Walsall in the week.

Carlisle have Lubomir Michalik back after the giant Slovak signed a permanent deal with the Blues while Liam Cooper, on loan from Hull, and Liam Noble, on loan from Sunderland, could both make their first appearances for the club. Tony Kane, Graham Kavanagh and Sean McDaid all remain long term knee injuries for Carlisle.

Dave penney knows how difficult a task Rovers face, even though Carlisle have lost their early form, he told bristolrovers.co.uk:

"They [Carlisle] started off like a house on fire, and I am not quite sure what has changed.

"They have been very hit and miss, it will be a difficult trip and a difficult game with the position we are in.

"I got a lot of positives out of the game on Tuesday night in terms of the second half when we were going forward, we looked more of a threat."

Greg Abbott, manager at Carlisle, is hoping that his team can turn around their FA Cup defeat last weekend, he talked to carlisleunited.co.uk in the build up to the match:

"This Saturday I would like to see my players go out there and impress everyone after what happened last weekend. We have to demand a response from our players and they have to get out there and perform.

"The fans will be wanting them to answer the criticisms and we're only a couple of results away from putting our season right back on track.

"We have to go into the Bristol Rovers game in a really good frame of mind and I think we have to show that we can roll our sleeves up and give a really good performance."

The former Bradford City legend knows that Rovers can threaten on their day with the players that they possess:

"I'm surprised to see Bristol Rovers where they are because it's always a tough place to go. On paper they have a really good squad but it's been a funny league this season.

"Dave Penney has gone in there and he will be keen to turn it all round. They certainly have some quality and some players to look out for."

It's a big game for Rovers, Dave Penney's first chance to show the style of football he wants to play from the off, the squad won't want to come away empty handed from a 550 mile round trip.

New Man, New Era?

In football things can change in a heartbeat, as Bristol Rovers found out against Plymouth just over a week ago. 2-0 up at half time the Gas went on to lose 3-2 against their west country rivals and it was clear that the arrival of a new manager was going to be the only thing that could save them, and on Monday it happened.

A late entry into the odds market was the name of Dave Penney whose last job in football was to take Oldham to the wrong end of League 1 seven months ago. Early Monday morning the Bristol Evening Post published an article claiming that Penney, along with former Colchester boss Geraint Williams and one other mystery candidate, was on a shortlist of three to become the next Rovers manager and, just a few hours later, it was confirmed that he was to become Paul Trollope's permanent relacement at the Memorial Stadium although there has been no mention as to the length of the contract in the press.

He spoke of his delight at joining the club, feeling that he thought the club would suit him, he told bristolrovers.co.uk:

"It is nice to get back in and get straight down to it, which is what's needed.

"I made a conscious effort that when I came out of Oldham I was going to try and choose the right football club, and I have been in the fortunate position that I could wait a bit. This felt right when I had the interview.

"The club has great tradition and I don't think it should be in the position it is in. I came and watched against Plymouth and the first half was very encouraging and there looks like there is something to build on.

"It is an exciting time for myself and something for me to get my teeth into. When you can get this club going in the right direction the fans get right behind the team."

Indeed, fans were excited to see his arrival, hoping for a change in fortunes under a man who successfully lead Doncaster Rovers to two consecutive promotions, initially taking the Yorkshire club up from the Conference via the play-offs before beating Hull to the League 2 title the following season. He kept the club in League 1 and took them on a mazy League Cup run that saw them beat two Premier League sides in Aston Villa and Manchester City before eventually being knocked out on penalties at the quarter final stage by big guns Arsenal.

After claiming he had taken Donny as far as he could he took a step back down to League 2 to take over at Darlington. In nearly three full seasons with the Quakers Penney left with a 43.2% winning record, including a loss in the 2008 play-off semi finals to Rochdale. He was eventually let go by Darlington after the club fell onto financial turmoil, resulting in administration the next season. Following his departure from Darlo Penney moved back up the footballing ladder to League 1 side Oldham Athletic. His time at Oldham was, however, fruitless as he was sacked with one game to go in the 2009/10 season with the club surviving relegation by just two points. Despite this his overall managerial record is favourable, though, and should give hope to the ailing Rovers fans.

Penney's first task was to face off with Walsall in the game that was rearranged following the Boxing Day cancellation, the Saddlers being one of only two teams below Rovers in the League 1 table, four points off of 20th placed Tranmere. They could not be caught by Walsall, not yet anyway, but the key thing was to beat one of the weakest teams in the division and start to dig themselves out of the hole they had gotten themselves into. Having had little time to view the players the new gaffer allowed Darren Patterson to set the team up one last time, but it didn't get off to the start the Gas gad hoped for.

Just five minutes in Walsall took the lead through Will Grigg and continued to dominate the half, finishing it in full control of all areas of play. Half time gave Dave Penney his first chance to stimulate the players and, along with the introduction of Jo Kuffour, it clearly worked. Rovers came out with a different formation and began to push up the pitch, using the wide areas of the pitch more and two quick goals from firstly Hoskins and then Kuffour meant there was suddenly life in the team and the optimism grew.

There was to be no third though, and without the inclusion of the season most impressive defensive performer in Byron Anthony, missing through sickness, Rovers always looked likely to concede and with seven minutes to go Walsall claimed a point thanks to a drive from former Rovers favourite Aaron Lescott.

The full back initially went to celebrate before pulling himself up, he later tweeted:

@aaronlescott "To the fans who wear disappointed with my celebration last night surely you could see that I forget where I was and as soon as I realised I calmed down and stopped celebrating . Its was a split second that's all and the ones that have said nice things much appreciated."

While some fans were displeased by Lescott's initial celebrations most will forgive him as such a late goal for his relegation threatened team, his first for Walsall, was always going to be a joyous moment.

Speaking to Rovers official website after the game Penney spoke of how he had to change the game at half time:

"We didn't start the game well, we certainly didn't play the game like I want to play it.

"It was difficult because I haven't had chance to work with them, and I don't think the system really worked for us, whereas it did last week.

"So we had to change to 4-4-2, we couldn't get any pressure on the ball and they had too much possession.

"At half time we felt we needed more strength and experience up front, so we brought Jo on and everything went great. We got our two goals, we played like I want to play and we had the tempo."

During the interview the manager also mentioned how he felt the team lacked in their general fitness levels, adding to online speculation that fitness coach Lee Southernwood had been sacked, his non-appearance at the Walsall game only stoking the fire further.

He also talked about the need to add to the squad, hoping to bring in a targetman by the end of the week:

"Every manager is looking to strengthen in the January window, and I knew I needed to strengthen after watching the second half against Plymouth.

"We have only got two real strikers in the building in Will and Jo, young Eliot can play up there and he will be a good player, but for where we are we need some experience up there, and we are going to try and add if we can.

"I would like to add a bigger one if I can to give them some strength, as Jo and Will will not be able to play week in week out with the games we have coming up. It will be important to rest and mix and match.

"Hopefully I will have someone in Thursday or Friday so they can have a training session with us and get ready for Saturday."

Possible options could include former players Jason Price, currently out of favour at Carlisle and was signed for Doncaster by Penney, and English-born Pole Pawel Abbott who is struggling to break into the first-team reckoning at Charlton Athletic. In his one season under Penney at Oldham Abbott scored 13 goals and ended up as the Latics leading marksman.

Penney ended the interview by stating the importance of keeping hold of Will Hoskins, saying:

"We want to keep him, the stats don't lie and we need to keep our best players. We need to keep a goalscorer in the building."

Penney has set out his stall already, identifying what needs to change both in terms of personell on the pitch and off of it and Rovers fans will find his attitude during interviews refreshing having been frustrated by the same old cliches that used to come out of Paul Trollope's mouth.

If the new boss can get the best out of players such as Jeff Hughes, Wayne Brown and Gary Sawyer amongst others who have shown glimpses of the talent they possess then Rovers should be able to pull away from the relegation zone, that being said, nothing in football can ever be reasonably predicted.

He has shown his ability to manage his teams to high standards in the past and, Oldham aside, has had great success on the pitch and in recuriting others. Whatever happens this season given a summer break and backing from the board Penney has the ability to take Rovers onto a promotion challenge, be it in League 1 or 2.

He has said himself that it may take three or four games to turn steady the ship and he will only be helped by the arrival of his own assistant manager, as it has been speculated that Darren Patterson will not remain in that role, though he will still be involved somehwere in the Rovers set up. There has yet to be any mention of names for the assistant manager's job but for now the presence of Patterson means that Penney will be able to split his time between the training pitch and his office while the January recruitment period is ongoing.

The next challenge for Rovers will come in the form of Carlisle United away at Brunton Park on Saturday, a side whose league form has dropped off in recent weeks, having failed to win in their last five matches, as well as a weekend FA Cup loss to League 2 side Torquay. Rovers drew their home meeting between the two earlier this season but required a stoppage time Mikkel Andersen penalty save in order to do so.

The impact Dave Penney has had on the squad and fans has rejuvinated hopes that Rovers will still be a League 1 side by the end of the season and this will only be furthered by the potential arrival of new signings by the end of January. Whatever happens in that time it is already clear that he means business.

Trollope To Newport?

Paul Trollope has been tipped by one media outlet to take over at Newport County after Dean Holdsworth left to become manager of Aldershot, the ex-Gas manager having thought to have been interviewed already.

The reliability of this is questionable though, as Trollope was also thought to have been offered the managerial post at Port Vale, currently 4th in League 2, when Mickey Adams quit to join Sheffield United.

Trollope is currently on 'gardening leave' and thus will still be paid by Rovers until the end of his contract or when he takes a job at another club. Fans and the hierachy at Rovers alike would be pleased to see Trollope take another job so they can give new manager Dave penney funds for both transfers and wages.

Newport are currently 5th place in the Conference National having only been promoted to the division after romping to the Conference South title by 28 points last season under the leadership of Holdsworth.

Two Penalties Mean A Second Date For Arsenal And Leeds

Championship Leeds United frustrated Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, holding them to a 1-1 draw with both sides scoring second half penalties.

After a goalles first half, dominated by Arsenal who had two attempts cleared off the line, Leeds took the lead after 54 minutes when Max Gradel was tripped in the area, Robert Snodgrass converting from the spot. Arsenal were level, however, when Ben Parker was pulled up for a tug on Theo Walcott, substitute Cesc Fabregas slotting the penalty home.

Arsene Wenger made nine changes to his starting line-up, the only players to survive from Wednesday's draw at Manchester City being Johan Djourou and Alex Song. Cesc Fabregas dropped to the bench while Aaron Ramsey made his first appearance in an Arsenal squad since his horrific double leg break against Stoke in February.

In the Leeds team top scorer Luciano Becchio returned to the starting XI as did Alex Bruce. Sanchez Watt, on loan from the Gunners, recovered from a head injury to play against his parent club.

There was a late change in the shape of the referee, Phil Dowd taking over from Chris Foy, who was unable to attend the game for personal reasons.

The first effort on goal came from Luciano Becchio. After Alex Song misplaced a pass in his own half the Argentine picked the ball up and turned down the chance to play a ball wide to Sanchez Watt, instead screwing his shot well wide of the goal.

That was to be the only shot on goal from the first ten minutes as Arsenal showed the passing ability their squad possesses and it wasn't too long afterwards that they produced the first big goalscoring oppurtunity, Tomas Rosicky playing an inch perfect through ball which Andrey Arshavin raced onto, only to find Casper Schemichel standing tall in the Leeds goal, and put his shot straight at the Leeds stopper.

There was to be a scare at the other end for Arsenal as they lost the ball once again in their own half through Tomas Rosicky and when through on goal Luciano Becchio saw his shot smothered by Wojciech Szczesny.

A bursting run from Nicklas Bendtner saw the forward push the ball out wide to Rosicky who in turn crossed over a teasing ball towards the Dane, only to see it headed out of the area.

The first yellow card of the game was awarded to Leeds defender Ben Parker for clipping the heels of Emmanuel Eboue when the utility man was pushing forward into enemy territory.

Soon after Andrey Arshavin caught a ball perfectly as it bounced up but his strike was straight at Casper Schmeichel who parried the ball away.

An inswinging Arsenal corner saw the ball drop at the feet of Bendtner who scraped a shot away which was cleared off of the line by Jonny Howson. Moments later it was Schmeichel's turn to keep out the Gunners as Denilson drove towards his goal but the 'keeper comfortably kept the ball out of the net. The pressure, however, wasn't over as from the resulting corner Becchio was forced into a goal lince clearance from Sebastien Squillaci's header.

As the half went on Arsenal kept the pressure up and another Arshavin corner found the head of Marouane Chamakh who planted his effort straight at Schmeichel.

A blatant shove in the back of Sanchez Watt saw captain for the day Tomas rosicky become the first Arsenal player to end up the the referees notebook.

There was to be more work for Casper Schmeichel before half time as Nicklas Bendtner forced his way past Ben Parker and Max Gradel before putting his effort straight at his fellow Dane in the Leeds goal.

At half time it was clear who was the better team, the home side well on top in terms of possession and shots on goal but it was Leeds goalkeeper and a pair of off the line clearances that kept the Whites in it.

Seconds into the second half Arsenal, through Alex Song, got in behind the Leeds defence but his cut back couldn't find any of his teammates and was easily cleared out of danger.

Arsenal had started the half well, pressing Leeds and forcing their defence back but the United defence was holding strong and were not easy to break down as first Bendtner and secondly Arshavin found out but the drama was to come at the other end.

After some tight work down the left by Sanchez Watt Denilson felled Max Gradel in the Arsenal area and Robert Snodgrass stepped up to smash the ball through the outstretched left hand of Szczesny to give United the lead in front of their travelling support.

The pressure mounted on Arsene Wenger and not long after the goal he brought on one of his bug guns in the shape of Cesc Fabregas who replaces Alex Song after 58 minutes.

Arsenal got straight back on the front foot and substitute Fabregas poked a ball out wide for Emmanuel Eboue and the Ivorian clipped a ball across the Leeds goal where Andy O'Brien got the lightest of touches with his head, that was, though, enough to keep the ball away from the forehead of Marouane Chamakh.

Leeds were still in it, however, and Bradley Johnson's cross took a deflection which forced Szczesny into pushing the ball over the bar for a corner and from the resulting set piece Luciano Becchio forced the Arsenal goalkeeper into a diving one handed save in order to make sure the game didn't get away from the Londoners.

With just over twenty minutes left in the game Arsenal needed an impetus and Wenger sent on Theo Walcott in the hope that he would be the one to provide it.

Leeds gradually grew into the game and as the pressure intensified around the ground there was more space to be found for the away side and after a foul by Johan Djourou Robert Snodgrass looked to double his tally as he swung a free kick wide of Arsenal's right hand post.

Cesc Fabregas has the ability to change a game and this was recognised by Leeds who seemed to be intent on fouling the influential midfielder, eventually resulting in a yellow card for United captain Jonny Howson.

There was to be one more throw of the dice for Arsenal as the young Mexican Carlos Vela came on in place of Tomas Tosicky.

With ten minutes left Arsenal won a free kick for a foul on Eboue and from it Fabregas swung a ball into the area and found Nicklas Bendtner but he was unable to keep his header from sailing over the bar.

There was slick passing to be seen from Arsenal but it was Leeds game to defend and they did so, not allowing any final balls into dangerous areas and Arsenal were becoming increasingly frustrated.

Leeds almost stole a second goal as Max Gradel ran into the area but his ball, attemptedly squared for Luciano Becchio, could only find the feet of Sebastien Squillaci.

The pace of Theo Walcott is something to be feared and it nearly caught out Leeds as Andrey Arshavin clipped a delightful ball of the top but the winger could only strike his first time volley straight at Schmeicehel.

There was to be more controversy though as first Theo Walcott spun in the area and was tripped up only for the linesman to signal for offside, but that wasn't the end of it and just a minute later Arsenal were awarded a penalty, again for a foul on Walcott as Ben Parker pulls at his arm when through on goal and it was the substitute Cesc Fabregas who stepped up to slot the ball down the centre and level up the tie.

Nicklas Bendtner had not had the best of matches but he had the chance to make amends as a ball over the top landed for him to volley but it veered up at him and ricocheted off of his toes and into the fans behind the goal.

As the game drew to a close Denilson saw a stinging drive from just outide the area superbly fingertipped wide by Casper Schmeichel and Theo Walcott swiped a shot wide from a tight angle but there was to be no more goals as Leeds, who finished with just 37% possession, held on to take their more illustrious opponents back to Elland Road for a replay that should be played on either Tuesday 18th or Wednesday 19th.

Arsenal V Leeds Preview

What would have been a heavyweight clash ten years ago is now just a game with a slim chance of upset in the FA Cup as Leeds United travel to the Emirates Stadium to play Arsenal.

Today it may not be such high quality football from both sides but don't count out Championship Leeds, who caused a massive upset last season as they dumped Manchester United out of the cup thanks to a goal from the now departed Jermaine Beckford. The Whites have gone from strength to strength this season, currently sitting in 5th place, looking to challenge the likes of Cardiff for automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

Their form has dropped off in their last four games, drawing three and losing one to promotion rivals Cardiff, but overall they have claimed nine points from their last six games, they will, however, have to up their game for the trip to Arsenal.

The gunners have been patchy of late, their last game, a dour 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City was preceded by a 3-0 win at Birmingham which in turn came after a disappointing 2-2 draw with Wigan and a 3-1 win over Chelsea. They do sit 3rd in the Premier League, though, and still have four chances of winning silverware this season which would be their first since winning the FA Cup in 2005.

Last seasons FA Cup saw both sides fall in the fourth round, Arsenal losing 3-1 to Stoke and Leeds by the same scoreline in a replay against Tottenham. But it was to be a memorable cup run for Leeds who, after overcoming Oldham and Kettering in rounds one and two, beat Manchester United at Old Trafford, the first time since a 1984 defeat to Harry Redknapp's Bournemouth that a side from a lower division had knocked United out of the cup.

The record between the two sides is even in nearly all forms of matches, the difference though, is in the FA Cup, where Arsenal hold a five wins to two advantage over Leeds. The clubs haven't met since they were both in the Premier League, when, aside from the two league games, they faced off in the FA Cup where Arsenal came out on top, coming from behind to thump Leeds 4-1 at Elland Road. The last Leeds victory over the Londoner's came on the last day of the 2002/03 season when goals from Mark Viduka, Ian Harte and Harry Kewell gave the Yorkshire club a 3-2 win at Highbury.

Arsenal are likely to make changes to their side and rest players including Jack Wilshere, Laurent Koscielny, Samir Nasri, Robin Van Persie and Gael Clichy who will be replaced by England international Kieran Gibbs.

Aaron Ramsey has also been included in the squad for the first time since his horrific double leg break at Stoke last season.

Bacary Sagna is suspended after his red card against Manchester City, a decision that Arsenal have not appealed, meaning the Frenchman will be out for the next three domestic games. It is thought that Emmanuel Eboue will be the man to step into Sagna's place.

Abou Diaby, Manuel Almunia and Thomas Vermaelen will all be missing with injuries.

For Leeds top scorer Luciano Becchio will return in place of Billy Paynter after being rested in the midweek defeat at Cardiff.

Lloyd Sam is out with a thight injury while Andy O'Brien suffered a dead leg against Cardiff. Neil Kilkenny is away with Australia at the Asian Nations Cup.

The most notable addition to the Leeds line-up will be Sanchez Watt, currently on loan at Elland Road from the Gunners, who has been given permission to play against his parent club as long as he recovers from a head injury suffered on Tuesday night.

Leeds manager Simon Grayson has bemoaned the recent run of games his side have played in such a short amount of time over the festive period, he told leedsunited.com:

"We're depleted somewhat by injury as it stands.

"We've had a lot of games in a short space of time, and that has taken its toll. I'm not surprised, given the run we've had, so we'll take things as they come over the next day.

"It was a tough game in midweek in terms of knocks, but we'll see what we have. Every player wants to be involved, and there'll be some who are disappointed, but I have to pick a team with one eye on what we've done and one eye on what's coming up against Scunthorpe the next weekend."

Whatever the result it will be an entertaining match, played out by two teams who try to play their football in the right manner, but, it should be Arsenal who are too strong for Leeds on the day.

Wright To Join Shrews On A Permanent Deal

Bristol Rovers have agreed a deal for winger Mark Wright to Shrewsbury Town on a permanent basis following a highly successful loan spell during the first half of the season.

Wright is the Shrews top scorer this season with ten goals, including a hat-trick against local rivals Hereford, in 24 appearances. The loan followed a season long spell at Bristol Rovers that saw him play 25 games for the Gas, during which he scored no goals and failed to make a lasting impression at the Memorial Stadium.

Wright initially joined Rovers on transfer deadline day in summer 2009, only two and a half months after signing for Brighton, for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £30,000, after failing to settle in Sussex. The fee for joining Shrewsbury has once again not been revealed but could be around £50,000 with the contract lasting for two and a half years, taking it up to June 2013.

Starting his career at Walsall Wright enjoyed success at his first club, being part of the squad that won League 2 in 2007. A transfer to MK Dons followed and in 2008 Wright once again took the League 2 title, as well as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, scoring 13 goals in the process.

A happy Mark Wright tweeted:

@markwright82 "Finally very happy that everything has been sorted and I have signed 4 @shrewsburytown"

Shrewsbury manager Graham Turner was pleased to finalise a deal for Wright after a bit of wrangling with Rovers, he told shrewsburytown.com:

"It wasn't easy to agree a deal with Bristol Rovers but we finally got there, there were a few minor details with Mark but they were ironed out.

"When we took Mark on loan at the start of the season Bristol Rovers were happy to get him off their wage bill so we were expecting it to be a free transfer, but obviously with his record with us in half a season then he's got a value and we've probably made money for Bristol Rovers by Mark doing well for us."

If the deal goes through in time Wright will go straight into the Shrewsbury squad for Saturday's game against Morecambe.

The Search Goes On

Since the sacking of Paul Trollope in December speculation has been rife as to who would be his replacement in the Memorial Stadium hotseat. Names have come and gone, odds have fluctuated but there are a group of candidates who have moved away from the rest of the field.

The early leader was former Rovers favourite Andy Tillson, currently first team coach under Paul Tisdale at Exeter City. The ex-defender is still Rovers record signing, being bought from Queen's Park Rangers for a fee of £375,000, the downside to his appointment would, however, be his lack of managerial experience. Tillson started his coaching career at Team Bath where he had a highly successful time working under Ged Roddy as the club worked their way through the lower leagues and into the Conference South. Following the clubs withdrawal from the English league system he was due to take up a place as assistant boss at Weymouth before he was offered the role of first team coach at Exeter. As time went on his odds lengthened and he is currently out at 12/1 with Victor Chandler.

There are two betting sites running a market on the next Rovers manager, Skybet and Victor Chandler, and both currently list Torquay manager Paul Buckle as the favourite to take over at the Memorial Stadium, VC even going as far as making him odds on at 4/6. Buckle's coaching career began at Exeter City, where he initially took up a player/coach role before being promoted to the role of assistant manager under Paul Tisdale. But the ambitious coach was keen to find employment as a manager in his own right and in June 2007 was appointed as manager at Exeter's local rivals Torquay United, a job he remains in today.

Two consecutive season reaching the Conference play-offs saw Torquay promoted back to the Football League at the second attempt, beating Cambridge United in the final at Wembley. In their first season back in the league Buckle took Torquay to a 17th placed finish, ensuring survival for another year, one that would start with a bang. The Gulls started like a house on fire, winning their first four league games, taking Championship Reading to extra time in the League Cup and knocking out League 1 pace setters Bournemouth from the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in a penalty shoot-out. That form wasn't to last, though, as they went nearly two months without a win, having to wait for a 3-1 win over Morecambe on October 30th.

Speaking to Torquay's official website Buckle denied any contact with Rovers, saying:

"I have said before that there has been no approach from Bristol Rovers, so that's the end of the matter"

The Gulls gaffer has, however, talked of his ambition to manage at a higher level:

"The club has been approached by other clubs before and, of course, I am ambitious.

"I left Exeter three-and-a-half years ago to take on something massive. It was my first job and I am well into it now. We are back in the League and I am really proud of what we have achieved here at Torquay.

"I want to manage at the very top.

"If the opportunity comes up, there is a question to be asked, but, as we speak, nobody from my football club has spoken to me about Bristol Rovers."

From this statement we can glean that Buckle may be interested in the Rovers job, should the Bristol club make an approach to the Torquay board.

One manager who has made a sudden entry into the odds is Alan Knill, currently in charge at Bury, who is second favourite at 3/1 with Skybet and 5/1 with Victory Chandler. The former Rotherham boss has earned plaudits for the style of play that his team sets out with and this has been shown by a plus 14 goal difference for the Shakers this season. Two seasons ago Bury missed out on automatic promotion by a single goal, losing out to Wycombe on goal difference after finishing level on 78 points. Last season the club disappointed, finishing 9th overall, one win outside of the play-off places, this season however they sit 5th in League 2 with a superb away record.

Knill's managerial career didn't start off too well either, in two spells at Rotherham, one as caretaker, he had a poor record, taking the Millers down from League 1 following financial problems that threatened the clubs existence, including a fourteen game winless run, so what he has managed to do on a shoestring budget at Gigg Lane is certainly impressive. He certainly has the support of Rovers top scorer Will Hoskins, whom he helped develop into the first team at Rotherham. The former Watford striker tweeted twice on the subject of Knill joining the Gas:

@hosky8 "Seeing rumours that Alan Knill is being considered for the job. What a top man and my first gaffa. Wat a job he would do here imo #justsayin"

@hosky8 "Talking about Alan Knill on Thisisbristol.co.uk. Would love it if he got the job!!"

Another of the names that has been talked about since the market opened early on is current Newport County manager Dean Holdsworth. As a player Holdsworth had major success at Brentford and Wimbledon and also had a long stint at Bolton as well as shorter stays at a large number of other clubs. His first major coaching role was at Derby County where he was assistant manager to Phil Brown for a short period. After grafting out two more years at non-league level he moved onto become manager at Isthmian League club Redbridge before Newport, one of the clubs he had previously played for, came knocking for him and, after an initial poor start to the 2008/09 season in the Conference South, he lead them to a 10th placed finish.

But what has turned Holdsworth into a prime candidate for a number of managerial vacancies is his impact since then, including taking the 2010 Conference South title by a gaining 103 points, a whole 28 ahead of second placed Dover, earning promotion to the Conference National with seven games to spare in mid-March. That superb form has continued into this season as County currently sit in 4th place in the Conference table having taken 42 points from 25 games. Though he has an excellent record at Newport it may be that the Memorial Stadium job has come at too early a stage in his career as his lack of experience in Football League management is likely to count against him.

One of the stumbling blocks for all of the managers mentioned above is that they are already in jobs and thus compensation will be required if any of them are to take the job at Rovers but there is one candidate to emerge that is currently not in work and his name is Paul Hart. Undoubtedly an experience manager Hart will certainly not be surprised by anything will happen should he take over and, having been in charge of youth academies at Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Portsmouth, he will certainly have an impact on the likes of Ben Swallow, Charlie Reece and Eliot Richards among other young players at the club.

Hart began his managerial career at Chesterfield in 1988 where he lead them to a play-off place before being sacked. Following this Hart took over at Nottingham Forest in 2001 and once again was in charge of an unsuccessful play-off push but was once again sacked, this time for a poor run of 14 games without a win. After failing to take Barnsley on a promotion run Hart left football management for a short period before returning at Conference side Rushden & Diamonds where he was let go once more after just six months in the job. It was then back to youth team coaching for Hart, this time at Portsmouth, before the call came for him to step into the first-team hotseat at Fratton Park. With the club in dire financial straits Hart took Pompey onto the worst start to a season in Premier League history and with the club floating around the wrong side of the relegation zone Hart was relieved of his duties.

Two spells in London followed, firstly at QPR where he lasted just five games before leaving the club. His last managerial role was at Crystal Palace, where he was given the task of keeping the club, also in administration, in the Championship, a challenge that he succeeded in, drawing with relegation rivals Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the season, sending their opponents down instead. That spell at Palace is in many ways similar to the job that he would have to be doing at Rovers and his success in keeping Palace up would certainly count in his favour, though looking at his overall statistics, some fans may well not be impressed.

In very single job Hart has been in he has lost more games than he has won and his overall win percentage is down at 30.75%, lower than Paul Trollope who left the Gas having won 37.23% of the games he had managed the club in. Hart wasn't initially seen as a choice for the Rovers job but his odds have shortened to evens (Skybet) and 3/1 (Victor Chandler) since he was spotted attending Bristol Rovers 3-2 loss to Plymouth, with rumours that he was in discussions with chairman Nick Higgs following the game, though that is and will most likely remain pure speculation.

An early frontrunner whose odds have lengthened is current caretaker Darren Patterson who went as short as 2/1 at one stage but the defeat at MK Dons and the surrendering of a two goal lead to lose to Plymouth look likely to have cost him his shot at getting the nod for the job on a permanent basis.

Whoever takes the reigns will have a tough task ahead of them with a small squad, desperately out of form and clearly low on confidence will take some turning around. Nick Higgs has stated that he hopes to have the new manager appointed by 'mid-January' and having seen Rovers last two performances it will be a big risk to leave it any later than that.