Villa see off Rovers in dour tie

Given the tumultuous nature of the past week and their disastrous season thus far, Bristol Rovers could be forgiven for a lack of emotion at being knocked out of the FA Cup, not least with their Football League status on the line. What will not improve the mood around the north of the City was the way the club slinked out at the third round stage - without a whimper.

Manager Paul Buckle was turfed out of the Memorial Stadium club on Tuesday, having barely been in charge for seven months, leaving the Pirates 19th in League 1. The job for his replacement will be staving off a second consecutive relegation, this time to the oblivion of the Conference, though if they were watching this match, the realisation of the task lying in their wait will have hit them.

At least Alex McLeish was still in the dugout for the travelling Midlanders, despite his less than smooth ride since crossing the second city to Villa Park; he will be thankful that this potential banana skin didn't provide any further bumps, despite the bobbly turf his side had to acclimatise to. Such was the will the Scot put into claiming victory here, a near full strength Villa eleven waded out into the Rovers' bog.

The hosts bright start belied the negative display that followed, Chris Zebroski lacking power with an effort that Brad Guzan collected at his feet in the opening exchanges.

Emile Heskey's fitness had been in question leading up to the match, but he nevertheless took up the familiar number 18 shirt, and would have put the Villains ahead after connecting with a corner were it not for Michael Poke's fingertips. Before long, however, the visitors began to take a stranglehold on the game, eventually taking the lead through Marc Albrighton.

Stiliyan Petrov provided a through ball of Premier League quality, Albrighton running in behind off-guard Rovers captain Gary Sawyer and striking the ball between the legs of Poke for the lead.

With one man up top, the Pirates rarely looked like threatening an equaliser, Zebroski producing the best attempt at levelling the scores, though Guzan made the relatively straightforward catch look a tad dramatic.

The seven time cup winners had opportunities to double their advantage, Stephen Warnock shanking a forceful drive with acres of marshland in space, much to the glee of the Gasheads in the home end.

Rovers started the second half with a similar verve to the first, Joe Anyinsah forcing his way to the dead-ball line and pulling back for veteran forward Scott McGleish, his swipe at the ball finding nothing but the chilly West Country air.

Soon enough the visitors settled back into a rhythm, clocking up a fair wedge of the possession along the way, though this was mainly due to the home teams lack of pressure and seeming fear to challenge the ball carrier.

With Rovers gradually being forced back towards their own penalty area the second goal became an inevitability for Villa, substitute Gabriel Agbonlahor eventually breaking their resolve, shrugging off Cian Bolger in midfield and placing his final effort into the bottom corner from outside the box.

If the game wasn't already over, Ciaran Clark made sure of a safe passage through to the fourth round, driving towards the penalty area unchallenged before bamboozling two defending Rovers with a series of stepovers and beating Poke with another sublimely simple finish.

Only then did the Pirates break free of their shackles, thanks in part to a helping hand from Richard Dunne. The Irishman, totally unsighted, looped a backpass towards Guzan, turning round in surprise to find McGleish lurking on the edge of the area. The 37 year old proceeded to lob the Villa custodian in two touches for a thoroughly undeserved consolation.

Spurred on by their lucky break, it was only then that the hosts began to attack in numbers, Warnock conceding a penalty for handball, allowing McGleish, scorer of 246 career goals to add further respectability to the scoreline. Guzan, who was in no way at fault for the first, refused to be beaten a second time, rounding off his night with a satisfying save from the weak spot kick, seeing Villa through to the last 32 with only five minutes of fuss.

It's okay, Gasheads, you can open your eyes now

Few Rovers fans could hide the grin that spread from ear to ear once they had read the latest update from the club's official Twitter feed on Tuesday evening.

"BREAKING NEWS: Paul Buckle has been relieved of his duties," there may be some hope for the club yet.

For the majority of Gasheads, it had been a long time coming. The clubs slump from the safety of League 1 towards the foot of the basement division over the past season and a half has made for horrific viewing, but what made it all the more cringeworthy was the sideshow that had developed around Buckle.

Upon his appointment, there was a new life breathed into a club that had gasping for air like a drowning rat. The pre-season campaign was comprised of exhilarating attacking football, not seen at Rovers for many years, I even wrote a number of articles praising his approach and the tactics he employed. How wrong it proved to be.

All the furore that surrounded those results seems a long, long time ago, as things went wrong within a few of weeks of the league season kicking off.

It wasn't just the fact that the team was being beaten, it was the manner of the defeats. Rovers have conceded three or more goals on seven occasions in League 2 thus far, including home games against Cheltenham and Port Vale.

Team selection is an area where every armchair fan believes they can outdo their manager, that is so often true at any club, but with Buckle, the mistakes seemed fairly obvious to the thousands of unqualified Mourinho's within the Memorial Stadium. Chris Zebroski is the case in point for this; the man is a striker, yet he was continually played out on the wing.

He has the pace to be a wideman; it's his skill, or lack of, that lets him down when played on the flanks. His one and only method of beating his man comes straight out of the David Pipe handbook: push it ten yards down the line and use your outright speed to get there before the fullback. Unfortunately, his crossing ability is also reminiscent to that of the Welshman, while I won't go so far as to compare his temperament and distinct lack of hair.

That's not to spread a dislike for Zebroski, his physicality and pace offer a threat to centre backs and he can be a key player for the season to come, though only if he starts up front. Similarly notable incidents include playing Scott McGleish out wide, Gary Sawyer in the centre of defence for a sustained period and, in his last game and a half, Eliot Richards in the centre of midfield.

It's as though Buckle was using Scrabble tiles to play Connect 4. 'Quiz' may score you 22 points on a Scrabble board, but it will earn you nothing on the league table.

It was the game against the Valiants that proved the turning point for many supporters, the players and staff left the field to a chorus of boos after a listless performance that culminated in a 3-0 defeat. What occurred afterwards, however, made up the majority's minds.

Rumours abounded amongst internet forums that, once back in the dressing room, Buckle had slammed Bristolians as '****s'. This was leaked out from within the club and, while never confirmed until a Bristol Evening Post article the day after the 41 year old's sacking, set fans against the manager for good, as well as getting the board of directors' backs up.

There is a line of argument that what is said in the heat of the moment within the sanctity of the changing rooms should be taken with a pinch of salt, but to come out with such a comment when you are already under an inordinate amount of pressure was moronic to say the least.

It was not the first time Buckle's attitude had come up against him; throughout his post-match interviews he appeared overtly arrogant. Very rarely did he admit to his own mistakes, often creating a raft of excuses as to why his side had failed, and generally coming across as smug to the point he believed the sun shone from within one of his own orifices. No-one is quite sure which, but it certainly helped to keep his tan topped up.

This egotistical persona created ruptures within the dressing room; Jo Kuffour left on loan to Gillingham after being left out of the squad for a Carling Cup game, a decision Buckle claimed to make after the striker told him his head wasn't in the right place. The ex-Bournemouth striker's parting shot countered this version of events, though that was only given minor coverage compared to the high profile fall out with fans favourite Stuart Campbell.

The pair played out a war of words through the local media, eventually, chairman Nick Higgs was forced to come in and settle the matter like the proverbial weary parent driving the car. Campbell never made another appearance in a quartered shirt before being released, meaning that Gasheads never got the chance to say goodbye to their former captain, manager and club stalwart for seven-and-a-half years, the anti-Buckle sentiment growing inextricably.

He remained at the club over the festive season, however, despite a 4-1 mauling at Gillingham, where he had claimed his charges had been on top for periods of the game, not that any of the travelling fans had seen domination of any form.

At 2-0 up come the half time whistle on Boxing day against Plymouth, one of the few sides left beneath Rovers, it looked as though Santa had brought Buckle some salvation for Christmas, only for the manager to throw it away the very next day. Argyle mounted an epic fightback, snatching an injury time winner to leave the gaffers position almost untenable, though the final step was taken soon enough.

The 5-2 humbling at the Mem by an average Crewe side made up the board's mind, even though he was left in charge for the Bank Holiday loss at Barnet. It was against the Alex that the manager appeared to finally lose his marbles, using all three substitutions at half time, including the goalkeeper and centre back Byron Anthony, with the Pirates 4-1 down.

But it's all over now, there finally seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. When that light steps out onto the Memorial Stadium turf remains to be seen, but Toni Watola, the club's financial director, announced to Points West that it would be 'seven to ten days'.

Gary Johnson's name has been banded about, after he refused to deny that he would apply for the job when asked on live TV, around an hour after the sacking was confirmed, though the smirk on his face gave away his vulture-like intentions to jump straight onto Buckle's still warm corpse.

The former Bristol City boss would be a brave choice for the board, given the 56 year old's history with Rovers. After his last two managerial appointments, any attempt by Higgs to make a move so gallant, will most likely rear calls for him to ride his white horse into the sunset if it all goes belly up.

Whoever takes the spot in the dugout deserves a medal for grasping the seemingly poisoned chalice, there is a huge task ahead of them, not just in terms of sustaining Football League status, but also in repairing the fractious state the club finds itself in.

Buckle Relieved Of Rovers Role

Bristol Rovers have confirmed that manager Paul Buckle has been relieved of his duties at the Memorial Stadium.

After suffering relegation from League 1 last season, fans and the media alike had high expectations that Rovers could get automatic promotion back to the third tier at the first attempt.

After an excellent pre-season that saw the first-team squad lose only to Championship side Reading, the future was looking bright, but 24 games into the season, the club find themselves 19th in League 2, just five points away from the relegation zone.

The club's chairman, Nick Higgs, released a statement with the announcement on the official Rovers website, saying:

"We are all very disappointed that this appointment has not worked out.

"Although we are aware that we need to find stability at the club, we felt we could not go any further with the current situation as the threat of relegation was becoming too real.

"We started the season with a great deal of hope for a successful campaign, but this has not been the case so far, despite promising early form.

"Our aim this season was to strive for promotion, and that has obviously not happened, so we felt we needed to make a change.

"As many of you are aware, I am currently out of the country, but I am in constant contact with the club and will strive to make an appointment as soon as possible."

Rovers opened the season live on Sky Sports, beating newly promoted AFC Wimbledon 3-2, but the situation has since gone downhill.

Following a 2-1 defeat to Buckle's former club Torquay after the first home game, the team were booed from the pitch, and this continued for the majority of games until his departure.

The 21 new signings made since his appointment failed to gel as the Pirates inconsistent form turned into a debacle - there were heavy defeats away to Crawley and Oxford, as well as home losses to Cheltenham and Port Vale.

The last League game Rovers won came at the end of October against Dagenham, they have taken just two points from a possible 24 in the eight games that have followed.

Consecutive 1-1 draws against promotion hopefuls Southend and Swindon leant false hope to supporters, but four defeats since, have seen the club slump further.

By this time the fans were already growing tired of the lacklustre football on display and predictable excuses from the manager, who refused to accept any blame for the situation his side find themselves in, but the string of results over the holiday period was the final straw for the disgruntled support.

Rovers threw away a 2-0 lead against 23rd placed Plymouth to lose 3-2 at the Memorial Stadium on Boxing Day and the 5-2 thrashing dished out by Crewe at the same venue on New Year's Eve left the manager's job hanging by a thread.

A third defeat in a week, away at Barnet, proved one step too far for the board, who sacked the 41 year old on Tuesday.

It wasn't only the on-pitch performances that drew grief from supporters, a high profile fall-out with former captain Stuart Campbell resulted in the fans favourite being released after seven and a half years at the club. That was the pinnacle of a number of clashes between manager and players, which also saw Jo Kuffour leave on loan for Gillingham, where he proceeded to score seven goals in 13 appearances.

Assistant manager Shaun North will take charge of the FA Cup third round tie against Premier League Aston Villa on Saturday, which will be shown live on ESPN.

Careless Mistakes Costly For Luckless Rovers

Rovers hapless holiday period was compounded with a 2-0 defeat away to relegation rivals Barnet in North London.

The Pirates wasted numerous chances at the end of the first period before capitulating at the end of the second; Izale McLeod's 15th of the season and Clovis Kamdjo bagging the points that bring the Bees level on points with Rovers.

Sunday's loan signings, goalkeeper Michael Poke and central defender Aaron Downes both took up immediate places in the starting 11 while Eliot Richards replaced Joe Anyinsah, playing in a central midfield role alongside Andy Dorman in Paul Buckle's 4-1-4-1 formation.

The manager's situation continues to look extremely precarious, with just two points taken from the last possible 24. The only two victories since October have come against non-league opposition in the FA Cup, but with Premier League Aston Villa coming up on Saturday, the cup run appears odds on to end.

Once the Gas fell behind on 69 minutes, the calls for the Buckle's head began ringing out from the travelling fans yet again, the mood amongst supporters leaving Buckle's position increasingly untenable.

The home side created the bulk of the first halves chances, though their profligate shooting prevented any breakthrough - Mark Marshall's swinging left foot sending the ball over the roof of Underhill's South Stand.

Poke, playing his first competitive game since August 2010, looked confident throughout the game, adeptly dealing with numerous crosses into his penalty area while also smothering the ball at the onrushing feet of McLeod.

Even though they had been under the cosh for much of the game, it was Rovers who ended the first period on top; captain-for-the-day Gary Sawyer testing Dean Brill's reactions with a forceful drive, which was only kept out by the former Luton keeper's fingertips.

Downes was then inches wide from a Mustapha Carayol corner; the winger's centre flew towards the far post, but the grey-haired centre back was unable to divert the ball past Brill.

When the players re-emerged from the tunnel for the second half, Matt Harrold was not among them, Scott McGleish, who spent over three years at Barnet earlier in his career, the replacement. The under-fire Buckle, however, retained the tactics from the first half.

Richards twice burst from midfield, but failed to net a fifth goal of the season with either attempt.

Minutes later the young Welshman was floored after Danny Senda attempted to kick clear a head high ball, catching Richards in the process. Unfortunately, referee Lee Collins waved away calls for a penalty before stopping play just seconds afterwards for Richards to receive treatment.

The Gas, now attacking down the infamous Underhill slope, then had the opportunity they had been waiting for, Chris Zebroski's pace allowing him to run free of a clutch of orange shirts. Left one-on-one with Brill, the 25 year old was unable to hit the back of the net, Brill falling to his left and clutching the striker's shot.

Soon enough the home side broke the deadlock, League 2 top scorer McLeod the inevitable source. Poke played a high ball upfield which was sent back by a Barnet touch towards Downes and Cian Bolger. Neither player took control of the situation, allowing the ball to bounce between them, where McLeod's fleet feet left them for dead.

The ball was still bouncing and the on-loan stopper darted off his line to lessen the angle, only to see McLeod dink the final shot over his head for the opener, meaning the forward is now three clear at the top of the fourth tier scoring charts.

The arrival of Joe Anyinsah, in place of Craig Stanley, made no impact on the game and, with ten minutes still to run, Barnet put the game beyond Rovers.

The Bees won a corner, which was taken short to Ricky Holmes. With the visiting defence caught off guard, the frontman advanced down the byline and laid the ball off for Kamdjo to thump over the line and add to Gashead's world of misery.