It's Quite Simple For Rovers

Bright, breezy football, the changes that have occurred at Bristol Rovers over the summer months have been incredible. It may be hard to put your finger on what exactly has changed, there has been so many, but let's have a look at some of them.

There are obviously some of the major differences in tactics, some complicated, but what is really notable is that Paul Buckle has got the simple things right, as seen in the 2-0 pre-season victory over Championship side Burnley.

Defensively the side are much improved with the line the back four are holding far higher than seen in previous years while the whole team press further up the pitch. Whereas last season a ball cleared out of the Rovers defence would not draw the side out of their defensive formation, often resulting in the opposition coming straight back on the attack, Buckle has instilled an attacking mindset, instructing his players to follow the ball out of the back and put immediate pressure on the adversary potentially resulting in errors and winning possession back.

The high pressure tactics aren't just restricted to defending in Rovers own half, early on in the game against Burnley we saw right back Michael Smith overlapping winger Jo Anyinsah and challenging in the opposition defensive third. Such forthright defending would have been unthinkable under Paul Trollope or Dave Penney and is a breath of fresh air for fans who had become well acquainted with their team backing off to the edge of their own area as soon as the ball was lost.

Aside from that fans also saw the full backs closing down their opposition wingers, aiming to prevent crosses into the box with great success. Never for a second were Burnley given the time to settle themselves into a passing rhythm, aside from the first minute the threat to the Gas was non-existent up until the last twenty minutes when the passing intensity was turned up a notch and Ross Wallace struck the crossbar with a spectacular long range effort. Rovers were comfortable right the way through the match and dominated in their own right, as poor as Burnley were the Pirates were excellent.

There were also insights into other attacking ploys that Buckle may use. The second half, for instance, saw Mustapha Carayol, the cheeky, jinking winger, and youth team graduate Ben Swallow take to the pitch in the wide positions. What was most notable about this was that Carayol, a right footer, and Swallow, a left footer, played on the flanks that opposed their stronger feet, often leading to the pair cutting inside or running along the byline when coming forward, showing a direct running approach that puts defenders on the back foot as they look to stop the dashing wide men.

That's not to say that you don't want to see high crosses put into the penalty area, when you've got players with the height and power of Matt Harrold and Chris Zebroski it is an excellent outlet, but there is the variation there whichever way Rovers want to play.

Even when defending corners Buckle's charges also showed an attacking approach by often leaving two or three players up by the halfway line, even when two goals to the good, resulting in Burnley having to leave more of their own players back to keep tabs on them.

One other notable point about Burnley was how dirty a side they were, numerous bad challenges resulted in Rovers players being thrown to the floor, perhaps though, this isn't a bad thing. The way Rovers have been playing thus far under Buckle, keeping the ball on the floor and free-flowing in their movement, is all very well in pre-season but when it comes to the real thing there are teams, especially in League 2, who will do their best to stop this game plan in anyway possible.

Carayol, Swallow and Joe Anyinsah amongst others will no doubt be a target for such treatment, the first was taken out at various points by the Clarets, but, having spent the best part of three seasons in lower league football, he will be used to this. It's not what any fan likes to see but it happens, some managers set their teams up for outright physicality, and this is one style that Rovers will have to deal with at some point during the long, arduous season and the way they hold themselves, both physically and mentally, will determine their success.

The goals on the night came from beanpole forward Harrold in the first half and substitute Eliot Richards in the second, both putting in excellent displays. Harrold gave what was expected of him, showing great strength and aerial ability to hold up and push the ball on, what was also good to see was a will to chase down the odd overhit pass as well as a couple of his own flick-ons. The goal was taken well, it came from a driven Matt Gill corner, and shows that Rovers have the capabilities to score from any situation.

Richards ran his socks off too and scored his goal very coolly, it was his second of the pre-season. Add that to his first league goal, scored against Colchester in the final game of last season, and it seems that the young Welshman is beginning to develop the talent and promise that he showed during his youth career. The experience of Scott McGleish will of course be a great help to the nineteen year old who will be battling for a place in not just the squad but the starting eleven as the season progresses.

All in all it was another excellent performance from the Gas, putting an experienced second tier club to the sword, and shows further promise for the season to come and much of it is down to perfecting the simplicities of the game.

Pre-Season Progress For The Gas

Just six days after their last game at the venue Bristol Rovers returned to Twerton Park for a home-away-from-home game against Scottish Premier League side Inverness Caledonian Thistle, goals from Scott McGleish and debutant Kayne McLaggon twice putting the Gas ahead only for the game to finish level at 2-2 thanks to two Neil Ross goals for Caley.

After three games against non-league opposition full time Inverness proved to be a much stiffer test of the Pirates metal and at times the pressure of their Scottish rivals lead to sticky patches but the game will go down as an overall success for Paul Buckle, some impressive performances coming out of his team.

The best of those players was undoubtedly Mustapha Carayol whose delicious flicks and tricks gave Gasheads something to lick their lips at. The Gambian, signed from Lincoln City this summer, came out and looked supremely confident in his own ability to hustle and harry the Thistle full backs, starting off with an audacious backheel flick down the line that threw off his marker and allowed him to go on a jaunt towards the byline. Similar tricks followed before his impact on the game told, the winger being brought down in the box after a jinking run that saw him beat numerous defenders, giving Scott McGleish a chance to give Rovers the lead, an opportunity he took with aplomb.

It has been a long time since Rovers fans have been able to watch a player who can match blistering pace with enterprising skill and in their quest for League 2 promotion it will be a key attribute to the Pirates team.

Carayol went off at half time, replaced on the left by young forward Kayne McLaggon. Signed this week on a free the former Southampton striker put in a notable performance against hardened opposition, again showing good pace while the goal that he scored came from a fine finish, the tight angle not bewildering the twenty year old, and Buckle was clearly pleased when he spoke to the media after the game.

"I think you saw tonight why we brought him to the club. He's more than capable, though he lost his way at Southampton after an injury. However his goals return for Salisbury last season was good and he will add competition for places up front." Gleamed the Pirates boss.

Indeed, the ex-Salisbury boy proved that he will be challenging for a starting place this season, as he exhibited great strength, holding off his marker a couple of times and instinctively turning inside, seemingly on a sixpence.

McLaggon wasn't the only player to impress in the second period as right back Michael Boateng took to the pitch for the third time this pre-season, putting in what has become a typical display. Previously with Carshalton Athletic Boateng has given an indication of the type of full back Paul Buckle is after, throwing off the defensive shackles of his job and going on a number of marauding forward runs. He played a key part in the second goal scored against Bath City last Friday and once again blazed forward when the situation arose, nearly grabbing another assist when he shrugged off the Inverness left back on the byline before running along it and playing the ball into the middle.

Much of the freedom may have come from the lack of pressure on the youngster as prior to the game he was told by Paul Buckle that he would be offered a deal to stay with Rovers, as the gaffer revealed after the game, saying:"We are going to attack this season and take the game to teams, and he can certainly do that, so he will be joining us and I'm delighted to have him on board."

Boateng will have to battle with Michael Smith for the right back berth and, going on last nights performances, it will be a close contest, Smith starting slowly in the first half when put under pressure from the Inverness front line. Boateng's main job, of course, will be defending and he showed that he is capable in that area too, tackling well, getting himself into the right positions and showing notable aerial poise.

There were some minor faults that came out of the game, Adam Virgo struggled in the first half while his partner in the second, Cian Bolger, looked susceptible to long balls dropped over the back of his shoulder, the first Thistle equaliser came from a route one ball from the goalkeeper. Neither Virgo or Bolger looked comfortable dealing with pace and movement leaving doubts in minds as to whether they would work as a partnership during the competitive season. With the inexperienced Charlie Clough missing the game through injury it may be that Rovers are in the market for one more central defender in order to add depth and cover to their squad.

One of the top performers thus far in pre-season, Ben Swallow, didn't play up to the standards he has set himself, appearing unable to cope with the pace of the game, the Welshman giving away far too much possession with loose passes and dallying while on the ball, Inverness setting out to constantly shut down the Rovers players.

Overall, though, there were more positives than negatives to take out of the game, the Scots proving to be a step up in class after a string of non-league challenges. The proof of the pudding, however, will come on Tuesday when the Gas head back to the Memorial Stadium to play Championship Burnley, a game where you might expect a stronger and more stable starting line up, as Paul Buckle looks to show just how far Rovers have come.

The End Of The Lines

Barring one 45 minute stint there has been one notable absentee from Bristol Rovers pre-season campaign, Chris Lines. Speculation among fans and the press has been ongoing for weeks but now it seems that these rumours have come to fruition as Rovers homegrown midfielder looks set to leave for pastures new.

The club connected with Lines all summer has been Championship Crystal Palace who have ex-Rovers director of football Lennie Lawrence as assistant manager under Dougie Freedman. It now turns out that Lines has spent the week training with the Eagles on their pre-season camp in Exeter and their Scottish boss likes the look of what he has seen, telling This Is Croydon Today, "He hasn't done too badly at all, he's a runner from midfield, a bit like [former Palace midfielder] Neil Danns, and I'm pleased with him so far."

So it seems like the Bristolian may be heading off to London but the big question is 'will he be missed?', on the face of it selling a player who signed a three and a half year contract back in January 2010 to a second tier club would give the impression that, yes, he would be, but it's not quite as simple as that.

When Lines penned that deal a season and a half ago he was on top of the world having had a successful start to the season and he finished it off in much the same vein, last term, however, didn't go quite so well. Although that could be said for much of the squad in what ended up being a relegation season Lines' form tailed off fairly dramatically as he struggled with the role that numerous managers left him fulfilling.

Paul Trollope started playing Lines in a much more reserved guise in central midfield, something that doesn't appear to come naturally to a player who has far more attacking instincts than he has defensive, tackling is not his game and neither does he have any substantial aerial ability, that despite a hefty 6'2" frame. The introduction of Dave Penney did little to turn around fortunes as much of the play began to bypass the midfield who pushed little further up the pitch than they did under Trollope and subsequently Stuart Campbell at the end of the year.

While Paul Buckle has looked to instill an attacking mentality in his charges, possibly suiting Lines better, it begins to look like the 25 year old will not be missed, other options arising under the new manager's stewardship during the pre-season.

Buckle's tactics seem to be based around a 4-2-3-1 formation, the two holding midfield roles not being the places Lines would be at his best, as has already been mentioned, leaving his most productive position being the line of three sat just ahead but there is already a great deal of competition for those spots.

During the half that Lines has played so far this pre-season he looked every bit as anonymous as he did last term, failing to put his stamp on the game against a team who play at the eighth level of English football and since then Rovers have gone on to score ten goals, a number of players taking part in the three attacking midfield places.

Jo Anyinsah has a lot of experience playing in both the wide roles and as a striker, scoring two goals in the two games he has played in, looking threatening throughout, while Chris Zebroski is in much a similar position with the added bonus of being a favourite of Paul Buckle's at Torquay. The former Gulls boss has also shown a lot of faith in Ben Swallow to play across this line with Mustapha Carayol, Charlie Reece and Eliot Richards also having the ability to take up such a task, and that all goes without mentioning Wayne Brown who has by far shown the most promise of all the players to this point and began to overshadow Lines at the back end of the previous season.

It is one of the failings of modern day football, where clubs and their staff have to be looked at in a more business-like manner, but perhaps this is one situation where it makes sense to offload Lines. Palace are thought to be willing to offer a six-figure sum for the midfielder who is likely to be one of the better paid players currently at the club having signed a long term deal while Rovers were still settled in League 1. With chairman Nick Higgs having come out and said that the Gas are no longer big payers it may be that the funds from the sale of Lines would allow Buckle to bring in two or more players to add further depth to his squad.

This isn't all to say that Lines is a bad player, he is a powerful runner who is able to move at pace, has good vision and is one of the cleanest strikers of a football currently in the Rovers squad, making him a specialist from dead ball situations. When given the opportunity to push forward Lines is also a natural goalscorer having put sixteen in the onion bag over the previous two seasons.

He has shown before that he has the talent in League 1, attracting the interest of Southampton in the past, but last season certainly wasn't a vintage year and, perhaps having gone stale with the Pirates, it is time for a new beginning for the Filton College graduate if he is to make the most out of his career.

The Other Side Of Paul Buckle

After the classy display against Mangotsfield on Wednesday Bristol Rovers fans were eager to see how their players would perform against a stiffer set of competitors and with the visit to Bath City on Friday night they were given that very chance.

It wasn't the dominance that was seen in the pre-seasons opening fixture, against a side who had finished 10th in their first year back in the conference last term it was never going to be, but on a pitch more conducive to playing neat, technical passing football fans were sent away with their hopes once again raised after goals in each half from Joe Anyinsah and Wayne Brown gave the Gas a comfortable 2-0 victory over their Conference Premier opposition.

Summer signings Anyinsah, Scott Bevan and Mustapha Carayol got their chances to make an impression on fans as they made their first appearances in Rovers shirts, each of them performing admirably. Admittedly Bevan wasn't fully fit, Lee Brown was handed the goalkick duties while much of the 6'6" goalkeeper's distribution was done from his hands. He did, however, find the composure to make a fine double save as Rovers were slow out of the traps in the first half, getting down twice in quick succession, but the more game time Bevan gets to marshal the selection of defenders in front of him the better, the first half especially saw a back four that many see as the first choice unit for the coming season.

Anyinsah was arguably the player who made the best impact of anyone on the pitch, the ex-Bristol City man getting on the score sheet after rounding his defender before neatly slipping the ball in off the far post with the outside of his right boot. He continued to run and run, as per Paul Buckle's instructions in a system that seems far away from the rigid, defensive formations that were seen under Messrs Trollope, Penney and Campbell, not that it didn't leave Gasheads just as bemused.

When tongues were wagging and rumours were flying about Paul Buckle's purported interest in the Rovers job fans and potential suitors were watching eagerly as his side lined up to face Shrewsbury in their play-off semi-final first leg and they saw a quirky pre-match line up handed in. The announced team included four strikers, namely Chris Zebroski, Gavin Tomlin, Billy Kee and Jake Robinson, as Torquay's attacking force put the Shrews to the sword and tonight in Bath it seemed that the birth of a similarly attacking system was taking place.

In the first half at Twerton Park the unit of four came in the shape of Anyinsah, Zebroski, Scott McGleish and Ben Swallow and each of them performed a variety of roles across the front line in a seemingly free-form formation. Anyinsah began the game partnering McGleish up top with Zebroski on the right, a position from which he got the opening goal, but as the half drew on Anyinsah began to drift out to the left, thus allowing Ben Swallow to play just off Scott McGleish in the centre. That wasn't the end of it though.

The quadruplet continued to chop and change amongst themselves, an act that must have been confusing for the Bath defence, but it wasn't just about their positioning, it was the runs they were making as well. When the ball was coming across the halfway line there were generally two runners looking to put themselves in behind the home back four while one remained short centrally and the other gave a deeper option in a wider position, attempting to pull about the Red Shirts about. It wasn't perfect, this was only the second match of the pre-season so legs were still rusty and the team are yet to gel meaning this system is still in its infancy, but it nonetheless makes for interesting viewing and if everything goes to plan then Rovers will no doubt be one of the teams to watch in League 2.

In the second half the two central midfielders were Stuart Campbell and youth team player Darren Jeffries. With the aging Campbell having been deployed as a battling defensive midfielder in seasons of late and Jeffries inexperienced much of the feeding of the front four slowed down, though their deployment also became rather more static. Mustapha Carayol came onto the left wing at half time and with fifteen minutes to go trialist Andrew Yiadom stepped into the fray on the right, both proving to give great pace as they continually looked to take their full backs on the outside as opposed to cutting inside, a great option to have in the squad should the need for direct attack persist.

Another of the nights top performers was Wayne Brown who played on the right before moving into the centre after the addition of Yiadom, a position from which he was able to pull strings, once again looking dangerous and giving Paul Buckle a conundrum to deal with as he also has a number of other options in both the centre of midfield and out wide. Indeed, one of the keys to Rovers success could lie with the use of the diminutive midfielder who impressed at the back end of last season as well as the start of this.

This game gave fans a look into the other side of Paul Buckle, he has talked the talk with the signings he has made and the interviews he has given but against a team that proved a stern test for Rovers he gave an indication that he may too be able to walk the walk.

The First Impressions Are The Most Important

The summer without football feels like an eternity, last year we had the World Cup to entertain footy fans but this year there has been nothing with such importance. That's why July the 6th was a special day, the pre-season fixtures have started and there's no turning back from here.

And so it began at Cossham Street, Mangotsfield, a squad that was largely unrecognisable from the previous season being displayed over the course of two separate teams in each half and the end result looked just as good on the pitch as it did in Thursday's local newspapers, a 5-1 win thanks to a deflected Lee Brown strike, a cool finish from Scott McGleish, a solid strike from Eliot Richards and a Ben Swallow brace.

The most impressive aspect was the way Paul Buckle had set his team out to play, knocking the ball around with a great deal of comfort, using the wide areas and going at the opposition who failed to cope with the speed of the game. Admittedly there were a few stray passes but this is the squads first game together and they have only been in pre-season training with each other for a week, some even less than that, while the pitch was a typical non-league affair, more akin to the rolling hills of the Quantock's than the bowling greens Buckle would like to see his team playing on, meaning that when they stroll out onto Football League standard pitches their game should come together rather better.

That's not to say the football was dire, it was clearly the makings of some attractive stuff and the players on display proved they are capable of performing with a style and vigour unseen at the Memorial Stadium for a number of years. The stand out performances from the first half came from 37 year old Scott McGleish and central midfielder Craig Stanley.

McGleish threw the doubters off his back as he worked tirelessly and rewarded himself with a goal. Even though he is closer to climbing over the hill than he is to his late twenties McGleish ran with a youthful exuberance and wanted to be involved in everything. What was most noticeable was the fact that the Leyton Orient legend never strayed too far away from the play, always keeping close to the ball where he could feed off of the midfield with his canny runs.

There was also passion on display, a refreshing site for those who have had to watch the likes of Mark Wright and Dominic Blizzard happily take the clubs money. McGleish is not just out for one final payday, he has a hunger for the game which was on display, most notably in the first half when, despite the game being no more than a friendly, the striker reacted to having a header cleared off the line with a brim, Cockney 'F**K OFF'. The goal he scored was a tidy finish, what you would expect from a man with as much experience leading the attack as he has, moving outside the line of the ball and bending it across the keeper with cucumber-like coolness.

The assist on that goal came from Craig Stanley, partnering the rather anonymous Chris Lines in the centre of midfield. Despite not being the tallest of central midfielders Stanley has a bulky frame, broad shoulders and a fair old set of ears to boot. He made this count as he proved to be the battler, getting stuck in with his defensive duties yet also stroking the ball around, building up the play and moving forward towards the Mangotsfield third himself, box-to-box seems a good description of the 5' 8" midfielder on this display.

As the game moved into the second half Rovers took the liberty of making nine changes to their side, goalkeeper Lance Cronin and centre back Charlie Clough the only men to keep their places. Though the attacking instincts of the side were unchanged there was a little less width, Wayne Brown, a central midfielder by trade, playing on the right hand side, a position from which he proved highly dangerous, setting up Ben Swallow's second.

From the second half kick off it looked as though Swallow would be playing on the left but after a couple of weaving runs Paul Buckle appeared to give him more of a free role, allowing him to roam across the front line, popping up on the left, right and centres of midfield and attack, a capacity that he looked to have the utmost pleasure in.

He continued to take on defenders with jinking runs, spread the play and keep his team ticking over, very different to the displays that Gasheads became accustomed too under Paul Trollope, the limiters seemingly being put on the winger under the former gaffer, and he fully deserved the two goals he put way, the first being a tasty left foot curler. Players such as Carayol and Anyinsah may have been brought in above the little Welshman but if he continues in the same vein over the course of pre-season then he will no doubt be a regular starter in the first XI.

Kudos too has to go to the trialists who provided Paul Buckle with some food for thought; Cian Hughton, son of Birmingham manager Chris, and Reggie Lambe who applied themselves to the task at hand and came out with a great deal of admiration heading their way, as did debutant Michael Smith, playing his first game since joining from Ballymena United.

So a great start to the Buckle era, though it will likely remain a forgotten footnote if all things go to plan, but it still made interesting viewing for the crowd of over 1,000, many of whom would have spent the ninety minutes playing who's who with the new faces.