Mystic Mousse Predicts

No matter how many times fellow fans tell you football is unpredictable we still think we know the game better than anyone else, even The Lord himself.

And so with five games left in Bristol Rovers agonising struggle to avoid the drop down from League 1 I thought I'd take some time to have a go at the BBC predictor for the division, these are my results.

When I started I believed that Plymouth and Swindon were already down so the final two relegation places were going to be filled by two out of Rovers, Tranmere, Dagenham & Redbridge, Notts County and Walsall so those are the sides I began focusing on with the table currently looking like this.

18 Tranmere P40 Pts 46
19 Dagenham P41 Pts 44
20 Walsall P41 Pts 43
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21 Rovers P41 Pts 43
22 County P40 Pts 42
23 Swindon P41 Pts 38

Saturday April 16th

A bad weekend for everyone involved, aside from Tranmere that is. They face a key fixture with Dagenham that could either send the Birkenhead side far away from the pack or see the Daggers move one win away from the fifty point mark. As it goes I thought that Dagenham would come out on top, Saturday saw them secure a simple 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Notts County and on Tuesday they suffered a harrowing 4-3 loss to league leaders Brighton, that result securing the Seagulls promotion.

I also had Rovers down to lose 2-0 to Southampton, and that's probably being kind. Even though the Pirates had been in good form prior to their defeat to Exeter at the weekend the manner of the performances have been none to impressive and they are likely to get punished by a Saints team that threaten from anywhere on the pitch.

Table
18 Dagenham P42 Pts 47 W1-0 Tranmere
19 Tranmere P41 Pts 46 L0-1 Dagenham
20 Walsall P42 Pts 43 L3-1 Brighton
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21 Rovers P42 Pts 43 L0-2 Southampton
22 County P41 Pts 42 L0-1 Bournemouth

Tuesday April 19th

Tranmere are involved in another crunch relegation tussle, this time with Notts County. Martin Allen was recently appointed as gaffer at County, their board getting rid of Paul Ince and taking one last throw of the dice on the Mad Dog. Allen was at Barnet for under a month before taking the County hotseat, winning two and drawing one game to give a side who looked almost dead and buried at the foot of League 2 a fighting chance of staying up and I can see a nine game losing streak coming to an end for his new side, gaining a point in a 1-1 draw, taking them back above the Gas on goal difference.

18 Dagenham P42 Pts 47
19 Tranmere P41 Pts 47 D1-1 Notts County
20 Walsall P42 Pts 43
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21 County P42 Pts 43 D1-1 Tranmere
22 Rovers P42 Pts 43

Friday April 22nd and Saturday April 23rd

Dagenham and Tranmere play Friday and earn a point apiece against Plymouth and Hartlepool respectively. Walsall and County both lose, though the match between Notts and Swindon is one of the most difficult to predict and the win for the Wiltshire side gives them a fighting chance of staying up, making it one of the biggest fixtures of the relegation battle, while Rovers pick up a point that takes them out of the drop zone against Charlton

18 Dagenham P43 Pts 48 D1-1 Plymouth
19 Tranmere P43 Pts 48 D1-1 Hartlepool
20 Rovers P43 Pts 44 D2-2 Charlton
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21 County P43 Pts 43 L2-1 Swindon
22 Walsall P43 Pts 43 L1-0 Sheff Weds

Monday April 25th

Easter Monday sees Rovers pick up a 1-0 victory over an off-colour Bournemouth side, their first win at Dean Court since February 2001. Dagenham and Tranmere both lose but still look fairly safe, both needing a win in one of their last two games to secure League 1 status for another season but County and Walsall look in a bad way after both lose. Swindon must win their last two and hope Rovers fail each time to stay up.

18 Dagenham P44 Pts 48 L3-0 Huddersfield
19 Tranmere P44 Pts 48 L2-1 Exeter
20 Rovers P44 Pts 47 W1-0 Bournemouth
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21 County P44 Pts 44 D0-0 Brentford
22 Walsall P44 Pts 44 D1-1 Oldham

Saturday April 30th

The Gas are still looking over their shoulders after a 2-1 defeat at the hand of Sheffield Wednesday but know that a point against Colchester on the last day would see them stay up. Dagenham claim a hame win against Carlisle to confirm their survival and as Walsall and Notts County also lose Tranmere will definately be a League 1 club next season. Swindon pick up a win over Oldham to move above Walsall.

18 Dagenham P45 Pts 51 W1-0 Carlisle
19 Tranmere P45 Pts 48 L1-0 Leyton Orient
20 Rovers P45 Pts 47 L2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
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21 County P45 Pts 44 L1-0 MK Dons
22 Swindon P45 Pts 44 W1-0 Oldham
23 Walsall P45 Pts 44 L2-1 Charlton

Saturday May 7th

A midweek 4-2 win against Plymouth meant that Southampton had secured promotion to the Championship.

Only one of the three teams on 44 points troubles Rovers, namely Swindon Town whose upturn in fortunes came just too late, Rovers taking the point they need to survive at Colchester to send their barmy army of travelling support home happy, Swindon's joy following their win over Tranmere being shortlived. County and Walsall lose again, not that that would have troubled the gleeful Pirates.

Brighton fail to reach the 100 point mark, finishing on 98 and Bournemouth draw with Rochdale to stay in the final play-off spot.

18 Dagenham P46 Pts 51 L0-2 Peterborough
19 Tranmere P46 Pts 48 L0-1 Swindon
20 Rovers P46 Pts 48 D2-2 Colchester
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21 Swindon P46 Pts 47 W1-0 Tranmere
22 County P46 Pts 44 L0-2 Brighton
23 Walsall P46 Pts 44 L0-1 Southampton

My results will most likely finish way off as some teams will pick up unexpected results that nobody could foresee. The last few seasons have seen teams need at least 50 points to stay up so my view of Swindon ending on 47 is very low. I have also predicted just a single win for Rovers when, in the most likely circumstances, they will need to win at least two more and get a point from somewhere else.

The last day fixtures do Rovers some favours with Dagenham having to face off with Peterborough, Walsall playing Southampton and Notts County up against Brighton in their final games a visit to a Colchester team firmly rooted in a mid-table position doesn't look as bad as it could for the Gas.

Indeed, Rovers final five games aren't as daunting as they looked at the start of the season. Southampton will undoubtedly be tough to beat and a point at St Mary's would be a superb result for a side that look decidedly dodgy, but after that comes Charlton who have dropped to 12th after a poor run and Bournemouth who, as mentioned earlier, are having a dreadful time of late. Sheffield Wednesday have struggled since beating the Gas 6-2 in December and should not be feared in front of a full house for the final game of the season at the Memorial Stadium before the trip to Essex.

Notts County are the team that could cause problems. Under Paul Ince they looked shot of confidence and, falling quickly, dead certs for the drop but Martin Allen will give them one last hope, a boost that could not have come any later and fray the nerves of the teams just above them.

So the key is to not lose heart, anything is possible and this last hour or so spent typing in results and writing up this blog has most likely been wasted, but nevertheless, it's wasted some time before the Tottenham V Real Madrid match this evening, not that that will be able to compare to the last five games of Rovers season.

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."

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.