By sticking to his beliefs, Ben is starting to prove people wrong as Rovers boss
WELL done to Ben Garner and his Bristol Rovers team for a terrific run of results since the beginning of the month.
Ten points from a possible 12 is a great return, particularly when you consider the opposition, and suggests the manager now his own squad in place with players who understand the type of football he wants to play.
When I saw the result of the game against Northampton Town, managed by my old mate Keith Curle, nearly three weeks ago, I was impressed. They beat my Grimsby Towm team 3-0 last February and went on to win promotion, so I knew them to be a strong side. To win 2-0 against them was a really good effort by the Rovers lads and they have certainly built on it since.
Lincoln City have been flying since the start of the season, so to win there, inflicting their only league defeat so far, must have further boosted confidence, and a second away success of the month at Shrewsbury Town, never an easy place to visit, quickly made up for any disappointment over the loss of two home points against Burton Albion.
Some supporters might say it’s about time they had something to cheer. But I know from experience how hard it can be for a manager in his first job with a league club.
You have no track record with which to gain the immediate respect of the squad, particularly the senior professionals.
Nowadays, when I start out at a new club, some of the players are even in awe of me because I have won promotions and managed in the Premier League. But that was certainly not the case when I first took charge at Rovers. Seasoned pros can smell bull**** a mile off and you have to adopt the right approach to earn their respect.
It’s no use barking orders at them or being the great I am. You have to get your ideas across in a manner that emphasises they will be for the good of the team, not yourself.
When things go wrong from the start, you question yourself every day. I did that as Rovers boss and you have to be strong to stick to your beliefs when the flak starts flying.
Fortunately, Ben is a guy who exudes confidence in everything he does and I am sure that helped him during any times of self-doubt.
It was one of the qualities that persuaded me to promote him from Under-18 to first-team coach shortly after I became Crystal Palace manager in 2012. My predecessor there, Dougie Freedman, took three of the coaching staff with him when he moved to Bolton Wanderers and another two followed a couple of weeks later, having helped me settle in.
I had to act quickly to get replacements and thought I would start by looking inside the club at the remaining coaches. When I saw Ben working with the Under-18s. I was immediately grabbed by his enthusiasm and the simplicity with the way he taught the basics of the game.
He was brilliant at interacting with people, which made me identify him as a future manager in the making, and he justified my faith in him as a coach by playing a big part in helping Palace win promotion to the Premier League in 2013.
When my old Rovers team-mate Tony Pulis replaced me as Palace manager, he was so impressed by
Ben’s ability that he appointed him first-team coach when he moved to his next club, West Bromwich Albion.
I lost touch with Ben then. But when I saw his name linked with the Rovers job, I was happy, even though a lot of supporters were urging me to apply and wanted a more experienced manager to replace Graham Coughlan.
I thought then, as I do now, that Ben was a very astute choice by the board. But Rovers are a big club at which to cut your managerial teeth and he inherited problems that were not obvious at the time.
For one thing, the team had probably over-achieved in being as high as fourth in League One when Graham announced his shock decision to join Mansfield Town.
There were already suggestions that top scorer Jonson Clarke-Harris would have to be sold to aid ailing finances and his goals had played a massive part in taking the team to where they were in the table.
Other players were unsettled, Ben also had to cope with a family illness that forced him to spend time away from the club, and then along came Covid-19 to end the campaign after he had been in charge for less than 20 games.
Now is the time to start judging him on his signings and the style of football he advocates. - and the signs can only be described as encouraging.
The break caused by Covid-19 saw a large turnover of players fat the Memorial Stadium or the second successive summer. But one benefit of the pandemic for Ben was that the late start to the season gave him more chance to work with his new signings.
It was not a bad time to be putting a new team together because when league fixtures got underway even the most settled of sides were out of practice.
Consequently, we have seen some strange results in all divisions, with any club being capable of beating another on a given day.
The tables are still sorting themselves out and I see no reason why Rovers cannot have a successful season.
Replacing Clarke-Harris following his summer move to Peterborough United was always going to be tough. But reports I hear suggest that Brandon Hanlan is proving a handful up front and may be just the guy.
I hope people who gave Ben some early stick will now allow him more time to change their minds. As a Rovers fan myself, I believe in him. And never forget that the word ‘ supporter’ means just that, someone who gets firmly behind the club and the manager in good times and bad.