Tisdale turns to his senior pros in bid to revive Rovers’ fortunes
AS the second week of Paul Tisdale’s tenure as Bristol Rovers manager nears its conclusion, his formula to launch the Gas up the table becomes more apparent.
Employed as a manager to bring through young players, Tisdale has for the time put his faith in experience over potential as he vies to steer the Pirates clear of the relegation zone.
The former Exeter City and MK Dons boss has packed his Rovers teams with as much nous as possible with the young squad at his disposal.
The likes of Luke Leahy and Ed Upson, veterans of hundreds of professional games, have been brought in from the cold as Tisdale attempts to steady the ship having inherited a team which had won just three of 11 League One games.
He has also picked his most experienced centre-back pairing, with Max Ehmer and Jack Baldwin playing at the heart of the back four.
“You’re reading into it pretty accurately,” Tisdale replied when I highlighted the trend in his first three selections. “For me it’s about having as few things as possible to judge and senior players make more sensible decisions, and an accumulation of sensible decisions over a period of time gives me less things to talk about.
“Every period of time is different and it’s all about balance, and I’ve had plenty of young defenders who I’ve sold as well. But there always has to be a balance to build a platform for the younger players.
“For example Alfie (Kilgour), I’ve got a lot of optimism for what Alfie will do for the team but at this moment in time Max (Ehmer) and Jack (Baldwin) just give me that starting point I need.
“In weeks to come that may well change but for the moment that’s the way it is.”
That is not the way it always will be, though, and Rovers’ young talents will gradually win the trust of the manager before being given more prominent roles.
It is a method Tisdale has used before. At Exeter, his development of Ollie Watkins, Matt Grimes and others made the headlines, but his teams were bolstered by veteran players. Jamie Cureton, Matt Oakley and Rob Edwards are just a few of senior pros Tisdale embedded in his Grecians sides, bringing valuable knowhow and a platform for younger players to flourish around them.
It correlates with Tisdale’s desire for Rovers to be “business-like”. Yes, the broad strategy is to win games in entertaining fashion with young talents at the fore, but that has to be underpinned by an ability to deliver short-term results.
After all, it is much easier to play with arrogance and vigour when the game is already in your hands, as evidenced by Sunday’s FA Cup win of Darlington.
After grinding out a lead, the bright flair players were afforded the stage to strut their stuff.
Tisdale’s predecessor, Ben Garner, had a different modus operandi, trusting the younger players he signed - Zain Westbrooke, David Tutonda, Cian Harries and others - to play key roles in the present and the future. Tisdale’s initial concern however, with Rovers in the bottom four, is getting the short-term results to give Rovers’ long-term plan any chance of getting off the ground.