Football Rovers’ epic promotion represents a very personal victory for club owner Wael
IN late August, prior to Bristol Rovers’ EFL Trophy game against Cheltenham Town, Wael Al-Qadi was enjoying a prematch coffee on Gloucester Road when he was approached by a fan.
The supporter thanked the Gas owner for his generosity during the pandemic in keeping the club afloat and delivered full confidence in his stewardship, but his warm words came with a catch.
Pointing to a group of fans down the road he was drinking with, he made the point that several disagreed with him, but he alone could see what the Jordanian had done and was trying to do in north Bristol.
That exchange reflected the discourse throughout 2021, whereby the fanbase was divided not just on the identity of the manager but also, by extension, the way the club was being run. There were those who could be both grateful for AlQadi’s benevolence but, equally, question a wildly inconsistent managerial trail of Graham Coughlan to Ben Garner to Paul Tisdale to Joey Barton.
This was all, of course, under the umbrella of Rovers plummeting down the league standings.
It’s a tale as old as time itself, but when matters on the pitch are positive, fans generlly don’t focus on the boardroom; once that on-field dynamic shifts however, so does scrutiny of the hierarchy. It’s just natural logic.
Nine months later, Al-Qadi was again on Gloucester Road, in far less reserved circumstances, as he was celebrated by Gasheads in the wake of Rovers’ quite unbelievable 7-0 triumph over Scunthorpe United, which elevated them into League One.
A season that had begun with shame and discord ended with unfettered jubilation, made all the more potent by what had preceded it - namely, Rovers’ relegation amid the social impact of the pandemic.
It wasn’t the first time Al-Qadi had been treated to such a ride, indeed it was also six years to the day since Lee Brown’s famous goal in front of the Thatchers’ Terrace delivered similar scenes.
However, while that moment had maintained a feelgood factor at the club, as it was only three months after the Al-Qadi family had purchased a controlling stake and supporters were dreaming of a bright future, it wasn’t necessarily because of their ownership.
It was primarily down to Darrell Clarke’s brilliance and the dressing room he had created; a brotherhood with a never-say-die team spirit. “A special group”.
In reality, while supporters felt the new president was a part of the
club - and the seeming instant success and his personality in the celebrations helped cement that - it had been achieved not necessarily because of his presence.
It was also very much “the family” in charge of the club back then. Older brother Hani, who maintained a constant eye on finances, was quite openly devoid of Wael’s passion for football.
Which is why, six years on, it must feel a little different: prouder, perhaps even tempered with relief given the financial implications of remaining in League Two but, most of all, fulfilling because this has very much been because of him.
Make no mistake, Barton was 100 per cent his appointment and, at the time, ran contrary to what many might consider conventional football wisdom.
With the plug pulled on his previous Garner project in 2021, having effectively gone it alone with that decision, next time around he deferred to Martyn Starnes and Tommy Widdrington with Tisdale the apparent commonsense choice; an experienced “coach” who could work within the nowestablished transfer model and develop players.
That appointment, of course, proved a disaster - far more than Garner’s. Having felt a sense of betrayal over how catastrophic that decision proved, the president wanted to go it alone on the next decision, one that would make or break Rovers’ season and potentially beyond, given what was financially at stake.
With those consequences looming over the club, turning to a figure
like Barton seemed, for want of a better world, bonkers; but that perception of who the former Manchester City and Newcastle United star was, or at least who everybody thought he was, missed the point, certainly in a football sense.
Rovers were drifting, lacking any sense of discernible identity. Of course, the absolute fireball that is Joseph Barton wasn’t just about addressing that, given his coaching credentials and contacts, but few others ticked the boxes for the owner.
Garner and Tisdale were massively hamstrung by the pandemic and playing matches behind closed doors - but at no stage did they show any kind of bond with the supporters.
The ‘Ragbag Rovers’ tag can be a term of endearment and a stick to beat the club with, depending on the context, but it reveals a rebel spirit that lies at the heart of the Gas. They are not the big, shiny corporate beast (relatively speaking) of their neighbours in the south of the city, nor do they aspire to be. The underdog tag very much suits them and is embraced. Unashamedly blue collar and community focused.
Clarke unquestionably got this, Coughlan tried, while Garner and Tisdale never came close.
Barton knew exactly what he was doing in his first weeks in the job, talking about a blue uprising and how the city “could be ours” - that was exactly what Al-Qadi wanted from a Rovers manager.
As time has subsequently proved, the decision cost Al-Qadi his working relationship with Starnes and Widdrington with neither understood to have agreed with the appointment. Barton has since intimated neither were particularly willing colleagues - indeed, before his departure in December, Widdrington and Barton had not conversed for several months.
At first, the president probably hoped everybody could just get along but eventually it was clear he would have to choose sides.
To pick Barton, who had been at the helm as Rovers plummeted into League Two with three wins from nine games, in all competitions, took courage, even more so when you consider the other potential red flags - two of which were court cases.
It’s easy to enjoy the euphoria now, but at the time the consensus externally was one of bewilderment.
Al-Qadi had built a strong working relationship with Starnes over three-and-half years - affectionately calling him “Marty” and siding strongly with him during the Steve Hamer turmoil. Widdrington was seen as crucial in formulating a “sustainable” transfer model.
They were no longer part of Rovers’ future. Al-Qadi is not a man who is without loyalty. These might seem easy decisions now, but at the time, from a human perspective, they were not.
Another display of the absolute trust he placed in Barton was backing him with a massive squad overhaul - 17 in and 18 first-teamers out over the summer window. He allowed him the backroom staff he wanted, while sanctioning the departures of some pretty totemic figures at the Gas, such as Lee Mansell and Tom Parinello.
As Rovers tumbled into worrying waters in the first three months of the season and Barton offered his resignation, Al-Qadi stuck by his man, knowing that turnover of players required time. That decision was also made knowing a difficult summer loomed should Rovers fail to secure an instant return to League One.
If Barton had gone, who knows what sort of coach could have then brought in amid a frantic battle to survive in League Two and plan for a clean slate in 2022-23.
It wasn’t on the agenda, though, and belief in what was being built reigned, even amidst some pretty grotty performances and results.
Ultimately it was justified, and then some, by events last Saturday. What has been achieved was very much celebrated by Barton, his staff and players and while the president atop Alfie Kilgour’s shoulder cradling a bottle of Moretti was “very Wael” as “Gloucester Road called” once again for him, it also represented something very personal that wasn’t perhaps quite there six years ago - victory.
These might seem easy decisions now, but at the time... they were not