PROMOTION ...IT’S A GAS
Bristol Rovers owner Wael Al-Qadi on the incredible 7-0 result and why he was right to stick with boss Joey Barton
IN the city where they celebrate promotion by climbing traffic lights in full playing kit, Bristol Rovers owner Wael Al-Qadi revealed why he stood by manager Joey Barton.
Following the astonishing seven-goal romp which sealed a place in League One, Al-Qadi has set his heart on the Gas renewing rivalries with Bristol City after 21 years in separate divisions.
The Jordanian banker has pumped around £20million into Rovers, converting debts into shares.
And Al-Qadi joined in the euphoric dressing-room celebrations after the 7-0 rout of Scunthorpe pipped Northampton to automatic promotion on goals scored.
Barton’s first promotion as a boss was an astonishing feat given his team were down in 17th place in January, but Al-Qadi was always prepared to give him time.
“I stood by Joe because he is a born winner,” he said. “I knew he was desperate to succeed, desperate to give our fans a team to make them proud, and I was always prepared to give him time to make that happen.
“The squad he assembled was totally new, and I knew he needed the time to bed them in. Even in the early days, when our results were hitand-miss, I could see glimpses of what he was trying to achieve.
“When we lost 4-1 at Exeter early on and were taught a lesson, I thought, ‘That’s the kind of football I’d love to see at Rovers’ – and within a few months, Joe delivered it.
“I never doubted him because I love a hard worker. We must aim for the Championship and we want to compete at the same level as our neighbours.”
Al-Qadi, whose family founded the Arab Jordan Investment Bank, admitted he “expected” the miracle to happen despite Northampton going 3-0 up inside 22 minutes at Barrow on the last day.
Rovers already needed to close a fivegoal gap on goal difference, but when Barrow pulled a goal back and Aaron Collins – later seen climbing traffic lights in his kit (above) amid the party celebrations – put the Gas 3-0 up early in the second-half, Al-Qadi knew it was on.
He added: “I knew we were going to go for it, and when the third goal went in, I have to admit I was expecting a fourth, a fifth, a sixth... I certainly believe in miracles now.”
Barton, whose season was interrupted by a crown court case where he was cleared of assaulting a fellow manager, even went to church several times a week to seek divine guidance for Rovers’ safe passage into League One.
He said: “I think I can build a proper army here in this city, something that’s not been done at least in the north part of the city before.
“Life is not fantastic for everybody, but if we can be a little bit of an oasis in the middle of the week or on a weekend for people and we can inspire in some way then that’s where football is at its best.”