Widdrington hits out at Holloway

I’ve never told a manager how to pick a team, insists Rovers director of football

BRISTOL Rovers caretaker boss Tommy Widdrington has said claims made about his work behind the scenes at the club by Ian Holloway are “nonsensical”.

Speaking to Bristol Live, the sister website of the Daily Press, Rovers legend Holloway suggested that Widdrington, the club’s director of football, had a say in team selection.

Ahead of today’s game against Swindon, however, Widdrington said there was no truth in those claims.

“Ask Ian Holloway, because he seems to know,” the 49-year-old replied when asked whether he had picked the team.

“I’ve never told a manager how to pick a team. I don’t know how Ian Holloway would have that knowledge and I don’t know who’s told him, but it isn’t me and I’m sure it wasn’t Paul (Tisdale) and it definitely wasn’t Ben (Garner). From that point of view, that is absolutely nonsensical.”

Widdrington, right, has stepped into the breach following the sacking of a manager for the second time this season and will take charge of Rovers’ crunch League One clash with Swindon. He previously oversaw the 4-3 win over Chelsea’s Under-21s in the EFL Trophy after Garner’s exit in November.

Three months on, Widdrington’s popularity among the fanbase has waned significantly with many critical of his role in assembling a squad which has fallen well short of expectations and is now locked in a relegation battle.

Widdrington, however, defended his work at yesterday’s pre-match press conference.

“All I can say is that every fibre of me wants to do well for this football

club,” he said. “It’s inherent in me as a person. I was a winner as a player, I was a winner as a coach, I was a winner as a manager and I’m the same in this.

“Have they (the players) underperformed? Of course they have. I’m not beating about the bush.

“Was the recruitment process correct? Absolutely. Has each manager got 80 per cent of what they asked for? Yes they have.

“There’s your answer to my recruitment. It’s not me picking the players, it’s not me picking the team, other than tomorrow. I can’t make it any clearer than that.

“Fans are entitled to criticise. They’re fans. They’re here before, during and after the vast majority of the people that work at a football club, because it’s not just the current generation. It’s the before, the now and the after.

“My family is the same. They have black and white blood running through them. They are Toon Army fans.

“I’m working for Bristol Rovers and I’m as passionate about this as I am about that, trust me.”

Regarding the appointment of a new manager, Widdrington added: “I know what my job is, I know what my role is. The club have told me what my role is. I will be in charge until the next person is put in situ. When that is, I can’t answer that question.”

The betting markets continue to fluctuate around the leading candidates with Widdrington, having been favourite in the aftermath of Tisdale’s exit, now drifting out to 14/1.

Ex-Fleetwood boss Joey Barton is now considered a short 1/8 to take over at Rovers, but that was less than 24 hours after the man now priced second favourite, Byron Anthony (7/1) was in similar territory.

Barton departed League One Fleetwood in January.