Barton to hold more talks over Rovers job

BRISTOL Rovers should discover within the next 24 hours whether Joey Barton will become their next manager with the former Manchester City and Newcastle United midfielder to hold further talks with club hierarchy.

Bristol Live - our sister website - understands Barton was in Bristol on Tuesday to meet CEO Martyn Starnes, but did not attend the 3-1 victory over Portsmouth at the Memorial Stadium.

The 38-year-old is said to be excited at the potential of Rovers having cut his teeth in League One management with Fleetwood who he left in January having led them to the play-offs last season.

There is an understanding that Rovers are also a step up from Fleetwood in terms of the size of the support and expectation within the city.

However, a major stumbling block, and the issue that could ultimately see the Gas move on to other candidates is concerns over the coaching structure with Barton wanting greater control of day-to-day affairs across the club.

At Fleetwood, he was able to appoint former team-mates and close friends Clint Hill, Andy Mangan and Eddy Jennings on his staff and while there isn’t expected to be a complete overhaul at Rovers, president Wael AlQadi and Starnes are keen to maintain some stability in personnel.

Matters on the pitch have delayed the process slightly with Paul Tisdale’s dismissal last Wednesday then giving way to preparation for a crucial League One relegation battle against Swindon Town.

The postponement of that fixture, and the subsequent drama surrounding the referee’s decision to call it off, with the close proximity of the following game against Portsmouth has meant focus has been mainly on the field. Tuesday’s brilliant 3-1 win over Pompey, under the guidance of director of football Tommy Widdrington, has allowed some breathing space for the club and time to think over the right direction to take as the Gas have moved up to 18th in League One with a trip to Gillingham on the weekend.

There is a sense now that the appointment doesn’t need to be rushed should Rovers continue, as hoped, to move away from the relegation zone. Internally, the belief has always been this is a talented group of players under-performing, and the victory over Pompey vindicated that to an extent, although will also need to be built on. The plan remains for Widdrington to return to his role as director of football but if a consistent run of performances can be produced, the 49-year-old could feasibly take charge until the end of the season.