Joey: I don’t understand why Ehmer was skipper
BRISTOL Rovers manager Joey Barton claims he just cannot understand why Max Ehmer was named captain at the Memorial Stadium and believes the defender has “a lot of work to do” to force his way back into contention.
Ehmer, who was selected as club captain before the start of the season in a vote by the playing squad, has been taken off at half-time in his past two appearances and been replaced by Luke Leahy as the skipper.
The 29-year-old joined Rovers from Gillingham last summer amid great expectation and excitement from supporters, but – in common with several of the club’s additions – he has failed to reach the same performance levels he found at his former club.
The centre-back was replaced at the break against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, with Rovers 2-0 down at Home Park. Ehmer was also removed at the KCOM Stadium earlier this month with the Pirates trailing Hull City.
“You’ve got to earn the trust of your manager and the players you go in the trenches alongside,” Barton said in yesterday’s brutally honest pre-match press conference ahead of tonight’s relegation battle with Swindon Town.
“I felt we were too deep in the first 20 minutes and as the middle centre-back I think you set the line with your voice, communication and intensity.
“To compound that, you only have to watch the second goal back. We never got an inch in their box, every time a striker of ours went in their box he was manhandled, he was man marked and they defended superbly, which is why they get the three points.
“For us, on Saturday, it was either waiting for someone else to do the job or doing half a job or threequarters of a job.
“We can’t have anybody that’s prepared to do half a job of threequarters of a job, we need everybody doing a full job.”
The Rovers boss has crossed paths with Ehmer before. The Germanyborn defender came through the ranks at Queens Park Rangers, where Barton was captain.
“For me, it’s a common theme,” the manager said. “Don’t forget I’ve known Max from when I was at QPR.
“He was training with us when he was 20 and the observations of him from then haven’t changed much to the observations of the player I’ve found now.
“That is worrying in that period of time, seven, eight or nine years, if you’re making the same mistakes.
“I think you can only help yourself. He can only help himself first and foremost before you can help any of your teammates.”
Leahy has now been installed as Rovers’ captain for the rest of the season, and Barton believes Ehmer was not the appropriate choice to wear the armband – though the manager says he is committed to “building him back up”.
“Captain when we came in, and I just don’t understand that,” Barton said of Ehmer.
“How can that be the leader, the person you set out as the head of your organisation, as the head of your troops?
“He’s got a lot of work to do, the boy. We’ve got to build him back up and it’s not straightforward, and, as I say, I can only help people who want to help themselves.
“We’ve got no time for passengers, and as cruel as that may seem, unfortunately this is not a charity.
“This is an elite performing environment that is not elite performing at this moment in time and it’s my job to get it there, I’m a custodian of the building.
“I’m here to do the fans proud, to do the owner proud, to do the city proud, and unfortunately there’s going to be collateral damage along the way.
“If you don’t help yourself, you’re not going to be staying on this ship long. You’re going to be getting thrown overboard.
“I’ve told the boys that. We’ve got no time to waste, because the waste has got us in this situation.
“It’s unfortunately par for the course. If you don’t understand that, you shouldn’t be an elite level sportsman.”