AL-QADI: I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!
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 sevengoal 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. .
“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 five-goal 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.”