IAN holloway Football Rovers fans must give new-look team the time to gel

BE patient Bristol Rovers fans. That’s my message after Graham Coughlan’s new-look team suffered defeat in their opening League One game at Blackpool.

There were five new players in the side, including the goalkeeper and three of the back-four, for what I predicted in last week’s column would be a very tough first fixture.

Blackpool are buzzing, with Simon Grayson back as manager. Fans have been clamouring for season tickets and it was no surprise to see an 11,000plus crowd for last Saturday’s game.

It would have been a tough ask for even a settled Rovers outfit to win. As it was, Ollie Clarke hit a post before the home side had scored and if that had gone in it would have papered over any cracks and settled a group of players still getting to know one another.

Graham said after the game that the team had let down the large contingent of travelling fans. While that was very honest of him, I would have tried to concentrate on the need to bed the newcomers into the team.

He has been very brave in trying to integrate so many signings into the team at once, particularly at the back. But it was something he clearly felt necessary and I have stated before that changes needed to be made.

We lost a very good player in Tom Lockyer, a lad I rated an excellent leader as well as an accomplished defender. Tom Davies has been brought in from Coventry City to replace him alongside Tony Craig.

Goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola, rightback Mark Little, who bears the extra burden of being an ex-Bristol City player, and left-back Luke Leahy must also be given time to build an understanding and play as a unit.

I would want at least a couple of months working with them on the training ground before expecting them to gel fully. Gradually, leaders and talkers develop and communication improves. Craig is a very experienced centre-back, but no matter how long you have been playing it takes a while to form a relationship with new players around you.

As a coach looking to build a new defence in training, you might set up the back-four and keeper to be taken on by six players so they are stretched and need to communicate with one

another to stop goals going in against them.

For example, if the right-back is being attacked by a winger with a fullback looking to overlap, a centre-back has to decide whether to move across in support. If he does, the other defenders have to react so everything is done as a unit.

Then you might put four midfield players in front of the back-line and set up ten players in opposition. As coach, you are involved with the attacking side, too, and can dictate which way the ball is played.

When you play a ball out to the left wing, the right-back should engage the winger, even if another player is looking to overlap, and the other three defenders have to react to provide cover.

If the right-back elects to go with the outside runner, then the other members of the back-line have to respond to that, too. It’s all about getting them to work as one, with the goalkeeper issuing instructions from behind them.

You need to repeat the drill day after day, over and over again, until they become like the clutch and the accelerator on a car, working together.

These are things the fans don’t see. An immense amount of work goes into making a team out of a group of individuals and managers have to be given time to carry it out.

I remain optimistic and excited about the season ahead for Rovers. Sometimes change is a necessity and, looking from the outside at how the team performed last season, I believe that was the case.

What the club don’t need is a kneejerk reaction from supporters if we don’t start well.

Finally, this week, something that puts everything in football into perspective, the death of former Gloucester City player Steve Talboys at the age of just 52.

My dad and Steve’s were great friends and when I had to go round to him and Steve’s mum to offer condolences it was the saddest thing I have ever had to do.

It was heartbreaking because Steve had been a close family friend for many years. To lose him so young was devastating and my heart goes out to his family over their loss.