Garner admits he faces a big challenge

BEN Garner believes he learned an “enormous amount” from his tenure at Bristol Rovers as he takes the reins at Swindon Town.

The former Rovers manager was confirmed as Swindon’s new boss on Wednesday following a summer of chaos and a takeover at the County Ground.

After a turbulent spell under Lee Power’s ownership, new chairman Clem Morfuni has installed Garner as his head coach, beneath director of football Ben Chorley.

The challenge facing Garner, pictured, is enormous, with just eight senior players reporting for pre-season. Garner and Chorley have been tasked with building a squad in the fortnight which remains until the League Two opener. The 41-year-old won six of 33 games in charge of Rovers before being sacked in November 2020 with the club 18th in League One. The Gas went on to finish bottom, relegated alongside Swindon, with Paul Tisdale and Joey Barton unable to improve their fortunes.

Garner was a rookie in charge of Rovers, but he believes his experiences at the Mem will make him a better manager.

“(I learned) an incredible amount, an enormous amount in a short time,” he said at his first press conference on Thursday.

“I think that experience will stand me in great stead for this role. Also the period of reflection

I’ve had from that will make me a lot stronger for this role now.

“I think I’m a lot better equipped, I’m a lot more certain in what I want to do, and it’s a fantastic opportunity to really build and grow a successful football club.”

Garner is under no illusions regarding the challenge facing Swindon, who are under a transfer embargo and failed to pay wages in full over the summer under Power’s ownership.

He insists, however, that he will remain committed to his desire to play the progressive, possessionbased football he tried to implement at Rovers.

“The situation we’re coming into, we know it’s going to be challenging,” he said. “The priority is to stay in League Two and build from there. I think the most important thing is the supporters have got their football club back and we can rebuild, strengthen and try to become a strong, sustainable football club.

“We know it’s a challenging situation with a league start a couple of weeks away, but that’s a challenge we’re looking forward to and we’re confident.”