Western Daily Press (Saturday)
I’m taking it one game at a time – Mangan
BRISTOL Rovers caretaker boss Andy Mangan says he has not been updated on when the club may confirm a replacement for previous manager Joey Barton.
Mangan, 37, was put in interim charge following Barton’s dismissal last week, with his first game a win, beating Northampton 2-1 at the Memorial Stadium last Saturday.
The former Forest Green striker will remain in the dugout for this afternoon’s FA Cup first round tie at home to minnows Whitby as well as, barring a swift advancement in the pursuit of a new manager, Tuesday’s League One trip to Reading.
Speaking to the media ahead of the Whitby clash, the interim boss was asked if things were “getting back to normal”. He said: “I think they are. A win does that, to be honest. I think the players have settled down now. They understand that they need to perform, but I thought the lads dealt with the shock superbly and professionally. To get a win on Saturday meant the world.
“All I can do is prepare the team as best as I can. We’re in the business of making players better. The win on Saturday gave everyone an awful lot of confidence. We’ve prepared superbly this week and we move into the FA Cup this week, which is an exciting time for the club.”
When asked if he would like to be in contention for the job, Mangan added: “I think that would be massively disrespectful to answer that question. I think that’s something that will come with time. If we keep winning then who knows?
“All I can do is prepare the team as best I can, make sure we’re playing the right brand of football. We can only go one game at a time and
Saturday is my sole focus. You have to move pretty fast in football.
“No greys (hairs) yet but I did lose sleep last week as you can imagine with everything that happened but no, it’s exciting isn’t it? To be honest, I’ve dedicated my life for the last two-and-a-half years, three years nearly, to help Bristol Rovers in every facet of the club, as well as Joe.
“Nothing changes there. We want the club to be amazing, we want to win every game, we want to play the right football. I think everyone understands that.”
Rovers have been plagued by injuries for most of the campaign so far but have recently been able to welcome back George Friend, John Marquis, Tristan Crama and Luke Thomas and could have more returnees in the near future.
Currently, James Wilson (knee), Luke McCormick (ankle), Jack Hunt (unknown) and Jordan Rossiter (knee) are sidelined, with Ryan Woods set to serve the final game of his three-match suspension after picking up a red card in the 4-1 defeat at Burton Albion.
“There will be a few back this weekend,” the caretaker manager declared. “I don’t think we’re that far away in terms of the injuries. The lads have done really well. Some of them are ahead of schedule and then that will be on us to manage them correctly so that they come back in and don’t get injured again. Real good signs in terms of the squad, as you know we’ve got a really good squad, and they should all be fit by the end of next week.”
Supporters have been quick to remind others on social media of the club’s recent poor record against non-League sides, most recently losing 2-0 to Boreham Wood in the second round last season. However, Mangan has hailed the FA Cup and highlighted how big of an occasion it will be for Whitby, who are in the first round for the first time in 20 years, demanding that his players avoid an upset.
“Whitby are a good side,” the 37-year-old admitted. “They’ve got a couple of games in hand in their league. They’ve scored in every game so far. They’re managed by really good people. It’ll be a tough test. There’s a reason why there’s such thing as an FA Cup upset and when you play teams a few levels down you have to make sure you’re professional as ever.
“It’s another three-game week. It’s another challenge, not only for ourselves with the types of sessions that we want to do but for the sports science department as well.
“It’s football. That’s why we do it. We love it. Three game weeks are fantastic because you can do exactly what you want to do. Players want to play. Then you just have to make sure that you’re recovering in between the games. You ask players, and they always want to play football games.”