Read the latest from Rovers Chairman Steve Hamer
Good afternoon and we welcome to you all to the Memorial Stadium this evening!Firstly, I would like to say an almighty thank you for the magnificent warm welcome you gave to the Al-Qadi family at the Morecambe game. The tribute was genuine and heartfelt and I know was greatly appreciated.
The potential surrounding the entire Club is vast and, certainly, it was one of the considerations taken into account when a Club acquisition was targeted. However, we all need to be patient and build this Club to where we would all like to see it playing, brick by brick, stage by stage and lay the foundations properly!
Throwing money here there and everywhere isn’t the answer, there are many examples in the football world where that approach has failed miserably.
Some of the headlines attached to the acquisition of the Club were alarming and misleading, the vision of Dwane Sports is percolation, not instant coffee, it tastes much better!
I spent most of last week meeting all of the backroom staff and, on reflection, the Club is very lucky that it finds itself with such a fine assembly of people. The word multi task must have been invented at Bristol Rovers, everybody is willing to turn their hand for whatever reason to help and assist in all areas of the day to day operations of running the Club, long may they all remain with us!
On the playing side, we have played one and lost one, there must be a draw around the corner!
The victory against Morecambe was a great effort by the team, in difficult conditions and of course, the off field distraction of the day before, the team showed great character to come from behind and complete an exhilarating few days in style. Last Saturday at Wycombe Wanderers we didn’t deserve to come away empty handed, sadly, in the Division we find ourselves playing, set piece plays are always goal scoring opportunities from any area of the field and five minutes from the end, this is what undid us.
Finally, I would like to put on record our thanks to past Chairman Nick Higgs and the former Board members for all their efforts in keeping this great Club financially solvent and sticking with it whilst it made it’s brief appearance in the National League.
They also conducted themselves commendably during the acquisition negotiations, no leaks or destabilising misinformation emanated from within to the media which allowed the completion process draw to a successful conclusion.
A Club that has no respect for its past has no future, we must never forget that, it’s now Dwane Sports turn to run with the baton!
See you at the far post
Steve Hamer
Bristol Rovers Chairman