Marcus Stewart appointed to the post of assistant manager
Marcus Stewart has today been appointed to the position of Assistant Manager.
The former Rovers player returned to the club as Development Coach two years ago and will now assist manager Darrell Clarke on a daily basis.
“I feel that I’ve done quite a good job in those two years and helped bring Tom Lockyer and Alefe Santos and produced one or two other players.
“Last season I worked with John Ward and Darrell Clarke and now that John has left Darrell needed someone to work alongside him. He said he wanted me to do that and
I’m very pleased and proud to be given the opportunity.
“We have worked together for a year and I’ve got to know him well in that time. We have similar views on how the game should be played and we both like to play attacking football. He also needs someone to
bounce ideas off and I’ll be happy for him to do that
“At the end of the day he’s the one who has to make the decisions but I think he needs someone around him who will say something different at times and I like to think I will do that.”
Darrell’s coaching team now consists of himself, Marcus, goalkeeping coach
Stuart Naylor, and Steve Yates who will do some coaching alongside his role as kitman.
“We have a hard season ahead of us and we will need to support one another during that time.”
When asked what he sees as the major difference between Development Coach and Assistant Manager, he said; “Obviously my responsibilities are greater and I will be watching a lot more games. That might be for scouting purposes, to enable me to help with the team shape/planning on matchdays, or analysing future opponents.
“Hopefully I can take a little bit of pressure from the manager at times and deal with one or two aspects of his job that he might not have time to do, for example seeing the press might fall into that category.
“However I will still work with the younger lads at the club as they can’t be left to their own devices. They need to be taught things and shown things. They learn in so many different ways and I have a responsibility to them, and all of the other players, to help that process.
“I will still be responsible for organising midweek reserve/development games, though we may not play as many as we did last season because we don’t have as many players on the books.
“As I’ve already said it will be a tough season and it’s vital that we have togetherness in the squad and develop a team spirit.
“The lads who were here last season and are with us again this time around are a good group, and those we have brought in appear to fall into the same category.
“They all have to get to know each other quite quickly and we, as a management team, have to get to know them as well.
“I’m excited by the challenge of this role and want to do my best for this football club and that’s what I’m going to do.
“I’ll be trying my hardest to get this club straight back into the Football League.”