Message from Nick Higgs
I am sure like me you are all still struggling to come to terms with one of the saddest days in the history of Bristol Rovers Football Club and on behalf of the Board of Directors I would like to sincerely apologise for the position we find ourselves in.
We are well aware that radical changes need to be made in the best interests of this football club, and we have already begun the process of reviewing all areas of operations, from top to bottom.
I have had numerous discussions with Darrell and the Board since the final whistle on Saturday, and today marks the start of a series of meetings to take the club forward.
We have to try and keep emotions out of any decisions we make, but of course that will be difficult, as we are hurting as much as you are right now.
Although it is important not to make any knee jerk decisions, we have to act quickly to make sure we can start turning things round as quickly as possible. We know that mistakes have been made at all levels, and we must learn from these going forward.
There are critical decisions that need to be made in the best interests of the club, and we will have to look at the financial implications of relegation as the Football League contribution will be cut.
We will have to review the playing budget and all other costs associated with running the club, but we will be keeping a full time playing and back room set up, and we will still have one of the best budgets in the Conference.
Darrell is determined to bounce back and has some very strong ideas and experience at this level.
We have hit rock bottom, but I can assure you we will fight back. Bristol Rovers is a club with a proud history, and we must make every effort to restore that pride. We must work hard over the coming weeks to make sure we are able to hit the ground running and do our best to bounce back at the earliest opportunity.
We will be making a number of announcements over the next few weeks, so I would ask you to bear with us at this very difficult time. I know you all want answers and actions, and I can assure you that we will be trying our best to get things back on track.
We thank you for your fantastic support and we hope to be able to reward you next season.