Darrell Clarke has compared the project at Bristol Rovers to putting together a puzzle ahead of the Gas’ trip to Chesterfield in Sky Bet League Two.
The Pirates travel to the Spireites searching for their first victory of the 2025/26 Sky Bet League Two campaign after three defeats in all competitions. Despite an electric start to the opening day of the campaign, Clarke's men fell to a 1-0 defeat to Harrogate Two before falling to defeats to Fleetwood Town and Cambridge United in the league and Carabao Cup, respectively.
Nevertheless, there have been bright spells in each outing for the Gas, with the Head Coach adamant that brighter times are coming. The trip to Chesterfield will be tough, with Paul Cook's men opening the campaign with back-to-back wins over Barrow and Cheltenham Town without conceding, with the Spireites looking to improve on their play-off semi-final finish last term.
Speaking to the media, Clarke reflected on the challenges of the season so far, the challenge of Chesterfield and his love for the Gasheads.
THE SEASON SO FAR
“I think it’s difficult to look with perspective, but we have to. The best way I can describe things to fans and to people is it’s like a jigsaw puzzle. I’m comfortable with the process of where we need to get to, but within the course of that is a massive jigsaw puzzle, and you’re trying to put all the puzzle pieces together. But while you’re doing that, some of those pieces get removed, and some of those pieces are missing to start off with.
"Nobody wants to work with patience and time in football, I get that, but I think I’ve got the trust of the fanbase that knows I’m going to get it right. But in the course of that, getting all of those pieces of the puzzle together takes a bit of time. Yes, we’re disappointed, we are. Yes, we’re analysing absolutely everything, and yes, I have a clear understanding of where we need to go and where we need to be moving forward.
“I would like to think things will change quickly. I can’t guarantee that, but what I will say is that we will eventually get there. That’s the best way I can describe it, to be honest. I think the first two games of the season, we should have got more out of it, but we didn’t. Then, there comes a little bit of unrest. Tuesday night's game becomes a little bit scattergun.
“You want to look at one or two players that have missed a bit of pre-season and catch some minutes up, but you want a better performance than we produced. So, we have to clear that away now and understand that the next game is the next project, and we’re working away on a tough trip to Chesterfield, and we’re looking for that momentum change.”
THE CHALLENGES
“Someone told me the statistic the other day that ten out of the last 12 teams to be relegated to this division have finished in the bottom half of the table. It’s never easy to turn a losing mentality into a winning mentality because there is a lot of unrest which comes with that.
“There is a lack of trust and connection between the players and the fanbase, and to put into the mix, lads are fitting into the Club as well.
It’s about being controlled and measured. I would like to think that’s what I am with my past experiences in the game, and going into similar situations that I’m going into now. It’s painful and it has been painful, but I still believe there are going to be a lot better times around the corner.”
PLAYERS GIVING EVERYTHING
“Players that won’t be [giving their all], won’t be at the Club for long. The fans know how we work, and you know how I work. I did a talk this morning about resilience. You have to be strong. You have to understand that players who have been at the Club for a period of time have to be able to put on better performances than they have done because the fans will lose patience with them, and I’ll lose patience with them.
“So, you have to show that resilience and that mentality to make sure that they get they get themselves to a level where they are performing at their best, and a lot of that can be in their heads. We have a discussion and a talk about that, and an understanding that new players at the Club, nobody gets off lightly. They understand what the Club is about and learn quickly. I’ve gone through periods in my career where that takes a little bit of time.”
CHESTERFIELD PREVIEW
“I’m looking forward to it, very much so. Paul Cook is a guy that I have got an unbelievable amount of respect for; we go back a long way. We’ve come up against each other a lot of times, and he’s a great footballing guy. We probably speak three or four times a season. He’s got a talented team. Cook is another manager who’s gone back to his club and took a couple of seasons to get out of the National League, which was no mean feat.
“Last season, they just missed out. They will be in the top seven this season. They’ve got good players, a good squad and a good management team, but we’re looking forward to that challenge. With the form we’re in, nobody will probably be expecting us to go and get anything out of the game, but we’ll be going there with a plan and hopefully execute it.”
THE GASHEADS
“The reason I love our fans is that they will say it how it is. We’re living in a very critical world at the moment, but you see when the boys start to up the tempo in the second half, you see the fanbase react in a really positive manner. It might have only been for ten of 15 minutes, but the fans give you every opportunity to be able to perform.
“But they are also going to let you know when they’re not happy. Deal with it. I’ve got to deal with it. I’ve dealt with that for years. Players have got to deal with that because it’s a specific type of player that deals with that and flourishes on it, or there’s a specific type of players that just can’t handle that, but I wouldn’t change what our fans are about.”
