Bristol Rovers have granted permission for Graham Coughlan to speak to Mansfield Town over their vacant managerial position.
In a statement on the club’s official website, the club said they ‘reluctantly’ allowed Coughlan to speak to the Stags after rejecting two approaches last week.
On the face of it, a move from a side fourth in League One to one struggling at the bottom end of League looks surprising, but Rovers explained their boss was keen to work closer to his family base in Sheffield, around thirty miles from Field Mill.
The news was not unexpected following Coughlan’s post-match comments after he’d just watched his side beat Ipswich at Portman Road in which he said he was assessing his options. News that Mansfield had sacked Johnn Dempster soon broke to spark plenty of social media reaction over the situation.
The announcement split Rovers fans on how genuine the reasons are for Coughlan wanting to leave. Many feel family reasons are just a cover story and the real reasons behind his potential departure is a lack of investment in the club from owner Wael Al-Qadi.
Rumours are also rife that Coughlan is not happy at the prospect of top scorer Jonson Clarke-Harris being sold in the summer, but many fans conclude the potential move shows a distinct lack of ambition from the forty-five-year-old. Others feel whatever the reasons, Coughlan has handled the whole situation with a distinct lack of class.
Here is a selection of responses to the latest statement by Rovers fans on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/pikey_dave/status/1206540502088257538?s=20
https://twitter.com/cmgas53/status/1206539430137335810?s=20
https://twitter.com/JoeDalbs/status/1206537673760018432?s=20
https://twitter.com/adzg85/status/1206541710848856066?s=20
https://twitter.com/GeorgeClements0/status/1206538992285626368?s=20
https://twitter.com/Lees69Tom/status/1206538934211231744?s=20
https://twitter.com/JoanneMcGarry14/status/1206546236238635009?s=20
https://twitter.com/coleb86/status/1206544171206610945?s=20
https://twitter.com/jackmacmichaeI/status/1206541258035990528?s=20
https://twitter.com/TinnerSmith/status/1206540115667038209?s=20
https://twitter.com/TammySZN/status/1206149938931011584?s=20
