Joey Barton (Bristol Rovers)
Another manager who has seen his team slip down the table following a strong start to the season. Barton’s Bristol Rovers side started off with three wins in their first six games this season, but since then they have managed to pick up seven wins and find themselves 16th in the third division just two points clear of Karl Robinson’s Oxford side.
The side were relegated to the bottom tier in the 2020/21 season, however, they made their immediate return to the third division, earning promotion in just one season. Barton took over at Rovers before the end of the season which they were relegated and was critical of his players towards the end of that season, stating they were “going down with a whimper” but he managed to inspire the squad to return.
He has also been a manager at the end of controversy, as was much of his playing career, where he was nicknamed football’s bad boy with his antics both on and off the pitch. That seems to be something which has followed him as a manager as well, where recently this season, he was heard confronting Lincoln City players following their 1-1 draw during a BBC Radio Lincolnshire interview with a Lincoln City player after the final whistle.
Many fans will remember this Bristol Rovers season for all the wrong reasons, the lowest point many will say is the FA Cup exit at home to non-league Boreham Wood as they lost 2-0 in their second round tie.
Rovers like Oxford United have not picked up a win in their last five fixtures, the two sides meet this weekend however, and this is a vital fixture for both managers who are desperate for a win right now. Could this weekend be the last for either of these two managers mentioned so far.
