Bristol Rovers’ managerial search has taken another twist following the news that interim boss Andy Mangan is no longer being considered for the permanent role, according to journalist Darren Witcoop.
The 37-year-old has been in temporary charge of the club since the end of last month following the departure of Joey Barton. He oversaw an excellent start to life at the helm and had previously stated that he would be interested in taking on the role on a full-time basis. Speaking prior to the recent international break, the former Wrexham and Fleetwood Town player said;
“I’ve also got loads of respect for Joe (Barton) so for me to say that would be massively disrespectful. It would be difficult for me to say I want the job. It wouldn’t be the right thing to do.
“All I can do is keep winning games of football. If the owners decide they want to give me the job then I’ll be one of the proudest men ever. I would be delighted to take over. All I can keep doing is keep winning games of football. I think you can see the lads are all together so we’ve just got to take it from there.”
The resumption of League One football saw Mangan suffer his first defeat when Derby County emerged with a 2-1 victory at Pride Park at the weekend, and that was followed by a 1-1 draw at the Memorial Stadium against Leyton Orient last night.
According to Witcoop, the Gas have now decided against giving the first team coach a stab at the managerial role and it looks to be a case of back to the drawing board for the third tier club.
Andy Mangan was being considered as a serious option to become Bristol Rovers’ full time manager. Sounds it will no longer be the case. Bit of a mess the whole process but still can’t understand why clubs don’t have plans in place when they make a change. #BRFC #bristolrovers
— Darren Witcoop (@DarrenOWitcoop) November 28, 2023
Former Swansea City boss Garry Monk and ex-Luton Town manager Nathan Jones are both heavily linked to the position, but it looks as if Rovers will head into their FA Cup second round tie with League Two’s Crewe Alexandra on Saturday with Mangan still in charge.
Writer’s View
Bristol Rovers fans will understandably be growing in frustration and it is staggering to think that there was no long-term plan in place when they parted company with Joey Barton last month.
Maybe the board were keen to see how Andy Mangan did as interim manager before making a decision, but the truth is that he has done a stellar job and the Gas are now sitting comfortably in mid-table.
