The Rovers players reported back for training for the first time this morning ahead of the Stevenage game, with a new management team running the show for an interim period.
With Dean Saunders, Brian Carey and Mal Purchase taking up their new roles at Wolverhampton Wanderers; Brian Flynn and Rob Jones have stepped in to organise the first training session. Brian Flynn met every player as they arrived to have a quick chat with them to explain how the training would go.
Brian Flynn “The show goes on and we find ourselves in a very unique situation with the club losing the manager when we are at top of the league. It’s going to be a good week hopefully ending with a win at Stevenage. I wasn’t surprised about Dean leaving, in football you should never be surprised by anything, but I was delighted to get the call to help Rovers.”
“I was captain here in the 80s and I have always had a soft spot for the club so I’m honoured to step in. I played at Belle Vue with some great lads such as Brian Deane, Mark Samways and Rufus Brevett and have fond memories of my time at the club”
“I have one good thing going for me here, we have a great set of lads and I have a great captain standing with me to help us at this time. Rob is a figure that the players will react to and keep their heads up.”
To start the day Chairman John Ryan addressed the players, management and staff at Cantley Park on how well they had done so far, how the finish line was in sight and he wanted promotion but also the League One Championship. He explained that the show must go on and nothing will change. With a seamless change over being the aim of the board to make sure we continue the path we are on.
This was followed by Rob Jones telling the lads that the game is the same and the target has not moved just a change of manager, which happens all the time in football. So the first training session will follow the same routine as normal.
Then it was out for the first training session - a tough workout overseen by Brian Flynn.