In late August, prior to Bristol Rovers’ EFL Trophy game against Cheltenham Town, Wael Al-Qadi was enjoying a pre-match coffee on Gloucester Road when he was approached by a fan. The supporter was moved to thank the Gas owner for his generosity during the pandemic in keeping the club afloat and delivered full confidence in his stewardship of the club, but his warm words came with a catch.
Pointing to a group of fans down the road he was drinking with, he made the point that a number disagreed with him, but he alone could see and recognise what the Jordanian had done and was trying to do in north Bristol.
That exchange very much reflected the discourse throughout 2021, whereby the fanbase was divided not just on the identity of the manager in the dugout but also, by extension, the way the club was being run. And that particular debate was far from binary, carrying a healthy amount of nuance.
There were those who could be both grateful for Wael Al-Qadi’s benevolence but, equally, question an wildly inconsistent managerial trail of Graham Coughlan to Ben Garner to Paul Tisdale to Joey Barton, never mind any personal grievances they may or may not have held with the public reputation of the latter.
This was all, of course, under the umbrella of Rovers plummeting down the league standings and the now infamous Martyn Starnes quote of the wheels not falling off in the wake of Coughlan’s departure to Mansfield in December 2019, only for the car to be on fire, careering down a hill and it being unclear exactly who was at the wheel.
It’s a tale as old as time itself, but when matters on the pitch are positive, in general fans’ focus isn’t on the boardroom and the quality of decisions being made; once that on-field dynamic shifts however, so it does in terms of scrutiny of the hierarchy. It’s just natural logic.
Nine months later Wael Al-Qadi was once again on Gloucester Road, in far less reserved circumstances, as he was universally celebrated by Gasheads in the wake of Bristol Rovers’ quite unbelievable 7-0 triumph over Scunthorpe United, which elevated them into League One.
A season that had begun with shame and discord ended with unfettered jubilation, a wave of joy across one area of the city, made all the more potent by what had preceded it - namely, Rovers’ relegation amid social impact of the pandemic.
It wasn’t the first time Wael Al-Qadi had been treated to such a ride, indeed it was also six years to the day since Lee Brown’s famous tap-in in front of the Thatchers’ Terrace delivered similar scenes. However, while that particular moment had continued a feelgood factor around the club, as it was just three months after the Al-Qadi family had purchased a controlling stake with supporters naturally dreaming of bold ambitions and a bright and wealthy future, it wasn’t necessarily because of their ownership of the club.
It was primarily down to Darrell Clarke’s brilliance and the dressing room he had created, not dissimilar to the dynamic espoused by everyone on Saturday; a brotherhood, a never-say-die team spirit and players whose relationships stretched beyond the confines of training and matchdays. “A special group”.
In reality, while supporters very much felt the new president was a part of the club - and the seeming instant success and his personality in the celebrations helped cement that - it had been achieved not necessarily because of his presence or via his hand, as such.
It was also very much “the family” in charge of the club, with older brother Hani maintaining a constant watchful eye on finances, quite openly devoid of the same passion towards football as Wael.
Which is why, six years on, it must feel a little different: prouder, perhaps even tempered with relief given the financial implications of remaining in League Two but, most of all, fulfilling because this has very much been because of him.
Make no mistake, Barton was 100 per cent his appointment and, at the time, ran contrary to a lot of what people might consider as conventional football wisdom.
With the plug pulled on his previous Garner project in 2021, having effectively gone it alone with that decision, this time around he deferred to Starnes and Tommy Widdrington with Tisdale the apparent common-sense choice; a vastly experienced “coach” who could work within the now-established transfer model and develop players.
Without getting too much into the nitty gritty, that appointment, of course, proved an absolute disaster - far more than Garner - and for all parties concerned. Having felt a sense of betrayal over how catastrophic that decision proved, and far beyond just results on the pitch - the president wanted to go it alone on the next decision, one that would make or break Rovers’ season and potentially beyond, given what was financially at stake.
With all those imposing consequences looming over the club, turning to a figure like Barton seemed, for want of a better world, bonkers; but that perception of what the former Manchester City and Newcastle United was, or at least what everybody thought he was, missed the point, certainly in a football sense.
Rovers were drifting, lacking any sense of discernible identity, they felt flaccid, uninteresting and lacking in any sense of colour. Of course, the absolute fireball that is Joseph Barton wasn’t just about addressing that, given his coaching credentials and contacts, but few ticked those boxes the owner wanted.
There is a point to be made about the flip-flopping in terms of what he desired in the dugout, but it was clear with Garner and Tisdale - and, granted, they were massively hamstrung in this sense by the pandemic and playing matches behind closed doors - but at no stage did they show any kind of bond with the supporters.
The “Ragbag Rovers” tag can be simultaneously a term of endearment and a stick to beat the club with, depending on the context, but it reveals a rebel spirit that lies at the heart of the Gas. They are not the big, shiny corporate beast (relative to Bristol) of their neighbours in the south of the city, nor do they aspire to be. The underdog tag very much suits them and is embraced. That’s perhaps a symptom of the 20-year “gap” but it’s an identity that has subsequently been fostered; unashamedly blue collar and community focused.
Clarke unquestionably got this, Coughlan tried as he might but couldn’t quite penetrate it, for one reason or another, while Garner and Tisdale never came close.
Barton knew exactly what he was doing in his first few weeks of the job, talking about a blue uprising and how the city “could be ours” - that rhetoric spoke exactly into what Wael Al-Qadi wanted from a Rovers manager. Ironically so, he appointed one of the most divisive football men to have ever lived to be a great unifier.
As time has subsequently proved, the decision cost him his working relationship with Starnes and Widdrington with neither understood to have agreed with the appointment, nor as Barton has since intimated were particularly willing and participating colleagues - indeed, before his departure in December, Widdrington and Barton had not conversed in person or on the telephone for several months.
At first, the president probably hoped everybody could just get along but eventually it was clear he would have to choose sides, but to pick the one that had been at the helm as Rovers plummeted into League Two with three wins from nine games, in all competitions, took some stones, even more so when you consider all the other potential red flags - two of which were court cases.
But such was the belief Wael Al-Qadi had in his man - and it’s easy to enjoy the euphoria now, but at the time the consensus externally was one of bewilderment - “what on earth are you doing, Wael?” - and what he believed he could change about the club, there was really only ever one decision he was going to make.
Having built a strong working relationship with Starnes over three-and-half years - affectionately calling him “Marty” and siding strongly with him during the Steve Hamer turmoil - and Widdrington - seen as crucial in formulating a “sustainable” transfer model and giving him increased influence once Garner arrived - they were no longer part of Rovers’ future.
As observers it’s easy to make decisions about who to get rid of and how human beings doing their jobs are somehow disposal commodities that can be removed and replaced at will; granted, football does sometimes feel like that but personal relationships lie at the core of all this and Wael Al-Qadi is not a man who is without loyalty and principles. These seem easy decisions now, but at the time, from a simple human perspective, they were not.
Again, to reinforce the point, that further displays the absolute trust he now placed in what he thought Barton was capable of, backing him with a massive squad overhaul - 17 in and 18 first-teamers out over the summer window - and allowing him the backroom staff he wanted, while sanctioning the departures of some pretty totemic figures at the Gas, such as Lee Mansell and Tom Parinello. Not everybody agreed with it, some still don’t, nor probably ever will, but all his chips were firmly pushed on Barton, and defiantly so. He clearly saw things, others didn’t.
As we now know, as Rovers tumbled into worrying waters in the first three months of the season and Barton tendered his resignation giving Wael Al-Qadi an easy out, he stuck by his man, knowing that turnover of players required time. That decision was also made with the knowledge that a difficult summer was on the horizon should Rovers fail in their quest for an instant return to League One.
That was a sliding doors moment this season, as who knows what sort of coach could have then been pivoted to and what sort of reconstruction of the squad would have taken place amid a frantic battle to survive in League Two and plan for a clean slate in 2022/23.
It wasn’t on the agenda, though, and patience and belief in what was being built reigned, even amidst some pretty grotty performances and results.
It was justified, and then some, by events last Saturday. And although he slightly contradicted himself by calling it a “football miracle” but also stating he never felt it was in doubt, the president would be forgiven for thinking he called this sort of a conclusion to the campaign in October.
Having invested time, money, emotion and so many seismic decisions in the good ship Barton, he had to let it sail for a little longer than eight hugely disruptive months. And what a voyage it’s been with the added bonus of indicating far brighter horizons ahead.
We’ll ditch the naff nautical analogies for now, but what has been achieved was very much celebrated by Barton, his staff and players and while the president atop Alfie Kilgour’s shoulder cradling a bottle of Moretti was “very Wael” as “Gloucester Road called” once again for him, it also represented something very personal that wasn’t perhaps quite there six years ago - victory.
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