A line from Joey Barton's first press conference as Bristol Rovers manager sticks with me. "I’ve polarised people since I was in high school," he replied when asked about unifying the split opinions of the fanbase after his appointment in February 2021.
These days, success on the pitch has solidified his hero status among some supporters and assuaged the concerns of others, but his statement still rings true in another sense.
Barton has not always meshed with players and other people at this club, nor his previous ones. Most of the squad he inherited in 2021 responded positively to him but there were one or two notable exceptions. And people within the hierarchy of the club who did not fit with the manager have departed.
