Strong starts have not been Bristol Rovers' forte in recent seasons and that theme has continued this year with Joey Barton's side 21st in League One after the opening 10 games.
Wins against Burton Albion and Oxford United gave put Rovers on six points after three matches, but a series of injuries, suspensions and poor performances have followed in the winless seven weeks since. The Gas have eight points on the board and have left themselves with ground to make up in League One.
Statistically, it is the poorest start Rovers have made in any of the five previous campaigns – although the sluggish start to last season can be considered worse due to the weaker opposition in League Two – but this is not entirely unfamiliar territory for the Gas, who have habitually been slow starters in recent years.
Here is how Rovers have shaped up after 10 games over the past five seasons...
2021/22
League position: 20th
Record: 10 points (W3, D1, L6)
The tale of the opening 10 games: Following the relegation to League Two, Barton was bedding in a new team and they did not hit the ground running, losing five of the opening eight games, the last of which saw pressure on the manager peaking.
Following the 3-1 home defeat to Leyton Orient, Barton was the focus of the scrutiny from the terraces and that sausage roll he often refers back to was lobbed in his direction at full time.
A week later, the narrative started to change. Late goals from Connor Taylor and Sion Spence felt like the beginnings of a new era with Rovers beating Walsall 2-1 at the Bescot Stadium. It ended a near-year-long wait for an away win.
A comprehensive defeat to Swindon Town, managed by former Rovers boss Ben Garner, to conclude the opening 10-game block was a reminder that Rovers had a long way to go.
Barton effectively offered his resignation after that game, but Wael Al-Qadi refused and stuck by his man.
How the season ended: As if you needed any reminders, that sluggish start to the season did not last much longer as the Gas picked up big wins in the autumn and they started to find form after the turn of the year. The January transfer window was a huge moment with Elliot Anderson and James Connolly making a massive impact at both ends of the pitch.
They helped power Rovers' surge from the bottom half to the top three in the final weeks of the campaign, finishing in unforgettable style with a 7-0 win over Scunthorpe United to snatch promotion from the grasp of Northampton Town on the final day.
Inspiration enough for Barton not to need to panic yet this time around, although Rovers need to make forward strides as they close in on two months without a win.
2020/21
League position: 15th
Record: 12 points (W3, D3, L4)
The tale of the opening 10 games: Rovers were in woeful form when the previous season was curtailed, but the Gas kept their faith in Garner to rebuild the squad with a new vision of recruiting younger, high-ceiling players.
Considering the upheaval, Garner started relatively well with 11 points from the opening seven games, with impressive away wins at Lincoln City and Shrewsbury Town, but home defeats to Hull City and Peterborough United – plus a scruffy draw at Rochdale in between – followed and the manager was under pressure.
Game management, in particular, was a concern, with points dropped against Burton Albion, Hull and Rochdale from winning positions.
How the season ended: It took just one more game for Garner to lose his job, coincidentally at the hands of current Rovers boss Barton. His Fleetwood Town side romped to a 4-1 win at the Mem, capitalising on a truly abject performance from the Gas. Shortly after completing his post-match media duties, Garner was sacked.
The season spiralled out of control for Rovers, with Paul Tisdale failing to improve their fortunes before his exit in February. Barton was appointed with the Gas hovering ominously above the bottom four and he could not prevent them from slipping beneath the bottom line, finishing the season rock bottom and falling into League Two.
2019/20
League position: 8th
Record: 15 points (W4, D3, L3)
The tale of the opening 10 games: A winless start after three games was a tough start for Graham Coughlan in his first full season in charge, but Rovers would improve and won four of their next seven games, including impressive victories on the road at Lincoln and AFC Wimbledon. Sitting eighth after 10 games, this is the best start Rovers have made in any of the past five seasons.
How the season ended: Things got better before getting dramatically worse. Rovers won five straight league games across November and December to climb into the play-off places, the last of which was a win at Ipswich Town that took them to fourth in the table.
However, at full-time Coughlan gave a bizarre post-match press conference. Rather than focusing on one of Rovers' best league results in recent memory, he said he had "a decision to make" regarding his future at the club. It later emerged he was a contender for the Mansfield Town job and he would depart just a few days later.
Garner replaced him just before Christmas and at half time of his first game on Boxing Day, Rovers were heading second in the table but AFC Wimbledon came from behind to win at the Mem and it it took another 10 games for Garner to get his first win.
Rovers had plunged into the bottom half and who knows where they might have ended up had the season not been curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A win against Sunderland in the final game before the shutdown renewed confidence, but the Gas would finish 14th by the virtue of points per game.
2018/19
League position: 17th
Record: 9 points (W2, D3, L5)
The tale of the opening 10 games: Although they finished comfortable clear of the relegation zone the previous season, the momentum of the Darrell Clarke era was waning and Rovers started poorly in 2018, winning just one of the opening five games.
The victories they picked up against Wycombe Wanderers and Coventry City were the only two they would get on the board by late October with pressure mounting on a manager who had delivered so much for the club.
How the season ended: Clarke would win just two more games before leaving the club in December after a five-game losing streak left them in danger of relegation. Coughlan was named interim manager and impressed enough to get the job on a permanent basis in January 2019.
Rovers were still in danger of the drop but a strong January window – with Jonson Clarke-Harris and Abu Ogogo among the men to join – helped Rovers storm up the table to finish in 15th, well clear of any danger.
2017/18
League position: 16th
Record: 12 points (W4, D0, L6)
The tale of the opening 10 games: It was a tale of feast or famine to start the season for Clarke's Rovers, winning four of the opening 10 and losing the rest.
Defensively, the Gas were struggling, failing to keep a clean sheet until October, but wins over Bury, Fleetwood Town, Walsall and Blackpool meant they were about on par after the opening quarter of the campaign.
How the season ended: Rovers' theme of boom and bust continued all the way to the 24th game of the season when they finally drew a game, sharing the points at Walsall. By the end of the campaign, draws had become something of a speciality, with six in the final 10 games.
That sluggish finish, which included just one win, meant Rovers finished in 13th, 12 points adrift of the top six.
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