Football Time will tell but Gas look to have had good transfer window

It was always expected to be another busy summer at Bristol Rovers - frankly, after relegation to League Two, they couldn’t afford for it not to be.

- Dan HARGRAVES

Even though the Gas acted quickly to bring in Darrell Clarke after sacking Inigo Calderon following the end of last season, Rovers had already confirmed that 15 players would be leaving the football club,more than half the squad.

Director of football Ricky Martin’s arrival in March allowed the Gas’ recruitment chief to get a first hand look at who was already in the building and what needed to change. As well as the 15 players, there were also significant staff changes behind the scenes.

Pretty soon after his arrival, Clarke confirmed he didn’t want to work with a bloated squad and set expectations when discussing the club's financial position.

Last summer, the Rovers hierarchy provided a budget that should really have seen the Pirates, at the least, competing for a top-half finish in League One, if not the top 10. To end up being relegated after such competitive spending, which included the club's highest-ever wage bill, was nothing short of a calamity.

Already, the working relationship between Clarke and Martin has looked stronger and more convincing than it ever did between Matt Taylor and George Friend.

Rebuilding a squad capable of getting back into League One at the first time of asking has undoubtedly been the aim of this summer.

Rovers’ last promotion season proved it isn’t just solely summer business that dictates your chances of going up when they landed the gem that was Elliot Anderson on loan in the January window. However, no club can bank on getting what was essentially a cheat code midway through the season. Getting the summer business right is crucial.