Football Rovers boss speaks candidly about club's plight

NIGO Calderon has confessed that when he arrived at Bristol Rovers there "were a lot of bad things" that weren't "football-wise" after the Gas fell to an eighth defeat in nine games against Reading, putting them on the brink of relegation to League Two.

- Dan HARGRAVES

A spirited first hour from Rovers on Saturday afternoon was left unrewarded as the Royals eventually showed their quality, scoring a lovely opening goal which saw any momentum from the hosts evaporate.

After Lewis Wing's opener, Chem Campbell secured the win in added time, putting the Gas even closer to the drop. A Burton Albion victory within their next three matches would seal relegation for the Pirates due to the Brewers' far superior goal difference.

It has not been confirmed at the time of writing whether Rovers will be relegated or not come their final day trip to Blackpool next weekend, but it looks increasingly likely that the Gas will be playing in League Two next season, and Calderon offered honesty in his postmatch press conference.

"I didn't want to say that when I came, but it's true that when I arrived, I felt that there were a lot of bad things that weren't because of the previous manager. I respect him a lot," Calderon told Bristol Live post-match. "But it's true that when I came to the club there were a lot of things that I didn't like. It was not just football-wise. It was more the atmosphere and obviously the bad run.