Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton won’t be conducting any further contract discussions with the members of his squad whose deals are expiring until the Gas have mathematically secured their League One status for next season.
Rovers lie 15th in the standings on 45 points, 10 clear of the bottom four with nine games remaining across what proves to be a frantic and intense conclusion to the 2022/23 campaign. Barton has previously targeted 52 points as the total which will enable the Gas to be safe from relegation but, in truth, the final number could prove to be a lot less.
It leaves seven first-team players in a state of limbo as they become free agents at the end of June but need to see how the season plays out before being in a position to receive further clarity on their future, whether that be in BS7 or elsewhere.
Of that group, Harry Anderson, Grant Ward and Paul Coutts have all been regular starters this season, Glenn Whelan, Anssi Jaakkola and Calum MacDonald have fulfilled squad roles, with the former two also operating as coaches, while Josh Grant has been out since August due to a long-standing knee injury however, if fit, undoubtedly would have been a key first-team player.
Injuries have also curtailed the campaigns of Anderson and Coutts with the former now back in training after six weeks out having undergone groin surgery but the latter ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee issue.
Various cases can be made for retaining or releasing each of the seven, but from a strategic recruitment point of view, to allow that number of players to leave on top of the five loanees who will return to their respective clubs, would create a huge void in the squad and lead to another summer whereby double-figure signings are required and all the complications and pressures that brings.
But all that has to be put on hold before the manager knows which division Rovers will be playing in and therefore what sort of a market he and the club can be operating in, both in terms of signing options and contract leverage.
“We’ve got a lot of lads whose future is, ‘where is my next pay packet coming from after July?’ I’ve got to give them the answer to that; is it going to be here, there might be something there and there might not be. Until I know where we’re going it’s foolish of me to try and give them reassurance,” Barton said.
“As it was, I’ve said we’ll leave it until the job is done, once the job is done and we know we’re in League One next year and know the state-of-play, I think it’s sensible to have those conversations.
“At this moment in time, all focus has got to be beating Charlton on Friday and picking up 7, 9, 10, 12 points or whatever to make sure we’re a League One side come August.”
While there’s nothing to suggest the above isn’t the case, there seems to be an element of a tactical play by the manager given the state of Rovers’ season and the fear that it could fizzle out even if the manager is sounding the alarm about the possibility of relegation.
There is a natural sense of competition within each player, and not one wants to lose a game, but with six of their remaining nine games against promotion-hunting sides, those opposing teams simply have more to play for in a very obvious sense.
But by creating an air of uncertainty and the need for individuals to continue to prove themselves, whether on a matchday or on the training ground, it removes any feelings of comfort that may be creeping in, giving targets beyond the need to secure three points.
“Coming to the end of the season and contracts, it does focus the lads’ minds,” Barton added. “I always think you’re proving yourself. We’ve got lads who are in a situation where their contracts run out. I think it’s stupid of me to start renegotiating what league we are going to be in.
“I think once that’s confirmed, you go, ‘okay, we’ll know where we are’ and these are the building blocks we need to put into place. As the window opens and you get into the off-season and then next season, I think that’s when your plans start to take place.
“But at this moment we haven’t finished the job. There are a lot of tiles that we need on, but also there are still holes in the ceiling. We’ve also realised there’s no given - we’ve played a lot of the bottom teams and had poor results against them.
"There’s no game or easy game that is going to be handed to us, so we’ve got to go out there and get those points to get us our League One status for next year. We’ve got to show that as a group, but also myself and the coaching staff.”
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