00:00For Bristol Rovers, it has not been the start to the League Two season that they would have wanted under Daryl Clark.
00:09After a summer that promised so much, despite the relegation that they suffered from League One last season,
00:15the incoming arrival of Clark, as well as many new players and his support staff,
00:21suggested that Bristol Rovers were in for a positive season in which they could have seen promotion gained back to England's third tier.
00:29Now, that still remains a possibility, but the start to the season that they've had has not been positive at all,
00:35losing the majority of their matches and only picking up their first point of the season recently in a 0-0 draw at home to Oldham Athletic.
00:44Next up for the gas is Cambridge United at the Memorial Stadium in a repeat of the first round of this season's Carabao Cup earlier this month.
00:53On that occasion, it was Cambridge who won by two goals to nil, with Bristol Rovers therefore probably looking for a bit of revenge in this fixture.
01:02Let's see what Clark had to say ahead of the two sides meeting once again.
01:06Yeah, listen, it's been a manic period.
01:10There's quite a few changes at the training ground, obviously changes in personnel,
01:16a lot of changes in what I want the culture and the environment to be.
01:20But I think testament to the lads really and all the staff, we've got a lot of new staff,
01:25a few new players obviously in the building and it's gone really well on a lot of aspects of that.
01:30So, I've been pretty pleased with the gardens, the environment, shall we say.
01:35So, yeah, plenty of work to keep continuing to that to make sure the non-negotiables are met with the way they do things,
01:42the way they go about our business, but I've been pleased with it.
01:45Yeah, with the culture, is that ongoing, getting it how you like it,
01:48or have you managed to get that sorted from day one, if you like?
01:51Yeah, I think you've got to get lads to understand our own work,
01:57but most of the time when you come into the club, the players have done their own work
02:00on who the manager's coming in.
02:02I've managed a lot of players now in the low leagues of the EFL,
02:06so word quickly gets around what I'm like as a person and how I manage.
02:12So, I think that helps.
02:15So, that straightaway, I think, earns the respect and it also makes sure that we get what we need it to be
02:22without anybody thinking that they're bigger than the football club, shall I say,
02:27and the lads have responded really good with that.
02:31And the squad you have at your disposal now going into that first game,
02:34are you happy with your squad?
02:36You always want more, don't you, as a head coach,
02:38but I think time's going to tell.
02:41What I will say is by the end of the transfer window,
02:43I think we'll be a lot stronger squad than when we started with.
02:46That I can guarantee.
02:48So, these things take a little bit of time, always bits and manoeuvres.
02:54You know, we see how we start the season, a lot of games in August as well.
02:57So, I've said this and I've said this a few times,
03:00I think we'll be player trading right until the last day of the window.
03:04And for me, it's all about coming out of the window a lot stronger than we went into it.
03:09With the course of obviously getting relegated, there has to be a lot of changes.
03:13The financial implications of that has a massive effect as well.
03:16So, we have to work away, control that and try to get a really competitive squad together
03:21by the end of the window.
03:23The easy question to ask you is how many more players would you like to bring into the club?
03:27But you said the word trading there.
03:28Is that kind of part of it?
03:30It might depend on how many players you lose, how many players you bring in.
03:33It is because, no disrespect, relegation comes at cost, doesn't it?
03:38The club lost an awful lot of money over the last couple of years
03:42and we can't sustain that.
03:43So, with that, it has to become where we have to start acting a little bit more sensible
03:47within our means to make sure that we then get the right squad of players as well.
03:52And sometimes you lose one or two players on the way with that,
03:55which I don't have a problem about for me.
03:58It's the nature of how football works.
04:01It's the way the game is.
04:03And, you know, we're probably no different to most.
04:06We'll be player trading all the time.
04:08It won't be fair on players, I'll name them specifically, but you'll have players who are assets.
04:13How much of you is keen to keep those assets and how much of you is thoughtful about the player
04:19they might want to move on and also get a transfer fee for the football club?
04:22Is there a few things to weigh up on that?
04:24In League Two, Richard.
04:25League Two, there it is.
04:26They're all replaceable.
04:28Listen, I manage that, you know, League One, League Two.
04:31I've managed that.
04:31Well, I came to League One now.
04:32Every player is replaceable.
04:34It's how we work and how it is.
04:37You know, the biggest thing is, and trying to get success at football clubs,
04:42is how quickly can you connect to Green?
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