Highlights
- Garry Monk's potential appointment at Bristol Rovers is met with skepticism due to his lack of success in previous roles and three-year absence from management.
- While Monk's attacking style of play could be a benefit, it may also take time to implement effectively, making immediate success uncertain.
- Monk's ability to inspire a strong team mentality and get the best out of attacking players could be beneficial for Bristol Rovers' promotion aspirations, but his similarities to Joey Barton may work against him.
This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Bristol Rovers are eyeing Garry Monk as a potential replacement for Joey Barton.
The Pirates dismissed Barton in October following a run of poor form that saw the club slip into the bottom half of the League One table.
According to Bristol Live, the former Swansea City boss is one of the names most closely linked with potentially taking the reins at Memorial Stadium.
The team currently sits 15th in the standings after earning a 2-1 win over Northampton Town under interim manager Andy Mangan.
The gap to the play-off places is now seven points, with Rovers also having games in hand on their rivals, as they target promotion to the Championship this year.
Would Garry Monk be a good appointment at Bristol Rovers?
Monk has been out of work since departing Sheffield Wednesday in 2020.
Here we ask our FLW writers their verdict on whether he’d make a good appointment for Bristol Rovers…
Declan Harte
Monk’s been out of work for three years now, having been unable to find a role since his poor spell at Sheffield Wednesday.
This would be an underwhelming appointment for Rovers if promotion to the Championship is their aim for this campaign.
Monk’s time as a coach has failed to deliver any particular standout long-term results, with his previous times in charge of teams not lasting long either.
That he has been out of the game for so long should also be a warning sign, as there is a reason why other teams have been unwilling to hire him over the last three years.
That isn’t to say he can’t ever succeed as a manager, and maybe he has learned a lot about coaching during his time away from football, but it would be a big risk to take that gamble now.
While it is likely that he will look to implement an attacking style of play, which might be an enticing prospect, that could also take time to work well.
Rovers should be looking for someone that is a greater guarantee of immediate success if they are to fight for a top six spot this year.
Ned Holmes
Going for a manager who has been out of work for three years is something of a risk and it's a mark against Garry Monk that he's been unable to sustain success in any of his previous jobs but I can see the benefits of Bristol Rovers appointing him.
The Gas have got plenty of quality in forward areas and Monk has proven in the past that he is capable of getting the best out of attacking players by employing a front-foot style.
Not only that, he's the sort of character that is capable of inspiring an 'us against the world' mentality, which could be just what Rovers need to launch a promotion challenge in what is left of 2023/24.
The obvious point here is that those two characteristics make him fairly similar to Joey Barton, who has only recently departed the Memorial Stadium.
Given the intense character Barton is, it would be no surprise if the Rovers ownership wanted to move in a different direction and that might mean Monk misses out.