Rovers require resilience on and off pitch

If you're of a Sligo Rovers persuasion, and you took a look at the league table on Friday night last after the 2-nil defeat to Derry City, it made for grim reading. But, if you took a look on Sunday evening, after Waterford recorded yet another win, it looked a whole lot worse.

The bare facts now reveal how big a task it is for Rovers to stay in the division beyond the end of this season. Ahead of the final round of fixtures, the Bit O’Red sit rock bottom, six points adrift of in-form Waterford and Drogheda United, the two sides immediately above them.

We’ve seen teams come from worse spots to secure safety. Yet, speaking to those who are in the know locally, they acknowledge the task is an even greater one than the table would suggest.

There has been a sense that Rovers have been treading water a little bit in recent seasons – particularly since 2022, when they had a memorable summer in Europe that included a win over two legs against Motherwell of the Scottish top flight.

The finishes in the past three season have been OK: eighth, sixth and seventh. But, to go beyond the bare facts again, the achievement of staying in the division was becoming more impressive by the season. Indeed, last year, a raft of summer arrivals helped stimulate a necessary upturn in form, yet the battle for survival still went right down to the final day.

Rovers always have to contend with the challenges of their geographic location and attracting talented players to come and live in the north west when Dublin is often a more attractive proposition. That has only become more difficult in recent campaigns for two reasons: one being the absence of European football and the second being the reality of economics.

Wages, post Covid especially, have increased quite dramatically at the upper end of the game here and that means it becomes even more difficult for a fan-owned club like Rovers to do good quality business in the transfer market. Clubs based in Dublin, by virtue of the population on the east coast, have much more readily available resources to tap into.

It’s intriguing to consider John Russell’s period as manager, because there are two very contrasting views out there around his period as boss.

Nationally, the aforementioned league finishes were widely considered to be a success story, for all the reasons listed above. Generally speaking, pundits based in Dublin and around the Pale deemed staying in the league as a decent outcome each season for a club that hasn’t properly competed for title honours in over a decade.

Locally around Sligo, though, the feeling is distinctly cooler. Some, with fresh memories of the heady days of FAI Cup and league success at the start of the last decade, expected more. It was generally felt that European football was a realistic aim and so, when Rovers fell short, it felt to some as something of a disappointment.

Russell’s departure to join Shelbourne last month followed a well-worn path for Sligo Rovers players and managers, where prized assets are lured away to the better resourced clubs in Dublin and behind. Walking the touchline against Ajax at a sold-out Johan Cryuff Arena last week was exactly the sort of occasion Russell would have had in his mind when he made the move to Tolka Park.

Perhaps more significant has been Will Fitzgerald’s departure to join Shamrock Rovers. Again, it’s very hard to argue it isn’t the right move for him right now but, from a club point of view, to lose your best player and captain in the middle of a relegation scrap is the last thing you want. It’s another reminder of where Rovers are in Irish football’s pecking order right now.

All of that being said, there are positives to be gleaned. The appointment of Darren Purse as manager has to be welcomed and, from what we’ve seen and heard thus far, he seems to know what’s required. He hasn’t shied away from the fact that it’s all about survival, but he needs results quickly. His pedigree in the English game – having plied his trade as a player in the Premier League with Birmingham City at one stage – means he knows all about that.

Loan arrivals Jack Shorrock and Trey George can't really afford any lengthy period of acclimatisation as Rovers need them to deliver straight away, especially with two key players, Jad Hakiki and Conor Reynolds, set to miss the remainder of the campaign through injury.

All is not lost, of course, and Rovers could glean some positivity from this weekend's Cup tie with Kerry at the Showgrounds, where a win would send the hosts into the last eight. But, with the club's centenary set to roll around in 2028 and with ambitious plans afoot for a stadium redevelopment, playing top flight football has to be the main priority.

One has to wonder, however, in the longer term, whether Rovers fan-owned model is able to cater to the demands of supporters who still want the club to compete at the upper end of the Irish club game.

Given the money involved now, as admirable and all as Rovers' model is, it's going to become more difficult year-on-year to fundraise to the extent required to keep pace with top Premier Division sides. The club has indicated that there are plans to explore potential outside investment, with chair Tommy Higgins telling April's AGM that the ownership model will be looked at.

While there will understandably be those opposed to such a move, financial realities tend to hit hard. There are also the other aspects to consider, such as the burden being placed on volunteers to run the club along with a small number of paid staff.

While it's easy to get down about future prospects given the state of the current league table, because of the fan-owned nature of the club, Rovers have always shown a resilience that reveals the true soul of the club and its supporters.

Next up in the league is Waterford on Friday week; that's a night Rovers need to draw on that spirit to breathe life back into their league campaign.