Darrell Clarke details 'massive pull' behind Bristol Rovers return ahead of second Mem spell

Darrell Clarke has conducted his first interview since returning to Bristol Rovers for a second spell as head coach

Daniel Hargraves Bristol Rovers reporter

09:42, 14 May 2025

Bristol Rovers head coach Darrell Clarke pictured during his first spell at the club(Image: Pete Norton/Getty Images)

New Bristol Rovers head coach Darrell Clarke has admitted that his relationship with Gasheads built during his first spell in north Bristol was a “massive pull” when making the decision to return to the Memorial Stadium, while also noting the club’s “massive potential.”

Clarke was confirmed as Rovers’ new head coach last week, two days after the sacking of Inigo Calderon was announced following the Gas’ final League One match of the season at Blackpool with relegation already confirmed – a 4-1 defeat.

Despite dropping into League Two, the mood amongst supporters was lifted when news broke that the fan favourite would be returning to Rovers, six-and-a-half years on from the end of his first spell.

Speaking to club media in his first interview back with the Gas, Clarke said: “It’s great to be back. I’m really pleased. Not a lot has changed at the Mem, if I am being honest with you, but to be back here after such a long time away, I’m really looking forward to it.

“The rapport with the fans was a massive pull for me, but also, it’s still a club with massive potential. If you take away from my previous period here, you’d still look at the club as a very big club in a division that we shouldn’t be in, and where we should be competing is where we need to get back into. So, the pull of that was massive, but certainly, the connection with the supporters was key.

“I’m just really, really pleased. I have been to the training ground this morning. That’s a massive upgrade from what I had last time. Coming back to the Mem, there are not too many familiar faces, to be honest with you, that I’ve seen. I’m meeting a lot of new people, but I still feel the passion in the place initially meeting a lot of the work staff. I’m really looking forward to what we’ve got to do. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I’m really looking forward to getting started.”

Over the course of four-and-a-half years in charge, Clarke led the Gas to back-to-back promotions after being relegated to the National League, before establishing the club’s position in League One with their highest league finish for 25 years – 10th.

Since the end of the 47-year-old’s first spell at Rovers in December 2018, Clarke has managed the likes of Walsall, Port Vale, Cheltenham Town and Barnsley.

With Vale, the returning Gas boss added a third promotion to his managerial CV when winning the League Two play-offs in 2022, while with Cheltenham, Clarke almost led a side who hadn’t scored in their first 10 league games to survival in League One. Even at Barnsley, many supporters have since expressed that he was unfortunate to lose his job after nine months.

Signing a three-year deal at the Mem, the Rovers head coach will have long-term ambitions for guiding the club closer towards its potential, however, the immediate priority will be getting promoted out of League Two as quickly as possible ahead of a campaign back in the fourth tier.

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“I have come back to win,” Clarked declared. “I’ve come to get this club back challenging to try and get into the Championship, albeit we’re going to be starting in League Two. But it’s all gone now. It’s a fresh era. When I decided to come back when the owners were in touch, and Ricky [Martin] got in touch, it was an easy decision for me because the potential is still massively here, but we have to forget the past now.

“We have to move on, and it’s up to us to pick our fans up, and that’s a message I repeated when I took the club into the National League was that it’s now time to get a team of players and a squad of players that the fans can be proud of and build a backroom team as well, which is a formidable backroom team that can bring success to the club because that’s what our supporters deserve.

“I’m not coming back if I’m not hungry. For me, I’ve got unfinished business here. The last year of my time here was very disappointing. I know why it was disappointing, and I held myself responsible for that, but I feel like there is now potential at the club, and I didn’t necessarily have the finances when I was here last time to push on from League One to the Championship. I feel like the owners have backed the managers very well, and for whatever reason, it’s gone wrong and I think I’ll get the backing to be able to kick us on and hopefully get us challenging, eventually, to try and able us to get in the Championship. But it’s not going to be easy.

“There’s going to be a load of speedbumps in the road. We’ve got to get out of League Two first. It’s a hell of a task, and when you’ve been relegated, there’s a hell of a lot of work to be done. But I’m confident in the work, and I’m confident that I’ll be able to get a team out there and a squad of players here next year that do the shirt proud and hopefully have a successful season.”

Darrell Clarke details ‘massive pull’ behind Bristol Rovers return ahead of second Mem spell

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