After a tremendously successful first time at Bristol Rovers from 2014 to 2018, Darrell Clarke has returned to the team. Clarke was fired in December 2018 after Rovers failed to live up to expectations, despite back-to-back promotions and a season of consolidation in League One.
When Clarke first joined the Pirates, he was John Ward’s assistant manager. Ward, like DC today, was in his second tenure as Bristol Rovers’ manager. In March 2014, when the Gas were only three points above the League Two relegation zone, he would take Ward’s position. However, he was unable to stop Bristol Rovers from suffering their first-ever relegation from the English Football League.
Naturally, nobody could have foreseen what would happen next, as Clarke and his brothers would not only get back into the Football League at the first attempt but also accomplish a spectacular double promotion, bringing the Gas back into League One.
After leading Port Vale to the League Two play-offs, Clarke earned his third career promotion. He had an outstanding record at Bristol Rovers. Under Joey Barton, Rovers made their incredible run to automatic promotion the same year.
Not all sunshine and rainbows for Darrell Clarke since leaving Bristol Rovers
The 47-year-old Clarke most recently departed Barnsley following what many considered an unexpected sacking, so his tale hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows. After a slump in play that left them eight points out of the play-off spots by March, the South Yorkshire team was sitting in tenth place in League One. The former Premier League outfit always have high expectations and Clarke would only be in command of the Tykes for nine months before his sacking.
Like with Bristol Rovers, there has been dissatisfaction among supporters regarding the club’s current path, and many believed Clarke’s dismissal was unwarranted. It’s possible that Clarke’s abrupt departure was influenced by his inability to handle that circumstance.
Overseeing Cheltenham Town’s relegation from League One, the man popularly known as DC was also unable to ensure safety for the team, which he later departed to join Barnsley. But he was credited with turning around the team that had had the worst start to a season in EFL history before he was hired. His squad would ultimately miss out on safety by two points after being in the bottom four the whole season.
Darrell Clarke’s ruthless ambition
In 2021, perhaps displaying his ruthless side, Clarke would leave Walsall for Port Vale in a move he would claim gave him the best chance of success. Clarke told his first press conference at Port Vale that the expectations of him didn’t match the resources he was afforded.
Speaking in his first press conference at Vale Park, Clarke spoke of his frustration at his previous club: “It is always a difficult situation when you are leaving good people who were running Walsall. I get out of bed to be successful. That’s what I’m about. I want success, and sometimes you have to take a move that I think gives me a better chance of success.”
He continued: “Walsall was a fantastic club but the financial predicament, losing best players, having to restart but still expecting to finish in the top seven. Well, I apologise but I am not Houdini.”
Clarke left the Saddlers 11th in League One and in a difficult period, having gained only one win from seven. The most concerning thing for the West Midlands side was their defensive form, conceding in 17 straight games prior to Clarke’s departure.
Despite mixed success since leaving Rovers, for a multitude of reasons, his record at the Gas speaks for itself and will give him plenty of room to build his squad his way. His gritty, determined, and winning mentality may have arrived just at the right time for Rovers to be able to move on from such a disappointing season.
There will naturally be those who fear that Clarke could ruin his legacy at Rovers, but in truth it would take some truly crazy circumstances for that scale of success and affection to be undone. Still, it’s right that Gasheads be wary of the overall record, particularly Clarke’s spells at Walsall and Barnsley.
