Rovers boss Trollope set for Daniels verdict by weekend
BRISTOL Rovers boss Paul Trollope was last night still not certain whether or not goalkeeper Luke Daniels will be fit for the start of the season.
The on-loan West Brom goalkeeper suffered a recurrence of a back injury during the warm-up before Rovers faced his parent club at the Memorial Stadium on Saturday and returned to the Hawthorns on Monday to undergo a scan. The results of that scan were returned to Rovers yesterday and the medical teams at both clubs have started discussions to determine the length of time Daniels will need for rehabilitation.
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It is still not certain whether goalkeeper Luke Daniels will be fit for the start of the season
A final decision is expected before the end of the week, so Trollope can begin the search for another goalkeeper on a short-term loan, while Daniels recovers from his complaint.
"We have been in discussions with West Brom about Luke today and they will continue this morning," Trollope said after watching his side play out a goalless draw in a pre-season friendly at Cheltenham last night.
"Luke has had the scan and now we are looking at time-scales of rehabilitation. We need to know for definite very, very soon either way. If he's coming back we need to know so he can work with us again. If he's not, then we will have to move on. We have got some contingency plans if and when required but I don't know if we are going to have to activate them yet.
"I think we will know more in the next 24 hours. It is not an ideal situation for us at the moment. Mike (Green) is our only senior goalkeeper and we would need to start the season with two. We worked long and hard through the summer to secure Luke, so it has been really disappointing."
Rovers struggled to impose themselves on the game during the opening 45 minutes against Mark Yates' League Two side. They did, however, produce an improved display after the break, following a change in formation which saw Wayne Brown play in behind a front two.
"We didn't quite have the zip and the energy to make the system (4-3-3) work in the first half, so we made a change at half-time," said Trollope. "We looked at another plan with Wayne Brown in behind two strikers and it worked well."
5 Comments
by Simple Stan, Stapleton
Thursday, July 29 2010, 5:51PM
“It's back to the back up plan if this back injury has come back to haunt us.”
by filton gas, filton
Thursday, July 29 2010, 4:54PM
“agreed steve this goalkeeping fiasco is a fiasco. i am sick to death of the gas playing second fiddle in the transfer market seems to me the board have a financial problem if they cannot sign key players on a full-time basis i bet the lambert money is now gone”
by steve, bristol
Thursday, July 29 2010, 4:46PM
“typical rovers shambles FOR GOD SAKE GET IT SORTED its been 2 years ongoing as far as the goalkeeping problem . who is in charge at the mem imo its a bunch of comedians”
by ben dover, brockenhurst
Thursday, July 29 2010, 12:27PM
“Why all the secrecy the results of a scan are instant, first it was 24-48 hours now it's by the weekend.why can,t this club tell the truth [just for once]”
by dan, downend
Thursday, July 29 2010, 10:20AM
“Play Brown and drop or sell Lines, the bloke is shocking.”