Failed deadline day transfer and lack of cutting edge - Where it all went wrong for Joey Barton at Bristol Rovers

Bristol Rovers have confirmed that Joey Barton has been sacked by the club, with the Gas currently sitting 16th place in the League One table.

Rovers have picked up just 16 points from a possible 39 this season and are winnless in their last four matches.

The club have confirmed that Barton’s assistant manager, Andy Mangan will take the team, as Northampton Town visit the Mem on the weekend.

With back-to-back league defeats on the road to Oxford United and Burton Albion, there had been a growing pressure and an added expectation for Barton to turn around Rovers’ poor form.

Despite the mediocre start to the season, the 41-year old’s dismissal has come somewhat unexpectedly, off the back off Tuesday evening’s 1-1 draw at home to seventh place Stevenage.

So far this season, injuries have decimated the Gas’ squad, with the likes of Grant Ward, Luke Thomas and Tristan Crama spending sizeable chunks of the campaign sidelined.

The ownership has been insistent that quick progression must be made in order for Rovers to shoot up the league table.

The Gas’ squad has had major investment since Hussain Al-Saeed’s 55% majoirty takeover, with the likes of Connor Taylor, James Wilson, George Friend and Jack Hunt all signing permanent deals in the summer.

The centre forward position has been an area of concern this season, as John Marquis and new signing Chris Martin have scored just three goals between them in the league this term.

However, the nail in the coffin for Barton was the dramatic transfer deadline day saga, where Rovers narrowly missed the signature of former player, Jonson Clarke-Harris from Peterborough United, in what would have been a record transfer fee for the club.

With 33 games left of the League One campaign and a trip by seventh-tier side Whitby Town in the FA Cup next weekend, the Gas have many important fixtures coming up, as they look to fix their poor start to the season.

Fans will be wondering who will take over permanently as first-team boss, as the club will look to dip into the managerial market.

As for Barton, many fans will be want to know if the 41-year old will be taking a break from football, or if he will be positioning himself to take over as manager somewhere else in the football pyramid.