harrybuckle
Always look on the bright side
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 5,430 
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Post by harrybuckle on Jan 11, 2024 18:21:49 GMT
James has left the building to join Hartogate after 80 appearances for the Gas.
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Post by rideintothesun on Jan 11, 2024 18:31:49 GMT
Good luck James - many similarities to Steve Phillips, who excelled in the 4th division and was one of the key players in our promotion. However, struggled to a degree in the division above and was moved on after supposedly becoming 'difficult' before being replaced by various loan keepers who, in my view, weren't a massive improvement on a loyal club servant. Phillips, like Belshaw, was also excellent on loan at a 4th division club (Crewe).
Of the two, Phillips was however the better goalkeeper. Outstanding shot stopper and presence who, with improved cross-handling capability, would have been a championship keeper. His unconcealed loathing of the s*it and Gary Johnson of course further recommended him.
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dido
Predictions League
Peter Aitken
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 1,883
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Post by dido on Jan 11, 2024 19:25:23 GMT
James has left the building to join Hartogate after 80 appearances for the Gas. Did you not see the 11 games he played in to make his total 91? |
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Jan 11, 2024 20:08:51 GMT
Good luck Belly. In my opinion a better keeper than Phillips which is a compliment. Not sure growing someone else’s goalie is a sensible strategy and not convinced our own keepers are yet as good. Wonder if we have any realistic chance of signing Cox or have someone else lined up which would explain this. Can’t think he has any beef with Taylor so maybe he has run over the cat of someone else at the club?
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bluetornados
Predictions League
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 12,582
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Post by bluetornados on Jan 11, 2024 20:23:04 GMT
Bristol Rovers say goodbye to 'club legend' as fan favourite departs with the Gas' best wishes..by Daniel Hargraves.
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Bristol Rovers goalkeeper James Belshaw has seen his loan deal at Harrogate Town become permanentBristol Rovers have confirmed that goalkeeper and fan favourite James Belshaw has departed the club on a permanent basis for League Two Harrogate Town where he had previously been on loan and from whom he joined the Gas in 2021. Belshaw joined Rovers from Harrogate back in 2021 and was pivotal for the Pirates in their League Two promotion campaign and was named the club’s Player of the Year that season. Also in 2022, the 33-year-old was awarded the PFA Community Champion award by the club’s Community Trust in recognition of his work with them. The goalkeeper made 42 appearances under former manager Joey B***** last season but fell out of favour going into this campaign with 20-year-old Brentford loanee Matt Cox selected as the new first-choice. After playing twice in the EFL Trophy, Belshaw departed for Forest Green Rovers on an initial seven-day emergency loan which ended up being a three-month stay. He then re-joined Harrogate on similar terms in mid-December and has since made six appearances for the League Two side. Now, that stay has been made permanent with Rovers reporting the fee as “undisclosed” in their official statement which also went on to state warm words for a player who will always be thought of in high regards amongst Gasheads. “Everyone at the club would like to thank James for what he achieved during his time here,” the statement went on to say. “He became a fan favourite and a club legend, and will always be welcomed with open arms at Bristol Rovers.” Belshaw leaves the Mem with a total of 91 matches under his belt for the Pirates and will be missed but also returns to a club where he is evidently regarded highly based on their recent social media coverage since he's been on loan. The 33-year-old played a pivotal role in getting Town from the National League North into the Football League as well as lifting the FA Trophy in 2020. A centurion for the North Yorkshire side with just shy of 200 appearances to date, Belshaw departs a club where he is regarded as a legend for another. Furthermore, game time is guaranteed for the goalkeeper who is approaching, if not already in it, the twilight of his career. Asked about the goalkeeper's departure on Thursday afternoon, Gas coach Kevin Bond, who was taking press in Matt Taylor’s absence who was in hospital alongside his wife who is due to give birth, exclaimed: “I think the world of James Belshaw. I thought he was the best goalkeeper in the league by a country mile the season that we got promoted. I thought he was excellent on and off the field. “For whatever reason, I don't think he's scaled the same heights after that, or consistently didn't and I absolutely know not why. As a result of that, he's no longer here and he's gone out and the club are prepared to let him go. “Obviously, at his age, if he's not playing he would need to be at a club where he is playing and I would certainly understand that so if he's not playing here he would want to be somewhere where he is. All I can do is wish him well because I think he's a cracking guy.”
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Post by rideintothesun on Jan 11, 2024 21:25:45 GMT
Good luck Belly. In my opinion a better keeper than Phillips which is a compliment. Not sure growing someone else’s goalie is a sensible strategy and not convinced our own keepers are yet as good. Wonder if we have any realistic chance of signing Cox or have someone else lined up which would explain this. Can’t think he has any beef with Taylor so maybe he has run over the cat of someone else at the club? Phillips was a better shot-stopper and better organiser, with far more extensive experience at this level. Belshaw is better with his feet, but that's it - he was found out a bit last season, and in my view you can see why he had never played above L2 before. One of Trollope's main mistakes was getting rid of Phillips and replacing him with loan keepers. Balcombe was a disaster, so why sign a 20-year-old from the same club? Signing young keepers on loan from PL clubs is a failed model - Logan and Andersen were no better than Phillips or even Belshaw.
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harrybuckle
Always look on the bright side
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 5,430
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Post by harrybuckle on Jan 11, 2024 21:47:55 GMT
James has left the building to join Hartogate after 80 appearances for the Gas. Did you not see the 11 games he played in to make his total 91? The number was quoted on BBC radio Bristol Having a Gas tonight not my figures |
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Post by russiangas on Jan 11, 2024 22:21:42 GMT
Seems odd to have main keeper as a loanee that can be recalled at any point, what are the other two actually like? Can't even remember who they are to be honest.
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bluetornados
Predictions League
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 12,582
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Post by bluetornados on Jan 11, 2024 22:47:13 GMT
Seems odd to have main keeper as a loanee that can be recalled at any point, what are the other two actually like? Can't even remember who they are to be honest. 1..Matthew Cox - On loan from Brentford 2..Matthew Hall 3..Jed Ward |
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,278
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Post by kingswood Polak on Jan 12, 2024 9:54:22 GMT
Seems odd to have main keeper as a loanee that can be recalled at any point, what are the other two actually like? Can't even remember who they are to be honest. Thought exactly the same thing. It would seem that the manager has his work cut out and I hope he has this covered and the owner backs him. |
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Post by Mrs V Smegma on Jan 12, 2024 20:14:52 GMT
Good luck Belly. In my opinion a better keeper than Phillips which is a compliment. Not sure growing someone else’s goalie is a sensible strategy and not convinced our own keepers are yet as good. Wonder if we have any realistic chance of signing Cox or have someone else lined up which would explain this. Can’t think he has any beef with Taylor so maybe he has run over the cat of someone else at the club? Phillips was a better shot-stopper and better organiser, with far more extensive experience at this level. Belshaw is better with his feet, but that's it - he was found out a bit last season, and in my view you can see why he had never played above L2 before. One of Trollope's main mistakes was getting rid of Phillips and replacing him with loan keepers. Balcombe was a disaster, so why sign a 20-year-old from the same club? Signing young keepers on loan from PL clubs is a failed model - Logan and Andersen were no better than Phillips or even Belshaw.
For me I’d say Belly is the better shot stopper and at least Phillips equal in the organisation stakes. Our defence was visibly confident with him behind them. Phillips was also a mighty fine keeper too so we are really debating fine margins and us having different opinions on this is fine and dandy and exactly what forums are for. Agree Phillips was let go too early. Belly did make a couple of mistakes which exposed him a bit but what keeper doesn’t? He had more than enough points earned in the bank to have stuck by him in my view. Cox has done OK I think but has also had a couple of poor games so would question if he is better than Belly just yet. He is also not ours so any investment in him is for short term benefit for us and longer term for his parent club. Perhaps we have been tipped the wink that we can sign him? Agree Balcombe wasnt good enough and was a B***** gamble that failed. |
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bluetornados
Predictions League
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 12,582
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Post by bluetornados on Jan 13, 2024 0:26:49 GMT
'It's been an honour' - James Belshaw pens heartfelt farewell as Bristol Rovers legend departs..By Daniel Hargraves
Goalkeeper James Belshaw has left Bristol Rovers on a permanent basis, re-joining former club Harrogate Town
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James Belshaw taps the Bristol Rovers badge in celebrationDeparted goalkeeper James Belshaw has sent Gasheads a heartfelt message after leaving Bristol Rovers on a permanent basis to re-join Harrogate Town, the club from which Belshaw joined the Gas in 2021. The goalkeeper had been limited to just two EFL Trophy appearances for Rovers this season before joining League Two side Forest Green Rovers on a seven-day emergency loan at the end of September. That spell eventually lasted almost three months as the 33-year-old played 11 times for the fourth tier strugglers before making the move back up to North Yorkshire and remaining in the division, initially on similar terms. While on an initial seven-day emergency loan which was extended a handful of times before the permanent deal was agreed, Belshaw played six times for Town who currently sit 12th in League Two, clocking up his total number of appearances for the club he first joined in 2017 closer to the 200 mark. For Rovers though, Belshaw played 91 games and will forever be regarded as a club legend for his efforts in the League Two promotion season as the Gas secured an automatic return to League One in the most miraculous of circumstances with their 7-0 win over Scunthorpe United at the Mem on the final day. The goalkeeper took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to pen out a goodbye to Gasheads, writing: "Gasheads, it’s been an honour to have represented your football club. To have been a part of that incredible promotion team is one of the proudest moments of my life. I leave knowing that I gave you everything I could. Thanks for the memories, I love you all." Not only was Belshaw's exploits on the pitch enough to see him crowned the club's Player of the Year that season but the 33-year-old was also a pivotal figure in the community, winning the PFA Community Champion award by the club’s Community Trust in recognition of his work with them. From a footballing perspective though, it became increasingly obvious that there was limited chance the goalkeeper would rediscover is number one credentials in a Bristol Rovers shirt after Matt Cox's arrival on loan from Brentford. Now, he returns to a club that also think the world of him and can be the beneficiaries of having a particularly special custodian. Speaking to Harrogate's official YouTube channel, Belshaw discussed the move, revealing that talks with manager Simon Weaver begun soon after his first game back against Notts County. "Obviously I had a few weeks at Forest Green and had a really good time there," the 33-year-old exclaimed. "Then as I was about to go back to Bristol Rovers I got a call asking if I would be interested in the emergency loan and I said, 'yeah absolutely' so that was all sorted. "I think after the first game against Notts County I sat down with the gaffer who said: 'would you be open to coming back here on a full-time basis' and I said: 'yeah absolutely.' Obviously I have some unbelievable memories at the football club and it was something that I wanted to pursue. From then, there's been a lot of conversations between Harrogate Town and Bristol Rovers, my agent, me. A lot's been happening over the last few weeks and it's been close for probably the last week or so now. Absolutely buzzing to be back. "As soon as I heard there was interest to bring me back on a permanent basis I jumped at the chance. It's been so nice being back in front of the fans and hearing them singing my name again. It feels like everything's changed but nothing's changed. Obviously, the club's made huge striders in the time I've been away so now I get to be a part of that on a permanent basis. From my perspective and terms, everything was relatively straightforward."
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Post by Colyton Gas. on Jan 13, 2024 12:49:49 GMT
Bristol Rovers
29 minutes ago
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Trevor Clarke has had his contract terminated by mutual consent.
Liked him.Gave his all.
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Cheshiregas
Global Moderator
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 2,166
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Post by Cheshiregas on Jan 13, 2024 14:27:16 GMT
Quite a few departures for various reasons, not having to wait till the end of the season for the clear out. It's happening one way or another!
Let's hope MT gets in some decent replacements!
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Post by o2o2bo2ba on Jan 15, 2024 18:40:41 GMT
Quite a few departures for various reasons, not having to wait till the end of the season for the clear out. It's happening one way or another! Let's hope MT gets in some decent replacements! If there is such a thing as dead wood (apart from that hull city fella) I can see the reason for departures so far. Well done MT . |
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