Matt Taylor has Bristol City dig after Bristol Rovers appointment | OneFootball

Matt Taylor revealed his delight at landing the Bristol Rovers job, as he claimed he had joined the biggest club in the city.

Bristol Rovers appoint Matt Taylor as new boss

After a mixed start to the campaign, the Gas made the decision to sack Joey Barton in late October, with the club then starting a lengthy process to find his successor.

And, the decision was made to turn to Taylor, who was actually in a job when Barton was dismissed, but he has since lost his job at Rotherham.

Despite the Millers’ struggles this season, Taylor did keep the side in the Championship last year, and he has a good reputation in the game after the fine work he did with Exeter prior to that over a four-year period.

So, the Bristol Roves hierarchy decided to move for Taylor, and the 41-year-old was announced as the new boss on Friday.

What has Matt Taylor said about Bristol City?

Given he only lost his job with Rotherham a few weeks ago, it was going to be an exciting project to convince Taylor to come back into football so quickly.

And, speaking to Bristol Live, Taylor explained why he was so keen to take up the offer at the Memorial Stadium, which included a little dig at the Robins as he talked up the size and history of Bristol Rovers.

“Obviously, working at Championship level, I've not had too much time or opportunity to see too much of League One football, but I've got an affiliation with a few members of the squad. I've played against enough of them to know they're good players.

“Where we are in the league at the moment is literally in the middle of the table. We're about seven, eight points away from relegation, nine points away from playoffs. But there is a feeling there that we can hopefully get a little bit more out of them and start producing winning football, as opposed to just good looking football some of the time, but not getting a result at the end of it.

“Then you add that on top of what is the beast, which is Bristol Rovers. You know, without talking at length about the neighbours, they've shown what is achievable for football clubs in Bristol and traditionally, historically, Bristol Rovers is as big a club as you get in this city.”

Is this a good appointment for Bristol Rovers?

There are risks to any appointment, but, on paper, this seems like a very sensible move from Bristol Rovers.

In Taylor, they have got a young manager, but he also has plenty of experience in the Football League, and he has shown he can mix it up when it comes to the style of play.

The decision to sack Barton was a bold one, but there is a lot of talent in the squad, and they will hope a change can inspire a more consistent performance level from the squad.

You can’t accuse the board of rushing the appointment, as they considered plenty of candidates, and they obviously think that Taylor is the man to take the club forward.

Bristol Rovers’ FA Cup tie with Crewe has been postponed, so Taylor’s first game in charge will be in the EFL Trophy against Crawley on Tuesday, before the first league game against Cheltenham at home next weekend.