"Kind of untrusted" – Verdict given on Bristol Rovers owner | OneFootball

Fans will need to see actions before they can get behind the words of the latest Bristol Rovers owner

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Bristol Rovers have been under new ownership since Hussain AlSaeed became the majority owner of the club in the summer of 2023.

The club then confirmed at the end of last year that the Kuwaiti businessman was to buy the remaining 45 per cent still held by former owners Wael and Samer al Qadi over the next 18 months.

With the new owners still fully getting their feet under the table, the jury is still out in many quarters.

Nevertheless, we asked our Bristol Rovers Fan Pundit, Ziggy, for his thoughts on their work so far.

The jury’s out on latest Bristol City owner

Speaking to Football League World, Ziggy said: “I would say aspirational, I think. They're very ambitious. They clearly have big aspirations for the club.

“However, they are also quite, mysterious isn't the right word, but there is not much known about them. They took over in this summer and talk the talk in interviews or when they first came to the club, talked about what they wanted to do. However, obviously this takes time, but we haven't seen a lot of it apart from the new stand.

“And Rovers fans in the past have been promised the same thing, essentially the same thing with what they're promising, and have not delivered on that.

“So, he's kind of untrusted at the moment, especially by the fans I think, but he's come out more recently and been more open, coming on fan-owned podcasts and stuff like that.

“He's talked about what he wants to do, and if he can get that done, he will be a very popular man. However, I think the word is aspirational because Bristol Rovers are not a massive club in League One, certainly.

“However, they are supposedly taking us to the Championship, upgrading grounds, upgrading the academy, and it feels like some of the things they might just say to get the fans on board.”

Al Qadi is a tough act to follow at Bristol Rovers

So often in football club takeovers, the new people in town are replacing someone, or a group, who have come in for substantial criticism of the club’s fanbase — sometimes even having been forced out by this criticism.

This is certainly not the case with the likes of Al Qadi, who took over the club with his brother in 2016.

Following the announcement that he was going to be selling his shares over the next 18 months, he was met with an outpouring of love from the supporters, who thanked him for his work since arriving at the club.

In the club’s statement, Al Qadi said: "To my dear Gasheads: your passion, commitment and love for this football club is unrivalled in English football.

"Thank you for welcoming me and my family into the club and for all the wonderful memories we created together. We experienced many ups and downs together and I know you saw me as being all-in - trying the best for you and the club.

"This is never a goodbye, as I am one of you now, a Gashead forever... see you on the terraces."

As the relationship between owners and supporters goes, it’s about as affectionate as it gets.

While it’s a positive that AlSaeed isn’t walking into a fractured fanbase, it means he has a lot to live up to with his own tenure.

As Ziggy said, AlSaeed is saying and doing most of the right things at the moment, but a true assessment of his reign will only be possible through his actions, once he’s been in the role for a substantial amount of time.