ROVERS finished the season in disappointing fashion after slumping to defeat at Colchester on Saturday.

The team was decimated by injury so the 2-1 loss did not come as a great surprise.

Some abject defending gifted the U’s their goals and has characterised the Pirates’ miserable season.

The only bright spot was young striker Eliot Richards’ first goal for the club, a deftly taken header following a Gavin Williams’ free kick.

Clearly much work now needs to be done to prepare for life in League Two next season, not least the appointment of a new manager.

Stuart Campbell has indicated that he does not think he will be given the role, despite his valiant but unsuccessful attempt to steer the Gas clear of the drop.

Most fans would agree that a strong, experienced manager from outside the club is required to shake up and rebuild the under-achieving squad.

There is no doubt that Campbell is a manager for the future but he still has much to offer as a player, as the Player of the Season award he picked up this week shows.

If he was appointed player-manager permanently his appearances on the field would inevitably be reduced and that would be a great shame as he is an inspirational captain.

The board have been keeping their cards close to their chest in the last week but it is crucial that an appointment is quickly made.

They dithered too long after sacking Trollope and eventually opted for the wrong man in Penney.

This time they have to get it right and secure the services of someone who will unite the fans and the team and get everyone pulling together in the same direction.

Decisions also need to be made on the future of players who are now out of contract and those whose loan spells have come to an end.

If we can sign the likes of Senda, Logan, Kalala and Tunnicliffe, who have impressed in the last three months, that would be a solid start to the recruitment and raise optimism for next season.

Ideally an appointment needs to be made within the next week to give the new boss the maximum time to prepare for the start of the new campaign in August.

Do you agree with Jeff’s views? Have your say below.