L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L

[Donnybob]

Dear John,

A fool is someone who doesn't learn from his mistakes. I don't think you are a fool...(?)

Not half way through April and the season is over for Doncaster Rovers. In truth it has been for quite some while. Indeed some of us were convinced it was over on 22nd September 2011 and said as much. Soundbite I called him. Rabbit in the headlights, and all that.

So please stop making excuses. Please stop complaining about referees, assistants, dodgy decisions, injuries, luck, the moon phase, or about anything else and simply do your job.

You are the chairman of this football club. For that you can take credit for assembling the most talented bunch of footballers to grace the shirt in living memory. Together we tasted glory - but the following statistics are indisputable facts:

L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L . . .

It simply isn't good enough, is it? You made a mistake. A BIG one. Accept it with good grace and we will forgive you. But don't sit on the fence defending the indefensible till it's too late.

Just get rid and be done with it.

You know as well as I do that the apologist you appointed ain't gonna do the decent thing and fall on his sword, now is he? He's a man of soundbites and excuses, not responsibilities. And where else will he get a job? The man's now practically unemployable as a football manager. Which means a 3.5-year contract looks rather silly (and expensive).

Unless you're thinking of hanging on for 3 more seasons, that is. Three more years will probably see him (and us) back in the league where he actually has a bit of experience and is therefore a prudent investment...? Is that the plan? Serendipity and all that. Well it ain't my idea of future planning. Conference here we come? Nah!

You may believe he's the bloke to get us out of League One and in that respect I agree. The basement beckons...

Come on John. Do what has to be done and get it over with.

L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L

Repeat after me...

L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L

It is not a fairy tale ending, is it?

The only place I can find any similar looking word is in my Welsh - English dictionary (the only place on earth where you'll find so many 'L's back-to-back). It spells, I would suggest, abject failure.

L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L

THE END.

[Wellred]

Pillock

[Rovin Reporter]

We didn't know this ...thank you for keeping ALL us supporters up to date we were all wondering what had been happening this season . Doh !

[Beerseller]

Hmmm, what about

LDDLLLDLDDDLLLLLDLL

It’s the last 19 league matches before September 22nd.

[Mr1Croft]

To be fair John Ryan said on the Radio that not sacking Sean in the summer was a mistake, and to me they look very familiar.


Saunders last 19:

L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L


SOD last 19:



L L W L L L L D D W L D D L L L D L D


If we don't win another game in the last 3 Saunders will have done worse then SOD in the last 22 games of the season. If they should have sacked Sean in the summer (which is what John Ryan has said) then the writing is on the wall for Saunders I'm afraid...

[Beerseller]

Ok Mr1Croft, which of us cocked up that last 19 sequence for SOD 

[redwine]

An almost remarkable symmetry

[Mr1Croft]

Ok Mr1Croft, which of us cocked up that last 19 sequence for SOD 

Both are correct


You did the last 19 before SOD got sacked. I did the same 19 games for last season that Donnybob used in the opening post. The last 9 in mine are the first 9 in yours.


The reason behind my post is JR said on Saturday we should have sacked SOD in the summer so obviously the run in form last season was enough to get someone sacked and therefore is the run in form this season unless we get another win which will equal it out...

[RoversAlias]

Ok Mr1Croft, which of us cocked up that last 19 sequence for SOD 

They aren't the same 19 fixtures Beerseller - Croft was recounting the last 19 games of last season, not O'Driscoll's last 19 matches

On Croft's stats, O'Driscoll has actually earned 2 points more! The two records are almost identical in terms of amounts of wins, draws + losses.

[Mr1Croft]

Ok Mr1Croft, which of us cocked up that last 19 sequence for SOD 

They aren't the same 19 fixtures Beerseller - Croft was recounting the last 19 games of last season, not O'Driscoll's last 19 matches

On Croft's stats, O'Driscoll has actually earned 2 points more! The two records are almost identical in terms of amounts of wins, draws + losses.

Not quite mine are the same games donnybob has used last season (Games 24-43)

[Beerseller]

Thanks for that, it makes more sense now.

It comes down to more or less the same thing though, the sequence wasn't good enough to keep SOD in a job.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Anyone remember this sequence?
LLDLWDLWLLDLWLDWLDDLLWLWLWLD

That was O'Driscoll's League record between 3 Feb 2007 and 6 Oct 2007.

28 points from 28 league games with a squad that was by a long, long way the most expensive ever put together in our history. Green, Heffernan, Price, Sullivan, Stock, Wellens, Hayter, O'Connor, Roberts, etc.

28 games of woeful under performance, grim tactics, bizarre selections, tedious strategies. He inherited an excellent squad, added to it with costly, high calibre players and took us backwards for 15 months.

At the time, I was calling for O'Driscoll to be sacked. I was wrong. He was building a squad and a style with Ryan's wholehearted backing. It worked.

Saunders has had no chance whatsoever to build a squad or a style. He's inherited a dreadfully weak squad. He's had no backing to bring in players other than troublemaking mercenaries. He's lost the only striker capable of cutting it at this level.

Saunders may or may not be hopeless as a manager. But you can't judge him on the evidence to date. Just like we couldn't judge O'Driscoll on the dross he served up in that spell.

[StocktonRover]

Thanks BST - that sums up nicely why I think that we should wait until next season and Give Saunders a chance with his own squad.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

It's a fair point BST has made.  I'm prepared to give Saunders time next season but he will be judged in league 1, failure next season  will not be acceptable.

[Beerseller]

I don't disagree entirely with you on that BST, I remember feeling exactly the same about SOD during that period.  However, SOD already had experience at that level and had shown in several meetings between Bournemouth and Rovers that his style was great to watch when it came together.  JR could afford to wait with SOD knowing that he had the ability to come through it.  I think with DS, it is far more of a gamble.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Define failure in League One please.

I think we just need to manage our expectations a bit here. We're on the decline and regrouping with a period of stability is required.

There's much work to be done on and off the pitch to win back the hearts and minds of many.

Mid table will do me very nicely.

[belton rover]

Dear John,

A fool is someone who doesn't learn from his mistakes. I don't think you are a fool...(?)

Not half way through April and the season is over for Doncaster Rovers. In truth it has been for quite some while. Indeed some of us were convinced it was over on 22nd September 2011 and said as much. Soundbite I called him. Rabbit in the headlights, and all that.

So please stop making excuses. Please stop complaining about referees, assistants, dodgy decisions, injuries, luck, the moon phase, or about anything else and simply do your job.

You are the chairman of this football club. For that you can take credit for assembling the most talented bunch of footballers to grace the shirt in living memory. Together we tasted glory - but the following statistics are indisputable facts:

L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L . . .

It simply isn't good enough, is it? You made a mistake. A BIG one. Accept it with good grace and we will forgive you. But don't sit on the fence defending the indefensible till it's too late.

Just get rid and be done with it.

You know as well as I do that the apologist you appointed ain't gonna do the decent thing and fall on his sword, now is he? He's a man of soundbites and excuses, not responsibilities. And where else will he get a job? The man's now practically unemployable as a football manager. Which means a 3.5-year contract looks rather silly (and expensive).

Unless you're thinking of hanging on for 3 more seasons, that is. Three more years will probably see him (and us) back in the league where he actually has a bit of experience and is therefore a prudent investment...? Is that the plan? Serendipity and all that. Well it ain't my idea of future planning. Conference here we come? Nah!

You may believe he's the bloke to get us out of League One and in that respect I agree. The basement beckons...

Come on John. Do what has to be done and get it over with.

L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L

Repeat after me...

L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L

It is not a fairy tale ending, is it?

The only place I can find any similar looking word is in my Welsh - English dictionary (the only place on earth where you'll find so many 'L's back-to-back). It spells, I would suggest, abject failure.

L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L

THE END.

Talking about Welsh names, I've got that Welsh railway station tattoed along the length of my nob...















...Rhyl

[DonnyNoel]

To be fair John Ryan said on the Radio that not sacking Sean in the summer was a mistake, and to me they look very familiar.


Saunders last 19:

L D L D L L D D W D D L L L D L L L L


SOD last 19:



L L W L L L L D D W L D D L L L D L D


If we don't win another game in the last 3 Saunders will have done worse then SOD in the last 22 games of the season. If they should have sacked Sean in the summer (which is what John Ryan has said) then the writing is on the wall for Saunders I'm afraid...

Its still not quite the same though is it? As pointed out by others in other threads, Saunders was thrown in to this situation with no experience and a squad that wasn't his own. I have grave reservations about him (and have since day one) but he never even got a preseason with players who he considered unfit from day one and has on many occasions barely ventured beyond the most basic 442 with players who have shown they can do much more tactically.

I've been on the fence regarding the DRFC manager for 12 months now so don't envy JR one bit on having this one hanging over him.

[Norfolk N Chance]

What a tool!

[Jonathan]

Well John Ryan has just been on the radio saying that Saunders had the final say on all signings, ergo this is absolutely his squad that he's built. It's obviously soon to be disbanded due to the nature of the plan, so it's hard to compare it with any previous manager laying foundations for the future.

Saunders himself claims he hasn't been responsible for anyone coming into the club and this whole strategy is nothing to do with him. Willie who?

Somewhere in there lies the truth perhaps?

[BobG]

Lol! May the word 'excuse' turn to soap in our mouths!

BobG

[Chris]

From John Ryan's interviews since Saturday's game I can't help but think that Dean Saunders won't be our manager come the opening day of next season. 

[dickos1]

Yes he had the say so on all signings but he had no money to spend, the players he inherited were failing, he had no money to spend therefore the players he chose were cheap short strategy signings. Desperation.
He said from day one that this strategy was a short term strategy to help us stay up, he's also said numerous times the future will be built around our youth players and young prospects from the lower leagues..
I've never heard him say he had nothing to do with the players coming in, and I think that's nonsense which is why all the players he signed trained with us beforehand so he could have a look at them.

[pubteam]

From John Ryan's interviews since Saturday's game I can't help but think that Dean Saunders won't be our manager come the opening day of next season. 

What makes you say that?

I'm not saying you're wrong, because maybe you've heard an interview that I haven't. I didn't pick up the above message from JR's interview straight after Saturday's game. Has he spoken out since?

[BillyStubbsTears]

From John Ryan's interviews since Saturday's game I can't help but think that Dean Saunders won't be our manager come the opening day of next season. 

Agreed 100%. Ryan, bless him, is a Godsend for us. But I'd hate to have him in my poker team. His response to the "Will Dean Saunders be the man to lead you next season?" question was pretty unequivocal in its equivocation. (Unless he really WAS bluffing like...)

Jonathan.
A propos of the above, I suspect that Ryan's comments on the radio today are clearing the ground for termination of Saunders's contract in a way that doesn't make Ryan look too silly for having introduced the experiment in the first place.

[Chris]

From John Ryan's interviews since Saturday's game I can't help but think that Dean Saunders won't be our manager come the opening day of next season. 

What makes you say that?

I'm not saying you're wrong, because maybe you've heard an interview that I haven't. I didn't pick up the above message from JR's interview straight after Saturday's game. Has he spoken out since?

On the Football League Show he was asked if Saunders was the man to take us back up to the Championship and JR's answer was "Why not?". When you consider how passionately JR backed O'Driscoll just days before he was dismissed, that response probably won't fill Saunders with confidence.

[pubteam]

From John Ryan's interviews since Saturday's game I can't help but think that Dean Saunders won't be our manager come the opening day of next season. 

What makes you say that?

I'm not saying you're wrong, because maybe you've heard an interview that I haven't. I didn't pick up the above message from JR's interview straight after Saturday's game. Has he spoken out since?

On the Football League Show he was asked if Saunders was the man to take us back up to the Championship and JR's answer was "Why not?". When you consider how passionately JR backed O'Driscoll just days before he was dismissed, that response probably won't fill Saunders with confidence.

Well, perhaps his answer was non-committal, but he's been like that on other issues as well.

My query would be, if Saunders IS going to be dispensed of over the summer, why did the board meet with him last week to discuss their plans for the future? Unless that's a smokescreen, but it's difficult to see Deano playing along with it like he did if there were no substance to those discussions.

Plus, he's let him sign five of the youth team up on permanent contracts for next season. Whilst that might have happened under any manager, how can they be sure that the next bloke to come in will want them in the squad?

And then there is, of course, the eternal question of where we're going to get the money from to terminate a three year contract. It sounds to me as though we're having to be really drastic in cutting back on our expenditure, so do the board even have the financial resources to fire DS, even if they don't really want him in charge?

It all seems up in the air to me. Whilst JR's body language and tone of voice in interviews seems to suggest that he doesn't have full confidence in DS, there are also signs that they've started planning for next season with him very much in mind.

[Chris]

From John Ryan's interviews since Saturday's game I can't help but think that Dean Saunders won't be our manager come the opening day of next season. 

What makes you say that?

I'm not saying you're wrong, because maybe you've heard an interview that I haven't. I didn't pick up the above message from JR's interview straight after Saturday's game. Has he spoken out since?

On the Football League Show he was asked if Saunders was the man to take us back up to the Championship and JR's answer was "Why not?". When you consider how passionately JR backed O'Driscoll just days before he was dismissed, that response probably won't fill Saunders with confidence.

Well, perhaps his answer was non-committal, but he's been like that on other issues as well.

My query would be, if Saunders IS going to be dispensed of over the summer, why did the board meet with him last week to discuss their plans for the future? Unless that's a smokescreen, but it's difficult to see Deano playing along with it like he did if there were no substance to those discussions.

Plus, he's let him sign five of the youth team up on permanent contracts for next season. Whilst that might have happened under any manager, how can they be sure that the next bloke to come in will want them in the squad?

And then there is, of course, the eternal question of where we're going to get the money from to terminate a three year contract. It sounds to me as though we're having to be really drastic in cutting back on our expenditure, so do the board even have the financial resources to fire DS, even if they don't really want him in charge?

It all seems up in the air to me. Whilst JR's body language and tone of voice in interviews seems to suggest that he doesn't have full confidence in DS, there are also signs that they've started planning for next season with him very much in mind.

All fair points but the youth team players haven't actually signed on professional terms yet. In today's pre-match interview Dean Saunders said that they haven't sign but he has "put the thing into practice", whatever that means.

[RedJ]

Bramall DOES still have shares (as we all know) and maybe, and I may be being naive here, but has anyone considered that he may want to protect his investment by funding the payoff? If el Tel has the kind of cash quoted on here then it'd be pocket change.

Just a (probably wrong but hey) thought.

[Standanista]

We were doing shyte before Saunders came in.  The man needs to be given a chance, with a clean slate, starting now.  If we're ten points adrift at Christmas then it will be time for a change, but let's see what happens between now and then.