Sam Hird close to signing for..

[Dare to dream!]

Chesterfield! Brilliant signing for them. Bit gutted to see him go really. Hopefully we can sign some new players now

[mushRTID]

Ridiculous if true. Hird is one of our best defenders. Are we saying chesterfield can offer more money than us?

[donnyroversfc]

Well they signed Marc Richards too who we was after.

LIVID about this, CHESTERFIELD FFS?!?

Clearly Hirdy can see which of the clubs have more ambition. Sort it out John Ryan ffs, don't let us become the laughing stock that we was last year.

[grayx]

Ridiculous if true. Hird is one of our best defenders. Are we saying chesterfield can offer more money than us?

Sorry but I don't rate him. Don't think Saunders does either hence his move.

[eastender]

Sam as had offers from 2 clubs but still hopes DRFC can offer him something.

http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/doncaster/doncaster-rovers-time-running-out-for-sam-hird-1-4600754

[DonnyRTID]

Sam was one of the few out of contract players that Saunders wanted to re-sign, when funds became available. Can't blame him for not hanging around. Gutted though!!! 

[RoversAlias]

Chesterfield? He is too good for League Two, far too good.

[ditch_drfc]

Chesterfield! Brilliant signing for them. Bit gutted to see him go really. Hopefully we can sign some new players now

How does Hird signing for Chesterfield enable us to sign new players? As he isn't contracted to our club we won't receive any fee for him. So we're still in the same situation regardless of his transfer (if it comes off)

[dknward2]

They may make him captain and be paying more than we can

[DonnyOsmond]

Ridiculous. How can we let one of our best defenders leave to join a team in the league below?

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

It's not ridiculous if we have no money to pay him.  For me Hird's a decent player but for the money he'd probably cost could that be used better elsewhere?  I don't like him as a centre half never have done, he can tackle but aerially he's not the best IMO.  Better in front of the back 4 I think and he showed promise there late in the season, possibly his better position but as he says, he prefers centre half.

[drfcsteve]

One of our best defenders, and a home grown player, if we can't offer more than a League 2 club things are worse than I thought. Would be gutted if we didn't try and offer him something, Beye and Martis will not cut it next year.

[Rovin Reporter]

If we loose quality players it cod put pressure on the board to do something about it as good players are going to be hard to find on the cheap

[DearneValleyRover]

Am I missing something? I like Sam but didn't we leak goals like a collinder last season. CH position is desperately in need of a overhaul.

[rtid88]

We shipped goals in a very good Championship league with a very unsettled team, we are playing in a very poor League 1 next season and Hird should be a player we should definitely be trying to resign as I thought he had some excellent performances last season and still young enough to progress further!

[jonnydog]

If anywhere its Scotland bound I'm afraid

[mushRTID]

We shipped goals in a very good Championship league with a very unsettled team, we are playing in a very poor League 1 next season and Hird should be a player we should definitely be trying to resign as I thought he had some excellent performances last season and still young enough to progress further!

Nail on the head.

[GazLaz]

He's poor. We need to start again from scratch at centre half I think.

[donnyroversfc]

He's poor. We need to start again from scratch at centre half I think.

You clearly aren't very clued up on football then.

Sam Hird is miles better than Shelton Martis, he's not injury prone, he's younger, he will make less mistakes than Habib Beye.

Yet our club aren't bothered about all that and would rather let him sign for Chesterfield (CHESTERFIELD FFS) than show a bit of ambition and tie him up to a long term deal here.


CHESTERFIELD! Oh dear.

[hoolahoop]

If indeed this is true it's extremely worrying. 

[MartinB]

We should be keeping good young talented footballers, especially ones from Donny. Hope to see him stay.

[DearneValleyRover]

Where is the evidence to say League 1 is poor quality? Martis, can't stay fit, Beye, too old and prone to poor tackling, Locky, past his best, Sam is the best of the bunch but we were a poor quality side last season and for most of the season before. A team with zero confidence and a losing mentality. As I said I like Sam but there's no room for sentiment if we want turn our fortunes around.

[rtid88]

I'm judging it on the fact that virtually all of the games I have seen this year in league one have all been of a very poor quality, to be honest the only team I have seen this season that impressed me was the Owls once Dave Jones took over!!

[Chris Black come back]

Where is the evidence to say League 1 is poor quality? Martis, can't stay fit, Beye, too old and prone to poor tackling, Locky, past his best, Sam is the best of the bunch but we were a poor quality side last season and for most of the season before. A team with zero confidence and a losing mentality. As I said I like Sam but there's no room for sentiment if we want turn our fortunes around.

I'd go with this. Sam has weaknesses as a defender but is the best of a bad bunch. Time and time again over the last few seasons we have let ourselves down with really, really poor defending, bullied, bossed, pushed, shoved, hassled and walked over by the opposition. We NEED a solid goalkeeper, we NEED some agressive and dominant centre backs - f**k it if they can't pass, they NEED to defend.

[drfcsteve]

He's poor. We need to start again from scratch at centre half I think.

Coming from the man that rates Goulon. :S

[The Beast]

Sam Hird is quite versatile and i like to see Doncaster lads in the team but let's not get carried away. He's not strong enough to play centre half, not fast enough to play fullback and not a good enough footballer to play in midfield.
    He might sign for us yet and do well in League 1 but from what i saw of Notts County League 1 might not be as poor as people think. If he doesn't sign for us the club he signs for might give us a fair reflection where he's at as a footballer.

[moses]

On the money front I think it says where were are CURRENTLY. We cant afford new contracts until we get some of the contracted players off the books.
We can't act suprised when DS says this in every interview he gives.
Listening to Saunders he wants an animal at centre half not a footballer.

[Norfolk N Chance]

Hird 
Big Pro
Anticpation

Big Negative
Pace

Like him when sits infront on back four and like to see what he could do in the midfield

Gut feel fine at Div One level, out of depth in second tier

As for Chesterfield he will be wasted there !

[Colin C No.3]

One of the better Central Defenders in possession & good distribution. Would rather lose Martis than Sam. Sam just needs a Shackell next to him to bully the striker. Well worth keeping him & can't understand the reasons for shipping him out on financial grounds, given that the likes of Beye & Martis must be on better wages.

Still a lot to give 'our' Sam. Sadly it looks as though others will benefit from his future development.

[drfcsteve]

Saunders talks about developing the youth yet it seems a 34 year old Habib Beye is more of a priority than a 24 year old Sam Hird, for once Saunders please actually do what you say you are going to do.