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Quote from: mushRTID on October 23, 2013, 02:56:41 pmI do sometimes wonder if he peaked with us. For example, there must be loads of what we would call 'shit' managers who have a promotion or two on their CV's. Im not calling him shit however its possible when he retires he looks back and we were the high point, everything else was pretty average/poor.He did a superb job at Bourenmouth despite budget constraints, average managers are the likes of Kevin Blackwell and Michael Appleton NOT our SOD.
I do sometimes wonder if he peaked with us. For example, there must be loads of what we would call 'shit' managers who have a promotion or two on their CV's. Im not calling him shit however its possible when he retires he looks back and we were the high point, everything else was pretty average/poor.
It isn't looking good though is it? You only have to look at the statistics someone posted re his last 100 league games.... I would be astonished if he made it past Christmas in his present job. I have a good friend who is a BCFC fan and has always backed So'D but even his support is wavering now . Everything he has said to me its like a mirror image of what happened towards the end here.Yes, his teams play nice football, but to be honest, I prefer winning games, and I am sure that most people would be the same. It is okay when that nice football is bringing about results, but his problem is he doesn't seem to be able to change it when it isn't. I don't call that honourable, I call it stupid.You have to work with what you have in management, you can't continually try and fit square pegs in round holes. If you have players who can't play the way that you want them to, then for me, you have to adapt your own style and what you want to have some compromise. If I came in to work tomorrow, reshuffled my team, told them that things were changing and swapped their roles to something they wouldn't be comfortable with, I doubt I would last very long... I feel sorry for the guy, because he isn't going to be remembered for getting us playing nice tippy tappy football and winning a couple of trophys, he is going to be remembered for being pretty much a failure ever since.I also find it funny that people call him honourable etc - I wonder what Crawley would say about that?
Quote from: Jenny on October 23, 2013, 03:38:20 pmIt isn't looking good though is it? You only have to look at the statistics someone posted re his last 100 league games.... I would be astonished if he made it past Christmas in his present job. I have a good friend who is a BCFC fan and has always backed So'D but even his support is wavering now . Everything he has said to me its like a mirror image of what happened towards the end here.Yes, his teams play nice football, but to be honest, I prefer winning games, and I am sure that most people would be the same. It is okay when that nice football is bringing about results, but his problem is he doesn't seem to be able to change it when it isn't. I don't call that honourable, I call it stupid.You have to work with what you have in management, you can't continually try and fit square pegs in round holes. If you have players who can't play the way that you want them to, then for me, you have to adapt your own style and what you want to have some compromise. If I came in to work tomorrow, reshuffled my team, told them that things were changing and swapped their roles to something they wouldn't be comfortable with, I doubt I would last very long... I feel sorry for the guy, because he isn't going to be remembered for getting us playing nice tippy tappy football and winning a couple of trophys, he is going to be remembered for being pretty much a failure ever since.I also find it funny that people call him honourable etc - I wonder what Crawley would say about that?What a perfectly ridiculous statistic to rely on!!!! I'm suprised someone as educated as you would fall for such a spurious fact. His last 100 games have been played against different teams, in different leagues with different players at different clubs!!!!! Some of the comments from some contributors on this thread are just pathetic!!!! I'm with Martin B and lifelong supporter on this one, and agree that some of the best football since 1969 at least has been played under both O'Driscoll and Penny without exception!!!
Maybe, just maybe JR has learned the knack of getting the best out of his managers?Saunders/Flynn, SOD, Penney, and now Dickov, after a relatively disappointing start with Ian S and WignallEdit: I know that's a bit hard on Ian S who did a lot of good things as well.
I'm surprised at how the subject of SOD continues to divide supporters, even now, particularly some of the comments by Jenny whose opinion I've always respected.In one of her posts she says critically 'he doesn't seem able to change it' and in the next paragraph states 'if I came in to work tomorrow, reshuffled my team, told them that things were changing and swapped their roles to something they wouldn't be comfortable with, I doubt I would last very long...' Surely somewhat contradictory is it not?I did hold him in high regard, considered him an excellent manager...and still do now.Regarding the 'loyalty debate' he passed up the job at Burnley (or was prevented from going by us) and then we gave him the chop. Can't remember him wanting to leave for any other club while he was here but maybe you can enlighten us. And, in my opinion, we did treat him badly when he got the boot by not paying him up immediately and making him wait for his money.He will always be remembered as a success by me and, for what it's worth, I think he is an honorable man...or as close to it as you can get in football these days.
Lifelong, does this jog your memoryhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1340475/Sheffield-United-Sean-ODriscoll-granted-permission-open-talks-Doncaster.html
Quote from: Dutch Uncle on October 23, 2013, 05:21:36 pmMaybe, just maybe JR has learned the knack of getting the best out of his managers?Saunders/Flynn, SOD, Penney, and now Dickov, after a relatively disappointing start with Ian S and WignallEdit: I know that's a bit hard on Ian S who did a lot of good things as well.Dutch, I remember the Conference days very well and, while it might have been a bit harsh on Ian S, I think you are right in saying JR didn't get the best out of him simply because he never had a proper chance. No manager wanted to do better for Rovers than Ian but he took over in worse circumstances than any other manager past or present and never really had any money to spend. Unlike Wignall, who did get financial backing but was probably the most ineffectual manager we've had since I've been watching - apart from the Richardson days, of course. Since then you're dead right, JR has learned a hell of a lot and probably has a better record for picking managers than anybody.
Lots of talk on the Bristol forums about Holloway coming in. No way I thought, he is safe at Palace.....what do I know.
May i Add rubarb and custord
Quote from: oslorovers on October 23, 2013, 07:09:27 pmMay i Add rubarb and custord How about Dictionary and the ability to spell
BobBang on. He ALWAYS changed when the chips were down. He did it in the promotion season, bringing Green in and dropping Wilson after 9 baffling months of insisting that Wilson was the better choice.He did it in the first season in the Championship, bringing Spicer and Heffernan in to give us the momentum and goalscoring that we needed, after 4 baffling months of insisting that Gareth Taylor and Lewis Guy were going to score goals for us, and that possession football in and of itself would hurt defences at this level.He ALWAYS compromised. But only when he had no bloody alternative. The fact that these small compromises could produce such astonishingly successful sides is a testament to the basic foundation that he was building, which (I freely admit) I certainly didn't see at the time.For a spell in early 10/11, he finally crafted the near perfect side. He finally CHOSE to set up a team that wasn't as cautiously possession-obsessed as his previous Plan A had been. Oster was the key. He would go for the Hail Mary pass (and often find the target) whereas previous incarnations of O'Driscoll's sides would have played the cautious build-up. We attacked with pace and verve and at times we looked irresistible. Easy to forget now, but if it wasn't for an injury time equaliser by Swansea, we'd have been in the top 4 in the Championship nearly half way through the season. And THAT was with Billy Sharp missing for many of the early matches. It's fascinating to think what he might have done if we hadn't then been crippled by injury.
If sod was a painter and decorator and you hired him to paint your house white, he'd paint it white with a lovely mural of the inside of the Sistine chapel on it. Everyone would comment who marvellous your house looked, but after a year a light shower would wash it off and the walls of your house would cave in. I think the phrase is - living on past glories? Or promising more than you can deliver? Or I'm not up to the job and was over hyped from day one? Take your pick.
Quote from: wilts rover on October 23, 2013, 07:04:21 pmLifelong, does this jog your memoryhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1340475/Sheffield-United-Sean-ODriscoll-granted-permission-open-talks-Doncaster.htmlWas that really SO'D's fault though? Sheffield United dealt with the affair in a wholly unprofessional manner- effectively using the local press to tap him up. It does set up one of those great counter-factual sporting debates though- what would have happened to the respective clubs' fortunes if SO'D HAD taken the Blunts job in late 2010/ early 2011?
Quote from: Lifelong supporter on October 23, 2013, 07:01:01 pmQuote from: Dutch Uncle on October 23, 2013, 05:21:36 pmMaybe, just maybe JR has learned the knack of getting the best out of his managers?Saunders/Flynn, SOD, Penney, and now Dickov, after a relatively disappointing start with Ian S and WignallEdit: I know that's a bit hard on Ian S who did a lot of good things as well.Dutch, I remember the Conference days very well and, while it might have been a bit harsh on Ian S, I think you are right in saying JR didn't get the best out of him simply because he never had a proper chance. No manager wanted to do better for Rovers than Ian but he took over in worse circumstances than any other manager past or present and never really had any money to spend. Unlike Wignall, who did get financial backing but was probably the most ineffectual manager we've had since I've been watching - apart from the Richardson days, of course. Since then you're dead right, JR has learned a hell of a lot and probably has a better record for picking managers than anybody. Ian's problem was that he over-achieved in 1998-99 (winning the Bob Lord Trophy) and then couldn't meet the heightened expecations for 1999-2000. He was also unlucky with more than one signing. Having said that, I thought JR had to do what he did or we'd have been down in the Unibond League.