Robs football

One Nasty Experiment: An Incredibly Risky Solution Downgrading The Ethics Of A Club

2011-10-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

The sacking of Sean O’Driscoll caused uproar in Doncaster. ‘Noisy’ was highly regarded in bustling South Yorkshire town, as the club’s greatest ever manager. In his first season he guided Rovers to success at the Millennium Stadium in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. The following campaign the club won promotion to the Championship, via an illustrious play-off final victory at Wembley, when they impeccably beat the much-fancied Leeds United by a goal to nil.

O’Driscoll then kept the limited-resourced club in the division, performing the miracle of the great escape in 2008-09, despite sitting bottom at Christmas. The red and white wizards also mounted a promotion campaign in 2009-10, but faded their form faded towards the end of the season.

But, disaster struck in November 2010, with the club 7^th in the Championship. The squad was swamped with a mammoth injury crisis, which they never recovered from, and with three wins in the whole of 2011, the former-Bournemouth manager was expelled from the Doncaster hot seat on 23^rd September.

The sacking caused displeasure to say the least amongst the Doncaster fan base, with the majority of supports in awe of their quiet messiah. There were no ‘O’Driscoll Out’ calls at matches, but the man, who was also publicly backed by his chairman, John Ryan, just a handful of days earlier

What came of even more a surprise was the arrival of his immediate successor. Wrexham manager Dean Saunders was appointed- not on a caretaker basis- but on three-year deal, at the time of the appointment, the Welsh club sat behind Gateshead in the Conference, three tiers below his new side.

But Rovers aren’t a club with a fan base capable of jumping on the ‘Sack the board’ bandwagon, after John Ryan saved the club from the verge of bankruptcy before his tenure lead to two Conference Cups, Promotion from The Conference and From League One through the play-offs, The Division Three Title at the first attempt, The Carling Cup Quarter-Finals, The JPT and establishing the club in the Second Tier of English Football in just a 13-year stint. The fans remain greatful for these honours under Ian Snodin, Dave Penney and O’Driscoll (along with the less successful Steve Wignall).

The unrest was temporarily forgotten however with wins over Crystal Palace and Peterborough, and a draw with Hull in Saunders’ first three games. But, could this prove to be just a honeymoon period, as the club was then hammered by Leeds United on live television and also suffered defeat at the hands of Blackpool and Portsmouth following the international break.

There was also another factor that eased the doubters following “Deano’s” arrival. Saunders suddenly appeared capable of attracting many high-profile names to the club. El-Hadji Diouf was immediately linked as was former Real Madrid star Mahamadou Diarra. Then out of the club confirmed the signings of Pascal Chimbonda, Henrita Ilunga and finally the loan of England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland to the Keepmoat Stadium. How could a club whose record transfer in 2009 was the tiny £300,000 deal that brought Matthew Mills from Manchester City, suddenly be able to afford the wages of such established Premier League and La Liga stars?

The answer to this question was revealed on Thursday, with the sceptics again coming out in force to criticise a scheme that could easily result in the demise of the club quicker than their turn in fortune since the revival in the late 90’s.

As on Thursday, the ‘Director of Football’ role, which has created huge controversy before steered its ugly head again, as football agent Willie McKay was appointed Doncaster Rovers’ transfer dealer, with any signings the club makes to be going through him, with manager (or should that be ‘Head Coach’?) Dean Saunders having the potential to veto.

It’s unclear how long this deal has been in the pipeline, however it is unlikely the philosophical O’Driscoll would have agreed to a great lack of freedom that the new regime limits the ‘Head Coach’ or ‘Manager’ of.

An McKay’s interview with the Daily Mail, he also made some unfriendly statements about the club’s supporters, potentially causing unrest with the fans at such an early stage, such as ‘My valuation of Donny was nothing. They have no fan base and everyone in Doncaster supports Leeds, Sheffield United or Sheffield Wednesday, who can all get 30,000 in their stadiums.’ Although he may be right in hinting the club has a significantly less fan base than its Yorkshire rivals, I am aware from my experiences in the Doncaster school system that we are by far the most supported team in the town compared with others, with probably the unmentioned Manchester United sitting 2^nd. The problem with the people of Doncaster is many people in the district do not like football, perhaps caused by the embarrassment caused by the team unattractive history in the forth division during the 80’s and 90’s. Calling a club that has achieved so much in their recent history ‘nothing’ is a huge stab at the ambitious club.

McKay’s plan will see the club attempt to reduce the wage bill- therefore promote uncertainty on the side’s highest earning current stars. The likes of Billy Sharp, John Oster and Brian Stock apparently have no future at the club under the new regime. Which considering the nearest transfer window is three months away how will that act towards motivation of such individuals?

Instead of these long-term solutions the club will opt for quick fixes ranging from high-profile free agents and loans, which has seen the club linked from anyone from Diarra to Michael Owen to Carlos Tevez in recent weeks. Through the new agent-system, the club will attempt to put players in the shop window. Obviously downsides to this is everyone playing for themselves rather than as a team, and a lack of team spirit and gelling which will make Dean Saunders’ position practically impossible. The style of play cannot be perfected to one concentrated in training sessions over a long period of time, but must be one people can fit into automatically. This is obviously one opposition managers can stop with ease. How does that boost results for a team deep in the relegation battle?

Perhaps it will boost attendances with famous, international names joining the club. But I think most fans prefer to see winning games, supporting a group ethic that they can be proud of; not a bunch of arrogant individuals who believe they are bigger than the club and will leave at the first opportunity. The stars linked also have attitude problems, which will also create problems within the patient culture of the club. The attendances will dwindle again if the results do not match the names on the team sheet.

For me this is a recipe for disaster, and if the result is what I’m expecting. It won’t be the stars ‘of Lorient’ at the Keepmoat Stadium next season, but our own unwanted internationals gracing the turf at L. Orient in League One in 2012.

McKay out.

A slide of the times?

2011-06-01T14:31:00.001-07:00

Written 23rd May-2nd June

As the final day of the Premier League once again adds a nervous twist, the tightest relegation scramble in recent history saw Blackburn, Wigan and Wolves, all with their stories of worry throughout the season, before pride prevailed with effective performances and triumph on survival Sunday.

It was not so happy a story at White Heart Lane or Old Trafford for the visiting clubs. West Ham’s sorrow had already been drained, thus their horrendous horror show at home to Sunderland is irrelevant in many senses. It merely ruled Kevin Keen, surely, out of the running to become the new permanent manager at Upton Park. Consequently the biggest question in the country was not a lot to do with the Hammers, but who would join the London club in the Championship. The subjects were unfortunately Blackpool and Birmingham who would subsequently suffer the pains of Millwall, Barnsley and Doncaster next term.

On December 31^st, Blackpool sat in a very comfortable 9^th in the Premier League, with games in hand on all of their opponents, at that point it looked like the Seasiders were more destined for the likes of sunny skies of Portugal and Cyprus in the Europa League, than the West Yorkshire clouds of Huddersfield and Leeds in the Championship. The club had picked up 25 points from their opening 17 games at that point. They went on to claim just 14 more, from their final 21 matches, finishing rocked in 19^th place on 39 points.

Birmingham on-the-other-hand did make it to Europe after beating Arsenal at Wembley on 27^th February. However a fear of relegation had been a threat rather than a certainty for most of the season, as they spent much of the campaign outside the bottom three. However injuries came at a cost, and one win in the clubs last eight games saw the club slip below Wigan and Wolves and into the Championship. And thus, the Championship beckons.

The English top flight, however is not the only league with freefall on the cards, as for Birmingham and Blackpool a trip to Doncaster is due, who themselves saw a drop from 14^th to 21^st since the turn of the year, coupled with just three wins against Scunthorpe, Derby and Burley as the worst injury crisis imaginable hit the South Yorkshire club.

(League Position at the end of each month)

The low point of Rovers’ season was a 6-0 drubbing to Ipswich. The Reds fielded a severely under-strength team, which included a rookie goalkeeper, no established centre backs, a defender in midfield, the absence of their skipper and no fit centre forwards. Perhaps it should have been anticipated that the score line was to be as atrocious as it was.

It could be argued that the 2010-11 season has been on the cards for numerous years, as the club’s strength in depth has been a concern ever since Rovers’ Wembley triumph in 2008, but never has it been exploited to this great a degree.

For me, however, the problem arose last summer. I took the trip to Blackpool in April 2010, with Rovers still having a slim chance of entering the Play-offs. Rovers welcomed back Paul Heffernan who returned from his loan spell at Bristol Rovers. He had only returned to the club the previous morning, but it showed the lack of strength in depth in strikers over a year ago. Blackpool was victorious by two goals to nil, and went on to win promotion. Rovers then released Heffs and Lewis Guy, who joined League One clubs which left Rovers with an ageing James Hayter and injury prone Steve Brooker as the only established strikers at the club.

The two most defining moments of the season arguably happened last summer, as Jason Shackell signed for Barnsley ahead of Rovers, creating a void at centre half that was never properly filled. Also the record signing of Billy Sharp from Sheffield United, although adding to the worryingly low list of strikers, meant that the club had effectively spent its transfer budget.

During the summer of 2009, Rovers had sold two items instrumental to their promotion to the Championship and remaining there in their first full campaign. Richie Wellens departed for Leicester City, and Matthew Mills exited south to Reading. Rovers filled these voids by signing John Oster on a free transfer following his release from Crystal Palace and Shackell on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Both signings were mammoth successes, as the club drove from relegation candidates in their first season to Play-off contenders the next.

Shackell subsequently opted to move to Barnsley last May, and Rovers were forced to shift their attention to a host of replacements. They signed Shelton Martis, Wayne Thomas and George Friend.

At full strength Rovers are a decent acquisition. This was proved when the club’s early season form took them to what looked originally like play-off contention. Rovers’ fans did have their concerns though; in particular George Friend looked a long way off the pace at left back and was subsequently dropped. James Chambers remained sidelined throughout the season, bar unsuccessful spell in the side in January, as Rovers opted to sign Joseph Mills on loan to fill the void, first in October before returning in January.

Rovers were in fact 7^th when they drew with to-be-promoted Swansea City on 20^th November, they went on to record just four more victories in the entire campaign, of which only Derby County were beaten elsewhere than the Keepmoat Stadium. However the start was also less than perfect, with the wins prior to this point merely coming over the three relegated sides, along with Portsmouth and Hull who were still in disarray following relegation from the Premier League, just adding to the small pride of beating Premiership-bound Norwich and Millwall on South Yorkshire turf.

The defensive crisis that followed after Christmas staggers belief. As Thomas and Martis battled with injuries following the victory over Scunthorpe on January 1^st, Rovers switched their attentions to signing Dennis Souza and Matt Killagallon, who were both reported as established championship defenders. Rovers failed to keep a clean sheet with Killgallon in the side as they slumped to 16^th in the Championship table prior to the Burnley tie on 1^st February, as the Middlesbrough defender formed an unstable partnership with Adam Lockwood.

Rovers kept three clean sheets following 2^nd January, at home to Burnley (O’Connor, Hird, Friend, Chambers), away at Nottingham Forest (Martis, Hird, Friend, Mills) and at home to Crystal Palace (Dumbuya, Thomas, Friend, O’Connor). Therefore, as you can see, to a certain extent the revival of George Friend at the heart of Doncaster’s defence paid dividends, with Sam Hird also a key player on occasion as the young defender staked a claim for first team pride when often hope was a lost cause.

It’s hard to judge whether, therefore it was the lack of the settled team or the quality of the team that stumbled upon. I think both need to be blamed unfortunately targeted.

As Rovers therefore switch their attentions to the future the strength in depth of the squad has been thoroughly tested and questioned, and not just in defence.

Rovers’ record in the absence of Billy Sharp is atrocious, with Dean Sheils often deputising. With Rovers claiming only two wins in the record-signing’s absence. Sheils is supposed to be an international footballer, however inadequate displays and this appalling record as the former-Hibernian star has tarnished, unrecognisable undoubtedly to his former followers.

Sharp’s record, does go to show exactly why Ipswich Town made such a substantial bid to lure the former-Sheffield United forward to Portman Road.

It therefore remains key for Rovers, perhaps more than usual this year, that any deadwood is removed from the club, but key, quality players remain, while new players are purchased to push the club back towards the Play-off places & the promises of the Premier League.

Civil War At Anfield

2011-04-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

It’s been a traumatic twelve months for football. Last summer the sport gasped as Real Madrid and Manchester City spent excessive amounts to entice the best players to their magnificent stadiums. We saw prize-asset Cristiano Ronaldo depart the Premiership for sunnier climates, before the division was thrown into the public eye for the wrong reasons, as the credit crunch hit hard and Portsmouth became the first team in English top flight history to enter administration. But nothing could really have foreseen the fiasco that has taken centre stage in the North West, as Liverpool’s internal hierarchy hit boiling point, and fuelled a bitter conflict as the club was divided.

Although the top story on the news this week stresses the magnificent survival of those miners who luckily escaped from deep depths in Chile, it is the chilly scene at Anfield that is attracting as much outside interest, and how a club with its terrific stature can be throw in equally as deep problems.

As recently as 2007, football’s European governing body, UEFA, slandered Liverpool’s fans as ‘the worse in Europe’, but surely even those supporters merit sympathy for the sudden downfall of their famous side. The crisis, although it was obviously not labelled as such way back then, began in the same year as the governing body’s evil words; as during 2007 Tom Hicks and George Gillett, two American businessmen with sporting backgrounds, became owners of the club.

Rick Parry’s sale to the ambitious Texans was made because he believed the move would take the club to the next level. Three months after the takeover- and following no concrete financial support, as there was no transfer window in this time- the club reached the final of Champions League, a feat that was never matched during Hicks and Gillett’s less than fruitful reign.

The club purchased striker Fernando Torres from Athletico Madrid for an audacious fee around £30million in summer 2007 to demonstrate their ambitious intentions; incidentally the club hasn’t won a major trophy since this purchase, despite Torres setting the world alight on many occasions with his vast goal scoring tally. The huge fee of the transfer has certainly placed a nail in the Americans’ coffin, but the Spanish magician is not the main culprit in the demise of the illustrious club.

As the recession hit numerous businesses hard throughout the world, Liverpool too began to mourn a sudden loss of finance, and during 2010 Hicks and Gillett were pushed towards the exit door. The club agreed a deal which would refinance the side, but it pushed Royal Bank of Scotland into the driving seat, at which point- Hicks and Gillett will argue- things subsequently took a turn for the worse.

June 2010 saw the first major twist in the ongoing saga following Martin Broughton and his team’s arrival, Hicks and Gillett continued to battle with financial strain along with added pressure, and once again attempted to refinance the deal they had with the club. The Royal Bank of Scotland squadron, which slightly outnumbered the pairing of the Americans, blocked the deal. The global recession showing its effects, Hicks and Gillett were in financial ruin and the bank was showing no sympathy.

A change of manager could have prompted a revival; it merely showed deeper problems as Rafa Benitez was dismissed after the owners had their own revolt against the Spaniard. The current Inter boss said in September, "The last year at Liverpool I had directors who knew nothing about soccer and you couldn't talk about soccer with them." A fierce critic who is unlikely to shy away from media frenzy, Benitez was forced to assemble what has been regarded as the two-man team at Anfield with Steven Gerrard and Torres the only prize assets. Fulham boss Roy Hodgson replaced Benitez, despite the imminent sale of the club. He was a manager with no previous experience of getting a club into the ‘top four’. He also had to contend with the previous boss’s stars returning from awful performances at the World Cup.

The sacking of Benitez and hiring of Hodgson no doubt took another chunk from the American owners’ wallets, another flawed decision, as the new owners may not have their style of football on the pitch, and therefore Hodgson’s job clearly not stable. Hodgson was immediately under pressure to deliver instant results, which with another man’s squad was far from a given.

As the takeover edged closer to its epic climax, October saw the evil Hicks and Gillett attempting to be very counter-productive and difficult to RBS’ plan to sell the club, yet the business was still edging closer to a sale.

October 6th brought change. Royal Bank Of Scotland, and subsequently Liverpool FC, had found a buyer. New England Sports Ventures, the owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team had agreed a deal. Martin Broughton then stated a disapproving view on Hicks and Gillett: “I am only disappointed that the owners have tried everything to prevent the deal from happening and that we need to go through legal proceedings in order to complete the sale,”. The quotes coming out of the football club as the sale became concluded were more of relief than looking to the future. The loyal Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said: “"Everyone knows it'll be a good thing for the club," James McKenna, who runs Spirit of Shankly boldly stated: "We need to rid the club of Gillett and Hicks. It does not matter where they come from as long as they understand Liverpool Football Club. That was the problem with Gillett and Hick, they never really got Liverpool.”

It proved that the owners did more harm than good. But unfortunately for Liverpool’s supporters this wasn’t the end of the tale. On October 7th the sale- believed to be in the region of £300 million- was sent to the courts to decide whether Hicks and Gillett had the grounds to sack Royal Bank of Scotland’s Purslow and Ayre. The court case was due to take place the following Tuesday. This brought with it the very real threat of administration, despite this Purslow stated: "I'm completely focused on making sure the sale completes. I'm not contemplating administration and nobody should be."

By Friday 15th Hicks and Gillett were gone. John Henry had become the new owner of the North West giants. A new era dawned. But a week of anti-climaxes and an embarrassing public affair left red faces by the Mersey. Roy Hodgson spoke of how a cloud had been lifted above the Anfield Kop. “"It's a very good day for the club," Hodgson said just before the deal was confirmed. "It's a relief...it's been a very difficult couple of weeks. There's no doubt a cloud has been lifted from the football club today."

As for the former owners, they wouldn’t die down. Tom Hicks stated the deal was an “epic swindle”. They even tried taking the club to court again, this time in Texas, but the English court stated whatever the outcome was of that case, the ruling wouldn’t over rule the decisions made in London. The Americans had been foolish not only with their ruling of the club during their tenure, but their actions during the sale prospect. It’s safe to say it’s not just a relief to Liverpool Football Club that they are now away from the club, but also away from the beautiful game as a whole.

A Villa Thriller

2010-08-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Written on 14th August

Aston Villa supporters are not unused to strange weeks by any stretch of the imagination over the course of their long, illustrious history, but the strangest week since Randy Lerner’s takeover has certainly grabbed the attention of the football world.

Earlier this summer, Villa’s England star James Milner stated he wished to leave the Midlands club, and there were echoes of Gareth Barry’s demanding move to Liverpool, haunting Villa’s faithful fans that once again their club were only a stepping stone between the rest of the Premier League and the infamous ‘big six’; Manchester United and City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and the Merseyside Reds, who finished below Villa last season.

Barry’s switch to the North West’s former European Cup Winners eventually fell through, and the midfield dynamo opted for the ambitious, money-wrapped Manchester City, and it is City which looks the likely destination for his former partner Milner.

City have become villains in the Premier League over recent years, does that make the Birmingham club, the more famous owners of that particularly nickname, the victims?

The Eastland’s side have already lost respect from Everton and specifically David Moyes over their pursuit of Joleon Lescott, who took the short drive to switch for £25million in a very public debacle. Also Carlos Tevez’s switch to the club from Manchester United, despite the Argentine stating he ‘wouldn’t join a rival’ when he opted against switching to Liverpool. And Arsene Wenger was less than flattered when Emmanuel Adebayor joined the cast of stars which is still yet to break into a Champions League place.

Back to the Midlands it looks as though Milner has a £30million asking price, surely an overrated place for a midfielder who has only been known as an England regular since the last World Cup, when his nation famously flopped on the largest stage.

I’m not suggesting players are wrong to switch to the team, now managed by Roberto Mancini, but the club are clearly unprofessional in their transfer movements to land their big names to the club.

And it looks like this might have been the cause for perhaps the biggest twist of the Milner saga, the departure of manager Martin O’Neill. A instrumental part of Nottingham Forest’s dominance at the top during his playing career, it looks like the former Celtic boss finally lost his rag on the situation. Randy Lerner, who announced his ambitions to make Villa a force in the top flight during his takeover, thoughts echoed by O’Neill in his first press conference. But O’Neill sighted a change in ambitions with his boss, and it is believed that Milner was sold below the valuation set by O’Neill.

It wasn’t the build up to the season that Villa were on the lookout for. Their manager gone, and most influential player on the exit path. Surely it was inevitable that the their match against West Ham, aided by Graham MacDonald as caretaker manager was destined for defeat?

No such story. An unlikely ending to Villa’s gloomy week as the Midlander’s sailed to a convincing victory, perhaps making neutrals thinking the problems were at opposition West Ham rather than for the hosts.

The goalscorer of the third goal? The ‘unsettled’ midfielder Milner, booed onto the field because of the actions of the last days and weeks, exited to a standing ovation. The jeerers were silenced by a splendid display, Milner now may leave for Lancashire with the backing of his current club’s fans, although the general complexity of his switch will leave a sour taste in their fan’s mouthes.

It could yet turn to be an inspired move for all parties, City could have found money well spent with a switch that could lead them to Premiership glories, the Villa become a lot richer and can maybe smile at the move providing they find an adequate replacement, James Milner arguably has a greater oppitunity to win trophies and also finds his pocket increased with more money, and Martin O’Neill may find himself a better club, with his successful CV still intact, before it turned sour in the first place.

But it is severely risky. Villa lost a manager who took them from the lower reaches of the Premier League into Europe. They also are destined to lose a fantastic player. And it also gives those in this world who have a dislike to the beautiful game yet another opportunity to slam the game which continues to fail to fund itself. Is it in disrepute? Or is it not football at fault? Is it more a case of the ‘ruiners’ of the modern game are Manchester City!?

Dream On, Doncaster

2010-08-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Written on July 27th

The summer rain has begun to poor in South Yorkshire today, after a mostly bright last few weeks. Glum clouds hover in the skies, and there’s a cold breeze that echoes from the trees. Maybe today is the day that Doncaster Rovers realise that this season will be the hardest in the Championship to date, as the new found optimism from the record signing of Billy Sharp begins to wear off, and Rovers fans start to realise still how very little strength in depth they have and begin to doubt their promotion credentials.

As someone who always looks at the bigger picture, and therefore sees the glass as half full more than half empty more the most, I possess a dream. A dream similar to that of Doncaster Rovers’ famous chairman, John Ryan, who has tipped the club for Premier League football. Ryan wishes Rovers to complete the final hurdle of his mammoth dream, which thus far has seen the club win three promotions during his tenure; reach the quarter finals of the Carling Cup and win the Football League Trophy- but is this dream nearing its completion? Or are we still far adrift from the ‘Promised Land’? I’m going to review the facts, but even the most optimistic of fan should be able to spot the difference between impossible, unlikely and believable. Which one does Rovers’ dream fit into this season?

Last summer Doncaster sold midfielder Richie Wellens to Leicester City. Richie was a huge player in our team that claimed promotion from League One via the Play-offs in 2007-08 and also helped us achieve the ‘great escape’ following being bottom at Christmas in the Championship in 2008. At his sale Rovers fans contemplated the worse, the former Blackpool and Oldham midfielder may have said that his time at the Keepmoat Stadium was the ‘best of his career’ but many saw Leicester as a step down, as they had just won promotion from League One themselves in 2008-09, and there were fears amidst that Rovers had become a sinking ship. Fans dreams were put on hold even further when Matthew Mills left for Reading FC, the Englishman is regarded in many people’s eyes to be the best centre back in the division, so this switch undoubtedly should have proved a huge blow to Sean O’Driscoll’s men.

Neither star was replaced by a big money purchase. John Oster, himself formerly at Reading, arrived from Crystal Palace on a free transfer in midfield. And Jason Shackell, transfer listed at Wolverhampton Wanderers and relegated with Norwich City in 08-09 arrived on loan in the centre of defence. What was our manager playing at? Particularly with Rovers still owning no recognised striker, as Steve Brooker remained on the sidelines with injury, where he was to stay for the rest of the season. Along with doubts over the striking ability of Paul Heffernan, James Hayter and Lewis Guy as Rovers had been the lowest scorers in the country for much of the previous campaign.

It was difficult to believe back then that our magnificent manager, who had been at the helm since 2006 was completely capable of keeping us in the division. The squad looked a weak shadow of its former self, and somehow we had to keep our status in the second tier of English football. O’Driscoll, not only kept us up, but did it in such style that the football world sat up and took notice, and Premier League side Burnley even made an audacious attempt to steal our beloved messiah. We must have done something right!

After an inconsistent start, Rovers solved their problematic striker crisis, by taking Billy Sharp on a seasons long loan from Sheffield United. Billy was an unpopular choice at the Blades, failing to live up to high expectations placed upon him from his amazing tally at Scunthorpe United previously in his career, neither had he shown any signs of adapting to Kevin Blackwell’s much more direct tactics. The 11th hour move, as the loan window neared closure, looked a shrewd move for all parties; Rovers found a prolific goalscorer capable of fitting the final piece of the jigsaw, Sharp found another chance to prove he can find the net at this level rather than in the lower depths of gloomy 3rd and 4th tiers of the English game, and Sheffield United remove an unwanted squad member from the wage bill? Everyone was happy and Rovers, with Sharp netting 15 goals before he picked up an injury near the end of the campaign, not only starved off relegation but also came within a whisker from the Play-off places.

Its strange how things can change in twelve months. The credit must go to the manager for his inspired, shrewd, bargain purchases. Rovers had finished in the top half of the Championship table without spending more than £500,000 on any one player. Its no wonder Burnley came knocking, but due to the financial stability Rovers had installed, the Lancashire side backed away and Rovers went on to continue their to-be-unsuccessful promotion push, as Burnley were relegated with Brian Laws at the helm.

Its not just the manager which makes my club so special. The dreams of the chairman and the fans, who often get realism and optimism confused within one another have to be given credit. And so the club’s rise shows no signs of slowing.

Rovers were so confident enough in their ability to maintain a challenge for promotion to the next level in the coming season that the club broke their transfer record to make Billy Sharp the highest paid player in the clubs history, fighting off Leeds United and Burley to do this. Who are both arguably bigger clubs. Sharp is no doubt confident in Rovers ambitions, and the club believe they can continue their drive on their quest for even greater glories.

But not everyone is an optimist in Donny, and it’s easy to see exactly why. Despite Rovers proving their squad last season had the ability to battle with the majority of the division, the club has noted an absence of some key players.

These began towards the end of last season. Rovers had a mini crisis in the centre of defence. Jason Shackell sustained an injury, which was to rule him out of the rest of the campaign, coupled with Sam Hird’s inexperience, and Adam Lockwood’s inconsistency resulted in James O’Connor being forced to deputise outside of his regular right back position, partnering Sheldon Martis.

With the end of Shackell’s loan spell, and him subsequently departing the Midlands for Barnsley, Rovers still have to endure the same problem that was created back then. O’Connor, despite providing excellent cover, is not being used to the best of his ability if he is in the wrong position.

Fans have also expressed concern that one of the clubs three summer signings this summer was a defensive midfielder. Rovers already have Wales international Brian Stock and ex-Manchester United and Middlesborough midfielder Mark Wilson occupying this position, so why have the club bothered to purchase Simon Gillett from Southampton, a man very highly rated on the south coast, who will no doubt demand first team football.

Rovers still have a striker crisis of sorts too. Steve Brooker’s fitness continues to be a major talking point from the Viking faithful. Added to this release of strikers Paul Heffernan and Lewis Guy, leaving just Sharp, James Hayter and Waide Fairhurst at the club. Fairhurst has just nine Rovers appearances to his name having graduated from the youth setup, meanwhile Hayter looks a depleted, old version of the prolific goalscorer once seen at Bournemouth early on in his career, and whether he can still cut the mustard in the Championship remains in doubt. O’Driscoll also sees Hayter as more of a midfielder.

So it looks like Rovers’ strength in depth could prove a stumbling block. You cannot have a promotion fight which is relying on the club’s season being injury free. At this point because of this, even I think promotion is beyond the club. But with the right individuals added it could provide the talent to really kick on this season, and not just finish in the top half again next season. But it could see us matching or bettering many people’s predictions that Doncaster Rovers could be the Championship’s dark horses in 2010-2011. ‘Dream On, Doncaster’ I say!

Bolton & Owen Coyle

2010-01-08T13:10:00.001-08:00

It’s been a difficult week for most people in this country, as the cold, frosty conditions have marred the week for young, old, cheerful and miserable. Yes, snow has dared to rear its often ugly head to see Great Britain again, but certainly for me that has become distasteful and boring after a while.

If you think you week hasn’t been the most enduring of weeks, then perhaps you are showing jealousy to fans of Burnley, Bolton and Preston; who have been busy creating atmosphere in the Lancastrian air, to mare Mark Hughes’ exit from Manchester City and has even made people forget about Premier League champions Manchester United.

I rate Coyle highly, just like Phil Brown at Hull he has made fantastic strides with a club that I expected to rot at the wrong end of the second tier, taking the side to the gloss and glamour of the Premiership.

I thought Coyle had done so well at Burnley that when Gary Megson was dismissed as the gaffer of their local rivals, Bolton, that Wanderers wouldn’t bother looking to their former centre forward, and Coyle would not be interested in a switch to the Reebok. For me it is certainly a sideward step, and it is potentially a backwards step.

It is an opinion of many, Bolton fans and neutral alike, that Wanderers have failed to adequately replace Sam Allardyce; who after guiding Bolton back to the Premier League, established the side in the division and lead them into Europe, abandoned ship for Newcastle United in 2007. During his time at Bolton, “Big Sam” was also strongly linked with the England National Team coach in 2006, before the football association eventually plumped with Steve McClaren.

Although Coyle is the third successor to Allardyce’s throne the pressure is still heavily on the former Republic of Ireland international, to keep the Trotters in the top flight. Big Sam created an ethos for Bolton fans that they can believe that success is easily achievable, but his successors have proved that path to be very difficult indeed.

Thinking back to 2007 I believed that the appointment of Sammy Lee as Big Sam’s successor to be a shrewd move. You often are unaware at football clubs how much of an influence the assistant manager has. This has been shown at Leeds United, as when assistant manager Gus Poyet left Elland Road in October 2007, when Dennis Wise’s team slowly began to look a poorer side despite the same manager still being at the helm. Incidentally earlier that October, Lee was dismissed as Bolton manager after a dismal run of form has seen them struggle in the division. Lee still remains a popular character because of his time as Allardyce’s assistant, but it is a poor example when we talk about assistant managers taking full control of the senior side.

Bolton had then become the latest club to attempt to the ‘promote from within’ technique that has been so successful at Liverpool when Bill Shankly had be succeeded by Bob Paisley. But on this occasion, at Bolton, it had failed and Bolton’s pride had been dinted.

But it wasn’t damaged too badly. Bolton were still a good side, and Phil Gartside, the Bolton chairman was expected to appoint a good new manager. I think the nation gasped when it was named who it was going to be. Gary Megson. He wasn’t number one choice however approaches for Steve Bruce and Chris Coleman were turned down. It wasn’t that Megson was particularly the cheap option either. He was struggling to revamp a sinking ship at Leicester City, and he was freshly appointed, which to me says that compensation may have been expensive. Megson’s previous position had been at Nottingham Forest, where despite, by League One standards, over-spending, he had failed to win promotion. Previously to this he had succeeded in winning promotion to the Premier League, at West Brom, however he was dismissed following disagreements with the board. So it was a risky decision to say the least.

So this proved to be the case, as Bolton chanted calls for the manager and his chairman to be removed from their positions from a very early stage. Megson had an unattractive and largely unsuccessful style of management, and the fans were bemused. In the football club’s best interests, sacking Megson was the right decision as a business and its customers shouldn’t be forced to co-operate together with the problems that Megson put upon himself.

This time the appointment process has been often a farce. Bolton’s pursuit of Owen Coyle has been very public and events have been visible to the public. Yes it made it more intriguing but it hasn’t reflected well for Burnley or Bolton. Now-Blackburn manager, Allardyce has also stated this opinion claiming that he wouldn’t like being in Owen Coyle’s position, with the entire world airing its opinion on whether Coyle is making the right move.

It makes you wonder what Bolton’s aims are. They have signed someone with just a few months of Premier League experience and yet have poached a manager from a similar sized club, which shows ambition. Yet Bolton’s aim in the near future is survival, Coyle has to quickly thrust players together who are off form, despite a thin history of this feat. Does this move suggest that Bolton want to be back in Europe in the short term, despite Coyle hardly knowing the division?

For me, Coyle is a very good manager but there’s a right place at the right time scenario, and for me Coyle is a few years too late. I can only see this switch being a poor move for him, he has a brilliant reputation at the moment with a club he already knows well, and he’s dived head first into the unknown. If it works, however, it is a masterstroke.

Reading Vs Leicester (Preview) - For Football-Forever

2009-10-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

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Reading Vs Leicester City

The Majeski Stadium plays host to a tie between Reading FC and Leicester City FC on Monday night. Its a 'top end of the table vs bottom end of the table' affair, but its not the way that pundits, bookies and fans alike were predicting in the summer.

To say Reading have been out of sorts this season, is potentially an understatement. Despite today being a game in hand in front tonight, they sit in the bottom three. Yes, they were out of the relegation places before the weekends games, but after Peterborough's 3-0 win over Scunthorpe, the Posh have over taken the Royals and it sees only Ipswich and Plymouth below them in the table. Reading have the third worse goal difference in the table, only 'bettered' by Plymouth and Ipswich. There eleven goals is also the lowest goal tally in the Championship this season, clearly rueing the exit of enfluential Kevin Doyle to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer. They have so far lost every match in October; with their last victory coming in a tie with Preston at Deepdale in late September.

Key Man: Matthew Mills - their £2million buy has hardly featured this season and is rumoured to be unhappy. But potential the best centre back in the division, the former Doncaster man is cool and collected in every defensive area. He possesses a good right foot, capable of removing the ball from any frail position. He is also strong in the air and has a football brain which allows him to go to the right place at the right time.

Edgar Davids has not signed in time for Leicester for tonights match, so will not face the Royals at the Majeski. The League One Champions, Leicester, are in completely different form than tonight's rivals. The weekends results have seen Foxes slip to 10th place in the table, despite being in 8th on Saturday morning. A win, will see the Foxes enter the play-offs at QPR's expense. Leicester are in a good vein of form this season, with just two defeats this season in the league, their unbeaten away record denied by Newcastle on the 31st August. They also lost to Preston North End in September. Leicester have scored in all but three matches this season.

Key Man: Richie Wellens - their £1.2million summer signing as has been influential this season, since his move from Doncaster in July. Wellens can play as both an attacking and defensive midfielder, and has two strong feet. His passing is excellent both short and long. He is City's playmaker therefore dictates the pace which the game is played, providing the Foxes boss precedings.

Rob of the Rovers' Prediction: Reading O-2 Leicester.

Newcastle United 2-1 Doncaster Rovers

2009-10-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen as many devasted Doncaster faces as I saw at the full time whistle for some time.

I don't think any Newcastle player can come out with any credit - they were diabolical. I can completely understand why Newcastle fans are unexcited by Chris Hughton getting the managerial position full time; their players looked unhappy at the prospect of facing 'little Doncaster' and perhaps gave the message before kick-off of 'we'll only need to turn up'.

On the other hand I thought we were brilliant. I can't fault anyone's performance. I thought dropping Hayter was a fantastic move and I thought we looked a lot more committed in the final third - although I do blame his replacement, Quinton Fortune, for the final goal, which I'll go on to later. Fortune's role gave us two defensive midfielders, to partner Simon Gillett, which I don't think we needed in all honesty.

In the first half particularly we were more than comfortable - it became almost arrogance as the game went on, however. The little triangles were working almost to perfection and we were stringing the ball around nicely. One slight concern was that Sharp seemed to be occupying a more wide, supporting role for Dean Shiels, which potentially confused our opponents, but I thought Shiels was a faster opposition who was more likely to exploit the space left by the poorly organised Newcastle back line.

We took the lead from a lovely worked move. Billy Sharp found himself one-on-one with Steve Harper, after another defensive mare from the Magpies, but instead of taking the greedy option of trying to score in that situation he played a beautiful, trick ball across the six-yard box, and Shiels on the left hand side of the box couldn't miss. It was an easy goal, to cap an easy performance.

In the second half, unfortunately, we took our foot off the peddle. When everything, bar some dubious linesmaning from the assistant referee, was going our way. I think there was many times in that match, particularly one decision when Sharp was deeper than his marker when the ball was kicked, and the linesman flagged for offside.

No doubt Hughton's half time team talk was quite good though. If that is a positive from a Newcastle point of view. Although I still don't think Newcastle were brilliant, they found an 'inner self' from the second half, which although they went more direct, and reminded me of the way Sheffield United tried to come back at us after trailing several weeks ago. They did spend longer in our half than we did in there's. Although I didn't really think at any point, until it happened that they were going to score. Three 'open goals' were missed by United.

Kevin Nolan's shot (that isn't shown in the above highlights) was probably the worse of the lot. From about two yards out he managed to trick Neil Sullivan, almost like a penalty, to dive the wrong way. Then Nolan managed to fluff it wide. It made me laugh to be honest. It's exactly how not to take your chances.

In fairness Newcastle did continue to try and press as Doncaster began to weaken. Newcastle scored an equaliser when a lovely cross was met by Andy Caroll who struck a fantastic half volley beyond Neil Sullivan. If I'm going to give anyone the blame, unfortunately its got to be James O'Connor. He's gradually becoming the player he has been since he joined the club, but a lack of concentration, allowed Caroll to get beyond him and slot the ball across the goal.

We had a shout for handball on the edge of the box, which looked almost the same as what had been given against Billy Sharp a few minutes earlier. It clearly bounced up against his arm, but the referee decided to make a decision against Sharp but not against the Newcastle defender - which is hardly a level playing field.

We won a penalty with 15 minutes to go, which would have sent us 2-1 up and probably won us the game. It was a penalty, again you can see it on the highlights at the top of the page. Martin Woods was stuck in whether to place it or go for power. The eventual result was that he sent it miles wide. I didn't have any grudges about him taking it, as he scored his last one; against Spurs in August.

Maybe from that you could say it wasn't our day. United then scored with a long range effort to silence their own doubters, who booed them off at half time. As I said, if anyone is to blame it was Fortune. By now Gillett had been substituted as we went more attacking for the win. But Nolan wasn't closed down by our defensive midfielder. Fortune wasn't close enough to the former Bolton man, forcing O'Connor to have to step in. It was quite lucky going in off the post. But it was a very nice goal but it ruined a very positive display from the Rovers.

Doncaster 3-1 Peterborough

2009-10-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

"I think Hayter should be dropped for a game or two" said one man.

"No. A month or two, more like" said a second.

Then, perhaps jokily, yet with a hint of seriousness and sinisterism "If I was O'Driscoll, I'd be tempted to give him a season or two's rest." said the third.

I've heard a lot of funny but worrying statements in and around the Keepmoat stadium after a match, but the above is right up there with the best, and I understand whole-heartedly where the gentlemen are coming from, when I heard them walking around the lake last night.

It was said before the game that two Peterborough sides are possible - a good, talented, motivated side. Or the opposite, a dire lacklustre side, bluntly not good enough for the second tier . Fortunately for us, and tragically for the visitors , I think its safe to say we witnessed the latter - if it was one of their better displays I think they are in for a very hard season.

In fairness though, they started well. A change of end wasn't the 'change' I had in mind, I was thinking more individuals and at the start it wasn't a wise move at all; for the first 5-10 minutes they were on top. But we defended strongly and held firm. Before hitting them on a well worked counter attack.

The below average crowd who had to watch, with heads already in their Yorkshire and Peterborough palms, a game of head tennis. But the ball broke to Dean Sheils who had his shot parried by goalkeeper Joe Lewis, and it fell to Billy Sharp who couldn't really miss from two yards out. It was a poacher's goal from a man who I thought would bring a more rounded game to the Keepmoat Stadium, but he just reminds me of Paul Heffernan. The finish was straight down the middle, which confused the goalkeeper who thought the ball would find its way into the bottom corner.

And it didn't take long for the lead to be doubled. After some neat build up play, Dean Sheils' rocketed a shot from the edge of the area, sending the home supporters into bliss. Shiels was my man of the match. He looked quality. Running into every area on the pitch, including those you wouldn't expect. He was doubling up on basically every player on the pitch.

I got told not to underestimate Peterborough before the game, but this was going to plan and was very good despite the sloppy surface, making it more in the air than usual. I got told to watch for George Boyd and Danny Rose, I struggled to notice he was there, and needed did Darren Ferguson as they were both taken off in the second half.

It all got a bit tense when, apparently cruising Rovers, conceded a goal. A slack mistake from James Chambers on the Rovers right for the attack in question, let the Peterborough winger get passed him and James O'Connor and Neil Sullivan were beaten by the head of Aaron McLean. McLean did play quite well for Boro, but I think based on that performance he is potentially over-rated. Certainly fellow striker, Craig Mackail-Smith is. He was nowhere to be seen for long period, perhaps due to Peterborough's inept showing in midfield, but it was difficult to tell. He hardly had any opportunities, and when he did he didn't take them.

Rovers' final goal came after the game had fizzled out for a while. Before the goals I said, "Why do we still get excited over corners? We only score one a year.", next thing I know, Martin Woods' cross has been met by Jason Shackall and Donny have three. Game over.

Paul Heffernan - We need him to stay

2009-10-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

The Paul Heffernan story at Doncaster Rovers is a fascinating saga. The striker, Rovers' top scorer, despite injury problems, in three of the last four seasons, now apparently is targeting a move away from the club.

The Irishman has become a clear fans favourite in South Yorkshire over the last four years, but has tasted a sour relationship with current manager Sean O'Driscoll.

When Heffernan was signed, it was by Dave Penney and it was to replace the outgoing Gregg Blundell, as Rovers looked for a new striking outlet for their first season in League One. It was quite a large void, as Ross McCormack, Chris Brown and Adebayor Akinfenwa, who all have a goalscoring pedigree in the football league, had all departed the club that summer.

Heffernan wasn't an instant shirt-sale booster. He had spent the last season as third choice at Bristol City, behind Leroy Lita and Steve Brooker. But Notts County and Bristol City fans had high opinions of him, as a player with a history of 'if he plays he will score'.

At Notts County, Heffernan netted 35 times in 74 starts in the League, which is quite impressive and warranted a move to League One City. It is very close to one goal every other start.

However his season at Ashton Gate was less than successful. Starts were scarce, yet Heffs still managed to score five goals in ten starts. A Bristol City fan once said to me, that had Heffernan stayed they may well had gone up that season and Tinnion would be still in the job.

Heffs came to Rovers, however, still little known to League One, still with a group of people concerned that he wasn't a proven League One goalscorer. But he settled in magnificently. Forging a partnership with Lewis Guy, Rovers established themselves in League One, finishing the season in 8th and reaching the Quarter Finals of the Carling Cup. Heffernan was a fantastic goalscorer. Not the fastest, but he was excellent when latching onto through balls and was one of the best one-on-one goalscorers I have ever seen. His finish against Aston Villa in the Carling Cup, was typical Heffs, a pass which beated the defence and Heffs was never going to fail to beat Thomas Sorenson from inside the area.

In early 2009, Heffernan's judgement against Arsenal, with Rovers seconds away from the semi-finals of the Carling Cup was voted Rovers' most regrettable moment of the last ten years by supporters. Heffernan gave the ball away, and quick counter attacking football resulted in the ball soon hitting the back of Jan Budtz' net.

Heffernans form has been consistant ever since he joined the side. In 05-06, Heffernan scored 13 goals, that was despite him being injured for the remaining three months of the season.

The change of manager didn't affect his goalscoring either. Heffernan scored 21 times in 06-07, as Rovers won the JP Trophy. His goal at the Millennium Stadium, and it was without knowing it, disputably the end of an era for Donny's number 14.

Bournemouth had relied on James Hayter for goals for many years in the O'Driscoll era, so it was only returning a favour when 'the Arsene Wenger of League One' brought his blue-eyed boy to the Keepmoat Stadium. Hayter was a record signing with a proven track record of scoring in League One. Unlike Heff's deal this set the shirt sales boosting. The marketting plea of the 'Heff'n'Hayter' was released in T-Shirt format, as Rovers aimed to get promotion to the Championship at the third attempt.

But it soon became apparent to what the problem was. Rovers struggled to score goals, and chants of 'O'Driscoll out' could be echoed on the terraces. The plan that had got Rovers' dreams and ambitions into a poweful flame, were now in fading drastically, and they looked like a team of relegation strugglers than promotion pushers.

In 07-08, Heffernan still managed eight goals. He finished as joint top scorer, despite being injured for long stages. In March alone, he netted five times in six games, as Rovers found their way up the table. Heffs then had another injury problem, and was ruled out for April. He returned, under pressure in the last day of the season against Cheltenham Town. Rovers were a win away from going up, yet with Gareth Taylor and Mark McCammon being the strikeforce, Rovers never threatened against the relegation strugglers. It was 1-0 when Heffernan came on, Paul Green pulled it back to 1-1, but in an attempt to steal victory Rovers conceded in the dieing minutes. But back fit again, Heffernan was in the team going into the play-offs.

For the first leg of the play-off semis, a Rovers' team consisting of Paul Heffernan took the long trip to Roots Hall and Southend United. Heffernan, now a firm favourite with the visiting fans, was labelled Rovers' best scoring outlet.

Unforuntately both sides cancelled each other out. But Heffernan's Rovers career was about to take a mamouth twist. Frustrated by being fouled by an opposition defender, Heffs' let his anger known and deliberately headbutted the opposition player, under the eyes of the public watching on Sky Sports, and spotted by the referee.

Maybe Heffernan cannot be inexcused for his actions. Maybe Heffs was wrong with what he did, but following the dissmissal it is rumoured that Heffs was subject to an off-field onslaught for his antics. The former Notts County man was questioned for his attidute to football by the manager, and it was labelled a huge mishap on the strikers' part. Heffernan concequently missed the trip to Wembley because of the suspension.

Even when he returned in 2008-09, Heffernan struggled to return to the first team. Gareth Taylor and James Hayter was the perfered striker combination as Rovers' slipped into the relegation places, and were the lowest scoring side in the football league.

Heffernan's name was being chanted from the stands as the pressure mounted on the ex-Bournemouth boss to 'let bygons be bygons', but O'Driscoll stuck to his stubborn ways and didn't start Heffernan until a tie with Ipswich in November. Rovers ended their run of 13 games without a win, Heffernan did not score the winning goal but his impact was certainly noted.

Heffernan was then excluded from the team again, making his return against top of the table Wolverhampton Wanderers, who eventually won the title, Heffernan and Guy, a recognised partnership for numerous years had a positive impact, with Heffernan hitting the bar, as the Hoops more than matched the league leaders. Subsequently the same strikers were used at Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day. Rovers proved exactly what they could do and routed with a 4-2 win, leading by four goals at one point. Heffernan netted two of his ten league goals that season, on that afternoon. Even though Forest were struggling it was proof that Rovers could more than hold their own in English football's second tier.

Rovers were the second best team in the Championship in the last half of the 08-09 season, and Heffernan was top scorer for the club. It provoked even stronger hailings from the club's supporters, but the incident at Southend clearly stood in the manager's mind. But at this time, the fans thought the manager had 'ate humble pie' and let the results done the talking, subsequently learning from his mistakes.

I think it's safe to see I and a lot of the Paul Heffernan fan club were wrong. Heffernan was ruled out for the remaining stages of the season allowing James Hayter to again attempt to persuade the doubters that he's a useful acquisition and it was the 'Heffer'n'Hayter' duo that started this season.

However after failing to score against Watford and Coventry, Heffernan was out of the team - with those two fixture's potentially being his last home and away ties in a Rovers shirt. I think he played well against Coventry. I didn't think there was much out of order with his performance, he just didn't score, whereas Hayter did. Maybe that is all it comes down to? Or more likely it goes back to that Play-off semi final. On deadline day Heffernan was strongly linked with a move to League One minnows Leeds United, with Radio Leeds playing up a the rumour that he was to move to the West Yorkshire side. Nothing happened, despite it forcing me to spend long spells of the day on 'Waccoe'.

In October, unrest was pretty much confirmed. Heffernan's agent confirmed his client was tempted by a loan move with O'Driscoll perfering the out of form Hayter and youngster Waide Fairhurst to the 'tried and tested' striker. Heffernan's resilience has according to rumours, stirred up interest from fellow Championship sides and top League One clubs, including Leeds - who have signed Sam Vokes so there linking with Heffs has been decreasing, and Oldham Athletic, managed by the man who took him to Belle Vue, Dave Penney.

I hope he stays, but somehow I doubt it. There's only one Paul Heffernan.

Doncaster Rovers 3-3 Ipswich Town

2009-09-20T04:12:00.000-07:00

I love playing Ipswich. I usually leave the ground after the match with a grin on my face, and today was not an exception.

This was the third time I had ever seen Ipswich Town. When we were a League Two side I saw us take-apart the Championship side in a Carling Cup tie. It was a superb performance, and one that will stick in my memory. I witnessed potentially the best solo goal I have ever seen from Jermaine McSporren that night, and it was also one of the best atmospheres I witnessed from the Belle Vue' Pop.

Last season we met Ipswich with ourselves tied down to a lowly position in the table. We were winless in 13 games, and had just bought a new centre back, Sheldon Martis, on loan from West Brom. The relief from that victory was the seeds of our great escape that we executed after christmas.

Those two matches had one main factor in common, they were both Rovers win. Unfortunately after today I can't say the same.

I think we were below par today. Yet there isn't a single individual that I will point the blame at. I think the absence of Brian Stock was a loss. We lacked a defensive midfielder, and Hird was playing too defensively to really be compared. It was 5-3-2 rather than the diamond formation. There was a large space between the midfield and the defence, and that is why the scoreline happened.

I've come back to comments of 'what a great match', but to be honest I thought the first half was a pretty poor spectacle. We weren't at our best, but took the lead through Wade Fairhurst. It was a mess-up by Richard Wright in the Ipswich goal who dropped the ball straight to Fairhurst who performed an over-head kick after the bounce.

Fairhurst is probably going to play in the Premiership. I know I've said that before, and Matt Mills or Paul Green look like living up to my expectations. But he is aware, has a good pass, can hold up the ball and obviously can shoot. He is Sharp's ideal partner, and from what I saw today he is better than Billy.

We were the worse side in the first half. For long patches, we sat back and allowed Ipswich to come onto us. I saw Cardiff last time out, and I'm drawing similarities between those two teams. They seem to lack power in the shot, they struggle to get beyond our strong, organised defence and both rely on goal mouth scrambles if they want to find the net.

The latter was how Ipswich got the goals they did today. All three goals were from corners. For their first goal, the ball was played across goal and Jack Colbeck was able to send a shot into the bottom corner.

For most of the second half we dominated. The goal came against the run of play. We were cruising in fact, we just got caught out at a set piece - which has happened all to often this season.

Our second was also beautiful. A corner at the other end was played to edge of the box, and Martin Woods found the corner. It was a fantastic strike. I've seen too many of Woods' shot go over the cross bar, but he kept it down and it was a pleasing site. The problem is, we've always had a man on the edge of the area, for the best part of three seasons - why have we never passed to that man before? I have been told about Gary Brabin, who used to play for us. He used to stand on the edge of the box and it would be played to 'Sumo' and he was slot it away everytime.

It was a furious few minutes. As we took the lead we made changes. We took Fairhurst off to a warm applause from the crowd, and also Sam Hird. On came Quinton Fortune and Dean Sheils. Attacking minded changes, presumably decided before we had retaken the lead.

Straight from the kick-off Ipswich won another corner, and Thomas Priskin was there to header the ball beyond Neil Sullivan who dived the wrong way. Then suddenly they had the lead. Another corner (notice a patten), and the ball was poked in beyond Neil Sullivan by Lee Martin at the near post. A defensive mix-up which presumably the substitutes had effected.

When the whole of the ground were stunned and dejected, believing that any result was now potentially beyond them, Sean O'Driscoll would have been at fault for the result, and his subsitutions having a really bad effect. We were winning when Fairhurst went off, and now we only had one striker on the pitch. But O'Driscoll went from villian to hero in the 84th minute, when the best goal of the lot was scored.

Subsitute Quinton Fortune found the ball at his feet on the left hand side of the penalty area. The veteran conned the defender and jinxed inside. Launching a shot at goal. His celebration tells a story. He ran to the touchline and jumped on one of the coaches. The goal meant the world to him, as it did to the supporters.

It would have been three points dropped in a game we dominated for large spells. As it was it was only two, which is still bad. But as Mr O'Driscoll we can still 'take a lot of positives from the defeat'.

In the words of Harry Redknapp, "Is this Real Madrid?"

2009-09-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

"I said to Joe Jordan after about six minutes - 'Is this Real Madrid?'" is potentially the ultimate tribute in football. And for it to be said about my club, it left me blushing but undoubtedly proud of my team, particularly if you put it into context - it was after a 5-1 defeat.

It is probably naive for me to think that Harry Redknapp's words will stay with me forever, but it is certainly a fate that I didn't expect when playing Conference football seven years ago.

I remember being sat at the Tottenham match, unhappy with our manager's team selection, but perhaps more dissappointed that my previous blogs had reached an anti-climax; with that praise maybe they weren't?

That match took place on 26th August. So it has certainly been a long spell to reflect, and obviously includes Deadline Day.

On 1st September, Doncaster concluded their long pursuit of a striker of outstanding quality (hopefully), with the loan signing of Sheffield United's Billy Sharp.

It would come of no surprise to me, or many other Championship followers, if this turns out to be the signing of the summer.

Sharp's form at Scunthorpe United warranted a switch to Sheffield United. He netted 56 goals in two seasons in a formidable partnership with Andy Keogh at the Irons, but his superb form hasn't been repeated at Bramall Lane. So it falls to Sean O'Driscoll to shape the resurrection.

A difficult task for the former Bournemouth manager? Especially when you look at his record of signing strikers. Tired and tested, failed and flawed is a common and developing pattern being noticed by even the less estute of Rovers' fans.

According to the statistics, goals have always been Rovers' downfall. Doncaster were promoted in 2007-08 from League One, and due to the injury problems of Paul Heffernan (who incidentally was signed by Dave Penney), the club's leading scorer that season was James Hayter, who notched up less than ten goals.

With Heffs out of the side until Christmas the following season, with a fall out with the manager believed to be the cause, after the play-off semi-final, Rovers until January, were the lowest scorers in the entire Football League.

Now I don't want to turn this blog into a moan at James Hayter, but a record transfer is an awful lot of money to pay. And for a striker with an impressive goalscoring tally, surely I'm within my rights to expect more goals? I have come close to giving up on this lad already this season, he must be the only 'goalscorer' in football who sends one-on-ones straight down the middle? And, having just turned thirty his days are presumably numbered in a Rovers' shirt? Surely he's the man who Sharp is going to be replacing? Or is our manager going to take it out on Paul Heffernan, again?

Now I don't want to end on a negative note so I will also express my delight on Rovers extending the loan of Jason Shackall. Shackall has come on loan to fill the void left by Matt Mills this summer, and Rovers have conceded just three goals in his five league appearances, which is pretty impressive.

Referees

2009-08-23T00:59:00.001-07:00

Football fans are often critical of referees. It's a fact that's become part-and-parcel of the modern game. And its not like the supporters don't have any right to moan, because it's more than an opinion that the standard of officiating in the English game is getting considerably worse.

I sit here as a fan of Doncaster Rovers, who's side has been arguably denied six points, already this season, from official's decision-makings. And to summarize it simply is not good enough.

Last season, I approximately accused an official's poor influence to deny Rovers of a 'better result' in ten games I attended - I only got to 26 all season, so its a pure disgrace.

On Saturday, Neil Warnock slammed the referee's influence in managing to disallow a goal for 'not crossing the line', when it clearly had. Sean O'Driscoll's Rovers side have had the same fury unleashed twice in the last twelve months. James Coppinger's 'goal that wasn't', in a 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest in the later stages of 2008, and Dean Sheil's against Watford on the opening day of this season.

This is a possible opportunity for me to possibly go on to discuss the argument of goal-line technology - but that is for another day.

I've often wondered what would help referees. I have contemplated before whether it would be beneficial for an official to be in the stand, overlooking the pitch, with a clear and decisive view, that the fans get - when referees and their linesmanning colleagues tend to turn a blind eye.
So regularly we see the referees and other staff's views obstructed by players. This leads to the incident not being noted and the game being continued with the aggressive player with a cheeky, but relieved grin on his face.

One thing's for sure. This could be down to one of these - if not both - of the following points. Either they are not getting enough of the correct sort of training or the wrong individuals are being influenced by the idea of being on the same pitch of a set of icons.

The training speaks for itself. If money is put in the influence will be gradual. But if it's too tough potential quality refs will quit the course, and we don't want that. The Premier League gets a lot of money from revenue and television, yet it seemingly manages to avoid this referees, an area where we have been struggling for numerous years.

As for the individuals, obviously we need a good marketing plea. It can't be helped that the quality of referees at the moment is so poor, people know that if they want to become referees they can see the treatment made by the fans and this clearly puts them off.

The only people who sign up to become referees are determined people, who are very confident in their own ability who think 'I can do a better job than the man in the middle, and I want to prove it'. But I don't feel there are enough of these characters.

Cup Competitions - A Flamable Dream (Part II)

2009-08-22T04:02:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get to sleep on the night of Wednesday 12th August 2009. It was strange. I had one of those feelings where I had failed to do something important during the course of the day and was going to regret it. But I spent what felt like hours racking my brain, but I honestly couldn't remember what it was.

Then I remembered something. But even then I wasn't sure if it was what I was apparantly missing. The Carling Cup Second Round Draw had taken place shortly before I went to bed. I knew we had been un-seeded, but I had thought we would draw one of the 'non-events' left in the competition. It was too earlier for any potential Doncaster Rovers giant killing surely?

It was approximately 1am on the morning of the 13th - sounds quite unlucky if you ask some people - that I turned on the television. I looked on teletext for the draw, and there it was - the first line - Tottenham Hotspur at home.

The memories of the 2005 Cup run, at that point came flooding back. I remembered fairly quickly that it was North London opposition that had denied us a place (see Part I)in the semi-finals of the competition, and it looked like it was time for some sort of revenge against the Cockneys.

Doncaster's fame in recent years had been a lot to thank with league form - three promotions in a five year spell - but cup runs have made way for disappointing finishes in non-knockout competition.

I remember, just before the season concluded, watching a video of Ian Snodin's Doncaster winning the Conference Cup in 1999. It was the start of something special, however Snodin's league form eventually paid the price for the pressure at Belle Vue. Unfortunately, due to my age, I did not attend that night.

For me, my love for cup competitions began in the Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup, a competition many will never have heard of. Basically, if your a non-league side and in the Sheffield-area, you compete in this competition.

I started watching the club in when Steve Wignall was the manager, and although league form was a concern, as we were continually tipped for promotion back to the football league, the competition meant we were always a good bet to finish each season with a trophy in a cabinet. Doncaster were victorious in finals at Hillsbrough in 00-01 and 01-02. The Vikings also reached the final in 02-03, but when the Conference play-offs took centre stage that summer, the cup final was ignored, as Rovers lost out to Frickley. Thankfully it was worthwhile as Rovers won promotion at Stoke's Brittania Stadium after a 3-2 victory over Dagenham and Redbridge.

My next memory of cup football, and how special these occasions can be, was the 05-06 Carling Cup. Doncaster took out Wrexham in the first round in August 2005; fans didn't realise it at the time but it was the start of something very special. The draw shook up a potential upset, Manchester City at Belle Vue. Certainly a difficult tie, but Doncaster's ambitious club nature gave them the advantage. Dave Penney started with an attacking side, and it did exceptionally well. Despite losing goalkeeper Andy Warrington to injury midway through extra time, while trailing 1-0, Doncaster managed to grab an equaliser and send it to penalties.

It was that shootout when Jan Budtz made his name. Three fantastic saves meant Rovers took a place in the third round, but perhaps just as importantly, City were out. It was a short-lived fame for Budtz, who was released by Hartlepool United at the end of last season.

Doncaster were hoping for another potential giant killing in the next round. Tragically, or perhaps fortunately, the draw provided a dissapointing home tie with Gillingham. Rovers were victorious in a low-key fixture. It finished 2-0 in favour of the South Yorkshire side.

Doncaster were, however, rewarded for their efforts in the next round, as Midlanders Aston Villa ventured into the scary prospect of meeting a Doncaster side in a rich vein of form. The Reds had won all three of their league games in November, and any Villa fans expecting a whitewash, were hughly mistaken. David O'Leary's side had managed to find themselves in the middle of a relegation battle in the Premier League, and a match that looked to prove a starting point for a good run that would propell the Villians from safety, wasn't to happen.

It's amongst the finist performances I have witnessed as a follower of the Hooped Warriors, and there are very few performances capable of matching that night in 2005. Over 10,000 people witnessed that night at Belle Vue, whoever didn't go, as they will understand now, missed out on a great night.

Twenty minutes in Villa fans should have realised it was not going to be their night, when Liam Ridgewell used his hands to control the ball in his own penalty area, and a spot kick was the result. Michael McIndoe, from it, opened the scoring.

Villa didn't give up immediately, Gareth Barry and co. kept the score low and managed to reach half time with just the one goal seperating the sides, and it was over to the former Arsenal defender, O'Leary to inspire his visiting side to victory.

It clearly didn't. Doncaster, just eight minutes after the restart, doubled their lead. Lewis Guy's through ball found Paul Heffernan, and the Irishman calmly sidefooted the ball into the back of the net.

Doncaster had seen just glipses of Irishman Sean Thornton's potential prior to that game, but it was his first, and only, ninety minutes of brilliance in the Rovers shirt. He rounded off the rout with a spectacular goal, with just twelve minutes to do. It was a fantastic strike from the bottom corner, that found the top corner with an unstoppable shot. It was a beauty.

Tragically that was the last of the big guns taken out under the Doncaster floodlights, despite adding the Johnstone's Paint Trophy to their cabinet in 2007, Doncaster have met Bolton and Aston Villa in FA Cup matches in recent years, but are yet to capture their form from that spectacular run in 2005.

Bring on the Spurs.

Rovers Vs PNE (home) - my view

2009-08-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely August afternoon, the sun was out above Doncaster but there was also a relaxing, gentle breeze which cooled the suns rays, resulting in perfect conditions for a game of football.

It was the third game of the season for the Rovers, but unfortunately just my third after away trips to Watford in the league on the opening Saturday, and progressing past a difficult Notts County test in the Carling Cup on Tuesday.

Rovers fielded a, pretty much, expected team for the visit of Preston. Bryon Webster and Sam Hird, both centre backs, picked up knocks on Tuesday and the previous Saturday's matches respectively, vice-captain Adam Lockwood was partnered by debutant Jason Shackall. Midweek's goalscoring hero James Coppinger, came in for Dean Sheil's after the Northern Ireland international was disappointing at Vicarige Road.

Shackall's appearance came most of a surprise. The defender was only signed just a few hours before kick-off and concequently had never changed with the team.

Despite Rovers edging the first half, they went behind at the break. It was Shackall who was at fault for the opener. The man from Wolves, let ex-Rovers' loanee Chris Brown, take the ball through the centre of the Doncaster defence and slot the ball beyond veteran Neil Sullivan.

Rovers had chances to take the lead before the goal, but similarly to last season, the final through ball wasn't good enough, or the shot's weren't particularly challenging.

Doncaster's ex-Bournemouth manager Sean O'Driscoll clearly made the more impressive of the half time teamtalks. It was close to a full forty-five minutes of second half domination however, the Vikings, didn't take any of their presented chances.

Attacking full-backs, James Chambers on the right and Gareth Roberts on left were inspiring during the second half. At one end they were able to make an inch-perfect challenge, while at the other they both made promising crosses and many short passes.

Doncaster then had a moment of 'how could he miss?'. It was Chambers again cutting inside before sending a shot from the edge of the area towards the top left hand corner. Preston's Andrew Lonergan could only parry, so it fell to James Hayter, who with half the net at his mercy, could only strike his half-volley at the post.

Doncaster did manage to get a deserve equaliser. The two centre backs, Shackall and potential Man of the Match, Adam Lockwood, up for a corner. Shackall's origional header was saved, but Lockwood powerfully blasted in the equaliser and rescue the points at the death for the hosts.

Next up for Doncaster is Coventry City. It promises to be an entertaining tie, with Chris Coleman's 'Sky Blue Army' top of the table. They are starting to gather momentum, both sides remain unbeaten, but will one of them lose that on Tuesday.

Same old England

2009-08-13T04:45:00.000-07:00

Sat at my computer until half time last night, I was slating England's performance left right and centre. From what I saw, every time I glanced at my television was a moment that made me want to sigh in disbelief. How we managed to go in at half time at 2-0 was a miracle.

There was no motivation in the each team member's face, no commitment to the cause. We have another team of individuals, like we had under Sven, some of the best in the world at club level, but in national competition we don't blend enough to get beyond the quarter finals, and although this isn't the world cup, and we have another ten months to prepare, I don't feel like we have a realistic chance of winning the competition, like I did in 2006.

It's only the naivest of supporters that continually play up our chances on the verge of the competition. I consider myself an optimist, yes, but not naive. I see the semi-finals as a realistic target, I just hope that too much hype which has turned into expectation over the years, hasn't cost us a tournament triumph.

At the moment it doesn't look like it will. In fact based on the first half of last night's performance if anything the people in the media will play down there chances. Yes, Holland are probably Quarter-Final quality, but they were far from their total footballing best and we should have capitalised, not thrown two goals away like we did.

I was always of the belief we had the best centre back pairing in international football. But Terry, or Ferdinand, looked comfortable in their own ability. Ashley Young and Gareth Barry spent the first half being unnoticeable, and Frank Lampard had another below par, performance for his national side. Emile Heskey may have presence in the England front two, but what his strengths are, Peter Crouch has but better. Heskey has done nothing at Aston Villa since his arrival in January, and should not have started based on a prior England result.

The second half brought about change. The team-talk was clearly impressive and the substitutions were inspired. Defoe came on, and within 3 minutes made an impact. He scored twice, leaving the fans in joy, perhaps Michael Owen isn't the best natural finisher we have?

The second half, in that respect showed plenty of promise. Based on the second half performance, I would say that if we draw the Dutch we can feel confident in ourselves that we can beat them. But the annoying factor for me is, before kick-off Capello said he wanted a '90 minutes' team, he got a 45 minutes team and we've taken several steps back.

Cup Competitions - A Flamable Dream (Part I)

2009-08-13T00:55:00.000-07:00

Usually stable, perhaps unnoticeable at times, but runs in the cup can be so easily ignited that it could spark you imminent success. But of course you have to be on your guard, it could so easily be put out, this beautiful, magnificent spectacle.

Picture the scene. It is December 2005. The crowd full of pre-Christmas cheer and joy. More passionate that usual, not just because of the the Christmas spirit, but because this is the cup and a miracle could be about to conclude in front of your very eyes.

Re-enforced with extras, a capacity crowd Belle Vue, expected, prior to kick-off, that they would be premièring yet another smash hit, Carling Cup blockbuster. It was to be the third instalment, and in the Quarter-Finals you could potentially have two great pieces of Spielberg-type cinema clashes on viewing in the future. But that's not for tonight, tonight is about Part III.

If Spielberg had used Doncaster's 05-06 Carling Cup run as an incentive for a film then it wouldn't disappoint. It was scripted to perfection, particularly for a fan.

The clock slowly ticked away on your watch on your freezing right hand. Your side leads 2-1 and you have a beaming smile on your face. There is just one minute to go and your striker, Paul Heffernan, has the ball. It is within your grasp. Surely it can't be thrown away now?

You stare eagily to your right, looking at Heffs, your fingers in your mouth inpersonating the referee's whistle like the rest of the home supporters. Your side, average in the third tier, was destined for the back pages again. Arsenal surely couldn't equalise now? There was the problem. You weren't just playing anyone, you were facing Arsenal, a side who later that season were participating in the Champions League final.

Paul Heffernan's spell on the ball seemed to last an eternity, close to the corner flag between the Rossington End and the Popular Terrace. I don't think even the Irish goal-machine knew quite what to do with it. You saw the corner of his eye glance at the goal - almost like Geoff Hurst did to scoring England's forth in the 1966 World Cup final - then down at the ball it went.

That was his mistake, he took too long considering his decision, and like a flash he had lost the ball. Following the second he lost the ball, it wasn't as if the time was slowed and simply had been resumed that moment, it was almost like someone 'up there' had pressed fast-forward. On reflection it was it was probably one of the best counter-attacks I have ever witnessed. Won by the left back, the ball was played down the left, to the winger, who centred a low cross into the penalty area. There was only one result at that point when the ball was struck into the back of Jan Budtz's net... penalties. Again.

The home fans were left deflated. And, looking back, we were never going to win that shoot out. 10,000 dreams had been shattered, but of course, tragically, so had the eleven players. Arsenal won, not because they were the better team over 120 minutes, but because they had better penalty takers, a better shot-stopping goal-keeper, and were a lot more confident and motivated. Within a few moments, Doncaster had gone from the verge of the last four, to out of the competition. The Gunners were through.

You could see the confidence disappear in each performance, and it didn't come back before it was too late. The result, single-handedly cost the Yorkshire outfit promotion that season, but not only that but lead to the departure of the ambitious Michael McIndoe, and indirectly, to September's resignation of Dave Penney.

Of course, I didn't know that then, but I remember saying bemused and bewildered, as words of comfort to the long walk up Bennethorpe (a road from Belle Vue to the centre of town), that 'there is always next year'...

Now, approaching 2010, I am still waiting...

Three Weeks of Concern

2009-08-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

I remember wondering half way through my warm holiday in the Algarve, what to do my next blog on. The day after Sir Bobby Robson tragically passed away so I thought I'd be sat here dwelling on that and the poor state of English football managers, following the conclusion of Stuart Peace's book. Instead I am here writing about another great loss. This person hasn't ascended upon the stairway to heaved, but has descended - not to hell - but to Reading; his name Matthew Mills.

The Football League season is upon us. A tasty prospect during the previous week for the majority of supporters but not particularly for me. As a supporter of championship side Doncaster Rovers, I have witnessed, four poor quality incomes, and have seen the loss of, in my opinion, our two best players.

When Richie Wellens left the South Yorkshire outfit last month, I paid tribute to a player of the 'class above'. A man signed on a free transfer, sold for £1.2million just about tells it's own story. I thought that deal was too low but conceded that now there is obviously nothing we can do about it. I was very disappointed that we accepted the first incoming offer, as a club showing fear that they wouldn't get any more for their ageing playmaker.

Mills doesn't fit into that category. We declined bid, after bid, after bid, for quite simply one of the best players I have ever seen (on his day), certainly appearing in the red and white of the Rovers he definitely charts in the top three and is potentially at number one. Agile on the ball, a 'right place at the right time', Bobby Moore-type centre back, we broke our transfer record for Mills last summer. I was away in Cornwall for a crucial week last summer and I remember looking at Teletext every day, when I was in, to see if he had signed. It was a long, drawn-out signature, with new Manchester City boss Mark Hughes, wanting to have a look at him before he was sold. But the deal then was always imminent, as perhaps the same could be said for his sale this week. Being this close to the season we believed we could hold on to our star defender but it clearly wasn't to be.

For the last 18 months (he came on loan before his full time deal) I would have compared Mills to the former Rovers defender David Wheater, who is now seen playing regularly for Middlesbrough and the England Under-21 side. Perhaps that's an ambitious statement, but I have seen both play and based on the amount of errors both make, and their general defensive qualities, I'd go as far as saying Mills is the more talented of the duo!

It came of no surprise when promotion-wanting Birmingham City, hotly tipped for the Championship crown, came knocking in January. They were told the £1.5m bid wasn't enough on deadline day, and never came back, despite continued newspaper speculation. Then came Nottingham Forest, the former European Champions, still living on memories of the Clough era, with two bids one of £1.75m, the second of "in the region of £2m". Both were rejected. This created a feud between sets of the supporters of Rovers and Forest, originating on 606 when Forest fans claimed the deal was 'done', obviously they have been proved wrong.

Reading's interest, to my knowledge, was out-of-the-blue. I was reading the Daily Mirror on Tuesday when I noticed a piece on the 'football spy' page. I thought little of it. To me it was a club on the lookout for a defender, and a talked about Championship player of that position. Surely it was just the media doing the sum 2+2 and equalling 5? Obviously it wasn't.

On the face of it both probably have a good deal. In my opinion we need to sweep the markets looking for a quality defender, because we only have a maximum of three centre halves 'up to the standard', but we have enough money to compete with clubs at the top end of the division, particularly with Newcastle in a stalement with no manager and the club up for sale. Having said that we also need a new midfielder to replace Wellens. Reading have got, I believe, the best centre back in the division.

Is everyone happy with that? I will be when we see what the squad looks like in early September.

The Devious Director Of Football

2009-07-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a stressful season for the title of Director of Football, with various undermining believed to have taken place in the Premier League, resulting in two resignations. Yesterday, the vacancy was thrown into disrepute again, as Sven-Goran Eriksson, the former England manager, was appointed in the role at League Two side Notts County. Perhaps it shows just how the mighty can fall although, the Swede, clearly saw enough ambition at the club that could re-propel his reputation as one of the best 'managers' in the world, because if you get a minnow to the top division it certainly deserves some praise.

Of course, he's not a 'manager' any more though. Or that's what his new title suggests. He is a director of football. A cunning term which throws the currently employed 'manager' off guard and can disrupt a football club.

There's no doubt you will recognise the term 'director of football' before for that reason. If it wasn't for Dennis Wise giving that position at Newcastle United, the club would probably still be flying high in the Premier League. But then-manager, Kevin Keegan believed he wasn't signing the players or selecting the team, which is what as 'manager' his contract states he was brought in to do, 'King Kev' resigned, and Newcastle, quite clearly, never fully recovered. Wise did insist that "I'm here to help Kevin, bringing young players through and also recommend certain players to him,", in an interview with BBC Sport, shortly after his appointment. "He'll say yes and no, he has the final word, no-one else. Everything that happens will be run past him." This was clearly not for-filled, and both had left the Magpies prior to their relegation. Wise, who's actual title was 'executive director', had previous managerial experience, at Millwall, Swindon and Leeds United, and was evens to be handed the Newcastle hotseat for the week after Keegan's departure. The date, 4th September 2008.

September 2008 was the month that the discussion really began to hit the headlines. Just a day before Keegan was 'pushed', Alan Curbishley left West Ham United. His statement read: "However, the club continued to make significant player decisions without involving me. In the end such a breach of trust and confidence meant that I had no option but to leave. Nevertheless, I wish the club and the players every success in the future.". Gianluca Nani appears to be the culprit in this case. His title was technical director. Despite these alternative terms, they all mean roughly the same thing. They try to control where someone else is in charge. Curbishley was linked with the England managerial position on both occasions it has become available in recent years, which suggests he is the best manager in the country. He did a magnificent job at Charlton Atheletic, where he built his reputation, and was deservingly offered the Hammers position.

No manager should be undermined. They do what's asked of them. They train the players and select the XI mostly likely to win the match based on the past week's work. Someone without any daily experience should take charge of the situation. If they do they will make a selection based on reputation, and funnily enough, during his time as England manager, that is what Sven did. Based on these facts is it a problem waiting to explode?

I don't know what to think about County. On the one hand they show plenty of ambition capable of something big, but on the other hand it's a recipe for disaster. Which way will it go? Something's going to happen that will grip the football world but will it be a good thing or something that the public will view as negative?

Richie Wellens

2009-07-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

There was a mixed reaction when midfielder Richie Wellens joined us in 2007 on a free transfer from Oldham Altheletic. The playmaker had a bit of an ego, a reputation, with fans of his previous clubs - Oldham and Blackpool.

For a then-27-year-old, it was an astonishing feat that Wellens had never been 'sold'. No money had ever, in his entire career, been payed between two different clubs for his signature.

There's a simple reason why. Richie Wellens, at Manchester United and his other two clubs whom I have already mentioned, he had 'run down' his contract. He refused to enter negotiations with the clubs because he always believed he could get payed more elsewhere. By doing this he gave no commitement to his parent club, and therefore caused a feud with their supporters.

It should never be taken away that Wellens was a remarkable player, even the doubters knew that. He had, when he arrived at Donny, just been named in the League One Team Of The Year, and was quite possibly the best player in the division. He was bought by Sean O'Driscoll because he was looked upon as the ideal candidate to form a partnership with Brian Stock which would be the foundations for a new Rovers team.

This idea worked a threat as by the following May, Rovers gained promotion at Wembley by beating Leeds United in the play-off final. Wellens was then part of the 'great escape' Rovers side that survived the drop from the Championship at the first attempt, despite sitting bottom of the table at Christmas.

In July 2009, following weeks (not months) of speculation, Wellens signed for Leicester City. It was the highest fee that the keepmoat-outfit had ever recieved, quadrupiling the fee of the sale of Darren Moore in the 90's.

This time Wellens broke his own personal duck. He left because a club met his asking price. The comments he made after the move showed he did not want to leave, and he showed a passion and commitement for the cause that he had never shown in his entire career. He left in a way that he had become an extra-ordinary player. Now, you can't become a legend in two years, but Richie Wellens' consistant performances in two different divisions and without leaving in a negative way, Richie Wellens came unbelievably close.

Rising and Falling, or should that be falling and rising?

2009-07-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

"Whatever goes up must come down", is a famous quote in the English language, and it's right in many senses. Physically, according to gravity if you throw something up in the air, within a few seconds it will hit the ground.

But it's not it's physical aspects that have given the statement it's noticeable reputation. For the last few decades, possibly longer, the saying has been associated with the magical sport - football.

Football is an extraoridinary game. That's obvious. You don't get the crowds that football manages to attract on a weekly basis if your rubbish. That's why football's a lot more popular for spectators than another sport such as tennis, which is also high up on the list of most watched sports in the country.

Why do I hold football in such high regard, is a question I get asked by non-football fans all the time. To the non-football enthusiast, its just two teams trying to use their feet to kick a sphere-shaped object between two posts. I also got told by a friend, who has no interest in the game whatsoever, that people only play football for the money. At this suggestion I remember being outraged.

Football, is the best sport in the world. That is my opinion and it is shared by millions of people worldwide. Why is this the case? Because anything can happen. The new season is just around the corner, and I know in twelve months time when it starts again I could be watching football in any of three divisions, the heights of the Premier League or the dark ditch of League One. I got shot down in flames by my friend. He said, and I remember this quote "But if I'm not mistaken, the top five have been unchanged - the same teams; Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton - for a number of years". I can't defend this argument because many people, unfortunately seem to think their is one division in English football, similarly to the uneducated thinking their are only four people in tennis, because the top appears unbreakable.

My way out, was to tell him to look down the football pyramid as it is today, then look through the top five divisions, from the Premier League to the Blue Square Premier/Conference, then compare it to the tables of 6 or 7 years ago. He did this and he was amazed. He couldn't believe how teams could get from the top to the bottom in such a short space of time, and vice-versa. The demise of certain teams is unrealistic. How can someone fall so quick.

The examples of who have been well publicised before. Leeds United are the most obvious example. In 2001, under David O'Leary, they were in the semi-finals of the European Cup (Champions League). However, after stealing the tag of 'too good to go down' from West Ham United, the Yorkshiremen lost 3-0 in the play-off final to Watford, and failed to return at the first attempt. The next season, with Dennis Wise replacing Kevin Blackwell at Elland Road they were relegated to the third tier, where they are now spending their third consecutive year in.

Leicester City are another example. Under Martin O'Neill they were in the Premier League and also reached the League Cup final two years running. In 2003-04 they were relegated, by 2008 they were playing in League One.

If you think that's one hell of a drop, then your jaw will drop in awe at the downfall of Charlton, Southampton and Norwich.

The latter two were relegated on the same day from the Premier League, and within just a few years both went down in consecutive weeks from the Championship in 2008-09. Just four years later.

Charlton were challenging for UEFA Cup football under Alan Curbishley, but two relegations since they went down as recently as 2007, means that they too will be in League One next term. Bradford are now in the bottom division, whereas they were in the Premiership ten years ago.

I said unpredictable earlier, because that's what football is. It's not always negative, as I will go to explain but when you reach the top the only way is down. Perhaps you could use this is as a reason not to be a 'glory hunter'. It's happened to Leeds, Leicester, Southampton, Norwich and Charlton in terms of top clubs dropping like stones. But Premier League relegation now seems inevitable. This season Newcastle United, North-East giants with the fifth biggest stadium in the country found themselves swept from the top flight, along with Middlesbrough, who reached the UEFA Cup final in 2006, in the Championship. The 'Big Four' will have to stay on their toes, it could possibly just happen to them.

Now the positives. The term 'punching above their weight' is another overused phrase in football. Used by fans of the big clubs, probably those that I have recently mentioned, are used for overachievers in football, and there are just as many of these as there are underachievers.

The overachievers chart was published last year. This explained who a Sunday paper believed to be doing better than they should the most. Doncaster Rovers topped this table. Rovers, were in the Conference in 2003 and have achieved since, 3 promotions, won the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and reached the quarter finals of the Carling Cup, losing only to Arsenal on penalties. It's one hell of a rise up the league's ladder.

While they were under-taking these three promotions, they won Division Three (Now League Two), ahead of Hull City. City can now be seen playing in the Premier League after promotions under Peter Taylor and Phil Brown.

Burnley were, according to the bookies, going down prior to 08-09. After a day out at Wembley, however, the Clarets will be seen at Old Trafford and Anfield next season, of course this won't be too unique for them as they did well in various cup competitions last season and even won on 'Big Four' turf.

Portsmouth, Wigan and Reading can all be seen in the top five, after they all have had at least two seasons in the top flight which just a few years previous looked a remarkable feat.

What is my purpose of writing this? It's to give the lower teams hope. The Leagues are turning into long drawn-out cups where anyone can beat anyone else. It's used to be a 'one-off' but now teams are doing it regularly. Get behind your team because you can easily achieve successive promotions and dreams, look increasingly likely to become reality.

For the big clubs. You need to keep supporting your clubs but you could well be doomed. All you can do is cross your fingers and hope, just hope, that it won't happen to you.

The Summer 2009 Managerial Merrigoround - Thank god it hasn't affected us

2009-06-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

This years managerial merrigoround has affected teams who during this season have overachieved but thankfully Doncaster Rovers managed to stay with the same boss, Sean O'Driscoll (right), as they did last season.

It all started on the last day of last season in both the English Premier League and Scottish Premier League, when Ricky Sbragia at Sunderland, and Celtic's Gordon Strachan left their posts at the high profile clubs.

Firstly Sunderland, who had a buyout of the club shortly after the vacancy came, by Irishman Ellis Short. This was widely to be to do with Sbragia's resignation but the managers linked with the press, such as Steve Bruce, Gordon Strachan and Slaven Bilic continued to be linked. A press conference confirmed that Niall Quinn would remain in charge of the selection of the new manager and he approached Wigan, who after days of discussions eventually allowed Bruce to leave. Wigan had finished just outside of European qualification in the league whereas a lot richer Sunderland had starved off relegation on the last day.

Former Southampton boss Gordon Strachan also quit Celtic on the last day, which had been reported in the media that it was for the set-to-be vacant Sunderland job. Strachan disputed these claims despite Sbragia's quitting, and was eventually proved right. Strachan had finished second in the Scottish Premier League which wasn't good enough for the Hoops faithful. It was believed to be a two hourse race for the Celtic job between two managers in the English football league. Owen Coyle had taken Burnley to the Premier League via the play-offs, despite minimal resources and they were the pre-season fifth favourites for relegation, with only Blackpool, Barnsley, Plymouth and Doncaster believed to have a weaker squad. Also Tony Mowbray (left) in just three seasons at West Brom had taken them to the play-off final, where they eventually lost to Derby, the semi-finals of the FA Cup and were Championship title winners in 2007-08 but had been relegated on the penultimate game of the season. Despite Ipswich boss Roy Keane, Motherwell boss Mark McGhee and Croatia boss Slaven Bilic labelled as dark hourses, the Glasgow side eventually plumped for Mowbray.

The next vacany became available at Reading. Steve Coppell's resignation became confirmed after uncertainty in the build up to the club's play-off semi final, after the defeat denied them of an immediate return to the English top flight. Coppell is regarded as one of the best English managers after leading the Londoners to the verge of European football in just their first season in the top division. Watford's Brendan Rodgers eventually took the Majeski hotseat after a strong spell at Watford, who he took to midtable after looking miserably towards the drop when he took charge. He had previously been Chelsea's reserve team manager.

Back at the JJB Stadium in Lancashire, Lactic's chairman Dave Whelan had his sights on one man. Former Wigan midfielder Roberto Matinez had just lead Swansea to the verge of the Championship play-offs in their first season in the second tier. In 2007-08 season he had also left the Welsh side to the league title in style, with his sexy, flair football. After many days of discussing compensation over which members of the backroom staff would follow the Spaniard to the Manchester suburb side, ex-Rover Graeme Jones and Swansea's chief scout eventually agreed a deal after a stalling.

Watford acted quickly after Brendan Rodgers' departure. Coach Malkay Mackay has been handed the reigns.

Swansea have approached former QPR manager Paulo Sousa to be the clubs new head coach and West Brom have drawn up a six man shortlist with St Johnstone's Derek McInnes, believed to top it.

So all in all, a good summer as Rover continue with one of the widely regarded dozen best managers outside the top flight.

Paul Heffernan

2008-10-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

When I think of Doncaster Rovers, there's one word I very often think off. Surprise. It's a surprise to me that certain surprises have taken place over the last two years, since Sean O'Driscoll took charge of the side.

The lack of wingers, labelled as our downfall two years ago, he stuck with 4-4-2 and it worked at the second attempt.

The 'release' of certain players particular this summer. Had I been in charge Paul Green would have been offered the 15% pay rise he reportably wanted, and Steve Roberts would have been offered a two year deal, but O'Driscoll, decided we could either cope without them or find a replacement.

Of course we have actually done that, and now Robbo's replacement Jos Van Neiuwstadt has got a run in the team it nearly payed dividends. Tragically 90 seconds after his goal at Reading, his priority for the evening - defending - backfired and we we're behind for a second time. John Spicer is rumoured to be going out on loan, he was brought in as 'Greeny's replacement' and is yet to force a way into the Doncaster midfield.

Another that is a surprise is some Rovers' fans apparant lack of memory. Over the years, loyal servant Paul Heffernan was scoring loads at league one level, and yet 'apparantly' we lack a +20 goal a season player. He's sat on the bench, just where we need a goalscorer to be.

Yes, Norwich have got Leroy Lita on loan who I wouldn't have minded had we made a cheeky bid for, but Heffs is more than capable, but yet O'Driscoll would rather play Hayter or Price, who have never really looked like scoring. Price was a winger under previous coach Dave Penney.

Also one thing I can't stand is the continueos digs at former England Under-19 international Lewis Guy. Guy, has been labelled 'potential' by some supporter and 'a waste of space' by another. Yet you look at his goalscoring record this season and it is better than any other forward at the club. Satistics don't lie.

Of course certain things have got to change in the next few months, as the forth bottom side is now four points ahead and Norwich on Saturday, is to me, a must win game. But I only hope that 'Heffs' is part of the Rovers' revolution.

We will survive.