The big difference between Sod and Fergie

[selby]

  In their own ways they are two complex people and very different personalities.
  One seeming quiet and withdrawn, and seemed to take ages to wind up when being interviewed, Fergie up front and hard hitting, but both very confident in their own abilities, and opinions.
  As far as players are concerned, especially young players there is a big difference in my opinion. Sod brought players on, improved them stuck with them, and encouraged them. Not many players who were here in his tenure left not being a better player than when they came to the club.
   Third and fourth division players such as Coppinger,Stock, Wellens, Green became very good championship players Mills came never having played senior football as far as I know.
   Contrast that with our younger players over the last few seasons who mostly looked good prospects to begin with and have now been dumped, openly criticised in public as not being good enough, while players who are no better have been persevered with, seemingly because Fergie brought them to the club.
   Thats one reason I am not sorry to see him go. 
 

[since-1969]

The only difference is SOD got his chance in the Championship and a few quid to help
Build . DF would have to have build a side first, as the board wouldn’t want let wages explode like before . DF left because his team was 2 or 3 years away from being sustainable and he wanted the money now.

[BillyStubbsTears]

O’Driscoll has many, many positives, but developing young players wasn’t one of them. I’m struggling to think of any young players that he signed other than Mills who went on to higher things. He never rated Green and mismanaged him in our promotion season.

What O’Driscoll was superb at was identifying and/or developing mid-career players (Wellens, Stock, Coppinger, Price, Roberts, O’Connor, Sharp) to become far better than they were.

[GazLaz]

SOD was a great coach but he had some good tools as well. When we signed Wellens it was probably equivalent to Blackburn signing Bradley Dack last year. We are miles away from that level now.

[Bristol Red Rover]

It's an important point, how a manager affects young players. SOD is clearly very different to Fergie, and has gone onto a more development role in recent years, maybe that is his forte and not being the "boss". But I offer you Alfie Beestin, Danny Amos, and there's a few others bubbling under that could well blossom.

Some players need certain types of a manager to develop, they're always vulnerable, and some players will never blossom which is part of football's "survival of the fittest".

I heard a lot of positive reports from players over what they have gained from Fergie, and Strachan.

[RoversAlias]

Why is this topic pinned at the top of the forum?

[sheffield exile1]

The only difference is SOD got his chance in the Championship and a few quid to help
Build . DF would have to have build a side first, as the board wouldn’t want let wages explode like before . DF left because his team was 2 or 3 years away from being sustainable and he wanted the money now.

Things though are all relative. If we got back in the championship and played WBA, Ipswich, W##ds etc. then cue all food/drink outlets would triple perhaps, crowds could sell out for some games and the revenue generation could justify higher wages better squad to maintain our position. When was the last time Crewe had a Dean Ashton/David Platt? Man City/Utd sign them in nappies now they have wised up to spotting playground talent its cheaper, which is why teams like Chelsea have possibly 80+ players on loan, Sam Johnstone of our and Man U fame being a classic example... Can't se teams like us ever getting a major inroad into the school stuff around Doncaster when the big boys are competing. Do you want to sign for Doncaster or Spurs Mr Danny Rose, even though you are from Doncaster?

[MachoMadness]

SO'D was all about giving players freedom and more responsibility. He would repeat that constantly in interviews. Fergie gives me the opposite impression.

[steve@dcfd]

SO'D was all about giving players freedom and more responsibility. He would repeat that constantly in interviews. Fergie gives me the opposite impression.

If DF had the level of player that Sean had then the freedom would have been there. Put Wellens Stock Green and Coppinger at a younger age as they were then we would have challenged for the top two. The funds Sean had at that time according to the two owners was unsustainable therefore as poster said above DF had to try and build a side capable of challenging for top six and above.

[sheffield exile1]

SO'D was all about giving players freedom and more responsibility. He would repeat that constantly in interviews. Fergie gives me the opposite impression.

If DF had the level of player that Sean had then the freedom would have been there. Put Wellens Stock Green and Coppinger at a younger age as they were then we would have challenged for the top two. The funds Sean had at that time according to the two owners was unsustainable therefore as poster said above DF had to try and build a side capable of challenging for top six and above.

Lets not get carried away, we will never be serious contenders to join the Bournemouth club, even with Burnley's spending power but we can aspire to the Championship given that the team who we gifted points to in both games last season are back there, with a similar town/population/ground...

[MachoMadness]

SO'D was all about giving players freedom and more responsibility. He would repeat that constantly in interviews. Fergie gives me the opposite impression.

If DF had the level of player that Sean had then the freedom would have been there. Put Wellens Stock Green and Coppinger at a younger age as they were then we would have challenged for the top two. The funds Sean had at that time according to the two owners was unsustainable therefore as poster said above DF had to try and build a side capable of challenging for top six and above.

Would DF have liked a player like Wellens who was outspoken in how he liked to do things? Him shipping Wellens out at the start of his tenure suggests not. If DF had those players, would he have given them the freedom to do what they wanted as SO'D did, or would he have shoved them at wingback?

[RedJ]

On the flip side I think it's be hilarious watching him try and manage Dennis Souza. Terrible player.

[steve@dcfd]

SO'D was all about giving players freedom and more responsibility. He would repeat that constantly in interviews. Fergie gives me the opposite impression.

If DF had the level of player that Sean had then the freedom would have been there. Put Wellens Stock Green and Coppinger at a younger age as they were then we would have challenged for the top two. The funds Sean had at that time according to the two owners was unsustainable therefore as poster said above DF had to try and build a side capable of challenging for top six and above.

Would DF have liked a player like Wellens who was outspoken in how he liked to do things? Him shipping Wellens out at the start of his tenure suggests not. If DF had those players, would he have given them the freedom to do what they wanted as SO'D did, or would he have shoved them at wingback?

Who played wing back this season that was completely out of place or are using that to make a point. Wingbacks this season Rowe and Toffolo, Blair Mason. If we hadn’t lost Andrew he would have played there. I believe this thread is there to discredit DF. Wellens left the club because he did not like travelling he didn’t have Wellens at his best and as a supporter I would expect you to realise that.

Sean would have loved all this support when his team was going through a bad time with injuries crazy isn’t it.

[BillyStubbsTears]

SO'D was all about giving players freedom and more responsibility. He would repeat that constantly in interviews. Fergie gives me the opposite impression.

If DF had the level of player that Sean had then the freedom would have been there. Put Wellens Stock Green and Coppinger at a younger age as they were then we would have challenged for the top two. The funds Sean had at that time according to the two owners was unsustainable therefore as poster said above DF had to try and build a side capable of challenging for top six and above.

Would DF have liked a player like Wellens who was outspoken in how he liked to do things? Him shipping Wellens out at the start of his tenure suggests not. If DF had those players, would he have given them the freedom to do what they wanted as SO'D did, or would he have shoved them at wingback?

I think he shipped Wellens out because his form had collapsed quicker than the Twin Towers.

[keith79]

The biggest difference. Look at the football been payed for the last 2 and a bit season compare that to sods football.

[drfchound]

Didn’t Richie himself make the decision to leave.

[dickos1]

The biggest difference. Look at the football been payed for the last 2 and a bit season compare that to sods football.

2.5 years
Even the promotion season?

[RedJ]

The biggest difference. Look at the football been payed for the last 2 and a bit season compare that to sods football.

Did you not watch O'Driscoll's teams after January 2011 then? absolute dirge.

[RoversAlias]

The biggest difference. Look at the football been payed for the last 2 and a bit season compare that to sods football.

Not that simple is it. SOD was here when we were a Championship club and top end League One club. Much bigger budget. Fergie didn't have at all the same resources and actually we played damn good football in League Two last year.

[sedwardsdrfc]

When we were in the championship it was a bigger budget compared to now but compared to the competition in the league it was at the bottom end you'd think? and isn't that what matters really

For me SOD managed to create a team that was greater than the sum of its parts (i'm talking championship years we should of been promotion contenders in league 1) and Fergie never quite managed to do that at any of the levels he managed us at in fact i think we underachieved slightly in every season.