Ryan on Yorkshire Radio

[markusparkus75]

He's doing an interview on Yorkshire Radio in the next 10 minutes or so.  Hopefully will get some more details.

[markusparkus75]

Ryan: We can't compete in Championship with our gates.  Beginning to get tougher.

Trying to do things different.

Willie is a good friend of mine, thought we'd give it a go.

We were nailed on certs for relegation.

Need to reduce overheads.  No fanbase, too many in town support Leeds or Sheffield teams for historical reasons.

Understands concerns, but all players use clubs as stepping stones. We are just being more overt about it.  This will prevent relegation.

New players at Blackpool were the star players. We deserved the three points.

We want to be in the Premier League. Will only achieve that be doing it differently.

Current model is not sustainable.

If we get in Premier League, we will fill the ground.

Diara coming in next week - confirmed.  When does Donny get players of that class.

Dean has final say - but everyone in agreement about the way to go.

Willie has already had three clubs approach him this morning to do same with them but has turned them down.  Comments in DM were tongue in cheek - he's committed to the club.

Won't reveal new names, but in constant contact with him. Willie working 24 hours to find new players for us.

[markusparkus75]

DM journalist being interviewed now:

Wanted to find out more about truth of the rumours.

Spoke to Willie directly.  He wanted to set record straight but refused to do interview for a few days. Then agreed due to increased speculation.

Willie old friends with two of the major shareholders, including Ryan.

Are players out there who want to play for Rovers, but Rovers can't afford them.

Promotion not realistic for them this season, but want to be promotion contenders next season.

Willie believes he is being realistic.

Has lots of French contacts, will be using that to bring in French players from big clubs.

Admits its a shop window, but players who play well will be sold on.

Rovers will get any cut of the transfer fee, even if they go to big clubs for big fees.

English football idealistic - this is different and we're not used to it. Suspicious of foreign players.  See Tevez.

French players will get platform at Rovers.

Illunga on £26k at West Ham.  Only £2k at Rovers.  West Ham want to sell him, but need shop window.  Some of eventual fee will go to McKay and Rovers.

Confident it will work.  Fans may be unhappy in short term.

Won't work with every player, but will with some.  English football will have to get used to it.

Some unease, but Rovers could have better players than any other Championship team next season.

Main concern is connection between fans and loan players, does it diminish relationship between club and fans.

But despite concerns, thinks its exciting new concept and will ultimately work.

[MrFrost]

So Diarra is confirmed?
I must say, that is one signing that does excite me!

[markusparkus75]

Yup - straight from Ryan's mouth.

Surprised the Daily Mail journalist was so positive about it. He thought it was quite exciting what Rovers were doing.

Even said we'd have the best players and be the promotion contenders next season.

[Filo]

As one that`s concerned how this may pan out, i`ve got to say, how many would boycott a play off final if we were to get there, on the principle that they don`t agree with it, I know despite my concerns, I would be there supporting the Galacticos! It does have the potential to stimulate more fans interests, it still does n`t stop me being concerned though, is it the fear of the unknown?

[markusparkus75]

I have concerns too Filo.  And my first reaction this morning was that I was never going to support them again.

Then I thought about what would happen if it worked. I have concerns, but it's one of those plans that's either a train wreck or genius.

Rovers have always done things differently so I'm hoping Ryan knows what he's doing.

But he's right about one thing - did any single one of us think 10 years ago, five years ago or even five months ago we'd see players like Diarra playing for us?

By the way, Ryan calls Diara 'Marmaduke'.

[sedwardsdrfc]

diarra great just what we have been crying out for all season cant say im too sure about promotion though look at leicester last season with yakubu they dident do owt in the end but going to be exiting january and summer

[Filo]

I have concerns too Filo.  And my first reaction this morning was that I was never going to support them again.

Then I thought about what would happen if it worked. I have concerns, but it's one of those plans that's either a train wreck or genius.

Rovers have always done things differently so I'm hoping Ryan knows what he's doing.

But he's right about one thing - did any single one of us think 10 years ago, five years ago or even five months ago we'd see players like Diarra playing for us?

By the way, Ryan calls Diara 'Marmaduke'.

If it works, it`s a master stroke, a £100 per week gamble that pays the jackpot of the premier league millions if it comes off

[The L J Monk]

If it works, it`s a master stroke, a £100 per week gamble that pays the jackpot of the premier league millions if it comes off

And if it doesn't? What are we left with?

[DonnyOsmond]

We could have just carried on the way we've been going about for years, getting to a point where were racking up the debt and in financial trouble and heading down the leagues. That way only has one way and thats down. This new way could get us to the promised land.

[The Red Baron]

I wouldn't go as far as walking out on the club or boycotting games (after all, I stuck with Rovers during the Richardson era) but I do have serious misgivings. Having said that I can't disagree with JR's statement that the current business model isn't sustainable. So we either:

1. Secure new investment from outside the current \"Big Three\"- difficult when you can't promise any return.
2. Accept that the Championship isn't our \"natural\" level and that we'll have to drop down at least one level.
3. Come up with something like we've done with McKay.

All the strategies have risks attached- even 2., which seems the most natural, carries a risk that we would end up with an even smaller supporter base than we have now (if you think 8,000 rattles around at the Keepmoat, imagine crowds of 3-4,000!)

[Filo]

If it works, it`s a master stroke, a £100 per week gamble that pays the jackpot of the premier league millions if it comes off

And if it doesn't? What are we left with?

Probably what we all think would have happened if the club did nothing, relegation!

I`m still unsure about it all though

[racecourse red]

I thought ryan said IF diarra comes in next week , maybe not a defo ????

[markusparkus75]

If it works, it`s a master stroke, a £100 per week gamble that pays the jackpot of the premier league millions if it comes off

And if it doesn't? What are we left with?

I don't think we'll be any worse off than where we are now. We were - possibly still are - looking at relegation.

But a £4m budget is more sustainable in League One than an £8m one.

[Sprotyrover]

I have concerns too Filo.  And my first reaction this morning was that I was never going to support them again.

Then I thought about what would happen if it worked. I have concerns, but it's one of those plans that's either a train wreck or genius.

Rovers have always done things differently so I'm hoping Ryan knows what he's doing.

But he's right about one thing - did any single one of us think 10 years ago, five years ago or even five months ago we'd see players like Diarra playing for us?

By the way, Ryan calls Diara 'Marmaduke'.

By the way what if we were to get promotion to the prem using just our current signed squad, we would have a complete turnaround in July August just to compete, this way we would go up and probably retain a few of the galacticos for life in the Prem.



If it works, it`s a master stroke, a £100 per week gamble that pays the jackpot of the premier league millions if it comes off

[markusparkus75]

I thought ryan said IF diarra comes in next week , maybe not a defo ????

I thought he said \"when Marmaduke joins next week\".

I'm not sure a Chairman would have said a player 'may' sign next week unless he was certain it was nailed on.  

I could be wrong though......

EDIT: Thinking about it, he did say \"When do people in Doncaster get to see players with the class of Marmaduke week in week out?\". Or something very similar.

I'd say that was nailed on.

[racecourse red]

maybe true i hope we get him , but we have been talking about this guy for weeks !!!:scarf:

[The L J Monk]

I don't quite buy into this idea that it was \"McKay's way or relegation\". Based on what those who attended the Alliance meeting have said it seems possible that Sean's time was up, however this doesn't leave us with McKay representing the only option.

Sean had the right idea. Invest in young players, bring them on, sell them for profit. Fight to stay in the Championship, but live within your means for the long term good of the club. Case in point would have been Sharp. Had he not turned down Southampton we'd have made a £2m profit on a player inside 12 months. You then have to work hard to replace him. Mills worked this way. Bennett may fit this mould, Friend, Mason if we'd got him in the summer etc. For a club with 10k crowds to compete at this level I'd say this was the right strategy.

What McKay is suggesting doesn't strike me as sustainable.

[racecourse red]

you have to think what the long standing players are thinking ie : stock ,copps oconnor !!!

[sedwardsdrfc]

why is every 1 on a downer about sustainability we are trying to cut the wage bill by half and get alot better players for less money than people like richard naylor and mark wilson and if it dont work the SOD model ran out of steam any way we were only goin 1 way before now even if we go down we will hopefully have half the wages much better for the long term of the club and thats what matters not the long term of players contracts

[Al Riggall]

The previous strategy saw our wages doble what we could afford. We cannot afford another Sharp. The new srategy is exactly the opposite of unsustainable, we will have short term commitments only, meaning long term future in never in doubt should we lose championship income.

Fair play to the board/McKay for coming up with an innovative idea that could potentially succeed on a shoe string.

[rtid88]

Sir JR said last night at the Alliance Meeting that we are making about a £3.5 or £3.8 million (can't remember the exact figure) loss a year!! How is that sustainable?? How many young players did SOD bring in really?? Not a dramatic amount, he brought in a lot of injury prone players whose problems just seemed to get worse since they have been here!

The fact is SOD isn't here anymore Deano is, now leave the past and appreciate the present!!!

Exciting times IMO!!

[The L J Monk]

Would clubs \"show-case\" their players if we dropped into League One? I'm not sure they would, so I'd be interested to see how this idea worked if we were to go down this year.

But, going back to my original query - let's use Tommy Spurr as an example. Assuming when he's fit again he'd like to play, Illunga would be keeping him out of the team. So he'd eventually want to leave. Then assume Illunga gets his big move at some point. Who's left? Another McKay fella to come straight in? Does he have a constant stream of decent left-backs? Apply the same logic to every position taken by a McKay player and I begin to question the sustainability of the club.

With regards to the Sharp point, no we cannot afford another. But neither could Scunny when they sold him. So they bought Martin Paterson. And then they bought Gary Hooper. And they kept turning a profit on these players. For a club with 5k crowds to have had two stints in the Championship and now comfortably sustain a League One club shows to me that the model works.

rtid88 - this is in no way, shape or form a Sean related argument. I'm not sure why you would seek to make it one.

[markusparkus75]

I'd say the fact that Sullivan and Bennett have been offered new contracts suggests that Saunders has a core squad in mind.

I take the point, but I don't think we are going to have a team entirely made up of loan players.

[sedwardsdrfc]

Would clubs \"show-case\" their players if we dropped into League One? I'm not sure they would, so I'd be interested to see how this idea worked if we were to go down this year.

But, going back to my original query - let's use Tommy Spurr as an example. Assuming when he's fit again he'd like to play, Illunga would be keeping him out of the team. So he'd eventually want to leave. Then assume Illunga gets his big move at some point. Who's left? Another McKay fella to come straight in? Does he have a constant stream of decent left-backs? Apply the same logic to every position taken by a McKay player and I begin to question the sustainability of the club.

With regards to the Sharp point, no we cannot afford another. But neither could Scunny when they sold him. So they bought Martin Paterson. And then they bought Gary Hooper. And they kept turning a profit on these players. For a club with 5k crowds to have had two stints in the Championship and now comfortably sustain a League One club shows to me that [/i]the model works.

rtid88 - this is in no way, shape or form a Sean related argument. I'm not sure why you would seek to make it one.

[/i]


they made a profit on the players transfer fees but mabe not such a big profit when you take into account wages of the player during that time like if we make 500k on sharp we would hav paid him way over that in wages. also i am pretty sure that sucnny dont make an overall profit and are in leauge 1

[Al Riggall]

My guess is no clubs would not showcase players if we went down. Our new strategy however is designed at having a lower fixed wage bill, so if the worst did happen we would not be in financial meltdown as half the squad is short term commitments/loanees. Blackpool already do this, Stoke did it when they were in tue championship, it's not a new concept, we are being open about it and instead of using 5/6 agents just using the one and in doing so we are not having to pay huge agents fees as all WM benefits will come from other clubs.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I think the issue with the previous strategy was that it didn't go one way or another.  For every Kyle Bennett or Billy Sharp there was Richard Naylor, Paul Keegan or Jason Euell.  All do a job but they're hardly young upcoming players or top pros heading towards the end of their career?  They were panic buys in some way.

Let's be honest we do not need the likes of Paul Keegan in our squad, they take up cash and take us nowhere.  That IMO was SOD's biggest undoing, he didn't use them as short term last season he kept them when it was plain to see they shouldn't be kept.  His use of young players was also a bit flawed.  Players like Gary Woods should have gone out on loan, instead he was thrust into a relegation side with average players in front of him.  That for me was SOD's biggest mistake.  Woods will be class, Saunders has said as much but he has to learn at league 1/2 level and progress that way.

SOD was all for bringing on young talent he said at times, but he neglected the youth set up completely.  That for me was a grave mistake and should really have worked alongside a younger player strategy.  If we're to spend an extra million or so somewhere, cut the likes of Paul Keegan and spend it on the youth system, that is a far more sustainable method IMO.  We should be able with the facilities we have of having a top youth system and the lack of investment in that side has been disappointing, though to be fair the youth guys are doing the best they can.  Let's hope Deano fixes that area.

[racecourse red]

no i agree with that , but theres going to be players looking over there shoulders, but i suppose competion for places can only be good for the team !!:scarf:

[DRFCBRADFORD]

sorry to say joc not in same class as chimbonda
copps looks like hes lost his place to bennett
stock not the same player as last year wont tackle