Real nasty letter in the FP

[Norfolk N Chance]

Basically slagging off JR dealing of the SOD affair.

Enough enough now people get off his back as he only ever does things for the good of this club and get behind him and the club!

In business as in life you have to make decisions and some very difficult ones and I dont believe JR owes SOD anything and stood by him throughout but enough was enough!

This first class prat does not not have a clue how the end came and doubt no one will ever know but JR does everything for the good of the club and much more of this crap and I feel enough may be enough!

Rant over!:cry: :cry:

[VivaRovers]

I wouldn't say its a \"real nasty letter\" at all. In fact I think the writer has been quite restrained, and put his point across quite well. If it was \"real nasty\" then he wouldn't have praised JR in the second and third paragraphs or offered his support for the club going forward.

As mentioned before, there has been a distinct lack of clarity over the last fortnight. There has been no definiticve statement from the club for example, a very brief notification on the official website that SO'D had gone, and then just the odd dribs and drabs of information since.

I think the letter to the Free Press expresses the manner a lot of fans will have read the situation given the information imparted/available to them.

[Norfolk N Chance]

I wouldn't say its a \"real nasty letter\" at all. In fact I think the writer has been quite restrained, and put his point across quite well. If it was \"real nasty\" then he wouldn't have praised JR in the second and third paragraphs or offered his support for the club going forward.

As mentioned before, there has been a distinct lack of clarity over the last fortnight. There has been no definiticve statement from the club for example, a very brief notification on the official website that SO'D had gone, and then just the odd dribs and drabs of information since.

I think the letter to the Free Press expresses the manner a lot of fans will have read the situation given the information imparted/available to them.

Detailing facts about text messages which are just lies and says he is not following the team anymore.

How dare anyone question the king!?!

Indeed in his column he sounds quite down beat and almost implies why does he bother!!!

Sorry you upset the lord and master you upset his followers !!!!

[ditch_drfc]

I wouldn't say its a \"real nasty letter\" at all. In fact I think the writer has been quite restrained, and put his point across quite well. If it was \"real nasty\" then he wouldn't have praised JR in the second and third paragraphs or offered his support for the club going forward.

As mentioned before, there has been a distinct lack of clarity over the last fortnight. There has been no definiticve statement from the club for example, a very brief notification on the official website that SO'D had gone, and then just the odd dribs and drabs of information since.

I think the letter to the Free Press expresses the manner a lot of fans will have read the situation given the information imparted/available to them.

Viva Rovers! You're alive! What's happened to website? Been missing match previews/reports over the last week!

[VivaRovers]

He actually says \"I am not going to stop following the club\"

I'm not saying the letter is right in everything it says, but that from the information available it is how many will view the situation. The text message story (right, or wrong) was printed in the Yorkshire Post so the fella who wrote the letter is inclined to believe it.

The letter writer won't know all the facts, indeed it appears they'll only ever be available to a select few (by which I mean the club, not the VSC committee before that starts up again), so its inevitable that folk will draw their own conclusions and readings from the information that is available.

John Ryan is surely an intelligent enough man to realise that, and has to be prepared to take it on the chin when supporters do put 2 + 2 together and make what they will fully believe to be 4, but only he will know is 4.7.

[jucyberry]

A life in which humans follow like drones and never question would be a very dangerous one..Blind faith is a wonderful concept, but in reality it very rarely works. It is not disrespectful to question as long it is done with an open mind.

[benaldo]

I wouldn't say its a \"real nasty letter\" at all. In fact I think the writer has been quite restrained, and put his point across quite well. If it was \"real nasty\" then he wouldn't have praised JR in the second and third paragraphs or offered his support for the club going forward.

As mentioned before, there has been a distinct lack of clarity over the last fortnight. There has been no definiticve statement from the club for example, a very brief notification on the official website that SO'D had gone, and then just the odd dribs and drabs of information since.

I think the letter to the Free Press expresses the manner a lot of fans will have read the situation given the information imparted/available to them.

What I continue to find bizarre is that SOD got sacked, we all got told after he did, we don't have a right to be involved in the decision, another man was employed quickly afterwards, Rovers start winning....and STILL people are looking for snipers on the grassy knoll!!!

I don't know how clearer the club need to be to get the message through to some people - They said SOD was sacked, they said Saunders was brought in at short notice, they've said a change in manager has brought about a change in players (as is usually the case..I seem to remember SOD getting players in quickly after the Penney era too..no smoking guns there though were there?), and apart from some really good players coming in, it's business as usual at Rovers.

What more do people think they are entitled to know? Is it just a case of some fans upset they weren't personally consulted before SODs sacking? Do they feel JR should have written to all of us first?

The professional way to deal with this is to tell the facts in a way in which they won't harm anyones career in future. Who knows what SOD did or dodn't do, but at least JR has the good grace to act with restraint and, for once, keep things to himself.

The bottom line is Rovers are winning football games again. They have the best team right now they have ever had by a million miles, there is a buzz around the ground, people are happy, there is hope. All of which SOD was unable to give us in 8 months!

I too think people have the right to question things, but what I don't understand is why this message isn't sinking in, that things are ok at Rovers. It's a new era, maybe some would prefer us having tons of crap players and losing matches every week? I prefer to trust JR. He's never let us down in all the time he's been here!! He's a legend.

[SiBo]

'What I continue to find bizarre is that SOD got sacked, we all got told after he did, we don't have a right to be involved in the decision, another man was employed quickly afterwards'

Not strictly true that tho is it Benaldo? DS said himself he was watching DVD of Rovers at 5am when as we have also been told S O'D found out he'd been sacked after 6am.....you can have whatever opinion you like of whether its a good thing or bad thing he went, but the way he went continues to stink.

[benaldo]

Look at it like this. You're a chairman of a football club. You think your current manager is shit, you want him out. So what do you do?
- Leave it?
- Sack him and then see if you can get a monkey to take over?
- Sack him and then leave Mickey \"SHOOOOUUUTTTTTINGGGGG AAATT ANNNYYOONNNEEEE\" Walker to steer the team until you can find someone at Christmas time after a 3 month official mourning period for SOD?

or do you see if someone else better is available before you make a decision?

Which approach would be better for the club?

It's a no brainer isn't it.....

[Donnybob]

I guess I must have missed the announcement that SOD has been sacked...

As far as I understood the situation he and MW are currently on gardening leave.

Unless I'm mistaken that means the pair are still employees of Doncaster Rovers and still being paid their salaries.

Now on another thread it says JR reads all these posts and that pleases me because I can imagine now that I'm speaking to his face and not through some third party. So here goes.

Dear John, I would like to see closure of the SOD affair. I'd like to think this club could do so in a manner that enables both parties to go their separate ways holding their heads high and with dignity.

You told me that SOD's job was safe - and I believed you. You told me that there was no money in the kitty and I believed you. You then completely reversed what you told me - not after a period of prolonged agonising, it was an overnight sensation.

I'm not even suggesting that it was wrong to change the team's management but the way folk talk on here, about trust and faith and all that, it's a pity they can't see, like a number of more thoughful individuals do, that it's a two-way street.

I for one feel uneasy about the lack of clear information. I want to be able to say thank you SOD, you did an incredible job with very tight resources, that you were unbelievably unlucky with injuries and I admired your principles. Perhaps it was a case of right philosophy, wrong club. You see, I for one shared his beliefs and trusted his honesty.

Those who say he was wrong to listen to other clubs were wrong. It's a job at the end of the day, a job that is as secure as the whim of a chairman. He might be your best friend one day and sack you the next. All you can hope is that when the end comes that same chairman will sit down, negotiate whatever compensation is due on your contract, shake hands and then wish you well with your next job. After all he was the one demanding £1m compensation not so very long ago should you have decided to leave.

So John, what's the score? When will we hear there's been a clean and mutually satisfactory break? Surely it's not too much to ask?

Remember the Donnybob challenge to get bums on seats? I believed in the club, in SOD and in you. A huge question mark hangs over the management of this club right now as far as I'm concerned and any mention of it is gauranteed to bring out the usual suspects with their incisive comments like f*** off and support weeds or the twiggs. A true fan will follow blindly, wherever it takes them, whatever they're told, they'll say.

Guess I'm not a true fan then.

I've been through a lot in my 40-odd years of watching the Rovers but for some reason I'm struggling to accept what appears to be the very shabby treatment of an honourable man. Gardening leave! Pffff!!!! Give me a break. I think we both know what that ploy is all about.

As for the bright new dawn, 7 points in 9 games and all that, I for one am realistic enough to see that we could easily have taken zero points from those 9 games. We could so easily have conceded eight or even 10 goals. But for once luck has been with us and it's nice to see key players returning to the team. The addition to the squad of a few out-of-favour names is a big gamble but that's fair enough considering we're still in a relegation battle. Nothing to loose really as we're still 30-odd games and 40 points from safety.

Just because there are a few loudmouths on here and folk who think we're now the new Man Citeh doesn't mean that everyone thinks and feels that way. The silent majority seldom voice their oppinions but I'm sure there have been enough indications on this forum already that I am far from alone in holding genuine concerns for the immediate and future stability of the club. But before I am prepared to happy-clap the new regime I want to see the old one treated gracefully.

Thank you for listening John.

[timdrfc]

Well I for one think kr & the board did the right thing in changing the manager, SOD had a rolling contract so he will get well paid. This dispute doing a very poor job for the last 9 months. Who else works for su h an understanding boss . If your honest who else would have been dealt with at work as good.

[SiBo]

Beautifully put Donnybob

[Wellred]

This really is getting incredibly boring now.

What good is it doing to keep stirring up the same old moans.

[London_Rover]

Can somebody please explain to me what effing difference it makes to anybody who said what to whom and how and at what time?

Has anybody on here been duped, conned or swindled into becoming a Rovers supporter as a result of actions over he last 2/3 weeks?  I very much doubt it.

If you bought a ticket for the Palace in good faith believing that SO'D was going to be manager - and feel you've been had, hire a lawyer and see if under contract law you can get your money back.

Come on, clear the decks, take a deep breath and move on. Save your strengths.  I am sure DS will lose a game before the end of the season and then you can get back to whinging then!

[Gartom]

Well put Wellred and London....I'm getting tired of it on here - and on my email!
Hope the radio interview percolates thru - some hope!! - and we can move on.....
JR says lets enjoy a really bumpy roller-coaster ride - its a new direction, a new plan - at last .....(his words)...and lets go for it....So, lets see how many fans just do that.....

[teeceerrr]

The King is dead, long live the King. I think JR should be applauded for sticking with SOD for so long. Most other clubs would have shown their manager the door long ago. Attendences falling, no sight of any points on the horizon, the club couldn't let that go on any longer.

If nothing else we now have an upbeat manager instead of the dour 'beaten before kick off' character SOD seemed to be in recent weeks. SOD did us proud in his time here and he can be proud of what the team acheived but it was clearly time for a change.

As I said, the King is dead long live the King. Got to admit it made me chuckle to hear 'Dean Saunders barmy army' being chanted the day after SOD left. Footy fans have always been fickle at the best of times.

To finish my ramble, if anyone deserves loyalty it's JR. I could understand criticism if he were a Ken Bates character which he certainly is not. I'm sure most would admit that they believe JR makes his decisions and takes action with the best interests of the club at heart. For me thats good enough.

[benaldo]

Support your local team and trust in JR.....take the Donnybob challenge.........   (unless said team sack anyone who you idolise...then feel free to moan about it ad infinitum)

[Donnybob]

Is Benaldo completely stupid or is it just an act?

Perhaps he deliberately misses the point.

SOD has not been sacked, he's still employed by the club. The club should do the decent thing and pay him up, in full, in line with whatever was agreed in the contract he was given by the club. How difficult is that? Any employer with integrity would do just that. It would not be a matter of conjecture or debate.

Looking at the situation with a human relations hat on, or as a union negotiator, doesn't really matter which side of the table you sit, you must agree the employee has every right to distrust his employer after the same employer publicly broadcast that his job was 100 per cent safe and then put him on gardening leave the following day.

I don't care how loyal you are to the club, that is not right or logical.

The football world is full of U-turns. Players who kiss badges, the chairman's vote of confidence and so on but I doubt there has been a bigger, more embarassing U-turn in the whole history of the game.

Dress it up how you like, that 'safest job in football' will haunt the club in years to come. The sensible thing to do is settle up, shake hands and move on.

Save your energies now Ben. Come back and taunt me at Christmas when we've staved off relegation with 50 points on the board and heading for the Premiership. :byebye

Meanwhile just stick your fingers in your ears and shout 'La-la-la-la-la-la-la!' as loud as you can if it helps. You may not be able to see it but every other fan in the land can.

[benaldo]

Silly me. And there I was thinking SOD had propelled the club into the safety zone.....

With you Donnybob there's stubborn, and there's stubborn. You are blindly holding on to a manager who couldn't win us a game in 8 months like he was the messiah!! It doesn't make sense.

Gardening leave, whatever you want to call it, he's STILL getting paid, in full, while not having to do anything. Not a bad deal is it considering he should have been actually \"sacked\" months ago. Perhaps Donnybob, yet again, you think you know whats going on behind closed doors when you don't and all that is happening is that SOD and the club are discussing his settlement. God knows, when people are sacked they don't usually get the rest of their contract paid in full do they, so if you ask me JR has pushed the boat out and done the honourable thing here.

And on your terror at people \"performing a u turn\". Well I just don't see it. What's the problem? IF everyone was as stubborn as you and kept to one decision no matter what the circumstances or problems then this club would be so far in up the shitter it would be untrue. Yes, the timing was unfortunate, but I'd much rather JR changed his mind for the right reasons than continued with what SOD was serving up, and a league position than was close to being a record for all the wrong reasons.

There is nothing wrong with change. SOD wasn't a manager to get us any further than relegation scrapping every season, goodbye to him, good luck, but we've now got a decent manager who knows how to get wins....and decent players in.

No, I'm not stupid, I'm just not as stubborn as you and I'm not frightened of change.

Gardening leave = full pay
Sacking = less than full pay and egg on SODs face

This way JR has tried to help SOD while helping the club at the same time. And if you don't trust JR, then what the feck are you doing still supporting Rovers because that man IS Rovers.

[Donnybob]

And if you don't trust JR, then what the feck are you doing still supporting Rovers because that man IS Rovers.

Really?

Time for me to move on then.

Bye!

And don't bother with another blinkered reply because la-la-la-la-la-la-la, I can't hear you.

[RobTheRover]

As far as I understood the situation he and MW are currently on gardening leave.

Bloody hell, they've knobbled Mickey now too?

;-)

[Bentley Bullet]

I'm sure every supporter would like to ask why Mr Ryan did a complete u turn by sacking SO'D the day after he gave an overwhelming vote of confidence in him.

It's not a question of Mr Ryan's being right in sacking him, it is a question of why he suddenly had a complete change of heart regarding SO'D.

I don't think anyone is questioning John Ryan's integrity by being intrigued as to what happened to force a U turn.

[benaldo]

I think you'll find a few ingrates (like donnybobbins) actually ARE questioning JR's integrity over the matter, that's the galling part of all this.

Some people either don't like change, liked SOD blindly, or believe that someone can't change their mind. I can't work them out, but all I do know is that Rovers are finally winning games, signing good players, there's a buzz around Rovers, and people are motivated again. Small price to pay to put a guy on full pay and tell him not to come back in my opinion.

Who cares about the minutae around the issue. A manager who ran out of ideas has gone, a new one has come in and the team is winning. All rosey for me, can't see a problem there at all.

[hoolahoop]

A life in which humans follow like drones and never question would be a very dangerous one..Blind faith is a wonderful concept, but in reality it very rarely works. It is not disrespectful to question as long it is done with an open mind.

JB, that's one of the best posts for ages, short , sweet and to the point. Some of the lemmings on this 'open' forum would do well to heed these words..

[RobTheRover]

Agreed, Hoola, but why do I read it in a voice akin to a Norfolk version of Yoda?

[hoolahoop]

Agreed, Hoola, but why do I read it in a voice akin to a Norfolk version of Yoda?

Ooooo aaaar, oh bugger it I can't even attempt to do an impersonation of Deb.

[Viking Don]

Av yer got a loight boiy?

It's summat like that...

[RobTheRover]

So, to morph Yoda into it....

A loight boiy yer hav got, hmm?

Yep, works for me.

[jucyberry]

Now for all you know I could be exceedingly, excruciatingly posh.... Lol, think a softer less broad version of the singing postman..Although I do say loit for light and there are usually more Aa's in most words I have to say...

[Filo]

Talking of singing postmen, here`s Stainforth`s very own!

http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/doncaster-news/postman_who_always_sings_twice_1_3840807