El-hadji Diouf

[Dr Fundlekrotch]

Great piece on the BBC website about Diouf here - El Hadji Diouf: I am not a bad guy, says controversial Senegal great
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-40379715

He makes it clear that he is a very humble man with no sense of ego.

What really made me laugh was the link at the foot of the page  - Diouf Enquiry ongoing - Saunders. Can't believe Saunders PI still doesn't have the evidence!

[wilts rover]

He is the 'controversial former Doncaster Rovers star' in the YP write up of the same interview. However what I find really interesting is that in neither write up do they refer to his time at Leeds. It's almost as if, 'he has done some bad things in his time that he is now repentant of - but even Diouf doesn't ever want to remember as having played for Leeds!'

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/i-m-an-easy-target-i-m-not-a-bad-guy-i-m-a-good-guy-controversial-former-doncaster-rovers-star-hits-back-at-critics-1-8615685

[RoversAlias]

He struggled to come across as someone without an ego in that interview. Don't think there's any doubt at this stage that he's got a questionable character when it xomes to football.

[del boy]

Regardless of what people think of his character the season he was with us he was easily the best player on show and one of the few from the experiment to actually show any passion

[not on facebook]

Nowt wrong with having a ego ,but you can't defend fact that he spat into another players face.

He could do a bad tackle and end another players playing days and that will pass most of footballing fans by in time.

But spitting into a players face will never vanish

[DearneValleyRover]

Nowt wrong with having a ego ,but you can't defend fact that he spat into another players face.

He could do a bad tackle and end another players playing days and that will pass most of footballing fans by in time.

But spitting into a players face will never vanish

It was disgusting but not career defining or shouldn't be

[drfchound]

Diouf was one of the best players to have ever played for us and as has been said, he really tried when he played for us.

[phil old leake]

I agree with previous input.  Unlike some of the experimental lot he did put in effort.  If they'd all put in the same effort it might have worked. Unfortunately it didn't. Some of them were worryingly bad

[wing commander]

  Yep like him or loathe him nobody can say he didn't give his all...One of the best players I've seen in a Rovers shirt and my opinion of him certainly went up during his time with us...Of all the so called experimental players I would have thought he would be the one to coast through it the most....But he didn't unlike some of the others

[RoversAlias]

Of course he did go on a big night out with a few other players into the early hours right before a game, I believe away to Southampton. The difference I think was that Diouf actually had tremendous ability on the pitch no matter what he'd been doing the night before, whereas most of the others were crap anyway.

[Glyn_Wigley]

Just the lay-off to Billy Sharp to score that goal sums him up as a footballer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQkiQ0-Rhrg

[mushRTID]

The reception he got at the end of West Ham away says a lot. He was brilliant for us.

[roversdude]

Hated the guy ....until he played for us, great character and I believe he does a lot of charitable stuff that never gets mentioned

[Dr Fundlekrotch]

I have absolutely no doubt about that and he was definitely the bright point of 'The Experiment', but his ego is so hilariously big - not helped by Pele putting him in his top 100 players ever, or something similar (although that shows what a coup it was for 'TLOD' to get him).

Actually the thing that made me raise it on here was just the Saunders inquiry link at the end which made me snort out my coffee at work - remembering the fanzine articles about Saunders PI and seeing that the inquiry was ongoing (and yes, I know the link was from 2012)

[balbyrover]

The reception he got at the end of West Ham away says a lot. He was brilliant for us.

Agreed. He was brilliant and a class above everybody else on the pitch.  Very gifted footballer who probably let himself down throughout his career.

[drfc1951]

Unlucky not to score what would have been the winner at Upton Park.

[balbyrover]

Unlucky not to score what would have been the winner at Upton Park.

Aye. Didn't he hit the post shortly after Coppinger scored?
I remember us going close.

[RedJ]

Aye he did.

[essexrover]

Big ego ? Yes. Eccentric ? Yes. Maverick ? Yes. Brilliant tho', I loved him for Rovers.