JR Leaves Rovers

[Sammy Chung was King]

Manchester United had Best, Law and Charlton three of the greatest players to have pulled their shirt on, i feel disappointed that we have lost one of our three, though obviously not players the importance of them all can't be understated.
I always thought they were a perfect team, John's passion for his local team and Terry and Dick doing the understated work behind the scenes.

John was the face of Doncaster Rovers, Terry and Dick played just as important a part after John got the ball rolling, John told the story many times of the state we were in, because he was proud of what the club had achieved and his part in it.
I always wondered did he risk money that made him start to worry about his finances, i hope he didn't, nobody can ever say he didn't back his mouth up.
I will always remember him suited up outside The Britannia Stadium, talking to the ladies selling t-shirts outside and he couldn't stop smiling.
That day he was just one of us who was better dressed.

He did make mistakes near the end, but how many times did he get it right?, many many times i think we can all allow him those mistakes.
A Doncaster lad who made it good and shared some of it with his local team, he left us in good hands and i hope one day he changes his mind, i miss his media presence saying things a lot of us want to about referee's etc.
I would say enjoy your retirement but i don't see him as a bloke who will sit in an armchair, pipe and slippers on the go.
All i can say is Thank you John and good luck, you achieved what you set out to do.

[les@donr]

JR. THANK YOU!

[Metalmicky]

A sad, sad day.

John Ryan, absolute colossus. Wouldn't have swapped him for a thousand Russian or Arab billionaires. Not fit to wipe his boots.

He only played once.....!!!!

[silent majority]

timing is everything as henry cooper found out to his disadvantage when he delivered a left hook "coleman " would be proud of" on cassius clay 

similarily it looks "on the balance of probabilities" as if this "action" has by chance ??? taken place in the 2015-2016 tax year -  "possibly" to maximise any pecuniary "loss" advantages who knows how "things" are structured it is all a matter of "trust"



 

Poppycock.

[nice one rovers]

Right then, thats a lot of nice comments which I wholeheartedly agree with.
Can we lock this post now, before someone turns it negative?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Farewell to John Ryan. Whatever his faults, he gave us half a dozen moments that football fans can only dream of.

[Dutch Uncle]

The best Rovers league season for more than 100 years, 2009-10, occurred when three of Rovers greats were all at the top of their game - to use military planning speak one at the Tactical level, one at the Operational level and one at the Strategic level. The football was breathtaking.

Billy Sharp was the best Rovers striker at least for a generation, or more (since Jeffrey???).

He was successful because Sean O'Driscoll was the best manager at least for a generation or more (since Doherty???)

This all happened because for a magical 15 years we had the best Rovers chairman of all time, bar none, a candidate for the best ever chairman of any professional football club.

Thank you JR for saving our club from the very brink of destruction and giving us the most successful time in our history.


I apologise because I have posted this before, but here is a slightly humorous but genuine anthem for the 2009-10 season and its 3 heroes - a re-write of Leonard Cohen's magical 'Suzanne':

When Sean takes you down to his place near the lakeside.
You can hear the balls go by,
You can spend the match beside him.
And you know he's half crazy,
But that's why you want to be there.
And he feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from Bournemouth.
And just when you mean to tell him that you have no goals to give him,
Then he gets you on his wavelength
And he lets the structures answer
That you've always been his striker.

And you want to travel with him,
And you want to travel blind,
And you know he will trust you,
For you've touched his tippy-tappy with your mind.

And Billy was a striker, when he walked upon the Keepmoat
And he spent a long time watching from his lonely Sheffield tower.
And when he knew for certain, only Donny men could see him,
He said: "All men will stay onside then, until the pass shall free them."
But he himself was broken
Long before Adkins would loan him,
Forsaken, almost human,
He sank beneath Southampton, like a stone

And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For you've seen his perfect finish with your mind.

Now JR takes your hand and he leads you to the Keepmoat.
He's wearing scarves and banners from One Direction crowdfunds.
And the sun pours down like honey on our Master of the Remake.
And he shows you where to look, among the hedgefunds and the boybands.
There are heroes in the Keepmoat,
There are children in the midfield,
They are leaning out for love,
They will lean that way forever,
While the fans hold the mirror.

And you want to travel with them,
And you want to travel blind,
And you know you can trust them
For you've touched their perfect madness with your mind.




Good luck JR in everything you do 

 

[grayx]

Again?

[Al4475]

Thanks JR for the good times! Here's to the next chapter in the DRFC story!
 

[bobjimwilly]

  

[godlike1]

There were many on here lucky enough to go on an amazing roller coaster ride thanks to JR, a ride which I never thought I not my dad would see where rovers would gain respect back that had long since gone as a family football club the town can be proud of and one that graced headlines for the right reasons for 99.9% of the time

JR, you are a hero and its sad the last goal of the premier league dream was just a step too far I however would like to thank you for the amazing memories and times that I will never forget and hope we may see them again some day soon