Give Saunders time

[Chris Black come back]

Saunders gets indefinite time from me. He's only the manager in title, he's not allowed to fully manage. McKay is the actual manager, Saunders just the peace keeper and public front.

We're a laughing stock with this ridiculous outlook. I feel sorry for Saunders, promising young manager with his hands tied even tighter behind his back than the last one.

If it works then fair play to McKay for keeping us up, but the whole thing's not for me. I'm entitled to my opinion, I've supported the club both in spirit and finance for over 20 years, right now I feel as distanced from it all as I ever have, even during the Richardson regime, albeit for different reasons. I'm not drawing any further comparisons as of course we're better off now, but as far as I'm concerned I feel totally disiullusioned with the whole plan we have at present. I'm entitled to that feeling and I know for a fact I'm not the only one.

If we fill the ground and make the money out of the current plan then fair enough - NOBODY can complain. We are evolving and revolving, we're trying to attract fans that like names and drama, we're not fussed about the affinity that people had before. Cohesion and spirit is absent from this plan, it's business not a club - not a criticism but an observation. My affinity is disappearing with this strategy and I make no apology for that - I am entitled to my own view as much as anyone.

Good luck Willie, Dick and John if they continue to drag you along. John Ryan deserves success from this club more than anyone. It's not important if he f**ks off some of the original supporters in the process, he deserves a full stadium and if he gets it then fair play, but if we contiue with this blueprint then my time of being amongst them is done.

If I wanted to crack one off over famous names I'd have supported a top club. As it happens I bought into a team, my team, even if we were shit (which we often were) they were still my team. It doesn't feel like that anymore. Fair play to the people that went to Portsmouth, I respect them all, I didn't and the defeat barely even hurt which put the writing on the wall for me personally.

Believe me, you should consider it an early Christmas present if you didn't go to Fratton Park. We were shite.

[The Red Baron]

Saunders gets indefinite time from me. He's only the manager in title, he's not allowed to fully manage. McKay is the actual manager, Saunders just the peace keeper and public front.

We're a laughing stock with this ridiculous outlook. I feel sorry for Saunders, promising young manager with his hands tied even tighter behind his back than the last one.

If it works then fair play to McKay for keeping us up, but the whole thing's not for me. I'm entitled to my opinion, I've supported the club both in spirit and finance for over 20 years, right now I feel as distanced from it all as I ever have, even during the Richardson regime, albeit for different reasons. I'm not drawing any further comparisons as of course we're better off now, but as far as I'm concerned I feel totally disiullusioned with the whole plan we have at present. I'm entitled to that feeling and I know for a fact I'm not the only one.

If we fill the ground and make the money out of the current plan then fair enough - NOBODY can complain. We are evolving and revolving, we're trying to attract fans that like names and drama, we're not fussed about the affinity that people had before. Cohesion and spirit is absent from this plan, it's business not a club - not a criticism but an observation. My affinity is disappearing with this strategy and I make no apology for that - I am entitled to my own view as much as anyone.

Good luck Willie, Dick and John if they continue to drag you along. John Ryan deserves success from this club more than anyone. It's not important if he f**ks off some of the original supporters in the process, he deserves a full stadium and if he gets it then fair play, but if we contiue with this blueprint then my time of being amongst them is done.

If I wanted to crack one off over famous names I'd have supported a top club. As it happens I bought into a team, my team, even if we were shit (which we often were) they were still my team. It doesn't feel like that anymore. Fair play to the people that went to Portsmouth, I respect them all, I didn't and the defeat barely even hurt which put the writing on the wall for me personally.

You've summed up the choice we will all have to make. I've decided to stick with it for now, but it wouldn't take much for me to walk away and come back only when certain people have left the club. I stuck with the club during the Richardson era, so maybe I'm enough of a glutton for punishment to see it through again.

[Townender]

Nice one Jonathan, one of the best posts I have seen for quite a while.

[Berkshire Rover]

Saunders gets indefinite time from me. He's only the manager in title, he's not allowed to fully manage. McKay is the actual manager, Saunders just the peace keeper and public front.

We're a laughing stock with this ridiculous outlook. I feel sorry for Saunders, promising young manager with his hands tied even tighter behind his back than the last one.

If it works then fair play to McKay for keeping us up, but the whole thing's not for me. I'm entitled to my opinion, I've supported the club both in spirit and finance for over 20 years, right now I feel as distanced from it all as I ever have, even during the Richardson regime, albeit for different reasons. I'm not drawing any further comparisons as of course we're better off now, but as far as I'm concerned I feel totally disiullusioned with the whole plan we have at present. I'm entitled to that feeling and I know for a fact I'm not the only one.

If we fill the ground and make the money out of the current plan then fair enough - NOBODY can complain. We are evolving and revolving, we're trying to attract fans that like names and drama, we're not fussed about the affinity that people had before. Cohesion and spirit is absent from this plan, it's business not a club - not a criticism but an observation. My affinity is disappearing with this strategy and I make no apology for that - I am entitled to my own view as much as anyone.

Good luck Willie, Dick and John if they continue to drag you along. John Ryan deserves success from this club more than anyone. It's not important if he f**ks off some of the original supporters in the process, he deserves a full stadium and if he gets it then fair play, but if we contiue with this blueprint then my time of being amongst them is done.

If I wanted to crack one off over famous names I'd have supported a top club. As it happens I bought into a team, my team, even if we were shit (which we often were) they were still my team. It doesn't feel like that anymore. Fair play to the people that went to Portsmouth, I respect them all, I didn't and the defeat barely even hurt which put the writing on the wall for me personally.

Believe me, you should consider it an early Christmas present if you didn't go to Fratton Park. We were shite.

I agree we were poor second half, but I thought we shaded the first half after conceding an early sloppy goal, the second half was poor, but as Surrey Rover pointed out earlier, we were sussed out and we were out fought, out muscled in midfield and never got the smae quality of possession we did in the firtst half. I know both teams played in mid week, but Portsmouth seemed to cope beterr with the physical side of the game than we did.

[RoversAlias]

Great post Jonathan, and really the affinity to the club of us fans is my biggest concern with it all and the key reason that I have been debating it all so furiously the last few days.

Next weekend we're at home to Coventry. At the same time, I could travel a good 30 minute walk from where I live to go and watch Gateshead play Hebburn Town in the F.A. Cup instead, for just 9 quid. The week after I was thinking of forking out around £50 to go and watch us play away at Ipswich, but once again, for less than a tenner I could go and watch Gateshead vs Braintree in the Conference. Now obviously I won't be going to those games at Gateshead, I'll be heading down to Donny certainly for the Coventry game. But give it a few months, and if I feel as distant or even further away from my club because of this new regime, then maybe it won't be an idle exaggeration that I suggest going to watch Gateshead (or one of the other clubs just a stones throw away) instead because Doncaster Rovers no longer resembles the club I fell in love with.

Like was said, it's a choice a lot of us are going to have to make. I certainly don't seriously envision turning my back on the club, my season ticket and all to go and watch Gateshead, Sunderland or even Newcastle instead, but come the end of the season, if we have become a faceless, soulless shop window for McKay's jobseekers, I may be compelled to think differently.

[Wellred]

Great post Jonathan, and really the affinity to the club of us fans is my biggest concern with it all and the key reason that I have been debating it all so furiously the last few days.

Next weekend we're at home to Coventry. At the same time, I could travel a good 30 minute walk from where I live to go and watch Gateshead play Hebburn Town in the F.A. Cup instead, for just 9 quid. The week after I was thinking of forking out around £50 to go and watch us play away at Ipswich, but once again, for less than a tenner I could go and watch Gateshead vs Braintree in the Conference. Now obviously I won't be going to those games at Gateshead, I'll be heading down to Donny certainly for the Coventry game. But give it a few months, and if I feel as distant or even further away from my club because of this new regime, then maybe it won't be an idle exaggeration that I suggest going to watch Gateshead (or one of the other clubs just a stones throw away) instead because Doncaster Rovers no longer resembles the club I fell in love with.

Like was said, it's a choice a lot of us are going to have to make. I certainly don't seriously envision turning my back on the club, my season ticket and all to go and watch Gateshead, Sunderland or even Newcastle instead, but come the end of the season, if we have become a faceless, soulless shop window for McKay's jobseekers, I may be compelled to think differently.

I think that is a very sensible attitude. Nobody can say how it is going to end up. Some however have decided from the word go it isn't going to work.
Lets give it a go and see what happens. Lets face it what was the alternative?

[RoversAlias]

Well for me the alternative is to carry on how we always have - try and tweak the team to better ends and try our damnedest to get out of trouble. Though with the current crop of players maybe that is an ineffective plan.

Look, I am not somebody who is saying \"it's all gone wrong. This is a disaster and we are doomed!\" I'm just expressing my reservations with it all, as are several other people. And I don't believe that those people should just be shot down for daring to speak out against what the club is doing. I sure as hell am going to give it a chance because I have to, my desire to see this football club outweighs the distaste I feel for us bringing McKay on board. Simply.

[DonnyNoel]

Great post Jonathan, and really the affinity to the club of us fans is my biggest concern with it all and the key reason that I have been debating it all so furiously the last few days.

Next weekend we're at home to Coventry. At the same time, I could travel a good 30 minute walk from where I live to go and watch Gateshead play Hebburn Town in the F.A. Cup instead, for just 9 quid. The week after I was thinking of forking out around £50 to go and watch us play away at Ipswich, but once again, for less than a tenner I could go and watch Gateshead vs Braintree in the Conference. Now obviously I won't be going to those games at Gateshead, I'll be heading down to Donny certainly for the Coventry game. But give it a few months, and if I feel as distant or even further away from my club because of this new regime, then maybe it won't be an idle exaggeration that I suggest going to watch Gateshead (or one of the other clubs just a stones throw away) instead because Doncaster Rovers no longer resembles the club I fell in love with.

Like was said, it's a choice a lot of us are going to have to make. I certainly don't seriously envision turning my back on the club, my season ticket and all to go and watch Gateshead, Sunderland or even Newcastle instead, but come the end of the season, if we have become a faceless, soulless shop window for McKay's jobseekers, I may be compelled to think differently.

I think that is a very sensible attitude. Nobody can say how it is going to end up. Some however have decided from the word go it isn't going to work.

I think thats a fair policy. We came up and decided our size meant we had to try something niche to do it and for two and a half seasons SOD provided that. I'm certainly uneasy about the whole thing and the worst case scenario doesn't bare thinking about but the club have decided thats the direction we want to go in and there's times as a supporter you have to examine your feelings for the club - in the same way some would if we'd have signed an undesirable player or manager. It would have been wonderful to be some kind of wonder pub team, always bringing youth through and signing players from the conference south but that wasn't to be, irrelevant of the manager.

To echo Jon's post though, I do feel a bit for Saunders. Before all this stuff behind the scenes came to focus he'd had a positive impact and it seems the international break came at the wrong time (even though I thought it would be a help). If the clubs attitude is going to be \"we need to get better so lets get better players\" then I don't see how Deano can become a fully rounded manager.

[inSODwetrust]

We haven't got time! We need to be picking up results! 14 games in and the game vs Coventry is a massive 6 pointer!

[DonnyNoel]

We haven't got time! We need to be picking up results! 14 games in and the game vs Coventry is a massive 6 pointer!

So what do you suggest? Talking purely in on-pitch terms, any new manager needs to be given time. Under DS, we've had some good results, some bad results, some good performmances and some bad performances.

[inSODwetrust]

We haven't got time! We need to be picking up results! 14 games in and the game vs Coventry is a massive 6 pointer!

So what do you suggest? Talking purely in on-pitch terms, any new manager needs to be given time. Under DS, we've had some good results, some bad results, some good performmances and some bad performances.

F***ing hell keep your hair on, I'm not after an argument, I'm just pointing out the truth! The only thing on our side is that Bristol City, Watford and Coventry are just as poor as we've been, if not poorer!

[DonnyNoel]

We haven't got time! We need to be picking up results! 14 games in and the game vs Coventry is a massive 6 pointer!

So what do you suggest? Talking purely in on-pitch terms, any new manager needs to be given time. Under DS, we've had some good results, some bad results, some good performmances and some bad performances.

F***ing hell keep your hair on, I'm not after an argument, I'm just pointing out the truth! The only thing on our side is that Bristol City, Watford and Coventry are just as poor as we've been, if not poorer!

Me neither, I was just posing a question. You should probably use less exclamation points then

[madmick50]

The good results were the first 3 games which could be attributed to the fact that we got some players back from injury and the 'new manager short term boost syndrome'. Since he's had more time to sort things out things have gone tits up and the Mckay fiasco is the latest nail in the coffin.

[DonnyNoel]

The good results were the first 3 games which could be attributed to the fact that we got some players back from injury and the 'new manager short term boost syndrome'. Since he's had more time to sort things out things have gone tits up and the Mckay fiasco is the latest nail in the coffin.

I'm not linking the two in this debate though. The thread is \"give Saunders time\" and I'm interpreting that as to letting him turn things around on the pitch. The way he wants to play, whilst we're still unclear on what that is, seems to be different to SODs approach (in the same way his was different to DPs) so it will take time and potentially new faces. Leeds are a good side in great form and it sounds like we deserved at least a point from the Blackpool game so I'm not sure we can say \"things have gone tits up\". As for the McKay thing, I'm not happy about it in principal but it hasn't even started to really be implemented yet. DS has made loan signings but they were needed at the time.

[madmick50]

I just think the whole strategy is very badly flawed. Saunders has been brought in as a quick fix and does not have the luxury of a lot of time. He'll have been under no illusion that the reason he was brought in was to keep us in the Championship. Changing players all the time, changing the way the team plays, his lack of experience, his refusal to ever accept any responsibility for anything that goes wrong on the pitch etc etc fills me with no hope that things are going to improve. A much better strategy would have been to let SO'D continue in the job even if it meant we got relegated (I think we'd have had a better chance of staying up with him than Saunders). He could have replaced players with new ones that suited our type of game and I'm sure things would have improved once our injury list improved.

[Alan Southstand]

Excellent post from Jon and one with which I can identify with. I have definately lost quite a bit of interest in the Club, generally, and its not entirely down to the shambolic affair of the SOD gardening leave episode. I think we've sold our soul to the devil and must suffer the consequences. Hell, I even think JR is not exactly sold on the idea if he's perfectly honest. JR has been out-voted and out-manoevered and is, perhaps, for the first time in his tenure, having to toe the line.

Everyone has their own opinion about what has gone off and I have been critical of the Board's lack of support for the previous management team (although most writers on here thought we already had enough quality in the squad at the time). I never thought for one second we could possibly end up going down the route chosen and I think all it will do is continue to alienate the very people they're trying to attract to spend their hard-earned. Time will tell whether its the right way but I've just about heard and seen enough (and I think that kind of apathy is spreading to the players). Its going to be a very long and difficult season for a lot of people.

[The Red Baron]

I just think the whole strategy is very badly flawed. Saunders has been brought in as a quick fix and does not have the luxury of a lot of time. He'll have been under no illusion that the reason he was brought in was to keep us in the Championship. Changing players all the time, changing the way the team plays, his lack of experience, his refusal to ever accept any responsibility for anything that goes wrong on the pitch etc etc fills me with no hope that things are going to improve. A much better strategy would have been to let SO'D continue in the job even if it meant we got relegated (I think we'd have had a better chance of staying up with him than Saunders). He could have replaced players with new ones that suited our type of game and I'm sure things would have improved once our injury list improved.

I agree about SO'D, but it is history now. We need to get behind Saunders and the team and see how things pan out.