Sean's side of the story

[SiBo]

So we've heard everyone else's versions of events from this last week, but not Sean's. Does anyone honestly think if we do ever get to hear his side of things it would be the same as what's come out of club this week?

Let's not forget he would have had exactly the same players available as DS on Sat and Tues plus he would have no doubt used Mason so why the strange and sudden timing?

I don't pretend to know for a second what's gone on behind the scenes this week but I do think a lot of people have been scarily quick to just accept what's come out of the club at face value?

We may get away with whatever's going on and we may end up being more successful than we've ever been, but to just accept that what we are being told is the whole truth smacks of naivety.

[The Red Baron]

As I've said before, I think that is one that will be saved for the autobiography. Even SO'D's greatest detractors will have to admit that he is a discreet, dignified and gracious man, who will not be looking to stir things up at Rovers.

When he does next appear in the public eye- probably when he takes his next managerial job- I expect him to say nothing but good things about DRFC and his time here.

[Wellred]

So we've heard everyone else's versions of events from this last week, but not Sean's. Does anyone honestly think if we do ever get to hear his side of things it would be the same as what's come out of club this week?

Let's not forget he would have had exactly the same players available as DS on Sat and Tues plus he would have no doubt used Mason so why the strange and sudden timing?

I don't pretend to know for a second what's gone on behind the scenes this week but I do think a lot of people have been scarily quick to just accept what's come out of the club at face value?

We may get away with whatever's going on and we may end up being more successful than we've ever been, but to just accept that what we are being told is the whole truth smacks of naivety.

We hadn't won a game for 19 matches. Does that mean anything to you?????

[SiBo]

\"We hadn't won a game for 19 matches. Does that mean anything to you?????\"

So why didn't it happen at the end of last season? Why did it happen just as he was going to have players available again? Cant help thinking the 19 games has provided the perfect get out clause not the real reason.

But thanks for proving my point about naivety!!!!

[Gartom]

Wellred is many things - but never naive !!
The run of games without a win was a major factor - yes major.....to state the obvious.....everything else will have to be 'under wraps' for the time being !!

[wing commander]

I wish we could draw a line under this and move on...i really do...

If your for or against whats happened, everybodys had there say let move forward now please.....

[The Red Baron]

Wellred is many things - but never naive !!
The run of games without a win was a major factor - yes major.....to state the obvious.....everything else will have to be 'under wraps' for the time being !!

Well done, Gareth. You've just proved there IS a smoking gun!

[ditch_drfc]

Im sorry but i totally agree with Sibo. I personally feel like the money was held back because some of the board had got bored of Sean. Let's face it, that money could have been made available at the start of this season.

[Filo]

Wellred is many things - but never naive !!
The run of games without a win was a major factor - yes major.....to state the obvious.....everything else will have to be 'under wraps' for the time being !!

Statements like that only serve to fuel the speculation, i'm now convinced something is strange here!

[The Red Baron]

I refer the Hon. Gentleman to my earlier comment.

Despite being in the \"SO'D\" camp I agree with Wing Commander- we do need to draw a line under this for the good of the club. Unfortunately Gareth's throwaway remark makes it more difficult to do so as it hints of something going on which cannot be made public knowledge.

[Wellred]

Im sorry but i totally agree with Sibo. I personally feel like the money was held back because some of the board had got bored of Sean. Let's face it, that money could have been made available at the start of this season.

I don't think \"bored\" is maybe the right word but you are probably not too far off the mark

[wilts rover]

In reply to the OP's point - of course it will be a totally different take on things, he will have one opinion, JR/the board had another. I have just come out of a meeting about making someone redundant. I am sure they can put up a good case why we shouldn't. Tough, that's life, decsions been made, time wil tell if its the right one - but whatever, it aint going to change.

I do hope we get to read Sean's view at some point in the distant future - but I also hope he gets someone else to write it for him!

[Gartom]

Sorry guys I did not mean it to read like there was a deep,dark secret - I just meant we wont get the full story, there will be point and counterpoint in any story/saga like this...so lets leave it at that and move on.

Just shows you how a few lines ( careless in my case I guess) how they can cause such a domino effect !

If I find out anything I will let you know....if cleared by the VSC legal exec team...and the UN of course !

[Sheepskin Stu]

Sorry guys I did not mean it to read like there was a deep,dark secret - I just meant we wont get the full story, there will be point and counterpoint in any story/saga like this...so lets leave it at that and move on.

Just shows you how a few lines ( careless in my case I guess) how they can cause such a domino effect !

If I find out anything I will let you know....if cleared by the VSC legal exec team...and the UN of course !

Loose lips sink ships.

[graingrover]

It would not be too difficult for Sean to register on here and leave a message for his and the club's fans . I doubt very much that it would be censored .

[markusparkus75]

SOD strikes me as the sort of person who doesn't even use a mobile phone, let alone use the internet.

[RedJ]

SOD strikes me as the sort of person who doesn't even use a mobile phone, let alone use the internet.

No, he magically received a text from the club and then telepathically rung them ;-)

[Donnybob]

\"We hadn't won a game for 19 matches. Does that mean anything to you?????\"

Yes - It means, but for two huge strokes of luck it would have been 21 now.

Fortunately Peterborough are going to roll over and prevent that from becoming 22, aren't they? In your dreams that is.

Appointing a manager with no league experience whatsoever is a massive gamble no matter how optimistic you are. Signing veteran defenders who 'used to be good' for a few weeks is short termism to say the least. How many competitive games has Chimbonda played in the past 6 months? Or more to the point, 3 months? Could be a while before he's properly match fit.

I'm holding my counsel on the appointment for now despite feeling decidedly uneasy.

Suddenly we seem to be throwing money at a problem that wasn't available in August. That smacks of panic.

Why wasn't SO'D ousted at the end of last season if he was so unpopular with certain factions of the board? A replacement manager could have spent the limited 'new' budget wisely on players he actually wanted.

But we're not there now, are we? We're approaching a quarter of the way through the season and still bottom of the table, but what does seem to matter is the Chairman still has his sights on the play-offs!

Let's not judge Saunders on the last two home games, if we're in mid-table after 10 more games in charge then it'll be hats off to his appointment. If we're pressing for promotion after 20 games then I'll accept that JR is a visionary and his bold statements on Radio Sheffield the other night make complete sense.

But if, as you cannot rule out, we're still in the bottom three by then and senior players have departed in the January window, then I'll roll my eyes to heaven and say, what an utter load of smoke and mirrors we were fed this past week.

And let's not forget Saunders wasn't discovered on Thursday. He was JR's 'Plan B' way back in the summer according to what he said on the radio.

We'll probably never really know what happened on Thursday and that's a perfect breeding ground for  conspiracy theories. SO'D was probably placed on gardening leave rather than sacked outright because any settlement will no doubt include a secrecy clause and if there's one man who's integrity has never been in question it is SO'Ds which means he'll remain completely discrete about the affair.

[Wellred]

\"We hadn't won a game for 19 matches. Does that mean anything to you?????\"

Yes - It means, but for two huge strokes of luck it would have been 21 now.

Fortunately Peterborough are going to roll over and prevent that from becoming 22, aren't they? In your dreams that is.

Appointing a manager with no league experience whatsoever is a massive gamble no matter how optimistic you are. Signing veteran defenders who 'used to be good' for a few weeks is short termism to say the least. How many competitive games has Chimbonda played in the past 6 months? Or more to the point, 3 months? Could be a while before he's properly match fit.

I'm holding my counsel on the appointment for now despite feeling decidedly uneasy.

Suddenly we seem to be throwing money at a problem that wasn't available in August. That smacks of panic.

Why wasn't SO'D ousted at the end of last season if he was so unpopular with certain factions of the board? A replacement manager could have spent the limited 'new' budget wisely on players he actually wanted.

But we're not there now, are we? We're approaching a quarter of the way through the season and still bottom of the table, but what does seem to matter is the Chairman still has his sights on the play-offs!

Let's not judge Saunders on the last two home games, if we're in mid-table after 10 more games in charge then it'll be hats off to his appointment. If we're pressing for promotion after 20 games then I'll accept that JR is a visionary and his bold statements on Radio Sheffield the other night make complete sense.

But if, as you cannot rule out, we're still in the bottom three by then and senior players have departed in the January window, then I'll roll my eyes to heaven and say, what an utter load of smoke and mirrors we were fed this past week.

And let's not forget Saunders wasn't discovered on Thursday. He was JR's 'Plan B' way back in the summer according to what he said on the radio.

We'll probably never really know what happened on Thursday and that's a perfect breeding ground for  conspiracy theories. SO'D was probably placed on gardening leave rather than sacked outright because any settlement will no doubt include a secrecy clause and if there's one man who's integrity has never been in question it is SO'Ds which means he'll remain completely discrete about the affair.

yawn:cry: :cry: :cry:

[Donnybob]

Tell you what Wellred, I'll bring this thread back to the top of the board after ten more games, then 20 more games. Let's see if your blind optimism looks quite so clever then...

[i_ateallthepies]

With you all the way Donnybob.

You know what, piss me off as he may do with his anti-O'Driscoll bile, Wellred is what he is and he sticks with it, but the willingness of senior figures within the VSC to suddenly turn around and pay lip service to this action by the club I have to say I find particularly disturbing.

[Wellred]

Tell you what Wellred, I'll bring this thread back to the top of the board after ten more games, then 20 more games. Let's see if your blind optimism looks quite so clever then...

Can I turn it around and ask about your blind optimism that SOD even after 19 winless games and utterly boring football was going to turn things round?

I have said that I think that Dean Saunders is a breath of fresh air (yes it only 2 games) and who is to say what will happen after 10 or 20 games?

The directors were not prepared to wait that long and I am pleased they didn't.

[Townender]

Fully agree with Wellred on this.FFS, the guy has gone, move on, it`s called football. I am not sorry to see him go, maybe I don`t agree with the replacement, that said, how many agreed with DP`s replacement?

[sheffieldROVER]

what happened to this tune at bumhole lane?

o driscoll said nooooooo
o driscoll said nooooooo
sheffield a shit hole
o driscoll said no!!!

loved that game.

[sheffieldROVER]

So we've heard everyone else's versions of events from this last week, but not Sean's. Does anyone honestly think if we do ever get to hear his side of things it would be the same as what's come out of club this week?

Let's not forget he would have had exactly the same players available as DS on Sat and Tues plus he would have no doubt used Mason so why the strange and sudden timing?

I don't pretend to know for a second what's gone on behind the scenes this week but I do think a lot of people have been scarily quick to just accept what's come out of the club at face value?

We may get away with whatever's going on and we may end up being more successful than we've ever been, but to just accept that what we are being told is the whole truth smacks of naivety.

We hadn't won a game for 19 matches. Does that mean anything to you?????

19 league games with half our squad injured!!!!!!!!!!!!  that means something to me pal!
saunders just happened to have most our injured back for our cosy win!! which in my opinion we would have won any way!! so we will never know, but sean deserved these next 3 games when u look at who we have already played, and we have played well but been very unlucky!
what we got with dean have been easier games with more players back is that fair? really mate?????

[RobTheRover]

With you all the way Donnybob.

You know what, piss me off as he may do with his anti-O'Driscoll bile, Wellred is what he is and he sticks with it, but the willingness of senior figures within the VSC to suddenly turn around and pay lip service to this action by the club I have to say I find particularly disturbing.

Exactly what \"lip service\" is the VSC paying to this?  I don't believe the VSC has issued an official statement on Sean's departure or Dean's appointment.   VSC directors are expressing their personal opinions as they do on most footballing matters on here, the same as everyone else.

Until we get the opportunity to put those questions we have to JR as representatives of shareholders  there is nothing to report. Just don't confuse our personal views with a \"party line\" until we have asked the questions.

[PDX_Rover]

I wish we could move on. This has gone on long enough IMO.  It's a very divisive subject.  I can see both sides, as I imagine most people here, if they really think about it, can.

For my money, I think it was probably best for both parties (Rovers and SOD) that he went.  I think both parties have been pretty loyal.  JR has backed SOD when others wouldn't and SOD didn't leave for another job when the going was good and his stock was high.  Now, I don't think the club handled the situation particularly well, but when do they communicate anything well?  

On the other side, I believe that if any of the clubs he interviewed with would have paid Rovers the compensation, SOD would have left.  We'll never know for sure but I think he would have gone. The Sheff United 'approach' unsettled him as well and things went downhill from thereon in IMO.

No doubt, SOD and ROK should go down in our history as great for the club.  They achieved a great deal with pretty lean resources compared to virtually every other club in the division.  They totally transformed the club and gave us something to take a great deal of pride in. Sure, sometimes we were baffled and sometimes he just didn't have the answer, but you have to admire his philosophy, once which I hope can be taken forwards with, as DS says, more of an end product.

And yes, it was nigh on impossible to field the strongest team last season and rarely even a settled team.  But we brought in some poor 'panic' buys and only just avoided the drop. I think we really dodged a bullet there.  Over the Summer JR must have through that someone might come in for SOD so no doubt he looked around and I guess Saunders came onto the radar. Then the season started disastrously and he lost the support of the majority of the board and JR had to concede to the other two.  There has to be a unity of purpose from the top down and if the guys who fun Rovers aren't feeling the love, then something has to give.

I am sad to see SOD and ROK leave. OF course I am.  They have given me some of the best Rovers moments in 35 years or so addicted to the club. But, I can see the reasoning behind it.  I would not be surprised if the KM2 had said to JR we'll give him 10 games and the start was so bad that they took the decision sooner.

I'm over it.  Thanks for some fantastic times.  Dean Saunders has my full backing and support.

Let's roll motherfunkers...

[stockyboy]

So will people be supporting Doncaster Rovers this season or Sean O'Driscoll? Seriously, if this is all the threads will be about, go make a SOD Forum. Move on!