Sorry SoD

[MartinB]

Bristol City would do well long term to stick with him.

[Jenny]

Yeah, I reckon he could cut it in League Two...

[BillyStubbsTears]

He did not like it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24635864

6 minutes, 4 seconds in.

Ouch

I never saw a recording of the interview after the Wolves match, but it sounded as though it was very similar.

I feel for the bloke. He's clearly under enormous pressure and he clearly considers reporters to be worthless. It WAS a stupid question,  and he had every right to respond like that, but it won't help him. The media are t**ts. The question was asked to provoke that sort of response and he gave it to them. If he'd said, "That is a stupid question to be honest. You don't succeed in football without being able to fight your way out of difficulties. Of course I'm up for the fight, and if you know anything at all about football, you wouldn't ask an idiotic question like that," he would have won the point hands-down As it is, the ante has now really been raised for the next match and he'll get crucified by the media if they lose that one.

I had my own issues with the bloke's approach, but despite (because of?) his infuriating stubbornness, he proved himself to be a quite exceptional manager with us. I truly hope he pulls it round. The game needs people like him to succeed.

[Drover]

Bloody hell,thats the longest and most talkative interview I have ever known him do.

[MartinB]

I think that was SODs point up till then it was a GREAT interview, honest, refreshing and insightful....then the journalist asked him a stupid final question.

[RedJ]

Who has the most impact on a club and it's squad . A good Manager or a good coach .? Give me the Manager and he'll find you the coach if needed .

Just ask Forest fans who they thought was the reason they stayed up the year we were relegated. I doubt many will say it was Cotterill's doing.

[Dare to dream!]

SOD won't turn it around at Bristol he's nowhere near a good manager nowadays, he reached his peak with us and was on the decline with us. Needs a break from the game or continue as a good coach.

[mushRTID]

I do sometimes wonder if he peaked with us. For example, there must be loads of what we would call 'shit' managers who have a promotion or two on their CV's. Im not calling him shit however its possible when he retires he looks back and we were the high point, everything else was pretty average/poor.

[BigColSutherland]

SOD won't turn it around at Bristol he's nowhere near a good manager nowadays, he reached his peak with us and was on the decline with us. Needs a break from the game or continue as a good coach.

FACT

[Alickismyhero]

Yeah, I reckon he could cut it in League Two...
[/quote]

Jenny,

 My fingers are crossed that you are proved to be wrong and that you have to eat your words. To be honest it is not looking too good for Sean at the moment , but that was the same for Sir Alex early in his United career. Probably a bad analogy really but I couldn’t think of another on the spare of the moment.

 I suppose I am Sean's strongest supporter and I will agree that he is not great at selling himself, stubborn? Yes, honourable certainly.

In the past I have worked for what might be considered very efficient managers, Teflon men, but they were unable to get people wanting to work for them out of respect. Whereas a so called less efficient manager with a benevolent approach got a lot more out of his workforce. In the end good management is subtle exploitation.

Thats the reason I took to Sean out of respect to his philosophy of how football should be played, stubborn to change or just the belief he is right? Its a matter of opinion.

He is an eccentric, his teams play the kind of football I love, his players are loyal and respect him as a man but will he get more time to turn it round? I really don't know but hope so.

[Lifelong supporter]

The trouble is SOD doesn't suffer fools gladly.
I actually think the reporter was trying to help him out with his final question in that interview.
Most managers skilled with dealing with the press would have taking the opportunity to have said you bet I am, and so are the players and the fans. If we all stick together out luck will turn.
That's all he needed to say something on those lines but he can't bring himself to do it because it WAS a stupid question in a sense.
SOD's on a different planet to most managers and football people in general.
He hates all the clichés in the game and has always admitted that his chief weakness was not being able to deal with the media and play the game.
Do managers ever lose it? I don't know.
But nobody can deny that in his time with us we played some of the best football since the days of Billy Bremner.
He also took us to Wembley and the Millennium Stadium and won promotion to the Championship, and for that we should always be eternally grateful. 

[Dare to dream!]

The trouble is SOD doesn't suffer fools gladly.
I actually think the reporter was trying to help him out with his final question in that interview.
Most managers skilled with dealing with the press would have taking the opportunity to have said you bet I am, and so are the players and the fans. If we all stick together out luck will turn.
That's all he needed to say something on those lines but he can't bring himself to do it because it WAS a stupid question in a sense.

I'd rather see him kick up a fuss getting frustrated than coming out with that, the usual drivel managers come out with when they are under pressure

[Jenny]

It isn't looking good though is it? You only have to look at the statistics someone posted re his last 100 league games.... I would be astonished if he made it past Christmas in his present job. I have a good friend who is a BCFC fan and has always backed So'D but even his support is wavering now . Everything he has said to me its like a mirror image of what happened towards the end here.

Yes, his teams play nice football, but to be honest, I prefer winning games, and I am sure that most people would be the same. It is okay when that nice football is bringing about results, but his problem is he doesn't seem to be able to change it when it isn't. I don't call that honourable, I call it stupid.

You have to work with what you have in management, you can't continually try and fit square pegs in round holes. If you have players who can't play the way that you want them to, then for me, you have to adapt your own style and what you want to have some compromise. If I came in to work tomorrow, reshuffled my team, told them that things were changing and swapped their roles to something they wouldn't be comfortable with, I doubt I would last very long...

I feel sorry for the guy, because he isn't going to be remembered for getting us playing nice tippy tappy football and winning a couple of trophys, he is going to be remembered for being pretty much a failure ever since.

I also find it funny that people call him honourable etc - I wonder what Crawley would say about that?

[Alickismyhero]

I have just listened to the full interview and Sean could have handled it better but he let his frustration take over, the rest of the interview was spot on.

Thats Sean, he is very articulate and does not suffer fools gladly. I once made a critical statement to him about Watson and Bramall he quickly and articulately corrected my negative view and put me in my place, a little like the interviewer really.

Jenny,
The chances it will be over well before Christmas especially if the Chairman say that his job is safe.

The reason the Crawley/honour comes up as a stick to hit him with is a little unfair. I did know one of the players at Crawley, Dave Hunt, who is now at Oxford United and he was devastated when Sean left for Forest but does not speak badly of Sean's actions.

Don't you think Sean learn't from his experience at Donny when he went 5 months with no pay? Its a job and if you had been treated in the same way you would make sure it doesn't happen again. Its a job and even he has to put food on the table. I will take a guess but I think he had a clause in his contract that if a Championship club came calling he had the right to talk it over. If that was the case he was being honourable because he put his cards on the table from the start.

[podrover73]

It isn't looking good though is it? You only have to look at the statistics someone posted re his last 100 league games.... I would be astonished if he made it past Christmas in his present job. I have a good friend who is a BCFC fan and has always backed So'D but even his support is wavering now . Everything he has said to me its like a mirror image of what happened towards the end here.

Yes, his teams play nice football, but to be honest, I prefer winning games, and I am sure that most people would be the same. It is okay when that nice football is bringing about results, but his problem is he doesn't seem to be able to change it when it isn't. I don't call that honourable, I call it stupid.

You have to work with what you have in management, you can't continually try and fit square pegs in round holes. If you have players who can't play the way that you want them to, then for me, you have to adapt your own style and what you want to have some compromise. If I came in to work tomorrow, reshuffled my team, told them that things were changing and swapped their roles to something they wouldn't be comfortable with, I doubt I would last very long...

I feel sorry for the guy, because he isn't going to be remembered for getting us playing nice tippy tappy football and winning a couple of trophys, he is going to be remembered for being pretty much a failure ever since.

I also find it funny that people call him honourable etc - I wonder what Crawley would say about that?

He will be remembered by Rovers fans for playing nice tippy tappy football and winning trophys and getting us promoted , and that is all that matters really to Rovers fans, not what he has done since.

[RedJ]

The reason the Crawley/honour comes up as a stick to hit him with is a little unfair.

How is it?

[Alickismyhero]

RJ,

What?

Put it as a question I can answer!

[RedJ]

How is it unfair to use Crawley as "a stick to hit him with" as a counter-argument to claiming that he's honourable?

[Wild Rover]

A-M-H.

IF SOD went 5 months without pay, then he is a fool. Contractually tied to DRFC, whatever the circumstances, he had to be paid. Fair enough it may have taken 5 months to get his dues, but he got them.

[Alickismyhero]

This is why I think it is unfair to say Sean was not honourable on leaving Crawley.

The reason I think he put it in his contract is because thats the way he works, perfectly above board. The Crawley board would have had to accept that he had the right to go for the Forest job and that is honourable. I think you will find that the Crawley board would have been very critical if that was not the case but as far as I am aware they never voiced any adverse comments when he left.

If you think back to Billy's contract where he had a clause saying he had the right to talk to any prem club or a club offering a certain amount of money.

 Now if it was honourable for Billy to put it in his contract why is it so wrong for Sean to put it in his contract?

[RedJ]

Because Billy didn't piss off within 6 weeks of joining.

[Jenny]

He will be remembered by Rovers fans for playing nice tippy tappy football and winning trophys and getting us promoted , and that is all that matters really to Rovers fans, not what he has done since.

I'm not talking about amongst Rovers fans, I am just talking generally. A lot of people held him in high regard, considered him an excellent manager etc - I bet they don't have the same views now.

Another one for the loyalty debate - how many other clubs did he speak to whilst he was with us? How many jobs did he apply for? I am not saying that it is wrong - everyone deserves a chance to 'better' themselves, but the club is being slated for the way they treated him, when lets face it, he didn't treat us that great at times either.

I don't see why his contract and supposed lack of pay should be continually brought into the discussion either - we know your views on it, and it has NOTHING to do with his ability as a manger. Let it lie.

[Jenny]

Because Billy didn't piss off within 6 weeks of joining.

Leaving a club in turmoil before the season had even begun.

[podrover73]

I do sometimes wonder if he peaked with us. For example, there must be loads of what we would call 'shit' managers who have a promotion or two on their CV's. Im not calling him shit however its possible when he retires he looks back and we were the high point, everything else was pretty average/poor.

I think that he came here and was allowed to mould a fairly talented set of players into his ethos of playing pretty football and the players bought into that ethos and they were all singing from the same hymn sheet for most of his time here.
He was also given plenty of time to put his plans into action by the chairman.

[Alickismyhero]

Because Billy didn't piss off within 6 weeks of joining.

A-M-H.

IF SOD went 5 months without pay, then he is a fool. Contractually tied to DRFC, whatever the circumstances, he had to be paid. Fair enough it may have taken 5 months to get his dues, but he got them.

WR,
You are so right if I had been in the same position I would have created hell but that is Sean. I could tell you how he did get paid but I don't want to stir up any situation. In the end he did get his money.

[Wild Rover]

Is he still on speaking terms with Ryan?.

[Alickismyhero]

He will be remembered by Rovers fans for playing nice tippy tappy football and winning trophys and getting us promoted , and that is all that matters really to Rovers fans, not what he has done since.

I'm not talking about amongst Rovers fans, I am just talking generally. A lot of people held him in high regard, considered him an excellent manager etc - I bet they don't have the same views now.

Another one for the loyalty debate - how many other clubs did he speak to whilst he was with us? How many jobs did he apply for? I am not saying that it is wrong - everyone deserves a chance to 'better' themselves, but the club is being slated for the way they treated him, when lets face it, he didn't treat us that great at times either.

I don't see why his contract and supposed lack of pay should be continually brought into the discussion either - we know your views on it, and it has NOTHING to do with his ability as a manger. Let it lie.

Jenny,
The only reason I mentioned it was that that experience affects your views and future actions. It is relevant because it  adds weight to his actions and may help understand his decision making.

 
Why did he respond to other clubs wanting him? perhaps it was time to move on.

I admit we are going over old ground but I reserve the right put my take on the issue.

WR,
I honestly don't know but he does take a very philosopfical view on such matters and probably moved on, after all, "thats football"
 Sean has a lot on his plate right now and probably in need of support.

 Nobody is perfect, including Sean, but I did like the football he produced.

As well as Sean I am also a strong supporter in Young Dicky. What could go wrong at Reading went wrong and even though we lost I am still 100% with him and the boys.

Donny 3    1 Borough.

[Dutch Uncle]

Maybe, just maybe JR has learned the knack of getting the best out of his managers?

Saunders/Flynn, SOD, Penney, and now Dickov, after a relatively disappointing start with Ian S and Wignall

Edit: I know that's a bit hard on Ian S who did a lot of good things as well.

[Wild Rover]

I can't or wont disagree with most of what you say, the one exception being the "style of football". Whilst it was easy on the eye, the majority of play was 30 mts either side of halfway line. Best example available is DRFC v QPR. easy on the eye, but lacking excitement. Prefer current "Style". Football with cut and thrust.

[MrWoodySir]

I do sometimes wonder if he peaked with us. For example, there must be loads of what we would call 'shit' managers who have a promotion or two on their CV's. Im not calling him shit however its possible when he retires he looks back and we were the high point, everything else was pretty average/poor.

He did a superb job at Bourenmouth despite budget constraints, average managers are the likes of Kevin Blackwell and Michael Appleton NOT our SOD.