We blew it in January

[Ronnie Dovers]

I said at the time, we needed to spend the funds we had on 3-4 fit, proven League One players, who could go straight into the starting lineup and make an immediate impact.

Instead we did the opposite. Only one of our January signings (Martin), has had the fitness and quality to regularly improve our starting 11. Maybe Mitchell at a push. The rest either weren't fit enough (Clayton, Agard, Reo) or of the required standard/experience (Jackson, Mipo, Younger) to have any real consistent impact on our performances.

Mistakes to learn from I hope.

[keith79]

We went into the season starting with  players who weren't good enough. Imo we lost it in August/September

[Sammy Chung was King]

To be fair the manager inherited a lot of players who were not playing, who were lacking in fitness. The team itself wasn’t as fit as it should have been. We were seeing them with nothing left after sixty minutes.

Also as was said the squad in some parts wasn’t good enough. We did need proven players who were fit enough to play straight away, we didn’t get them.
Those we got were not ready to play full games either at the start, due to lacking game time. We got what we got. The funding provided paid for the ones we did get.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I said at the time, we needed to spend the funds we had on 3-4 fit, proven League One players, who could go straight into the starting lineup and make an immediate impact.

Instead we did the opposite. Only one of our January signings (Martin), has had the fitness and quality to regularly improve our starting 11. Maybe Mitchell at a push. The rest either weren't fit enough (Clayton, Agard, Reo) or of the required standard/experience (Jackson, Mipo, Younger) to have any real consistent impact on our performances.

Mistakes to learn from I hope.

Of course we should! Those players were willing and able to come like picking apples from a tree! Simple isn't it.

[since-1969]

I said at the time, we needed to spend the funds we had on 3-4 fit, proven League One players, who could go straight into the starting lineup and make an immediate impact.

Instead we did the opposite. Only one of our January signings (Martin), has had the fitness and quality to regularly improve our starting 11. Maybe Mitchell at a push. The rest either weren't fit enough (Clayton, Agard, Reo) or of the required standard/experience (Jackson, Mipo, Younger) to have any real consistent impact on our performances.

Mistakes to learn from I hope.

Rovers have lost the availability to shop where a fee could be paid or offer larger wages to those who are free to choose as an incentive to join and as result we a forced again to sift through the lists of availability for players who are free transfers but who can offer a serious contribution and I know there are many.
The decision makers of the our club previously chose poorly from that list and both managers of this season are jointly to blame . IMO I can not see the availability of players being any better  now that we’ve joining L2 and some players who could have joined had we stayed up , are not now going to decide to do so because L1 would still be on offer to many and the great wages offer . Rovers are paying the price for short term decision making .

[Reg of the Rovers]

I've posted something similar a couple of times but I think the starting XI we had for each game, on paper, should have done much much better. For me the issue hasn't been the cost / quality of players but the inability at any point to get those players performing. Admittedly the bench looked very lightweight running up to Christmas due to injuries, but since Jan we've had experienced pro's sat on the bench as well to add some strength in depth.

We've turned players who've done the business elsewhere (Knoyle, RS Williams, Agard, Dodoo, Hiwula) to consistently poor performers. Apart from the top 6/8 big spenders, man for man (on paper) we should be one of the best sides, not one of the poorest. There's a culture of losing that we can't seem to shake and no one since Moore followed his wallet to Wednesday has got close to addressing it, irrespective of the turnover of players and addition of new faces. 

[Sammy Chung was King]

Just think how much we will enjoy it when we start winning again.

[sedwardsdrfc]

I've posted something similar a couple of times but I think the starting XI we had for each game, on paper, should have done much much better. For me the issue hasn't been the cost / quality of players but the inability at any point to get those players performing. Admittedly the bench looked very lightweight running up to Christmas due to injuries, but since Jan we've had experienced pro's sat on the bench as well to add some strength in depth.

We've turned players who've done the business elsewhere (Knoyle, RS Williams, Agard, Dodoo, Hiwula) to consistently poor performers. Apart from the top 6/8 big spenders, man for man (on paper) we should be one of the best sides, not one of the poorest. There's a culture of losing that we can't seem to shake and no one since Moore followed his wallet to Wednesday has got close to addressing it, irrespective of the turnover of players and addition of new faces. 

Agree with this 100% i really don't believe the players are as bad as this. They can't be or they would never have been at other clubs in the past. I don't think we've covered ourselves in glory on the transfer front by any means but this isn't a 23rd place squad.

Wellens lost them after a bad start and injury crisis, the club was already in a bad way after finishing poor last season we know it's hard for managers to change when momentum is downwards, and GM hasn't a clue.

A manager who had a clue and the talent/vision to change the culture of losing would have kept us up. We signed 8 players in Jan. Again not world beaters but how can a manager sign 8 players and not have any kind of change in performance or result.

[Alan Southstand]

He signed 8 players who were not up to the rigours of league 1 football, and GM had the temerity to criticise RW’s signings!

A few have only just started getting somewhere near but it’s too little, too late.

The overriding thing for me is the consistently bad decision making from above. It seems like all good decision making left at the time of DM leaving, because it’s been a disaster since he left (and it wasn’t perfect when he agreed to join us).

It’s this cycle of poor decision making that needs to be cut off at source and the sooner, the better.

[Ronnie Dovers]

I said at the time, we needed to spend the funds we had on 3-4 fit, proven League One players, who could go straight into the starting lineup and make an immediate impact.

Instead we did the opposite. Only one of our January signings (Martin), has had the fitness and quality to regularly improve our starting 11. Maybe Mitchell at a push. The rest either weren't fit enough (Clayton, Agard, Reo) or of the required standard/experience (Jackson, Mipo, Younger) to have any real consistent impact on our performances.

Mistakes to learn from I hope.

Of course we should! Those players were willing and able to come like picking apples from a tree! Simple isn't it.

I don't think fit, league one standard players are quite as rare as you seem to quite sarcastically suggest.

[Sammy Chung was King]

I don’t personally think the manager would have picked some of them, it was necessity to get numbers in.
I wouldn’t blame just one person or thing for where we are, it’s been a catalogue of errors throughout the season.
Mistakes were made we are paying for them.

I don’t think the players he did sign have produced what they are capable of. As mentioned before this squad doesn’t look like relegation squad on paper, but it is.
I just want the various people and departments to realise where they went wrong and to try and put it right.

Nobody at the club wanted failure. They all started off with the best of intentions I’m sure.
Things just haven’t been right at the club for some time. It’s needed improvements for a while now. Change the things that need alterations,  a bit of hard work and we can start improving again.

[drfchound]

“I don’t personally think the manager would have picked some of them“

I recall it being reported that there was a recruitment committee but that the manager had the final say.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Yes probably because the others offered were worse. I wouldn’t have given him the managers job in the first place. They did but his overall performance hasn’t been good enough, but that goes for the players and board. If it all doesn’t work as a team we will struggle and have.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I said at the time, we needed to spend the funds we had on 3-4 fit, proven League One players, who could go straight into the starting lineup and make an immediate impact.

Instead we did the opposite. Only one of our January signings (Martin), has had the fitness and quality to regularly improve our starting 11. Maybe Mitchell at a push. The rest either weren't fit enough (Clayton, Agard, Reo) or of the required standard/experience (Jackson, Mipo, Younger) to have any real consistent impact on our performances.

Mistakes to learn from I hope.

Of course we should! Those players were willing and able to come like picking apples from a tree! Simple isn't it.

I don't think fit, league one standard players are quite as rare as you seem to quite sarcastically suggest.

Jacobs and O'Brien were players who could have fitted in straight away but despite having deals in place  they exercised their options and waited to see if other clubs came in etc.

Given where we were it's not hard to understand their position.

I was led to believe another player was a done deal but he gave back word despite us offering a deal that was probably more than his worth.

Another loan striker scoring goals at a League Two club wanted to stay there despite us offering a better package than he was on.

When we then move to other options, of course we're having to compromise whilst the pressure on the squad is to get bodies in therefore taking more risks on players.

As others have said before, January isn't ideal for bringing in players particularly in our situation without offering over the odds wages and length of contracts.

Of those signed, I think Mitchell, Younger, Martin and Griffiths have done OK.

Clayton and Mipo took longer than expected to get up to speed and the full back from Huddersfield was a disappointment.

If only we had known earlier in the season that we were going to be without Taylor, Anderson, John, Close, Fejiri and Bostock  for much of the season on top of more routine injuries throughout.

Many things are easier said than done and isn't hindsight a wonderful thing!

Apologise for the sarcasm !

[roversdude]

Who was the striker please

[Sammy Chung was King]

I remember Richie in the summer scratching around to get a squad. A few moved on because nothing seemed to be offered. I get the impression, that the organisation of the club back then, was in a bit of a chaotic state.

[since-1969]

I remember Richie in the summer scratching around to get a squad. A few moved on because nothing seemed to be offered. I get the impression, that the organisation of the club back then, was in a bit of a chaotic state.

So what’s changed ?

[Sammy Chung was King]

It seemed worse back then 1969. I feel the leadership has to go through too many opinions. You need one boss who oversees the football side and one financial.
The committee that they put together to pick managers doesn’t work.

Leave the new head of football to decide the next manager.
We’ve always had an amateurish way of doing things going way back. We can’t afford it now, other clubs are well organised with a few exceptions.

I think the board are good honest people but are a bit lost in the football world. Get football experts in, let them make decisions on managers, players coming in, new scouts etc.
Get someone good in the HOF role and it could sort a lot of problems out that we have.

[Campsall rover]

I remember Richie in the summer scratching around to get a squad. A few moved on because nothing seemed to be offered. I get the impression, that the organisation of the club back then, was in a bit of a chaotic state.

So what’s changed ?

You haven’t that’s for sure.  Boring 1969  you are like a record that has got stuck.
Yes you are entitled to your opinion but surely just once or twice you could find something positive or constructive to say.

[since-1969]

I remember Richie in the summer scratching around to get a squad. A few moved on because nothing seemed to be offered. I get the impression, that the organisation of the club back then, was in a bit of a chaotic state.

So what’s changed ?

You haven’t that’s for sure.  Boring 1969  you are like a record that has got stuck.
Yes you are entitled to your opinion but surely just once or twice you could find something positive or constructive to say.

I am sorry for my negativity… Can you in all honesty find anything except-able about the way our club has been directed . I’m apoplectic at the lack of explanation from GB who tried to convince all of us that a  relegation wasn’t a concern , when we all felt the wind of change in the way the club was throwing too much caution to the wind by it’s appointments of three rank amateurs in succession managers who had NO experience in what would be required in fighting a  relegation or motivating players to play often under pressure. I am confident this will change WHEN those who keep making the same mistakes over and over ,  STOP taking the important decisions and appoint the right persons in the job . Eg . invest in mangers/ players with ability for the future . 

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I remember Richie in the summer scratching around to get a squad. A few moved on because nothing seemed to be offered. I get the impression, that the organisation of the club back then, was in a bit of a chaotic state.

So what’s changed ?

You haven’t that’s for sure.  Boring 1969  you are like a record that has got stuck.
Yes you are entitled to your opinion but surely just once or twice you could find something positive or constructive to say.

I am sorry for my negativity… Can you in all honesty find anything except-able about the way our club has been directed . I’m apoplectic at the lack of explanation from GB who tried to convince all of us that a  relegation wasn’t a concern , when we all felt the wind of change in the way the club was throwing too much caution to the wind by it’s appointments of three in succession managers who had NO experience in what would be required in fighting a  relegation or motivating players to play often under pressure. I am confident this will change WHEN those who keep making the same mistakes over and over ,  STOP taking the important decisions and appoint the right persons in the job . Eg . invest in mangers/ players with ability for the future . 

I think we all should be grown up enough to understand what GB was trying to say at the time instead of taking his words so literally. Trying to take the heat off and perhaps pressure on the manager with it being so early in the season and, with what we all hoped for at the time, the return of some of the injured players plus January to come.

If he had said, we are not getting relegated then yes, his words would be worthy of biting him on the ass and your rage (really?) might be more appropriate.

Yes, he also chose a poor term to express the amount of business that was going to be done to support the manager in January, as it could and did mean different things to different people.

Of course, in yours and others eyes, they can't do right for wrong and I sense nothing will change your mind.

[Campsall rover]

I remember Richie in the summer scratching around to get a squad. A few moved on because nothing seemed to be offered. I get the impression, that the organisation of the club back then, was in a bit of a chaotic state.

So what’s changed ?

You haven’t that’s for sure.  Boring 1969  you are like a record that has got stuck.
Yes you are entitled to your opinion but surely just once or twice you could find something positive or constructive to say.

I am sorry for my negativity… Can you in all honesty find anything except-able about the way our club has been directed . I’m apoplectic at the lack of explanation from GB who tried to convince all of us that a  relegation wasn’t a concern , when we all felt the wind of change in the way the club was throwing too much caution to the wind by it’s appointments of three rank amateurs in succession managers who had NO experience in what would be required in fighting a  relegation or motivating players to play often under pressure. I am confident this will change WHEN those who keep making the same mistakes over and over ,  STOP taking the important decisions and appoint the right persons in the job . Eg . invest in mangers/ players with ability for the future .

No I agree there are a lot of negatives from the last 14/15 months about decisions that have been made, I don’t disagree but it is not all doom and gloom and the club is in a financially stable position ( many other clubs are not )
The mistakes of the recent past are being addressed, yes i believe that is happening, but the budget had obviously been cut due to the pandemic to keep the club solvent at a time when revenue streams had either been reduced considerably or dried up completely.

Even with our reduced budget we should not be in the bottom 4 of this league. We should have  had enough ability in the squad to finish comfortably in mid table.  RW’s recruitment was flawed but the injuries to key players obviously had a part to play in that recruitment as he presumably was told Fej would be fit to play before the end of August.
But RW’s inability to get a tune out of the players he had set the tone for the season which GM is only now starting to arrest ( Too late of course )

Any way that was a very long way of saying there is considerable light at the end of the tunnel.
Because of the decisions on budget over the last 2 years the club is now in a position to re build the football operation.
It is just a pity we have to go down a division as that was not in the script.
Blame DM and RW for that not GM imo.

What happened to Bury and seemingly the demise of Scunthorpe and Oldham will not happen at DRFC

[ditch_drfc]

It's clear from day 1 that we weren't good enough. For once I'd be interested to read from those who've been gaslighting the rest of us all season as to when they think it went wrong.

[Ronnie Dovers]

I said at the time, we needed to spend the funds we had on 3-4 fit, proven League One players, who could go straight into the starting lineup and make an immediate impact.

Instead we did the opposite. Only one of our January signings (Martin), has had the fitness and quality to regularly improve our starting 11. Maybe Mitchell at a push. The rest either weren't fit enough (Clayton, Agard, Reo) or of the required standard/experience (Jackson, Mipo, Younger) to have any real consistent impact on our performances.

Mistakes to learn from I hope.

Of course we should! Those players were willing and able to come like picking apples from a tree! Simple isn't it.

I don't think fit, league one standard players are quite as rare as you seem to quite sarcastically suggest.

Jacobs and O'Brien were players who could have fitted in straight away but despite having deals in place  they exercised their options and waited to see if other clubs came in etc.

Given where we were it's not hard to understand their position.

I was led to believe another player was a done deal but he gave back word despite us offering a deal that was probably more than his worth.

Another loan striker scoring goals at a League Two club wanted to stay there despite us offering a better package than he was on.

When we then move to other options, of course we're having to compromise whilst the pressure on the squad is to get bodies in therefore taking more risks on players.

As others have said before, January isn't ideal for bringing in players particularly in our situation without offering over the odds wages and length of contracts.

Of those signed, I think Mitchell, Younger, Martin and Griffiths have done OK.

Clayton and Mipo took longer than expected to get up to speed and the full back from Huddersfield was a disappointment.

If only we had known earlier in the season that we were going to be without Taylor, Anderson, John, Close, Fejiri and Bostock  for much of the season on top of more routine injuries throughout.

Many things are easier said than done and isn't hindsight a wonderful thing!

Apologise for the sarcasm !

You have a lot more information than I did on the business we tried to do in January, so if the club really did do all they could to get the kind of players we were desperate for then that's good to hear, I can't ask any more than that.

I agree on the injuries, I'm certainly not in denial about how much of an impact they've had, and continue to have, on our season.

I disagree on Martin, I think he's been better than OK. I'm a fan of his, and I actually enjoy watching him play, something which has been very rare this season. Whilst very unlikely, I hope we at least ask the question about keeping him for next season.

[since-1969]

I remember Richie in the summer scratching around to get a squad. A few moved on because nothing seemed to be offered. I get the impression, that the organisation of the club back then, was in a bit of a chaotic state.

So what’s changed ?

You haven’t that’s for sure.  Boring 1969  you are like a record that has got stuck.
Yes you are entitled to your opinion but surely just once or twice you could find something positive or constructive to say.

I am sorry for my negativity… Can you in all honesty find anything except-able about the way our club has been directed . I’m apoplectic at the lack of explanation from GB who tried to convince all of us that a  relegation wasn’t a concern , when we all felt the wind of change in the way the club was throwing too much caution to the wind by it’s appointments of three in succession managers who had NO experience in what would be required in fighting a  relegation or motivating players to play often under pressure. I am confident this will change WHEN those who keep making the same mistakes over and over ,  STOP taking the important decisions and appoint the right persons in the job . Eg . invest in mangers/ players with ability for the future . 

I think we all should be grown up enough to understand what GB was trying to say at the time instead of taking his words so literally. Trying to take the heat off and perhaps pressure on the manager with it being so early in the season and, with what we all hoped for at the time, the return of some of the injured players plus January to come.

If he had said, we are not getting relegated then yes, his words would be worthy of biting him on the ass and your rage (really?) might be more appropriate.

Yes, he also chose a poor term to express the amount of business that was going to be done to support the manager in January, as it could and did mean different things to different people.

Of course, in yours and others eyes, they can't do right for wrong and I sense nothing will change your mind.

GB was responding to our perceptions that relegation was already a possibility. So to say that he was taking “the heat off” is a bit generous as he wouldn’t have needed to if things weren’t already  pointing in that direction… Is that gown up enough !!

[Upton Rover]

What January 2021 or 2022?