El Hadji Diouf

[LincsRover]

One of the coaching staff at Senegal and at the city ground for the England game. One of the better players to come out of the ‘experiment’ season. Remember him causing all sorts of bother at Leeds that year - on and off the field I believe?

[vaya]

One of the coaching staff at Senegal and at the city ground for the England game. One of the better players to come out of the ‘experiment’ season. Remember him causing all sorts of bother at Leeds that year - on and off the field I believe?

It's still being investigated by Saunders PI.

[Metalmicky]

and doing a good job by the looks of it............. 2:1 to Senegal currently..

[Upton Rover]

One of the coaching staff at Senegal and at the city ground for the England game. One of the better players to come out of the ‘experiment’ season. Remember him causing all sorts of bother at Leeds that year - on and off the field I believe?

just a advisor

[mushRTID]

I will never forget his performance at West Ham away.

Had the entire ground on strings. Phenomenal player for us.

[wilts rover]

One of the coaching staff at Senegal and at the city ground for the England game. One of the better players to come out of the ‘experiment’ season. Remember him causing all sorts of bother at Leeds that year - on and off the field I believe?

He was the best player on the park away at West Ham. That season would have ended very differently if we had been able to keep him and Billy together.

[LincsRover]

Senegal were 6/1 to win on bet365. I couldn’t resist a little £20 bet after watching England v Andorra match and thought the odds were far too generous. Hope I haven’t spoken too soon??!!   

[NickDRFC]

I will never forget his performance at West Ham away.

Had the entire ground on strings. Phenomenal player for us.

That’s the game I always think of whenever he’s mentioned. Unbelievable performance. He was a top player for us but I could never quite warm to him given his off-field reputation.

[karldew]

I just remember him for setting up Sharps ‘that’s for you son’ goal. Was hated by many, more so for spitting a lot I think but he was great here.

[Move DRFC]

Wonder how we'd have gotten on that season if we'd had just kept the 'experiment' to a small few. Maybe just Diouf, Beye, Piquionne.

We signed absolutely loads of crap with them didn't we. No wonder it split the dressing room.

Diouf was some player though.

[Chris Black come back]

Wage bill in the 2011 / 12 'Experiment' season was £9.3 million and resulted in relegation. The previous season the wage bill was 20pc lower at £7.5 million.

Our highest finish in those four Championship seasons under SOD was 2009 /10 when the wage bill was £6.6 million, broadly flat on our wage bill in the first season back in the Championship in 2008 / 09 of £6.4 million.

[ForsolongaRover]

I’m not sure I agree that The Experiment had anything to do with Diouf being what he was for us. He was just a naturally talented player. Certainly some of those who made up the team via McKay had natural talent and showed it, but to acknowledge that anything good came out of it for DRFC would be anathema to me. It was ruinous.

[Bentley Bullet]

Hindsight's a wonderful thing. I didn't hear of anyone being against the "Experiment" when it was initiated.

[Frankie Rennie]

I hadn’t realised Dioufy had played for you boys. After he left Wanderers I didn’t really pay much attention but what a player he was. The best part for me was his effect on the opposition fans who absolutely slated him, more out of fear I suspect than anything else. I turned the England match off after we’d scored last night, couldn’t stand any more of the Touchel sideways and backwards garbage so I watched the England v W Indies cricket instead. I didn’t realise until this morning they actually lost. Touchel out.

[VivaRovers]

Hindsight's a wonderful thing. I didn't hear of anyone being against the "Experiment" when it was initiated.

Really? Because I was pretty vocal about it at the time! To the point I got dogs abuse online and in person, as well as phone calls from then members of the VSC board telling me to stop criticising it because I was upsetting John Ryan, and additional calls warning me that McKay and his lawyers were keeping tabs on me.

No matter how well Diouf might have played away at West Ham, there were also games where he very visibly didn't fancy it at all and stropped his way through 90 minutes (Notts County at home). He was also significantly responsible for driving a rift through the team by virtue of being able to do what he wanted (like going out to a nightclub the night before a game at Bournemouth) and facing no repercussions from the management. See also Habib Beye being excused any training with the rest of the team and being allowed to fly in from Marseille just for matches. In every aspect it was a real lesson in how not to run a football club.

[Ian Nimmo]

Yes he had some issues which majority of us didn’t like, however could you ever imagine a player like him in a rovers shirt.
My daughter was a mascot during his time, and he came across has a nice guy, so totally different to his nasty side.
I always remember in games he played, he always interacted with kids at the front when there was a break in play.
Great memory of one of the best players in the world in a rovers shirt.

[Bentley Bullet]

Hindsight's a wonderful thing. I didn't hear of anyone being against the "Experiment" when it was initiated.

Really? Because I was pretty vocal about it at the time! To the point I got dogs abuse online and in person, as well as phone calls from then members of the VSC board telling me to stop criticising it because I was upsetting John Ryan, and additional calls warning me that McKay and his lawyers were keeping tabs on me.

No matter how well Diouf might have played away at West Ham, there were also games where he very visibly didn't fancy it at all and stropped his way through 90 minutes (Notts County at home). He was also significantly responsible for driving a rift through the team by virtue of being able to do what he wanted (like going out to a nightclub the night before a game at Bournemouth) and facing no repercussions from the management. See also Habib Beye being excused any training with the rest of the team and being allowed to fly in from Marseille just for matches. In every aspect it was a real lesson in how not to run a football club.

Were you against it when it was initiated?

[VivaRovers]

Were you against it when it was initiated?

Yes, 100%

[selby]

  Horrible person off the field of play, played when he wanted to against the big clubs ie Leeds and West Ham and at a time when two parts of the team didn't mix.
   No doubt gifted, someone you were well rid of as part of a club.

[ravenrover]

Reported he gave the ref a right earfull at half time last night

[Filo]

Wonder how we'd have gotten on that season if we'd had just kept the 'experiment' to a small few. Maybe just Diouf, Beye, Piquionne.

We signed absolutely loads of crap with them didn't we. No wonder it split the dressing room.

Diouf was some player though.

Chimbonda had talent but couldn’t be arsed with us

[Monolith No. 9]

Hindsight's a wonderful thing. I didn't hear of anyone being against the "Experiment" when it was initiated.

Really? Because I was pretty vocal about it at the time! To the point I got dogs abuse online and in person, as well as phone calls from then members of the VSC board telling me to stop criticising it because I was upsetting John Ryan, and additional calls warning me that McKay and his lawyers were keeping tabs on me.





No matter how well Diouf might have played away at West Ham, there were also games where he very visibly didn't fancy it at all and stropped his way through 90 minutes (Notts County at home). He was also significantly responsible for driving a rift through the team by virtue of being able to do what he wanted (like going out to a nightclub the night before a game at Bournemouth) and facing no repercussions from the management. See also Habib Beye being excused any training with the rest of the team and being allowed to fly in from Marseille just for matches. In every aspect it was a real lesson in how not to run a football club.

Were you against it when it was initiated?
[/quote

Yes, he was, in a big way.

If memory serves me right a few ex-contributors to Pop Stand came out of retirement to support Glen and the fanzine because of the dogs abuse he was getting.

[ForsolongaRover]

Hindsight's a wonderful thing. I didn't hear of anyone being against the "Experiment" when it was initiated.

Really? I wasn’t on here at the time, but I didn’t think anyone beyond the Rovers’ Boardroom favoured it. Involvement with McKay was an obvious red flag.

[Bentley Bullet]

I favoured it. I thought it was our only chance of staying in the Championship.

[JonWallsend]

I was massively  against it at the time from dealings friends of mine had been involved in North of the border with the main protagonists behind it.

[Pancho Regan]

I was also against it.
The whole thing seemed like a circus to me; an ill-planned, desperate course of action which seemed totally reliant on McKay.
Common sense seemed to be thrown out of the window in favour of a reckless policy of hiring so-called ‘World Class’ players with absolutely no allegiance to our club.

As for Diouf, I thought he was over-rated, certainly based on his spell with Rovers.
I never shared the adulation which some supporters heaped upon him. I didn’t like him before he joined us and nothing happened to change my view.

[EasyforDennis]

I was also against it.
The whole thing seemed like a circus to me; an ill-planned, desperate course of action which seemed totally reliant on McKay.
Common sense seemed to be thrown out of the window in favour of a reckless policy of hiring so-called ‘World Class’ players with absolutely no allegiance to our club.

As for Diouf, I thought he was over-rated, certainly based on his spell with Rovers.
I never shared the adulation which some supporters heaped upon him. I didn’t like him before he joined us and nothing happened to change my view.

Football players don't have any allegiances to any club. They are employees and it is a job to them. The only exception (for DRFC) I could make would be James Coppinger.

[German Rover]

I was also against it.
The whole thing seemed like a circus to me; an ill-planned, desperate course of action which seemed totally reliant on McKay.
Common sense seemed to be thrown out of the window in favour of a reckless policy of hiring so-called ‘World Class’ players with absolutely no allegiance to our club.

As for Diouf, I thought he was over-rated, certainly based on his spell with Rovers.
I never shared the adulation which some supporters heaped upon him. I didn’t like him before he joined us and nothing happened to change my view.

Football players don't have any allegiances to any club. They are employees and it is a job to them. The only exception (for DRFC) I could make would be James Coppinger.

And even he did one when Forest came in for him.

[Ldr]

I was also against it.
The whole thing seemed like a circus to me; an ill-planned, desperate course of action which seemed totally reliant on McKay.
Common sense seemed to be thrown out of the window in favour of a reckless policy of hiring so-called ‘World Class’ players with absolutely no allegiance to our club.

As for Diouf, I thought he was over-rated, certainly based on his spell with Rovers.
I never shared the adulation which some supporters heaped upon him. I didn’t like him before he joined us and nothing happened to change my view.

Football players don't have any allegiances to any club. They are employees and it is a job to them. The only exception (for DRFC) I could make would be James Coppinger.

And even he did one when Forest came in for him.

To reduce the wage bill not through a desire to leave though

[acacia94]

Hindsight's a wonderful thing. I didn't hear of anyone being against the "Experiment" when it was initiated.

Really? Because I was pretty vocal about it at the time! To the point I got dogs abuse online and in person, as well as phone calls from then members of the VSC board telling me to stop criticising it because I was upsetting John Ryan, and additional calls warning me that McKay and his lawyers were keeping tabs on me.

No matter how well Diouf might have played away at West Ham, there were also games where he very visibly didn't fancy it at all and stropped his way through 90 minutes (Notts County at home). He was also significantly responsible for driving a rift through the team by virtue of being able to do what he wanted (like going out to a nightclub the night before a game at Bournemouth) and facing no repercussions from the management. See also Habib Beye being excused any training with the rest of the team and being allowed to fly in from Marseille just for matches. In every aspect it was a real lesson in how not to run a football club.

Well said Viva. That period f**kin stank. People chasing pipe dreams. Crooks and schysters circling the club. I think John had lost his way by then. He'd been brilliant but he was out of his depth. It happens. We were lucky we sidestepped it. Terry is many things but I suspect he can smell something off better than most.