O'Driscoll - blank canvas

[lenners]

I doubt it would happen but now would be an ideal time for Sean O'Driscoll to take over at the Lane.
No great expectations, a chance to shape a team, a big club but one with a current low profile - it's a decent fit.
I don't think Donny are quite going to make it and if they don't make it this year I'm not sure what he has left to achieve there.

I know we wouldn't pay a penny in compo so there's little chance but for me it would be the right time and the right circumstances for him to make a step up to a bigger club.

 

[Trigger Blade]

I doubt it would happen but now would be an ideal time for Sean O'Driscoll to take over at the Lane.
No great expectations, a chance to shape a team, a big club but one with a current low profile - it's a decent fit.
I don't think Donny are quite going to make it and if they don't make it this year I'm not sure what he has left to achieve there.

I know we wouldn't pay a penny in compo so there's little chance but for me it would be the right time and the right circumstances for him to make a step up to a bigger club.

I agree entirely len! I think it's what should have happened in the summer.

 

[JohnDenver]

I'll sign up to that.

But I'll also be in a small minority of non-moaners when we still look crap after 6 months of S.O'D. Because we will still be crap in 6 months, regardless.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

The Wales compo would cover anything in his Donny contract although I suspect that may be earmarked as potential funds for the the new man coming in.

I went for SO'D when Blackie went and nothing's changed now but would he really want the hassle ? For someone who hates being in the limelight, I'm not sure BDTBL is really what he wants / needs.

 

[bartman]

I do not think he will keep us up. With the players we have ,i don't think they are capable of playing the football SOD wants to play and the transition will mean will will go down.

We should have gone for SOD after Robson was sacked .

 

[Cheshire Cat]

The first thing Birchy and KM should have done when this reared its head is get one of the hot-shot lawyers to work out what Doncaster would want in compensation.

If what we get is indeed 'compensation' it should be equivalent to what it would cost us to bring in what we thought we had - a manager capable of changing the playing style and challenging for promotion.

I wish we'd done it in the summer though.

 

[lenners]

The Wales compo would cover anything in his Donny contract although I suspect that may be earmarked as potential funds for the the new man coming in.

I went for SO'D when Blackie went and nothing's changed now but would he really want the hassle ? For someone who hates being in the limelight, I'm not sure BDTBL is really what he wants / needs.

That's why I think now is the right time - there's very little limelight left at the Lane at the moment.
Chance for him to ease his way onto a bigger stage on the quiet, if you get my drift.

 

[Grecian2000]

The summer would have been the time. Let him have his say in who to bring in and how they'd play. Left it to Hoofy and we're in as deep a pile of shit as a lot of us saw coming.
Now is not the time for him I don't think. It took him a good half season to turn Donny into what he wanted and we haven't got half a month, or enough of his sort of players, to put this right.

 

[lenners]

The summer would have been the time. Let him have his say in who to bring in and how they'd play. Left it to Hoofy and we're in as deep a pile of shit as a lot of us saw coming.
Now is not the time for him I don't think. It took him a good half season to turn Donny into what he wanted and we haven't got half a month, or enough of his sort of players, to put this right.

Does it matter if we go down this season?
Can only see another season fighting relegation if we manage to survive this year anyway.
For me, we go out with a purpose for O'Driscoll and show leadership or we go for Micky Adams, who I could see stoking up the fire a bit but longer term, probably not really.

 

[Grecian2000]

Does it matter if we go down this season?

Depends if you think that would be the signal for a great regeneration and rebirth or for the continued and steady decline to gain even more momentum.
We've been down to that dreadful place twice before, once we bounced straight back but the time prior to that ended up with us in the 4th. McCabe lost interest when we went down last time and I can't see him being reinvigorated by us going even further away from the top table.

 

[Torrix1889]

Wont happen, why leave a well run stable club like Donny in the position they are and come to our car crash of a club?

 

[redalwaysablade]

This may also be catch 22 for McCabe. As it stands he would lose out anyway, should we get relegated would he lose more, either way he is left holding the baby after the bathwater.

So does he take the loss now, or gamble one last time.

I think I know the answer, as do most Blades I guess. Not a good time to be a Blade. He has one last big decision as Chairman, who to appoint, assuming Speed goes.

 

[lenners]

Wont happen, why leave a well run stable club like Donny in the position they are and come to our car crash of a club?

Ultimately he will leave Donny because he knows he can't really go much further there. It may even eventually go sour with the fans and the board as familiarity and a bit of midtable obscurity breeds a little contempt.
Depends how ambitious he is but I'd have thought his next move would ideally be to a big club with little expectation, on its uppers and where he could more or less start from scratch.
No-one would take that much interest, he could do his stuff and hopefully build a proper team.
Like I said, doubt it will happen but I can see the fit.

 

[Come from away]

If S. O'D. is to leave Donny to meet a desire for an ambitious move, how on earth does SUFC qualify after all the daily moaning that we are no good etc. If you believe any of your posts than you know that only somebody without a club is coming to the Lane. Still, we'll see.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I doubt it would happen but now would be an ideal time for Sean O'Driscoll to take over at the Lane.
No great expectations, a chance to shape a team, a big club but one with a current low profile - it's a decent fit.
I don't think Donny are quite going to make it and if they don't make it this year I'm not sure what he has left to achieve there.

I know we wouldn't pay a penny in compo so there's little chance but for me it would be the right time and the right circumstances for him to make a step up to a bigger club.

I'd agree totally and surley as we have agreed to let FAW talk to him they must of paid some compo in which case we should have some for SoD.
But I seem to remember a similar agreement on this subject with Len in the summer and that didn't happen either.

 

[SwissBlade]

good to see that you're looking forward Lenners. I thought it was all Doom and Gloom for the next month or so.

Whilst I fully agree about SoD's credentials and your reasoning for thinking of him, I don't think Sean O'Driscoll is the right man for us right now.

I'd suggest, what we perhaps should've done when Robbo got the boot. Bring in a man who can motivate and keep us in the Division on a "keep us up contract", duration: until the end of the season. But... (and this is what we should've done after Blackie did the great job in turning that season around) then appoint someone like SoD with a clean slate to work from in the summer.

Reading through your very detailed appraisal of the last summer elsewhere Lenners then perhaps you'd agreed that this would be a good idea as he'd be given the remit of building a squad.

 

[ghandi]

I'd agree totally and surley as we have agreed to let FAW talk to him they must of paid some compo in which case we should have some for SoD.
But I seem to remember a similar agreement on this subject with Len in the summer and that didn't happen either.

Get real Bob. Any compo will go towards the 5 million deficit. We're only in the market for someone cheaper than cheap as chips where we have to pay no compo. So that leaves us with out of work managers who don't mind taking on a suicide mission. We're down to the Mark McGhees and Stuart McCalls of this world I'm afraid.

 

[gavtheblade]

Wont happen, why leave a well run stable club like Donny in the position they are and come to our car crash of a club?

my thoughts entirely torrix,he`d be stupid to come to us with the dicks in charge ere.

 

[SotonBlade]

I think we're going to struggle to bring in anyone. Mainly due to the fact we can't offer any new man money to spend in January. That's why we'll only attract someone who wants to step up and take on a challenge to progress their career. It'll more than likely be someone from the lower reaches.

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Does it matter if we go down this season?
Can only see another season fighting relegation if we manage to survive this year anyway.
For me, we go out with a purpose for O'Driscoll and show leadership or we go for Micky Adams, who I could see stoking up the fire a bit but longer term, probably not really.

Len, there is beggar all fire to stoke in the vast majority of the under-performing dross we have here at the moment.

 

[Elsecar_Blade]

I think we're going to struggle to bring in anyone. Mainly due to the fact we can't offer any new man money to spend in January. That's why we'll only attract someone who wants to step up and take on a challenge to progress their career. It'll more than likely be someone from the lower reaches.

Which is why it should be Eddie Howe or Andy Scott.

 

[super_pig]

there is never a right time.. so what if we go down.. if we appoint the wrong manager again we will be in the same position again next year.. we need a radical rehaul of the entire club philosophy.. this hoofball crap will get us nowhere in the modern game.. not because pass and move is 'ooh so nice on the eye'.. because that is how you win things long term.. look at bolton.. coyle has totally transformed their style of play.. and the result??.. o driscoll would be perfect IMO.. that is why we won't get him.. we'll get bloody pardew.. oh he's gone already.. well.. you know what i mean

 

[grafikhaus]

Does it matter if we go down this season?

Nah, course not. We'd only be throwing away over ten years of work that Warnock put into United to lord it over Wendy, only to sink below them once more.

Relegation? Bring it on!

 

[Grecian2000]

We'd only be throwing away over ten years of work that Warnock put into United to lord it over Wendy, only to sink below them once more.

Didn't we just maintain a place in Div 2 and they came down to join us, and then slid right by?

One of the best things that happened to Colin was the Pigs demise. Took a load of pressure of him taking so long to get us promoted.

 

[grafikhaus]

Didn't we just maintain a place in Div 2 and they came down to join us, and then slid right by?

One of the best things that happened to Colin was the Pigs demise. Took a load of pressure of him taking so long to get us promoted.

One way of looking at it. But whatever the pigs' demise, Warnock took us up to the PL and Wendy were left way behind.

It's similar to us going (I think) 93 years without the pigs doing the double over us, only for Blackwell to end that run. It's like us finishing above the pigs for (I think) the last 16 years, and we'd blow that little record. But does it matter? Bloody right, it does!

If/when the pigs overtake us, do you think they'll be saying 'Ah, but it's only because of the Blades demise.' or do you think they'll be reading the Star souvenir edition (printed on blue paper) and saying 'Yay! We're massive us! Europe in 3 years!'

Anyway, going down wouldn't mean a rebirth for us. Wendy got lucky (again) this season with no Leeds or Norwich. The pub teams Wendy play each week mean they're getting an easy ride. Doesn't mean we will.

 

[lenners]

Nah, course not. We'd only be throwing away over ten years of work that Warnock put into United to lord it over Wendy, only to sink below them once more.

Relegation? Bring it on!

That work has already been thrown away. It's long gone, swallowed up by disastrous decisions by McCabe.
And as Grecian pointed out, the work such as it was was partly a mirage created by even worse mismanagement across the city.
I very much doubt our board will even be thinking about an appointment as bold as O'Driscoll but if they were genuinely thinking about the foundations of the football club longer term that is the kind of manager they should be going for.
In reality it will be a cheaper option, short term, with a brief probably to simply try to avoid relegation.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

That work has already been thrown away. It's long gone, swallowed up by disastrous decisions by McCabe.
And as Grecian pointed out, the work such as it was was partly a mirage created by even worse mismanagement across the city.
I very much doubt our board will even be thinking about an appointment as bold as O'Driscoll but if they were genuinely thinking about the foundations of the football club longer term that is the kind of manager they should be going for.
In reality it will be a cheaper option, short term, with a brief probably to simply try to avoid relegation.

Given that the Board were seemingly not concerned enough about our position to stump up any cash in January for Speed, it makes you wonder what exactly their current reading of our situation is. The draw of Wales aside, I still think Speed might have stayed if he thought he had, or was going to be given, the tools to do the job.

It still looks from the outside as though the balance sheet is still the most important thing as far as the powers that be are concerned. Home crowds dipping below 20,000, only 2,000 going to Barnsley, general apathy around the club, probably the worst goals per game record in the club's history and a perilous league position should be sending out alarm bells. I think it's safe to say this appointment will shape the next 10 years so they have to decide whether it's sticking plaster time or as you say, time for the real effort to bring in someone to change the whole ethos of the club.

 

[raul]

Are you absolutely SURE he's gone now Fleety? Not playing Warnock-esque games??

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

Are you absolutely SURE he's gone now Fleety? Not playing Warnock-esque games??

I'll tell you in about 63 minutes

 

[lenners]

Given that the Board were seemingly not concerned enough about our position to stump up any cash in January for Speed, it makes you wonder what exactly their current reading of our situation is. The draw of Wales aside, I still think Speed might have stayed if he thought he had, or was going to be given, the tools to do the job.

It still looks from the outside as though the balance sheet is still the most important thing as far as the powers that be are concerned. Home crowds dipping below 20,000, only 2,000 going to Barnsley, general apathy around the club, probably the worst goals per game record in the club's history and a perilous league position should be sending out alarm bells. I think it's safe to say this appointment will shape the next 10 years so they have to decide whether it's sticking plaster time or as you say, time for the real effort to bring in someone to change the whole ethos of the club.

Sadly I think we already know the answer and the spiral will continue.
If we continue down this road I think the whole future of the club will be in doubt. Football is continuing to change, becoming more global and if and when SWFC slip past with the help of the alleged tax dodger I wonder what the point of United, with gates likely to be around 10,000, will really be.
A lot of people I never thought would walk away have done. That process will accelerate.