Ryan trying to put SOD off !

[beightonblade]

Says Blades wouldn't give him time !

Hey up SOD, this one would.

 

[travellingblade]

.... and so would this one.

and I'm sure many others would................ even if we got relegated!

 

[Grecian2000]

Listened to Ryan yesterday on RS. He said that given time, O'Driscoll might be the best manager United have ever had, but that he might not be given the time because he would possibly get us relegated this season due to his ideas taking a bit of time to sink in with the players.
Those have been my thoughts for the last week as well. If only we'd done the right thing in May . . . .

 

[Torrix1889]

He's obviously going to try and put him off, but if SOD has the balls for a challenge he will come.

 

[BV]

I really think the idea that we would get relegated with O'Driscoll is nonsense. Do people really think that a good manager couldn’t get a midfield of Britton, Wiliamson, Yeates, Reid for as long as he’s here and Ward playing football? With Williamson and Henderson on their way back, the next manager would be in a much stronger position than Speed and might also know what they’re actually doing.

 

[Wards]

Come on Birchy let's get this tied up pronto for an early Xmas present.

SO'D will get all the time he needs from me!

 

[SotonBlade]

He'd get plenty of time from me....is there anyone on here that wouldn't give him time? How much time realistically would you give him? i would give him till at least the end of next season before getting frustrated!

 

[beechblade]

If the club are truly commited to this change in style, then he has all the bloody time in the world for me.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

He'd get plenty of time from me....is there anyone on here that wouldn't give him time? How much time realistically would you give him? i would give him till at least the end of next season before getting frustrated!

This season has been written off, which is partially why I think SO'D is interested at this particular time, so in that respect, I think most would be happy with safety and signs of improvement (as we got with Speedo for the 1st few games). The real pressure IMO would be the 1st few months of next season if things didn't start well. The question is, what would the expectations be for next season ?

 

[beechblade]

This season has been written off, which is partially why I think SO'D is interested at this particular time, so in that respect, I think most would be happy with safety and signs of improvement (as we got with Speedo for the 1st few games). The real pressure IMO would be the 1st few months of next season if things didn't start well. The question is, what would the expectations be for next season ?

I think that comes down to how the club brand next season, if they claim it as a state of transition then there shouldn't be too much added pressure on him, but if they spout on about us challenging for promotion, then they will be adding to our expectations. The club needs to rebuild and that will take more than half a season, its not just us that have to be patient, its the club that has to be patient with him as well.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Well branding the season as a transitional one isn't going to sell many season tickets is it?

 

[beechblade]

Well branding the season as a transitional one isn't going to sell many season tickets is it?

No but you can quiet easily avoid this by not releasing a press statement every other week at the begining of a season claiming our my aim is promotion, no branding is required you just don't make those claims as being the aim of the club and thats probably part of the reason there isn't that pressure at Doncaster for him, they just don't come out with those statements at the begining of the season.

 

[MobileBlade]

This season has been written off,

As the club sits 4 points above the relegation spot and 5 points behind 7th place...... (sorry fleets!)

 

[Grecian2000]

thats probably part of the reason there isn't that pressure at Doncaster for him, they just don't come out with those statements at the begining of the season.

Doncaster are operating at a level they never have and, presumably, never even dreamed they would. They have always been a bottom two divisions club and it is almost unimaginable that they would have aspirations of being a top tier team, so there really isn't any pressure on him from that perspective. He has done wonders to establish them in this division and, whatever they would say at the start of the season, no Donny supporter in their right mind would "expect" them to be promoted.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

As the club sits 4 points above the relegation spot and 5 points behind 7th place...... (sorry fleets!)

Oh yeah, we could end up going down or in the play-offs, all I'm saying is that I don't think anyone is expecting anything other than mid table, and plenty will be happy with that at this stage !

 

[SwissBlade]

I feel a poll coming on....

 

[SoccerCynic]

SOD obviously can not expect an open ended period of patience from the fans but he must be given some time to develop his style. I guess it comes down to those who had shout for his head if we were relegated. I would not be happy but I would not blame him provided I could see a change of culture and style and some improvement.As said previously the big mistake was not recruiting him in the close season and the problem now is that if we dither about the decision it gives him less time to save us from the drop.

 

[lenners]

Oh yeah, we could end up going down or in the play-offs, all I'm saying is that I don't think anyone is expecting anything other than mid table, and plenty will be happy with that at this stage !

I know quite a few who are expecting a relegation battle, not mid-table.
Not quite sure how the number of points we are off 7th makes a difference to owt either.

 

[Tuns]

I'd welcome SOD but United and SOD must make sure they don't go overboard on the transitional/building for the future stuff.

The club and fans are in a state of apathy and thousands are staying away - making it even more difficult for the club all round.

If we send out the message that we can write off a season or two until we get to the point of being worth watching and winning games, and that somehow defeats and poor performances will be acceptable, then excpect gates and finances to suffer further.

I know it's a hard balance to strike but lowering expectations too far could be disastrous.

SOD and the board need to talk positively about this season and about going for promotion next season or by the time he turns things round we may not have much of a club left.

Much as I disliked much about Warnock he was given an incredible 7 years to get us up. Yet during those 7 years we stayed positive and we maintained decent expectations and passion throughout most of it.

 

[ghandi]

No but you can quiet easily avoid this by not releasing a press statement every other week at the begining of a season claiming our my aim is promotion, no branding is required you just don't make those claims as being the aim of the club and thats probably part of the reason there isn't that pressure at Doncaster for him, they just don't come out with those statements at the begining of the season.

I think one of the key points for the new manager is that he will have to work closely with the academy to ensure a few players garduate to the first team. Pembo has sorted the academy out in terms of what is required in playing styles but I think it will take a year to 18 months to come to fruition with the production of 1st team players. The best bunch at moment appear to be under 16s with no-one in the under 18s being good enough to step-up. A steady flow of our own youngsters playing a decent brand of football should ensure we don't take a massive erosion in attendances. The appointment of Pembo was a crucial one and maybe prove to be better than any managerial one given his track record of success at the Forest academy. If SOD or whoever wants their own person in charge of the academy they will not be offered the job given the esteem in which Pembo is held.

 

[SwissBlade]

I'd welcome SOD but United and SOD must make sure they don't go overboard on the transitional/building for the future stuff.

If they build it, we will come...

 

[Elsecar_Blade]

I'd be unhappy if the new manager, SO'D or otherwise, came in and spoke of simply surviving this season. Yes, it's a transitional season but you should always be aiming high. I'd expect a new manager to come in and say we're going to get points on the board, get away for the bottom end of the division but also mention that, if we have time, we could make a charge for the top end. Yes, it's unlikely but we can't just write this or any other season completely off.

I'd expect a new manager to be suggesting that from next season on, the aim is promotion. When you say that promotion is the aim, that doesn't mean it has to be that season. Improvement, getting closer and closer. We gave Warnock a lot of time and in the main the Blades fans were patient. With recent success has come a few thousand 'new' fans (lets call them) that seem to think we have a divine right to get promoted. As we near the core level of support again, there will be more patience from the fans again - after all, it's just United being United isn't it? SO'D might need 5 years to sort us out and get us dreaming of the PL again ...

 

[S64 Blade]

I'm not sure where this plenty of time thing comes from anyway. Speed left the club on his own accord. Blackwell had a couple of years here and arguably should have been allowed to go after the play-off final, thus, some might say, overstaying if anything. Robson, well, the least said about that the better.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I can't remember just how badly shot the season was when Bassett joined. I remember it being bloody cold the day we lost to Oldham and I think we had a cup match against some none league team to look forward to so I'm guessing it was around the same time. He tried his damnedest to survive, but it wasn't until he'd had the break and a pre-season to get his team together that we saw a turnaround.

I hope whoever the new manager is can survive until the end of the season, but we won't see what they are really about until they've had time to draw breath, find the players they want, build a team and have a pre-season. I think we're so used to a Warnock or Bassett (or dare I say Blackwell) way of thinking whereby we patch up the best we can and battle it out. If we're serious about a change in playing style (I'm talking about fans as well as the board) we might find there's some disappointment between now and May - either relegation, or the new messiah coming in and boring us to death - throwing our toys won't help one bit.

 

[travellingblade]

For me, ANY manager coming in, not only has to establish HIS ideas upon the team, but also needs to bring in his own personnel / players, to blend a team and ethos throughout the whole club.

 

[Tuns]

Fans, many of whom are already underwhelmed by United, just won't bother buying season tickets and going to matches if the expectation is that we may be rubbish for a couple of seasons whilst we wait to develop some kids who we hope aren't too good (so we have to sell them).

If we appoint SOD we need to be offering fans some hope in the short term as well as the long term or gates will dwindle, apathy will increase and SOD's job will be 10 times harder.

I'm sure the fans that go will be patient and there will be no park demos. We don't have enough passion left for that. United's biggest danger at the moment is apathy. SOD will get time but that might not be enough.

Personally I'd be happy to go back to the Lane and watch the experiment in making United a footballing club after all these years. I'm not sure how many of the other missing 6 or 7,000 will feel like that unless there are early signs of progress and more positive messages from the club.

 

[Guesty]

Fans, many of whom are already underwhelmed by United, just won't bother buying season tickets and going to matches if the expectation is that we may be rubbish for a couple of seasons whilst we wait to develop some kids who we hope aren't too good (so we have to sell them).

If we appoint SOD we need to be offering fans some hope in the short term as well as the long term or gates will dwindle, apathy will increase and SOD's job will be 10 times harder.

I'm sure the fans that go will be patient and there will be no park demos. We don't have enough passion left for that. United's biggest danger at the moment is apathy. SOD will get time but that might not be enough.

Personally I'd be happy to go back to the Lane and watch the experiment in making United a footballing club after all these years. I'm not sure how many of the other missing 6 or 7,000 will feel like that unless there are early signs of progress and more positive messages from the club.

It's a good job O'Driscoll is an angry young firebrand, sure to get everyone pumped up, isn't it then

Seriously though I know what you mean. The Kop isn't what it used to be at the minute, and we need to get some passion back. And that might not come straight away if O'Driscoll is busy spreading his footballing philosophy through the grass roots of the club. That said, I'm sure O'Driscoll can do something with the players we have, I don't necessarily think we'll have to wait a number of years for him to have an effect.