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ISSUE 58EDITORIAL

ISSUE 58 // CONTENTS03. Editorial05. Spotted06. Previously at the Rovers10. Do They Mean Us?13. DRFC; A Press Statement14. Reasons to Be Cheerful 15. A Look Back at Next Season

19. Sounding the Belles23. Seasons in Retrospect26. Jack The Miner’s Coal Face28. Windmills of Your Mind32. Voice of the Pop SIde34. To Liindum and Back36. Blowing My Own Trumpet

Friends, Rovers, Doncastrians...

As ever, thank you for purchasing a copy of popular STAND fanzine. I know I start by saying that every issue, but I do mean it, as indeed I mean the thanks which I extend to all our contributors, sellers and advertisers, without whom, well... you all know the score by now. This issue is by far the best value fanzine we have produced in years; 40 pages, and a free ticket offer. And all for just £1.

Earlier this month we called Doncaster Rovers Belles to ask about sponsorship, a call which turned into a 30 minute chat with Vice Chairman Alan Smart about possible incentives we could run to benefit the Belles. The upshot, much to our delight, is the voucher attached to the centre pages, which offers one adult and one child free admission to the Belles’ opening home League game with Everton at the Keepmoat Stadium tomorrow. We offer this as an invite for you to come along and

sample the FA Women’s Super League, see what the Belles are about, and more importantly give them the support they both need and deserve. Please take up this generous offer (the normal cost of an adult and child attendance would be £9), of which more details can be found on page 19, and join us at the game tomorrow to back the Belles.

So to the Rovers then, and what a sorry season it has been. Relegation from the second tier is of course no terrible thing, I never expected to see Rovers play at this level, let alone hang in there for four seasons. And so it would be ridiculous to draw parallels with the nadir of our last relegation in 1997-98. The drop hurts a little, but it’s an envisaged pain, like tearing off a plaster or getting an injection or something. Instead what really hurts and angers, is the manner in which we have sunk; we all knew it had to end one day, it just wasn’t supposed to end like this. Rather than disappearing off into the sunset like The Littlest Hobo having taught the footballing world a thing or two about sticking to your principles, we’re slinking off to live in a cottage in the woods, a scarlet WM attached to our chest.

Still now, as I write this editorial, relegation long confirmed, things

popularSTAND // ISSUE 58 // APRIL 201204

rumble on beneath the surface. Directors Terry Bramall and Dick Watson, having left the club little more than three months ago, are now reportedly back. “We have been talking about it, they feel the club is being well run now, and I am keen to get them back,” said John Ryan in the Yorkshire Post, but what’s changed? Is it the departure of Dave Morris, or the phasing out of Mr McKay’s Grand Plan?

Change is also afoot in the Viking Supporters’ Co-operative with the departure of Director Gareth Thomas and Treasurer Steve Kendrick. Though the VSC has made no official statement, posts on the VSC forum hint that the group is now looking to alter its approach in relation to the club, something I am personally delighted to hear. I take no pleasure in hard-working people standing down from their positions, but having asked valid questions of the club earlier this season only to be dismissed as seeking “nothing more than personal gratification,” by the departing VSC Director, I can only welcome what appears to be a change in approach to a Trust that will take a step back and offer a more critical eye to its continued support of the club.

Reasoned criticism of this club however, as we have seen this season will always meet a significant obstacle; John Ryan’s reputation. Since ‘the experiment’ was first muted those of us who have sought to question the whys and wherefores have been beaten back with the same word ‘ungrateful’. John Ryan has done a lot for this club of course, and for that we owe him a lot, but it should not make him above fair-minded criticism and questioning. It has reached the point where Ryan’s

reputation has become a tool of control. In September the board cowered behind it as the club made a huge u-turn on Sean O’Driscoll’s future as manager. Secure one day, gone the next. Whether it was Ryan’s decision or not is irrelevent, he was the only person who could make the announcement publicly and still come out the other side relatively unscathed, because of all he had done before. Now that past reputation is being used as a bartering mechanism by McKay and others. Don’t criticise John or he’ll leave, and then where will you be?

Criticism amd abuse are not one and the same. The many achievements of O’Driscoll were not perceived enough to protect him from criticism after a run of unfortunate results, so why should John Ryan’s good work permit him to be free from criticism of poor decisions and mistakes? Of course I’d much rather have JR in control of this club than anyone else, but I’d prefer a receptive JR, rather than the autocratic leadership we have apparently edged towards.

If you are to adopt a brash and complete change in policy, as Rovers have done, then you need to be able to stand-up to criticism, or at the very least, hold your hands up when things go wrong. Rovers, and McKay, have done neither. Those who criticised the approach were too easily dismissed as not being true supporters, whilst there continues to be an unwillingness to accept the failings of ‘the experiment’. Indeed McKay has now taken on the guise of a Scooby Doo villain, lingering around, trying to protect his Circus, muttering about how he’d have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those meddling kids/journalists/previous set-ups. Blaming what


went before and those who exposed him rather than addressing his own failings; a flimsy plan in an unconvincing disguise.

Speaking to the BBC a week ago McKay said of ‘the experiment’, “it hasn’t cost Doncaster anything”. We don’t all work solely in monetary terms Willie; this experiment has cost this club an awful lot. It has cost us our dignity; the respect and admiration from other clubs and their supporters, built up over the previous decade. It has, as Jamie Coppinger has hinted in the press, cost us team spirit and togetherness in the squad, and as we have nodded to on the front cover of this issue, it has cleaved apart the support, and cost us some previously very loyal followers. For all the “we had to try something”, “we were doomed anyway” soundbites put forth by the club, it is hard to imagine that relegation alone, with the club being run as it had for a decade previously, would have cost us anywhere near as much.

Even now, when the risks have clearly failed, there seems to be an unwillingness to make a frank statement. McKay is ‘unlikely’ to be involved next season, the experiment ‘probably won’t’ continue in its current guise. Enough fumbling. Rovers, you got greedy, you took bad advice, misjudged the mood of wide sections of supporters, and took a pot-shot at a flawed theory. All we ask for now is one statement; tell us you tried something, and it didn’t work. Tell us you’ve shown McKay and his ideas the door, enable us draw a big fat line under this whole episode and let us start again, as we did in ’98, as a proper football club.Viva Rovers

JAMES HAYTER Going for a check up at Sandringham

Doctors Practice

GW

FABIEN ROBERTAt Asda filling his car up - a french

registered Mini. He didn’t go for any snacks as it was pat at pump.

KYLE BENNETTIn Meadowhall, the Saturday after the Birmingham game. Outside of

Hollister. Had no shopping bags, and wasn’t near Nandos, though can only have been a matter of time before he

went there.

JAN BUTDZIn Ladbrokes on Everingham Road,

Cantley

JOHN McGRATHTaking his daughter to gymnastics

spotter: Ian Fallens @fallens85

spotter: Matt Lucas @mat_lucas23

spotter: James Perkins @mrperkins91

spotter: Steve Comfort @stevencomfort

spotter: Matthew Pickering @mjpicko

If you’ve seen a past or present Rovers player out and about recently get in

touch via our twitter or facebook feeds and your spot could feature here.


PREVIOUSLY AT THE ROVERS

popular STAND's regular diary feature gets you up to speed on all things Doncaster Rovers since Issue 57 was thrust upon you like an

unwanted loan player in a transfer window.

Tuesday 13th MarchDoncaster Rovers 1-1 ReadingThe Rovers successfully don their ARP helmets for a night of heavy bombardment from Ian Harte’s left foot and emerge the other side with a hard-earned point against the division’s form side. Harte’s set-piece deliveries had the Rovers on the ropes, but thankfully the visitors converted just one via Alex Pearce to cancel out Kyle Bennett’s earlier goal.

Saturday 17th MarchDoncaster Rovers 1-2 DerbyThe five match unbeaten run comes to an end with a lacklustre display against Derby County. The visitors took the lead through Theo Robinson’s excellent first half lob over Carl Ikeme, and then doubled their advantage in the second half as Gareth Roberts rounded off a neat passing move. Rovers, disappointingly spent the afternoon lumping aimless balls forward in the vague direction of the increasingly dismissive Freddie Piquionne and El Hadji Diouf. It paid off once as Diouf pulled a goal back, but 2-1 was frankly more than Rovers deserved.

Monday 19th MarchWhat remains of Belle Vue goes on the market. Proceeds from the sale of the plot will be split 50/50 between Doncaster Council, who own the site, and Westferry Ltd, who own the lease on the ground. The fanzine is formulating a bid of its own, an amount

described by experts as “laughably and pitifully unrealistic,” fingers crossed.

Tuesday 20th MarchDoncaster Rovers 0-3 MillwallStuck at work I was unable to see or follow this game, so I asked other Rovers fans, via our twitter feed, to give a one word summation of what I’d missed. The printable replies included; laughable, bobbins, embarrassing, limp, lacking, poo, bobbins, spineless, pointless, dire, and vaudeville. Two goals in the opening thirteen minutes do for Rovers in what had been identified as a ‘must win’ game.

Wednesday 21st MarchThe Yorkshire Post report Rovers are to take over the running of the Keepmoat Stadium from the Council, who are still losing money on it. Also today club Chief Executive David Morris leaves the club; a nation stands unmoved.

Thursday 22nd March“Council looks into knocking down Keepmoat Stadium” leads the Doncaster Free Press. Is this really being considered as a viable option to save money, or have local journalists highlighted the worst case scenario in order to sell newspapers? Find out only in this week’s Free Press.

Saturday 24th MarchSouthampton 2-0 Doncaster RoversYay! Billy Sharp has scored two goals! Oh wait… no… damn it. Rovers former


target man sadly foregoes any notion of sentimentality to steer his new side to victory. Rovers had created chances as they matched the league leaders for long periods, but were eventually undone by two Sharp goals in the space of ten second half minutes.

Monday 26th MarchPictures of El Hadji Diouf, taken in a Bournemouth Nightclub on the Friday night before Rovers’ defeat at Southampton appear on Facebook, and then subsequently the VSC Forum. Diouf is pictured with others in photos labelled “Electric Fridays at Priva, Friday 23rd March”. Hardly a captain’s example.

Tuesday 27th MarchC. Palace 1-1 Doncaster RoversA win for Portsmouth means Rovers slide back to the foot of the table despite a battling 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park. Having missed a number of key chances in the first half, Rovers went behind to a Jermaine Easter goal just before the hour mark. However, substitute Chris Brown rescued a point for Rovers fifteen minutes from time.

Friday 30th MarchDoncaster Rovers 1-3 BirminghamSomething of a false dawn at the Keepmoat Stadium as Piquionne gives Rovers the lead against Birmingham City. However, David Murphy cancels out the advantage before the break, and then two further second half goals from Chris Burke and Marlon King take the Blues on to victory. The awkwardness of modern football support was perhaps summed up by this post-match exchange outside the stadium; “Your striker spits on people,” “Aye, well yours beat up a woman”.

Thuesday 5th AprilDean Saunders P.I.; a decent enough concept, but the plot-lines move far too

slowly. Over a week since the pictures appeared showing Diouf in a Bournmeouth nightclub the night before Rovers’ game at Southampton, Dean Saunders is reportedly ‘investigating’. “I’ve made some inquiries and I’ve asked him about it and he denies he was there... it’s still ongoing and I want to get to the bottom of it,” Saunders tells Radio Sheffield, whilst sitting with his feat on his desk, smoking a cigar.

Friday 6th AprilIt emerges that Viking Supporters Co-operative Director Gareth Thomas and Treasurer Steve Kendrick have resigned from the trust’s board. There is no official statement from the VSC concerning the departure of the pair, so its rumour free-for-all on the forum. I heard they left to start up a skiffle band and tour the American Mississippi Delta; FACT - as I believe folk are inclined to say in these situations.

Saturday 7th AprilLeicester 4-0 Doncaster RoversLeague One edges ever nearer as Rovers have a King awful second half at the King Power Stadium. As ever Donny created chances in the first half but found themselves behind at the break after a Danny Drinkwater goal. In the second half, Carl Ikeme somehow shovelled a Lee Pletier cross beneath himself and into the net, and Rovers never really recovered as Ben Marshall and Paul Gallagher wrapped up the win. “It seems I’m doing the same press conference after every game,” says Saunders, thumbing through his script.

Monday 9th AprilDoncaster Rovers 1-2 BurmleyRelegation now looks pretty much inevitable as Rovers are beaten by Burnley. As with Saturday Donny found themselves a goal down at the break, this time through a stunning 30 yard


Monday 16th AprilEl Hadji Diouf is one of six men arrested after a nightclub brawl in Manchester. Diouf is believed to have been bailed, along with four others, on a charge of violent disorder. Inevitably Rovers decline to make any form of statement. This looks like another case for Saunders P.I.

Tuesday 17th AprilIn an interview with the BBC’s Late Kick-Off Willie McKay reiterates he ‘feels sorry’ for Rovers fans following relegation. In the piece McKay does what he does, passes the buck and refuses to acknowledge the failings of his own experiment, instead looking to blame the previous management.Middlesbro’ 0-0 Doncaster RoversA somewhat retro Rovers line-up, bereft of the McKay clan save for a 57 minute cameo from Robert, secure a goalless draw at play-off chasing Boro. The match features the debut of young left-back James Husband who comes on as a 50th minute substitute.

Wednesday 18th AprilIn a radio interview with the BBC Coppinger suggests that the club has not has been as harmonious this campaign as it has been in previous seasons. Rovers’ longest serving player goes on to say it’s been difficult for the team to focus as a collective on the same goals, owing to ‘different agendas’ amongst the side. Somewhat at odds with McKay’s words earlier in the week.

Saturday 21st AprilCoventry 0-2 Doncaster RoversRight, if we’re going down we’re taking everyone with us. Supported by a rowdy fancy dress clad following at the Ricoh, Rovers elect to drag Coventry into League One with them, relegating their hosts with goals from James Hayter and Simon Gillett.

half volley from Josh McQuoid. The introduction of Coppinger at half-time gave some hope, especially when his cross was headed home by Brown to make it 1-1, but a Charlie Austin penalty secured a 2-1 win for the Clarets and left Rovers needing something like five wins from four games to stay up.

Thursday 12th AprilSome unsurprising news from as with relegation imminent it transpires the much trumpeted 18 month deal signed by Habib Beye was actually a six month contract. League One clearly not worth boarding a flight for.

Saturday 14th AprilDoncaster Rovers 3-4 PortsmouthA roller-coaster game at the Keepmoat secures Rovers fate. Doncaster found themselves unexpectedly 2-0 up inside five minutes thanks to goals from Beye and Fabien Robert, and when Coppinger rattled the bar from distance there only seemed likely to be one winner. But in the second half, Pompey hit back with two penalties in six minutes; both dubiously awarded, especially the first for a foul someway outside the box for which Beye was dismissed. With twenty-five minutes to go the ten men went back in front through Coppinger and looked set to preserve tioer two status for a another week at least, leading 3-2 in the final minute. But then Dave Kitson bundled the ball home from a corner, seemingly with one of his arms, the other being used to hand-off Gary Woods, and then late in injury time Marko Futacs made it 4-3 to condemn Rovers to the drop.

PREVIOUSLY ATTHE ROVERS// CONTINUED

GW


DO THEY MEAN US?

Jack the Miner pops his helmet above the Keepmoat Stadium wall (no, not like that) to see whatthe neighbours are saying about Rovers. “I still can’t believe they’re actually in the same division as us”

I could take that comment from West Ham; Middlesbrough, maybe; Southampton, perhaps. When all said and done these are clubs with FA Cups and European finals on their CVs. Much as I treasure my memories of the Millennium Stadium, deep down I know that an FA Cup final win is the equivalent of a triple score in Scrabble for ‘Xylophone’ whereas the Johnstone’s Paints Trophy victory is like a double word score for ‘The’.

Yet, the comment didn’t come from a fan of one of the game’s footballing dynasties. It came from a Reading supporter. Since I first saw Rovers in 1968 Reading have been regular opponents in our travels around the lower divisions. It’s never been a fixture that would have seen ‘Ticket Only’ signs going up at the Belle Vue ticket office.

Reading remind me of a girl I knew from my youth. Let’s call her ‘Faith’. Every village has one. There wasn’t much that Faith wouldn’t do for an Opal Fruit or some chewing gum. In her late teens she was more demanding, insisting on a can of ale and some cheesy Wotsits. Then she met someone we’ll call ‘Bruce’. Bruce was loaded and it wasn’t long before Faith swapped Primark for Prada and lager and lime for Champagne. Now, a Reading fan’s disdain at sharing the same league at little old Donny Rovers is a bit like Faith looking down her nose at the new neighbours four bed roomed semi from her 6 bed roomed faux Roman Villa with heated pool. The new neighbours are perfectly decent hard-working people who have worked their way up and are there on merit. Unlike Faith the lady of the house didn’t spend her teenage years showing her pants in exchange for someone’s last Rolo. Surely Reading are a bit like Faith, sitting in half

Elm Park; gone and seemingly forgotten


empty and crumbling Elm Park eking out nil-nil draws with Workington and Barrow and then meeting their ‘Bruce’ in the shape of Jon Madejski. And, like Faith, re-writing their history. Well Reading FC you can look at DRFC as if it were something disgusting on the bottom of your hand-made shoes but I can remember the day no so long ago when there was an old fridge in your front garden and no-one would kiss you because of the ever-present cold sores.

There has been very little in the way of celebration at our relegation from our Championship rivals, just head scratching as to how something that was good and admired could go so wrong so quickly. One Palace fan condensed what many were saying, “…One of the names that kept coming up, and rightly so, was that of Sean O’Driscoll. He was doing a superb job with Doncaster and, the season before, had taken them from deep within the relegation zone at Christmas, to the upper reaches of the mid-table. Doncaster had an excellent set-up, and were punching well about their weight by being consistent and considered in everything they did. They also played some very nice football. Sadly (for them, and probably for football in general) they got ideas above their station and bought into the madness spun to them by the agent, Willie McKay. They decided that the way forward was to sack O’Driscoll, and to embark on a mission to allow struggling big-name players to come to them on a short-term basis to resurrect their careers. The result: they are down already - the worst team in the Championship…”

Our South Yorkshire rivals have had a predictably good time celebrating our

demise but most have taken it in their stride in the knowledge that the game is cyclical and that our ten minutes of fame is over for a little while. However for fans of Sheffield Wednesday there have been bunting, street parties, effigy burning, firework displays, calls for a national day of celebration and campaigns for an annual Rovers Relegation Bank Holiday. It’s fair to say there is little in the way of balance seen on other local rival’s site. “I literally laughed out loud when the result came through”… “I used to like ‘em but the way they’ve approached this season is horrible. O’Driscoll was trying to build something and they’ve let a stain of the game (a football agent) come in with a bulldozer and smash the lot up!”… “Funny and satisfying watching Doncaster get relegated”… “Two years and they’ll be back where they belong in the bottom division”… “They’ve had their day in the sun. The Championship was their Premiership and I fully expect them to slide down through this division too, playing in the 4th division the season after next. Donny went from being a good number of people’s second team to jumped up little tinpot side” and “I used to like Donny, but the way JR and their fans have run their mouth off over the years made me literally laugh my nuts off when they got relegated.” So, he literally laughed his nuts off? Look forward to reading about that in the medical journals then.

For fair mindedness you need to cross the city to the Blades to find any sort of reasonable debate and although JR’s comments about a power shift in South Yorkshire have not been forgotten by some, “All that bull about playing football akin to Barcelona, Real Madrid and that they are the


Arsenal of the north. Glad Doncasterlona have gone down, bunch of gobby shites, would dearly love to see the dingles follow suit next year...power shift my arse…”

The single most depressing thought about relegation is that it brings us back into contact with the past in the shape of old conference foes like Stevenage, Yeovil and Graham Westley. The odious Steve Evans would have made it an unwelcome full house. It was a near miss.

Stevenage fans assume that it’s a matter of time before they become the new Reading, On Rovers’ relegation they say “ Look forward to an away day at the Keepmoat next season

then... Oh wait, we’ll be in the Championship!” and “Who cares? Not like we’ll be playing that non-league sh*te...”

Westley is someone I hoped we would never see or hear of again but I guess we can look forward to him coming out with the tripe that Dave Penney used to pin to the changing room walls to motivate his side. It’s quite sad to see the distinguished club of Sir Tom Finney turning to Westley and Peter Ridsdale and the supporters at Deepdale think so too. “Congratulations Messrs Westley & Ridsdale. It looks like you are well on the way to finishing off the job started so brilliantly by Simmo!”…“I cannot believe that the supporters of such a proud, history filled club can be happy at the type of football Mr. Westley has them playing!”…“Westley is a football dinosaur and we all know what happened to them.”

DO THEY MEAN US?// CONTINUED

JTM

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Introducing a new series, because you have to keep an eye on him.

Steve is currently: sarcastic

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A PRESS STATEMENT FROM DONCASTER

ROVERS CONCERNING ‘THE EXPERIMENT’

The Rovers Press Office/Ministry of Information addresses you all


People of Doncaster, we wish to address you on the progressive movement known to many as ‘the experiment’. There are two ways of viewing ‘the experiment’; as a success, or as a successful project. In these terms we perceive it to have been a success.

We have brought global superstars unto your midst. The world renowned quality of El Hadji Diouf and Habib Beye cannot be dismissed. They are sensational talents who have graced the world stage and now we have brought them here to you in our humble town, for your enjoyment. We have rewarded you with this individual talent. Relegation or failure to sell them on does not diminish the huge success of this department of ‘the project’.

We promised that players who performed in our shop window would be desired by other clubs and that too has come to fruition. Marc-Antoine Fortune went from his spell with us into the heart of a Premier League team. Dissenters may point out it was the team of his existing employers, but this is irrelevant; he progressed from our humble surroundings to the Promised Land. Herita Ilunga too profited from his shop window spell, one which enabled him to move on to the greatest club in all the land; Doncaster Rovers.

So emphatic was the success of ‘the experiment’ that we were able to bring in World quality stars simply to boost the numbers. Lamine Diatta played in a World Cup, yet he was not even good enough to make our great Doncaster side.

Yes, when we went unbeaten for three games we spoke of play-offs, but we did not specify which play-offs and when. We were of course predicting next season’s assault on the League One play-offs, and the inevitable glorious ascension at Wembley they’ll bring.

Infidels will point to off-field problems, they speak of altercations between Comrade McKay and fans, and of nightclub outings and misadventures from Diouf. We have seen no proof of these things. They have not happened. They have simply been created in the minds of the press in an effort to discredit the regime. To show this we sent our Chief of Police Dean Saunders to investigate all claims of disharmony, but he is yet to find any misgivings. As such we dismiss all claims of trouble in tunnels, and of appearances in Bournemouth clubs as malicious lies, spread by those wishing to undermine ‘the experiment’s fine successes.

Comrade McKay is an honourable man who has suffered the misfortune of a viscious campaign to discredit him; a conspiracy fuelled only by trivial matters such as his own actions and direct quotes he himself has delivered to the press. There can be no substance in these sources.

We end by giving assurances that those villains who sought to discredit ‘the experiment’ will be made to recognize the stupidity of their thoughts and actions in pretending that this was anything other than success, when what remains of the club lines up for the opening game in League One. GW


REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

All doom and gloom? Rovers supporter David Waugh got in touch with us to give us some reasons to be cheerful.

We may have been relegated, and this will be a new experience for many supporters, but those of us who have supported the Rovers for many years (50 in my case) will probably be quite philosophical about our recent failings. Set in the context of applications for re-election to the league, relegations following promotions, Ken Richardson, and five years in the Conference, relegation from football’s second tier is almost a dream come true! For anyone who began supporting Rovers in the last ten years, you have been fortunate to support one of the most successful clubs in the country. Read on to see why:

1. We’re the most successful team in Yorkshire in the last 13 years – the only one not to be relegated (until now) and the joint most promoted (3 times - equal with Hull City).

2. We were 23rd in the English league in the “not being relegated league”, with clubs such as Man City, Newcastle, Sunderland and West Ham all suffering relegation since we last did. All teams are relegated at some time, with only Arsenal never actually going down - despite finishing in a relegation place just before the First World War (devious southerners!).

3. We’ve played some of the best football in the country for much of the last ten years and seemed to be many people’s second favourite team in Yorkshire. It’s not for nothing that

Arsenal were described as “the Doncaster of the Premier League” due to their similar playing style.

4. We’ve beaten Leeds, Derby, Forest, Southampton and both Sheffield clubs on their own grounds.

5. We’ve been in a higher division than Wednesday and United for a season – unimaginable when I began watching Rovers in 1962 - and we’re still above Rotherham.

6. We have an excellent ground and gates for the last four years have been more than treble what we used to get.

7. Despite grumbles about the town not getting behind the Rovers, we do have a solid fan base, and people who once would have sought glory elsewhere now sport red and white hoops and travel to some away games in greater numbers than they used to go to home matches.

8. Our fans will continue to sound as if they have several brain cells more than our rivals when phoning Radio Sheffield’s Praise or Grumble.

9. We’ve seen some superb footballers in our side in the past ten years, including Coppinger, Oster, Stock, Wellens, Sharp and McIndoe.

10. We paid over a million pounds for a player – Billy Sharp – even if we did have to sell him eventually.


11. Next season we’ll be able to go to some proper football grounds with atmosphere, rather than identikit mausoleums like Coventry (unless they join us). (Bugger – Ed.)

12. We won’t have to pay £36 to go to antiquated Elland Road and be surrounded by tattooed neanderthals (and that’s just the stewards).

13. We will be a (relatively) big club in League 1 and might get the same kind of favours bestowed upon our opponents by referees such as Messrs Hall and Russell.

14. Above all, we still have a Chairman and owner who is as daft about the club as the supporters.

How more illustrious clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool must wish they had someone like John Ryan rather than absentee landlords who put their clubs’ futures in hock. Back in 2003, when JR had himself named as sub at Hereford, some people, including Dave Penney, were unhappy. If I’d put as much into the club as JR, mine would be the first name on the team sheet every week and players would be ordered to pass to me in the six yard box at every opportunity.

So cheer up, give a whistle (but not to that idiot Russell) and this’ll make things turn out for the best. And always look on the bright side of life.

A LOOK BACK AT NEXT SEASON

DW

No, that title is not one of our many typos. Neil Tate bends the laws of space and time to review the 2012-13 season.

Having gone through a terrible 18 months, Rovers fans were looking forward to a new season in a new division. Whilst nobody wanted relegation to League One, a feeling of optimism was sweeping the town. The Rovers completed the purchase of the Keepmoat Stadium at the cost of £6.99 and promptly renamed it the John Ryan Arena.

Agent Willie McKay worked his magic during the off months, securing the services of El Hadji Diouf and Habib Beye for another year when many had expected both to leave. When asked why they had chosen to stay Diouf expressed his desire to add the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy to his medal collection whereas Beye cited the shorter commutes from

the south of France to Yeovil, Torquay and Bournemouth as being a key factor in his decision.

In the Carling Cup 1st round Rovers were drawn at home to Oldham. Other notable fixture dates included consecutive away derbies against Scunthorpe and Sheffield Wednesday in February and the final game of the season away to Portsmouth. Perhaps the biggest shock from the fixture computer was the away trip Yeovil being scheduled for a Saturday afternoon and not a Tuesday night.

The season started well with a comfortable 2-0 win against Tranmere and a 3-1 victory against Oldham that put the Rovers into the 2nd round of


A LOOK BACK AT NEXT SEASON// CONTINUEDthe Carling Cup. A creditable 1-1 draw at Coventry and another 2-0 home victory against Walsall put Rovers in a strong position at the start of September with Mustapha Dumbuya shining down the right-hand side of midfield. Diouf was superb in the Johnstone’s Paint 1st round against Rotherham and grabbed a hat-trick in a 3-0 away win.

Defeats away to MK Dons and at home to Swindon soon brought the fans back down to earth. The second round of the League Cup brought a rain soaked midweek trip to Yeovil with a late 1-0 victory sending the six travelling fans into soggy raptures and the Rovers into the third round. The second round of the JPT wasn’t as successful with a 5-1 drubbing at Huddersfield. The Yeovil victory was rewarded with a glamour tie at former Champions League semi-finalists and major European force, Leeds United.

Rovers were again on the road making the long trip to Carlisle for a Friday night game in front of the Sky Sports cameras. Fans and viewers were treated to an exciting 3-3 draw with a Dumbuya brace turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead before Carlisle brought it back to 2-2 shortly after the restart. A Diouf tap in made it 3-2 after catching Carlisle on the break in the 89th minute but Zoko turned in from a corner in the 5th minute of injury time. Some of the old defensive frailties were again rearing their head in the Rovers back line.

The draw at Carlisle seemed to take it out of the Rovers and consecutive

defeats followed away at Stevenage and at home to Preston plus a 2-0 defeat at (former European semi-finalists) Leeds in the Cup. Top of the league Huddersfield were next up at the JR Arena but sadly for Rovers Jordan Rhodes continued his amazing scoring record by grabbing all 8 goals in a 6-2 Huddersfield victory with Beye’s fourth red card of the season compounding the troubles. A couple of draws restored some pride but this was undone with another defeat away to Brentford.

Saunders turned to McKay to strengthen the squad, particularly in defence and a string of players were soon brought in. Bamorzo, Bankeryoyo, Brummiejojo and Smith were all brought in to form a brand new back line for the home game against Yeovil in the 1st round of the FA cup. The move proved fruitful with a 0-0 stalemate the result. The replay at Huish Park didn’t go the Rovers way with Yeovil turning out 2-1 victors in a game spoilt by heavy rain.

Just two points from the next five games were followed by embarrassing home defeats over Christmas to Scunthorpe and second bottom Cheltenham. Saunders was under pressure with Rovers now just 2 points off the bottom themselves. Another defeat at bottom of the table Orient was enough to seal his fate. Saunders was shown the door and Willie McKay was instantly installed as manager.

January proved to be a tough month; with El Hadji Diouf away representing Senegal in the African Cup of Nations, McKay had to move quickly to replace him. He soon announced Rovers had signed “a former Welsh international looking for a shop window”. Dean Saunders was


John Ryan had finally lost patience with the McKay experiment and got rid of him in both his capacity as manager and transfer consultant. A large cheer was heard around Doncaster. Diouf, Beye and Saunders all departed the club soon after, along with the remainder of McKay’s star signings. There was no need for a caretaker manager though. Unbeknownst to the rest of the staff, Ryan had secretly taken his coaching badges over the summer and the former player took charge of the team himself.

Straight away he threw in the returning Dumbuya, fans favourite Chris Brown and the long absent Jimmy O’Connor for the short trip to Sheffield. The Owls didn’t know what hit them with those three players combining down the right to put Rovers into an early lead. Rovers held on for the remainder of the game for a much needed 3 points.

Ryan stuck with the same team for the visit of Coventry and they again outplayed their opponents and cruised to a 3-1 win. This was enough to lift Rovers off the bottom, a position they wouldn’t occupy for the rest of the season. Further good news was to follow for Dumbuya whose good work throughout the season was rewarded with a call up to the Sierra Leone squad for their World Cup qualifier. Unfortunately for him, the air tickets were sent to his Mum’s house in London. By the time the error had been realised, it was too late for Dumbuya to join up with his team-mates.

A Friday night snowstorm in the South West caused the league game at Yeovil to be called off and this afforded the Rovers a much-needed rest. This clearly did them good and two wins and a draw followed to drag the Rovers out of the drop zone. An undefeated March earned

thrown straight into the team and soon made history by becoming Rovers’ oldest ever goal scorer, grabbing both goals in the 2-0 home win against Hartlepool.

Saunders struck again early in the 2nd half away at Bournemouth but his celebrations were short lived. In the 52nd minute the Cherries’ new signing Lewis Dunk managed to take out three Rovers players in a single challenge. Dunk first slid in on Dumbuya who knocked over Sam Hird on his way down and Hird’s face landed on Dunk’s boot. Saunders immediately retaliated on behalf of his stricken teammates and was sent off for punching Dunk.

Dunk was given a stern talking to by Mr Kettle while Dumbuya was stretchered off and Hird was treated for a lost tooth. This clearly shook the Rovers and they soon conceded an equaliser. Bournemouth piled on the pressure for the rest of the game but the Rovers held firm until the 97th minute when Tubbs’ tame shot took an odd bounce off Sam Hird’s missing tooth, wrong footing Woods and trickling into the corner of the net.

From that point on, January went downhill. Defeats to Tranmere and Torquay plus a goalless draw with Wycombe only served to show that the Rovers attack was as toothless as Sam Hird. Something had to be done.

McKay flew immediately to Monaco so that he could get on the phone to some of his best contacts and he managed to bring in a striker from European lower league obscurity. Jumponapogo was thrown straight into the team for the trip to Scunthorpe but proved to be ineffective. He was subbed for Saunders who returned from his ban but he couldn’t get into the game and the Rovers lost 2-0.


A LOOK BACK AT NEXT SEASON// CONTINUED

Ryan the Manager of the Month award and hauled Rovers up into mid table.

The rearranged game at Yeovil was up next on the first Tuesday of April. Heavy rain and strong winds made it difficult to play anything resembling football that night but the red hoops proved victorious over the green hoops once again with Chris Brown scoring a brace.

Having been bottom of the table, Rovers were now somehow only 4 points from the playoff positions with five games remaining. Crucial victories against Preston and Swindon put them just one point shy of 6th place. A 2-2 draw against table toppers Huddersfield was well received but meant the Rovers lost ground on 6th place and were now three points behind Portsmouth with

two to play. A 3-0 victory against Walsall coupled with a defeat for Portsmouth by Huddersfield meant the two teams would play off the following week for the final playoff spot.

3,500 Rovers fans made the long trip to Fratton Park to cheer on the Rovers to what had seemed like a most unlikely playoff berth. The game was a cagey affair and neither team committed many men forward for fear of being caught out. In the 86th minute however, Kitson, on loan from the New York Knicks, caught a long ball and ran 20 yards with it in his hands before throwing it into the goal. Referee Mr Russell allowed the goal to stand Portsmouth held on to clinch the all-important sixth place.

Disappointed but encouraged summed up the feelings of the Rovers fans after a long and contrasting season, and they were now looking forward to a full season as John Ryan’s Barmy Army. Who knows what’s going to happen next season. NT

Saunders P.I.IntroducingThe slowest and most trusting Detective around

Episode 1: The Case of the Partying Player“El Hadji Diouf says he wasn’t there and I believe him... ...my investigations are still ongoing.”


SOUNDING THE BELLES

popular STAND is delighted to have teamed up with Doncaster Rovers Belles, and their Vice Chairman Alan Smart to bring you an exclusive special offer. Free entry to tomorrow’s opening home FA Women’s

Super League match between the Belles and Everton.

Saunders P.I.

Special Four Page Pull-Out including

Free Ticket

YOUR TOWN. YOUR TEAMS. BACK THE BELLESDoncaster Rovers Belles vs Everton

FA Women’s Super League - Sunday 29th April - Kick Off 2pmFanzine Free Ticket Offer - Join Us in Backing the Belles

The voucher attached overleaf is redeemable for a free ticket for 1 adult and 1 under 16 for the game detailed above*.

Please fill in the voucher and take to the Keepmoat Stadium ticket office and exchange for match tickets ahead of kick-off to gain entry.

*entrance is imited to 500 tickets, and subject to the Keepmoat Stadium rules and regulationsFurther details available via www.facebook.com/popularSTAND

In an ideal world we would follow our home town team at the very top level. The club would be receptive to new ideas, and keen to bend over backwards to welcome supporters and sponsors both new and old. The players would work hard in the local community, be professional on the field and engaging with supporters off it. And they would be affordable to watch, and would of course play in red and white hoops.

Well, despite offering all that and more right on our doorstep the Doncaster Rovers Belles remain, in our eyes at least, chronically under-supported by the borough’s football fans. The Belles have been flying the flag for the town at the very top level of their sport for decades, and so here at popular STAND Towers we felt we could no longer stand idly by whilst so many red Keepmoat seats remained empty.

We are delighted to team up with the Belles, via their Vice Chairman Alan Smart in an effort to encourage Rovers fans to get their summer football fix, by backing the Belles in their second FA Women’s Super League season. And so we are effectively offering you a free taster for the Belles opening home league game of the season against Everton tomorrow, with a voucher for 1 adult and 1 child match ticket absolutely free. What more incentive could you possibly need?

As a popular soft drink manufacturer likes to say in these situations, what’s the worst that could happen? Turn off the tv, forget the overpaid mercenaries, and join us instead in offering your support to a much more deserving cause. Your home town team, pitting itself against the very best there is. Come one. Come all and join us in backing the Belles.

During the close season Belles manager John Buckley has strengthened is squad ahead of the club’s second FA Women’s Super League campaign. Already though Buckley has been dealt a huge blow, with marquee signing, England international Sue Smith ruled out for the campaign after damaging knee ligaments in the FA Cup against Barnet.

However, Smith was not the only talented addition to the Belles ranks. Ireland international Julie-Ann Russell (right) has joined her fellow countrywoman Aine O’Gorman in Doncaster. Russell is far from the only overseas signing, with Australian centre-back Tanya Oxtoby arriving from Perth Glory and Canadia duo Alyssa Lagonia and Tania Pedron signed from Barrie FC


The Belles continued their preparations for their opening home FAWSL game against Everton with a 4-0 friendly victory over Nottingham Forest. Jess Sigsworth struck twice, whilst Leandra Little and Katie Holtham grabbed the other goals in a match which saw the debuts of new signings Tania Pedron, Lucy Sowerby and Nicky Emery.

After the match Belles’ Assistant Manager Paul Green commented; ‘We played well for large parts of the game and I was pleased with the way that we passed the ball around on a difficult pitch.

‘It was a good team performance and great to see goals coming from different areas in the team. I was delighted for Jess who took both her goals very well and was a constant threat for the

YOUR TOWN. YOUR TEAMS. BACK THE BELLES

Forest back four all afternoon.

‘It was a good workout; everyone got good minutes under their belts and it was nice to see Tania, Lucy and Nicky make their first appearances for the club. The girls are all focused and can’t wait to get back in to competitive football next Sunday at the Keepmoat.’

22/4/12 ROVERS BELLES 4-0 NOTT’M FOREST

Manager John Buckley with Tania Pedron

Also coming into the squad is Leandra Little from Lincoln and Ireland Under 19 international Lillie Fenlon-Bilson who joins from Bristol Academy.

The Belles sadly lost their opening FAWSL game 3-1 at Chelsea, but will be determined to bounce back in their opening home game against Everton.



while an athlete is unable to work them functionally. It’s my best mate at the moment I am carrying it around with me constantly.

While I haven’t been playing I have tried to keep in touch with football through the media and on Bank Holiday Monday the girls played Chelsea in their first Super League game of the season. It was shown live on ESPN and I was lucky to have been asked to do the punditry along with Faye White. The previous day all the other Super League teams played and there were 14 goals and 3 sendings off, so I think the crew at ESPN were worried that our game against Chelsea wouldn’t be as entertaining. This wasn’t to be, the game ended 3-1 unfortunately it was to Chelsea, but I think we deserved at least a draw from the game.

The team can take lots of positives from it and the key lesson I think we need to learn is to be more clinical in front of goal. I am sure there will be lots of shooting practices in training this week. We now have a two week break due to FA cup and Arsenal being in the Champions League but our next home game is Everton on the 29th April so please come and support us at the Keepmoat; 2pm kick off. Bring your bells!!!

I thought I would give you an update on what has been happening with my injury and life at Doncaster Belles.

I have now had my stitches out and I am now walking without the aid of my crutches although I do still have to wear my brace for another 6 weeks to help my medial ligament to heal. It is frustrating not being able to train normally, but I have found other ways to keep ticking over, mainly upper body weights and some core work. I am sure this will keep progressing as the weeks go on. The muscles in my legs have completely disappeared in only 4 weeks but I have an amazing little gadget called a Compex Machine that is helping me to build them back up. The machine basically sends electrical impulses to the muscles and via that helps to get the muscles back

ENGLAND & BELLES STAR SUE SMITH’S BLOG

06/05/12 at Birmingham Cup 2:00pm 13/05/12 at Everton Cup 1:00pm 19/05/12 at Bristol Lge 6:00pm30/05/12 at Lincoln Lge 7:30pm10/06/12 at Birmingham Lge 2:00pm23/06/12 vs Liverpool Lge 2:00pm01/07/12 at Arsenal Lge 2:00pm

05/07/12 at Everton Lge 7:45pm18/08/12 vs Chelsea Lge 2:00pm30/08/12 vs Lincoln Lge 7:45pm09/09/12 vs Bristol Lge 2:00pm23/09/12 vs Birmingham Lge 2:00pm30/09/12 vs Arsenal Lge 2:00pm07/10/12 at Liverpool Lge 2:00pm

DONCASTER ROVERS BELLES - 2012 SEASON FIXTURES


1. Mary EarpsGoalkeeper - Joined the Belles from Forest ahead of last season; is the current England U19 ‘keeper2. Lyndsey CunninghamDefender - Capable of playing right back or centre-back Lyndsey is an England U19 and U20 international.4. Leandra LittleDefender - Joined from Lincoln ahead of this season, was Managers’ Player of the Season for the Imps in 2011.5. Jess SigsworthStriker - Doncaster born 17-year-old Jess reminds us of James Hayter; a proper battling centre-forward.6. Katie HolthamMidfielder - Experienced Katie has played in two FA Cup Finals, for Charlton and Leeds, and joined the Belles after a spell in the US playing for the brilliantly named Buffalo Flash7. Becky HallForward - Able to play in the middle or on the wing Becky joined the Belles from Birmingham in 2010 and has played for England at U19, U21 & U238. Sue SmithMidfielder - Capped for England 92 times Smith joined the Belles in the winter from Lincoln. Previously Smith spent 9 years at Leeds, reaching the FA Cup final three times.9. Aine O’GormanForward - Irish international Aine has won 38 caps for her country, and joined the Belles from Peamount Utd last year.10. Alyssa LagoniaMidfielder - Candian international Alyssa joined the Belles ahead of the current season, scoring against Chelsea on her FAWSL debut.


11. Julie-Ann RussellWinger - Skillful Jullie-Ann joined the Belles in January from Irish side Peamount Utd with whom she played in the Champions League.12. Kasia LipkaMidfield - Made her debut aged 16 against Blackburn two years ago. Has represented England U15 U17 & U19.13. Tanya OxtobyDefender - Experienced Australian centre-back Tania captained Perth Glory before joining the Belles ahead of the current campaign.14. Shelby HillsDefender - Full-back signed from Watford in January, Shelby has played for England U19 and U20.15. Lillie Fenlon-BilsonForward - Athletic and skillful striker Lillie joined the Belles last month from Bristol Accademy for whom she played in last season’s FA Cup final.16. Naomi ChadwickMidfield - Left side player in her fourth year with the Belles. Another England U17 and U19 international.17. Beth EnglandWinger - Beth joined the club from Sheffield Utd academy in 2010. A great crosser of the ball, she scored two for England U19 against Wales last month.19. Millie BrightStriker - Now in her third year with the Belles Millie is a tall forward with a keen eye for goal.20. Tania PedronMidfielder - The other half of Belles’ Canadian pairing Tania joined the squad just last week from Barrie FC.

MEET THE BELLES - 2012 SQUAD


SEASONS IN RETROSPECT

It’s the 1972-73 season. Maurice Setters is in charge and Rovers have only picked up one point from their opening five games. Ray Jest continues his look back at that campaign in this, the

second part of the retrospective begun in Issue 57Second-placed Southport made a Friday night trip to Belle Vue, but the respective positions were not born out with the 0-0 half-time score flattering the visitors. In the second half Rovers were finally able to turn their territorial advantage into goals, firstly as Irvine struck in the 63rd minute and then fifteen minutes later Elwiss broke clear to sew up a 2-0 win for Doncaster. After this victory hopes were high that perhaps Rovers had now turned the corner and the fans that travelled to Crewe for the next fixture were not disappointed. A solitary goal from Kitchen after 87 minutes giving Rovers their second win of the season.

Rovers were back on the road for their next game, but were to be beaten 2-1 at Sincil Bank, Lincoln taking the lead as Dixie McNeil barged Rovers goalkeeper Kim Book and the ball over the line. “We were the better football team, but we lost to a rugby team. I wouldn’t let my players go out and do a thing like that,” reflected Setters.

Three home games followed for Rovers, begun with a goalless draw with Hereford. Bradford City were next to visit, with an Ian Branfoot goal giving Doncaster a 1-0 win, and things would get even better in the third fixture as Northampton Town were beaten 3-0. A goal from Kitchen on 67minutes and two in a minute

from Elwiss taking Rovers up to 17th in the table. After three home games on the trot Rovers now faced two successive away journeys the first being the long trip to Torquay, made for a 1-0 defeat. London Road was the second destination to face bottom of the table Peterborough United. Sadly Posh would inflict an even greater defeat, 3-1 to drop Doncaster to 20th.

Late goals were becoming a feature of the season and in the next home game against Aldershot the Rovers’ faithful had to wait until the 87th minute before Kitchen struck to ensure the full points. It was to be the first game of a three-match unbeaten run which lifted Rovers to 15th. A goalless home draw with Chester following before a 1-0 win at Darlington secured by a 73rd minute goal from Haselden.

Sadly this rise would be undone with back to back defeats begun with a 3-2 loss at Hereford. John Haselden scored a hat trick in the game, but unfortunately his second on 64 minutes was an own goal for the hosts. Back at home for their next fixture Rovers were beaten once again, losing 2-0 to Crewe Alexandra. Thankfully the FA Cup 1st round offered welcome distraction, and Rovers duly dispatched Bury 2-1 at Belle Vue.

Bury would be back at Belle Vue within a week for a league fixture, but


would leave even more empty-handed than their first visit defeated 4-1 thanks to goals from Irvine, Kitchen and a brace from Haselden. Two trips North East to the coast followed, firstly in the league as Rovers drew 0-0 at Hartlepool and then in the FA Cup as Doncaster faced Northern League Scarborough in the second round. The non-leaguers gave Rovers a scare, equalizing Peter Kitchen’s opener, before an Elwiss goal gave Rovers a 2-1 win to take them through to round three.

Back to the league and the visit of Colchester United, the match again being decided by a second-half Elwiss goal as Rovers won 1-0. Sadly Rovers would be on the wrong end of the same score a week later as they travelled to Elm Park; a Dick Habbin goal winning the match for Reading. Rovers would be returning to Berkshire for the FA Cup 3rd round, but had three league fixtures to play before then; all of which would be drawn. A 1-1 home draw with Lincoln City followed by two goalless stalemates, at home to Mansfield and away at Cambridge.

And so to the FA Cup third round. Rovers, beset with injury problems, had asked the F.A. to reschedule the tie, much to the dismay of Reading. However, the F.A. had agreed and the match was duly played on 17th January. It was an unsurprisingly feisty encounter in which 5 players were booked, amongst them Irvine and Dixon for exchanging blows (a crime that today would see both sent off), and one which Reading won 2-0.

Back to the league and a 2-1 loss at Stockport County had dropped Rovers into the bottom four, a position which was maintained by a 1-0 home defeatto Gillingham a week later. Thankfully Doncaster’s fortunes were about to change three wins and three draws from their next six games, starting with a 1-0 home victory over Torquay. Goals from Briggs and Joy ensured Rovers followed this up with an encouraging 2-2 draw at Southport, before a 1-1 draw at home to Workington in their next game courtesy of an 72nd minute equalizer from Ernie Hunt.

Sealand Road was Rovers next destination, and despite going 1-0 down to Chester City, Rovers hit back with goals from Brookes and Briggs to secure both points. Away to Colchester in their next outing Rovers again came from behind, this time securing a draw through Briggs, scoring his third goal in four games after being recalled to the side. A third successive away game would bring further rewards as Brookes and Haselden struck at the County Ground to give Rovers a 2-0 victory over Northampton Town.

Their next game would see Rovers on the road again, but it would bring an end to their six match unbeaten run, a solitary goal four minutes from time giving Newport County victory at Somerton Park. After four successive away games Rovers at last returned home but were held 1-1 by Peterborough and once again had to come back from a goal down to rescue a point. Back on the road Rovers would lose their next fixture, defeated 1-0 by Aldershot at The Recreation Ground.

Back to back home games followed for the Rovers and they woulD give supporters much reason to be cheerful. Exeter City were the first visitors and

SEASONS INRETROSPECT// CONTINUED


they were duly dispatched with their tails between their legs; goals from Irvine, Brookes, Haselden and two for Elwiss giving Rovers a 5-1 victory, their biggest of the season. Next to arrive at Belle Vue were Darlington and again Rovers ran out winners, this time only 2-0, but it was enough to lift them into the dizzy heights of 14th in the league.

The euphoria didn’t last long as Rovers travelled to face Bury at Gigg Lane and were promptly given the same treatment they had dispensed to Exeter, coming away on the wrong side of a 5-0 beating. There was more concern as in the next match Hartlepool took a 20th minute lead at Belle Vue, but goals from Haselden and Briggs turned the game around to give Rovers a 2-1 win.

With five games to play Rovers were now in 14th position, a footing enhanced as they won their next match, triumphing 1-0 over Exeter at St. James Park; a result which further enhanced the growing reputation of the young players now wearing the Rovers shirt. Sadly the next three games would all end in defeat, and

notable defeats at that, begun as Newport County visited Belle Vue and inflicted Rovers heaviest home defeat of the season by 5-1.

In their next fixture Rovers made the short trip to Valley Parade and scored three goals, only for Bradford City to score four and inflict another loss. In the penultimate match of the season Rovers hosted Reading, the visitors returning south with a 2-0 victory. The final game of the season was a local derby against Barnsley at Belle Vue and in a dull, drab game honours finished even. The season had finished with Rovers in 17thposition, a height many had not thought possible throughout the season, but with the new youngsters breaking into the first team all augured well for the future.

However as the season ended came the news that Rovers had disbanded the junior team which had seen the likes of Uzelac, Brookes, Gray, McLuckie, Reed and Kitchen come through their ranks. Coach Malcolm Cook departed too. It was a very low note on which to end the season, as Setters put it; “This is a bitter blow to me…a disaster”. RJ

Doncaster Rovers’ 1972-73 squad


JACK THE MINER’S COAL FACE

Jack The Miner tries to find the roots of Rovers recent success, and discovers it’s all down to Steve Wignall

Re-writing history. Revisionism they call it. Communist dictators do it. Nazi sympathisers do it. Rovers fans do it. Well, some do and it’s reaching epidemic proportions.

In the days before ‘that’ day at the Britannia it is generally accepted that the only golden period in Rovers history was during the tenure of Peter Doherty. Without exception he has been hailed as the best we’ve ever had. We were in the second tier of English football and he kept us there. We never got close again. No serious assaults on promotion, no romantic FA Cup runs and just a few glimmers of hope from time to time thanks to the likes of McMenemy, Anderson and Bremner.

I’m tempted to call the period from the Britannia through to April 2012, the second golden period but it seems I’m wrong. Yes, we won the Conference play-offs, the League Two title, got to within seconds of a League Cup semi-final, won the Football League Trophy at the Millennium Stadium, won the play off final at Wembley to secure promotion to the Championship and then stayed there and flourished to the point where a few short months ago we were play-off contenders. And, along the way we’ve played with panache and great success at some of the great venues in English football, winning many admirers along the way.

Maybe I’m easily pleased, because to be honest, I’ve been quite satisfied with the last few years. Having my team completely outplay the likes of Charlton, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United has been a joy. Seeing my side receive a standing ovation by Ipswich fans at Portman Road after a 3-1 win and being applauded by the same supporters all the way back to the station is just one of a staggering number of highlights from what seemed to me to be a pretty good time to be a Rovers supporter.

Yet, calling the last few years the second golden period can’t be right. Two gentlemen by the names of Dave Penney and Sean O’Driscoll were in charge during this time and it seemed to me they must be quite good at what they were doing. However, listening to terrace talk and reading the forums I have learned to my surprise that both Penney and O’Driscoll were both hopelessly out of their depth and that neither had any sort of influence on our success. My God, we should be pleased to be rid of them.

According to the keyboard warriors Penney signed Nic Priet which is all the evidence anyone should ever need to know that he should be stripped of all his coaching badges and be jailed for fraud. It was naïve of me to think that the man who signed Michael McIndoe, Leo Fortune-West, John Doolan, Greg Blundell, James


Coppinger, Paul Heffernan and many other players pivotal to Rovers’ success, might actually have a clue about footballers. I’m also advised that Penney was a tyrant hated by his players. I very stupidly thought that this couldn’t be true because so many of his ex-players seemed happy enough to sign for him again when he moved to Darlington. Still, as they say, he achieved nothing after he left Rovers. Apart from getting Darlington into the play-offs and was on course to do so again until their money troubles intervened. And he did absolutely nothing in his seven weeks in charge at Bristol Rovers which must prove he was never really up to the mark. Seven weeks would have been enough for someone of genuine talent.

So I think we have to accept that Penney simply rode the crest of the wave on the momentum created by Steve Wignall. Penney just took all the credit.

I didn’t get Sean O’Driscoll at first. Few of us did. It could be frustrating. A bit tippy-tappy we called it, but once it clicked it was effective. Often glorious. Bigger clubs came calling and the press called for him to be absorbed into the England coaching set-up as we marched into the back

yards of the big boys. We’d often sing ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ and they usually were as Rovers handed out a footballing lesson. And then he was gone. He had no plan B but then again Plan A had done us a reasonable amount of good and may well have done so again. But what I have learned in recent months – and this is fundamental to understanding why we’re better off without O’Driscoll – is that he was a bit boring when interviewed. It’s obvious when you think about it. Makes you wonder why he was ever put in charge in the first place. And as someone pointed out this week, we shouldn’t forget that the Bournemouth fans were really glad to see the back of him too. I suppose the promotion he secured for Bournemouth on limited resources was probably due to the momentum created a few seasons earlier by Mel Machin.

Come to think of it, the momentum created by Steve Wignall that hid the serious deficiencies of Dave Penney, was probably so powerful that several years after his departure it was enough to carry the bumbling O’Driscoll over the finishing line.

Penney was not perfect. Neither was O’Driscoll. Everyone has their own take on these things. Was Bremner better than Penney? Was Stan Anderson better than Laurie McMenemy? Was O’Driscoll better than Doherty? I don’t know. I don’t pretend to have the answers but whatever you make of Penney and O’Driscoll they’re deserving of thanks and appreciation. What they don’t deserve is the air-brushing of history which some would re-write to diminish their significant achievements. The keyboard warriors should grow up and show some respect. Wignall: “My work here is done.” JTM


For the end of a particularly miserable season I thought to take the emphasis off the last few months and take a look at goals scored for the club over our entire Football League (and Conference) history. For clarity, this article does not include goals scored in the periods in between league seasons (i.e. prior to 1901-02, season 1903-04, from 1905-06 to 1922-23 and during the Second World War). I have also not included regional Cup competitions such as the Sheffield County Cup in its various guises.

Up to and including the Portsmouth home game this season, in a total of 3,719 League and Conference matches, in just short of 85 seasons, a grand total of 5,096 league goals have been scored by Rovers in tiers 2, 3 and 4 of the Football League, the old regionalised Division 3 North, and in the Football Conference. These are split as follows:

Tier 2: 919Tier 3: 767Div 3 North: 1,266Tier 4: 1,859Conference: 285

During these 85 seasons a total of 597 goals have also been scored in various cup competitions; FA Cup (284), League Cup (152), Associate Members’ Cup - latterly called the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy (82), the FA Group Cup in 1981-82 (3), FA Trophy (13), the

Conference Trophy, aka MacMillan Trophy (23), League and Conference Playoffs (11), the Pre-War Division 3 North Challenge Cup (19), with 10 other goals in matches which were abandoned or annulled. These last 10 goals will not be counted in this article.

During this period a surprisingly small number of players have reached 50 goals for the club, namely the 16 listed in the table at the top of the adjacent page.

The approximate strike rates of Clarrie Jordan (0.80) and Tom Keetley (0.78) stand out as exceptional. Colin Douglas (0.13) played many of his games in defence after starting out as a striker, and Glyn Snodin (0.19) was variously a midfielder or left back. If Billy Sharp, who ended up with 41 goals for the club in 86 games at a strike rate of 0.477 per game, could have reached 50 goals at the same rate he would have been in 5th place for striking rates behind Keetley, Jordan, Booth and Peter Doherty. Doherty combined his goalscoring exploits by managing the side at the same time, which at least meant he could insist on taking the penalties.

Paul Heffernan is the most recent addition to this list. Since he is the club’s all time record goal-scorer in cup competitions (18 beating Peter Kitchen with 16) he has he has the

WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND

In this issue our resident Netherlands based Welsh statistician (every fanzine worth it’s salt should have one) Dutch Uncle takes a

look at Rovers’ goalscoring feats


breaking season a club record 134 goals (123 league and 11 FA Cup) were scored in total. Paul Todd was second top scorer with 27 goals (24 league plus 3 FAC) and five players scored 14 or more goals. On only one other occasion have 5 players scored double figures and that was in the previous season of 1938-39 when 6 players scored double figures in league games. The list of leading goalscorers in a season is as follows:

least number of league goals (32) in his total, of those listed. He also has not scored a hat-trick for the club. The only others on the 50+ list who have not scored a hat-trick are Colin Douglas, Glyn Snodin, Ron Walker and Ray Harrison.

Clarrie Jordan holds the club record for goals scored in a season with 42 league (Div 3N) plus 2 FA Cup goals in 1946-47. In that sensational record-

Name Seasons Lge Other As Sub Lge FAC FLC Other Total Str RateT.Keetley 1923-28 231 10 0 180 6 0 0 186 0.772A.Jeffrey 1954-56 & 63-68 262 33 2 127 8 4 0 139 0.471B.Tindill 1946-57 401 28 0 124 9 0 0 133 0.310P.Kitchen 1970-76 228 28 7 89 9 7 0 105 0.410B.O'Callaghan 1973-77 187 25 3 65 2 10 0 77 0.363C.Booth 1962-63 88 13 0 57 3 2 0 62 0.614G.Snodin 1977-84 & 98 310 35 25 59 1 1 1 62 0.180C.Douglas 1981-85 & 88-92 404 64 24 53 4 5 0 62 0.132P.Doherty 1949-52 103 7 0 57 3 0 0 60 0.545P.Todd 1946-49 160 12 0 50 8 0 0 58 0.337P.Heffernan 2005-10 127 33 51 36 4 4 10 54 0.338S.Burton 1932-38 196 8 0 50 2 0 2 54 0.265A.Turner 1933-36 119 3 0 51 1 0 1 53 0.434R.Harrison 1949-53 126 9 0 48 3 0 0 51 0.378C.Jordan 1946-47 60 7 0 48 2 0 0 50 0.746R.Walker 1952-60 240 17 0 47 1 2 0 50 0.195

Other includes Playoffs, AMC/JPT, Div3N Chall Cup, FA Group Cup, FA Trophy, Football Conference Cupbut NOT Sheffield County Cup, Abandoned and annulled matches

LEADING DONCASTER ROVERS GOALSCORERS APRIL 2012(Qualification 50 Goals) Appearances Goals

‘Other’ includes Play-offs, AMC/JPT, Div3Nth Chall. Cup, FA Group Cup, FA Trophy, Football Conference Cup, but NOT Sheffield County Cup, abandoned or annulled matches

In addition it is surprising to find that on only 26 occasions has a player scored 20 League (or Conference) goals in a season – the latest being Paul Barnes with 25 in 2002-03. This has never happened in tier 2 or 3 (counting the regionalised Division 3 North as half a tier lower than tier 3). If Cup goals are taken into account

the number rises to 29 with the most recent being Paul Heffernan who struck 21 goals in total (11 League and 10 Cup) in 2006-07 and Greg Blundell who scored 20 (18 League and 2 Cup) in 2003-04. The last occasion prior to that was all the way back to 1976-77 when Peter Kitchen scored 27 (23 League and 4 Cup).


As shown above, a total of 7 players have scored league goals for Rovers at three different tiers.

It is interesting to note that Chris Brown might be a candidate to join this list if he stays next season.

By leaving the club immediately after the Wembley Play-off win Paul Green denied himself the opportunity to become the only Rovers player to score (and indeed play at) at four different league levels. Paul is however the clear leader when it comes to number of competitions scored in - he has found the net for Rovers in no fewer than seven different competitions with league goals in the bottom two divisions and the Conference, further strikes in the League Cup, the Johnstones Paint Trophy, the Conference Play-offs and one that few will remember, a goal at Halifax in the FA Trophy in 2002-03.

From the expansive goals in different divisions, to the much more compact feat of goals in a single game. The most goals scored by a Rovers player in one game is 6 by Tom Keetley in the 7-4 win at Ashington in the 1928-29 season. Some of you may recall Ian Duerden also scored 6 in an official first team match against Yorkshire Main in the Sheffield County Cup in 2000-01. However, given the often

emphatic scorelines from the County Cup I do not count matches from this competition in the goal-scoring records in these articles.

Albert Turner scored five goals in the 7-1 home win over New Brighton in the 1934-35 season, whilst 4 goals have been scored in a game on no fewer than 10 occasions. The most recent of these coming from Glen Kirkwood in the 7-0 FA Cup home win over Crook Town in 1999-2000. Of these 10 four-goal hauls, no fewer than four of them were by Tom Keetley, the only player to score 4 or more goals in a game more than once for the Rovers; A statistic which becomes even more impressive given that Keetley managed to strike four in two successive games in 1927-28.

The other five players who can boast four goals in a single game for the Rovers are Peter Clark, Ronnie Dodd, Alfie Hale, Alick Jeffrey and Mick Kilhoury. In addition to the twelve occasions above of 4 or more goals being scored there have been a further 82 hat-tricks struck by Rovers players. The most recent of these are of course James Coppinger’s memorable trebles against Southend and Norwich.

Unsurprisingly Tom Keetley leads the way with 10 hat-tricks to add to his

WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND // CONTINUED


four quadruples and one double hat-trick. He is followed by Alick Jeffrey with six (including 1 quadruple) and Clarrie Jordan with four. Five players can boast a hat-trick of hat-tricks for Doncaster, namely Peter Doherty, Ian Duerden (not counting the Sheffield County Cup double hat-trick), Peter Kitchen, Albert Turner and Tom Keetley’s brother Harold.

On 25 occasions a Rovers player has scored in 5 or more consecutive league games, with the longest sequence being 10 matches by Clarrie Jordan in 1946-47. The most recent occasions have been 6 by Billy Sharp in 2009-10 and 5 by James Hayter in 2010-11. This was after a gap of about 30 years since the previous occasion of 5 was by Ian Nimmo in 1980-81 and the previous occasion of 6 or more was by Peter Kitchen in 1976-77.

To finish our look at goalscoring a couple of miscellaneous random oddities:

Greg Blundell’s first four goals for the club were against opposition of four different levels. Blundell’s first goal

was Rovers last goal in the Conference against Hereford (tier 5); followed by Rovers’ first goal back in the league against Leyton Orient (tier 4). Blundell’s third was in the League Cup against Grimsby (tier 3) and his fourth goal came in the next round of the League Cup against Crystal Palace (tier 2).

And lastly Brian Stock’s first four goals for the club came in four different competitions, all in 2006-07. He began with a strike against Derby in the League Cup, whilst his next goal came away at Mansfield in the FA Cup. Stock’s third goal for Rovers was his first league goal, struck at Gillingham, whilst his fourth was a glorious drive away at Crewe in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

Caveat: The figures quoted in this article are not official. Dutch Uncle uses many sources including club handbooks, Rothmans/Sky annuals, and best of all the Official Rovers History by Bluff & Watson. In particular there are many instances of conflicting records of goalscorers, often involving possible own goals. For definitive data on Doncaster Rovers we refer any reader to Barry Watson. BW

Saunders P.I.The ongoing adventures of

The slowest and most trusting Detective aroundEpisode 2: The Boat Race “Trenton Oldfield tells

me he wasn’t in the water and I believe him... ...my investigations are still ongoing.”


Whoever said being a Doncaster Rovers fan was easy? For the first time since 1997-98 it is our lot to experience relegation. On the positive side, we’ve had a wonderful rise since those dark days, won three promotions and played at Cardiff and Wembley. Some day we were going to hit a bump in the road and this is it. Nevertheless, there is that nagging fear that relegation may be the start of something really nasty, and whether that fear is justified will be discovered in the coming months. However, we’ve been here before, and just to show that there’s nothing new under the sun I’ve chosen a selection of Rovers’ seasons past which were as bad as, if not worse than, the one just gone. My “Room 101” of the inglorious years doesn’t even include 1997-98, even though it more than deserves its place there. However, Glen’s excellent summary which appeared in the last popular STAND means there is no need to go over that patch of rotten ground again.

Possibly the only season that could rival 1997-98 for sheer awfulness. There were reasons, though. In 1903 after two years in the Football League, Rovers were not re-elected, unfortunate victims of a policy that favoured those towns (Bradford, Stockport) that had professional rugby sides over those who didn’t. Most of their better players left and Rovers endured a a season of struggle in the Midland League. The Edwardian-era Rovers were not lacking in optimism and applied to rejoin the Football League for 1904-05, and were voted back in, the League clubs perhaps feeling a tinge of sympathy. If so, it was misplaced. Rovers assembled a squad of cast-offs, local league players and amateurs. They won only three games all

season, picked up no points on the road, scored a mere 23 goals in 34 games and were knocked out of the FA Cup by non-league Mexborough Town. They also came close to liquidation and also suspension by the FA for non-payment of the players’ wages. Bottom of the Football League by 12 points (they garnered a mere eight) their banishment back to the Midland League at season’s end seemed almost an act of kindness by their peers.

In 1934-35, Rovers won their first divisional title in the Football League when they were Champions of Division Three (North). Buoyed by that success they took on Division Two with relish and by Christmas Day 1935 they were second in the table. However, they won only two matches from the turn of the year and saw their popular manager, David Menzies depart to Hull City. Rovers ended up in 18th place and carried on their poor form into the following season. A 0-7 defeat at Plymouth in their first away game of the season was a sign of things to come, and at the other end of the field they were hampered by an injury to Reg Baines, leading scorer in 1935-36, who missed most of the season. Rovers ended up bottom, winning only seven games, scoring only 30 goals and having a goal difference of minus 54. Between January 1936 and May 1937 they won only nine games. Sound familiar?

False Dawn Number 1. In 1946-47, Rovers enjoyed arguably their finest ever season, winning Division Three (North) with a then-record 72 points and rattling in 123 goals, 42 of them alone scored by Clarrie Jordan,

VOICE OFTHE POP SIDE

John Coyle looks back at six seasons we’d all prefer to forget

1904-05

1936-37

1947-48


Jackie Bestall’s side would have looked forward to locking horns with the big boys in Division Two with a good deal of anticipation. Sadly the rather ageing team was found out at the higher level, Jordan struggling to rediscover his scoring mojo and being sold to Sheffield Wednesday in mid-season. A run of eight games in which they failed to score and picked up a single point told the story of the season, and only Millwall’s inferior goal average kept Rovers, with nine wins all told, off the bottom of Division Two. It wasn’t the worst season we’ve endured, by any means, but after such glory it was a tremendous let-down.

If the prospect of a “double dip” recession is something that keeps George Osborne awake at night, “double dip” relegation is perhaps an even scarier prospect for the football fan. The opportunity for such a fate opened up for Rovers, who had previously only fallen from Two to Three (North), when the Football League opted to scrap the regionalised lower divisions. The first season of the new arrangements was 1958-59, and one of the founder members of Division Three was Doncaster Rovers, newly relegated after eight seasons in the second tier. The legendary Peter Doherty had departed, a victim of boardroom politics, and his replacement as manager was Jack Crayston, a former England international and Arsenal player and manager. Crayston’s team started well, winning four of their first six games but then embarked on a run of eight successive defeats, part of a sequence that saw them lose 17 out of 21. Rovers ended up in 22nd, nine points from safety, and Crayston was booted upstairs as they started 1959-60 in the League’s basement.

False Dawn Number 2. A first Division Four title in 1965-66 was welcome if perhaps unexpected, but Rovers had a fine side with the goalscoring prowess of Laurie Sheffield and Alick Jeffrey and the skills of Tony Coleman. 1966-67 was welcomed with a

good deal of anticipation, at least until the club suffered the shattering blow of a car crash which killed captain John Nicholson and left Jeffrey badly hurt. Nicholson had been the team’s defensive rock, and without him they leaked goals, conceding a total of 117. To the fury of the fans, Sheffield and later Coleman were sold and player-manager Keith Kettleborough, appointed in December 1967, proved not to be up to the job. Rovers ended the season in 23rd and were back off to Division Four, with supporters muttering darkly about a lack of ambition in the boardroom.

It was said that the cultural decade known as “The Sixties” didn’t really start until 1963. At Belle Vue, the disastrous decade known as “The Nineties” began in 1987. The omens were ill for this season, Dave Cusack’s side having narrowly avoided relegation from Division Three after a disastrous second half of 1986-87. Gates were down below 2,000 and most of the Popside had been knocked down due to subsidence. Against that background, Rovers made a reasonable start to the campaign and managed to get through to a two-legged tie against Arsenal (which they duly lost) in the League Cup. By December they were struggling near the foot of the table and Cusack was replaced by the former Derby County manager, Dave Mackay. Under Cusack, Rovers had won five League games but under the experienced Scotsman they won a mere three more, with relegation confirmed long before the season’s end. For most of the season Rovers had the consolation that York City were even worse than them, but on the final day York won and Rovers lost, to leave Mackay’s men holding the wooden spoon.

All these seasons were times of despair for Rovers’ fans, but each time the club has risen from these disasters and eventually emerged stronger. Let us keep that thought in mind as we look forward to 2012-13 in League One. JC

1958-59

1966-67

1987-88


TO LINDUMAND BACK

New Stadium on the horizon, new manager already looming large, who do Rotherham think they are? Chris Kidd tries to find out.

It’s almost like yesterday; on a December afternoon five years ago Rovers bid farewell to the ‘old girl’ that was Belle Vue. It was a home where on a Saturday afternoon you were always welcome to come and observe the entertainment on offer on the pristine turf. Nobody ever had expectations, seasons would come and go just like the many players and supporters without much change. Rovers were notably only famous for at one time having the tallest floodlight pylons.

And yet only a stone’s throw, or a short boat ride, away a new era awaited the most unfashionable and probably most unsuccessful football club in the League. We had a Chairman who not only cared but supported the club, had bankrolled a promotion back into the league and seemingly wasn’t going to stop at that, he wouldn’t be satisfied until we made the Championship. Yet still, as supporters, there were never any real expectations that we should absolutely be fighting it out at the top of League One with the likes of Hull and Swansea, both in glittering new grounds, to make it into English football’s second tier. It was more a ride, those on board just enjoyed every turn and corkscrew.

Taking a look over the fence and into the neighbouring town of Rotherham I can’t help but be reminded of that similar time only a short while ago in

Rovers history. The club have come through administration, they have avoided being homeless by the skin of their teeth and they now carry some momentum as they embark on moving into a new, permanent home which they hope will seem them into the Championship. If you want a dose of a bit more jealousy, they even own the ruddy thing as well. Rovers have always had the enigmatic figure of JR to take the headlines, we didn’t need a big time manager to do that, so we didn’t need to make the football world sit up and take notice when we appointed O’Driscoll as manager; this only underlined our underdog status. The Millers have chosen a different tact, a completely unforgiveable tact, in appointing Steve Evans as manager; everybody in football now knows who this Scottish, mascara wearing, brown envelope receiving bloke is.

Rewind to the 2001/02 season and Boston United had come out of absolutely nowhere and were suddenly tipped for a tilt at the Football League after winning four of their first five league games. It was during this season that Rovers drew 2-2 at York Street with Evans playing the pantomime villain to the travelling Rovers who waved brown envelopes at him. Soon after I was mentally scarred for life when in response to being called a large and rather rotund man from the away end, Evans lifted his jersey up and

CJK


grabbed his battered mars bar and whisky abused belly as he again gestured at the run down, and frankly unsafe away end. For anyone who needs reminding, Evans and Boston’s Chairman at the time were both charged with breaking F.A rules regarding the registration of players. Evan’s has paraded controversy throughout his managerial career and no doubt the latest chapter in the story will be anything but.

Now it’s the turn of Rotherham to move into a shiny new stadium after enduring a suspended exile in a Sheffield postcode playing out scrappy games in an athletics stadium thanks to rag and bone man Ken Booth who locked Millmoor up and weighed the keys in. Tales of getting to the away end at Millmoor via the ten foot high brick wall corridor from where the coaches used to pull up have been consigned to the history books and now the Millers will have a stadium to be proud of and a spring board to take them forward. I don’t have many memories of Millmoor other than Paul Heffernan being wrongly sent off and Steve Roberts being shoved six feet under by Martin Butler, both

incidents in the same game on what turned out to be Rovers last visit.

And so into a new era the club proudly strides with only sunshine and rainbows on the horizon to dispel all the doom and gloom of the last decade. Trouble is there are big expectations on the horizon with a so called cordon bleu managerial appointment and a seemingly blank cheque book to go out and construct a squad that will get them Championship football. I remember the talk of ‘destination Championship’ at Rovers but there was never any real pressure from what I can remember, it was more a case of ‘wouldn’t it be amazing if Rovers ever made the second tier again’?

I wish the Millers luck; after all as much as you don’t wish to see your rivals do well, what is a rivalry if you can’t play it out? It’s hard not to be jealous of them really, there are exciting times around the corner, there is a buzz catching on similar to the endemic (yeah right) that gripped Doncaster five years ago. We can always rest safely in the knowledge that three promotions, a cup final and play off final victory in the space of seven years will never be matched.

The Miss Rotherham United Contest is declared a dead

heat in its ‘sexiest ever’year’.


BLOWING MY OWN TRUMPET

Editor Glen Wilson presents the truth, the whole truth and nothing but hopeful guesses at what the truth may actually be.

“Is this the truth?” asked a woman as I was selling Issue 54 of this fanzine. It caught me by surprise, mainly because my initial reaction was to ponder what a brilliant name for a fanzine ‘The Truth’ would be. “Is this the truth? I want to read the truth about what the hell is going on in there” she said and pointed over my shoulder towards the Stadium. “Ah, but what is the truth anyway, but a construct of how we are willing to perceive our reality to be?” I should’ve replied. It certainly would have had more profound resonance than “hope so, pound please”.

The reason I bring up this reader’s questioning, for she is real, and did indeed present me with that question back in October, is that this season has given us greater cause than any other as Rovers supporters, to question what is being presented to us. It began with the now infamous words “For the people shouting for the [Sean O’Driscoll]’s head, I ask you the questions who would you replace him with? Who is better? I can’t think of any manager that is better equipped for the job” and has never really let up.

That u-turn, could be forgiven as unfortunate; a statement made of personal belief and trust, made whilst sadly unaware that it was at odds with the feelings of the rest of the board. It could be. However, a succession of mistruths, of bold unsubstantiated claims and false statements over the course of the season, mean that it is regrettably swept up and pigeon-holed

with them. We were told one thing, with the expectation that as supporters we would simply believe it and accept it, and never question it and it’s probably this insult on our intelligence from the club that I have perhaps found most galling from the past seven months.

We have been fed many obvious mistruths by the club, on the assumption that we will blindly follow. Billy Sharp won’t leave for less than £3million we were told, a bold claim considering his contract release clause was only ever £1.85million. In mid-February Habib Beye “signed an 18 month contract with the club”. With relegation imminent that 18 month deal now appears to have been pitched about 12 months over the actual mark. Such misreporting wasn’t a new phenomena either, in December we were given “An El of a Christmas present” with the news El Hadji Diouf had signed a new 18 month deal (in principal). “The Senegalese star striker has given his word to manager Dean Saunders who declared it as: “The biggest signing in this club’s history,” the official club website told us. Only Diouf of course had signed nothing, and only committed to a new six-month deal six weeks later.

Indeed Diouf’s whole presence at Rovers has been central to some interesting PR. His arrival was used as a means to hype up the manager; “Saunders Lands Diouf” read the headline, “Dean Saunders pulled off a coup... Despite being pursued by several other clubs, including Premier League outfits, Diouf decided to join Rovers after having talks with Rovers


boss Dean Saunders.” Because of course this move was all down to the persuasive skills of Willie McKay client Dean Saunders in encouraging Willie McKay client El Hadji Diouf to come to Willie McKay project Doncaster Rovers.

In February, in the wake of the scuffle in the tunnel at Leeds that led to police intervention, the club’s Diouf PR strategy moved to denial as we were told “the club’s Media Manager Steve Uttley denied that there had been any incident”. Recently Rovers have flicked to the setting marked ‘silence’ as Diouf’s bail following a nightclub incident in Manchester passed without comment, despite the forward being pictured throughout the media in his Rovers shirt.

So what of the truth in relation to ‘the experiment’, well such a project had to be sold with big names and big promises. We had formed an official tie with St Etienne, a statement I remember reading because my mind drifted, as anyone’s my age would, to thoughts if Sarah Cracknell. Whatever happened to that link? Bugger all, indeed we probably could have got more mileage out of a partnership with the 90s indie band. What happened to the burgeoning links with other French sides we were told about? Lyon, Lorient and Auxerre?

Reported in a similarly liberal fashion are the reasons for undertaking the experiment in the first place? In September there was talk of going up rather than down; “I have not given up on the play-offs yet, and we have decided to adopt a slightly different philosophy which we feel will give us a chance,” John Ryan told the Yorkshire Post. “It was either go that way and show some ambition or stay as we are and possibly go down,” he told an Alliance Meeting a month later. By December the aims had been downgraded somewhat; “We had to make a decision whether to accept our

fate and go down meekly or roll up our sleeves and show some fighting spirit, the bottom line is we would have been relegated if we had not changed things”. So which was it? An attempt to go up, or an attempt to avoid going down?

Attitudes to the club’s position when the change in management occurred have also been revised somewhat. On arrival Dean Saunders told reporters “I don’t think there’s a lot wrong. The previous manager’s done a terrific job with the club. They’ve just hit a bit of a bad patch and it’s my job to lift them, get the club moving forward and hopefully get us looking at the other end of the table.” Come April and we have McKay telling the BBC, and anyone who will listen “for something to go wrong it had to be right in the first place. When I arrived there was not a lot right at the club.”

And still it goes on. Saunders tells us “I have not put one building brick in place yet to build my own team,” just a month or so after stating of Damien Plessis and Fabien Robert; “I’ve got one eye on the future for them. This season and next season. They are young lads and the Championship is a tough league to come into. Next season they will be a bit more suited to what we are trying to do.” So where has Dean put these building blocks?

So, to return to our reader’s question; is this the truth? I like to think so, but in the face of constantly conflicting information how can we ever be certain? What this fanzine is, and has been throughout this season, is an attempt to understand and comprehend all that we are seeing and all we are being told, and if there is one truth we can be certain of in relation to the Rovers, it is that thankfully the supporters are not as gullible as the club perceives them to be.

GWIndebtted thanks to the prior research of ‘Jonathan’ on this subject

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