The new Doncaster model.......

[Simon's Church]

LOL @ the last 2 posts

Very much ALOL

[Z175]

Interesting defence from their chairman...
I prefer the model of selling uor own players. Selling other peoples just denies you the profit.

Hi all,
I've bided my time to get the chance to sit down with JR, go thru' all the questions folk have been asking of late on the forum....and see what he has to say, face to face.
I should say that the first part of the meeting was JR's insistance that, given our finances, the £4m loss we are looking at, and the reticence to keep bailing out the club, JR was desperate - read PASSIONATE - about keeping Rovers in the Championship - and looking for a new financial model to keep us here.
The lack of results and the appointment of Dean is well documented too,so we concentrated on the questions being raised on the forum following this.

Take a good luck at the Q&A sesion and let's have some CONSTRUCTIVE feedback...JR is upbeat about what we are doing, he knows it might fail, but he is looking to use Willie to bolster our somewhat parlous position, maximise Willie's contacts and try and ensure we survive in this division, and kick on from there.

VSC / JR Q&A session
Is it true that the club is seeking to reduce its wage bill to £4m as reported in the Daily Mail?
Yes it’s true – but it’s a long term objective – not an immediate cost cutting exercise. We cannot continue to subsidise the costs of DRFC – we are losing £4m this year and it can’t go on.....but we won’t sacrifice ourselves just like that – we want to stay in the Championship, so we have to plan this carefully...


Just how true is it that WM has exclusive rights over all transfers in and out for the next 2 years?
It’s not true. Dean and I will look at targets and see who we can bring in. Willie has a fantastic contact list, so obviously we will use his assets as we can, but there is no ‘exclusive rights’......that’s just poor reporting by journalists...


If this is true how do the existing players feel about that?
They are not kept in the dark. We were in a tough position – we still are. They know we need to change things. They like Dean, they respond to him and they ‘know the score’. They are in good spirits, and are focussing on the job in hand.


If this is true what are the benefits to DRFC of such an exclusive arrangement.
The benefit is Willie and his great connections, coupled with Dean’s connections too. It’s not exclusive, but I think their contacts can really solve our problems.


How will this scheme work in practice? I.e. will the manager identify needs either in terms of specific players or positions that he would like filled or will he be presented with a range of players that he is expected to take irrespective of who that player may replace in the team.
It’s down to Dean to pick the team. Simple as that. He’s been offered a few players, he’s looked at them – it’s not mandatory he goes with them....he’s said 'no' to 4 already. It’s a learning curve for all of us....let’s see how it goes.


Can you confirm that the manager is completely free to choose his own team?
Yes he is. That’s why he’s here – he knows his own mind, wants to sort out our team and keep us in the Championship,


Will the arrangements with the parent clubs include guarantees that their players will play irrespective of any other considerations?
There are no guarantees really – if they are good enough, and fit into our plans, they will play.




How many of the short term signings / loan players are you prepared to see in the team at any one time?
I can’t really answer that – there are regulations, but it’s about getting the right players in....


Have the existing players been fully briefed on this plan? and if so, do they support it?
Yes they are fully briefed, they understand – and they are fighting for their places!


What safeguards are in place that would allow the club to break the contract before the two years is up if things are obviously not working.
Well, if it’s not working I think Willie will walk away anyway! Right now it’s about being positive and making things work. And if it got that bad, which it won’t I believe....Willie’s £100/week is not a big obstacle. He is nt even invoicing us for it – he says he wants this model to work, show the formula is a winning one, and we believe it will work.


How do you react to comments attributed to WM in the Daily Mail where he is alleged to say the club has no value and no fans?
Again it’s a poor representation of what Willie said. He said we had a poor fan base, we were losing money and we needed a solution to these problems. Let’s face it we have trouble filling the stadium, the fans don’t turn up every week to fill the stadium and we are losing money.....so the bare facts are disturbing, and we needed a new financial model to help us survive – even prosper with this new approach.

What are you planning on doing with the stadium, and the VSC – and, can we have a ‘golden share’ as a sign of good faith?
We won’t be looking to purchase the stadium – we are looking for a long term lease, and to really take control of the stadium affairs - as we think we can do a much better job than the SMC. Just look at the losses the SMC had and continue to have – and it’s easy to see we can do a far better job without their poor management.

How do you feel about Willie McKay bringing this arrangement into the public arena, re:
a) effect on the reputation of the club,
b) likelihood of securing players in the future on "traditional" deals
......if they think they will be pushed out by some foreign big name on loan, etc.
Willie is a character – we all can say that – and he likes to publicise his activities. The press want to vilify what he does, but he is an agent – and a damn good one. He can help us. He can make this work. He has great contacts, and now, little ole Donny – has an agreement with St Etienne – a Champions League club!!. It’s not a bad start is it? Folk will moan and groan, says it’s not right, but neither are the actions of some clubs going into liquidation owing thousands to local suppliers – or even to the taxman. We are playing it straight, trying to survive and then build, and Willie can make it happen. We have not had such an ambition or such a contact opportunity like this, so we will try our damndest to make it work. Let’s face it we could not and would not go on in the current vein, so it’s a test for all of us. I just hope and pray the fans will get behind us, and not quickly react to damn us for trying to survive, trying to rebuild the club, and trying to move us forward. It won’t just be about short term deals either we will continue to look to bring players in through the ‘traditional’ route.


Do you think the club could have done more to get the fans "on-side"? Better media management etc....
I think we are damned if we do, damned if we don’t. I’ve put millions into the club – I’m a fan first then a businessman -otherwise I would have walked away tears ago. I brought Terry and Dick into the club to help us move on, but now that Terry has pulled the plug on any more investment, we had to do something – the losses were not sustainable, yet I was – and I am desperate – no its better to say passionate – to keep us in the Championship and move us on. It was a roller coaster situation and really hard to control – but let’s just see how it goes. I’ve gone on Radio and in the press to tell folk how it is. Just don’t believe all you see in the Daily Mail.
I’ve done a press release for the Mirror which will hopefully answer a lot. The Mail would not even grant me a right to reply....which says a lot about their reports eh?


Have the board got any kind of long-term strategy beyond staying in this division for the next two years?
Yes, but let’s get this season sorted first! We can talk about this later – I’m always willing to talk to the VSC, but time is short today.

We need to sort out the ticket prices sooner – so we can engage Donny fans.....at the moment it’s too complicated / too pricey? How can we help, get input much earlier.....be your critical friend!
I believe your input is invaluable – you are right about this and I want to involve you re next seasons pricing. In fact, why not get it started so Dick and I can see your model, your pricing ideas – let’s give it a go....Just remember when we did some low price ticketing incentives we really lost money – the fans did n’t fill the stadium, so it’s not just a simple ‘cut the price’ solution - and its solved. We made some big losses there. Let’s talk later on.

Can we address the situation with whoever is leaking confidential info from within the club to the press.......
Maybe the Chief Exec should issue a memo to all staff that what they are doing constitutes gross misconduct. Then again would he even think of this? Probably not....Remember....the VSC keep things confidential, why can`t the club employees do the same?
I’m going to look into this. Let’s see.

How do you react to all the fans criticism of Dave Morris...really not Chief Exec material? A liability, rather than an asset...
I can comment on this. Maybe it’s got personal.
The VSC have an open invite to contact me – so let’s use this channel as much as is necessary. You have my phone numbers, you can call me anytime.

[Hoop Blah]

Sounds fishy. They're not going to attract more fans by saying the fans are shit.

They aren't saying fans are shit. They're saying they haven't got that many fans which is pretty much their biggest problem.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Two for Diouf as Donny went 3 up at Ipswich.

[Compo's Hat]

Ruined the accumulator by half time, fuming!

[RoyalJames101]

Ruined the accumulator by half time, fuming!

I feel your pain!

[Seal]

I say fair play to them. They are a small club with financial difficulties and they're trying something different. It may not work, but it has already increased the profile of the club, may save them from relegation, and if you're a Donny fan, when else would you get a chance to see some of the players that have been mentioned playing for your side?

As long as there is nothing illegitimate going on and both parties are happy with the arrangement, I can't see a problem with it, and it's good to see a club trying to be innovative in the face on the significant commercial pressures for small clubs in the professional game.

Long term agreed not great for team development, but again if you're a youth team player there may be a great opportunity to spend time training with some quality footballers.

[Wax Jacket]

^ some perspective there

[Ian Royal]

Yeah good post Seal.

I dislike that it's coming from an agent who's probably a scummer. It's not going to make them promotion candidates, but it might keep them up. Only issue is one of competition if there's some exclusivity deal going on. Not sure about that really.

[Ferris]

Signed Habib Beye on a 3 month loan deal from Newcastle

[YateleyRoyal]

Signed Habib Beye on a 3 month loan deal from Newcastle

Really?? From Newcastle?

[cmonurz]

One of the best songs in football that one.

"Monday, Tuesday, Habib Beye..." (to the Happy Days tune).

[Ferris]

Signed Habib Beye on a 3 month loan deal from Newcastle

Really?? From Newcastle?

Villa.

[YateleyRoyal]

Signed Habib Beye on a 3 month loan deal from Newcastle

Really?? From Newcastle?

Villa.

Fail for you.

[Ferris]

Jesus, how the fcuk did I miss that??

[RoyalChicagoFC]

One of the best songs in football that one.

"Monday, Tuesday, Habib Beye..." (to the Happy Days tune).

That's v.funneee (and never mind that in lyrical terms, the Cunninghams' week began on Sunday)

One trusts that the same thing's been done with Amdy Faye, Andy Gray, etc

[Compo's Hat]

In negotiations to sign Marc-Antoine Fortune and Boudewijn Zenden now.

[SLAMMED]

Going well so far.

[Friday's Legacy]

is it one win in eleven? they look doomed, which is a shame because they're a decent club.

[winchester_royal]

They were a decent club before they decided to become a footballing hospice