February 5, 2012
Goals review
With falling snow and frozen pitches wiping out a large proportion of the fixture list, especially at non-league level, our review of former Rovers players scoring goals is restricted to the top two divisions.
In the Premier League Marc-Antoine Fortune scored for West Bromwich Albion in their 2-1 home defeat against Swansea City, which leaves Albion in 16th place with 26 points from 24 games played.
In the Championship, Neil Redfearn got off to a winning start as caretaker manager of Leeds United, masterminding a 3-0 away win at Bristol City. Ex-Rovers loan striker Ross McCormack scored Leeds' second goal in the 79th minute.
Finally, Ipswich Town did Rovers a good turn by beating Coventry City 3-2 at the Ricoh Arena, with Jay Emmanuel-Thomas opening their scoring in the 22nd minute. The win puts Ipswich ten points ahead of Rovers, but leaves Coventry at the bottom, two points behind and having played a game more. Second-bottom Nottingham Forest face Derby County this afternoon (weather permitting) at Pride Park.
February 5, 2012
Woods raring to go
Rovers midfielder Martin Woods is eager to make up for lost time after having a nightmare 15 months, during which time he even contemplated retirement, even though he is still only 26.
Woods has been out of the side with a combination of hip and groin problems which have meant that he has undergone a number of operations as he tried to regain fitness.
He told the Yorkshire Post: “It’s been a horrible time, the worst of my career, but I feel as if I have come back a stronger and better person. You always have doubts in your mind and my main concern was that no-one could really diagnose my injury. The abductor muscle was not enabled to strengthen and there was a lot of build-up around that area which had to be taken away. It’s now loosened off and I know what I need to do to maintain it and make it stronger.”
Martin is confident that Rovers are capable of climbing out of the bottom three, with past experiences counting in their favour. He continued:“We have been in it before and know what we need to do. It’s about playing under pressure more than anything. Everyone would like to be mid-table but you need to show big character to play under pressure. You have to be strong enough to go and get the ball. There can be no hiding.”
February 5, 2012
Saunders hopes for cash to strengthen
Rovers boss Dean Saunders is hoping that funds will be made available to strengthen Rovers once the loan window reopens at the end of this week. However, he is realistic enough to realise that money is tight at Rovers after the resignation of Dick Watson and Terry Bramall from the board recently, but club coffers have been boosted by the sale of leading scorer Billy Sharp to Southampton on Monday.
He told the Yorkshire Post: “We have cut a lot of money off the wage bill since I’ve been here. The players I have signed have not been earning as much as the ones who have been leaving. If the funds are available, I would like to strengthen and I have got players I am interested in.”
It is likely that the wage bill will need to be slashed further, but Sharp's departure does take their leading wage earner off the bill. Saunders continued: "There have been a lot of players to leave the club and take into account Billy (Sharp's) wages then we have cut the wage bill down a lot and I knew I had to do that when I came in. With the crowds we are getting we can't compete with the likes of Leicester and Southampton so I have to use all my contacts and all of Willie's to get players in for next to nothing. We will have to lose some more players."
Saunders explained further in an interview on DROS, when he said: "I'm looking to add to the squad and strengthen if I can. There's some players I'm interested in, but the boys who are here at the moment are doing well, with 3 clean sheets in last 4. As for Fabien Robert and Damien Plessis, it's a case of keeping one eye on the future with them. They'll get a chance to play and next season they might be a bit more suited to what we're trying to do."
February 5, 2012
Ryan hopes Watson may still help out
Rovers chairman John Ryan is still hoping that Dick Watson may help out Rovers financially, although any investment that Watson may make will be a reduction on the amounts he has ploughed in to the club since his arrival in 2006.
It is still unclear whether Watson and fellow director Terry Bramall, both of who resigned just over a week ago, want to sell their shares in the club.
Ryan told the Doncaster Free Press: “I’ve spoken to Terry and Dick and they’ve not indicated as yet if they want to sell their shares. They want to leave the club - but they don’t want to leave the club in dire straits. Hopefully we can negotiate something that will suit all parties."
“The last thing that Terry and Dick want is to see the demise of Doncaster Rovers. I’m looking for new investors to come on board, but I’ve been doing that for a while now and it’s not easy. Everything now is about trying to make sure we finish fourth from bottom. Then we can sit down and reassess things in the summer.”
February 5, 2012
Green set for Derby return
Ex-Rovers midfielder Paul Green is set to return to the Derby side for this afternoon's home game against Nottingham Forest.
He was left out by boss Nigel Clough on Tuesday evening for their game against Barnsley, due to the day also being transfer deadline day, and the Rams thought there was a chance that he may be subject to a last minute move - although that failed to materialise.
Clough told Derby's web site: "It was impossible to include Paul in the squad in case something did come up. If something had come up after we had played Barnsley, we would have had only around an hour and that wasn't going to be long enough to get things done or even react from our point of view. We're happy to have Paul with us for the rest of the season and he will come into contention again for the weekend."
Green's contract at Derby expires at the end of the season and, under the Bosman transfer regulations, players in the last year of their contract can talk to other clubs from January 1st. He left Rovers under similar circumstances just days after helping Rovers win promotion to the Championship via the play-off final at Wembley.
February 4, 2012
Match off
This afternoon's match against Reading has been postponed due to a frozen pitch. An inspection yesterday afternoon indicated that the game would go ahead as long as the overnight frost was not too severe - but with temperatures in the Doncaster area dipping to below -6C, parts of the pitch were too dangerous for tor the match to be played, despite the stadium having pitch covers on for the last week.
Tickets for today's match will be valid when the match is eventually played.
February 4, 2012
Rovers v Reading
Doncaster Rovers welcome an in-form Reading to the Keepmoat Stadium this afternoon, with the visitors two places and one point outside the play-offs, going into the game with six wins in the last eight games. Rovers have a good home record and will have their confidence boosted by the away point at Hull on Tuesday, which also saw them end a losing sequence of results away from home.
Rovers appear to have an unchanged injury situation, meaning that Dean Saunders should have the same selection of players to choose from when naming his squad. Habib Beye serves the second of a three match ban, and James Coppinger will be out for another few weeks owing to a broken cheekbone. Also missing are Paul Keegan, Rachid Bouhenna, Chris Brown, George Friend, Pascal Chimbonda, Neil Sullivan and James Chambers, although all are making good progress. Martin Woods, who made his first start in over a year at Hull on Tuesday, is set to retain his place this afternoon.
Fabien Robert, a transfer deadline day signing, may be included in the squad this afternoon.
The departure of Billy Sharp appears to give Habib Bamogo the chance to stake a claim for a place alongside James Hayter and El-Hadjii Diouf up front.
Reading have a few late decisions to make, with Jimmy Kebe (knee) and Mikele Leigertwood (thigh) facing fitness tests. Defender Matthew Connolly is set to make his debut for Reading after signing on loan from QPR just before the transfer window closed at the end of January.
Also doubtful are striker Mathieu Manset (hamstring) and Karl Sheppard, with both unlikely to feature today.
February 4, 2012
Ticket sales update
Club officials hopes of a large crowd for this afternoon's visit of Reading look doubtful at this stage. Ticket sales to date suggest another sub-10,000 attendance, with 7,111 home sales and 530 away tickets sold so far. Whether the forecast of snow this afternoon puts off many who may have bought a ticket on match day is uncertain - with snow forecast to arrive in Doncaster around kick-off time.
The match is a "Category 2" fixture, meaning that prices are as follows:
Category A & B areas: Adults £22 - Concessions 315 - Juniors (16 & under) £5
The Sun promotion of two adult tickets for £9.50 also applies to today's game, although you do need to have sufficient vouchers as printed in the paper this week. Tickets under this promotion are for the South Stand only.
February 4, 2012
Today's match officials
The match officials for this afternoon's home game against Reading are as follows:
Referee: A. Bates
Assistant referees: J. Brooks & D. Ford
Fourth official: R. Joyce
February 4, 2012
Naylor disappointed to leave Rovers
Ex-Rovers defender Richard Naylor, now at Rotherham United, has spoken of his disappointment of being released by Rovers in mid-January. Naylor had been sidelined with a finger injury in recent weeks, but it was still a disappointment to him when Dean Saunders told him that his short-term contract would not be renewed.
He said: "It was a bit disappointing because I had played most of the games up to Christmas, but things changed at the club. They have gone down the route of bringing lots of French lads in and it was just unlucky that my contract was up really. The gaffer wanted me to stay but his hands were tied with the number of players coming in and he needed to get some bodies out. But that's football, I've been around long enough to know how that works."
"It is pretty unique situation, you never know who you are going to be sat next to in the dressing room, there are new players coming in pretty much daily and more often than not they don't speak English which makes it difficult in training. But there are some good lads there and the core of the players who have been there a few years are very good so I'm sure they will be all right."
February 4, 2012
United send team for Harry Gregg testimonial
A Manchester United XI will face an Irish League XI in a testimonial match for former Rovers goalkeeper Harry Gregg, who was one of the players to survive the Munich Air Disaster in 1958.
Gregg, now aged 79, played for Manchester United for ten years after signing from Doncaster Rovers in 1957 - for a world-record fee for a goalkeeper of £23,000.
Although he was a regular in the Manchester United side, Gregg only won an FA Cup runners-up medal whilst at Old Trafford, just weeks after the Munich disaster, missing the FA Cup final win over Leicester five years later due to injury.
No date has yet been set for the match, although the BBC are indicating that it will take part at Windsor Park, Belfast on 15th May.
February 3, 2012
Diouf signs until end of season
Rovers striker El-Hadjii Diouf has signed an extension to his contract and will stay with the club until the end of the season, with an option of a further season, which will depend on which league Rovers are competing in.
Rovers had announced that the Senegalese international had agreed an 18-month deal at Christmas, but negotiations dragged on, not helped by the prospects for next season and the uncertainty as to whether Billy Sharp would remain at Rovers.
Diouf has had offers from other clubs, both in January and before he agreed to join Rovers in the first place, most notably in the USA and Russia, but he has elected to remain in England.
He told DROS yesterday afternoon: "I got a lot of offers from places far away from here, but my kids go to school here. That's not the only reason I've decided to stay though: I enjoy playing football here, I have good communication with the manager and the fans like me here too."
He told the Free Press: “I don’t want to leave this football club until it is away from the bottom. I’m going to do everything and work hard to set this club up for next season. It’s one of the hardest challenges I’ve faced but I think we can make it.”
“Playing football is the same everywhere – you have to be happy first of all. I’m a happy person, so why not stay here? If you see me out on the pitch I’m enjoying playing my football, I like what we’re doing. The fans from here like me also and why not stay? I’m still young, I’m only 31 so why not win this challenge first and next season is another challenge.”
Boss Dean Saunders told the Doncaster Free Press: "The extra year will depend on what league we are in. He has got to keep on doing what he's been doing. He has got a flash of genius in him. He's not an out and out goal scorer, he's more a supplier but because he is a Premier League player he can get goals at this level. There has been loads of clubs interested in him. But his family live in Manchester and he doesn't want to go abroad. He likes it here and wants to stay.''
Diouf has swapped his number 19 shirt at Rovers for the number 10 shirt.
February 3, 2012
Villa release Beye
Aston Villa have confirmed that defender Habib Beye has left the club "by mutual agreement". The 34 year old defender has been on loan at Doncaster Rovers since November, but he is currently in the middle of a three match suspension after being sent off at Bristol City.
Beye made just 15 appearances for Villa since joining from Newcastle United in August 2009.
Following yesterday's news, Beye is now expected to sign for Rovers until the end of the season, with his loan spell at Rovers due to run out in anther couple of weeks. The Doncaster Free Press have reported that he is expected to sign a similar deal to that of El-Hadjii Diouf, with a deal until the end of the season and an option of a further year, dependent on which league Rovers are in next season.
February 3, 2012
Pitch passes inspection
A pitch inspection has been held at the Keepmoat Stadium this afternoon to make sure that the pitch will be in good condition for tomorrow's game against Reading. With temperatures dropping to around -6C last night, and another cold night expected tonight, it looks as though the pitch covers, which have been on all week, have done their job, and only a severe frost is likely to thwart chances of the game going ahead as planned.
February 3, 2012
Youth game postponed
Tomorrow's youth team game against Burton Albion has been postponed due to a frozen pitch.
We will let you know when a new date has been agreed for the fixture.
February 3, 2012
Voting results
It was as close to a one-horse race as we have seen for a long time in the latest "Man of the Match" voting. OK, there were three players nominated, but with goalkeeper David Button gaining 86.67% of the votes cast, there were relatively few for El-Hadjii Diouf and Tommy Spurr, the only two others to get votes.
Button had a great evening, pulling off a number of good saves and helped Rovers to keep a clean sheet, earning a much-needed point which ended a long run of away defeats and lifted Rovers above Nottingham Forest on goal difference.
February 2, 2012
Redfearn handed reins at Leeds
Former Doncaster Rovers striker Neil Redfearn has been placed in temporary charge of Leeds United's first team following yesterday's dramatic news that Simon Grayson and his coaching staff have been sacked. Redfearn is the youth team manager at Elland Road and has been asked to take charge until the club appoint a replacement, widely expected to be Neil Warnock, who left Queens Park Rangers last month.
Grayson, who had been Leeds boss for three years, has left, with the club statement suggesting that his coaching staff have also left. We presume, in that case, that former Rovers players Glynn Snodin and Ian Miller have also left the club.
The move by controversial Leeds owner Ken Bates came just the day after Leeds had lost 4-1 at home to Birmingham City, with the club currently in 10th place in the Championship table.
February 2, 2012
Maxfield to be replaced at Buxton
Former Rovers defender Scott Maxfield is to be replaced as manager of Evo-Stik League club Buxton after failing to improve the fortunes of the club, who have now won just once in their last 16 games, which leaves them in the relegation places and five points away from safety.
Maxfield has been acting as player/manager since mid-November, but the club now feel that they must make a change early enough to give a new manager time to mastermind an escape from relegation.
Buxton chairman Tony Tomlinson said: "Scott Maxfield has been in charge since John Reed’s departure in mid-November when the club was already occupying one of the relegation places. After a further ten league matches we are still in trouble but with one-third of the season’s fixtures remaining, there is still time for us to escape. ‘Maxi’ and Chris Dolby have acted with commitment, energy and skill in tackling a most difficult inheritance of a full compliment of contract professionals with little room to manoeuvre and haven’t had much luck particularly with the loss of the two centre-halves in mid-January."
February 2, 2012
Parkin joins the Iron
Former Doncaster Rovers loan striker Jon Parkin has signed for Scunthorpe United on a month's loan as the North Lincolnshire club strive to escape from the bottom four in League One. Scunthorpe have struggled this season since being relegated from the Championship in the summer and signed three players on transfer deadline day as boss Alan Knill tries to improve their fortunes.
Parkin played for Rovers for a month earlier this season, being signed in the same week that Sean O'Driscoll was sacked, meaning that he made his Rovers debut in Dean Saunders' first match in charge.
The move makes Scunthorpe the 11th club of Jon Parkin's career.
February 2, 2012
Lalkovic moves to Holland
Ex-Rovers loan striker Milan Lalkovic has joined Dutch club ADO Den Haag on loan from Chelsea for the rest of the season. Lalkovic joined Rovers at the start of the current season and went on to start one game and feature five times from the bench, but was returned to Stamford Bridge early in Dean Saunders' tenure as manager after not featuring regularly in the side.
Milan is a Slovakian under-21 international and was part of Chelsea's reserve team that won the Premier League reserve team championship last season.
February 2, 2012
Another injury update!
It's just like the fabled London buses - you don't see one for ages, and then three come along all at once!
Rovers have issued another update of the injury situation at the club, only a week after the last two were issued. It shows a gradually improving picture, with eight players mentioned, but of those eight, two are now back in full training, with others due to do so in the next week or two.
Rachid Bouhenna and James Chambers are now back in full training after substantial absences due to injury, although it will probably take them a little time before they are ready to challenge for a place in the first team.
Midfielder Paul Keegan is due to start running next week as he continues to recover from a thigh muscle tear, whilst striker Chris Brown is working with Rovers' fitness coach Mal Purchase to regain his fitness. Brown has recovered from his knee and back injuries and is closing in on a return to action.
Defender Pascal Chimbonda's thigh muscle injury means that he will be sidelined for a further two weeks.
The remaining players in the report are likely to be out for the medium to long term. Midfielder James Coppinger will be out for at least six weeks due to a fractured cheekbone, and defender George Friend is progressing from his knee ligament injury. Finally, goalkeeper Neil Sullivan will miss most of the rest of the season due to his thumb injury.
February 1, 2012
Hull City 0 Rovers 0
Doncaster Rovers offered little in attack for last night's away game at Hull City, but David Button made a number of fine saves to earn a point as Rovers successfully frustrated all attempts by the home side to score.
The point earned ended a run of six successive away defeats, and remarkably lifted them up a place in the table to 22nd - the highest Rovers have been since mid-October, although there is a five point gap to be bridged if Rovers are to climb out of the bottom three
Dean Saunders gave Bamogo a start, and named other new signings Plessis and Bagayoko on the bench, with Shelton Martis included on the bench for the first time since he has recovered from injury, with Martin Woods and John Oster also given starts.
The game started slowly with few scoring opportunities, with Woods firing over the cross bar, whilst McLean found the side netting, but it took until the half hour mark for David Button to be tested by parrying a shot from Stewart out for a corner. Rovers did enjoy their share of possession, but they showed that they need to find a new focus for their attack after the loss of Billy Sharp, as they looked particularly lacking in potency when approaching the opposition goal, rarely managing to get into the final third of the pitch.
Button was then called on to make a number of good saves as he thwarted anything that the Hull players could send in his direction, but John Oster had to clear off the line in the closing minutes to deny Hull a late winner.
February 1, 2012
What the managers said
Rovers boss Dean Saunders was pleased with the effort put in by the players in last night's game at the KC Stadium, which earned them their first point from an away game in seven matches.
He said after the match: "It's a good result for us considering the week we have had and that's three clean sheets in four games. The boys are scrapping and fighting and coming to Hull where we have lost eight on the trot was tough. I thought we were brilliant and we battled and David Button has made some good saves. I just felt we haven't had the rub of the green away from home and they had chances and we rode our luck but I can't praise my players enough."
Hull boss Nicky Barmby rued his side's chances to score that were not taken, but urged their supporters to back his young side.
He told the Hull Daily Mail: “We had chances to win so we’re frustrated but there were a lot of positives. Sometimes you get nights like that, but I'm pleased with the way we played. We kept our heads, kept passing and kept probing. More often than not, you will win those games. I'm a little bit disappointed in the negativity around the place in certain sections. The booing at the end in sections of the West Stand was something I don't understand. We're in a great position in the league and you've seen a team that wants to win the game. Most of the supporters are a different class and they know I love them to bits. There was some negativity, but we've got to get behind the team. It's a young group and they're learning, so it's not going to happen week-in and week-out."
"It's probably the best we've played for two or three games," Barmby continued. "The reputation we've got now, teams will come and defend with men behind the ball. When that happens and you create 20 odd chances, you must be doing something right. Yes, we should have scored and made our chances count, but you don't always get things going your way in this division."
February 1, 2012
Saunders hopes to keep Diouf
Rovers boss Dean Saunders is meeting John Ryan today in the hope that, in the wake of the departure of Billy Sharp on Monday, Rovers will be able to persuade El-Hadjii Diouf to sign an extension to his contract, which runs out this week.
Rovers are in particular need of someone to provide a scoring threat, with Diouf seen as the player that can provide that.
Dean said yesterday: "I am meeting with him and the chairman tomorrow and we are trying to thrash out a deal. He wants to stay with us and we have got to try and come up with something to keep him. We are scrapping and we can keep on doing that but we need quality and Dioufy is that bit of quality we can turn to. It makes it a bit easier with Billy leaving with not paying his wages and receiving a transfer fee for him."
"He's got other offers, He's in demand. He is only 30 and he has won the African Player of the Year twice. Getting players to come to the club is a lot easier with him being here."
February 1, 2012
Goals review
Our review of ex-Rovers players to score goals in last night's matches begins in the Championship, where a double strike from Jay Emmanuel-Thomas ended a remarkable game for Ipswich, who stunned leaders West Ham United with a 5-1 win at Portman Road.
Also in the Championship, Ross McCormack scored for Leeds United in their home game against Birmingham City - but Leeds were outclassed on the night, losing 4-1, with all the Blues' goals scored by Zigic.
One goal scorer that we must mention from Monday evening is Jack Lester, who played for Rovers on loan from Nottingham Forest early in his career. He scored an 88th minute goal in Chesterfield's Johnstones Paint Trophy Northern Final, capitalising on an awful mix-up between the Oldham goalkeeper and a defender to put the ball into an empty net from close range. That gave Chesterfield a 1-0 win at Boundary Park, and a 3-1 aggregate victory, which puts them through to the final at Wembley, where they play the winner of the Southern final. The second leg of that final, between Swindon Town and Barnet, takes place next Tuesday, with the first leg drawn 1-1.
February 1, 2012
Wilson moves to Oxford
Rovers midfielder Mark Wilson has joined Oxford United on a short-term contract until the end of the season. Rovers had announced that he had been released "by mutual agreement" from his contract at Rovers earlier in the day, with Oxford announcing his capture shortly after 5pm yesterday.
On leaving Rovers, Wilson commented: "I've had five good years with the club and some really happy times - but now it's time to move on and look to the future."
Mark was clearly not included in Dean Saunders' plans for Rovers, and spent time out at Walsall on loan just before Christmas, but was recalled when the Rovers injury situation worsened. After being included on the bench on one occasion, he did not feature again, and we are not surprised of his departure. We would like to wish Mark all the best for the future, and hope that he does well at Oxford United.
February 1, 2012
Rovers sign French U20 international
Doncaster Rovers have signed French under-20 international Fabien Robert on loan from FC Lorient until the end of the season, subject to him receiving international clearance. Fabien was not signed in time to play in last night's game at Hull City, but hopes to make his Rovers debut on Saturday against Reading.
He said after signing for Rovers yesterday: "I want to help the club stay in the Championship and this is an exciting challenge for me. I'm a technical player and like to score and make goals for my team-mates. When I came to train for a few days I was surprised that the club was in the bottom three because there are a lot of good players here. I'm looking forward to getting started. I'm fit and ready as soon as the manager wants me to play."
Described as an attacking midfielder, Fabien is the younger brother of ex-Newcastle United Laurent.