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Roker Rapport Podcast: With Stewart Donald (Tues 28th May)

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They are not talking to the fans here. They are talking to investors
 
Boris Bear said:
Donald came over extremely well.

Methven was awful. Fancy not expecting to talk about the performance of individuals. It’s football not a factory.
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I get Methven's point mind, if I was the manager the last thing I'd want would be the owners discussing individual player performances before we've even sat down to properly debrief after the season, doubt the players would like it either, would come across as pretty unprofessional. Equally it's not something Donald can answer, "why wasn't Ross able to fit Grigg into his style of play" is something only Ross can answer. Donald could give an opinion as a fan, but that's not really what the podcasts are for. I'm glad the interviewer brought it up, it's something the fans are wondering and, in a way, I like knowing for certain that the owners are aware of it, but it wasn't something they could answer and wasn't something I'd want them spending long on. Methven was right to move the conversation along, albeit he sounded a bit blunt about it
 
Seaham Towny said:
Academy consultant is probably the best way to describe it. I doubt they posted it on indeed mate.

What kind of question is that man? :lol:
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He’s obsessed with Kevin ball and doesn’t like him for some bizarre reason

Guinness Guzzler said:
Great podcast, the interviewer was really good and I thought both Donald and Methven were impressive.

The main thing I'm taking away from it, and that I'll happily refer back to next season, is that both have agreed unequivocally, that automatic promotion is expected and that the excuses regarding the issues of the past have to stop now. That's brilliant to hear and it's absolutely clear. I'd lose no sleep if Ross went, but Donald obviously wants to back him; that's absolutely fine by me especially with that target being so clear. Ross will need to get us attacking more and getting more ruthless because he'll be under no illusions, even play offs won't be acceptable and you generally can't get automatic promotion with too many draws. Just hope recruitment is right and he can deliver
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It should have the absolute target this season from club and fans

It hasn’t been and I’m not sure why
 
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Guinness Guzzler said:
I get Methven's point mind, if I was the manager the last thing I'd want would be the owners discussing individual player performances before we've even sat down to properly debrief after the season, doubt the players would like it either, would come across as pretty unprofessional. Equally it's not something Donald can answer, "why wasn't Ross able to fit Grigg into his style of play" is something only Ross can answer. Donald could give an opinion as a fan, but that's not really what the podcasts are for. I'm glad the interviewer brought it up, it's something the fans are wondering and, in a way, I like knowing for certain that the owners are aware of it, but it wasn't something they could answer and wasn't something I'd want them spending long on. Methven was right to move the conversation along, albeit he sounded a bit blunt about it
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Totally agree. What's he supposed to say? Grigg was f***ing shit, wish we'd never signed him etc. Chances are he'll still be here next season. Not gonna go down to well if the owner is slagging him off in public.
 
Guinness Guzzler said:
I get Methven's point mind, if I was the manager the last thing I'd want would be the owners discussing individual player performances before we've even sat down to properly debrief after the season, doubt the players would like it either, would come across as pretty unprofessional. Equally it's not something Donald can answer, "why wasn't Ross able to fit Grigg into his style of play" is something only Ross can answer. Donald could give an opinion as a fan, but that's not really what the podcasts are for. I'm glad the interviewer brought it up, it's something the fans are wondering and, in a way, I like knowing for certain that the owners are aware of it, but it wasn't something they could answer and wasn't something I'd want them spending long on. Methven was right to move the conversation along, albeit he sounded a bit blunt about it
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Agree with every word of that
 
Enjoyed the podcast, it was entertaining and thank everyone involved in making it, RR, SD etc...

I personally think it is great having an owner prepared to do these types of things and I can't say enough good about him for the little things he does for the fans. He appears to really care for people and it's very encouraging that he is so protective about his integrity.

However, it really highlights the lack of planning, creativity and ambition of thought in my opinion.

The podcast whilst entertaining and the interviewer represented some of the fans' frustrations it only really clarified that they are frustrated and the financial points to an extent.

Methven contradicted himself in regards to "everything geared towards next season" and "building a foundation on sand". He spoke well about his marketing analytics, that is obviously his lane and Id prefer he stuck in it rather than speaking football platitudes, lest we forget the "Dortmund model" that meant nothing of the sort.

Donald on the planning front appears desperately short on ideas. Every club has a glass ceiling and those that he has been involved in prior, it would be fine to focus entirely on getting the best 11 on the field you can and that's that. Not so much here.

He didn't make what should have been the obvious connection between analytics and the scouting department and instead spoke about team performance analytics. He is happy that we have more than 1 scout, that's great but what exactly makes the scouting department better than the rest of the league? Is it the infrastructure that we possess? Has the person you have entrusted to pick how many and which people to be scouts shown an excellent track record of signings? Is he the best-qualified in the league etc? Does he study how better operators in the past have done good work?

Speaking on the academy, it's clear that the majority's perception of players just being able to leave is not correct, they're in fact tied to their terms and dates. He only spoke of two who were leaving for Liverpool, said that they wanted to leave, we wanted them to stay and said as much but it was pushed by their parents. We had one of those parents on here saying the opposite. It's impossible to know the truth but someone is being a bit economical with the truth. Either way, to speak of the kids in a disparaging way like "little Jonny" is not quite right to me. These "kids" are potentially multi-million-pound assets and shouldn't be belittled.

On a similar note to what could be perceived as a hard-line stance, I'm not sure the gravity of Maja and Taylor situation is taken fully on board. To expect footballers to be fair and jump at the chance of playing somewhere that they won't be looked after (ego massaged) is in Taylors words slightly "amateurish". Footballers come with different personality's, you will have people excited to come to the club and some that need a little convincing. Its the clubs job to judge where and how much to be flexible, the negotiating team failed on both players, costing the club millions in assets and replacing. Mistakes are fine, but as Charlie mentioned, learn from them, next time you have identified someone, do the maths rather than quibble on what's right.

I like Stewart, I don't doubt his heart is in the right place and I love the fact that he is so open about things, it gives me the chance to whine about them. I just wish he had a bit more ambition of thought rather than doing what he perceives the fans want.
 
Think he's had quite a bit on his plate since he took over, to say the least. Things like scouting etc he'll leave to other people and rightly so. They're the ones who should be questioned imo.
 
Guinness Guzzler said:
I get Methven's point mind, if I was the manager the last thing I'd want would be the owners discussing individual player performances before we've even sat down to properly debrief after the season, doubt the players would like it either, would come across as pretty unprofessional. Equally it's not something Donald can answer, "why wasn't Ross able to fit Grigg into his style of play" is something only Ross can answer. Donald could give an opinion as a fan, but that's not really what the podcasts are for. I'm glad the interviewer brought it up, it's something the fans are wondering and, in a way, I like knowing for certain that the owners are aware of it, but it wasn't something they could answer and wasn't something I'd want them spending long on. Methven was right to move the conversation along, albeit he sounded a bit blunt about it
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I actually thought he’d pushed it a bit far at the point Methven stepped in. But that was my only criticism of the way he interviewed. It was much better overall.
 
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