- 5 months ago
Ricky and Robbie chat all things DRFC
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00:00Hello and welcome along to our latest episode of Robust Chat. I'm joined as usual by Robbie
00:07Andrews, Robbie Williams. Robbie Andrews from Radio Sheffield. Robbie, how are we doing?
00:13Yeah, I'm good, mate. I've been called worse.
00:16Absolutely, yeah. Obviously, last time we did one of these, the season hadn't started.
00:22It wasn't spectacular last week, was it? But it was solid. It was a, you know, I thought
00:27a deserved win against Exeter. 1-0 off the board, opening day. Couldn't really ask for
00:31more, could you?
00:32No, and I think patience was the key word, wasn't it, used by Grant McArthur. I think Exeter
00:38probably surprised Rovers a little bit, the way they almost sat off and were happy for
00:43Rovers to have the ball for large parts. You know, we're talking about an established
00:47League One club here who finished sort of mid-table in each of the past couple of seasons in the
00:52third tier, but they gave Rovers a lot of respect, similar to a lot of games we saw last
00:56season, you know, in the way that Rovers were almost expected to grab the game by the scruff
01:02of the neck. It wasn't pretty for the most part, was it? But I think Rovers were certainly
01:06the team looking to try and win the game. And I think they did a really good job as well
01:10of keeping the back door shut, not letting the game get too stretched, which it can do
01:14at times, can't it? Especially on the opening day. And I think, yeah, they got the just rewards
01:19for all that patience in the end.
01:21A lot of new guys obviously started, didn't they? Five debutants, you can call TLT a
01:27debutant if you like, second time round. But who kind of stood out for you? I mean, Middleton
01:32is probably one, and O'Riordan as well are probably the two that I'd suggest, but I don't know
01:37about, would you agree with that?
01:38Yeah, I think that's pretty accurate. I think Middleton is sort of an old school winger, if
01:43that's the right way of describing him, isn't he? He's quick, gets the ball out of his feet
01:46and wants to cross the ball in. I think probably caught Brandon Hanlon by surprise a couple
01:51of times. He'll still be getting used to what Middleton does and what he likes to play
01:55in terms of deliveries. But yeah, I think Middleton, O'Riordan look really, really assured
02:00alongside Pearson. I was quite interested actually before, and given that it's, you know, we
02:04know Mototala's been at Rovers before, but it was a new combination of goalkeeper and
02:09centre-halves, wasn't it? All three brought in this summer, but they never looked in any
02:13real danger, didn't they? I think the two centre-halves in particular look to have
02:16struck up a good partnership already. Rovers, of course, have still got Jay
02:21McGrath waiting in the wings and able to come in whenever Grant McCann wishes. But
02:25I think as a starting place, having those two as a real solid foundation was what
02:30enabled them to keep pushing. We've mentioned earlier on, sort of keeping the
02:33back door shut. And those two look really assured. I think O'Riordan looks a lot
02:37older, doesn't he, than the 21 years he's got?
02:41Yeah, absolutely. I suppose, like you said earlier, you know, as perfect as it could
02:45have gone, the only downside was obviously the Jamie Sterry injury, and obviously spoke
02:50to Grant yesterday and kind of put a bit more meat on the bone. You know, really bad
02:54injury by the sounds of it. He'll have to wear a mask when he comes back. So that's not
02:58great, is it? Because that happened to him the season before last, didn't it, right at the
03:01start? A similar injury what kind of, you know, left him sidelined for a couple of months.
03:06Yeah, and it's, I think, so that's been happening twice, happened twice to Jamie Sterry. James
03:11Maxwell got injured in the first game last season. Rovers seem to have a bit of a curse
03:15on fullbacks in these early stages of the season, don't they? I think when Grant spoke
03:20after the game, obviously it was quite fresh and wasn't really able to put too much in terms
03:25of the detail. I know he's done that since then. But I think when everybody hears fractured
03:29cheekbone, panic sets in, doesn't it? It sounds like a long-term injury. But with the, you know,
03:34the mechanics of a facial injury, you can wear the masks and it doesn't sound like it will
03:38keep him out for an extended period, which is always the worry. I don't think he would
03:45have been able to play at Mansfield on Saturday anyway, would he, given the concussion protocol.
03:49So a bit of time, I think, to get him right. But opportunity knocks, doesn't it, for whoever
03:55replaces him in the team.
03:57Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, like something we chatted about yesterday, you know, is Owen Bailey
04:02going to start there is Tom Nixon. You know, there's other options as well. There's that
04:06versatility and that's the reason he builds a squad, isn't it? You know, I know people
04:09say, no, there's a lot of players in certain positions, but you do that because when injury
04:14strikes, you're ready and you're not scratching around for a replacement.
04:18And we've seen quite a lot, haven't we, over the last couple of years where players can
04:22come in from a cold, having not played for a few weeks, and he's comfortable doing that.
04:26And I think he's got that trust in players who maybe haven't been involved, like a Tom
04:30Nixon. If he was to get the nod, I think Grant will have faith in him. But I think we saw
04:35last week, didn't we, that when Owen Bailey went there, the Rovers didn't lose too much.
04:39Maybe a bit, you know, Sterry's a bit more attack-minded than Bailey. So you do lose a
04:42little bit out there, but you have got Luke Molyneux on the right wing. So it's not like
04:46you're short of attacking impetus. And the relationship that Bailey's got with
04:52Molyneux, you're almost just slotting in. It should be fairly comfortable. I can see
04:57why he would do that, because then you can get an extra midfield player in as well, can't
05:01you, and Robbie Gotts, who I thought was another one who looked really good, you know, thrown
05:04into it, a little bit cold early on. You're probably not expecting to be on that early,
05:09especially not on the opening day. But I think he did a really good job, and I wouldn't
05:13be surprised tomorrow if we do see Bailey go to right back and Robbie Gotts in midfield.
05:17And another option, of course, Charlie Crewe, obviously returned on, I think it was
05:21Wednesday. You know, a lot of fans were kind of pandering for that and asking for
05:26it. It's happened now. What was your view on it? Because I think we all saw, didn't
05:30we, the progression of him from last season, especially those last five or six games he
05:34ran the show, didn't he, a lot of the time?
05:36Yeah, he had to be patient, didn't he? I think his loan spell up until probably that
05:41Easter weekend would have been deemed as one that maybe hadn't quite worked out. But
05:46then he came in and, you know, after that, those couple of Easter period, or a couple
05:51of games over the Easter period, I should say, I think he was one of the first names
05:54on the team sheet for Bradford and for Knox County. And I think it sounds like one where
05:59Leeds wanted him to come to Doncaster Rovers, Charlie Crewe wanted to come to Doncaster Rovers,
06:04but they just had to wait, really, for it all to align, you know, for him to go on the
06:08pre-season tour. I know he was away with Wales as well, wasn't he, over the summer. It's
06:13one they've been really patient with, but one that really adds to what Rovers have got
06:17in that midfield, a different type, a bit more of a battler in that midfield, somebody
06:20who's also very, very intelligent on the ball as well. It sounds like Rovers have beaten
06:25off competition from a fair few League One clubs for his signature as well, which says
06:30a lot about the work that Grant McCann's doing at the moment.
06:33Yeah, it'd be fascinating, weren't it, to see how he deals with that step-up, because
06:35he looked class, you know, in large part, especially towards the end of last season. So, you
06:40know, playing against so-called better players, if you like, it'd be interesting to see.
06:45But obviously, he's got a fight in his hands to get into the team, hasn't he? You know,
06:48we spoke about the logjam, if you like, nowhere more than that midfield, central midfield.
06:55Yeah, and there is a lot of bodies in there. But I think what it shows is that if Grant
06:59goes to the board and says, this player will make us better, Terry and Gavin, they've got
07:04that trust between them, haven't they? You know, yeah, we have got a lot of bodies in
07:08there. The likelihood is I think we probably will see at least one, maybe, exit the club,
07:13at least on a temporary basis before the end of the window. I'd be surprised if all those
07:17players are still with the club come 1st of September. Just in terms of logistics, it's
07:21not easy to keep all of them happy, is it, when you can only pick three and then a couple
07:26on the bench as well. So, yeah, I think Crew's arrival is a big boost to Rose in terms of fan
07:32base as well. I think they're all, every time his name was mentioned, he was the one who
07:35kept coming and kept coming. Similar to, I think, Matty Craig probably the year before.
07:40Maybe, as time goes on, you start to wonder, is it going to happen? Because I think Grant
07:44kept his cards close to his chest, didn't he? And almost, you know, happy with what we've
07:47got while behind the scenes, just waiting and waiting, knowing that eventually he'd get
07:53his man.
07:54And that's nine through the door now. Do you think that's it or do you think it's
07:58probably space for one more?
08:00I think it's a tough one because I think the natural position that you would look for
08:06is maybe another striker. Everybody always wants another striker, don't they? But then
08:09on Saturday against Exeter, you've got Joe Ironside, not even in the squad. So it shows
08:14the depth that Rovers have got. I think Brandon Hanlon would have wanted to maybe get a couple
08:20more opportunities. There weren't that many goal-scoring chances, really, were there in the
08:24game? Not that you can sort of remember out and out. I think Damal Rajayi had the one when
08:28he came on. He's another player who could quite easily start at Mansfield tomorrow, given
08:32how he played when he came off the bench. But I think if Rovers could get another forward
08:36in, I think that would sort of round off the recruitment nicely. Maybe a lot of it might
08:41be to do with whether or not Kyle Hurst finds himself a new club. I think there were a couple
08:47of linked names on there over the summer. In terms of forwards, Grant, listening to his
08:52interview after Charlie Crewe had signed, I think he didn't rule anything out. He didn't
08:56rule out that Rovers would dip back into a market. And as always, it's, you know, if
09:00there's somebody there that will improve them, they will go and do it. They've not
09:03been shy of that. This transfer window or, you know, in January or last summer, they
09:08will go and make it happen if they genuinely think that somebody's going to come in and
09:11improve them. I don't think it will be a body. I don't think they'll do it just for
09:14the sake of it, because they have got a lot of numbers, a lot of players who can play
09:18across that front line in various positions. So I think if they do dip back in, you know, the likelihood
09:24would be that it will be for a centre forward, barring any injuries elsewhere, you know,
09:28that might force a hand a little bit. But yeah, I think if they were to add a centre forward,
09:33I think it will be one that perhaps Grant's been looking at for a while, not just a sort
09:37of last minute panic buy or anything like that.
09:39Yeah, I think that's, I think, yeah, I can't imagine there'd be more than one more coming
09:44in and then, like you say, it's on who goes. I mean, the obvious candidates are Hurst.
09:48You're probably looking at Zane Westbrook. Ben Close, I know, I think he was on the bench
09:53last week, you know, had a really good pre-season towards the tail end. So there's players there
09:58that, you know, he said before, you know, it's kind of up to them to come to him and say,
10:03right, I want to leave, whether that be temporary or permanent and get regular football.
10:09Because you don't want someone who's just kind of happy to, you know, pick up the wages,
10:12if you like, and they're not getting anywhere near the squad.
10:14Yeah. And the players in there that are too good not to be playing as well.
10:18We've seen what Kyle Hurst and Zane Westbrook can do in Narova's shirt.
10:21You know, you do play a lot of games nowadays in terms of the cup and, you know,
10:25virtue trophy. There will be opportunity, but as Grant said, nobody, I don't think,
10:29is deemed as surplus to requirements, but it will take them to go and knock on Grant's door
10:35and say, I want to go. And I think, you know, he'd prefer that honesty as well.
10:39I think, you know, rather than just sit there and, as you say, take the money and train day in, day out,
10:45knowing that you're not really going to play at the weekend.
10:47I think he would rather a player come and say, I'm not playing here.
10:51You know, let me go and find somewhere that I can do that.
10:54And I think with the Ben Close situation, I think Grant said back in January, didn't he,
10:58that he saw Ben Close as somebody who, if Rovers did get promoted,
11:02said League One would suit him a little bit more than League Two, which when you,
11:06it seems a bit strange at the time, but when you do a bit more digging into it
11:09and think, you know, there is a bit more football played, if you like, in League One.
11:13It's not sort of as gung ho as, you know, from back to front as you come up against
11:16quite a lot in League Two. Ben Close is a very, very technical footballer, isn't he?
11:21He can get the ball down and play and I think he will get his opportunities.
11:24You know, I think we might see a bit of horses for courses, if you like, this season.
11:29I don't think, you know, you're going to play against a lot of different teams
11:32with a different threat. And I think Grant said, didn't he?
11:35He's sort of excited by the prospect of teams coming at Rovers
11:39and then having to sort of figure out how you go about it from that,
11:42as opposed to just being the ones who are expected to get on the ball and play.
11:46How are you going to counteract what opposition teams are doing?
11:51Yeah, definitely. And like you said, the squad's going to be needed, isn't it?
11:54Because the games are thick and fast. I've just done a piece about, you know, August.
11:58You know, they start obviously with this blank midweek, but then it's
12:01Mansfield tomorrow,
12:04Borough in the Cup on Tuesday, then it's Leagues.
12:06And then obviously, if they get through in the Cup, they'll play that.
12:08If they don't, they've got the Everton under-21s in the trophy.
12:12So it's relentless now, isn't it, for the foreseeable?
12:17It is. And it shows why you need a strong squad.
12:20You know, if you start to get one or two knocks, Rovers will be pretty comfortable in the majority of positions that,
12:25you know, we've got plenty of cover.
12:27I think if you were to get another injury at fullback, potentially,
12:30you might have to think about bringing in somebody who can maybe do a bit of everything.
12:34I know with Rovers, I've got Owen Bailey, and you always seem to find that a holding midfielder can always do a job at right back.
12:40It's sort of a quirk of football, isn't it?
12:42They're the ones who seem to get shifted out.
12:44But I know it'll be interesting to see how Grant attacks the Carabao Cup in particular.
12:50You know, it's a game against a Middlesbrough team who, you know, Rovers will be going into that as outsiders,
12:54given the sort of league apart, but he'll want to go into that and win it.
12:58And if he does, the prize money that comes with it, that may open one or two more doors in terms of recruitment as well.
13:03If Rovers have got their eye on somebody who's slightly out of reach from a financial point of view,
13:08if you get through to round two or round three of the Carabao Cup, it might just open a couple of doors.
13:13But as you said, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, it's been a bit of a strange week, hasn't it?
13:18Because normally after the first league game is when the Carabao Cup first round comes in.
13:22We've seen a lot of fixture changes due to the television and all that sort of stuff.
13:26But now it really is all systems go from from Mansfield onwards.
13:30Rovers won't have much time to think about anything other than games.
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