- 5 months ago
Ricky and Robbie discuss Rovers' first month of the season, Owen Bailey and transfers.
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00:00Hello and welcome on to the latest episode of our Rovers chat. I'm joined as ever by
00:06Robbie Andrews of Radio Sheffield. Robbie, how are we doing?
00:09Yeah, all good, Ricky. Thank you.
00:11Good stuff. Right, let's get straight into it then. Obviously, the first month of the
00:14season for Rovers. Eight games, six wins, one defeat. It couldn't have gone much better,
00:22could it really? And even the defeat, I think we'd kind of all agree, the Huddersfield one
00:26was a strange one, how it played out. But how do you kind of look back on this first month?
00:32Well, I think Rovers have become an established League One side already, haven't they? The
00:36way they've conducted themselves against teams, in fairness, who have been regulars in League
00:42One over the past few years, maybe with the exception of one or two. But in particular,
00:47the way they went about their business against Wickham, which even though they weren't at
00:50their best, was still a performance that I think made people take note. The team in Wickham
00:55have been League One playoffs, championship even in recent years as well. And that was
01:00off the back of a really dominant start, wasn't it, against Exeter and against Mansfield
01:05as well. Two different types of performances and wins. You've had the cup ties in there
01:10as well. Clean sheets have become a regular occurrence, which is massive, isn't it, for
01:15any team, particularly when there's been a bit of change in the back four, you know, whether
01:19that's been from new signings coming in or whether it's been through an injury to Jamie
01:23Steri, as we saw on the opening day. But whatever the season's thrown at Rovers so
01:29far, they've seemed to come up trumps, haven't they? With the exception of that defeat at
01:33Huddersfield, which on paper was the most difficult game of the season so far. But arguably, it's
01:39produced one of the best 45-minute performances of the campaign so far without that goal at the
01:46end of it.
01:46Yeah, I think, like you said there, just, you know, the fact that they've already kind
01:50of got up to speed quickly with the division and the demands of it. You know, they've played
01:54different teams, haven't they? Port Vale, they came up with. Mansfield, they were up last
01:58year. Huddersfield, one of the favourites, if not the favourites. So, you know, they've
02:02played kind of all, you know, varieties, if you like, of teams. And the fact that they're
02:07sat, you know, in the playoffs in those early days. But it augurs well, doesn't it, for
02:11going forward into, you know, eight games is a busy month. I think they've got five,
02:17as it stands at the minute, maybe six with a trophy game, actually, for September. So,
02:22yeah, you can't imagine it's going to be as swelled for the next two months, you know,
02:26a few more midweeks that are free.
02:27Yeah, and I think we have to go back as far as the opening day, don't we, where Grant
02:31McCann said that he was relishing facing better opponents, I think it's fair to say, was how
02:37he summed it up. And almost having to work them out, because not every week are you going
02:41to get a team who are happy to sit in and let you play, as we saw maybe Exeter did, even
02:46Wickham, to an extent, sat off Rovers and gave them that respect. You're not going to get
02:51that every single week. We saw Port Vale have a really strong first half against Rovers,
02:56didn't we? And I think it says a lot about the manager and his self-belief in what he and
03:01his staff are capable of, that they feel they can go up against anybody and get a result,
03:06no matter how they play. And they'll be different, you know, it probably will be horses for courses
03:10as we go along, you know, particularly in these winter months when you have difficult
03:14tests and different challenges. Grant's shown in recent seasons, hasn't he, he's willing
03:19to mix the squad up as well. So when there are fixtures, as we've seen so many of them
03:25in August, it's been a strange August, hasn't it? It almost felt like we were in December at
03:29times with the sort of relentlessness of it. I think now September allows a bit of time to
03:36breathe and assess and, okay, where are we now? And who have we got coming up? You know,
03:40there is some tricky tests wherever you turn really this season, you know, with all respect
03:46to League Two, you could almost look at fixtures and think, okay, we've got a couple of home games
03:50there where, you know, four or six points are a must. It's hard to really put an expectation
03:56on fixtures at the moment, isn't it? Because every team you come up against, whether it's Port Vale
04:01who've just come up or, you know, it's a Wickham who've been there, seen it and done it, you know,
04:05looking, even looking forward into September, which I'm sure will come on to the games Rovers
04:08have got. There's no easy games at this level, but that's exactly why Rovers wanted to, to get
04:14back into the third tier as much as they did. Yeah, like you said, we may as well look at the
04:18September games and obviously it's just the league one, so there's four and it's, again,
04:21it's a good balance. You know, you've got two teams they came up with in terms of Bradford
04:25and Wimbledon. Obviously, Luton in a similar bracket would just feel one of the favorites
04:30and then Wigan, you know, a bit of an unknown quantity, don't really know what to expect
04:34from them. So, in terms of those tests as well, I think, and after that will obviously be at that,
04:39you know, that 10-game mark, if you like, where you can really judge it, can't you, in terms
04:43of how it's gone so far in the league. But as it stands, you know, in terms of starts, it's
04:47been right up there, hasn't it? Yeah, it has. And I think the Bradford one's a mouthwatering
04:52prospect, isn't it? Given what happened last season, but the way both teams have started this
04:57as well, they've taken to league one like a duck to water, haven't they? And, you know,
05:02a bit of spice in there, given the, you know, the away following last year. I think Bradford
05:06are bringing a few more this time around, aren't they? But yeah, I watched Wigan as well at Rotherham
05:11a week or two ago and they're a good footballing side to get another different proposition,
05:15a team who won't just let you have it. They want to get on the ball and play as well. And
05:20Luton, Kenilworth Road, a tough place to go. You know, it's not easy. They're still, I think,
05:25finding their feet a little bit after back-to-back relegations, which is inevitable really, isn't
05:30it? They've had a tough couple of years after a remarkable rise. But I think Rovers, whoever
05:35they come up against, they fancy themselves. And whether they're going away to Wigan or they're
05:41facing Stockport at home as they do towards the end of September, I think that that belief
05:46is there. No matter who they come up against, they can give it a good go. And even if the result
05:50doesn't go in their favour, they'll come away from it knowing that they weren't far off.
05:54Rovers very rarely under Grant McCann will go into a game and come unstuck for tactical reasons or
06:00anything like that. I think the fact that the league games in September are sort of Saturday,
06:05Saturday, Saturday, it gives Grant McCann, albeit with a couple of cup games in between to
06:11manoeuvre and get through. I think those league games and having a week to prepare for each one will be
06:18handy. Of course, he changed his whole squad for the, or pretty much the whole squad for the
06:23AFL trophy game, didn't he? So it's allowed players to just freshen up after a busy, busy few weeks
06:29and get ready for, as I said, a big one on Saturday at the Eco Power.
06:34Yeah, it should be a really good game, that shouldn't it? I've just been looking, you know,
06:37Bradford fans, obviously quite vocal anyway, aren't they? But, you know, especially in terms of that,
06:42that away allocation will be interesting. I can only assume they'll bring as many as,
06:46or if not more than Rotherham did last Saturday. So yeah, it should be a good encounter, that one.
06:51But in terms of just, we'll flip over to the Cups then, because obviously, not so much the trophy,
06:57but the Carabao, obviously that standout win at Middlesbrough in the first round. And then you're
07:02thinking, right, go on then, let's get a nice draw. Turns out they've got Accrington, but that in turn
07:07proved to be a nice draw, because once they've gone through it, obviously it's the game that,
07:11obviously we've found out when the day is and when the time is for that Spurs game. I mean,
07:15that's going to be, I know, a bit of a sore point as you'll not be there, sadly, Robert.
07:20I'll save you a bit of caviar from the press box, but it should be a, I mean, that's one to relish, isn't it?
07:27It certainly is. It'll teach me to book holidays before we've checked the Carabao Cup third round
07:31dates in future. But yeah, it's one that Rovers have earned. I think the cup gods are against them
07:37in terms of away fixtures. It seems to be every single time Rovers are on the road. They won't mind it as
07:42much for Spurs, I don't think. What a venue to go and play your football at, if you're a
07:47non-Caster Rovers footballer. The past 18 months, it seems to get better and better, doesn't it? And
07:52they've got this now as a sort of the icing on the cherry on the cake, really, to sort of go and
07:57go and have a go at Spurs, which you know they will do as well. Grant McCann will go there, fully
08:02expecting his team to have a right go. And I think they went and dominated Middlesbrough, didn't they?
08:07Without sort of, you know, you're looking at the changes both teams had made. Not much fuss
08:12about the win from Grant McCann. He fully expected his team to go there and put on a show. And then
08:16it was a... Rovers went from being the underdogs to the favourites, didn't they, in the Accrington
08:22game. And for much of it, it was a little bit scrappy, wasn't it? It wasn't an awful lot in that game.
08:28The substitutes he brought on made the difference. I'm sure we'll mention one of them in particular
08:33before we're done on this. But yeah, I think Rovers have well and truly earned their place
08:38in round three and a place at the Hotspur Stadium as well.
08:43Yeah, well, we might as well talk about him now, Owen Bailey. I mean, what a season he's having. I think
08:47he's already matched his best ever tally as a player, or if not matched, he's certainly,
08:54you'd imagine going to eclipse it. He's been brilliant, hasn't he? Not just this season, since he joined
08:59Rovers. You know, every single league game he started in two and a bit seasons. I mean,
09:04it's remarkable come to doing, you know, the complete contrast when he had that awful injury
09:10I think it was like two years at Newcastle where he was out. So, you know, his consistency
09:16in terms of availability and output, and now he's adding goals.
09:20Yeah, he's a great example of almost having to drop out of an elite club and having to work
09:26your way all the way back, isn't he? When he took the plunge and went to Gateshead,
09:30having had a trial at Rovers and not being offered a deal, and nothing quite happened for him then,
09:35but it's strange how football works. And if there's a player that you would hang your hat on to give
09:40absolutely everything, he plays everywhere, doesn't he? The goals are almost a bonus, aren't they?
09:45Given what he brings to this team, he's been reliable to an extent over the past couple of
09:51years in chipping in with goals sporadically. Now he's found his feet well and truly in the penalty
09:57area. I think when you look at the type of finishes as well, the one on Saturday against Rotherham was
10:02brilliant, wasn't it? The ball in from James Maxwell deserves a lot of credit because that was,
10:07you know, outstanding. But the arrival of the run, the leap he gets, and I'm not sure what part of his
10:12headache, probably the back of his head in the end, he just throws himself at it, doesn't he?
10:17And it was a great header. I think you look at the double at Mansfield, he comes on at Accrington
10:21and gets the winner, Port Vale, not with his head on that occasion, but just arriving at the right
10:26time, getting on the end of things. I think it is now, if you include the playoff games against Crewe,
10:29100 starts in a row in terms of a league, which is incredible sort of longevity and durability as well.
10:37Now, I think I saw a little bit of the chat between him and Grant McCann before he came
10:43on at Accrington, you know, just keeping an eye on what's going on. And you could just tell the trust
10:49between those two, you know, it's an arm on the shoulder and a conversation. And he is everything
10:55that Doncaster Rovers fans want to see in a player and a captain as well. That armband is well and truly
11:01glued to his arm, isn't it? And it takes something remarkable for it to come off any time soon.
11:08Absolutely, yeah. I mean, that's quite a nice segue to the, you know, Grant was asked about him
11:12after the Rotherham game and kind of half-jokingly said, oh, well, you know, even if someone offered
11:17two, three million, whatever, you know, I wouldn't be interested in him. I wouldn't be interested
11:21in telling him, should I say. And obviously that leads us to the transfer window. I mean,
11:26not really a busy transfer day, other than obviously we'll come on to Joe Ironside shortly. But
11:31in terms of the incomings, 10 in, the fact that eight of them were on the plane to Spain or in the
11:36training camp in Spain, obviously Charlie Crewe arrived after, but he already knew how this group
11:41ticks and how it works under McCann. So really, you're only looking at the new guy, and I'll attempt to
11:47pronounce it, I think it's Toyosi Olasanya, we'll go with that, who is really kind of getting up to speed
11:54with how this group clicks and how it works and how McCann wants them to play. So how are
12:00the, you know, the summer incomings, how do you rate them?
12:04Well, I think you can tell with the way Rovers have started that they got eight in that early.
12:09It does show, doesn't it? And then you see other teams who are still
12:13trying to get into a bit of a groove. Peterborough had a slow start, McCann's former club. Is that
12:19down to recruitment? Probably. They've not got in exactly who they would have wanted to. Doncaster
12:23Rovers did. They waited and waited for Charlie Crewe. I think with Olasanya, it almost seems like he
12:28was one where Grant McCann maybe thought before the season started, we could maybe do with another
12:34striker. And then the first few games have showed him that because there hasn't really been
12:39goals from the top end of the pitch, has there? But you're looking at Owen Bailey, who's the top
12:44scorer by some distance at this stage. Billy Sharp got one, didn't he, against Wickham
12:48Hanlon, got his first one against Everson in the Cup. But it has been a bit of a struggle
12:54in getting goals from that top end of the pitch. But having him in, you know, Grant McCann described
12:59him as incredibly quick, didn't he, after the Accrington game, without saying who it was, just
13:04sort of almost talking about his attributes. And it sounds like, you know, from what we can see
13:09and the highlights that you can get access to, that he is very quick, gets in behind and is a
13:14a nuisance to defenders. But I think in terms of the eight who had come in, I think O'Riordan
13:19looks a real smart pickup, doesn't he? I was a bit worried when Blackburn were letting centre
13:24halves go on deadline day and almost thinking, I hope we get something in January. And it's
13:29not like they're looking at their lone players to recall. Because he looks a really good addition,
13:34you know, for what, 21, 22 years old. He's a big, big frame and he's settled in really well.
13:40Although Tatala, I mean, we all know what he's about, don't we? Just the calmness he brings in goal.
13:45And he was enjoying himself on Saturday, I saw post-match and, you know, being the character that
13:51he is, I think Rovers have recruited really well. Shame about Robbie Gotts picking up the injury,
13:56isn't it? And just sort of taking him a few steps back, because I think he'd look like another good
14:00pickup. But yeah, I think you look all around, it's hard to say of any sort of signings that haven't
14:06quite hit it off yet. Because even, you know, Ajayi's had his moments in the Cup games.
14:11Glenn Middleton looks like a real old school winger. I've probably gone on and named the vast
14:16majority of them there. But that, again, shows you the strength that Rovers have got in the camp
14:21and how well they've started. Absolutely. And obviously, the flip side of that is the departures.
14:26I mean, a lot of them coming in the summer, you know, big characters, Richard Wood, obviously,
14:31retiring all of Woo Anderson. And then, obviously, the deadline day was kind of one where we thought,
14:37well, if anyone's going to go, you would have imagined it a bit Westbrook or Ironside.
14:42As it turns out, it's Ironside. How do you look at that? Because I think, you know,
14:46I think we all agree was that first season, you know, the 23-24 season, you know, it was unplayable,
14:52weren't it, at times? First man to score 20 goals in the league since Marquis, I think seven,
14:57eight years. So, it's a rare feat for someone to do that. And yeah, I think a lot of fans seem to
15:05kind of feel a little bit upset about him going. But if you look at it, on the face of it, I suppose
15:10he's effectively fourth choice now with Olisogna's arrival. And for a team that doesn't play with two
15:16up top, you know, it's a long way, isn't it, if he would stick around? Yeah, especially for a player
15:21who's only got a year left on his contract as well. Well, Tramir offered him three, didn't they?
15:25So, if he goes into that last year at Doncaster Rovers and doesn't play, does he get a three-year
15:31deal at a League Two club next summer? Debatable, you know, for him to get that deal now, I think
15:36he goes with everybody's best wishes from a Doncaster Rovers perspective, doesn't he? He was
15:40brilliant in that first year, just real old-school centre-forward, some of the goals he scores,
15:45his headers and the way he throws himself at everything. I think you could start to tell that
15:50it was the beginning of the end, I think, in the early exchange of this season, not to be even
15:53included in a matchday squad in the league. At Accrington, he was almost brought on late
15:59on it when Rovers had gone in front, wasn't he? So, the writing was on the wall a little bit,
16:04and I think that was very much rubber-stamped when Olusanya's arrival was confirmed. But he goes,
16:10as I said, with everybody's best wishes. He was great to deal with as well in terms of a
16:14press point of view, you know, a real down-to-earth lad. I think he'll be a miss around the changing
16:19room, just that experience, really. It's another experienced player that Rovers have let go.
16:25But, yeah, that first season, it didn't work for him last year, did it? Arguably, you know,
16:29he and Billy Sharp, I think, were almost competing against each other, and it was difficult for both,
16:34I suppose, at times. It wasn't until Rob Street came in that somebody really grabbed that number
16:39nine shirt by the scruff of the neck. But, yeah, I think for him to get a move like that to a good-sized
16:46club in Tranmere as well. You know, they're a team who seemingly are on the up again after a difficult
16:52few years. Prenton Park's always a tough place to go as an opponent. I imagine as a Tranmere player,
16:58it can be quite enjoyable if you've got all those fans supporting you. So, I think maybe for Rovers'
17:03fans slightly, you know, the romantics among them will be sad they didn't get to say goodbye properly
17:09to a player who gave quite a lot. And probably his goals kept Rovers afloat a little bit in that
17:16first season under McCann because, yes, it turned around and they were, you know, a completely
17:21different team in the second half of the year. But everyone remembers that goal at Sutton, don't they,
17:24when I think Rovers, had they lost that game, would have dropped into the bottom two of the football league.
17:29And ever since that day, really, it's been an upward trajectory. So, yeah, I think he goes with
17:34everybody's best wishes.
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