- 02/07/2025
Ricky and Robbie chat all things DRFC
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00:00Hello and welcome to the latest episode of Doncaster Rovers Chat. I'm joined as ever by
00:06Robbie Andrews from Radio Sheffield. Robbie, how are we doing? You had a good summer?
00:10Yeah, all good, thanks Ricky. All good. Enjoyed a bit of sun?
00:13Absolutely, like you've caught the sun. Speaking of sun, obviously Rovers players are kind of
00:18hard at it at the minute out in Spain. I mean, it's probably not that much warmer there than it
00:22is in Yorkshire. But what have you kind of made since the business that's been done? Because it's
00:29been, since we last spoke, really brisk, hasn't it? Eight through the door so far. I think
00:36the last episode we did, Robbie Gotts had joined possibly one or two more, but it's kind of
00:42ramped up in the, certainly in June, hasn't it? What do you mean to the work they've done?
00:48I think there's been some really smart recruitment, hasn't there, in players that know the division
00:53and know the football club as well. The one that is the obvious and the eye-catching signing,
00:58bringing TLT back. I think if Rovers fans could have picked a goalkeeper to come and be between
01:05the sticks next season, he would have been right up there. I think Ted Sharman-Lowe, had
01:09he returned, would have been a really good recruiter as well. He's got a really good move to Bolton.
01:13But I think to get Lota Tala back and to get it done so early as well, I think it's credit to
01:19Grant McCann. The work that's already in place, I think when we last spoke, Robbie Gotts had signed,
01:24I think Middleton, maybe just after. But to get, yeah, to get TLT through the door, it sounded like
01:30there was a bit of patience needed with it as well, with Hull waiting to bring their own players in.
01:36But yeah, he's the one that springs to mind. There's been some other really good nuggets, I think,
01:40that have been added to the group in Hanlon and Pearson, who both know the division incredibly well.
01:46And it shows the supermarket, I suppose, that Rovers are shopping in as well. These are players
01:50who've played a lot of games at this level. Matty Pearson with Huddersfield and with Luton in the
01:55Championship. So he's been around a lot and he doesn't want to be languishing around the middle to
02:01lower end of the table. These players are coming to Rovers to have a real go next season. And I think
02:06that's one way to sum up the type of players Rovers have brought in. It looks like players who,
02:12not only of the majority have been there, seen it and done it, but there's others that are really
02:16hungry to come and challenge themselves as well. Yeah. And I think a big point of it as well,
02:21what you've just mentioned is getting it done early. I think Grant said in one of the interviews
02:27just after the season gone that he wanted the vast majority in before Spain. It's easier said than done,
02:33but, you know, I think he got seven of them joined and obviously Sean Green had that little bit of
02:38break, extended break, because he'd been playing through the summer. So to have eight through the
02:42door, I mean, that must be unheard of and all be ready and all be gelled. It was similar last year,
02:47weren't it? And we know how that panned out. So it's good signs, isn't it, at this early stage?
02:51Yeah, I would imagine there's plenty of envious looks from across not only League One,
02:57but the other divisions across the AFL as well. Just, I suppose, wondering just how Rovers have
03:01done it. But I think that preparation that I touched on earlier, the amount of work,
03:05Grant always mentions, doesn't he, that they're prepping for the next window before this one's
03:09even finished. So, you know, we'll already be thinking about January and what they can do next
03:13summer. But yeah, to get eight players in before you've even got on the plane to do your pre-season camp.
03:19I mean, I know Connor O'Riordan was the last one, wasn't he, to join officially. And even that signing,
03:24you know, another low need, but somebody who's had so much football under his belt at a young age,
03:28he's a good size as well. I've seen some of the videos of him in and around the training camp,
03:33and he's a really big fella, isn't he, for 21 years old. So, again, I think the business that
03:39he's done, the contacts that he's got within the game, and also, you know, people talk about football,
03:43don't they? Players will be bringing their mates up and saying, you know, what's it like to play under him?
03:48What's it like to play at Doncaster Rovers? And I think the messages must be positive,
03:52because these players, they want to come and play for him and for Doncaster Rovers.
03:57Absolutely. Yeah, like you said, I don't think it's, I can't see there being too many more. I mean,
04:00looking at the squad earlier, I think, I think barring any, you know, late work, I think the defense is
04:06pretty much sorted. Certainly goalkeepers are, if anywhere, would you probably say maybe another
04:12midfielder, maybe a forward on the, you know, the understanding that the players will be leaving?
04:19Yeah, and I think you can never have too many forwards, can you? But sometimes you can have
04:23too many players in other positions. I think Rovers, although well stopped, to say the least,
04:28in central midfield, probably could do with one of a type, if that's sort of somebody who can break
04:33it up, somebody they've had in the past, in terms of, you know, Matty Craig, who's done such a good
04:38job, Charlie Crewe, did a great job towards the back end of last season, and I know he's been linked
04:42with a move, whether that can materialise, remains to be seen. I think if Rovers could add another
04:47forward, it had some strength in depth in there. You know, they did well with Street, Ironside and
04:54Sharp all together, towards the back end of last season. I suppose it's finding that balance of,
04:59you know, having the right amount, but not tipping it over the other side of it and having too many,
05:03because we know the system that Grant McCann likes to play, nine times out of ten, is that sort of
05:084-3-3, isn't it, with that one front man? So if you've got two and or three strikers not playing,
05:15waiting in the wings, because I suppose the problem at the start of last season a little bit was,
05:19who was that striker going to be? It wasn't until Rob Street came in and did so well that he really
05:25nailed down that number nine position. So if you're chopping and changing or, you know,
05:30players aren't getting games, it can get a bit difficult. But I think, you know, Rovers have
05:33signed eight, haven't they now? I think if they could get to ten, you know, and add that holding
05:37midfielder and the striker, I think, you know, ten could well be the magic number for Rovers. And then
05:42it's about trimming the fat a little bit. I think there's obvious contenders to maybe depart,
05:48which I'm sure we'll come on to. Whether that's on a temporary or a more permanent basis, we'll sort of see.
05:53But yeah, I think that there will be things in the pipeline. And I suppose it's difficult
05:57in getting players out at this time because, you know, it's not until later in the window where
06:02things become a bit more obvious and teams sort of know which areas they might need to strengthen
06:07as well. But we'll see. I know, I think Rovers have done a good bit of business this afternoon,
06:11haven't they? So I'm sure we'll come on to that in a moment or two.
06:14Yeah. As you say, nice segue there. Obviously, yesterday, Sam Strong-Brown going to
06:19Peterborough Sports again, you know, another, looks like a sensible move. I know they're
06:22nationally ignored. So, you know, a good level for him at his age. And then a Bobby Falkner,
06:27which is the interesting one. You know, we had that kind of little mini standoff around about
06:32the same time we did this last, the last episode, where, you know, it was kind of,
06:38I thought it was really interesting McCann's comments in, you know, in how vocal he was in
06:43kind of wanting Falkner or certainly his agent to, you know, be aware of the sense of this contract's
06:51really good and it's an opportunity for him. I think the phrase he used at the time was,
06:55I hope he sees sense or something along those lines. He clearly did. He signed the deal and then
07:02two, three weeks later, he's off to Harrogate. What do you make of it all?
07:05Well, I think it's a really good move for him. I think, you know, being able to apply
07:10your training in a club at Harrogate where, you know, they're a well-run club. They've had the
07:14same manager for a long time now. So, you know, it's got that stability. I think there's been
07:19players in the past where Rovers' young players might have gone out on loan and a manager's left
07:23and you're almost, you know, is it the right move for him now? Because the manager's changed hands.
07:28I think Harrogate, you look at them as a club, you know what they are. They're very well structured.
07:33Bobby can go there and hopefully play a lot of football as well in a team that will be
07:37competitive. You know, they've been fairly consistent in that sort of, you know, mid to
07:42late teens position every year, the lad in the EFL. And it's fairly local for him as well. You know,
07:47he's not having to travel. He's not going over to Ireland and almost getting used to a new country
07:52and that sort of thing. So I think it's a really good move for him and a chance for him to prove
07:57why Rovers were right to offer him a new deal as well. Because, and the same for Sam Brown,
08:01I think in the absence of an under-23s team, these players can very quickly become, you know,
08:07a little bit rusty and almost sat on the sidelines wondering, am I going to get my chance? Because,
08:11let's face it, Sam Brown, Sam Strong-Brown, apologies, is too good to be playing now in the Rovers'
08:17under-18s, in my opinion, probably Grant McCann's opinion as well. So without that middle ground of an under-23s,
08:25it's a loan like Peterborough Sports where he did really well last season, didn't he?
08:28They're big fans of him, clearly, bringing him back again. I think that's great for him.
08:32And for Bobby as well. You know, Bobby's at an age where he needs to be playing football.
08:35And if that's not at Doncaster Rovers, go and do well at Harrogate. And all of a sudden,
08:39if he does well in the first six months of his loan, who knows where Rovers will be in January.
08:43If there's a couple of injuries, it may well be that he ends up back at Rovers and a chance to impress there.
08:48So I think a really good opportunity is the way I'd describe it for both of these players.
08:52Yeah, absolutely. I agree. Certainly with Strong Brown as well, you know,
08:56if he impresses at Peterborough first half of the season, you know,
08:59what's to say he doesn't step up again to the National League? So it's a good opportunity for him.
09:05And like we said earlier, you know, it's inevitable more departures are going to follow.
09:10Kyle Hurst is an interesting one, isn't he? I mean, there's nothing to suggest that,
09:15you know, he is on the way out, but being left out of that Spain tour,
09:19sorry, that week-long tour, week-long training camp in Spain says a lot, doesn't it?
09:24Yeah. And, you know, unless there's a reason that we're not aware of for why he's not travelled,
09:31the signs would point towards something in the pipeline in the same way that Bobby,
09:36you know, has now gone on loan. So he's another one who needs to play football.
09:39He's far too good a player to be sat on the sidelines waiting for his chance.
09:44I know his loan up in Scotland started well, maybe petered out a little bit, didn't it?
09:49But we've seen flashes, haven't we, in the few years that Kyle Hurst has been a Rovers player.
09:53Maybe not often enough, but we've certainly seen enough to show he can, you know,
09:57if it was a League Two club that were to come in for him, I think he'd be more than good enough
10:01to go and do that. You know, he might still come back into the fold.
10:04It's maybe one of those where Grant McCann's given him that opportunity to go and have a look and
10:09see what options are out there for him. He signed that new deal, didn't he, before he went out on loan,
10:13which has put Rovers in a stronger position. You know, he's their player, so they can almost
10:17decide what's the next step for him. But yeah, I think the fact that he's not travelled, unless,
10:23as I said, there's something that's another, a separate issue that we're not aware of,
10:27would point towards him potentially being one of those that are almost surplus to requirements.
10:33Absolutely. I'm sure it'll all come out in the wash, not too distant future.
10:37We'll just get on to, obviously, the fixtures then. I know some people have got strong opinions
10:41about Tom. Tom Biltcliffe, obviously, used to be of the opinion where he'd play everyone home and
10:46away twice. He'd actually play everyone home and away, I should say. What's your thoughts on it?
10:51Was there excitement? Were you bothered?
10:54No, definitely excitement. I think more so because Rovers are going into a new division. I think
10:58having been another year in League Two and you're looking at some of the potential trips in there,
11:03maybe it wouldn't have carried as much excitement. But I think going into a new league, you've got
11:08a few grounds that you've not been to in a while, one or two, such as Cardiff, that I've never been
11:13to. So you're thinking, oh, I might be able to potentially tick that one off. Yeah, I think being
11:18in a new league, it was always going to be exciting. You're almost hoping that you avoid the teams you've
11:23come up with because, you know, you've played them a couple of times. I know Rovers have got
11:26Bradford early, haven't they? So not quite the opening couple of fixtures. I think Exeter at home
11:31represents a good opportunity for Rovers. And, you know, Exeter will probably be thinking the same,
11:37that they're, you know, facing one of the newly promoted clubs. But I think Rovers will see that as
11:43a good chance to get off to a good start and show a bit of intent that we're not here just to sort
11:48of make the numbers up. And I think that when you look at the fixtures, you know, you look for
11:53the local derbies, don't you, which there are plenty of this season. Rovers face Huddersfield
11:58quite early, Rotherham quite early, a little trip to Mansfield as well. So many local games this year.
12:04I think, and what I would say is, I think the Tuesday night fixtures have been fairly kind
12:09to Rovers as well. I think the couple of away ones, Bolton and Huddersfield, you know,
12:13not a million miles away if you can avoid the M62 traffic on a trip to Bolton.
12:18But I think, yeah, I think there's some really mouthwatering trips in there.
12:23December to January looks quite a difficult one on paper. I think Rovers will be,
12:28they'll probably have a much better idea, having come out of that, of where they're looking,
12:33you know, are we going towards the top half and pushing to see what we can do? Or are we sort of
12:39happy with where we're at? There's some really mouthwatering ties in there. I'm not quite sure
12:44about Blackpool away on Boxing Day though, Ricky. I must say, we might have to take a few layers
12:48to that.
12:49Yeah. Not the beach weather, will it? Hopefully it won't be Baltic. Just lastly then, how do you
12:56kind of, you know, you look at the turmoil, you know, the club not too far away from Donny,
13:01and you look at everything that's happening this summer, the business is done early.
13:05They're kind of, they're ahead of the curve, aren't they, in a lot of things. You know,
13:09off the field, you've got the gym and medical facilities at Cantlie that's, by all accounts,
13:15are well on track. It just seems as though it's a club that's got everything going right for it
13:21at the minute.
13:23Yeah, when you look at where Rovers were when Grant McCann came back to the club, you know,
13:27it almost seemed like it was only going in one direction, didn't it? And that trap door towards
13:32the National League was ever looming. I think, inevitably, when he came in, there were certain
13:38things that had to happen off the pitch as well, and certain things that needed to change, and who
13:42made what decisions, that has now happened. And I think since that happened, probably from
13:48six months into his second spell, it's been an upward curve pretty much, hasn't it? There was
13:53a heartbreak of not going up, season before last now. But I think the way they react to, and the way
14:00Grant goes about his business as well, there's a clear sort of working relationship, isn't there,
14:04between himself, between Gavin Baldwin and Terry Bramble as well. That is sort of streamlined now.
14:10There's no second guesses. There's no surprises. Everybody knows what their role is. And I think
14:15the message from the owner is, you know, there's not unlimited funds for Grant McCann. You know,
14:20we know that. It's never going to be an unlimited budget that blows everybody out of the water.
14:25But they are competitive, and they are wise with where they spend it as well. I think you see it in
14:30some of the Premier League clubs. I think, I know Liverpool have gone big this summer, but I heard
14:34a sort of journalist talking about them. And I think that the mantra from their owners are,
14:38you know, you can't spend it twice. So spend it longer. And I think that's exactly what Doncaster
14:43Rovers have done. Not just this summer, but last summer as well. When you look at some of the recruits,
14:47you know, not necessarily big transfer fees, but picking players up who, you know, may have been on
14:52good money previously in their career, but they want to come to Doncaster Rovers now because
14:56they can see the trend and they can see that it's a club going places again, things happening off the
15:01field. You know, I think Grant said a couple of times, hasn't he, that in his first spell,
15:05he'd almost avoid the training ground. He wouldn't take a place to see Bradley Park. Whereas now,
15:10he will take them because he can say, you know, look at this, this is what's going on. So it's,
15:15yeah, it's very wise. And I think backing the manager and trusting him as well. If he says,
15:20this is what we need, he's only saying it from a good place. So yeah, it's positive times.
15:25And I think Rovers fans have got every ride to be excited about what's happening now
15:29and what could happen in the future as well.
15:31So yeah, I agree with everything you said there. I think it's future-proofing as well,
15:35isn't it? And you know, if you've got a good training ground, you know, everyone seems to say
15:41players spend the vast majority of their time there. You know, you're only at a stadium twice a month,
15:46if that, you know, three times a month. So Monday to Friday, majority of the time,
15:51they're at the training ground. If that facility is good and, you know, it's a nice setup and you
15:56feel relaxed and comfortable, then by all accounts, you know, you should enjoy your work more and it
16:01should be more enjoyable. And I think that all feeds into, you know, the kind of long-term planning
16:06that the club are doing.
16:09Yeah, it does. And as I said sort of earlier on when discussing, you know, the new signings coming
16:12in, people talking football, don't they? You know, there'll be players there now. We've got friends
16:16at different clubs and they'll say, you know, what's it like at Rovers? You know, what's the
16:20training ground like? What are the people like? And if that's positive, then you never know what's
16:25going to happen in two, three transfer windows time when Rovers are recruiting. Listen, we've spent this
16:29much money on a new gym. We've had this done, you know, the medical facilities. Because, you know,
16:33we've seen over the years, Rovers have struggled with injuries quite excessively in some seasons.
16:38I look back to when Richie Wellens was here and it almost seemed like something was going wrong,
16:44clearly, with injuries. There was injury after injury and even players who were returning were
16:49getting injured again. I think if you speak to Ben Close about that, that would be his first season
16:53at the club. And I think there was just something not right, whatever it was. But since then,
17:00I think Dave Rennie's got a big part to play in that as well, in sort of knowing the right things
17:05to do, how to manage people, how to manage players, and getting the facilities right, ultimately.
17:10You know, if you want to be challenging and going up the divisions, what you do off the pitch has to
17:15replicate that. Absolutely. It certainly does. Right, cheers for that, Robbie. We will do another
17:20one of these, hopefully a bit more regularly now that the season's kind of creeping towards us. We'll do
17:26one in a couple of weeks, I think, when we're kind of in the midst of a free season. A couple
17:30of long jolts, Gateshead, Dunstable, sorry, MK Dunstable as well, which is a bit of a,
17:36could do a swerve in that one, to be honest, but it is what it is. But yeah, thanks for your
17:41time, Robert, and thanks for watching. And as ever, you can watch the show On Demand on our Facebook page.
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