Fans Forum - 07/08/07 - By The Archibishop Honesty, Hard Work And Commitment – Fans Forum Notes Part One Link to Official Site FF Page Every Millwall Fans Form seems to throw up its own theme. And last night’s well attended event held in Arry’s Bar was no exception. Willie Donachie is known to be something of a yoga and eastern philosophy devotee. And his new mantra seems to be Honesty, Hard Work and Commitment. In fact they were mentioned so often that I almost expected the audience to break out into a collective ‘omm’ at times in support of our softly spoken Scottish gaffer. The impression though that I gained of the man was that despite his soft voice, he has an iron will. Make no mistake, Willie is his own man and wil follow his own course. No matter what. And that is something I respect. Chaired by the new MSC Chairman Bob Asprey, the event broke into two parts – football for the first half and then off field matters for the second. These notes are for the football aspects. The second part will follow when I’ve had the chance to write them up. Apologies in advance for the length, this was a LONG meeting – three hours overall. Anyway, sat on the top table for the first half of the forum were: Peter Garston (PG) , Heather Rabbatts (HR) , Stewart Till (ST), Bob Asprey (BA), Willie Donachie (WD) , Paul Robinson (PR) and Neil ‘Bomber’ Harris (NH). The evening began with a few words of introduction from Bob Asprey, who then went on to offer WD the chance to speak – which he declined to some laughter. Questions from the floor followed: Q – What are the attributes of Alan Dunne? WD wouldn’t criticise any player in public and he is loyal to those players who are loyal to him. AD has always done well for Willie and he sees a better player ‘within’. PR spoke up and agreed with WD. AD has been asked to play anywhere in the team at times and his team mates back him. NH quoted the seven goals that AD had scored and stated that whenever Dunney is in the team he is more than happy. Q – Darren Byfield – what is happening? WD – repeated that he won’t criticize DB. WD only wants committed players however. WD likes the squad that we have, which is full of hard working players. Millwall FC was bigger than any individual however and anyone NOT committed will go. Q – What is team morale like at present? PR said there was a collective feeling that the squad liked where they’re at right now. There is a good feeling about the place. WD interjected saying that deep down he is confident about this season. Everyone that he has here will work hard for him and he is enjoying working here on a personal level. Q – What is Richard Shaw’s role? WD likes RS and says that his long term future is in his own hands. Q (to NH) How long before you break the Sheringham record? NH said that he is humbled to have broken the Sheringham record. The one that he badly wants though is to be Millwall’s overall number one goalscorer in all competitions. He dreams of it and wants it for the fans and the club. Q – What will WD do about our poor away record? WD the #1 goal is to defend better. Hard work is key – he only wants honest and hard working players here and that is the core trait of the new season’s squad. Q – Do we have any new signings in the offing? WD laid a straight bat on this – he only wants better players that will add to the squad, beyond that he wouldn’t comment other than to praise the current group of players that we have. Q – (to PR) What has he learnt from working with Richard Shaw? PR stated that he has improved considerably with RS and WD as support. He feels more comfortable and calm – two attributes of RS especially. He can’t praise RS enough. Q- Does WD feel we have enough depth? WD feels that we have enough of a strike force to succeed in this league. The board will back him though if quality is available. Q – Does WD regret letting Marvin Williams go? WD – no. We wanted to keep MW, but couldn’t promise him regular first team football. That was what MW wanted - hence the move away. There are no hard feelings on either side and WD wishes him only the best at Yeovil. Q – 4-4-2 question: Why does WD rarely play Chris Hackett and Ryan Smith in the same side? WD stated that when they don’t play together, we win more often than when they do. It’s all about the team for WD. At this point a point was made from the floor praising the club for capturing Ryan Smith HR stated also that both Marvin Elliot and Tony Craig have sell on clauses attached. Q (to NH) How much does NH hate Dennis Wise? NH replied that it was a myth. In fact he and DW had spoken recently and were on good terms. The ‘issue’ when DW was manager was for NH going from a mainstream to bit part player. Something that he found hard to accept. He was man enough to accept that he had been stubborn though and he had no grudge against DW. Q – Why did WD get rid of Poul Hubertz? WD doesn’t want unhappy players. With the strikers that we have, PH wouldn’t have been settled. WD stated that he wants a small, tight squad that works hard for each other and for him. WD wouldn’t comment on PH’s commitment, but working with him week by week it’s his job to make a judgement. And in the end, it’s his call. WD didn’t accept a simple comparison between DB (who wants out) and PH (who wanted in). The situation with both was more complex he said. WD sounded doubtful as to whether the DB situation could be resolved. He doesn’t know what’s inside DB’s head. WD didn’t accept the charge of favouritism. He said that he wants to build something long term at Millwall – and to do that he needs hard working, committed and honest players. WD is happy with the front men that we have though. WD referred to the 1970s Liverpool side as his role model – built on a work ethic combined with quality. Q – With such a small 16 man squad, does WD fear injuries? Yes but we are constantly scouting and will use the loan system to plug holes where needed. Strong and honest players in his experience though tend not to get injured. Q- What is the story with Lennie Pidgely’s injury? WD said that LP is coming along well, but also praised Preston Edwards as the silver lining in the cloud. Q – Zak Whitbread – will he be played out of position? WD praised ZW. He sees a Premiership level defender within him. He said that he had signed players over the summer that should take out the need to use ZW as a left defender again. Q – Discipline: What can WD do to turn around our poor track record? WD is well aware of this. Most of our problems last term were due to clumsiness rather than malice. The key is to have strong, honest and hard working players. It’s no coincidence that as we started playing well, out record improved. WD doesn’t want dirty players – only honest professionals who work for each other. Q – The Academy: Would WD prefer to have the money? WD believes in the youth system and for clubs like MFC to develop their own stars. He doesn’t like some of the pampering that goes on at certain Premiership clubs though. There is a happy medium which he would like to find. He very much wants the Millwall tradition of finding and developing quality players to continue. Q – What happened to Sammy Mawene and Zoumana Bakayogo? SM was not committed enough for WD and moved on, whilst ZB does have a chance. It’s up to the boy though if he wants to work at his game. Q- Is Gavin Grant being given extra shooting practice? (laughter all round) WD liked the gag, but said that he’d heard them all already. He is delighted GG is back and wants to see him match fit asap. Q – (to PR and NH) Who are the best players they’ve played with? PR – said that he arrived before the glory days started so couldn’t really give a decent reply. NH – Dennis Wise, also Tim Cahill, Matt Lawrence, Tony Warner and Sean Dyche. Q – Will WD stick by one formation? WD doesn’t believe in formations. It’s all about hard work, commitment and honesty. He isn’t against flair, but quoted Man City’s Georgi Kinkladze as an example of a flair player that can take you downwards. WD’s target is a strong hard working team. Q- Would WD accept that there are times when he should throw caution to the wind more? (eg Bournemouth last year) WD replied that he differed and felt that maybe he ought to be more cautious! The Bournemouth game was a bad day at the office for both sides and Anderton’s goal was one of those moments that you can’t account for. Some days, are better than others in short. WD never goes for the draw though. He always wants to win – or lose trying. Q – Chris Hackett: How does WD see him? WD likes CH. A talented boy, so who knows where that will take him? It’s down to CH though. WD always feels that any player with a string of clubs under his belt by the age of 25 has a flaw that needs addressing. Q – Is CH inside the 16 man core squad? WD refused to comment at first, but then was drawn to say that no, he isn’t a first 16 player. Q – Are Spiller and Brammer the new Briley and Hurlock? WD doesn’t do comparisons. They are the first Spiler and Brammer effectively. A midfield of Harris, Dunne, Spiller and Brammer is a strong one in WD’s eyes. Q (to NH) What is your best ever goal? Watford mentioned, also his first for Rayleigh Boys Under 8s all those years ago. Also the Rotherham one this year - which he described as the best feeling in the world. Better than sex even (thankfully Mrs Harris wasn’t in the room) The same question was put to PR to laughter all round. PR confirmed that to be Bristol City last season. PR also confirmed that he is close to signing a new deal with the club. Q (to PR) How do the squad feel about Premiership players ‘lowering themselves’ to play for us? PR stated that he didn’t care about anything othe than them doing ajob for us. If they do that, then they are fine by him. WD said that he only wanted the virtues of honesty, hard work and commitment from any loan signings as much as our own. If they can’t deliver that, then they won’t come to The Den – whoever they are. Q – Is WD Millwall committed? Yes – it reminds him of his native Glasgow. Rough and ready at times, but genuine and supportive always. He referred to the passion which is the same and contrasted that with Ipswich Town. A library at times he called it. WD repeated that he is very hopeful for the new season. Q – Tom Brighton? WD replied that he likes TB a lot. He is an honest and committed individual. His injury is coming along and he has put in a lot of gym work. He can’t wait to see him back in the side at some stage – the boy loves Millwall and travels home and away with the squad. Q (to NH) How much pleasure did the Forest goal give him? NH – an IMMENSE amount of pleasure (laughter all round). NH hated his time at Forest and didn’t have a good relationship with the fans there. The welcome he received from Millwall since his return has meant the world to him. Q (to PR) Do the players hear the stick from the terraces? PR – yes. Big time. Some deal with it, others can’t so easily. It does affect the side though whenever it starts. WD interjected to say that encouragement works far better than stick any day. He loeves to encourage and hates the stick. Though he accepts that paying customers have that right. At this point the meeting took a thankful drinks break.