Ronnie Branson is new Academy manager with Ryan Kidd

as his assistant.</p>

http://www.barnsleyfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/InsideOakwellDetail/0,,10309~976092,00.html</p>

 

Good luck to him. Hope hes good at it because thats our next manager.....

 

does that mean kidd isnt daveys assistant? nt

 

Guess so, I suppose that's O'Hanlon now. nt

 

cheap option...again!

 

Why is it a cheap option, because we appoint an internal candidate?</p>

If Ronnie was the best candidate then so be it. Why is every appointment at the Club always the cheap option?</p>

Do you actually know the wage structure in Academies?</p>

Have a guess and I will give you the approximate figure which is advertised on the FACA web site for Academy Directors/Managers. </p>

</p>

</p>

 

So, during the summer Simon Davey is appointed Academy Manager amongst much trumpetting of experience, qualifications and knowledge of football in the USA. Ronnie Branston is appointed 9 months later with 4 lines on the club web site. If I were Andy Ritchie, the rat that I smell would be large and extremely smelly.

 

Firstly, why reject Wasday's approach for Ritchie? Secondly I think the board offered the job to Blackwell but he turned them down. I think Cryne was the one who wanted Ritchie out, he never really wanted him in the first place I believe, but I don't know about having Davey as manager designate.</p>

http://www.sheffweb.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?sectionid=4867&amp;articleid=1892977</p>

 

I think it all comes down to shephard. He just didnt want to lose Ricthie to Wensdi, (fair enough) he feared a backlash and there would have a been one, Its plausible that Blackwell turned us down. But I honestly think that Shephard put somebody in place that would listen to what he said, rather than an experienced manager that would tell him when he was talking crap. In plain english, a yes man.

He sacked Ricthie for the above reason I beleive. Because he said things that Gordon didnt want to hear.

With regard to Cryne, i dont think he cares about the internal workings. Hes got enough on his plate and hes not in the best of health, apparently, so stress is the last thing he needs. Hes handed it all over to Shephard. and in my opinion its going to his head.

 

Thinking about it, when Ritchie was sacked Shep layed out &pound;100K for McCann. That's &pound;100K of Crynes money basically as the club owes him about&pound;4m. Would Shep be brave enough to spend that off his own bat without Crynes approval? Thinking about it, I don't reckon so. I think Cryne is central to what happened around that time. It was one of the few times he made any publicstatements about the club.

 

Bang on....

...things like "we don't need any new players Gord" and "Tommy Wright and Ricco up front will keep us in this division".

Andy Ritchie - the master in signing players and either being their best mate or never playing them. He never had a sqaud.

Players he signed who wasted a wage:
Richard Kell
Tommy Wright (50,000 - Reading signed Doyle for that)
Kyle Nix
Tony McParland.

 

Without knowing the facts, we can only speculate.

If it was Crynes money, or money the club had generated, or both well never know. But think on, we paid the 100,000 for McCann on Jan 1st, (about the same time the McIndoe money came in. All the rest were loan players).

I see where your coming from, but i think Gordon calls the shots.

 

Of course he made mistakes, you could add Healy to that list.

We also picked up quality players for nothing, Howard, Devaney remember. </p>

Thing is, I watched Friday's game and at 2 - 0 down at half-time I would have expected a storming attempt to get back into the game second half, nothing at all to lose. Didn't happen though. They didn't seem to have the spirit ofHuddersfield away and the play-off final where you knew they would never give up and you always believed they would come back. Never looked likely on Friday. Ricco's attitude after scoring against QPR and Kay's total lack of effort for the first goal against Cardiff really make me wonderif the spirit is still in the squad.</p>

 

We should have permitted Ritchie to talk to the Pigs - it was only fair. Either that, or give him a new contract. Not deny him the chance to go there, and then sack him.

We treated him appallingly. Things aren't really any better now, either.

 

My thoughts exactly. Terrible way to treat someone.

Not surprised he was angry.

 

RE: Of course he made mistakes, you could add Healy to that list.

For me, Ricthies only mistake was having too much faith in his players. He should have brought more in at the start of the season.

 

If you remember it was acknowledged that the teams going up

via the play-offs struggle to get in new players. They are starting after everyone else (remember Sturrock saying exactly that the season before?). That and players turning us down certainly didn't help. He could have compromised by signing inferior players for the sake of it (maybe he did in Healy, Mannone who knows?).

 

Sarcasim!

 

RE: My thoughts exactly. Terrible way to treat someone.

Why was Ritchie treated so badly?</p>

He was under contract at Oakwell. We had every right to stop Wednesday poaching him.</p>

If you think AR would have got the Wednesday job in front of Brian Laws who is a more experienced manager, who also has a Promotion on his CV and also had his side at the top of the League 1 then you are living in cloud cookoo land.</p>

Ritchie was sacked because in his own words we are a League 1 side, and he was quite happy for us to go back down without a fight.</p>

</p>

 

RE: My thoughts exactly. Terrible way to treat someone.

If Ritchie had gone to wensdi there would have been a riot.

For me, its the only thing Gordon has got right so far.