The pathetic reign of Richie Wellens at Doncaster Rovers...

It has FINALLY happened!

Richie Wellens' utter bomb scare of a tenure at Doncaster Rovers is over - he's been SACKED and contrary to what you may have seen written elsewhere, news of his departure has been emphatically celebrated by many at Cantley Park.

Whether you focus on his petulant behaviour on the touchline, his lack of self-control in his own comments to the press, disgusting and deliberate treatment of certain players (which could easily be interpreted as bullying), 'passive-aggressive' everyday mannerisms, his tenuous and haphazard relationship when it comes to taking responsibility, or just the downright woeful results he oversaw - including two 6-0 batterings, it was the correct decision for him to be relieved of his duties!

Quite simply, he's a dreadful manager who has caused numerous problems and I've no doubts that when a few players do podcasts and such like in years to come, many more stories about his terrible management over the past six months will come to light.

Richie Wellens: An absolute bomb scare of a manager (Photo: Getty Images).

Wellens' reign was turbulent and tumultuous from the outset and the problems he encountered were mostly of his own making - even down to his use of the budget which considering it's a lower mid-table one for this level, was mostly squandered on early summer signings who've thus far mostly failed to perform and live up to expectations.

Naturally, he'll still blame anyone, everyone and everything before being prepared to look in the mirror and acknowledge any of his own multiple shortcomings. He was the biggest issue affecting Doncaster Rovers on matchdays! Nobody else! Richie Wellens!

Salford sacked him for a reason and, with hindsight, it was probably a very good reason - even though his delusional stupidity has meant he’s been going round telling people he's a good manager and a 'winner' because he won the EFL Trophy there; the reality is he inherited a team already in the Final, they won it on penalties and he got sacked just over a week later! 

But don't let facts get in the way, eh Richard...

Wellens record in League One shows that he got Oldham relegated, left Swindon just outside the drop zone, and now, statistically, he's achieved the accolade of becoming the worst manager that Doncaster Rovers have had this century in terms of a points-per-game record.

Even Andy Butler (who was deplorably forced out by Wellens) had a better record and picked up more points in fewer league games - despite never having a transfer window to build his own squad and inheriting the broken mess which was left as Darren Moore jumped ship to Sheffield Wednesday.

But, always remember, Wellens is a good manager because he’s won two trophies. He's said so himself, as did his brother last weekend on Twitter, between multiple potty-mouthed, abusive and sexist remarks before he locked, and later deleted, his account. Classy!

Just one of many abusive tweets which were posted by Richie Wellens' brother on Twitter.

Earlier this summer when I wrote this article on the back of Richie Wellens becoming manager, I'll openly admit that I underestimated just how much of a wrecking ball he could be. People can criticise me or call me a hypocrite regarding my initial views six months ago but I'll point out two things:

1) His recruitment wasn't anywhere near good enough.

2) Whilst I firmly believe a manager needs time to build what he wants, there is a time to get rid.

And when the manager is deliberately forcing players into exile (then moaning in the press about a lack of available options), speaking to people deploraby, constantly swearing and being abusive on the touchline without a single modicum of self-restraint, and is generally just a ticking time-bomb who could explode at any moment, then it's the right time to sack him. 

Perhaps it's why Salford did - who knows? However, he simply didn’t possess any positive characteristics during his 199-day tenure which was torturous for most who came into contact with him.

And whilst he's now sat at home finger-pointing and blaming everyone else, many players will just celebrate the fact he's no longer at Cantley Park having multiple games of ‘Head Tennis’ each day whilst others are doing the work he should be doing.

It costs absolutely nothing to treat others how you'd want to be treated yourself but Wellens couldn't even achieve do that trait and it’s why so few people in football will have any sympathy for him now that he's been sacked.

Good riddance!

Wellens' departure needs to spell the start of wider change.

The issues at DRFC do run deeper than just him alone and a firm finger needs to be pointed towards the club's hierarchy for what they've created due to their own mis-management. There are only three directors (one of whom, CEO Gavin Baldwin, is effectively employed by the other two) and it's hardly a vast gathering of brain-power which is conducive to brilliance. Many of the problems are likely to persist whilst ever certain individuals behind-the-scenes are in positions of authority and lurking too closely towards those at the top table. As a consequence of that (in addition to Wellens' 'bomb scare' style management), the club has been a shambles in recent months and some thoroughly genuine, long-serving and loyal employees have already deserted what has looked like it may fast-become a sinking ship!

The structure needs a complete and thorough overhaul and it'd be easy to write an article regarding just the off-field issues at DRFC. But that's for another time!

This article will focus solely on football-related matters and explain to a large extent why Richie Wellens made his own job untenable, why so much of the damage he caused was entirely self-inflicted and why, in the end, he deserved to be sacked. 

I'm completely aware that some people (inside and outside the club) won't like what I write and that's fine; I know it's because I tell the truth and say it how it is because there is absolutely nothing whatsoever to be gained from lying.

Grab a brew though because it's a lengthy read...

A 'fresh start'... but it never actually was!

Anyone who has been in and around football and knows the game well enough will know things such as a 'fresh start' don't actually exist - they're a myth and when they get mooted they usually have strings attached or opinions have already been formed by what a manager has learned about his players prior to taking the job.

Nonetheless, the words 'fresh start' were muttered during a press interview by Richie Wellens within only a few weeks of him becoming manager.

Only, in this instance, it wasn't even a 'fresh start' for everyone!

Andy Butler in action last season. He was later 'exiled' by Richie Wellens! (Photo: Getty Images).

It quickly became apparent that Andy Butler (who, it has been well-documented, fell out with Wellens during their time together at DRFC some years previously) was going to be forced out - irrespective of what he could offer to the team. His ability to play professionally and also manage Doncaster Belles at the same time were publicly questioned by the new manager before he decided to ban him outright from attending the start of pre-season training.

The reasoning behind AB being given a playing contract at the end of last season (after his own unsuccessful spell as manager) can be questioned and there might be some merit from those who'll say he was only given one as a respectful yet token gesture by the owners, when it might have been better for him to depart at that time before Wellens was appointed.

However, that situation didn't happen so it's immaterial. Wellens inherited 'Butts' as a player, saw him as a threat and failed to handle things professionally - and, quite probably, took gleeful delight in having the power over his old team-mate - not to mention the indirect 'If you cross me, this is what you'll get!' message that it sent to other players in the squad. It was pathetic and playground stuff, a sign of a school bully flexing their muscles - something that would be a trait of Wellens' reign, and already spent money (in terms of wages) was tossed down the drain. It was the first blatant example that a personal grudge was being put before the professional conduct and attitude that you'd expect from a manager - much to the detriment of Doncaster Rovers who now needed to sign a replacement defender as well.

When a supporter questioned Wellens in regards to his treatment of AB at a Supporters Club meeting, he was abrupt, dismissive, arrogant and had little else to say in his response other than: "Darren Ferguson did it to me!" and "I've won two trophies so I'm a good manager."

That narcicism (bordering on delusion in actually believing he's a good manager) was even more stupid considering he said this at a time when DRFC were rock bottom of League One. It spoke significant volumes because you'd like to think that someone, having been in the situation of being 'exiled' during their own playing days, would do everything possible to avoid putting their own players through it - instead it seemed Wellens was only too happy to be spiteful and punish others.

AB's departure left a void in the 'bomb squad' which would later be filled by Ed Williams and Omar Bogle who were both treated just as abhorrently (more on that below).

Even before this episode, however, there was already a cause for concern when Jason Lokilo took to social media last summer to vigorously deny comments made publicly by Wellens who accused him of 'being greedy' and 'wanting more money' when negotiating a new deal that never came to fruition. Jason dubbed an article (which also appeared in the Doncaster Free Press) as 'fake news' but at the time it wasn't clear if he was telling the truth or if RW was twisting things.

The truth would become evident as time progressed...

The abysmal treatment of Ed Williams and Omar Bogle

It's a huge 'faux pas' in football for a manager to discuss the wages of a particular player in the public domain but that's precisely what Richie Wellens did on two separate occasions with relation to Ed Williams, prior to him being 'exiled' from first team training.

The first instance was in the aftermath of the pre-season game against Rossington Main when Wellens specifically stated: 'Ed is on what I'd say is a decent League One wage' before going on to say that he wasn't in his plans and was available to find another club. 

The second instance was in September when he stated: "These players are earning substantial amounts of money for where our wage bill sits and they’ve not scored the goals in the last 40 to 50 games that warrant that kind of money."

Ed Williams was treated abysmally by Richie Wellens (Photo: Getty Images).

Managers, fans and even players form opinions on others all the time (that's perfectly normal) but the comments about Ed's wages never needed to be in the public domain. The only things it served to achieve was turning fans against him and causing a speculative 'guessing game' about his wages, possibly with a hope that he'd be ground down and agree to leave for nothing. 

Wellens' negative words were also highly unlikely to attract interest in a player who, by his own admission, he desperately wanted off the books. However, he'd already been made to look stupid (given his initial pre-season comments) when injuries meant Ed came back into his plans and even played in a handful of matches - scoring at Wakefield in pre-season and then featuring in both Carabao Cup ties in August.

It was after the Second Round loss at Stoke City that he was banished from first team training, which also coincided with Omar Bogle's admonishment to the 'bomb squad' as he was accused of having turned down a move away. 

The duo faced a wrath of online abuse yet again fuelled by Wellens who, unable to keep his gob shut, made comments to the press stating: "I just don't get why players when you tell them they're free to move on and they want to stay at the club."

I know for absolute, crystal clear certainty that Omar never turned down a straightforward move away from Doncaster Rovers. Transfers and loan deals are often complex - they do and don't happen for a variety of reasons (and many in football always seem to be left to the last minute - ask Aiden O'Brien and Will Grigg about that!) and there are always multiple issues to consider, such as commuting, the distance involved, the club in question and their situation - and whether or not the other club will put in a firm bid or just talk about a move until its too late. 

Omar never flatly refused a move away that could have just happened at the click of a finger.

Wellens also later stated: "They're still here training. They train every day so I watch them train. They're not exiled. It’s not like I've come in and gone 'I never want to watch you play football again and you’re done'. I watch them every day in training." - that wasn't true!

Omar Bogle never turned down a move away from Doncaster Rovers - despite Richie Wellens stating otherwise (Photo: Getty Images).

Since September, they've both trained with the youth team - mostly at the Keepmoat but occasionally at Cantley Park, and Wellens certainly never watched many (if actually any) of those sessions. Furthermore, the scholars themselves have had nothing but positive things to say about their training buddies - they all follow each other on social media, have a good relationship, and many of their parents who I speak to regularly anyway because I'm often at youth team games, have spoken about the great impact both senior players have had on the group and how the younger lads love being around them.

Should any fans have any doubts as to either Ed or Omar's 'character' - or whether they were banished because they were disruptive 'bad eggs' (as Liam Hoden at the Doncaster Free Press might like people to believe considering he retweeted something recently that wasn't whatsoever impartial about one of the pair), then those fans who were at the recent FA Youth Cup tie against Rotherham United will have noticed both of them were present that night to support the young lads. Not only that, but they were warmly embraced by several first team squad players who they hadn't seen for a while along with the club secretary who was happy to give them both a big hug and speak at length.

That's because they're good characters!

The only thing Ed was ever guilty of was 'not being good enough' in the eyes of his new manager - the whole episode thereafter of being 'exiled' (and this wasn't just from first team training; it was from social events involving the team too) was just a purposeful and deliberate attempt to force him out by a manager who lacks discipline and has now got succeeded in getting himself sacked. It was ridiculous. He may, or may not, be 'good enough' as a footballer - and everyone is entitled to their opinion but he wasn't treated with base-level human respect or even common decency.

And it was all brought about by Wellens failing to handle a normal situation which will happen to pretty much every manager when they take over at a club and inherit players - some of whom they won't want. It'll happen to the next DRFC manager, the one after that, and so on. It'll happen elsewhere too - but good managers don't react by 'exiling' players when it isn't neccessary.

As an ex-player-turned-agent (who was at a game I watched in November) described the saga: "It's 2021. There are ways and means to go about things. Unfortunately he thinks it's 1981!". Wellens has also been described in less than positive terms by a few other ex-players who I've spoken to when I've been out and about at various places doing scouting/analysis work (which I do on a part-time basis) at various points in recent months.

The notion that Ed and Omar have just been 'hanging on' or are 'only interested in the money' is totally wrong. They want to play football just as much as anyone else who is a footballer but unfortunately, due to a manager who has been only too happy to cut his nose off to spite his face, they haven't even had the chance to train hard and force their way into selection. Both of them should have been in first team training sessions, earning their wages and keeping their fitness and intensity levels up, trying to achieve game-time and 'being ready' if they were ever needed to play in a game - instead they were banished.

With a severe lack of any attacking options available for selection at the time, Omar ought to have been involved in the away fixture at Rotherham United (at least in some capacity) back in August - instead two full-backs (Charlie Seaman and Tommy Rowe) were played in attack.

All that Wellens served to achieve by consigning Bogle to the 'bomb squad' was reducing his attacking options - something that was only rectified when unbudgeted money then needed to be spent on bringing Joe Dodoo to the club (a player whose goalscoring record has proved to be neither better or worse than Omar's anyway). That was more money chucked down the drain owing to bad 'man-management'.

Several youth team players were in the squad for the EFL Trophy at Scunthorpe United.

Even more recently, when injuries and international call-up's ravaged selection options in the run-up to the two cup games with Scunthorpe, both Ed and Omar were disregarded once again with Wellens again lacking the decency to even speak to them himself. Instead he got a member of his coaching team to tell them they weren't 'worthy enough' when seven players from the youth team training session were asked to join the first team group ahead of the EFL Trophy tie where many scholars were involved.

The inability by Wellens to make amends with either player, let alone to show basic understanding and manage the situation anywhere near correctly in the first place, continued right up until his demise and it's been much to the detriment of Doncaster Rovers. 

Furthermore, you only have to look at how weak and inexperienced the substitutes bench was in the defeat to Burton last weekend to know they'd have added experience and options to potentially change a game, if they needed to be brought on.

There is a motivational quote, on the entrance to a nearby stadium, which reads: "Side before self every time". Sadly, Richie Wellens' philosophy here was "Spite before side every time!" - just ask Andy Butler about that if you've forgotten how he was treated!

Petulant and potty-mouthed behaviour; it impressed nobody!

It didn't take long for Richie Wellens' behaviour on the touchline to get noticed and before pre-season was even out there were worrying signs about the manner in which he was conducting himself.

A poor manager who got poor results (Photo: Getty Images).

AJ Greaves was given a foul-mouthed 'dressing down' in full view of supporters at Wakefield and a week later, when Sheffield United rocked up and cruised to a comfortable win at the Keepmoat, it was Louis Jones who felt the manager's wrath - copping for criticism after every goal-kick with nothing whatsoever shouted in the way of encouragement or positivity. It was embarrassing to watch a grown adult behave in such a stupid manner.

A non-league football coach I was sat with at that game was aghast and when the story was relayed back to a former DRFC player (involved in a coaching capacity at another club), he admitted that he'd have handled the situation differently but wasn't surprised in the slightest given Wellens' reputation.

Furthermore, whilst watching an early-season Under 23s game, I was fortunate enough to spend time in the company of a retired ex-Premier League manager who nowadays works as a scout. When our conversation came round to the subject of Wellens, this person's view of him was that he was a loose cannon who'd just 'bully the younger players' amongst other things and that he wasn't the sort of person or character who would achieve good results. That former top flight manager has substantial experience!

And those words already backed up what had been witnessed during pre-season - the harrassing of Louis Jones in matches (including the memorable 'Louis, you're starting to really p*ss me off now' comment which was picked up on the microphones in the win at Harrogate which was streamed live), plus other stories from behind-closed-doors that have done the rounds but which I'm not going to mention in this article out of respect for those individuals who were involved.

Even as recently as the EFL Trophy game, Wellens' attitude showed no signs of dissipating as a young member of the squad was targeted just before the pre-match warm-up (with Noel Hunt alongside Wellens at the time) and called 'fatty' before being sworn and spoken to in an overly-aggressive manner - just yards away from myself who saw enough (prior to getting away from the situation quite quickly) to know the way they were speaking to him was bang out of order.

It wasn't just players that felt the abusive 'potty-mouthed' tongue of Wellens though.

Officials were given it both barrels too - Tom Nield and his assistants following the defeat at Wigan Athletic copped for petulant comments, Trevor Kettle in the Plymouth loss (which culminated in Wellens being red carded and later given a two-game ban) was another, and then even more recently in another loss at Bolton, the Rovers manager got himself booked for a touchline tantrum.

And his own coaching staff weren't even spared from his aggressive outbursts.

In one incident at Cantley Park (when Wellens wasn't playing 'Head Tennis'), he went marching over to one of his coaches shouting: "What's this f**king sh*t that you're doing? Call yourself a coach? It's f**king sh*t" amongst many other pleasantries. The coach on the receiving end in that particular incident just walked away from the situation but, to give a scale of how long these issues have persisted, it occurred in early September - three months before the board chose to act.

Even this week there was a surprise club announcement that Paul Gerrard had left DRFC with the club giving little away in the announcement as to the reasons behind his departure. They probably wanted to brush it under the carpet but there is enough to suggest it was Wellens' work, rather than the decision of the long-serving 'keeper coach who has the respect of so many.

Results (and recruitment) which just weren't good enough...

Those who have watched Doncaster Rovers on even just a semi-frequent basis in recent months will know that performances have been the football-equivalent of episodes of Blind Date.

Very occasionally, there has been a good one where the chemistry has worked and a 'surprise, surprise' has meant the team have achieved a respectable result. However, far too frequently, the games (just like episodes of 'Blind Date') have ended in tragic disappointment with the players on the pitch resembling luckless and clueless singletons who've only just met one another and don't know what to do!

Needless to say the football has been largely dire and desperate and the briefest of glances at the current League One table will show results have been awful. Many fans have even spoken of this being the worst season since the infamous 1997/98 campaign when Rovers were relegated from the Football League.

The League One table shows just how bad Doncaster Rovers have been under Richie Wellens.

Amongst some of the many facts/statistics:

- The current start to the season (13 points from 19 games) is the worst since 1997/98 - even worse than the notorious 'experiment' campaign of 2011/12 which was equally as turbulent both in the dressing room and behind-the-scenes.

- The 6-0 defeat at Ipswich in September was DRFC's worst loss on the road in 19 years, whilst the 6-0 reverse to Rotherham on home soil was the equal-worst since the club returned to the Football League in 2003.

- Rovers' current goals scored tally (11) and goal difference (-23) is the worst of any club in the Football League right now.

- Andy Butler (Played 18, Won 4, Drew 3, Lost 11) had a better points-per-game record during his tenure than Richie Wellens (Played 19, Won 3, Drew 4, Lost 12) - and he was deemed 'not good enough' to be manager of the club in the long-term on the back of his own spell.

Hammerings happened regularly under Richie Wellens' management.

Wellens regularly blamed injuries (amongst many things) and used them as excuse for poor form yet relatively recent games against Gillingham, Lincoln and Bolton (all of whom had an injury crisis to some extent) heralded just a single point and a goals return of zero.

The 'budget' was blamed too. Several clubs in League One have a smaller budget, nonetheless, and his available funds were blown largely on a handful of early summer signings. The arrivals of Joe Dodoo and Joseph Olowu (amongst others) took him over-budget at the agreement of the owners.

In the various defeats - such as that chastening 6-0 thumping at Ipswich, 13 of the 14 players who featured were players that Wellens had brought to DRFC. After his backers had pleaded for him to be given more time to turn around the dreadful early-season form, 11 of the 14 players that appeared in the 4-0 beating at Charlton Athletic, only a month later, were his signings.

Even as recently as last weekend, Wellens bizarrely claimed the squad wasn't good enough yet it was one he'd built largely himself over the summer - and at considerible expense considering the initial budget.

He was to blame for results, performances and his own bad management. 

And he was cutting his nose off to spite his face because, amidst the current goalless run of four games (which included the farce at Burton where the team didn't even muster up a shot of any kind until the final 10 minutes), there were no signs that Omar Bogle would be recalled to the line-up anytime soon - even though it was evident that something needed to change.

That something has now proved to be Wellens and very few players outside those he's picked every week (and many of them may not speak wonderfully of him) will be sad to see his departure. His management style proved to be horrendous, his reign was a complete 'bomb scare' and his sacking wasn't before time.

It's true that the Scunthorpe (FA Cup) game was pivotal to Wellens being given 'more time' as the owners were growing weary and starting to become tired of his excuses. To have allowed him another transfer window when there was nothing in his time at the club to suggest he knew how to use funds wisely, would have been gross negligence and stupidity on behalf of the board.

These are all reasons why, put together, they acted and he was booted out the door!

What next for Doncaster Rovers?

Before talk even begins of who'll replace Richie Wellens on a long-term basis and the important task of getting enough points to stay in League One is thought about, the entire club needs to have something of a grieving period to just recover from being nothing short of a circus in recent months.

As I mentioned at the start of this piece, the issues won't just suddenly disappear because of Wellens' departure - there are things behind-the-scenes which are deep-rooted and still need rectifying (and it'll cost money to do it) but it's a huge positive step that the board have decided to make this managerial change.

A new era is on the horizon at the soon-to-be-renamed Keepmoat Stadium.

In my own personal opinion, it's still 10 games too late. He should have been sacked after the 6-0 hammering at Ipswich and it was only the subsequent 'fluke' win over MK Dons coupled with a two-week 'grace period' due to the international break and 'winnable' upcoming fixtures at that time, that kept the wolf from his door then.

At least, however, it has finally happened and the healing process can begin.

Is the current team good enough to stay in League One? Realistically, I think not and it'll be a difficult task to overturn substantial damage which has already been done - to the budget, to morale and to the season as a whole. Playing catch up isn't easy so investment, good performances and simply little bits of luck during games (more than anything else) will be pivotal if avoiding the drop comes to fruition. 

My biggest hope in the immediate few days and weeks is that the first team squad buy into the ideas/philosophies which will be put forward by Gary McSheffrey and, if things don't go to plan, he's cut some slack by fans and they're able to see the mess that he's inherited from the previous manager.

It's too early into the post-traumatic period to even begin thinking about the 'long-term' at this point so here's hoping for a successful outcome in the FA Cup this weekend, an enjoyable game (which has been a rarity for so long) and a bit of excitement afterwards when the Third Round draw is made.

As for Richie Wellens, as time passes and everyone moves on, there'll be those who'll remember his spell as a player with some fondness and this stint as manager won't taint the 'legend' status they'll hold him in. On the flip side, there'll also be plenty of others who'll remember his petulant outbursts, shocking treatment of players and haphazard relationship with taking responsibility - not to mention the woeful results, and speak less than fondly about him.

I'll just remember him as an absolute bomb scare of a manager, particularly good at 'Head Tennis', who got exactly what he deserved in the end.