Five games into season far too early for O'Driscoll to be under threat

DONCASTER Rovers failed to lay their Bournemouth bogey as they lost 2-1 at home to the Cherries at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Rovers lost their way after a bright start and can have no complaint about the result.

A number of fans gave vent to their feelings, and I could understand their frustration.

However, it has been my experience that such outbursts seldom, if ever, bring about an improvement.

The Rugby League Challenge Cup returned to Wembley Stadium after being staged at Twickenham, Murrayfield and the Millennium Stadium whilst its spirtual home since 1929 was rebuilt.

The new Wembley looked resplendent, as it did for the FA Cup final in May, but the game between holders St Helens and Les Catalans was nothing to get excited about,

Frighteningly, the game marked the 50th anniversary of my first ever RL Cup final at Wembley.

My father, an ex-professional, took me down to the 1957 final between Barrow and Leeds. I was probably too young at the time to take it all in and I can’t remember anything about the game, just being out on my feet on the two-mile walk home from the train station late at night.

SUNDAY:

BEING a 100, 200 and 400m runner in my younger days, I always take a keen interest in those events at major championships and I was glued to my seat in front of the TV to see Tyson Gay take the 100m crown.

MONDAY:

IT seemed strange not having to travel out to Armthorpe to cover the Armthorpe 10k Road Race as I have done for as long as I can remember on a Bank Holiday Monday due to the long-running race having being scrapped due to traffic problems.

TUESDAY:

DESPITE flying down to Devon for their Carling Cup second round tie at Plymouth, Doncaster Rovers came down to earth with a bump when the game got under way and ended up losing 2-0 against the Pilgrims.

Plymouth are an established Championship side and a decent home side so it was never going to be an easy game for Rovers, but they must have hoped to have had more than one shot on goal.

WEDNESDAY:

I was asked to ring the club for a comment on a story doing the rounds that Rovers were lining up former Sheffeld United boss Nei Warnock as manager.

Managing director Stuart Highfield was quick to rubbish the rumours when I rang him and said that O’Driscoll continued to have the full backing of the Board.

I was pleased to hear that because I rate him as a very good manager.

O’Driscoll knows that football management is a results-driven industry and will accept that if he can’t turn things around in the next month or so then his job would be under threat.

But he, and fellow managers, should not be having to worry about getting the boot after just five games.

I know that Dave Penney left after just six games last season following a disappointing start to the campaign, but there were other factors which contributed to his departure.

Great Britain won an unexpected gold and silver medal in the womens’ 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Japan. I had fancied silver medallist Nicola Sanders as a possible contender for a medal, but I never expected Christine Ohuruogu to win strike gold in view of her recent 12-month ban.

I later watched what I thought would be Tim Henman’s last ever Grand Slam singles match before his retirement after next month’s Davis Cup tie, but the 32 year-old, who has had a wretched year, turned the clock back with a vintage display to beat big-hitting Russian Dmitry Tursunov in four sets in their US Open first round tie.

Henman’s performance highlighted just how much his artistry and flair will be missed in a sport increasingly dominated by power.

THURSDAY:

Midfielder Mark Wilson made it clear that the Rovers players were fully behind O’Driscoll when we spoke at the club’s training ground and that it was up them to dig him out of the hole that he was in.