Message For Dan Rice

General
1

Dan,

First of all - know that I’m a level headed and loyal fan. I don’t do booing, I don’t tend to do online criticism. However as a supporter of this club for over three decades I believe I have my right to an opinion.

Nobody can deny that on the surface of it, your tenure has been a success in terms of points haul. I’m sure you sit in your office feeling a bit sorry for yourself in the face of a slightly grumpy fan base, and a fair few pointing the finger at you. Let me explain…

On the whole Wycombe fans are a grounded bunch, we know the size of the club. Our fan base. History. Probably fair that bottom of League One is our level. However now again in football something special comes along, and a club legend manager, playing some of the most attacking football in the country and shooting us to the top of the table is one of those moments. To have that taken all away, even with the consolation of a playoff place, would leave anyone down in the dumps.

There’s the crux of the point. It’s insulting people’s intelligence to claim that Bloomfield’s departure wasn’t at least in part to the way you and the new regime treated him. He’s pretty much said it himself. I’ve heard whispers that you gave no security to his coaching staff and signed players he had no need for. There’s no smoke without fire there for me.

There was of course a chance to prove your vision with the next managerial appointment and January window. At best, the judge is still out on both. Our form has dipped, our squad seems disenfranchised and the football is defensive minded. From three goals a game to one first half goal in ten games? For me it has to be down to squad morale or tactical errors - and both ultimately rest on your door. Mike Dodds seems like a nice guy, I’ll back him till you sack him, but the biggest league advantage in our history seemed like a mad time to go left field with a rookie gaffer.

And just as importantly… All of the above might be wide of the mark. I may be completely wrong. You may have an explanation or master plan. But none of us know, because you hide away and treat the supporters with contempt. You’ve got a media team of lifelong Wycombe fans, connected to the club for years, and they churn out anonymous AI bollo*ks for statements when we are at our most divided.

Remember, this club will always belong to us - not you. Wycombe fans will be on the terrace long after you find a new toy. Treat us with respect, show your face at pitch side and communicate. You could become a wonderful part of this club’s history, but to do that you need to build a connection and show us you care. Make a gesture. Put on some coaches the playoff semi. Give some shirts to young fans. Think outside the box.

Be a Chairboy.

32 Likes
2

Love this. 100% how I feel.

3 Likes
3

I liked this, apart from the very end. Those kind of token gestures are the sort of thing people like Rice do just to shut the plebs and the proles up. What he’s taken away from us, from the fans, and from the club itself, will take decades to repair. We used to be well known in the football world for our decency, humanity and respect for others - Rice has flushed that down the toilet in a way that personally I will never forgive.

12 Likes
4

See your point to an extent, but I’d say those gestures are better than nothing - which is what we have right now.

Putting some cash behind the bar might at least show that the fans are a thing? Rather than blowing wages on new signings that don’t make the matchday squad.

4 Likes
5

Let them eat beer

4 Likes
6

Dear Dan,

You told the best manager in the second half of 23/24 and reigning Manager of the Month that he was not wanted before a ball was kicked. You planned to sack him the first time he had a bad run, but he never had one. You then made him uncomfortable with a series of undermining moves. You then let him take the flack for leaving despite serving the club with distinction for over 20 years, to where many Wycombe fans now sing songs against him. You brought in a bunch of players in January that were generally not needed, instead of simply keeping Aaron Morley, who was. You hired a novice coach who seems a nice man but was not ready for the heat of a promotion fight. All of the above may well cost us a dream promotion, and even if we go up, it will be playing the most uninspiring football possible.

I have no summary conclusion - just wanted to point out your accomplishments this season.

13 Likes
7

Is the many fans now sing songs against him the 20 kids behind the goal singing that Alex Lowry song?

8

It was a lot more than 20 at Orient.

1 Like
9

Other accomplishments too inconvenient to mention, presumably: Rice saw that there was funding last summer to put together an exceptionally strong squad, good enough to get a play-off place and compete for automatic promotion until the penultimate weekend. And he resisted substantial offers in January for Kone and Low in extraordinary fashion.

1 Like
10

Agree with you @our_frank . @Shev only wants to see and promote one side of the story.

11

At least someone has promotion as a priority!

12

“simply” keeping Aaron Morley!!!

Dear oh lore

13

There are always two sides to every story but I believe Shev is pretty spot on for the MB part of the story. Jury still out on Dodds.
I think Rice never wanted MB, was waiting for him to go on a bad run but he didn’t.
I believe DR would not sanction the Morley signing as the data didn’t back up what was right in front of his eyes on the pitch. I haven’t got confirmation that Bolton would have sold him but DR wouldn’t sign him even if he was available. Funds were available, I’ve had that confirmed via someone close to the trust.
Shev has also left out the sacking of three crucial members of the back room team - the Doctor and Physio the day before the season started and the Head of Recruitment.
I’d be surprised if we see Anders play for WWFC in League One. He may be a lovely guy but he is not a high enough standard by all accounts. IMHO he is a DR data signing.
I do not believe DR/Eduard are going to be the custodians we want them to be.
How did DR get the Chairman’s job, his CV doesn’t scream interim Chairman and he’s now been in that role almost a year!

6 Likes
14

Still feel so ashamed whenever I hear that song. Absolutely disgusting. How any true Wycombe fan can sing it is beyond me

12 Likes
15

Fair enough I wasn’t there. Seemed like that at home to Charlton.

16

Most of the people singing that weren’t even born when Bloomfield joined the club.

2 Likes
17

Most of the people I saw singing it at the last game WERE born when Bloomfield first joined.

1 Like
18

The two managers to whom Mike Dodds is understandably being compared are Gareth Ainsworth and Matt Bloomfield. Both of those managers had desperate spells during which the club stuck by them and then reaped the dividends later on. All of this adversity is tough to go through but provides valuable learning experience for the manager involved. What we did that was brilliant was stick by the manager long enough to reap the benefit of that learnimg ourselves.

I don’t know why all of a sudden fans want to change this approach and start sacking managers at the first sign of bother (I appreciate that some fans were calling for the sacking of both Ainsworth and Bloomfield - they were proven to be wrong)

Of course, it’s not exactly the same. Ainsworth and Bloomfield both had more managerial experience when they took the Wycombe job than Mike Dodds.

But if nothing else. it has given the Gasroom the immortal phrase “trying desperately no to knee jerk react but Mike Dodds needs to be relieved of his duties with immediate effect” which genuinely made me laugh out loud at a moment when I was down in the dumps about missing out on automatic promotion

7 Likes
19

move_on
move_on390×240 37.9 KB

20

I don’t actually disagree with all your comment.
Blooms has come out of this financially much better off, expressed his delight at being “wanted” at Luton and will almost certainly be managing a Championship side next season.
With regard to the signings Bradley was needed and other than Morley is the best signing we made. We have no idea how much Morley would have cost in terms of fee AND wages so that is a mute point.
I do agree with you that Dan has appointed an inexperienced totally negative manager who looks like a rabbit under headlights. His brand of football will not be successful in getting promotion and will drive away in droves the few supporters we have.
Gareth would have done miracles with this squad.

4 Likes