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27th October
Leeds United 4 Millwall 2: A flattering scoreline,
but a fair one nonetheless. Hoskins unluckily has a goal ruled
out on three minutes before Leeds run in four, including one
that features the worst goalkeeping error we have ever seen,
by Lenny Pidgeley. The game come back featuring goals from
Brkovic and Hoskins is too late…
…Prior
to the game Little Dennis poses, staring at the Lions players
to intimidate them. Bless. Afterwards he sends Alan Thompson
up to speak to the press in his stead. Bless again…
…Colin
West sums it up, “In the first half there was nothing
between us and the League's only unbeaten side. It looks as
though we've taken a bit of a walloping. We had a mad 10 minutes
in the second half, but once we regrouped and got over that
I thought we did well”…
…The 5 o’clock
FA Cup first round draw – perfect timing for proper
fans that are at matches – pits the mighty Lions with
Altrincham. Away.
25th October
With the midfield decimated by injuries, the Lions sign Luton
Town's veteran Croatian Ahmet Brkovic on loan till the first
week in December...
...Chairman John Berylson
tells the Daily Mail about the manager hunt, "We will
not be rushed. We want someone who knows the club and the
division and is excited by the job. We can't get the appointment
wrong." Oh, you can, and we'll be sure to let you know
when he joins.
22nd
October The South London Press confirms the club's
interest in managers currently in jobs, as Stewart Till says
of Southend's Steve Tilson, Tranmere's Ronnie Moore, and Yeovil's
Russell Slade, "Being blocked by those clubs shows we're
in for people who are very much wanted."
21st
October The manager search takes its toll on the
board, who don't quite know who should be making the big decision.
John Berylosn steps in to sort the mess out and appoints himself
football club chairman. "I have enormous respect for
Stewart [Till] and like him as a person but we had to be clear
about responsibilities and I have been making the footballing
decisions so this made sense because of his time commitments."
20th October Millwall
2 Bournemouth 1: West and Shaw's Lions easily beat
bottom of the table Bournemouth. Goals from O'Hara and Hoskins
(at last) do the damage before a late consolation...
...Joint caretaker Colin West says, "I am enjoying the
management role alongside Richard. It is something I have
done before at other clubs. Hopefully people can see that
I can do it well."
18th October
Will Hoskins extends his loan stay by another month.
16th October
Yeovil chairman John Fry, tells his local press, "I've
had an approach from Millwall to speak to Russell [Slade]
and I've turned them down."
15th October
With speculation mounting, Plc. supremo Heather Rabbatts says,
"We interviewed Kenny Jackett but he told us that he
does not wish to be considered for the position"...
...Tranmere boss Ronnie Moore also rules himself out, "It
would be wrong of me to even consider it. We are second top
and they are near the bottom - I don't think it needs a lot
of working out."
13th October Gillingham
1 Millwall 1: A cracking local derby, with the Lions
dominating throughout and the home side having the best chances.
The match features a straight forward back to basics 4-4-2
and a man of the match display by Donachie discard Chris Hackett.
Oh, and Alan Dunne scores again...
...Joint caretaker boss Richard Shaw says, "The reception
the supporters gave us when we came off at half time was fantastic.
That really gave us a lift and was a big factor in us getting
back in the second half"...
...Neil Harris plays his 300th all competitions Millwall game...
...A late knee injury to Chris Hackett is suspected to be
bad enough to rule him out for the rest of the season.
12th October
Rather than going through them all, an end of week speculation
summary will suffice. According to some fans, former England
manager Peter Taylor isn't 'right for us', Martin Allen shouldn't
be boss because he once said something about an England flag,
Kenny Jackett shouldn't get the job because some don't know
who he is, and who on earth is Phil Parkinson?
8th October
After press speculation Willie Donachie receives the dreaded
vote of confidence from Millwall chairman Stuart Till, "There
was no crisis meeting. I spoke to Willie yesterday, it was
only to discuss normal issues like we do all the time. Willie
took over when the club were in a similar position last year
and turned things around in the final two thirds of the season.
The results we were getting at the end of last season were
excellent, so we need to rediscover that form"...
...Predictably, the club issue another statement later on
the same day, "With deep and heartfelt regret Millwall
Football Club announces the departure of Willie Donachie as
manager. Willie took charge of the team, initially on a caretaker
basis, in September 2006 with the club languishing at the
foot of the League One table, having taken just five points
from the first ten fixtures. Such was Willie's success that
following the turn of the year, fortunes improved significantly
leading to a comfortable mid-table finish and great optimism
that a promotion campaign could be mounted in 2007/8. Sadly,
due to a combination of factors including injury to key players,
the anticipated positive start to the new campaign has not
materialised, and after the 4-0 defeat at Carlisle on Saturday,
the club finds itself bottom of League One. Willie has at
all times conducted himself with great professionalism and
dignity, and everyone at Millwall is deeply grateful for his
contribution particularly last season. Executive Deputy Chairman
Heather Rabbatts commented: "This decision was taken
by the board with a heavy heart. We all love and deeply admire
Willie Donachie and were desperate for him to bring us the
success he so craved. He is in many ways a remarkable man
and will be greatly missed by us on a personal level. However,
we took the view that, as at the same stage last season, decisive
action was necessary in the long term interests of the football
club. Richard Shaw, assisted by Colin West, will take charge
of the team for next Saturday's game at Gillingham and we
will begin our search for a permanent replacement. Everyone
connected with Millwall wishes Willie Donachie all the very
best for the future and he has been assured that he will always
be a welcome guest whenever he returns to The Den"...
...Colin West and Richard Shaw will assume caretaker duties
until a replacement can be found.
6th
October Carlisle United 4 Millwall 0: Well at least
we drew the second half! An appalling performance as the manager
finally loses the players and the team plunges to the bottom
of the table. Graham scores two, Bridge-Wilkinson and Garner
add the others in the worst display since the last manager
was sacked...
...With
his position now appearing untenable, Willie Donachie says,
"I think that the good win during the week misled a lot
of people into believing we are better than we are. I've got
to apologise to the fans and everybody at the club for that
performance on behalf of the players and everybody."
Hopefully the manager means the board, because supporters
know only too well how good (sic) we are. This is relegation
stuff.
4th October
16 year old Tom Kilbey joins Portsmouth for a fee of between
£150,000 and £400,000 depending on appearances.
2nd October Millwall
2 Northampton Town 0: A first win in seven matches,
with Alan Dunne and Ali Fuseini running the game. Dunne gets
the first against a side that turned up late and immediately
sustained two injuries courtesy of the lack of warm up. Robinson
doubles the lead after half an hour and in the end it is an
easy win, despite some late pressure. P45s are quickly shoved
back into drawers - for now…
…Afterwards manager Donachie says, "I would just
like to thank the supporters who came out on a wet night when
there was football on the telly. They really got behind their
team and inspired them to a win."
1st
October Millwall are a social experiment
for Jay Simpson, as he tells the arsenal official website,
"It definitely helps dealing with the pressure of the
crowd getting on your back as well as the manager. There,
everyone is playing for their careers so it's a different
kind of pressure. For me it's good to go into that environment
and see what this kind of football is all about."
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