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Post by hobart on Apr 23, 2019 5:17:52 GMT
I have been blessed to have experienced life as a Sutton Utd supporter under Sid Cann (the Matt Busby of 1960s non-league football) and now Paul Doswell (the Alec Ferguson of modern non-league football).
Despite living in Tasmania I have been lucky enough to be able to travel back now and then to support the U's. My last home game was the opener against Leyton Orient last season. Mr. Doswell - with justifiable pride - walked out onto the pitch before the start of the season opener to gee up the home support. A record home crowd showed their appreciation for such a true leader.
Football can sometimes be a harsh mistress (Norwich away) - but under Paul's leadership it has much more often been an absolute joy (Wimbledon away).
If there is any justice left in the world then we shall soon all be hailing SIR Paul Doswell!
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tonyd
1st team Player
Posts: 1,494
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Post by tonyd on Apr 23, 2019 10:24:01 GMT
Only 1 duff season in 11. Who else can boast a record of 91% success over such a long period? Thank you Dos.
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markf
Top Performer
Posts: 3,189
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Post by markf on Apr 23, 2019 10:25:16 GMT
Can only reiterate the comments on here.
Thank you Dos for bringing back the glory days to SUFC. Your drive, passion and commitment has dragged (mostly willingly) so many others along to help the club scale the heights it has and over achieve, particularly in these last four seasons.
Your vision too has allowed Sutton to set up a business and community model that so many non-league clubs (probably EFL) too would do well to observe. That is one hell of a legacy.
For all that, for me though, was your interaction with the fans. What manager jumps over the fence after a match to address the concerns off a few less than happy fans and give everything some perspective (Tonbridge away all those years ago)? Always there to applaud them after the match (w, l or d) and in recent times pre-match too.
Ready to forgive shocking assertions from fan(s) with regards to your holidays too. I actually thought you might have chucked it in after that and I wouldn't have blamed you.
Of course though it is the memories from the playing side that will endure. So many highlights from the Ryman in 2010/11, the absolute outstanding record breaking 26 match unbeaten run to ruin Ebbsfleet's Las Vegas trip, third place in the NLS last season. And that FA Cup run and that glorious night at AFCW and the impromptu after match celebration. What a journey, what a ride and for all of the above, I cannot thank you and all those players and coaching staff that you made believe it was all possible, enough.
I am not going to compare with previous great managers of SUFC as all eras are different and provide varying challenges. You rose above those challenges and made SUFC a household name once more and in this era of the internet an identity across the globe that no one could have imagined back in May 2008.
Best of luck in your next venture and if you should return to KCS in some capacity in the future even just to watch, you will be welcomed with open arms.
It has been a privilege and a pleasure.
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Post by frenches on Apr 23, 2019 12:13:09 GMT
Echo all previous comments on here, Dos' achievements here have been nothing short of legendary and he has given us all lifelong memories to cherish. A particular one for me has to be a Tuesday night away at Hemel where after the game, he jumped in with the away support and celebrated with us. Thank you Dos.
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Post by sallycat on Apr 23, 2019 18:27:08 GMT
It's taken me a while to digest this news as, like some other people have said, it feels like a bereavement. I may have shed a tear or two when nobody was looking.
SUFC has always been a great football club and will remain so, but since Paul Doswell arrived it has become even greater. We all know that owes a lot to the fantastic chairman, board and behind the scenes volunteers we have. But Dos was the catalyst to making some huge changes that allowed a great club to unlock its potential to achieve some amazing things. Things that would have made many of us laugh bitterly if you'd suggested them when he arrived in 2008. All this seemed unthinkable. That this club has achieved the seemingly impossible over the last decade, that we have learned as a club to think differently and pursue our ambitions in ways we never really did before - well, we can thank Dos for an awful lot of that.
Paul arrived at a club that had reached its nadir, relegated to a lower level than we'd seen Sutton playing at, and we were fed up and seriously disillusioned and sometimes a bit resistant to change. He wasn't afraid to push us beyond our comfort zone, which you have to do if you want to make big changes. I remember some of us thinking "who does this bloke think he is, telling us how to support our team?" But he always has done things differently and has never shied away from telling us exactly what he thinks and how things will have to change if we want to succeed. He's one of the most upfront and honest people I've ever met in football. He made a lot of promises, some of them hard to believe at first, but he always kept them. If he said he was going to get us promoted then he went ahead and got us promoted, no matter how outlandish the idea seemed! And as busy as he's been, he's always had time for us fans. He took the time to learn our names from the word go and always made sure we knew we were appreciated.
Thanks, Dos. I hope you know how much we appreciate the huge amounts of time and effort you've given us, the sacrifices you've made, and all for free. You'll be very much missed, but we all know you've made the right decision. We couldn't have expected any more from you and we're lucky to have had all you've given us.
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Post by Nick the Greek/The Speshul One on Apr 23, 2019 20:10:34 GMT
Replacing the Manager is going to be hard, replacing the man is going to be impossible.
He was always more than just a Manager, he became part of the club.
Even he admits we had some lows but the highs far far outweigh them and has given me some of the best footballing experiences I’ve ever had.
AFC will never be forgotten (well maybe bits of it are a bit hazy 😂), then Leeds, then Arsenal. And all of those are just from the FA Cup. There are many many more games that will live long in the memory and history of Sutton Utd.
Cheers Dos, and if you read this I hope you are back sooner rather than later to see the fans.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2019 21:05:25 GMT
All good things must come to an end My dad would tell me about this amazing guy at Sutton and then when I started to come to football again I saw for myself - I run leadership workshops and use Dos as an example of a leader - if they don’t know of him before they certainly do by the end of the day, my favourite moments were the simple ones when he used to come across the pitch to see the fans b4 kick off - Aldershot sticks in my mind for some reason- I was always so proud when he came over to acknowledge us. And I used to love the proud grin and flexing his arm/ punching the air when he was celebrating with us after some great times. Look after yourself Paul but please let us say thanku properly as soon as u can u absolute legend 💛⚽️💛
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Post by davethegrave on Apr 23, 2019 21:17:53 GMT
Thanks Paul. Good luck in the future. Incidentally doesn't this almost coincide with the anniversary of the death of Barrie Williams?
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kpinwp
1st team Player
Posts: 1,173
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Post by kpinwp on Apr 23, 2019 21:24:41 GMT
Replacing the Manager is going to be hard, replacing the man is going to be impossible. Beautifully put.
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Post by os on Apr 23, 2019 23:14:23 GMT
I am still in shock, it does feel a bit like a bereavement. We all knew this day would come, but hoped somehow we could get a another trip to keep us going a while longer.
Can't add a lot to what has been said already about where we were before Dos 0-3 home defeat to Cambridge City rock bottom of the conference south, crowd 350. There are 430 pages on this forum charting every twist and turn of those legendary 11 years. SUFCtv was started for Dos, and working with and for him over that time has been a pleasure and a privilege. We have all those interviews that were binned, we kept them all, good times and bad times.
Not only was Dos a great manager, but he is also a great bloke, never has any manager been so accessible to each and ever supporter.
Its an end of an era, a great chapter in our clubs history comes to a close.
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Post by sol on Apr 24, 2019 0:17:21 GMT
I met Paul 16 years ago when he was manager of Eastleigh. He was very pleasant and polite to me (as a reporter starting out - 3 years into my job) and he remained that way when I last spoke to him in my current role after the Braintree defeat.
A world class chap.
A truly brilliant man.
An inspiration.
And mostly what I love about Paul - when he quite simply says I need football in my life.
Here here.
God bless you Paul.
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pg
Newbie
Posts: 65
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Post by pg on Apr 24, 2019 11:40:05 GMT
My first football memory was Chelsea losing 4-0 in the 1994 FA Cup Final. I couldn't comprehend what the FA Cup really was at that point and my next overriding memories were the FA Cup and European Cup Winners Cup successes of 97 and 98. I went to league games but they just don't stand out, the cup always meant more and it really had a special feeling about it. Either way I watched these on telly and was never really part of it.
My young lad's first football memory is standing behind the goal when Jamie scored that penalty against Leeds, something that he still talks about when I thought he would probably be too young to remember. Throwing him in the air in sheer joy as together we watched little Sutton dump the mighty Leeds United out of the cup (and then suffering for a week with a bad back for having to hold him up to see for the whole game!). I still get quite emotional when I think about it and I probably always will.
Paul - you made that for us and I will forever be grateful. Thank you so much and good luck to you and your family for the future. It has been an incredible 11 years and I really hope we get to see you regularly down GGL in the future.
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Post by amberinexile on Apr 24, 2019 15:06:01 GMT
Was thinking long before the announcement that Dos could manage a league club no problem. He has the nous, patience, and man management to go far, such is the awfulness of his Sutton departure. That's the thing about a top bloke and manager: how do you replace them? Most bosses go on a losing streak and the club shows them the door. Forget players: the manager will be the hardest recruitment of this summer by a very long way. No pressure, dear board, but get this wrong and it could be a very long 2019-20.
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Post by pajomo2015 on Apr 25, 2019 7:53:35 GMT
Very sad to learn that Dos is permanently stepping down after such an unbelievable reign at the club. He has been a wonderful ambassador for the club in so many ways, a living legend, a great manager, an eloquent and measured interviewee, but above all a true gentleman. The club now has a real community atmosphere, true to the clubs strap-line of 'we're in it together' and our players have consistently punched above their weight during his 11 season tenure. Testimony to his man management skills and the high regard and respect that the game has for him that players wanted to be part of what he's done, many even returned! Someone mentioned to me at a recent game that Dos was the longest serving manager in the top 5 tiers of English football. Speaks volumes about Paul's commitment and unique abilities. Whatever the future holds for him and his family he will always be welcome at Sutton, soooo many superb memories!! Wish you all the best Paul and thanks for everything. You will be sorely missed! What a legend....
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Post by sallycat on Apr 25, 2019 8:35:57 GMT
I prefer this to the original version so sue me
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