Why short term isn’t necessarily short term for Doncaster Rovers: Liam Hoden column

The grumblings of discontent and doubt were quickly replaced by overwhelming positivity and optimism.

And it was within the finer details that the source of the the positive reaction from Doncaster Rovers supporters lay.

The words ‘permanent’ and ‘two-year deals’ were music to the ears of some fans that had spoken of disillusionment at Rovers’ previous transfer business.

A growing section of the support had grown weary of loans and questioned the logic of offering one-year contracts. So the signings of Ed Williams and, in particular, Cameron John proved the right sort of tonic.

But it is in the permanent signing of John that shows that short term isn’t necessarily short term when it comes to Rovers.

John joined Rovers last Friday in a quickfire and rather unexpected move from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

But the groundwork for that deal was laid 12 months earlier when Wolves agreed to loan the versatile defender to Rovers for the 2019/20 season.

Within that agreement was a ‘first option’ agreement - something that could almost have been termed a ‘try before you buy’ clause.

Should Wolves have been looking to move John on this summer, Rovers would have had first dibs on his permanent signing.

His personal success during his loan, which helped garner the attention of Championship clubs, initially had Wolves intending to keep the 21-year-old at Molineux for another year at least. A loan to the second tier seemed likely as Wolves looked to maximise their return.

But a change of heart brought Rovers back into play.

And while it was an unexpected turn of events, they were ready to act.

Darren Moore had remained in regular contact with Wolves over the status of John, and striker Niall Ennis, with thoughts of swooping for fresh loans should they fail to secure Championship moves as planned.

The Free Press understands that Moore has seen his playing budget boosted slightly in the last few weeks, due to growing optimism for the return of supporters to stadiums.

And the extra cash in the coffers enabled him to act quickly to land John on the permanent deal that has proved so popular.

Then there was the defender himself. Ambitious and targeting the top, he was convinced enough by what Moore and Rovers had done for his career in six months to pledge his next two years.

Loans may not be the most popular method of signing talent among some supporters, but there is undeniable value in them.

Herbie Kane, Mallik Wilks and Paul Downing in particular last season played major roles in taking Rovers to the brink of the play-off final.

Some will perform so well, they move out of Rovers’ reach. But their contribution during their stays cannot be overlooked.

But then there are those who stick around for a little longer.

Before John, there was Jason Lokilo - another loanee for whom Rovers put the groundwork in early to secure a permanent deal.

And before that there were arguably Rovers’ two most valuable playing assets - Ben Whiteman and Tom Anderson.

With Whiteman, Rovers were in the box seat when Sheffield United decided to put him up for sale, half way through his loan.

There was competition for his services, and clubs willing to match or better Rovers’ offer but, again, the foundations for a permanent move were already in place.

Superficially, it can appear that Rovers are only looking for short term fixes when they enter the loan market.

But they continually, and continue to, act to give themselves a measure of power in the futures of those ‘fixes.’

Short term isn’t always short term.

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