Barnsley's new manager David Flitcroft revealed it had never been his intention to apply for the vacancy at Oakwell, but rather the job "found" him.
The 38-year-old, appointed as permanent boss last week, also insisted he would be doing things his own way after spending over six years as assistant to predecessor Keith Hill, first at Rochdale before the pair moved to Oakwell in June 2011.
"I never really put in for the job," Flitcroft said. "The job sort of found me for whatever circumstances and I'm just happy to be manager, working with this group of players and I'm absolutely delighted to have got this opportunity."
Flitcroft said he could not walk away from the club after helping to develop the latest crop of Academy products to force their way into the first-team squad.
"No two managers are the same and I'm a different person to Keith," he added. "I want to be my own person. I want to forge a relationship with this group of players and the fans and the board of directors.
"I'm a real family man. I have strong family ties and that's what I want to offer at this football club, a safe haven for the players, an exciting one that the fans can be a part of.
"I said a few weeks ago when I had no chance of getting the job, it would be sad to leave this, with the likes of John Stones, Reuben Noble-Lazarus, Jordan Clark and Danny Rose, who we promoted to the first team 18 months ago.
"They've trained with us every day and that's been the exciting part. As a coach, as a parent, you want to develop people. It's something I take massive pride in and hopefully we'll see that work continue."
Ryan, along with co-owners Dick Watson and Terry Bramall and chief executive Gavin Baldwin, are set to convene to plot their next move in the recruitment process.
At a meeting on Tuesday, Doncaster's decision-makers drew up a list of of prospective candidates and it is understood the shortlist will be rubber-stamped and interviews arranged.
Saunders left Rovers on January 7 after almost 16 months in charge to take over at Wolves.
Former Wales Under-21 boss Brian Flynn, who had been working for Saunders as a scout, and captain Rob Jones have been in temporary charge since and guided Doncaster to a 2-1 win at Stevenage last weekend to keep the club joint-top of League One.
