Re: C1 Keighley - 15/05/11 : Tue May 17, 2011 1:54 pm  

Arkel wrote:

I saw two different Donny teams on Sunday.

I saw the team that bossed the park with good go forward and
good defence. Keighley were defending a lot and their big lads
were starting to get tired. Donny were in charge.

I saw the team that lacked direction, struggled to get into
good defensive postions and let Keighley run the show.

We need Kesik for aggressive go forward.
We need Butterfield for effective, organised defence.

Without these two lads in the team we lose our way.

Yes ... that's true Kesik is the extra cutting edge near the line, Butterfield has enough pace and guile to cover for our quite marked lack of pace against fast guys being set clear and strollng over.
We are losing games when they are off the park.

However there is the lack of a really experienced old head to run the show behind the forwards. That's the player we desperately need.
Further to that we need centres with blistering pace ... our wingers are OK ... it would be churlish to castigate them for not being the fastest around.

We are getting caught out by speed merchants ... we are rarely busted up the middle which shows our defensive shape is very good.
But as for forwards going forward, I know I'm in a minority here, but Adam Scott aside, I don't think we have enough beef.

We are still a good side, but we are underachieving big time. That is not down to lack of effort. I personally think this current Dons side is as brave, hardworking and committed as any side for ages. They just do daft things, that old heads could help with and help minimise.

Graham Holroyd going back five years would have transformed this side.
I realise we can't afford his ilk, but that's what's lacking.

Re: C1 Keighley - 15/05/11 : Tue May 17, 2011 10:33 pm  

If people would like to remember early in the season we had forwards and backs that followed up the good breaks made by our forwards. Now the forwards turn around and theres no one to be seen, previously at least they appeared to be forming an attacking line now you can throw a blanket over them there re stood so close together. I admit I m no coach, but surely to god telling players to support the ball and coaching them to play the ball quicker should not be difficult.

You could let our coach take the Rhinos and within a few months it would be one up rugby.

Re: C1 Keighley - 15/05/11 : Wed May 18, 2011 6:04 am  

do any of the players , coaching staff or management read any of these posts,, that we supporters post if they do nothing is ever taken on board,i e why dont kesik play full game ?we never get any results,or do they think we are telling our grandmother how to suck eggs,we could do with a meeting with coaching staff to put these points across

Re: C1 Keighley - 15/05/11 : Wed May 18, 2011 9:36 am  

olddon wrote:

do any of the players , coaching staff or management read any of these posts,, that we supporters post if they do nothing is ever taken on board,i e why dont kesik play full game ?we never get any results,or do they think we are telling our grandmother how to suck eggs,we could do with a meeting with coaching staff to put these points across

This is a fans forum primarily, for the sharing of opinions and information. The club has no powers here, we are a select little band who whilst we don't stray into defamatory, abusive, racist or libelous comments are pretty much immune and free.

I have been told in the past on here that I am not welcome by the club, for what amounted to having a different opinion to someone else. That's all been resolved now. So people at the club do read this, but some are very anti-criticism, which is I suppose understandable, but rather entrenched and unhelpful.

Chunkster is a good poster from the club, he can take on board views, whether or not he agrees with them, without going all defensive and precious.

I should think we are dismissed in the main. Anyone who is involved in the game knows a lot more than those who are not involved that's a given, so in theory know better. But we still have eyes, we can still see what's working and what's not.

Personally I think that Dons players and officials should not post on here, but instead should read some of it occasionally, if nothing else to see what the mood is and if there is an issue post their response on their official site if they have the time.

It's probably not worth their time though since they will have better more important things to do.

Most of the things we notice, they will notice too anyway, they're not daft. If officials bent to every whim of fans, they would quickly be in a frazzle.

It's lack of communication and lack of information that leads to gripes from fans.
For instance just where was Grant Edwards on Sunday.
It's important to know, simply to dispel concerns like has he had a recurrence of his knee injury which could jeopardise his recovery. Or was he simply on holiday, unavailable or ill.
The question has been asked with no answer so far.

Now if Grant was fit enough to play against a Superleague club, why not against Keighley? What was wrong?

I think we are largely wasting our time on here, but it's kind of addictive.

Re: C1 Keighley - 15/05/11 : Wed May 18, 2011 9:46 am  

Stand-Offish wrote:

It's lack of communication that leads to gripes from fans and lack of information.
For instance just where was Grant Edwards on Sunday.
It's important to know, simply to dispel concerns like has he had a recurrence of his knee injury which could jeopardise his recovery. Or was he simply on holiday, unavailable or ill.
The question has been asked with no answer so far.

Now if Grant was fit enough to play against a Superleague club, why not against Keighley? What was wrong?

I think we are largely wasting our time on here, but it's kind of addictive.

When I spoke to Grant at the Wakefield game, he said that his knee was OK, but his lungs were the problem (Which I took to mean that he was lacking in fitness). I'm guessing that he wasn't 100% fit.

Re: C1 Keighley - 15/05/11 : Wed May 18, 2011 9:52 am  

Donny wrote:

When I spoke to Grant at the Wakefield game, he said that his knee was OK, but his lungs were the problem (Which I took to mean that he was lacking in fitness). I'm guessing that he wasn't 100% fit.

Yes, but that the point isn't it Donny?
We are left guessing.
I watched the video clip of Grant on the Dons official website and he says the same there, but it's pretty clear he was looking forward to the next game even though he found it hard to get back up to speed, and he won't get that not playing.
Lungs or no lungs.

Re: C1 Keighley - 15/05/11 : Thu May 19, 2011 10:46 pm  

Donny wrote:

When I spoke to Grant at the Wakefield game, he said that his knee was OK, but his lungs were the problem (Which I took to mean that he was lacking in fitness). I'm guessing that he wasn't 100% fit.

[I watched the video clip of Grant on the Dons official website and he says the same there, but it's pretty clear he was looking forward to the next game even though he found it hard to get back up to speed, and he won't get that not playing.
Lungs or no lungs.[/quote]

This is my point, WHY would you play someone just coming back from a long injury against a Super League team and risk a set back or injury, than wait another week to play him in a fixture that we could have won.

Why build Kesik up in the Donny Star, to start him on the bench again?

Why has Fawcett disappeared?

Why sign Ashley Williams play him for 30 mins in friendlies and then bring anyone in but give him a chance?

WHY WHY WHY

Re: C1 Keighley - 15/05/11 : Thu May 19, 2011 10:59 pm  

It's a secret society ... just accept it.
La Cosa Nostra
The mafia headed by Dons Corleone himself.

Re: C1 Keighley - 15/05/11 : Fri May 20, 2011 7:49 am  

To be fair to the club at the last fans forum held at the dome last season about twelve people turned up...

Re: C1 Keighley - 15/05/11 : Fri May 20, 2011 8:55 am  

rupert bear wrote:

To be fair to the club at the last fans forum held at the dome last season about twelve people turned up...

That demonstrates that people don't want to travel or go out of the their way or to put themselves in that kind of meeting scenario. I for instance prefer to remain fairly anonymous, although some folk on here know who I am. After being told at one stage I was not welcome, why would I go to a meeting?

The right medium for an exchange of views is this one nowadays.
The internet.

The gripe on here is that there is insufficient information coming our way. I am sure it would be simpler to just type a few words in answer to questions rather than arrange meetings.
They may not have the time to even do that, It can't be easy running a rugby club.

We need a correspondent ... 'our man at the club' ... to get to find out these things ... I nominate Jemmo.
Personally I thought that's what he did already, but as usual I'm probably mistaken, or he's not very good at it.