Re: v Toulouse Sunday 14/8/16 : Sun Aug 14, 2016 7:45 pm  

Good fish and chips & out of the EU what more can you ask for.

Re: v Toulouse Sunday 14/8/16 : Sun Aug 14, 2016 8:09 pm  

I would ask for a club we can be proud of and a team that can compete,, and a battered sausage,???

Re: v Toulouse Sunday 14/8/16 : Sun Aug 14, 2016 8:19 pm  

Any news on Liam Welham , hope his injury isn't season ending.

I think Brad England was running down the touchline on the west stand side before the game .
Mike Kelly has been at the last few games , is he near to full fitness ?

Re: v Toulouse Sunday 14/8/16 : Sun Aug 14, 2016 8:26 pm  

weighman wrote:

Good fish and chips & out of the EU what more can you ask for.

Precisely, and next time i'm going to ask for a Sheffield Rissole and some curry sauce.

Re: v Toulouse Sunday 14/8/16 : Mon Aug 15, 2016 6:53 am  

Gary Thornton believes the winning margin flattered Toulouse and takes the positives from the defeat: http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/doncaster-dons/doncaster-rlfc-thornton-takes-positives-from-defeat-to-unbeaten-toulouse-1-8068752

Gary Thornton believes the winning margin flattered Toulouse and takes the positives from the defeat: http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/doncaster-dons/doncaster-rlfc-thornton-takes-positives-from-defeat-to-unbeaten-toulouse-1-8068752

Re: v Toulouse Sunday 14/8/16 : Mon Aug 15, 2016 6:58 am  

I cannot fault the attitude or commitment of the players yesterday, and I am confident there are members of our squad who will prove to be good players given time, however it is worrying that we are not competitive enough to gain promotion this season, after last season the club spoke of their determination get back to the championship which appears not to be the case. If we were owned and managed by others with less resource I would accept it and support the club with the same passion as in the days when we were propping up the leagues, but under the stewardship of our current owners I expect more.

Re: v Toulouse Sunday 14/8/16 : Mon Aug 15, 2016 8:01 am  

rugblyman wrote:

I cannot fault the attitude or commitment of the players yesterday, and I am confident there are members of our squad who will prove to be good players given time, however it is worrying that we are not competitive enough to gain promotion this season, after last season the club spoke of their determination get back to the championship which appears not to be the case. If we were owned and managed by others with less resource I would accept it and support the club with the same passion as in the days when we were propping up the leagues, but under the stewardship of our current owners I expect more.

I think these are very fair comments - supporter expectation is related to resources. The players' commitment yesterday was great. We couldn't have asked for more.

There are two issues to be considered:

1) If we do have genuine aspirations to become a Super League side why are we not able to put together a squad with sufficient class to be able to get out of this league? We have won once in six attempts against teams above us in the league this season.

2) Are the people in charge not able to identify players who are good enough to do that job or are the resources not really being made available?

In his post match comments to The Star, Gary Thornton is either trying to use yesterday's game to motivate his players for the forthcoming matches or he's kidding himself that we're better than we are. I hope it's the former because if it's the latter, I am very concerned.

Next season, Toronto will almost certainly be the Toulouse of the league. Assuming Rochdale go up with Toulouse, we've got to be better than Barrow, York, Keighley, Hunslet, Workington, and Whitehaven (if they are the two relegated clubs).

At the moment, we're probably ahead of Keighley and Hunslet. Next Sunday will tell us a little more about where we're at in relation to Keighley. Either way, the off-season recruitment has got to be very good if we are to have a realistic chance of going up next season.

I appreciate that winning any league isn't easy. There are 13 players doing their best to stop you every week. There is a lot of hard work and effort being put in by a lot of people. I don't want to belittle the hard work and effort that is being put in. I do appreciate what everyone does. My concern is that unless the top level decision-making is made better, we will continue to struggle. The longer this goes on, the more the fan base will drop. This worries me.

Re: v Toulouse Sunday 14/8/16 : Mon Aug 15, 2016 8:54 am  

I don't think that super league is an option anytime soon, and I don't believe the club think it is achievable. Sure they say the right things, all clubs do, about what they want to achieve, but only a handfull have any real hope. With the new salary cap regs (joke) coming in, clubs like ours have no real hope to achieve that goal without running at a substantial loss, not going to happen. The Rfl are not interested in smaller clubs, and definitely not in the bottom division. The crowds at most games are making the sport unsustainable, it can't go on indefinitely, something has to give. At least while we are under the club Doncaster umbrella we may ride out what is a bad time for the sport. And whether we like it or not, and I know we don't, the main income for club Doncaster comes from the football side, until they get their act together, the Dons will be a afterthought. I would love to see someone come in and plough money in, but realistically it isn't happening. I think the biggest obstacle for us this year has been the stupid fixture format, the lower league clubs deserve better

Re: v Toulouse Sunday 14/8/16 : Mon Aug 15, 2016 10:18 am  

See my post re 2017 , I E Mailed the CEO incorrectly calling him Director of rugby & was belittled by him on In the Dugout !
If we donot get promotion & Club Doncaster donot make changes & show more commitment to the Dons I will not contribute to the Squadbuilder fund after 1/10/2016.
I willnot stop going to matches cos I enjoy it .

Re: v Toulouse Sunday 14/8/16 : Mon Aug 15, 2016 10:47 am  

I do not disagree with you weighman, on the contrary, you make some very valid points. But I really can't see much changing, I can only say it as I see it, I would dearly love to be wrong. Each and ever one of us will make up their own mind regarding what he/she does next year, as it should be, haven't watched in the dugout for a while, but belittling a committed supporter like yourself doesn't sound like a good investment for the future, without the paying public, there is no future.