[iQuite agree it does nt really matter where we play, after all what does the club need to do regarding managing the ground like in the past. I suppose all the day to day stuff is done by the Stadium management. You would think that would allow club officials to meet, greet and win over potential sponsors![/i



[iThe club does need to be ambitious, realistic and consistent which needs a 5 year plan, hard work, honesty and vision. Does anyone at the club have these attribute![/i



[iThe club previously had 2000 motivated fans, but over the years these numbers have been worn down by broken promises, constant begging for money, poor and inept management, virtually every former Dons supporter or former sponsor you meet can tell you a story of a dodgy deal or how they have been let down by people involved in the club over the years. This will never change without a total clear out, which is very unlikely! [/i

Trotsky, interesting post earlier. Who within the current Dons set-up, needs clearing out?

Would new faces bring instant self-belief back to the club, or would they need time to gain the fans' support?

What realistically can be done to get the missing 2,000 back?

Stand-Offish: I agree the Northern Rail Cup is a bit of a pain and not the greatest way to start the season ... but at least we can start to learn the names of all the new players for when the real league action starts.

we all know the Keepmoat is too big for the Dons.I was one of some that did not want to move to Castle park but i am begining to see that we need to.1,The reason being that guy called Ryan at the rovers harping on about buying the stadium,[its called a community stadium can he buy it? 2, like someone said on this thread i don't feel like putting money into his/rovers pocket.3, Would the RFL put future rl matches on at the stadium if the Dons was not there.i.e. again putting rfl cash into his pocket tho thinking about the rfl they do have that inclination to put money into the wendy ball game don't/haven't they.We can' say that some speccies will not go to Castle park cos its to far from Bentley, town ect.ect.We cannot go back to Tattersfield like someone was reflecting.I went to York road from Kirk sandall
then to stainforth then Belle vue if your a fan then you would at least go local.But beware if the Dons leave the Keepmoat the club might not get back whether he buys it or not.Maybe thats what Carl is thinking.Who knows.Watched a tape of Carl playing for Bradford Northern the other night.

I can’t believe that people are on here saying that certain people at the club should step down. I don’t always agree with some of the things that go on, however if it wasn’t for the people involved in the current set up then we would not have a club. I don’t see any millionaires on the horizon with money burning a hole in their pocket wanting to buy the Dons.It’s good to have ambition but sound finances must come first, if we blow it again there will not be another chance from the RFL for rugby league in Doncaster.
Also I think it’s a bit rich to have a pop at people who are trying to do their best for the club and then come out with stuff like ‘this will probably be my last year’ and ‘I’ve got better things to do on a Sunday’, if that’s how you fell then that’s fine but don’t have a go at the folk who are still here doing their best.

The club is making progress , we are breaking even . Can understand Carl's comments in the Free Press about the future. What Carl didnot mention was there is likely to be a franchise system for 2013 onwards.

We do need bigger crowds but last seasons crowds were up slightly, donot know about gate revenue though.

COYD

Please don't extrapolate one person to 'people'.
If you mean Trotsky, then say so.


The rest of us are staying ... he probably doesn't mean it anyway.
We all get p/ssed off from time to time.
He's a paying supporter and we need him.

if everyone toed the party line and thought the same, we would all be going baa!, like sheep.

Exactly. We need as many paying supporters as possible, which is why the loyal fans we have should get behind the club. You are correct in saying we do not always have to agree with the club management, but as i said earlier without them we would have no club to support as nobody else seemed interested in saving semi pro RL in Doncaster two years ago!

Can't fault you there rupert bear.
Anyone, as management, who touches a rugby league club with a bargepole is a saint (or a fool

).
So therefore full marks to our management. It is a bloody hard job.
Whether you are good at it or shoite, it's still a bloody hard job that most people would not entertain.
RESPECT.
COYD

I've seen many familiar faces,(true,loyal fans)some i would have classed as life-time supporters give up on the Dons over the last decade and I'm sad to say the majority of them will never return.

I ask myself why?

Times are certainly tight at the moment and there are many other ways of spending our hard earned cash,the fixture list in Championship League One doesn't help,but without a doubt the overriding factor i believe has been the mis-management of the club in the past.

I personally believe that had the management of the club not put all it's eggs in one basket in it's aim of reaching the dream of Super-League a few seasons ago then we would not have had to go through all the upheaval we have been through,and we would still be competing on a even footing with the likes of the Eagles at this moment in time.

The club lost the Trust of the fans and it will take many year if at all for the stay away fans to return.

The people in charge of the club today,and the remaining loyal fans must do everything in their power to win back that trust.

And I would add that this effect is not just associated with the Dons and their recent past.

Fans and ex-fans look at rugby league as it is today as a very fragile, undependable and an almost unsustainable product.
Never a year passes without clubs going into administration or breaching rules. This has become the norm and more worryingly is on the increase.

So I would suggest that trust has been holed below the water line.

The decline in industries such as mining has decimated traditional support and I can't see it ever returning. Plus a diversity of other interests hasn't helped.

Rupert, Stand-Offish, and Dragon Fan have made some very good points.

I don't agree with some of the things that the club do but I respect that they cannot please everyone all of the time. They do a good job in difficult circumstances and I fully respect them for it.

The bottom line is that unless we increase the supporter base, we will forever be a small-time player.

I suspect it's a chicken and egg situation: If we constantly win, people will be more inclined to come and watch; if we're doing averagely or poorly, it'd be the same few faithful ones there.

Can we get back the missing fans? If so how?

How can we attract new people to the game?

Is our only hope of moving forwards if some rich investor comes along?

What does everyone think?