If the Dons fail to get promotion this season & the new proposals & restructure goes through I seriously think the only way they will survive as a professional club is by merging with Sheffield Eagles & form a South Yorkshire club & hopefully play in the new second division

Wash your mouth out Geoff. We have been thro all that before.

Open your eyes Paul tell me how they can survive as a professional club in the third division?

When you were involved with the Dons , how would you have responded to the suggestion of a merger,

Anyway this is o/t , may be a seperate thread should be set up.

Geoff, it's all specualtion at the moment. We're in the third division now.

Let's wait and see what's really happening and then we can take it from there.

I wouldn't like to see a merger with Sheffield as I think we would get the worst of both worlds. Dons fans wouldn't like, Sheffield fans wouldn't like it and you'd end up with a smaller fan base than we've got between us now.

If it comes to the crunch would you rather watch the Dons play in the third division which maybe as an amatuer club or as a merged South Yorkshire professional team in the second division.

We made a similar decision at the Yarborough club back in the day .

Let me ask you Geoff would you go & watched a merged team .

I would give it some serious thought if it prevented the Dons from going out of existence as a professional club.

You haven't answered my question to you how do you think the Dons would survive possibly as an amatuer team in the third division.

A TV deal , money from Club Doncaster, sponsors & gate money.

What if there isn't a TV deal or money for teams in the third division league one teams currently roughly receive £75,000 per year from the present Sky deal which ends this year.

I appreciate that Geoff , but you have got to live in hope . What is the point in waking up each day if you do not .

I am done on this now until firm proposals are put to the clubs.

Paul

Ok Paul we will wait & see what transpires & if the proposed restructure does go through lets hope there is a reasonable amount of tv money made available to the teams in the new division three.

Personally i think if the clubs share of the money is reduced then I can see almost all clubs in league one offering players pay as you play deals as contract money would be out the window.

To be fair , it wouldn't surprise me if that was the way most clubs in our league were run.

Yes, you will always get the teams like Keighley that will throw money at players like Scott Murrell and Jake Webster to drop out of Super League or The Championship to ply their trade in the lowest division in pro rugby league.

However unless there happens to be a cash cow director or a massive increase in gate receipts the writing is often on the wall.
How many clubs have tried and failed to take the next step up the ladder and failed miserably due to over spending and poor management.

I cant see the Dons merging with the Seagulls , we have one of the best stadiums in rugby league a board of wealthy directors and we just need to take that next step.

If we have a board of wealthy directors they need to make sure that we get promoted out of League One this season & if the new restructure proposals go through they need to sign players & a provide a team that can make a serious attempt to finish in the top 6 of the Championship.

No chance Geoff that will not happen. There is no guarantee of that top 6 finish, it is a massive financial gamble and one that I am sure the people running Club Doncaster will not take.

IMO at the moment its all a bit what ifs and maybe's, lets see what happens. As I keep saying Carl Hall will have a better idea of what is going to happen than us speculating what may happen.