Problem with that is there is more than one company at play, Club Doncaster's financials are not on there and we don;t know what is being siphoned to what company for what tax reason. Having said that, i think if we genuinely did have more money, we'd have spent it

Agreed Jemmo , the Rovers don't make a profit ,............. it has been well documented the directors make up the shortfall every year from their own pockets.

There was talk at the last Rovers game of one or more of the directors looking to leave the club, or selling to interested parties.
I dont know if this is just idel gossip ,but if true where would that leave the Dons with regards to finances and ownership?

Carl always says the owners back him and would like us in Super League ,but I want a Ferrari and a super model girlfriend ...............,but like our Super League aspirations I fear it is just a pipe dream.

The game's up as far as I am concerned and this early in the season too ...
Not that we are not good ... we are ... just not good ENOUGH.
And whichever way you slice it we are hoping for a play-off spot only.
Horne as said as much ....

The fact is you can't go up on a shoestring budget unless by hook or by crook you recruit in the most judicial and targeted way ... and we haven't done that with our incomers in the main.

We have games like Bradford,York,Worky,Haven,Oldham,Keighley and Hunslet away as well as a couple of banana skin ones.

Other sides will take points off each other because they are similar after the top two so there lies hope.

So we get to the play-offs if we are lucky then what?

We are notoriously rubbish at play-offs.
I can think of a few notable exceptions but generally we are a damp squib at the business end of the season.

So do we give up and crawl away?
Of course not ... there is plenty of very attractive rugby to be played by the Dons ... but that will have to suffice I fear.

A good enough reason to turn out of a Sunday in itself

We need to lower the rhetoric, cut the crap and run this club as though we have a plan.
I say we ... I mean those who supposedly know what they are doing.

Wouldn't it be nice if for once someone said 'We know exactly were we are going wrong and are gonna fix it.'
Much better to be nebulous and say 'we have talked about things.'
I should hope you bloody well have!

And now the negatives ......
lol

With regard to the Dons, people's expectations are raised when suggestions are made on RL Back Chat and in the RL press that the Club's owners 'could easily be one of the richest in the game'.

At the same time, Richard Horne states 'I am happy with where the team is and the balance we have in it' and 'At the moment we are not looking to bring anyone else in'.

I may well be wrong here but conclude the following;

* There may be funds available but RH is happy to go with the current squad.

* There may be a belief that as the season progresses further players from Hull will become available.

My thoughts are that we need to finish second or third in this division for a realistic chance in the play-offs (I cannot see anyone finishing above Bradford).

We cannot afford to lose too many more games in that quest and still have a number of difficult away games (Bradford, York, Oldham, Whitehaven, Workington, Keighley for example) and have already struggled to see off Newcastle (away) and North Wales (home).

I firmly believe that we need something more in the forwards to allow the backs a better platform to play. For me we are still two decent prop forwards away from having the squad we need. If we aren't looking to sign any further players then we must hope that Hull can help out?

My thoughts are that RH is not happy with the balance of the team ... but because of his position cannot say so.
.
My thoughts are that he is severely constrained with regard to spending any more money so that is why he has to go with what he has.

My thoughts are that he realises that some of the signings are big mistakes but he has made his bed ....

I mean if he said he was happy with the balance of this side given the clear IMBALANCE then he would have to be an idiot right?

And he can't be an idiot ....
So he is fibbing.

WHY does he keep picking that balloon Ryan Boyle.
Not fit and never will be i commented against HEMEL he'd only been on 20 mins and was absolutely knackered,
lo and behold he was off 3/4 mins later.
THEN he's picked for next game unbelievable, apart from being unfit he has one ounze of skill in him.

Type in to Google 08699464 Company Check

Type in to Google 03739676 Company Check

When each site is displayed click on to the Financials Box

You will be able to view details of Club Doncaster & Doncaster Rovers Ltd

yep your absolutely right,definately worth 5 views.

I don't have any inside info on why Richard Horne picks the teams he does Onedon. I know we'd all pick different sides if the choice was ours.

I'd have probably given up on Jordie Hedges before this season but he'd be one of the first players on my team sheet now. I think the guys been great for us this season and I take my hat off to him for all the work he must have done to improve his game like he has.

Going back to Ryan Boyle, with us only having four props on our books, there probably doesn't seem to be all that much room for manouvre in the front row.

Which ignores the fact that he signed him in the first place.
Which is a plank of your argument that 'Let's judge him when he constructs his OWN team and not an inherited one'.
Well Boyle is down to him and RH is making hinself look silly playing him and not picking better players.
Which also compounds that silliness.
The fact is they have given Boyle a good deal and are stuck with him.
And there is nothing that anyone can do about it apart from dropping him ... the bloody team captain after all.
Another bad decision by RH.
For me he should be stripped of that straight away and give it
back to Kesik.

That says nothing good about RH.

I'm not here to defend Richard Horne's actions. I'm here to pass on my opinions, not defend anyone.

I did previously say that we should judge Richard Horne after he's had the chance to put a team together of his own and I stand by that. I'll draw my conclusions at the end of the season. If you want to draw your conclusions now, then that's your choice.

Yes, I have been disappointed by Ryan Boyle's contributions going forward as we need tackle busters that can continue to make yards after impact. He hasn't been able to do that. Defensively he's seems sound enough. I can't comment on the contributions he makes as captain as I'm not out there on the pitch.

I do think you're being rather harsh in your conclusion that there is nothing good to say about Richard Horne. We're trying to play an attractive entertaining brand of rugby. Surely that's an improvement on the drive it down the middle approach we had in the past?

I don't remember saying there was nothing good to say about RH ... I was merely referring to the matter of Ryan Boyle and his continued selection and indeed his recruitment ... but that part is in hindsight granted.
This runs counter to my kind of logic.
Although running things from my armchair is a piece of cake and RH has the hard bit to do.
It can't be easy.

I haven't got time to wait until the final whistle to make judgements I prefer continual assessment ... but do admit to being hard to please.

Did he make a difference last season?
No!

As he got us to where we want to be thus far?
Nearly ... but there are shades of deja vu in that just like last season when push comes to shove he can't deliver in tight matches.

I like his attacking notions ... but then he was an attacking player.

But we aren't a force are we?
That's what I want, but realise it probably ain't gonna happen for a while.

Things could be a whole lot worse so things are passable.
I can't get any more revved up than that ... sorry!

With the exception of McNally at FB, that was probably our strongest side. Kear doesn't seem to be using DR much - we learnt that lesson last year that the power is with the senior club. We've got 2 from Giants & 1 from Cas on season long loans (with recall option, but can't have everything). We picked up Laithewaite from Toronto & Hitchcox from Cas on 1 month loans 2 weeks ago. We're running a full reserves side but Kear hasn't transferred many of them into the first team squad yet.
But from chatter over the last week, Kear prepared Bulls for a top of the table clash. Focus, build pressure, high completion rate, minimise errors, squeeze the life out of you. He wanted to lay down a marker. And until York did that with the scoreboard, the prize on offer was top of the table.
We've West Wales at home on Sunday. We'll see what we can do. Kear wants us to be ruthless....

The Sneyd/Abdull thing was unlucky for you. Must have disrupted things. Because I saw one of your halves was subbed just after halftime - that doesn't happen very often.

Bradford were superior in most if not all departments and thoroughly deserved their win.
Strongest side or not I think you would win 9 times out of 10 against that side of ours put out on Sunday.
The week previously we put in a much better performance against Fev and Bradford were no better than them, but Bradford's style of play was very good and you could beat Fev unlike us.
Warrington had blasted Bradford the week before ... so although you are good Championship material ... you ain't Super league standard.
So that was what hurt ... you demolished Doncaster and since it takes two to tango ... that also says that Donny were pretty rubbish.
We did some great defence ... mainly because we had to but our attack was indeed rubbish and that is Horne's forte.
Let's be honest that score flattered Doncaster since Bradford bombed around three more tries.
They could have posted 50.
So very deflating.
Good luck go on and pip York for the title ....