But Carl is a great guy (who totally didnt abandon the club when the club was in financial trouble) and Richard Horne is a tactical genius with a track record of winning finals and a solid tactical knowledge.

I am also from Mars!

My take on it all is this, the second half of last season we were the second best team in our league but the first half left us at the bad half of the play off system. Again. Starting the season with the same team that finished the last is better than we have been in the number of years (Out of all the players who have left only really Storey is a miss for me), but does highlight how we are reliant on a few key players, mainly Burns, Johnston and Tali. We paid a heavy price for losing the first 2 of those for most of the opening half of the campaign. We also have Boas from the start this year, Knowles is an excellent signing for me, on Thursday he looked fit, strong and mobile. The other 2 I didn't get a close look at but could go either way, so a risk.

I expected more turn around in the front row this close season, that for me has been the biggest disappointment. I also think we need a centre, I am imagining Misi might play there this year and allow Hall to play at 1, which for me would see both playing in positions which better suit their skill set. I know neither are spring chickens but defenders won't want Tali and Misi running at the them from the centres over 80 minutes. I was actually expecting another signing announced on Thursday, they have reported a squad of 24 but only announced 23.

This season comes down to the first 6 weeks for me, start like last year and we play catch up all year. Win them all and we need to do what Keighley did and double down

A fair assement Jemmo - I also think were lacking a centre still and some more midfield oomph but what do we know

Is Ben Howe still with the Dons or has he been released?

He hasn't been announced, however he was training with the squad before the launch event

I guess it would be reasonable to think that he is the other player in the squad of 24 then.

Feels like the most obvious conclusion

So that's it then, Ben Howe completes the squad. Hopes of a marquee signing gone. Carl Hall's prediction is a pipedream so it's play offs again. Just one major signing would have boosted season ticket sales but this backward thinking club hasn't got a clue

Told straight after the swinton game we ABSOLUTELY won't be going through the play offs for promotion next season, Once again been suckered into believing this! Hall and Knowles are ok signings but the lack of ambition shown and the fact we go into a tougher league next season with roughly same quality of squad as last year means the same fate will happen again. How are certain folk within the club untouchable and don't have any accountability put on them???

And now they sign a 37-year-old with a questionable disciplinary record.

You are not allowed an opinion on facebook before the happy clappers chime in and start with the personal attacks, I think I'll be binning off facebook come the new year, not just because of the Dons stuff, FB in general is just a cesspool of terrible things and irrelevant adverts.

Whilst i think ferres is a very good signing i fully agree about the FB sheep, the minute you question anything the do-gooders/ground troops/self righteous brigade team up to drown out your views. They will critise any other view that's not theirs but won't dare criticise the dons hierarchy that have year after year failed! It's a weird weird set up definitely akin to some kind of cult.

To be fair it’s about 2 or 3 people, it doesn’t help they’re not actually very good at constructive debate and just say “you can’t say that” though.

The irony is I’ve had this same debate the other way round. The dons fans, like all groups of people, are a bell curve. There will always be people at far ends but the majority are somewhere round the middle

Unfortunately, this platform is in terminal decline.
This is a platform where lengthy posts sat well and people felt that they could speak freely.
Disagreements and spats still occurred however and I contributed to a good few.
Facebook is not a platform where lengthy discussions tend to occur, certainly not reasoned ones.
It does stop me going on though even though I know I am disliked by certain folk.
Sod 'em I say, I will say what I like and Steve should do the same.

Belated Merry Christmas (been away) and a Happy grumpy, thoughtful, sad, miserable, negative, positive, social media free New Year to all our readers.