You maybe able to look forward to a trip to France next season the RL are considering an application from Toulouse Olympique to play in Championship One in the 2016 season

It's going to be a very interesting off season, the owners have stated that they will back the new coach, who incidentally can't be blamed for anything this season, to get the club straight back up. They need to show they mean business quickly or risk losing some support . Some players will undoubtedly leave of their own accord, some will not be retained. It's going to be a big job for GT, I sincerely hope that club Doncaster do what they say they are going to do, and those supporters who say they are staying away are exited enough to return. Super league, in my opinion, was a long way off anyway, the club need to be full time and have a set up that includes junior sides, which I thought was being addressed with the link up with the balby dons, something that I have heard nothing of this season. Big big season coming up.

The current directors & management of the club should never allowed the club to get in to this sorry state it finds itself in they should have tried to resolve the situation much earlier the signs were there when we lost the cup game at North Wales Crusaders in March.

Your right they should have, they didn't, look to the future, the past we can do nothing about

at the moment there is no future and unless the directors and management get there fingers out there will be no future next year either.
that's Thornton and Green aside if they're still here
Thornton needs top class back up from the club, something which i think P Cooke never got even when he needed it.

I think certain things have improved , not on the field obviously, but we now have a fans representive, as well as a group of fans who will meet with the club on a regular basis, which can only be a good thing. More needs to be done granted, but we all now have the opportunity to approach somebody to ask questions etc. The off season will show whether club Doncaster are serious about what they have said, and as I've said before, without someone bringing in serious money and wanting to take the club over, we will have to trust what the club say, because we simply have no choice, other than to say, I'm not going anymore. Well I'm not willing to go down that road, I enjoy going , so I will continue to do so, but I understand those who think differently.

Donny hkr talks a lot of sense. I'd still go and watch them even if they lost their next 20 matches, but I understand that not everyone feels that way. It hurts to think we'd come so far and we're now in about-turn mode. We were always a million miles from being ready for a crack at getting in Super League. We're a million miles and a few more away now.

My plea to the fans who might be thinking of stopping going is that had we got 2,000 regular fans at the moment, we would have had more money available to invest in all aspects of the club, from junior development to having a second team. If you stop supporting them, we'll be less able to achieve these goals in the coming seasons. When a club is at its lowest, it needs its fans to be even more loyal or else getting out of the hole becomes much more difficult.

I appreciate that for the most part attendances are a chicken and egg situation in that supporters want to follow a winning team but without their support during the tough times, getting a winning team together is so much harder.

Having said that, loyalty is a two-way thing. I hope that Club Doncaster realise that the fans feel as though we've been let down by the big mistakes that have been made this season and that suitable investment is made during the off-season to reassure us that lessons have been learned.

Carl's latest In The Dugout is interesting. Suggesting two or three star players, who are clearly above the level of the league you're playing in, are required in order to do well is the exact opposite of what we tried to do this season. We were banking on team spirit and youth. It's the exciting players that excite the fans. We won't get those players unless we're prepared to invest some serious money though. If we try to do it on the cheap, we're likely to get a bunch of average players.

On the other hand, this doesn't mean that throwing money at the problem is the easy answer. Imagine how we'd be feeling now if we'd spent loads of dosh on rebuilding the current team and all had still gone pear-shaped.

Slightly tongue-in-cheek, I'd get Matt Groat signed up on a five year deal. When someone steps in to sign him, we can get a decent transfer fee for him. But the Groat has proven that one player who is above the level of the league can't save the day, which suggests investments needs to be made across the whole team for next season.

We've seen enough this year to know that we're miles behind the better sides in the league as far as ability goes, and we're not even threatening to beat the teams around us. Based on the cup stuffing in Wales, we've got to wonder where the present team would have actually finished if they were playing in the lower league.

Wholesale changes are needed and I'd be surprised if many of the current squad make it into next season's squad which is quite sad really considering the pleasure they brought us last year. But we can't live in the past and we have to build a team capable of winning enough matches to get us promoted next season, assuming we're going down this season, which looks a certainly barring two of the teams above us going in to administration and having 20 points deducted!

So my plea to fans is to please stick by the club because it will give us the best chance of bouncing back from this horrible season sooner than we would without you.

Well said Sir, both yourself and DHKR write with sense and passion.

I would recommend that fans watch the In the dugout interview, an insightful view.

It's alright getting Churchillian about the situation DM, and yes it is a given that fans should remain loyal if progress is to be made.
But that is it in its entirety ... a call to arms.

I don't want to disseminate your post ... but for a start, Groat is nothing special.
As for us needing three players of superleague standard, that's a no-brainer ... but we ain't gonna get them.
At the beginning of the season was the time to get them, not now, not next season ... it's all just waffle by the management.
Money won't suddenly come from somewhere next season, austerity will still rule.
It's the most disgraceful cheapskate year in recent Dons history.
And a part of me, wrongly I know, is thinking ... they are getting exactly what they deserve and they don't deserve any extra fans and in reality only season ticket holders.
This is not accidental, not a stroke of terrible luck deserving of a rallying of the fans.
This is bordering on betrayal and absolutely SHOCKING management!

I may still be a Dons fan next year despite what I say, but my patience is sorely tried.
I'm not a fan of abject incompetence.
26 straight losses ... I just want something to cheer about.
I have paid my money, and more I might add, and got nothing for it!

I truly regret that I feel this way, but that is telling it how it is.
I have no time for baseless optimism.
We can all pretend.

We were told that this season the club had the biggest ever players budget so was the money available spent wisely? If we are relegated this season the money the Dons receive from the RL will be a lot less in Championship One I don't know if the teams relegated from the Championship are eligible for parachute payments.

Not sure about the Groat comment but everything else is spot on.It's true without Club Doncaster the Dons may not exist but Baldwin and Co could have stopped the rot many weeks ago and in not doing so have shown they have no passion and vision to take the Dons forward. The future in Championship One therefore looks very bleak and I fear Club Doncaster's ultimate aim is to put the Dons out of business.

for god sake why the hell would club doncaster want to put the dons out of business.this obsession you have with Baldwin is creepy.

I'm starting to get seriously worried. Last week I was accused of being a politician and now I'm Churchillian.



I feel let down, hurt and disappointed by what has happened this season. I was eagerly looking forward to this season. I was actually in hospital after having had major surgery in January. I discharged myself from hospital early so I wouldn't have to miss the Hunslet pre-season game. I could hardly walk but made it to the ground for the match. The pounding we took that day was the fore-runner to what was in store for us for the rest of the season. I wished I'd stayed in hospital ... well, nearly!

I'm not here to condone the actions of the club this season because they've made huge blunders but I don't hold with the view points that Club Doncaster want the Dons to fail.

Being a fan of any sporting team does require a certain amount of baseless optimism because we never really know what is happening behind the scenes. Don't we all go to the next game thinking, "This could be the one that we might win and things could get better from here." It is probably heart ruling head but that's all part of being a fan.

Sure, talking is cheap. Actions certainly speak louder than words and it'll be interesting to see whether proper investments are made in the off-season. In some ways, the club can't win though because if they don't talk a good fight with regards to what they hope to do in the future, we will accuse them of seemingly lacking ambition.

What happens at the club is primarily out of my control but I love rugby and want Doncaster to be successful. I hope everyone won't give up on the club even after the endurance test of this season, or because we feel the management have done wrong, or because we may not like certain individuals who are connected with the club.

If we all stick together, we've got a much better chance of having something to cheer about in the future.

In answer to Geoff's post, I'm pretty sure there are no parachute payments for teams dropping out of the Championship but I've not foraged round the RFLs site very much recently, so I may have missed something.

With regards to S/Os comments on Matt Groat, personally I'd be surprised if a Super League team don't come in for him. He's certainly not the finished article but for a prop forward of his age, he's certainly got potential to progress to a higher level.

I don't know you personally DM.
I know who you are, you have been pointed out to me on the coach at away games.
That's in the recent good old days.
You're a good man.
You deserve better.

If Groat was any good, he'd be ripping up the opposition at this level ... he's OK granted ... he'd be OK in a good team.
I'm a results man, potential is fine but it don't bring in the bacon.
What has he done for us so far?
The odd try and some banned time .. pretty poor I would call that.

I don't know you S/O. I started the campaign thread to get you back on the forum because I missed your humour and your contributions. It's good to see you back. Thanks for your kind words. They really mean a lot to me.

We need diverse views on here because life would be boring if we all thought and did the same things. I respect everyone's varying opinions. I listen and learn from what others say and I enjoy that aspect of the forum.

I suppose that as supporters we all feel a connection with rugby and the Dons, or else we'd be supporting other teams. But we all probably have a breaking point where we withdraw our support for whatever reasons. Some people might not like the people running the club, others might not feel able to suffer losing every week, some might not like the coach or playing tactics, the stadium might not be to our liking. The list goes on.

Nobody is wrong to opt out if sufficient boxes aren't ticked. That's what choice is all about but for me the bottom line is that we've got a much better chance of being successful again if more people stay loyal, and ultimately that's what I want to see.

Without getting side-tracked onto attendance issues but there is normally a direct link between how well a team is supported and their general long-term success. I have fears that we will never have a long-term successful club in Doncaster because our fan base is too small but I hope I'm wrong on that one. When we were doing well last season, the attendance figures were very poor considering our relative success. That worried me greatly. If the people of Doncaster won't come when we're winning, when will they come?

As with all things, the people behind the scenes can mess things up even when the supporters are loyal. Leeds United and Newcastle United are two classic examples of a hugely loyal fan base not guaranteeing success. Those supporters deserve better and we deserve better this season because our club has let us down.

In terms of rugby, we need a much smaller fan base to do well when compared to Premiership football teams and I see 2,000 as decent starting target for the club to give us any hope that Super League rugby could be sustainable in Doncaster. Our immediate concerns are far removed from Super League ambitions but the attendance issues are relative. We could do well next season on the back of crowds of 500 but crowds of 1,000 would help our cause much more.

It's not too many seasons back that Leigh went into administration and were relegated to the lower league. They've shown us that it is possible to achieve success relatively quickly after suffering dark times but it does require a combination of a good supporter base and a commitment by the club to invest wisely to help make these things happen.

I can't influence what goes on behind the scenes at the club, and to a point I have to shut myself off somewhat from the things I believe the club are doing wrong, but I feel compelled to keep turning up to do my little bit to try to help us move forwards.

If I had more time, I'd love to get more involved with what goes on behind the scenes at the club and try to influence the club in the directions I feel they need to move but due to work commitments I'm not able to. I'm not trawling out the usual excuse we hear from players as to why they stop playing, by the way, when I say that. I run my own business am I'm a one man band. I sneak on here when I'm having my cups of tea but then the nasty boss part of me intervenes and tells me to get some work done!



The boss is winning right now ... where was I with that spreadsheet I was working on?

Stop talking sense on here man it will get you nowwhere. Take a miserable old get pill and join in the real debate.

I've got some ordered but they've not arrived yet!

I'm sure there is a stock in the club shop. They are next to the Hard to swallow and Bitterest section.

A good honest post DM


There aren't many folk on here than can be ars/ed to string more than two lines together.
Are you listening Alan?



And as for the grumpy old git pills, don't bother trying, I bought the entire production.

I'm listening Brian, I always do with you. Just to cheer you up even more have you seen the Whitehaven and Batley latest. Bodes well for next week



I did write out a response last night that went on a bit but when I finished it and re-read it It went into the can't be @rsed bin

Whitehaven are doing what we can't currently, in that they are winning home matches against the bottom half teams. Today's victory over Batley, follows a win over Hunslet in their last home fixture.

I may be accused of clutching at straws here, but the next three fixtures, two of which are at home are the sort of games we need to be thinking at least offer some chance of victory.

Well IMO straw clutching is not a bad thing (especially if you work for Northern Bale) You must be reading my mind (short read-granted) I was just about to post that it we can get six points from the next three games it may just give us a slight chance of beating the odds.

The games after those three are two damage limitation jobs and then the fun and games of the play offs ( or in our case the drop offs)

Drop offs!

I like it!

We've been thinking that the recent games against Workington and Hunslet were the last chance saloon but there is still a glimmer of hope if we can beat Whitehaven, Batley and Hunslet at home. When we enter the drop offs we'll be playing the teams around us again too.

The chances are that Batley and Workington are going to win at least two more games each before the final curtain comes down, maybe (but hopefully not) against us. That would mean we'd have to better 13 points to stay up. Seven wins required from the 12 remaining games seems like a minimum requirement. Three wins from the next five and four wins from the seven final games.

Can we do it? In all probability, the chances of it happening are slim and 100/1 is probably still under the odds but whilst ever it's mathematically possible for us to stay up, we've got to keep giving it our best shot.

There is certainly enough points left, but I think the teams confidence is shot to pieces. I would love to think we could stay up, but even accounting for being an optimistic numpty, I have to say I can't really see it happening. I think we will at least win a couple, but as I said on the facebook page, I think we probably need a few snookers now. To win as many as we need to win in the remainder of the season we would need to show top four form, sadly I think that is unrealistic.

O/T
Sammut goes from Wakey to Workington.
Don't know where the guy lived, probably with a Wakey teammate.
But Donny is next door.

Mind you, we don't need any more little guys.