Tweaking , well that's a bit more positive.

I think Mick Butterfield is generally reliable and he drives the ball out of defence very well.

The positives were that when we had our best team out we looked comfortable, when we didn't we looked vulnerable. Maybe we haven't got the quality in depth we had hoped for but there's still time for some of the new guys to make an impression.

My biggest concern is in the front row. With Cas and Brett Waller we have two top guys. Whilst Russ Spiers and Matt Carbutt give 100%, I don't feel they're able to dominate in the way Mark and Brett can.

If Brett is out for any length of time, I feel it is going to be a major set back and we could do with Josh Bowden in from Hull.

Have we got any news on who might be available from Hull for the Worky game?

Well on a more general level, I will raise one of my old bugbears.
It's this ... when, oh when are we going to get some more players that are crowd pleasers?
We seem fated to have to get by with workmanlike sides.
Yes we have a few crowd pleasers, Kes, Cas, Cookey and the like but it's all a bit dull.
Did we have to wait for Kemp, Hall, Vila et al to gel?
Did we buggery.

While Sheffield can do it, I'm not buying this no money excuse.
If we can only look as far as Hull, we are doomed to be ordinary and workmanlike.

There will be no increase in crowds with this kind of thinking.

You make a good point S-O, I will not mention the money factor . May be now that we are part of Club Doncaster we will be able to attract such players. Cannot see this being done overnight .

I have to agree S-O while we seem to have made some "solid" signings of good British players we dont have that marquee name you know the one "who appeared in the world cup for............." well we have Dave Scott I know but you get what I am driving at.

I dont buy the no money excuse if the eagles can afford to finance and keep Yere, Taulapapa, Laulu Togage & Tagaloa as well as Keith Senior in a coaching role on not massive crowds and with supposed expensive ground rent.

Surely with our clubs Kiwi connections we could maybe pluck some young talent from over there and give them a stage...it worked for Tony Kemp and Carl Hall...and our last Kiwi Corey was pretty much worshiped for the Dons faithful.

I am just worried that the other teams in our league were stronger or have strengthened significantly and we only seem to have made minor improvements...time will tell.

** I should maybe add a disclaimer that I am not trying to wind up Weighman and and I am trying to be positive going forward **

I agree that it'd be nice if we had some more flair players but there must be more money going into Sheffield than we know about.

If we have aspirations to reach Super League in four or five years time, the club do need to have a plan in place to bring in some better quality players to go with the good players we've presently got.

As much as we'd like a new flair player, I bet Paul Cooke wouldn't mind one either!

It'd be interesting to know whether the club is prepared to invest money or whether any future signings have to be self-funded from increased attendances, or new sponsors.

following the comments about "star players" big names bringing in the crowds, Now l have only been a dons supporter for a mere 30 yrs lve seen good bad and really bad players in my time, but the point lm trying to make is that we could sign a host of "big names" but and its a big but, the people of Donny in general don't care if we have lord lucan lady Di, shergar and superman playing for us, we will still only attract mediocre crowds. Think back to 1995. big name players signed, went bust halfway through the season.

Be interesting to see who you get from hull, we are short on props , so it won't be Bowden.

I'd expect Dean Hadley, Liam Kent and Bobby Tyson Wilson to maybe come.

Outside chance of Jay Pitts.

Also a chance of Joe Arundal, if Radford goes with Yeaman and Crooks.

Dave K how many do you think we can have .

Think you can have 5, reckon you will get 2/3 max depending on injuries to use and you.

Thought it was 3 this season , but may be wrong.

I was wrong 5 dual reg / loan players !

That was a brave attempt by John Wright to take us up to the next level.
He didn't get it W(right) but he must have been poorly advised.
A coach was hired who was not even in the country at the time the squad was assembled in his ignorance.
Most of them weren't stars, they were plain ordinary, some were terrible.
Only Joel Penny and Rickki Sheriffe were class.
The first home game drew a crowd of 4600, although quite a few were freebies, but nevertheless that was the impressive crowd.
The rugby served up was rubbish, the team a set of misfits and Wright's dream was shattered, they didn't come back.
However had the side been what it should have been things could have been very different.

Talk of Superleague is really silly unless we do get players of the likes of Joel Penny.

S-O the year we had a full time squad was around 2006 under JCW.

Was Hawthorne talking about 1995 the year we had in the big league when we went bust ,

Yeah silly me, I just automatically thought he was talking of the last time we went bust.
Only eleven years out.
lol
Or was it last but one?

We may have gone bust since then , when Harrison walked , leaving Carl Hall to pick up the pieces.

Oh what fun it has been, we are still here well some of us anyway!

Just one point...Rikki Sherriffe was awful!

Still is!

He wasn't awful when he and Penny pulled off a memorable fightback win at Dewsbury.
You might have been there that day, I was and won't forget it.
Although I will admit he didn't fulfil his potential, he seemed to have piled the weight on and lost his edge.
Prior to that he was very good.

It's an opinions game I guess, I wouldn't have had him in my top 5 of that team.

I actually thought Mbu played well in that brief stint, as did what's his face (the aussie prop who get arrested most weeks whose name escapes me)

(Anyway, we're digressing)

Ryan Tandy?

That's the one!

Full length of the pitch in the last minute after being 20 odd points down.Ill not forget that one either.The fans went mental ! Brilliant afternoon in a terrible season.

I know a lot dont share my opinion but i thought JCW had delusions of grandeur and threw unnecessary money about when there was no need. That home game was against Cas and of the 4 and a half thousand about 500 paid to get in.The loyal 500 who are probably still going to this day. (If you remember there was a meeting and he said the money taken on that day wouldnt cover Holroyds wages at which GH's missis stormed out unimpressed!)

We can learn a lot from that period. If we survive next year we have to make sure its done properly the year after and im sure Carl and John will oversee it properly and wont have too many interferences from the rovers.

On the subject of Sheffield we have to remember that Mr Swire is a successfull businessman and backs the Eagles to the hilt.It must be done around the shirt sponsorships i guess that the boards companies provide.Also love him or loathe him you have to say Aston has done a great job as well.

I d just be happy to have a team that didn't give a way 2 to 3 penalties that resulted in tries most weeks..

You can only affect what you can affect - and daft penalties for the god knows how many seasons in a row is still a factor that is killing us.

Not sure if that is why Robbo was taken off by PC , but unfortunately they then ran 2 more tries in down that side...

Something I have always used in all jobs, including coaching

Right People, Right Place, at Right Time doing the Right things..

That alone will get us in top 8 AND IT AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE.

If Paul believes he has the best team he can based on any parameters set (and it has been his decision) then the rest is down to him to coach and instil.
Dewsbury were only workmanlike at there place and they beat us easy...