originaldragon wrote:I was a ardent Dons supporter for years, but I stopped going at the start of this season. The downfall of the Dons started when they got promoted, and then the move away from Tattersfield. Ever since they have been on a downward spiral.
I think the current Chief Executive has taken on a poison chalice and is seriously struggling from a lack of experience. The supposed "consortium of backers" have been useless. Everyone can give advice because it's free, but and it's their lack of financial commitment that is particularly annoying. And remember who the figurehead was in putting this group together, in a fanfare of publicity.
It's a sad thing to say but maybe it would be best if the Dons folded now. It's obvious that the town doesn't want them.
Well I am ambivalent on this one.
A part of me says.....fook it...it's not worth it, but a bigger part says why shouldn't we have RL in Donny.
It has not been a downward spiral all the time since leaving Tattersfield...in 2000 we had one of the finest........if not the finest side the Dons have ever seen. That was when the 'house of pain' saying originated.
We can thank John Wright.
We won every single home game......bar one....wait for it....the crucial home play-off against Oldham....and we should have won that one too.
So a chance to kick on was squandered and it all fell to pieces.
Last year of course we gained promotion....we can thank Craig Harrison.
But even in that year we failed when it really mattered after a great start to attract the fans....because when it really mattered in the league in crucial games we should have won ...we lost. We lost three on the trot to Workinton and our two main rivals Barrow and Gateshead....which pitched us in with the likes of Keighley. And then we struggled the rest of the time to make fourth......that killed it for extra support....because for all the hype we clearly weren't consistently good enough.
It's clear than Donny can only succeed when two things are in place....someone to bankroll them and to be in a promotion spot (or money winning spot) all season long.
After those two are there then the club needs proper marketing and promoting and running.
If having teams of young rugby players playing on the pitch at half time can mean extra revenue because they bring their paying parents....let's have them every week.
The public need to see where our next generation of talent will come from.
The links with players have to improve on match days so that players can interact with fans and some sort of bond of belonging to the cub is established.....this is almost impossible to achieve at the Keepmoat...not least because of the high prices. Why stop for an extra hour at the Keepmoat when you can go to town and have a drink in Wetherspoons at a fraction of the price.
We don't need the Keepmoat until we
are successful.....until such time we need a small ground where we can get some atmosphere going, beer prices at £2 a pint (and not Smiths) and a nice lounge where fans can mingle before and after the game with players.
Tattersfield rebuilt would be ideal.
Failing a big backer......we need to really concentrate on our reserve players and local youth and draw our players from there....but that means treating them right and nurturing them....which doesn't seem to be happening.
It's all a bit Mickey Mouse for me.....even though people are trying their hardest.....it's poorly run.
