Hi everyone,

This is my first posting so please be gentle with me!

I’ve been viewing the site for a long time and thought I’d join in. I very much enjoy reading all the different and diverse view. The believe that as long as we all treat each other with respect we should be able to speak openly and honestly.

I was at Keighley. It was good to see a decent turn out of Dons’ fans. I think that I might have been stood next to Stand-Offish in the first half. If he looks like his avatar, then it wasn’t him! He seemed to get excited every time Jamie Bovill and Mike Coady got the ball. I think it was excitement! Only kidding, mate! I enjoy reading your posts!

The team was poor at Keighley. It’s disappointing when we spend our hard-earned cash only to see us get badly beaten. We made mistakes and I’m sure the players are aware of that too. Keighley stopped our forwards from dominating and we started to play one-man rugby. We’ve got a good bunch of committed guys at the moment. I have no doubt that the players will be as disappointed with their performance as we were.

You’ve only got the look at some of the Super League results to see how it’s possible for even the best teams to have a bad day. It doesn’t make them a bad side. We’re not a bad side either. We had a bad day and everyone will learn from it. I am worried that as the pressure increases, we might not have a shrewd organiser on the pitch to take control of the situation.

I would like to put on record my thanks to Carl Hall, Tony Miller, Ray Green and all others involved with the Dons. Without them we could well be without a club. They’ve moved things forward greatly in recent times, and they’ve given us hope for the future regardless of whether we go up or not.

I’d also like to say thanks to all the fans that have stood by the club and everyone who posts on here, and done their bit to keep the club going. It’s never been easy being a Dons’ supporter but, like you, I’m proud to be one!

With regard to Carl Hall’s recent comments: I can understand the frustration he feels when people vent what appears to be negative feelings on the forum. I think it was a mistake for him to say what he said but if we’re allowed to say what we think, he’s probably entitled to say what he thinks too.

The earlier forum post that says that Carl maybe feels we should worship him for saving the club is a little harsh. Carl does a lot of good for this club and we should all have a mutual respect for each other – the club for the fans, and the fans for the club.

After all ... we are all on the same side. We should be working together to make the Dons mighty!

If the club read the forum, and I think they must, how about the club doing something to help bring the club and the fans closer together and taking the opportunity to put recent events behind us?

As fans, I think we all feel that we’re not kept properly informed about injuries and general matters. A brief few words from the coach or from Carl, posted on here every week, would be a giant step forwards. We’re all going to be wondering who has signed new contracts and the like over the next month or two. It’d be great to be kept officially up to date rather than us all relying on “hear say” and “whispers”.

I'm not wanting the club to feel answerable to every comment made on here. That wouldn't be fair and is unrealistic. It'd be nice to get some regular feedback simply by way of a regular communication with us though.

I consider that building better bridges with the fans is key to expanding the fan base, and that is key in determining how far we can move forward as a club.

Are the club prepared to help build these bridges? Could someone from the club make a posting on here in response to my request please?

How does everyone else feel about this?

Welcome to the forum

Welcome aboard DM. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask the club if your suggestions are at all possible. If you don't ask you don't get.

Some good points mate, keep posting .

Well Double Movement, if you can write well balanced stuff like that, I think you would do yourself proud on here.

My avatar is actually Tim Buckley (a singer who I admired) who I looked a bit like when I was young and had a fine head of hair.
Alas time and beer have taken their toll.

But yes it could have been me at Keighley and probably was.
I have a habit of talking to complete strangers and telling them what I think, it has gotten me into a lot of trouble in the past.

A lot of what you say I agree with, it's common sense.
Yes we (even evil old me) wish the Dons all the best in the future.
The communication thing has always been a bugbear of mine.
What is wrong with giving true fans like us a bit of information to avoid speculation? Even if the information is sensitive, all they have to do is say so and it might put our mind at rest.
Why do we have to read it in a paper?
Why can't they tell us?

Chunkster is very good and tells us stuff occasionally without taking sides and being defensive.
But for the life of me, I don't see why it has to be an 'us and them' scenario and as you say we are all on the same side despite what Carl Hall might like to think.


Anyway keep posting.
I know I will.

I would also urge anyone like Double Movement who reads this forum to register and post their views.
You will be made welcome ... seriously.
Without regular posters a forum is a boring wasteland.

I read the forum most days,as i am sure most of the players do as well. As of next week i will post as much info as i can regarding injury news etc to keep fans updated and keep everybody happy.

Thanks for the warm welcome. It's very much appreciated.

I will have a look at this Tim Buckley chap on You Tube in a minute and see who he is. I'm stuck in the 60s and 70s with my music. I thought Eminem was a packet of sweets!

Yep, it would be great if more of the foum readers added their views too. Get signed up everyone!

I've given a little more thought to exactly how the club might help to keep us more informed:

Could we have some feedback each Monday and Thursday perhaps on the following lines?

The Monday Coach Report: (For example)

"I thought the forwards did really well on Sunday and set a platform for our win. I'm pleased to report that Mick Butterfield's knock wasn't serious and he'll be training this week. The lads are really looking forward to next weekend's game. We're going to be working on discipline as we need to keep the penalty count down."

Thursday Report: (For example)

"Ryan Steen is still out but we expect him to be back soon. Chris Green and Nev Morrison should be available. Kyle Kesik has a broken nose but that isn't enough to stop a war horse like him from turning out. No suspensions or other worries at the moment. Tell your friends and let's get a few more people down for the game on Sunday."

I've made up the above quotes but I'm sure something like this would go down a treat with all fans. It'll generate more interest in the forum. If more people visit the forum, more people are likely to attend the game.

Keeping people informed will take a little bit of Tony Miller/Carl Hall's time but it would be time well spent. It would certainly help to bring us all closer together and make us feel as though we're as important to the club as the club is to us.

See you all on Sunday!

Thanks Chunkster. Are you directly connected with the club?

Double Movement wrote:Thanks for the warm welcome. It's very much appreciated. I will have a look at this Tim Buckley chap on You Tube in a minute and see who he is. I'm stuck in the 60s and 70s with my music. I thought Eminem was a packet of sweets! Tim Buckley died in 1975, aged 28 ... so your era DM (and mine). He was never commercially successful, so that's why you haven't heard of him. I heard him singing a song called Dolphins (long after his death) and thought he had an unusual voice. Listen to that.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtU-9EMSYu0 He made some crap, but he just needed the right song, alas it never came. He had a more talented son Jeff Buckley who drowned age 30. Grace the only proper CD by Jeff is a masterpiece. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3adFWKE9JE

Double Movement wrote:Thanks for the warm welcome. It's very much appreciated. I will have a look at this Tim Buckley chap on You Tube in a minute and see who he is. I'm stuck in the 60s and 70s with my music. I thought Eminem was a packet of sweets! Tim Buckley died in 1975, aged 28 ... so your era DM (and mine). He was never commercially successful, so that's why you haven't heard of him. I heard him singing a song called Dolphins (long after his death) and thought he had an unusual voice. Listen to that.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtU-9EMSYu0 He made some crap, but he just needed the right song, alas it never came. He had a more talented son Jeff Buckley who drowned age 30. Grace the only proper CD by Jeff is a masterpiece. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3adFWKE9JE

yes i am