how can saunders and jr say thats good??

[raggytash]

Well folks after the sheff utd and stevenage game im quite concerned at how cbad we are.. not hardly a shot in either game and just big boot anywhere syndrome..  How obvious as it got be?? 5900 off us yesterday all know where the problems are so why cant the fkg experts do something about it, its awful, really awful.

Keegan?? joke... were at home teams sitting back so what does ds do? play defensive midfielders!!

As for jr column in the fp... I great point etc.. then an outburst at the donny public for not supporting... well john thats your opinion.. but in mine and 5900 others it is shit.

[Glyn_Wigley]

Well, to me they're playing like a team of strangers. Which to a large degree they still are, but you would hope that as they get to know each other the more they play as a team that things should improve - there were several passes to empty space yesterday as if they were expecting someone to be there but wasn't, which smacked of the players not being used to one another yet. Yesterday they were resilient but not particularly creative. Hopefully as they get to know how each other plays they'll improve as a team overall.

[Spud]

It's early days for a new team to gel but we certainly need a big improvement. Like you say, a lot of aimless balls forward, doesn't help when fans boo a backward pass imo. The introduction of Harper settled us down a lot, he should be starting next time out surely.

[Chris Black come back]

Tiny squad, most of which are brand new, many of which have not had a pre-season, a team that has not played together before York City and the huge turmoil of last season and the financial restrictions of this season - I am happy with this very solid if unspectacular start to the season.

Well done JR, KM2, Gavin Baldwin and Dean Saunders.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Christ but we picked up some bell ends in the good years.

We've just had 18 months of turmoil on and off the pitch.

We've had a shambling relegation.

We've had to lose the core of the side to slash the wage bill by 75%.

We've re-built the squad almost from scratch.

We've put a squad together that, for the first time in years, has some steel and some resilience.

We've had a bloody hard start to the season, playing 5 top half teams and 4 away games in the first 7 games.

In those games, we've won points at just about squeak-into-the-playoffs rate.

What the f*** do people want?

Go look at Portsmouth. Go look at Coventry. Then think for a minute or two before moaning again.

[Dutch Uncle]

OK I wasn't there yesterday and can't comment on quality of football and entertainment value, but still I would like to put in a bit of context.

3 months ago I thought we were likely to be in freefall this season, with a second relegation a real possibility - we had 13 players on the books and already 1M over budget. I thought we would be seeing 4-5 youth team players in the starting line-up every week. Instead we seem to have steadied the ship impressively, more or less within budget, and are at least solid and well organised - a good place to build from.   

The last time we were relegated from Tier 2 (1957-8) we were relegated again the following season, and took 50 years to return to tier 2. This time, although it doesn't actually say much, we have made our best start in tier 3 since 1986-87. It does say however that after 7 games we have more points than in each of the last 4 seasons in FL1 when we finished 10th, 8th, 11th and 3rd. Those sort of finishes were IMHO mere pipedreams 3 months ago.

I also think an average attendance of 6-7k over the season would be OK

Glass half full for me 

Edit: Great post BST
     

[nortikorner]

I am  surprised at he comments from raggytash  stevenage were second in the table  rovers were tenth this is the first division and not the prem we have started the season with a new team they are starting to gel  it takes time, mistakes happen when your started walking you fall and fall and fall the defense is starting to work well together, midfield is the problem (m woods p keegan) m woods not amidfield player pass the ball sometimes with the right weight sometimes leg breakers then stands as if his works done no further movement p keegan pass go a stray,k Bennett needs to  take a good look at himself if he wants to make it in football at a higher level.you could see in the last fifteen minutes how good we could be with the right selection

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Just as a point too 5 points from the last three two away, one at home. that's bang on target.

[Rupee92]

3 points at home, 1 point away... That's always what we should be aiming for. So yes, we are on target.

[jmt]

It's crying out for a couple of ball playing midfielders, look at the difference when Harper
came on.

[FuzzyDuck]

Deano seems to be far more results oriented than SOD was.  Not a good thing.  Not a bad thing either.  Just a different thing.

Early on, I'll take draws against last season's play-off teams even without the most entertaining performances.  I still think the season will be an uphill-struggle purely due to our squad size.  Points against the probable top teams will be useful points indeed.

[Sticky-Rover]

I thought after the first 20-30 mins we played ok, with some decent football in places.

By the way, if anyone can remember a season or so back, our first thought going forward was to pass it to G.Woods (probably why he has gotten a lot of stick before). At least we're picking up points against a useful outfit like Stevenage.

[steve@dcfd]

We may be a team that is gelling, we may have added some steel only in centre defence. Yes we all must accept we are not going to see as yet the football we got use to. But look at Tranmere at the moment they will not be playing cultured football under Ronnie Moore none of his sides do or did. But they are playing an expansive direct type of football and yes scoring goals. Our defence is ok at the present, but the loss of Jones for any reason and we will be under the cosh. The midfield is below average for this division, who ever plays thus limiting scoring opportunities. We must sort this out. If Dean persist in playing to wide midfield players in Cotterill and Bennett then tell to get to the bye line and put in crosses. Only twice yesterday did that occur. If we must wait for Dean to be more expansive especially at home the so be it. But JR can not then have a go at Doncaster public for not coming to games. Results and performances attract support and we should have been good enough to get 3 wins at home.  Also John must understand a draw against Sheffield United does not mean you are a good team in this division. Like us they have lost their best players, their main striker of last year is not there now. We need better midfield players or the ones that are here need to improve vastly. Otherwise we will all have to get use to performances like yesterday. By the way were there any owners or directors watching the game yesterday, because we're I was sat in the south stand the directors box seemed void of their presents.

[dickos1]

A point away at sheff u, is a great result, doesn't matter who've they've lost, they'll be in the top 6 this year, as will Stevenage, and probably Crawley, we've played 7 games and 4 of them have been away yet were still maintaining form that would get us in the playoffs.
Like someone mentioned earlier, imagine if we'd started like Pompey or Coventry, there would be absolute pandemonium on here.

[Wellred]

We may be a team that is gelling, we may have added some steel only in centre defence. Yes we all must accept we are not going to see as yet the football we got use to. But look at Tranmere at the moment they will not be playing cultured football under Ronnie Moore none of his sides do or did. But they are playing an expansive direct type of football and yes scoring goals. Our defence is ok at the present, but the loss of Jones for any reason and we will be under the cosh. The midfield is below average for this division, who ever plays thus limiting scoring opportunities. We must sort this out. If Dean persist in playing to wide midfield players in Cotterill and Bennett then tell to get to the bye line and put in crosses. Only twice yesterday did that occur. If we must wait for Dean to be more expansive especially at home the so be it. But JR can not then have a go at Doncaster public for not coming to games. Results and performances attract support and we should have been good enough to get 3 wins at home.  Also John must understand a draw against Sheffield United does not mean you are a good team in this division. Like us they have lost their best players, their main striker of last year is not there now. We need better midfield players or the ones that are here need to improve vastly. Otherwise we will all have to get use to performances like yesterday. By the way were there any owners or directors watching the game yesterday, because we're I was sat in the south stand the directors box seemed void of their presents.

Were they giving presents away in the East Stand??

Blast I missed that.

[steve@dcfd]

Were they giving presents away in the East Stand??

Blast I missed that.

No they were not present like many of the Doncaster public, they did not grace the game with their presence. I think or can someone in the know tell me different. Maybe those people can have a quiet word and suggest having a go at the Doncaster public will not bring them through the gates to collect any presents given out in any stand.

[dickos1]

What does it matter if they were there or not? They may be on holiday, may have work commitments, etc.

[steve@dcfd]

What does it matter if they were there or not? They may be on holiday, may have work commitments, etc.

But when the Doncaster public don't come through lack of funds or work commitments or the lack of exciting games it is said they cannot be bothered. Strange really.

[dickos1]

I don't think that's what he meant. 5.5k home supporters will be disappointing to him, he's not speaking about the fans he's speaking about the people who live in Doncaster that don't support the club.
I don't entirely agree with him cause you can't change who you support no matte where you live, I live away from Doncaster now but I don't suddenly decide my new local side.
But I think the fall in attendances is what the concern should be.

[DRFCSouth]

I initially thought we should be disappointed at not winning, possibly still the case. However, I remember Stevenage giving Spurs a good game not too long ago, and it was away. Dont think they are mugs, unfashionable at this level maybe, but not mugs. We would have rolled over in seasons gone by. To have been behind for so long in a game and get a point is promising.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Some of us remember Stevenage giving US a good game, and occasionally a good hiding not so many years ago.

It would be arrogance of the highest order to assume that we have somehow gone into a different world than them since those days. We are in the same division. They have made exactly the same net climb as us since the Conference days - in fact more, because they are currently several places above us.

A draw against one if last season's play off teams, and current pace setters is a decent result. If we ever become the sort of club that things we are better than that because it's only Stevenage, then we have become a very different and infinitely less likeable club than we were.




Still hate the placcy satellite town toss pots mind.

[DRFCSouth]

I remember Forest Green giving us a game, Stevenage were always pretty decent in the conference. Seem to remember a certain Dino Maamria doing alright for them.