Me and DRFC

[belton rover]

We have fallen out a bit. I'm hoping we will kiss and make up before too long, but at the moment i am torn between family commitments/finances and my DRFC. This is the first time in many years I have not bought a season ticket; my kids are distraught at the thought of not going to every game.

It's not the relegation, but last season left a very bitter taste. I hated the last few games because we sold our souls. It is so important that we find the real DRFC again - wherever that may take us.

RTID (as long as Mrs Belton and the little Beltons are happy).

[BobG]

That's about how I feel too Belton. Even when Richardson was around I didn't feel this dispirited about the Rovers. He made me angry. Now? I'm disappointed. Really disappinted. In more than half a lifetime now of watching the Rovers, I cannot recall a time I've ever felt like I do now.

BobG.

[hoolahoop]

That's about how I feel too Belton. Even when Richardson was around I didn't feel this dispirited about the Rovers. He made me angry. Now? I'm disappointed. Really disappinted. In more than half a lifetime now of watching the Rovers, I cannot recall a time I've ever felt like I do now.

BobG.

I feel the same saddened not disappointed in the way we sullied the good name of Rovers. We had worked so hard to repair the damage caused by those Richardson/Weaver years..........all in vain.

[MrFrost]

Damage is done now as far as i'm concerned. We have pissed away the last decade or so. The fan base we were slowly building will be decimated.
Like I said elsewhere, I reckon it will take a generation to replicate anything like we have seen in recent years.

[PaulRover08]

Oh good. Another thread where you all tell us how disappointed you are. Just what we were missing. Not had one of those since about an hour ago. Never thought a relegation from the Championship would be compared to the Richardson era but never mind.

[BobG]

And thus spake the Trojans whilst Cassandra tried.....

If you don't understand the reference to Richardson, then there's not much point really is there?

BobG

[hoolahoop]

Oh good. Another thread where you all tell us how disappointed you are. Just what we were missing. Not had one of those since about an hour ago. Never thought a relegation from the Championship would be compared to the Richardson era but never mind.

Paul I just wished you understood the stance of very long standing fans who have in the past walked blithely into shite in much the same way as you seem to be doing now.
It's not about positive or negative but...........................REALITY ffs

[belton rover]

My feelings have nothing to do with DRFC being relegated from the Championship. Or Richardson, for that matter.

Premier League, Conference, and everything in between; we need our own identity. We lost it last season.

[silent majority]

My feelings have nothing to do with DRFC being relegated from the Championship. Or Richardson, for that matter.

Premier League, Conference, and everything in between; we need our own identity. We lost it last season.

Yes we did, but I'm assuming you haven't seen any of the work the Rovers have done this summer? Try reading the Rovers Promise!

[silent majority]

Oh good. Another thread where you all tell us how disappointed you are. Just what we were missing. Not had one of those since about an hour ago. Never thought a relegation from the Championship would be compared to the Richardson era but never mind.

Paul I just wished you understood the stance of very long standing fans who have in the past walked blithely into shite in much the same way as you seem to be doing now.
It's not about positive or negative but...........................REALITY ffs

Hoola, what absolute tosh! You of all people should know better.

[hoolahoop]

I know that belton and I can't think of any of my mates who think any differently to that. All those years of being a 'laughing stock' then the way we built up our rep. as a decent club gets smashed to smithereens in just 18 months and the reason wasn't just financial but very very poor management from top to bottom.

[belton rover]

My feelings have nothing to do with DRFC being relegated from the Championship. Or Richardson, for that matter.

Premier League, Conference, and everything in between; we need our own identity. We lost it last season.

Yes we did, but I'm assuming you haven't seen any of the work the Rovers have done this summer? Try reading the Rovers Promise!

How about a deal? I'll read the Rovers Promise if you re-read the first post.

My Kids have known nothing but success with DRFC, but I know lots more than they do.

[hoolahoop]

Oh good. Another thread where you all tell us how disappointed you are. Just what we were missing. Not had one of those since about an hour ago. Never thought a relegation from the Championship would be compared to the Richardson era but never mind.

Paul I just wished you understood the stance of very long standing fans who have in the past walked blithely into shite in much the same way as you seem to be doing now.
It's not about positive or negative but...........................REALITY ffs

Hoola, what absolute tosh! You of all people should know better.

Really should I ? I'm not denying that a lot of headway has been done on the stadium and the fan experience by you but as to ''tosh''.....................sorry we were poorly managed and you know it .
Fact is there is not a team in place , fact is we cocked up with the experiment, fact is JR was nowhere to be seen /heard last season except to open his mouth about SO'D  or to attack the supporters in some manner or another etc etc., fact is many directors were unhappy with what was going on., fact is we have become a 'laughing stock'.
Tosh hardly fella and btw I do recognise your efforts but it's not sorted out yet not by a long long stretch. Oh and it's your round

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Don't think anyone can be blamed for 'falling out of love' with the game and DRFC in general. It slips down the pecking order when we all have many things in our lives to juggle with.

And let's face it, when we have had a deflating 18 months, it's understandable. Let's not be too harsh on each other, at the end of the day, we're still Rovers fans and once the rot has seen to be stopped then we can start moving forward.

Reality is, DS is having to work to a business plan and as far as I can see, he's doing his best to adhere to it. We haven't played a competitive match yet, so we're in no position to judge.

Like all employed by the club, we make judgements whether we like them or not but who cares who thinks what? It's results that will always determine how much we follow.

We're all capable of making our our minds up, so at least be open minded and judge on what you see.

[Alan_Rovers]

I'm looking forward to this season because playing at the likes of Scunthorpe and Crewe is where we belong in the football world and it was always going to be that we would eventually get relegated from the Championship back to what is our traditional place in the third/fourth tier.

We've also been paying well beyond what we can afford for the last few years and keeping the likes of Stock, Coppinger, Friend, O'Connor, etc, has come at a huge cost.

In the past we always used to roll over and sell our best players on the cheap. Brevett, Moore, the Snodin's, etc, have all come and gone for peanuts in my time as a supporter, but in recent seasons we've had much better players who we still should have sold when they were at their peak (Stock to West Brom for instance). By doing this we would have become a yo-yo club between League One and the Championship at worst.

But because we fought to keep them and offered most of them silly wages which we couldn't afford, we have put ourselves in our present situation where we can't now afford anything or anyone. Because we're skint we're likely to end up with any old journeyman and young lad playing for us, which is exactly how we were in the 1980's.

Hopefully John Ryan has learned a few things over the last four years. If he hasn't then he is a fool and I worry even more for the future of our club.

[Surrey Rover]

In the past we always used to roll over and sell our best players on the cheap. Brevett, Moore, the Snodin's, etc, have all come and gone for peanuts in my time as a supporter, but in recent seasons we've had much better players who we still should have sold when they were at their peak (Stock to West Brom for instance). By doing this we would have become a yo-yo club between League One and the Championship at worst.

What about Mills, Wellens and Sharp, did we not cash in on them? It didn't go down too well on here either at the time of each sale, don't remember many applauding the clubs sound business sense, just more doom and gloom as usual.
 

[VivaRovers]

I can certainly relate to the sentiments of Belton, BobG and Hoola. Indeed that was the crux of this article posted on the fanzine website last month;

Out of Love: On Finding it Hard to Follow Your Club

[Bald Rover]

Belton hows about a deal...... Im away until the 27th August so I miss the Bury and Crawley games.........I have one adult and three kids season tickets would you like to take them for those two games, thus having a chance to see how we do in the first two games and see if DS and DRFC can restore your faith? I dont want anything in return only a promise that you will return my STs safetly and promise to cheer in my abscence?

[philsky]

The thread makes very interesting reading.

I'm in a very similar place; lost a slice of enthusiasm myself albeit picked up a season ticket but more through habit than highly charged anticipation for the new season.

Ive seen five great groups of lad play for us in my time - the Archie Irvine lot, Kitchens lot, Snods lot, Tokyo's lot  and Stocky's lot. Most of them just seemed to gradually fade away bar Stockys group; which has been shredded before my eyes. The hardest bit to watch has been the really wonderful transition from Pub Team to Passing Gods end in chaos and  mess. I felt a part of the growth and development between Tokyo's Team and Stockys Team.

This is nothing to do with Saunders for me. Its a style and "ownership" thing. I liked SOD, would have taken relegation with SOD, but it was "my" team playing "my" football. It became someone else's team and I became dis-engaged.

Having got ourselves into a mess I guess we needed to sort it out quickly and mass departures was financially necessary; its the departing swathe of "heroes" that hurts.

I don't know the new group, I'm not engaged just now but I guess that'll change.

However, I won't forget a few things over the last ten years or so and they can't be erased from my memory:

@ Farnborough - home
@ Sir Francis' goal
@ 30 Degrees heat + first game back at Leyton Orient
@ Mansfield away
@ Man City, Aston Villa and Arsenal
@ Leeds and Sheff U away
@ Crewe - home semi final - JPT
@ Southend away and then home
@ Leeds - Play off final
@ Derby away
@ QPR TOTAL FOOTBALL



RTID

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

For me I'm happy with what the club is trying to do. It's the fans that have made rovers less enjoyable. The mentality has changed, it was once enjoyable And we were different we took defeat and moved on. Now many expect too much. Our identity had nothing to do with results but all about our pub team mentality. Now it's all doom and gloom despite so many positives. Disappointing really, whatever the football it was fun on the pitch, now one look on here and you feel depressed. whatever happened to being positive? Everyone now seems to have an agenda and would rather seem to want failurethan success. Its not the club that's changed, it's the fans imo.

[godlike1]

Oh good. Another thread where you all tell us how disappointed you are. Just what we were missing. Not had one of those since about an hour ago. Never thought a relegation from the Championship would be compared to the Richardson era but never mind.

Paul I just wished you understood the stance of very long standing fans who have in the past walked blithely into shite in much the same way as you seem to be doing now.
It's not about positive or negative but...........................REALITY ffs

Are you seriously telling me that after all of the success we have been able to enjoy over the last 15 years or so that despite a season and a half of things not going to plan that rovers do not deserve the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to re-build and learn from their mistakes?????????????????

How would you feel if you were in their boots and needed all of the support going but came across nothing but ignorant bloodymindness. Everyone deserves a 2nd chance especially when it is clear the club is listening to what we want. You being this supposed wise old head should know guess things take time and not everything will be right first time.

At this moment in time you are clearly in the "if rovers get into the pl I'd still hate anything they say do or achieve" so based on that you really are a lost cause and I have no interrest like many others in hearing what you think unless it is actually something constructive

[godlike1]

For me I'm happy with what the club is trying to do. It's the fans that have made rovers less enjoyable. The mentality has changed, it was once enjoyable And we were different we took defeat and moved on. Now many expect too much. Our identity had nothing to do with results but all about our pub team mentality. Now it's all doom and gloom despite so many positives. Disappointing really, whatever the football it was fun on the pitch, now one look on here and you feel depressed. whatever happened to being positive? Everyone now seems to have an agenda and would rather seem to want failurethan success. Its not the club that's changed, it's the fans imo.

Could not agree more. There are some who are just determined to look at the negative side of things or argue with those who dare to try and think positively and this in itself almost makes it feel like there is a cloud hanging over the club. .......... In reality though I think that the sun is starting to push its way through and we need to acknowledge that and hope that the sun will be beaming through loud and clear before long

[Chris Black come back]

And thus spake the Trojans whilst Cassandra tried.....

If you don't understand the reference to Richardson, then there's not much point really is there?

BobG

Oh great, more delphic utterances from Bob. What does it mean? What should we read into this? Do we need to make a sacrifice? We need some form of prophet to descend to earth (i.e. actually attend a game) to tell the poor, ignorant masses (i.e. those who attend games week in, week out) what they should be doing. Could Bob give us his only son (Viva Rovers) in order that we might see the light and trudge off semi-disconsolately to spend the rest of the season muttering about conspiracies and plots.

This really is pathetic. We punched above our weight for four seasons, was usually either the smallest or second smallest club in the Championship, ran a £3millon deficit each season (financed by three Directors who were not compelled to finance this) and even with the efforts of SOD (peace be upon him) we were going backwards pretty much every season we were there. Change was needed, it was tried, it ended in a mess and we got relegated. Club now cutting its cloth accordingly (arguably should have been done from 2008 onwards) and is making an effort to reengage with supporters and has a robust, realistic long term plan which means we also get control of the stadium.

Get behind YOUR club!

[Chris Black come back]

For me I'm happy with what the club is trying to do. It's the fans that have made rovers less enjoyable. The mentality has changed, it was once enjoyable And we were different we took defeat and moved on. Now many expect too much. Our identity had nothing to do with results but all about our pub team mentality. Now it's all doom and gloom despite so many positives. Disappointing really, whatever the football it was fun on the pitch, now one look on here and you feel depressed. whatever happened to being positive? Everyone now seems to have an agenda and would rather seem to want failurethan success. Its not the club that's changed, it's the fans imo.

Good post pud.

[GVARover]

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the last five posters....we all know that all is not well but let's at least acknowledge the efforts being made to correct what went wrong last season - mistakes were made and I guess all involved can see that...but the club and particularly those who have the right to make decisions about the club appear to be both listening and acting - it may not be at the pace some would like but nothing is perfect in life.  As supporters you hang in there and support - rain or shine, good seasons or bad, and those who have only experienced the good times in the last decade should count themselves lucky.  I know there was a change in ownership but liquidation, loss of 20-odd first team pros, pending trnasfer ban, relegation to Div 3 of the Scottish League and Rangers get 30,000 supporters vs East Fife in their first home game!  We do not have that kind of fan base but what we have needs to stick together, and more importantly continue to support the club we all purport to love. Me and DRFC - its for life not just for the good times 

[Norfolk N Chance]

We have fallen out a bit. I'm hoping we will kiss and make up before too long, but at the moment i am torn between family commitments/finances and my DRFC. This is the first time in many years I have not bought a season ticket; my kids are distraught at the thought of not going to every game.

It's not the relegation, but last season left a very bitter taste. I hated the last few games because we sold our souls. It is so important that we find the real DRFC again - wherever that may take us.

RTID (as long as Mrs Belton and the little Beltons are happy).

facts are;-

1) English game is full of foreign players since the 80's
2) We picked some of them up for a % of their value
3) Rovers tried there best to not go down and had to do this due their fan base

If you dont what to go thats your decision but to blame an experiment with the best interest of the club at heart  that is plain madness.

[Norfolk N Chance]

Tell you what I am out too in fact lets all give up ....

Come on Jr Dick and Terry our work is done and let the council have their ground back.....

Them flamin foreigners!

[whisky]

In my experience in most debates (not all) I find the most negative people in the debate are often the least intelligent and have the least to contribute. If a positive person has nothing constructive to contribute they generally keep quiet, but not a negative person. They like to feel superior and more knowledgable than those around them and being negative is the only way they can experience these feelings.

[Norfolk N Chance]

Viva are also all over twitter too....

saying the same crap and trying to lie about the clubs intentions

Too think I use to buy the pop mag cos I felt obliged too...

[silent majority]

My feelings have nothing to do with DRFC being relegated from the Championship. Or Richardson, for that matter.

Premier League, Conference, and everything in between; we need our own identity. We lost it last season.

Yes we did, but I'm assuming you haven't seen any of the work the Rovers have done this summer? Try reading the Rovers Promise!

How about a deal? I'll read the Rovers Promise if you re-read the first post.

My Kids have known nothing but success with DRFC, but I know lots more than they do.

Erm, but I did read the first post.