Sack the board

[roversdude]

Who has tried silencing you ?
Is it right for the minority to effect the majority it’s like the tail wagging the dog

[ravenrover]

Don't be silenced? Don't be  a d!ck!

[Campsall rover]

What a waste of time! I understand the board are out of the country over the Easter break so I’m not sure how effective any demonstration can be to an empty boardroom!!

The whole board?

The board that’s allegedly working 24/7 to ensure things get better on & off the pitch?

I hope they’re all in the same foreign hotel then?

No not the whole board.

But even still, what’s the point of a demonstration at 1pm when there’s nobody there?

Have they gone to head hunt a foreign coach or manager SM

They will come back with a youth coach from some Spanish 3rd tier club.  That’l fix it.  Terrific.

[silent majority]

What a waste of time! I understand the board are out of the country over the Easter break so I’m not sure how effective any demonstration can be to an empty boardroom!!

The whole board?

The board that’s allegedly working 24/7 to ensure things get better on & off the pitch?

I hope they’re all in the same foreign hotel then?

No not the whole board.

But even still, what’s the point of a demonstration at 1pm when there’s nobody there?

Have they gone to head hunt a foreign coach or manager SM

They will come back with a youth coach from some Spanish 3rd tier club.  That’l fix it.  Terrific.

Pretty poor attempt at sarcasm there Campsall. What’s got into you lately?

[silent majority]

Don’t disagree the manager should be given a chance working with a budget and being backed.

Join us 1pm in the East Stand Reception.

We’ve invited press also.

The time to act is now!!! Don’t be silenced by the majority.

I’ve spent 20 year’s campaigning on behalf of football supporters and yet I can’t think of a worse example than this one. You’re peeved because the footballs crap, I get that, but replace the board with who exactly? Somebody richer that TB?

[Spilsby Red]

Well said SM. Also, sack the board chants. Why would the board sack themselves. Or maybe they might get fed up with what’s happening. Then leave, then no football club. Be careful what some wish for.
I agree it’s not good at the moment. But let’s not forget how much the owners have put in to the club.

[Campsall rover]

What a waste of time! I understand the board are out of the country over the Easter break so I’m not sure how effective any demonstration can be to an empty boardroom!!

The whole board?

The board that’s allegedly working 24/7 to ensure things get better on & off the pitch?

I hope they’re all in the same foreign hotel then?

No not the whole board.

But even still, what’s the point of a demonstration at 1pm when there’s nobody there?

Have they gone to head hunt a foreign coach or manager SM

They will come back with a youth coach from some Spanish 3rd tier club.  That’l fix it.  Terrific.

Pretty poor attempt at sarcasm there Campsall. What’s got into you lately?

Come on SM even you can’t defend what’s going on at present.
Where is Blunt. He is supposed to be Chairman of this football club. We are in crisis on the football field and you tell us the board are off to foreign climes.
Gone to escape the wrath of the fans at our game on Monday. 

I have backed this board to the hilt SM on this forum for many years as you will know.
But for them to sit back and say nothing, do nothing about the absolute dross this coach has managed to get this group of players to serve up.
A coach who says his process is working and his players are buying into it. The more he keeps saying that the worse the performances get.

Any other club in the 92 Premier & EFL clubs would have sacked DS after Saturday, no i am wrong, after Crawley and the unbelievable contemptuous clap trap DS came out with after the match.

I am at my wits end SM at what is happening to the football club i am passionate about.

85% of the forum members want him out. This is not the Netto brigade on here SM.
These are genuine long standing Rovers supporters.
Some of us have been supporters for 40/50/60 even 70+ years. 

This coach has to go NOW
He will take this Club into non league football if he is allowed. That in no circumstances should be allowed to happen.
It would be criminal to allow that to happen again.

[Campsall rover]

SM I have never once said “ sack the board” not once

That’s crazy. Who replaces them. There is no queue at the door.

I just want a Chairman who is accountable.
I want a Chairman who just every now and then we here from
I want a Chairman who at least looks as though he cares.
I want a Chairman who doesn’t hide when the going gets tough
I want a Chairman who isn’t going to hide behind the HoF and allow him to take all the flack.

[ncRover]

I think Campsall echoes a lot of the concerns of us on here, has always been balanced and is remaining so.

SM

You previously said that the board had acknowledged there are problems, but that you could not comment on the detail as “the work is not yet complete”. Has there been any progress on this before their holiday? Or can you update us on what aspect of the operation has been identified as a problem please?

[Retdon1]

So if it’s not a campaign started by SM then it’s a waste of time. The club is rotting away both on and off the field. Attendances next season will be between 4-5000k. Fans are started to vote with their feet. Change is needed before it’s too late

[TommyC]

Don’t disagree the manager should be given a chance working with a budget and being backed.

Join us 1pm in the East Stand Reception.

We’ve invited press also.

The time to act is now!!! Don’t be silenced by the majority.

I’ve spent 20 year’s campaigning on behalf of football supporters and yet I can’t think of a worse example than this one. You’re peeved because the footballs crap, I get that, but replace the board with who exactly? Somebody richer that TB?

Whilst I won't be attending this protest, that response does strike me as somewhat flippant and dismissive.

So basically the concern of supporters in regards the overall downward spiral of the club as a whole is dismissed as a hissy fit due to the football being rubbish. That is a blinkered  naive and insulting response.

As for who we would get richer than TB, I'd be saying the same thing if we were owned by Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates. Doesn't matter how rich they are, if they are unwilling to support even a moderately ambitious football club, then i don't see it as unreasonable for the fans to express their displeasure.

[DearneValleyRover]

I think personal dislike of SM means some posters will have a go at him no matter what he posts. I can tell you that SM is first and foremost a Rovers fan and he’s as unhappy with what’s happening on the pitch as the rest of us, he’s also let the board know in person, not just his concerns but that of all Rovers fans, how many of you that have a go at him have done the same? He gives up his free time to ask the questions put by Rovers fans, again how many who post on here do the same, or are willing to give up their own free time? Things are happening just not as quickly as we would all like.

[mpc123]

Added to all these points it's the constant ability to get it wrong.

It's great knowing about it and their process is not yet complete but everyone currently has no belief in what their next decision is going to be.

We are now losing our core support and Locally we are a joke.
Yet nobody is saying anything.

They have the money, thankful that they have been willing to put it in, but the mismanagement of it is crazy.

At least take responsibility for getting it wrong for a start.

This is almost a Richardson era. Whilst spending the money, destroying us. Its just total mismanagement of the funds.

Every fan could see we have needed experience for the last 3 appointments and then for the copps appointment.

It's been a total shambles of decisions.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I think the point SM makes is perfectly valid.  There is as yet no viable alternative to the current owners so trying to force them out seems stupid, where does that leave us.

It's absolutely though right to question the current setup and funding and I don't necessarily have an issue with doing that at games either, but let's hope those that do attend do act sensibly.  I'm not even going to the game but I don't think right now I'd attend a protest either.

[donnydogk9]

When you say you wouldn’t attend a protest right now BFYP, when would you? And what would it take? How much longer are you prepared to wait?

The communication and passion shown by the chairman is none existent.

SM - when you say someone with more money than TB, why does it need to be? Because for all his wealth he won’t invest it in the club anyway. He knew when he took ownership of the club that funds were needed, football clubs need heavy investment each year to compete. But instead he is happy to run the club on a shoestring and see it fall.

We need action now, we need to know the plan for the next season, we need to know if we plan to complete or fight relegation.

If TB doesn’t want to be a part any more then please pack up and p!ss off. Put the club up for sale and tell the truth for once that it’s not for you. But currently we get lies lies lies and then silence.

I’d really like another meet the owners event with unlimited tickets to get in, not ones that sell out the 80 tickets to the quiet brigade in the first 10 minutes.

[silent majority]

Don’t disagree the manager should be given a chance working with a budget and being backed.

Join us 1pm in the East Stand Reception.

We’ve invited press also.

The time to act is now!!! Don’t be silenced by the majority.

I’ve spent 20 year’s campaigning on behalf of football supporters and yet I can’t think of a worse example than this one. You’re peeved because the footballs crap, I get that, but replace the board with who exactly? Somebody richer that TB?

Whilst I won't be attending this protest, that response does strike me as somewhat flippant and dismissive.

So basically the concern of supporters in regards the overall downward spiral of the club as a whole is dismissed as a hissy fit due to the football being rubbish. That is a blinkered  naive and insulting response.

As for who we would get richer than TB, I'd be saying the same thing if we were owned by Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates. Doesn't matter how rich they are, if they are unwilling to support even a moderately ambitious football club, then i don't see it as unreasonable for the fans to express their displeasure.

There’s a way to express your displeasure though. And this campaign doesn’t have enough justification for me.

It started out as a personal attack on Gavin, and I said at the time this was wrong. The one person who was responsible for guiding us through the Covid debacle, the one person who had built a business model for DRFC that will endure for the foreseeable future had become a target for those with a personal grudge.

But the point I’m really making is that turning up at 1pm and holding a demonstration outside an empty stadium hours before any owners turn up is a complete waste of time. What will that achieve?

Demanding that owners spend some of their millions on our club is not, as some seem to think, a right that we as supporters deserve. It’s not a’given’ that goes with club ownership, not by a long way.

The debates over the Fan Led Review and the subsequent White Paper over the case for an Independent Regulator are all about sustainability and sorting out the mess that football has found itself in. And we as supporters are adopting that attitude of ‘it’s our right’. No it’s not. The performance on the pitch is dreadful, I get that. But we don’t have rights.

Having said that, do I think that TB will make the right decisions for the good of the club, yes I do. He’s not a reactionary by any means, and being forced out of the club doesn’t sit well with me. As I’ve said before, the best option for this club is for TB to be encouraged to spend more money and for GB to remain as CEO. That’s the message I’ve been delivering to the club.

[MickyNorburys90shat-trick]

Considering the millions that TB has put into the club over the years, "pack up and p!ss off" is completely out of order.

If he did, then the club would be coming cap in hand to the supporters in no time asking us to help cover unexpected bills - the very thing that TB is doing now to keep the club from going belly up.

If TB has given all he can, or wants to, then I agree that it is probably time for change so that new owners can start to push us forward again, but that change has to be orderly and planned or we will end up in a right mess.  If in some way TB could be persuaded to invest more again, then a stable club with significantly more added to the playing budget by TB would strike me as the perfect solution.

However, I agree wholeheartedly with Campsall that this is the time for the Chairman to step up and explain where we are going as a club in the short and medium term.  His silence over the last few weeks as things have gotten significantly worse on the field is not acceptable.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

When you say you wouldn’t attend a protest right now BFYP, when would you? And what would it take? How much longer are you prepared to wait?

The communication and passion shown by the chairman is none existent.

What would I be protesting against?  Effectively it's a protest because someone isn't spending their money how others want them to isn't it?  They aren't taking money out of the club, they aren't trying to make a huge profit and keep it, they aren't actively trying not to seek new investment or consider changing, they're not banning fans or anything like that, they simply just aren't funding to the level we'd like.  I don't think that justifies a protest outside the stadium personally.  If those things mentioned were happening then it would be a very different story.

Fans can push for the owners to leave all they like, so say they do with no viable alternative, what happens then?  What if a new owner comes in spends a load of money for a few months, saddling the club with debt and then runs out, what then?  Have those protesting genuinely considered that?

To me I see people pissed off because on the pitch we're rubbish.  I am aswell and I absolutely think there needs to be a change as a fresh outlook would do no harm at all.  But there is a limit and we can't just demand a fantasy change without it actually being there.  For me there's better ways to go about it and painting the owners as clowns on a banner isn't it for me.

[Donnywolf]

From above
To me I see people pissed off because on the pitch we're rubbish.  I am aswell and I absolutely think there needs to be a change as a fresh outlook would do no harm at all.  But there is a limit and we can't just demand a fantasy change without it actually being there.  For me there's better ways to go about it and painting the owners as clowns on a banner isn't it for me.

Agree .... get a Coach (with Seats) and visit Bury. Tell them we are mid Table but feel the Powers at the Club are not spending enough , and our Coach (the one with a Track Suit) has no idea on Tactics , and is dragging us down AND next Season we might go down again !!!

They will PTSL

Failing that visit Tier6 bound Scunny and ask a representative 100 of their Fans whether they would swap us at the moment - and 99 of them would and the other would be bloody minded and say NO

They PTSL laughing at us in the Richardson and now its come full circle. Am I laughing at them . You bet I am. I know when im relatively well off in Club Terms. Would I swap with them ? Not a f*****g chance

[pib]

My concern would be that it's not just about "spending money", it's the extremely poor decision-making on the football side that needs more urgently addressing, and on the non-football side it would be good to know if there is a plan to sort out the many frankly shoddy things about the club that are alienating fans as well.

[glosterred]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, be careful what you wish for. Those old enough will remember a benefactor who ran the club into the ground and did time for trying to burn down the main stand.


COYR

[Filo]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, be careful what you wish for. Those old enough will remember a benefactor who ran the club into the ground and did time for trying to burn down the main stand.


COYR

And for those not old enough, they would do well to watch this

https://youtu.be/HCiXrQINBJs

[Upton Rover]

What a waste of time! I understand the board are out of the country over the Easter break so I’m not sure how effective any demonstration can be to an empty boardroom!!

The whole board?

The board that’s allegedly working 24/7 to ensure things get better on & off the pitch?

I hope they’re all in the same foreign hotel then?

No not the whole board.

But even still, what’s the point of a demonstration at 1pm when there’s nobody there?

Have they gone to head hunt a foreign coach or manager SM

They will come back with a youth coach from some Spanish 3rd tier club.  That’l fix it.  Terrific.

Pretty poor attempt at sarcasm there Campsall. What’s got into you lately?

Come on SM even you can’t defend what’s going on at present.
Where is Blunt. He is supposed to be Chairman of this football club. We are in crisis on the football field and you tell us the board are off to foreign climes.
Gone to escape the wrath of the fans at our game on Monday. 

I have backed this board to the hilt SM on this forum for many years as you will know.
But for them to sit back and say nothing, do nothing about the absolute dross this coach has managed to get this group of players to serve up.
A coach who says his process is working and his players are buying into it. The more he keeps saying that the worse the performances get.

Any other club in the 92 Premier & EFL clubs would have sacked DS after Saturday, no i am wrong, after Crawley and the unbelievable contemptuous clap trap DS came out with after the match.

I am at my wits end SM at what is happening to the football club i am passionate about.

85% of the forum members want him out. This is not the Netto brigade on here SM.
These are genuine long standing Rovers supporters.
Some of us have been supporters for 40/50/60 even 70+ years. 

This coach has to go NOW
He will take this Club into non league football if he is allowed. That in no circumstances should be allowed to happen.
It would be criminal to allow that to happen again.

What’s the old saying Campsall
Silence speaks volume?
I just wish that Blunt would say something, even if was to apologise to fans for the poor performance on the field.
I believe (Silence is worse; all truths that are kept silent become poisonous.”)

[danumdon]

The thing that i feel gets most going is that its not just about the football being crap just now. There's an air of decomposition all around the club.

The ground is starting to look grotty, the catering has been a joke for years, failing infrastructure ie, dusty and dirty concrete walkways and terracing that has not been swept or washed down, broken scoreboard, floodlights that have more defective than working, stadium interior lighting that only comes on occasionally, sharp exposed rivet holes in the back plates on the stadium walls at the back of the stand(i've ruined a decent jacket with it catching on the sharp edge) all the stadium perimeter advertising hoardings look like they have disappeared or fell to bits(lack of commercial performance?)Stadium facilities look very tired, toilets, sports bar, training rooms that are hired out, all look like they need some care and attention..

When you look at this overall it just looks like the club is being run on a tight budget and it will no doubt get tighter as our performance on the field continues to go from bad to worse. The fact that supporters are getting nothing like the right level of communication with the club only hammers it home that it looks like a rudderless ship with no one prepared to make the difference.

This to me is what is alienating the fans from the club, we could say that during the John Ryan era we were in effect spoiled with the engagement he had with the supporters, no one is expecting this from the current board, but some appreciation that they understand the dire situation we all feel the club is in and that they are working on it, begrudging platitudes from exterior sources is not what's required in this situation the fans would like to hear it from the horses mouth.

[Lincoln Rover]

Regarding the comments about SM, I find them distasteful.We may represent two different sections of the club in the VSC & the Shadow Board) but together we both want the same thing. First & foremost we are fans of the club, no more than the next one. We give up our time, a lot of it I may add, to challenge the club & improve things for the benefit of our fellow fans.
Gavin listens to our comments about all fans concerns & endeavours to take them on board..no pun intended.
Gavin is the glue holding this club together right now & without him we’d be in serious trouble.
I may not agree with everything SM ( Martin) says, but between us we have an excellent grasp of what’s happening behind the scenes. It does need GB in place & it also needs TB to make his decision on what his intentions are.

[Mike_F]

The thing that i feel gets most going is that its not just about the football being crap just now. There's an air of decomposition all around the club.

The ground is starting to look grotty, the catering has been a joke for years, failing infrastructure ie, dusty and dirty concrete walkways and terracing that has not been swept or washed down, broken scoreboard, floodlights that have more defective than working, stadium interior lighting that only comes on occasionally, sharp exposed rivet holes in the back plates on the stadium walls at the back of the stand(i've ruined a decent jacket with it catching on the sharp edge) all the stadium perimeter advertising hoardings look like they have disappeared or fell to bits(lack of commercial performance?)Stadium facilities look very tired, toilets, sports bar, training rooms that are hired out, all look like they need some care and attention..

When you look at this overall it just looks like the club is being run on a tight budget and it will no doubt get tighter as our performance on the field continues to go from bad to worse. The fact that supporters are getting nothing like the right level of communication with the club only hammers it home that it looks like a rudderless ship with no one prepared to make the difference.

This to me is what is alienating the fans from the club, we could say that during the John Ryan era we were in effect spoiled with the engagement he had with the supporters, no one is expecting this from the current board, but some appreciation that they understand the dire situation we all feel the club is in and that they are working on it, begrudging platitudes from exterior sources is not what's required in this situation the fans would like to hear it from the horses mouth.

I well remember back in the early JR days one pre-season they asked for fans to volunteer their help to go and paint the crush barriers, tidy up the terraces and surroundings and the like. I was away at university at the time so couldn't help out but plenty did and it was that sort of "all in it together" spirit that laid the foundations for a really strong symbiotic relationship between the club and the supporters.

I would gladly get stuck in with a bucket and sponge or a jet washer to clean 15 years' worth of dust and grime off the seats. I'd happily give the Belle Vue Bar a lick of paint. I'd even be prepared to clean the bogs and fix the locks on the cubicle doors. It might sound very amateur but if come the close season they put out a statement saying something along the lines of:

"Enough is enough, standards have slipped too far so we're going to make improvements in all areas. We'll back the (new) manager with a strong transfer budget and we want to make the Eco Power Stadium a home of which we can all be proud so we're asking for a taskforce of supporters to chip in and give the place a makeover. In return those who help out will be rewarded with a £50 voucher to spend on anything at the club from merchandise to tickets or catering."

I would jump on that chance to give some extra support as would many others.

[Alan Southstand]

I’m old enough to remember but those who are not need only think that the guy in question was given the nickname firestarter for a reason. However, the two episodes, although different and have completely different people involved, are leading to very similar outcomes, footballing-wise. There is simply no getting around the fact that we’re in a mess right now and it certainly needs addressing.

Talking to Bury or Scunthorpe fans does not change a thing in the same way as us talking to Brentford or Bournemouth fans. Yes, there’s always someone worse off than you, that’s pretty much how the football pyramid works, by definition. None of that, however, puts right what is wrong at the Club and having the good sense to realise there is a major problem that’s still not been sorted is a pretty good way to start to resolve things.

[waldron40]

It does need GB in place & it also needs TB to make his decision on what his intentions are.

I find it interesting that you make no mention of DB in this sentence.
To me there are two separate issues. (1) Club Doncaster is clearly well run as a business. The 3 directors are business men and that is their expertise. (2) Doncaster Rovers Football Club is not well run. In my view, none of the directors is sufficiently competent to make the correct decisions regarding football itself.
The deteriorating state of the stadium facilities is clearly the responsibility of Club Doncaster, and needs to be addressed. Inevitably that will require additional funds, which would reduce the amount available to other areas, such as the football club.
Doncaster Rovers desperately needs someone in charge who understands the problems on the pitch, and is authorised and prepared to do something about it. The hope was that Copps would fill that role, but as time goes by it seems that he is out of his depth. Either that, or his hands are tied.

[TheFunk]

Sadly the protesters are indicative of the world Thatcher created. I want it all and I want it now. Personally they all remind me of the little girl from Just William.

[Lesonthewest]

Don’t disagree the manager should be given a chance working with a budget and being backed.

Join us 1pm in the East Stand Reception.

We’ve invited press also.

The time to act is now!!! Don’t be silenced by the majority.

I’ve spent 20 year’s campaigning on behalf of football supporters and yet I can’t think of a worse example than this one. You’re peeved because the footballs crap, I get that, but replace the board with who exactly? Somebody richer that TB?

Whilst I won't be attending this protest, that response does strike me as somewhat flippant and dismissive.

So basically the concern of supporters in regards the overall downward spiral of the club as a whole is dismissed as a hissy fit due to the football being rubbish. That is a blinkered  naive and insulting response.

As for who we would get richer than TB, I'd be saying the same thing if we were owned by Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates. Doesn't matter how rich they are, if they are unwilling to support even a moderately ambitious football club, then i don't see it as unreasonable for the fans to express their

My concern would be that it's not just about "spending money", it's the extremely poor decision-making on the football side that needs more urgently addressing, and on the non-football side it would be good to know if there is a plan to sort out the many frankly shoddy things about the club that are alienating fans as well.

Exactly this. It's not about the money, it's the constant poor decision making, the lack of drive & enthusiasm to move us forward. All this lies squarely at one mans door, & that's the chairmans in my opinion.