At least we have potential?

[ListerBlade]

After reading all the manager related posts on here, and with the revelation that we are in talks with SoD I decided to have a look on the Vikings Talk forum, most of which was filled with their fans accusing us of being arrogant and too big for our boots.

http://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_kunena&Itemid=57&func=view&catid=999999&id=128394

all the posts seem to be along the same lines, bar this chap.

Re:Ive really had enough 13 Hours, 3 Minutes ago
Although I don't like the fact that SOD is talked up as a potential replacement, it's not as though their board has come out and claimed SOD as their number one target who would be mad not to go there and they will move heaven and earth for. Much of it has been press speculation.

And if we're talking about arrogance, what about our fans saying how s*** Sheffield United are? Yes, they're not in the healthiest position at the moment but they still have the potential to be a Premiership club, and if I was O'Driscoll I would give any offer serious thought. I generally think that our fans are becoming too arrogant, and I cringe at some of the comments on this board such as "We'll go to Leicester and because their fans are arrogant little old Donny will paste the s***". I don't think it paints our fans in a flattering light and I find it all very hypocritical. In fact I'm sure I read Rigo write earlier that McIndoe will end up at a two bob League One pub team - again, very arrogant unless I've missed the intended irony.


Seems to talk a little more sense than the rest of them. I know we've not got that much going for us, and we have spent a lot of time at this level and are by no means a 'sleeping giant' and a 'potential prem team year in year out' but I'm sure Donny are about as high as they can go. So should the right man come in (SoD) and get given some time, surely we at least have potential?

 

[Grecian2000]

We've always had the "potential". Unfortunately, these days, it has to be backed with hard cash from above. Unless you get lucky (a la Burnley/Blackpool) and all the planets align themselves in your favour for a particular season (how much more luck do you need than playing us in a play off final?) then only a benevolent (gambling?) chairman/board/owner can bring your potential to reality.
It is no longer enough to have the fan base and facilities, you need to attract players of a similar calibre to your rivals and the parachute money means this is an uphill battle and is going to get harder. We wasted our parachute payments by appointing Robbo, we won't be so lucky that all the Premiership relegation teams will do the same.

 

[Jim Chimmerney]

Ryan is right in that he says they have a better 'team' at the moment but that's about as far as it goes. Even having said that, arguably we have better players. As people have said, they can't really go any further without promotion and even then, they'd struggle to sustain it with their fanbase. Undoubtedly we could become an established Premier League team and compete alongside the Boltons and Blackburns of the World.

The fact we've maintained a 25K average crowd since relegation and further cock-ups shows the potential is there. OK, the next 6 months may show a massive drop in crowds and next season's ST sales could be even further down than this season but as with the Blackwell effect 2 years ago, sales will also be decent if we show signs of turning things round in the next 6 months.

 

[axel smeets]

My my my, I think there's one or two Donny fans worried about them going back from whence they came. They completely outplayed us at Doncaster in October, it was embarrassing. They could have scored 5. However, they are only 5 points above us in the table. Perhaps in the overall scheme of things, they aren't as good as they think they are?

Besides, the potential of any big city club would always be an attractive point to a manager, when they know clubs such as United, Wednesday, Leeds, Forest, etc can pull in 20-30000 in the championship. Doncaster's fan base is excellent really, considering the erosion it must have suffered during the 80's and 90's. Never underestimate what 20 years in Div 4 and the conference must have done, whilst United, Barnsley, swfc, Rotherham were all playing at least 1 division, sometimes 4 or 5 higher.

However, realistically, while ever they maintain championship status it will build slightly, will they ever be able to get 20000+ on a regulr basis, even if the ground was big enough? I would say not, so even with JR's backing, which has been outstanding, their income will only be so much, ergo his backing can only be so much.

If he comes to United and get's it right, he can have 23/24000 watching his brand of football. Any Donny fans reading, we do not think we are South Yorkshire's answer to Manchester United, far from it. However, just consider that after 4 years at keepmoat, unless John Ryan decides to inject some serious funding again, Doncaster are probably at the pinnacle. I hope that you maintain your championship status for many years, as I hope we maintain ours this season.

However, long term, given his ability to sort out the problems that currently exist at BDTBL, I would not have thought a move here would be a backward step.

 

[ListerBlade]

I guess what they have been saying is down to worry that they have come as far as they probably will, if SoD leaves them, are they going to get someone else that can carry on and take the great achievements that they have made forward?

I would give SoD all the time he needs to take us forward, being an established team like the Boltons and Blackburns does appeal to me, because you can then further that, ala Sunderland? maybe?

would we get backing from above if we make the right appointment and start to move forward again over the next few years? This season avoiding relegation is now the aim, then we change the style of the club and move forwards, gradually making our way back up until we start hitting the play-offs and auto's again in a few years? With SoD this could be done the right way by using the academy, lower league bargains and deals, easing financial strain because this would inevitably lead to better attendances etc.?

I also never realised that we came off as so arrogant, I always had a respect for Donny.