Rovers Handbook - 1924-25.

[bellevuebulgar]

Extract from The Foreward by Chas E Sutcliffe (F.A Council and Football League Management Committee)for the 1924-25 Season Rovers Handbook:

".........Football is the funniest business in the world. You must have support to get a team, yet you must have a team to bring support. To sum up the position in one word, "Enterprise" is the only safe proposition.
How do we stand? Do you expect Doncaster Rovers to progress at other people's expense or are you prepared to do your bit? In other words are you a spectator or a supporter? You ask me what is the difference, simply this. A spectator expects to get all he pays for but a supporter pays without any idea of getting value for money, except may be in the dim and distant future.
 
...As supporters of the Club try and make Doncaster Rovers a name to be respected. Be fair, even generous to the visiting players who have come to entertain you. Be fair, even generous, to the Referee. If he makes mistakes, forget if you can, but forgive. You must be the best of sportsmen for they make the best supporters. Seek to get all you deserve but be sure to deserve all you get. Don't be too critical and forget to grumble. The players will try to get to the top but remember there are twenty-one teams trying to keep them down. Help and encouragement is more profitable than criticism and grumbling.

We shall have a great season. If you want to get all the pleasure possible out of it look at both sides and take the game as entertainment. It is no disgrace to be beaten by a better team, but it is a disgrace to turn your backs on players who need your encouragement and on a Club which needs your support."

What wonderful sentiments .......... still valid nearly 90 years on.   

[nightporter]

Help and encouragement is more profitable than criticism and grumbling.  Hurrahh!!   

[natetherover]

That really is a breath of fresh air on this forum. Could we print it in one of the programmes/fanzine for the season...?

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Old values? Still ring true.

[bobjimwilly]

what a brilliant passage 

[graingrover]

That is also worthy of a place in the Keepmoat corridors along with the portraits

[roversontheup]

Spectator or Supporter?  How brilliant is that definition. 

A supporter here!   

[sf9944]

Wow.  Absolutely brilliant.  Thanks for reproducing this.  Sums up what it is to be a supporter so well.  Easy to assume that everything was so different back in the day but clearly it wasn't!

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I'd like to see that writ large on the walls of the concourses.

[Al4475]

This could do with being on the inside of the front cover of every single programme at every single club always!

A brilliant extract!