JR says...

[Bristol Red Rover]

Not sure if the ink is still damp on this or if its more on the lines of Sheff U in admin...

From Paul Goodwin on twitter, Ryan says:
"We're down but we're not out. We've learned a lot from our experience in the Championship, now is the time to re-group."
"In League One maybe we can build a fan base up a bit more, so when we do go up next time we're better equipped to compete."

Sounds simple and sensible.

If you were JR, what 3 things would you do to regroup and build the fanbase? Please don't mention McKay, Saunders, SOD in any way - lets leave that for the numerous other threads and look beyond that here.

[wilko_rover]

sort out the marketing side of the club.

make getting tickets more accessible. unreserved seats and more place to buy tickets in the town centre , etc.

adopt something unique that becomes a rovers tradition. even if its as something simple as goal music that is unqiue to us or a pre-match ritual tradition. sheff utd have the greasy chip butty song , owls have hi ho silver lining , what do we have??????? a prick on the tannoy who never shuts up.

[Northants Nomad]

I don't know about "3 things" but I will make some points. I speak as someone who wanted to give "the experiment a go" so have said little...but am now prepared to have my say.

I would look for patience from everyone in the Club and the community. There is too much of a "results today" culture in our society today. Everyone wants everything NOW, at all costs. And football is about as bad as this gets.

Patience required for a fan-base

The reason we can't compete is because we are a SMALL club with a SMALL fan base which has been over-shadowed by bigger clubs on our doorstep (or not far away) for many, many years. After 50, 60, 70 years of being a small club, 10 (ish) years of climbing doesn't make us a big club and isn't long enough to build a fan base. That will take generations. People won't switch their clubs, and why should they? No, we need to attract the new generations in Doncaster with attractive packages, get them hooked young and they stay forever.

Patience required to build 'scale'

We struggled to compete (commercially) in the Championship and that meant we needed a monumental effort from the players week in, week out just to hold our own. We did it, but the model was not sustainable. This year, lack of scale caught up with us. We were forced with having to try something different and it hasn't worked. However, in doing so and a 'rush to grow', we have taken a huge step back in our work at that 'community' level. We are not 'nice Doncaster' any more - people across the land fundamentally disagree with what we tried and we lost a lot of friends and goodwill. We now need time to get this back. I would rather lose games but gain respect for what we are trying to achieve than try to win games and not care what people think of us. People will only support something they are proud of and, this year, I lost a lot of that pride as we kinda lost our soul.

Patience with community efforts

Bigger fan bases will only come from continuing to develop the Club on and off the field, from youth upwards. A few seasons being a successful League One club would bring in more people than a struggling Championship club.

During that time, Marketing needs to improve. Our Club shop would do well to look at wider and better products. Web-sites need to improve. New technology needs to be embraced.


This is what I mean by "keep the faith, support the Club, and be patient" - it's a journey of a thousand miles and we are only about 2 miles into it.

[dumbroofer]

I don't know about "3 things" but I will make some points. I speak as someone who wanted to give "the experiment a go" so have said little...but am now prepared to have my say.

I would look for patience from everyone in the Club and the community. There is too much of a "results today" culture in our society today. Everyone wants everything NOW, at all costs. And football is about as bad as this gets.

Patience required for a fan-base

The reason we can't compete is because we are a SMALL club with a SMALL fan base which has been over-shadowed by bigger clubs on our doorstep (or not far away) for many, many years. After 50, 60, 70 years of being a small club, 10 (ish) years of climbing doesn't make us a big club and isn't long enough to build a fan base. That will take generations. People won't switch their clubs, and why should they? No, we need to attract the new generations in Doncaster with attractive packages, get them hooked young and they stay forever.

Patience required to build 'scale'

We struggled to compete (commercially) in the Championship and that meant we needed a monumental effort from the players week in, week out just to hold our own. We did it, but the model was not sustainable. This year, lack of scale caught up with us. We were forced with having to try something different and it hasn't worked. However, in doing so and a 'rush to grow', we have taken a huge step back in our work at that 'community' level. We are not 'nice Doncaster' any more - people across the land fundamentally disagree with what we tried and we lost a lot of friends and goodwill. We now need time to get this back. I would rather lose games but gain respect for what we are trying to achieve than try to win games and not care what people think of us. People will only support something they are proud of and, this year, I lost a lot of that pride as we kinda lost our soul.

Patience with community efforts

Bigger fan bases will only come from continuing to develop the Club on and off the field, from youth upwards. A few seasons being a successful League One club would bring in more people than a struggling Championship club.

During that time, Marketing needs to improve. Our Club shop would do well to look at wider and better products. Web-sites need to improve. New technology needs to be embraced.


This is what I mean by "keep the faith, support the Club, and be patient" - it's a journey of a thousand miles and we are only about 2 miles into it.

that my friend sums it up just about perfectly well said

[dumbroofer]

The advertising of matches could be improved,and maybe getting the use of the electric signs , the one on bawtry rd and one on balby rd ,may have them on other routes into town?
to display dates and times of games( risk of congestion)could be worth a phone call .
any form of billboard placed around town ,the amount of times i have been asked "who you playing today" in the boozer before games is unreal.
just a little thing but who knows ,it just may bring a few people in.

[ditch_drfc]

It's a tricky one, because for me, price is a big reason as to why I don't go to Rovers often. I try to get there as much as I can, but it's expensive. I guess this is a big factor for other people as well. I love Rovers, with an absolute passion, but the prices are so out of my budget. I understand that if you drop the prices we lose money, but that's one of the things i'd like to see happen at the club.

Another as already stated, is that i'd like something musical related. Maybe a short clip of a song for every player before the match when announcing their name, maybe their favourite song, or for example, for Chris Brown the announcer could announce his name, then a short clip of "Chris Brown - Yeah 3x" could be played. . . Same for if they score, a short clip of the song associated with them gets played.

That's all I can think of right now

[donnyroversfc]

No goal music... Infact scrap music in the ground at ALL TIMES. I don't want to hear shome shitty overplayed, over commercialised auto-tuned 'song' at a football match, it's a sporting event, not a night club or radio 1 music concert ffs! I wanna hear proper terrace chants by the fans (yeah i know, big ask at the KM).

EDIT: Also groups of fans who want to sing chants you hear at some 2nd division polish match and be classed as 'ultras'... Ban them.

[Sheepskin Stu]

It's a tricky one, because for me, price is a big reason as to why I don't go to Rovers often. I try to get there as much as I can, but it's expensive. I guess this is a big factor for other people as well. I love Rovers, with an absolute passion, but the prices are so out of my budget. I understand that if you drop the prices we lose money, but that's one of the things i'd like to see happen at the club.

Another as already stated, is that i'd like something musical related. Maybe a short clip of a song for every player before the match when announcing their name, maybe their favourite song, or for example, for Chris Brown the announcer could announce his name, then a short clip of "Chris Brown - Yeah 3x" could be played. . . Same for if they score, a short clip of the song associated with them gets played.

That's all I can think of right now

 

That's embarrassing mate.  How about the club do away with that b*llocks and just play a few decent tunes before the game. Announce the teams and then let the crowd make the atmosphere not some clown on a mic. Sometimes less is more.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

When the club get the stadium, get some Rovers montages on the outside and inside to make it more like our stadium.  Doesn't have to be anything fancy but look at how Leicester have made theirs look a bit better.

Also get a decent sound system in that actually has a bit of bass etc.

[ditch_drfc]

Yeah in case you haven't noticed sheepskin stu there's no atmosphere. We're trying to think of ways to create atmosphere, the club play music before the game, announce the teams and then try and let the crowd create some atmosphere... It's not working... You're suggesting doing something that we already do.

And donnyroversfc, if you scrap the music, we'll be sat in a library for god sake!

[donnyroversfc]

Yeah in case you haven't noticed sheepskin stu there's no atmosphere. We're trying to think of ways to create atmosphere, the club play music before the game, announce the teams and then try and let the crowd create some atmosphere... It's not working... You're suggesting doing something that we already do.

And donnyroversfc, if you scrap the music, we'll be sat in a library for god sake!

Which is why i think all music over the tannoy should be scrapped (unless it's some kind of anthem that's 'ours' which the fans will sing along to) hopefully will give more fans opportunity to get some atmosphere going, instead of listening to the latest chart topper.

[Sheepskin Stu]

Yeah in case you haven't noticed sheepskin stu there's no atmosphere. We're trying to think of ways to create atmosphere, the club play music before the game, announce the teams and then try and let the crowd create some atmosphere... It's not working... You're suggesting doing something that we already do.

And donnyroversfc, if you scrap the music, we'll be sat in a library for god sake!

Which is why i think all music over the tannoy should be scrapped (unless it's some kind of anthem that's 'ours' which the fans will sing along to) hopefully will give more fans opportunity to get some atmosphere going, instead of listening to the latest chart topper.

You can't hear yourself think with that berk on the mic. The playing of any music just before kick off isn't going to help generate any atmosphere especially with that bloody shrill tannoy! 

[ditch_drfc]

Thing is though, no ones willing to chant, hardly anyone wants to chant anymore.

[Sheepskin Stu]

Thing is though, no ones willing to chant, hardly anyone wants to chant anymore.

We'll chant next season pal. I promise.

[ditch_drfc]

I know i'll be chanting at every game I attend! It's what we need right now. We need all the fans to chant their hearts out! I like to come away from a game with a voice that's almost shot because i've chanted so hard!

[scuzzer]

Get rid of the tit on the mic!

He's not a fan but a paid employee, i did the ground tour the other week and he admitted he'd never even been to Belle Vue despite passing on his words of wisdom about the club as if he was JR's most trusted Lieutenant. He's a jumped up amateur dramatic tw@t and he has to go - and take his wretched scary contorted gurning face with him!

[dickos1]

Get rid of the tit on the mic!

He's not a fan but a paid employee, i did the ground tour the other week and he admitted he'd never even been to Belle Vue despite passing on his words of wisdom about the club as if he was JR's most trusted Lieutenant. He's a jumped up amateur dramatic tw@t and he has to go - and take his wretched scary contorted gurning face with him!

Agreed.
I also did the tour and he was an embarrassment

[nice one rovers]

Get rid of the tit on the mic!

He's not a fan but a paid employee, i did the ground tour the other week and he admitted he'd never even been to Belle Vue despite passing on his words of wisdom about the club as if he was JR's most trusted Lieutenant. He's a jumped up amateur dramatic tw@t and he has to go - and take his wretched scary contorted gurning face with him!

Agreed.
I also did the tour and he was an embarrassment

.......And he's a L**ds fan!

[Dagenham Rover]

The advertising of matches could be improved,and maybe getting the use of the electric signs , the one on bawtry rd and one on balby rd ,may have them on other routes into town?
to display dates and times of games( risk of congestion)could be worth a phone call .
any form of billboard placed around town ,the amount of times i have been asked "who you playing today" in the boozer before games is unreal.
just a little thing but who knows ,it just may bring a few people in.

Youve been driving down Sheffield Parkway the day before a Blunts or Windies game 

[Nudga]

Molly Malone would be a start.

[RTID75]

Get rid of the tit on the mic!

He's not a fan but a paid employee, i did the ground tour the other week and he admitted he'd never even been to Belle Vue despite passing on his words of wisdom about the club as if he was JR's most trusted Lieutenant. He's a jumped up amateur dramatic tw@t and he has to go - and take his wretched scary contorted gurning face with him!

Here's an idea - he can kill two birds with one stone by being made to do his announcing FROM Belle Vue.

I'd get rid of him too. Charles Swallow got some stick, but he was great compared to the 'tit'.

I don't know how it happened, nor do I know how to put it right, but the club needs to re-connect personally with the fans. What has been said recently here along the lines of it not feeling the same any more is true. It feels totally impersonal nowadays and coupled with nothing coming out of the club but escalating prices, more and more ways to relieve you of your cash and low attendance moans (which the club never seems to want to look into the reasons for, nor do anything pro-active for any length of time to try to solve) has, IMHO, made fans feel like they're only wanted for their money. Money seems to have poisoned the club.

Maybe the club needs to accept that for the time being we simply can't continue our ever higher climb. It's clearly unsustainable unless we can solve the attendance issue long term.

[Dagenham Rover]

Molly Malone would be a start.

Hear bloody hear

[RedJ]

Molly Malone would be a start.

Benaldo (I think it was him) suggested a while ago we do something with this, and change the words to "Doncaster Rovers, alive, alive oh" - not sure how he'd have worked it but that seems pretty good.

[roverstillidie91]

Atmosphere is s**t cos of the ground at all new grounds atmosphere is rubbish

[BobG]

There's only 1 thing that matters. Find a way, almost any way, to buy out the shareholdings of Bramhall and Watson. Until that's done neither the club nor John has any ability to make their own decisions.

Failing that, John might like to think about leaving them with the problem. He could resign from the Board and sit on the sidelines watchcing them having to take responsibility for managing two thirds of the debt and two thirds of the operational problems. At least that way there would be some clarity and understanding about just who bears the responsibility for a lot of what's going on now.

BobG

[Red wizard]

There's only 1 thing that matters. Find a way, almost any way, to buy out the shareholdings of Bramhall and Watson. Until that's done neither the club nor John has any ability to make their own decisions.

Failing that, John might like to think about leaving them with the problem. He could resign from the Board and sit on the sidelines watchcing them having to take responsibility for managing two thirds of the debt and two thirds of the operational problems. At least that way there would be some clarity and understanding about just who bears the responsibility for a lot of what's going on now.

BobG

How do we know for sure they won't be anyway? One would like to think they will help out a bit at least. After all is said and done they do own a 3rd of the club. Bob i respect you views but my god you put me on a downer at times. I know you know your stuff but it is all doom and gloom. I just hope pray you are wrong.

[Rovers Return]

Atmosphere is s**t cos of the ground at all new grounds atmosphere is rubbish

When does a new ground become an old ground?
Does the atmosphere change at a certain point in its lifespan?

Belle Vue was shite and peoples memories are rose tinted. My memories of Belle Vue are best before the bulldozers moved in and reduced it. We used to sing our heads off on the 'old' popular side, 20,000, 15,000, 10,000 crowds, but my mates who used to go in the main stand said they could never hear us. Same old, same old.

[mushRTID]

Did anyone go Burnley? That video they played on the big screen of burnley highlights before the match was brilliant. Motivating stuff.

Let's get a big screen and do the same!

[donnyroversfc]

Did anyone go Burnley? That video they played on the big screen of burnley highlights before the match was brilliant. Motivating stuff.

Let's get a big screen and do the same!

And who's going to pay for it? We have no money!

Had to get in that there first, before somebody else did...

[mushRTID]

You could sell your Billy Kee pyjamas and add it to the fund.