My meeting with Gavin and Shaun later today

[Sandy Lane]

Hey Sandy

 Thank you for the photo of the sausages. If you are coming to Milwaukee this summer, send me a pm and maybe we can meet up. Two good times to come are end of June for two weeks when Summerfest takes place on the lakefront and then the first two weeks of August when State Fair is on.

    If you came then, the company I work for  is a sponsor of State Fair and I can get hold of tickets. Mind you the season starts on August 3rd so I doubt you will be missing that.

   They have copied this at Washinton  with the Racing Presidents and in Pittsburgh with the Racing Pirogies, I think their are others.

 The Brewers now have mini costumes which kids wear and they have a relay race.

Thank you so much for the kind invitation New Yankee!  There are no firm plans yet, but I think it may be Wyoming this year for vacation.  Will let you know if we get out there.  Usually it's to Chicago for baseball games, then a short road trip to Milwaukee for.... more baseball!  But the scenery and seeing new places is worth it.

Fingers crossed your idea of racing pies at KMS works out.  I think the fans (especially the kids) would love it!

[neil grainger]

Its around the half time draw tickets.    Just wondered how feesable it would be for them to be 'vamped' up a bit into a scratch card style. 

BVG, you've reminded me that the Rovers DID used to sell scratch cards some years ago, even before the start of the National Lottery if memory serves me right.

I joined up as a selling agent and although I don't live in Donny, I sold quite a lot of them to mates and work colleagues.
They were really popular.
Scratch cards were quite a new thing back then, and because it wasn't that obvious they were connected to Donny Rovers, I sold them successfully to fans of other clubs like Leeds and Burnley.

I think it could be a good idea to resurrect them.

EDIT: many thanks again for the good work SM

[Belle-Vue-Ghost]

Its around the half time draw tickets.    Just wondered how feesable it would be for them to be 'vamped' up a bit into a scratch card style. 

BVG, you've reminded me that the Rovers DID used to sell scratch cards some years ago, even before the start of the National Lottery if memory serves me right.

I joined up as a selling agent and although I don't live in Donny, I sold quite a lot of them to mates and work colleagues.
They were really popular.
Scratch cards were quite a new thing back then, and because it wasn't that obvious they were connected to Donny Rovers, I sold them successfully to fans of other clubs like Leeds and Burnley.

I think it could be a good idea to resurrect them.

EDIT: many thanks again for the good work SM

Thanks Neil

Like I say they sell them in abundance at Brighton. Plus you get 3 chances to win rather than one.

All depends on the cost though I guess, obviously a scratch card would be more expensive to make than a bit of paper that we have now. Question is how much more and would it turn a bigger profit than the current draw tickets.

[newyankee]

 You are most welcome Sandy. Wherever you go I hope you have a great time.

[drfcsteve]

Regarding scratchcards, I was under the impression that a gambling license was extremely hard to obtain, does the club have one? If so there's all sorts of money making possibilities!

[GM-MarkB]

 You are most welcome Sandy. Wherever you go I hope you have a great time.

Slight hijack, but one of my lifes ambitions is too see a play off game in Green Bay when it's cold enough to freeze the coffee...any chance of a ticket ??

[scaley back rover]

steve i maybe wrong but rovers may already have one due to running the weekly lottery . Though to be honest i dont know all the ins and outs of a license and if they are specific for each thing you do seperatly or whether they cover you in a oner so to speak, maybe SM could find out (apologies SM for adding to your already huge workload.. i do think the scratchcard idea mentioned above is a good one to be honest as it makes the game that bit more exciting if you are waiting for a goal at a specific time.

[silent majority]

I'll check with the club, no probs!

[newyankee]

GB Mark,

   There is a ten year waiting list for season tickets, so they are not sold by the club on matchdays. You can sometimes get them from the likes of Stub Hub etc, but you pay massive prices for them.  These are people who have a season ticket but can't make the game so they sell them for as much as they can.

   Pity we at the Rovers are not in the same position. Create a market and then expand the seats by 10% still leaving 90% of those waiting, still waiting.

[scaley back rover]

cheers SM

[GM-MarkB]

GB Mark,

   There is a ten year waiting list for season tickets, so they are not sold by the club on matchdays. You can sometimes get them from the likes of Stub Hub etc, but you pay massive prices for them.  These are people who have a season ticket but can't make the game so they sell them for as much as they can.

   Pity we at the Rovers are not in the same position. Create a market and then expand the seats by 10% still leaving 90% of those waiting, still waiting.

Yeah i knew the waiting list was massive...shame, it's one of those places i'd love to see a game at

[Filo]

i have done,and banged on about it years ago,firstly on the old VSC site and when this one started,and got nowhere,im sure Filo will remember as he once accused me of writing about nothing else,as you say it takes time,four years and waiting but still im only just 50

If I remember rightly you did seem to go on and on about it, I think you were a bit miffed because your partners daughters were dancers and could n`t get their foot in the door


Anyhow how come my name is mentioned in anger in a thread I have n`t even contributed to?

Get over that paranoia matey!

[Tiddysdad]

RoversPlayer has improved in quality and scope over the last 2 years enormously. I love some of the videos from behind the scenes and would like to see more of this type of thing (I think Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea via youtube, TV are pioneering this type of thing at the moment). It's a form of reality TV,  but people buy it.

But there is one area that it massively lacks behind in - and that's a regular and half-decent commentator, reliable and timely commentary with a bit of analysis either side. Last season we basically had to rely on a rag-tag bag of volunteers who at moments did a good job, but at others were unreliable.

Can the club please sort this out and get a regular commentator. A lot of exiles rely on this service and we are paying for it after all.

THE SUGGESTION THAT THIS IS A POOR SERVICE BY THE COMMENTATORS OFFENDS. I can't get to the games as much as I used to and would like to. I'm also out of range of Radio WednesdayUnited. I look forward to the commentary on rovers player. The guys that do it come across with passion and obvious love for the club. It also gives the a warm feeling of family, fans are part of the club bringing back memories of the supporters club running the halftime announcements, Ken Avis up in the little wooden box at the back of the main stand at Belle vue.
So I feel the guys on Rovers Player should be complimented rather  than castigated.
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.

[i_ateallthepies]

Tiddysdad, I could not agree more on your take on the feeling that we get from commentaries by our fellow fans, there's just something so special about it and they get a big thumbs-up from me.  But I have to say I didn't take what Rovers-on-Thames wrote to be aimed at the guys doing the commentary.
The point for me (and I know others too have voiced concerns about it), is that the quality of the service served up for two seasons or more has been well below what it ought to be. That has been largely the doing of the club and as a 'paid for' service it isn't unreasonable to be critical of it.[size=78%]  [/size]

[donnybez]

Getting a lower ticket price for Apprentices? Even just combining it with students?

[MartinB]

Agreed about the level of commentary on player..I think its superb! I love that sometimes its a bit amateurish and the boys get carried away and are 100% rovers biased...as I mentioned to Glen in an email after the brentford game its the closestt thing to watching a game with friends. As am exile I find it 100%.worth the money.

[PDX_Rover]

Rovers player much improved. Glen esp is a great commentator.

[Muttley]

Agreed about the level of commentary on player..I think its superb! I love that sometimes its a bit amateurish and the boys get carried away and are 100% rovers biased...as I mentioned to Glen in an email after the brentford game its the closestt thing to watching a game with friends. As am exile I find it 100%.worth the money.

Just inspired me to listen to this again...if every commentary is as good as this, I think I might stop going to games!

https://audioboo.fm/boos/1358258-brentford-vs-doncaster-rovers-final-minutes

[Belle-Vue-Ghost]

  I could listen to that over and over

Danny to Glen: "Do you need a minute"? 

[Chrisd_123]

Thanks for the nice words. As I said, we're trying to improve how we do it as me and Danny have only been doing it since January and it wasn't something we were looking to do before hand. However since we started doing it regularly and with Glenn I think it's got better. Also, I know there's a lot of ideas bouncing around us and the media team to improve matchday commentary for next year as well as general player throughout the weeks so keep an eye out for that too. The live show they're doing at the moment is one way they are trying to make it more interactive and enjoyable to listen to.

[LincsRover]

I could listen to that over and over

Danny to Glen: "Do you need a minute"? 

Yeah, have it on the desktop of my computer and whenever I'm having a bad day (quite often!) I play it - never fails to put a smile on my face and make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up - makes me far more productive! Iconic commentary to match the "They think it's all over", for Rovers fans anyway!! More of the same next year please!!
 

[HomerJSimpson]

Just how do you get into football commentary? Its something I've always wanted to try my hands at and fan commentary reminds of the Soccer Am commentary for sunday league games in the 90's, doesn't get any better.

[graingrover]

I would support the idea of reduced pricing for apprentices and for  all those who play in Rovers shirts whatever the age and level. From experience long ago I remember the disappointment of not being  always able to afford to go to see Rovers despite playing for the Intermediates that very morning . Giving either free entry to the Juniors or reduced prices would help to cement their affinity to the club for the future .. whether they be future stars or not.

[Wellred]

I would support the idea of reduced pricing for apprentices and for  all those who play in Rovers shirts whatever the age and level. From experience long ago I remember the disappointment of not being  always able to afford to go to see Rovers despite playing for the Intermediates that very morning . Giving either free entry to the Juniors or reduced prices would help to cement their affinity to the club for the future .. whether they be future stars or not.

I am amazed that Juniors or any players registered to DRFC have to pay to watch their own club at home!

[RedJ]

The youth team (that is, 16-18 as opposed to the kids) get tickets for £10 each to give to family and friends regardless of the age category they'd fall into, I think.

[rover-n-out]

Well, that's the first time I've heard that commentary, and I have to say anyone who finds fault with that is completely nit-picking. Fabulous piece of work by Glen?, and made me feel as though I was sat next to him watching the drama unfold.
As an entertainer, I am used to speaking to an audience, and I have to take my hat off to (Glen?), it was full of information, passion, and exhaustion. From the moment Billy collected the ball and made a bee line for goal, It was as though I was experiencing the whole thing for the first time.
Well done to all the Rovers Player team, no need for any change as far as I'm concerned.

[Rovers-on-Thames]

Well, that's the first time I've heard that commentary, and I have to say anyone who finds fault with that is completely nit-picking. Well done to all the Rovers Player team, no need for any change as far as I'm concerned.

Except you've only listened to 10 minutes. Ten minutes which was exceptional compared to the rest of the season. I am basing my judgement on having listened to it for most of the season (and for years, in fact).

The guy doing the commentary in the above link is excellent at it. I believe it is Glenn off here (aka viva rovers? someone will correct me here). But, as he himself we be able to tell us, he only did commentary for about 5/6 games. If you had been a listener over the entire season you would know this fact, so that's the first thing which indicates you don't know what you're talking about.

The rest of the games, it was basically some different combination every week. And I'm not going to put names on because they are all volunteers and do a pretty good job. But the problems are these;

• The commentary usually only starts a couple of minutes before the game
• It frequently cuts out during the game
• It is genuinely hard to work our what is happening at times in some games
• Any mildly inclement weather (cold, fog) seriously seems to affect our team more than the average person
• There is no regular commentator

Now here's the thing that may surprise people. I have no problem with the amateur, fan-style, biased ad-hoc nature of the commentary. People have commented they like this feature and I don't mind it either. But some of the problems outlined above are not good enough - when you are a paying customer, and when you are a paying customer who is forced to do so becauseyou are miles away. I only ask that the commentators provide a clearer picture of what is happening during the game, rather than sit there and point out how cold their b*llocks are or how they are going partially blind in the second half (regular listeners will know what I am talking about). Secondly, I want to know which end the corners are at on a more regular basis. I don't believe this is too much to ask.

[colincramb]

Mentioned this earlier but not sure it has Ben picked up on, but is there any scope for a 'beer garden' type set up outside the belle vue bar or the surrounding grassland around the stadium? Be great for warmish weather. Also noticed how busy the outside of the cheswold and beefeater were pre/post notts county game. I'm guessing there might be some sort of licensing situation to this but could it feasibly be done? Could entice a few more to spend at the ground rather than the nearby establishments

[silent majority]

colincramb,

It was picked up. I understand that the Keepmoat license extends to the boundaries of the stadium but not beyond. I'm not too sure where that actually is, but I would have thought it would rule out the grassed areas, however when Elton John appeared at the Keepmoat the whole of the grassed area adjacent to the East Stand was used for pre-concert drinks.

The club also have to negotiate the renewal of their license this summer so I would suggest for the time being other factors might be more important, such as the tight time schedules the club are forced to operate under and the regulatory authorities insisting on bouncers on each queue. That doesn't mean it won't be looked at, but it won't be top of the list just yet.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

The license did cover the grassy areas including the amphi-theatre. The licence notices were tied to the lamp posts around the site when it first opened.

I think is a good point thinking about an overspill for the Belle Vue Bar (weather permitting). It was noticeable at the last home game just how many people were round and about on the grassy areas and amphi-theatre.

One solitary ice cream van turned up on the West Side, but other than that there were no other vendors to take money off people.   

Vendors come in for the car boot sales so may be some 'food for thought' there.