a consortium of businessmen have taken over and their press release states they will be applying for super league next time.

lofty ambitions but i feel its what we need and that is not being disrespectful to what mr thomas has done already.

We need Arthur being supported financially by other groups or individuals, getting to SL is about ambition, finance, astuteness, common sense and a bit of luck on the paddock.
If we are skint then lets be open about it and ask for people to come forward.

I think you will find that AT is more than happy to share the top table but I suspect hes not exactly being killed in the rush at present.

To be honest if I read this board at present I would not touch the club and let the fans carry on doing other things than support their club on matchdays as many have stated on here they are enjoying doing.

I would just like to remind everyone that nearly every new stadium that has been built took a good few years to bed in and nearly all complained about lack of atmosphere and being over charged,ticketing issues etc.

Man City hardly won a game when they moved as Eastlands was as alien to the fans and players as the away team and its only now that it feels like home.

Going back to big money backers remember wealth is relative and complaining about the cost of beer and pies one minute then expecting someone to put in 10s of Thousands of pounds of money is a bit of a cheek.

I think the ground is a bit strange at present and prices are high but I also know that in todays current economic climate sponsorship and support from a rich benefactor is hard to come by and simply whinging about it won't make it happen.

Grow up get real and get behind your club, if you don't want to fine but keep your moans and groans to yourselfs, its easy to be negative thats why babies cry when they don't get what they want.

Its been stated several times that any would be invester would have their offers considered, shares still available for 1p if money was to be invested, no ones got the money sadly.

I have never seen AT communicate that publicly, when did that happen.

It has been said on numerous occasions that the board of directors would listen to ANY REAL CONSTRUCTIVE OFFERS.

The club is a business not a charity. It has to attract 'customers'. It, therefore, needs to change in some of the ways suggested on the 'New Stadium' thread. Language like that in the last paragraph is not going to get people in. You could be the last passenger on the Titanic with that attitude. I felt like you do as a 'fan' for over 50 years but now I realise that I have a choice on Sunday afternoons......

I have still never seen that communicated publicly, when did that happen last?

ps I am playing Devils Advocate here, because if we need investment lets find it, no strings, no caveats and no smokescreens. Just open honest dialogue between parties with a common goal.

to be fair this is the umpteenth time this has happened at Donny and it has never got them anywhere at all. I don't rate their chances this time around quite frankly..

.

Not quite that many, but there is still time

Lots of ' kneejerking ' going on on this thread

So Donny have to make a GF or win the NRC either this year or next

Or these businessmen will have to hang around for another 3 years

Time for us to stop worrying about what other clubs do or dont do and also to remove SL from our thinking

Lets just try to improve our club in all ways no matter where we are in the RL ladder

One thing is for certain you have a much better chance of getting more sponsorship and investment if you have more fans coming through the doors showing an interest in the club and team

ah but to do that they would have to stop moaning about the price of a pie or there being no bar or one of the other excuses being used for not attending

We also have to accept that the sponsorship will be from local companies which makes it vitally important there is a buzz about town and a strategy for getting those folk to buy into the product.

each to their own starbug, i will never remove super league from my way of thinking

Thinking maybe , talking about it no

It will only hold you back

It is out of your control

Focus on what you can control

If a bye product of that is a successful SL application then fine

If not then fine

I might be wrong, but im sure i read somewhere that because applications for super league this year had to be made before the 2008 season started, that cup finals last year do count towards the next applications.

We might have got hammered, but Doncaster did get to the Northern rail final against Salford last year, meaning we have already reached a final.

Did you win it

correct, you are.

Its from 2009,

No last season counted along with 2009/2010 then the decisiom made in 2011

But the qualifying criteria was a GF appearance or a NRC win

We aint gonna do either

This criteria could seriously cause problems for all the teams pushing for a licence, by the end of this season it could be that only 2 teams have met the criteria, but that would mean that next season teams will push harder to win NR Cup or get to grand final.
But this criteria is a black and white, yes/no situation if the RFL don't change it.

As a Fax fan it doesn't worry me too much but the general feeling is that the RFL want a French/Cumbria/North East team into SL.
I see a rule change coming.

andn why being a fax fan doesn't it worry you yet you mention it on here?

It doesn't worry me because with the current squad and backroom I see no reason why Fax will not meet the criteria this year.
And I mention it on here because I would like to see Fax, Leigh and Widnes all in the top flight of rugby league.
Expansion of rugby is fine but not at the cost of the teams and fans that made it the great game that it is today.
Which means if the french, the geordies and the blokes from the wind swept north west don't make a Grand Final etc I can see a rule change to try accommodate them in the next licence application

you lot are starting to sound like Hull KR fans of ten years ago every year was going to be their year, counting chickens etc... a season is a long way in RL.

Yes, a season is a long time in rugby league. Therefore everything that is being said at the moment is based on current squads and performances. Halifax are unbeaten in all competitions right now therefore their fans are rightly optimistic and confident.

That being said, Halifax are only one bad game away from being classed as pretenders, but right now they are the bookines favourite for both NR and Grand Final.
Its been a while since we had anything to shout about at the Shay, please just give us our 5 minutes of fame!!