message from doncaster i received today, quite interesting i think

[Baldyboy 0]

 here is the text of an e mail i received from neil doncaster today. some of the answers to the questions i asked are quite strange i feel. i hardly think introducing spillane for 5 minutes in a cup game warrants a youth policy do you? also the failure to answer the question about rehman puzzles me greatly. why are we still paying his wages when he is not a real city player? the way that he compares signing dean ashton mid season to jj2 is also baffling me or did i miss something was ashton ever on loan and not playing? No

i feel that the way these questions  are answered is showing the strain the club are feeling about all the e mails, letters and protests from fans.

 

 

 

 

dear mr doncaster,

 

i have recently renewed my season ticket but think i have made a big mistake! how much longer do we as paying supporters have to put up with our inept management team? why does worthington persist with making the same mistakes game after game? i recently wrote to you with some questions and thank you for your reply, but since then i have more?

 

1.    WHY DO WE FAIL TO GIVE YOUNGSTERS A CHANCE AT THIS CLUB?
[Neil Doncaster] Nigel is the manager who has given first team debuts to the two youngest players in the history of NCFC in Spillane and Jarvis. Ryan has been injured most of this season, as has Jason Shackell, who missed most of pre-season through illness. I do not think it is fair to accuse Nigel of not giving youngsters a chance.

 

 

2.    WHY IS REHMAN BEING PAID BY THE CLUB WHEN HE ISNT EVEN IN THE SQUAD? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF GETTING HIM ON LOAN IF WE ARE NOT GOING TO USE HIM?
[Neil Doncaster] when players return from injury and there is good competition for places, it is inevitable that some senior players will miss out. For example, Henderson and Thorne also missed out on Saturday. 

 

3.    WHY DOES WORTHINGTON PERSIST IN PLAYING PLAYERS OUT OF POSITION, LIKE CHARLTON IN MIDFIELD TODAY?
[Neil Doncaster] Simon was played in midfield to suit the system that Nigel wanted to play. And I have to say that, based on the performance and the result, those tactics worked 

 

4.    WHEN ARE THE BOARD GOING TO REALISE THAT ALL IS NOT WELL AT THIS CLUB? THE FANS CONTRIBUTE AN AWFUL LOT OF HARD EARNED MONEY AND WE FEEL LIKE YOU MAY LISTEN BUT YOU DONT HEAR WHAT WE ARE SAYING!
[Neil Doncaster] there is a big difference between listening and consulting on the one hand, and simply doing what a vocal group of supporters want on the other. we do listen, we do hear and we do understand the way you and others are feeling. And while the Board do take account of those thoughts and feelings when they formulate policy, they have to make decisions for the long term benefit of the Club. And they do not believe that it is the right thing to fire Nigel now. 

 

5.     WHY WAS JASON JARRETT SIGNED AND ALLOWED TO GO OUT ON LOAN TWICE, THE SECOND TIME WITH A VIEW TO A PERMANENT MOVE?
[Neil Doncaster] would you rather that a player who has not settled and has not really contributed in his time here be kept in the reserves for three seasons, costing a lot of money? or would you prefer that we free up his wages to be used on other players by making pragmatic decisions about his future? 

 

6.    WHY IS JONATON JOHANSSON HERE ON LOAN AND ONLY PLAYING PART OF GAMES? SURELY THE MONEY FOR THESE PLAYERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN SAVED AND USED ON PERMANENT SIGNINGS IN THE SUMMER?
[Neil Doncaster] taking that view, i might also argue that we shouldn''t have bought Dean Ashton part-way through the season. i am not sure i understand your point 

 

7.    WHAT COACHING GOES ON BECAUSE THERE IS NOT MUCH EVIDENCE OF ANY FROM THE RECENT PERFORMANCES?
[Neil Doncaster] given that we have won three and drawn one of our last five games, i am not sure what you mean 

 

8.    WHY HAS NIGEL WORTHINGTON FAILED TO SIGN DECENT PLAYERS EVEN THOUGH HE HAS HAD MORE MONEY THAN ANY OTHER MANAGER IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP THIS SEASON?
[Neil Doncaster] i am not prepared to discuss the merits of individual players with you. i am sure you would not expect me to 

 

unless drastic changes are made in the very near future i fear for this great club which i have supported for 35 years. please please i urge you and the rest of the board to rethink the management situation very quickly before it gets worse!

 

PLEASE MR DONCASTER LISTEN TO WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING
[Neil Doncaster] we are listening to all the different viewpoints that our fans express. and these are taken account of when formulating policy 

 

 




[macdougalls perm 0]

I think that they are perfectly sensible answers, his point with regards to Ashton, is that although, yes you are correct he was bought and not loaned, he was primarily brought here for the second half of last season as an attempt to keep us up. I think he is saying that it is worth bringing in a player to help with the second half of the season, if all we can get is a loan player (who is doing very well I think) for that period of time then that is what we have to settle for. You may not agree, but I think that that is the point he is making. 

[South Norfolk Old Boy 0]

Neil Doncaster deserves credit for at least keeping his head above the parapet and addresing points raised by supporters. That''s more than Mr Skipper does, preferring to adopt the seagull approach. Swoop in make lots of noise then get out again asking for a truce without acknowledging the right to reply. All credit to Neil Doncaster.

However, I agree he has missed or ducked many of the valid points raised in your questions. I am particularly puzzled by his Dean Ashton response. I can only assume he has misread your question! Equally his response on the issue of playing some younger players is somewhat lame. However, at least he responded.

[Peter 0]

As requested by you I did actually put these points to the board last night and received similar answers.

[ncfc0405 0]

sorry, doncaster deserves a medal for responding with patience and good humour to such asinine questions...

[Evil Monkey 52]

Baldy Boy, do you think you''re the only fan to have written to Doncaster with questions? Do you not think that these very same questions have been asked of him on numerous occasions, and probably in the meeting last night? Do you not think that the constant badgering of a man who is genuinely trying to get on with his job, and is taking time out to speak to you, is becoming a bit tedious?

Most of your questions would be better put to Nigel, and I think that the comments about our recent form being poor are misguided, and the tone of your email often confrontational.  I would accept as a good thing that Doncaster has even bothered to answer you at all!

Were you expecting him to come back and say things like "you''re right, Simon Charlton isn''t a midfielder", or "yes, Nigel was wrong to drop Rehman, I''ll choose the team from now on"?

Whilst he has obviously done the "political" thing with some responses, I do wonder whether you''d be happy no matter what his reply...

[Baldyboy 0]

on the whole i am happy with the reply, the points that concern me are how can a 5 min performance in a cup game by spillane be justified as a youth policy when we are bringing in loanees who are not even on the bench! that was the main concern i had, that the club sanction the decision to bring in loanees so they must take some responsibility on allowing this policy to be carried out. of the 3 players signed on deadline day there are NONE currently in theteam and 2 of those are on loan. if we arent going to give em a game they should not have been signed and we could be giving the youngsters a chance by having them on the bench at least. also, charlton is a full back and we had 3 other midfielders on the bench? why?

[Dicky 0]

Well done to Neil for taking the time to answer some very loaded questions.  I think he has answered the questions in a very profession manner - unlike you for putting his answers on a bulletin board for all to see, with a negative slant in your opening.

[Snakepit Boy 0]

We''re lucky to have such an open and accessible board. Never underestimate that.

[Rossi 0]

snakepit

my nans house is both open and accessible, but when you are there it doesnt mean that she either sees or hears you, in fact she just sticks to what she had thought to say days earlier. As she cant tell who is who she just says the same things over and over again, it doesnt matter if you''ve shouted and held banners, she''ll still tell you an apple a day keeps the doctor away even though she has just come out of hospital.

[3pmkickoff 0]

Do you e-mail questions on a diamond formation and the state of the game to your bank manager? Well done to Mr Doncaster for attempting to answer questions on the football side when it''s not his responsiblity

[AJ 1,218]

Re: your Johanssen question

Johanssen himself said he is not fully match fit due to being our of favour at Charlton

hence why he cant manage a full game

[essexcanary 0]

at least doncaster replied and gave honest answers, give him credit for that

[ZLF 271]

So JJ he has the best strike rate of any striker at the club at the mo, looks a class act yet still finds himslef on the bench?  He is not going to get match fit there and how good could he be for us once he is fit?!? 

[Largey 0]

good answers Doncaster. that shut them up.

[FilletTheFishWife . 0]

we are fortunate to have a chief exec willing to indulge in such correspondence. unfortunately, if you continue to ridicule him and make public this correspondence to fuel further criticism then i think you will undermine the goodwill further.

[eldrich canary 0]

While I may not agree with all thats happening in the board room I do

have to say that Doncaster is one of the few that''s coming out of all

this looking good. I can not think of another club where the Chief not

only publishes his phone number and email address but actually answers

it. In his column the other day we talked about how he went to the demo

to see the people there - how many others would have done that? 99% of

CEO''s would have just been in the bar swilling the beer back. Nope

while I''m not 100% impressed with the policies I have to say I am very

impressed with than himself.

I wish a few others on this board would carry themselves the way Doncaster done,

I Sent 1 email to Doncaster and had one very reply which made me believe he does care and wasn;t just brushing me off.

Eldrich

[Baldyboy 0]

whilst i agree it is refreshing to have a chief exec who answers supporters questions openly i feel that some of the answers are just "fob offs". like why are we paying money for loan players and not playing them, and id hardly call 5 mins for spillane a youth policy! to say the problems with the youth policy go back to 1998 is ridiculous, how long does it take for a professional organisation to sort out these problems? not 8 years surely. it is just the reluctance of the manager to give youth a chance and to say the time is not right, when will the time be right? if we were top and winning every game they still wouldnt get a chance so its a complete kop out in my opinion. and how is johansson gonna get match fit by being on the bench?. the answers about coaching and jarrett etc i accdept are fair comment but others as i have said are just kop outs

[Temp the Revelator 0]

But as mentioned earlier, why would Doncaster answer those specific footballing questions?  Those are questions for the management and coaching staff, not the Chief Exec, surely?

[Syteanric 1]

if Doncaster cant understand the JJ2 question then he needs it explaining by someone!

 

the poster is asking why is JJ here on loan when the money could of been used to bring him (or another) here full time.. rather than paying his exhorberent wages for a few months only for someone else to snap him up because of his good performances for us...

jas :)

[AP16 0]

Good on you Doncaster. He has replied to me a couple of times actually, although my questions were a tad more realistic and reasonable. The Jonaton Johanson question made me laugh......

[lucky green trainers 0]

although i don''t necessarily agree with everything he says, i have to admit doncaster does his best to keep communications open with the fans, which in the present climate which can''t be very easy for him.  he earns his dough alright. 

[Temp the Revelator 0]

Exactly my point - it was surely Worthy''s decision to bring him here, and it''s Worthy who picks the team.  What the hell do you expect Doncaster to say in answer to that question anyway?

[Chris Meadows 0]

just because he has best strike rate doesn''t mean he is the best striker to play, are you saying mcveigh should be dropped after 2 assists and a goal in recent games or perhaps mckenzie who has scored lately and unsettles defenders or earnshaw who is our quickest striker and has best record at this level of all our strikers