Stanza

Football windows never close quietly, so in just a few hours, at 7pm, the bid window will slam shut.

Confirmation that it's a replica.

It's completely unrealistic to expect that degree of detail within 24 hours of a top-line presentation that set out a long-term vision. I'm sure some thought will have been given to both on-field and off-field activities (success in both areas is inextricably linked, even if some fans don't see it that way). Give it time, this isn't a short sprint, it's a marathon. Hopefully the club will have a plan to roll out more detail in future months. (I agree with Sanguine Pars's assessment above that the club should be doing more to control the narrative, rather than leaving it to the fans who were at the meeting.)

Bump ...

A lot of people are (naturally) focussing on onfield aspects, but if I've understood what was being said then it's all part of a wider long-term project involving everyone associated with the club. The aim is to give DAFC a unique image in Scottish (and maybe wider) football that will attract better players, more fans, greater community involvement and higher commercial investment. Will it be successful? It's far too early to tell, and everyone knows that results on the field will determine whether or not fans buy into it - that in itself will be sufficient reason to think that winning games will be the priority. Let's see how it develops!

Sorry, but this is an example of focussing on one small aspect of the overall philosophy. Nobody in the room was suggesting that this situation would be commonplace or would apply except in the most blatant and obvious situation, and JMcP accepted that it might be down to the captain or manager to make the decision. Once again, think of the plaudits Bielsa received for his decision not to defend a goal, and compare it with the criticism levelled at Thierry Henry for his World Cup handball. You're right of course, many Leeds fans would have been raging, and many French fans would have been delighted - but that's not an attractive part of football culture, IMO. There is no absolutely right way of getting the message out and the Board chose to continue the policy of initially notifying representatives of the various supporters groups. Fair enough, but perhaps they might have been better just publicising the headline points of the vision quite widely, and gradually over time filling in the detail as the debate among stakeholders developed

I think there is a danger in taking individual elements or comments from a wide-ranging presentation and discussion, and then rejecting the whole proposition out of hand based on them. I would say the same about the danger of accepting the whole package based on an individual element or comment that one finds acceptable. The package has to be viewed as a whole, and it will be up to the club to roll it out in a manner that is convincing. It's also fair to say that the Board seem to recognise that in a long-term project like this there are bound to be changes, tweaks and developments as circumstances change - especially in the formative stage I am sure they would welcome feedback from anyone who feels strongly on any aspect of the package.

Superb summaries from Digs and Piracy - it saves me writing anything for my own DADSC "constituency" in DADSC - I'll just refer them to this thread! The only thing I might add is David Cook's comment that if a club has a defined and unique identity that is part of the club's DNA (such as Forest Green, Skt Pauli or Midtjylland) there is a chance it will punch well above its weight and also become a commercially much more successful operation. And if that identity is one that is considered by most (but never all) football fans to be desirable, then it will be sustainable and perhaps eventually a catalyst for change in football more widely. (EG Forest Green play in a village with a population of 6000 but have been recognised by FIFA and the UN for their green ethic.) The Board are under no illusions that this is a short term project, it will involve many years of effort and commitment. To confirm, there was absolutely no suggestion from the Board or Manager that the pursuit of this approach would or should be to the detriment of results on the pitch, although inevitably a few defeats on the bounce would undoubtedly get some people blaming them on the Board's philosophy. The aim is still to win - but not at the cost of our reputation.

Thanks to the generosity of Alistair Carstairs, DADSC is able to offer for auction this retro shirt, signed by most of last season's title-winning team. See pic below. (To be fair, some of the signatures are on the blue panels and might be hard to make out, but they are there.) The shirt is brand new, never worn. The size is 4XL, so it should be big enough for most Pars fans. Bids can be placed on this thread or by private message to myself. Bidding closes at 7pm on Sunday 6 August. There is a reserve price of £50 and bids must be in whole pounds. All money received will go to the DADSC fund for improving access to the 1st Floor function suites at EEP for those with mobility problems. The shirt is being advertised elsewhere and I will try to update all threads as to the leading bid, but don`t rely on that - get your best offer in early to stand the best chance of success.

Amazing generosity and support from Pars fans and the dance community. Total donated already is £780 (plus another £135 in Gift Aid). Thank you so much, on behalf of DADSC. In just under three weeks Sheena, Alison and Julie will start their 20 mile walk from St Andrews to Dundee. If you haven't done so already, please give what you can to encourage the Divas and help our disabled fans. (And if you're not going to Tannadice and have some spare cash ..... :) ) https://www.justgiving.com/team/teamdancingdivasanddudes

Definitely. Kelty drawing 3-3 at Dingwall and then winning on penalties was also a fine result.

Quick summary as I see it. Ayr, Partick, Livi, Ross Co, Airdrie, Killie, Motherwell & St Mirren through as section winners. Stirling and Morton through as best of the rest. Raith currently in line for the final place, but if Dundee win by 2 goals tomorrow they will pip the Rovers. Excellent performance by Forfar to finish in second place with 9 points and just going out on goal difference.

Rovers now 3-2 up.

Delighted to report that there has been a great support for this, with donations already totalling £665 (+ Gift Aid in many cases.) Still time for more people to get the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from donating to a worthy cause ... https://www.justgiving.com/team/teamdancingdivasanddudes?

There is a meeting of Dunfermline Athletic Disabled Supporters' Club this evening (Wednesday) at 7pm in the Boardroom at KDM Group East End Park. It is an open meeting and anyone is welcome to attend. You can also take part via Zoom, and if you want to do so please contact me by private message before 6pm this evening and I will send you the link.

Just to make it a bit more personal, this is a photo, taken last year when they were walking for Sepsis Research, of the three Dancing Divas (L-R Sheena, Julie and Alison) who will be walking on 20 August to raise funds for DADSC. It`s a tremendous gesture by them, as none of them is a DAFC supporter (2 x Dundee and 1 x Celtic, actually!) Please acknowledge their effort by donating at this link:https://www.justgiving.com/team/teamdancingdivasanddudes?

On Sunday 20 August three Dancing Divas from the Ceroc dance community in Dundee (Sheena, Alison and Julie) are raising money for DADSC by tackling the 20 mile Kiltwalk from St Andrews to Dundee. Please encourage the girls by using the JustGiving link below to donate whatever you can afford - even a small amount is of great benefit to DADSC. Thank you. ❤️ https://www.justgiving.com/team/teamdancingdivasanddudes?

There are a lot more clubs taking part now, with the transition from the junior ranks of Dundonald, Hill of Beath and St Andrews. I wouldn't imagine those clubs would treat it as a youth event.

My guess is that Inverness and Airdrie will finish well above their positions in that league table, and Queens Park well down on theirs.

Every month for the last seven years, a bulletin on the latest events and matters of interest has been sent by email to all current and past members of DADSC (Dunfermline Athletic Disabled Supporters Club). The most recent was sent on 12 June. If you think you should be receiving the Monthly Bulletin but haven`t done so, check in your spam folder and if there`s nothing there please let me know by private message. If you don`t already receive the Monthly Bulletin but would like to, please let me know. And if you would like to become a member of DADSC (£5 per annum) you can do so here: https://dadsc.fife.net/story.php?t=Join_Us&ID=2081 .

Congratulations to Stuart Simpson with his email bid of £100, all of which will go to the DADSC fund for improving access to the First Floor function suites for those with mobility problems.

Last three hours of the auction, which closes at 7pm. £100 is the leading bid so far.

The leading bid is now £100, submitted earlier today by email (just seen it, neglecting my duties!)

Thank you Al k. You are now in the lead.

Agreed, but good luck if someone can pick it up at that price! Auction closes at 7pm tomorrow (Sunday) so we'll see what happens ...