15^th April 2008

Just to confirm that there will be training this Thursday (17^th) from 17:00 – 18:30 on the U10 pitch at Outgang Road. This will be our first mixed session but it will be a fun session as there are a number of people on holiday this week. Please ensure your child has a waterproof jacket, boots & drink with him.

Contrary to the message on the website, there will not be any training this Saturday morning because of the number of people that are away.

My plans for the next few weeks have changed slightly as I now want to make a decision on the U11 squad before the Deeping tournament on May 5^th. This is mainly because I currently have 20 players but I can only use 16 at the tournament (2 teams of 8) so it makes sense to trim the squad down before that date. (Sorry if that seems a little harsh, but the decision has to be made sometime soon and there will never be a perfect time to do it).

Therefore, please put these dates (& times) in your diaries and do your best to get your son to as many of these sessions as possible ...

Thursday 24^th April – DRFC – 17:00 – 19:00

Saturday 26^th April – DRFC – 12:30 – 14:30 (Please wear full DRFC kit for a team photo)

Wednesday 30^th April – DRFC – 18:00 – 19:00 (possible friendly against this season’s U11 squad - TBC)

Thursday 1^st May – DRFC – 17:00 – 19:00 (I will need to speak to every player & parent during/after this session to notify you of my decision so please make every effort to accompany your son on this date).

We then have our presentation evening on Saturday 3^rd May which I hope you will all attend to celebrate the achievements of last season? Unfortunately, the timing means that just 2 days prior to this I will have had difficult conversations with 2 or 3 of you but I hope you will understand that any decisions I make will be purely football based and will not be personal in any way? For the record, I have enjoyed coaching and watching all of the lads over the past few years and I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to any of them.

The 16 that are selected for the U11 squad will all be expected to be available for the Deeping tournament on May 5^th. We will be entering two mixed teams from the current Clarets & Blues squads so if you cannot make it on this day please let me know ASAP. This will not affect my decision on the U11 squad, but it may mean that I have spaces available for the “dropped” players to join us and put themselves in the shop window for other managers to view and approach.

I’d just like to reiterate that whoever leaves us at the end of the month will receive my full support and backing to find another local football team.

Please do not worry about the coming weeks or put any undue pressure on your lads over this. Whilst we all enjoy our football, it is only a game and should always be taken as a bit of fun and an escape from the other pressures and stresses in our lives. Whether your lad plays for Deeping or another team next season, the most important factor is that they enjoy the game. They cannot do this if they are worrying about it or having sleepless nights over it. Therefore, you may wish to withhold some or all of this information from the lads and just let them come along like they would for any other training session. I will not be discussing the importance of these dates with them during the sessions and I will not be putting any additional pressure on them.

And finally, I have arranged a friendly game against Yaxley on Saturday 31^st May. Again, I’ll need all 16 U11 players available for this game so please let me know ASAP if you are not around on this date. I have also entered 2 teams in the Yaxley tournament on 8^th June – more details to follow nearer the time for both of these dates.

As always, if anyone wants to discuss this with me, please pick up the phone or drop me an email – I don’t want anyone to worry about this and I certainly don’t want any of the lads unable to put 100% into their football because they are too stressed or nervous to perform.

See you all over the next few weeks.

Dave.

18th February 2008

Hi everyone.

Just a quick note to keep you informed of my plans for the end of this season and the summer months (seems a long way off when it's this cold but it'll soon come around).

As I mentioned in my letter to you all at the beginning of the season, I will be managing the Deeping U11 squad next season so it is my job to merge the U10 Clarets & Blues once this season has finished.

We currently have 20 registered players but I only want to have 15 or 16 players in my squad next season so I have some tough decisions to make in the next few weeks.

However, you can help make this a little easier for me by letting either Dean or I know if you are considering taking your son to another local team or if your son wants to play another sport. I know that several of our lads currently play rugby for Deeping which also happens on Sunday mornings. As much as I'd love to say that they can play both sports, it's not fair on them as children to play two tough games in one day, it's not fair on me as manager not knowing who is going to be available from week to week, and it's not fair on you as parents to expect you to give up your entire Sunday to ferry them between football and rugby matches all over the county. Therefore, if your son wishes to play rugby next season, then it is with great sadness that we will have to say goodbye to them at the end of this season. However, the door will never be closed and if things don't work out with the egg-chasers, we will gladly take them back assuming we haven't filled their position in the squad.

I would appreciate it if you would notify Dean or myself of your decision regarding next season by Saturday 12th April at the latest. Unless you tell me otherwise by this date, I will assume that all 10 Blues players wish to continue playing for Deeping Rangers next season. Should I still have more players than I need after this date I will hold trial sessions for the entire merged squad to determine who I want to take forward and sadly, who I will be letting go. If I do have to let any of the lads go, I will do my best to help you find another local team if that is what you want.

Please feel free to speak to me about this and please also be assured that whatever decisions you make will be fully supported by us - your son will continue to play an active role in helping the Blues to League & Cup success for the remainder of this season regardless of your decision.

I wish Dean, Jason and all of the players the very best of luck for the rest of the season - I really hope you can finish on a high with two trophies to cap off what has been an excellent season so far.

Dave Dorward.

PS - The Clarets have been given the same message as this - please visit our news pages to read it - I have also detailed a timetable of trials and tournaments on this page.