The Dart(s) Board

With 12 games completed of 46, I make this just over a quarter of the season gone. How do you think things are going, where do you think we will finish and what do we need to cement that 3rd place position, especially as our friends down the road have seemingly got the league sewn up and Havant look good for a top 2 position.

Overall I'm happy. If I'm being honest I expected to be slightly lower in the table around the edge of the playoffs so to be in 4th joint points with 3rd we have to give huge credit to Dowse and the team. It was always going to be a difficult transition/rebuilding period especially after the amount of players we used and lost last season.

Yes there are games we won while not playing well and on another day we'd have lost, but looking at the losses we should've won most of them so it has balanced out I feel.

I still think we need a few extra signings, the lack of depth does worry me. I think we mainly need cover at the back and in the midfield but could also do with a winger as others have mentioned before. Dowse has been saying this for a while so I expect he is just waiting for the right player to become available.

Looking at the league table, I think Ebbsfleet and Havant will be the top 2 this season quite comfortably. Then the rest of the playoff spaces will be quite close however I have faith we can get that 3rd spot. It is a long season though and anything can happen, I'm sure the top 2 will have a bad run at some point then it's up to us to take advantage.

One final note, Dowse has come across extremely well in most of his interviews. I like the way he speaks about the club and his intentions and ways of going about things are clear. Hopefully the connection with the club that was lost on some last season is coming back.

COYD.

Webbedfeet & Havant both full time so looks like it’s a battle of the part-timers for 3rd-7th spots.

Surely 12 games in is not about Ebbsfleet and Havant. It's about us. Sod the rest. We have had a stuttering start and even Dowse has admitted that. No, I'm not happy but, come on, we are Fourth in the league.
There has been a debate on the squad, Dowse himself and the FACup debacle but for all said and done, Dowse has got the team winning and has put some space between us and a few clubs who I thought had started brightly.
It is what it is. Two or three more players and we may push on.
COYD's

We’re winning ugly and, weirdly, that’s a good thing. Cos, it could mean better is to come. That will be with the addition of another defender, attacking midfielder, winger and a striker who is prepared to jump for headers instead of hassling opposition by standing on their toes. Overall, I feel that we have slightly overachieved so far. But it’s coming together nicely. I can’t see us finishing in the top two so we have to aim for third which means a play-off ‘bye’ and then home advantage to the final. But then? Careful what we wish for - we’re a long way off the standard required for the National ‘Prem.’ And the gulf is widening each year. COYD!

Dowse's interview yesterday summed it up perfectly for me 4th is better than I expected with the current squad but with additions to up the competitiveness [ he mentioned adding another quality centre back amongst others ] we could well have a decent chance of 3rd BUT there is a lot of the season left yet !!!!!!!!!!!!

2-1

ozymandias wrote: ↑Tue Oct 11, 2022 10:26 am Surely 12 games in is not about Ebbsfleet and Havant. It's about us. Sod the rest. We have had a stuttering start and even Dowse has admitted that. No, I'm not happy but, come on, we are Fourth in the league.
There has been a debate on the squad, Dowse himself and the FACup debacle but for all said and done, Dowse has got the team winning and has put some space between us and a few clubs who I thought had started brightly.
It is what it is. Two or three more players and we may push on.
COYD's

And I'm supposed to be the negative one!! 4th in the league and you're unhappy? This league isn't about winning games pretty who cares how we win if we're getting the 3 points.


Not that anyone cares what I think but it's a good start with room for improvement which I am sure will happen with some new faces in. I am satisfied.

In terms of league position, we are much higher than l'd anticipated given our current squad. I remain disappointed at the strength and quality of the squad overall, so it's "hats off" to Dowse and the team for stringing together a run of results.

I'm really not convinced the current squad is strong enough to maintain a serious challenge though.

Perhaps i didn't put very well B&WArmy. I'm not happy with the stuttering start and to some extent with the squad (we could strengthen it).We are not firing on all cylinders, not yet anyway.
Having said that, I am VERY pleased with our league position.
And you're right, we do call you negative, in fact pretty well every week we call you negative. Especially when we are losing in a match and then when we turn it around and win, we hear bugger all from you.
I may be a little harsh... but then again, I don't think so.

After 12 games last season we were on 24 points 7 wins 3 draws and 2 defeats and apparently we playing the best football seen by a Dartford team in 50 years. The next 10 games last season we took only 14 points from theses games. UPTHEDARTS

BAWArmy wrote: ↑Tue Oct 11, 2022 9:41 pm

ozymandias wrote: ↑Tue Oct 11, 2022 10:26 am Surely 12 games in is not about Ebbsfleet and Havant. It's about us. Sod the rest. We have had a stuttering start and even Dowse has admitted that. No, I'm not happy but, come on, we are Fourth in the league.
There has been a debate on the squad, Dowse himself and the FACup debacle but for all said and done, Dowse has got the team winning and has put some space between us and a few clubs who I thought had started brightly.
It is what it is. Two or three more players and we may push on.
COYD's

And I'm supposed to be the negative one!! 4th in the league and you're unhappy? This league isn't about winning games pretty who cares how we win if we're getting the 3 points.


Not that anyone cares what I think but it's a good start with room for improvement which I am sure will happen with some new faces in. I am satisfied.

The difference is when you actually go to games the performances have been not great to watch on quite a few occasions. When you invest time, money and emotions then when you play shite football it can be tough. But you’d know that right?

I’ll give the first 12 games a B-
Long way to go and I back Dowse

BRASSNECK wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 6:22 pm After 12 games last season we were on 24 points 7 wins 3 draws and 2 defeats and apparently we playing the best football seen by a Dartford team in 50 years. The next 10 games last season we took only 14 points from theses games. UPTHEDARTS

I was quite shocked by this after 12 games we are on the same number of points as last season

Just need to get the style of football the same now

I feel we will get promoted via the play-offs if we can get the right sort of players in

JCJ wrote: ↑Thu Oct 13, 2022 1:08 pm

BRASSNECK wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 6:22 pm After 12 games last season we were on 24 points 7 wins 3 draws and 2 defeats and apparently we playing the best football seen by a Dartford team in 50 years. The next 10 games last season we took only 14 points from theses games. UPTHEDARTS

I was quite shocked by this after 12 games we are on the same number of points as last season

Just need to get the style of football the same now

I feel we will get promoted via the play-offs if we can get the right sort of players in

That requires us to win, at least, two knock out ‘cup’ matches!

BRASSNECK wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 6:22 pm After 12 games last season we were on 24 points 7 wins 3 draws and 2 defeats and apparently we playing the best football seen by a Dartford team in 50 years. The next 10 games last season we took only 14 points from theses games. UPTHEDARTS

The comment about the best football played in 50 years was made by a board member