Hemel Hempstead Town FC v Dartford Sat 28 Oct 2023

[rambo]

Just a thought , if a manager is sent off should he serve a suspension like players do and if so should the manager be prevented from coaching the players until the suspension is served

[JCJ]

I didn’t go yesterday and I am sorry to say I just not got the enthusiasm this season, which I feel bad about because I support this club and should do it through the bad times as well as the good times, but something is missing this season.

I have been supporting Dartford since mid seventies so have seen some really dire seasons but still attended every game I could.

Dowse was apparently brought in to unite the club but I feel the supporters are more divided than ever those that liked Kingy and those that didn’t. Those who liked Kingy would always support the club decision to sack him when things are were fairly successful like last season, but it always going to be brought up when it’s not going so well.

I think Dowse is an intelligent man as he raises money for the club brings sponsorship in so making it harder for the club to sack him, which was Dowse gripe when he was sacked at Woking.

I do wonder does the club have the ambition to go up a league as it would mean so much more investment to compete in it, and I said this to Park Life at the H&W game last week and he 100% said to me the club does have the ambition

I know I keep mentioning Kingy but it’s hard not to but look at the players Kingy now at H&W who has Dowse brought with him, which points to Dowse not having the contacts to bring players in.

Sadly I feel it’s time for a change because at this moment in time I can see us fighting to stay in this league for the wrong reasons and there is no way we will be in the playoffs this season which is a backwards step for this club.

[Babylon]

Well, I am a season ticket holder and have been for about 15 years .
I am NOT enjoying what I am seeing in the 4/5 games I have endured this campaign.
On several occasions I have not bothered to go to a home game because we are DIRE! ( even when we win)
I have nothing against Dowse but his team are very inconsistent and not a good watch imo.
Too many average (at best) players and negative tactics .

The saddest thing of all for me is I am simply not enjoying watching my home town club.
I was pleased when Dowse was appointed but at the moment we are looking like a lower midway finish at best
I am one fan but believe me there are a lot of regulars that I know who are not happy.

I don't think that we will get relegated but play off's with this set up ?
I won't be putting any money on it.

[Trevor B]

This is so depressing and with 70 years of watching the Darts from the age of 5 up until now I must admit to having seen several managers moved on either from sackings or by mutual consent and this is the current situation we now find our selves in so I am just waiting on Dowse either doing the honourable thing or the board must make a decision.
I haven't even considered watching the away games this season where any real travelling is involved and with a season ticket it is more a case of being obliged to go and watch rather than not wanting to miss the game and this is how I feel about Tuesdays game coming up.
So sad for all of the loyal supporters with attendances dropping away and behind the goal at games we now get more excitement from guessing who gets closest to the attendance when they announce it as goals are unlikely to be scored or any sign of good attacking football being played on the ground to create chances.
Well done to Park Life & Spike and all the other fans that travelled to H.H. and it sounds from their comments that our current situation like the game the players and the manager have all been covered
I will be going on Tuesday and hope to see both of you along with all the regular loyal fans as we are no doubt gluttons for punishment but who knows we might just get a win

[Lars Resort]

If you hang around long enough Trev you'll have no problems counting the attendance.
Fortunately my step son is coming for dinner Tuesday night before off on his travels, so decision made for me.
I don't think I can bear another 90 minutes of dire football at PP just yet.

[Tony H]

Well, I am a season ticket holder and have been for about 15 years .
I am NOT enjoying what I am seeing in the 4/5 games I have endured this campaign.
On several occasions I have not bothered to go to a home game because we are DIRE! ( even when we win)
I have nothing against Dowse but his team are very inconsistent and not a good watch imo.
Too many average (at best) players and negative tactics .

The saddest thing of all for me is I am simply not enjoying watching my home town club.
I was pleased when Dowse was appointed but at the moment we are looking like a lower midway finish at best
I am one fan but believe me there are a lot of regulars that I know who are not happy.

I don't think that we will get relegated but play off's with this set up ?
I won't be putting any money on it.

Haven’t supported the team anywhere near as long as you have but I 100% agree with what you say. In previous seasons I would have gone to the Eastbourne and Hemel away games this week and, but for loads on at work, I had no enthusiasm to make it work!!!

I’m in the school of win at whatever cost - a scruffy unattractive win game after game I can get on with but this inconsistency and not knowing what to expect week in eek out is doing my nut in! I may resort to watching my local side Staplehurst Monarchs in the SCEFL before long if things don’t change.

Anyway, when all’s said and done, I do miss watching football and look forward to WSM on Tuesday night (weather permitting!)

[ozymandias]

I agree Barry, football is inconsistent, squad poor or no urgency and like you have seen only four games this season. Although there was two games I didn't get to because of weather and hospital.
But I really can't be bothered with the football being played and also after 55 years of watching the Dart's I am thinking of calling it a day.
Although new management would liven things up, I can't see that happening in the near future as I think Dowse will hang in there to try and prove everyone wrong.
The idiots on the forum count for something surely, some after spending almost a lifetime supporting this club.

[Babylon]

I can take a defeat but this dross that is being served up at PP is p* ssing me off.
I sometimes play snooker at my village club.on a Tuesday and at the moment the green baize is looking more inviting than PP..
This would have been a no brainer last year when as far as I was concerned Footie at PP came 1st but I think that hopefully potting a few balls sounds more inviting than watching hoofball and stone age tactics.
To sum up in one sentence,....
.....I SIMPLY AM NOT ENJOYING WATCHING
.....THE DARTS THIS SEASON!8

[DA Mikey]

My absence yesterday was due to addressing a small electrical problem at home which blossomed into a major PITA. Realistically, I could’ve quite easily downed tools to travel up to HH and up until a couple of years ago it would’ve been an absolute no-brainer, but the pull just isn’t there at present. Like many others, I do feel dirty since I love DFC and wouldn’t dream of boycotting the club without egregious reason, but increased costs combined with decreased satisfaction means that the game has to be a more or less perfect fit to justify the ‘inconvenience’. I suspect the same applies to a good couple of hundred of our supporters too. Dowson is a good man with good intentions and initially succeeded in raising the spirit within our camp, but his interview candour can be irritating and is usually a cut-and-paste set of recycled lines, often evading the point.
It all adds up to a fairly unappealing package unfortunately, which even the hardest of die-hards are struggling to defend.

I’ll be there Tuesday.

[Fred OLness]

Well said Mikey.

[Park Life]

[Dave T]

My absence yesterday was due to addressing a small electrical problem at home which blossomed into a major PITA. Realistically, I could’ve quite easily downed tools to travel up to HH and up until a couple of years ago it would’ve been an absolute no-brainer, but the pull just isn’t there at present. Like many others, I do feel dirty since I love DFC and wouldn’t dream of boycotting the club without egregious reason, but increased costs combined with decreased satisfaction means that the game has to be a more or less perfect fit to justify the ‘inconvenience’. I suspect the same applies to a good couple of hundred of our supporters too. Dowson is a good man with good intentions and initially succeeded in raising the spirit within our camp, but his interview candour can be irritating and is usually a cut-and-paste set of recycled lines, often evading the point.
It all adds up to a fairly unappealing package unfortunately, which even the hardest of die-hards are struggling to defend.

I’ll be there Tuesday.

Mikey, l can so relate to this, being a supporter of 46 years now, l too feel guilty about my poor attendance this season, but my passion has dwindled such that l've attended fewer games this year than ever before. I'm afraid that since Dowse arrived, the player recruitment has been massively disappointing, performances awful and spirit in the team virtually non-existent.

After the Eastbourne game (which we ought to have won comfortably), Dowse in his interview said it was an "excellent performance". That lead me to three conclusions;
1. The players must have done exactly what he wanted,
2. I must have been watching a different game, and
3. Things are not going to change under Dowse.

I hate this negativity and l know Dowse is a decent guy, but it's inevitable what has to happen.

[Spike]

The games have been disappointing Dave, but the interviews are heartbreaking. To call that game an excellent performance shows that Dowse has set a very low benchmark. If that was excellent, heaven only knows what "average" would be like.

[KentC]

Apart from my opinion that the board aren’t fussed about going up, my posts that attract criticism -that I don’t give sweet fa about - are not too dissimilar to the posts of many.
The difference is some on here post very constructively, thoughtfully with really good detail and not too emotionally.

But my points are not too different even if they’re not construed as well.