Dartford v Braintree Town Tue 21 Nov 2023

[Lennylenny]

I voted Rooney man of match because he’s so bright, put in half a shift and hasn’t got to work again for a few weeks, while I did a full shift today, spent it all on watching a whole half of 10 against 11.Never seen him dowse in bar, what King got sacked for,never fronts the fans,make no mistake with the ridiculous attendances being announced to cover how bad we are. , the club is at crisis point. Still

[DartfordHero]

Tyler yet again in the post match interview bringing up the budget. Give us a break. The crowd is now barebones, playing squad for the most part isnt good enough. You asked for the summer Dowse and you'd show us what you can do. You've shown us. Thanks but no thanks. He even comments about how good the referee was tonight?? Is he serious. The referee and linesman near side were yet again completely useless. Missed a foul on Rooney before he challenged, the first goal looked like it was offside and the linesman repeatedly couldnt keep up with play. We dont even look bang average. We look like an actual contender for relegation. Where are the goals other than Harvey? We havent had a memorable shot in the last two games, yet they continue to blame the defence for the loss?

[Bkev180]

Why is it they keep on about budget you've signed the players get rid of the baggage and get new blood in that want to show passion playing for DARTFORD simple as that dowse you signed them no 1 else

[Park Life]

[Lennylenny]

Tyler interview disgusting , fans brilliant at end? Yes we clapped the team it’s not there fault they are lions led by a donkey. U telling me Braintree who played the socks if us have a bigger budget?How much has Luke Allen cost us, and we still going it’s too much for him? The reality is no one is coming to watch this team because they don’t feel a connection with a manager who runs down the tunnel after every defeat and wouldn’t care about dartford unless it was for money and a new car

[Babylon]

So glad that I didn't go .
From what I have read it was another dire non performance.
To our Directors....
This is not the Dartford fc that I have supported for many,many years..

Far too many "average" or below "average" players.
I don't think it is our tactics because we don't seem to have any.
Relegation cannot be ruled out with this set up.
The.attendances will keep dropping because of the non performances.on the pitch.

[DA Mikey]

I thought it was Rooney who had been impeded twice on his run, and he then stumbled. I thought there was going to be a foul awarded in favour of the Darts. But what do I know!!

Glad it looked that way on the screen. Happened pretty close to where I was standing and all around thought exactly the same. Yes, it changed the game and yes, we were thin on decisions elsewhere, but the football isn’t good either. I keep trying to fathom where the weak links are in the team; we have a few passengers here and there but by and large most of our lot are a steady 6/10 and it seems to be a lack of flair / luxury player which makes us a pretty boring watch. Just not too difficult for average opposition to match and beat by the odd goal. We have been at this level for nine consecutive seasons now, this is not the best quality population of clubs in the National South and we fit in perfectly as also-rans. Very little to stir any excitement, which is reflected painfully in the stands. Feels like we are trying to play too safe.

[Mark Sweet]

Again mentioning budget restrictions. Where has the money gone? Why do "smaller" teams have a larger budget than us .
Very very concerning

[Park Life]

Relating to the game, pretty even first half but again we only had one shot on target. With regards to the sending off, looked like Rooney was fouled but managed to carry on and left his foot in on their player. How much contact there was was difficult to say so video might clear that up but we'll never know what difference this may or may not have made to the result.
Second half was always going to be a struggle with ten men but i was amazed we never made a change at HT and took a striker off. We waited until we went a goal down and then made that change????
MOTM, Ryan Sandford. Looks a decent keeper on what I've seen so far.

Dowse can say with a few good wins we will be in the play off positions and this may be true, he could also say we have actually moved up one position which unbelievably is also true, and he could also say we are now in 11th position which is one place above what he believes our budget is in relation to the other teams in this division, but i don't believe or care if this is true. I can see what's happening on the pitch and hear what's being said off it and i don't like it and have never felt so disconnected from the playing side of things at the club than i do know.

As for the club in general, when you get out cheered by 25 fans from Braintree at a home game you know there are serious problems.
I don't lay any blame at the players feet and feel they may be capable of much more than they are showing, or lay any blame at our board because at the time of Dowse's appointment i cant recall hardly anyone criticising the decision and at the time it looked a decent appointment. IMO Dowse will never manage under a better board of directors than at Dartford FC as they are decent honest guys who are fans like us and want the absolute best for the club.

However my concern is not only about what is happening on the pitch but more off it. Attendances are well down, there is absolutely no atmosphere in the ground, a lot of people can't even be bothered to criticise anymore and are just not bothering to attend and seem past caring. The style of football we are playing is not enjoyable to watch and Dowse has alienated virtually all the fans by calling them idiots, constantly moaning about the budget, blaming injuries (after signing injury prone players) and the list goes on and on and on and on. He lost me pre-season when he had digs then about the budget, stated we weren't a big club (not that any of us have ever said that), how difficult it would be against the full time teams, said we had about the 12th best budget in the division, that we couldn't finish in the top two and we'd do well to finish in the play offs. How on earth this was supposed to motivate anyone was beyond me and so it has proved. This budget crap has continued all season and even Martin Tyler is now joining in mentioning "the restrictions and budget". They knew the budget when they took the job and also when they recently signed a contract extension so they need to shut the F*** up about it and get on with it, or if they don't believe they can field a competitive team with it leave now.

No doubt once everyone gets fit and we sign more players it will all be ok....

I'm afraid i believe Dowse may have done so much damage already it's beyond repair, time will tell. But hopefully not too much....

[Matt85]

Everyone coming for dowse on here tonight, would any of you say this to him in the bar or don’t the keyboards stretch that far?
Yes it’s been a horrific season, but some of these players need to have a long hard look at themselves.

[Matt85]

Tyler interview disgusting , fans brilliant at end? Yes we clapped the team it’s not there fault they are lions led by a donkey. U telling me Braintree who played the socks if us have a bigger budget?How much has Luke Allen cost us, and we still going it’s too much for him? The reality is no one is coming to watch this team because they don’t feel a connection with a manager who runs down the tunnel after every defeat and wouldn’t care about dartford unless it was for money and a new car

Lions?
By no means are any of this team lions. Our most committed player is a loanee from West Ham.

[The Duke]

I went tonight after being absent for a number of recent home games and despite some enjoyable banter with the [ usual] lads I wish I had stayed at home in the warm . We are currently NOT worth watching and I believe after 17 games that Dowse has lost the plot and a fresh footballing man is needed to develop a team to bring the fans back , 771 tonight , " oh yeah on your bike " nearer 550 and a good number of them left well before the final whistle .Despite several other teams having much higher budgets , the teams I have seen this season and the fact we are 12th means that based on the crap we are playing then there are a lot of average teams in the league with possibly 3/4 being real quality !!!!!!!!!!!!
I dont think we are actually bad enough to be relegated but the thought of watching the Darts play this seasons poor football and performances does NOT fill me with the " break a leg desire " to get to PP to watch them !!

I cannot believe that the guys with " football knowledge " on the board are NOT aware of the fans discontent , the quickly diminishing crowds and the very bad recruitment of players by Dowse and the continual repetitive excuses this season , surely it is obvious that positive action has to be taken

Should we somehow scrape in to the playofs and by fluke win them , do we really want to have Dowse as Manager in the National Premier where he made a " pigs ear " of the Woking job and where the fans were delighted to see him go ?????????????

Iam happy to see a rebuild this season under a modern quality Coach in readiness for next season

[Trevor B]

Suffice to say absolute crap and I left immediately they scored the second goal along with several other fans so over 20 minutes missed thank goodness.
I will be there Saturday purely as a season ticket holder just to be counted actually in the ground rather than one of the many missing from tonight's game that were obviously included in the attendance figure as no way were there that many people in the ground.

[Tony H]

Suffice to say absolute crap and I left immediately they scored the second goal along with several other fans so over 20 minutes missed thank goodness.
I will be there Saturday purely as a season ticket holder just to be counted actually in the ground rather than one of the many missing from tonight's game that were obviously included in the attendance figure as no way were there that many people in the ground.

Do we actually know that non-attending season ticket holders are counted into the attendance? If so, why is our season tickets scanned at the turnstile? If this is the case, is this normal practice? I don’t have the answer for this tbh but I thought ATTENDANCE meant being there present, in person. There most certainly didn’t look to be 771 in attendance last night.

[Russyb63]

Budget , Budget , Budget , think we are all fed up of this word coming out of Mr Dowson & Mr Tylers mouths . Lets hear the bloody truth for once , you guys have made a complete mess of things .
All accounts we have had 34 players sign on in some capacity , Mr Tyler says tonight we had the bare bones of 16 players !! We perhaps need to be told how many of that 34 we have still ??
Am still annoyed from last night , read all the comments too , seems to be a trend here , Mr Dowson seems to be the head of it all , you the fans know the truth but nobody else can at Dartford FC .

[DA Mikey]

Matt85 - I agree with your posts. Archie Woods looks the closest we have to a Lee Noble, Coulson has been putting in a shift and showing some warrant of the captaincy lately. Not much leadership elsewhere and to call them “lions” is definitely absolution of players in order to further hang the manager out to dry.
We have 25 points from 19 games, which is always going to amount to mid-table mediocrity, but Dover and Havant are big clubs and they have one win each. Imagine the Prozac sales and effigies around these parts if that were us.

[Trevor B]

Tony H Mentions

Trevor B
Suffice to say absolute crap and I left immediately they scored the second goal along with several other fans so over 20 minutes missed thank goodness.
I will be there Saturday purely as a season ticket holder just to be counted actually in the ground rather than one of the many missing from tonight's game that were obviously included in the attendance figure as no way were there that many people in the ground.

Do we actually know that non-attending season ticket holders are counted into the attendance? If so, why is our season tickets scanned at the turnstile? If this is the case, is this norm
al practice? I don’t have the answer for this tbh but I thought ATTENDANCE meant being there present, in person. There most certainly didn’t look to be 771 in attendance last night.

To be perfectly honest I have only heard what other fans well in with certain board members have said they have been told in respect of the season ticket holders being counted into attendance figures which didn't make sense to me but when you look at the crowd and do your own count as you walk round I can never get near to the figures being quoted so it is a case of make your own mind up.
All I would say is that last night over a dozen fans that I spoke to all tended to agree on this point of view

[KentC]

Suffice to say absolute crap and I left immediately they scored the second goal along with several other fans so over 20 minutes missed thank goodness.
I will be there Saturday purely as a season ticket holder just to be counted actually in the ground rather than one of the many missing from tonight's game that were obviously included in the attendance figure as no way were there that many people in the ground.

Do we actually know that non-attending season ticket holders are counted into the attendance? If so, why is our season tickets scanned at the turnstile? If this is the case, is this normal practice? I don’t have the answer for this tbh but I thought ATTENDANCE meant being there present, in person. There most certainly didn’t look to be 771 in attendance last night.

I would have of course no idea If they do but it is normal practice and a lot of premier league clubs do it too but I can’t say all.
So when you see the sparse crowd with a healthy attendance figure it is very likely.
I’m sure someone on here in the know can answer that as a fact, I can’t though very likely.

[Lars Resort]

Two points. Dowse did say we'd do well to finish in the playoffs position. Well, he got that right.
And also the comparison between Wood and Noble is only noticeable by their size. Not their heart for the club. Although arguably he is our best player at the moment.

[KentC]

Everyone coming for dowse on here tonight, would any of you say this to him in the bar or don’t the keyboards stretch that far?
Yes it’s been a horrific season, but some of these players need to have a long hard look at themselves.

Yeh I’d have no problem saying anything in the bar to him. Dowse is at least a decent human being who is able to communicate with fans if they want to speak with him.
He’s an adult not a child and would happily discuss even if he didn’t agree.
That’s what adults do so take note.

My keyboard is quite active but that’s after years of home and away and for the first time ever since I’ve been supporting the Darts I’ve not wanted to attend games. Not out of protest but because I just don’t want to. First time ever!

I do appreciate the time length of many supported on here is far more than me, I’m only 20 years since I moved to Dartford.