Dartford v Welling Utd Sat 30 Dec 2023

[DA Mikey]

Poor game management cost us two points as the 95th minute free kick was taken quickly without everyone being on the same score, resulting in Welling breaking and equalising. Regular readers will know that I am generally defensive of referees, but yesterday’s official was one of the worst ever and that was being said throughout the whole game. Utter crap, and the linesman with our defence in the second half.

Thought one up front was negative from the off and we didn’t play particularly well, but without the goal deep into the unfathomably bestowed seven minutes of stoppage time, many of the negative posts here don’t happen.
I’d have taken four points from our two Xmas games, I’d certainly settle for a point a WSM.

Happy new year all.

[ozymandias]

Just watched the HIGHlights?? Gone are the days.....

[Tony H]

Just listened to Dowse’s interview with BBC Kent and picking up on the point he makes about not being able to get onto the facilities (I assume training pitch) when he wants to sometimes. Surely this can’t be right or acceptable. Probably in defence of Dowse here, if the first team want to train then surely they should be given priority on the pitch? Are they not allotted time slots? If Dowse needs extra training time he should be accommodated? Who books the sessions on the pitch? Can anybody shed any light on this?

[Lars Resort]

At least by playing yesterday instead of New Years Day it saves some doom and gloom early in the year.
Luke had a bad cough then which is probably what a lot of us got standing watching stuff like that.

[Babylon]

I am still recovering from the St Albans debacle .
I didn't bother with either of the Welling games .
My season ticket is gathering dust through lack of use and it goes without saying that I won't be renewing my ST next season if this present manager stays with us
I do not enjoy watching the Darts under this manager but I hope we stay up because we certainly ain't gonna get anywhere near the play off places .
For what it is worth ...imo.we seem.to.be going backwards and there is absolutely NO sign of any improvement under Dowson and his team

Oh for those Halcyon under Tony Burman!!

[KentC]

Just listened to Dowse’s interview with BBC Kent and picking up on the point he makes about not being able to get onto the facilities (I assume training pitch) when he wants to sometimes. Surely this can’t be right or acceptable. Probably in defence of Dowse here, if the first team want to train then surely they should be given priority on the pitch? Are they not allotted time slots? If Dowse needs extra training time he should be accommodated? Who books the sessions on the pitch? Can anybody shed any light on this?

Two different scenarios here.

If he is saying he can’t get on it when he wants to when is this?
If he can’t get on it for first team training as arranged then obviously that’s so wrong.

It’s easy to book a pitch be it small the ones, full size or half the pitch. I’ve done it myself a few times.
Also other kids teams have booked and paid for the pitches for their teams training.

This Dartford community using our facilities is surely a massive thing for this club.

Also, why on gods earth is he saying this in the media, should he not be asking these questions to the club privately, why tell social media these things where anyone can listen to his drivel and get the wrong impression.
He is surely doing everything he can to be sacked.
Keep it bloody in house what’s the matter with you man.

I have not watched his interview yet.

[Tony H]

Just listened to Dowse’s interview with BBC Kent and picking up on the point he makes about not being able to get onto the facilities (I assume training pitch) when he wants to sometimes. Surely this can’t be right or acceptable. Probably in defence of Dowse here, if the first team want to train then surely they should be given priority on the pitch? Are they not allotted time slots? If Dowse needs extra training time he should be accommodated? Who books the sessions on the pitch? Can anybody shed any light on this?

Two different scenarios here.

If he is saying he can’t get on it when he wants to when is this?
If he can’t get on it for first team training as arranged then obviously that’s so wrong.

It’s easy to book a pitch be it small the ones, full size or half the pitch. I’ve done it myself a few times.
Also other kids teams have booked and paid for the pitches for their teams training.

This Dartford community using our facilities is surely a massive thing for this club.

Also, why on gods earth is he saying this in the media, should he not be asking these questions to the club privately, why tell social media these things where anyone can listen to his drivel and get the wrong impression.
He is surely doing everything he can to be sacked.
Keep it bloody in house what’s the matter with you man.

I have not watched his interview yet.

Exactly my point.
1. If there is a problem with pitch availability, this should be addressed with and by the club.
2. He is allowed to spout stuff like this to the media and that can be controlled - by the Board. If not, he needs to be taken to task.

[Jonty]

On the way driving home I was quite content until Dowse's interview. Unlike the Welling manager, he came across very poorly and once he mentioned the B word, injuries, facility issues and the fact that he has only have 1 bad year in 20 at managing, then by this point my blood was boiling. However, he did say that we are in this mess down to his poor decision making. Don't worry though, he has a couple of more signings on the horizon and Blocky is almost fit again!

Despite the poor football on the day, we still had enough chances to bury our opponents but this would only be papering over the cracks. The injury to g̶l̶a̶s̶s̶ a̶n̶k̶l̶e̶ Luke Allen was another reminder of our generosity of handing out contracts will-nilly. Luke is actually one of my favourite players but he has only played 70 times in 5 seasons for us, which equates to 1.7 season's of actual game time. Not sure who mentioned this yesterday but that in itself is quite incredible. Added to this is that we now have 5 forwards and only one of them playing up front is bonkers. Harvey needs a rest and I would like to see either Manor or Wall given some game time. I think Manor has been treated poorly as he has not been given a chance and as he is our best player in the air, he would be best suited alongside young George.

I think it is time for a reset, get TB back in the short term along with Skip before getting a younger manager such as Danny Scopes onboard. We need a different brand of football, someone who can build a team and get some players in with better technical ability and some pace to boot. We just need to move away from this revolving door policy and this group of players who look like turtles running through treacle.

Happy New Year to All and looking forward to getting our old Dartford back.

[Park Life]

Wasn't going to post this but as a few have already listened to it here's the radio Kent interview:-

Dowson - 21:45 in.
Bloor - 11:20 in.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0gz430c

[KentC]

Wasn't going to post this but as a few have already listened to it here's the radio Kent interview:-

Dowson - 21:45 in.
Bloor - 11:20 in.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0gz43

“We haven’t got the biggest of budgets here, we can’t train when we wanna train.
We’ve gotta train before the kids.
People say Dartford great facilities but we don’t get to use them all the time.
It’s like a more of leisure centre sometimes down here.
I’ve got to buy into that as well.
I’m not allowed to get someone for £700”

( Thought he was brought in to build the DFC relationship with the community, obviously not)

And there’s more.

Should be discussing with the club not on social media.
I can’t believe the board are ok with this.

[Ajaxman DFC]

I've just listened to the radio Kent interview. It's quite depressing really and poses more questions than answers about where the club is heading.
£700 won't get you much at this level these days. Anything less and you can forget it.
Dowson might as well stay on. He appears to accept the club's philosophy. Any other manager who comes in will find himself working within the same constraints which comes with working at a leisure park according to Dowse.
Going back to the National League is pure fantasy and has been for some time.
The stadium and the facilities are NL standard atleast but operationally the club isn't set up for it.
Listening to the interview it seems all we're missing is a bit of pre-match entertainment provided by a mascot in a Mickey Mouse suit.
Hi-de-Hi, Ho-de-Ho!
Happy New Year campers!

[Ozytalksbull]

I've just listened to the radio Kent interview. It's quite depressing really and poses more questions than answers about where the club is heading.
£700 won't get you much at this level these days. Anything less and you can forget it.
Dowson might as well stay on. He appears to accept the club's philosophy. Any other manager who comes in will find himself working within the same constraints which comes with working at a leisure park according to Dowse.
Going back to the National League is pure fantasy and has been for some time.
The stadium and the facilities are NL standard atleast but operationally the club isn't set up for it.

Listening to the interview it seems all we're missing is a bit of pre-match entertainment provided by a mascot in a Mickey Mouse suit.
Hi-de-Hi, Ho-de-Ho!
Happy New Year campers!

100% absolutely spot on

[Park Life]

I've just listened to the radio Kent interview. It's quite depressing really and poses more questions than answers about where the club is heading.
£700 won't get you much at this level these days. Anything less and you can forget it.
Dowson might as well stay on. He appears to accept the club's philosophy. Any other manager who comes in will find himself working within the same constraints which comes with working at a leisure park according to Dowse.
Going back to the National League is pure fantasy and has been for some time.
The stadium and the facilities are NL standard atleast but operationally the club isn't set up for it.
Listening to the interview it seems all we're missing is a bit of pre-match entertainment provided by a mascot in a Mickey Mouse suit.
Hi-de-Hi, Ho-de-Ho!
Happy New Year campers!

First of all I do agree that the interview is another depressing listen and when Dowse starts mentioning figures in public, for various reasons i think it's a big mistake.

However you raise a lot of other interesting points.

You say "£700 won't get you much at this level" so based on an 18 man squad for part time that would work out at over £500k (40 weeks) and full time over £650k (52 weeks). Some may be paying that but i don't believe for one minute the vast majority are. Also having a bigger budget guarantees you nothing if you have the wrong manager in place and sign the wrong players, our division has been and still is littered with clubs making poor appointments and overpaying players and then it all going wrong, too many to list.
There is also nothing stopping him from signing a player on £700 a week or whatever wage he wants as he has a budget and as far as I'm aware he can spend it however he likes. Perhaps two well paid forwards would have been a better option than the four (now five) he has signed?
I also don't agree he's working under any constraints as every manager when appointed knows the budget, so if he didn't believe in his own ability to assemble a squad for that he shouldn't have taken it in the first place. It's no good and bloody annoying to continually keep moaning about it especially after signing a new two year deal with a nice company car thrown in. The budget has been good enough recently for us to be in the play offs virtually EVERY season and i see no reason why this or any future season should be any different.
Why is "going back to the national league pure fantasy"? Staying there would be bloody difficult and whilst a lot of promoted teams get relegated soon after there is absolutely no reason we can't get promoted as we've been within a whisker many times recently,
I'd also like to know how "the club isn't set up for it operationally"? Are we less operationally set up than Oxford, Weymouth, Braintree, Havant?? Can you explain as i genuinely would like to know as if you have some insight or ideas surely as a regular fan it would be worth speaking to the club.

The board have come in for a bit of stick recently and of course there are still areas we can improve on but if you look at the last two managerial appointments the overwhelming majority of fans at the time thought they were both good appointments. Two completely different characters and styles on and off the pitch but at the time both arguably the right appointments.

Just having a different opinion which sometimes might align to some of the clubs philosophies does not make you a brown noser or part of the inner sanctum whatever the f*** these are. Nor does it make you a s*** stirrer or not a true fan if you see things differently. If i don't like something i'll speak my mind and if i want to find out something i'll ask the club which imo is better than believing some posts which in most cases are based on opinion rather than facts which is the main reason i don't do any social media other than this well educated forum

[Spike]

I'm really not accustomed to being on this side of the fence, but I can't help feeling that Dowse is having a detrimental effect on our club. It's just constant whinging and whining and excuse after excuse about the budget, plastic pitches, injuries, referees, bad luck and now the latest nonsense is that he can't get access to the training pitch. Dowse is the most negative, uninspiring and demoralising manager I can ever remember in my 57 years of supporting the Darts. If he took a job at The Samaritans we'd have a national suicide epidemic within days. He hangs everone out to dry, whether it be "idiot" supporters, his players or the board, we are all somehow to blame. It doesn't surprise me that he has struggled to make signings because he portrays our club in such a negative way. Now he at least recognises that in Bonner & Connor he inherited the best centre-back partnership in the league, although he never stopped slagging them off when they were here. He is not "building" anything, he's still mucking about with triallists and loanees, just slinging any old player he can get hold of into the mix in the hope something good happens. His recruitment has been an absolute disaster and even though we have more points and relegation looks unlikely, morale on the terraces is worse than it was under Flanagan & Coyle and there isn't even a "Reg" on hand to argue on the manager's behalf. I feel sorry for the board because he looked a good fit when he was appointed, but it clearly isn't working.

[ozymandias]

Well, after 56 years of supporting my club I agree with 98% of what you say Spike. The only bit I don't agree with is the appointment of Dowse. It was a total surprise to me at the time as I hadn't heard his name mentioned up until he walked in the door. I remember on the signing of Sam Oduado the fiasco of it all. I felt embarrassed for the lad as he obviously felt similarly.
The only good time I personally felt good about what was going on at PP was the trouncing of the neighbours at Christmas last year but THAT was it.
He quickly put an end to all the good feeling that was created in 180 minutes. He has a back team that thinks he walks on water but even Jolley has been dampened down with his enthusiasm.
Feels as though I haven't been for ages (Yeovil) and the Weymouth game looks a long way off should I feel the urge.
I hope for the clubs sake that he picks up the side and keeps us up.. Cos I certainly don't feel we are safe from being dragged in to a fight.

[KentC]

I'm really not accustomed to being on this side of the fence, but I can't help feeling that Dowse is having a detrimental effect on our club. It's just constant whinging and whining and excuse after excuse about the budget, plastic pitches, injuries, referees, bad luck and now the latest nonsense is that he can't get access to the training pitch. Dowse is the most negative, uninspiring and demoralising manager I can ever remember in my 57 years of supporting the Darts. If he took a job at The Samaritans we'd have a national suicide epidemic within days. He hangs everone out to dry, whether it be "idiot" supporters, his players or the board, we are all somehow to blame. It doesn't surprise me that he has struggled to make signings because he portrays our club in such a negative way. Now he at least recognises that in Bonner & Connor he inherited the best centre-back partnership in the league, although he never stopped slagging them off when they were here. He is not "building" anything, he's still mucking about with triallists and loanees, just slinging any old player he can get hold of into the mix in the hope something good happens. His recruitment has been an absolute disaster and even though we have more points and relegation looks unlikely, morale on the terraces is worse than it was under Flanagan & Coyle and there isn't even a "Reg" on hand to argue on the manager's behalf. I feel sorry for the board because he looked a good fit when he was appointed, but it clearly isn't working.

It most definitely didn’t work for Flan and Coyle but they did love the club for obvious reasons so you know they gave it their all.
While we can’t expect the same emotion from Dowse he could at the very least behave with respect towards the club and it’s supporters.

[Dave T]

I'm really not accustomed to being on this side of the fence, but I can't help feeling that Dowse is having a detrimental effect on our club. It's just constant whinging and whining and excuse after excuse about the budget, plastic pitches, injuries, referees, bad luck and now the latest nonsense is that he can't get access to the training pitch. Dowse is the most negative, uninspiring and demoralising manager I can ever remember in my 57 years of supporting the Darts. If he took a job at The Samaritans we'd have a national suicide epidemic within days. He hangs everone out to dry, whether it be "idiot" supporters, his players or the board, we are all somehow to blame. It doesn't surprise me that he has struggled to make signings because he portrays our club in such a negative way. Now he at least recognises that in Bonner & Connor he inherited the best centre-back partnership in the league, although he never stopped slagging them off when they were here. He is not "building" anything, he's still mucking about with triallists and loanees, just slinging any old player he can get hold of into the mix in the hope something good happens. His recruitment has been an absolute disaster and even though we have more points and relegation looks unlikely, morale on the terraces is worse than it was under Flanagan & Coyle and there isn't even a "Reg" on hand to argue on the manager's behalf. I feel sorry for the board because he looked a good fit when he was appointed, but it clearly isn't working.

I totally agree Spike. This latest ridiculous outburst by Dowson is shameful. I simply can't believe that the Board will accept this. If l had of spoken publicly about my employers in such a derogotary way, l would have been shown the door.

Steve Irving gave Dowson his strong public backing in a vote of confidence a couple of months ago, and since then, he has repayed that faith by dragging the club down publicly with these dreadful interviews. Like you say, it is little wonder that several players clearly aren't interested in playing for him!

Come on the Board, enough is enough.... surely!

[Babylon]

Am I right that our manager has a contract until June 2025 approximately.
If that is correct then it will cost a lot to offload him ?
Regarding the rest of this campaign hopefully we can avoid getting involved in a relegation battle .
What a waste of a season ...far to much chopping and changing to get any sort of team spirit.
Some of the natives are NOT happy with the way this season is going ( including myself.) and are simply not bothering.
This club and its supporters deserve better!
Rant over

[Number Six]

Am I right that our manager has a contract until June 2025 approximately.
If that is correct then it will cost a lot to offload him ?
Regarding the rest of this campaign hopefully we can avoid getting involved in a relegation battle .
What a waste of a season ...far to much chopping and changing to get any sort of team spirit.
Some of the natives are NOT happy with the way this season is going ( including myself.) and are simply not bothering.
This club and its supporters deserve better!
Rant over

Well if Dowson has a contract until 2025 I’m afraid I won’t be renewing my season ticket next season! I’ve seen so many poor games this season that I’m not bothering to attend on a regular basis. After 60+ years of supporting DFC I’m really disenchanted with the current performance of our Management. Poor early season recruitment, poor performances and dire football with little or no tactical nouse. If the manager continues to slag off the club it could be construed as breach of contract on his part, maybe the Board will finally be forced to act ?

[KentC]

Am I right that our manager has a contract until June 2025 approximately.
If that is correct then it will cost a lot to offload him ?
Regarding the rest of this campaign hopefully we can avoid getting involved in a relegation battle .
What a waste of a season ...far to much chopping and changing to get any sort of team spirit.
Some of the natives are NOT happy with the way this season is going ( including myself.) and are simply not bothering.
This club and its supporters deserve better!
Rant over

Well if Dowson has a contract until 2025 I’m afraid I won’t be renewing my season ticket next season! I’ve seen so many poor games this season that I’m not bothering to attend on a regular basis. After 60+ years of supporting DFC I’m really disenchanted with the current performance of our Management. Poor early season recruitment, poor performances and dire football with little or no tactical nouse. If the manager continues to slag off the club it could be construed as breach of contract on his part, maybe the Board will finally be forced to act ?

60+ years and a season ticket holder. Not bothering on a regular basis.
It’s incredible.
I would say I hope the board are taking note of things like this.

In my unfounded and purely speculative opinion based on some facts, I believe the board are seriously bothered about what’s going on with Dowse.
They can’t not be.

Again while having no clue how the first team manager contract works I’d be very hopeful that there’s some kind of performance criteria to be met.

I can only think that they financially can not sack him.

Just opinions of mine.