Farnborough v Dartford Sat 3 Feb 2024

[Park Life]

Attendance 1011

[Park Life]

FT 2-1

[Mark Sweet]

Big big trouble.

The squad isn't good enough, changing the manager has clearly not had the effect we needed it to have.

No fight from this team listening to the commentary. We're relying on moments of magic from individuals, there's absolutely no goals in the attack.

Sacking a manager a month ago and still no replacement is a joke, I get we need to make the right appointment, but we need to make it early enough to allow him to embed himself within the team.

I'm severely worried, people have said we won't go down but I hope they are now realising how wrong they could be

[Lennylenny]

There are 3 worse teams than us , so not going down . The fact the rot was allowed to set in for so long before action was taken and that Dowse leaving blast has had no reaction , worries me more than the shambles I have watched on pitch this season

[Mark Sweet]

There are 3 worse teams than us , so not going down . The fact the rot was allowed to set in for so long before action was taken and that Dowse leaving blast has had no reaction , worries me more than the shambles I have watched on pitch this season

There might be 3 worse teams than us, means nothing when 4 teams go down. I fail to see where our next win comes from. Can't see us getting anything from Bath next week that's for sure.

[The Duke]

Tony Burman is NOT F.....g Houdini , he inherited a team low on confidence and it will take time , the new Winger he brought in played well today and
"my man at the match " tells me we played quite well [an improvement ] but its obvious that we need a couple of strikers , we are in a precarious position but does anyone really believe that Dowson would have been the answer ?????????

I dont think Tony can hang about waiting to see IF his new Strikers suit the New Manager , go positive now , build from the NLS for next season

UP THE DARTS

[Jonty]

I would have liked to have seen Adebowale start today with Rooney in midfield and Jordan on the bench. Adebowale has been at the club quite some time yet has not seen hardly any game time. If we ain't gonna give the guy game time then what is the point of him being at the club.

Looking at the fixtures ahead, it is hard to see where our next points are going to come from.

[Taunton Dart]

On the bright side we have gone up a place in the table due to Truro losing heavily

[Lennylenny]

Farnbourgh posting about our fans fighting against each other, a few saying same thing, any truth in it ?

[Lennylenny]

The sacking was two months late, a blind man could see the empty terraces and crass football, who is to blame for procrastination?

[Babylon]

Yes even I am getting concerned with this team.
IN NO WAY DO I BLAME TB!
Tough fixtures coming up and this squad is very lightweight
Our board won't panic but even they must be getting concerned.
I know that I am!

[Dave T]

Big big trouble.

The squad isn't good enough, changing the manager has clearly not had the effect we needed it to have.

No fight from this team listening to the commentary. We're relying on moments of magic from individuals, there's absolutely no goals in the attack.

Sacking a manager a month ago and still no replacement is a joke, I get we need to make the right appointment, but we need to make it early enough to allow him to embed himself within the team.

I'm severely worried, people have said we won't go down but I hope they are now realising how wrong they could be

Blimey Mark, give him a chance. TB has inherited an awful mess of a squad, which has been compounded by a few more rats deserting the sinking ship!

I think most of us wanted the Board to act sooner before Dowson completely destroyed things, but they were never going to rush into an immediate appointment (unlike Welling who had clearly lined up Stringer before sacking Danny Bloor!) until they know who is interested and available. I have no issue whatsoever with TB's interim appointment.

I do agree with you though that there doesn't look like there is enough fight and desire in the squad, and we are by no means safe from relegation. Havant and Eastbourne could still come good as they continue to throw cash around (Eastbourne's new manager on a rumoured £120K pa contract ).

I'm still hopeful and reasonably confident we will survive, but it could well go all the way!

[Mark Sweet]

Big big trouble.

The squad isn't good enough, changing the manager has clearly not had the effect we needed it to have.

No fight from this team listening to the commentary. We're relying on moments of magic from individuals, there's absolutely no goals in the attack.

Sacking a manager a month ago and still no replacement is a joke, I get we need to make the right appointment, but we need to make it early enough to allow him to embed himself within the team.

I'm severely worried, people have said we won't go down but I hope they are now realising how wrong they could be

Blimey Mark, give him a chance. TB has inherited an awful mess of a squad, which has been compounded by a few more rats deserting the sinking ship!

I think most of us wanted the Board to act sooner before Dowson completely destroyed things, but they were never going to rush into an immediate appointment (unlike Welling who had clearly lined up Stringer before sacking Danny Bloor!) until they know who is interested and available. I have no issue whatsoever with TB's interim appointment.

I do agree with you though that there doesn't look like there is enough fight and desire in the squad, and we are by no means safe from relegation. Havant and Eastbourne could still come good as they continue to throw cash around (Eastbourne's new manager on a rumoured £120K pa contract ).

I'm still hopeful and reasonably confident we will survive, but it could well go all the way!

Don't get me wrong, I am not blaming Tony in any way. He's inherited a very poor squad in terms of both ability and depth. We've got players playing out of position, nobody on the bench that's going to really change the game when we need it and players constantly injured/carrying knocks meaning they aren't at full fitness.

Tony was always going to step in as interim when we sacked Dowse, everyone knew that. I'm just shocked that we had a 2-3 week gap between matches with the postponements a few weeks ago which was a perfect time to appoint someone and get their style of play and philosophies embedded with the team but that hasn't happened.

Now we're in the situation where even Tony can't work miracles, a new manager will come in and likely take a few weeks to get up to speed to work out what he has/hasn't got at his disposal and quite frankly it's time we don't have.

I can't see us getting anything from Bath, then we have Chippenham (H), Dover (a), Slough (a), Taunton (H). That is the run of games we need to take 9-10 points ABSOLUTE MINIMUM. Unfortunately that run starts on the 13th, so even if a new manager is appointed by then it's going to be hard for him to stamp his style on the squad.

I am concerned, that's all. As poor as we were earlier on in the season relegation wasn't even a thought, week by week it's become an increasingly worrying possibility

[rambo]

I was concerned about relegation within a month of the season starting
I am still concerned now but a load more positive now that Dowson has gone. It would have been better if he had been booted out a month earlier.
However, with Tony at the helm we will pick up some points and hopefully whatever Tony does will be enough
I suspect some applicants may only want the job if we stay up so I am very much looking forward to a few wins very soon

[The 5th Searcher]

To be honest I think it may be better for Tony to do the job until the end of the season then bring in a new manager and have a mass clear out of the current players allowing the new manager to bring in his own players. That way he starts from afresh with the players he wants rather than inherit a load of players that he doesn’t want and may not fight for him.

I really do hope that Tony can work some kind of miracle and keep us from the drop, it’s just with this current squad it’s going to be VERY difficult.

[KentC]

Dowse should have been sacked months ago, this is what has contributed massively to the state of our performances and the huge lack of quality in the squad.
I read a few times on previous threads how we actually have good player. Maybe me or two but not as a whole absolute no way.

The last two results are not anything to do with TB.

We need to stay up and appoint a manager with good pedigree, good credentials and experience at this level.

[KentC]

To be honest I think it may be better for Tony to do the job until the end of the season then bring in a new manager and have a mass clear out of the current players allowing the new manager to bring in his own players. That way he starts from afresh with the players he wants rather than inherit a load of players that he doesn’t want and may not fight for him.

I really do hope that Tony can work some kind of miracle and keep us from the drop, it’s just with this current squad it’s going to be VERY difficult.

I don’t think it will be a miracle, I don’t think we’ll go down.
However the fact we’re having this conversation is soul destroying.
How can one man of done so much damage, it’s unbelievable.

[Sleightly Deceptive]

Shouldn’t have lost that really. We played quite well. Well, compared to that we’ve seen so far. The new lad looks like a breath of fresh air. Very exciting prospect there regardless of which league we’ll be competing in next season. But if we start any game with Wall up front - just manage your expectations - that’s all I’ll say! Never seen such a bone idle Dartford forward who will, inevitably, talk his way into the referees book just to be noticed! Good turn out by Darts fans in good voice and no fighting amongst our own at all. Just a very mild innocent misunderstanding wave of a flag blissfully unaware of a person nearby. And that was the view of a steward I spoke to after the game. Nothing to see. Move on. I still think we’ll stay up. But that is based on me assuming we beat Chippenham, Dover, Taunton and Eastbourne. Fail in those and we’re f*cked I’m afraid.

[ozymandias]

One or two are very quick to state the obvious. Which is not very helpful.
We know what we are up against but now is not the time to go beating up the players. More than a few could have jumped ship and there's still time for them to do it.
Tony, I feel, is between a rock and a hard place. He's said he will sign players if he has to, before a new manager is installed. Good for him, he's not sitting around moping.
The addition of Funmaya wasn't desperation, even though the lad came from two divisions below us he sounds as if he added to the squad not made it worse.
Now is the time to get behind the team/club not kick them when they are down Yes, we are now in a scrap at the bottom of the table .
Who's to say that our next manager is going to be better than Dowse, Who's to say that it will be too late for him to get us out of the mess Dowse left us in.
Stop beating up on the players.
Dowse has gone. Hooray.

[DA Mikey]

Nice to hear some positivity from you in the wake of Dowson SD, but if you think out fate is based on beating four specific teams - no matter where they sit in the table - then I think the writing is on the Wall…

We’ll certainly need to win a few games - and avoid defeat in a few more - to avoid the drop, and whilst it still could go either way, we are reliant on what other teams do since our squad is so weak. It is in the hands of others unless we are able to sign a creative midfielder, resolute defender and 20+ goal attacker, which ain’t gonna happen.
Horrible time for DFC, all we can do is give TB (or whoever else inherits this mess) our 100% support.

Edit: Just two MOTM votes. What the actual monk is going on.