Darlington v Stockport

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bga
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by bga » Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:40 pm

tdk1 wrote:A
Bys
Mal
Thank you Craig! I appreciate how hard it was to find us a Manager last season when a number of potential candidates kicked us back. Next time round it may be even harder. I have seen us twice this season and we were awful. A number pf people on here at the end of last season said give TW a full pre-season, and let him sign his own players which he has done with the help of Boost the Budget. So, 12 games in we have a win ratio of 16% and lost £9,000 in revenue last week. With a quarter of the season gone, I really feel next game against FC United, is a must win game for TW, or do we give him more time?

tdk1
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by tdk1 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:41 pm

I have many more observations about that absolute catastrophe of a performance, but really I can't be arsed to even dignify it with anything more than that.

LoidLucan
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by LoidLucan » Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:46 pm

It's taking on a depressingly familiar pattern. Largely ineffective, never really looked like getting back into it having gone behind, lacking leadership, urgency, organisation and a potent pattern of play. Quarter of the season gone and we are very much in a relegation battle. I just don't think TW will produce a side capable of regularly winning matches. We'll win the odd game and play OK but largely this is what you'll get with TW. There are no excuses now.

tdk1
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by tdk1 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:49 pm

LoidLucan wrote:It's taking on a depressingly familiar pattern. Largely ineffective, never really looked like getting back into it having gone behind, lacking leadership, urgency, organisation and a potent pattern of play. Quarter of the season gone and we are very much in a relegation battle. I just don't think TW will produce a side capable of regularly winning matches. We'll win the odd game and play OK but largely this is what you'll get with TW. There are no excuses now.
God, at least a relegation battle would imply we could have some kind of fight. At present we look more like we're just wandering blindly towards relegation. This is all on Tommy Wright. All of it.

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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by LoidLucan » Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:58 pm

From a personal perspective the worrying side of it was that it went pretty much as I expected and, like the players, by the end I couldn't even be arsed to feel frustrated or angry about it. It's becoming a feeling of resignation for me that this is what you largely get at Soft Touch Meadows. It mainly felt like that in the ground today apart from the bloke who went off on one at TW.

Ghost_Of_1883
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by Ghost_Of_1883 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:06 pm

Shortly after the end of the match I was thinking "right that's it he has to go" but now I've calmed down a bit, I am willing to give another 5 matches, which will take us just into November.

Those matches are FCUM A, Boston H, Leamington A, Bradford PA A, and Guiseley H.

To be honest for any self respecting decent side, those 5 matches should be viewed as winnable and represent an easier run than anything we have had so far this season.

If we're gonna do anything at all this season, then we need to be taking 10 points minimum from those matches and should be sat comfortable mid table by league match 16 with an eye on the play offs for later.

If he doesn't get many points from those matches then sadly it's time to go.

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Makka Pakka
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by Makka Pakka » Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:16 pm

Plus point, we actually defended very well today considering how much pressure we were under. Trouble is we had nowhere near enough quality to look like creating something. If anyone was going to makes something happen it was Syers but he went off and then the Ainge substitution changed nothing. I don't think TW knows what to do and I have a feeling that if things don't pick up soon he'll do the decent thing.
"At a meeting held at the Grammar School on Friday last - Mr Phillip Wood M.A., in the chair - it was resolved to form an Association Football Club for Darlington and neighbourhood. The opinions of those present were so unanimous as to the desirability of this step, that a committee was formed to complete the organisation of the club, and Mr Craven, 17, Garden Street, was appointed secretary pro tem." - The Northern Echo, Monday 23rd July 1883

Emdubya
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by Emdubya » Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:27 pm

Ghost_Of_1883 wrote:Shortly after the end of the match I was thinking "right that's it he has to go" but now I've calmed down a bit, I am willing to give another 5 matches, which will take us just into November.

Those matches are FCUM A, Boston H, Leamington A, Bradford PA A, and Guiseley H.

To be honest for any self respecting decent side, those 5 matches should be viewed as winnable and represent an easier run than anything we have had so far this season.

If we're gonna do anything at all this season, then we need to be taking 10 points minimum from those matches and should be sat comfortable mid table by league match 16 with an eye on the play offs for later.

If he doesn't get many points from those matches then sadly it's time to go.
Like yourself I am perfectly calm.Unlike yourself I think it is now time for a taxi for Wright and to be honest he can take his band of midland misfits with him.Apart from the keeper and the accidental discovery of Hughes as a defender the rest of his signings have turned out to be piss poor
Stockport were fitter ,faster,stronger and organised against a bunch of ordinary plodders with,in my opinion,very little chance of keeping us in this division .
Time to act Mr Johnson,before it’s too late.

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theoriginalfatcat
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:35 pm

LoidLucan wrote:It's taking on a depressingly familiar pattern. Largely ineffective, never really looked like getting back into it having gone behind, lacking leadership, urgency, organisation and a potent pattern of play. Quarter of the season gone and we are very much in a relegation battle. I just don't think TW will produce a side capable of regularly winning matches. We'll win the odd game and play OK but largely this is what you'll get with TW. There are no excuses now.
A good post as the crapness is "taking on a depressingly familiar pattern." :thumbdown: As it doesn't matter who we face, we've never quite got enough.

All through the Steamroller years I got into a habit of buying my daughter a mini bottle of wine if Darlo won a game I'd been to. She did very well out of this arrangement, however at about this time last year i had to change rules to include draws as well.

Now it would seem I should bin the winning and drawing bit and just buy the wine if we get a corner.

ps, what's wrong with Styche at the moment?
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LoidLucan
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by LoidLucan » Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:47 pm

Stockport fan: "Much better team. Controlled the game, they were poor."

It's the kind of comment I've read fairly frequently from the fans of teams we have played.

DarloDean
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by DarloDean » Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:03 pm

Another predictable, unimaginative display. Getting bored of this now.

So the other week, I worked out the home records since moving to BM. I believe the win percentage stood at 44%. A shocking stat on it's own.

Which got me thinking about TWs part in that stat, and now I've worked it out, I really wish I didn't.

Since taking over, TWs home record is as follows;

PL: 21

W: 6 (29%)
D: 3 (14%)
L: 12 (57%)

Not good enough. The other excuse of "Wheatley isn't fit, so he's a great miss" was clearly b******s so let's stop using that one shall we. Frankly a great win at Brackley alone isn't enough to gloat about. The table doesn't lie, and we are where we shouldn't be, for this club.

Eyes are already on TW, and in 2 weeks against FCUM will be an important one. If we're in a relegation battle (and I personally believe we are) and we put on the same display with a similar result as today, then I don't think TW will be here much longer.

Great bloke, however tactically inept.

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divas
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by divas » Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:36 pm

Wheatley wasn’t fit. A blind man could see that. That’s not in any way making any excuses though. We were shite.

Quakers83
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by Quakers83 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:47 pm

I’m desperate for this to work for TW, but today was poor again.

The formation suited us more, we defended well for large-parts, but there isn’t much else to shout-about. We just don’t look like a team, there doesn’t seem to be any understanding in the forward play.

Ironically we’ve gone from a team who scored a decent amount of goals but shipped more, to failing to score and conceding one each in the home games against Alfreton, BPA and Stockport, along with the stalemate to Southport.

Credit to the home fans, around 1,300 there today, and again to Liam Hughes for putting in a 4th MOTM performance in a row IMO.

I don’t want to dissect the performance because I think enough of that has been done already, but onto FCUM.

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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by Yarblockos » Sat Sep 29, 2018 7:20 pm

TW is not cut out for management. The guy is not very good, simple as that. He was third choice for a reason. With the budget he has had the results have been appalling. Half the team travel 150 miles to home games and it shows.

I don't really think we are in a financial position to sack managers, but with two weeks until the next game if we decided to make a change then now would be the time.

JE93
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by JE93 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 7:26 pm

Another weekend, another disappointment. Tommy was backed in the summer with the budget he thought he needed as was allowed to completely reform the squad in his image. He has had our support.

I think the more I think about it the more concerned I am. I still think he has a decent eye for a player, but the coaching must be non existent because we don't seem like we're fit enough, we don't seem well drilled enough. We don't know how to transition from one phase of play to another.

I think more than anything it comes down to this. The likes of Mark Bower (BPA), John Flanagan (Curzon Ashton), John Holleran (Leamington) are doing a far better job with less resources. There would be a manager out there who will do a better job with the resources we have.

Nice bloke but my patience is all but up with our level of performance.

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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by shildonlad » Sat Sep 29, 2018 7:51 pm

Yarblockos wrote:TW is not cut out for management. The guy is not very good, simple as that. He was third choice for a reason. With the budget he has had the results have been appalling. Half the team travel 150 miles to home games and it shows.

I don't really think we are in a financial position to sack managers, but with two weeks until the next game if we decided to make a change then now would be the time.
Yeah what’s all that about players comeing from miles way must push up there wages surely. Does tommy Wright even live local?


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Vodka_Vic
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by Vodka_Vic » Sat Sep 29, 2018 7:55 pm

I'm finding it very difficult to keep the faith at the moment. The optimism pre-season after our day in the sun at Eindhoven, TW and AW very confident we would do well has completely disappeared. We now appear unable to turn the corner. I couldn't wait for the season to start but now I just don't see where we go from here. I really wanted Tommy to do well and he was a breath of fresh air after MG but I can't see any way he'll succeed now.
The fact he has set up the academy, does this buy him ample time though?
We have a problem in that if this season is a write off, then people will not back Boost the Budget to the extent they did this year and we start sliding backwards. We contributed en masse because we were sold the idea, and believed it, that we would be contributing towards a play-off push. David Johnston said it was imperative we stayed in the play-offs all season. Does anyone still believe we have the team/manager for this? And what is DJ's response to our targets being hugely below expectations?

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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by Quakerlad » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:03 pm

Apart from the obvious poor signings and tactics, Every team we play look fitter and stronger and just want to win more than we do. It’s really not on, all those things come from the management team.

I would say for the first time in the last 5 years when the teams line up, we just look small and weak. Ok, not all of Brown, Hunter, Burgess, Scott, Turnbull etc were brilliant players at times but they gave us a huge physical advantage, will to win, led by example and urged the others on. We have very little to none of that now! We now have players, including the captain who shake their heads and argue with each other.

It’s a relegation battle no question, which is shocking given a still very decent budget, and £80k of our money wasted.

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grimsbyquaker
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by grimsbyquaker » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:08 pm

I think this two weeks could be pivotal. We could do with an extra game/session next Saturday and then get ready for F.C. Yet again his interview was spot-on Re his assessment of the game imo. Clearly, though, some players can’t/won’t carry out instructions (unless there aren’t any and he’s hiding, which I don’t believe)...so why is that? I don’t put it down to lack of ability

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grimsbyquaker
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by grimsbyquaker » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:12 pm

Agree re leadership on the field. Styche isn’t a captain in my opinion. I know he’s been given the armband because he’s a big personality etc but maybe it’s the pressure he’s putting himself under to get us (back) into games that makes him try to burst the net from way out when there may be other options

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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by Quakerlad » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:17 pm

Just listened to his interview including quote” we won’t change anything we do on the training pitch” eh! Well Tommy, it’s not working actually.......

Sums it up for me!

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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by Quakerlad » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:25 pm

Just listened to his interview including quote” we won’t change anything we do on the training pitch” eh! Well Tommy, it’s not working actually.......

Sums it up for me!

tdk1
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by tdk1 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:55 pm

Do they actually do anything on the training pitch?

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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by tdk1 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:57 pm

JE93 wrote:Another weekend, another disappointment. Tommy was backed in the summer with the budget he thought he needed as was allowed to completely reform the squad in his image. He has had our support.

I think the more I think about it the more concerned I am. I still think he has a decent eye for a player, but the coaching must be non existent because we don't seem like we're fit enough, we don't seem well drilled enough. We don't know how to transition from one phase of play to another.

I think more than anything it comes down to this. The likes of Mark Bower (BPA), John Flanagan (Curzon Ashton), John Holleran (Leamington) are doing a far better job with less resources. There would be a manager out there who will do a better job with the resources we have.

Nice bloke but my patience is all but up with our level of performance.
I increasingly think its pretty unimpressive that for all the budget we put together this summer we can't put together a bench full of senior players.

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grimsbyquaker
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by grimsbyquaker » Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:53 pm

So they’re doing the right things in training but not on the pitch? Are they not as passionate as he is? If not, why not?
Then...what if this budget isn’t as competitive as we were led to believe? Nobody would kick off the season saying ‘yeah we’re gonna struggle tbh’ especially if they want further fan-help??
Something ain’t right somehow, especially if Tommy concedes that all teams need to do at BM is score first then just sit back because we don’t look like we have a goal in us. Hopefully his dig at Styche will hit Home as his form and decision making has been rank
Last edited by grimsbyquaker on Sat Sep 29, 2018 10:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

LoidLucan
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by LoidLucan » Sat Sep 29, 2018 10:04 pm

TW comes across as completely and utterly lost.

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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by real_darlo_85 » Sun Sep 30, 2018 7:37 am

I don't like bleating on about it every week so to keep this simple, you know my view about TW and our current position and both won't change. :thumbdown:
"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"

onewayup
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by onewayup » Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:19 am

Our problem is a stricker who at the moment couldn't hit a barn door and won't move towards an incoming pass static and uninterested is what I get from his demeanour, why Tommy took a player full of running and trying off and left styche on I will never be able to work out. Once the players cross that white line it's upto them how they perform, no matter what happens on the training pitch

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theoriginalfatcat
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Sun Sep 30, 2018 10:08 am

Yes onewayup, the players..........

I mean, what is going on with them? Or some of them.

Our game changing players aren't changing games, they don't seem to able to find that little bit extra you need to make a difference - and the common denominator running through this entire thread is that nearly every team that turns up at Blackwell Meadows works harder, is better organised and most importantly wants the points more than we seem to.

Styche, he looks out of sorts, he's making wrong decisions and blasting over the bar. Thompson, he looks flat.
Ainge, what did he produce yesterday when he came on?

Part of the problem is this - we have a small squad, our big names are guaranteed a start if they are fit, i.e. T.W. feels he can't drop anyone which obviously leads to complacency.

It's not only the management that needs to take a look at themselves over this bad run, the players do too

If Nuneaton win on Tuesday we will be in the bottom 3.
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darlo reborn
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Re: Darlington v Stockport

Post by darlo reborn » Sun Sep 30, 2018 10:14 am

That`s where we deserve to be given the performances bar 2 Brackley and Telford.

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