Darlo Uncovered

one way up you usually always stress the positives. If even you are feeling like that then it must have been bad.

Poor poor performance apart from the first 25 minutes. Curzon Ashton looked a decent side, probably due to us playing so badly. Agreed with the MOTM being given to Trotman, just slightly ahead of Maddison. We'll have to be a lot sharper to get anything from Spennymoor on Tuesday evening.

I'll be happy with us finishing 19th at the end of the season, by the sounds from that performance. Where's Ginge for our update on how many points we'll need to be safe...

Despite what most on here and social media describe as a poor performance, and despite a cut in the playing budget, Darlington are still above Martin "I need a big budget" Gray's York!


Bet the York fan is sharpening his knife for MG

I've always felt the big trouble Tommy has, and what is keeping him from being a really good manager at this level, is his belief that he's a tactical maverick who sees things nobody else does. Last season we improved massively when he was absolutely forced to simplify the formation. The same thing happened with Mark Cooper, when he tried to crowbar our squad into a 433.

I always worried hed use the summer to try to shift away from that system so could show off his tactical wizardry. Now I wasn't there today, and it's obviously the first game, but given we have Thompson, Nicholson, henshall and Saunders all capable of scaring some fill backs, if you really will have both ainge and styche playing, surely a wide, simple 442 makes perfect sense? Let's not spend weeks fumbling our way towards a simplified formation...

Vodka_Vic wrote:one way up you usually always stress the positives. If even you are feeling like that then it must have been bad.

Admittedly Ray fed him the line in the Post match interview, but worrying that TW took "more positives than negatives" out of today's game?

Disappointing crowd today of only 1,488 (though with only 10 or so away fans) - even Chorley got more.

Chester, who have always been a similar sized club to us, kicked off with 2,200 - we've fallen way behind our "peers" in recent seasons.

Don't even want to talk about the match. Shambles, team of strangers, never got the 2nd ball once, name your cliche.

One thing was clear to me - the players were confused going forward. Ainge likes it in the air (and emphatically proved it in the first 30 minutes), Styche likes it to feet - often it looked like we lost possession because we were caught in two minds how to play the final ball.

Collins is bang average, I hope Burn is an upgrade.

often it looked like we lost possession because we were caught in two minds how to play the final ball.

spot on

Where was Whitey today?

IMO today showed 2 things.
1. Just how much we need Thommo in the team.
2. We have no one to galvanise players when heads go down, as they did when Curzon equalised. Until then we had been on top but couldn't get going again afterwards.

Thompson would not have made a blind difference today , along side Eric dire ? sorry i just cant get him out of my head him being a footballer , im talking about Hughes.

Whitey was watching from the balcony.

I'm confused by the formation too. TW in the post-match interview talked about playing 4-3-3 as he wanted to play the ball through the middle, and he changed to 4-4-2 with Harvey Saunders on the right as we were missing Thommo. Surely from all the midfielders he signed one of them could play right wing? What if Thommo is injured?
Secondly, TW said that he'd signed players who could make a good delivery into the box, yet played a narrow system that seemingly nullifies their strengths.

Quakerz wrote:...

Chester, who have always been a similar sized club to us, kicked off with 2,200 - we've fallen way behind our "peers" in recent seasons.


......

I am surprised to hear Chester claim crowd was that high!

One end was closed, home terrace was very empty and both stands sparsely populated.

I thought 1500 as a guess we're at Chester

Chester was 2,191

Hereford was 2,836.

Both clubs it could be argued are similar size to Darlo and maybe in Hereford's case they could be claimed to be smaller.

Both clubs started again and saw big increases in crowds, but when we had to "start again", in hindsight being in Bishop has cost us the opportunity of doing the same.

If we can't muster 1,500 for the season opener then I fear for the rest of the season, we could be back down to 1,200 or less within a couple of matches.

My Ratings:

Maddison 6 - gifted them a goal but saved a penalty. Looks a good prospect.

Trotman 6 - didn’t do much wrong but MOTM award was generous. Didn’t pose an attacking threat.

Collins 5 - slow but steady.

Galbraith 6 - fairly solid and a threat from set pieces.

O’Hanlon 5 - handball was unnecessary and didn’t track his man for the second goal.

Hughes 4 - poor. Unfit and it showed.

Elliott 7 - my man of the MOTM, but should have scored though.

Wheatley 6 - industrious throughout.

Nicholson 5 - looks a tidy player but ineffective.

Henshall 5 - didn’t do much to change the game.

Styche 5 - off the boil and struggled to click with Ainge.

Ainge 5 - scored but otherwise didn’t pose much of a threat.

Saunders 5 - looked fast and direct but ran into dead ends.


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Would agree with those ratings apart from Ainge who I thought should be at least a 6, and probably 7 for the first half hour.

He was winning headers that he had no right to get near in the 1st half.

Key thing Quakerz is both of those clubs kept their old grounds. When we eventually moved back to Darlo we had to as tenants in a hotch-potch of a ground. We're now at Catch 22. Some people won't come back as the sight lines are poor, but we can't improve the ground until we get promotion (due to grants) yet really need crowds to go up.

Well, there was plenty of viewing space today.

spen666 wrote:

Quakerz wrote:...

Chester, who have always been a similar sized club to us, kicked off with 2,200 - we've fallen way behind our "peers" in recent seasons.


......

I am surprised to hear Chester claim crowd was that high!

One end was closed, home terrace was very empty and both stands sparsely populated.

I thought 1500 as a guess we're at Chester

It may well be a case with Chester that there wasn't really that many in the ground. Some clubs count all season ticket holders as attended even if they didn't, others just count who actually comes through the turnstiles + hospitality (that's what we do).

So perhaps Chester had 300 ST holders who didn't turn up but whom were counted in the figure.

Why did we persit with the long ball tactics straight down the middle and allowing there wide men all the room on the pitch thought we were lucky not to get a pasting as they had 2 on 1 most of the time they attacked but were as bad as us up front.
hopefully just a bad start but with 10 games in a short space of time need to improve a lot

Here’s my thoughts, first half we were in complete control and they scored from out of no where. Second half Curzon were the better team and there goal was a decent bit of football but we made it easy for them. We hit the bar and post a couple of times. Overall it wasn’t too bad about what I expected we ain’t going to steam roller this league.
On Hughes, with him playing it will dictate the way we play, he is almost a quarterback but he can’t run but still could be an effective player at this level.

Quakerz wrote:Chester was 2,191

Hereford was 2,836.

Both clubs it could be argued are similar size to Darlo and maybe in Hereford's case they could be claimed to be smaller.

Both clubs started again and saw big increases in crowds, but when we had to "start again", in hindsight being in Bishop has cost us the opportunity of doing the same.

If we can't muster 1,500 for the season opener then I fear for the rest of the season, we could be back down to 1,200 or less within a couple of matches.

I still think the stadium problem is an issue to some people. The way the Rugby Club see us as a cash cow gives people an excuse not to go. It still does not feel like home, it still feels like a temporary fix. Hopefully now that Bill Dixon and his cronies are gradually being outed from the Council, way may find a way of moving forward in the future.

Another summer of shocking recruitment........

If TW believes his new players are better than the likes of Turnbull, Hunter, Brown, Portas, Gillies then he has lost the plot........

Per TW....we now have the players to get crosses into the front two.....yeh, but let’s play a tight midfield with no width.....eh!

Heads shouldn’t go down going a goal down in first match of season......no leaders or talkers with the exception of Ainge who was telling the defence what to do......

Some players not fit enough and too lightweight......

We were just shocking today......

Love it the doom mongers are alive god it was the first game give them some slack, if people think this league is easy then think again... As for the crowd as I've always said it the hardcore that keep this club going and always will until we move out of the shite hole( I don't care what people say I hate the ground and always will as I've always said) BUT will always turn up as I love the club where I were born..

Another summer of shocking recruitment........

If TW believes his new players are better than the likes of Turnbull, Hunter, Brown, Portas, Gillies then he has lost the plot........

Per TW....we now have the players to get crosses into the front two.....yeh, but let’s play a tight midfield with no width.....eh!

Heads shouldn’t go down going a goal down in first match of season......no leaders or talkers with the exception of Ainge who was telling the defence what to do......

Some players not fit enough and too lightweight......

We were just shocking today......

HarrytheQuaker wrote:Love it the doom mongers are alive god it was the first game give them some slack, if people think this league is easy then think again... As for the crowd as I've always said it the hardcore that keep this club going and always will until we move out of the shite hole( I don't care what people say I hate the ground and always will as I've always said) BUT will always turn up as I love the club where I were born..

Not doom mongers but realists. If we play that formation with the same personnel then we’ll be bottom half. No doubt about that.


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maddison..it went like a slow motion missaknob he held it, but then, he didnt, 3 points lost .

Quakerz wrote:Disappointing crowd today of only 1,488 (though with only 10 or so away fans) - even Chorley got more.

Chester, who have always been a similar sized club to us, kicked off with 2,200 - we've fallen way behind our "peers" in recent seasons.

Don't even want to talk about the match. Shambles, team of strangers, never got the 2nd ball once, name your cliche.

One thing was clear to me - the players were confused going forward. Ainge likes it in the air (and emphatically proved it in the first 30 minutes), Styche likes it to feet - often it looked like we lost possession because we were caught in two minds how to play the final ball.

Collins is bang average, I hope Burn is an upgrade.

Attendance was higher than 8 Conference games, so not that bad in context

robsraiders wrote:

Quakerz wrote:Disappointing crowd today of only 1,488 (though with only 10 or so away fans) - even Chorley got more.

Chester, who have always been a similar sized club to us, kicked off with 2,200 - we've fallen way behind our "peers" in recent seasons.

Don't even want to talk about the match. Shambles, team of strangers, never got the 2nd ball once, name your cliche.

One thing was clear to me - the players were confused going forward. Ainge likes it in the air (and emphatically proved it in the first 30 minutes), Styche likes it to feet - often it looked like we lost possession because we were caught in two minds how to play the final ball.

Collins is bang average, I hope Burn is an upgrade.

Attendance was higher than 8 Conference games, so not that bad in context

How does that help I couldn't care less if we beat conference teams in attendance leagues surely we should be getting 2000/2500 shouldn't we We are Darlo the big bollocks of Conference North come on lads ( Of course I'm jesting) we are where we are that's it