Resignation...

[LoidLucan]

I'm not so sure it was as straightforward as Hardy didnt want the job last time. Was an approach made to his club? Everything was clouded over with TW's infamous U turn. I'm sure if feelers were put out and it was done through the right channels he would be interested. I think he likes things done by the book.

[AndyPark]

All this talk of new managers is pointless, especially when we still have someone still in charge.

All we can do is continue to back TW & AW irrespective of how poor it may seem right now.

[eddie-rowles]

All this talk of new managers is pointless, especially when we still have someone still in charge.

All we can do is continue to back TW & AW irrespective of how poor it may seem right now.

I disagree it makes perfect sense to sound out potential candidates and a younger NL or evostick manager is required who can show some tactical skill. TW & AW used to only have plan A after Friday plan A went out the window and it looked a pub team turn up, check whose most sober and they are playing because we have no subs. Any chance we can swap Ainge and a fray bentos pie as Harrogate like a tined pie, for the return of Beck?
Atkinson is not a coach, heard him speak at MG academy sessions.

[norwich darlo]

I accept that Gray behaved badly and everybody says what a nice guy TW is but I think he's harming the club more than MG ever did. MG was a selfish, oafish individual who turned out winning Quakers teams - a flawed but effective football manager. I can't see him coming back yet but I wonder if the tide's turning in his favour however Wright's too far out, not waiving or drowning.
The Raj Singh business was bad and showed Gray out of his depth but maybe he's learned.

Let's forget the fact that the team was in freefall since the York game last season.

Gray coming back would cost the club at least one fan, and he showed he isn't good enough at York with even more money. Make that two fans

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

[loan_star]

All this talk of new managers is pointless, especially when we still have someone still in charge.

All we can do is continue to back TW & AW irrespective of how poor it may seem right now.

I disagree it makes perfect sense to sound out potential candidates and a younger NL or evostick manager is required who can show some tactical skill. TW & AW used to only have plan A after Friday plan A went out the window and it looked a pub team turn up, check whose most sober and they are playing because we have no subs. Any chance we can swap Ainge and a fray bentos pie as Harrogate like a tined pie, for the return of Beck?
Atkinson is not a coach, heard him speak at MG academy sessions.

The comment about Atkinson is laughable.
Also the old plan A / plan B chestnut. Gray got the same criticism, as did Dave Penney and no doubt every other Darlo manager since this type of criticism came in.
No doubt any replacement will have his style of play that he prefers and will get the same criticism should we lose a few games.

[SwansQuaker83]

Here's a name for a new manager - Carl Jarrett, Marske Utd.

Won the division, left them because the club said they would never take promotion... then when the club were forced to by the FA, he came back, won the division again and took them up, where they are currently challenging for another promotion to the NPL. In the year between the two Northern League titles, Marske finished mid table without him in charge.

Young, hungry, local... probably wouldn't cost an awful lot, the Styche money would cover it.

On the subject of money, at the fans forum at the Dolphin, we were told the debt was 60 grand... surely the Heaton money, Marathon Bet money and the removal of Portas, Turnbull, Brownie, Leon, Kev Burgess, Josh Gillies, Chrissy Hunter and Styche has covered that?! I dare day Marske's compo for Jarrett would only be about the cost of Styche for a few months, and could probably be paid over a period anyway. Add to that the work that Morley is now doing and surely we should be in a much better financial position. Yes we have a thin squad but based on what Wright himself said in his interview, that's his choice... we've been turning loans down "daily".

We won't however, be in a strong financial position if we stick with Wright... Attendances are going to start dropping big time after last Friday, unless something is done to lift the gloom over the club, that will be a continuing trend into winter when it's cold and wet.

For those saying we won't go down - this is firstly very arrogant to think we are too good to go down, we're certainly in a relegation battle, we're 3 points above the drop and we only managed to scrape a draw against one of those teams in the bottom 3 at home just last week... we're in massive trouble and the impact of relegation should not be underestimated.

I'll hold my hands up and say I never wanted Wright... I wanted him out after that terrible run last season, I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt this season after he kept us up with some to spare, but he's now gone out, overhauled the team to how HE wanted it and by September, about 8 games in my mind was made up and hasn't changed. I'm not really bothered how nice a feller he is, it's not a personal thing, I'm just sick of watching utter dross every week.

We have to weigh this up... there's a strong possibility we will go down, as well as a probability that attendances will plummet as we head into winter, impacting on the club significantly, given that Morley is in his early days and thanks to the millstone that is BM, we have no way of generating revenue beyond gates and hospitality on match days. The longer we leave it, the more difficult it will be in January or February to change it, which as a process could take about a month as it did last time.

If he's staying then, on match days he gets my full support, I won't be booing or yelling for his head... I'll continue to attend regardless, despite the 1 hour 20 mins round trip when people can't be arrised attending when they live round the corner. But my opinion is he has to go and the sooner the better for all concerned. I don't think he will tho and therefore I desperately hope he makes me look like a mug by proving me wrong.

[spen666]

All this talk of new managers is pointless, especially when we still have someone still in charge.

All we can do is continue to back TW & AW irrespective of how poor it may seem right now.

I disagree it makes perfect sense to sound out potential candidates and a younger NL or evostick manager is required who can show some tactical skill. TW & AW used to only have plan A after Friday plan A went out the window and it looked a pub team turn up, check whose most sober and they are playing because we have no subs. Any chance we can swap Ainge and a fray bentos pie as Harrogate like a tined pie, for the return of Beck?
Atkinson is not a coach, heard him speak at MG academy sessions.

Why a younger manager?

An older manager would bring the extra experience that perhaps is lacking at present?

[AndyPark]

we only managed to scrape a draw against one of those teams in the bottom 3 at home just last week... we're in massive trouble and the impact of relegation should not be underestimated.

Don't forget Hereford battered FC United at the weekend and they'd be playing fantastically well under the new manager.

Anyone can beat anyone in this league.

[loan_star]

Why a younger manager?

An older manager would bring the extra experience that perhaps is lacking at present?

Exactly! Plus Wright is still young compared to most managers.
Cant believe I'm agreeing with Spen

[loan_star]

we only managed to scrape a draw against one of those teams in the bottom 3 at home just last week... we're in massive trouble and the impact of relegation should not be underestimated.

Don't forget Hereford battered FC United at the weekend and they'd be playing fantastically well under the new manager.

Anyone can beat anyone in this league.

And we almost beat the league leaders a week or so earlier........

[LoidLucan]

13 wins in 46 games
4 wins in 19 games
2 wins in 15 at BM

[spen666]

Why a younger manager?

An older manager would bring the extra experience that perhaps is lacking at present?

Exactly! Plus Wright is still young compared to most managers.
Cant believe I'm agreeing with Spen

I wont tell anyone if you don't

[sue_donym]

Have been lurking on this forum for a while but I'm just going to blather on now and get out all my thoughts on the current situation.

The Good

Recruitment

Firstly I think that some of the criticism Wright is coming in for is unwarranted. His recruitment has largely been good. Styche was a superb signing for us, and even though he probably was a fairly large outlay it's hard to argue he didn't represent value especially given we recouped what we spent on him and probably more. Similarly Heaton was a real gem that has earned the club a significant sum and will hopefully get us more if he goes on in the game and earns another fee.

He's also brought in a number of players that are class acts at this level - Trotman, Wheatley, Elliott, Nicholson and O'Hanlon all look the part (generally more convinced about the first two than the rest, but they are all good enough to play a part at sides at the upper end of this division).

The real let down so far has been Ainge. I don't know what he's on financially but whenever I've seen him he's looked disinterested and unfit and he's not earning whatever it is at the moment for me. It's harsh to be too critical over one chance but the header he put wide against Hereford was a horror miss and to have come back to win that game would have been a huge lift to everyone. Apart from that though I don't think that Wright has gone too far wrong in the transfer market (although I'm not convinced by Liam Hughes despite his successful conversion to centre back).

You also have to bear in mind that a significant part of his budget has always been tied up on MG signings that offer nothing to us as a club - Caton and Dom Collins.

Style of play

If you compare the stuff we play with what it was under MG it's chalk and cheese. The ball used to spend most of the time in the air under Gray and we now at least get the ball down and play progressive football. When it's come off this season (Blackley and Telford and start of BPA and Kiddy most notable examples) we have cut apart some of the best teams in this league. I know you don't win prizes for style and we don't replicate it often enough but at our best we are one of the best footballing teams I have seen at this level.

The bad

Squad management

This is where things have really gone wrong for me. The criticism he's come in for because of the paper thin squad is absolutely justified in my eyes. You can tell that players aren't really worried about being dropped because they know there's no plausible replacement. I understand that there are budget constraints but every team has budget constraints and most manage to have a playing squad large enough to cope with injuries and give the manager a couple of options off the bench. The comments about loan signings, which would be ideal for us with three big clubs with academies nearby, were pretty bizarre.

We've been quite lucky with injuries this season and it wouldn't take many knocks for us to be down to the absolute bare bones.

Motivation

Maybe it is because a lot of the lads are based in the Midlands and travel up train and play, and thus don't feel the same level of connection with the club, but you don't get the impression that it really matters to some of them. If you look at the work rate of someone like Harvey Saunders, obviously a local lad, you can see that he desperately wants to win every game and busts a gut and I'm not sure you can say the same about all of them.

As well as his goals one thing was lost with Styche was his personality - he was always positive and upbeat and despite also coming from the Midlands you really did get the impression he bought into the club and it mattered to him that we won games. He could be a bit greedy mind like all strikers but I think we've almost missed as much off the field as on it.

Leadership

Tied in with the above, one thing we do seem to be desperately lacking at the moment is leadership, and mental strength generally. We very much look like a collection of individuals rather than a team. If you look at the starting line up against Hereford every player was 25 or under bar Tezza, Liam Hughes and Dave Syers. And even then Liam and Tez only 27/28. We are crying out for an experienced and vocal player, ideally local, who can stamp his authority on the team preferably from centre back or centre mid.

I like Thommo but he's not a captain - I was watching him against Hereford when we pulled it back to 2-2 and the game was there to be won - you want to see your captain getting everyone psyched up to push on for the winner and he was absolutely silent.

The leads we've thrown away recently really show that we don't have anyone to get the team to pull together and motivate them effectively. Seems to be a bit of a blind spot for Tommy which is odd because he was very vocal as a player himself.

My verdict

I can absolutely see what people mean when they say they want Wright to go. They're right in that it fees like the club is drifting at the moment - the matchday experience is flat, the team is looks short of confidence despite the unbeaten run in the league, and there's a general feel of stagnation about the place.

However I think there's a real danger of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Wright isn't perfect but I think he does a lot of things right I really don't think we're far off being a force this season. Last season a lot of people were ready to write Wright off when we went on a run. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that happened this season.

I'd also say that it's not good enough to say 'doesn't matter who we get in just get rid'. That might just about be fair enough if we were bottom and had lost five on the trot. But we haven't lost in six league games. We're really not far short of being a good team at this level. If there was an alternative waiting in the wings that was in our budget and we could almost guarantee would do better with this group of players, fine get them in. If you can't do that then it's taking a huge gamble to start again from scratch. Fact is although the headline stat of being three points from relegation sounds bad, there are four teams between us and the last relegation spot and we're not losing at the minute, so are unlikely to get sucked in.

I'm not saying we can keep on ignoring the situation indefinitely. But for my money we're not yet in a position where we have no alternative but to let Wright go, and considering what it'd cost us that's where we'd have to be.

[en passant]

Have been lurking on this forum for a while but I'm just going to blather on now and get out all my thoughts on the current situation.

The Good

Recruitment

Firstly I think that some of the criticism Wright is coming in for is unwarranted. His recruitment has largely been good. Styche was a superb signing for us, and even though he probably was a fairly large outlay it's hard to argue he didn't represent value especially given we recouped what we spent on him and probably more. Similarly Heaton was a real gem that has earned the club a significant sum and will hopefully get us more if he goes on in the game and earns another fee.

He's also brought in a number of players that are class acts at this level - Trotman, Wheatley, Elliott, Nicholson and O'Hanlon all look the part (generally more convinced about the first two than the rest, but they are all good enough to play a part at sides at the upper end of this division).

The real let down so far has been Ainge. I don't know what he's on financially but whenever I've seen him he's looked disinterested and unfit and he's not earning whatever it is at the moment for me. It's harsh to be too critical over one chance but the header he put wide against Hereford was a horror miss and to have come back to win that game would have been a huge lift to everyone. Apart from that though I don't think that Wright has gone too far wrong in the transfer market (although I'm not convinced by Liam Hughes despite his successful conversion to centre back).

You also have to bear in mind that a significant part of his budget has always been tied up on MG signings that offer nothing to us as a club - Caton and Dom Collins.

Style of play

If you compare the stuff we play with what it was under MG it's chalk and cheese. The ball used to spend most of the time in the air under Gray and we now at least get the ball down and play progressive football. When it's come off this season (Blackley and Telford and start of BPA and Kiddy most notable examples) we have cut apart some of the best teams in this league. I know you don't win prizes for style and we don't replicate it often enough but at our best we are one of the best footballing teams I have seen at this level.

The bad

Squad management

This is where things have really gone wrong for me. The criticism he's come in for because of the paper thin squad is absolutely justified in my eyes. You can tell that players aren't really worried about being dropped because they know there's no plausible replacement. I understand that there are budget constraints but every team has budget constraints and most manage to have a playing squad large enough to cope with injuries and give the manager a couple of options off the bench. The comments about loan signings, which would be ideal for us with three big clubs with academies nearby, were pretty bizarre.

We've been quite lucky with injuries this season and it wouldn't take many knocks for us to be down to the absolute bare bones.

Motivation

Maybe it is because a lot of the lads are based in the Midlands and travel up train and play, and thus don't feel the same level of connection with the club, but you don't get the impression that it really matters to some of them. If you look at the work rate of someone like Harvey Saunders, obviously a local lad, you can see that he desperately wants to win every game and busts a gut and I'm not sure you can say the same about all of them.

As well as his goals one thing was lost with Styche was his personality - he was always positive and upbeat and despite also coming from the Midlands you really did get the impression he bought into the club and it mattered to him that we won games. He could be a bit greedy mind like all strikers but I think we've almost missed as much off the field as on it.

Leadership

Tied in with the above, one thing we do seem to be desperately lacking at the moment is leadership, and mental strength generally. We very much look like a collection of individuals rather than a team. If you look at the starting line up against Hereford every player was 25 or under bar Tezza, Liam Hughes and Dave Syers. And even then Liam and Tez only 27/28. We are crying out for an experienced and vocal player, ideally local, who can stamp his authority on the team preferably from centre back or centre mid.

I like Thommo but he's not a captain - I was watching him against Hereford when we pulled it back to 2-2 and the game was there to be won - you want to see your captain getting everyone psyched up to push on for the winner and he was absolutely silent.

The leads we've thrown away recently really show that we don't have anyone to get the team to pull together and motivate them effectively. Seems to be a bit of a blind spot for Tommy which is odd because he was very vocal as a player himself.

My verdict

I can absolutely see what people mean when they say they want Wright to go. They're right in that it fees like the club is drifting at the moment - the matchday experience is flat, the team is looks short of confidence despite the unbeaten run in the league, and there's a general feel of stagnation about the place.

However I think there's a real danger of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Wright isn't perfect but I think he does a lot of things right I really don't think we're far off being a force this season. Last season a lot of people were ready to write Wright off when we went on a run. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that happened this season.

I'd also say that it's not good enough to say 'doesn't matter who we get in just get rid'. That might just about be fair enough if we were bottom and had lost five on the trot. But we haven't lost in six league games. We're really not far short of being a good team at this level. If there was an alternative waiting in the wings that was in our budget and we could almost guarantee would do better with this group of players, fine get them in. If you can't do that then it's taking a huge gamble to start again from scratch. Fact is although the headline stat of being three points from relegation sounds bad, there are four teams between us and the last relegation spot and we're not losing at the minute, so are unlikely to get sucked in.

I'm not saying we can keep on ignoring the situation indefinitely. But for my money we're not yet in a position where we have no alternative but to let Wright go, and considering what it'd cost us that's where we'd have to be.

A lot of sensible points here and a worthy antidote to the mass of recent posts that appear to be operating in a parallel universe where we have already sacked TW and are actively looking for the next victim of our fragile brand of support. On the point of leadership, I do wonder what has happened to Ainge. In the early games he was a very vocal presence, probably more so than Styche, but he just seems to have lost his motivation, and seems very uninterested when asked to do interviews. He was captain on Friday wasn't he? As others have said, that role may not be all that significant, but you would hope that you would at least get an inspiring performance, and I just didn't see enough of that.

[LoidLucan]

Re the points on recruitment there are some gaps in your summary and some of it I would take issue with. Wheatley is a very good player though he was brought in by MG not Wright. Trotman is a very good right-back and Nicholson can be very effective on his day. Obviously the outlay on Ainge (who looks a very unhappy player) hasn't worked out for whatever reason but you have neglected to mention Henshall, who has been largely ineffective or injured or not used, and Burn, who hasn't exactly shone and, in any case, isn't used very much by the man who signed him. Also I think most would say that O'Hanlon's form in general is nothing like it was. Elliott can be an effective midfielder on his day but most would say that TW's recruitment has left us woefully short in that area, especially so as Hughes has had to be converted into a defender because it wasn't working in midfield. I think most would say TW's recruitment policy has left us short on numbers and lightweight in critical areas. The squad is unbalanced following TW's recruitment.

On the style of play, yes we have put together some stylish play but really not often enough and frequently it has only ever been for a 20-minute or first half spell. We often crumble when on the back foot and the vast swings in performance levels have been alarming. We have made teams like Telford and Altrincham look like world-beaters.

And yes we are lacking in leadership, organisation and motivation as much from the top as among the players on the pitch. Again, a TW issue.

As regards the relegation fight, I think lots of people believe it's very likely that's what lies ahead rather than it being unlikely. Only a three-point gap, worryingly inconsistent, lacking in leadership, organisation and motivation, wafer-thin, lightweight squad and other sides picking up wins. It all points one way.

[bga]

All this talk of new managers is pointless, especially when we still have someone still in charge.

All we can do is continue to back TW & AW irrespective of how poor it may seem right now.

I disagree it makes perfect sense to sound out potential candidates and a younger NL or evostick manager is required who can show some tactical skill. TW & AW used to only have plan A after Friday plan A went out the window and it looked a pub team turn up, check whose most sober and they are playing because we have no subs. Any chance we can swap Ainge and a fray bentos pie as Harrogate like a tined pie, for the return of Beck?
Atkinson is not a coach, heard him speak at MG academy sessions.

I agree....it makes perfect sense for any Board, who knows the Manager and Assistant Manager are probably unhappy, to have a Contingency plan should the pair, dare I say it........RESIGN. It is just what any business would do isn't it?

[holmesdale]

Have been lurking on this forum for a while but I'm just going to blather on now and get out all my thoughts on the current situation.

The Good

Recruitment

Firstly I think that some of the criticism Wright is coming in for is unwarranted. His recruitment has largely been good. Styche was a superb signing for us, and even though he probably was a fairly large outlay it's hard to argue he didn't represent value especially given we recouped what we spent on him and probably more. Similarly Heaton was a real gem that has earned the club a significant sum and will hopefully get us more if he goes on in the game and earns another fee.

He's also brought in a number of players that are class acts at this level - Trotman, Wheatley, Elliott, Nicholson and O'Hanlon all look the part (generally more convinced about the first two than the rest, but they are all good enough to play a part at sides at the upper end of this division).

The real let down so far has been Ainge. I don't know what he's on financially but whenever I've seen him he's looked disinterested and unfit and he's not earning whatever it is at the moment for me. It's harsh to be too critical over one chance but the header he put wide against Hereford was a horror miss and to have come back to win that game would have been a huge lift to everyone. Apart from that though I don't think that Wright has gone too far wrong in the transfer market (although I'm not convinced by Liam Hughes despite his successful conversion to centre back).

You also have to bear in mind that a significant part of his budget has always been tied up on MG signings that offer nothing to us as a club - Caton and Dom Collins.

Style of play

If you compare the stuff we play with what it was under MG it's chalk and cheese. The ball used to spend most of the time in the air under Gray and we now at least get the ball down and play progressive football. When it's come off this season (Blackley and Telford and start of BPA and Kiddy most notable examples) we have cut apart some of the best teams in this league. I know you don't win prizes for style and we don't replicate it often enough but at our best we are one of the best footballing teams I have seen at this level.

The bad

Squad management

This is where things have really gone wrong for me. The criticism he's come in for because of the paper thin squad is absolutely justified in my eyes. You can tell that players aren't really worried about being dropped because they know there's no plausible replacement. I understand that there are budget constraints but every team has budget constraints and most manage to have a playing squad large enough to cope with injuries and give the manager a couple of options off the bench. The comments about loan signings, which would be ideal for us with three big clubs with academies nearby, were pretty bizarre.

We've been quite lucky with injuries this season and it wouldn't take many knocks for us to be down to the absolute bare bones.

Motivation

Maybe it is because a lot of the lads are based in the Midlands and travel up train and play, and thus don't feel the same level of connection with the club, but you don't get the impression that it really matters to some of them. If you look at the work rate of someone like Harvey Saunders, obviously a local lad, you can see that he desperately wants to win every game and busts a gut and I'm not sure you can say the same about all of them.

As well as his goals one thing was lost with Styche was his personality - he was always positive and upbeat and despite also coming from the Midlands you really did get the impression he bought into the club and it mattered to him that we won games. He could be a bit greedy mind like all strikers but I think we've almost missed as much off the field as on it.

Leadership

Tied in with the above, one thing we do seem to be desperately lacking at the moment is leadership, and mental strength generally. We very much look like a collection of individuals rather than a team. If you look at the starting line up against Hereford every player was 25 or under bar Tezza, Liam Hughes and Dave Syers. And even then Liam and Tez only 27/28. We are crying out for an experienced and vocal player, ideally local, who can stamp his authority on the team preferably from centre back or centre mid.

I like Thommo but he's not a captain - I was watching him against Hereford when we pulled it back to 2-2 and the game was there to be won - you want to see your captain getting everyone psyched up to push on for the winner and he was absolutely silent.

The leads we've thrown away recently really show that we don't have anyone to get the team to pull together and motivate them effectively. Seems to be a bit of a blind spot for Tommy which is odd because he was very vocal as a player himself.

My verdict

I can absolutely see what people mean when they say they want Wright to go. They're right in that it fees like the club is drifting at the moment - the matchday experience is flat, the team is looks short of confidence despite the unbeaten run in the league, and there's a general feel of stagnation about the place.

However I think there's a real danger of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Wright isn't perfect but I think he does a lot of things right I really don't think we're far off being a force this season. Last season a lot of people were ready to write Wright off when we went on a run. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that happened this season.

I'd also say that it's not good enough to say 'doesn't matter who we get in just get rid'. That might just about be fair enough if we were bottom and had lost five on the trot. But we haven't lost in six league games. We're really not far short of being a good team at this level. If there was an alternative waiting in the wings that was in our budget and we could almost guarantee would do better with this group of players, fine get them in. If you can't do that then it's taking a huge gamble to start again from scratch. Fact is although the headline stat of being three points from relegation sounds bad, there are four teams between us and the last relegation spot and we're not losing at the minute, so are unlikely to get sucked in.

I'm not saying we can keep on ignoring the situation indefinitely. But for my money we're not yet in a position where we have no alternative but to let Wright go, and considering what it'd cost us that's where we'd have to be.

A lot of sensible points here and a worthy antidote to the mass of recent posts that appear to be operating in a parallel universe where we have already sacked TW and are actively looking for the next victim of our fragile brand of support. On the point of leadership, I do wonder what has happened to Ainge. In the early games he was a very vocal presence, probably more so than Styche, but he just seems to have lost his motivation, and seems very uninterested when asked to do interviews. He was captain on Friday wasn't he? As others have said, that role may not be all that significant, but you would hope that you would at least get an inspiring performance, and I just didn't see enough of that.

Great summary. The difference between success and failure in this league is very fine and depends on one or two players probably and a bit of on-field leadership. Also, as another poster has said, squad depth drives competition - in our case we are very thin.

Recruitment is hard too - remember everyone is looking for the next Vardy, Dan Burn or Jordan Pickford - just like us - so we have to take chances - some work, some don't - that is then the managers job to continue to strive to improve the 'gene pool'.

Tommy and Alan are doing their best on a limited budget - give them a chance. Do we really want the Ctrl-Alt-Delete reset half way through a season ?

[Darlogramps]

I'm not so sure it was as straightforward as Hardy didnt want the job last time. Was an approach made to his club? Everything was clouded over with TW's infamous U turn. I'm sure if feelers were put out and it was done through the right channels he would be interested. I think he likes things done by the book.

Hardy was interested and more than happy to come. The deal was essentially done, TW got wind of it and resigned on the Friday evening without speaking to his chairman (leaving his employers without a manager less than 24 hours before a match).

But because he doesn't give testy interviews, we're led to believe TW is a stand up guy.

Hardy would have left Whitby for us, but didn't want to leave his employers in the s***. And yet the same people who criticise him for this are the same ones who kick off at MG for the manner of his departure.

[Darlogramps]

Have been lurking on this forum for a while but I'm just going to blather on now and get out all my thoughts on the current situation.

The Good

Recruitment

Firstly I think that some of the criticism Wright is coming in for is unwarranted. His recruitment has largely been good. Styche was a superb signing for us, and even though he probably was a fairly large outlay it's hard to argue he didn't represent value especially given we recouped what we spent on him and probably more. Similarly Heaton was a real gem that has earned the club a significant sum and will hopefully get us more if he goes on in the game and earns another fee.

He's also brought in a number of players that are class acts at this level - Trotman, Wheatley, Elliott, Nicholson and O'Hanlon all look the part (generally more convinced about the first two than the rest, but they are all good enough to play a part at sides at the upper end of this division).

The real let down so far has been Ainge. I don't know what he's on financially but whenever I've seen him he's looked disinterested and unfit and he's not earning whatever it is at the moment for me. It's harsh to be too critical over one chance but the header he put wide against Hereford was a horror miss and to have come back to win that game would have been a huge lift to everyone. Apart from that though I don't think that Wright has gone too far wrong in the transfer market (although I'm not convinced by Liam Hughes despite his successful conversion to centre back).

You also have to bear in mind that a significant part of his budget has always been tied up on MG signings that offer nothing to us as a club - Caton and Dom Collins.

Style of play

If you compare the stuff we play with what it was under MG it's chalk and cheese. The ball used to spend most of the time in the air under Gray and we now at least get the ball down and play progressive football. When it's come off this season (Blackley and Telford and start of BPA and Kiddy most notable examples) we have cut apart some of the best teams in this league. I know you don't win prizes for style and we don't replicate it often enough but at our best we are one of the best footballing teams I have seen at this level.

The bad

Squad management

This is where things have really gone wrong for me. The criticism he's come in for because of the paper thin squad is absolutely justified in my eyes. You can tell that players aren't really worried about being dropped because they know there's no plausible replacement. I understand that there are budget constraints but every team has budget constraints and most manage to have a playing squad large enough to cope with injuries and give the manager a couple of options off the bench. The comments about loan signings, which would be ideal for us with three big clubs with academies nearby, were pretty bizarre.

We've been quite lucky with injuries this season and it wouldn't take many knocks for us to be down to the absolute bare bones.

Motivation

Maybe it is because a lot of the lads are based in the Midlands and travel up train and play, and thus don't feel the same level of connection with the club, but you don't get the impression that it really matters to some of them. If you look at the work rate of someone like Harvey Saunders, obviously a local lad, you can see that he desperately wants to win every game and busts a gut and I'm not sure you can say the same about all of them.

As well as his goals one thing was lost with Styche was his personality - he was always positive and upbeat and despite also coming from the Midlands you really did get the impression he bought into the club and it mattered to him that we won games. He could be a bit greedy mind like all strikers but I think we've almost missed as much off the field as on it.

Leadership

Tied in with the above, one thing we do seem to be desperately lacking at the moment is leadership, and mental strength generally. We very much look like a collection of individuals rather than a team. If you look at the starting line up against Hereford every player was 25 or under bar Tezza, Liam Hughes and Dave Syers. And even then Liam and Tez only 27/28. We are crying out for an experienced and vocal player, ideally local, who can stamp his authority on the team preferably from centre back or centre mid.

I like Thommo but he's not a captain - I was watching him against Hereford when we pulled it back to 2-2 and the game was there to be won - you want to see your captain getting everyone psyched up to push on for the winner and he was absolutely silent.

The leads we've thrown away recently really show that we don't have anyone to get the team to pull together and motivate them effectively. Seems to be a bit of a blind spot for Tommy which is odd because he was very vocal as a player himself.

My verdict

I can absolutely see what people mean when they say they want Wright to go. They're right in that it fees like the club is drifting at the moment - the matchday experience is flat, the team is looks short of confidence despite the unbeaten run in the league, and there's a general feel of stagnation about the place.

However I think there's a real danger of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Wright isn't perfect but I think he does a lot of things right I really don't think we're far off being a force this season. Last season a lot of people were ready to write Wright off when we went on a run. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that happened this season.

I'd also say that it's not good enough to say 'doesn't matter who we get in just get rid'. That might just about be fair enough if we were bottom and had lost five on the trot. But we haven't lost in six league games. We're really not far short of being a good team at this level. If there was an alternative waiting in the wings that was in our budget and we could almost guarantee would do better with this group of players, fine get them in. If you can't do that then it's taking a huge gamble to start again from scratch. Fact is although the headline stat of being three points from relegation sounds bad, there are four teams between us and the last relegation spot and we're not losing at the minute, so are unlikely to get sucked in.

I'm not saying we can keep on ignoring the situation indefinitely. But for my money we're not yet in a position where we have no alternative but to let Wright go, and considering what it'd cost us that's where we'd have to be.

A lot of sensible points here and a worthy antidote to the mass of recent posts that appear to be operating in a parallel universe where we have already sacked TW and are actively looking for the next victim of our fragile brand of support. On the point of leadership, I do wonder what has happened to Ainge. In the early games he was a very vocal presence, probably more so than Styche, but he just seems to have lost his motivation, and seems very uninterested when asked to do interviews. He was captain on Friday wasn't he? As others have said, that role may not be all that significant, but you would hope that you would at least get an inspiring performance, and I just didn't see enough of that.

Great summary. The difference between success and failure in this league is very fine and depends on one or two players probably and a bit of on-field leadership. Also, as another poster has said, squad depth drives competition - in our case we are very thin.

Recruitment is hard too - remember everyone is looking for the next Vardy, Dan Burn or Jordan Pickford - just like us - so we have to take chances - some work, some don't - that is then the managers job to continue to strive to improve the 'gene pool'.

Tommy and Alan are doing their best on a limited budget - give them a chance. Do we really want the Ctrl-Alt-Delete reset half way through a season ?

Give them a chance? They've had a whole year. TW was bringing in his own players as soon as he arrived.

I could take losing if there was sign of improvement. But there isn't - one step forward, two steps back. That's been the epitome of his flatlining non-leadership.

Too many times this season, our players have looked clueless and confused. TW doesn't have any idea about his best formation, style, tactics or starting XI. For this to be the case after more than a year is utterly ludicrous.

The players aren't playing for him or AW. They're bereft of confidence and have no idea what's expected of them. Anyone who braved last Friday night would tell you that. Time after time we are exposed as being tactically useless.

The apologists will cling to any excuse because apparently TW is a "nice guy", or "he plays football in the right way" (he doesn't by the way).

By his own admission, we should be challenging for the top 10 - allegedly the squad is better than last year. Yet our record under him is consisently abysmal, with dire football on the pitch. I'd be more than happy to hit CTL-ALT-DEL as you put it, as I think other managers (McGurk, Hardy to name two) would get more out of this group than TW.

Even if we win a handful of games, it'll mean nothing because we'll then go on another terrible run. How do we know this? Because it's all that's ever happened under TW.

[LoidLucan]

That's a good summary of where I am with this. It's becoming clear that there are a lot of things radically wrong and no clear path out of it under TW. The players looked completely lost on Friday and not for the first time.

Also very interesting to read that about Hardy.

[loan_star]

I'm not so sure it was as straightforward as Hardy didnt want the job last time. Was an approach made to his club? Everything was clouded over with TW's infamous U turn. I'm sure if feelers were put out and it was done through the right channels he would be interested. I think he likes things done by the book.

Hardy was interested and more than happy to come. The deal was essentially done, TW got wind of it and resigned on the Friday evening without speaking to his chairman (leaving his employers without a manager less than 24 hours before a match).

But because he doesn't give testy interviews, we're led to believe TW is a stand up guy.

Hardy would have left Whitby for us, but didn't want to leave his employers in the s***. And yet the same people who criticise him for this are the same ones who kick off at MG for the manner of his departure.

I suppose it depends who you speak to, from what I heard Hardy was interviewed but not offered the job as no firm decision had been made about him.

[Darlogramps]

I'm not so sure it was as straightforward as Hardy didnt want the job last time. Was an approach made to his club? Everything was clouded over with TW's infamous U turn. I'm sure if feelers were put out and it was done through the right channels he would be interested. I think he likes things done by the book.

Hardy was interested and more than happy to come. The deal was essentially done, TW got wind of it and resigned on the Friday evening without speaking to his chairman (leaving his employers without a manager less than 24 hours before a match).

But because he doesn't give testy interviews, we're led to believe TW is a stand up guy.

Hardy would have left Whitby for us, but didn't want to leave his employers in the s***. And yet the same people who criticise him for this are the same ones who kick off at MG for the manner of his departure.

I suppose it depends who you speak to, from what I heard Hardy was interviewed but not offered the job as no firm decision had been made about him.

Then you heard wrong.

Hardy was happy to take the job, but didn't want to drop Whitby in it for their game on the Saturday. Plus DJ was out of the country that weekend, so any deal couldn't be concluded until the Monday. That's from someone at Whitby. They were ready to say goodbye.

Wright heard about it, judged it was a better job than Nuneaton and went for it (dropping Nuneaton in the proverbial hours before a match). But no one mentions that because he's such a swell guy.

[loan_star]

To be fair my sources are usually bang on and connected to Darlo, not another team.

[Darlogramps]

To be fair my sources are usually bang on and connected to Darlo, not another team.

Believe what you want to. I don't really care - your "sources" are off on this one.

Hardy was all ready to take the job - something I know to be true. Whitby were stunned when we announced Wright.

Ultimately none of it matters as it was 12 months ago. But I'm surprised so many people will conveniently ignore how Wright dropped Nuneaton in it to take over with us. To me, it says a lot about his character.

The reaction to Gray resigning to take over at another club was bad enough. Imagine if he'd done it less than 24 hours before a game.

[loan_star]

To be fair my sources are usually bang on and connected to Darlo, not another team.

Believe what you want to. I don't really care - your "sources" are off on this one.

Hardy was all ready to take the job - something I know to be true. Whitby were stunned when we announced Wright.

Ultimately none of it matters as it was 12 months ago. But I'm surprised so many people will conveniently ignore how Wright dropped Nuneaton in it to take over with us.

Thanks for your permission to believe people I trust and who are rarely wrong.

Anyway, I’m sure Wright isn’t the only person to change his mind on a job offer or to leave a club with an unwanted problem the day before a match. It happens, doesn’t make him better or worse than a lot of managers. It’s just some of us accept that this goes on and don’t see the need to use it as a stick to beat him with.

Also, your comparison with Gray isn’t really a good one. At least we compensated Nuneaton for Wright, something York managed to avoid. To me that’s far worse than a manager ducking out of a job a day before a game.

[Darlogramps]

To be fair my sources are usually bang on and connected to Darlo, not another team.

Believe what you want to. I don't really care - your "sources" are off on this one.

Hardy was all ready to take the job - something I know to be true. Whitby were stunned when we announced Wright.

Ultimately none of it matters as it was 12 months ago. But I'm surprised so many people will conveniently ignore how Wright dropped Nuneaton in it to take over with us.

Thanks for your permission to believe people I trust and who are rarely wrong.

Anyway, I’m sure Wright isn’t the only person to change his mind on a job offer or to leave a club with an unwanted problem the day before a match. It happens, doesn’t make him better or worse than a lot of managers. It’s just some of us accept that this goes on and don’t see the need to use it as a stick to beat him with.

Also, your comparison with Gray isn’t really a good one. At least we compensated Nuneaton for Wright, something York managed to avoid. To me that’s far worse than a manager ducking out of a job a day before a game.

Stop being so defensive. Only telling you what I know to be true. Up to you whether you accept it or not.

But you've missed my point entirely. The clubs paying compensation is irrelevant to the point I'm making. My point is about Wright's conduct in leaving Nuneaton being poor.

Just because we compensated Nuneaton doesn't make Wright's behaviour acceptable. In exactly the same way, Gray would still have been a tool, even if York had paid us what we were owed. It was poor and disrespectful to his own employers and it's part of the reason I've never taken to TW as manager. The same thing had happened to us, and we were livid, and rightly so. But you can't then give TW a free pass if you're unhappy with Gray. And yet it barely gets commented on.

We're sold the tale that Wright is such a nice guy etc. But he dropped his previous employers in the mire less than a day before a game. That to me suggests he's not as wonderful a guy as people want to make out.

[loan_star]

It’s exactly how you reacted to me in the past when I said feel free to have your opinion.
And you have missed my point entirely too. I didn’t say it was right to do what he did but that it’s what goes on in football, managers leave and let the clubs pick up the pieces. Compensation is meant to recompense a club for the loss of their manager and the hassle it brings, something Grays move didnt do. That to me is worse than Wright leaving on a Friday.

[Darlogramps]

It’s exactly how you reacted to me in the past when I said feel free to have your opinion.
And you have missed my point entirely too. I didn’t say it was right to do what he did but that it’s what goes on in football, managers leave and let the clubs pick up the pieces. Compensation is meant to recompense a club for the loss of their manager and the hassle it brings, something Grays move didnt do. That to me is worse than Wright leaving on a Friday.

I haven't missed any point. I know exactly what you're saying, but frankly I think your need to defend Darlington FC from any criticism is blinding you here.

If Gray had resigned from us and been unveiled as York manager on the Friday night, you'd have been furious and you know it. That's much worse as you're ignoring your responsibilities (I.e. preparing your team for a game). Yet that's exactly what TW did.

Yes we did the right thing in compensating Nuneaton, and York were wrong to fail to pay us what we were owed. But it doesn't change anything about how TW himself behaved.

I know we have our clashes but frankly I'm disappointed if you think TW was justified in leaving his employers in the lurch at stupidly short notice (with the Nuneaton chairman abroad I might add) like he did. "That's football" isn't an excuse for failing to do something correctly.

TW was selfish, cowardly and unacceptable in doing what he did, which suggests to me he isn't as wonderful or nice as everyone makes out.

[loan_star]

You obviously have missed the point. Where have I said that Wright’s actions were acceptable? It’s a fact that this type of thing happens in football. You seem to imply Grays move wasn’t as bad but long term we had the treble whammy of no compensation, losing the first choice replacements in Atkinson and Gregan due to conflict of interest and also the need to set up a new academy and the costs related to that too. Makes Wright leaving on Friday pale into insignificance.

[Darlogramps]

You obviously have missed the point. Where have I said that Wright’s actions were acceptable? It’s a fact that this type of thing happens in football. You seem to imply Grays move wasn’t as bad but long term we had the treble whammy of no compensation, losing the first choice replacements in Atkinson and Gregan due to conflict of interest and also the need to set up a new academy and the costs related to that too. Makes Wright leaving on Friday pale into insignificance.

I obviously haven't missed any point. You haven't said Wright's actions were unacceptable. Indeed you've excused them by saying "It happens". You're giving him a free pass because other people have done it. To me, that's not good enough.

You're getting way too hung up on Martin Gray here. I used him as an example because he did EXACTLY the same thing as Tommy Wright. That's all. Both are as bad as each other. Yet we're sold the tale that TW is so much more wonderful than Gray. I think that proves it to be a myth.

Yes Darlington and York behaved differently, but that says more about the clubs. And it is entirely irrelevant to how Gray and Wright individually chose to behave. That suggests TW isn't the nice guy people make out.