Darlo Uncovered

Due to sign this week according to non league newspaper. Seems a done deal. AA said he needs an arm round his shoulder but loads of technical ability. Could come good.

Hopefully it’s not Andy Campbell but Adam

Yeah he’s going to be a bit of a wildcard but I’m quite excited to see how it pans out. He’s dropping a couple of levels and I believe he’s been played wide a lot over the last few years. I expect AA will play him more centrally and give him the confidence boost of being the main man leading the line.

I’d imagine his contract at Morecambe ends today hence the delay.

Yeah Divas. See he was described as diminuative. Is AA going for a Toshack/Keegan type pairing. I got the name wrong as well, it's Adam Campbell - Too early in the morning!

Well he had a lot of success at blyth with a number 9 in Maguire who is of similar stature. Hopefully the fans give him a chance

I'm quite enthused by that interview. It suggests he very much is the number 9 we're after, and Armstrong seems confident that his goalscoring record is false because he has been played out of position so much. If we were to sign, say, this 6'2" Ilkeston player then we have options to change it about as well. I'd say the squad is coming together, and unlike last season you can see where all the parts are meant to fit.

Shades of James Caton for me, so reserving judgement until I've seen him play a few times. If anyone remembers we signed Caton to play as a centre forward despite him hardly ever playing in that position before. It became evident after 10 minutes of his debut that he couldn't finish.

This is a big gamble I think, but the bottom line is we were never going to sign a proven forward with our budget. So yeah, we just need to back this kid and hope he comes up with the goods.

Hell we can't even compete with Whickham for wages, never mind Spendy, Shields, Gateshead, Pools and Morpeth.

Ghost_Of_1883 wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 30, 2019 12:35 pm

Shades of James Caton for me, so reserving judgement until I've seen him play a few times. If anyone remembers we signed Caton to play as a centre forward despite him hardly ever playing in that position before. It became evident after 10 minutes of his debut that he couldn't finish.

This is a big gamble I think, but the bottom line is we were never going to sign a proven forward with our budget. So yeah, we just need to back this kid and hope he comes up with the goods.

Hell we can't even compete with Whickham for wages, never mind Spendy, Shields, Gateshead, Pools and Morpeth.

I’m sure for the right player we can compete, those going to Whickham want a guaranteed successful season and no travel.

The difference with Campbell and Caton is that Campbell actually played as a CF when he was at Newcastle and was very highly thought of. Don’t think Caton ever played up front, just decided he fancied it. Campbell has over 100 FL appearances at 24. It’s definitely a gamble but seems a bit more calculated.

The transfer market in North-east non-league football has been a strange one this summer. The major feature was the carve-up of the best of Blyth to other clubs. York having a Geordie boss has meant he also looked this way and joined in with the advantage of a full-time offer.

South Shields i've noticed are now starting to look elsewhere and have just signed two teenagers, one of whom was a striker with Padiham and another a giant CB who played for Grays.

Blyth have cast their net on the Northern League and have also taken a player on a season-long loan from the league below them, Mouanda from S Shields. Very unusual.

One striker I thought may be on the move, Adam Boyes, after a season largely on the bench, seems at present to be staying put. He may well face another frustrating time when he should be playing every week but I guess there's the vibe to factor in

Maybe there will be more names to come out with contracts ending today and focusing minds and the big Academies deciding who'll benefit from a non-league toughening up excercise.

The mist unusual thing about the transfer market is whickham, signing players that could and should be playing higher up. God knows whos backing them. Alot of there signings could have held there own at likes of Darlington, gateshead, blyth etc. Hardly as if they have top facilities

Aren't they already talking about trying to march up through the leagues? Next they'll be saying they are the prideoftyneside

Three to go up this season.

UTA ️


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shildonlad wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 30, 2019 1:54 pm

The mist unusual thing about the transfer market is whickham, signing players that could and should be playing higher up. God knows whos backing them. Alot of there signings could have held there own at likes of Darlington, gateshead, blyth etc. Hardly as if they have top facilities

Not only that but people up that way probably have one football interest and that is the barcodes. If a team in the National League struggles to get the high hundreds through the gates then where do Whickham expect to grow their fan base from?

South Shields have successfully grown their fan base, currently it's bigger than ours!

Ghost_Of_1883 wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 30, 2019 3:43 pm

South Shields have successfully grown their fan base, currently it's bigger than ours!

Mainly due to Sunderland being crap and Shields signing Julio Arca. That created a base to build from.
In a way its similar to Pools doing them cheap season tickets years ago, it built a new fan base thats more or less stuck by the club.

Each season there seems to be a different tyne and wear club going all guns blazing and getting the band wagon jumpers. Still at least the fa have introduced compulsery promotion so stops clubs becoming like bedlington terriers. I personally hope its 3 county durham teams that go up next season: shildon, bishop and consett anyone

It'd be nice to see Bishop go up because back in the days when no one wanted promotion from the Northern League, they actually did want promotion but couldn't compete financially with the likes of Spendy, Shildon, West Auckland etc. They just seemed doomed to be Northern League for ever.

Stockton for me. A club that has risen from the Teesside league, Wearside league and won NL div 2 at first attempt 2 years ago. Resigned Jamie Owens and also Tom Portas


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Seems a decent enough signing but obviously we won't know until we get going.

We clearly need a midfielder or two but by the sounds of it Armstrong is working on that. It's hard to know if we are going in the right direction or not, at least most of the players being signed seem to be fit enough, just not sure we have replaced the goals lost from Styche/Nelson/Saunders/Nicholson really.

Agree, unless Campbell comes good, not sure where the goals are going to come from. AA says that Thompson will play behind the striker not out wide. Think he is brilliant but never really seen him play that well apart from out wide, so will be a real success for AA if he gets him playing well in that position, he certainly has the ability.
StIll need a couple of midfielders but looking forward to seeing new players.

According to the NLZ Whickhams assistant manager has a decent business and is injecting money into the club as well as providing jobs for the players.

HBomb wrote:According to the NLZ Whickhams assistant manager has a decent business and is injecting money into the club as well as providing jobs for the players.

How on earth will Whickham attract gates anywhere near even what Gateshead get.Another local club punching way above their weight that we have to compete against for players.Anyone know what gates they get?

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No doubt they've been getting some of the disgruntled Gateshead fans. But the last thing we need is more up and coming north east clubs.

Whickham's lowest gate last season was 63 and their highest 310 when they hosted their table topping neighbours Dunston. They had several gates of under 100. But they'll be battling for the title this time.

LoidLucan wrote:Whickham's lowest gate last season was 63 and their highest 310 when they hosted their table topping neighbours Dunston. They had several gates of under 100.

How can you run a club with those gates, plain crazy, what are their owners hoping to achieve for god's sake.Just don't get it.

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QUAKERMAN2 wrote:

HBomb wrote:According to the NLZ Whickhams assistant manager has a decent business and is injecting money into the club as well as providing jobs for the players.

How on earth will Whickham attract gates anywhere near even what Gateshead get.Another local club punching way above their weight that we have to compete against for players.Anyone know what gates they get?

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If we’re competing for players with the likes of NL clubs, we might as well all pack it in now.


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I think Whickham quite fancy the idea of "doing a Spennymoor" who are now saying in their sponsorship brochure that having become the "highest ranked semi-pro team in the North-east"..... "We’ve become a hot topic and it’s time we stopped progressing under the radar and took on the mantle of being the fourth largest football club in the North East of England."

LoidLucan wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 01, 2019 11:29 am

I think Whickham quite fancy the idea of "doing a Spennymoor" who are now saying in their sponsorship brochure that having become the "highest ranked semi-pro team in the North-east"..... "We’ve become a hot topic and it’s time we stopped progressing under the radar and took on the mantle of being the fourth largest football club in the North East of England."

Guess they overlooked the chimp chokers then! I remember the days their fans accused Darlo of being arrogant. Some of them still do.
Anyway, no matter what they think, they will never be the 4th biggest club in the north. Maybe one day they could be in league positions but never in club size.

I well remember celebrating long into the night thinking that we were the "highest ranked semi pro team in the north-east."

LoidLucan wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 01, 2019 11:29 am

I think Whickham quite fancy the idea of "doing a Spennymoor" who are now saying in their sponsorship brochure that having become the "highest ranked semi-pro team in the North-east"..... "We’ve become a hot topic and it’s time we stopped progressing under the radar and took on the mantle of being the fourth largest football club in the North East of England."

What would be the criteria for the “highest ranked club/fourth largest football club, “ purely league position/attendance/ the wealth of the chairman or passed football league status.
Of those we’d win one, Spenny would win one, SS would win one Gateshead none,
The wealth of Spenny or SS I don’t know . You also have Hartlepool who have the best ground,
You could put trophies in the mix.
I give up

Campbell signed according to the northern echo. Nothing official from club website yet.