Dulwich Hamlet and Coronavirus

[Roger D]

Southport have packed up for the foreseeable future.

Statement - Curzon (A) | Southport Football Club

Southport Football Club, in agreement with Curzon Ashton, will not be fulfilling tomorrow evening’s fixture

southportfc.net

 

[StephenMac]

Marc White of Dorking now calling clubs refusing to play 'emotional' and 'childish'. What a guy.

 

[Pink Panther]

Marc White of Dorking now calling clubs refusing to play 'emotional' and 'childish'. What a guy.

As far as I can tell he and other like minded managers and clubs have got what they wanted at almost every turn since the pandemic started. It's down to their pushy cavalier approach that clubs like ours (who are anything but emotional) have been strung along and made to go with the flow, and we've all ended up in a colossal mess presided over by the hopeless group of people managing the National League.

White wanted to decide last season on PPG, even though only 75-80% of fixtures had been completed.

White pushed to be designated as "elite" so his club could contest play-offs when non-elite football wasn't allowed to take place.

Then, when elite sports still weren't allowed spectators by October, he was in the vanguard of those pushing to play behind closed doors. (Who cares whether supporters can attend the matches as long as he gets to continue living out his fantasy of chasing more and more promotions with his club?) Hence the League Management Committee negotiated the half-baked funding package and crossed their fingers that we'd be back to normal before it all unravelled.

Without those decisions going his way we'd have started this season with grounds at 30% capacity, like the leagues below, then we'd have had to stop playing in November like they did. That would have been disappointing, of course, but it would surely have been preferable to the situation we currently have.

 

[bkbk]

Marc White of Dorking now calling clubs refusing to play 'emotional' and 'childish'. What a guy.

Childish is a bit rich from a man in his late 40s who wont be seen without a baseball cap on.

 

[StephenMac]

Childish is a bit rich from a man in his late 40s who wont be seen without a baseball cap on.

As a man in his late 40s who wears a baseball cap to football I feel attacked. Attacked! And now I feel forced into defending him by mentioning he was actually hat-less in this particular interview.

Gah!

 

[PartisanDulwich]

Dorking Wanderers founder, owner and manager Marc White: 'This place is about the people - no fans is just a nightmare

Club founder Marc White is excited about the future of Dorking Wanderers and insists “sustainability has priority over promotion”

 

[StephenMac]

Dorking Wanderers founder, owner and manager Marc White: 'This place is about the people - no fans is just a nightmare

Club founder Marc White is excited about the future of Dorking Wanderers and insists “sustainability has priority over promotion”

I listened to a podcast sort of thing the other day where the panel was White, Steve King from Dartford, Paul Doswell from Havant and Patrick Chambers from Hungerford (don't shoot me, lockdown does weird stuff to people).

They all ranted and raved about the current situation, all from the perspective of wanting to continue, but I think it was around 86 minutes into a 90 minute programme that supporters were mentioned for the first and only time. All very transparent.

 

[bkbk]

As a man in his late 40s who wears a baseball cap to football I feel attacked. Attacked! And now I feel forced into defending him by mentioning he was actually hat-less in this particular interview.

Gah!

I take it all back.

 

[StephenMac]

I take it all back.

Ah, go on then, you're forgiven.

 

[Pink Panther]

I listened to a podcast sort of thing the other day where the panel was White, Steve King from Dartford, Paul Doswell from Havant and Patrick Chambers from Hungerford (don't shoot me, lockdown does weird stuff to people).

They all ranted and raved about the current situation, all from the perspective of wanting to continue, but I think it was around 86 minutes into a 90 minute programme that supporters were mentioned for the first and only time. All very transparent.

That's three managers and clubs who pushed for elite status so they could compete for promotion in the play offs last year, plus the biggest beneficiaries of the funding fiasco. As I said earlier, these are the people who've been setting the agenda and getting their way ever since last season was interrupted, and it's resulted in one problem after another for all of us. Now it's time for other clubs' voices to be listened to and acted upon instead.

I doubt Hungerford take £90k in gate receipts in an entire season, so they've already had a nice bonus for the lottery funding. They would probably have been relegated last year, they avoided relegation by a whisker the previous year but now they're in the running for a play off place, so it's easy to see why they wish to continue.

 

[StephenMac]

That's three managers and clubs who pushed for elite status so they could compete for promotion in the play offs last year, plus the biggest beneficiaries of the funding fiasco. As I said earlier, these are the people who've been setting the agenda and getting their way ever since last season was interrupted, and it's resulted in one problem after another for all of us. Now it's time for other clubs' voices to be listened to and acted upon instead.

I doubt Hungerford take £90k in gate receipts in an entire season, so they've already had a nice bonus for the lottery funding. They would probably have been relegated last year, they avoided relegation by a whisker the previous year but now they're in the running for a play off place, so it's easy to see why they wish to continue.

Indeed. The complete lack of balance was noted. Hungerford Chairman claimed their weekly playing budget was £2k last season. He then said they'd reduced it by 40% this season before going on to say they were lucky that they still have a little of the £90k lottery money left. The maths suggests that he's talking complete bollocks.

King was actually the most honest of the four in that he admitted he'd have no interest in continuing if they weren't up the right end of the table.

Doswell had a completely odd take on all of it given that his chairman, the chairman's wife and his kitman were at death's door a month or so ago. Apparently Covid is no longer an issue because they got better again.

And White talked a lot. Some sensible stuff, some much less so. But boy, did he talk. Will be interesting to see what happens when they inevitably get promoted, whenever that may be. Presumably they'll just be a less well-resourced Boreham Wood and where's the point in that?

 

[Roger D]

Chester have now ceased playing with immediate effect. They will reconsider once the result of the votes are known.

 

[Roger D]

Marc White (Dorking Wanderers) has said he anticipates a null and void vote. He has taken legal advice and is threatening legal action if this happens.

Just another day in the paradise that is the Conference.

 

[Nivag]

Wasn't the Dorking manager the one that had a tantrum while we was at

Marc White (Dorking Wanderers) has said he anticipates a null and void vote. He has taken legal advice and is threatening legal action if this happens.

Just another day in the paradise that is the Conference.

I hope there aren't any cups of tea around he can throw if it doesn't go his way.

 

[StephenMac]

Marc White (Dorking Wanderers) has said he anticipates a null and void vote. He has taken legal advice and is threatening legal action if this happens.

Just another day in the paradise that is the Conference.

Let him spaff a dozen Jason Priors on legal costs.

 

[Roger D]

Unfortunately the league's costs are likely to come from the member clubs. Obviously if they win they may well get a costs order but bills are likely to have to be met before that. If they lose, it would potentially be a big issue for the league's member clubs

 

[StephenMac]

All the more reason not to be in it.

 

[Roger D]

Should say I suspect it won't happen. The courts are generally reluctant to get involved in such disputes, believing it is one for football authorities.

Secondly if I am right and member clubs are potentially on the hook for funding any action, his erstwhile allies will soon be pressuring him to back down.

It looks suspiciously like sabre rattling to try and scare the league into trying to find a compromise and enact his preferred solution and to send a message to any clubs yet to vote.

The board may be inept but they knew this would be controversial and surely they got the plan of action read by a solicitor before proceeding...

Edited to say, Marc seems to be threatening action not legal action. Could he be looking at a sports arbitration route? The cost implications would probably remain.

 

[StephenMac]

Should say I suspect it won't happen. The courts are generally reluctant to get involved in such disputes, believing it is one for football authorities.

Secondly if I am right and member clubs are potentially on the hook for funding any action, his erstwhile allies will soon be pressuring him to back down.

It looks suspiciously like sabre rattling to try and scare the league into trying to find a compromise and enact his preferred solution and to send a message to any clubs yet to vote.

The board may be inept but they knew this would be controversial and surely they got the plan of action read by a solicitor before proceeding...

Edited to say, Marc seems to be threatening action not legal action. Could he be looking at a sports arbitration route? The cost implications would probably remain.

He may not have said legal action today but he has in recent weeks. Like you though, I think it's most likely a rather unsubtle bluff.

 

[PartisanDulwich]

so Trump esq - wait until he books four seasons total landscaping car park for a press conference for his crack legal team
same bluster - same delusions - same result

 

[EDC]

He's certainly acting a bit like the club crest.

 

[EDC]

Season over.

 

[Pink Panther]

Season over.

 

[AveryDave]

Given the way the League manufactured the process it's thankfully the right outcome for us - and I can only imagine they are delighted that they've been able to cut the North and South loose so they can concentrate on their main interests for the remainder of the season.

Can also understand, to an extent, why some North and South clubs will feel hard done by - but from what I've been able to keep track of, even those with a business model that can tolerate the current circumstances haven't been able to put together a credible argument around the safety of their players and staff in carrying on, so can't feel too bad for them.

 

[PartisanDulwich]

 

[StephenMac]

It's Marc White's cameraman I feel sorry for. The amount of bollocks he's going to have to listen to over the coming days.

 

[Pink Panther]

I did enjoy this Twitter message:

 

[Cat Daisy]

Given the way the League manufactured the process it's thankfully the right outcome for us - and I can only imagine they are delighted that they've been able to cut the North and South loose so they can concentrate on their main interests for the remainder of the season.

Can also understand, to an extent, why some North and South clubs will feel hard done by - but from what I've been able to keep track of, even those with a business model that can tolerate the current circumstances haven't been able to put together a credible argument around the safety of their players and staff in carrying on, so can't feel too bad for them.

No sympathy for the 12 NLS clubs who tried to game the system on resolution 1 to deny their peers a vote on their own division. Those 12 are clouded by delusions of grandeur that they are "elite" clubs - hope that and the loans don't come back to bite them later on! (But at least the only sensible decision on resolution 3 was reached in the end.)

 

[Pink Panther]

From the Southwark News:

Dulwich Hamlet manager fully backs the board as fixture row continues

By Simeon WrightDulwich Hamlet manager Gavin Rose is firmly behind the club’s decision to stop playing football – and is

www.southwarknews.co.uk

 

[Blitzwalker]

It's Marc White's cameraman I feel sorry for. The amount of bollocks he's going to have to listen to over the coming days.

Dorking fans seriously losing it on Twitter tonight and their club RT-ing all manner of tweets talking about corruption in the league. All hilarious stuff which has made any vestige of sympathy from me evaporate.

Null + Void is the correct and responsible thing to do. There are more important things to worry about in the world right now than pandering to football clubs and owners with delusions of grandeur.