Dulwich Hamlet v Bedfont Sports, FA Cup, 18 September 2021

[tonysingh]

I'm just waiting for the 'but he's got us promoted twice' line - yes, but in 12 seasons, spending millions of pounds in the process. A promotion once every 6 seasons is hardly value for money when we have the support and matchday income that we have. Alright, two of those seasons have been cut short, but I think it's safe to say we had no chance of promotion when Ijaha and co. were around, even if the season had carried on. On both promotion occasions he also had players that were playing so far beneath their real standard (Oztumer and Allassani).

There's no rapport with the fans, as evidenced by the lack of communication after Saturday's fuck up. I often feel like I'm turning up just to fund a football side for GR.

I've done various ranty posts in the past, so I don't have the desire to repeat myself, but I do think, madcap as he is, B.I.G has a very valid point in that why don't the board do something about someone who has underperformed in recent seasons (to the tune of hundreds of thousands of pounds), and who also seems to have an awful lot of power at club level. That can't be healthy. Is Gavin going to scrutinise his own performances? If he leaves, will we have an academy? Who actually has the power to relieve him of his position if it came to it?

It's not just Gavin that concerns me now - it's the people who have let things get to this positon that are starting to alarm me just as much.

Find it hard to disagree with any of that and that hurts to write. I'd add that things have changed all-round the club over the last couple of years. I can't quite quantify what it is exactly but it doesn't feel like the same club any more.

 

[StephenMac]

A relief to see Gav criticising the team for having a disrespectful attitude to both the opposition and the supporters last Saturday. Less thrilled by the usual mention of a need for additional budget mind you.

But it's all in the SLP (thanks as usual to Hamlet Pete for retweeting) rather than through club channels, as has become the norm. Completely understand Tom B's helpful post the other day about the difficulties he faced on his watch incidentally.

It's not for me to say or know whether the management just can't be arsed with basic media duties but, as usual when there's a communication void, people inevitably look to fill it with their own interpretations.

Tom, Tom, Jamal and I'm sure some others did brilliant work to get us to a place where the comms was but other clubs have upped their game now and we're looking pretty underwhelming in comparison, even with some clubs further down the pyramid.

I'm trying to shake the feeling that the supporters are being a little taken for granted of late even though whenever I talk to club officials it doesn't at all feel like that's the case.

This is just how it comes across to me sometimes and is not intended as a pop at the new comms people at all. Lots of previously committed supporters have drifted away now, for various reasons personal to them. I don't speak for them but I think it would be a little dangerous to assume that those people will always just be replaced by others. You can still sense a novelty experience in a large part of a matchday crowd at Champion Hill. No harm in that but there is a finite number of people who will be looking for that which could be exhausted over time.

N.B. None of the above is any kind of a plea for Hayden Bird-esque bi-weekly state of the nation addresses. I'd really rather not.

 

[EDC]

I feel better after reading that, glad to see players running around like headless chickens is nothing to do with management.

 

[editor]

This is just how it comes across to me sometimes and is not intended as a pop at the new comms people at all. Lots of previously committed supporters have drifted away now, for various reasons personal to them. I don't speak for them but I think it would be a little dangerous to assume that those people will always just be replaced by others. You can still sense a novelty experience in a large part of a matchday crowd at Champion Hill. No harm in that but there is a finite number of people who will be looking for that which could be exhausted over time.

I've really no idea why the club can't take a little time to keep their supporters in the loop as to what's going on. I can't understand why it's suddenly become so difficult and it's doesn't seem a particularly smart strategy even if the crowds (for now) are still coming through the turnstiles.

I agree that there seems to be quite an element of novelty experience in the crowd now too - something seemingly borne out by the lack of chanting and the near complete absence of fan banners around the ground.

 

[StephenMac]

I feel better after reading that, glad to see players running around like headless chickens is nothing to do with management.

Entirely get your point but I was referring to there at least being acknowledgement that it wasn't acceptable.

 

[Stuart Fordyce]

Just blames the players and says some will play as no replacements. Doesn't seem to be any acknowledgement that he signed them, picked them, and is responsible for their preparation. Christ, even the biggest clubs try to coach and improve their players - that's part of Gavin's remit as well! Or is it...he can't just go out and sign new people if folk had one bad game, that's not management.

 

[AveryDave]

“Our general preparation in terms of respecting the opposition wasn’t great... Some of the personnel will change because the performance wasn’t great, more so in terms of attitude."

I started reading that thinking maybe the manager was holding his hands up for not preparing the team well enough, but then realised he was blaming the players.

Phew.

 

[EDC]

Looks like the two new signings per match incoming.