Trimmy
Lives for Charking Picken
Reise Allasani didn't feel the need to trouble himself, was hoping to see him play!
Wingate & Finchley v Dulwich, 10 Jan 2023, London Senior Cup
- Thread starter Bugpowder Dust
- Start date
A truly inept performance that demonstrates how poor our recruitment was over the summer. Asking a new manager to make changes, reduce spend and win more games is a challenge for any manager. It’s hard when the budget has been blown on players under contract that cannot be forced to move but are happy to sit around.
Up until the last 2 games that difficult task was being achieved and I’m sure it can be turned again.
Up until the last 2 games that difficult task was being achieved and I’m sure it can be turned again.
Moroccan Sunset
Well-Known Member
I think generally Barnes has done a good job. Can't remember who posted the stat but we had something like 6 wins in our previous 30-something before he took over, and then 6 wins in about 12 games after. He's clearly had a positive impact despite the last two games, and the dressing room seems a less fractious place to boot.
I've only really questioned him twice: Taunton away when we went there with no fit subs (surely we could have got a couple of players on loan), and last night. Farnborough did a good job on us, and he played a side/system that had previously got us through December unbeaten - not a lot he can do about that, I think. As liamdhfc says, this isn't his squad and to have come this far with, IMO, only 2 major mistakes is still pretty good. I'm gutted about last night, because I think it's shit that we haven't won SSC/LSC/League Cup since 2004, and I think they are old, prestigous trophies that matter, but I still think it's worth backing Barnes as best we can.
Agree that there seems to be some duds in this squad. Don't want to name names, but I think there must be a 2 or 3 on decent money that are barely playing or not performing. That, on top of Kalala and Hill's protracted absences (saw somewhere that Hill first got injured back in November 2021 - if that's true, why on earth did we contract him this summer when he still wasn't fit?!?!) and the very obvious fact that Barnes has to cut the budget (Akanbi and Deadfield released with no replacements), must mean he is very limited in the changes he can make to the squad. His hands must be tied and I feel sorry for him - a lot of this still isn't his mess.
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
Our league record under Barnes is W7 D2 L5 (23 points) from his first 14 games. That's a pretty good start for someone coming into a new club stuck in the bottom four after the first 8 matches.
The last 30 under Rose was W6 D10 L16 (28 points). I'm not a fan of bisecting seasons and mashing the end of one into the start of the next to prove a point, the complete performance over a whole season is the only set of results that really counts, but that is certainly relegation form had it continued through to the end of this season.
The Farnborough defeat could be excused as a hiccup for me, as long as we bounced back with a solid performance, but last night was a shambles. The worst I've seen since we lost the semi-final 3-0 at Tooting seven years ago.
My biggest overall concern is that we're not keeping clean sheets and leaking far too many goals. Even in some of the good wins we've turned a two goal lead into a nervous finish by conceding late goals. The number of red cards and suspensions is also disruptive. On the plus side, I'm happy that Barnes seems to know his preferred XI and sticks to it whenever possible, county cup ties excepted. Ideally we wouldn't have made so many changes last night (6 from Saturday) but those who came into the XI have all started league matches on merit this season, it's not as if they were untried youngsters, and we have a heavy schedule of league fixtures over the next month or so.
We've been unlucky with significant injuries to Kalala, Smith and Wood since they arrived but Hill and Comley look like fitness gambles that failed. The best two new signings were the two triallists who were only taken on at the end of pre-season (Clarke and Felix), so I guess they're on relatively low wages. I've always felt we never found enough hungry young players from the Isthmian and Southern Leagues since promotion. (Farnborough seem to have picked up half a dozen Jayden Clarkes from the division they've just been promoted from, one of whom has already moved up another level to Aldershot.) We've mainly recruited raw youngsters dropping down from development teams and the sort of older players who've already done the rounds of half a dozen clubs in our own league. I also like the look of Powell, whose performance and well taken goal was the one positive for me last night.
Al Cunningham
Brockley Hamlet
Yes interesting point that probably our 2 best players were the trialists in preseason ( Felix and Clarke). There did seem to be a policy of signing players who had played well against us and not necessarily for the season..Including the two mentioned but at least they had to prove themselves before the first game. For me , our best central defence is Holland and another. On our books at the moment I would only say Hill if he can return to his fitness and form of 18 months ago . Hopefully the loans at Hemel and Enfield show that. In midfield it was probably planned that Comley would be first choice with Raymond but never fit enough so far. Before the last 2 games I had really enjoyed the last few months and like what I see from Paul Barnes However , as mentioned above some of the victories relied on poor misses from the Oppostion
Bugpowder Dust
Well-Known Member
Just saw this article from last week where Barnes admits him and Ming have a tricky relationship.
Might go a little way to explaining why he hasnt been himself over the last two games (Ming I mean). He's normally so positive.
londonnewsonline.co.uk
Might go a little way to explaining why he hasnt been himself over the last two games (Ming I mean). He's normally so positive.
Dulwich Hamlet duo play their way back from the brink of Champion Hill exits
Former Crystal Palace youngster Taylor was told he might need to leave Champion Hill on loan in order to earn regular first-team football.
londonnewsonline.co.uk
Moroccan Sunset
Well-Known Member
Just saw this article from last week where Barnes admits him and Ming have a tricky relationship.
Might go a little way to explaining why he hasnt been himself over the last two games (Ming I mean). He's normally so positive.
Dulwich Hamlet duo play their way back from the brink of Champion Hill exits
Former Crystal Palace youngster Taylor was told he might need to leave Champion Hill on loan in order to earn regular first-team football.
I believe - from what I've heard - it's more that they had a tricky relationship, not that that's still the case. Haven't heard of any recent problems. Believe this was in the first few weeks of Barnes's reign (around the Hungerford game to be exact).
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
It was reported on DHFC social media that Wood should be fit before the end of January. Eweka has not been on the bench for Maidenhead since his loan ended. I liked him a lot, thought he was a good fit.
Bugpowder Dust
Well-Known Member
Is anyone brave enough to watch the highlights
Moroccan Sunset
Well-Known Member
editor
hiraethified
Like most managers he doesn't actually say very much, despite the relentless verbiage!
That's a hard watch on many levels! Good luck if you're colourblind.
Moroccan Sunset
Well-Known Member
Totally agree. Not sure if the stats back this up, but feel we were a lot sturdier with Eweka in the team.
I think the best back line of this season would be something like: Wood-Eweka-Holland-Ming/Felix.
Moroccan Sunset
Well-Known Member
Interesting that he makes the comment about 'why wouldn't you take a punt on some of these [W&F] lads?' Suspect he's aware that most of them will be cheaper than some of the well-paid dross we've got this season.
Wonder if he has made a note of some names. Think it's probably the first time I've heard him make any mention of changes to squad personnel (and not in connection to injuries/suspensions.)
AveryDave
Well-Known Member
After years of only hearing from a manager when he felt like it, think it’s tough to criticise Barnes for being a bit wordy!
Also get the sense that he’s trying to be as diplomatic as possible, which probably wasn’t easy in the circumstances.
editor
hiraethified
I think I'd like something between those two extremes please
Christian Burt
Well-Known Member
Until he fully gets his own players in, on the set budget for the 23/24 season, then keeping the Hamlet up (and a bit more than that would be a bonus) is all that needs to be achieved this season.
He’s inherited a fair bit of overpaid and brought in by Gavin players and will need to gradually shape his team.
He’s inherited a fair bit of overpaid and brought in by Gavin players and will need to gradually shape his team.
pompeydunc
Well-Known Member
Cos none of them were anywhere near good enough for National League. They made eleven changes from Saturday. This was their reserves. Barnes put out a side that was a piss take for our only remaining cup, and a quarter final at that. It is no different to what Rose would have done, with multiple defeats to lower division sides in this competition.
This is in spite of saying that he wanted to win it. His starting eleven and bench in no way reflected this. He played two walking red cards - Krasniqi and Vint - both who are playing above their level anyway. An unfit player in crucial middle of the park role (Comley). Put a keeper in goal who has not played months, while Grainger sat on the bench. Danny Mills was at the ground, but not even on the bench (did he get injured against Farnborough?), so can't even turn to our top scorer. Taylor was on bench too, despite being a better option in multiple positions on the pitch.
We had much of the ball in the first half, but never really looked like threatening bar one ball across the face of the goal. Owusu and Blackman were shocking in their wastefulness. Blackman nearly gifted the ball in a dangerous position early on, but Vint saved him. The opening goal was an absolute farce - a back pass from Blackman, the goalie in nomansland, the back pass hit the post and neither reacted to rebound to allow Kearney to score (who has put on another stone since we had him).
Vint didn't deserve his first yellow, but why the fuck is he diving in on the touchline in our attacking third. Idiot. Absolute dinlo.
Down to ten in second half would be tough, but we absolutely handed it to them with shocking defending and losing the ball in stupid positions. The reserve goalie almost conceded a second goal straight from a corner. Learn your lesson?!
We've had bad performances over the years, but for me this was worse than Tooting and Balham in the same Cup. I repeat W&F were just a bunch of reserves in the Isthmian league. If Barnes is serious about wanting to give any of them a chance, then he needs to give his head a serious wobble.
This was woeful. He might be a nice guy and he's a step change in club/fan engagement, but ultimately for his position it's results that matter. This squad was clearly good enough to beat W&F and perform better against Farnborough. I accept recruitment in key positions could have been better in summer, but not going to dissect this now. What's his clear, he needs to regroup and try and put these two abysmal performances behind. Otherwise relegation will definitely come back onto the agenda. The Dover away performance seems so far away now!
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AveryDave
Well-Known Member
Temi Eweka has joined Slough on loan for the rest of the season.
Pink Panther
Well-Known Member
My interpretation of that comment was as a general point that there are players at that level who are worth a punt. He previously said their players would be looking to show they're good enough for our level and we needed to prove they're not, but clearly we failed to do that on the night.
Jayden Clarke scored twice against us at the same stage of last season's London Senior Cup, for a team in the wrong half of the table at Finchley's level, so there's the evidence that such players exist and can be good enough if we give them a chance.
darryl
this wasn't supposed to happen
So tonight was the London Senior Cup final at Hendon - Charlton Athletic U21s beat Haringey Borough 5-3 after extra time.
Probably the best match I've seen all season and I'd have said that if the scoreline was reversed. Haringey came back from 3-0 down - they were a great side and they had about 350 fans there who never stopped singing. Expect they'll bring a similar number to Champion Hill next season!
Probably the best match I've seen all season and I'd have said that if the scoreline was reversed. Haringey came back from 3-0 down - they were a great side and they had about 350 fans there who never stopped singing. Expect they'll bring a similar number to Champion Hill next season!
Cyclodunc
Where's the slam tent, mate?
As mentioned in another thread, that was exactly what I thought at their away game at Lewes. They were pretty rubbish that game and lost 4-0 I think, bit players came to supporters at the end to thank them for coming.
It was non stop singing and they seemed to have a really nice atmosphere around the fans. Funny, boisterous in a good way. Exactly what got me into Dulwich Hamlet years ago!
It was non stop singing and they seemed to have a really nice atmosphere around the fans. Funny, boisterous in a good way. Exactly what got me into Dulwich Hamlet years ago!
darryl
this wasn't supposed to happen
There was a touch of the "north London Dulwich" about them, I thought. Apparently they are encouraged to sing without swearing, though, so that's where the comparisons stop...
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