Midpoint (almost) team of the season

[Mark kavanagh]

who do we think so far?

Random one from me based on budget against achievement i would choose BOREHAMWOOD

 

[Master D]

Woking.

20th on a budget of 50k is good going so far.

 

[Chris FGR]

North Ferriby have been surprisingly competetive. People said they'd do a Hyde/Leigh but they've done a lot better then that.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

I thought this was going to be a best XI - where everyone picks their own players and the teams with the most fans strangely win all the votes.

For me it's Dover - to be in play-off contention twice in a row proves last season was no fluke - or Sutton, who I don't think spent much money, unlike almost everyone else above.

 

[chipmunx]

I vote for Southport - they've actually managed to get Ashley Grimes to score a goal.....
Closely followed by York who have been full value comedy this season and have given hope to half the league that only 3 relegation spots remain to be filled

 

[Solihull Mooron]

Dover. Are they still part time?

 

[Master D]

Dover. Are they still part time?

That's what they keep telling everyone anyway. They are as bankrolled as anyone but I'm not sure what the end game is with them. Remember how terrified their chairman was last season of them being in danger of going up and ending up bankrupt? He threatened to pull the money out unless they stopped winning.

 

[LeWhites]

who do we think so far?

Random one from me based on budget against achievement i would choose BOREHAMWOOD

Borehamwood's budget is huge, bigger than ours at least!

That's what they keep telling everyone anyway. They are as bankrolled as anyone but I'm not sure what the end game is with them. Remember how terrified their chairman was last season of them being in danger of going up and ending up bankrupt? He threatened to pull the money out unless they stopped winning.

Is that why the Chairman has built us a new stand and changing room facilities to bring the ground to FL standard? He never said he was going to pull out of the club, just said why should be put his own money into the ground if people won't come and watch. Crowds have increased since then.

We are part time with a relatively small budget. We know we are a small club, so sign hungry players looking for a move up the leagues, we are well aware that most don't see their long term future at Crabble but there's always more gems to be unearthed by Kinnear/Leberl. Until the bankrolled clubs realise that you don't win anything throwing money has beens after a quick pay day, they won't get anywhere.

Also important to remember that we've made a fair bit in the past few years with a few cup runs and the sale of Raggett probably helped. Unlike most clubs, we have the capacity to be self sufficient if Parmenter walked out.

Team of the season (if I can't choose Dover) is Solihull for being fucking lovely when we visited.

 

[The_Boss]

Why not just wait till the actual mid point of the season?

 

[Back in the DHSS]

Have to agree with Dover, especially after losing so many quality players in the summer.

 

[Luke Imp]

Agree to a point r.e. Dover but despite who they've lost they still kept hold of Miller who has scored more than 50% of their goals? He was the main one to keep. Without him, they'd be amongst the lowest scorers in the league (and they have one of the worst defences).

It's similar to Alfreton 3 or 4 years ago when they scored tonnes but conceded tonnes, too. When you've got a player who's that good and scores that many goals, it's a managers dream for a team like Dover (I don't mean that disrespectfully, I mean as a PT team with probably limited pressure and not being able to throw a squad together of quality all over). He'll paper over quite a few cracks with the amount of goals he scores/scored.

I know it's a case 'if my auntie had balls', and you can take a player out of anyone squad and it'll be worse but in keeping Miller they effectively got themselves to mid-table straight away.

For me, I'd look towards Dagenham but I'm comparing them to York, the other relegated side, so maybe that's clouded my thoughts there. I think Askey's done a cracking job at Macclesfield again so far. I know they're in the middle of a tough run of fixtures but they're still nicely placed to potentially kick on when they come out of that.

 

[LeWhites]

Agree to a point r.e. Dover but despite who they've lost they still kept hold of Miller who has scored more than 50% of their goals? He was the main one to keep. Without him, they'd be amongst the lowest scorers in the league (and they have one of the worst defences).

It's similar to Alfreton 3 or 4 years ago when they scored tonnes but conceded tonnes, too. When you've got a player who's that good and scores that many goals, it's a managers dream for a team like Dover (I don't mean that disrespectfully, I mean as a PT team with probably limited pressure and not being able to throw a squad together of quality all over). He'll paper over quite a few cracks with the amount of goals he scores/scored.

I know it's a case 'if my auntie had balls', and you can take a player out of anyone squad and it'll be worse but in keeping Miller they effectively got themselves to mid-table straight away.

For me, I'd look towards Dagenham but I'm comparing them to York, the other relegated side, so maybe that's clouded my thoughts there. I think Askey's done a cracking job at Macclesfield again so far. I know they're in the middle of a tough run of fixtures but they're still nicely placed to potentially kick on when they come out of that.

Whilst you are right to an extent, I don't think we'd be far off where we are now without Miller. It's not as simple as just removing his goals, because we wouldn't be a man down, we'd just have Moses Emmanuel playing instead, and he's got plenty of goals in him. I suppose we'll find out come January.

At the end of last season I would've been happier to keep Payne than Miller, and I was equally gutted about losing Deverdics and Raggett.

CK best manager in the league manages to get 110% out of average players week in week out. If we could slot Deverdics and Raggett back into the squad we have now we'd piss the league

 

[gijsbert_bos]

Were you not struggling early in the season when CK was leaving Miller out after his red card?

 

[LeWhites]

Were you not struggling early in the season when CK was leaving Miller out after his red card?

We lost two games without him (Aldershot and Torquay). We've beaten North Ferriby, Eastleigh, Barrow and Woking without him. Of course, he's a class act and we're a better side with him but no team in this league will look at a front 3 of Moses Emmanuel, Ross Lafayette and Ricky Modeste and think they've got an easy game coming.

 

[gijsbert_bos]

Ah, I just remember the fans' backlash at CK's treatment of Miller, which made it seem far worse than the results show!

 

[LeWhites]

Ah, I just remember the fans' backlash at CK's treatment of Miller, which made it seem far worse than the results show!

To add some balance he came on against Torquay and pulled a goal back, and scored one off the bench against Eastleigh. Was never as bad as bigluke would have you think though, and although Miller admits he was fuming about it he still says Kinnear's the best manager he's played under. Doesn't speak very highly of John Still either.

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

Borehamwood's budget is huge, bigger than ours at least!

That's what I was going to say. Don't be fooled by their attendances, they have money (not FGR/ Eastleigh/ Crawley levels mind) behind them.

 

[Railway Blue]

Dover. Are they still part time?

Probably, but Parmenter funds them well I would imagine.

 

[Bigluke]

who do we think so far?

Random one from me based on budget against achievement i would choose BOREHAMWOOD

I think they have done brilliantly as well, but think you could be surprised by the size of their budget. They have one of the biggest 'Pace/Academy' school sets ups in the country which generates them a really substantial income and it's almost certain it funded their move into full time status last season

 

[Harrier94]

Brackley or Gloucester in the North for me. A lot of people were predicting them to be relegated this year and they're sitting 8th and 9th.

 

[Bigluke]

Oh big time. You only have to see the coaches the lads travel in, £2000 a pop they are not, we fly to about 4,5 games from Biggin Hill that can';t be cheap, and if he walked away we would be in deep shit. I don't think we would be owing money, JP is just not that kind of guy, but operationally we couldn't afford to pay what we pay, or trade as we trade without his investment. Luckily for us, he loves the club, loves what we have achieved as a club and thankfully he continues to invest, which is fabulous!

 

[LeWhites]

Oh big time. You only have to see the coaches the lads travel in, £2000 a pop they are not, we fly to about 4,5 games from Biggin Hill that can';t be cheap, and if he walked away we would be in deep shit. I don't think we would be owing money, JP is just not that kind of guy, but operationally we couldn't afford to pay what we pay, or trade as we trade without his investment. Luckily for us, he loves the club, loves what we have achieved as a club and thankfully he continues to invest, which is fabulous!

We would be in the shit, but not in the same way that Forest Green/Eastleigh would. We have no debts and no huge wages to pay. We are well within our means at the moment. If JP left we'd become a bottom half Conference/top half Conference South side which is probably our natural position.

 

[Bigluke]

Ah, I just remember the fans' backlash at CK's treatment of Miller, which made it seem far worse than the results show!

You're right the fans, Le White apart, were going ape. Yes we beat NF without him, and at the time an out of sorts Eastleigh, in fact they sacked the manager that day, and a really out of sorts Barrow, who I think are unbeaten since, so we pobviously played them at the right time, and then Woking who like NF I fear face a season long relegation battle.
Can we score goals without him. am not so sure if we can score enough, or score more than we let in that's the problem. We all thought Emmanuel would be a great replacement for Payne, but CK has only recently started playing him, before that he had only started a handful I think, and he has scored about 4. Lafayette's brace Tuesday, I don't think he had scored for about 9/10 games prior to that, took him onto 8, which isn't bad at all. Pinnock, who definitely has something about him, does not look like a forward more a winger, and Modeste who graftes as hard as anyome, has only found the net once or twice all season, so you can understand why I am a bit worried.

We really miss Deverdics, who has never been replaced, and even more, despite some Dover supporters retrospectively claiming differently miss Raggett, because our defence borders on the shambolic.So all in all we have done brilliantly to be where we are, really brilliantly

 

[LeWhites]

Sammy Moore is a better player than Nicky Deverdics, even if he doesn't score as many goals. Given the chance, Emmanuel scores goals. Proven fact. Lafayette has a decent return for any striker at any level.

a really out of sorts Barrow, who I think are unbeaten since, so we pobviously played them at the right time

Or we had a good win against a very good side? You're very much a glass half empty man aren't you.

 

[Eastleigh Fan]

Dover, its always Dover.

 

[Bigluke]

We would be in the shit, but not in the same way that Forest Green/Eastleigh would. We have no debts and no huge wages to pay. We are well within our means at the moment. If JP left we'd become a bottom half Conference/top half Conference South side which is probably our natural position.

You could well be right, but if for a minute any of us think we could even sustain National league status or even guarantee Conf South status think again, and before you decide (though like you I agree JP will never walk away) do the maths, and base them on an average crowd of what 650, even 750 if we were doing poorly, I doubt if attendances alone would even pay our wage bill.
We would be in deep shit as indeed would the Eastleighs and FGR of this world, but certainly the chairman of the latter is going nowhere either so moot point perhaps

 

[LeWhites]

You could well be right, but if for a minute any of us think we could even sustain National league status or even guarantee Conf South status think again, and before you decide (though like you I agree JP will never walk away) do the maths, and base them on an average crowd of what 650, even 750 if we were doing poorly, I doubt if attendances alone would even pay our wage bill.
We would be in deep shit as indeed would the Eastleighs and FGR of this world, but certainly the chairman of the latter is going nowhere either so moot point perhaps

We managed before JP came in (although it must be said that we shouldn't attempt to recreate that model), we'd manage now.

We wouldn't be on crowds of 650, when has that ever happened? Like you say, Jim loves Dover and wouldn't leave us in the shit anyway.

Sad to see what's happening at Margate.


P.S. One year to the day since Miller scored that goal at Chester.

 

[Bigluke]

Sammy Moore is a better player than Nicky Deverdics, even if he doesn't score as many goals. Given the chance, Emmanuel scores goals. Proven fact. Lafayette has a decent return for any striker at any level.

 

[Solihull Mooron]

Brackley or Gloucester in the North for me. A lot of people were predicting them to be relegated this year and they're sitting 8th and 9th.

Brackley signed Gaz Dean, Jimmy Armson and Adam Walker from us and a few other good quality players in the summer. I don't think people were predicting them to go down.

 

[Mark kavanagh]

Why not just wait till the actual mid point of the season?

Constructive