Ady Departs

[Park Life]

[WillDfc42]

I do personally think it’s the right decision. But i do think it’s rather telling, once again on his departure he speaks about the budget and says he’s taken the club as far as he thinks it can go which is very worrying. Steve Irving also mentions he done a great job on the budget he was set, which also implies he would’ve been kept on, which once again shows a lack of ambition.

[Sleightly Deceptive]

Great news!! Now let’s think about this and get it right!!

[JCJ]

I agree it all feels like we will not have an increased budget next season and can see players following,
The last couple of Managers have all said the same thing about the Budget so there must be some truth in it but I'm guessing they are told what the budget is before they take the position,

The board have got to wake up and take a chance with an outside investor or the club will die,

Also need to get a replacement in as quick as possible.

[Dart of Herts]

I have mixed feelings about this but it’s probably the right call and at the right time. I wonder if from the wording it was Ady’s decision and not the board’s?

Edit: I only skim-read it the first time… definitely his decision

[Pedro]

I too have mixed feelings about the news. Ady and team have done the best that they can and presumably utilised the budget available to them. We do have a good squad that should have been at least in the play offs but keeping company with some other good teams. Looking at how Horsham and Dover have adapted in the NLS I think any promoted club will find the same challenges.

I do wish Ady and the coaching team well and will look with interest where his next assignment will be and the players he will take with them.

As for the budget, unless there is a keen investor wanting to cope with restricted influence via the articles of the Club, we will have to look at alternative investment. I would not want to jeopardise the club but running up massive losses.

COYD

[rambo]

Thank you for your efforts and goodbye Ade.
I hope the board act quickly and get a good manager in that believes in using the width of the pitch.

[dartfordknight]

I think Tony Burman would have won the league with the squad we had in his hay day ....not playing box and Eddie up front week in week out and not putting Vaughan on the left wing was criminal , never in all my days since I was 14 years old watching Dartford at Walting Street have I disagreed with tactics and team selection as much as I have done over the last two years ....the plus is over the last two years players have IMO cared more about putting on a Dartford shirt ...unlike in the dowse days but u need to have a squad that cares and a manager that knows his best team and im not sure Adi ever did ? ....lovely guy Adi but time to move on ....we shouldn't be playing football in this league !!!!!!!

[Grassbank]

I think this is now a critical period in the history of our football club.

Having seen the heights that can be reached by our club and those that have progressed even further such as Bromley, management now needs to decide if we push for success once again or merely seek to eek out an existence amongst a host of clubs doing exactly the same thing.

I choose to make the journey to Princes Park because I feel that Dartford is my team. The one I have watched since 1973 when, if you were lucky, Sportsnight might show brief highlights of the great old English clubs playing in the European or Cup Winners Cup. Midweek European matches were followed on my transistor radio. An English club winning in Europe meant something. Now they are just teams owned by multi-national conglomerates that have no interest in the sport or the history of the clubs. As a school-kid, Dartford was accessible and affordable football. I could caddy on Dartford golf course in the morning and earn enough for my bus fare from Wilmington and admission in the afternoon. I could not afford to travel up to London to watch football.

Kids now have a host of different opportunities. For the cost of three home matches a month, I can sit at home in comfort with my sons and watch top quality football from around the world together with a whole host of other sports. There is no need to stand on the terracing or sit in a plastic seat, to queue for an over-priced burger and drink at half-time or to use the toilet.

So what will attract the current ten-year old child to Princes Park to begin a lifetime of support? Apart from playing in one of the many successful children's teams, I fear the answer is nothing.

Look around Princes Park tomorrow and assess the crowd. They will be mostly white, working class (which I class myself as having worked for forty-three years of my life) and north of fifty years old. Whilst the growth rate of our town is on steroids, the growth does not comprise this demographic and it will not make any difference to our attendances. The opening of the Elizabeth Line from Abbey Wood has made access to north and west London far easier and those wanting a football fix together with an atmosphere will travel a short distance to achieve it.

If an investor is prepared to take on the challenge at Dartford, what will be in it for them? In the unlikely event of our crowds being tripled, it would still be an audience of just over 3,000 people. Where would they come from? The product is currently non-league football. I fear that football at this level has already enjoyed its best years and is now heading towards a long period of decline. I fully expect a number of clubs to fold or merge as financial pressure mounts and those that own their grounds sell out to property developers. I believe that our only realistic opportunity is if an existing supporter has the financial capacity and desire to take over this club with the aim of propelling it up the leagues. They would be doing it for themselves, but the rest of us would be able to enjoy the journey, be it successful or not. This will not be a financial investment as there will be no financial gain. It will only happen because somebody can do it and they choose to do so.

I do not expect any change before the announcement of Addy's replacement and fear that next season will be a continuation of the gradual decline of our great club.

[Undercover Elephant]

Good bye and don’t forget to SMILE

[Ajaxman DFC]

Sounds like it was Pennock's decision to call it a day. He obviously feels he can't take the team any further under the present structure.
I don't think it's going to be easy to get an experienced manager with a good track record without giving them full control of first team affairs either.
The job description should see the club advertising for a Head Coach.

[Hitchin Dart79]

Let’s be honest it’s not a great league and to finish below aveley and Brentwood let alone Chatham is nowhere near good enough or acceptable. If it is acceptable to some people then the club is and will go nowhere!

[Mark Sweet]

Correct decision but worrying comments from Ady.

Once again how are we in 2026 and Tony Burman's name is being mentioned saying he would do better....MOVE ON

[Babylon]

Unless we get some decent financial backing we will just plod along in Ryman league.
Another season like this one and fans will vote with their feet.
It simply ain't good enough!
Our board can surely see that we are in complete
LIMBO!!!

[Dart of Herts]

Wasting no time thinking about who we might bring in next… I’ll admit I’m not massively clued up in the who’s who of local non league managers but still:

Lee Martin - Currently out of work but not exactly proven in management yet. Sacked from Ramsgate for not using enough of the budget so match made in heaven on that front

Ben Greenlaugh - Wishful thinking as he’s already committed to next season at Margate, so would probably need to pay a fee to get him

Jamie Coyle - Don’t know how he feels about his first spell here, but double managers are always a disaster. Also unlikely as it wouldn’t make sense to leave Whitstable when they’re coming up to our level

Jimmy Bullard - Doubt he’d be any good but has ties to the club and local area and would bring people through the gate!

Samir Carruthers Player/manager? Or another ex player with coaching experience

[Sleightly Deceptive]

Tom Bonner

[Dart of Herts]

Tom Bonner

I wonder how the club feel about his fake retirement and public opinions on Pennock or is it water under the QE bridge?

[The 5th Searcher]

It’s certainly the right decision for Ady to call time on his management position with us as things weren’t great at all and if it’s right what he’s said regarding the budget and the way Steve Irving has also worded it then sounds like it is a crap budget then the best we can hope for as a replacement is the local manager from the dog & duck.

Unless we suddenly get some kind of considerably large financial input / backing into this club which has been needed for a few years then we won’t be getting out of this league for a good few years unless we go down further.

We need fresh new idea’s and an influx of good quality players who actually want to play for this club, that doesn’t mean the ones we currently have don’t want to play for us it just means we need some better quality players and hopefully play with some wingers.

I have a horrible feeling that a few will want to leave this season, and not all to play higher football it will either be at the same level or possibly a league below.

Unfortunately DFC is in a horrible mess at the moment and unless we have a shake up board wise then I don’t think anything will change.

[Lars Resort]

I am thinking Ade did his best, but what I found worrying was we beat a lot of top sides this season but lost silly games to lower opponents. A few tactically but some had to be put down to the players.Hit and miss performance's.
Whether players move on or not is debatable but if we lose certain younger players they are going to be hard to replace.
Perhaps if Sam Oduado fetches a good deal hopefully we will use wisely.
But if we get a hit on the b****t the next manager had better be a magician.

[Jonty]

You could not meet a nicer guy than Ady and I wish him all the best for the future except we his teams play us.

I'm fed up of keep hearing about the budget, the fact is that it is greater than 85% of the other teams in this division and the facilities at PP are the best by a country mile. It cannot be used as an excuse for this season's failure. The fact is that this season's budget was increased but we didn't even spend it all and even when we bought players in they sat on the bench with our 20 plus goals a season forward.

So who will the next manager be and I wonder how long the process will take. Maybe, there is already someone lined up and maybe the club will appoint our assistant manager like M@id$ton£ have done. Personally, I want to see someone younger like Angelo Harrop, Bobby Wilkinson who have tasted promotions and FA Cup runs. Maybe, even Ryan Maxwell will be in the running, even though he is probably on contract. I think he has been the best manager in the division by taking on a club that was 9 points adrift at the bottom and steering them to safety.

It would be nice to secure some of our gifted young players but I fear an exodus. Hope the club have been tapping them up in advance.