"Dan' s Doodles"     

The Thoughts of Our Manager

End of Season Review

Dans Definitive Ditto

Firstly my apologies for the lack of doodles since January.  The last third of the season has been an overall success despite the odd slip up, and despite finishing second from bottom we gained a fairly respectable points total compared to the amount we had picked up at the turn of the year. For me the turning point in our season was a game against Holbury which in fact ended in a 4-2 defeat. The players were left scratching their heads after that game having played them off the park in the second half, and unsure of the mathematics at that stage, I was sure this team of players had some wins in them. A gritty performance with a bare 11 against lapstone ended in a 3-3 draw which we had led 3-1 and been reduced to ten men after a pathetic refereeing decision had Millsy sent off, and an absolutely magnificent fight back after going 4-1 behind to fountain court to draw the game proved that if we were to go down we would go fighting. A well deserved 3-1 victory against Holbury and a sweet belated win over Whitenap gave us an excellent end to a hard season. The high points for me were the away draw with sextons when we battled with only 10 men, the 4-4 with fountain court and the 2-1 win over Whitenap. I would only hope that all the players will sign on the dotted line again next season because this team can undoubtedly progress if they show the quality that they produced in this last third of the campaign! My thanks go to Rob for all his efforts behind the scenes once again this year, to Trowtronics for giving us the much needed funds for a superb new strip and medical equipment etc, and finally to all the players who turned out on those cold wet mornings especially when things weren't so good. It has been a tough year for me also and after my appalling tactics, very questionable team selections, crap team talks, dodgy late flags as lino, even dodgier refereeing decisions, forgetting the balls, leaving all our kits in the laundrette and looking a prat in goal, I have decided to take a back step and let someone with more managerial ability take over - like baldrick!! Whoever takes the role on should know he has a brilliant set of guys to work with!! Enjoy the night at poole dog track!!

Sunday 18th January 2004

Dan's Delight

It was nice to get the new year going with a win against Lapstone although any other result would have been a tragedy! Eight man Lapstone came and made a game of it to be fair to them, and full credit to their manager and those who turned out. It is sometimes difficult when you are in a no win situation as we were to perform to one's full potential, and it is natural to get complacent in those situations. A few months ago the reverse happened to us against Sextons and we were short. We came out fighting and surprised them by grabbing a point at their place. Because of this, I was disappointed to be 1-1 after half an hour but not really surprised as we were a team that clearly hadn't competed for a month. As soon as we realised that the game wasn't the straight forward stroll in the park that it should have been, we then started to play. I have no doubt that against eleven men we would have worked harder, but when you have a three man advantage the game should be used as passing practice! On a much more positive note, it was great to see 17 players there. It must have been the best turn-out so far this year and I can only apologise to those who didn't get on. It was also a bonus to see Matty Cron and Stuey Parsonage back from their injuries, they were both missed. For only the second time this season we have a sap of the match award, and like buses, after weeks without one there are two or three that could have taken this! First of all though the Man of the Match. Dan Foot slotted into central midfield well and showed a superb range of passing and a great goal to go with it. Adi Holman also deserves applause for his performance along with Dave and Cliffy Cron, well done also to Brad for his three goals and Dan Domico for his double. This week though it is undoubtedly Chris Mills who was only on for an hour but also netted a hat-trick and was a constant menace - well done Millsy!! Sap of the match was between the 4 open goal culprits! Adi Holman's "effort" Dan Domico's "dribbler" and Stuey P's "half volley" were only topped but Brad's rounding of the keeper and side foot wide of an empty net! (however part of the reason he gets this is to shut him up about my similar miss in a Cron's game - although admittedly mine was still worse!!) Next weeks game is against Itchen Manor. The last game was a cracker and I am hoping for a similar turn-out. Over 20 good chances were created by ourselves in the last game against them and they still beat us. We owe them one!!

Sunday 14th December 2003

Dan's D'Amico Dazzler

Well it's been a long time coming but the win has arrived at last! With a bare 11 turning out on a cool morning and no keeper it was a potential banana skin. Although it was far from a tremendous display there were a lot of positives to take from the game. When I think of how many goals have been conceded by corners this year, we conceded what must have been close on a dozen and defended every one superbly. Grit and determination were also noticeable particularly in the second half and there were enough chances created by ourselves to have won the game twice! A few mentions this week. Close contender for M.O.T.M was Cliffy Cron had his usual inspired game at the back as did make shift right back Owen Christie who had a tough time of it with their centre forward. Capn Floyd had one of his more quiet games this week but still he manages to get his weekly mention for upstaging Maradona by scoring with the 'Nipple Of God', but the Man Of The Match is without doubt Dan D'Amico who returned to the team after a long period out giving us a solid look in midfield, a good mixture of short and direct passing and an absolute missile of a shot to get us back on level terms - well done Dan. The relief was there for all to see at the end and well played to Sextons for a good honest game. Next match is on January 4th although I'm not sure of the opposition as yet. Finally I would like to use this space to wish Rob and all the players a Merry Christmas and a happy new year - well done chaps, a great early Christmas present! - EDITORS NOTE - Dan Stacey is being far too modest as his performance as stand in keeper was superb and he was another contender for Man of the Match !!

Sunday 16th November 2003

The win is getting closer !!

It was a hard fought game yesterday with a few key players missing, and the likes of Brad, Pete Cliffy and Dean Floyd already carrying injuries. Milbrook were a good physical side however on another day would have been beaten by us. Even though the result went against us in the end, a plus point to take from the game was our mental attitude after conceding the second. Milbrook were well on top at that point and if it had been early season they may have walked all over us in the first half! The better overall chances in the game were actually created by ourselves in the second half, Stu P, Brad, John Mouland and Adi Holman were all unlucky not to see their efforts end up in the net. As I said in last weeks report, I will always be encouraged as long as we are making the chances. Welcome and well done to new boy Chris who came on in the last 20 - he will I'm sure be a useful addition after a few games getting to know everyone. Man of the match this week - again a close call. The players who stood out for me yesterday were again Floyd who turned in his usual 10/10 display in midfield, Cliffy was outstanding at the back as was this weeks Man of the Match Dave Cron who seems to play well wherever he is chosen and never looked out of place once at left back. On a serious note we all wish Matty Cron a speedy recovery after some monkey dislocated his shoulder on Thursday night. Next weeks game is against Holbury at home and nothing but a win will do!

Sunday 9th November 2003

Dan's "Dan & Dean" Dilemma

Although Sunday's game brought about another cup defeat, the overall performance and the match itself was top notch - great entertainment for those of us watching! The first 10 minutes, as it has been for a few of our games this term, was unfortunately our undoing again although on a different day the "penalty" would not have been given and the freak first goal would have never happened. The good news is that we have to play this team again twice in the league which gives us the chance to still get one over on them overall for the season. 23 good chances were created during the game which is another inspiring stat, and although we only netted 4 out of those chances, it was great to see plenty of scoring opportunities created and on another day 8 or 9 would have gone in for us. There are as always a few special mentions although everybody played their part well - Man of the match was again close. Stu Bridle gave a vintage display on the left and is getting back to the form he showed two seasons ago capped with a wonderful goal! Brad Cron (again) was excellent, as usual on the score sheet, never stopped working and was at the heart of most of our good play, well done to Footo for his two well taken goals, but the man of the match this week is without question Cap'n Floyd who played like a man possessed (by the terminator!!!)set up all four goals with his exquisite delivery and covered every blade of grass on the pitch. He does however get docked a point off of his 11/10 performance for allegedly seducing Footo with his "come and get me big boy" posture in the showers (see the caption competition) I know I want team bonding guys but that wasn't what I had in mind!! With only the league to play for now, I will be looking for all of our fully fit guys to be there next Sunday against Millbrook. Come on!!!!

Sunday 2nd November 2003

Dan's Desperation

After scraping enough players again on Sunday we faced a difficult game to which the better side won. Boscombe were a good side and passed it around very well - something which we can learn from. They rallied together and supported one another and gave us a real lesson on how Sunday football should be played. I am not as annoyed about this as we were beaten by a better side on the day. The fact that I was playing meant that we WERE really scraping the barrel, and all the time we are doing this we are going to struggle in the short term. Special mentions this week go to Gary who had an inspired game at centre half and even got on the score sheet and Adi Holman who was also a rock at the back. On a sad note I think I'm not alone in saying that all our hearts go out with great sympathy to Adi's underpants as before and after the game he was not quite so solid at the back!! Gary is this weeks man of the match though beating off Brad, Floyd and Holman (for Man of the Match that is!) Hope to see everybody available for next weeks cup tie at the college against Itchen Manor.

Sunday 26th October 2003

Dan's  Delighted !!

Absolutely brilliant! Every one of us churned out an 11 out of 10 performance on Sunday against Sextons, a side that turned us over 6-1 last year with 11 players! With Owen Christie injured and us down to 10 with him, even I thought it would be a backs to the wall performance. However we probably created the most clear cut opportunities. I can not speak highly enough of the team, it was the best battling performance since I have been at the club. Going a goal down on any other day would have sunk us, but we kept believing and kept attacking, and a wonder goal from Ian Rendall was the icing on the cake on a superb display. That 80% I talked about a few weeks ago was the difference and what a difference it makes! Robinson was excellent as always between the sticks pulling of two outstanding stops. Rendall was solid at the back with his wonder strike securing a well deserved point. Dave Cron and Hargrave never put a foot wrong at centre back (the right back was a little questionable!). Stu Bridle showed signs of returning to his old self with a vintage display, easily his best of the season. Floyd as usual looked the dogs b*****s in the centre and was at the heart of most of our good play, Pete as always showed everyone why he is one of the first names on the team sheet every week with a solid hard working display. Johnny Mouland grafted constantly up front and was unlucky on a few occasions not to score and Owen Christie came off the treatment table and worked tirelessly to bring the midfield into play as often as possible (I am happy for him to be injured every week if he puts in a performance like that!!). Even the opposition and the referee congratulated us on our performance at the end. Man of the match goes to those 9 mentioned, they all deserve it this week. We are still bottom after this game however a few wins and we could be right up there. Food for thought - Sextons were 4th before Sundays game. Does that seem right to anyone else after the game yesterday? Emphasising the fact that we can easily turn it all around over the Christmas period. Next weeks game is in the cup against Boscombe Celtic in Bournemouth. No pressure for points so lets put in another performance like this one!

Sunday 12th October 2003

Dan's Cautious Delight !!

However it comes this is a first win at least. First of all compliments to the ref and for Condor who still made the game possible to play. Although they only had 9 men they still wanted to play us and it was a good kick around if nothing else. Unfortunately from our point of view, I wanted to use this game as passing practice! I know it is hard to get up for a game when you know you will win it, but we didn't use the ball well enough for long periods of the game which was very frustrating. We can still hopefully use this now as a platform although there were no points taken from the game. Well done firstly to Brad Cron , this weeks M.O.T.M. scoring a superb seven goals (a few cracking finishes too!), and Matty Cron for his brilliant supply from the right, and also his first goal. However Brad was nearly sap of the match as well with a gaping miss in the second half, but Adi Holman saved his blushes with an even worse three yard miss (well done Adi - a copy of Striking My Way by Gary Lineker coming your way!), although it did give us all a chuckle and he did make up for it with a great finish near the end. There will be no game next week but a friendly against the Crons will be a good opportunity for nearly all the players to play a full 90 minutes and get some training in!

Sunday 5th October 2003

Dan's Dodgy Decisions

Who'd be a referee? Well me actually and it was loads of fun. My apologies go to a few of our players for not really keeping up with play and missing a few "choice" challenges on Cliffy Stuey and Simon (sorry guys). As far as the game is concerned it was another one of those teams that player for player couldn't really match us (except for that guy up front who was pretty good), but came and beat us. Although I am gutted about the result it was even worse from a personal point of view because I couldn't do much about supporting the side. A few key players missing didn't help at all. Stuey P (last weeks M.O.T.M. and the ever consistent Floyd were a big loss, but the side is still packed with talent and the silly goals are still creeping in after I thought the corner had got turned last week! Mentions this week - first of all sap of the match - I'll take that one for what I mentioned above with my dodgy refereeing, which should come as some relief to ian rendall who was not that far behind me with that monster of a goal kick straight to their player for a goal! Congrats to John Mouland and Stuey Bridle for their goals. Man of the match for me was a close call. Dave and Brad Cron again were there and there abouts, Owen Christie never stopped working for the side, but James Robinson was again excellent between the sticks for us so he takes it. Again it is a side that I am not too worried about for when we play them again but it is time for us to stop under-achieving before it is too late!!!

Sunday 28th September 2003

Dan's Down But Not Out !!!
 
OK we may have gone down 2-1 on Sunday but the response to last weeks shocker was terrific! The determination and hard work put in by the guys was a joy to see and the players who didn't get on also played their part in supporting the team - everyone there was a credit to the club! After the way we played, going two down was hard to take and we deserved our goal near the end and could have snatched a well deserved draw. A few special mentions this week. Although everybody played their part superbly, James (our new keeper) was outstanding on his debut, vocal and confident handling mixed with great decision making - a great find for us!! Dean Floyd as usual rallied everyone together, Dave Cron was Mr Reliable at the back as usual, but my Man Of The Match this week was Stuey P who looked rock solid throughout. Well done guys lets have more of the same against the Red Lion at home next Sunday and lets get these first three points !! d

Sunday 21st September 2003

Dan's Dismay

After thinking that we had turned the corner after last week, it was crushing to watch the old habits creeping in again! By that of course I mean our mentality after conceding. It never ceases to amaze me how such a team packed with talented players can let sides half as good walk all over us. The side had hardly changed from last week but it seemed that the attitude had! Lapstone to their credit worked very hard and played with freedom, constantly encouraging one another, and no matter how good a side we are, we have to learn to do that.....quickly! In Sunday football, quality is a luxury that counts for about 20% in order to win a game, and we are fortunate enough to have that. Determination, graft, mental toughness and encouragement make up the other 80% which is a necessity and that is something which is so easy to achieve yet we make it look so hard. Next weeks game is against AFC Milbrook and it is a superb chance for all of us to stand up and be counted. Rant over - Despite the result, there were a few notable performances from individuals, sadly that word summed us up. Man of the match this week goes to Cliff Cron, although still not fully fit, battled from start to finish. At the end of the day it is time to prove to one another that we have this 80%! Nice shirts though.....

Sunday 14th September 2003

Dan's Delight

With a little more strength in depth this week we had to be on top of our game against Fountain Court who were (in my opinion) better than both teams that defeated us this year. Going 3-2 down after leading 2-0 was a kick in the teeth, especially with two of the goals being straight from corners. But there were only positives to take out of the game. After going 3-2 up, I feel that last season they would have gone on to finish us off, but the character to come back was commendable. Although for the second time in three weeks every man put in an easy 8 out of 10 performance for the side there are a couple of special mentions. Stu P for playing even though it seemed he would be out for a good 6 weeks, and Dean Floyd (this weeks Man Of The Match) with an outstanding display in midfield, and demanding to take the spot kick which was to be our equaliser. Although it seemed as though it would be our first three points, this is a good point which gets us off the mark. Even though there were players who did not get on, their participation was still crucial and showed the kind of team spirit we need to progress. Cup game next week so it may be a game to relax, not worry about points, and remind each other how good a team we really are!

Sunday 7th September 2003

Dan's Dodgy Defending

Hmmm! Well it was a nice day today anyway! With 12 players missing, it was an up hill struggle to say the least against Whitenap. With their centre forward (probably taller than all of our back four put together) every set piece in the first twenty minutes led to a goal! I was absolutely delighted with the players' attitude considering we had to make a 4-4-2 with 5 right wingers in the 11, 1 defender and no keeper! Unfortunately the situation wasn't helped with injuries early on to Dave Pete and Dan Domico who had to brave it out. Despite his injury and fitness problems, ' Man of the match' this week goes to Brad Cron with a solid display in midfield (although he gets a slight penalty for bringing his hair gel to the pub the night before! YOU BIG GIRL BRAD!!) Sap of the match was definitely me with my second own goal for the club (although with Adi not around to defend himself in this website, I'd like to say it was really ALL his fault!) I will be hoping for a better turnout next week, but I will also be hoping for the same

Sunday 31st August 2003

Dan's Diplomatic Ditty

With a relatively good Pre-season out the way, it was time to get down to business. After a nervy first twenty minutes or so, the players showed what they were capable of. For the remainder of the game, we were completely in charge. Every player from then on produced a definite 8 out of 10 performance. Two contenders for 'Man Of The Match', John Mouland for a brilliant display in midfield showing everybody what he can do, but just nicking it from him was Dave Cron who played at centre back like he'd played there all his life. Congrats to the two Dans for opening their accounts - Footo with a superb strike in the first half and new signing Domico (in Michael Owen style) having the nerve to bury his second spot kick attempt. Well done to new guys Adi and Nathan as well!