© Photos: Ted Blair
Recommended among a dozen independent football fans' websites, for having "variety, depth, strong writing, original design and history" - When Saturday Comes
Following Darlo 1 9 9 4
- 2 0 0 9 
© Photos: Ted Blair
Recommended among a dozen independent football fans' websites, for having "variety, depth, strong writing, original design and history" - When Saturday Comes
Following Darlo 1 9 9 4
- 2 0 0 9 |
|
|
DAFTS DIARY
New home for D@rlo Uncovered
A message from Scott Thornberry, for
those who wondered where Rivals had disappeared to. Darlo Uncovered
has moved, to a temporary home to www.darlouncovered.com
with a messageboard
linked to it.. The Rivals network ceased trading on Thursday, without
warning.
Scott said: "Currently a team of three of us are
building up a new Darlo Uncovered which is going to be independent, I
think this will benefit the site and the users."
Meanwhile, we understand in a Matty Appleby fashion, but hopefully for
longer, Kevin Luff is returning to the club soon to plug a big hole in
the back line at the Darlington FC Official website. Another positive
sign that things are moving ahead at the club.
New squad unveiled Darlo unveiled 10 new players in one day, as Colin Todd's squad starts to take shape. Veteran strikers Lee Thorpe and Dean Windass were the most notable arrivals, with a combined age of 73 and the combined upper body strength of a small armoured vehicle. For a change, members of DAFTS shouting "go on now, son" from the stands will sound in appropriate; instead there will be banter on pensions concerns and the latest Peacocks fashions. Just as important, are the experienced and familiar faces of Steve Foster and Ian Miller staying at the club. The new squad profiles for 2009/2010
Sea, surf and sidings
With the fixtures out and AFC Darlo
not playing in the Jewson Widgets Sunday League, North East division after
all, we find ourselves gratefully at Aldershot
on the first Saturday of the season. It will be with a new manager, Colin
Todd, and probably almost a new team, but at least we have a club.
As usual, we start the season midtable, 12th in alphabetical order,
thanks to the likes of Crewe, Burton
and Cheltenham Town bumping us before a ball
has been kicked.
Trips to look out for include an early visit to Lincoln
on September 12th, a fixture which should this season at least survive
the weather. Although Torquay is the middle
of December, at least our other seaside favourite Bournemouth
looks like a great weekend, at the end of April before we round off the
season again away in Cheshire, this time at one of our favourite drinking
haunts Macclesfield. We can promise Burton
will be fun too, with some great pubs, while Crewe provides some excellent
train spotting opportunities (!)
Midweek trips are to Notts County and Rochdale, which is a shame, but these are otherwise to a minimum.
There is also good news that the autumn Darlington Rhythm and Booze
beer festival, always a DAFTS weekender favourite, once again coincides
with a home match - Bournemouth on September 19th. A curry on the Friday
night is already being pencilled in. If you're staying over Saturday night,
beware - the Great North Run is on the Sunday, so rooms are being snapped
up and all local hotels have doubled their weekend rates!
Reasons to be more cheerful With luck, Raj Singh is taking Darlington FC out of administration. What the last few weeks have shown is that no-one can take the survival of the football club for granted. Fairly soon, no doubt, there will be the usual supporters' moans about transfers, tactics and ticket prices. We've all been given an almighty scare and perhaps a few more of us will just be grateful we have a team to support. We have to do all we can to make it work - and hope for good sense from the boardroom . We have been given a reality check in that if we do push for promotion again this season, it is unlikely to be with the same quality of squad we've had for the last couple of seasons. What the last couple of seasons has also taught us, is that a good manager and good players are no guarantee of anything either, with all the variables football throws up. All we can hope is that Mr Singh gets it right. He appears to have a genuine interest in football and a sincere wish to work with supporters. Really, we can't have hoped for a better starting point, but it won't be easy, if we don't keep it real. Port Vale DAFTS photos
There have been at least
|
Singh outlines long term vision
Well-known former Middlesbrough FC commercial manager Graham Fordy is
to be managing director, with financier Andrew Wilson tol be appointed
financial director.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Singh said he was "acutely aware of past
disappointments and let-downs Darlington fans have endured", so is therefore
making no empty promises. But he appealed for supporters to get behind
the club and have faith in what his new regime is trying to achieve. "We're
desperate for the fans to get behind this," says Mr Singh. "We know all
too well the empty promises and false dawns which have let our supporters
down so badly in the past, so we can't blame them for being sceptical.
"I'm making no empty promises or wild predictions. "My only promise is
that this is a real, genuine effort by me and my new team to get Darlington
Football Club back on its feet. "There is no quick-fix, it's not going
to happen overnight, we're well aware of that. It's a long-term job but
that's why we have long-term plans. To make it work, though, we need the
support of our fans now. "Everyone knows that season ticket sales are
absolutely crucial for the cash flow and for us to plan for the coming
season, so we're urging our fans to buy their season tickets as soon as
possible to help the club - they can certainly be assured that every single
penny of their money will go directly into the football club. "Mistakes
have been made in the past and the club, and its fans, have suffered for
it big-time, so I know I will be on trial until they see tangible evidence
the club is progressing forward. But I know what to expect, I know the
challenges we face, and it's a challenge I'm relishing. "One of the biggest
criticisms in the past has been failing to listen to the fans, and that's
why we're talking to the Supporters' Trust and other fans to get their
opinions and hopefully improve that relationship. One suggestion is that
if we get more than 2,000 season ticket holders, they can all vote for
one fan to be elected on to the board - it's only a suggestion but it's
certainly something we're considering. "I have the finances in place to
secure the club's long-term security, there's absolutely no doubting that,
but a serious restructuring of the club is also required to release a
number of income streams previous regimes have not managed to crack. "There's
a lot of untangling to do throughout the business to be able to do that.
A lot of things are out of place, I'm talking about Premier League standards
in a League Two club which were unsustainable and ended up crippling the
club. "That's why things went the way they did and why so many creditors
lost out, and we have every sympathy for them - we have to do everything
in our power to make sure that never happens again. "All of that needs
addressing and that's why I've appointed experienced business people to
look into those areas and address them. I'm delighted both Graham (Fordy)
and Andy (Wilson) have come on board, on a consultancy basis. They are
football people with years of invaluable experience and contacts, which
will be of huge benefit to the club as we move forward. "The new company
is in a position to sign the new players we've signed as well as employ
club staff, and the takeover has been agreed in principle. There's still
a number of matters to be ironed out, but our lawyers are well on the
way to completing the deal. "We're nearly there, and I'd be hugely disappointed
if it didn't go through now after all this, but in the meantime I hope
our fans can see and understand that this is a real attempt to run the
club properly and get it turned around, and hopefully they will buy into
it."
Meanwhile, Mr Singh said he was delighted with the work new boss Colin
Todd has done already in re-shaping the playing squad within his budget.
"Toddy is doing a fantastic job," he said. "His contacts within the game
are vast and his track record of spotting players is well known. He managed
Boro, Bolton and Bradford on shoe-string budgets so he is well versed
to the situation here at Darlington. "But he has made what we think is
an excellent appointment in Dean Windass as player-coach and has made
a number of new signings, which will all be announced later this week,
which we think will excite the fans."
Mr Singh said the club aimed to be out 0f administration on July 23,
ready to start to new season "and a new leaf in August."
Mackems and Boro added to friendly list
Darlo have confirmed Sunderland and Middlesborough, as well as Newcastle United
as pre-season visitors.
On Friday 10th July, Colin Todd's new side travel to Billingham Town
(7pm), before another of our regular visits on Monday 13th July
to Blyth Spartans 7pm. What will generate a fair bit of
interest is our home match with Newcastle United on Saturday 18th
July (kick off 12.30pm, ticket details to be announced). The Sunderland
home game is on Thursday 16th July (7.30pm), with Boro
the final friendly on Wed 29th July 7.30pm The Newcastle fixture replaces a friendly
with Leeds United, which was cancelled after we drew them at home
in the Carling Cup. That tie will now be televised by Sky (Mon 11th August),
bringing much needed revenue to the club. The pick of the League away
matches are on the left, with the first away fixture at Aldershot
on August 8th, with play-off semi finalists Bury the first
League visitors to the Arena on the following Saturday.
|
| © www.dafts.co.uk 2009
Words and pictures used by permission. E-mail
DAFTS
DAFTS ARE a social group of exiled and far-flung
fans of Darlington FC, set up in 1994, who follow the fortunes of the League
Two club at home and especially away. As you'd expect, the contents of this
website in no way express the views of the club or anyone at Darlington FC.
For any queries about this site, the webmaster is Steve
Duffy and about DAFTS generally, the DAFTS organiser is Neil Johnson. Thanks
to Ted Blair for most of the (decent) photos. Why not use the DAFTS
Travel messageboard to get in touch with other travelling fans, beg or offer
lifts or discuss travel arrangements? It can also put fans in touch with others
living in their area.
Quick essential links:
|
A W A Y G U I D E S M A P
Click on the clubs above for links
to DAFTS' away guides, including public transport and coach travel, driving directions, ticket details, and full guide to recommended pubs near the ground.
NB: These are being updated for League 2 and Cup trips
for 2009-2010 but some others are out of date or in old templates
|
![BBCi: Javascript is not
available
on this browser](http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/bsp/hi/services/htmlsyndication/img/synd_js_error_js-inactive.gif")
Raj
Singh says he is "well on his way" to completing his takeover of Darlington
FC and has promised a top-to-bottom shake-up in how the club is run, as
well as a long term vision for the club.
