So, what happens now?

[pitchero]

Firstly, although I am now looking at the situation from afar so to speak, I still cannot believe some of the comments after losing one match!
As regards the league situation, finishing second is paramount because throughout the non-League Pyramid there are clubs currently sitting top of their respective tables that cannot or don`t want to go up.
The FA are no doubt desperate for Diamonds to be promoted just as they will have been extremely disappointed to see them knocked out of the Vase as the very competition`s future at Wembley Stadium is in doubt because of poor attendances, and with due respect to the likes of St Andrews, Larkhall Athletic or any of the Northern League clubs, they aren`t going to take very many to the final.
One only has to look at last season`s promoted teams to see that Redhill from the Sussex League, VCD Athletic from the Kent, Aylesbury United from the Spartan South Midlands and, of course, St Ives from the UCL, were all promoted having `only` finished second in their respective tables.
And as for questioning Starms` position, well all I can repeat is what I`ve said many times before, both on here and at fans` forums, he is without doube the best coach I have worked with in 30-odd years.
He may not have a contacts book as big as `War & Peace`, but it`s other people`s jobs mainly to bring in players and Starms` job to mould them into better players and decide whether they are up to the job or good enough to put on a Diamonds shirt.
During our original u18 days one of my main tasks was to help find players and Starms certainly did a superb job with those I did find.
I don`t think the attendances will fall that much. You will get the `hangers on` disappear and turn up somewhere else, but the majority will carry on that marvellous support.
I was at Corby Town with my own u18 side last Monday for an ultimately postponed cup tie and memories of that fantastic night when we won the League Cup against Kempston came flooding back.
There will be plenty more great days and nights to be had for you along the long journey ahead.

[Formic]

Well said.

I think there's only been one person questioning the manager's position - and that's someone with quite a track record - and someone who wasn't exactly finding much wrong when they were taking the limelight after the Wellingborough game.

Let's hope the disappointment of Saturday makes the players realise that they can't take some of the pampering they get at the club for granted and turn in the sort of the performance against Spalding that is a credit to both their manager and the fans that have supported them in the past two season.

[rushdenman]

Saturday's performance and result was extremely disappointing but it doesn't detract from the fact that we are comfortably in the top 5 in the league, and have had long runs in both the F.A. Cup and the Vase, which has achieved at least as much as most expected at the start of the season. After all, we have no divine right to win every game.
Any calls to change the management because of this result are madness.

Having said that there are certainly a few players who have been under-performing in recent games ( not just last Saturday), and these players need to step up to the mark now, or changes will be required. There is always likely to be one or two teams like Spalding in our league so we need to achieve a level of consistancy similar to them if we are to achieve our promotion goal going forward.

[Bob's Bitch]

I'd like to point out, as BR correctly said, I was just playing devil's advocate. Since this was a thread about the future I thought it was fair to ask an open question about the future...

If Starms' contacts aren't the best then I wonder if it would be possible to have someone at the club who was more in charge of looking at and signing players, leaving Starms to manage the team (which I think he's very good at)?

[Diamond_ Wolf]

Firstly, although I am now looking at the situation from afar so to speak, I still cannot believe some of the comments after losing one match!
As regards the league situation, finishing second is paramount because throughout the non-League Pyramid there are clubs currently sitting top of their respective tables that cannot or don`t want to go up.
The FA are no doubt desperate for Diamonds to be promoted just as they will have been extremely disappointed to see them knocked out of the Vase as the very competition`s future at Wembley Stadium is in doubt because of poor attendances, and with due respect to the likes of St Andrews, Larkhall Athletic or any of the Northern League clubs, they aren`t going to take very many to the final.
One only has to look at last season`s promoted teams to see that Redhill from the Sussex League, VCD Athletic from the Kent, Aylesbury United from the Spartan South Midlands and, of course, St Ives from the UCL, were all promoted having `only` finished second in their respective tables.
And as for questioning Starms` position, well all I can repeat is what I`ve said many times before, both on here and at fans` forums, he is without doube the best coach I have worked with in 30-odd years.
He may not have a contacts book as big as `War & Peace`, but it`s other people`s jobs mainly to bring in players and Starms` job to mould them into better players and decide whether they are up to the job or good enough to put on a Diamonds shirt.
During our original u18 days one of my main tasks was to help find players and Starms certainly did a superb job with those I did find.
I don`t think the attendances will fall that much. You will get the `hangers on` disappear and turn up somewhere else, but the majority will carry on that marvellous support.
I was at Corby Town with my own u18 side last Monday for an ultimately postponed cup tie and memories of that fantastic night when we won the League Cup against Kempston came flooding back.
There will be plenty more great days and nights to be had for you along the long journey ahead.

Although it may seem like an overreaction naturally people are gutted with going out of the competition in such a lacklustre manner. In regards to us taking a big following to Wembley, i dont believe we would take many more than most teams left in the vase. Although we would attract a few armchair fans i believe St Andrews would actuallly take more than us when it comes to a big day out as they can call on thousands of Leicester fans who would no doubt support them.
I wouldnt be very confident of many Cobblers fans following us to Wembley thats for sure!!

[Trek]

Although it may seem like an overreaction naturally people are gutted with going out of the competition in such a lacklustre manner.

Couldn't agree more. Golden opportunity completely spurned by our players. They need to step up to the plate this Saturday to prove to the fans and management that it was a 'one off' blip otherwise questions will be continued to be asked.

[Olly]

Firstly, although I am now looking at the situation from afar so to speak, I still cannot believe some of the comments after losing one match!
As regards the league situation, finishing second is paramount because throughout the non-League Pyramid there are clubs currently sitting top of their respective tables that cannot or don`t want to go up.
The FA are no doubt desperate for Diamonds to be promoted just as they will have been extremely disappointed to see them knocked out of the Vase as the very competition`s future at Wembley Stadium is in doubt because of poor attendances, and with due respect to the likes of St Andrews, Larkhall Athletic or any of the Northern League clubs, they aren`t going to take very many to the final.
One only has to look at last season`s promoted teams to see that Redhill from the Sussex League, VCD Athletic from the Kent, Aylesbury United from the Spartan South Midlands and, of course, St Ives from the UCL, were all promoted having `only` finished second in their respective tables.
And as for questioning Starms` position, well all I can repeat is what I`ve said many times before, both on here and at fans` forums, he is without doube the best coach I have worked with in 30-odd years.
He may not have a contacts book as big as `War & Peace`, but it`s other people`s jobs mainly to bring in players and Starms` job to mould them into better players and decide whether they are up to the job or good enough to put on a Diamonds shirt.
During our original u18 days one of my main tasks was to help find players and Starms certainly did a superb job with those I did find.
I don`t think the attendances will fall that much. You will get the `hangers on` disappear and turn up somewhere else, but the majority will carry on that marvellous support.
I was at Corby Town with my own u18 side last Monday for an ultimately postponed cup tie and memories of that fantastic night when we won the League Cup against Kempston came flooding back.
There will be plenty more great days and nights to be had for you along the long journey ahead.

Although it may seem like an overreaction naturally people are gutted with going out of the competition in such a lacklustre manner. In regards to us taking a big following to Wembley, i dont believe we would take many more than most teams left in the vase. Although we would attract a few armchair fans i believe St Andrews would actuallly take more than us when it comes to a big day out as they can call on thousands of Leicester fans who would no doubt support them.
I wouldnt be very confident of many Cobblers fans following us to Wembley thats for sure!!

Yeah its all about how many local armchair fans will be interested, and I believe that despite a much bigger average attendance than their opponents in the Vase Final last year, Spennymoor actually only had half the number Tunbridge Wells had at Wembley. Obviously the big difference in travel distances would have had an impact on that, but looking back, we ha 6,000 at the Millenium and I think we'd have similar numbers for AFC at Wembley. Whereas, who knows how many Leicester fans St Andrews would be able to attract for that one, not that I think they'll make it that far.

[rudolph_hucker]

What happens now??.
The answer is simple, get off our arses on Saturday and support the team to a double over the undefeatable.
Regarding the twelfth man, we sound better together on the terrace, kick towards there in the second half. The noise will give the team the lift they need.

[Trek]

Regarding the twelfth man, we sound better together on the terrace, kick towards there in the second half. The noise will give the team the lift they need.

That's up to our Captain. Last 3 home matches the captain on the day has led our players to the far end after the handshakes. Boxing Day, Wellingborough captain did the same thing.
We're usually a stronger second half team and really need to be attacking the PDB end in the second half. It could have made a difference last Saturday.

[Brownie]

What happens now??.
The answer is simple, get off our arses on Saturday and support the team to a double over the undefeatable.
Regarding the twelfth man, we sound better together on the terrace, kick towards there in the second half. The noise will give the team the lift they need.

At last a straight forward simple solution, no need to sack the Manager, possibly over the next six months some changes will be made to playing staff but no need to drum the entire squad out of Town. We had a crap day when for the 2nd time in over 80 games over half the team had a bad day and some had a stinker, it happens.
Sure the Management and the players will be doing whatever they can to put it right, so we do the same, and as RH suggests get down the D&D and get behind them all. Yes Sat was a bloody nightmare but the are worse places to be, where we were 3 years ago. Or where the bloke with the Hinckley hat on Sat is now.