Realism

[Biggles]

Maybe its time for some realism that we have had the good years and now the cattle dung may hit the fan.

As a fans team we will always be at a disadvantage as we will never have the big budget to be a top team,
we have done well up to last season but the gloss is wearing off and we are no longer the big name that attracts players.

Yes we have the extra lottery money but we still cannot get the 250 people or more we would like to increase our budget even further
it seems our fan base has hit its ceiling.

I can see us hitting at best mid table or even having to go back down to have a chance of glory again, maybe our level is the one below
for chances of promotion followed by relegation a few seasons later.

Yes a bit depressive but Football is full of Highs and lots of Lows we are now getting leapfrogged by the teams with sugar daddies
and some may say that is Karma as we did it to plenty of times to other teams back in the day.

Sorry but unless we get a big Sponsor or we get temped like Wrexham fans to ditch the fan owned system and get a new sugar daddy or two
get used to the reality of Football lows with a few highs occasionally.

Also before i go , no doubt the Peaks out lot will rear their heads if we don't win or show better form in the next 3 games against teams
around us in the table.

Hopefully we will regroup and blast our way up the table but Realism keeps my glass half empty at present.

[Dowlo]

I'm glad a thread like this has been started.

We as fans and a club have had amazing success since we've reformed. From Olney and S&L Corby away to K*ttering, Nuneaton and Tamworth away in the space of less that 10 years! Sides who were playing National League when we reformed!

Now we face what will likely be our toughest season in our short history and results have been poor, and perhaps performances haven't been great (like by gone seasons) but what did anyone really expect from this season? We have a completely new side, one with surely one of the lowest average ages in the league. Players who are here to try and make a name for themselves, with a point to prove and experience to gain. They derseve our support.

Players like Fairlamb, Nabil, Hicksy and Chris Wreh etc have all moved on for more money elsewhere, not to test themselves at a higher level. It's that simple. To be honest best of luck to them. Those kind of players have helped us get to this level, but long term what is the point in paying them more money to help us tread water at this level. If they could get us to the next level I'd be more annoyed we let them go. Fact is they have all tried playing in the National League North and have failed. So let some other club pay them more to play at this level.

Realistically our aim should be to finishing midtable and bringing on some of the young lads we have bought in. Will Jones certainly looks like a great prospect.
This may blow peoples mind but we may lose more than we win! But if we win enough to keep us up, happy days.

We are stage in our clubs life time, where securing our long term home off the field becomes more important than what we perhaps do on the field! Without a new home we can't take that next step as a club.

I'd be interested to hear from those calling for Peaks to go and for new players to be bought in, what is your mid to long term aim is? We get in the play offs, win them and get promoted. Then what? Hayden Rd isn't good enough for the Conf North so the club would have to look for ANOTHER temporary home.

We are 10 years in to what will hopefully be 100s of years of AFCR&D. We have no right for glory every season. Lets try and focus on the next stage of the journey and that is focusing funds and efforts into getting a new ground. One we can call home, and then look to push on from there.

In the mean time lets give these young lads a chance. It wont be all a bed of roses, but they deserve our backing for now.

[diamondsteve]

What a patronising post this is .

[rdusher]

I'm glad a thread like this has been started.

We as fans and a club have had amazing success since we've reformed. From Olney and S&L Corby away to K*ttering, Nuneaton and Tamworth away in the space of less that 10 years! Sides who were playing National League when we reformed!

Now we face what will likely be our toughest season in our short history and results have been poor, and perhaps performances haven't been great (like by gone seasons) but what did anyone really expect from this season? We have a completely new side, one with surely one of the lowest average ages in the league. Players who are here to try and make a name for themselves, with a point to prove and experience to gain. They derseve our support.

Players like Fairlamb, Nabil, Hicksy and Chris Wreh etc have all moved on for more money elsewhere, not to test themselves at a higher level. It's that simple. To be honest best of luck to them. Those kind of players have helped us get to this level, but long term what is the point in paying them more money to help us tread water at this level. If they could get us to the next level I'd be more annoyed we let them go. Fact is they have all tried playing in the National League North and have failed. So let some other club pay them more to play at this level.

Realistically our aim should be to finishing midtable and bringing on some of the young lads we have bought in. Will Jones certainly looks like a great prospect.
This may blow peoples mind but we may lose more than we win! But if we win enough to keep us up, happy days.

We are stage in our clubs life time, where securing our long term home off the field becomes more important than what we perhaps do on the field! Without a new home we can't take that next step as a club.

I'd be interested to hear from those calling for Peaks to go and for new players to be bought in, what is your mid to long term aim is? We get in the play offs, win them and get promoted. Then what? Hayden Rd isn't good enough for the Conf North so the club would have to look for ANOTHER temporary home.

We are 10 years in to what will hopefully be 100s of years of AFCR&D. We have no right for glory every season. Lets try and focus on the next stage of the journey and that is focusing funds and efforts into getting a new ground. One we can call home, and then look to push on from there.

In the mean time lets give these young lads a chance. It wont be all a bed of roses, but they deserve our backing for now.

Absolute nonsense.

We can relay the club's history, and cite our infancy as much as we like, bit in reality, none of us want to, or expect us to go up to the next level just yet. What is expected, as a minimum though, is that we give ourselves a fighting chance

For the majority of Peaks' time, we have. But right now, we aren't. 5 games is enough to see that things aren't working, yet there's no change. Slinn had been head and shoulders the worst player in that side for 5 of 5 games, but AP won't drop him. Warburton on contract, but not playing anywhere near that standard. I see some guff on here of Garwood being a quality acquisition, but fail to see when he's proved that. Honest truth is that Snedker is the best player in that squad right now, but won't be there for much longer if things don't change.

We're all appreciative of the fact we have a team to watch, support and criticise, that's an absolute given, but we need to stop using that as mitigation. Why is it fair to accept poor management and mediocre performance, just because the alternative is nothing at all. I don't expect us to go up, but I sure as f*ck don't expect us to go down.

Getting beat is fine, losing as many as we win is fine, but watching the team concede the same goals from the same positions week in week out definitely isn't. Andy Peaks will always be a legend for what he's achieved, but I'm struggling to see how he can stop the slide right now. He looks bereft of ideas on the touchline when things are against us. The only relative success we've had this year is in a game when we were absolutely battered for 90 minutes, and that's not good enough.

We can blame budgets and covid and whatever the f*ck else we want to, but a bit of passion and tactical control over a game is a given, and despite everything that Peaks has done, if he can't deliver it, then he should have the respect for the club to hold his hands up and say that he's taken us as far as he can.

[bozzer]

What a great post Dowlo.

That’s exactly where I see us at the moment, for me if we stay in this division this season it will be a result, although I expect us to be mid table. If we get a season where these young players have developed along with some quality like Snedker, Williams then we will be all the better for it next season.
If you want to replace Peaks who are we going to attract, you aren’t going to get a top step 3 manager as they will currently be enjoying a better budget, so are you going to go for an unproven professional coach, or someone who has been out of the game for a long time, or maybe take a chance on a step 4 manager. My opinion is that Peaks deserves this season, he’s earnt that in my book.
Do I want us to be beaten 5-2 at Coalville, of course not but look at how our last three results have been there!, and I felt we were in it until it went 3-1 then the heads went and all the players will learn from that. I just want the team to give 100%, I saw them do that yesterday and quality wise they were not as good as Coalville, simple as that.

We’ve had some unprecedented success in the past, just look at how long it has taken Scarborough and Northwhich to get to the same level, IMO we are going to have to have some years of rebuilding and that’s fine by me.

Of course another option is if supporters aren’t prepared to wait then we could abandon the fan owned model and search for a sugar daddy to buy some success. Not my preference.

[diamondsteve]

What a great post Dowlo.

That’s exactly where I see us at the moment, for me if we stay in this division this season it will be a result, although I expect us to be mid table. If we get a season where these young players have developed along with some quality like Snedker, Williams then we will be all the better for it next season.
If you want to replace Peaks who are we going to attract, you aren’t going to get a top step 3 manager as they will currently be enjoying a better budget, so are you going to go for an unproven professional coach, or someone who has been out of the game for a long time, or maybe take a chance on a step 4 manager. My opinion is that Peaks deserves this season, he’s earnt that in my book.
Do I want us to be beaten 5-2 at Coalville, of course not but look at how our last three results have been there!, and I felt we were in it until it went 3-1 then the heads went and all the players will learn from that. I just want the team to give 100%, I saw them do that yesterday and quality wise they were not as good as Coalville, simple as that.

We’ve had some unprecedented success in the past, just look at how long it has taken Scarborough and Northwhich to get to the same level, IMO we are going to have to have some years of rebuilding and that’s fine by me.

Of course another option is if supporters aren’t prepared to wait then we could abandon the fan owned model and search for a sugar daddy to buy some success. Not my preference.

Banging my head on the wall! This isn’t a mid table side so stop saying we should be happy .

If the fan base drops even more then there’s no recovery . And we won’t be getting 800 fans again in step 4 if we go down , cannot believe some say that’s a good thing and that’s our standard as a club !!!

I’ve started taking my boy this season if it carry’s on like this he won’t want to come. How many the same? NOW THATS THE REALISM turnstile money .

So stop being patronising and saying we should be happy and to feel guilty if we’ve made a negative opinion

[sussexdiamond]

100% with Dowlo and Bozzer. I am confident once we get a settled eleven we will improve. The next 4 games are all winnable, at very least I would be looking for 8 points. We need Collard, Casey, Dias and Smith all fit (Peaks suggested in his post match comments that they are all close to starting next week). Certain players have not lived up to expectations so far this season, but for some only a handful of games in 18 months can have a real effect on fitness. This focuses just on this season but we are in this for the long term. We have some great young players both in the current squad and coming through the ranks. Priority has to be the new ground. If you think things are bad here you may want to read the Nuneaton Forum.

[rossco]

Banging my head on the wall! This isn’t a mid table side so stop saying we should be happy .

Hate to say it but this side at the moment looks exactly like a mid table side.
I don’t think we should be happy long term with that but no point thinking we’re going to seriously challenge this year based on performances so far.
Enjoy the football, we’ll win some, we’ll lose some but it’ll be good fun and that’s why I go to football.
Always need to remember this is a semi pro club and players have more important things to worry about…

[Dowlo]

Banging my head on the wall! This isn’t a mid table side so stop saying we should be happy .

If the fan base drops even more then there’s no recovery . And we won’t be getting 800 fans again in step 4 if we go down , cannot believe some say that’s a good thing and that’s our standard as a club !!!

I’ve started taking my boy this season if it carry’s on like this he won’t want to come. How many the same? NOW THATS THE REALISM turnstile money .

So stop being patronising and saying we should be happy and to feel guilty if we’ve made a negative opinion

I'm not happy with the current start, none of us are. So far though I have heard no realistic alternative to the management and player problem people believe we have. Who do you suggest we bring in?

The novelity of our name "Rushden and Diamonds" has worn off, players and management at this level no longer come to places because of the name. They come because of the budget. Look at the players playing at that sh*thole St Ives down the road!

What honestly were your expectation 10 years ago when we restarted? Did you think we'd have a regular 700 gate playing at Hayden Road on a quick fire charge back to the conference? Surely you knew there would be some sh*tty bits along the way where our resolve as fans would be tested.

We are in September we have played Coalville x2 Banbury, Bromsgrove and Peterborough Sports. Can we at least wait to we play Redditch, Needham, Leiston and Lowestoft etc before we start to start hitting the panic button. If performance don't improve come near November then perhaps it'll be time for a change.

[Three of Diamonds]

One person's reality is another person's ire. So long as we remember to respect others opinions, however much we might disagree then that's fine.
So, I think that we are where I expected once I saw the fixtures. Budgets play a huge part on the quality of player teams can attract, the rest falls on the management. Most of us have criticized our management over the last few years, and that's fair enough so long as it doesn't become personal. We all want to see the team playing well and challenging for a play off place but sometimes in football it goes wrong. Riding through those times is the art of support, how to hold on to the faith, roll with the blows, keep moving forward. Never give up, never give in.
I still believe we shall be mid table this season, but only time will tell.