Today’s Game

[EL CHAS]

Three games were called off today due to the rail disruption but the level of hysteria exhibited by Barrow fans on this forum is not being matched by the supporters of Stockport or Fylde. Indeed Stockports forum has a thread calmly asking ‘what did you do instead this afternoon?’ while we cling to this fantasy that Dover should have travelled by any means possible to Barrow for a kick off at 5 or 6 pm. Why are Barrow so worked up about the postponement which the other clubs have taken in their stride? I would suggest that the other clubs had not invested so heavily in the nonsense that is non-league day. This is not an official occasion organised by the FA or the National league, it is an unofficial social media event which Barrow AFC have been suckered into. You would have thought we would have learnt from that other great non league day at Atherstone a few years back. Furness Families against Hate will have their work cut out dealing with the animosity towards Dover on this forum

[barrowaberdeen]

I would suggest you are talking shite. The main reason being they had set off and wee offered loads of support, much paid for by us, to either get a bus or stay at various points.

I have nothing at all against the fans of Dover, the payers or the ref. In fact we've always got on with Dover fans, have been down there and had a decent drink with them and vice versa up here.

But their chairman and officials have used some poor souls death as a counter argument for their own incompetence, and lied in a statement, no question. A pox on them for doing so.

[Colin Appleton]

EL Chas, the reason people are so annoyed is because they feel quite rightly that setting off from Euston at 9:30 am was far too late. As a regular traveller on trains there's no way I would have set off from say Barrow at 9:30 if for the sake of argument I needed to be in London for a 3pm kick off. Dover were hoping everything was going to be running on time, that in this world is sadly wishful thinking.
A well organised club would have travelled up the night before or caught an earlier train.

[Mark Johnson]

Dover have also retweeted a post from their kitman, who claims he was abused by a barrow official. Barrow are best not to get drawn in to their games. Let the FA decide what happens. The more I think about this, the more I feel it will just be swept under the rug.

[Si_Nichols]

Three games were called off today due to the rail disruption but the level of hysteria exhibited by Barrow fans on this forum is not being matched by the supporters of Stockport or Fylde. Indeed Stockports forum has a thread calmly asking ‘what did you do instead this afternoon?’ while we cling to this fantasy that Dover should have travelled by any means possible to Barrow for a kick off at 5 or 6 pm. Why are Barrow so worked up about the postponement which the other clubs have taken in their stride? I would suggest that the other clubs had not invested so heavily in the nonsense that is non-league day. This is not an official occasion organised by the FA or the National league, it is an unofficial social media event which Barrow AFC have been suckered into. You would have thought we would have learnt from that other great non league day at Atherstone a few years back. Furness Families against Hate will have their work cut out dealing with the animosity towards Dover on this forum

What a ridiculous post. Dover had twice as far to travel than Dagenham and a lot easier journey than Sutton. I find it hard to comprehend that Sutton were not scheduled on a train by 0930 and Daggers should have had time to organise alternative means to get to Stockport but Dover's plans were total crap from the offset.

As an exiled Barrow fan previously for many years and someone who organised travel for a lot of fans down south we would never consider leaving London later than 0830 train and we were supporting, not playing.

Dover are hiding their own incompetence, taken zero responsibility and hit out at everyone they can think of throwing accusations around. It shows a lack of class and respect for anyone.

I hope the National League grow a pair and deduct points but we all know they will do nothing.

[AugustusCorpa]

I don’t see what this shambles has got to do with the Neanderthals from Atherstone El Chas. No one from Dovers been attacking old men and women have they?

[NORTHERNSOUL]

Their website is back up and running so I've had the misfortune of reading that absolutely galling statement, it is an absolute disgrace, thoughts are with the family of someone who was in such a dark place that they chose to take their life, they are not with a tinpot football club from Dover who are using it as an excuse to save face, we will not forget about this Dover Athletic.

Strange how if you look at the original statement issued earlier in the day it's now blank. Wonder what it is that they have to hide ?

Their fans are saying that they wouldn't have been travelling onward from Lancaster on the Northern service but would have been met there by a coach well if thats true why couldn't they have got that coach to pick them up from Preston instead and take them thru to Barrow meaning
a 5 pm kick-off would have been quite possible and then either using that bus to take them back to London or by taking up the offer of travelling back on their supporter's bus.

Which clearly shows their indignation and trying to blame everybody else is nothing but an attempt to create a smokescreen to cover their actions in crying off now that their actions have been exposed.

[Pedro]

Three games were called off today due to the rail disruption but the level of hysteria exhibited by Barrow fans on this forum is not being matched by the supporters of Stockport or Fylde. Indeed Stockports forum has a thread calmly asking ‘what did you do instead this afternoon?’ while we cling to this fantasy that Dover should have travelled by any means possible to Barrow for a kick off at 5 or 6 pm. Why are Barrow so worked up about the postponement which the other clubs have taken in their stride? I would suggest that the other clubs had not invested so heavily in the nonsense that is non-league day. This is not an official occasion organised by the FA or the National league, it is an unofficial social media event which Barrow AFC have been suckered into. You would have thought we would have learnt from that other great non league day at Atherstone a few years back. Furness Families against Hate will have their work cut out dealing with the animosity towards Dover on this forum

Basically Barrow have lost alot of money due to Dovers inability to organise how to move from one end of the country to another.
I would like to say its down to pampered Southerners but if your fans can make it it shows to what extent yours is a amateurish outfit.
I would liken if to a trip I made to Cuba.
The planr was delayed by a few hours because the pilot was late
I asked where he was coming from Preston was the answer I said well I am 90 minutes further away and I e made. It.
I suggested he should have got of his arse and made a effort to get there earlier,a thing your Football club should have done.
Maybe ask your Football Supporters if you can travel on their bus they managed it.

[Jim]

Forgetting all the smokescreen stuff, the bare fact is that Dover we’re relying on a 7 minute connection time to get to Barrow by 1.05. Odds of that working out ok must be about 10-1! If they miss the connection, they get to Barrow station at 2.04, so when does a party of 20 or more get to the ground? About 2.30?
Surely Dover need a reprimand at least for such an irresponsible travel plan.

(I would also suggest that the situation with Sutton and Dagenham is not comparable because I don't think either of them would be relying on a train connection to get to their fixture, so the only risk of late arrival would be a MAJOR delay - whereas Dover would be risking arriving within 30 mins of kick off on a delay of 7 minutes!)

[geobarrovian]

Forgetting all the smokescreen stuff, the bare fact is that Dover we’re relying on a 7 minute connection time to get to Barrow by 1.05. Odds of that working out ok must be about 10-1! If they miss the connection, they get to Barrow station at 2.04, so when does a party of 20 or more get to the ground? About 2.30?
Surely Dover need a reprimand at least for such an irresponsible travel plan.

(I would also suggest that the situation with Sutton and Dagenham is not comparable because I don't think either of them would be relying on a train connection to get to their fixture, so the only risk of late arrival would be a MAJOR delay - whereas Dover would be risking arriving within 30 mins of kick off on a delay of 7 minutes!)

They aren't really comparable as Stockport is much more easily reached by train and I imagine Fylde is as well but the fact that those games were also postponed fits into the shameful narrative that Dover have spun to cover their backs.

[geobarrovian]

Also, if there was a signal failure, cows on the line, low rail adhesion etc etc they wouldn't have made it to Barrow on time, the fact they have taken an emotive and sensitive subject of a suicide as a means of excuse is morally wrong.

[SKIPPER]

Three games were called off today due to the rail disruption but the level of hysteria exhibited by Barrow fans on this forum is not being matched by the supporters of Stockport or Fylde. Indeed Stockports forum has a thread calmly asking ‘what did you do instead this afternoon?’ while we cling to this fantasy that Dover should have travelled by any means possible to Barrow for a kick off at 5 or 6 pm. Why are Barrow so worked up about the postponement which the other clubs have taken in their stride? I would suggest that the other clubs had not invested so heavily in the nonsense that is non-league day. This is not an official occasion organised by the FA or the National league, it is an unofficial social media event which Barrow AFC have been suckered into. You would have thought we would have learnt from that other great non league day at Atherstone a few years back. Furness Families against Hate will have their work cut out dealing with the animosity towards Dover on this forum

Do you know how much effort Stockport and Fylde took to get the game on compared to Barrows' officials? I would suggest next to none. Two clubs going through a bad patch and probably quite happy to have the game called off and take a break,particularly Fylde who from later events obviously had other things on their mind..Dovers' fans must be wishing their team could pass the ball as well as their management are passing the buck.Mind you reading their forum the blinkers are well and truly on with the usual 'Barrow is a sh1thole' from someone who has probably never gone further North than Watford and clearly plagiarised from every other National League clubs'forum.

[Moribund]

"Yes we made stupid plans to travel the length of the country with seven minutes to spare, refused all options to make it to the ground at a reasonable time, and turned round because we didn't fancy it, but someone died so you can't have a go at us."

[SKIPPER]

To put things in perspective.Chester a part-time team with a budget probably smaller than Dovers' directors wine bill travelled late Friday to Kings Lynn for yesterdays Conference North fixture.Surely also overnight stays are included in pre-season budget calculations for longest trips.

[Tomnoddy]

Three games were called off today due to the rail disruption but the level of hysteria exhibited by Barrow fans on this forum is not being matched by the supporters of Stockport or Fylde. Indeed Stockports forum has a thread calmly asking ‘what did you do instead this afternoon?’ while we cling to this fantasy that Dover should have travelled by any means possible to Barrow for a kick off at 5 or 6 pm. Why are Barrow so worked up about the postponement which the other clubs have taken in their stride? I would suggest that the other clubs had not invested so heavily in the nonsense that is non-league day. This is not an official occasion organised by the FA or the National league, it is an unofficial social media event which Barrow AFC have been suckered into. You would have thought we would have learnt from that other great non league day at Atherstone a few years back. Furness Families against Hate will have their work cut out dealing with the animosity towards Dover on this forum

I think the difference here is that neither Stockport or Fylde are on a seven game winning streak, in a play-off position, on the verge of breaking a 100+ year record ( impossible for Fylde I know ) and looking forward to probably one of the biggest and most important attendances in years - if either were I think you would have heard a lot more from them.
Similarly if we were languishing around in the bottom half of the table facing this postponement I think apart from a few grumbles regarding Dover’s amateurish travel arrangements we would have let it pass without much fuss. It’s all about the situation.
For the record I spent the rest of the afternoon at home with a beer and a book