I think you have to take a lot of what is posted on websites with a pinch of salt. Firstly you have to accept that some people are just plain nuts and haven't got a clue what they are talking about. They will be expressing views that the majority would feel were extreme and not at all representative of the average fan. Then you have others who may not even be genuine Darts fans? There are at least one or two posters on here who are unknown to the rest of us and I am often suspicious whether they are just outsiders playing mind games. Thirdly, football being the game it is, you then have to accept that opinions will be very varied between fans and just because two or three of us may express an opinion that doesn't necessarily make it right and it doesn't even mean that it is a widely held view.
Currently we are lucky enough to have around 1,000 supporters and I could pretty much guarantee that every player in the squad will be regarded as great by someone and rubbish by someone else. When you read threads on this site you are often looking at discussions between 3 or 4 people and this can give an entirely unrepresentative view of what is really popular opinion. I hope the players and management are big enough and bright enough to look beyond one or two unfavourable comments and look at the bigger picture.
I have from time to time looked in on other clubs' websites and, believe it or not, generally speaking, ours is probably one of the most moderate I have come across. Whether you agree with them or not, most posters have the club at heart even if they may occasionally say things that upset individual players. I understand and agree with some of the points made by "The Clerk", but would suggest that his attack on Trev B ...
Why is it that people seem to think that quoting how long they have "Supported" a club is impressive or gives them any more rights than other fans? Trevor B obviously has his point of view and good luck to him. I personally prefer to look on the better side of things and find life a whole lot more enjoyable this way rather than skulking around negatively taking cheap shots at others but...each to their own.
... is a little unfair.
It's rare that I ever agree with anything that Trev B posts, but I think he has always posted his honest and true opinion. He is never abusive and always constructive. To suggest that he is skulking around and taking cheap shots is simply not true and to imply such a thing would seem to me, to be doing the very same thing to him!
What "The Clerk" needs to understand is that the internet (some might say unfortunately) is here to stay. This effectively gives players and officials a direct pipeline into the thoughts of the supporters that was not available in the past. For players, its a dark and scary place to go because they may not like what they find. They need to understand though that, individually, the idle ramblings of supporters like me are not that important. I can pretty much guarantee, that even if Pele was at his peak and now playing for the Darts, someone would be on here saying he was rubbish and that some kid from our youth team should be playing instead. That's the nature of football.
It is true that the length of time someone has supported a club does not give their views more creedence than a new supporter however, you have to also accept that without the 200 or so die-hard fans like Trev B who helped keep the club alive during the past 15 years, there woudln't even be a team of players to take "cheap shots" at! Fans like Trev B are here forever whereas players (with a few exceptions like Tony Burman, Steve Robinson etc) generally come and go.
I can understand why players or management might find the internet a bit demoralising at times but I think they need to accept it for what it is ... a place where fans can go and have a rant from time to time, to make themselves feel better. This is the fans equivalent of the manager throwing tea-cups around the dressing room or Alex O'Brien throwing a tantrum after losing a game. We all get upset about losing because we care and this forum is one way we can get it out of our system.
Look on the bright side ... Individual comments mean diddly but if everyone is posting the same comments then at least the manager has an insight into popular opinion. That could be useful to know and does give the chance for him to communicate and clear up any misunderstandings. It's not all bad.
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