Dorking’s Marc White pulls no punches after crashing out of FA Cup to Horsham… again

Dorking’s Marc White pulls no punches after crashing out of the FA Cup to Horsham… again, having suffered defeat to them last season.

It wasn’t the FA Cup Second Qualifying draw Dorking Wanderers wanted, it weren’t the result they wanted either.

A fourth defeat of the 2024/25 season so far. Not the start they wanted or expected at this point.

Horsham have beaten them again, having done so last season with a 2-0 win in the FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round. Marc White didn’t hold back come post-match, well worth a watch…

Interviewer: Okay. It’s finished here. Horsham 1, Dorking Wanderers, nil. We’re out the cup. Marc, your thoughts.

Marc: Well, I’m really, I’m really disappointed for, the supporters, the committee, those who worked so hard to, you know, finance the club and, and the supporters that, want us so badly to to get back to, you know, what we know the Wanderers to be. So to them, I say that, I’m gutted, for them and, for the supporters. But I’ve got to be true to myself. I’ve gotta be honest. And, you know, the players, were fucking terrible, and it’s not acceptable. Listen. You’re bound to get people that say, you know, Marc this, Marc that. You know? We, as a club, we’re providing, 3 mornings a week. Coaching is brilliant.

We’ve obviously got a plethora of injury issues. Today, Seb was really ill. Jason was really ill with a sickness bug. We had to take him off. Charlie’s slit his eye open. Niall’s hammy’s gone. Jimmy’s calf has gone. Same old same. Same old same.

But I think Horsham, in every sense of the word, deserve to win the game. They created by far the better chances. Tactically, just sat off, let us be devoid of ideas, and then just try to break on us and wore us down as our legs went a little bit and as we had them sort of changes we had to make. So I thought tactically, Dom and Horsham, done everything they need to do. I thought the better team won today, and, I am fuming, with the players.

I’m just, I’ll stand there any day of the week and take responsibility. But we get everything tactically right the whole time, and I’ve gotta be honest, you know, the players were pitiful in terms of their ability to get the instructions right, moaning at each other, you know, getting frustrated because teams sit deep. So, obviously, we’re gonna keep working hard to turn things around.

I’m questioning definitely the will of some of our boys. I’ve said to the boys, are they some of the ones that have been here a long time? Are they as interested? We know they’re great players. Are they as interested in, you know, as they were? Some of the older ex-Football League boys, are they as interested as they were when they was playing, you know, in cup finals and huge careers?

I’ve got to question the will because we weren’t determined enough all over the pitch to make things happen. I thought we were sloppy, static at the back at times. You know, Pybus gives the ball away, for the start of their goal, for where that comes from. Yeah, I thought, it’s easy to say, Marc White this, Marc White that. You know. But I’m resilient, and that’s you know? We’re not a fucking circus. Marc White’s going absolutely fucking nowhere. Don’t be so fucking silly. What we have got to do, is the players, and the management team need to need to turn things around big time. We’ve got a team full of Football League players, players from the league above. We’ve got 8, 9 players, obviously, that that are injured at the moment, which is not helping us. We are down to our bare bones, which is not helping us. But at the end of the day, the team we put out today should beat Horsham. But in every sense of the word, Horsham deserved the win 100%.

Interviewer: I think Harrison was probably man of the match, wasn’t he? He made several saves. And I guess from your point of view, disappointing is that really their keeper of note only really had one save to make, didn’t he tipping that over? And that must be another frustration in that, as you mentioned yesterday, all those sort of stats and everything, but not sort of scoring at the moment, are we? You’re creating those kind of chances, really, and working opposition keepers.

Marc: That that’s the bottom line, isn’t it? You know? And and then it’s a bit today was a bit similar in some areas to Weymouth. Although Weymouth, we we dominated heavily. But today, Horsham deserved to win with their game plan. But yeah. Look. I mean, you know, you you Reece, I thought, was was poor first half, not good enough. Jason, poor, not good enough. Briggsy, poor, really poor first half. 2nd half came to life a lot more. Jimmy, average in them high areas. We’re not at the moment, they’re not doing the business. I think we all know they’re great players. I think, you know, we all want them at the club. But I do believe, honestly, I do believe that them players have got a big responsibility. At the moment, the boys that are playing. They really have because we’ve got a great squad. The team we put out each week is is a good enough team to win matches. You know, we we’re keeping the ball in the right way most of the time, but. High areas, poor, aggression, poor. And then when things go against us, wank, sorry. When things go against us, nowhere near good enough. So apologies for that language. That’s a bit too much.

Interviewer: Obviously, there’s a there’s a week now and another game, and you’re talking about responsibility in that. Is that 50/50 in terms of you and the management team to kind of have those conversations, or is that 100% on those individuals and those players now to have an honest conversation with themselves and think, you know, are they up for doing that and be and and committing to that what you’re asking of them?

Marc: Well, I’ve told the players that I won’t be training this week. I’ll see them Saturday. The management team will be there. I will, I’ve told them that there’s not a marked improvement, in their aggression, and togetherness in in desire, then we’ll go to training 3 evenings, not mornings. I’m not gonna fuck about with, some big time Charlie’s, not in a fucking month of Sundays. If they think they’re gonna come in and fucking eat scrambled egg and fucking Cheerios and pastas, and I think they’re fucking Julio Iglesias mate. They’ve got another thing coming. They won’t do it.

I’ll tell you that now. I’ll give the fans my fucking full commitment. They will be down at school where we were training 3 times a week on a fucking tennis court with me running them fucking up and down and then getting home at midnight. If they don’t have a good week this week, I’m not gonna, I’m gonna take away that little comfort blanket because the irony is, honestly.

We had that great season in the National League first time around. Yeah. Finished 16th, doing 2 evenings a week. The minute we’ve gone to mornings and stuff, the coaching’s great. What we’re delivering is brilliant. The the the patterns, everything, the tactics, we’re getting everything right. But for some reason, the players are very comfortable. And I’m gonna make sure they’re not that comfortable. That’s all I can say to the supporters.

The supporters have got to make their mind up now in terms of, like, do not want the frustration to take over. You know, do they want you know, I appreciate people handle losing differently. We understand we’ve got a massive injury crisis that’s not ideal at all. We’ve got a lot of issues off the back of the day as well.

Supporters have to get behind us. They got behind us today off the back of last week. I know that all of our most loyal supporters will. Honestly, the ones that don’t need to not bother with us. They need to fuck off. That is the bottom line because I’m the strongest bloke around. Okay? And those that enjoy, you know, throwing darts at me when we’ve built a team to win promotions with boys part time punching above our weight for years.

And then we have a bad spell and wanna dig me out can honestly fuck off. That is the message. They can reply to this saying, oh, Marc this, Marc that. I don’t give a fuck. Fuck off. I don’t care if we have 20 fans supporting me and the team. Okay? We will turn it around, and we’ll all celebrate together at some point. But I totally understand their frustration. Yeah. And they definitely should be at a vent at the players and me as long as it’s fair and reasonable. But not not in any other way. And I’m I’m gonna be passionate because I am passionate about the time and effort and money that goes into Dorking Wanderers. For people then to, you know, not be as resilient as I will be.

Interviewer: Yep. Okay. Thanks, Marc. So the the support was good here today, though, and, obviously, we need as many of those to make that trip down to Weston-super-Mare next Saturday. And, we wish Horsham all the best in the next round.

Marc: Yeah. I mean, the bottom line is, yeah, the support is unbelievable. Do you know what I mean? So I really appreciate the support as massively. I can’t say how much I appreciate them. It’s just really, really important that everybody just understands we are having a difficult phase, combination of not getting it right on the pitch and the injuries. Do you know what I mean? So we’ve just gotta, we’ve just gotta work really hard to fix it and be resilient. That’s the bottom line.

Interviewer: The Horsham fans are enjoying themselves over there.

History repeated ♻️@HorshamFC knocked out higher opposition in @DorkingWDRS for the second year in a row!#EmiratesFACuppic.twitter.com/adTvpoJw5l

— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) September 14, 2024

Here’s how fans reacted as Dorking’s Marc White pulls no punches after crashing out of FA Cup to Horsham… again…

@jane36london: Totally agree with Marc here, if any fans can’t be supportive when times are hard they should watch another team. True supporters support in good times and bad. The club is always more than generous to the players, time for many to start repaying the loyalty shown to them.

@AdesSurrey: Tough times. Tough times will create tougher people. We will get there. It may take a while, but the entire club’s mentality is progression & doing the right thing – always will be. Bad results don’t change anything – still a special club in so many ways – and that matters.

@paddydawson_91: Marc’s kidding himself if he really thinks a lot of the team could be playing the league above, got 1 maybe 2 players that could be

@TerryDu99655959: We go again and again and again. We will never stop going. Players get everything they need all club asks players give 100% and just play football DWFC way 🔴⚪️🔴⚪️🔴⚪️

@Twister19184630: Dejavu. Awful again against supposedly lower league Horsham. Almost embarrassing to watch the likes of Craig, Francombe, Pybus, Briggs. They’re done. Get rid of them and a few others otherwise the same results will happen. Sad to watch this crap

@irpReigate: Totally straight and can’t disagree with any of it.

@callumjonesy99: @bunch_amateurs This is going to be interesting 😂

@MASHitREALgood: Right behind you gaffer and the club, Good times right around the corner, We go again , never write us off …

@OwenH04: Never write off the wanderers

@JobsonTommy: Most honest man in football. Tells it as it http://is.No http://bullshit.In Marc we trust 🔴⚪️🐓

@Trevsmall4: What a prick why won’t he take any blame always on about injuries and living in the past and talking like that in public is a sure way to lose the dressing room

@JamieMoss1980: It’s his club, if players are pissing about whilst working for him, and getting paid, he’s every right to be angry, I’m sure he blames himself all the time

@1garyemery: When is Marc going to look at himself, he’s lost the dressing room

@GarethW12_: This is his club btw, anyone calling for his job needs a wobble

@wxm_afc: I do feel for him, I absolutely love what he does, but I’d imagine they are the easiest team to scout, his tactics are shown on BOA every week. Looking from the outside, you look like you are missing a total shithouse and a master of the dark arts who drag you through games.