Relegation-threatened Belles sack manager

[BVB]

Belles have today parted company with manager Ciaran Toner after a disastrous season in FA WNL Div 1 North (4th tier of Woman’s Football pyramid), which leaves them on the brink of relegation to the 5th Tier - lowest point in their long and honourable history.

In a season touted as a promotion campaign, the complete opposite has happened and Belles now need to win their last two league games and hope other results go their way in order to have any chance of staying up, for which the odds are stacked against them as they have to travel to promotion-chasing Middlesborough (being played at the Riverside) and then take on Huddersfield at home, who Belles have yet to beat since being relegated from the Championship (Tier 2) only 7 years ago.

This season the gods have not been kind in some games where Belles should have won / not lost, but having 34 different players appearing this season tells a story, with experienced players leaving and not being replaced with like for like.

Hopefully the post-mortem will identify how and why it got to this (too late?) stage and that the powers-that-be will recruit very very wisely in order to get Belles straight back up next season, as it will be a miracle if they get the points they need this season- or even have to rely on other clubs higher up in the pyramid folding and thereby gaining a reprieve.

Remaining games: Belles at home to Huddersfield in County Cup quarters this Sunday 6th at Denaby Main 2pm. Away to Boro Sunday 13th, last league game home v. Huddersfield (again) Sunday 27th.

[DonnyNoel]

Very sad to see although I've been as apathetic as many on here I imagine sadly. Used to watch them, reffed the junior teams, got the book, possibly even a VHS of the documentary somewhere and was great to see them win regularly when Ch4 had a highlights show. Some great club names in that time - Leasowe Pacific, Friends of Fulham, Milwall Lionesses and, er, Croydon.

Putting that aside though, like you say, seems odd to drift to this point in the season without making any kind of change. Suppose it has a snowball effect at a level when player moves are so easy, once you start dropping you lose your best players very quickly.

[BVB]

Silver lining for the future maybe in the development of all the junior Belles teams, which has been extremely positive this season.
Just hope it doesn’t become a feeding ground for bigger clubs to come and pinch promising players rather than those players coming through into the 1st team.

[DonnyNoel]

Here's hoping, but as we see in the mens game we're in a crowded enviroment with lots of "bigger" clubs on the doorstep.

[graingrover]

It is sad to see such a decline and a lot of the blame has to be put on the coach who has been sacked,His interviews post-match made me cringe and only served to help me understand that the team was without leadership .
There has been however a lot of work done to promote football in the community and we ha e about 300 girls playing Junior football in Brelles colours at various age levels .
I think that the marketing campaign at the beginning of the season which was a call to write a new page in a glorious history with repeated photos and articles referring to Chqmpionship winning days misfired.There was no momentum  , nothing to build on other than hot air .I even suggested to their CEO who has the full  backing of TB and GB that they start all over but as Donny Rovers  and build from the youth teams . The name Belles has been more a weight around their necks and a false goddess of NO value .It's Club  Doncaster who has the right community strategies . Ditching the name Belles would be the start of a new era instead of the worn out mantra of reviving  Belles .
You may remember Nadia Khan ! Her turning  her back on Ciaran  said it all for me !

[BobG]

Is Nadia Khan still a Belle?

BobG

[knockers]

Where is Nadia Khan playing now Graing?

[Scooter]

My future son in law has been coaching at a different club in the same league - he said that Ciarán is a dick

[BVB]

Just to report that Belles were relegated today to their lowest ever level (5th Tier) after being  tonked 7-0 at the Riverside by Boro Women, in front of a crowd of 4083.

The contrast in quality of playing squad, management team, support from the linked men’s club (Middlesborough FC) and the local community between Boro Women and Belles was painfully too clear to see.

Boro Women are now top on goal difference with one game to go whilst Belles are next to bottom only on goals scored.

Club Doncaster needs to take a good look at itself for allowing this situation to arise, and importantly what is it going to do to get Belles straight back up again this time next season.

[selby]

  It  sounds like a re run of The Royal Engineers and the Wanderers  at the start of the men's game.
  As a matter of interest who were the Belles main adversaries when they were the best around, Have they sunk the same way? or flourished?

[BVB]

Arsenal, Croydon/Charlton, Fulham, Leeds, to name a few.

[DonnyNoel]

  It  sounds like a re run of The Royal Engineers and the Wanderers  at the start of the men's game.
  As a matter of interest who were the Belles main adversaries when they were the best around, Have they sunk the same way? or flourished?

Arsenal were a big adversary in the early to mid 90's and Liverpool were emerging but hardly any of the big clubs were bothered then. Leasowe Pacific became Everton who were big for a while and I think Croydon became Palace. I know we pour scorn when people talk about mens football being invented in 1992 with the premier league but to some extent this really happened in womens football when the WSL came in.

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2021/04/13/ten-years-of-the-wsl-through-the-words-of-those-there-at-the-beginning/

[DonnyNoel]

Also as BV mentioned re Leeds, they took a few Belles players and Julie Chipchase over time.