Woking Boss Rant

Is he right?

Angry Woking boss blasts 'selfish' unvaccinated players who have 'cost club thousands' due to postponements

Alan Dowson revealed in hindsight he would not have signed unvaccinated players and thinks there should be an industry ruling.

Angry Alan Dowson has branded some of his Woking players, “selfish” following the postponement of two of the club’s matches against Bromley and Chesterfield because of a Covid-19 case in the squad.

As he prepares his men for a return to action at Eastleigh, tomorrow, followed by the rearranged game against Chesterfield next Tuesday, the Cards boss made his feelings clear about certain players – said to be around five or six – not having been double-jabbed with the Covid-19 vaccine.

It meant a 10-day period of isolation for those players and games called off.

Angry Alan Dowson has branded some of his Woking players, “selfish” following the postponement of two of the club’s matches against Bromley and Chesterfield because of a Covid-19 case in the squad.

As he prepares his men for a return to action at Eastleigh, tomorrow, followed by the rearranged game against Chesterfield next Tuesday, the Cards boss made his feelings clear about certain players – said to be around five or six – not having been double-jabbed with the Covid-19 vaccine.

It meant a 10-day period of isolation for those players and games called off.

Dowson has even gone so far as to say he regrets signing certain individuals because of the issue and reckons there should be a rule insisting that all footballers should be vaccinated if they are to be involved in sport rather than it being down to the individual, because of the financial implications to clubs.

“I have tried to put it across to the players how important it is to have the jabs because of the industry we are in,” said Dowson. “They are being selfish. They have to think about the club and the team, rather than us losing £20,000 or £30,000 a game. They’ve got to get the jabs it’s as simple as that. Some of them are saying it’s about pleasing families but the families aren’t paying their wages, we are.

“They are off for 10 days and they still want paying. I think there should be a rule in football that if they won’t have a jab, they shouldn’t play.

“I’m usually a fair man but I don’t believe footballers should get paid if they can’t be double-jabbed. They are putting everybody at risk. They are only thinking about themselves.

“Chesterfield would have brought 1,000 fans down on a Saturday at £20 and that’s £20,000 before you start, instead of bringing 200 or 300 down next Tuesday. The players have cost the club money.”

He added: “We have put everything on for them. The club have got the training ground spot on, they’ve got the food spot on, they’ve doubled the budget to make it so we can have more of a go, they have done absolutely everything to provide for the players.

“And this happens. And it can happen again. I wish I had known at the start of the season because I would never have signed a player again who hasn’t had the vaccine.”

The last time the Cards played competitively was in the 1-0 defeat at Wrexham two weeks ago and Dowson was denied the chance to bounce straight back against Bromley.

“We are 10 days behind with training and matches,” he said. “It’s not down to the club, it’s not down to the government, it’s down to players.

“Let’s get the cards on the table. There’s not a lot more the club can do. There’s not a lot more I as a manager can do. The players have to take full responsibility for their actions.”

He added: “For away games they [those without vaccination] will have to make their own way to games, they are not going to be allowed on the coach, they will be a group by themselves. If they are going to be selfish in their own little world, they can do their own thing. What choice have I got?

“The club did all the right things with putting players on furlough last season. In the summer I didn’t have one day off and got 13 players in to get in a position to have a go. Everything is done right. And then you have the wind kicked out of you because of people being ignorant and not buying into what I want to manage.

“I won’t back down on it. Someone needs to make a stand for football about sportsmen missing games and still wanting to get paid when they are costing their clubs thousands of pounds. Maybe it’s just that some of them might like the 10 days off and get full pay.”

The Cards are 14th in the National League table but three games behind most of the top clubs having played just four.

I guess Woking is somewhere Danny Rose won't be going then.

Seems like a perfectly reasonable rant to me.  

Players have the right to not get the jab, but if they want to be a Pro / semi-pro (?) footballer they also have responsibilites to the club that employs them and the people they work with.

It is not exactly an office job where you can work remotely if you get covid.

Quoted from The Yard Dog

Is he right?

Angry Woking boss blasts 'selfish' unvaccinated players who have 'cost club thousands' due to postponements

Alan Dowson revealed in hindsight he would not have signed unvaccinated players and thinks there should be an industry ruling.

Angry Alan Dowson has branded some of his Woking players, “selfish” following the postponement of two of the club’s matches against Bromley and Chesterfield because of a Covid-19 case in the squad.

As he prepares his men for a return to action at Eastleigh, tomorrow, followed by the rearranged game against Chesterfield next Tuesday, the Cards boss made his feelings clear about certain players – said to be around five or six – not having been double-jabbed with the Covid-19 vaccine.

It meant a 10-day period of isolation for those players and games called off.

Angry Alan Dowson has branded some of his Woking players, “selfish” following the postponement of two of the club’s matches against Bromley and Chesterfield because of a Covid-19 case in the squad.

As he prepares his men for a return to action at Eastleigh, tomorrow, followed by the rearranged game against Chesterfield next Tuesday, the Cards boss made his feelings clear about certain players – said to be around five or six – not having been double-jabbed with the Covid-19 vaccine.

It meant a 10-day period of isolation for those players and games called off.

Dowson has even gone so far as to say he regrets signing certain individuals because of the issue and reckons there should be a rule insisting that all footballers should be vaccinated if they are to be involved in sport rather than it being down to the individual, because of the financial implications to clubs.

“I have tried to put it across to the players how important it is to have the jabs because of the industry we are in,” said Dowson. “They are being selfish. They have to think about the club and the team, rather than us losing £20,000 or £30,000 a game. They’ve got to get the jabs it’s as simple as that. Some of them are saying it’s about pleasing families but the families aren’t paying their wages, we are.

“They are off for 10 days and they still want paying. I think there should be a rule in football that if they won’t have a jab, they shouldn’t play.

“I’m usually a fair man but I don’t believe footballers should get paid if they can’t be double-jabbed. They are putting everybody at risk. They are only thinking about themselves.

“Chesterfield would have brought 1,000 fans down on a Saturday at £20 and that’s £20,000 before you start, instead of bringing 200 or 300 down next Tuesday. The players have cost the club money.”

He added: “We have put everything on for them. The club have got the training ground spot on, they’ve got the food spot on, they’ve doubled the budget to make it so we can have more of a go, they have done absolutely everything to provide for the players.

“And this happens. And it can happen again. I wish I had known at the start of the season because I would never have signed a player again who hasn’t had the vaccine.”

The last time the Cards played competitively was in the 1-0 defeat at Wrexham two weeks ago and Dowson was denied the chance to bounce straight back against Bromley.

“We are 10 days behind with training and matches,” he said. “It’s not down to the club, it’s not down to the government, it’s down to players.

“Let’s get the cards on the table. There’s not a lot more the club can do. There’s not a lot more I as a manager can do. The players have to take full responsibility for their actions.”

He added: “For away games they [those without vaccination] will have to make their own way to games, they are not going to be allowed on the coach, they will be a group by themselves. If they are going to be selfish in their own little world, they can do their own thing. What choice have I got?

“The club did all the right things with putting players on furlough last season. In the summer I didn’t have one day off and got 13 players in to get in a position to have a go. Everything is done right. And then you have the wind kicked out of you because of people being ignorant and not buying into what I want to manage.

“I won’t back down on it. Someone needs to make a stand for football about sportsmen missing games and still wanting to get paid when they are costing their clubs thousands of pounds. Maybe it’s just that some of them might like the 10 days off and get full pay.”

The Cards are 14th in the National League table but three games behind most of the top clubs having played just four.

No. He's not right is he? Getting vaccinated does not stop you from catching Covid. Jabbed or not, no one is immune. Got double vaxxed myself, but if I were a fit and healthy pro-footballer I'd trust my antibodies far greater than what is a comparatively largely untested new vaccine..

Think the guy must have been watching too much US politics. Far too much disinformation and authoritarian  rhetoric over there. Same with masks too. Very little protection scientifically, but if people feel safer wearing them, even the same ones over and over again out of their pockets, who am I to judge? Freedom of choice still exists right? Especially with our own bodies..

Quoted from jamesgtfc

I guess Woking is somewhere Danny Rose won't be going then.

Where do you get this from? I’ve seen it mentioned a few times on here but I obviously missed the origins of the story…..

Quoted from Heisenberg

Where do you get this from? I’ve seen it mentioned a few times on here but I obviously missed the origins of the story…..

he's anti vax and always going on about conspiracy's and 5G masts etc

Getting double jabbed doesn’t stop you catching it or indeed passing it on. I got my 2nd jab on June 8th and a month later had a positive test.

I’m not sure mandating players have the jab is the right thing to do either, it’s not as though they’re essential workers and exposed to more risk than most people.

Alan Dowson is an experienced coach and I’m surprised he’s called his players out in public as it often results in them downing tools, hopefully in a couple of weeks when we play them 🙂

It’s not that being double-jabbed makes you any more or less susceptible to the virus, it’s that the regulations change for those who have had both jabs.

So if they’d have both jabs, they could’ve played as long as they’d tested negative.

The vaccine is not 100% and only reduces the risk of contracting Covid so even if all his players were double vaccinated there is still a 5% chance there will be a positive test.

The vaccine does mitigate the effects should a person who is double vaccinated contract the virus. This means that upto 15% of double vaccinated people are admitted but of those 15% less than 10% end up in Intensive Care.

Also being double vaccinated reduces transmission by 70% but still means that a player may be positive, shown no signs and pass it on to others.

So is he justified in his rant? No and calling players "selfish" is based on inaccurate information. What would he call a player who is double vaccinated and tests positive ?

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Getting double jabbed doesn’t stop you catching it or indeed passing it on. I got my 2nd jab on June 8th and a month later had a positive test.

I’m not sure mandating players have the jab is the right thing to do either, it’s not as though they’re essential workers and exposed to more risk than most people.

Alan Dowson is an experienced coach and I’m surprised he’s called his players out in public as it often results in them downing tools, hopefully in a couple of weeks when we play them 🙂

If you follow the scientific theory correctly, you're more likely to pass the virus on as you're also more likely to be asymptomatic being double vaxxed. But we have to have someone to blame other than China or even Fauci and his cohorts who actually funded the research in Wuhan. The world is becoming a dangerous place and the powers that be are trying to divide the ordinary people by whatever means they can. Black or white, vaxxed or unvaxxed, masked or unmasked, trans or anti-trans, knee or not taking the knee, election fraud or non election fraud..CRT etc etc etc they're not going to stop anytime soon.. I'm aghast at what's happened over the past couple of years.. Covid has bred insanity and clouded thinking driven by misinformation..