Non-league boss Marc White has gone viral after he slammed his own Dorking Wanderers players in a furious two-minute rant after they were dumped out the FA Cup.
The National League side are currently only one step below the EFL, having been promoted 12 times since White founded the club 23 years ago.
But Dorking saw their FA Cup ended at their first hurdle, as they lost 2-0 to Horsham, who play in the Isthmian League Premier Division, two tiers below White’s club.
In his post-match reaction, White told Dorking Wanderers TV: ‘They’ve done exactly what you have to do in the FA Cup. If ever you find yourself saying “They wanted it more”, then you know there’s a big problem, because that’s the sort of thing you say at under-16s. No disrespect.
‘We defended too deep. We weren’t aggressive enough. I don’t think I’ve seen so many players have an off day.’
Dorking Wanderers manager Marc White tore into his players after their poor FA Cup exit
White blasted the performance as Dorking exited to Horsham, a team two tiers below them
He said he had significant credit for Horsham, who had several former Dorking players among their ranks. ‘They fully deserve to be in the draw and I really hope they get something amazing and life-changing so my f****** s*** players can learn a f****** lesson.
‘They were so poor. I’ll tell you one thing, I will always put my hand up, it’s not about availability, injuries, who was returning, who wasn’t. It wasn’t about that at all. It was about the fact that that team let the fans down 100 per cent, wholeheartedly.
‘Sometimes I get the management team to take the blame, part-blame, some blame, whatever. Today was wholeheartedly a bunch of players that were absolutely s***. And I’m so furious with them, it’s unbelievable.’
He warned that some players would have short careers at Dorking for not showing enough fight during the game in the tournament’s fourth qualifying round.
Horsham were rewarded for their victory on Saturday with a trip to League One side Barnsley in Sunday’s FA Cup first round draw, the first time when EFL teams enter the fray.
White’s comments saw fans on social media quick to rate his honesty.
One X (fka Twitter) user wrote: ‘Dorking Wanderers manager’s interview after his side were knocked out the FA Cup by Horsham is incredible’, whilst sharing a clip.
Fans on social media were quick to back White for his brutal comments after Saturday’s game
White founded Dorking in 1999, and has seen them rise through the ranks to National League
Others responded with comments including: ‘Marc White does not mince his words and I love the brutal honesty’, and ‘Why can’t premier league post match interviews be like this?’
Wimbledon fan White — manager, chairman, owner and founder of National League side Dorking Wanderers – set up the club in 1999, and has overseen their rise from division five of the Crawley and District League to one-tier below League Two.
In an interview with the Daily Mail last month, White said he was hoping for promotion. ‘When people say “Well, do you want to get to the Football League?” the answer is definitely yes,’ he answered. ‘We don’t quite know how — we’ve got a lot of work to do. We just keep making it up as we go along.’
His players will begin their job at making up for the Horsham performance on the pitch with a trip to Altrincham on Saturday.
