Thame Admission prices

[readingrebel]

A lot of players try to get deals at higher level clubs early on during pre-season, and when the higher placed club takes a look at them over 3-4 games over pre-season and possibly thinks they are not good enough for that level they filter down the leagues. So might see a few new trialists over the next few games i'm guessing.

TBF I heard Thame were seriously short of players yesterday with only 8 of their first team squad available due to holidays etc.

 

Chris is right, if you're playing at a higher level I'd imagine (unless your circumstances dictate otherwise) you would want to stay at that level if possible and when not wanted or you will be on the Dame Judy you start looking for another club.

 

I still think we need two more players to win this league.

I agree with you RR, we do need 2 more additions to the squad to win this league... Current squad is:

 

GK: Warrington, Hawtree

 

DEF: Brown, NBH, Woozley, A.Deeney, Murphy, Rhone

 

MID: D.Deeney, Logie, Burgess, Swift, Mason

 

STR: Burnell, Sonner, Abbey

 

There is versatility in the players above so I think we are well stacked in defence and will be even more so if Sweeney returns. It is in midfield where I worry, the 5 listed above are all very good players but think we need 1 more who offers something different unless Burgess performs week in week out in the absence of Coyne but we do need that central midfielder to step up and score 15 goals a season.. We also need 1 more striker, the 3 above will score goals but towards the end of last season it proved we needed another option unless Anderson returns!

 

I personally think only 1 triallist will sign on and that is Sean Fraser!

 

I hope you're right,Chris,too.

I've heard Simon Sweeney and Steve Perkins are returning.They will make a big difference to our current squad,if this is true.Plus you can add Sam Bateman to that midfield list,as well as Perkins,Cookham Rebel.I thought we relied too heavily on Paul Coyne last season,regardless of him being a very good player.I hope SB doesn't fall into the same trap with Dave Deeney.With the cover we have in all positions,we have the opportunity to play players out of their normal positions ie Danny Murphy say left on a midfield three, and if we are adventurous with selection I believe we can be champions.

 

Still would like to see the proverbial target man up front to complement Danny,Sean and Ben.There must be someone around of that ilk looking for gainful employment.

 

 

Sam Bateman is a strange one.

 

He was there on Saturday doing the pre-match warm-up but never got on the pitch!

 

 

We now have Dom Rhone to play the left wing back role and will not now be so heavily dependent on Murphs bombing forward.

 

I think if Danny Murphy and Dominic Rhone can get an understanding between them down the left it could be something to watch.

[readingrebel]

I would agree with Ian, Sam is more than good enough to be in the team and he will run his socks off for the cause, puts in the tackles and does not moan about it.

 

Defence is solid.

 

Need an experianced midfield man who can see the passes, control the moves and not get intimidated or distracted against the more physical sides.

 

The final player needed is the big forward who crashes through defences in the Ian Hodges style, it will then generate more shots on tatget than the handfull that a lot of last seasons games produced.

 

The more shots on goal you have, will produce more goals - statistically proven.

 

 

Dave Deeney certainly has the experience and the ability to put his foot in and pass the ball around the middle of the park. He is also versatile and can play a defensive role, as he did in the second half on Saturday, if required.

 

What I think we are missing is mobility and creativity. Sam Bateman would give us the mobility but I don't think he would give us the creativity required.

[Matt]

Sam Bateman probably has the same availability issues around weekends that he had last season, so I wouldn't bank on him being available much this season.

[3spirit]

I would agree with Ian, Sam is more than good enough to be in the team and he will run his socks off for the cause, puts in the tackles and does not moan about it.

 

Defence is solid.

 

Need an experianced midfield man who can see the passes, control the moves and not get intimidated or distracted against the more physical sides.

 

The final player needed is the big forward who crashes through defences in the Ian Hodges style, it will then generate more shots on tatget than the handfull that a lot of last seasons games produced.

 

The more shots on goal you have, will produce more goals - statistically proven.

 

 

Dave Deeney certainly has the experience and the ability to put his foot in and pass the ball around the middle of the park. He is also versatile and can play a defensive role, as he did in the second half on Saturday, if required.

 

What I think we are missing is mobility and creativity. Sam Bateman would give us the mobility but I don't think he would give us the creativity required.

 

It's funny because Steve Bateman said in one of the locals,a few weeks back,that Dave Deeney will be the 'enforcer' in the midfield this season but also he has more to his game than just that.So I believe he will be the Paul Coyne replacement.

I know we are only playing friendlies at the moment but so far I've not seen anything to suggest he is the player SB says he is.

 

Obviously Steve has faith in him to deliver on the pitch and Dave Deeney must have been an asset under Bateman at Hemel Hempstead. He certainly doesn't lack for confidence but I haven't seen any 'Wilko' steel yet.Dave may also be assuming that this gulf in class between the Premier and our Central division will be easy to adapt to and so he won't have to work as hard.

I think the better teams of this division will prove that to be false.

 

My concern is that Dave Deeney will be another 'prima-donna' and that we will inevitably be dependant on this 'superstar'.When in fact we have some very good alternatives/combinations and so shouldn't rely so much on just one player's capabilities,as we did so heavily last season with Paul Coyne.

[Cookham Rebel]

Lets give the guy a chance before we start labelling him 3spirit, I don't know any player that performs to their maximum in pre-season!

 

We may not need a Coyne replacement, our style of play and set up may be different. If Deeney and Logie are in central midfield, it will allow the likes of Ashley Deeney, Rhone, Murphy, Swift, Burgess and Mason to get right up the pitch and support Sonner, Burnell and Abbey, something that was restricted a bit last season as I don't think we were direct enough, we may well miss Coyne because he is a player that wouldn't look out of place in the Conference but barring that 5-6 week period at the start of last season he didn't really pose a goal scoring threat from midfield, not saying the other midfielders did either but Coyne was more of a play maker who mopped up in front of the defence and set us on the offensive with his range of passing, Dave Deeney will, I hope, bring other qualities to our play that we were maybe lacking!

 

Let's see what happens, if it's not working I'm sure Bateman will change things as I think he knows that this season only promotion will do!!!

[3spirit]

Lets give the guy a chance before we start labelling him 3spirit, I don't know any player that performs to their maximum in pre-season!

 

We may not need a Coyne replacement, our style of play and set up may be different. If Deeney and Logie are in central midfield, it will allow the likes of Ashley Deeney, Rhone, Murphy, Swift, Burgess and Mason to get right up the pitch and support Sonner, Burnell and Abbey, something that was restricted a bit last season as I don't think we were direct enough, we may well miss Coyne because he is a player that wouldn't look out of place in the Conference but barring that 5-6 week period at the start of last season he didn't really pose a goal scoring threat from midfield, not saying the other midfielders did either but Coyne was more of a play maker who mopped up in front of the defence and set us on the offensive with his range of passing, Dave Deeney will, I hope, bring other qualities to our play that we were maybe lacking!

 

Let's see what happens, if it's not working I'm sure Bateman will change things as I think he knows that this season only promotion will do!!!

 

I'm all for giving Dave Deeney a chance to prove he's just what the doctor ordered,Cookham Rebel.It will be great if he is.We need a tough tackler in our centre of midfield.Steve Perkins was the only midfielder who was prepared to get stuck in last season.Paul Coyne only did it in the games he deemed fit.

 

I think Adam Logie could come good this season,if Dave Deeney is good in the holding role.In his first season at Slough he banged the goals in from centre mid but last season,he seemed a shadow of the player he was from his first full season.

This I put firmly down to Steve Bateman's poor management of him and his favouritism of Paul Coyne.This is what I don't want to witness this year,if Dave Deeney is going to be the like for like replacement for Paul Coyne.

I'm sure Adam had distractions last season what with his honeymoon and some niggling injuries but he surely has a point to prove to SB,if he is given a fairer crack of the whip than he got last season.He is to my mind,a class player at this level and with a bit of faith and trust would make a great captain.He is certainly a better player than SB gives him credit for and if he let him get forward,he would supply us with quite a few more goals,as he is an excellent striker of the ball and knows how to score.

 

I don't want to be seen as moaning before our season is under way but Steve Bateman has got to adapt some of his blinkered,staid notions otherwise it will be another season in this division[2013-2014]!

Edited July 31, 2012 by 3spirit

[Ian]

I don't see a slightly different line-up being a problem. Last season I thought we were a little predictable at times. It was either get the ball to Sinclair or get the ball to Coyne, who would invariably give it to Sinclair. And then Sincs was either surrounded by 2 or 3 players of just generally couldn't be bothered. Not having either player and having a more balanced team might be a positive.

[Cookham Rebel]

Have we lined up 3-5-2 in pre-season yet? Only made the Holyport game and in that we lined up 4-4-2!

 

We aren't conceding goals with 4 at the back (touch wood!) so see no reason not to stick with 4-4-2 or 4-3-3!

 

I rate Alex Brown highly and my only concern with playing 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 is that he will miss out and in my opinion, with the 3 quality centre backs we have cannot see us lining up anything other than 3-5-2! Look what happened when Brown was left out after the North Greenford defeat, we went completely off the rails!

 

Rhone is an interesting one, from the Holyport game he has all the attributes of a striker in my opinion!

 

It must be a nightmare scenario for Bateman as we have players who would walk into any team in this division and the division above, whatever the starting 11 in the first league game, there are going to be 5 disappointed players!

[3spirit]

I don't see a slightly different line-up being a problem. Last season I thought we were a little predictable at times. It was either get the ball to Sinclair or get the ball to Coyne, who would invariably give it to Sinclair. And then Sincs was either surrounded by 2 or 3 players of just generally couldn't be bothered. Not having either player and having a more balanced team might be a positive.

 

I agree Ian,we were predictable especially when we came up against a manager who knew our personnel and our sometimes, tired/over used way of playing them.

 

Steve Sinclair had a rough ride last season because he often was expected to track back and so was too deep at times,to be a threat going forward.Steve Sinclair hasn't the pace to be a wing-back but is a good winger or in the 'hole' behind the front two player and very dangerous in the opposition box because of his ability to be able to go past a defender and is not afraid to shoot.To my mind,we limited his attacking prowess by asking him to do defensive work,which really was a waste.

If Steve Sinclair does sign for Harrow Borough,I expect Dave Anderson to get a lot more out of him in an attacking way than SB managed to do,the season just gone by.

 

When Steve Bateman first arrived our club,I was generally excited by his attacking ideas and the players who came with him.In his first full season I was impressed with his experimenting in pre-season by trying players in various positions that were alien to them.I thought that this was a manager who knew what he was doing and Slough was going to go from strength to strength with such a manager on board,and to a certain extent we have, given the decline that had happened in about 5 years preceding Steve Bateman.

 

Many supporters think three play-off spots is a success story and about 75% of me thinks likewise.However,having watched Non-League football for some considerable time,I believe that the best managers at our level would have had us promoted by now,given the squads we've had over the last three years.

I don't like slating Steve,as I happen to like Steve Bateman's manner,charisma and his honest endeavour/pedigree as a player and his open approach to managing ie paper talk,keeping the supporters informed etc and hope he is successful this coming season but I can't help having reservations about his managerial ability to get the most from our squad.

 

This season is the time for Steve to let go of his now,tired rhetoric in midfield,as this is where we need a vast improvement and surely he knows Danny Burnell and Sean Sonner's partnership,will only be good enough to win a certain amount of games but definitely not all of them or does he?

Edited July 31, 2012 by 3spirit

[Windsor Rebel]

He is the best manager we have had for years, as has been shown by the success over the past three seasons. The problem

with this league is nothing to do with the manager/tactics but the fact that only one club can go up automatically, so the

margin for error is small.

[staines_rebel_Jr]

 

 

Rhone is an interesting one, from the Holyport game he has all the attributes of a striker in my opinion!

 

 

I too think that rhone may be good upfront. He is fast, has quick feet, likes to attack and can head the ball well. I think it would be interesting to see him play an attacking role and who knows he may be that target man that many people want to see.

[3spirit]

He is the best manager we have had for years, as has been shown by the success over the past three seasons. The problem

with this league is nothing to do with the manager/tactics but the fact that only one club can go up automatically, so the

margin for error is small.

 

I know we don't always agree,Windsor Rebel but I respect your opinion but I just don't agree with you on this.You can't tell me that if we had a manager as good as, say Andy Leese of Chesham or Steve Farmer of Bedworth or Garry Hill of Woking we wouldn't have got promoted.Yes,you have to have a bit of luck and a set of players who will put everything in for the cause but the buck stops at tactics and knowing how to get the best out of each player you have at your disposal.

You know as well as I do that Steve Bateman has his areas of non-expertise and is often found wanting when Plan A goes down the Swanee.He also sticks with his favourites rather than playing players on form.His substitutions are ludicrously late or only uses one or two,which is 9 times out of 10 a straight swap.

He needs to up his game for Slough to win anything in my opinion.

[brighton_rebel]

Spot on Nigel

[Chris]

Don't get me wrong Steve Farmer did a great job at Bedworth 3Spirit, but we did finish nine points ahead of them, let not forget that! Andy Leese won promotion in the play-off's by beating Steve Bateman's Slough - let's not forget that also - had we turned up that day Chesham could be sitting where we are now. We have a good manager ourselves. We just for one reason or another have not been able to get over that finishing line in recent seasons.

 

I'm looking forward to the new season. I think we've solved the right side problem with us playing 5-3-2 as Ashley Deeney looks like a good wing-back. Seems to love getting up and down that wing as last season we seemed lop-sided. Sincs did not know if he was defending or attacking on the right and was not the same top player imo as he was in previous seasons for us. Dave Deeney has won promotion in this league, so that will help us also with his experience.

 

I like the look of Rhone and think he will be a good signing, but wonder how Bates will play him and Murphy? From what i've seen I see no reason why Rhone could not play central midfield in the three on the left hand side and Murphy continue at left wing back.

 

As I've said before, and as others have if we get a quality playmaker and a targetman to add to what we have I think we will be the team to beat this sesaon,

[Nathan]

It's all if's, but's and maybe's - IF we did this or IF we did that, maybe we wouldn't be where we are now. The point is we didn't, whereas other teams did. Not just once, but three times now.

 

This season we have to make sure we pull our socks up and make sure we don't repeat the same mistakes - and to ensure that we get the promotion that our results over the pact 3 seasons have deserved!

[3spirit]

Don't get me wrong Steve Farmer did a great job at Bedworth 3Spirit, but we did finish nine points ahead of them, let not forget that! Andy Leese won promotion in the play-off's by beating Steve Bateman's Slough - let's not forget that also - had we turned up that day Chesham could be sitting where we are now. We have a good manager ourselves. We just for one reason or another have not been able to get over that finishing line in recent seasons.

 

I'm looking forward to the new season. I think we've solved the right side problem with us playing 5-3-2 as Ashley Deeney looks like a good wing-back. Seems to love getting up and down that wing as last season we seemed lop-sided. Sincs did not know if he was defending or attacking on the right and was not the same top player imo as he was in previous seasons for us. Dave Deeney has won promotion in this league, so that will help us also with his experience.

 

I like the look of Rhone and think he will be a good signing, but wonder how Bates will play him and Murphy? From what i've seen I see no reason why Rhone could not play central midfield in the three on the left hand side and Murphy continue at left wing back.

 

As I've said before, and as others have if we get a quality playmaker and a targetman to add to what we have I think we will be the team to beat this sesaon,

 

Whenever we've played Chesham [play-off/friendlies] under Steve Bateman, Andy Leese's team always gets the better of us.He has SB wrapped up easy,mainly because he's predictable with the team tactics.Steve Farmer isn't as experienced as Steve Bateman and so it's hard to compare them but you cannot argue that Steve Farmer was brilliant at getting young talent and moulding them into a quality side.This is not Steve Bateman's strong point.

 

I agree,Chris,that Dominic Rhone looks a quality signing and he will be able to play in different positions and will certainly be in the thick of the action.

I also think Ashley Deeney has huge potential and could serve us well.

I'm still reserving judgement on Dave Deeney until I've seen quite few leagues games involving him.

 

The main reason we haven't been able to get over the finishing line is that we're not adaptable enough to put opposing teams to the sword,as most championship winning teams do. Several of our players self-discipline let us down last season,too and Steve's obvious flaws in his management/tactical nous have fallen short. Seems harsh,I know but after three and a half seasons of Steve Bateman's reign,you begin to see the same mistakes being made.

Steve isn't a bad manager and has lots of positives to his management style but I'm afraid there are some better managers out there, who could have had us promoted by now. However,like you,Chris,I'm looking forward to the new season and it's twists and turns.I also hope Steve Bateman proves me wrong.

[epicrebel]

3spirit

Why dont you just admit it you don't like SB you slate him off in nearly all your posts, then at the end you say he's ok.

 

STEVE BATEMAN has beaten the best teams in our league and the Champions by scoring 3 and conceding 0, We were going no where before SB took over.

If we win the league this year by P 42 D 0 L 0 you'd still find something to blame SB for.

[Cookham Rebel]

I can see both sides of this discussion, and I don't think it's about anyone not liking Steve Bateman! We all have different opinions, no manager is perfect and will always do things that some supporters agree with and some supporters don't, look at the row brewing between Sir Alex Ferguson and the supporters at Manchester United at the moment!

 

Reading 3spirits posts, he does not slate Steve Bateman at all, just says things that he would like to see improvements on, as a paying supporters he is entitled to his opinion, everyone is entitled to speak their mind!

[3spirit]

3spirit

Why dont you just admit it you don't like SB you slate him off in nearly all your posts, then at the end you say he's ok.

 

STEVE BATEMAN has beaten the best teams in our league and the Champions by scoring 3 and conceding 0, We were going no where before SB took over.

If we win the league this year by P 42 D 0 L 0 you'd still find something to blame SB for.

 

You obviously didn't read my third from last post on this thread as I mention my liking for Steve Bateman.I'd much rather have a manager like Steve,who appears to be level-headed,well-mannered,approachable and grounded in Non-League than some loud mouth,big-headed Mockney type but like it or not,managerial errors of judgement have cost us dear,at times.

 

Steve is a better manager than Derek Sweetman,Darren Wilkinson,Mark West,Mark Betts,Eddie Denton,Steve Browne,Les Briley in my opinion but I don't believe he is better than Dave Kemp,John Docherty,Brian McDermott or Dave Russell.

Ironically,I would rather watch a Steve Bateman Slough team that a Dave Kemp Slough team,as Dave Kemp's side were long ball merchants.Even though,Slough were high in the Conference under Kemp,we only got treated to passing football in a few of memorable games,one being an ace win away at Woking.

 

So Epic Rebel,you are wrong about me being Steve Bateman hater.

[epicrebel]

yes I have read your posts and what I'm reading is:-

 

SB is not a good manager, he's crap, he is blar, blar, blar. but I like him. as I said in my post

not any manager gets it right all the time even the ones you've said ( you left one manager off your list Terry Readon )