Slough 0 chalfont 1

[Cookham Rebel]

Who would come in if SB went?!?!

 

God knows, it may not come to that but if we don't go up this season I doubt that SB will be with us next season, I don't think anyone would disagree including SB himself.... Ok the cup run and the fixture congestion hasn't helped but we are so far adrift it's worrying...

[Mr Rebel]

looks tougher and tougher for us to go up automatically but we must all get behind the manager and the team as there is loads more games to get up to the playoff hunt at very least. do have to agree we will need to win the vast majority of the remaining games to get up there

[Mark44]

A very good point paddywack

 

Whilst some of us are questioning part of his management we shouldn't forget that he has done the best for this club since Eddie Denton and on a lesser budget most probably. So he is a very good manager and I'm not sure there are many out there who could replace him and do as well

[Nathan]

Lesser budget maybe, but you're forgetting we're in a lower league and are supposedly one of the better teams in this league!

 

After nearly a month's break, we really ought to be doing better, even at home against the might of Chalfont!

[Irishadrian]

Theres no point in calling for Bateman to go now He did say at end end of last season that he wanted one more chance to get us out of this wretched league so if he fails yet again we can expect his departure as given. Its 4 years today since Hemel sacked him at that time the Hemel chairman said " we have a much larger and much more talented squad of players but we dont have a better team " Things havent changed much! I havent given up on this season yet properly used and intelligently rotated we can still get out of this league but imo it will be in spite of Bateman not because of him.

[Don Juan DeMarcus]

I'm unsure about this one he had brought in some good players. I do feel we have let the wrong ones go and he is regularly wrong with the subs... I would hate to see us lose the backbone of our squad...

[Ted]

We should concern ourselves with such speculation only at the end of the season. Even then i will leave it up to the management committee as only they know what our budget is., and whether we have acheived in line with our budget.

[hotspur]

So if sb went who would come in please dont say k scott

I said above try for the proven Terry Brown who not only got wimbledon and aldershot promotion-he was a good slough town striker.

[Cookham Rebel]

The same Terry Brown who is about to take the reins at Hayes & Yeading!

 

We would not persuade a manager of his calibre to drop to our level of football anyway...

[Mark44]

Totally agree cookham. Not only that but paying his wages would severely dent our budget

[Cookham Rebel]

I'm just of the thought that in 2 months time it'll be same old same old and we'll still be in this poxy division come August, I hope to god I'm wrong I really do but it just seems that nothing has really changed on the pitch in 4 years, yeah you can argue that we've gradually improved but in truth we haven't as we are still in the same division and if you wanted to be picky you could argue that since the first season where we reached the play off final that there has been no real progression, if anything we have a much more talented squad of players but they are under achieving...

 

Someone said to me yesterday that the squad of players we have are too good for this division and struggle to raise their performance against some of the poor teams in it, and that they'd be more consistent in the next league or 2 above, the cup performances of recent years back up that theory, now I've reflected on it, I agree with that opinion!

[codpiece]

We are on 42 points at the halfway stage.On course for 84.Averaging 2 points a game.In any other season this would comfortably get in to the play-offs.Yes I know we have several more away games to play than home & over a shorter period of time,but by utilising the squad to it's maximum,this is still possible.Also won't be long till pitches become firmer.Keeping the faith.

[Cookham Rebel]

I'm just baffled as to why we are all now talking about the play offs when we should be winning this league, it's the poorest standard since Bateman took over and we have the best squad of players at our disposal out of all the other teams...

 

We were stronger last season without a doubt, god we are missing Paul Coyne!

[3spirit]

I'm just baffled as to why we are all now talking about the play offs when we should be winning this league, it's the poorest standard since Bateman took over and we have the best squad of players at our disposal out of all the other teams...

 

We were stronger last season without a doubt, god we are missing Paul Coyne!

 

A good point about the play offs,CR. This squad should be going for 1st place. I've already said my criticisms of Steve Bateman on this thread but I do think it's the wrong time to discuss his management position.This should wait until the season is over.

 

To be fair to SB, any manager would have his work cut-out losing a player of NBH's stature and with this back-log of games and no one can question his commitment to Slough.He's knowledgable about players at our level and above and is a good ambassador for the club.He seems approachable and the players seem to like him.

He though,must raise his game if we are to achieve promotion this year,as this thread has proved,in that most of Slough fans are growing disillusioned at his staid tactics and lack of vision.

 

I'm not convinced, CR, that we've missed Paul Coyne. As good a footballer as he is, he was just too disruptive in terms of discipline and undermining our manager.Stuart Swift his mate,to my mind,has been far better this season without the influence of Paul Coyne in the team.Our problem is SB doesn't pick him enough!

 

Dave Deeney may be daft as a brush on Twitter but he has been a good acquistition on the field of play and with the right players around him is easily as good as Coyne,although I accept that they are both bring different styles of play to the team.

[Cookham Rebel]

We will always agree to disagree about Coyne 3spirit, I always put the boot on the other foot and ask myself why did he have a discipline problem and undermine the manager? Frustration regarding decisions and tactics perhaps?

 

In my opinion, Coyne is light years ahead in terms of ability than anyone in our squad this season and past seasons, and this league and the league above.

 

As for the Stuart Swift comment, our team was built around Coyne for 2 seasons so with him missing it is understandable that other players stand out, I don't think Swift has played any better or any worse without Coyne in the team personally, Swift has always performed consistently. It's just that Coyne was so bloody good he stood out a country mile!

[Nathan]

I agree with Cookham Rebel.

 

Paul Coyne was one of those Ryan Spencer-type players who had the ability to see the entire pitch and to make things happen. If he played well, so did the team. If he had an off-day, we were effectively screwed.

 

IMO, nobody in the current squad even comes close to comparing to players like that!

[Mark44]

Paul coyne was superb and I think it worked best when he had seeby alongside him last year.

 

In fact. That brief spell when we had seeby coyne and Martin with nbh brown and Woozley at the back we had an immensely strong core through our squad.

[Windsor Rebel]

Not sure why we didnt start with exacty the same team which beat AFC Hayes the week before ( I am sure SB

has his reasons for this). IMO if a team is winning why change it? No need to chop and change players

just to keep everyone happy/improve game time. Anyway, lets hope for 3 points tomorrow night.

Edited February 18, 2013 by Windsor Rebel

[Irishadrian]

Windsor Rebel Changes are needed because its far from a winning team Since the year began we have played 6 league games won 2 drew 2 and lost 2 scored 9 and conceded 8 4 of those goals were against pointless Woodford the other 5 games have produced 5 goals hardly promotion standards ? I believe the size and strength of our squad ( bigger and better than most of our rivals) could still be key to success we will be playing twice a week and players will tire and pick up minor knocks so fresher and fitter players will need to be played especially against the basement sides Lets start with a convincing win against NGU away from home they have picked up 1 point from 33 and just 4 all season including a 1-0 win at home to Woodford yet Bateman is quoted in the local press as saying he expects a tough game from them! he needs to start showing some belief in his team.

[readingrebel]

Just had a closer look at our fixtures and just to re-iterate how hard our task is going to be, not to win the league but just to get into the play-offs, at the end of March and beginning of April we have 8 games and 7 of those are against teams above us in the league including Biggleswade and Godalming twice.

 

Even for the optimistic amongst us it does look like an impossible task.