A couple of non league snippets

[Reading Rebel]

17 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

Yes !

All those young players there.

You should know you don't win anything with youngsters ?

[Reading Rebel]

12 hours ago, GlenSTFC said:

Depends on how his injury situation is plus he hasn’t played much in the last season. If he did re-sign I guess we shouldn’t expect the same Dobbo as the one who left us? But if he was affordable and could prove his fitness then yeah it’s worth a punt.

The Dobbo that left us hardly ever went past a player to get to the byline and cross.

His ultimate aim was to get the ball in space and put a cross in or make space for himself to put a first time cross into the box. 

As you say he's had a year out and will need to prove his fitness. 

[Reading Rebel]

12 hours ago, GlenSTFC said:

Just for set pieces he’s worth signing as he scored a few crackers in his time with us. Even if he’s used as an impact sub it could work out well. I’m sure Hollis is one or the two mentioned ‘familiar faces’ but Dobbo is a strong shout for the second possibility, who else could it realistically be?

On the point about him being an impact sub, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't stick around long if that was his role in the team.

[3spirit]

18 hours ago, CookhamRebel said:

It’s not a given new players are coming in, far from it.

We could start the season:

Edegbe, Jackman, Dandy, Pruti, George, Togwell, Davies, Lench, Hunt, Kayani, Anderson

With u23s making up the bench…

With the above team I don’t think we’d be necessarily in deep s**t either!

 

Where I differentiate with you Cookham Rebel and super scout FootyFan007 is NOT on giving young players a chance to play in our first eleven on a regular basis, as over the years I've seen loads of young players that have come through to go on to better things. I've also seen plenty of managers drop rickets by not picking young players on form, and then wasting their talent. The thing for me though, is the team I prefer to watch is a mixture of experienced players added to by a sprinkling of youth, as a ratio say roughly 80% experience and 20% young players for a squad of players.

The team you mention above I could imagine playing in a couple of warm up pre-season games at the start of the season but I would be very disappointed, if that was what we were going with for the start of the league campaign and would say that while we might win the odd game to start with, over the course of the season Slough would be in the sh*t.   

I've just seen on the Slough Town FC website that Jonathan North has now signed up for next season,so I'm well pleased with that announcement.

At the end of the day, Slough have to 'cut their cloth accordingly' to what the club can afford.The managers we have know that. And the diehard/main core of fans know that. Newer fans may be more fickle, if success is hard to find.

To sum up,there is nothing wrong in promoting young players to our squad but getting the right balance between those experienced players who have done it season upon season in competitive non league echelons, and giving untested youngsters a chance, is the 'key' to having a successful season in the National South. 

 

[3spirit]

2 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

Matt Briggs, one player that slipped through our net.

At the time we had Warren Harris. Our managers rightly favoured him because Wazza had been with them through thick and thin through the seasons and so they wanted him on the right wing berth. Loyalty to players and managers shouldn't be underestimated in building successful teams.

As a fan I could see the merits of getting Matt Briggs on the wing for our team but we played him out of his natural position in the friendly games for us, and so much so he looked completely out of his comfort zone and didn't look very good.Whether Bakes and Unders were testing Matt Briggs out to see what else he could do,or whether they didn't really want him in their team/squad is a moot point

It was an awkward moment for Bakes and Unders in that Matt Briggs came to Slough wanting to play for our club and they knew he was a very good winger to rival Wazza, well that's how it appeared on the face of it. I thought at the time that it would be good if Slough came to an arrangement with Wazza and Matt to have them both in the squad but that's from a fan's perspective. In reality a manager may find it unworkable to have both players, given that both players would have their 'nose put out' if either were dropped from their favoured right winger slot, and with both expecting to be in the starting eleven, and their wages and all. How could they be disloyal to Warren Harris who had been brilliant for them? 

Anyway, Bakes and Unders didn't recruit Matt Briggs and he went back to being an asset for Dorking. Hindsight is easy to say they got it wrong. I think they were 100 per cent right to favour Warren Harris. I would have done the same thing although I don't think I'd have shut the door on Matt Briggs as a winger quite as quick as they did, without giving him a fairer chance to prove himself and to see if something could have been worked out between him and Wazza, as at that time Wazza was struggling with his form [I think due to a hernia !].

It was not to be, and rest as they say is history. A classic case of the one that got away !

Edited June 6, 2022 by 3spirit

[SloughFlyer]

4 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

At the time we had Warren Harris. Our managers rightly favoured him because Wazza had been with them through thick and thin through the seasons and so they wanted him on the right wing berth. Loyalty to players and managers shouldn't be underestimated in building successful teams.

As a fan I could see the merits of getting Matt Briggs on the wing for our team but we played him out of his natural position in the friendly games for us, and so much so he looked completely out of his comfort zone and didn't look very good.Whether Bakes and Unders were testing Matt Briggs out to see what else he could do,or whether they didn't really want him in their team/squad is a moot point

It was an awkward moment for Bakes and Unders in that Matt Briggs came to Slough wanting to play for our club and they knew he was a very good winger to rival Wazza, well that's how it appeared on the face of it. I thought at the time that it would be good if Slough came to an arrangement with Wazza and Matt to have them both in the squad but that's from a fan's perspective. In reality a manager may find it unworkable to have both players, given that both players would have their 'nose put out' if either were dropped from their favoured right winger slot, and with both expecting to be in the starting eleven, and their wages and all. How could they be disloyal to Warren Harris who had been brilliant for them? 

Anyway, Bakes and Unders didn't recruit Matt Briggs and he went back to being an asset for Dorking. Hindsight is easy to say they got it wrong. I think they were 100 per cent right to favour Warren Harris. I would have done the same thing although I don't think I'd have shut the door on Matt Briggs as a winger quite as quick as they did, without giving him a fairer chance to prove himself and to see if something could have been worked out between him and Wazza, as at that time Wazza was struggling with his form [I think due to a hernia !].

It was not to be, and rest as they say is history. A classic case of the one that got away !

From what I know 3spirit it wasn't to do with Briggs ability, more his potential bank account.

[3spirit]

14 minutes ago, SloughFlyer said:

From what I know 3spirit it wasn't to do with Briggs ability, more his potential bank account.

What do you mean SloughFlyer?  Was Matt Briggs expecting big bucks from Slough back then?

[3spirit]

23 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

There must be a reason why he's photographed sitting down and all their other signings are standing up ?

What has Ryan Hope lost the use of his legs? ! ha ha ha ! 

Since when has footballers got to be stick insects to play football ? People have become obsessed with weight.

Hemel Hempstead FC wouldn't be signing Ryan Hope, if they thought he was a lost cause and over the hill. Pre-season work outs and training can get the flab off. Give him a chance NOT write him off ! 

[SloughFlyer]

45 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

What do you mean SloughFlyer?  Was Matt Briggs expecting big bucks from Slough back then?

Yep.

[3spirit]

8 minutes ago, SloughFlyer said:

Yep.

If true, I'm glad we never got him.

Edited June 6, 2022 by 3spirit

[SloughFlyer]

19 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

If true, I'm glad we never got him.

I was the same. I'm of the opinion that I'd rather have 11 players on the pitch that want to be at Slough and work as hard as possible for each other, the fans and the managers and that to me describes Neil and Jon's teams perfectly. When disruptions are caused they are rectified very quickly and well by the managers and I would struggle to find an example of where they have got it wrong.

[Neil Baker]

Just to clear things up there, we had been approached by Matt and for him to have come in would have been comfortably our highest earner, he was in process of moving to Oxford and previous season had predominately been injured and had been told by Dorking he could find another club, and our location was quite good for him.
However in between him coming in and us potentially signing him Dorking lost a player to injury and came back in for Matt and you don’t compete with Dorking financially.

Being totally honest what we had seen from him in pre season in training and in th e games (he had wanted to play a more central role) and with his injuries the previous season myself and Unders had a few doubts and did not feel comfortable making him our highest paid player.

In hindsight he has gone on to have 2 excellent seasons, however he has also picked up another long term injury, having said that he is one of the best right wingers around when fit.

Some you win some you lose, we knew he had ability but we’re not willing to risk everything on him, especially as at the time we did also have Wazza so was not a crucial position for us to recruit in.

[Reading Rebel]

21 minutes ago, Neil Baker said:

Just to clear things up there, we had been approached by Matt and for him to have come in would have been comfortably our highest earner, he was in process of moving to Oxford and previous season had predominately been injured and had been told by Dorking he could find another club, and our location was quite good for him.
However in between him coming in and us potentially signing him Dorking lost a player to injury and came back in for Matt and you don’t compete with Dorking financially.

Being totally honest what we had seen from him in pre season in training and in th e games (he had wanted to play a more central role) and with his injuries the previous season myself and Unders had a few doubts and did not feel comfortable making him our highest paid player.

In hindsight he has gone on to have 2 excellent seasons, however he has also picked up another long term injury, having said that he is one of the best right wingers around when fit.

Some you win some you lose, we knew he had ability but we’re not willing to risk everything on him, especially as at the time we did also have Wazza so was not a crucial position for us to recruit in.

The only thing I'm really surprised at is Matt Briggs himself wanting to play centrally when, as far as I know, he has always played out wide and is recognized as probably the best wide player in the league.

[3spirit]

1 hour ago, SloughFlyer said:

I was the same. I'm of the opinion that I'd rather have 11 players on the pitch that want to be at Slough and work as hard as possible for each other, the fans and the managers and that to me describes Neil and Jon's teams perfectly. When disruptions are caused they are rectified very quickly and well by the managers and I would struggle to find an example of where they have got it wrong.

Everyone get's things wrong. As football managers Bakes and Unders make mistakes but they seem to have an uncanny knack of producing solid dependable squads that have a great team spirit and a good work ethic. Most fans appreciate what Bakes and Unders do for our club. Those that don't, either have a grudge with them or know next to nothing about what makes a good non-league football manager/s.    

 

56 minutes ago, Neil Baker said:

Just to clear things up there, we had been approached by Matt and for him to have come in would have been comfortably our highest earner, he was in process of moving to Oxford and previous season had predominately been injured and had been told by Dorking he could find another club, and our location was quite good for him.
However in between him coming in and us potentially signing him Dorking lost a player to injury and came back in for Matt and you don’t compete with Dorking financially.

Being totally honest what we had seen from him in pre season in training and in th e games (he had wanted to play a more central role) and with his injuries the previous season myself and Unders had a few doubts and did not feel comfortable making him our highest paid player.

In hindsight he has gone on to have 2 excellent seasons, however he has also picked up another long term injury, having said that he is one of the best right wingers around when fit.

Some you win some you lose, we knew he had ability but we’re not willing to risk everything on him, especially as at the time we did also have Wazza so was not a crucial position for us to recruit in.

Thanks for your appraisal of the situation [back then], Neil, and also taking the time to put such a great post up today.

Missing out on a good player like Matt Briggs doesn't necessarily mean he would have fitted in well to the Slough squad back then, or over the subsequent seasons. As a viewer of matches to me it was/is basically 'what you don't see, you don't miss'.

It does puzzle me,though, why Matt Briggs wanted to play a central role in those friendly matches for Slough,as he clearly looked out of sorts and ill at ease playing there.

Why didn't you try him out on the wing, Neil[even if you had tried him out on both wings]?  You're picking the team,not Matt Briggs. Surely that would have made more sense.

Oh well these things happen, no point spending too much time talking about something in the past that cannot be changed.

Completely understand yours and Jon's rhetoric about not signing Matt Briggs. Money wise that was the right call, and very understandable given the importance of Warren Harris to you both.

I'm glad you and Jon never made Matt Briggs our highest paid player. His friendly performances certainly didn't warrant that.

Edited June 6, 2022 by 3spirit

[3spirit]

24 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

The only thing I'm really surprised at is Matt Briggs himself wanting to play centrally when, as far as I know, he has always played out wide and is recognized as probably the best wide player in the league.

Didn't see your post RR as was writing but as I just said that puzzled me,too.

[3spirit]

Hayden Bird has surprisingly called it a day at Kingstonian FC citing differences with Kingstonian board of directors. Rumours for it to be stringent budget cuts.

Poor old Staines Town FC, their chairman and long serving secretary have now quit the club and it's looking increasingly likely that Staines Town won't field a team next season. What a travesty if that club is left to die. I hope someone will rejuvenate it, or even form a phoenix club to keep it going.

Welling United have signed midfielder Rob Howard from Southend United. At first I thought his name was Ron Howard,director extraordinaire, and one time sidekick of The Fonz, Ritchie Cunningham !

[Reading Rebel]

2 hours ago, 3spirit said:

Everyone get's things wrong. As football managers Bakes and Unders make mistakes but they seem to have an uncanny knack of producing solid dependable squads that have a great team spirit and a good work ethic. Most fans appreciate what Bakes and Unders do for our club. Those that don't, either have a grudge with them or know next to nothing about what makes a good non-league football manager/s.    

 

Thanks for your appraisal of the situation [back then], Neil, and also taking the time to put such a great post up today.

Missing out on a good player like Matt Briggs doesn't necessarily mean he would have fitted in well to the Slough squad back then, or over the subsequent seasons. As a viewer of matches to me it was/is basically 'what you don't see, you don't miss'.

It does puzzle me,though, why Matt Briggs wanted to play a central role in those friendly matches for Slough,as he clearly looked out of sorts and ill at ease playing there.

Why didn't you try him out on the wing, Neil[even if you had tried him out on both wings]?  You're picking the team,not Matt Briggs. Surely that would have made more sense.

Oh well these things happen, no point spending too much time talking about something in the past that cannot be changed.

Completely understand yours and Jon's rhetoric about not signing Matt Briggs. Money wise that was the right call, and very understandable given the importance of Warren Harris to you both.

I'm glad you and Jon never made Matt Briggs our highest paid player. His friendly performances certainly didn't warrant that.

I suppose the bottom line is regardless if we decided to make Matt Briggs our highest paid player once Dorking came back in for him he was gone. 

[Irishadrian]

It's only a few days since Neil told us that we may have to wait a couple of weeks to hear about NEW additions to the squad I'm happy to wait  for that news I don't consider Dobbo as a new player and although its good news that so many have signed again  so far it's more of the same I think we need to wait till the total composition of next seasons squad is known before we can make any considered reactions.

[GlenSTFC]

5 minutes ago, Irishadrian said:

It's only a few days since Neil told us that we may have to wait a couple of weeks to hear about NEW additions to the squad I'm happy to wait  for that news I don't consider Dobbo as a new player and although its good news that so many have signed again  so far it's more of the same I think we need to wait till the total composition of next seasons squad is known before we can make any considered reactions.

I’m sure the vast majority will see Dobbo as our first new signing no matter how many times he’s previously played for us. He wasn’t here last season so he’s a new player. Pretty sure we’ll hear about Guys return before any new new players are announced.

[3spirit]

5 minutes ago, Irishadrian said:

It's only a few days since Neil told us that we may have to wait a couple of weeks to hear about NEW additions to the squad I'm happy to wait  for that news I don't consider Dobbo as a new player and although its good news that so many have signed again  so far it's more of the same I think we need to wait till the total composition of next seasons squad is known before we can make any considered reactions.

Yes but least it's positive, good news with Jonathan North and James Dobson back. These two are very experienced players and both would be in demand from other clubs,so to have them back is a big boost to our cause imo.

I'm starting the league season with

                                             North

        Dandy [right back]  Hollis Pruti     ?[ left back to be decided]

        Jackman    Togwell     Lench      Dobson

                               ?                           ? 2 new strikers !

Subs: Kuhl [if he is still at the club], Hunt, Davies, Kayani and George ........... or am I kidding? ha ha ha!