Club Records

[RebelDelaney]

He managed to get 13 players with days to go of that season in the Rymans.

No pre season training and the team walked for 90 minutes and got 1 nil win v Sutton.

The scorer of the goal in the Legends team 3 weeks ago Andy Dealer.

[RebelDelaney]

Spell check Andy Deaner.

[Curtis]

According to my uncle Tommy Lawrence and Laurey Churchill were the best two managers.

 

Is that just a personal preference from your 'uncle' or is it based on facts/stats?

Based purely on win percentages from 1970 onwards:-

 

Tommy Lawrence P120 W79 65.8%

Steve Bateman P200 W115 57.5%

 

Whoever was Manager(s) from 1967-1970 before Tommy Lawrence might actually have a record as good, as the Club finished 1st, 2nd & 4th in the Athenian Premier those seasons.

[staines_rebel_Jr]

Based purely on win percentages from 1970 onwards:-

 

Tommy Lawrence P120 W79 65.8%

Steve Bateman P200 W115 57.5%

 

Whoever was Manager(s) from 1967-1970 before Tommy Lawrence might actually have a record as good, as the Club finished 1st, 2nd & 4th in the Athenian Premier those seasons.

 

Still nowhere near the "great" Ashley Hames record.

[RebelDelaney]

Curtis Bob Gibbs was Manager good times and regular crowds of 3000 plus Hotspur/kirk would remember that period.

[David Carpenter]

The average crowd 1967/68 was 146(3). Bob Gibbs had a very good managerial record although he did turn down Peter Osgood as "not being good enough for Senior Amateur football!

[kirk]

The average crowd 1967/68 was 146(3). Bob Gibbs had a very good managerial record although he did turn down Peter Osgood as "not being good enough for Senior Amateur football!

Was that the same Peter Osgood who played for Berks and Bucks against Oxford school boys and reputed to have scored 12 goals out of 13.

[Curtis]

From what I can find (I'm sure somebody will correct if wrong), Bob Gibbs was Manager from 1961 to 1970.

 

His record during those 9 seasons was 166 wins from 306, an overall win percentage of 54.2%.

 

But that doesn't really tell the whole story, as when he was first appointed the Club had finished bottom of the Corinthian League, so breaking his record down in to three sections makes interesting reading:-

 

1961-1964 P92 W43 46.7%

1964-1967 P102 W54 52.9%

1967-1970 P112 W69 61.6%

 

During his time at the Club they transitioned from the Corinthian League, to the Athenian League 1, won the league and were promoted to the Athenian Premier, and were Champions of that League in the 1967/8 season.

 

He left the Club in what appears to have been great shape for Tommy Lawrence to go on to win two more Athenian Premier titles, and make the FA Amateur Cup final in 1973.

 

I would be interested to hear what sort of modern day equivalent standard the Athenian Premier League was, because it obviously wasn't the pinnacle of non league football because we transitioned to the second level of the Isthmian League in the 1974/4 season. Likewise the FA Amateur Cup wasn't the pinnacle, as Scarborough beat Wigan in the final of the FA Trophy in 1973.

 

Regardless of this though, it would appear that when the 'old boys' on here rave about the 'good old days' they might not be too wrong as Bob Gibbs and Tommy Lawrence were probably our best two Managers, and the period 1964 to 1973 the most successful in the Club's history with a total of 4 league titles and a visit to Wembley with a crowd of 41,000.

[Matt]

Alan Smith is probably the man to ask, if you can track him down on a match day.

[epicrebel]

From what I can find (I'm sure somebody will correct if wrong), Bob Gibbs was Manager from 1961 to 1970.

 

His record during those 9 seasons was 166 wins from 306, an overall win percentage of 54.2%.

 

But that doesn't really tell the whole story, as when he was first appointed the Club had finished bottom of the Corinthian League, so breaking his record down in to three sections makes interesting reading:-

 

1961-1964 P92 W43 46.7%

1964-1967 P102 W54 52.9%

1967-1970 P112 W69 61.6%

 

During his time at the Club they transitioned from the Corinthian League, to the Athenian League 1, won the league and were promoted to the Athenian Premier, and were Champions of that League in the 1967/8 season.

 

He left the Club in what appears to have been great shape for Tommy Lawrence to go on to win two more Athenian Premier titles, and make the FA Amateur Cup final in 1973.

 

I would be interested to hear what sort of modern day equivalent standard the Athenian Premier League was, because it obviously wasn't the pinnacle of non league football because we transitioned to the second level of the Isthmian League in the 1974/4 season. Likewise the FA Amateur Cup wasn't the pinnacle, as Scarborough beat Wigan in the final of the FA Trophy in 1973.

 

Regardless of this though, it would appear that when the 'old boys' on here rave about the 'good old days' they might not be too wrong as Bob Gibbs and Tommy Lawrence were probably our best two Managers, and the period 1964 to 1973 the most successful in the Club's history with a total of 4 league titles and a visit to Wembley with a crowd of 41,000.

 

Normally if a Managers leaves (not in all cases) by being sacked they leave the club in a loosing run, probably low in the league as well. 

I'm thinking of when Steve Bateman took over from Derek

Edited June 25, 2017 by epicrebel

[RebelDelaney]

Curtis I can asure you the Amateur Cup was the pinnacle for non league clubs players and supporters alike to be able to play at Wembley in the final was a great milestone.

So many amateur players made the big time alot more would off but stayed in there jobs because of the in sercurity if you failed.

[Curtis]

RD,

 

That's strange, because we entered the FA Cup every season from 1948/9 to 1972/3 and only made the 1st round proper once in the 1970/1 season. And would have thought it would have been a much more common occurrence if we had been a top 'non league' club.

 

Made me think we were possibly in the upper echelons of 'amateur' football, but not of 'non league' football (where semi-professional football clubs had developed).

[Bernie Gogan]

There was a time where the Isthmian, Corinthian, Delphian, Hellenic, Spartan leagues made up Amateur football in the south, (with no promotion or relegation either), whereas the Southern League was the top Semi-Pro league. Teams from either sphere would only ever meet in the FA Cup or friendlies and semi pro clubs didn't have the FA Trophy to play for either, whereas the Amateur clubs had the FA Amateur Cup as a national competition.

 

When the FA abolished Amateurism (most senior "amateur" clubs paid players anyway, although not officially of course), they abolished the FA Amateur Cup and set up the FA Trophy and the FA Vase as national competitions for Steps 1-4 and Steps 5 and lower respectively.

 

Fair to say that Slough were in the upper echelons of Amateur football, but it's difficult to reach a comparison with the Semi Pro game of the time. We had some great players back then and we have had since and of course we do now.

 

I would not say that the top level of either compares with how things stand today. Players are fitter, generally technically better, more tactically aware and better coached and managed. The game is faster, more physical and altered with rule changes that didn't exist back then.

[RebelDelaney]

Curtis Terry Reardon still watches our present team you must ask him what it was like playing in the Amatuer Cup final at Wembley in front of 41000.

Or was his best moment being Manager when we beat Millwall in the FA Cup.

Just looking on the net and one site says the game was played at Holloway.s Park where did they get that from.

[Curtis]

That 1973 final was the first football match I ever went to. I still remember as a 10 year old lad sitting in the stands by the halfway line with my programme and Slough Town rosette surrounded by Walton & Hersham fans. It was a cracking atmosphere.

 

We lived in Langley but my father worked in Walton and he had got the tickets through his employer, who from what I recall, had made it a big works day out.

[Sloughboy]

Level that they have managed at affects win percentages though surely! Bateman for eg:.. very good win percentage but ultimately totally unsuccessful! I'm sure Bakes and Unders win percentage would be better if they continually just avoided promotion from the league below!

 

Still a really interesting thread though to read.

[David Carpenter]

One small correction to Bernie's excellent summary and as mentioned by Curtis - the Athenian League league lay between the Isthmian League and the Corinthian League in the accepted hierarchy. The Corinthian League was absorbed by the Athenian League at the start of season 1964/65.

[3spirit]

There was a time where the Isthmian, Corinthian, Delphian, Hellenic, Spartan leagues made up Amateur football in the south, (with no promotion or relegation either), whereas the Southern League was the top Semi-Pro league. Teams from either sphere would only ever meet in the FA Cup or friendlies and semi pro clubs didn't have the FA Trophy to play for either, whereas the Amateur clubs had the FA Amateur Cup as a national competition.

 

When the FA abolished Amateurism (most senior "amateur" clubs paid players anyway, although not officially of course), they abolished the FA Amateur Cup and set up the FA Trophy and the FA Vase as national competitions for Steps 1-4 and Steps 5 and lower respectively.

 

Fair to say that Slough were in the upper echelons of Amateur football, but it's difficult to reach a comparison with the Semi Pro game of the time. We had some great players back then and we have had since and of course we do now.

 

I would not say that the top level of either compares with how things stand today. Players are fitter, generally technically better, more tactically aware and better coached and managed. The game is faster, more physical and altered with rule changes that didn't exist back then.

Really interested thread... and your post,Bernie, is very thought provoking. 

 

On your last paragraph, I would just like to comment that comparing players of yesteryear to that of the modern game is nigh on impossible, due to how much the games/rules have changed throughout the era's.

 

I wouldn't say the modern game is more physical but of course it is faster due to how fit players are now compared to the past. 

Natural ability is equal in all generations but of course, modern day methods with better nutrition, better medicine, better fitness/gym conditions and stricter rules on unlawful behaviour etc  makes it easy to see that the game has progressed in all recognition, from where it has come from.

My perspective is each to their own.

 

To me great players of any era don't need comparisons, just admiration because any ardent knowledgable football fan knows a great player and good manager, when they see one.

[3spirit]

I've just come across a web-site that lists John Docherty as being our Manager in 1993-4. Does that ring any bells with anyone, or is it incorrect?

 

It also lists Alan Davies as Manager from 1986-1992, so presumably that's the record Neil & Jon need to beat?

 

John Docherty was a very good manager came to us from league football, Bradford City I believe.

His team was made up of unproven players with many youngsters and has beens and he got us high up in the table playing to a certain system. He over achieved massively given the resources he had. He left though due to nice compensation payout, before the season finished.

 

This manager is a good case in point, why I don't believe in statistics

Statistics do not tell you the story of the season. They airbrush over the real qualities of the manager/s, and sometimes enhance managers who often weren't as good as their statistics suggest.

 

Currently I know we have two very competent, good blokes running our team.

I don't need any statistics to know that !

Edited June 26, 2017 by 3spirit

[David Carpenter]

And when John Doherty left we regressed to such an extent thatwe got relegated at the end of the season.