V St Albans 11th Sept H Match Thread

[Irishadrian]

This one isn't easy to call  Both teams together in table  Both P4W1D1L2  4pts but remarkably with so few games played Both teams have played 3 others in the league Both well beaten by Dartford We lost to Chippenham St Albans drew We drew with Welling St Albans beat them They lost to Dorking We beat Chelmsford Very similar beginnings to the season but I'll hope that our excellent pitch and home advantage will see us get the 3 points

[Reading Rebel]

Whilst points wise we are the same but the real difference between us at this present time is goals scored with St Albans having scored 9 against our 3.

Our ability to create chances improved against Welling so hopefully this will continue and we can turn some of those chances into goals.   

 

[Shredding Green]

3 hours ago, Irishadrian said:

This one isn't easy to call. Both teams together in table. Both P4 W1 D1 L2 4pts but remarkably with so few games played, both teams have played 3 others in the league. Both well beaten by Dartford. We lost to Chippenham, St Albans drew. We drew with Welling, St Albans beat them. They lost to Dorking, we beat Chelmsford. Very similar beginnings to the season but I'll hope that our excellent pitch and home advantage will see us get the 3 points.

Make plenty of noise as I won't be at Arbour Park for the next two matches.

[rebelade]

Slough go into this game having not beaten St Albans in the 21st Century with our last win coming in 1999, no pressure on the lads at all ?

[Reading Rebel]

Gutted to have lost a game that we probably should have won based on the quality of chances created.

To have lost it to a more than dubious penalty decision is even more galling.

Going two goals behind was a poor start to the game from us with at least one of the goals imo being preventable.

Great credit must be given to the players for fighting their way back into the game with some excellent football and creating a couple of good chances that Ben Harris tucked away with some precision finishing.

With Ben Harris off the pitch after picking up an injury and with the game poised at 2-2 we had a couple of glorious chances to put the game to bed, unfortunately we were unable to put any of those chances away and St Albans escaped with all 3 points.

If nothing else I think today was further proof that we have missed the goal scoring qualities of a player like Ben Harris.

It's unfortunate for us that Ben seems to pick up one injury after another.  

 

[Reading Rebel]

Cannot disagree with the post match comments of Jon Underwood.

For the first couple of games we were keeping it tight at the back but not creating any chances, now we're creating chances but not taking them and we've also started giving away some poorly defended goals. 

Not sure what the answer is but with Ryan Bird out for the season, budget dependent, the center of our defense will surely need to be strengthened.

As for strikers, the need for Ben Harris to get himself fit and stay fit is becoming more obvious.

 

  

 

[3spirit]

3 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

Cannot disagree with the post match comments of Jon Underwood.

For the first couple of games we were keeping it tight at the back but not creating any chances, now we're creating chances but not taking them and we've also started giving away some poorly defended goals. 

Not sure what the answer is but with Ryan Bird out for the season, budget dependent, the center of our defense will surely need to be strengthened.

As for strikers, the need for Ben Harris to get himself fit and stay fit is becoming more obvious.

 

  

 

I haven't seen the team play this season, so cannot judge what is the best call in terms of recruitment.

It seems obvious that our managers would look to bring in another centre half, given Ryan Bird's bad injury yesterday but as we're not putting the chances away up front either, I wouldn't think it's a forgone conclusion. It really depends on whether Bakes and Unders feel they can weather the storm with the defenders they have got. Surely they should try Josh Jackman out as a centre half before they go spending money on another defender, if our budget is so tight.

With Ben Harris not fit enough to play week in, week out, and Tom Derry not hitting the back of net regularly yet ie the lack of goals forthcoming, it could be argued that if Ryan Bird is out for the season, then the money Slough save on him could go towards signing another striker, as originally he was signed as a striker ! 

What do others think? 

[Richie Baker]

Do you not have to pay the player still if he gets injured playing for you ?

[Neil Baker]

Talking of signing players is very premature, Birdy has just got an injury that is probably going to keep him off work for 2-3 months, and out of football for at least 6 months, not fair to assume that we are that cut throat as managers or even as a club, that we will stop paying him (especially when he can not work where he is self employed).

[Reading Rebel]

If Birdy is self-employed, which I'm not sure if anyone knows this fact, and won't be paid I really wouldn't think any supporter would want or expect the club to stop paying him. 

[SloughFlyer]

4 hours ago, 3spirit said:

I haven't seen the team play this season, so cannot judge what is the best call in terms of recruitment.

It seems obvious that our managers would look to bring in another centre half, given Ryan Bird's bad injury yesterday but as we're not putting the chances away up front either, I wouldn't think it's a forgone conclusion. It really depends on whether Bakes and Unders feel they can weather the storm with the defenders they have got. Surely they should try Josh Jackman out as a centre half before they go spending money on another defender, if our budget is so tight.

With Ben Harris not fit enough to play week in, week out, and Tom Derry not hitting the back of net regularly yet ie the lack of goals forthcoming, it could be argued that if Ryan Bird is out for the season, then the money Slough save on him could go towards signing another striker, as originally he was signed as a striker ! 

What do others think? 

3spirit - I 100% agree with RR on the recruitment side of things, we need a centreback and quickly. With Guy you know you are going to lose him for work purposes through the season and God forbid something happens with Nis and his heart, we are in big trouble. We as a team are having enough problems as it is, let alone going into games with Sean Fraser and Lee Togwell as centrebacks.

Massive shame for Ryan Bird, obviously from the personal impact on him but also from the team point of view, for me, he has been the player of the season for us thus far.

[SloughFlyer]

3 hours ago, Neil Baker said:

Talking of signing players is very premature, Birdy has just got an injury that is probably going to keep him off work for 2-3 months, and out of football for at least 6 months, not fair to assume that we are that cut throat as managers or even as a club, that we will stop paying him (especially when he can not work where he is self employed).

Neil - fair play its very early in the process and as said above its a massive shame for Ryan to be injured in that way.

I also don't think anyone could accuse Slough or you and Jon of being cut throat, especially with Ryan given the issues he had and the massive support you guys gave him when he first signed.

Having said that, I think it's a fair question / discussion topic for the fans as with Ryan's injury, Paul Hodges leaving and Warren's injury (couple that up with Ben being injury prone, Nis's heart issues and Guys work) we could very quickly be in big trouble with players.

I'm sure you and Jon have things under control and hopefully the under 23's have a few more players good enough to step up, other wise I think with no further recruitment to replace the players injured/left, we could end up right at the wrong end of the league really quickly IMO.

[SloughFlyer]

On the game, we were 100% the better side throughout the game and probably should have been 5-2 up by the time of the penalty being given (more on the that later).

Apart from the 2 lapses in concentration for their 2 goals, we made loads of chances and looked very strong throughout the team. Unlike Jon, I thought the 2 goals they scored were more down to the midfield than the change in defence. With just Kuhl and Hunt in the middle it took them a while to find the right balance of defence and attack, but once they did I thought they looked well balanced.

Thought Lawal looked excellent and very positive anytime he had the ball and would have been 3rd in my voting for MoM behind Ben and Max, both of which had great games. Also though Freddie Grant played really well. He is a different type of LB to what we have seen "recently" but looks very well suited to the team as a whole. Sean, Guy and Nis all gave exactly what you would expect (quality performances).

Only real negative from out team was Tom Derry. He just doesn't seem to be getting into the positions to score thus far. Works very hard up front but needs to get the goals output going to help the side.

As for the referee, he was rubbish throughout the game. Decision after decision was wrong, he was too soft in giving cards when required and how the lad that tried to knobble Sean Fraser wasn't sent off is beyond me. As for the pen, having now seen the twitter video, it looks even less a pen than it did live. Only 1 of 2 things can be true, either the ref is totally incompetent and shouldn't be at our level or he was cheating.

With the last few weeks, seems like as a side we could just do with a bit of luck going our way rather than the opposition and boy do we need it.

[Footyfan007]

8 minutes ago, SloughFlyer said:

On the game, we were 100% the better side throughout the game and probably should have been 5-2 up by the time of the penalty being given (more on the that later).

Apart from the 2 lapses in concentration for their 2 goals, we made loads of chances and looked very strong throughout the team. Unlike Jon, I thought the 2 goals they scored were more down to the midfield than the change in defence. With just Kuhl and Hunt in the middle it took them a while to find the right balance of defence and attack, but once they did I thought they looked well balanced.

Thought Lawal looked excellent and very positive anytime he had the ball and would have been 3rd in my voting for MoM behind Ben and Max, both of which had great games. Also though Freddie Grant played really well. He is a different type of LB to what we have seen "recently" but looks very well suited to the team as a whole. Sean, Guy and Nis all gave exactly what you would expect (quality performances).

Only real negative from out team was Tom Derry. He just doesn't seem to be getting into the positions to score thus far. Works very hard up front but needs to get the goals output going to help the side.

As for the referee, he was rubbish throughout the game. Decision after decision was wrong, he was too soft in giving cards when required and how the lad that tried to knobble Sean Fraser wasn't sent off is beyond me. As for the pen, having now seen the twitter video, it looks even less a pen than it did live. Only 1 of 2 things can be true, either the ref is totally incompetent and shouldn't be at our level or he was cheating.

With the last few weeks, seems like as a side we could just do with a bit of luck going our way rather than the opposition and boy do we need it.

100% the better team and agreed should have been in the lead prior to a very exited or eager ref awarding a pen that shouldn't have been.

Derry does a lot of unrecognised leg work and battles hard on any high balls tactically played for him to challenge for, but feel he is learning how the team play still and where he needs to be based on who does what when they have the ball, who crosses early who doesn't etc etc......

Grant is a sound left back and a solid addition and from what I can hear when watching also a good motivator with positive words to his team mates.

Harris was hungry while on and benefited from 2 good goals and worked very hard.

Kuhl and Hunt looked like they where a 2 v 3 most of the game and at the start possibly 2 v 4 and dealt with this well on switching players high / low / width out of possession and trying to block passing lines and spaces as well, think Jon said in the post match interview it was a 4-4-2 with a lot of the time 4 higher including Lawal and Worsfold.

Some players missed some great opportunities but no player does that on purpose it's just football and the bit of luck this Slough team is just missing at the moment.

Both goals potentially avoidable and Jon and Neil  will look into the how's and why's they happened it's a fine balance between attacking and defending, I thought one goal came back to easy from the Slough forward line and the other goal was a winger cutting in and running across the back line if I recall correctly, all will be fine and someone is going to get thumped (well I hope so as for sure solid chances are being created).  

 

 

[Reading Rebel]

Just watched the match highlights and imo both of the goals we conceded were preventable and down to some poor play/basic errors from us.

As for the penalty it was one of the poorest decisions I've seen from a ref.

Having said that the ref making the penalty decision could have been prevented if we had made a better/stronger challenge in midfield which allowed the player to play the ball into a dangerous area on the edge of our box.  

[Mark44]

18 hours ago, Neil Baker said:

Talking of signing players is very premature, Birdy has just got an injury that is probably going to keep him off work for 2-3 months, and out of football for at least 6 months, not fair to assume that we are that cut throat as managers or even as a club, that we will stop paying him (especially when he can not work where he is self employed).

This post is exactly what makes us as a club so welcoming to players. Absolutely top drawer that we would continue to pay Bird and this attitude separates us from a lot of other clubs...well done

[Irishadrian]

Surely we have insurance against accident/injury for all our squad?

[Reading Rebel]

2 hours ago, Irishadrian said:

Surely we have insurance against accident/injury for all our squad?

I don't know but you'd think the NL would insist on clubs having insurance against a serious injury.

[Irishadrian]

4 hours ago, Irishadrian said:

Surely we have insurance against accident/injury for all our squad?

I'll turn my query into a question Do we have our players insured for injuries/accidents  Thank You

[Neil Baker]

There is a very general policy that the league require clubs to take, however the cover is pretty minimal for both player and club, and will not be overly helpful for Ryan, with the position he will be in where he may not be able to work for 2/3 months.

Is having scan tomorrow, and is expected to be operated on tomorrow afternoon.