v Eastbourne 26th November

[3spirit]

3 hours ago, Mark44 said:

To think about this another way....Imran is possibly on a lot less than any of the other strikers we have.
He is young and hungry and whilst not at National south level consistently has shown signs of brilliance getting in behind etc. Could it be he just needs a consistent run? 

If we start to lose players, i'd rather have someone like Imran than not

Thanks Mark44 for your view. I agree with some of what you say. To me Imran is a squad player.

In the games I've seen him in I've only seen him affect proceedings and put in a really good performance in one game out of about 10. In my eyes he isn't good enough to be a forward for Slough Town FC.

However, to me his game could be adapted to play him as a winger and a different type of midfield attacker to offer an alternative to say Johnny Goddard. I can see his usefulness as a impact substitute for our squad but not at the expense of someone better.

My point, though,is he would be far better off either being released or loaned out for at least a year to a step 3 side like Harrow Borough or Beaconsfield to get regular game time than be a bit part player in a Slough squad.

This season Scott and Togs shouldn't have to waste time trying to develop him,when they've got enough on their plate trying to keep Slough in this division. They are not experienced managers like Bakes and Unders. 

To me with him off the books we can use his[and other departures] to free up money which can be used to put towards getting a proven striker in. Getting a acquisition like a proven striker in provides headlines for local newspapers/radio etc and puts bums on seats -something the club desperately needs !

Keep trying to enhance our forward line on the cheap doesn't bring publicity, or does it bring success.

[Sir Rebel1965]

On 26/11/2022 at 15:57, Sir Rebel1965 said:

Well done to the commentary team, positive to the end, but the result was not a surprise as Scott and the boys have to rebuild the on pitch structure and this will take time, whilst dealing with all the noise from the off the field side of things.

Give the boys a chance and bear with these results - how would you feel being in their position at the moment.

Correct for Scott to come off the pitch and manage the dugout to watch what is happening, but we could do with his skills on the pitch as well - catch 22 situation.

I will repeat.

[3spirit]

23 minutes ago, Sir Rebel1965 said:

I will repeat.

Why?

[bluerebel]

4 hours ago, Scott Davies said:

People in my mind deserved their opportunity to play so that’s what I did. We were short on numbers and some of the more senior players weren’t fit to play from the start. We finished with 4 teenagers on the pitch which is never easy in this league especially during a difficult result.

 

If we add Guy, Lenchy, George H, Jonny, Elliot and Kuhly into the team from the start then gives us a hell of a lot of experience added to the team.

 

I don’t feel then need to panic at all. I actually think our squad is very competitive when everyone is available.

 

A bad day but lessons learned.

Thanks for the comments. Agree we need a bit of time to try out a few new ideas. One or two observations:-

We seem to lack a player who is the "general" pumping fists, directing, giving encouragement and advice. I like Josh but he seems to quiet for that role.

Our defence appears the weakness. All good sides seem to start building a team from the back. A bit hypothetical but how much of a difference do you think Edon may have made? Would an old/ experienced 6ft + centre half make a difference.

 

[Footyfan007]

3 hours ago, 3spirit said:

Thanks Mark44 for your view. I agree with some of what you say. To me Imran is a squad player.

In the games I've seen him in I've only seen him affect proceedings and put in a really good performance in one game out of about 10. In my eyes he isn't good enough to be a forward for Slough Town FC.

However, to me his game could be adapted to play him as a winger and a different type of midfield attacker to offer an alternative to say Johnny Goddard. I can see his usefulness as a impact substitute for our squad but not at the expense of someone better.

My point, though,is he would be far better off either being released or loaned out for at least a year to a step 3 side like Harrow Borough or Beaconsfield to get regular game time than be a bit part player in a Slough squad.

This season Scott and Togs shouldn't have to waste time trying to develop him,when they've got enough on their plate trying to keep Slough in this division. They are not experienced managers like Bakes and Unders. 

To me with him off the books we can use his[and other departures] to free up money which can be used to put towards getting a proven striker in. Getting a acquisition like a proven striker in provides headlines for local newspapers/radio etc and puts bums on seats -something the club desperately needs !

Keep trying to enhance our forward line on the cheap doesn't bring publicity, or does it bring success.

One key point on the younger players is the level they played at prior to landing at a conference south team as there are many different levels in U18 and U23s leagues.   Some how you have to learn and earn your stripes which most gaffers if you have no national league experience are not interested in. Even those that come out of the professional game at a young age from decent clubs.  One of the first questions asked is how much experice do they have in real games at level one or two and they discard professional 'B' team and U23 games.   

With this in mind 3spirt, I agree what you say and landing at a level where you will get lots of game time and there is no harm in this, if your then hungry enough and prove your worth, oppurtunities to play at a higher level should occur, should you wish move up the football pyramid.   As an example scouting systems, when an U21 player plays 50 games would create an alert at step 1 or 2 for the league clubs above, then stats on the player would be reviewed and a scout would be asked to attend and watch.   

The conference south is no easy feat for younger players coming in from the pretty football world of academy football and have to learn and adapt there game massively to fit in if they want to survive at this level.  It either takes a brave gaffer to give you this oppurtunity and or you are forced to try and uncover a good one in real time due to club circumstances injuries, no loans available or budget.   Alfonso Tenconi is great example who had a fair few pro clubs come down and watch, didn't get to the 50 games I mention above but made enough noise and triggered scouts to come and watch, when given his oppurtunity he took it on the pitch.

 

 

 

[Curtis]

2 hours ago, Footyfan007 said:

The conference south is no easy feat for younger players coming in from the pretty football world of academy football and have to learn and adapt there game massively to fit in if they want to survive at this level.

I’m sure you know a lot more than me about Academy footballers and their comparative standard with non league football, but this surprises me because :-

1. the Arsenal U18’s looked unlucky to lose against us pre-season

2. the West Ham U21’s beat promotion favourites Ebbsfleet 2-1 pre-season

3. I seem to recall that Weymouth’s promotion a few seasons ago included 3 or 4 young players on loan from Bournemouth

 

[Footyfan007]

48 minutes ago, Curtis said:

I’m sure you know a lot more than me about Academy footballers and their comparative standard with non league football, but this surprises me because :-

1. the Arsenal U18’s looked unlucky to lose against us pre-season

2. the West Ham U21’s beat promotion favourites Ebbsfleet 2-1 pre-season

3. I seem to recall that Weymouth’s promotion a few seasons ago included 3 or 4 young players on loan from Bournemouth

 

 

point 1 & 2 - not competive (albeit nice to win)

point 3 - a valuable way of learning, these ones now playing for National and conference south teams.

[3spirit]

20 hours ago, bluerebel said:

Thanks for the comments. Agree we need a bit of time to try out a few new ideas. One or two observations:-

We seem to lack a player who is the "general" pumping fists, directing, giving encouragement and advice. I like Josh but he seems to quiet for that role.

Our defence appears the weakness. All good sides seem to start building a team from the back. A bit hypothetical but how much of a difference do you think Edon may have made? Would an old/ experienced 6ft + centre half make a difference.

 

Blue Rebel, I agree Slough do lack a captain type. I also can see the merits of Josh being moulded into this. Trouble is he is having to do a lot of running all over the pitch and now his remit is scoring goals. I worry we could lose him if Bakes and Unders get another football management job, or a higher up club come knocking for him.

I did wonder if we had a chance of bringing Sam Togwell back to the club.

[Reading Rebel]

2 hours ago, 3spirit said:

Blue Rebel, I agree Slough do lack a captain type. I also can see the merits of Josh being moulded into this. Trouble is he is having to do a lot of running all over the pitch and now his remit is scoring goals. I worry we could lose him if Bakes and Unders get another football management job, or a higher up club come knocking for him.

I did wonder if we had a chance of bringing Sam Togwell back to the club.

It's only my opinion but I don't think you can successfully mould a player into a captain.

Although a player could try to change his character to fit the role imo it wouldn't come naturally and the effort involved could affect other parts of his game.

On Sam Togwell, he left for a reason i.e. work commitments and I think he's chosen Beaconsfield because it's local and involves less travelling in the Southern Prem.

[3spirit]

18 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

It's only my opinion but I don't think you can successfully mould a player into a captain.

Although a player could try to change his character to fit the role imo it wouldn't come naturally and the effort involved could affect other parts of his game.

On Sam Togwell, he left for a reason i.e. work commitments and I think he's chosen Beaconsfield because it's local and involves less travelling in the Southern Prem.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I could see Josh easily being the captain of this current Slough side. To me he is the strong silent type. Not all leaders need to be brash and loud. To me he is no longer 'young Josh'. Confidence in him from a good man-manager would bring his voice to the fore.

Guy Hollis is another one that I would look at, as moulding into the sort of leader that gets players up for a battle on the pitch. 

 

Edited November 30, 2022 by 3spirit

[Reading Rebel]

1 hour ago, 3spirit said:

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I could see Josh easily being the captain of this current Slough side. To me he is the strong silent type. Not all leaders need to be brash and loud. To me he is no longer 'young Josh'. Confidence in him from a good man-manager would bring his voice to the fore.

Guy Hollis is another one that I would look at, as moulding into the sort of leader that gets players up for a battle on the pitch. 

 

It depends on what a manager and supporters would look for in a captain/leader on the pitch.

They don't have to shout and holler at players but commanding respect, talking, cajoling, encouraging and yes sometimes the odd sharp word in a players ear is imo all part of being a leader on the pitch.  

It might be an old fashioned way of looking at a captains role but for me players like Josh and especially Guy are far too quiet.

[3spirit]

21 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

It depends on what a manager and supporters would look for in a captain/leader on the pitch.

They don't have to shout and holler at players but commanding respect, talking, cajoling, encouraging and yes sometimes the odd sharp word in a players ear is imo all part of being a leader on the pitch.  

It might be an old fashioned way of looking at a captains role but for me players like Josh and especially Guy are far too quiet.

As I said we'll agree to disagree. To me a captain leads by example. Josh and Guy are whole hearted players.They rarely let the side down. Some of the best captains in the world of football and rugby have been players unafraid to get stuck in,trying their best and passionate to do well yet unassuming and fairly quiet ie Bobby Moore and Martin Johnson. Actions can speak louder than words.  

We've already got two player managers. Too many shouting instructions will only confuse matters. If I were Scott and Togs I would put themselves as substitutes for the next 3 Slough games to watch the team from the sidelines,and then only come on when needed.Preferably one staying on the sidelines.

A fellow Slough fan on Saturday against Eastbourne said to me that our newly appointed managers need someone in the dug out to watch proceedings and to help with instructions. Johnnny Goddard has sort of done this since he's been injured but Slough need him on the pitch, the fellow Slough fan made a suggestion which I thought was a good idea. He said perhaps Slough should approach Steve Bateman,as a sort of consultant for the games till the end of the season. He's been a manager and knows the game. In my head I laughed out loud not at the suggestion but because Steve would drive me nuts sometimes by bringing the right substitute on but taking the wrong player off ! ha ha ! Something I could never say about Bakes and Unders.

However, he is out of a football job at the moment and has been in the dugout for a number of years and might be interested in helping the Rebels till the end of the season.He knows the National South having been at Hemel Hempstead FC as assistant manager last season. He also knows how to recruit better players to enhance a team. It might be a quirky idea but to me it's not outlandish. Slough definitely need someone who reads the game well and can see from the sidelines what is going on. Perhaps Scott has a mate, or his father even, that could do this important role.   

Edited December 1, 2022 by 3spirit

[Reading Rebel]

37 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

As I said we'll agree to disagree. To me a captain leads by example. Josh and Guy are whole hearted players.They rarely let the side down. Some of the best captains in the world of football and rugby have been players unafraid to get stuck in,trying their best and passionate to do well yet unassuming and fairly quiet ie Bobby Moore and Martin Johnson. Actions can speak louder than words.  

We've already got two player managers. Too many shouting instructions will only confuse matters. If I were Scott and Togs I would put themselves as substitutes for the next 3 Slough games to watch the team from the sidelines,and then only come on when needed.Preferably one staying on the sidelines.

A fellow Slough fan on Saturday against Eastbourne said to me that our newly appointed managers need someone in the dug out to watch proceedings and to help with instructions. Johnnny Goddard has sort of done this since he's been injured but Slough need him on the pitch, the fellow Slough fan made a suggestion which I thought was a good idea. He said perhaps Slough should approach Steve Bateman,as a sort of consultant for the games till the end of the season. He's been a manager and knows the game. In my head I laughed out loud not at the suggestion but because Steve would drive me nuts sometimes by bringing the right substitute on but taking the wrong player off ! ha ha ! Something I could never say about Bakes and Unders.

However, he is out of a football job at the moment and has been in the dugout for a number of years and might be interested in helping the Rebels till the end of the season.He knows the National South having been at Hemel Hempstead FC as assistant manager last season. He also knows how to recruit better players to enhance a team. It might be a quirky idea but to me it's not outlandish. Slough definitely need someone who reads the game well and can see from the sidelines what is going on. Perhaps Scott has a mate, or his father even, that could do this important role.   

As you say we'll have to agree to disagree on the Captain/leader on the pitch bit.

It's not ideal having both manager and assistant manager playing at the same time which is why they are looking around to see if they can get someone, ideally known to club and players, in the dugout.

Steve Bateman is not an unthinkable idea but not sure that a mate of Scott's or his Father would be the solution.

As you say we need Johnny Goddard on the pitch but imo we also need Scott Davies, preferably not at center back or right back and Lee Togwell on the pitch for their experience/know how to get us through this difficult period we're going through in the league.

 

[GlenSTFC]

36 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

As you say we'll have to agree to disagree on the Captain/leader on the pitch bit.

It's not ideal having both manager and assistant manager playing at the same time which is why they are looking around to see if they can get someone, ideally known to club and players, in the dugout.

Steve Bateman is not an unthinkable idea but not sure that a mate of Scott's or his Father would be the solution.

As you say we need Johnny Goddard on the pitch but imo we also need Scott Davies, preferably not at center back or right back and Lee Togwell on the pitch for their experience/know how to get us through this difficult period we're going through in the league.

 

There was someone called Manny, oh wait…

[Reading Rebel]

1 hour ago, GlenSTFC said:

There was someone called Manny, oh wait…

Can only assume that either Manny wanted to play more or he thought he should get the manager/assistant job or 3 in charge is not viable and it's another body off the wage bill.  

[Scott Davies]

I’ll reply to this! I actually asked my Dad to help out for the time being but his reply was ‘you’ll lose all credibility by having your Dad in the dugout’. So i respected his views straight away.

For those who have followed non league football would have seen my dad play at this level for 20 years at this level so he knows his stuff! 
 

We have a friend of mine helping out tomorrow and possibly Tuesday, with hopefully someone joining permanently next week who has been an assistant manager at Step 4 for the past 7/8 seasons. Someone who I respect highly, knows the game and is over the age of 50 which I felt was important for me and Togs at this stage of our managerial career.

We didn’t want to make moves too quickly, wanted to get a feel for everything first before we drag people out of jobs where they are secure but now we know where we are at and what’s needed we feel like it’s the right time to start putting things into place.

Edited December 2, 2022 by Scott Davies

[SloughFlyer]

8 hours ago, Scott Davies said:

I’ll reply to this! I actually asked my Dad to help out for the time being but his reply was ‘you’ll lose all credibility by having your Dad in the dugout’. So i respected his views straight away.

For those who have followed non league football would have seen my dad play at this level for 20 years at this level so he knows his stuff! 
 

We have a friend of mine helping out tomorrow and possibly Tuesday, with hopefully someone joining permanently next week who has been an assistant manager at Step 4 for the past 7/8 seasons. Someone who I respect highly, knows the game and is over the age of 50 which I felt was important for me and Togs at this stage of our managerial career.

We didn’t want to make moves too quickly, wanted to get a feel for everything first before we drag people out of jobs where they are secure but now we know where we are at and what’s needed we feel like it’s the right time to start putting things into place.

Dad knows best  LOL. (but don't tell mine I said that LOL)

Good to see another clearly considered approach Scott. I would assume it would be easy to jumpin with bother feet and start rushing decisions currently, so its very reassuring Lee and yourself are not taking that approach. A bench guy is clearly going to take some of the pressure off of you and Lee for the 90 minutes and allow you to concentrate on playing which can only be a good thing.

Great work

 

Edited December 2, 2022 by SloughFlyer

[3spirit]

10 hours ago, Scott Davies said:

I’ll reply to this! I actually asked my Dad to help out for the time being but his reply was ‘you’ll lose all credibility by having your Dad in the dugout’. So i respected his views straight away.

For those who have followed non league football would have seen my dad play at this level for 20 years at this level so he knows his stuff! 
 

We have a friend of mine helping out tomorrow and possibly Tuesday, with hopefully someone joining permanently next week who has been an assistant manager at Step 4 for the past 7/8 seasons. Someone who I respect highly, knows the game and is over the age of 50 which I felt was important for me and Togs at this stage of our managerial career.

We didn’t want to make moves too quickly, wanted to get a feel for everything first before we drag people out of jobs where they are secure but now we know where we are at and what’s needed we feel like it’s the right time to start putting things into place.

I might have missed this information, or have just forgotten but who did your Dad play for, Scott? Not looking for a reply now,whenever it's convenient.  

[Scott Davies]

Aylesbury United, Harrow Borough, Chesham, Marlow and a few others. Similar to Bakes with his Dad, but that’s why I fell in love with non league as a youngster watching all those games! 

[3spirit]

5 hours ago, Scott Davies said:

Aylesbury United, Harrow Borough, Chesham, Marlow and a few others. Similar to Bakes with his Dad, but that’s why I fell in love with non league as a youngster watching all those games! 

Thanks for the quick reply,Scott. Best of luck for tomorrow.

I remember watching Neil's Dad, Keith playing for Farnborough. He was a bloody good full back and it was nice to meet him years later when he came to watch the Rebels. I also remembered Jon Underwood when he was at Farnborough,too but strangely I didn't remember Neil, and yet they had at one time played in the same side. And the other week I found a photo of Bakes and Unders in the Farnborough team from 1997 among a load of old 'Team Talk' non league magazines.

Edited December 3, 2022 by 3spirit