Results Our League 13th December

[Irishadrian]

Ebbsfleet 0   Eastbourne  2

Oxford     5    Chippenham 3

Worthing 1     Weymouth  3

Revitalised Weymouth move to within 1 point of us and have 2 games in hand  One is played before our next league game If Weymouth win it we will be in the drop zone!

Edited December 14, 2022 by Irishadrian
Spelling error (Alzheimers onset?)

[3spirit]

19 hours ago, Irishadrian said:

Ebbsfleet 0   Eastbourne  2

Oxford     5    Chippenham 3

Worthing 1     Weymouth  3

Revitalised Weymouth move to within 1 point of us and have 2 games in hand  One is played before our next league game If Weymouth win it we will be in the drop zone!

Good win for Eastbourne. Slough lost 1-5 at home to Eastbourne and held Ebbsfleet to only a 2-0 win. Are we really as bad as we fear? Scoring goals is still the main problem. We held Concord 0-0  albeit against 10 men and played well against another top side in Havant in which we lost 1-3. I'm hopeful that we can turn the tide once we have a settled side. We have to play Weymouth away ,3 games before the end of the season 22nd April, I wonder if by then it will be the proverbial 6 pointer.    

[GlenSTFC]

Yes it’s not looking healthy currently regarding our league position. With dreadful league form and the clubs around us having games in hand we have to be looking at least 3 points from the 2 Xmas games otherwise we’ll be in a relegation spot (not to say we won’t even with the 3 points). 

[Stuntman Mark]

44 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

Are we really as bad as we fear? 

2 points from a possible 36 in the league since the beginning of October would suggest we are.

[Reading Rebel]

1 hour ago, 3spirit said:

Good win for Eastbourne. Slough lost 1-5 at home to Eastbourne and held Ebbsfleet to only a 2-0 win. Are we really as bad as we fear? Scoring goals is still the main problem. We held Concord 0-0  albeit against 10 men and played well against another top side in Havant in which we lost 1-3. I'm hopeful that we can turn the tide once we have a settled side. We have to play Weymouth away ,3 games before the end of the season 22nd April, I wonder if by then it will be the proverbial 6 pointer.    

Weymouth will be at least mid table or higher by then.

[3spirit]

14 hours ago, Stuntman Mark said:

2 points from a possible 36 in the league since the beginning of October would suggest we are.

Yes that sounds awful but I was meaning since Scott and Lee took over [5 games] ie 1 win [Hanwell], 1 draw [Concord] and 3 losses against 3 of the best teams in the division [Ebbsfleet,Eastbourne and Havant]......and Slough still not having a settled side, with changes taking place personnel wise and we still have good players sidelined through injury. 

 

[SloughFlyer]

8 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

Yes that sounds awful but I was meaning since Scott and Lee took over [5 games] ie 1 win [Hanwell], 1 draw [Concord] and 3 losses against 3 of the best teams in the division [Ebbsfleet,Eastbourne and Havant]......and Slough still not having a settled side, with changes taking place personnel wise and we still have good players sidelined through injury. 

 

I think those games also tell a story of where Scott sees the team going and in the performances. Hanwell is an outlayer for me, team from the league below and not that great all in all, but you can only beat who you play so 3-0 is a good scoreline. Concord I thought we were poor all in all, disappointing playing a team with 10 men for 65 minutes in a "big game" and couldn't get a goal. Eastbourne, done completely in the first 30 minutes and looked like what we were, a team that hadn't met each other before with young players in it. Havant however, I think was a decent performance (3rd goal is no bother too me, I'd rather lose 3-1 going for it than 2-1 blocking). We did struggle to get possession of the ball for longer periods, but blocked up well on defence. Rhys was outstanding in goal and kept the scoreline competitive (but thats what quality keepers do) and we really could have got something out of the game but for a bit of luck and a little more quality at the end. Had we have played like that against Concord we would have hammered them.

All in all there is clearly a growth in the squad happening (regardless of investment etc) and if we can get everyone fit and firing, 25-30 more points from the last 24 games should be more than acheivable. 

15 hours ago, Stuntman Mark said:

2 points from a possible 36 in the league since the beginning of October would suggest we are.

100% agree about the form Mark, HOWEVER, does it also speak to the league we are in that even with that terrible form, we still aren't in the bottom 4.

[Footyfan007]

2 hours ago, 3spirit said:

Yes that sounds awful but I was meaning since Scott and Lee took over [5 games] ie 1 win [Hanwell], 1 draw [Concord] and 3 losses against 3 of the best teams in the division [Ebbsfleet,Eastbourne and Havant]......and Slough still not having a settled side, with changes taking place personnel wise and we still have good players sidelined through injury. 

 

Agreed and some playing and managing injuries for the cause. 

[Stuntman Mark]

4 hours ago, 3spirit said:

Yes that sounds awful but I was meaning since Scott and Lee took over [5 games] ie 1 win [Hanwell], 1 draw [Concord] and 3 losses against 3 of the best teams in the division [Ebbsfleet,Eastbourne and Havant]......and Slough still not having a settled side, with changes taking place personnel wise and we still have good players sidelined through injury. 

 

I thought there were promising signs vs Havant, particularly the centre half partnership that looked more comfortable than most of the pairings I've witnessed this season. I thought Obi did okay and I'm sure we will see more from him as he gets used to team mates etc so not I'm not throwing any of the new lads or management under the bus yet.

For all the criticism I hear and read for our defence and attack (most justified) the biggest disappointment for me has been our midfield, which on paper as many have pointed out (myself included), looked to be one of the stronger units in the league. I think this is a mixture of good players not reaching levels of previous seasons, good midfielders having to cover in defence and new signings not gelling. I'm not sure we have the right balance of ball players and ball winners in those areas of the pitch for the situation we are in but time will tell and I'm more than happy to be wrong on that. 

I think the squad we started the season with should have been good enough to stay up and may still be good enough but at the halfway stage it's looking pretty grim and we need big improvements from a lot of the current squad if we are to stay in the league. 

[3spirit]

1 hour ago, Stuntman Mark said:

I thought there were promising signs vs Havant, particularly the centre half partnership that looked more comfortable than most of the pairings I've witnessed this season. I thought Obi did okay and I'm sure we will see more from him as he gets used to team mates etc so not I'm not throwing any of the new lads or management under the bus yet.

For all the criticism I hear and read for our defence and attack (most justified) the biggest disappointment for me has been our midfield, which on paper as many have pointed out (myself included), looked to be one of the stronger units in the league. I think this is a mixture of good players not reaching levels of previous seasons, good midfielders having to cover in defence and new signings not gelling. I'm not sure we have the right balance of ball players and ball winners in those areas of the pitch for the situation we are in but time will tell and I'm more than happy to be wrong on that. 

I think the squad we started the season with should have been good enough to stay up and may still be good enough but at the halfway stage it's looking pretty grim and we need big improvements from a lot of the current squad if we are to stay in the league. 

I can't say I'm convinced that the player managers are ever the solution. Here at Slough we have seen many fail but I hope Scott proves to be the exception.I've been pleased with what he's done so far, in what I can only describe as being ' pushed into the deep end ' in his first managerial appointment.

Stating the bleeding obvious, Scott's problem is having a mish mash of players and not knowing what his best team is and what tactics/formation works best for them.Hopefully between Scott, Togs and Tony[Yella] they can work out what is best by the time we hit into February. Currently it's the proverbial 'one game at a time' soundbite.

I take on what you say about our midfield,Stuntman Mark, and this area gets further complicated by Scott himself playing there,and Lee being moved between defence and midfield at any given game. Against Havant I liked that Matt Lench played centrally but it's finding who plays best together. Aaron Kuhl and George Hunt built a good understanding between them in the Bakes and Unders 4-4-2 mould but in my mind our current crop of midfielders should provide plenty of scope with what we do with them.

I would never bet on a Bakes and Unders squad failing. I believe the off field decisions hampered their squads progress but I do think they only strengthened the squad minimally in pre-season, and seemed reticient to address the forwards department for inane reasons imo. Money or no money, strikers can be found. I thought they could have moved on one or two players to bring a forward in. I couldn't get the gist why they didn't.    

Edited December 15, 2022 by 3spirit