Final Table Prediction

[Reading Rebel]

16 hours ago, 3spirit said:

Out of the 9 points available from the final 3 games I believe Slough are more than capable of getting 4 or 6 points from them. Farnborough are a good footballing team but they have weaknesses at the back that Slough could exploit. Like the game against Chippenham Slough need to get on the front foot early and so why not pick an adventurous attacking line up to have a real go at Farnborough on Saturday?

To me Ogo Obi wouldn't be sitting on the bench getting splinters and it might even be worth playing 3 strikers for this game. I think with George Alexander, Francis Amartey and Ogo on the field I think Slough could upset Farnborough's defence. I would leave Elliot Benyon out of the starting eleven for this one. To me a 3-4-1-2 makes sense now that Temi is out.

Having two games at home and one away,should give Slough a very small advantage on the relegation teams around them and as much as these three games are against formidable opposing teams, none of them will think Slough will be an easy side to get points from,so from that angle I remain positive that come the end of the season Slough will just about hang on to their National South status, if our management team can get the players up for these three tight call battles.    

Elliott Benyon came off injured at Taunton so possibly not fit to start.

Playing three strikers who have never played together before is certainly a risky move in such an important game.

It's one of those ones where it'll either be a stroke of genius or a total disaster.

If the players can't get themselves up for this game they might as well go shopping 😏

Edited April 12, 2023 by Reading Rebel

[Footyfan007]

20 hours ago, Nathan said:

I honestly don't understand this blind assumption that 50 points will guarantee safety (I had somebody on the Rebels Radio comments yesterday assure me of this as well). For us that'll be 1 win & 2 defeats (or 3 draws) from our remaining 3 games. 50 might be enough (I certainly hope it will be), but it's barking mad to assume that will be the case.

Never underestimate what a team desperate and scraping at the bottom and with time running out can do, if there is light at the end of the tunnel. Not realistically gone like Concord, if (biggest word in the English language I know) Cheshunt win their games in hand they will be only 1 point behind us. The same goes for Dulwich and their game in hand. Cheshunt's next game is against Ebbsfleet who have nothing to play for, so don't be surprised if they pull of an "upset". Dulwich still have Hungerford and Concord to play in their final 4 games. Reading Rebel is right about our run-in being much more difficult.

Which makes Saturday's game even bigger.

Hi Nathan, that was me. 
Not based on a blind assumption, just based on my opinion and having watched some of the teams in the bottom 4 quite recently and remaining fixtures. 

Personally I see the bottom 4 remaining as is, albeit maybe not in their current order as they are.

Slough have enough in their locker to obtain more points should they be required from the final 3 games and I wouldn’t rule out 6pts from 9 as the hunger is there. 

I did call out over Xmas and NY that Slough would obtain 4pts from both Oxford games on this forum, which I got a few raised eyebrows on. 

My belief continues, Slough will be safe.

I didn’t go to Taunton on Monday, but by the sounds of it a draw would have been a fair result and another point on the board. 

COYR

 

 

 

 

 

[Holyport Rebel]

Have to feel a bit sorry for Concord.

( I feel I can  say that as you would think they are almost certainties to be relegated. )

They are having to play games tomorrow (Thursday),then Saturday, then Tuesday, then Thursday, then Saturday, then Tuesday and then the final Saturday of the season.

And they still have to fit in another re-arranged  game v Havant, which I would guess has to be the Thursday of the last week of the season. 

Some small comfort for them is that 5 of their 8 remaining games are at home.

[GlenSTFC]

40 minutes ago, Holyport Rebel said:

Have to feel a bit sorry for Concord.

( I feel I can  say that as you would think they are almost certainties to be relegated. )

They are having to play games tomorrow (Thursday),then Saturday, then Tuesday, then Thursday, then Saturday, then Tuesday and then the final Saturday of the season.

And they still have to fit in another re-arranged  game v Havant, which I would guess has to be the Thursday of the last week of the season. 

Some small comfort for them is that 5 of their 8 remaining games are at home.

It’ll be some miracle if they stay up with that schedule! But I won’t be losing any tears over their absence as it’s a horrible journey, one of the worst grounds and aside from this season have been bit of a bogey team for us. 

[Reading Rebel]

48 minutes ago, Holyport Rebel said:

Have to feel a bit sorry for Concord.

( I feel I can  say that as you would think they are almost certainties to be relegated. )

They are having to play games tomorrow (Thursday),then Saturday, then Tuesday, then Thursday, then Saturday, then Tuesday and then the final Saturday of the season.

And they still have to fit in another re-arranged  game v Havant, which I would guess has to be the Thursday of the last week of the season. 

Some small comfort for them is that 5 of their 8 remaining games are at home.

You must be going soft in your old age HR 😉

Firstly feeling sorry for Hemel despite them nicking an undeserved draw and now for Concord for having such a crap pitch that they've a fixture backlog which can only be good for us.

No time for slushy sentiment it's dog eat dog out there I tell ya 😂

 

[Ian g f]

16 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

You must be going soft in your old age HR 😉

Firstly feeling sorry for Hemel despite them nicking an undeserved draw and now for Concord for having such a crap pitch that they've a fixture backlog which can only be good for us.

No time for slushy sentiment it's do eat dog out there I tell ya 😂

 

 

[Reading Rebel]

1 hour ago, Ian g f said:

 

You were about to say before you were rudely interrupted 👀

[Reading Rebel]

On 11/04/2023 at 10:41, Curtis said:

That’s not a difficult prediction, 50 points will definitely be sufficient to avoid relegation, despite us now being in the latter stages of the season where several clubs have nothing to play for.

Concord, Hungerford & Weymouth won’t even achieve the 47 points we already have.

And Cheshunt shouldn’t even be getting 7 points from Ebbsfleet (A), Bath (H), Tonbridge (A), Chelmsford (H), Worthing (H) when the last four are all challenging for a play-off place at present.

 

The last 3 games for Cheshunt yes (dependent on league positions) but Ebbsfleet are on their holls and Bath are in free fall and can hardly raise 11 fit players.

[Reading Rebel]

18 hours ago, Irishadrian said:

Just out of interest the current final league prediction position has us safe with 50 points just above Dulwich also with 50 and safe!  Let's  see.

Is that the final league prediction table that most have been saying is a load of b******s? 

[3spirit]

19 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

Elliott Benyon came off injured at Taunton so possibly not fit to start.

Playing three strikers who have never played together before is certainly a risky move in such an important game.

It's one of those ones where it'll either be a stroke of genius or a total disaster.

If the players can't get themselves up for this game they might as well go shopping 😏

My logic is to go for broke against Farnborough at home. I don't accept the notion that playing 3 strikers who haven't played together cannot work. Francis and Ogo have played together and George Alexander is good enough to fit in with anyone.Besides you could choose to play two upfront and one behind. Whatever, Slough need to score goals.  Farnborough have Jack Turner in goal so we know it's not going to be easy to find the net with him being the keeper. For me it's the midfield that complements the front line that would need to function well.

Of the 3 games we have left, Farnborough looks the best bet for a win unless Weymouth and Braintree have nothing to play for ie Weymouth are relegated, Braintree have a nailed on play off place.  

Edited April 12, 2023 by 3spirit

[Reading Rebel]

2 hours ago, 3spirit said:

My logic is to go for broke against Farnborough at home. I don't accept the notion that playing 3 strikers who haven't played together cannot work. Francis and Ogo have played together and George Alexander is good enough to fit in with anyone.Besides you could choose to play two upfront and one behind. Whatever, Slough need to score goals.  Farnborough have Jack Turner in goal so we know it's not going to be easy to find the net with him being the keeper. For me it's the midfield that complements the front line that would need to function well.

Of the 3 games we have left, Farnborough looks the best bet for a win unless Weymouth and Braintree have nothing to play for ie Weymouth are relegated, Braintree have a nailed on play off place.  

I didn't say it wouldn't work just a risk that it might not and possibly leave us wide open at the back.

[3spirit]

14 hours ago, Reading Rebel said:

I didn't say it wouldn't work just a risk that it might not and possibly leave us wide open at the back.

I can't see how it would affect defence.Attack with the ball is the best form of defence ! 

To me George Alexander needs to spearhead our attack as he does score goals. I would play Ogo Obi alongside him and let Francis [or Johnny Goddard] have a free role behind the front two.  I favour Francis to start due to his pace [with Johnny and Imran as our back up sub strikers or a change in shape to wingers and a 4-4-2]. I know Johnny isn't a natural forward but he is more than capable of getting on the score sheet, and he is a creative link man which helps without Elliot Benyon.

When it comes to Farnborough attacking from corners/free kicks I would leave Francis and Ogo on the half way line so that Farnborough's defenders will not want to leave those two unattended,that way putting them in a quandary whether to push up or not. George and Ogo have plenty of energy to track back when needed but given Francis's injury I wouldn't ask him to trackback,just ask him to do the a forwards closing down role when Farnborough have possession deep in their half.   

Still, it doesn't matter a jot what I think or what you think RR, Scott is paid to make the decisions. I just hope Slough do themselves justice and give Farnborough a torrid time at Arbour Park[unlike the away fixture] and throw caution to the wind. I'm not saying defend stupidly but for this one-off game approach it has to be positive from the off like how Slough went into the game against Chippenham.That day everything fell into place but I can't see the Farnborough match being as easy. 

I would opt for a 3-4-1-2 formation of  

                                                                            Dennis

                                                    Dandy   Togwell[sweeper]  Woodhouse

           Jackman[right wing back]     Davies[captain for this one]     Lench   George[left wing back]

                                                                  Amartey [free to roam] 

                                                                  Alexander    Obi

Subs: Hunt, Bush, Kayani, Goddard, Benyon[if fit-ish]- Owen if not.

By the way, gone astray off thread topic but as I was responding to your post RR, I got carried away! ha ha!    

Edited April 13, 2023 by 3spirit

[Reading Rebel]

18 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

I can't see how it would affect defence.Attack with the ball is the best form of defence ! 

To me George Alexander needs to spearhead our attack as he does score goals. I would play Ogo Obi alongside him and let Francis [or Johnny Goddard] have a free role behind the front two.  I favour Francis to start due to his pace [with Johnny and Imran as our back up sub strikers or a change in shape to wingers and a 4-4-2]. I know Johnny isn't a natural forward but he is more than capable of getting on the score sheet, and he is a creative link man which helps without Elliot Benyon.

When it comes to Farnborough attacking from corners/free kicks I would leave Francis and Ogo on the half way line so that Farnborough's defenders will not want to leave those two unattended,that way putting them in a quandary whether to push up or not. George and Ogo have plenty of energy to track back when needed but given Francis's injury I wouldn't ask him to trackback,just ask him to do the a forwards closing down role when Farnborough have possession deep in their half.   

Still, it doesn't matter a jot what I think or what you think RR, Scott is paid to make the decisions. I just hope Slough do themselves justice and give Farnborough a torrid time at Arbour Park[unlike the away fixture] and throw caution to the wind. I'm not saying defend stupidly but for this one-off game approach it has to be positive from the off like how Slough went into the game against Chippenham.That day everything fell into place but I can't see the Farnborough match being as easy. 

I would opt for a 3-4-1-2 formation of  

                                                                            Dennis

                                                    Dandy   Togwell[sweeper]  Woodhouse

           Jackman[right wing back]     Davies[captain for this one]     Lench   George[left wing back]

                                                                  Amartey [free to roam] 

                                                                  Alexander    Obi

Subs: Hunt, Bush, Kayani, Goddard, Benyon[if fit-ish]- Owen if not.

By the way, gone astray off thread topic but as I was responding to your post RR, I got carried away! ha ha!    

Luckily and thank God it's not us picking the team 😅

Edited April 13, 2023 by Reading Rebel

[3spirit]

29 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

Luckily and thank God we're not picking the team 😅

You would love to have a go,though,wouldn't you?  I know I would ! However, not for such a high pressurized game as this one, gulp !

I'm a great believer that football isn't rocket science and that good man management is half the battle in shaping a good team but credit where credit's due ex-players/coaches/managers who have stepped up to 'rockface' need more than just that to succeed in football, and 'the beautiful game' seems to have evolved tactics/coaching/rules wise to become a completely different place, to what basics I know as just a layman watcher but least me and you,RR, can read the game and know who the better players are when we watch matches. Not all supporters can do this so we shouldn't be too down on what we know about football. 

I must admit,though, I'm totally bamboozled by the offside rule these days ! ha ha !  I couldn't be a VAR official but I wonder sometimes if they can !     

Edited April 13, 2023 by 3spirit

[Reading Rebel]

1 hour ago, 3spirit said:

You would love to have a go,though,wouldn't you?  I know I would ! However, not for such a high pressurized game as this one, gulp !

I'm a great believer that football isn't rocket science and that good man management is half the battle in shaping a good team but credit where credit's due ex-players/coaches/managers who have stepped up to 'rockface' need more than just that to succeed in football, and 'the beautiful game' seems to have evolved tactics/coaching/rules wise to become a completely different place, to what basics I know as just a layman watcher but least me and you,RR, can read the game and know who the better players are when we watch matches. Not all supporters can do this so we shouldn't be too down on what we know about football. 

I must admit,though, I'm totally bamboozled by the offside rule these days ! ha ha !  I couldn't be a VAR official but I wonder sometimes if they can !     

Not so much offside but the handball rule is baffling.

[Footyfan007]

Not sure I would go all out in this one attack wise, there will be moments in this game that Farnborough will be fragile and that’s when the heat should be turned up.

Could come down to who makes the least mistakes on the day.

But a point or more should see Scotty and the lads with a beaming smile come the end of the game. 

 

 

[3spirit]

24 minutes ago, Footyfan007 said:

Not sure I would go all out in this one attack wise, there will be moments in this game that Farnborough will be fragile and that’s when the heat should be turned up.

Could come down to who makes the least mistakes on the day.

But a point or more should see Scotty and the lads with a beaming smile come the end of the game. 

 

 

Is a point enough,though?

Looking at the bottom of the table it's very tight down there and any team could turn their form around. Look at Taunton, they beat Slough and then went and beat Dartford last night. Then there's Weymouth who turned over Bath away for a precious 3 points.Who'd have thought that a few weeks ago?

I believe Hungerford and Concord will go down but the two other relegation places could go to anyone in the bottom 9. The good thing is Dulwich and Dover are wobbling to get points as well so Slough aren't alone in staring at the trap door. I thought Cheshunt looked a poor side when Slough played them away but even they have picked up points lately.

It's always better to have points on the board than games in hand, so with what Slough have gone through this season we're in a better place than we could have been but to me we shouldn't be relying on other teams to fail and leaving it till the last game of the season to secure our place in this division.

I'm not advocating being gung ho and not paying due care and diligence to Farnborough's attack but to me we need to score goals and that's why I would favour playing 2 or 3 forwards for this game.

[Reading Rebel]

49 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

Is a point enough,though?

Looking at the bottom of the table it's very tight down there and any team could turn their form around. Look at Taunton, they beat Slough and then went and beat Dartford last night. Then there's Weymouth who turned over Bath away for a precious 3 points.Who'd have thought that a few weeks ago?

I believe Hungerford and Concord will go down but the two other relegation places could go to anyone in the bottom 9. The good thing is Dulwich and Dover are wobbling to get points as well so Slough aren't alone in staring at the trap door. I thought Cheshunt looked a poor side when Slough played them away but even they have picked up points lately.

It's always better to have points on the board than games in hand, so with what Slough have gone through this season we're in a better place than we could have been but to me we shouldn't be relying on other teams to fail and leaving it till the last game of the season to secure our place in this division.

I'm not advocating being gung ho and not paying due care and diligence to Farnborough's attack but to me we need to score goals and that's why I would favour playing 2 or 3 forwards for this game.

We need to score a goal.

I'll take a tight game with few chances and sneak a 1-0 win.

[Reading Rebel]

56 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

Is a point enough,though?

Looking at the bottom of the table it's very tight down there and any team could turn their form around. Look at Taunton, they beat Slough and then went and beat Dartford last night. Then there's Weymouth who turned over Bath away for a precious 3 points.Who'd have thought that a few weeks ago?

I believe Hungerford and Concord will go down but the two other relegation places could go to anyone in the bottom 9. The good thing is Dulwich and Dover are wobbling to get points as well so Slough aren't alone in staring at the trap door. I thought Cheshunt looked a poor side when Slough played them away but even they have picked up points lately.

It's always better to have points on the board than games in hand, so with what Slough have gone through this season we're in a better place than we could have been but to me we shouldn't be relying on other teams to fail and leaving it till the last game of the season to secure our place in this division.

I'm not advocating being gung ho and not paying due care and diligence to Farnborough's attack but to me we need to score goals and that's why I would favour playing 2 or 3 forwards for this game.

My concern with Cheshunt is that in the next 3 games they are playing Ebbsfleet who are on their holidays and Bath who cannot raise 11 fit players.

If they pick up 6 points from those two games it really is squeaky bum time.

[Holyport Rebel]

RR, by the time the final whistle goes at the Cheshunt v Bath game, we could have 6 more points ourselves !