16 Games Review

[Sir Rebel1965]

It was requested by Adrian Gomm that there should be a review after 16 league games rather than the original 8 games for this season’s opening performance.

 

I feel that the impact of the outcome from this coming Tuesdays FA Cup game will influence the rest of the season, so I will delay the publication of the 16 game Review until after the Grimsby game to be able to give an accurate assessment.

[Sir Rebel1965]

So here it is, as requested by Adrian Gomm - the 16 game review.

 

Well 16 league games gone and on the very edge of the relegation battle with just 16 points and in 20th place by a single goal difference – this is the cold hard facts.  You don’t get points for being unlucky, having bad decisions go against you, or working really hard.  It’s only wins or draws that get points.

This is the worst start to a league season, after 16 games since the 2007/08 season when there were only 9 points on the board – that season was when the club was in free fall with Martyn Deaner on his way out and the ground up in the air.

Also, we are now out of the FA Cup after a good run – some good money picked up from the only real cash generating competition available – FA Trophy may add a few quid, but only if we can make the final rounds.

So, the question now is, how do we turn the league fortunes round to avoid relegation?

This question falls at the feet of Ashley, what are you going to do to bolster a team which is made up of 3 types of players, a handful of seasoned players, another group who have come in from lower levels, and then the Academy kids who have been put in the shop window hoping a big club might be interested in them.

As has been quoted on this forum by several, this league is filling up with clubs putting large amounts of cash in and running near professional teams, and in some cases full professional teams.

Sloughs league attendances are in the lower range for this division and are not getting near the 1000 size gates that was hoped for. With winter coming, the only ones coming out on dark Tuesday nights and freezing Saturday afternoons will be limited to those who are Season Membership ticket holders.

So, the only ways to fund a stronger team is to either bring in more sponsorship, which so far has been vastly more than that of the last couple of years, but if the club remains in the relegation battle are sponsors going to think that is something they wish to be associated with? Ask the backers for more funds. Or use the pot of money from the FA Cup run, but once it is spent where will further funds come from?

Some very big decisions need to be made by Ashley to provide Scott with the resources to turn things round, otherwise his first season as a club owner could end up with relegation.

[Norbert22]

Is this a 16 game review or a waffle of whinges?  

[Curtis]

3 points from our first seven league matches was quite concerning, but 13 points from our last nine league matches has been very encouraging…… if current form continues over the next 8 matches we will be much closer to mid table & easing away from relegation concerns.

[Reading Rebel]

1 hour ago, Curtis said:

3 points from our first seven league matches was quite concerning, but 13 points from our last nine league matches has been very encouraging…… if current form continues over the next 8 matches we will be much closer to mid table & easing away from relegation concerns.

I suppose the fly in the ointment to our recent league form is that we've got a relatively small squad that has started to pick up injuries to some key players.

A few more last night in Temi, Scott, Leon and possibly Lenchy who has been carrying a knock for a while but because he's such a key player he's carried on despite not being 100% fit. 

Depending on how bad these injuries are will probably determine if we need to bring in reinforcements.

We have games in hand on the teams around us which we need to capitalize on.

If we don't, although it's been great, our cup run could come back to bite us on the backside.

It'll be great to put one over Farnborough in the Trophy on Saturday but the Havant game is looming which is looking like a must win game to keep them at arms length.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Reading Rebel

[Nathan]

Football is a game of fine margins. Had we beaten Welling & Eastbourne, we'd be 5 points better off than now and relatively safe. Our opening 7 league games wouldn't look quite so catastrophic. As it is, we're out of the drop zone only on goal difference from a team we beat 4-0 only last week (and who have a game in hand on us).

These "six-pointers" could become our Achilles heel. Looking at the teams going up to 16th placed St Albans, we've played everyone apart from Havant (who we face next in the league), but beaten only Weston-Super-Mare and Truro. We've been beaten by Dover (for their only league win of the season, way back on 12th August) and Welling (who until Saturday hadn't won in the league since August, and who I can't help but notice were thumped tonight).

Havant are rock bottom with only 1 league win all season (against Yeovil of all teams). I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say this is a must win match.

[Reading Rebel]

13 minutes ago, Nathan said:

Football is a game of fine margins. Had we beaten Welling & Eastbourne, we'd be 5 points better off than now and relatively safe. Our opening 7 league games wouldn't look quite so catastrophic. As it is, we're out of the drop zone only on goal difference from a team we beat 4-0 only last week (and who have a game in hand on us).

These "six-pointers" could become our Achilles heel. Looking at the teams going up to 16th placed St Albans, we've played everyone apart from Havant (who we face next in the league), but beaten only Weston-Super-Mare and Truro. We've been beaten by Dover (for their only league win of the season, way back on 12th August) and Welling (who until Saturday hadn't won in the league since August, and who I can't help but notice were thumped tonight).

Havant are rock bottom with only 1 league win all season (against Yeovil of all teams). I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say this is a must win match.

Football is also a game of ifs and buts 😉

All I will say is don't be fooled by Havant being bottom.

If you listen and believe what manager Steve King say's they are playing well just defensively they've been a bit suspect.

They have the money to bring players in which I'm sure Steve King will do inevitably in time for our game.

Apart form getting over our injuries we've also got to get the cup run out of our system and come back down to earth because the battle to stay up lies ahead.

[Sir Rebel1965]

8 hours ago, Norbert22 said:

Is this a 16 game review or a waffle of whinges?  

So what’s your answer to getting away from relegation, other than criticise other users of this forum?

[Reading Rebel]

3 hours ago, Sir Rebel1965 said:

So what’s your answer to getting away from relegation, other than criticise other users of this forum?

 Don't expect a reply from Nobby if it means he's got to type more than a half a dozen words 😏

[Norbert22]

1 hour ago, Reading Rebel said:

 Don't expect a reply from Nobby if it means he's got to type more than a half a dozen words 😏

Indeed. (1)

[Sir Rebel1965]

34 minutes ago, Norbert22 said:

Indeed. (1)

No solutions forthcoming – what a surprise!

[3spirit]

To me Slough's form is where I thought it would be,given the quality of the players we've assembled and having a rookie manager in his first full season.

The FA Cup run has been superb all things considered but has hampered our league form somewhat. I certainly don't view this season's efforts as doom and gloom, though. In fact there's plenty to like about it. On a side issue there's one or two things that have given me the 'right hump' but that's on a more personal level that I will keep to myself till I get to the bottom of 'why this happened'. All it has achieved is me going off the idea of watching Slough home games, and thus the club losing revenue.   

Back on to the topic in hand I think the club and Scott will have to weigh up [ financially] if the FA Trophy is worth bringing extra players in at this point of the season to cover the growing injury list to first team players. To me a loan or two might suffice to get into the start of 2024. We will then need a regroup/rethink when George Alexander and Dom Hutchinson leave.

Slough need to get at least 7 points from their next 5 league fixtures to keep on course in my opinion. The injury to Temi Eweka is a huge blow to our chances especially if he is missing for a long stint. Another centre back loan may be worth an inquiry if this is to be the case.

     

[Reading Rebel]

16 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

To me Slough's form is where I thought it would be,given the quality of the players we've assembled and having a rookie manager in his first full season.

The FA Cup run has been superb all things considered but has hampered our league form somewhat. I certainly don't view this season's efforts as doom and gloom, though. In fact there's plenty to like about it. On a side issue there's one or two things that have given me the 'right hump' but that's on a more personal level that I will keep to myself till I get to the bottom of 'why this happened'. All it has achieved is me going off the idea of watching Slough home games, and thus the club losing revenue.   

Back on to the topic in hand I think the club and Scott will have to weigh up [ financially] if the FA Trophy is worth bringing extra players in at this point of the season to cover the growing injury list to first team players. To me a loan or two might suffice to get into the start of 2024. We will then need a regroup/rethink when George Alexander and Dom Hutchinson leave.

Slough need to get at least 7 points from their next 5 league fixtures to keep on course in my opinion. The injury to Temi Eweka is a huge blow to our chances especially if he is missing for a long stint. Another centre back loan may be worth an inquiry if this is to be the case.

     

Sorry to hear that you seem to have had a few disagreements with the way the club has been run 3spirit.

[3spirit]

11 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

Sorry to hear that you seem to have had a few disagreements with the way the club has been run 3spirit.

I don't think it is club related or club policy but certain individuals seem to have an 'agenda' with me [about me being me]. The club can't legislate for their employees being obnoxious,unfair and small minded. Hassle I don't need at my age but I hate 'bullies' of any form whether that is through words,intimidation or actions,so that's why I have mentioned it on this thread.

[Reading Rebel]

9 hours ago, 3spirit said:

I don't think it is club related or club policy but certain individuals seem to have an 'agenda' with me [about me being me]. The club can't legislate for their employees being obnoxious,unfair and small minded. Hassle I don't need at my age but I hate 'bullies' of any form whether that is through words,intimidation or actions,so that's why I have mentioned it on this thread.

Nobody should have to put up with that sort of carry on so hopefully you get it sorted and the club can weed out these individual/s.

Edited November 16, 2023 by Reading Rebel

[Nathan]

3 hours ago, 3spirit said:

To me Slough's form is where I thought it would be,given the quality of the players we've assembled and having a rookie manager in his first full season.

Quite the vote of confidence there 3spirit!

As I've said before, this team absolutely does have the quality to pull away from danger, but this needs to show far more consistently than it has done so far. Hopefully, without the distraction of the FA Cup, this will happen.

[Reading Rebel]

7 hours ago, Nathan said:

Quite the vote of confidence there 3spirit!

As I've said before, this team absolutely does have the quality to pull away from danger, but this needs to show far more consistently than it has done so far. Hopefully, without the distraction of the FA Cup, this will happen.

There's no doubt we have players with the quality to get us away from the relegation zone.

Consistency has been a problem and needs to be addressed if we are to improve our position.

We will not win many games if we consistently give teams a head start.

Having a small squad and injuries to key players will undoubtedly play a major part on our results as the season progresses.  

[Sir Rebel1965]

RR - what is all this talk about having a small squad?

Just checked the squad sizes in our league and we have an average number of players.

The numbers below come from the clubs’ websites - so only as accurate as the info on them (Braintree have no listing on their awful site)

STFC has 23 players listed - including Scott as the player/manager.

The largest squad is Worthing on 32

And the smallest are Bath and Tonbridge on 18 players each.

Overall, the numbers that are listed on the sites are:

32 players - 1 team

26 players - 2 teams

24 players - 4 teams

23 players - 4 teams (includes STFC)

22 players - 2 teams

21 players - 5 teams

20 players - 1 team

19 players - 2 teams

18 players - 2 teams

Not available - 1 team

So, to say we have a small squad compared to the rest of the league is inaccurate and should.

And as we have been told before, there is the A23 players available to come into the squad.

So can we please stop using "small squad" as an excuse.

And before anyone says the rich clubs like Yeovil have more players, well they list 23 players, the same as Slough.

[3spirit]

18 hours ago, Nathan said:

Quite the vote of confidence there 3spirit!

As I've said before, this team absolutely does have the quality to pull away from danger, but this needs to show far more consistently than it has done so far. Hopefully, without the distraction of the FA Cup, this will happen.

You've taken it out of context, Nathan, by only quoting my first paragraph.

To me Slough was never going to be in the play offs this season, and we've over exceeded expectatations with the FA Cup run imo.

Scott has made some good signings but who was mad enough to believe Slough would be beating every team they come across in this increasingly competitive, difficult division [which has more teams in it this season]? 

[Nathan]

I may be in a minority, but my expectations for this season were simply to avoid relegation a little more comfortably than last season. So far we're not managing this and I'm a little worried, although there's plenty of time left.

The FA Cup seems to be getting some of the blame, but surely we always want an FA Cup run (regardless of league aspirations)? Who goes into a season thinking "my God, I hope we don't have a cup run because our squad won't be able to cope"? What about 6 defeats from our opening 7 games, all of which happened before we kicked a ball in the FA Cup? 1 win from our last 7 league matches?

These are the things that the league table will show, and it won't give leniency for small squads or cup runs.