Players signed, retained, left the club

[SloughFlyer]

6 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

I don't doubt it but it goes with the territory. If the owners can't afford average NLS players they might as well go back to Step 3 and be the 'big fish in the smaller pond', than keep play acting at being a Step 2 side.

I thought, with the last two seasons, the club was making big strides with their sponsorship streams, and under the new owners, plans were afoot to reach headier heights. I know there was talk of a five year plan to challenge at the top of the division. Was this just waffle?

Signing two average-ish Step 2 players shouldn't be breaking the bank.

 

 

You are aware that if there is a 5 year plan in place we are 1 year into that plan and finished better than expected last season (thus further along the plan than expected)?

I would put out Bayliss, Prosper, Minhas and Ogbonna all from the league below last season and adapted extremely well taking us to ahead of the curve. So 4 more like them and it's a great option.

I don't want average step 2 players and from all the football we watch in season, trust me 3spirit, there is plenty out there in the leagues below us to choose from.

 

[Ian g f]

15 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

I don't doubt it but it goes with the territory. If the owners can't afford average NLS players they might as well go back to Step 3 and be the 'big fish in the smaller pond', than keep play acting at being a Step 2 side.

I thought, with the last two seasons, the club was making big strides with their sponsorship streams, and under the new owners, plans were afoot to reach headier heights. I know there was talk of a five year plan to challenge at the top of the division. Was this just waffle?

Signing two average-ish Step 2 players shouldn't be breaking the bank.

 

 

If we go down it'll be very hard and expensive to get back up 

[Reading Rebel]

1 hour ago, Scott Davies said:

It isn’t the clubs fault that the paper have announced it. The paper called me asked to do an interview and I chose to fill them in on the blanks, probably from a place of frustration where it’s been quiet, and people are probably thinking that I’m sat on a beach somewhere sipping a cocktail, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I wanted to get something out there to hopefully add some positivity to what’s been a tough and unexpected summer so far. 4 new signings will be in tomorrow with a possible two more on the way in the next week (I hope).

Some clubs have been very busy, not many, but some have been extremely quiet in what’s been a slow summer for the majority of managers I’ve spoken to.

The guys that run our social media are incredible people but are extremely busy with work and family, so sometimes  working with the local paper and having a good relationship can take the pressure off others, like in this situation.

Hope that explains it.

Scotty.

Thanks for this info Scott.

 

 

[Reading Rebel]

59 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

What is 'said' and what is 'done' are two separate things.

RR,I wasn't at the fans forum to know what was said. 

Signing four players from step 3 to replace the four already gone is hardly awe-inspiring though, is it?

I was hoping for at least two from step 2. Preferably a leader type centre half who knows this division to replace Temi Eweka, and a useful forward to add goals to our team and make up for Johnny Goddard's gone input.

Anyway let's see who these 4 new players are. Better to judge them on the field of play than write them off.

Possibly two more in the pipeline next week so lets see.

[Reading Rebel]

25 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

I don't doubt it but it goes with the territory. If the owners can't afford average NLS players they might as well go back to Step 3 and be the 'big fish in the smaller pond', than keep play acting at being a Step 2 side.

I thought, with the last two seasons, the club was making big strides with their sponsorship streams, and under the new owners, plans were afoot to reach headier heights. I know there was talk of a five year plan to challenge at the top of the division. Was this just waffle?

Signing two average-ish Step 2 players shouldn't be breaking the bank.

 

 

Would two good step 3 players be better than two average step 2 players? 

Ok we can't afford the best of step 2 but if we are in the market for step 2 players surely they've got to be good enough to compete for a first team spot or what's the point.

[3spirit]

1 minute ago, SloughFlyer said:

You are aware that if there is a 5 year plan in place we are 1 year into that plan and finished better than expected last season (thus further along the plan than expected)?

I would put out Bayliss, Prosper, Minhas and Ogbonna all from the league below last season and adapted extremely well taking us to ahead of the curve. So 4 more like them and it's a great option.

I don't want average step 2 players and from all the football we watch in season, trust me 3spirit, there is plenty out there in the leagues below us to choose from.

 

You're easily pleased then SloughFlyer, as out of the four you mention I reckon only one has the chance of playing higher and that's not a forgone conclusion. One we signed we should have had when he was much younger but has done relatively well for us, the other two are poor NLS players in my opinion.

I am not saying you can't recruit players from step 3,4 or 5 to find talent but let's get real ! To get a team regularly appearing in the top 7 of this division will take money. Better players equipped to deal with the rigours of this division are not cheap finds in lower divisions. 

From my perspective Scott in his first season was thrown in the deep end and Slough survived not being relegated but it was almighty close. Last season Scott began to build a team to compete in this division but with the four departures we've just had it feels like the squad is going backwards in the development of his side. 

You can't keep losing your best players and expect to reach the upper echelons of this division. It takes time to build a winning team in any division.You keep your best players then add to it.Not the other way around !

At the moment it feels like we're building a mid table team !

[Reading Rebel]

47 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

I don't doubt it but it goes with the territory. If the owners can't afford average NLS players they might as well go back to Step 3 and be the 'big fish in the smaller pond', than keep play acting at being a Step 2 side.

I thought, with the last two seasons, the club was making big strides with their sponsorship streams, and under the new owners, plans were afoot to reach headier heights. I know there was talk of a five year plan to challenge at the top of the division. Was this just waffle?

Signing two average-ish Step 2 players shouldn't be breaking the bank.

 

 

Just to play devils advocate: perhaps some of our owners resources and club income through ticket sales/match days/sponsorship etc is going on improving AP which until finished will leave our playing budget lower than in previous seasons?

I'm sure the club is making big strides off the pitch but it is a 5 year plan (now 4 years) and until all the refurbishment is complete the playing budget will suffer and survival at step 2 is the aim.

All hypothetical but all possible.

 

 

Edited May 31 by Reading Rebel

[SloughFlyer]

7 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

You're easily pleased then SloughFlyer, as out of the four you mention I reckon only one has the chance of playing higher and that's not a forgone conclusion. One we signed we should have had when he was much younger but has done relatively well for us, the other two are poor NLS players in my opinion.

I am not saying you can't recruit players from step 3,4 or 5 to find talent but let's get real ! To get a team regularly appearing in the top 7 of this division will take money. Better players equipped to deal with the rigours of this division are not cheap finds in lower divisions. 

From my perspective Scott in his first season was thrown in the deep end and Slough survived not being relegated but it was almighty close. Last season Scott began to build a team to compete in this division but with the four departures we've just had it feels like the squad is going backwards in the development of his side. 

You can't keep losing your best players and expect to reach the upper echelons of this division. It takes time to build a winning team in any division.You keep your best players then add to it.Not the other way around !

At the moment it feels like we're building a mid table team !

And you think 2 average Step 2 players would have the ability to play higher?

I agree about teams regularly finishing in the top 7 and £££, but we aren't that at the moment (hence the 5 year plan we are 1 year into). IMO, we need to go through a season averaging 1000+ at home, increase sponsorships again and possibly finish higher than 10th with at least 1 more point. That would be amazing progression IMO.

The players we have lost are gone, Goddard, Eweke and Dyce to full time football (which we couldn't offer), Lincoln because he didn't fit and Dandy for more football. IMO, of those 5 maybe 2 could play in the National League.

I think Scott has proven in the past 18 months he knows how to recruit players and I'm more than happy to let him get on with it. I think talk of reduced budgets and the squad going backwards is very premature at the moment.

[3spirit]

2 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

Just to play devils advocate: perhaps some of our owners resources and club income through ticket sales/match days/sponsorship etc is going on improving AP which until finished will leave our playing budget lower than in previous seasons?

I'm sure the club is making big strides off the pitch but it is a 5 year plan (now 4 years) and until all the refurbishment is complete the playing budget will suffer and survival at step 2 is the aim.

All hypothetical but all possible.

 

 

Well perhaps that is the case. RR, you're likely to know more about the inside workings of the club currently, than I am.

Considering Slough don't get big crowds, is it worth it?

 

[Ian g f]

22 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

Just to play devils advocate: perhaps some of our owners resources and club income through ticket sales/match days/sponsorship etc is going on improving AP which until finished will leave our playing budget lower than in previous seasons?

I'm sure the club is making big strides off the pitch but it is a 5 year plan (now 4 years) and until all the refurbishment is complete the playing budget will suffer and survival at step 2 is the aim.

All hypothetical but all possible.

 

 

Don't think 5 year plans work heard it so many times You can't predict the future 

[3spirit]

9 minutes ago, SloughFlyer said:

And you think 2 average Step 2 players would have the ability to play higher?

I agree about teams regularly finishing in the top 7 and £££, but we aren't that at the moment (hence the 5 year plan we are 1 year into). IMO, we need to go through a season averaging 1000+ at home, increase sponsorships again and possibly finish higher than 10th with at least 1 more point. That would be amazing progression IMO.

The players we have lost are gone, Goddard, Eweke and Dyce to full time football (which we couldn't offer), Lincoln because he didn't fit and Dandy for more football. IMO, of those 5 maybe 2 could play in the National League.

I think Scott has proven in the past 18 months he knows how to recruit players and I'm more than happy to let him get on with it. I think talk of reduced budgets and the squad going backwards is very premature at the moment.

SloughFlyer, I'm not having a go at Scott.

I'm disappointed to lose Temi Eweka and Tyrese Dyce. Johnny Goddard less so. We still don't know what Matt Lench is doing for next season. Dan Lincoln is replaceable. Joe Dandy is a nice lad but I thought we used him in the wrong position for the NLS. Yes, a centre half for Bognor but not quite up to it for NLS standard imo. 

Now that we know that we haven't the funds to challenge the top of the division I would have kept Joe as he's got other attributes that our team could have used.

Getting a reliable centre half, a steady goalkeeper, a resolute left back and a forward who can actually score  goals seems the bare minimum we need in our squad this season.

Going forwards with a reduced budget is what it is.

I would rather have a team that I can watch on occasion, than a team our board can't afford and leads the club to go bust. Still,it was a good talking point for the forum 😉. 

[Reading Rebel]

1 hour ago, 3spirit said:

Well perhaps that is the case. RR, you're likely to know more about the inside workings of the club currently, than I am.

Considering Slough don't get big crowds, is it worth it?

 

I know nothing about the inner workings of the club but we all know that our owners want to improve the ground in anticipation of playing a higher level of football and bigger crowds. 

Hopefully it is worth it because that's what most supporters want.

[Reading Rebel]

2 hours ago, SloughFlyer said:

You are aware that if there is a 5 year plan in place we are 1 year into that plan and finished better than expected last season (thus further along the plan than expected)?

I would put out Bayliss, Prosper, Minhas and Ogbonna all from the league below last season and adapted extremely well taking us to ahead of the curve. So 4 more like them and it's a great option.

I don't want average step 2 players and from all the football we watch in season, trust me 3spirit, there is plenty out there in the leagues below us to choose from.

 

There are some very good step 3/4 players out there who could make it at a higher level but difficult to gauge how good they are watching them play against lower opposition.

We did strike it lucky last season with the signings you've listed but they were blending in with some very good experienced players. Some of those players have now gone so there's no doubt if all or most of our new signings are from lower levels it's a gamble that could go either way.

 

 

 

[Nathan]

2 hours ago, Ian g f said:

Don't think 5 year plans work heard it so many times You can't predict the future 

[Reading Rebel]

2 hours ago, 3spirit said:

You're easily pleased then SloughFlyer, as out of the four you mention I reckon only one has the chance of playing higher and that's not a forgone conclusion. One we signed we should have had when he was much younger but has done relatively well for us, the other two are poor NLS players in my opinion.

I am not saying you can't recruit players from step 3,4 or 5 to find talent but let's get real ! To get a team regularly appearing in the top 7 of this division will take money. Better players equipped to deal with the rigours of this division are not cheap finds in lower divisions. 

From my perspective Scott in his first season was thrown in the deep end and Slough survived not being relegated but it was almighty close. Last season Scott began to build a team to compete in this division but with the four departures we've just had it feels like the squad is going backwards in the development of his side. 

You can't keep losing your best players and expect to reach the upper echelons of this division. It takes time to build a winning team in any division.You keep your best players then add to it.Not the other way around !

At the moment it feels like we're building a mid table team !

Mid table? yes please 😅

[SloughFlyer]

53 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

There are some very good step 3/4 players out there who could make it at a higher level but difficult to gauge how good they are watching them play against lower opposition.

We did strike it lucky last season with the signings you've listed but they were blending in with some very good experienced players. Some of those players have now gone so there's no doubt if all or most of our new signings are from lower levels it's a gamble that could go either way.

 

 

 

I agree to a point RR, but all of those I listed (apart from Ogbonna), would IMO, now become those players to help bed in new signings at this level. You could even argue that works better than the Goddard/Lench types as those others have done it recently and know the pitfalls the new guys could face.

Having said that, it's not like we don't have experience already signed as well.

[3spirit]

17 hours ago, SloughFlyer said:

And you think 2 average Step 2 players would have the ability to play higher?

I agree about teams regularly finishing in the top 7 and £££, but we aren't that at the moment (hence the 5 year plan we are 1 year into). IMO, we need to go through a season averaging 1000+ at home, increase sponsorships again and possibly finish higher than 10th with at least 1 more point. That would be amazing progression IMO.

The players we have lost are gone, Goddard, Eweke and Dyce to full time football (which we couldn't offer), Lincoln because he didn't fit and Dandy for more football. IMO, of those 5 maybe 2 could play in the National League.

I think Scott has proven in the past 18 months he knows how to recruit players and I'm more than happy to let him get on with it. I think talk of reduced budgets and the squad going backwards is very premature at the moment.

When I said 'average' Step 2 players I was meaning that Slough wouldn't be able to afford the best but surely they would be able to obtain a couple of half decent players from this league. Take Hemel Hempstead as an example, Bobby Wilkinson their new manager has been acquiring a lot of players for their squad but there's bound to be one or two there that are disgruntled and looking for a new club. Why couldn't one of them make their way into our club? Hampton's another club that's lost players left,right and centre. Then there's teams who were relegated last season like Dartford,ok I don't suppose many would want to play over this neck of the woods but as Alan Dowson managed them for a good while last season there may be players who followed him over there. One has just signed for Hampton and Richmond fc,that of striker Alex Wall. A good player a few years ago but injury prone these days. I wouldn't have thought he would want play on 3g anyway, so probably why he never considered Slough.  Just pointing this fact out as you don't necessarily have to shop for players in the bargain basement.

[Reading Rebel]

45 minutes ago, 3spirit said:

When I said 'average' Step 2 players I was meaning that Slough wouldn't be able to afford the best but surely they would be able to obtain a couple of half decent players from this league. Take Hemel Hempstead as an example, Bobby Wilkinson their new manager has been acquiring a lot of players for their squad but there's bound to be one or two there that are disgruntled and looking for a new club. Why couldn't one of them make their way into our club? Hampton's another club that's lost players left,right and centre. Then there's teams who were relegated last season like Dartford,ok I don't suppose many would want to play over this neck of the woods but as Alan Dowson managed them for a good while last season there may be players who followed him over there. One has just signed for Hampton and Richmond fc,that of striker Alex Wall. A good player a few years ago but injury prone these days. I wouldn't have thought he would want play on 3g anyway, so probably why he never considered Slough.  Just pointing this fact out as you don't necessarily have to shop for players in the bargain basement.

You're right 3spirit clubs like for example Hemel and Hampton have players who are either surplus or had their nose put out of joint.

We can only presume that Scott has identified players from step 3 or 4 that he thinks are either better or have shown the potential to make the step up and obviously will be cheaper.  

There have been players that have bypassed us to go to clubs further away, i.e. the two players from Bracknell, who I thought could have fitted in with our requirements but that could be all down to who pays the most.

Hopefully we'll soon find out who these players are.

Edited June 1 by Reading Rebel

[3spirit]

30 minutes ago, Reading Rebel said:

You're right 3spirit clubs like for example Hemel and Hampton have players who are either surplus or had their nose put out of joint.

We can only presume that Scott has identified players from step 3 or 4 that he thinks are either better or have shown the potential to make the step up and obviously will be cheaper.  

There have been players that have bypassed us to go to clubs further away, i.e. the two players from Bracknell, who I thought could have fitted in with our requirements but that could be all down to who pays the most.

Hopefully we'll soon find out who these players are.

I'm amazed Ashley Lodge has never played for Slough.He has been a excellent player in the local-ish non-league football scene for a number of years but at this precise time I wouldn't say he's what is needed. Joe Grant on the other hand might have been useful to us. Ex Slough player and while he was out of his depth the last time he was with us, he is now a good few years older and has been doing well at Bracknell.Seems to score goals and Scott might even know him.Given that Scott has signed players from Bracknell before I'm surprised we've missed out on him this time around.

Roll on finding out who Slough are getting ! !

 

[Reading Rebel]

5 hours ago, 3spirit said:

I'm amazed Ashley Lodge has never played for Slough.He has been a excellent player in the local-ish non-league football scene for a number of years but at this precise time I wouldn't say he's what is needed. Joe Grant on the other hand might have been useful to us. Ex Slough player and while he was out of his depth the last time he was with us, he is now a good few years older and has been doing well at Bracknell.Seems to score goals and Scott might even know him.Given that Scott has signed players from Bracknell before I'm surprised we've missed out on him this time around.

Roll on finding out who Slough are getting ! !

 

I would say the other way round.

We are looking for a midfielder to replace Munashe Sundire so even though he's a lot older Ashley Lodge might have fit the bill.

On the other hand Joe Grant is a right winger which would have given us 3 with Gary Abisogun and Oggy so maybe a position that isn't on our shopping list.

 

Edited June 1 by Reading Rebel