Slough outplayed

[Guest]

I don't think it's a case of having an opinion and being shot down . It looks like people responding to someone being very negative . The way i read it is people think we have a chance of promotion not we will go up . Like i said earlier I think it's a slim chance but until it's mathmatically impossible why don't we all get behind the team ?

Ted , you used to be full of ideas and opinions and generally positive so why the change ? Ok you feel we definitley wont go up which is fair enough but you do come across as a moaner that why the responces . I hope it doesn't come across that way .

As for the of the feild comments I dont think people are forgetting them . We all know whats going on and as it's the same things time and time agian and people are getting fed up with it and if was say or do anything the club get upset and threaten to sell the club for £2 !

[Ed]

I am afraid to say that I agree with Ted in that I do believe promotion will prove beyond us this year. However, our recent run has led me to believe that all things being equal, we will almost certainly go up next year. Yesterday was not a good performance, how we managed to concede a goal on our own corner was beyond me, and that summed it up. Chris, since when has Browne ever been right in the programme, he said time and again last year that we would not even have to fight relegation. Anyway, I believe we should keep up our recent good support ang hopefully the team will start winning again next week, and be able to build for a promotion season next year.

[Guest]

Chris--the noise I make is supportive. There are loads of people in the stand who do nothing but moan. The best moaning came a few matches ago from a family complaining loudly that the fans behind the goal weren't making enough noise-not that they shouted anything supportive themselves.

lots of people post--yes , but then I didn't say otherwise.

Promotion is not mathematically impossible, but sufficiently unlikely to be discounted. Its a bit like backing Foinavon--once a millenium you might be lucky, but don't hold your breath.

The Press? If it'll sell newspapers they'll print it. Steve Browne? enough said. The coach travellers?--perhaps they'll have a whip round for the offer that follows. The forum? well as Goebbels said " You can fool some of the people all of the time". I think the answers to the other questions are yes, n/k and yes. (not that I've added up how many questions there were).<p>Wayne--I do support the team but that doesn't mean that I've lost touch with reality. Promotion is not on.<p>Time to put my money where my mouth is. A wager. We won't finish in the top 3 (with York, Kingstonian, StAlbans etc and Fords poxy ground) its a top 3 finish I'll bet on. Odds 10-1 . Limit to my potential losses £500. loser pays money to STSA.<p>So if Slough finish 4th or worse, takers pay their bet to STSA. If Slough finish in 1st 3, I pay up to £500 to STSA (£500 if £50 (or more) bet. Happy to alter rules if necessary to make sense.<p>Ted the moaning maths wiz gambler. <p>Someone (Gary?) to control pledges. Pay at end of season.

[Guest]

Thought I'd chuck my thoughts in here as well. And I'm going to agree with Ted, as this is exactly what happened to us last year as well as a number of sides relegated to this divison in previous years - apparently there's at least one team each year who follow this formula (what close watchers of this league tell me anyway).<p>* Team that's "too good to go down", goes down.

* Fans assume they'll bounce straight back up.

* Find this division is actually harder than they thought it would be and settle in mid-table.

* Have a storming run in the late stages of the season, accompanied by dropping of points of top sides, means promotion is still possible.

* Everyone gets over optimistic.

* One or two losses suddenly bursts bubble and you end up around mid-table again.<p>As I said, this exact same scenario happened to us last year, so I know what it's like. It's very rare a side goes down to this division and goes straight back up, it normally takes at least one year (it did for Cheshscum and hopefully for us this time round).<p>The only troubling thought I have is that in our 'good run' in March last term, we thrashed the top of the league side (Bedford) 3-0. Hopefully that also doesn't bode an omen for our meeting on the 16th!

[Guest]

Oh, and Ted - I thought it was Roosevelt who said that, not Goebbels?<p>"You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time." Or words to that effect.<p>After all, it would have been in German if Goebbels had said it!

[Guest]

Fairly sure it was Goebbels. American politicians arn't supposed to admit to conning the voters. The only american quote that springs to mind was JFK in Berlin saying "Ich Bien ein Berliner" (or something like that).<p>Just as well he wasn't speaking in Hamburg.

[Chris]

A moan...<p>Sorry Ted, but I think you are the one that needs to get off Planet Zog or whatever it is you call it <img src="graemlins/images/icons/rolleyes.gif" border="0" alt="[rolleyes]" /> <p>It has not been inconceivable that we could be promoted, had B Stortford lost to Ford & Aylesbury and we had beaten them at home then we could have been level on points with the same games. That could have easily have happened<p>Apart from about 6-7 teams in this league, the standard is not that great, so why not go on a long unbeaten run? (as we have)<p>We have lost about 3 league games in 20 after something like 7 defeats in the first 14 games - I’d say that was an excellent run.<p>And what do you mean we have not been playing well. Not playing well was this time last season. Apart from Carshalton, Oxford and Barking I think we have deserved to win every game in our recent run of good results.<p>Yesterday was just one of those days. Lets just see what happens - Maidenhead got promoted with 75 points three years ago.<p>Plus Thame are one of the better sides in this league. We know Westy will snap up any half chance he has (as he did) and Jefferson Louis (Their 11) will probably be signing for Oxford United soon.<p>I know it's highly unlikely we will get now - but you never know.<p>I think you’re the one that needs to look at the real picture on the pitch, not others Ted.<p>How about looking at the many positives for once instead of dwelling on the not so many negatives???

[Guest]

Hi Ted, <p>And apparently Kennedy's German hosts were too polite to point out that he had said "I am a sausage", of which a Berliner is a type!

[Chris]

I think were losing track of things here...<p>First of all I never ONCE said we would get promoted. I said there was a chance and that chance would have been even better had we beaten Thame. I'm not silly I know it is very unlikely, but there is a chance.<p>and why not think positive, if we all thought the worst then we would nt get out of bed in the morning!<p>I just thought the original message was very harsh considering the good run we have been on lately. Especially as it seems that good run coincides with the apparent lack of wages.<p>I don't really care about any bets, do what you wish. <p>I have my view and Ted's his - oh well at least it got some talk on the new forum!!

[Guest]

I think the best position to take is be realistic. If you have a realistic chance of winning whatever it is, then be positive. Its known as positive visualisation. Linford Christie certainly didn't visualise himself coming last--if he was in with a chance he would picture/visualise himself coming first. To do this when you have no chance is the same as daydreaming.<p>See Glens contribution--I'm not alone in thinking we played badly on saturday. I see no advantage in saying we played alright, when we didn't.Nothing harsh about it, I know an iffy performance when I see one. You can still win matches when you play badly, but you won't win regularly.

To make the bet offer more tempting--it is open to anyone by the way, I'll amend it so that its calculated on the basis that Slough won on Saturday. Score 1-0. Same odds and rules. Surely someone will take me up, after all STSA need the money.

[Matt]

Ted we are being realistic, looking at things objectively, but don't you ever hope for the best man ????

[defrancog]

Ted..........when I started supporting Slough, I never expected a bed of roses.<p> As Nick Hornby made quite clear in his book "Fever Pitch", most of the time that you support your team, they never do well and will continually deflate whatever optimism you ever had to begin with. What the replies are trying to say is,that you can at least be pretend to be positive whatever the realities of the situation might be. <p>Like 99.9% of all football supporters everywhere, I start every season praying for the best and usually, every season, it never quite happens.<p>I WILL STILL SUPPORT THE CLUB WHETHER WE WIN PROMOTION OR NOT !!!! <p>There is always next season.......and the next......and the next

[Guest]

Why not take up the wager then? Or does pretence stop as soon as it reaches the wallet? Don't forget the money will go to STSA. I'll be risking a lot more than you. The club won't survive on pretence, but a bit of hard dosh might help.

[Chris]

cos...<p>1) I don't really like betting

2) I'm poor

3) I'm so poor I still live with my parents

4) I'm 21 and all money I earn should go on beer and loose women. <img src="graemlins/images/icons/cool.gif" border="0" alt="" /> <p>Thank you and goodnight!!!

[GarySTFC]

So you can't even afford £5? <p>What's the point on spending money on beer and loose women when you can't pick one up?....<p>Miaow..... I'm 22, live at home with folks, and I can even afford to put a mere £5 up to Ted's generous offer....

[Guest]

Chris--my last reply was to Gianfranco.

[Chris]

Ok Ted, but can we keep on going and make this thread a bit longer

[Guest]

Here we go..round and round....

And as usual getting absolutely nowhere.<p>What is wrong with being optimistic??? If you cant be optimistic about things then what the hell is the use of even boterhing to go to matches? If you think you're going to lose all the time, then why bother...if you think you're not going to go anywhere then why bother?? As is usual with Slough Town we go round and round in circles playing "I'm a better supporter than you are" games. Get over it, get together and support the team EVERYBODY!!!!! If Slough Town supporters actually stood up as a group rather than a lose collection af warring factions tehn maybe others would stand up and take note!!! Grow up people!!!<p>Thanks

Chris Howick

[Louise]

Actually Mr Howick, I pre-empted your advice and did stop going to matches, on the simple basis that I thought a break and coming back refreshed would rekindle my previous unbridled optimism....unfortunately, it did not as I have already said, we played badly, looked uncommitted and everything else management wise has remained the same with no sign of any lessons learned....<p>I find it impossible to be optimistic, not with the players as they are quite obviously capable of a great deal, they are simply poorly managed, badly motivated and by the sound of it, yet again, unpaid, but with all other aspects concerning the club itself.<p>Yes, round and round we go and round and round we will continue to go, because nothing ever changes and only a fool would continue to blindly have unquestioning faith. I am not a lemming and the club means more to me than just each individual match....the edge of the cliff is looming.....

[Chris]

I understand Louise's point of view, it's the way many feel but...<p>The fact is the club is a lot bigger than both Steve Browne and the consortium and at times although we feel like giving up, if we did then there would be no football club.<p>That is why it is so important to:<p>A) Support the team

Support the STSA<p>PS: I hate to admit it, but I like this forum now!!<p>If we have trouble in the summer then if we raise as much money for the STSA in the remaining season with fund raising ideas as possible, then they MAY be in a position step in and do something about it - even if it means playing in the Essex Senior League and building our way back up.<p>I hope things do get sorted though and planning permission for a new ground with plans in place would be 20 times better than promotion in my opinion.<p>[ 06 March 2002: This message was edited by: Chris ]</p>