haddow

[BFR]

Mark, we struggled to compete in 5 of our 7 seasons in the conference. Our final year was one of the times we didn't but that would not have guaranteed success. Who knows what would have happened if the events of the summer of 98 hadn't happened, but looking at the setup of the conference now I think we would have struggled to stay in it, particularly with the regular upgrading of ground requirement and the influx of professional sides, both those relegated from the football league and the non-league sides who have gone full time. Nice though it is to think we'd still be a conference side, the fact that clubs like Dover and Kingstonian have come hurtling down the leagues following their Conference experience, having tried to compete with the best, suggests to me we would not be full-time now had we not been kicked out of the conference.

[Mark44]

I still think that we can be a conference side now tho with our team, i think that at least 6 of our players are good enough to be in the conference these are, Josias, Haddow, Glen, Allaway, Daly and saulsbury and also Hakki when he is fit and hodgey on the form of last season, but as i started supporting slough in 2002-2003 i dont know much about the quality of the football but thats my opinion.

[Barry Scott]

sorry our league position doesn't lie, we're a comfortably mid-table Ryman Premier side with an outside chance of a playoff spot

[A Rebel and a Saint]

weve got a decent chance if we can pick up near perfect points in our games in hand, well be right up in there, but the problem is that is a lot to ask of such an inconsistant team, we could hit a slump at any time, so i think the main aim should be top half finish

[Dominic]

Your living in a dream world Mark!

[A Rebel and a Saint]

conference south would be hard enough if we could get promotion, let alone the conference!

[BFR]

Quote:

I still think that we can be a conference side now tho with our team, i think that at least 6 of our players are good enough to be in the conference these are, Josias, Haddow, Glen, Allaway, Daly and saulsbury and also Hakki when he is fit and hodgey on the form of last season, but as i started supporting slough in 2002-2003 i dont know much about the quality of the football but thats my opinion.

Mark you're having a [censored] laugh. Regardless of how good our team is (note we are 14th in the table, not fighting for the Ryman Premier title) there are an infinite number of reasons why the club can not be in the Conference, nor is it likely to be any time soon. I hate to ruin your dream, and at this point perhaps you should realise there is no tooth fairy and Father Christmas was a lie your parents told you, but while we are homeless and have no solid plans for a ground we are probably playing at the highest level we can, and even then we only have to look to the summer of 2006 and see that our groundshare deal comes to an end and then what?

Slough playing Conference football is sadly at the moment only a pipedream.

[Don Juan DeMarcus]

I think that we could compete in conf south with a few new players

[Guest]

As lovely as it would be, we need to be realistic. In the real world surviving should be our main aim, finishing near the top would be great.

Kay

[Barry Scott]

we could compete, but no ground means we're going nowhere anytime soon and with our lovely council not budging, I suggest we get comfortable in the Ryman

[GarySTFC]

Survival first. I think even with the team we have at the moment, we're still reliant on Martyn Deaner's financial input quite significantly, and without him, we'd be much more likely to lose a number of 'stars' from the side and wouldn't realistically be able to progress on, or off, the pitch.

 

Ryman is suitable for the time being whilst we get the off-field stuff sorted. Once that's done, we should be aiming for a return to the Conference National as a minimum, whilst being sensbible about it financially.

[A Rebel and a Saint]

we should just make sure we survive in the league and rely on the cups for our success, its better than looking for promotion straight off, maybe in a couple of seasons but not yet, i dont think we can look at promotion until we have a stadium of our own.

[Barry Scott]

you can't budget based on a cup run. Our cup runs this year have brought in (according to my figures) £113,000 (taking into account that there are seemingly no guidance for how Bryco cup gate money is shared) but when you take away refs costs (£1,800 not including costs of travel which have to be reimbursed), the cost of stewarding, cost of getting tickets printed, cost of policing and all the other bits and pieces it doesn't leave a lot.

[Matt]

You can only budget based on the league and sponsorship, ARAAS... NEVER on cups.

[Barry Scott]

based on that, we wouldn't get that far...

[Matt]

In terms of sponsorship, it's true we need a lot more from local companies - especially when you look at the hoardings at some grounds compared to the Stag, and when you consider the size of Slough.

[Barry Scott]

unless we could get removable ones that we put up when we play we'd have to split the income (unless someone knows differently)

[mal316]

As far as I understand it, and please don't take this as being definate, the area for boarding around the pitch was to be split 50/50 with the club who gets the advertising keeping the money.

[BFR]

That was my understanding Mal. Slough's end is the tea bar end for those who don't know

[Barry Scott]

cheers Mal, right who's up for getting Slough Estates to cough up £50k for an advertising board?