Capital League

[Rob_the_Saint]

In pronciple it is a good idea to have a Reserve team playing a higher standard of football (than the EHBC), but will it work for us? Useful I suppose for giving the fringe players a game and those returning from injury or suspension.

 

Also there only seem to be ten teams in this league, do they play each other three/four times a season?

 

[Laz]

No idea. Hornchurch are in it so ask one of their supporters.

 

Do we still have a reserve team?

[Carrot Cruncher]

Rob, The Iron have now pulled out of the EHBC. While it's useful to play City, Daggers, Canvey, etc., we've taken the view that there is little to be gained by our up and coming players (yes we do have one or two, trust me) by playing reserve sides of teams playing in the Essex Senior League.

 

Personally, I'd like to see an Isthmian League Reserve Section (North) & (South). Consistent opposition & facilities (have you been to Bowers on a wet Wednesday evening in February?)

 

Problem with the Capital League is the travelling. Bin there, seen it, done it & resigned from it. Not the answer, I'm afraid.

[Rob_the_Saint]

The travelling wouldn't be a problem to us - places like Woking and Stevenage are fairly easy to get to.

 

You hit the nail on the head though about the consistency of opposition - you play Dag & Red reserves one week, then Bowers United reserves the next.

 

Basically, there are too many little leagues all with too few teams with too wide a range of ability. Until they sort that out, the Capital League is the obvious choice.

[GHA EFM]

Rob. You've been to more rezzie games than I have.

 

How exactly is the Capital League 'the obvious choice?' I'm slightly confused by the fact that our reserve side has finished second in the Premier Division of this reserve set up, and has played and beaten quality opposition of the likes of Dagenham and Canvey. So there's one or two crap teams in there. Wolves were in the Premiership for a while, so were Barnsley.

 

Please explain further

 

Cheers

 

GHA

[Rob_the_Saint]

Onwards and upwards, GHA.

 

We've seen some of the most promising Reserve players have a spell in the first team but not quite make the breakthrough; the Capital League should give them that extra bit of experience to step into the first team and compete for a regular place.

 

At least that's what I think the theory is. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

[GHA EFM]

Didn't we try the Capital League once before?

 

A step up? The issue is clearly a big one, Rob, if one or two or however many of the coaching staff feel that they have to resign from their respective posts. They should know, having been there, done it, and got a couple of trophies along the way.

[Laz]

Twice before that I know of.

[Carrot Cruncher]

And didn't GHA end up in goal?

[JKiF]

...I think its more to do with having a succesful side and a playing style thats at odds with the first team manager/chairman

[YB941 5thD EFM ~soul~]

Well the guys in charge of the reserve team think the idea stinks and feel they've been let down badly by those at a higher level.

 

That's good enough for me to conclude that the Capital League is not the way forward.

 

 

[JKiF]

 

 

your not far wrong, Mr Zeal...history repeats itself....

[AFF]

Hi GHA.

 

You, Brew 2 and herts blue have more experience of the Capital League than most of the rest of us as you were in the 8 man team sent to play Farnborough Reserves three seasons ago. [We gave Crawshaw, De Souza, Baptiste, Dublin, Piper and the rest of the previous season's Ryman Premier League Champions side a fright that night, as I recall.]

 

I recall from that and the previous season that a number of the clubs and their players didn't take the thing very seriously and cancellations were not infrequent. Presumably it's changed since then.

 

If Kevin and Vince are unable to run a midweek reserve side, I imagine that Steve Castle has another person in mind ready to take it on. Someone well connected locally as, although I have no idea of the views of the current Reserve team regarding midweek football, I assume that a club like ours will rely upon local talent for the most part as, of course, the players get no expenses, let alone wages.

 

The management team of this season's Reserve side have done a fabulous job and deserve all the congratulations that they have received. The results on the pitch are fundamental, of course, but I have it on good authority from a couple of weeks ago that the Reserve team 'set-up' has actually made a profit for SACFC of over £500 or so from sponsorships and gate money receipts.

 

At the start of the season, the Supporters Club Committee agreed to pay the expenses of the match officials for the Reserve team games but that offer has not been called upon as the chaps raised the money themselves. Well done for that side of it, too.

[Woody]

Quote:

If Kevin and Vince are unable to run a midweek reserve side, I imagine that Steve Castle has another person in mind ready to take it on. Someone well connected locally as, although I have no idea of the views of the current Reserve team regarding midweek football, I assume that a club like ours will rely upon local talent for the most part as, of course, the players get no expenses, let alone wages.

 

 

I may be wrong about this, AFF but from what I can make out, Kevin and Vince were never ever consulted by either John Gibson and Steve Castle over the league switch and all things considered, that is ignorance in the extreme. Just how hard would it have been for them all to have sat round the table and discussed the whole situation in a professional manner?

 

As far as the strength of the two leagues are concerned, the Capital League looks to be the stronger on paper. However, after speaking with several people about this, it appears that, in reality, it is not the case. Also, in the Capital League, you play 16 league games a season against 30 in the EHBC.

 

You talk about relying upon local talent to play in the Capital League, AFF. One assumption too many, I'd say.

 

 

[AFF]

Hi Woody.

 

As far as your last point is concerned, I referred to 'local talent' as I don't imagine that too many players will drive 20 or 30 miles twice each week for training and once to play, without payment or expenses, notwithstanding the honour of wearing the yellow and blue [i assume that we will finally see the back of the Baldock blue - Radio 5Live is making another appeal for unwanted shirts and there's a complete set they can have for my part.]

 

I don't know anything about football but I presume that we will have a relatively small 1st team squad in view of the likelihood of a tight fiscal policy next season and the Reserves team will, thus, include a hard core of players who are happy to play every week without a realistic chance of breaking in to the [relatively] big time.

 

I don't know anything about football.

 

Talking of the oval-shaped ball, the O.A.R.F.C. U13 team, what I coach a bit, reached the semi-final of the County Championship on Sunday, losing to Hitchin, the eventual winners. The Hitchin team had 4 chaps each 6 ft tall, all of whom shaved, and one of whom had a moustache. Under 13s for Heaven's sake. The result of the Stewards Inquiry has not yet been announced.

[EFM The Firm, The Voice]

We also had a rather disasterous spell in the 93/94 season where towards the end of the season Saints Supporters started playing as did then chairman Bernard Tomiley (19-0 at Colchester, anyone?), I seem to also remember that a lot of the 1st team were actuallty playing the Capital league games as well in the start as it was seen as a good compliment to the 1st team squad.

 

Reducing the amount of games by half is not the way to nurture talent.

Not listening (or even discussing) to the only people in this club that have actually acheived anything this season is a scandel.

 

But should we really expect anything else, we have a chairman who, if his actions over the last 18 months are to go by, knows bugger all about running a football club and it'll be interesting to see who the 39th best manager in out history brings in, no doubt it'll be somebody with an UEFA A badge like himself!

 

The reserve managers have my full support and I thank them for supporting us the supporters as well during this season.

 

This club is going to the dogs <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

[Laz]

I believe Tavs played in the 19-0 and I think Bernard broke his leg in the first ten minutes, otherwise it would have been a different story.

[AFF]

Who should have played in place of Tavs to 'make it a different story' then, Laz.

[Laz]

You