MANAGING MILESTONES

Published in the National League South game v Weymouth on Saturday 22nd October 2022.  We lost 3-2 in front of 674.

With 600 games in 12 years managing together – ten of them at Slough - it felt the right time for Slough supporters to ask Jon and Neil some questions about best players, going solo, and who’d be in their Rebel band at Wembley.

What are your respective professions outside football?

Neil : I am a financial advisor by trade, but to be honest mainly deal with mortgages and protection these days.

Jon : I have worked for a Global Manufacturing company 3M for 25 years now, in various roles in that time but currently as a Key Account manager working with customers across Europe.

How hard has it been over the years to balance your work careers and football commitments?

N : Mine has been pretty straight forward, it is quite a flexible role, so never been governed by 9-5, so always work my diary around the football, and as long as I have my phone I am able to work.

J : 3M have always been supportive of my football and for the most part I have been able to manage my own diary so it's rarely been an issue. I have probably missed 3 or 4 games due to work in my 10 seasons at Slough which have been down to trips abroad which I just haven't been able to miss.

Do you always agree or have you had disagreements on a starting 11

N : Yes we have disagreements, we are not the same person, however the reason the partnership works so well, is one of us is always prepared to step back on a decision, and every decision we talk through the pros and cons and sometimes it can last a couple of days to get to the right one. Neither of us has an ego so that helps. However I would say 95% of the decisions we make we both agree on, and the disagreements would usually be on a minor part of picking the team, we have never disagreed about releasing a player/signing etc.

J : On the vast majority of occasions we tend to agree when it comes to team selection but of course that isn't always the case. We reach our decision on these occasions by talking it through (a lot!) sometimes over a number of days until the one with the stronger opinion gets his way! There is no ego or competition between us and we always respect each other's opinion and have never fallen out over a decision. The harder decisions are actually substitutions during the game when you don't have the time to discuss over and over again as time is against you, so a similar process has to happen but very quickly.

Have either of you ever considered going solo?

N : We have both been solo before we went into Godalming, for me I would never want to do it solo, it works so well together, we both have our strengths and weaknesses and combined I think makes a stronger unit.

J : No we are a double-act and will stay that way for a long time I think.

What has changed the most in football in the years since you started managing?

N : Social media.... its not a great place to be honest at the best of times, especially in the aftermath of a defeat etc as a manager or player, you can see some pretty awful things on there, which if you were in a room together that person would never say to your face, it gives everyone a platform to air their views, and sometimes this can be damaging, and can affect players and managements mindset, it is very easy to say not to read it, however even talking to some top managers and top players it is almost impossible to not read it, and it is often that one negative comment that sticks out the most and can affect your working week.

J : I think social media and the role it plays is the biggest change for me but I know Bakes has covered this in his answer so I will also mention analysis and the availability of match footage. When we started together at Godalming you might have seen the odd video of a goal taken with a phone but now at this level we get to watch full match footage of every game in our league which is mostly really good quality. This enables you to study opposition tactics, individual players and also review your own team's performance. Some clubs have analysts in place to do this but this is something we like to do ourselves and we also encourage our players to watch back our games and learn from them.

Who’s the most professional player you’ve worked with during that time?

N : For me it has to be Scott Davies, though Lee Togwell and Josh Jackman are not far behind, however Scottie for the fact he takes his football so seriously now, he absolutely loves the game, does everything right to be in the best shape he can be, rarely is injured, turns up usually an hour before every meet time, will be out watching games all the time, will watch the opposition games as well as our own, and does everything right from social media to treating everyone no matter who they are and what role they have with the same level of respect.

J : I would certainly endorse Bakes' choices with Togs, Scott and Josh but I think we have a very professional changing room in general right now. Times have moved on from when we used to play and the vast majority of players at this level eat right, prepare well and do their own work outside of our training and matches to make sure they are in peak condition. We do have a couple who like a few beers (I wont mention names!) but even those lads are far more sensible now (I think!) than they might have been a few years ago.

Out of all the players you’ve managed, which one would you want to add to our current squad to improve us.

N : Well asking me currently, we are obviously struggling in a forward position with the injuries, so a fit Matty Stevens would be great.

J : Definitely either Matty Stevens, who was great for us, or Elijah Adebayo who has ended up doing really well for himself at Luton as they would certainly give us an additional attacking threat right now with the injuries we have in that position.

If you could pick any current player to play for Slough who would it be?

N : Would have to Haaland on his current form, and absolute beast.

J : A few months ago I would have said Messi as in my view he's the best there has ever been but with Haaland's form since coming to the Premier League I am not sure you can pick anyone else.

Which is the best ground in terms of welcome, facilities etc you have visited as away managers?

N: In our league I would say that Dulwich are always very friendly, and always look after us, and also their food after is often top drawer, outside of that I always get a friendly welcome at my old club Farnborough.

J : Definitely Dulwich. Nice people there behind the scenes, always a good atmosphere but not hostile as a result of the type of fans they have there now, plus really good food after the game and we have a good record there on the pitch too.

What’s the best Slough Town match you’ve managed

N : For me it has to be Gainsborough away for the all round performance, we have had some good performances, but that one sticks out as almost perfection that day.

J : Agree that Gainsborough was the best team performance, by a long way I have to say, but others that stand out are the two playoff wins obviously, both coming from behind, and the 5-4 comeback win at Merthyr wasn't bad either!

Your favourite Slough Town goal?

N : Outside of Jamie McClurgs or Manny Williams in play off games, or Dobbos at Merthyr, I think for me one recently that sticks in my mind is Warren Harris in the home league game against Bath when we had just equalised and having not won in the first 5 league games. He scored in the very last minute to win us the game and kick start the league campaign which ended up in the play offs, had we not won that game it might have put a lot of pressure on us as managers and as a team, however it gave us and the team the belief to push on.

J : For me it has to be Manny's late winner in the playoff final at Kings Lynn. It was such a big deal for us as managers to get to the National League South, and to take the club to that next level, and Manny's goal was the one that took us all there so will always be a special memory for me.

Whats the best 3 games for you that the fans were the best of the best?

N : Welling away when they made so much noise, I think we won the game with a Robbo penalty, Woking away in the league when we won 1-0 they were brilliant, and also away at York where they were top class.

J : The playoff at Kings Lynn was amazing in terms of the number that travelled, the noise throughout the game and the celebrations at the end. Sutton away in the FA Cup stands out as a game where I looked behind the goal and it just felt like we were a proper big club with the support we had that day. And for a different reason I'll pick out the midweek 5-4 at Merthyr as those who made that journey that day, an incredible effort on a Tuesday night, did the club proud and they will always remember that one and be glad they went!

Slough have been promoted and are in the National League. What do you change?

N Wow this a tough one, we would all have to change I guess with the step up, that is effectively a professional league, and we would all have to improve, I think it would be difficult to change to a full time model in that first season, but eventually would be great to have a full time team.

J Where do I start?! The league above is a huge step up now with some big clubs coming down from the EFL and some massive budgets. Any club that goes up from this league and stays there deserves huge credit and it would take a massive effort on and off the pitch for us to do that. Full-time players and staff would be needed definitely if we were to do this over a sustained period of time.

What would you both do if we got promoted and had to go full time?

N : Would not be a problem for me, I would still be able to combine my current role with the full time football.

J : I would 100% want to do it. It's my dream to manage full-time and I would jump at the opportunity.

There’s a Slough Town FC band invited to play at Wembley. Bakes is on keyboard, who else is in the band?

N : I would need to be on keyboard and lead vocal, I would pull Paul Hodges back in for lead guitair, would get Warren on the drums, and Max Roscoe on the xylophone 😉 Unders would be nowhere near it.

J : A few of our ex-players had some talent (Freddie, Hodgey, Dunny and a few others) but not so sure about the current group so for me I'd just go with Bakes sat with a piano singing Elton John songs all night. What more do you need?!