Interview with B&B

Chatting with Bettsy and Barney

I caught up with new Slough Town manager Mark Betts and his assistant Richard Barnard and asked for their thoughts on the issues facing Slough Town since they took over.

Do you read the Slough Town fans forum? RB - I try not to. I hear about it if people tell me. It’s not something I make important in my day. It’s good to know what the fans think. MB - No. My partner does, if there’s anything underhand she tells me. I think everyone has got their opinion and deserve to say it.

What previous coaching / managing experience do both you have? MB - Coaching I’ve done a lot of youth football and got my badges. Played for district and county levels and also represented England schoolboys at the age of 15. I have a great left peg! I’ve played for a few local sides like Maidenhead (the year the stand caught fire) and Chesham. I gave up playing football early when I started a family. The decision was either football or work and football doesn’t guarantee you regular income. Played locally with the likes of Keith White and won everything! I’ve got my own football academy at Farnham Park on a Monday evening. The only day I really get off from football is Friday. Monday I’m doing my football academy at Farnham Park, Tuesday I’m here at Slough Town, Wednesday I’m with my sons club, Thursday back here with Slough Town, Saturday obviously preparing for Slough’s game in the morning and Sunday my son’s side play and involved again. I’ve got my UEFA A and B badges. Also I’ve been at Southampton, Q.P.R. and Brentford.

RB - Did my prelim at Millwall and my UEFA B straight after. I did my goalkeepers at Southampton Academy. Following Southampton I did my UEFA B Goalkeeping with Phil Parkes and started the Phil Parkes goalkeeping academy with him. Then when I was at Queen of the South I started my UEFA A badge. I’ve learnt a lot of my coaching from coaches I’ve played under rather than out the book. I’ve played for Mick McCarthy and Billy Bonds.

MB - My uncle, Bobby Horastead, actually played for Slough in the Bob Underwood era along with Terry Brown and I used to travel around with my uncle wherever he played at a professional level. I’ve spent a lot of time listening to and learning from managers and coaches in changing rooms and on the sidelines.

What strengths and weaknesses do you feel you have? MB - My strengths are getting people motivated, getting players to play to the best of their ability, getting players to believe in themselves and build a good team spirit and also I believe discipline is vitally important. One of my weaknesses when I took over was taking everybody at face value and thinking everyone was here to help me. I always listened to people’s opinion and was a little bit green. Although as you can see there has been quite a big clearout and the players coming in are younger and less set in their ways.

RB - My strengths are the experience I’ve gained from the managers I’ve played under and the coaching and managing techniques they have employed. One of the first things Terry Brown always did is set the discipline standard. This is something which Bettsy and I have done here. If people do take the mick, they get some sort of punishment. I can also communicate with the players as a player rather than from the sidelines. My main weakness is my inexperience. I’ve never been involved in a managerial role with a club as big as Slough.

MB - I’m not here to be a player’s friend. I’m here to lead them not be matey with them.

Some of the fans on the forum have been critical of your team selection and how many changes are made. I.e. Dave Barratt not playing against AFC Hayes. How would you answer these critics? MB - We instil discipline which is why we’ve started to pick up points. The discipline starts with the training and stuff like that. If a player is bought off, I wouldn’t expect him to back chat any of my coaching staff and walk off in a temper. When you’ve got young children watching it sets the wrong example. We’re not Manchester United but it doesn’t matter if you’re Manchester United or grass roots football, young kids see stuff like that and I don’t think it’s good. After the team have given 110% including Dave Barratt he didn’t show what we’ve instilled to the players since we’ve taken over. We’re a team, a unit, we’re in the trenches together but he walked off, jumped ship and didn’t show respect to his team mates. It was a simple thing he had to phone myself and Richard to apologise and it would have been done and dusted. Another thing is he told me he was going away with his girlfriend for Valentines weekend. To me this doesn’t show the commitment we and the fans deserve. We need every point we can get and we needed him available. Work or family commitments I can understand but not a weekend in Dublin with the girlfriend.

RB - We’ve given him so many chances. He went away over Christmas to the Dominican Republic for 3 weeks. Then all of sudden he comes back and expects to play. You’ve got lads who are here every week at training and on the bench who won’t miss anything unless it’s crucial.

Some people have commented we would play better and more consistently if we played the same team for consecutive games. How do you feel about this? MB - If you look at the triangle at the back that normally plays, it’s Brian (Connor), Dean (Harper) and Daly (Steve). Daly has work commitments, Brian has international commitments, so therefore we’ve had to make changes. Sometimes in football, players should be composed enough to go in and do a job for 90 minutes. It’s not a lifetime, its one game of 90 minutes and if they’re playing at this level they should do that. For the changes there are work commitments and family reasons.

RB - We’re trying to get consistent at the back with the back three mentioned with Robbo (Chris Robinson) on the right and J (John Gray) on the left and Meddie (Nsubuga) just in front of these 5. We want these 6 to be there every week.

MB - There has been sickness going around the club as well. We are always looking to strengthen the team. We’ve got to be patient. If we see a player we go and watch and we look and we hear. Then you’ve got the 7 days (approach) followed by training. We believe we can keep Slough up, so that next year we can start afresh with these players. We have a good pre season and the season starts differently from this year. We need to bring the right personnel in. People are calling me saying they want to come to the club. If we can bring a decent player in to strengthen the team it has to be better. I know it can be frustrating a different team every week but we have to do that.

RB - There can be a call Friday night or Saturday morning from someone not able to play. Every Saturday there has been a call which has forced us to change the team at the last minute.

MB - You’ve got your big players like Lee Riddell and a few others who need to slip in there and do a job. Now if they haven’t delivered for whatever reason it is always the manger that is frowned upon. Saturday was embarrassing and the players know that is not acceptable. Players want to come to Slough and play for the club for the right reasons. They want to commit to Slough and serve with honour. We’re (Betts & Barney) doing that, we’re not in it for the money. If you’ve got players on loan, where is their heart? Sometimes you have to look outside the box and find someone else.

Steve (Daly) called me Saturday (before AFC Hayes) and told me he had problems and couldn’t play. I can’t then say to Dave (Barratt) I’ve forgiven you, come back and play up front so I can play Lee (Riddell) at the centre half. Everyone in the changing room is going to think what respect should I have for this guy? Sometimes you’ve got to stick by your actions. Saturday wasn’t down to individuals, we didn’t win a 1st tackle, a 2nd tackle, a header, we didn’t pass the ball, we didn’t want the ball, we didn’t even look close.

Do you have a preferred formation? MB - 3-5-2. We’ve gone and had a go at teams. We encourage the players to attack. We’re getting forward, creating chances and getting goals. The creativity is good and we look like scoring from corners and free kicks.

How much information do you get on opposing teams before each game? MB - We get small reports. We have a look.

RB - It’s only a bit of paper. Reports don’t mean a great deal. We need to go out there and play our own game.

MB - You can see the way someone plays from the 1st fifteen minutes of a game. You don’t need a bit of paper at half time. It’s not worth paying someone big money to go and watch football and have an easy life.

Do you feel there is a good balance of youth and experience? MB - Just look at the average age of the midfield now. We’re looking to keep a balanced squad, improve on it, stay up this year and build on it next year and get the club back up the leagues. We need to ensure there is no negativity in the squad.

RB - Some of the youngsters have great potential. I think Tom Attrell will be quite some player.

Do you feel that the squad we have at the moment has the character for a relegation dogfight? MB - The loaned players have their heart somewhere else and may not. The rest of the squad are here because I believe that. You only have to look at the Andover, Gosport and Farnborough games. Farnborough’s front 3 players were more than our total budget and to play like that against them was good. The players are here because they want to be and they want to fight for this club. The players on loan are the players that we are looking to replace.

A target man has been suggested to strengthen the squad. What�s your view? MB - We are looking but we want to bring in the right players. We have tried a few players in that position but defence and midfield have been our priority.

RB - We would rather our wing backs and midfield got to the by-line and crossed the ball in just in front of the keeper. We’re not looking to hoof it forward all the time.

The players seem to be coping with the first few minutes of the 2nd half at the moment. What have you changed to make sure the players are coming out after half time fully prepared? MB - It’s about composure and getting them to believe they can do it. Don’t be negative, be aware, know where your man is and be switched on. I’ll get this into their head at half time.

How do you feel losing Brian Connor, Jermaine Gumbs and Rommel Gumbs has affected the team? MB - Obviously when players go off you do miss them. The guys who have come in have done a good job. You have to be professional enough to cover when they are away.

Who is captain of Slough Town? MB - Lee Riddell is captain. He had a work commitment for the Uxbridge game. He had told Darron (Wilkinson) months ago he would be unavailable. Steve took over as captain and we got a result, although we should have won. If Lee had returned as captain for the following game it would have looked like he could do whatever he wanted and turn up when he wanted. Lee was professional enough to come in and play a good game. I would regard Lee as team captain and Steve as club captain. This reflects the respect Lee has for Steve.

What influenced the decision to choose Lee Riddell as captain? MB - From the beginning when we came in, Lee was supportive, enthusiastic and always at training. He’s good to have around and raises the lads. He listens and respects. Lee rings me up all the time discussing games, what went well and what went wrong. His enthusiasm is 110%.

How do you feel Steve Daly has reacted to giving up the captaincy? MB - Steve is a professional. It hurt his pride. He’s had the role for a long time. Maybe we could have done it differently but we thought new management was the time. Steve has work commitments and cannot always be around for training. I sometimes need to have a conversation with the captain at training. It was a very tough decision.

Does the vocal support from fans help the team performance? MB - Massively! It’s a great motivation before kick-off knowing the support they are going to receive. The lads love it being applauded off. The fans deserve the respect of the players as well. Performances like Saturday are unacceptable and won’t be happening again this season. Anyone who did voice their opinion had the right to do so. However much you pay to get in you’re a supporter.

What are your aims for the rest of the season? MB - Keep Slough up!

What are your long term goals? MB - I would like to be manager of Slough for a good few years and be there in the new stadium. I would be a fool to say we’ll be promoted next year but over the next few years we aim to be playing at a higher level. It’ll be a mountain to climb but to get us in the new ground at a higher level.

Richard Barnard came in for some criticism about his reaction to Abby Nsubuga after Bracknell's second goal. How do you feel about this? MB - I don’t approve of it. It was such a big game that it speaks for itself. I don’t agree with it. It wasn’t the first time Abby had tried to make that pass and this time it cost us. I spoke to Abby and had told him if he kept doing it one day it would kill us. That day at Bracknell it did. If he could play that type of pass every time he would be at Arsenal or Chelsea. It has all been dealt with in house.

What is your favourite potato? MB - Someone tipped me off about this. Bombay potato.

Any last comments for the fans? MB - Thanks for all the great support, home & away. Keep it up. When they are singing songs about the players it’s all positive.

Some people commented about Steve Daly arriving late for the Bracknell game and not doing a full warm up. This is incorrect and Steve did a lot of warm up work on the trampoline (due to an injury) before going onto the pitch for some ball work with the team.

As a management team, Barney and I have got to focus on the football side and not worry about the ground issues.

It’s good that we’ve started to get mascots before the games. It shows people want to come and watch us. I wouldn’t want my son to be a mascot at a team that loses every week. In a few years they could be bringing 12 of their mates to watch us play.

I would like to thank the people behind the scenes for their help and support, especially my family for their much needed support. They are always at games wearing Slough colours. My partner must be thinking there is something going on between Barney and me. Kev McGoldrick, who speaks to me 7 days a week about players’ fitness. Also Paul Lillywhite, who does a great job preparing for games. Although sometimes I wish I could put a brace on him.

I’m always there for feedback from fans. Come and see me after games if you want a chat.