News From The Management
From The Management
With all the latest news and updates from the entire Aylesbury United management team, as well as periodic reports from the club captain, this is the best place to keep in touch with the goings on at the club.
We also welcome any questions from supporters. If you have something you wish to put to management team then please e-mail info@aylesburyunitedfc.co.uk.
2007
We knew this would be a tough workout for us as any game against a UCL side always is.
In the first half although we started brightly we were disappointed that we did not impose our normal game on our hosts, failed to get into any kind of rhythm and to be fair we were second best.
Obviously the three injuries disrupted us somewhat but there is no blame on the Spencer players if anything we were the more physical team.
All three players have had x rays which showed no broken bones and they will have scans early this week. Andy Shed looks like he has damaged ankle ligaments so he will almost certainly miss the start of the season, Chris Francis ankle is only bruised so there is no long term damage.
Matt Butler is our biggest concern and we are keeping our fingers crossed that his knee injury is not serious he's a great lad and a really important part of our team, we will up date the website once we know more.
In the second half we looked more like the our normal selves and in fact at times were exceptional, Craig Henney will get the plaudits and rightly so for a superb hatrick and we are so pleased that Craig has started to find the net because he is a natural goal scorer and this will do his confidence the world of good.
Our midfield 4 were fantastic in the second half and we kept the ball much better, Sam Swonnell gave a master class in the centre of the park and Liam's superb volley came after the best piece of football in the whole game.
Ross Taylor's energy and commitment on the left in sweltering conditions proved what an asset he will be and with Ben Stevens carrying on where he left off last season we feel strong in this area of the park.
So it was a good victory but came at a cost, but in preparing for the kick off it's important that we have tough games and hopefully we'll get through the next two games unscathed.
Thanks for your support.
Mark Eaton
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RSS 2007
Last year was definitely a transitional period for the club with the main objective to stay in the league and get the club on a sound footing financially so our 6th place finish definitely exceeded expectation and with a little luck we could have been promoted.
Tony, Ken and I sat down with Graham and John in June to discuss plans both on and off the field. We outlined what our expectation was and what the management team expected from them. The meeting proved that we had the same objectives and were committed to getting the club back to where it belongs. Graham, John and the committee have delivered everything we have asked especially the training facilities at RAF Halton.
We were also able to agree a sensible playing budget that would mean we could be competitive in this standard of football and not threaten the long term financial stability of the club. We have structured the wages so there is no large disparity between anyone in the team which we feel helps with team spirit.
As far as our squad goes unlike some teams we made a conscious decision not to cast a huge net and get loads of players in for pre season only to have to sieve through to see who we wanted to keep whilst neglecting those who performed so well last year.
In line with the club's goals we are committed to the development of as much local talent as possible working with players who are totally committed to Aylesbury United rather than an extra £20 in their pocket. Fundamentally we were happy with the players from last year and just wanted to strengthen in certain positions.
In terms of players we lost from last year we hope to have Danny Mead back when he returns from his world travels, Pringle and Gutzmore had shaken hands to say they were staying with us until Barton I imagine offered substantially more than our budget would allow.
To be fair to Gutzmore he had been told that he may not be an automatic choice but his experience would be welcomed. Pringle is a disappointment as we worked hard on his development as a player and believe we helped him improve but as when he left for Bedford last year he didn't give us the courtesy of a call proving that unfortunately a hand shake in football doesn’t mean to much. That said he is an excellent player and obviously a big loss to us for his goal scoring ability.
Dean Buss came and went without playing a game so no loss there as far as we are concerned.
We feel very positive towards the new season the lads have had a terrific attitude in training even with the hill running in Wendover woods and they are looking very sharp. The majority of the squad are under 22 years old which makes it even more exciting to see how far they can go and how much they can improve.
One of the most pleasing things about working with this group is the fantastic work ethic the players have and seeing the likes of Liam Smyth, Ben Stevens, Karl Kavanagh and Tom Vincent improve so much.
The most important thing for us was to keep the majority of the players from last year and we have done this and if I look back to last year where we didn't have anyone signed on at this stage compared to now where everyone is signed.
We have been further boosted by the signings of Sam Swonnell and Ross Taylor as well who, as being talented, again fit perfectly with the hard work ethic and team spirit of this squad and we know they will play an important roll this year.
We have Andy Shed back from University, improving young players like Danny Jones and Justin Gordon and of course after some doubt have re-signed our captain Nick Leach. With Leachy there was no major issue it was simply sitting down with him and making sure his and the clubs ambitions were in line.
There is always going to be speculation with players pre-season with clubs bringing in lots of players and then when the season starts not being able to keep everyone happy. We know where we would like to improve the squad and Tommo has been busy networking with clubs at a higher level who have large squads as well as pursuing some long term targets but we have to be patient.
We were overall quite pleased with our first display against Waltham Forest; Chris Francis who played looks a willing lad and prior to this game had not played much football for a while. Craig Henney has a great goal scoring pedigree in lower leagues and we have worked with Craig before and know what potential he has and he was unfortunate not to score.
It was also great to see Luke Melisi look so sharp when he came on. These games give us the chance to experiment like using Julian Old in midfield and moving Kevin Mealor back to his preferred roll at left back and giving another youngster Jamie O'Grady an opportunity to show what he can do.
If you make wild predictions in football they normally come back to bite you but what we can promise this season is the continuing progression and development of our players which hopefully will reflect in our results.
I apologise for the length of this and I am sure future up-dates will be a lot briefer. Thank you for your continued support as it means a lot to both the management and the players and please get behind the campaign to get the Ducks back in Aylesbury where we belong.
Mark Eaton
Assistant Manager
2006
Last Saturday we made the long journey to Stourport Swift as documented with a very thin squad. However, all those involved gave a good account of themselves, including the two youth players, but it was not enough to secure any points with the team going down 0-2. It would have been so different had we not found there keeper in such good form especially in the first half. He went on to get man of the match, and that in itself tells you a story. Both goals conceded were not good and that is where my concern lies again.
Reference to what is going on behind the scenes I know things are moving forward still but it will not happen over night and indeed is taking a lot longer than any of us expected, I do ask that you remain patient and continue to support the cause, I hope that the committee will keep you up to date and informed especially as to where we will be playing in the new year.
On the playing side, as many will already know, Richard Pringle has left and joined Conference South side Bedford Town. I wish him all the best and can assure you all we had plenty of dialogue before his departure and we will be holding his registration should things not work out for him.
Marc Leach came to us and departed very quickly, he and I agreed when he joined us that I was prepared for him to talk to any club at anytime who were in leagues above us which obviously happened with Hendon. I am slightly disappointed as I believe he would be better placed with us than playing for a team at the bottom of the Ryman Premier however it was his decision to finally go but again we will retain his registration.
Nando chose to leave as he wanted regular first team football and he was not getting that all the time with us as I believed the type of player he is was not suited to the football that is played in this league.
Nick Leach sustained a knee injury during our last home game which put him out last Saturday, my hope is he will return this Saturday.
Kev Mealor will return on Saturday following a week's holiday. Ben Stevens made his long awaited return last Saturday following his knee injury and came through a competitive 35 minutes which is good news.
Julian Old will be transferred in time for Saturday's match, from Leighton town, whilst another seven day went in for Lewis Pritchard this week and I will be able to speak to him next Wednesday.
Gareth Linnard has returned from coaching in the USA and I hope he will agree to sign for us. Shaun Carr trained with us pre season and I was keen to sign him then but he was going off to train for three months in a new career, he has now returned and hopefully will sign or will have signed ahead of Saturday's game.
Colin Baker has signed for us but is away over the festive season however he has indicated he is talking to another club on his return, I hope to be able to convince him to stay and play.
All the other players have been very positive with the way forward especially after I had to renegotiate with some of them, hopefully we can keep them together and with the additions start to move forward again.
I read with interest the message board at times and often feel compelled to reply but I do not. Please if anyone wants to ask me anything at any time collar me after a game or do it through the message board I am more than willing to answer any questions on the playing front at anytime.
I can assure you, despite rumours to the contrary, myself, Tony, Ken and Mark are as committed to the club as we were at the start of the season and will strive to get this team as high up the league as possible that hopefully being in the play offs.
Well I hope that updates you and all it leaves me to do is thank you all for your continued support so far this season and to wish you all a very happy Christmas.
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