Training at the Southgate Hockey Centre is definitely on this Wednesday (9.00.p.m. start), despite Arsenal v. Man City being shown live on Sky.

Can I have some feedback on who is going training or not ?

Finger my fuck hole, I'm there, missed it big time.......

Yep - I'll be there.

Going to the game, so won't be there

Snap

Goin to the game as well

The situation at the moment is that we only have 6 'definite' players for training, including me.
The others are Jacko, Barney, Hagan, Terry Moore & Lee King...who needs a lift from Turkey Street from 'somebody' as Tem (who normally gives him a lift) is going to Arsenal.

Warmers wants to come training tonight and is hoping to get out of family commitments to do so. However, most players are not bothering to reply either on here, to my e-mails, my texts or my Facebook messages as if they are either abroad somewhere, in bed with swine flu/a Xmas hangover, or just assuming I know that they 'can never come training'...even when we haven't had a match for weeks and there should be no excuses like that !

The only players who have given me excuses that they cannot come training tonight are Rob, Tem, Colin, Lexton, Conor...and I think I can safely assume Terry Brown, Olie & Chas (All going to Arsenal or watching it on TV), Jim & Smithy (Both on holiday...Smithy is back on Thursday and available for Sunday), and Stuart (going to Everton v. Spurs...entertaining clients).

At the moment then, I will be expecting Dean, Tom, Loveday, Kizza, Tony King, Steve Cokell & Tim Beeden all to be there, as none of them have told me they are not coming and only Dean is an Arsenal supporter out of that lot.
That will then make 14 including Warmers.

Danny Hagan said to me by text that he would not want to come training if we only have 6 there, but unfortunately that is probably the most likely scenario tonight. We can't call off any more sessions, otherwise we will lose the use of the facilities. We will just have to use tonight for a bit of fitness and shooting practice for Jacko unless some of those players I have listed above show some commitment.

As I warned during the Summer, too many players would rather watch live football on TV (when it's on) than go training. The 'watch the First Half, then Sky+ the Second Half' idea is not working because Olie keeps turning up to training and then looking up the final score on his Blackberry when we finish at 10.00.p.m. and then telling everybody ! Trev says he is not coming training next week because of that. He doesn't want to know the final score of Ipswich v. Arsenal so he can watch the Second Half when he gets home. I will be well annoyed if Olie (or anybody else) blurts out the score of Spurs v. AC Milan if I come training when that is on !

Also, did Barney say that Tim & Gavin (Mardell) will come training after Xmas, but not when there is a 'top' match on TV like Arsenal v. Man City...even though they are both Spurs supporters ?
If players are going to do that, then we have got no chance of getting a good turnout at training.

As far as I know, I don't think Gav can make 9pm at all - I think Tim will try to come along to as many as he can, but I'll let them answer for themselves, as this may not be the case still.

See you all tonight

Steve Cokell is not coming training tonight. He did say to me at the start of the season that he might be able to come if we didn't have a game the Sunday before, which was why I asked.

Just looking at the bigger picture of training for the rest of the season for the moment, I think we can now pretty much rule out the following players of being able to come training whatsoever because of work & family commitments or living too far away:
Stuart, Conor, Steve Cokell, Tony King, Smithy, Darryl & Kizza.

We then have the following players who will only be able to turn up now and again because of work & family commitments or watching Arsenal:
Rob, Terry Brown, Warmers, Jim.

I would then expect the following 16 players to be able to attend training 'most weeks':
Myself, Trevor, Danny Hagan, Colin, Terry Moore, Barney, Loveday, Lexton, Jacko, Lee King, Dean, Olie, Chas, 'Tem, Tom & Tim' .

Tonight's expected low turn-out therefore shouldn't be a regular occurence based on that.
The problem we have though is players who turn up to training getting pissed off with not being put in the squad for matches ahead of players who cannot attend training, and therefore leaving the club because of that...which may have already happened following the AFC Cheshunt game (for all I know).

So...if we fielded a squad of 14 against East Herts this Sunday of Jacko(GK); Barney (SW), Moore (CH), Loveday(CH); Bester (RM), Dean (CM), Tem (CM Holding), Hagan (CM), Tom (LM); Lee King (CF), Lexton (CF), SUBS: Olie, Chas, Tim...if these 14 were all available and in Lexton's case not suspended, would we win ?
Highly unlikely without the likes of Stuart, Conor, and Rob & Terry Brown. We would probably lose 6-1 like we did to Turnford Geese because of having too many of our better/experienced players missing at the same time.

We are not yet in a position to be able to pick squads based only on who attends training, but we might only be three or four new players away from doing so.
If we can get some more new young players along to training of Dean Assiamah and Tom Watts' ability (for example) who can play for us on Sundays, then we can maybe start saying goodbye to our 'golden oldies' (who can't/won't attend training). It would be silly to throw away our chances of winning a trophy this season by doing that now.

For the time being though, we will be continuing to pick our best/most experienced players for matches, and training will be for the newer younger players to improve themselves. It may not please everybody, but it's the only way we can do it when we play in such a high standard. We can't put people in the squad who come training but are too unfit to run properly or have only ever had a kickabout over the park or in 'work matches' before.

Loveday is in bed with flu, so that's another one not coming tonight.

No worries there as im going ipswich away so be no problem for trev, dont worry i will happily tell you the ac milan spurs score on the night roll on

Lau,

I can tell you the Spurs v AC Milan score now if you want.

Spurs 0 AC Milan 3

Spursy Wursy? Spursy Losey.

Tom is not back in London yet until next week, so he won't be at training and Dean has also now confirmed he is not coming tonight either.
I have not heard anything from Kizza, Tony King, Warmers or Tim Beeden, but I suspect Warmers & Tim will be the only ones out of those four who might be able to attend ?

Including those two, that will be 8 at the most, but I would think it's more likely we will only have 6 there.
I have just spoken to Danny Hagan (because there is something wrong with this Forum again and he can't post on it from his Blackberry), and he thinks it is a total waste of time training tonight with only 6 there, and that we should divide the cost up between all registered players and add it on their subs. (Probably works out at only £1.00 each as the £7.00 per match subs are already subsidising training).

I tend to agree with Danny, but I know for sure that Jacko will still want to train with only 6 players there and I don't blame him. It will be extremely beneficial for him, but unfortunately extremely boring for the rest of us.
So what do we do ?

Any ideas ?

I'm quite happy to train regardless of how many we have there. Let me know if it's not happening, otherwise I'll see you there at 9.

I really do wanna train you are right!!!!!!

But if people don't want to I understand. But, hey we have a game on Sunday, I ain't picked up a ball sine the last game (12th Dec) and I'm not too confident that many others have kicked one, surely with only 6 and if we only do 45mins, then it would be worth while for all of us????

Just me and you then Barney.........I bet you don't score...

I have decided I'll still go tonight as I need to keep myself fit.
Too much sitting down in front of the computer designing websites for the last 3 weeks !

As Jacko says, even if we don't train for the full hour, it's still something to shake off the cobwebs.

I don't know if Danny Hagan still wants to drop out or not and I don't think Terry Moore or Lee have seen this. I haven't texted them.

Warmers has just texted to say he has got the flu as well. Presumably both him and Loveday are doubtful for Sunday as well then ?
Looks like Kizza also has the flu (going by what I am reading on Facebook).

Fucking wank turn out last night, thanks to those who made the effort.

Arsenal are far more important than Rovers though Jacko, and they always have been !

I know that Trev (as an Arsenal season ticket holder) will always go and watch Arsenal ahead of Rovers, even when we are playing a match, and Rob has also gone to watch Arsenal rather than play football for us, as have numerous other players over the years.
This season, the League Challenge Cup Final is a 6.45.p.m. kick-off at Broxbourne Borough on a Sunday. Should we get through to it and Arsenal are at Home on the same day in the Sky 4.00.p.m. match, I bet Trev, Rob & others will go to Arsenal and then come along to our Cup Final 'later'.

I would never do that if I was still a Spurs season-ticket holder. Rovers will always come first for me. I know Danny Hagan (Spurs) is the same. He would rather play football and even train instead of watching Spurs.
I really cannot understand some of our players mentality.

Not true. Quite a few of us have missed games regularly on the telly to be at training, mainly CL games.

Also that excuse not to come training because of overhearing a few scores is quite poor...

I think what's most annoying about training last night though, is that I could have booked up training to re-start on the 12th instead of the 5th if our players had told me they were still going to be away for Xmas or were going to Arsenal v. Man City or watching it on TV.
I did ask regarding availability for the 5th, but not one player said a word.