BobBev Posted March 29, 2005 Author Share Posted March 29, 2005 March 2007 Thursday 1st Clyde boss Francis Vines has won the Manager of the Month award after leading his team to three wins out of four in February. Queen of the South striker Emilio Jaconelli, helped no doubt by his hat trick against us a couple of weeks ago, was the top senior player and Partick midfielder Gary Greenhill won the junior prize. Saturday 3rd The best that can be said about the visit of Airdrie United was that we kept a clean sheet. Neither side showed much attacking invention and our cause wasn’t helped by an injury to Ciaran Ryan. It’s nothing serious and he may be fit enough to play next week. The 0-0 draw at least keeps our points total moving in the right direction which is more than can be said for Livingston. Looking like champions elect for most of the season, they have now failed to win any of their last ten league games and are now just two points ahead of Brechin. Saturday 10th The game at Clyde was spoilt by an over-zealous referee who booked no less than nine players and dismissed one from each side. The home team established a two-goal lead before we struck back late on through Wyness but the 2-1 defeat was disappointing. Saturday 17th To say that we entertained Brechin would be to exaggerate somewhat as once again our supporters witnessed a rather dull scoreless draw. Winger Ryan suffered an injury once more but this time rather more serious and he will miss at least two weeks of action. Sunday 18th Albion Rovers have parted company with manager Jim Weir, the board obviously hoping that a new man in charge will breathe life into the moribund Division Three outfit. On the playing front, Rangers have lifted the first senior trophy of the season, winning the League Cup on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Motherwell. Tuesday 20th Phil Neal has left Conference North side Northwich Victoria to take up the challenge at Albion Rovers. Saturday 24th Euro 2008 qualification gets underway and Scotland have been grouped with Ireland, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Turkey and Andorra. They get off to a fine start with a 5-0 defeat of Andorra at Hampden Park. Saturday 31st With the threat of relegation still not banished we travelled to Falkirk looking for a decent performance. The home side took the lead on the half hour with what turned out to be their only on-target effort of the game. The teams were evenly matched and we certainly looked capable of recovering the deficit. We achieved this ten minutes after the interval through Wyness and it was sad to see him stretchered off later in the game. We had several chances to get the win but in the end had to settle for a 1-1 draw. It turns out that our injured striker has broken his shoulder and will probably miss the rest of the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted March 30, 2005 Author Share Posted March 30, 2005 April 2007 Sunday 1st There was another managerial candidate today as St. Mirren boss Patrick Darkey was fired a month after being voted the Second Division Manager of the Month. An unbeaten month sees Falkirk supremo David Wilson take the managerial prize with Brechin winger Graeme Sharp and young Airdrie midfielder Thomas Hoey lifting the playing awards. Wednesday 4th With 4 of the last 8 in the Champions League coming from the EPL it has been a bright season in Europe for English teams. Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all had home wins in their first legs but Man United lost at PSV. Friday 6th Peterhead have named Albion Rovers manager Jim Weir as their new number one. Saturday 7th A win against bottom of the table Raith would go a long way towards securing our First Division status and the pressure was on. Gary Cohen gave us the lead with a well-taken goal on the half hour and with ten minutes remaining looked to have wrapped up the win when he scored his second. But the visitors struck back quickly to set the nerve ends jangling. Thankfully substitute Rob Elvins found the net shortly after his introduction to wrap up a 3-1 win to give us a little breathing space. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Brechin | 32 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 41 | 29 | +12 | 53 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Livingston | 32 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 53 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Clyde | 32 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 45 | 29 | +16 | 49 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Airdrie Utd | 32 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 42 | 34 | +8 | 49 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Falkirk | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 46 | 42 | +4 | 47 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | GRETNA | 32 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 38 | 40 | -2 | 41 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Partick | 32 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 30 | 43 | -13 | 36 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Queen of Sth | 32 | 7 | 14 | 11 | 40 | 47 | -7 | 35 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Hamilton | 32 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 37 | 44 | -7 | 33 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Raith | 32 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 32 | 51 | -19 | 32 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>Sunday 8th After just over 12 months in charge at Alloa, Gary Crosby has moved on to take over at St. Mirren. Wednesday 11th The second leg matches in the Champions League Quarter Finals produced some extraordinary results. Man United could only draw at home to PSV and they went out 4-2 on aggregate. Liverpool were defending a 1-0 lead at Milan but they slumped to a 4-0 defeat and were eliminated. Arsenal fared even worse at FC Bayern, seeing their three-goal lead evaporate with a 5-0 defeat. Only Chelsea went through but they almost blew their 4-1 advantage over Roma, losing 5-3 on the night. Saturday 14th Our trip to Queen of the South represented another chance to secure our position and the game started explosively with Dene Shields firing us ahead after two minutes. A further two minutes passed before the home side equalised and ten minutes after that they took the lead. We came back strongly and only some stunning save from the home keeper, later voted Man of the Match, kept us at bay. The 2-1 defeat was very disappointing given the chances we created but I can’t complain about our fighting spirit. Sunday 15th The Scottish Cup will be an Old Firm affair after Rangers beat Dundee United in the first Semi Final and Celtic defeated Kilmarnock in the other. Saturday 21st The trip to leaders Livingston did not offer any obvious hope of adding to our points total but at the end of the game our narrow 1-0 defeat didn’t do our performance justice. We ran the home team close all afternoon and with a little more composure in front of goal we would surely have got some reward. Wednesday 25th Chelsea returned from PSV with a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League Semi Final. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted March 31, 2005 Author Share Posted March 31, 2005 May 2007 Tuesday 1st Another great month has moved Falkirk up to second place and gained manger David Wilson a second consecutive award. Our loan winger Ryan Russell has put in some eye-catching displays and he gains recognition on the playing front along with young Partick midfielder Gary Greenhill. Wednesday 2nd Chelsea continued their spirited defence of the Champions League with a 3-0 defeat of PSV to set up a clash with Milan in the final. Saturday 5th Crunch time – two games to play, both of them against teams below us in the table, and one win would guarantee our survival. We may be in 6th place but we are just three points clear of relegation but at least our fate is in our own hands. We start with a visit from bottom club Hamilton who are themselves desperate for victory. A Gary Cohen goal sends us into the break with a narrow lead and a second from Man of the Match Ryan Russell completes a good 2-0 win. The result keeps us safe and condemns our opponents to Division Two and a win for Livingston ensures their return to the SPL. Saturday 12th The season ends with what could be called a smash and grab raid at Partick. The home side created the bulk of the chances but we went into half time in front thanks to a neatly worked goal just before the break. Russell did good work on the left wing before slipping the ball to Cohen who finished well. Some stubborn defence, in particular from young keeper Kelly, kept the home side at bay and we went home with a 1-0 win. Monday 14th Right back Martin Bell was named in the First Division Team of the Season, the only Gretna player to feature. The 20-year-old has been a consistently good performer for us for the past three seasons and I am pleased for the youngster. It was no surprise to see Livingston manager Allan Preston recognised as Manager of the Year and Brechin winger Graeme Sharp was voted Player of the Year. Wednesday 16th Barcelona lifted the UEFA Cup, beating Schalke 04 3-1 in an entertaining match. Wednesday 23rd Chelsea failed to retain their Champions League title, losing on penalties to Milan after a 1-1 draw. Saturday 26th A stirring Old Firm Scottish Cup Final was won 2-1 by Celtic to complete the domestic double Thursday 31st With the playing staff all off on holiday I went through my usual end of season review, starting with the various playing stats for the squad. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Apps | Gls | Ast | MoM | Pas | Tck | Drb | Sh T | Av Rat| |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Cameron Bell | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Greg Kelly | 42 | 1 | - | 7 | 45% | - | 0.02 | - | 7.07 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Alan Main | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Martin Bell | 30 | - | - | 3 | 70% | 5.20 | 0.41 | - | 7.33 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Andy Aitken | 36 | - | - | - | 70% | 2.92 | 0.03 | - | 7.06 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Patrick McCarthy | 36 (1)| - | - | 2 | 77% | 3.21 | 0.14 | - | 7.19 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Peter Ramage | 8 | - | - | - | 59% | 2.63 | 0.13 | - | 6.88 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Stuart Wall | 4 | - | - | - | 66% | 2.00 | - | - | 6.25 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Lee Maddison | 24 | 4 | 1 | - | 69% | 2.57 | 0.67 | 25% | 7.13 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Gavin Skelton | 22 | - | - | - | 67% | 2.16 | 0.09 | - | 7.09 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Derek Townsley | 4 (14)| 1 | - | - | 73% | 3.25 | 0.46 | - | 6.44 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Scott Bannerman | 12 | 2 | - | 1 | 65% | 4.58 | 0.17 | - | 7.08 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Simon Rusk | 2 (7) | - | - | - | 71% | 3.01 | 0.60 | - | 6.44 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Joe Boyle | 9 (5) | - | 1 | - | 76% | 2.36 | - | - | 6.93 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | David Hannah | 14 (1)| - | 2 | - | 80% | 2.74 | 0.43 | 26% | 7.13 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Danny Lennon | 20 (5)| - | 1 | - | 84% | 2.10 | 0.26 | - | 6.92 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Stephen Cosgrove | 6 (3) | - | - | - | 84% | 1.57 | 0.70 | - | 6.78 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Nicky McDonald | 34 (1)| 2 | 5 | - | 85% | 1.65 | 0.73 | 22% | 7.03 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Ciaran Ryan | 22 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 80% | 2.25 | 1.22 | 43% | 7.14 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Gordon Forrest | 27 | - | 4 | 1 | 83% | 1.82 | 0.68 | 10% | 7.30 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Steven McGregor | 11 | - | 2 | - | 81% | 1.04 | 0.28 | - | 6.73 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | John Hore | 4 | - | 2 | - | 84% | 1.29 | 1.81 | - | 6.50 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Ryan Russell | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 78% | 1.20 | 7.10 | 50% | 8.00 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Gary Cohen | 33 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 83% | 0.71 | 1.73 | 67% | 7.21 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Steven Hampshire | 2 | - | - | - | 81% | 2.00 | - | - | 7.00 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | David Bingham | 7 (8) | 1 | 2 | - | 84% | 1.08 | 0.72 | 24% | 6.53 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Tom Brighton | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.00 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Rob Elvins | 1 (6) | 2 | - | - | 81% | 1.44 | 2.88 | 42% | 6.86 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Dene Shields | 27 (2)| 12 | 8 | 2 | 86% | 0.76 | 1.48 | 66% | 7.00 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Brian Wake | 0 (2) | - | - | - | 90% | 1.18 | - | - | 6.50 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Dennis Wyness | 14 (4)| 8 | 2 | - | 85% | 0.40 | 1.19 | 58% | 7.22 | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Ryan Russell proved to be very effective once he got into the team and I will be considering making a move to bring him in permanently. Full back Bell was very consistent and midfielder Forrest was influential. Cohen had a good season and has proved to be an effective replacement for Bingham. Shields finished as our top scorer although the strike rate of Wyness was impressive and he will probably start as our first choice striker next season. Next I perused the league table at some length. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scottish First Division </pre> <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Livingston | 36 | 17 | 14 | 5 | 40 | 26 | +14 | 65 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Falkirk | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 56 | 46 | +10 | 57 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Brechin | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 45 | 37 | +8 | 56 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Airdrie Utd | 36 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 46 | 38 | +8 | 54 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Clyde | 36 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 47 | 36 | +11 | 52 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | GRETNA | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 42 | 43 | -1 | 47 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Partick | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 34 | 45 | -11 | 41 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Queen of Sth | 36 | 8 | 15 | 13 | 43 | 54 | -11 | 39 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | R | Raith | 36 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 38 | 54 | -16 | 39 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | R | Hamilton | 36 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 38 | 50 | -12 | 34 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Our record was very even and fully deserved a mid-table finish but we clearly have a lot of work to do to start to make a serious challenge for a place in the SPL. There really wasn’t too much to choose between many of the teams in the division although Livingston were clearly stronger that everyone else. Next I checked out the other finishing tables. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scottish Premier League | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Celtic | 38 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 64 | 40 | +24 | 76 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Rangers | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 72 | 40 | +32 | 72 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Hearts | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 53 | 46 | +7 | 58 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Kilmarnock | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 45 | 45 | 0 | 56 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Dundee | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 55 | 53 | +2 | 48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Motherwell | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 55 | 63 | -8 | 48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Hibs | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 54 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Dundee Utd | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 46 | 51 | -5 | 51 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Aberdeen | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 43 | 49 | -6 | 46 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Inverness CT | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 46 | 58 | -12 | 42 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | St. Johnstone | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 35 | 52 | -17 | 40 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | R | Dunfermline | 38 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 37 | 60 | -23 | 37 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Celtic retained their SPL title and added the Scottish Cup for good measure with Rangers having to settle for the League Cup as their only trophy. Having just escaped relegation last season there was no joy for Dunfermline this time around, much to the disappointment of manager Gordon Strachan of whom so much was expected. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scottish Second Division | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Ross County | 36 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 59 | 29 | +30 | 68 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | Berwick | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 43 | 41 | +2 | 59 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | St. Mirren | 36 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 45 | 47 | -2 | 50 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Stirling | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 47 | 48 | -1 | 49 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Stranraer | 36 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 48 | 43 | +5 | 46 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | East Fife | 36 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 41 | 43 | -2 | 46 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Dumbarton | 36 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 46 | 50 | -4 | 46 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Cowdenbeath | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 40 | 51 | -11 | 42 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | R | Morton | 36 | 8 | 17 | 11 | 37 | 35 | +2 | 41 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | R | Forfar | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 36 | 55 | -19 | 38 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Ross County bounced back to Division One at the first time of asking whilst Berwick will be making their first appearance at that level. Morton continue to yo-yo between the bottom two divisions and having been in contention for promotion of the last five seasons it was a surprise to see Forfar finish last. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scottish Third Division | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Ayr | 36 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 59 | 42 | +17 | 66 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | Stenhousemuir | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 55 | 45 | +10 | 59 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Elgin | 36 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 51 | 42 | +9 | 59 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Arbroath | 36 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 47 | 43 | +4 | 54 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Montrose | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 41 | 44 | -3 | 49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Albion | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 43 | 44 | -1 | 47 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Queen's Park | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 44 | 51 | -7 | 47 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Alloa | 36 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 47 | 50 | -3 | 45 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Peterhead | 36 | 12 | 7 | 17 | 43 | 50 | -7 | 43 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | East Stirling | 36 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 37 | 56 | -19 | 30 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>Ayr were fairly comfortable champions but it was a close call for the runner-up place with Stenhousemuir just making it. 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BobBev Posted April 1, 2005 Author Share Posted April 1, 2005 June 2007 Saturday 2nd Scotland have been placed in a very tough qualification group for Euro 2008 and they dropped precious points in a 1-1 draw at home to Ireland. Wednesday 6th A terrific 3-2 win at home to Turkey got Scotland’s campaign back on track and they now head their group. Wednesday 20th Gary Cohen got the nod from the supporters and he is voted Player of the Year. On the same day the Board announced that we would have a £750K transfer fund. Monday 25th Despite being asked to reconsider his decision, midfielder David Hannah retired from the game today. Tuesday 26th We lose another veteran player as keeper Alan Main hangs up his gloves. July 2007 Monday 2nd Three more of our veterans have decided to call it a day and David Bingham, Danny Lennon and Derek Townsley all retire. We also make our first signing of the new season as former Kilmarnock youngster Stephen Walker joined after a short trial. Wednesday 11th We have signed 22-year-old midfielder Lee Croft from Man City for a hefty £190K. Wednesday 25th Rangers began their Champions League campaign with a 1-1 draw at Sheriff of Moldova Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted April 2, 2005 Author Share Posted April 2, 2005 August 2007 Wednesday 1st A 2-1 win at Ibrox is enough for Rangers to progress to the next round of the Champions League. Saturday 4th Our season begins with the visit of title favourites Dunfermline who are strongly fancied to make an immediate return to the top flight. There is a definite gulf in class between the two teams and we were under pressure for most of the game. Fortunately keeper Greg Kelly was on good form and he pulled off a string of fine saves. We took the lead just before half time on a rare foray upfield. Having won a corner, Lee Maddison’s set piece was reached by Andy Aitken whose header deflected off a defender and in. The inevitable equaliser game ten minutes after the restart, also from a corner, but we were able to ride our luck and hold on for an unmerited draw. But we did lose midfield Joe Boyle with a fractured cheekbone and with Simon Rusk out of action with a training injury we were left with limited options in the “holding†midfield position. Wednesday 8th Rangers continued their Champions League campaign with a 2-2 draw in Portugal against Sporting and Celtic got into action with a 2-0 win at Siroki Brijeg of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thursday 9th In the UEFA Cup Kilmarnock had a 2-2 draw at home to Amica of Poland and Hearts won 1-0 at Vardar of Macedonia. Saturday 11th Our trip to Airdrie United was disappointing, as we showed very little in the way of attacking threat and despite another good display by Kelly we returned with a 2-0 defeat. Saturday 18th Our poor form continued with the visit from Clyde as once again we played poorly, losing 2-0 and never looked like creating a scoring threat. Wednesday 22nd A 0-0 draw at Ibrox was good enough to see Rangers through in their Champions League tie with Sporting thanks to the away goal rule. Celtic had a more comfortable passage, beating Siroki Brijeg 3-0 at home. Thursday 23rd Kilmarnock crashed out of the UEFA Cup losing 2-0 at Amica but Hearts completed a 3-0 aggregate win over Vardar. Saturday 25th The visit to Ross County resulted in yet another defeat as we lost 2-0 but at least we offered a bit more attacking threat, especially in the second half when Tom Brighton replaced an injured Dene Shields. Tuesday 28th A truly dire month was brought to a conclusion when a second string eleven was dumped out of the Challenge Cup after a 2-0 defeat at home to Montrose of Division Three. With just a point to our name after four league games and lie in 9th place with only pointless Berwick keeping us off the bottom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted April 3, 2005 Author Share Posted April 3, 2005 September 2007 Saturday 1st A 2-0 defeat in Portugal knocked Scotland’s hopes for Euro 2008 as they dropped from 1st to 4th in a highly competitive group. Tuesday 4th Our first win of the season came in the League Cup at home to Second Division Cowdenbeath. Given the chances we created we should have had more to show than a single goal from Ciaran Ryan but a win’s a win and I’m grateful for it. Wednesday 5th A 6-1 win at home to Kazakhstan was an excellent way for Scotland to continue their Euro 2008 campaign but they will have to win both of their remaining matches, away at Andorra and Ireland, to have a chance of making it. Saturday 8th There was no improvement in our league from at home to Falkirk as another goal-shy performance ended in a 2-0 defeat. Tuesday 11th Rangers started their Champions League group campaign with a 2-1 defeat at home to Werder Bremen. Wednesday 12th In contrast to their Glasgow neighbours, Celtic opened their group with a stunning 5-0 win at Ajax thanks to some lethal finishing and hesitant goalkeeping. Thursday 13th In the UEFA Cup Hearts played out a 0-0 draw at home to Monaco and will not be favoured to get through to the group stage of that competition. Saturday 15th A league win at last! For the visit to Brechin the introduction of Tom Brighton up front appeared to offer more attacking threat and with Lee Croft pushed up into a supporting striker role we seemed more balanced. Croft it was who scored the only goal of the game in out 1-0 win, a victory that lifted us out of the bottom two. Saturday 22nd With Partick just a place below us it was important that we kept our momentum going when they visited Raydale Park. Lee Croft got us of to a great start with an early goal and the same player doubled our advantage just before half time. When Lee Maddison converted a penalty with less than 20 minutes remaining we looked to be home and dry. But we suffered a few jitters at the back, allowing the visitors to score twice near the end before substitute Stephen Walker made the game safe with a goal in stoppage time. The 4-2 win was badly needed and gave the players a big confidence boost. Tuesday 25th Celtic suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to FC Bayern in their Champions League group. Wednesday 26th Despite sending out a second string team for the League Cup tie at Aberdeen, the boys performed really well before suffering a narrow defeat. Midfielder Joe Boyle opened the scoring ten minutes before half time but the home side squared the game before the break. They took the lead shortly after the restart but we showed great spirit to even things up through Dennis Wyness but a goal five minutes before the end won the game for our hosts. In spite of the defeat I was pleased by the performance and the team spirit that we showed throughout. On the same evening Rangers got their first point in their Champions League group with a 0-0 draw at Austria Vienna. Thursday 27th Hearts put in a brave fight at Monaco in the UEFA Cup but a 3-2 defeat meant that they were eliminated from the competition. Saturday 29th The match at Queen of the South was an open and entertaining encounter with both sides always looking to attack. It was some surprise that the first half ended scoreless given the chances that were created at both ends of the pitch. The home side took the lead with 20 minutes remaining but we squared the game five minutes later through a Lee Maddison penalty. Unfortunately we conceded again near the end and despite forcing the home keeper into action several times we were unable to recover and lost 2-1. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted April 4, 2005 Author Share Posted April 4, 2005 October 2007 Monday 1st Four wins out of four for Falkirk saw David Wilson take the managerial award for September. Our own Martin Bell and young Hibs striker Tom Hughes, on loan at Falkirk, took the playing awards. Tuesday 2nd 18-year-old winger Kevin Ferguson, released by Hibs in the summer, signed a three-year contract with us after impressing the coaching staff during his trial period. Saturday 6th Scotland came back from Andorra with a decent 3-0 win to move up to second in their group. Wednesday 10th Scotland fell at the final hurdle in the Euro 2008 group, losing 2-1 in Ireland to miss out on a playoff place. Turkey were group winners and Portugal finished as runners-up. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Turkey | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 5 | +18 | 24 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Pl | Portugal | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 7 | +11 | 21 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Ireland | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 9 | +14 | 19 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Scotland | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 11 | +12 | 19 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Kazakhstan | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 31 | -24 | 4 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Andorra | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 34 | -31 | 1 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Saturday 13th The trip to bottom of the table Berwick presented a good opportunity for a decent result and we got a 1-0 win courtesy of Tom Brighton’s first goal for the club. Unfortunately Lee Croft picked up a knock and he will likely miss the next game or two. Tuesday 16th In the third of their Champions League group games Celtic gained a reasonable 1-1 draw at Dinamo Kiev thanks to a stoppage-time goal from young forward Kevin Cowley. Wednesday 17th Rangers gained their second point in their group with a 1-1 draw at home to Banik Ostrava but are in desperate need of a win or two if they are to qualify. Saturday 20th Promotion favourites and early league leaders Dunfermline have had some poor results recently and have dropped to 5th in the table. I hoped that we could cause them some trouble during our visit and with Gordon Forrest running the midfield we exceeded my expectations. Substitute Dennis Wyness was on hand to tap home after a shot from Stephen Walker came back off the bar to give us a 1-0 win. It was a great shame that Forrest suffered a reaction to a knee injury after the game and was forced to miss a game or two. Saturday 27th I was delighted that we managed to keep our winning run going when Airdrie United visited. Gary Cohen, now being deployed as a right-winger as Croft has taken over his original position, gave us the lead after an hour. The visitors threatened to get back on terms several times but midfielder Steven McGregor wrapped up the 2-0 win with a goal deep into stoppage time. Tuesday 30th Rangers finally got the Champions League win that they were looking for with a good 3-0 victory at Banik Ostrava and move up to second place in their group. Wednesday 31st Celtic emulated their neighbours by beating Dinamo Kiev 1-0 in Glasgow and they too hold the runners-up spot in their Champions League group. On the same evening the 3rd round of the League Cup threw up a couple of shock results. Third Division Albion Rovers knocked out Kilmarnock, winning 2-1 after extra time and Raith of Division Two beat St. Johnstone by the same scoreline. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted April 5, 2005 Author Share Posted April 5, 2005 November 2007 Thursday 1st Our 100% league record gave me the managerial award for October with centre back Andy Aitken taking the senior player prize and young Ross County defender Tony McMahon the junior equivalent. Saturday 3rd Our recent good run came to an end when we visited league leaders Clyde and left with a narrow 1-0 defeat. With a little bit more luck in front of goal we may have squared the game in the second half but it was not to be. Simon Rusk has started to establish himself in the side now and put in another sterling performance in midfield but we could still do with a bit more punch up front. Sunday 4th A 2-0 victory over Partick gave Falkirk the first trophy of the season as they won the Challenge Cup for the 3rd time in their history, a full ten years after their last triumph. Friday 9th Frustrated at his lack of first team opportunity, left back Gavin Skelton handed in a transfer request today. Never one to have a lad on the books that doesn’t want to be there, I agreed to make him available. Saturday 10th No action for us this weekend as the Euro 2008 playoffs commenced. Denmark took control of the Scandinavian derby with a 3-0 win at home to Sweden, Norway lost out 2-1 at home to Bulgaria, Portugal and Romania ended goalless in Lisbon and Croatia won 2-1 in the Ukraine. Wednesday 14th The second leg ties saw Denmark and Bulgaria complete comfortable wins, the Ukraine came back to win 2-1 in Croatia and then triumphed in the penalty shootout and a 2-2 draw in Romania saw Portugal qualify. Saturday 17th A toothless display at home to Ross County ended in a no-score draw as we continued to struggle in front of goal. I am now considering whether we need to make some tactical changes to try to give us more of an attacking threat. Tuesday 20th Celtic secured their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with a game to spare after a fine 3-0 win at home to Ajax. Wednesday 21st Rangers had a creditable 2-2 draw at Werder Bremen and if they can get a result in their final game at home to Austria Vienna then they too will progress to the next phase. Saturday 24th Our trip to Falkirk turned into that most unexpected of events – a goalfest! Aided and abetted by a dreadful goalkeeping mistake for his second, Dennis Wyness scored twice inside the first six minutes as we raced into the lead. As the half progressed the home side squared the game with two goals in five minutes, both of tem exquisite free kicks. But to my surprise we went into the break back in the lead after Lee Croft capitalised on another goalkeeping error to score. On the hour mark Wyness scored a poachers special to give us a 4-2 lead. Sadly, our normally reliable defence went AWOL, allowing two more goals in another five-minute spell near the end. The 4-4 draw was ultimately very unsatisfactory as we failed to take advantage of the goals gifted to us and threw two points away. Sunday 25th Hearts have sacked manager Walter Smith a year and a week after he took over at the club. With his team bottom of the SPL, Smith had been on borrowed time and his dismissal had been widely predicted for some weeks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted April 6, 2005 Author Share Posted April 6, 2005 December 2007 Saturday 1st Partick made a clean sweep of the November awards – manager Steve Evans, midfielder Gary Greenhill and defender Kenny Tawse the men being honoured. Our opening game of the month was important as we entertained Brechin who were just below us in the table. A scoreless first half suggested that we were back to our old ways in front of goal but two headed goals from Wyness put us in control. An own goal from Andy Aitken gave the visitors hope but a late penalty converted by Lee Maddison rounded off a good 3-1 win. Monday 3rd Former Charlton manager Alan Curbishley has been named as the man to save Hearts from relegation this season. Having been sacked just a few weeks ago, the 50-year-old Englishman has not had to wait too long to find alternative employment. Tuesday 4th A fine 3-1 win at home to Austria Vienna has taken Rangers into the last 32 of the Champions League. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |1st | Q | Werder Bremen | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 14 | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |2nd | Q | Rangers | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 9 | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |3rd | | Austria Vienna | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 6 | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| |4th | | Banik Ostrava | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 11 | -8 | 2 | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Wednesday 5th A 2-0 defeat at FC Bayern made no difference to Celtic’s final position in their Champions League group and they join their great rivals in the knockout stage. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | FC Bayern | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 13 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Celtic | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 10 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Dinamo Kiev | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 6 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Ajax | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 | -9 | 3 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>Saturday 8th Our familiar failings in front of goal came back to haunt us at home to bottom team Berwick and a disappointing game ended scoreless. Sunday 9th Not a good day on the job front today as two more managers get the boot. Dunfermline boss Gordon Strachan was supposed to have his team challenging for a return back to the SPL and a current position of 5th in Division One isn’t good enough for the Board and the fans. Dundee have also jettisoned their manager and Jim Duffy will be at the job centre on Monday. Saturday 15th We got off to a good start at Partick and found ourselves with a one-goal and a one-man advantage after quarter of an hour. The home side had centre back Grant Murray sent off for a professional foul when he hauled back Lee Croft on the edge of the area. Patrick McCarthy scored his first goal for the club from the resulting free kick to give us the lead. We failed to build on our advantage in the first half but made the game safe after the break. Wyness scored with a good header on 68 and ten minutes later we were safe when Ciaran Ryan despatched a penalty. Thursday 20th Former Scottish international Willie Donachie has taken charge at Dundee, scotching rumours that Gordon Strachan was being lined up for the job. Saturday 22nd The visit of 3rd place Queen of the South resulted in an open and entertaining game with chances aplenty at both ends of the pitch. Despite some frantic goalmouth scrambles, neither side could deliver a goal and the game ended in stalemate. Wednesday 26th I was hoping that we would put in a good performance at home to managerless Dunfermline and indeed we got off to a great start when Dennis Wyness scored inside five minutes. But for the visiting keeper we would have increased our advantage and with five minutes remaining we were to regret our failure to add to our tally. A terrible mix up between centre back Aitken and keeper Kelly allowed the visitors to equalise and the game ended at 1-1. Thursday 27th Former Liverpool and Wales legend Ian Rush has been unveiled as the new man in charge at Dunfermline. The 46-year-old has been tempted away from Chester to take charge at East End Park. Saturday 29th We gave away an early goal at Airdire United and for 60 minutes we struggled to get our game going. Then Wyness conjured up an equaliser and suddenly we looked like the better side. But within minutes we were behind again after Kelly conceded a soft penalty. With time running out I threw on Dene Shields as an extra attacker and in the 89th minute he scored the tying goal to preserve our unbeaten run. So at the turn of the year we had risen to 4th place in the First Division, looked to be safe from the threat of relegation but sat 11 points outside the promotion race. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Clyde | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 14 | +15 | 39 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Falkirk | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 33 | 22 | +11 | 39 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Queen of Sth | 20 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 30 | 22 | +8 | 31 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | GRETNA | 20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 24 | 22 | +2 | 28 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Ross County | 20 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 24 | 23 | +1 | 27 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Dunfermline | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 23 | +1 | 26 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Airdrie Utd | 20 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 25 | 27 | -2 | 25 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Partick | 20 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 28 | -5 | 23 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Brechin | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 24 | 34 | -10 | 19 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Berwick | 20 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 13 | 34 | -21 | 10 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
displaced_seagull Posted April 6, 2005 Share Posted April 6, 2005 This is fantastic Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 Cheers Stuart. January 2008 Tuesday 1st With his team pushing for promotion to the SPL, Falkirk manager David Wilson has taken the December managerial award with Brechin centre back James Bishop and Airdrie United youngster Thomas Hoey taking the playing awards. Saturday 5th The year began with a visit from promotion challengers Clyde and I decided that we would go with a new formation. I played with two strikers rather than just one and an advanced midfielder/forward. I can’t say that it was an immediate success as we lost a tight game 1-0, but the players will need some time to adjust and I won’t give up on it after just one game. Sunday 6th It didn’t take long for the first managerial casualty of the year as Morton dispense with the services of Jim Harvey. Wednesday 9th We signed a Brazilian today! 22-year-old striker Magno Silva Vieira has arrived from Wigan for a fee of £9K. I am hoping that he will provide some spark in attack and get us amongst the goals. The Chairman was pleased anyway, saying that this was the sort of high-profile signing that he wanted to see more of. Saturday 12th We entertained Hearts today in the Scottish Cup and put up a pretty good display. We shocked the visitors when Ciaran Ryan put us in front after 20 minutes but the SPL side were quickly back on terms. We held on to parity until 20 minutes from time when they scored what proved to be the winning goal to eliminate us at the first hurdle. Saturday 19th Our new formation certainly seemed to produce a lot of chances during the game at Ross County – unfortunately we failed to convert any of them and ended with another 0-0 draw. Centre back Andy Aitken did set a new club record today though as he made his 144th appearance for Gretna. Friday 25th The Chairman might be keen to make some high-profile signings but there are precious few high-profile players that are even vaguely interested in coming to Gretna. But we have managed to nab a couple of loan players for the remainder of the season. Man City striker Karl Bermingham and Sunderland forward Kevin Davidson have both come on board, although neither were fit enough to make an immediate start. Saturday 26th Bitterly cold weather and a half-frozen pitch greeted visitors Falkirk and the resulting game was scrappy to say the least. The promotion challengers took an early lead but we managed to strike back through a rare Aitken goal 15 minutes from time. Sunday 27th With the team just above the relegation places in the First Division, the Partick Board have finally run out of patience with manager Steve Evans and they are now looking for a replacement. Monday 28th Partick have wasted no time in getting a new man in at the helm with Gary Johnson jumping ship at Yeovil to take charge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted April 7, 2005 Author Share Posted April 7, 2005 February 2008 Friday 1st Clyde boss Francis Vines has won the Manager of the Month award for January with his own midfielder Craig McBride and Brechin’s young full back Rhys Powell winning the playing plaudits. Saturday 2nd In our game at Brechin we conceded a goal midway through the first half but got back on terms before the break thanks to an own goal. That proved to be the only way past an inspired home keeper as he single-handedly kept our attack at bay for the second half. We came agonisingly close to getting a winner on several occasions but just couldn’t quite do it, striking the woodwork twice. Sunday 3rd I was aware that the Board were getting increasingly frustrated with our failure to get a winning run going but it was still a bolt from the blue when I got a call from Chairman Brooks Mileson at home on Sunday morning. He explained that he was terminating my contract and wished me every success in finding a new job. I was dumbstruck to be honest and I couldn’t help wondering how different things would have been had we won yesterday. It was pretty frustrating to think that the width of a crossbar could have made the difference between being employed and unemployed. So after 3 and a half seasons at Gretna, with two league titles and one cup in the trophy cabinet, that was it – out on my ear. So there we have it - my hopes of taking Gretna on to glory lie in dust, another victim of an impatient Chairman with ambition. I wish my successor good fortune, whoever he may be, and I hope that my brief story has proved entertaining. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
displaced_seagull Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Shame Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jorg Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 A bit of a shock, its a shame you couldn't of got that big name to buy you a bit of time. I agree with you about the chairman, probably expected too much too soon. Good story though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted April 8, 2005 Author Share Posted April 8, 2005 Thanks chaps. It did come as a bolt from the blue, I must admit. I might give them another go sometime as it was quite fun not having any money worries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 26, 2005 Author Share Posted August 26, 2005 OK – I found that I still had the save game (I never delete anything!) and decided to start it up and see what happened. Here it is. February 2008 – Continued Thursday 7th I had very little time to mope around the house brooding on my dismissal as today I received two phone calls with job offers. Morton Chairman Douglas Rae and Darlington Managing Director Andrew Battison have both asked me to take over at their clubs. The two clubs face similar problems – significant debt and a spiralling wage bill – and the offers are conditional on making significant improvements to the finances. After some thought I opt for the Morton job. I don’t really want to leave Scotland and the Greenock side have so much potential - a good stadium, excellent training facilities and a large potential fanbase. They really should be an established Division One side pushing for the Premiership. So decision made I call Mr. Rae to let him know, pack a suitcase and head North. Saturday 9th Now installed in my new office at Cappielow Park, I begin to take stock of what faces me. For a start the club is nearly £500K in debt and has a weekly wage bill that runs to the best part of £8K. I have been given a transfer budget of £45K but with 26 players on the books I don’t imagine that I will dig into that for the moment. The backroom setup is minimal so there is nothing much to be saved there. My Assistant Manager is none other that former French international and World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit and I have a coach, a physio and a scout. The team sits 7th in the Third Division at present. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Arbroath | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 31 | 23 | +8 | 41 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Queen's Park | 24 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 33 | 29 | +4 | 39 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Forfar | 24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 33 | 29 | +4 | 36 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Alloa | 24 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 32 | 29 | +3 | 34 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Albion | 24 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 29 | 30 | -1 | 33 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Elgin | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 32 | 29 | +3 | 32 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | MORTON | 24 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 31 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Montrose | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 28 | 29 | -1 | 30 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Peterhead | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 30 | -4 | 30 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | East Stirling | 24 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 21 | 38 | -17 | 14 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>With a week to prepare before my first game in charge I decide that there is no point in rushing into anything and that I can take a week or two to get to know the players better. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Inf | Name | Position | Nat | Age | Value | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Wnt | Shane Herbert | GK | ENG | 21 | £0 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | John Stark | GK | SCO | 21 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Tom Hamilton | GK | NIR | 21 | £3K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Dean Keenan | SW/D RC | SCO | 22 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Stuart Sangster | D R | SCO | 22 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Martin Ross | D R | SCO | 20 | £7K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Stuart McCluskey | D C | SCO | 30 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Todd Lumsden | D C | SUR | 30 | £3K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Marc McCulloch | D/DM L | SCO | 27 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Loa | Jim McAllister | D/AM R | SCO | 22 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Chris Millar | DM RC | SCO | 24 | £9K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Loa | John Adam | DM C | SCO | 23 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Andy Proctor | DM C | ENG | 24 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Ine | Michael Allan | M L | ENG | 20 | £0 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Loa | Richard Barr | M C | SCO | 23 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Loa | Chris Hamilton | AM R | SCO | 21 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Inj | James Allan | AM L | SCO | 26 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Inj | Jimmy Gibson | AM C | SCO | 27 | £2K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Paul Walker | AM/F RC | SCO | 30 | £3K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Paul Kenworthy | AM/F RC | ENG | 20 | £2K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Req | Luke Maitland | F RC | ENG | 21 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Michael Carvill | F C | NIR | 19 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Steven Fletcher | S C | SCO | 23 | £8K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Loa | George Haney | S C | SCO | 21 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | Jamie Gilfillan | S C | SCO | 20 | £1K | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | John Hughes | S C | SCO | 18 | £0 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>A quick glance at the playing roster shows me that there are a lot of young players in the squad and my first priority is to look at some of the higher wage earners and decide if we can justify keeping them on board. Sunday 10th There are more another managerial casualties today as Dumbarton, deep in the Division Two relegation dogfight, sack Billy Urmson and Hibs, bottom of the SPL, dismiss Tony Mowbray. On the same day I hear that former Huddersfield man Dave Mosson has taken over at Gretna and I silently wish my successor every success. Wednesday 13th Dumbarton have appointed Stuart Balmer as their new manager. Thursday 14th Billy Davies today confirmed the rumours that he would be leaving Preston to take over the vacant managerial position at Hibs. Saturday 16th I sent the team out for my first game in charge at Elgin in what was essentially a 4-4-2 formation but I asked the central midfielders to play in a bit of a diamond with one dropping back to help the defence and one moving up to support the strikers. I figured that we had a few decent players who could adapt to this system. The lads put in an excellent performance to give me a 2-0 win on my debut with midfielder Jimmy Gibson scoring both of our goals. Sunday 17th It was probably a coincidence and nothing to do with winning my first game but I got a call today to say that the Board had made a cash injection of £100K to help with the running costs of the club. Wednesday 20th In our game at home to Queen’s Park we went nearly 80 minutes without producing much of a goal threat but then scored three times in the last ten minutes. Top scorer Steve Fletcher showed that he had an eye for goal by scoring a brace with substitute Paul Walker adding the third. In the Champions League, Rangers had been handed a plum tie against Arsenal but sadly they lost the first leg 4-0 in London. Celtic were paired with Italian giants Inter and they too lost, 2-1 in Glasgow. Saturday 23rd We welcomed the visit of Peterhead with our confidence running high but were brought back down to earth when we suffered a 1-0 defeat. Jimmy Gibson almost snatched a point for us at the death but his long-range effort came back off the post and was cleared to safety. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
suppitty Posted August 26, 2005 Share Posted August 26, 2005 Yes! Loved it the 1st time around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 28, 2005 Author Share Posted August 28, 2005 Cheers suppity March 2008 Saturday 1st Jim Weir of Peterhead nabbed the managerial award for February with our own left-winger James Allan, rescued from the reserves when I took over, and Andrew Selkirk of Albion Rovers taking the playing awards. On the playing front we welcomed a visit from Albion and by half time we had established a 3-1 lead with goals from Fletcher, Gibson and Haney but ill discipline in defence allowed two goals in the last 15 minutes for a disappointing 3-3 draw. Sunday 2nd The Board have somehow come up with another £150K to make further inroads into our debt. Tuesday 4th Celtic’s Champions League adventure came to an end after a 3-1 defeat at Inter. Wednesday 5th Rangers restored a modicum of pride at Ibrox with a 2-1 defeat of Arsenal but the damage done in the first leg was too much to repair and they too were eliminated. Saturday 8th We subjected promotion challengers Forfar to quite a battering as we carved out chance after chance but still we reached half time scoreless. Thankfully we did make a breakthrough after the interval and goals from Fletcher and Gibson gave us a 2-0 win. Saturday 15th We put in another good performance at Alloa, winning 3-1 and offensively we were looking pretty good. Jimmy Gibson scored twice with winger James Allan creating both goals, and strike George Haney added the third. With a settled first eleven we were starting to play more as a team now. We still looked shaky in defence on occasions but we had a pretty effective midfield and attack. In a very congested table, the result lifted us up to second place but to be honest any team down to 7th placed Alloa still had a chance of promotion. Sunday 15th The League Cup was decided today with Celtic triumphing 3-1 over Aberdeen. The Dons had eliminated Rangers at the Semi Final stage but found the other half of the Old Firm just too strong to handle. Saturday 22nd We didn’t play particularly well against bottom club East Stirling and more capable opponents would have troubled us more. But we were more than good enough to run out 3-0 winners with Haney scoring twice and Miller getting the third. Saturday 29th Our top of the table clash at leaders Queen’s Park proved eventful – we dominated the game and subjected the home side to a barrage of attacks but with 15 minutes remaining we had nothing to show for our efforts and our entire back four had been yellow-carded. But then Steven Fletcher and substitute striker Jamie Gilfillan scored within a minute of one another to give us a 2-0 win. The three points moved us above our opponents on goal difference Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted August 31, 2005 Author Share Posted August 31, 2005 April 2008 Tuesday 1st Our excellent results last month led to yours truly being voted Manager of the Month and Jimmy Gibson winning Player of the Month. Elgin left winger Liam Davis won the Young player award. Saturday 5th We started positively against Arbroath but the visitors caught us on the break to snatch the lead after 35 minutes. We had to wait until 20 minutes from time to square the game when left back Marc McCullogh converted a penalty. James Allan gave us the lead shortly afterwards with a screamer from 25 yards and substitute Jamie Gilfillan wrapped up the win with a third. Unfortunately centre back Stuart McCluskey was dismissed following a second yellow card and will miss a match. It wasn’t until later that evening that I realised that his defensive partner Surinam international Todd Lumsden had reached the 16-point mark and he too would be absent in our next match. We have very little cover in central defence and that is something that will have to be rectified in the close season. Saturday 19th We travelled to Montrose shorn of four first team starters. Our centre back pairing were both suspended and left back McCullogh and right winger Jim McAllister were both injured. Our defence had a makeshift look about it. With no recognised left back we asked defensive midfielder Andy Proctor to deputise. Dean Keenan was our only backup centre half so another midfielder, John Adam, was used as an emergency defender. We looked rocky defensively throughout the game and, in the first half in particular, had keeper John Stark to thank for keeping us on terms. When we lost Keenan to injury after 35 minutes I had to pull Chris Miller back into defence. Now playing with two midfielders as centre backs I decided that our best form of defence had to be attack so I re-shuffled a little and added striker Gilfillan to the mix. We reached half time still all square but took the lead early in the second period from the penalty spot. Looking to play on the break now, we added to out total through Fletcher and Gilfillan in the last ten minutes for an excellent 3-0 win. Saturday 26th Buoyed by a slightly surprising win last week, we were almost back to full strength for the visit of Elgin, the exception being McCluskey who was still suspended. Apparently, in addition to his sending-off ban he has also reached the 16-point mark and therefore had to miss another game. Jimmy Gibson scored what proved to be the winning goal ten minutes into the second half and the 1-0 win was all we needed to secure our promotion to Division Two. We had even better news when we got back to the dressing room and heard the other results – we were confirmed as champions and Peterhead, our next opponents, would runners-up. A return to the pitch and a lap of honour was clearly called for and that’s exactly what I told the players to do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 1, 2005 Author Share Posted September 1, 2005 May 2008 Thursday 1st I received a second managerial award for my team’s display last month with Peterhead pairing David Macrae and John Bruce taking the playing honours. Sunday 4th The Board have come up with another £170K to chip away further at our debt. Saturday 10th We made the long trip to Peterhead for a meaningless first versus second encounter as the final league positions are already established. Nonetheless the teams served up an entertaining affair. We were clearly not focussed early on and fell two goals behind inside 20 minutes. But we roused ourselves and goals from Lumsden and Fletcher got us back on terms at the interval. The home side went in front again shortly after the restart and, with our lads chasing the game, caught us on the break late on to tie up a 4-2 win. Monday 12th The annual awards were announced today and I was happy to see Todd Lumsden and Steven Fletcher in the Division Three Team of the Year. It was personally gratifying to be recognised as the Third Division Manager of the Year but given my short tenure Jim Weir of Peterhead may have been a more worthy recipient. To round off the awards, striker Paul McManus of Albion Rovers was voted Player of the Year. Tuesday 13th In an all-Spanish UEFA Cup Final underdogs Sevilla beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 after extra time. Wednesday 21st The Champions League Final featured the great Milan rivals in a head to head with Inter coming out on top 1-0. Saturday 24th Dundee pulled off a major upset in the Scottish Cup, beating Rangers on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Sunday 25th The Board have wasted no time in taking advantage of our promotion and have negotiated a new sponsorship deal worth some £40K a year over three years. Despite our debt I have been allowed to take forward the £45K transfer budget into next season. Saturday 31st With the playing staff all off on holiday I went through my usual end of season review, starting with the various playing stats for the squad. Frankly, most of this relates to the previous regime and some of the most effective players in my preferred lineup (Jimmy Gibson and Stuart McClusky are two good examples) were much more effective than their raw stats would suggest. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Apps | Gls | Ast | MoM | Pas | Tck | Drb | Sh T | Av Rat| | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Stuart Sangster | 11 | - | - | 1 | 74% | 3.27 | 0.73 | - | 7.55 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | James Allan | 12 (4) | 1 | 8 | 2 | 79% | 1.36 | 2.64 | 22% | 7.31 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Todd Lumsden | 39 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 87% | 6.59 | 0.05 | 46% | 7.21 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Steven Fletcher | 37 (4) | 23 | 5 | 3 | 73% | 0.39 | 0.94 | 54% | 7.20 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Jamie Gilfillan | 5 (10) | 7 | - | 1 | 80% | 0.28 | 1.67 | 59% | 7.07 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Shane Herbert | 0 (1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7.00 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Chris Hamilton | 1 (4) | - | - | - | 71% | 3.44 | 5.60 | - | 6.80 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Marc McCulloch | 14 | 1 | - | - | 74% | 2.57 | 0.36 | - | 6.79 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Chris Millar | 41 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 71% | 2.15 | 1.11 | 26% | 6.76 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Tom Hamilton | 12 | - | - | - | 34% | 0.17 | - | - | 6.75 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | George Haney | 10 (9) | 4 | 2 | 1 | 72% | 0.08 | 2.58 | 53% | 6.74 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Martin Ross | 26 | 3 | - | 1 | 67% | 1.46 | 0.23 | 28% | 6.73 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Jimmy Gibson | 43 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 74% | 0.81 | 0.90 | 41% | 6.70 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | John Stark | 31 | - | 1 | 1 | 48% | - | - | - | 6.68 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | John Adam | 1 (2) | - | - | - | 76% | 0.88 | - | - | 6.67 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Jim McAllister | 20 (1) | 4 | 3 | - | 67% | 1.92 | 2.72 | 28% | 6.57 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Dean Keenan | 8 (6) | 1 | 1 | - | 78% | 3.06 | 0.12 | - | 6.57 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Paul Kenworthy | 12 (4) | 3 | 1 | - | 68% | 0.56 | 1.03 | - | 6.56 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Michael Carvill | 2 | - | - | - | 52% | - | - | - | 6.50 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Stuart McCluskey | 36 | 1 | - | 1 | 76% | 2.71 | 0.03 | 20% | 6.42 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Richard Barr | 11 (7) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 68% | 1.79 | 0.27 | - | 6.22 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Paul Walker | 20 (12) | 2 | - | - | 66% | 0.76 | 2.04 | 34% | 6.19 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Luke Maitland | 0 (1) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6.00 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Andy Proctor | 16 (3) | 1 | - | - | 68% | 1.17 | - | - | 5.95 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | John Hughes | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Next I had a good look at the final league table. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scottish Third Division </pre> <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Morton | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 38 | +18 | 59 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | Peterhead | 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 51 | 38 | +13 | 58 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Queen's Park | 36 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 44 | 46 | -2 | 53 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Forfar | 36 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 47 | 46 | +1 | 50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Arbroath | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 39 | 51 | -12 | 49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Albion | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 53 | 52 | +1 | 48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Elgin | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 47 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Alloa | 36 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 46 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Montrose | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 43 | 50 | -7 | 42 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | East Stirling | 36 | 6 | 16 | 14 | 34 | 46 | -12 | 34 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Although the top two established a decent margin in the end, the league was very competitive for most of the season – had it not been then we could never have risen from 7th place to champions in such a short time. Just to complete the picture I had a good read through the remaining tables. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scottish Premier League | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Celtic | 38 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 66 | 28 | +38 | 82 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Rangers | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 57 | 43 | +14 | 66 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Aberdeen | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 52 | 38 | +14 | 66 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Kilmarnock | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 53 | 47 | +6 | 56 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Livingston | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 45 | 53 | -8 | 47 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | St. Johnstone | 38 | 13 | 5 | 20 | 42 | 55 | -13 | 44 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Hearts | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 47 | 52 | -5 | 54 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Motherwell | 38 | 10 | 16 | 12 | 45 | 49 | -4 | 46 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Dundee | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 44 | 51 | -7 | 46 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Dundee Utd | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 45 | 49 | -4 | 45 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Inverness CT | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 46 | -4 | 43 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | R | Hibs | 38 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 37 | 64 | -27 | 32 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Celtic were dominant and completed a hat trick of SPL titles but that was their only trophy of the season as success in the domestic cups eluded them. Aberdeen were very unlucky not to have split the Old Firm for the first time since 1995, losing out on goals scored. Their 1-0 defeat to Rangers at Pittodrie in their final game of the season did the damage. Hibs were the shock relegation side and will be hoping to bounce back immediately. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scottish First Division | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Falkirk | 36 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 59 | 40 | +19 | 66 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Clyde | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 51 | 32 | +19 | 65 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Ross County | 36 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 55 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Dunfermline | 36 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 52 | 44 | +8 | 53 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Gretna | 36 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 43 | 41 | +2 | 50 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Partick | 36 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 47 | 48 | -1 | 46 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Airdrie Utd | 36 | 10 | 15 | 11 | 50 | 52 | -2 | 45 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Queen of Sth | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 45 | 48 | -3 | 43 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | R | Brechin | 36 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 40 | 58 | -18 | 34 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | R | Berwick | 36 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 58 | -28 | 27 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> It was a ding-dong battle between the top two all season, with Falkirk finally coming good. Dunfermline failed to live up to their tag as promotion favourites and former employers Gretna managed a decent 5th place in the end, one place and three points better than last season. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Scottish Second Division | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Raith | 36 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 58 | 32 | +26 | 65 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | St. Mirren | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 56 | 42 | +14 | 65 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Hamilton | 36 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 52 | 45 | +7 | 62 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Stenhousemuir | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 58 | 48 | +10 | 56 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Stirling | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 48 | 43 | +5 | 48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Ayr | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 39 | 46 | -7 | 41 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Stranraer | 36 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 37 | 49 | -12 | 40 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Dumbarton | 36 | 8 | 15 | 13 | 37 | 48 | -11 | 39 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | R | East Fife | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 36 | 47 | -11 | 39 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | R | Cowdenbeath | 36 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 41 | 62 | -21 | 35 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pickles Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 Good to see this one going again! And look how close Aberdeen came to splitting Celtic and Rangers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 6, 2005 Author Share Posted September 6, 2005 Cheers Pickles - the Dons were a bit unlucky weren't they June 2008 Despite all of the playing staff being on holiday I had a very hectic month as I focused on trying to being in some new players at minimal cost. But I must confess that I had almost no success, being rebuffed countless times. I had no great problem in having my transfer bids accepted but in almost every instance the player himself just wasn’t interested or their wage demands were just too high. I had no joy in any of the loan signings that I was pursuing either, much to my frustration. I had barely registered that Euro 2008 was underway and I missed most of the group games, but I did snatch a look at the final tables to see who had qualified. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Group A | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team |Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | France |3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Denmark |3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Czech Republic |3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 1 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Switzerland |3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 1 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Group B | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Germany | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Portugal | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Turkey | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Spain | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 2 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Group C | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 9 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Wales | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Bulgaria | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Austria | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 3 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Group D | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Italy | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 9 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Holland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Russia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 3 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Ukraine | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 1 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> The Final ended up being contested by France and England and I did make time to watch that particular contest. It turned out to be one of the most entertaining goalless draws that I have seen, with no shortage of attacking flair and defensive solidity on both sides. The title was eventually decided on penalties with the French holding their nerve to get the win. At the end of a hectic and frustrating month my only successful signing was 23-year-old keeper Duncan Bruce who cost a mere £1K from Forfar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 9, 2005 Author Share Posted September 9, 2005 Season 05 July 2008 Thursday 3rd Young forward John Hughes was released at the end of his contract as we saw no future for the lad at Morton. Monday 7th During June we had accepted several very interesting invitation for friendlies and we played our first one today as we welcomed the visit of Leeds United. We put in a pretty decent display in losing 2-1 but more importantly, with a gate of over 11,000 we got some extra revenue to defray our running costs. Tuesday 8th 24-year-old left back Paul Hilland joined today from Queen of the South for a £1K fee. Sunday 13th We entertained very distinguished visitors indeed when Chelsea came to Cappielow. They were comfortable 2-0 winners but once again we had a full house to bring in a little cash. Monday 14th Rangers lost manager Roy Aitken to Newcastle at the end of last month and today they unveiled former Chelsea player Claude Makelele as their new manager. The 35-year-old Frenchman had been at charge at Preston for the last 12 months and he has taken a big step up moving to a club like Rangers. Tuesday 15th We completed another signing today when 21-year-old striker Nathan Jarman joined form Barnsley on a £9K deal. Wednesday 16th By coincidence, our final warm up game is against managerless Preston and our 3-2 win was quite impressive as we once again attracted an 11,000-plus crowd. Wednesday 23rd Rangers were in action in the Champions League 2nd qualifying round and they had a reasonable 2-0 win at home to Sheriff of Moldova. Saturday 26th The season proper begins with a Challenge Cup match at home to Stirling Albion and a disappointing 2-0 defeat. We were profligate in front of goal and despite making a host of chances we rarely troubled the visiting keeper. Wednesday 30th A 1-1 draw in Moldova is more than enough for Rangers to progress in the Champions League. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 15, 2005 Author Share Posted September 15, 2005 August 2008 Wednesday 6th There was Champions League action for the Old Firm this evening and both teams will be pleased with their results. Rangers came back from Olympiakos with a useful 0-0 draw and Celtic won 2-0 at Wisla in Poland. Thursday 7th In the UEFA Cup Aberdeen had a 2-1 win at home to Brondby but Dundee suffered an unfortunate 2-1 defeat at home to Dnipro of the Ukraine. Saturday 9th Hostilities in the league get underway with a home match against fellow promotees Peterhead. It was on open game played between two well-matched teams and there was much to keep the somewhat sparse crowd entertained. We took an early lead through Jimmy Gibson but were pegged back within five minutes. Jim McAllister, playing on the right side of midfield, put us back in front on the half hour and Todd Lumsden extended our lead before half time. The visitors clawed a goal back with just over 15 minutes remaining to set up a tense finale but we held on for a good opening-day win. Wednesday 13th We were quickly back in action again with a visit from Ayr United. Jimmy Gibson really seems to be enjoying his role as a free player behind the front two and he opened the scoring inside the first quarter of an hour. A goal from Nathan Jarman, his first since his arrival, on 55 minutes gave us a cushion and we held on comfortably for the win. Saturday 16th Our first away game of the season was at Hamilton and despite pretty much dominating the first half we went into the break a goal behind after getting caught on the break. We worked hard in the second half and finally got back on terms when Steven Fletcher scored his first of the season. Unfortunately he picked up a knock in the act of scoring and he had to come off. We only maintained parity for four minutes before the home side went back in front again and with us chasing the game they scored a third at the death to secure the points. Wednesday 20th There were celebrations all over Glasgow this evening as the Old Firm both had good results in the Champions League. Celtic won 1-0 at home to Wisla to secure a 3-0 aggregate victory and Rangers had an impressive 3-0 win over Olympiakos. Thursday 21st The Scottish challenge in the UEFA Cup was ended tonight. Aberdeen suffered a 3-1 defeat at Brondby and Dundee lost 2-0 at Dnipro. Saturday 23rd After a slightly unsteady start at Brechin we soon got into our stride. Goals from Chris Miller, Nathan Jarman and Jimmy Gibson gave us a comfortable lead at half time. There was no further scoring in the second period and the 3-0 win took us to the top of the table, a point ahead of Dumbarton. Sunday 31st On the final day of the transfer window I have finally been able to dispose of a couple of unwanted players. Goalkeeper Tom Hamilton and forward Paul Kenworthy were two of our biggest earners and I rated neither player very highly. They were certainly not in my preferred starting eleven, that’s for sure. Having failed to re-negotiate their contracts with a lower wage and with neither player willing to consider a mutual termination, I was happy to let them both leave on free transfers. Hamilton has gone to Forest Green and Kenworthy to Cheltenham. The net result is a reduction of some £1.6K a week off the wage bill. This brings us under budget and might mean that the Board will be willing to allow more flexibility in future transfer negotiations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 21, 2005 Author Share Posted September 21, 2005 September 2008 Monday 1st I was a little surprised to hear that I had been given the Manager of the Month award for August. On the playing side, Dumbarton midfielder Sean Mackie and Peterhead striker John Bruce were the lads recognised. Tuesday 2nd By coincidence the draw for the 1st round of the League Cup has pitted us against the team that eliminated us from the Challenge Cup and we travel to Stirling with thought of revenge. An uncertain start sees us fall a goal behind midway through the first half but fortunately Steven Fletcher finds an equaliser on the half hour. The contest remains tight until the last ten minutes when goals from Nathan Jarman and a second for Fletcher see us through. Wednesday 3rd World Cup qualification gets underway this evening. Scotland have been drawn in Group 6 with great rivals England and we don’t get off to the best of starts, drawing 0-0 with Belgium at Hampden whilst England thrash the Faeroes 5-1 to top the group. Saturday 6th The visit of Stranraer was frustrating for both players and fans alike. Some inflexible refereeing decisions saw nine yellow and two red cards produced, spoiling the flow of the game completely. We took the lead shortly after half time from the penalty spot when Jarman converted the award. Within ten minutes we were playing against ten men but still contrived to give away an equaliser in the 79th minute. The visitors had another man dismissed minutes form time but they were able to entrench and play out time for the draw. Tuesday 9th Rangers played their first Champions League group match and were held to a scoreless draw by visiting Sevilla. Wednesday 10th Celtic also started their Champions League group at home to Spanish opposition, but they managed a 1-0 win against Valencia. Saturday 13th An early goal from Jimmy Gibson got us off to a flying start at bottom of the table Berwick. The midfielder doubled his tally on the half hour before completing his hat trick in stoppage time at the end of the half. The second period was a more even affair and the home side were unfortunate not get at least a consolation goal as we relaxed a little too much. Saturday 20th We took on Stirling Albion today for the third time this season and suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat. We took the lead early on through Jarman and when the home side had a man dismissed for a second bookable offence we should have taken control. But frankly it was hard to tell who had the extra man as we allowed our opponents to dictate the game. They equalised after 36 minutes and then scored what proved to be the winning goal just before half time. Their win has taken them to the top of the table and we have dropped down to 3rd. Tuesday 23rd Celtic made the trip south to London to face Arsenal in the Champions League and returned with their tails between their legs after a humiliating 3-0 defeat. Wednesday 24th We travelled to Partick in the 2nd round of the League Cup and surprised the First Division side when Nathan Jarman gave us the lead on 25 minutes. The home side struck back quickly with an equaliser inside ten minutes. They had the better of the game thereafter but keeper John Stark, later awarded Man of the Match, was equal to the task and kept their attack at bay to force extra time. They took the lead just before the midpoint of the extra 30 minutes but Jarman’s second of the game tied things up ten minutes later and we faced a penalty shootout. The home side missed their first three spot kicks and when Todd Lumsden converted our fourth, we were through. In the Champions League, Rangers moved to the top of their group with a 2-0 win at GAK of Austria. Friday 26th The League Cup victory was gained at a price – winger James Allan suffered a back strain and could miss up to three weeks action. But there was some compensation in the draw for the 3rd round as we would face Celtic at Cappielow, a game that would be sure to attract a good gate. Saturday 27th With Allan missing, George Haney too his place for the visit of Stenhousemuir and by half time the game was as good as won. Two goals from Steven Fletcher and one each from Jimmy Gibson and Chris Miller sent us in to the dressing room 4-0 ahead. The second period was much less eventful with no further scoring and our comfortable win took us back to the top of the table on goal difference over Peterhead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted September 23, 2005 Author Share Posted September 23, 2005 October 2008 Wednesday 1st Ayr United boss Lee Glover was voted Manager of the Month for September but we took the playing awards – Chris Miller’s midfield performances and Nathan Jarman’s goalscoring exploits securing them their awards. Saturday 4th A 3-1 defeat of Cyprus in Glasgow gave Scotland their first win in their World Cup qualification group and lifted them into second place behind England. Wednesday 8th A disappointing 1-1 draw in Finland damaged Scotland’s World Cup hopes – dropping points in these games would make qualification even more difficult to achieve. Saturday 11th Visiting Dumbarton failed to land a shot on target all afternoon but we failed to turn our chances into goals and by half time had only Chris Miller’s goal to show for our efforts. The second period mirrored the first and we didn’t score again until stoppage time when George Haney doubled our tally for a 2-0 win. Tuesday 14th There was no joy for Celtic at home to Roma in the Champions League as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat. Wednesday 15th Rangers also suffered a reverse at home, losing 2-0 to CSKA Moscow to drop out of the two qualifying places. Saturday 18th James Allan was back in the side for the trip to Ayr and was quickly into action, setting up Steven Fletcher’s opener after 6 minutes. It took just a further 6 minutes for Jim McAllister to double our advantage and that’s how the score stayed until the end of the game. Saturday 25th It was first against second as Hamilton came to Cappielow today. A first half that was low on quality but high on bookings ended scoreless. A second yellow card for Hamilton’s David McClune gave us a numerical advantage and minutes later Jimmy Gibson put us in front. The win was secured 15 minutes from time when Jamie Gilfillan, on as a substitute for the injured Jarman, scored our second. Tuesday 28th Rangers were unable to avenge their recent defeat by CSKA Moscow, losing 2-0 in Russia to severely dent their Champions League hopes. Wednesday 29th A brave 2-2 draw at Roma kept Celtic’s hopes of qualification alive but they still have a lot to do if they are to progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted October 8, 2005 Author Share Posted October 8, 2005 November 2008 Saturday 1st Our 100% league record gave me the Manager of the Month award for October. Stenhousemuir’s veteran defender Tomas Repka and young Stirling centre back Brian Robertson won the playing awards. Jimmy Gibson was the star of the show at Peterhead, scoring a hat trick before coming off late with a knock. Substitute Paul Walker added a 4th in stoppage time as we ran out 4-1 winners. Sunday 2nd With his team struggling at the foot of Divisions Two, Berwick boss Paul Smith has been dismissed by the Board. Later that day Clyde won their first trophy since the Second Division title 8 seasons ago when they beat favourites Hibs 2-1 after extra time in the Challenge Cup Final. Wednesday 5th Gibson’s injury was worse than it seemed initially and he has been diagnosed with a knee problem that will keep him out for several weeks. With Lumsden still suspended, we went into our League Cup tie with Celtic minus two important players. We almost reached half time intact despite Stuart McCluskey conceding a penalty as Stephen Reid’s spot kick struck the post. But on 43 minutes we were caught out when John Hartson rose unchallenged to head powerfully home. McLuskey was having a mare but with no other recognised centre back on the bench I had to persevere with him. But I did introduce Northern Ireland U-21 international Michael Carvill in place of Jim McCallister who was also struggling. We battled bravely but when Hartson added a second with 20 minutes remaining the tie was over. But with a gate of over 11,500 generating record gate receipts the game at least helped our balance sheet a little. Saturday 15th Todd Lumsden was back in the side for the visit of Brechin but we looked a bit flat and didn’t play to our capabilities. We are missing Gibson in midfield and hopefully he will be back in the side shortly. We fell behind in the first half but finally found an equaliser 15 minutes from time through Steven Fletcher. Tuesday 18th Celtic put themselves right back in contention in their Champions League group with a fine 2-1 win at Valencia thanks to a stoppage time goal from young forward Kevin Cawley. Wednesday 19th This morning Forfar manager Gareth Peters confirmed that he would be taking up the vacant post at Berwick Rangers. In the evening, Rangers suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat in Sevilla and they can no longer qualify from their Champions League group. Saturday 22nd Jimmy Gibson was back in the side for the trip to Stranraer but it was James Allan who opened the scoring for us early on. Jarman added a second midway through the half but the home side pulled a goal back before the break. Jarman’s second of the game on 50 minutes looked like securing the points but our hosts came back at as and reduced the deficit once more with ten minutes remaining. We had to endure a great deal of pressure in the closing stages and Stranraer came close to equalising several times but we hung on for the win. Monday 24th Out of favour forward Luke Maitland has accepted a free transfer to East Stirling. His departure does little to ease our wage burden but every little helps. Saturday 29th New Berwick boss Gareth Peters tried to engage me in a war of words prior to his team’s visit, saying that this was a game that we had to win to keep our promotion challenge going. I decided to let the players do my talking and a goal in each half from Nathan Jarman gave us a comfortable 2-0 win, leaving us top of the table and our opponents in last place. Sunday 30th Another manager bites the dust as Cowdenbeath boss Keith Wright is shown the door. On the same day Forfar announce that Brian Farley, who was sacked by Conference South side Grays back in March, has been appointed as their new manager. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted October 21, 2005 Author Share Posted October 21, 2005 December 2008 Monday 1st Stirling Albion boss Gerry Britton was voted Manger of the Month for November after taking his team up to second place in the table. But we won both of the playing awards through Jimmy Gibson and Nathan Jarman. Tuesday 2nd Rangers finished off their Champions League group with a 3-1 win at home to GAK of Austria, coming back from a goal down to get the points that ensure a 3rd place finish and a UEFA Cup place. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | CSKA Moscow | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 14 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Sevilla | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 11 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Rangers | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 7 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | GAK | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 12 | -10 | 1 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Wednesday 3rd A magnificent 2-0 win at home to Arsenal has secured a place in the knockout stage for Celtic. They gained sweet revenge for their 3-0 defeat at Highbury earlier in the competition with a win that eliminated their opponents. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Roma | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 12 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Celtic | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Arsenal | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 8 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Valencia | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 10 | -6 | 3 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Saturday 6th An even contest at Dumbarton failed to produce any goals in the first 45 minutes as the two teams cancelled one another out. Jarman broke the deadlock on 57 minutes but the home side equalised less than ten minutes later. However, Jarman’s second of the game and his 13th of the season, proved to be lucky for us, giving us a narrow 2-1 win. Sunday 7th Despite leading his team to triumph in the Scottish Cup last season, Willie Donachie has been dismissed by Dundee who are struggling in 11th place in the SPL. Thursday 11th It has been confirmed that Simon Williams will be leaving English Conference side Macclesfield to fill the vacant managerial post at Cowdenbeath. Saturday 13th Left back Marc McCulloch was ruled out of the top of the table clash at home to Stirling Albion and he was replaced by Paul Hilland. The referee did his best to spoil the game with some indiscriminate bookings. Chris Miller picked up two in five minutes to reduce us to ten men after just 16 minutes. He quickly evened things up by booking Lee Howlett on 20 minutes and when the Stirling winger protested he was shown a second yellow immediately. A goal from Nathan Jarman 15 minutes from time enlivened a dull affair but the visitors got a deserved equaliser in stoppage time to make the final score 1-1. Sunday 13th East Fife are currently the worst team in Scotland as they prop up the Third Division and manager Jim Moffat has paid the price with his job. Wednesday 17th Andy Proctor replaced the suspended Chris Miller for our 2nd round Scottish Cup tie at Forres Mechanics and we made the long journey home boosted by a comprehensive 4-0 win. Steven Fletcher capped an excellent individual performance with a hat trick and strike partner Jarman added the 4th. Thursday 18th This morning it was announce that Tranmere manager Gerry Francis would be taking over at Dundee. Later that day we had some interesting news - having already faced one half of the Old Firm in the League Cup, we will play the other in the Scottish Cup as we are drawn away to Rangers in the 3rd round. Saturday 20th Fletcher was on target again when he opened the scoring just three minutes into our game at Stenhousemuir. Jimmy Gibson and Jim McAllister gave us a three-goal cushion inside half an hour before the home side pulled a goal back before the break. With chances galore at both ends of the pitch, it was somewhat surprising that there was no further scoring but I was quite happy with the 3-1 win. Wednesday 24th Bishop’s Stortford Assistant Manager Patrick Darkey has been appointed as the new East Fife manager. On the same day I am informed that English League Two side Wrexham have requested permission to talk to me about their vacant managerial position but I tell the Board that I am not interested in a move at this time. Friday 26th Apparently there has been another call regarding my availability, this time from Brentford in League One but again I indicate that I am not interested in leaving Morton. The job offers may have played a part in events on the pitch later that day as perhaps I wasn’t quite as focused as I could have been for the visit of Ayr. But to be fair, it was one of those games where of anything could go wrong, it did go wrong. We fell a goal behind after 25 minutes and then had right back Stuart Sangster dismissed for a second yellow card just before half time. Striker Jarman joined him in the changing room within minutes of the restart when he too received a second yellow. The visitors also suffered from some poor refereeing when centre back Graeme Watson received his second booking. The match was far from dirty and really didn’t deserve to be spoiled in that way. We never looked like recovering the deficit and we slipped to just our third league defeat of the season. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | MORTON | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 16 | +25 | 42 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Stirling | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 14 | +9 | 35 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Ayr | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 12 | +11 | 32 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Peterhead | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 33 | 23 | +10 | 32 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Brechin | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 20 | +2 | 25 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Dumbarton | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 24 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Hamilton | 19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 22 | -4 | 24 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Stranraer | 18 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 26 | -11 | 16 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Stenhousemuir | 19 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 18 | 41 | -23 | 12 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Berwick | 18 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 31 | -20 | 10 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>Saturday 27th Having spurned two job opportunities in quick succession, I was taken aback when I heard of another potential offer. Having recently lost manager Gerry Francis to Dundee, Tranmere wanted to talk to me about their vacancy. Now this one was just too interesting to turn down out of hand. The Merseyside club has slipped from the English Championship to League Two after successive relegations but Francis had taken them to the top of the table and they looked like solid promotion candidates. I decided that I had to take this one further and agreed to talk to the club. They had some money in the bank and were willing to make around £1.5M available for transfers, although the successful candidate would have to strive to cut the wage bill significantly. With some trepidation I agreed to travel to Birkenhead to meet the Board for face-to-face discussions. Tuesday 30th My decision is made – after being impressed with the setup and the future plans for the club, I have agreed to be the new manager of Tranmere. Prenton Park has a capacity of over 16,500 and some decent training facilities. The club has a decent fanbase and the Board have a vision of competing with neighbours Liverpool and Everton in the future. The playing squad is a little light with 31 players on the books and a good half of them have their contracts expiring in the summer. Despite their strong league position there is clearly a rebuilding exercise to do, but the first priority is to make sure that we get the promotion that the club requires. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted October 23, 2005 Author Share Posted October 23, 2005 January 2009 Friday 2nd With the luxury of almost a week to prepare before my first match in charge, I can take time to work with the coaches and players, assess the squad and put in place a basic tactical approach. With a wage bill to trim, one of the first things I looked at was a summary of the players’ contracts and it became immediately apparent that some of our highest earners were doing little in return for their wages. Forward Gary McSheffrey was paid over £5K a week and yet in his two and a half seasons at the club he had scored 5 goals in 45 starts, a far from impressive tally. Similarly, long-serving striker Simon Haworth earned over £3.5K a week but he has hardly featured in the team for the past 18 months. If neither of these two could make an immediate impact then they would be prime candidates to be moved on. Wages apart, our first problem was obvious as soon as I read the squad overview that I had requested – our only recognised centre back were two teenage reserves. In addition we lacked cover on the right of midfield and that would also need to be rectified. Wednesday 7th None of the enquires that I have made to bring in new players had come to fruition when we travelled to 12th place Lincoln so we had to play Stuart Hamilton and Carl Brown, two teenagers, in the centre of defence. Having gotten off to the worst possible start by conceding a goal in the first minute we didn’t look too clever for the remainder of the first half and had to thank young keeper Adam Ogden, an acquisition from Rugby United at the start of the season, for keeping us in the game. But we played much better after the break and Scottish strikeforce Mark Burchill and David Graham demonstrated why they had scored 27 goals between them before this game. Graham equalised on 57 minutes and Burchill put us in front 4 minutes later. The well-travelled former Celtic youngster completed his hat trick with two late goals to give us a flattering 4-1 win and get me off to an excellent start in my new job. Saturday 10th Northern Ireland international Chris Brunt was mighty impressive in our game at home to mid-table Leyton Orient. The winger created our opening two goals and capped off a fine performance by scoring the third in our 3-1 win. Midfielder Alan Navarro, deployed in a holding role in front of the back four, opened the scoring after just ten minutes and we maintained our narrow lead until half time. The overpaid Gary McSheffrey was being played as an advanced midfielder behind the strikers and he scored his first goal of the season just after the restart. The visitors pulled a goal back ten minutes from time when Ogden fumbled a header to be credited with an own goal. The game was in stoppage time when Brunt made sure of the points by wrapping up a 3-1 win. Monday 12th I finally succeed in signing a new centre back as we agree a deal with Coventry to bring in 22-year-old Stephen Munn, a player who has won 23 caps for the Northern Ireland U-21 side. The bad news is that we have to wait until he finishes his loan at Hereford at the end of this month before he will actually be with us. Friday 16th Experienced centre back Peter Clarke has agreed a £6K move from Barnsley. The 27-year-old has played for England at U-21 level and I hope that he will bring a calm head into our back four. Saturday 17th New boy Clarke made his debut at home to relegation-threatened York and such was our dominance that he and his fellow defenders were rarely troubled. However, we struggled to turn possession and chances into goals, our only reward coming midway through the first half from McSheffrey. Sunday 18th Being a football manager is a fickle profession and it seems that even an outstanding track record of success isn’t enough to keep you in a job. Despite having captured the Premiership title 4 times in the last 8 seasons, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had been dismissed today. His crime – sitting 4th in the table, 20 points behind Liverpool with two games in hand. His team are still in both the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup but that has cut no mustard with the Arsenal board. Monday 19th We will be losing forward and top scorer David Graham in the summer as he has accepted a contract offer from Bradford City. He found our best offer unacceptable as we tried to keep him at the club. Tuesday 20th Aldershot are in some trouble near the foot of the table but for much of our visit there for an evening game they played like a team much higher up the table. They took the lead after quarter of an hour but Mark Burchill was able to square the game on the half hour before Gary McSheffrey put us in front just before the break. But ten minutes after the restart it was all square again as our hosts fought back bravely. The turning point came 15 minutes from time when we were awarded a penalty, which McSheffrey converted to put us back in front. A late second from Burchill tied up the points as we kept our impressive form going. Thursday 22nd We have finalised what looks like our final singing before the transfer window closes as Welsh international midfielder John Oster joins from Sunderland for a fee of £12K. It has taken a great deal of negotiations to hammer out an agreeable contract but I think that the 30-year-old will offer us more of an attacking threat on the right of midfield. Saturday 24th Oster made his debut at home to Carlisle and it took him some 20 minutes to lay on the opening goal for Burchill when he picked the striker out in the area with a simple pass. McSheffrey doubled our advantage before the break to give us a comfortable lead at half time. There was no further scoring in the second half and we closed out a straightforward 2-0 win. Sunday 25th Blackburn are now looking for a new manager as Morten Olsen, the former Danish national coach, leaves Ewood Park to take charge at Arsenal. Monday 26th We have disposed of another unwanted player as young winger James Quadrio moves to Cowdenbeath for a nominal fee. Wednesday 28th Gary McSheffrey will be leaving the club in the summer after he accepted a contract offer from Torquay. Even though he has been playing some decent stuff recently I ruled out a counter offer, as I want to get him off the payroll. Friday 30th News of another summer departure was confirmed today, as full back Matthew Birely will join Swindon in the summer. Saturday 31st David Graham had to miss the trip to local rivals Chester after picking up a knock in training so Simon Haworth made his first start of the season. We played some excellent football in the first half, taking the lead after quarter of an hour through McSheffrey. Haworth doubled our lead midway through the half and Mark Burchill gave us a 3-0 lead minutes before the break. Chester boss Ian Atkins must have given his team a rocket in the dressing room as they came back strongly in the second half, scoring twice in the opening ten minutes to throw the game wide open. But as they chased an equaliser we were able to pick them off, and both Burchill and McSheffrey scored again to give us a thrilling 5-2 win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted November 5, 2005 Author Share Posted November 5, 2005 February 2009 Sunday 1st With a 100% league record it was no great surprise to be awarded the Manager of the Month with our winger Chris Brunt and Boston youngster Ian Murray winning the playing awards. Today was also the day that new centre back Stephen Munn reported for duty now that his loan has finished. Saturday 7th The month opened with a visit from 4th place Huddersfield and unfortunately the game was marred by some eccentric refereeing as nine yellow cards were produced. Midfielder Dennis Visser and winger Chris Brunt were both booked twice as we ended the game with just nine players on the pitch. But two goals from Simon Haworth and a terrific display of goalkeeping from Adam Ogden still gave us a 2-0 win which was a very satisfying result in the circumstances. Sunday 8th Local rivals Everton are currently struggling in 15th place in the EPL and manager Joe Kinnear has been dismissed. Tuesday 10th We travelled to struggling Wycombe with Visser and Brunt suspended. Alan Navarro took over the holding role, McSheffrey was switched to the left of midfield and Scott Brown came into midfield. Navarro marked his appearance with the opening goal after 20 minutes and McSheffrey put us further ahead on the half hour. Despite looking rather weary in the second half we were able to hold on to get yet another win to maintain my 100% record since my arrival. Thursday 12th The UEFA Cup has now reached the 1st knockout round and there are still four English teams involved. Newcastle had a pretty useful 3-2 win at home to Dortmund whilst Everton should be home and dry after a magnificent 4-0 win at Legia. Man City drew 1-1 in Bulgaria at Loko (Plovdiv) and Arsenal came back from Parma with a goalless draw. Rangers also had a good win, beating Wisla 3-1 in Glasgow. Saturday 14th We have stretched our lead at the top of the table to 16 points over the MK Dons and Rochdale but we face a tough test today at home to 4th place Scunthorpe. I decided to keep Navarro in the starting eleven and Brunt returned from suspension. Once again the match official was rather heavy-handed and five players from each side ended up in his book. We played with a man advantage for most of the second half after the visitors lost a man for a second booking and goals from Mark Birchall and Gary McSheffrey gave us a good 2-0 win. Unfortunately McSheffrey also picked up an injury, a twisted ankle sidelining him for a fortnight. Wednesday 18th The Champions League has now reached the knockout stage with four British clubs competing. Liverpool seem to be best placed to progress after a 2-0 win at CSKA Moscow and Chelsea will also feel they have a good chance having won 1-0 at Inter. Man United have some work to do after a 0-0 draw at home to Roma and Celtic will need a miracle to recover from a 2-0 loss at home to Milan. Thursday 19th All four English clubs still contesting the UEFA Cup came through their 1st Round ties. Arsenal had a very impressive 5-1 win at home to Parma, a goalless draw at Dortmund was good enough for Newcastle, Everton won 1-0 to complete a comfortable win over Legia and Man City looked good in their 3-0 win at home to Loko (Plovdiv). Sadly Rangers suffered a 3-0 defeat at Wisla to exit 4-3 on aggregate. Saturday 21st A 5th yellow card last week meant that top scorer Mark Burchill missed the trip to struggling Shrewsbury, as did the injured McSheffrey, meaning that David Graham and Scott Brown made the starting eleven. We took an early lead through Chris Brunt and then went on to create and miss a boatload of chances. We lived to regret our profligate finishing when the home side scored an unexpected equaliser late in the game to snatch a 1-1 draw. Sunday 22nd There were two managerial casualties today – Steve McLaren given the boot from Leeds and Dick Campbell parting company with Reading. Later in the day underdogs Aston Villa lifted the League Cup with a 2-1 win over Man United. Monday 23rd Harry Redknapp was unveiled as the new Everton manager today, replacing the sacked Kinnear. Saturday 28th Promotion hopefuls Rotherham visited today needing a win to keep their push for the top three going. Manager Steve Parkin had been trying to provoke me into a verbal confrontation but I restrained myself, commenting instead that I thought he had done a good job at the club. His players obviously felt grateful for my comments as they failed to muster a serious scoring attempt all afternoon. We, on the other had, had a bakers dozen, most of which missed the target, and the game ended goalless. We also lost David Graham to injury, a sprained wrist ruling him out for a week. Later that day there were two further managerial sackings announced as Halifax disposed of Chris Wilder and QPR got rid of Ian Holloway. So in my two months in charge so far I have been able to keep the team at the top of the table, 14 points clear of the MK Dons. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | TRANMERE | 36 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 63 | 32 | +31 | 77 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | MK Dons | 36 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 50 | 41 | +9 | 63 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Walsall | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 45 | 40 | +5 | 57 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Rochdale | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 44 | 42 | +2 | 57 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Bristol Rovers | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 43 | 32 | +11 | 56 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Chester | 36 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 50 | 45 | +5 | 56 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | Scunthorpe | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 50 | 38 | +12 | 55 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | Gravesend | 36 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 49 | 41 | +8 | 55 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | Yeovil | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 46 | 41 | +5 | 55 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | Huddersfield | 36 | 16 | 5 | 15 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 53 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | Leyton Orient | 36 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 51 | 53 | -2 | 48 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | Wrexham | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 42 | 51 | -9 | 48 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | Southend | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 46 | 48 | -2 | 47 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | Carlisle | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 41 | 45 | -4 | 47 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | Bury | 36 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 47 | 50 | -3 | 45 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | Cambridge | 36 | 10 | 15 | 11 | 43 | 46 | -3 | 45 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | Wycombe | 36 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 44 | 52 | -8 | 45 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | Lincoln | 36 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 46 | 53 | -7 | 44 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | Aldershot | 36 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 50 | 59 | -9 | 40 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | Morecambe | 36 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 41 | 50 | -9 | 40 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | Shrewsbury | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 47 | 48 | -1 | 38 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | York | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 30 | 41 | -11 | 38 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd | Halifax | 36 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 34 | 41 | -7 | 37 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th | Boston Utd | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 45 | 58 | -13 | 37 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted November 20, 2005 Author Share Posted November 20, 2005 March 2009 Sunday 1st On the same day as the monthly awards were announced Paul Merson was unfortunate enough to be dismissed by Wycombe, struggling in the lower half of League Two. On a more pleasant note, Matthew Williamson of Yeovil won the managerial award with Tom Hutchinson of Leyton Orient and Carlisle’s Theo Walcott taking the playing prizes. Tuesday 3rd Former Charlton and Hearts boss Alan Curbishley has taken over at Blackburn and he will be hoping to start moving his team away from the lower reaches of the Premiership. We had a trip to the seaside today for an evening match at Southend with Gary McSheffrey fit enough to sit on the bench. It turned out to be a bad night – not only did we lose 2-1, we also lost winger Chris Brunt for a fortnight with a foot injury. Wednesday 4th QPR have unveiled Billy Davies as their new manager, the 44-year-old Scot leaving Hibs to take up the vacancy at Loftus Road. Leeds also announced that Craig Grant would be their new man in charge and his immediate focus will be to lift them out of the relegation places in the Premiership. To complete the managerial news, Stephen McKenzie has taken over at Wycombe, leaving Conference South side Dorchester for Adams Park. There was Champions League action in the evening as the 1st Knockout Round was completed. Chelsea and Liverpool both celebrated aggregate wins but Man United and Celtic were both eliminated. Thursday 5th Halifax have a new manager in place as Dave Hodgson has left Canvey Island in the Conference South to take over at The Shay. The English quarter left in the UEFA Cup all had good evenings. Arsenal have virtually won their tie already after a 5-0 win at home to Betis whilst Everton had a fine 2-1 win at Dnipro. Man City and Newcastle both had scoreless draws away from home at Real Madrid and Schalke 04 respectively. Saturday 7th We had a trek to the West Country today to take on Yeovil, a team just outside the playoff places and looking for points. With Brunt out injured I had to bring in Curtis Osano on the right of midfield and move Oster to the left. The home side were dominant throughout and we were fortunate to escape with a goalless draw. Monday 9th There were two more managerial casualties today as Coventry sacked Paul Sturrock and Crystal Palace disposed of Steve Kember. Wednesday 11th More bad news today as we lost striker Simon Haworth for a month with a groin strain. We are so short of strikers that I had no option but to call up Chris Dagnall from the reserves as cover. Thursday 12th Despite losing 4-1 at Betis, Arsenal achieved a 6-4 aggregate win in the UEFA Cup and are joined in the next round by Everton and Man City. City achieved a memorable 2-0 win over mighty Real Madrid, Barry Ferguson scoring both goals. Newcastle crashed out though, suffering a terrible 4-1 defeat at home to Schalke 04. Friday 13th We secured a short-term addition to the squad with the arrival of 22-year-old Kyle Critchell on a three-month loan from Southampton. He can play anywhere in defence and midfield, a versatility that could serve us well. We also agreed a deal with Celtic to bring young Irish international midfielder Aiden McGeady to Prenton Park in the summer in a structured deal that will be worth in excess of £700K to the Scottish club. Saturday 14th In what many see as a title decider we travelled to the MK Dons today and Critchell was given a place in the starting eleven on the right of midfield. McSheffrey took his place behind the front two and Chris Dagnall started up front. We had a nightmare start, conceding twice in the first ten minutes but then we knuckled down and started to play our way back into the game. John Oster pulled a goal back after quarter of an hour with a superb free kick and the Welshman went on to inspire a fighting comeback. Chris Dagnall became an instant hero with two goals in the first half and he completed his hat trick after the break to give us a stunning 4-2 win and take Man of the Match honours. Sunday 15th Cardiff are deep in a Premiership dogfight as they seek to preserve their top flight status and Dave Jones has been ousted in a bid to turn their fortunes around. Monday 16th I managed to unload an unwanted player when Gary Lovell joined Leek Town for a nominal fee. Tuesday 17th A £300K offer for top scorer Mark Burchill came in from Luton today but there is no way that I am prepared to lose our Scottish hitman so that was rejected out of hand. Saturday 21st No action today because of World Cup qualifiers and I was pleased with Scotland’s 4-1 win at the Faroe Islands and equally pleased to see England drop points in a 0-0 draw in Finland. Sunday 22nd Another manager bites the dust as Rushden fired former Liverpool legend Alan Kennedy. On a brighter note centre back Stephen Munn was called up to the Northern Ireland senior squad for their friendly against New Zealand in midweek. Wednesday 25th Ian Holloway was soon back in employment as he filled the vacant managerial position at Coventry. Saturday 28th Having now guaranteed ourselves a playoff place we were back into league action with a visit from relegation threatened Boston United. Chris Dagnall was our goalscorer in a 1-1 draw that, when all of the other results were evaluated, was good enough to secure our promotion to League One. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Beigem gaat het maken Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Great story Bobbev, just like the one about Fano... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted November 24, 2005 Author Share Posted November 24, 2005 Thanks FC Beigem. My Fano story isn't dead by the way and I will be adding to it before too long. April 2009 Wednesday 1st The monthly awards saw success for Scunthorpe with manager Brian Laws and striker Jason Ford both featuring along with Walsall youngster Stuart Stewart. That evening saw Liverpool and Chelsea battle out a 1-1 draw at Anfield having been drawn together in the Quarter Finals of the Champions League. Thursday 2nd Former Luton boss Rob McDonald has been named as the new manager at Crystal Palace. In the UEFA Cup the three English clubs in the last eight were all kept apart. Arsenal were in great shape after a 4-0 win at home to Wisla, Man City faced Spanish opposition again and were satisfied with their goalless draw at Atletico Madrid and Everton scored an away goal in their 1-1 draw at Sporting in Lisbon. Saturday 4th We could afford to relax a little and just try to enjoy the visit of struggling Morecambe as Chris Brunt returned to the left wing. We may have relaxed a little too much in the first half and went into the interval a goal down. But we were much more positive after the break and recovered to win 3-1 with goals from Oster, McSheffrey and substitute Graham. Once again some other results went our way and the three points ensured that we would be crowned as League Two champions at the end of the season. Sunday 5th Favourites Stoke lived up to their billing by beating Gravesend to lift the LDV Vans Trophy, The League One side always looking too strong for opponents a division below them. Monday 6th Rushden have appointed Gus MacPherson as their new manager, leaving Conference side Sutton United looking for a new boss. Wednesday 8th A late goal from Michael Ballack secured a 1-0 win for Chelsea and a 2-1 aggregate win over Liverpool to reach the Semi Finals of the Champions League. Thursday 9th Championship leaders Sunderland were left looking for a new manager when Steve Bruce left to take over the reins at Cardiff. That evening just one of the English clubs contesting a Semi Final place in the UEFA Cup was successful, Arsenal winning 2-1 at Wisla for a comfortable aggregate victory. Everton lost 1- at Goodison to Sporting and Man City lost 2-0 at home to Atletico Madrid. Saturday 11th Goals from McSheffrey and Birchall gave us a good 2-0 win at Wrexham and I confess to having second thoughts about letting Gary go to Torquay as since I have started to play him he has scored 11 goals in 15 starts. But the decision is made and there is nothing that can be done about it now and I need to comfort myself by thinking about the £5K plus a week that will come off the wage bill. I was pleased to see that Mark Burchill set a new club record with his 22-goal haul for the season. Tuesday 14th We faced a visit from struggling Halifax today and Chris Dagnall continued to impress by scoring both goals in our 2-0 win. Saturday 18th With the season now moving towards a conclusion there are three games left to play and none of the other promotion or relegation issues are settled in our division. We travelled to Gravesend and a competitive match ended 2-1 in our favour. Centre back Peter Clarke gave us an early lead from the penalty spot and Dagnall was on target again for our second with 20 minutes remaining. The home side pulled a goal back late on but we ere able to hang on for our 28th win of the season. Yeovil, Walsall and Scunthorpe all secured playoff places and York look like certainties for relegation with Morecombe, Boston, Aldershot and Halifax contesting the other place in the drop zone. On the same day Liverpool secured the Premiership title, their second in three seasons. Sunday 19th Having failed to win the Premiership since 2002/3, Man United have dismissed manager Javier Clemente after less than two years in charge. Currently in a hugely disappointing 11th place they are on course for their worst season in the league for nearly 20 years and with a net spend of over £70M on players in the last five seasons the Manchester giants are in dire need of some inspiration. Wednesday 22nd Chelsea have it all to do in the Champions League after losing the home leg of their Semi Final 2-1 to Barcelona. Milan had a narrow 1-0 win at home to Roma in the all-Italian tie in the other Semi. Thursday 23rd This morning former West Ham manager Neil Warnock was named as the new man in charge at Sunderland. In the evening Arsenal continued their pursuit of European glory with a 1-1 draw at Sporting in the 1st leg of their UEFA Cup Semi Final, Schalke 04 and Atletico Madrid drawing 2-2 in Germany in the other tie. Saturday 25th Our penultimate game of the season was at home to Walsall and we put a big dent in their hopes of automatic promotion by winning 3-1. Wingers Brunt and Oster scored our opening goals with McSheffrey adding the 3rd late on after the visitors had pulled a goal back. Chester added their name to the list of playoff teams and York had their relegation confirmed. Wednesday 29th Chelsea are out of the Champions League 6-3 on aggregate after losing 4-2 in Barcelona. The Spaniards will face Milan in the Final after they came through a penalty shootout in Rome following a 1-0 win for the home side. Thursday 30th A 2-1 win for Arsenal over Sporting has taken them into the UEFA Cup Final where they will play Schalke 04 who won 1-0 in Madrid. 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BobBev Posted November 26, 2005 Author Share Posted November 26, 2005 May 2009 Friday 1st A 100% league record had given me that Manager of the Month award with Danny Schofield of Chester City and Alan Marshall from Carlisle taking the playing honours. Saturday 2nd We travelled to Bury for our final game of the season without Gary McSheffrey who had been injured in training so David Graham was given a final game before his forthcoming departure. We recovered from a goal down to win 2-1, a result that took us to the 100-point mark for the season. An afternoon of high drama saw Walsall blow automatic promotion after a 4-0 defeat at home to Morecombe, a result that still failed to save the winners from relegation. Yeovil took second place and Scunthorpe finished third on goal difference above Walsall. After looking like strong promotion candidates a couple of months ago the MK Dons had a poor run of form but have just been able to hold on to 7th place for a shot at the Playoffs. Tuesday 5th b have finally appointed a new manager, former Leicester boss Colin Todd the man selected. This piece of news was rather overshadowed by the news from Old Trafford that George Burley would be leaving Middlesbrough to take charge at Man United. Saturday 9th Bristol Rovers secured a narrow 1-0 win at home to Chester in the first leg of their Playoff Semi Final. Sunday 10th Two stoppage time goals gave Walsall an emphatic 4-1 win over the MK Dons in the home leg of their Semi Final. Wednesday 13th A 1-1 draw at Chester was good enough to take Bristol Rovers into the Playoff Final whilst the same evening Arsenal secured the UEFA Cup with a 1-0 win over Schalke 04. Thursday 14th A 2-2 draw in Milton Keynes saw Walsall progress to the Playoff Final 6-4 on aggregate. Tuesday 19th Dave Jones has not been out of work for too long as he has secured a new job by taking charge at Middlesbrough. Wednesday 20th Milan lost in the final of the Champions League for the second season in succession, Barcelona triumphing 2-1 with a tragic Dario Simic own goal in the 90th minute. Saturday 23rd Arsenal were celebrating their 10th success in the FA Cup after a narrow 2-1 defeat of Middlesbrough. Monday 25th Walsall secured their promotion to League One with a convincing 3-0 defeat of Bristol Rovers in the Playoff Final. The final promotion and relegation issues are now all decided in England and it was time to look through all of the final tables, starting with our own division. I was delighted to see that we had both the most potent attack and the meanest defence in the division. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">League Two | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Tranmere | 46 | 30 | 10 | 6 | 83 | 41 | +42 | 100 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | Yeovil | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 59 | 44 | +15 | 74 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | P | Scunthorpe | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 67 | 50 | +17 | 73 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | P | Walsall | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 73 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 54 | 41 | +13 | 70 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Chester | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 64 | 61 | +3 | 69 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | MK Dons | 46 | 20 | 7 | 19 | 55 | 60 | -5 | 67 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Gravesend | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 58 | 54 | +4 | 65 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Leyton Orient | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 70 | 65 | +5 | 64 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Carlisle | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 53 | 54 | -1 | 64 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Huddersfield | 46 | 19 | 7 | 20 | 51 | 54 | -3 | 64 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Rochdale | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 46 | 52 | -6 | 64 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Lincoln | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 57 | 60 | -3 | 63 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Southend | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 60 | 59 | +1 | 61 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Wrexham | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 53 | 66 | -13 | 59 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Cambridge | 46 | 12 | 22 | 12 | 55 | 57 | -2 | 58 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Wycombe | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 57 | 65 | -8 | 57 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Shrewsbury | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 58 | 61 | -3 | 55 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Halifax | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 43 | 48 | -5 | 53 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Aldershot | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 62 | 71 | -9 | 52 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | | Bury | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 55 | 68 | -13 | 52 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | | Boston Utd | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 58 | 70 | -12 | 50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd | R | Morecambe | 46 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 52 | 63 | -11 | 49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th | R | York | 46 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 34 | 48 | -14 | 48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Premiership | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Liverpool | 38 | 28 | 7 | 3 | 72 | 28 | +44 | 91 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Chelsea | 38 | 23 | 5 | 10 | 72 | 39 | +33 | 74 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Arsenal | 38 | 23 | 4 | 11 | 59 | 37 | +22 | 73 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Aston Villa | 38 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 58 | 41 | +17 | 70 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Newcastle | 38 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 65 | 54 | +11 | 64 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Man City | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 56 | 44 | +12 | 60 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Fulham | 38 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 58 | 53 | +5 | 58 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Middlesbrough | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 54 | 49 | +5 | 55 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Portsmouth | 38 | 15 | 10 | 13 | 56 | 52 | +4 | 55 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Tottenham | 38 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 48 | 42 | +6 | 54 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Man Utd | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 58 | 58 | 0 | 52 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Nottm Forest | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 43 | 49 | -6 | 50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Birmingham | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 42 | 54 | -12 | 46 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Southampton | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 41 | 52 | -11 | 45 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Everton | 38 | 13 | 4 | 21 | 44 | 60 | -16 | 43 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Blackburn | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 46 | 55 | -9 | 42 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Cardiff | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 35 | 54 | -19 | 35 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | R | Leeds | 38 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 38 | 64 | -26 | 31 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | R | Millwall | 38 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 42 | 65 | -23 | 28 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | R | West Brom | 38 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 34 | 71 | -37 | 27 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Championship | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Bristol C | 46 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 68 | 47 | +21 | 83 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | Gillingham | 46 | 25 | 5 | 16 | 73 | 58 | +15 | 80 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | P | Sunderland | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 69 | 49 | +20 | 76 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Brighton | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 68 | 61 | +7 | 76 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Barnsley | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 64 | 52 | +12 | 73 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Derby | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 61 | 50 | +11 | 73 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Ipswich | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 68 | 52 | +16 | 71 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Preston | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 65 | 55 | +10 | 70 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Charlton | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 63 | 58 | +5 | 67 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Coventry | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 60 | 56 | +4 | 66 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Wigan | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 64 | 64 | 0 | 66 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Sheff Wed | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 60 | 58 | +2 | 65 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Burnley | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 53 | 54 | -1 | 63 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Wolves | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 59 | 62 | -3 | 63 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Port Vale | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 55 | 60 | -5 | 62 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Plymouth | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 55 | 61 | -6 | 58 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Leicester | 46 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 54 | 63 | -9 | 58 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Bradford City | 46 | 16 | 9 | 21 | 57 | 66 | -9 | 57 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Norwich | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 47 | 62 | -15 | 57 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Bolton | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 47 | 55 | -8 | 53 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | | Reading | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 53 | 62 | -9 | 52 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | R | Swansea | 46 | 15 | 5 | 26 | 62 | 76 | -14 | 50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd | R | Q.P.R. | 46 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 51 | 64 | -13 | 45 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th | R | West Ham | 46 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 38 | 69 | -31 | 38 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| League One | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Crewe | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 69 | 51 | +18 | 79 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | Doncaster | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 77 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Grimsby | 46 | 23 | 7 | 16 | 63 | 58 | +5 | 76 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | P | Peterborough | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 68 | 56 | +12 | 72 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Notts Co | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 62 | 53 | +9 | 72 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Sheff Utd | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 63 | 51 | +12 | 71 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Torquay | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 63 | 60 | +3 | 70 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Watford | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 64 | 54 | +10 | 68 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Luton | 46 | 20 | 7 | 19 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 67 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Brentford | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 64 | 63 | +1 | 66 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Swindon | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 58 | 61 | -3 | 66 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Crystal Palace | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 63 | 56 | +7 | 65 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Oxford | 46 | 19 | 7 | 20 | 61 | 62 | -1 | 64 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Bournemouth | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 61 | 59 | +2 | 63 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Colchester | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 64 | 61 | +3 | 60 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Hull | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 54 | 57 | -3 | 60 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Northampton | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 60 | 64 | -4 | 60 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Stoke | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 50 | 62 | -12 | 56 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Rotherham | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 49 | 56 | -7 | 54 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Cheltenham | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 45 | 61 | -16 | 54 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | R | Hartlepool | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 56 | 60 | -4 | 52 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | R | Oldham | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 53 | 65 | -12 | 49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd | R | Blackpool | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 47 | 66 | -19 | 49 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th | R | Chesterfield | 46 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 48 | 63 | -15 | 48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Conference National | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Crawley | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 70 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Exeter | 42 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 63 | 45 | +18 | 69 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | P | Tamworth | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 69 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Bath | 42 | 20 | 8 | 14 | 51 | 44 | +7 | 68 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Kettering | 42 | 20 | 6 | 16 | 52 | 50 | +2 | 66 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Darlington | 42 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 57 | 55 | +2 | 63 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Rushden | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 59 | 45 | +14 | 61 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Scarborough | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 51 | 52 | -1 | 61 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Mansfield | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 57 | 54 | +3 | 60 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Burton | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 52 | 50 | +2 | 60 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Basingstoke | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 52 | 53 | -1 | 60 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Forest Green | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 53 | 51 | +2 | 59 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Stevenage | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 50 | 49 | +1 | 58 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Macclesfield | 42 | 15 | 9 | 18 | 52 | 55 | -3 | 54 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Hinckley | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 54 | 56 | -2 | 52 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Dag & Red | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 57 | 65 | -8 | 52 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Stockport | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 42 | 49 | -7 | 50 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Farnborough | 42 | 11 | 16 | 15 | 53 | 54 | -1 | 49 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Hereford | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 48 | 49 | -1 | 49 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | R | Worksop | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 48 | 65 | -17 | 49 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | R | Northwich | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 50 | 61 | -11 | 45 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | R | Sutton Utd | 42 | 8 | 15 | 19 | 49 | 70 | -21 | 39 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Conference North | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Southport | 42 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 59 | 36 | +23 | 77 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Burscough | 42 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 73 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Accrington | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 51 | 40 | +11 | 70 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Bradford PA | 42 | 21 | 3 | 18 | 57 | 50 | +7 | 66 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Runcorn FC Halton | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 54 | 51 | +3 | 64 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Hucknall | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 55 | 49 | +6 | 62 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Wakefield & Emley | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 61 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Droylsden | 42 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 56 | 51 | +5 | 60 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Grantham | 42 | 17 | 9 | 16 | 50 | 45 | +5 | 60 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Stalybridge | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 52 | 54 | -2 | 56 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Hornchurch | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 51 | 53 | -2 | 55 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Marine | 42 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 51 | 47 | +4 | 54 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Ashton Utd | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 48 | 52 | -4 | 54 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Lancaster | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 50 | 53 | -3 | 53 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Leigh RMI | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 47 | 54 | -7 | 53 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Nuneaton | 42 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Altrincham | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 50 | 58 | -8 | 50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Hednesford | 42 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 46 | 54 | -8 | 50 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Hyde | 42 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 46 | 54 | -8 | 48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | R | Blyth | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 44 | 61 | -17 | 47 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | R | Guiseley | 42 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 46 | 58 | -12 | 44 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | R | Harrogate Town | 42 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 41 | 63 | -22 | 40 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Conference South | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Chesham | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 61 | 44 | +17 | 74 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Braintree | 42 | 19 | 12 | 11 | 60 | 51 | +9 | 69 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Halesowen | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 55 | 49 | +6 | 66 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Margate | 42 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 63 | 52 | +11 | 65 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | P | Woking | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 57 | 46 | +11 | 64 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Barrow | 42 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 49 | 52 | -3 | 63 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Cambridge City | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 55 | 47 | +8 | 62 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Barnet | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 54 | 42 | +12 | 61 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Lewes | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 61 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Maidenhead | 42 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 51 | 49 | +2 | 60 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Grays | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 57 | 47 | +10 | 59 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Newport Co | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 59 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Tiverton | 42 | 17 | 8 | 17 | 52 | 53 | -1 | 59 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Gloucester | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 48 | 52 | -4 | 58 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Dorchester | 42 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 51 | 51 | 0 | 57 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Weymouth | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 49 | 59 | -10 | 55 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Aylesbury | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 49 | 58 | -9 | 52 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Canvey Island | 42 | 14 | 9 | 19 | 53 | 56 | -3 | 51 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Carshalton | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 52 | 61 | -9 | 48 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | R | Bognor Regis | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 49 | 57 | -8 | 47 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | R | Slough | 42 | 11 | 7 | 24 | 47 | 66 | -19 | 40 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | R | Hendon | 42 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 35 | 65 | -30 | 33 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> It was then time to have a look at how the players had performed. I was pretty pleased with the back four – Adam Ogden had been almost an ever-present in goal and centre backs Clarke and Munn formed an effective partnership after their arrival. The experienced David Worrell and youngster John Carr shared the right back position with Barrie Matthews and Jarrad Hodgkiss doing the same on the left. Mark Burchill finished as top scorer, John Oster was our top performer after his arrival and Chris Brunt set a new club record with his 15 assists. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Apps | Gls | Ast | MoM | Pas | Tck | Drb | Sh T | Av Rat| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | John Oster | 17 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 79% | 2.96 | 2.84 | 37% | 7.65 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Mark Burchill | 45 (1)| 23 | 5 | 9 | 73% | 0.32 | 2.80 | 54% | 7.48 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Peter Clarke | 19 | 1 | 1 | - | 72% | 1.95 | 0.05 | - | 7.37 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | David Graham | 35 (5)| 17 | 5 | 2 | 66% | 0.44 | 2.84 | 50% | 7.33 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Stephen Munn | 15 | - | 1 | 1 | 75% | 2.67 | 0.20 | - | 7.27 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Philip Palethorpe | 4 | - | - | 1 | 38% | - | - | - | 7.25 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Gary McSheffrey | 18 (3)| 12 | 4 | 3 | 78% | 2.78 | 1.76 | 76% | 7.24 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | David Worrell | 13 | - | - | - | 73% | 2.40 | 0.85 | - | 7.23 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Chris Dagnall | 9 (6) | 8 | 1 | 2 | 81% | 0.81 | 3.34 | 75% | 7.20 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | John Carr | 10 (1)| - | 1 | - | 69% | 3.12 | 0.40 | - | 7.18 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Chris Brunt | 45 | 4 | 15 | 5 | 70% | 1.05 | 2.75 | 45% | 7.18 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Jarrad Hodgkiss | 14 (3)| - | - | - | 75% | 2.03 | 1.05 | - | 7.12 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Kyle Critchell | 2 | - | 1 | - | 74% | 2.00 | 3.00 | - | 7.00 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Adam Ogden | 47 | - | 1 | 5 | 47% | - | - | - | 6.96 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Glenn Cronin | 23 (1)| 2 | 9 | 1 | 74% | 2.91 | 0.38 | - | 6.96 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Carl Brown | 16 | - | - | - | 75% | 1.70 | 0.07 | - | 6.88 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Scott Brown | 28 (4)| 3 | 6 | 2 | 68% | 1.66 | 1.91 | 22% | 6.81 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Barrie Matthews | 36 | 1 | - | - | 64% | 4.27 | 0.23 | - | 6.75 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Dennis Visser | 33 (6)| 1 | 1 | - | 73% | 2.19 | 0.20 | - | 6.74 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Alan Navarro | 34 (1)| 2 | 1 | - | 78% | 3.67 | 0.28 | 15% | 6.69 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Simon Haworth | 7 (9) | 3 | 2 | - | 79% | 0.87 | 1.30 | 52% | 6.63 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Curtis Osano | 32 (3)| 2 | 3 | 1 | 79% | 3.12 | 0.31 | 17% | 6.60 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Matthew Birley | 5 (12)| - | - | - | 73% | 1.50 | - | - | 6.47 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Wednesday 27th Chris Brunt, Mark Burchill and David Graham have all been chosen in the League Two Select side, Burchill was the league’s top scorer and I was voted Manager of the Season. Saturday 30th A Michael Owen goal in the first half, his 44th in 104 appearances, was enough for England to take pole position in the World Cup qualifying group with a 1-0 win over Scotland at Hampden. Chris Brunt gained his 9th cap and scored his first goal for Northern Ireland in their 2-1 defeat in Germany. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 June 2009 Wednesday 3rd The club made a modest profit of just over £29oK last season and I have been given a transfer kitty in excess of £1.2M to prepare for life in League One. With several players already due to leave the club, and several more unlikely to be offered new contracts we had some serious rebuilding to do for next season. Youngsters Matthew Charlton and Matthew Hill were released from the Under-18s as the first step in the process. In the World Cup, Scotland’s hopes took a further blow with a 1-1 draw in Cyprus whilst England were held goalless in Belgium. Thursday 11th Kyle Critchell has finished his short loan spell and returned to Southampton. Friday 12th We secured our first signing of the new season with the £130K purchase of winger Richie Partridge from Bolton on a 2-year contract. Saturday 20th It was no great surprise to see Mark Burchill voted the Fans Player of the Year after an excellent season from the 28-year-old Scottish striker. On the same day we got three new Academy graduates for the Under-18 team and received £300K in TV rights for the forthcoming season. The Board are looking for a mid-table finish in League One so let’s hope that we can meet that objective. Tuesday 23rd Paul Brown, Michael Jones and Chris Bennett were all released at the end of their contracts. Wednesday 24th We accepted invitations to play both Charlton and Preston in pre-season friendlies at Prenton Park. Monday 29th Youngster Ben Jones has been allowed to leave after failing to make the grade with the Under-18s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 9, 2005 Author Share Posted December 9, 2005 July 2009 Wednesday 1st It was a very busy day today as a number of players made their departures. Gary McSheffrey moved to Torquay, David Graham went to Bradford City and Matthew Birley left for Swindon. Simon Haworth was not offered a contract extension and decided to hang up his boots and John Carr was released. In addition Aiden McGeady completed his move from Celtic, taking up a large chunk of my transfer budget. Saturday 5th We played our first warm-up match of the season and I was very pleased with our 2-2 draw at home to Championship side Charlton. Chris Brunt and Aiden McGready both impressed, each getting on the scoresheet in the first half before we tired and conceded two late goals. Sunday 12th We didn’t look so impressive at home to Motherwell in our next friendly, losing 1-0, but at least the lads are getting a level of match-fitness and that will be very important in the early part of the season. Saturday 18th Our pre-season programme continued with a visit from Arbroath and Mark Burchill scored the equaliser in our 1-1 draw. Thursday 23rd Having been chasing a number of free agents over the summer I had my first success today with the arrival of former Charlton forward Jason Euell. The 32-year-old moved to Middlesbrough two seasons ago and then on to Sheffield Wednesday last season but rarely featured for either team. Later that day we had an unwelcome bid for winger Chris Brunt as Watford offered to meet his £375K minimum fee clause. Terrible news but the lad had refused all offers of a re-negotiated contract and it looks like we will lose one of our star players. Friday 24th Our warm-up matches came to an end with a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to Preston. Monday 27th Chris Brunt has agreed terms with Watford and left Prenton Park after a productive year. The club paid just £35K to bring him from Sheffield Wednesday before my arrival and in his 45 appearances he scored four times and laid on 15 assists. He will be badly missed but at least we turned a decent profit on the lad. Tuesday 28th With very little success in attracting new players I was pleased when 22-year-old Middlesbrough striker Shane Paul finally agreed a season-long loan deal. The same day the bookies announced their odds for the League One title. Sheffield United, Watford, QPR and Notts County are the favourites and we have come in priced at 20-1 so it appears that we are not seen as relegation fodder at least. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 13, 2005 Author Share Posted December 13, 2005 August 2009 Saturday 1st Our season opener was a home game against Stoke and Richie Partridge, Jason Euell and Aiden McGeady all made their competitive debuts. The visitors had a man sent off late in the first half and we immediately profited when Dennis Visser scored from the resulting free kick. Partridge added a second late in the game to give us a very satisfactory 2-0 win to open our account. Wednesday 5th We were soon back in action at Crystal Palace but suffered a disappointing 4-2 defeat as our defence rather let us down. Shane Paul and midfielder Scott Brown scored our consolation goals. Thursday 6th We secured three further signings in a busy day as I desperately tried to strengthen the squad. Defensive midfielder Marcus Bean made a £30K move from QPR and he was joined by Portuguese winger Marco Ferreira from Sheffield Wednesday for £22K. Our third signing will not arrive until next month as West Ham winger Julian Gray, a decent buy at only £16K, is currently loaned out to Forest Green. Saturday 8th Bean made his debut at home to Torquay with John Oster getting his first start of the season as he had recovered from a pre-season injury. Aiden McGeady scored the only goal in our 1-0 win with Partridge making the assist and claiming Man of the Match. Sunday 9th The midfield was further strengthened by the arrival of winger Anthony McNamee from Watford for £9K. Saturday 15th Our 1-1 draw at Walsall should have been a win given the chances we created and scorer Mark Burchill could have had a hat trick if his finishing had been more accurate. Sunday 16th Midfielder Glenn Cronin agreed a £26K move to Oldham and I was glad to get his £3K weekly wage off the salary bill although we are still about £4K a week over budget. Wednesday 19th A midweek trip to Watford in the League Cup saw us lose 3-0, have 6 players booked and lose John Oster for a week with a wrist injury – not the best of evenings really. Monday 24th Aiden McGeady was missing for the visit of Rotherham because of a knock picked up in training and inside quarter of an hour left back Jarrad Hodgkiss joined him on the injury list. A scrappy game ended goalless thanks mainly to the heroics of keeper Adam Ogden who denied the visitors with some fine saves. Annoyingly we had another 5 players pick up yellow cards and we need to keep an eye on our rather poor discipline. Wednesday 26th We suffered a further injury blow as new signing Jason Euell broke a toe in training and he could be out for up to two months. Saturday 29th World Cup qualifying action saw England remain top of Group 6 after a 5-0 win over Cyprus whilst a shock 1-0 loss by Belgium in the Faroe Islands, coupled with a 2-1 win for Scotland at home to Finland took the Scots into second place in the group. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 16, 2005 Author Share Posted December 16, 2005 September 2009 Tuesday 1st Richie Partridge has been far and away our most impressive player thus far in the season and I was delighted to see him win the Player of the Month award. Swindon striker Andrew Caton took the junior playing prize and Billy Davies strolled the manager award after QPR opened the season with 5 straight wins. Wednesday 2nd England made no mistake in the Faroes and their 2-0 win made sure that they qualified for the final stages as group winners. A 1-1 draw in Belgium meant that Scotland kept their slender advantage in second place to stay on course for a playoff place. Saturday 5th Despite the best efforts of keeper Adam Ogden we were soundly beaten 3-0 at West Ham as the home side comprehensively outplayed us to gain a comfortable win. Saturday 12th An excellent hat trick from Shane Paul was the highlight of our 4-2 win at home to Brentford. The 22-year-old gave us the lead after quarter of an hour but the visitors struck back twice to go into the break in the lead. Paul’s second of the match tied the game within five minutes of the restart and we took the lead with 20 minutes remaining when centre back Stephen Munn confidently despatched a penalty. The Middlesbrough loanee completed his treble in stoppage time to seal a very satisfactory victory. Tuesday 15th New boy Julian Gray arrived today now that his loan deal was finished. The 29-year-old started out as an Arsenal youth player and has stints at Crystal Palace, Birmingham and West Ham on his CV. Saturday 19th I employed a slightly different formation in our league match at Grimsby, playing with a lone striker and a five-man midfield. I had noticed that we were often getting outnumbered in the middle of the pitch so I decided to try this tactic to counteract this and it worked well. McGeady seemed to relish a playmaker role rather than playing as an advanced midfielder behind the strikers and overall it seemed to offer us a more solid platform. There were no goals in the first half but Paul, Visser and McGready were all on target after the break to give us a very good 3-0 win. Tuesday 22nd By coincidence we faced Grimsby once more as they visited Prenton Park for an LDV Trophy 1st round tie. This gave me an excellent opportunity to rotate the squad and give the fringe players some action. We recovered from conceding an early goal to score four times without reply before the visitors gained a consolation goal in stoppage time. With Burchill netting a hat trick he sent out a loud message that he should be considered for the lone striker role in our new formation. Saturday 26th Very little went right for us at home to Watford for 89 minutes until Marco Ferreira popped up to score a late equaliser to give us a deserved point. We lost McGready in the first minute and both Partridge and Paul also had to come off later in the game. The Watford goal came firmly against the run of play late in the first half but we kept plugging away and finally got our reward. Aiden was diagnosed with a back strain and his three-week absence will certainly leave us weaker in his absence. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted December 22, 2005 Author Share Posted December 22, 2005 October 2009 Thursday 1st We entered October sitting in a creditable 6th place in the league. The monthly awards saw Aaron Lennon, on loan at West Ham from Leeds, and John Thompson of Torquay take the playing honours with the Hammers Colin Lee taking the management plaudits. Saturday 3rd A comprehensive 3-0 defeat against England was a blow to Scotland’s hopes of World Cup qualification. Sunday 4th Micky Adams parted company with Fulham today as the Londoners prop up the rest of the Premiership. Wednesday 7th England signed off a triumphant qualifying campaign with a sound 4-0 win at home to Finland to come through as group winners with an unbeaten record. Despite a 5-1 defeat of the Faroe Islands, Scotland failed to gain a playoff place after Belgium scraped a 2-1 win in Cyprus to take second place. Friday 9th We lost Julian Gray for a fortnight after he twisted a knee in a training ground accident but on the positive front Jason Euell returned to full training after his two-month layoff. Saturday 10th An ill-tempered and poorly refereed encounter at Hull ended in a 2-0 defeat after we had half a dozen players booked and Ferreira sent off after getting two yellows. Wednesday 14th For the second game in succession we had a player sent off, Dennis Visser the culprit this time when he was booked twice in the first half. Despite this we managed a fine 3-2 win at home to Swindon, substitute Burchill the hero with two goals. Saturday 17th With Shane Paul injured, Mark Burchill regained his starting place and Jason Euell was named amongst the substitutes for the trip to Oxford. An enthralling encounter was finally settled in our favour when Scott Brown scored our 3rd goal in the last seconds of stoppage time. A goal down inside ten minutes we equalised from the penalty spot after quarter of an hour and then took the lead on the stroke of half time. The home side squared the game on the hour and it looked like ending honours even until our dramatic late winner. Saturday 24th McGeady was back in action for the visit of Bournemouth and celebrated by scoring the only goal of the game. We were in control for most of the game but when Alan Navarro received his second yellow card with 20 minutes remaining we had to endure a nervy closing period. Sunday 25th Charlton parted company with manager Kevin Blackwell after their mediocre start to the season in the Championship. Tuesday 27th It was time for the second string to strut their stuff again as we faced Conference side Mansfield in the 2nd round of the LDV trophy. The visiting keeper played out of his skin to keep the game scoreless for the regulation 90 minutes and a further 30 minutes of extra time before saving two penalties in the shootout to send his team through. We also lost Euell for another two weeks when he suffered a groin strain right at the end of the game. Wednesday 28th Bobby Williamson has left Championship leaders Leicester to take over the managerial vacancy at Fulham. Saturday 31st Our trip to struggling Cheltenham ended in a bitterly disappointing 1-0 defeat as we played very poorly and rarely threatened the opposition goal. We have now slipped down to 8th place but at least we are not mired in a relegation struggle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted January 8, 2006 Author Share Posted January 8, 2006 November 2009 Sunday 1st Striker Ian McLean of Swindon and teenage midfielder Eddie Reed of Torquay took the playing honours for October with Watford’s Paul Fairclough winning the managerial award. Wednesday 4th With left back Jarrad Hodgkiss and midfielder Aiden McGready both suspended for the trip to Notts County I was forced into a couple of changes. Despite going into the break a goal behind we recovered well and goals from Julian Gray and centre back Peter Clarke. Thursday 5th Midfielder Alan Navarro was ruled out for up to a month when he suffered a broken arm in training. Saturday 7th League One leaders QPR were our opponents in the 1st Round of the FA Cup and despite having home advantage we suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat. A healthy crowd set a new record in terms of gate receipts but it said much about the play of our opponents that our best player on the day was keeper Adam Ogden. Substitute Shane Paul was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in the second half. On the same day Wales took a big step towards the World Cup finals with a 2-0 win in Russia in the first leg of their playoff. Sunday 8th With his team struggling near the foot of the Championship Derby boss Ronnie Moore was shown the door today. Wednesday 11th Wales ensured that they will be in South Africa next year when they repeated their 2-0 scoreline in the second leg to complete an excellent win over Russia. Belgium, Georgia and Romania joined them after their playoff games were completed. The final qualification picture in Europe looked like this. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">World Cup 2010 Qualification | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Italy | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 3 | +22 | 27 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Croatia | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 17 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Latvia | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 16 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Ukraine | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 15 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Armenia | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 26 | -16 | 8 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Luxembourg | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 26 | -19 | 2 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Germany | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 5 | +19 | 23 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Switzerland | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 23 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Poland | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 15 | +6 | 20 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | N.Ireland | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 15 | -3 | 9 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Iceland | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 5 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Azerbaijan | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 25 | -19 | 4 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | France | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 2 | +36 | 30 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Romania | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Israel | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 16 | -3 | 12 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Estonia | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 17 | -5 | 12 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Slovakia | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 11 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Liechtenstein | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 31 | -26 | 6 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Spain | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 3 | +22 | 25 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Albania | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 17 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Turkey | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 16 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Hungary | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 14 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Belarus | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 14 | -1 | 11 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | San Marino | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 30 | -25 | 1 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Holland | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 1 | +26 | 28 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Russia | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Bosnia | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 18 | -5 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Slovenia | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 14 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | FYR Macedonia | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 19 | -7 | 9 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Andorra | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 23 | -18 | 0 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | England | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 1 | +26 | 26 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Belgium | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 18 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Scotland | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 11 | +6 | 16 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Faroe Islands | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 25 | -15 | 9 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Cyprus | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 24 | -12 | 8 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | Finland | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 18 | -10 | 6 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Czech Republic | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 6 | +8 | 17 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Georgia | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 13 | +5 | 17 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Norway | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Greece | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 19 | -5 | 13 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Malta | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 21 | -10 | 10 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Lithuania | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 10 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Portugal | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 5 | +15 | 21 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Wales | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 15 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | Ireland | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 11 | +4 | 12 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | Bulgaria | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 12 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | Kazakhstan | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 26 | -24 | 0 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Denmark | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 14 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Austria | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 13 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Serbia & Mont. | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 13 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Sweden | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 14 | -2 | 11 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Moldova | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 4 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Friday 13th Marcus Bean was ruled out for a fortnight after he damaged a foot in training leaving me without a backup in the midfield anchor position. Saturday 14th Midfielder Scott Brown scored the only goal of the game to give us victory over a Colchester side that were on the fringes of the relegation places. The win lifted us up to 4th and into the playoff zone. Sunday 15th Ian Holloway became the latest managerial casualty when he was dismissed by Coventry. Rock bottom of the Championship, the Board clearly felt that they needed to bring a new man in to try to turn the fortunes of the team around. Tuesday 17th Even though Northampton were down at the wrong end of the table I still expected a tough match at the Sixfields Stadium so I was very pleased when Partridge and McGeady established a two-goal lead inside the first 30 minutes. The home side came back to reduce the deficit just before the break and I was relieved when Burchill scored what I felt could be a crucial 3rd goal with 15 minutes remaining. Sure enough the scoring wasn’t complete and we conceded again near the end but held on for a useful 3-2 win. That was the good news – the bad news was the loss of Marco Ferreira for three weeks with broken ribs. Saturday 21st As well as the injured Ferreira we were also missing Scott Brown through suspension for the visit of second from bottom Yeovil and I was beginning to feel the need to reinforce the squad if possible. Nonetheless we gained a comfortable 2-0 win with centre back Stephen Munn opening the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half and Burchill wrapping up the points after the break. But the win came at quite a price – Dennis Visser, our clear first choice in the holding role, suffered a terrible cruciate ligament injury and would miss the rest of the season. Tuesday 24th Desperate to cover for the injured Visser I signed the experienced Aliou Cisse on a free transfer, the 33-year-old Senegal player having been out of the game since being released by Portsmouth at the end of last season. He has been given a contract to the end of the season and we will review the situation further at that point. Sunday 28th Former Charlton boss Kevin Blackwell has taken over at Coventry, managing to find employment before his former club have decided on a replacement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted January 8, 2006 Author Share Posted January 8, 2006 Oops - arsed up the World Cup tables - here's what they should have looked like. <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> World Cup 2010 Qualification | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Italy | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 3 | +22 | 27 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Croatia | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 17 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | |Latvia | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 16 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | |Ukraine | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 15 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | |Armenia | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 26 | -16 | 8 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | |Luxembourg | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 26 | -19 | 2 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Germany | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 5 | +19 | 23 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Switzerland | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 23 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | |Poland | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 15 | +6 | 20 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | |N.Ireland | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 15 | -3 | 9 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | |Iceland | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 5 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | |Azerbaijan | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 25 | -19 | 4 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | France | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 2 | +36 | 30 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Romania | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | |Israel | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 16 | -3 | 12 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | |Estonia | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 17 | -5 | 12 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | |Slovakia | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 11 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | |Liechtenstein | 10 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 31 | -26 | 6 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Spain | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 3 | +22 | 25 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | |Albania | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 17 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | |Turkey | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 16 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | |Hungary | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 14 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | |Belarus | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 14 | -1 | 11 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | |San Marino | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 30 | -25 | 1 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Holland | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 1 | +26 | 28 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | |Russia | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 11 | +3 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | |Bosnia | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 18 | -5 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | |Slovenia | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 14 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | |FYR Macedonia | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 19 | -7 | 9 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | |Andorra | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 23 | -18 | 0 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | England | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 1 | +26 | 26 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Belgium | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 18 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | |Scotland | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 11 | +6 | 16 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | |Faroe Islands | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 25 | -15 | 9 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | |Cyprus | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 24 | -12 | 8 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | |Finland | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 18 | -10 | 6 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Czech Republic | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 6 | +8 | 17 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Georgia | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 13 | +5 | 17 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Norway | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 15 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Greece | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 19 | -5 | 13 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Malta | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 21 | -10 | 10 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Lithuania | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 10 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Portugal | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 5 | +15 | 21 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | Q | Wales | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 15 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | |Ireland | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 11 | +4 | 12 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | |Bulgaria | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 12 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | |Kazakhstan | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 26 | -24 | 0 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Pos | Inf | Team | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | Q | Denmark | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 14 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Austria | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 13 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Serbia & Mont. | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 13 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Sweden | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 14 | -2 | 11 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Moldova | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 4 | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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