[FM11] My First (and maybe only!) Attempt

[pezza1]

So this is my first attempt at career thread on this forum. I have followed several careers here and thought it was about time to try my own one. I want to do this mainly to keep track of my own career although any feedback is always welcome. Im a very slow player on an average machine so im gonna do monthly updates to try and keep things ticking over.

As a side note....im also not that good of a manager in general so this thread may be a good one for those who enjoy watching someone really struggle to get anywhere in the game!!!

So heres the set up:

MLS (MLS only)

England (Regional first Divs and above)(Uncle Rons levels 7 & 8 update)

France (CFA and above)

Germany (Third Div and above)

Italy (Serie C2 and above)

Holland (Eerste Div and above)

Norway (Prem Div only)

Scotland (Third Div and above)

Spain (Second Div B and above)

Wales (Principality Welsh Prem only)

Australia (Hyundai A-League only)

Brazil (Third Div and above)

This is running on patch 11.3

I started the game unemployed and with no particular aim but to see where the wind takes me!! If im enjoying my time at a club it will take alot for me to leave but if I feel a it is the right time to move clubs I will happily jump ship!! The more likely senario may be that I get sacked alot too, but it all adds to the fun!!

[pezza1]

So after applying for a few jobs I got a few offers almost immediately. But one stood out above all and that was an offer from my local club, North Leigh F.C.

I used to play for them when I was a little younger although only made 1 substitute appearance for them.....and even that was about 5 minutes in a friendly game!!

Heres a little info on them for those who are interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Leigh_F.C.

[pezza1]

2010/2011 Preview - North Leigh F.C - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

I've been given a deal until June 2011 worth £180 per week.

League Expectations: Safe Mid-table position

FA Cup Expectations: 1st qualifying round

FA Trophy Expectations: Learn from the experience

Red Insure Cup Expectations: 1st round

Media Prediction:16th

Wage budget: £571 p/w (currently spending £665 p/w)

Estimated value: £70K

I have an assistant manager, a scout and a physio all of whom will remain with me for the time being because I dont want to pay for their contracts to be paid off!!

It seems like a real opportunity to settle in slowly with expectations being so low. A quick look at my squad reveals that there may need to be a few changes. This is my best player from the original squad I inherited:

[pezza1]

I think I should say at this stage that my updates will be similar to that used in UncleRon's current (and excellent) career thread. Hope he doesnt mind!!

[pezza1]

So with Mr. McCabe as a reference it is clear that I had to add to the squad. Here are the transfers I have made so far/ Bear in mind that im a few months into the save already so some of these were made after season start.

5 in, 0 out. I started off slightly above my wage budget so going this route hasnt made things any better, however I wanted to give every squad member a chance to show what they could do so I wont be getting rid of any players until the january transfer window.

[pezza1]

2010/2011 Pre-Season - North Leigh F.C - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

We played mainly tier 8 opposition with a few other games sprinkled around. We also had more freindlys than I would normally participate in but I wanted to get to know my squad.

After a great start winning our first 4 matches we got dealt a couple of big defeats to bring us back down to earth. Pretty pleased overall though and my players were now ready for the big kick off!!

[pezza1]

2010/2011 August - North Leigh F.C. - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

After 2 good draws against promotion contenders in this division we suffer our first defeat at the hands of Abingdon Utd. That left us 17th after the first 3 league games. Not the start I would have hope for of course, but the performances against Bishops Cleeve and Magnotsfield were encouraging enough to give me confidence in this new job.

We got our first win with an impressive 3-0 victory over AFC Hayes to get our season properly underway, as well as progress in the F.A. Cup, a competition I want to do well in to get a bit of money in the coffers!

[pezza1]

2010/2011 September - North Leigh F.C. - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

We followed our win over AFC Hayes with our first league victory over Almondsbury. That was to be our only league victory of the month as form and confidence dipped. A measly 5 points out of 15 this month.

On a more positive note we were able to progress a little further in the F.A. Cup. We required a replay against Berkhamsted who are not even in an active league currently. So not impressive progress by any means! Our reward was an F.A. Cup 2nd Qualifying Round tie against Chester. 3000 people packed in to the Deva Stadium to watch our 2-0 defeat however such a good attendance meant a good pot of money despite not getting very far in the competition.

[DSYoungEsq]

Keep going! You'll make a good career thread out of it!

[pezza1]

2010/2011 October - North Leigh F.C. - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

A little more cup action first, and we start the month by bowing out of the F.A. Trophy at the first hurdle. This defeat was disappointing as not only were we at home, but we had also drawn with Walton Casuals during per-season. The board wanted us to merely learn from competing in the competition so going out so early didnt bother then in the slightest.

We started our Red Insure Cup campaign as well this month and went through to the second round after defeating Marlow 3-1 at home. And with result we had also exceeded the boards expectations for another competition which is just as well as the league was still a struggle!!

We continued our poor league form by failing to win in any of the first 4 league games of the month but ended it on a high with a win over struggling Taunton. A much needed victory as this season, as of this moment, seems to be turning into a relegation scrap.

And here is the league table as it stands after October. We are struggling in 17th place but there is only 1 team to be relegated this season and Andover have made a quite terrible start to keep us in a comfortable position, 7 points from the drop-zone.

[pezza1]

Thanks for the encouragement DSYoungEsq!! I will keep going with it I think! Thats all I have for the time being but should hopefully update the next month in a few days time.

If anyone has suggestions on layout or content please let me know. Although Im doing this thread mainly for myself I still want it to be a good read for others if anyone happens to follow it.

[Blue_magic]

Good Luck

[pezza1]

Thanks Blue_magic!

[pezza1]

2010/2011 November - North Leigh F.C. - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

We had a bad start to the month with 3 straight defeats. The 1-6 defeat at home to Gosport was particularly sickening, although the defeat to Paulton was equally difficult to take as we conceded from 2 set-plays in the final 10 minutes.

We followed these defeats with 2 wins. The first against struggling Andover was a crucial 3 points which kept them firmly routed to the bottom of the league. The second win over Thatcham was easily our most impressive display all season and made me optimistic that we had turned a corner.

We crashed down to earth in the Red Insure Cup with a second round defeat to Zamaretto Premiership outfit Cirencester and rounded off the month with a home draw at mid-table Bideford. The Bideford draw was a missed opportunity however as they played the final 20 minutes with 9 men following 2 red cards!! We equalised but couldnt manage a winner which was really dissapointing given that we need to improve our home form.

So, despite picking up a few points this month we slide to 18th in the table. Cinderford's form picked up this month pushing us down a place, but with Andover losing all their matches this month we open up the gap between them and ourselves to 14 points.

[pezza1]

2010/2011 December - North Leigh F.C. - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

With just 4 league games in the month of December I was looking forward to not having to rotate the squad so much thinking that the greater cohesion would improve our displays.....I guess I was wrong!! The most difficult month to date followed as we lost all 4 matches!!

The performances over Bridgewater and Bishops Cleeve were poor, although both are strong sides, but we were unfortunate to lose to Mangotsfield as we missed several second half chances (McCabe in particular who hasnt scored in several matches now) only to be hit by a sucker punch in stoppage time.

The loss to leaders Abingdon Utd was expected but we put up a good fight away from home

So that terrible month saw us drop yet another place to 19th. Clevedon have found form to move above us and the rest of the teams around us have picked up a few points to leave us adrift. Andover could only manage the 1 point themselves this month meaning whilst relegation isnt likely we have to be a little careful that this terrible run doesnt continue.

[rjfreeman]

Tough month there. Good luck. There a lot of matches left to try and turn things around.

[pezza1]

Tough month there. Good luck. There a lot of matches left to try and turn things around.

Yeah, Im finding it pretty hard at the minute. I have built a reasonable side but just cant get them going. Im playing around a bit with things like the match preperation to see if theres anything I can change. Im confident we can turn the corner and push back up the table. Its all about building for next year I guess!!

[pezza1]

Got some pleasing news during the month of January:

As you can see on the right, my record is not great and being 19th in the league with my contract up at the end of the season I was a little concerned that the board may let it run down. Turns out I just had to ask for a new one!! Im happy to stay here (all things being well!) for a further 2 seasons as I feel I still have a hell of a lot of work to do at the club yet.

[pezza1]

Just a couple of moves during January with experienced left-back Steve Symes coming in to fill a position that has given me sleepless nights!! Out goes Tony Ball, a centre-half who was struggling to break into the first team, and when he did find himself in there, tended to play terrible!

But in general im happy enough with the squad and I didnt want to shake things up too much half way through the season. Also im currently over my wage budget so im now actively looking to get rid of players, with little success thus far!

[pezza1]

2010/2011 January - North Leigh F.C. - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

The month started as I'd finished the last. The 0-4 thrashing, handed to us by Wimborne, was our 5th defeat on the spin.

However, that was to be the last defeat of the month as we went on a 4 match unbeaten run picking up a handy 8 points in the process. Bruce Wheeler smashed in a 30 yard freekick to seal the win at Almondsbury and a great team performance saw us beat Cinderford, also away from home, 3-2.

These were much needed points as we had started to be set adrift in 19th place.

Having lost to Wimborne we were about 10 points from 18th place, however our recent upturn in form has meant we are now just 3 points from Cinderford. Andover have made improvements this month in the only relegation place however we increase the gap over them to 16 points to give us a real buffer.

[pezza1]

2010/2011 February - North Leigh F.C. - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

After being unbeaten in 4 matchs Stourport brought us back down to earth with a comfortable 2-0 victory over us. I feared this would result in a loss of confidence and that we may go on another bad run. But the team seems to be made of sterner stuff in the last 2 months and we bounced back with a creditable home draw against Hungerford.

Then followed an important victory over fellow strugglers Yate with striker Kyle Jordan grabbing his first goal in 11 hours of play. This was followed by defeat to league leaders Frome, 3-2, made all the more dissapointing seeing as we went in at half-time 2-0 up.

So still a couple of points away from 18th place but with 8 games to go its looking almost certian that we will at least not be relegated. I would love to move up the table a little though next month. We've been stuck in 19th place far too long!!

Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Frome took a huge step towards promotion, with their victory over us opening up their lead to 6 points with a game in hand. Abingdon and Bridgewater are looking good for play-off places whilst any team down to Stourport in 12th still has a chance of making up the final play-off spots.

[pezza1]

2010/2011 March - North Leigh F.C. - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

March was a quiet month with only 3 games (theres an odd number of teams so I had a week off this month!). We started with a decent 1-1 at Clevedon with striker Kyle Jordon smashing in a 25 yard equaliser in stoppage time much to my delight!

We followed this up with our biggest win under my management, a 5-1 trouncing of struggling Taunton. Taunton had just installed a new manager so I was worried he may inspire them but a change in formation for them I think negatively effected the side and we took full advantage.

We ended the month with a dissapointing defeat and performance against Gosport going down 3-0. We were outplayed in the first half against the promotion hopefuls and never recovered from going in 2 goals down. They have a 9-1 aggregate over us this season......I hope they get promoted!

The month leaves us 17 points above the relegation place with 5 games to go so we keep our place in the place in the Zamaretto Division 1 South/West for next season. We play Andover at home next and beating them will relegate them. At the top, the top 5 teams have opened a slight 4 point gap over the rest to give themselves the edge in the final month of the league season.

[pezza1]

2010/2011 April - North Leigh F.C. - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

The final month of our season saw us start by beating bottom club Andover 1-0 and in the process relegate them. Then followed 3 successive 1-1 draws with each match seeing us come from behind to snatch a point. The draw at Paulton was dissapointing as they were down to 9 men at one stage due to injuries.

We finished the season in dissapointing fashion losing 3-0 to Bideford with a very limp performance. I made a few changes for this match as we had nothing to play for but I really have to look at my backup players after this performance and decide who will remain with us for next season.

So here is the final league table with ourselves finishing 19th. Andover are the only team to be relegated although im not sure if the league increases to 22 teams next season. Frome cruise to automatic promotion whilst Abingdon Utd, Gosport, Bridgewater and Hungerford will battle it out for the final promotion place.

Full season summary to follow..

[pezza1]

North Leigh - Zamaretto Division 1 South/West - 2010/2011

My first season in club management was an opportunity to bed myself in with expectations being low at the club

League Table/League Positions Graph

We established ourselves early as relegation candidates dropping to 17th after just 3 games. From there we gradually worked our way down to 19th place and remained there for the remainder of the season, not budging for the remaining 21 matches. I felt this was not a reflection of the improvement we mad in the final 3rd of the season when we started to pick up points on a more regular basis. Unfortunately we couldnt find those extra few wins to push us back up the table

F.A. Cup

The board were hoping for the 1st Qualifying Round so to get to the second was a good achievement. We played well to thump AFC Hayes but made hard work of Berhamsted in the 1st Qualifying Round requiring a replay. Defeat to Chester was a blow but the 3000 strong attendance ensured a decent financial windfall from the competition.

FA Trophy

An early exit to Walton Casuals was dissapointing but the board wanted us to learn from the experience in this competition so no big deal!

Red Insure Cup

A good win over Marlow was followed by a tough trip to Zamaretto Premier Division outfit Cirencester and we were duly thumped. The board only wanted us to compete in the first round which was mandatory (!) so a Second Round birth exceeded expectations

Squad

The squad is too big and needs to be trimmed. It is also inexperienced and way too slow. These are all things myself and my scout have to put right over the summer

Key Player Profiles

Andy McCabe - Our captain and top goalscorer, we wouldnt have scored much at all without him.

Chris Weedon - had a reasonable season disrupted by injuries a little. Hoping for better performances next year from what is attribute-wise one of our best players.

Ben Turner - started slowly but got better and better as the season progressed. A good, if uncultured defender. His form will be key next season.

Bruce Wheeler - another solid, if unspectacular performer he does a good job as a ball-winning midfield player but im still unsure of his role in the future.

Career Overview

Season    Team			League                   Position    Achievements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010/11   North Leigh		Zamaretto D1 South/West	 19th        none

Next Season: I will hope to improve the league position for certian. 19th isnt good enough for the squad I have but with a few key additions, in particular a new goalkeeper I believe a mid-table finish is more than possible next season. I have 2 years to run on my contract so I need to show that the boards faith in me isnt misplaced.

[Maw74]

Hopefully you can pick up some good players in the summer and then make progress up the divison.

[pezza1]

Hopefully you can pick up some good players in the summer and then make progress up the divison.

Hopefully!! Dont know how easy that will be though as first I have to clear over 100 pounds a week off the wage bill before I can think of bring others in. Gonna have to do some Harry Redknapp style wheeling and dealing in the summer!!

[Mikal]

Good luck for next season mate, the first is always the hardest!! A few shrewd signings and you'll be well away.

[pezza1]

Good luck for next season mate, the first is always the hardest!! A few shrewd signings and you'll be well away.

Cheers mate, that was a hard season for sure! Although I bought FM11 just after release this is my first real save on it as Ive been waiting for the final patch, so Im still getting used to a few of the new features and stuff. Its ok though, it feels more realistic to be struggling in my "first" managerial position!

[pezza1]

Major Competition Winners

I thought it might be a good idea to let you know who won the major competitions from around the footballing world just to get a sense of whats going on elsewhere.

Hyundia A-League: Perth Glory

Brazil National First Division: Gremio

Barclays Premier League: Chelsea

Ligue 1: Olympic Marseille

Bundes Liga: Bayern Munich

Eredivisie: Ajax

Serie A: Napoli

Norwegian Premier Division: Rosenberg

Scottish Premier League : Rangers

La Liga: Real Madrid

MLS: DC United

Pricipality Welsh Premier: Neath

UEFA Champions League: Inter Milan 2-2 Real Madrid(p)

Europa League: Juventus 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur

If there are any other competitions people think should be covered let me know.

[pezza1]

A little closer to home now, this is what happened during the Zamaretto Division 1 South/West playoffs:

I fancied either Gosport or Abingdon Utd to reach the promised land of the Zamaretto Premier League, however they both lost their respective playoff semi-finals and paved the way for Hungerford to snatch promotion on penalties.

[Leghinf]

Naaah playoff.

You must win the league (S1S), however

Welcome in SLP!

[pezza1]

Naaah playoff.

You must win the league (S1S), however

Welcome in SLP!

I didnt get promoted Leghinf, if thats what you're getting at, I was just showing who did get promoted via the playoffs from my division!! Unfortunately I finished 19th......and I agree, its much better to win the division than go up via the playoffs

[pezza1]

2011/2012 Preview - North Leigh F.C - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

League expectations: Fight bravely against relegation

FA Cup expectations: First Qualifying Round

FA Trophy expectations: Learn from the experience

Red Insure Cup expectations: 1st Round

Media Prediction:21st

Wage budget: £750 p/w (currently spending £629 p/w)

Estimated value: £65K

So expectations in the league are lower this year and with good reason....after finishing our preseason friendlys we still have not added to the squad from last year and have let 7 players go. This hasnt been for the want of trying but I have struggled to find players with sufficient quality to replace my current mob. I desperately want a new goalkeeper and a new striker but I havent turned up anything as yet.

Despite the negatives the summer did provide a few positives. I have revamped my backroom staff completely replacing them with the following:

Trevor Quow - An experienced assistant manager who has better coaching stats than the previous one and his advice seems much more comprehensive as well.

Joe Little - I only had my assistant last year so having an extra coach will improve the quality of training (I hope!)

Peter Vaughan - My new Physio, slightly better stats than the last guy although that isnt saying much.

Ben Brown - definitely an improvement on my previous scout in terms of stats, although he hasnt come up with an good/realistic targets as yet.

Despite the media prediction I am looking to improve on my league position of last season. To do that I will need to work hard over the next few weeks to add to the squad. Even with the squad I have I beleive we can get a comfortable mid-table finish. I would also like a decent FA Cup run to improve the finances as I have slipped into the red during the summer.

[pezza1]

A few other odds and ends to tie up before we head into a preseason update:

Firstly the fans Player of the Year:

A fair choice considering he was our only consistant source of goals last season

and also our team of the year from last season:

Agree with this almost completely accept I would have had Steve Symes in at left back instead of Grant Mills. Symes was a january signing however so that may be the reason that he hasnt even made the squad!

[pezza1]

2011/2012 Pre-Season - North Leigh F.C - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

On the surface a pretty dissapointing preseason with just 1 win and 5 defeats however I didnt feel the performances were that bad and unlike last preseason we didnt suffer any heavy defeats.

We seemed a little rusty against Leatherhead but followed that result with a good win and performance over Fleet. we lost the next 4 but 2 of those games were against Ryman Premier League opposition with the defeat against Concord Rangers being particularly unlucky having been level with 5 minutes left.

One thing that did stand out from the results was the lack of goals and getting a new striker in before the season start will be a top priority.

Another thing to note was that I didnt have any backroom staff for the first 3 friendlies as I fired my entire team in the summer and it took a while for my job advertisements to be replied to. I rely heavily on scout reports on my next opposition to set the team up for games and also have had no feedback from my assistant during matchs cause I didnt have one!! In fairness when I did have my team in place results didnt improve!!

[pezza1]

2011/2012 August - North Leigh F.C - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

League: I wanted a good start to this season to set the team off on the right foot. A solid draw looked within our grasp against Bideford on the opening day but a stoppage time winner saw us lose despite a good performance. The home defeat to Stourport was well deserved as we never got going in that match. This was followed by another unfrotunate defeat to AFC Hayes in an even game.

That left us in 21st place and low on confidence but we ended the month at least picking up our first league point with a 3-3 draw at home to Yate, although another stoppage time goal prevented us from getting a much needed win.

FA Cup: Drawn away to Poole seemed like a tricky tie on paper but they have struggled badly since promotion and a Mario Nash hattrick saw us through to the 1st Qualifying round.

Well doesnt this look familiar!! Back into our groove in 19th place!! A really poor start has put us right where everyone expected us to be, which is in a relegation dogfight once again. We have had a couple of good performances but have nothing much yet to show for it. The FA Cup win was a real morale booster though and im hoping that can propel the team onto a good run of form.

New signing

Ian Lowe - I have finally found a goalkeeper but I still need a striker unless Nash comes from no-where to make the position his own.

[pezza1]

2011/2012 September - North Leigh F.C - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

League: A strong start to the month saw us beat relegation rivals Almondsbury 2-1 away from home in an excellent team performance. We followed this with another good display against league leaders Wimbourne however a stoppage time equaliser prevented us from getting 2 wins on the bounce. After our FA Cup exit we capitulated losing the next 3 league games. We played brilliantly for 85 minutes against Didcot but went from 1-0 up to losing 3-1 in the last 5 minutes. The defeat against Totten was also a close run match with a 30 yarder the only difference between the sides. Gosport always hammer us and did so again in a poor display.

FA Cup: We exit the competition at the First Qualifying Round with a dissapointing defeat to Chalfont St. Peter who are in an inactive league. We had chances to equalise but scoring has been a major problem for most of the season. By getting to the First Qualifying round we managed to reach the boards expectations in the FA Cup without exceeding them.

So we slip to 20th in the league with a major relegation dogfight on our hands for the rest of the season. Poole Town and Thame have made terrible starts also but with 2 teams to be relegated this year I am genuinely worried about our chances of staying up. Im hoping these recent additions can improve our fortunes:

Darren Hawkins: A big improvement on any of our right sided players at the club.

Ronnie Morgan: Im hoping Ronnie is the striker im looking for to get us back up the league and out of trouble.

Andy Crabtree: Brought in as better quality backup for our 2 centre halfs who have both been injured this month. Can play left-back as well so his versatility could be helpful

[HunterKiller]

Good luck pezza1, Morgan looks like he might have the right stuff for that level!

[DSYoungEsq]

Good luck, and I hope it works for you! I hate relegation battles, but at least they make you focus on every game.

[psychonaut]

Looks like a long season ahead. Good luck anyway!

[pezza1]

Good luck pezza1, Morgan looks like he might have the right stuff for that level!

I havent finished October yet but I will say that Morgan has certianly made an impact!

[pezza1]

Good luck, and I hope it works for you! I hate relegation battles, but at least they make you focus on every game.

Thanks, I dont mind relegation battles (which is just as well as I always seem to be in them), but im hoping the new signings will help improve my fortunes a bit. We arent playing too bad, just need to score a few more goals!

[pezza1]

Looks like a long season ahead. Good luck anyway!

I think you could be right!! Im enjoying this save none the less. Im still getting to grips with FM11 at the moment but hopefully we'll turn it around soon!

[pezza1]

2011/2012 October - North Leigh F.C - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

League: Lots of cup matches this month meant room for only 2 league games. The first was a terrible performance away to Bishops Cleeve where the 1-0 defeat actually flattered us. We followed this with an excellent result and performance against Cinderford winning 4-2. Cinderford twice pegged us back before 2 second half goals sealed a crucial victory.

FA Trophy: We started our FA Trophy run with a good 3-2 victory at home to Zamaretto D1 South/West leaders Wimborne, finishing the job we couldnt manage when we played them in the league. This set us up for a First Qualifying Round tie against Zamaretto Premier League strugglers Evesham. I fancied our chances in this one, and a hattrick by new signing Ronnie Morgan helped us pull off a cup upset.

By the end of the month though our FA Trophy run had come to an end losing 4-0 away to Zamaretto Premier League promotion hopefuls Bognor Regis. The result was a little unfair as Bognor broke the deadlock after 75 minutes from a penalty, then ruthlessly exposed us as we chased the game for the final 15 minutes. We exceeded expectations for this competition.

Red Insure League Cup: We made 10 changes to the side that beat Cinderford but still managed a good home win against Zamaretto D1 Central leaders Stourbridge. We have already exceeded expectations for this competition.

We have slipped into the relegation zone thanks partly to our lack of league games and also due to Poole Towns revival of late. We have had a reasonable month though beating some good opposition so Im still hopeful of getting out of trouble with the games in hand we have.

New Signing:

Sam Keevil: A fairly solid Defensive Midfield player with pretty good passing attributes, Im hoping his signing will make us harder to beat.

[pezza1]

On a side note, I have managed to gain a regional reputation now!

I must be moving up in the world! Just hope the team can start doing the same!!

[brFM2011]

Hopefully the new signings will help, congrats on gaining regional rep too definitely a positive

[SpoRia]

Some progress your making, although it looks like you need to pull of a string of results so you avoid relegation. I hope you do it!

[pezza1]

Hopefully the new signings will help, congrats on gaining regional rep too definitely a positive

Thanks!! Dont remember getting a regional rep so quickly in previous games. Perhaps my small FA Trophy run did it, seeing as we knocked out Zamaretto Premier opposition along the way. Either way, should help in getting another job if this one goes horribly wrong!!

[pezza1]

Some progress your making, although it looks like you need to pull of a string of results so you avoid relegation. I hope you do it!

Your right, the odd win here and there wont cut it. Last month was ok though, 4 wins out of 6, although not all of them were league wins. But if I an keep up that sort of form I think I'll be fine come the end of the season. Im not panicking yet!

[pezza1]

2011/2012 November - North Leigh F.C - Zamaretto League Division One South/West

League: This was an extremely busy month that tested my squad to the limit as we looked to catch up on our league fixtures. We started strongly with a good win over Clevedon. However this was followed by a dissapointing draw at bottom of the table Thame, after we led at half-time.

We more than matched Taunton at home but couldnt find the net and one lapse at the back cost us a point, but we recovered well to beat promotion chasing Abingdon Utd at home with a Ben Turner header winning it for us in stoppage time.

Then followed 2 big away matchs at fellow strugglers Sholing and Poole Town. The defeat at Sholing was fustrating as, again, in a game of few chances, we were worth a point. The draw against Poole was a pretty good performance against a much improved side in recent months. Although the result helped neither of us I think we will be happiest with the point.

We finished the month with 2 home fixtures which I was hoping we could take maximum points from. Unfortunately that plan went out of the window as we had to twice come from behind to snatch a point against Thatcham. However we finished the month as we started, with victory this time over Paulton.

Red Insure Cup: With Zamaretto Premier League opposition many thought this would be the end of our cup exploits this season however an under strength team managed to pull off yet another cup upset this season to progress to the 3rd round, where we will play another Zamarreto Premier side, Swindon Supermarine.

With 3 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats this month in the league we climb out of the relegation zone and we are showing some good form which is making me rue our bad start to the season as similar form early doors would probably have put us comfortably in mid-table. Poole are doing better so we still have to fight tooth and nail every match to survive.

The Red Insure Cup is a nice distraction, however, I'll continue to field weaker teams until at least the semi-final stage. But in truth I dont expect to make it past Swindon Supermarine anyway!