GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 After reading through B.W.G's thread on Vitoria I decided England needed an underdog story and this will be it. I have used a patch(Level 10) to get St Albans City into FM and I will start with them and report my progress. Oh yeah and I'm trying to do this without buying anyone and just relying on youth and my coaches and tactics! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Uploaded with ImageShack.us This will be my saviour apparently Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Uploaded with ImageShack.us Friendlies didn't tell me much other than this could be quite difficult! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 August wasn't a bad start but just feeling out the squad really, the board does expect me to go straight but they obviously haven't seen this squad! Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 September was AWFUL there was lots of shouting and moaning and I also had the board breathing down my neck along with idiot players wanting to leave(I have recently told them they can go as I want only players who know it is my way or the highway) Uploaded with ImageShack.us Losing away I don't mind as I am trying to make Clarence Park a Fortress but losing to Leamington at home meant a few tea cups had to be thrown about, Micah Hyde was not running the show like I thought he would, no one was stepping up so instead of the 4-1-3-2 I went 4-2-2-2 but with attacking wide-men. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 WOW as you will see my change of formation had a devastating effect on the team and the league table!! Uploaded with ImageShack.us The slip up to Bashley didn't do much to morale and we made Clarence Park the cauldron of noise and gave the fans a team to be happy with, no players had even managed an 8 everyone was working as a team and things were on the up, this also put us 6th in the table!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 November wasn't great but I decided to stick with the formation but tinker with the options, no tea cups were thrown as I thought a different approach other than the Hair dryer treatment was needed. Uploaded with ImageShack.us We needed some luck for xmas I can tell you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Santa arrived with 14 points out of a possible 18 and things seemed to be clicking again, Rob Haworth was scoring a few(11) but so was his French strike Partner Sakho Bakare(13) Things were definitely looking up. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 January we did well there was a relaxed fluency around training and a calmness in the dressing room I hadn't seen before, it was probably the reason we won both our home games and got good draws away from home. Uploaded with ImageShack.us These results put us top, level with Oxford City(smashed us 3-0 earlier in the season!) Uploaded with ImageShack.us Rob Haworth was very much the old man of this team but he was leading by example and it was rubbing off too. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Sakho Bakare took some of the weight off Rob's shoulders when he was injured or suspended!! Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Even nicer to see was a young man by the name of James Baker was showing all of Clarence Park what he could do...... Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Going well so far Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yeah but it takes AGES!!!!! I pray FM2013 is faster. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Uploaded with ImageShack.us As you can see February was very good 3 wins 1 draw and we beat Oxford city!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 March started off very well but the a loss away seemed to make us lose confidence and morale and then we drew at home, no real youth products came through either so it seems as this will be the squad for next season if we go up.... Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 April wasn't a good start but we got the two wins needed for automatic promotion and then I rested the big boys for the last game of the season. Uploaded with ImageShack.us This how the league finished Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 This is how my two main strikers got on Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Well done going up already. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Congrats on winning promotion Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted August 29, 2012 Author Share Posted August 29, 2012 Thank you kindly, no youth through as of yet although you wouldn't notice any difference from my first team and my youth, awful stats at this level, I am lucky if any of my players have a '10' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iHeadHunta x Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 Congrats on becoming champions and gaining promotion! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 A St. Albans City thread! Woohoo! Congratulations on the title and promotion. I only hope for the same in real life this season! Any chance you would post your Best XI as I'm curious! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 7, 2012 Author Share Posted September 7, 2012 I will have to type it from memory as I'm way into it now. Jupp Blackwood Cutchey Seeby Scorfield Hyde Magwood Shields Jonhson Bakare Haworth Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Second season installment coming up, sorry for the delay it has been a hectic work schedule. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Uploaded with ImageShack.us Up and down in the friendlies as you can see but a great result against Notts County, basically a Champions League win right there!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 I aim to get promoted every year but obviously that is just blind optimism and a huge ego, August I thought was an OK start to the Blue Square south division, always good to win your opening game as well. Uploaded with ImageShack.us 5 points from 12 but from just being promoted I am just getting settled. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Now the start of September and the end of August got me a little worried so I started tinkering with a few arrows and different marking for certain players... Uploaded with ImageShack.us It seemed to workout well as we got 7 points from 12 and I had convinced my self that was title winning form so every game I changed one thing, playing a striker deeper or putting a winger right up top with the forwards, the back four stayed deep, short passing and no creative freedom whatsoever!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 We carried on winning and being out played in most games due to my extremely direct nature and now 3 up front due to Bakare, Haworth and young James Baker all scoring against Wealdstone, it was working so now I was too scared to change it!!! Uploaded with ImageShack.us A lovely month as you can see with no losses and two cup wins,we were actually starting to dominate matches and I was thinking it was quite a breeze...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 November carried on very good and I was riding high and letting other managers slag me off left and right(why should I care as my boys where smashing everyone in sight!) Uploaded with ImageShack.us We drew Swindon in the cup and they played well but we should have snatched it at the end, good result all the same but 4 injuries meant a 17 yr old GK came on with two 18yr olds (one RB one CM) After the game it turned out Sakare was out for 2 months with a hamstring injury Micah Hyde was sidlined for a month Neil Jupp was also out for a Month Seeby was only out for 2 weeks but this brought in players who just weren't good enough, this was the challenge I was waiting for..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 The loss of big players was worrying and barely having a squad to cope I changed the formation to a 4-1-3-2 and had a CB at RB and another CB as DM, things were looking bleak..... Uploaded with ImageShack.us ....Until James Baker decided at 17 yrs old to show everyone what he was capable of! Losing to Havent and Basingstoke were not big in my book as both were away and we were doing very well in the cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 December wasnt bad in terms of league position as everyone else seemed to be beating everyone else and we were in 7th position, 4 points from the play offs and only 9 points from top spot! January saw the squad get some of the main players back but I brought them into the team too early and they fatigued quite quickly and we ended up conceding 3 late goals to Eastleigh. Uploaded with ImageShack.us I was pleased with how things were turning out, beating Welling in their back yard was nice as they had done it to us, also being linked with the Westham job when Sam Alla Alla Allardyce was shown the door was quite comical! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 After beating Welling Bakare and Haworth(most experienced strikers at the club) were injured in traing and would miss all of February, so I went for it and put 2 wingers up top with James Baker and went back to 4-3-3.... Uploaded with ImageShack.us No losses was good considering I had 1 17 yr old with an 18 yr old winger and a 25 yr old winger playing up front, all 3 scored in the win against Hampton. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Uploaded with ImageShack.us I left the 2 strikers out of the team and rested them as the 3 up front were doing the bizzo for me, 4 wins 1 loss is title winning form but I was 14 points from top spot but in 5th so play offs beckoned at this point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Uploaded with ImageShack.us No injuries meant I could tinker if I wanted but I didn't....... until we dreww 2-2 at home to Carshalton(WHO? I know) the team got a kick up the bum and a few players got dumped and we drew at Hendon which wasn't good but I was going to let the team settle and see how they reacted, the two wins at the end of april were nice as with other results we were 4th! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Uploaded with ImageShack.us The beating we handed out to Eastleigh put us third and guaranteed our play off spot and as we had no hope of getting top I rested a few key players and we still managed to get 4 points from 6!! We drew Salisbury City in the semis of the play offs who we beat away and drew with at home, I was happy with that!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Well Salisbury had beefed up their team from the last time we had met and we were lucky to get a 76th minute penalty to scrape a draw away from Clarence park. The home game was an awful game and there was only 7 attempts on goal in total from both teams!! We kept our nerves leading up to pens but Salisbury had one of their plays sent off for a late tackle, we won penalties but dodged a bullet so do I change the team for the play off final of which were drawn against Welling(we both took points from eachother so it was going to be an interesting tie) We lost away from home 0-1 with the goal coming after 37 seconds and I was furios so I used all 3 subs after 1 minute and 21 seconds(earliest I could do it after sorting out who ws at fault!) after the game I never said anything as I had already taken who I thought was responsible off. The home tie those players who were subbed all started and Anton Blackwood one of those players scored after 17 minutes so I feel I was justified in what I did, we got a second late on and that was it we were going up!!! Uploaded with ImageShack.us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Congrats on the Playoff victory,St.Albans moving on up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIBURROWS Posted September 11, 2012 Author Share Posted September 11, 2012 Yeah but not this season coming, my team does not compare with even the weakest of teams in the Blue Square Premier, I will be very lucky if I stay up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 12, 2012 Share Posted September 12, 2012 Good fight on your hands then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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