Black and Yellow Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" I appreciate that it’s a bit late for an FM16 save to begin, but this will last me the two months until FM17 and possibly more depending on how much I get into it. I am going to take on the Youth Challenge, and I have decided to start in Northern Ireland. I am a big fan of some of the stories on here – from San Marino, Luxembourg and the rise of Kafra FC in England. So without further ado – lets get started… Wakehurst FC – who? Wakehurst FC are the lowest ranked senior side in Northern Ireland. They ply their trade in the Northern Irish Championship 2 – the third tier of senior football. ‘The Hurst’ are from Ballymena, but have been playing outside of Ballymena for a number of years. They currently ground share with fellow NIFL2 side Moyola Park, playing their games in Castledawson. The ground, Mill Meadow, holds 2,000 people and has a synthetic playing surface. It is a dream of the club to return to Ballymena - something I will aim to achieve here. Why Northern Ireland? I wanted to play in a country that is not a top European choice. I also considered Wales and Iceland, but felt that Northern Ireland provided more depth as it has three tiers to get through first. It is also quite a short league season, which should mean I fly through as we progress. About the League It appears that the League is in some state of redevelopment. The NIFL2 has 14 teams for 2015/16, of which five are relegated (!!). I was unaware of this but hoping we can have enough in us to stave off relegation and see what happens next season. I think it goes down to 12 teams from 2016/17, and that’ll be either two or three relegation spots, which will be easier to keep away from – hopefully. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" ------------ The Manager This is Walter O'Donaghue. A former amateur footballer in Northern Ireland, Walter was forced into an early retirement. He was always a bit of a nutter on the pitch, yet retirement was surprisingly caused off of it - it is believed Walter fell down the stairs of a pub after a few too many beers and once he regained consciousness he could no longer kick a ball as he once did. Walter has taken the step into management with Wakehurst, which is his first job in management. No badges and no proper experience - he can't go wrong?! The Club Not a lot to write home about here, to be honest. The club has a very limited history, with just one Junior trophy in the trophy cabinet (currently a windowsill in the Manager's office). Facilities are all very basic - we do not have our own stadium so we are currently sharing with a fellow NIFL2 side, Moyola Park. It is a key aim of the club to return to Ballymena, and this is something that Walter has strived to achieve. The finance side of the club - well, lets just say, Walter could probably make a donation that would double the club's current balance (if he wanted to, of course). There is one positive I can see - the use of a synthetic pitch means that we should have no hassle of home postponements, which is something I was wary of at this low level! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" The Squad I never really know whether to believe these stars at the beginning, as my staff don't seem to know their arse from their elbow. But alas, here is what they think. Whether I agree or not is a different matter. There are also a couple of players missing at the bottom, but they are all absolutely terrible. The fact we only have two strikers is a bit of a concern. Two. In the whole club. Praying for an injury free season from the pair of them! I have highlighted the top two so you can see just how good we are... Daniel Agnew Bobby Mitchell I think both will be key parts of our back line as we look to finish above the bottom five - it still feels an outrage saying that!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
anagain Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Best of luck with Wakehurst. I played 3 1/2 seasons with Loughgall, and there's a lot of youth about, so that will be in your favour with your intent on playing the youth challenge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 Thank you! Yeah I'm looking forward to getting my first intake and having more than 20 players in the club! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" As we're focusing on building up Northern Ireland as well, I will be updating on the national team's progress too. They have recently been given their 2018 World Cup Qualifying group... With just one team qualifying, I think the chances of N. Ireland making it are somewhere between slim and none. With the World Champions in there, it's pretty much sealed. I'd like to think we can get results against San Marino (obviously), Azerbaijan and probably Norway, but I think Germany and Czech Republic will have too much for us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillHoudini24 Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Just yesterday I was reading throught @dafuge's N.Irish career. It wasn't a Youth Challenge, but he stretched the limits of the game many times. I hope you get a decent board, in order to upgrade your youth facilities as fast as possible. Good luck, I'll be following. I'm doing the same challenge in Andorrian Leagues myself, just got promoted to their first tier. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 Thanks for the comment :). I don't envisage getting any youth improvements for a couple of years to be honest, our finances are pretty awful. Generally though the board seem quite supportive so I'm hoping when we do have money to invest in infrastructure, we do. I'll have a look at yours! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Just a week or so into the new job, Walter finds the huge negative of non-contract deals... There goes one of our best players. Or so the staff thought. The fans clearly thought otherwise. I'm a bit disappointed to lose a young talent so soon. And in other news, Walter has brought his best mate in as assistant. They met on a night out, apparently...: Best of a poor bunch. A lot of stats that can hopefully move into the 10s, although it remains to be seen if this is going to be a long partnership. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" There's been a few things of note in the first half of the season; NIFL2 Here is the table at the halfway point of the league season, and as you can see, it's been a struggle. We started off with a winless run but that was ended in the 5th game, as we beat Newington. We have had to adjust our tactics from a flat 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1 as one of our strikers picked up an injury, leaving us with one player capable of playing up front. Form has picked up slightly in the last few weeks, but we really need to push on to try and stave off relegation this season. The second half of the campaign must be an improvement. 30 points seems to be the magic mark so picking up 17/39 shouldn't be too difficult, right? League Cup The League Cup 2nd Round saw us welcome Danske Premiership holders Crusaders to town. I was expecting a heavy defeat, but to be fair the boys did well and it was only one slip in concentration with a quarter of an hour to go that saw the Premiership side pass through. This highlighted just how open N. Ireland is - the gulf in quality between Premiership sides and NIFL1 or NIFL2 sides is not that great at all. Steel & Sons Cup A great run for the club sees us get into the final four of the Steel & Sons Cup. We've been drawn against the highest ranked side left in the competition, in NIFL1 side Larne. They're struggling, a bit like ourselves, but we've had some upsets already this year so it is certainly winnable if we're on our game. European Championships Great news for the country as they manage to seal qualification for Euro 2016 in France. Fingers crossed that they can have a run as good as their run in real life! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Interesting read so far. Hopefully you can avoid an early end to the career. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Steel & Sons Cup Well, we did it! Close to 500 people turned out at Ballymena Showgrounds to see us come from behind twice and end up winning the tie. I am delighted with Jordon Foster! He has stepped up to the sole striker role superbly and been a key player for us so far this season. Our prize for getting to the final is certainly a winnable one.. Christmas Day..really?! Dundela are a couple of places higher than us in the league. We did beat them in the league at their place, coming from behind as Foster bagged in the 88th and 91st minute to see us dramatically win 3-2. They'll want revenge, but a trophy would be an excellent start for us! Off The Pitch Mark Crawford is a long-term Wakehurst player, who retired in November. He had a broken leg, so never played under Walter. Since retiring, Walter saw an opportunity to bring in a Head of Youth Development, and Crawford fit the bill. Unfortunately I didn't SS his stats but he had a Balanced approach and the key stats (JPP/JPA/WYP) are all 12. Good news! More good news! The club do not expect to survive, and seem quite content with us putting up a fight in the league and reaching a cup final. Although this is all pointless if we don't get out of the bottom five come April! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehazeofspades Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I like this and will definitely be following. Good luck with trying to improve the facilities with the money in N. Ireland, you NEED Europe to improve your infrastructure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 Thank you for the comments @thehazeofspades and @deltablue A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" It's Christmas Day, which means one thing... Steel & Sons Cup Final Seaview is the location for this years Steel & Sons Cup Final. It is Wakehurst's first ever S&S Cup Final, so Walter has already made a bit of history at the club. Can he go one step further and bring home some silverware? Dundela clearly enjoy this competition, racking up their own 'La Decima'. They'll be looking for number 11 here, which will also see them retain their title, having won it two years ago. We'll have a quick look at how the two teams got here.. Dundela Dundela have had a lovely run here, conceding in just one of their five matches in the tournament. The first four teams were all teams outside of the NIFL pyramid. Sport & Leisure, another struggling NIFL2 side, caused a bit of a headache in the final, but The Duns were able to hold their nerve in a penalty shootout. Wakehurst We are the opposite of Dundela, having kept no clean sheets in any of our five games. However, we have been finding the net frequently, hitting 3 or more goals in 80% of the matches. It looks an interesting proposition as a free-scoring attack comes up against a solid back line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Steel & Sons Cup Final We gave it a good go, but were undone with 3 minutes of extra time remaining and completely dead on our feet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abulezz Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Good luck and welcome to the Youth Challenge club! Can't wait to see what your first Intake looks like! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedese Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 1 hour ago, abulezz said: Good luck and welcome to the Youth Challenge club! Can't wait to see what your first Intake looks like! Seconded Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 Thank you chaps! I am approaching the youth intake time of year so it shouldn't be long! We've had a nice little run of form since league action returned after a couple of weeks off. Here is the table with 8 games remaining. Looks like it might be a tight one! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Youth Intake So here we are then. The day we've all been waiting for. A chance to see what we'll have to play with for the next year or so. I can't say I expected much... Well, well, well! Again, I can't say that the stars are much of a guidance here but even so, I wasn't expecting nearly half of them to have 5* potential! It doesn't look a bad spread either; we've got a couple of wingers, some specialist midfielders and a couple more strikers which I was desperate for. Not too disappointed with the one GK - the two we currently have are both 5* potential and both younger than 24 so that isn't a desperate situation just yet. I have tagged the three I think are best; Colin McColgan [D C] A 6'5" monster at the heart of the defence? Sounds okay to me. Decent jumping, marking and decision making which is a positive start for a defender. Obviously there are some areas that will require work (e.g. tackling, concentration), and that personality isn't a great start, but I'm quite content with that for now. Neil McDaid [AM C] I have tagged Neil because he is already rated as 1.5* CA, higher than all of the rest (bar Colin). There is a lot of work there, but a lot of those key stats are in a position that could be 10 or above in a couple of years. Again, that personality is a concern which will require some work. Positives are his speed and teamwork. Eamonn Cassidy [ST C] Introducing the best finisher at the club. 5'11" is a decent starting point for a striker, especially if I look to continue with a 1-up front formation in the future. Pace and natural fitness are good, as is finishing. Technique, concentration and a few of those other mentals are concerning. Eamonn comes to us with a solid personality which is good - I envisage him getting some game time soon as we are very light in attack. So there's the intake. All in all, seems quite positive. They have all been kept on and then I will re-assess in the summer, although I envisage them all staying for a year at least. If you wish to see any screenshots of any of the others then just ask! NIFL 2 We are getting to crunch time now, with 5 games remaining. This is also good because.. WE ARE OUT OF RELEGATION!!! For the first time all season! Since the midway point we have been superb - we still have 15 to play for and so I pray that we get the 4/5 points we need to really confirm survival. I also think that the previously mentioned "magic 30 mark" may well be nonsense this season! It's going to be close.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" 2015/16 Season Review NIFL 2 Well, we've done it. By the skin of our teeth, but I am delighted with securing survival! Our performance in the second half of the season was a good improvement on the first half, and we managed to secure our place outside the bottom 5 in our penultimate game, which relegated Dundela in the process (I call this karma for that 117th minute winner in the cup final!). All in all, very pleased to avoid the drop as I hope that from next season the league will restructure into less teams, and thus less relegation spots. As the fixtures show, it was a sluggish start, with just one win in the first 10. The victory at Dundela saw us 2-1 down until the 88th minute, but two late goals turned it around. The run of five wins from 6 matches really put us back into the mix and we did just enough to hold off from there. The match away at Sport & Leisure was tense - we were just outside the relegation places and Sport & Leisure were just inside with 3 points separating us. We got battered for 85 minutes but scored two in the final few minutes to effectively confirm safety. The final day was a disappointment, but we had already done the job by then. Cups All in all, we faired quite well in the various cup competitions. Starting with the League Cup, we beat NIFL1 side Lurgan Celtic quite comfortably before exiting against Crusaders. The Steel & Sons Cup run to the Final was excellent, and hopefully something we can go one step further in next season. The Intermediate Cup was a disappointment, losing out to a reserve side, but we had more pressing matters on our plate so I wasn't too unhappy. In the Irish Cup, once again we beat another NIFL1 side in Dergview, before exiting against our own league rivals Glebe, after a replay. This was frustrating as we were leading the first game until the 93rd minute, but it clearly wasn't to be. Awards This was the formation for all but the first 7/8 games, as we had one striker for several months. George Young started off in AM C before dropping back as an AP - A. This seemed to work well and he would often get up to support the front three, to excellent effect. George won the clubs Player of the Season quite comfortably. YPOTY Ryan Young is our captain and had an excellent season. Other key mentions go to Jordon Foster, who hit over 25 goals in all competitions, and Conor Ross, who bagged 17 from right wing. There's plenty of work to do next season, but the league seems so open that anything could happen. Get some consistency, carry on from where we finished off and we'll be challenging the top end I think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Well done avoiding the drop. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 That was a tough start, well done on eventually turning it around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 Cheers lads very glad to have avoided that first hurdle! A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" A couple of things have happened over the summer, so this is a bit of a mish-mash update.. This is good - successfully completed the first course - five more to go! Very surprising! The board injected a loan of £28,000 in February though, so it's not a completely fair representation. Take that though, and I feel content with the board investing where they feel necessary. The man behind our first youth intake has decided to jump ship. He has been involved at Wakehurst since 2001 but has moved on to Dungannon for the 2017/18 campaign. A bit of a shame as our replacement is not at the same level... All of those key stats are 3 less than each of Crawford's. I don't envisage this being a long term deal to be honest, but we'll give him a year to see what he can do. Perfect! One relegation spot now, and less matches to play! The season now is 22 matches long, so hoping that progress will be even quicker! This is where the real money is lads! Move over Premier League!! All in all, some positives, some negatives but I am content with how things are going ahead of the new campaign. Fingers crossed for an improvement on 8th place. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 13, 2016 Author Share Posted September 13, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Euro 2016 Northern Ireland were in Group A alongside France, Norway and Austria. Unfortunately, the tournament did not go well for us, and we were consigned to bottom spot after two games, and our exit was confirmed. We then went on to lost to France in the third game, ensuring a 100% loss ratio at the finals. Norway managed to edge out Austria for second spot, while the Austrians were one of the two third place sides to miss out. Group B was much tighter than Group A, with Spain, Denmark and Russia all progressing. Ukraine were the side to miss out despite one defeat, but no wins really hurt them. Russia progress with three draws. Group C saw fellow British side Scotland involved. The Scots had a similar but slightly better end than N. Ireland, racking up one draw in the 3 matches. As expected, this was not enough to see them progress to the knockouts. Bosnia & Herzegovina won the group, surprisingly edging out Belgium, while Turkey progressed in 3rd place. Group D saw progression for a British side with Wales finishing in second place, a point behind Croatia. Holland also made the knockouts, gaining four points, while Switzerland were disappointing in their last place finish, with 3 defeats. In Group E, England had a storming time of it, becoming the second side to win all three group games. They hit 9 goals in the process, finishing comfortably clear of the other three teams in the group. Sweden, Slovakia and Italy all beat one another, all ending on 3 points. Unfortunately for Italy, they lost out on the head to head, finishing last in the group, while Sweden progress in second place. There was no room for Slovakia in the knockouts, and they follow Italy out of the exit door. Finally, Group F. Poor old Finland. Germany, Czech Republic and Portugal provided a very tough assignment for the Finnish team, and it showed, with 3 defeats and 9 conceded. All three sides beat each other once too, ensuring they all finished on 6 points, ensuring all 3 qualified. Germany came out as group winners, with Czech in second and Portugal third. Belgium's disappointing tournament ended in the Second Round, losing out on penalties to Norway. They would meet Croatia in the Quarter Finals, who beat Russia comfortably. Spain needed an extra 30 minutes to beat Turkey, while Germany were pushed all the way in their game against Sweden. Portugal were shocked by Bosnia, while England forced Wales out after a shootout victory. Another shootout was required for hosts France against Holland, while Czech Republic comfortably disposed of Denmark. Into the Quarter Finals, Croatia continued their excellent tournament with a dominant win over Norway. Spain vs Germany provided the most exciting match up so far, and it was Spain who just scraped past the World Champions after a penalty shootout. England easily swatted Bosnia aside, while France reached the last four with a 2-1 win over Czech Republic. Croatia's run ended in the semi-finals, losing 2-1 against Spain. England vs France was a very close affair, but Roy Hodgson's side progressed again courtesy of another penalty shootout, setting up an England vs Spain final. The Final provided the first and only 0-0 of the knockout stages, and no goals came in extra time either, resulting in a shootout. England managed to make it 3/3 in shootouts in the knockouts, securing their first ever European Championships, and stopping a Spanish hat-trick in the process. A cracking tournament for the English, while we would need to show improvement in our next major finals - likely to be Euro 2020. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 13, 2016 Author Share Posted September 13, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" The board did not want to give me this as they felt I would pass it and then sack them off. I had to say that I wouldn't, and even suggested they offer a new contract to show my loyalty to the cause.. Worked well. Signed on for another year. Hopefully by the time this deal expires we'll be pushing towards/starting out in NIFL1. Hmm. Our odds are the same as last year at 40/1, predicted 11th from 12 (only Crumlin Star are lower..at 5000/1). Hoping that this year is an improvement on the last though. And finally, here is the league table after one round of fixtures. I have never seen a table so dominated by draws before Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 14, 2016 Author Share Posted September 14, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" For the second consecutive year, we welcome Crusaders to Mill Meadow in the League Cup. We lost 1-0 last time out so can we give a better go at it this time around? Northern Ireland A decent start saw N Ireland pick up two consecutive wins, before they travelled to Letna for their match with Czech Republic. Jonny Evans thought he had stolen a point with a goal with 11 minutes remaining, but Czech had other ideas, and David Lafata bagged a winner with one minute remaining. Misery was further compounded when the Irish travelled to Frankfurt for their match in Germany. Within 20 minutes, the World Champions were 3-0 up. Fortunately they took their foot off the gas and decided that 3 was enough. After four matches, we're sat in 4th place, behind Germany, Norway and the Czech Republic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 14, 2016 Author Share Posted September 14, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" NIFL 2 So here we are at the half way point, with 14 from a possible 33 points garnered. As you can see, our problem is our inability to turn draws into wins. On the flip side, where we've been behind in games, we have clawed ourselves level. Losing just once out of 11 is pretty good going, but winning just two is not so good. It took us until match day 9 to record our first victory though, after seven draws in the first 8 matches, and so we've picked up 7 points from the last three matches. I'm hopeful of a second half push, similar to the previous campaign. It looks like Moyola Park are in a strong position, sat five clear at the top, but the rest of the table is very tight so if we can start turning one point into three then we should begin to progress. We're only seven clear of relegation, however, so I'd like to see us increase that gap over the coming weeks. The cups have all been awful, we've lost every match we've played so far. The Irish Cup provides us with one final chance to have a cup run this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 15, 2016 Author Share Posted September 15, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Youth Intake Our second youth intake comes through, and it all looks a bit similar to the first. I think that this summer I am going to trim down the back room staff (currently 9 strong) and strive for higher quality judges. There is one difference from last years - we don't have any newbies who are already at a higher level than their peers. Alas, we do have 6 players with 5* potential, although once again, this can't really be read into too much, in my mind anyway. Here are 5 that I think will go down okay; Karl Rice A 6'0" central defender comes in. Technically very limited, although seems okay at tacking and heading. His positioning is a huge stand out, while he seems naturally fit, which should hopefully stand for something at this level. For a big lad, he isn't very strong, and there are some mental stats which are concerning (concentration, determination and work rate to name three). He may follow in Colin McColgan's footsteps and feature next season, however. Stuart Barr Another central defender, Stuart Barr is taller, has a solid work rate, is determined and has good fitness levels. Similar to Rice, he is an alright tackler/header, but positioning is weak in comparison. Both have potential to push towards the first team, I think. Not a terrible personality, either. Marty Kennedy Another short AM C comes through the ranks here. Neil McDaid came through last year, and has not had much opportunity to feature due to his positional limitations. Kennedy has the ability to play in M C, which is already a positive over McDaid. Kennedy has very high fitness levels, a good work rate and decent levels of determination. Technically he is probably as good as some of our first teamers, so there is certainly potential here. Neil Brown Impressed with Neil. He is a monster at 6'7", not a bad personality, and is the best finisher at the club. He can also dribble a ball well too. Obviously it's not all perfect, he cannot pass or tackle for toffee and his concentration and anticipation is shocking. Add to the fact he struggles to stand up without falling over..it's gonna take some work to get him going. I'm hopeful though! Barry Toland A decent young keeper comes through the ranks. We didn't get one last year, so Toland is a welcome addition. Good handling and good reflexes impress me already, as does his leadership from the back. If he progresses well over the next 12 months then he could well be in contention for captaincy of the club. --- So there's the intake. All have been offered youth contracts, and from there will sign non-contract deals with the club. I am unable to offer part-time deals to anybody so I must say I am struggling to see just how these players can actually improve as the game-time itself doesn't seem enough. Elsewhere: I'm progressing with coaching badges, which is positive! I don't envisage selling anyone for a fee anytime soon so this is not a huge concern Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 15, 2016 Author Share Posted September 15, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Season Review 2016/17 So, another season down, and all in, I don't really know if we've progressed forward or not to be honest. We were never in threat of relegation really, and were even challenging for the playoff spot before the final third of the season. Our ceiling was 2nd place, but we lasted one game there before dropping way back into the pack. A disappointing end with 6 games without a win saw us plummet back into the bottom half. We lost the joint lowest amount, with only four defeats in the entire league campaign. Unfortunately we only won 5, so come the final straight our inability to turn draws into wins really cost us. At one point we were in second place with 24 points, but that came crashing down in a pretty horrible run in. I expect us to improve on our 8th place finish in the 2017/18 campaign, as we've finished where we were last year which is a tad frustrating. You can almost split the league into three distinct sections. The first third is draws galore, the middle part we started winning some matches and hitting form, before ending with 3 of our 4 defeats. Pretty disappointing as we had been unbeaten for so long. The defeat to Moyola Park was particularly gutting - away to the then runaway league leaders and we conceded in the 91st minute. It seemed to effect us in the next game, by which time we'd blown any chance of second spot. Cups Bloody awful. Nothing to report here whatsoever. Awards George Young romped home to win Player of the Season, getting over three quarters of the votes. Ryan Young won Young Player of the Season for the second consecutive season. The two key sources of goals from last season, Jordon Foster and Conor Ross were both injured for over a third of the season each, and could not contribute to anywhere near the same level as before. A bit of frustration really, but not a lot that you can do about that. I think that this season we need to try and rediscover our goalscoring touch, it really deserted us this year. I am also going to have a bit of a clear out of players who just do not perform, and offer youngsters more game time to develop. Miscellaneous Other News N. Ireland could not grab a win at home to Norway, meaning that we are still sat 4th in the group. Germany have a 100% record thus far, and are clear at the top. Safe to say, I don't think we'll be in Russia. This was a huge surprise, as the board have quadrupled my wage bill for the coming campaign! Previously it has been around £350 a week, so to get it up over the £1,000 mark is interesting. Whether this is an indication that I can offer part time contracts...I don't know?! Nice touch - again, not that it really changes anything. I don't understand why my budget has increased so much. I mean, the board injected £26,000 in March to ensure we remained in the black, so to see the budget increase by so much is plain bizarre.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Unspectacular but steady, which is what we expect. You're gonna need the patience for a lot more seasons like this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abulezz Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Definitely what noikeee said! Its a slow and frustrating climb up in this sort of challenge - you've gotten off to the right start! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 16, 2016 Author Share Posted September 16, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" A bit closer than expected, in my mind, but keeps us pushing to try and usurp the top three in the group (not that that means anything...). I don't recall us having sponsors last season, or the season before, so this is a welcome boost. Pushes the finances back into the black. A 33% increase on last season. We're getting somewhere, albeit slowly Qatar lose the 2022 World Cup to Argentina. Not that I expect Northern Ireland to be represented there! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 18, 2016 Author Share Posted September 18, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" NIFL 2 This is where we stand at the half way point of the league season; It is not going very well. We are somehow worse off than we've been in the previous two seasons. I'm desperately hoping that Kilmore Rec remain worse than us, as we are truly terrible. We started well, with two wins in the first 5 games, but since then it has been poor. Fortunately we aren't losing too many games. Want to get to 25 points as soon as possible, and then completely re-assess what I have available to work with in the summer. Despite the on-field struggles, it appears I am doing something right (I just can't work out what..) Institute are struggling in the NIFL 1, and I was somehow the favourite for the role. No offer of an interview came after I committed myself to Wakehurst. Northern Ireland This was a disappointing draw, to be honest. Czech made it a double over us with a narrow win at Windsor Park. This really confirmed that we were set for a 4th place finish in the group. Norway came from behind to beat us, adding to what looked a disappointing end to the qualifying stage. However, our final match, and we rocked the boat. The Germans came to town, with 9 wins from 9, already qualified and full of confidence. An early Jerome Boateng goal looked to set the tone, but a brace from Kyle Lafferty saw us turn it around and grab a fantastic win. It did nothing to our position but it's the highlight of the group stage. Miles clear of the bottom two, but not in the same league as the top teams. Move on to 2020. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 18, 2016 Author Share Posted September 18, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Youth Intake I think this is possibly our best intake yet. Contracts will be offered to all of those, with the exclusions of Jack Walsh, Cameron Falloon and Joel Duffy. I have picked out 6 players that I think will be impacting the first team soon. Warner Curry [D L] A left back was quite desperately needed. While Warner isn't the greatest, it is a decent set of physical stats (exc. strength), he has a solid work rate and is a team player. Quite a good personality too, at least compared to previous youngsters. Obviously there is work to do - the marking and positioning are a concern, but we were crying out for a decent left back so I'm hoping Warner can make that spot his. Alan Junkin [M/AM C] I have high hopes for Junkin. Some excellent mental stats in there, technically needs work but I think there is a player in there somewhere. That's one decent AM C each season so far - and I feel that I need to really try harder to implement a tactic that maximises that role for us in the future. Mark Scott [D C] A left footed CB is a good addition for us. Good teamwork and fitness levels, and not a bad grounding for the three key technicals you look for in a centre half. Quite happy with him, and with the demise of Bobby Mitchell this season, he may get game time quite soon! Paddy Jones [ST C] Paddy is one of two prospective strikers. Quite limited but hopefully those physicals can soon hit the double figures and we may have a player in here. Liam Kelly [AM L] Liam is a great addition for us. I've been hoping for a left sided midfielder and we get a good one here. Superb physicals for a 16 year old, not a bad dribbler of the ball either. As expected, he isn't the finished article, but I envisage Liam getting game time regularly soon. Ryan Boyle [ST C] Another with some decent physical stats already, Ryan is a decent finisher, has good work rate and has some solid mental stats too. Technically very lacking in the basics of passing and tackling, but hopefully we can hone him in the next couple of seasons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abulezz Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 That's a great intake! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schiavone Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Really enjoying your journey so far. Also playing like this in NI. Very difficult not being able to offer contracts and losing the best talents in that way. But really enjoy playing the game this way. Go Wakehurst! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 Cheers guys! Yeah, I'm really hoping I'll get to a stage soon where I can begin to tie players down to a part-time contract. However I don't think that'll come until we get a promotion, so it may be a while Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimok Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 liking it so much . keep em coming . I'm desperate to know more Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" 2017/18 Season Review So, another season down, hopefully a year better off, right? Wrong. NIFL 2 We've relinquished our 8th place finish this season, finishing much worse off. Compared to the halfway stage, this was comfortable in the end, as we finish 10 clear of relegation. Kilmore Rec proved to be absolutely terrible (we did the double over them!!), so while we were still pretty awful, they were a lot worse. It is frustrating that we have moved backwards - if we were able to turn half of those draws into wins then we'd be right up challenging in the top half. Fine margins, eh? Another season dominated by draws, as we ended level in just under half of our entire league matches. This time out we lost a lot more than we won, hence the lower finish. Really, really want a progression on this next time out, otherwise we are going to get nowhere (and this will quickly become a very dull read!) In the cups, we fared better than last season.. We actually won some games. Disappointing exit in all comps really. Glentoran was gutting to take - going away to one of the most successful sides in N. Ireland, and losing out to a 119th minute goal was horrible. Could easily have won the shootout if we'd just held on. The Steel & Sons Cup was poor, we had two disallowed goals in extra time which was mega frustrating, and then paid the penalty, literally. The Irish Cup was poor form too. It has recently been brought to my attention that this is an entry route into Europe. While we would not do anything whatsoever in a European competition at our current standing, we have shown we can go toe to toe with the big clubs, so with a bit of luck, I don't think this competition is completely out of our grasp. Saying that, we've yet to win a match in it yet so there's work to do! Finally, the Intermediate Cup. We got through two rounds before choking against Holywood, conceding two in the last 15 minutes to exit. Awards George Young wins it for the third successive year, dominating the vote. He has been one of the best players in the division this year, averaging around 7.5. Basically, he's too good for us, and he is progressing towards his thirties so we need to make the most of him being around. We have a different YPOTY this season, with right winger Conor Ross shaking off the challenge of Ryan Young to win it. Young gets some consolation of scoring goal of the season again. Here's our overall XI. Not a lot changed after this campaign, although Eoin Clarke has forced his way onto the bench - which says a lot with his 6.66 average rating. Very disappointing when you consider our last campaign where we were in and around the top half for the most part. We simply have to do better in 2018/19. Finances The board didn't feel the need to inject any money this year, which I'm not sure is a positive or not. The current balance sheet shows us at around £9,000 in the red. Positive - had the board done their usual £25,000 injection then we'd be sitting quite nicely in profit right now. The current wage bill sits at £1,300 per week - of which under £300 is being used. Whether that budget will be the same next time around is anybody's guess! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Keep it positive - not gone down and that's what matters for now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 Indeed. Hoping that we'll be able to push on and finish in the top half next time out! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Wow, fine margins indeed. It won't take much for your fortunes to improve considerably. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 I hope not Delta! Last season I just couldn't find the formula that provided consistency so hopefully this time out I will! Generally you can go up even with losing 7/8 games as everyone seems to beat everyone. The winners this season (Tobermore) were only 3 points better off than ourselves at the half way stage, yet 22 from 24 in the final 8 matches saw them win it on the final day. Get a consistent run together and the chances are we'll be there or thereabouts! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Wakehurst Squad Review: Part One I have been in charge of just shy of 100 matches - I will be hitting that milestone this season - and I figured it would also be a good idea to show you the players in my squad, my current ideas about the best players, and may also lead me to some new thinking behind a player's future if I agree with anything pointed out. I plan to do this squad review in 5 parts; goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, wide midfielders and attackers. It'll be a painful process, but it allows you guys to see what I have to work with - it may even lead to revolutionary idea which sees us out of this division in a couple of years, who knows?! Without further ado, here is our goalkeeping department for the 2018/19 campaign. Mark Maybin Apps: 92; Clean Sheets: 22 Marc has been our resident keeper since I began at the club. He is the club's record appearance, by virtue of playing close to every match in the last three seasons. Rated at 3/5*, he is probably above average for the level we are at, yet it is frustrating how many times in matches he appears to have the ball comfortably, only to result in a goal for the opposition. I feel he may start out on the bench unless he has a storming pre-season. Ryan Curry Apps: 2 (2); Clean Sheets: 3 Ryan has had to bide his time enormously, being honest. He has been our resident back up keeper, yet has so rarely been needed it's crazy. However, he made his debut as a sub back in 2015/16, conceding two goals. That put him back out of my mind to be honest, as Marc had been doing alright. Ryan then had another substitute appearance in the 17/18 campaign, and kept his net well. The final two matches of the season saw an injury to Marc, so Ryan deputised, and kept two consecutive clean sheets, the first time we'd done that since the end of August. Impressive - a decent performance in pre-season and he may get a chance as number 1. Jimmy Donnelly Apps: 0; Clean Sheets: 0 Jimmy will probably be leaving the club soon, to be honest. The first keeper to come through from our first intake, if I remember rightly. Decent handling of the ball, but not a lot else going for him. The staff at the club don't rate his chances - in fact, he has the lowest potential of all five keepers at the club. At 19, it may be time for Jimmy to leave - I feel he will be out of the door before the season begins. Barry Toland Apps: 0; Clean Sheets: 0 Barry joined the club in the 2016/17 season, but has yet to make a first team appearance for the club. I think Barry is currently third choice keeper at the club, although his likeliness to punch is a bit concerning. Good leadership, reflexes and handling are all key stats for a goalkeeper for me, and he isn't a bad height either. I may make a more concerted effort to see Barry get some game time this coming season, even if it is in the cups. I quite like a sweeper keeper, too. Colin Boyle Apps: 0; Clean Sheets: 0 17 year old Colin Boyle is the fifth and final goalkeeper at the club. Great teamwork, reflexes and solid natural fitness levels body well. A casual personality and total lack of leadership do not. There is a bit of potential there, but it'll need some work both on and off the pitch. Currently our fourth best keeper, ahead of Donnelly. ---- So there is part one of the squad review done - I'll aim for a section a day and see what happens! Keen for feedback about any potential I may have missed, or any general comments about the players! ---- Miscellaneous News The TV deal stays at the same amount, while we announce two fresh sponsorship deals. Not sure how that last bit works when the new sponsors are estimated at less than before, but hey ho. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schiavone Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 15 hours ago, Black and Yellow said: Cheers guys! Yeah, I'm really hoping I'll get to a stage soon where I can begin to tie players down to a part-time contract. However I don't think that'll come until we get a promotion, so it may be a while In the meantime I found out that once a player is 18 and played a decent number of games (I guess about 25 or so) I'm able to offer them a part-time contract, even at the 3rd level. But with the available wage budget it's not simple who to choose and who to keep on youth contracts. So less money to spend on wages... 2 hours ago, Black and Yellow said: ---- So there is part one of the squad review done - I'll aim for a section a day and see what happens! Keen for feedback about any potential I may have missed, or any general comments about the players! ---- Barry Toland would be my first choice keeper, despite his young age. Mark Maybin is the more experienced keeper due to his age but from your 5 keepers my choice is Toland. If the cup runs are not that imporatent I would definitely play him in all those games. But even in the league I would give him game time. Of course he isn't a Neuer, even at this level, but my shot would be him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 Interesting! I haven't noticed I've been able to do that but I'm hoping it'll change in the near future! I have about £1,000 per week available if I wanted to use it so I could go nuts I think Toland will be pushing into the first team - this year may well be a bedding in period and then we'll take it from there. I may let Maybin get a century before sacking him off completely though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Wakehurst Squad Review: Part 2 So we've had a look at the goalkeeping options, and I've decided that I am going to split the defence into two options - full backs and centre backs. Part 2 will see the full backs come under the spotlight. This is an area I feel lets us down, so I'm interested in your thoughts too! Richard O'Kane [D/WB R] Apps: 0; Goals: 0 Richard joined us at the back end of the 2015/16 campaign, but has struggled to make an impact. Yet to appear in the first team, Richard is a very brave player, but unfortunately doesn't have much else going for him. Currently a back up option for right back, which is perhaps a sign of how weak we are in that position. Ryan King [D R/L] Apps: 30 (2); Goals: 0 Ryan King has been our first choice right back in recent times. He has taken the position of the more experienced Gareth Dickey, who left the club in June 2017. King made 7 starts in the 16/17 season, and has gone on to make 23 (2) in the season just gone (17/18). Great teamwork and workmate, and some other decent mental stats in there. Physically could be improved, and his height does not help him too much. Technically, there is work do. My staff rate him as having much higher potential than O'Kane, but King has yet to make this spot his own, so it's certainly up for grabs in pre-season. Eoin Clarke [D L/C, DM, M C] Apps: 25 (4); Goals: 0 Eoin Clarke has been my first choice left back for the majority of the previous campaign, replacing the released David Gage, who left in the summer of 2017. Clarke made a handful of appearances in 2016/17, before becoming first choice - a path very similar to Ryan King. Unfortunately, Eoin has not done a lot to impress, clocking up an average rating of 6.59 over 17 league appearances. He seemed to fare better in the cups, hitting a 6.86 average over 8 games, so I know he can perform better at this level. His personality is a concern, but his versatility is good - although I have yet to use him as a central midfielder due to the shortage at full back. Neil Gray [D L] Apps: 0; Goals: 0 Neil joined us at the same time as Clarke, but has struggled to get in due to Clarke being seen as having more potential. At 5'9", Neil is still quite short for my liking - I like all of my players to be around 6'0" really. Good work rate and a great flair player (I'm not sure that's really needed at LB but..), Neil does struggle in the technical area of his game. He could become a limited full back in the future, but I'm unsure if that's going to be at Wakehurst. Warner Curry [D L] Apps: 0; Goals: 0 Warner has recently signed on at the club, fresh from the 2018 intake. I like the look of him. He already has a decent rating for the first team, which is good. He's a good height, a decent personality and a fantastic team player. A decent set of physicals that can be honed over time, and a solid technical base to build on. I expect Curry will become first choice left back sooner rather than later, to be honest. ---------- So, there is my full back options. As you can see, we are still quite lacking in quality. Unfortunately, a lack of solidity in the central defence department, which I'll explore later, means that playing a 3-CB formation may not work so well either. I do really hope that Curry can turn into a solid left back over the next couple of years, while I hope for a decent right back in an intake soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 A Wakehurst F.C Story "Who the ******* hell are you!?" Wakehurst Squad Review: Part Three Six central defenders are currently with the club, and it is an area that is very much up for grabs ahead of the 2018/19 campaign. Defensively we have had some issues over the last 12 months, so it could be well that it is a brand new pairing as we look to push on away from the bottom of this league. Bobby Mitchell [D C] Apps: 92; Goals: 1 Bobby is the most experienced centre defender we have. Back in 2015, when I joined the club, Bobby was one of two key players, with the potential to play beyond the level we are at. Unfortunately, experience seems to have really had a negative effect on Bobby, and he has deteriorated over the three years I've been here. He has matched Marc Maybin's 92 matches - but, like Marc, his position could well have disappeared over this coming season. Colin McColgan [D C] Apps: 55; Goals: 0 19 year old Colin McColgan will likely continue as a starter. He is currently our best CB at the club, and has the potential to go even further. His tackling is poor, but has improved. Mentally he is lacking, and his personality is disappointing, but I hope we can mould him into a solid centre half in N. Ireland. Niall Byrne [D C] Apps: 0; Goals: 0 Niall Byrne joined the club in 2016, in part of our first intake, but has yet to appear for the first team. He is a very brave defender, who goes about his business in a professional manner. Niall struggles with marking, positioning and is not very fast, but has decent tackling and heading stats. Could be an option, although the mental stats are a concern, along with the basics (first touch, passing, work rate, teamwork). Karl Rice [D C] Apps: 6 (1); Goals: 0 Karl Rice is very similar to Niall Byrne - okay tackling and heading but really struggles with marking. Karl, however, does boast good positioning skills, is brave and determined, and is topped off with his excellent fitness levels. He made his debut for the club last season, and went on to make 6 starts and one appearance off the bench. His average rating of 6.2 over 5 league matches does not give me much hope - but with his potential, he will be pushing for another chance at the heart of the backline. Ryan Curry [D C] Apps: 0; Goals: 0 Another player named Curry is next up - so we now have a Warner Curry and 2x Ryan Curry - we're halfway to a full Curry backline! Anyway, this Ryan joined us in 2018, so is fresh from our last intake. Actually looks pretty decent - a good height, good tackling/marking and average heading ability. His height bodes well, as does his positioning. The fact he's left sided is nice too, as the majority of others have a preference to play on the right. Could well be challenging for some game time, if pre-season goes well for him. Mark Scott [D C] Apps: 0; Goals: 0 Mark has potential to do well at this club, I think. A solid height, left-sided, and a decent personality. He is probably one of our better defenders technically, and has some good mental stats in his armoury too. Good natural fitness levels coupled with being a team player do bode well for the 16 year old. ------- Six centre backs fighting over two (or possibly three) - it could be an interesting battle! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abulezz Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 I am enjoying the in depth look at the squad - Mark Scott looks like he could be a contributor soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black and Yellow Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 Thanks abulezz! Yeah I hope so Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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