The Evolving Story of DUNVEGAN CASTLE FC

[phnompenhandy]

If we put the worst manager in the world with an extremely low reputation amateur club full of schoolkids all with Current Ability of 1, and a commitment to only recruit academy kids, how do you think they will get on? Let’s see.

 

MECHANICS:

After over 300 posts and almost 5,000 views of my Nessie Awakes! Campaign, I’m leaving a very successful thread to start anew. As my Loch Ness career progressed, I felt I was learning so much, that I decided I wanted to see how it would be to implement the lessons I’ve learned from day one. I want to follow Jack Sharas’s philosophy of England DNA as developed at St. George’s in Burton - FM23 | Burton Albion - England DNA | Youth Academy Only and apply it in the remote outpost of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. I want to apply tactical insights by Cleon - View From the Touchline [he reposts these tactical analyses in the Tactics forum here] while using a skin that hides attributes. I want to apply the wisdom of Daljit Singh Porto Development Diaries in developing my academy intake lads.

I’ve adapted Mozza’s Scottish database The (Real Life) Full Scottish Pyramid to alter some lower leagues to be Highlands & Islands leagues. I’ve given them stadiums and club reputations that are way below other clubs in the country. It should be tough!

I used to editor to set up like this (feel free to skip to the next post if these details don't interest you):

I modified a ladder from Level 7 to Level 10 as follows -

Level 7

HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS PREMIERSHIP

 

Level 8

HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS CHAMPIONSHIP (HIGHLANDS)

 

 

Level 9

HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS LEAGUE ONE (ISLANDS)

 

 

Level 10

HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS LEAGUE TWO (SKYE & LOCHALSHE AMATUER FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION)

 

 

I created some stadiums where clubs had none - here's my club's:

 

The club

 

Finally - and here's the rub - I plundered the database for young Scottish lads, gave them all CAs of 1 and PA's of -5 (ie enough to develop but not become good enough to be professional) and put them in my club. Whatever attributes they do end up with will be pretty random, as will their personalities. Whatever the game throws at me, I'm stuck with them. If I want better players, they will need to come through my annual Academy Intake, and that will require considerable financial input to build up infrastructure.

n.b. if you recognise any of the kids from your own save or real life, please be aware that in having their CAs and PAs altered, they're not the same person! I deliberately didn't look at any of their attributes, but they will have been reduced when this save was loaded up.

Edited January 12, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

THE BACKSTORY (an appalling mix of fact and fantasy, but we'll start with fact)

There is currently a club named North West Skye. It explains on its Twitter profile,

Quote

Amateur football club with U15, U18 & senior teams. Formed Jan 2015 when Dunvegan FC & Struan FC merged.

I went on to learn that the new club initially played at Portree High School (sharing facilities with the two Portree teams) but relocated to Uig to play on grass in 2019.

 

Let me show you the logistics:

The pitch at Uig

Up close

The distance from Dunvegan to Uig

 

Oh, for anyone not familiar, this is where Portree on Skye is, along with some other locations in this lyramid:

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Hugh, Clan chief of MacLeod has decided to buy a football team and take them to glory.

The controversial figure has recently become very rich due to investments he doesn’t like to talk about (denies it was through cryptocurrencies; insists it’s mostly renewable energy technologies).

The club will be a local grassroots club, but he has pledged to invest in infrastructure to make the team the best in the Highlands and from there, Scotland and eventually Europe and the world.

He has recruited a locally born friend whom he knows and trusts [me] and a small staff that wholly buy into the project.

Head of Youth Development is a PE teacher in Skye’s only high school, Portree High, and we maintain close links with Sabhal Mor Ostaig, the Gaelic college as well as the Skye branch of the University of the Highlands and Islands [West Highland College UHI in Portree] and Active Schools Football Team (formerly Uig FC) The ground was in Uig until 2022. The Chief has negotiated to relocate it to Portree but keep NW Skye and Gaelic identity and rename it DUNVEGAN CASTLE.

Portree AFC and Juniors currently play at the high school. The best ground is the shinty stadium. Hugh bought Skye Camanachd Social Club out and paid them well and helped them relocate and preserve their standing as the heart of Skye culture, given that football is secondary.

This does cause further strong feeling and controversy even though we’ve taken lengths to incorporate their heritage into our shirts and the name of the ground. There will be local opposition to our project. There are those who don't appreciate how much he's invested in the relocation, and the extent of his plans to develop the club. Privately, he tells me that if I prove to be the right man to take the club forward, he is prepared to back me with very serious money. He's said he'd appreciate it if I focused on the squad and wasn't impatient or greedy; when he judged the timing to be right, he'd loosen the purse strings. But he needed to be sensitive to local feeling and not move too fast and alienate the many shinty fans.

As you can see, the location of the ground is on the outskirts of Portree, with infinite scope for expansion (Hugh owns all the land, so there would be no obstruction). Hugh has kindly offered me, in lieu of a salary, free board and lodging at his home. Can you see me waving oot the windae? Ahem

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Here we go!

(well, some of you will start here!)

 

[phnompenhandy]

It seems the banter is strong around here. We've all been here a day and our Head of Youth Development who is actually the sports teacher of the kids in the 'academy' isn't here yet - so what's this about Duncan???

Spoiler

FOURTH WALL BREAKER: Of course, the beautiful thing about starting with all your players having a CA of 1 is that by definition, your next intake can't be worse than your current squad!

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

The serious aspect of this project is our philosophy – Highland DNA. I the manager and all the coaches will take courses to learn about club DNA from St. George’s, England, and study what happens at Porto, Ajax and such hot-houses of youth development – we will internalise all the best practice and will instil it in every child connected to the club from tots upwards across the island and eventually Highland region. By starting here, we hope to fly under the radar and avoid losing our players to footballing vultures until they have matured.

It starts like this: with all our lads being completely blank canvases, from day one they start learning unfamiliar techniques and practice them relentlessly in training and competitive football. I'm sure they will be hopeless for a while, but by trusting in the process, results will manifest. It's very much as "fake it 'til you make it" approach. So, this is how we begin - and go on, regardless of results. This is the formation, the roles, the duties and the tactical instructions. They will not waver, given that PE teacher Reegan Fotheringham will be following the programme to the letter with his 11 year old boys and all ages upwards.

Behold, the full squad of 24 and the Highland DNA blueprint

Edited January 2, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

I was assuming the staff would be as hapless and the kids and myself, but people are buying into our dream and offering to join us as volunteers. None have experience, with one huge exception. Duncan Shearer has retired to Skye and is assisting me. I remember him as player and then assistant manager at Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the last millennium. In his youth he played at a high level in England and won caps for Scotland. His last job was managing the Under 20s at Aberdeen. He's come out of a five-year retirement to join us. He could do my job a thousand times better, but he says he's past all that and not the right person to push all these revolutionary new ideas. I'll be leaning on him very heavily for guidance.

 

[Guest]

Omw......amazing. My wife is from Dunvegan so I have lived there and go back often.

The Dunvegan pitch at the school is terrible and Struan and Dunvegan were bitter rivals at one point, playing the derby every Easter Saturday.

Edited January 2, 2023 by Crazy_Ivan

[phnompenhandy]

6 minutes ago, Crazy_Ivan said:

Omw......amazing. My wife is from Dunvegan so I have lived there and go back often.

The Dunvegan pitch at the school is terrible and Struan and Dunvegan were bitter rivals at one point, playing the derby every Easter Saturday.

Woah, small world! It has been my intention to retire to Dunvegan - although the economic effects of covid may have crushed that dream. But this save is very close to my heart - as a Highland exile half a world away, each match at this level puts me close to where I want to be! I hope you enjoy my indulgent fantasy!

[Guest]

1 minute ago, phnompenhandy said:

Woah, small world! It has been my intention to retire to Dunvegan - although the economic effects of covid may have crushed that dream. But this save is very close to my heart - as a Highland exile half a world away, each match at this level puts me close to where I want to be! I hope you enjoy my indulgent fantasy!

I've enjoyed it immensely so far.

[Cleon]

Brilliant read, really enjoyable. Will be following along.

[phnompenhandy]

I forgot about me! This is how hopeless I am:

I bunged all the spare points in Adaptability since it's a useless attributes for a one-club career in your home country. It might prove to be a problem (good!) because some people skill would be more than useful to keep the lads' morale up with we start losing.

And I did do a press conference - I was amazed at who showed up:

Niall Harkiss is (or was) the researcher for lower league Scottish sides. He's the chairman of one at level 6. Last year I read his book on the history of the club, St. Duthus - a fascinating history of nothing happening - ever. Now he edits the North of Scotland Football Review which isn't available digitally, so I have to rely on his Twitter feed. The people rocking up in my new career that I would never have imagined ....

Edited January 3, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

I’m happy that Hugh allowed me a performance analyst. Reegan says there’s a geeky kid at school keen to help out. Monitoring the development of the players needs to be quite data driven. However, watching them run around on their first day, then play the practise match, some things are quite obvious to the eye.

At their ages, the squad as a whole is small and frail. We warn them very strongly that our regime will be somewhat ‘murderball’ in intensity, particularly in matches, and they will suffer, they will vomit frequently for months until their bodies adjust, but they can do it if their minds are strong.

Defence – being small, weak and slow is particularly problematic at the back. Some of them are quite aggressive and don’t mind a tackle if they can get near enough. There are two left-footers in whole squad, so they have to be the left wingbacks (wingbacks are made, not born – I’m taking lads who consider themselves midfielders and asking them to train and play as wingbacks). The midfielders seem quite intelligent and can pick out some good passes.  We can forget about doing anything with set pieces and I don’t want to detract from our core training to spend much time on it.

The practice match between our first and second XI finished a remarkable 5-6 with a further three goals ruled offside. That tells you plenty about our defence – and also our attack: our strikers and shadow strikers were terrific. The two shadow strikers (Grimm and McFadden) got 7 between them.

all hail kyle and max

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may be wondering why I show these screenies. Well, it's because my player profile screens look like this:

No attributes, remember?  We will be relying on the abilities of this kid:

Edited January 2, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

The benefit of having a squad of schoolboys is that I get a modicum of respect from at least some of them at my team-talks. Three of them looked pleased at my words of encouragement before the friendlies. I know a no-mark like me needs to earn anyone’s respect, but the younger they are the quicker it should come.

I’ve developed the outline of two backup tactical systems. The Highland DNA system is and always will be at the heart of what we’re doing, but you still need in-game management, so I’m trialling switching to a more cautious (or at least balanced) version for when we’re away or against stronger sides, and also a “Kill the Game” mode for closing out the last ten minutes of a close-fought encounter – or when the boys are too tired and need to conserve what’s left of their energy.

We played against Western Isles sides in the tier above us but on a level with most of our league rivals. We were surprised that Ness FC, from the forlorn northern tip of the windswept and dreich archipelago, brought a Brazilian striker with them! He’s way too good for this level – what is he hiding from – or does the beach at Luskentyre remind him of the Copa Cabana?

The reason four friendlies with Western Isles sides were arranged is because they arrive on the ferry at Uig. Hugh has them collected from the pier and brought to his castle for bed and breakfast. He's trying to introduce a system whereby away teams overnight for free at the castle, and in return when we play away some nice accommodation and meals are reciprocated, thus keeping travelling costs down.

The general picture I noted was that we’re always going to be technically the weaker side, but our boys are getting the hang of digging deep. The defenders lack physical and technical quality, but compensate with intelligent positional sense; the strikers are the opposite and get themselves offside far too often (17 in that match). Nevertheless, we create plenty of chances and by the law of averages, some of them will count.

I’ll probably need to use that ‘Kill the Game’ ploy habitually. In the first game, our first team was 4-0 up and lost 6-5 because I made them run for 90 minutes to see who could last. In the second game they went 2-0 up but at half time they were beat, and I went with my ‘other’ XI and the middle tactic in the second half.

For the second game in a row, my ‘second string’ did better than my first-choice XI. Was it the players, change in tactic, or the opposition tiring and disrupted by constant substitutions? It was too early to tell, so for the next friendly I had the same Second XI start the game with our primary tactic, and first choice with second tactic play the second half. Then I’d decide on the best player for each position in our primary tactic.

Liam's data highlights our strengths and weaknesses:

 

Our DNA is based on passing and possession, so that's where a lot of our work will need to be focussed. However, with our strikers proving this deadly, we might be able to compensate for our flaws by winning plenty of games against the run of play.

Edited January 3, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

The outcome of the ‘role-reversal’? My first team in the second half were better than my second team in the first half. The conclusion? That my players are all much or a muchness, I think – not very helpful. The one outlier is the youngest lad, 15-year-old Mckenzye Campbell. He’s utterly hopeless as a left wingback and pleads for me to play him in midfield. I feel bad for him, but he’s our only left peg other than Mauchin, our first-choice wingback. I’ll try one of our left-over right-footed centre backs next, although I will persist with Campbell.

poor mckenzye

Another lesson came in the last 15 minutes when we tried to "kill the game". We killed something alright. I realise we can't sit deep with a Back 5, so I'll adjust the D-line and go for a mid-block going forward. That one's very much a work in progress. As is the solution to the foot problem. Do we suck it up for ten months until a left-footed kid arrives, or do we work on it now?  I mean, we could try to train a couple of kids to use their left feet better, but that would be at the expense of their core training and I don't know how long it would take or how much benefit it would be. I think I know where to find answers though, and Hugh's being true to his word:

He did ask me to schedule trips to Burton on Sundays to Mondays - our days off so that I don't miss any meetings or training sessions. A lot of it will be by correspondence and online anyway. I asked Alan and John if they wanted to work towards a badge, but they said they're too old and declined. I'm excited - I'll be amongst professional people who know their stuff and are the future of the sport. On the other hand, I'll be amongst professional people and I have absolutely no social skills! Better pack a diving suit.

I'm scratching my head trying to plan the whole season. We play 22 league games and are in 3 cup competitions. There are a maximum of 20 cup ties (no replays) if we get to the finals of all - would another dozen games sound reasonable? With training mainly involving dancing around cones in the rain, realistically the only way the boys can develop is by playing competitive matches, and I reckon they need at least 20 each in a season. I've probably got 2 defenders too many, although the high line exhausts the centre backs more than other players, so will be the target of a lot of early substitutions and rotation. But even so, squad management will be tough.

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

[damned game crashed – lost a week and holidayed to crash date, so some of the narrative is different – I’m sticking with the original!]

The pre-season is all-too-short here, and I didn’t learn as much about my squad as I’d liked to have done. We’ll still be experimenting going into the start of the season. One trial I will carry over into the first league game is starting with the balanced tactic in the first half so that the players, who aren’t fully fit yet, won’t use up all their energy too quickly. Then I’ll roll out the Highland DNA high-energy tactic in the second half. If all goes well, later on in the half, I’ll make substitutions and kill the game off. In time, as the boys gain fitness, we can switch to the intensive tactic earlier and earlier.

The Starting XI going into the first competitive game will be the lads who played best in their respective positions over the course of the pre-season. After the initial rush, I saw clear signs of youthful inconsistency, so I’m sure players will be dropped and rotated, giving everyone a chance to play plenty of matches.

pre-season results: scored a lot, conceded a lot

 

[phnompenhandy]

Our season was due to kick off for real with the visit of a new football club, Sabhal mor Ostaig. It was our chief, Hugh MacLeod who founded the club earlier this year in a soft power move. The college is effectively the global centre of Gaelic language and culture, and they understandably have a very close bond with the Skye Camanachd Social Club, and thus were somewhat anti-football in their support for shinty. Hugh did what he does – threw money at the problem. The college is rather split down the middle in terms of support for the new club, but they have enough players and a smattering of supporters to give their maiden season a go. It’s maybe ironic that their first match is at the former ground of the shinty club; Hugh’s put on a big show of pre-match Gaelic entertainment and prompted everyone connected with the Dunnies to show great respect, whether we can speak Gaelic or not (along with Duncan, I’m one of only a handful who are not conversant).

Hugh stressed he had no intention of interfering in team matters and entrusted me with it 100%. But just this once, he said, could he plead with me to ensure our boys play fair and don't antagonise or injure any of the opposition. It's very important to him that a friendly rivalry develops between his two teams, rather than go the way of the club's Dunvegan/Struan predecessors. I said I understood where he was coming from, but with the bookies having us at opposite poles of the table, I wasn’t looking to concede any ground without a fight.

[phnompenhandy]

Choosing set piece takers

On second thoughts, I'll put Duncan in charge of that!

Penalties - number scored out of 20 in our practice session:

The Gaels w ill be tripping us up with gay abandon. We've already missed three in the friendlies.

I had a bit of an unnecessary upset with Mckenzye Campbell. He seemed to think he was nominated vice-captain. I don't know why - he knows he's nowhere near the first team squad and might not get much gametime. Furthermore, the players don't give him much respect after his performances. Bit of an immature attitude there - one to monitor. Anyway, Louis Mosson is club captain, with Nathan Smith his deputy.

 

Good left peg - how did I miss that? I should clarify, all the strikers are useful with both feet, but that makes them deadly. Smithy here - could he do a job at wingback? Maybe late to consider it, but good to know in an emergency.

addendum: after half an hour in a practice session, I realised he's extremely slow, can't dribble, can't cross, gets tired quickly - but he can pick a pass. He's our deep-lying playmaker, not moving too much as he sits in front of the defence and sprays passes. Very much a one-job guy.

Edited January 3, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

The big day came. Grieg Allen was unlucky to pick up a knock in our last training session and had to sit the game out, but the rest – with a few butterflies if we’re being honest – were good to go.

The Gaels were part-time students in their mid to late twenties and were, of course, mostly shinty players of a proper intimidating nature. I reminded the lads of Hugh’s request, but it did seem daft to warn our wee davids not to hurt the goliaths facing them.

We stuck to the match plan – first half balanced, conventional. Second half come out at them in a way they weren’t expecting. But by that time we were behind. Their ferocious aggression had our defence crumbling, and while we tried to play football in and around them. They just kept barging us to the ground. We won and converted a last-minute penalty to keep us in the game at 1-2, and at half-time I told the lads to forget that Mr. MacLeod had told them – these men can clearly look after themselves, and giving a bit back might earn them some respect from their foes.

And you know what? We only bl00dy did it! We came out and snapped into challenges. The shintymen didn’t know what had hit them. Five goals hit them! I took off a pair of exhausted defenders and Grimm so that Mackenzie could come on in a deeper role as we ‘killed the game’.

What a sensational outcome – from 0-2 down to winning 6-4, with four goals from Ji Stevenson. That strategy of a different gameplan for each half? Perfect. I do love it when a plan comes together. Fair play to the Gaels, for all they were shell shocked, the still met us in the clubhouse afterwards and bought our boys orange juices. The respect was an added bonus. Hugh could not have been happier.

ji stevenson - eats big brutes for breakfast!

I’ll be away most Sundays, but we’ve hired a guy who once played 5 times in the Lowland League to be our Under 18s manager. We don’t have an Under 18s squad as such, but the point is he can arrange regular Sunday friendlies for the players who don’t make the Saturday match day squad, and any substitutes who didn’t get much or any game-time to keep them fit and interested. The opponents are all under 18 teams in our league, and they’re all keen to play at our place as they expect ‘special’ meal and accommodation arrangements. I’m not sure if that’s what Hugh had in mind for teams that are an hour away, but I’ll not get involved.

Edited January 3, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Kyle is 50miles from Dunvegan, and 30 from Portree. Hugh and I left Dunvegan after breakfast and drove to Portree, where we had lunch I then gathered around and gave a pep talk to the team before we embarked on Hugh’s new team coach to drive to the gateway to chaos (or the mainland as it is sometimes known). Kyle of Lochalshe connects the formerly Great Britain with the Isle of Skye. The team opened its league account with a 1-4 drubbing by neighbours Mallaig – my hunch is they wouldn’t be fancying playing us right now.

It was 1-1 at half time – a fair score given that ‘balanced’ isn’t really us. But for the second half I unleashed the dogs. Again, our sudden aggression spooked our opponents so much that they picked up a flurry of cards, including one red. The rest of the strikers were quiet today, leaving Ji to win the game on his own with a remarkable second quadruple of the month! Final score – a comfortable 4-2.

Our only left wingback, Zach Mauchin twisted his ankle in training and is out for a month, according to Sarah. You know what that means… he’ll start the next game home to Plockton. They’ve made a great start in the league, but this is the first round of the South Challenge Cup, a competition that has little inherent value, but is one I’ve targeted for progression if our whole squad is to get decent game time this season. There are some big, tier six semi-professional sides in the competition – whom I’m hoping to avoid as we make headway against modest opposition.

We were winning 3-1 at half time, using the balanced tactic. Conventional wisdom would have us keep going with it, but not me. It’s not our DNA – the lads will never learn it if we confuse them by focusing on alternative tactics. They understand the pattern now. Ji polished off a poacher’s hat-trick with Penrice doing the hard work for all three. Then Ji converted a penalty for his by now customary fourth goal. We had the luxury of ‘killing the game’ early – it needs a lot of work though as we again conceded two goals after it. Mind you, Penrice still had time for a fourth assist, teeing up Stevenson for a filthy fifth goal (he's scored a ridiculous 13 goals in the last three games) 6-3. We do guarantee you’ll see goals galore if you follow us.

You score FIVE goals and STILL don't earn Player of the Match! Quite right, though. All hail Ollie

Oh, and Campbell? He wasn't terrible. He did little, but his corner was the assist for the 'other' goal.

Edited January 3, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

The following Saturday we had to set off at 8 am to make the 200-mile trip to Thurso in time for lunch. It was a special. We were being hosted at Top Joes before facing them in the first round of the Highlands & Islands Trophy – a competition for amateur sides in tiers 8, 9 and 10. One I could privately see us going all the way in.

I was intending for the second-string to start this game, but they were so dreadful in their Under 18s fixture, they blew their chance. I’ll need to have a word with Craig, their manager.

Nine goals - seven goals after the hour mark in a 6-3 win. We’ve got to the point where both all the non-injured players are fit now, and all of them can last 90 minutes in our current matchplan. I can afford to leave the ‘kill the game’ tactic for emergencies only. The late goals conceded wasn’t due to switching to kill the game – it was due to going with Highland DNA for the whole 90 minutes. Yes, we’re there already. Ji only bagged a brace in this game - that boy looks washed up already 

On the return journey Liam shuffled up to me on the coach. “Boss”, he said, “How am I supposed to analyse the players’ performances and our tactics when we switch them three times every game?” “Good point, “I retorted, “I hadn’t thought about that. But that what we pay you for.” “You don’t pay me”. “Liam, that Top Joe pizza topping doesn’t come cheap!” But he’s right – analysing the data is a bit beyond our ken right now.

Meet, greet, eat with the players and fans at Top Joe's

Liam stuffed his face, but the players restrained themselves commendably. If Top Joe’s management was trying to do us with underhand tactics, they failed. Paranoid, you say? Let’s just say Hugh’s lavish lunches at the castle for his pre-match guests aren’t entirely altruistic.

Edited January 3, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Our next cup opponents will be Kyle, whom we just beat, and Lybster from Caithness. We’ve got our first rearranged match on a Wednesday night coming up when we host Mallaig, sitting top of the table after two games. All of that is coming up in September, but first we were to host Gairloch & Aultbea United. The seconds responded to my rage by taking their Sunday fixture seriously and winning 5-1. Just as well – I’ll probably call on all of them for Mallaig.

It was a comfortable 5-2 win over Gairloch. Patterns are established – we concede, we score more, Stevenson bangs them in (a hat-trick this time). But there is key progression in fitness levels – on the intense DNA tactic they kept running for 90 minutes and scored two late goals rather than conceding them. We move into a new month, September, and Liam will be delighted if we keep to a consistent tactic. Maybe then he’ll stop delivering to me this kind of nonsense:

Believe it or not, we're not even top of the table - the top two duke it out next

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Liam apologised and claims it was meant as banter. Wee scallywag needs to show more respect to his elders and betters, but I forgave him when he brought me his real analysis for August. It only confirmed what I already saw with my eyes, but it's good to get confirmation. Let's see:

 

We'll analyse specific areas next, but what jumps out at me here is that we're conceding far more than our xGA. I don't like that.

It's plain to see that we're absolutely smashing it in terms of scoring goals for fun, but how reliant are we on Ji Stevenson? I believe that we have two lads who can fill in should Ji get injured, but I've not dared put it to the test yet. That will happen next week for the midweek game though.

 

This is where our problems lie. Yes, my coaching team all tell me defending is universally atrocious at this level - Duncan tells me in all his years he's never seen anything like it. But Highland DNA is not about comparing yourself to those around you; it's an absolute, pure design, not a relative one. But I fully understand and accept it will all take time - the boys need a lot of it to develop their skills and most likely they're too old. It will be the young kids that come through our junior coaching programmes in the future that will make our defence sound.

 

Possession and passing is the heart of Highland DNA, and as is apparent, we're terrible at both. Again, that doesn't surprise or concern me. I knew these skills would take years to nurture. The more possession we have, the less opponents can attack us, which in turn is part of improving our defence and conceding fewer goals. It's a long way off, but I want to instil the ideas from the outset - part of my "fake it 'til you make it" philosophy. This will be evolution, and we're still in the primordial slime stage.

So, these are our first month's analyses. They are what they are. Ji makes the overall picture look much rosier than it otherwise probably would be, but we have to dive deeper and look at the whole picture. What I'll be looking for is month-on-month progress, so let's see what evolves by the end of September.

Edited January 4, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

With us so recently having played our next opponent, Liam and I assessed our game plan. We figured Kyle of Lochalshe would set up to stop us playing, and man-mark our attacking midfielder and strikers. They’d press us, we’d press them. We’d need Nathan Smith to find space, look up and find Stevenson with balls to run onto. If the score was even, we could rely on our superior fitness to win the game late on; it probably wouldn’t come to that, but we always have to be prepared. There was no Under 18s game this week as we needed to keep the seconds fit for the game after Kyle.

I was pleased in a way that the match turned out pretty much as I’d anticipated and planned for. It was close, it was combative – we each had a man sent off, they marked Ji out of the game with his only contribution coming from the penalty spot, and it was our fitness levels that allowed us to grind them down late on with two late goals turning a defeat into a 3-2 victory.

The draw takes to Dunbar in the next round. They might be in tier 7, but as an East of Scotland semi-pro side, they will be a very different proposition to all the other sides we’ve faced. Nathan Smith will be a big loss, with him suspended for that game. The match won’t be until November.

We had an easy week of training – I don’t want to burn the lads out; we mainly focused on preparing the seconds for the Wednesday match versus Mallaig.

Talking of training, I should probably have shared with you our regular training schedule:

We cycle between three physical training schedules - resistance, endurance and quickness; the other three are weekly constants (other than for exceptional weeks when we have two matches, like this week).

 

jeez, just no pleasing some folks

 

Hugh continues to be, er, 'cryptic ' about his dealings in the market, but he quietly revealed he's just lodged millions in a new specific bank account for the club. I take that to mean he's ringfenced a large amount of money in case his investments crash, but I'm not a businessman and don't know the right words to have an intelligent conversion about it. In fact, I put my foot right in it by forgetting my early promise to be patient and immediately asked for investment in junior coaching and a training centre to be built. He was not pleased. "Stick to your bibs and cones Andy - leave the business to me" was his terse response.

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Six players were making their first start against Mallaig, and left wingback Zach Mauchin was just about fit enough to play part of the game. That would leave just one kid, Jay Mcgarva, in the squad without a starting appearance, but frankly he’s never played to a satisfactory level in the Under 18s friendlies nor distinguished himself on the training ground, so he might not last the season before being released. They all lacked the match sharpness of the first team, so we went with the balanced approach to take a little pressure off them. Sorry, Liam. The likes of our club captain Lucas Mosson and Kyle Grimm who was so outstanding in preseason had not deserved to be on the bench in weekend matches, and were desperate to stake a claim in the starting line-up.

We dropped our first points of the season in a 3-3 draw. Basically, I rushed Mauchin back too fast due to Campbell deputising so woefully, and he wasn’t fit. The opposition targeted his side, and their exploit was successful. That’s on me – the players were fine, albeit no one was outstanding enough to dislodge a current first-teamer. Luke McCormick scored two of our goals on his debut, but he’s Ji Stevenson’s stand-in, unluckily.

 

Mauchin - unfit but we just need his left foot, right?

 

It was a derby at Àrd-Sgoil Phort Rìgh next, on their artifical pitch – the one our club’s predecessor hated so much they relocated to Uig. I was apprehensive, but all of our team has played on this very surface plenty of times. It was Portree Juniors we were facing – they’ve not made a good start, and we would be coming at them with our scary tactic and red-hot first team. I felt it was worth risking Mauchin start again to regain fitness.

The fans watching the game will include future entrants to our youth team, probably

I basically repeated my previous mistake. The others players had grumbled before the game about covering for an unfit Mauchin, and they were indeed distracted by having to compensate for his lack of fitness. We went two goals up thanks to Stevenson and Penrice, but by the time I’d finished dithering and took Mauchin off, the players were all spent out, and we let in two in the last two minutes to finish with an embarrassing 2-2 draw. Absolute schoolboy error on my part.

 

Spoiler

Remember, it's not just the players who start with a CA of 1 - I'm learning on the job too!

 

Edited January 4, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

For our Highlands & Islands second round tie, we welcomed Lybster from the north-east corner of the mainland. They’ve only played two matches in their tier 8 league, but they’ve won both of them. We didn’t know anything about them, but assumed they’d sit back and make it hard for us to express ourselves. We’d simply stick to our normal game plan but start Campbell over Maunchin. Of course, whether or not an opposition side would guess correctly, from now they’ll still target or left flank if they have any sense.

Just before our pre-match session, Duncan brought to my attention a little bad feeling between Brown and Lind in defence – something over a lassie, evidently. I don’t have the people observation chops to pick up on these things, so I’m glad he did and as a result we brought in Cormack in place of Brown – who’s not been playing well anyway. A happier team saw off the opposition 5-3, a customary coming-from-behind Keggy-Kevesque goalfest and a customary Ji hat-trick. Normal service has been resumed, I hoped.

The draw for the quarter-finals gave us a home tie with a team from Orkney. They’re in tier 9 but frankly, all the amateur sides from tier 7 to 10 are much-of-a muchness – we can beat any of them on our day. Both of the next round ties are schedules for Saturdays, but even if there are further midweek games such as one we have this week, I’m still going to prioritise going as far as we can in all the cups, even at the risk of dropping a few points in the league.

I’d like to win the league, and I think we can, but the top three get promoted, so coming 2^nd or 3^rd would be adequate. Our two main rivals (in my view), Mallaig and Sabal mor Ostaig just drew today, keeping the three of us neck-and-neck

So on Wednesday after school, the second team took the coach to Glenelg. We took the scenic route and crossed by the ferry that clings on to existence even after the bridge killed 99% of its business.

 

I felt the seconds needed to get up to full fitness so I pushed them to go full DNA for the 90 minutes. I didn’t compromise even after McCormick got sent off after 25 minutes. As per, we were up against it and had to come from behind. As per, it was a goal-fest. As per, Ji bagged a hat-trick (after coming on as second-half substitute). Result? An absolutely bonkers 6-6 draw.

 

a - shall we say - 'eventful' game

Edited January 4, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

It was an hour’s drive to Plockton but we arrived a wee bit early since the weather was good and we wanted to take a stroll around the most beautiful village in the Highlands/World before lunch.

Naturally, by the time we got there the weather had turned dreich, and the game was played in miserable conditions. They’re midtable, a nice wee passing side but not one to give us undue concern. We prepared by focusing on our own game and developing our core skills. However, no one underestimates us anymore. Plockton made it hard, and we had to fight for a tight 2-1 win.

The next day I didn’t have to drive to Burton-on-Trent, so I went to see the Under 18s in action and ensure they were putting in a proper shift. They did, and won 7-1. They’ll be needed for a Wednesday match next week.

The next league match was against Sleat & Strath who play at the Sabhal mor Ostaig ground, so we expected a bit of needle from their fans.

The team itself was 2^nd from the bottom and had lost four on the bounce. Nevertheless, opponents now raise their games against us and their fans would gee them on, so there was no complacency on our part. Campbell hurt his knee the day before the game so Mauchin had to play in the troublesome spot.

The games are getting tougher and tougher. A Stevenson hat-trick saw us through in a 3-2 win. Where would we be without him? We’re still unbeaten this season and no one foresaw that, but it does look like a first defeat is not far away. Other teams around us dropped points however; we’re only behind Mallaig on goal difference.

Edited January 4, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Despite residual hostility, there is enough interest in our project to bring fans to our games - this is one table we do top. But our presence is stimulating interest elsewhere. Hugh's other team along with four others are selling out every match. Wonderful stuff. Hopefully in time we'll be given credit across the island and region for boosting interest. Spare a thought for the Mallaig players though - they're doing so well and nobody cares!

The start of October is when we move to stage three of our individual training schedule. I shared our general weekly training schedule a few days back - here now is the programme I've picked up from a tutor named Jack Sharas at St. George's which we've implemented here. The year is divided into four equal parts (the summer one is shorter due to the close season break) and a 4-stage cycle of training. This is rigorous - the boys moan, but they're not given a choice. This is how we develop the club DNA.

 

Highland DNA Individual Training Rota

POS                       30^th June              30^th September                 30^th Dec               30^th March

GK                              --                                   --                                 --                             ---

Lib                         Quickness                     Def Posn                   Strength               Ball Control        

BPD                       Quickness                     Agility                        Def Posn              Ball Control

CWB                     Quickness                     Agility                        Ball Control         Crossing

DLP                       Def Posn                       Ball Control              Passing                 Strength

SV                          Ball Control                  Quickness                 Passing                 Att Movt

AM                        Att Movt                       Quickness                 Ball Control         Passing

AF                          Quickness                      Shooting                  Agility                   Quickness

PF                          Strength                         Shooting                  Agility                   Quickness

Edited January 12, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

We’re over 100 miles (and 4 tiers) from the nearest part-time and full-time clubs – Fort William, Ross County and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. This offers us protection. But how long before word gets out and scouts come to see Ji? I dread the day. I’ve ensured that whilst we have a steady stream of coaching staff undertaking courses at St. George’s (Alan and John changed their minds when they saw everyone else was signing up), they’re under stern instructions not to reveal what our project is, tempting though it is!

Bottom-dwelling Kyleakin came up the road on a drizzly Wednesday night and the seconds sent them home with a 5-0 drubbing. McCormack was player of the match, but all the boys played really well. They’re fighting to get into the first team.

The result put us top of the table for the first time.

We went up to Ullapool to play on Loch Broom’s notorious 3G pitch.

Loch Broom behind Ullapool

MacPhail Centre 3G Pitch

A good strong finish turned a draw into a 3-1 win. The fitness levels are truly impressive now. Mallaig drew, putting us clear at the top of the league.

 

FOURTH WALL BREAKER: I'd just like to point out to anyone that appreciates it, the photos I add are all quite authentic. And if you really are as obsessed with such details as I am, here are some highlights of the real-life counterparts of the teams at this level (remember, we were actually NW Skye until Hugh rebranded us just prior to the start of preseason):

Football on the Isle of Skye with Kyleakin FC - turns out last-minutes dramas are a well-established phenomenon in this league!

North West Skye 0-3 Mallaig - spot Mallaig's own Ji Stevenson!

Lochbroom (6) v Dornoch City (0)

Clan Donald Final 2019 - Glenelg FC vs Gairloch/Aultbea United

Highlights: Mallaig 9 GA United 0 (at the Mallaig Leisure Centre 3G pitch which I renamed)

Portree Jnrs v Sleat|Strath

Portree FC v Mallaig

Staffin FC v Plockton FC

Sleat\Strath v NorthWest Skye

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

We're into October and the weather is turning decidedly chilly. We're also way past the tourist season, and the last of Hugh's holiday cottages has been vacated. Dunvegan Castle has five such cottages it lets out; after lodging for three months in a room in the castle, I'm now to move out. Hugh's giving me a free choice of which cottage to stay in rent-free for as long as I'm employed by him.

Maybe you can help me out - I'm just by myself so don't need a big place - which cottage do you think I should choose?

https://www.dunvegancastle.com/holiday-cottages/

 

I'm also to get the use of an old Defender to bounce around in. Food and petrol allowances are thrown in too - I can live quite comfortably without a wage here.

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

As a brief wall-breaking aside, I'm trying to create a narrative here so that the blog is not just a wall of FM screenshots, but my FM career is what it's all about, of course. It's the first time I've gone with invisible attributes which I'm sure alienates many potential readers, but for those who do find it new and intriguing, are there screenshots you'd like to see that I've not thought of yet? I'm very much learning on the job here. Suggestions are much appreciated.

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[Mr Jabay]

I love this save, if only to see how beautiful Scotland is!

[phnompenhandy]

13 minutes ago, Mr Jabay said:

I love this save, if only to see how beautiful Scotland is!

Oh good! That's part of my aim - to show off the beauty of the land I can't get to!

[phnompenhandy]

Having a week with no midweek game allowed me to review and consolidate a little bit. Some lads had been really impressing in training, and some ‘seconds’ seemed more deserving of a first team spot than the ‘firsts’.

Josh Blair will get a run in goal, Darragh Neilson - Libero back-up to Andrew Lind – who is the player who still gets most exhausted in a match – will start games to the side of the Libero and switch position if Lind needs to come off. Jamie Tulloch is back in the starting line-up as Segundo Volante ahead of Fin Allen, Kyle Grimm gets back in ahead of Max McFadden as Shadow Striker although Max has also been playing really well. The same goes for Ollie Penrice, but I want to see if club captain Louis Mosson hits top form with a run in the starting line-up.

Neighbours Portree United (a.k.a. AFC) came down the road to play us in the first round of a third cup competition – the League Cup. With all the entrants being amateur Highlands & Islands sides, it’s one I’ve got my eye on for serious progression. It was a routine 2-0 win with both goals by Stevenson.

 

BUT THEN....

We were in a run of five cup ties in six matches. The second involved the visit of Firth, a wee village in Orkney. They were looking all starry-eyed after their night at the castle, and I guess we fell into a sense of complacency. The result was our first ever competitive defeat, 2-3, with out-of-position Neilson playing particularly badly and giving away a daft penalty to add to a howler by Blair. I’m very disappointed – in myself more than anything. It’s a game we should have won comfortably.

At the same time Mallaig and Sabhal won their league games. That defeat has to be an isolated blip - I'm not conceding the lead having taken so long to wait for Mallaig to stumble.

The next day Lucas McCormick absolutely smashed it in the Under 18s game. I can't leave him out - he and keeper Jacob Pazikas are back in the first team; Neilson's back on the bench. It's a risk though - McCormick is the Attacking Forward understudy to Ji Stevenson. Could he play as a Pressing Forward? We've never tried....

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

At the end of October, a rare league game broke out at the Achadh – Portree United were back already. We’d just beaten them – we weren’t about to defeat ourselves so we got back in our right headstates.

That’s what I believed, anyway. The answer to the McCormick conundrum – no. Maybe it wasn’t him – the whole team were deeply traumatised the loss the previous week. We had one shot on target in the whole game as we played like we had concrete boots. The whole team. Not one player – not even Ji played anything close to what they’ve shown week in week out. Is there a psychologist in the house? School counsellor? I have no personnel skills. Help!

 

press the panic button

November - new start?

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

I figured as much. I'm keeping my head down, holed up in my wee cottage, staying off social media.

November filled me with dread. I was putting on a brave face, but inside my confidence had crashed. The nights were long and dark. We had three matches, all away – the first two cup ties involving long drives home. We travelled to the east coast for a League Cup second round tie at Blackrock, then the third round Challenge Cup game against semi-pro outfit Dunbar, finishing up with a league game at our brutal rivals Sabhal mor Ostaig.

To assuage my inner fears, I approached the problem in the best way I know how - to plead with Hugh to spend some money. He was intensely irritated with me, but I got my way.

I think it all means Portree High gets to hire an extra part-time PE teacher, and I can drive all the way to Mallaig and Ullapool to meet with their high schools' sports departments. It's not exactly La Masia, but it's a start.

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Preparing for Blackrock Rovers, it was brought to my attention Grant and Coper were suspended due to picking up bookings in the last round, and them Greig Allen (that’s ‘GAllen’, as opposed to ‘FAllen’) twanged his hammy and is out for a while. It was a patched-up team that went through the match practice session after school on Thursday ahead of the long drive on Saturday morning.

Blackrock had their ground looking lovely, to be fair. It got Hugh muttering about how he'd need to pay his castle groundsman more to have him improve our pitch. The climate's a bit different on the east, I though, but I'm not a gardener so I kept quiet. 

I did wonder why they bothered with a beautiful carpet when they played most of the game in the sky - they had a couple of brutes up top who bullied Ben Cormack and Hugo Brown in particular. Despite the joy they got from that ploy, we returned to our scoring ways with a hat-trick from Kyle Grimm and two from Ji who blew his hat-trick by missing a late penalty. Nevertheless, the old 6-4 scoreline was very welcome indeed.

Our reward is a trip to part-timers Irvine Meadow in Ayrshire, currently bottom of their sixth tier league, West of Scotland Premier Division. Maybe that puts them on a par with Dunbar, whom we were due to play next. Before that though, I drove back from Burton grinning inanely, brandishing my first ever coaching qualification, my National C Licence. Yes yes, I'm not quite Pep Guardiola, but .... it's a start!

Hugh's paying for all this - for all of us. What a guy! Can i last a day before asking to go on the 'B' course??

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Dunbar is virtually England – over six hours it took us, setting off while it was still dark. Thanks to the previous Saturday, however, there was light in our hearts (). It didn’t help that a key lynch-pin in our side, our playmaker Nathan Smith had to miss out due to being suspended. 

So, tier seven, semi-pro lowlanders. That’s our limit.  We didn’t feel bad about losing – we gave it a good go against a side vastly more experienced and talented. Give us any amateur Highland side, and we can match or better them – at this point in time, we’re all good with that.

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

We had a weekend off and I chose not to arrange a friendly and give the boys a wee bit of time off – except for the five with the lowest average ratings over their last five matches. These short cold winter days and long cold winter nights are gruelling even for natives.

On reflection, my attempts to freshen up the team and give games to the ‘seconds’ backfired. The first-choice had developed a great understanding, and no matter how well seconds played in the Under 18 games, they disturbed the cohesion of the first team. Going forward right now, only Tulloch and Grimm keep their places – the rest as ‘as you were’.

We mustn’t lose focus of the long-term project to develop Highland DNA, but I also think we can’t and should continue the project in tier 9 next season. My preseason intention to give every player 20 games this season is not going to come to fruition, not with us knocked out of two cups – and in all likelihood a third very soon. Furthermore, rotating the team has lost us points. There is a third factor that is slowly becoming evident – we have some established first team players who generally do very well in matches, but don’t show any tangible progress in training; conversely, there are kids who show significant development in training, but given a chance to start a game, suck. They are still developing nicely. So, the more we get to know these boys, the more we ought to be flexible with our plans as the human factor is proving to be a little unpredictable.

Returning to action meant commencing the second half of the league season. We’d played each team once, now it was time for the return fixtures. Our first opponents were the ones we’d shocked in our opening game, and we had no doubt they’d be looking for revenge. We be descending into the lion’s den, driving to the Sleat peninsula to Sabhal mor Ostaig the ferocious dogs of Gaeldom. We did beat them however, and we remembered it well.  “Show no fear!” the boys all chanted repeatedly as a mantra on the coach. I definitely detected a little hesitation and quivering in their voices, though.

As the teams took to the pitch, the opposition gathered together and starting doing a weird ritual. To me it looked like some kind of attempt at a shinty haka, but most of the lads know shinty perfectly well and insisted that’s not a thing. If it was an attempt to intimidate us – and that’s the only conclusion we could reach, it totally backfired since it simply dissolved the tension in our boys’ hearts and left them reduced to laughter. When the whistle blew, we tore into them, buzzed around them, did everything we knew we could do and utterly destroyed them 5-0. Five to nothing at half time, and we gave no ground in the second half. The clean sheet delighted me as much as anything – it’s only our third of the whole season. Bragging rights are ours. The boys proved to themselves they need fear no one. With other teams dropping points, we’ve created a five-point gap between us and third, with Mallaig a point ahead of us.

The encounter brought another benefit. Our first (only?) non-Scottish person has joined our team. Molly Wilson, a 23-year-old Welsh medic studying Gaelic at the college, chatted to Sarah our head physio after the game before we set off home, and expressed admiration for our project. Hugh was happy to bring her onboard as an additional voluntary physio.

Our full medical team:

Sarah's not saying anything, but she's properly qualified, and I think is awaiting a chance to move to a paid position at a more prestigious club. Nicola looks settled enough, though.

Hugh stayed behind to support his other club, leaving the rest of us to drive home. The next day, Sunday, I had a day off with no Burton. John Brogan arrived in the evening as a group of us happened to be gathered in a pub for a meal, brandishing his National C bit of paper. I waited for Hugh to make the appropriate noises before innocently and publicly asking if he'd like to fund a B badge for me. What could he say? I start in the new year.

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

You haven't properly met the rest of the staff! Let me introduce you -

Head of Sports Studies at Portree High School

And he of the mysterious career history

 

Oh, I nearly forgot. He comes in once a week on Sundays when I'm usually not around:

 

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

As the very dark and foreboding December rolled around, we headed off to sunnier climes. Ayrshire to be precise, for our probable last cup tie of the season, against semi-professional Irvine Meadow XI.  They’d climbed two places since the draw after winning their last two league matches.

Grandstand!

Yes, Dunbar United had one too, but it deserted. Well over 200 were seated here, making it the biggest attendance we've ever had by far.

If we'd got through this round, with a suspension for two yellow cards in this competition, we'd not have been able to put a team out:

We picked up plenty more, too. It will be a problem for next season, but not now:

Ji had to deal with a Neanderthal defender trying to put him in hospital - still came up with a hat-trick! Again, up against a semi-pro side it was not to be, but we returned with our spirits and tails held high. Onwards - we have a league to win!

 

Before that though, the League authorities decree our division has to go into hibernation - no games, no training until January other than one re-scheduled league game. However, clever Craig Meikle had already arranged three Under 18s games, and they needn't be cancelled, so we can keep the boys match fit after all. And .... we took the boys on a little ramble up to Uig a few times, and someone might have had a football in a bag.

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

In our solitary league game in December, we drove up to a windswept field between Gairloch and Aultbea.

Aultbea - lovely, but where's the pitch?

United normally play on the plastic pitch at Ullapool, but it was closed for maintenance. The weather was foul. As the wind blasted in from the west over Gruinard Island we donned our tin hats [yes, about that – the place has history]

dug deep, and came up trumps. A magnificent 5-2 win all things considered.

Edited January 5, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Now that we're out of all the cups, a little reappraisal. We play nine cup ties, fewer than I'd planned for. We will play 31 competitive games in all this season.
Some players will get substantially fewer than the 20 games I'd hoped for. It's by no means a disaster, just not quite optimal.

State of play:

A two-horse race, surely? Plenty of jockeying for the third spot.

The school's broken up for the Christmas break. Parents who can afford have taken their kids to warmer places. Reegan has bogged off to Ibiza or somewhere, but he left Duncan with a tremendous Christmas present for me. No banter - this is for real:

Apparently, Reegan reckons some will be close to first-team ready. I might have abandoned that initial squad plan anyway. We'll see, but I can't hide my excitement. Oh, and I'm off for three weeks myself -  Merry Christmas and Happy Hogmanay!

Edited January 6, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

This is how we exited 2022, and what the run-in looks like.

The schedule plods through the early months – two matches in January, two in February, two in March and finishing with three in April. Six home games and only three away. Will 2023 bring us the success we crave? We really have no excuses if we fall short now, although we only have one shot at stopping undefeated Mallaig from taking the title.

My holiday's been ruined by a dire email from Sarah. All bets are off (admittedly that's just two games for sure, but pray he's back for Mallaig!)

Another email bought better news. I'd previously said that I thought Nicola McIntyre was perfectly happy here. Well, she got offered a paid position with Civil Service Strollers in the Lowland League. I couldn't blame her for moving up, but I pleaded with her to stay, and both Sarah and Duncan inform me that she has decided to remain with us.

Edited January 6, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

Days after the good news about Nicola, John and Cameron were tapped up. I should have been around to talk to them in person – all I could do was plead over Zoom for them to trust the process and stay with out project. Both offers were from amateur clubs, and Cameron in particular was quite vocal about his trips to St. Georges, so I was more optimistic about persuading them. On top of all that, Duncan got approached, but he was quick to reassure me he was going nowhere – he was with us for the love of the job and his retirement home on Skye anyway. I initially had a wee panic when I heard Preston North End was after him until he explained it was North End in Dundee. Indeed, no one has been tempted away from our exciting project this winter.

As 2023 broke in and the boys and staff drifted back from their holidays, we rolled out the new January-March individual training schedules. Hugh asked if we could prepare a more detailed breakdown of where and how far the boys had improved as he wanted an indication of whether the project he’s so heavily invested in is working as intended, but I had to point out that we have no analysis facilities other than a schoolkid and his laptop (even he was approached for a scouting gig by Orkney), so a general impression is the best we can manage. ‘One for the future’, I hinted whilst assuring him progress was being made on and off the pitch, and ahead of schedule too. We didn’t quite see eye-to-eye on that assessment, to be fair.

Good landlord; hard taskmaster

Edited January 6, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

The coaching team has revised our assessment of the players, as shown in our squad list, and we’re dealing with the loss of Stevenson by changing the front three to ensure we have a trio that combine well together, a little unluckily for McFadden and Penrice. A closer look at the defensive trio suggests that whilst Brown is one of our better centre-backs, he doesn't combine well with Grant and Lind, so I think he'll have to start on the bench. Mosson and McCormick leading the line for the first team is a venture into the unknown; the risk of relying too heavily on Ji was always there, and now we’ve got to go for it.

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[abulezz]

Stevenson is playing on another level! Fantastic read so far - followed!

[phnompenhandy]

51 minutes ago, abulezz said:

Stevenson is playing on another level! Fantastic read so far - followed!

Thanks.  He is, and to break the fourth wall again, i want to remind readers that he started on a CA of 1. It must be more than that now, but it's still remarkable.

[phnompenhandy]

Our first game of 2023 was postponed due to the foul weather. It has been rescheduled for four days before our second game, which means calling up the whole squad when I was expecting us to play the same starting line-up for each match.

well hello...

First loss of the season and puts us one point behind with that game in hand. Is there even better news?

There are times in life when doing nothing produces wonderful results. Let it pour!

Edited January 6, 2023 by phnompenhandy

[phnompenhandy]

We’d filled the gaps in the weekend schedules with friendlies, and booked midweek friendlies for the Seconds. The first two had to be cancelled due to the rearranged game. The first match is home to Kyle, who have lost their last six on the bounce. The Seconds can start that game, and Ji won’t be risked. The firsts – potentially including Ji in the starting line-up if not on the bench, will take on neighbours Portree Juniors at the weekend.

Heriot-Watt University have offered Reegan a position. No, Reegan, not now with your youth intake needing a final polish before coming to us!

Good news part 1

Good news part 2

 

Reegan was never going to contemplate that job anyway. Relocating to Edinburgh for a part-time salary managing an Under 18s side when he's on a good salary as Head of Faculty at Portree High?

 

The final training session before the Kyle match showed me clearly that the boys were ring-rusty after such a long break, so we held off the 'DNA' tactic and went with the balanced approach we rarely use any more. It was an astute decision - the boys won comfortably 4-2, with Lucas McCormick doing his best 'Who needs Stevenson anyway?' impression by bagging a brace. The weather was so bad the referee was very close to calling it off again; our frustrated opponents taunted us with "Well if you won't go plastic..." We'll never go plastic!

not great but got the job done - takes us to the top

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by phnompenhandy