[FM23] Another Island Life - Green Lion Pride - A Guernsey FC Youth Story

[shd34_216_42]

1 hour ago, Jtomsett11 said:

That seems a little crazy that they want you to go straight up with just a youth team! If you spent all the money they've given as well you'd be well in the red. Bizarre!

I'm guessing that the expectation is based on reputation and aggregate squad CA, and his players must be doing well in the improving part to make promotion a realistic demand.

Guessing that the odds would have the team as a promotion candidate (although the game hasn't resolved promotions/relegations yet, so it may change after that).

[Punch]

6 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

You got this!

I didn't last long on "Break" darned FM24.

 

A big challenge ahead.

 

5 hours ago, Jtomsett11 said:

That seems a little crazy that they want you to go straight up with just a youth team! If you spent all the money they've given as well you'd be well in the red. Bizarre!

Yeah, it’s a big change from “continue to finish mid table in League Two” to required promotion.

I now have to fight harder to keep the best players or we are no chance of meeting that expectation.

[Punch]

3 hours ago, shd34_216_42 said:

I'm guessing that the expectation is based on reputation and aggregate squad CA, and his players must be doing well in the improving part to make promotion a realistic demand.

Guessing that the odds would have the team as a promotion candidate (although the game hasn't resolved promotions/relegations yet, so it may change after that).

The end of season attributes review will make for interesting reading.

I think we have enough to mount a challenge, if we can keep the best players, but that is a big if.

[Punch]

 

2033-2034 Season Review

[Punch]

 

2033 - 2034 Season Review - Stats

 

Goalkeepers

Just the two keepers used this season, and while Thomas continues to improve, he shows that he still has that mistake in him as well, as he is well down on expected saves and goals prevented.

Arani continues to be a solid understudy, ready to go when needed.

 

Defenders

We got through a lot of defenders this season, and while Alan Kelly was probably the best of them, we will be looking for others to fill his shoes now he has gone to St Mirren.

Marc York was the surprise packet, really stepping up his game toward the end of the season.

 

Midfielders

Sampson and Geall are almost the best midfield pairing in the League.

Bridge and Micheals provide capable back up, while Pedreno is starting to show signs of being ready for more first team action soon.

Kallon is still hanging around, but his attitude seems to be waning, and others have overtaken him as regular rotation players.

 

Forwards

Harry Reid's stats only show from when he was sold and loaned back in the January window, but I think he also scored about 15 goals for the season.

John Mbugua, while not the most talented forward, continues to put himself in the right place to put the ball in the net.

Matt Cass is a similar story, providing solid contributions.

Faherty and Rainey are probably our two most exciting wingers, constantly creating havoc among opposition back lines.

 

No additions to the records for Docherty, and I don't think anyone will break Allen's record for some time.

 

[Punch]

 

2033-2034 Season Review - Attributes

 

That time of year again where we review the attribute changes.

This is our second season of full time training, so I am guessing we will not see as many massive spikes as we did last season.

 

Goalkeepers

Impressive growth from both our first team keepers, as they continue to push each other.

Thomas is now considered the best player at the club, while Arani has benefited from competitive games in the U21s.

Webber appears to have peaked, so we need continued growth from our two new youngsters Mason and Hamilton.

We let the rest of the keepers go, as they simply were not going to make the grade.

 

Defenders

Some really solid growth in the defensive department, especially Marc York, who has come from nowhere at the beginning of the season. He will probably be the replacement for Alan Kelly.

16 year old Zane Baker is also not far off first team consideration.

We will need an improved defensive performance next season, the have any chance of meeting the Board's expectation of promotion.

 

Midfielders

Plenty to like about our midfield options, with massive improvement from Sampson.

Danny Bridge has improved out of sight in the last few seasons, and may soon be pushing for a more regular starting spot.

Plenty of options in this area when we need rotation.

 

Forwards

This shows why I am fighting to keep hold of Rainey. He is simply a class above everyone else in our forward line.

Faherty has improved immensely, and is also starting to attract interest from other clubs.

We have plenty of solid options available, but it is clear that there are two standouts.

We need them creating chances for us, if we want to get promoted.

 

Best Squad

We have good options all around the park, but this also highlights that the forward line has slipped behind in terms of growth.

 

The average age has dipped again, while the overall average continues to climb.

 

An exciting season ahead, if we can keep hold of our best players.

[Punch]

 

JUN 2034 - Off-Season things

 

The transfer saga has started already

Half the teams in the Championship, and the Scottish Premiership are interested in John Rainey.

Not surprising, he is one of the best players at our club, but there is no way I am letting him leave for the prices being quoted above.

We have had some offers come in, but they are nowhere near what I want, the highest offer currently has been Hearts, at around £400k, but I am negotiating £1 million, with all the add ons, which mist clubs are balking at, but some are coming back with slightly higher offers.

For his part, Rainey has been upset at a couple of offers I have refused, but I remind him that he won't play much at that level, and he seems happy enough to stay for now.

The Board are also staying out of it at the moment, but watch this space over that one.

 

Thomas is another with a lot of activity, but as with Rainey, I am not letting him go for less than £1 million.

He doesn't seem to concerned that I have been rejecting offers, and the Board are also staying out of it for now.

 

There have been smaller offers for a few players, but I have no interest in selling them, so nothing else has happened at this stage.

 

We said good bye to 18 players, most of which were not able to make their mark at the club, or had simply been surpassed by other players.

Nick Kirkpatrick is probably the biggest one to leave, the second highest goal scorer among active players, but he did not feature in the last two seasons, and we were unable to find a new home for him.

 

Internationals

Thomas is on duty at the World Cup with Australia, earning his 5th cap in a warm up game.

 

The Board want us to get promoted, but there are some tough teams coming down from League One.

 

We kick off the season in the same fashion as last, away to MK Dons, before facing Chesterfield at home.

A battle with newly relegated Wrexham awaits us on match day 3.

 

This was a shock!

The Bookies have us right up there where the Board want us.

A quick flick through the wages shows we are spending a little over £1 million per season on wages, while those around us on the chart above are spending 3 times that.

The only ones spending less than us are Dorking and Grimsby, the two teams just promoted from the National League. Even that could change before the season starts.

 

A polite reminder from the Board of their expectations.

 

Nothing like a bit of pressure then.

 

We continue to bleed money, only strong season ticket sales prevent this month from being a total write off.

With limited seating, below that required by the Football League, we are not helping ourselves in this regard.

 

Every little helps, and we need the help.

 

I have set up the Saturday/Sunday Cups again for pre-season, along with a brutal pre-season training schedule, which like the last two seasons, should lead us into the season in good stead.

[Punch]

 

JUL 2034 - Pre-Season Things

The Pre-Season Cup and training campaign went off in some style as we blazed through all the matches, winning 8 from 8, scoring 42 goals, and conceding only 4.

We even managed a massive upset in the final game, scoring a win over FGR, who are now in The Championship.

The even better news is we now have a massive squad of match fit ready players, who are super fit, super fast, and ready to hit start the season in fine form.

 

Transfer Window - The good, the bad, and the very ugly...

 

The Good

A few clubs had been sniffing around Geall, but he has now signed a new 3(+1) year deal, which will see him stay at the club for some time to come.

A massive commitment from the Club Captain, who had been hinting at wanting to leave in previous seasons.

 

The Bad

I didn't really want to sell Rainey, as he is our best forward, by some distance, but he has been wanting to go for some time now.

Plenty of offers had been coming in, but I stuck to the £1 million mark, half expecting the Board would step in and sell him from under me.

QPR finally agreed to the £1 million, plus all the extras, I could no longer justify standing in his way, and had to agree to the sale.

We get to keep him for the season, allowing us more time to develop some of the other youngsters, while getting a friendly, and 50% of his next sale.

It also breaks our transfer record, beating the £750k that Stoke paid us for Harry Reid.

 

The Very Ugly

My Chairman is an idiot...and I nearly deleted the game.

Two days after I sold Rainey, the Chairman accepted all offers for Thomas, and he of course signed for the club that offered no extras.

I mean, it's massive money, and smashes our Transfer Fee record, but if I had known he was going to do this, I would never have agreed to sell Rainey

So we lose our number one keeper, and best player at the club, we don't get to keep him for a season, no friendly, and no sell on clauses.

And making it even worse, because the Chairman accepted so many offers, I was not able to protest any of them to try and get some add ons in.

 

Closest I have come to deleting the game...

 

We still have plenty of clauses in play, despite the 0% against Thomas, still not happy with the Chairman.

We may get something out of Everitt soon, as Doncaster have been accepting offers for him.

A massive drop in the current value for Kelly, he was valued at £4.2 million last season playing for us, so will be interesting to see how that changes if he gets game time for St Mirren. They are offering us £500k to buy out his clause, but I am not accepting that at this stage, as we now don't need the money.

Stoke are offering us £1 million to buy out Reid's clause, but I think that is under valued, and again, we are not needing the money yet.

 

Despite the loss of our best player, the Bookies have installed us as favourites for Promotion now.

 

...and at the end of the month, they now have us favourites for the League Two title.

 

Nothing like the pressure of expectation.

 

A massive month financially as we wipe out the debt, and begin the season with a healthy bank balance.

I might need to approach the Board and see if we can use some of it, to re-upgrade the training facilities that were downgraded over the off season.

 

Ticket sales are going well, we have already beaten last years record by about another 100.

 

We have time to squeeze in another friendly, against Stoke, part of the Harry Reid deal.

We kick of the season at MK Dons, before they come to The Lane to face us in the League Cup 1st Round, 4 days later.

We round out the month with a juicy away clash at Wrexham, who are second favourite for the title, after being relegated last season.

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by Punch

[Punch]

 

AUG 2034

A cracking start to the season!

We hold Stoke to a draw in our final friendly, as a part of the Harry Reid transfer deal, before belting Dons to start the season proper.

I gambled on a heavily rotated team in the League Cup three days later, and we snuck away with a penalty win.

The decision to rest players was then vindicated as we thumped Chesterfield, before winning a cracking, but brutal match against Wrexham.

We round out the month by advancing to the 3rd Round of the League Cup, after a injury time winner over Wycombe.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A thumping win over MK Dons to start the season, setting the tone for a great year ahead.

Faherty got the early goal, before Cass put us two up by the break.

We weathered an early second half onslaught, before running away with the game, as Cass completed his hat-trick, for a thumping 4-0 win.

 

We had to come from behind in this one as the visitors scored first, against the run of play.

We didn't panic though, and scored three quick fire goals, and the contest was effectively over by half time.

We also make it 10 unbeaten at Footes Lane.

 

A brutal encounter against the Red Dragons as the Ref was kept busy, handing out 13 cards - 5 to us, 8 to them, including a red.

Marc York's thumping header before the break, was the only goal of the game, as neither side could finish well.

We hang on for the win, despite the late pressure from the home team, keeping another clean sheet in the process.

 

After thumping them in the League three days earlier, and with another important game two days later, I heavily rotated the squad for our next meeting against MK Dons.

It nearly came back to bight us, but we did enough to scrape through on penalties, with Arani making the vital save, to give us a 7-6 win.

 

A lot going on in this one as we sent another heavily rotated squad out against Wycombe, including four debutants.

They get the job done though, as Balogun's injury time winner was enough to send us through to the 3rd round.

Balogun also breaks the record as the youngest ever scorer in the League Cup.

 

We are off to Anfield for the 3rd Round, as we are drawn against Liverpool.

We have met before, as they beat us in the FA Cup 3rd Round a few years ago.

 

 

A brilliant start to a pressure packed season as we are top of the table, the only perfect team.

Showing no signs of missing our keeper Thomas, as Arani has stepped up to the plate and has been performing brilliantly.

Three wins, 8 goals scored, only 1 conceded, and while there is still a long way to go, we can be very happy with our start.

 

Awards galore to start the season as we have our first ever player to win the Player of the Month, we sweep the Young Player of the Month, and I receive the Manager of the Month.

 

The Youth Set up continues to drain the bank, but it is a bit easier to take when there is still north of £2 million in the account.

 

Kelly has made his debut for St Mirren, netting us another £50k as a part of his transfer deal.

 

The Pizza Cup has been drawn, and we will face just the one League One side this season.

 

A busy month ahead, as we face 5 League games, the Pizza Cup kicks off, and we travel to Anfield for the League Cup.

[Punch]

 

SEP 1st 2034 - Transfer Deadline Day

There were no more player sales, as I was basically rejecting every offer for our best players, knowing that I need to keep the strongest team together to complete the Board's task of being promoted.

 

Keeper Arani, defender Batchelor, midfielder Sampson, and forwards Clarke and Faherty were all targets, but there was no chance I was selling any of them.

We did send a few players out on loan to get them some more game time, but at £2.4 million, we had already broken our record sales twice, and have money in the bank.

 

The Value of the Friendly Clause

 

I have often wondered if there was a lot of value in the 'Arrange Friendly' clause, so I had a look at the figures for the Stoke game.

Between Gate Receipts, and Match Day Revenue, we earned about £23k, and we had match day expenses of about £2k.

I noticed there are no bonus payments to players for Friendly matches (appearance fee, goals, assist, clean sheets etc).

While we only had about 1,700 spectators turn out, I guess we turned a profit on the day, and got our players some experience against a much bigger club.

We are not earning season changing money, with our smaller venue capacity, but there is at least some value in the Friendly clause.

[shd34_216_42]

I don't think the chairman is an idiot, £1.4 million for a League Two player is quite a bit. 

The reality is that until you get to the Premier League (maybe the Championship, but players love to complain about new contracts constantly at that level), you're a selling club to compensate for the expenses of running the club (in your case, the youth setup). Think of the money as funding future youth that will likely be worth more than that.

As far the friendly clause, you have to compare it to the fee Stoke would charge to play at your stadium (guessing about £15k or so). It's still worthwhile because the typical player sale will go to higher reputation clubs in higher reputation leagues, and sometimes the buying team wouldn't otherwise accept a friendly at your stadium so it's a chance to play higher-level competition.

[Punch]

9 hours ago, shd34_216_42 said:

I don't think the chairman is an idiot, £1.4 million for a League Two player is quite a bit. 

The reality is that until you get to the Premier League (maybe the Championship, but players love to complain about new contracts constantly at that level), you're a selling club to compensate for the expenses of running the club (in your case, the youth setup). Think of the money as funding future youth that will likely be worth more than that.

As far the friendly clause, you have to compare it to the fee Stoke would charge to play at your stadium (guessing about £15k or so). It's still worthwhile because the typical player sale will go to higher reputation clubs in higher reputation leagues, and sometimes the buying team wouldn't otherwise accept a friendly at your stadium so it's a chance to play higher-level competition.

It was more to do with him having done that, just two days after I sold one of our other best players, which I of course would not have done, had I known he was going to pull that stunt.

He also excepted all the offers with no add ons, so while I agree it’s a lot of money, it should have been a lot more in the long run.

Oh well, all part of the FM experience 

Yeah, pretty much what I was thinking in terms of a small financial gain, due to our capacity limits, and a gain for the players in terms of experience against a bigger club, so while not ground breaking, the benefits at least exist.

Edited October 22, 2023 by Punch

[Punch]

 

SEP 2034

In what proved to be a busy month, against some tough opposition, with a moving schedule, we managed to come out not too badly at the end of it.

Three wins, a draw, and a loss in our five League games, an upset over League One Milwall in the Pizza Cup, and we exit the League Cup at Liverpool.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A tough slog against a spirited Burton outfit who pushed us all the way.

A single goal from Marc York, who has been proving himself a more than capable replacement for Alan Kelly, was enough to secure a hard fought three points.

 

In a match delayed due to internationals, we hammered Cambridge, but in the end, only just snuck home with the win.

They put on some late pressure, and probably had better chances at the end of the match, but we done just enough to hang on.

 

We lost young Vita out of this one with a serious wrist injury.

 

It also took us to five straight wins to start the season.

 

An absolute battle at then 2nd place Woking, as both sides went at it in a hard fought match.

The Ref was busy, handing out yellows like business card, how no one was sent off is still beyond me.

Once the dust settled, the hosts had held on for a narrow victory, ending our perfect start to the season.

 

We bounced back, thumping high flying Barnett, who were all over us in the first half.

Some calm words at half time had the desired result, as it was a completely different team that ran riot in the second, scoring goals at will.

 

We round out the month with a another tough one at the Lane, as we were held by Bristol.

For all our chances, we only managed a penalty, as we struggled to hit the target.

 

Well beaten, but not embarrassed as we exit the League Cup, in our second year, reaching the 3rd Round for the first time.

The hosts dominated the match, but we defended the house down, allowing only two goals, when they could have scored a dozen.

A late highlight for Eddie Clarke as he stole in to smash home a goal at Anfield. One he will remember for a long time to come no doubt.

Nearly 50k spectators in also gave us a decent payday from the gate as well.

 

Probably something of an upset as we dominated League One Milwall, with what was a heavily rotated squad.

A double from Mbugua got the job done, but in reality, we could have scored a lot more.

 

 

We find ourselves in 2nd place, behind the undefeated Woking.

Poor Wrexham, relegated from League One last season, after almost making The Championship the season before, second favourites for the Title at the beginning of the season, now find themselves in another relegation fight.

 

Internationals

A busy period with Internationals, seen us have to postpone our Cambridge match.

Jackson Thomas is still representing Australia, but as he is no longer one of our players, I have stopped counting his appearances.

 

Eddie Clark has been heavily scouted, and linked with plenty of clubs, and we did receive a few offers during the window, but he has committed to the club long term, in a massive boost for everyone.

He is starting to become a regular in our lineup, and forming some impressive partnerships up front, so to have lost him, so close after Rainey, would have been devastating.

 

The Goalkeeper conundrum

After the Chairman sold our best Goalkeeper, we now only have 4 on the books...and this was after I released two who were not good enough over the off-season.

Arani and Thomas were supposed to fight it out for the first team this season, with Webber to U21s keeper, while Mason and Hamilton, both kids, were sharing time in the 18s.

Arani, at 20, found himself as our number one, and to be honest, he is our only League Two quality keeper.

Webber is a solid back up, he is not League Two standard, and probably would even have been sent out on loan.

The two kids are future potential superstars, but are nowhere near ready yet.

So we basically have one League keeper, and he was recently on international duty with the Belgium U21s, meaning we had to postpone the Cambridge match, because we would have had no keeper.

While Arani has been brilliant at the back so far, for someone so young and inexperienced, we are treading a fine line with Internationals and possible injuries etc.

No I am not still upset with the Chairman at all

 

A good month financially as we turn a profit, thanks to a £750k payday for making the League Cup 3rd Round, and our share of the gate as 50k people filed into Anfield.

Nice to see the bank balance going up for a change.

 

Another busy month coming, with another round of tough matches.

[shd34_216_42]

I would be tempted to play Simon Mason in the Pizza Cup games.

Making Liverpool work for the win is also a good sign.

[Punch]

41 minutes ago, shd34_216_42 said:

I would be tempted to play Simon Mason in the Pizza Cup games.

Making Liverpool work for the win is also a good sign.

He is very close to being ready for that. Still very young, but massive potential.

Then again, Arani is only 20, so if you’re good enough, you’re old enough 

 

I think Liverpool had switched off a bit by the time we scored, at 2-0 up they were just cruising through to the next round. Us scoring woke them up a bit and we barely touched the ball after that. In reality, they could have scored 10, but we defended well.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2034

We needed to postpone our Wycombe match due to International commitments for Arani, again, so just the four League games, for two wins, a draw and a loss.

We also played a pretty young squad in the Pizza Cup, @shd34_216_42 getting his way with Mason making his debut in goal, for a solid performance.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

An absolute belter at Tranmere as this one could have went either way.

We came from behind, to take the lead, only to give it up late.

Just when it looked like we were going to share the points, Cass was hacked down in the box deep into injury time, and Faherty calmly slotted the spot kick to claim all three points.

 

A really tired performance in this one as we really struggled to get going.

We piled the pressure on late, but couldn't run down the lead we had given away.

A pretty poor performance all around.

 

A massive turn around as we shocked Southend early, and then hung on for the final 30 minutes as their onslaught was turned away time and again.

A massive three points against a top team.

 

A massive defensive effort as we kept Salford scoreless, but we were unable to mount anything in attack ourselves.

We'll take a point on the road at this stage though.

 

A massive win as we send a heavily rotated squad out against League One Milwall, and they get the job done in style.

Three goals, three points, a clean sheet on debut for young Mason, and we top the table, with qualification to the next round almost assured.

 

 

We currently sit second, but we are two games behind Doncaster, who were just beaten in their match day 14 encounter.

We have the best attacking record in the League, and equal best defence as well.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

Arani was thrown into the number one spot with the sudden departure of Jackson, and has so far been excellent.

Webber has been involved in a few Cup games early in the season, while Mason recently made his debut in the Pizza Cup.

 

Defence

Some solid numbers from our defensive unit.

Young Mitchell has found himself in the starting lineup a lot, and while he is green, and can make an error, his work rate is impressive.

 

Midfielders

Geall and Sampson continue to be immense, while Bridge and Micheals are more than capable.

The big thing I notice here is the lack of game time for Kallon, as he has really fallen down the order now.

 

Forwards

Faherty has been huge, while John Rainey has been really disappointing on loan, since being sold.

 

Internationals

More Caps for our three current Senior Internationals this month.

Keeper Arani was also on duty with the Belgium U21s, which forced a schedule postponement, against Wycombe.

 

Another big hit this month.

 

Ouch! Game of fatigue manager incoming.

Seven League games, including the postponed Wycombe match, our final Pizza Cup Group Stage match, and our FA Cup kicks off, away to Curzon Ashton.

[Punch]

 

NOV 2034

An epic month as we go undefeated through a hectic schedule, although we do end up with one less game.

The rescheduled match from October, against Wycombe, has been rescheduled again, as they needed a replay for their FA Cup 1st Round match, and that fell on our day.

That match has now been moved to December. I am sure we will play them...eventually

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A really tough match against Dorking, but our defence held firm, and the attack got the job done.

Another valuable three points.

 

We nearly threw away points here as we failed to take chances early in the first half.

We then had to withstand an onslaught from the hosts through the middle period, before wrestling the game away from them midway through the second half.

Arani made a string of great saves to keep us level, and late in the game to protect the clean sheet as well.

 

Dominated the match, but couldn't get the ball in the net.

They scored with pretty much their only shot on target, while we blazed high and wide, hitting everything behind the goal, but the net.

Cass rescued a point with a late goal, but we couldn't find a winner, despite the constant pressure.

 

Almost the same story as the previous game, just with the goals in reverse order.

We are attacking well, dominating the games, but sometimes the radar is way off.

 

And then sometimes the radar is spot on, as we run riot through Halifax.

The first goals from the Class of 34, as Balogun nets a double, providing cover for some tired forwards.

 

 

We then make it 8 unbeaten, rounding out the month with a tough win.

This one could have went either way as both sides created similar chances.

We took two of ours, they took one of theirs, and that was enough to pocket the three points.

 

Our FA Cup campaign kicks off with a thumping win over Curzon Ashton.

Even though they came hard at us for periods in the second half, we always seemed to have it under control.

 

We host Aldershot in the 2nd Round, with nothing between us in previous meetings.

 

We draw our final match, but win the shoot out to send us through top of the Group for the next round.

Young Keeper Mason played his second match, winning the Player of the Match award, after keeping a clean sheet in his first.

An impressive start to his career so far.

 

We will host Cambridge in the 2nd Round, again, with very little between the teams in previous meetings.

 

 

We finish the month top of the table, but we have been swapping back and forth with the still undefeated Salford.

If they were to have won a few of those draws, they would be miles ahead by now.

 

Internationals

Mbugua scored his first Senior International goal, and then decided to score his second in the same match.

Now making him our equal top scorer among Senior Internationals.

 

Been a while since I seen a job offer, and this one came from Scotland as Hibs came calling.

Thanks but no thanks.

 

The balance is still draining, but I feel better about it with still so much money in the account.

 

A TV match on the island, as the cameras come to Footes Lane for the Pizza Cup.

 

Another month of Fatigue Manager, with 9 games, including our twice rescheduled October match against Wycombe.

We also face a run of 5 straight home games, which might help the fatigue levels some with less travel.

[Hootieleece]

Great month! keep it going! 

 

Use the recovery training period a lot, even two days in a row if matches are close enough together. Substitute Recovery for practice if necessary. Always use the recovery period after the match!

A full strength team with match fitness is better than a less recovered team with practice.

 

[Punch]

10 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Great month! keep it going! 

 

Use the recovery training period a lot, even two days in a row if matches are close enough together. Substitute Recovery for practice if necessary. Always use the recovery period after the match!

A full strength team with match fitness is better than a less recovered team with practice.

 

Thank you!

Yes, I always use recovery after a match, and squeeze in an extra one or two if/as needed.

One thing that I have noticed helping is the U21s playing competitive matches now. A lot of them are match fit, and ready to go when called on as a part of the rotation.

At least that’s how it appears anyway 

[Punch]

 

DEC 2034

A great month as we go undefeated again, advancing in the FA Cup, and the Pizza Cup, while winning three, and drawing three of our League games.

Now here is where things get confusing.

We were supposed to play Wycombe twice this month. The first time was supposed to be our first League game, rescheduled from October, and then again in November, to early December.

Now this got moved again, because our Pizza Cup game against Cambridge, got moved because they needed a replay for their FA Cup tie, and the Pizza Cup game was moved to when we were supposed to play Wycombe the first time.

So our first game against Wycombe, which was supposed to be played in October, and then in November, and then in early December, has now been rescheduled to February.

Which means at the end of December, we played our second League game against Wycombe, two months before the first game...confused yet

Who'd want to be a scheduler.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

 

We made hard work of it against the struggling Crewe outfit.

We hung in there and got our goal, but it should have been a lot more.

I guess we can take the clean sheet, and the three points, so not a terrible outcome really.

 

Then we ran riot as Harrogate were put to the sword.

It should have been 6, as Mbugua missed another penalty as well.

 

Back to back big days as the boys were on target again, this time away.

Four different scorers, including a rare defender goal, and another clean sheet.

 

A game of missed chances as we dominated the match, but struggled to convert the opportunities.

We had a huge chance to win late but the shot was blazed over the bar, which pretty much summed up the day.

 

We finally got to play a game against Wycombe, and we should have scored plenty.

However, their keeper had a day to remember stopping everything we sent at him, and we could only take a point from this one.

 

Top of the table clash, and this is another that got away.

We created a thousand chances, but had to come from behind just to rescue a point.

Some tired bodies at this point as well, which is probably not helping.

 

A thorough job done as we ease past our 2nd Round clash with Aldershot.

A much more clinical finishing display earlier in the month, sends us through to the 3rd Round.

 

We host Crewe in the 3rd Round, who do have a good record against us, but we have won the last two meetings.

A chance at our first time in the 4th Round awaits if we beat Crewe.

 

Plenty of rotation, including four players making their debut in this one.

The kids showed great fight, as they come from two down, to win in the penalty shoot out, sending us through to the 3rd Round for the first time.

 

We will host division rival Barnet, in what should be a tough contest.

 

 

It's tight at the top, but we have also played two or three less games than those chasing us as well.

We have always been a strong attacking team, and that shows again, leading the way with 48 goals, but the defence has been huge this season, allowing only 13 goals so far.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

Arani has been excellent, probably the form keeper in the League at the moment.

Mason continues to be pocked for the Pizza Cup games, and is performing solidly, despite being young, he shows plenty of class.

Webber continues to be the back up, but in reality, probably won't play unless Arani is out.

 

Defenders

The defence has been amazing this season.

York has truly stepped up into Alan Kelly's shoes, while young Mitchell has become an important part of the rotation.

Alderson has been the surprise, coming from nowhere to command minutes, while young Zane Thompson shows his massive potential, as we have just moved him up to the first team.

 

Midfielders

Geall, Sampson and Bridge make up the majority of the rotation, and all three of them are as reliable as each other.

Michaels completes the rotation, while Pedreno and Pearce get time when needed, and perform well.

Kallon has barely played, and has now been placed on the transfer list, and I am going to try and move him on when the transfer window opens.

 

Forwards

I mentioned last time around that Rainey was struggling since being sold, well two games on the bench sorted that right out, and he has probably been one of our form players since.

Faherty, Cass, and Mbugua continue to pop up and smash the ball into the net, while they are well supported by a large cast of rotation players.

 

Jobs

Must be moving season in The Championship, as I was linked with the West Brom job, while it was Watford that came for me first, WBA did eventually make an offer as well.

The Board of course very happy that I am staying put.

 

The Youth Set Up continues to be a drain.

 

Prize Money helps take some of the sting out though.

 

I had forgotten about the money for winning games in the Pizza Cup as well, so we are up to £50k now for the season.

 

Another 9 game monster coming up as continue the Fatigue Manager game.

With the transfer window opening tomorrow, we also wait and see what will be left of the team of the Board intervene again.

Edited October 29, 2023 by Punch

[Punch]

 

DEC 2034 - Youth Intake Preview

After last seasons monster intake, it would be tough to back it up with another huge one this year.

This seems to promise very little, but as per usual, if we can sneak one or two decent players, then we can continue moving the club forward.

If the HoYD keeps finding these six and a half foot Australian monsters in goal, we are going to have to rebuild the stadium and facilities with higher door frames

[shd34_216_42]

If I were the board, I wouldn't intervene given the current success. Of course, that requires the board to value future success over short-term money. Next season might be a different story, although your players will be worth more at that point (especially if you get promoted, which seems likely). There's still the stadium expansion to deal with as well (guessing it will end up in the 5-6k range).

 

[Punch]

53 minutes ago, shd34_216_42 said:

If I were the board, I wouldn't intervene given the current success. Of course, that requires the board to value future success over short-term money. Next season might be a different story, although your players will be worth more at that point (especially if you get promoted, which seems likely). There's still the stadium expansion to deal with as well (guessing it will end up in the 5-6k range).

 

They only have 12 months to sort out the stadium issue, so something will have to be done in the next off season, regardless of which League we are in.

[Punch]

 

JAN 2035

The new year started off with a massive bang, as we were but a goal against Dorking away from being a perfect month, in what was a massive schedule.

Five wins, and a draw in the League, We advance twice on penalties in the Pizza Cup, including a massive upset over League One Fleetwood, while we struggled home against lowly Crewe in the FA Cup.

 

Match Results

Spoiler

An early goal for Cass, and then we dominated in patches, and hung on for dear life in others.

Disappointing not to get more goals, but happy with the clean sheet, and three points.

 

A massive performance against Salford, while we got the early goal, struggled to put them away.

Two late goals sealed the deal, including a first League goal for young defender Mitchell.

 

20 unbeaten in the League...massive effort that.

 

We ran riot against Cheltenham, as they struggled to contain our aggressive play style.

A hat-trick for Mbugua was a highlight as well, along with yet another clean sheet.

 

Another defender goal, another first League goal for a youngster as Thompson nets his first, smashing in a header from a free kick.

This was a pretty tight game over all, and while it appears we dominated, the close scoreline was a pretty accurate reflection of the game.

 

Another game, another clean sheet, unfortunately, they got one as well.

Neither team could find the net in what was a tight battle, so a point each.

This match would end up being the only blemish, on an amazing month.

 

This looked like one that might get away, but we finally netted two late goals to seal the points.

Another clean sheet, meaning we did not concede a goal in the League this month.

 

Absolute domination as we run riot against battling Crewe, but we just struggled to get the ball in the net.

As it was, it took an absolute screamer from outside the box from Captain Geall to secure the win.

 

Two League Two sides going head to head in the dizzying heights of the FA Cup 4th Round...why not? It's been a crazy season already

 

Our first trip to the Pizza Cup 3rd Round results in a tight affair, with neither side being able to find a goal.

Young keeper Mason was epic, making some great saves, including a beauty in the shoot out to get us into the next round.

 

We traveled to League One Fleetwood for the Quarter Final, and they were expected to walk over our heavily rotated squad.

We gave them a run for their money in the first half, but they dominated the second, finally leveling in injury time.

We held our nerve through the shoot out, Mason again coming up with two huge saves, and we march on unexpectedly again.

 

We get League rival Rochdale in the Semi Final, who we have a pretty long history against.

This will be a pretty tough battle.

 

 

We have broken away to a 9 point lead at the top, with two games in hand, and we have quite ludicrously still only conceded 13 goals.

The defensive line has just been massive this season.

 

A massive month results in another award, making the Chairman happy.

 

Transfers

 

The easy ones

 

Not much to unpack here, two players who were not going to make it into our first team, so we made a little bit of money and moved them on.

 

The Big One

 

For some reason I just new the Chairman was going to pull a stunt like this, and while £2 million is massive money, without the add-ons, it's massively under selling him.

I protested this transfer, and got the Chairman to agree that we needed to keep our best player.

 

But I knew I had to start negotiating with some clubs, as the Chairman was going to pull the trigger again, and I couldn't play that card again.

 

I managed to negotiate a monster deal with Middlesborough, a deal that is worth £1 million more than the Chairman originally accepted, and could end up being worth £2.5 million more.

The difference now is, we get to keep him for the rest of the season, get a friendly against big opposition, and get the 50% sell on, which is important, because this kid is going to be a star.

Take that Mr Chairman...of course he had to step in and accept the deal on my behalf, but only after Middlesborough accepted the deal I had negotiated...

 

Then the Chairman got involved again, accepting a bigger offer from Portsmouth, but with a worse sell on, and no loan back

Nope, the Chairman is an idiot...

 

Thankfully, he accepted the Middlesborough deal.

While the initial payment may not be as much, the potential future earning is massive compared to the last deal.

Midlesborough are also paying him over £6k per week, way more than we paid him, and we get him for the rest of the season to continue our promotion push, for free.

 

Take that Mr Chairman...

 

Everitt had some transfer interest, but ended up staying put, and his value plummeted as a result.

Alan Kelly has seen his value drop to less than what we sold him for.

I never expected anything from Hudak, but he is not worth much now.

Cihak, probably not much chance we see anything from that one either, although his value has held.

Harry Reid, at one point, was valued at over £4 million, so his value has crashed, which is strange, because he is playing regularly, and well for Stoke.

John Rainey is still on loan with us until the end of the season, but if we get 50% of that new value, it would be amazing for the club.

Still annoyed about having no sell on for Jackson Thomas...

 

Records

 

We set a few club records this month

 

That's a crazy effort considering the number of games we have played recently.

The time I have spent developing the depth at the club is paying off.

 

This one is huge.

The defensive line has been immense this season, but to go that long, and not concede a single goal, is just incredible, especially at this level.

 

The sale of Faherty takes us to record sales.

I didn't really want to sell him, but once the Chairman got involved, I new I had to make sure we got the best deal for the club.

 

Internationals

Pellejo earned three more Caps, on duty at the Asian Cup.

He had a shocker as they were belted by Australia, interestingly, former Guernsey Keeper, Jackson Thomas, sat on the bench for this one. Had a blinder, scoring one and setting up another in their second match, before they crashed out, finishing 3rd in their Group with another loss.

 

A monster month financially with the sale of Faherty.

We will continue to see money come in for this as they pay another £500k in installments, and plenty more, should he start playing in their first team.

 

Our Cup runs have continued to bring in the prize money as well, although the small crowds have not helped any.

 

Another big month incoming, and we may finally get to play our match against Wycombe.

Although, it has incredibly been rescheduled for a 4th time, due to our FA Cup commitments.

At least it's in the same month this time

 

[shd34_216_42]

You should have made the Middlesbrough offer to Portsmouth as well to avoid the chairman doing what the chairman does best.

I suspect the chairman is thinking about how likely the future clauses are to be met, and that upfront money is way better than potential future money. (Also I'm guessing the AI is really bad at understanding the payout after 1 appearance clause.)

Curious if you can afford facility upgrades.

[Punch]

8 hours ago, shd34_216_42 said:

You should have made the Middlesbrough offer to Portsmouth as well to avoid the chairman doing what the chairman does best.

I suspect the chairman is thinking about how likely the future clauses are to be met, and that upfront money is way better than potential future money. (Also I'm guessing the AI is really bad at understanding the payout after 1 appearance clause.)

Curious if you can afford facility upgrades.

The Middlesbrough deal had already been accepted when the bigger Portsmouth one came in. Thankfully Faherty signed with Middlesbrough though.

Haven't had the chance to consider upgrades yet. Might have to look into the training facilities though, as they were both downgraded after last season.

[Punch]

 

FEB 2035

Another amazing month as we advance to the 5th Round of the FA Cup, while also winning five of our six League games.

Our record of not conceding reached an incredible 8 matches, and was almost 9, before Wycombe scored in the 90th minute. This was the game that was rescheduled on four occasions from October.

Our unbeaten League run also reached 25 matches, before we finally fell in our last match of the month at Newport.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

Looks like a close game, but in reality, we dominated the match, but snatched at chances, and nearly blew it.

A single goal on the hour was enough to secure the points.

 

A tight first half as we went to the break, probably lucky to be a goal up.

A tale of two halves as the boys ran riot on the second half, smashing in four more goals to secure a massive win.

 

We finally got to play this match, which had been rescheduled four times from October.

We got off to a cracking start scoring two goals before the 10 minute mark.

Two more goals in the second half sent us on our way to another impressive win, before we conceded a goal in the final minute, which was our first in 9 games.

 

An early goal, a solid performance, a clean sheet and a second goal to secure a good win.

 

Another tale of two halves as we could have scored plenty of goals in the first half, but couldn't hit the target.

However, on the hour mark, we finally got a goal, and then the flood gates opened as we ran away with a big win.

 

After 25 League games unbeaten, we finally fall in a tight one as Newport do enough to take the points.

An impressive run comes to an end.

 

A cracking battle as a couple of League Two teams fight for a spot in the dizzying heights of the 5th Round.

After a scoreless first half, we got the goal, but gave it straight back as we switched off.

Both sides had their chances, but we got the winner, and head through to the next round.

 

We are off to the blue side of Manchester for the 5th Round.

With nothing expected of us, it will be a huge moment for our kids to take on the EPL giants.

 

 

We have finally caught up to the rest of the League, and our winning run has allowed us to open up a massive 18 point gap.

We are the best attacking team in the League, but that defensive record is immense, conceding only 15 goals.

 

With 10 games still to play, we have secured our play off spot, at worst, and also guaranteed to have our best ever finish.

Both extremely impressive efforts.

 

This includes Cup games, as our League run reached 25 matches.

A huge performance, based on our defensive efforts.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

 

Defenders

 

Midfielders

 

Forwards

 

Young Clarke takes out the Player of the Month, and also the Young Player of the Month.

 

A personal milestone as I reach 700 games...and we continued our history of losing milestone matches, by going down to Newport

 

Another loss, but plenty of cash in the bank still.

 

The prize money continues to roll in.

 

A big month coming up as we face Rochdale twice in a week, the second being for a shot at the Pizza Cup Final, and we also head to Manchester for the FA Cup 5th Round.

[Punch]

 

MAR 2035

Four wins and two draws as we run undefeated through the League for another month, we exit the FA Cup at the 5th Round, and we continue our crazy Pizza Cup run, with yet another penalty win.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A thumping win as we run through Chesterfield, with a brilliant hat-trick for Faherty.

 

An epic battle at Cheltenham and we come out on top in a really tight one.

Both sides had plenty of chances, but it was a single goal in the first half that secured the points.

 

We dominated the first half, but only had an equaliser after they scored hte opener against the run of play.

They probably had the better of the second half, but we managed to escape with the draw.

 

A solid win as we get the points against the then 2nd placed Dons, who have shown a huge revival in the second half of the season.

Some quality goals allowed us to control the game, before a another Geall cracker confirmed the points.

This result sealed our promotion to League One.

 

We seemed to suffer a little promotion hangover as we really struggled in this one.

Could also be fatigue set in, as we have had a hectic schedule.

The hosts got the lead early in the second half, and when it looked like we were going to be beaten, Matt Cass scored in injury time to rescue a point.

 

A stunning game as we come from behind to take the points, and secure the Title.

The Red Dragons look like they had done enough to take the win, but Eddie Clarke came off the bench to score a 6 minute hat-trick to lead us to the three points, and promotion as Champions of League Two.

 

As expected we bow out of the FA Cup at the hands of City, but a massive defensive effort limits the damage to one goal.

We even created a few chances in the second half, but we not able to find the net.

A £900k pay day for our share of the gate made for a good day.

 

An epic battle in our first visit to the Semi Final of the Pizza Cup.

Neither side could find the net, and it was again Simon Mason who came up huge, making two saves in the shootout to send us to Wembley.

 

We face Lincoln City at Wembley, and we will look to make it a double.

 

 

With four games to play we can't be caught, and while we had already been promoted, we now have also secured the Title.

I thought the Board might have been over-reaching aiming for promotion already, but we have smashed it in.

Still putting in a huge defensive display.

 

An award for Clarke.

 

The Board and the fans are ecstatic as we secure automatic promotion.

 

They were even happier as we went on to secure the Trophy, sending us up to League One as Champions.

 

U18s - Champions again

We catch another trophy as the Under 18's take out their League.

 

Internationals

Three players on Senior duty this month.

 

A big gate from the Man City game helped out this month.

 

New League, and the Board has given us more money to play with.

 

I got the Board to agree to spend some of the money, and they agree to upgrade the Training Facilities.

 

They also agree to max out the Youth Recruitment.

 

A date at Wembley, for the Pizza Cup Final, before just two League games next month.

 

[Punch]

 

MAR 2035 - Youth Intake

 

The Class of 35 arrives, and the expectations from the preview were not great.

 

And it delivers in spades.

The stars are always a bit all over the place, but they don't provide a lot to get excited about.

Cooper looks an exciting defender, but there is not a huge amount else to get excited about at this stage.

 

Cooper is not far off first team already, while Tayler might be decent.

Again, not much else to get excited about in this bunch.

 

Plenty of dual citizens again, and we welcome our first from Saudi Arabia, and New Zealand.

 

New Zealand means we also have our first player from Oceania. (Australian players have been counted in Asia)

 

Last seasons intake was always going to be a tough act to follow, so hopefully we can turn one or two of these into something decent.

We are going to need to continue the push on the Training Facilities, as our Recruitment is now maxed out.

[theBlackPrince]

What a season!! From that ugly sale with Jackson Thomas to walking the league in proper style! 

Youth Intake looks very, meh! 

[Punch]

2 hours ago, theBlackPrince said:

What a season!! From that ugly sale with Jackson Thomas to walking the league in proper style! 

Youth Intake looks very, meh! 

Yeah, we are going to have to hope for some major improvement from some of the other players, as we have sold our three best players this season. The end of season attribute review could make for some interesting reading.

It is a bit average, but if you take out last years intake, it would probably have been pretty decent, but overall, compared to last season, pretty average. If we can get one or two of them to reach potential, we might be OK.

[chile_paul]

Great result securing promotion and well done for keeping Man City to just the one goal. Fingers crossed for the cup final! 

[Punch]

6 hours ago, chile_paul said:

Great result securing promotion and well done for keeping Man City to just the one goal. Fingers crossed for the cup final! 

Thank you!

City were pretty much in cruise control, but we did give them a few nervous moments in the second half.

[Hootieleece]

Selling your three best players and still having a great season. It shows you have depth or tactical acumen or both!

[Punch]

1 hour ago, Hootieleece said:

Selling your three best players and still having a great season. It shows you have depth or tactical acumen or both!

We did get to keep two of them for the season which has helped. Our keeper, Arani was close to first team anyway, and got thrown in the deep end as the only number one when we sold Jackson, but he has come on massively, and is close to breaking the League Two clean sheet record. Our defence has been huge this season.

Playing competitive games in U21s has seen a big improvement in the depth, as we have had match fit ready players able to step in when rotation has been needed, and they have been able to keep us rolling along.

A different story next season so that will be interesting to see how we perform at the higher level, and what the Board expects.

[Punch]

 

APR 2035

Not many games this month, but what a month it was anyway.

In front of over 30k at Wembley, we take out the Pizza Cup, and finally didn't need penalties to win a game, adding another Trophy to our collection.

We win our two League games, not conceding a goal against two teams in the relegation fight.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

 

A cracking result as continue our surprise run, all the way to the winner podium, to lift another Trophy.

A goal either side of half time gave us a comfortable lead, and while we conceded a late goal, we managed to hang on to secure the win.

£100k prize money, along with around £170k for our share of the gate, made it a profitable day for the club as well.

 

Near total domination against the struggling Walsall, as we were at our attacking best.

Plenty of goals, but another defensive masterpiece as we keep another clean sheet as well.

 

Another dominant display as we hold Crewe scoreless, and net two of our own.

Not as dominant as our last performance, with the hosts having chances, but we managed to keep yet another clean sheet.

 

 

We've cleared 100 points, closing in on 100 goals, but have still have only conceded 19 goals.

Looks like the final play off spot, and the relegation battles will go down to the final day.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

With the title secured, Simon Mason has been given a few opportunities in the League, and has performed well.

 

Defenders

 

Midfielders

 

Forwards

 

Young Finnegan has shown massive improvement this season, and his form in our two games leads him to the Young Player of the Month award.

This could become very important next season with Faherty and Rainey set to move to their new respective clubs.

 

The media are still linking me with Championship jobs, with the Board very happy that I am not interested.

 

We manage to make a small profit this month, as we collect good prize money and gate receipts.

 

Two more games to finish the season before we take our next step forward into League One.

 

[Punch]

 

MAY 2035

We finish off our season in style with two more solid wins, and two more clean sheets.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A solid performance, but it took a goal late in each half to secure the win.

A lot of wasted chances, but we kept them out to secure another three points.

 

We finish the season in style with another dominant performance.

Two goals up at the break, and we probably should have scored more, but we take the points, and another clean sheet.

 

 

A monster season, finishing with 109 points, which is a League Two record, and along the way smashing in 99 goals.

The big improvement this season was the defence, as we concede only 19 goals, which is an amazing effort against some pretty impressive teams.

Southend and MK Dons won the auto promotion spots, while Burton stole the final play off spot from Woking on the final match day, and then went on to secure promotion through the play offs.

 

The Board have already set massive expectations of finishing mid-table next season, and then being top half by the following season.

Aiming high for a club that was in the National League three seasons ago.

 

The Youth Set Up, and tax bills rack up a decent loss this month.

 

A tiny amount of money for winning the League.

 

We are on the move as we will be spending next season playing at Torquay's Plainmoor.

There has been no announcement regarding upgrading Foote's Lane, or a new stadium as yet, but it is in the Boards plans, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with.

 

Up next...season reviews.

[Hootieleece]

Next Season is make or break for Nix's Career. Midtable in League One is obtainable, but I find League One one of the toughest leagues because there usually is a lot of parity between teams and it is easier to fall out of than get promoted.

[Punch]

9 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Next Season is make or break for Nix's Career. Midtable in League One is obtainable, but I find League One one of the toughest leagues because there usually is a lot of parity between teams and it is easier to fall out of than get promoted.

We are keeping our defensive line, but we lose two of our best attacking players, as their loans have ended, so it will be interesting how a changed up offensive line can handle the higher League.

[Punch]

 

2034-2035 Season Review

 

[Punch]

 

2034-2035 Season Review - Stats

 

Goalkeepers

Arani was thrown in the deep end at the beginning of the season, and steeped up to not only break the League Two clean sheet record, with 30, was named in the League Two Team of the Year, and was also awarded the League Two Player of the Year.

Simon Mason has continued to improve and will probably be the back up keeper next season, while Webber will probably be moved on or loaned out.

 

Defenders

The entire defensive unit was just huge this season, conceding only 19 League goals.

Plenty of players got minutes through a hectic season, and a lot of the younger kids have improved, stepping up to play their part when needed.

 

Midfielders

Geall, Sampson, and now Bridge formed the core of our midfield, bossing teams around, and getting us moving quickly from defence to attack.

Pedreno continues to improve, while Michaels makes a steady back up.

 

Forwards

Plenty of goals shared around this season, while Faherty only shows his loan stats since he was sold in January, but he had about 19 goals prior to then as well.

 

[Punch]

 

2034-2035 Season Review - Attributes

 

That fun time of season where we get to review how our players have improved, or not, over the course of the season.

 

Goalkeepers

Massive improvement from our number one, making him now the best player at the club.

Mason is probably the most improved player at the club, and will become the understudy to Arani next season.

Webber will probably be moved on, while Hamilton and Al-Habib will continue to share duties in the 18s.

 

Defenders

SOme really impressive improvement among our defensive unit, which is not surprising given how good our defence was this season.

We now have plenty of solid options to be able to rotate through the line as needed.

 

Midfielders

Three really solid players in our midfield, with plenty of solid options to back them up as required.

 

Forwards

There maybe some changes to our forward line next season, especially with the departures of Rainery and Faherty.

Finnegan has been a huge improver, and is now a regular in the starting line, while Hollis is a surprise, showing big improvement after being out on loan.

Again, plenty of solid options to be considered in the rotation.

 

Best Squad

Continued impressive growth sees our weighted attributes nearing the 60 point average, while our average age has continued to fall, dropping below 19 again.

 

I think we are looking pretty solid for next season, especially as we keep our defensive line together.

The only issue for us could be where our goals will come from, as we will be fielding a less experienced forward line.

Plenty to be excited about though.

[Punch]

 

JUN 2035 - Off-Season things

 

Internationals

We have our 5th Senior International as Goss debuts for Canada.

 

Another offer in The Championship.

 

This will be another interesting season financially as I try and keep our best squad together in a higher League.

 

A nice helping hand to keep us started.

 

Going up a League increases the TV Rights money again.

 

Transfers

 

There have been plenty of offers coming in for our top players, which I have been rejecting outright.

Hoping to keep our best squad together, and also hoping the Board stays out of it.

 

McPherson had fallen down the pecking order, and wanted to move on for a new challenge.

We get a small fee, but send him on his way with our thanks for his service.

 

.

Vita was a bit part rotation player, who had also fallen down the order.

He wanted to go home to Romania, so we make a little money out of him, and with a few extras, there is a chance for more later, but I won't expect too much.

 

The end of season clean out is complete as we say goodbye to 15 players.

These were players who had not shown improvement, or were not going to make it to first team level, so we let them go to the next chapter of their careers.

 

Season Preview

An exciting season ahead as we head up to League One, while there are some decent sides coming down from The Championship.

 

We have started our last two seasons against MK Dons, but will have to wait until the second week to face them this season, as we begin our League One season at Stoke.

 

This was a shock, as the Bookies have us right up there to face back-to-back promotions.

Rotherham spend nearly £9 million on wages, Stoke are over £12 million, and a lot of the clubs are around the £5 million range.

We are still spending just over £1 million.

 

The massive news came late in the month that the Board is looking into building a new stadium.

It's still some time away, but there is progress towards getting us back to the island at least.

 

Friendly season is about to kick off, with a few Cup weekends, and some Friendly matches.

[Punch]

 

JUL 2035 - Pre-Season Things

 

We blazed through Friendly season in cracking form, although it did take us penalties to get through our final game of the month, with a heavily rotated squad.

 

Transfers

We did make one sale with Kallon moving along as he had fallen out of favour.

 

I am still rejecting all offers on our best players. Still enough money in the bank, and the Board is staying out of it for now.

 

This is looking like our best Xi to start the season, although I am sure there will be massive rotation through the course of the season.

 

We have slipped a bit in the Bookies eyes, but still right up there in promotion contention.

 

Season ticket sales in our temporary home have been impressive, leading to a solid month financially.

 

We sold 2,222 last season, so already way in front of our best year.

 

We have one more friendly before we kick off the season traveling to Stoke, where we will also face former player Harry Reid.

We have also been drawn against Notts Co to kick off the League Cup.

[Hootieleece]

Wow, Up there with the Promotion places after promotion. you must have a special team.

[Punch]

20 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Wow, Up there with the Promotion places after promotion. you must have a special team.

I was very surprised when I seen that one.

[Punch]

 

AUG 2035

We are now officially a League One team.

After one more friendly, where we were thumped by Boro, and while we haven't won a League game, we also haven't lost one.

We also advanced twice in the League Cup.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A tough battle against Stoke, containing former Guernsey player 29b Harry Reid, and we probably got away with one here, just hanging on for a draw.

The hosts probably had the better of the chances, especially late, but we were able to deny them a winner.

 

We have a good record against Dons, but we had to come from behind to get another point.

Balogun scored his second goal of the season, in what was otherwise a tight game.

 

We had the better of the chances at Exeter, but couldn't get past their keeper.

We are creating the chances, so the results will come, but at this stage, another away point is not a bad result.

 

A tight battle at Meadow Lane as we just done enough to get past Notts.

A late goal off the bench for Cass secured the win and sent us through to the second round.

 

We ran riot through Cambridge, before falling asleep at the end to give up two needless goals.

A dominant performance, and we managed to score regularly, running up a 4-0 lead.

Two late goals made the scoreline a lot closer than the game really was.

 

We get sent to Middlesbrough for the 3rd Round, just having one meeting, where they thumped us in a friendly to start the season.

 

 

We sit in the bottom half of the table, but if we had won one of those games, we would be near the play off places.

 

Our Pizza Cup campaign kicks off next month, with what could be considered a friendly Group draw.

 

A big loss this month as the Youth Set Up and Taxes hit the account hard.

 

We could be due a payday soon though as Stoke are receiving offers for Harry Reid.

We will be due 50% of any transfer, due to the sell on clause when Stoke brought him from us.

There are also three days remaining in the Transfer Window, so anything could happen between now and then.

 

A busier month coming up as we face 5 League games, our Pizza Cup defence kicks off, and we travel to Boro for the League Cup 3rd Round.

Edited November 11, 2023 by Punch

[Punch]

 

SEP 2035 - August Transfer Window

 

The August window closed on the 3rd September

 

We sold no other players, as with three of our best players leaving last season, a new season in a higher League, and money in the bank still, I needed to keep our best players.

There were offers coming in nearly every day for Markus Arani, Eddie Clarke, Luc Geall, Fynn Mitchell, and Romario Finnegan, but I continuously declined them all.

The players appeared not too fussed either way, and the Board stayed out of it, so everything appears OK for now.

 

A big money mover, from League One to The Championship, while our former player Harry Reid also moved up to the Championship...more on that next.

 

Harry Reid got his move to The Championship, with QPR winning the battle for his signature.

We will receive at least £1.25 million, with the possibility of another £500k due in future clauses as well.

This is the first time that one of our future sale clauses has paid off, and this amount will cover the cost of our Youth Set Up for an entire season.

That takes a lot of pressure off the bank account and the possibility of the Board intervening in selling more of our best players.

 

We still have 8 clauses active, although I don't expect to see money for a couple of them.

Doncaster have had some offers for Everitt, but none have yet turned out.

Alan Kelly was St Mirren's player of the year last season, as they were promoted to the Premiership, but his value has continued to drop.

I don't expect to see any returns on Hudak or Cihak.

John Rainey has made his debut in The Championship for QPR, but hasn't yet found his feet, and as a result, his value has dropped from over £11 million.

Billy Faherty has been sent out on loan from Boro to Stoke, so we may end up playing against him later in the season, but his value has continued to rise.

We probably won't see much out of Vita or Kallin either.

 

So we managed to make some decent money, we keep the core of our best players, and suffered no interventions from a trigger happy Chairman.

On with the rest of the season...at least until January

 

 

[Punch]

 

SEP 2035

A cracking month as we remain undefeated in the League, win our opening Pizza Cup Group Stage match, while we bow out of the League Cup after a hard fought game against Boro.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

 

Our 4th straight draw as we struggle to find the net.

We did, but it was ruled out.

A game of very little to report about.

 

We finally get a win, as a goal in each half is enough to collect the points over Plymouth.

Still creating plenty of chances, but the execution is lacking at the moment.

 

The trend continues as we create enough chances to win plenty of games, but can't find the net.

Another match where a goal was ruled out, and the points end up shared.

 

We created plenty of chances, and it wasn't until late in the first half that we managed to find the net twice.

Another match where we wasted plenty of chances, and it nearly came back to bite us again, as Mansfield almost stole a point at the end.

 

We finally got the early goal, with a second before the break to be comfortable in this one.

We should have scored even more in the second half, but again, some poor finishing wasted those chances.

Luckily Wimbeldon were having an off day, creating hardly any chances of real concern.

 

A hard fought win over Cambridge to open our Pizza Cup defence, as our early season form of creating plenty, but delivering little continued.

Young Keeper, Mason, had a brilliant game in goal, keeping us in the lead.

 

We seemed a bit out of our depth taking on Championship Boro in the League Cup 3rd Round.

After being 0-2 down early, we managed to right the ship and limit any further damage.

A late goal for Mbugua made for some nervous moments for the hosts in the final 10 minutes, but we couldn't create enough pressure to find an equaliser.

 

 

We handled Wimbledon their first loss of the season, while they stay top, we are one of the two undefeated teams remaining in the League, and neither of us are the in the top 3.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

Both keepers have been in good form in the early season results.

Arani has played the League matches, while I have been using Mason in the Cup matches.

 

Defenders

Despite of attacking woes, our defenders have kept up their form from last season, as we have the best defensive record in the League at the moment.

Plenty of minutes will continue to be shared around, as rotation is necessary.

 

Midfielders

The three usual suspects keeping up the good work through the centre, keeping us turning defence into attack.

 

Forwards

We wondered where the goals would come from after Rainey and Faherty left, and the answer is so far, we have struggled.

Balogun has been the bright point, while Cass & Mbugua have scored most of theirs in the Cup games.

The chances are there, but we need to start making more of them if we want to keep on track.

 

A couple of players on International duty this month, Mbugua scoring his 5th goal.

 

A big month financially as the sell on fee for Rainey provides a good boost to the account.

 

Six League games and our second Group Stage match for the Pizza Cup coming up.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2035

Two wins, two draws and a loss from our five League matches, while we win our second Group Stage match in the Pizza Cup.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A goal in each half sent us on our way to a solid victory.

Was also great to see Hollis finally find the back of the net.

 

We then went straight back to previous form, creating enough chances, but not being able to execute them.

It really came back to bite us as we gave up a late goal to surrender our first loss of the season.

 

We gave up the late goal to throw away points in this one, but overall, we were probably lucky to get away with a point.

 

Another draw, although we came from behind in this one.

More chances, more wasted chances, but we are still accumulating points away from home.

 

The attack finally clicked into gear, with Hollis and Clapton scoring doubles as we run riot.

We gave up a goal from a free kick, but there was very few chances for the visitors, as we controlled the match, scoring at will.

 

A cracking performance as we were at our attacking best putting four past Chelsea 21s.

Qualification to the second round is almost secured.

 

 

We have moved up the table finding our way to 7th place, just outside the play off spots.

Even though we are struggling in front of goal, our defensive record is still right up there with the best in the League.

 

After a rough start to the season, Hollis has finally started finding the net, and his form this month took him to the Young Player of the Month award.

 

Internationals

We now have just the two Senior Internationals left at the club, both on duty this month.

 

The Youth Set Up still continues to drain the account.

 

Our Training Facilities have been upgraded, although this really only brought them back up to the level they were at previously.

 

We sold a further player, to a National League outfit.

Wigman played over 200 games for the club, but has fallen down the pecking order, and has not been involved this season.

 

The FA Cup kicks off next month, and we travel to Barnet.

 

We have a pretty good record against them.

 

A busy month coming up with 6 League games, our FA Cup campaign kicks off, and we travel to Leyton Orient for our final Group Stage match in the Pizza Cup.