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

[Punch]

 

NOV 2035

A cracking month as we run undefeated through the month, winning three and drawing two of our League games, a win in our final Pizza Cup Group Match, and also advanced in the FA Cup.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

Just a dominant performance and while we had a goal ruled out early, the kids stuck at it and sent us to the lead at the break.

Another goal in the second half, along with a clean sheet made for a good day at the office.

 

A thumping win at Ipswich as our attacking performance continues to grow.

Still creating plenty of chances, but we are now at least taking more of them.

 

A tough battle against Milwall, taking the lead on the hour, we gave up a clumsy penalty 15 minutes later.

It looked like we had done enough to take all the points at the end, but the goal was ruled out on a marginal offside call.

 

A massive fight back in this one as we went 0-2 down by the break.

We turned the tables in the second half scoring two great goals, including a screamer from Pedreno, that went on to win goal of the month, to secure a share of the points.

 

A tough match up as we hosted the high flying Fleetwood to end the month.

It could have been a different result as they were awarded a penalty early, but Arani made a great save.

From there it was all one way traffic in the goal scoring as we ran away with the match.

It was a lot closer game than the scoreline suggested though.

 

We have now gone 8 League matches since our only loss of the season.

 

A tough battle against Barnsley, with just the single goal deciding it.

We head through to the 2nd Round.

 

We travel to Tranmere with a good record against them.

 

A solid win in the final group match sends us through to the next round top of the table.

Cambridge squeeze through on goal difference.

 

We are drawn at home to Plymouth, in what will be a tough 2nd Round match.

 

 

We have been as high as 1st place this month, but end it in 4th, with games in hand.

 

Matt Cass has been in great form, and his performances earn hm the Young Player of the Month award.

 

The first time we have won a goal of the month as the Pedreno screamer from outside the box to level the scores at Huddersfield, rightfully won the award.

 

To be continued...

[Punch]

 

NOV 2035 - Continued

 

The Board offered, and I accepted a two year contract extension.

We were all happy with the decision, and I was happy with the £500 per week pay rise.

 

Internationals

The usual two on duty for their countries, while Barker became our 6th Senior International, earning his first Cap for Australia.

 

Youth Set Up and Taxes continue to drain the account.

 

A monster month coming up as we face 7 League games, along with the FA Cup, and the Pizza Cup.

[theBlackPrince]

That December is  not quite make or break on the season but will certainly make some gaps at the top bigger if teams stuggle with smaller squads.

[Punch]

6 hours ago, theBlackPrince said:

That December is  not quite make or break on the season but will certainly make some gaps at the top bigger if teams stuggle with smaller squads.

The schedulers seem to like trying to break teams during December and January 

[Punch]

 

DEC 2035

Wins in the FA and Pizza Cups, while we had four wins, two losses and a draw from our seven League matches.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A thumping win, and a Balogun hat-trick made for a good day at the office.

 

We made a cracking start, but couldn't keep up the pressure as Birmingham ran over the top of us.

We started a comeback, but had a goal ruled out, and hit the bar twice.

Just one of those days.

 

A tight one against Fleetwood, and in the end we couldn't be separated.

Both sides had their chances to win, but we settle for another draw.

 

A dominant performance as we run riot over Bromley, although it took us a while to get going.

Two goals in two minutes before the break sent us on our way, with a sealer soon after.

A good day out.

 

Another cracking performance as we smashed in three early goals, and were then able to control the remainder of the match.

 

A tight loss as we go down at home to Barnsley.

We gave up an early penalty, and then neither side were able create any further chances, and the points were shared.

 

A really tight battle, but we got the upper hand just before the break.

It continued to be a tough fight in the second half, we thought we had a sealer, but it was ruled out.

We managed to hang on though to seal the win, and take all the points.

 

A big result in the FA Cup as we hammer Tranmere.

Quality performances all around as we smash our way into the 3rd Round.

 

We travel to West Ham for the 3rd Round.

 

 

We find our way to 3rd place, although it's a pretty tight table.

 

To be continued

[Punch]

 

DEC 2035 - continued

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

 

Defenders

 

Midfielders

 

Forwards

 

 

The usual drain on the account continues.

 

Another busy month coming up.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2035 - Youth Intake Preview

 

Last year was a bit of a let down, so it will be interesting to see what we come up with this year.

 

Suggestion of an excellent intake, with a quality looking midfielder, and looks like another goalkeeper, maybe a forward.

 

Bring on March to see what actually turns up.

[Stuniverse]

Just caught up with this again, @Punch. Great job.

Are you still playing on FM23 or have you loaded your save into FM24 and continued it in FM24?

[Punch]

55 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

Just caught up with this again, @Punch. Great job.

Are you still playing on FM23 or have you loaded your save into FM24 and continued it in FM24?

Thanks Stu!

Still on FM23. I haven’t yet seen a good enough reason to buy 24, just to play the same game I am already playing.

[Punch]

 

JAN 2036

A mixed bag in what was a busy month.

We won four of our 6 League games, advanced twice in the Pizza Cup, and were unable to repeat our 5th Round heroics in the FA Cup, going down in a tight 3rd Round clash at West Ham.

 

Match Report

Spoiler

We squeezed home in a tight one over FGR, with a single goal deciding the points.

A second goal on the hour was ruled out, but we managed to hang on to secure the win.

 

A thumping win over Bradford as we set the attack loose in full force.

A hat-trick for Finnegan was a highlight.

 

We went full on attack mode again, although we were very wayward with our shooting.

WE had another goal ruled out, but managed to get the sealer 10 minutes later.

We kept another clean sheet in a good defensive performance.

 

We win our 5th on the bounce with another great attacking performance.

Yet another goal ruled out, before we scored two more goals to secure the points.

 

Our winning run ends, but we stay undefeated as we come from behind to secure a draw at Rotherham.

They had a player sent off with 10 to go, but we were unable to make the most of our numerical advantage.

 

Our undefeated run now comes to an end as we fall in a game we dominated.

Yet another goal ruled out turned out to be costly, as it threw us off our game allowing Mansfield to run over the top of us.

We got the late goal, but it was too little too late, and we fall to defeat.

 

West Ham got off to a flyer and were well in control for most of the match.

Two up, they were happy to play possession and go through the motions to get through to the next round.

We did put some pressure on them, but the gulf in quality was too much for us to make up.

Another career highlight for Balogun, scoring a late goal.

Unable to repeat our 5th Round performance of last season, we exit in the Third.

 

A crazy, crazy game, as we score first, give up a crazy amount of chances, concede two penalties, including one at the death, which youngster Mason saved to keep us alive.

We then went to a shoot out, where he saved three more penalties, despite us missing two of our own, to keep us alive in the competition.

 

Off to the Quarter Final where despite having an early goal disallowed, we controlled the match well, and were well in front.

A late goal to the visitors was nothing more than a consolation, as we march on to the semi final, 90 minutes away from a second straight date at Wembley.

 

A tough ask though as we face the West Ham U21s squad, for that trip to Wembley.

 

 

We sit 2nd with a game in hand.

We have the equal best attacking record, and by far the best defensive record in the League, carrying on our defensive efforts of last season.

 

Another Goal of the Month as an Alderson screamer from outside the box takes the award.

 

The media linking me with the Norwich job, but no offer was yet made.

 

Transfer Window

 

We did managed to make some player sales, but they were minor players, as we refused all offers on our best players, keeping the core of the squad together.

The Board has stayed out of it this time, and the players all seemed happy enough to stay put.

 

Walsh had only ever really been a rotation player, but had fallen down the order so far that he had barely played at all this season.

We sent him on his way to collect more regular playing time.

 

Turner had never really found his mark at the Green Lions, so we move him on, only a small fee, but we get his contract off our books.

 

 

It was a pretty quiet transfer window all around really, with not much happening anywhere in the League.

 

We still have plenty of clauses in play, and there are a few buy outs in play, the biggest being about £4 million on offer for Faherty, but I am holding on to that one for now, given his current value.

 

An interesting development, as former number one Jackson Thomas goes to Bundesliga 2 outfit, Braunschweig.

We have no sell on clause, thanks to our over zealous owner, but the B2 club have stolen him from the struggling Hull, for under 400k, after they paid us a then record £1.4 million.

We collect a small fee from the solidarity, but with Hull in danger of being relegated from The Championship, he has moved to a club with a chance of fighting for promotion.

He is now valued at over £2 million...someone at Hull dropped the ball...

 

With a massive share of the gate from our West Ham game, we turn a healthy profit this month, despite the huge tax bill we faced.

The healthier bank balance probably also encouraged the Chairman to stay out of transfer business as well.

 

Thankfully a much quieter month, as we have a lot of tired players, and we face only 5 League games next month.

[shd34_216_42]

It would be hilarious if you somehow got promoted, because that would really mess with the future stadium plans.

[Punch]

1 hour ago, shd34_216_42 said:

It would be hilarious if you somehow got promoted, because that would really mess with the future stadium plans.

Back to back promotions is now not an unrealistic aim. Considering they are talking about not starting the new stadium until 2037, which is still another year away, and if it takes a few years to build, we could be pushing for the EPL, and still playing in other peoples stadiums 

[Punch]

 

FEB 2036

Four wins and a loss through our five League games this month, including an all important win over Ipswich in a top of the table clash at the end of the month.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A cracking start to the month as we were at our attacking best, smashing in two goal inside three minutes to set the tone for the rest of the match.

Giving away a lazy late goal was the only disappointing part of this performance.

 

A disappointing result as we go down to Wimbledon, giving up two goals against the run of play, and not being able to run them down.

Matt Cass scored a cracker late, but it was too little too late as we give away points.

 

We scored early, but then had to come from behind to take all three points in this one.

We seemed to fall asleep for about half hour in the first half, before getting back on level terms just before the break.

We dominated the second half, but it took us a while to final secure the three points with a late winner.

 

Another dominant performance as we run riot at Carlisle.

We scored three, but we probably could have scored six or seven in the end, but we did ease off in the second half when the points were secured.

 

A cracking top of the table clash as we went back and forth with Ipswich.

We gave up the early penalty, before leveling on the stroke of half time, which seemed to damage their spirits somewhat.

A really tight second half where it looked like we would share the points, before Cass came off the bench to secure the win deep into injury time.

 

 

THe result against Ipswich send us top of the table with 10 to play.

We concede a few more goals this month, but our defence is still up there with the best in the League.

A massive 68 goals already shows we still know how to find the net.

 

A brilliant month from Balogun leads him to the Young Player of the Month award.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

 

Defenders

 

Midfielders

 

Forwards

 

Our squad has been heavily rotated throughout the season, resulting in goals and assists being shared around between a lot of players as well.

 

Under 18s - Champions again

 

Our U18s squad have continued their winning ways blazing through the season with just one loss so far.

The goal difference is keeping pace with the points scored.

 

A big hit to the finances this month as we are out of FA Cup games.

 

Four League games, and we are 90 minutes from a second Pizza Cup Final.

[Hootieleece]

Great Season so far

The big loss in finances, that's the devil's bargain you have to pay for the great youth setup that is propelling you up the leagues.

[Punch]

7 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

Great Season so far

The big loss in finances, that's the devil's bargain you have to pay for the great youth setup that is propelling you up the leagues.

Thank you!

Yep, sure is. Hopefully when they make a decision on the stadium it doesn't kill us financially.

[Punch]

 

MAR 2036

A solid month as we collect two wins and a draw from our four League matches, while we book a second straight birth at Wembley, winning through to the Pizza Cup Final.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

We blazed out of the gates, then fell asleep allowing Dons to mount a two goal comeback.

We then had yet another goal disallowed to prevent a winner, before falling asleep again, and probably being lucky not to lose.

 

After giving the boys a rocket during the week , it seemed to have the desired affect as we put together a brilliant 3-0 performance.

The defence was a highlight, continuously shutting down the Birmingham raids, and allowing no thought of a second straight collapse.

 

A tale of wasted chances as we fall to Milwall.

We got the early goal and had yet another disallowed. I think Balogun has had more ruled out, than he has actually scored this season.

The hosts then scored two goals, both probably against the run of play, while we wasted chance after chance to put the game away.

 

Stoke had a player sent off early, and from there it was all one way traffic as our boys filled their boots.

While the attacking form was good, it was even better to see a solid defensive performance, despite playing against 10.

 

We were pretty much always in control of this one, as the visitors offered little in the way of opposition.

A really solid performance send us through to our second straight Pizza Cup Final.

 

We face another U21s team, this time in Liverpool, for a shot at lifting the Cup for the second straight season.

 

 

With 6 games to play we hold a slender lead at the top of the table.

The top 3 teams have all won the same number of games, while the next three teams are still hanging around.

It's going to be a tough battle in the run to the line.

 

We are now assured a top half finish, at the least, the Board are happy that we have ticked off one of their goals, and done so early.

 

Internationals

We had three players on Senior duty this month.

 

The finances continue their downward spiral.

 

We kick off the month at Wembley, before facing five of our six remaining League games.

[Hootieleece]

Hope the Liverpool U-23's don't play that many first teamers in the match against your team.

Hopefully you will get some prize money if you win. To help the financial situation.

[Punch]

 

MAR 2036 - Youth Intake

 

The class of 36 arrives, and after the preview promised a pretty decent intake, I am keen to see what has arrived.

 

While I have never been a huge fan of the star system, this one is all over the place.

 

Some pretty solid attributes to begin with, and there is plenty of room for growth with most of these kids.

 

The best of them

Spoiler

An exciting looking Striker, with pace to burn, and serious Finishing skills for a 15 year old.

This kid has some serious potential, and if we can to bump up some of those numbers, he won't be far away from pushing towards the First Team.

 

This is the Midfielder that the preview promised, and he is another really exciting looking prospect.

Plenty to work with and while there are some rough edges, there is a lot to look forward to.

 

The intake unearths a second exciting midfield prospect.

Buss and Kessell have the potential to make a dynamic duo in our midfield in a few years time.

 

For good measure, we find a third midfielder.

We now have a future midfield trio to provide plenty of rotation in a few years time.

 

Our GK for this intake, while still a solid prospect, is probably the worst GK we have received in the last few years.

He still has potential to be a solid option in the future though.

 

 

We only add one new country this year, with Saudia Arabia contributing their first prospect.

Plenty of Guernsey born players in this years intake.

 

Overall, plenty to be excited about, with this years intake with more than a few genuine prospects that have a chance of making the first team.

[Punch]

5 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

Hope the Liverpool U-23's don't play that many first teamers in the match against your team.

Hopefully you will get some prize money if you win. To help the financial situation.

I am still going to be playing a lot of rotated players myself, but looking at the EPL, they are still in a title race, so I doubt they will drop many of their first teamers down to try and win this Cup.

[Stuniverse]

There seems no stopping Guernsey this season, @Punch.

Good luck at Wembley 🍀⚽️🤞

And keep up the momentum in League One.

[Punch]

4 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

There seems no stopping Guernsey this season, @Punch.

Good luck at Wembley 🍀⚽️🤞

And keep up the momentum in League One.

Thanks Stu!

A second trip in a row to Wembley is pretty exciting, even if it is only the Pizza Cup

After spending 7 seasons in the National League system, it would be some achievement to to reach The Championship after only 3 further seasons.

Although it does show how far our Youth Recruitment has come in that time.

 

[Punch]

 

APR 2036 - Trophy Season has arrived

 

 

A dominant performance as we suffocated Liverpool U21s out of the game.

Early goals allowed us to control the tempo, and the boys just never gave anything away.

Papa Johns Trophy winners in back to back seasons.

 

We also collected about £160k from our share of the gate, making for a decent day financially.

 

We used rotated squads all the way through this competition, and the Final was no different, with a few of the Class of 36 getting on the field.

Young Kessell also managed to grab the last goal of the game, breaking our goal scoring age record in the process.

 

We secured an incredibly unlikely promotion, after an amazing season.

 

A few days later, Ipswich lost their second match in a row, confirming we would go up as League One Champions.

Back to back Papa Johns Trophies, back to back promotions, and back to back League Titles.

 

After 7 years in the National League system, it has taken us just 3 years in the Football League to find us one promotion from the Premier League.

[Punch]

 

 

 

APR 2036

A cracking month as we go undefeated, lifting our second Pizza Cup in a row, before winning three and drawing two of our League games.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a game to play, we can't be caught and will head to The Championship as League One Champions, helped by Ipswich's late season collapse.

 

A cracking strike from Sampson secures another Goal of the Month award.

 

Our U18s also complete a double for the season, winning their League Cup.

 

We get to celebrate our final game of the season, traveling to Southend.

 

Two more shiny trophies to add to our collection.

If we ever get a new stadium, we are going to need a pretty big room to start storing all these trophies in

 

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Punch

[Stuniverse]

Congratulations on the double, @Punch 

You won't be able to defend the Pizza Cup now though.

[Punch]

14 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

Congratulations on the double, @Punch 

You won't be able to defend the Pizza Cup now though.

Thank you!

Very true, although I am OK with that, a few less games in the schedule would be nice.

[Punch]

 

MAY 2036

A brilliant finish to the season as we take the trophy in style, wrapping up a second double in a row.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

It was a close game coming into half time, but the hosts having a player sent off turned the tide in our favour.

Two more goals to complete Balogun's hat-trick, and it was party time.

 

 

We take the title by 6 points, Ipswich gaining auto promotion on the last day.

Milwall come from 5th place to secure promotion as well.

 

Arani continues his impressive rise, taking out his second straight Golden Glove.

 

I also claim back to back Manager of the Year awards.

 

The big news is that the stadium is under way.

At nearly 11k capacity, it's twice the size of Footes Lane, but may be too small for our needs very soon.

We are now massively in debt to cover the cost of the stadium, so we now have another monthly expense to cover as well.

 

A small profit this month as we collect prize money and the solidarity payment.

There will be plenty more pressure on the account next season, as plenty of players are already wanting improved contracts.

We have risen up the Football League so fast, some of our players are still on contracts from National League days.

[Punch]

 

2035-2036 Season Review

 

[Punch]

 

2035-2036 Season Review - Stats

 

Goalkeepers

Just two keepers used this season, and they were both brilliant when called on.

Arani won his second straight keeper of the year award, while Mason was used for the Cups, and won his second straight Pizza Cup.

 

Defenders

Plenty of players used in the rotation this season, but keeping the bulk of team together meant we kept together the defensive wall from last seasons title winning team.

That wall continued through this season, racking up the best defensive record for the second year in a row as well.

 

Midfielders

The core four through the midfield put together another brilliant season, turning defence into attack and getting us going forward in a hurry.

Pedreno put in a massive contribution, which has been the best return for our central midfielders for some time.

 

Forwards

Amazing contributions from our attacking line, with plenty or rotation required, there were brilliant performances all around.

With six players reaching double figures in goals, the load has well and truly been shared around.

 

 

[Punch]

 

2035-2036 Season Review - Attributes

 

That favourite time if year where we can check out the improvement, or not, of how our players have progressed.

 

Goalkeepers

Arani becomes our highest rated player, and our first ever 70 point player.

Mason continues to be a steady improver, and capable back up for Arani, while there has been good improvement from the next two as well.

 

Defenders

Solid improvement continued from all our defenders, and we continue to have a great rotation of players to select from.

There are some exciting prospects showing good improvement coming through as well.

 

Midfielders

Steady improvement from our midfield lineup.

We are starting to build up an excess of quality midfielders, so this may be an area I look to move on a player or two...maybe

 

Forwards

This area is probably our weakest part of the squad, but we still have plenty of solid options to rotate as needed.

Plenty of younger players coming through who may soon start looking for more time in the first team.

 

Best Squad

 

A massive improvement overall, as we increase our average by nearly three points, and clear the 60 point mark for the first time.

The average age has also increased, going back up over 19.

 

An exciting season ahead, as the kids will face a while new set of challenges against much tougher opposition.

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Punch

[Punch]

 

JUN 2036 - Off Season things

 

With some of our kids still being on old contracts, I went to work signing a lot of our best players to long term deals.

We will be spending more money on wages this year, but we will keep the bigger clubs at bay.

 

 

A lot of these players were being chased by other clubs, so it was good to get them locked up.

 

Internationals

We had a few players on International Duty this month.

 

Transfers

Jones was a long serving player, but was rarely being used this season.

We send him on his way for a small fee, to chase more first team action.

 

We released four more players who had fallen down the pecking order.

We were unable to sell them, and they were not interested in signing new deals.

 

Season Preview

We face six matches this season against teams from the Premier League last season.

This will be a much tougher ask than what we have faced over the last few seasons.

 

We kick off away to Portsmouth, before our first home game against Blackpool.

 

Probably a surprising prediction from the Bookies, rating us just out of the relegation zone.

 

The bank balance continues to fall.

 

We now have to begin making repayments for our new stadium, which is still a year away from being completed.

Just another drain on our bank account.

 

The TV money is getting better, although this will probably just cover our wages for the season.

 

Friendly season kicks off with a few Cup weekends, and a friendly against Morecambe while we are on training camp in Scotland.

[shd34_216_42]

Hoping that the stadium has potential for a capacity of ~25k or so, you're probably going to need it to keep up with all the expenses.

I'm jealous of the wage structure you have on display, 5k/wk is a bargain for a first-choice Championship keeper.

I assume that you're still renting the same stadium as well, if you have sellouts there that would be a good sign.

[Punch]

2 hours ago, shd34_216_42 said:

Hoping that the stadium has potential for a capacity of ~25k or so, you're probably going to need it to keep up with all the expenses.

I'm jealous of the wage structure you have on display, 5k/wk is a bargain for a first-choice Championship keeper.

I assume that you're still renting the same stadium as well, if you have sellouts there that would be a good sign.

It’s starting point is just south of 11k, so I am hoping there is plenty of room for expansion, as we will probably need it.

I was very happy to get away with that amount for him, and plenty of others have come in a lot cheaper too, which is even better. While we have probably more than doubled our wage bill, we will still be the cheapest in the League, and we have good players tied down for 3-4 years.

Yes, we are at Plainmoor again this season, which off the top of my head is only about 6k capacity, so will be interesting to see what kind of crowds we get, as they are anticipating nearly 5k in season ticket sales.

[Punch]

 

JUL 2036 - Pre Season Things

Plenty of games to get minutes in plenty of legs before our first season in the Championship.

The results were positive, and there were plenty of goal scorers shared around as well.

 

Jobs

The speculation and job offers have started again, as I receive my first offer in Portugal, and my first Premier League offer.

 

Our best squad is taking shape, and we have managed to keep the squad from last season together, so I am looking forward to seeing how they go against Championship teams.

 

The Bookies have bumped us up to 13th.

 

Showing the kind of numbers we are up against, we are not even close to being in the ball park in terms of wage spending against the other clubs.

Only one other club is spending under 10 million, and we are 21 million short of the League average.

 

Season ticket sales have given the account a boost to begin the season.

 

Season Ticket sales are up more than 1,500 on last season, looking good for getting plenty into our new stadium next season.

 

Friendly season is over, it's time for the Green Lions to become a Championship team, while we face Notts in the League Cup 1st Round.

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Punch

[Punch]

 

AUG 2036 - Matches

We are now officially a Championship team, and for that bit of trivia, Julius Balogun scored our first goal in this League. He also score our second and third.

Two wins, a draw and a loss is a pretty impressive start to life in the Championship, while we advanced twice in the League Cup as well.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

Portsmouth were heavy favourites in this one, but we gave them a tough match, eventually sharing the points.

Balogun got us on the board in the first half, while they leveled in the second.

Even though the xG suggests we should have won comfortably, a draw was a more accurate result.

 

A stunning result in our first 'home' game as we take our first win on the Championship.

Balogun had us on the board after just 12 seconds, and the visitors never really recovered.

We were pretty comfortable all the way through, Balogun adding his second after the break to seal our first three points.

 

A rough day as we couldn't hit the target, which makes it really hard to score goals.

Some periods of sloppy defending allowed the hosts to score two goals from three shots on target.

Not a great day, but we are not far off the pace either.

 

We got off to a cracking start, racing out to a two goal lead at the break.

We then fell asleep after the break, allowing them to come all the way back to level.

Just when it looked like we could give up all three points, Balogun stepped up to be the hero again, slotting home the sealer, for our first away win.

 

A thumping result as we unceremoniously dumped The Magpies out of the League Cup in their own back yard.

Three goals up after 11 minutes, the job was done, and we were able to coast to the 2nd Round.

 

We hosted Grimsby on Round 2, and while we gave up an early equaliser, we were always in control in this one.

We were able to coast through the second half, and into the 3rd Round.

 

We travel to Bradford for Round 3.

 

 

We find ourselves in 9th place, although I am not reading too much into that yet, as we have played sides that are lower down the table.

 

Our first home game and we broke our attendance record, although it's not our true home ground, an impressive feat all the same.

 

Balogun's quickfire goal broke an 11 year old quickest goal record.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Punch

[Punch]

 

AUG 2036 - The other stuff

 

Balogun's cracking start to the season resulted in being awarded the Young Player of the Month.

He has also been attracting interest from a lot of other clubs.

 

I was linked with the job at Rangers, which is interesting, as later in the month, Rangers would come pretty hard after the in form Balogun.

 

Transfers

 

Despite not a lot of action happening, it was a very busy transfer window, as a lot of players were attracting interest, and there were also plenty of offers flying around.

A lot of the interest was in the in form Julius Balogun, for which we received incredible offers of up to £7 million.

I rejected them all as he is our best forward, he was happy enough to stay, and the Board stayed out of it, which did worry me, considering our financial state.

 

We did sell a few players though.

 

Voli Bi had never made a mark in the first team, mostly filling in the rotation occasionally, and getting Cup games.

We send him home to Wales for more regular first team experience.

 

Batchelor was a regular in the rotation, but has fallen down the order, and was unlikely to feature much this season.

Cardiff came in with a pretty decent offer for him, and he was keen to go, so we sent him on his way, for a reasonable fee, plus some future possible payments.

 

We sent a few players out on loan as well, Cass, John, and Hancock all also have future transfer fees included in their deals, so those moves may well become permanent.

 

Plenty of activity around the League this window.

 

I have reduced this table to show just the active, and activated Sell On Clauses.

Alan Kelly was the only one with interest this window, with offers of over £1 million accepted, but they all fell through.

 

A hit to the account again this month as the Youth Set Up, stadium repayments, and increased wage bill all combine to drain our balance.

 

This table is laughable. We are so out of our depth in this League.

If we increased our wage spending ten fold, we'd only just barely be in the top 10

 

Four League games coming up, along with our League Cup 3rd Round match.

[Stuniverse]

Early days but a good start to life in the Championship, @Punch

[Punch]

57 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

Early days but a good start to life in the Championship, @Punch

Thanks Stu!

A good start, but we have only played sides lower on the table at the moment, much tougher games to come.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2036

A win, two draws, and a loss from the four League games, while we advance to the League Cup 4th Round for the first time.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A tight battle, but we should have won by a lot more.

Plenty of chances created, but our execution was way off.

We take the three points, so there is that positive.

 

Another match where we created chance after chance, but the execution was way out.

The visitors took the lead against the run of play, with their only shot on target.

Despite all our chances, we took a share of the points with a late equaliser.

 

A tight fight as we share the points in a really close battle.

The visitors got the lead just before the break, while we leveled straight after.

Both teams had chances to win, but a share of the points was probably a fair result.

 

A disappointing collapse as we took the lead before the break, but again wasted a lot of chances.

We gave up an equaliser, and then deep into injury time, we gave up all the points, with some sloppy defending.

A bad day at the office.

 

We made hard work of this one, but the rend result was a solid win, which sends us through to the 4th Round for the first time.

We made hard work for the officials as well, picking up a mass of yellow cards in the process.

 

We travel to Birmingham for the 4th Round match.

 

 

We found ourselves in the play off spots for a time, but with the loss, we fell to the mid table.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

Mason started the first League match with Arani on International Duty, and has been on Cup duty since.

Arani has had a mixed bag to start the season, while being away often for Internationals has mixed up his playing time.

 

Defenders

 

Midfielders

 

Forwards

 

 

Another attendance record as we sell out our temporary home for the first time.

 

Internationals

Players on Senior Duty this month, including Arani who made his debut after plenty of caps in the junior ranks.

 

A new three year contract, along with a tidy pay rise.

 

The Transfer Window closed on the 1st of this month, so our last players sold rolled over into this month, along with a reasonable pay from the League Cup match, helped reduce the losses this month.

 

We have 5 League games coming up, along with our first trip to the League Cup 4th Round.

[Punch]

 

OCT 2036

A mixed bag this month as we come up with two thumping wins, and two poor losses, while needing penalties to advance in the League Cup.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

A lesson in missed chances as one of our own comes back to burn us.

We created plenty of chances, but again, struggled to hit the target.

Billy Faherty, on loan from Middlesbrough, came back to score against us, banging home the sealer for our second straight loss.

 

The attack clicked into gear, smashing home goals at will in a brilliant performance.

The defence also put in a great shift to keep the visitors scoreless.

 

We gave up two early goals, and despite some positive efforts, we were unable to run the hosts down.

After the early defensive lapse, we pulled it back together, but the damage was already done.

 

A brilliant hat-trick from Hollis as we put Bolton to the sword.

A much better defensive performance was a highlight as well.

 

A real roller coaster in this one as we take an early lead, concede a late penalty, which was brilliantly saved, only to give up an equaliser a bit later.

We then thought we were on our way out when the hosts scored a late winner, only for it to be ruled out, sending us to penalties.

Mason then saved two more penalties, while we scored all of ours, to send us through to the next round.

 

We are on the road again as we head to Newcastle for our first venture into the Quarter Finals.

 

 

We still find ourselves in the mid-table, which is about where I expected.

A little more consistency required at this stage.

 

Internationals

Plenty on duty and we now have our 8th Senior International as Dampc gets his 1st Cap for Poland.

 

Another solid loss as we have nearly drained the account. We need some more Cup games to top us back up.

 

A solid month of League games coming up, with a much more challenging run of opponents that will really test us.

[Punch]

 

NOV 2036

A tough month as we win only two of our six League games, although we finished the month in some style, smashing six goals in against Oxford, with Balogun putting away four.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

Another tale of missed chances as we go down to Derby.

We had all the running in the first half, but couldn't score the goal.

A brilliant penalty save in the second half, but we couldn't keep them out, giving up all three points.

 

A disappointing collapse as we gave up two late goals to lose this one, where we probably deserved a point.

It was a match where nothing really seemed to happen, until the final ten minutes when the hosts came alive, doing enough to take all the points at the end.

 

We made hard work of this one, again being very wasteful with our chances, but we at least got the one goal in by the break.

A solid defensive performance kept the visitors out, and was enough for us to take all the points.

 

No goals in this one, although the hosts had a goal ruled out.

The game got bogged down in the midfield as neither side was able to get to creative.

 

We got back on level terms in this one, but then gave up two late goals.

Another loss where we created plenty of chances, but were unable to convert.

 

A devastating performance where the attack finally clicked, but not until the second half.

A goal up at the break, and then the boys went crazy after the break, banging in five more goals, Balogun scoring four in total.

An impressive way to finish a tough month.

 

 

We are holding our place in the midfield.

 

Another good month for Balogun.

 

Internationals

We have our 9th Senior International as Sampson earns his first Cap for Ghana.

Although somewhat ironic, as he has not been playing much for us so far this season.

 

A big loss this month sends the bank balance into the negative.

 

We earn some extra money from both of our pre-season transfers, as the players played the required games I put in the additional clause.

 

A big month coming up.

[Stuniverse]

A tough month but Guernsey remain nicely placed in the Championship league table, @Punch

[Punch]

4 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

A tough month but Guernsey remain nicely placed in the Championship league table, @Punch

The scary part is, if we could cut out some of the inconsistency in front of goal, we’d be a lot further up the table, as the defence is doing pretty well still.

[shd34_216_42]

Hopefully Newcastle away in the league cup helps with the money situation for a month or so, because I foresee Mr. Chairman forcing player sales again.

[Punch]

2 hours ago, shd34_216_42 said:

Hopefully Newcastle away in the league cup helps with the money situation for a month or so, because I foresee Mr. Chairman forcing player sales again.

Yep, I have been eyeing the January window myself to see if I might be able to let a player or two go.

I can’t see him resisting £7 million offers for too much longer.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2036 - Part 1

 

Two wins, three draws, and a loss, a real mixed bag from our League games this month. We also bow out of the League Cup in the Quarter Final.

 

Match Report

Spoiler

A tight battle, where we created plenty of chances, but we just couldn't beat their keeper, who had a blinder.

A goal each, and we share the points in this one.

 

Another tight battle, where we thought we had done enough to take all the points of Swansea.

We give up an injury time equaliser, although in fairness, it was an absolute screamer from outside the box, which we couldn't do anything about.

Another game where we share the points.

 

A crazy game with goals galore as we win a highly entertaining game.

We scored at will, but gave up two goals in the process, as defence went out the window from both teams.

 

We went down to the League leading Norwich, in a tough encounter.

We spent most of the game defending, and were able to create very little in the way of chances.

A tough lesson against a very good team.

 

We score an upset away win against Forest, who were heavy favourites going into the match.

Our defensive line held firm, and also scored the only goal of the game, to secure the three points.

 

We come from behind to secure a point late against a tough Swansea side.

The goal we scored was our only shot on target, although they didn't create a lot of chances either.

 

We gave Newcastle an almighty fright, before they finally got the win.

They were cruising at two goals up, but our boys showed enormous fight to level by the break.

The hosts blazed away in the second half, before finally securing the win, to send us out, the Quarter Finals, out best ever finish in the League Cup.

 

 

Our mixed month keeps us in the mid table range, but we are still collecting valuable points, keeping us clear of the relegation battle, and not too far away from the play off race.

 

Stats

 

Goalkeepers

 

Defenders

 

Midfielders

 

Forwards

 

At the mid point of the season, we are putting up some pretty decent numbers, and holding our own in this League.

Although with the Transfer Window about to open, it will be interesting to see how many of these players are still with us at the end of the season.

[Punch]

 

DEC 2036 - Part 2

I reach a personal milestone of 800 games in charge of the Green Lions.

...and in our traditional form, we manage to lose yet another milestone game

 

Seems a while since I had a job rumour, but I was linked with another Premier League club.

 

£650k from our trip to Newcastle made for a profitable month, although we are still in the red overall.

 

Youth Intake Preview

Potentially great prospects in the center of midfield, and up front, and yet another quality GK.

Excited to see what turns up in March.

 

A busy month coming up with five League games, the FA Cup kicks off, and I suspect a busy Transfer Window.

[Punch]

 

JAN 2037 - Part 1

A massive month begins with an impressive run of results, winning two and drawing three of our five games.

We also advance twice in the FA Cup, reaching the 5th Round, equaling our best performance.

 

Match Reports

Spoiler

We come from behind to collect the points over a spirited Ipswich outfit.

Three second half goals sent us on our way, before they scored late to make the last few minutes interesting, but we managed to hang on.

 

A real tight one at Burnley, as we are held to a draw.

A few chances were created, but their only goal came from a penalty, and the points were shared.

 

We ran all over Milwall, but struggled to put the ball in the net.

Just the one goal ended up being all it took to secure the points.

 

The hosts scored both goals, but we share the points as an unfortunate own goal leveled the scores on the hour mark.

We struggled to create chances, and mustered very little in attack.

Probably fortunate to even get a point out of this one.

 

We come from behind twice to secure a point over Bolton.

Plenty of chances, but we gave away silly goals, while we also had a possible winner disallowed, while they also hit the bar twice.

The score in this one could have ended up anything, so we take the point and move on.

 

Our FA Cup campaign kicked off with a solid win over Bromley.

We fell behind early, but stuck at the task, and continued to score goals though the game in a great attacking showing, sending us through to Round 4.

 

A real attacking masterclass as we blow Wednesday off the park, sending us through to the 5th Round.

 

We host Forest in the 5th Round, for a chance at advancing to our best finish in this FA Cup.

 

 

We finish the month in 11th place, gaining a few places, although still holding mid table.

Well clear of the relegation zone, and we are only 4 points behind the play off spots.

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Punch

[Stuniverse]

2 hours ago, Punch said:

We finish the month in 11th place, gaining a few places, although still holding mid table.

Well clear of the relegation zone, and we are only 4 points behind the play off spots.

It’’s very close in the league table, @Punch

Are you aiming for playoffs this season or will you be happy with a mid-table / top-half finish?

[Punch]

 

JAN 2037 - Part 2

 

Our first FA Cup game, and we broke our receipt record.

 

We followed that up by breaking the record again, and also having our highest ever Cup attendance, even though these are both at our 'away' home ground.

 

Transfers

 

 We were fast running out of money, so we need to sell players to keep the club afloat.

I was selective about who I wanted to sell, while trying to keep the Board at bay and prevent them selling everyone.

 

A monster offer for Clapton smashed our transfer fee, while there is still plenty of money on the table for future earnings as well.

 

We break our individual, and season records.

 

A few days later we smashed the record again, with Mitchell heading to Tottenham.

They then offered him back to us for the rest of the season, which we happily accepted.

Again, there will be plenty of money left on the table for future earnings.

 

Another broken record as we beat the record transfer fee, and add to the season takings total record.

 

Everitt finally got his move away from Doncaster, which has been coming for a few seasons now.

We will collect about £150k in total for this move.

 

The good news kept coming as Rainey moved from QPR to Cardiff, which will net us over £5 million in sell on clauses, and solidarity payments.

This is a massive financial boost for the club, and the exact reason I fight the Board to put the sell on clauses in.

 

This one sell on clause alone, covers nearly 1/3 of the cost of our new stadium, covers wages for nearly 18 months, or fund the Youth Set Up for two and a half years.

Given the clauses we put in our two sold players deals, not even including the sell ons, have the potential to net us another £8 million of so, we are not talking about insignificant amounts of money.

 

We still have several sell on clauses in play, several of which have the potential for some serious benefits to our club in the future.

 

While our wages have gone up, we are still ridiculously out of our depth in this League.

 

Two player sales and a sell on clause have had the effect of putting some serious cash back into our bank account.

This one month alone will probably be enough to fund the club for well over a year.

 

Six League games coming up next month, including a TV game.

[Punch]

37 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:

It’’s very close in the league table, @Punch

Are you aiming for playoffs this season or will you be happy with a mid-table / top-half finish?

We are aiming to avoid the relegation battle, anything above that is a bonus.

Looking good so far.