[Building a Nation] - Like a Fine Wine

[mannojunior]

*I've decided to park my 'Outdoing Ancellotti' career for now as I've lost interest in it, but it may be back in the future*

Building a Nation - Like a Fine Wine

                                   

Introduction - Nation and Club

If it wasn't obvious enough, this is my attempt at building a nation. I will admit, I've never tried this before and I have very low expectations but I am willing to muck in and give it a go. You'll all see that the nation I have chosen is Republic of Ireland. Specifically, I've chosen to do this with Cork City, who currently find themselves in the First Division of Irish football, having recently been relegated from the Premier Division. The club has won the Premier Division on three previous occasions, so it would be nice to see the club back to former glory.

                                      

Objectives

As I alluded to above, I've never done a building a nation save before and I have relatively low expectations. On that basis, I've decided to set myself a series of smaller objectives that I can try and tick off on the way.

• Return to the Irish Premier Division - completed - 2022 season (league winners)
• Win the Irish Premier Division - Incomplete
• Qualify for Europe - incomplete
• Win the Europa Conference League - incomplete
• Win the Europa League - incomplete
• Win the Champions League - incomplete
• Get the Ireland coefficient ranking to 10th - incomplete
• Have a new stadium built - incomplete

 

                                     

Current coefficient standings

 

Edited March 20, 2023 by mannojunior

[mannojunior]

Building a Nation - Phase One

                                       

I've decided that I am going to break this save down into three phases. Phase One captures the objective of returning to the Irish Premier Division. Phase Two is then building the team to qualify for Europe. Once we start qualifying for Europe we will enter Phase Three where we will look to win European competitions but we will look to build the nation. It's not until Phase Three that we are really going to be able to produce the loan farm and start improving the quality of the teams around us. That's where the fun starts! For now, Phase One must begin.

For those that don't know, the Irish leagues run from February to September so this could be interesting. 

                                          

Transfers

We aren't blessed with money here at Cork City and the deals I have done has taken us over the wage budget by about £1,000. However, the squad did need reinforcements just to purely bulk the team out. The first glaring hole was at left back as there was no player of quality available. We were therefore able to do a deal with Leicester to bring young Shane Flynn to the club on a year long loan deal without any financial incentives. Flynn is a quality player and will play the majority of games at left back for us. I also wanted to try and get some reinforcement in central midfield and that ended with the signing of Noe Baba. Baba was thrown up by our chief scout and I think he will turn into a really solid central defensive midfield player for us over time. He also has the ability to cover at right back which is a massive bonus. I then turned to the attack and brought in Mayembe on a free to play out on the right hand side. The youngster is a raw talent but I think he has potential and I am willing to gamble. Finally, we completed a late loan move to bring Hassan Ayari to the club from Sheffield United on a season long loan. Ayari is likely to provide cover on the wings and also in central midfield. 

All in all, a solid transfer window. I will make it clear that I would have loved to have strengthened further but the budget did not allow and the calibre of players available for loan and willing to join us was not great. Ideally I would have picked up a new striker and I did try but sadly parent clubs wanted too much in terms of wage contributions than we could afford. 

                                    

                                         

                                    

The Squad

It's a relatively small squad but it is a strong one. I think if we get injuries in key positions then we may struggle but we really didn't have much to work with in terms of the wage budget when I arrived. The majority of the squad are Irish but it's nice to see a smattering of other nationalities amongst them. We are fairly reliant on loan players but I think that is the nature of the beast whilst we try and make our way back to the top of the Irish footballing pyramid. Once we get back to the top we will be able to build our squad from there. I think we lack depth in defence and we don't have the best striking options but I certainly think we should be challenging at the top this season.

[mannojunior]

Building a Nation - Phase One (2022/2023)

                                      

Results

A solid start to the season. We kicked off our campaign with a home game against Athlone Town and an early strike from Jonas Hakkinen was followed up by a debut goal for Mayembe set us on our way to a straightforward victory. We then welcomed Bray Wanderers and a drab game got the result it deserved with a 0-0 final score. 

March was a busy month for us. A third straight home fixture saw us beat Wexford, with a drab first half made better just after half time as Keating and Murphy set us up for victory. A few disappointing results followed with two 2-2 draws away at Cobh Ramblers and Galway United. Cian Murphy continues in good goalscoring form as he cements his role as our striker. We then exited the Munster Senior Cup at the hands of Waterford in what was a rather poor display where we failed to have any real control over the game. We did bounce back as we beat Waterford away in the league with second half goals from Murphy and Ayari. We finished the month in high spirits as we comfortably beat Longford. A brilliant first half performance saw us 2-0 up at the break and Keating managed to put the game to bed in the 83rd minute.

                                

Table

Top after 7 games and a really positive start to our league campaign. The main aim for us this season is to complete phase one and return to the Irish Premier Division. We certainly have competition in the form of Galway United and Waterford but if we can remain injury free and consistent then I see no reason why we shouldn't be challenging for the title come the end of the season.

                                     

Transfer News

Just the one piece of transfer news as we bring in Rayan Mameri on a free transfer following his release from Angers in France. The frenchman looks like he has real potential to be a lethal goalscorer at this level. Our scouts have mixed opinions on him but I think he has the technical ability to operate at this level and I had been looking to strengthen in this position to provide competition for Cian Murphy. Only time will tell with this one.

 

[mannojunior]

Building a Nation - Phase One (2022/2023)

                               

Results

A real mixed bag in April. We kicked the month off with a convincing win over Treaty United with brilliant individual goals from Cian Murphy and Mayembe. We followed this up with a spell of draws. Firstly, away at Athlone Town which was a real disappointment after being 2-0 up and in control at the break. We then only managed a point at home to Cobh Ramblers who are a team we should be taking three points from every time. A boost soon followed as we beat fellow promotion hopefuls Galway United 1-0 courtesy of a Ruari Keating penalty. Just don't mention the fact that he has missed three already this season. We couldn't follow this up though, losing 2-0 away at Bray Wanderers in a game where we looked disjointed and just couldn't get going. 

 

A slightly quieter May then came around and once again it was another inconsistent month. Two victories to kick things off as we saw off both Wexford and Waterford with a 2-1 scoreline. A first goal for Rayan Mameri against Wexford was great to see but it was Jonas Hakkinen who saved the day with a 92nd minute header to seal all three points. A disappointing end to May followed with 2-1 defeats against Longford and Treaty United. I'll be honest, those games are bread and butter games for us if we want to be winning the league this season so things will have to improve. 

                                      

Table

It is still all to play for at the halfway mark. The Irish First Division is played over 32 games with a play-off at the end if you fail to win the league. It's quite a competitive league where everyone appears to be able to beat each other on their day. I am fairly content with our position but we've had several poor results and if we had performed as we know we could have done then we will be sitting top with some distance between us and second. Sadly that is not the way football works and we sit in second with 2 points to make up on Bray Wanderers. 

                                        

Player to Watch

Cian Murphy has undoubtably become one of our most influential players this season. He started the season on the bench but his goalscoring form has earnt him the starting berth up front for us and he has performed very well. Sadly he has been out injured for a small period of time but it isn't anything too serious and he should be back fairly soon. Murphy is outperforming his xG and with 9 goals in 11 starts he is certainly one to keep an eye on. I still do think Rayan Mameri may end up taking his spot before the end of the season but progress has slowed due to an injury to Mameri.

[mannojunior]

Building a Nation - Phase One (2022/2023)

                                       

Results

June was a pretty good month for us as we go unbeaten in four games. We started off with a 1-0 win at home to Athlone Town. In truth, we really should have won by a bigger margin considering league positions but three points was the objective and that is all that matters. We then followed that up with an impressive 2-0 win at home to Bray Wanderers thanks to an impressive first half with goals from Cian Murphy and Ruari Keating. We then travelled to Cobh Ramblers but were only able to pick up a point with Murphy on the scoresheet again for us. We closed out the month with a 2-2 draw away at Galway United. A decent point for us as Galway try to chase us down.

July was a slightly busier month for us but we go unbeaten again in the League. A 0-0 draw at home to Wexford was rather disappointing but we were able to produce a decent performance next time out against Waterford where we took all three points thanks to an own goal in the 79th minute. Power could only head the ball into his own net following a chipped effort from Mayembe that was heading into the open goal. We then took on Longford and could only muster a draw. It was then time for our biggest test of the season as we took on Premier Division Dundalk in the Challenge Cup. Dundalk occupy second position in the Premier Division so it was an unfavourable draw but we gave it a good go. I wouldn't say we were ever looking like we were going to get something from the game but we didn't embarrass ourselves. We rounded off the month away to fellow promotion hopefuls Treaty United and we were bailed out in the 86th minute by a lovely curling effort from substitute Dan Gifford.

                                      

League Table

Top spot is ours for now. I would assume Bray Wanderers will win their game in hand an cut the lead to just one point but anything can happen in his division. All in all we are in a very healthy position going into the last 8 games of the season. The aim now has to be to win the title. I really do not want to get drawn into the lengthy playoff system that is in place as even if we get to the playoff final, we would then be facing the team who finish second bottom from the Premier Division. We simply have to be ruthless against the lesser teams now to ensure we can maintain our position.

                                       

Transfer News

A few bits of transfer news to run through. Irish left back Shane Flynn has returned to Leicester City following the lapsing of his loan deal. I had completely missed the fact that the deal expired before the end of the season and Leicester were not interesting in loaning him back to me. Leicester had made the decision to try and loan him out to a better club to continue his development. A really disappointing end for Flynn as he had been solid and he had a lot of potential that I thought he would fulfull with us. I am not sure he will make it with Leicester and given that his is a local lad I would like to track him with a view to bringing him back to the club in the future. This meant I had to go out and find a left back to come in for the remainder of the season. Given our financial situation the only way this was possible was through a loan deal and I was able to agree a deal with Newcastle United to bring Matthew Bondswell to the club until the end of the season. A really solid pickup for us and I think he will adequately replace Flynn on the left hand side of defence. 

We also brought in striker Dan Gifford from Portsmouth on loan to bolster our attacking options. Murphy has gone off the boil over the last month and Rayan Mameri  has been hit and miss. Mameri has also been missing a lot on international duty now that he has switched to Algeria. Gifford offers a decent option up top and he has settled in well with two goals to his name already.

 

[mannojunior]

Building a Nation - Phase One (2022/2023)

                              

Results

A sensational end to the season. 7 wins and just the one defeat. 

                                   

League Table

Phase One is officially complete. An absolutely sublime end to the season sees us take the League title with a 12 point gap between us and Bray Wanderers in 2nd. We've moulded a really good team this season and I am delighted that we've been able complete Phase One in the first season. Things just seemed to click in those last two months as we moved back to the 4-3-3 with a defensive midfielder. Dan Gifford came into his own towards the end of the season which is great to see. I wasn't quite sure what to expect this season but this was a great way to end it. 

                                 

End of Season Stats

Top Scorers

As expected, Cian Murphy tops the goal charts whilst Ruari Keating and Dan Gifford lead the chasing pack. Keating could have got top spot from his left wing position but he went missing during the middle part of the season. 

Most Assists

Central midfielder Matt Healy tops the assist charts and he is somewhat of an unsung hero this season. Right wingback Custovic comes in a joint second alongside Mayembe. 

Highest Average Rating

Finnish central defender Jonas Haikkenen tops the average ratings and his partner in crime Ally Gilchrist comes in at third. Custovic tops off a cracking season coming in at second.

                                     

The Start of Phase Two

So Phase Two begins now. I have to build a squad over the break that will be able to compete in the Irish Premier Division. Given that money is lacking at that we only get £40,000 for winning the League, we are likely going to be relying on loan signings and free transfers again. A lot of our better performers from this season have been in on loan so I will see what deals can be done. In my mind I have to be ruthless in order to achieve our goals as quickly as possible. 

No change in the coefficient but you will see that we are closing the gap. We've not had any impact on that but over the coming years I hope we can start to help add some points towards that tally.

 

 

[mannojunior]

Cork City FC are pleased to unveil the new kits for the 2023 season. The club will wear these kits as we return to the Irish Premier Division.

Pre-season news to follow.

[mannojunior]

Building a Nation - Republic of Ireland - Phase Two (2023 season)

                                      

Phase Two - the beginning

Following our title win last season we officially start on Phase Two of our building a nation save in the Republic of Ireland. Phase Two is focussed on getting the club into European football and currently the only way to do that is to win the League. With it being our first season back in the Irish top flight I think that is rather ambitious. Instead, our focus will be appeasing the board and finishing comfortably in mid-table.

                                        

Transfers Out

The off season gave me time to have a slight clear out in preparation for our return to the top flight. We actually managed to make £130,000 in transfer fees for players that just were not going to feature this season. Corcoran and Honohan had hardly made a handful of first team appearances between them so getting a combined for of £91,000 was a dream. I also decided to let Cian Bargary leave as again he hardly featured for us last season. I then decided to loan out those players surplus to requirements this season but with the aim of keeping them in the Irish Divisions. Rayan Mameri needs time to develop and a loan at recently relegated UCD makes good sense all round. Meier is a young left back who I signed this season from Borrusia Dortmund but he also needs to develop and a loan at Wexford should assist him. Various others have also left on loan but none who I consider noteworthy but it is good to see them in Ireland and improving other teams. 

                                     

Transfers In

We've certainly been busy on the incomings in preparation for this season. I won't go through them all but first to arrive was Hamza Masoudi, the young Belgian joins and will hopefully be our talisman up front this season. He has bags of potential and I am hoping he is able to develop with us. We then brought in a Brazilian in the form of Felipe Araruna who will slot in for us in defensive midfield as this was an area in need of improvement going forward. Sadio Diallo and Emil Scheel will also help bolster our midfield ranks. Lamin Sarr joins us to become our new number one between the sticks and I am very excited to see how he develops with us. I then decided to spend some money on bringing Donal Higgins to the club. Again, I see good potential in him and I hope we can reap the rewards of our outlay. The final noteworthy signing is that of Abu Kamara who joins on loan from Norwich for the season. The youngster is a bit of a steal at this level and he will slot in out on the right hand side for us. 

                                        

Hamza Masoudi

                                   

Donal Higgins

                                 

Lamin Sarr

                                       

Abu Kamara

                                

Youth Development

I can't say we've been blessed with young prospects since I joined the club, despite having a relatively good head of youth development. However, one prospect did catch my eye and that is Oleg Guskov. The 16 year old Russian is the best to come through our youth academy and I think he has real potential. Left back was a difficult position to recruit for over the summer with Shane Flynn and Matthew Bondswell unable to return on loan as their parent clubs wanted them to player at a higher standard. I also didn't really find anyone that fitted the role in the free transfer market. I've therefore decided to throw Guskov in at the deep end and try and mould him into a left wingback. He has potential but I do fear his 6 foot 4 frame will limit him going forward but the early signs are good and I am willing to give him a go.

                                     

Pre-Season results

A pretty comprehensive pre-season with some really good results in there. With a lot of new faces joining it was a great opportunity for me to try and work out who would feature in my starting eleven come the start of the season. I am by no means there with the final starting eleven but based on what I have seen so far this is how we will be lining up.

                                             

Season Objectives

With season two upon us, here are the objectives for the 2023 season:

• Achieve a mid-table finish
• Reach the latter stages of the cup competitions
• Focus on recruiting young/home grown talent

With European football hopefully on the horizon soon I will need to have one eye on making sure that I have enough homegrown talent to meet the UEFA requirements. If I can sign them young enough then it doesn't matter if they are not Irish but I would really like to try and hoover up the best talent from the nation and try and develop them. If they don't turn out to be good enough for us then at least I can send them to the loan farm and try and improve the other teams around us.

Edited March 21, 2023 by mannojunior

[mannojunior]

Building a Nation - Republic of Ireland - Phase Two (2023 season)

                                   

Results

I don't think we could have asked for a better start to our first season back in the Irish Premier Division. We kicked things off with a dominant 4-0 victory away at Drogheda United on the opening night in what was a ruthless performance. We then followed this up with two draws against Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers. The Shamrock Rovers result was quite disappointing in truth as we found ourselves 2-0 up at the break but couldn't hold on for that win. We then comfortably saw off Treaty United with a second brace in succession for Abu Kamara. Our first defeat then followed at the hands of Bohemians in what was a thoroughly disappointing display. We bounced back away at Dundalk with a 2-0 victory courtesy of goals from Cian Murphy and Jonas Haikkinen. Disappointingly, we could only finish the month with our worst performance of the season away at St Pats. We were 3-0 down within 30 minutes and we just looked so disjointed.

                                  

League Table

I am very pleased with how things have started for us. We sit in fourth position and within touching distance of both 2nd and 3rd place. I don't think we are going to end up in any sort of title race but this certainly bodes well for a mid-table finish if we can carry on our early season form. A couple of injuries did unsettle us towards the end of March with Masoudi ruled out for 2 months meaning that we had to shake things about up front. 

                                      

Players Statistics

It's no surprise to see Abu Kamara claiming the top scorer position. Initially deployed on the right as an inverted winger he has now gone up front to replace the injured Masoudi. I do think once Masoudi returns I will put him back on the right but Kamara has been incredible for us thus far. Arguably our best player so far this season has been right back Kevin Custovic who tops the average rating and assists charts. Custovic is in his second year of his loan deal with us and he is a fan favourite as well as one of the best right wing backs in the division. You can see below just how good he is.

                                   

Transfer News

Just the single piece of transfer news as we agree a deal to sign central midfielder Scott Brown when his contract expires on 31st June with Raith.

[mannojunior]

Update: after a poor run of firm we were sacked. I’m absolutely gutted as I was really enjoying this save. We were nowhere near the bottom of the table but the board have decided the part ways with me. 
 

I am not really sure where to go with this thread now.