[FM23] Yeah, I’m a Yank, but I know my soccer, uh, football! Part Two - Previous one encountered a crash dump

[dtown1414]

Live and learn, I guess. In my previous story, I combined four mods: England Pyramid to Level 11, USA - 10 Tiers, League of Ireland 9, and Real Life Scottish Pyramid. And apparently they didn't get along, as in August 2022, I got a crash dump error. My IT guru buddy fixed the first one, but not the second time. 

So being the persistent guy that I am, I started testing the mods, eliminating Ireland and Scotland. But the England one, and the USA one, didn't work out. So, then I tried England and USA 7 tier Promotion Relegation, and they worked fine. I then "simmed" nearly an entire year, and there were no problems. I was going to completely start over from 2022, but decided what the heck, I'll just pick this up in 2023. So here goes again. I was he!!-bent on getting this figured out. Mainly because I really liked doing the story, and am anxious to see where my career goes. And also, the kind words and encouragement that several of you gave me as I started out on this journey. 

I'm including my original profile, so you can see how I started. I was a young lad of 26 then, but now a year has gone by, and I've become an "old man" of 27, lol.

Well that was longer than I expected, but here goes. And thank you for following along. Some of this will be repetitive to many of you, and I apologize for that, but if there is someone reading this for the first time, I wanted to include some copy from the first go around. 

• --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’m really impressed with not only the number of stories here, but also how well done they are. I decided to do one as well, and while I’m certainly not at the Stephen King level of writing, I have written some “career stories” with other games(baseball/hockey), but always wanted to do one here.

 The main thing I like about creating a story is, it slows down my playing of the game. I get to know the players, the league, and really take my time “simming” forward. I am more engaged with what's going on and curious to see where my career goes.

 

Housekeeping First:

Using two mods – I like the challenge of starting at the lower levels than the original game offers.

 England Pyramid to Level 11 – DanFMDatabase

USA – 10 Tiers (I like the promotion/relegation that’s included). Sadly, this will never happen in this country, but in this universe, it does. Use your imagination as I will use mine.

 With the mods, I’m just going with what shows up in the game. And as always, a bit of imagination is a good thing to have with my stories.

 The Rules:

Even though I added mods, just so I could start at a lower level than what the game offers, I do follow the Llama guidelines as closely as I can. And they have come around to where they’ve accepted down to Level 10 in England.

 Here’s the link if you need a refresher - the9llamas - LLaMa Guidelines/Ethos

 

My profile BEFORE I simmed one season. And again, I'm now 27, but everything else is the same. 

 

 

My Playing Days and Beyond

I grew up in the US(Pennsylvania) and loved soccer(football) for as long as I can remember. I played through high school, and then at Division II, Shippensburg University. Wasn’t recruited, and no scholarship, but was decent enough to make the squad at a school that had 8000 students. What I lacked in natural talent, I made up in by out working my opponent, and studying the game every chance I could get.

 

That led to me playing first at the amateur level with a nearby club, Torch FC, located in Souderton, PA. Only about a 45-minute drive to the high school stadium we used, so the commute was bearable. Trained twice a week, matches on Saturday’s.

 

 

I played two years there, and then was signed by Lehigh Valley, in Allentown, PA. More than 15 years after I first played organized soccer, starting out as a “kid” in third grade, I finally made it to the professional level. Ok, semi-professional, but I was still getting paid. Well, that lasted one season, before not having my contract renewed. Some nagging injuries, and quite frankly, lack of talent, made me realize that my career, if I was to have one, needed to go in another direction. 

 

 

June 2023

 

June 1st, 2023 –  Just a few days ago I received my National C license. It was a long road for me, but now I achieved the first step in my quest to be a soccer(football) manager. And keeping in mind, my only experience coaching was at the amateur level in the NISA with the Pocono Snow. Not much of a resume to impress a chairperson who needs a manager.

Now the next step, to get some interviews that will hopefully lead to a job. I’ve networked quite a bit over the years, so I have some good contacts. And with my full-time job (30 hours/week) being virtual, and with clients located across the US, I’m Ok with relocating if it comes to that.

My managerial resume. Impressive huh?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

June 2nd - I sent my CV out to several clubs that I knew were looking for a Manager. And after what seemed like forever, I started to receive some invites to interview. At this level, contracts for managers, coaches, and players are usually one year only. So, there is a lot of movement at the end of the season. Either by choice or, the person gets fired. 

I was excited that Arthur Auchenbach contacted me from Reading United, as they're about 45 minutes from where I live. But the interview didn't go all that well. Nice guy, but I just didn't have that connection with him as far as his vision for the club. Sometimes you just go with your gut feeling, and this time, my gut was saying, keep looking. 

 

June 19th - On Monday I drove to Richmond for an interview with Deolindo Jimenez, the Chairperson for Richmond United. And that interview, I thought, went really well. Richmond is a fairly large city, with about 225,000 people. It's a beautiful city, but just like where I live in PA, it does get cold and snowy in the Winter. And I know from playing and coaching, the Northeast Winters can be brutal. 

 

June 26th - On Friday I had been contacted by Abraham Richards, the Chairperson for the Savannah Clovers about interviewing. Last week, I had two other interviews, one with the Bethesda Soccer Club out of Maryland, and the other with Pennsylvania Classics, a small club out of Manheim, PA. Not really interested in those two, and if offered, I would turn them down. 

The interview with Abraham was as good, if not better than my Richmond United one. And Savannah, although warm and humid, is a beautiful city. I took a trolley tour while there, and the history of the city is fascinating, and the architecture is breathtaking. The Clovers had been an amateur club forever, but when an opening came up in the National American League, which is the 5th tier in USA soccer, they were accepted. And they did Ok their first year, finishing 10th in the league, but some 33 points off of first place, and winning the league. 

 

 

July 3rd - Monday morning and I received two calls, Reading United, and Richmond United. With Arthur at Reading, I told him I'd think about it and get back to him. But the not so good feeling I had during the interview still stuck with me, and I called him a couple of hours later and politely declined his offer. As for Richmond, I decided I would entertain their offer, but ask them for a delay to think it over. I was really buying time to see what else would pop up. Deolindo understood, and said he'd check back in a week. My heart and "gut" feeling were leaning toward Savannah if the opportunity came about. 

July 4th - A time for partying here in the US, as we celebrate our independence from Great Britain, which of course happen in 1776 and established the United States of America! And what a day for me to celebrate, as even on this holiday when everyone is off work, Abraham Richards, the chairperson at Savannah, called me and offered me the position. Guess he couldn't wait until tomorrow. I didn't even hang up to think about it, as I accepted right away. I was leaning this way the whole time, and there were several reasons why I took this position. 

1. The weather - I lived my whole life in the Northeast, and the Winters are brutal at times. In Savannah, it's pleasant whether year around. Even in January and February, when temps will dip below freezing at night, the days are generally in the 40's and 50's.

2. Change of scenery - I felt it was time to "branch" out and experience living in another part of the country. The south is beautiful, and close to South Carolina and Florida. 

3. Family - Even though drive time it's roughly nine hours to home, flying out of Philadelphia is cheap with Allegiant air, and is a direct flight to Savannah's airport. 

4. The Club - As mentioned already, Abraham and I hit it off immediately. I liked his vision for the club, his passion for success, and I liked Memorial Stadium, which we'll be playing in for the first time this season. 

I did negotiate a bit with the salary, which initially was 38.5k, but I was able to get Abraham to go to 41.5k and another 4k added on if we avoid relegation. 

Here's the final offer:

 

Next up - More information on the Savannah Clovers, expectations, etc., the city, and my first day on the job!

 

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

Should pinch myself to make sure this isn't a dream, but here's the welcome from our chairperson. 

 

And the announcement to the world, lol

 

And can't remember everything I said in that interview, but I must have sold them on I could achieve "greater" things across all competitions. But because of that, they increased the payroll to nearly 40k. 

 

 

And Abraham sent this information on the supporter's profile. Wonder how much they paid for this?

 

First Day in the Office, Butterflies and All!!

Monday, July 18th - It took me a week and a half to get some things settled. Getting dumped by my girlfriend for one, and then packing up for the long drive to Savannah.

I got to the office bright and early as I was dealing with those “first day nerves.” Darren had personal business to take care of most of the morning, and then we were scheduled to meet for lunch.

The office looks like IKEA threw up in it! My brown-black IKEA desk with metal legs has folders and loose papers everywhere, a cheap, uncomfortable looking IKEA chair, and there’s a laser and ink-jet printer on IKEA tables on the opposite wall. My brown-black desk matches the brown-black IKEA corner bookshelves, which are stocked with football books, those famous “How To’s”, some autobiographies, and a book on dogs. Interesting!

 

 

Rachel, our Office Assistant, HR person, travel person, greet the players person, has a separate office just down the hallway, and Jonathan’s office is across from mine. There is also a small conference room, that has a table for six, which Rachel said is for the Manager and Coaches. Jonathan calls it the “think tank” room. There are those goofy motivational pictures everywhere. One is called “Teamwork” where a bunch of knuckleheads are rowing a skull boat that looks like it’s about to sink because they’re too fat, in my opinion. Another is some guy climbing a mountain, with the saying “Go For the Gold.” I was always taught gold can be found in streams and in mines below the surface, not on top of a mountain. It’s those pictures that CEO’s buy, or Directors, or apparently football club owners, never look at, and the accountants are wondering why you just threw 50 bucks away on this trash.

 

 

Upon further inspection in the “think tank”, there’s a small IKEA table, of course, with a choice of bourbon, wine, and rum and a couple bottles of Coke, that have already been opened. I’m sure they’re nice and fresh. This has already become my favorite IKEA table for what it holds, and I’m sure it will come in handy on those late nights I’m here with the coaching staff, trying to figure out how we can win a match, any match. I also found some posted notes. One simply said, “you’re a dick.” And another that said, “You’re lucky you have a job.” And finally, the best of all in my opinion, “You’re the kind of person that history forgets.” Wow, some pleasantries were certainly exchanged in the good, old “think tank room.”

 

Savannah the City - When walking around the city, which has 145,000 residents, and 300k in the surrounding area, I had one guy tell me "Savannah is the Jewel of the South." Well, it is a gorgeous city, and hot and humid for sure. 

Downtown city butts up against the Savannah River. River Street is the main area on the river for restaurants, pubs, and shops. Across the river sits the Weston Hotel on what's called Hutchinson Island. If you go over the Talmadge Bridge, and drive less than a mile or so, you'll be in South Carolina. 

 

The Talmadge Bridge. They are going to raise this bridge as they've been dredging the river for years in order to get larger container ships into the ports. They apparently can't do any more dredging, so the next step is to raise the bridge, which is currently at 574 feet. 

 

And this is the famous fountain at Forsyth Park. The fountain has aged extremely well as it was erected in 1858. Forsyth Park was designed after the French ideal of having a central public garden, and the fountain is said to be the garden’s centerpiece (although it isn’t at the center of the park). Go figure!

And yes, the water is green, as this picture was taken on St. Patrick's Day. Every year they dye the water green in a big ceremony, and then within hours, all the water in the fountains throughout the city, their water turns green, since they're all connected. Savannah has the second largest St. Patty's Day parade in the country, with New York being first. Besides the 145,000 people that live in Savannah, another 150 to 200 thousand come in on St, Patrick's Day for the parade and plenty of partying!

 

Staff - Here's my staff to start out. I'll be having a meeting with them soon enough and need to recruit and sign more. 

 

At least I have a scout that can help me with player recruiting if need be. I get the feeling the chairperson and the supporters are going to be looking for a much better finish. 

Here's the USA pyramid, and as you can see, the National American League that we're in, sits 5th. The NAPL is the amateur divisions, which is where I learned my trade as far as coaching. 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

Memorial Stadium is a 5,000 seat stadium that was completely rebuilt in 2018 and used for a variety of sports and events. And yes, it is foremost a football(American) field. Best we can do, and somewhat typical at this "soccer" level. 

Home of the Savannah Clovers, a semi-professional soccer club

Amenities:

State of the Art artificial turf
Electronic Video/Scoreboard
Officials Locker Rooms
Press Box with five separate rooms
Wired for TV/Radio/Web Streaming
Secured ticket booths on each side
Handicap Accessible
Lighted Parking lots
Fieldhouse in South end zone with the following:
Concessions on each side
Restrooms on each side
2 identical sized locker rooms
Training Room
Upstairs Community room capable of seating 120 at rounds with balcony looking onto field.

 

“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” 

For the last few years, I've been picking the brain of James Outland, the 53 year-old Director of Birmingham Legion in the USSL Championship league, the second level just under the MLS here in the United States. He has been a lifesaver at times, both in my playing career, and I've already "leaned" on him for advice as a new manager. I met William at a summer camp for high schoolers, and was immediately impressed. Here are some of the things he said from a recent conversation we had. 

James - I believe man management is the best part of being a manager. In the lower leagues where you are, you have to be everything to all your players. You need to create the right atmosphere straight away. 

Me - Well, that sounds good, but how?

James - You have to have a passion for the sport, and I know you do. As Arsene Wenger once said, "as a manager, have a passion for the sport, have the ability to evolve and adapt, and of course, an eye for talent. 

Me - Well James, you make it sound easy, but I know it's not!

James - You need to have a "smell" for the dressing room. Get to know the players you can make better and sort out the "bad eggs." Always look for the good in even those players, but if they don't change, or are disruptive in the dressing room, get rid of them. And treat them like they are real people. Just like in the corporate world, players/people feel they're nothing more than a number. To get the best out of them, find their "hot buttons", what makes them "tick." 

Me - I know there are outside issues, more so with a player at this level, then certainly a full-time player, like his job, family, kids getting sick, rushing just to get to practice after work, etc. 

James - You have to be sensitive to that to a certain extent. Just keep a handle on it, don't let it get out of control. As far as managing, this job can consume your life. You need a really strong support cast, family, friends, partner, whatever is available to you, and don't be afraid to use those resources. 

I always come away a bit wiser after these conversations, and I will share more of those moving forward. 

 

The Squad - “"If I'm Going To Be Asked To Cook The Meal, I'd Like To Be Able To Pick The Groceries.”

Well, that's not going to happen, as these players are the ones I'm going to have to work with to get us closer to the league title. Work with what you have!

I had to make sure that I wasn't going to lose our backup keeper, Antley, to the college he's attending. But Abraham reassured me that wouldn't be a problem. When I asked why, he said, Antley won't be playing for is college team, he's just not good enough. Now that makes a manager feel good!

 

Practice as you’ve never won; perform as you’ve never lost

Always liked that quote. So, it's time for me to meet the team for the very first time. Not going to lay any heavy words of wisdom on them. Just share my expectations, and that of the chairperson, get their feedback, and hope they all buy into it. Abraham sent this to me just before I was ready to enter the dressing room. 

 

I basically told the players that I felt there was enough talent in the room that we could finish mid-table. I really want to finish better than 10th, which is where they were last season, but didn't want to put any pressure on them at the outset. I will "push" them though to get inside the top ten as the season progresses. 

 

Edited March 28, 2023 by dtown1414

[Stuniverse]

Good luck @dtown1414

Hopefully no crash dumps this time.

🍀⚽️🤞

[dtown1414]

July 8th - This was a good day for us, as we signed two coaches. This will take some of the training load off of me. Billy Martone comes in as my Assistant, and Isaac Ramirez as our coach. 

 

 

July 13th - Abraham has been kicking around the idea of a General Manager to help with recruiting, and overseeing the scouting staff. So finally, after a couple of weeks, we hired Anthony Bate. Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, he moved to Savannah two years ago when his daughter enrolled in SCAD(Savannah College of Arts and Design). He has experience at the amateur and semi-professional level as a coach, and then in the front office. 

 

July 20th - Scout - Ross Begay - Signed our third and final scout. Now I just need to get them busy. Practice went well this week, and I feel we're ready for our first friendly. 

This came across my desk from my assistant, Billy Martone. Our young backup keeper, Daniel Antley is only 19, and I do think he will eventually "gel" and fit in with the club. Although I would like them all in a social group, having just one player outside the "box" isn't terrible. 

 

July 22nd - Albertson SC vs Savannah Clovers - Friendly - The day has finally arrived. The firs match for this group, and the very first for their new manager. 

Hofstra College's stadium is really nice. It's listed as holding 1600, but I'm told they added some extra seats. And I'm also hearing we'll get less than 50. 

 

Albertson SC is in our league, so this will be a good test for us, even though I plan on using everyone today. It's all about playing well together, getting fitter, and no injuries. 

 

 

And the start of the 2023/24 season is underway!!

 

Ten minutes in and on a beautiful pass by Ruthven to Henderson, who buries it in the right-hand corner. Just a "peach" of a goal! Our first goal of the season!

 

We went in at half-time at 1-0, but in the 49th minute, our defense fell asleep, and Albertson's striker Josh Kiefer knotted the score 1-1.

We continued to play on the front foot, and after clearing the bench with our subs, in the 76th minute, Dennis Hitchcock scored a cracker of a goal from 26 yards out. The keeper had no chance!

 

The score ended 2-1, and the lads were excited in the dressing room. Only a friendly, but it was a nice way to start our season!

 

[Punch]

Good luck this time around, hope you found a stable database.

[dtown1414]

Time for our weekly meeting. A lot on today's agenda.

 

Best part of the meeting:

 

 

The Recruitment meeting was short and sweet! Nothing to report. And why are we paying these guys?

 

 

August 2nd - The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout tournament in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The competition was first held during the 1913-1914 season as the National Challenge Cup, with Brooklyn winning a trophy donated by Thomas Dewar for the promotion of American soccer. It was renamed and dedicated to the North American Soccer League (NASL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) executive Lamar Hunt by the United States Soccer Federation in 1999.

 

August 2nd - Savannah Clovers vs Toronto FC U23's

Abraham scheduled this match some time ago, as the Toronto youngsters are doing a mini tour of the US. Should be an entertaining contest, as I'm told Toronto has some bright prospects. 

 

 

 

Ten minutes in and Henderson with a beautiful touch to score, coming off a nice pass from Ross Shinault. 

 

It was Henderson again in the 17th minute as he ran off the shoulder of the defender, and took a perfect pass from Dennis Hitchcock, and beat the keeper, to make it 2-0 to the delight of the fans. 

In the 39th minute, their striker Hugo Mbongue, who ran us ragged all day, scored on shot from in close, and at the half it was 2-1. We were feeling pretty good at half time, and I told the players to keep pushing and tighten up on defense. Well, those words apparently fell on deaf ears, as Mbongue scored two more times for his hat trick, and their young, 16-year-old striker, Sam Hensel came off the bench to add a fourth. We did pull one back in the 85th minute as Dennis Hitchcock was tripped in the box, and he sent the keeper the wrong way to score. A good first half, but a very disappointing second half. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by dtown1414

[OleDK]

Great read!  Looking forward to following your career 👍

[xray1324]

Will be keeping track of your save!

[dtown1414]

Next friendly is with Dallas FC under 23's. And as with Toronto, Dallas is sending their youngsters around the US to get some experience outside their league. Being on the tightest of budgets at this level, we hired a college student to videotape our matches. I finally had some time to sit down and review the last two friendlies, and the video was at best less than average. He obviously didn't have a tri-pod, as following the action at times made me dizzy as heck. And at one point he was taking pics of people in the crowd.

After sifting through about 20 minutes of both matches, and taking notes from these two shoddy videos, I looked at the folder Abraham, our chairperson had on this "kid". There were some still pics he had taken that were tucked inside that I doubt Abraham even bothered looking at, and here's all you need to know. 

 

I immediately asked our Office Manager, Rachel, if she would find a more competent photographer, that is affordable for our club. Just tell them it would be good advertising, and we'll include their information in our game day brochure that is yet to be rolled out. Level 5 soccer, gotta love it!!

August 7th - For the match against the Dallas FC U 23's team, I decided to stay with our 4-4-2, and while working at controlling the possession, also told the players to have a positive mentality when in possession. We also worked on adding a "passing in space" technique. Why, because of the 20 minutes I spent watching that horrible video, I could see how many turnovers we had trying to "force" the ball to a teammate. And in doing so in the last game, we were punished. 

 

And what a nice start! Richie Fox scores a cracker of a goal just outside the 18 yard box. Keeper had no chance, and I think was shocked that the ball got on him so quickly!

I thought after the first goal, it would give us a lift, but within minutes, Dallas were on the front foot, and if it wasn't for our keeper, Jack Pondy making two spectacular saves, we would've been behind at the half. One thing though, we have controlled the possession more than I expected, it's just what we do with it once we have it. 

 

It didn't take long for Dallas to tie the game up, as in the 52nd minute on a nice pass from their winger, Tarik Scott found the back of the net. 

 

Defensively, this says it all. Beaten to the ball:

 

A peach of a pass:

 

And a devastating header to finish things off, and the game:

 

When the whistle blew, we lost 1-3. We played better the last 10 minutes once I told them to pick the tempo up, and Shaw hit the crossbar on a long shot. But allowed too many shots! 

 

My quick take on this before watching what I hope is an improved video of the game. 

1. The last two teams, both of whom had pacey strikers, their team was just sending the ball long and allowing those strikers to simply beat our defenders to the ball, and we're giving up too many breakaways. 

2. Our finishing has to be better. I was impressed with the passing in this game, and the fluidity at times the way we moved the ball up the pitch, but we're not ruthless enough in the final third. 

3. Once again, just like in the last match, we win possession, but not effective enough once we have it. Midfielders looking down at the ball, instead of up the pitch. Several times our strikers would make a good run, only for the midfielders to not see them soon enough, or be late on the pass, and turn it over. 

4. We may see a few teams with quality close to these last two teams, but not many in our league at this level. 

 

Our third and last friendly, as in five days on August 12th, we start league play. I would've liked to have ended on a higher note, but I feel playing against this type of competition, can only make us better in the long run. I hope I'm right. 

Here's a look at our schedule through October:

 

[dtown1414]

Getting excited for the start of the season. And here's an update on the "experts" season predictions. Our 18-1 odds, are better than the original 33-1. Three teams got cut off at the bottom. Miami Kendall at 200-1, Shattuck-St. Mary's out of Minnesota, and Strikers FC out of California, both at 250-1. 

 

Quite a few new managers:

 

And hey, we have one on the "Dream Team." Pondy should have a good year. We'll need it with our shoddy defense. 

 

Here's our team: One foreign player. Henrique Bandeira is from Brazil, and recently graduated from SCAD (Savannah College of Arts & Design), and is currently working at a local company as a graphic artist. 

 

Speaking of our defenders, here's a look at our current starters, and what our Assistant Coach thinks of them.  Rest of the team later on:

 

 

 

 

Price is the newest addition to the senior squad. Brought up from the reserve squad. At 18, our youngest player, and having graduated from high school in June, he's taking some college classes online. I believe, our defense will be our Achillies heel this season, and we weren't getting good play on the left side. Hey, have to play with the cards your dealt. 

 

Our Chief Scout's report on our competition. Didn't realize he dyed his hair red, lol.

 

 

Too funny. I like how they mention the "talkative" Randy Smith. In real life, I am definitely outgoing and a talker. Hey, I was in sales and recruiting for over 40 years, you can't be shy!

 

And I got through the press conference Ok. Now it's on to the match!

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

A reminder from the board as to what's expected of me and the team:

 

And again, the only change I made, was inserting Price at left back. 

 

 

 

 

Yep, the long ball, this time from the keeper, just like in our friendlies, cost us again!

 

 

21st minute, Henderson gets tripped in the box for a penalty, and Ruthven, our best pk taker, let's it fly!

And with excellent results!

 

36th minute, a goal from a set piece. We couldn't even do this in practice!

And a beautiful header from Ikoba to make it 2-1.

 

And we added a third in the 41st minute. Great pass from Hitchcock.

And Shinault buries it in the lower right-hand corner!

 

Lucky here at the end of the half as Glogowski's header glances off the post. 

 

Our passing has improved some. Good to see.

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by dtown1414

[DavidBeckham]

Harding and Ikoba can bag goals for you from set-pieces! KUTGW mate!

[dtown1414]

We kept the pressure on in the second half, and on the 49th minute, Larry Ruthven made it 4-1. The keeper got his fingertips on it, but it wasn't good enough. 

 

Another Ruthven goal and the rout was really on, 5-1.

 

After giving up a breakaway goal to make it 5-2, Adam Price scored on an amazing free kick! The 18 year-old has made his mark today!

 

We added a sixth goal, and looked comfortable at 6-2, but then we gave up one on a corner kick, and another when our defense fell asleep. Final was 6-4, but we can't expect to play this bad defensively against the stronger clubs and get away with it. 

Nice win but was disappointed that we only got 108 supporters to show up. Maybe, that's what will be expected, but I hope not. 

Survived the press conference, and it's over to the pub to enjoy a pint and some dinner!

[xray1324]

Are you showing off every match btw this way or only showing off the important matches and stuff?

[Hootieleece]

Good Luck in Savannah! Ask the Savannah Bananas' Baseball team for marketing advice. (I think they are competitors for the summer crowd)

[dtown1414]

7 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

Good Luck in Savannah! Ask the Savannah Bananas' Baseball team for marketing advice. (I think they are competitors for the summer crowd)

Yeah, isn't that the truth. They've become a national phenomena.

[dtown1414]

2 hours ago, xray1324 said:

Are you showing off every match btw this way or only showing off the important matches and stuff?

Not all matches like this. Maybe got a bit carried away with the first one, and considering so many goals scored. I will mention some of the games in a quick summary, but not show action shots like in this game. Besides enjoying the reading of all the stories, including yours, I also make mental notes on how other folks handle their career stories. 

As a first timer, definitely, open for suggestions. Thanks for following along. 

Edited March 30, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

August 16th - We made the four-hour trip to Lawrenceville, Ga to take on the Kalonji Soccer Academy (KSA) in the first round of the Lamar Hunt Cup tournament. 

 

The play at Coolray Stadium, which is also where the Atlanta United club in the MLS practice on occasion. Doubt there will be this many people at our match. 

The KSA club play in the National Soccer Conference League, which is two tiers below our league. 

 

No changes in the lineup since our last match

 

And ten minutes in and Ruthven makes it 1-0 on a nice breakaway!

A red card to KSA's young attacking midfielder gave us an ideal opportunity to add to our lead, but surprisingly we couldn't find the back of the net, despite hitting the post twice. Score remained 1-0 at the half. 

We totally dominated the second half, AFTER our leaky defense gave up a goal to knot the score 1-1. We had a ton of chances, thanks to another red KSA red card which reduced them to nine players, but once again our finishing left a lot to be desired. Shlomi Perez finally broke the tie in the 77th minute and we finished off the game 2-1.

 

 

Next up we take a cross country flight to Mesa, California to take on Strikers FC in a league match.

 

The Strikers play at the Orange Coast College stadium. Nice venue and fairly new. We took the flight four days before the match, hoping to give the players enough time to adapt to the west coast time change.

 

The day before the match, I got this message from our "crack recruitment" team. At least they found a player, 17 year-old Mahamane Cisse, who has good potential, but wants nothing to do with our club. 

 

 

I went with a more defensive strategy since we were underdogs in this one, and figured they would have most of the possession. But we actually controlled the game throughout the first half, and when Larry Ruthven was tripped in the box, he buried the penalty kick to give us a 1-0 half-time lead. 

 

The second half was fairly even, and then the Strikers center-back Liam Pynadath was sent off on a second yellow, and I thought we would've had the game in hand. But then in the 88th minute on a breakaway, Geoffrey Gercin scored to knot the score at 1-1, and that's how it ended. A big disappointment for us. And on top of that, one of our better players gets hurt, Leon Shaw. I'm going to let the physio take care of this, no shot for Shaw, which could possibly prolong the injury in the long run. 

 th

 

 

 

[dtown1414]

Life in the Lower Leagues – Contracts

One of the things that I learned very quickly from talking to other managers, past and present in the semi-professional world, is that contracts are easy for a player to get out of. We of course, don’t have the massive salaries, or outrageous transfer fees that the much higher levels in soccer in the US, or football in Europe have.

Contracts are more a statement of what’s expected of a player. Many semi-pro players are paid to play; when they don’t play, they don’t get paid. We don’t have any of those on our squad, but they are quite common.

A contract that states a player will be on time, keep fit and healthy, and not do anything to embarrass themselves or their club, train with their teammates, and so on is there to keep players in line, not to keep them tied to their semi-pro club. Throw in the fact that clubs at the lower end don’t have a lot of money to spend, and many are on a “shoestring” budget to start, salaries just can’t be that high.

Should a semi-pro player be offered a better contract by another club, they can usually simply move immediately. The better offer could be a guaranteed weekly income or better bonuses. 

A genuinely talented semi-pro player stands out from the crowd, but overall, the level of the league is relatively low. An excellent player might stay in the semi-pro league because they don’t want to devote their whole life to soccer. 

Not being able to train together every day will always impact how good a team can become, regardless of the players’ skills. Low expectations mean players can play with more freedom; crowds are small; it’s about doing your best rather than being the best. 

 

August 23rd - We had the second leg against the Kalonji Soccer Academy, and even though it was a lackluster performance, we managed a draw, and now able to move on to the next round.

 

And it appears KSA's manager had a problem with the refereeing inthe game. I didn't have any issues at all. 

 

August 24th - The second round was held today. We get Loudoun United who are in League One, two tiers above us. This won't be easy!

 

 

August 26th - We played Albertson in a friendly early on in the season, so we have some knowledge of how they play. With Shaw out, that's a big loss for us. I may look to the reserves to have another body on the bench. 

If We Score, We Might Win. If They Never Score, We Can’t Lose!

 

Match started wide open, and both teams had good chances, but finally, in the 35th minute Ross Shinault buried one in the left-hand corner to give us a 1-0 lead, which is how it ended at half-time.

A second straight game where a red card was shown, this time on Albertson's right back Gonzalo Alarcon, who had a nasty and late tackle on Larry Ruthven. And while we're not winning impressively, I'll take the three points. 

And this cracks me up. The front office has considered "fan day" a huge success, with 118 supporters showing up, lol. And what does United get at Old Trafford, 75 thousand. 

 

Next up, a home meeting with Solar SC out of Plano, Texas, who are currently dead last in the standings. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

Nice to see our young left back, Adam Price, and our right midfielder, Ross Shinault, mentioned in the league's Team of the Week, albeit subs. 

 

Our head physio kept bugging us about adding another person to his department. I think he just gets bored of not having anyone to talk to when he shows up at the office. Anyway, we finally caved in to his wishes, and hired Joe Zimmerman. I won't miss Jordan McCourt, our Head Physio, nagging me about hiring another doc. 

No surprise here. Shaw not ready for our upcoming match against Solar SC.

 

Very early in the campaign!

 

August 30th - Savannah Clovers vs Solar SC - We started on the front foot from the beginning, and hit the post twice, until finally, on a "thread the needle" pass by Ross Shinault to Jack Henderson for the first goal. 

 

We scored another before halftime, and then big surprise, gave up one in the second half to make things interesting. But a third goal by Jack Henderson sealed the deal. Nice win for the team!

 

 

September 2023

Bad days build better days

September 2nd - Miami City vs Savannah Clovers - I certainly hope that quote bears out, because we got hammered in Miami. Nothing the players did, and any changes I made couldn't stop the bleeding. Need to learn from this, and move on. 

 

 

Training - Not So Much at the Semi-Professional Level

Coming off a really bad loss, there's nothing more I'd like to do then get the team directly back in for practice the next day. But you can see the challenge that I have when it comes to training at this level. And it's not just the Clovers that have this schedule, it's life at the semi-professional level. Only the last week in September can I get two practices done in one week. 

 

September 6th - Big match today, as Ventura sits third in the table, and we're seventh. 

 

 

Unfortunately, second straight loss, and second straight shutout. Team just looked lethargic today and appears they haven't put the Miami City thrashing behind them. 

 

Perhaps a trip to the northeast (Baltimore) will do the players some good. May take them up a day early, so they can enjoy the "Inner Harbor" in Baltimore. Hopefully, clear their minds!

 

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by dtown1414

[13th Man]

Enjoying the “captain’s log” style updates and all the added details.

I’ve never managed semi-pro, but yeah, contracts and training seem about right. Lots of player movement and if you have someone good, you know they’ll usually be gone soon. 

[dtown1414]

 

August 8th - During the nine-hour bus trip to Baltimore (yeah, no club money to fly), I had a nice chat with our Chief Scout, William Ellis. Originally from Louisiana, William moved to the Savannah some ten years ago. He has his own commercial insurance business, which gives him the flexibility of traveling to games far and wide to scout for us. Our budget is small, so he really only looks at those teams in our league, and also some of the amateur games. My takeaway from our conversation:

He feels "the lower down you go level wise, he finds a player can really only process one movement one sequence of play, while top players can process three of four. They see it quicker, think quicker, and that's why they're where they are, and our players are here. 

I also ask him about scouting in general.  In the past, clubs would give me "rules." Don't do this, don't do that, there are no rules in scouting. You have to be open-minded. I go to these amateur games, and some of my fellow scouts think I'm wasting my time. But I feel, no one is looking at these players, maybe for good reason, but it only takes one player to stand out, one player that "shouts" through his actions, that hey, I can play at a higher level. And maybe it's only semi-professional, but that's Ok. Maybe he's the player that helps promote a team from semi-professional to professional. 

"I like players who will give the other team "problems." Who will take a risk, but not one that hurts his team. They have game intelligence, or does something that catches my eye, a clever pass, an outstanding finish, a brilliant save. Those players get my attention. 

 

"There is no strength without unity"

This is what I emphasized to the players before are match against Baltimore. We've lost two in a row and haven't scored in either game. But no time to panic for the players or their manager. So I'm not changing anything formation wise, or mentality wise. Every club will go through a "rough patch", I'm just hoping ours is behind us. 

 

 

Well, this isn't Old Trafford that's for sure. It's Cedar Lane Regional Park in Belair, semi-close to Baltimore. In this league, gotta go where you can play, and where it's affordable!

 

 

 

And early tripping penalty saw Baltimore take the lead, and then we fought back to tie the score, only to have their strkier, Ricardo Gomez score from just outside the 18 yard box, 2-1 at the half. 

 

Well, I was proud of the players, as we came from behind twice to come away with a well-deserved draw and secure a much needed point. Usually, don't get that excited with a draw, but in this case, the team never gave up, and it was a good showing. 

 

 

 

Barely time to breathe, and no time for a practice before our match against The Villages. 

 

 

We battled back again, just like in the last match, and then our sub, Michael Johnson came up big, flying down the left side, beating his defender, and tucking away the winner!

 

Our 23 shots were the most this year, just need to challenge the keeper more, and improve our finishing. Great win for us!

 

Hangin with those in front of us. Really just based on goal difference. Can't see it but Solar SC is bringing up the rear in 24th. 

[dtown1414]

 

Tactics - In the last two matches, both times in the second half I changed the formation to a 4-3-1-2, because I felt we'd have a better chance of scoring goals. We were behind in both cases, and fortunately my hunch was correct. We bounced back against Baltimore and got an away draw, and then came from behind to beat The Villages. So this is what I'm going with for the next match, and possibly beyond. We'll see how things go. I do like Hitchcock as an AMC, and I know he can bag goals for us. 

 

 

 

 

Front foot from the start and a beautiful finish by Ross Shinault!

 

After leading at the half, we give up one to knot the score 1-1, but then Hitchcock comes through for us again to make it 2-1 in the 54th minute

Another brilliant move by the manager, lol, as I subbed off both strikers with Grant Davis, and Michael Johnson, and it was Davis that came through with the winning goal, on a peach of a pass from Johnson. More playing time for those two is definitely in the mix. 

 

And our own Shlomi Peretz wins Player of the Week.

 

I keep reminding myself that they are playing two tiers up, and we aren't. 

 

 

And the pundits were right. Halfway through the first half I changed to a more defensive strategy, but still couldn't stop the bleeding. In the second half, Loudon hit the post "three times" and Pondy made a wonderful stop on a penalty, or the score would have been worse.

 

Already thin at the back line. This won't help any.

 

With that suspension, and the fact that there are times when the back line could use some fresh legs, I brought up Benjamin Amador. He's from Mexico, but is here studying at SCAD, so is available for all the games, including ones we travel to. He said if he misses a class, he can make it up online. I hope so, because with my coach's assessment, the young man sadly has no real future in this sport. 

Coach assessment - Might not have the required ability or potential. 

 

We didn't play badly over our next two games, and I was really proud of the players for holding Loudoun United to a draw at their home ground. But, of course we lose on aggregate 4-1. That brings us to the final game in September against Miami Kendall Rush at home. 

 

 

Our final game in September.

 

 

Good start for us and in the 11th minute, Henderson gets on the wrong side of their defender, Alasdair Butler, and powers one home for a 1-0 lead. 

 

It ends up that first goal was all we needed, as we got a rare clean sheet. Nice way to end September!

 

Moving up the table, slowly, but surely. 

 

We move into October with some momentum, and hopefully can continue this league run!

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by dtown1414

[13th Man]

Climbing the table!  That new tactic as it's one I feel like is really common in the US and very effective here.   Against a top side that space in midfield will get found out, but at this level the goal threat seems to be worth the defensive fragility based on that string of results.

[dtown1414]

October 2023

Fox & Hitchcock have been good in midfield. And my scout saying we are "shaky defensively" may be a gross understatement. 

 

Would like to try and eliminate some of that negative right side. And yes, I would agree that we have been getting the better half of possession, but again, we're not ruthless enough inside the box. Need more clinical finishes and need to test the goalkeeper more. Too many of our shots end up over the goal and into the stands. Michael Johnson doesn't start for us, so that "weak influence" stat is a bit skewed. At least that's how I understand it to be. He's played in three league games, scoring one goal, with a nice rating of 7.20. And in my tactics, I've asked the players to "work the ball into the box" more, and as a result, only nine "long-range shots" over five games is fine with me. 

 

Here's a shot that went a bit wide and crushed the face of the ball boy. He cried for five minutes but sucked it up and continued his job. Got a standing ovation. More than the team gets most of the time. 

 

And the fans (what they're called here in the US) are still on my side. A bit harsh though on Shaw, as he was injured, and out for three games, so just getting back into form. 

Five league games in October, three away games. Will be a good test for us!

 

De Anza Force (weird name) is our next match. Force stands for their color (blue), apparently blue entrusts "force". Yeah, I looked that up. De Anza I guess is a nearby area. There's a college named that. They're located in Saratoga, California, which is part of the Silicon Valley. Probably a bunch of "data geeks.". But they are currently in 10th place. 

 

 

And check this out. Top billing baby!! Now, can someone just tell me what 19:30 is in eastern standard time so I don't miss the game?

 

After a goalless first half, young Adam Price does the unthinkable, and puts a late tackle on Marshawn Ramsey in the box, and hence a penalty. Ramsey buries it, and we're down 1-0. I had to bring Joey Bendik on and play left back, he's a natural right back, and have Richie Fox play deeper and mainly defend. I already sucked down three Tums for my heartburn!!

 

And super sub-Grant Davis does it again, coming from a brilliant long pass from Ikoba. Ties things up 1-1. 

 

 

And then the unthinkable in the 80th minute. Brilliant header by Davis on a pass from Ikoba. 

 

What a tremendous win this was! So proud of the guys today! Davis is really bucking for more playing time. Definitely has caught the eye of the manager!

 

 

Not much time to enjoy this win, as we're right back at it with another home game. Taking on the 2nd place team which should be a good one!

 

Don't mind press conferences after a win! Especially after this one with playing with only 10.

 

Coming up, fourth place against second place. With playing the leaders in a few days after that. 

 

With Price suspended, will start this game, the same way we finished the last one. Bendik will play in an unnatural position on the left. See how he fares doing this for the whole match. 

 

It's that Hithcock guy once again, getting us off to a great start in the 14th minute!

And again, in the 30th minute on a brilliant free kick!

A late goal in the first half made it 2-1, and then Long Island scored four minutes into the second half, and despite both teams having chances, that was the final score. It was a very entertaining game, and my hat has to go off to both teams for their intensity, and not willing to give up. 

 

 

Next up – A battle with the first place West Chester Flames

Edited April 5, 2023 by dtown1414

[Stuniverse]

Making excellent progress, @dtown1414 and an entertaining read.

A quick question and an observation if I may please.

Question: I notice quite often the opposition name one more sub than you do, is this because of lack of numbers in your squad?

Observation: Sometimes in a single post you will update on more than one match. This makes for a) a long post with a lot of scrolling, but b) is a bit confusing as one game runs into the next. Instead of doing one long post, would it be possible to do a separate post for each match that you want to update on please? Many thanks.

Keep up the great work 👍😃⚽️

[dtown1414]

Thanks for the advice. My bench is pretty weak, so generally I feel comfortable with three of my players off the bench. I am looking to get more playing time for a reserve player I called up. Games at this level are fast and furious so I can see my starting eleven do need a break at times. 

And yes, thanks for the advice on the separate post. I will start doing that, and those games that are not that important, will more than likely just give a quick summary. Thanks for following. 

[dtown1414]

Well this will keep Abraham happy for a while. A whopping 140 fans for the last game. I heard some of the giveaways were a free ice cream cone at the concession stand, a two dollar coupon for a hot dog, you know, all those "big ticket" items. 

 

In preparation to take on the first-place club, on their turf. 

Guess there's a reason they're in first place. Performing well above average in every category. 

 

 

And yes, we'll be playing on another football field. This time in Westchester, New York.

 

It's good to get Adam Price back at left-back, and I'm starting Grant Davis up front. Even though Larry Ruthven has six goals in 13 league apps, he's really been in a "funk" lately, and maybe not the best time to make such a radical change, but I have to go with the guy who's in the best form. If it works out, I'll be hailed as a genius. if not, a typical rookie manager mistake. 

Westchester was on the front foot from the start, and within 17 minutes we were down 2-0. The pace of their players up front was causing loads of problems for our defenders. But amazingly, in the 36th minute, Dennis Hitchcock pulled one back for us, on the heels of a nice, long pass from Leon Shaw, and we went in at the half trailing 2-1. 

 

 

 

We knew they were good, just not this good!

The second half was even uglier than the first. I will never say that players quit on the pitch, especially not those playing for me, but they got the wind knocked out of their sails for sure. The pace and the precision of Westchester's passing was just too much for our players. I subbed, I encouraged, but nothing helped quite frankly. 

Someone once said, that "anger" is a good thing to have in a manager. Well, the players saw it in me after the match. The dressing room was closed to the press, and I informed our media guy that I would not be attending the press conference. Maybe that's the "only child" in me coming out, but I was so upset to put it nicely, and embarrassed by our performance, I didn't want to be around anyone. My mentor once told me that you're never going to please everybody. You're going to be an unpopular figure at times. Well, this was one of those times. I hope I embarrassed them in the dressing room, like they embarrassed themselves on the pitch. Nuff said about this. 

Edited April 6, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

On 05/04/2023 at 00:56, 13th Man said:

Climbing the table!  That new tactic as it's one I feel like is really common in the US and very effective here.   Against a top side that space in midfield will get found out, but at this level the goal threat seems to be worth the defensive fragility based on that string of results.

Wow, you called that one. Look what Westchester did to us. I thought we had a fighting chance, especially only down one at half-time. That dream turned into a nightmare, lol. 

Edited April 6, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

Great! We have to deal with this guy next. 

Wow, we actually get two training sessions this week. Any surprise, part of one is concentrating on defense!

 

 

 

No panic after the last beat down. Same tactics, same starting 11. 

 

We had two good practice sessions this week, but out of the gate, the lads didn't look like they wanted to play. Slow to the ball, sloppy passing, and we were punished in the 33rd minute. 

 

Things weren't much better in the second half, and we couldn't take advantage of some good chances. Only testing the keeper once, isn't going to get it done. 

 

One more away game coming up for this month, and it's against Shattuck-St. Mary's in chilly Faribault, Minnesota. And we didn't need this.

[dtown1414]

10/29 - Long flight to Minnesota, and it's already chilly here, 58 degrees fahrenheit, compared to 77 in Savannah. Faribault is about 50 miles from Minneapolis, where we flew into, and then less than an hour in the bus. Shattuck-St. Mary's, the team without a nickname, are currently sitting in 21st. Maybe this is just the match we need to get our confidence back. 

Going for it in this one and using an "attacking" mentality. Can't be any worse than the last two matches. We need to test the keeper in this one. 

 

Can't even beat a team fighting relegation. Pitiful. Can't wait to get home, and start a new month. Second half I changed formations, subs that I thought would give us a spark, and still the players didn't respond. Back to the drawing board. Maybe need to keep things more simple!

 

 

 

An October worth forgetting. 

Edited April 6, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

Uh oh! This can't be good. Three losses in a row, don't think anyone is happy. Including the manager. Let's see how this plays out. 

Meeting was short. Seemed everyone was satisfied, but then I saw this. Leadership support is a concern. 

 

 

We're looking over our shoulders at Reading United as they sit in 10th, one place behind us. Need for the players to step up today!

Not a panic move but going back to making things simpler. Let's see how it goes. Ditching the 4-3-3 formation for now. 

 

Down 2-0 early, we were lucky to get one back. A rare mistake by our keeper, Pondy, led to the first goal.

Can this really be happening. Not too long ago we had a run of five games without a loss. 

I put them in an attacking mode late in the match, being down 2-1, just hoping to salvage a draw, but our defense, playing a high line, got caught napping, and we were punished for it. Not good! May have to break the partnership of Ikoba and Harding. Can't seem to work together. 

[Hootieleece]

I have noticed that teams take more advantage of High Lines by playing more balls over the top since the Final Update. They were always a problem playing the "out of the box" gegen press 4-3-3.

The dotted lines in a partnership show that it isn't good. Switch your pairings around.  I am finding that the 11 "best players" according to attributes don't make the best 11.

I did move up from VNN to VNL but a team that scored 108 goals in a season can't score to save their lives in the next but hit the crossbar/post 3x a match.

[dtown1414]

This one won't be easy. Arizona sits in 4th, but the last three matches they had were against clubs battling relegation. And unlike us, they actually win those games. 

 

In other news. Surprised I don't see one of our players on this list, lol. And just for kicks, I added up their salaries, $246m. 

 

Can't win a match, but yet we get top billing. Must be because of that other team.

One change as I bring Benjamin Amador in to replace Alex Harding. Let's see if Amador and Ikoba can work better together. 

Great start as Shaw sends one in and Grant Davis scores on a superb header.

Well, the lead didn't last long, but we're holding our own through the 1st half.

It was as wild finish to this one. When it looked like we'd salvage a draw, Ikoba came up with a rash challenge in the box and Arizona's striker, Alexis Adams buried the penalty to make it 2-1 with just six minutes of regular time to go. I ask the players to attack, and amazingly, in the 94th minute, Jose Torres, off a deflection, scored from in close and the game ended in a 2-2 draw. All things considered; I'll take the point.

 

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

In league news, I can only dream our club to do this:

Maybe I am dreaming, but I believe this is a good chance for us to secure three points. Mississippi has been struggling, and might be the remedy we need to cure this bad run of games. 

And this is where we'll be playing. Harper Davis Field and yet another American football field. 

 

 

Well, I guess it was only a dream after all. Midway through the first half, I changed our mentality from "balanced" to "attacking" and it seemed to give the team a lift. We scored to tie the game, but in the second half, they're striker Steve Ramos got behind our defense, and put the game away. 

I'm going to tell the players to keep that "attacking" mentality for our next match against Silicon Valley. Let's see what happens. 

 

[dtown1414]

Our final game for the month of November. Praying for a change of luck. 

As mentioned, keeping to the attacking mentality, and also told the players to be more expressive, dribble less, and for my defenders to drop off more. The over-the-top passes have been killing us, and despite our terrible form, our passing has been better than average, so asking them to dribble less, and look quicker for the pass. 

 

 

 

Great start. Shinault looking for Larry Ruthven, who buries it for a 1-0 lead in the 8th minute. 

Halftime talks - Someone once told me, "the hardest thing as a manager is to say a lot in not many words. When I was playing, at half-time there were a hundred things going through my head. The last thing I needed was a manager throwing a dozen ideas at me about what to do in the second half. I give the players on offense three things to concentrate on, and the same on defense. And then as they leave the dressing room, I look up at the ceiling and pray my ideas will work, lol.

I made all five changes for the first time in a match, and maybe it was fresh legs that changed the complexion of the match, but what a goal by Larry Ruthven on a pass from Dennis Hitchcock. This was after a spectacular save by our keeper, Jack Pondy, to keep the match at 1-1.

 

And a much better headline this time around! We got the monkey off our back, and hopefully a sign of better things to come. Dennis Hitchcock gave us breathing room in extra time with a "cracker" of a goal from just outside the 18-yard box. Their keeper got a hand on it, but couldn't stop it from going in. 

November results. Not the best month, but much improved over October. It's a start anyway!

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by dtown1414

[Hootieleece]

Always sweet when you win after a winless streak......I need to do more tactical instruction tinkering when I get in them, I think. I am more of a mentality changer during the game and that has cost me as well for as many times win doing it.

Glad to see you still at it.

Are you thinking of trying to find a better job in the American Pyramid?

 

[dtown1414]

Thanks for following. Yeah, I like looking at the analysis of the team, our strengths and weaknesses, and then I tried to figure out what might work. FM23 is pretty strong in that area I believe. I'm not the best at making changes like that, kinda tinker some, nothing too major, and see how the players react. We needed that win for sure. 

As far as future jobs, I'll take a look at what's available after the season. See how things play out with Savannah, and then see if there is an opportunity at the next level (United States Soccer League Two). It would be nice to manage a professional team. Matches on Saturday, with more than two practices a week, with full-time player contracts. We'll see.

[dtown1414]

*I reached out to my mentor, James Outland, the Director at Birmingham Legion (USSL Championship division-Tier 2 just under MLS) as I hadn't chatted with him in a while. We talked about a lot of things, but one important caveat I took from our conversation was this. 

James: One strength that all good managers possess, is one simple word, "observation." You only have a practice one or two times a week at that level. Keep an eye on any change in a player's enthusiasm, any mood swings, is he having a string of sub-par practices. I know the hours you're putting in. I know you were beating yourself up over the run of losses recently. If you see this in a player, find out why, communicate with him. Maybe it's his job, maybe family issues, kids at school issues. None of your business on the personal side but impress upon him that you see he's struggling in practice, or his form's off during the match. Trust me, if he's struggling in practice, he'll stick out like a sore thumb if your being observant.

 

You also have to balance the fact that your agenda is different than theirs. You're young, with ambition to move up. Whether it's with Savannah, or another club. You want to manage at a higher level. That should be your goal. They're also young for the most part, but 90% realize this is as good as it gets. They can tell their grandchildren someday that they were a professional soccer player. For many, this is extra cash for them. Instead of a week at the shore, with soccer money, maybe they take a luxury cruise instead. Or finally pay off that car loan. 

Me: I do feel they were taking that losing streak as hard as I was. One player called out of work the next day, because he was so depressed, he needed a "break" from work as he stated. 

James: Well, that's fine, but make no bones about it, they need to work hard, give you everything they got. Leave it all out there in practice, and during a match. If not, you need to replace them. Start a player, who may not be as talented, but has that drive to succeed. Worst thing for a semi-pro player is, to work eight hours a day, then drive 30-45 minutes to the stadium, only to be sitting on the bench for the entire match. They'll get the message pretty quickly.

 

See if we can off to a good start in the month of December. 

 

No changes to the starting eleven.

First half was, frankly, pretty boring. Our shots on goal were straight at the keeper. We're playing good defensively though. 

As I told the players in the dressing room. We need to stay focused for 90 minutes plus, and just one minute of a letdown and we'll be punished, and we were. Still not clinical enough up front. 

 

 

[Stuniverse]

Good to see Savannah Clovers get back-to-back victories after a difficult run. Long may the wins continue 🤞⚽️

Some of the markings on the pitches are confusing, aren’t they? I think I’d have struggled on that pitch marked out with white American Football lines and the yellow football lines.

Edited April 8, 2023 by Stuniverse

[dtown1414]

Hey, at least our under 23's are doing good. May look at bringing up one or two sometime in the New Year. May have to, if we lose anybody in the January transfer window. 

After flying all the way to Mirada, California to take on the 19th place Southern California Seahorses, which was a boring and sloppy 1-1 draw, next up was FC Westchester out of Purchase, NY. A club whose dead last (24th) in our league. 

SUNY Purchase Field

Only change is Fox is back in the lineup after his one game suspension for accumulating those nasty yellow cards. 

 

 

In the pouring rain we jumped on them early, in the second minute, as Adam Price slides one across to Dennis Hitchcock, and buries it in the right hand corner. 

We continue to be really poor testing the keeper. Headers going four feet over the goal, shots from inside the 18-yard box going way wide. Racking my brain on how to fix it. More repetition in practice I guess. 

The score really wasn't indicative of how we dominated the match. We hit the crossbar twice and had one goal ruled offside. A nice win, taking advantage of a team that's really struggling. 

 

We now travel to chilly Detroit, Michigan to take on Vardar SC, another team that has been struggling of late, sitting in 15th position. And it's on New Year's Eve to boot. 

[dtown1414]

Yeah, that's for sure. You should try reffing on it, lol. Very much a challenge at times. 

[dtown1414]

Vardar SC was our opening match of the season at home, and it was a wild affair, with us finally holding on to a 6-4 win. Their season, like ours, has been up and down, but after three losses out of four matches, they did win their last match against Solar SC. Long trip to Michigan, but before that, here's some information for the next two weeks before the match. 

And with the match not till December 31st, gives us two weeks to practice, and we get three practices this week. And notice what we're concentrating on, ATTACKING!

 

My Assistant Coach has been bugging me about discussing a contract with our best player, Dennis Hitchcock. I got Arbaham, our President, to Ok it, so here goes!

And the negotiating begins. This is what he wants. 

The board allowed me to adjust our budget, so I increased our payroll to $52.5k, and reduced our transfer budget to $3.7k. I'm not pursuing anyone in January, so I need a higher payroll. Here's what I proposed.

He countered to his original asking fee, and I came back with this, and he agreed. Hey, my first contract negotiation is a success. 

Titan Field in Detroit, Michigan. If we don't play well, maybe I'll make them run laps on the track afterward!

 

I got some good news from our General Manager before the start of the match. I'll hold off announcing this to the players until after the match. Don't want anyone to feel left out because we haven't spoken to them yet about an extension. 

Only change is I brought Harding in to replace Ikoba. Coaches felt these two had a better understanding of each other. Beginning to think Ikoba can't work with anyone back there?

 

 

Finally, we get to the match!

Eighteen minutes in and that deadly combination of Hitchcock to Ruthven does it again. A peach of a pass, and a "cracker" of a finish!

Well, it was a wide-open affair, and unfortunately, we give up a late goal and lose. Shame, because we fought back to tie it, and I thought for sure we could at least get a point, but to no avail. Staying in Detroit to ring in the New Year, but I wish it was under better circumstances. 

We end the month of December with a win, two draws and a loss. And we dropped down to 12th. But looking at the glass half-full, only five points separates us from 5th place. 

 

[13th Man]

Oof!  Didn't mean to wreck your good run.  I will say, having played a bit of CB in a side that basically played like yours before the losing streak, it was terrifying.  Constantly facing 1 v 2s or worse with the midfield all up the pitch with no holding player...I got quite good at CB that year (I'd been a LW or forward before that) but I did not appreciate it!

As I mentioned, though, it is very common in the States - very defensive back four, everyone else charging forward.

Anyway, glad to see you're getting things turned around and glad you snapped that streak without a win.  It can be a grind, but you're finding your way!

[dtown1414]

January 2024

Thankfully, for the rest of 2024, no weekday games. Maybe now we can work on some things in practice, knowing the fact that we'll have more than one a week. 

Appears the club is well into the black. Not sure how we have so much cash laying around, but I'm more concerned with wins!

 

Things are still stable. Need to turn that C+ into an A, lol

This is interesting. Don't offer contracts to two of our defenders. My Chief Scout sees the same thing I do, we're weak at the back. 

Albertson has the lowest goal tally in the league with just 22. I'm trying a 4-1-3-2 with Richie Fox in a defensive midfield position. Hopefully, he'll give our defenders the help they need, and I'm asking Torres and Shinault to be in a more attacking mode. 

Well, we played better defense, but once again help a team battling relegation, to move out of the zone for now. Will be good to get back home and hopefull turn things around. 

 

January 7th - And to add "salt to the wound", our best player may be gone. I'm gonna try and talk to him and see if he'll stay.

 

 

Edited April 9, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

Didn't take long. The first firing (sacking) in the league. The Villages currently sitting 21st. 

 

Good news!

 

Daniel Antley, our young 19 year-old backup keeper is going to be really good in the future, at least according to our scouts. So, we wanted to tie him down to another year, and he accepted.

 

 

Home sweet home! I hope!

 

Great start in the 8th minute as Dennis Hitchcock, who decided to stay with the club slams one in from outside the 18-yard box. 

Match ended up a good old western shootout. We broke the team record with 23, and a late goal by Jack Henderson sealed a much-needed home win, in a match that quite frankly, we should've won. 

 

 

[dtown1414]

We got our second player under contract for next season. Young keeper, who could be a future star player at this level, and possibly beyond. 

 

January 20th - Savannah Clovers vs FC Miami City - This was a match we should've won and we "took care of business" as Larry Ruthven said afterward. And he's allowed to boast a bit as he scored a brace in a convincing 3-0 win. If we can continue to beat the teams we're supposed to beat, then we'd be fine. But we keep "stubbing our toe", or as I told my Assistant, "two steps forward, one step back."

Ruthven showed some magic with the ball on his first goal. Got the fans and me as well off our seats!

 

And 18 shots are still too many for the opposition, but many of those were nowhere near testing our keeper. Headers over the bar, shots wide, etc. 

 

And our first "Player of the Week." Well deserved!

 

[dtown1414]

This one won't be easy. We played them tough at home earlier in the season, losing 1-0. But they were in 8th place then but have been in great form and sit at the top of the table now. 

 

No changes, going to keep Harding and Ikoba together again for now. 

 

 

Why They're in First Place, and We're Not!

I'm just hoping for improvement from last year's 10th place finish, with hope that we could be competitive with the top of the league teams, but we were totally humbled in this match. Ventura County dominated from the start, and never took their foot off the gas. Not much to say here, will just let the stats speak for themselves. 

And their dominating performance was in front of 918 fans. Must be nice, as we're lucky to get 100 or so. 

January at a glance!