TheLutterworthFox

October 2024 The great form continues with only one slip up and I can take losing the TNS even if we didn't really turn up. TNS have had an amazing month as well but we still sit top by 8 points!

September 2024 What an incredible month, this team is just amazing and we are hammering nearly everyone! 100% in the league....still and we're through two rounds of the Welsh Cup. The only blip was an awful attacking performance against Newtown in the League Cup, where we went on to lost 8-7 on penalties. It's all about the league though and we are absolutely smashing it! 6 wins from 6, 17 scored, 2 let in!!! But just look at TNS, what a shocking start for the big boys.

August 2024 The season has started and it's going very well so far! A solid win over 2nd tier side Briton Ferry in the cup followed by two really good wins in the League. 100% so far, let's hope we can keep it going. Now for other news and there are a few more signings to look at. Mason Johnson - Winger - Free Transfer Tolu Ladapo - Striker - Half season loan from Charlton Liam Vincent - Left Back - half season loan from Portsmouth Savy Vicente - Defensive Midfield - half season loan from Shrewsbury Some good players coming in, until the Winter at least, the board wouldn't give me any money to spend so had to rely on this until the Winter and then hopefully the board agree to improve my budgets. Luckily though the board have been more accommodating in my other requests. Firstly, they have agreed to improve the youth facilities. They've also agreed to let me take my first coaching badge.

24/25 Europa Conference and Transfer Update Well here we go, after last seasons amazing 3rd place finish hopes are high for the upcoming campaign, this means we really need to try and strengthen the squad which, with very little money, is going to be tough. But before we go through who's joined there is the Europa Conference to look over, somewhere where we can actually make some money! We entered in the first qualifying round and were drawn again Andorran side Inter Club d'Escaldes, I had no idea if this was tough or not but after the first leg I knew exactly how easy it was going to be, we won 10-0!!!!! The second leg, we played the reserves and still managed to win 4-0. Easy, but it was about to get much tougher! In the second round we faced Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes, I fully expected a hammering and although we did lose, we more than held our own. A 4-1 defeat away followed by a 1-1 draw at home. Really pleasing! And with that we made £689k of prize money!!! That is absolutely massive, something that could help propel this club above TNS! Now to the transfers, I tried to keep costs down, free transfers and loans were the aim with them all on cheap wages. All in all, only one player left and that CB Shane Sutton who retired, only four players joined as well but I'm sure, with more money at our disposal, more players will come and go. So please welcome..... Evan Press - Central Midfield - Free from Barry Town Lewis Lynn - Central Midfield - Free from Bala Town Warren Thomas - Left Back - Free from Afan Lido Charlie Noakes - Central Defender - Free from Caernarfon A quiet window, mainly because I don't just want to buy anyone, but also because or squad is massive and I'm struggling to get rid of players, yes we have a lot on non-contracts but with me not paying them bar when they play I see no reason to get rid until I improve the squad so much that I don't need them anymore. The good news is, with all they money we have, the board are beginning to agree to some of my requests. They did turn down me wanting the club to turn professional but have agreed to improve the youth recruitment and junior coaching. The next plan is to improve the training and youth facs and then hopefully, when the board agree to it, we can improve the wage budget. But the big aim now is to gain European qualification once again for next season, the media aren't hopeful but we proved them wrong last season so why not again?!

2023/24 End of Season Review We went into the final 3 games 5 points behind Aberystwyth in 3rd place, we needed a miracle and a miracle is what we produced! We claimed 4 points from the first 2 games and with Aberystwyth dropping points we went into the final match, at home to Aberystwyth knowing a win would mean we leapt ahead of them to end in 3rd. And we did exactly that!!! What an end of the season and that meant we had ended in the European spots for next season......but only if the winners of the Welsh Cup were Cardiff Met Uni. Cardiff Met played Newtown in the final, if they won, we got a spot in Europe next season, if Newtown won then we have to taken away from us in the cruellest way possible! And luckily for us it was an easy win for Cardiff Met! That means a spot in the Europa Conference next season where we'll enter in the first qualifying round! Massive but it's going to be tough to get very far! Now lets look at the key men from the season, firstly our best XI The 424 worked a treat most of the way through, bar a few dodgy performances we were really good overall Goalkeeper Charlie Casper wins the clubs player and young player of the year award. A solid season for him where he conceded only 46 goals in 38 games and kept 13 clean sheets Jaylan Wildbore ended as the clubs top goalscorer with 16 goals in 35 starts. He did a lot better than I expected but another goalscorer is needed for next season. Winger Dean Pinnington ends with the most assists at the club with 10 in 37 starts. So an amazing season, we were expected to end in the bottom two, somehow we ended in 3rd place and a spot in Europe for next season. Incredible! The board have given me a bit of money to spend, the wage budget hasn't massively increased but they have given me £20k to spend. I'll probably end up transferring that over to the wage budget to bring in some freebies and cheap loans. As you can see below the squad is already pretty big and bar the loanees who will be leaving we only have one player who will be out of contract at the end of the season. I don't foresee many changes in the playing squad, a new Striker is a must and then just some players to replace those loanees who will be leaving It's going to be a tough season with Europe as well and expectations a lot higher but I have hope we can push the top 3 again.

March 2024 Well the wheels have well and truly come off 1 point from 3 league games and a shocking performance to go out of the Welsh Cup 3 games left, 3rd is now looking an impossibility. After such an amazing season we have fallen away right at the end

February 2024 Another solid month with only one bad game. I can take the defeat to TNS but that defeat to Cardiff Met, especially as they had 10 men for a large part of the match was really poor. 2 wins from 4 in the league though is still really good and we've got ourselves into the semis of the Welsh Cup (TNS are already out!) 6 games left and we have a serious chance of top 3 and with that a spot in Europe (Welsh Cup winners dependant)

2023/24 - End of regular season update I honestly do not know what has happened but our form has gone mad, we're now 8 games unbeaten and have won all 3 of our games in January so far. That means we end the regular season in 4th place and, if we carry on this form, we have a serious chance of pushing the European spots (top 3)!!! I can't put my finger on the upturn in results, the squad is the same, the tactic is still a 424 with 2 DMs, whatever it is, well it's worked!! This is the tactic, a fluid counter-attacking 424. God knows how but its working a treat!

January 1st 2024 Well we just played TNS away and got an amazing draw but in the next game we played them at home and did this..... WHAT A WIN!!!!! The tide is turning at Pontypridd!

December 2023 After a small break at the start of the month we've come back and put in some amazing performances. A brilliant 5-0 win over Cefn Druids followed by one sensational result, drawing the giants of TNS 2-2 away courtesy of a 95th minute leveller!! Stunning! 3 games left of the regular season to go to get that top 6 spot!

November 2023 Probably our best month so far! 10 points from 5 games, we are slowly turning this into a decent season. 6 games until the split and we have serious chance of making the top 6!

October 2023 Things are still going pretty well! It's been very entertaining! Those last two defeats have dented morale but we are still well clear of the bottom two

September 2023 Things are looking up! Not only have we won games in two round of the Welsh Cup, but we've also won two games in the league!! Which means we are not in the bottom two!! Can we carry it on?!

August 2023 Well it's not started great! Hammered by Llanelli, who are in the division below is really not good! We did however get a point against Newtown. This is going to be a loooooooooong season! Anyway, the Summer window is shut and I have signed four more players! Shame Sutton - Just look at that beard!!! A new CB, some experience as well. Kyle Fanning - Signed on loan from Hull, a good addition to the midfield Jake Brown - Another loanee from Hull, a better option than Aris on the LW Ben Beresford - Signed on loan from Birmingham, a Striker who actually has decent finishing! Whether they will be enough to start winning us games, well only time will tell!

23/24 Season - The Squad Well here goes, there has been a LOT of business done in the Summer. We started (once all the loanees and out of contract players had gone) with 8 players in our first-team. The board did increase our wage budget considerable which has helped but I've tried to keep costs down as much as possible whilst attempting to improve the quality of the side, it's been really REALLY tough I won't lie! Goalkeepers Charlie Casper - Signed in the Summer on a free, a relatively large wage but he has pace to get off his line quick and decent decisions, reflexes, rushing out, etc. For this level he should be OK Lewis Dutton - Also signed in the Summer on a free and will be back-up to Casper Defenders Ben Margetson - The right back was here last signed and was one of our better performers, yeah he doesn't look amazing but for where we are he will will do a decent job. Ben Dooley - A free transfer signing in the Summer, Dooley will primarily play right back but can also play as a DM. His pace and agility is what enticed me alongside his decisions Luca Murphy - I signed CB Murphy last Winter and he immediately helped us shore up the defence, he looks really good for this level Maxwell Kinsey-Wellings - Maxwell was signed on a free in the Summer on a free, I really like the look of him, I wanted pace in my defence and at 13 he is one of the quickest defenders in the league. Nathan James - In on a season long loan from Burnley and will be back-up to Maxwell and Murphy. Mark Edgar - Signed on a free, Left Back Edgar lacks the technical's but has decent mental and physical attributes for this level. Callum Roberts - Another free transfer signing in the Summer, he's not amazing but will play a few games in rotation with Edgar. Iwan Walsh - Brought in from the u19s, he will provide backup to both central defence and left back. Midfielders Midfield is currently where I feel we're a little short, I'm still toying between a 41221 and a 442, if we go with the former I do feel we need another one. Lewis Brown - Signed on loan from fellow Premier side Newtown, he will play as my DM if we play a 41221, he has decent marking and tackling and some good mental's Jarrad Welch - Signed on a free transfer and on an amateur contract, Welch will be back-up in midfield, he looks OK with plenty of 9's and 10's in his attributes. Luke Chambers - One of very few players who were here last year, Chambers looks relatively decent with some good mental attributes and will more than likely start in central midfield. Maximus Rigby - On loan from Connah's Quay, I like the look of this lad, he has good pace and really good determination and teamwork. Lewis Johnson - For those that know me, when I get an intake I tend to label them as you can see below, so (I23) means he came through the 2023 intake. We actually had a couple of decent players come through last time and Lewis Johnson is probably the best. He will provide good back-up in central midfield. John Jones - We also got this lad who again will provide solid back-up. Wingers Owain Jones - Jones was here last season and was a big reason why we stayed up chipping in with 4 goals towards the end of the campaign. Yeah he's not amazing but he'll do a decent job. Kai O'Keefe - Signed on a free in the Summer, he will provide back-up to Owain. Daniel Broad - Brought in from the youth side just to add some depth. Nigel Aris - Currently Aris is my only LW so I desperately need another one, Aris came in on a free in the Summer and looks decent for this level. Strikers We really struggled for goals in parts last season and I won't lie I think it may happen this season. I have really struggled for find a decent, quality Striker who doesn't want the World to join, I'll keep looking though and I do feel we're one short anyway. Matthew Reed - Signed on a free from fellow strugglers Penybont. His goalscoring record isn't amazing, probably because he's got pretty poor technical's. His mental and physical attributes however look pretty good. Jaylan Wildbore - Signed in the Winter window, Wildbore managed 4 goals in 10 games last season and I have high hope for him again. He does look really good for this level, let's hope he can start banging them in! Gary Murphy - Brought in from the u19s just to add a 3rd Striker to the squad. Overall I'm half happy, we need more strength in depth but with poor finances I really need to keep wages and costs down. I'll definitely be looking for another CM and a LW then possibly an extra CB and ST but only if the price is right! Finally, the season preview and the media are expecting us to go down! We're expected to end 11th which is the relegation zone. I have confidence we stay up but it's going to be tough!

22/23 End of Season Review Well we did it! We survived with relative ease in the end. We played fantastically in our final 3 games to end way clear of Flint in 11th. 7 points from the 3 matches, that means in my 16 league games in charge we gained 22 points. Pretty decent! A lot of hard work ahead though. We need to start pushing up the table, a spot in that Championship group next season would be amazing. Now the big issue and that's players. We have 19 players in our first team who are either out of contract and are exploring their options or in on loan and will be leaving. That leaves me with 8 first team players and 4 half decent youth players. A major MAJOR rebuild is in order for next season! With all those players leave what it does do is free up nearly all my wage budget so I can bring in numerous players of my own liking to fit the way I want to play and the formation I want to employ. The one thing I really need to look at next season is the finances, we are losing money badly, what can I do to change this though? Well not a lot bar keeping costs down on players, non-contracts and free loans may be the order of the day. I'd also like to start improving the facilities, mainly the junior coaching and youth recruitment, will the board agree though with how poor our finances are? Now I was going to talk about my key men but there are two issues with that, firstly, well there weren't any really!! And secondly most of them are leaving. I will do a good squad review prior to next season when I have a full squad!

March 2023 Only two games and two decent points, that 4-4 though was bonkers!! We are now so close to safety, 7 clear of Flint with 3 games to go!

February 2023 Well we won a couple of games!! Those 7 points have pushed us clear of the relegation zone and we are now 6 clear with 5 games to play

January 2023 A shocker of a month, we are just so poor in front of goal. We really have no striker of note and with very little money it's tough to bring anyone decent in That run of defeats puts us back in the bottom two There have been a couple of signings, Luca Murphy (CB), Connor O'Reilly (LB/CM) and Jaylan Wildbore (ST) all come in on free's. The big issue is we seem to have a really imbalanced squad with regard to quality, we have 6 quality loanees and a couple of decent players of our own but also we have so many players rated really poorly by our staff who are, quite frankly, shocking! We do still have a few days of the Winter window left but with no money to spend and no wages spare I have to try and offload some players before I can bring anyone else in, unfortunately those I want to get rid of either are not wanted or turn down the move when I accept a deal. We just have to get through the next 9 games and pray we do enough to stay up, then there is going to be a huge rebuild in the Summer

December 2022 After a shaky opening two games we came back with two really good wins, especially the Penybont win who were just below us in the table One game of the regular season to go and we have increased the gap to the bottom two

I'd guess you could. Didn't think of that!

MY FIRST JOB It's taken until early December but eventually I've been offered a job that took my fancy. I'm off to Wales with.... Pontypridd Town! It's going to be a tough task ahead but what took my eye most was the club are already in the Welsh Premier, albeit near the bottom! Just above the relegation zone with 5 games of the regular season left, that is prior to the league split where there are then another 10 matches. We are predicted to end 12th so the club are actually not doing too bad, it's going to be a tough task ahead to try and keep the club in the league, not just this year but the next couple of year until we find our feet. I'll go more into the club and players once I reach the end of the season, let's hope we start well!

Reserved for history

Good morning. So I've been trying to work out a new save for myself, one I can update on the forums. For those that don't know me, I have spent a good 9 years blogging but due to issues with my hands seizing up when writing too much I've had to stop and find a new way to update people on my saves. Writing on the forums takes away the need for mega-long posts, on here I can write shorter, sharper posts in one big long post! So "Breaking New Ground" is the title but that doesn't give much away does it? Well let's start with a Tweet. I was away in Majorca when I good friend of mine MyFMStory quote-tweeted me with this.... This kind of challenge is right up my alley and something which instantly took my fancy. Now I'm not one for using updated or custom databases, I've been burned in the past with that! So that takes out a lot of those countries above, what is does leave me with is.... Iceland, Northern Ireland, San Marino and Wales. San Marino is obviously a tough one as you have to rely on a club playing in Italy but from San Marino to become playable. So my aim is to take those final three nations to not only reaching the Group Stage of a European competition to win one of them!! I will be making it even harder for myself by starting unemployed with no badges and Sunday league reputation! Updates will be quite often, I do play relatively quickly, I plan to update each month or when something interesting happens, updates will also be quite short but I will attempt to write a longer end of season review for each campaign Wish me luck!

First season is over and it was a struggle. Safety guaranteed in the penultimate match