RaySunshine

October 2026 - Romania U21s For Romania, our first game saw us play Luxembourg U21s (Radu 7, 31, Dobre 9, 23, Pintea 56). We had no trouble in seeing off Luxembourg U21s and knew now that we simply had to beat Italy U21s to qualify... However, beating Italy U21s (Pintea 2) proved to be no easy task. There was a made exchange where they scored in the first minute and we in the second but, after that, it was all one-way traffic. So we finish second in the group and that puts us into the play-offs. But who will we play... Your answer is Switzerland who came second in their group behind Croatia - two tough games await us I feel!

October 2026 Before the month's games even began, we had an injury with Jack Stretton being potentially ruled out for most of the month. In the on-the-pitch action, we took on Peterhead (Dall 18, McKay o.g. 53, Gunn 90+2). This was a real topsy-turvy affair. They took the lead at the start of the game before levelled it up. They took the lead again just before HT and we levelled it up again. I then nearly had a 'laptop out the window' moment when I made a CB sub and Sharp played the ball out to the new guy before he'd got into position, needless to say, he was insantly robbed and the ball was in the back of the net! Thankfully, we had one more goal in us and the score was level. We then took on Hamilton in the first of our double-header. The first half was pretty equal but we went on to dominate the second. As ever though, we didn't score and penalties were called for. They scored their six and we scored five but Aghatise sent his straight into the keepers' arms and that was that. Another week, another hamstring injury! Ethan Ross tore his hamstring and is out for the next 2-3 months! Our second game in the Hamilton double-header was in the league. We took them on and, again, ran them close. The real kick in the teeth was Kido Taylor-Hart getting the winner as I had tried to sign him in the summer and he turned us down for Hamilton! Finally, we got into winning ways when we took on Forfar Athletic (Fisher 57, Kirk 65). CB Fisher got the first, heading in a corner, and Kirk got the second when he smashed home Gunn's super through-ball. In the month's final game, we played East Fife (Fuller o.g. 7, Mackinnon 33). Fuller turned the ball into his own net when Dall crossed the ball in. Mackinnon then doubled up with a super long-range strike. They scored one late on to add some drama to the game but we held on for all three points. Stretton did make a come-back in the East Fife game but he didn't last out the game and will have another few weeks out before he makes a proper return. Hamilton are beginning to run away with the league - already opening up a nine-point gap although we do have a game in hand, We're securely second though having six points on Alloa below us. Derby rivals Montrose, in 5th, open up November's games before we take on Queen of the South who are struggling in ninth this season. We then have a double-header against Partick Thistle who are 8th.

October 2026 My first game saw us take on Greece U21s (Radu 44). I had no assistant manager so I had to pick the XI on my own thoughts. Despite dominating the game, we went down a goal in the 43rd minute when they put a low cross in and their striker was first to the ball. We then levelled up a minute later when LB Neacsu played a neat ball into the box and Radu smashed it home. In game two, we took on Austria U21s (Pintea 37). Pintea, playing as CF, got the only goal when the ball broke loose to him in the box and he smashed it home! We presently hold second position. Italy U21s are level with us on points and Austria are only two points behind. Second place is vital as it would put us into the playoffs. In the next month, we play Luxembourg U21s who have been conceding hatfuls. Part of this might depend on how many goals we can put past them. By comparison, Italy put 9 past them home and away! We then play Italy U21s themselves and, at that point, our fate will be in the hands of the gods!

September 2026 September proved to be my first perfect month of the save! The good times began in the game against FC Edinburgh (Ross 39). I wondered about rotating for this one and I'm glad I didn't as it wasn't a walkover. Ross got the only goal when Stretton sent the ball all the way across and Ross on the other side swept it home. With a bit more money available, I decided it was time to upscale our analysis department so James Smith comes in to deliver the stats to me! We returned to league action and took on Partick Thistle (Kirk pen 13, 16, 41). Kirk commanded this game and got his first hattrick for the club. Partick got two goals back in the second half but we held on to claim all three points. We paid for the points though in two injuries. Aghatise pulled his knee but Barton had his lower arm broken! At worst, he will already have missed 12 weeks of the season. With the squad having grown, I decided it was time to let Dawson go out on loan as the minutes would be most helpful for him at this stage. We then took on Clyde (Slater pen 65, Kirk 90+1). Clyde haunted me as the the defeat to them cost us vital points at the end of last season. This time though the three points were ours when Slater put a penalty away and Kirk got one at the death with a powerful header. I'm still working on getting that move to South America and this was another way of boosting my reputation. It gave me two unexpected games this month! The month's final game was 2nd v 3rd when we took on Alloa Athletic (Ross 68). We managed to nab all three points when Dall made a surging run down the left hand side; put the cross in and Ross smashed it into the top corner! Another week - another long injury! Will we have anyone left soon? Well this is the best the team have been under my reign by far. We're up in second and a good five points inside the playoff places. This was a nice combination at the end of the month - I feel like we must be getting something right! Next month starts with a game against fifth-place Peterhead. We then have a cup and league double-header against table-topping Hamilton. The next two games then see us play Forfar Athletic, 7th and promoted East Fife who have got up to fourth!

August 2026 The league season began with a mixed bag of results. The first was that against Forfar Athletic. Here we were dominant, utterly dominant. We had an xG of nearly 3 but didn't get a goal. The did though and the season opened with defeat. This was a bit of a shock and would see our new keeper miss the Celtic game. We then took on Hamilton (Kirk 40). We once again dominated and Kirk got the goal when Gunn put in a low cross for him to finish. Game three saw us take on East Fife (Oghatise 1). Oghatise scored a corker from long range in the first minute and I thought it would set us on our way well. It didn't as, once again, we didn't hit our scoring potential and then let slip goals to crash to defeat. I was worried that Gunn wasn't going to get the goals from out wide that Connell got last season. So I brought in Jack Stretton. He was formerly of Stockport but I think he has what it takes to do well here. That was followed by the game against the mighty Celtic (Kirk 58, pen 66, Wright 74). When were 3-0 down at HT, I was worry that we were going to be drubbed. We did end up conceding five but also scored three so it felt like a respectable result in the end! A return to league action saw us take on Montrose (Fisher 16). We weren't at our best but Fisher's headed goal from a set piece was enough to secure all three points. Finally, we played Queen of the South (Kirk 43, 45+1, Bird 90). We went into HT well with Kirk having scored a fierce effort from outside the box and a confident effort past the keeper when Stretton slipped him through. In the second half, however, it had looked like we'd thrown it all away until Gunn put in a low cross for Bird to hit home late on. So, unlike last season, we take up residence in the play-off places. The question is will it las more than one month?! At the moment, everything is far too tight to make anything of the situation we're in but it's not a bad place to be. September's first game sees us take on FC Edinburgh of League Two in the Challenge Cup. We then play Partick Thistle who are 9th, Clyde who are 10th and Alloa Athletic at the other as they top the table! I hope that we will have secured our position well by the end of the month.

Rather the opposite of my present plan which is keep a high-passing 4-3-3 going but in lower-league Scottish football at the moment!

July 2026 The League Cup made the warm up to our season and I was very pleased with how it went! We began by taking on lowly Brechin City (Kirk 29, Bird 84). Kirk opened the season's scoring and his Arbroath account when he powerfully headed home a Kyle Smith corner. Two new players combined to get the season up and running. Two regulars from last season then finished it off when Gunn crossed for Bird to score. I noticed that we had no youth team and, for a club that wants to develop youth players, I thought it might be helpful. The board it seems thought that the youth players could be developed without them joining the club or having a side to play in! League One Peterhead (Kirk 10, Wright 67) were up next. Twice we fell behind in this game but twice we fought back. Kirk was up first when he put away Gunn's first time ball into the box and Wright got his later on when he coolly slotted home Kirk's great through-ball. We won the penalties here to get us a bonus point. After that came Championship side Raith Rovers. We were distinctly second-best on this one but managed to keep them out. We couldn't make the most of the penalties on this one so the bonus point was theirs. Finally, we played SPL side Ross County (Ross 1, Aghatise 23, Gunn 90+5) and we beat them! Ethan Ross opened the scoring in less than a minute - making a mazy run through the centre of their team. Aghatise got his first goal for the side when he was put through by Dall. They then got one back to add some peril to the match but Gunn rounded it off with a far post header! Draws don't come much bigger than this! We've managed to get through our group and have a day out at Celtic Park as a reward. I hope we do better than we did against Newcastle! Our league season opens with us playing familiar rivals Forfar Athletic who are expected to finish bottom this year. Then we play Hamilton who are expected to be 2nd so that's one extreme to the other! After that it's East Fife who are predicted to be 8th before the big game against Celtic. After that, we face Montrose who expect to be 7th and Queen of the South who are predicted 4th. It's not going to be a quiet start to the season that's for sure!

Pre-Season Pre-season began with the news that midfielder McKenna had retired. He wasn't playing regularly for me last season so I can happily wish him the best in his retirement! Pep had finished third with Man City and this was enough to get him sacked - I just loved the notion that he was out of his depth at Man City! Before pre-season had even got underway, we picked up two lengthy injuries but on the plus Mackinnon said he wanted to stay! Thankfully, neither of the injured are expected to be regular starters in the new season. So let's have a look at who is... First in is Makenzie Kirk from Hearts. He never made it through the youth system to their first team but I think he has the quality to fill his boots at this level and hopefully repair the damage of Connell leaving. Sam Fisher, 24, comes in from Dunfirmline Athletic. He'd played for them regularly and well the season before last but then fell out of favour so we snapped him up to add strength to our backline. 23yo Nigerian Osazee Aghatise looks like he could be real talent at this level. He made 37 appearances for Mansfield last season and got two goals and three assists in that time. I brought in Kyle Smith to challenge at RB - a position I felt was weak last season. He joins the side from Millwall and his ability to cover in CB will be helpful too. Finally, Callum Burton joins the side from Plymouth Argyle. Once again, he never played for them but I hope that he'll make a good career here! We had one pre-season which saw us play Newcastle for Hamilton's testimonial. They might have brought a second-string side but they weren't in second-string mood! The league remains the central focus for the board and the expectations have gone up. Last season, it was be top half. Now it's get into the play-offs minimum. I hope that the squad I've put together is good enough. Well, the odds-makers expect us to achieve our goal this season. Our odds are lower than last season though as we're placed firmly behind the two relegated sides. Can we outdo them? As it works in Scotland, we start off with the League Cup. Brechin City are in the Highland League so should provide a gentle start to the season. They're followed by Peterhead who remain a fellow League One side. We then take on Raith Rovers of the Championship and Ross County of the SPL. We won't be favourites to go through but it will be a good marker of how the side are coming together.

Neymar Here is a brief Neymar update! Dyche and Neymar seemed to mesh well and Neymar followed in the footsteps of fellow South American James Rodriguez in making a name for himself! He has another year on Mersyside to go...

Season Review Normally, at this stage, I would just post my season XI and awards but far too much has been going on for that to be the case! First up was the release of our budget. It's not £33 million pounds but it shows some ambition to improve and strengthen the squad which is what I like to see. Perhaps this is where it all begins! The new board put bring youth players into the vision so I thought the club better have a Head of Youth Development. In comes Scott McDonald to take on the role. Here's our season XI review. It's one of the few times that I've found it to match up perfectly with the XI that I've chosen over the course of the season. In terms of awards, Connell and Dall take them. My worry is that Connell, along with Stewart and Hylton, is walking away at the end of the season! Here's the star/stat view that I find very helpful from a moneyball pov. The three players making headlines for the wrong reasons are Matthew McDonald, Craig Slater and Jay Bird. Aaron Steele and Harrison Sharp are not far behind either! These then would normally be the postions I would be looking at. That though will be dealt with after I've replaced Connell, Hylton and Stewart! This is the tactical approach that I've taken. It's high possession, high pressing and high entertainment! I'm really pleased with the way that it's worked - bringing out a real Bielsa/Poch/Pep high-energy, high speed game when we get the ball but also allowing to rule the possession stats. Not bad for Scottish League One! With some contracts coming up to their end, I moved quickly to bring in some new faces. First up, was Liam Parker. The 22yo Scottish CB didn't make a single appearance in the SPL for St Johnstone last season. They chose not to renew his contract so we snapped him up. He should be better than either of our CBs at the moment and fill in the gap left by O'Brien in January. Hot on his heels was Scott McGill of Queen's Park. He had just a tiny handful of minutes in the SPL last season and therefore hit the release list. I hope that Queen Park's loss is our gain. The third of the trio coming in is Osazee Aghatise. He's 23yo and is coming in from Mansfield. He played regularly and well for a Mansfield side in the National League but he opted to move on and I hope that he enjoys coming to play the game here at Arbroath!

May 2026 So we only had one game to play taking on Kelty Hearts (Bird 57, Gunn 87). In the final game of the season, Bird got the opener by picking up a ball that was loose in the box and smashing it home. Gunn doubled up late on by heading home a good cross to ensure that we finish the season with a win. We finish fifth which is what was asked for at the start of the season and it has felt like we've got better as the season's gone on. Hopefully, next season, we can do better if I'm still here. Perhaps that £33 million will roll in...

April 2026 April turned out to be a hugely frustrating month as our play-off goal slipped through our fingers. It all began when we took on Peterhead (Slater pen 6, Hylton 60). I thought we'd done well here whne goals from Slater and Hylton gave us a two-goal lead. However, their goals in the 82nd and 84th minutes meant that we began the month letting a vital two points slip through our grasp. Thankfully, everyone around us drew so it was as you were going into the Alloa Athletic (Hylton 37, Dall 39, Slater pen 80). I feared the worst when they took the lead inside six minutes but Hylton got us level when McDonald, who had given the opener away, found him with a backpost cross. Dall then smashed a long-range effort home to give us the lead. In the second half, Slater put a penalty home to finish things off. We then found out that Slater wouldn't play for us again this season. Would this be something we'd come to rue? Game three's opponents were Greenock Morton (Connell 66, Wright 85). This again, did not start well as we fell two goals behind. Connell got one back when he headed home a corner and Wright bagged us a point late on when he smashed in Hylton's low cross. 2-2 and points shared! The month's last game saw us take on Clyde. I thought we'd win this one but we didn't - they got themselves ahead and we simply failed to create. For all the possession we had, we simply couldn't break them down and we walked away empty-handed. This was then another piece of bad news as yet another player made it clear that they wanted to leave the club! And so the season peters out and the play-offs slip through our fingers. We made a poor start to the season and, by the time I'd tweaked our tactics to make them work, it was too little, too late. One game remains against bottom-of-the-league Kelty Hearts. I feel like I need to win to get a top-half finish and keep my job or I might be taking my 4-3-3 elsewhere!

March 2026 The month of March might have been a short one but it certainly wasn't dull and I'm not complaining about the results either! The month began with SPL side Queen's Park giving me an interview for a job. This was followed up by Macleod complaining that I had not improved my teamtalks and cheered the team up. Thankfully, no-one else seems concerned and he's not a vital player so it's the not the end of the world! Unfortunately, my ticket to the SPL did not come through so I'm looking to carry on in League One for the moment! After all that, it was time to play a game! This was against Forfar Athletic (Bird 23, Steele 64, Wright 87). Mackinnon, our rpm, played a beaut of a ball of the top, Connell squared it and Bird knocked it home. In the second half, Steele headed home a corner and then Stewart set up a neat passing move that was finished off by Wright to make it 3-0. I decided to put my name in the hat for the Queen of the South job as it would give me a boost into the playoff places and the chance to get a promotion to my name! With the season running out, I really didn't want to pick up any more injuries for what feels like my very small squad! Cove Rangers (Bird 18, Slater 20) were a stern test. Bird gave us the lead when he put the last touch on a neat one-touch move with McDonald and Connell and then Slater doubled up when he hit a penalty against the post but was able to knock the rebound home! This was enough to hold them off and get a 2-1 win. Alas, Queen of the South didn't offer me the job so it really does seem like I'm staying with Arbroath for the time being. I was made to feel better by us getting our third win in a row against Montrose (Hylton 48, 61). For the first goal, another neat passing move sent Hylton on to run through and score his first. For his second, he headed home McDonald's cross at the far post and it was enough for the win. This popped up at the end of the month and I was really pleased to see it. I presume it's for Mackinnon taking on the role of RPM for the side. I'm really pleased as we all dream of being a Bielsa-type coach who transforms the players under their care and this is the first success on this save! We move up to fifth and suddenly the play-offs are only six points away. There aren't many games left now so it's by no means likely but the goal has to be there! This wasn't a bad thing to get either! So, who do we face in the run-in? The first game is a vital one against Peterhead who are level with us on points and only one place behind in 6th. Then there's Alloa Athletic who are 3rd and Greenock Morton in 2nd before rounding out the month against Clyde in 8th. It's not going to be an easy month for sure but points are absolutely vital now!

Just had a read through of your save so far and am really enjoying it. Hope you find a way to get all your dream roles working!

February 2026 This was certainly a month of two halves - except the good bit was less than a half and the worse bit was certainly more! It began well when we took on Alloa Athletic (Bird 17, Hylton 20, Connell 48). It didn't start well when Alloa took the lead but Bird levelled things up by firing home from a good 25 yards out. Hylton then put us into the lead by heading home McDonald's far post cross. Connell made it three by putting home Mackinnon's great through ball. They got one back but couldn't level things up. Things then started to get busy! Championship side Partick Thistle offered me an interview and squad member Mahon said that, as he wasn't starting regularly, he wanted out the club. This was a real blow to our season so far. Hylton has been a vital goal-scorer and assisting machine and now we've got to try and do without him! This was a piece of good news - I'm slowly working Mackinnon into a roaming playmaker and this piece of individual training was part of the process! In game two, we took on Greenock Morton (Connell 4, McDonald 7, Mackinnon 51, Mckenna 68, Dawson 90+2) and we simply took them apart. At this stage things were looking good; we'd got up to only two points off fifth and maybe only three off the play-offs. Then there was some good news when midfield stalwart Stewart announced that he wanted to stay at the club (largely because no-one was putting in any offers for him) and then some disappointed news as I was turned down by Partick Thistle. At this point, things started to tumble downhill. We took on, and throughly outplayed Clyde but they managed to bag two goals and those two goals got them all three points. We then took on Queen of the South (McKenna 72) and were poor, really really poor. In the second half, Mckenna managed to fire home a stunner from 25 yards out but it was the only good thing we did all game as we were soundly beaten. The month finished with a tie against Kelty Hearts (Mackinnon 76). I thought we'd finally bagged a win when Mackinnon headed home a ball sent to the far post. We didn't score the second though, and, again, it punished us as they got a 90+4 leveller. We seem to be stuck in sixth. Forfar are only three points behind us now and the final playoff place is seven points away. The pre-season aim of a top-half finish is still do-able but can we pull out the form needed to secure it? I'm not so sure we can. Rivals Forfar Athletic are just below us in 7th and I really like to beat them to push them down a bit. Cove Rangers are 2nd but we beat them not so long ago so we know that we can. Finally, we take on Montrose who are 10th so we really need to get a win there! We've only got eight games left in the season now so every point counts...

January 2026 In an uncanny coincidence, January had the same results as February! The defeat to open the month came against derby rivals Forfar Athletic. Once again, we dominated the game but they managed one cross and header that was enough to get them all three points. In game two, we took on Cove Rangers (Burrell o.g. 36, Hylton 37, Bird 48) who beat us 6-1 the last time we played. This time, it was our chance to show what we were all about. The scoring opened when Connell fired in a free-kick which deflected off Burrell in the goal and into the back of the net. Hylton followed up a minute later when Burrell was caught in possession - allowing Hamilton to thread the ball through to Hylton to score. Bird rounded out the game with a one-touch goal from Connell's low cross. Fierce rivals Montrose (Connell 5) were up next and it was another wasted opportunity. Connell opened the scoring when Mackinnon's beauty of a through-ball sent him on his way. We dominated the game but didn't score the second - allowing them to level things up at the death. Grrr... Finally, we took on third-place Peterhead (Connell 29, Wright 68, 81). Connell fired in his trademark far-post header to open the scoring before youngser Wright made the most of his second-half cameo to nab two goals: it all makes a result I was really pleased with. O'Brien had been wanting to leave since the start of the season and finally he went. I didn't really want him to go but felt that it would cause trouble if I didn't and we do have to free up some room on the wage bill as the Chairperson's millions are still yet to arrive... We remain sixth but a point closer to fourth and we're much closer to Queen of the South in 5th. The challenge will be that Forfar are right on our coat tails so there's no room for a mistake! February opens with a challenge when we take on table-topping Alloa Athletic. After that, it's Greenock Morton who are third and Clyde in 9th. Finally, we face Kelty Hearts who are 8th. I really want this to be a month where push on and close the gaps to the teams above us and make a gap between us the ever-challenging Forfar! I've also noticed that my own rep has gone up from 1 to 1.5 stars. Perhaps a bigger club, maybe even one in South America, will notice me...

U23 Asian Cup The group stage of the U23 Asian Cup turned out to be exactly what I thought it would be - a mere formality. We thrashed North Korea U23s (Horie 17, 46, Konno 31, 48, Tanaka 54, Ikefuji 73) and did the same to Kyrgyszstan U23s (Konno 41, Miyamoto pen 45, Nishinoue 80). Having won the first two games, I could rotate the squad so my second string took on Thailand U23s (Nishinoue 3, Ikefuji 21, 85). We still won this game comfortably and could progress to the QFs knowing that we'd topped our group. Syria U23s were the oppostion in the quarter finals. It's fair to say that we made short work of them. Yasumaru opened the scoring when he cut inside and then fired a long-range shot home. Konno, our striker, had come deep and then played a beauty of a through-ball for Horie to run on to and finish. LB Ishii made it 3-0 when he fired home from the corner of the six-yard box and Yoda put the icing on the cake with a low strike into the bottom corner. On to the semis... Here we played Iran U23s and made much harder work of it than we should have done! CM Nakai gave us the lead when Konno pulled the ball back for him to smash home. They eqaulised just on the stroke of HT when a neat passing move was finished off with a strike from just outside the box. Despite all our domination, we couldn't get the second goal and the game went to extra time. Just at the midway point, Yoda made the difference when he was on the line to turn and put a bullet cross home. Konno then rounded things off and we went ont to the final... In the final, we took on Australia U23s. They got the lead when a deep cross from the right-hand side was headed home. In the 48th minute, Seita, our RB, played a low ball to the penalty spot and Horie was there to smash it home. Australia restored their lead when they headed home a near-post corner. We couldn't get back into the match and Australia ran out deserved winners. I pleased to reach the final but disappointed not to get the rep boost of medal. I did decide it was time to finish with Japan U23s so I handed in my notice to focus on all things Arbroath...

December 2025 A month with far more red than green in it and another three-month unbeaten run. Are things finally heading the way I want them to at last?! Things didn't start off well in the game against Greenock Morton (Hylton 90) but this was mostly due to the fact that we gave two penalties away! Hylton did get a consolation late on but it was pretty clear by that stage that it would be meaningless! I then got a job interview with Championship side Livingston. Alas, I didn't get the job but it was nice to be noticed now that I've done my first six months and can start applying for jobs again! The next game saw us take on Clyde (Bird 15, Hylton 32, 55, Connell 44, Dawson 78). I feared the worst when we went a goal down early on but we then set about putting them to the sword! The pick of our five fine goals was Hylton's first - a great strike into the top corner from 20 yards out. Things then got interesting as Chairperson talks got serious... ... and I liked the sound of £33m to spend if Etchepare got his way. Imagine what I could do with that in League One! The game against Kelty Hearts was one of utter domination but we simply couldn't score and that was hugely frustrating as a win by two goals or more would not have been undeserved! Young Joey Dawson has been beginning to get some minutes for me and has chipped in with the odd goal too. It's a shame that this is going to set him back. Then the takeover of dreams was completed by a chair who wants to make the club one of the greatest forces in European football. But... ... there's no sign of the cash yet. Is it all a big con? The month's final game saw us take on Queen of the South (Connell 20, Steele 30, Wright 53) and we got one of the best league results of the season! Connell got the first when Hylton, as ever, picked him out with a great cross for a fine header. Steele then doubled up heading home a near post corner. Finally, Wright got his goal when Hylton's low cross found him almost on the goal line and just needing to poke it over! We then switched to international duties where Japan U23s took on Peru U23s (Miyamoto pen 6, Konno 44) in a U23 Asian Cup warm-up. I was shocked to find that Ueda had made it up to the senior squad now so was no longer available. The first XI got us into a comfortable two-goal lead, but, as the second half went on, the second string couldn't hold on and the game finished all-square. A seven-point gap to the playoffs remains but it does feel like we're closing in step-by-step. Having got our scoring up and conceding down - two clean sheets in a month - it feels like we're really headed in the right direction. I just need this new Chair's money to come online now! I said I'd let you know how Neymar was getting on and seems like he's enjoying himself in Liverpool as far as I can tell. Dyche and Neymar - a match made in heaven! Our January games see us take on rivals Forfar Atheltic (7th), Cove Rangers (4th), Montrose (10th) and Peterhead (2nd). I have to say that I really, really want to beat Cove Rangers after the six they put past us in the last game. Can we do it? There is also the action of the U23 Asian Cup taking place. I assume that we'll get out of our group without too much trouble. The real fun will be seeing who we play after the group stage.

November 2025 I looked at our pressing stats and decided we needed to go for it - high line, sweeper keeper, press more often. Cove Rangers (Bird 46) told us that we didn't. Their first four shots all hit the back of the net and we spent most of the game running back towards our own goal - ouch! Against Montrose (Connell 5, 66, Hylton 68), I brought back the defensive and pressing lines, restored a traditional keeper role but kept the press more often trigger. Connell got us scoring when he headed home Dall's cross. They got back level just before HT but, in the second half, Dall crossed again for Connell to head home and restore the lead. Hylton put the icing on the cake when he fired a rocket into the top corner from the edge of the box. Perhaps this is the tactical setup that works? We tried the same again in the tie against Peterhead (Bird 22, Steele 45). Jay Bird got the scoring underway when he got up to head home Dall's cross. Steele got a second when he headed a near-post corner into the turf and it pinged back up and in. They got two back in the second half and the game finished level but we'd won the xG battle against them. In the cup, we took on Championship side Kilmarnock. It's fair to say that they simply strolled past us. We couldn't lay a finger on them and they scored three goals comfortably. In the month's final game, we played Alloa Athletic (Connell 7, Hylton 34). Once again, Connell opened the scoring by heading home Dall's cross. Hylton then finished off a neat passing move to make it 2-0. And we get our first league clean sheet of the season! Our rise up the table continues: we're now 6th and beginning to look up rather than down. I think it will take some serious work to get into the top four but that's the dream. Having got three games without defeat, it feels like that, even if we haven't turned a corner yet, we're at least looking around it! Our increased pressing has brought the average oppo PPDA down to 4.54 from 4.66 so it's heading in the right direction. December begins with a game against Greenock Morton who are just above us in 5th. That's followed by playing Clyde who are 10th and Kelty Hearts who are 8th. Finally, we play Queen of the South who have that coveted fourth spot at the moment. I really hope that, with the tactical tweaks made, we can make some good form and close that gap as the month goes on!

October 2025 Another month goes through and, this time, there are no green spots at all. It feels like time at Arboath is coming to an end! There wasn't room for a coach on the team but I did bring in a performance analyst in the hope that he can help point out what's going wrong! Game one saw us take on Kelty Hearts (Connell 21, Dawson 89). Connell opened the scoring when Dall crossed over for him to head home. The game then turned as Kelty got a 2-1 lead. It looked like, with the game running out that we were going to be beat but, at the death, Slater put a big ball over the top and Dawson smashed it home. So much for the passing game! We might have got a point but, later that week, we had to pay for it as O'Brien picked up a significant injury. That didn't help us going into the game against Queen of the South. Once again, we dominated the game but didn't score. They put a free-kick in to the back post and headed it home. Game over. The month's final game saw us take on rivals Forfar Athletic (Connell 11). This time, Stewart, on the corner of the box, put the cross in and Connell headed it into the ground and got the goal. We went on to dominate the game but didn't score - again. They came back late on and levelled, no three points for us. We've gained two points and moved up one place in the table. It's really not the sort of record and place that I want the team to be though. It's truly frustrating! Here are the two extremes - 3rd best at the back, 2nd worst going forward. It's not going to add up to a promotion season that's for sure. This was an interesting chart that has us as real press outliers - we need to up our pressing game it seems! November starts with the small challenge of taking on Cove Rangers who are third. Montrose are 8th so we really need to be beating them! Peterhead are 1st so that will be another tricky game for sure. We then take on Championship side Kilmarnock in the cup - wish us luck there - before the month rounds out with the game against Alloa Athletic who are 2nd. It won't be easy but can it be better?

September 2025 If August hadn't really been our month, it's fair to say that September wasn't feeling any more generous! As predicted, O'Brien wasn't happy with my failure to sell him and let me know about it pretty quickly. It's really what I didn't need in an already tricky situation! In terms of the games, it began with the tie against Montrose (Connell 9) in the Challenge Cup. Montrose got an early goal when they put home a corner. We then replied in short order with Hylton making a great cross for Connell to finish. We went on to dominate the game but, once again, couldn't turn it into goals. The tie went to penalties and we missed two to come off the worse. Things got no better in the league when we took on Alloa Athletic. The two teams here were pretty evenly matched but they made the most of it getting their only goal with a floated cross to the back post that was then comfortably headed home. We then got a win! We played Greenock Morton (Bird 53, Slater pen 60, Wright 86). They got a first-half goal to leave me worried that it was going to be a month of straight defeats. Saving him from coming off, Jay Bird was played through and smashed the ball home. Then Slater put us into the lead when he slotted home a neat penalty. Finally, Matty Wright smashed one home and that was enough to secure the win. The final game of the season against Clyde returned us to familiar defeat. They got a goal where the play-through had more than a whiff of offside about it but we couldn't conjure up a goal and left the game with nothing. We finish the month closer to the relegation places than the play-offs and it's a long long way from the glittering season that I thought we'd have. The fact that we're already over-budget on wages so I feel like I can't bring anyone in really doesn't help. With things going badly, I thought I'd have a look at the stats - particularly our goal-scoring... In terms of xG we should be 5th but we're coming up 8th in league in terms of actually scoring goals... ... and our conversion rate is utterly dreadful! A woeful 8% of our shots finish up being goals and this feels like a serious serious problem. We're creating shots and chances but we're not converting them. With no money to bring in players I do wonder what I can do to improve this situation. I do wonder whether I can sneak another coach on to the staff to see if that helps us get the ball into the back of the net a little more often. Kelty Hearts in 6th remain the only team we haven't played yet this season. After that, we take on Queen of the South who are 5th and Forfar Athletic who are 9th. I'd like to think there's the potential for us to rise up and improve but can this squad make it happen?

August 2025 The month began with another key player announcing that, at the end of the season he's going to be off the pastures new. Game one in the league saw us play rivals Forfar Athletic (Dall 55). It looked like we were going to stroll to a win with us dominating the game and LB Dall hitting home a beauty of an effort. We couldn't score again though and they nicked a goal to leave us wondering where the other two had gone. We then took on Queen of the South (Connell 33) and seemed to be dominating the game - even better when we went in ahead thanks to Connell's header. Once again, though, we couldn't score any more and they could leaving us rueing a 2-1 defeat. This was news that I could have done without. It will prevent Stewart from leaving to play for anyone else but will prevent him from playing for us as well. Not good news! I couldn't help but post this one! I'll let you know how he gets on with Sean Dyche at the end of the season! Our next game was against top-of-the-table Cove Rangers. We simply weren't in this game. They cruised past us and left us trailing far, far in their wake. The squad 'gained' another red cross after the Cove game. Things are really not looking good in our start so far! Another week, another playing looking to leave! O'Brien decided that he wanted out and made sure that the rest of the squad knew about it too. It all feels rather explosive here! On the back of all that, we took on Montrose (Bird 11, 78, Hylton 34) and got our best performance of the young league season! Bird got the first with a header off Hylton's fine cross. They then levelled up to leave me fearing the worst. Hylton restored our lead though with him being the first to get to a ball played across the box. Bird then finished things off when he pounced on a loose ball to smash it home - three points! The month's final game saw us play Peterhead (Bird 36). Dall played a low ball across the box and Bird smashed it home to give us the lead. They level it up. We went on to dominate but couldn't get the second goal that we needed to get three points. Bang - another injury! It feels like our team are made of spaghetti! The month finishes and we're four points off the playoffs. It's a long way from the optimistic title-challenging season I thought we'd have. Things have got to get better and quick or I'll be in serious trouble! We start off facing Montrose in the cup. Then League action sees us play Alloa Athletic (2nd), Greenock Morton (5th) and Clyde (10th). My fear, though, is that no-one wants to buy O'Brien even though he wants to leave so I have a feeling that the whole situation is going to nuclear pretty soon...

I don't know if this is the right place to suggest it but I get very frustrated by choosing a shout, a goal going in and then the shout happening and giving the team the wrong reaction. E.g. I praise my team for leading by a single goal. Before the shout 'happens', the opposing team level the scores. The shout then 'happens' and I get a sea of red faces when I praise the team for drawing with a side they should beat. Tactical changes have a 'Proceed with...' option when a goal is scored. Can the same happen for shouts?

U23 Asian Cup Quals As you can see from the results above, qualifying for the U23 Asian Cup was a mere formality. Our first opponents in the group were Guam U23s (Konno 2, 22, Ueda 18, 61, Umiguchi 45+2, Nishinoue 81). There was no contest here even though they arguably scored the goal of the game with a free-kick deflected through the wall and in. In terms of players making their names known, Yuji Konno and Takuya Ueda of Kawasaki Frontale certainly caught my eye! We got even more goals in the game against Northern Mariana U23s (Ueda 9, 49, pen 58, Nakano 36, Yasumaru 45, Konno 60, Miyamoto 80, Umiguchi pen 84, Nishinoue 89) with Ueda getting a perfect hattrick in this one. The next player to make his name was Rihito Umiguchi of Yokohama F. Marinos. The final game had a more convential scoreline even if there was no real peril in it. We beat Philippines U23s (Ueda 30, Umiguchi 60, Konno 63) and strolled into the Cup with three wins out of three! The table shows our dominance with our +16 GD being the only postive one from the whole group! With that work done, U23 duties rest until October when we take on Mexico U23s before playing in the U23 Asian Cup in January.

July 2025 It was an interesting month in charge of Arbroath, that's for sure! It began with my opening game against part-timers Brora Rangers. We dominated, absolutely dominated, the game but missed everything. They didn't though - Luyeye played a beauty of a ball over the top, McRae got hold of it, rounded the 'keeper and put it home to consign me to defeat in my first game in the job. We were then up against Championship side Dundee (Connell 21, Wright 86, Gunn 90+2). Connell gave us a dream lead when Hylton's mazy run finished with a square ball for Connell to put home. Towards the end of the game, Wright secured the result when Stewart made a far-post cross for his teammate to head home. Gunn put a gloss on things when he turned his man on the edge of the box and then fired it home to complete our giant-slaying! The challenge went up another notch in game three when we took on SPL side Dundee United (Gunn 86). United strolled into a 2-0 lead and we were never really in it. At the death though, Gunn nabbed a goal when Hamilton managed a cross to him at the far post. The final game was against Stirling Albion (Connell 6, Bird 82). The team from a league below went behind when Stewart played a beauty of a ball through for Connell to fire home. We were then pegged back though when they headed hom a far post corner. Our lead was restored though when Wright played a low cross from the left and Bird fired it home. We go out the cup but I don't think we can be too disappointed - we came below the teams in the leagues above and above the teams in the leagues below! This is familiar news - am I going to have to survive another board changeover? Scott Stewart - one of our key players - has made it clear that he wants out and, in order to avoid a squad revolt, I had to agree to sell him. It's not something I wanted to but I feel like I have little choice! So now our focus turns to league action. Game one is huge and sees us take on derby rivals Forfar Athletic who are predicted to be 9th. We then take on Queen of the South who expect to be 3rd and Cove Rangers who are the league favourites. It's going to be a challenging start that's for sure! After we've got through that, we take on Montrose and Peterhead. They expect to be 7th and 8th respectively so I hope we can get points there. Before any of that though, I have my work with Japan U23s to do...