Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/5310/2010fixturesmar.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/4531/2010leaguetablemar.jpg[/imgw]
FA Cup
Teams defeated:
2-0 Great Wakering - 2nd qualifying round
1-0 Sutton United - 3rd qualifying round
2-1 Thurrock (BSS) - 4th qualifying round
2-1(e) Vauxhall (BSN) - 1st round
Eliminated 1-3 in 2nd round replay vs Southport (BSN)
FA Trophy
Teams defeated:
1-0 Workington (BSN) - 3rd qualifying round
2-1 Great Wakering - 1st round
Eliminated 1-2 in 2nd round vs Luton (BSP)
-----
An undefeated run through March came to a very frustrating end at the hands of table-setting Lewes. We were riding the wave of a 9 game unbeaten streak that dated back to the end of January. Beyond that, we had won our last 5 games outright and were favored by the oddsmakers going into The Dripping Pan.
Only 6 points were separating us from the top of the table and we looked like a very good bet to win on the road and cut that deficit in half. No matter for Lewes, however. We came out cautiously and allowed a goal late into injury time before the end of the first half. We began pressing a bit and simply couldn't catch up. Lewes outclassed us and we surrendered two late goals as we tried to desperately score one.
With five games remaining in league play, we are 3 points clear of 6th place and look to be a near lock for the playoffs. Hopefully the final month will bring us good form and good health.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2826/2010fixturesapr.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/2264/2010leaguetableapr.jpg[/imgw]
FA Cup
Teams defeated:
2-0 Great Wakering - 2nd qualifying round
1-0 Sutton United - 3rd qualifying round
2-1 Thurrock (BSS) - 4th qualifying round
2-1(e) Vauxhall (BSN) - 1st round
Eliminated 1-3 in 2nd round replay vs Southport (BSN)
FA Trophy
Teams defeated:
1-0 Workington (BSN) - 3rd qualifying round
2-1 Great Wakering - 1st round
Eliminated 1-2 in 2nd round vs Luton (BSP)
Blue Square South playoffs
Entering semifinal round 1st leg vs Woking
-----
Well, I accomplished my personal goal of making the playoffs and as you can see by the final league table we made it by the slimmest of margins. After our 0-3 drubbing against Lewes we got mired in a funk that we have yet to shake out of. If you recall, we had won five consecutive games leading up to our tilt against Lewes. After the loss? We haven't won in six games now.
We draw Woking for our opening 2-leg playoff; a team that we went 1-1-0 against during league play. Hopefully our past success against them helps us start a good run of form so we can try and push for a promotion.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/4808/2010fixturesfinal.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/5274/2010leaguetablefinal.jpg[/imgw]
FA Cup
Teams defeated:
2-0 Great Wakering - 2nd qualifying round
1-0 Sutton United - 3rd qualifying round
2-1 Thurrock (BSS) - 4th qualifying round
2-1(e) Vauxhall (BSN) - 1st round
Eliminated 1-3 in 2nd round replay vs Southport (BSN)
FA Trophy
Teams defeated:
1-0 Workington (BSN) - 3rd qualifying round
2-1 Great Wakering - 1st round
Eliminated 1-2 in 2nd round vs Luton (BSP)
Blue Square South playoffs
Teams defeated:
1-0 aggregate, Woking - Semifinal
1-0 Bromley - Final
-----
We did it!
In typical fashion, our squad scored two goals in three games and managed to go undefeated. We were fortunate to draw Woking because I felt we matched up well with them during league play. After scraping by with a 1-0 victory at home we played vintage defensive football. From the beginning we played counterattack football and did a lot of time wasting. As a result we grinding away 90 minutes, boring the away crowd to death while taking home a date in the finals.
Bromley did us a massive favor by knocking off Lewes thanks to a 3-1 outburst in the second leg of their game. Lewes had led the table for so long but the team floundered in the end, dropping out of first place and then getting knocked out of the playoffs. We chose to play very cautiously in the final and Bromley bombarded us from the opening whistle. We went into halftime tied at 0, however, and in the 71st minute it was fitting for our leading goal-scorer to do what he did best. James Lawson was picked out by a nice through ball and he slotted home a goal. The replay clearly showed he was a hair offside, but nobody blew a whistle. We salted away the final 20 minutes of the game and I was truly amazed at how we earned promotion.
Keep in mind - I don't reload games when I lose, nor do I use any kind of scout program. After watching my team slip and slide down the stretch with that 6 game winless streak, I was content to take home some extra gate receipt money and try again next season. The team had other plans, however, and here we are headed to the Blue Square Premier!
Preparing for the Blue Square Premier
Coaching staff - I'm letting all of my staff walk away except for one scout who has a 12 in judging ability and a 15 in judging potential. Beyond that, I need to revamp my staff in order to get more development from my team. As you will see in the breakdown below, there isn't any reason to retain them. I would keep my strength/aerobic coach but he doesn't want to resign with the team.
Current training star ratings are as follows:
Strength - 2.5
Aerobic - 3
Goalkeeping - 1
Tactics - 1.5
Ball Control - 1.5
Defending - 1
Attacking - 2
Shooting - 1.5
Set Pieces - 1.5
Starting Eleven
GK - James Dormand did phenomenal for us, allowing only 25 league goals while keeping 26 clean sheets. He didn't fare as well in Cup play against better competition, however, so I will upgrade if the right opportunity arises.
DR - Andy Sambrook is 30 and needs to be mentoring players rather than starting. His decent marking and tackling (10/11) was often overshadowed by his abysmal positioning (3). I'm hoping to find a player with 10+ in tackling, positioning, and pace at the very least.
DL - Jack Obersteller constantly played above his ability and while he is younger than Sambrook, he is rated far worse. Much like at DR, I want to find a player with 10+ in tackling, positioning, and pace at the very least.
DC - Graeme Andrews played solidly at the heart of our defense but his poor composure and below average decisions and positioning leaves me wanting an upgrade. He's a good marker and is strong, so he's serviceable but I'm hoping for someone with 10+ marking, positioning, and tackling at the least.
DC - Ryan Johnson is the smarter but less athletic of my pairing at central defense. Even with his slightly better decisions and positioning, i'm still looking for someone with 10+ marking, positioning, and tackling at the least.
DMC - Gary Fisken was brought on late to play central mid and he takes over only until we find a better defensive presence. I want someone with 10+ marking, positioning, and decisions at least.
MC - Fred Foreman is one of my better rated players at his position and I wonder why he doesn't perform better. Hopefully bringing in better talent around him will help unlock the potential I think I see. I could go for someone better rated at decisions, off the ball and positioning but I have faith in Foreman.
MC - oh, Lee Clark. I guess his below average off the ball, positioning, teamwork, and work rate doom him to playing so poorly. It's too bad, really, because he's got nice attributes elsewhere as a center mid. Maybe playing a bench role will suit him better.
AMR - Loui Fazakerley lacks the crossing ability that I prefer from a winger, but he's got the pace to be a threat when he goes right at the defense. That said, I'd rather have more of a creative player sending crosses in from the wing.
AML - Anthony Finn is one of my favorite players on the team. He only has average attributes at best, but he always seems to make a handful of key plays in any given game. He's going to be severely outclassed at the next level, however, so we will likely part ways when we find an upgrade.
ST - to be honest, I think James Lawson played out of position all season but he still managed to notch 20 goals to lead the team. I think his creativity and passing skills would be far better suited on the wings, but he was just too consistent of a scorer for me to move from the lone striker position. I would love to find another poacher to play up front so Lawson can slide to the outside.
I'll end with a snapshot of my final transfer table from 2009/2010. The flurry of signings in March were speculative moves. My scout sees 3+ star potential in all of them so I'm hoping either they pan out over the next few seasons and earn full time contracts and first team action, or another team offers me a nice transfer sum for one of them.
[imgw]http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/3873/2009transfersfinal.jpg[/imgw]
Here is my opening day starting 11:
[imgw]http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/142/2010tacticsstart.jpg[/imgw]
You can see the new wing-friendly formation that I've been using for almost half of a season.
Here is the transfer table at the start of league play:
[imgw]http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/2334/2010transfersstart.jpg[/imgw]
Here we've begun to upgrade our roster as well as continuing to speculate on some youngsters. As you can see, we have three new starters at the outset of the season - a new ST, DMC, and DR.
I told the board that we would avoid relegation, which gave us a wage budget of 9.25k per week and zero transfer money. The media predicts us to finish dead last, which I will attempt to avoid at all costs. The aim is to finish no worse than 20th so we do not get relegated back down.
One thing that upsets me is how little extra effort the board put forth when we got promoted. I don't think I've ever been promoted from the Blue Square North/South and not had the board change the team from semi-professional to professional. As a result, we're still limited to two coaches and two scouts. Like I always say - this puts us at a competitive disadvantage in the long run and I won't stand for it. If we don't get relegated, the board needs to step up and turn us pro. Otherwise I'm going to step down.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9846/2010fixturesaug.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/132/2010leaguetableaug.jpg[/imgw]
-----
My first month in the BSP went a lot better than I had initially expected. We opened our campaign 2-2-2 and that puts us in the middle of the table. One reason I'm surprised at our results so far is the fact that our fixture table was so congested to start the season - six games in the first month! My team is still getting into match shape and with the first month complete our players look like they're starting to get their legs a bit. The second reason I'm surprised at our result is that we're up against higher league competition. Hopefully this will translate into solid outings throughout the season so we don't have to sweat out potential relegation.
I've secured the services of two players on season-long loans as the initial transfer window came to a close. First, we landed Danny Joyce for the season from Championship side Reading. He becomes the best playmaker in the center of our formation and he should make our offense much more potent. Our second season-long loan is Dale Bennett from Championship side Watford. He is a natual DR but he can play anywhere on the back line. For us, he becomes a much improved defensive presence at left back.
I'm really excited to see how our squad performs in the coming months.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/3508/2010fixturessep.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/618/2010leaguetablesep.jpg[/imgw]
-----
The positive vibe from my first month of league play was tempered with our second month's results. It's not like we fell apart at the seams or anything, but even though we've only lost one game from the previous month, we also haven't won any as we compiled an 0/5/1 record. Hopefully as our loaned players get more comfortable, we will be able to convert a few of those draws into victories.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/971/2010fixturesoct.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/3518/2010leaguetableoct.jpg[/imgw]
FA Cup
Teams defeated:
4-0 AFC Hornchurch - 4th qualifying round
Entering 1st round vs Northwich (BSP)
-----
October was a positive month for us, as we went 3/1/1 in league play and handily defeated our lower league opponent in the FA Cup. We're still sitting comfortably in the middle of the table and I have no complaints as our team continues to gel.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/984/2010fixturesnov.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/879/2010leaguetablenov.jpg[/imgw]
FA Cup
Teams defeated:
4-0 AFC Hornchurch - 4th qualifying round
1-0 Northwich (BSP) - 1st round
Lost to MK Dons (League 1)
-----
We completed our first undefeated month of league play by going 2/2/0 in November. This puts us 13 points clear of relegation as we near the halfway mark of the season. We're only 6 points out of a playoff position, but in all likelihood I expect us to maintain our midtable standing at best.
A slack attitude saw us barely advance out of the 1st round of the FA Cup as we struggled mightily to defeat a fellow BSP team in Northwich. We came back with a much stronger showing in the 2nd round, however, as we nearly upset League 1 outfit MK Dons. It took an 83rd minute goal for them to send us packing.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5931/2010fixturesdec.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/9186/2010leaguetabledec.jpg[/imgw]
FA Cup
Teams defeated:
4-0 AFC Hornchurch - 4th qualifying round
1-0 Northwich (BSP) - 1st round
Lost to MK Dons (League 1)
FA Trophy
Teams defeated:
1-0 Bromley (BSS) - 1st round
Entering 2nd round vs Maldon
-----
An otherwise stellar month was tarnished by an uncharacteristic loss to a fellow midtable team in Barrow. We have been doing very well against better teams, but perhaps a loss like this shows that we aren't quite capable of making noise at the top of the table. And who would be disappointed on our team? Probably nobody.
We notched a hard fought victory over promotion candidates Bromley, which again seemed unnecessarily difficult. I think my team is having a problem keeping motivation against equal or lesser opponents and we'll see about fixing that problem.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8360/2011fixturesjan.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/1318/2011leaguetablejan.jpg[/imgw]
FA Cup
Teams defeated:
4-0 AFC Hornchurch - 4th qualifying round
1-0 Northwich (BSP) - 1st round
Lost 1-2 to MK Dons (League 1) - 2nd round
FA Trophy
Teams defeated:
1-0 Bromley (BSS) - 1st round
4-0 Maldon - 2nd round
Lost 0-1 to Ebbsfleet (BSP) - 3rd round
-----
January was our worst month of league play so far as we stumbled to a 1/1/3 record. Two blowout losses against Histon and Luton show that we need more than luck to compete against the top sides - we need more talent. With about 15 games to go for everyone in the league, we can all but book our place in the BSP again next season as we stand 17 points clear of the drop zone.
We also saw our FA Trophy run come to a bitter end against Ebbsfleet. First we had a fantastic goal by James Lawson nullified by an offside call. Then we were made to suffer with a placed shot in the 83rd minute. On any other day we would have won this match and if we had gone to a replay at home I think we would have done just that. I got into it with the FA afterwards because I couldn't help but complain about the offside call that went against us.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/7387/2011fixturesfeb.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/7711/2011leaguetablefeb.jpg[/imgw]
FA Cup
Teams defeated:
4-0 AFC Hornchurch - 4th qualifying round
1-0 Northwich (BSP) - 1st round
Lost 1-2 to MK Dons (League 1) - 2nd round
FA Trophy
Teams defeated:
1-0 Bromley (BSS) - 1st round
4-0 Maldon - 2nd round
Lost 0-1 to Ebbsfleet (BSP) - 3rd round
-----
February was our turn to administer beatdowns as we matched up mostly against equal competition. We feasted on the likes of Altrincham, Grays, and Hayes & Yeading, drew against promotion contender Wrexham, and suffered our only loss to another promotion contender in Oxford.
With 11 games to go, we're only 8 points away from the final playoff position and if we play as inspired as we did this month I suppose anything is possible. Realistically, however, you can see the difference in class between the top 5 and the rest of the table. 5th place Rushden has the lowest differential in the top 5 with a +25. Nobody else outside of the top 5 is better than +9.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/9279/2011fixturesmar.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/2268/2011leaguetablemar.jpg[/imgw]
FA Cup
Teams defeated:
4-0 AFC Hornchurch - 4th qualifying round
1-0 Northwich (BSP) - 1st round
Lost 1-2 to MK Dons (League 1) - 2nd round
FA Trophy
Teams defeated:
1-0 Bromley (BSS) - 1st round
4-0 Maldon - 2nd round
Lost 0-1 to Ebbsfleet (BSP) - 3rd round
-----
Our attempt to make a mad dash into 5th place fell short, but we certainly showed some spirit in doing so. Our 3/0/3 record for the month further cements the fact that we are very capable of holding our own against most of our BSP opponents and as we continue to add quality - both on the pitch and on our staff - we will only continue to climb the table.
With our place in the BSP guaranteed next season, my goal for the final five games is to showcase our ambition as much as possible in an attempt to convince the board to splash some cash this offseason.
Recent Fixtures
[imgw]http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/9449/2011fixturesapr.jpg[/imgw]
League Table
[imgw]http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4540/2011leaguetableapr.jpg[/imgw]
FA Cup
Teams defeated:
4-0 AFC Hornchurch - 4th qualifying round
1-0 Northwich (BSP) - 1st round
Lost 1-2 to MK Dons (League 1) - 2nd round
FA Trophy
Teams defeated:
1-0 Bromley (BSS) - 1st round
4-0 Maldon - 2nd round
Lost 0-1 to Ebbsfleet (BSP) - 3rd round
-----
Our inaugural season in the BSP was a roaring success. I'm happy that we achieved a midtable finish which is even better than what I had hoped for at the beginning of the campaign. Given that this is our first season after promotion I can only think that better results will be forthcoming; how much success will be largely determined by how much the board is willing to further finance the team.
Here is my starting 11 at the end of the season:
[imgw]http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/6378/2011tacticsend.jpg[/imgw]
Here is the transfer table at the end of the season:
[imgw]http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5153/2011transfersend.jpg[/imgw]
Even in dealing with only free transfers so far, we have done a good job of upgrading our talent pool all around. This is evidenced by our 11th place finish when I would have been happy to simply avoid relegation. I drove the board a little crazy with my spending, as we went over our weekly budget by a few hundred p/w by season's end. That was easily offset by our success, however, and I never once was told to trim my wage budget.
I moved quickly on the knowledge of my two scouts to sign as many players rated 3 stars or better in regards to potential. We now have a robust group of players from the first team down to the U18 squad. Many of them won't make it more than one season. They are my speculative signings that I sign to part-time deals worth only a few dollars p/w. Some of them will be stuck on the reserve team and may moonlight on the first team when league and cup play gets especially hectic. A couple have managed to stick with the first team and that's all I can ask for. I'll get into more details in my next post.
You are reading "Conquering Europe".
