An old face in a familiar place

For those of you that are familiar with me and my stories, I'm happy to have you reading again! For those of you that are strangers, sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey.

As promised, I will begin my FM2011 journey with a team that has become dear to my heart. When I first stumbled upon the FM series in 2009, I had no idea what I was doing. When I decided to work my way up from the bottom of the English leagues, I settled on Newport County. I had a handful of saves at the helm of Newport with the most successful one leaving them just shy of promoting into the Premier League. The goal this time around is to take Newport County to the pinnacle of not only English football and the Premier League, but also to the pinnacle of international football and the Champions League. Let the games begin!



Competitions
League Table




4th round Qualifying, 3-0 vs Whitley Bay
1st round, 2-1 vs Chelmsford (BSS)
2nd round. 1-2 vs Hartlepool (League 1)



1st round, 1-1 vs Gateshead (BSP)
1st round replay, 2-1 vs Gateshead (BSP)
2nd round, 1-0 vs Crawley (BSP)
3rd round, 3-1 vs AFC Wimbledon (BSP)
4th round, 1-0 vs Ebbsfleet (BSS)
Semifinal Leg 1, 3-2 vs Luton (BSP)
Semifinal Leg 2, 1-2 vs Luton (BSP)
Finals, 2-0 vs Mansfield (BSP)

Transfers



Starting Eleven



Most Goals - Craig Reed, 23
Most Assists - Craig Reed, Tony Taggart, 14
Highest Average Rating - Leon Browne, 7.52

Summary

After a solid first half to the season, we still found ourselves looking up to Luton. I liked our chances of securing a playoff bid, however, as we found ourselves situated comfortably within the top 5 of the BSP at the open of the January transfer window. I planned on upgrading the team, and was pleased that I was able to get more available funding by reassessing my team outlook to the board.

With some increased funding, I went out and added two new strikers. I was losing our leading scorer because he didn't want to come back on loan and our 3rd leading scorer suffered a longterm injury, so I couldn't sit pat. Late in the window I also secured the services of a solid defender from the US. With my new additions we went on an epic streak of 28 games without a loss. This streak saw us overtake Luton both in the league table and in the FA Trophy.

It seemed like this run spurred the team's confidence to new levels and as a result we did a double - winning the BSP outright and getting promotion to League 2, along with winning the FA Trophy. I'm hoping that these victories are enough to encourage the board to have the team go professional. If we are to survive relegation in League 2, I need more resources made available in terms of scouts, coaches, and funds.

Good to see you're starting a FM11 game + story mate.
It should be quality as usual

Competitions
League Table




1st round 0-3 vs Portsmouth (Championship)


South 2nd round 1-0 vs Bristol Rovers (League 1)
South Quarterfinal 2-1 vs Colchester (League 1)
South Semifinal 2-1 vs Swindon (League 1)
South Final Leg 1 2-0 vs Norwich (League 1)
South Final Leg 2 3-2 p vs Norwich (League 1)
Final 0-2 vs Doncaster (League 1)


1st round, 2-1 vs St. Albans (BSS)
2nd round, 0-0 vs Hereford (League 2)
2nd round replay, 2-1 vs Hereford (League 2)
3rd round, 0-2 vs Peterborough (Championship)

Transfers



Starting Eleven



Most Goals - Leon Browne, 26
Most Assists - Leon Browne, Cristian Arrieta, 11
Highest Average Rating - Cameron Lindsay, 7.42

Summary

A promising season quickly unraveled at the worst of times. After promoting to League 2, the board announced that Newport County would become a professional club. That allowed me to sign some much-needed coaches and scouts during the holiday. We were also able to use our increased wage budget to add some reinforcements to our side. I told the board that we would avoid relegation and I set out to do so by improving our defense.

After a shaky start, we caught our footing against teams of our caliber. We were able to rally for some big time upsets and we managed to string together a pair of undefeated runs in the 5 to 7 range. Wanting to capitalize, we pushed right up against our wage budget and brought on some more players just before the close of the first transfer window. The result was an amazing run of 11 games (league and cup) without defeat. Spirits were high going into the next open window.

We sat comfortably within the top 10 at the turn of the year and I told the board that we would achieve at least a mid table finish. I would have given them more ambitious goals but there was no payoff involved. Determined now to push for promotion, we signed one more player in the second window and then buckled in for the stretch run. We had an unprecedented run of two months without a loss and we assaulted the top of the table as well as continued an unprobable run in the JPT. The crowning moment was a dramatic penalty shootout vs Norwich for the right to go to the JPT Final. We missed our first two shots but to illustrate the luck we possessed, Norwich missed two of their last three shots and we drilled home a winner on the 5th penalty kick. The end of the season was in sight and we were showing no signs of slowing.

Then, we had a player pick up an injury. Then we had a key midfielder pick up a 3 match ban. Then we had two more players pick up injuries within a week. Then we had one more player get hurt. Next thing you know, I'm having to play players out of position and I'm playing reserve players during critical moments of critical games. For a month we couldn't buy a win. We were destroyed in the JPT Final, and we began to plummet from the top of the league table. Exeter reclaimed their spot on the throne and we continued to nosedive toward 4th place.

With only 3 league games to go, we slowly started to get back to full strength. I didn't think it would be enough, however, as team morale was shot at this point. Instead of having the entire team feeling good or very good, I had players feeling poor or very poor. We faced fellow BSP rivals Luton at home and managed a hard-fought draw. This turned out to be the spark we needed to finish up the season on a high note. We returned to form with a vengeance against Macclesfield, looking like our old selves during a 6-1 drubbing. This win catapulted us back into 1st place and more importantly it guaranteed us a top 3 spot and auto promotion to League 1. Needing 1 point to lift the league trophy in front of our home crowd in the final game of the season, you better believe we finished the drill! A 2-0 victory over Bury gave us our second consecutive league trophy and our second consecutive trip to the next league of competition.

Great going mate! 2 divisions in 2 seasons, brilliant! With more luck you could have challenged for JPT, but you can do it next season. How's the financial situation like at the moment?

# stam : Great going mate! 2 divisions in 2 seasons, brilliant! With more luck you could have challenged for JPT, but you can do it next season. How's the financial situation like at the moment?

I don't think there was any amount of luck that could have seen me win the JPT. It looks impressive that we knocked off a bunch of League 1 opponents, but to be honest the only real class team we faced was Norwich. Their final League 1 standing was 3rd, while the rest of the teams were middle of the pack or below. I always fancy my chances of an upset in those situations, especially in cup games where the higher leagued team usually has a hard time dealing with complacency.

Finances looked pretty good this year. As of this writing we are in the black by about 300k. This is only half of our profit from last season, but we also increased our wage bill by 500k this season in order to compete for honors. I'm hoping that our solid profits will help convince the board to expand the stadium a bit. We only averaged a home crowd of ~3700 but that is due more to our small stadium. We led the league in attendance capacity with 86% (second best was 71%) and we sold out our stadium 8 times compared to 3 other teams doing it once each.

By better luck I was referring to the injuries

Finances seem quite decent and healthy, a solid base as you look up to the higher challenge. Hopefully a stadium expansion will be on cards soon.

# stam : By better luck I was referring to the injuries

Finances seem quite decent and healthy, a solid base as you look up to the higher challenge. Hopefully a stadium expansion will be on cards soon.

Stadium expansion will be my goal for next season. If we can continue to hit high capacity numbers, I think it's only a matter of time before the board gives in to my requests. I already asked them to buy the stadium at the end of this campaign but they declined, stating a lack of funding. Fair enough, given that they agreed to expand the training facilites for ~250k. After the sponsorship money comes in next season I'm going to ask the board again to do something about our stadium situation.

I'd be very interested to see an article from you that would include various hints and tips for someone managing a lower league team. Either quick shots in random order, or a step by step guide explaining the necessary tasks when starting fresh and setting long-term goals.

# stam : I'd be very interested to see an article from you that would include various hints and tips for someone managing a lower league team. Either quick shots in random order, or a step by step guide explaining the necessary tasks when starting fresh and setting long-term goals.

I'll work on something exclusive for fmscout.

# joannes3000 : I'll work on something exclusive for fmscout.

Sweet I like reading your stuff.

# macdab55 : Sweet I like reading your stuff.

http://www.fmscout.com/page.php?id=1124

Sorry for the lack up updates, everyone. I went on vacation earlier this month and haven't had time to sim any games for a while. I got a couple of games in the books last night, however, and I should have the 2012 season done and recapped some time this weekend.

Competitions
League Table




1st round 1-0 vs Cardiff (Championship)
2nd round 2-3 vs Nottm Forest (Championship)


South 1st round 2-0 vs Exeter (League 1)
South 2nd round 2-1 vs Swansea (League 1)
South Quarterfinal 4-3p vs Plymouth (League 1)
South Semifinal 4-1 vs Leyton Orient (League 2)
South Final Leg 1 1-1 vs Southend (League 1)
South Final Leg 2 3-3a vs Southend(League 1)


1st round 1-0 vs Droylsden (BSN)
2nd round 3-0 vs Carlisle (League 1)
3rd round 1-0 vs AFC Telford (BSP)
4th round 0-3 vs Norwich (Championship)

Transfers



Starting Eleven



Most Goals - Leon Browne, 24
Most Assists - Leon Browne, 20
Highest Average Rating - Leon Browne, 7.35

Summary

Well, this season was a pleasant surprise! As usual, our newly promoted team was tipped to be relegated straight back down. Once again I began the season by telling the board that we'd avoid relegation and I set out to beef up the squad. We signed a slew of new players to help achieve our task of staying afloat in League 1.

Along with the usual free transfer signings, I went out of my way and paid a transfer fee to bring in someone in particular - striker Kerry Morgan. Morgan was on loan from Swansea two seasons ago in the BSP but refused to go back on loan to our team, even though we promoted. When I got the opportunity to sign him this time around, however, I went for it. His attacking style works well in his role as a super substitute and he is the heir apparent to 30 y/o Leon Browne's starting spot. I also splashed a bit of cash for Michael Bostwick to become our new holding midfielder.

Our early season moves were paying off and we found ourselves toward the top of the table as the new year approached. I was especially happy with our new offensive additions, and we were among the leaders in goals scored and differential as a result. When the board asked what my new goal was, I boldly told them that we would contend for the league crown! The team had been performing very steadily to this point and I knew we had reinforcements on the way (Michael Bostwick) that would help further our cause.

We hit a brief patch of bad results due to some key injuries, but with the final 1/3 of the season remaining and no outside cup games to focus on, we were able to focus solely on winning the league. With about 10 games left to play, we finally overtook Norwich for first place. Then we got hit with another rash of injuries and were under pressure by both Norwich and Doncaster. We scraped for a few tough drawks and when we got back to full health, we were able to reclaim the top spot. We clinched 1st place with two games to spare on the back of a 2-0 win over Oldham.

I looked back at the manager of the month awards and noticed that I had only won it once all season. That's how surprising this season was. We never went on any huge winning streaks like we did last season but we also didn't have any huge losing streaks. The end result was a steady path that led to the top of the table. Ultimately, capturing the league crown helped my case as I won manager of the year with 1887 points; second place had 1149.

Three straight promotions and another great season, nicely done mate! Would be great to see you reach the Prem after only 4 seasons but the Championship is gonna be a lot harder, good luck man!

Yeah I think it would be epic if you get promoted into Premier League just after 4 seasons but as Evo said Championship is going to be a lot harder.