**WARNING PLAYER NAMING**
I intend to try and keep player naming to a minimum, only those already with Grimsby at the start, so I do not spoil the database for others.
I intend this write-up as a way of showing people how fun, competitive and robust this database is. It will give a basic description of each season, how tough it is and what triumphs or new things I achieved. I hope to also give some perspective and understanding of the reasons why I built the league structure as it is.
I have always wanted to do a long term save on my Lincs & Humber database. It seems every time I get more than two seasons in I notice something I could improve or an error that needs fixing. So of course I go away, make some tweaks, test it and they start another save. Being a bit of a perfectionist means a cycle of this can just go on and on!
For the first time in 6 years of making the database I finally got to a point where I was happy with the database and could settle into a long term save. Mostly due to improvements to the editor, also due to me finally getting the financial/reputation balance right.
So I loaded up a handful of European leagues, my Lincs and Humber full league system and all of England. I chose to manage Grimsby, taking over a squad of promising players who frequently come up short of their potential.
My first action was to dump as many reserve and backup players as possible and free up some wage budget. So out goes Kenny Arthur, Rob Duffy, Andy Church and a handfull other players who I felt would not get much game time as I am required to have only a maximum of 9 foreign players in the matchday squad for the league.
I kept a few back where I had not got suitable cover by home nation players, my intention was to make a strikeforce out of the clubs current players of Anthony Elding and some pacey foreign player.
I signed someone with average attacking stats buy strong pace, I intended to use Eldings target man skills to get this guy the ball.
My preferred formation is 4-1-1-2-1 with a DM, CM with an AMR and AML. I drafted in as many good home nation players as I could to fill the positions and give me a decent Humber Cup squad.
The Humber Cup is open to only players from the home nation, it is a group stage cup followed by a knockout with two legs in the round of 16 and quarter finals.
The preseason went well, losing only to the two big teams I played, West Ham and Falkirk, all other games were against teams from the home nation, such as Cleethorpes Town (5-0) and Louth Town (6-0).
Elding and Andi Thanoj, two original Grimsby players stood out along with Liam Hern. I had intentions to keep playing Elding with Hearne along with the striker I had signed in rotation. The more Herne played, the more I warmed to him but a niggle of doubt that we were not going to see eye to eye danced at the back of my mind.
The first league game was home to Scunthorpe, the key to this league was going to be beating Hull, Lincoln and Scunthorpe in as many of the 4 meetings with each as possible. Beating the same teams will also prove key for the cups.
To of the original clubs midfielders, Disley and Makofo both netted in a nervy 2-0 win, a start beyond all my hopes and dreams!
Things went downhill from there, losses to Hull, Gainsborough and Scunthorpe and a draw with Lincoln rounded off the first quarter of the season. In this same period however we topped out Humber Cup group with three wins and two draws. Elding and young defender Charlie l'Anson standing out.
By the end of the season my Humber cup had ended in the Semi Finals with a loss to Stamford and Hull dumped me out of the FA Cup. My league season was saved by two home wins over Scunthorpe and only four points dropped against Lincoln with two away draws. My 7 losses to Scunthorpe's 10 meant I took second place by 13 points. Not bad but no trophies, I really felt the Humber Cup was mine but a poor tactic choice and a strong Stamford team left me open to a loss in extra time.
Hull won the league convincingly with 117 points, Lincoln Moorlands were promoted to the top league along with Holbeach as Deeping and Winterton were relegated.
It was a tough season with both Elding and Hearne key in attack. I did seem to start to annoy Hearne at times with my team talks, his moral was generally low and at the end of the season he wanted to move to a bigger club. Some players hardly played at all, others played almost every game. Home nation players did well for me, winning the odd cap. My main area of lacking was a strong youth setup but I lacked the funds at the end of the season, only making a profit of 300k due to the prize money from the league and my severe reduction of the squad size and replacing them with cheap home born players asking for a tenth of the others wage.
I intend to try and keep player naming to a minimum, only those already with Grimsby at the start, so I do not spoil the database for others.
I intend this write-up as a way of showing people how fun, competitive and robust this database is. It will give a basic description of each season, how tough it is and what triumphs or new things I achieved. I hope to also give some perspective and understanding of the reasons why I built the league structure as it is.
I have always wanted to do a long term save on my Lincs & Humber database. It seems every time I get more than two seasons in I notice something I could improve or an error that needs fixing. So of course I go away, make some tweaks, test it and they start another save. Being a bit of a perfectionist means a cycle of this can just go on and on!
For the first time in 6 years of making the database I finally got to a point where I was happy with the database and could settle into a long term save. Mostly due to improvements to the editor, also due to me finally getting the financial/reputation balance right.
So I loaded up a handful of European leagues, my Lincs and Humber full league system and all of England. I chose to manage Grimsby, taking over a squad of promising players who frequently come up short of their potential.
My first action was to dump as many reserve and backup players as possible and free up some wage budget. So out goes Kenny Arthur, Rob Duffy, Andy Church and a handfull other players who I felt would not get much game time as I am required to have only a maximum of 9 foreign players in the matchday squad for the league.
I kept a few back where I had not got suitable cover by home nation players, my intention was to make a strikeforce out of the clubs current players of Anthony Elding and some pacey foreign player.
I signed someone with average attacking stats buy strong pace, I intended to use Eldings target man skills to get this guy the ball.
My preferred formation is 4-1-1-2-1 with a DM, CM with an AMR and AML. I drafted in as many good home nation players as I could to fill the positions and give me a decent Humber Cup squad.
The Humber Cup is open to only players from the home nation, it is a group stage cup followed by a knockout with two legs in the round of 16 and quarter finals.
The preseason went well, losing only to the two big teams I played, West Ham and Falkirk, all other games were against teams from the home nation, such as Cleethorpes Town (5-0) and Louth Town (6-0).
Elding and Andi Thanoj, two original Grimsby players stood out along with Liam Hern. I had intentions to keep playing Elding with Hearne along with the striker I had signed in rotation. The more Herne played, the more I warmed to him but a niggle of doubt that we were not going to see eye to eye danced at the back of my mind.
The first league game was home to Scunthorpe, the key to this league was going to be beating Hull, Lincoln and Scunthorpe in as many of the 4 meetings with each as possible. Beating the same teams will also prove key for the cups.
To of the original clubs midfielders, Disley and Makofo both netted in a nervy 2-0 win, a start beyond all my hopes and dreams!
Things went downhill from there, losses to Hull, Gainsborough and Scunthorpe and a draw with Lincoln rounded off the first quarter of the season. In this same period however we topped out Humber Cup group with three wins and two draws. Elding and young defender Charlie l'Anson standing out.
By the end of the season my Humber cup had ended in the Semi Finals with a loss to Stamford and Hull dumped me out of the FA Cup. My league season was saved by two home wins over Scunthorpe and only four points dropped against Lincoln with two away draws. My 7 losses to Scunthorpe's 10 meant I took second place by 13 points. Not bad but no trophies, I really felt the Humber Cup was mine but a poor tactic choice and a strong Stamford team left me open to a loss in extra time.
Hull won the league convincingly with 117 points, Lincoln Moorlands were promoted to the top league along with Holbeach as Deeping and Winterton were relegated.
It was a tough season with both Elding and Hearne key in attack. I did seem to start to annoy Hearne at times with my team talks, his moral was generally low and at the end of the season he wanted to move to a bigger club. Some players hardly played at all, others played almost every game. Home nation players did well for me, winning the odd cap. My main area of lacking was a strong youth setup but I lacked the funds at the end of the season, only making a profit of 300k due to the prize money from the league and my severe reduction of the squad size and replacing them with cheap home born players asking for a tenth of the others wage.
