In the beginning

Hi guys,
I'm finally dipping my toes into the managerial waters of Mansfield Town - Blue Square Premier in England.
The Stags drew my attention many years ago in the early FM series - when my mate and I got together over a few beers and decided to launch a career - hence "Chaz Retrobe" was born.

Here is my story - I will try and update regularly - and hope that you enjoy following the journey I take throughout the game. The goal - use Mansfield Town as a stepping stone to greatness and conquer the EPL - eventually ;-)

My first task as manager was to sort through some of the "dead wood" at Mansfield - or those that don't fit into my "unusual" formation for the lower leagues. I play a fast, counter attacking brand of football - with plenty of men behind the ball - and pace to burn up front.
With a 4-2-2-2 formation (DL. CD, CD, DR, MC, MC, AMC, AMC, ST, ST) running I needed to ensure that my players could play in those positions directly. Immediately I transferred all of my outside players (wingers) and anyone who couldn't comfortably play in the AMC or MC role - they were considered - "dead weight".

My cut throat style often takes a financial hit to begin with. Deciding that my staff were unknowns who couldn't judge potential, ability, or even coach for that matter - i knew that I needed to hire people that could accommodate the youth that I was to bring to the club and support those in the prime or twilight of their careers.

After sorting through the staff and deciding none of them were up to scratch - I signed a new Assistant (12 JP & 13 JA), Coach (8 or higher for Att, Def and Fit), Scout (13 JP, 12 JA) and Physio (18+ if you can get it)

Will add screenshots of my newly hired staff - I am pretty stoked I could get them!

My newly appointed scout produced a few "worthy candidates" to further investigate - with one in particular catching my eye. A striker by the name of Nicholas Bignall who possessed great pace (15) and quality finishing too (10) which was going to help int he lower leagues! He also referred me to another striker (Wes Fletcher - who I had to fork out a whopping 14k for - well worth the outlay - Fin 13 Pac 11 Fst 12) and the ever reliable Rui Marques on a FREE....one word - GUN!
Then it was off to get some loans in my deficient areas - AMC, MC and CD....Marriott would do the job in goal for me....for now (next year - he may find himself out the door if his early season form is anything to go by - but that has been put down to the lack of quality around him!)

Knowing that i needed to make some room financially to "attract" key players to the club I decided to cull / sell some of my up and coming strikers - or those that my previous Assistant had rated - and I hadn't! (who says that you need to watch them play before you cut them) lol.
So it was "farewell" to a few of the long serving Stags (some - not so long serving). Murray, Todd, Wright, Hopkins, Jankiewicz and Briscoe to name a few- all FREE. Then Speight followed shortly after the arrivals of my new strikers)

Having taken some form of "financial hit" towards the bank balance - which was quite healthy considering the league (over 1 million quid) I headed into the loan market - eager to strengthen my squad with talented up and comers and seasoned vets on the outer. We welcomed Robbie Sinclair (Stevenage) to fill the AMC role, Ashley Eastham (Blackpool) as a rock solid CD, Craig Forsyth (Watford) to plug any holes - as the man is a utility - he can do anything and finally Craig Sutherland (Blackpool) to support the strikers (and add depth to a squad that would play a minimum 50 games throughout the year!)

After welcoming my signings - the odds for the season 2012 came out - and surprising to me - I wasn't even given a showing when it came to the league - however - i knew if my best 11 could stay fit and healthy - I'd challenge anyone as the season progressed - especially on the long, narrow Field Mill pitch - which would hopefully became the catalyst for a fantastic season.

As the friendlies kicked off - I aimed to look at all aspects of my newly pieced together squad in action. Unfortunately - I was nearly beaten by my reserves - no real shocks considering I had added all of the above players to the squad - and less than a day to play together. I was totally outplayed by my lesser known team mates - but salvaged a draw - thankfully!
F2 saw me romp all over a slow and tired Worksop team 4-0, but could've won by at least 7 - as my strikers were caught offside on several occasions (marginal - but still warranted).
The next 4 friendlies saw me win 3 and lose 1 (a thumping win to the Southampton Res side featuring Sam Hoskins, Frazer Richardson and a smattering of talented youngsters.

With my trio of strikers finding the net relatively easy in the lead up matches- I felt compelled to continue with my tactics and aim high.....my scoring prowess was going to the be the cornerstone of a successful season - but my issue - who was going to get the ball forward often enough for them to score.....my defence was rock solid (with internation exp.) but my Midfield lacked pizazz, depth, ability and couldn't win the football in an amateur game.....back to the shortlists / scouting areas I go!

With little time to move before the first game I deployed Gary Roberts into a Ball Winning Midfield role - and - voila - success! The kid - who previously was averaging 6.30 came out and dominated his position, the opposition and the ball....amassing stat after stat and earning himself MOM with a rating of 8.2. Anthony Howell (another Stag local) with pathetic technical stats immersed himself in the game and utilised his physical presence to win the game against Newport 2-0 with Roberts and Bignall (debut goal) leading the charge!

The second game of the season promptly followed 3 days later - with no MC signed as cover OR to assist in the surge towards the top of the table. I was feeling rather confident that my team could go all the way to promotion. Heavily scoring team with a rock solid defence. What could go wrong. Answer - Gateshead away is what went wrong - horribly wrong. The canaries / cheddar cheese were sighted left, right and centre. Anyone from my team that laid a tackle earnt a card. 2 serious injuries and one minor (in order) to key personnel (Eastham, Sinclair and Fletcher) with 6 yellow cards running around after the first 15 minutes. Spiteful and horrific clash. 3-0 at half time - fortunate to score two late penalties (Sutherland and Green - the super sub!).
Crashing back to earth - my squad depth was going to be challenged for sure - did I enter the transfer market for coverage immediately? Do I scout and secure someone that I have more of a vested interest in....or do I do both! Bite the bullet son - you need reinforcements.....I'll let you know how I go - but I'm not overly confident!

Well - let's just say the talent pool on offer for me at the moment has been run dry. Here's to hoping that I can make something of it.....touch wood.

Lucky for me - one thing went well - the home game that was to be played was suspended due to poor playing conditions at Field Mill - good in the short term (players have a better chance to heal) - but costly down the track - lucky that Mansfield Town have such a wonderful supporting director - who was more than happy to pay for the pitch to be relaid...

With the low lying Kidderminster up next game away - it was sure to test the depth of my team. Deciding to deply Lee Beevers in to the AMC allowing Sebastian Lletget into the MC role (supporting Gary Roberts) - my team was bound to be good. Since Fletcher was slightly injured I began the game with the Matt Green as the designated poacher- set to play offside and get forward whenever possible. This young kid seems to find others in space and often assists goals in the BSP.....as this was the case in the 4-0 demolition of Kidderminster (Lletget, Bignall x 2, Fletcher (80 min sub).

Back in the winners circle I had to face reality - my players were tired, my squad lacked sufficient depth to play continuous matches - so training was ditched for the week. Short term gain for long term gain - or managerial masterstroke.....will find out.

For those of you who are wondering - I enjoy reposting in the same box - rather than adding. So time does actually eventuate between posts lol.

With 3 upcoming games in quick succession I needed to rotate my squad - but minimise the quality resting from each game. My thought process - to have as many talented players on the field as possible and replaced at the 55 min mark OR miss a game completely. Taking the first strategy - my team continued on their winning ways smashing Hyde 3-0 (and having the highest attendance of the year (3,292). Unfortunately Nicholas Bignall went down in this game with a minor injury. Hopefully miss 1-2 games at best. Fletcher x 2 and Sutherland the key factors in the win.

The 2nd game in succession came just 2 days after the last. With no Bignall up front to pepper the goal keeper with his accurate shooting it was left to the others to pick up the slack. But again injuries ruined any chance of victory early - with Beevers, Roberts hurt early and Ally Doyle seeing red midway through the 2nd half. So frustrating. A 2-3 loss hurts at this stage - but shows that I am not far off the pace!

The next game to follow (3rd quick game in succession) saw me miss Bignall for a second consecutive game. With the other strikers scoring (but not as effective) it was bound to be a tough tussle against a full strength Woking side. At the half both teams had plenty of opportunities - they had two clear goals ruled offside - lucky for me - with a 2nd half extra time victory being sewn up thanks to Robbie Sinclair (Sutherland also scored).

With mid range teams coming up in the next 3 games I would expect the winning ways to continue. All injured players are on the road to recovery and should see the return of Bignall to the line up - even if it is only for 45mins. Hooray - the crowd cheered as Bignall rejoined his teammates on the pitch. It was certainly a lift to those around him. 3-0 after 45 mins - Fletcher on finding form and scoring a well timed hat-trick! Lletget and Sinclair earned yellow cards for crude tackles (Sinclair lucky not to have been shown red!). This early season forms sees me contending for a playoff place - which has surprised many pundits who had written me off at the early stages.

With another journey away we headed to Ebbsfleet - who are renowned for their rough style of play in 2012. They came to play - and tackle - hard. The first half was spiteful with 11 yellow cards given to individuals - 4 of my team were on the receiving end for persistent fouling to the fast paced attacking mids. Howell and Fletcher scored on opposite halves to grind out a well earnt win 2-1. Unfortunately the injury curse has hit hard again with Roberts going down (bit more serious this time) and Sinclair - who is just exhausted - likely to miss 1 game.

The final game I will take you through tonight is the Braintree game. Sitting 4th (with a game in hand) sees my team play Braintree at home - a fortress that i am yet to lose at during the regular season games. And my winning ways continued with my "superstar" Gary Roberts starting the game on a very unhealthy 54% conditioning to assist twice and rest from half time (8.10 rating). Forsyth and Fletcher scored early on to cement the win with a late consolation goal going to Braintree - an absolute howler from Alan Marriott (who let a deep cross go straight into goal without moving!)

With upcoming games against AFC (sitting 2nd), Macclesfield (14th), Cambridge (3rd) and Lincoln (6th) - it is going to be a tough road ahead. Scouting wise - I have searched high and low for another BWM (Ball winning mid) and an Advanced Playmaker - but I may be resigned to the fact that I will have to splurge some coin if I am to get the quality that I am after. At this early stage in the season I am relatively happy with the personnel and quality at my disposal - but with bigger fish circling some of my more "talented" players due to outstanding performances (Bignall, Fletcher and Roberts) and clauses in Bignalls (min release 100k) I may have to plug more gaps! For now - I will keep them at bay (already had an offer of 50K for Bignall rejected - which unsettled him considerably) but I don't know how long I can keep them away....here's to hoping my league form continues and I can provide them with opportunities of bigger games e.g. League Cup - or else I may be a victim of my own success!

The AFC Telford game has come on thick and fast - luckily for me - my scouts have just finished scouring England and unearthed a gem of a kid that I am going to try and use my transfer budget on - not sure if it is worth the initial outlay they are asking - but will give it a crack.

After reading my scout reports and double checking that the young fella meets all my recruiting strategies (Pace, Dri, Fin, Fst, Det, Fit, Acc all above 12) - I was too excited - my mouth had watered and I needed to sign Keammar Daley from Preston - problem - they wanted 100K for him.....no chance in hell was I paying that for a bloke that would be used for the next 3 years - but wouldn't advance me past L1....so I offered 40K. They countered - 65K.....deal. Leaving me with 30K in the budget (after signing Fletcher for 14K earlier in my save) I had outlaid a fair chunk on a player that was going rather well at Preson (8 games, 1 goal 6.99 rating). Deal.
The fans were very impressed that I had signed another quality player on a 3 year deal ($2100 p/w - a little higher than i would've liked - but he was bound to win games for me....)

With the swagger back in my step - I headed to AFC Telford - ready to try and knock them off their perch and get me another leg up towards the pinnacle of the BSP. But - AFC had other plans. A rapid fire goal in the first 2 mins caught me off guard before Eastham again went down with injury (boy this kid needs some intestinal fortitude to survive the game of football!) early on it was left to Pilkington to fortify the defence - which he did....in a weird fashion. The game was a true stale mate with neither club making in roads on the other. With no other choice I substituted Gary Roberts (BWM) and put on Fletcher in the 80th min....who....as always - pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the 90th minute to secure a 1-1 draw. Lucky escape...but costly (Eastham looks in big trouble!)

On the lengthy road trip to Macclesfield and the debut of the superstar Daley (2nd away game - but one i was very very confident of winning considering their form 0-4, 0-3, 0-4, 2-3) we piled on the goals early to cruise to a 2-0 lead at half time - extending it just after the break to finish the game 3-0 (Bignall, Daley scored on his debut! and Green's 2nd half poaching effort). A very impressive effort from the boys - but the true test would come against the much more fancied opponents in the coming weeks.

In my above post I did make note of Cambridge and Lincoln - but before that game came Hereford - the bulls of the BSP - a team that I always....LOSE TO! With an early Bignall goal coming in the 10th minute - i shut down all operations - hopeful of bullying both ball and player. An offside call cost me a goal and then a stupid mistake from Howell in the box - a penalty! From the spot they scored. I rallied late and rammed ball after ball past the keeper - too high, bar, wide and then a wide open missed chance from Fletcher....resulting in 1-1 draw. Bignall was tackled unruly in the final minutes and was injured - earning the Hereford player a red card - little consolation to my star striker - who - as you may tell from previous posts - is IRREPLACEABLE at this critical point in the season!

Without Bignall for at least 2 matches (Grrrrrr) I was short handed and played as such against a cleaner, well drilled and performed Cambridge side that ran out winners 1-0 midway through the second half. Thanks to Rui Marques, Ashley Eastham (returning from injury) and Lee Beevers the damage was only minimal. Will definitely need to rethink my tactical strategy on the wider and bigger grounds - as the wingers are chopping me up and crossing the ball in causing my defence all sorts of issues!

The final game for this evenings outing was the now 4th placed Lincoln (on a 4 game winning streak) v's me - the team that has been plagued by injury and unable to win for 2 games. Starting off promisingly from a wonderful Matt Green strike (replacing Bignall), followed very quickly by a Craig Forsyth header / mistake from the defence saw me race to a 2-0 lead. During this time my team was also racking up other points to note - yellow cards. 7 different offenders on thin ice during the game. A late strike from Lincoln just on the half saw me take a 2-1 lead into half time - but the momentum had started to swing. Kenmar Daley scored less than a minute into the 2nd half giving me a 2 goal buffer - but Anthony Howell ruined that with a terrible challenge in the box followed by a 2nd yellow card for George Pilkington - leaving me with 9 men versus a team about to take a penalty! Goal. Crap. I held them off as best as I could -plenty of numbers behind the ball and a very defensive strategy. The minutes had ticked by 70, 80, 85, 88, but as the clock ticked into the 90th minute - a poor tackling opportunity from my CD (Eastham - who had an absolute shocker) allowed the striker to score and secure a 3-3 draw in the dying moments of the game. Gutted!
Howell suspended for 2 games (after the FA deemed it poor) whilst Eastham will miss 1.

Alas - I couldnt stop there for the night - in typical FM fashion (we have all been there) - one more game. With morale taking a real kick in the pants in the last 3 games - I had to try something different. With no Bignall return for the next game against a surging up the ladder Forest Green and poor defensive efforts - i needed a miracle. This was not the game to be praying .....but i would anyway!
Gary Roberts back to full fitness (after a few subbed out early games) and willing to run wild in this game. Scoring either side of the break wasn't enough as a very brave and valiant team lost 2-3 at home to Forest Green - who had now cemented themselves in the top echelon of the BSP - whilst I was slowly losing my grip with the ladder leaders (Cambridge, Forest Green, Gateshead and Grimsby). Sitting 5th on goal difference was a pretty impressive effort - but after outlaying most of the 80K I had been given for transfers and the high quality loanees I had at my disposal - 5th was not going to cut it. I needed to do something drastic - and soon - shore up my defence and find another AMC to release others in the MC role. Since my wage budget was rather low (after culling a lot of players and signing new guys to "cheap" deals- my belief is that if they want to play there - they will - and i always "engage" them further by adding yearly wage bonus - sometimes it works - others it doesn't). In this instance I was bargaining with Swansea over an early-mid 23 something year old DRC Curtis Obeng. They wanted 100K. I offered nothing. They wanted 80K - I offered nothing with 10% resale. They wanted 20K + 20% resale. I offered nothing and 50% resale. Offer accepted. The player was keen - cost me some $$$$ in the short term (contract worth $2,000 p/w - almost filling my small wage budget - need to cull a few more dead weight reserves) but 4.5 star potential (4 star current) So - my defence now versatile, quick (Obeng Cro 12, Dri 11, Thr 16, Tck 12, Acc 16, Agi 13, Fit 12, Pac 18, Sta 15, Tea 10) will be a solid acquisition to the club and one that will stop those annoying pacey strikers (like i have ;)) from flying by the Defence. Still I cannot find any midfield players worthy of joining - so for now - i have 2 x true mids and the rest are DEF / ATT that can move there and plug holes.....will that win the league - i don't know - but i have to try something! (3 days until the transfer window!)

Ok - who am I kidding - i am sooo into my Mansfield game - I must not go to bed until i get a win (could be here a while!) FA Cup 4th Rd Qual v Alfreton - should be a reason to smile - yeah?
The game started in the same way that most of them have - with the opposition scoring quickly twice to remove any doubts that this would be a walkover game for me!
Half time hit and 2 goals down - aggression unloads on the players (most motivated to win) - just needed a spark - did someone say Matt Green. The miracle man hit the net early in the second half to give the team some form of belief - followed by an unlikely scorer in Marques and rounded out with a last minute goal by the superstar recruit Keammar Daley. Winner winner chicken dinner 3-2 victory away from home! Just what the doctor ordered (and I needed!). Sweet dreams for me XD let's hope the winning form continues (2 days to go to transfer window opens)

Dartford - what can I say - ruthless middle table team that has been belted for the past 5 games (from the top tier teams) - on their wide expanse of a ground. Solution to my many problems. Pacey wide Defenders to counter their swift moving attacks. A fast flowing - high scoring game was to result. One of the greatest games that I have been a part of. The lead see-sawed from one team to another - one gaining the ascendancy over the other - before cruelly being dealt a double blow to see the lead reverse. Exhaustion, injuries and lack of depth in the end cost my hard fighting team in this thriller of a contest 4-5. Brace to Sutherland (hat-trick disallowed due to offside - would've drawn the game very late), Daley and Howell (back from suspension) with an injury to Beevers early on. Lletget was outstanding - 9.00 - my first 9 rating of the year!

With the FA Cup 1st Round beckoning (6 day break) my team - which had been out of form, out of luck and exhausted took the the longer break and were reinvigorated from the word go. With the transfer market providing an unusual surprise (Colin Daniel was purchased for 50K from Scunthorpe) and Ritchie Sutton for 30K - there was some $$$ in the bank to play with. After identifying another handy youngster (who had been performing well in the Hartlepool senior team - averaging 7.28) I had to swoop. Offering all 80K + 25% sell on clause - the offer was accepted. I swiftly moved to keep the youngster happy - making him a key player for the first team (cheap too - he wanted 1300 - talked him down to 875 p/w and held firm - he was on 200 p/w initially) with a yearly wage rise of 15% (steep - but quality player - and DL - which i was lacking in - 14 sta, 12 pac, 11 acc, 10 tack, 15 long throw, 12 pass - he was sure to fit in well....so now defence very happy with {Marques tutoring young fellas) and the strikeforce powerful - i need to find someone quick - cheap (expired) that can fit the bill of a CM).

Leyton Orient were always a team I had succeeded against in FM. Always play fast - counter attacking football and get stuck into challenges (they seem to dispose of the ball easily when under pressure). My team went out all guns blazing - shooting from everywhere on the park. With only 1 goal scored in the first half - my tactics were obviously unsettling to the slower / older Leyton side. The second half was lit up by the usual suspects (without Bignall still!!!). Fletcher scored a 2nd half brace whilst Marques rounded off the game with a terrific header scoring the sides 4th goal (Sutherland got the 1st). A ripper game that propels me into the 2nd round....where Yeovil await!

With my teams alternate personalities turning up to certain games - i am never sure what I am going to get. The goal scoring, fast flowing free game or the butchering of the ball everytime i go near it type. Playing Nuneaton away (2nd bottom) my Jekkyl and Hyde personality continued to show glimpses of brilliance and poor decision making over and over. This game was drab, boring and a dull draw. Another sour note included Marques and Lletget picking up yellows - meaning they are nearly at maximum....ugh!!!

Having not won a BSP game for 6 games - my fans and I were both seemingly annoyed at the current crop of players - stars - or not - and decided that it was almost time for a shake up. But when you are playing a team like Southport (just outside the playoff spots) - win at all mentality creeps back in - and you stick with the stars - and hope they will align for you.
The game started off quite badly. 45 seconds and a goal conceded. Marriot with a pitiful decision to come out and punch - resulting in a tap in from the poacher running past.....not the start that we had in mind. Not 2 more minutes had passed and low and behold - guess who is caught running off their line - missing the ball - resulting in a 2nd goal - all before 3 mins have ticked over!!!! Solution - bring on the U18 / Res goal keeper - surely he can do better than that!!! And that he did. He made 5 unbelievable saves and kept a clean sheet - whilst Fletcher and Sutherland evened things up in the second half. A 2-2 draw - Alan Marriott was find 2 weeks wages for that pitiful performance. He wasn't happy - neither was I lol.

7 games without a win (draws are good...but wins are better) is not going to cement my place in the greatest managers of all times list....so have to make changes...fast! With Bignall working his way back from a serious injury - best case is he supersubs it on for me in the 70th minutes and utilises his pace to great effect. Won't expect much of him though. With Luton having mixed results as I am of recent times they have slid down to the 12th on the ladder - and with some serious injury concerns of their own - i am going to try and exploit their main weakness....PACE! On home soil and with the backing of 3,000 fans my team clicked into gear, with wave after wave of counter attacking football mixed with precision passing and clinical finishing. Both Fletcher and Sunderland scored braces, with the latter being supplied by the late substitute Bignall - who just looks a class above the competition when he stays fit! Marques controlled the backline like a commander in the army, whilst Roberts was instrumental in a lot of the movement going forward. With confidence now high on the back of this much needed win - it was time to keep the ball rolling and focus on the next challenge - Alfreton in the FA Trophy.

Rested a few of the big guns and played some of the second stringers in the match i care little for. All i can say is woeful performance- lucky to have even scored. Finished the game 1-1 - at home - so now the pressure is on to win away - the big guns should be back - so not too worried.

FA Trophy Replay
3-1. Enough said. Big guns fired. Bignall (after his absence / long rest) scored a brace whilst Fletcher super subbed to finish with a goal as well. Unbelievable comeback from Bignall!

FA Cup 2nd Round v Yeovil
3-3
Sinclair and Sutherland (brace)
Game was quite ordinary with very few highlights (6 in total lol). Serious injury to Lletget - could miss the entire season....touch wood he is right!)

The tricky run continues in the BSP now - after having to play in an FA trophy replay and now a FA cup replay -think i am going to have to sacrifice one of the competitions. Just don't have the depth to cope with such a crowded fixture and need to focus on the achievable BSP dream - playoff / promotion! With that in mind we were away to a Hereford team that had slipped a little since we had last played them and drew. This time i was out for blood and revenge and needed to ensure we were off to a flyer. The game started with us securing possession through Matt Green. His sublime skills and ability to find a loose player (Guess who- yep - Bignall) scored the first goal early in the match. This was soon followed up by a wonderous strike by the aforementioned player, who rounded off his well deserved hat-trick before the half had finished. Matt Green ended the match on a high and dulled any belief of a comeback with a last minute run and goal sinking the home side without a trace. A fantastic victory that has not seen the team lose in their last 4 BSP outings.

Another day - another game - or two lol.
With my team finally clicking a lot better and having been rested through a few of the last games we were bound to see continual improvement from this young, quick and agile side. With Bignall and Fletcher finding the net regularly and Sutherland and co bobbing up for the occasional score - my team had finally found its footing and were clawing its way back into the top few of the BSP. The injury to Bignall proved a blessing in disguise - he is with me until at least the end of the year now and will need to have his release clause triggered (or attempt to resign him on an improved contract with a higher fee!). Ebbsfleet were coming to town - a team that we beat 2-1 in an uninspiring encounter earlier in the season. With the game running hot and cold throughout it was left to my "2nd hand striker / AMC" Sutherland to put the numbers on the board - securing a brace - and keeping a 2-0 victory. Eastham was outstanding in defence, as was Marques - with the two forging quite a partnership when both on song!

Deciding that my focus was on the BSP i threw up a 2nd rate team to face Yeovil in the FA Cup 2nd replay (mistaking it for the FA trophy oops!!!) and lost 2-1 (could've drawn the game late...Fletcher had an absolute shocker missing howlers in the first AND second half! Roberts the only man to score.

FA Trophy 2nd round replay (1 day later!!!)
Got smashed 2-0 and could've been worse. Pathetic effort all round. Enough said!

After two insipid performances the boys needed a lift. With yellow cards being handed out like papers on a street the team were bound for trouble. An early quick fire double saw the team lose morale and discipline - almost costing us another 2 or 3 goals. Luckily the defence stood strong and kept pumping the ball forward - in hope of someone getting onto the end of it. Not long after the half Sutherland continued his rich vein of scoring form with Marques tying it up 2 mins later. Result 2-2. Still unbeaten in the BSP for some time now....still looking good.

Travelling to Hyde for the first time provided no shocks. The team was floundering near the bottom of the BSP and smashed in their previous 2 encounters by 8 goals combined. After going one down early to a poor decision by Anthony Howell the team clung on to a one goal deficit at the half. The second half was a different story. Focused, fast, flowing and fantastic finishing. All the makings of a quality side. Green snuck the first one past the keeper courtesy of a wonderful long goal kick and then followed it up with a hattrick of assists to his other partner in crime- Sutherland - all 3 goals coming from the assistive boot of Green. An absolute joy to behold and a game I won't forget in a hurry. Green MOM by a mile! This kid is good - even if his stats don't agree!!! 9 games without losing - the team were playing rather well and sitting 4th again - a couple of cheeky wins in the next few games could see us topple 1st if all results go our way

Alfreton - the team you love to hate. They ALWAYS score goals against me at the worst times. Just before half OR right at the end of the game - no matter what I do. Set tackling to hard. Let's see how we go. A home game against a team I despise...harsh...but reality! We were off to a flyer with Fletcher and Bignall getting on the board early - then injuries struck. Beevers subbed off and Bignall....noooooo.....just a knock - but cant continue. That's when it all went wrong. They scored just before the half - and yep - right at the end of the game! Stupid predictable Alfreton! At least I maintain our "unbeaten" status to 10 games!! One consolation.

Due to play our 2nd game in a row at home - a bumper crowd turned up to watch the top of the table clash between Grimsby and Mansfield. With the two teams tussling for position in the top few of the BSP it was going to be entertaining. Only my team had different ideas. A lightning striker to Green early in the game saw my team gain the ascendancy. Counter attacking like crazy - Green dominated early before succumbing to a calf injury which could see him kept out for a few games. Grimsby hit back just before the half with a wonderful long range strike....1-1 at the half. The second half was rather drab as the rain poured down. An own goal from Grimsby's holding midfielder sealed a hard fought 2-1 win - but at a cost. Marques and Bignall didn't finish the game either - so two fresh injuries - hopefully not too long - may change my teams fortunes....i'll continue and we'll wait and see ;-) Not too sure if my team can cope with losing Bignall, Green and Marques for long periods......fingers crossed!

Continue button hit - not much luck on my end. Green out for 2 months with a torn achilles!!!! Bignall and Marques should miss the next 2-3 games - wrong time to happen - guess who the next opponent to appear is - ALFRETON!!! Could my life get any worse.....we'll find out. An away fixture without my best CD and ST.....and no support from the bench in Attack with Green out long term.....deploy "hole fillers" and see what we get. The game began in emphatic style seeing both teams countering one another - with offside calls left, right and centre. Yellow was also a fashionable colour for both teams - with my mob securing 7 in total for the game and the other have 5 with an early bath for their mid. Result - a very boring 0-0 all draw.

With the next fixture in 3 days coming up against Woking away - and my two best players still days away from resuming full training - my team had their backs against the walls and the pressure mounting on them. The game started poorly - with the loss of Marques exposing two young, inexperienced defenders - who often rely on the level headed Marques to guide them and hold them in the right position. After two quick successive goals against us - I moved to a more conservative style of play. Unfortunately - another goal was scored in the time it took for the changes to take effect. 28 minutes in, 3 goals down - I had to minimise the damage. Sub Forsyth and put on the "half injured" Marques - a masterstroke. He stemmed the flow of play each time they moved forward- short term gain - but the man was playing on one leg (and starting at 45%) - so long term damage could be irreversible - but I had no other choice! Half time could not come quick enough. With the "verbal spray" coming each players way - they lifted in the 2nd half. Two late goals in the 80th & 87th minute were consolations only - with the final play easily being picked up by the opposition goalie. 3-2 down with Eastham and Sutherland the scorers. Now I have you up to date - I have no idea how the team will go from here. I'll put up some basic player stats so you can see the Top 5 in each category (rating, goals, assists)

TEAM STATS
5th position - 27 played - 13 won - 8 drawn - 6 lost - +26 goals - 47 points
(currently behind - Cambridge (1st), Forest Green (2nd), Gateshead (3rd), Grimsby (4)

RATING:
Marques 7.44, Sutherland 7.37, Bignall 7.37, Green 7.37, Eastham 7.33

GOALS:
Fletcher 17, Sutherland 13, Bignall 9, Green 6, Daley 3

ASSISTS:
Lletget 9, Fletcher 6, Roberts 6, Daley 5, Forsyth 5

Another away fixture with an injury plagued squad saw me take on the lowly Southport - who occupied 18th position at the beginning of the game. The newly signed 34 year old Michael Bridges from Newcastle (avoid signing if you have to - he is woeful! However - with the injuries that I have - I needed another body - urgently. For $100 p/w you can't expect too much lol). With the debutant ready to go the team took possession from the get go. Alas - things didn't go well for the newly signed Bridge, turning over the ball with his first possession deep in defence resulting in a quick fire goal. Bridge then had his hand in a 2nd when he headed the ball back towards the Marriot, only for the opposing striker to take possession and ease the ball past 2-0...after 10 minutes. Not out of the game yet - but starting to lose faith. No other highlights in the first half - managing only 1 shot on goal compared with 11. This was the most frustrated I had been - my position in the playoff positions was in jeopardy - I needed this. Yelling and screaming during the team talk most of the players seemed to get the message. Bridge lasted only 8 minutes after the half when he again turned over the ball. Lacking confidence and with a poor first up game (4.90 rating) I subbed him out for Forsyth and Daley - who was exhausted from the previous few games - came on to add a bit of firepower and pace up front. Sutherland - who was starting to make a name for himself on the scoresheet - scored a wonderful long range goal. Changing formation (making him the sole striker - set to Poacher) with the team Targeting him with the ball (to feet / run on to ball) and counter attack - it wasn't long before Marriot pumped the ball long from the goal line, sending Sutherland towards his 2nd. Scores were now level. With only 5 minutes left I Overloaded the goals - and the man himself bobbed up with a wonderful effort rounding the keeper off a rebound from Daley - earning himself a hat-trick. In ominous form he hit the bar with the last shot of the game. Not a bad effort to come from behind away and win 3-2. Phew!

Wonderful news - Lletget and Bignall are back in time for the danger game against Nuneaton. Think I should rest them for another game (as the season has soooo long left to go)...however...this game could be the turning point of the season for me. Going to bite the bullet and play Lletget - but with Bignall's ability to get injured looking at the ball - going to keep playing him....finally...decision made lol.

As the game drew nearer - I decided to change my initial decision and leave Bignall on as a "super sub". With the pitch heavy, wet and water logged - Bignall would be a great last minute sub with 15 minutes to go. I loaded up my team with all my high quality passers (and lightning fast strikers). The first half netted us an evenly matched game. At the break I encouraged my players to keep going, as a win was quite within their grasp. During the second half I moved to more of a standard approach with shorter focused passing. At the 65th minute I substitued Sutherland who had failed to have an impact as well as Forsyth and replaced them both with Bignall (solitary striker) and Daley. Masterstroke. Within 2 minutes of both being on the pitch Bignall was on the receiving end of a poor refereeing decision (offside) allowing him to run past the goalie and score (everyone had stopped). No flag! YAY!!!
Daley finished the game with a goal also scoring a scorcher from distance to conclude the game and propel me to 1st position in the BSP (I have played 2 more games than Forest Green who are on the same amount of points - so it will be short lived). If my boys continue to play this top shelf football that they turn on for 45 mins at a time (never a full game) it'll be an interesting 16 games left to see how we fare. Here's to hoping

With Bignall back and firing, Marques back from injury - and the squad enjoying a relatively low key week of training - the scene was set for an away game against a powerful and heavy scoring Wrexham side - led by the Australian - Brett Omerod. Starting with a youthful team (due to the "walking wounded" slowly recovering) my team crumbled early making silly errors under immense pressure from an unseen 4-1-1-1-3 tactic - causing us all sorts of problems. Omerod scored a brace early sending us crashing to a 2-0 scoreline at half time. ringing the changes due to poor form my team made a steady start scoring in the first minute from an own goal after the half. For the rest of the game it was an arm wrestle - with missed penalties on both teams and an inability to find the net. 2-1 loss.....against a team that was underachieving...could be costly in the long run.

Times were changing and hard. Scouting was an essential component in my future planning and my ambition to retain the top spot over the course of the season (a spot i was currently residing in).
With two new additions before the transfer window had concluded (a future planned champion - championship midfielder on potential - Declan Hughes from St.Mirren) and a current holding midfielder from Colchester - Andy Bond - who the board assisted in the signing of - and one who is highly regarded internally and by myself.

With the two latest additions joining the revamped Mansfield squad - I was slowly piecing together a team that would not only be superior to those of my current league in the BSP, but would aim to be in playoff contention in 2013 in League 2 - a bit presumptious perhaps - but forward planning has always been an essential component of my squad.

Currently I only have a handful of "over 30's" - I try to get one in each position to develop the younger talent within the current group (GK, CD, MC, AMC, ST). Touch wood the youth continue to grow with first team exposure....Hughes.....however.....will not see action....at this stage.

With the fans excited to see Bond strut himself - I handed him his first team debut - which was bound to cause a stir among the squad. The home crowd packed in to see the new man in action with over 3,500 in attendance - a high for the season. Bond kicked the game off for the home side, putting a long ball forward and in front of the lightning paced Sutherland - who smashed the goal home within the first minute. Welcome to the first team lad - what a sensational acquisition. With play resuming - a well timed tackled by Bond saw the team regain possession before a crude tackle from the opposition saw him hit the turf in agony in the 4th minute - resulting in a red card. Bond was able to shake off the knock - but didn't have the same impact for the rest of the first half - resulting in a substitution - but the fans and I were both very impressed at the first half effort. With numbers on our side I employed another ST (replacing a CD) and set the team to attack. Within minutes Adorjan headed a ball from a beautiful Roberts cross. 2-0. The home fans chanted my name - as I now held the number 1 spot on the table alone! Another red card (persistent fouling) saw my 11 face 9 weaker, tired opponents. Unfortunately my team were rather wasteful in front of goal during the second half - spoiling several easy attempts in front of goal. The result - a 2-0 victory propelling my team to top dog - and the team to beat....the view is much nicer at the top lol ;-)
A total of 21 scoring shots with 13 on target is a positive - just need to work on finishing - training objective for the week.

Back to back home games came 2 days later with the visitin Kidderminster out to cut the tall poppy down. My team were focussed - and with the newly acquired Bond bossing the midfield early- showing his obvious class - the team skipped out to a 3-0 lead at the half - thanks to 3 assists to Bond and goals from Bignall, Sutherland and the gun defender - Eastham :-)The half time talk was relatively easy - the team dominating - and looking like the world beaters that they have been during the first part of the season. With the 3 goal buffer in mind - i decided to rest Roberts and blood the young gun Hughes into my Ball winning mid position. I also relieved Marriot of the gloves and handed them to the younger Coughlin who was in ominous form in the reserves keeping 11 clean sheets in 20 games (conceding 9 goals total - 5 in one game!).
This was an opportunity for my team of the future to stamp their claim on the spot and force changes...but....things didn't go according to plan. Two very early goals to Kidderminster had the heart fluttering. I made tactical changes on my home field - redeploying one of my AMCs into the MC role (so now playing 4-1-2-1-2 formation.....and managing to hold off (last shot of the day was deflected off the post!). Phew.....Hughes played like a 16 year old kid that was fearful of the opposition and Coughlin's goals he conceded were mainly due to intercepted passes or poor decision making up the field leaving him in 2 on 1 situations...hardly fair for a young buck. Got the points....that's all that counts. With 14 games remaining in the season anad the next 5 games against much weaker opponents (on paper) we were surely favourites to take the season out....there's a lot of game time to be played - but my super star / talented youthful list will continue to develop with each passing minute....and I relish the challenge that the BPS brings. Expectations have been changed....I will gain promotion and aim to hold onto the common nucleus of this squad.....as my future depends on their success ;-)

Goals - Win the league / Achieve promotion
- Have an international player for Eng u/19, u/21
- Sign an ex-international striker/defender to further develop talent e.g. robbie fowler

Try to use screenshots and not use such massive blocks of text!:)

With a 3rd home game in a row and the team continuing a purple patch which has seen them scale the heights of the BSP - my team were shaping up as real contenders for the league. With 25 squad members having exposure to the first team (rotated throughout the 30 odd games we've taken part of)
With a slight oversight in the previous post (thinking for some reason that I was clear in the lead - Forest Green still have two games in hand (with myself sitting 3 points clear) - still a wonderful position to find myself in during these early days - but not as confident as first thought.

The short turnaround again was taking its toll on my squad - however- with the additional members now filling a larger squad (and adding greater depth in the process - even though a lot of it is based on potential) the team should be able to account for Barrow - note - i said should - but with the Jekkyl and Hyde performances of late - anything could happen. If anyone has any suggestions to reduce the impact of quality football v pathetic / amateurish crap - i am open to suggestions :-)

Barrow opened the scoring early through the interception of a poor pass by Roberts, sending the ball past Marriot in a forward thrust weighted in numbers on the counter attack. 1-0 down at the half. With my stars hitting the wall and looking tired- I brought on the super sub (Matt Green) and Nicholas Bignall in place of Fletcher - who had been racking up the minutes without finding the back of the net, even though he was averaging 6-7 shots on goal per game (quality will always overcome poor form!!) my team looked in better shape throughout the 2nd half - yet there was no real opportunity to smash one in the net. In the 90th minute the team surged forward but coughed up possession too easily and the CD passed bcak to the GK in preparation of the forward thrust. Luckily for my team the CD didn't put a lot on the ball and the opportunitist/fresh Bignall made a late sliding charge towards the goalie, deflecting the ball and sending it into the back of the net right on the final whistle! Fortunate draw - but quality teams always find a way to win / draw even when playing poorly in the conditions. A lucky escape clause. Need to rethink who is in the starting 11 - as Forsyth / Fletcher haven't worked well / linked up of late. At the conclusion of the game it was time to get on the bus and venture to Newport to play away - the first time in 4 games we have had to rejig our tactics to suit the bigger / wider grounds.

Arriving at the ground early, the team found the ground to be in a rougher state than normal (due to the wet / muddy conditions). I ensured the team were going to pass shorter to one another - and with the high quality passers we currently have (in comparison to other teams) Mansfield were sure to break open Newport's slow and aging defence and record a massive win. At the 20th minute mark Bignall ran out of defence and got around the final defender, smashing the ball towards goal. The goalie dived at full flight towards the ball, but Bignall had soooooo much time and space he picked the ball up and literally ran it into the open goal - sending the visiting vans into raptures :-) With their tails up the boys continued to get forward and press where they could. 1-0 at the half. With Fletcher again giving me nothing up front I viewed the opposition CD's - who had subbed smaller / faster defenders to cope with the pace / agility of my team. Too easy - on comes Sutherland a 6ft reasonably quick ST who can head goals past the lower teams with ease. Great decision - as Sutherland earnt himself a brace by scoring in the 53rd and 75th minutes - crushing Newport and resulting in a 3-0 victory. An outstanding achievement. Sutherland had now propelled himself to be the leading scorer of the BSP - with 20 goals and 69% of shots attempted on goal. Not a bad effort for a bloke that is 24 and could barely get a game with Blackpool. Averaging 7.48 is quite good too - yet struggles to start most games for my team....may need to change that tactic though if I am to continue on my push for promotion! :-)

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Any other screenshot requests - happy to provide! :-)

Hehe thank you