Chester FC - A Dean Ashton Journey

Firstly hello everyone i'm ashh and i'm new around here, i've been reading the forum for a while especially this section and thought it was about time i got involved. I've been playing FM for a few years but due to a lack of time recently i haven't really played this FM as much as i'd of liked to but what better way to get to know the game than to start at the bottom. If you're reading this don't expect to much to quickly as i haven't put serious hours into an FM save since around this time last year so i'm rather rusty. Enjoy!

Chester FC

A Dean Ashton Journey

http://www.fansfc.com/UploadedImages/Players/Dean%20Ashton_633573288198593750.jpg

Football can be cruel and Dean Ashton knows this better than most. The Swindon born striker with one cap to his name had his career cut short at the age of just 26 after a bad challenge from former Manchester City and Chelsea winger Shaun Wright Phillips in a England international training session left Dean with an ankle injury he would never recover from. That was 3 years ago and now Ashton is back and ready to get his boots back on. However it wont be on the field where his impact is felt. Dean has spent the last three years out of the game collecting his coaching badges and now the opportunity has arisen for him to enter back into the beautiful game.

Chester FC are a pretty new side , Only reborn two years ago from the ashes of administration and liquidation they now find themselves in the Blue square north. Although their progress had been fast and impressive the board had publically stated a big name was wanted to really capture the imaginations of the fans and media alike. That name was Ashton , with the promise of time and the oppurtunity to build a dynasty at the Deva stadium the Ashton accepted the job without a seconds thought.

Dean Ashton:

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Chester FC has the potential to be a great side and i hope i'm the man to turn them into that team. It's been a long tough time away from the game but i'm back now and ready to prove myself as a great tactian and man manager. The aim this year is promotion and were see what happens from there.

More updates to follow!

Looks really impressive so far mate, Good luck!

The two formations above are the same tactic but slightly varied , the team in the picture is the team i'm using to some degree but your get to see my signings etc in full later on. The tactic is highly concentrated on keeping the ball and also pinging it about quickly. It's not perfect but it's something differnt from the norm and that's exactly how i like my formations.


Thats the instructions , of course this is just in it's infancy so the more i learn about this years game the more i'll tweak the formation but i still want to do something completely unique to say a 4-2-3-1 etc. Really make a unique system that i can call my own.

Also just to let you guys know i plan on doing this story in a mixed format , there will be alot of just normal updates say month by month talking about the progression and results etc but i'm also looking to do news reports as well as interviews with Dean Ashton and some of the players , these will be less frequent but should shake up the story and keep it interesting.

Again comments , advice and critism all welcome!

Also Johnthequin cheers for the comment been reading your Brighton story so look forward to seeing that progress also!

Looking forward to this mate. The tactics look really unique and I'm interested to see how they perform. Good Luck

Nice start m8, keep it up
Good luck

I went into this market a little unprepared , on the past two FM's i've found it easy to pick up amazing players who are prepared to play for little money , this year in that respect things have become a lot tougher.

The main thing i was aiming to do was to bring men in the door , there were quality players already in the side that i knew would be able to cut it at this level so it was just about bringing in players that fitted into the system around those players.


The main men there are Stern John who i'm sure you guys are all aware of , for the wage i'm paying him (around £600p/w) he is quality player who not only brings the side incredible ability but also expierance with other 100 international caps and appearances at the top level. The defender Takura Mtandari is also another quality purchase , alongside Danny Swails at center half he will be formidable opposition for any striker.

In two words : The league , this is the only objective win it and get into the next division , the cups mean nothing to me , the faster we progress up into the football league the better for me and Dean!

Cheers for the feedback guys , next posts will be:
- Dean Ashton Interview (thingy)
- Pre season review
- Monthly review

July 2012 , the announcement of a new manager at The Deva stadium in former England and West Ham striker Dean Ashton brought mixed feeling from the blues supporters. Not only was Ashton untested but the club which was only formed 2 years ago were high in expectations that former boss Neil Young who had already achieved 2 successive promotions for the club could add a 3rd promotion in a row and a 3rd promotion in the clubs 3 seasons however the board felt differntly and Ashton with the blessing of Young was appointed. The season was to prove a long but rewarding season for Ashton.


Pre season was all abit of a shambles to be honest , Assistant manager Gary Johns took charge using my tactics which staid the same all season i may add and he did very little with them. One victory over AFC Flyde as well as two draws v's Prestatyn Town and Airbus UK as well as a loss to League 2 side York City was far from acceptable.


A draw with Oxford City offered a somewhat subdued but accetable start for Dean Ashtons men , however a victory mid week v Workington more than made up for the slow start. With 4 points from his opening two matches Ashton was looking to push on and get ahead early in the Blue square north season but Colwyn performed a defensive master class to steal all three points at the deva stadium. Altrincham were the final opposition of the month , Stern John signed early in the week to complete Chesters signings for the season and helped finishes the month on a high note with a 1-0 victory.


September started in the best possible way with 3 victory's on the bounce with 7 goals in all being scored in the 3 matches. The strike partnership of John and Redshaw went from strength to strength and it seemed as though the blues would be running away with the league early on , however a draw at Boston United and a loss at Stalybridge in the league as well as a loss to Stalybridge in the Fa Cup saw an unwanted dip in form.


In consistancy continued to plight Chester as they rolled into October , While the side continued to impress in the majority of their matches dips in form in key matches saw Ashtons men remain with the main pack of promotion chasers.


With only two league games in November the Blue square North table was not overly affected , Chester remained within the top 3 and still showing the potential championship form which had impressed opposition managers all season. Dean Ashtons lack of interest in the cup competition really showed as he rested key stars and gave run out to fringe players in all 3 of the clubs cup games.


Although Chesters relative success early on in the season fans were unhappy at the overly controlling style of football Dean Ashton had implemented at The Deva. Taking the critism on bored Ashton changed his approach while maintaining a similar fast tempo style and formation , this change in approach worked instantly with Chester scoring 10 goals in the first 3 matches of December however leaky defending costed them everything away to Workington were the side were dominated 3-0. 13 point from a potential 18 saw the side remain in the top 2.


One last player joined in january center back Johnson joined Chester on loan. With the attacking style now addopted by Ashton Chester conceded in each of there games in January. While goals galore entusiasts were rubbing there hands Ashton was not , the Englishman publically criticised two of his center backs and requested they upped there game. Chester still continued there inconsistant form but the month still saw Chester pick up a futher 10 points from a possible 15.


Three victorys a two losses in February shouldn't of come as a suprise to the Chester fans however the form of the other sides in the division did , having oppened up a small gap slip ups from Histon and Bradford as well as the others allowed for Chester to not only remain in front but slightly extend their lead.


March proved to be a pivitol month for the Blues , Chesters convincing victorys over Harrogate , Gloucester and Colwyn Bay Chester's lead at the top peeked at 10 points. Poor form from Redshaw was to see the step up of Stern Johns goal scoring form.


The title was sealed up with 3 games in hand , A 4-1 victory over Boston United saw Chester win the league at the Deva Stadium in front of their home fans , however two losses followed. A win on the final day v's Worchester City saw out an impressive first campaign for Dean Ashton and continued Chesters promotion run.

We win the league!

Stern John and Redshaws menacing partnership wasn't as great as i hope both flourished in periods but in others were all but not existent.

The season overall was a successful one however not as successful as Dean Ashton had hoped. The club had set him internal targets at the start of the year and they were met with the championship however his own personal target to dominate the league and achieve 90+ points were not met. It is now expected that Ashton will completely reshape the squad for next season with only several individuals being retained.

Cheers for reading guys sorry i had to do the year in one go , just want to get into the Football league as fast as possible and then i think ill start updating say month by month.