On the Rise: The Tale of Chimney Corner

Chimney Corner is an extremely unsuccessful club found in Northern Ireland's Second Division. They have been the picture of futility over the last 5 years...amassing a record of 14-18-100. My task...to rebuild this struggling club and bring them not just to the top of Northern Ireland, but to the top of Europe (which, considering the state of Northern Irish Football, is probably going to be rather challenging).

Upon examining the roster, it doesn't make sense how exactly the team could be so bad. There is some talent, especially on defense. However, offensively, there seem to be a number of weaknesses. Hopefully the friendly slate will give me a better chance to figure out just exactly what needs to be done.

A picture of futility:
http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r677/firehawk5744/ChimneyCorner_HistoryCompetitions_zps06466426.png

I will be utilizing my personal favorite 4-1-2-2-1 formation with an attacking focus, and a more classic 4-4-2 counter style.

http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r677/firehawk5744/ChimneyCorner_TacticsOverview_zps3e0782fd.png

I have a budget of a paltry $17.13K per year...all of which is being utilized at present. As such, I have little freedom of movement when it comes to bringing reinforcements in.

Based on all of this...My goal for my first year is simply to survive in the second division. Considering the state of affairs, that may prove more difficult than some may think.

Next Update: We will review the friendlies and preview the season to come.

Good luck mate, interesting club.

Chimney Corner

The Friendly Slate is in the books for my club of lovable losers/hopefully future champions, and I must say that I was impressed. Though our first three matchups were against definitively weaker competition, the boys only had 1 letdown (a 1-1 draw to Woodvale) before putting in a great performance in drawing with top tier Ballymena United in the final friendly.

July 21st, 2012 At Brantwood W 4-1

http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r677/firehawk5744/BrantwoodvChimneyCorner_OverviewOverview_zps008a6122.png

This was really a surprising offensive show. The team started fast and seemed to adjust very nicely to my system. There was the occasional disjointed pass, but the team seemed to grow more comfortable as the match went on. My starting unit was dominant...leaving the pitch up 3-0 at the half. The shot totals were also very lopsided. In short it was encouraging to see that there is some offensive spark on this club...though it wasn't clear if this game was just a fluke.

July 24th, 2012 Vs. Downpatrick W 3-0

http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r677/firehawk5744/ChimneyCornervDownpatrick_OverviewOverview_zps0fb08014.png

Where Brantwood loaded up the middle with 5 midfielders, Downpatrick attempted to close off the end with 5 men at the back-end. However, while our shot totals took a hit, we were still able to capitalize 3 times. Aidan Swann looks to be emerging as an offensive force with 3 goals in the two halves he has participated in.

July 28th, 2012 At Woodvale D 1-1

http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r677/firehawk5744/WoodvalevChimneyCorner_OverviewOverview_zps9201a86d.png

The effort was there, but the execution was not, especially for the first team which produced a number of shots but little actual offense. Aidan Swann did score our lone goal increasing his total to 4 in three halves of participation. The result was unacceptable...but we still played the better game. I am a bit concerned that none of the players who began the preseason on my second squad have shown anything which may bear a call-up. Depth looks to be another concern.

August 4th, 2012 Vs. Ballymena D 1-1

http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r677/firehawk5744/ChimneyCornervBallymenaUtd_OverviewOverview_zps2e3b9953.png

It took approximately 47 seconds for Ballymena to show me that we wouldn't be able to run with them. From that point forward I broke out my 4-4-2 Counter formation and attempted to whether the storm. Fortunately, we did much better than that. James McMullan scored a pretty goal to tie the game, and David Rowan made some keys saves en route to this 1-1 draw. I was very pleased with the way the guys played within themselves...and didn't make the big mistake. We actually won the possession battle, and weren't too far off in shots either. Hopefully we can carry the positives from this performance into the remainder of August.

Season Preview

To be honest, I am still rather unsure what to expect. With 200-1 odds of promotion it looks like we are going to need a lot of luck to even survive. However, the friendlies give me hope. After all, we just went toe-to-toe with a very good Ballymena club. Additionally, the development of a more offensive style seems to be coming along nicely. In regard to players, it will be the play of Aidan Swann up front and David Rowan in the goal which will greatly influence our fortunes this year. However, we will also need a few other players to step up and earn their stripes.

Aidan Swann:
http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r677/firehawk5744/AidanSwann_OverviewProfile_zps970eae94.png

David Rowan:
http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/r677/firehawk5744/DavidRowan_OverviewProfile_zps2f53e80f.png

Overall I am cautiously hoping for a 40 or 50 point season which would steer us clear of relegation. Realistically however, I know that it'll be a dogfight all season long.

There are only 3 matches in August. We open against Portstewart on the 11th before traveling to Killymoon on the 21st. We close out the month with a league cup match against the First Division Harland & Wolff Welders. I'm hoping for at least 2-3 points in the league matches and maybe an upset win in the League Cup.

Next Update: August Overview

This is going to be a challenge and a half! Good luck mate