Tom Greening - The Road To Redemption (FMH 2012)

I can still remember the glorious stadium that day, four years ago when it all came crashing down. Wembley Stadium, London. A gloriously sunny day in mid-May, and two clubs with everything to play for. The sponsorships, the increased budgets, the recognition, everything that comes with being promoted to the Premier League.

Yet as I lay face down in the Derby County changing room, drunk as a skunk, ten minutes to kick-off, surrounded by my Rams squad mates. None of them sure what to do. Then no-nonsense manager Billy Davies walked in and saw me, and my career came to a screeching halt right there.

I was only 26, but my career had spiralled downwards since my time in the Liverpool youth ranks. Once upon a time I was a promising midfielder with vision and pace, a midfielder that other managers would key on in their defensive game plans. Clubs clamoured for my signature, and eventually at the ripe old age of 19 I signed with then-top flight Leeds United for a club-record transfer fee.

I spent three seasons at Leeds, during which I was a thorough disappointment for the Peacocks. I was constantly booed from the stands at Elland Road, and virtually all of my dependency and anger issues stemmed from my treatment at Leeds. All in all, it was not a good time for me as a footballer.

After falling into the reserves at Leeds halfway through my third campaign, I was transferred to bottom-table Derby County. The Rams faithful thought I was some kind of saviour (they’d clearly never bothered to look at my Premier League stats from the previous two and a half seasons), and things only worsened upon my arrival. We fell from 16th to 19th and found ourselves relegated.

I went on to spend the next five years at Derby, mostly forgettable ones spent in the First Division. We challenged in the promotion play-offs twice, but never made a final. Until that 2006-07 campaign.

Somehow I’d found my form despite my dependency issues and constant falling-outs with teammates and the gaffer. I’d put together a career year at age 26 while managing to hide my off-pitch issues perfectly. There were rumors that Premier League teams wanted me during the January transfer window. My career was headed towards a rebirth despite all of my issues…

Until I decided to go out on a bender the night of the Promotion Final in London.

I was blacklisted from professional football, and I didn’t take it well. The past four years have been a blur, but I’m back, I’m clean, and I’m passionate. After the abuse my body’s been through, I don’t think I can make a comeback at age 31. But I’ve recently got my coaching licensing, and I just need someone to give me an opportunity. Tom Greening is back lads. Booze-free, and focused solely on the game he loved as a boy.

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It's my first attempt at a story so please, any and all commentary is welcome. I'm leaning towards either Halifax Town or Eastleigh. I'm not sure how my screenshots will work since I'm on my iPhone with this save. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated cheers

BBC Sport
25th June, 2011



Boston United F.C. unveiled Tom Greening as their new manager today in a surprise move, which comes just a few days after the shock sacking of co-managers Paul Hurst and Rob Scott.

Hurst and Scott seemed to have secure jobs after guiding the Pilgrims to a third-place finish in the BSB Conference North last season, however chairman David Newton pulled the plug on them three days ago.

“We felt we had the team to win promotion to the Conference National, and when that didn’t happen this past season we felt pressure to make some changes. We’re very confident going forward that Mr. Greening is capable of guiding our squad to the Conference National promotion this season,” explained Pilgrims chairman David Newton during today’s press conference.

Greening, meanwhile, was much more reserved and quiet than Newton during the presser. “Do we have a team to go places? Yes, there’s no denying there is talent. We’ve got a job to do. Training starts tomorrow.”

A much different personality today than he was four years ago during his infamous “Drunk At The Final” appearance for Derby County as a player. Since then, Greening seems to have sobered up and re-focused on the game he says he has, “Loved since I was a wee one, the game I’ve missed for the past four years. Now chairman Newton and the board have given me an opportunity to get back into the game, and for that I’m eternally grateful. Hopefully we can make some hay here at York Street this season.”

He’ll be put to the test almost a month from today, as Boston United start off their friendly campaign with a trip to Port Vale on July 23rd.

When asked about his personal goals for the season, Greening offered a coy, “To find myself in this same position talking to you in a year’s time as the manager of Boston United.”

June 27th, 2011

Today I was introduced to my assistant manager, Marty Givens. Marty's been with the Pilgrims since their last stint in the Football League back in 2007. He's gone through two administration threats, plenty of managers, and even more players. He's seen it all in his time at York Street, and knows the ins and outs of this squad better than anyone.

Directly after introducing himself in my new office, he simply stated, "Our midfield is not good enough. Not good enough for Conference National, not even good enough for this league. Danny Sleath simply won't cut it. We've got to find a replacement."

He gave me a few names for potential transfer targets, which I'll go into further detail about after the squad list.

I've been given all of 3.5K to work with as a Transfer Budget, and a 10K Wage Budget. Not a lot, although I suspect you don't need a lot to succeed in the Blue Square North.



Name - Age - Description
Players listed in descending order by overall rating


Goalkeepers

Paul Bastock - 41 - Bastock is our first choice keeper, and according to Marty Givens, twice as good as our next option. His age is a concern though.

Ricky Drury - 21 - While a useful back-up for this level, Drury has reached his maximum potential of 1*. His 1-rated technique is also a concern. Once Bastock goes, we may need to re-assess.

James McDonald - 18 - The youngster isn't a full-timer yet, though his stats are actually better than Drury.


Defenders

Kevin Austin - 38 - This Trinidadian veteran is still very hard-working and a stand-out at this level. He is our top defender, hands down.

Lee Cannoville - 30 - Cannoville will be our first-choice RB, and his 14-rated leadership and teamwork make him a natural fit as captain. Very versatile.

Garreth Jelleyman - 30 - The Welsh LB can run for days, and has the best technique and tackling of any defender. His lack of actual ball skill hurts his overall rating, but he'll make do on the left flank.

Liam Parker - 25 - Probably our weakest in the starting four backs, he's our biggest aerial threat off of corners (13 heading). He's rubbish like most players at this level.

Nathan Stainfield - 22 - Young Stainfield, according to Givens, has no potential and will never amount to much.

Brett Holt - 21 - Out of the reserves, the overly-aggressive Holt (18 aggression) lacks technique (1) and basically to me that spells a lot of sending-offs. He won't see the pitch.


Midfielders

Ian Ross - 25 - Ross is our most valuable midfielder, and I expect him to create a lot for us, as well as attract interest from clubs in higher divisions...hopefully we hang on to him.

Chris Hall - 28 - Hall is a pretty decent center mid for this level, and I look forward to him pairing up with Ian Ross to form the heart of our midfield. Solid calibre for this league.

Ryan Semple - 25 - The Northern Irish winger can run with speed and for long amounts of time, but on the ball he's just not up-to-snuff.

Danny Sleath - 24 - Sleath is just, well, not good. We'll probably drop him, as he's dead weight.

Tyrone Kirk - 25 - Kirk is more deadwood on an already thin squad list. Pacey, but that's about it. Won't see the pitch this season, at least not in a Pilgrims kit if I have anything to say about it.

Ben Milnes - 19 - He's absolute crap at the moment, but Milnes is the only player tied to Boston United that is considered, "A Future Star." I'll be hanging on to this gem of a Center Mid.


Strikers

Marc Newsham - 24 - Our star player, Newsham is the only player in the squad worth more than 1K. Still has room to improve as well! We'll be keeping him for sure!

Spencer Weir-Daly - 25 - Another decent striker for this level, Weir-Daly may be transferred simply because I don't plan on using two strikers.

Leon Constantine - 33 - Constantine is a technically-sound striker who will provide a not-so-poor backup option to Newsham in my plans. He's been around the block and will chip in with some timely goals.

Ben Fairclough - 22 - The former Shrewsbury man has incredibly pace (17), but other than that is unremarkable.


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Squad Summary

From: Marty Givens
To: Manager Greening
Subject: Squad Overview

Boss,

Attached is my full team report (it's sadly thin, we're a little short on bodies), hopefully it helps you ahead of tomorrow's training session.

As I was saying earlier, our midfield is pretty weak as we don't have any out-and-out stars there. Not to mention our lack of bodies and talent. We need to find an improvement for Danny Sleath. He's just not up to snuff in professional football.

A few options to look at for replacing Sleath are:

- Louie Soares, 26 year old Barbados native playing for Grimsby. (Value - 3K)
- Albert Jarrett, 26 year old Sierra Leonean playing for Bromley. (Value - 3K)
- Chris Llewelyn, 31 year old Welshman playing for Llanelli. (Value - 1K)

As for the rest of the squad, I think we can sell off one of our three strikers. However, if you plan on pushing for promotion (you better be if you value your job), you'll want to keep Newsham.

Kevin Austin is our top defender in my opinion, and Chris Hall is the closest thing we have to a star midfielder.

The board also wanted me to remind you that if you don't get promoted, you're probably fired. If you last that long.

Cheers!

Marty Givens

Assistant Manager
Boston United F.C.

TRANSFERS

In

Byron Napper (Crawley Town) – Season Loan – LB/LM
- Napper will become a decent Football League level player eventually. At age 19, he'll be in my first team.

Nolberto Solano (Hartlepool Utd) – 1-Year Deal – RB/RM – 4K
- At 850 P/w wages, Solano does eat up most of my available budget. Despite being 36 years old, Marty Givens says he's twice as good as anyone else at the club. If he stays healthy (Big IF), then this is a golden signing on my resumé.

Peter Falco (Free Transfer) - 2-Year Deal - AMC - Free
- Simply a warm body to put in the midfield, Falco will log some minutes because, well, there is no one else to.

Gustavo Sosa Mota (Hampton&Richmond) - Season Loan - M RLC
- Will ease the load on the likes of Hall and young stud Milnes. Another body to simply add depth in the midfield. 18 year old Brazilian has some serious flair and creativity though!

Out
Ricky Drury (Workington) – Transfer – GK – 1K
- Excess to requirements, he's simply just not that good. Even for this level. Glad I managed to get some coin for him.




The Matches
Ahead of our friendly matches at the end of the month, we already had Marc Newsham (the star player) and Nolberto Solano (the star signing) injured for two and three weeks each. Thus, with a thin bench, we headed into the unfriendly forest of friendlies, for better or worse.


July 23rd
@ Port Vale (Friendly) 3-0
Attendance - 2714

9' - Tom Pope (PV) 1-0 PV
13' - Marc Richards (PV) 2-0 PV
Halftime : 2-0 Port Vale
62' - March Richards (PV) 3-0 PV
90' - Leon Constantine (BU)
90' - Ben Fairclough (BU)


July 30th
vs. AFC Telford (Friendly) 2-0
Attendace - 714

Halftime: 0-0
83' - Ben Fairclough (BU) 1-0 BU
89' - Ian Ross (BU) 2-0 BU

------------------------------------------------

All in all, a decent month despite some injuries. Not a bad start in friendlies, as we beat a squad that's in the same level as us comfortably.

Solano looks like a class signing for this level, and as long as he doesn't retire he should feature in my squad for the next few seasons.

We added some depth where we need it, and dropped dead weight where we needed as well.

A very positive start for me with the Pilgrims, though I can't really say anything until we begin competitive play next month.

Kevin Austin has also told me in private that he will be retiring at the end of the season. A real shame, as now I'll have to start looking for promising young Center Backs to replace him!
-----------------------------------------------

August Schedule:

Aug. 3rd - @ Darlington (Friendly)
Aug. 6th - @ Stalybridge (BSN)
Aug. 13th - vs. Guiseley (BSN)
Aug. 20th - @ Colwyn Bay (BSN)
Aug. 27th - vs. Gloucester (BSN)

Expectations: Stalybridge have been extremely aggressive during the transfer window, and look like one of the odds-on favorites for promotion. I'm looking to take 10 points from August, I think that will get us off to the start we need if we want to challenge for promotion.

Just a heads up, this story will be taking on more of an analytical feel now.

Less about Tom and more about the results and signings of Boston United.

For now...

What do you guys think of my start? Solano?

I'm relatively new to FM, do I have enough bodies to survive a season in the lower leagues?

A really nice start. Im looking forward to seeing this continue

Aug. 3rd - @ Darlington (Friendly) 4-2
Newsham 18’, Austin 79’
- Tough match against a much better team. We stayed with them for ninety minutes and competed, that's always a good sign. Newsham with a top-class goal to give us the lead early!


Aug. 6th - @ Stalybridge (BSN) 3-0
- Stalybridge look as though they're going to be one of the contenders for the division trophy, lots of foreign signings. Most notable was Djenny Bembo-Leta, who scored a hat trick against us in this forgettable season opener.


Aug. 13th – vs. Guiseley (BSN) 2-1
Newsham 38’, 71’
- Marc Newsham was pure class in this match, creating right off the start. Sadly, the rest of the team lagged behind and we almost dropped points against lowly Guiseley.


Aug. 20th - @ Colwyn Bay (BSN) 2-2
Stones 61’, Constantine 86’
- With Newsham picking up a knock early on and being substituted, the poor play of the rest of the squad really showed, as we dropped points against bottom-table Colwyn Bay.


Aug. 27th – vs. Gloucester City (BSN) 2-1
Constantine 23’, Fairclough 73’
- Ben Fairclough, bless his young heart, picked up some of the slack with Newsham out and scored an absolute cracker of a gamewinner. Again, we shouldn't be in close matches with teams like GC and CB...Slightly worrying, but we've picked up the necessary points thus far.


------------------------------------
Overall, it was a decent month for us. I wasn't expecting a win against Stalybridge although I certainly wasn't expecting to get blown away like that either. The wins could've (and probably should've) been with larger margins, but three points is still three points. Newsham is back and healthy, so we'll see what September has to offer!

Pos. Club W-D-L (Pts) (GF:GA)

1. Nuneaton 4-0-0 (12) (10:1)
-------------------------------
2. Blyth 3-1-0 (10) (7:3)
3. Altrincham 3-1-0 (10) (5:1)
4. Histon 3-0-1 (9) (9:3)
5. FC Halifax 3-0-1 (9) (11:7)
-------------------------------
6. Stalybridge 2-2-0 (8) (7:1)
7. Gainsborough 2-1-1 (7) (4:2)
8. Hyde 2-1-1 (7) (5:4)
9. Workington 2-1-1 (7) (3:2)
10. BOSTON UNITED 2-1-1 (7) (6:7)
11. Hinckley 1-2-1 (5) (4:2)
12. Corby 1-2-1 (5) (6:5)
13. Worcester 1-2-1 (5) (5:4)
14. Gloucester City 1-2-1 (5) (4:4)
15. Guiseley 1-1-2 (4) (5:4)
16. Solihull Moors 1-1-2 (4) (6:7)
17. Eastwood 1-0-3 (3) (4:9)
18. Colwyn Bay 0-2-2 (2) (3:7)
19. Bishop's Stortford 0-1-3 (1) (3:9)
------------------------------
20. Vauxhall Motors 0-1-3 (1) (1:10)
21. Droylsden 0-0-4 (0) (3:9)
22. Harrogate 0-0-4 (0) (3:13)



Sept. 3rd - @ Hyde
- A big game table-wise as we sit tied with Hyde on points. We cannot lose this match, and a win would push us into a promotion spot.

Sept. 10th - v. Gainsborough
- Gainsborough have been involved in very low-scoring affairs, a few 1:0 and 0:0 matches there. Hopefully we can pick up points on them.

Sept. 17th - @ FC Halifax Town
- If everything goes according to plan we could eclipse FCHT in the league table with a win at their park.

Sept. 24th - vs. Nuneaton
- We host the league leaders who have won every game by at least two goals...should be interesting.

Just four games for the month of September, but all four are against quality sides that we'll need to beat if we want to truly challenge for promotion!

It's interesting to see another Boston United story. I hate them because they wouldn't renew my contract. Hopefully you can manage well enough to get a new one!

September Recap
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BLUE SQUARE NORTH LEAGUE TABLE
OCTOBER 2ND

1. Nuneaton* 6-1-1 (19) (15:5)
-------------------------------
2. FC Halifax 6-1-1 (19) (21:13)
3. Altrincham 5-2-1 (17) (14:5)
4. Hyde 5-2-1 (17) (14:7)
5. Workington 5-1-2 (16)(7:3)
------------------------------
6. Gainsborough 4-2-2 (14) (10:8)
7. Gloucester City 3-4-1 (13) (10:7)
8. Eastwood 4-1-3 (13) (10:10)
9. Blyth 4-1-3 (13) (9:11)
10. Histon 4-0-4 (12) (11:9)
11. Stalybridge 2-5-1 (11) (11:6)
12. Worcester 2-4-2 (10) (8:8)
13. Solihull Moors 3-1-4 (10) (12:14)
14. BOSTON UNITED 3-1-4 (10) (16:19)
15. Corby 1-5-2 (8) (7:7)
16. Guiseley 2-2-4 (8) (7:9)
17. Bishop's Stortford 2-2-4 (8) (8:12)
18. Colwyn Bay 1-4-3 (7) (7:12)
19. Hinckley 1-3-4 (6) (6:8)
-----------------------------
20. Harrogate 2-0-6 (6) (7:16)
21. Droylsden 1-1-6 (4) (11:15)
22. Vauxhall Motors 0-1-7 (1) (3:20)




October Schedule:
8th - v. Hitching (Non-League) (FA Cup Qual. 3)
15th - @ Solihull Moors (13th)
19th - v. Nuneaton (1st)
22nd - v. Workington (5th)
29th - @ Worcester (12th)

I could feel the pitch slipping out from under me.

Coronation Park sat virutally empty, and the final whistle had just blown on our 3-nil defeat against Eastwood Town.

The players packed up and headed for the change room, but I was rooted to my cheap plastic chair in the dugout, staring into the little electric scoreboard on the far side of the pitch.

Was this really where I was? Blue Square North, so many flights below what I'd played in?

It wasn't fair, I thought to myself.

I thought of all the big name players who have gambled or drank away their wages, and how they soldiered on in pro football. All the scandals, all the cheaters, all the drunks I'd played with. They'd survived in the higher levels.

So why was I doomed to this? A mid-table team at the sixth level of the English pyramid...with a foundering squad that half of which were older than me.

Is this the end in football then? I can't survive much longer here. The board expected promotion, and I've gone and sank us to 14th place in the league. We're closer to relegation right now than promotion.

Nothing seems to be working. The original 4-1-2-3, the 4-4-2, even the modified 4-4-1-1 I've been running with lately has seen an end to its success. What now?

If things don't turn around fast, I'll be out of my Pilgrims track suit sooner rather than later.

We weren't exactly off to the best start in the league, could we turn things around...?

October
8th - vs. Hitchin (FA Cup Qualifying Rd. 3) 5-1
Stones (1, 23), Milnes (10), Newsham (34, 66)

15th - @ Solihull Moors (BSN) 1-1
Parker (26)

19th - vs. Nuneaton (BSN) 2-1
Austin (16), Napper (17)

22nd - vs. Darlington (FA Cup Qual. Rd. 4) 4-2
Solano (10), Fairclough (32), Newsham (55, 69)

29th - @ Worcester (BSN) 2-3
Newsham (16), Solano (52)

- A decent month saw us take down a team from a higher flight in FA Cup Qualifying, but the slip-ups in the league were costing us. We also picked up a few key injuries towards the end of the month (Austin CB, Napper LM)

November
2nd - vs. Blyth (BSN) 2-1
Solano (25), Newsham (64)

5th - @ Shrewsbury (FA Cup 1st Round) 0-5

12th - vs. Droylsden (BSN) 2-2
Newsham (46), Milnes (62)

19th - @ Histon (BSN) 1-3
Solano (29, Pen), Fairclough (40), Falco (63)

22nd - vs. Harrogate (BSN) 1-3
Newsham (64)

26th - @ Hendon (Non-League) (FA Trophy Qual. 3) 2-0

- A disappointing month saw us absolutely obliterated by League Two Shrewsbury in the FA Cup. We were also shocked by non-league Hendon in the FA Trophy, meaning our cup football is over for the season. We were also very inconsistent in the league, and the large amount of games really strained our thin squad, with injuries popping up everywhere. For the Harrogate match, I had to field an odd-looking 3-2-3-2 because I didn't have healthy players! Such is life in the Blue Square North!


December
3rd - @ Bishop's Stortford (BSN) 2-3
Fairclough (27), Hall (79), Sleath (90)

10th - vs. Hinckley (BSN) 2-2
Fairclough (63), Newsham (85)

17th - @ Altrincham (BSN) 3-2
Newsham (53, 68)

26th - vs. Corby (BSN) 2-2
Milnes (30), Constantine (83)

28th - vs. Vauxhall (BSN) 3-0
Milnes (3), Newsham (35), Constantine (90)

31st - vs. Stalybridge (BSN) 2-1
Constantine (50, 68)

- A good month saw us find our form towards the end, and it was nice to have everyone back and healthy. Good to get a measure of revenge against Stalybridge, though it was nowhere near as dominant as their 3-0 thrashing of us back at the beginning of the campaign.

UPWARDS AND ONWARDS INTO THE NEW YEAR!

#ComonYouPilgrims
#COYP


As you can see, we've progressed nicely up the table to the point that a few key victories could propel us into a promotion race. I realize that's not what the club's goal is though, as the board have made it abundantly clear that we must be promoted THIS season.

We had a very solid end to 2011, hopefully we can continue that form in to 2012. It's the only way I'll keep my job, by the look of things...

(Next Update will be end of March)

07.01.2012 (A) Guiseley 0-1

11.01.2012 (H) Workington 2-0 (Newsham 6', Milnes 90')

14.01.2012 (H) Colwyn Bay 1-0 (Constantine 51')

21.01.2012 (A) Gloucester 0-3 (Constantine 27', 48', Fairclough 45')

28.01.2012 (H) Hyde 2-2 (Milnes 41', Solano 45')

- A decent month saw us only lose once and, despite a few more injuries at key positions, we battled through it and picked up ten of fifteen points. A step in the right direction! Player of the Month - Ben Milnes (Youngster was instrumental in midfield build-up and potted a few goals as well)



04.02.2012 (H) FC Halifax 6-0 (Constantine 2', 6', Newsham 27', 30', 71', Milnes 69')

11.02.2012 (A) Nuneaton 1-0

15.02.2012 (A) Gainsborough 1-3 (Milnes 14', Constantine 50', 62')

18.02.2012 (H) Eastwood 3-0 (Hall 18', Austin 31', Fairclough 79')

25.02.2012 (A) Blyth 0-1 (Newsham 22')

- A perfect month saw us concede just two goals as our defense tightened up. With a full strength squad, we can dominate anyone in the league. Nice to see the likes of Fairclough, Constantine, and Milnes chipping in offensively.
Player of the Month - Marc Newsham (Sparked the blowout of top-table Halifax Town with a three-goal performance)



03.03.12 (H) Solihull Moors 4-1 (Newsham 3', 20', 41', Solano 38')

06.03.12 (A) Workington 0-2 (Constantine 37', Solano 84')

10.03.12 (H) Worcester 5-0 (Cannoville 2, Constantine 25', 89', Milnes 28', Solano 54')

17.03.12 (A) Droylsden 2-2 (Newsham 11', 34')

24.03.12 (H) Hyde 1-1 (Milnes 41')

31.03.12 (A) Harrogate 0-0

- A decent month saw us continue our hot form but cool off against the likes of Droylsden and Harrogate. Up until the Droylsden match, we were launching an assault on Altrincham in the first place auto promotion spot. The three draws to end the month probably eliminate us from the chase for first place. Still an excellent run of unbeaten form!
Player of The Month - Nolberto Solano (Peruvian coming around and scored some stunning set piece goals)

Today was a very big day.

I was meeting with my boss, chairman Paul Newton, to assess how things had gone thus far. If the meeting went well, there would be a contract extension at the end of it for me. If it went poorly, I could expect to be jobless within the hour.

I strode as confidently as I could into Newton's little office underneath the Main Stand.

"Hello Tom, thanks for coming in today for this performance review."

"Not like I had much choice," I quipped, though clearly he was not in the mood to joke about.

"Let's get right down to business, the board and I are absolutely ecstatic with your performance thus far!"

"Are you being sarcastic," I asked, questioning why he was so serious just a moment before.

"Yes Tom! You've done a fantastic job! You captured a player from the Football League during the August transfer window, you've filled in gaps in the Starting XI with smart loan choices, and you've done it all with a tiny wage budget while facing a myriad of injuries! To be in a promotion play-off spot, with the adversity you've faced after the poor start you had, it's simply amazing!"

"Well thanks Mr. Newton, but it's really the players. Their form recently has been unbelievable!"

"Yes, your signings and loanees have panned out, haven't they? We do have one spot of concern, however..."

"What's that," I gulp nervously.

"We notice you've applied for three other open managerial positions with others clubs."

How did they find out about that? Nottingham Forrest...Millwall...Rotherham...they said my application would be kept with strict confidentiality!

"Sir, I assure you that as of today I am fully committed to managing the Pilgrims all the way to the EPL!"

He guffawed at that.

"We're happy with how things have gone thus far. You must be promoted if you want to stay here. Dismissed."

...With that I left the tiny office and stormed down the hallway. He spends fifteen minutes pumpiing my bloody tires and then at the end decides to deliver me an ultimatum? Maybe I should make my application to Nottingham Forrest public...

Sorry everyone, was on holiday in Spain for the last month. Back and ready to continue the journey with Tom and Boston United!

May-April Update

April to End of 2011-12 Campaign


07.04.12 (H) Bishop's Stortford 2-0 (Newsham 15', Napper 18')

14.04.12 (A) Hinckley 1-1 (Constantine 75')

21.04.12 (H) Altrincham 4-2 (Milnes 10', 43', Fairclough 21', Newsham 78')

28.04.12 (A) Corby 2-1 (Newsham 33')

- A decent month saw us pick up seven of a possible twelve points to solidify our spot in the promotion playoffs. Our loss to lowly Corby at the end of the month ended any real chance we had of unseating Altrincham in the automatic promotion spot. Player of the Month would definitely be Marc Newsham, who found the net in three of our four matches.


05.05.12 (A) Vauxhall 3-2 (Constantine 73', Ross 88')

- We ended our season on a poor note, with a loss, conceding three goals to bottom-table Vauxhall. However, we only started two regulars against them as we wanted to have our players fully rested for the oncoming promotion playoffs!



And thus, we've made it to the promotion playoffs. Albeit we've kind of slid into them.

Up next is a home-and-away with FC Halifax Town. It will be in the next update.

You'll win the playoffs in extra time in true FM Scout style.