2013-08-26 00:49#131481 Jamesg237 :

2013-08-25 23:56#131480 lwalter66 : Just started my own unemployment challenge. I have been meaning to for a while Anyway, great win versus Bayern was great hopefully you can find some consistency!

Ah well it would be great to see you write a rival story to compete against mine. I think we will find it hard to find consistency but I am sure the players will put everything into the upcoming games.

I am definately going to be writing a story about mine, but not right now, doing Millwall

It is as simple as this. There is not a chance that HSV will be qualifying for the Europa League this season and instead should be more concerned that we won’t be dragged into a relegation battle. I made a mistake and took control of the first friendly so I have to take full responsibility for the loss against the lesser team of Irapuato. However, the team were awful with a number of the players being from the first team so you would expect them to have performed so much better.

I took the sensible decision and let the assistant manager take control of the final friendly and to be honest, the way he got the team to perform maybe he should have been given the manager’s job. The team were outstanding with a number of youngsters coming in and they showed that they wanted to get the win. What followed in the league was just so disheartening with the player’s becoming frustrated not just with themselves, but also me. Despite me trying to give them encouragement when being played off the park they just responded furiously (reactions to half time talk) and just didn’t look like they wanted to play. I am getting very frustrated with this team as I have spent more time studying the players and they aren’t as bad as I first thought. We should be performing much better, especially against teams like Irapuato (no offence to them).

I am finding it hard to think of a way of turning the club’s fortunes around and the media are already querying my position. I cannot see my position as manager lasting much longer but I do not intend on quitting and will strive to get us back to winning ways and playing on a consistent basis.

Player of the Month – No-one Deserved It

Oh no!!! that is a bad month there I hope you stay in the job

2013-08-26 11:05#131549 wellsy1498 : Oh no!!! that is a bad month there I hope you stay in the job

It started off so badly and it just got worse and worse. It is mad how we can beat league challengers FC Bayern and then lose so badly to other lower teams! Quite difficult to get my head round.

your reputation of sunday league footballer wont seem to help...try going mental at half time and let them know the who the alpha male really is. other than that, good job!(Y)

2013-08-26 15:02#131588 AaronHJFT96 : your reputation of sunday league footballer wont seem to help...try going mental at half time and let them know the who the alpha male really is. other than that, good job!(Y)

That is very true. I have a feeling that I have taken on too big a club as my first one in management as the player's wont have the same respect. I don't think telling them who is boss will be the best idea but anything is worth a try after that terrible month.

I agree with Aaron. It is a shame to see the team not performing, maybe a team meeting might help? Hopefully you can turn it around and I know you can

2013-08-26 22:43#131646 lwalter66 : I agree with Aaron. It is a shame to see the team not performing, maybe a team meeting might help? Hopefully you can turn it around and I know you can

I have never been a fan of team meetings as the whole process just doesn't make sense! I hope it something that is sorted in FM14. However, a meeting might help...all I know is I need to do something quickly before things get worse.

I am most definitely under pressure now. The month just got worse and worse as it went on with us now looking like we won’t get out of this rut this season. We were not expected to get a result against Wolfsburg so I was pleased that we came so close to at least getting a point from the game. I decided not to change the formation but stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation that the players have been trained in. It is a formation that I know works but it doesn’t appear to suit HSV and the players we have.

We should have got a lot more from the games against Düsseldorf and Fürth but we just didn’t perform. We just looked like we couldn’t be bothered against Düsseldorf and we threw away the one nil lead we had against Fürth. Things just don’t want to go our way on the pitch. I have tried to keep some consistency in my team selection but they just don’t combine well with us giving the ball away so often.

With the match against Schalke on the horizon it took a fans favourite (I like to think it was Kevin Keegan) to speak up in support for me and it was very much needed with the rumours being that if we lost against Schalke, which we ultimately did, that I would be sacked from the job. We were never going to win against Schalke so we deserved the drumming that we received.


The frustrating thing is that I have come into a club in disarray with such high expectations of them when they can’t even pass a ball. I simply do not stand a chance at this club at the moment. However, I do hope I can last until the end of the season, rebuild and start again next season as I really do want to change the club’s fortunes.

Player of the Month – No-one Deserved It

It's hard when players don't care. Really it's there fault Hopefully you can stay till the end of the season and turn them around.

2013-08-27 21:29#131845 lwalter66 : It's hard when players don't care. Really it's there fault Hopefully you can stay till the end of the season and turn them around.

Oh they are definitely to blame...not me at all! Ha! I have a feeling they won't give me until the end of the season as the expectations are so high. We will have to wait and see.

2013-08-27 23:38#131866 Jamesg237 :

2013-08-27 21:29#131845

lwalter66 : It's hard when players don't care. Really it's there fault Hopefully you can stay till the end of the season and turn them around.

Oh they are definitely to blame...not me at all! Ha! I have a feeling they won't give me until the end of the season as the expectations are so high. We will have to wait and see.

Yeah thought so That's ashame really because it would be good for you to have the chance to rebuild them. Even if you do, you can go lower down the leagues and really build up your rep and maybe have a second go at HSV.

PS- I am managing in Germany on my journeyman - but in the fourth division - so maybe I might get offered the HSV job soon

2013-08-28 07:08#131879 WaIter :

2013-08-27 23:38#131866 Jamesg237 :

2013-08-27 21:29#131845

lwalter66 : It's hard when players don't care. Really it's there fault Hopefully you can stay till the end of the season and turn them around.

Oh they are definitely to blame...not me at all! Ha! I have a feeling they won't give me until the end of the season as the expectations are so high. We will have to wait and see.

Yeah thought so That's ashame really because it would be good for you to have the chance to rebuild them. Even if you do, you can go lower down the leagues and really build up your rep and maybe have a second go at HSV.

PS- I am managing in Germany on my journeyman - but in the fourth division - so maybe I might get offered the HSV job soon

I just can't see them giving me time and the media are saying if I lose my next game then I am out so it is inevitable really. Looks like I will be back on the job band wagon again soon!

I saw this decision coming for a very long time as I just seemed powerless to change the club’s fortunes and to get the team scoring, never mind winning. You cannot blame the board of directors for taking the decision that they have as I did awful as the manager of HSV. I can only think of one highlight from my time as their manager which was the win against FC Bayern, which really should have kick started our season, however, it failed to do so.

I do feel that too much was expected of me and not having the chance to change the expectations due to me taking control of the team in November, I think we were destined to fail. When I took control of the team they were deflated and not performing to the standard that they were capable of. It was always going to be a mammoth task to improve their confidence and three team meetings failed to have a long term effect on the squad. We simply could not win a game and despite not having won three of our last five games, we had been performing ok with us winning on the statistic board. However, we know that the score board is the one that matters.

What next? Well I am going to use the same holiday settings as I did before but I cannot see any jobs becoming available until the end of the season but you never know. I am gutted that it has been a disappointing start to my journey but I do think my experience at HSV will stand me in good stead in the future.

Mainly because of the players I reckon. It must have been hard given your reputation but maybe you can come back later on in your career and really get the best out of them..

Or do you hate them already