[FM10] Frank? He Hate Me. Tales of an increasingly average manager.

*pokes head round door*

*waves*

Afternoon. I've got enough stories on the go (and another one being written) on FMS, but the problem is that I've finished playing the save games for all those stories yet I have a pathological need to tell people about my FM games. Given that all of my friends think I'm pathetic for playing the game (like immersing yourself in World of Warcraft is any less so, Dave), I thought I'd head on over here and share my FM10 experience with you fine people (i've already spotted a few FMS refugees, so at least there'll be a few familiar faces).

Anyway, on with the game. I asked Frank for a placement and he sent me to Montrose. No one likes Montrose. No one chooses to go to Montrose. If the sentence for murder was life in Montrose, I guarantee you that Scotland would be the safest place in the world. But on a two year deal worth £210 per week, that's where I find myself.

History

The club were founded in 1879 and play at Links Park. They joined the Scottish Football League in 1923, along with near-neighbours Brechin City, in the newly founded Scottish Third Division,1923–24 achieving a creditable fourth placed finish. However, the following season, Montrose finished at the bottom of the table, and despite signs of a recovery in 1925-26, lost their league place when the Third Division was scrapped owing to the financial difficulties experienced by many of the member clubs.1925–26 Montrose are one of only three sides from that Third Division, who are still competing today in the SFL.

The club was readmitted to the Second Division in 1929-30. In the 1930s, the first few league seasons after readmission were difficult, with the club regularly finishing in the bottom four of the table. Perhaps the best result of that difficult decade came in the Scottish Cup in season 1938-39, when, in the first round, Montrose sensationally knocked out holders East Fife by a 2-1 scoreline at Bayview Park, Methil.

Montrose have spent the vast majority of their recent history in the relative obscurity of the Third Division. At the end of the 1994–95 season, they were promoted to the Second Division after finishing as runners up to Forfar Athletic. However, the team's first attempt at this higher level was not successful, as they finished bottom of the table in 1995–96.

The club have remained at this level ever since, and have achieved little success in the league. Their most notable recent success was a surprising 5–1 win away at Second Division side Forfar Athletic in the First Round of the 2004–05 Scottish Cup.

Game details: FM2010 (10.1.0 patch), no data edits.

Leagues running: England (Blue Square North/South and above), France (National and above), Italy (Serie C2 and above), Scotland (Division 3 and above), Spain (Division 2B and above)

Think that's everything covered, but let the flaming commence if I've missed anything. Oh, and I will be attempting to play this to the LLM rules, so there will be no naming, tipping, etc.

Oh, and I will be attempting to play this to the LLM rules, so there will be no naming, tipping, etc.

You missed out "littering".

You missed out "littering".

Try Lionel Messi

Never heard of that kid. Do you think he'll come to Montrose?

Good luck with Montrose Terk, in more ways than one.

I've been to Montrose...The pubs are ok if you're into fat, ugly women who look like men. That is NOT why I was there.

Montrose has one single thing in its favour. It's not Forfar.

I found Montrose to be a nice little town. There's a nice beach there too. Well, nice if you happen not to look in the direction of the chemical works.

Right, firstly, I realised that I forgot to change my playing experience down from professional footballer, so it's not an LLM game, so I'm going full bore with the player naming. It came to my attention when I was linked with the Norwich job, which took me a little by surprise until I looked at my profile and I have a National reputation.

Anyway, on with the game.

Summary

I decided to get my revenge on Frank by turning Montrose into the dominant force in Scottish football (stop laughing at the back), but to do that we'll have to overcome massive inconsistency. It's a measure of how poor the division is that we're actually still 5th despite how terrible we've been at times (losing our opening game against Annan Athletic, getting shafted sideways by East Stirling and suffering a hugely embarrassing Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Nairn County - who played 86 minutes with 10 men). Yet we have also put in some superb performances, such as thumping Queen's Park 4-0 at Hampden and coming within thirty seconds of knocking Ross County out of the League Cup before losing on penalties.

The board are satisfied that we're top half of the table and they were very happy that we got to the quarter finals of the Challenge Cup (each of our three games went to penalties, we lost to eventual winners Inverness Caley Thistle). However they're not amused that we keep getting our asses handed to us by rival side Forfar. To be fair though, they are sailing away in the lead, so we can hardly expect to do well against them.

Transfers

It's been all free transfer work so far, bringing in six players but not managing to rid myself of any. It means that I'm £98 per week over budget. The stars so far have been Ian Amstrong, who seems to have a penchant for scoring from thirty yards as only two of his goals have come from inside the penalty area, and Marek Tomana, already at the club when I joined but who has been our creative force in central midfield. Fabio Ferreira has also come in an done well, and Damien Mozika was looking good until he tore his hamstring. My scout has managed to describe all but one of the players that he has recommended as 'a leading star for any Division One side', the one exception being Tommy Mooney, who at 38, apparently has the potential to be a Premier League player in the future. The old git wanted too much money, anyway, so Carl Asaba got the gig and has looked goppingly awful in his few games so far after impressing massively in his trial match.

2nd Half

Whilst clearly we're still in the running for a place in the play-offs, I can't see our inconsistency being rewarded quite so well and I think 5th or 6th is a more likely destination. We need Damien Mozika to get fit and hit the ground running when he's back in the side, and it would help if anyone other that Armstrong knew where the goal was, or if he could hit a cow's arse with a banjo when inside the box. At least we don't have any stupid cup games to worry about in the second half of the season.

Summary

Given that I'm doing this report from Italy's Adriatic coast, you can pretty easily guess that I'm no longer at Montrose. In the New Year the form at Links Parks took a massive turn for the worse, starting with a 4-1 thumping by Livingston and developing into a run of six defeats in eight games (in which we scored only four goals) that dropped us to sixth, but more importantly, well and truly out of the running for the play-offs. I was never entirely happy there, so with the board starting to have second thoughts about me, I decided to jump before I was pushed.

And then it was time to take advantage of my reputation as a former professional footballer and get me a better job. Three days after jumping from the sinking Montrose ship, Serie C1/B side Pescara came calling with a two and a half year deal worth £1,600 per week. 7th in the table with an ambition of finishing in the play-offs (with nine games of the season remaining), I thought I was well in. Unfortunately it took us 201 minutes of football after I took over to score, in the 203rd minute we conceded our first goal. That's right, four draws (three 0-0, one 1-1) before finally we beat Andria 1-0. That was followed by our first defeat (3-2 at Ravenna) and we ended up finishing the season in 8th place, having picked up only ten points in those nine games.

Transfers

Nobody was brought to Montrose in January and I joined Pescara after the window had shut, so nothing to report.

Going Forward

There are some good players at Pescara, the best of whom in my short stint has been Massimo Ganci, but there are too many who are simply dead weight. If the board want us to reach the play-offs next season then I'll have a tough job on my hands to live up to expectation, especially as the wage budget is already maxed out. A repeat of eighth place is probably more likely, unfortunately, that may come attached to my P45.

Delfino Pescara 1936 (usually known and referred to as simply Pescara or Pescara Calcio) is an Italian football club based in Pescara, Abruzzo. The club was formed in 1936 and currently plays in Italian Lega Pro Prima Divisione, previously called Serie C1. Pescara has competed in 5 seasons of Serie A (1977-1978, 1979-1980, 1987-1988, 1988-1989, 1992-1993). Its last Serie A stint ended in 1993. The team's colors are white and light blue.

Apart from a spell in Serie B in the 1940s, Pescara had a relatively undistinguished history until promotion to Serie B in 1974. With players like Giorgio Repetto and Bruno Nobili in midfield, they managed to win promotion to Serie A in 1977 after winning a play-off, but finished in their first season in Serie A in last place. A second promotion after a play-off followed, but once more they would be relegated from the top flight and descend to C1 within two years.

Nonetheless returning to Serie B after a year, Pescara would enjoy a revival after the appointment of the charismatic Giovanni Galeone in 1986. His philosophy of attacking football saw the Biancazzurri promoted to Serie A as champions for 1987, where they lasted two years with players such as Blaz Sliskovic among those starring. Galeone would return during season 1990-91 and oversaw another promotion the following year.

Despite finishing bottom of Serie A for a third time, it was an attractive and entertaining side which had few problems scoring goals (thanks to midfielders Massimiliano Allegri and Ottavio Palladini) but also conceded them at an alarming rate. They were involved in a number of thrilling games like a 5-4 home defeat to Milan after being 4-2 up, and a 5-1 win over Juventus in the penultimate round (by which time they had been relegated).

After relegation, Pescara remained in Serie B side throughout the 1990s, narrowly missing promotion in 1999. Relegation to C1 followed in 2001, with promotion in 2003 being followed by two revoked relegations in a row, thanks to bankruptcy and scandals affecting other clubs. Pescara were ultimately relegated in the 2006-07 season, with three presidential and managerial changes during the season. Since then the club has been playing Lega Pro Prima Divisione.

In December 2008 the debt-ridden club was legally declared out of business, and its control passed to a bankruptcy trustee appointed by the Court of Pescara. On February 2009 a takeover from a group named Delfino Pescara 1936 was finalized, with Deborah Caldora becoming the first woman to serve as chairman for the club.

Going to have a tough job on your hands to live up to expectations with the wage bill as it stands. Good luck

Cheers, jack. The obvious answer is to zero out my transfer budget, switching it over to the wage budget and try to rely on my scouts finding a few decent free transfers. But like you say, it will be difficult to live up to those expectations, especially given that we've moved over to Serie C1/A now and the teams in the league are definitely tougher.

Come on Mr Terk the expectation of the FMS lot must be getting to you

Come on Mr Terk the expectation of the FMS lot must be getting to you

Don't you worry, salkster, son, plenty more stories to come from me yet. I'm not handing in a transfer request.

Pescara \o/. Had lots of fun with them in FM09, picked them up in the second season having just promoted to Serie B and brought them all the way to the Europa League. Then got sacked in my fourth year after a horrible start that ended in relegation. After that they managed to rebound, promote again to Serie A, and remain a Top 10 team for the rest of the save (which lasted many years). Also, my driving license teacher was from Pescara, although that was more than 10 years ago . One of my favourite Italian teams.

Haven't checked them in depth in FM10, but in FM09 they had lots of young talent in the squad. Tabacco, Sembroni, Ekani, Abdoulaye Tine, Irineu, Vitale... If they're still there and they're half as good as they were a year ago, you're in for a fun ride.

Cheers, Dalbeider Couldn't find Irineu whilst Tine starts the game at Udinese, but Tabacco, Vitale and Sembroni are part of my first team squad whilst Ekani is impressing for my Under-20s. I'll try and do Pescara proud for you

Summary

A season of inconsistency again so far, but overall things are looking positive. I've got the team playing how I want them to now and the quality of the squad has improved. With some good youngsters around there's potential for the future, so if we can keep hold of them then I'm pretty sure that within a year or two we can get up to Serie B.

Serie C1/A

The move over to Serie C1/A took me by surprise and I wasn't best pleased as the standard of team is definitely higher, hence the drop in expectation from the board, I guess. So far though, we've done pretty well against the top sides in the league (wins against Vicenza and Ravenna, a draws against Salernitana and Perugia), it's the lesser lights that often cause us problems. Three of our four league defeats have come against sides who were sitting 12th or lower at the time (the other was against Benevento) and each of those three saw us throw away a lead.

The season began poorly, three draws and a defeat had us down in 17th before a tactical tweak helped us into form. Changing the deployment of our playmaker, providing a link between him and the loan striker and asking the full backs to get up in attack more often paid great dividends and we won three on the bounce, including a 2-0 home win over Vicenza and a 4-1 battering of Reggiana on their home patch.

There have been ups and downs since, but we've not dropped below 8th since week six of the season and we're currently sitting 5th, in the play-off zone. It might be asking a bit too much to keep that up, but I would be massively, massively happy if we could. The board seem pretty pleased with our league performance so far as well.

League Positions Graph

Cups

The board couldn't care less about the Serie C Cup, which is a shame because we've come through some tough games and are in the semi finals (against Ternana), but they're not judging my performance on it. We beat Perugia in the first round before sneaking past Vicenza on penalties in round two. The group stage saw us beat Cosenza comfortably at home and sneak a tougher win at Varese to ensure we got through to the semis.

The expectation in the Italian Cup was that we reached the second qualifying round, and that's exactly what we did, ditching Domegliara in round one before getting thoroughly thrashed by Serie B side Grosetto in round two.

Transfers

A lot in, a lot out. The squad was really in need of an overhaul, and we had some high earners who weren't very good, but thankfully most of them were out of contract and so were sent on their way. That allowed us to bring in a few free transfers - which was all I had to play with after zeroing out my transfer budget to increase my wage budget - and we caught some good players. Stéphane Besle has done well, though a few mistakes have crept into his game of late whilst Bernt Haas has spent most of his time on the treatment bench having suffered a torn hamstring.

Jamaïque Vandamme looks like a good prospect on the right wing, but neither Christophe Grégoire or Hans Somers have settled well, and given that they earn £12,000 per week between them and are attracting interest from a number of French clubs, they'll hopefully be gone in January. Pointless Belgians. Tomas Pekhart looks good but inconsistent.

Squad

Once again, Massimo Ganci is on of our most important players, he's been playing in a settled position this season rather than being moved around like last year (although he hardly bid poorly last season) and he's having an excellent time. Also a key name on our team sheet is right winger Andrea Gessa, who has a real eye for a defence splitting through ball.

Simone Vitale is proving vital in our tweaked tactics as he has a great engine to get up and down the flank from full back and his set piece delivery is easily the best at the club. Massimo Bonanni is proving an able captain whilst our normal armband wearer, goalkeeper Salvatore Pinna, is out injured and vice captain Samuele Olivi (or, as I've come to know him, 'Captain Red Card') has lost his place to the ever improving Emanuele Sembroni.

We still have problems up front, Francesco Zizzari started the season on fire but hasn't followed through and Marco Sansovini isn't worth a tenth of the £2,200 per week that we're paying him. Luckily there is plenty of interest in his transfer-listed ass, so we'll hopefully be rid in January. Tomas Pekhart has come in a looked good, but only in fits and starts (following up a stunning hat-trick with a performance rated at 4.7 seems typical so far), but I'll likely put my faith in the former Spud for the rest of the season.

2nd Half

A play-off place is the dream, but I think it's likely to stay that, for this season at least. A more realistic aim is to match last season's 8th position, which in a more difficult league will spell progress for me, and hopefully for the board as well. I'm enjoying my time at Pescara and I'd like to stay here.

What's the play-off positions Terk? 3rd-6th?

2nd - 5th. 1st gets promoted automatically, 2nd-5th go into a play-off for the other spot.

Man........that's a tough set-up to get out of!

Yeah, I've always considered the Italian lower leagues pretty much the toughest to get out of. That may just be because I've always been crap at Italian football in FM though.

Could be worse. Spain's Segunda B has no direct promotion spot, and the top 4 of each of the 4 groups have to win two playoffs to promote to Segunda. 80 teams play, 4 promote. Not as bad as the Brazilian Third Division, but still...

To be fair I've never taken a shot at the Brazilian leagues, but I've never seemed to find the Segunda B as difficult as Serie C.

Summary

Well, that wasn't expected. A truly fantastic season on the playing front, less so financially, but the board now believe that I am 'untouchable', so safe to say they like me. Whether that leads into a new contract in 2012, however, we'll have to yet see.

Serie C1/A

At the halfway point I said the play-offs were a dream, that top eight had to be our realistic expectation. Well how about 2nd place (only three points behind winners Ravenna) and promotion via the play-offs? Will that do? Damn right it will. We had a superb second half to the season, finishing with a run of eighteen games without defeat (though a run of six draws in that did threaten to derail us at one point). Both Vicenza and Perugia sacked their managers late on in the season, in Vicenza's case that inspired a late run into the play-offs, only for them to get cuffed 6-2 on aggregate by Salernitana.

Salernitana are listed as one of our fierce rivals, so once we'd dispensed of Foggia in a tight semi final, it was gloves off for the two-legged final. They pretty much pummelled us in the first leg, but Remo Amadio is fast proving himself a very able 'keeper, and he kept everything at bay, allowing us to sneak a 1-0 win thanks to Massimo Ganci's goal in first half injury time. The second leg was a carbon copy, Salernitana the better side, Amadio the best player, us nicking a goal in first half injury time (this time through Samuele Olivi).

The board were delighted at the 'unexpected' promotion, but not as much as I was. My only worry is just how often we're going to get our asses spanked in Serie B. Especially as our financial position means that I'll likely have to offload my higher earners.

League Position Graph

Serie C Cup

The board didn't rate the competition as important, but that were damn happy top have won it when we over came Serie C2/A side Itala in the final. It looked like we'd go out in the semis after we lost the home leg 3-0 to Ternana, but a stunning fightback in the second leg, led by our ex Man City striker, David Ball, took us to a 4-1 win and through on away goals. Itala shut up shop in the first leg of the final, winning a 0-0 draw, but we showed them who was boss in the return, winning 3-0 for my first piece of silverware.

Transfers

A busy January saw two of our summer signings leave as Christophe Grégoire and Hans Somers found homes in Ligue 2, netting us handy fees in the process. Marco Sansovini decided to leave for Vicenza (and then be utterly brilliant for them, inevitably scoring against us) whilst we focused the rest of the season on bringing in young talent for the future.

Key Players

Massimo Ganci - Again at the heart of our good work, has settled into his attacking midfield role with ease and won himself a shiny new two year contract. I do have my worries about whether he can step up, but only time will tell that.

Andrea Gessa - Continued to be a wonderful creative force down the right flank and is one of the first names on the team sheet. As an experienced head has been asked to tutor youngsters.

Bernt Haas - Spent the first half of the season in the treatment room, but backed up my decision to sign him with a very solid second half to the season, easily and quickly relegating Damiano Zanon to substitute duties.

Emanuele Sembroni - Developed into a rock at the heart of our defence over the season and by play-off time was one of my 'untouchables'. I'm hoping for a bright future for this lad.

Massimo Bonanni - A goalscoring winger is a nice thing to have and Massimo filled in very well as captain when needed. He'll be important for us next year.

Remo Amadio - Quite easily my favourite player. Remo started the season in the reserves but his performances were hard to ignore. Impressed when given the chance and quickly grabbed hold of the #1 shirt, keeping a massively impressive eleven clean sheets in eighteen games, not least in both legs of the play-off final.

Tomas Pekhart - Turned into a properly consistent goalscorer in the second half of the season until a torn hamstring put him out of the final month. Fits perfectly into the way we play and has a very good link with Ganci. My best signing so far.

Youth Squad

The Under-20s strolled to a league title, ending up winners by thirteen points over Vicenza, and we look to have some good youngsters coming through the system. The stars of the show were striker Roberto Inglese, full back Tomasso Avolio and winger Walter Carta (who was a late season signing but impressed nonetheless). But our top prospect is seventeen year old striker Fabrizio Russo who is already attracting interest from bigger and better clubs.

Next Season

Avoid relegation if at all possible, that's the only thought in my mind.

Congrats Mr Terk. You've managed to overcome the pressure from FMS

Cheers, salkster. Not sure entirely what you're on about, but cheers anyway

Been following this career for a while, but here's my first post in the thread. Good luck in Serie B! Pekhart is a great signing for the lower tier leagues.

You have any plans for strengthening the squad in some specific positions or planning to use your current starting XI and hope all goes well?

There is one item on the agenda for Pescara's return to Serie B; avoid relegation at all costs. With the step up in level we'll hopefully see a boost in our attendances (a chronic lack of which was at the heart of our financial problems last season - averaging less than 4,000 in a 24,000 capacity stadium is no good for anyone); a home following of over 10,000 for the second leg of the play-off final against Salernitana would certainly suggest that the fans are there.

Further improving our financial position, we had an overall increase in our sponsorship deals to the tune of just under £1,500,000. The board seem keen to keep us on one year deals with all our sponsors, so we were immediately able to take advantage of our improved standing in the game. The biggest jump was in our stadium sponsorship, so for £800,000 presumably the Stadio Adriatico is now named the 'Bobby's Bits Arena' or something equally stupid.

The board were kind enough to recognise my achievement last season and offered me a shiny new contract, running until June 2014 and worth £2,700 per week - a nice step up from my last deal. Another three years here would do nicely, and if things progress well then I could certainly see me staying for longer.

Cheers, salkster. Not sure entirely what you're on about, but cheers anyway

Me i'm just talking crap as usual. Perks of a hangover

Been following this career for a while, but here's my first post in the thread. Good luck in Serie B! Pekhart is a great signing for the lower tier leagues.

You have any plans for strengthening the squad in some specific positions or planning to use your current starting XI and hope all goes well?

Cheers, rancer I brought the financial problems on myself by signing players like Pekhart, but he just looked too good during his trial to let him go to someone else. I'm really hoping he can make the step up to Serie B this season.

Our current squad would go down with barely a whimper, I'm pretty certain. They looked good in Serie C, but there's a massive step up in class to some of the teams in Serie B and we have to strengthen. I've let some players go at the end of their contracts and I'm looking to bring in replacements on free transfers.

I'm looking for all round strengthening really, although a new striker would do nicely to put pressure on Pekhart. David Ball did well at the back end of last season, but I think Serie C is his limit. I've already brought in a few players and Fiorentina (a parent club link that is there at the start of the game) have sent me a young centre back and offered a pretty decent DMC the chance to join on loan as well.

And just for Dalbeider, I've picked up Abdoulaye Tine after he was released by Udinese.

Me i'm just talking crap as usual. Perks of a hangover

Nothing new then

And just for Dalbeider, I've picked up Abdoulaye Tine after he was released by Udinese.

Yay \o/ (I'm abusing this icon-logo-smiley-thing a lot lately ). He was class for me in 09, if his stats haven't changed in this version, he should be good for you in Serie B, and maybe in the future in Serie A.

I agree with the above, Pekhart should be great for you.

If he can play the way he did in the second half of last season, I'll be chuffed. And Dalbeider, Tine will have to wait for his chance just yet, he's in the reserves.

A quick update, after losing my first Serie B game (at Reggina), there is something very special about comeback wins

If he can play the way he did in the second half of last season, I'll be chuffed. And Dalbeider, Tine will have to wait for his chance just yet, he's in the reserves.

A quick update, after losing my first Serie B game (at Reggina), there is something very special about comeback wins

Looks like a good second half!

The end was enjoyable at least When they went 3-1 up, I changed out plan from 'control' to 'attack'. Then they went 4-2 up and I just went for it, set us to 'overload', stuck 3 up front and we banged 3 in. Another two hit the post as well. Pekhart did pretty well coming off the bench

So, it was always going to be hard, trying to survive in Serie B when my financial situation effectively meant that I had to live on free transfer signings. My only real cash spend came when I had to replace Massimo Bonnani after Torino wrested him from my grasp (although the £2.5M fee was pretty decent compensation) and I took Emil Hallfreðsson from Reggina for £1M.

We had a tough start against Reggina, but a stunning comeback win against Bari had the whole place jumping. Two draws followed up and we were mid table. That was when my defence decided they couldn't play anymore and things fell apart. After just nine game of the season had passed, my status at the club had dropped from 'untouchable' following our promotion to merely 'stable'. Needless to say, this irked me, and so when Ipswich sacked Roy Keane, I gave in to temptation and applied. The board got wind of it and offered me the chance to resign, which I duly did. Ten games played and sitting just inside the relegation zone, it was probably best to jump before I was pushed anyway.

No word yet on the Ipswich job.

Ian Holloway got the Ipswich job

Pekhart and Hallfreðsson? You united the deadly duo? Well played.

Hallfreðsson didn't get much time to impress me. He kept swanning off on international duty and then was kept out of the side for a few games by the thirty-eight year old Marcelo Delgado. Pekhart had started the season very well though.

I've taken a job at Notts County, by the way, and the half season update should be on its way tonight.

So, after the sad parting from Pescara, it was time to find a new job. I rejected the chance to join Albacete as their finances were not what they could have been whilst both Aberdeen and Real Sociedad rejected me. Finally the right job came along when Notts County sacked Kevin Blackwell just over a month after I left Italy, and I was back in the hot seat.

Notts County Football Club (often known as Notts or County or by their nickname The Magpies) are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest professional football league club in the world, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League Two (formerly the Fourth Division) of the Football League, part of the English football league system. County play their home games at Meadow Lane in black and white striped shirts.

The club has had several spells in the top division of English football, most recently in 1991-92, when County played in the old First Division. Notable former managers of Notts County include Jimmy Sirrel, Neil Warnock, Howard Kendall and Sam Allardyce.

In July 2009, the club was bought by Qadbak Investments, who soon appointed former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson as Director of Football.

So, I haven't been here long, only six games in fact, but already it's evident that the club was not run very well under the previous management. The squad is thin despite the cash available, and it is surprisingly lacking in talent. We have some very quick players, but very few who are comfortable on the ball, making us a decent counter attack team away from home, but I'm struggling to get us going on our own patch. So far the four home games have yielded three defeats and a draw whilst both the away games have been won, so we sit thirteenth in the league, exactly where we were when I took over.

I already have three transfers arranged for January 1st, but it's going to be a long process to rebuild this squad, luckily I'm at a club with the money to do it.

League Table

Good luck with Notts County. Hope you can bring them to glory. (or worst case get a better job )

What transfers do you have pre-arranged?

Andy Dawson from Hull for £350K, Jason Puncheon from Plymouth for £700K and Rafa Jordá on a free transfer. I've now brought in Gabor Gyepes from Cardiff for £250K and Gary Taylor-Fletcher from Blackpool for £200K. Also hoping to take West Brom's Felipe Teixeira on loan and bring in Pedro Botelho from Arsenal.

They're not the best players in the world, but they are what is available in terms of a quick fix.

Summary

Maddening, unbearable inconsistency. That has been the story of my time at Notts County. We have gone from the sublime to the utterly ridiculous from game to game, unable to gather any sort of consistency amongst a squad that don't get on very well. Only right at the end, with three wins and a draw in our final four fixtures, did we finally seem to get things right. There is potential, no doubt, but it will be a summer of big change.

League One

For much of the time after I joined we bummed around in 14th or 15th place, our inconsistency ruling out any sort of late shot at the play-offs. Three wins on the bounce at the end, however, actually put us in with a shout of a top ten finish on the final day, but a draw at Rotherham ruled that out too. That vast majority of the squad feel that we underachieved (which we did) but we have finished 3 points better off than the club managed last season, so it is progress of a sort.

League Position Graph

Cups

We were still in the Johnstone's Paint trophy when I arrived, but I soon saw to that, masterminding a 4-1 home defeat against Oldham in the Northern semi final. Before I arrived, we went out in the second round of the League Cup against Huddersfield and the first round of the FA Cup at Yeovil. Not a good season.

Transfers

There were many. I brought in eleven players once the window had opened in a bid to provide a boost to the side (realistically that many new players were never going to gel quickly enough) and I spent roughly £3M in doing so. Some were brought in on only six month deals, and were intended to be loss leaders let go in the summer (Gavin McCann for one); simply sticking plasters to cover the problems that I'd inherited. I've had my head scout Tord Grip working tirelessly over the second half of the season, identifying targets for the summer window, and I'm pretty confident about the list I've drawn up, as long as the board back me like I expect them to.

Key Players

Rubén Castro - Someone I debated over for quite a while (his wages are astronomical for this level) in the end biting the bullet just before the window closed, and I'm glad I did. Once he was partnered up front in a 4-2-2-2 rather than a 4-5-1, he came alive and ended the season with eleven goals in his sixteen games for us. Will be important next season.

Kasper Schmeichel - For much of the season one of my most disappointing players. He seemed incapable of saving anything and was dropped to the bench. A breach of discipline and subsequent hissy fit from Adám Bogdán got him back in the side for the run in, and he finally found his form, producing some top notch performances.

Jason Puncheon - Probably my proudest signing to date, Jason has slotted in perfectly to our fast breaking side and provides real energy down the left. I'm looking for a big season from him next year.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher - He may not be the fastest winger in the world, but Gary still poses problems for defences, cutting in from the right flank and playing cute little balls in and around the box. Also has the ability to beat his man and get in a cross; overall a player I'm happy with.

Felipe Teixeira - Brought in on loan from WBA, Felipe performed superbly as a playmaker in our midfield, dictating the play and often launching quick attacks with balls out to our wingers. I'm hopeful of bringing him back to the club next season as his contract is up at the end of June and West Brom don't seem to want him.

Next Season

The club has spent two seasons in League One now and I expect the board to want involvement in the promotion battle next time around. There are a lot of players who will be leaving in the summer as they won't be offered new contracts, and I'm expecting a budget somewhere in the region of £5M to replace them. Armed with that, the play-offs could be a realistic target.

Ah, bollocks Tord Grip, by far my best scout (he was the only one when I joined the club), has just gone and ****ing retired. Selfish bastard.

Promotion. That it's, that's all they want. Promotion. The board have had enough of League One and want to rise to the second tier of English football for the first time since they were relegated from what was then Division One in the 1994/95 season. They also expect us to reach the third round of the FA Cup, the second round of the League Cup and couldn't give a monkey's about the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

I've been asked to achieve all this on the budget I expected of just over £5,000,000 (which for this level really is superb financing). The deep pockets behind chairman Peter Trembling keep pumping money into the club to fight the fact that we don't actually make very much money, but that will hopefully begin to change if I can start to climb us up the ladder.

2012/13

Preview

Promotion. That it's, that's all they want. Promotion. The board have had enough of League One and want to rise to the second tier of English football for the first time since they were relegated from what was then Division One in the 1994/95 season. They also expect us to reach the third round of the FA Cup, the second round of the League Cup and couldn't give a monkey's about the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

I've been asked to achieve all this on the budget I expected of just over £5,000,000 (which for this level really is superb financing). The deep pockets behind chairman Peter Trembling keep pumping money into the club to fight the fact that we don't actually make very much money, but that will hopefully begin to change if I can start to climb us up the ladder.

Info

Bank Balance: £15,179,200

Transfer Budget: £5,862,207

Wage Budget: £185,425 per week

Wage Bill: £100,885 per week

Media Prediction: 1st

Board Expectation: Promotion

2011/12 Supporters' Player of the Year: Kasper Schmeichel

You seeing things or are they loonies :confused:

Total and utter loonies. Couldn't believe it when that came through on my news screen. Seriously, when I arrived I had him as #1 but he proved utterly incapable of saving anything, in particular shots that were booted straight at him. He got better when he came back into the side, but it there's a decent bid this summer then he's out of here - which will no doubt endear me towards my mental fans.

So did the defences just not bother with this game?

The relief that came when Smárason put in the sixth after we'd thrown away a 5-1 lead was unbelievable.