My First Half Season

Okay, I know, it's not very long compared to other people, but I've been taking it slow, averaging about ten minutes per game.

The game chose Torquay in League Two for me when I asked for a random club. Suited me, as I couldn't do any worse than reality.

At the end of October I felt like this -

Well, I should be happy. Two league wins on the trot have seen us go top of League Two. Priso got a 10 out of 10 rating in one of those matches, my first of the game. I've just won Manager of the Month for October. We've been drawn in the FA Cup against Cambridge City.

All good things. But putting a downer on all that is the fact that Jo Kuffour got a calf strain in the last game which is going to see him out for two months. I'm really not sure how we'll do without him. He always seems to be mixed up in the action, even if he's not scored an awful lot.

Now, at the beginning of January, it turns out that I was right not to be happy. We've died. End of December and we're down to 14th in League Two. We've won one league game out of the last eight or ten or so and lost all the rest. Even some key players coming back from injuries haven't helped. And the captain - a rock in central defence - has been out for well over a month now. The other teams seem to have decided that rushing at us in an attacking style is the way to go and they're right, nothing I do seems to let us withstand that sort of assault. I've got no transfer budget and the wages I'm allowed to offer don't seem to be able to tempt anyone good. This season is turning from purest gold to purest rubbish.

...Except in the FA Cup and LDV Vans Trophy we can't seem to lose a game. We even just beat Swansea, who are a divsion above us. It's all very nice, but it just means more games to play and my players aren't getting up to 100% between games, so I really need to be playing fewer of them, not more.

The game is really annoying me right now. But in some weird, glorious way where I still love it even when everything's falling apart around my ears.

Maybe I need to see if I can get a job somewhere, anywhere other than Torquay.

It's a pity you can't change countries in this version. Maybe a spell in South Korea or somewhere is what I need.

Or a miracle of some sort. Yes, I think a miracle would do nicely.

(Or maybe I need to abandon my long-held 4-3-3 formation and go to 4-4-2 and hope the extra presence in midfield helps us withstand pressure a bit better. Sound like a plan?)

Okay, I know, it's not very long compared to other people, but I've been taking it slow, averaging about ten minutes per game.

The game chose Torquay in League Two for me when I asked for a random club. Suited me, as I couldn't do any worse than reality.

At the end of October I felt like this -

Well, I should be happy. Two league wins on the trot have seen us go top of League Two. Priso got a 10 out of 10 rating in one of those matches, my first of the game. I've just won Manager of the Month for October. We've been drawn in the FA Cup against Cambridge City.

All good things. But putting a downer on all that is the fact that Jo Kuffour got a calf strain in the last game which is going to see him out for two months. I'm really not sure how we'll do without him. He always seems to be mixed up in the action, even if he's not scored an awful lot.

Now, at the beginning of January, it turns out that I was right not to be happy. We've died. End of December and we're down to 14th in League Two. We've won one league game out of the last eight or ten or so and lost all the rest. Even some key players coming back from injuries haven't helped. And the captain - a rock in central defence - has been out for well over a month now. The other teams seem to have decided that rushing at us in an attacking style is the way to go and they're right, nothing I do seems to let us withstand that sort of assault. I've got no transfer budget and the wages I'm allowed to offer don't seem to be able to tempt anyone good. This season is turning from purest gold to purest rubbish.

...Except in the FA Cup and LDV Vans Trophy we can't seem to lose a game. We even just beat Swansea, who are a divsion above us. It's all very nice, but it just means more games to play and my players aren't getting up to 100% between games, so I really need to be playing fewer of them, not more.

The game is really annoying me right now. But in some weird, glorious way where I still love it even when everything's falling apart around my ears.

Maybe I need to see if I can get a job somewhere, anywhere other than Torquay.

It's a pity you can't change countries in this version. Maybe a spell in South Korea or somewhere is what I need.

Or a miracle of some sort. Yes, I think a miracle would do nicely.

(Or maybe I need to abandon my long-held 4-3-3 formation and go to 4-4-2 and hope the extra presence in midfield helps us withstand pressure a bit better. Sound like a plan?)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Marc Vaughan:

If you're getting over-run by agressive opposition then I'd definitely agree that moving to a formation where you have a little more prescent in midfield might be helpful ... I'd even go as far as considering a 4132 if you've a decent DMC available.

PS> Nice write up </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks, I'll give it a go.

At the moment we're a bit low on good defenders... and midfielders... players, generally, let's say, but I'll see what I can rustle up.

A bit of experimentation won't make anything worse, anyway. I think I might even be quite relieved to be knocked out of the two cups I'm in.

Well, that seems to have worked!

January has been much better. I've settled back on a standard 4-4-2. I tried 4-1-3-2 and a diamond 4-4-2, but while they both got wins I don't have the players to fit into those formations easily.

Been through the whole month and I've won four, drawn one and lost one. And that loss was against Hull in the fourth round of the FA Cup, which was to be expected, them being two divisions higher than us. And it was only a 2-1 loss, so we weren't humiliated.

Only up to 12th in the league, but I've not quite given up hopes of a play-off spot yet.

Excellent write-up Rev, quite interesting indeed.

I've said this before, and I'll keep banging it into you guys until you see sense! - SIGN DANNY BACON!!

If you're still having injury troubles up-front Rev, he'll score you plenty and you might well steal him for no fee.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hucknall_Elv:

Excellent write-up Rev, quite interesting indeed.

I've said this before, and I'll keep banging it into you guys until you see sense! - SIGN DANNY BACON!!

If you're still having injury troubles up-front Rev, he'll score you plenty and you might well steal him for no fee. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually, I'm pretty but well covered there now, unlike the rest of the squad... but I've just had two more training injuries there, so thanks for the tip.

End of my first season.

English League Cup: Second Round

English FA Cup: Fourth Round

English League Two: 3rd

Yes, third. We climbed that far back up the table by the end, helped no end by Robinson turning into a goal-scoring god for the last few matches of the season. Only third on goal difference, mind. In fact, we had exactly the same won, drawn and lost stats as Bury, the team who came fourth. We also had scored the same number of goals. The only difference was that they'd let in twenty (!) more goals than we had.

And third means automatic promotion. So now League One beckons. It's quite scary. I don't think I'm going to hope for more than survival. I wonder if I'll get any transfer funds?

Connell, one of my best strikers, won the young player of the year award for League Two. I'd be more pleased if he hadn't broken his leg a couple of weeks before the end of the season. We'll be lucky to see him in action this year.

Maybe I should see if I can get hold of this Danny Bacon chap this summer?