What would Martin do?

Firstly, forgive me, long time lurker, brand new thread starter.

Anyway, having finished dafuge's challenge and got a fair way through Gundo's challenge, I've started to get bored. This is where I normally end up putting down FM for another 9 months and look back surprised at myself for just how addicted I was between October and January. And I got to thinking what I should do next? And I wondered...

What would Martin do?

I was 9 years old when I went to my first game of live football and I was hooked.

11^th May 1991 - Wycombe 2-1 Kidderminster Harriers

Around 25,000 Wycombe supporters helped the attendance for this FA Trophy Final sum to 34,842, as Wanderers won for the first time at Wembley.

Dave Carroll caused early problems for the Harriers defence, before Keith Scott scored the opening goal in the 18^th minute. Scott converted after Steve Guppy's long ball found Mark West, who crossed as the goalkeeper fumbled, leaving Scott with a tap in. Scott soon after had a snap shot well saved, before Blues goalie John Granville, who was playing with a broken thumb, forced a superb save from a Kidderminster forward.

After an hour, Kidderminster scored the equaliser as Hadley's shot squirmed in. It was back to square one for Wycombe, but this stung Wanderers back into action and they regained the lead soon after the setback as Scott returned the favour to West who headed home. Wycombe pushed forward in search of another but Harriers goalkeeper saved from Guppy and Carroll.

The final whistle sounded to jubilation as Wycombe's first Wembley victory was confirmed. The team travelled through the Town Centre in an open top bus parade where a huge crowd met them.

Wycombe Line Up: Granville, Crossley, Cash, Kerr, Creaser, Carroll, Ryan, Stapleton, West, Scott, Guppy (Hutchinson)

Martin O'Neill had been manager for a little over a year at that point. I went to more or less every game the following season, starting with a 6-1 home win against Telford, I still remember their keeper (Darren Acton) being man of the match despite the thrashing. That year we finished second to Colchester United on goal difference and missed out on promotion. The following year we were promoted and returned to Wembley, I'm sure the rest of the Martin O'Neill story is relatively familiar to you all after that.

These were some of the happiest years of my childhood and certainly the happiest of my football supporting life (although the year that John Gorman nearly silked us out of League Two was extremely entertaining). Family trips to far flung grounds stick in my mind, an away defeat to Bromsgrove with Creaser being harshly sent off. Memorable winning trips to Telford, Rochdale, Kidderminster, Kettering and Sutton all spring to mind too.

Anyway, this is not a memorial piece. My challenge will be to attempt to step into the feet of greatness and see how closely I can follow in the path of the great man who built all this.

MO'N tactical philosophy

Tactically he stuck to a rigid 4-4-2 in his Wycombe time, but also dabbled with 3-5-2/5-3-2 - certainly in his Celtic days. I am likely to forge ahead with a standard 4-4-2 for the time being, allowing myself a bit of luxury to change once my reputation and available players improve.

That 4-4-2 set up I will initially be looking to follow is as follows -

GK - No surprises here, a standard shot-stopper. Usually distributed the ball quickly, looking for the target man.

(Paul Hyde, Kasey Keller, Artur Boruc)

Full backs - Mainly used in a supporting role to the wingers, primarily looking for defensively minded players who also have the stamina and distribution going forward as an optional bonus.

(Jason Cousins, Frank Sinclair, Tommy Boyd, Jackie McNamara)

Centre backs - One absolute beat of a man who will be 6'4'' at the very, very least to provide defensive cover, but more importantly to provide a threat at the far end. The other will be slightly more mobile, slightly better distribution, but really the centre backs are there to defend and to attack set pieces. Pace not really a consideration here, a deeper backline is necessary, plus an offside trap.

(Terry Evans, Glyn Creaser, Matt Elliott)

Wingers - Absolutely critical to the side, it is no secret at all MO'N's tactics revolve around getting quality balls in the box. Again, pace not necessarily the biggest concern, but crossing is key.

(Steve Guppy, Alan Thompson, Dave Carroll, Andy Impey)

Central midfield - One work horse, one creative player. Despite MO'N reputation, he's typically afforded himself a luxury creative player alongside the ball winner

(Theo Zagorakis, Steve Thompson, Lubo Moravcik, Muzzy Izzet),

(Steve Brown, Robbie Savage, Neil Lennon).

Forwards - The classic big man, little man partnership. The little man generally being more skillful with the bigger man being a target man. The target man has a little flexibility, with Emile Heskey, John Hartson, Cyrille Regis all being used in the role, with slightly differing characteristics as to whether they're the goal-scorer or the foil for the more talented partner.

(Tony Cottee, Simon Garner)

Emile Heskey, John Hartson, Cyrille Regis

Common theme across all of the players will be determination and work rate. Typically there won't be a great emphasis on youth, rather we'll look to bring solid, experienced players in.

MO'N managerial philosophy

The first things that always spring to mind are -

His intense passion for the game

Difficult to directly replicate, however I can use this as a guide when dealing with the press and playersHis loyalty both to players and to his staff(Steve Walford has just popped up at Sunderland, having followed him from Wycombe, to Celtic and Aston Villa)

A lack of rigidity to his tactical systems.

Pretty much covered above, but will preclude me from using fancy downloaded tactics

A robust approach to dealing with boards

Take his exits from Aston Villa and Norwich as a guide

Ambition for both his clubs and himself

He has never stayed at a club for more than 5 years, leaving clubs such as Wycombe, Leicester and Villa when he had realistically taken them as far as he could go, but only when a better option came about.

I will be using those as a guide as to how I approach squad composition, job changes, media approach and board interaction.

MO'N achievements

FA Trophy 1990/1 and 1992/3

Vauxhall Conference 1992/3

"Third Division" play off winners 1993/4

League Cup winners 1996/7, 1999/2000

SPL winners 2000/1, 2001/2, 2003/4

Scottish League Cup winners 2000/1

Scottish FA Cup winners 2000/1, 2003/4, 2004/5

UEFA Cup runners up 2002/3

The plan

So, bearing in mind the above. Here is the plan...

I will be starting unemployed, waiting for some kind soul to take a chance on me. In hindsight, maybe I should have given myself a former international footballer's reputation. Never mind. Given that he started his career at Grantham Town, before moving onto Shepshed Charterhouse then finally getting the Wycombe job on the back of a chance meeting with Alan Parry, maybe the former experience doesn't really make a difference.

I will look to build up a reputation at a smaller club, staying there up to 5 years, but if things start to stagnate, I'll jump at a new challenge.

My career path will hopefully tick off the following things that Martin achieved -

Lower league trophies (real life - FA Trophy 1991, 1993)

Taking a small club from the non-league and establishing them in the higher leagues (Wycombe - 1990-1995)

Attempt to revive a fallen/stagnated giant (Aston Villa, 2006-10)

Winning a major European trophy (avenging Celtic's 3-2 extra time defeat in the 2003 UEFA Cup final against an awfully theatrical Porto side coached by The Special One)

Winning the top league multiple times with a single club in either England or Scotland (3 league titles at Celtic)

Winning a domestic treble (2001 at Celtic)

Manage Northern Ireland to a World Cup (captained them to the quarter final in Spain, 1982)

Brucie bonus points for passing through anywhere the great man himself went -

Lisburn Distillery,

Nottingham Forest,

Norwich City,

Manchester City,

Notts County,

Chesterfield,

Fulham

Grantham Town

Shepshed Charterhouse (erm)

Wycombe Wanderers

Leicester City

Celtic

Aston Villa

Sunderland

So, thanks for reading. No really, I'm sure someone did...

Gah. I lost all my pretty photos! How irksome.

Anyway. finally on 6th November I have a job at mid table Boston United, who sit 12th in the Blue Square North.

Team Report

Finances

My best players frighten me. They're not great. Alan White is my centre back, who fulfills my slowness criteria, at least... Alex Woodyard isn't even my own player and I'm not sure what to do with him. He might end up playing off the front man in the Cottee role.

Now I've found my problem... The board expect me to win promotion this year. This is going to be a baptism of fire and may not be a long stay. This squad is miles worse than the Carshalton side I struggled to take out of the Conference South.

I've got a broad tactical set up in place, which I'll tinker with, but not much yet. I'll stick to tactical wizard formations, to stop me downloading and because I feel a little more in control when I can use the shouts.

Also, I've noticed my best set piece taker has only 12 for corners, my best freekick taker has 8 for freekicks. I'll be looking to find a wizard as soon as possible...

I'll be back once I've digested my side fully and am ready to get up and going.