Andrew Haines

AFC Guiseley Premier League - 2033/34 – 10th Squad Transfers Overview The first season in the Premier League is always a challenge. From the league position of 10th and a final tally of 23 points away from the relegation zone at the end of the season, you might think things were rather comfortable. That wasn’t really the case however, at least for the first half of the season. A mere 3 wins in the first half of the season meant we were in the mire although not in the relegation zone thanks to a healthy number of draws. It was strong second half form with only 2 defeats that really pushed us up the table. In pre-season, funds were limited and it was clear we were going to have to work hard to do good business. Big signings were Alix Hughes, a centre-back from Man United for £1.6m and Preston midfield wonderkid Andrew Hughes who cost £16m. That £16m might eventually be money well spent but it was a big investment. It left me doing the remainder of my transfers on out of contract players. Ex-Man United right back Eric Hoolahan was a bargain and Julian Gonstad filled a gap in my striker position. He wasn’t exactly the sort of player I’d normally go for but with great pace and finishing I thought the Norwegian striker would be a bit of a fox in the box for me which would be useful in a season where nicking a result would be important. As mentioned first half of the season was difficult although despite the lack of wins we were competitive pulling in a large number of draws. In January, defender Michel Kasongo was picked up by Chinese side SH Port for £24m. This gave me funds to re-invest in the side. 5 players came in all of whom proved to be solid. The highlight was Argentine midfielder Matias Baldo from Boca for £7m. He would score 8 goals in the remaining 17 games from midfield. With these players in place we shot up the league. We were rather blunt upfront though. Gonstad didn’t prove prolific ending with 8 goals for the season so will need replacing. Key Players Andrew Sinclair– A big signing in pre-season costing £16m from Preston, the young English midfielder was impressive in midfield. Matias Baldo – The Argentine midfielder was prolific from midfield in the second half of the season following a January arrival from Boca. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 National League North 8th FA Trophy Winners 2025/26 National League North 2nd Play-off Semi Finalists 2026/27 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted 2027/28 National League 1st Champions, Promoted 2028/29 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted 2029/30 League One 2nd Promoted 2030/31 Championship 13th 2031/32 Championship 8th 2032/33 Championship 2nd Promoted 2033/34 Premier League 10th

I'd just be a bit careful how wild you go with spending that money. When you hit league two/one, the FFP is brutal! I had a ton of money in the bank from player sales but couldn't use it because I would have gone over the wage limit.

I do similar. On 1st July I go through Prem, Champ, Lge 1 and 2 and add all released players to a shortlist. Then I either trial or scout all the players as they become interested. Their demands drop the longer they are on frees so by Oct/Nov you can get some great players.

Cheers! This is where the fun starts.

AFC Guiseley Championship - 2032/33 – 2nd Squad Transfers Overview Premier League here we come! A second place finish was enough for promotion but was a bit disappointing as at one stage we had a massive lead at the top of the table. Pre-season saw us sign midfielder Brazilian Jose Antonio from Man United and Belgian defender Christian Irakoze from Arsenal to play along side his compatriot Kasongo. Beyond this, I knew I had to lift the quality to push on from last seasons near qualification for the play-offs. To do this, I relied on loan signings with Matej Bilelic coming in from Bayern and Jesus Moreira from Sevilla in attack and defender Niccolo Tempesta in defence. This was an immediate success with a win against Southampton in our first game, although Jose Antonio sulked for the next two months after I subbed him in the second half. The remainder of August was patchy but from there form was much better and by the start of March we held a 12 point gap from 3rd place and a healthy lead over Hull in 2nd. With a small squad and big fixture list we fell apart. Players desperately needed resting but without adequate replacements this proved difficult. We won 1 game in the ten games up to the final game of the season. That lead over the play off sides evaporated and Hull surged to the title. Going into the last game at home to struggling QPR we held a lead over Cardiff in 3rd only on goal difference. This should have been a routine win but with the form we were in an with injuries biting we laboured to a 1-0 win with a 75th minute goal. Even then, QPR were always in the game and we were never comfortable. Up until the 75th minute I was watching Cardiff’s home fixture against Luton nervously. Things became very tense when Carfiff took the lead in the 82nd minute but in the end a 92nd minute equaliser for Luton meant that a point would have been enough anyway. Key Players David Tunde – Signed in January having been released in the summer by Arsenal. Tunde added a dynamic presence in midfield. Jose Antonio – The Brazilian arrived from Tottenham scoring 16 goals from midfield. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 National League North 8th FA Trophy Winners 2025/26 National League North 2nd Play-off Semi Finalists 2026/27 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted 2027/28 National League 1st Champions, Promoted 2028/29 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted 2029/30 League One 2nd Promoted 2030/31 Championship 13th 2031/32 Championship 8th 2032/33 Championship 2nd Promoted

AFC Guiseley Championship - 2031/32 – 8th Squad Transfers Overview Despite inconsistent form, we ran it incredibly close for a play-off spot in the Championship but fell short by a tiny margin. With my wage bill still tiny summer re-inforcements were limited. Forward Eric Dobbs returned for third spell at the club, this time on a permanent deal. He had previously been at the club on loan from first Arsenal and then Southampton. I also picked up keeper Ian Kennedy on a free from Wolves. Beyond that, I went into the season with the same squad as previously. It was a relief a couple of weeks into the season when I was able to sign a couple more players. Argentine midfielder Ezequiel Fernandez brought experience to the midfield, signed on a free from Hull and Belgian defender Michel Kasongo came in from West Ham. They definitely improved the squad. These squad improvements were a good thing because we started poorly. 2 points from our first 5 games was not a good return. Things picked up with three wins on the trott but we didn’t find any real consistency till December. The arrival on a free of Man United midfielder Jayce Fitzgerald was a great signing and really improved the side, adding impetus as a box-to-box midfielder. We were then much improved for the remainder of the season. We looked likely to make the play-offs but for three defeats in a row at the start of April. Three wins in the final three games almost gave us the play-offs and we finished joint on 78 points with Preston and West Brom. Key Players Ezequiel Fernandez – ex-Boca Juniors midfielder arrived on a free from Hull and added experience in the midfield. Jayce Fitzgerald – Signed on a free from Man United in November, Fitzgerald was a dynamic presence in the midfield. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 National League North 8th FA Trophy Winners 2025/26 National League North 2nd Play-off Semi Finalists 2026/27 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted 2027/28 National League 1st Champions, Promoted 2028/29 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted 2029/30 League One 2nd Promoted 2030/31 Championship 13th 2031/32 Championship 8th

AFC Guiseley Championship - 2030/31 – 13th Squad Transfers Overview A midtable finish was a good result for a season which was a struggle. We were released from the constraints on our wage bill from FFP imposed in League One and Two. However we still had a tiny budget. Our wage budget was half that of the next lowest side in the Championship. We had been living on a shoestring for years will receiving promotions and this really caught up with us. Striker Eric Dobbs returned on loan for a second time having previously played in our League Two side on loan from Arsenal. This time he came back on loan from Southampton. Midfielders Joe Read and Harrison Armstrong came in from Everton raising the quality there and left back Rhys Davies came in from Man United. Apart from this the side was largely unchanged including goalkeeper Sam Reid coming back for a second season on loan from Southampton. We started slowly without a win in our first 9 games and 7 defeats. Suddenly though we put in 4 wins on the bounce and were back in the game. Form was patchy but we reliably registered at least a couple of wins a month. One of the biggest I had was my most influential players lost their places and I was fighting against player revolts all season. It’s fair to say ex-Captain Joe Hodge and regular starters from last year Louie Barry and Kacey Wooster were not happy to find themselves benched and told me. A lot. I tried to move them on unsuccessfully with the board blocking anything under substantial amounts of money for them. We did end up with a decent bank balance by the end of the season so hopefully things will be a little easier next year. Key Players Joe Read – The young English midfielder arrived from Everton on a free and scored reliably from midfield. Rhys Davies – The ex-Man United left back was a bit of a star having arrived on a free at the start of the season. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 National League North 8th FA Trophy Winners 2025/26 National League North 2nd Play-off Semi Finalists 2026/27 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted 2027/28 National League 1st Champions, Promoted 2028/29 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted 2029/30 League One 2nd Promoted 2030/31 Championship 13th

AFC Guiseley League One - 2029/30 – 2nd Squad Transfers Overview A fourth consecutive promotion but we didn’t this time finish as champions. We did run it very close though, a 91st minute equalizing free kick for Wigan denied us top spot. It was a struggle of a season however to pull a squad together. FFP requirements massively hamstrung us with real care needed to pull a squad together. Going into the season we were able to bring in a handful of free transfers from top clubs. Defenders Alex Medjo from Chelsea and Max Fry from Southampton reinforced the defence with Tottenham’s Cypriot midfielder Antonis Panteli probably being the star arrival. Beyond this I was reliant on loan signings mainly from parent club Leeds United. There was of course a decent core of players who won promotion from League Two with Brendon Aaronson still proving one of our best players We started well with our first defeat not coming until the 24th of October. From there however November and December were a disaster. This was despite incoming re-inforcements in left winger Louis Barry (released by Wrexham) and striker Kacey Wooster previously of Newcastle. They would eventually prove their worth as form turned round in the new year. 8 straight wins through January put us back in contention. We were competing with two excellent sides in Bolton and Wrexham who registered 95 and 94 points respectively. We would have finished top and were looking likely to right up until that Wigan penalty. Promotion is promotion though and we head to the Championship. Key Players Kacey Wooster – Released by Newcastle in the Summer, the striker arrived in October and scored 17 goals in 28 games Brendon Aaronson – Another top season for the ex-Leeds midfielder with double figures in both goals and assists. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 National League North 8th FA Trophy Winners 2025/26 National League North 2nd Play-off Semi Finalists 2026/27 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted 2027/28 National League 1st Champions, Promoted 2028/29 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted 2029/30 League One 2nd Promoted

AFC Guiseley League Two - 2028/29 – 1st Squad Transfers Overview Another season, another promotion. Our third successive 1st place finish, not by a 100 point+ finish this time with a tight fought battle for the title going down to the final game of the season. Ultimately we finished ahead of Boston United for the title. The start of the season was a bit of a disaster. I hadn’t considered the rules for FFP and we were immediately up the limit. All my team were on part time contracts and the top players asking for £7-8k per week against a budget of £34k. I had to leave them on their existing contracts and rely on a handful of loan signings from my affiliated parent club Leeds United. Thankfully my top players from last season Omari Forson and Brenden Aaronson stepped up to the mark and the solid squad from last year was good enough to carry on the momentum. Key Players Omari Forson – Another good season for the ex-Man United attacking midfielder contributing 15 goals and 17 assists. Brendon Aaronson – The ex-Leeds midfielder hit and impressive 23 goals from central midfield. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 National League North 8th FA Trophy Winners 2025/26 National League North 2nd Play-off Semi Finalists 2026/27 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted 2027/28 National League 1st Champions, Promoted 2028/29 League Two 1st Champions, Promoted

AFC Guiseley National League - 2027/28 – 1st Squad Transfers Overview With a large kitty from player sales the previous season, I was able to invest in the first team which meant we could push on. The result of this was a second successive promotion as champions. We were run close all season though by Boston. Eventually we were promoted as champions with 109 points but Boston must also be aggrieved as they finished on 102 themselves ending up in the playoffs. With a £1.7m balance from player sales I had a significant wage budget available to me. I was able to bring in the likes of ex-West Brom striker Layton Love and ex-Leeds midfielder Daniel Batty. The club then invested pretty much my whole balance in new training facilities. This was good.. but did put the club in a precarious position as I had already invested those funds in the squad. Luckily, in October a big bid by Bolton for fullback Kaine Hesley-Hayden of £1.5m rescued the situation and put money in the kitty. This allowed me to sign Man United attacking mdielder Omari Forson and then in February I made a massive signing in Brendon Aaronson who had been on a free transfer since his release by Leeds. With the signing of Layton Love striker Michael Obafemi moved to play on the left wing from where he hit 14 goals, complimented by Forson’s 17 from the other wing. Love was not prolific but was reliable upfront, in the end adding 18 goals. A supporting cast of midfielders including Tyler Roberts, Daniel Batty and Joe Hodge also contributed double figures in goals. For a third successive season we made it to the FA Cup 3rd round where we drew an away tie at Southampton. We went down 2-0 but this helped again to keep us in the black. Key Players Omari Forson – Signed following his release by Man United, the attacking midfielder scored 17 goals from the right wing. Brendon Aaronson – ex-Leeds American midfielder signed on a free in February and should be a big signing. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 National League North 8th FA Trophy Winners 2025/26 National League North 2nd Play-off Semi Finalists 2026/27 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted 2027/28 National League 1st Champions, Promoted

AFC Guiseley National League North - 2026/27 – 1st Squad Transfers Overview After disappointment last season in missing out on promotion, we were always going to be in with an expectation of promotion. Ultimately that expectation was met and we went up with 119 points. This was massively insisted when Emilio Lawrence, our star midfielder started attracting bids. Initial bids from Oldham negotiated up to £500k. Oxford matched that and I negotiated to £700k which I accepted. They then offered him back on loan for the season. This was a top result for us as it gave me significant funds to put into the team. I had to wait until October for a big signing but Michael Obafemi released by Southampton fitted the bill. Obafemi and Lawrence both went on to hit in excess of 22 goals with good support from Jayden Danns on the left wing with 17 and defensive midfielder Harrison Reed who notched 18, mainly from set pieces. We again had a good run in the FA Cup making the 3rd Round where we were eliminated with a 1-0 defeat at home to Oxford. Key Players Michael Obafemi – ex-Southampton forward scored 22 goals after signing on a free transfer. Emilio Lawrence – Sold to Oxford for £700k the Scottish midfielder was loaned back and scored 22 goals. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 National League North 8th FA Trophy Winners 2025/26 National League North 2nd Play-off Semi Finalists 2026/27 National League North 1st Champions, Promoted

AFC Guiseley National League North - 2025/26 – 2nd Squad Transfers Overview A season where we played impressively all season collapsed at the last. Having competed all season with AFC Fylde and having the edge on them in the run in we looked on course to take the title. 3 defeats in the final 4 games though cost us top spot. In all fairness, even with that collapse 94 points would usually be enough for the championship but Fylde were very strong finishing on 97. A poor performance in the playoff semi against Tamworth at home saw the game go to penalties and we were defeated 6-7 and resigned to another season in the National League North. The team performed okay at the start of the season but we ended up playing catchup to the top teams. Big signings in October including Matty Longstaff (ex-Newcastle Midfielder) and released Newcastle players leftback Jordan Hackett and striker Michael Ndiweni pushed up the level and from there were were incredible consistent. We enjoyed a run to the FA Cup 3rd Round where we faced Hull City away. We gave them a good game but went down 3-2 in the end. The funds from Although not achieving promotion was a disappointment next season with this squad we should walk the league. Monitarily we should have good funds to invest Key Players Jayden Danns – Real life Liverpool wonderkid signed a new 3 year contract in the summer and scored 21 goals from the left wing. Emilio Lawrence – Signed from Man City the Scottish midfielder hit 19 goals from midfield. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2024/25 National League North 8th FA Trophy Winners 2025/26 National League North 2nd Play-off Semi Finalists

AFC Guiseley National League North - 2024/25 – 8th Squad Transfers Overview Not a terrible start where we fell short of the play-offs and promotion but did win the FA Trophy putting some money in the coffers for next year. Recruitment was tricky and the budget for the season had to initially be sunk into interim players who would be replaced eventually. I was able to pick up some quality including real life Liverpool wonderkid Jayden Danns (who is pretty decent in game for a 6th tier side). I was lacking in a number of positions though, particularly in defence where I had to plug gaps with sub-standard players eating up valuable wage budget. Form was inconsistent although a 2 month unbeaten run from November to January tantalised that we might get a run for the playoffs together. We kept winning in the FA Trophy though and finished the season with a 6-2 defeat of Dartford at Wembley. Key Players Jayden Danns – 19 year old Liverpool youth star signed on a free. Starting out at centre-forward before moving to the left wing he scored 31 goals. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 National League North 8th FA Trophy Winners

I had four attempts at this last year and failed every time in League One. Twice Guiseley fired me in League One and with Hastings and Lewes I lost interest after a substantial number of years stuck in League One. I'm going to have another go as Guiseley. I have a season ticket at Guiseley in real life so I'll see if I can take them to glory. profile

AFC Guiseley National League - 2025/26 – 1st Squad Transfers Overview After promotion last season, it’s always uncertain how we will adapt to the step up in quality. As it proved we were promoted at the first attempt with an impressive 98 points. Pre-season signings were largely loan signings with six arriving before the end of August. The most successful was Kane Taylor from Man City who impressed in central midfield. We did okay over the first couple of months of the season without really worrying the top of the table. Woking were early pace setters and setup a significant early lead. In mid-October we were able to bring in a clutch of new signings. The most significant of these was striker Jack Marriott who went on to score 27 goals in the remaining 28 games. With these new signings we embarked on a 16 game unbeaten run from Christmas to mid-March including a 1-0 win away at Woking. Eventually we cruised to top spot, champions and promotion. Disappointingly however we didn’t cap this off with the FA Trophy, losing 1-0 to Barrow in the final at Wembley. Key Players Jack Marriott – The 31 year old striker was once a £5m signing for Derby. He scored a very impressive 29 goals in 31 games in all competitions. Kane Taylor – The young midfielder was signed on loan from Man City and scored double figures from a central midfield position. Record Season League Position Europe Achievements ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2023/24 National League North 4th Play-off Finalists 2024/25 National League North 1st Promoted, Champions 2025/26 National League 1st Promoted, Champions, FA Trophy Finalists