Roolz Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Settings: Game Football Manager 2009 Version 9.03 Database 9.03 Leagues Scotland (all), England, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, Belguim, Holland (playable) Other Large Database & Gills ddt (Europe and South America only) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 2008/09 Season Review Scottish 3rd Division: The club found themselves back in the 3rd divsion following a relegation from the 2nd division bringing to an end their short stay at the higher level following Mixu Paatelainen's success before leaving for Hibernian. This instantly made the team favourites to bounce straight back out of the 3rd division, a task that would not be easy in a notoriously tight division. With that in mind the management set about overhauling the squad and gambling on an influx of free transfers from around the globe (mainly the Indian Ocean). Many believed that this change in faces would cause problems for the 'Blue Brazil' however things settled down nicely and the team would lead from the off. A penalty shoot out defeat at home to 1st division Morton opened up the campaign for Cowdenbeath, before the team would embark on an 11 game winning streak that saw them take a 27 point maximum from the opening 9 games as well as progress to the 3rd round of the Scottish League Cup to face Glasgow giants Celtic at Parkhead. That game proved a bit too much for Cowdenbeath as the Hoops ran riot to score 7 without reply, but the money made from the cup run would keep the 'Beath in business for seasons to come. Back to the bread and butter and a first league defeat was suffered following a 3-2 loss at Dumbarton, with all 3 of the hosts goals coming in the final 5 minutes to overturn a 2 goal defecit. However the blip was soon forgotten as November saw the team rack up two 4 goal away wins in the Scottish Cup (setting up another encounter with Celtic in the 3rd round, this time at Central Park). In the league, 10 pts from 12 kept them on top as Robert, Guichard and Farro continued to make names for themselves with a rash of goals. Into the final month of 2008 and Cowdenbeath found themselves rocking, but still able to win 4 from 5 albeit thanks to a pair of own goals that secured back to back 1-0 wins. Albion Rovers and Berwick Rangers became the latest teams to add a loss to the Cowdenbeath stat column. 2009 kicked off with that loss to Berwick, before the mighty Celtic ensured a sell out at Central Park and a valiant effort by the 'Beath saw them lose 3-1 as Guichards early strike was never going to be enough to upset the odds. In the league, consecutive 4-0, 5-0 and 4-0 home wins would take the team through to March still with a healthy lead, as a 2-1 loss at Forfar become only the 4th this season. Centre Half Jim Ablancourt came into his own through February with 5 goals including a hat trick in the 5-0 drubbing of Annan and his goal scoring prowess continued into March as 3 goals in 3 games helped secure the title for the Blues with 5 games remaining. Alas the impeccable home record would come to an end with the teams last defeat of the season at home to playoff chasing Montrose, however this would not dampen the teams spirits on an instant return to the 2nd division. Table: | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Cowdenbeath | | 36 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 82 | 23 | +59 | 87 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Dumbarton | | 36 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 74 | 51 | +23 | 66 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | P | Montrose | | 36 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 48 | 28 | +20 | 66 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Forfar | | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 55 | 32 | +23 | 57 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Albion Rovers | | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 49 | 52 | -3 | 49 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Berwick | | 36 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 43 | 53 | -10 | 44 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | East Stirlingshire | | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 41 | 65 | -24 | 38 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Stenhousemuir | | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 37 | 61 | -24 | 38 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Annan | | 36 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 32 | 58 | -26 | 36 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Elgin | | 36 | 4 | 8 | 24 | 22 | 60 | -38 | 20 | Best XI: GK - Thierry Goree DR - Giovanni Songoro DL - Didier Caro DC - Jim Ablancourt DC - Gael Payet MR - Yovan Guichard ML - Eric Farro MC - Djamil Gangate MC - Jean-Phillipe Javary SC - Willy Robert SC - Charles Roger Miscallaneous: Top Scorer: Willy Robert 21 (17 in the league) Fans Player of the Year: Willy Robert Average Attendance: 616 Biggest Win: 5-0 (a) East Stirlingshire, (h) Annan Athletic & (h) Albion Rovers Cup Review: Scottish FA Cup - 4th Round (h) Celtic 1-3 Scottish League Cup - 3rd Round (a) Celtic 0-7 Challenge Cup - 1st Round (h) Morton 1-1p Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 2009/10 Season Review Scottish 2nd Division: Most teams would accept a year of consolidation following the recent turbulence suffered by Cowdenbeath, yet the clubs board had other ideas and soon signed a deal with Hearts so the SPL team could send players on loan to Central Park. This would prove crucial in the teams attempt to not just survive but push for more success in the lower reachs of Scottish football. In came Austrian playermaker Wagner, followed shortly by a pair of strikers from Eastern Europe; Kostadinov (Bulgaria) and Novikovas (Lithuania) as the team barely changed personnel following their promotion. The season started painfully slow and appeared to set the tone, as although a League Cup win against Brechin and a Challenge Cup win over Stranraer helped the team early on, they would soon fail to score in 3 games straight including a pair of league defeats that left the team in the bottom 2 spots. The bright point came via a penalty shootout win over Clybe to progress the team to the Challenge Cup Quarter Finals. A shakeup was required and that came in the form of ex-Manchester City Cypriot Tsiaklis who signed on a full time deal, to defy the Semi-Pro status of the team. His arrival coincided with a dramatic turnaround in fortunes and once again Cowdenbeath became the 'Blue Brazil'. 4 straight league wins (tallying 17 goals) was overshadowed by a League Cup 2nd Round humbling of SPL Hibernian who fell 3-1 at a muddy Central Park. Rangers would soon put pay to any dreams of a epic cup run as they ran out 3-1 winners at Ibrox in the next round, however the league form continued to gather pace and a 6-2 romp over Montrose sparked a 13 game unbeaten streak that saw the team not lose again in the league until late January. Alas the team did fall early in the Scottish Cup as Queens Park would shock their guests 1-0. Goals were never hard to come by for the Blues as they wound up rattling in more than they did in the lower division last year and although they would lose 3 games out of 4 in February the lead was too commanding to be seriously challenged and a run of 7 straight wins would see them clinch the title nice and early, ensuring promotion to Scotlands 2nd tier for the first time in years. They would however fall 8 goals shy of the 100 goal mark as the team wound down in the latter weeks of the campaign. Table: | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Cowdenbeath | | 36 | 26 | 3 | 7 | 92 | 33 | +59 | 81 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Brechin | | 36 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 61 | 43 | +18 | 63 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Arbroath | | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 57 | 45 | +12 | 59 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Peterhead | | 36 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 64 | 48 | +16 | 58 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Airdrie Utd | | 36 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 58 | 44 | +14 | 58 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Stirling | | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 54 | 63 | -9 | 56 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | East Fife | | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 49 | 46 | +3 | 47 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Ayr | | 36 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 54 | 55 | -1 | 44 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | R | Montrose | | 36 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 23 | 71 | -48 | 20 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | R | Queen's Park | | 36 | 3 | 6 | 27 | 21 | 85 | -64 | 15 | Best XI: GK - Thierry Goree DR - Giovanni Songoro DL - Didier Caro DC - Jim Ablancourt DC - Gael Payet MR - Yovan Guichard ML - Eric Farro MC - Angelos Tsiaklis MC - Elias Wagner SC - Branimir Kostadinov SC - Arvydas Novikovas Miscallaneous: Top Scorer: Branimir Kostadinov 17 (15 in the league) Fans Player of the Year: Jim Ablancourt Average Attendance: 906 Biggest Win: 6-1 (h) Queens Park Cup Review: Scottish FA Cup - 3rd Round (a) Queens Park 0-1 Scottish League Cup - 3rd Round (a) Rangers 1-3 Challenge Cup - Quarter Finals (a) Livingston 3-3p Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Well done on successive title wins Good start to your thread. Nice and clean and a good description of the season's going-on's. Good work and good luck in the Scottish First Division. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 2010/11 Season Review Scottish 1st Division: A culture shock for Cowdenbeath this year as promotion into Scotlands 2nd tier brings with it a change for the club from a semi-professional team to a fully professional outfit. With it came alot of expense in renewing contracts, but in the main it is a positive step forwards. Pre-season saw the team acquire Wagner from Hearts and Taiwo from Livingston for free, whilst Novikovas and Kostadinov once again joined for a season long loan from the Edinburgh club. They were joined by club mate Parks, whilst Cowdenbeath added Manchester City youngster James Woods to challenge for the No 1. shirt with the aging Goree. On the pitch the team struggled to get to grips with the division as 1pt from 3 games turned into 4pts from 5 games with the 'Beath looked a far cry off the pace in their new league. However a confidence boosting 3-1 win over Aberdeen in the League Cup 2nd round ignited a revival that gave the team a solid foundation to survive. Although Inverness would put paid to the teams League Cup hopes in the 3rd round, a run to the Semi Finals of the Challenge Cup (eventually falling 3-1 to Ross County) saw the team rack up an impressive list of league wins including a 4-1 thumping of eventual Champions Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. A further 10 goals were added in back to back 5 goal victories over Partick and Livingston as Cowdenbeath announced themselves on the professional scene. A 7 game unbeaten run to end 2010 kept the Blues lingering promotion hopes alive a little longer, however it was in the Scottish Cup that the natives at Central Park found real excitement. Early round wins against Bathgate Thistle and East Stirlingshire set them up for a home tie with SPL side St Mirren. Undaunted the Blue Brazil lived up to their name to crush their prestigous opponents 3-0 and setup a Quarter Final tie with fellow Division 1 team Queen of the South. Back to the league and although Kilmarnock put their foot down to race away with ease for an instant bounceback to the SPL, Cowdenbeath found themselves fighting a 4 team battle for positional honours. A pair of wins set the team up for their trip to Dumfries and what proved to be a tense tie with Queen of the South as a 1-1 draw at Palmerston was followed up by a replay 3 days later that saw Cowdenbeath secure a semi final berth with a 2 goal win. After that win, the league appeared to be insignificant... Cowdenbeath were going to Hampden Park and a tie with soon to be crowned Scottish Champions Rangers awaited. Surprisingly the league form remained consistent and in the end (including the 2 games following the semi final) the Blues would sneak 2nd place in the table, a far cry from Kilmarnock but an impressive effort following a tricky start. The season was about one day though in the end, a Scottish Cup semi final with Rangers and with the locals leaving Cowdenbeath like a ghost town to descend on Hampden Park, a fervant atmosphere encapsulated what would be a remarkable day. Cowdenbeath were instantly on the backfoot and bar the heroics from James Wood in the 'Beath net, the score could have reached double figures. Alas the 1st division team found themselves in the tie and if it was not for the woodwork with 2 minutes left, preventing Albancourt scoring the minnows dreams could have been reality. It was not to be though and a valiant rearguard effort was put to the sword in the 113th minute as Kris Boyd notched the 'Gers solo goal to win out 1-0 in a tie to be remembered. Not 3 seasons ago this team were plying their trade in the 3rd division, yet this year saw Cowdenbeath come 2nd in the 1st Division and reach 2 Cup Semi Finals... Table: | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Kilmarnock | | 36 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 67 | 33 | +34 | 83 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Cowdenbeath | | 36 | 20 | 4 | 12 | 70 | 54 | +16 | 64 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Partick Thistle | | 36 | 19 | 5 | 12 | 69 | 47 | +22 | 62 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Queen of Sth | | 36 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 59 | 42 | +17 | 61 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Ross County | | 36 | 17 | 9 | 10 | 58 | 41 | +17 | 60 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Morton | | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 39 | 47 | -8 | 42 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Dundee | | 36 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 56 | 68 | -12 | 42 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Livingston | | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 51 | 73 | -22 | 41 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | R | Hamilton | | 36 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 37 | 57 | -20 | 34 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | R | Raith | | 36 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 27 | 71 | -44 | 17 | Best XI: GK - James Wood DR - Jacques Grondin DL - Kevin Berby DC - Jim Ablancourt DC - Gael Payet MR - Yovan Guichard ML - Eric Barro MC - Tom Taiwo MC - Angelos Tsiakils SC - Branimir Kostadinov SC - Arvydas Novikovas Miscallaneous: Top Scorer: Arvydas Novikovas 32 (30 in the League) Fans Player of the Year: Jim Ablancourt Average Attendance: 2571 Biggest Win: 5-1 (h) Livingston Cup Review: Scottish FA Cup - Semi Finals (n) Rangers 0-1aet Scottish League Cup - 3rd Round (a) Inverness CT 1-4 Challenge Cup - Semi Finals (a) Ross County 1-3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cenotaph Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Nice slick style you've settled for here, well written. I like it. Good job with 2 straight promotions. (don't know if 2nd qualifies for a promotion in scotland, never played there) but good job on that aswell. And any team with cow in its name is absolutely awesome! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 Well done on successive title wins Good start to your thread. Nice and clean and a good description of the season's going-on's. Good work and good luck in the Scottish First Division. Nice slick style you've settled for here, well written. I like it.Good job with 2 straight promotions. (don't know if 2nd qualifies for a promotion in scotland, never played there) but good job on that aswell. And any team with cow in its name is absolutely awesome! Thank you both for the positive comments, much appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 2011/12 Season Review Scottish 1st Division: Cowdenbeath's 2nd season at this level and it was obvious from the start that this year would be one of transition as the bulk of the players that served the club well in the lower divsions saw their contracts expire and the club not require their services anymore. In total 10 players left without a contract, 3 more decided to retire, whilst 2 of the loan deals from last year were not taken up again. The loss of 15 players forced Cowdenbeath into the transfer market and although they were able to acquire 8 players (including Novikovas on a free) the squad for the start of the season was paper thin. This lack of players saw the Blue Brazil start slowly, 4pts from 4 league games was less than ideal and a shock 3-2 defeat at the hands of Stirling Albion put paid to the teams Challenge Cup run in the 2nd round. The inconsistency continued through to October as the team languished in mid-table and fell out of the League Cup with a 3rd round exit at home to Rangers. Fortunes would turn though and the team began an 8 game unbeaten streak (7wins 1 draw) with a clutch 2-1 win at Brechin. The front pair of Novikovas and Kostadinov found their feet and bagged 9 between them during the run as Cowdenbeath closed in on the leaders Dunfermline as the year wound down. A boxing day defeat at said Dunfermline would not stop the confident change, as the 'Beath would thump SPL Falkirk in the Scottish Cup 4-2 to start the new year. This was then backed up with another 9 game unbeaten streak (6wins 3draws) as new loan signing from Hearts 'Gosztonyi would crack in 5 goals including 3 in a 6-1 lumping of Queen of the South. In the midst of that Aberdeen would knock the Blues out of the Scottish Cup at Pittodrie but the league success combined with Dunfermline going through a crisis saw Cowdenbeath sit with a healthy 6 point lead going into the final 9 games. Then the nerves kicked in... 5 games bore 5 points as Brechin and Queen of the South eased their relegation worries with 1-0 wins over the Blues. This allowed the Pars' to pull level at the top of the table and with the teams meeting at East End Park to finish the season, the final 4 games would be cruicial in deciding the fate of the sole promotion place. The tension created would soon dissolve as whilst Cowdenbeath strung together 3 wins, Dunfermline would drop points allowing the Blues to clinch promotion with a 4-0 romp over Partick Thistle at Central Park. Manic celebrations ensued as the Blue Brazil clinched the Championship and promotion back into Scotlands elite for the first time since the 1970s. A final day defeat at Dunfermline did nothing to mute the party atmosphere in the club as preparations for a SPL campaign would begin in ernest. Table: | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | Cowdenbeath | | 36 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 66 | 27 | +39 | 68 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Dunfermline | | 36 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 66 | 45 | +21 | 66 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Partick Thistle | | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 47 | 44 | +3 | 59 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Queen of Sth | | 36 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 47 | 42 | +5 | 56 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Ross County | | 36 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 53 | 45 | +8 | 52 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Dundee | | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 61 | 69 | -8 | 49 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Livingston | | 36 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 53 | 47 | +6 | 47 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Brechin | | 36 | 13 | 4 | 19 | 40 | 49 | -9 | 43 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Clyde | | 36 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 37 | 70 | -33 | 27 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | R | Morton | | 36 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 30 | 62 | -32 | 26 | Best XI: GK - Michael Poke DR - Kevin Berby DL - Didier Caro DC - Jim Albancourt DC - Dedryck Boyata MR - Yovan Guichard ML - Ishmel Demontagnac MC - Tom Taiwo MC - Jay Emmanuel-Thomas SC - Arvydas Novikovas SC - Branimir Kostadinov Miscallaneous: Top Scorer: Branimir Kostadinov 25 (17 in the League) Fans Player of the Year: Arvydas Novikovas Average Attendance: 2398 Biggest Win: 6-0 (h) Ayr United Cup Review: Scottish Cup - 5th Round (a) Aberdeen 1-4 Scottish League Cup - 3rd Round (h) Rangers 0-2 Challenge Cup - 2nd Round (a) Stirling Albion 2-3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 2012/13 Season Review Scottish Premier League: Back in the big time for the first time since the early 70s Cowdenbeath would be forgiven if they wanted an easy pre-season to begin life in the top flight without much upset given their quick rise to the SPL. However with tight stadium requirements to be fulfilled, within weeks of promotion the board at Central Park immediately took out a £6 million loan to redevelop the ground to house just under 9000 supporters, with 6000 being seated. This sounded ideal, but with the work taking until the end of February 2013 it meant that the Blues would start their life at the top without a home. Step in Hearts, the former affiliate of Cowdenbeath offered up Tynecastle as a temporary home for the 'Beath and once the SPL agreed to all the conditions, Cowdenbeath would start their season away from home and not return until March 2013. The bad news did not stop there though, as with the vast amount of money going into the stadium project, Cowdenbeath were forced to start off with the smallest budget in the division and a squad stitched together with a hope and a prayer. Life on the pitch proved to be tough, infact for 8 league games they would muster just 1 draw at home to St Mirren, yet the Blue Brazil stayed off the foot of the table as it was the same St Mirren who held an identical record but with a worse goal difference. The League Cup run lasted until the 3rd round before high flying Motherwell wrapped up a 4-1 win at Fir Park to remove the first chance of silverware from Cowdenbeaths sights. With morale and optimism sinking fast, the Blues somehow pulled things together as a 2-1 home win over 3rd bottom Kilmarnock sparked a run of 4 wins from 7 games (including a season best 3-1 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie), as Cowdenbeath put enough points on the board to pull out a significant gap over cellar dwelling St Mirren. The rest of the season would prove to be anti-climatic as the Blues would roll over against any side in the top 6, but then pick up the odd win and draw against those lingering in mid-table or at the foot of the SPL. In the Scottish Cup a 2-0 loss at Kilmarnock in the 4th round put paid to any dreams of a cup run, but a 1-0 win at Rugby Park a week later in the league stretched Cowdenbeaths survival gap. Arguably the biggest moment of the season for Cowdenbeath fell on the 13th March 2013 as the TV cameras arrived in town for the re-opening of the new Central Park. Rangers would be the first visitors to the new look stadium and although the sellout crowd willed on their home team, the mighty undefeated Rangers comfortably picked up the points with a 2-0 win. But with Cowdenbeath healthily placed for survival the club looked to be the real winners with a new structure in place to consolidate themselves in the top tier of Scottish football. Novikovas again proved his value to the team with 7 goals after the turn of the year, as the 'Beath notched 16 points in the final few months to secure their place in the SPL for another year before the split. In the end Cowdenbeath would finish 10th a full 19 points clear of relegation and in a healthier position for next season with a full year at Central Park ahead. Table: | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | ECC | Rangers | | 38 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 100 | 25 | +75 | 100 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | ECC | Celtic | | 38 | 27 | 4 | 7 | 79 | 34 | +45 | 85 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | EC | Falkirk | | 38 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 62 | 51 | +11 | 62 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | EC | Aberdeen | | 38 | 19 | 5 | 14 | 56 | 59 | -3 | 62 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | EC | Motherwell | | 38 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 55 | 42 | +13 | 57 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Hibernian | | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 45 | 46 | -1 | 57 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Inverness CT | | 38 | 17 | 5 | 16 | 46 | 49 | -3 | 56 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Hearts | | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 54 | 46 | +8 | 53 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | St. Johnstone | | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 49 | 66 | -17 | 40 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Cowdenbeath | | 38 | 10 | 3 | 25 | 40 | 71 | -31 | 33 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Kilmarnock | | 38 | 7 | 6 | 25 | 36 | 80 | -44 | 27 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | R | St. Mirren | | 38 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 33 | 86 | -53 | 14 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Best XI: GK - Michael Poke DR - Seamus Coleman DL - Kevin Berby DC - Jim Albancourt DC - Jay Emmanuel-Thomas MR - Elias Wagner ML - Ishmel Demontagnac MC - Tom Taiwo MC - Angelos Tsiaklis SC - Arvydas Novikovas SC - Branimir Kostadinov Miscallaneous: Top Scorer: Arvydas Novikovas 13 (12 in the League) Fans Player of the Year: Branimir Kostadinov Average Attendance: 6640 (including games held at Tynecastle) Biggest Win: 3-1 (a) St Mirren & (a) Aberdeen Cup Review: Scottish Cup - 4th Round (a) Kilmarnock 0-2 Scottish League Cup - 3rd Round (a) Motherwell 1-4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashford Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Well done on staying up.... this is a good read Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 Well done on staying up.... this is a good read Thanks for the positive feedback, much appreciated Yeah staying up was ideal for the 1st season... though we got a little lucky with St Mirren being so poor, Dundee Utd are back this time so it could be alot tougher. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriskind Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Roolz, you have a great presentation and easy style to read. Very nicely done and good luck with your pursuit to break the Old Firm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spleen! Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Great stuff, 3 promotions in 4 years and then survival. Title challenge soon? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilez2 Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Very good read. As a Partick Thistle fan I know how difficuly it is to try to break into the Old Firm. Try to get a Premiership club as a Parent mate, helped my team out no ends when I got Arsenal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 Roolz, you have a great presentation and easy style to read. Very nicely done and good luck with your pursuit to break the Old Firm. Thanks for the positive feedback, it is definately a challenge.. at the minute survival is probably the main goal again. Great stuff, 3 promotions in 4 years and then survival. Title challenge soon? The only title challenge id make is if we went down to the 1st division .... :o - seriously though, thanks for checking in and good work on the Eastern Europe thread. Very good read.As a Partick Thistle fan I know how difficuly it is to try to break into the Old Firm. Try to get a Premiership club as a Parent mate, helped my team out no ends when I got Arsenal. Partick Always used to be a team id love playing on 01/02 iirc with Archibald, Lauchlan, Howie... all greats. It is a tough challenge in Scotland, but something thats enjoyable as the Old Firm are dominant. Cheers for checking in and good luck with Celtic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Season Review 2013/14 Scottish Premier League: After last seasons success of staying in the SPL against the odds, Cowdenbeath found themselves in a position to build on that for the forthcoming campaign. But things are never that easy at Central Park and once again the board had to make facility upgrades, this time installing undersoil heating at the ground which once again cleared any potential available funds. The club did manage to add 11 free transfers to the squad, but with the wage budget broken the team needed relative success to sustain the payments. An opening day 5-2 hammering by Aberdeen at Central Park did little to relieve the nerves, as once again the team would muster just 1pt from their opening 8 games. In the League Cup the team would again fall to Motherwell in the 3rd round, again on the end of a 5-2 thumping. Things improved a little with a 5-0 rout of St Johnstone that sparked 3 wins in 4 games, but come the turn of the year the club found themselves embroiled in a relegation battle with Kilmarnock, Falkirk and St Johnstone. This caused the board to get jittery and with the wage bill leaving the club losing money every month, the Blues had to shed 8 players in order to balance the books and remain solvent whether they stayed up or went back down to the 1st division. A small squad, morale sinking and youth players stepping up to replace those who left meant one thing... January 4th 2014, Motherwell 9 Cowedenbeath 2. Yes that was the final score, the new year began for the Blue Brazil on the wrong end of 9 goals and all the signs from then on would point down. Luckily for the 'Beath although they picked up just 4 points from the first 10 games in the new year, they would stay above the dire Kilmarnock who were on the end of a 5-1 lashing by Cowdenbeath. In a similar scenario to last season, the 'Beath found themselves edging closer to safety because there was a team significantly worse than they were. In the midst of that, a pair of cup replays extended a brief forae into the Scottish Cup as Motherwell would come out on top with a 1-0 5th round win at Fir Park after a goal-less game at Central Park. Safety was the main priority though and although results were hard to come by, Cowdenbeath ensured their survival thanks to 3 straight wins to end the pre-split season comfortably ahead of Kilmarnock (infact the last of those wins was 3-0 at Rugby Park). So with 5 games left in the relegation group only a disaster could end the Blue Brazils stay in the top flight. That disaster almost occurred as 3 straight defeats coupled with Killie picking up points made things closer than they should have, but the Blues needn't have worried as 4pts from their final 2 games pushed them above a faltering Falkirk and sagging St Johnstone. 9th is an improvement on last season, but with the leagues worst defense there will be alot of work ahead to ensure a competitive team is fielded at Central Park for 2014/15. Table: | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | ECC | Rangers | | 38 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 116 | 28 | +88 | 109 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | ECC | Celtic | | 38 | 26 | 4 | 8 | 91 | 41 | +50 | 82 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | EC | Motherwell | | 38 | 19 | 6 | 13 | 63 | 49 | +14 | 63 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | EC | Hearts | | 38 | 18 | 4 | 16 | 60 | 56 | +4 | 58 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | EC | Hibernian | | 38 | 18 | 4 | 16 | 56 | 65 | -9 | 58 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Aberdeen | | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 54 | 59 | -5 | 47 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Inverness CT | | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 48 | 59 | -11 | 49 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Dundee Utd | | 38 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 56 | 64 | -8 | 47 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Cowdenbeath | | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 59 | 82 | -23 | 37 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Falkirk | | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 46 | 68 | -22 | 36 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | St. Johnstone | | 38 | 10 | 4 | 24 | 36 | 78 | -42 | 34 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | R | Kilmarnock | | 38 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 68 | -36 | 29 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Best XI: GK - Rhys Taylor DR - Seamus Coleman DL - Yuri Berniche DC - Jim Ablancourt DC - Russel Anderson MR - Yovan Guichard ML - Robert Snodgrass MC - Jack Colback MC - Elias Wagner SC - Arvydas Novikovas SC - Branimir Kostadinov Miscallaneous: Top Scorer: Branimir Kostadinov 25 (23 in the League) Fans Player of the Year: Branimir Kostadinov Average Attendance: 5140 Biggest Win: 5-0 (h) St Johnstone Cup Review: Scottish Cup - 5th Round (a) Motherwell 0-1 (replay) Scottish League Cup - 3rd Round (a) Motherwell 2-5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 Season Review 2014/15 Scottish Premier League: For the third consecutive season Cowdenbeath would lineup alongside Scotlands elite as they are now becoming part of the furniture rather than the old sofa ready for the dump. Financial constraints contiuned to hinder any real ambition held by the club, as with a tiny transfer budget and a slight increase in the wage bill, the club had to rely on picking up the cast offs from the various clubs around Europe. Fortunately this years selection proved to be alot stronger and the Blue Brazil would be on their way to another exciting campaign. Remarkably the season started with a bang, 5 wins from 9 games saw the club hold 2nd spot for almost 2 weeks as they climbed above a Celtic team that continues to reel in the face of Rangers dominance. Alongside the sparkling league form, the League Cup proved fruitful as a run to the Quarter Finals would see the Blues turnover a confident Hibernian team 1-0 at Central Park, which would setup a Semi Final tie with Hearts in the new year. With that to look forward too, the 'Beath took their eye off their league form and 6pts from a possible 21 was not the ideal way to end the year, although they remained in the midst of things for a Top 6 finish. Relegation was also not an issue for the first time in 3 years, as the 'bouncing' St Mirren picked up just 2pts from their opening 20 games a run that would eventually condemn them to instant relegation with 8 games remaining in the SPL. The new year started well with a 4-1 win at St Mirren in the Scottish Cup 4th round, but eyes were firmly set on a trip to Hampden for their League Cup semi final clash with Hearts. That game came around quickly but the 'Beath would go into the tie on the back of a 5-0 drubbing at Parkhead. As the fans of Cowdenbeath set off for the second Cup Semi Final in the past 5 years, hopes were high for the clubs first ever major cup final appearance. Things would not go to plan though, as Hearts tore up the fairy tale with a blitz in the 1st half to tune up a 2-0 lead. The 2nd half had to be different and with 20 minutes of the restart the tie had been spun around, as the Blue Brazil lived upto their name blazing in 3 goals (Kostadinov 2 & Drinkwater) to send the 'Beath contingent into raptures. The scoring would not end there though as with Hearts bombarding forward, Cowdenbeath found themselves with enough space to break and add a further 2 goals to seal a 5-2 win and a place in the League Cup Final for the first time in their history. That day would cloud everything left in the season for the 'Beath as their league form was patchy at best, and hopes of another cup run in the Scottish Cup were ended in the 5th round by Inverness. Sunday 15th March 2015 will go down in club history forever as Cowdenbeath would walk out to a packed Hampden Park as Cup finalists, as the whole town found their way to the National Stadium for the occasion. In their way of more history and the lifting of the cup was the indomitable Rangers who continued their quest for a domestic treble. The game produced goals a plenty, unfortunately for the 'Beath they would find themselves on the end of the majority, as although Novikovas had the tie back at 2-1 just after half time, the 'Gers put their foot down to waltz their way in style to the Cup win with a 5-1 battering. It was a sour moment for Cowdenbeath but the fans lifted their spirits, staying to the very end of an emotional day. As with the rest of the season, it paled in comparison to the cup run and after the final the 'Beath found it tough to grind out the results to nick a Top 6 finish. So another 5 games in the relegation group would wind up the season for the Blues and 3 wins, 2 draws would be enough to push the team to their best finish in the SPL with a creditable 8th. All in, this season will be looked upon fondly by those associated with Cowdenbeath. Their first major cup final, another comfortable year in the SPL and a developing squad that should serve the club well. Table: | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | ECC | Rangers | | 38 | 30 | 5 | 3 | 119 | 27 | +92 | 95 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | ECC | Celtic | | 38 | 22 | 9 | 7 | 78 | 41 | +37 | 75 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | EC | Hibernian | | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 67 | 52 | +15 | 66 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | EC | Aberdeen | | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 63 | 45 | +18 | 59 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Dundee Utd | | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 41 | 50 | -9 | 54 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Inverness CT | | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 48 | 59 | -11 | 51 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Falkirk | | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 41 | 57 | -16 | 49 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Cowdenbeath | | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 55 | 61 | -6 | 47 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Hearts | | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 51 | 55 | -4 | 46 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Motherwell | | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 45 | 62 | -17 | 43 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | St. Johnstone | | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 36 | 71 | -35 | 36 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | R | St. Mirren | | 38 | 2 | 7 | 29 | 20 | 84 | -64 | 13 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Best XI: GK - Rhys Turner DR - Fredrik Stoor DL - Yuri Berchiche DC - Jim Ablancourt DC - Rogvi Holm MR - Yovan Guichard ML - Robert Snodgrass MC - Lee Sawyer MC - Kevin Kerr SC - Arvydas Novikovas SC - Branimir Kostadinov Miscallaneous: Top Scorer: Branimir Kostadinov 22 (15 in League) Fans Player of the Year: Branimir Kostadinov Average Attendance: 6308 Biggest Win: 4-0 (h) Inverness (twice) Cup Review: Scottish Cup - 5th Round (a) Inverness 0-1 Scottish League Cup - Runners Up (n) Rangers 1-5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotWordsButDeeds Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 What's your thoughts on the future Roolz? Do you think you can get the 'Beath up there challenging? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Some good seasons of consolidation there Roolz and a slight improvement each year in terms of league progress. That's only what any manager can ask for. As long as the next year is an improvement of the previous one then it can only be a good sign. Keep it up as you're doing so and you'll break the Old Firm no problem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roolz Posted August 2, 2009 Author Share Posted August 2, 2009 What's your thoughts on the future Roolz? Do you think you can get the 'Beath up there challenging? Long term that has to be the goal, however the gap between the Old Firm and the rest of the top 6 is huge, let alone Old Firm to the 'Beath. The club needs at least 2 things to really progress; 1) Top notch Training Facilities and Youth Academy, something we cannot afford and 2) European football by any which way but loose. Thanks for checking in mate, appreciate the comments Some good seasons of consolidation there Roolz and a slight improvement each year in terms of league progress. That's only what any manager can ask for. As long as the next year is an improvement of the previous one then it can only be a good sign. Keep it up as you're doing so and you'll break the Old Firm no problem. Yeah there cannot be any complaints really, just to be in the SPL is an achievement but at the same time we are lucky that it is only 1 down as in the seasons we have been up here, 1 team (St Mirren on 2 occasions!) have been so far adrift that we were comfortable by the end of the season. Cheers for the positive feedback, much appreciated Cheers lads, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar2010 Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 Just got round to reading this Roolz, hope you are still playing it. Been a good read so far and you seem to be established now in the SPL although I suspect you are still struggling get the good signings which always makes you nervous each season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saumer Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Well done on this, it's a great story so far, hope that you can break into the Big Two! A couple of seasons of European football would be the next step I'd imagine to try and get some money in the bank and raise the profile of the club. Fingers crossed! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeLLM_10 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 He's been banned so I don't think he'll be updating this topic very soon. Not sure why though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saumer Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Ah bugger lol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeLLM_10 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Was a good read as well. Then I found out he was banned. Good job there is plenty of other topics and stories to keep us entertained. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saumer Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Yeah definitely, though you're right that there are other great topics here! I've just posted one myself so have a look! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeLLM_10 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Will do. If your lucky I might even make a comment. Lol. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saumer Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Lol cheers for that! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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