[FM11] offen94's Global Road-Trip [FM11 Journeyman Career]

[offen94]

offen94's Global Road-Trip
[FM11 Journeyman Career]

As you may have read, my Mountain Rangers career is finished, mainly down to the fact that playing in those divisions are pretty boring, as are the long gaps between games, and the inability to finish a match with 11 men despite playing with tackling set to 'cautious'. I wanted to return to what I like doing the most. I like variety, I'm not a one-club man. On CM2010 I was, but there weren't any exciting lower league challenges in that game. FM2011 is the perfect game for journeymen. My previous journeyman career was somewhat of a flop, I worked my way up from the Swedish 2nd tier into a job with Southampton in the Championship, however I had a little nagging feeling in the back of my mind - I'd started with an automatic reputation. This was playing on my mind, I felt as if all of my achievements weren't quite as impressive. So this time, I'm starting as a former Sunday League footballer, from England, under my real name. I'll start unemployed, and look for a job.

Game Specifications:

Leagues Loaded:

Nation           Tiers    Nation           Tiers
----------------------    ----------------------
Argentina            1    Mexico               2
Chile                2    Portugal             2
Denmark              3    Russia               2
England              6    Scotland             4
France               3    South Africa         2
Germany              2    South Korea          2
Greece               1    Spain                2
Israel               2    Sweden               2
Italy                2    Switzerland          2
Holland              2    Turkey               2

Version: 11.2

Database Size: Large

[offen94]

Career Overview

Season    Club                  Nation       League                          Position                    Achievements
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010/11   Herlev IF             Denmark      Danish 2nd Division East        8th              A safe mid-table finish
2011/12   Herlev IF             Denmark      Danish 2nd Division East        6th                 Resigned in November
2011/12   Welling United        England      Blue Square Bet South           19th        Resigned after a poor season
2012/13   Northwich Victoria    England      Blue Square Bet North           22nd                  Sacked in December
2013/14   Bradford Park Avenue  England      Blue Square Bet North

[offen94]

On the 10th of February 2011 I was named as manager of Herlev IF, in the Danish Second Division East. They are an amateur club however I am looking to convert them to the semi-pro status. They were expected to finish bottom. However, I was confident that, with the group of players available to me, I would be able to achieve a safe mid-table finish.

Reputation: Local
Status: Amateur
Chairman: Loves the club
Fierce Rivals: Vanlose
Other Rivals: Avarta, Bronshoj

Stadium Name: Herlev Stadion
Capacity: 3500
Corporate Facilities: None
Training Facilities: Adequate
Youth Facilities: Minimal
Youth Recruitment: Limited

Transfer Budget: £0
Wage Budget: £0 p/w

The Players. (All accents and special characters removed for my own convenience.)

Goalkeepers

Christian Schaffer, GK, 28, A well rounded goalkeeper who should serve me well for at least a few years.

Henrik Cortssen, GK, 22, Decent backup, not quite challenging for a first team spot.

Morten Jacobsen, GK, 16, Good youth prospect, already very good at rushing out.

Defenders

Lasse Lauth, D/M/AM (R), 30, A decent attacking full-back who can also play well on the wing.

Rasmus Pedersen, D (C), 31, An experienced centre-back who my assistant really rates.

Victor Johansson, D (LC), 20, Still has some developing to do, but already commanding a first team spot.

Nicklas Sjorring-Nielsen, D/WB/M (L), 21, A weak link in the defensive line, but the best player for that position.

Tornike Kakaschvili, D/M (R), 22, Decent enough cover for Lauth at this level.

Dennis Kleemann, D (C), 30, Challenging Johansson for a first team spot.

Casper Sindet, D (C), 21, Still room for development, could be one to watch in the future.

Midfielders

Semere Haile, M/AM (RC), 20, A tricky young right winger, one of my star players.

Mikkel Foge, M (C), 25, A decent central midfielder, not enough competition in this position.

Mads Frost, M/AM (RC), 28, A fairly creative winger who will feature a lot this season.

Thomas Lycek, AM/M (L), ST, 26, Not good enough to be playing for the first team, left wing is a problem area.

Morten Hansen, M (RLC), AM (C), 24, A set piece wizard, good versatile cover.

Jens Kristensen, M (C), 21, Taken from the reserve team as cover, just about adequate.

Forwards

Andreas Bak, ST, 28, The star player, I'll struggle to keep hold of him with no wages.

Tommy Lauridsen, AM (C), ST, 31, Experienced but has a great eye for goal.

Klaus Mortensen, AM (C), ST, 31, Also not too young but providing good competition for the two starters.


My attackers are all up for the task, hopefully our weakness down the left flank won't be too much of an issue.

[YOUNGSTEVE]

Just noticed you are playing with the old patch. Are you patching up with the new one? I did read your Welsh non league career, & although it was interesting, it looked a boring game to play, which you have just verified.

[offen94]

Wow, thanks, I hadn't noticed that there was a new patch out!

Will it mean I have to restart this save? If so, then no, as I've almost finished a season already. (I started this save a few days ago)

[Flamers]

You don't you can just carry on

[offen94]

You don't you can just carry on

Ah then that's great, I'll download it right away.

And my first club summary has been added to the 3rd post.

[bobatwal]

Good luck with this mate

How quick is your computer running them leagues

[offen94]

February

Having joined in the winter break, all I had was 2 friendly matches to play:

Herlev 7 - 1 Sundby
Haile (2), Foge (2), Frost, Lauridsen, Bak

The best possible start to my managerial career - I was expected to lose this game!

Herlev 2 - 0 Prespa
Pedersen, Frost

Another solid win, and a clean sheet too. A great couple of friendlies for the team!

[offen94]

March

The season resumes halfway into March so I had 3 competitive matches.

Herlev 2 - 0 Glostrup Albertslund
Lauridsen, Frost

A winning start to my competitive career. We dominated throughout and could have scored more.

Herlev 2 - 0 LFA
Pedersen, Haile

Another solid win. Heh, this managing thing is pretty easy.

Skjold 0 - 1 Herlev
Frost

A bit of a reality check, we fought long and hard for this one, and scored a late winner.

[offen94]

April

A very important month with 6 games.

Ballerup Skovlunde 2 - 1 Herlev
Bak

A disappointing result against the bottom club. My keeper played a stinker, strange as he's usually very consistent.

Nordvest FC 2 - 3 Herlev
Holm (o.g.), Kleeman, Bak

We were somewhat fortunate here, I would have taken a draw, but two late goals were enough to secure a win.

Herlev 1 - 1 Sollerod-Vedbaek
Pedersen

Conceded a late goal mainly due to tiredness, and the lack of depth in the side. Will look for reinforcements in the next window.

Frederikssund 2 - 2 Herlev
Pedersen, Lauridsen

Not too bad a result away from home. The defense has been leaky lately.

B 93 4 - 1 Herlev
Mortensen

No complaints, B 93 are the top side.

Herlev 1 - 0 Vanlose
Pedersen

A hard earned win against our local rivals. The fans were 'jubilant'!

[offen94]

May

This month would determine whether we'd be able to achieve what I expected, and finish mid-table.

Herlev 2 - 1 Allerod
Lauridsen, Bak

A routine win, wasn't expecting anything less.

Stenlose 1 - 0 Herlev

Disappointing that we failed to score, especially in a game which we should have won.

Herlev 1 - 1 Elite 3000
Lauridsen

A very good result against the top team. They went down to 10 men late on and we took advantage, scoring a late goal.

Greve 2 - 1 Herlev
Hansen

Slightly disappointing since Greve are fighting relegation, but we didn't play too badly.

[offen94]

Do you guys prefer these monthly reports? Or the end of season ones like in my last thread?

[offen94]

May

The last two games of the season, both against top teams.

Herlev 0 - 1 HIK

Can't complain, they're a better team and it showed on the day.

Avarta 1 - 1 Herlev
Gotovac (o.g.)

What a game, against the top team. They needed a win to clinch the title, and we scored in the 4th minute of added time, even though only 3 were added on. Plus it was a horrific own goal that lost them the title. If I was an Avarta fan, I'd be livid.



As you can see, we managed to finish mid-table, and Avarta were just pipped to the title. A good first season, hopefully next year we can challenge for the title.

[offen94]

Rasmus Pedersen named as Player of the Season.

Andreas Bak was top scorer with 13 goals.

[B.W.G]

A solid first season, hope your able to keep hold of Bak as he could shoot you to success next season.

[offen94]

2011 Summer Transfers

In:

Jakob Marcussen, D/WB (L) M/AM (LC), 32, Technically gifted, physically quick and pretty aggressive. Will slot straight in at right-back.

Karsten Johansen, ST, 30, A well rounded striker who will partner Andreas Bak in the first team.

Poul Hubertz, ST, 34, A veteran but a very good finisher, possibly a good impact sub.

Karsten Sorensen, GK, 33, Experienced keeper who is well rounded and has a massive tendency to punch (20). Hoping it's a good thing.

Jonas Morentzen, M (LC), 22, Cover for centre-mid.

Jesper Olesen, D (RC), 30, One hell of a right-back, with a massive long throw. Probably my new best player.

Out:

None.

Screenshots are available on request.

[AndrewFM]

Safe first season, hopefully you can kick on from here

[offen94]

Safe first season, hopefully you can kick on from here

Thanks Andrew, I'm still expected to get relegated though. I'm sure my signings can help take us towards the top end.

A solid first season, hope your able to keep hold of Bak as he could shoot you to success next season.

Thanks B.W.G, Bak was pretty inconsistent but when he was on form, he was debatably the best in the league. Lauridsen scored 10 too but I wanted to take advantage of Bak's talent, so I bought in another striker who I think will help Bak to score even more, and consistently.

[Flamers]

I prefer 4 updates, pre season, end of pre season, mid season and end of season but thats me If it's done well I will read either

[offen94]

I prefer 4 updates, pre season, end of pre season, mid season and end of season but thats me If it's done well I will read either

I see what you mean, I did that with one of my saves though and I felt it wasn't as in-depth as it could and should have been, I personally prefer it this way but if most people don't like it then I'll change.

[offen94]

Edigerson D'Almeida has left the club and joined Holstebro, he was only a reserve so I wasn't too bothered.

[offen94]

July.

A few preseason friendlies to report on:

Herlev 2 - 0 Hobro
Bak (2)

Hobro are expected to mount a serious title challenge in the Western division, so this was a great result, Andreas Bak was fantastic.

Herlev 0 - 1 Skive

Bitterly disappointing. Skive were expected to thrash us, yet we managed twice as many shots on goal, and really should have scored at least 2 or 3.

Brabrand 3 - 2 Herlev
Johansen (2)

Encouraging signs. Bak's new strike partner bagged a brace, and we were expected to get hammered. Looking forward to the start of the season.

[offen94]

Bad news, the chairman has let Semere Haile go, he was an important part of my plans.

Ugh, and now Mads Frost too. This is getting ridiculous.

[Flamers]

offen it happens to all of us.. This patch has certainly made a lot more transfers happen...

[offen94]

It's annoying being an amateur team, that you can't actually tie down players on contracts. They just go wherever they like. No idea how much longer I can hold onto Andreas Bak.

[Flamers]

Get semi pro asap! It was the big boost for me, I am now currently the ONLY Professional club in Iceland so it should get really easy for me...

[offen94]

The board won't let me! It really sucks. Sjorring-Nielsen has just gone too...

[Flamers]

Get some more in!

[offen94]

I've got enough depth at the moment, if more players leave though I'll have to start bringing more players in.

[offen94]

There goes Schaffer too... Not too bothered about him as Karsten Sorensen is a better keeper.

[offen94]

August.

Herlev 1 - 2 B 1908
Sindet

Disappointing, a bad start, and a game we should have won. The season ahead looks like it could be tricky.

LSF 0 - 5 Herlev
Bak (4), Pedersen

An away cup tie which at first looked to be pretty tricky, but luckily Andreas Bak was on fine form to guide us to an impressive victory.

Hvidovre 4 - 3 Herlev
Bak, Pedersen, Marcussen

Not as close as it looks. We went 4-0 down, scored 3 in the second half. We should have been hammered, they missed 2 penalties. Wasn't expecting anything to be honest.

B 93 2 - 3 Herlev
Bak (2), Pedersen

A massive result against a top class team. Bak is on fire!

Herlev 1 - 3 Naestved
Bak

A cup tie against a First Division team, not too bad a performance. We weren't expected to get past the 1st round, so this isn't too disappointing.

Herlev 2 - 0 Avarta
Marcussen, Pedersen

A win in the local derby, Mads Frost's return to Herlev Stadion after walking out wasn't a happy one, and the great performance of Pedersen prompted this great news headline:



We're currently sat in 8th, where we finished last season. Our only problem is inconsistency, our record is LWLWLW. Luckily, Bak looks like the best player in the division, debatably.

[offen94]

September.

I was hoping for a bit more consistency this month, here goes:

LFA 2 - 1 Herlev
Pedersen

Slightly disappointing, but not too bad a loss. LFA are a good side with a great home record, so in truth I wasn't expecting much.

Herlev 3 - 0 Elite 3000
Bak (2), Marcussen

A great result against a team chasing promotion. Bak was on top form.

Sollerod-Vedbaek 1 - 3 Herlev
Bak (2), Johansen

Another brace for Andreas Bak secures 3 points from a tricky fixture.

Herlev 6 - 1 FC Oresund
Bak (3), Pedersen, Johansen, Graugaard

We were expected to win, but not by this much. Bak's hat-trick makes him Herlev's all time top scorer with 33 goals!

Fremad Amager 0 - 2 Herlev
Bak, Pedersen

The home side were recently promoted but were sat mid-table, just below me. A good win from what could have been a banana skin.

So there, a great month with 4 wins out of 5. We're now in 5th, promotion isn't realistic though as HIK occupy the only promotion spot, and they've won 9 games out of 9. Andreas Bak is on 16 goals from 11 games, what a player.

[offen94]

October.

Vanlose 3 - 1 Herlev
Jorgensen

A tragic loss against our local rivals. A terrible performance.

HIK 1 - 1 Herlev
Bak

Somehow we managed to scrape a draw, after Olesen was sent off 9 minutes in. HIK's first draw of the season, they still haven't lost either. Good result.

Herlev 4 - 2 Stenlose
Jorgensen (2), Johansen, Bak

A good result. Stenlose are 1 spot behind us so we needed to win.

Fredrikssund 4 - 2 Herlev
Christensen, Bak

Sadly, the best team here won. Fredrikssund were easy opponents last season but are up for a title race this year.

Herlev 0 - 1 Rishoj

16 shots wasn't enough - to make things worse, they didn't have a single shot, the winning goal was a horrific o.g. from Christensen.

So I'm beginning to consider my future. The lack of support from the board, and the inability to become semi-pro will seriously stop me competing for the one promotion spot, especially with us being one of only 4 amateur teams in the division. They broke a promise to offer me a new contract, and I don't feel the club will ever move forward under the current ownership. I've applied for a few jobs, the Herlev board don't seem to mind.

[offen94]

I decided to leave my post at Herlev, and after a month I was appointed as manager of...

[offen94]

Welling United F.C.

Welling United Football Club are an English football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley. They currently play in the Conference South.The 2010/11 season hasn't been a good one for them as the club had financial problems, nearly going bankrupt but lots of supporters chipped in and raised £90,000 for the club to pay off debts. Steve Finnan, a Champions League winner, started his career with the club.

Welling United Football Club was founded in 1963, by Sydney Hobbins a former goalkeeper with Charlton Athletic for his sons Barrie and Graham.They began as a youth team playing in local league football on a park pitch, they gradually expanded and began playing Saturday football in the London Spartan League. In 1977 they moved to the Park View Road ground, which had previously belonged to the defunct Bexley United (historically called Bexleyheath & Welling). They joined the Athenian League in 1978. In 1981 they progressed to the Southern Football League Southern Division.
After just one season at this level the club found itself in the Southern League Premier Division after the league was re-organised. In 1985–86 they won the league title by 23 points and were promoted to the Football Conference
Although they struggled in the Conference, only twice finishing above 11th place in 14 seasons, they did enjoy cup success during this period, reaching the first round proper of the FA Cup in six successive seasons, on one occasion memorably knocking out Kent’s only Football League side, Gillingham. They also made one third round appearance, losing 1–0 to Blackburn Rovers.
The Wings dropped out of the Conference when they were relegated on the last day of the season in 1999–2000 and returned to the Southern League.
In the 2003–04 season, under the management of former England World Cup player Paul Parker, the club finished in the top half of the Southern League Premier Division and were therefore able to claim a place in the newly formed Conference South. The first season at this level proved a struggle, and with the Wings rooted to the foot of the table for the first three months of the season Parker left the club by mutual consent.

Former Coventry City and Republic of Ireland player Liam Daish took charge of the team on a caretaker basis before the permanent position was handed to former Norwich City and Gillingham defender Adrian Pennock, who narrowly missed out on taking the club into the promotion play-offs. Pennock left the club at the end of the 2006–07 season. His last game managing the Wings finished in a 1–1 draw at home to Hayes. Pennock joined Stoke City in a coaching position under his former Gillingham manager, Tony Pulis.
On 16 May 2007, Welling United appointed Neil Smith as the new first team manager. However after only seven months in charge Smith parted company with the club on 7 January 2008. It was mutually agreed between the club and Smith that his reign as Wings boss would end.
Andy Ford was appointed the new manager of the Wings on 31 January 2008. Despite losing 6–2 to Cambridge City in his first game in charge, Ford guided the Wings to safety and they eventually finished 16th. Welling finished 7th in the Conference South in 2008/09 under the guidance of Ford. After a poor start to the 2009–10 season Ford resigned stating he didn't think he could achieve what he wanted on the current budget. Jamie Day was announced as the new player/manager in November 2009.
On 12 August 2010, the club was served with a winding-up petition by HMRC, due for a hearing later that month.

Welling United play their home matches at Park View Road, which has been their ground since 1977 when they took over the ground which had been vacated by the defunct Bexley United. Prior to that date the club had played at a community sports ground in Butterfly Lane, Eltham. Having been unoccupied for some time, the new ground was almost derelict.
Erith & Belvedere have been ground sharing since the 1999 season. Improvements were made to the Park View Road ground in 2004, which included a new covered stand.
As a result of severe storms and gale force winds in December 2006, the floodlights at Park View Road were damaged. Due to safety reasons all the floodlight pylons on the Welling side of the ground were removed. The floodlights were put in place during the month of June 2007 and are fully functional, one pylon positioned in each corner.

Reputation: Local
Status: Semi-Pro
Chairman: Loves the club
Fierce Rivals: None
Other Rivals: Dover, Grays

Stadium Name: Park View Road
Capacity: 5500 (500 seated)
Corporate Facilities: Basic
Training Facilities: Fairly Basic
Youth Facilities: Basic
Youth Recruitment: Fairly Basic

Transfer Budget: £0
Wage Budget: £3,900 p/w

[offen94]

Goalkeeper.

Gareth Stewart, 31, Came through Blackburn's academy but found himself in non-league football instantly, moved to Bournemouth and spent many years there, before moving back into non-league. Will be my 1st choice.

Defenders

Tom Andrews, 19, bought from Bristol City last season, looks a real prospect and already the first choice right-back.

Jeff Henderson, 20, another youngster, this one from Newcastle United's youth setup. Already our best centre-back.

Osa Obamwonyi, 20, the other half of my central defense, Obamwonyi started his career in the Isthmian league before making the step up to BSS.

Dan Smith, 25, my first choice leftback started his career at Sunderland before spending time in the SPL with Aberdeen, and finally moving to Welling via Gateshead.

Midfielders

Loui Fazakerley, 27, my best right winger, having a fruitful career in non-league but no stints in the Football League.

Bob Malcolm, 30, an experienced Scot in midfield, played about 100 games for Rangers before spells at Motherwell, Derby and QPR, and a short trip to the A-League.

Brian Kerr, 30, another Scot, spent time with Newcastle as a young player, moved on to Motherwell and Hibs, actually partnered Malcolm at Motherwell!

Loick Pires, 22, a left-winger, half English, half Portuguese, spent 5 years at Leyton Orient before joining Welling.

Strikers.

Bradley Robinson, 19, bought from Man City where he came through the youth team, my assistant doesn't seem to rate him, but I sure do.

Luis Cumbers, 23, bought from Ebbsfleet, enjoying a career in the 6th tier with multiple clubs, and one of the most famous names in the division.

[offen94]

December.

An opening month to forget. And before you ask, yes I have tried to sign Andreas Bak, and he wasn't interested, despite listing me as one of his Favoured Personnel.

Woking 0 - 2 Welling
Cumbers, Sambrook

A great result in the FA Trophy against the team top of the BSS.

Sutton 4 - 1 Welling
Cumbers

A tragic loss in my first league game, against the team occupying bottom spot. Awful display.

Salisbury 1 - 2 Welling
Robinson (2)

A good result. Sadly our defense was really sloppy. Inconsistency is becoming an issue.

Welling 1 - 1 Bath
Fazakerley

Frustrating last minute equalizer for the visitors. Thought we'd done enough.

Hampton & Richmond 2 - 2 Welling
Kerr, Fazakerley

Again, a late goal denying us the 3 points.

Welling 2 - 3 Weston-super-Mare
Cumbers, McQuade

A poor defeat. We really need to stop leaking goals.

So in all, it was a poor month. When I joined we were in 15th, right now we're one spot lower in 16th. Of course, the players will take time to get to grips with my style of play and tactics. I'm just hoping I can mount a late playoff push, or prepare for one next year. We're expected to come 4th...

[offen94]

January Transfers

In:

Gifton Noel-Williams, ST, 32, a pretty well known face amongst lower league players, spent a year and a half unemployed and I took a punt, he's got good aerial ability.

Bradley Bubb, AM(C)/ST, 24, Another player I know in real life, the Grenada international is currently banging them in for Farnborough, and after seeing that his former club weren't scoring very often, I searched him, and found him unemployed.

Out:

Joe Healy to Forest Green, 3K. To free up wages for Bubb and N-W.

Jack Obersteller to York, 1K. Same as above.

[offen94]

January.

A terrible month. My stay in England isn't going at all to plan.

Welling 3 - 1 Basingstoke
Cumbers, Robinson, Frewen o.g.

The only good result of the month. An all round good performance in which we dominated the midfield battle.

Welling 1 - 1 Bishops Stortford
Cumbers

Robbed by a last minute equaliser. This is happening too often.

Gloucester 1 - 0 Welling

We were never in this game, nobody performed.

Darlington 3 - 2 Welling
Kerr, Johnson

A spirited performance in the FA Trophy against one of the highest ranked sides.

Tooting & Mitcham 0 - 0 Welling

A game which we dominated but couldn't find the net. Really have to win games like these to have any hope of finishing in the top half.

Welling 0 - 2 Farnborough

Bradley Bubb's debut and return to his former club was tragic, we were completely overturned by a side who are similar in quality to us.

Maidenhead 1 - 3 Welling
Robinson (2), Henderson

Not a bad result, we were expected to win and we did. My strikers still can't find the net, now I'm playing Robinson on the wing and he's the only regular scorer.

Boreham Wood 2 - 2 Welling
Obamwonyi, Henderson

Robbed by a late goal, once again. Getting sick of this.

Braintree 3 - 1 Welling
Cumbers

Away against the top team isn't too bad a defeat, but they had 10 men for 60 minutes and we failed to take advantage.

So there, my stay in England is panning out as a disaster, I can feel the sack looming over me, and if it happens then I'll just see where it takes me. I'm not too bothered about rapidly climbing the leagues with one team, I'm happy to climb the ladder steadily, which is just as well, because I can't see me getting Welling promoted anytime soon. We're now sat in 17th.

[Tony Hawker]

Not looking to good Offen, maybe go to Israel or South Africa/Korea next?

[AK22]

Hope the spring brings a change in fortunes for you!

[offen94]

I hope so too, the board don't seem too disappointed but I could see myself getting sacked if next season doesn't go according to plan. If a job in Israel or S. Korea popped up then I'd jump at it, I've never managed in either of those leagues and I'd love the chance to. Chile would be cool too. But right now I have to focus on Welling, and stopping the free-fall. Who knows, we could end up going down...

[offen94]

I think it's about time for a quick summary.

In the Premier League...

Promotions and Relegations.

Hull City, Bristol City and Nottingham Forest are now in the Premier League.

Sunderland, Blackpool and West Bromwich Albion are now in the Championship.

Managerial Changes.

Alan Shearer is now the Blackburn Rovers manager.

Nigel Pearson is now the Bolton Wanderers manager.

Sam Allardyce is now the Fulham manager.

Keith Millen is now the Hull City manager.

Alan Curbishley is now the Newcastle United manager.

League Positions:

Manchester United won the league last season, with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool filling up the top 4.

Chelsea came 6th and Manchester City came 7th.

Record Transfers:

Simon Kjaer signed for Man City for £22m.

Eden Hazard signed for Arsenal for £20.5m

Santiago Cazorla signed for Man City for 19m.

Other Transfers of Note:

Leighton Baines to Man City.
Ryan Shawcross to Chelsea.
Stephen Warnock to Man United.
Romelu Lukaku to Liverpool.
Abou Diaby to Man City.
Titus Bramble to Bolton.

[offen94]

February.

Looks like I accidentally added half of this month into the last update, just a shortie this time.

Havant & W 2 - 0 Welling

Slightly disappointing, after they went 2-0 up after 10 minutes I thought I may be in for a hammering, but we managed to perform slightly better in the rest of the game.

Welling 1 - 3 St Albans
Fazakerly

Debatably one of our best performances of the season, Fazakerly's goal was one of many chances we had. St Albans scored 2 penalties, one of which I disagreed with, but their other goal was a total fluke. We looked dangerous going forwards and the fast paced game that I encouraged was in full motion.

The first game of February was against Maidenhead, so that makes it 1-1-3 for the month. However our performances were more encouraging this month than the last, and I feel we're moving forward finally.

[offen94]

March.

A long month, and a couple of wins here could make survival a certainty. Mid-table is still a possibility.

Welling 2 - 0 Eastleigh
Pires, Robinson

A great result against a team challenging for promotion. We dominated throughout and were good value for the win, and the clean sheet was nice too.

Woking 3 - 1 Welling
Cumbers

Another game we lost, but were the better side in. We've been playing better than results suggest and really have been unlucky not to pick up more points.

Thurrock 1 - 0 Welling

They scored an early goal and hung on, we had a few chances but didn't play well enough to deserve the point.

Welling 0 - 2 Ebbsfleet

Not too bad considering Ebbsfleet are one of the league's top sides, and we hit the post on numerous occasions.

Bromley 4 - 1 Welling
Cumbers

What happened there? They only had 2 shots on target, two unlucky own goals put them 2-0 up within half an hour, we pulled one back and it looked like we could come back, but after half time they scored a penalty, and finished it off in the last minute. We totally dominated that game in terms of possession, shots and shots on target, somehow we ended up being beaten heavily.

Welling 3 - 0 Sutton
Cumbers, Pires, Robinson

It was about time we won a game, even against the bottom club at home. The board picked it as a fan day and the crowd was almost 500, the biggest since I took charge. Luckily they were in for a treat as we totally dominated proceedings and came away with the 3 points we'd deserved on so many more occasions.

Dartford 3 - 0 Welling

We simply weren't good enough here, they missed a penalty early on and I thought it might have been my day, but another unlucky own goal from Henderson, and two from the striker who missed the spot-kick, put it beyond us.

The month as been encouraging, relegation is looking extremely unlikely, and hopefully I'll be able to kick on come next season. 4 games left of the season.

[offen94]

I've just finished the season and I'm in a dilemma, usually I don't like leaving clubs too quickly but I think it might be a good idea to jump ship before I get sacked, which will inevitably happen next season if I stay on, luckily the board weren't judging me in any competitions following the sacking of their previous manager this season, otherwise I would have surely been shown the door. I think I might leave and look for a new job abroad, not too sure yet... I'll sleep on it.

[offen94]

April.

The season finished on the back of 12 losses out of 14 games. For a team expected to make the playoffs, it's not good enough.

Bath 1 - 0 Welling

Bath are a much better team and to keep it down to one wasn't bad going.

Welling 1 - 2 Hampton & Richmond
Andrews

We were once again totally robbed, two late goals took the 3 points away from us.

Welling 0 - 3 Salisbury

A tragic loss against the only non-relegated team below me. This puts me in 19th.

Weston-super-mare 4 - 1 Welling
Noel-Williams

An early goal was encouraging but misleading as we were trounced.

And the league table:



Extremely poor, I think it may be time to move on already.

[AK22]

Ouch! Lucky to stay up by the looks of it! If you do leave where do you think you'll have a chance of getting a new job?

2nd-8th was real close!

[offen94]

Ouch! Lucky to stay up by the looks of it! If you do leave where do you think you'll have a chance of getting a new job?

2nd-8th was real close!

I never really considered us in the mix for relegation, we were well clear for almost all of the season and I wasn't particularly worried, luckily it didn't come back to haunt me.

And I'm not sure... possibly a newly promoted club in a European 3rd tier? My reputation will still be very low so I'm not too sure.

[offen94]

Well, I resigned, and after a month I found a job at the mighty...

Northwich Victoria.

Northwich Victoria Football Club (often simply known as Northwich, or by their nickname Vics or The Vics) are an English football club who play at the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of the English football league system.
Northwich are an old club, founded in 1874 and named in honour of the reigning monarch at the time Queen Victoria, and are one of the top 100 oldest football clubs in the world still in existence. Northwich have a long history, founding several leagues including the Football League Second Division. The club's history was recorded in the book 'A Team for All Seasons', written by the club's late President, Ken Edwards.
They played at the same Drill Field ground for over 125 years, which at the time was believed to be the oldest ground in the world on which football had been continuously played, however after a ground sharing period with their local rivals, Witton Albion, they started the 2005-06 season in their new stadium, the Victoria Stadium in Wincham, just outside Northwich and across the Trent & Mersey Canal, which separates them from their rivals.

The team is weak but I have a fairly big wage budget to play around with, already brought in a couple of familiar faces...

[offen94]

Goalkeeper.

Alex Wilkinson, 25, my first choice between the sticks. Seems pretty well rounded.

Defenders

Glen Mitchell, 22, my latest signing, for £200 from Cowdenbeath. His agent approached me and he seemed like the perfect player to plug our weak spot.

Casper Sindet, 23, a familiar face, the hot prospect from Herlev jumped at the offer to reunite with me in England, he is filling that potential that I identified.

Ryan Porter, 26, possibly the best player at the club already, and his attributes will make him a perfect partner for Sindet.

Ian Harris, 27, left-back is probably a weak spot, and in my opinion, Harris isn't good enough. Will have to do for now.

Midfielders.

Adam McGurk, 23, I signed the Northern Irish youth international on a free transfer, and he's our creative spark.

Steve Burke, 22, a pacy central midfielder who will partner McGurk.

Adam Hales, 21, a pretty quick winger who has potential according to my assistant.

Danny Hodgson, 26, determined and physically fit, he's the sort of player I like using at this level.

Attackers.

Leon Crncic, 22, the young Slovenian with 15 caps and 13 goals for the youth team, was released from Leicester and somehow I managed to tempt him to this level, he's definitely League 1 quality at least. Should kill this league.

Tommy Lauridsen, 32, another familiar name, managed to bring him over from Herlev too. A perfect mix between youth and experience up front.

Excited about the coming season, the side were newly promoted when I took over and I think I'll be able to challenge some of the bigger teams in the league.

[offen94]

July..

4 preseason friendlies to warm us up, here goes:

Northwich 1 - 1 Aberystwyth
Lauridsen

I expected exactly this sort of result, Lauridsen's goal was a beauty!

Northwich 1 - 1 Port Vale
Lauridsen

A great result, they were the better team but we were resilient and caught them on the break.

Lothian Thistle 1 - 1 Northwich
Lauridsen

Again, a very close game, and again Lauridsen on the scoresheet.

Stockbridge 0 - 3 Northwich
Hodgson, Crncic, Sindet

I expected a win but we totally dominated, and 2 more of my new signings scored.

An unbeaten preseason, looking forward to the real thing.

[offen94]

I've decided to move onto a less frequent update style, as Flamers suggested: it seems people don't like my current method, as nobody is replying...

[MattSpurs94]

Just because no-one's replying, doesn't mean no one is reading it

this is like the first time I've posted here, but i've been constantly coming back whenever there's an update

[Flamers]

There are a lot of lurkers in this forum

[offen94]

Ah, good to know some people are reading. So which way do you want me to update? Preseason, End of Preseason, Halfway and End of Season, or monthly? I think I'd get through seasons quicker if I did the former, but the latter would make it more in depth for you guys.

[MattSpurs94]

I think the former would be better. Monthly updates, imo, takes up too much time.

So, yeah. I think the former is better

[offen94]

Thanks Matt, I'll start doing that.

[offen94]

In the Premier League...

Managers:

Arsenal - Javier Aguirre
Aston Villa - Tony Pulis
Birmingham - Alex McLeish
Blackburn - Alan Shearer
Chelsea - Sven Goran Erikkson
Everton - David Moyes
Fulham - Jose Maria Amorrortu
Hull City - Keith Millen
Leicester - Malky Mackay
Liverpool - Roberto Mancini
Man City - Unai Emery
Man United - Mike Phelan
Newcastle - Alan Curbishley
Nottingham Forest - Billy Davies
Stoke - Dennis Wise
Sunderland - Steve Bruce
Tottenham - Stuart Pearce
Watford - Paolo Ferreira (the ex Chelsea player, aged 33)
West Ham - Avram Grant
Wolves - Mick McCarthy

Record Transfers:

Domenico Criscito from Genoa to Man Utd. (£34M)
Simon Kjaer from Wolfsburg to Man City. (£22M)
Eden Hazard from Lille to Arsenal. (£20.5M)

[offen94]

Midway Update.

Results | Table

Well, not at all what I was expecting. My torrid time in England continues and my strong side underachieved hugely. Nightmare in the first game of the season, as the player I was most excited about, Casper Sindet, broke his leg and has been ruled out since them. Lauridsen has been inconsistent, as was Crncic, and McGurk never really found his feet, let alone the goal. Nothing went my way. Conceding late goals was a frequent occurance, and as a result of this, I was sacked after 19 games. I really believed I could take the club forwards when I joined, but it just wasn't to be. The sacking came after debatably the best result of the season, a narrow defeat against BSP outfit Mansfield who themselves were challenging for promotion to the Football League. So it's back to the job market for me, to find myself a new team... abroad.

[offen94]

Employment Update.

So, it's halfway through May and I haven't even been accepted for a job in England, let alone abroad. I was one of the favourites to get a job back in the Danish 3rd tier, but they promoted from within. I have seen applications to Scottish 3rd Division sides rejected, and it seems that my reputation has been heavily tainted following two torrid spells in England. Hopefully I can get a job before July.

[offen94]

Employment Update.

It was getting late, so regrettably, on the 14th of July, I was named Bradford Park Avenue manager, another team in the Blue Square North.

[offen94]

2013/14 Season Preview.



Squad | Staff
Squad picture is from when I first arrived, and the Staff picture is after I brought in my own personnel.

Predicted to get relegated and come 21st, I can't really screw up too badly here. Worst thing possible, is that I achieve one lower spot than I was expected. Of course, I'm looking for survival. I have a few preseason friendlies organized, including the annual one at home to Bradford City, so stay tuned. The team isn't in too bad a shape, looking to bring in a lot of new faces though - my new scouts have given me a lot of very good suggestions.

[AK22]

Good to see you got a job at last. Persistence pays eventually! Good luck keeping Bradford Park, hopefully your scouts can unearth a few gems!

[offen94]

They're doing the business for me so far, I've managed to snap up some great players, including one who turned down Blackpool, Scunthorpe and Southampton to join BPA...?

[offen94]

End of Preseason / Season Preview



Fixtures | Transfers
The first friendly was alright, I hadn't made any changes to the original side and it was nice to start off with a win, the second was always going to be a tough game, and I can't say I was expecting anything more than a defeat against our local rivals. The third was simply a case of us not taking chances, Adams should have scored a hat-trick, and Goran Franks, my new Canadian U-20 International frontman, hit the post twice. They didn't have many chances but they took them, sadly we were largely wasteful in the first half and they came out fighting after the break.

In terms of transfers, I'm very happy with the players brought in, the ones I'm most excited about are probably Griffith in central midfield, he played for Port Vale (I think) before leaving on a free transfer, and he cam also play at right or centre back, and also Dean Santangelo, the former Reading youth keeper who himself has been included in an England youth squad before. The whole team has been reinforced, largely by local players, and ones from inside Great Britain, I'm not a huge fan of bringing in foreigners at this level but some of the ones my scout recommended were too good to refuse.

The season kicks off with a tricky trip to Redditch, and hopefully we can get the ball rolling, with a positive result. We're expected to get relegated so hopefully we can exceed that prediction.

[offen94]

Key Players - 2013/14 Season



Dean Santangelo
The former Reading keeper is sure to have his hands full in a league that will be tough for us, he looks like a terrific coup for this level, and hopefully he lives up to my high expectations of him. He'll be key to our survival this season.

Goran Franks
The Canadian youngster is set to be our main man up top, his mental stats are very good for a young player and I'm quite excited to see how he develops. I'm hoping for a decent goal return this season, at least 10 would be nice.

Tom Lawrence
My best winger, he'll be providing the creativity from the flanks. He looks like he'll be a key player for us.

Anthony Griffith
The ex Port Vale midfielder will be my captain for the coming season and will have to put in solid performances as well as influencing the very young side that he's playing in. His influence will be key to any success we have, and also the development of the youngsters around him.

Anthony Forde
My other Anthony in midfield, my set piece taker will be looked upon as a constant threat, and I'm hoping for some goals from him this season. He'll need to be at his best. I rate him far more than my assistant does, my assistant says he's not good enough but I think he's one of my star players.

[Luton Town]

Just read the thread for the 1st time a good read.
But do you wish you stayed with Herlev

[offen94]

But do you wish you stayed with Herlev

Yes, I'm absolutely kicking myself about it. If I was offered a job at the bottom club of that division, then I'd jump straight at it.