Living The Dream: Neath and Llanelli

Here we go. Time to show the rest of the world how two friends, 5641 miles apart, are getting on with our Football Manager 2012 career. Before i begin, let's give you a quick background on how we got to this stage. Tom (me) currently lives in the Midlands, whilst AJW currently resides in South Korea. We have known each other for far too long, going to school and university, going on holiday with other friends (Jolly Boys on Tour 2011) and both being involved in a local football team (RIP Blue Skies United.) AJW has since moved over to S. Korea for a short period, and whilst the time difference means we do not play together as much as we would like, we still make it work. We have both played together in previous football manger's, mainly in the English Leagues. We have had some special saves in the past, ranging from one of us getting the other sacked after declaring interest in their job (sorry AJW) to one of us taking four clubs into administration. This time however, AJW convinced me to try the Welsh Premier League. AJW has experience in this league, whilst i did not know the difference between Bangor and Barry.

We went for a large database, with the following leagues: England (Blue Square N/S), Ireland (First Division), N. Ireland (Second Division), Scotland (Third Division), Wales (Premier League) Leagues may be added or removed in the future, but as of yet, nothing has changed.

As for what we are both hoping to achieve, we basically what to turn the Welsh League into a force. This could well prove tricky and very time consuming with just one of us, however, we two of us in the same league, we are hoping that we do it much quicker and easier. We both agreed that we would only manage either the Wales or England international job, due to the fact that one of us wasted so much time trying to pick the squad for Zambia in previous games. We said we would not poach each other's players, and of course, we would only play when we were both online. Mainly though, it was just to have good fun.

Shall also add, that we are currently in the 2016/17 season, so the first few posts shall be updates of previous seasons, as best as i can. I did not really take any screen shots of the key matches, and it seems you can not longer access them, so i shall do my best to show you the key points up to where we are now. You will be glad to know though, that we are both still in our initial jobs, just.

Special mention to JackJCFC and Withnail316 who have inspired me to attempt this thread. Thanks for reading and enjoy.

Good choice of leagues to start with, allows you to poach the best of British until you can scout the continent. I can imagine having 2 human managers in the league will make things much easier in the future. Especially when you get 2 Champions League spaces.

Good Luck in making Wales a major force

Neath Football Club

Founded in 2005

Professional

Est. Value: 100k

Finances: Okay

Stadium: The Gnoll - 12000 (3000 seated)

Rep: National

Facilities: Good Training, Minimal Youth (rented)

Media Prediction: 4th

I (Tom) went for Neath, basically because of Lee Trundle. It was also a bonus that they qualified for European football the previous season, meaning i could have a crack right from the start.

What are your attendances like for Neath? On my save i've always noticed them having one of the lowest in the league, being outdone by even the promoted teams. They usually sell about 2000 for european matches though.

Llanelli Football Club

Founded in 1896

Professional

Est. Value: 350k

Finances: Okay

Stadium: Stebonheath Park - 3700 (680 seated)

Rep: National

Facilities: Adequate Training, Minimal Youth (rented)

Media Prediction: 3th

AJW has always had a special spot for Llanelli, so that's why he went for them. Similar to myself though, they also qualified for European football the previous season, meaning we both had a chance to to impress on the European scene.

What are your attendances like for Neath? On my save i've always noticed them having one of the lowest in the league, being outdone by even the promoted teams. They usually sell about 2000 for european matches though.

European nights are generally a sellout, so 3000. Last league home match was 820. Improved greatly over the years, however we sell 30 season tickets every year. No more, no less.

Neath vs Aalesund (EURO CUP Qual. 1) - Lost 3-0 at home and away. European domination will have to wait a year i guess.

Llanelli vs Bohemians (EURO Cup Qual. 2) - Lost 3-1 at home. Llanelli did get win 2-0 away in the return leg, however, crashed out on away goals.

So that was both of us out for this season, meaning we could both focus on trying to get that top spot and that much needed Champions League spot.

So after crashing out of europe at the first hurdle, we turned our attention to the league. To say Neath started well was an understatement.

Neath went on a 14 game winning streak in the league, with the highlight being Lee Trundle grabbing 6 goals away at Newtown. Jake Cassidy (who i got on loan from the club i support, Wolverhampton Wanderers) also did his part in sending Neath top of the league. The first meeting between myself and AJW happened in the Welsh Cup 3rd round, with Neath going through on penalties. Defeat in the League Cup to Bala annoyed me, but from what i recall, Neath decided to rest players, which backfired. A shock 3-0 home defeat to TNS handed Neath their first defeat of the season.

Whilst Neath started the season like a house on fire, Llanelli went about their job in a much more quiet fashion.

After an opening day defeat, Llanelli went 21 games unbeaten in the league. Robert Thomson, on loan from Dundee United, was a key figure during this run, with his personal highlight being scoring 4 goals against Prestatyn. During this run, they booked their place in the final of the League Cup, where they would face Neath's victors, Bala, later in the season.

Due to cup matches, the first league meeting between myself and AJW got pushed back, meaning we had a double header coming up before the split. With both teams doing so well in the league, and TNS up there after a decent start too, the matches between Neath and Llanelli would prove to be decisive.

After a 2-2 draw at Llanelli, Neath won the rematch just a week later 2-1 to take control of the league. However, TNS got 2 more vital wins over Neath, just to make things slightly more interesting at the top. A late slump in the league, with defeat in the cup in Wrexham, just served as a reality check for Tom.

Llanelli went on to defeat Bala 3-1 in the League Cup, with Thomson scoring 2 goals. This gave AJW the first trophy, and bragging rights over myself.

However, despite the slump at the end, Neath went on to claim top spot, with TNS taking 2nd spot, only 6 points behind. Llanelli had to settle for 3rd and had to go through the European Playoffs to seal a place in europe next season. They faced Aberystwyth in the final, winning 2-1, with Guirado and Mark Jones grabbing a goal each.

Unable to really do a season reason, as too long ago. As no team in Wales progressed in Europe, nothing changed on that front. As there is not a great deal i can report here just yet, I shall post our Key Players for the season.

Neath Key Players

Lee Trundle - This guy needs no introduction when it comes to the Welsh League. It is just not fair on the other sides in the league that Neath have someone of this quality. His form this season was exceptional, scoring 48 goals in 38 games, with an average rating of 8.01. Even though he is 35 years old, he will still play a big part next season.

Jake Cassidy - On loan from Wolves for the season, and whilst he's only young, he still impressed with 18 goals in 33 games this season. His contract is up this season, and he has not been offered a new deal. He is currently not interested in joining Neath, but hoping that can change over the summer.

Ebou Sillah - Left winger from Gambia was a free transfer in the summer and again, whilst he's getting on now, he still stole the show on the left wing, scoring 15 goals in 38 games.

Special mention has to go to Michael Dunlop who Aberdeen sent me, who at the back got an average rating of 7.33 over 31 games.

Llanelli Key Players

Robert Thomson - On loan from Dundee United, and scorer of 27 goals in 33 games with an average rating of 7.45. AJW is hoping he can get his services again next season.

Yann Nsaku - A solid defender this season, and formed a great partnership with Sekou Diarra in the centre of defence. With 10 goals between them, both played a key part in Llanelli lifting the League Cup this season.

Tommy Taylor - The left winger was hot and cold this season, but on his day, was one of the most dangerous players in the league. With 8 goals, and an average rating of 7.19, he will hope to be more consistent next season.

Special mention to Ben Thatcher who despite his age, did well at the left back this season.

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[TD]Tom Ray

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[TD]5[/TD]

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[TD]11

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[TD]AJW

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[TD]5[/TD]

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Seems you had a great start. Good to see you get one over Llanelli too

I love competitive threads like this, it's always nice to see a rivalry brewing between two managers, in leagues like the Welsh league, it can get very uncompetitive once you develop your squad so to have someone who has the mind of a human is great too. There should be more threads like this here, very enjoyable to read.

No offence but I hope your mate does better with Llanelli, like him I have a soft spot for them too. I'm still going with an FM11 save currently in 2020 with them and I've just got the WPL to 2.5 stars rep. But good luck to both of you!

No offence but I hope your mate does better with Llanelli, like him I have a soft spot for them too. I'm still going with an FM11 save currently in 2020 with them and I've just got the WPL to 2.5 stars rep. But good luck to both of you!

No offence taken! I also want them to do well, and over the years we have played, i have cheered them on, except for at least 4 games of the season.

Good luck in your save!

With the new season fast approaching, and with both of us having to cut short our holidays due to European matches in July, we have been busy sorting out our squads. During the summer, Neath released club captain O'Leary, with Lee Trundle taking the armband. Squad players, Sam Gwynne and Matty Collins were two of the other players released. Michael Dunlop returned to Neath after having such a successful loan spell last season, although only on a 6 month loan deal. Reece Wabara has also been borrowed from Manchester City, on a long term loan deal, 2 years. The centre defender was hoping to gain valuable experience in Wales. Other signings involved Tom Soetaers (an experienced winger who can play on the left or right) and Ibrahim Farah (former Cardiff midfielder).

Llanelli were very busy during the summer, bringing in 16 players. (Not going to sit here and try to explain who some of them are, as to be quite honest, i have not heard of some of them. They clearly did not make the grade.) Daniel Ward (young goalkeeper) was signed on a free from Wrexham and would challenge Gilpin for the spot between the sticks this season. Alex Evans would add some competition for the defence which performed so well last season. Kieran Djilali is a left winger/striker who AJW was hoping would add some firepower up front, mainly due to being unable to get Thomson on loan again this season.

Both of us this season would of course want to win the league. Finishing top, means that you get into the Champions League, which would be a huge boost for either club financially. Neither of us are really expecting to pull up any trees in Europe, so we shall just enjoy the ride and see what we can do in the early stages of qualifying.

Neath vs Slovan Bratislava (Champions League Qual. 2) - Won 1-0 at home, giving us a very slender lead. In the away leg, we drew 3-3, meaning we progressed to the next round. Neath were starting to dream.

Neath vs Sparta Prague (Champions League Qual. 3) - We were brought back down to earth with a bump, getting hammered 5-1 away. Despite Lee Trundle getting 2 games at home, we still went down 4-2. Onto the EURO Cup.

Neath vs FC Twente (EURO Cup Qual. 4) - 2-0 defeat at home followed by the same result away, ended Neath's run in Europe this season.

Overall, a great result against Slovan Bratislava, and a good source of income. If i remember correctly, we got around 700k in prize money, which sets us up nicely for the following season.

Llanelli vs Haijduk (EURO Cup Qual. 1) - Lost 6-0 on aggregate. Nothing to really smile about for AJW.

This was an eye opener for AJW, really showing him that he would need to finish in the top 2 for a better shot in Europe, or at least win the Welsh Cup.

After a busy summer, we both turned our attention to the league. Similar to last season, Neath started well, winning their first 6 league games, with Trundle scoring 11 goals. Llanelli on the otherhand, suffered yet another opening day defeat, this time to Airbus (this seems to be a running theme with AJW, he is not known for starting the season well.) They went down 2-0 to Aberystwyth to leave them with an uphill battle right from the off.

Llanelli were 8 points behind league leaders Neath going into a crunch match with them at Stebonheath Park. AJW admitted beforehand, that this was a must win, something that Tom thought was quite unbelievable, considering we were only in October. AJW's players however did him proud, taking a 2-1 win to close the gap to just 5 points, and give Llanelli some hope.

In transfer news, Jake Cassidy finally decided to stop wasting everyone's time, and signed for Neath on a long term deal. He was not the only new signing to join the ranks at The Gnoll, with Tom's scouts finding young, promising talent from overseas. Rifat Gunes (turkish central midfielder), Kevin Hesse (attacking right winger) and Thomas Carroll (former Spurs midfielder) all snapped up. All three had great potential, and were not only hoping to make an impression this season, but in seasons to come.

The Loosemores League Cup provided us with a cup upset in the first round. Holders, Llanelli travelled to newly promoted Haverfordwest, who had not picked up a point at all in the league up until this point (they do not pick up many more points after this either). Haverfordwest managed to hold on and took the game to penalties, with Haverfordwest sending the holders crashing out. Neath managed to get to the semi finals of the League Cup, before losing out 2-0 on aggregate to eventual winners, Aberystwyth.

Neath went into the split in a commanding position, however could not afford many slip ups, with not only Llanelli not too far behind, but TNS closely behind.

As you can see, Neath had by their recent high standards, a shocking time after the split. After drawing 1-1 in our second meeting of the season, Neath then suffered another defeat, this time losing 3-2. Two own goals from Neath, with Angel Guirado grabbing the winner. To make matters worse (or to rub salt in the wounds, depending on which side of the fence you are sitting on) Llanelli booked their place in the Welsh Cup final, knocking out Tom's side in the semi finals. That man, Angel Guirado getting the only goal. Llanelli did however suffer a cup hangover, losing 3-1 to Neath. Cassidy and Sillah getting on the scoresheet to extract some revenge for the defeat a week earlier. This win, at such a crucial stage of the season, put Neath 3 points ahead, with only 2 games to play. With a better goal difference too, Tom thought it was in the bag. However, Neath suffered back to back defeats for the first time this season, and with Llanelli winning their 31st game of the season, they were level on points with Neath at the top. They knew that a point in their final game of the season would steal an unlikely title.

Despite their best efforts, they could not manage that point they needed, losing 2-1 to Aberystwyth. This result mean't that Neath retained the title on goal difference. (To be honest, this season was mental. I did not enjoy it one bit). As you can also see, Llanelli did get some revenge a few days later, going on to lift the Welsh Cup on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw with Aberystwyth.

Pictures are way too small, and just really annoying me. What is the best res to upload?

No offence but I hope your mate does better with Llanelli, like him I have a soft spot for them too. I'm still going with an FM11 save currently in 2020 with them and I've just got the WPL to 2.5 stars rep. But good luck to both of you!

I agree. I am also rooting for Llanelli!!!! Down with Neath!!!

Neath Key Players

Lee Trundle -Just carried on from last season, scoring 37 goals in 41 games with an average rating of 7.42. He has one more year on his contract, and i would love to get him to sign on for one more after that, but it's down to him. However, i have got to start thinking about a replacement.

Jake Cassidy - Took his time in deciding to rejoin the club, but after 3 months without a club, he could not resist. Very similar to last season, 15 goals in 31 games.

Rifat Gunes - Neath have high hopes for this kid, and his first season may not have been spectactular, but he went about his job well, playing in 29 games, scoring 4 goals with a rating of 6.98.

Other players who impressed this season, Jack MacFarlane who stepped in and did a decent job when Hutchins picked up a long term injury. Hesse also looks like a good find, but he had a stop start season, picking up many injuries.

Llanelli Key Players

Angel Guirado - Really impressive on the right side of midfield this season, scoring 9 goals in 30 games. The Philippines international also grabbed the winner in the Welsh Cup Final. AJW main concern is how they cope without him, due to the fact that he always seems to be away on international duty.

Robert Ogleby - A free transfer in the summer from Hearts, and did well in his first season, top scoring with 14 goals in 28 games.

Alex Evans - The centre back broke up the partnership that was so solid last season, and never looked back. Playing 33 games, the former Cardiff defender, was a rock at the back, scoring 8 goals from set pieces. He had an average rating of 7.30 and many see him playing a big part in the years to come.

We also have to mention Dafydd Rees who has come through the Llanelli youth set up. As a 16 year old, AJW has tried to break him in slowly. The promising striker played 32 games this season, with most of them coming from the bench, and managed to score 10 goals, get 8 assists and praise from other managers. There is alot of chat (most of it is coming from AJW's mouth) that this kid is the real deal. It shall be interesting to see if he can fulfil this early promise.

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[TD]Tom Ray[/TD]

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[TD]AJW[/TD]

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Ultra close season, he must have been gutted

After Llanelli being my own fierce rivals on my thread, I'm cheering on Neath. Good thread so far, fella.

Ultra close season, he must have been gutted

He was gutted, but he handled it well. He found out that i had lost around 72 minutes into his game, and knew that just the one goal would win him the league. Two title's in a row, happy with that.

After Llanelli being my own fierce rivals on my thread, I'm cheering on Neath. Good thread so far, fella.

Glad to see some more support for Neath! Cheers buddy!

Wow, come on Neath!

I've managed Llanelli on all the FM's I own, so I'm really enjoying this thread. Good luck to both of you!

After the dramatic finale last season, you would think that we would need a break to recharge. That is not how we roll in Wales. With European football beckoning, both of us needed to improve our squads. Neath were not too impressed last season with how close it was in the league, therefore changes had to be made.

In addition to those transfers, at the end of last season, Neath also purchased 16 year old goalkeeper, Arco Peters from Scheveningen. I usually get offered some pretty average players, but he was not one of them. Snapped him up, and shall see what happens. Another new face to join the club, is Pacome Abile. His contract was running out at his old club Brasseries (a club my scouts seem to adore, along with a few others) and he was signed. He is seen as the ideal replacement for Lee Trundle, who is on the decline as a footballer. Neath also raided rivals TNS for Stefano Sciannamea. The young center back would hopefully improve over the coming weeks, and try to sort out the defence which was so leaky last season.

Nicky Low is a young left winger, and would hopefully help Sillah out on the left wing. Salazar is another solid defender, and one that will hopefully make the defence this own (also spending big money now, 2.5k). M'Bongo is a Congo international right back, and would add some much needed quality there. Schicker is an austrian left back, who was head and shoulders above what i already had. These transfer dealings basically mean't that i had an entire new backline, with my former new one Kendall, departing the club. With Champions League Qual. coming up very soon, would they all be able to work together at such short notice?

Whilst Neath were busy making moves in the transfer market, Llanelli were the very quiet. After making so many signings last season, and with the club being on such a tight wage budget, AJW did not have much money at his disposal. With a transfer budget of £0, and already at his wage budget, AJW had to dive into the loan market. Hearts, his parent club, sent him David Smith, a left winger, and Calum Paterson, a right sided midfielder. With Ben Thatcher retiring the only notable player to leave the club, it was a very quiet summer on the transfer front for Llanelli.

Llanelli vs HJK (EURO CUP Qual. 2) - At home in the first leg, and AJW was feeling confident. However, a very drab 0-0 made it look quite tough in the second leg. So off to Finland they went, and against all the odds, Angel Guirado scored the only goal to send Llanelli through.

Llanelli vs Dinamo Moscow (EURO CUP Qual. 3) - Yet again, Llanelli had to play the first leg at home. Depsite Rees and Ogleby scoring a goal each, it finished 2-2. In the return leg, the russian outfit were too far too strong, running away 3-0 winners to send Llanelli crashing out.

Neath vs Anorthosi (Champions League Qual. 2) - Abile had a storming debut, scoring 2 goals. However, Anorthosi spoiled the party at The Gnoll, scoring 2 goals themselves to earn a draw. In the second leg, Neath really made people stand up and take notice, scoring 4 goals in a 4-1 win. Abile, Trundle, Sillah and Cassidy with the goals. Neath went through after a 6-3 victory over both legs.

Neath vs Pyunik (Champions League Qual. 3) - The armenian side Pyunik were a complete unknown to Neath manager, Tom. He led his troops over to their place for the first leg, and got a deserved 1-0 victory, Sillah scoring the only goal. With that vital away goal, they were fired up for the second leg, and back in Wales, ran out 4-1 winners, Abile and Trundle getting a brace each. Neath are through to the Champions League Playoffs and are guaranteed more European football this season.

Neath vs Linfield (Champions League Playoff) - Considering some of the other sides Neath could have been drawn against, they were pretty happy to have drawn the irish side, Linfield. They were even happier after the first leg in Wales, where they ran out 3-0 winners, Trundle and Abile on the scoresheet. Things got even better in the first minute in Ireland, when Abile scored to put them 4-0 as it stood. However, that does not tell the whole story, as Linfield scored 5 goals in the next 60 minutes to leave Neath on the brink. Neath did not lie down though, as an own goal and a last minute Jake Cassidy goal sent the welsh side into the Champions League group stage. Neath may have lost 5-3 on the night, but on aggregate, they went through 6-5. (Honestly, if only i could show you what this match was like. It was a right rollercoaster. This is up there as one of the games of this save.)

Getting into the Champions League with Neath changes everything. Not only does it give us a whooping £5million in the bank, but we have a chance to put Wales on the map. AJW was the first to congratulate Neath on their great success.

Neath were dreaming of lifting the trophy now, but to do that, they would have to get through a group consisting of: Bayern Munich, Sevilla and Rangers. We will give it our best shot, and enjoy the ride. The bookies do not have us down to win it though, sticking us at 5000-1. How rude!

Well done on getting to the group stages so quickly, even if it was Neath that got there first (in my save I've lost count at the amount of times I've attacked their manager in the press )

Dreaming to win it the first time you make it to the group stage is a bit ambitious!!

Well done on getting to the group stages so quickly, even if it was Neath that got there first (in my save I've lost count at the amount of times I've attacked their manager in the press )

Most of the managers in the league dislike me anyways. Every week, they say that they hate the way i make my team play. They are just jealous!

Dreaming to win it the first time you make it to the group stage is a bit ambitious!!

Let's just say it turns into a nightmare pretty fast.

With that group I'm not surprised.

So with Neath now getting into the Champions League Group stages, they now have to try to manage not only a hectic league schedule, but also 6 gruelling midweek games across Europe. Let's see how Group H panned out.

Neath vs Rangers (H) - Neath's challenge for European glory could not have gotten off to a better start, with Abile putting the welsh side into an early lead. It did not last long, and Rangers soon turned on the style, scoring 5 goals. Hesse did get a second for Neath, before Abile continued his impressive form with his second. 5-3 to Rangers.

Neath vs Sevilla (A) - Next up, time to top up our tans in sunny Spain. Not only did it rain, we also lost 2-0. All part of the learning curve.

Neath vs Bayern Munich (H) - Neath basically got steamrolled, losing 4-1 with Abile getting our goal. This could have been any score on another day, had Bayern put their shooting boots on.

Neath vs Bayern Munich (A) - Lost 7-0. Harsh lesson. The gulf in class and quality is unreal. Pick of the bunch here was Gomez getting a hattrick. (Bayern went all the way to the final this season, losing 1-0 to Real).

Neath vs Rangers (A) - Another defeat, this time 2-0. Jojo Shelvey grabbing both of the goals.

Neath vs Sevilla (H) - Final game, and a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Sevilla. Hesse got our only goal.

So there we have it. Can not really have any complaints, that is what i expected. I hope to have another shot again in the years to come, and can hopefully pick up a point or two. (Have since picked Rangers as one of my parent clubs. It is also not the last time i meet some of these sides in european football.)

Results against Rangers were respectable at least.

Munich rather less so, still not unexpected.

As somebody who has also been hammered by Bayern in Europe, I feel your pain....

I cant see Llanelli recovering the ground they have lost on your Neath side. Your richer and have a better team than them now, so they will only get champions league once you have improved the coefficient.

Edit: after writing this I was playing my afan lido save and in the second game of my first season I just drew 5-5 with Llanelli! pretty pleased after being 3-0/4-1 down!

I cant see Llanelli recovering the ground they have lost on your Neath side. Your richer and have a better team than them now, so they will only get champions league once you have improved the coefficient.

Edit: after writing this I was playing my afan lido save and in the second game of my first season I just drew 5-5 with Llanelli! pretty pleased after being 3-0/4-1 down!

Well done on your win! Afan Lido have not recovered since getting relegated in our first season, and have yet to resurface in the Premier League.

AJW also said something similar. After i got into the Champions League, he said that the 2013/2014 would most likely be his last chance to win the league for a very very long time.

Despite the distraction of European football, there was still the small matter of the league in Wales. Neath were hoping to make it 3 on the bounce, whilst Llanelli were hoping to push Neath all the way. AJW has said this is a crucial season for his side, due to the prize money Neath will get this season from getting into the Champions League.

Whilst Neath may have struggled in Europe, their league form was as impressive as ever, only dropping 2 points in the first 8 games. Llanelli were just as impressive, only dropping 2 points from a possible 27. Llanelli were also top of the league heading into the crunch match with Neath, due to their commitments in Europe playing havoc with their league fixtures. On the 2nd of November, Llanelli travelled to The Gnoll to face Neath, in a match which neither side could afford to lose. The home side started much better, going in at half time 2-0 up. Goals from Sillah and Abile looked to have set them on course to go back to the top of the league. Llanelli would not give up though, and after the break, Alex Evans scored 2 headers direct from corners (grrrr). Djilali then sent the away fans crazy, scoring to give Llanelli what looked like an unlikely victory. Just when it looked like Llanelli were going to open up a gap at the top of the league, Abile struck in the 88th minute, to set up a tense finish. Substitute Joel Ambalu (on loan from Hereford) scored in the 91st minute to break AJW's heart. Neath won 4-3 after a thrilling second half.

Neath continued their good run, going 27 games unbeaten in the league, including an 8-0 victory over Prestatyn, with Lee Trundle rolling back the years with another hattrick. A routine 3-0 victory over rivals Llanelli at the end of January, mean't AJW's men can not afford to drop many more points. They will have to beat Neath after the split. Llanelli crashed out of the League cup earlier in the season, losing at home to Carmarthen 2-0. Carmarthen have since booked their place in the final, where they will meet Neath later in the year.

As you can see from Llanelli's results after the split, it was nearly perfect, had it not been for that crucial defeat to Neath at the start. They did inflict Neath's only defeat this season, beating them 2-1 at The Gnoll. Ogleby scoring both the goals. In the end though, they just came up short.

Neath may have won the league, but credit must go to Llanelli, who amassed 82 points, which would have easily have won the league the previous two seasons. To come so close yet again, must have hurt AJW. As for the rest of the league, the standard was so poor this season. 4th were an incredible 33 points behind 3rd place.

As for the cups this season, Llanelli won the Welsh Cup for the second year running, and again on penalties against Bala. Neath beat Carmarthen 2-0 in the League Cup Final, Abile scoring both goals.

Neath dominance continues

Got a bit of an old firm going now.

Neath Key Players

Lee Trundle - Lee Trundle's last season at Neath, due to him retiring at the end of the season. We did try to get him to reconsider, but no luck. In 38 games this season, he scored 28 goals. Lee has been a great servant for Neath, playing a total of 117 games, and scoring 113 goals, with an average rating of 7.62. He will be missed.

Pacome Abile - Whilst club icon Trundle may be on his way out of the club, a new hero has appeared. Abile scored 45 goals in 44 games this season, including 9 in European Football. He has dislodged Cassidy this season, and many see him easily replacing Trundle in the seasons to come, aslong as Neath can keep hold of him.

Sacha Hubner - The young german midfielder has impressed this season, making 15 appearances. There is alot of hype surrounding the kid, and Tom will be hoping he can form a solid partnership in the middle of the park with Gunes.

Special mentions must go out to Peters, who despite his young age, impressed inbetween the sticks this season. He just needs to cut out the odd errors, but that should come with age. Sciannamea scored 11 goals from defence, whilst Hesse had a much better season, going on to get 20 assists.

Llanelli Key Players

Dafydd Rees - Rees has gone from strength to strength this season. The 18 year old has become the star of this Llanelli side, and it seems that any hope of replacing Neath at the top of the league, rest's on this lad's shoulders. This season he has scored 31 goals in 42 games. Already, there has been talk of clubs from Scotland coming in, and taking Rees north of the border. Rees has also been talked about as a future Wales international, and if he keeps up this sort of form, it can only be a matter of time before he bursts onto the international scene.

Angel Guirado - Angel has continued to impress on the right wing, setting up 19 goals this season, whilst chipping in with 13 himself. The 28 year old has impressed during his time at the club, and has since become a club icon.

Robert Ogleby - The former Hearts front man scored 16 goals in just 23 games this season. He has struck up a decent partnership with Rees and fans are hoping that they can continue next season.

Other players to impress, were Alex Evans who has become a rock at the heart of Llanelli's defence, again scoring 8 goals. Djilali also shone on the left wing, scoring 13 goals.

[TABLE=class: grid]

[TR]

[TD][/TD]

[TD]Played

[/TD]

[TD]Won[/TD]

[TD]Draw[/TD]

[TD]Lost[/TD]

[TD]Goals Scored[/TD]

[TD]Goals Against[/TD]

[TD]Goal Difference[/TD]

[TD]Points[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]Tom Ray[/TD]

[TD]14[/TD]

[TD]7[/TD]

[TD]1[/TD]

[TD]4[/TD]

[TD]28[/TD]

[TD]20[/TD]

[TD]+8[/TD]

[TD]22[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]AJW[/TD]

[TD]14[/TD]

[TD]4[/TD]

[TD]1[/TD]

[TD]7[/TD]

[TD]20[/TD]

[TD]28[/TD]

[TD]-8[/TD]

[TD]13[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

After yet another closely fought season, Neath and Llanelli were preparing their squads to do battle once more. For Neath, this is the dawn of a new age due to actually getting a transfer budget this summer. Tom has just over £2million to spend on his squad, with a much improved wage budget too. After having to manage his squad on a shoestring in previous seasons, it would be interesting to see if he spends it, and if he does, how his new investments perform. Llanelli could only sit back and watch, as yet again, they had £0 transfer budget, and a strict wage structure too. AJW would have to rely on loan signings and free transfers once more.

Neath's manager did say that he did not wish to all of his transfer budget, mainly incase he did not qualify for the Champions League in the seasons to come. However, with Sillah leaving on a free and retiring (he played 80 games for Neath, scoing 24 goals) and with no other real quality on the left wing (Soetaers having declined rapidly over the past few months) Tom was forced to find a replacement. Ivo Joao was signed from Petro Atletico for a club record (still is to this day) £550k. The Angola international added some real quality to the side, and was a player that could hopefully make a real difference.

With Trundle departed, Tom also wanted another striker to help Abile. Cassidy did not really have enough about him to impress in Europe, therefore Diego Pons was signed. The 18 year old from Argentina side San Martin (T) (Yet another club that my scouts seem to spend all their time at) was signed for £400k. Pons really got the fans talking, due to his quality on the ball. He has the ability to get past players, score from distance, and generally wow fans. Tom was hoping he could make a real impact, not only in the Welsh league, but also in Europe.

Other players to be snapped up, were Wabara, who after impressing on loan, was signed on a free transfer. Vine (a young left winger) was purchased as backup, along with Romanian Chirita (a right winger).

Neath also got their first feeder club, with former champions Barry accepting their proposal. (I actually hate Barry. Just looking at the league records and seeing them with the highest point total in a single season, knowing even if i win all my games, i can not beat it, really annoys me.)

The board also told me that they would look into purchasing The Gnoll (as it was currently rented) and they agreed to improve training and youth facilities. It was confirmed that the facilities would be completed in November 2015, so we would have to wait over 12 months for that to be finished. This also took a large chunk out of my bank balance, meeting we had pretty much spent all of our winnings from last season. This made me qualifying for more European football this season a must.

Whilst all of these changes were having at Neath, AJW's Llanelli had yet another quiet summer. With no money in the bank, loan signings were made, with 3 defenders being sent from Scottish clubs, Dundee United and Motherwell. Danish playmaker, Nicolaj Kohlert was brought in on a free, along with two right backs, former Bristol City player Henry Muggeridge and Greek Fanis Drakos (a player i was linked with and in the end suggested him to AJW). Llanelli did manage to get a new striker onboard, with Czech striker, Twardzik signing on. No players of any note left during the summer, as AJW was hoping his team could carry on from last season.

The joy of european football, spending lots of money . Perhaps you could have loaned him a few players!!

Llanelli vs Qarabag Agdam (hope i spelt that right) (EURO CUP Qual. 2) - AJW's men had to travel to Azerbaijan for the first leg, and managed to come back with a 1-1 draw, Angel Guirado scoring a vital away goal. In the return leg, new signing Twardzik scoring his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win to help the Welsh club progress.

Llanelli vs Athletico Bilbao (EURO CUP Qual. 3) - Llanelli could not have wished for a harder team. With a team consisting of such players as Llorente, Llanelli knew this was going to be tough, however, a 7-1 drubbing in the first leg in Spain, was still tough to take for AJW. Toquero scored a hattrick meaning Llanelli had to perform a mircale in the second leg to progress. Despite their best efforts, with goals from Rees, Taylor and Djilali, they still lose 5-3, with Toquero scoring 4 more goals. A 12-4 aggregate defeat sent Llanelli out of Europe once more, and asked the question, will they ever make their mark on Europe?

Neath vs KR (Champions League Qual. 2) - A 7-1 home win ended this as a contest in the first leg, with Pons and Abile getting 3 goals each. Neath won 2-1 in the return leg, Abile scoring again.

Neath vs BATE (Champions League Qual. 3) - Neath welcomed their opponents to The Gnoll in the first leg. Abile and Salazar got a goal each to take a 2-0 lead to Belarus. Despite losing 2-1 in the second leg, Neath progressed to ensure group stage football this season.

Neath vs Partizan (Champions League Playoff) - Neath had to content with the away leg first, and got a respectable 1-1 draw, Joao scoring his second goal for the club. A stunning performance in the second leg, with Pons scoring 2 goals in a 4-0 win, led Neath into the Champions League group stage for the second time in two years.

So that means more money for Neath, and another shot at the top clubs in Europe. The draw was made, and Neath would have to do battle with Manchester United, Sevilla and Zenit St. Petersburg. I look forward to the ride.

(I'm also at a point where i can go back and take screenshots of our matches, in Europe at least, so i shall post links to our matches in the group stages)

The joy of european football, spending lots of money . Perhaps you could have loaned him a few players!!

We did try. If i recall, he went for Cassidy and Carroll, but neither of them were interested. They were just not interested in joining such a small club like Llanelli.

So Neath have yet again, against all the odds, qualified for the group stages of the Champions League. We find ourselves in Group G with such sides as Manchester United and last season's opponents Sevilla. Yet again, the bookies have us down as 5000-1 to lift the trophy in May, and we are not expected to pick anything up in any of our group games. I think a first victory is asking too much of us this season, however, a point would be a great return from the group.

Neath vs Zenit (H) - A home game to kick us off, and the game i had targetted us to get a point from. We took the lead twice in this game, with Joao and Gunes scoring both of our goals. Zenit were one dirty side, commiting many fouls so the game did not really flow. However, a 2-2 draw is a very respectable result, and one that the fans and board were happy about.

Neath vs Manchester United (A) - It is not every day you get to go and play infront of 68,000 fans. There was concern that my players were struggle in this game, but despite being outplayed for the first 30 minutes, we took a shock lead, Hesse scoring on the break. A goal either side of half time for the side in red, earned Manchester United a deserved victory. We got outplayed the whole game, but to only lose 2-1 is quite pleasing.

Neath vs Sevilla (H) - Three first half injuries ruined this game as a contest. Abile's replacement Cassidy also picked up an injury, meaning i had to change everything. Sciannamea also picked up a knock during the second half, but had to soldier on. Lost 3-0, did not play well at it, but the injuries to key players did affect our chances.

Neath vs Sevilla (A)- With star player Abile out for a few weeks, this was always going to be tough. However, a red card for Sevilla's defender Alexis in the 4th minute, gave Neath hope. Salazar decided to even it up in the second half, picking up two yellows in 3 minutes. 3 goals in the last 15 minutes gave Sevilla the win, and left Neath fans wondering, what could have been.

Neath vs Zenit (A)- A tough trip to Russia ended in a 2-0 defeat for Neath. Zenit dominated from the first minute, to send Neath crashing out of Europe.

Neath vs Manchester United (H) - Neath welcomed Manchester United to The Gnoll, and pulled off an unlikely result. It looked like a long night for Neath when United went 1-0 up after 10 minutes. However, despite having none of the play nearly all game, Abile popped up in the 87th minute to grab a point for the welsh side.

Neath finished bottom of the group, but with 2 points, were happy with their European adventures this season. The money for the 2 draws is very nice, and keeps the bank balance looking impressive. Fans will be expecting Neath to be qualifing for European football again next season, and that is Tom's aim. (Manchester United crashed out in the semi's, losing to Real Madrid. Juventus won the final.)

Respectable pair of points.

Respectable pair of points.

Was pleased. Hoped to build on next season, and maybe get my first win in the group stages.