[FM14] Up The Long Ladder

The Game

Starting as a new, unemployed manager using FCUtdWill's Level 11 expanded database, small db selected, no 'boosts' via the editor allowed.

To keep the game as real as possible, I've limited the range for my first job to within ~1 hour's drive of my current home (as IRL it's what my missus would insist on! ), though I can apply for any available job regardless of what step of the pyramid the club is on.

The Goal

As the title suggests: to climb to the top of the game within 25-30 seasons, preferably without breaking a contract along the way.

The Manager

(Manager name selected by using my middle name plus the name of a street I've lived on.)

Unsurprisingly, there were a number of jobs to choose from among the local clubs. After a long process of selection and interviews, and after delaying a decision on the original offers from a couple of clubs to see if I could land a bigger (or more local) fish, the first club to get back to me was...

I had to appoint all my own staff due to the way I set the game up, and my new Ass.Man. provided this squad report:

The Club

The Ground

Capacity: 1,280

(www.tigerroar.co.uk (Gloucester City FC), via Google Imgs)

2013/2014 Season Preview

Expectations and Finances

The Board indicated at interview that they expected a top-half finish. In the Confidence section, that now appears as an 'at least mid-table finish'. In addition, they've indicated that they expect us to be competitive in the FA Cup, to reach the 2nd Qualifying Round of the FA Vase, and to get to the semis of the Midland Combination Challenge Cup.

I'm also being judged on a philosophy of signing good young players for the first team.

Finances on 01/07/2013

Unfortunately, the finances have been holed below the waterline early on by frankly shocking scouting costs. The Board recommended two scouts. These were promptly appointed on £45 per week part-time contracts and I put the chief scout in charge of assignments. £70k in scouting fees later - in just over two weeks! - and that little arrangement came to an end. The club's finances are now, unsurprisingly, Insecure. At this level, £70k would probably mean bankruptcy - especially when the club is apparently valued at £0(!)

Either way, I already have a nice little challenge to face re: the club's finances.

Sponsorships

Objectives

1) Compete for the top spot in the league. There's just one promotion spot up for grabs, and I want to get RCW back into the Midland Alliance at the first time of asking following their relegation last term.

2) Be competitive in the cups, and hope for the best in the FA Cup. Being at step 10, we're entered into the Extra Preliminary Round, so even getting to the final qualifying round would be like...I dunno, Arsenal winning the World Cup. It just ain't gonna happen because it can't. But we've got to give it the full gun and hopefully make some cash.

3) Get the finances on some sort of long-term recovery track. Two weeks of damage will take years of effort to repair, and the chances are I'll be long gone by then. I can set the club on the right path though, and will cut the cloth accordingly.

Will be looking forward to following this as a proud University of Warwick student! Good luck in the transfer battle of pre season (I'm 20 and play on the left wing if Deakin or Lalley get injured/you want more experience).

Will be looking forward to following this as a proud University of Warwick student! Good luck in the transfer battle of pre season (I'm 20 and play on the left wing if Deakin or Lalley get injured/you want more experience).

Cheers...though I won't be at Warwick forever - I hope!

Unfortunately for them, I don't play with wingers. I prefer a fluid 4-1-3-2. It means a lot of work for the FBs, but it's always given me the best all-round balance. Eventually.

(All the best with your studies!)

Pre-Season 2013/2014

Media predictions

Season Ticket Sales

Fifteen, eh? They must be bloody keen!

Aug 2013 Results

I was over the moon with the start we made, even if the performance against Nuneaton Griff never quite scaled the heights of the one in the 4-0 win over Castle Vale (who, perhaps unsurprisingly, have been the worst side we've faced so far). Langford's early goal against Bromsgrove Sporting promised much, but the lead lasted for just 15 minutes and tiredness set in early during the second half due to the Sat-Tues-Sat scheduling.

A bit of rotation was required for the first game against Banstead Athletic, and we were quite lucky to come away with a draw in the end, but we were back to full strength for the replay - a game where we were the better side, but just couldn't make that decisive breakthrough. Banstead went through to face Runcorn Linnets in the next round thanks to one of their strikers sweeping the ball home after Smith could only parry a fine shot from the edge of the area.

Tiredness again played its role in the defeat to Atherstone, while the performance against Littleton was sound enough, but again a lack of composure in front of goal and a rebound in our box cost us dear.

Table at end Aug 2013

Transfers In

Transfers out

Redgate Clayton... Even closer to me than Newcastle Town.

Redgate Clayton... Even closer to me than Newcastle Town.

I had to look them up. I'd never heard of them before!

Sep 2013 Results

Not the best month in the world. Performances have been generally OK but real cohesion is impossible due to the number of injuries we’ve been suffering. Four of the loanees have returned to their parent clubs already, three of them because of serious/long-term injuries or relatively short-term ones that still require the attention of a specialist. Finding quality signings who’d come on non-contract terms was like finding a single needle in a haystack in a universe full of haystacks, let alone a field, so in the end I promoted a lot of promising-looking ‘greys’ from the U21 and U18 teams – a move which has taken us quite seriously over the wage budget (£400 p/w on a limit of £230).

On the plus side, many of these kids have £2-3k values attached to them already, so...who knows?

And just to prove how fickle the game can be, we went and grabbed a convincing win against the leaders in our final game of the month, with a side largely made up of 16-22 year olds.

Table at end Sep 2013

Good luck. I do believe a certain Ben Foster made his name (sort of) at Racing Club Warwick. No doubt that a town the size of Warwick could support a club much higher up than Step 6 of Non-League.

The only sport Warwick are bothered about to outsiders seems to be cricket.

King Costly: I had to look it up to be sure, but yep, there he is...or rather, was. I'm not sure if the support would be there for any of the Warwickshire teams to really 'go big' - Coventry, Leicester and even Northampton seem to suck up most of the local support, from what I saw when I lived in Rugby (which is a fair way from Warwick, I'll grant), and then you've got the draw from teams like Derby, Forest and Aston Villa, plus the 'plastics' for the usual suspects.

Nobby_McDonald: Cricket?

Oct 2013 Results

Things picked up after a disappointing defeat at the start of the month, largely thanks to me developing a new tactic. We were getting decent possession and were making enough final third penetrations, but we weren't creating many actual CCCs from those balls. I soon spotted that we simply weren't creating enough triangles in attack, so the DM (BWM) was moved into the centre of a midfield 3 and the MC(AP) moved forward to become an Enganche. The new tactic was given a trial run towards the end of our game against Alvis Sporting Club before being deployed fully for the Les James Challenge Cup tie at Earlswood. Of the remaining fixtures, we should have grabbed all three points against Earlswood at home, but were very lucky to come away from Studley with a point - our GK made three brilliant saves and Studley also hit the bar and missed a real sitter from 6 yards, while we struggled to have any influence on the game at all.

All in all, though, I'd have preferred a win one, lose one scenario over the pair of 0-0 draws.

Table at end Oct 2013

Transfers out

Some folk be whingin' even though their stats suggest they're not good enough or generally quick enough for the first team. Pace and acceleration of 3 and 4 isn't going to cut it, even at this level, so they're out. (Christ, I'm still faster than that, and I'm old, getting fat and have knackered knees!)

Blackler went to reduce the wage bill, while Howden was a non-contract player who fielded several offers from clubs 1-2 steps up the pyramid.

Nov 2013 Results

What turned out to be a solid month began in disastrous fashion as one of my DCs decided to stand still while Pershore's top scorer ran off him to score with a free header from 7 yards out.

The draw against Cov Copse disappointed me at first, but then in their next game Copsewood won 2-0 away to Bolehall Swifts, knocking the Swifts from their perch (sorry) and putting them into the tailspin (sorry again) that they have yet to recover from.

A hard-fought and unexpected win against Southam was followed by a solid performance against Pilkington, while Blackwood scored direct from a corner on 3 minutes and could have been out of sight after just 16 had their strikers been a bit more clinical, and had my GK not pulled out two more terrific stops. One down and getting battered away to the (then) top team is probably not the most orthodox time to switch to an attacking mentality, but there was nothing left to lose and it proved to be the right decision - from 8 shots to nil with four on target after 16 minutes, the game ended 24 shots to 11 in our favour...with Blackwood still stuck on 4 shots on target to our 10.

Seeing as the Bolehall game was a cup-tie, I stuck with the attacking mentality and saw the 'keeper open the scoring. Bolehall allowed him to bring the ball way out of the area before forcing the clearance, and Knox chased the long ball through the middle. It was then one of those times when striker and goalie go for the ball but somehow manage to miss - probably because they're scared of getting clattered - and it bounced into the back of the net for a not-really-that-freaky-when-you-think-about-it freak goal.

Table at end Nov 2013

Warwickshire County Cricket Club, who admittedly play most of their games at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Warwickshire County Cricket Club, who admittedly play most of their games at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

I thought so, but it was Edgbaston that threw me. Probably shouldn't have, seeing as Brum was once part of Warwickshire (as my home town was part of Staffs ).

Dec 2013 Results

Another good month, albeit mostly against the division's strugglers. The draw against Nuneaton Griff was especially disappointing as we led twice and never looked like being in trouble until they somehow popped up with an equalizer. Three shots, two on target, two goals, and the 'keeper wasn't particularly to blame in either case.

Table at end Dec 2013

Transfers In

Transfers out

I thought long and hard over whether to let Herlihy go or not. In the end, I opted to let him leave for three reasons: 1) he'd just turned 37, 2) his stats had been on a steady decline from the start or the season, and 3) his contract was due to expire at the end of the season and a quick check revealed that his demands were for more than the club could afford, regardless of the level we're at.

I thought so, but it was Edgbaston that threw me. Probably shouldn't have, seeing as Brum was once part of Warwickshire (as my home town was part of Staffs ).

Where is your home town?

Where is your home town?

Walsall.

Jan 2014 Results

It had to happen eventually. Injuries to key players like Potts and Timmins, combined with the transfer of Herlihy, took their toll. The lads who came in did OK, but tiredness and poorer quality subs meant we ultimately went down to late goals in the games against Atherstone and Brocton. Littleton simply swamped us in the first half, scoring twice, and one of the craziest mistakes I've ever seen saw Rowe catch out our entire defence to put their striker clean through for their third just a couple of minutes after we'd pulled it back to 2-1. We really should have ended the month with a win, though. We did to Pelsall what Littleton had done to us the game before, but the strikers just couldn't beat Villa's 'keeper more than just the one time.

lol.

Table at end Jan 2014

Feb 2014 Results

February got off to a promising start, but it soon proved to be a false dawn. Injuries have again decimated the midfield options, and Knox is out for another 4 weeks after picking up an injury when kicking the ball (it was on the highlights as he went down in a heap immediately after kicking off the second half). Even so, losing to Coventry United - despite dominating possession and having 21 shots to their 3 - is just embarrassing. The most telling stat of all was Shots On Target: 2-2.

Table at end Feb 2014

£70k in scouting costs at that level in TWO weeks? Were they scouting in Las Vegas or something?!

£70k in scouting costs at that level in TWO weeks? Were they scouting in Las Vegas or something?!

Tell me about it! The board limit on scouting only extends to 'within this nation' - so England only, unless I'm mistaken. They scouted a fair number of players, but even allowing for a fairly generous mileage allowance to top up their £50 p/w basic, they must have been using aviation fuel or F1 cars or something. (And I don't believe that FM's financial modelling is so fine-tuned as to take expenses like fuel allowances at X pence per mile into account.)

In the end, I stopped the scouts from actually scouting, but the damage was done. Tbh it's probably something to do with using an expanded database - the guys do their best but there's always going to be something that's not quite right, and FM itself isn't really geared for things to be extended beyond Conf N/S - but even so, £70k in 2 weeks by 2 scouts...that's going to be around EPL level, right?

Mar 2014 Results

Another good start to a month quickly turned sour as Studley ran away with what had been a tight game, two soft penalties and Tim Smith fumbling the ball over his own line serving to seal the deal, and defeat late on against Pershore put paid to any lingering hopes of a promotion push.

Victory against Coventry Copsewood guaranteed our survival for next season, so the prep work for next term begins now - starting with some tough decisions over who is and is not affordable.

Matt Rowe, who had played a part in 21 of our goals this season as either scorer or provider, couldn't accept a part-time contract on drastically reduced terms. At the same time, I couldn't justify keeping him on his £75 per game non-contract terms - especially as it also cost us £20 every time he scored.

A tentative costing for affordable salary levels showed that, with season ticket sales and the average attendance as they are, the club can only realistically afford a weekly wage budget of £110 for the entire squad. That means even players like Knox (£15 p/w), Potts and Dalton (£10 p/w each), who I recruited from among the 'Greys' earlier in the season, are relatively unaffordable. Equally, players of the required quality want non-contract terms that are more generous than I can allow: we could sign them, but they would never play.

All of this means I'll have to keep relying on the kids, and whatever free-to-me loans I can drag in.

Table at end Mar 2014

Transfers In

Transfers Out

Youth Intake 2014

Not a bad intake, though they got smashed 4-0 by the Greys of the U18s...some of whom were offered contracts as a result, including this kid who pulled the Candidates apart in the Enganche role.

Hadley, Beckley and Chappell all had thoroughly miserable afternoons, and the coaching staff did nothing to convince me to keep them. Their trials were terminated and other Greys given £5 p/w deals in their place.

Apr 2014 Results

A very poor month on paper, but in reality it was quite productive. Several new youth prospects got some game-time under their belts, acquitting themselves well for the most part even in defeat. It also showed that I'll have to add some experience to the mix - in hindsight, we badly missed Herlihy's experience in midfield if nothing else (all bar one of his goals came from the spot, and he only made one assist). That's going to be the toughest part, given the financial situation.

On the plus side, Matt Rowe was unable to find another club after I released him from his...non-contract, and he's now re-joined on a part-time deal that's about half of what I offered him to come off of his N/C terms before.

Table at end Apr 2014

Transfers Out

2013/2014 Season Review

League: 9th in Midland Combination Premier Division

WINNERS: Blackwood

FA Cup: Lost in Extra Preliminary Round Replay to Banstead Athletic

WINNERS: Chelsea

FA Vase: Lost in First Qualifying Round to Pilkington XXX

WINNERS: Spennymoor Town

Midland Combination Les James Challenge Cup: Lost in Quarter Final to Coventry United

WINNERS: Pelsall Villa

Awards Night

Top Goalscorer: Tom Timmins - 11

Top League Goalscorer: Tom Timmins - 9

Fastest Goal & Scorer: Mark Langford – 1 min 18 secs

Most Assists: Matt Rowe – 12

Most MotM Awards: Matt Rowe - 5

Player of the Season (Av.Rat.): Matt Rowe – 6.96 (30 apps)

Fans’ Player of the Season: Tom Timmins

Summary

Reality vs Media Prediction

Predicted: 16th (This has fluctuated throughout the season; all teams had the same odds. Probably a db issue.)

Reality: 9th (Highest: 2nd; Lowest: 16th)

News

I got the wages back down to budget - £275 p/w one the new youth intake joined - mostly by not playing and ultimately releasing the non-contract mob whose appearance fees were ridiculously high (and auto-negotiated/pre-existing).

Even had we been on-budget all season, though, the salary level is till too high...and as the initial budgets show, the board still intend to allow more.

I'm going to be earning some brownie points for keeping the wages under control next season, if for nothing else.

Departures

Premier and Football League Manager Movements

Premier League

Championship

League One

League Two

End of season reaction

On the pitch, an OK season that might have been a disaster had it not been for the unbeaten run between October and December.

Off-pitch, the finances ended up in the toilet early on, and there's no real way to recover from that. Despite not wanting to break a contract, I've applied for other jobs just to try to earn the club some compo. Unfortunately, it's not worked as it'd work out to £10-15k - and most level 8 and 9 clubs find that prohibitive, while level 7 clubs and above laugh off my interest. The only thing to do is stay put, try to cut costs and hope for more success in the FA-run competitions. There's no magic wand, but every little would go a long way.

The performance in the cups was largely disappointing, so there's definite room for improvement there.

Season Summary 2013/2014

2014 FIFA World Cup:

WINNERS: England

RUNNERS-UP: Argentina

3rd/4th PLACE: Netherlands/Spain

QF: Norway, Brazil, Italy, Croatia

Second Round: Ivory Coast, Colombia, Czech Republic, Russia, Uruguay, France, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Germany.

Groups: 3rds – South Korea, Morocco, Cameroon, Australia, Mexico, Jamaica, Egypt, Japan. 4ths – Belgium, Trinidad & Tobago, USA, Chile, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Iran, Zambia.

FIFA Club World Championship: WINNERS: Bayern Munich

UEFA Champions’ League: WINNERS: Bayern Munich

UEFA Europa League: WINNERS: Schalke 04

UEFA European Super Cup: WINNERS: Bayern Munich

FA Cup: WINNERS: Chelsea RUNNERS-UP: Swansea City

League Cup: WINNERS: Manchester United RUNNERS-UP: Crystal Palace

Community Shield: WINNERS: Manchester United

Football League Trophy: WINNERS: Bradford City

FA Trophy: WINNERS: Kidderminster Harriers

FA Vase: WINNERS: Spennymoor Town

STEP 1

Premier League:

WINNERS: Chelsea

European Qualification: Manchester United (CL), Manchester City (CL), Everton (CL), Arsenal (EL), Southampton (EL), Hull City (EL)

Relegated: Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland

STEP 2

Championship:

WINNERS: Watford

Promoted: Watford, Reading, Huddersfield Town

Relegated: Barnsley, Birmingham City, Derby County

STEP 3

League One:

WINNERS: Wolverhampton Wanderers

Promoted: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Preston North End, Crawley Town

Relegated: Shrewsbury Town, Gillingham, Bristol City, Port Vale

STEP 4

League Two:

WINNERS: Scunthorpe United

Promoted: Scunthorpe United, Fleetwood Town, Southend United, Chesterfield

Relegated: AFC Wimbledon, Bristol Rovers

STEP 5

Conference Premier:

WINNERS: Grimsby Town

Promoted: Grimsby Town, Cambridge United

Relegated: Macclesfield Town, Hyde, Dartford, Tamworth

STEP 6

Conference North:

WINNERS: AFC Telford

Promoted: AFC Telford, Harrogate Town

Relegated: Brackley Town, Leamington, Vauxhall Motors

Conference South:

WINNERS: Boreham Wood

Promoted: Boreham Wood, Dover Athletic

Relegated Maidenhead United, Dorchester Town, Gosport Borough

STEP 7

Northern Premier League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Matlock Town

Promoted: Matlock Town, Chorley

Relegated: Barwell, Stamford, Grantham Town, Trafford

Isthmian Premier Division:

WINNERS: Lowestoft Town

Promoted: Lowestoft Town, Margate

Relegated: Thamesmead Town, Enfield Town, Wingate & Finchley, Carshalton Athletic

Southern League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Hemel Hempstead Town

Promoted: Hemel Hempstead Town, Hungerford Town

Relegated: Banbury United, Bideford, AFC Totton, Hinckley United

STEP 8

Northern Premier League Division One North:

WINNERS: Curzon Ashton

Promoted: Curzon Ashton, Radcliffe Borough

Relegated: Ossett Town, Ossett Albion

Northern Premier League Division One South:

WINNERS: Leek Town

Promoted: Leek Town, Belper Town

Relegated: Gresley, Sutton Coldfield Town

Isthmian League Division One North:

WINNERS: Needham Market

Promoted: Needham Market, Thurrock

Relegated: Waltham Abbey, Tilbury, Redbridge

Isthmian League Division One South:

WINNERS: Merstham

Promoted: Merstham, Guernsey

Relegated: Chipstead, Worthing, Herne Bay

Southern League Division One Central:

WINNERS: Kettering Town

Promoted: Kettering Town, Beaconsfield SYCOB

Relegated: Uxbridge, AFC Hayes

Southern League Division One South and West:

WINNERS: Merthyr Town

Promoted: Merthyr Town, Cinderford Town

Relegated: Shortwood United, Wimborne Town

STEP 9

Combined Counties League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Wembley

Promoted: Wembley

Relegated: Ash United, South Park

Eastern Counties League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Mildenhall Town

Promoted: Mildenhall Town

Relegated: Stanway Rovers, Diss Town

Essex Senior League:

WINNERS: Tower Hamlets

Promoted: Tower Hamlets

Relegated: None

Hellenic League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Abingdon Town

Promoted: Abingdon Town

Relegated: Kidlington, Bracknell Town, Holyport, Shrivenham

Midland Alliance:

WINNERS: Loughborough University

Promoted: Loughborough University

Relegated: Continental Star, AFC Wulfrunians

Northern League Division One:

WINNERS: Celtic Nation

Promoted: Celtic Nation

Relegated: Newton Aycliffe, Marske United

Northern Counties East League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Brighouse Town

Promoted: Brighouse Town

Relegated: Athersley Recreation, Maltby Main, Nostell Miners Welfare

North West Counties League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Winsford United

Promoted: Winsford United

Relegated: West Didsbury and Chorlton, Barnoldswick Town

Southern Counties East League:

WINNERS: Greenwich Borough

Promoted: Greenwich Borough

Relegated: Holmesdale, Tunbridge Wells

Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Tring Athletic

Promoted: Tring Athletic

Relegated: Hatfield Town, St. Margaretsbury

Sussex County League Division One:

WINNERS: Newhaven

Promoted: Newhaven

Relegated: East Grinstead Town, Chichester City

United Counties League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Spalding United

Promoted: Spalding United

Relegated: Newport Pagnell Town, Long Buckby

Wessex League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Brockenhurst

Promoted: Brockenhurst

Relegated: Bournemouth (Poppies), Christchurch

Western League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Cadbury Heath

Promoted: Cadbury Heath

Relegated: Slimbridge, Hengrove Athletic, Brislington

STEP 10

Combined Counties League Division One:

WINNERS: Knaphill

Promoted: Knaphill, AFC Croydon Athletic

Relegated: Staines Lammas

East Midlands Counties League:

WINNERS: Blaby & Whetstone Atheltic

Promoted: Blaby & Whetstone Athletic

Relegated: Barrow Town

Eastern Counties League Division One:

WINNERS: Braintree Town Reserves

Promoted: Saffron Walden Town, Whitton United

Relegated: Long Melford

Hellenic League Division One East:

WINNERS: Milton United

Promoted: Milton United, Headington Amateurs

Relegated: Burnham Reserves

Hellenic League Division One West:

WINNERS: Cricklade Town

Promoted: Cricklade Town, Lydney Town

Relegated: Clanfield

Kent Invicta League:

WINNERS: Fleet Leisure

Promoted: Fleet Leisure, Lewisham Borough (Community)

Relegated: Kent Football United

Midland Combination Premier Division:

WINNERS: Blackwood

Promoted: Blackwood

Relegated: Earlswood Town

Northern League Division Two:

WINNERS: Seaham Red Star

Promoted: Seaham Red Star, Norton & Stockton Ancients

Relegated: Esh Winning

Northern Counties East League Division One:

WINNERS: Shirebrook Town

Promoted: Shirebrook Town, Pontefract Collieries

Relegated: Hallam

North West Counties League Division One:

WINNERS: Nelson

Promoted: Nelson, Formby

Relegated: AFC Darwen

South West Peninsula League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Falmouth Town

Promoted: Falmouth Town

Relegated: Godolphin Atlantic

Spartan South Midlands League Division One:

WINNERS: Welwyn Garden City

Promoted: Welwyn Garden City, Harpenden Town

Relegated: Southall

Sussex County League Division Two:

WINNERS: Eastbourne United

Promoted: Eastbourne United, Bexhill United

Relegated: Sidley United

United Counties League Division One:

WINNERS: Thrapston Town

Promoted: Thrapston Town, Woodford United

Relegated: Northampton ON Chenecks

Wessex League Division One:

WINNERS: Hayling United

Promoted: Hayling United, Cowes Sports

Relegated: Stockbridge

West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Black Country Rangers

Promoted: Black Country Rangers

Relegated: Ellesmere Rangers

Western League Division One:

WINNERS: Shepton Mallet

Promoted: Shepton Mallet, Cheddar

Relegated: Portishead Town

STEP 11

(Division winners enter into a play-off system to determine 17 promotion places.

Reserve sides are not permitted to enter. Where Reserve sides finish top, the best-placed non-Reserve side enters at the play-off semi-final stage.)

Anglian Combination Premier Division:

WINNERS: Wroxham Reserves

Promoted: Mattishall

Relegated: Caister

Bedfordshire County League Premier Division:

WINNERS: AFC Biggleswade (now Biggleswade Town U19s)

Promoted: Wootton Blue Cross

Relegated: Marston Shelton Rovers

Cambridgeshire County League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Soham Town Rangers Reserves

Promoted: None

Relegated: Lakenheath

Central Midlands League North Division:

WINNERS: Glapwell

Promoted: None

Relegated: Phoenix Sports & Social

Central Midlands League South Division:

WINNERS: Bulwell

Promoted: None

Relegated: Mickleover Royal British Legion

Cheshire League Division One:

WINNERS: Denton Town

Promoted: Denton Town

Relegated: Whaley Bridge Athletic

Dorset Premier League:

WINNERS: Parley Sports

Promoted: None

Relegated: Holt United

Essex and Suffolk Border League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Lawford Lads

Promoted: Lawford Lads

Relegated: Barnston

Essex Olympian League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Southminster St. Leonards

Promoted: None

Relegated: Buckhurst Hill

Gloucestershire County League:

WINNERS: Bishop Cleeve Reserves

Promoted: Longlevens

Relegated: Berkeley Town, Chipping Sodbury Town, Yate Town Reserves

Hampshire Premier League Senior Division:

WINNERS: Winchester Castle

Promoted: Winchester Castle

Relegated: Bournemouth Sports

Hertfordshire Senior County League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Whitwell

Promoted: Whitwell

Relegated: Wormley Rovers

Humber Premier League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Scarborough Athletic Reserves

Promoted: None

Relegated: St. Andrews

Kent County League Premier Division:

WINNERS: APM Contrast

Promoted: None

Relegated: Staplehurst Monarchs United, Hildenborough Athletic

Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Saffron Dynamo

Promoted: None

Relegated: Highfield Rangers

Liverpool County Premier League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Waterloo Dock

Promoted: None

Relegated: West Everton Xaviers

Manchester League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Old Altrinchamians

Promoted: Old Altrinchamians

Relegated: Dukinfield Town

Middlesex County League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Hillingdon

Promoted: Hillingdon

Relegated: Interwood, Singh Sabha Slough

Midland Combination Division One:

WINNERS: Stretton Eagles

Promoted: None

Relegated: Archdales ‘73

Northamptonshire Combination Premier Division:

WINNERS: Moulton

Promoted: Moulton

Relegated: Earls Barton United

Northern Alliance League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Shankhouse

Promoted: Shankhouse

Relegated: Killingworth Station

Nottinghamshire Senior League Senior Division:

WINNERS: Ruddington Village

Promoted: Ruddington Village

Relegated: Sandhurst

Oxfordshire Senior League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Chalgrove

Promoted: None

Relegated: Oxford University Press

Peterborough and District League Premier Division:

WINNERS: King’s Lynn Town Reserves

Promoted: None

Relegated: Whittlesey Blue Star

Reading League Senior Division:

WINNERS: Newbury Reserves

Promoted: None

Relegated: Marlow United

Sheffield and Hallamshire County League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Stocksbridge Park Steels Reserves

Promoted: None

Relegated: Handsworth

Somerset County League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Bridgwater Town Reserves

Promoted: None

Relegated: Nailsea United

South West Peninsula League Division One East:

WINNERS: Newton Abbot Spurs

Promoted: None

Relegated: Axminster Town, Teignmouth, Stoke Gabriel, Sidmouth Town

South West Peninsula League Division One West:

WINNERS: Sticker

Promoted: None

Relegated: Hayle, Wadebridge Town

Spartan South Midlands League Division Two:

WINNERS: Willen

Promoted: Willen

Relegated: Ashton Clinton

Staffordshire County Senior League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Newcastle Town Reserves

Promoted: None

Relegated: Keele University

Suffolk and Ipswich League Senior Division:

WINNERS: Wenhaston United

Promoted: Wenhaston United

Relegated: Ipswich Valley Rangers

Surrey Elite Intermediate League:

WINNERS: Coulsdon Town

Promoted: None

Relegated: National Physical Laboratories, Virginia Water

Sussex County League Division Three:

WINNERS: Southwick

Promoted: Southwick

Relegated: Langney Wanderers, Ferring, Rottingdean Village

Wearside League:

WINNERS: Horden Colliery Welfare

Promoted: None

Relegated: Easington Colliery

West Cheshire League Division One:

WINNERS: Mossley Hill Athletic

Promoted: Mossley Hill Athletic

Relegated: Upton Athletic Association

West Lancashire League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Fleetwood Hesketh

Promoted: None

Relegated: Charnock Richard

West Midlands (Regional) League Division One:

WINNERS: Stone Old Alleynians

Promoted: None

Relegated: Haughmond

West Riding County Amateur League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Huddersfield YMCA

Promoted: None

Relegated: Ovenden West Riding

West Yorkshire League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Boroughbridge

Promoted: None

Relegated: Bardsey

Wiltshire League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Wilts Calne Town

Promoted: None

Relegated: Vale of Pewsey

York League Premier Division:

WINNERS: Huntington Rovers

Promoted: Huntington Rovers

Relegated: Terrington Glory

2014/2015 Season Preview

News

It was tempting, but only because it would have given RCW a chunk of money.

In the end, I thought it over and rejected the offer because, IRL, it would never happen. My missus wouldn’t go for a move based on me getting a part-time role on £200 p/w, and travelling down for training, etc, would be far too impractical – Warwick would be bad enough!

Expectations and Finances

Finances on 01/07/2014

I added the graphs to show exactly where the problem lies - it's pretty obvious, I know, but this just makes it very clear.

The first spike is the scouting costs already mentioned. The second, lower one is where the Chief Scout took himself off on an end of season jolly and got through £20k in 5 days whilst 'finding' just 18 players, 10 of whom were already on the radar. That's £4k per day to 'discover' 4.5 players per day - or almost a grand per player looked at, on a scouting mission that I never ordered (but one that the game maybe carries out at the end of the season regardless).

Sponsorships

Objectives

1 - Do what we can in the league. The least the board allowed me to aim for was a top-half finish. Given the squad and the fact that I'm having to put most of the kids on non-contract terms (limited to £20 per match appearance fees) because I can't afford better contract terms, and these kids are then getting hoovered up for nothing...well, it just makes it so much harder. A season of high player turnover probably lies ahead.

2 - Aim for better in the cups.

3 - Do whatever I can to improve the financial situation whilst (hopefully) remaining competitive.

No season ticket or transfers info on this one, for reasons which will become obvious.

Pre-Season 2014/2015

Media predictions

Aug 2014 Results

A good away win on the opening day against one of the favourites for the title (and the second opening day in a row where one of my strikers got a hat-trick) was followed two days later by this:

While the (very) convincing win against Shortwood United Reserves on the Saturday saw this happen on Monday morning:

I'm a bit confused and concerned about the RCW's compo - it's the primary reason why I moved during the season (though Barwell's hasn't kicked off yet), and they should be due about £12k (£300 p/w x ~40 weeks left on the deal) - but I've not seen anything explicitly stating what RCW will get/have got.

If they really did get bugger all, I'm not too happy.

Table at end Aug 2014

The Squad

That's all of them - first team, reserves and U18s.

There appears to be a decent core to build around, especially in defence, but some are earning way too much for this level and the midfield is chronically weak. There's some leeway in the budgets, but the club is already in debt and that has to be addressed too, if not as urgently or drastically as at Warwick.

The Club

The Ground

(www.pitchero.com via GoogleImgs)

Google Maps (Earth) - Barwell FC, Barwell obviously gives a better view, but I'm quite tech-thick and don't know how to do a screen-grab from that, or even if it's possible.

Finances

Board Expectations

Northern Premier League Division One South: Top half finish

FA Cup: Second Qualifying Round

FA Trophy: First Qualifying Round

Northern Premier League Challenge Cup: First Round

Media Prediction

A fair bit of 'small world' stuff here. One of my best mates lives in Kidsgrove now, his missus is from Stamford, and my mom-in-law comes from Bedworth!

This Newcastle Town obviously needs Nobby_McDonald in charge.

You should be able to see if Warwick got any compensation by checking the Transfers tab (there's a section for incoming staff under the dropdown menu).

A fair bit of 'small world' stuff here. One of my best mates lives in Kidsgrove now, his missus is from Stamford, and my mom-in-law comes from Bedworth!

This Newcastle Town obviously needs Nobby_McDonald in charge.

Unless they reach the Premier League!

Good luck for your new job mate!

endtime - Cheers. The Midland Combo Prem Div tab is saying I resigned from RCW, while there's no figure stated in either of the clubs' transfer tabs.

Still, the new guy is on £70 p/w less than I was, and 3-4 players have left (for nothing) with only two coming in. Their salaries are higher than I'd have paid, but I was £120 p/w under budget at the end so they should be OK.

Nobby - They were down amongst it last season and are one of the favourites for the drop this time. They've not got off to a bad start, though.

DavidBeckham - Cheers, mate!

Aug 2014 Results

Not a bad start, but it could have been better. We've also got to stop letting leads slip. We were 2-0 up against Halesowen, and 1-0 then 4-2 up vs Daventry. It makes a bit of a mockery of the clean sheets we kept in the first two games.

Odd. Based on total season ticket sales and an average (minus the number of season ticket holders) taken from the two home games played so far, at an average of £8 per ticket I could pay out more in wages than the board have set as a limit and still turn a small profit. If the rest of the club was run on sponsorships, prize money and fund raising donations, plus cash from any player sales, we should be laughing. Yet we're not.

Table at end Aug 2014

Transfers In

I hate it when a player is given 4-5 stars by a scout, then drops to 2 as soon as he signs.

Still, better than the silvers, so he'll do for now.

Transfers Out

Sep 2014 Results

September got off to a great start with a thumping - and totally unexpected - win over Daventry, especially given the unusual formation I had to employ.

The regular RB was down on 71% condition, while the back-up was suspended. The squad doesn't have anyone I'd really trust to play the W®/WM® role well enough, so I opted for a centre 3 and moved the Enganche centre-right to help plug any gap.

I reverted to 4-3-1(Enganche)-2 for the next game and thought I was going to regret it when Lincoln Utd took the lead with 15 minutes on the clock, but we were able to regroup and took full control once Spencer had netted the equalizer.

It was an uphill battle against tiredness after the Farsley game, with the results showing just how disruptive the run of games and need to keep swapping and switching became. With such a small squad and no real strength in depth to be found from the reserves/youth team, and no budget left to sign new players with, it's become a war of attrition while I scrabble around looking to potential loanees - which is, surprisingly, more difficult than you might imagine given our geographical location.

Table at end Sep 2014

Who are Verwood Town?

Who are Verwood Town?

To quote the Scouse kid from the 80s milk ad, "Exackkly".

They're a side from the Wessex Premier League (Step 9, a level below the NPLD1S/N). They're not one of the leading lights, either: 11th last season, they were down in 20th when we played them, though they've been in excellent form since beating us and are now 5th against a media prediction of 19th.

Oct 2014 Results

Morale was pretty much on the floor following the defeat at Verwood, so it wasn't a great surprise when Brigg Town sent us packing in the FA Trophy.

A softly, softly approach in the press conference and team talk saw us rally against a Grantham side who really are there for the taking by all comers this season, though the side had to show great character to come back from 3-1 down after initially seizing an early lead. The late goal by Danny Harris should then have been enough for us to snatch the game 4-3, but Grantham's pressure told in the end and a mistake from my DC allowed the home side to nick a point at the death.

There then followed one of those 'What?' spells that (this) FM seems to throw up. Nothing had really changed from the winless run, but all of a sudden we were clouting decent sides (we had two goals disallowed for some reason, while Mickleover scored very late on to give that scoreline a veneer of respectability for them). Then, just as suddenly, with no fundamental changes to tactics or instructions, it's back to creating very little, mids and forwards not closing down/looking lazy, and daft little errors creeping in that we always get punished for - while suffering horribly at the other end when we do create. Tactical changes and other forms of mucking about have precious little effect (and generally make things worse, if anything).

The only difference was, it was late so I saved and quit after the Brigg Town FA Trophy defeat. It was 2-3 days before I was able to play again, and we had the good run. Again, it was late so I saved out after the Mickleover match. Hop on the next day, and back we go to apathy and misfortune.

No problem, as always I'll just weather it out and change what I can, when I can, if I can. It's mildly annoying to have such huge swings with no real sign of either run ending before it hits the wall, though, as it leaves you feeling like a passenger while the game does what it likes.

Table at end Oct 2014

Nov 2014 Results

Possible sub-title to this thread: The Head-Scratching Continues.

Another day, another session on FM...and a pretty unexpected return to winning ways.

A patchy performance against Sheffield proved to be enough, and I got this message after the game:

Scarborough Ath were down to the bare bones for the NPL Challenge Cup match, and tbh I think they just mugged it off.

Newcastle Town have emerged as a real surprise package and I was very concerned about our fitness and performance levels going into the game, but as often happens I was worrying over nothing. Newcastle never looked like taking the points, and should have considered themselves lucky to be level at the half.

Goole fought back well from 2-0 down to snatch a point, though 90% of my players were utterly chinstrapped with 25 left to play, so the visitors' comeback wasn't really a massive surprise.

Fatigue, suspension and injury forced a tactical change for the game against Stamford, where the home side recovered from going a goal behind to hold a 3-1 lead on 37 minutes. Danny Harris ran through the defence to score to make it 3-2 at the half, and a switch to Fluid Counter with a reset of the team instructions - enabling only Hassle Opponents - enabled us to seize control of the game and run out winners.

There then followed a nightmare performance against Kidsgrove, using the same tactics that had served us so well against Stamford more out of necessity than anything else, to sound the only sour note in an otherwise productive month.

How many more of those we have this season remains to be seen, however. After turning a healthy profit in August and September, reducing the loss for the season to ~£2k, things have returned to normal...with the result that the season's losses are back up to ~£20k in two months. A quick look at the figures suggests that we're spending 3-4 times what the club can afford in player salaries after all, and while several are out of contract at the end of the season, the situation needs addressing now. Unfortunately, chats with the players haven't gone too well, and new deals on much lower terms have (unsurprisingly) been rejected for the most part - Hadland has agreed a new one-year deal which saves £70 a week in salary and appearance bonuses, while Scott Harris has reached an agreement to stay for another year on the same terms.

Ross Hardaker has also left the club after falling behind two 16 year olds in the pecking order and subsequently accepting the offer of a mutual termination (at a cost of £2k, when his contract would have run until June 2015 on £150 p/w, meaning he would have taken ~£4.5k in basic salary alone).

Table at end Nov 2014

Look who are top.

Look who are top.

Yeah, they're having an excellent season against all the odds. I keep waiting for the bubble to burst, but right now it doesn't seem like it's going to.

Dec 2014 Results

Circumstances forced me into a complete tactical change for the first game of the month.

Two games in a week is a killer for anyone at this level, but when you have a small squad and have to rely on kids with generally low Stamina and Natural Fitness stats, trying to find a settled formation can be a problem, let alone a settled team.

Even so, we fought hard against Eastwood and took the lead against Loughborough Uni, though in both cases their superior fitness saw them run out winners in the end.

Everything clicked against Rainworth, which came as a bit of a surprise, but we then threw leads away in the next two games.

With the financial situation worsening, the board stepped in.

With the club now showing a £10k profit for the season, I used £5k to pay up the contracts of Foster, Williams and Bromley-Blackburn, who were on £150, £130 and £190 p/w week respectively - an action that will save the club £7.5k between now and the end of the season (down to ~£4k with the newcomers' wages taken into account).

Dafydd Jones is on a £25 per appearance deal.

Table at end Dec 2014

Transfers In

Transfers Out

I think this is this first time I've seen someone manage Racing Club Warwick on these forums - their my local team and I played for them a couple of years ago when I was 18/19. Surprisingly, Racing used to pull in 70-100+ supporters which was the highest average in the Midland Combination Prem. Although, Leamington used to blow us out of the water with crowds of 1000+ at some games. So there is no shortage of supply of support within the Warwickshire area.

Shame to see you move to Barwell but you managed to place higher in the league than Warwick have managed over the past few seasons!

I think this is this first time I've seen someone manage Racing Club Warwick on these forums - their my local team and I played for them a couple of years ago when I was 18/19. Surprisingly, Racing used to pull in 70-100+ supporters which was the highest average in the Midland Combination Prem. Although, Leamington used to blow us out of the water with crowds of 1000+ at some games. So there is no shortage of supply of support within the Warwickshire area.

Shame to see you move to Barwell but you managed to place higher in the league than Warwick have managed over the past few seasons!

I'm guessing most people wouldn't bother with an expanded db and would prefer to load other nations instead. It'd what I'd have usually done (and have in the past), but I fancied doing something a bit different and making it more realistic for an unknown coach.

I was surprised, and a bit disappointed, at the gates. I played at Mids Combo Prem and West Mids (Regional) Prem level for a couple of spells back in the early-mid 90s, and remember playing in front of crowds of 50-100...and very, very occasionally, many more. The gates RCW were getting were closer to what I saw further down the pyramid, at what would now be Step 11 or 12. I also remember the money on offer being a bit better than £10 a game, but maybe that was just me.

(Football is mental down there. In my ‘best’ season, playing way below my true level, I scored 48 goals in 40 games, only netting one hat-trick but scoring in every game - for which I got a special trophy from the club, because I wasn't that season's top scorer for the team, nor did we win the league!)

Tbh, the initial intention was to see out the 2-year deal at RCW, but after the scouting debacle screwed up the finances, I opted to do what I thought was best for the club (I was wrong, as it appears).

RCW are back down in 14th now, having won just once in all competitions since I left.

Jan 2015 Results

A real mixed bag here. The team had a two week break between the Carlton match at the end of January and the game against Lincoln United, but it didn't help tighten up a defence that had thrown away a 2-goal lead in our previous home game, allowing Lincoln to bag another 4-goal haul. This was then followed by a very strong defensive performance against Warrington - our equivalent in the NPL Div One North - before we returned to confusion and hopelessness against Scarborough and Farsley, where we were 2-down inside the first 20 minutes. A change of mentality, tactics and personnel helped us recover to win our first league game in over a month before securing a draw against Brighouse Town, but just as the corner seemed to be turned, Bedworth seized on two in a series of stupid defensive errors to win one of our 'big' derby games.

Table at end Jan 2015

Feb 2015 Results

I thought I'd sorted the defensive frailty out during the match against Grantham. They scored from their only real chance, but it came at a time when we were temporarily down to 10 men as one of the DCs received treatment, and still only came about because of a slip by the covering man. Overall, we looked solid when under attack whilst being energetic and creative going forward, so I was fairly confident going into the Hinckley match.

Five shots on target, five goals. But that doesn't tell the whole story. The defensive performance was solid again, at least until Hinckley seized on a rebound following a corner to score. We attacked, and Scott Harris put the ball into the 'keeper's hands when it was easier to score. The 'keeper cleared downfield, the DCs left it to each other, and Hinckley made it 2-0. After that, the floodgates opened. The defence was all over the place. Hernandez, who had been having a decent time of it in the first few months of the season, looked like a fish up a tree. Our midfield play was lazy and sloppy, and even a sharp half-time talk - by which time we were losing 4-0 - didn't entirely stop the rot. We created chances but they went begging, while every mislaid pass seemed to lead to Hinckley having another shot at goal. Fortunately, Hernandez had realized he was allowed to use his hands and made some decent saves.

I then went a bit obsessive, printing out screenshots, working on the tactics, examining every aspect of every player...and two days later loaded up to see a slice of luck rescue a point for Loughborough Dynamo against what was virtually a youth and reserves team, since I'd concluded that most of the senior players weren't actually good enough no matter what my Ass Man said. I'd also opted for a change of tactic, reverting to a 4-1HalfBack-3-2 setup, partly to shore things up but mostly because Danny Harris tore a thigh muscle and has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

Encouraged, I continued with the same team and formation against Sheffield, before recalling some of the older players due to injuries and a lack of fitness in some of the younger players for the final game of the month.

My U21s Manager left the day before we played:

And we somehow won at Mickleover despite only managing 2 shots on goal, with only 1 being on target.

There's a lot of work on between now and the start of next season. A lot.

Table at end Feb 2015

Mar 2015 Results

...and as if by magic, the defence appeared.

Much as I'd like to say it was all down to a change of tactics, match analysis shows that we're not doing anything drastically different to when we were conceding for fun, just as analysis of those games indicated no real change from our decent defensive performances earlier in the season. Mistakes are still being made and attacks get through too easily at times, but we're no longer getting punished every time an opponent gets into our box.

Danny Spencer's brace against Newcastle Town proved to be his final contribution for the club. Repeated attempts to get him to sign a contract throughout the season all came to nought on transfer deadline day, leaving us to see out the season without a player who had had a hand in 48 of our goals (25 scored, 23 assists) and had the highest average rating. (And the brace vs Newcastle Town was enough to knock them off top spot, sending them down to 4th.)

Table at end Mar 2015

Transfers Out

Youth Intake 2015

Apr 2015 Results

The season draws to a close on the back of a ten-match unbeaten run in the league, winning 4 and drawing 6 since the thrashing by Hinckley.

There was good news for the Reserves, too.

Third place isn't too bad for a side mostly made up of 16 year olds, and goes a long way to explaining why Rob Williams was in such high demand.

Table at end Apr 2015

Solid season! Hopefully you can push on the promotion places next year.

Dropped like a stone and even missed the playoffs.

Solid season! Hopefully you can push on the promotion places next year.

As much as I want that, I doubt it's going to happen. The finances need very careful management - they've been Insecure for most of the season and that was with the board investing £45k - and I've been over-ruled in a couple of transfer dealings (one coming in, one going out very much against my wishes).

Dropped like a stone and even missed the playoffs.

Yep. They really hit a wall in the last couple of months of the season. It was still a good showing, though, given that the media expectation was that they'd finish bottom!

(Unless you meant our performance, which was sort-of the same. )

2014/2015 Season Review

League: 11th in Northern Premier League Division One South

WINNERS: Loughborough University

FA Cup: Lost in Second Qualifying Round to Verwood Town

WINNERS: Chelsea

FA Trophy: Lost in Preliminary Round to Brigg Town

WINNERS: Kidderminster Harriers

Northern Premier League Challenge Cup: Lost in Quarter Final to Sheffield

WINNERS: Sheffield

Awards Night

Top Goalscorer: Scott Harris - 28

Top League Goalscorer: Scott Harris - 26

Fastest Goal & Scorer: Danny Harris – 1 min 22 secs

Most Assists: Danny Spencer - 23

Most MotM Awards: Danny Spencer - 7

Player of the Season (Av.Rat.): Danny Spencer – 7.26 (45 apps)

Fans’ Player of the Season: Scott Harris

Summary

Reality vs Media Prediction

Highest position: 1st Lowest position: 14th

News

Departures

Premier and Football League Manager Movements

Premier League

Championship

League One

League Two

End of season reaction

The season was a bit odd, performance-wise, but it was a success in terms of meeting the overall aims.

Our performance in the league could have been a little better, and I’m quite disappointed to only achieve the minimum expectation in a lot of ways. However, the team was reliant upon the younger players, given the financial constraints and issues the club faced (and continues to face), and the senior players aren’t quite good enough to carry that sort of team through an entire season so in hindsight a blip or two was only to be expected.

I was fairly happy with the cup performances, too. Our failure to do as well as expected in the FA Trophy was offset by the way we exceeded expectations in the NPL Challenge Cup – a less prestigious competition by some way, but one that it is still pleasing to do well in...and one I’d like to win simply because we’re in it.