Zero to Hero

Zero to Hero Challenge

So on arrival of the new FM BETA decided I want to do something completely different to anything I've done previous. Starting unemployed with literally no qualifications.

Leagues loaded

England League 2 and above (meant to load the conference levels too but forgot)

Northern Ireland all

Ireland all

Scotland all

Wales all

May add more later

Targets - Will underline when complete

Get a first job

Win a top tier league

Win Champions League

Take Northern Irish League to number 1 league

The reason the last target is in is for a challenge I've never done. Plan to accept virtually any job offer in Northern Ireland as a result as this is the main goal. In the meantime I will be focusing on just getting off the ground and growing qualifications.

First job offer

So i received my first job offer. East Stirlingshire came calling, I have answered and taken the role.



I plan for updates to be around 2 per season, 1 at the start so this will be this one. One at end of January window and a final one at the end of the season. Extra updates will be done for mid-season moves.

East Stirlingshire Background

Founded in 1881 East Stirlingshire first entered competition in the 1882 Scottish cup. They where accepted into the Scottish league in 1900. They have won te second tier of Scottish football once in 1932 and that remains their only current honor. Although they did also gain promotion to the top tier in 1963 when they finished second in the second tier.

They currently play at Ochilview Park which has a 3746 capacity, with 626 seated which i believe (although might be wrong) is all they can currently use in the Scottish league system.



The club didn't officially appoint a manager until 1966 previous to this decisions where made mainly at boardroom level. Their most famous manager would be the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson who started his managerial career with the club before moving to St Mirren and later Aberdeen.

In recent times the club has abit of a checked record. Between 2002/03 and 2006/07 the club benefited hugely from the old rule of no relegation from the 4th tier, finnishing bottom 5 seasons in a row. Jim McInally turned them around and they managed 2 third place finishes in the following 3 years. since then however the fight has been back at the bottom with 2 further last place finishes, and with the rules now having relegation playoffs a record the club will not want to maintain.

End of January update

East Stirlingshire FC



A tough start to the season, I took over before the win at Queens Park on the 12th of September. I originally looked at the squad which was weak and decided a counter attacking direct style would suit. It didn't really work as results show, after the 4-2 boxing day defeat to Arbroath the board took me in for questioning. Got out by the skin of my teeth. I'd been tweeking the tactics alot till then making some mild difference but nowhere near enough improved the set pieces where we now look a threat and defending them slightly better. After the board pulled me in however I decided to go back to what i know and trust, a controlled possession style game, same formation different approach. Since then 3 wins, 1 draw and a single defeat including beating the league leaders at the time East Fife.



Squad was very poor in terms of quality so the first thing i did was hire a scout. Wage budget allowed moves, despite overspending on several players (including third choice keeper who's our highest paid player) we also had two players in on loan which has now expired without renewal - i did attempt to keep Ally Loy but Hearts didn't want to entertain the idea. Jamie Bishop has gave us stabability at the back, along with captain Townsend we've improved there. I wasn't going to offer a contract extension to the latter but he's been a star in recent weeks. Jason Brown probably the star man here, the ex-Invertness midfielder has been brilliant. Too early for the January trio to comment at the moment but Scott Gibson looks a huge improvement to our left back area.

No major going out at the moment, mostly just young players who had no chance to break through, all had their contracts expiring at the end of the season without any chance of renewal and offers even of free gets them off the wage bill 5 months early.

Only point i have to do is theres still a few players who's contracts i'd like to extend including several i actually signed who wouldn't sign past the end of the season. Although i plan a large overhall in the summer.



Recent form taken us away from bottom of the league also opening a nice gap and closing in on Arbroath. Goal Difference is pretty appalling but is going in the right direction.

I want to post a squad screen shot but we currently have a huge squad which would take multiple screenshots so will address this at the end of the season. In the meantime i hope this is good enough for those that thirst for it. This is what i currently believe to be my strongest starting 11. Couple of positions where theres options, right back and striker are 2 positions with players very close in ability within our ranks.



We also signed an affiliate deal with Inverness, although nothing looks like its going to flourish from that at present.

I think updating more regular might be better, not sure how though as obviously want to balance game time to posting time while keeping it interesting and an easy read. So will do next update whenever the new youth lads come through.

Youth Intake update

Firstly thanks for the feedback, plan to change the system in the close season



Solid intake this year, offered alot of contracts out, some long term will be fringe and support players, others who have the ability to play a couple of divisions up in a few years, none are likely to go straight into the first team.

Still attempting to negotiate new contracts with alot of my signings but none are willing to sit down at the moment. Including 3 players who i really want to keep for next season, Brown, Bishop and Gibson.

George Shaw our assistant manager moved onto East Fife, I was slowly letting his contract run out anyways so just put 4k into our kitty. I put an advert in the paper and got a good responce. Paul Smith has been offered the role but hasn't accepted yet.





Only 3 results since, all 3 are draws, frustrating since Arbroath and Montrose both had some big wins. Defending for some of the goals we've seen has been comical, 3 of the 5 goals have been horrific defensive errors. Both in the Queens park game, one where Scott Gibson was calling for offside didn't clear the cross which was easy for him to deal with letting in the Queens player for a tap in. Late on in the Berwick game over the top ball which under my new higher defense will be a weakness but overall its an improvement, defender was running back had the strikers number then stopped running on the edge of the box, striker takes the freeboe, and the in Annan game another over the top ball our defender had a 5 yard head start got to the ball played a backpass to keeper too soft keeper stood there like a lemon and striker gains the ground says thank you for the goal. 6 points 3 frustrating errors cost us there.



As seen that swing is massive for our season, with those 6 points we'd be in 7th above Berwick who we'd take 1 point away from, well away from the relegation zone and a slight less embarrassing goal difference. The one when the defender stopped running I've seen a few times this season now and it's very frustrating not sure if its a bug or if its low rated players, can't imagine something like that being a tactical error. Expessially when the players are fit.

Some bad news on the injury front, we're currently joint 2nd highest in the injury table, thats not too bad though as 50% of those injured are fringe players at best, the real loses are McMillan and Ryan Miller who're both out for 7-8 weeks with a sprained ankle. Both recieved in the Queens Park game. Both of these lads came into the squad just as our increase to form happened so both are a big loss.

Edit: Paul Smith accepted the contract and is our new assistant manager he joined literally the next click so thought I'd pop it in here

On the move

So Berwick who was the first team to interview me back at the start of their season sacked the lad they hired over me. Anyways I was heavily linked with the job right from day one. Decided to apply for both them, Clifftonville in Northern Ireland which would be my prefered destination and Alloa. Expected to get laughed off on both the latter two. Alloa did but Clifftonville and Berwick offered me intervews. Very quickly after Berwick offered me the job. Unlikely to get the Clifftonville job so I have accepted, Berwick is a small step up from the shire. Also a nice £65 p/w pay rise.



So how did things end up with the shire. Form did drop off dramatically and the loses to Montrose and Abroath where both must win games.



League looks like this, hoping I could take Berwick into a late playoffs push but no targets from the board. Would like the shire to hold their position and avoid relegation.



We also leave The Shire with more qualifications than when we started.



Kyle Beith the scout i hired at the start of the season will also follow me onto Berwick, no other changes to staff will assess in detail upon arrival. Ideally would have taken fitness coach with me aswell, was the best in the league and Berwick are the worst in that department but Shires fitness coach wasn't interested in the move.

Season Review - East Stirlingshire

Berwick Rangers History



Similar story to East Stirlingshire in a couple of matters, founded in 1881 although that is disputed to be 1884 when they played their first competitive game. They joined the Scottis Football Assosiation in 1905 and joined the East of Scotland league after the first world war previously having played in the Borders league since 1908. They had attempted to join the Northumberland league. In 1951 they joined the Scottish C Division made mostly up of reserve sides, beforethe league was scrapped in 1955 and they formed the Scottish Second Division.

Honours wise they have won the Second division in 1979 and the Third division in 2007. They have also won lower leagues in both North England and Scotland, but i won't go too much into them.

The club's home is Sheilfield Park which is also home to the Berwick Bandits Speedway team. It has a Capacity of 4500 with 1260 of those seated.



Their most famous manager would be Jock Wallace who later managed Rangers, he managed the wee Gers from November 1966 to January 1969. Other noteable names is Jim Jefferies and Sandy Clark.

Some injuries at present and not a lover of 442 but this looks the best approach for the team for the rest of this season



Forgot this Squad list.

End of Season Review

A poor season comes to a close, we managed 8 wins between our time at East Stirling and Berwick Rangers. Blowing a 2 goal lead v Clyde with 7 minutes to go summed it up really.



Nice to see the Shire avoid the drop and pull away from the bottom two. a 3-0 last day of the season victory for us was enough for Montrose.



I inherited a mixed bunch. 3/4 exceptional players for this level, the rest where below average. Couple of the lads who's contract is up will be renegotiated while others will not be. I'd ideally like to keep Michael McKenna but he won't suit the system I'm going to adopt next season. Ewan McNeil is the only current first team player likely to be renewed. Calum Helm and Steven Shankland both got promoted from the youth squad, Helm may get a renewal depending on the wage he wishes. Already made some deals, will address those in the pre-season update.

pre-season review

A very good pre-season for us. Was also a game a week before Kelso Utd game v Gala Fairydean Rovers (finished 0-0) but for some reason thats ended up on last seasons fixture list. We agreed a affiliate deal wit St Johnstone the friendly was a part of that deal, full info on that below. The rest of the friendlies i decided to play local teams, being a Borders lad was keen to do that. Positives being we haven't conseaded a single goal through the whole of pre-season with a fair few going in. 2 tough cup games before start of the season to come v Albion Rovers (who we also play on opening day of the season) and livingston.



Celtic, Hibs, Caley Thistle and St Johnstone was our options, Celtic where offering 1k a year less and I felt we'd be less likely to gain from loans from them so took the preference of the Perth side.



reuniting with Jamie Bishop as first signing was our best defender at East Stirling by some way. Credit to our scouting team likely to be the 4th choice here at Berwick Rangers. We also have Jason Brown in on trial who i also signed for East Stirling and likely to offer him a deal too. Jamie Mills the suprise signing coming direct from Rangers via a week on the free market although will likely be our second choice left back to Johnny Brown who arrives from Bonnyrigg, again credit to the scouts for Johnny. Several loan deals, no wages being paid to any and 1 is a back up keeper, the rest are CDM and CAM players to fit system (below) where i was struggling to find approachable options. Lee Gallacher will also be fighting for the CAM spot.



System is a variation of my tactic i used successfully on FM15, lower tempo passing system designed to starve play in the middle of the park. will relay on the wing backs providing width with the CDM sitting in protecting those attacking runs, we will be attempting to play through the middle at all times with the wide offering support. If the wing backs can adapt to the system they will get a fair few assists via crosses. Would prefer the more advanced to the 2 midfielders to be an advanced playmaker like the CAM but i don't have anyone who can play that role as well as i'd like but may have a look at that if this doesn't work early on.



Squad is good and I'm happy with it. Solid strength in depth much improvement from last year. Scouting team which is now the best in the league (previous best was my East Stirling team) has done a phenomenal job bringing players to my attention. And with further improvements long may that continue.



Wholesale changes to the backroom team, no survivors from before my time. Declan Bruce came in just after i arrived, everyone else over the summer bar Kyle Beith who was in my arranged move contract. Donald Richie gives us the best physio in the league. Requested more coaches the board is allowing one more so advert is in the paper looking for someone to look after the goalkeepers. Me and my assistant are about league average for everything else.

Board wants us to get the playoffs with 4th round of scottish cup and second round in everything else. League cup we have a tough first round tie v livingston as a result suspect failing target in that specific competition.

Transfer Window update

A very positive start to the new season the team are taking to the new system and the improvement of the squad is showing. The only loss so far coming to livi in the league cup and that was a very spirited performance.



That leaves us second in the league 2 points behind East Fife. Also nice to see former club East Stirling doing well, although i suspect they hate me now. They've built a side around the players i brought in last term, Scott Gibson and Gary Thom who was the last act i did getting him a pre-contract transfer offering them a solid heard in defence. while Ryan Miller is being a handful at the other end.



Only two new transfers to update you on. Jason Brown got signed in the end. Mo Scott also comes in. The center back currently plays for our youth side but has bags of potential. Getting tutoring from club captain Jonny Fairbairn at present.



The final piece of business to attend to is the arrival of Alan MacPherson as our goalkeeping coach. He will work with Kevin Walker and Ryan Booth leaving myself and Steve Hislop to take on the roles of dealing with outfield players.

Loss of form

Form continued through September with 2 wins and a draw seen me pick up my first manager of the month award, while Craig Gunn picked up Player of the month. Criag has been our star man with 6 goals in 11 league games and a few more in the cups. October however saw us drop off Brora and Stirling Uni in the cup couldn't come quick enough, a Craig Gunn goal got us past one of the worst defenses in the league. Stirling Uni we ended up battling with 10 man after Sandy Nicol a youth graduate who i gave a shot after injuries to Finn Graham went in two footed. He was progressing extremely well in training and deserved a shot. I've played him back in the under 20's for now.







We remain second in the league 2 points behind East Fife and 3 above Stenhousemuir who have a game in hand and will leap us on GD if they win. We also play East Stirlingshire next which could throw some spanners in the works followed by a tough tie v Montrose. Media are predicting a East Fife fall off and we're getting evens favs to win the league still. But to have had a major drop in form and still be in the hunt is positive.

System seems to be working, Notman has adapted to the RWB role very well and thats made a huge difference. Left hand side has been decent but nowhere near as effective as Notman on the right. Possession stats show we're dominating games in the middle of the park to the final third, at present though we're lacking that cutting instinct will be looking for a target man to replace Dillon and Henderson. Outwith that positive things.

My contract is up in the summer and think I'll move on regardless of how we do. I want to leave Berwick in a good position but i also want to start moving up the leagues. Think I might also drop the Northern Irish league goal aswell as feeling thats slightly unrealistic given I'm going for a journeyman style career and would rather focus on enjoying it. Although I'd still like my next job to be there or lower league England.

November

Was going to do a New year update but November just went so perfect i felt it worthy of a post to itself. Starting with a 6-1 win over Montrose any issues from previous form where surely going away. We where sensational that match particularly in the second half after Montrose scored. They tired towards the end and we took every chance that came. Something that can't be said often. wins over East Stirling and Annan quickly followed, neither performance was outstanding but we where the better team. The Queens Park. Rowan Alexander best known for his time at Gretna in the mid-late 00's hates me so always gets big press coverage, its actually the only match i remember being asked questions about to be honest and it happens every time. Anyways I rested Neil McGregor and Steven Notman is injured (still out for another 3-5 weeks at time of typing) so drafted in Steven Martin from the youths, Like Nichol previous he had impressed in the under 20s and felt he deserved a go. 2 assists he took his chance with open arms. Defensively we wheren't great and the keeper made 2/3 errors so has since been dropped. Was also Steve Martin's performance that made me look at my tactics, i accidently had LWB set to defend, thats now on support and the left hand side has since came into play. QotS was always a tough game in the Scottish cup, i actually thought we played very well in the game v a team 2nd in the Championship, before Stirling came to down and where lucky they kept it to two.

This form leaves me and Gunn both picking up the monthly awards, Chris Dillon picked up a Young player of the month while also comming second in the Player of the month for a clean sweep



East Fife dropped off as the media predicted, leaves us with a 7 point gap over Stenhousemuir in second, we play them next at home. Big problem for us league top scorer with 13 in 15(1) appearances (22 shots on target so good ratio) Craig Gunn is out injured for 5 weeks. Twisted his ankle right at the end of the Stirling game. To highlight the extent of the problem, Chris Dillon is our second top scorer with 4 with over double average minutes to goal. Laverty will likely fill into the role, he has kept match fit but playing off the bench and getting time with the under 20s as one of the over age players. Blair Henderson also offers an option but I've lost faith in him.

On other news we have approached bot Anton Brady and Stuart Urquhart on pre contract deals. Both play in positions we're strong in, but are quality players. Brady is current second joint scorer in the league and comes highly rated from my scouts. Urquhart currently plays for Clyde in League 1 and also highly rated from scouts. Also a little sentimental of a signing he was my captain a few years back for a very successful Rangers team of mine. I haven't heard back from either. All last seasons big names have re-signed with us along with all the backroom staff, I have also offered new contracts to several of this years batch. Even though I don't plan to hang around past the end of the season this is all a plan to leave Berwick in a strong place with foundations to build.

End of January

A solid start to December with a draw to Stenhousemuir, and wins over Albion Rovers and East Fife. From there it went down hill, a 0-0 to Bora, 2 mistakes in an otherwise good performance from Steve Martin kept East Stirling in the game before they got a 96th minute winner despite the ref only allocating 4 mins of injury time. A draw to Montrose again sloppy defending from Steve Martin and we where begging for the return of Notman and Gunn at this stage. At this point despite their injuries they maintained being highest scorer and assisters in the league. Even now they both have this as a joint claim but its clear they where missed. They both returned for the Annan game and v bottom of the league we where full of hope. Simply put we where awful. I felt the latter 2 Annan goals where offside but thats how it goes, up next a mediocre Stirling team, a late goal from Chris Dillon scraped us through. Queens Park followed, and our nemesis Rowan Alexander. The usual press started, then Gunn got food poisoning quickly followed by flu for Notman. Both ruled out again. To add to that Lavery was injured from just before Gunn arrived back, meaning i was left with 2 senior strikers, and Blair Henderson having to lead the line. Confidence wasn't there. A drab 0-0 seen us end January on a low.



Going into the Brora game we had an 11 point gap at the top, and boy have we needed it. Our loss in form has seen Stenhousemuir claw it all back. We're away to them next aswell so the form has to turn around now. No ifs or buts, the lads need to pull their act together.



No real transfer news. Nobody in, Helm out on loan is literally the mainstay. Willie Barr was also recalled to Partick the manager felt we wheren't playing him enough, and while I would like to play him more, and i felt he did play a fair amount, Jack Hadden has our highest pass competition record (and the highest in the league) hard to drop a man who's been key to success. Actually shows how good we've been in possession when all of the top 4 pass completions in the league fall to Hadden, Graham, Brown and Notman respective, which also considering we average 59.46% possession this season (8% more than the next highest) shows our lads have alot more of the ball and make more passes than anyone else.

We need to start turning those key stats into victories again though.

Farewell with a bang

A stuttering final 6 months to the season, important wins where there though and draws scraped in matches we didn't play well. We fittingly met our playoff requirements v former team East Stirling, and the win against Annan secured the title. A draw v Stenhousemuir at the end would have been fitting but Walker made a howler at the end, came out collected on the edge of the box never cleared at any stage instead tried to hold off the striker, who nicked it and scored the only shot on target in the game.



Our defense was the sole reason for our success, going forward outwith Craig Gunn we where poor, but defensively we barely conseaded, this is shown in the team of the year with all of our back 5 being named in the team of the year (Notman played exclusively at right back) I also think Jack Hadden can feel disappointed with not being on this list, the lad was a complete boss.

Signing wise Andy Brady (also in team of the year) will move to us, along with Stuart Urquhart who will avoid the drop with the rest of the Clyde squad. Will also bring in Willie Robertson for the holding role from Stirling.







Decided to hold off resigning until i see the information on the stadium purchase, the board requested my opinion on it and i threw support behind, unfortunetly I misread the date and resigned on the 17th of June (i was on a month to month contract after mine expired on 31st May) assuming it just didn't go through I'll update on this next time. My resignation see's alot of the backroom team leave with me, I'm very disappointed with this I wanted to leave Berwick in a strong position to progress and this backroom team expessially the scout where a key part of that.



I put the 16th down as my leaving date as a typo only just realised however the 1 day doesn't make a difference at this time so I'll leave it as is.

A fresh start

I meant to put this in the last update and missed it in my images bank.

Onto more pressing matters. Had several job interviews, one with Forfar, 2 in Wales and 1 in Northern Ireland. Both Cefn Druids and Loughgall approached me pretty quickly afterwards. The result.



I've signed a 1 year deal with Northern Irish Football League Championship 1 side Loughgall. They where targetting the playoffs while both the Welsh sides wanted relegation battles. Forfar where also targeting the playoffs but I don't think their side was much stronger than Berwick's. Berwick promoted the under 20's manager i appointed, also doesn't look like they've managed to buy their stadium. Had several press conferences since i left and praised the fans etc. Have decided to remain subscribed as a result.

Loughgall FC

It's abit bigger than the logo I'd like but right now its the only one i can find.

This season marks the clubs 50th year in existence having been formed in 1967. In that time is a fairly good history with a large trophy collection for such a young club. NIFL Championship 1 winners on 3 occasions most recently in 2010, and unluckily finished second last season. They've won the Mid-Ulster cup twice, NIFL Championship 2 4 times, strangely 4 times in a row why I don't know, a single Northern Irish Intermediate League cup and 10 Northern Irish Bob Radcliffe cup's.

So that takes us upto date.



They currently ply their trade at Lakeview Park. 3000 capacity with 180 being seated and an awful pitch condition, something which given my possession style I will probably have to speak to the board about.

Staff wise we have literally me, a head of youth development and a chief scout. Strangely with just that we have the best goalkeeping coach in the league. We don't have a single player who's actually under contract which gives me free reign top bring in my tactics, which will be identical to the title winning Berwick tactics i think. We do have a B Team ontop of a youth side so plenty of players to go through. I've already released the clubs sole unhappy player. Job adverts are about to fly into the paper and i hope to find some scouts on the search option first to know where i am and find some new people.

I've never managed at this level in Northern Ireland before so keen to see how it works, the game does see the move as a step down but I personally see it as a fresh and bright challenge. Wage budget for the whole team is literally less than double my own personal wage so keeping players might be an issue.

Edit: Any time i try to sign someone its only letting me offer non-contract, says its a semi-pro club so not really sure. Will see how it progresses

Sometimes you just have to be honest

Stage one of rebuilding Loughgall was staff, that was done as below.



Alot released was deadwood trying to free up wage bill.



Squad is very weak being honest, and being even more honest, I have no idea how to turn it around, don't understand that non-contract budget anywhere near enough and we're already over budget, tried something new tactically because honestly this team going forward is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard.





And it showed on results, two goals one we required a penalty.



After the pounding from local rivals, and being honest I have no idea to turn it around I decided it was time to walk. Results weren't going to change which was clear, and we have no budget to improve the squad. Being honest when i took the job i expected i was getting a part time team that had just finished second, wouldn't take too much to push for promotion. But the reality was the complete opposite. Amateur bar the coaching staff, and 3 players who where even remotely close to good enough for the league. Rushed signings trying to plug gaps that just where clearly unpluggable. It was time to move on. I've left the side with a strong coaching and scouting team which should see them well in the future.

A new job, with some expectation

So for the third time in 3 years Cliftonville job came up. Taking over as of the 29th of April so it's been a long task of finding a club with several interviews, just missed out on the Linfield job which would have been a pretty awesome gig to get but for now the focus is on my one year deal with Cliftonvile.



So from my brief history research Cliftonvile was formed in 1879 and is based in Belfast, they old a strong rivalry with Crusaders, Linfield, Dlentoran and Donegal Celtic. They have strong links to the formation of the Irish Football Association. They do have a nice set of trophies in their cabinet, 5 times top tier winners, most recently back to back in 2013 and 2014, 8 times Northern Irish Cup winners, 4 times Northern Irish league cup winners most recently in 2015, 3 times Northern Irish Gold cup and 9 times County Antrim shield most recently in 2012.



The stadium reflects this is my biggest job to date, Solitude is a synthetic pitch with a capacity of 6224 (2530 seated) with impressive training facilities and good youth facilities.



Taking over post season, we've missed out on European football for next season, but thats one less distraction allowing me to build.



The squad looks like its a decent platform to build on, I haven't yet looked in detail but the Reds have a solid looking base. Lacking depth, and a full defense will need addressed, but I get the feeling of support from the board. Unofficially European qualification will be my target Next Season

Pre-season

A mixed preseason, poor result in Ryan Catney's testimonial for starters. The rest is reasonably positive.





10/1 odds i think is a little harsh, but its nice to see two of my signings flagging in the key players. I'll address more on that below.



Mark Sykes is abit of a mistake signing, pretty much begged him to sign he wouldn't even talk to us at first, offered him way too much money and then about a day after he signed scouts brought my attention to a guy of equal ability wanting half the pay. We couldn't do all the investing we wanted, was a very good right back that came to my attention but im over my wage budget by a full 20% at present, and thats after killing my transfer budget. Marcus Kane comes in and will fill the left back slot while being able to look after left wing should be require. Fans aren't the most happy understandably signing from a big rival but he was by far the best option and wanted about the amount i was willing to pay. Sykes comes from last seasons second place finishers Glenavon and will play in the hole behind the strikers. Matthew Shevlin will take the number 1 striker role this season and will have stiff competition for McDaid, the former Ballymena man is still just 19 and will be a key part of long term plans. Also 19 Chris Hammond is our biggest and most important signing imo, scouts are a little dubious about his ability for the league but he is a full star better than our other center backs, he has 98 Danske Bank Premier games under his belt with Ballinamallard United.



Our strongest team should look something like this, tactics may need some tweeking over the season, been a while since i had a 4231 working the way I'd like, going for the possession mantra again. Ideally I'd have 2 CDMs but only have one in the squad and the budget was nowhere near the budget to bring in 2/3 for that role that would be competitive. We did have a look at a couple though.

I won't post a screenshot of the staff page i just renewed everyone who was here, the assistant manager doubled as my chief scout and was clear he wanted off that role so that became vacant. The only release i made was the physio. Hes replaced by Stephen Symington whos been a free agent for a year and applied for the job. John Douglas comes in as chief scout and will oversee Bobby Dickson and Michael Bolochoweckyj. Bobby Dickson is a scout I've worked alot with in FM and nice to be reunited with him.

Overall I'm optimistic for the new season, although we still have a long way to go before we close the gap on the giants that are Linfield

End of September update

A very good start to the season and Loughgall fans (who're bottom of championship 1 again) will be looking up thinking what's going on. The only black mark is the defeat to Portadown which resulted in Johnny Flynn moving out on loan to Glenavon. He got a 4.5 rating in that match and complained about his fine. Thats the only current transfer news since the pre-season. We have gave new contracts to alot of the key members of the squad expecting board cut backs next season i want to keep the core of this squad and pray for good youth intake. Many have taken cuts and although we're still over budget I've put an offer in for a newgen called Dean Lyons. I found him lurking unemploying in the Northern Irish Under 19s and sent a scout. Scouts raved and gave this guy full blessing for an under any circumstances bid, that bid was made. Fans are taking to Marcus Kane which is pleasing.

We're also still in every single cup and a 3-0 win in the County Antrim Shield against Linfield has to make us favorite for my first non-league trophy.

100 games and our first non-league trophy

Firstly One new signing

Dean Lyons was the lad i mentioned found lingering in the Northern Ireland under 18s. Doesn't do anything for our out of control wage bill but makes a mammoth difference to our team. LW wasn't really an area we where needing new players for but the lad with no transfer fee was too good to turn down. Room for improvement aswell.



We've not been great of late, 1-1 v Carrick followed by an extra time defeat in the league cup to Portadown. Keeper Devlin whos been amazing all season made a howler in the 85th min didn't even effect his rating which leads me to thinking it was a bug. Cross from right had side over face goes to far, LM picks it up nudges over goal and Devlin runs over ball instead of picking up LM runs past taps in, they score winner in extra time. I was a touch annoyed tbh. Form picked up a little before Ballymena game but was still pretty horrific we struggled to overcome two of the weakest sides in the league before another 0-0 draw v Ballymena. Carrick in the County Antrim Shield Final worked out my 100th game in management. Which is also why i decided to make the post now despite the fact its not a major competition i still thought it was fitting our 100th game was our first non-league trophy. It also fulfilled some players dreams of winning the competition. Several other players dream of winning the league...



Our poor form has meant next opponents Linfield have pulled a decent gap out on us. However we've managed to maintain staying above Portadown and Crusaders. With Linfield next though we might fall out of European spots in the short term.

The Linfield Game

I'll never do a single update again, but big news.





A sneaky 1-0 win but the big news was finnishing the game with David McDaid in goal. I'd made 3 subs keeping things fresh trying to slow the game down and see it out, then Conor Devlin took an injury. It was a sweat at the end but we held on. Linfield where probably the better side on the night but we scored that one magical touch to dish out the northern irish giants their first defeat of the league season. Portadown & Crusaders also slipped up so we're 7 points behind Linfield, 2 above Portadown and 4 above Crusaders



Conor Devlin our keeper is out for 2-3 months, second choice Peter Burke was literally only given a new contract to make up the numbers and is well off standard, this could be a huge blow to our season.

The charge is on

Firsly to reply to the above comment, at current time we're on a wage bill of £8,022 with a wage budget of £6,772 so we're well over that, I have brought it down a touch but nowhere near enough. As a result I didn't even attempt and let Peter Burke stand in.





Following on from the Linfield result we had the best defensive record in the league, Bonnar and Hammond leading the way for tackles and key tackles, at the time Conor Devlin leading the way for clean sheets. A 1-1 draw v Warrenpoint wasn't an idea start and i feared the worst, but then Matthew Shevlin found the form he's been missing all season. 5-0 win to Coleraine with him getting 4 of them. Followed by 4-2 and 5-4 results showing our best attacking form of the season and worst defensive form. A 0-0 draw v bottom of the league Ballinamallard wasn't inspiring on that back of that but that followed with the goal scoring returning with a good defensive record to boot. Dean Lyons really starting to pay dividends over this period. This also included 2 very tough games v Crusaders and Portadown.



This resulted with my first manager of the month this side of the Irish sea, which was repeated in January for my first back to back of the award. Pleasing to finally get acknowledged November was a good month aswell and didn't make top 3 with 3 wins from 4 with the 4 being a 0-0 draw.



The form resulted in us closing the gap to Linfield to 6 points after our best form and their worst form of the season. We've opened a good gap to Crusaders and Portadown below giving us a nice cushion in our quest for European football. Full of confidence at the moment and with Conor Devlin set to return next game thats more momentum. Only injury we currently have is rising stock of the league Michael Moore, Marty Murray will come in and replace him for now and is not as big as a blow as Devlin aswe have 3/4 players who can play that role well.

No January transfer update to talk about, nothing in or out. Did attempt to sell one player who wants to leave anyways, and get 2 others out on loan mostly to free up some wages from guys who're down the pecking order but couldn't attract any offers.

Also renewed backroom staffs contracts for another year, couple didn't get renewed from memory Head of Youth Development, B team manager and Under 18s manager. Likely will just replace the head of youth development in the summer with someone cheaper and split training and running the lower squads between current backroom staff saving £2-4k per month.

Linfield are just too good, and another 3 months without Devlin

Results have been good and allowed us to push on, however Linfield have matched us in every department. The Ballymeana game was Conor Devlin's return, he last 83 minutes before picking up a repeat injury. He is fit as of today but really don't want to risk him at the moment may give him some B game minutes for the next couple of weeks and hopefully have him for the second last game of season tie away at Linfield. The Irish cup see's us repeatedly get good draws, and make the semi finals, again dodging both top tier teams and drawing against non-league Moyola Park. Given the teams left we have to be considered the favourites.



The league really shows how good Linfield have been, we match them for goal difference and matches lost, but we've drawn 3 more giving them a comfortable 6 point gap and unless they slip up the title is theirs. Top 3 is a lock and much like Linfield we've been head and shoulders above the rest of the league with a very comfortable gap over Crusaders which should see us comfortable into second.



The board offered me a new deal eventually. They did offer me a 25% payrise which I decided I'd decline and offered new terms of a higher wage decrease in the unlikely event of us getting relegated, the exact same wage as present, with a 1.5k bonus for winning the league next season which i think is unlikely given the cut backs we're going to have to make. The reason for offering to take no pay rise is purely because of the financial problems surrounding the club.

Talking of those financial issues, I have managed to reduce the wage bill while re-signing all the current first team to new contracts and taking the best of the bunch of the youth candidates, nothing major to shout about was 2/3 who could have an impact and one who's long term gain is at best to make our bench. But it adds much needed depth to the club for £10 a week each. I also moved the current youngsters onto part time contracts with no major wage problems. We have two players joining us in the summer I'll update on those in the pre-season review in detail though, both where found in the Northern Irish youth squads, and one is miles better than our current best right backs while playing non-league football, an amazing find and scouts where very keen we made the deal happen. This will allow me to sell Cosgrove and further make some savings to the wage bill. Mark Sykes will also hopefully leave in the summer, if I can get a Scottish or Lower English club to take a gamble on him would be the most welcome move going. Outwith that those on big wages on the fringe of the squad will not be renewed while youth lads on much lesser wages will come to be the back up plans. The majority aren't quiet ready yet but would benefit from first team minutes while they shouldn't have to negative an effect against most opponents. Those nowhere near ready will hopefully get a loan out. Most of those on renewed contracts where happy to take small wage reductions so while increasing our playing staff by 4/5 youth players we've reduced the wage bill by about £75 not a huge amount compared to the deficit but its a small dent and a saving the club will now make. The most high profile reduction is James Knowles who despite having a contract going till next year anyways, took a wage cut and a 2 year extension guaranteeing that our most valuable player will be here during his prime or get solid sale value.

End of season 18/19

We stuttered over the line the draw at Warrenpoint was disappointing a 2-0 lead at half time and looking comfortable and we fell apart. The Linfield away game we'd already lost the title but we where winning 1-0 looking good Linfield got and converted 2 penalties neither looked like a pen in the match engine but I won't complain, then Josh Magennis finnished us off. However success in the Irish cup is always good. Our first national cup win.



82 points would have been enough to comfortably win the league in 2 or the last 3 seasons. Linfield came out deserving champs though but will look to convert a couple of those draws into wins next term.



First time ever posting a financial report, most of this loss is just seasonal loss, in prizemoney we collected £35k for league, £10k for county Antrim shield, and £16k for the Irish cup. Being honest this is a huge hole and without European money which isn't likely to come soon I can't see a way for this to be plugged.



Edit: One click later and board set provisional budgets for next year. No Transfer budgets as expected, but a wage bill doubled, which would also double what Linfield are spending

Pre-season and our venture into Europe

Starting at the beginning the board announce a great link with Fernerbahce, wasn't something i requested or expected but £35,000 a year for the deal more than suits me.





Wingers Moore and Lyons the focus of the media the young lads showed their ability last season and long may it continue. Bookies also have us second favorites behind the giants of Linfield. One worry is the average squad age of 22. While young talent is good focus and the lads are good enough we do lack that bit of quality experience.



Pre-season planned alot of games, several got canceled to fit in the Europa League ties, including both the ones i set up purely for profit. Europa League its self came to early for us really, first game seen new signing Noel Black (more on that later) get sent off at 0-0 was classed as a professional foul but i felt we have two defenders back, i didn't appeal though as assistant agree'd with the ref. Fitness was also a huge issue we where nowhere near ready for a competitive game. Michael Moore got a late equalizer for us to give us hope going to Poland. In between we hosted and crushed East Stirlingshire where we began our career. The second leg was good again fitness was an issue and we remained in it until a late Wisla winner. £200,000 just for that though does make some dent into our dept. Rest of pre-season was routine lots of wins v local teams with the only other black mark comming in a money making friendly vs. Morecambe. The 6-1 victory over Ards being a highlight.



League table sees Dergview being the new commers, also the team we host on the opening day of the season.



Lots of ins and outs. Wage spending made a small increase but was reduced right until Rory Donnelly signed its not much more than last season, and well below our new increased wage bill. Going through the majority are young 16-19 year olds with good potential and good enough to fill into the first team in times of crisis at present. They also usually signed non-contracts meaning their on pay as you play style contracts although they will play alot for the reserves so that isn't really a saving. Noel Black I've been scouting since we came across Dean Lyons, the former Ballymeana man was a high target but we couldn't afford the compensation so had to wait and hope his contract wasn't renewed. McKeever arrives from non-league Limavady and will slot in nicely to our right back slot, he does prefer RWB and i misread that but hes still better than our other options at RB and Cosgrove was let to move on to England. Stephen Webb arrives as good CB cover and good potential from that shameful period of our career lower down at Loughgall, he wanted a non-contract but unlike the others at present I will look to move him onto a part time deal. Gary Kinsella is the next player on a part time deal to arrive e offers decent back up to both MC and CAM roles with potential to be good enough to be a first team reg. Rory Donnelly and Ryan Johnson both arrive from England's Bradford City and Cambridge respective. Neither would have been signed if they didn't return for the trialist games and come within my scouting network again. Rory started his career here before moving the move to England and arrives back with 6 caps, able to play right wing and striker will be vital for us going forward, paying a little more than i'd like per week for him but give the scouted ability being a huge boost on current squad and the experience factor i felt it was worth the punt. Ryan Johnston arrives on far less wages and has spent his career in England, at 22 he is still young but will slot into our centre back slot next to Chris Hammond. This window i seriously can't complain about, we missed 1/2 targets but they weren't major high priority and we closed out by getting better deals anyways. Going out is those expected to leave and some young lads desperate for first team football who i could get out. Jaime McGovern wasn't ideal but he wanted to leave couldn't attract and offer and instead of putting up with the nonsense of team harmony as a result i just shipped him out on loan, don't think he can play us so looking at it from the Mourinho point of view of he can take points off others but not us. Matt Smyth I'm hoping has a good spell as would like to break him through next season.



Squad looks like this at present, Hammond and Shevlin already have signed deals for next season at same wage package always a bonus.



Strongest line up will look something like this once fitness etc is possible. Unlike last season with the players we have we also have options in ways we can have a tactical approach but I haven't set any of them up as I think this system will take us through the league I'll prep a more defensive one for next seasons Europa/Champions League about the time of the split.



Last point of order, Rico Spratt comes in as our new head of youth development, he will also oversee the management of both B team and Under 18s squads. £220 is a huge reduction per week on last season over these 3 roles, and while I won't keep him on all three long term I felt given our situation he was the ideal pick, previously he's been at Carrick and Bangor as Head of Youth Development and also was twice caretaker at Carrick so has some experience in management. His formations don't match up but we can counter that by making him obey the tactics I've set.

End of the transfer window

Lets start with the results, 11 league goals with none conseaded - doesn't warrant manager of the month then what will. Like seriously, i know we had a boring 0-0 v Carrick but c'mon. Anyways Matthew Shevlin has been on fire 6 goals already in the league keeping Rory Donnelly out of the team until Micheal Moore got injured opening the RW slot for him. A 4-0 win in the county Antrim shield also sees us progress.



Linfield started the season with a draw and have been more prolific going forward than us, but they can't match our sensational defensive record meaning we have the pip on GD. Portadown with a single loss also keeping up the pace after 5 games.

Changes i wont post screenshot because pretty much the same as last time, Andy McDonald heads out on loan to Dungannon while Eddie Carson arrives after a season without a club to supply back up across on Wings and CAM slot. Attempted to sign him last season but budget just wasn't there to make it happen.

On the Staffing front I meant to mention this previously Harry Knapman arrives as new Head Physio after his Exeter under 19s contract expired, former Stranrear physio Matthew Wallace also arrives to support him in the medical department, giving us the strongest medical department in the league.

Great start just got better

Nice to see a sea of green dots there, the only red being in the county Antrim shield a cup the club isn't that bothered about. Highlight was the sensational 3-0 away win over champions Linfield. We have started to consead some goals now but given the way fixtures have landed I've been rotating defence a fair amount. Did also take us till extra time to seal over Carrick in the League cup, fast becomming a bogey team.



Our fantastic start and Linfield stuttering giving us clear day at the top a mammoth 12 point gap by November and 14 point gap to the champions I'd have literally grabbed any opportunity if offered that in July. We also have a vastly superior GD which puts us in phenominal shape going forward.

A little bit of winning in my life

Form has been a little on and off but the results have remained, We've learnt to do something all good teams have to, pick up points when not playing well. A draw to Ballymena was our second in a row and at that point i started to worry, then the goals returned, everything was safe until Linfield at home. A very late equalizer kept our unbeaten record safe for now I thought we where the better team on the day but missed a load of sitters and Josh Magennis didn't need a second invite when nobody tackled him. Glentoran was my first derby v them after they got relegated just after I took over the job, maybe under estimated them slightly and gave alot of the players who where doing well in the B team a chance. Some of those lads where very deserving of that chance but 120 minutes was longer than it should have taken, although didn't help we played with 10 men from the 40th min when Gary Kinsella who's broke into the first team got sent off. The Glenavon game much like the Linfeild game we scraped for a draw, Linfield lost 4-3 to Portadown on the same day so we wheren't punnished for the poor performance. Then back in the goals towards the end of the month, helps Warrenpoints top scorer is on loan from us and can't play.



League see's Linfield maintain a 12 point gap to us with a further 7 to Carrick. They have closed in on our goal difference thanks to wins like 7-0 v Crusaders which broke their biggest win record. Talking of records, we've broke the league record for most games unbeaten, we've also broken our own highest attendance record and Matthew Shevlin has beat his own record for the clubs top scorer in the league already, with 14 games to go.

In other news the board have offered me contract talks, as of now I have declined, reputation hasn't increased once since my move across the Irish sea and in giving up the goal of turning the Northern Irish league into the best in the world I need to start thinking about my next move. I'm not getting any younger (although still young by manager standards). In accordance with looking at the next move I've decided to remove the Irish and Welsh leagues where honestly I just don't see me making the move now. I have added the MLS, A-League and South African leagues, not sure why but pretty tempted by a move to one of those nations should the right move present itself. Never managed in any of them either so would present whole new challenges to me.

Leaving on a high

Decided since i was leaving I'd play out the season before this update rather than one in the middle. We managed to remain unbeaten all season, form at the end did drop off didn't help Matthew Shevlin went down with injury just before the split for the second season in a row. The Irish cup final being a 6-0 win being the clubs record win and securing the treble was a lovely way to leave.









101 games total we played with Cliftonville and we leave a fans favorite. We leave with our first treble in management, a small reputation boost (upto 3 silver stars) and I've left whoever takes over with just a head scout leaving him room to bring his own staff in. I did attempt to keep some others for him the other 2 scouts Dickson and Bolochoweckyj following me in exit and apparently hope to work with me in the future. Other staff where asking for wages more than their worth. He will be left with a very strong squad that won 3 trophies and the reserves title in the past year, and a team that broke the league record points hall at an average age of just 22. I also left him with a strong pre season schedule.

TV money and prizemoney dropped in both the seasons I was with the club a trend that will likely continue, the board did beg me to stay and I was tempted to have a go. The CL money should make the club debt free and the board seem to agree flashing a £271k transfer budget my way. I didn't spend any of it the only player i was keen to get was Portadown's keeper.



As for those tipped to replace me, Liggett i brought in, in January for the Under 18s did ok and obviously knows the system i played, Robinson i don't know same with Bollan (at least their in game careers) however Roy Carroll was sacked from Glenavon just a few months ago and for that reason alone don't think hes ready to take on my mantle.

I will be looking for a new job but no rush, all options will be open but I won't just apply for any old job.

edit: Cliftonvile crashed out of Europe played well in a 1-1 draw in the first leg v Aktobe but then appointed Roy Carroll who drastically changed the system and they where outclassed in the away leg. I attended both matches. 2-1 defeat on aggregate. However does look like the club have adopted possession mentality as I requested to the board before i left.

England Baby

Before I go into who I'm moving to my aim for a job was lower end SPL, high end Scottish championship, mid-low end Championship or high end league one in England, or Australia or America. When I looked at league two of England there was literally one job that could attract me. It became available, and they offered me a wage i felt was fitting and as a result we're on the move to the promised land of football.





£1,000 a week is a huge pay rise, I have agreed not to apply for other jobs while hear and signed a contact to take me from today (7th November 2020) till the end of the 2021/22 season, which unless an offer comes I intend to see out at least of present. The board also agreed to my proposal of possession based football, something which has always been clear in teams I've managed previous.





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Progress being the club moto, one I can certainly back.

Club history sees the club spend the last 4 years in league two with an 11th place finish followed by 3 consecutive 7th place finishes. 4 trophies have been registered including a single FA cup in 1953, and a Championship in 1930. Twice Johnstone's Paint trophy winners in 2002 and 2004 and they won a Anglo-Italian cup in 1971. Highest league finish ever was second in the top tier in 1956. For a club founded in 1887 I intend to hopefully add to this history. Also to note looks like the club has changed hands in recent years, if not I don't think I'd have taken the job.



The stadium is one of the reasons why i signed for this club, my partner has family in Blackpool and having walked past it a few times I sheepishly fell a little in love. Bloomfield road hosts 17,000 all seater on match days since being rebuilt in 2012 (originally built in 1899). The rest of the facilities aren't exactly brilliant but enough that we can build on something.

Not sure how we're going to play yet, will work that out in the next but of time my first game is to Macclesfield away, in the FA cup they are a league below us so could be a good game to get momentum, in which I have exactly 2 hours 15 mins to prepare for. I do have a small transfer budget for the first time (not including the budget i was never going to use at Cliftonvile) which i will use to improve the squad in January. First home game is in 3 weeks to Stevenage. First protocol however is getting a scouting team I trust in place I will be allowed 6 scouts + a head scout and a scouting range of UK & Ireland. Will be looking almost exclusively at Scotland and Northern Ireland for some bargins.

First window @ Blackpool

So lets start with the hard, First choice keeper Freddie Woodman was injured when i arrived, our December started facing this



I'll start now with the changed to the backing staff.



Andy Mangan takes his first role in coaching offering us an attack coach. I'll reunite with Matthew Wallace, John Douglas, Bobby Dickson and Stepthen Symington all who worked for me at some point during my time at Cliftonvile. Bar Symington everyone takes up their old role Symington was meant to get first team physio role but didn't notice till terms agreed it was an under 18s role he took. We've also approached Michael Bolochoweckyj to rejoin me in our scouting team. Graham McAnuff was previously unemployed following leaving Exeter in the summer. James Sinclair also takes up his first non-playing role but is doing a very good job. Dave Leadbeater was also unemployed, previous roles at Middlesbrough and Swansea ranging from Scout, Head Scout and head of youth development. Richie Jones also takes his first role since retiring from playing in the summer, he wasn't first choice under 18s manager but every one who applied for that role wanted under 21s manager in their contract a role the board wont allow us to have.



Results have been positive I noticed a number of issues early on, defensively we where a shambles re-adjusted our training and that seems to have done the trick aswell as the team settling to new tactics. Since the win at Barrow we've found form and mixed with new signings new tactics and some good training that doesn't really surprise me too much.



we're now sat in 12th improving goal ratio and a game in hand. 9-0 win over Grimsby would take us into the playoffs. Ideally even with signings we still aren't strong enough for being promoted I'll explain that in detail later, but being honest the nut result would be getting to playoff final and losing financially and for growth.



We also managed to steal the January manager of the month award.



Chris Goodwin arrived the day before me so please ignore him but needed him there to show sale of Mark Little, nice little steal of £4.5k for that sale his contract was up in the summer and wasn't getting a new one. On the incommings we have Aaron Burns, the ex Linfield winger isn't much different to what we have already but was better in stats i prefer for the role, while Tom Barkhuizen was recommended in one of the scouts first reports he did previous come through the youth set up at Blackpool and is a local lad so was an ideal approach, has vastly improved that area of the team. Noel Black resigns from Cliftonvile, he was an integral part of the defensive team there and was exactly the kind of player we needed here, not sure why it went through as a £71k deal was £40k upfront and 20% of next sale with no other clauses to my awareness although does seem to be £2.55k going out per month for a year which confuses me at 20 years old and now playing full time football i expect Noel to develop at a decent rate despite the 8 determination likely to hold back abit. The last 3 are all loans till the end of the season, Dhanda has a future fee of £28k which won't be triggered unless Norwich renew his contract but there is a chance I will look to bring him back for next season, none of the 3 offer us paying any wages all will be first team (Norton once fit) and covered area's I feel we need improvement.

Only other transfer news to mention Johnny McKeever the lad our scouts plucked out of Northern Irish non-league has agreed a pre deal to join us, our current first team right back is a loan deal and McKeever like Black is young packed with talent and will more than do a job in this league.



Squad page is now slightly to large to show so tactics will have to do, squad was suited to adopting the exact same tactics that bossed at Cliftonvile so thats what we did. Need some improvements still but nothing desperate. Squad will weaken when loan players leave and striker wont sign a new deal something about being unhappy at being transfer listed which I assume was done before I arrived and didn't notice and take off, hoping he resigns soon, the rest leaving are deadwood.