Starting in Chester City..(CL C)

[Educated Hick]

I stood just outside the third base foul line watching the lads take fielding practice. I winced as another throw by the 13 yr old shortstop whizzed two feet to the left of the first baseman. I spat a stream of tobacco juice and held up my hand to stop practice. I walked out to the shortstop who was scuffing his feet nervously in the dirt. “Matt,†I said, “Don’t throw the ball sidearm after fielding the grounder. Instead, field the ball, take a couple of steps toward the first baseman, grip the ball and then throw three-quarters. That’ll improve your accuracy tremulously.†I then demonstrated, then walked back to my spot and play resumed. After about ten minutes, a car pulled up and a couple of men in coats and ties stepped out and headed my way. “Are you Bryan Alkire?†I said I was. They then asked for a moment of my time. I told them that I still had an hour of my practice left, but that I’d meet them at the pub down the street afterwards.

An hour and a half later, I ended the pub and joined the two men a table. All three of us ordered water and made small talk. Once the drinks arrived, I inquired as to what the men wanted. The older man said “We’re on the board for Chester City FC.†I took a drink of water and asked what the local football side wanted with me. “Bryan, we know you moved here ten years ago with your wife from the US. We also know that you were one of the best young football youth coaches in the US, yet you haven’t coached any football since you arrived in Chester, Whyâ€? I took another drink, and thought a bit. “Sirâ€, I replied “I was one of the best rising soccer coaches in the US, but I never could get along with the administrations- either they don’t give a **** about soccer and don’t give you the support you need or they care so much about the game that they look over your shoulder and interfere at ever turn.†I got sick of it and burned out. So, I decided to put my college education to use, packed my wife and then 5 yr old son and moved to England. If you did your research, you know I work for the got writing policy papers and doing research. I also coach youth baseball and am involved in my kid’s activities haven’t really given soccer much of a thought. “The two men regarded me in silence for a bit and then the other man spoke. “We’re looking for a man to manage the club. We’re a young team and in debt so we need a man that can work with the youths. You’re the best qualified in the area and you have excellent references. We want you.†I drained my water, stood up and said. “Tell you what gentlemen, I’ll discuss this with my wife and kids and give you an answer tomorrow night.†They left me the number to call and bid me good night.

I went home and over dinner told Faithe and the kids. Faithe, my wife and a successful writer of poetry and short fiction, was ambivalent, knowing full well that I’d crashed and burned ten years earlier. Steven, 15 and in grammar school, predictably thought it was a great idea. He’d had no memory of me coaching soccer. Katie 9, who was born after Faithe, Steven and I moved to England, also thought it was a cool idea. Both she and Steven were adamant supporters of Chester and wanted to see the team make the League. Faithe was won over when I gilded the lily a bit and raved about the support I would get from the staff and the chairman.

So, I gave the English got notice and two weeks later joined the Chester City FC. I realized things were going to be interesting when I met with the chairman. For starters, he was a couple of years younger than I was. He told me he wasn’t wealthy at all, and was running this club on a shoestring. He said he was basically insolvent and showed me the club’s books. He wasn’t kidding. Chester is roughly 500,000 pounds in debt and it was growing. He also informed me that he only wanted to see Englishmen at the club, would be cheaper he said. I left the office shaking my head and went to my small office and made practice plans. The two hour session showed me that two things were apparent. One- the coaching staff was inept and I sacked all them on the spot. Secondly, most of the players didn’t match my needs. Either they were non-Englishmen or they played the wing, which isn’t featured in my system. I placed these players on the for sale list and hoped someone would take them off my team. In addition, I listed some players would never make the cut.

That night, after practice, I burned the phone lines looking for coaches, an asst. manager, a couple of scouts and a couple more trainers. I got positive feedback from all my gabbing and offers were quickly made. Hopefully all would accept and we could start the season with a full lineup of staff.

[Educated Hick]

I stood just outside the third base foul line watching the lads take fielding practice. I winced as another throw by the 13 yr old shortstop whizzed two feet to the left of the first baseman. I spat a stream of tobacco juice and held up my hand to stop practice. I walked out to the shortstop who was scuffing his feet nervously in the dirt. “Matt,†I said, “Don’t throw the ball sidearm after fielding the grounder. Instead, field the ball, take a couple of steps toward the first baseman, grip the ball and then throw three-quarters. That’ll improve your accuracy tremulously.†I then demonstrated, then walked back to my spot and play resumed. After about ten minutes, a car pulled up and a couple of men in coats and ties stepped out and headed my way. “Are you Bryan Alkire?†I said I was. They then asked for a moment of my time. I told them that I still had an hour of my practice left, but that I’d meet them at the pub down the street afterwards.

An hour and a half later, I ended the pub and joined the two men a table. All three of us ordered water and made small talk. Once the drinks arrived, I inquired as to what the men wanted. The older man said “We’re on the board for Chester City FC.†I took a drink of water and asked what the local football side wanted with me. “Bryan, we know you moved here ten years ago with your wife from the US. We also know that you were one of the best young football youth coaches in the US, yet you haven’t coached any football since you arrived in Chester, Whyâ€? I took another drink, and thought a bit. “Sirâ€, I replied “I was one of the best rising soccer coaches in the US, but I never could get along with the administrations- either they don’t give a **** about soccer and don’t give you the support you need or they care so much about the game that they look over your shoulder and interfere at ever turn.†I got sick of it and burned out. So, I decided to put my college education to use, packed my wife and then 5 yr old son and moved to England. If you did your research, you know I work for the got writing policy papers and doing research. I also coach youth baseball and am involved in my kid’s activities haven’t really given soccer much of a thought. “The two men regarded me in silence for a bit and then the other man spoke. “We’re looking for a man to manage the club. We’re a young team and in debt so we need a man that can work with the youths. You’re the best qualified in the area and you have excellent references. We want you.†I drained my water, stood up and said. “Tell you what gentlemen, I’ll discuss this with my wife and kids and give you an answer tomorrow night.†They left me the number to call and bid me good night.

I went home and over dinner told Faithe and the kids. Faithe, my wife and a successful writer of poetry and short fiction, was ambivalent, knowing full well that I’d crashed and burned ten years earlier. Steven, 15 and in grammar school, predictably thought it was a great idea. He’d had no memory of me coaching soccer. Katie 9, who was born after Faithe, Steven and I moved to England, also thought it was a cool idea. Both she and Steven were adamant supporters of Chester and wanted to see the team make the League. Faithe was won over when I gilded the lily a bit and raved about the support I would get from the staff and the chairman.

So, I gave the English got notice and two weeks later joined the Chester City FC. I realized things were going to be interesting when I met with the chairman. For starters, he was a couple of years younger than I was. He told me he wasn’t wealthy at all, and was running this club on a shoestring. He said he was basically insolvent and showed me the club’s books. He wasn’t kidding. Chester is roughly 500,000 pounds in debt and it was growing. He also informed me that he only wanted to see Englishmen at the club, would be cheaper he said. I left the office shaking my head and went to my small office and made practice plans. The two hour session showed me that two things were apparent. One- the coaching staff was inept and I sacked all them on the spot. Secondly, most of the players didn’t match my needs. Either they were non-Englishmen or they played the wing, which isn’t featured in my system. I placed these players on the for sale list and hoped someone would take them off my team. In addition, I listed some players would never make the cut.

That night, after practice, I burned the phone lines looking for coaches, an asst. manager, a couple of scouts and a couple more trainers. I got positive feedback from all my gabbing and offers were quickly made. Hopefully all would accept and we could start the season with a full lineup of staff.

[Educated Hick]

Junly16th – July 23rd 2001

The first week of my tenure did not start out auspiciously. The previous idiot in charge had left a friendly schedule behind, but no one bothered to tell me till the day we had to depart for Scotland to play Stranaer. I got on the phone hand canceled the rest of the tour, but was stuck with this game. I looked at my squad list and randomly chose 11 players and told them to play a basic 4-4-2. It’s a wonder we didn’t get blown out, but we only lost 1-0 and actually played reseasonably well. After the game we returned to England and began training. The bids for staff were being accepted and slowly the coach’s et al was arriving. Everyone was in place and in their assigned role by the end of the week. The coaches were coaching, the scouting scouring the bushes and the trainers were fixing injuries. The players I’d put up for sale also drew interest. By the end of the week, several Welshmen and a couple of wingers had been shipped off to other teams for prices ranging from 10K to 40K. The rest of the misfits were sent to the reserves in the hopes that they would play well and draw scouts.

July 23 to July 30

Not much happened to Chester during this week. A minor scandal insured when I discovered that one of my best players, fullback Iain Jenkins, is Northern Irish rather than English. He was placed on the list and bids rolled in. I decided to attempt to ease the birder of debt with this sale. So I set a high price for Jenkins. If nobody pays we’ll sell him at a more reasonable price. The only news was that our Zambian dual national was selected to Zambia’s U21 squad, making him ineligible to play for Chester so he went on the list. During the week, the rest of the Conference was far busier than we were. Halifax acquired several players as did Dagenham and Redbridge. Farnborough hired a manager. Ireland hired, who else, David O’Leary to manage the national side. Those were the highlights. July ended uneventfully.

[Educated Hick]

August 1 to August 6

The big news this week was the Iain Jenkins sweepstakes. Several teams put in the large bids I requested: topped by a bid of 750K from Blackburn. If Jenkins signs a contract with them, that sum would pull us out of the red and neatly into the black ink side of the ledger. My scouts were active this week, recommending a free agent forward named Tony Clark. I viewed the videotape and concluded that he would never make the cut even though he’d spent seven years with Wycombe. Only two more weeks to go til the beginning of the season.

August 6-13

At the beginning of the week, Iain Jenkins agreed to contract with Blackburn and the deal went through. To show how huge this deal was for us, let me give the figures. After the deal was made, we had roughly 223,000 pounds in the bank. Thus, the deal lifted us out of debt and put us on solid footing. Two more youth signings occurred during the week. The more notable of the two was 15 yr old schoolboy striker Mark Fox. The tape of is interscholastic match showed that he had budding skills. Two or three years of good coaching and hard work should see him develop into a good player. At the end of the week Liverpool beat Arsenal 1-0 in the Charity Shield game and the season was less than a week away.

August 13-20

One of my scouts finished up his youth search and was told to go scout the UK for talent. It was a slow week for news as we were focused on our Saturday Conference opener against Northwich Victoria. On Wednesday the reserve went to the Vics and lost 2-1. Young Mark Fox was the only player who played well, bagging a goal and the MOM. On Saturday afternoon we played the Vics at home in the Deva Stadium. Since it was my first competitive match coaching soccer in nearly a decade, I was pumped. I had my pouch of chew ready, knowing I was likely to chew most of the tobacco during the match. The conditions were near perfect as my lineup headed out for the kickoff. An opening day crowd of 1614 saw us beat the Vics 2-0. The Vics failed to even get a shot off and were trapped countless times. For our part we picked the Vic defense cleanly and carefully. Captain Michael Twiss walked away with MOM honors.

After the match, I placed a couple of Irishmen that I belatedly discovered on the for sale list. Both Cary and Clare would fetch nice sums even if it would weaken the team a fair bit. On Sunday the bids rolled in for Clare.

August 20-27

The bids came in for Clare and I accepted most of them, asking for a slightly higher price. Cardiff came back agreeing to my new price on Tues as we prepared to take on Halifax there in the evening. It rained the entire match, but the pitch was dry and still fast. I trotted out the same lineup as the previous game. The rain didn’t bother us as we walked out 4-0 victors with all the goals coming in the first half. Once again, we dominated defensively, allowing Halifax one shot. Meanwhile we broke down their defense in shooting 9-12. All in all, a nice performance. This time, Mike Beasley, one of or forwards earned the MO<M.

This time the board was thrilled with our victory as it put us first in the Conference based on goal difference. Flushed with success, I decided to try to see if I could flesh out the team a bit. Realizing that the board was still pinching pennies, I deeded to hire three more scouts and set them to work. Bids were duly sent out to await responses. I also did a bit of head hunting on my own, dialing agents about players and offering a few contracts myself. Our next game was Saturday the 25th at home versus Kettering. As the week progressed, more bids for Clare were received. On Wed. one of my scouts recommended we sign 19 yr old David Marsh of Chelsea. Noting that Marshall would make an excellent AMC in my system, I approached Chelsea about loaning out the lad for the year at half pay. That same scout had finished touring the UK so I told him to hit the interscholastic games, junior league games and even pickup games to find youth blood for Chester. On Thursday, the reserves went to Kettering and blazed those 6-1. Fox was again named the MOM as he bagged another goal. The lad was drawing raised eyebrows among front office personnel already. Later that evening Chelsea rejected the loan offer. Being stubborn, I tried again, slightly altering the nuances of the contract. Later in the evening, the late news reported that Celtic’s Paul Lambert had broken his leg in training and would be out eight months. Ouch.

On Saturday morning before the match with Kettering, we got word that Rob Campkin had agreed to scout for us. I received the news while preparing for the match. Not that there was much to prepare; I simply used the same lineup and noted weather conditions. The weather and pitch were fine and we drew a lenient ref for the day. That meant a rough physical game. We won easily 3-0, battering their keeper 12-15 and playing tight defense. MOM went to second half sub Danny Collins, who scored a brace in his 45 minutes on the pitch.

The board was happy with the win as we continued to set the Conference alight. Rob Campkin was assigned to look for youth players. In other Saturday news, Liverpool beat Bayern on penalties to win the Euro Super Cup. Chelsea rejected the Marsh loan offer and Clare agreed to terms with Sheff. Wed. Netting us a cool 575K in the bank which would prove useful in the future With the Clare sale boosting profits, the board freed up about 500 grand for purchases. On Sunday, another scout, Martin Patching joined us and was assigned to scour the country. The last scout to sign, Spencer Field, arrived late on Sunday and was told to look for youth prospects.

[Educated Hick]

Aug 28- Sept 3.

Not much happened at the beginning of the week. On Wednesday we played Burton Albion at Eton Park. Conditions were good and I saw no reason to change the lineup. It proved to be a smart move. We won 4-0. Brodie led the way with a hat-trick. Again, we blasted away at goal 11-12 and held Burton to 2 shots. Whatever my coaches are doing to prepare the players for games, I hope they keep it up. We’ve now lead the Conference with a 4-0-0 record with a ridiculous 13-0 goal difference.

As expected, the board was thrilled with the win. During the rest of the week two of my scouts started their youth searches. On Thursday, our reserve match ageist Margate 1-0. On Friday the 31st I won the Conference Manager of the Month.

On Saturday September 1st played Margate at home in the Deva Stadium. Great conditions for a game and I didn’t mess with the winning lineup. It worked again as we won 4-0. This time, Davis the RMC won the MOM for a brace of goals. I’m running out of things to say about Chester. We’re simply smoking the opposition right now.

Of course, the board was thrilled with the big win. Of course they were more thrilled more with the monthly review. They were delighted with my job performance. Financially, we made over a million pounds in August. That money gives us more than 600K. That should make our tight chairman smile.

[Educated Hick]

Sept 3-10.

We start the first full week of Sept with a game at Southport. Conditions were fine and we drew a lenient ref for the third time this season. Southport managed to contain our offense and picked our defense apart to earn a tough 2-2 draw. The hot run is now over.

Over the weekend, the FA announced the transfer system changes. Our scouts found players, but the players were of the wrong nationality. Obviously the scouts weren’t aware of the non-English ban. Matters got even worse in that regard when the youth scouts recommended ill-suited players a couple of days later. It’s enough to make me fire them for incompetence, but, of course, I won’t….yet. Because of our early week game, we had till Saturday off, a nice break for the players who were recovering from injuries. On Thursday, our reserve side lost to Working’s reserves 3-2 at their park. Once again Fox put in a superb performance. It was hard to ignore the rumblings that the kid was ready for first team. On Friday, one of my scouts actually came up with a good player who I submitted a bid. On Saturday afternoon at the Deva Stadium. Conditions were good as we went out for the kickoff. We walked out 105 minutes later 5-0 winners. We hit all 10 of our shots and played well. The board was delighted as well they should be. In seven games, we’ve given up 2 goals and both of those were in the same game.

[Educated Hick]

Mon September 10-September 17

On Tuesday the 11th we traveled to Dagenham to take on Dag and Red. The game was played in the evening and conditions were good. In addition, we drew another lenient referee. It didn’t help us as we lost 1-0. In a way, it was a relief to lose as it took the pressure off us. We learned that if we shot poorly, we’d lose. It would give us incentive to train harder for our next game on Saturday at home against Forest Green. On Thursday our reserve side traveled to Forest and lost 2-1. At the end of the week, I accepted a bid from Droylesden for Shaun Carey. I also attempted to sign a youth player.

On Saturday afternoon we suited up to play Forest Green at home in the Deva Stadium. I figured we’d bounce back from the loss in the last game. 1025 cheering fans watched us beat the Green 3-1. Mark Beasley won the MOM for his goal and superb play. We shoot 12-18 and held off the Green.

On Saturday evening, the Boston United board sacked their manager Neil Thompson due to bad results. I spent that Sunday reviewing videotapes of youth prospects and attempted to sign them to contracts. We also welcomed Pickering to our reserve squad. In addition, Carey agreed to Droylesden’s offer. And left for 28,000 pounds.

[Educated Hick]

September 17-24.

The beginning of the weak was slow, just training to attend to. On Wednesday we signed 19 yr old AMC Jason Lay to play in the reserves. He has decent enough talent, but he’s no superstar. The League Cup started this week, I’ll report on those matches later on in the competition. On Thursday the reserves played at the Deva and drew 2-2 with Gravesend. Our resident Zambian international who I’m trying to offload scored the brace. Later that evening, another youth player signed with us. Justin Wilson is an 18 yr. old fullback. On Friday, Torquay made a bid for the Zambian- I had wondered who that strange gent in the stands was. That same afternoon, 18 yr old forward Matt Parker (a former Doncaster youth player) signed on a free. In the evening Harthoff, the Zambian happily went to Torquay for a cut rate 4000 pounds. Cheap yes, but it slashed the payroll a bit.

On Saturday September 22 we went to Gravesend to play them in an afternoon fixture. It was a bit hot by English day, but was still blissfully cool to this Missouri boy. Ten years in English weather and I still compare it to Missouri which is either a stove r a freezer depending on the two main seasons. At any rate we looked comfortable as the teams kicked off. Two hours later, we looked distinctly uncomfortable boarding the bus after a sloppy 0-0 draw. Neither offense was in sync and misfired a lot of the time. This was another ego deflating game as Barnet took 1st place from us. The next two days were filled with scouting reports and bids on players.

[Educated Hick]

On Monday, Boston announced that they had hired Scotsman George Burly as their new manager. Nothing happened at Chester as we prepared for our home game against Nuneaton Borough on Tues. Match day dawned sunny and cool. In addition to favorable weather, we drew another lenient. Ref, the fifth of the year for us. I had gone back and reviewed the tapes of our previous ten games and so adjusted the lineup for the game based on good form. 1336 fans saw our winning ways return in style with a 4-0 drubbing that saw four different players’ bag goals for us. Our tenacious defense retuned as well holding NB to 1 shot and trapping them offside a whopping 23 times. All in all, a nice way to start off the week.

As one would expect, the board were thrilled with the win. Wednesday was my birthday, which was celebrated quietly with my family. Steve and Katie have suddenly become very popular at school now that Chester is winning. I shudder to think what will happen to the phone when we win the Conference as I believe we will. That evening as I was enjoying my one birthday drink, Spencer Field called me up to inform me that he’d scouted an ex Man U youth named Neil Wood. He described the lad in glowing detail and so I called Wood’s agent and made my sales pitch. On Thursday the reserves drew 1-1 with their Hereford counterparts. Mark Fox scored the crucial goal and won the MOM. His compelling matches are forcing me to consider calling the kid up to the first team even though he’s a callow 15, not even fully out of school yet. Friday passed uneventfully as we prepared for our Saturday afternoon fixture at Hereford.

I spent the drive to Hereford wondering if this was the location were the cattle breed was first raised. It was a pleasure to stare out on a pleasant sunny day. The boys arrived in high spirits and Chester was energized at kickoff. The game ended a 1-1 draw as we couldn’t covert endless opportunities. Very frustrating.

After the game, back at the office, I received word that Gary Lynch, an 18 yr old midfielder had agreed to a contract with us. Slowly but surely, the youth ranks are filling up. The more we have, the more likely we’ll be able to develop good players. On Sunday we sealed a contract with young Lewis Fielding. In a nice ending to September, our forward, Mark Beesley was selected as the Conference Young Player of the Month. Also in the news late that night was the fact that a new board had taken control at Derby County earlier that day. They had cleared the club’s massive debt and made some money available for transfers. I found myself glad to be here where finances weren’t a worry as I hoped the monthly review would prove the next day. But that wasn’t the end of the soccer financial news reporting. There was a story on the Everton mess and how’d they’d have to slash their roster. There was also a story on Wolves becoming a PLC meaning the manager was suddenly at the mercy of the common stockholders. Must be fun.

[Educated Hick]

Mon October 8-15

On Monday morning Charlton and Burnley dropped out of the Harkness lottery. That didn’t bother me as other suitors were offering contracts to the player. Indeed, that afternoon, Harkness went to Leicester for 300,000 pounds. The move canceled out last month’s debt and removed a huge salary off our books. He was making 250 grand a year, the next highest is Neil Wood at a more modest 55 grand a year. So every banker in the area was happy to see Harkness leave. Other than that bit of news at the beginning it was a slow week. On Thursday we signed 18 yr old Junior Hewitt. Hewitt will be a resave side forward. On Saturday morning we finalized the signing of Stockport’s 19 yr old right fullback Glynn Hancock. He’ll be starting at right back for us. He’s done well in his nine appears for Stockport’s reserve side and was cheap so I figured it was worth the gamble.

On Saturday afternoon, we began the FA Cup by playing Farnborough at the Deva Stadium. Conditions were fine and I didn’t change the lineup, leaving Wood in the starting slot. The game was over by halftime as we pounded Farnborough for four goals in the first half. Coulson added a 5th with a dodgy penalty and we went out from there. Now we were drawn in the FA Cup First Round. The board was merely “pleased†with our performance.

After the game, we received word that Hancock and Carl Leaburn, a dangerous target man had signed with us. Both moves bolstered our depth and allowed me to finally construct a first team proper. On Sunday afternoon we drew St Albans away to start our FA Cup hopes. After doing some squad adjusting I realized we were two midfielders short of a 22 man first team, so I started calling agents and teams to see if I could find a couple of midfielders that could play for us. My scouts recommended a couple of good fillers.

[Educated Hick]

Guys, I've been fighting an inconsistant internet connection for the past week. Some days it's fast, others it's painfully slow. That's why I haven't been on the board much.

Oct 15-22

On Monday, Preston’s Mark Rankine agreed to terms with us. He steps into the hole at CMC. We got a good player for 90,000. Not a bad deal at all. Our next match wasn’t for almost a week and half so we had plenty of time to rest and recharge. On Wednesday we completed our first team midfield by adding Leke Odunsi from Millwall for 55K. He’s only 20, but he has the skills to play at the Conference level. With the first team complete, the only additions would be players that could bolster the team. On Wednesday night Kidderminster announced the hiring of Chris Kamara as their manager. The scouts came and went as this slow week progressed to a close. A boring week indeed, but it was good for the players.

[Educated Hick]

Oct 22-29

Monday morning started with an article in the paper about Yeovil’s slump. Apparently the press was of the mindset that the team wouldn’t be able to turn around. The first team was excited about finally being able to play a game. It wasn’t until Saturday, but the intensity had picked up in practice. On Wednesday the FA Cup replays were held and the First Round crystallized. On Friday we agreed to terms with Leo Fortune-West and signed him from Cardiff for 110G. West is a powerful target man. His signing makes Leaburn expendable. Leaburn was placed on the for sale list even before he’d played a game for us and naturally he was shocked by the move. It probably caught everyone by surprise, but he makes too much money, a fact I didn’t discover until the bean counters forgot to do their Emron accounting. So I slashed his value and selling him.

On Saturday we suited up for our afternoon game against Stevenage at home in the Deva Stadium. It was a breezy cool day so long balls wouldn’t work for this match. I trusted my players to realize that and adjust accordingly. I put all the new signings into the starting lineup plus replaced Guyett, who was serving his suspension. As it turned out, my players didn’t need my help. It was clearly Mickey Brown’s day as scored a brace of goals before the 15th minute was past. He added a third goal in the second half to complete his hat trick and we went away 3-0 winners. Rankine Odunsi and West all played extremely well, proving they were sound additions to the club.

The only downside to the match was that McIntyre was suspended for one game for getting sent off. As usual, the board was pleased with our win. Sunday went by with only scouting reports to attend to.

[Educated Hick]

Mon Oct 29-Nov 5

If two weeks ago was boring, then the beginning of this week was even worse. The only news was that Burnley had signed a player named Tim Cole from Dag and Red. Wednesday, in addition to being Halloween was also League Cup day. We would have our next match away at Doncaster in a week. That evening the Conference handed out the monthly awards. For the second month in a row, Beesley won the Young Player award. In the news it was revealed that Sheff. Ute’s manager Neil Warnock was sacked due to the fans. On Thursday, the big news was that Celtic had signed Dennis Rommerdahl for six million pounds. In Chester news we signed youth goalkeeper Whiting. We also released a passel of youth players who were holdovers from previous administration and who were bloating the roster.

The monthly review came in as well. The board was pleased with my job performance, but wasn’t thrilled with the financial side of things. Given that we had lost over 120,000 pounds in October, I couldn’t dispute the point too vigorously. I promised I would hold the line on spending and sell Leaburn to ease the wage bill. On Saturday we received word that our December 1st match against Scarborough had been switched to the morning to accommodate TV. That was fine with me; we’ll benefit from the exposure.

[Educated Hick]

Monday November 5-12

On Monday in the national morning news, Preston’s manager Craig Brown was linked to the vacant Hibs job. Tuesday was spent preparing for the game at Doncaster, but once again, the pitch was in fine fettle. McIntyre was suspended for this match, so Davies took over at LMC; the rest of the lineup stayed the same.

On Wednesday we traveled to Doncaster for an afternoon game against the Rovers. Conditions were less than ideal. It was a cool, some would say cold, day and it was raining. Thankfully, the pitch was in good shape. But the drizzle would surely affect play. I stuck with the lineup that had won us the last game. The rain affected the play which was sloppy, but we won 3-0. West hit two goals and sub Davies added a penalty late in the second half. Doncaster was simply unable to do anything on offense getting only one shot of all day. As twas to be expected the board was delighted with the win and we set about preparing for Saturday’s game at Yeovil. On Thursday our reserves beat their reserves 3-0 at the Deva Stadium. Leaburn was the MOM. With that showing he was professional, I decided to bring him back up to the first team and give him a chance to earn his hefty paycheck. I then placed the odd man out Brodie on the list and he drew immediate interest. In fact, on Saturday before our game with Yeovil, Wigan put in a bid for him, which I negotiated slightly upwards.

We played Yeovil at Hiush Park. It was an afternoon game and was cool and rainy. McIntyre was suspended for the match so Davies took over at LMC. Otherwise the lineup remained the same. As it turned out, the rain didn’t affect a fine offensive show. The fans in their umbrellas got a 4-2 match won by Chester. Beesley led the way with two goals and West and Brown each chipped in one apiece. As usual the board was pleased with the win. The congrats are getting old to be honest. On the national news that night, the highlight was Kenny Miller scoring 5 goals in the Wolves First Division win over Rotherham. That was a new record.

Also on Saturday evening we received word from the FA that a couple of our matches had been rearranged. First our December 8th game against Farnborough had been shifted to the morning for TV. That meat we would be on TV for back to back matches. Secondly, our Conference match with Barnet had been moved to January 9th to accommodate Barnet’s Vans Trophy match. The change gave us the week off until next Saturday when we would face St. Albans in the FA Cup. Capping off a busy news-filled Saturday was the news that Walsall’s Colin Lee was sacked because the supporters were unhappy with his performance. On Sunday we were entered into the draw for the FA Trophy. We started the competition in the second round. We were drawn Leigh RMI at home in the Deva Sodium. That evening was full of soccer staff news. Brantford’s manager Wally Downes had been sacked because of fan unrest. Yeovil’s Gary Johnson had been fired as well. In his case the caning was due to his general incompetence than anything else. On a more positive note, Sheff Utd had hired Peter Reid as their new boss. It was a fitting way to close out the media week.

[Educated Hick]

Nov 12-19

Monday morning Wigan got back to us to tell us they’d accepted our revised price for Brodie. On Tuesday Hull put in a bid for Brodie. I immediately told them to raise their bid. They said they’d get back to me. Later that day Spencer Field arrived in my office with a videotape. It was a Welsh Premier match and the focus of attention was on one Danny Barton. As I watched him transfixed, I found my hands were shaking. This guy was a perfect fit for my AMC…world-class dribbler, good passer, good speed, his only weakness was in long shots, but I figured that wasn’t important. I called Carmarthen Town with the 65K they were asking for him. I discovered to my dismay that the board would only allow me to spend up to 90,000 pounds on transfers. I hoped it would be enough.

On Thursday Hull faxed us back saying they’d pay the 220000 I’d asked for Brodie. On Thursday afternoon I received a terse message from Caemarfon Town rejecting my bid. They view Barton as an “indispensable†member of their team. I wired back that I would pay 80K for him. On Friday the big news came from outside the UK. Hyypia had won the Finnish Player of the Year award. In addition to the laudatory news there was a bit darker item. Figo had been placed on the transfer list by Real Madrid after a contract dispute wasn’t getting anywhere.

On Saturday afternoon we played St. Alban’s in St. Albans. Conditions were ideal and we’d drawn a lenient referee. I wasn’t anticipating any trouble with this match. I decided to start Leaburn and give Beesley the day off. We won 2-0, but Albans were scrappy and played tough. Only goals from West and Leaburn gave us the win. It was nice to see the two top wage earners on Chester to do well. They earned their game paycheck at any rate. On Saturday evening Wimbledon announced that they were sacking their manager Stuart Murdoch to placate the fans. On Sunday afternoon we were drawn in the FA Cup Second Round. We would play either Barnsley or Boston Utd and be the visiting team. In the last news item for the week, Walsall announced that they had hired Walter Smith to be their new manager.

[OMDave]

Enjoying this. Always nice to clear a debt and build a better team, all at once, too...

[Educated Hick]

Cheers Dave. Nice to know someone's reading this story. I couldn't figure out why the team brought in so many overpaid players to begin with. I wonder how they did in real life with the roster they had in the game before I took over.

Nov 19-26

On Monday Yeovil announced Brian Kerr was their new boss. On Tuesday evening, Brodie agreed to terms with Hull and left Chester for 220000 pounds. The move should help the coffers a bit. On the late news, it was reported that Brentford had appointed Gerry Francis to be their new skipper. It was a long week of training as we didn’t have a match at mid-week. Our next match would come on Saturday and was the FA Trophy match with Leigh. On Wednesday Caemarfon accepted our bid for Barton. However, when we contacted Barton’s agent to discuss terms we hit a wall. Having told the agent that Baton would be a first team regular, the agent told us that Barton would expect 275,000 pounds per year. Our board had budgeted 35,000 pound per year. We offered the 35, plus a generous signing bonus and a clause that allowed him his free transfer if we weren’t promoted. The agent was non-committal and said he’d relay our contract to Barton. I knew it was going to be a tough sell, but we had to try.

On Saturday we played our FA Trophy game at home against Leigh. It had rained all night and morning, but it had quit by game time. Nonetheless, the pitch was soaked and generally wet and very cool. We did get a break by being assigned a lenient referee, so it wasn’t all bad to start the game. I stuck with the same lineup as last game, saving Beesley for the Conference matches. The game was no contest. 244 dedicated souls saw us take Leigh to the woodshed whupping them 7-2. Brown led the way with four goals and Williams, Wood and Leaburn contributed. To be fair, the Leigh starting keeper Andy Ross was having a brilliant game and then left injured on 35. Leigh didn’t have a backup keeper on the bench so they put in their starting forward with predictable results. Still, we hit 13-19 so the win can’t be entirely due to the emergency goalie’s abysmal play.

After the game, the board expressed their approval of the match and noted that the match had set a couple of records. First, our six game winning streaks were the longest in Chester history. Secondly, the 7-2 was the largest win in club history. Thirdly, Brown’s four goals set a new club record for goals scored in a match. It was an exciting day all around. On Sunday the Third Round draw was held and it transpired that we would face Dag and Red or Northwich BVics at the Deva Stadium. That evening, Barton’s agent called to tell us that his client had indeed turned his nose up at our offer. This time we offered 170000 pounds per year and a signing bonus of a hundred grand and a free transfer clause should we be relegated? Big money yes, but this player was worth it. Also, the FA called to say they were pushing back our conference game with Kettering to January 23rd.

[Educated Hick]

Monday November 26-December 3

Wimbledon started the week off on Monday morning by announcing that they were hiring Roy Hodgeson as their new gaffer. On Tuesday, Barton accepted our generous terms and became a member of Chester City. To make room for him on the first team, Danny Collins was dropped to the resaves. Once again, we got the mid-week off as it was devoted to FA Cup Replays. Our next game was on Saturday morning at Scarborough and would be broadcast on TV as the Conference Game of the Week. After the replays, we found out that Boston Utd would be our opponents in the Second Round. Meanwhile, the League Cup was winding its way down to the quarters. Since the FA Cup was next Saturday on the 8th, our game with Farnborough was rescheduled for Wednesday January 2. On Thursday the reserves played for the first time in a while and lost 2-1 to the Scarborough boys. Mark Fox, the 15 yr old wonderer kid now has an average of 7.36 in 11 reserve contests with four goals and assists. Thankfully, there’s no need our four part to expose him to first team football so quickly. On Friday, the last day of the month, I won the Conference Manager of the Month award. In the national news Bradford was reported to be bankrupt and headed for the creditors.

On Saturday December 1, we played Scarborough on TV in the morning. It had rained all night and thus the grounds were wet and so was the pitch. In addition, it was cool, 10 degrees Celsius. I placed Brown on the bench and started Barton. I also gave West a game off and put Beesley in his stead. Leaburn was also named the captain. It didn’t take long for Barton to make his mark as he buried a goal on the third minute. Later in the half he set up Odunsi’s goal and was subsequently voted the MOM after the game as we won 2-0. Not a bad way to make a debut eh? As they are with any Conference win, the board was happy. It assuaged the monthly report that was handed to me later that night. They were happy with my performance but we’d lost over a hundred and thirty grand last month. We were still well into the black overall, but every businessman hates to lose money that has no tangible results. Fair enough. I was done signing players except for youth players.

On the national news it was reported that a pair of managers had received the boot earlier today. Billy Dearden had been sacked from Notts Co. due to supporter pressure. Andy King got the same treatment from the Swindon board for much the same reasons. Once again the firings made me glad that my job was safe. Peer pressure can be powerful indeed. As was proved on Sunday when Burry’s Preece bit the dust as a player and manager. Thankfully, that was the end of the bloodletting for the week.

[displaced_seagull]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Educated Hick:

_Cheers Dave. Nice to know someone's reading this story. I couldn't figure out why the team brought in so many overpaid players to begin with. I wonder how they did in real life with the roster they had in the game before I took over._

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nearly went bust, IIRC - American Chairman, Terry Smith, who was, to put it mildly, a bit of a fruitcake.

[displaced_seagull]

Bah, didn't notice that - Nice work Bry

[Educated Hick]

D_S- Cheers for the info. I'd say the chairman was a fruitcake with finances.

==================

Monday December 3-10

The first of the week was slow as the players took the weekend off and had to get back to training. On Wednesday we found out that we would play Dag and Red in the FA Trophy. In addition, the League Cup Quarters were played. Man City, Tottenham and WBA all advanced. On Thursday we signed Andrew Dobson, an 18 yr old defender on a free. On Saturday morning paper to the game we signed young goalie Lee Winters on a free as well.

On Saturday afternoon we went to Boston to play Utd in the FA Cup. It was an ugly cold, wet, rainy, windy day. At least the pitch was playable. I stuck with the same lineup I’d been using lately. It was a sloppy game, but we were winners by the score of 2-0. Hartswell and Odunsi scoring the goals. The board was happy with the “upset†victory. Not that it was much of one mind you. Boston Utd doesn’t have much superior talent to us. That night three more England managers got the sack. Tennent at Burnley, Exeter’s Cornforth and Wigan’s Jewell all found themselves looking for work. On Sunday we were drawn into the Third Round. We would play Hull at the Deva Stadium. Our Saturday match with Margate was rearranged for midweek so that we could play in the FA Cup. That evening, Notts Co. hired Craig Johnson as their new bosses.

Monday November 10-17

As usual, the week got off to a slow start. On Tuesday, Swindon and Bury announced their new managers, Flynn and Yoroath respectively. On Wednesday the League Cup semis were drawn when Liverpool beat Arsenal 2-0. Once again the Margate fixture was rearranged, this time to January 30. On Thursday our reserves bet Leigh at the Deva 2-1. On Friday we signed young defender Richard Bowyer on a free.

On Saturday we traveled to Bolton to play Leigh. It was a fine day except for the fact that the temperature was hovering just slightly above freezing. I played West instead of Leaburn for this one and made Mark Rankine the captain for the match. In an outstanding performance by several players, we pasted Leigh 7-0. Barton had a hat-trick and west had a brace. Several players had career days. Naturally the board was thrilled with the huge win. Of course, it was a club record and a nice way to finish the week. Three more managers bit the dust in the national news that night. At this rate the English Leagues will see total revamping by the end of the season.

[Educated Hick]

Monday December 17-24

Monday had a bit more news than usual. There was an article on Charlton’s slump and whether they could fight their way back. Chester was featured as well as a “steamroller†through the Conference. There went the winning streak I thought sourly. In the last bit of news for the day, Burnley hired Lawrie Sanchez as their new manager. On Tuesday, Swansea hired Howard Kendall as their skipper. On Wednesday Exeter hired Kevin Hodges to be their manager. On Thursday the reserves went to Telford and lost 3-1 in a sloppy game. That evening Wigan hired Roy Evans to guide them out of the wilderness. Moses he wasn’t, but that’s what Wigan fans were hoping he was.

Saturday afternoon at the Deva was winter weather all right. Rainy, windy and cool. I stuck with the lineup that had dealt RMI the pasting. A crowd of 1081 saw us win 2-1 in gritty fashion. Behind most of the first half, we showed fortitude in nailing a second half goal that clinched the win.

For once the board had nothing to say; that knew as well as I did that our win was lucky. On Sunday Stoke appointed Ray Graydon as their skipper. A couple of my scouts finished their searches and were reassigned. That concluded the weekend.

Mon Dec 24-31.

With Christmas nigh, there wasn’t much to begin the week with. Everyone was too busy making last minute preparations for the 25th. On Christmas day itself, I held a light practice in the morning so that the players could go gorge themselves afterwards. I then celebrated Christmas with my family as we opened gifts ect. I don’t hold with that Boxing Day customs, so Steve and Katie got all their gifts on Christmas itself. It was a fun and festive day, marred only by the fact that I had to spend the evening game planning for the Northwich Vics match the next afternoon. In the late news it was reported that Notts Co. had hired Danny Wilson as their new boss. This meant that both Bristol clubs would be searching for managers. In addition, Rochdale hired Colin Todd as manager- it must have been one of his most memorable gifts ever. Wycombe took a different tack in appointing their new manager. They gave Coventry’s assistant manager Eric Black his first shot at managing a club on his own. More Christmas joy I’d wager.

At any rate, feeling fat and contented, we headed to Northwich to play the Vics on Wednesday afternoon. It was an ugly day, drizzling and just above freezing. I stuck with the same lineup as the last game and hoped we weren’t feeling the effects of too much ale and meat pie. Neither team played well in the slop nor did hangovers and Northwich score a second half goal to earn the 1-1 draw. That ended our winning streak, but that wasn’t important except to the stat pundits. We had a game on Saturday to worry about now.

On Wednesday the international media praised young Javier Saviola to the skies. The praise was well-earned, but Barca’s manager downplayed the praise, probably fearing the youngster would become a swll-head. Bad move as Saviola is now in a huff. He should come around though. On Thursday our reserves went to Burton Albion and got stomped 3-0. The performances were so poor that I had to hand out official rebukes to a couple of players.

Saturday afternoon at the Deva was pleasant enough even if it hadn’t warmed up any. It was a typical day for December. I was hoping for a good end to 2001 and this match would conclude our play for the year. I gave Beesley and Davies the day off, subbing Leaburn and McIntyre. 1731 hardcore fans showed up for our 4-0 pounding of Burton Albion. Barton scored two of the goals and Odunsi and West chipped in one each. Not a bad day for the “new signings†department. Shows my scouts knew what they were doing. As it was it was a strong statement to end 2001. The only downer was that Twiss got injured and would be out two weeks with a twisted knee. Coulson will have to step up now. The board was thrilled with our match and was running out of things to say about our team. On Sunday morning youth AMC Rich Young signed with us.

[Educated Hick]

December 31-January 6

On Monday the Conferee awards were handed out. Barton won the POM for 5 games with 8 goals/2 assists and 5 MOM. Phenomenal performance to be sure, I just hoped he could keep it up. That evening the Chester papers ran articles on Barton’s start and asked me for comment. I concurred with the writers, saying that Barton’s performances were impressive indeed. Also in the news was a piece on Everton’s continuing financial woes and the fact that Bristol Rovers had hired Brian Little to boss the club. On Tuesday the board conducted their monthly review. They were glowing about my performance with Chester and were happy with my “rapport with the fans.†However, the financial side of things was murky. We’d lost about 68000 pounds and the bank was down to around a quarter-million pounds. Not good when the high was 600000 pounds. On Tuesday, the papers printed an article predicting that we would get promoted. I decided to let the positive press ride and not say anything one way or another. It seemed that 2002 was getting off to a reasonable start and I hoped Wednesday game would continue that trend.

Wednesday January 2, 2002 was a cold day. By game time in the afternoon, the thermometer read below freezing. Thankfully the bus ride to Farnbourough was comfortable. I told the players to wear thick socks and our long-sleeve jerseys. I figured they’d stay warm running around the pitch. Beesley and Rankine returned to the lineup. Odunsi got the day off. The defense was reorganized as well. We won 2-0, thanks to goals by Barton and Guyett. It was a sloppy win, but a win nevertheless. The board was pleased with the win. Frankly, there wasn’t much to be impressed about. Portsmouth had a scout at the game to watch Beesley. He didn’t see much. Beesley was ok, but was taken out at the half.

The rest of the week passed quickly. It was FA Cup action once again. Third Round and we were playing Hull at home. It was a normal Saturday afternoon for early January and I felt confident that the boys could pull off a win against a D3 side. I gave Wood a start up front and put Beesley on the bench, leaving Leaburn out of the squad. Otherwise, the lineup remained the same. With Barton and West leading the way with a double each, we defeated Hull 4-0. Of course, the board was thrilled as we showed we could compete against Division Three sides, something to keep in mind for next season hopefully. In other news, West Ham issued a press release stating that Roeder’s job as manager is safe. Already odds are being set and taken for the day and week in which he’ll get the ax. 15 year old AMC Justin Bowler signed with Chester today, which gave Fox and Pickett a buddy to hang out with. On the evening news Heskey and Hasselbaink

On Sunday afternoon, the Fourth Round was drawn and we would face Burnley at the Deva. That would be an interesting game for sure. Of course our match with Southport, which had been slated for that date, was moved to Wednesday February 6th. Also in the evening news was the announcement that Bristol City had hired Robbie Williamson to fill their managerial vacancy. That concluded what had been a busy week.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

================================================================================================

2001/2 Table

================================================================================================

Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1st Chester 21 9 0 1 30 3 6 4 1 28 8 49

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2nd Barnet 22 4 5 2 23 15 8 2 1 28 14 43

3rd Southport 21 5 3 2 19 10 7 2 2 23 14 41

4th Gravesend 21 8 1 2 23 8 4 2 4 12 13 39

5th Doncaster 21 5 4 2 17 11 6 2 2 22 16 39

6th Dag & Red 21 5 5 1 16 7 5 2 3 19 17 37

7th Stevenage 22 6 1 4 18 11 4 4 3 16 17 35

8th Scarborough 22 5 5 1 23 14 3 4 4 12 14 33

9th Morecambe 21 4 2 5 15 16 5 4 1 19 13 33

10th Farnborough 21 5 3 2 18 14 4 3 4 16 18 33

11th Telford 21 6 0 4 15 14 3 4 4 14 20 31

12th Kettering 21 5 2 3 16 11 4 1 6 14 20 30

13th Margate 23 6 1 5 23 20 3 2 6 10 18 30

14th Burton Albion 22 4 1 6 16 20 4 1 6 8 16 26

15th Hereford 22 2 3 6 17 21 5 1 5 19 21 25

16th Nuneaton Borough 21 4 4 3 16 15 3 0 7 10 20 25

17th Halifax 22 6 1 4 14 17 1 2 8 11 22 24

18th Yeovil 22 4 3 4 14 15 2 0 9 9 21 21

19th Woking 22 2 3 6 15 20 2 4 5 14 24 19

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

20th Forest Green 22 4 1 6 10 16 1 1 9 9 26 17

21st Northwich Vics 21 3 2 5 18 18 0 5 6 6 19 16

22nd Leigh RMI 22 2 2 7 14 29 1 2 8 6 19 13

================================================================================================

2001/2 Senior Club Stats

================================================================================================

No Name Apps Gls Con Pens Asts Yel Red MoM Av R

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Bagnall, Scott - - - - - - - - ----

- Barton, Danny 6 8 0 0 2 0 0 5 8.50

- Beesley, Mark 22 11 0 0 2 0 0 4 7.68

- Blackburn, Chris 0 (2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.50

- Bolland, Phil 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 7.00

- Bowyer, Richard - - - - - - - - ----

- Brown, Mickey 19 (3) 14 0 0 3 0 0 4 7.27

- Brown, Wayne 25 0 13 0 0 0 0 0 7.04

- Butler, David - - - - - - - - ----

- Carden, Paul 10 (1) 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 6.91

- Collins, Danny 2 (4) 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 7.33

- Coulson, Tom 9 (1) 2 0 2 (2) 0 0 0 1 7.30

- Culshaw, Paul - - - - - - - - ----

- Davies, Ben 22 (1) 8 0 2 (2) 10 0 0 4 7.48

- Davies, John - - - - - - - - ----

- Dobson, Andrew - - - - - - - - ----

- Field, Lewis - - - - - - - - ----

- Fortune-West, Leo 9 7 0 0 1 2 0 1 8.11

- Fox, Mark - - - - - - - - ----

- Guyett, Scott 11 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 7.09

- Hancock, Glynn 11 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 6.91

- Hatswell, Wayne 21 4 0 0 4 3 0 0 7.33

- Hewitt, Junior - - - - - - - - ----

- Howell, Mark - - - - - - - - ----

- Kelly, Jimmy 3 (3) 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 7.17

- Lancaster, Martyn 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.00

- Lay, Jason - - - - - - - - ----

- Leaburn, Carl 5 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 7.80

- Lynch, Gary - - - - - - - - ----

- McIntyre, Kevin 17 2 0 0 6 0 1 0 6.82

- O'Brien, Chris 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ----

- Odunsi, Leke 11 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 7.00

- Parker, Matt - - - - - - - - ----

- Picken, Philip - - - - - - - - ----

- Rankine, Mark 10 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 7.40

- Saker, Blake - - - - - - - - ----

- Sugden, Ryan 0 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.00

- Towey, Kevin - - - - - - - - ----

- Twiss, Michael 25 0 0 0 7 0 0 1 7.40

- Whiting, Louie - - - - - - - - ----

- Williams, Mark 15 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 6.73

- Wilson, Justin - - - - - - - - ----

- Winters, Lee - - - - - - - - ----

- Wood, Neil 2 (4) 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 7.33

- Worsnop, Jon - - - - - - - - ----

- Young, Richard - - - - - - - - ----

</pre>

[Educated Hick]

January 7-14

On Monday, Jamie Davies, a 17 yr old midfielder signed with us and rejecting Boreham Woods. He adds more youth and depth to the reserve squad. On Tuesday we prepared for our match on Wednesday. In the news was a report that Ipswich supporters have been booing their club recently during the team’s run of bad form. On Wednesday morning we received word that our match with Barnet had been canceled due to bad weather. Well, wasn’t surprising because the hail was hitting our windows too. That meant our next match would be against Halifax at home on Saturday. That evening, as the weather continued to be bad, we received notice that John Davies had signed with us to boost our reserve squad. Darlington also sacked Tommy Taylor from the head job. On Thursday our reserves traveled to Halifax and lost 1-0. Nobody played badly, they were just flat. On Thursday night, we filled the reserve squad completely by signing 19 yr old fullback Jones. With 22 first-teamers and 28 reservists, we had a full squad. This meant the scouts would get a much-needed break from their duties for a while. On Friday the 11th, Twiss returned to full training, welcome news for us.

Saturday afternoon at the Deva was cold and wet…the pitch was damp and muddy. Not ideal at all, but I figured we’d muddle through somehow. Once again, I rotated the forwards and the defense in my lineup. The game was close until late in the second half when we added two goals to pull away 3-0. Our shot volume helped to win 10-17. B. Davies, Barton and Leaburn scored the goals. Leaburn came on in the second half for an injured West. Barton was the MOM and after the game west was diagnosed with strained knee ligaments and would out for a solid three weeks. As expected, the board was pleased with the win. For once there wasn’t any news on the weekend. Several of my scouts finished up searches and went on their vacations. For once all the English managers survived the weekend. I’m guessing the turnover will slow down now. Well, check that, Roeder was sacked by West Ham, which helped some betters win quite a bit of money.

Monday January 14-21

The beginning of the week was slow as we prepared to play our makeup game with Barnet on Wednesday evening, the sky was sleeting and it was below freezing, but we did draw a lenient ref. I started Leaburn in place of West. That was the only change I made to the lineup as the boys walked out into a cold hell. We won the game in the first half. We scored three with Barton netting two and Beesley one. The second half was an exercise in staying warm and getting the damn game over with. The surprise was that given the weather 1324 fans bothered to show up. They saw Barton notch another MOM. The board found the warmth to say “good game.â€

On Thursday evening, Darlington hired Neil Warnock to be their new manager. That was the only news for the rest of the week until our Saturday afternoon game against Dag and Red. It was the third round of the FA Trophy.

Saturday afternoon at the Deva was cold and rainy. It was drizzling, but at least it wasn’t sleeting. I decided to not change the lineup for this game. Wayne Brown finally had a bad game, giving up two goals in under tem minutes to start the contest. But Barton put us on his skinny back and carried us. He scored a penalty in the first half then added two more in the second half. It was the game of his career, and that’s saying quite a bit. He gave us the 3-2 victory.

On Sunday, the FA Trophy Fourth Round was drawn. We would play Stevenage at their pitch. That caused our Conference match with D&R to be rescheduled for Wednesday February 24. In the evening, West Ham announced that they’d hired Alex Smith to try to stave off relegation.

[Educated Hick]

Monday January 21-28

No news for the beginning of the week as we prepared for our Wednesday game. On that Wednesday afternoon we went to Kettering. The game would be played in lousy weather. We had sleet and below freezing. I gave Leaburn the day off and started Wood instead. I also gave Odunsi the day off, starting Kelly in his place. We lost 2-1 as Kettering took advantage of our crappy shooting 4-13 to sneak two goals past Brown. We would have been shut out if Barton hadn’t scored in stoppage time. We just played ugly and lost. To worsen the loss, after the game, we found out that Twiss would be out for 3 weeks with strained ankle ligaments and Hartswell would be banned for a game for collecting yellow cards.

Our 17 game non-losing streaks were over, but we had to look past that. On Thursday, the bad week continued as Kelly went down for 3 weeks with a damaged foot. Hopefully folks will be able to step up and cover for the injuries. On Friday, the negative trend of the week only continued as Mark Beesley showed up for training hangover and out of shape. I reprimanded him and he apologized and said he’d do better. But he’ll still lose his starting spot for the weekend

On Saturday afternoon we hosted Burnley in the FA Cup Fourth Round. The pitch and sky were dry for the game and we had lenient official overseeing things. Those two factors should combine for an exciting game. I made a few adjustments to the lineup. With Twiss and West out our chances of beating Burnley rest on our home field advantage. 5276 souls crammed themselves into the stadium to watch the game. Might be our biggest revenue producing game of the year. That was good enough to see us through as we beat Burnley 2-1. Barton and second half sub Mickey Brown scored our goals and the team held on for the win. The board was pleased with the win, though I’m sure they were wondering how this would affect the Conference season.

On Sunday afternoon the FA Cup Fifth Round draw produced an interesting match up. , Chester vs. Leicester at the Deva Stadium. The match up would feature two division leaders. Chester trying to regain entry into the League and Leicester trying to regain entry in the bright lights of the Prem. It’d be a battle for sure. As a result of the added game, our Conference match with Morecambe was rearranged for Wednesday February 27.

[displaced_seagull]

Still very good - and what a result to beat Burnley.

[Educated Hick]

Cheers Stuart. Haven't played cm for a few days, other things are taking up time atm, but here's an update.

Monday January 28-Febuary 4th

As had been the norm for a while now, the beginning of the week was slow. No domestic news of note. On the international scene, Italian side Sampodoria hired their new manager and forward Diego Tristan was praised for being one of the best players

The players ignored all this as we got ready for our next match on Wednesday. That afternoon we played Margate at Margate in brutal conditions. It was hailing and below freezing, but we had no choice but to play. The FA had run out of scheduling dates. I stuck with the lineup that had beaten Burnley, though I put McIntyre at LMC and I put Beesley back on the bench. The hail presented us with no problems however as we won the game 3-0 with Barton, Leaburn and McIntyre. We just played well and Barton continued his fiery play nailing a perfect 10 for his performance in this game.

On Thursday the 31st, Wigan put in a bid of 70K for Beesley. I told them to up the bid of 120K. They said they’d get back to me shortly. In the afternoon the reserves played at the Deva Stadium and lost to Forest Green 3-2. No standout performances. That evening the January Conference awards were handed out. Barton, who has been on fire, won the Player of the Month award. On Friday the board gave the monthly meeting. They were delighted with my job especially the rapport with the fans. They were even pleased with the finances as we had made 46,000 pounds or thereabouts. At any rate we went into Saturday’s game.

On Saturday February 2, we traveled to Forest Green for an afternoon game. Conditions were nasty with a drizzle and wind at cool temperatures. The only good thing was that the ref assigned to us was an easy bloke and allowed the players to play. I didn’t bother changing the lineup. Everyone just wanted to play and then go home. We scored five goals in the first half to win in a walk off. The only bad thing about the match was that Barton went off with a twisted knee and would be out for two weeks. At least it wasn’t a more serious injury. The board was happy with our great game, but we were just happy to get indoors.

February 4-11

On Tuesday, we sold Beesley to Wigan for 120,000 pounds. It was a shame to see him go, but finances before loyalty. I brought up 16 yr old Mark Fox to replace Beesley and sent my scouts looking for a backup forward or a youth player. On Wednesday, our home evening game against Southport was postponed due to bad weather. This meant our next game would be on Saturday FA Cup game. During the practice session rearranged to fill time, West revealed that he was fully fit to play in Saturday’s game.

Saturday afternoon brought us FA Trophy action against Stevenage. When we arrived at their park, we found it cool, windy and wet. The pitch was damp, meaning the ball was going to be slowed down considerably. I shuffled the lineup a bit, putting Brown at AMC and West at forward. It didn’t do much good as we lost 1-0 and crashed out of the Trophy. We had only 3 shots in what was our worst offensive production of the season. I guess the team has become too reliant on Barton. That evening, on the news, Millwall announced Tony Pulis as their new manager. On Sunday, our Conference match with Stevenage was rearranged to April 17th.