joshpmilton Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Hi guys. After playing the game for years, and being a forum member for quite a while now I've decided that Football Manager 13 is the year that I'll share my career save with the world. Been meaning to do one of these for a while, and my hope is that by chronicling the career, it'll spur me on when otherwise I may have considered starting over. History (me, the player): Started playing the Championship Manager series back in 2000, when I bought a copy of CM 1999/00 on the cheap as it was well past release date. Previously I'd played other management games on PlayStation (Premier Manager 98 & 99) as well as Ultimate Soccer Manager on the PC. However, once I started playing the CM series I knew it was different. My highlight before it all changed, was leading my beloved Tranmere Rovers to the Premier League and constantly dueling with Manchester United for the title, once winning the title with a stoppage time goal at Old Trafford. Unfortunately, I could never take that glory on into Europe, where I was consistently bettered by Barcelona & Leverkusen. Moving on to the FM series, my favourite game to date was participating in the Dafuge challenge back on FM08, when I guided Maidstone United to the Premier League from the Conference South. As with the Tranmere save above, the ultimate glory was close, but just too far from my grasp - after a year in the top flight, we were relegated back to the Championship. I vowed to take the Stones back to the top flight, however lost in the Play-Offs that season and despite all that I'd achieved, was removed from my position at the end of that season. The Aim: Pretty simple really, starting from the bottom I'm hoping to win as much as possible. I've always been a big fan of the 'rags to riches' style journeyman career, so I'll be starting unemployed, with a Sunday League reputation. The chance for the fans of my first club to say, "It all started with us", and the probable situation that somewhere along the way there will be a team that thinks, "I can't believe he's won the Champions League, he was crap when we had him". The Set-Up Club: Unemployed History: Sunday League Footballer Leagues Loaded England (Blue Square North/South & Above) France (CFA & Above) Germany (Third Division & Above) Italy (Serie C2 & Above) Holland (Jupiler League & Above) Northern Ireland (Second Division & Above) Portugal (Second Division & Above) Republic of Ireland (First Division & Above) Scotland (Third Division & Above) Spain (Second Division B & Above) Wales When I start games I like to avoid the clubs that begin the game without a manager, it feels slightly unfair to jump straight in at the beginning. So I will ignore all jobs until September, when I will begin to apply for jobs. A quick couple of start up screen shots for you all to enjoy: Manager Information & Manager Profile Let the madness begin! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 and the probable situation that somewhere along the way there will be a team that thinks, "I can't believe he's won the Champions League, he was crap when we had him". I get that a lot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeLikeFM Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Friday Night Lights is epic! Will be following this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 After a year of waiting for the perfect job, the wait is finally over (or rather, it was on Thursday when I was playing). I applied for a handful of jobs, including at strugglers Welling United in the Blue Square Bet South & Llanelli in the Welsh Premier League. However, I didn't believe either job was right upon getting to the negotiation stage - wages already over budget, and limited scope to turn things around. In the end I played through the entire 2012/13 season and waited for contracts to end or for the clubs from the Isthmian, Southern & Northern leagues to be promoted. What presented itself in the end was the opportunity to manage a club that my friends attend regularly in real life. And so, the first step in my lengthy managerial career is with east Brighton based Blue Square Bet South side Whitehawk. After some lengthy contract talks I was only able to secure a one year deal worth £350 p/w, a whopping £50 more than I was originally offered. So, some screenshots so you can see what it is I have to work with this season. Manager Profile - Biography Whitehawk Information - Squad - Staff - Facilities - History - Competition Expectations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehawk_F.C. As you can see, a challenging season ahead with the media giving us very little chance to stay up this season. However, a small trophy cabinet and literally no player records at all gives plenty of room for me to begin my legacy and leave my mark on a club right from the off. Happy to answer and questions and if you'd like to see anything else, then give me a shout and I'll happily stick up a screenshot. Come on you Hawks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 I get that a lot Friday Night Lights is epic! Will be following this. Thanks for the interest, hopefully I won't disappoint! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 Finished my first season with the Hawks last night, so will be posting a full season review this evening. Season two will probably feature more regular updates (monthly or bi-monthly), but wanted to get season one done & dusted first. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paolo Willenté Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Will be following this one. Liking the FNL reference too good show! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypanimz Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Good luck! Hope it goes well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRL88 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 The Hawks Love that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Good luck with Whitehawk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMtillidie Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 good luck mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 Season 2013/14 - Whitehawk FC Blue Square Bet South Evening all. As mentioned earlier, I've completed the first of many seasons on my only FM save this season. It was a tough old season for the Hawks, and we appear to have suffered from a similar uphill struggle to a few of the others starting out the bottom - a leaky defence. I'll be interested to see Dafuge's challenge thread to see what Whitehawk's reputation is, as I suspect it'll be quite low. Apologies in advance for the length, no monthly updates means I have to capture it all in one go! In future, they should be a bit more concise. Blue Square Bet South Media Prediction: 21st Board Expectation: Avoid Relegation Final Position: 14th I'll start with the main issue, the final league table. As you can probably see, we didn't struggle for goals, in fact none of the sides in the division did, Sutton United scored 79 and finished 19th! The problem for us was our inability to defend, and we seemed to particularly get hit by conceding goals directly after scoring ourselves. I'm putting it down to a lot of my players having very low concentration, only two have above 10. In truth we never really challenged to break into the top half, despite finishing five points off 11th place. This is shown in the position chart, which shows we only got as high as 13th for two weeks right at the end of the season, only to face champions Newport County on the last day of the season and drop back to 14th. FA Cup Board Expectation: 4th Qualifying Round Achieved: 4th Qualifying Round So we were quite fortunate with the draws in the FA Cup this season, facing Ryman League opposition in both the 2nd & 3rd qualifying rounds. We got passed Kingstonian quite easily, but conspired to try and through a comfortable lead away. Folkestone Invicta was trickier, as they deservedly took us to a replay. Fortunately, our ball winning midfield Kieran Tarbie scored our only hattrick of the season to secure a tie away to Blue Square Bet Premier side Eastleigh. Having achieved our goal and not exactly setting the Conference South alight, I decided to field a weakened side. The reserve side battled hard and we came away with a respectable 1-0 loss. FA Trophy Board Expectation: 1st Round Achieved: 1st Round Similar to the FA Cup, the goal of the FA Trophy this season was to meet the bare requirements, and if the game was going to be too strenuous, then bail out. In theory, this should have been two winnable games, as we were drawn against the two worst sides in our division. However, such is life these ties were scheduled to be played around the same time we were due to play them in the league, which was far more important. Having beaten Bromley in the league a week earlier, once again I put out a weakened side and was content I'd achieved the boards aims for the season. The Manager Profile Overview Biography History So come the end of the season, I entered negotiations with the chairman to ask for a contract extension, given that I'd achieved all their aims for the season. Frustratingly, they weren't prepared to budge on the length of the contract as I was looking to get at least a two year deal. In the end I accepted their offer to extend my contract on the same terms for a further year. It gives me more time to develop the club, and hopefully a better showing in the league will convince to offer me a better deal next year. Whitehawk FC Squad Transfers Staff Finances Boardroom Confidence Records Such is the way with starting at the bottom the players you receive can be somewhat erratic. As a result, the high activity levels in the transfer market were to bring in players that were needed to plug gaps. I was particularly pleased with my capture of James Hartson, an 18 year old Welsh lad released by Portsmouth and he's done well to support Spencer Walker who scored 24 goals in 41 appearances. One other transfer of particular note was Ahmed Abdulla from Barnet who had five league appearances at the club with an average rating of 7.06 during his loan spell. I've been taping him up ever since, constantly going to the press rating him as his contract is up at the end of the season, and I'm hopeful of capturing him permanently. After the season ended, the board announced that in order to meet league regulations the Enclosed Ground would need an additional 450 seats. Unfortunately, despite managing my wage budget all year this £58k investment means we ended up losing quite large chunk of money by the end of the season. So with my new contract signed and a lovely new stand being put in, I can now look forward to planning ahead for the 2014/15 season. Two big things for me to do before I can really crack on with that. Firstly, conduct a review of all my staff and see if what is available out there is any better and secondly, use whatever staff I do have available to sign a new defence. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I plan on doing smaller, more regular updates to hopefully slim down the end of season review too! Come on you Hawks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 Good luck! Hope it goes well. Will be following this one. Liking the FNL reference too good show! Good luck with Whitehawk good luck mate Cheers guys! As a fellow FMCU newcomer/long term player (though my first CM experience was five years earlier than yours!) about to start a journeyman career, I wish you good luck- this looks very interesting. Also debating whether to adopt your 'no immediate applications' policy- probably settle down before one season though! Thanks! Yeah, I probably left it too long really before taking a job, but pretty happy with Whitehawk so far. Although, I'm slightly worried that I might out grow the club quite quick! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abulezz Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Quite a decent first season - its obvious that you need to be scoring more goals to have a chance at promotion, but thats just one star striker away at this level! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Pre-Season 2014/15 Minimum Requirements Board Expectation: Mid-table Media Prediction: 20th FA Cup: 4th Qualifying Round FA Trophy: 1st Round Season Odds: Promotion - 50/1 So after my last update I was feeling quite confident that I was going to be able to push on this season, and in my head I had a top half finish as a minimum. However, when it came to renewing the contracts of my players I found that they'd all become incredibly greedy and were asking for 200% pay rises on their old deals. Being a bit arrogant, I decided they weren't that great and that I could find some better players out there for less than they were asking for. My transfers subsequently had a lot more outs than I had wanted before the new season. After a lot of searching, including getting vast numbers of players in on trial, I have been able to build a moderate squad. I'm not happy with the depth in all positions, however I am currently looking to bring in a few loans to help pad it out a bit. As far as on the pitch was concerned, we had a positive run of results including a particularly pleasing 2-0 home win over Portsmouth. Otherwise, it was a fairly safe summer tour of Sussex, although we were 2-0 down to Hassocks in the first game, and need an 89th minute winner by then on trial Charlie Gorman to win it. The hard work starts now though, and to help me out I've appointed pretty much an entirely new backroom team. In particular, I've managed to get a couple of French fellas in to the set up on non-contract deals making the most of the new Director of Football & Head of Youth Development positions. In order to improve my chances, I've also given my tactics a bit of a refresh, and I'm hoping to play with a bit more possession and pass/press my way up the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypanimz Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Promising pre-season and a very good win over Portsmouth. Good luck this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Cheers bud. The Portsmouth team appears to have been quite strong too, which is particularly encouraging. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abulezz Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Wow - great friendly victory vs. Porstmouth! If that is any inclination to how strong your squad is, the season is going to go quite well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 That or Portsmouth are in for a long season in League One! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 August 2014 So after my hesitations during my pre-season update, it turns out that I needn't have worried too much and that Portsmouth result was precedent for things to come. As you can see, we've had an ridiculously good start to this season, winning all five of our opening games. What's been particularly pleasing, has been that although we've not dominated possession in all the games, we've restricted the oppositions chances, which we've managed to see out before scoring a glut of goals. The Chelmsford City game was really satisfying as we we were 2-0 down at half time, and we came back to steal all three points with a late winner - it was Hassocks all over again. Needless to say, with a start like that the awards weren't far behind... As I mentioned in my season review previously, I have been blessed by Spencer Walker, who appears to be one of those players who just scores goals. In my first five games, he's scored seven goals, but yet didn't pick up player of the month. As you can see he has some pretty moderate attributes, but he's been banging them in for fun! The start I think is a combination of players like Spencer Walker playing above themselves, as I've tweaked my formation slightly and I have now also got players who suit the roles that I wanted to use, whereas last year I had to kind of make do. An Advanced Playmaker in the centre who is used to playing that role has been absolutely key for example. I'd probably have rated this squad as lower in quality than last year before the season began, but hopefully they'll prove me wrong! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abulezz Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Fantastic start to the season - 5 wins in the first 5 games is quite an accomplishment! Spencer Walker looks like hes going to be the best player in the whole conference all season long Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Cracking start to the season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Brilliant start to the season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Wow, unexpectedly excellent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 September 2014 Much like those of you who have read my last update, I was stunned at our start. I have only been able to explain it by somehow finding an odd glitch in the ME or something, because I'm at a loss to explain what is happening. However, the bubble was sure to burst wasn't it? By agreeing to achieve mid-table, not the bare minimum of avoiding relegation, I thought I'd handed the board the nails for my coffin. Absolutely mental. It wouldn't be so weird to me, if it wasn't for the fact I'm only just recovering from Tranmere Rovers going 12 unbeaten in the league in real life, now my FM team are somehow taking it up a notch. The key match of the month was our away game at Farnborough, where we led 2-1 against the run of play before conceding an equaliser. I was expecting the first defeat, as 2nd in the league had the momentum; however, we reacted well and went on to score twice and wrap up a comfortable 4-2 win. The amount of late goals is pleasing to see too, as our fitness & determination appears to be better than our rivals. Bizarrely, probably our toughest test of the season so far came in the form of Ryman League Division One South side Crawley Down Gatwick, where we struggled to get out of first gear. As usual, Spencer Walker popped up late on and we denied Crawley Down a replay, and allowed us a much needed rest. The 3rd Qualifying round has drawn us away to Tonbridge Angels in our next game, which the news item handily informed me that we're unbeaten in our previous two meetings with the Kent club. I'm on edge going into each game thinking, "this'll be where we finally lose" and everything seems set up for our FA Cup tie to be 'the one'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 Fantastic start to the season - 5 wins in the first 5 games is quite an accomplishment!Spencer Walker looks like hes going to be the best player in the whole conference all season long Cracking start to the season Brilliant start to the season Wow, unexpectedly excellent. Cheers all. This start has taken me completely by surprise, and I'm almost suspicious about how well things are going. We're all but safe already and we've only just reached October! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abulezz Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 And the streak continues! Obviously, you are doing something right Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 October 2014 Well the fun had to end somewhere, and it was a home defeat to Woking that appears to have burst our bubble. We racked up an impressive 12 consecutive wins in all competitions, which I'm pretty sure is the best winning streak I've ever had on a CM/FM game. I've pretty sure I've gone unbeaten longer, but not with so many consecutive wins. To be honest, I think our great start has finally caught up with us, and we've had a few injuries catch up with us - at one point I had all three right backs at the club out injured. Our first team can perform pretty well, which is how we've reached the FA Cup 1st Round, but beyond that we're a bit thin. Still, after 14 games we're in second, only goal difference keeping us off the top. The 5-0 defeat to Bishop's Stortford was particularly painful, as we actually dominated but just couldn't defend. Just as I thought we might be getting over that, we threw away a 3-0 lead against Welling United, and were lucky to come away with a point. The Welling result I'm happy to hold my hands up on, I asked them not to get complacent and all my players kicked off. Won't do that again! The key now is for us to pick up a bit of form once we go out of the FA Cup. With a couple of key signings (clearly a non-injury prone right back would be nice), then I think we have a chance of staying in the Play-Off spots by the end of the year. If we continue on the run of form we're on however, then another mid-table finish is in store. What's worse, if I have a terrible run, then I'll be in a worse situation with the board than if I'd plodded along in 12th all year. On the plus side I am pretty happy with the two news items below tying down our two strikers for another 18 months at least - particularly crucial for Spencer Walker who was with the club on a non-contract basis. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Interesting promotion battle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypanimz Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Great start to the season. Opened up a nice gap to 6th position as well. Keep it up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 November 2014 The slump continued into November, and we struggled to get anything out of games. At first I was hoping it was fatigue, but when key players continued to misfire, I knew it was more likely to be that my tactics were beginning to creak. I decided to play around in the FA Trophy tie against Woking, which appeared to be working at first but the slump continued and we lost to Boreham Wood in the following game without so much as a whimper. I reverted to a tactic more like the one I'd start with, albeit more attacking as I'd recognised my goalscoring had dropped off. This had the desired affect and suddenly we found ourselves winning our last two games, and somehow we've gone back to the top of the league. So we're back on top of the league as we begin to head into the toughest part of the season. December looks relatively OK, and the early departure from the FA Trophy may well be a godsend. However, January sees us play seven games in a month, which will undoubtedly be the make or break time of the season. By the time we reach the end of January we'll only have 12 games to go, so we really need to be in the Play-Off places at the end of the January if we're to make the most of this sensational start. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 You know when one club just seems to have a hoodoo over you regardless of how they are doing? Bath City are driving me crazy, and are unbeaten against me in four games so far on this save. Just lost 3-1 at home and had THREE Goals disallowed! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 December 2014 Despite a rather frustrating defeat to Bath City, as described above, we had a pretty strong month; however I was struggling to pin down exactly what the best starting tactic is. I've managed to determine that by being a bit more conservative that we are a bigger threat on the break. 10 points from a possible fifteen has kept us in the title hunt, and pushed us eight points clear of Billericay in 6th spot. As I mentioned in my last update, the key now is to keep within touching distance of Bishop's Stortford by the end of January, after which it's a straight sprint for the finish. Critically though, St. Albans marked the beginning of the return fixtures from when we won 12 games in a row. If we can have a run half as successful as that we'll be in with a great title shot. Part of the reason we've managed to stay level with Bishop's Stortford is the performance of my goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, who I signed from Boreham Wood towards the end of last season. He'd had a number of high performance matches, and kept us in games we should really of lost. As with Spencer Walker, I thought I'd share him with you all. Annoyingly, he's incredibly ambitious and he's already told me that he feels he's above the club/level. I've told him to be patient and that I'm hoping to get us promotion this season, which seems to have placated him for now. Although he's contracted for another year after this one, he might be trouble if we fail to win promotion. Unfortunately that's it from me for a few days, as I'm off to London for the weekend. However, I'm planning on completing the season on Monday, so excuse the inactivity followed by the splurge of posts in a few days time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 Evening all. After my weekend away down south, I've spent some time catching up on some the FM action that has been taking place in my absence. Some cracking developments so far, so hopefully the good times will continue for everyone. One thing I did want to ask before I move on to my own update, is where there is anything specific you guys would like to see included in my monthly updates? I'm conscious of the fact that at this point of each thread that a lot of similar updates & pictures are probably being posted, so want to make it more interesting for everybody. You'll also notice that thanks for the point in the right direction by danielgear, I've got some nice shiny new badges for all the clubs; however this (or the update) appears to have wiped out my profile picture. Anyway, on to the football... January 2015 If you recall, last month we struggled but managed to end well hitting a little bit of form heading into January. Unfortunately, we failed to keep that up and I struggled a bit to keep the points coming in. As I mentioned in my last update, I'd been playing around with my tactics to get the form back, and I think I may have finally returned to a more successful formula. This has seen us remain in second place and firmly in touch with Bishop's Stortford, which is exactly what I had hoped for. We've now got just twelve games before the league season is up, and it's vital we're in the promotion picture. The positive thing being that we are 9 points clear of sixth place, and so if we can keep up some respectable form we should secure at least a Play-Off spot - far above where I though this team was capable of achieving. On another good note I've chased the board about a new deal as the one I signed in the summer was only for a year. With an unlikely promotion possible, but not guaranteed, it seems unlikely that I'll get quite the same chance next year to have another go. I wanted to see if I'd be offered a longer deal this time around, or whether they'd stick to a one year deal - something that would make me consider looking for new employment if the promotion campaign turned out to be unsuccessful. They've come back with this offer, which is disappointing as they have refused to negotiate beyond 2016. The plan is to focus on the job at hand, and see where we are in June I think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 February 2015 Well that was a quick month. We had just three games in February, so I'll do a proper review in March, which too has just three games. The next game is the big one, as we face Bishop's Stortford at the Enclosed Ground. If you cast you mind back (or scroll up if you prefer), we got hammered by them in the first fixture, so I'm particularly keen to prove we're still in the title hunt despite dropping to fourth. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 March 2015 Well the dreams of winning the title are long gone. Our continued inconsistency has resulted in a dip in form at just the wrong time, and we lost to two of the other sides in the top five just when our season needed a kick start. To stop the rot, I've tried to bring in a few loan players, who I'd be chasing for a while. Unfortunately it made little difference during the month and we slipped down to fifth place. Really trying to bring our players out of a slump, but we've stopped scoring goals now, which is worrying. We need to pick up some wins quickly, otherwise we'll either lose in the Play-Offs without so much as a whimper, or worse fail to make the play-offs at all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
withnail316 Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Get in there Bishop's Stor.... err, sorry, wrong thread! Hope you can hang on in there, man. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Not long left to hang on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Cheers for the support guys. I motored ahead and finished the season last night, so planning on doing an end of season review when I get home from work later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypanimz Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Cheers for the support guys.I motored ahead and finished the season last night, so planning on doing an end of season review when I get home from work later. Really looking forward to seeing how you finished. Left us with a cliffhanger!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
o JaY Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Hope you've cemented the play-off spot or even possibly snatched the title! Great season so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Season 2014/15 - Whitehawk FC Blue Square Bet South Blue Square Bet South Media Prediction: 20th Board Expectation: Mid-Table Final Position: 3rd This season felt like it took forever to complete, despite the fact that we've been at the top of the table for most of the year. We started unbelievably well, with a 12 game winning streak in all competitions, 10 of which in the league. We were unstoppable until we reached mid-October, when we were beaten at home to Woking on 11th October. This was the beginning of a run of six games without a win the league, which lasted until a 2-0 over Dover Athletic as late as 25th November. The run included a 5-0 hammering by Bishop's Stortford, a result that would ultimately go some way to deciding the title. After that we would run through hot or cold spells, either winning three or four in a row or going the same length of time without any victories. Another critical run of games, including the return fixture against Bishop's Stortford & an away trip to Dorchester, saw us fail to win in five games in February & March and ended our title challenge. Or so I thought. We ended the season unbeaten in six, winning the last four games and really put the pressure on both Dorchester & Bishop's Stortford above us. In the end, we'd given ourselves too much to do and we couldn't really expect to finish above either side, as we'd given both sides six points this season. We had to settle for the lottery of the Play-Offs, and thanks to our 3rd place finish we were drawn against Braintree Town - a side we'd beaten in our final winning run. Before I go on to the Play-Off games in more detail, I unfortunately encountered a bug. The game handily informed me that as Braintree were seeded higher than Whitehawk, they'd be at home in the second leg. Needless to say, I wasn't best pleased but had no choice but to play on. Play-Offs Semi-Final - 1st Leg (Whitehawk vs. Braintree Town) Despite finishing third, we were at home to Braintree in the first leg. We never really got into the game and both sides struggled to take hold of the game. The season changing moment took place in the 82nd minute, when Braintree Town's Nigel Cowley gave the visitors the lead. We now had it all to do and through caution to the wind, knowing a loss would be very difficult to turn around. Semi-Final - 2nd Leg (Braintree Town vs. Whitehawk) The tie was finally balanced as we headed to the Cressing Road Stadium, knowing the second goal would be crucial. It was a nervy affair, again with neither side being much better than the other - although Braintree did create more chances. With time ticking away, our tactics to neutralise the home advantage began to shift towards nicking a goal, before moving rapidly to an assertive attacking mentality. However, it wasn't to be as in the 75th minute, Braintree struck again and secured a 2-0 aggregate victory that secured the Iron a place in the final. Naturally, I was gutted but we'd not done enough in the two games to beat them, and they deserved their place in the final. Play-Off Final (Dorchester Town vs. Braintree Town) Braintree really struggled as the away side and found themselves 1-0 down inside 10 minutes. Things seemed to shift back in their favour soon after, as Dorchester's Ashley Nicholls was sent off in the 14th minute. It seemed to take both sides a while to settle, but Braintree finally made the most of the extra man just before half time, equaliser in the 45th minute - the inevitable seemed to be in motion. Dorchester had other ideas, and despite being a man down James Smith struck again for the Magpies and the favourites were leading against the odds. The last half an hour was like a seige, as Braintree chased the goal that would take the tie into extra time. Braintree however didn't need extra time, and thanks to a late show, stole promotion from the desperate locals scoring firstly in the 89th minute to level up, before scoring again in the 91st minute to clinch promotion! FA Cup Board Expectation: 4th Qualifying Round Achieved: 1st Round Despite initially wanting to focus on the league, our dip in form meant we needed to try and get back to winning ways wherever we could. As I mentioned in my September update, our biggest test had been away to Crawley Down Gatwick, where we snuck through thanks to a Spencer Walker winner in the 94th minute. This set-up an away tie at Tonbridge Angels, where we cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win, drawing us at home to Farnborough. The Farnborough game was our only win in all competitions in the terrible run I mentioned above, however an away tie at fellow Blue Square Bet South side Bath City saw us crash out in the 1st Round. Bath City have been a constant thorn in my side on this save so far, and I can't wait to be rid of them! FA Trophy Board Expectation: 1st Round Achieved: 3rd Qualifying Round By far and away the least important aspect of my management for this season. We were struggling to manage our squad around our league & FA Cup games, so I took an early decision to not take this seriously. We got a home draw, however Woking simply outplayed us and our participation began & ended with a 2-1 defeat. The Manager Profile Overview Biography History Whitehawk FC Squad Transfers Staff Finances Boardroom Confidence Board End of Season Summary Records Honours Summary All in all this season has been a mixture of unbelievable highs, but ultimately ended in a relative low. I'd never have thought we'd finish as high third in the league, however once we reached the Play-Offs it's naturally disappointing to fail to achieve the success that was just out of reach. Worryingly, our finances have been on the decrease, despite the fact I've yet to pay a penny for a transfer and my wages are yet to exceed my budget. Once more Spencer Walker was our most important/consistent performer, ending the season with 23 goals in the league from 44 appearances. The problem was finding a player to play alongside him, with no other player scoring more than eight in the league this season. If we can secure another striker who can bang in the goals, perhaps an unlikely promotion is achievable. Annoyingly, you may remember, that my goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux had asked that if we failed to gain promotion that he be allowed to leave. With the pain from the Play-Offs still very much raw, he handed in a transfer request. The only positive is that so far, despite trying to cash in, is that we've not received an offer for him yet and he is contracted for another year so we might be able to keep hold of him. 2015/16 First things first, I'm still yet to sign a new deal with Whitehawk. I want to secure a longer deal with the club rather than having an annual contract negotiation, but so far this hasn't happened. I'm hoping that we might be in for a reputation bump, and this might force the hand of the chairman. I'm happy to remain with the club, unless of course a larger one comes knocking with me practically out of contract. If I do stay on the south coast, then realistically I'm hoping to achieve at least Play-Off spot for the second season in a row, hopefully going a step further. However, all four of the sides relegated from the Blue Square Bet Premier are from the south, with the most northern being Dartford. It's going to be a tough season, so Play-Offs could be too far for us unless we can improve significantly. Critically, due to the continually decreasing bank balance, we really need a big FA Cup tie, or a decent FA Trophy run to bring us closer to the black. We might need to compromise our league performance for a bit of long term gain. Finally, I've decided that for 2015/16 to space my updates out a little, doing two month mini updates. This will allow me to add a bit more meat to each update, whilst also moving the game forward quicker. Once more, if there is something you'd like to see on a one off or regular basis, let me know I'll post it. Come on you Hawks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 Really looking forward to seeing how you finished. Left us with a cliffhanger!! Thought I'd build a bit of suspense! Unfortunately it wasn't to be this year, but maybe we can make the last step this time around. Hope you've cemented the play-off spot or even possibly snatched the title! Great season so far. Thanks! Had hoped that given our start we would get promoted, but our squad just wasn't strong enough. I think I know where to strengthen, so it might not beyond us next year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abulezz Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Spencer Walker doesnt look like much, but by god, is he efficient! Congratulations on the promotion Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 He defies all logic and reason with his goalscornig record! I wish we'd been promoted! Unfortunately, it is another year in the Blue Square South for the Hawks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 30, 2012 Author Share Posted October 30, 2012 I tried to negotiate a new deal longer than a single year, but the board just wasn't having it and although I was happy to continue to negotiate, the club weren't and so I found myself out of work. Obviously disappointed after such a terrific season, even being recognised as the division's Overachievers. Ultimately it suggests that Whitehawk & I weren't a good match - or rather the chairman & I weren't a compatible match. On the plus side it gives me a chance to develop with a new club and possibly a new country. I've applied for quite a few jobs, so hopefully I'll have another update soon, although frustratingly a lot of clubs are 'flattered' by my interest, but then go ahead and employ someone else despite receiving my application. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Played about a month into the new season, and find myself in August without a club. Had a couple of nibbles here & there but nothing that suited. Clubs in financial disrepair asking me to keep them in the division on one year deals. Working the early shift today (thus posting at 7am), so will have plenty of time to find my new club this afternoon. Expect that it'll be need to be a decent club that needs saving, but hopefully I'll be back in the game soon enough. I quite fancy a jaunt abroad, which is where some of the interest has been, but not sure how likely it'll be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Unlucky sacking Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshpmilton Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Tell me about it! Oh well, got to move on and prove to them what a mistake they've made. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abulezz Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 What is your preference - where do you feel you want to try? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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