Lenzar Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 2014-15 Season Review - Port Vale League When I took over in October, we were 23rd and in all sorts of trouble. Luckily it was early enough in the season and some excellent performances, combined with an unbeaten 2015, allowed us to get into the playoffs. There, we beat Yeovil 5-4 on aggregate in the semi-finals, before a nailbiting 3-2 AET victory over Plymouth in the final. JPT & Capital One Cup Vale were already out of these when I took over. FA Cup Simply excellent, except against Mansfield. Even against City the team played well. Best Player - Sam Morsy A tough award as the team were good as a unit with individual performances that did not really stand out. In the end I decided that Morsy's record with assists was enough to make him my player of the season. Transfers A large number of players were signed as I deemed the squad needed a revamp. Most of these players turned out to be useful, but the bulk of my eventual first XI were already at the club. Britt Assombalonga did so well on loan that I have signed him permanently. Best Eleven Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Vale promoted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 2014-15 Winners & Losers EPL Champions: Man City (4th in a row! If only RL was like this!) European Qualifiers: Man City, Arsenal, Newcastle, Spurs (CL), Stoke, Norwich, Chelsea (EL) EPL Relegated: Cardiff, West Ham, Wigan Championship Champions: Reading Championship Promoted: Huddersfield, Watford Championship Relegated: Peterborough, Blackpool, Leeds League One Champions: Sheff Utd League One promoted: Swindon, Hartlepool League One relegated: Shrewsbury, Carlisle, Crawley, Bournemouth League Two Champions: AFC Wimbledon (What a season for English football!) League Two Promoted: Crewe, Gillingham, Port Vale League Two Relegated: Luton, Havant & W Blue Square Premier Champions: Gateshead Blue Square Premier Promoted: Exeter Blue Square Premier Relegated: Woking, Cambridge, Tamworth, AFC Hornchurch Blue Square North Champions: Stockport Blue Square North promoted: Gainsborough Blue Square North relegated: Stafford, Bury Town, North Ferriby Blue Square South Champions: Eastleigh Blue Square South promoted: Sutton Utd Blue Square South relegated: Oxford City, Basingstoke, Carshalton Promoted from regional divs: Hednesford, Bromley, Worksop, Whitehawk, St. Neots, Hinckley FA Cup winners: Man City (v Norwich) Capital One Cup winners: Man City (v Liverpool) Community Shield winners: Man City (v Chelsea) JPT winners: Oxford (v York) Champion's League Winners: Barcelona (v Inter) Europa League Winners: Spurs (v Galatasaray) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Former Club Watch Havant & Waterlooville appointed one of the coaches I had signed, Chris Stabb as manager. Stabb failed to keep the Hawks in the Football League, faced with mounting loan debts that precluded any ability to sign decent players. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Year| Division | Position | Notes 14-15| League Two| 24th | Relegated ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 August 2015 After an expected loss to Barnsley, we got two excellent wins in the league - Leeds in particular was a good result as they were only relegated recently. The result against Coventry was caused by my 1st and 2nd choice 'keepers both getting injured. The 3rd choice was awful, not helped by my usually reliable defender having a sulk because I took him out of the England U19 squad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Stoke in Europe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 New Job Offer - Everton (Lancashire) Taking this offer is really a nobrainer. Even without a look at the squad I can see a lot of room to improve the squad.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 Squad A fairly strong bunch of lads, but I noticed on a browse through that we have a lack of talent up front..therefore, apart from trying to re-sign Phil Swift, I will be looking for an attacker or two in January. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 October 2015 With no real strikers of note, goals have been hard to come by. Eventually I found that the previous manager had squirreled Weimann and Le Fondre away in the reserve squad. Damn the AI... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 November 2015 Finally we found our scoring boots. Excellent performances against Sheffield United and Bristol City were contrasted by shocking defending against Birmingham. The Leicester game should have been much more comfortable but again we were poor defensively. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 With no real strikers of note, goals have been hard to come by. Eventually I found that the previous manager had squirreled Weimann and Le Fondre away in the reserve squad. Damn the AI... Damn the AI... but it is also down to you to know your own players! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 9, 2013 Author Share Posted March 9, 2013 December 2015 Andi Weimann, after an excellent November totally fell apart. Luckily, everybody else decided to get in on the act! Le Fondre's hat-trick against Hull came after I gave him a chance to start the game. I will probably rotate the pair of strikers now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 The Toffees are now adapting to my tactic (I play a 4-2-3-1). Even against Liverpool we didn't look outclassed. In transfer news, I managed to re-sign Phil Swift . He's not yet set the world alight, but given time I am hoping he will finally live up to the potential he was touted with so long ago in Hampshire. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Wow, quite a big jump up from Port Vale to Everton; it may only be one league, but stature wise, the difference is vast. Going well, probably back in the Premier League next year Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Wow, quite a big jump up from Port Vale to Everton; it may only be one league, but stature wise, the difference is vast. Going well, probably back in the Premier League next year I'm worried for the jump up to the EPL. I've heard it's the one of the biggest in the game. I'll need players like Barkley, who was being chased by Villa, to continue their fine form - I am sure that Barkley would be in the England squad were he an EPL player. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter_Morgan Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I've just read all this, a brilliant idea and i'll keep up with it now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 February 2016 Only three games this month, which makes the fixture congestion back in December and January more irritating. Le Fondre has been completely on fire, supported brilliantly by my midfield. If we keep this form up, we may even take the trophy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Youth Intake I wasn't expecting very much, but I cannot help but be disappointed. Even the better players are probably only ever going to be good at BSP level or so. Youth facilities may need work once we go up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 March 2016 Luck was definitely on my side. We deserved to lose against Middlesborough thanks to utterly clownish behaviour from Tim Howard. Both goals against were his fault. Otherwise we did well, though the Birmingham game definitely made me nervy. The run-ins for the top three are as follows. West Ham have a game in hand due to a 6th round replay FA Cup match. [b]Everton[/b] [b]West Ham[/b] [b]Birmingham[/b] Sheffield United (A) - 13th Cardiff (A) - 4th Brighton (A) - 9th Brighton (H) - 9th Sunderland (H) - 5th Colchester (H) - 15th Colchester (A) - 15th Derby (A) - 7th Bolton (A) - 24th Millwall (A) - 19th Ipswich (H) - 12th Hartlepool (A) - 21st Bolton (H) - 24th Forest (A) - 6th Millwall (H) - 19th N/A Sheffield United (H) - 13th N/A I definitely feel we have the best run-in. West Ham have many trip hazards, especially with nasty trips to Cardiff and Nottingham. If I take the wins I should, we will win the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Wow, things really have clicked at Everton. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 April 2016 Despite how comfortable it looks, these games were all incredibly hard to watch. The Colchester one in particular looked like being a loss until Pearce stepped up a few minutes from time. Most of these teams were also bottom halvers - our victory against Millwall consigned them back to the 3rd tier. The 4-1 win against Bolton was the first league sell-out I've had in my career; with finances looking shaky I am hoping for 19 sellouts in the EPL. Season analysis to come soon... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Well done on promotion. Looking forward to see how you get on in the Premier League Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 2015-16 Season Review - Everton I started the season at Port Vale, but I left early enough that I will not talk about my time there. You'll see how Vale did anyway in former club watch. League Given we were midtable at my arrival, I felt promotion was possible, but I had imagined that we'd need the playoffs. It was only as the team gelled to my new tactic did I realise that Everton had been badly mismanaged. In the end the title came to us on the 45th match, with West Ham, who were also excellent all year, finally slipped up. FA Cup As soon as we drew Liverpool I knew the best I could hope was a full house. The boys gave it a good go, but the Red half of Liverpool, who finished 4th in the EPL, proved too strong. League Cup Having lost early on in the League Cup as Vale, I was given a second chance here. However the match against West Brom came too soon to the start of my tenure as manager. The team were still gelling to my tactic and stood little chance against EPL opposition. Player of the year - Ross Barkley A former wonderkid from last year's game, Barkley was touted as my best player when I arrived. He proved this with solid performances, even scoring in seven consecutive games at the end of the year. His performances were good enough to earn him a place in England's Euro 2016 squad. More about that soon. Signing of the year - Phil Swift As soon as we hit January I targeted Phil. He became unhappy at Ipswich as I began to declare interest; the fact he has me as favoured personnel no doubt helping. In the end I was very pleased to get him for £180k - £20k less than Ipswich had paid for him. I feel that I have stolen this wonderkid... Best XI Transfers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 Euro 2016 [b]Everton Players:[/b] Ross Barkley - England Alex Pearce - Ireland Andi Weimann - Austria After 50 years of hurt, England have finally brought football home! Performances from the new European Champions were generally excellent, although their group, Group A, was possibly the easiest draw that the Three Lions have had in years. They faced Wales (won 5-1), Ireland and Croatia (both won 2-1), before completing some tough victories in the knockouts, including penalty revenge against Germany. The manager, Brendan Rodgers, will await the next honours list with trepidation... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Impressive challenge - think this might keep you busy for a while! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Well done Lenzar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 14, 2013 Author Share Posted March 14, 2013 Impressive challenge - think this might keep you busy for a while!]The good thing about it is that I can resign pretty much when I want from a club - I left Port Vale after less than a year when Everton came knocking. I applied for Arsenal recently, and wasn't laughed at. I didn't get the job but the board were nontheless flattered. So I suspect I'll be moving again soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 2015-16 Winners & Losers EPL Champions: Arsenal European Qualifiers: Arsenal, Man City, Spurs, Liverpool (CL), Chelsea, Blackburn, Man Utd, Stoke (EL) EPL Relegated: Southampton, Reading, Aston Villa Championship Champions: Everton Championship Promoted: West Ham, Cardiff Championship Relegated: Millwall, Swindon, Bolton League One Champions: Peterborough League One Promoted: Coventry, Blackpool League One Relegated: Brentford, Doncaster, Gillingham, Oxford League Two Champions: Bournemouth League Two Promoted: Northampton, Bradford, York League Two Relegated: Fleetwood, Leyton Orient BSP Champions: Mansfield BSP Promoted: Barnet BSP Relegated: Bath, Macclesfield, Cheltenham, Barrow BSN Champions: FC Halifax BSN Promoted: AFC Telford BSN Relegated: St. Neots, Hinckley, Lowestoft BSS Champions: Cambridge BSS Promoted: Chelmsford BSS Relegated: Tonbridge, Truro, Hendon Promoted into BSN/BSS: Cambridge City, Blyth, St. Albans, Stafford, Wealdstone, Kingstonian FA Cup winners: Arsenal (v Tottenham) League Cup winners: Liverpool (v Man City) JPT winners: Port Vale (v Southend) FA Trophy winners: Ebbsfleet (v Havant & Waterlooville) Champion's League winners: Arsenal! (v Real Madrid) Europa League winners: Chelsea (v Granada) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Former Club Watch Havant & Waterlooville Back in non-league football after only one season in the Football League, Havant appeared to settle for mid-table. The only real performances of note were in the FA Trophy, where the Hawks got to their second final, only to lose to Ebbsfleet. Chris Stabb continues in his job. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Year| Division | Position | Notes 14-15| League Two| 24th | Relegated 15-16| BSP | 15th | FA Trophy final losers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Port Vale After the fairly good start I had given them, Vale's form dipped and rose, dropping as low as 20th at one point. However, manager Brad Elam managed to turn things around a little, finishing only 3 points behind the playoffs. The Valiants also got to a Wembley final, but went on better than Havant, taking the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Year| Division | Position | Notes 15-16| League One| 8th | JPT Winners ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Pre-season 2016-17 A fairly good pre-season, though the draw against the Chilean Everton is a little disappointing. Our return to the EPL starts with a visit from Spurs, followed by three nasty away trips. Key signings Arjen Robben Getting a little old, but Robben still has the skills. He will mostly feature as a backup player as his legs aren't as nimble as they once were. Karim Laribi Signed a lot earlier than Robben, Laribi will simply give me extra depth out wide. Michel Morganella As Tony Hibbert, who has now played over 400 league games for his beloved Everton is getting a little old too, I signed Morganella with the intent of starting him. Hibbert may well get time as he is not too far behind David Ospina My biggest signing, Ospina will hopefully help out with the defensive frailties that became obvious towards the end of the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJCFC Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Great work to win the league at Everton, hopefully you don't do too badly in the Prem. Not sure on Arjen Robben though, a bit injury prone Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 August 2016 I cannot say I am anything other than pleased with this start. We did not deserve the point against Spurs, with a cross from Arjen Robben at the death allowing Livermore to score. The win against WBA and the draw with QPR were fairly dull games - I play on key highlights and got only a few from both. As for the cup game, I rested a few to play some younger lads. With such a difference in class, the result was never in doubt. In other news... I took this job as I fancied a dabble in international management. The situation is dire enough that I don't think I will be around for very long - I have no staff and nobody wants to work for the Black Stars. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 September 2016 Another month with only a few games, September is typical of what I expect all season will be like. Tight games, where we struggle to score but defend fairly well. The loss against Burnley came after the Clarets had absolutely flown out of the blocks, giving them 12 points from the first 4 matches. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 The Black Stars aren't shining. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 October 2016 Yet another mixed month. After losing in the league game against Fulham, I changed to my more attacking cup formation and scraped the cup game on penalties. I left that formation in against Huddersfield to see if it would work better against lower ranked teams, and the defensive frailties showed themselves again. I am not looking forward to November, with games against Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. In other news... My reign at Ghana lasted 3 games, all wins. This was however not enough to make up for the ground already lost. Without staff, I saw no future in the job and resigned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 November 2016 The game against Arsenal was much closer than I had imagined. We even had the lead until Morganella played a stupid backpass. The second Arsenal goal was a penalty that got me banned from the touchlines. My assistant Terry McDermot failed to get anything out of a tough Chelsea game. The Liverpool win was perhaps our best result this year, though it was helped greatly by a red card for Lucas Leiva. The other two games were tight affairs - I would have liked a bigger win against a Blackburn side who are bottom of the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 December 2016 With an incredible 8 matches, December was a key month in the league. I cannot say I am anything other than pleased, after we managed to sneak points against City, beat United, and stole a second draw against league leaders Spurs. January is all about the cups; I face City in the League Cup semis, and Bolton, now of League One, in the FA Cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Really interesting idea, this, and good to see you've had some success so far. I'll be following this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Excellent run you're on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Nearly drawn half your matches. Blimey. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 January 2017 Despite losing only one game, the inconsistency in January baffles me. The games against Bolton and Newcastle were struggles, whilst against United and the cup game at Chelsea we were simply brilliant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iHeadHunta x Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Having a great little run of form, battered by city but some great results including the victory over Chelsea Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 January signings Despite a relatively limited budget, I signed four highly rated players in the transfer window. I also shifted several deadwoods players from the roster, freeing up a fair amount of wages. Tasos Kantoutsis (Centre-back, Atromitos, £400k) Signed mostly to provide a fourth defender of an acceptable level, this young Greek has played well in the few games he has had so far. The £400k fee was enough to trigger his release clause. Stephen Todd (Goalkeeper, Linfield, £500k) A young keeper, who will probably be next year's second choice as Tim Howard grows too old. Goncalo (Left back/Centre Back, Young Boys, £1.6m) My largest signing, at least in terms of fee, Goncalo provides much needed relief for Bryan Oviedo. Claudio Pajuelo (Defensive Midfielder, Santiago Wanderers, £200k) Another release fee signing, Pajuelo has the skills to be a perfect rotation for Phil Swift. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Shame to see you resigned from Ghana, but can understand why. Finding staff for the Belgium National Side on my own save was a slog as well. Seems you're in a good little run of form with Everton atm, and you've made some interesting signings! Good luck in the rest of the League season, and also in the FA Cup! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 February 2017 Two poor draws, particularly against a debt-ridden 19th place Stoke, then three excellent performances. I was hoping that the Huddersfield game would be a big score, but the players simply took their foot off the accelerator after the 3rd goal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 March 2017 Only two league matches this month, and probably our poorest showing. Against Arsenal the team were utterly abysmal. Jake Livermore even carried a 3.1 rating at one point during this game. The good side is that we came on top of Liverpool, with 4 out of 6 points heading to the blue half of Liverpool. We face Spurs in the FA Cup Semi Final. Youth Intake Fairly poor again, though Challinor may prove to be useful as a squad player. I could certainly do with another striker, anyway.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 This is a turning out to be a fantastic season, and you're off to Wembley too Just don't finish above Liverpool in the league Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbilly Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 Going pretty well with Everton! Fine cups runs. I think you might find it a bit difficult to complete your challenge you set yourself as going back down the leagues (especially when you go to the Welsh leagues) will be extremely frustrating, I really hope you manage it though and will follow with interest. Go Toffee men! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 April 2017 Injuries to key players showed a worrying lack of depth to the squad here, with only the FA Cup game against Spurs being a good result. We played well against Blackburn, but Rovers are struggling deep in the relegation zone and a win was to be expected. It was also nice to see Phil Swift get a goal. We play Arsenal in the FA Cup final..in short, we are guaranteed Europe next year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrix Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 I like this idea and thread. Good work and nice style Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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