ChrisNUFC Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Fictional Diary of a young Coach trying to make his way in the world of Senior Football. Updates based on FM13, with some creative licence to explain bugs and strange happens, as well as to build some 'character'. Nothing is real. -- July 2001 - Forced to retire at the age of 17 (Knee Injury) - Kept on as Youth Coach at Club while put through coaching badges 2003 - Achieved UEFA B License - Continues as Youth Coach at NUFC Academy 2005 - Achieved FA Academy Age Specific (7-12) Award 2011 - Achieved FA Youth Award 18th July 2012 - Meeting with Brechin Chairman Ken Ferguson who wants a young forward thinking Coach to help build attacking team at Brechin - As a personal challenge establish a Youth Program and Academy at Brechin - Become Full Time Manager of Brechin (Aged 27) signing a 12 month contract (£400 p/w) - Former Newcastle United player Garry Brady on the team - Big Man/Little Man partnership up front (Scott Dalziel & Andy Jackson) - Need to sign Left Back and a Left Midfield - Small Squad (No Reserves/No u18s) - Attempted to Sign 30 year old French Leftback Djebi-Zadi on a free Transfer 19th July 2012 - First interview with the media. 1 guy with a dictophone and a notepad sitting in the manager's office. - Cliched answers, to what even I could tell at the time were very cliche questions. - Remembering what Kenny had hired me for I played up Entertaining Attacking football - I can only guess that people assume anyone who was a Newcastle fan had some sort of affinity with Kevin Keegan's 'Entertainers'... I know they'll be some mention of it in The Brechin Advertiser tomorrow... - First Game - Friendly against a club I hadn't even heard of before. The joys of Scottish Football Lower Leagues and the wonderfully named Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic. The first goal was a very typical hoof down the middle to the big man, who rose above them all to nod it home from within the 6 yard box. Still... goals = entertaining, even if they are scored in a very horrible throwback fashion. - The few times the team did manage to attempt to play football you could tell it looked like a foreign concept. Passes not connecting very well, runs not timed correctly. Still, 3 days into the job with a Part-Time squad trying to put across new ideas... - The second goal came from a tap in after Dalziel followed in a Jackson shot - Bonnyrigg scored when a shot powered through the keeper's hands - We scored a 3rd when Jackson managed to get onto a Brady through ball to slot it home into the far corner - Dalziel then picked up an injury... the joys of Preseason. - Despite winning 4-1 in the end, knowing Dalziel would be out injured for at least 7 weeks was a downer. Strained ankle ligaments - it might not sound like a bad injury, but once those ligaments have been weakened a player's balance can be effected, and they're always prone to go again. - A quick meeting with the assistant to discuss available options meant that it was time to start asking clubs if they had any players available for loan. This now meant we were looking for a Leftback, Left Midfielder and a Striker. Against Bonnyrigg we had managed to get 11 players on the pitch by playing a Right Back at Left Back and a Right Winger on the left. - No real leaders within the Brechin Squad 23rd July 2012 - Held meeting with the groundman and took the unsporting, yet tactical, decision to decrease the size of the pitch as much as we could get away with. The feeling being that we weren't the fittest squads, or the fastest. - Managed to fill the left midfield spot with Archibald MacPhee from Ross County. 26th July 2012 - Hung around the office on an off day of coaching (players only train every other day due to being Part-Time), expecting to hear from Lionel Djebi-Zadi (French Leftback) about finalising the contract. Next I hear is he's signed for Forfar our divisional and local rivals for basically the same contract but £1 more. Nice. 27th July 2012 Pre-Match Media Day - @ Montrose (Scottish League Challenge Cup) - 1st competative match and already there are multiple stories running, even though it's a Scottish 2nd Division team take on a Scottish 3rd Divsion team. Our GK Andrews is due to face his former club. Stuart Garden is the first to publically talk about my age (27), and fits in a side comment about the quality of his and my team. Press Officer is keen for me to reply and talk to the DailyRecord website. I'm suddenly wondering if me being hired was a press stunt for the club to gain attention on appointing a young manager. I decline the offer. - The guy from The Brechin Advertiser is here again, this time covering the Brechin side of the match. He too was interested in Michael Andrews' return to play against his former club. I play it down, and proceed to play up the rest of the team - even going as far as to say we're confident. First lesson in press management learnt - they'll see everything as a sign of weakness. If you're confident - you're over confident and not focused. Makes sense. 28th July 2012 Match Day - @ Montrose (Scottish League Challenge Cup) - Squad Registration day and the quick player count again makes me realise that I'll be working with 15 players over the age of 20, with 4 under 20 (1 of which is in on loan). We had spent the week discussing possible new players, but the current staff only managed to bring up names of former Brechin players who are currently at 2nd Division clubs. No money to spend and loans between clubs in the same league not possible, I do wonder why they mentioned them. - I add Gerry McLauchlan to the registered player's list even though he's out injured with a torn hamstring and not expected back till well after Christmas. Still it might do the lad some good to know I'm aware he's still around. - First time I've went into a match blind, in the sense of not really knowing much about the opposition. The coaching staff have done their best to fill gaps and put across a good impression of what Montrose are all about, but I suddenly realise I missed video analysis teams and scout reports. - I start the same team that played in the Pre-Season win a few days earlier. The only changes being a replacement up front (Jackson) for the injured Dilziel, and MacPhee starting on the left wing. Good old 4-4-2 with 2 wingers, but 2 poachers up front. - Montrose fly out of the blocks and have several shots within the first 5 minutes. Andrews pulls off a string of saves to keep us in it. After 20 minutes I make some changes, trying to squeeze the middle of the pitch by bringing the defensive line up and encouraging the midfield to press. - MacPhee booked for diving in the box. He fooled me as I was up out of my seat shouting penalty, home fans near the dug out enjoyed that one. I'm sure experience also comes with the ability to block out the very choice words opposition fans have to say to you. I heard every word, and spent the next few minutes trying not to think about it or reply. I simply laughed - nervously - in return. - Despite the opening few minutes I feel like we've been the better team leading up to half time. Pushing the defensive line up seems to have worked, and Brady is playing well in the middle as a 'playmaker'. He's the only player I've noticed so far that seems to have a bit of quality about him on the ball, so it only made sense to give him the ball as much as possible. Typical football - just I feel we're getting hold of the game WE give a penalty away, which they score to make it 1-0 10minutes before half time. Ewan Moyes comes in gutted at the penalty. He's convinced Johnny Stewart never touched the lad. I'm not too sure, but you always back your players in public if you're asked. - Gray seems to be their 'player', a tidy midfielder. I spend the half time trying to lift the lads, and have a quick word in the ear with Jackson (one of our forwards). I tell him I want him to drop back and try to block the passing lanes to Gray. I can tell he's never really been asked to do that before, so I just ask him to try. - Again I feel the 'joys' of coaching and managing blind again. With no match analysis guy waiting to hand over a choice selection of clips to look at, or a concise report on their key areas and weaknesses. So I look back at my notes 'PLAY WIDER'. McGowne seems to think we need to tackling and closing down harder. - 2nd Half starts and the first 10 minutes seen the ref book several of our players for 'nothing fouls', but you always think that as a coach/manager. The game has fallen flat and neither side seems really interested in scoring a goal. I look at the bench, but it's a gesture look. I have no idea what any of the players can offer. I take a chance and put a different striker on, taking Jackson off (who was one of the players booked). The two 'Fox in the Box' isn't working. I wave Derek Carcary over and tell him to warm up. He's on a few minutes later after I tell him 'He's the guy who can win this match for us'. While I'm doing that Montrose score a 2nd - Gary Woods scores from a cross beating Moyes in the air. - Minutes later it's 3-0, Couston scoring from a corner. Lads look defeated. I give a big shout to 'GET IT FORWARD!' reverting to tactical type of English football. The passing stuff hadn't worked... - A few minutes later Carcary lays the ball off to the Brady on the edge of the area who drills it hard and low into the bottom corner 3-1. - Then it happens. Johnny Stewart picks up a second yellow and is sent off. I take Moyes off, who has had a terrible game and never really seemed to get over the penalty incident, and put Molloy in at CM. We're now playing 3-4-2. 'JUST GO FOR IT!' No fear. It's not a league game, it's a cup game. If we win, great we're in the next round; if we don't... we refocus and get ready for the league game next weekend. - Momentum wise we control the last 15 minutes. Montrose seemed happy with 3-1 and naturally relax and sit back. We're humping it forward and smashing shots at goal. MacPhee comes close hammering a volley at goal from a Molloy chip. It curves wide at the last moment. We lose 3-1. Not as disappointed in the score, more how the players just bottled it when they went a goal behind and eventually a player behind. When the lads return to the dressing room and let them sit and settle in silence. Some of the look up, some of them are unsure if they should start to get changed or not. I remain silent. 'How does it feel?' I ask. I probably sound like an idiot, but I ask them to question '****ING *****' Moyes replies, the other lads look on a bit uncomfortable. 'Aye. ****ing *****.' I agree. 'Play to the end and play for each other. That's 2 things I'll see next and every game after this one.' I look at Kev (McGowne Assistant Manager), he's fuming. I can tell he wants to unload a fit of rage on the lads. The lads can tell too. I use that expectation and fear. I've already told Kev he won't be getting to shout at them today, and instead leave the lads getting dressed knowing Kev's blood is boiling. - Seemingly we received £400 for losing that match. It seems odd. I know Kenny will want to keep it within the club, but I'm tempted to ask him to donate it to charity. - I make a note to have a private conversation with Johnny Stewart (player sent off), about being able to control his game when on a yellow card. It's an art, knowing when you have to tackle and when you delay and allow a mate to come around and tackle for you. - The guy from The Brechin Advertiser is there waiting for a Post-Match Interview. I haven't had a chance to collect my thoughts on the game, and someone is waiting there to gather them. It makes me focus, it helps that I can imagine what he'll ask and sure enough he asks the questions I expected - disappointment, focus on league, red card, penalty... I give him nothing; all my answers are middle of the road non-answers. It wasn't my intention, only I hadn't had time to think about it. Again, it's something I'm guessing will come in time. If he asks about specific players, I defend them. If he asks about the team, I defend them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 This seems very story like. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.