deltablue Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Not exactly got much to worry about. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogogo golem Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Doing really well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 Great job Paul. Thank you sir! Bloody hell this career has really been quite easy for you so far. Totally dominant despite coming from 2 consecutive promotions, that is really impressive. It's sort of less interesting this way, can't you lose a match or two once in a while? Cheers, I just don't think there is a huge difference in quality down in these lower leagues. I think next season will be much tougher against fully professional clubs in the BSP. I think dafuge took 4 or 5 seasons to get through the BSP with his Wingate & Finchley side and I wouldn't be surprised to see a similar battle for a number of seasons. Not exactly got much to worry about. Doing really well. Thanks both Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 With the title already in the bag I decided to rest some of my stars to give them a well deserved break and give a few of the youngsters a chance to prove themselves in the first team so that I could assess whether they would be able to perform at a higher level. Brad Friedel was also rested from goal to give Marc Oxley (who had been promised a key role in the team before Brad joined) a run out between the sticks. All in all I was pleased with how they performed - Lewis Nuttall showed that he has potential as another of my young promising strikers and Scott Dunlop continued to rack up the goals - I've no concerns about his ability to play at a higher level. In between it was great to see Matt Haddrell score a few more in his last games before retirement. He received a standing ovation in his last match at home against Boston United and will sorely be missed over the next few seasons - a true hero to the fans. Alas, both the 100 point target and the previous Blue Square North points total record (97 points for Kettering Town in the 2007/08 season) slipped out of our reach, but nonetheless I'm incredibly proud of our performance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogogo golem Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Well done and I give your virtual Matt Haddrell my best wishes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 Damn league regulations - I've only just finished expanding from last time, I can't get close to filling the stadium and now we're having to shell out £135k that we don't have. Grrrrr! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 I don't think this will go a long way to paying off our debts, but every little bit helps! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 8, 2013 Author Share Posted March 8, 2013 Matt Haddrell just misses out on the league top goalscorer award....... ..... but I lift the manager of the year trophy, mainly thanks to the efforts of Matt Haddrell!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogogo golem Posted March 9, 2013 Share Posted March 9, 2013 Well done on manager of the year. Look on the bright side, the ground expansion will help in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Well done on promotion! You're not far off becoming a Football League club now Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Well done and I give your virtual Matt Haddrell my best wishes. Thanks - the good news is I think he's going to stay on another season - woohoo!! Well done on promotion! You're not far off becoming a Football League club now Easier said than done, methinks. I think I might struggle this season......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 Chile_Paul's Career - Season Review - 2014/15 - Sheffield FC Blue Square North Final League Position: 1st A stunning performance which saw us lead the way from the start of the league season and end almost 20 points clear to make this our third straight league championship and promotion. We were far too good for the other teams in the league throughout the season and having strengthened the squad in a number of key areas we were not entirely reliant on Matt Haddrell - instead we were solid in defence and had additional goal threats, most notably from 16 year old Scott Dunlop who is turning into a real force playing as an Advanced Forward and mopping up on all of the knock on's from Haddrell. FA Trophy Competition Performance: 1st Round This was never my top priority this season, however I was still disappointed to go out in the manner we did away to Guiesely who were struggling in the Blue Square North - a good run in this competition will be more of a priority next season FA Cup Competition Performance: 3rd Qualifying Round A step backwards when compared to last season and another disappointing exit in a cup this season against a team I should have beaten - once again an improved performance and entry into the FA Cup proper will be a priority next year. Squad A much tighter squad than in previous seasons with very few players who didn't make a real contribution to the clubs success. We've relied heavily on loan signing's again this season and it will be a real challenge to replace the likes of Benoit Dalibard and Paddy McLaughlin next season. Transfers - Finances - Board Review The finances are actually much better than they look, our negative balance is only because of the costs associated with the stadium expansion, for the second season in a row My Top 3 Players Matt Hadrell - No surprises with this nomination, my coaches now rate him at only 1 star, yet Haddrell has terrified defences all season and is our top goal scorer Dominic Langdon - Third year in a row that Dominic has made my top 3 and now club captain, will be interesting to see how Dominic performs against a higher calibre of striker next season Scott Dunlop - a really exciting young talent, and at 16 years of age the world is his oyster. I'm expecting lots from him over the next few seasons. Fans Player of the season - Matt Hadrell Best Eleven - 2014 / 2015 Best Eleven - All Time What's Next? I'm expecting next season to be much harder and think that mid-table would be a great result, maybe coupled with a good cup run to aid the finances. I just hope that after consecutive promotions the expectations of the board and fans aren't too high! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Congrats on the title! A decent mid-table finish in the BSP should be more than possible next season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iHeadHunta x Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Fantastic year mate, congrats on the league title but unlucky Haddrell didn't get the golden boot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Will the world's oldest club finally reach the Football League..? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Fantastic year mate, congrats on the league title but unlucky Haddrell didn't get the golden boot He's got me to blame for it as well, given that I didn't play him for all of those final league games - unfortunately blooding some of the youngsters was more important for the team as a whole Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 What went on Elsewhere? English Premier League 2012/13 - 1st Arsenal 2nd Man United 3rd Newcastle Utd 4th Tottenham - Relegated Wigan, Southampton, Norwich 2013/14 - 1st Man United 2nd Chelsea 3rd Man City 4th Arsenal - Relegated Leicester City, Everton, QPR 2014/15 - 1st Chelsea 2nd Man Utd 3rd Man City 4th Stoke City - Relegated Wolves, Blackburn, Milwall FA Cup 2012/13 - Winners QPR Runners-Up West Brom 2013/14 - Winners Chelsea Runners-Up Leicester City 2014/15 - Winners Man City Runners-Up West Brom League Cup 2012/13 - Winners Reading Runners-Up Bolton 2013/14 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Arsenal 2014/15 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Reading ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Liga BBVA 2012/13 - 1st Real Madrid 2nd Barcelona 3rd Valencia 4th Getafe - Relegated Espanyol, Real Valladolid, Osasuna 2013/14 - 1st Real Madrid 2nd Valencia 3rd Barcelona 4th Real Zaragoza - Relegated Rayo Vallecano, Celta Vigo, Deportivo de la Coruna 2014/15 - 1st Real Madrid 2nd Barcelona 3rd Valencia 4th Sevilla - Relegated Sporting Gijon, RCD Mallorca, Numancia Copa del Rey 2012/13 - Winners Valencia Runners-Up Real Madrid 2013/14 - Winners Barcelona Runners-Up Real Madrid 2014/15 - Winners Real Madrid Runners-Up Real Betis ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Serie A TIM 2012/13 - 1st Juventus 2nd Fiorentina 3rd Napoli 4th AC Milan - Relegated Torino, Pescara, AC Siena 2013/14 - 1st Juventus 2nd AC Milan 3rd Fiorentina 4th AS Roma - Relegated Udinese, Chievo Verona, Sampdoria 2014/15 - 1st Juventus 2nd Fiorentina 3rd AS Roma 4th Parma - Relegated Empoli, Reggina, Cesena TIM Cup 2012/13 - Winners Juventus Runners-Up Napoli 2013/14 - Winners Cagliari Runners-Up Udinese 2014/15 - Winners AC Milan Runners-Up Juventus ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bundesliga 2012/13 - 1st Bayern Munich 2nd Borussia Dortmund 3rd FC Schalke 04 4th Bayer Leverkusen - Relegated Hannover 96, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Werder Bremen 2013/14 - 1st Bayern Munich 2nd Borussia Dortmund 3rd FC Schalke 04 4th Hamburg - Relegated FSV Mainz, FC Augsburg 2014/15 - 1st Bayer Leverkusen 2nd Bayern Munich 3rd Borussia Monchengladbach 4th Borussia Dortmund - Relegated Hamburg, Hertha Berlin DFB Pokal 2012/13 - Winners Werder Bremen Runners-Up VfB Stuttgart 2013/14 - Winners Bayer Leverkusen Runners-Up Wolfsburg 2014/15 - Winners SC Freiburg Runners-Up Bayer Leverkusen ---------------------------------------------------------------------- French Ligue 1 2012/13 - 1st PSG 2nd Marseille 3rd Lille 4th Bordeaux - Relegated Nice, Nancy, Ajaccio 2013/14 - 1st PSG 2nd Marseille 3rd Bordeaux 4th Lille - Relegated Bastia, Nantes, Brest 2014/15 - 1st PSG 2nd Lille 3rd Marseille 4th Lyon - Relegated Ajaccio, Stade Reims, Guingamp Coupe de France 2012/13 - Winners Lille Runners-Up Lyon 2013/14 - Winners Sochaux Runners-Up PSG 2014/15 - Winners Lyon Runners-Up PSG Coupe de la Ligue 2012/13 - Winners PSG Runners-Up Lorient 2013/14 - Winners Nantes Runners-Up PSG 2014/15 - Winners St. Etienne Runners-Up Troyes ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Clydesdale Bank Premier League 2012/13 - 1st Celtic 2nd Hearts 3rd Motherwell 4th St. Mirren - Relegated Aberdeen 2013/14 - 1st Celtic 2nd Hearts 3rd Hibernian 4th Motherwell - Relegated St. Johnstone 2014/15 - 1st Celtic 2nd Hearts 3rd Hibernian 4th Motherwell - Relegated Aberdeen Scottish FA Cup 2012/13 - Winners Celtic Runners-Up Ross County 2013/14 - Winners Hearts Runners-Up Celtic 2014/15 - Winners Celtic Runners-Up Dundee Scottish League Cup 2012/13 - Winners St Johnstone Runners-Up Motherwell 2013/14 - Winners Celtic Runners-Up Motherwell 2014/15 - Winners Celtic Runners-Up Hearts ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Champions League 2012/13 - Winners Chelsea Runners-Up FC Schalke 04 2013/14 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Real Madrid 2014/15 - Winners Man United Runners-Up Juventus Europa League 2012/13 - Winners Newcastle United Runners-Up Tottenham Hotspur 2013/14 - Winners FC Porto Runners-Up Dynamo Kyiv 2014/15 - Winners FC Porto Runners-Up Galatasary ---------------------------------------------------------------------- World Cup 2014 - Winners Spain Runners-Up France Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 World Awards 2014 - World Team of the Year 2012 World Player of the Year - 1st Lionel Messi 2nd Xavi 3rd Cristiano Ronaldo 2013 World Player of the Year - 1st Lionel Messi 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo 3rd Eden Hazard 2014 World Player of the Year - 1st Lionel Messi 2nd Gerard Pique 3rd Juan European Awards 2014/15 Best Player in Europe - 1st Lionel Messi 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo 3rd Eden Hazard 2014/15 European Golden Boy - Alvaro Bustos 2014/15 European Golden Boot - 1st Alvaro Negredo 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo 3rd Robert Lewandowski English Awards 2014/15 Manager of the Year - 1st Roberto Di Matteo 2nd Tony Pulis 3rd Paul Lambert 2014/15 Golden Glove - 1st David De Gea 2nd Joe Hart 3rd Petr Cech 2014/15 Footballer of the Year - Eden Hazard 2013/14 Players' Player of the Year - Andre Ayew 2013/14 Players' Team of the Year 2013/14 Players' Young Player of the Year - 1st Neymar 2nd Jack Wilshere 3rd Gaston Ramirez Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 On the managerial front, 2 notable names from the English game decided to step down and opt for an easier life. Harry Redknapp, having been sacked by Sevilla in the Spanish league decided not to go back into the dug out and Arsene Wenger, having failed to secure Champions League football for Arsenal with a 7th placed finish also opted to retire On the playing front, 2 famous ex-England internationals retired and opted for future careers outside of the game. David Beckham, moved to New York Red Bulls for the final season of his career before hanging up his boots whereas Ashley Cole completed his career at Chelsea where he ended his career on a high, lifting the Premier League title on the final day, one of an incredible 16 trophies that he lifted in his career. Scott Parker, another ex-England international also retired from football having been released by Newcastle United. Parker had developed late in his career and had been recognised by the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year award in 2012. Wayne Bridge, who had retired from playing last season was appointed manager of Workington in the Northern Premier League Two European stars retired from playing but moved immediately into high profile coaching and management positions. Xavi now has an important role as Assistant Manager of Ajax attempting to re-invigorate the famous Ajax youth system. Andrea Pirlo moved into a coaching position at German Bundesliga side SpVgg Greuther Furth Any Liverpool fans hoping that Steven Gerrard might become a future manager of their beloved club might want to think again when they see his coaching stats. Gerrard might have been a star player, but he has a long way to go to become a coach or manager at the top of the game. However a different Liverpool legend, Jamie Carragher, looks much more like a future manager of the club, he's currently pursuing his development as Assistant Manager at Sheffield United. Numerous other ex-Premier League players are now looking for a club at which to pursue their managerial or coaching careers including Tim Cahill, Shola Ameobi and Joe Cole. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJCFC Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Congrats on the promotion, hope the BSP isn't too harsh on you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Good luck in the BSP. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Congrats on the title! A decent mid-table finish in the BSP should be more than possible next season. Will the world's oldest club finally reach the Football League..? Congrats on the promotion, hope the BSP isn't too harsh on you! Good luck in the BSP. Thanks all, almost time for kick off!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Just my normal seasonal update to let you know about some of the big appointments at the top of the game: With the retirement of Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal board surpised a lot of people with the appointment of previously unheard of (in the UK) Italian manager Pasquale Marino from Catania. With an unremarkable managerial career behind him and no major competition wins of note it's likely that Marino will be under pressure from day 1 to revert the recent deterioration in form from Arsenal which has seen them fall from Premier League winners in 2012/13 to 7th place last season With Newcastle United struggling to avoid relegation last season and upon the arrival of new Croation billionaire financiers, the new owners acted rapidly to sack Brian McDermott and splashed out their cash to recruit Rafa Benitez from Liverpool. Benitez managed to turn around Newcastle's fortunes to secure Premier League football for another season but Liverpool who appointed Diego Simeone in Benitez's place finished 26 points higher and will be playing European football next season Tony Pulis is rapidly building a legacy at Stoke City - being recognised in the top 3 managers in the Premier League for 2 seasons in a row and securing Champions League football for the Potters next season. So far the Potter's have managed to retain Pulis from any other suitors but if his star continues to rise he might be on his way in the future Swansea sacked Paulo Di Canio in the second half of the campaign as they were flirting with the relegation zone and appointed ex player Chris Powell from Charlton where he'd been in charge for 4 years. 3 wins in the last 5 games for Powell were enough to secure Swansea a 5th season in the top flight Marcelo Bielsa didn't last long at Tottenham Hotspurs and was sacked after 6 months. Spurs returned to S America for their next manager however, appointing ex Inter boss Javier Aguirre into the dug-out. He'll have his work cut out next season however having failed to return European football last season. Dougie Freedman was sacked by Fulham which sparked a chain reaction of managerial moves. Owen Coyle left WBA to move to Craven Cottage and WBA went on to hire Roy Keane from QPR who in turn appointed Ian Holloway who had been out of work since being sacked by Fulham 12 months previously 3 managers will be cutting their teeth in the Premiership this season with all 3 promoted teams having no previous Premier League managerial experience. Derek Adams will be trying to guide Norwich City to safety after joining from Ross County in 2014 and guiding the Canaries to 2nd place in the Championship. Joe Dunne is in charge of Burnley after promotion through the play-off's and ex Scotland international Stuart McCall will be attempting to return Bolton Wanderer's to Premier League stability Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Chile_Paul's Career - Season Preview - 2015/16 - Sheffield FC Board Expectations: Blue Square Premier: Stay clear of relegation FA Cup: First round FA Trophy: Second round My Expectations: Blue Square Bet North: Comfortably avoid relegation - no final day nerve janglers please FA Cup: Third round FA Trophy: Semi-Finals Budgets: Transfer: £9.03k Wage: £5,529 p/w (Currently spending £5,355) Balance: -£90,505 Friendlies A comfortable set of pre-season results - we were outplayed by Championship Nottingham Forest, but 2 goals on a counter attack made it a close run thing at the end, and we really came close to an equaliser in the last few minutes. The other games were a useful if rather uninspiring run in to the start of the season. No major injuries to report, so we should be at full strength for the opening day Transfers - In Trystan Smith - £5k - I've been monitoring Trystan for a couple of seasons now where he has been scoring goals for fun at Market Drayton Town. A young striker I'm really hoping that he'll fill Matt Haddrell's boots over the next couple of seasons! Barry Nicholson - Loan - With the loss of Paddy McLaughlin who wouldn't consider joining us permanently after his loan expired I was desperate to bring in some strength into our midfield. Barry is an ex Scotland international and whilst on the older side at the age of 36 will bring some vital experience for us. Ricky McIntosh - Free - My second midfield signing - not the strength that I was really hoping for but Ricky had a good season in the Blue Square South last season with AFC Hornchurch - it will be a test for him to jump up to this league however David Raven - Free - Another player with plenty of experience, David will slot straight into the defence, either at right back or in the centre of the defence. David had a good season with Woking in the Blue Square Premier last season so his experience will be vital, he will also captain the side this season, allowing Dominic Langdon to concentrate on his own performances as he needs to step up to a higher level Transfers - Out A number of my older players who were either reaching the end of their career's or didn't have the quality to perform at this higher level have departed. Most notably Steven Craig and our original club captain in season 1, Anton Foster. Sad to see Andrew Gascoigne depart - he was a good squad player for us last season, bagging a couple of goals off the bench - but he lacks the strength that we need at this level and was asking for higher wages than he deserved. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 A real mixed month, which initially built up hopes, dashed them, only to go on to a strong finish. It was the two goalkeeper's who were left blushing in the first match of the season - Brad Friedel initially failing to stop a straight forward free-kick that spilled out of his hands, and then whilst facing the prospect of an opening day defeat it was substitute Lewis Nuttall who was in the right space at the right time to tap in when the Lincoln goalkeeper spilled a high ball. From that we went on to record a comfortable win against Woking, building up hopes that maybe a promotion push was achievable, before we were bought crashing down with a heavy defeat at Cambridge thanks to a 5 goal haul for Rory Patterson. It was then back to a high with a fantastic tight win against recently relegated Fleetwood Town, before another disappointing defeat to Gateshead. I have a feeling this is going to a long old season - 6 games in the first month as well - my players are knackered already! A comfortable margin starting to be built between us and relegation, but there is a long way to go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Decent start to life in a new league. A top half finish would be great. That Cambridge match looks like it hurt though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJCFC Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Good start so far, mid table is nice and safe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 [*]Tony Pulis is rapidly building a legacy at Stoke City - being recognised in the top 3 managers in the Premier League for 2 seasons in a row and securing Champions League football for the Potters next season. So far the Potter's have managed to retain Pulis from any other suitors but if his star continues to rise he might be on his way in the future Clearly your save is bugged if Pulis has made Stoke this good! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Can Dunlop play a whole game, or does he get tyred by 70 minutes? On a more serious note, how old is Friedel now? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Clearly your save is bugged if Pulis has made Stoke this good! LOL! I couldn't agree more! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Can Dunlop play a whole game, or does he get tyred by 70 minutes?On a more serious note, how old is Friedel now? Very good! Friedel is 44 now and still going strong Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Decent start to life in a new league. A top half finish would be great. That Cambridge match looks like it hurt though. Good start so far, mid table is nice and safe. Things are going downhill unfortunately - top table looks a long way away Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 15, 2013 Author Share Posted March 15, 2013 Another long month, with 7 games played started well with a convincing win over fellow strugglers in the bottom half of the table, Stalybridge Celtic. We then came back from 1-0 down to take the lead away to Basingstoke, only to throw 3 points away in the last 10 minutes. A disappointing defeat to Dartford was then followed by a strong fight back from going 2-0 down against Ebbfleet, but the final game of the month - on my birthday - was a real kick in the teeth. We were 1-1 at half time and well in contention, but we just didn't turn up in the second half, failing to muster a shot on target as we slipped to our second heavy defeat so far this season. Hovering just above the relegation zone now, this team don't know how to lose and I'm concerned that confidence is going to start to be hit. My threadbare squad, still only semi-professional is also starting to see the impact of a lot of games in a short period of time. 37 year old Shaun Derry has joined the team to give more options in the middle of the park and to increase overall experience. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJCFC Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Gonna be a tough season, Derry certainly looks quite useful, should be a good tutor to any decent youngsteres too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 You like your OAP, don't you?! Hope you can find some consistency from somewhere. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 Good luck with your Dad's Army. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 Not a great record to have broken........... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 You like your OAP, don't you?! Hope you can find some consistency from somewhere. Good luck with your Dad's Army. Oi! I could start taking this personally - I'll have you know that my bunch of more experienced players hold a genuinely quite impressive record holder amongst them now......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 October started with another loss, this time away to one of the league leadrs Newport County, which also bought up the unpleasant record of the longest spell - 6 games - without a win in our club's more recent history. A team meeting followed in which I told the players in no uncertain terms to buck their ideas up, which had the desired effect. Next match, home against mid-table Barnet we devestated them romping home to a 5-0 win. The rest of the month started to follow a common pattern, away matches against some of the best teams in the league in which we conceeded an early goal and then struggle to muster a shot on goal, followed by a home tie against teams propping up the table in which we secure a vital win and 3 points, but only just! Luckily this run of good home form is allowing us to open a gap between us and the relegation zone. A goal from one of my old geezer's Matt Haddrell secured our progression through to the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time - and a favourable draw against BSN side Histon gives us a good chance of progressing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 17, 2013 Author Share Posted March 17, 2013 An impressive award for a player who has already payed back the £5k we shelled out for him, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 My first job offer in this FM career - Hereford are a couple of places above me in the BSP, but they're a much bigger club with a wage budget 5 times the size of mine, the club also have recent experiences of playing in League 2. However, the reject button is a no brainer, I'm still completely committed to my aims of lifting Sheffield FC into the big times. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 I'd be interested in everybody's views on this - look at the difference between my Home and Away results below - based on my Home performances I should be challenging for the title, but Away from home I'm propping up the league. I guess I need to be looking at my tactics away from home (which are currently similar, albeit typically with a Counter instruction rather than Standard or Control when at home) but the difference is really striking and just wondered if anybody had any other ideas? Home Away Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 There's your problem. I did pretty much the same as you. Counter away, control at home, which was alright for a while but it was when I abandoned it that my Ipswich team took a massive step forward. Other factors your passing (which I also changed to match) and rigidity may also be a factor, it may suit a control mentality but not a counter one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Billericay not doing too badly... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 Billericay not doing too badly... I just beat them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackJCFC Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 If you can sort out your away form you will shoot up the table, defeinitely need to go more compact and defensive away from home. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I just beat them Tosspot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 Tosspot He he he he! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 If you can sort out your away form you will shoot up the table, defeinitely need to go more compact and defensive away from home. Hmmmm - I'm starting to take the lead away from home, but then concede late on to draw. More work needed I think Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chile_paul Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 Another busy month with 8 games across all competitions as the FA Cup and FA Trophy competitions also kicked in. We started with a disappointing defeat to Chester at home - I say disappointing because this is our first defeat at the Coach & Horses Ground all season, but Chester are fighting for a promotion place so I'm not surprised that this was a tough game. We took the lead early in our first away game of the month thanks to a debut goal for new signing Ibrahim Keita but our poor away form continued as we failed to hold onto the lead - things then took a distinct turn for the good with back to back victories at home against Billericay and Lincoln City, before we yet again threw away a lead away to Woking. 2-0 up at half time and looking comfortable I warned my players not to be complacent (has anybody, ever managed to hold onto a lead having warned their players not to be complacent - not sure why I used this team talk!) and we promptly threw the lead away - grrrrr! Our continued strong home form has moved us up into mid-table and with more than half the season gone I'm hoping that we can move to secure our survival in the league, an improvement in our away form would really propel us upwards. In the FA Cup we conceeded a late equaliser to Histon which forced a replay at their place, but a penalty in the last 10 minutes resulted in our first away win of the season and a home tie to League 1 Swindon Town in the 2nd round. Whilst a convincing win against BSN North side Droylsden in the FA Trophy has lined up another home tie against the side that I knocked out in the 4th qualifying round of the FA Cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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