[FM20] Chester

[profii]

Chester Football Club

 

Last year I went abroad to Melilla and whilst I learnt lots about Spanish football, it was boring. Also, I started a career thread later on in the year and tried to post updates from memory which didn't make for very exciting content. So this year, I return back to England and it's familiar cup formats - I just like a plain old vanilla game, no particular challenges in mind, just starting from the bottom division. I've previously done a 'dafuge challenge' with Blyth as I'm a resident of the North East, so I discounted them. I dont know much about Spennymoor and Gateshead have a big stadium and I know, despite being skint they've dropped down so I assume they are decent. So, that led me to my home town of Chester.

I'll just post updates after each little session so updates will be relatively slow but hopefully some good details as I learn the squad and new features of FM20... 

[profii]

The Squad

I've attached a picture of the squad, the eagle eyed among you will notice I have already made a start to the game as I'm in September. Anyone who is familiar with Chester might notice I've brought in a few players:

Jack Cowgill
Matt Carter
Joshua Webb

I've also promoted Iwan Murray from the youth ranks to bolster the striking options - seeing as we are in the bottom division and he looks alright, what could possibly go wrong?

You may also see that I've setup a 4-4-2 formation - When I start at the bottom and I dont know the team, I like to start off with this formation - it's easy to asses it and add or remove help in any areas that you need - conceeding? go 5-3-2. Finding it easy? stick 3 up front... etc etc.

For now, it seems to be working. I like to use the tactic template to begin with so I've just stuck it on wing play as George Waring is 6'5 and he has managed to bag 8 goals in 7 appearances so far.


Other notable members of the squad are Brad Jackson who has 5 assists in 8 games as he has notable crossing ability and Craig Mahon has chipped in with 4 goals from 7 from the opposite wing.
 

[profii]

Results - August

 

A perfect start so far! I noticed we are 2nd favorite in the league, which I didnt realise when I picked Chester, but obviously it's helping! I am surprised because when I initially looked at the squad it really seemed like it had no depth to it at all. Last year when I started at the bottom, I was playing 5-3-2 and just hoofing counter attacks at a pacey striker- reading the forums I think I was exploiting the match engine a wee bit but I expected to be doing something again given the lack of quality at this level which is why I brought in a centre half and centre mid - I like to run my squads in tip top fitness as much as possible so i bolstered the numbers  and to be honest, I didnt even check the wage budget - I just belligerently made the assumption that there would be funding given the small squad. (Just checked and I'm £99 over the wage budget so I wasn't far off)


Not sure what happened at Airbus - I let my assman run friendlies - and I really like the 'suggested squad' button this year - I am fairly certain in previous FMs, the assman just blindly follows the team setup as per the tactic screen and didnt rotate for fitness which i always felt was silly, but I can never be bothered with friendlies so I just accepted it - so well done this year SI.

[profii]

September 2020

 

We played Hereford and the 1-0 result doesn't really reflect that we had 23 shots to their 2, none of theirs even finding the target.
Our 2nd game of the month was our first non-victory of the season, playing Curzon Ashton we exploited the wings well but couldnt really create any killer chances, but neither could they so 0-0 was probably fair.

We then drew Lowestoft in the 2nd Qual. round of the FA cup - hopefully we can rotate the squad a bit and still progress there.

That gives us 3 games in a week, starting with Gloucester, the scouting report says they play with a 4-4-2 narrow diamond and they are 14th so I'm hopefully I can exploit the wings easily enough and given the following game is against 4th placed Kings Lynn, I think I will rest a few of our better players.  To that effect I played a 4-5-1 to bolster the weaker midfield - initially we were not really controlling the game but a tactical change helped and we scored a long range effort after 53 mins. Sadly, a similarly speculative effort equalised in injury time and we finished 1-1

So going into the Kings Lynn game I stuck with 4-5-1 but I used my best players - we dominated this game which just tells me my 2nd string guys are obviously a notable drop down from the first time. It finished 1-0, a header from a corner but that does not tell the tale of over 4x the amounts of attempts for us.

Next up is the FA cup game with Lowestoft, I am going to rotate the squad a bit and I'm even going to go with my youth GK. I am trying a Iwan Murray and putting him in his natural AMC position to see how he does which means we are going 4-2-3-1. I'm going to try and play on the break because I'm hoping they wont be good enough to tika-taka if i let them play in my half - my team dont seem to be very good at it, so given they are lower than us, it might lead to some mistakes...
The first half went to plan apart from the ball going in the net bit. In the 2nd half I think I've had enough and I go back to 4-4-2 taking young Iwan off and chucking the main man Waring up front who nearly makes an instant impact by missing a sitter and the following rebound. We got lucky that a goal got disallowed which seemed fine. That was obviously enough to kick start the team as we finally put one away after 71' and we also get lucky with an OG from a corner in the 87' to close out the game.

£6.75k in the bank and into the draw we go... and we get... an away tie at Rushden and Diamond or Banbury... not sure if fatigue really impacts the non-league teams but I'll pretend it does and that helps my morale going into the game - pleased to also be getting another non-leaguer so hopefully we progress...

Anyway, excitement of the cup aside, we are back to the league next with an away fixture at 20th place Bradford PA. My gut feeling is to go back to what we know and line up a strong 4-4-2.  The first half went well, we took a 1-0 lead, had some good attacking plays and no shots on target against. We also started the 2nd half quickly and scored again from another cross. That's pretty much it and that's how we saw out the last bit of football for September.



So in summary - through to the 3rd Qual round of the FA cup against R&D - good. Top of the league and 7 points clear - great! A bit of messing with the squad which wasn't always a good idea but I have learnt a bit. The really good news is we seem to have stemmed the flow of goals conceded going from 7 in August to just 1 this month. I noted the little green link between my centre halfs so I guess things are starting to gel.

I'd probably give player of the month to centre mid George Glendon, an easy choice as one of our best players but during my tinkering it became apparent to me that he is missed when not on the pitch



 

 

 

 

 

[profii]

October 2020

 

We begin with a visit from Darlington which was an easy 3-0 victory, we played the main men and just dominated play.

We the followed that up with a 4-0 thrashing of Dag & Red to go through in the FA Cup - £11.25k and a home draw against Hartlepool

Following that game we have 2 issues to deal with - Matt Carter feels like he isn't getting game time, which is true because he is a bit poo so he will be getting sold I would imagine, but I told him I'll give him a shot so let's see how that goes (hopefully I have some easy games haha)
The club also decided to hire an under 18 manager. I did not approve this, he's a regen and also poo so I need to review some of the responsibilities here.

Turns out we have a chairman election, I am not sure what that means, but I'll keep an eye on that.

Next up we have Kettering, 5th place so I guess maybe a good time to bolster the midfield and give Carter an opportunity. A boring game that ended 1-1 after 2 goals from corners.

Onwards to a home game against AFC Telford, now I like this sort of thing as it's another 4-4-2 narrow diamond, so looking back at my previous result I had to change to a counter type style, so let's go with that and see what happens.... We had control of the game for the most part, but we got yet another corner goal and then Telford equalised off the back of a sloppy full back to centre back pass. This seems to be a consistent problem on left and right flanks - a frustrating result of 1-1 in the end.
 

FA Cup time and Hartlepool come to town, in my experience when playing higher league teams going for the 5-3-2 is not a bad idea so that's what we are going to do. Annoyingly, we got a 1-0 lead and a contentious red card for Joshua Webb at right back - it looked rubbish and the game told me to appeal so it probably was as I never get that advice! about 2 mins after the card, Hartlepool equalised so we now have a midweek fixture in the North east-  worst result possible, I'm a fitness fanatic!!

Between fixtures, the draw takes place - the motivation of a trip to Colchester... wonderful and in typical FA fashion, my appeal was not upheld... bar-stewards!

Anyway, off we go up to Hartlepool and we are going with the 5-3-2 again.  12 mins in a sloppy backpass leads to us hitting the post and following up on the rebound, finally one of these silly mistakes goes our way! We largely are hanging on and eventually a long range effort equalises for Hartlepool. We hang on and the game goes to extra time but it's all been one way to be honest. 99' mins and Hartlepool give away the softest of penalties on the edge of the box after a throw in. We convert and regain the lead! This seems to have rejuvenated the team as we are creating more chances and making great saves at the other end too. Hartlepool manage to pinch an equaliser at the near post which is a shame as we would have earned a win if we could have held on and this was closely followed by a hoof through ball which Hartelpool calmly put away for a lead - we are out the cup. I thought we might get pens but it wasn't to be.  

It is worth noting this is a failure to meet an objective - the board wanted me to get to the first round but they acknowledge the tough opposition-  I think I'm safe for now.

 

Cup adventures dealt with I'm back to the league but back in the north east with a visit to Blyth Spartans. I've decided to go 4-5-1 again just to give the midfield a little something extra given it's probable that everyone will be tied after a mid week extra time session! 
That nearly worked, but a sloppy bit of defending following a goal kick gave Blyth an injury time winner, our first loss of the season but we shouldnt be too disheartened given the overall circumstance. 

It is notable that we got our first injury of the season - a pulled groin for Matt Carter, he was getting a run in the team and then this, maybe the guy can't get a break?
We also have a record setter in Simon Grand - our oldest player ever at 35 years and 245 days - this will almost certainly be his last season!

Finally, our last game of the month away to Boston United. They are 19th so hopefully we can finish the month on a high. We didnt make a great start to this game but a tactical tweak at 30 mins in meant we managed to establish a 2-0 lead before half time and take control of the game. Another sloppy goal kick meant Boston were able to pull 1 back but that didnt dent our confidence too much as we resumed control of the game and chipped in with a long range effort to make it 3-1 at the 70min mark. We did concede yet another goal due to a full back mistake on the 80' min but that was how the game ended and we went in at 3-2

Summary of the month
FA Cup - knocked out by Hartlepool after a replay and extra time
Conference North - Still sat at the top but our 7 point lead has been chopped down to 2 points. 
We conceded 9 goals but we did get 2 clean sheets from 8 and scored a total of 15 games

I can't really nominate anyone for a standout performance this month though. 

 

 

 

 

[profii]

November 2020

 

We start the month with a new complaint from one of the squad members - Matty Hughes is not getting the game time he wants, I dont really recognise the name so I take a quick look and he is a striker, 5'7" - average pace and finishing, think I'll just tell him I will try and flog him to be honest.

We also have a little bit of good news, our winger Craig Mahon came 3rd in the player of the month award, I didnt pick anyone last month but having (literally) slept on it I was thinking of giving it to Danny Elliot for picking up his goal tally where George Waring has dropped off a bit - either way, looks like we have had some steady performers.

Back to the football, a visit from Altringham this week who are 5th so it should be a tough challenge - the first half was pretty even until Elliot put a cross away for a one nil lead. I noticed towards the end of the game Altringham are clearly trying route 1 so I switch to counter attack to try and absorb that. Frustratingly, we concede because we didnt get rid of a corner - I notice a lot of the goals that go against me feel like they should be in our control so I might take a look at what I can do with this.

This means I am clinging on to my league lead by merit of +1 GD - we need to buck our ideas up. We dont seem to have a fixture this week so time for the squad to recuperate and hopefully come back strong in the next fixture. Training is going to be adjusted to look at our issues in the mean time anyway.

Whilst we are on a break, I'll nose at some of the League Stats
George Waring tops the goal chart, the rating chart and the PoM chart.
Brad Jackson tops the assist chart
Russ Griffiths is 2nd in the clean sheet table, behind our closest competitors, the Kidderminster keeper.

We've appointed another coach for the under 18s. I looked at the delegation screen and it was confusing so i need to go look up how that works - i like to pick my people and it's not really a priority at the moment to bring in under 18s staff.

 

Anyway, this 2 week gap is past and Stockport are coming down the M56 to the Deva Stadium. I've made a subtle tweak to one of the defenders roles just to see how it goes, but we should be winning this game easily enough as Stockport are down in 15th and we are at home. A new chemistry link has formed along the right hand side and almost the whole squad go into the game on 100% fitness so let's see if that pays dividends... Arguably not, a win, 1-0 from a corner, but we didnt look dangerous so kinda disappointing. Enough to retain our 1 goal advantage at top of the league though... cutting this fine.

 

Seems to be a quiet month as there is a big gap before our next game again, so some news has come in.

1. New Chairman, probably sensible to review the vision this time, instead of just pressing next and hoping for the best. I've attached the pic.
2. Chairman has decided we are going to retain 30% of transfers. Not expecting to sell anyone for much so I dont really care right now.
3. FA Trophy draw, notably it's not an essential objective but I hope to do well to take the edge off not meeting the FA Cup objective.
We got... Bedworth away - never heard of them but I forgot about this option - no we wont play extra time haha

Asante has come in and isn't happy about not playing, so I guess I'll chuck him in against Bedworth... I'm such a great problem solver!

So, Bedworth away in the cup... the game is really stale and nothing is happening as we enter the 2nd half, I feel like Bedworth are getting into the game and we are lucky not to be losing - we still have the issue where their corners are getting cleared, but they are getting to the 2nd ball first and putting it back in. In this game it seems we are a better team so they are not converting (infact our goal came from a counter off their corner/2nd cross) which is frustrating. We also hoofed a long ball for a 2nd towards the end to make sure and through we go to the 1st round proper and collect the £5k prize money. A lot of 2nd stringers featured so probably not as bad as I make out.

Draw day - Spennymoor away, we've not played them in the league yet so that will be a good trip oop north. Again, no extra time

 

So, final day of the month and the final game against Alfreton at home, they are 7th and the scouts expect a 5-3-2. This will be fun then. Interestingly I was pleased with the chances we seemed to be creating, but we just couldnt actually score - a non-boring 0-0.


So we remain top of the league at the end of the month just because Kidderminster seem to play on Tuesday for no apparent reason.
We are through in the FA Trophy and you'd think we would be favorites against Spennymoor.

I think I'll give PotM to Brad Jackson this month, it was close between him and Elliot but the main players seem to be doing what they need to do - this is ok but an injury will kill us.



 

Edited November 23, 2019 by profii

[profii]

December 2020

On the important date screen I notice my star players contract expires on 1/1/2020 which is odd but I have just braced myself for some high demands. I've made some promises I probably wont keep so I will need to plan for that at some point but we have his signature for another 2 years.

Also, I have a performance review, not sure if this is timing or something to do with the new board but I've included a screenshot as there seems to be a new format.

Next up we have Matt Carter back in my office who is still moaning about not playing.  Even though he has thrown his toys out the pram his strengths are his work rate so I might try some more 4-5-1 and include him to see if he helps us out. I still feel like I need to do something to create better chances so maybe some work rate will help us.


So off we go to Leamington. I've decided to go for a midfield 3 of Gledon, our best player, Carter, our workhorse and Iwan Murray, our young technician as an AMC. I have to say this is the best start I have seen so far - granted, Leamington are 17th or something but 2 goals from 3 shots and we are pressing them hard. I'm really pleased... Game finishes 2-0. Lovely stuff.

Next up it's the cup, away to Spennymoor. We go in as favorites. Our next game is Kidderminster so I've played some 2nd stringers again - probably a bad decision as we didnt even register a shot on target and go out the cup 0-1. Disaster, another objective failed! It wasn't an important one so hopefully wont be held to strongly against me.
But one positive - the coaches suggested I look at a full back from the reserves, so we gave him a go and he looked alright, this will be very handy!

Next we approach one of the more busy times of the year, luckily first up is Kidderminster, so we will be at our fittest for probably our most important game.
We took an early lead but only for Kidderminster to counter from our corner, dribbling from their own half and getting an equaliser. Game finished 1-1. We remain top for Christmas. Just.

The Boxing day fixture this year is Brackley  - they are 18th so we are clear favorites but I need to consider that we play 5th place York in 2 days, so I went for a route one tactic with 2 target men up top. It finished 1-0 but we dominated, had loads of chances and they also finished with 10 men so straightforward.

The good news too is we have just gone 2 points ahead at the top as well. Hopefully we can widen the gap again.

Next fixture York City - what a disaster, a 4-0 loss! Just couldnt effect the game at all, nightmare!! Kidderminster lost though so phew!

Moving on, a visit from Spennymoor next, I want to win this after they dumped us out of the cup but their new manager is clearly doing well as they top the form charts so this will be tough. 21 mins in, a straight red is shown to a Spenny midfielder for putting an elbow on my striker. My guy has to go off injured - the strange thing is I score from the free kick and the game asks if I want to proceed with the changes afterwards - so I am not sure why I played the free kick 10v10 when I could have put my sub on - seems like a bug, but it does say red card 19, goal 20, injury 21 on the summary... weird. Either way, the result was quite straightforward, finishing 3-0.

2019 done!!

Still top of the leagues, no cups to worry about and probably our worst performing month so far so no PotM

Edited November 23, 2019 by profii

[profii]

January 2020

Turns out my man has fractured ribs so off he goes to the Countess of Chester hospital and get himself down to the specialist. See you in 6 weeks. He was a 2nd string choice so no dramas really.

I'm told Brexit is coming at the end of the year and everyone is going to need a work permit. I guess this means getting youth players in will be tough so we are going to need to grow the academy if we are going to progress long term. Interesting to see if the board reacts to this.

First fixture of the year is a trip to the Gateshead international stadium, under a 10th full but never the less we made light work and won 2-0

We've been hit with our first postponement of the year against Farsley so they've rescheduled that for next Tuesday - looks like we are now 2 points clear with a game in hand, delightful!

So that takes us through to a home tie with Guiseley where we controlled the game and saw out an early 1-0 lead with ease, whilst Kidderminster lost again, this is going well!

My assistant manager left me for a non-league club and he was pants so I just let him go and placed an advert.

So back to Farsley and we didnt really create anything, so we were punished when the keeper spilled the ball and they tucked it away - we lose 0-1

Next game is Curzon Ashton away - we went down to another silly goal - they hit the post and got to the rebound first, it was lazy defending. So they got the hairdryer and half time and it seemed to work - 2-1 victory! 

And that concludes January - we've stretched out our lead back to 7 points (no more games in hand) and I think  Danny Elliot was the main man this month.

[profii]

February 2020

 

Well, the first game is Hereford at home, I did an unusual thing and listen to the coach advice and sent us out a bit more attacking than usual. I am definitely from the Mourinho school of football management where we dont lose before we win so I think I dont set up a team very well for scoring more than my opponents and we lost 0-1

A week later we find ourselves at Gloucester, similarly to the Curzon game we went behind but it didnt take a hairdryer team talk to sort this out - they just decided to put 2 away before half time and we finished 2-1 winners. 

We appointed a new Ass Man in Michael Collins. I dont think he will be up to much but if I dont progress he will probably be fine.

Following that we played bottom of the league Bradford PA and won 1-0 without any difficulty.

We then played King's Lynn where once again we won 2-1 after going 1-0 down... starting to get strange but at least we are grinding out wins!

Finally to finish off the month it is trip to Darlington i just couldnt do anything with this one, changes of tactics and formations just couldnt make it work - i thought we might hang on for 0-0 but alas, 0-1

 

We are now 3 points clear and the rest of the season is 1 game per week so hopefully, it should manageable. Next month is going to be the making of our season as we face 3 playoff contenders. Fingers crossed...

[profii]

March 2020

 

First game is Kettering, 3rd, we largely cancel each other but both manage to score in the dying moments of the game - 1-1

Next game is Telford, 7th, expecting a tough game as they need to fight for that playoff spot a bit more...We actually dominated, smashed in a great goal but then concede a soft peno and a corner (again!) and lose 1-2 - frustrating.

Apparently due to other results, this is enough for us to secure a playoff spot - at least that is 1 objective sorted this year! Results certainly going our way, as we remain top by 1 point still.

Away to Altringham and we played the most boring game in football history - it ended 0-0 - nothing seemed to happen.

Weirdly, I now get a news item saying I've got a playoff spot, despite having more points than Kidderminster before the last game and them getting the news article/icon *shrugs*

Anyway, exciting times, it's youth intake day... and what an anti climax, they all look turd. Never mind... I've attached my best prospect to give you an idea.

Finally for March, a visit from Boston and we walked it 3-1.

Good news, we dropped down to 3rd half way through March's poor run, but the win against Boston has put us in top spot again. We are now approaching the business end of the season so hopefully we have done the majority of the harder fixtures now.

[profii]

April 2020

 

First things first - I have a new contract - I'm here for another year.

Next bit of news, the title run in shows that Kidderminster and ourselves have fairly equal run ins, but Kettering have a slightly tougher run. We are however, in the worst form but i think that was to be expected given our recent fixtures.

On to the football, Blyth come to town for the first game of the month and it was a doozy. We had a goal disallowed and then Blyth took the lead in about the 70th. Fortunately, we managed to score in the 87' 92' and 93' to make sure we took all 3 points... I hope this isnt going to be the way every week!

Something I have never seen before - off field events have knackered Joe McDermotts determination. If I hadn't have taken a screenshot  Iwould have assumed it dropped 1 or 2 points but it's gone from 18 to 8!!

3 Games left...
Next up a trip through the Mersey tunnel to Southport - It turns out that this will be a dramatic title race, we are absolutely spanking Southport but can't score until a peno right at the end of the game - i think that might be my first peno this season, good time to get it!

2 Games left...
Leamington in 20th - kinda predicted that this would be tough as they were in a 4 way relegation battle and they took a point 1-1 - by some miracle, Kettering and Kiderminster also drew so I remain top of the league

Last game of the season...
Alfreton - I decided to change formation as I kept subbing off my winger and moving my striker back so just did that from the start, a convincing 1-0 win and that...

Seals Promotion to Vanarama Conference National 

Woo hoo

I'll do a proper season update later as I am going to spend a bit of time going through the players available asap as I seem to be able to offer contracts already so dont want to miss out so I wont be advancing the game for a bit
 

[deltablue]

Well done on promotion.

[profii]

End of season summary

We flew out of the blocks, largely thanks to George Waring, we ended up undefeated until mid october, winning loads of games and it took higher division Hartlepool to give us a first loss.

It was about this point that the AI obviously adjusted to playing against 6'5 Waring as the form dipped a bit, but up stepped Danny Elliott to help provide the team with goals so we struggled to some results pretty much from here on in but our early lead was enough

We set a few records this year, Waring with 16 league goals and 10 man of the match awards, also Brad Jackson got 16 assists and Russ Griffiths with 20 clean sheets. 

Our key players have pretty much all been named in this post so far, but an honourable mention goes to George Glendon as well. No idea how long we will hang on to him for!

I was pleased with coach recommendation to promote Matty Waters from the reserves as his versatility and ability to play both full back positions was very useful. I am also going to stick with Iwan Murray and try and develop him a bit more as a good technical option in the 10 role.


I have identified a LOT of dead wood in the club which i will be releasing so now I just have to try and bring in the right quality without causing too much disruption

[profii]

New Signing announced!
David Agbontohoma

In a bid to increase income at the club shop, we've found someone with a really long name with the shirt printers busy.

Spotted him after the press conference people mentioned him as a rumour and I think having a 6'5" defender might be a good option - I dont see him starting but he is cheap so hopefully will do a job.

A few more players in the pipeline so stay tuned for more this summer!

[profii]

New Signing Announced! 
Kyle McFarlane

I am sure I've used this guy before, probably in a previous FM save which is a good sign as I obviously only make amazing signings.
Probably as good as anything we've got and not breaking the bank so let's get him on board!

[Nobby_McDonald]

Very nicely done Profii.

[profii]

Double Signing day!
Erico Sousa adds a 6 caps of international experience and a number of league appearances to the squad
Luke McCullough also add a plethora of league experience, and should be a useful squad player

[profii]

And another two!!

A new right back incoming, I think this guy looks much better than what we have and it's a position we have really struggled for quality in, so I'm pleased to have tied this deal up early

also, another centre mid, his preference seems to be anywhere, my intention is to play him in an AMC role but just get him to press from the front. I like that he is either footed, good passing, good vision but also high in aggression, bravery, work rate & determination - bit of a niche player but I think he could really have a role in the squad to play
Welcome, Dion Kelly-Evans and Joe Lynch



That's all I can find out of the free agents and youth contracts that I want - next up I await the magic date when I can start tapping up senior players. as I still think there is work to do on this squad - I think that gives me a good bit of time to asses what I've got given a lot of players are coming and going. I know I'd like a keeper an probably another couple of defenders but we will see what ends up on the market...

[profii]

Final 2 Signings this year unless someone I can't say no to becomes available but I think I have gone over all the released players as thoroughly as I can be bothered now...

 

Welcome Moore and Ercolani. I'm pleased to get Ercolani, released from United and he turned down an offer from Kettering to be with us despite a relatively average wage.
Moore got a good review from the fans and managed to score on his pre-season debut so off to a good start!

 

[profii]

The squad depth looks great I think. I think we have strengthened all over the place (except maybe GK, I guess i should look at the loan market - i normally dont use it)

Looking at the Season preview, there is 2 bits of good news, we are predicted 9th which I dont think I've ever seen following a promotion - and I thought we scraped our way up so I am expecting a tough time this year, even with our great signings.
Also, Ercolani has appeared in the dream 11 straight away (although at Left Back) which again is rare for a new team

Weirdly, we have the best sponsorship income in the league and I have no idea why, off the top of my head it's gone down from £600k to £400k but we are still number 1 in the division.
I think there is a split of about 75% pro, 25% semi-pro in the division which makes things a bit trickier but hopefully we will be able to sort that soon.

 

[profii]

The squad depth looks great I think. I think we have strengthened all over the place (except maybe GK, I guess i should look at the loan market - i normally dont use it)

Looking at the Season preview, there is 2 bits of good news, we are predicted 9th which I dont think I've ever seen following a promotion - and I thought we scraped our way up so I am expecting a tough time this year, even with our great signings.
Also, Ercolani has appeared in the dream 11 straight away (although at Left Back) which again is rare for a new team

Weirdly, we have the best sponsorship income in the league and I have no idea why, off the top of my head it's gone down from £600k to £400k but we are still number 1 in the division.
I think there is a split of about 75% pro, 25% semi-pro in the division which makes things a bit trickier but hopefully we will be able to sort that soon.

 

[profii]

August 2020

8 fixtures this month which makes me think the season is going to be front loaded a bit like last season, but with 13 signings (most in the league) we should have the squad to get through this.

We start off with a trip to Eastleigh, who are way below us in the season preview predictions but favourites in the pre-game announcement, can only assume this because we are away. Looking back at last season this team finished 7th so they must be half decent so I'm looking forward to a tough challenge to start.

First half starts off well, we aren't getting battered, we aren't doing stupid things and putting ourselves under pressure, the coaches are even suggesting we be more positive so I change from to counter to wing play. My only concern is I've made the wrong striker choice playing Moore on his own up top as he is a bit of a poacher and maybe hasn't got enough about him - and then he scores, but I'm thinking hang on that wasn't him - it was a deflection he got credit with so he is still probably going to be my first sub in 2nd half.

Except, I'm an idiot, I didnt realise we are still on 5 subs, so I have no strikers ha ha - I've got a very defensive bench so I guess I'll just be hanging on to this then. That plan seemed to be going ok until a long rang cross came in at 84' hit the post and bounced back into play for an open goal which made it 1-1 and that was that.

Overall a good showing, I'm a little bit concerned that my striker was largely anonymous and also, there were a few instances where my full backs were chasing the cut backs leaving their wingers free - luckily this didnt cause us issues but I can see it coming against stronger teams.


We have to move on quickly, as we have a midweek home fixture with Maidstone United to prepare for so that's that. We are favorites apparently, so home advantage seems to be influencing that. Now Maidstone battered fellow promotees Kidderminster in their first fixture, but they came up from the Conf South, so if there was ever a time to be brave and go 4-4-2 to see how that works, this is probably the time to do it. I'm pretty confident in what I've done with the squad so I look for my fittest 11.
Initially we weren't really getting in the game, I changed it to counter attack and we scored a long ranger but it was probably before the change applied so I'm not claiming the credit to be fair. We nearly scored a 2nd as the 2nd half started but that was about it for excitements in this game and we hung on to a 1-0 win.

It's notable we have had as many injuries after 2 games as we had all season last year, just little niggles but I wonder if now that we have a bigger squad the game gives us a bit more to deal with but we shall see...


Torquay United away up next, near the bottom after 2 and finished near the bottom last season, so let's stick with that 4-4-2. It was a good decision as we easily won 2-0.

Away to Barnet next, so I think this is the real challenge - I went for a conservative 4-5-1 and was unlucky to lose 0-1 so I guess we can take some confidence that we have a right to be in this division...

That being said, the next game is league leaders Macclesfield so we are going to have to work hard again. We lost 0-1 again, our full back got totally done in the air which was a bit rubbish, but again a decent showing so we can take that away from the game.

Next game is an away fixture with Harrogate - I am pleased that they used a 4-2-3-1 - I think it doesn't work very well at lower league levels, even though I think its great at the top level. So to win 2-0 fairly easily against this formation is pleasing. I think the vastly changed squad is gelling too so that's good.

I think this is the final game of the month, another tough one against Notts Co. - again with a 4-5-1 and if we can compete I'll be happy. Alas, it wasn't to be, we just got pumped, a corner in the first 10 mins and a peno later on in the half - we can't create any chances or get the ball at all. Pants!



So whilst the fixtures dont look amazing, particularly compared to the incredible start last season. I think we have had some respectable results which demonstrate we will compete in this division and we have got a few tricky fixtures out of the way.
Player of the month is probably Joe Lynch, I wasn't sure about him when I signed him and felt he might be a luxury player but he has really made himself hard to drop so that's really good work.

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by profii

[profii]

September 2020

A new experience for the club, a couple of players away on International duty for the next fixture - Ercolani is with the Italian youth team and Sousa is away with Angola. Didnt really think about that when I signed them ha ha... Anyway...

First up Yeovil at home, a 4-4-2 diamond team so I'll look to exploit the wings - how I did not win this game I do not know, dominated, first goal offside by an armpit and a red card for Yeovil, yet we finish 1-1 - I'd have taken it at the start but can't help feeling like I lost 2 points

A rare press conference in advance of the Fylde game but that also means we are on the tele for this one so that is cool. However, we didnt play very well for this large audience - 2 shots on target and we win 1-0. Ahhh we will take it.

 Off to Aldershot  and the difference between the 2 teams is a throw in that the full back missed putting their striker through on goal for a 1-2 loss. Pants.

Back home to face Woking where we gave a solid performance and 2 goals from big man George Waring meant we won 2-0

Away game with Maidenhead and i made the mistake of going attacking given their poor league position which obviously wasn't working so changed to a counter formation and there was no looking back - 4-0 win and a lesson  that perhaps the home/away factor might be more of a consideration than 6th vs 21st sometimes.

We had a good run of fixtures this month so up in the playoff spots but it remains to be seen if we can maintain it as we currently struggle against other teams up that high in the table
Player of the month was probably Brad Jackson - not made too many appearances so far but I called upon him a bit more this month and he provided some good assists

 

 

[profii]

October 2020

I may or may not be watching hockey whilst playing this month

We lost our first game to Sutton 0-1 - they were in the play offs and we struggled

Then we played Dover and we won 2-1 - a tightly contested game but we were slightly better

The FA Cup draw has taken place and we will get a visit from Farsley which is nice as we can play some 2nd string players there.

After that we played Ebbsfleet and easily won 2-0 despite losing my main men to internationals again.

Our cup run begins with a simple 2-0 victory over Farsley, £18,5k in the bank, hurrah. That also gives us a tricky fixture away to Cheltenham in the next round, at least I have met the board objective this year I guess...

Away to league leaders Chesterfield next and they got a soft peno and a wonder striker - seems like we are hard done by but they had all the chances so we have some work to do if we want to win this league, it's very clear

A home game against Barrow where we lost 0-1 due to an out of position full back who got lured into chasing the ball and left his man... again.

To finish the month, it's the game everyone has been waiting for since the fixtures were announced - Friday night, on the tele, cross border derby against fiercest of rivals Wrexham, we made the first move, missing a header from a few yards out, then Wrexham will be disappointed as their goal is ruled out by the narrowest of margins. Next opportunity falls to Waring and he takes his header well to make it 1-0 going into half time. Soon after half time Wrexham managed to make some space between the lines and equalise. Controversially we put the ball in net whilst a Wrexham player was down injured... do we care? Not at all. It doesn't really matter as soon after Wrexham fail to clear their area after a free kick and gift us a tap in for 3-1 


That ends the month with 4 wins and 3 losses, 9 goals and 6 conceded - we seem to be reliable for the punters, winning when we are favorites and losing when we aren't. I am not sure we are going to cling on to our playoff spot all the way but we will obviously give it a good go!
Player of the month I think will go to Waring, he did score 2 past our worst rivals of course

 

 

 

 

[profii]

5022 is a record attendance for the Deva Stadium, glad so many people got to see us spank Wrexham 

[SRL88]

Not a bad season so far. Remind me of Tottenham from last season with just wins and defeats.

[profii]

Ahh, I thought it would save my post whilst I streamed the Liverpool match but alas, this update will be a bit shorter.

November 2020

Cheltenham, FA Cup game first half was really close and loads of chances to both teams, but the difference was the 2nd half when I would assume pro status just meant they could maintain their pressure for longer... we lost 0-2

Kidderminster Fellow promotees - we played well and won easily, i noted they are playing 5-3-2 and bringing on a sub that they signed from my reserves, whereas we were bringing on players we signed to improve the squad so a good measure of progress. Won 2-0

Bromley This was an annoying game as we were leading and we got pegged back - our goal was a defender mistake off a throw in, theirs was a corner we didnt clear properly, 2 proper lame goals. (1-1)

Stockport we struggled past these, but as they were bottom we rotate the team quite a bit 1-0

Solihull back to the first team and at home we walked this 2-0

 

We also had a new chairman come in through the election process, he offered me a 2 year deal on his first day. Not convinced the board to upgrade any youth facilities or turn the club pro yet

 

But some good results and we are climbing up the table but we did play 3 relegation candidates this month!
Can't remember a player of the month as I watched Liverpool in the middle of this ha

[profii]

December 2020

I feel like this was a month of what goes up must come down

We continued our good form from November by smashing Welling 4-0, followed by 2 more victories at Dover (3-2) and a particularly pleasing win against Spennymoor to stay in the cup.

But then we drew to 20th placed Ebbsfleet and lost to Woking 0-1 and Maidstone 1-2

So we've dropped down the table a little bit but the games in hand issues seems to have cleared itself up, leaving us with a little gap before we drop out the play offs which is cool and I'll probably say player of the month is George Waring for his contributions when times were good earlier in the month...

[profii]

January 2021

 

Back into a bit of form this month, with an interesting fixture list...

We start off by beating Eastleigh at home 2-1 fairly easily.
We then draw to Barnet away in the FA Trophy, their equaliser was a soft near post tap in at the dying moments of the game. 1-1 in the end 
After that we drew with Torquay another game I felt we should probably win but hey ho - 1-1 there.
Back to Barnet for the trophy replay, this is where I realised by not asking for extra time, we have to do a replay ha ha, kinda pleased that we play at home but sad about the extra fixture - it was a bore 0-0 that we ended up winning 5-4 on pens. We got a nice £6k I think and on to a fixture with Yeovil next month.
So, cup fun over and we need to focus on the league with a fixture away to... Barnet! I think we rotated quite well through this congestion and won 3-1 (hatrick for Moore infact)
Final game of the month was Harrogate and we drew that 1-1

So the game in hand issue seems to have tidied itself up and we are still in the playoffs and 6 points clear.
We have a cup fixture with Yeovil to look forward to as well.
Player of the month I'm going to give to Shamar Moore for plenty of goals!

 

[profii]

Depature news!

Luke McCullough said he isn't happy about the playing time he is getting so I said fine I will sell you. I could probably do with hanging on to him but I like to call the bluff in these situations to keep them happier.

Weirdly, we got an offer of £140k from NI Prem side Larne which to be quite honest seems to good to be true and away he goes.

Interestingly this is the first time the clubs bank balance has gone over £1mil - this seems a lot for a conference team and I still think my sponsorship deals are oddly huge so I guess I've picked an easy team to go with (by accident I must add!)

I dont have the normal transfer window limitations so I'll see how the squad copes and I'll keep an eye out for people we can bring in

[profii]

February 2021

So here we go then, we walked past Stockport 2-0 - straightforward win vs a relegation candidate
We then have our FA Trophy tie vs Yeovil which I wasn't bothered about until we concede a fairly soft goal, I thought we were out until my reserve full back steps up to take a 95th minute penalty - we then go on and take a lead in extra time to put ourselves through to the QF tie with Torquay 
Back in the league, we take a very early and lucky break against Macclesfield which we managed to hang on to and win 1-0 - it's at this point I start to think if I can beat playoff teams then maybe we have a chance of a special season here?1
Next game is Solihull who basically did to us exactly what we just did to Macc and hung on to a counter attack 0-1 victory... dont order the parade bus just yet !
Last league fixture of feb is then fellow playoff contenders Chesterfield - we came flying out the starters blocks and went 2-0 up (and a marginal disallowed offside goal!) for some reason my strikers were working together and kept getting 2 on 1 with their defence which was wonderful. They did peg one back for a 2-1 win at the end but ok maybe pencil in that bus!

That just leaves us with a QF to play in the FA Trophy against Torquay at home. Squad is a little tired and we have Wrexham straight after so I will be rotating. That was sadly the end of our cup run with a 1-2 loss - Torquay took 2 early chances, we pegged one back before half time but just couldnt get that equaliser. I'm not too worried and now we can focus on the playoffs.

 

 

[profii]

2021 Youth Intake

 

We still have nothing exciting coming through, here are the best 2 players from the intake. Yawn

[SRL88]

Sitting nicely in the play-offs there

[profii]

March 2021

 

From here on in we are simply focusing on the league. First up was Wrexham hopes of another exciting derby were dashed with the most boring 0-0 game in the world
We played Bromley who have not a lot to play for and walked it 3-0
After that we faced Kidderminster who also held us to a 0-0  draw
Then Notts Co. came for a visit where we also drew 1-1 - a notable goal from Waring who has been struggling recently.
 

The final game of the month is probably the most important of the month. We face Fylde who are just 9 points behind us and sit 1 place off the playoffs so this really constitutes a 6 pointer for us - fortunately we won 2-0 so that puts us in a good position.

I think player of the month goes to Kwame Thomas, he has had to wait most of the season to earn his place in the team, often being used as a rotation winger but he has actually shown his worth up front recently grabbing some goals but also making space for his team mates.

 

 

 

[profii]

14 minutes ago, SRL88 said:

Sitting nicely in the play-offs there

yep a massive surprise but the squad have gelled as the season has progressed so it seems to have worked out well.
I hope the Fylde results is enough to keep us in the playoffs but the next 2 fixtures are against Aldershot and Barrow (1st, 2nd respectively) so it's still all to play for...

[profii]

March 2020

So we start off with 2 tough fixtures, firstly, league leaders Aldershot - somehow, we win this game 1-0, which is pleasing, we must be on the cusp of playoff qualification.

Next up, it's Barrow, now I've attached a screenshot of this particular match as I have no idea how this happened. What a mess!

Straght after, Maidenhead, a different kind of challenge, as this is a team fighting relegation, we manage to have another disaster and lost 2-4 The score line looks not too bad but i think they just got complacent at 0-4 to be fair.

 

At this point, for some reason the game announces that all the current playoff teams are all secure so fantastic news... I can't work out why as Flyde still seem close enough to overtake me on GD but i assume it will be due to the actual fixtures or something... hurrah

 

Anyway, on to Yeovil another relegation struggler so probably be a tough game, given the last 2 shocking performances i am going to make a couple of changes. Weirdly, Yeovil got 2 red cards and i win 1-0 - which will be fine, if we can get that playoff by it will obviously be useful...

 

We then have to go to playoff hopeful Sutton and given my qualification status and also my squad keep needing rests i throw this game and lose 0-2 but that's no problem, dont want to give anything away to someone i might face soon

Finally, bottom of the league down and outs, Welling, we easily win 3-0 with the reserves.

 

 

Gotta go play actual football now so I'll do the playoffs this evening...

[profii]

The final table

 

Edited December 1, 2019 by profii

[profii]

Playoff First Round - Chester vs Sutton

I can pretty much pick my top choice lineup and as it's a home tie I am going with my favoured wing play / 442 / positive setup...

So we get the game underway and there is an early booking for Sutton... soon followed by a foul on the edge of the box by Sutton as well... is it? Yes! Given... Joe Lynch steps up for the pen, we haven't had many but he has been reliable... Today the pressure get's to him as he rolls it into the keepers hands

 We go again and McGhee takes the ball into the box... what's that? The away fans don't believe it, another penalty!! This time Kwame Thomas steps up, dont recall him taking a pen this season... he shots, i see the ball hit the keeper but it's not enough to keep it out. 1 nil, get in!! 

We continue to press and put balls in the box, Moore misses a tight 1 on 1 and Glendon rockets one off the bar.

30 mins in and our full back plays a worldie pass behind enemy lines, Thomas brings it under control instantly and tries an awful pass across to Moore, by some stroke of luck it deflects off the centre half and Moore slots it away into an empty net for a 2-0 lead. Glorious.

We continue the press and hit the bar again, also missing another 1 on 1 - things are looking great as we go in for half time 2 to the good, also 8 shots on target to Sutton's 2.

I tell the lads to keep it going and send them back on their way.

It gets to about 60 mins and I am starting to see more and more of Sutton, time for a sub. I'll try Brad Jackson on for Sousa, but I'm thinking I'll need to bring Waring on for some hold up play soon. 
Nothing really happens between then and 75' so I chuck Waring on and then in the 85' i spot that Sutton go 4-3-3 so I chuck Bateman on for Moore and go 4-1-4-1 to sure up and see out the match... 

Job done, 2-0, who's next!



Looks like we beat the attendance record, our spanking of Wrexham is no longer top, we've beaten 5022 with a cool 5453

Edited December 1, 2019 by profii

[profii]

So we go into the draw and we get Notts Co. away. I'm just pleased to have avoided Barrow after that 5-0 drubbing.

We don't have long to prepare so let's get ready for this... oh no wait. What is this, an injury, we haven't suffered with many this season so who is it?

Only the goal keeper.



This is quite a problem. I'm going to go for injections but I'm still not 100% sure I'll throw Griffiths in. Here is the decision I have to make:



Christ......

[profii]

Playoff Semi Final 2021 - Notts Co. Vs Chester City

 

So, I take the gamble. Griff stays in net - the only change is Waring goes up front, maybe his 6'5 stature can hold the ball up the other end of the pitch and help us through this dilemma. God knows. Just got to keep calm and make sure none of my players think this is the crisis that it is. I mean Liverpool beat Barca without their top strikers so why can't we beat Notts County... right? Right?!?!

Notts Co line up with a 4-2-3-1 and I note that we lost and drew to them this season, this will be tough but let's do it!

14' mins in and a throw in, a cross and a goal... to Notts Co. It takes us about 30 mins to get a shot on target so I've changed us to Wing play which seems to work against lesser teams... today it takes 4 mins and the full back has put it on a plate for Moore to equalise, get in! 1-1 - that takes us through to half time.

A relatively uneventful start to the 2nd half, so I bring on Jackson for Sousa on the right wing at about 60 mins, we nearly scramble the ball in at 70 but I think Warings lack of pace let us down a bit so I'm going to bring on Thomas to press a bit more.

Then some magic and Notts fail to clear a corner, we push the ball from left to right side of the pitch and Jackson manages to put it past the keeper from outside the box... he will feel like he should have got that but we will happily take the lead 2-1!

A couple of minutes later we fail to clear a corner properly ourselves and Notts deliver a 2nd attempt at the cross which gets put in from the back post... disappointing 

I stick McFarlane on for Moore in injury time to no avail and we finish 2-2... ET coming up

As soon as we get started I chuck on Bateman for Glendon as we now can make a 4th sub and we are going to need the legs

Notts change to a 4-3-3 and manage to break quickly to make it 2-4
Straight after we dont clear a crossing oppurtunity from a throw in and it goes to 2-4, this could be it...

15 mins of our season left and I go route 1 to try and pull this back but sadly, it's not enough...

Season over 2-4 to Notts  

Edited December 1, 2019 by profii

[profii]

End of Season

Our best 11 is pretty clear, the only question is probably between Brad Jackson and Erico Sousa but either would be a worthy winner there


Shamar Moore won all the awards - player of the season, signing of the season, young player of the season.
The only thing he didnt win was goal of the season - that went to Dion McGhee for a magnificent free kick that saw us get that 1-0 win over Aldershot late in the season.

The board added some random playing styles to the club vision so I knocked those on the head - I dont want to be told how to play. Thanks.
In better news we managed to start upgrading our youth facilities for £350k which is a good use of this money we seem to be making I would say
Moore managed to break Warings goal scoring record from last season bumping it up from 16 to 18
Griffiths also managed to break his own clean sheets record going from 20 to 23 - no doubt helped by some shrewd defensive signings.

The good news is we only really neeeeed a centre mid. We can probably easily improve in centre half, full back and wings but we are in a position where we only need to take on the right players, not just any players so let's see what the market brings us...

[profii]

Pre-Season 2021

 

Obviously we will bring in some new faces to try and push ourselves over the promotion line seeing as the 442 formation seems to have been quite successful once we got it going.

First man in from one of my former haunts is Jack Hunter of Blyth on an end of contract deal. Looks like someone who will sure up the midfield well, might enable us to branch into 451 and 433 formations later on.

 

2nd in will be Joe Lewis from Swansea, I dont think he will be our best centre half but he is a certain upgrade on 4th choice Jack Cowgill so that should just help with times of fixture congestion by giving us a bit of strength in depth.

Forgot about Michael Kennedy who I could get my hands on a bit earlier as he was in scotland

I also got Lowery to sign from Everton when we could get on to the youth players. Both left backs who look alright, we will see if any manage to make a place their own...

As planned we also managed to bring in Luke Maxwell


 

i've got a striker  on trial but think i might wait and see how the lay of the land is when players actually get released, as I'd like to do something attacking wise too
 

 

[profii]

Brought in a couple of players and here is how the squad depth looks

 

Mampala released from Everton and on mega cheap wages is always a bonus

And also Isaac Sinclair came in from Curzon Ashton to cover the wings

 

[Nobby_McDonald]

Unlucky in the playoffs. Good luck with the new season.

[profii]

Kinda pleased - the cup game highlighted to me that we are not ready to compete against the pro teams. I am not sure how likely it is that we turn pro whilst still in the VNN but assuming the club wont do it until forced (i.e. promoted) then I want to make sure I am absolutely walking the division rather than struggling my way up for a nightmare time in L2.

I feel like I've got a sturdier midfield and a good strike partnership developing in Moore/Thomas I think there is a good chance this year - in theory Mampala is better but I'm not expecting wonders from someone who hasn't made thier pro debut yet.

Interestingly, I note that we are predicted 4th in the new season which is unusually good of the game to recognise the clubs progress quite quickly - in past FM's I've found that you can usually work your way through a division in 2, max 3 seasons yet you are never predicted to get out the bottom half.
 

[profii]

July 2021

 

Well 1 game in at the end of the month, I literally paid no attention at all to preseason so this is the first time I've really taken any note of the results. They look as expected.
Our league game was against Dover so a decent test and an opportunity to give a few debuts out. 2 Goals from Shamar Moore gave us a 2-0 win and I suppose he gets player of the month as well 

It seems redundant to post the table after 1 game so we will just stick with the fixtures because I'm lazy.

 

[profii]

We've just had the cup draw

 

Honestly never heard of that one hahah

[profii]

August 2021

Now we are cooking on gas. This feels like a team that can go on to glory- we pretty much walked the month without any difficulties apart from trying to score past Maidenhead.
A short update this month as progress has been interrupted by scouting the premier league on Amazon Prime this week  
This month consists of 6 games, 5 wins and a draw. 12 goals, 3 conceded which is fantastic.
Player of the month is probably Mampala for coming into the team and making some key contributions.

Small gap at the top of the table but if we continue this form we should expand that so fingers crossed

 

Next up the club becomes international in the Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Cup... come on!


Edit: interesting to see Barrow at the bottom of the league there after doing so well (including battering us) last season. It is also noted that something similar happened to Solihull who did really well when I was in the Conf. North, but then fell right to the bottom last season - When I picked up Luke Maxwell from Solihull, I was surprised they had such quality and finished so low.

Edited December 4, 2019 by profii

[Caning the Days]

Can i ask you a bit more about the sponsorship? Are you actually receiving £400k a season? It seems totally mad to me that a team like Chester would have a sponsorship deal for that much. It dwarfes anything in the league above. Not suggesting anything untoward, just that I think SI might have made a data error here

[profii]

September 2021
We are now victory on the international front! We went to East Fife and came back glorious winners, what a milestone for the club but a shame only 600 people witnessed this feat

I mixed up my Maid's in my last post and punished by losing to Maidenhead 
*Patch then applied here*
I then could not beat Kidderminster, they play 5-3-2 and when i pressed they countered, when i sat back i couldnt get out my box. They were effective.
I then struggled to beat Barnet and Eastleigh, noting that both teams play unusual formations - so not sure if the patch is knackering me or if it's just that.
Finally I played against Fylde which is a top of the table 6 pointer, so glad to have won there as well.

Not as good as August, but a great month never the less. Probably not going to nominate a PotM as every game felt like a struggle- but happy to be top

 

I was offered a 2 year deal, suspiciously just in advance of the chairman elections, quite the politician!
I also got Kelty Hearts in the Tunnocks cup draw, who I'm pleased I've never heard of!

Edited December 5, 2019 by profii