sherm Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Jimmy Calderwood turned round to face his assistant, tears in his eyes, and put his hand on his shoulder. "I've got faith in you son. You can be the man to take us to glory" "You don't have to do this Jimmy - we're all here for you" "I have to go son. Margaret needs me" Calderwood's wife of 34 years, Margaret, was seriously ill. Lung cancer - the doctors gave her 12 months at the most. He was devastated. He loved her dearly, and everybody knew that - but everybody also knew he had a mistress in life - his work. Football was in his blood, his bones, and it pained him to walk away. Since joining Aberdeen, he had turned them into a force that could soon be reckoned with - 5th place in the SPL, although still a big gap to overturn the SPL's finest, Rangers and Celtic, and some excellent young players in the ranks. His trusty assistant, Sandy McParland, who had been with him since 1999 at Dunfermline, had one day been earmarked as a potential manager of the Dons, but he never expected to have the job within seven years, aged just 35. McParland had been 28, retired from playing for three years after a horrendous car crash had left him with ruptured ligaments in both knees, when Calderwood brought him to Dunfermline. The pair enjoyed tremendous success there, including a fourth placed finish and European football for the first time ever, before Stewart Milne brought them across to Pittodrie. Calderwood would be sorely missed by the fans, but they were pleased that Milne had seen sense and kept the club in the same mould by just upgrading McParland to manager. This had meant a full reshuffle of the backroom staff, with Jimmy Nicholl becoming assistant to McParland. There was a huge sense of sadness at losing Calderwood, and many felt, in their hearts, that he would never return to the game again It was with a heavy heart, but knowing he had made the right decision, that Jimmy Calderwood got into his Peugeot 207, and drove away from Pittodrie for the very last time... --- "Sandy, well done. How are you feeling?" "Bloody nervous. I hated talking to the press at the best of times but that was a nightmare" "You did fine. Now, let's discuss your role. You are full aware of what myself and Jimmy had spoken about in terms of playing staff?" "Yes, he mentioned something about all Scottish" "That's right. We aren't a rich club, and we would struggle to attract some good talent from abroad, so we felt bringing in Scottish players and bringing through our own would be more beneficial" "Certainly, I couldn't agree more. I can implement that into the squad" "I know, I have full confidence in you. Whatever funds you make from the sale of players, you can use for strengthening the squad" "We have a good base anyway Stewart, and a good crop of youngsters who need experience before making the first team" "We have, you're right. Now, here's all the information for the season, read it in your own time, and all the financial aspects of the club are in this folder. Good luck Sandy" Sandy McParland thanked his chairman and walked down to his office - what was Jimmy's. It looked weird, seeing his name above the door, but he grabbed his coat and headed down to his favourite restaurant for lunch. This was going to be a long day Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 Yes, I know, another story - but I just had to post This is based on what is still, in my honest opinion, the best challenge ever on the board, the Lisbon Lions. I wanted a change, so instead of Rangers or Celtic, I chose to play with Aberdeen Game is being played on FM07 (thanks mainly to the fact 09 is not getting on with me at all) version 7.0.2, with Scottish leagues upto Division 3, English leagues upto Championship, German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A Sherm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark wilson27 Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 good luck with Aberdeen sherm looking forward to reading more Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 Cheers Mark, much appreciated --- I sat in the corner of the restaurant, my usual seat, surrounded by the pleasant sound of Motown music, and in the comfort of a booth that left me undisturbed. I had a plate of Haggis and Tatties on one side of the table, with papers spread all over the other. Having been a regular at SilverSmiths for nearly two years, they knew I was there for quiet time, and I was left genuinely undisturbed - today however, was different. The young waitress, Lisa, who had worked there for as long as I could remember, came over with a sheepish looking grin on her face and a pint of Guinness in hand "Mr McParland? Sorry to disturb you but Steve wanted me to give you this as a congratulations on the new job - on the house" "Well go and tell Steve thankyou Lisa - by the way, how much is it normally?" "Erm.. £2.20" "OK. Well you take that as a tip..." as I handed her a ten pound note "...call it for a good years service" and with that, I shot her a warm smile and a cheeky grin She had bounded off delighted. I knew it was naughty but why not. I was doing no harm, and I know that despite being 35, and probably several years older than her, I've still got my youthful good looks and can flirt with the best of them. Still, I turned my head back to the table, and concentrated on the work in hand I knew most of the squad that I had inherited, but I immediately focused on the Scottish members of the first team squad and wrote them down with a quick profile Goalkeeper Jamie Langfield was clearly first choice. Having broken into the Scotland squad for the first time two years ago, he was now deputy to Craig Gordon, but an integral part of the plans at Pittodrie. With over 100 appearances for the club, I knew he was going nowhere, and marked down that I was looking to tie him down to a long term deal. I was however, worried about his back-up. While Derek Soutar had made some good appearances for the club, he did tend to be a bit erratic, which meant that if Langfield got injured or suspended, we could be in trouble. Maybe it's time for me to look for a back-up for Jamie and ease Derek out of the squad In defence, there was some good talent, and club captain Russell Anderson led the way. The 28 year old had been at Aberdeen all his career, and was 5th on the all time appearance list with 221. I was looking to make sure he stayed with us till he retired and who knows, he might even beat Alex McLeish's 493. It was fairly easy to pick his central defensive partner too, as Zander Diamond was possibly the best naturally talented defender in the squad, and with many years ahead of him, Sandy was happy with that pairing. Should he need to replace one of those two, he had a good player in Michael Hart to call on. He had 11 under 21 caps for Scotland, and had even been called into the squad the season before, so I was confident in his ability to do the job if called upon. There was also another youngster, Andrew Considine. Though he still had a lot to learn, he had the basics, and he had to ability to turn into a very good central defender - at 18 years old and just over 6ft, he towered above many of the others in the squad While the defence was a priority to strengthen, the midfield needed one or two bodies just for a bit more depth. Barry Nicholson provided the creative spark, and having turned down offers of £500,000 the season before, he had just signed a new four year deal to stay at the club. Experienced campaigner Scott Severin was a player I had always admired, and I was delighted when he joined the club. He wasn't as creative as Barry, but he could drop back and help out the defence if needed, and he could even play on the flank if I turned out to need him there. With 23 caps for Scotland, I'd be looking for him to guide the younger players through. One of these younger players was Jamie Winter, who was a precocious talent, and one we all rated highly. However, his fitness was a problem, and he rarely got three successive games out without being unfit or injured, so I planned to use him sparingly. On the flanks, I had Chris Clark, who could play on both sides, and his pace and skill made him a dangerous prospect to defences, aswell as his ability to whip in a good cross. There was also Jamie Smith, who was another highly rated player, and one I really felt was a good talent. He could play on the right hand side, or in his more favoured position behind the strikers, aswell as fill in in the middle, but again, I still needed to add a couple more bodies to the squad. The final midfielder I had in the first team squad was Andy Bagshaw. His ability to play in the centre, in the role behind the strikers or as a striker was a key factor to his place in the squad, and I was sure he could provide some good cover for the regular players The strike-force was a real problem. Darren Mackie was a good player, a man who could score goals with the right service, and definately a player I was looking to offer a contract extension too. The same would be said for Lee Miller, who was now established in the Scotland squad, although with two years left on his contract, I felt it was prudent to wait a while before agreeing an extension with him. That however, was that, and though we had Craig Brewster in the ranks, he was 38 and not upto the rigours of the SPL anymore - I made up my mind to talk with him about joining the coaching staff, and be honest that he wouldn't get much playing time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
glamdring Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Yes, I know, another story - but I just had to post This is based on what is still, in my honest opinion, the best challenge ever on the board, the Lisbon Lions. I wanted a change, so instead of Rangers or Celtic, I chose to play with Aberdeen Couldn't agree more! I've had a few abortive attempts at another Lisbon Lions game, one or two of them with Aberdeen since they have a decent core to start from - definitely the best challenge around. So far my only long term LL game was back in CM03/04 and was my first ever story here. Hopefully I'll manage to keep up with this story from the start Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 Cheers Glam - I won't give too juch away but suffice to say, I've gotten further with this LL game than any other before - I always keep coming back to the challenge, I can't help it --- I was quick to delve into the transfer market, albeit with the help of my staff, and within 48 hours, I had two new additions to the squad. Dundee United's left winger William Easton joined on a three year, £50,000 deal. I was surprised our fellow SPL side had wanted to get rid of him to be honest, as he seemed to have all the qualities required at this level. Pace, stamina, and a wicked left-foot, aswell as being a good set-piece taker, and due to a lack of left sided midfielders, he became a real contender for a starting spot. I had also managed to raid the lower leagues to some extent, and had agreed a £16,000 transfer with Stirling for their defender Ross Forsyth. Having been on Celtic's books as a youngster, and having the added bonus of being left footed, he looked like he would be a decent choice for a full back spot. He was still relatively young too, and had lots of years ahead of him, so I was delighted to have captured his signature There was also transfer activity on the departures front too, as I managed to get £185,000 into the coffers, thanks to Richie Byrne moving to Cardiff, a £100,000 fee for that, and then youngster Ricky Foster moving to Sheffield United, Both Irishmen were upset at moving, but all the non-Scottish players knew of the policy when I took the job, and weren't too upset - they knew it was coming. I hadn't imagined that it was much different being manager than it was being assistant, but I was very very wrong. The mounds and mounds of paperwork, constant phonecalls, meetings - it was non-stop. Getting to work for 8.30, sometimes doing 12 hour days, maybe more. It was tiring to say the least, but I'm sure it's all worth it in the end - that's what Jimmy used to say -- With everything else going on, I had decided to let Jimmy Nicholl pick the team and take charge of the first friendly match, which would seen Forfar as our opponents. I did attend the match, sitting at the back of the stands, as I felt the purpose was for me to see how the players adopted my new style and new formation. I had an earpiece in which allowed me contact with Jimmy, but in that game, it was fair to say I didn't need it too much. Once Darren Mackie had fired us into a third minute lead, combining well with Bagshaw before striking the ball from the edge of the area into the corner of the net, we were always going to win. I just hadn't realised how convincing it would be. Mackie turned to provider for the second, sliding Jamie Smith in, and the winger fired across the 'keeper, who got a hand to the ball but couldn't keep it out, just as he couldn't with Easton's free-kick, which he curled into the top corner from 25 yards, turning to the stands and giving a thumbs up in my direction. I came down to the dugout for the second half, as the players obviously knew I was there, and it seemed to make a difference. Three substitutions were made, with Michael Hart, Jamie Winter and young striker Chris Maguire introduced into the fold, and it was Maguire that made the most impact. Within ten minutes of being on the pitch, he had laid on a goal for Chris Clark, after some good work by Scott Severin in midfield allowed him to play a precise pass to Clark, who's volley smacked off the inside off the post and into the goal. Then, Jamie Smith curled in a corner, which found it's way to Maguire on the edge of the box, who twisted his body and fired a low first-time shot into the bottom corner. At 5-0, it was all over, but the players wanted to show me what they were made of, and goals from Zander Diamond, a bullet of a header past the 'keeper, and Maguire's second of the game, a real poachers effort, saw us head back to Aberdeen with a tremendous boost and an emphatic 7-0 win over our less illustrious opponents Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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