[FM23] Yeah, I’m a Yank, but I know my soccer, uh, football!

[dtown1414]

I’m really impressed with not only the number of stories here, but also how well done they are. I decided to do one as well, and while I’m certainly not at the Stephen King level of writing, I have written some “career stories” with other games(baseball/hockey), but always wanted to do one here.

 The main thing I like about creating a story is, it slows down my playing of the game. I get to know the players, the league, and really take my time “simming” forward. I am more engaged with what's going on and curious to see where my career goes.

 

Housekeeping First:

Using four mods – I like the challenge of starting at the lower levels than the original game offers.

 England Pyramid to Level 11 – DanFMDatabase

USA – 10 Tiers (I like the promotion/relegation that’s included). Sadly, this will never happen in this country, but in this universe, it does. Use your imagination as I will use mine.

League of Ireland – 9 tiers

Real Life Scottish Pyramid

 With the mods, I’m just going with what shows up in the game. And as always, a bit of imagination is a good thing to have with my stories.

 

The Rules:

Even though I added mods, just so I could start at a lower level than what the game offers, I do follow the Llama guidelines as closely as I can. And they have come around to where they’ve accepted down to Level 10 in England.

 Here’s the link if you need a refresher - the9llamas - LLaMa Guidelines/Ethos

Edited March 23, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

My Playing Days and Beyond

I grew up in the US(Pennsylvania) and loved soccer(football) for as long as I can remember. I played through high school, and then at Division II, Shippensburg University. Wasn’t recruited, and no scholarship, but was decent enough to make the squad at a school that had 8000 students. What I lacked in natural talent, I made up in by out working my opponent, and studying the game every chance I could get.

 

That led to me playing first at the amateur level with a nearby club, Torch FC, located in Souderton, PA. Only about a 45-minute drive to the high school stadium we used, so the commute was bearable. Trained twice a week, matches on Saturday’s.

 

 

I played two years there, and then was signed by Lehigh Valley, in Allentown, PA. More than 15 years after I first played organized soccer, starting out as a “kid” in third grade, I finally made it to the professional level. Ok, semi-professional, but I was still getting paid. Well, that lasted one season, before not having my contract renewed. Some nagging injuries, and quite frankly, lack of talent, made me realize that my career, if I was to have one, needed to go in another direction. 

 

 

July 2022

 

July 4th, 2022 – Fireworks everywhere as the country celebrates Independence Day. I was able to cruise by and hit up a couple of parties, as I had some celebrating of my own to do. Just a few days ago I received my National C license. It was a long road for me, but now I achieved the first step in my quest to be a soccer(football) manager. And keeping in mind, my only experience coaching was at the amateur level in the NISA with the Pocono Snow. Not much of a resume to impress a chairperson who needs a manager.

Now the next step, to get some interviews that will hopefully lead to a job. I’ve networked quite a bit over the years, so I have some good contacts. And with my full-time job (30 hours/week) being virtual, and with clients located across the US, I’m Ok with relocating if it comes to that.

My managerial resume. Impressive huh?

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

So I put some feelers out there and after what seemed like forever(only four days), I received a couple calls about interviewing. But I turned both down, one from Texans SC Houston and the other from Sockers FC Chicago. Both clubs play at Tier 6(USL1 Western Conference) in the US soccer pyramid. And while I’m Ok relocating, I didn’t want to live in Houston or Chicago. In both cases, too far away.

July 10^th-16^th – I was shocked by the number of responses I received for interviews. I scheduled five total, with Ocean City FC, Stumptown AC, Vermont Voltage SC, Atlanta FC, and Richmond United. Amazing how many clubs want to take a chance on a “newbie” in the football manager world. Or were they just going to pick my brain on players that I played against at one time? They are all in USL1 Conference.

 July 11^th – Not much to talk about with the Ocean City interview. John Granese, their chairperson, was really not a guy that I could see me working for. He had visions of grandeur, that in my opinion, weren’t attainable at a club like this. And once, while I was picking up my CV off the floor that I had dropped, when I looked up, here’s what I saw:

Edited March 23, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

So much for getting that job! Time to move on.

 July 12th-13th – Two interviews, that actually went really well. And the chairperson stayed awake both times. Vermont Voltage and Stumptown AC. 

 

 

 

In both cases, I felt that the chairperson would be willing to take a chance on me. Difference was Stumptown wanted to finish in the top half of the table, while Vermont were looking to not get relegated. As a first-time manager, I feel I could fit into either situation, but I like the Vermont chairperson, Darren Pepe at Vermont, a bit better.

 

 

July 14th-15th– Two more interviews scheduled. One with Atlanta FC, and the other with Richmond United. I drove to Richmond, and then after that interview, the long drive to Atlanta. My parents paid for my flight back from Atlanta as a late(another) birthday gift.

I flew back from Atlanta Friday night with a lot to think about. I would jump at the chance if presented an offer from any of the clubs. I guess it really comes down to do I want to live in a big city atmosphere, or a small town. The populations vary, Atlanta(500k), Richmond(260k), Charlotte(Stumptown AC, 825k) and then there’s St. Albans with seven thousand residents, home of the Vermont Voltage.

July 17^th-23^rd – The weekend flew by, and as the week went on, I started to receive several offers. Stumptown, Vermont, Atlanta, and Richmond all came back with offers. And while I was flattered at the response, my head started spinning again. But the entire time, I kept feeling better about the Vermont offer. 

I decided to delay them for a week, to give myself a bit more time, and all four agreed. But coming from a small town of 13 thousand residents, I just felt at my age, maybe I wasn’t ready for the “big city” scene, and began leaning more toward the Vermont offer. Plus, when I visited St. Albans, it is a beautiful town.

St. Albans is a small town in Franklin County in Vermont, with about 7000 residents. It extends west to Lake Champlain and is a popular tourist destination in the summer months. There’s supposedly a “lake monster” living in the lake named Champ. Maybe it’s a cousin to the Loch Ness Monster “Nessie” in Scotland. 

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

July 24th-30th – In the end, I accepted the Vermont Voltage offer. I thanked the other chairpersons for their time and offers, but I felt at this stage in my managerial career, a club like this, and a town like St. Albans, would be the best fit for me. And the initial impressions of the chairperson, Darren Pepe were really good.

  

I spent the weekend driving to St. Albans. I have relatives in Boston, so stayed with them Saturday night, and then finished the final four hours on Sunday, seven driving hours total. Darren was able to hook me up with a place to stay. His brother has a vacation home that he uses sparingly, a small, 1400 square, two-bedroom ranch house, just outside of St. Alban’s. Nice, quiet neighborhood, and for a mere 450/month, I can’t beat the discounted rate. Cut the grass and keep the place clean is all I need to do. I believe he’s just happy to have someone staying there, to keep an eye on things.

 

 

First Day in the Office, Butterflies and All!!

Monday, July 25th - I got to the office bright and early as I was dealing with those “first day nerves.” Darren had personal business to take care of most of the morning, and then we were scheduled to meet for lunch.

The office looks like IKEA threw up in it! My brown-black IKEA desk with metal legs has folders and loose papers everywhere, a cheap, uncomfortable looking IKEA chair, and there’s a laser and ink-jet printer on IKEA tables on the opposite wall. My brown-black desk matches the brown-black IKEA corner bookshelves, which are stocked with football books, those famous “How To’s”, some autobiographies, and a book on dogs. Interesting!

 

 

Rachel, our Office Assistant, HR person, travel person, greet the players person, has a separate office just down the hallway, and Jonathan’s office is across from mine. There is also a small conference room, that has a table for six, which Rachel said is for the Manager and Coaches. Jonathan calls it the “think tank” room. There are those goofy motivational pictures everywhere. One is called “Teamwork” where a bunch of knuckleheads are rowing a skull boat that looks like it’s about to sink because they’re too fat, in my opinion. Another is some guy climbing a mountain, with the saying “Go For the Gold.” I was always taught gold can be found in streams and in mines below the surface, not on top of a mountain. It’s those pictures that CEO’s buy, or Directors, or apparently football club owners, never look at, and the accountants are wondering why you just threw 50 bucks away on this trash.

 

 

Upon further inspection in the “think tank”, there’s a small IKEA table, of course, with a choice of bourbon, wine, and rum and a couple bottles of Coke, that have already been opened. I’m sure they’re nice and fresh. This has already become my favorite IKEA table for what it holds, and I’m sure it will come in handy on those late nights I’m here with the coaching staff, trying to figure out how we can win a match, any match. I also found some posted notes. One simply said, “you’re a dick.” And another that said, “You’re lucky you have a job.” And finally, the best of all in my opinion, “You’re the kind of person that history forgets.” Wow, some pleasantries were certainly exchanged in the good, old “think tank room.”

Edited March 23, 2023 by dtown1414

[Punch]

Nice work on the intro so far. Looking forward to see how you go with this.

Good luck.

[dtown1414]

Thanks. Should be fun!!

[Stuniverse]

Nice start, @dtown1414. Good luck 🍀⚽️🤞 at Vermont Voltage.

[dtown1414]

Mother considered a press conference on a par with a visit to a cage of cobras. “Margaret Truman

After meeting the players, and a quick walk-through practice, it was time to meet the media. And as you can see the room was packed with reporters. The only one there, well Ok, on the speaker phone was Dion Lee from Soccer on TNT. 

The Expectation Question about being fair & realistic? – I’m very happy with the direction we’re going in. Everyone at the club wants to be the best they can be.

 What made you take this job? I think their ambition is fantastic. They want to be successful and will not compromise on being the best.

 How do you see your leadership style? I think things work out best when players feel valued as people, as well as players.

 What will I primarily be concentrating on? The league must be my priority. That’s what the fans want.

 There were other questions that I apparently blocked from my memory. Time to move on!

 

 

The Squad

I really don't know what to expect from this group. Way too early, and with just one walkthrough and one practice, that's not really telling me a whole lot. Of the college-aged players, Darren assured me, that although two were in college, they were not playing for their school. I hated to ask why, but he told me anyway, THEY’RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Great! That’s reassuring.

 

July 25^th – Met the players. I basically told them that I felt we have enough ability to beat the drop and stay in this league. And they all agreed on that goal for the season. They're a young bunch and really don't need any pressure added to the situation this early in the season. I'm glad the meeting went well. Off to a good start!

 

People Are Not Your Most Important Asset. The Right People Are!

July 28^th- 31st – Was able to sign two coaches. I really need an Assistant Coach, but my offer fell through. And still looking for a Chief Scout.

I also signed a physio, Martin Dean. Martin works full-time at the St. Albans Health Center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by dtown1414

[Blarney]

Good intro, nice premise. I'll be following along.

[dtown1414]

6 hours ago, Blarney said:

Good intro, nice premise. I'll be following along.

Thanks!

[dtown1414]

July 31st - Derrick had scheduled a friendly with Boston City at home, which was a bit odd, since they are in our league, but at this level, guess he figured it didn't matter. Be that as it may, we're all excited about getting on the pitch, and for me, see what the players can do. Boston City FC was founded in 2015, with their first season in 2016. They're located in Revere, Massachusetts, about five miles from downtown Boston. They haven't made much noise since joining the league with their highest finish being 11th. Mostly a mid-level team. 

So, after one walkthrough, and one full practice, the squad is now “thrown” into their first match. This is semi-professional football after all. And unfortunately, we only have 16 players, as two of the players I plan on calling up from the reserves are hurt. I’m not playing the under 19’s, who most are just 16 or 17. Need my starting eleven to get in a good run.

My first match as a Manager. Much like the first day in the office, had some butterflies going, even though it's just a friendly. 

 

Off to a good start as Ezequiel Cano blasted one in from just inside the 18-yard box, with 10 minutes gone. 

 

We pretty much dominated the game, and in the 44th minute, Damon Sloan made it 2-0 on a fine header. Cano scored his second goal from 21 yards out, and only a defensive lapse in the 79th minute kept us from getting a clean sheet. 

And even though it was only a frienly, the players and coaches, as I was, were all really excited. We certainly gave the supporters something to cheer about. 

 

August 2022

 

August 2^nd – Still feeling good after our first win, even though it was a friendly, and even better now that I have an Assistant Coach in Adam Botel and a Chief Scout, Ian Coleman. 

Not really sure how we got Ian to sign as he has extensive knowledge in many different countries(They’re all this way in the USA mod). At least that’s what he put on his resume. Won’t do us any good though, as we barely have enough in the scouting budget for him to scout Conference One players.

Edited March 26, 2023 by dtown1414

[dtown1414]

August 13th - Not much happen over the last two weeks. Pretty much what staff we now had, would hopefully be with me through this season. And with two injuries, and another player out sick, I decided not to schedule another friendly. We had some good practices, and I was excited about getting the season underway. 

Our first game was away to a team that everyone felt would do pretty well this season, Bethlehem Steel FC. It would be a test for us for sure, but I'm hoping we'll at least be competitive. 

Before this game, I needed to review the rules with my coaches, and handed this out to them. Certainly, a bit different then the top level here and in Europe. 

 

August 13th - Not much happen over the last two weeks. We had some good practices, and I felt confident that the guys were ready to play. We have a touch road game against the Bethlehem Steel football club, as most experts are predicting they'll contend for the title. 

No, we're not playing these guys. This is from their 1917-18 season. Touch looking bunch!

 

HAMMERED!!

Don't really know how else to put it. Bethlehem was on the front foot from the start, and despite some good defense, we found ourselves down 2-0 at the half. The first goal I much admit was a thing of beauty as Will Forrest headed it in after a peach of a pass by Henri Flores. We did hit the post once but looked really disjointed. A second goal came in the 35th minute, to the delight of their supporters. 

 

And despite my encouragement in the dressing room, it didn't do us much good, as Bethlehem double their lead, and I lost my first match as a manager, 4-0.

 

Our ten supporters that showed up, didn't get much bang for their buck. But it's on to our first home game!

I got through the press conference unscathed, and pretty much conceded that on this day, they were the better team. I mentioned it's a learning curve for us all, and there were some positives to take from the match(ok, I stretched the truth a bit).

 

If We Score, We Might Win. If They Never Score, We Can’t Lose!

 

August 20th - Our first home match, and everyone seemed to have put our loss to Bethlehem behind them. There was a lot of chatter in the very cramped dressing room, and even Derrick, our chairperson, was in a jovial mood. I'm playing a 4-4-2, and the only instruction I gave them was "stay on feet." Doesn't do the team much good if you miss a tackle and you're laying on the ground as the opponent takes off toward our goal. 

 

Savannah really struggled in their first match, and appears it carried over to this one. Zach Maroales came on for Sloan 20 minutes in and scored the first goal of the season for Vermont. 

We took a 2-0 lead into halftime and were never threatened by the Clovers in the second half. It was a solid home win for us and gave our supporters and chairperson something to cheer about. My first win as a manager, and afterward, Rachel, our wonderful Office Manager, presented me with a picture of the scoreboard with the final score. Now that picture I'll put in a frame. 

 

“A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” 

For the last few years, I've been picking the brain of William Court, the 53 year-old chairperson of Birmingham FC in the Amazon Prime Championship league, the second level just under the MLS here in the United States. He has been a lifesaver at times, both in my playing career, and I've already "leaned" on him for advice as a new manager. I met William at a summer camp for high schoolers, and was immediately impressed. Here are some of the things he said from a recent conversation we had. 

William - I believe man management is the best part of being a manager. In the lower leagues where you are, you have to be everything to all your players. You need to create the right atmosphere straight away. 

Me - Well, that sounds good, but how?

William - You have to have a passion for the sport, and I know you do. As Arsene Wenger once said, "as a manager, have a passion for the sport, have the ability to evolve and adapt, and of course, an eye for talent. 

Me - Well William, you make it sound easy, but I know it's not!

William - You need to have a "smell" for the dressing room. Get to know the players you can make better and sort out the "bad eggs." Always look for the good in even those players, but if they don't change, or are disruptive in the dressing room, get rid of them. And treat them like they are real people. Just like in the corporate world, players/people feel they're nothing more than a number. To get the best out of them, find their "hot buttons", what makes them "tick." 

Me - I know there are outside issues, more so with a player at this level, then certainly a full-time player, like his job, family, kids getting sick, rushing just to get to practice after work, etc. 

William - You have to be sensitive to that to a certain extent. Just keep a handle on it, don't let it get out of control. As far as managing, this job can consume your life. You need a really strong support cast, family, friends, partner, whatever is available to you, and don't be afraid to use those resources. 

I always come away a bit wiser after these conversations, and I will share more of those moving forward. 

 

For now, though, it's time to focus on our next home game against Loudon United. Loudon United started in 2018 and have been close to promotion twice. They play at Segra Field, not too bad of a venue for this level. We'll be playing there later in the season. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by dtown1414