[FM23] Notts landing

[Blarney]

Notts County Announcer:  GOOOOAAAALLLL!!! Notts County, it's Notts County!!!  Notts County!!!  Can you believe this?  Notts County have just won the Pre....

Wait, hold on.  Let's not get ahead of ourselves.  They say to know where you're going... you need to know where you come from.  So before you hear the end of my story, you'll need to hear the beginning. 

I was introduced to football at a very young age.  Granted, growing up in England or really just about anywhere in Europe or the rest of the world besides the United States and you could say the same thing - it is the world's most popular sport.  But my reason for introduction to the game was probably a bit different than most kids.  You see my grandfather was Jimmy Sirrel.  Now if you don't know who that was that's okay.  He was a legendary manager at Notts County Football Club - and trust me we'll talk plenty about him.  Anyway having a legendary footballer in the family meant not only was the game big.... but it was BIG, if you see the difference. 

Granddad was born in 1922 and he passed away in 2008.  I was born in '96 which meant I only had about 12 years with him in my life, but it was a very formulative 12 years.  My father was also a footballer and a coach but not to the level that granddad was - he'd tell you that as well.  Skipping ahead in the story a bit I also tried my hand at being a footballer but never made it past the youth academy - we'll get to that.  At least granddad got to see me play although he always said my story lay elsewhere - which at the time I really didn't understand.  I was young, obviously, and my only thoughts were to playing, standing in the middle of the pitch in front of thousands of screaming supporters, holding some trophy above my head, being the hero.... stupid kid stuff.  Granddad seemed to see something different.  I don't know, looking back if he just saw that I was never going to make it as a player or just thought there were bigger things in store for me.  Like I said, I was just a kid and I thought i was great.  And honestly I was good... I had some skills as a midfielder.  I'll say now, I wasn't great... but I could have played.  There are a lot of good but not great players in non-league and even in League One and Two you'll find guys that are quality but not Championship or Premier quality.  Unfortunately we'll never know now... that time has past.  I was playing in a match in September of 2013 for County's Under 18's squad and took a bad angle on a tackle attempt.  As I was turning to recover, I planted my left leg and the guy I was attempting to defend fell into it accidentally.  I felt my knee pop and the next thing I know I'm in the hospital talking to a specialist who's telling me that I've torn my ACL... very badly.  I was also told that there was very little chance I was going to see a football pitch again as a player - at least not a player at 100% or able to give what's needed to perform at a high level.

Thus ended my football hero dreams.

Could I have still worked my way back and played for some non-league club somewhere or maybe even been a Tier 3 or Tier 4 player.... possibly.  But I knew I'd never advance past that and my father helped me understand that there were other ways to be involved in the sport... something I realize now that granddad was also teaching me when I was younger.  We spent hours upon hours talking about the game when I was growing up.  We would talk about tactics and formations, player roles... even the dynamics between a manager and his players.  He taught me what a good footballer was and that it wasn't always just about pure talent.  It was funny, looking back, because granddad was never very tradtional.  Even though he knew tactics, he didn't necessarily always like them.  He told me more than once that football was simple.... you put the best players on the pitch and you win.  He was more about the athlete than he was the formation.  

Through granddad and my father I had basically unlimited access to Notts County growing up, then joined their youth academy while I was learning to play.  After my "career" ended I was still pretty much able to come and go at will, that's the benefit of having a legendary manager as your grandfather.  Also my father was still an assistant there at the time.  He's since moved back to Glasgow, Scotland to become a Director at Celtic where my granddad made his professional debut.  I went off to University at Loughborough and got my degree in Sports Management then went back to Notts County and took a job in player development.  Basically I run statistics.  I look at players and evaluate them based on different metrics and provide reports that help with player development and also scouting.  This has become a REALLY big thing at Notts since the Reedtz brothers took over in 2019.  They run Football Radar which is a sports analysis company... so their focus here at Notts has been analysis and statistics ever since becoming owners.

Notts County has always been my club.  I've supported them for as long as I can remember.  I was born in Nottingham, my father worked for Notts and my granddad still lived here as well.  He had long since retired from the sport when I was born but was still a regular around the club and loved meeting with supporters and attending matches.  He loved telling me the history of the club as he was very proud of them and their accomplishments, few as they were.  It was something to be proud of, he said, to be the oldest professional association football club in the world and one of the founding members of the football league.  Unfortunately - and we're being very honest here - for a club that had been in the football league for 157 years before being relegated to the National League back in 2019.... there really wasn't much to be overly proud of.  Now, I am a supporter so I am proud of my club through good times and bad.... but if we're talking accomplishments only.............. only 30 of those 157 years in the football league have been spent in top flight Tier 1 football.  And to make matters worse we haven't played top flight football since the 1991-92 season when we finished 21st in the league and were relegated and missed playing in the Premier League - which formed the very... next... season.  That's 30 years of being out the outside looking in... which is really even more true now that we're stuck in non-league Tier 5.

A place that I truly think we don't deserve to be... yet are.

So what made my granddad "legendary" you ask?  Well he famously said - the first time he was hired as manager for Notts - "ask any kid what they know about Notts County and they'll tell you they're the oldest football club in the world.  By the time I've finished they'll know a lot more."  He first took over in 1969 when they were toiling in Division 4 for 5 seasons as a mid-table club.  They finished in 7th place the first year and the very next they earned promotion to Division 3 with a first place finish.  It took just 2 seasons more to earn promotion to Division 2.  Four seasons, two promotions.  He stayed at Notts for 2 more seasons - finishing mid-table in Div 2 before he took the managers job at Sheffield United.  He returned during the 1977 season as the Magpies were struggling at the bottom of the table in Divsion 2 and facing relegation, but was able to end up securing a 15th place finish under his lead.  The very next season they finished 6th, then 17th and then 2nd place.... earning them promotion back to Divison 1 - the first time they had been back in top flight since 1926.  His legendary status was secured.  After another season and a mid-table finish in Division 1, the club made him General Manager and he held that role for several years before taking back the manager role in 1985 with the club facing severe financial difficulties and having slipped back to Division 3.  He retired for good just 2 years later.  In 1993 the club renamed the County Road stand to the Jimmy Sirrel stand in honor of my granddad.  There is also a statue of him in front of the club.  He passed away in September of 2008.

My father stuck around the club for awhile.  He had been an assistant under granddad but ended up becoming a scout after he passed.  I think partly he wanted a little time away from the club, not having to be there every day and remember his dad.  Eventually, after a few years he become Head of Youth Development and held that role until just a couple of years ago when he decided to go back to his roots in Scotland.  By this point I had graduated from Loughborough and Notts hired me to work in their player development department.  I could have gone with my father when he left for Scotland and taken a job with Celtic but my heart was here.  Notts was my club.  I felt a connection here, it felt like home to me.  I mean it was home, it always had been but it was more than that.  Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz had bought the club in 2019... and it felt like things were going to change.

To say that Notts had gone through some hard times would have been a gross understatement.  Ever since my granddad left the club it's pretty much been downhill from there.  They did manage to get into Division 2 after the 1990-91 season and even earned back-to-back promotions to Divison 1 the following year... but as I said previously missed the jump to the Premier League by being relegated the very next season.  That was the last time we saw top flight football.  Since 1992 we have spent all but 3 seasons in Tier 3 or below in the EFL.... and the last 3 have been spent in the National League.  But there were signs things were heading in the right direction.  The Reedtz brothers had paid off most of the debts incurred from previous ownership and had made some pretty significant changes in the club.  The biggest had to do with player evaluation, which was their business to begin with... and my passion.  To risk sounding cliche... we were joining the 21st century.  Look, a lot of player evaluation is gut instinct.  You have to watch someone out there on the pitch to see what he's made of, but there's more to it than that.  There's a whole host of data and statistical analysis that goes into the behind the scenes stuff.  How far someone runs during a game, how much stress there is on the body, how they hold up to that stress, average heartbeat, how good they are at taking correct angles to the ball, headers they win, passes they connect with... and on and on and on.  And the Reedtz brothers were very good at gathering and evaluating this information.  I became very close to them through my work with the club.  

Which is why after the 2021-22 season when Notts County failed yet again - for the 3rd time - to make it out of the playoffs that I ended up being hired as their new manager.  I sort of have Les Bradd - another Notts County legend - to thank for that since he was the one that approached Christoffer Reedtz and pushed for me to take the job, something I hadn't even really considered until it was offered.  But I am glad it was offered.  I am glad I took it.  It was the start of something very, very special.

My name is Eddie Sirrel... and this is my story.

[Blarney]

***Hi, hello, yes.... this is my 3rd attempt at a save since FM24 came out.  My first ended in disaster when I attempted an Oldham Athletic save and ended up getting fired for disagreeing with the board and taking a Notts County job (my favorite club) only to have FM24 crash on me multiple times and ended up deleting all my files and having to start over.  Then I decided to try a Scunthorpe save from 2023... which I ported over to FM24 because I thought my issues were fixed... only to have them pop up again and have my files deleted again.  Since I had started it in FM23 I could have just gone back and replayed the last couple of months in game - which would have basically meant starting the season over since I still had the previous season's files in FM23.  But at this point I'm pretty tired of having saves ruined or ruining them myself because I like to argue with the board so I decided once and for all just to run my favorite club from the "beginning" and make this my final save of the 24 season and if it doesn't work... it doesn't work.  I'll wait for FM25 and the improvements they promised before I try again.  Besides I only do this for my enjoyment because I like writing and I like the game... so if you want to follow along - again - cool.  And if you think I'm just crazy.... I probably am.  Anyway Notts is my favorite club and they had an amazing season last year and honestly are doing quite well this year also.... so we're going to see how we do in game and if we can replicate their success in real life.  I'll try not to argue too much with the board.  Maybe.***

Edited January 10 by Blarney

[Blarney]

A New Dawn At Notts County

Notts County Board Press Release

Today is a turning point for the Notts County football club.  We are pleased to announce that we have hired Eddie Sirrel - grandson to the legendary Jimmy Sirrel - to lead our club into the future.  Eddie was born and raised in Beeston, right here in Nottingham.  He has lived here all his life and bleeds Magpie black and white.  Eddie has a degree in Sports Management from esteemed Loughborough University and has worked with Notts County in player development for the past 2 years.  He has spent those 2 years helping to develop programs and ways to better judge player talent and ability with the help of our team at Football Radar. 

Eddie grew up at Notts County with his father and grandfather and played in our youth academy until injury unfortunately ended his playing career.  Since then he's probably spent more time at the club than anybody around here other than Les Bradd.  Eddie has the drive, the vision, the passion, the charisma and the intelligence we were looking for in our next manager.  The plan is simple, it hasn't changed.  We are going to earn promotion back to the Football League and then the sky is the limit for this club. 

We are Notts County.

We are the oldest professional association football club in the world.  We are one club with one vision.  And with Eddie Sirrel leading the way we think our future is brighter than ever.

Let's go Pies!

Snippets from the Press

The Athletic

Anybody that knows Notts County football knows the name Sirrel.  But is a name worth a hire for a club that's desperately trying to work their way back to the Football League?

The Nottingham Post

We want Notts County to succeed as much as the next... but we have to question where this hiring came from and what sense it makes.  There are questions.

BBC Radio Nottingham

Can another Sirrel save Notts County?  Ownership must think so.

Social Media Snippets

CountysBiggestFan:  Let's go Pies! Can't be any worse than we have done lately.  3 years National League is 3 years too long.

CallMeStevenB:  F'n joke, yeah? My dog would probably be a better manager than this guy.

RichieFromNottingham:  To young to remember Jimmy Sirrel but we all know what he did here. If Eddie can do half that, then we're probs better off than we have been.

DanTheMan:  This is a joke, right? Some 26-year old kid with no coaching experience? Do these owners have a clue what they're doing?

TheRealDealJoe:  Straight up don't hate this. Maybe someone younger with vision is what we need.

NatNottsFan:  I'm all for giving someone a shot, but I think we could have brought in a much higher profile manager to lead the club.

BobbyFromBeeston:  Hey I know this guy! Hook me up with some tickets, dude!

LisaLovesNotts:  2 managers under new ownership haven't got us out of the National League yet, do they really think this one will? I don't.

Magpie4Lyfe:  Benefit of the doubt here. He has the lineage, seems to be smart. Knows how to evaluate players? Give him a chance.

Edited January 10 by Blarney

[Blarney]

Eddie meets the media - snippets of his responses

What style of play are we going to see out there this season?

I'm a big believer that goals win games.  It's relatively hard to win if you're not scoring so the first thing you're going to see is us attacking every chance we can.  If we can control tempo then the opposition has to play our game and not the other way around.  Possession is nice and if we can control it more often than not, that's great, but it's not my #1 priority.  You can win the war but lose the possession battle.  You're not going to win the war if you don't score.

Do you think you're going to make many changes at the club this year?

All things are possible but I know a lot of the people there, so I already know what I'm walking in to as far as the backroom staff goes.  For players, I'm always going to be looking to make improvements which means if we see something that makes sense, we will pursue it.  Whether that's today or tomorrow or a month from now, we'll just have to watch what's out there.

You have a background in data analysis and player development, do you think that's going to help you in your new job?

I don't think it can hurt.  The game is changing or maybe a better way to put it is evolving.  My granddad always said put the best players out there and you will win.  He didn't much care about tactics or formations.  He wanted athletes that knew how to play the game.  So while I know most players have roles and what they're good at, I'm going to have the expectation of players that can transcend traditional roles and maybe take on more responsibilities on the pitch.  I don't mean I'm going to put someone that's traditionally a center-back up on a forward position, but that doesn't mean that I want someone back there that has lead feet and can't move around and do different things on the pitch.  That's where data analysis comes in.  We can evaluate players based on how they play during the game and get a better idea of what they're suited for.

Any predictions on the season or the future?

Without trying to create too much bulletin board material for the other clubs I think we are definitely a top team in the league.  Wrexham obviously is going to be there one would think.  Chesterfield, Woking, Barnet are all quality teams.  But if we're not right there around the top this season then we haven't done what we set out to do and everybody associated with the club from the board to the backroom to the players has to believe that.  That's what we're working toward.  In regards to the future, I'd like to get out of the National League first and then maybe we can start looking a little more ahead.

Wrexham has certainly spent a great deal of money and have acquired quality players, do you think they can be beat or is 2nd place what everyone else is fighting for?

I have nothing bad to say about Wrexham or their ownership.  I think it's great for the league to have a club that's willing to spend money and make it known they want to get to the Premier League.  That town has been through a lot and those supporters - like ours - are there through thick and thin.  I think this should be a 2-horse race between Wrexham and Notts, that's what I believe.  Of course as was proven last season when Wrexham and Notts thought they were the best in the league and Wrexham was out there spending a wad of cash... you still have to play the games and the season didn't turn out as either club predicted it would with losses in the playoffs for both.  This is the hardest league in football to get out of, that's been proven time and again.  I think both our clubs would rather just finish at the top and not have to face another playoff again... especially after Notts has lost 3 straight and not advanced.  None of us want to go through that again.  So I applaud Wrexham and Rob and Ryan for what they have done and I look forward to teaching them that money and a fancy tv show doesn't earn you a championship.

 

[Blarney]

Christoffer Reedtz on Eddie Sirrel

Can you explain the hiring process and what lead you to believing Eddie Sirrel was the right man for the job?

Once we made the decision at the end of last season that a chance had to be made we started putting out feelers and a list of people we thought right for the job.  That list included some bigger name managers we thought might be available.  It even included one or two that we would have to go out and acquire from other clubs.  On top of that we probably received a hundred or more applications from all walks of life that wanted the job, some qualified... some maybe not.  We ended up talking to about a dozen people in person, maybe 3 dozen by zoom or face-chat.  We ended up getting that down to 4 that we really liked.  During this process we were actually approached by Les Bradd, who I would hope everybody here knows since he's the clubs bigger ambassador and legendary player who played under Jimmy Sirrel.  He really pushed hard for us to interview Eddie.  Of course we already knew Eddie as he worked in our player development department and is a big part of the club because of his father and grandfather.  Now we've only been around a little over 2 years and he had already proven what manner of person he was to us.  He's been instrumental in working alongside our people at Football Radar in helping set up new player analysis methods here at the club.  On top of that he obviously bleeds black and blue for this club and this town and that's important to us as owners.  There's something that Rob McElhenney said when he responded to criticism that they had hired Humphrey Ker as Executive Director at Wrexham without any previous football experience at all that's stuck with me.  He said that Humphrey had the drive, the passion and the intelligence to do the job regardless of any experience.  That the experience could be learned... the drive, passion and intelligence were natural.  Well Eddie does have experience... at least some experience.  It doesn't matter if it's not on the front line as a manager or coach or assistant.  He knows football.  He's had that experience.  And he knows players, he knows quality.  He's young, he's driven and he wants this club to succeed as much as anybody that we could have brought in.  We think he's absolutely perfect for the job and we think the supporters are going to see that very quickly as well.

[Rick87]

Shame about your Scunthorpe save, but good luck at county mate. Great old club that deserve some success. 

[Blarney]

1 hour ago, Rick87 said:

Shame about your Scunthorpe save, but good luck at county mate. Great old club that deserve some success. 

Had the decision to make and decided if I was going to "write up" one more save this year it was going to be Notts but will probably do Scunthorpe on the side just to see how far I can take them with their stingy board for fun.

[Blarney]

Meet the boys!

Forwards

Attacking Midfielders

Center-Mids

Defenders

Keepers

Our attackers from Langstaff to Scott to Rodrigues to Jones are probably the best in the league.  Goals shoudn't be the main issue here at Notts.  Our midfield is.... okay.  It's not great but it's probably good enough at this level.  Since we're going to be playing 4 up front and 6 back with 2 defensive-midfielders it will help control the tempo and not put as much pressure on the midfielders to be of exceptional quality.  Speaking of defenders we have a few that are noteworthy with Baldwin, Bajrami and Cameron being at least pretty good.  Beyond that there isn't much depth and on the outside we're not particularly good at all.  This is why we're playing 6 back and might even drop 7 if I decide just to go with a wing-formation with 1 striker, 2 on the outsdide and move the center-attacking midfielder back to the middle or even as an extra center-back when needed.  Slocombe is not great as a keeper which is why the team brought in Archie Mair on loan and he will be our first choice guy all year long... even though we're paying Slocombe a pretty penny to sit on the bench.  If we can move him we may do so and make due with Brooks as our backup.

All in all I expect our attack to be very good and our defense to be adequate, which all boiled down should mean we win more games than we lose.

Spotlight On

Langstaff

Scott

Palmer

Bajrami

Rodrigues

Langstaff is a stud, there's no other way to put it.  Player of the Year and Top Goalscorer last season with Gateshead and along with Cedwyn Scott spearheaded their promotion to the National League this season.  Quite the coup that we "stole" them both and brought them to Notts.  Palmer and Bajrami are decent defensive-midfielders.  Rodrigues has wanted out for the past year and we may have a hard time holding on to him but while he's here he's an excellent part of our attack.

[Blarney]

Tactics and Formation

This is the formation we plan on using for most of the season.

Given the situation we may push the center-attacker back to the midfield or defensive line... or we may "park the bus" and go with just 1 or 2 attackers up front and push everyone else back to defend.

[Blarney]

Board and Supporter Culture and Requirements

Have no intention of signing anybody over 30.  Possession football is fine if it happens.  We are looking to find players to sell for a profit.  We'd love to work within the budget.

I see no issues here.

Reaching the playoffs should be a given.  I should probably be fired if we don't.  I'm not sure what be competitie in the FA Cup means for sure, but we'll try.  I would like to think we're one of the favorites for the FA Trophy.  The board doesn't "require" us to get to League Two until next season.... but they'd love for us to earn back-to-back promotions if possible.  Eh, we'll see.

No real issues here.

43% of our supporters are either hardcore or core.  We really like that number.

Now let's see if we can make it even better.

Their "desires" are a little stricter than the boards, which is to be expected.  They want automatic promotion this season.

They want attacking football which is my preferred style of play.

And they want us to beat the #@$# out of our rivals.  Works for me.

[Blarney]

Musical Chairs

We did have a little staff movement.  Some guys we decided we needed to get rid of and replace... and other positions that needed filling.

It cost us a little money -- which we really don't have -- but it needed to be done.

In

We needed a serious upgrade at our Assisstant position and Kernaghan was available even though he was looking for a manager's job.  Actually according to his bio he's been available since 2016 so I'm thinking he wasn't getting many offers to run a club.

Another upgrade needed, this time with our fitness coach.

Needed a Performance Analyst and even though Carpenter isn't much to talk about, he can do the job... for now.

Needed a scout.... I guess Tracey will do for now since we couldn't convince anyone else to take the job.

Much like Tracey, Mr. Murray says he's a scout... we need a scout.  Seems like a quality match, until we can convince someone better to join us.

We needed a big upgrade in our coaching department and talked Parrinello into taking the job.  He's a huge upgrade, so we're happy here.

Out

Thank you for your service, please go away now.

The ability of this fitness coach wasn't fitnessy enough for me so we replaced him.

This is what I meant by needing a serious upgrade in our coaching department.  We wished him well as he left the building.

[Blarney]

Injuries

Baldwin is a pretty good player and was in my plans for a lot of playing time this season so losing him for up to 2 months is a pretty big blow.  Luckily we have an adequate amount of depth -- although not as good -- to cover for him while he's gone.

Nemane was going to be a backup but one that played pretty often.  Luckily this won't keep him out too long and we can work around it.

Potential season-ending injury.  Luckily Rowling didn't really figure much into my plans... 3rd string type player that would get some playing time when everyone else was exhausted.

[Blarney]

Season Preview

Who's going up?

The good money is on Wrexham taking the league, which we really can't argue with.  All things being equal they're spending twice as much as we are and definitely are a better team top-to-bottom with very few holes in their squad.  I believe our attacking should be better than theirs -- as much as I love Paul Mullin (like seriously he is one of the nicest guys in the league for real - and he's a good player), Langstaff is just better at scoring goals.  And with Scott, Rodrigues and Jones surrounding him... we definitely have a better offense.  However, Wrexham is probably slightly better through the middle and absolutely better on the defensive side.  Regardless we are 1-2 in the league and nobody else should really challenge.  Unfortunately - as has been very well documented - the National League is the hardest league to get out of once you drop in because only 1 goes up automatically.  Which means win the league and you're golden.... come in 2 and you have to win in the playoffs ----- where anything can and has happened to Notts for the past 3 seasons.

The Golden Shoe.... errr Boot!

Like I said, love Paul Mullin but he's more of a complete striker that does a lot out there on the pitch - including scoring goals..... but Langstaff is just a pure assassin out there and is singularly minded in his pursuit of putting the ball in the back of the net.  Overall.... Mullin is the better player but if you just need 1 score to win, Langstaff is where the money is.

Top Player

Hence why although the pundits like Langstaff to score more.... they like Mullin to be more valuable and the top player for the season in the National League.  No argument here.  But it will be interesting that if Langstaff just destroys the league record or has an unbelievable season how much that will play into the voting.  Either way with Notts listing 3 players and Wrexham listing 2.... it's obvious who the bettors think the best 2 teams are.

Other News

We asked Ruben's agent about whether or not Rodrigues would stay if we gave him an improved contract and he said he would discuss it, so we agreed on terms.

Then his work permit was denied.  We challenged that and put in another request to have it approved.... and it was denied again.

At that point we had a decision to make.  The new contract called for Rodrigues to be paid 3k per week... a significant upgrade from the 1400 he's making now.  Since he couldn't play for us we'd be left having to put him out on loan... and hoping to recoup our costs of signing him to a nice shiny new contract.  We decided to not go ahead with the deal and just let the season play out for at least the first 4 months or so and see where we stand and possibly re-offer the contract and re-apply for his work permit.  If that doesn't go through then we'll have no choice but to let him go on transfer so we can get something from him before he just leaves.

[Blarney]

Opening Day Presser

Any jitters regarding your first match in charge?

I don't think I'd be considered alive if I didn't feel something in my gut.  I wouldn't go so far as to say jitters, but there is definitely a buzz around the club and I'm very excited to get this season underway.  We have worked very hard in training and the boys are fired up to play their opening game in front of the home crowd.

The money seems to be on Wrexham winning the league while Notts finishes 2nd which would mean a 4th straight year to the playoffs, is this something you're thinking about?

No, not at all.  I'm not a real big believer on worrying about things before they happen.  It's the first game of a long season and at this point we control our own destiny.  We could go out there and win every single match and that is sort of the plan, since we don't ever plan on losing.  Is that something that's going to happen.... it's only happened twice I believe in the history of the English Football League.  So I don't worry about those things.  I worry about what I can control.  We practice, we train, we visualize and then it's up to us to perform.  That's what we control.

There's been a lot of turnover in the backroom and coaching staff since you took over but really nothing as far as the players as of yet?  Are there plans to bring in new players or transfer others out?  Are there any holes that you think need to be fixed in regards to the depth of the club?

So the hardest thing about my job that I've discovered so far is telling someone his services are no longer needed.  A lot of those guys I knew to begin with, so it wasn't like I was some fresh manager taking over at a club that I had no ties to and I just walked in and started slashing here and there with no feelings.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that any manager has no feelings for when they have to let someone go, but it's got to be easier when you don't know the person you're saying goodbye to.  So it was a very big decision to make on my part, but I had to do what I felt was right.  I had to do what I felt was best for the future of the club.  As far as any transfer business, I'm always going to be looking at ways to make the club better but we'll never make moves just to make them.  We transferred out a couple of players that weren't really in our first team plans and were more un-needed depth but I can't see us making a lot of moves right now until we get deeper into the season and see if something makes sense.

[Blarney]

Match One

[Blarney]

Match Two

[Blarney]

Gateshead Presser

Langstaff was favoring his left ankle after the first match and hasn't scored in his first 2 appearances... is there any concern?

Yeah, he was a little banged up that first match.  Twisted his ankle a bit but he said it was fine and we checked him out and there was no reason he couldn't finish the match.  He practiced all week and was good to go for the game so right now we have no concerns.  It may take a few days to get back to 100% but I'm not worried about 2 matches where he hasn't scored.  He could go on and score 3 in each of his next 3 games, he has that quality.

Two wins in your first 2 matches has to feel good, how is the attitude around the club right now?

The attitude is that it's 2 games... and that's all the attitude should be.  Two wins is better than 2 losses so obviously we're upbeat... but it's 2 games and that's it.

You acquired both Langstaff and Scott from Gateshead after their promotion this past season and are now facing them for the first time this year... how do you think those 2 will respond to the match and what sort of reception do you expect they will receive at Gateshead International Stadium?

I would expect the supporters would remember what those 2 did for them last season in getting them to this league.  Langstaff was the top scorer and player of the year and deserves all the admiration he can get from the Gateshead faithful.  And Scott was a beast right beside him and shouldn't be forgotten either by the supporters.  I know for both of them Gateshead will hold a special place in their heaarts and they are fired up to go there and put on a show.

Gateshead are playing very well right now and are sitting in 4th place currently, any concern that they surprise you at home and take the points?

Every club in this league belongs in this league so to suggest that there are easy matches or that one team doesn't deserve victory over another is ludicrous.  That being said, I'll always bet on my boys and we've had a good leadup to this match.  We're going to give everything we have and I expect they will give us the same.  It should be a good match.

Edited January 11 by Blarney

[Blarney]

Match 3

Postgame Presser

The reception for Langstaff and Scott was somewhat mixed but there seemed to be a decent amount of excitement at seeing them back for some supporters.

Yeah, I mean this is a business.  It's not the first time talent is going to leave a club or the first time that talent may end up being told that they need to leave a club, it goes both ways.  I'm happy they got a little love out there, I could see their smiles and it seemed to lift them up a bit.

Good games from both players, Scott with 2 goals and Langstaff with 1 as well... maybe some jitters as he missed one shot when he was one-on-one with their keeper?

The moment we expect a player to make every shot is a day I hope I never see.  Does he make that more often than not, sure... but last time I checked he's human and not some robot.  He might play like a robot most of the time but I've seen the blood to prove otherwise.  Cedwyn was excellent, he was very fired up for this match and he went out there and showed his quality.

[Blarney]

Chesterfield Presser

You're up against Chesterfield tomorrow, not only are they sitting just 2 points behind you on the table but they're one of your fiercest rivals.  Does this match hold more importance because of that or because of their place on the table?

That's a great question.  We always want to win every match so rival or not or whether a club is ahead of us or behind us on the table doesn't matter.  However.... they're a rival and the supporters always have a little bit more invested when we go up against a club that they maybe don't like very much.  For us, it's business as usual but you always feel when it means something a bit more to the supporters.  We're going to go out there and try to deliver a win for everyone in attendance.

Langstaff is finally off the mark after having scored 1 in his last match, do you think whatever pressure he was feeling is off now?

I don't know if he felt pressure or not.  I know when you come to a new club you want to impress but Langstaff isn't the sort of person to let that get to him.  I think it was just a matter of waiting for his time... so maybe that means more start going in now or maybe it doesn't.  I woudn't worry about it, i'm sure he'll get his.

[Blarney]

Match 4

Postgame Presser

I assume you'll have some comments about this one once you manage to wipe the smile off your face?

Ha, yeah.... this was.... yeah seriously this was one of the most unbelievable matches that I have ever watched.

So Langstaff uncharacteristically missed a penalty shot 2 minutes into the game.  For most of the rest of the first half Chesterfield is just dominating you but you manage to keep them out of the net until the 42nd minute and then they get another right before the whistle in the 54th minute.  At this point you honestly really haven't tested them at all.  You had 3 total shots with only 1 on goal and nothing to show for it except a missed penalty shot.  You're down 2-0 and look like you have nothing to offer.... and then the 2nd half.  Talk about that.

We went back to the changing room and I think the lads thought I might be a little.... upset.  But I basically said that we had 2 choices from that point.  We either go out there and play like we did in the first half and we lose this game to our rivals and look like utter crap doing it, which is going to give every other club we face this season hope that they can push us around like Chesterfield had.  Or we go out there and we play our game, the way we know we can and we show Chesterfield that we can spot them a half but that any time we want.... we can turn it on and there's nothing they can do about it.  And that's what they did, they turned it on.  I think Chesterfield got off 2 shots the whole 2nd half.  We harassed them every time one of them touched the ball.  We pushed forward, which is something we definitely were not doing the first half and we played with belief in ourselves.

To the tune of 13 shots with 9 on target and 3 in the net... and add in a penalty make this time from Langstaff as well.  The supporters were absolutely beside themselves after this match.  Is this the sort of game that sets a tempo for the rest of the season?

Yeah, you'd like to think so.  I don't know about tempo but it certainly gives you the confidence that no matter how bad things might look for a half or if you get 2 or 3 goals behind you have it in you to turn that around and make something of it.  That's the sort of thing that separates winners from losers, that belief.  These lads will have that now so they shoudn't be questioning whether they can do it or not the rest of this season, they know they can.  It should also give confidence that even if it doesn't happen one match, it's still there and it can still happen the very next.

Francis was a late sub in the 2nd half and then scored 2 goals for you playing from a wing position, something he isn't really comfortable with.  Does this harken to your comments about needing athletes out there and not caring so much about formations?

Yes, absolutely.  It's maybe not something I do every game but Francy has that in him.  He's an athlete and when I asked him to go out there in an unfamiliar position and just play his game, that's what he did.  That's what we want from everyone in this club.  And he absolutely responded beautifully.  He was a huge lift out there.

[Blarney]

Match 5

[Blarney]

Match 6

[Blarney]

Cameron wants out

He told me he wanted to talk and explained that he was going to leave at the end of his contract.  I tried to persuade him to stay but he refused and got angry.

At this point there's nothing left but to put him up for transfer and get rid of him.

[Blarney]

August Review

Schedule

I don't think it gets much better than this.  We certainly had a couple of good games in here, none better than the 4-2 vs Chesterfield.

It took Langstaff 3 games to get it going but then he scored in 4 straight after that.

Table

Sitting pretty at the top all alone is where we want to be... and already with a 5 point cushion, which is nice.

Wrexham's doing okay as well... they started the season with 2 losses but have won 3 straight since.

Attacking Stats

Langstaff and Scott with 5 goals each.  Several other players having quality starts to the campaign.

Defending Stats

Mair is doing really well in goal at the moment.  We'd love to keep him but the finances might not be there.

Attacking/Defending Data Hub

Our attacking statistics are off the chart, which is what I expected.  I'm very happy about our defense as well for the most part.

Finances

It is so nice to earn a profit for the month but we have a long way to go to fix our overall financial situation.

Edited January 17 by Blarney

[Blarney]

Three Signed

We were in desperate need of some depth and had just enough in the budget to make a couple of moves.

Hoti

Just a bit of depth or help just in case we need to rest some people.  He'll get his starts but he won't be first choice most of the time unless he outplays some guys.

Davies

So I'm not sure that unless I was really really offered a lot of cash that I'd ever sell one of my good players to a competitor but that's what Wrexham did here as we acquired Jordan Davies from them for 170k.... which is below his alleged suggested value at the moment.  Davies is a potential starter at multiple positions and is going to get plenty of playing time.

Hobson

I needed another center-back and Hobson was available for free.  He's probably not going to start right away unless I use him on the right side which he can play.... but not really well.  We may test him there since he would be better than what we have and see how he does.

[Blarney]

Rodrigues inexplicably upset

Well let's explain the situation.

I offered him a better contract which he accepted.

We were immediately told he didn't qualify to play here.

We challenged that and were told again that he didn't qualify to play here.

We could keep the contract and loan him out and wait for him to get qualified..... or we could not sign the contract and lose him at the end of his current one.

Or obviously we could put him on the market and get what we could for him.

Now... one would think that your average player would understand this after you TRIED to sign him but he didn't qualify.  One would think that your average player after sitting down and discussing what's up would completely get that your back is against the wall and moving him to a club he can sign a brand new contract with and play for is not only in our best interest... but his as well.  One would think that your average player would understand all that quite easily.

****But in the game they don't.... so they get mad.  Maybe the game needs to upgrade their AI a bit.****

Oh well.

You're still going to go away.

[Blarney]

Match 7

[Blarney]

Match 8

[Blarney]

Match 9

[Blarney]

Match 10

[Blarney]

Match 11

[Blarney]

September Review

Schedule

So definitely not as good a month as August was, however we still haven't lost this season either.  Tough games against Dag and Bromley, 2 teams that aren't exactly setting the league on fire.  Dag is sitting down in the drop zone but we definitely struggled against them.  Langstaff was shut out all month long, we need to figure out why he's struggling and maybe mix up our tactics a bit to get him more looks, maybe.

Table

We still sit atop the mountain, but only 3 points separate the top 3 teams right now.  Wrexham is still on the outside looking in by virtue of their goal difference but we're only 2 months into the season and a lot can change in just a matter of a few games.

Attacking

Langstaff's conversion rate has dropped significantly.  He was sitting mid 30% last month and is just mid 20's this month.

Defending

It was definitely a much poorer statistical month this time around and our dropoff in average rating shows that signifcantly.

Analysis

Still all-in-all we're performing very well on both attacking and defending analysis.

Finances

Lost money, not good.  Three away games doesn't help the revenue.

Edited January 17 by Blarney

[Rick87]

Great start, hopefully your financial problems don't hamstring you. 

[Blarney]

2 hours ago, Rick87 said:

Great start, hopefully your financial problems don't hamstring you. 

Cheers, I think we'll be fine.  If we keep winning and filling seats when we're home we should bring in enough money to keep things afloat.  May not get much out of the board as far as improvements this year but I'm not planning on pushing for much straight off anyway.

[Blarney]

Match 12

[Blarney]

Match 13

Postgame Presser

A tough match against a good side in Wrexham.  Any thoughts from what you saw?

I saw 2 pretty evenly matched teams leaving everything they had out there.  I'm not taking anything away from them, they played their hearts out but I think we failed at taking some chances we had.  We held a pretty good possession advantage but just couldn't get shots off, so credit them for that.

You're still tops of the table but Wrexham has been slowly climbing, do you still see this as coming down to you or them for the title?

I don't think my mind has been changed.  I did say there were going to be other good clubs in the league as well and that's played out although I think there are a couple of early seaon surprises at the moment.  There's still a really long way to go though, but yeah Wrexham is playing well and we're at the top so I can't complain.

[Blarney]

Woking Presser

Tough match coming on the heels of your game against Wrexham.  Woking sits 3rd in the table and has been playing very well of late.  You're at their place, is this a match you have any concerns about?

I'm under no delusions about their strength and this is one I've had circled for the past couple of weeks.  But these are the games you need to be up for, right?  These are the challenges you need to overcome if you're going to be the best.  Do they have a chance of taking the points here, of course they do... but we're ready for them.  The boys know what these games mean.

Langstaff has really been struggling so far this season, are there any concerns there?

I think it really speaks to a player's quality that they can be putting up the numbers that Cauley is right now and everyone is concerned that he's struggling.  Is he having the season everyone predicted for him right now, no probably not but that can change.  Is he struggling, no.  Cauley is fine and we have no concerns.

[Blarney]

Match 14

[Blarney]

FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round Preview

York currently sits in 9th place in the National League while you hold the top spot.  You beat them just 4 games ago at their house, which you're visiting again... does this give you any sort of advantage or is going up against them away from home 2 times in a row going to present a problem?

I think we already showed that we're not afraid of playing away from home and have already proven we can beat them at their house.  I doubt they're just going to roll over and let us walk away without a scratch though.  I'd imagine they're looking at film just like we are and trying to see what they could do differently.  So just like any other game, we'll have to be prepared for whatever they throw at us.  We're confident.

Five of your last 8 matches have ended in draws and you seem to be having a hard time lately putting opponents away... are you concerned?

I'd be much more concerned if they were losses but obviously the goal is to win.  If not win, don't lose... so at least we're halfway to where we want to be.  I think I'd prefer to be a glass half-full optimist here.

[Blarney]

FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round

Postgame Presser

A nice win and you're moving on.

Absolutely.  A good win for the boys.  These games can sometimes be tricky because it's not league play and some teams will really step up their play to try and prove a point while others might not care as much so you're not sure what you're going to get.  You also sometimes will go up against clubs you just don't know very well, which makes a game very interesting.

 How far do you think you can go in this competition?

Well I certainly think we have it in us to give some of the clubs left a game of it.  The cliche answer is we'll take it one game at a time but there's a lot of truth to that as well.  We're only as good as our next match at the moment.  Once we know who our opponent is we'll get in some time to look at film and put together a game plan and train hard give it our best out there on the pitch just like we do every game.

[Blarney]

Match 15

[Blarney]

Match 16

[Blarney]

Match 17

[Blarney]

October Review

Schedule

Nice FA Cup victory to go along with 4 wins and 2 draws in league play.  Seven matches and only 4 goals given up is also very nice.

Table

Put a little distance between us and #2 this month.  More importantly is the 16 point difference from the #1 to #8 spot.

And look at Wrexham.... right up in the 2 spot and playing very well of late.

Attacking

Quietly we are becoming very concerned that Langstaff can't find the back of the net.  That and his conversation rate is just not "Langstaff like."

Defending

Analysis

Finances

Just North of breaking even for the month so at least we put a little cash away.

Financial status is still showing insecure but maybe we're trending in the right direction.

Edited January 17 by Blarney

[Blarney]

FA Cup 1st Round Presser

This is the 2nd time in the FA Cup that you're facing a club from the National League that you just played a few games ago.  This time you met Maidstone at Meadow Lane with a highly rotated club and none of what would be considered your best players in rotation and yet you won 2-1.  We assume you won't be substituating many out in this game, does that give you an advantage?

It shows what we're capable of and yes we'll go into this game pretty much full strength.  I can't see sitting many of my first choice players today.  We'll get another few days off before our next league match and showing something in the FA Cup is something we want to do.  So yes we're going to go out there with our best and hopefully meet their best and see how it all plays out.

You are still unbeaten in league play in 17 matches now.  Is this giving your club confidence to be able to advance in the FA Cup?

Well league play and the FA Cup are 2 separate things... at least in the later rounds.  Right now we're going up against clubs we know relatively well and yes I'd say we're confident because we are playing very well at the moment.  But everyone knows that can change at any time and if we let us because of over-confidence than we can lose a match we should be winning.  So there's a fine line there that we hopefully won't be crossing.

[Blarney]

FA Cup Round 1

Postgame Presser

Based on your reactions on the sideline it was pretty obvious that really nothing about that match pleased you.

It was utterly and completely pathetic.  It's like we didn't even show up today.  We didn't take shots, we didn't take advantage of our possession.  Our defense just parted and let Maidstone comfortably attack the goal all game long, I'm really surprised they didn't put more in with as bad as we played.

This was probably as bad as Notts has performed all season long and is obviously your first loss, although not in league play so it doesn't affect your standing there.  Do you take anything good from this at all?

The only good thing is what you brought up.  It's not league play... so at least we lost in something that really doesn't count in what our real goal was this season.  And it's possible that maybe this actually spurs the club on to be better when it does count.  At least I hope they take something from this.

On paper, with no disrespect to Maidstone - who obviously just beat you - this is a team you should probably be winning against.  What went wrong?

I didn't see the passion that I needed from the club.  I don't know if because we just played them and won somewhat easily that they thought they could sleepwalk through this match and get out with a 4-0 win.  We controlled possession but we just coudn't break their defense and we didn't get shots off.  That and honestly I saw something from a few of our players that I didn't like but I'm going to have that discussion with those individuals and hopefully we can sort this out before our next match.

[Blarney]

Match 18

[Blarney]

Match 19

Postgame Presser

So first things first the unbeaten stretch in league play is over, any thoughts?

Well, I mean, let's be honest about one thing, going undefeated for the entire season probably was never in the cards.  It's happened twice in history and although it's a nice thought, it's not something I was ever concerned with or spent much time thinking about.  However, that doesn't mean that I'm okay with the way this game went down, because I'm not.  That was not the way we ever want to play... and the boys know that, they understand that.

I imagine the mood in the changing room probably was a little down?  Are you concerned a showing like this could be a catalyst for a start of a bad run?

One hopes not.  It's one loss.  It's not a good loss and nobody should be happy with the way they played out there tonight... with the exception of may be Scotty and Jodi.  But this is a team and we win together and lose together, so this loss is on everyone here and we expect it to be fixed quickly.  By the way that includes me.  Obviously something we planned or did out there didn't work and that's my job to make sure it does.

You brought out a new formation with this game, compared to what you've used in the past... do you think that had something to do with it?  Can we expect any other changes going forward?  Mixing up the first 11?  Another formation change or tactic change?

We have been working on this formation for a few practices so maybe we weren't quite ready to debut it.  I thought we had good familiarity with it but at least for tonight it didn't work out.  I'm not going to go overboard and immediately change things up again.  We'll just hit the training ground and work out the kinks and at least give it another match or two before we decide which direction to take.  And before you ask... the change was just something to do so that we weren't as static as we have been.  I felt we needed to mix things up a bit.

[Blarney]

Yeovil Pregame Presser

A disastrous match last time out against Eastleigh, you'll be expecting something much different this time around?

My expectations are that we're going to bounce back and put that match behind us.  Like I said then it was one game.  If we dwell on that... once match can turn into 2 and into 3 and we don't want to go down that road.  We've been very good in practice and the lads have been buzzing about wanting to get back out on the pitch and show the supporters something different.  I'm actually quite glad we're at home for this one because I know the boys are going to want to impress.

[Blarney]

Match 20