RaySunshine Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 The Concept Having tried and failed with two develop-a-club saves, I've decided to go back to my good old trusty journeyman save. The aim in this save is simple: to get to South America! So many footballing legends come from this continent and so it seems like a great place to go. Just like 'Around the World in Eighty Clubs' though, I start stood on my front door step with only my copy of 'Soccernomics' and 'Inverting the Pyramid' to guide my way! Step one is simply get a job in South America. I've loaded up all the South American leagues so I'll take any job in any country. Step two is to win silverware - any silverware anywhere Step three is to win either the Copa Libertadores or the Copa America. How far can I get?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 September 2023 I surprised that my first job interview was lot closer to my goal than I would have thought! Rangers de Talca in Chile's second tier were interested giving me, with no job history or qualifications, a go at their managership... Alas though, it was too good to be true but it certainly indicated that I shouldn't be too far away from South America! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 October 2023 No more South American offers came in through October but a slew of English jobs did. One of them resulted in a job but which one was it... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 Hemel Hempstead Town So job number one in this journey is Hemel Hempstead Town! The team are 18th in the National League South and aim to be avoiding relegation. Can I do it and start to make my way towards the cloud-soaked mountains of football myth in South America? Hemel Hempstead have spent their time alternating between the National League South and the Ryman League. I hope that, in my time here, I can keep them on the right side of the line! Everything in the vision is short term with the present ownership looking to sell. I'm not looking to hang around either so short term suits us all! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 October 2023 So here is my first starting XI for Hemel Hempstead. It's fair to say that injury is having a major effect on this team's season with several key first-teamers missing out but I hope that the team that we've got have enough to produce some goods before too long! As predicted, our key player is one of those out on the injury list. Whittaker began his career with Tottenham and Swansea before finding himself at Hemel Hempstead. Here are the club's troubles: they are floating just before the relegation places and I need the team to pick up and fast to get themselves away from trouble. Can we do it? Game one is against a Chippenham side who are expected to be fighting relegation but find themselves in much happier places. Dover Athletic are at the top end of the table and represent a real challenge. We then take on Woking of the National League before finishing the month against 17th place Dartford and 16th place Braintree. Surely points can earned there? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 11 Author Share Posted February 11 (edited) October 2023 This wasn't a bad way to start my time on the save. Whatever happens in Hemel Hempstead, I'll come out of it with my first coaching badge! The board's desire to sell seemed to be driving some interest. What we now need to see is whether anyone actually comes up with the goods and what they want to do with the club! The first game of the save saw me take on Chippenham Town (Williams 68). We lived the dream when Williams scored the first goal of my managerial career by Gasper playing a neat ball down the channel for him to finish. Alas, we couldn't hold on and Chippenham turned it around to begin my career with defeat. Next up were the challenge of high-flying Dover Athletic (Desa 90). We dominated the first half but couldn't score. In the second half, they made us pay by taking a chance and going ahead. It looked like two defeats in a row but, at the death their keeper rushed out 40 yards, made a poor clearance and Desa was on hand to loop a goal for the ages home! The FA Cup then loomed into view and we took on National League Woking (Williams 40). With it being 2-1 at HT, we were still in the game but, as the half wore on, the better side simply cruised away from us and on into the first round proper. I really wanted three points against Dartford (Whittaker pen 90+3). It didn't look like we were going to get it though as we simply had no answer to their first half goal. A last gasp penalty though saw returnee Whittaker score and give us a share of the points! The talk of the club changing hands keeps going. Will it just be a new Chair or a new board? We had one more chance to get three points this month when we took on Braintree (Whittaker pen 32, Matthews 69). This was a game that swung all ways. They took the lead first and Whittaker's penalty was needed to restore parity. We then got the lead when Matthews scored in the second half but we couldn't hold on and we got our third league draw in a row. The less-than-stellar run of results sees the side slip down towards the relegation places and only goal difference is keeping us out the red zone. I really hope that we can do something to pick this up soon. Next month begins with a game against Slough Town in 15th and Aveley in 19th place so those two games surely give us a serious chance to getting three points or more! That then followed up by the game against Taunton in 23rd and another chance to get points on the board. Havant and Waterlooville comes up next and they're in 4th so we need to have got points before we take them on. After the FA Trophy tie, we play Bath City who are 13th and Eastbourne who are 10th so the month certainly gets harder towards the end. Edited February 11 by RaySunshine 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 18 Author Share Posted February 18 November 2023 It's certainly been a tough start to this save with Hemel Hempstead Town but, by the end of the month, I began to feel that we were making some progress. The month began in crazy, crazy fashion in the game against Slough Town (Krasniqui 63, 88, Hinds 90). We were 3-0 down at half time and decided that tactical changes were needed and we went for a more possession-based approach. I was worried that it was a risk for this level but we picked up - getting three goals in the second half. It's just a shame though that they scored another four to send us home with our tails between our legs! Game two saw us stick with the possession-based approach and it gave us a much-needed win against Aveley (Gaspar 89). It took until the 89th minute but Gaspar fired a rocket home from just inside the D and that got us all three points! I'd hoped that the game against Taunton (Whittaker 37) would give us another three points but it started off going the wrong way when they took the lead. Almost straight away, Whittaker smashed home a beauty of a free-kick to level things up. Sadly, he couldn't put away his penalty to give us all three points. Havant and Waterlooville (Hinds 39, Briscoe 45+1) were up next. They stormed into a 2-0 lead within the first 30 minutes but Hinds got one back when he managed to head home a huge head-tennis rally going on in the Havant box and then Briscoe levelled things up by pulling away from two men and smashing the ball home. Next up was a cup game against King's Lynn Town. They were 2nd in the National League South and it's fair to say that we couldn't lay a glove on them. They strolled into a 2-0 lead and cruised on into the next round of the cup. Things got better though in the next game against mid-table Bath City (Gaspar 6, Carman 9, Hinds 36). We took control of the game and finished with a great xG advantage and three goals scored to boot! Following this great performance, South America feels like it might just be one tiny, tiny step closer. Then the news came in. The board sales talks have got serious and we're now in a transfer embargo. The month's final game was chaos! We took on Eastbourne (Whittaker pen 53, Ajayi 88). After half an hour, our GK, King, had to come off to be replaced by our CB on the bench Joe Hill. We then got a lead before they smashed a long shot past our stand-in. We then retook the lead but they got a last-gasp penalty that poor Joe just couldn't keep out! It seems like we're going to be without King for a while and, in the middle of a transfer embargo, this could make for interesting times indeed! Well now the table is looking much better! The dreaded red zone has moved out of sight and five points away from trouble. I'm hopeful that, if I can keep this form going, I can keep The Tudors out of trouble and get myself a step closer to South America. There are only four games in December. Hampton and Richmond in 12th kick us off before we take on top-of-the-table Torquay United. After that challenge, we take on Worthing in 6th and St Albans City in 16th. It's not going to be an easy points month! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 20 Author Share Posted February 20 December 2023 The month began with a twist! We took on Hampton and Richmond (Titchmarsh 18, Cisse 90+1). Returning from injury, loanee Titchmarsh struck early to give us the lead. Hampton and Richmond then turned us over and were leading 2-1 into injury time. Sub Cisse then struck to make it 2-2. But the scoring wasn't over - Hampton had one more goal left in them and that ended the game with them getting all three points. Sayoud wasn't really of the quality I wanted and, at 26, I was happy to take him off the wagebook. I'm struggling to see the excellence here but I hope that it comes to shine when the players come in. I was expecting the worst when we took on table-topping Torquay United (Hinds 85). They took the lead when they took a corner to the edge of the box and then shot, deflected and in. At the death, a cross came in and Hinds headed up, backwards, over the keeper and in to get us a famous famous point! Having been in a transfer embargo for the last few weeks, it was a bit frustrating to then have it all collapse. But that's the way it goes! 8th-placed Worthing (Williams 53, Hanson 76) came up next. It didn't look like good news when we were 2-0 down but we came back with a point having fought ourselves back into a share of the points. The month finished with a derby game against struggling St Albans City (Whittaker 16, pen 50, Briscoe 54). Whittaker knocked in a far-post header to open the scoring and followed it up with a penalty to give us a comfortable lead. Briscoe then had a far-post header of his own and, even with their consolation, the points were ours! This was the bad news from the last game when one of the vital cogs of our machine pulled up with a knock! We've got a five-point gap on trouble now and things are looking up. I feel that, if we carry on at the present rate, we will be smoothly away from any form of trouble. If we can keep it up! December was quiet but January is busier. Derby rivals St Albans City (19th) complete our double-header before we then take on Chippenham Town in 10th. Tonbridge Angels are just above us in 17th while Yeovil Town - once of the Championship - are now 2nd. The last two games of the month are Farnborough in 4th and Welling United who find themselves 12th. It's not going to be the easiest of months but there are points to be gained for sure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 24 Author Share Posted February 24 January 2024 I thought that there had been some promise in the performances in the last two months but January was something of a disaster for me. It's a good job that I'm not planning on hanging around! The month began with us taking on our rivals St Albans City again. Having just beat them, I was confident that we would do so again - we didn't! A wonderstike of a free-kick was fired home by them and that proved to be the only goal in the game. Cisse had not really played much for us so I wasn't too upset at his departure as it opened up the chance to get some more players in. I went into the game against Chippenham Town hoping that we'd push on and up. Once again though, we left the victims of a one-goal defeat when they scored a 30-yard beauty in just 25 seconds of the game! Tonbridge Angels (Hinds 28) were 20th in the form table and I thought we could get points here but it was all taken away when they struck low and hard from 20 yards in the 90th minute - gutting! After the Tonbridge game, our first incomming arrived. Sean Lawton made a couple of League One appearances for Crewe but ultimately was released. In true moneyball style, I've looked at our weakest areas starting from the back and I hope that Lawton is a good upgrade but also one that has serious resale potential. I just need to persuade him to sign a proper contract for that! In our next game we took on second-place Yeovil Town (Williams 45+3). Once we were three goals down inside ten minutes, I knew that it wouldn't be our day! Looking at our performance ratings, a new GK was vital for improving the health of the team. Tyla Dickinson comes in. He was released by League One Wycombe and I hope that, as above, he improves the postion and has some serious resale value! Dickinson made his debut in the match against third-place Farnborough (Hinds 16). It all went wrong though when he came out a long for a ball, didn't get it and gave away the winner. In the run-up to the next game, we lost regular CM starter Gaspar as he was sold by parent club Watford to Brazilian side Nautico. I wonder if our paths will cross again. With there being some talk about my job, we took on Welling United (Krasniqi 3, Whittaker pen 23, Titchmarsh 45+2). Krasniqi and Titmarsh both scored long-range beauties either side of Whittaker's penalty and it all lead to a great 3-0 win for us. Those defeats weigh heavy though - we drop into the relegation zone and have two points to make up on Taunton Town who have launched themselves up out the red zone. We begin February by taking on Weymouth (24th), Maidstone United (11th) and Weston-super-Mare (12th). We then go on to play Chelmsford City (4th) and Truro City (21st). I really want to get points against Weymouth and Truro and hope to get something from Maidstone/Weston. If we don't get beat by Chelmsford, that will be a massive bonus! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 February 2024 The run has been tough and it's February hasn't made it much easier. A month of contrasting fortunes has plenty of interest in it. Game one saw us take on bottom side Weymouth (Hinds 6, 56). I thought things were going well when we took an early lead. Then Weymouth scored three of their own to take a real hold of the game! I thought we were in with a shout when we got one back but they went on to score another two to secure all three points. George Williams informed me after the game that he would be considering his options - not good news! I also got my C Licence but the club didn't have enough money to send me on for my next one. The next challenge was the game against Maidstone United. We went toe-to-toe with them for most of the game and I thought we would get a hard-earned point. That was until they got a late penalty to nab all three points. In the following game against Weston-super-Mare, we were barely in with a shout. We struggled to produce anything at all and their goal was a fair representation of their dominance however late it was. Really worrying about our form, we took on Chelmsford City (Williams 10, Whittaker pen 19, Hinds 22). Somehow though, we played a blinder! We were 3-0 up inside thirty minutes and the rest of the game was simply a cruise! The month's final game saw us take on Truro City (Williams 5, Whittaker 70). We had to fight hard for this one. Williams got the first before he went off injured. Truro then levelled up before Whittaker finished off a fine run with an equally fine finish to give us three points and the first back-to-back wins of my reign. Having scored in the last two games, this is a real blow as the season comes to the sharp end. With all the loses of the last two months, we still sit in the relegation zone but a game in hand means that we're really not far away from getting out of trouble. If we can play anything like we have in the last couple of the months, surely we can do enough to stay up? March begins with a game against Havant and Waterlooville who are 8th and Eastbourne Borough who are 7th. Things then get easier as Bath City are 18th and Hampton and Richmond are 17th. The month then finishes with real contrasts as Dartford are 4th and Aveley are 24th! There are certainly points to be gained this month; the question is, can we gain them?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 25 Author Share Posted February 25 March 2024 It had been a hard start for me at Hemel Hempstead but March turned out to be something of a wonder month for me! It all began in playing Havant and Waterlooville (Hinds 31). Things didn't begin well when we went behind but Hinds quickly scored a reply by knocking home Briscoe's low cross. Game two and the opponents were Eastbourne Borough (Judd 4). RB Judd headed home a corner and I hoped for the best but, in the second half, Eastbourne were able to turn it around and we were left without a point. Things got better though in the game against Bath City (Whittaker 31 pen 63, Krasniqi 89) was a great performance. Krasniqi played a great through-ball to set up Whittaker's first and he scored a penalty to get the second. Krasniqi then got a goal by firing home a rocket from the edge of the box. The next game was just as good when we took on Hampton and Richmond (Hinds 49, Iaciofano 77, Matthews 81). We had a wonderful second half where Hinds began the scoring with a neat finish. Icaciofano took to the field as an LW and scored with a neat finish too. Finally, Matthews got his goal by smashing home a finish across the keeper. Having just come back from an injury, Williams found himself out and injured again. Fifth-placed Dartford (Iaciofano 10) came up next. Iaciofano made the most of being handed a start by smashing home a swift goal. In the end, it wasn't enough to get all three points but it was certainly a point well-earned. The month's final game saw us take on bottom side Aveley (Iaciofano 28, Whittaker 57, Hinds 59). Iaciofano got a third goal in as many games with a fierce effort firing home Lawton's low cross. Whittaker got his goal by beating his man and firing the shot home and, finally, Hinds got his goal by making the most of a recycled corner. The rumours start to swirl again - are we once again going to be going into the takeover malarky or not... After a great month, the red zone is out of sight! With only four games to go, we find ourselves six points clear of trouble and beginning to feel safe. Let's hope we make sure of that! Here are the four games that stand between us and safety - first we play Braintree who are 15th before we take on Dover Athletic in 19th. Slough Town are 21st and Taunton are 22nd so I'm hopeful that the points are there to keep us up! Seven points is enough to secure another shot at this league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted February 29 Author Share Posted February 29 April 2024 April may well have been the end of the season but it's certainly fair to say that the season did not end quietly. Braintree (Hinds 39, Titchmarsh 77) came up first. They took the lead through a penalty before Hinds struck back with a great header off Whittaker's flick-on. Titchmarsh then got the winner by smashing a free-kick home into the top right-hand corner. We were at the stage of the season where every injury seemed to count. This was news that I didn't want during the final run-in. Dover Athletic (Ajayi 9, Williams 49, Whittaker 61) were opponents number two. Ajayi flicked a corner on back over the keeper and into the net to open the scoring. Williams then smashed home a beauty from the edge of the box to get the crowd on their feet before Whittaker made a neat finish from a Lawton cross. Two goals from them then brought the game to a close finish but the three points were remained ours. Our intake was revealed and rated as average. The top two players were signed on. Having done well so far, I expected this to carry on against Slough Town (Ajayi 22). Ajayi flicked in another near-post corner but then the fun stopped. Slough Town, desperately fighting relegation, found three goals to give us our only red of the month. Williams just seems to be an injury magnet at the moment! This was the good news though - I got Lawton onto a proper contract so now he has moneyball resell value! The season's final game saw us play Taunton (Krasniqi 52, Matthews 80). Krasniqi started the scoring with a fine shot from the edge of the box and Matthews finished it off with neat finish inside a crowded box. Youngster Moran came on in the Taunton game and that made him The Tudor's youngest ever player. Another day, another player considering a future elsewhere! The season comes to a finish and we're 15th. Considering that, at one stage, it looked like we were going to go down, to finish in mid-table and eleven points clear of danger doesn't seem like a bad place to be! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 2 Author Share Posted March 2 Season Review So here is the season's XI. I don't disagree with much of it. My question would be how did King manage to get the GK spot when he was one of the key players I wanted replaced. Whittaker clears the board as far as awards go. The fact that he has no interest in signing a new contract is not good news though! So here's my review of the season. The bottom three players are Chris Smith, Jethro Hanson and Kaylen Hinds. They would normally be my priority for upgrades but the challenge will be what players choose to walk away from the club and whether I get an offer from anywhere else... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 (edited) Pre-Season Normally, you would say that pre-season is a pretty quiet time in the football world. I can assure you though that, here, it has been anything but dull! Once again the familer take-over routine began but the fact that it included a transfer embargo meant that I spent a fortnight not being able to make any improvements to the squad. Eventually though, a new board did take over. This didn't stop the drama though as the new chairperson intially wanted me out and a new manager in. He eventually changed his mind though and allowed me to stay on due to my popularity! The generosity went all the way to allowing me to study for my National B licence. Hopefully, every step is a step closer to South America. After that, a group of players left. Most notable among them were Briscoe, Whittaker, King and Hanson. Most of the players that left I was indifferent to at best but losing Whittaker was a real blow. The first player in was 25yo Ashley Charles. Charles was regular starter for Wealdstone in the National League last season and I see him taking over from Hanson with confidence. He was followed in by Josh Grigor who the new board chose. They spent £4.8k to get him out of Bonyrigg Rose but he does seem a player with good promise. Let's hope that he comes good on it. With strong leadership skills, I've decided to give the 21yo the captain's armband too! I hope that we have a star here! Jack Leahy comes in from Hornchurch having played well for them last season. I hope that the 21yo can fill the gap that Tyrelle Whittaker has left on the right-hand side. There was then a bit of a storm in a teacup when I declined giving Briscoe a new contract. Eventually, I just jetisoned him from the club and that seemed to restablise the ship again. Once the key positions were largely wrapped up, I started generally strengthening the squad. Taylor Maloney was at Farnborough last season and played well for them. They didn't keep him on though so I hope that their loss is my gain! Josh Hinds, 21, joins from Peterborough Sports last season. It cost us £6.75k so I hope he's worth every penny! Jemiah Emolu is only 18yo and comes in from West Ham's academy. I hope that he makes good on his potential and makes me and the Tudors fans proud! He certainly got good odds from the bookies so let's hope that that holds true! 20yo Irishman Connor Barratt is the last of the incommers. Moneyball says that defence is more important than attack so this was too good an opportunity to pass up! He's been released from Sheffield United so certainly has pedigree behind him! We began pre-season with a couple of moneyspinners and, once we'd got them down, we did pretty well in the proper warm-up games. The expectations of the new board are clear - make the play-offs! Last season, we were fighting off relegation so I hope that my tactics, tweaked by the end of the last season, and the influx of new players is enough. After all, I want to be going up of my own choosing, not out because I'm not good enough! The predictions say that we'll come up just short. Can we prove them wrong? We begin the season against newly-promoted Hendon so I certainly hope we'll start by getting points Slough Town are predicted 21st while Wealdstone are predicted 1st so there's certainly some variance there! Truro City staved off relegation last season and are expected to be 17th while Havant and Waterlooville are predicted 10th. Dartford, predicted 7th, and Worthing, predicted 15th, round out the month. It's a varied package for sure! Edited March 3 by RaySunshine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 August 2024 August was a packed month and we got all three types of result. It began when we took on Hendon (Leahy 56, 83, 89, K Hinds 58). It all went wrong when they took the lead early in the second half. Leahy then levelled up with a far post header. Things then took a further turn for the worse when new striker Umolu got sent off for a shocking two-footed tackle. It didn't stop us though as, straight away, K Hinds finished a mazy run to score. The scoring was finished though as Leahy got two more with a neat, near post finish and a carbon-copy of his first goal. Game two was Slough Town (McKenzie 9, Leahy 14, K Hinds 26, J Hinds 44, 50) and it also had us in dreamland! RB McKenzie opened the scoring with a smashed hit home from the corner of the box. Leahy doubled it up when his low cross was deflected in and K Hinds got his goal when he fired home McKenzie's low cross. J Hinds got two more - with two far-post headers off McKenzie's crosses! In game three, we took on recently-relegated Wealdstone (Leahy 16). It was a perfect start when Leahy fired home a shot. That was our moment in the game though. They then took control and cruised past us leaving us in their wake. The summer's (probably) final signing was a back-up keeper in the form of Alex Hammond. He began in Aston Villa's youth system but was released. I hope that their loss is our gain. After our defeat, Truro City (J Hinds pen 6, Leahy 28, Porter o.g. 45+1). J Hinds opened the scoring with a penalty before Leahy made it two when he scored a neat finish from the middle of the box. Charles then crossed over for Hinds to head home but their keeper knocked the ball in rather than out. Truro got two goals back in the second half to give us a bit of a panic but we saw it through to get all three points. A single goal was enough to get past Havant and Waterlooville (J Hinds 53). Lawton sent in a cross to the far post and J Hinds headed back into the net! I was hopeful that we'd keep our good form going in the game against Dartford. Despite edging the xG stats, we couldn't score. They could though and their two goals gave them all three points. In the month's final game, we took on Worthing (McKenzie 31). McKenzie got his second goal of the month by heading home a corner. They responded by scoring a worldie from range and the points were shared. We begin the month where we're meant to be - in the playoffs. It hasn't all been plain sailing but I hope that it shows a season that's going to go in the right direction. Month two and there are four league games and a cup game in there too! Margate are 21st whilst Bath City are 19th so that gives us two good opportunties for points before we find out who we've got in the cup. Chesham United are 16th so it's another game with the prospect of points before we take on Eastbourne Borough in 1st so it's clear where the month's challenge lies. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 September 2024 September might have started and finished with a loss but I was pretty pleased with what we got inbetween. I thought we'd start the month well against lowly Margate (Maloney 11, 88). It began well when Maloney ran on to a ball at the edge of the box and fired home. Things then changed for the worse as they took control of the game and scored three of their own. Maloney fired another fine shot home at the death but it wasn't enough. This was the really bad news - Leahy had made a fine start to his season but, with a torn thigh muscle, he's going to miss a huge chunk of the seaason potentially. It didn't seem to matter too much though when we took on Bath City (Umolu 45+2, 68). Umolu won the game with his first goals for the club - scoring a deflected strike from the edge of the box and a neat finish when a loose ball in the box drops to his feet. With some players complaining about contracts, other began to complain about the general mood. Can I keep them happy enough to keep my job? A more-rotated side took on Lancaster (Ajayi 21, Williams 49, K Hinds 90+1). Ajayi popped a rebound home to start the scoring and Williams then got a second with a fine long-range strike. K Hinds then finished off the scoring and we progressed in the cup. We then took on Chesham United (K Hinds 75, 87) in the league. K Hinds got the first with a low finish off Lawton's cross and a second heading home Krasniqi's cross. Good form in the league carried on when we took on play-off placed Eastbourne Borough (Laing o.g. 20, Maloney 60). We managed to get a win with J Hinds's cross being deflected in for an own goal and Maloney scoring another edge-of-the box rocket. I thought our good form would carry on in the cup against Hayes and Yeading (Umolu 7, Williams 43, K Hinds 89). Twice, we had the lead and I thought it was going well. It didn't though when they took the lead and extended it to 4-2. We did get one back but it wasn't enough and we dropped out the cup. The league is where it's at now. We're doing well and are in the play-off places. We're on track to smash last season's points total so let's hope that continues! The month begins with a real challenge against Braintree who are second. Tonbridge Angels are 13th and St Albans City are 9th so I hope to get some points there. The month rounds out with Weston-super-Mare in 3rd and Gosport Borough in 16th so it's certainly a range of challenges in the next month. Wish us luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 14 Author Share Posted March 14 October 2024 The month of October might have begun slowly but it certainly picked up with some quite rapid speed! Braintree (Krasniqi 81) were opponents number one. They took the lead heading home a near-post corner. It took until the last minutes of the game for us to draw level when Krasniqi fired a rocket home from inside the box. After the game, I then got my next licence. Alas they won't pay for the next one yet! Draw number two came against Tonbridge Angels (Umolu 18). Umolu gave us the lead with a neat low cross across the box. A corner for them brought the scores level and the game finished with a point each. This was a blow for the youngster Thomson and thins an already small squad! A big win came up in the game against Weston-super-Mare (J Hinds 3, K Hinds 15, Umolu 24, Krasniqi 33, Norman o.g. 90). Weston were top when we took them on but we simply blew them away! J Hinds opened the scoring with a far-post header from Lawton's cross. K Hinds doubled up when he turned his man and then fired a shot home across the keeper. Umolu got the third with a far-post header from a free-kick and Krasniqi made it 4-0 when he curled a low, hard shot home from outside the box. The last was an own-goal which Norman put home when Krasniqi curled a ball in and it hit him. I've been working on retraining Myles Judd as a DMC as, as far as I'm concerned, he has the perfect stats. Alas, he doesn't see it the same way. I hope that, in time, I can persuade him it's a good idea. We backed things up with another win against St Albans City (Umolu 52, Ajayi 76). We beat the rivals with two goals. Umolu got the first with a run through the centre of their defence and fired home from just inside the box. Ajayi got the second with a near-post corner. The month's final game was a corker against Gosport Borough (Umolu 29, J Hinds 66, Lawton 79). Things began well when Umolu opened the scoring with a neat touch off a low cross. Then it all happened: our keeper Dickinson got injured and, with no keeper on the bench, CB Ajayi was the tallest person available and I put him in. The result then turned and it looked like we'd be punished. We weren't done though as J Hinds levelled up with another great far-post header. There was then another turn as Lawton turned his man inside out and backwards in before slotting home. The drama still wasn't done though. I thought the FM Gods were against my CB/GK when they got a penalty but how often is it that your CB then saves the pen before then pulling off another great flying save to keep then win?! Dickinson is going to be out for a while - not good news at all! How often does your CB make team of the week in the GK position?! A great month's results see us placed firmly within the playoff places and only three points off top spot with a game in hand. I'm very happy with where the team are at considering we were fighting relegation with the team I had last season! Former EFL side Southend come up first and they're in 10th. Chippenham Town are 13th and Maidstone United are 9th. This then takes up to the FA Trophy game in the middle of the month. After that, Hampton and Richmond are 20th and Farnborough are 6th. It's not going to be easiest month for points - especially when our keeper is out for the whole lot too. What can we do without him? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 December 2024 Lots of green carry on in the season and things continue to look good! It began with the game against Southend (Umolu 45+2). Umolu got the only goal when J Hinds got well to get forward and then sent a low cross in for Umolu to finish. Good form continued in game two when we took on Chippenham Town (Umolu 64, Lawton 79). It didn't start well when Chippenham scored by hitting home a low shot from the edge of the area. Umolu levelled things up when K Hinds made a low cross in from the left. Lawton then got a winner by grabbing a loose ball on the edge of the box and firing it home. Things did not carry on so well against Maidstone United (Umolu 25, Leahy pen 45+2). Umolu opened the scoring with Leahy supplying the low cross this time. Leahy doubled it up when he tucked away a penalty on HT. I thought we were doing well except Maidstone had other ideas. Four goals in the second half sent us home with ni points and our tails between our legs! Things did get back on to the level keel when we took on lower league Ilkeston (J Hinds 15, 54, Williams 21, Umolu 58). The side was rotated but mostly breezed through the game without too much trouble! That didn't carry on when we played Hampton and Richmond (Williams pen 84). It was a game of two penalties and it left us fearing the worst for much of the game as it felt like we were going to lose the game for much of the tie! We finished the month with a final green spot against Farnborough (Umolu 40, Williams 71). Umolu got the first goal with a great finish when he burst into the box and Williams made the most of a rebound that fell to him with the goal gaping. So we move up a place to second with Weston moving up to first. Welling, who were five points behind us at the start, are now only two points behind so we certainly have to keep an eye on them. It's a lively league! And Welling United are our next game so that's a vital tie before we take on National League Accrington Stanley in the FA Trophy. Chelmsford City in 11th sees a return to league action before we take on Slough Town who are 22nd - should be three points there! Finally, we take on Hendon who are 24th and Wealdstone who are 12th. It's a month with promise! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 December 2024 November finished with so much promise ahead of it - a solid line of red shows that December did not deliver it! The chaos began with our game against Welling United (Umolu 76, Williams 85). The game was goalless until the 70th minute - then a seven goal blitz took place and, by the end of it, we were three goals worse than them! Game two saw us take on National League Accrington Stanley (K Hinds 12, Umolu 42, Williams 75) and we made a giant-killing. K Hinds got the first when he hit a hard strike from the edge of the box. Umolu then doubled up when Maloney chipped in the ball for him to head home. They got one back but Williams finished the game when a corner broke to him on the edge of the box and he fired it into the top corner. Then the bad news started! It began with a defeat against Chelmsford City in which we failed to score a single goal. Then we received our youth intake. I do wonder what the excellence they see is! The next game then saw us beaten by Slough Town (K Hinds 79). We did get a single goal but that was it! Defeat it was again. Josh Williams had not been playing often and took it as his chance to leave. Our next game saw us play Hendon who were bottom of the table but scored two without us getting reply. The final game was against Wealdstone. We did really well for most of the game against our recently-relegated opponents but a last-minute goal meant that we were beaten - again. I then upset Jack Leahy with my teamtalks and had to end up promising that the mood would be better soon! For the first time in a long time, we're out the play-off places. I hope this is just a blip and the rest of the season sees us continue our normal form but I am worried. Truro City are 14th so we should view them as beatable. Havant and Waterlooville are 10th and Dartford are 5th so they represent sterner tests. The trophy then returns with us taking on Blyth Spartans, 2nd in the National League North. Finally, we take on Worthing, 17th, and Margate, 24th. Surely, we can get things back up and running again? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 January 2024 A short month... Our first result carried on our poor form against Truro City (K Hinds 87, 90+3). We shipped three goals and then, in the dying embers, Truro got two back. Sadly though, he couldn't get one more and the result was lost. This led to the board questioning my approach. We did manage to get a point out the next game though against Havant and Waterlooville (K Hinds 49). We went down and Hinds brought us level. We couldn't go on a win the game though so the points were shared. Then we took on Dartford. Once again we couldn't score and that led to the inevitable... I'm out of a job! When I leave, Hemel Hempstead have plunged down the table and playoffs are out of sight. My focus is now elsewhere though. As a free agent, can I get a better job or, ideally a job in dreamland... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 February 2025 February brings in my next job - Japan's U23 team! It sees a boost to my reputation and a chance to take part in the U23 Asian Cup in the summer. Hopefully, that boost will get the South American clubs noticing me... We then have the draw for the U23 Cup. The group looks pretty straightforward but what can happen career wise before we get that far?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 March - June 2025 Despite applying for jobs aplenty, the months of March - May were pretty quiet. Then, at the beginning of June... Three interview offers come along at once! They're all further away from South America than I was before but it's all in the name of building up my reputation! Where will I end up... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 Arbroath And the answer is Arbroath! The club has recently been relegated from the Scottish Championship but I'm hoping that I can turn things around. Get a promotion and things should be looking happy for sure! The club has had a meteoric rise since 2015 but has just suffered a blip in being relegated. I hope that I'm the right man with the right style to get them going up again! The vision is fairly restrained so I'm not too worried there. I just want to make my name! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 Pre-Season Pre-season began with two players, not chosen by me, joining the squad. The issue is that I need to bring the wage bill down not increase it so it's really not an ideal thing to have! Some familiar news then filters through - Arbroath could have a change of Chair. It's always a source of worry, especially when you're only just joined a club! We've managed to squeeze in two pre-season games so far. We were roundly thrashed by Leicester but then got a famous win against former Spanish giants Deportivo La Coruna - let's hope that's a portent of things to come! The board seem to have been very gentle in terms of expectations - they expect us to finish in the top half of the table and be competitive in the cups. What do the predictions think? The predictions say we should finish second! That would put us into the playoffs and give us a chance of going up. Can we manage it? It would be great to have that on my CV looking forwards. Month one sees us play League Cup games exclusively and it's a nice start to my Arbroath time with a game against Brora Rangers of League Two. Can we make it count though? After that, we take on Dundee of the Championship and Dundee United of the SPL. We finish up playing Stirling Albion who are in League Two also. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 Starting XI So here is my starting XI. It's pretty clear who the key players are; to have a good season we need Thomas O'Brien and Kyle Connell to being playing at their best and lead us to glory! O'Brien is our captain and Mackinnon has the role as our VC. Scott Steward in MC is seen as our key player. Let's hope he helps us take control! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 1 Author Share Posted April 1 (edited) July 2025 It was an interesting month in charge of Arbroath, that's for sure! It began with my opening game against part-timers Brora Rangers. We dominated, absolutely dominated, the game but missed everything. They didn't though - Luyeye played a beauty of a ball over the top, McRae got hold of it, rounded the 'keeper and put it home to consign me to defeat in my first game in the job. We were then up against Championship side Dundee (Connell 21, Wright 86, Gunn 90+2). Connell gave us a dream lead when Hylton's mazy run finished with a square ball for Connell to put home. Towards the end of the game, Wright secured the result when Stewart made a far-post cross for his teammate to head home. Gunn put a gloss on things when he turned his man on the edge of the box and then fired it home to complete our giant-slaying! The challenge went up another notch in game three when we took on SPL side Dundee United (Gunn 86). United strolled into a 2-0 lead and we were never really in it. At the death though, Gunn nabbed a goal when Hamilton managed a cross to him at the far post. The final game was against Stirling Albion (Connell 6, Bird 82). The team from a league below went behind when Stewart played a beauty of a ball through for Connell to fire home. We were then pegged back though when they headed hom a far post corner. Our lead was restored though when Wright played a low cross from the left and Bird fired it home. We go out the cup but I don't think we can be too disappointed - we came below the teams in the leagues above and above the teams in the leagues below! This is familiar news - am I going to have to survive another board changeover? Scott Stewart - one of our key players - has made it clear that he wants out and, in order to avoid a squad revolt, I had to agree to sell him. It's not something I wanted to but I feel like I have little choice! So now our focus turns to league action. Game one is huge and sees us take on derby rivals Forfar Athletic who are predicted to be 9th. We then take on Queen of the South who expect to be 3rd and Cove Rangers who are the league favourites. It's going to be a challenging start that's for sure! After we've got through that, we take on Montrose and Peterhead. They expect to be 7th and 8th respectively so I hope we can get points there. Before any of that though, I have my work with Japan U23s to do... Edited April 1 by RaySunshine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 1 Author Share Posted April 1 U23 Asian Cup Quals As you can see from the results above, qualifying for the U23 Asian Cup was a mere formality. Our first opponents in the group were Guam U23s (Konno 2, 22, Ueda 18, 61, Umiguchi 45+2, Nishinoue 81). There was no contest here even though they arguably scored the goal of the game with a free-kick deflected through the wall and in. In terms of players making their names known, Yuji Konno and Takuya Ueda of Kawasaki Frontale certainly caught my eye! We got even more goals in the game against Northern Mariana U23s (Ueda 9, 49, pen 58, Nakano 36, Yasumaru 45, Konno 60, Miyamoto 80, Umiguchi pen 84, Nishinoue 89) with Ueda getting a perfect hattrick in this one. The next player to make his name was Rihito Umiguchi of Yokohama F. Marinos. The final game had a more convential scoreline even if there was no real peril in it. We beat Philippines U23s (Ueda 30, Umiguchi 60, Konno 63) and strolled into the Cup with three wins out of three! The table shows our dominance with our +16 GD being the only postive one from the whole group! With that work done, U23 duties rest until October when we take on Mexico U23s before playing in the U23 Asian Cup in January. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 2 Author Share Posted April 2 August 2025 The month began with another key player announcing that, at the end of the season he's going to be off the pastures new. Game one in the league saw us play rivals Forfar Athletic (Dall 55). It looked like we were going to stroll to a win with us dominating the game and LB Dall hitting home a beauty of an effort. We couldn't score again though and they nicked a goal to leave us wondering where the other two had gone. We then took on Queen of the South (Connell 33) and seemed to be dominating the game - even better when we went in ahead thanks to Connell's header. Once again, though, we couldn't score any more and they could leaving us rueing a 2-1 defeat. This was news that I could have done without. It will prevent Stewart from leaving to play for anyone else but will prevent him from playing for us as well. Not good news! I couldn't help but post this one! I'll let you know how he gets on with Sean Dyche at the end of the season! Our next game was against top-of-the-table Cove Rangers. We simply weren't in this game. They cruised past us and left us trailing far, far in their wake. The squad 'gained' another red cross after the Cove game. Things are really not looking good in our start so far! Another week, another playing looking to leave! O'Brien decided that he wanted out and made sure that the rest of the squad knew about it too. It all feels rather explosive here! On the back of all that, we took on Montrose (Bird 11, 78, Hylton 34) and got our best performance of the young league season! Bird got the first with a header off Hylton's fine cross. They then levelled up to leave me fearing the worst. Hylton restored our lead though with him being the first to get to a ball played across the box. Bird then finished things off when he pounced on a loose ball to smash it home - three points! The month's final game saw us play Peterhead (Bird 36). Dall played a low ball across the box and Bird smashed it home to give us the lead. They level it up. We went on to dominate but couldn't get the second goal that we needed to get three points. Bang - another injury! It feels like our team are made of spaghetti! The month finishes and we're four points off the playoffs. It's a long way from the optimistic title-challenging season I thought we'd have. Things have got to get better and quick or I'll be in serious trouble! We start off facing Montrose in the cup. Then League action sees us play Alloa Athletic (2nd), Greenock Morton (5th) and Clyde (10th). My fear, though, is that no-one wants to buy O'Brien even though he wants to leave so I have a feeling that the whole situation is going to nuclear pretty soon... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 4 Author Share Posted April 4 September 2025 If August hadn't really been our month, it's fair to say that September wasn't feeling any more generous! As predicted, O'Brien wasn't happy with my failure to sell him and let me know about it pretty quickly. It's really what I didn't need in an already tricky situation! In terms of the games, it began with the tie against Montrose (Connell 9) in the Challenge Cup. Montrose got an early goal when they put home a corner. We then replied in short order with Hylton making a great cross for Connell to finish. We went on to dominate the game but, once again, couldn't turn it into goals. The tie went to penalties and we missed two to come off the worse. Things got no better in the league when we took on Alloa Athletic. The two teams here were pretty evenly matched but they made the most of it getting their only goal with a floated cross to the back post that was then comfortably headed home. We then got a win! We played Greenock Morton (Bird 53, Slater pen 60, Wright 86). They got a first-half goal to leave me worried that it was going to be a month of straight defeats. Saving him from coming off, Jay Bird was played through and smashed the ball home. Then Slater put us into the lead when he slotted home a neat penalty. Finally, Matty Wright smashed one home and that was enough to secure the win. The final game of the season against Clyde returned us to familiar defeat. They got a goal where the play-through had more than a whiff of offside about it but we couldn't conjure up a goal and left the game with nothing. We finish the month closer to the relegation places than the play-offs and it's a long long way from the glittering season that I thought we'd have. The fact that we're already over-budget on wages so I feel like I can't bring anyone in really doesn't help. With things going badly, I thought I'd have a look at the stats - particularly our goal-scoring... In terms of xG we should be 5th but we're coming up 8th in league in terms of actually scoring goals... ... and our conversion rate is utterly dreadful! A woeful 8% of our shots finish up being goals and this feels like a serious serious problem. We're creating shots and chances but we're not converting them. With no money to bring in players I do wonder what I can do to improve this situation. I do wonder whether I can sneak another coach on to the staff to see if that helps us get the ball into the back of the net a little more often. Kelty Hearts in 6th remain the only team we haven't played yet this season. After that, we take on Queen of the South who are 5th and Forfar Athletic who are 9th. I'd like to think there's the potential for us to rise up and improve but can this squad make it happen? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 4 Author Share Posted April 4 October 2025 Another month goes through and, this time, there are no green spots at all. It feels like time at Arboath is coming to an end! There wasn't room for a coach on the team but I did bring in a performance analyst in the hope that he can help point out what's going wrong! Game one saw us take on Kelty Hearts (Connell 21, Dawson 89). Connell opened the scoring when Dall crossed over for him to head home. The game then turned as Kelty got a 2-1 lead. It looked like, with the game running out that we were going to be beat but, at the death, Slater put a big ball over the top and Dawson smashed it home. So much for the passing game! We might have got a point but, later that week, we had to pay for it as O'Brien picked up a significant injury. That didn't help us going into the game against Queen of the South. Once again, we dominated the game but didn't score. They put a free-kick in to the back post and headed it home. Game over. The month's final game saw us take on rivals Forfar Athletic (Connell 11). This time, Stewart, on the corner of the box, put the cross in and Connell headed it into the ground and got the goal. We went on to dominate the game but didn't score - again. They came back late on and levelled, no three points for us. We've gained two points and moved up one place in the table. It's really not the sort of record and place that I want the team to be though. It's truly frustrating! Here are the two extremes - 3rd best at the back, 2nd worst going forward. It's not going to add up to a promotion season that's for sure. This was an interesting chart that has us as real press outliers - we need to up our pressing game it seems! November starts with the small challenge of taking on Cove Rangers who are third. Montrose are 8th so we really need to be beating them! Peterhead are 1st so that will be another tricky game for sure. We then take on Championship side Kilmarnock in the cup - wish us luck there - before the month rounds out with the game against Alloa Athletic who are 2nd. It won't be easy but can it be better? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 5 Author Share Posted April 5 November 2025 I looked at our pressing stats and decided we needed to go for it - high line, sweeper keeper, press more often. Cove Rangers (Bird 46) told us that we didn't. Their first four shots all hit the back of the net and we spent most of the game running back towards our own goal - ouch! Against Montrose (Connell 5, 66, Hylton 68), I brought back the defensive and pressing lines, restored a traditional keeper role but kept the press more often trigger. Connell got us scoring when he headed home Dall's cross. They got back level just before HT but, in the second half, Dall crossed again for Connell to head home and restore the lead. Hylton put the icing on the cake when he fired a rocket into the top corner from the edge of the box. Perhaps this is the tactical setup that works? We tried the same again in the tie against Peterhead (Bird 22, Steele 45). Jay Bird got the scoring underway when he got up to head home Dall's cross. Steele got a second when he headed a near-post corner into the turf and it pinged back up and in. They got two back in the second half and the game finished level but we'd won the xG battle against them. In the cup, we took on Championship side Kilmarnock. It's fair to say that they simply strolled past us. We couldn't lay a finger on them and they scored three goals comfortably. In the month's final game, we played Alloa Athletic (Connell 7, Hylton 34). Once again, Connell opened the scoring by heading home Dall's cross. Hylton then finished off a neat passing move to make it 2-0. And we get our first league clean sheet of the season! Our rise up the table continues: we're now 6th and beginning to look up rather than down. I think it will take some serious work to get into the top four but that's the dream. Having got three games without defeat, it feels like that, even if we haven't turned a corner yet, we're at least looking around it! Our increased pressing has brought the average oppo PPDA down to 4.54 from 4.66 so it's heading in the right direction. December begins with a game against Greenock Morton who are just above us in 5th. That's followed by playing Clyde who are 10th and Kelty Hearts who are 8th. Finally, we play Queen of the South who have that coveted fourth spot at the moment. I really hope that, with the tactical tweaks made, we can make some good form and close that gap as the month goes on! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 5 Author Share Posted April 5 December 2025 A month with far more red than green in it and another three-month unbeaten run. Are things finally heading the way I want them to at last?! Things didn't start off well in the game against Greenock Morton (Hylton 90) but this was mostly due to the fact that we gave two penalties away! Hylton did get a consolation late on but it was pretty clear by that stage that it would be meaningless! I then got a job interview with Championship side Livingston. Alas, I didn't get the job but it was nice to be noticed now that I've done my first six months and can start applying for jobs again! The next game saw us take on Clyde (Bird 15, Hylton 32, 55, Connell 44, Dawson 78). I feared the worst when we went a goal down early on but we then set about putting them to the sword! The pick of our five fine goals was Hylton's first - a great strike into the top corner from 20 yards out. Things then got interesting as Chairperson talks got serious... ... and I liked the sound of £33m to spend if Etchepare got his way. Imagine what I could do with that in League One! The game against Kelty Hearts was one of utter domination but we simply couldn't score and that was hugely frustrating as a win by two goals or more would not have been undeserved! Young Joey Dawson has been beginning to get some minutes for me and has chipped in with the odd goal too. It's a shame that this is going to set him back. Then the takeover of dreams was completed by a chair who wants to make the club one of the greatest forces in European football. But... ... there's no sign of the cash yet. Is it all a big con? The month's final game saw us take on Queen of the South (Connell 20, Steele 30, Wright 53) and we got one of the best league results of the season! Connell got the first when Hylton, as ever, picked him out with a great cross for a fine header. Steele then doubled up heading home a near post corner. Finally, Wright got his goal when Hylton's low cross found him almost on the goal line and just needing to poke it over! We then switched to international duties where Japan U23s took on Peru U23s (Miyamoto pen 6, Konno 44) in a U23 Asian Cup warm-up. I was shocked to find that Ueda had made it up to the senior squad now so was no longer available. The first XI got us into a comfortable two-goal lead, but, as the second half went on, the second string couldn't hold on and the game finished all-square. A seven-point gap to the playoffs remains but it does feel like we're closing in step-by-step. Having got our scoring up and conceding down - two clean sheets in a month - it feels like we're really headed in the right direction. I just need this new Chair's money to come online now! I said I'd let you know how Neymar was getting on and seems like he's enjoying himself in Liverpool as far as I can tell. Dyche and Neymar - a match made in heaven! Our January games see us take on rivals Forfar Atheltic (7th), Cove Rangers (4th), Montrose (10th) and Peterhead (2nd). I have to say that I really, really want to beat Cove Rangers after the six they put past us in the last game. Can we do it? There is also the action of the U23 Asian Cup taking place. I assume that we'll get out of our group without too much trouble. The real fun will be seeing who we play after the group stage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 U23 Asian Cup The group stage of the U23 Asian Cup turned out to be exactly what I thought it would be - a mere formality. We thrashed North Korea U23s (Horie 17, 46, Konno 31, 48, Tanaka 54, Ikefuji 73) and did the same to Kyrgyszstan U23s (Konno 41, Miyamoto pen 45, Nishinoue 80). Having won the first two games, I could rotate the squad so my second string took on Thailand U23s (Nishinoue 3, Ikefuji 21, 85). We still won this game comfortably and could progress to the QFs knowing that we'd topped our group. Syria U23s were the oppostion in the quarter finals. It's fair to say that we made short work of them. Yasumaru opened the scoring when he cut inside and then fired a long-range shot home. Konno, our striker, had come deep and then played a beauty of a through-ball for Horie to run on to and finish. LB Ishii made it 3-0 when he fired home from the corner of the six-yard box and Yoda put the icing on the cake with a low strike into the bottom corner. On to the semis... Here we played Iran U23s and made much harder work of it than we should have done! CM Nakai gave us the lead when Konno pulled the ball back for him to smash home. They eqaulised just on the stroke of HT when a neat passing move was finished off with a strike from just outside the box. Despite all our domination, we couldn't get the second goal and the game went to extra time. Just at the midway point, Yoda made the difference when he was on the line to turn and put a bullet cross home. Konno then rounded things off and we went ont to the final... In the final, we took on Australia U23s. They got the lead when a deep cross from the right-hand side was headed home. In the 48th minute, Seita, our RB, played a low ball to the penalty spot and Horie was there to smash it home. Australia restored their lead when they headed home a near-post corner. We couldn't get back into the match and Australia ran out deserved winners. I pleased to reach the final but disappointed not to get the rep boost of medal. I did decide it was time to finish with Japan U23s so I handed in my notice to focus on all things Arbroath... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 (edited) January 2026 In an uncanny coincidence, January had the same results as February! The defeat to open the month came against derby rivals Forfar Athletic. Once again, we dominated the game but they managed one cross and header that was enough to get them all three points. In game two, we took on Cove Rangers (Burrell o.g. 36, Hylton 37, Bird 48) who beat us 6-1 the last time we played. This time, it was our chance to show what we were all about. The scoring opened when Connell fired in a free-kick which deflected off Burrell in the goal and into the back of the net. Hylton followed up a minute later when Burrell was caught in possession - allowing Hamilton to thread the ball through to Hylton to score. Bird rounded out the game with a one-touch goal from Connell's low cross. Fierce rivals Montrose (Connell 5) were up next and it was another wasted opportunity. Connell opened the scoring when Mackinnon's beauty of a through-ball sent him on his way. We dominated the game but didn't score the second - allowing them to level things up at the death. Grrr... Finally, we took on third-place Peterhead (Connell 29, Wright 68, 81). Connell fired in his trademark far-post header to open the scoring before youngser Wright made the most of his second-half cameo to nab two goals: it all makes a result I was really pleased with. O'Brien had been wanting to leave since the start of the season and finally he went. I didn't really want him to go but felt that it would cause trouble if I didn't and we do have to free up some room on the wage bill as the Chairperson's millions are still yet to arrive... We remain sixth but a point closer to fourth and we're much closer to Queen of the South in 5th. The challenge will be that Forfar are right on our coat tails so there's no room for a mistake! February opens with a challenge when we take on table-topping Alloa Athletic. After that, it's Greenock Morton who are third and Clyde in 9th. Finally, we face Kelty Hearts who are 8th. I really want this to be a month where push on and close the gaps to the teams above us and make a gap between us the ever-challenging Forfar! I've also noticed that my own rep has gone up from 1 to 1.5 stars. Perhaps a bigger club, maybe even one in South America, will notice me... Edited April 6 by RaySunshine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 February 2026 This was certainly a month of two halves - except the good bit was less than a half and the worse bit was certainly more! It began well when we took on Alloa Athletic (Bird 17, Hylton 20, Connell 48). It didn't start well when Alloa took the lead but Bird levelled things up by firing home from a good 25 yards out. Hylton then put us into the lead by heading home McDonald's far post cross. Connell made it three by putting home Mackinnon's great through ball. They got one back but couldn't level things up. Things then started to get busy! Championship side Partick Thistle offered me an interview and squad member Mahon said that, as he wasn't starting regularly, he wanted out the club. This was a real blow to our season so far. Hylton has been a vital goal-scorer and assisting machine and now we've got to try and do without him! This was a piece of good news - I'm slowly working Mackinnon into a roaming playmaker and this piece of individual training was part of the process! In game two, we took on Greenock Morton (Connell 4, McDonald 7, Mackinnon 51, Mckenna 68, Dawson 90+2) and we simply took them apart. At this stage things were looking good; we'd got up to only two points off fifth and maybe only three off the play-offs. Then there was some good news when midfield stalwart Stewart announced that he wanted to stay at the club (largely because no-one was putting in any offers for him) and then some disappointed news as I was turned down by Partick Thistle. At this point, things started to tumble downhill. We took on, and throughly outplayed Clyde but they managed to bag two goals and those two goals got them all three points. We then took on Queen of the South (McKenna 72) and were poor, really really poor. In the second half, Mckenna managed to fire home a stunner from 25 yards out but it was the only good thing we did all game as we were soundly beaten. The month finished with a tie against Kelty Hearts (Mackinnon 76). I thought we'd finally bagged a win when Mackinnon headed home a ball sent to the far post. We didn't score the second though, and, again, it punished us as they got a 90+4 leveller. We seem to be stuck in sixth. Forfar are only three points behind us now and the final playoff place is seven points away. The pre-season aim of a top-half finish is still do-able but can we pull out the form needed to secure it? I'm not so sure we can. Rivals Forfar Athletic are just below us in 7th and I really like to beat them to push them down a bit. Cove Rangers are 2nd but we beat them not so long ago so we know that we can. Finally, we take on Montrose who are 10th so we really need to get a win there! We've only got eight games left in the season now so every point counts... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 March 2026 The month of March might have been a short one but it certainly wasn't dull and I'm not complaining about the results either! The month began with SPL side Queen's Park giving me an interview for a job. This was followed up by Macleod complaining that I had not improved my teamtalks and cheered the team up. Thankfully, no-one else seems concerned and he's not a vital player so it's the not the end of the world! Unfortunately, my ticket to the SPL did not come through so I'm looking to carry on in League One for the moment! After all that, it was time to play a game! This was against Forfar Athletic (Bird 23, Steele 64, Wright 87). Mackinnon, our rpm, played a beaut of a ball of the top, Connell squared it and Bird knocked it home. In the second half, Steele headed home a corner and then Stewart set up a neat passing move that was finished off by Wright to make it 3-0. I decided to put my name in the hat for the Queen of the South job as it would give me a boost into the playoff places and the chance to get a promotion to my name! With the season running out, I really didn't want to pick up any more injuries for what feels like my very small squad! Cove Rangers (Bird 18, Slater 20) were a stern test. Bird gave us the lead when he put the last touch on a neat one-touch move with McDonald and Connell and then Slater doubled up when he hit a penalty against the post but was able to knock the rebound home! This was enough to hold them off and get a 2-1 win. Alas, Queen of the South didn't offer me the job so it really does seem like I'm staying with Arbroath for the time being. I was made to feel better by us getting our third win in a row against Montrose (Hylton 48, 61). For the first goal, another neat passing move sent Hylton on to run through and score his first. For his second, he headed home McDonald's cross at the far post and it was enough for the win. This popped up at the end of the month and I was really pleased to see it. I presume it's for Mackinnon taking on the role of RPM for the side. I'm really pleased as we all dream of being a Bielsa-type coach who transforms the players under their care and this is the first success on this save! We move up to fifth and suddenly the play-offs are only six points away. There aren't many games left now so it's by no means likely but the goal has to be there! This wasn't a bad thing to get either! So, who do we face in the run-in? The first game is a vital one against Peterhead who are level with us on points and only one place behind in 6th. Then there's Alloa Athletic who are 3rd and Greenock Morton in 2nd before rounding out the month against Clyde in 8th. It's not going to be an easy month for sure but points are absolutely vital now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 April 2026 April turned out to be a hugely frustrating month as our play-off goal slipped through our fingers. It all began when we took on Peterhead (Slater pen 6, Hylton 60). I thought we'd done well here whne goals from Slater and Hylton gave us a two-goal lead. However, their goals in the 82nd and 84th minutes meant that we began the month letting a vital two points slip through our grasp. Thankfully, everyone around us drew so it was as you were going into the Alloa Athletic (Hylton 37, Dall 39, Slater pen 80). I feared the worst when they took the lead inside six minutes but Hylton got us level when McDonald, who had given the opener away, found him with a backpost cross. Dall then smashed a long-range effort home to give us the lead. In the second half, Slater put a penalty home to finish things off. We then found out that Slater wouldn't play for us again this season. Would this be something we'd come to rue? Game three's opponents were Greenock Morton (Connell 66, Wright 85). This again, did not start well as we fell two goals behind. Connell got one back when he headed home a corner and Wright bagged us a point late on when he smashed in Hylton's low cross. 2-2 and points shared! The month's last game saw us take on Clyde. I thought we'd win this one but we didn't - they got themselves ahead and we simply failed to create. For all the possession we had, we simply couldn't break them down and we walked away empty-handed. This was then another piece of bad news as yet another player made it clear that they wanted to leave the club! And so the season peters out and the play-offs slip through our fingers. We made a poor start to the season and, by the time I'd tweaked our tactics to make them work, it was too little, too late. One game remains against bottom-of-the-league Kelty Hearts. I feel like I need to win to get a top-half finish and keep my job or I might be taking my 4-3-3 elsewhere! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 May 2026 So we only had one game to play taking on Kelty Hearts (Bird 57, Gunn 87). In the final game of the season, Bird got the opener by picking up a ball that was loose in the box and smashing it home. Gunn doubled up late on by heading home a good cross to ensure that we finish the season with a win. We finish fifth which is what was asked for at the start of the season and it has felt like we've got better as the season's gone on. Hopefully, next season, we can do better if I'm still here. Perhaps that £33 million will roll in... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 Season Review Normally, at this stage, I would just post my season XI and awards but far too much has been going on for that to be the case! First up was the release of our budget. It's not £33 million pounds but it shows some ambition to improve and strengthen the squad which is what I like to see. Perhaps this is where it all begins! The new board put bring youth players into the vision so I thought the club better have a Head of Youth Development. In comes Scott McDonald to take on the role. Here's our season XI review. It's one of the few times that I've found it to match up perfectly with the XI that I've chosen over the course of the season. In terms of awards, Connell and Dall take them. My worry is that Connell, along with Stewart and Hylton, is walking away at the end of the season! Here's the star/stat view that I find very helpful from a moneyball pov. The three players making headlines for the wrong reasons are Matthew McDonald, Craig Slater and Jay Bird. Aaron Steele and Harrison Sharp are not far behind either! These then would normally be the postions I would be looking at. That though will be dealt with after I've replaced Connell, Hylton and Stewart! This is the tactical approach that I've taken. It's high possession, high pressing and high entertainment! I'm really pleased with the way that it's worked - bringing out a real Bielsa/Poch/Pep high-energy, high speed game when we get the ball but also allowing to rule the possession stats. Not bad for Scottish League One! With some contracts coming up to their end, I moved quickly to bring in some new faces. First up, was Liam Parker. The 22yo Scottish CB didn't make a single appearance in the SPL for St Johnstone last season. They chose not to renew his contract so we snapped him up. He should be better than either of our CBs at the moment and fill in the gap left by O'Brien in January. Hot on his heels was Scott McGill of Queen's Park. He had just a tiny handful of minutes in the SPL last season and therefore hit the release list. I hope that Queen Park's loss is our gain. The third of the trio coming in is Osazee Aghatise. He's 23yo and is coming in from Mansfield. He played regularly and well for a Mansfield side in the National League but he opted to move on and I hope that he enjoys coming to play the game here at Arbroath! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 Neymar Here is a brief Neymar update! Dyche and Neymar seemed to mesh well and Neymar followed in the footsteps of fellow South American James Rodriguez in making a name for himself! He has another year on Mersyside to go... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 (edited) Pre-Season Pre-season began with the news that midfielder McKenna had retired. He wasn't playing regularly for me last season so I can happily wish him the best in his retirement! Pep had finished third with Man City and this was enough to get him sacked - I just loved the notion that he was out of his depth at Man City! Before pre-season had even got underway, we picked up two lengthy injuries but on the plus Mackinnon said he wanted to stay! Thankfully, neither of the injured are expected to be regular starters in the new season. So let's have a look at who is... First in is Makenzie Kirk from Hearts. He never made it through the youth system to their first team but I think he has the quality to fill his boots at this level and hopefully repair the damage of Connell leaving. Sam Fisher, 24, comes in from Dunfirmline Athletic. He'd played for them regularly and well the season before last but then fell out of favour so we snapped him up to add strength to our backline. 23yo Nigerian Osazee Aghatise looks like he could be real talent at this level. He made 37 appearances for Mansfield last season and got two goals and three assists in that time. I brought in Kyle Smith to challenge at RB - a position I felt was weak last season. He joins the side from Millwall and his ability to cover in CB will be helpful too. Finally, Callum Burton joins the side from Plymouth Argyle. Once again, he never played for them but I hope that he'll make a good career here! We had one pre-season which saw us play Newcastle for Hamilton's testimonial. They might have brought a second-string side but they weren't in second-string mood! The league remains the central focus for the board and the expectations have gone up. Last season, it was be top half. Now it's get into the play-offs minimum. I hope that the squad I've put together is good enough. Well, the odds-makers expect us to achieve our goal this season. Our odds are lower than last season though as we're placed firmly behind the two relegated sides. Can we outdo them? As it works in Scotland, we start off with the League Cup. Brechin City are in the Highland League so should provide a gentle start to the season. They're followed by Peterhead who remain a fellow League One side. We then take on Raith Rovers of the Championship and Ross County of the SPL. We won't be favourites to go through but it will be a good marker of how the side are coming together. Edited April 7 by RaySunshine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 July 2026 The League Cup made the warm up to our season and I was very pleased with how it went! We began by taking on lowly Brechin City (Kirk 29, Bird 84). Kirk opened the season's scoring and his Arbroath account when he powerfully headed home a Kyle Smith corner. Two new players combined to get the season up and running. Two regulars from last season then finished it off when Gunn crossed for Bird to score. I noticed that we had no youth team and, for a club that wants to develop youth players, I thought it might be helpful. The board it seems thought that the youth players could be developed without them joining the club or having a side to play in! League One Peterhead (Kirk 10, Wright 67) were up next. Twice we fell behind in this game but twice we fought back. Kirk was up first when he put away Gunn's first time ball into the box and Wright got his later on when he coolly slotted home Kirk's great through-ball. We won the penalties here to get us a bonus point. After that came Championship side Raith Rovers. We were distinctly second-best on this one but managed to keep them out. We couldn't make the most of the penalties on this one so the bonus point was theirs. Finally, we played SPL side Ross County (Ross 1, Aghatise 23, Gunn 90+5) and we beat them! Ethan Ross opened the scoring in less than a minute - making a mazy run through the centre of their team. Aghatise got his first goal for the side when he was put through by Dall. They then got one back to add some peril to the match but Gunn rounded it off with a far post header! Draws don't come much bigger than this! We've managed to get through our group and have a day out at Celtic Park as a reward. I hope we do better than we did against Newcastle! Our league season opens with us playing familiar rivals Forfar Athletic who are expected to finish bottom this year. Then we play Hamilton who are expected to be 2nd so that's one extreme to the other! After that it's East Fife who are predicted to be 8th before the big game against Celtic. After that, we face Montrose who expect to be 7th and Queen of the South who are predicted 4th. It's not going to be a quiet start to the season that's for sure! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 August 2026 The league season began with a mixed bag of results. The first was that against Forfar Athletic. Here we were dominant, utterly dominant. We had an xG of nearly 3 but didn't get a goal. The did though and the season opened with defeat. This was a bit of a shock and would see our new keeper miss the Celtic game. We then took on Hamilton (Kirk 40). We once again dominated and Kirk got the goal when Gunn put in a low cross for him to finish. Game three saw us take on East Fife (Oghatise 1). Oghatise scored a corker from long range in the first minute and I thought it would set us on our way well. It didn't as, once again, we didn't hit our scoring potential and then let slip goals to crash to defeat. I was worried that Gunn wasn't going to get the goals from out wide that Connell got last season. So I brought in Jack Stretton. He was formerly of Stockport but I think he has what it takes to do well here. That was followed by the game against the mighty Celtic (Kirk 58, pen 66, Wright 74). When were 3-0 down at HT, I was worry that we were going to be drubbed. We did end up conceding five but also scored three so it felt like a respectable result in the end! A return to league action saw us take on Montrose (Fisher 16). We weren't at our best but Fisher's headed goal from a set piece was enough to secure all three points. Finally, we played Queen of the South (Kirk 43, 45+1, Bird 90). We went into HT well with Kirk having scored a fierce effort from outside the box and a confident effort past the keeper when Stretton slipped him through. In the second half, however, it had looked like we'd thrown it all away until Gunn put in a low cross for Bird to hit home late on. So, unlike last season, we take up residence in the play-off places. The question is will it las more than one month?! At the moment, everything is far too tight to make anything of the situation we're in but it's not a bad place to be. September's first game sees us take on FC Edinburgh of League Two in the Challenge Cup. We then play Partick Thistle who are 9th, Clyde who are 10th and Alloa Athletic at the other as they top the table! I hope that we will have secured our position well by the end of the month. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 September 2026 September proved to be my first perfect month of the save! The good times began in the game against FC Edinburgh (Ross 39). I wondered about rotating for this one and I'm glad I didn't as it wasn't a walkover. Ross got the only goal when Stretton sent the ball all the way across and Ross on the other side swept it home. With a bit more money available, I decided it was time to upscale our analysis department so James Smith comes in to deliver the stats to me! We returned to league action and took on Partick Thistle (Kirk pen 13, 16, 41). Kirk commanded this game and got his first hattrick for the club. Partick got two goals back in the second half but we held on to claim all three points. We paid for the points though in two injuries. Aghatise pulled his knee but Barton had his lower arm broken! At worst, he will already have missed 12 weeks of the season. With the squad having grown, I decided it was time to let Dawson go out on loan as the minutes would be most helpful for him at this stage. We then took on Clyde (Slater pen 65, Kirk 90+1). Clyde haunted me as the the defeat to them cost us vital points at the end of last season. This time though the three points were ours when Slater put a penalty away and Kirk got one at the death with a powerful header. I'm still working on getting that move to South America and this was another way of boosting my reputation. It gave me two unexpected games this month! The month's final game was 2nd v 3rd when we took on Alloa Athletic (Ross 68). We managed to nab all three points when Dall made a surging run down the left hand side; put the cross in and Ross smashed it into the top corner! Another week - another long injury! Will we have anyone left soon? Well this is the best the team have been under my reign by far. We're up in second and a good five points inside the playoff places. This was a nice combination at the end of the month - I feel like we must be getting something right! Next month starts with a game against fifth-place Peterhead. We then have a cup and league double-header against table-topping Hamilton. The next two games then see us play Forfar Athletic, 7th and promoted East Fife who have got up to fourth! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 8 Author Share Posted April 8 October 2026 My first game saw us take on Greece U21s (Radu 44). I had no assistant manager so I had to pick the XI on my own thoughts. Despite dominating the game, we went down a goal in the 43rd minute when they put a low cross in and their striker was first to the ball. We then levelled up a minute later when LB Neacsu played a neat ball into the box and Radu smashed it home. In game two, we took on Austria U21s (Pintea 37). Pintea, playing as CF, got the only goal when the ball broke loose to him in the box and he smashed it home! We presently hold second position. Italy U21s are level with us on points and Austria are only two points behind. Second place is vital as it would put us into the playoffs. In the next month, we play Luxembourg U21s who have been conceding hatfuls. Part of this might depend on how many goals we can put past them. By comparison, Italy put 9 past them home and away! We then play Italy U21s themselves and, at that point, our fate will be in the hands of the gods! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 10 Author Share Posted April 10 October 2026 Before the month's games even began, we had an injury with Jack Stretton being potentially ruled out for most of the month. In the on-the-pitch action, we took on Peterhead (Dall 18, McKay o.g. 53, Gunn 90+2). This was a real topsy-turvy affair. They took the lead at the start of the game before levelled it up. They took the lead again just before HT and we levelled it up again. I then nearly had a 'laptop out the window' moment when I made a CB sub and Sharp played the ball out to the new guy before he'd got into position, needless to say, he was insantly robbed and the ball was in the back of the net! Thankfully, we had one more goal in us and the score was level. We then took on Hamilton in the first of our double-header. The first half was pretty equal but we went on to dominate the second. As ever though, we didn't score and penalties were called for. They scored their six and we scored five but Aghatise sent his straight into the keepers' arms and that was that. Another week, another hamstring injury! Ethan Ross tore his hamstring and is out for the next 2-3 months! Our second game in the Hamilton double-header was in the league. We took them on and, again, ran them close. The real kick in the teeth was Kido Taylor-Hart getting the winner as I had tried to sign him in the summer and he turned us down for Hamilton! Finally, we got into winning ways when we took on Forfar Athletic (Fisher 57, Kirk 65). CB Fisher got the first, heading in a corner, and Kirk got the second when he smashed home Gunn's super through-ball. In the month's final game, we played East Fife (Fuller o.g. 7, Mackinnon 33). Fuller turned the ball into his own net when Dall crossed the ball in. Mackinnon then doubled up with a super long-range strike. They scored one late on to add some drama to the game but we held on for all three points. Stretton did make a come-back in the East Fife game but he didn't last out the game and will have another few weeks out before he makes a proper return. Hamilton are beginning to run away with the league - already opening up a nine-point gap although we do have a game in hand, We're securely second though having six points on Alloa below us. Derby rivals Montrose, in 5th, open up November's games before we take on Queen of the South who are struggling in ninth this season. We then have a double-header against Partick Thistle who are 8th. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 10 Author Share Posted April 10 October 2026 - Romania U21s For Romania, our first game saw us play Luxembourg U21s (Radu 7, 31, Dobre 9, 23, Pintea 56). We had no trouble in seeing off Luxembourg U21s and knew now that we simply had to beat Italy U21s to qualify... However, beating Italy U21s (Pintea 2) proved to be no easy task. There was a made exchange where they scored in the first minute and we in the second but, after that, it was all one-way traffic. So we finish second in the group and that puts us into the play-offs. But who will we play... Your answer is Switzerland who came second in their group behind Croatia - two tough games await us I feel! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 10 Author Share Posted April 10 November 2026 November was certainly a busy month with a few postive highlights that might help me along my way! The first was the board finally agreed to me getting my National A Licence. Keep asking and eventually you get (or win a few games it seems!). This was less good news for a player who is a very useful cover option for me! Several of the jobs that I've applied for have complained that I don't make set pieces a big enough part of my game so I thought I'd get a set piece coach in and see if that helped to change the perception! Finally, we were on to games and played Montrose (Aghatise 32). Aghatise lit up an otherwise dull game with an absolute thunderbolt that nearly took the net off as the old cliche goes! It was then time for Romania U21s to take on Switzerland U21s. We dominated the match and should have come away with a two goal or three goal lead but had just the one - a rocket from midfield courtesy of Constantinescu. Arbroath had Queen of the South (Aghatise 24, Wright 54). The game was no walkover. Twice Queen of the South took the lead and twice we had to level things up - firstly from Aghatise's second thunderbolt in as many games and then from a neat strike by Matty Wright. We knew that we had to beat Switzerland U21s and we would have a ticket to the U21 Euros. It liked that might be hard work when they took the lead within fifteen seconds but we did manage to turn it round. At the death, Cocos flew in for a mad, mad challenge and got himself quite rightly sent off! There was not time to celebrate with Romania U21s as I had to be back on duty for the game against Partick Thistle (Bird 23, pen 40, 67). I was worried when Kirk was taken off injured in the first minute but Bird stepped up and put away a hattrick that takes us into the next round of the cup and a tie against Aberdeen! It became clear that it was a good job Bird had his shooting boots to hand as Kirk appears to be out for the next month or so. On the postive, moneyball-wise, Gary Mackenzie comes in as recruitment analyst to help us make those clever purchases. We then had Partick Thistle again in the league. It was a tough affair where I thought we'd done better but didn't get the goals to show for it! It's as you were in the league. Hamilton remain comfortably first and we're comfortably second. We're a good nine points inside the playoff places which is pleasing to see. Well done Aghatise - your two rockets didn't go unnoticed! December has four games in it and we start with a tie against Clyde who now sit bottom of the table. The next team, Alloa Athletic, sit in 3rd behind us before we take on Peterhead, 5th, and first-place Hamilton. It's an interesting set of fixtures for sure! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 14 Author Share Posted April 14 December 2026 The results in December were mixed - two wins, a draw and a defeat but I'm hoping that it's enough to keep us where we are. December began with the draw for the U21 Euros. It's not going to be an easy group that's for sure but I would love to try and get some results out of the teams that we face. Games for Arbroath began with us facing Clyde (Bird 2, Ledingham o.g. 26, Wright 45+2). Bird opened the scoring early with Wright putting in a low cross for him to finish. Ledingham then put the ball into his own net when Wright put in a low, hard shot and it pinged off him. Wright then got a goal in his on right when Stretton crossed the ball and he headed it home. Clyde got one back late on but it didn't risk our result. Championship strugglers, Livingston, offered me an interview for a job. What will happen next? The next game saw us playing Alloa Athletic (Parker 38, Bird pen 76). We were behind twice in the game and twice we managed to pull it back - the first was corner that Parker headed home and the second was a Bird penalty late on. I was torn as to what to do with the Livingston role - I was inclined towards to not taking the job but they didn't offer it to me anyway! The next game was madcap when we took on Peterhead (Kirk pen 15, 32, pen 45+2, Wright 56, 71). Kirk might have got his hattrick but Wright stole the show here. He smashed home two absolute beauties in order to make sure that we had three points at the end of the game! Later in the week, we paid the price for the win. Fisher pulled up in training and the resulting injury sees him out for the next 2-3 months. It's a blow to the backline that has been the second-best in the league in keeping goals out. Our final game of the month saw us play the team with the best defence - Hamilton. Their defence was good to form. We couldn't break them down or score but they could. They bagged a goal early in the first half and that was enough to seal all three points for them. We remain second in the table. We're six points ahead of Alloa who are third and a mighty 11 points behind Hamilton! I think the league will be their's! We start 2027 by playing Forfar Athletic who are fifth before playing East Fife way down in 9th. After those games, comes the mighty cup tie against Aberdeen! We then resume league action with two games against Montrose (7th) and Queen of the South (6th). It could be a month where we really mark out our credentials. I'm hoping that this strong season, possibly finishing with a promotion will really help me head towards South America! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaySunshine Posted April 20 Author Share Posted April 20 January 2027 The month of January began with an exciting incoming - 22yo Alan Britez joined the club when his contract with River Plate expired. The young Argentinian had only played two games for his first club but he has the talent to be a real star at this level and to have some serious moneyball sell-on value too! Then it was on to games! Forfar Athletic (Mackinnon 45+2, Stretton 49). This was a real topsy-turvy affair - Forfar got the lead when they recycled a corner and their shot crashed off the bar and the rebound was tucked in. We levelled things up when our corner produced penalty box pinball. The ball broke to Mackinnon and he smashed it home. At the start of the second half, Dall sent in an amazing deep cross and Stretton headed it home. A break in the second half resulted in them getting another goal though and then it was all level. East Fife (Stretton 20, Mackinnon 49, Kirk 55, Wright 90+4). Stretton opened the scoring with the sort of back-post header that I brought him into the club to score! Mackinnon then did his best to keep Britez on the bench when Stretton played in through and he slotted it home with a low strike. Kirk followed up with a goal when the ball broke to him in the box and Wright finished the scoring when, you guessed it... the ball was crossed to the back post for a header! The glamour cup tie against SPL heavyweights Aberdeen (Ross 37, Gunn 118) came next and, much to my surprise, we had the better of the game! Ethan Ross opened the scoring with a rocket into the top corner from just outside the box. Three minutes later though, Aberdeen were level through their own outside the box rocket. The game stayed tied into extra time but Gunn got the winner when Wright played him into score low past the keeper! A return to league action saw a bonkers game against Montrose (Aghatise 22, Mackinnon 25, Stretton 29, Kirk 90). Aghatise's header; Mackinnon's bullet and Stretton's far-post header meant that we were 3-0 up at HT. I thought we were cruising - and so did the team as they took the foot off the gas and Montrose got two back. Kirk then scored in the 90th which I thought would settle things but they got another to leave it a nervy 4-3 win! Then there was a cost - just when he'd hit form and scored three goals this month - Stretton finds himself out injured. It's certainly a blow to the side. The month's final game saw us take on Queen of the South. Ross Doherty nabbed a goal for them in the 26th minute and we just couldn't score. Burton made a super penalty save to keep the score at 1-0 but we still lost as a goal simply wasn't coming for us! We finish January in second place but Alloa are beginning to chase us down and occupy 3rd spot four points behind us. Hamilton are ten points clear and are in the process of walking to the title! Partick Thistle are a mid-week game. They're in 6th and the game leaves the weekend free for the big tie against SPL side St Mirren in the Scottish Cup. After that we play Clyde in 10th so that should be a win. Then it's a game against chasing Alloa Athletic before we finish the month playing fourth-placed Peterhead. This month could have a big say in where we end up this season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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