2014

[Jimbokav1971]

2014

The 9th of March 2014 to be exact, was the day my World fell apart. I had worked for Tony Kleanthous for almost 9 years and had seen North London minnows Barnet, transformed from a team used to either fighting relegation from the Football League, or fighting for promotion from the Conference, into a strong League One outfit, secure financially and with an excellent crop of young talent coming through the ranks. My years of loyal service went unrewarded as the rash decision to look to the short term rather than look at the bigger picture was taken by the North London club's board.

In hindsight, I can understand the decision. To be honest I hadn't been a great success at the club. My single success being gaining promotion via the playoffs during the 2010/11 season after a 4th place finish in League 2. They had been exciting times though. Even the play-off final went right to the wire, with us sneaking a 2-1 extra time win over Cambridge Utd. I didn't have too much success in the cups either. Three Semi-Final appearances in the LDV Vans Trophy South, being the furthest we would progress in any knock-out competition.

I prefer to remember the good times though. I did manage 3 awards for my troubles. English League Two Manager of the Month for March 2010 and January 2011 and also the surprise award of English League Two Manager of the Year (runner up) in that same season.

I have fond memories of some of the players that excelled for me during that time. Local lad Giuliano Grazioli turned himself into a local legend with 95 league goals for us before his legs gave way and he was forced into retirement. Current skipper Ismail Yakubu set a club record of 392 league appearances during my time there and ex Arsenal youth keeper Michael Jordan become the club record transfer sale just before my demise when I sold him to MK Dons for a whopping £2,000,000. Although I had secured the financial future of the club for seasons to come, it appears that at that moment, I lost the fans, the players and the board in that instant. Nobody would take into account that he was unhappy at not being allowed to move clubs and would have left on a free at the end of the following season on a free. Nobody noticed that I had secured the free transfer of ex Everton's ex England under 21 keeper Paul Jones and he would be arriving during the close season. He was 3 years younger than Michael and was desperate to play for us. I had money in the bank and traded one excellent, (although unhappy) player, in for one of similar if not improved ability, who was 3 years younger. Nobody could see it.

Nobody could see that players like 19 year old homegrown defender Ryan Robson was labelled the next Jamie Carragher and would be instrumental in the clubs drive for success. Nobody could see that 22 year old Paul Lowe and 25 year old Jordan Fitzpatrick were far superior to the rest of the league's midfield dynamo's. Nobody could see that in Steven Gillespie, Ramon Calliste, Peter Jones, Lee Smith and Anthony Stokes, we had a plethora of strikers who would score goals at a considerably higher level given the right service. Nobody could see it.

During my time at Underhill, I really only lost one player that I really wanted to keep. 18 year old Welshman Ryan Shawcross had signed from Man Utd in 2005 and made 235 appearances before leaving on a free at the end of the 2012/12 season. He had already notched up 15 senior caps and had become an instrumental part of a resurgent Welsh team. Maybe it was this that ultimately caused my downfall. Maybe I just didn't see it .

[Jimbokav1971]

2014

The 9th of March 2014 to be exact, was the day my World fell apart. I had worked for Tony Kleanthous for almost 9 years and had seen North London minnows Barnet, transformed from a team used to either fighting relegation from the Football League, or fighting for promotion from the Conference, into a strong League One outfit, secure financially and with an excellent crop of young talent coming through the ranks. My years of loyal service went unrewarded as the rash decision to look to the short term rather than look at the bigger picture was taken by the North London club's board.

In hindsight, I can understand the decision. To be honest I hadn't been a great success at the club. My single success being gaining promotion via the playoffs during the 2010/11 season after a 4th place finish in League 2. They had been exciting times though. Even the play-off final went right to the wire, with us sneaking a 2-1 extra time win over Cambridge Utd. I didn't have too much success in the cups either. Three Semi-Final appearances in the LDV Vans Trophy South, being the furthest we would progress in any knock-out competition.

I prefer to remember the good times though. I did manage 3 awards for my troubles. English League Two Manager of the Month for March 2010 and January 2011 and also the surprise award of English League Two Manager of the Year (runner up) in that same season.

I have fond memories of some of the players that excelled for me during that time. Local lad Giuliano Grazioli turned himself into a local legend with 95 league goals for us before his legs gave way and he was forced into retirement. Current skipper Ismail Yakubu set a club record of 392 league appearances during my time there and ex Arsenal youth keeper Michael Jordan become the club record transfer sale just before my demise when I sold him to MK Dons for a whopping £2,000,000. Although I had secured the financial future of the club for seasons to come, it appears that at that moment, I lost the fans, the players and the board in that instant. Nobody would take into account that he was unhappy at not being allowed to move clubs and would have left on a free at the end of the following season on a free. Nobody noticed that I had secured the free transfer of ex Everton's ex England under 21 keeper Paul Jones and he would be arriving during the close season. He was 3 years younger than Michael and was desperate to play for us. I had money in the bank and traded one excellent, (although unhappy) player, in for one of similar if not improved ability, who was 3 years younger. Nobody could see it.

Nobody could see that players like 19 year old homegrown defender Ryan Robson was labelled the next Jamie Carragher and would be instrumental in the clubs drive for success. Nobody could see that 22 year old Paul Lowe and 25 year old Jordan Fitzpatrick were far superior to the rest of the league's midfield dynamo's. Nobody could see that in Steven Gillespie, Ramon Calliste, Peter Jones, Lee Smith and Anthony Stokes, we had a plethora of strikers who would score goals at a considerably higher level given the right service. Nobody could see it.

During my time at Underhill, I really only lost one player that I really wanted to keep. 18 year old Welshman Ryan Shawcross had signed from Man Utd in 2005 and made 235 appearances before leaving on a free at the end of the 2012/12 season. He had already notched up 15 senior caps and had become an instrumental part of a resurgent Welsh team. Maybe it was this that ultimately caused my downfall. Maybe I just didn't see it .

[turrhall]

That is a sad, if not nerdy story

[FC Beigem gaat het maken]

*tears rolling from my eyes*

Well, no need to keep worrying. Take on the challenge of another team and show Barnet they were wrong to give you the sack...

Looking forward to you making a story out of this as the first post was very promising...

[Jimbokav1971]

Sad, definately . Nerdy, quite possibly .

At the time I was furious and I wanted to prove to Kleanthous, (and everybody else), that he had made a mistake in sacking me. The only way for me to do this was to gain success at another club.

Burton Albion and Southport of English Conference North were rudderless so I immediately offered my services. As were Grays Athletic, Halesowen Town and Eastbourne Boro of the English Conference South. I submitted an application for these jobs too and immediately started sounding out some ex Bee's about joining forces again.

Eastbourne Boro were the first to get back to me and I almost bit their hand off. I had already decided that I would prefer to stay in the South so it was going to be a choice between Boro, Albion and Southport anyway.

Boro were said to be okay financially but in reality are over a third of a Million pounds in debt. With a stadium capacity of only 2500, and pretty basic facilities to boot, It was a bit of a shock to the system. I had only 18 players on the books, 2 youth and 16 part time professionals. Only 2 or 3 look to have any life in them so It looked like it was going to be, 'All Change', at The Priory.

Peter Jenkins, a 23 year old midfielder looks like he might be able to do a job and strikers Scott Thyer, 27 (Welsh), and Yemi Odubade, 29 (Nigerian), also look to have enough about them to be worth sticking with. Yemi is already a club legend, holding the records for Club League appearances (395), and most Legue goals (166) and in fact needs only one more goal to make it a round 200 career goals. 'Yemi', has won the fans player of the year award in each of the last 8 seasons , but is under pressure from free scoring Thyer for this years accolade. Thyer has himself scored 156 goals in all competitions for Boro in the last 9 seasons. These are phenomenal stats. These two players had averaged a whopping 33.89 goals a season between them over the last decade . With this in mind I am astounded to see that the club had managed only two top 10 finishes in the league, (2006 & 2008). The most recent finishes were 17th, 15th, 19th and 16th. Obviously, goals have been flying in at our end, quicker than these two marksmen could bang them in at the other.

Boro currently sit 13th in Conference South, (10 points clear of the relegation zone), so it appears that I have some breathing space. It is my plan to use the remaining 9 games of the season to build up an idea of who can do a job next year. The priority is obviously at the back.

[Jimbokav1971]

Thanks for the comments Turrhall and FC Beigem. I'll see if I can do something to cheer you both up.

I'm not making any promises though.

[Jimbokav1971]

I pick the strongest team possible for our first League game, away to relegation threatened Billericay. Strongest possible it may be, but it definately cannot be called strong. 3 of the 18 players at the club are keepers so it obviously restricts my options. We have only two centre-backs at the club and 31 year old Kevin Hemsley is suspended, so straight away it's a case of square pegs in round holes. We control much of the game and take the lead through winger Paul Connelly's 6th goal of the season despite being down to 10 men after Scott Thyer was shown a second yellow card in the 35th minute. Billericay equalise with the last kick of the 1st half but I've seen nothing from them to indicate that we can't get a result, even with 10 men. The unlikely becomes the impossible 10 minutes into the 2nd half as Billericay take the lead while Yemi is lying unconscious in our penalty area after a clash of heads . He's carried off on a stretcher and is replaced by Mark Evans who has managed a respectable 11 goals this season. (I seem to be okay for strikers anyway). My joy at finding that I have a 3rd player who knows how to score is shortlived, as Evans exact revenge for the Yemi injury and is shown a straight red for use of the elbow . Down to 9 players and already a goal down. We try to shut up shop and keep it respectable, but still concede a 3rd goal. To add injury to insult, midfielder Liam O'Neill doesn't finish the game as he also picks up a knock.

Yemi was kept in hospital overnight suffering from concussion and could be out for 2 weeks . Thyer is suspended for the next match . Evans is suspended for the next match, (at least), and will probably get an additional 2 game suspension . I didn't even bother to appeal. From gloating that I had 3 decent strikers this morning, I now find that all 3 are unavailable for the next match. 17 year old James Clark looks like he could be set to play up front on his own in a weeks time against Grays. Unless I can add some reinforcements in the next 7 days, we will have some empty places on the bench.

Nigel Clough has followed in his Dad's footsteps and has been unveiled as the new Manager of Nottm Forest. Forest are languishing half way down League 2. Clough Jr has joined after spells at Burton, Lincoln and Wycombe (who he led to promotion from League Two).. He was obviosly prepared to step back down to return to his favourite club.

A number of ex Bee's and ex Boro players arrive on trial. I am desperate for some new bodies but I see in their faces that I am not as desperate as some of these players who are without a club. Centre-back trialist and ex Bee Byron Anthony becomes my first signing as he agrees a 1 year contract at only £95 per week. Byron played 91 times for Barnet in my time there and collected 4 Welsh U21 caps. At 29, he is unlikely to gain further representative honours, but should do a pretty good job for us at the back.

A short phonecall from Len Smith, (Chairman), advises me that he has had to cance the contract offer to Byron as the players wages would break the clubs current wage budget. What the hell ??? My wage budget is £2500 per week and my current total is £2709! They will allow me no additional money. My first reaction is to tell Len to stick it up his....... but I'm not at Barnet anymore and don't have the clout. I can either get on with it or get going.

Hang on a minute.......... £2700 divided by 18 players means that the average weekly wage for these players is about £150. That is ridiculous. [Penny drops]. Both Scott Thyer and Yemi are being paid £450 per week on only part time contracts That's far too much but they are the best players in the squad at least. 30 year old keeper Lee Worgan is being paid the same and is just not worth the wages of 5 players. He may have colected 2 Welsh U21 caps in his younger days but I must get him off the payroll despite his 360 odd appearances for the club. This is no time for sentiment. I've made him available for transfer and for loan and will accept any offers. He's got 2 years left on his contract as well. This boy has got to go.

There are no offers for Lee so I approach him about a mutual termination of his contract. We settle on a figure of £28K but at least it does release some wages for some new signings.

Despite my close relationship with some of the current Barnet players, I have trouble persuading any of the senior players to step down 2 divisions, even on loan. I suppose they want to stay and see what the new Manager is going to do. Phil Tait, (22) D/RLC has signed on a free from the Bee's and only cost me wages of £50 per week. Phil played 23 times for my old club after being released as a youngster from Chelsea. His versatility should prove invaluble. Another Bee to sign is Peter Graham, (22) ST. Peter signs on a loan until the end of the season and Tony Kleanthous has agreed to let us have him without paying any wages at all. Byron has been re-offered the same contract but still hasn't signed. He may have been put off my the financial situation and who can blame him .

[Jimbokav1971]

16 year old N.Ireland keeper Andrew Wilson will come in and take over the gloves from the departed Worgan, and new signings Tait and Graham will both start too. My squad against includes 4 teenagers but at least I am able to field a full bench of subs .

Our first home game doesn't go well. Again we dominate the early exchanges but a straight red for centre-back Danny Cross, (professional foul, no complaints) , see's us once again short of numbers for the last half hour. Grays make their numerical advantage tell and score twice in 2 minutes late in the game. Phil Tait has a good debut at left-back and Peter Graham rattles the crossbar on his debut, but is also booked and picked up a late knock to add to my frustration .

Peter Graham will be out for up to a month with a knee injury. Not what I wanted .

The local press are critical of Phil Tait's debut performance. I'm not sure they were watching the same game and respond accordingly. Muppetts !

Byron Anthony has eventually signed and comes into the team away to Gravesend for the suspended Cross. Thyer has served his suspension and replaces the injured loanee Peter Graham. Yemi is touch and go but I won't start him even if he passes fitness test. I will use him late on from the bench. Gravesend currently sit 6th in the table and are fighting hard for a play-off spot. Kevin Hemsley will skipper the team from centre-half but I'm not sure he will be skipper next season. the position is definately up for grabs.

Two more ex Bee's arrive at The Priory. 21 year old centre-back Two more ex Bee's arrive at The Priory. 21 year old centre-back Danny Ingram, signs a 1 year deal at £70 per week. Darren came through the youth system a Chelsea, (with Phil Tait), before joining the Bees on a free and being released just before my tenure came to an end. Although he sometimes lacks determination, I believe he is better than the player we have, (and cheaper). Graham Jordan is a 20 year old left back who came through the Barnet youth system, but never managed to break into the first team.

Graham will be making his first senior start against gravesend on saturday, allowing me to move Tait into the middle of defence alongside Byron Anthony. 16 year old keeper Wilson is selected ahead of the more experienced Barton who has recovered from injury.

At the last minute I have decided to start with Yemi and drop Clark to the bench. I hate losing and am desperate to earn my first points for Boro. I don't get my first points as Gravesend prove way too strong in the centre of the pitch. They lead at half time through two set piece goals. First a header from a corner and then from a direct free kick, and increase their lead just after the break. I withdraw Yemi to save his legs and throw on Clark. Suddenly we are back in with a shout as Thyer grabs a quick brace bringing his season tally to 25 after good work from Clark for both. It's all to no avail as Gravesend break while we are looking for an equaliser and leave young Wilson with no chance. The back 4 did pretty well and I am loathe to criticise 16 year old Wilson so I won't. The real problem was the our midfield went AWOL and we only improved after the introduction of centre-half Ingram into the middle of the pitch. He may not be the most gifted of players and I have mentioned that he sometimes lacls determination, but compared to the makeweights I had on the pitch in the first half he played like Makele .

More bad news. Right back Matt Piper finished the game injured and could be out for up to a month with a thigh strain .

The local paper again have a pop at the new signings. Anthony and Jordan this time on the receiving end of some pretty poor comments.

[Jimbokav1971]

Experienced centre-back Chris Todd was due to sign on a free from Chelmsford today but once again the deal has been blocked by Len. Also blocked was the contract offet to another ex Bee Adam Birchall. Birchall has collected 11 U21 Welsh caps and 1 goal and would have been an excellent addition to the squad as back up to Thyer and Yemi. Todd would have added much needed experience at the back and can also play a defensive role in the middle of the pitch. Just what we need, but it is not to be .

I've been told that the contracts of 5 players are due to expire in 3 months time. Striker Mark Evans is offered a new deal at half his old wage, as has full back Matt Piper. I'm not too bothered about O'Neill or Colgan but there is a name that I don't recognise . 22 year old sweeper Andy Adams has played 32 times for the club and is getting paid £40 per week but he is nowhere to be seen . He's not on the team rosta and is not training with the rest of the squad. I can only assume that he has chosen to go AWOL completely. I have offered a new contract because he looks a good player. If he doesn't appear in the next few days I will have to take futher action .

March 2014 recap.

League Away. Billericay 3 Boro 1. Scorer, Paul Connelly. Red cards Scott Thyer, Mark Evans.

League Home Boro 0 Grays 2. Red card, Danny Cross.

League Away Gravesend 4 Boro 2. Scorer, Scott Thyer (2).

Finance : Loss of £28.5K .

[Jimbokav1971]

Could it be 4th time lucky?

16 year old keeper Wilson saves from the spot after left back Jordan had made a clumsy challenge in the area. The 0-0 draw at home to Lewes, gives us our first points since my arrival , but not the 3 that we deserved . Our first clean sheet coincides with the first time that I play a back 4 that consists completely of ex Bee's. Tait and Jordan played at full back and Ingram and Anthony shored up things in the middle. Young keeper Wilson saved the only shot on target that happened to come from the spot and earned himself the MOM award in the process. We again looked lightweight in the middle and out wide didn't create enough for Yemi and Thyer up front. Still, it's a start.

Evans and Piper both refused my miserley offer of another contract. No surprise there .

Keeper Wilson was rotated and Seb Barton starts in goal. From clean sheet against Lewes to complete sheete ! against Chesham. Thank God we had that 9 point cushion when I took over. I really wouldn't have fancied getting the sack twice in one season . We decided to give our opposition a man advantage yet again. This time it was Darren Ingram who saw red for a professional foul to make it 4 players dismissed in my 5 games in charge . This time we played 11 v 11 for only 12 minutes before pressing self destruct. We obviously conceded immediately afterwards as well just to make things worse. Despite that, we went in at the break all square, after Yemi grabbed the 200th goal of his career . The commentator said that is was his 200th league goal but he was wrong. Still, 200 at all is pretty impressive when you are still only 29. We stayed level up to the hour mark before Chesham let loose and really just tore us apart . It finished 5-1 but it really could have been many more. Seb Barton played a blinder in goal and still had to pick the ball out 5 times. I'm glad that youngster Wilson wasn't playing. I'm not sure he would have been able to recover from this. I'm finding it hard to get my head round myself. No wonder I was sacked from Barnet .

So Ingram is suspended after his red card and Yemi is injured again. He struggling with a bruised rib and will be out for about 2 weeks .

[Jimbokav1971]

Boro 1 Welling 2. Again we dominate for most of the game, but 2 well taken goals after Mark Evans had given us a first half lead meant that we left with nothing. Time is running out and as every day goes by we are plummeting to the foot of the table . I keep saying to the players that the first win is just one game away, but in reality, I am almost at the point where I would sell my mother for a single point. A single point might be all that is in it come the end of the season. As for today, we were better than them all over the pitch. We just only scored one goal to their two .

Hitchen v Boro. Yemi makes 400th league appearance for Boro It should be a day of celebration. Club legend Yemi celebrates reaching this milestone with a hat-trick that the teams efforts desserve. That's what should have happened . What actually happened is that we suffered an absolute drubbing . 5-0 was the final score and the only positive that I can think of is that the only injury we suffered was to our pride .

Relegation is now becoming a real possibility. The teams below us are picking up points and we don't look like we could score against the youth team .

A win in either of our 2 remaining games should be enough to see us to safety, and if I'm honest, perhaps even a point might be good enoough. We've still got to roll up our sleeves and do it though. 1 point from a possible 21 during my tenure so far is not what I had in mind when I took over .

Penultimate game Boro 0 Gloucester 3 . Matt Piper playing on the right wing is shown a straight red to take our card tally to 25 yellows and 5 red in only 8 games .

Eastleigh 1 Boro 0 . Relegation. Billericay pass us on goal difference to relegate us to the Abyss .

The nightmare has become a reality . I'm going to be sacked twice in one season . More importantly, I have destroyed Boro . they deserved better.The players deserve better, the fans deserve better. The Chairman Len deserves better. I just couldn't deliver .

Failure makes you ask questions. About why it happened. About what went wrong. About decisions you made. It makes you question yourself .

It also poses new questions. Do I stay and be sacked. It is only a formality after all. Or do I jump ship now and try and find another club. Burton Albion of Conference North and both Grays and Halesowen of Conference South are looking for a manager. Not that they will be too keen on me after my recent record. Still, decisions have to be made. Halesowen are out of the question as they were the one team that we did finish above in the league. They too will be dropping into the abyss. Alfreton are an option . They have been relegated from the Conference National and have dispensed with their manager.

[Jimbokav1971]

I was living in a bit of a trance. Minute turning to hour turning to day. They all passed me by in a blur. It was hard to come to terms with such abject failure and the affect it had on so many peoples lives. Jobs would be lost, dreams had been quoshed, futures had been put in doubt because of my inability to hold onto a nine point cushion. Was it time to call it a day and look at a proper job. My dreams had definately been quoshed and my future certainly put in doubt.

[HD]

This is good, I hope it continues

PS: You suck

[Jimbokav1971]

Cheers HD. I don't suck. I just got the players to throw the games for the benefit of the story. NOT .

[Jimbokav1971]

20th June 1014. Yemi voted Eastbourne Boro player of season for 9th consecutive year .

That's a pretty impressive record and not one that I had witnessed in the game before.

It's such a shame that I won't get a chance of another season with Yemi . He's not giving up and jumping ship. He's signed an extension to his contract and will be at Boro for at least 2 more seasons . With that good news comes the bad . Len calls me in for a meeting . He says he's sorry and assures me that if we had just managed to stay up he could have kept me on. There's no animosity. I think he can see how hard I've taken the relegation. It should have been easier for me because I didn't have the ties and the loyalty to the club that others did. In fact it seems to have hit me harder. At Boro, they have been involved in scrapping to avoid relegation on a pretty regular basis. it seems that they have become used to it and almost treat it as the norm. I set my standards higher and just can't believe that we were relegated on the last game of the season. It makes it worse that it was only on goal difference .

I'm still asked to pack my personal stuff up and have the office cleared by the end of the day. Len has asked 51 year old coach Nick Greenwood to take over at the helm on a caretaker basis. Nick has been at the club for over 17 years. Maybe they should have given him the job a few months ago and saved us all a lot of heartache .

[Jimbokav1971]

20th June 2014.

Grays Athletic offer me job as Manager. They finished a reasonable 12th last season . There are no transfer funds available , and although the wage bill is currently well above budget at £4000 pw, it actually seems rich compared to Boro .

Mike Woodward Chairman, welcomes me and tells me that we are expected to achieve a respectable position within the Conference South come the end of the season.

Although I have a bigger wage budget than I did at Boro, we are currently £411,000 o/d. The wage budget is £3600 pw and our current wage bill is £3955 pw so I will have to off-load some dead wood in order to bring in some fresh faces.

There are currently 19 players on the books. It seems like many players have been here for some time. They've been in the comfort zone. Too good to go down, but either not good enough, or not driven enough to challenge for success. I really believe in the statement, 'If you do what you always do, then you will get what you've always got'. The times they are a changing. I don't plan on getting sacked for a third time and will do everything that I can to make this club a success.

It's time to look forward, not back to Underhill or Priory Lane. My present is here at The Recreation Ground and if I am to have a long term future at The Rec, it will be decided by my actions here and now. Players in their comfort zone are of little or no use to me. Now is the time to get rid while I have the full backing of the board, and time to turn it around if things do go pear shaped.

Andrea Ferretti, a 27 year old Italian Striker has scored 99 goals for the club in his 8 seasons here. He's got to go, not for any lack of ability, but because he's being paid £750 per week . He's been awarded the Fans Player of the Year on 3 occasons so I may have incurr the wrath of some of the fans. Whether I sell him, terminate his contract by mutual consent, or even just release him on a free and pay off his contract, he will be going. For £750, I could pay between 10-12 decent youngsters.

Ahmed Deen is not a diamond from Sierra Leone. The left sided full back has made 267 appearances over 8 seasons. With any luck, he won't be making it 268.

Kevin Brown is a 27 year old centre back who has played 251 times over the last 7 seasons. I like my centre backs big powerful and good in the air. Kev thinks he can play a bit and will be of no use to me.

Gavin Heeroo is a Mauritius International. He has 8 caps and at 29 years old, can still expect to add to that number. He won't be doing it in a Grays shirt. He's scored 14 goals and made 69 assists over the last 9 seasons and this input will be missed. His wage of £400 pw will definately not be missed.

Ian Ross is another on his way. The 24 year old striker scored an impressive 65 goals in 4 seasons. His goals may be missed.

30 year old striker, Dennis Oli is a club legend. He has scored 116 goals in 10 seasons and has been awarded the Fans Player of the Year on 3 occasions. He has formed an impressive partnership with Ferretti but again he is on stupid money for this level. £700 pw is just too much money. I will be doing everything I can to get rid of him.

These actions may make me unpopular with the fans, but I see it as the only way forward, short of a huge cash injection.

[Jimbokav1971]

There are only 3 players that I really fancy keeping.

Joe Bruce is 30 and his age is an advantage for a change. The utility defender will need to impart all his experience of 215 club appearances to the younger members of the squad that i hope to sign if we are to succeed.

Adam Hall has amassed 171 club appearances at the tender age of 23. The right winger will be an asset to the squad.

Keeper Nicky Eyre holds the record for most League appearances for the club. Although still only 28, he has already clocked up 370 league appearances. Although I don't like selecting keepers as captains, I may have to reconsider in Nicky's case.

There is no scout at the club and no Assistant Manager either . The sole coach is Gary Crosby who played for Forest under Clough Snr and I believe also played for son Nigel at Burton. He's all I've got at the moment but he doesn't look ready to step up to number 2.

I've appointed 3 scouts and sent them to look at young unsigned talent. I haven't got a penny to spend on trasfers so I am hoping to get some bodies in before they are snapped up by the bigger clubs. 3 scouts for a club of this size may be overkill, but it is imperative that I get some talent in before the start of the season. I've offloaded 10 players via a mixture of free transfers, mutual termination and simply paying off their contracts, but I still find myself saddled with the drain on resources that is Denis Oli. He may be a club legend but he is also fast becoming a right royal pain in the backside ! I can't interest anybody in signing him , even on a free . He's not interested in a mutual termination , and Chairman Mike Woodward put the kibosh on the deal when I tried to release him on a free . It would have cust the club about £70K, but would have given my wage budget a huge boost. If he's gonna stay, he better bloomin well pull his weight . I even managed to get some much needed cash for a player . Centre back Craig Richards has gone to fellow Conference South side AFC Wimbledon for £14,000. Anything is a bonus at this stage.

[Jimbokav1971]

July 2014 Recap.

My first full month in charge of Grays.

We made a loss of £20.91K but with no games being played and some contract terminations included within that figure, I am pretty pleased. It shows that the club should run at a healthy profit once things are on an even keel.

I've bought a total of 33, (that's correct, thirty three), players in at a total cost of £0.00. Five 15 year olds have arrived. I know I need an Assistant, but I am also now interested in the services of a Nanny. It is always a risk bringing in players in at this early stage of their careers, however the small outlay, (their wages range between £10 and £35 per week), I can bond them with the club and groom them for introduction into the senior squad. Although they are ineligible for the league games until their 16th birthday, they are of a standard where they will be competing for a spot in any cup games we may play. They are joined by nine 16 year olds. A number of this group will immediately challenge for a regular starting position. also arriving at the club are six 17 year olds, two of whom share my surname which although not uncommon in real life, is not too common within football circles. Three 18 year olds and five 19 year olds bring the total number of teenagers at The Rec to twenty eight. Good God . In less than a month I've turned a football club into a kindergarten!

It's not all youth though. I'm joined by ex Bee Adam Miller. The 32 year old AM RLC arrived for his 2nd spell at The Rec. He spent the 2002/03 season here after coming through the Ipswich youth system and has spent time at Canvey Island, Gravesend, Aldershot, QPR, Bournemouth and Barnet, (under me), where he was a member of the squad that won promotion to League 1 in 2011.

Another experienced signing is Mark Hughes, a 30 year old DM who gained 11 U21 caps for N.Ireland, but seems to have missed the opportunity for senior representative honours. He started off at Spurs and then spent time at Oldham and Darlington. In my haste to sign Mark, I offered a contract to another trialist with the same name. Mark Hughes Jr is 22 years old, and has also represented N.Ireland at U21 level gaining 3 caps. I probably wouldn't have signed him on purpose but his versatility may still prove valuble.

The last of my key signings is Gary White, a 20 year old DRC. Gary will start the campaign as club captain from the right back position. I hope that over time he will convert to the centre back position on a regular basis but this will not happen overnight. He has notched up 7 U21 caps for Ireland and has bagged himself a goal as well. He came through the Bolton youth system but could not force his way into the senior squad.

[Jimbokav1971]

Opening day of the 2014/15 season was upon us in a flash. After 4 friendlies and a further 5 in house games, it was time to face Chesham. Eight of the match squad were teenagers and I was worried that I had got the balance wrong between youth and experience. We were away, and Chesham finished above us last term so they are no mugs.

The match itself was quite an even affair, with Chesham possibly creating a few more chances. The deadlock however remained unbroken until the last 10 minutes, when 16 year old striker Paul Moore, finished a rapid counter attack led by fellow teenager Kevin Nolan. A draw would have been a good result and I was delighted with a win and a clean sheet.

My red card nightmare that had so haunted me at Boro was nowhere to be seen although I was slightly concerned that starting striker Kevin NolanKevin Nolan and his goal-scoring replacement Paul Moore had finished the game with slight knocks. Keeper Nicky Eyre collected the MOM award and Joe Bruce impressed in the heart of the defence.

It was time to build on a great start and I was keen to get a home win at the first attempt against AFC Wimbledon. Craig Richards was starting at centre back for AFC Wimbledon after his £14,000 transfer from us in the summer and I was not expecting any favours from this determined stopper. Craig was obviously keen to do well against his former club but after only 11 minutes he was on his way back to the dressing room. Dave Thomas, a 19 year old Welsh striker caught him ball watching and managed to get goal side of his marker. Richards blatantly tripped him in the area, conceded a penalty and was shown a straight red for the professional foul . I hadn't nominated a penalty taker before the game and centre back Tony Jackson was nearest to skipper Gary White and claimed the opportunity. It was a poor pen and didn't even force the keeper to save. He put it wide and ensured that he won't be the regular penalty taker . Dennis Oli scored the only goal of the game with a sharp finish after 20 minutes and showed glimpses of why he has scored so many goals. I would still rather he left, but if he is going to stay, I'm happy that he's in the goals. Oli looks dreadfully unfit though and really only capable of playing half a match at present. Mark Hughes Snr had a corker in the middle of the pitch, contributing 6 key passes in a MOM performance and both 16 year old left winger Gary Leach and 17 year old right back Steven Kearney made impressive debuts . A second win was pleasing and a second successive clean sheet even more so .

I had my sights set high, but I didn't think I would be playing in Europe this quick. Game 3 saw us travel away to Welsh side Merthyr Tydfil who were promoted to Conference South this year. Merthyr have a rich heritage and it was too long ago that stars such as John Alridge were helping The Exiles beat top class European opposition. They took a first half lead against the run of play with their only shot on target but we kept going and Tony Jackson made up for his penalty miss in the last match with a thumping header from an excellent Bruce cross . We almost grabbed the 3 points we deserved when their full back made an awful tackle on Saunders. He only got a yellow when he deserved a red but at least we had the penalty. The experienced Adam Miller took a decent pen but the home keeper justified his MOM award with an outstanding save and even managed to get back up to save the rebound from Miller's volley. It was a decent penalty by Miller and he will take the next one if he's on the pitch. Still unbeaten after 3 games is pretty good but I am upset to concede our first goal .

Game 4 sees us entertain Hampton & Richmond. They have just had a good win against Hendon, so should prove a tough test. Despite the game being quite even, and in fact H&R dominating posession, 3 goals in 5 first half minutes gaves us a good victory. A brace from Ben Saunders and another from Dennis Oli gave us a margin of victory that we did not deserve, but even without the goals we looked very solid at the back. Even when our defences were breached, MOM Nicky Eyre was there to mob up. A 3rd win and a 3rd clean sheet .

Our last game in August sees us travel to Sutton. Defender Tony Jackson set us on our way after only 4 minutes as he powered home another header, this time from a Mark Hughes Snr free kick. Sutton equalise in the 2nd half and we have to be satisfied with a single point.

[Jimbokav1971]

August 2014 recap.

League Away. Chesham 0 Grays 1. Goal, Paul Moore. MOM Nicky Eyre.

League Home. Grays 1 AFC Wimbledon 0. Goal, Dennis Oli, MOM Mark Hughes Snr.

League Away. Merthyr Tydfil 1 Grays 1. Goal, Tony Jackson.

League Home. Grays 3 Hampton & Richmond 0. Goals, Dennis Oli, Ben Saunders (2). MOM Nicky Eyre.

League Away. Sutton Utd 1 Grays 1. Goal, Tony Jackson. MOM Tony Jackson.

The directors are encouraged by the start we have made to the season .

The club made a profit of £138,000 last month . (They did have to inject £150K to get this profit though) .

Barnet are 21st of 24 in League 1. Brian Borrows has been appointed manager and has wasted no time in making the team his own. Midfielder Jamie O'Hara has gone to Championship side Sunderland for only £50,000 . He is now valued by the Mackams at £130,000. Another midfielder Paul Lowe (22) has gone to fellow League 1 side S****horpe for £1.2M . Paul is a class act and I believe given the right tutor he could play for England. Selling your best players is bad but selling them to other teams in your division is plain stupid . Lee Smith has gone to Conference side Rochdale for only £1,000. Burrows has loads of options up front so that is no surprise, even if he has given him away.

He's also made some strange signings . Despite the arrival of ex England U21 keeper Paul Jones at the club, (I signed him) , and current Irish U21 keeper Stephen Kavanagh, Borrows has insisted on signing 2 more keepers . Rob Burch came from the Conference on a free and is sitting in the Reserves while Craig Gill, (Jones' understudy in the England U21 team), has arrived from Scotland for £425,000 . With Matt Beck, who was signed after I left last season and Sean O'Neill who was my keeper and 3 youth keepers all on the books, Borrows now has 9 keepers at the club . Talk about overkill .

He's also signed 3 left wingers to bring the total at the club to 11 . Who is he playing on the left? Sebastian Larsson, who I signed before I left, but who hadn't arrived. I had better get off my high horse .

On a more positive note, 3 of my youngsters have been called up for U21 International duty. Club skipper Gary White has been called up to the Ireland team, centre back Kevin Morgan has joined the Welsh U21's and Michael Murphy has met up with the N.Ireland U21's.

Mark Hughes Snr has obviously made an impact with N.Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez. Hughes has been called up to the Senior N.Ireland team to face Israel. The best he can expect is a place on the bench but it is still a great achievement for the previously uncapped midfielder.

[Jimbokav1971]

Bloomin eck! It's a good job I'm not managing Scunny !

[Jimbokav1971]

2014 September.

England beat Albania 3-0 In the Euro Qualifying Group 7.

N.Ireland beat Israel 1-0 but Hughes didn't make the match squad .

Home to Tiverton. Despite going behind early on, a goal from Saunders and a brace from MOM Oli gave us 3 more points. The player who really impressed was skipper Gary White playing at right back. He set up 2 of the goals and was a constant thorn in Tiverton's side.

After 6 games we sit 2nd in the league behind Chelmsford. Havant & Waterloovill are 3rd, (first 3 seperated by goal difference). Weymouth and Eastleigh are the other teams yet to face defeat.

I've managed to nick a couple of players from Barnet on loan . Peter Jones is a 22 year old striker who looks like he should score at any level. He's already found the net for the Bees this season and is unhappy as he has only made 2 starts. He will start on the bench against Billericay during the week. Peter Graham is a the 23 year old striker who joined me at Boro last season but was injured in his first and only game. They both played for the Reserves today and while Jones grabbed a brace and the MOM award, Graham looks a little short of match fitness.

Ben Saunders is rested away to Billericay and is replaced by David Thomas. Billericay haven't won in their last 6 games but they haven't been beaten either. We haven't lost in our last 6, but have drawn our last 2 away games. Could this be a bore draw? Mark Hughes Snr puts us 1 up 5 minutes before half time and we make it to the break with our lead intact but their left winger is causing us all sorts of problems . He's made 7 key passes in the first half and is clearly a danger himself as he has scored 5 goals from 6 starts already this season. I decide to put a marker on him and Joe Bruce comes on to do a job for me at the expense of Oli. 2 minutes in and we get a penalty for handball. Miller isn't playing so 16 year old left back Chris Matthews steps up and converts comfortably for his first senior goal . Adam Hall makes it 3-0 and in doing so secures the MOM award. Ashton hardly got a kick in the 2nd half as my tactics paid off .

That was our best win so far . Nullifying Ashton so completely was especially pleasing. Chelmsford dropping points away to bottom of the table AFC Wimbledon made my day even better. We sit top of the table for the first time .

This time Peter Graham bags a brace for the Reserves and Peter Jones has to settle for a single goal. Things are coming along quite nicely up front .

[Jimbokav1971]

For the weekend visit of 20th placed Tamworth I decide to shake things up a little. Nicky Eyre stays in goal because I haven't got a reliable replacemant, Joe Bruce replaces Gary White at right back after his excellent man marking job in the 2nd half against Billericay and Scott Clark comes in at left back in place of last weeks penalty king Chris Matthews. Jamie Smith and 16 year old Chris Charles come in for Jackson and Morgan at Cente back. Adams and Battersby play in the middle as Hughes is rested and Leach continues on the left and Miller is brought back on the right to add some experience. Up front I partner Jones and Saunders and Thomas warms the bench. Other subs are Mick Murray, Michael Murphy, Derek Kavanagh and Steven Kearney.

Saunders is tripped in the area after only a couple of minutes, only for Miller to see his 2nd penalty of the season saved . With the score still 0-0 after an hour, I take off the most wastefull culprit, (Saunders), and replace him with Thomas and swap a tired Miller for a youthful Kavanagh.. The 2 subs combine within 3 minutes to set up Jones who calmly slots away his first goal for Grays . Thomas then gets a goal of his own as he slams home the re-bound after Jones has a shot saved. 16 year old centre back Chris Charles get the MOM award on his debut.

Eastleigh lost at home to Sutton so now there are only 4 unbeaten teams in the league .

Peter Graham scores again for the Reserves. He's doing everthing right and will play next week if things don't go well this weekend in the FA Cup against Aylesbury.

[(Formy)]

Despite the fact it seems you couldn't manage your way out of a paper bag, I'm really enjoying this

KUTGW mate.

[Jimbokav1971]

I select the strongest team possible in our first cup game. The FA Cup is a huge competition, and the possibility of a run with some much needed gate receipts is a big factor. Despite that, the name of Grays will not be in the hat for the next round despite the away team not having a single shot on target in the whole game . Kevin Morgan got us off to an awful start as he passed the ball comfortably into his own net past a disbelieving Nicky Eyre . I wasn't too concerned as we soon had Aylesbury on the back foot, enjoying the lions share of posession and creating numerous chances . Despite creating chance after chance, we couldn't hit a barn door and of our 14 shots, only 1 was on target . It was comfortably saved and we lost 1-0 thanks to Morgan's howler . Aylesbury having a striker sent off within the first half hour actually did us no good at all. They were a goal up, so just 'parked the bus' as Jose would say. I was resigned to going out long before the end and it came as no shock when the final whistle was blown and we were out of the Cup .

After the game, I was jostled by a number of home supporters.

Terry Hall called me a nerd and said it was both sad and disgraceful what I had done to Eastbourne Boro. Now I was doing the same here and he wanted me out.

There was another bloke in tears. He tried to talk to me through sobs but I couldn't understand his strange accent.

Iain Bartholomew screamed at me that I sucked and then stuck his tongue out at me.

Another known simply as 'Formy', told me that I couldn't manage my way out of a paper bag before punching me right on the nose.

[Jimbokav1971]

With blood streaming down my face I ran to my car and got in before speeding away to safety.

For the first time this season we had failed to score. Both Oli and Thomas will pay for their inept performances and my pain and embarrassment with their places .

A morale sapping loss before the Weymouth game was the last thing that I needed . Peter Jones and Ben Saunders try and forge a new partnership up front and Peter Graham warms the bench after his excellent showing in the Reserves recently. The rest of the squad stay the same in an attempt to rebuld their confidence.

The bookies make us slight favourites, but Weymouth are currently on a sixteen match unbeaten run . I will be happy with a draw. We get a great start as we awarded a penalty within the opening 5 minutes for handball . 16 year old Chris Matthews shows Miller and Jackson how to take a penalty as he converts his 2nd of the season . Weymouth hit back with a double before half time . The first goal causes uproar as an indirect free kick goes straight in and is allowed to stand by idiot referee Richard Powell . Matthews gives away a penalty which they convert for a 3-1 lead and then misses one of his own to join the missed penalty club .

A loss in the cup and now a loss in the league to one of our closest rivals . We've now only converted 2 of 6 penalties awarded . I was hoping that Matthews might prove to be the exception to the rule.

[HD]

OK, still a good story, but the faces are hurting my eyeses.

[Jimbokav1971]

Away to mid table Dorchester, we look to get back on track with a win, but even a fit of crockery smashing at half time cannot encourage them enough to make a difference in a game that we lose 1-0 with barely a whimper.

From 8 games without defeat, we have plimmeted to 3 consecutive losses .

Our next 3 league games are all at home and I plan to get the Grays express train back on track with a mid-week win at 7th placed Salisbury.

[Jimbokav1971]

******** NEWSFLASH*******31st September 2014

Jordan admits he may need to leave Denbigh North.

Reports today are suggesting that MK Dons goalkeeper Michael Jordan could be leaving the club in the near future.

Jordan was signed from Barnet in January this year, for a fee of £2,000,000 and it remains to be seen whether he will see out the remaining two and a half years on his contract, or whether The Dons will seek to off-load him. He is currently valued at only £800,000 and it appears that ex Barnet Manager Jim Kavanagh did a shrewd bit of business by selling him and making a tidy profit at the same time.

[Jimbokav1971]

********NEWSFLASH********1st October 2014

Jordan told to wait until the season is over.

Upon learning that Michael Jordan has told the media that he feels he may need to leave Denbigh North, Milton Keynes Dons boss Ronnie Moore is understood to have told his 29 year old keeper that he will only allow him to move at the end of the season. Moore added that while he understood Jordan's need to move on to bigger and better things, he is not prepared to break up his squad during the current campaign.

The Dons are currently 19th of 24 in League 1 and rely heavily on the keepers ability. Jordan has kept 5 clean sheets this term and only conceded 12 goals in 12 games. While his ability is not in question, his temperament and loyalty certainly are.

[Jimbokav1971]

Gary White, Kevin Nolan and Kevin Byrne have all been selected for the Republic of Ireland U21's

Michael Murphy has also been called up and joins the N.Ireland U21's squad.

Against Salisbury, Nolan celebrates his call up to the U21 squad with a 2nd minute goal from a close range header and we still lead only 1-0 when they are reduced to 10 men early in the 2nd half. That we don't manage to extend our lead is largely down to good Salisbury defending. That and the fact that they literally just kicked us off the park in the 2nd half. They received 8 yellow and 1 red card for their troubles and both 19 year old left winger Kevin Byrne and striker Peter Jones required treatment after the game. Jones may be out for up to 3 weeks. Still, at least we are back to winning ways .

[Jimbokav1971]

September 2014 recap.

League Home. Grays 3 Tiverton 1. Goals, Dennis Oli (2), Ben Saunders. MOM Dennis Oli.

League Away. Billericay 0 Grays 3. Goals, Mark Hughes Snr, Chris Matthews (pen), Adam Hall. MOM Adam Hall

League Home. Grays 2 Tamworth 0. Goals, Peter Jones, David Thomas. MOM Chris Charles.

FA Cup 2nd Round Qualifying Home. Grays 0 Aylesbury 1.

League Away. Weymouth 3 Grays 1. Goal, Chris Matthews (pen).

League Away. Dorchester 1 Grays 0.

League Home. Grays 1 Salisbury 0. Goal, Kevin Nolan.

We currently sit 2nd in Conference South, 2 points behind leaders Havant & Waterlooville

The Grays board are very pleased with my performance .

The club made a profit of £15.26K last month .

[Jimbokav1971]

Barnet recap.

Barnet are currently rock bottom of League 1 and in danger of losing touch with the pack even at this early stage of the season. They have lost their last 3 games, but the players still see happy enough. First choice keeper Paul Jones is determined to stop the team's run of defeats so I am confidant that they will turn the corner soon.

[Jimbokav1971]

Mark Hughes Snr has been called up by N.Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez for his squad to face Portugal on October 4th.

Mark came on with 13 minutes to go to get his first cap. Portugal may have won 2-0 but Hughesy Snr has a cap and nobody can take that away from him.

[Jimbokav1971]

Dennis Oli was injured playing for the Reserves. He's torn a calf muscle and is expected to be out for between 3 months and 5 months. The news comes as a shock to me. He's contributed 4 goals from 5 starts and his goals will be missed, but more importantly, it confirms that he will not be going anywhere soon and we are stuck paying his wages .

I'm annoyed at the Oli injury and it hits me hard. I'm just so frustrated. The phone rings in the office and I snap it straight up. It's a reporter from The Barnet Borough Times and he wants to know what I think about my replacement Brian Borrows. As I start to decline to comment, he points out that Borrows has stated that he is 'Fairly annoyed with me', and is rumoured to feel threatened with the high esteem that many of his players hold me in. I react before my brain is in gear and have given the reporter his scoop before I can stop myself .

[Jimbokav1971]

********NEWSFLASH********

Kavanagh not a fan of Borrows.

Grays boss Jim Kavanagh made it clear to journalists, that he did not see eye to eye with Brian Borrows and added that it wouldn't exactly hurt him to see Barnet underachieve this season.

While I said the words, it is not how I feel. Yes of course I dream of being welcomed back at Underhill, and proving my doubters wrong, but my present is at Grays and I just need to concentrate on my job and not worry about the fortunes of others.

[Jimbokav1971]

Our next visitors are Barnet's local rivals Hendon. We pass the ball really well in the first half and take the lead through Kevin Nolan after great work by midfielder Dave Adams. Our advantage is further increased when our opposition are again reduced to 10 men, and we start the 2nd half with a goal and a man advantage. Instead of rolling over and dying, Hendon really give it a go in the 2nd half and deservedly grab an eqialiser with 5 minutes to play. Their strong arm tactics ensured that they left with 10 yellow cards and 1 red. They may not win many friends with this brand of football but they won't lose many games.

Our 3rd of 3 home games in a row sees us entertain league leaders Havant & Waterlooville. It appears that the key to their succes has been using a settled team. 11 of their squad have played a part in at least 10 games this season. The same claim can only be made by 6 of my squad. I need to decide what my best team is and stick to it. The first half is pretty even and stays scoreless. H & W play decent football and it makes a nice change to see the ball fizz around the pitch rather than see my players getting kicked off it. I tell the boys that they can win it and ask them to be more direct. We've had a lot of the ball in recent games but are not using it well enough. My plan works with 15 minutes left, as 16 year old left winger Gary Leach nods us in front from a lofted ball in by Steven Kearney. They throw the kitchen sink at us late on but we hang on. Gary White had a BIG game for us at centre back and deserved his MOM award. Nicky Eyre was impressive too.

After 3 home games on the spin, we are back on the road to Folkestone. Despite left back Chris Matthews tucking away his 3rd spot kick of the campaign, Folkestone equalise just after the break and then grab all 3 points in the 95th minute. I'm not happy that we conceded such a late goal, but in hindsight the writing was on the wall earlier and I just didn't see it. Neil Cudgley the Folkestone manager, swapped both his strikers with 15 minutes left and we never really coped with their threat in the air. I'll just have to put it down to experience .

Kettering handed us our biggest home defeat. The slammed 4 past us without reply . The fact that we finished the game with only 7 outfield players may have influenced the outcome somewhat . Winger Adam Miller was shown a 2nd yellow after only 8 minutes. Midfielder Gary Battersby joined him before half an hour was played and 17 year old Mick Murray, (making his debut), made it 3 on the hour .

[Jimbokav1971]

October 2014 recap.

League Home. Grays 1 Hendon 1. Goal, Kevin Nolan.

League Home. Grays 1 Havant & Waterlooville 0. Goal, Gary Leach.

League Away. Folkestone 2 Grays 1. Goal, Chris Matthews (pen).

League Home. Grays 0 Kettering 4. Red card, Adam Miller (8), Gary Battersby (27), Mick Murray (61).

The Grays board are very pleased with my performance .

The club made a profit of £2.26K last month .

We still sit 2nd in the league, but now find ourselves 4 points behind leaders Havant & Waterlooville. We've only won once this month, but have been saved by the fact that many of our rivals have also been underperforming and that our sole win was against chart topping Havant & Waterlooville. Havant have a small squad and have been lucky with injuries and suspensions. Over the course of the season I have no doubt that they will struggle to keep performing at this level.

We will obviously be hit by suspensions over our next few games and injuries to key players are starting to whittle down our young squad. Dennis Oli is still out with a torn calf muscle. The physio has suggested that it may be mid to late February before he plays again. Much as I wanted to off-load the Grays legend, we have missed him since he's been injured .

Loan striker Peter Graham is also still out with a sprained wrist. He should be back in about 2 weeks .

[Jimbokav1971]

Barnet recap.

Barnet seem to have finally turned the corner. They are unbeaten in their last 4 games and have moved up 3 places in the league to 21st. Keeper Paul Jones and striker Steven Gillespie have been their star performers. Gillespie has weighed in with 5 goals in the last month. While I don't want to see their manager succeed, I obviously still have fond memories of the club and happy to see them moving up the table .

[Jimbokav1971]

The Grays squad is starting to have a more settled look about it. Nicky Eyre is a fixture in goal. He has played in every game and has no challengers for a position that he has made his own. 16 year old Chris Matthews has cemented his position at left back, (helped in no small way by 3 goals from the spot). Club captain and current Irish U21 player and Garry White is the regular right back. Centre back is a bit of a 3 way tussle between Welsh U21 player Kevin Morgan, experienced 31 year old Joe Bruce and 6'4" "Big" Tony Jackson. 16 year old Gary Leach has become a regular on the left wing with Adam Hall on the right. The middle positions seep to still be up for grabs. Mark Hughes Snr, Gary Battersby and Dave Adams seem to be rotating the 2 positions between them. The 2 positions up front are still up for grabs. Top scorer Oli is out injured and will be out for a while, loanee Peter Graham is out and Ben Saunders is suspended leaving me with just loanee Jones, Kevin Nolan and David Thomas.

Ex Liverpool and England sweeper Mark Wright has been sacked by Championship side Brighton after reports surfaced that he had lost the confidence of the Brighton players. Managers linked with the now vacant role, are Ex England and Charlton full back Chris Powell, who was sacked from Charlton last month leaving them rock bottom of the Championship, Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp, (currently Assistant to Steve Parkin at Stoke), and Jim Kavanagh , current manager of high flying Grays Athletic.

[HD]

That's a bit better, getting some good results now.

[Jimbokav1971]

Lower League Mangotsfield were our opposition in the 2nd Round Qualifying for the FA Trophy. They didn't even attempt to play football and just set out to kick us out of the game. The ref wasn't having any of it and after only 10 minutes, had already booked 4 Mangotsfield players. They didn't calm down and within half an hour they were down to 10 men. We led at half time through a close range header from loanee Peter Jones but the real story was the 7 cards the referee had shown to the home team. Maybe their scout had watched us against Kettering and thought that's how we always play. Despite our numerical advantage, we couldn't get the vital 2nd goal and our wastefulness in front of goal was punished with 10 minutes left. Nine of the Mangotsfield players were booked but they still lived to fight another day. I'm not happy and let the players know it .

The replay is a different game entirely. After witnessing our inept performance at first hand, lower league Mangotsfield decide that they don't have to kick us off the park as they can just play us off it . They still get stuck in but not one of their players is booked as the ref lets the game flow. They take a first half lead and as we squander chance after chance, I get the feeling that this may not be our day. Peter Jones is one of the few who seems up for the fight and grabs the leveller just after half time with a good header. We push for the winner but Mangotsfield hold out through 90 minutes and then a further 30 of extra time.

The match goes to penalties and my heart sinks. Penalties ! We miss more than we score so we're stuffed!

Mangotsfield won the toss and elected to take theirs first. An attempt to heap more pressure on our young players in front of their own fans. It was a well thought out plan but it backfired spectacularly. Nicky Eyre saved the first and with regular penalty taker Chris Matthews showing a maturity beyond his 16 years we took the lead. 1-0 .

They screwed their next penalty wide and sub Jamie Smith put us 2-0 up with a well struck effort .

Nicky Eyre saved their 3rd and even though centre back Kevin Morgan spooned his over the bar, we were still in control .

Nicky Eyre stood strong once again and the pressure told as the Mangotsfield player balooned the ball over the bar .

We were through to meet Burton Albion in the next round. Despite injuries to Gary Leach, Dave Adams and David Thomas, things were on the up.

The two cup games in and the extra time and penalties had taken their toll on the players. Even though we were in the next round the players confidence had been knocked severly.

[Jimbokav1971]

I made wholesale changes for the next game which again was in the FA Trophy, this time against Burton Albion. Eyres kept his place and so did striker Peter Jones but that was it. The boys were down and I did not want to risk them with a cup game so soon after their recent scare.

Once again my decision making was spot on as we ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. Experienced ex Bee Adam Miller captained the side and opened the scoring. He then set up Peter Jones for our 2nd, before leaving the field to write his MOM award recieving speech. Jones grabbed our 3rd and his 2nd to finish things off and we were through to the next round.

After such a performance, I found it hard to change the team and so went away to Chelmsford full of optomism. Chelmsford are currently 2nd in the league and we have dropped to 5th, but we have games in hand due to our replayed cup game. It's a tight game full of attractive passing football. They take an early lead but we hit back with a Peter Jones goal on the half hour to score his 4th in 3 games. They are back in front just before half time from the penalty spot. Big Tony Jackson commits a professional foul and is shown a red card to boot. Then they make it 3-1, 2 minutes later. We are down but not out and play some great football after the break with only 10 men. Skipper Miller scores for the 2nd game in a row and 16 year old Steve Pearce, (making his league debut as a sub), almost grabs us a point but is denied with a great save by the home keeper.

A loss but a very good performance .

[Jimbokav1971]

I made wholesale changes for the next game which again was in the FA Trophy, this time against Burton Albion. Eyres kept his place and so did striker Peter Jones but that was it. The boys were down and I did not want to risk them with a cup game so soon after their recent scare.

Once again my decision making was spot on as we ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. Experienced ex Bee Adam Miller captained the side and opened the scoring. He then set up Peter Jones for our 2nd, before leaving the field to write his MOM award recieving speech. Jones grabbed our 3rd and his 2nd to finish things off and we were through to the next round.

After such a performance, I found it hard to change the team and so went away to Chelmsford full of optomism. Chelmsford are currently 2nd in the league and we have dropped to 5th, but we have games in hand due to our replayed cup game. It's a tight game full of attractive passing football. They take an early lead but we hit back with a Peter Jones goal on the half hour to score his 4th in 3 games. They are back in front just before half time from the penalty spot. Big Tony Jackson commits a professional foul and is shown a red card to boot. Then they make it 3-1, 2 minutes later. We are down but not out and play some great football after the break with only 10 men. Skipper Miller scores for the 2nd game in a row and 16 year old Steve Pearce, (making his league debut as a sub), almost grabs us a point but is denied with a great save by the home keeper.

A loss but a very good performance .

[Jimbokav1971]

November 2014 recap.

League Away. Eastleigh 1 Grays 1. Goal, David Thomas. Red card, Ben Saunders.

FA Trophy 2nd Qualification Round Away. Mangotsfield 1 Grays 1. Goal, Peter Jones.

FA Trophy 2nd Qualification Round Replay Home. Grays 1 Mangotsfield 1. Grays win 2-0 on penalties after extra time. Goal, Peter Jones.

FA Trophy 3rd Qualification Round Home. Grays 3 Burton 0. Goals, Adam Miller, Peter Jones (2).

League Away. Chelmsford 3 Grays 2. Goals, Peter Jones, Adam Miller.

The Grays board are delighted with my performance .

The club recorded a loss of £11.33K last month but I put that down to not having a single league game at home last month.

We've dropped down the league to 6th place but have 2 games in hand on both Chelmsford and Havant & Waterlooville who are 6 and 5 points ahead respectively. H & W are starting to struggle a bit. Their small squad is in need of a rest and they have now gone 3 league games without a win.

[Jimbokav1971]

Barnet recap.

Barnet are on the up. Although they are still near the bottom of League 1, they only suffered 1 loss in 6 outings last month and have secured an F A Cup 3rd Round visit to Sheffield United to head the Championship by 7 points evan at this early stage of the season.

[Jimbokav1971]

Eastbourne Boro recap.

Eastbourne Boro have had a reasonable season so far. Obviously there are no league results to view but they have played 8 cup games. They battled through to the FA Cup 1st Round, accounting for Boreham Wood, Dover and Marine (after a replay) on the way, before getting hammered 4-0 by Sutton Utd.

They are also out of the FA Trophy. They beat Bracknell North before losing to 1-0 Hyde Utd.

As you would expect, Yemi and Thyer have both been in the goals. Thyer has scored 5 in 7 appearances and Yemi has nothed 4 in 8.

There has been a major restructuring going on at The Prory. 23 teenagers have joined the club and a number of more experienced players have also arrived to provide stability. Len Smith has either gambled on these players firing the team back into the Conference South and recouping his money through promotion, or has found a pot of gold from somewhere. There certainly wasn't the money at the club to support this wage bill last season. They are currently paying out an astronomical £6680 per week ! I hope to God that they have found a Sugar daddy, but fear that even if they do get promoted, we could be seeing the beginning of the end .

[Jimbokav1971]

Margate are only one place below us in the league so it is important to at least come away from the game with a draw. Striker Ben Saunders becomes the 4th Grays player to have a penalty saved and we lost a tight game 1-0. Their keeper richly deserved the MOM award. After the game I tell the players that I am pleased with the performance if not the result in an effort to keep morale up .

The loss sees us drop down the table to 10th and that night I slept fitfully. Sinister faces haunted my dreams and when I awoke, my wife told me that I had been calling out names in my sleep.

"No Terry I'm sorry. I'll do better".

"Iain! No Iain, not the tongue!".

"Formy, not the face. Please don't hit me in the face".

[Jimbokav1971]

We've had it tough recently, but 4 of our last 5 league games have been away. 7 of our next 8 games are home though and one of them sees us play host to Team Bath in the FA Cup 1st Round. I would hope that come 4th January, our league position is better than it is today.

Lewes are our first visitors in this run. They are in 6th place and above us in the league. Some of my squad are tired and I rotate accordingly. 16 year old Gary Peters is included in the match squad for the first time. He has found the net 13 times for the U18's this season, and has just reached 16 so can now play for the seniors. Peter Jones gives us a 1st half lead, (to make it 6 goals in 6 games) and then man of the moment Gary Peters, grabs a goal on his debut after coming off the bench. Lewes hit back but to make it 2-1 but we play the game out in comfort. We're up to 6th in the league and still have games in hand on all but one of the teams above us .

Our next game is also at home and sees Welling welcomed to The Rec. They have lost their last 3 games which have all been at home so their condidence shold already be pretty low. Peter Jones continues his recent run of good form and makes it 7 goals in 7 games with another header to give us an early lead and Mark Hughes Snr makes it 2-0 just before the break after great work by young Gary Peters. Jones gets his 2nd of the game just after the break to make it 3-0 and we are running riot.Centre back Chris Charles scores his first goal for the club to make it a comfortable 4-0 victory. We're up to 3rd and still have a game in hand on the top 2 .

Against Team Bath in the FA Trophy, we completely play them off the pitch in a very one sided game. We don't manage to score however and they somehow eke out a draw that gives them a home replay .

In the away game we gift them an early goal, before young Gary Peters levels things with a close range header. We hit the woodwork twice, before Gary White's poor back-pass gifted them a winner in the dying moments. I am not amused !

After the dissapointment of the cup we are back to league action and welcome Chesham to The Rec. Mark Hughes Snr opens the scoring with a deflected free-kick, but as they say, 'they all count'. Jones seals the win with 5 minutes to go with a rare goal that isn't a header. It's his 10th of the season. It finishes 2-0 but the game was very even and Chesham were unlucky not to get a point.

[Jimbokav1971]

Our single league game on the road during this spell sees us travel to AFC Wimbledon. They're struggling in 21st in the league at present but the Manager is new this year like me and I am sure he will turn things around. They haven't scored in the last 3 games but by the same token have only conceded 3 gaoas in their last 6 games. I am expecting this one to be decided 1-0 either way.

Before the game I recieve a call from The Burton Albion Chairman Ben Robinson. He wants me to take the managerial job at Eton Park at £80 pw on a 3 year contract. To be honest the job isn't very appealing. Burton are 21st in Conference North and have a small squad, the majority of whom are no spring chickens. In addition to this, the clubs perilous financial situation concerns me. I don't take long to mull it over and tell him thanks but no thanks.

It's a very tight affair with defences on top and reaches the break with no score. Ben Saunders comes off the bench at half time and puts us ahead with a far post header. I cahange to 4141 and try to close the game out. With 10 minutes remaining, Ben Saunders is brought down in the area. He gets up to convert the penalty himself and we take a 2 goal lead. Hughes needlessly gives aay a penalty in the 95th minute, but even when it goes in it is too little too late.

Hitchen are our next visitors and they are a team in trouble. They have a small squad that is further depleted by injuries and fatigue. Their best player is out with a long term injury and they are 2nd bottom in the table. They haven't scored in their last 5 games and have gone 15 games without scoring more than one goal in a game. Defensively they're doing okay, 2 clean sheets in last 2 games and haven't conceded more than one goal in any of their last 7 games. let's see if we can change that.

We've now won our last 4 league games and the press are starting to notice us. I preferred it when we were just collecting points and not getting any headlines. Now I'm being offered jobs and my players are attracting the attention of bigger clubs. Battersby and Hall, (two 2nd half subs), combine in 72nd minute to allow Battersby to score his first goal for the club and break the deadlock just when I thought we were heading for a 0-0. That's how it stays .