Jump to content

RaySunshine

Members+
  • Posts

    501
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by RaySunshine

  1. 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!
  2. 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...
  3. 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?!
  4. 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...
  5. 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?
  6. 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!
  7. 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?
  8. 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!
  9. 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.
  10. 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!
  11. 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...
  12. 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!
  13. 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.
  14. 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?!
  15. 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!
  16. 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.
  17. 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!
  18. 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.
  19. 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?
  20. 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!
  21. 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...
  22. 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!
  23. 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?!
  24. February 2024 And so it stops! The board had asked me to play Weiser more and he started every game since the promise was made. This still was apparently not enough for the board and I get the chop. I don't know what more I could have done!
  25. January 2024 There were no games in January but there was still plenty going on in the month for Vaduz! In a true moneyball approach, the first action of the window was a departure that put £11k into the Vaduz coffers. Omverovic is a good player but we didn't have space for him and so he moves on with a club having met his value. This was not in my plans though as another first teamer announces that want to consider their options at the end of the season. Then we had a real blow - Gajic is a regular star in our midfield and now he's certainly moving on at the end of the season. It looks like we're going to have some serious rebuilding to do. The same came true again and this really was a blow. Fosso is young, got high potential and should be earning us some serious moneyball dough when he moves on... but he isn't. Then we received a double-whammy of injuries. Sasere is meant to be leaving the club and we can't sell him while he's injured and Dobras has been a regular starter so we don't want to see him in the medic's room for such a long period of time. After all that came the only game of the month. We took on top-of-the-table Aarau (Djokic 67). We simply weren't in the game and didn't create anything until the second half. By the time we started shooting, we were already three goals down. Djokic's goal came when Di Giusto played a ball that allowed Djokic to peel off his man and put the ball home. But di Giusto will do no more of the sort! Eintracht Frankfurt put in a £2 million bit for the Vaduz star and he goes on his way. It's good for the coffers but will it do harm to the team? Vaduz remain 7th but are now ten points off where they should be. For the first time in the save, there is pressure on my shoulders as my job status drops down to insecure. February begins with a game against 8th-placed Schaffhausen and we could really do with the points to pick things up. Bellinzona and 9th and I really want to get points there too to get the pressure off and get us looking up. We then face Wil who will be a tough, tough tie before we take on Stade Nyonnais who are just above us.
×
×
  • Create New...