phnompenhandy
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Posts posted by phnompenhandy
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2 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:
I have goalkeeper and fitness coaches and others, @phnompenhandy.
As for whether they are any good or not...?
Three stars is big. My lot manage to one star.
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Westside
No-nonsense Gaelic crofters, a hardy bunch, we knew Westside to be a tough nut. With the rain howling in from the Atlantic, the elements were tricky even for Shetlanders. And man, the game could have gone either way.
It was a good game for the neutrals, not that there were any, and we again relied on a late winner, a header from not aforementioned Dean Cowie, our main centre back. I was planning on making decent progress in this tinpot, but we only just squeezed through this round.
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9 minutes ago, Stuniverse said:
I'm not very good with coaching assignments (hence why I always delegate to my Assistant Manager) so if anybody has any comments, thoughts or suggestions, I'm all ears, thank you.
You must have damned good goalkeeper and fitness coaches! Your job, like me, is to put out the cones and handout the bibs
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2 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:
I can't decide if I love this or hate it.
When it separates things into 4 levels, is it 1-5, 6-10, 11-15. 16-20? (In which case players at Shetland will likely only be separated into 2 categories
), or are the ratings relative to other squad members? So for example if the best passer at the club had a passing attribute of 10 in the game, then would it go more like 1-2, 3-4, 5-7, 8-10? I suppose the correct answer to that is that not only do you now know, but you also don't want to know because you're trying to train yourself to no longer think in terms of 1-20.
Great effort you have put into this.
Yes to all of the above! The 4 attribute levels are merely the SI ones with the colour balls replacing the colour numbers. But not seeing the numbers does make you think about the players in a different way, as you can see from my post-game analyses. By the way, the skin I'm using is a mash-up. I wanted the Mustermann player profile stuff and other stuff, but didn't want to lose the graphics of Flut skin, so I've combined the best of both.
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Oh dear, nasty one. Hopefully the Clickimin Centre have insurance for him. I feel bad that I dissed him recently, but to be pure evil about this, he's the one player (along with 3rd keeper) that is expendable. Given our financial situation, I'm not going to fork out for the specialist, and given I can't lie, I'm avoiding speaking to him about it. I'll send Father Dougal - it fits with his vocation
The rest of October involves playing teams from the Western Isles. We start with a flight to Stornoway and bus ride over to Westside in the second round of the Billy Turner.
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4 minutes ago, MagicHat said:
Stavely is just a minority holder to front the business, it was intentionally done to keep the Saudis under the radar - obviously you know i'm referring the the Saudis.
Newcastle fan by any chance?
No connection to Newcastle at all. This is the wrong forum for this kind of discussion anyway.
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3 hours ago, MagicHat said:
Hello, i was curious to see what the Saudi PIF/owner of Newcastles United fc level of discipline and controversy attributes were in the game files so i looked into them and the level of discipline is only 12 and controversy 3 which is quite baffling.
Not sure Amanda Staveley was directly responsible for that.
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Initially, my intention was to tweak tactics after the cup tie, but noting Beattie was our worst player in the demolition of Nairn, and we had the midweek training sessions to prepare, I risked introducing the changes i mentioned. This then, was my proposed strongest XI -
It looked to me like a mightily powerful attack, and a defence that only conceded more than one goal in one match so far. The front two were both trialling new roles and duties, however - that was chancy, but they're both smart guys, so I thought they could adapt.
We arrived, fresh after a mere ninety-minute flight, at New Pebble Park in Annbank
We were confident, we were playing well, but we soon realised we were in a game. This was serious opposition, the likes of which we hadn't met. We pretty much controlled the first half, but they looked dangerous on the break and indeed they opened the scoring in such a way to lead at half time. Allan was working hard to drop deep and find himself feeding Syrjanen the inside right, who was a furthest-forward attacker. The combined for Allan to equalise. It looked like the game was going to end level until Gresham took a late chance to grab a winner.
This was a really pleasing victory. We fought hard for it; we earned it. The new sponsors are delighted, the Shetlanders as a community are delighted, and the Lowlands knows our name.
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We were due to face Annbank United in south Ayrshire. They sat top of the 8th tier Caledonian First Division, a proper team in the amateur circuit, not like the last lot. With there being no ferry ports, I braced myself for a very long and exhausting drive - but no! Jack rocked up with - air tickets! To Glasgow! How? We were still losing money. Actually, I barely took in the tickets he was waving due to his apparel - I'd never seen the old git in a football shirt before. But not just a regular shirt:
"Wow! Sponsorship money?"
"No money, subsidised travel. And that's not all"
At that moment, another figure appeared, sporting a football shirt far more appealingly - Amy.
So our travelling costs will be far more manageable - leaving cash for infrastructure upgrades? Jack seemed coy when I put it to him, but still, positive developments.
And
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There are consequences .....
Also ...
Travel costs, not "other". He's cut down on his drinking. Is this the moment?
YES!!!!
More surprises to come ....
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If we sacrificed the last game, it was because we were due to travel to Nairn in the first round of the Alba Amateur Cup. This required a voyage from Lerwick to Aberdeen and a long coach journey after that. We knew nothing about Nairn Wanderers - they play in the tier nine Aberdeenshire First Division - beyond the scope of our scouts. Not only that - they don't even exist on Google! Fortunately, we hired a local coach from Aberdeen, so the driver knew the way.
The competition itself is not one we stand a chance of either winning or making any money from, but as a relatively high-reputation tournament it puts the club and its players on the map, in the (amateur-level) public eye nationally. In short, it matters.
It turns out the unknown is nothing to fear. "Tier 9" is a meaningless concept in the regional amateur world; "Aberdeenshire First Division" is basically the worst teams in the Grampian region. We dominated them for 90 minutes and never let them have a single shot on target.
The next round gets serious, though. Annbank United. Away. Next weekend.
So September closes; where are we?
Just the one blemish, but the sort that's all you see when you look in the mirror.
Teams behind us and Ness have a game in hand, but I feel quite secure. Kieran Syrjanen is my backup to John Allan. I was persuaded to start Kieran in that last match, but dropping the club captain and best player in the league is not a habit I can get into. However, it might be worth trying Gresham and Allan as the front two combo. That would involve dropping Johnie Beattie. Oh, headaches!
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The following week saw two matches against Western Isles opposition. On the Saturday, we hosted Stornoway United. After a pep talk warning against complacency, we went out and swatted them 6-3. The media homed in on a particular individual -
You see, Connel is our other poacher-turned deep-lying forward. He DOES follow instructions. MacKenzie would be well to take note. He and Allan are our inspiring old warhorses whose examples led the way; unfortunately, with a big cup game looming the following Saturday, the midweek game at Ness FC would have to be played by those seconds who were not inspiring at Kirkwall Hotspurs.
and .. this happened
Our winning streak smashed
There's a bit to unpack here. Note our best player was our goalkeeper. Before the game, the central defenders were bemoaning the physicality of the Ness forwards, and the fear manifested. I hadn't taken their concerns seriously - Ness were the third 'current second-placed side' to face us and we'd seen off the others easily. But this side are undefeated and have more about them. Our forwards were really off the ball. Mackenzie was trying so hard to position himself correctly that he barely touched the ball.
This second-string side will, I think, be okay against mediocre opposition, and so long as the first-team win cup ties, they'll be needed in the league. We can only hope rearranged midweek games are not against the strongest opposition like we met today.
By the time the game ended, night had fallen. We came out from the changing rooms to this
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The locals appreciate a game against Orkney opponents, and a huge 22 turned up to see us beat Rendall. We went down to Kirkwall Grammar School to face Hotspurs next.
In beating Randall 2-0 I noted we were playing within ourselves, a sense of complacency have crept in. Despite the healthy 4-1 result in the next game, the drop-off was very pronounced:
35% possession and 5 shots on target is not who we are. We were letting them control the bulk of the game after two early goals - albeit in midfield where they couldn't hurt us. The result might have been in question had it not been for late bloomer Andy Gow playing his third match in 8 days. This game also saw the return of Dean Calderwood after along lay-off. He's our first-choice poacher, and here he is doing poachery things superbly well. He stays central, which is where I want him, but what's going on behind him? The poacher and second striker are fed by Gow on the left, the inside right and midfield playmaker, so what the heck is MacKenzie doing tucked in behind him? Let's take a closer look:
He fancies himself as a shadow striker. He's supposed to be a deep-lying forward on attack duty, playing to the left of his striking partner. He is not following my instructions. Given I have five forwards to choose from, he's good, but not indispensable. Silly boy.
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Five comfortable wins in the opening five league fixtures is enough to indicate, to me, that we will win this league at a canter. The domination will probably not last more than this season - as I get to know the players and the Shetland football community, I'm gaining more insight. Anyone who holds serious aspiration to make it as a footballer has to leave Shetland. We've already met a few of our players who've tried to make it on the mainland; the senior ones have returned home to semi-retire with us, and some of the younger members have had their ambitions crushed. But others are here because, with Shetland FC being a new entity and joining a league at the bottom of the national pyramid, they see the club as a shop window. They hope to be spotted and get offers to move on to higher things. If we do well, and they achieve their dreams, the squad will get depleted if not next summer, the summer after. Given it is the new board's policy to only recruit 15 or 16-year-old local kids or refugees, and given the looming possibility that our frankly non-existent infrastructure will not be upgraded, it seems clear that the squad will be gradually weakened. This season, then, is the proverbial false dawn.
If the league is not going to be a challenge this season, how about the cups? I suspect that The William Turner Challenge Cup and the Alba Amateur Cup will provide our only difficult opposition. We can therefore afford to put out weakened teams in the league and save our best for the cup ties. The first one is up now. We host Lairg Rovers, currently bottom of Division Two (the tier above us).
I stayed outside Lairg the last time I was in the highlands, while my wife was on a business trip to Seoul. I messaged her that I'd found our retirement home - here it is, 'The Wee Hoose'
Ah, fond memories.
We predictably coasted through the game
The passing patterns are improving with each game; Bruce really understands his new role as left wingback on defence duty. This is borne out by the developing player paartnerships, binding very early in such a new team
although with us unable to spend much time training moves, cohesion is far off
One note of disappointment - an attendance of 10. The rain wasn't bad during this match, not like the gale force winds that hampered the Tongue game - to which 10 also turned up. The locals prefer to go to their traditional clubs; we're seen as a newfangled phony bureaucratic creation, which is not entirely inaccurate, I suppose. It will take time to win them over.
With four league matches upcoming before our next cup tie, I'm going to mix things up so that the fringe players get playing time.
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The Wednesday night game was at John O'Groats, so scheduled as we had a cup tie at the weekend. The seas were calm, so we slept on the long leg to Kirkwall. It was the 'second string' that travelled, not having played for a fortnight. Whilst the Groaties had been highly fancied, they'd made a poor start to the season, so I didn't feel I was taking a risk. That's what I was told by those who know.
The lack of match fitness throughout the side was evident as we laboured. We didn't keep possession well, and we created few chances, but we had enough about us to come away with a 2-0 win. The irrepressible Andy Gow came on as a first half sub and dragged the lads forward, getting on the scoresheet again himself. He came on because our poorest player Gillon took a nasty kick to the knee which will keep him out for at least two months. I would say he won't be missed, but Gow needs his rests when we play twice in a week.
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It looks like Jack's whiskey/whisky habit is bleeding us dry
How are we ever going to invest in the club and its staff, huh?
With Amy and Caitriona both unavailable, I had to do the inane questions thing both before we left and when we got back
Two ferries, a coach and another ferry followed by the last nine miles by bus is how we got to Liurbost on Lewis to play Lochs. Eighteen hours. And eighteen hours back (with a midweek game looming).
But we did it.
Lochs was another side sitting in second spot when we rocked up.
We knocked them down to fifth. Having instructed inside left Andy Gow not to waste his time crossing, he decided to use the ball instead and bagged a brace and Player of the Match in another four-goal haul. He still crosses 11 times, but more importantly, he made 7 key passes, 5 dribbles and took 7 shots. Keep it up, lad!
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Whew! I'm all beached out - back to work.
While I'd been away, Magnus had been busy preparing pretty graphs for me. He has data for our league matches in August. We only played three, so I wouldn't get too into it yet, but for what it's worth:
Evidence of the way we've been dominating games.
A first for me in FM23 - a solid defence! Admittedly, we've not met a team with the courage to cross the halfway line, but you can only beat what's put in from of you. Which reminds me, the draws for the first rounds of the two cup competitions we're in pitches us against higher-level opposition.
I hadn't noticed this until Magnus pointed it out. We're not good at sending in or getting on the end of crosses, so why are we doing it so much? We'll practice low and whipped crosses and focus on working the ball into the box.
With no real way to separate the goalkeepers, I actually started the youngest one and have kept him for all three matches.
He does have the best reflexes.
As the only player who's played in all three matches, he'll do for an example of the 'pizzas' we'll be analysing regularly.
I mean, of course his pass completion rate is high - he merely rolls the ball out to a centre back with no opposition player within 20 yards. This chart says he's made one save so far - I make it five, but only one 'good' one. The rest you'd expect any goalkeeper to make. His average rating is high for someone who has nothing to do. Anyway, the buttons on the right are for different positions; we'll have a look at another when the fixtures for September have been completed.
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56 minutes ago, steve.battisti said:
I am far from an expert in such things, but I do wonder if something like this would help, at least with ensuring the regens populate well:
Wow, that's really interesting. Wish I'd seen it a couple of days ago, before I launched my new mega-save. I think I've got the right number from the right nations at the right processing speed anyway, but he does show me a better way.
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With no midweek game, and no involvement in the training sessions, I thought I'd take time out to explore Shetland. I started with a pilgrimage to DI Jimmy Perez's house
I trsut you're familiar with the TV series
Amy says she won't be recommending it to potential asylum-seekers as they don't need to see bodies piling up on Shetland. Better not recommend the wonderful books they're based on either, then. I've read them all.
Other frequent visitors to Shetland
I'll be back in September!
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Unfancied Tongue United had also won both their opening fixtures, and travelled for half an hour for their away game, while we took over eleven hours. It fazed us not - we're getting stronger and playing more attractive football in each game.
Early days I know, but I see us staying the course we've set by the end of August.
For all that, grumpy git Jack's on the sauce again. Father Dougal had requested to go on a coaching course, following Amy's request being accepted
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That opening fixture was rapidly followed by our first match at home, to Stornoway Athletic. The media had it as a walkover
Athletic had opened their league account on Monday night, just 48 hours before this match, and it would take most of a day to get to Thurso to face us. So, realising they'd be tired, I decided we needed a high-energy approach, and that wouldn't be achieved over 90 minutes by the players who's just beaten Pentland. Besides, we had another match the following Saturday, so given the backup players had done well enough in preseason, I elected to start ten fresh outfield players. Needless to say, the first-choice lads were not exactly supportive
Given that I only have two jobs - pick the team and the tactics, and the latter is proving very successful, I'd appreciate being given a pass on the former. So, was my decision vindicated?
You bet!
The performance was a bit messy, but we ran out 4-0 winners again. The attacking forward, Mackenzie (#10) was isolated and ineffective, largely due to the inside left (#7 Gillon, the moaner who didn't like his role, useless wassock) doing nothing. Four functioning players was enough to control the game - #3 leftback Cian Martin, right wingback Liam Balfour, Inside Right Kieran Syrajanen and hat-trick hero poacher Johnie Beattie. I think it's worth taking a closer look at what a player that is comfortable playing at this level comprises:
Johnie's quick and he finishes his chances. That is all - but it's enough.
Cian considers himself a winger. I'm playing him at left back. I've settled on supporting wingback for that position for now, so he doesn't have to do too much defending - which is just as well because other than putting in a tackle, he's not up to it.
Balfour is another I'm playing out of position. He's a centre back, but I need someone to cover Williamson at right wingback and - well, I do like his mentals; he can follow instructions!
Finally, Kieran here is also fulfilling a role he thinks he can't play
Poacher, he claims. But I've got too many and no one else to cover Allan as inside right. He can dribble and shoot like the best of 'em at this level. Alas, I've got four right-sided forwards, and I'd love to play them all every game. There's Gresham, Allan, Williamson and Syrajanen here. It's a crime I can't play all of them, especially when there's a dearth of talent on the left.
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Domination!
United were clearly dismayed by the way we dismantled their Under 21s exactly one month previously. They seemed defeated and as you can see, they never got out of their own half. Our passing map is superb - it shows everything going through our deep-lying playmaker Ryan Walker, if deep-lying forward Connel Gresham seems too deep, remember the #6 Jamie McConnell is our midfield destroyer who retrieves the ball and passes backward whereas Gresham takes it forward. You can also see Williamson and Allan combining like a dream on the right. Lovely, lovely, lovely stuff.
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On the Kirkwall stopover as we waited for the Pentland ferry, we received news updates
Opinions are fast evolving - are we deemed favourites for the title? We haven't started yet.
Hacks have noticed the same goes for me
Every journey begins with the first step ...
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14 minutes ago, oche balboa said:
Cant wait for the Romance in this. Also are you sure Father Jack is the right man for being Chairman lol..
KUTGW
Not that sort of romance, you naughty boy!
Oh goo on, since you insist
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A Highlands & Islands Journey
in FM Career Updates
Posted · Edited by phnompenhandy
Our captain and best player - no sweat. The next match, at Carloway, is in three days; however, I'm giving some of the fringe players a start, including Calderwood and Beattie up top.
Donning our LoganAir jerseys again, we whooshed over to Lewis and rocked up at Carloway.
Despite recently struggling at Westside, I misjudged what was needed against their fellow windswept Atlantic hard-nuts. Despite coming back from a long injury, being unfit and playing out of position, Gillion popped up with two first half goals; however, Carloway had already knocked three past us with us being outmuscled for forty minutes. We continued to dominate the second half once we'd sussed out their brawny approach, but our woeful front two kept missing chances, and we ended up losing a second match.
Despite this shower losing us our last two games, Ness somehow construed to draw two in a row, rendering us still in top spot. This inadequate starting side will have to play at least three times next month if we stay in the cups. It's beginning to be a worry.