phnompenhandy

Good point well made!

You haven't properly met the rest of the staff! Let me introduce you - Head of Sports Studies at Portree High School And he of the mysterious career history Oh, I nearly forgot. He comes in once a week on Sundays when I'm usually not around:

We had a weekend off and I chose not to arrange a friendly and give the boys a wee bit of time off – except for the five with the lowest average ratings over their last five matches. These short cold winter days and long cold winter nights are gruelling even for natives. On reflection, my attempts to freshen up the team and give games to the ‘seconds’ backfired. The first-choice had developed a great understanding, and no matter how well seconds played in the Under 18 games, they disturbed the cohesion of the first team. Going forward right now, only Tulloch and Grimm keep their places – the rest as ‘as you were’. We mustn’t lose focus of the long-term project to develop Highland DNA, but I also think we can’t and should continue the project in tier 9 next season. My preseason intention to give every player 20 games this season is not going to come to fruition, not with us knocked out of two cups – and in all likelihood a third very soon. Furthermore, rotating the team has lost us points. There is a third factor that is slowly becoming evident – we have some established first team players who generally do very well in matches, but don’t show any tangible progress in training; conversely, there are kids who show significant development in training, but given a chance to start a game, suck. They are still developing nicely. So, the more we get to know these boys, the more we ought to be flexible with our plans as the human factor is proving to be a little unpredictable. Returning to action meant commencing the second half of the league season. We’d played each team once, now it was time for the return fixtures. Our first opponents were the ones we’d shocked in our opening game, and we had no doubt they’d be looking for revenge. We be descending into the lion’s den, driving to the Sleat peninsula to Sabhal mor Ostaig the ferocious dogs of Gaeldom. We did beat them however, and we remembered it well. “Show no fear!” the boys all chanted repeatedly as a mantra on the coach. I definitely detected a little hesitation and quivering in their voices, though. As the teams took to the pitch, the opposition gathered together and starting doing a weird ritual. To me it looked like some kind of attempt at a shinty haka, but most of the lads know shinty perfectly well and insisted that’s not a thing. If it was an attempt to intimidate us – and that’s the only conclusion we could reach, it totally backfired since it simply dissolved the tension in our boys’ hearts and left them reduced to laughter. When the whistle blew, we tore into them, buzzed around them, did everything we knew we could do and utterly destroyed them 5-0. Five to nothing at half time, and we gave no ground in the second half. The clean sheet delighted me as much as anything – it’s only our third of the whole season. Bragging rights are ours. The boys proved to themselves they need fear no one. With other teams dropping points, we’ve created a five-point gap between us and third, with Mallaig a point ahead of us. The encounter brought another benefit. Our first (only?) non-Scottish person has joined our team. Molly Wilson, a 23-year-old Welsh medic studying Gaelic at the college, chatted to Sarah our head physio after the game before we set off home, and expressed admiration for our project. Hugh was happy to bring her onboard as an additional voluntary physio. Our full medical team: Sarah's not saying anything, but she's properly qualified, and I think is awaiting a chance to move to a paid position at a more prestigious club. Nicola looks settled enough, though. Hugh stayed behind to support his other club, leaving the rest of us to drive home. The next day, Sunday, I had a day off with no Burton. John Brogan arrived in the evening as a group of us happened to be gathered in a pub for a meal, brandishing his National C bit of paper. I waited for Hugh to make the appropriate noises before innocently and publicly asking if he'd like to fund a B badge for me. What could he say? I start in the new year.

I will. Thanks a lot

Coincidentally, I got this on Twitter today THE BIG FOOTBALL MANAGER SURVEY So Dr. Benjy is compiling a survey of users to take to SI. I concur with the observation that there is a small minority of posters here who's attitude is basically toxic, always looking to post negative stuff about FM23. The Official FM23 Feedback Thread became so unpleasant to me that I ceased opening it a while back. Elsewhere, I just glaze over those kinds of posts and I don't see any reason SI employees should indulge them. Benjy and the other people in that YouTube video do articulate valid criticisms without descending in toxicity, and I do believe they talk for a larger fanbase. They all play daily and post regularly, so it's not as if their criticisms put them off playing and enjoying the game. Anyway, my point is - a video is unnecessary. The survey should suffice.

Dunbar is virtually England – over six hours it took us, setting off while it was still dark. Thanks to the previous Saturday, however, there was light in our hearts (). It didn’t help that a key lynch-pin in our side, our playmaker Nathan Smith had to miss out due to being suspended. So, tier seven, semi-pro lowlanders. That’s our limit. We didn’t feel bad about losing – we gave it a good go against a side vastly more experienced and talented. Give us any amateur Highland side, and we can match or better them – at this point in time, we’re all good with that.

It's for a PC, big monitor. I've currently got a 2nd hand HP All-in-One, but a standard separate-tower PC will do fine. Should I still aim for i7?

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. 'Medium to high' would still be a huge improvement on my experience of the last 25 years playing this game though!

Preparing for Blackrock Rovers, it was brought to my attention Grant and Coper were suspended due to picking up bookings in the last round, and them Greig Allen (that’s ‘GAllen’, as opposed to ‘FAllen’) twanged his hammy and is out for a while. It was a patched-up team that went through the match practice session after school on Thursday ahead of the long drive on Saturday morning. Blackrock had their ground looking lovely, to be fair. It got Hugh muttering about how he'd need to pay his castle groundsman more to have him improve our pitch. The climate's a bit different on the east, I though, but I'm not a gardener so I kept quiet. FcBlackrock-1553059576483913728-20220729_234712-vid1.mp4 I did wonder why they bothered with a beautiful carpet when they played most of the game in the sky - they had a couple of brutes up top who bullied Ben Cormack and Hugo Brown in particular. Despite the joy they got from that ploy, we returned to our scoring ways with a hat-trick from Kyle Grimm and two from Ji who blew his hat-trick by missing a late penalty. Nevertheless, the old 6-4 scoreline was very welcome indeed. Our reward is a trip to part-timers Irvine Meadow in Ayrshire, currently bottom of their sixth tier league, West of Scotland Premier Division. Maybe that puts them on a par with Dunbar, whom we were due to play next. Before that though, I drove back from Burton grinning inanely, brandishing my first ever coaching qualification, my National C Licence. Yes yes, I'm not quite Pep Guardiola, but .... it's a start! Hugh's paying for all this - for all of us. What a guy! Can i last a day before asking to go on the 'B' course??

I figured as much. I'm keeping my head down, holed up in my wee cottage, staying off social media. November filled me with dread. I was putting on a brave face, but inside my confidence had crashed. The nights were long and dark. We had three matches, all away – the first two cup ties involving long drives home. We travelled to the east coast for a League Cup second round tie at Blackrock, then the third round Challenge Cup game against semi-pro outfit Dunbar, finishing up with a league game at our brutal rivals Sabhal mor Ostaig. To assuage my inner fears, I approached the problem in the best way I know how - to plead with Hugh to spend some money. He was intensely irritated with me, but I got my way. I think it all means Portree High gets to hire an extra part-time PE teacher, and I can drive all the way to Mallaig and Ullapool to meet with their high schools' sports departments. It's not exactly La Masia, but it's a start.

At the end of October, a rare league game broke out at the Achadh – Portree United were back already. We’d just beaten them – we weren’t about to defeat ourselves so we got back in our right headstates. That’s what I believed, anyway. The answer to the McCormick conundrum – no. Maybe it wasn’t him – the whole team were deeply traumatised the loss the previous week. We had one shot on target in the whole game as we played like we had concrete boots. The whole team. Not one player – not even Ji played anything close to what they’ve shown week in week out. Is there a psychologist in the house? School counsellor? I have no personnel skills. Help! press the panic button November - new start?

Having a week with no midweek game allowed me to review and consolidate a little bit. Some lads had been really impressing in training, and some ‘seconds’ seemed more deserving of a first team spot than the ‘firsts’. Josh Blair will get a run in goal, Darragh Neilson - Libero back-up to Andrew Lind – who is the player who still gets most exhausted in a match – will start games to the side of the Libero and switch position if Lind needs to come off. Jamie Tulloch is back in the starting line-up as Segundo Volante ahead of Fin Allen, Kyle Grimm gets back in ahead of Max McFadden as Shadow Striker although Max has also been playing really well. The same goes for Ollie Penrice, but I want to see if club captain Louis Mosson hits top form with a run in the starting line-up. Neighbours Portree United (a.k.a. AFC) came down the road to play us in the first round of a third cup competition – the League Cup. With all the entrants being amateur Highlands & Islands sides, it’s one I’ve got my eye on for serious progression. It was a routine 2-0 win with both goals by Stevenson. BUT THEN.... We were in a run of five cup ties in six matches. The second involved the visit of Firth, a wee village in Orkney. They were looking all starry-eyed after their night at the castle, and I guess we fell into a sense of complacency. The result was our first ever competitive defeat, 2-3, with out-of-position Neilson playing particularly badly and giving away a daft penalty to add to a howler by Blair. I’m very disappointed – in myself more than anything. It’s a game we should have won comfortably. At the same time Mallaig and Sabhal won their league games. That defeat has to be an isolated blip - I'm not conceding the lead having taken so long to wait for Mallaig to stumble. The next day Lucas McCormick absolutely smashed it in the Under 18s game. I can't leave him out - he and keeper Jacob Pazikas are back in the first team; Neilson's back on the bench. It's a risk though - McCormick is the Attacking Forward understudy to Ji Stevenson. Could he play as a Pressing Forward? We've never tried....

Oh good! That's part of my aim - to show off the beauty of the land I can't get to!

As a brief wall-breaking aside, I'm trying to create a narrative here so that the blog is not just a wall of FM screenshots, but my FM career is what it's all about, of course. It's the first time I've gone with invisible attributes which I'm sure alienates many potential readers, but for those who do find it new and intriguing, are there screenshots you'd like to see that I've not thought of yet? I'm very much learning on the job here. Suggestions are much appreciated.

I might be coming into some money and might upgrade my 12-year-old PC. I've always had to run FM match graphics on the lowest setting and have been very limited in how many leagues I can load. What do I look for specifically for high level graphics - can an integrated video card do the job, or must it be a specialist graphics card? I'm limited in the choice of models as I'm in Cambodia, but if I know the key specs, I can figure out the rest. Thanks in advance

We're into October and the weather is turning decidedly chilly. We're also way past the tourist season, and the last of Hugh's holiday cottages has been vacated. Dunvegan Castle has five such cottages it lets out; after lodging for three months in a room in the castle, I'm now to move out. Hugh's giving me a free choice of which cottage to stay in rent-free for as long as I'm employed by him. Maybe you can help me out - I'm just by myself so don't need a big place - which cottage do you think I should choose? https://www.dunvegancastle.com/holiday-cottages/ I'm also to get the use of an old Defender to bounce around in. Food and petrol allowances are thrown in too - I can live quite comfortably without a wage here.

This one The TRUTH About FM23 W/ Benjy, Zealand, WTS and Lollujo

We’re over 100 miles (and 4 tiers) from the nearest part-time and full-time clubs – Fort William, Ross County and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. This offers us protection. But how long before word gets out and scouts come to see Ji? I dread the day. I’ve ensured that whilst we have a steady stream of coaching staff undertaking courses at St. George’s (Alan and John changed their minds when they saw everyone else was signing up), they’re under stern instructions not to reveal what our project is, tempting though it is! Bottom-dwelling Kyleakin came up the road on a drizzly Wednesday night and the seconds sent them home with a 5-0 drubbing. McCormack was player of the match, but all the boys played really well. They’re fighting to get into the first team. The result put us top of the table for the first time. We went up to Ullapool to play on Loch Broom’s notorious 3G pitch. Loch Broom behind Ullapool MacPhail Centre 3G Pitch A good strong finish turned a draw into a 3-1 win. The fitness levels are truly impressive now. Mallaig drew, putting us clear at the top of the league. FOURTH WALL BREAKER: I'd just like to point out to anyone that appreciates it, the photos I add are all quite authentic. And if you really are as obsessed with such details as I am, here are some highlights of the real-life counterparts of the teams at this level (remember, we were actually NW Skye until Hugh rebranded us just prior to the start of preseason): Football on the Isle of Skye with Kyleakin FC - turns out last-minutes dramas are a well-established phenomenon in this league! North West Skye 0-3 Mallaig - spot Mallaig's own Ji Stevenson! Lochbroom (6) v Dornoch City (0) Clan Donald Final 2019 - Glenelg FC vs Gairloch/Aultbea United Highlights: Mallaig 9 GA United 0 (at the Mallaig Leisure Centre 3G pitch which I renamed) Portree Jnrs v Sleat|Strath Portree FC v Mallaig Staffin FC v Plockton FC Sleat\Strath v NorthWest Skye

If only that wasn't a thing in real-world football.

Appreciate it. It's right here: https://community.sigames.com/forums/topic/571869-the-evolving-story-of-dunvegan-castle-fc/

I always love a good Youth-Only challenge. I'm currently narrating one here myself (in Scotland). I'll follow yours with interest.

Despite residual hostility, there is enough interest in our project to bring fans to our games - this is one table we do top. But our presence is stimulating interest elsewhere. Hugh's other team along with four others are selling out every match. Wonderful stuff. Hopefully in time we'll be given credit across the island and region for boosting interest. Spare a thought for the Mallaig players though - they're doing so well and nobody cares! The start of October is when we move to stage three of our individual training schedule. I shared our general weekly training schedule a few days back - here now is the programme I've picked up from a tutor named Jack Sharas at St. George's which we've implemented here. The year is divided into four equal parts (the summer one is shorter due to the close season break) and a 4-stage cycle of training. This is rigorous - the boys moan, but they're not given a choice. This is how we develop the club DNA. Highland DNA Individual Training Rota POS 30th June 30th September 30th Dec 30th March GK -- -- -- --- Lib Quickness Def Posn Strength Ball Control BPD Quickness Agility Def Posn Ball Control CWB Quickness Agility Ball Control Crossing DLP Def Posn Ball Control Passing Strength SV Ball Control Quickness Passing Att Movt AM Att Movt Quickness Ball Control Passing AF Quickness Shooting Agility Quickness PF Strength Shooting Agility Quickness

It was an hour’s drive to Plockton but we arrived a wee bit early since the weather was good and we wanted to take a stroll around the most beautiful village in the Highlands/World before lunch. Naturally, by the time we got there the weather had turned dreich, and the game was played in miserable conditions. They’re midtable, a nice wee passing side but not one to give us undue concern. We prepared by focusing on our own game and developing our core skills. However, no one underestimates us anymore. Plockton made it hard, and we had to fight for a tight 2-1 win. The next day I didn’t have to drive to Burton-on-Trent, so I went to see the Under 18s in action and ensure they were putting in a proper shift. They did, and won 7-1. They’ll be needed for a Wednesday match next week. The next league match was against Sleat & Strath who play at the Sabhal mor Ostaig ground, so we expected a bit of needle from their fans. The team itself was 2nd from the bottom and had lost four on the bounce. Nevertheless, opponents now raise their games against us and their fans would gee them on, so there was no complacency on our part. Campbell hurt his knee the day before the game so Mauchin had to play in the troublesome spot. The games are getting tougher and tougher. A Stevenson hat-trick saw us through in a 3-2 win. Where would we be without him? We’re still unbeaten this season and no one foresaw that, but it does look like a first defeat is not far away. Other teams around us dropped points however; we’re only behind Mallaig on goal difference.

For our Highlands & Islands second round tie, we welcomed Lybster from the north-east corner of the mainland. They’ve only played two matches in their tier 8 league, but they’ve won both of them. We didn’t know anything about them, but assumed they’d sit back and make it hard for us to express ourselves. We’d simply stick to our normal game plan but start Campbell over Maunchin. Of course, whether or not an opposition side would guess correctly, from now they’ll still target or left flank if they have any sense. Just before our pre-match session, Duncan brought to my attention a little bad feeling between Brown and Lind in defence – something over a lassie, evidently. I don’t have the people observation chops to pick up on these things, so I’m glad he did and as a result we brought in Cormack in place of Brown – who’s not been playing well anyway. A happier team saw off the opposition 5-3, a customary coming-from-behind Keggy-Kevesque goalfest and a customary Ji hat-trick. Normal service has been resumed, I hoped. The draw for the quarter-finals gave us a home tie with a team from Orkney. They’re in tier 9 but frankly, all the amateur sides from tier 7 to 10 are much-of-a muchness – we can beat any of them on our day. Both of the next round ties are schedules for Saturdays, but even if there are further midweek games such as one we have this week, I’m still going to prioritise going as far as we can in all the cups, even at the risk of dropping a few points in the league. I’d like to win the league, and I think we can, but the top three get promoted, so coming 2nd or 3rd would be adequate. Our two main rivals (in my view), Mallaig and Sabal mor Ostaig just drew today, keeping the three of us neck-and-neck So on Wednesday after school, the second team took the coach to Glenelg. We took the scenic route and crossed by the ferry that clings on to existence even after the bridge killed 99% of its business. I felt the seconds needed to get up to full fitness so I pushed them to go full DNA for the 90 minutes. I didn’t compromise even after McCormick got sent off after 25 minutes. As per, we were up against it and had to come from behind. As per, it was a goal-fest. As per, Ji bagged a hat-trick (after coming on as second-half substitute). Result? An absolutely bonkers 6-6 draw. a - shall we say - 'eventful' game

Damn, that's horrible. After all those hundreds of hours Is it too soon to think forward? Are you going to create a new challenge that doesn't last for more than a century?