[FM11] Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen...

[AK22]

Chapter 2 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Nottingham

Winter 2017/18 Update

Patchy, patchy, patchy. That's how I would describe our form at the moment. One moment we look like world beaters who can smash 4 goals past even the tighest defence, the next, we're playing abysmally and can't even win at home against poor opposition. The defeat against Grimsby in the FA Cup is a fine example of this. We were beaten by a team from near the bottom of League 2, and they were good value for their victory.

Blackstock's goals have completely dried up too, so I'm having to rely on other players to find the net, with again, varying results. I'm also finding it hard to motivate my players in the correct way. I prefer it when we're underdogs and I can play down the expectations, however, in this situation I'm unsure which road to go down. The demanding 'we should win' road, or alternatively, the softer 'don't expect to win at the time' route, neither seem to work that well. I'm just hoping we've built up enough of an advantage over the chasing pack that we should stumble across the line. I reckon 85 points will be enough for promotion this year, so six more wins should do it.

[Luton Town]

Looking like it will be promotion this season

[AK22]

Chapter 2 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Nottingham

Spring 2018 Update

Promotion, big whoop!

The 5-0 hammering by promotion contenders Swansea was not comfortable to sit through. No matter what I did, our defence could not cope with their attacks. After that defeat and the following 3 successive draws I had a horrible feeling that we were going to throw our hard work away. Thankfully, we got a grip of things and punched in 5 back-to-back victories to clinch promotion and the League 1 title by the middle of April. It may have looked easy but it was certainly uncomfortable viewing at times and our performances left a lot to be desired.

Once the title was a certainty, our performances started to drop again and the season fizzled out with 3 draws again. It seems all our results come in blocks, see the 3 wins, 3 draws, 5 wins, 3 draws, at least we're consistent! My prediction of 85 points being enough for promotion was spot on too :smart arse:

Next season will be tougher and I will do well to consolidate in the Championship. There's going to be another clearout this summer as well, our average squad age is 29 so some of the old-timers will be leaving the City Ground as I attempt to bring in some Championship-ready talent.

[AK22]

Looking like it will be promotion this season

You were right

[Luton Town]

Well done on promotion

[AK22]

Chapter 2 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Nottingham

Season 2017/18 Review

npower League 1 - 1st

League Table Position Graph Season Summary

FA Cup -

2nd Round

Carling Cup -

2nd Round

Johnstone's Paint Trophy -

2nd Round

Finances - Made a loss of over £2m. Nothing I can do anything about, wages kept well under control. Hopefully the increased TV revenue will help next season.

Average Attendance - 18632 (up 156)

Transfer Summary - Not a lot of money spent, made a £22k profit overall

Key Players

Dextor Blackstock - 26 goals in 45 games and our topscorer by a mile. Starting the season in blistering form but struggled after Christmas. I've extended his contract for another year hoping he'll still find the net regularly in the Championship

Jan Holenda - His experience was invaluable at times, and was always commited to the cause. 19 goals was a decent return.

Bruno Gama - I thought he was a bargain when I signed him, and I wasn't wrong. 19 assists and 8 goals was a good tally for his first season in England.

Paul Bennett - Joined us on loan from Stoke and played a blinder at left-back all season, an average rating of 7.20 is good for a fullback.

Team of the Year - This was exactly my first choice eleven.

Overall Best XI - 'Keeper Lee Camp has now made over 400 appearances for the club, a great servant. Still showing 4-5-1.

Fans Player of the Year - Bruno Gama

Review of Season Objectives

- Promotion. If we don't get promoted this season, I will not expect to keep my job. We're definitely too good for League 1 but the pressure may get to us and we could lose our bottle. I don't expect it to be straightforward either, as Swansea, Doncaster and Preston should give us a run for our money. I've changed formation slightly too to a more attacking 4-4-2 with my wingers starting in a more advanced position so it's more a 4-2-2-2. This is sacrificing my normally cautious mentality slightly so I'm hoping it pays dividend over the season.

Achieved. A 11 point margin over our nearest rivals was a comfortable cushion.

- Keep costs under control. I would think we must have the biggest wage bill in the league, so it's imperative I keep all costs as low as possible. All contract negotiations will be scrutinised thoroughly to avoid paying out for unnecessary signing-on/agent fees. If finances get out of control, I'm sure the chairman will leave and he'll then want his £60m back. We can't afford that to happen at all!

Achieved. Kept the wages at least 10k under budget all season so I definitely played my part. Still made a loss of over £2m over the season, which is a concern, but one of which the chairman should be more worried about than me.

Previous club watch:

Thurrock - 18th. Stayed-up for another season in League 1, 7 points clear of safety.

Season     Team             League    Finish    Cups            
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010/11    Thurrock F.C.    BSS       15th      N/A             
2011/12    Thurrock F.C.    BSS       2nd       FA Cup 2nd Rd, FA Trophy 1st Rd
2012/13    Thurrock F.C.    BSP       1st       FA Cup 1st Rd, FA Trophy 3rd Rd
2013/14    Thurrock F.C.    League 2  5th       FA Cup 1st Rd, Carling Cup 2nd Rd, JPT 2nd Rd
2014/15    Thurrock F.C     League 2  6th       FA Cup 3rd Rd, Carling Cup 3rd Rd, JPT 2nd Rd
2015/16    Thurrock F.C     League 2  6th       FA Cup 3rd Rd, Carling Cup 4th Rd, JPT 1st Rd
2016/17    Nottm Forest     League 1  3rd       FA Cup 3rd Rd
2017/18    Nottm Forest     League 1  1st       FA Cup 2nd Rd, Carling Cup 2nd Rd, JPT 2nd Rd

[AK22]

Well done on promotion

Thanks Luton Town, Luton held their own in League 1 too finishing 12th

[Nobby_McDonald]

I'm sure Cloughie is smiling.

[AK22]

World Cup 2018 Update

Hosts: Russia

Holders: Croatia

Brazil showed their class to win the World Cup for the 6th time in history. A 2-1 victory over hosts Russia was enough to avenge their defeat in the final in 2014.

England did pretty well, making the semi-finals and getting knocked-out by Brazil courtesy of an extra-time goal in the 118th minute by the 'Hulk'. Rafa Benitez stepped down after the competition and has been replaced by Stuart Pearce.

Defending champions Croatia were also felled by Brazil (in the 2nd Round). It was a bad year for Portugal and France who couldn't make it out of their group, whereas Belgium must be congratulated for finishing 3rd.

[Raware]

I'm sure Cloughie is smiling.

I hope you mean Brain Nobby...'cause Non League Nigel can go and do one after his comments!

[AK22]

Chapter 2 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Nottingham

Pre Season 2018/19

Board Expectations

npower Football League Championship - Learn from experience (consolidation) Media Prediction - 21st Title Odds - 33-1

FA Cup - Third Round

Carling Cup - Second Round

Transfer Budget: £15 Wage Budget: £120k p/w (currently £106743 p/w)

Facilities - No improvements Season Ticket Sales - 13225 (up 1015)

Youth Intake - A possible gem has emerged (that's what my ass man thinks anyway...) Meet

Philip Jones, future legend of Nottingham Forest, possibly...probably not!

Transfer Summary - Big changes this summer with 23 leaving us and 12 new faces arriving with a net spend of £75k. I tried to bring in a mixture of youth and experience, however, my big disappointment being that I couldn't find a striker capable of scoring 20 goals a season, so will have to rely on Blackstock for another season.

Notable Transfers

Scott Clark - An all action midfielder, spent 3 seasons with Rangers before being released. Should help to build a strong core to my team.

Scott Arfield - A Scottish international with a decent engine on him. I'm hoping he'll run the midfield for me.

Marti Crespi - Experienced Spanish centre back. Better than all my existing defenders so will be straight in the first team.

Fabian Giefer - This 'keeper was brought to my attention right at the end of the transfer window. Available on a free, and Premier League quality, I decided to use the rest of my wage budget on the German. Could be a crucial signing, don't they say a good 'keeper can be worth 10 points a season?

Piotr Bartczak - Organised this transfer back in January but decided to wait until the summer for the deal to go through. All being well, he should chip in with a few goals due to his great determination and strength.

My objectives for the season:

- Maintain Championship status. The media predict us to cling on to our place in this division. 21st would be worse case scenario, this club deserves to be fighting in the top half. The league itself will be extremely competitive with Wigan, Newcastle, Norwich, Leeds, Leicester and Peterborough all with a good chance of promotion. Swansea, Doncaster and Coventry are favourites for the drop.

- Find a new number 9. Whether this happens this season or next summer, I need to bring in a replacement for Blackstock as his days are numbered. He'll be 33 at the end of the season, so even if he does well this season, I can't depend on him for much longer.

[AK22]

I hope you mean Brain Nobby...'cause Non League Nigel can go and do one after his comments!

Must have missed that, what did he say?

[Nobby_McDonald]

I'm sure Cloughie is smiling.

How can you miss Ole Big Ead?

[Nobby_McDonald]

I hope you mean Brain Nobby...'cause Non League Nigel can go and do one after his comments!

No, I mean Brian. This isn't Thunderbirds.

[Raware]

Must have missed that, what did he say?

When asked about the games between Forest and Derby this season, he said he'd rather swap all of his goals for us when he played for us, for a win against us. Needless to say...they lost to us...twice may I add! The bloke hasn't got a loyal bone in his body. Ole Big Ead would turn in his grave if he could hear what Non League Nige said!

[AK22]

How can you miss Ole Big Ead?

When asked about the games between Forest and Derby this season, he said he'd rather swap all of his goals for us when he played for us, for a win against us. Needless to say...they lost to us...twice may I add! The bloke hasn't got a loyal bone in his body. Ole Big Ead would turn in his grave if he could hear what Non League Nige said!

I've never been a huge fan of Nigel, even when he was a player. He never really did it for England, and how he got the legendary 'number 7' shirt at Liverpool I will never know. Mind you, so did Harry Kewell! Suarez looks the real deal this season though

Nige is always going to be compared to his dad when it comes to management, and very rarely does a son do as well as his father, take Alex/Darren Ferguson as an example, always too big a boots to fill. Especially when the father is a legend of the game. That being said, I would have thought that Nige would have shown a bit more loyalty to his dad and their Forest heritage, but then I suppose football is a fickle industry these days. I'm sure Ole Big Ead would be giving a glare of disapproval.

[AK22]

I'm sure Cloughie is smiling.

Thanks Nobby, I would like to think that I can bring back some of the success he achieved. We're still quite a way off back-to-back European Cup victories at the moment though

[kevo12345]

Are you not aware of Clough's Derby heritage? He made his name there and actually felt most deeply for them.

[AK22]

Are you not aware of Clough's Derby heritage? He made his name there and actually felt most deeply for them.

I'm most definitely aware of Brian Clough's success and subsequent falling-out with the board when at Derby. It certainly put him on the map in regards to football management and was a big part of his career.

My point is in reference to Nigel Clough's supposed disloyalty to Nottingham Forest in recent times, where I would have thought he would have shown a bit more respect, especially with his and his father's connections with the club. However, I don't wish to cause any East Midlands outrage, I understand there is a big rivalry between the two clubs, with which will always provide a difference in opinions

[Raware]

Are you not aware of Clough's Derby heritage? He made his name there and actually felt most deeply for them.

I'm most definitely aware of Brian Clough's success and subsequent falling-out with the board when at Derby. It certainly put him on the map in regards to football management and was a big part of his career. My point is in reference to Nigel Clough's supposed disloyalty to Nottingham Forest in recent times, where I would have thought he would have shown a bit more respect, especially with his and his father's connections with the club. However, I don't wish to cause any East Midlands outrage, I understand there is a big rivalry between the two clubs, with which will always provide a difference in opinions

That he did and Nigel grew up in Derby too. But his actions and words last year wrote off any feeling any Forest fans had for him, despite being Forests 2nd highest goal scorer. Most ex players show respect to teams they either play against or manage teams against especially when they served that former team for any length of time, take tudgay for example, supports Derby and came through their ranks, scored for Forest against Derby and claimed both goals with his dignity intact and has gone up in my estimation, just like Earnshaw did, scored but didn't celebrate.

Non league Nigel on the other hand is exactly the opposite, slagged Forest off and threw all the goals he scored for Forest back in our faces, he has done all this to the club his father helped win so much for, the club that named a stand after his father and had a statue erected not outside the ground but in the city centre for the whole world to see.

Nigel Clough in his dealings with Forest since he joined Derby has been totally without grace, style or respect. The man is an insult to his Familys name, and I can honestly say that I loved him as a player for us, his passing ability for a slow guy was genius, and I gave him many standing ovations, but now it saddens me to have to say just how much lack of respect I have for him for what he has become. Even Savage is showing more good grace towards us on his BBC phone in than Nigel Clough has ever done!

Phew...rant over! Sorry AK.

[AK22]

That he did and Nigel grew up in Derby too. But his actions and words last year wrote off any feeling any Forest fans had for him, despite being Forests 2nd highest goal scorer. Most ex players show respect to teams they either play against or manage teams against especially when they served that former team for any length of time, take tudgay for example, supports Derby and came through their ranks, scored for Forest against Derby and claimed both goals with his dignity intact and has gone up in my estimation, just like Earnshaw did, scored but didn't celebrate.

Non league Nigel on the other hand is exactly the opposite, slagged Forest off and threw all the goals he scored for Forest back in our faces, he has done all this to the club his father helped win so much for, the club that named a stand after his father and had a statue erected not outside the ground but in the city centre for the whole world to see.

Nigel Clough in his dealings with Forest since he joined Derby has been totally without grace, style or respect. The man is an insult to his Familys name, and I can honestly say that I loved him as a player for us, his passing ability for a slow guy was genius, and I gave him many standing ovations, but now it saddens me to have to say just how much lack of respect I have for him for what he has become. Even Savage is showing more good grace towards us on his BBC phone in than Nigel Clough has ever done!

Phew...rant over! Sorry AK.

No need to apologise, everyone loves a well constructed debate! It's good to have an opinion!

[AK22]

Chapter 2 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Nottingham

Autumn 2018 Update

Welcome to the Championship boys! Talk about a baptism of fire, I knew it might be a tough opening fixture but I certainly didn't expect to be beaten 6-1 against Peterborough. This was a total eye-opener and showed me what a tough league this will be to play in and that we shouldn't take anything for granted.

A tweak in tactics and a new goalkeeper later, we recovered well from our defeat to Peterborough to go unbeaten for 7 league games and set ourselves in a respectable mid-table position. The derby-day defeat against Derby County did not go down well with the fans at all. After much talking and build-up by the press, we didn't turn up and put in an extremely sub-standard performance which severely disappointed me. It appears the team is still at the blending stage, and we now find ourselves in a 4 game win-less streak, the lack of attacking bite being the biggest concern. However, 10th is still a solid base to build on for the rest of the season, considering Swansea and Doncaster (the other promoted teams) are sat in 22nd and 24th respectively with only 1 win to their name each.

Former club Thurrock have started well this season too, sitting 6th in League 1. Could they get promoted again this season...could they?!?!

[AK22]

Breaking News

Alas, after 753 days at this great club, my career as Nottingham Forest manager has come to an end. I have enjoyed my brief spell at the City Ground, and I'm certain they can sustain Championship football with the team I have assembled. However, I have received an offer from a club I would find impossible to refuse.

Forest Record

P 112 W 65 D 27 L 20 GD +100 Win Ratio 58%

Overall Career

P 421 W 224 D 94 L 103 GD +213 Win Ratio 53%

A new dawn arises...

[jaycar]

Wow..who is the new club?

[AK22]

At work at the moment, so full update tonight.

Here's a picture clue for you though, donut for anyone who guesses correctly!

[Raware]

Is that the Riverside? I'm guessing Middlesborough. How could you leave the mighty Super Reds for Boro?!

[jaycar]

I'm guessing Sunderland.

[AK22]

Is that the Riverside? I'm guessing Middlesborough. How could you leave the mighty Super Reds for Boro?!

I'm guessing Sunderland.

Good guesses but incorrect. No donuts for you I'm afraid!

[RavingLibDem]

Is it in England?

[Luton Town]

St Mary's Southampton?

[AK22]

Is it in England?

Yep, it's in England.

St Mary's Southampton?

Well done Luton Town! I'm off to my hometown, sunny Southampton!

Here's your donut!

[Luton Town]

Thank you looks delicious

[jaycar]

No donut

Good luck at Southampton, they are one of my favourite teams to manage in FM

[AK22]

No donut

Good luck at Southampton, they are one of my favourite teams to manage in FM

Thanks jaycar, bad luck with the donut competition

[AK22]

Chapter 3 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Southampton

19th November 2018

How could I refuse an offer from this club? The city that I have lived most of my life in, the opportunity to go round my mum's for dinner after a match. I really enjoyed my time with Nottingham Forest but this was a no-brainer in my eyes and fulfils my goal of managing a South Coast team.

Southampton were sitting 12th in the Championship when they decided to sack Sam Allardyce, after only a year in charge, and approached me with a contract six times as much as I was earning with Forest.

Contract: 3 years @ £8500 p/w

Transfer Budget: £525k

Wage Budget: £275k (£246k currently)

This club has strong foundations to build on to push for the Premier League. Playing at St. Mary's Stadium with a 32689 capacity, good training facilities, good youth facilities and youth academy, and above average youth recruitment. The club's chairman is still Nicola Cortese who was appointed in 2009 by then owner Markus Liebherr. Unfortunately, Liebherr died in 2010, but the club's future and financial backing had been secured prior to his death. Finances are still looking good, as even after paying off Allardyce and the compensation paid to Forest for my release, there is still over £3m in the bank with no debt or loans. Whether I get the financial clout needed to launch a major assault on the Premier League is yet to be seen, however, the squad is an improvement on what I had at Forest so we should do well.

My objectives for the rest of the season:

- Consolidate mid-table in the Championship. This is the bare minimum we should be achieving, we're only 8 points off the playoffs and it's not even halfway in the season yet. No way should we be flirting with relegation though. It would nice to get to a playoff place but I won't be too disappointed if we miss out this year, as long as I can assemble a team ready for the big push next season.

- Trim the squad. We currently have an array of midfielders but only three first team strikers. Due to this I'm going have to play the 4-4-1-1 formation I used in the early days with Thurrock. In January I will be looking to get rid of a couple of the excess midfielders and bring in a striker or two, probably on loan unless I can unearth a bargain in the next two months.

- Sort out the mess that is the backroom staff. There is currently seven physios!! Yes, seven!! Most of them will be going, as well as the dodgy looking coaches, and I will bring in some of my own staff.

[Luton Town]

Premier league manager within the next 2 years.

[Raware]

I didn't want the donut anyway...i'm on a diet! Good luck at the Saints AK. Le Tissier is one of my all time favourite players. Such a shame he didn't have the opportunity to grace the national team more than he did...plus, I always liked Marilyn from Home And Away too!

[AK22]

Premier league manager within the next 2 years.

Reckon that's a distinct possibility. Squad's very good and I've started well with 3 wins in 4 matches.

I didn't want the donut anyway...i'm on a diet! Good luck at the Saints AK. Le Tissier is one of my all time favourite players. Such a shame he didn't have the opportunity to grace the national team more than he did...plus, I always liked Marilyn from Home And Away too!

Thanks Raware I've actually met 'Le God' several times. Quite often you'll bump into him out and about in Southampton city centre, very approachable actually, happy to stop for a photo/autograph usually. He knows he's a legend in these parts but he's still a good ambassador for the club and the city.

He also actually came to my primary school (with other Saints first team players) on several occasions. My class teacher was the wife of Stuart Gray (ex-Saints player/coach/manager) who used to arrange loads of good deeds with my primary school. I remember on one occasion, they all came in to read us stories. Obviously everyone wanted to be in the group that Le Tissier read a story too as he was so famous. I was in that lucky group but all I can remember is what such a big nose he had. I don't think it's that big really but when you're ten everything looks massive!!!

[Nobby_McDonald]

You've left Forest.

[AK22]

You've left Forest.

Sorry Nobby, it had to be done. The pull of my hometown club was a lot stronger than any attachment I had with Forest. That being said, I enjoyed my 2 years at the City Ground and would have stayed for another season or two quite happily if it hadn't been for the call from the Saints

[jaycar]

The seven physios..oh yes...the way that club is set up in certain ways is very strange

[AK22]

The seven physios..oh yes...the way that club is set up in certain ways is very strange

One of the seven was a woman too. Can't have any of my players getting distracted by this Emma sort, she had to go

[jaycar]

heh, yes her and her husband iirc...On day one I always sacked 6 of them, kept the best and got steve whitehall in.

Southamptons backroom staff in general are all pretty much useless..Chamberlain still there or has he moved on?

[Paolo Willenté]

Have just started reading and am transfixed. Loving the unemployed challenge and you've done very well. The back to back promotions must've been a enjoyable. All the best at Southampton. I've done a similar game and am currently at Sheff Wed in the Prem but getting spanked and sat in a lowly 20th place. But I have managed to con a 29 year old Fernando Gago into coming to Hillsborough for £5mil. Just waiting for January now.

Again, all the best at Southampton man! I will keep reading!

[AK22]

heh, yes her and her husband iirc...On day one I always sacked 6 of them, kept the best and got steve whitehall in.

Southamptons backroom staff in general are all pretty much useless..Chamberlain still there or has he moved on?

Mo Gimpel's had a stay of execution for now... he'll probably be sacked in the summer. He and his Mrs can collect their dole money together then

Chamberlain's long gone. He got sold to Chelsea back in August 2011 for £3.1m. He never actually made any appearances at Chelsea in his eight seasons with them, instead enjoying loan spells with Sheff Wed (L1), Derby (CH), West Brom (PL), Wolves (CH) and then West Brom (CH) again. After his contract expired at Stamford Bridge, he joined Aston Villa and is now a first team regular with them. He hasn't been capped by England or reached his full potential, just a decent Premier League player, but at 25 he might still improve a bit more.

Have just started reading and am transfixed. Loving the unemployed challenge and you've done very well. The back to back promotions must've been a enjoyable. All the best at Southampton. I've done a similar game and am currently at Sheff Wed in the Prem but getting spanked and sat in a lowly 20th place. But I have managed to con a 29 year old Fernando Gago into coming to Hillsborough for £5mil. Just waiting for January now.

Again, all the best at Southampton man! I will keep reading!

Thanks for your comments, I'm glad you're enjoying reading this It's been pretty eventful so far, my main aim now is to get the Saints into the Premier League, after that who knows! Good luck with Sheff Wed, hopefully you'll drag yourself out of the relegation mire

[AK22]

Chapter 3 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Southampton

Winter 2018/19 Update

Well, life at St. Mary's has started rather swimmingly. Only 1 defeat in the league so far, away to Peterborough, and we are definitely in the race for the playoffs. Our best player by far has been Adam Lallana. I'm playing him 'in the hole', and at 30 now, has the right mental stats to be creative and then to make late surging runs into the box. If it hadn't been for a couple of poor home draws against Blackpool and Leicester, it is conceivable that we would have been right on the tail of QPR who currently occupy the 2nd automatic promotion place. Looks likely that Wigan are going to run away with the league, but 2nd-8th is pretty competitive and changes on a weekly basis.

We were unfortunate to be drawn away to a Premier League side in the 3rd Round of the FA Cup. We played well against West Ham, and perhaps did well enough to earn a replay. However, a couple of 25 yard wonder-goals put pay to any cup run. To be honest, we could do without the distraction of the cup, as I want to focus 100% on securing a playoff place. I reckon 78 points will be enough to do so.

Forest have declined a bit since my departure. Paul Tisdale was the chap who replaced me but has only managed to scrape together 5 wins in his first 15 games. They now sit comfortably mid-table, no danger of relegation but unlikely to put any pressure on the teams above them.

[AK22]

Chapter 3 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Southampton

Spring 2019 Update

The points dropped against Sheff Wed, former club Nottm Forest and bottom side Doncaster put pay to any hopes of automatic promotion. To be fair, it was always going to be an ambitious target, but finishing in the playoffs still gives us an opportunity to go up.

As you will see from the results, we are hardly dominating matches. In fact, we did not score any more than two goals per game in the run-in. This is probably down to my slightly cautious tactics but also partly due to topscorer Nick Blackman missing a handful of games through injury. It certainly makes the end of matches incredibly nervy at times!

The 2-2 draw with Leicester was the match that secured our playoff place, and the victories over promotion rivals Wigan and QPR has given me hope that we can do well against the other big teams in the division. So up next, it's Leeds home and away. They're looking to bounce back up to the Premier League after relegation last year, their team is a lot better too but you never know in the playoffs...

[AK22]

Chapter 3 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Southampton

Playoffs 2019 Update

Playoffs, meh.

After a great performance in the first leg, we went into the 2nd leg at Elland Road with a great deal of optimism. However, we started the match abysmally and found ourselves 2-0 down on the night after 20 minutes. We hung on for the rest of the match, creating a few decent chances, and I was hoping for a goal to knick it in extra time. It wasn't to be, as Alex Nimely popped up to score just before half time in extra time to consign us to another season in the Championship. Leeds then went on the beat QPR in the final, courtesy of another Nimely goal, and seal their promotion. So well done to them!

Overall, I'm not too disappointed. I've now got the whole summer period to improve the squad, replace the backroom staff and expand the scouting range which will all, I hope, give us a great chance of promotion next season. I would also like the chairman to dip deep into his pockets and pull out a big wad of cash for new players too, we can all dream!

[AK22]

Chapter 3 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Southampton

Season 2018/19 Review

npower Championship - 5th

League Table Position Graph Season Summary

FA Cup -

3rd Round

Carling Cup - Knocked out prior to my arrival

Finances - Made a loss of over £4m this season due to high wage bill, just received news that the chairman has provided a cash injection to cover the cost

Average Attendance - 23491 (down 1 on last season)

Transfer Summary - I brought 1 player in on loan in January, all the rest was done by Allardyce before my arrival.

Key Players

Nick Blackman - Top scorer with 16 goals. Nothing spectacular but still decent enough for this level.

Adam Lallana - Allardyce was playing him on the left of midfield. I moved him into the hole and he played great. Ended up with 15 goals and 10 assists and a place in the PFA Championship TOTY. I'm surprised he didn't get Fans Player of the Year too as some of his performance were crucial in our push for the playoffs and averaged 7.31 over the season.

Itumeleng Khune - Our star South African goalkeeper. Missed a handful of games in January due to the African Cup of Nations, I didn't realise this was going to happen until it was too late, so had to play his dodgy deputy for 4 games. Luckily he only conceded 4 goals so he wasn't as bad as I originally thought!

Team of the Year - Interesting... Mirfin and Finnigan were not first choice under my command but still made the best XI.

Overall Best XI- Fonte and Lallana have both played over 400 games for the club now.

Fans Player of the Year - Nick Blackman

Review of Season Objectives

- Consolidate mid-table in the Championship. This is the bare minimum we should be achieving, we're only 8 points off the playoffs and it's not even halfway in the season yet. No way should we be flirting with relegation though. It would nice to get to a playoff place but I won't be too disappointed if we miss out this year, as long as I can assemble a team ready for the big push next season.

Achieved. We did better than this and reached the playoffs. I'm fairly confident we can do the same next season and achieve a top-6 position.

- Trim the squad. We currently have an array of midfielders but only three first team strikers. Due to this I'm going have to play the 4-4-1-1 formation I used in the early days with Thurrock. In January I will be looking to get rid of a couple of the excess midfielders and bring in a striker or two, probably on loan unless I can unearth a bargain in the next two months.

Achieved. I've organised the transfer of 2 players to leave in the summer. A few more will be out the door once I've assessed next year's budget.

- Sort out the mess that is the backroom staff. There is currently seven physios!! Yes, seven!! Most of them will be going, as well as the dodgy looking coaches, and I will bring in some of my own staff.

Achieved. Once again a work in progress. A few of the physios have gone and I've brought in a couple of new scouts. I still want to bring in some new coaches in the summer.

Previous club watch:

Thurrock - Had a great season finishing 8th in League 1, only 1 point off the playoffs. Good to see them still overachieving. AFC Wimbledon will also join them in League 1 next season.

Nottm Forest - A solid 15th in the Championship. They should build on this and be a top-half team next year with the resources at their disposal.

Season     Team             League    Finish    Cups            
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010/11    Thurrock F.C.    BSS       15th      N/A             
2011/12    Thurrock F.C.    BSS       2nd       FA Cup 2nd Rd, FA Trophy 1st Rd
2012/13    Thurrock F.C.    BSP       1st       FA Cup 1st Rd, FA Trophy 3rd Rd
2013/14    Thurrock F.C.    League 2  5th       FA Cup 1st Rd, Carling Cup 2nd Rd, JPT 2nd Rd
2014/15    Thurrock F.C     League 2  6th       FA Cup 3rd Rd, Carling Cup 3rd Rd, JPT 2nd Rd
2015/16    Thurrock F.C     League 2  6th       FA Cup 3rd Rd, Carling Cup 4th Rd, JPT 1st Rd
2016/17    Nottm Forest     League 1  3rd       FA Cup 3rd Rd
2017/18    Nottm Forest     League 1  1st       FA Cup 2nd Rd, Carling Cup 2nd Rd, JPT 2nd Rd
2018/19    Southampton      Ch'ship   5th       FA Cup 3rd Rd

[AK22]

Chapter 3 - Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen... Go To Southampton

Pre Season 2019/20

Board Expectations

npower Football League Championship - Playoffs Media Prediction - 7th Title Odds - 25-1

FA Cup - Fourth Round

Carling Cup - Third Round

Transfer Budget: £2.2m Wage Budget: £275k p/w (currently £206296 p/w)

Facilities - No improvements Season Ticket Sales - 15715 (up 41)

Youth Intake - A few half decent players, the stand-out being this chap,

Jamie Stevens.

Transfer Summary - 10 in, 11 out for a net spend of £1.2m. There's a bit of money left over if I need reinforcements in January. Spent nearly a £1m on signing on fees, and I reckon even more on agents

Notable Transfers

Alan Hill - I'm sure this guy will turn out to be England's number 1 at some stage in his career. Why QPR released him I will never know as he looks immense! Had to break the wage budget a bit to sign him, but he's a class act and is my best player by far.

Felix Schumacher - Joins us on loan from Liverpool. Good pace, acceleration and composure so should be a handful in this division.

Steven Mouyokolo - My Ass Man recommended him. Lots of experience but still should be a great defender for us.

Pontus Wernbloom - Experienced Swedish international who should hold things together in the centre of the park.

Joel Acosta - Another high earner, but he should keep Lallana on his toes and give me an alternative if things aren't working.

My objectives for the season:

- Reach the playoffs. This is the minimum we should be achieving with the squad I've got here. The chairman has backed me with a bit of money and a large wage budget, so it will be curtains if we're not in contention throughout the season.

- Continue the backroom reorganisation. All the staff are on long term contracts so I'm a bit reluctant to pay their compensation. I have, however, sacked my old Ass Man and brought in ex-Saints player Kevin Phillips as my new assistant. A few more scouts have also joined as I now have no scouting restrictions.