[FM11] From Lame to Fame 2

ManUTactician247 · September 1, 2011

After my first save was prematurely ended by a crash dump, I've found it difficult to return to FM, but I'm ready to go, you might remember my previous thread, you might not, here it is - From Lame to Fame. This time I'm holidaying a year forward to get different job offers, hope you enjoy!

The idea of this save is to start unemployed and get as high as I can, moving clubs if I have to, ideally I can get to the top fairly quickly but I'm not used to any of the lower league players (being a United fan) and look forward to getting to know new players and leagues as well as come across some new leagues with interesting rules.

Leagues loaded:

All leagues in

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Brazil

Croatia

Czech Republic

Denmark

England

France

Germany

Greece

Holland

Italy

Mexico

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Scotland

Serbia

South Africa

Spain

Turkey

USA

Ukraine

I am well above the recommended level of players so the first update will hopefully come some time after the game loads

Career Summary

2011-12: Tamworth_____Blue Square Bet North_____6th_____71 points

2012-13: Tamworth_____Blue Square Bet North_____2nd_____77 points

2013-14: Tamworth_____Blue Square Bet North_____11th____62 points

ManUTactician247 · September 2, 2011

2010/11 Season

Leagues:

Argentina:

Champions: Velez

Australia

Champions: Adelaide United FC

Austria

Champions: FC RB Salzburg

Belgium

Champions: Club Brugge

Brazil

Champions: Corinthians

Croatia

Champions: Dinamo

Czech Republic

Champions: Slovan Liberec

Denmark

Champions: FC Kobenhavn

England

Champions: Man Utd

ECC: Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal

EC: Man City, Liverpool, Middlesbrough :O (Carling Cup)

Relegated: Wigan, Blackpool, West Brom

France

Champions: AS Monaco FC

ECC: Olympique Lyonnais, OM

EC: Montpellier Herault SC, RC Lens, Stade Melherbe Caen (Coupe de la Ligue)

Germany

Champions: FC Bayern

ECC: Schalke, Leverkusen

EC: Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim

Greece

Champions: Panathinaikos

Holland

Champions: AZ

ECC: Ajax

EC: Feyenoord, PSV

Italy

Champions: Napoli

ECC: Inter, Palermo, Roma

EC: Sampdoria, A.C. Milan, Lecce (Italian Cup)

Mexico

Champions: Cruz Azul

Portugal

Champions: Porto

ECC: Benfica

EC: Braga, Nacional da Madeira, Sporting CP, Naval (Taca de Portugal)

Romania

Champions: Dinamo Buc.

Russia

Champions: Spartak Moscow

ECC: Saturn, CSKA Moscow

EC: Dinamo Moscow, Kuban, Rubin (Russian Cup)

Scotland

Champions: Rangers

ECC: Celtic

EC: Hearts, Hibernian, Aberdeen (Scottish Cup)

Relegated: Hamilton

Serbia

Champions: Partizan

South Africa

Champions: Orlando Pirates

Spain

Champions: Barcelona

ECC: R. Madrid, At. Madrid, Racing

EC: Getafe, Espanyol, Sevilla

Turkey

Champions: Fenerbahce

ECC: Kayserispor

EC: Bursaspor, Galatasaray, Besiktas, Eskisehirspor

USA

Champions: Salt Lake

Ukraine

Champions: Dynamo Kyiv

Champions League Semi-Final

Shakhtar 3-4 FC Bayern

R. Madrid 1-0 AC Milan

Champions League Final

R. Madrid p 0-0 FC Bayern

Europa League Final

Juventus 2-0 Napoli

Amauri (16)

Quagliarella (21)

African Champions League: ES Setif

Asian Champions League: Al-Sadd

North American Champions League: Santos Laguna

OFC Champions League: Auckland City

Copa Libertadores: Boca

Asian Cup Final: Saudi Arabia 1-0 Uzbekistan

Gold Cup Final: Honduras 1-2 e Mexico

Top 25 (Monetary) Transfers

Player/From/To/Price

1. Vagner Love/CSKA Moscow/Real Madrid/18.25M

2. Fred/Fluminense/Chelsea/16.75M

3. Gervinho/LOSC Lille Metropole/Man City/16M

4. Eljero Elia/Hamburg/Sunderland/15.75M

5. Moussa Sissoko/Toulouse FC/Spartak Moscow/14.75M

6. Pablo Barrera/West Ham/Wolves/14.75M

7. Aaron Lennon/Tottenham/Man City/13.75M

8. Domenico Criscito/Genoa/Man City/11.5M

9. Gonzalo Castro/Mallorca/Villarreal/11.5M

10. Balazs Dzsudzsak/PSV/Arsenal/11.25M

11. Tom Huddlestone/Tottenham/Man City/11.25M

12. Simon Rolfes/Leverkusen/Napoli/10.25M

13. Luca Antonelli/Parma/Zenit/10.25M

14. Adil Rami/LOSC Lille Metropole/Man City/8.25M

15. Mirel Radoi/Al-Hilal (KSA)/Man City/7.75M

16. Arturo Vidal/Leverkusen/Tottenham/7.5M

17. Roy Beerens/Heerenveen/FC Bayern/7.5M

18. Victor Ruiz/Espanyol/Arsenal/7.25M

19. Matias Vuoso/America (MEX)/OM/7.25M

20. Tranquillo Barnetta/Leverkusen/Arsenal/7M

21. Cheik M’Bengue/Toulouse/Sunderland/7M

22. Thomas Kahlenberg/Wolfsburg/FC Bayern/7M

23. Everton Cardoso/Tigres/PSV/7M

24. Ibrahim Afellay/PSV/Chelsea/6.5M

25. Alberto Lora/Sporting/Zenit/6.5M

Notable Managerial Changes

In the Prem:

Aston Villa: Sack Gerard Houllier and replace him with ex Real Madrid player and Mexico manager Hugo Sanchez

Man City: With Mancini joining Sevilla, they hire ex Mexico manager Javier Aguirre

Wigan: Sack Roberto Martinez for getting them relegated and hire Alan Curbishley!

Other Clubs:

Stuttgart: Sack Christian Gross and hire Jurgen Klopp from Dortmund

Dortmund: Hire ex-player and manager Matthias Sammer

Villarreal: Sack Juan Carlos Garrido and hire ex-manager Manuel Pellegrini

Sevilla: Sack Gregorio Manzano and hire Roberto Mancini from Man City

Juventus: Sack Luigi del Neri and hire Thomas Schaaf from Werder Bremen

Werder Bremen: With Schaaf joining Juventus, they hire ex Greece manager Otto Rehhagel

Fiorentina: Sack Sinisa Mihajlovic and hire ex Fiorentina, AC Milan, Galatasaray and Turkey manager Fatih Terim

Girondins Bordeaux: Sack Jean Tigana and hire Swiss manager Lucien Favre

Rangers: Hire ex Sevilla manager Gregorio Manzano to replace retired Walter Smith

Interesting Appointments:

Awards:

World Golden Ball

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

2. Xavi (Barcelona)

3. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

World Player of the Year

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

2. Xavi (Barcelona)

3. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

Team of the Year

GK: Jose Manuel Reina (Liverpool)

RB: Daniel Alves (Barcelona)

CB: Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

CB: Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd)

LB: Ashley Cole (Chelsea)

RM: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid

CM: Javier Pastore (Palermo)

CM: Xavi (Barcelona)

LM: Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

ST: Wayne Rooney (Man United)

ST: David Villa (Barcelona)

Subs

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)

Juan (Roma)

Wesley Sneijder (Inter)

Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

Maicon (Inter)

Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid)

Prem Top Scorer

1. Mauro Boselli! (Wigan) 20

2. Kevin Doyle (Wolves) 20

3. Didier Drogba (Chelsea) 19

Prem Top Assister

1. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) 17

2. Luka Modric (Tottenham) 14

3. Steed Malbranque (Sunderland) 11

Prem Player of the Year

1. Gareth Bale (Tottenham)

2. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

3. Luka Modric (Tottenham)

Prem Young Player of the Year

1. Nani (Man United)

2. Martin Olsson (Blackburn)

3. Lucas (Liverpool)

Prem Manager of the Year

1. Chris Hughton (Newcastle)

2. Harry Redknapp (Tottenham)

3. Sir Alex Ferguson (Man Utd)

ManUTactician247 · September 2, 2011

29.6.11 - I've turned down an offer from Bath who were relegated from the BSP (23rd) last season to take the team above them who were also relegated, Tamworth FC! After a save in which I had a lot of fun with Tamworth, I'm delighted to be able to return there after Danny Butterworth was sacked. We're being predicted to finish in the play-offs but I'm hopeful for automatic promotion. A decent wage budget to work with as well, so I should be looking for some free transfers!

ManUTactician247 · September 2, 2011

Tamworth FC 2011-12 Pre-season report

Preview: With a wage budget of 4.5K, I'm more than capable of bringing in some good quality players to get us promoted, the first order of business will be to bring in a new center-half as thats where we're lacking at the moment. Hopefully one will arrive before pre-season starts. One thing Butterworth did well before he was fired, was signing Yvan Tomatula, this former Hibs player is sure to play a big role in the push for promotion next season.

Media Prediction: 4th, the media tip us to finish in the play-offs but I'm hoping to secure automatic promotion with a play-off place as a minimum goal.

Squad Report

Youth: Nothing to shout about, the best I have is Terry Jackson, and even he has only 1.5 star potential.

Pre-season friendlies

Newtown (H) - Visitors from Wales that we should beat to start off pre-season

Tonbridge (A) - Tonbridge Angels should be another easy victory for us

Neath (H) - Another visit from a Welsh team and another we should win

Caernarfon (A) - This time we'll go to Wales to play maybe a slightly better side in Caernarfon

Droylsden (H) - A BSP side which should give us more of a test heading into the season, the earlier matches should boost morale nad this one should prevent complacency.

ManUTactician247 · September 3, 2011

Pre-season Review: July 2011

Tamworth

Tamworth Res.

Well, the intra-squad friendly came out of the blue, I gave some first-team players temporarily to the reserves to make it a more interesting match. Well, it was the worst possible start for us after a great cross from one 16 year old Pat Hodge to another 16 year old with Jonathan Price heading home the goal to give the reserves the lead, we had the chances to level it but we didn't and after a telling off at half-time the team decided they felt like scoring a goal. Stefan Oakes did well to rob Paul Rowe in the box and his low cross into the middle was tucked away by former Blackburn striker John Kennedy. The match finished 1-1 and I could only think it was a disappointing result.

Tamworth

Newtown

If your surname is Jones, then you probably had some impact in this match, I was expecting an easy victory but it was far from it. Once again it didn't take long for our opponents to score, a great strike from Andy Jones gave them the lead inside 2 minutes. Worse was to come, after 10 minutes, goalkeeper Chris Thompson spilt an easy cross allowing Keith Jones to double their lead with a simple tap-in. Jack Sampson looked to have broken clear of the defence but a trip by Nick Jones saw him sent off as he was the last man, it proved to be the turning point of the match. Just before half-time, a cross was headed out as far as new right-back Mark Nisbet who hit a tremendous effort into the corner to mark his Tamworth debut, giving us hope at half-time. Fortunately, we managed to score again in the second half, Alex Rodman's corner was met with George Ojapah's head and the keeper could only parry the ball to the feet of new defender Joe Mbu who made no mistake being the second Tamworth player to score on his debut. Newtown were not done with us though and I was cursing at the screen until I realised that Jonathan Hughes' header for them was ruled out for offside, a let off for us but another wake-up call to the squad.

Tonbridge

Tamworth

I was really fuming at this result, as good a goal as it was by Adam Phillips to give them the victory, it was a match we really should have won, we had the better of the chances but we couldn't put them away. I could make the excuse that I tried a lot of youngsters out but the team that played will be disappointed to have come away with defeat.

Tamworth

Neath

My first win as Tamworth manager couldn't come soon enough but we made it more difficult than it needed to be. We got off to a great start when new CB Greig McDonald headed in Rodman's corner after 15 minutes. We scored again soon, a clever header from Tomatula put Kennedy through on goal and he did well to bring it down and smash it past the keeper to double our lead. 2-0 up at half-time, what could go wrong? The answer became clear when David Davies' shot for them was saved well by keeper Davison but there was nothing he could do about Jon Lewis' rebound, this was right at the start of the second half, Neath scored again, Paul Tierney had the chance to put us 3-1 but he hit the post, and before we knew it a long ball over the top and Jon Lewis had equalised and it was 2-2, it was frustrating to know it could be 3-1, but life goes on. 15 minutes to go however and we were back in front, great work by Jack Sampson on the right hand side and his cross was met with a diving header by Paul Tierney who made up for his miss with a great finish. The drama wasn't over yet though, just like Neath's second goal we were caught with too many men forward and another long ball over the top with 5 minutes to go saw Lewis through, looking set to get his hat-trick but new former Everton left-back Jake Bidwell did what he had to do, giving away a free-kick on the edge of the area, he had to be sent off, not the debut he would have wanted but he did it for the team. Fortunately, nothing came of the free-kick. Was the drama over yet? No WAY! A long throw-in for them in the last minute was sent into the box and my new 18 y/o defender Zach Strong pushed Gareth Lewis in the box and they had a penalty! After coming this far I didn't want it to end like this. Gethin Smith stepped up to take it, and it smashed against the underside of the crossbar and bounced out! The final whistle was blown not long after that and we claimed or first victory! Best friendly I've ever watched .

Caernarfon

Tamworth

After all of the close-fought encounters so far, I was grateful to face easier opposition in the form of Caernarfon. This time we took the lead early on, a great ball from Sampson put through my 17 year old newgen and new signing Jeff Campbell and he showed the composure of someone who had actually played a professional match before with a sublime lob to give us the lead. Later in the first half a ball into the box by Danny Elliott was poorly headed away with Sampson taking advantage by heading into an empty net. The second half went pretty much the same way as the 1st did, a good one-two between Tierney and Tomatula saw the former place a shot into the bottom corner. The victory was rounded off with 20 minutes to go when Tierney played a stunning ball to put Kennedy through and he kept his cool to put us 4-0 up.

Tamworth

Droylsden

This match was supposed to be our biggest challenge as Droylsden are in the BSP but it certainly didn't look that way! We started off on the back foot after a fantastic goal by Ciaran Kilheeney sent them in front but we replied instantly and it was another new signing that did it, Kyle Perry did well to win it in a dangerous area and he pulled it back for 17 year old winger Adam Langley who smashed it in with a great strike. The game was soured after 20 minutes after their 19 year old Danny Davenport showed a lot of inexperience with a dangerous two-footed slide tackle from behind on Bidwell which saw him walk after he was shown a red, fortunately Bidwell was not hurt from this incident. It was from then on that we decided to take control, we somehow went into half-time level, with Sampson and Tierney most notably fluffing chances. But we looked most dangerous after half-time and that was proven on the hour mark after Langley's corner was headed in from point blank range by McDonald. 5 minutes later and we had a 3rd, a well deserved goal for Kyle Perry after Kennedy picked him out with a through ball, he wasted no time with the finish. Another 3 minutes and it was 4-1! A good turn and shoot movement by Perry on the edge of the box saw him get his 2nd and put us well in front. Kyle Perry soon got his deserved hat trick from the penalty spot after Rodman was brought down, Perry made no mistake with the penalty to put us 5-1 up! Droylsden got a late consolation after a great cross was headed in by Steven Beck but it was no more than that! A great way to round off pre-season and all that with star players Sampson and Tomatula on the bench

Pre-season summary: It was a slow start, taking us 4 matches to get a win, but the last 2 wins against Caernarfon and BSP side Droylsden put me in good spirits ahead of the seasons. I have a feeling we'll be getting a lot of goals from set-pieces this season after seeing McDonald and Mbu getting pre-season goals. I've been very impressed with our last couple of performances and I believe we can bounce back this season!

Goodbyes - The following have all left on free transfers, wish them well

Youth

Transfers In

Greig McDonald - An experienced Scottish centre-half I picked up for free after Stirling let him go, he's a good header of the ball and a threat from set-pieces

Joe Mbu - Another Scottish centre back that was free. Cowdenbeath were the team he last played for, should work well with McDonald at the back.

James Booker - An 18-year old centre back with great potential, surprised Leeds let him go, but their loss is my gain.

Mark Nisbet - Not the best player, but provides valuable cover at right back and centre back, let go by Maidenhead.

Zack Foster - A young left back with potential, picked up after Stoke released him.

Jamie Strong - A young right back/centre back, picked up on a free after being let go by Brighton.

Jeff Campbell - The only newgen I signed, a centre and a right midfielder who scored a great lob against Caernarfon, high hopes for him. Ipswich were the team to let me have him

Adam Langley - A young right-winger who Notts County released, already scored for us.

Joe Greenhalgh - Accrington released this young centre-back.

Liam Henderson - A young centre-midfielder who Newcastle released.

Jake Bidwell - Probably the pick of the lot, an 18-year old left back who came from Everton, and is already one of my best players and still yet to show his true potential, he even appeared for Everton in a cup match last season.

Bad news

- Star striker Jack Sampson has handed in a transfer request, I grudgingly accepted it, there has been no bids yet but Nottingham Forest and Dunfermline have shown interest, I may have to move him on as he only has a year left on his contract.

- I recently tried to sign an amazing player in Samir Carruthers, but received competition from League 1 Plymouth and League 2 Bournemouth also made offers, to my delight he rejected both those offers to join us, but the deal ultimately collapsed when the board said it would break the wage budget ¬_¬.

FMtillidie · September 3, 2011

good luck buddy

ManUTactician247 · September 3, 2011

good luck buddy

Thanks mate :thup:

ManUTactician247 · September 3, 2011

August 2011-12 Update

Tamworth

Guiseley

On paper this should have been a comfortable victory, but in truth it was a boring match, we had the better of the chances but couldn't score, at least until the 75th minute, Tierney put in a good ball to put Sampson clean through and the striker put it in, quickly apologising to the fans for the transfer confusion. 3 points mattered more than the way we played today.

Nuneaton

Tamworth

Very pleased with the way we played for this match. We took the lead in 10 minutes, Rodman gave it to Sampson who did well to turn and shoot into the bottom corner. Later in the half, a great cross from Danny Elliott was headed in by Tomatula, victory looked certain but that was confirmed in the second half when Tierney's free-kick was headed in by McDonald. Great result, and hopefully this run would continue...

Stalybridge

Tamworth

Yeaah... it never does, does it? What a frustrating match, we took the lead quite early when Sampson's cross was headed in by Kennedy. Stalybridge however didn't give up and they had a lot of good chances, but it wasn't until the stroke of half time when a shot was parried by Thompson to the feet of Ryan Thomson who equalised. A little rage by me at half-time and we seemed to get started again, it didn't take us long to score again with Sampson teeing up Kennedy who hit a great first-time effort into the back of the net. We never looked threatened after that, until injury time when a real fluke of a goal put them level. If you watch the highlight you can see that Sherriff attempts to pass it backwards but it fortunately rebounded off Jefferson Gowland who got Stalybridge a point. Frustrating to say the least.

Tamworth

Altrincham

They say it never rains, it pours. To be fair Altrincham are a quality team but even I thought we could win this when we hit Altrincham on the counter in the 6th minute, a long ball by Rodman was misjudged by the defender giving Sampson all that he needed to give us the lead. It didn't last long though when a good low cross was slid in by James McCarthy, more goals came soon enough and a great strike by Michael Twiss gave Altrincham the lead. I thought going into half-time losing 2-1 wasn't a disaster but soon enough a clever ball picked out McCarthy who cleverly lobbed Thompson to make it 3-1, the 2nd half saw us not concede but Danny Elliott saw red after a frustrated lunge on Twiss, the ref made the right decision there. Not one to remember but hopefully this slump would end.

Lowestoft

Tamworth

Well when you're on a slump, Lowestoft is one of the teams you'd like to play, I decided to rest a few first-teamers given that they had played just 3 days ago, it proved a risky decision as Lowestoft actually came close a few times but we eventually got the lead when Stefan Oakes' corner rebounded off a defender and 18 year old defender Jamie Strong was the happiest guy on the pitch after he ruthlessly smashed it in from 6 yards for his first senior goal.

I'm satisfied with our start to the season, Altrincham would always have been difficult to defeat, I'm more frustrated with the draw with Stalybridge, but we won convincingly against Nuneaton and we managed 3 clean sheets out of 5. I'm satisfied with the way we're playing at the moment and hope it continues

Transfer in

Jack Dovey - A young goalkeeper with potential, he rejected League 2 Macclesfield to come here so he must like us!

Good news

Jack Sampson has decided he wants to stay and has withdrawn his transfer request, he's also been scoring recently so great news for the club!

ManUTactician247 · September 4, 2011

September 2011-12 Update

Tamworth

Eastwood

This game was a reminder to us that we're not invincible. We led after just over a minute when a great delivery by Bidwell was headed in by McDonald. We were 2-0 up later in the half with McDonald heading in his 2nd from a Rodman corner. New signing Frederick Champion sent a great ball over the top on his debut to put Kennedy through who did well to finish from a tight angle to put us 3-0 up at half-time. Thats when complacency set in... McDonald having scored 2 goals made a terrible mistake, a sloppy pass across goal was picked up by Matthew Delicate who put Eastwood right back in it. With 13 minutes to go Andy Todd had a simple tap-in from a corner and it was 3-2. Fortunately, we managed to hold them off for the rest of the match for the 3 points.

Tamworth

Boston Utd

A really disappointing performance, it was gonna be a tough match but we should have lost by more, a good turn on the edge of the box by Spencer Weir-Daley and a shot gave Boston the win here.

Vauxhall 0-0 Tamworth

I rested a lot of first-teamers today having played just 3 days ago, hoping we could still get a win but it was Vauxhall who deserved to win, they had some good chances, and it was a good display by Thompson to ensure we got a point.

Nuneaton

Tamworth (FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round)

Even I wasn't expecting an easy match despite beating them 3-0 in the league, the last two teams out of the hat in the draw and I was furious with having such a tough encounter, both sides had enough chances to win the game but it took 87 minutes for Nuneaton to win after a cross was headed in by Martin McCubbin. We had chances in stoppage time to level it, Rodman had a curling effort palmed away and McDonald headed wide from point-blank range.

Transfers in

Frederick Champion - A great CM with potential who Tottenham released, has already got an assist this season.

Lee Angol - Another Tottenham reject, has the same potential has Champion except he's a left-winger.

Ciaran Armstrong - This Northern Irish young left-back was overrated by my scouts, safe to say he doesn't have a future, released by Bromley for a reason.

Lewis Hatch - A young CM released by Liverpool, a potential back-up player.

Neil Frost - Good centre-half released by Bury, decent potential.

Jake Smith - Young keeper released by Plymouth, hopefully can fulfil his potential.

Matt Breeze - A young right-winger overrated by scouts after being released by Peterborough, will try and let him go.

A disappointing month for us, 5 points dropped and an FA Cup exit, as well as the fact we haven't scored in 3 matches. Hopefully we can pick it up in October.

ManUTactician247 · September 4, 2011

October 2011-12 Update

Northwich

Tamworth

Having not scored for 3 games running, this was exactly the kind of match we needed. After just 5 minutes, Elliott teed up Tomatula who hit a 25-yarder into the bottom corner, a great way to start. Not long later, a great ball by Kennedy put Sampson through, his shot was smothered by the keeper but it fell for Kennedy who made no mistake. A corner by Angol was then headed in by McDonald to put us 3-0 up within 15 minutes. Vadaine Oliver then pulled 1 back before the half ended but it was ruled out for offside, would have been his first senior goal. He got his goal though squeezing it in from a corner to pull it back to 3-1 near the end but we weren't done yet. A cross put in the box saw an off the ball foul as Tomatula was bundled over and the ref pointed to the spot. Tomatula himself stepped up and made no mistake, scoring his 2nd of the game. The rout ended with 2 minutes to go when Kennedy unselfishly played the ball across for Sampson who put it into an empty net to make it 5-1 to us.

Tamworth

Hyde

We had 2 weeks to prepare for this one, as we had a break due to the FA Cup matches. It was a boring first-half but we got a goal in stoppage time, a great through ball by McDonald putting Kennedy through and he obliged to put us in the lead. Hyde started really coming at us towards the end but we held out for the 3 points.

Workington

Tamworth

Greig McDonald was struck down with a virus before this game, and you could tell we missed his presence at centre-half after just 1 minute as Miles Smith headed in a good cross from the left. Workington soon went two up, once again we conceded from a cross into the box with Sean Davisson getting the goal. It got worse after that when Danny Elliott twisted his knee. A powerful strike by Kennedy on the stroke of half-time gave us some hope of a come back and that combined with my team-talk seemed to inspire them. We soon got a leveller with Kennedy laying it off for Tomatula who hit a phenomal curler from 30 yards out, we had chances to take the lead but didn't take them and we paid for it with 5 minutes to go after a simple ball over the top put Kieran Lataille through and he made no mistake with the finish to get Workington 3 probably undeserved points.

Tamworth

AFC Telford

Still missing McDonald, defensively we were no better than ever, I decided to rest a lot of first-team players to give the youngsters and fringe players a chance. It felt like a mistake after 15 minutes when James Lawrie was allowed to put them in front, it didn't take us long to respond though, young winger Adam Langley was tripped inside the box and we had a penalty, Kyle Perry making no mistake from the spot to pull us level. Soon we were in front, good work by Perry on the right hand side and he pulled it back for Sampson who powered in our second. Buzzing from the comeback, the team seemed to forget that they could do what we just did. A tight-angled shot was saved by Thompson but he palmed it straight to Andy Gibson who got ahead of his marker to level it for Telford. Both teams had their fair share of chances but the lead was finally ours after 80 minutes when Tierney's corner was headed in by Mark Nisbet, the most important goal he's ever scored and we got the 3 points.

3 wins out of 4, defensively we're having trouble but McDonald should be back soon, an unfortunate result against Worthington but we recovered well. As for the table, it's very tight up there, Stafford are currently top with 25 points, and us, Blyth, Boston Utd and Workington all have 23 points. Every point matters starting from now.

ManUTactician247 · September 10, 2011

November 2011-12 Update

Worcester

Tamworth

I expected a tough away match but was glad to be proven wrong. We took the lead fairly early on when Rodman's cross was deflected into the path of Lee Angol who surprised the keeper with a great strike for his first Tamworth goal, but he wasn't the only youngster to score his first Tamworth goal. In the second half, Rodman was once again the creator with a great delivery from a free-kick headed in by 18 y/o centre-back James Booker which all but sealed our victory and a good 3 points.

Solihull Moors

Tamworth (FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round)

After this match, I've come to the conclusion that this team was not cut out for knock-out competitions, once again we got an unlucky away draw, but this was still a match I was hoping to win. The lads didn't agree and we put in a woeful performance, we took the lead against the run of play, Champion giving it to Tomatula who gave us yet another classic curler to send us into the lead at half-time where I told the team not to get complacent. It didn't seem to work though as Solihull Moors continued to press, 15 minutes from time it looked like we might actually pull off the win! Unfortunately, Solihull Moors got their deserved equaliser, a chipped cross giving Kris Littler the simplest of headers. I hoped the match would go to extra time, but late on Mbu was forced to close down their central midfielder leaving Andrew Osei-Siribour unmarked, the through ball came in and 2-1 Moors. Another cup competition where we just couldn't win, at least we can just focus on the league from now on.

Tamworth

Gloucester

In theory this should have been a simple win, but we showed the sign of champions by winning unconvincingly. Maybe it was because I rested the majority of the first-team, I don't know. We got off to a good start, Perry somehow allowed to bring down Sampson's cross and smash it in from close range to give us the lead. Gloucester were soon level, a great burst into the box by Nathaniel Howell gave him little work to do with the finish and it was all tied up. We looked set to end the half level, but a terrific effort by Sampson sent us into the lead. Perry teed him up from about 25 yards out and his first-time curler caught everyone out, including the keeper to send us in front by half-time. The second half started well for us too, a corner by Lee Angol was heading for McDonald but the ref spotted a push by Matt Coupe and we had a penalty. McDonald himself stepped up to the plate and showed everyone at the stadium how it's done by sending the keeper the wrong way, I don't believe he's a centre back sometimes! We seemed to get complacent after that and Gloucester managed to get themselves back into it, Howell's distanced effort could only be palmed away by Thompson, but unfortunately for us he was first to react to the rebound and it was 3-2! Fortunately, Gloucester didn't put much pressure on us after that but it was definitely a scare!

Harrogate

Tamworth

Don't be fooled by the scoreline, this certainly could have gone either way! It was Harrogate who had the better of the first-half, and it was also Harrogate who took the lead! A great first time strike by Wayne Phillips was beyond Thompson's reach and Harrogate had an unlikely lead. Things went from bad to worse when a goalmouth scramble eventually saw a trip by Mbu on Richard Pell to give them a penalty. I was nervous when Graeme Armstrong stepped up to take the penalty, but none were more relieved than I was when the penalty crashed off the post. We managed to survive the first-half at just 1-0, a motivating team-talk by yours truly and the team transformed in the second half. 20 minutes into the 2nd half, and we were rewarded, a great ball by Stefan Oakes found Rodman clean through and a desperate foul by Steve Howey saw us be on the receiving end of a penalty! Oakes was the man to take it and coolly slotted it into the bottom corner as Armstrong watched despairingly. We were not satisfied with a point and we kept pushing but with about 10 to go, we scored again, Rodman pulled it back to Kennedy who composed himself before putting us into the lead. We weren't done yet however when Bidwell's cross from the left was well-headed into the bottom corner by Daniel Bradley who I had moved to right-midfield from right-back just a minute before to seal the three points.

Transfers in

Stefan Powell – A young DM/CM who MK Dons released, one maybe for the future

Reece Fleet – A young CM with a bit more potential than Powell, let go by Birmingham

George Smith – A teenage Irish central or attacking midfielder who was let go by Birmingham, had an unsuccessful trial with league rivals Hyde but hopefully better here.

Remy Gordon – Definitely the one I’m celebrating most about, a young left-back with the potential to equal Bidwell and that’s saying something, 4.5 star potential, thank you Norwich for releasing him!

Josh Meekings – A young right-back/centre-back, who Ipswich released, seems a good player for the future.

Kallum Keane – Young Irish centre-half who was let go by Derby, yet another option for the future.

Quite pleased with how the month went, the FA Trophy exit hasn’t really upset me as it allows us to focus on the league. And speaking of the league, we are now top! The board expected a play-off place but I’ve exceeded that and hope to stay here. Stafford are 3 points behind me with a game in hand but would need a pretty big win and Blyth are 6 points behind us with 2 games in hand, if they win both they go top but I’m not counting on that.

ManUTactician247 · September 10, 2011

December 2011-12 Update

Ashton Utd

Tamworth

Not particularly proud of the way we played but a win is a win. Relegation candidates Ashton should have been an easy 3 points but they put in a top effort. We took the lead after about 10 minutes, a Rodman corner wasn't properly cleared and Mbu picked up the pieces to score his first competitive Tamworth goal. Ashton gave it a good go for the rest of the half but fortunately, we restricted them to long shots. Despite telling the team not to be complacent, they did just that and Ashton came close hitting the bar around the hour mark. It wasn't until late on when the nerves were calmed, a Bidwell free-kick from the left went straight to the far post where Mbu half-volleyed it in for his second.

Tamworth

Blyth

A match which could have gone either way, unfortunately went against us, we had the better of the chances but it wasn't enough. We got off to a cracker when a good passing move saw Sampson give it to Tomatula who once again impressed us with a 30-yarder into the bottom corner. Blyth levelled soon when Robert Dale made a clever run behind the defence which was matched with a good finish. Late on, more bad news came when Rodman picked up what looked a pretty serious injury, it turned out to be a twisted ankle. However, Blyth had one more trick up their sleeve, a long ball fell to McDonald who could have controlled it but gave it away and a long-ball over the top saw McDonald out of position and Jack Brierley had all the time in the world to finish. Very disappointing loss, especially at home.

Tamworth

Stafford

You wouldn't believe how much I was fuming after this result. After a first-half we utterly dominated, I was disappointed we only managed one goal which came towards the end of the half. A poor goal-kick was headed forward by youngster Campbell, Sampson received it came forward and smashed it into the corner to give us the lead. We scored again in the second half when Langley swung in a corner and Elliott got the better of his marker to send us 2 up. However, misfortune followed soon after, a seemingly great tackle by McDonald on their striker just squeezed past the keeper to pull one back for Stafford. And late on, this proved costly a long ball over the top sent through Tom Moss who provided an exquisite chip to snatch a draw for Stafford.

Corby

Tamworth

A match which we were perhaps lucky to win but we pulled it off anyway. A beautiful corner by Angol made it pretty much impossible for McDonald to miss and we went 1-0 up. It was a nervy second-half but late on we managed to seal the win, Sampson cut in from the right and his shot was parried but straight at the feet of Kennedy who sealed our victory.

Tamworth

Alfreton

Just 2 days after our match against Corby, I was forced to throw in a lot of youngsters into the deep end. Josh Meekings, George Smith, Marcus Giglio and Caolan Lavery all made their professional debuts. It wasa 30-yarder by Liam Hearn within 2 minutes that done us in the end. We had several good chances in the second half including McDonald hitting the bar from 2 yards but somehow we were denied a point.

Solihull Moors

Tamworth

Revenge against the team that took us out of the FA Trophy and we beat them in a similar fashion to how they beat us. Like us in the trophy, Solihull took an early lead. Jack Dovey had a nightmare start to his Tamworth debut in goal. Jamie Sheldon managed to squeeze a shot in from 20 yards out and Solihull had the lead. We were level soon though, Perry's low cross was cleared as far as Tomatula who smacked it in from outside the area. We went into half-time level despite a lot of Solihull chances. Solihull did well in the second half as well but we had the last laugh, with a late winner when Angol played it through to Kennedy who kept his composure well to pick out the top corner!

Transfers in

Caolan Lavery - Upfront was a position where we lacked some depth, but the striker who is eligible for Ireland, Northern Ireland and Canada provides good back up. Ipswich were his former club.

Marcus Giglio - A youngster who can play at left-back and left-midfield, one for the future and good versatility as well. Got him after Liverpool let him go.

Well, despite dropping quite a lot of points in December, we are somehow still top of the table heading into the new year. Boston are 3 points behind with a game in hand but are ahead on goal difference. Hopefully, we can do better in January and try and open up a nice gap at the top.

ManUTactician247 · September 11, 2011

January 2011-12 Update

Guiseley

Tamworth

A reverse of the score on the opening day of the season, just 2 days after our match against Solihull, I was again forced to throw a lot of youngsters out there including a debut for Reece Fleet. A match we probably deserved something out of them was ended by a good curler by Warren Peyton.

Tamworth

Nuneaton

Our first double of the season and payback for knocking us out of the FA Cup. We led after about 15, Champion's corner caused a defesive mix-up and Mbu pounced to give us the lead. Nuneaton levelled though, a good through ball finding Nialle Rodney who finished well. We went into half-time back in front though and what a goal it was, Kennedy pulled it back to Elliott who unleashed an amazing strike from 35 yards to give us the lead. The game was wrapped up in the second half, when Kennedy did well to put Angol through and he did well with the finish to seal a win that we thoroughly deserved.

Tamworth

Stalybridge

An absolute nightmare by our standards, it really was. It took just 20 minutes before the game got off to a horrible start with McDonald breaking his leg, missing the rest of the season and maybe the start of next season. The team never recovered after that, a stupid tackle by Champion on Greg Wilkinson gifted Stalybridge a penalty, Zac Aley making no mistake to give them the lead. It got worse in the second half, Wilkinson cutting in from the wing to bag a second for them. The game was rounded off in injury time when Dennis Sherriff was put clean through and he rounded Dovey before finishing us off.

Eastwood

Tamworth

A match we deserved to win, but we had to wait for our goal. Kennedy picked out Sampson who ran into the box before finishing well. The relief was clear on his face as his goal drought was over. A win we desperately needed as the title race gets tougher.

Altrincham

Tamworth

A vital match in the race for the title as we were 4 points behind Altrincham, but the team simply didn't show up today, clearly missing McDonald but on a positive note, Rodman had returned to the setup after his twisted ankle. A good strike by Sam Winnall after just 2 minutes gave them the lead. Another distanced shot after a corner was headed away sent Altrincham 2-0 up. Nathan Shepherd the scorer. We looked to be heading into half-time at 2-0 but James Smith was tripped literally on the 18-yard box line by Angol and the ref gave them a penalty 2 minutes into first-half stoppage time. Matty Crowell stepped up and made no mistake. The team was low at half-time, they played slightly better in the second half but we were well and truly outclassed. More bad news saw Rodman just back from injury, break his arm and he'll miss another 2 months of action.

Transfers

Lloyd Isgrove - RM/LM overrated by my scouts, he doesn't have much of a future. Released by Southampton

Mark Gray - A defender who was even more overrated by the scouts. Used to play for Grimsby.

Daniel Cresswell - A centre back with good potential, released by Walsall

A poor, poor month. Top at the beginning of the month and now 7 points behind, McDonald and Rodman both out injured doesn't help much either. It will be a battle to get morale back up but two easy matches against Lowestoft and Northwich should hopefully do the trick.

ManUTactician247 · September 11, 2011

February 2011-12 Update

Tamworth

Lowestoft

Just the game we needed to get our morale back on track. We almost had the perfect start when Tomatula's shot from distance was saved straight at Kennedy's feet, he put the ball away but the flag was up. We were not to be deterred however, Tomatula had the ball in familiar territory, around the edge of the box but when everyone expected a shot, he slipped a clever ball through for Sampson who gave us the lead. Lowestoft however got level when a cross from the right was diverted in by Tyrone Scarlett. We were determined not to go into half-time level, a good cross from Angol was headed in well by Sampson to give us the lead. We got a third in a minute into first-half stoppage time when Sampson got involved in another goal, returning the favour to Tomatula who didn't disappoint. Lowestoft managed to pull another back right at the start of the second half when Scarlett latched onto a long ball to grab his second. We soon got a 4th though, Kennedy doing well to pick out Sampson's run and the latter managed to complete his hat-trick! He wasn't done yet though, Tomatula giving it to him and Sampson did well to turn and shoot to get his 4th and our 5th.

Tamworth

Northwich

Buzzing after the 5-2 win, we continued our great form here, and should have scored a lot more. The first goal came on 7 minutes, I'm not sure whether he meant it but Angol managed to chip the keeper wonderfully from the left-hand side to give us the lead! We could have gone 2 up shortly after, Tomatula picking out Sampson who did well to score from a tight angle but it was ruled out for offside. We had another chance to go 2 up when great work and a cross by Sampson on the right found Kennedy who was brought down by Callum Compton and we had a penalty, Tomatula took it and smashed the bar! Another chance missed. I went into half-time a bit worried about the 1-0 scoreline but my worries were not much to worry about as we scored shortly after the break. Bradley's low cross fell kindly for Sampson who smashed it in to make it 2-0. We had another goal disallowed with Tomatula putting Angol through, a good finish but offside again. We went 3 up soon, Angol turning provider with a good delivery from a free-kick which Booker, in for McDonald did well to head in. It wasn't until late on when we sealed it, a low cross by Sampson picking out Angol who took his chance.

Boston Utd 0-0 Tamworth

Another midweek match where I had to rest a few players. We did well considering Boston were a place above us, a great performance by young centre-half James Booker vital to our clean sheet, would have liked a win but it was always gonna be difficult.

Tamworth

Vauxhall

A disastrous match, a one-man show for Vauxhall was enough to beat us. We had the better chances but they put them away, that's what I get for trying out the youngsters. A good through ball for Vauxhall sent Dali Gomez through who got there before Thompson to give them the lead. We managed to level it though, and it was one of the young 'uns, Sampson was dispossessed and Irish midfielder George Smith brought us level with a great goal, his first goal for Tamworth as well. Dali Gomez however managed to sneak past our defence again, making it 2-1 Vauxhall. Gomez got his hat-trick in the second half after finding a way through the defence and beating Thompson at his near post. Vauxhall went down to ten men after a dangerous tackle by Ben Strang on Jeff Campbell but it was too little, too late for us.

Hyde

Tamworth

A pretty average performance by us, but we did enough to deserve the win. A low cross from Bidwell found its way to Sampson who put the only goal of the game beyond the keeper's reach. Hyde played well and maybe deserved a draw, but it was us who came away with 3 points.

Clubs I've been linked with:

Salisbury (22nd in BSS)

With Altrincham now 12 points ahead of us, 1st place seems well out of reach, so hopefully I can get a play-off place and get a bit lucky.

ManUTactician247 · September 12, 2011

March 2011-12 Update

AFC Telford

Tamworth

A very disappointing defeat, we were completely outclassed and lucky to have one goal. We took an early lead when Elliott's free-kick was deflected in but soon enough Telford were level. A good delivery from a free-kick saw Grigoris Kokolakis slide in the equaliser. Telford then took the lead on the stroke of half-time, a deflected cross fell for Jordan Bradshaw who finished well. Telford completed the match with a sneaky shot by Andy Gibson nestling in the bottom corner.

Tamworth

Workington

Rested a couple of first-teamers for this midweek fixture and it just about paid off. A good ball by youngster George Smith put Sampson through and he made no mistake. Valuable 3 points there.

Tamworth

Worcester

A really frustrating draw, especially as we were 2-0 up with 10 minutes to go. We led after 43 minutes, Tomatula giving it to Adam Langley who scored a cracker of a goal, and his first one for the club at that! We got a penalty in the second half after a push by Kevin O'Connor on Tomatula, the penalty was delayed after O'Connor needed an injury treated, but this didn't faze Tomatula who proceeded to score! 2-0 and heading for victory, but with 10 minutes to go, 2 low crosses were poorly dealt with and eventually Neil Cartwright finished it, however the finishing blow didn't come until injury time, with just 10 seconds left on the clock, Mbu was caught in possession and the ball fell for Declan Edwards who levelled the score.

Gloucester 0-0 Tamworth

A disappointing draw, against a team who I thought would be an easy 3 points, only makes retaining that play-off place that bit harder.

Tamworth

Harrogate

Pleased to get a victory here, we had to wait for it though, a deep corner from Langley was headed in by Booker to give us a good 3 points.

Blyth 0-0 Tamworth

I thought this was going to be a tough match, but one we were capable of winning. Blyth had the better chances to score in the first-half but we had more than enough chances at the end but we wasted possession, especially Tomatula who took 5 or 6 long-shots too many.

Tamworth

Ashton Utd

Bottom of the table and nothing to play for, Ashton Utd gave us a good fight but not good enough. A good ball by Tomatula and poor positioning by the keeper saw Sampson give us the lead after 4 minutes, ending a spell of 3 matches without a goal. He soon struck again though, a clever ball by Caolan Lavery put him through and he made no mistake. Ashton pulled one back from the penalty spot after Bradley had pushed Julian Okai, Okai got himself up and scored the penalty. Sampson had his hat-trick on the half hour mark when a pass by Smith wasn't well dealt with and Sampson latched on to it to score. Ashton pulled one back in the second half to scare us a bit, Rob Douglas was put through and finished well but Sampson was in the scoring mood today. A good ball by Lavery sent him clean through and he comfortably bagged his 4th of the game and stopped Ashton's chances of getting a reputable draw.

Clubs I've been linked with:

Woking (10th in BSS)

Dover (13th in BSS)

Welling (14th in BSS)

4 games left of the season now, and Altrincham have secured promotion to the BSP, so only staying in the play-offs is the goal. We face Stafford (A), Corby (H), Alfreton (A), Solihull Moors (H). With Telford six points behind us, we need 7 points to guarantee a play-off place, confident of victories against Corby and Solihull, should get a point at least against Alfreton and I'll take what I can from Stafford. Of course, Telford can drop points as well and Stalybridge are below us as well and could easily go out of the play-offs as well. Next update will confirm a play-off place... or not.

ManUTactician247 · September 18, 2011

April 2011-12 Update

Stafford 0-0 Tamworth

The team currently above us in the table and I was satisfied with the performance in an evenly contested match. A win would have taken some of the pressure off us but a satisfactory result

Tamworth

Corby

A hugely disappointing performance in a match we really should have won... A clever run by Anthony Bolger and a quick finish gave Corby the win in the second half. A loss here now sees Telford just 1 point behind us, a position I really didn't want to be in. More bad news saw Jake Bidwell pick up a twisted ankle, meaning he'd miss the last 2 games of the season.

Alfreton

Tamworth

Another bad performance today, Alfreton led after about 20 minutes, a free-kick was headed in by Paul Clayton. A beautiful curler by Tomatula in the second-half pulled us level, but it was another set-piece goal which saw us lose, Aden Flint heading in from a corner. However, a shock defeat for Telford at home to mid-table Hyde means we still have a play-off place, a win against Solihull Moors at home guarantees us to be in the play-offs.

Tamworth

Solihull Moors

I don't know what went wrong with the team this month, a poor performance saw us not even get a shot on target. On a side-note, young left-back Remy Gordon made his senior debut. The winner was scored by Jamie Pointon, heading in from a deep cross. A win for Telford away from home against Workington sees them snatch 5th from under our noses and leave me worrying about my job. A disappointing end to a season where we were top at Christmas.

Clubs I've been linked with:

Woking (7th in BSS)

Dover (13th in BSS)

Welling (14th in BSS)

Transfers

Daniel Devine - A young Northern Irish centre-half who Preston released.

Ross Lindsay - A young Scottish centre-mid who Killie released.

Javlon Campbell - A striker with great potential who Bolton have let go, with Sampson, Perry and Lavery's contracts set to expire, he'll likely get his chance next season.

Johnny Lindsay - Young Scottish left-back let go by St. Johnstone, has some potential.

George Brislen-Hall - Another young left-back, can play at right-back, a product of Arsenal before released.

Jake Rooney - Young CM, released by Blackpool.

Johnny Oliver - Another central midfielder on the young side, released by Yeovil.

Jack Adams - A very exciting young prospect, another striker who Sheff Utd let go.

Reece Caira - A young Irish centre-mid, also eligible for England and Australia, released by Aston Villa and had an unsuccessful trial with league rivals Vauxhall, but confident he has a future.

Rob Downing - A young holding midfielder let go by Bristol City.

Calum Sheriff - A young CB, let go by Brighton.

Reiss Lee - Another young centre-half, Stockport the team who released him.

Ben Davies - A Welsh U-19 right back and left back who was released by Swansea.

Well, a poor month, we picked up one point out of 12 and missed out on the play-offs, we had done well up to this month, but the players just weren't hungry enough to play in the BSP next season. McDonald's broken leg did nothing to help the team, missing half the season and it certainly showed. Hopefully, we can do better next season, if I have one :O

ManUTactician247 · September 21, 2011

2011/12 Season

League Position: 6th

Table

FA Cup: 2nd Qualifying round (lost to Nuneaton)

FA Trophy: 3rd Qualifying round (lost to Solihull Moors)

Summary: Flying high at the top at Christmas but a drastic loss of form and star CB Greig McDonald breaking his leg did nothing to help the team. Looking to do better in the cup competitions next season as well.

Leagues:

Argentina:

Champions: Boca

Australia

Champions: Brisbane Roar FC

Austria

Champions: FC RB Salzburg

Belgium

Champions: Anderlecht

Brazil

Champions: Palmeiras

Croatia

Champions: Hajduk

Czech Republic

Champions: Sparta Prague

Denmark

Champions: FC Midtjylland

England

Champions: Liverpool

ECC: Blackburn, Man City, Man Utd

EC: Tottenham, Portsmouth! (FA Cup), Sunderland (League Cup)

Relegated: Middlesbrough, Nottm Forest, QPR

France

Champions: Olympique Lyonnais

ECC: OM, Girondins Bordeaux

EC: AS Saint-Etienne, Toulouse FC, AS Nancy Lorraine (French Cup)

Germany

Champions: Leverkusen

ECC: FC Bayern, Wolfsburg

EC: Werder Bremen, Hoffenheim, Kaiserslautern

Greece

Champions: PAOK

Holland

Champions: Ajax

ECC: Feyenoord

EC: AZ, FC Groningen

Italy

Champions: Napoli

ECC: Genoa, Inter, Juventus

EC: Sampdoria, A.C. Milan, Palermo

Mexico

Champions: Cruz Azul

Portugal

Champions: Benfica

ECC: Sporting CP

EC: Porto, Braga, Maritimo, Vit. Guimaraes

Romania

Champions: CFR Cluj

Russia

Champions: Dinamo Moscow

ECC: Spartak Moscow, CSKA Moscow

EC: Zenit, Saturn, Rubin

Scotland

Champions: Hearts

ECC: Rangers

EC: Celtic, Dundee Utd, St. Johnstone (Scottish Cup)

Relegated: Aberdeen

Serbia

Champions: Partizan

South Africa

Champions: Orlando Pirates

Spain

Champions: Barcelona

ECC: R. Madrid, At. Madrid, Getafe

EC: Athletic, Villarreal, Sevilla

Turkey

Champions: Galatasaray

ECC: Fenerbahce

EC: Gaziantepspor, Kayserispor. Ankaragucu, Sivasspor (Turkish Cup)

USA

Champions: Toronto FC

Ukraine

Champions: Shakhtar

ECC: Dynamo Kyiv

EC: Dnipro, Metalist, Metalurg D, Karpaty

Champions League Semi-Final

Schalke 0-2 Real Madrid

Chelsea 2-3 Napoli

Champions League Final

Napoli p 2-2 Real Madrid

Cavani (13,43) Ronaldo (39), Benzema (90+4)

Europa League Final

OM 0-1 CSKA Moscow

Doumbia (20)

African Champions League: ES Tunis

Asian Champions League: Suwon

North American Champions League: Monterrey

OFC Champions League: Auckland City

Copa Libertadores: Velez

Top 25 (Monetary) Transfers

Player/From/To/Price

1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic/Barcelona/AC Milan/21M

2. Bryan Ruiz/FC Twente/R. Madrid/18M

3. Davide Lanzafame/Juventus/At. Madrid/17.25M

4. Claudio Marchisio/Juventus/Arsenal/17M

5. Giuliano/Internacional/Spartak Moscow/16.75M

6. Antonio Nocerino/Palermo/Napoli/16.75M

7. Martin Olsson/Blackburn/Man City/16.5M

8. Javi Martinez/Athletic/At. Madrid/15.5M

9. Ander/Zaragoza/Athletic/15.25M

10. Robert Acquafresca/Genoa/Man City/14.5M

11. Danny/Zenit/A.C. Milan/14.75M

12. Zoran Tosic/CSKA Moscow/Inter/12.5M

13. Tinga/Palmeiras/FC Bayern/12.25M

14. Falcao/Porto/Tottenham/10.5M

15. Alvaro Pereira/Porto/Tottenham/10.5M

16. Christian Maggio/Napoli/Tottenham/9.75M

17. Nicolas Otamendi/Porto/Hoffenheim/9.5M

18. Carlton Cole/West Ham/Birmingham/9.5M

19. Siem de Jong/Ajax/Juventus/9.25M

20. Mauro Boselli/Wigan/Palermo/9.25M

21. Jesus Gamez/Malaga/Olympique Lyonnais/8.75M

22. Sekou Oliseh/CSKA Moscow/Hoffenheim/8.5M

23. Sokratis Papastathopoulos/A.C. Milan/R. Madrid/8.5M

24. Neuton/Gremio/Spartak Moscow/8.5M

25. Graham Dorrans/West Brom/Fulham/8.25M

Copa America 2011

Semi finals

Brazil 0-1 Argentina

Colombia 4-0 Ecuador

3rd Place

Brazil 3-1 Ecuador

Final

Colombia p 1-1 Argentina

Falcao (Tottenham) 84|Higuain (R. Madrid) 27

African Nations Cup 2012

Semi finals

Ivory Coast 4-2 Cameroon

Nigeria 3-0 Algeria

3rd place

Algeria 1-2 Cameroon

Final

Ivory Coast 0-2 Nigeria

Okoro (Barcelona) 34, 64

Gold Cup Final 2011

Honduras 1-2 e Mexico

Chavez (Lokeren) 60|Hernandez (Man Utd) 7

Palacios (Tottenham) 65|Luduena (Santos Laguna) 108

OCE Nations Cup Final 2012

New Zealand 2-0 Fiji

Wood (Barcelona) 25, 74

Notable Managerial Changes

In the Prem:

Tottenham: Hire ex-player Jurgen Klinsmann as manager to replace a retired Harry Redknapp

Man Utd: Sir Alex Ferguson retires and is replaced by assistant Mike Phelan. Phelan is sacked in December and ex-Real Madrid and Spain manager Jose Antonio Camacho is hired.

Everton: Sack David Moyes, hire youth coach Mart van Duren for 2 months and hire Stuart Pearce

Newcastle: Fire Chris Hughton and hire David Moyes.

Man City: Javier Aguirre is sacked and they spend 2 million to get Quique Flores from At. Madrid.

Chelsea: Sack Ancelotti, and hire ex-Bayern and Switzerland manager Ottmar Hitzfeld.

Fulham: Sack Mark Hughes and pay Cardiff £300K to hire Dave Jones.

Other Clubs:

Werder Bremen: Hire ex Holland and Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard to replace retired Otto Rehhagel.

Leverkusen: Replace retired Jupp Heynckes with ex Villarreal and Sevilla manager Joaquin Caparros

PSV: Hire Michel Preud’homme from Twente to replace Fred Rutten who was sacked.

Palermo: Sack Delio Rossi and hire Roberto Donadoni (ex-Italy manager)

Roma: Sack Claudio Ranieri and hire Michael Skibbe

Racing: Sacked Miguel Angel Portugal, hired assistant Fede Castanos as caretaker for a month and decided to keep him. He is sacked and Spain U-19 manager Abel Resino is hired.

At. Madrid: With Flores going to Man City, Aguirre who had just been sacked from City goes to former club Madrid.

Rangers: Fire Gregorio Manzano and hire assistant Ally McCoist.

Inter: Sack Rafa Benitez and hire Fatih Terim, an ex Turkey, Fiorentina and AC Milan manager.

National Teams

Brazil: Hired ex manager Felipao after sacking Mano Menezes. Felipao then retires with Adilson Batista taking over.

Wales: Sack Chris Coleman and hire Gary Speed

Ireland: Trapattoni retires and Chris Hughton is the man hired.

Turkey: Hiddink is sacked and Bursaspor manager Ertugrul Saglam takes over

Interesting Appointments:

Perth Glory: Hire Chris Coleman as manager 11 days after he’s sacked from Wales.

Eskisehirspor: Roy Keane is hired 6 days after Ipswich sack him.

Salamanca: Roberto Martinez becomes their new manager.

West Brom: Ex Spurs player Christian Ziege is hired

Mallorca: Hire Claudio Ranieri as their manager.

St. Mirren: Hire ex-Scotland manager George Burley.

Frosinone: Hire Roberto Di Matteo as their new manager.

Colchester: Gianluca Vialli becomes their manager.

Espanyol: Ex-AC Milan manager Leonardo is hired as their manager.

Chesterfield: Hire ex-Nepal, India, Malawi and Sudan manager Stephen Constantine as manager.

Malaga: Hire Ronald Koeman as manager.

Ipswich: Ex Barca and Real player Jose Enrique takes over.

Cardiff: As Jones leaves for Fulham, ex Rangers and A. Madrid manager Gregorio Manzano takes over as they head for the Prem.

Awards:

World Golden Ball

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (R. Madrid)

3. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

World Player of the Year

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

2. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

3. Cristiano Ronaldo (R. Madrid)

Team of the Year

GK: Victor Valdes (Barcelona)

RB: Daniel Alves (Barcelona)

CB: Simon Kjaer (Wolfsburg)

CB: Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

LB: Marcelo (R. Madrid)

RM: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

CM: Xavi (Barcelona)

CM: Giuliano (Internacional)

LM: Gareth Bale (Tottenham)

ST: Sergio Aguero (At. Madrid)

ST: Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

Subs

Julio Cesar (Inter)

Gerard Pique (Barcelona)

Cristiano Ronaldo (R. Madrid)

Arjen Robben (FC Bayern)

David Villa (Barcelona)

Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd)

Antonio Cassano (Sampdoria)

Prem Top Scorer

1. Johan Elmander (Bolton) 21

2. Bobby Zamora (Fulham) 20

3. Nikola Kalinic (Blackburn) 19

Prem Top Assister

1. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) 21

Prem Player of the Year

1. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

2. Gareth Bale (Tottenham)

3. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

Prem Young Player of the Year

1. Milan Badelj (Sunderland)

2. James McArthur (Newcastle)

3. Marouane Fellaini (Everton)

Prem Manager of the Year

1. Roy Hodgson (Liverpool)

2. Sam Allardyce (Blackburn)

3. Owen Coyle (Bolton)

Tamworth

Top Goalscorer: Jack Sampson 19

Top Assister: Jack Sampson 8

Highest Average Rating: Greig McDonald 7.32

Fans Player of the Year: John Kennedy

Team of the Year:

GK: Chris Thompson (6.70) – Gave us some good displays this season, generally happy with him.

RB: Mark Nisbet (6.93) – A bit surprised he got there ahead of Bradley, as he didn’t even play half the season. Nonetheless, put in a good shift in whatever position he was needed and proved a good backup player.

RCB: Greig McDonald (7.32) – Missed him terribly after he broke his leg in February, scored 6 goals in the time he played and was generally a rock in defence.

LCB: James Booker (7.22) – With McDonald injured, the teen centre-half has impressed a lot and is more than worthy of this team. To think he can still improve is pretty frightening.

LB: Jake Bidwell (7.00) – Signed for a free after Everton let him go, he’s played very well, getting a few assists from the left and preventing attacks down the right.

RM: Alex Rodman (6.81) – Did a good job this season in the games he played. Got some assists and created some good goalscoring opportunities.

RCM: Yvan Tomatula (7.05) – A class act on his day, his phenomenal curlers from long range have got us out of a lot of situations and he gives others chances as well.

LCM: Danny Elliott (6.88) – Solid performances in the middle, didn’t do much special though.

LM: Lee Angol (6.90) – The 17 year old can only get better, contributes well down the left and a couple of goals to show for it too. Just needs to get a bit more consistent.

ST: Jack Sampson (7.02) – Our star man, with 19 goals and 8 assists to his name this season, I’m hoping he’ll sign a new contract as it expires soon. A deadly finisher and does well in the build-up too.

ST: John Kennedy (7.14) – A deadly start to the season, but deteriorated towards the end, leading me to replace him but a good season anyway and his performances were enough for him to win Fans’ Player of the Year.

My ANGRY Goodbyes (These fools signed a contract with me a month ago, and now they’re leaving.

Ashley Yeoman – Was gonna be a good back-up striker before he left.

Jake Rooney

Johnny Lindsay

Javlon Campbell

Other Goodbyes

Caolan Lavery – Never really fitted in with the team, only 2 assists to show for the 13 matches he played.

Reece Fleet – Couldn’t agree terms with the youngster, so he’s on his way.

Ben Wilkinson – High on the wage bill and didn’t play a single game last season, so goodbye to him.

Kyle Perry – Wish I could keep him, a solid back up striker who deserved more of a chance, but was on ridiculously high wages and although he would have taken almost half his current wages, it was still too much for our finances.

ManUTactician247 · September 21, 2011

Tamworth FC 2012-13 Pre-season Report

Preview: Well, my job is safe! Offered another contract which I was delighted to accept. With the younger players in our squad developing well, I feel we have enough depth to challenge this season. If we can tie Sampson down to a new contract then I'll be extremely optimistic of our chances this season. A lot of youngsters I expected to leave the club have decided to stay on month to month contracts, so I'll see if they're worthy for a full time contract. Hopefully, we can pick it up early on and maintain it, unlike season.

Media Prediction: 5th, 1 lower than last season, but still a play-off place, this is my minimum target for next season, I will be really frustrated if I am not here or above once the season ends.

Squad Report

Youth: A terrible intake, the best was an English-Nigerian who can play anywhere across the back-four but still only half a star. Emmanuel Okeke... One to keep an eye on though is Fraser Smith who showed terrific progress last season and is now 3 star potential!

Pre-season friendlies

Dorchester (A) - A team in the BSS who are predicted to struggle, still could be a good match.

AFC Hornchurch (A) - Easy match to get morale up

Grays (A) - " "

Buxton (A) - " "

Also, chairman Bob Andrews has announced a link with Kidderminster in the BSP. Glad to see he's trying to help. We'll host an annual friendly every year (except this one maybe) and we can get players on loan with Kidderminster obliged to pay the full cost of wages.

ManUTactician247 · September 22, 2011

Euro 2012 - Poland and Ukraine

Group A

Greece 7

Holland 6

Portugal 3

Poland 1

Group B

Norway 9

England 6

Ukraine 3

Serbia 0

Group C

Russia 6

Poland 6

Germany 4

Finland 1

Group D

Spain 9

France 6

Italy 3

Montenegro 0

Quarter Final

England 3-0 Greece

Rooney (Man Utd) 10, 56

Walcott (Arsenal) 32

Holland 4-0 Norway

Afellay (Chelsea) 40

Huntelaar (Schalke) 62

van Persie (Arsenal) 66

Hangeland OG (Fulham) 84

Russia e 1-0 France

Izmailov (OM) 118

Croatia 1-2 Spain

Modric (Tottenham) 64|Navas (Sevilla) 4

...............................|Villa (Barcelona) 90

Semi-final

England 0-1 e Spain

Rooney (Man Utd) 47|Torres (Liverpool) 98

Holland 1-2 Russia

Fernandez OG (Dinamo Moscow) 81|Arshavin (Free Agent) 27

...............................................|Stekelenburg OG (Ajax) 62

Final

Spain 2-1 Russia

Pique (Barcelona) 3|Pavlyuchenko (Tottenham) 60

Torres (Liverpool) pen 77|

Golden Boot

1. Fernando Torres (Liverpool/Spain) 4 in 4 appearances

2. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd/England) 4 in 5 appearances

3. Andrey Arshavin (Free Agent/Russia) 4 in 6 appearances

Best Player

1. Jesus Navas (Sevilla)

2. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

3. Xabi Alonso (R. Madrid)

Goal of the Tournament

1. Andrey Arshavin (Free Agent/Russia) vs Holland

A marvellous goal from the attacking midfielder as he dribbles the ball from within his own half before scoring a real poacher's effort.

2. Ibrahim Afellay (Chelsea/Holland) vs Norway

Top quality strike from Holland attacking midfielder Afellay as he scores a curling shot from the edge of the area.

3. Fernando Torres (Liverpool/Spain) vs England

A truly memorable goal from Spain striker Torres as he hits a curling shot.

Team of the Tournament

GK: Jose Manuel Reina (Liverpool/Spain)

RB: Glen Johnson (Liverpool/England)

RCB: Gerard Pique (Barcelona/Spain)

LCB: Phil Jagielka (Everton/England)

LB: John Arne Riise (Roma/Norway)

RM: Jesus Navas (Sevilla/Spain)

RCM: Xavi (Barcelona/Spain)

LCM: Wesley Sneijder (Inter/Holland)

LM: Luka Modric (Tottenham/Croatia)

ST: Fernando Torres (Liverpool/Spain)

ST: Wayne Rooney (Man Utd/England)

AK22 · September 22, 2011

Decent season with Tamworth, unlucky to miss out on the playoffs by just a point :thup:

Interesting to see Napoli win the Champions League too :eek:

cerud · September 22, 2011

Tough break on the finish to last season. Hopefully this will be better now that you can have more cohesiveness in your squad.

ManUTactician247 · September 23, 2011

Decent season with Tamworth, unlucky to miss out on the playoffs by just a point
Interesting to see Napoli win the Champions League too

It was very frustrating to see us lose by so little, 6 points clear at the beginning of April then for some reason we gave up . Also, I expected Napoli to be good, but I didn't expect them to win the champions league already, beating Chelsea and Real Madrid is no easy task!

ManUTactician247 · September 23, 2011

Tough break on the finish to last season. Hopefully this will be better now that you can have more cohesiveness in your squad.

I certainly agree, anything less than a play-off place would be a total failure for me, no excuses from now on!

ManUTactician247 · September 23, 2011

Pre-season Review: July 2012

Dorchester 0-0 Tamworth

A pretty lacklustre start by both teams as they struggled to put in a top performance on the first match, we had a few chances to score but so did they. Bad news saw Tomatula break his elbow, meaning he could miss the rest of our preparations and the start of the season.

AFC Hornchurch

Tamworth

A very satisfying performance, albeit against average opposition. We earned ourselves a penalty after Sampson cut in from the right-hand side and was brought down by Alex Campbell. The lads generously gave the penalty to Greig McDonald, his first match back after recovering from his broken leg and he made no mistake, putting it to the keeper's left to mark his return. The Scotsman wasn't done yet though, heading in Langley's corner on the stroke of half-time. We won another penalty with about 15 mins left, Sampson was put through by Rodman and was then brought down by Matt Clifford, guess who took it, McDonald! 12 yards between him and a comeback hat-trick, he finished it to give us a 3-0 win and certainly mark his return. However, it was not all good news as young CM George Smith tore his calf muscle and will miss a good portion of the season, a shame as I intended to use him .

Grays

Tamworth

We got off to a good start in this match, a deflected effort by Kennedy falling kindly for youngster Jeff Campbell who did well to guide it into the corner to send us in front. We came close to being 2 up when Campbell's ball found Kennedy who did well to finish but up went the flag. We did get a 2nd before half time though, another good pass by Campbell put Sampson through this time who gave us a quality finish. Grays managed to pull a shock goal back in the second half when a cross bounced off Christian Lamb and into the goal, the only goal we proceeded to concede in pre-season. We got a third right at the end to settle any nerves, a low cross by Rodman was tucked away by Sampson.

Buxton

Tamworth

Good news to start the match saw Tomatula recover from his broken elbow. A poor header away from a cross was well read by Sampson who rocketed the ball into the net. Another defensive error led to our second goal, their defender was robbed by Sampson on the edge of the box and he showed good composure to send us 2 up. We soon went 3 up in the second half, Langley headed it to Sampson who smashed a cracker of a half -volley towards goal which was saved into his own net by keeper Matt Mulligan, which the game somehow interpreted as an own goal rather than a Sampson hat-trick but a win is a win.

Pre-season summary: A good pre-season, would have liked to beat Dorchester, but it was gonna be hard on the first match back. Glad we only conceded one goal in pre-season, just hope we can adjust to slightly tougher opposition as we go into the new season.

Transfers

Stewart Davidson - Young Scottish left-back who was let go by Kilmarnock.

Kevin O'Brien - An Irish keeper let go by Montrose.

John Stones - A young right-back released by Barnsley.

Lance McGlen - Young CB let go by Carlisle.

Elliott Whitehouse - A young central midfielder released by Sheff Utd.

Billy Ball - Another young CM, let go by Scunthorpe.

Sam Byram - Young right-back released by Leeds.

Lewis Sirrell - Good young versatile player released by Middlesbrough, LB/LM.

Mason Stewart - A young CM/LM let go by Colchester.

Louis Storey - Young CB released by Newcastle.

Good News

As you can probably tell from the updates, Jack Sampson has extended his stay here for another 2 news, cracking news ahead of the new season!

ManUTactician247 · September 24, 2011

August 2012-13 Update

Stalybridge

Tamworth

Well if ever there was a nightmare birthday in-game then this match was certainly it, a nightmare start to the season. Stalybridge took the lead when Luke Waterfall slid in from a corner. They led 1-0 at half-time and despite me telling them that they weren't good enough, they did much worse. Waterfall got his second of the match, heading in from a free-kick. The third goal came when a cross was headed in by Stuart Cargill. A 25 yarder towards the end by Kevin Kerr only rubbed salt into the wound of a terrible start to the campaign.

Tamworth

Droylsden

The worst thing to do after a big defeat is play tough opposition, and we faced recently relegated Droylsden. Debuts for right-back Sam Byram and striker Jack Adams. Well, we were unlucky as Droylsden scored their only shot on target, a low cross tucked away by Tom Haigh after 19 minutes saw us lose despite playing much better.

Workington

Tamworth

The losing streak continued against Workington. Debuts off the bench for CB Daniel Devine and LM Jordan Clarke. We were well and truly dominated in this match and lucky they scored just once, a goal mouth scramble eventually saw Marcus Maddison score after half an hour.

Tamworth

North Ferriby

Just the opposition we needed to end this poor run of form, but even then we didn't play that well. We scored our first goal of the season when Angol's low cross eventually found Rodman who finished well for his first goal under my management after just 3 minutes. The second half began the same way the first did, with a goal. A good free-kick by Danny Elliott picked out the top corner. North Ferriby shocked us a bit when they pulled one back, a free-kick in a similar position but for them was netted by Lee Andrews but we managed to hold out for the win and hopefully a turning point in the season.

Transfers

Charlie Taylor - Young LB who was released by Leeds.

Sam Minihan - A young CM who was let go by Rochdale.

Kristian Kostrna - A Slovakian under-19 international centre half who was let go by Wolves.

Jordan Clarke - A young LM who was let go by Crystal Palace, was on a trial with BSS side Forest Green but it was abruptly ended as he joined us.

A poor start to the season for us, we're going to need to be close to faultless if we want to compete for a place in the BSP next season. Hopefully the win against North Ferriby was a turning point for us and we should have a better September.

ManUTactician247 · September 24, 2011

September 2012-13 Update

Gainsborough 0-0 Tamworth

A decent result against another team that was relegated from the BSN. Also, our first clean sheet of the season. It was an even match and both teams would agree that a draw was the correct result.

Tamworth

Alfreton

What a fantastic win and performance by the lads today! Against a team that beat us home and away last season and we absolutely trashed them. Young CM Johnny Oliver made his debut in this match. We got off to a great start, Sampson gave it to Jack Adams who did terrifically to turn and run almost half the pitch before finishing to bag his first goal for the club. Alfreton were very lucky to equalise, a poor cross by Jake Moult was misjudged by Thompson and it went in off the post. However, straight from kick off we went back in front, a great ball by Tomatula found Angol who took a touch before slamming it in from 20 yards. We went into half-time 2-1 up, but it didn't take us long to go 3 up when Bidwell's corner was headed in by Mbu. Another good ball by Tomatula found Adams who scored his 2nd to seal the win for us, but in reality we should probably have scored more.

Blyth

Tamworth

A match which probably merited a draw in the end. Blyth however took the lead on the hour mark after a great finish by Kieran Burns. We levelled shortly after, Bradley's low cross was poorly parried by the keeper with Adams latching onto it to put us level. We could have won it in the 95th minute, a flick-on by Adams caused miscommunication between a defender and the goalkeeper and Sampson got there but the GK recovered to stop it, could have been 2 more points but live and learn.

Tamworth

FC Halifax

Well we did the job here against newly promoted Halifax. We led after 10 minutes when Angol's low cross was poorly cleared and Kennedy headed in to end a goal drought which had lasted for over 26 hours! We went 2 up in the second half when Sampson passed it back to Tomatula who came forward before curling it in from 25 yards. Late on, a poor drop kick by the keeper fell straight to Tomatula who put Kennedy through and he finished well to wrap up the victory.

Tamworth

Harrogate

Another great performance by the team today, to give us another big win. We took a very early lead when Bidwell's corner was headed in by Mbu. A good through ball by Tomatula picked out young right-winger Jadan Hall on his debut and he sent us 2 up. We were 3 up not long later, a free-kick by Bidwell was tapped in by Elliott, 3-0 with not even half an hour gone. Harrogate looked to be back in the game on the 30 minute mark when Thompson spilled a fairly routine pass and Liam Hardy scored in an empty net. However on the stroke of half-time, we had other ideas, Elliott gave it to Tomatula who turned before unleashing another great hit from distance to send us 4-1 up at half-time. We didn't do as much in the second half but we did enough to win comfortably. New CB/CM Bradley Gascoigne also made his debut for us off the bench.

Tamworth

Chasetown (FA Cup 2nd Qual. Round)

A great positive from this is that we have now gone further in the FA Cup than we did last season after we got a fortunate home draw against Chasetown. A poor goal kick was headed by Elliott which put Kennedy through, his effort was saved but Sampson was there to score his first Tamworth goal in over 16 hours of football, a big sigh of relief from him I'd imagine. The score was 2-0 at half-time after Sampson found Kennedy who composed himself before slotting it into the far corner. We got a third towards the end when new RM/CM Andrew Greig put in a great low cross which was slid in well by Kennedy to send us through to the next round.

Transfers

Sergio Menisio - A young English-Italian DM/CM who was let go by West Brom.

Andrew Greig - Young Scottish RM/CM let go by Inverness, already got an assist for us.

Bradley Gascoigne - If he's anything like Paul, I'll certainly be happy with this bit of business, a young CB/CM released by Birmingham.

Jadan Hall - A really promising right-winger who has scored on his only appearance so far, was released by Blackburn.

Jordan Sinnott - A young DM/CM who Huddersfield let go, interestingly he is the son of rivals Worcester's manager Lee Sinnott.

David Papworth - Young LB that Forest let go.

Harry Grant - Young CM let go by Swindon.

David Mellor - Young LB/LM let go by Oldham.

Alex Parkes - A young RB/CB that was also released by Oldham.

Michael Miele - A Scottish young goalkeeper who was released by Elgin.

Good news

Kristian Kostrna made his Slovakia Under 21 debut today against Spain and despite the team losing 3-0 Kristian was one of the most impressive players on the team. Who knows, a first-team place may be close!

This is more like it, we're playing like I know we can, Sampson and Kennedy have found goalscoring form, the defence is barely letting anything through and the midfield is keeping possession, here's to that form continuing in October and beyond!

ManUTactician247 · September 24, 2011

October 2012-13 Update

Bury Town

Tamworth

A hugely disappointing draw as bottom of the table Bury Town get their first point. They took a shock lead when Jack Fisher headed in from a corner at the near post. We levelled it in the second half when Kennedy set up Tomatula for a typical 30 yarder from the Frenchman to level the scores. Still, should definitely have got 2 more points.

Tamworth

Mickleover (FA Cup 3rd Qual. Round)

We well and truly thumped this team after another fortunate home draw. Tomatula's low cross saw Adams' sliding effort saved but Jadan Hall was there for the rebound to send us in front. We then won a penalty, when Sampson was brought down by Kenny Hird, Tomatula stepped up confidently and sent us 2 up, Mickleover pulled one back 5 minutes before the break, a good ball put Glen Ross through and he did well to finish. However, the referee once again pointed to the spot after 42 minutes, a Jake Bidwell free kick was sent into the box and the ball was allegedly handled by John Danby and we had another chance from the spot. Tomatula went for it again and scored in the opposite corner, Tomatula completed his hat-trick in first half stoppage time. Yet another shot from distance after Booker had passed it to him. The 5th goal came when Gascoigne slipped a clever ball into Hall who grabbed his second. Gascoigne was on the assist chart once more after his terrific cross was met at the far post by Angol for 6. In the last minute, we got another as Bidwell's free-kick was headed in by Booker. 7 goals and not one by the strikers!

Boston Utd

Tamworth

Back down to earth for us... We actually took an early lead after Adams latched onto a defensive error and finished well after 6 minutes. A powerful first time effort by Ciaran Donnelly got them level before half-time. Boston then took the lead straight after the restart, a communication error between Booker and Thompson let Jon Main round the keeper and he calmly finished to give them the lead. We were soon level though, Bidwell's long free-kick found the ever impressive Hall who took it down and scored but Boston weren't done and another error in defence was responsible as a corner unfortunately bounced off Mbu and into the net to cost us a point.

Tamworth

Corby (FA Cup 4th Qual. Round)

Well the cup run is over, and rather unfortunately as well as we drew 2nd placed Corby. A good passing move eventually led to a good finish by Ben Mackey to give Corby the lead. We had several chances to level but squandered them all, but our luck seemed to turn in the second half with youngster Hall once again contributing, earning a penalty after a trip by Paul McCone. Tomatula who scored 2 penalties last round, fluffed it this time, straight at the keeper who fisted it away and it ended 1-0 to Corby.

Tamworth

Worcester

Something to celebrate in the league this month! A good performance in this match saw us run out comfortable winners. We took the lead after half an hour when Tomatula's deep cross was headed in by Rodman. We went 2-0 up straight away when young LM Marcus Giglio's cross was headed in by Sampson who scored his first league goal of the season. The game ended in the second half when Sampson put Kennedy through and he gave us a calm finish to settle the nerves and end the month on a high.

Transfers

Michael Roberts - A young RB/CB let go by Middlesbrough

Kenzer Lee - A young CB/LB who was let go by West Ham.

Tom Anderson - Young CB released by Burnley.

Wade Joyce - Young CM released by Bury.

Darius Waters - A young CM let go by Wigan.

Paul Clowes - A very promising young RM/CM who Man City let go.

Alie Sesay - Young CB who Leicester released, also ex Arsenal.

Jason Dobbs - Young CM let go by Norwich.

Semi Ajayi - Young CB released by Charlton.

Jake Young - Young RB also released by the Hammers.

Josh Hawker - Young CM who was let go by Birmingham.

Alex Mullin - Young LM released by Burnley.

Staff

Jonathan Rose - A new addition to the scouting team, sent to France.

Well, there are games we utterly dominate and games where we really struggle, we are 14th in the league ATM, and my job is looking insecure. The goal for every match now has to be to win and we really should have beaten Bury Town, every point counts as I found out last season and hopefully we can find some consistent form for the rest of the season.

ManUTactician247 · September 25, 2011

November 2012-13 Update

Vauxhall

Tamworth

Not an ideal start to the month for us, a match we were perhaps unlucky not to get something out of. Last time the two sides met, Argentine striker Dali Gomez bagged a hat-trick against us so we had to pay special attention to him. We did, but we forgot about everyone else. A low ball across the middle was slid in by Jack Midson to give them the lead. Vauxhall took the lead later in the half when after a short corner, a cross seemed to hit everyone on the pitch before going in, Charlie Ward was given the goal. We battled on after that but couldn't do enough to prevent defeat. Young CB Tom Anderson made his debut off the bench in this match.

Tamworth

AFC Telford

Both managers at risk of losing their jobs, this fixture was vital for us. On the back of a defeat against Vauxhall, we had to win. In truth, we really should have won by more than just the one goal. The goal came on the hour mark, from a very debatable penalty call by the referee. Even I thought that Steve Tyrie got the ball fairly off Jack Adams but the ref pointed to the spot and Tomatula steadied himself before slamming it into the top corner. With all the chances we had, it's a shame it came down to a penalty but a good 3 points for us as we kick on. Bad news though sees Danny Elliott tear his calf muscle and miss almost the rest of the season.

Hinckley

Tamworth

What a match against our rivals Hinckley! We really took the match to them from the off, 6 places above us before the match but we certainly showed them. We got off to a dream start, Sampson's effort was saved but Sean Winter pulled Kennedy back as he went for the rebound to give us a penalty! It wasn't the best penalty by Tomatula but a goal all the same, we led after 2 minutes. It wasn't long before we got a 2nd, as Bidwell's free-kick was headed in by Booker. After 10 minutes we were 3-0 up, a quality free-kick by Bidwell picked out the top corner to pretty much end Hinckley's hopes of even a point in this match. We scored again as Tomatula played it to Kennedy who smashed it home from 25 yards. It was 5 before half-time, Bidwell's free-kick was nodded in by Booker for his second. Well, there wasn't much to say at half-time as we were 5-0 up away from home. It got worse for Hinckley as Stephen Edwards hauled down Kennedy, he was the last man and was sent off within a minute of the restart. Hinckley tried to come at us a little bit after that. Another Bidwell free-kick and another header by Booker sent us 6-0 up with just over ten minutes left with the centre-back claiming his hat-trick. We could easily have gone 7 up when Angol's cross was headed in by Hall but the youngster was pemnalised for a push on the defender. All in all though, a fantastic win to let the league know we're rising up!

Tamworth

Vauxhall (FA Trophy 3rd Qual. Round)

Well, a slightly tougher draw than I would have liked, but as with the FA Cup, we got further than last year! Determined to get revenge on a Vauxhall side that always seems to beat us, we bombarded them in the first half but unfortunately had nothing to show for it. We were straight out of the blocks for the second half though, a slick passing move which resembled Barcelona ended up with Kennedy playing in Hall who finished well to give us the lead! Vauxhall will be wondering where their defence was 3 minutes later when Bidwell's corner was chested down and finished by Mbu to all but seal the win as we got sweet revenge on Vauxhall.

Corby

Tamworth

Whilst we were getting revenge on teams, why not take out 2nd placed Corby while we're at it! We got the lead after some remarkable persistence by Sampson squeezed the ball to Adams who finished well to give them the lead. Unfortunately, Corby levelled after a long range screamer by Andy Gooding. We weren't done yet though, a second half Bidwell corner was headed in by Mbu, 2 in 2 games for the centre-back and we were on the road to victory! There was a scare at the end when Corby hit the bar but we held out for the win to take my job status from insecure to stable!

Transfers

Adam White - Young RB let go by Hull

Matthew Steade - Young full back released by Barnsley.

Matt Crooks - A young CM who Huddersfield released.

Theo Young - Young LB/LM released by Leicester.

Dougie Tuck - Young CM let go by Brighton.

Jack Sammoutis - Another young CM, released by Millwall.

Liam Wakefield - Young LB who Doncaster let go.

Richard Bryan - An Irish CB who was released by Aston Villa.

George Colson - Young Welsh CM who Portsmouth released.

Michael Riley - Young LB who Newcastle let go.

Adam Gill - Young winger on both sides released by Carlisle.

Corby Moore - Young CM released by Southampton.

Goodbye

Scott Barrow - The Welsh LB/LM was never in my plans and helps our wage budget by joining Salisbury.

Well, a great month to reflect on. Wins in the FA Trophy, against 2nd placed Corby and a 6-0 thrashing of Hinckley, in 9th place just 2 points off the play-offs, we look like a top team now and go into every match with nothing on our minds except for winning.

ManUTactician247 · September 25, 2011

December 2012-13 Update

Tamworth

Hyde

A classy performance by the lads against a side in the playoffs. We got off to a great start, Bidwell sent a corner into the box and Danny Mills was adjudged to have impeded Booker and we had a penalty inside 4 minutes, Tomatula stepped up to take it and to my dismay, crashed it into the post. The Frenchman made up for it on the hour mark though, Greig passed it to him and his shot from 25 yards into the top corner reminded us of what he's about. A good victory in the end and a valuable 3 points. Bad news though saw Mbu, meaning he'll miss a few weeks of football.

Tamworth

Eastwood

High flying Eastwood were top of the table and we had to face them in the snow, we rose to the challenge though! We led after 20 minutes, Bidwell's corner was headed away, and Adams did well to score from 20 yards out. A good finish by Jake Rosier got Eastwood back on level terms. We led again soon after the restart after Sampson did well to find Adams who got the better of his marker and kept his cool to put us back in front. A clever free-kick tactic by us sent us 3-1 up. Bidwell to Tomatula through to Booker who finished well. Another good victory for us, we seemed unstoppable!

Tamworth

Kidderminster (FA Trophy 1st Round)

A tough draw in the FA Trophy saw us face our parent club in the BSP, Kidderminster. Well I'm proud to say we showed them who the parent club really was :cool: . Kidderminster were the team who took the lead though, a great tackle by Kennedy fell unfortunately to Daniel Johnson who was in an offside position and he scored with 5 minutes left of the first half. The team had battled hard and I had the job of motivating them for the second half. It would appear that I rose to the challenge, we scored straight away, Kennedy played it to Sampson who turned and finished well, ending his goal drought at a rather appropriate time. We then grabbed a second as we hit Kidderminster on the break, Tomatula playing Sampson through and he finished well to win it for us. One shot on target, one goal for Kidderminster says it all really. A great win saw our FA Trophy run continue.

Tamworth

Solihull Moors

I took a chance in this match by starting a lot of youngsters, including debuts for CB Kenzer Lee and CM Josh Hawker, the gamble looked to have paid off after 2 minutes when Hall's corner was flicked on by Lee and finished off by Booker. Solihull levelled it though, and to make it that much more annoying, it was ex-player Danny Thomas who applied the finish. We took the lead again in the second half, a close range free-kick was curled in by Daniel Bradley but a screamer from Sebastian Lletget towards the end that went in off both posts got Solihull a point. A sad end to our winning streak.

Guiseley

Tamworth

Our winning streak was over, and now so is our unbeaten streak. I decided to give the first teamers another rest, but it was a bad choice. Michael Roberts who made his debut off the bench was careless and decided to run backwards over a long distance to get to McDonald's pass, with Leon McKenzie sneaking up behind him to give Guiseley the win. We didn't deserve to win anyway.

Tamworth

Nuneaton

A solid three points against a Nuneaton side who were above us. We took the lead when Sampson did well to find Adams who rounded the keeper before scoring fortunately off the post. A good turn and shot in the second half by Jordan Record got them level. We weren't to be stopped this time though as Bidwell's free-kick was headed in by an in form Booker to give us 3 points.

Tamworth

Stalybridge

We got sweet revenge against Stalybridge after they beat us 4-0 on the opening day. The first goal came after 5 minutes, Bidwell finding Angol who did well to turn and smash it into the top corner. We managed a second in first half stoppage time, Adams unselfishly squaring it for Angol who promptly bagged his second. We got a 3rd when Sampson's cross was slid in by Adams in the second half. Stalybridge got themselves a consolation when good skill by Kevin Kerr allowed him a simple finish. But it all went wrong at the end for Stalybridge when a failed free-kick tactic resulted in one player shooting straight at his team-mate's leg. We quickly broke and soon it was 2 vs the keeper and Angol despite being on a hat-trick decided to square it to Adams who finished our victory. A great win and still time for another young debutant, CB Alie Sesay making his first appearance off the bench.

Transfer

Patrick Banford - A new striker who Nottingham Forest released, we needed a 4th striker and he looks like a suitable back-up.

Good News

Last month, Alex Rodman broke Tamworth's appearance record, making his 112th appearance for the club in our 1-0 win against Telford, he's been great for us and am glad he broke the record uner my management .

All in all a good month, I'm starting to think what might have been with the 5 points dropped against Solihull and Guiseley but we are in the play-offs now, what an improvement! 4th place at the moment and phenomenally only 2 points from top spot! We're still in the FA Trophy and the youngsters are looking ever more impressive. The future looks bright for us.

ManUTactician247 · September 25, 2011

My save just got crash dumped...

Good thing I save after every match then isn't it. ^_^

ManUTactician247 · September 27, 2011

January 2012-13 Update

Tamworth

Workington

So we kicked off the month at home to top of the table Workington, and to be honest were unlucky not to take 3 points out of the match. A good ball by Adams sent new boy Patrick Bamford through on his debut and made a great start to his Tamworth career by finishing his one on one. However, Workington levelled when a low cross found Marcus Maddison and his shot unfortunately went in off the underside of the bar.

North Ferriby

Tamworth

A simple three points we picked up here. Bamford did well to create himself a chance and when his shot was saved, Kennedy was there to finish it to give us the lead. We scored again in the second half when Bidwell's free-kick was headed in by Angol, it bounced off the keeper and went in. Somehow, the game decided it was an OG by Luke Pierce. We finished the game off when Hall threw it to Bamford, who cut inside before unleashing a bullet into the top corner for 3.

Droylsden

Tamworth

A pretty quiet game, but a worthy 3 points in the end. The game was decided towards the end when Adams passed it to Rodman who did really well to place his shot in the bottom corner from 20 yards and we got our points.

Tamworth

Gainsborough

We very nearly lost 2 points that we deserved in this match. We led after half an hour when Tomatula passed it to Bamford, and he bagged another impressive goal, turning before curling it into the corner. Gainsborough levelled it in the second half in bizarre circumstances. A terrible long shot which should have been an easy catch for Thompson was somehow spilt and Jack Watkins netted the equaliser on the rebound. We weren't about to draw because of something like that though! A long clearance by McDonald saw Bamford catch the defender unaware and finished well to give us victory.

Alfreton

Tamworth

Another one we were unlucky not to win, Alfreton scoring their only shot on target. After 10 minutes, that only shot on target came, a well worked move saw a low cross finished by Antonio Murray. We persisted but couldn't find a goal, however I was left speechless when youngster Bradley Gascoigne lined up a free-kick from 30 yards and smashed it home. We only got a point, but the moral of the story is have faith in your youngsters!

Tamworth

Workington (FA Trophy 2nd Round)

The FA Trophy run continues as we take out Workington, playing them for the second time this month. It didn't take us long to get cracking, Booker heading in Bidwell's corner inside 2 minutes. We were soon 2 up, Kennedy picked out a clever run by Bamford and he scored AGAIN to put Workington in a dodgy position at half-time. In truth, we really dominated and were unlucky not to get more goals but hey, goal difference doesn't count in knockout competitions so never mind! Also to note, a debut for young left winger Alex Mullin off the bench for us.

Tamworth

Blyth

This defeat really soured the month for us, especially after being totally dominant. We had the ball in the back of the net after 2 minutes when Tomatula played Rodman through and the veteran finished smartly but the flag was up. Blyth got their goal later in the half, Harry Bunn doing well to turn and shoot with Thompson helpless. We were then denied a penalty in the 2nd half, Welshman Alex Evans was thought to have pushed someone in the box going for a header, but it wasn't given and we could only lose.

Transfers

Lyham Douglas - Young CB who Bristol City released.

Kyle Riley - Young striker let go by Oldham.

Jack Phillips - Young defender who can play anywhere across the back four, let go by Wigan.

Well, we may be 3rd now but we were top until that defeat to Blyth. A sad end to a pretty positive month. Also, new striker Patrick Bamford has been on fire! Much more prolific than any other striker in the club and on a measly £5 per week! 5 goals in 6 matches for us so I have my eye on him. Our FA Trophy campaign is still going and we have improved a lot since August! I'm hopeful of a top of the table finish considering the opponents we have left.

ManUTactician247 · September 27, 2011

February 2012-13 Update

FC Halifax

Tamworth

A really disappointing performance against a side we should have slaughtered, the game's only goal came on the stroke of half-time when Tomatula slipped a clever through ball for Hall who got there just before the keeper to score. However, we didn't play well with Halifax constantly attacking us, credit to them, I think they deserved a point but we'll take three!

Tamworth

Bury Town

Incredible! They did it to us again! Another victory that should have been simple sees Bury Town snatch a draw. We led when a loose ball fell to Angol who finished well from 20 yards. However, Bury Town levelled shortly after the second half started. A corner was headed in at point blank range by Bobby Brewer, a shot which was the only one Bury Town had all match. Our finishing upfront was woeful and Bury Town received a valuable point. What goes around comes around I guess, Halifax deserved a point and didn't get it but Bury Town didn't deserve one and got one.

Fleetwood

Tamworth (FA Trophy 3rd Round)

A tough draw saw us face mid-table BSP side Fleetwood but we gave a good account of ourselves here. We probably had the better of the first half and were rewarded when Sampson played in Hall and he stroked the ball into the net on the stroke of half-time. Fleetwood boss Micky Mellon must have given his team an angry team talk as they came out all guns blazing. The defence did all they could but we couldn't hold out, a low ball across the middle was tapped in by Adam Marriott. Kennedy had a chance right at the end to win it for us, but a magnificent save kept the score at 1-1. A notable debut here for winger Adam Gill.

Tamworth

Fleetwood (FA Trophy 3rd Round Replay)

Well, not the replay I had planned. We were truly taken apart by a better looking Fleetwood team. They scored the first after half an unfortunate tackle by Josh Hawker fell for Ian Craney who was left with a simple finish. They scored again in the second half, a goalmouth scramble after a corner ended up with Mbu putting it into his own net. Worse was to come though when a long ball over the top was intercepted by McDonald and he passed it back to the keeper but for some inexplicable reason the referee decided that it was a professional foul and sent the Scotsman off! I couldn't believe it... They finished us off in stoppage time, Mark Stewart tapping it in after a cross. The cup run is over but at least we can concentrate on the league now.

Harrogate

Tamworth

Probably should have scored more in this game but a win is a win. What I'm happy about is the scorer, an 11 hour goal drought ended today for Jack Sampson. Incase you'd forgotten who he is, he's meant to be my star striker! He did well to take the ball off the defender and smash the ball into the back of the net.

Tamworth

Boston Utd

A good enough performance by the lads in this match to win it. We took the lead when Adams' low cross was smashed in off the underside of the bar by Sampson. On the hour mark, Adams was sent clean through but was fouled by Michael McColl and we had a penalty! Tomatula took it and didn't disappoint, picking out the top corner. A worthy win to get us on track. This match was the end for Boston United boss Rob Scott, yet he is still of the opinion that we can be friends .

Still 3rd in the league, if only we beat Bury Town eh? Anyway, it's all very tight up there so every match is important to us from now on. Good to see Sampson recover some of his goal scoring prowess and our defence keeping tighter at the back. The FA Trophy exit was disappointing but allows us to focus on promotion. I've been linked with a number of BSP sides, Welsh clubs Wrexham (3rd) and Newport (6th). Also interested are Macclesfield (4th) and Histon (19th), although I'm not the favourite for any of these jobs it's still an encouraging sign!

ManUTactician247 · September 29, 2011

March 2012-13 Update

Tamworth

Vauxhall

The scoreline really didn't match the balance of play. We had more shots than they did but they put them away. The first goal came when Leam Richardson finished from close range after a low cross. Vauxhall scored again in the second half when Thompson came out recklessly from a free-kick leaving Jack Midson to head it into an empty net. The match was completed late on when Dali Gomez finished after a goal-mouth scramble. Not a match to look back on, so don't expect me to.

Worcester

Tamworth

A poor performance in a match we really should have won. Richard Logan gave them the lead in the second half, heading in from a corner. Youngster Sam Byram showed his inexperience by bringing down Fiachra McArdle in the box. Logan took and scored his 2nd of the game from the spot to finish us off.

AFC Telford

Tamworth

Another poor performance has had me really worrying. A terrific long shot by Grigoris Kokolakis gave them the lead. They made it 2 when James Lawrie got the better of Byram before finishing well, Lawrie scrambled home his second 5 minutes later to leave them 3 up at half time. We pulled one back shortly after the restart when Bidwell's corner was headed in by Mbu but a defeat is a defeat and I'm left wondering how to recover. Dougie Tuck made his debut for us in the middle of midfield, not a happy one.

Tamworth

Hinckley

After a terrible month, we needed a bit of luck to get us back on track. In a pretty even game, we had to wait till the end before registering a win over our rivals. Bidwell's free-kick was sent into the box and Calum Burgess was thought to have impeded Booker in the box and we won a penalty. Tomatula didn't let us down, confidently smashing it into the bottom corner.

At the beginning of the month, we had a genuine chance at the title but after poor performances we're left outside of the play-offs hoping for other teams to slip up to get there. I'm really disappointed with the players attitudes this month, they'd better shape up or we'll miss out on the play-offs again. In other news, I've been linked with top of the table Cheltenham, play-off contenders Wrexham and Macclesfield as well as struggling Histon, all in the BSP.

ManUTactician247 · October 1, 2011

April 2012-13 Update

Hyde

Tamworth

We needed a good result here and we got one! The game didn't get off to a great start, after us making 3 subs within just 20 minutes, Tomatula was injured, Gascoigne (who came on for Tomatula) picked up a knock and Jack Adams was also injured. It didn't stop us from taking the lead though. Sampson did well to pick out a run by Hall and the youngster slotted it calmly home. There was another goal shortly after, Kennedy's low cross across the middle was finished brilliantly by Hall for his second. We went 3-0 up before half time when Kennedy latched onto a defensive error before smashing it past the keeper. Hyde probably deserved to pull one back in injury time when a cross was headed in by Rossi Jarvis. A good start to the month though!

Tamworth

Corby

Fortunately for us, only one out of the three that came off against Hyde suffered a from of injury and Adams was the unlucky one, picking up a dead leg. We led before half-time after a great cross by Bidwell found an unmarked Jadan Hall who continued his outstadnding form with his 3rd in 2 games. Corby came at us in the second half but we held on for the three points.

Eastwood

Tamworth

Despite a poor run of form, Eastwood put in a good performance against us and were unlucky to leave with nothing. Eastwood took the lead after a powerful header from a corner by Matt Bailey went in. We levelled the scores just before half-time when Bidwell did brilliantly to win the ball in a good position before playing in Patrick Bamford and he did well to finish. Towards the end, we got a winner, we hit Eastwood on the break when Bamford put Kennedy through and his finish made me pump my fist in celebration as we continued our 100% record in April.

Solihull Moors

Tamworth

After losing our last 3 matches of last season, I was worried about this match and I was certainly right to be. A disastrous performance saw Solihull rip us apart. A good finish after a one-two by Aiden O'Brien saw Solihull lead and O'Brien scored minutes later after Booker lost the ball in a poor area and O'Brien happily scored his second of the game. The game was put beyond doubt in the second half when ex-player Danny Thomas was brought down in the box by Sam Byram and they had a penalty which O'Brien scored for his hat-trick and a poor result.

Tamworth

Guiseley

Glad we're not taking the same path as last season, we rounded off the month with a 4th win in 5. We had to wait until first-half stoppage time for the lead, Hall gave it to Tomatula who then went on an incredible mazy run into the box before firing it into the corner. The nerves were settled in stoppage time again, this time in the second half. Hall's low cross was spilt by their keeper Paddy Gamble () and Lee Angol had the easiest of finishes to seal the win!

A much better April, not only sees us re-enter the play offs but go all the way up to 2nd with just one match to go. The win against Guiseley seals at least a play-off place this season so I have met by goal! The top 5 looks like this at the moment

Workington.....78.....+27

Tamworth.......76.....+23

AFC Telford.....76.....+16

Vauxhall.........75.....+36

Stalybridge.....75.....+29

So with one match to go, we could potentially win the league! However, we need Workington to slip up at home against Hyde and we have a reasonably tough fixture away to Nuneaton, it'll be an exciting last day! Of course, there's still the play-offs as well if we don't win the league. BSP 3rd placed side Macclesfield has once again been rumoured as my next destination as well.

ManUTactician247 · October 1, 2011

May 2012-13 Update

Nuneaton 0-0 Tamworth

Pre-match, I was offered a new contract by chairman Bob Andrews and I happily took a paycut to accept. A really disappointing result, a Nuneaton side with nothing to play for parked the bus, playing 5 in defence and we were unable to break them down. However, the draw wasn't the only bad news. Jake Bidwell picked up an injury right before half-time and with no other left-backs in the squad, I was forced to throw young CB Semi Ajayi into the deep end for his debut, playing with 1 RB and 3 CBs was gonna be difficult. Then, Tomatula picked up a knock in the second half. What made things worse was that Hyde had beaten Workington 3-1, so a win in this match and I'd have won the league! GRRRRRR. Fortunately, we held on to 2nd place in the league to face Telford in the play-off semi final.

AFC Telford

Tamworth (Playoff Semi final Leg 1)

Bidwell broke his collarbone and Tomatula bruised his ribs, meaning they would both miss the semi-finals with Bidwell missing the final if we got there as well. We battled hard though and this was not the result we deserved, Sampson and Kennedy both hit the post during the first half, a great strike in the second half by Jon Parkin saw Telford beat a weakened line-up.

Tamworth

AFC Telford (Playoff Semi Final Leg 2)

We got off to a great start, taking the lead after just over a minute, Kennedy played in Sampson who placed it into the top corner to break a 15 hour long goal drought, great let's score again I thought. Unfortunately, Telford did 3 minutes later, a long ball over the top sent Adam Newbury through and he calmly finished. We battled on until the final whistle, dominating the game but we couldn't score and Telford got a lucky passage into the final meaning I'm stuck in the BSN for another season :mad: . Young left back Theo Brown made his debut in this match.

Transfers

Ben Glasgow - Young Irish RB/CB who Arsenal released.

Joe Chapman - Young CB let go by Swindon.

Robert Maloney - Young Irish LB released by Fulham, also played for Liverpool, definitely one to look out for.

Jordan Ball - Young CB let go by Doncaster.

Un-flipping believable, so close to winning the title but we play against the one team in the league that plays 5 in defence. We draw, then our 2 best players both pick up injuries and we just about lose to Telford after dominating both legs! I'm surprised my computer still works! For the record, here are the stats for both us and Telford in the semis

Shots (On Target)

Tamworth: 19 (5)

Telford 19 (5)

It should also be noted that 3 of our shots off target hit the woodwork, oh well, try again next season I guess

ManUTactician247 · October 2, 2011

2012/13 Season

League Position: 2nd

Table

FA Cup: 4th Qualifying round (lost to Corby)

FA Trophy: 3rd round (lost to Fleetwood)

Summary: So close… 2 points away from the title and then unlucky to lose to Telford in the play-off semi final, great run in the FA Trophy but I can’t help but feel angry that I still haven’t got Tamworth promoted.

Leagues:

Argentina:

Champions: Velez

Australia

Champions: Gold Coast United

Austria

Champions: FC RB Salzburg

Belgium

Champions: Anderlecht

ECC: Club Brugge

EC: Standard, Charleroi, STVV

Brazil

Champions: Cruzeiro

Croatia

Champions: Hajduk

Czech Republic

Champions: Sparta Prague

Denmark

Champions: AaB

England

Champions: Man City

ECC: Arsenal, Man Utd, Tottenham

EC: Aston Villa, Chelsea, West Ham (FA Cup)

Relegated: Bristol City, Bolton, Cardiff

France

Champions: Olympique Lyonnais

ECC: OM, Paris Saint-Germain

EC: AS Saint-Etienne, AS Monaco FC, AJ Auxerre

Germany

Champions: Schalke

ECC: Dortmund, Wolfsburg

EC: Leverkusen, FC Bayern, Werder Bremen

Greece

Champions: PAOK

Holland

Champions: Ajax

Italy

Champions: A.C. Milan

ECC: Atalanta, Sampdoria, Fiorentina

EC: Palermo, Genoa, Inter

Mexico

Champions: America (MEX)

Portugal

Champions: Porto

ECC: Benfica

EC: Sporting CP, Maritimo, Braga, Academica

Romania

Champions: CFR Cluj

Russia

Champions: Zenit

ECC: Spartak Moscow, CSKA Moscow

EC: Lokomotiv Moscow, Dinamo Moscow, Rubin

Scotland

Champions: Celtic

ECC: Rangers

EC: Hearts, Inverness CT, Aberdeen (Scottish Cup)

Relegated: Aberdeen

Serbia

Champions: Hajduk Kula

South Africa

Champions: Jomo Cosmos

Spain

Champions: Barcelona

ECC: At. Madrid, R. Madrid, Malaga

EC: Getafe, Sevilla, Valladolid (Spanish Cup)

Turkey

Champions: Galatasaray

ECC: Besiktas

EC: Genclerbirligi, Fenerbahce, Bursaspor, Ankaragucu

USA

Champions: New York

Ukraine

Champions: Shakhtar

ECC: Dynamo Kyiv

EC: Dnipro, Metalurg Zp, Metalurg D, Metalist (Ukrainian Cup)

Champions League Semi-Final

FC Bayern 4-6 Barcelona

Shakhtar 1-4 Man Utd

Champions League Final

Barcelona 3-2 Man Utd

Villa (pen 37)|Alves OG (28)

Messi (52)….|Rooney (61)

Busquets (71)

Europa League Final

A.C. Milan 2-3 Olympique Lyonnais

Ibrahimovic (pen 42)|Lovren (28)

Aubameyang (75)….|Tafer (47, 52)

African Champions League: Ismaily

Asian Champions League: Al-Ittihad (KSA)

North American Champions League: Atlas

OFC Champions League: Waitakere Utd

Copa Libertadores: Boca

Top 25 (Monetary) Transfers

Player/From/To/Price

1. Edin Dzeko/Wolfsburg/Chelsea/28.5M

2. Moussa Sissoko/Spartak Moscow/Man City/17M

3. Fabio Coentrao/Benfica/Man Utd/16.75M

4. David Silva/Man City/Napoli/16M

5. Arturo Vidal/Tottenham/R. Madrid/14.75M

6. Mapou Yanga Mbiwa/Montpellier Herault SC/FC Bayern/13M

7. Franck Tabanou/Toulouse FC/Benfica/12.5M

8. Christophe Jallet/Paris Saint-Germain/Fiorentina/12.25M

9. Gonzalo Castro/Villarreal/FC Bayern/12.25M

10. Alexis Sanchez/Udinese/Chelsea/12.25M

11. Javier Orozco/Cruz Azul/FC Bayern/11.5M

12. Marco Reus/Werder Bremen/Inter/11M

13. Christian Eriksen/Ajax/Man Utd/11M

14. Mattia Cassani/Palermo/Man City/10.75M

15. Borja Valero/Napoli/Tottenham/10.75M

16. Ivan Rakitic/Schalke/Inter/10.5M

17. Blaise Matuidi/AS Saint-Etienne/Sampdoria/10.25M

18. Andrea Poli/Sampdoria/Olympique Lyonnais/10.25M

19. Ryad Boudebouz/FC Sochaux-Montbe/Blackburn/10M

20. Nikola Kalinic/Blackburn/Tottenham/10M

21. Pablo Piatti/Hercules/Napoli/10M

22. Ilkay Gundogan/Stuttgart/Valencia/10M

23. Daniel Congre/Toulouse FC/Porto/10M

24. Adrian/LOSC Lille Metropole/Aston Villa/9.5M

25. Nilmar/Villarreal/Chelsea/9.5M

African Nations Cup (Libya) 2013

Semi Finals

Cameroon 1-2 Ivory Coast

South Africa 3-0 Guinea

3rd place

Cameroon 3-1 Guinea

Final

South Africa 2-0 Ivory Coast

Pienaar (HSV) 19

Loboue OG (Oberhausen) 51

Notable Managerial Changes

In the Prem:

Chelsea: Ottmar Hitzfeld retires and Pasquale Marino takes over.

Liverpool: Roy Hodgson retires on the back of a big Prem title for the Reds and guess who’s back in town… Rafa Benitez! It doesn’t take long for Rafa to be sacked and they pay Juventus £2M to hire Thomas Schaaf.

Bolton: Owen Coyle gets the sack and Mick McCarthy joins from Wolves for £1M.

Wolves: With McCarthy joining Bolton, they hire Levante boss Luis Garcia Plaza for £525K.

Everton: Stuart Pearce is sacked and Roberto Mancini returns to the Prem after being sacked by Sevilla.

West Ham: With Grant leaving for Mexico, they pay Stoke £1M to hire Tony Pulis as their new manager.

Stoke: Pulis heads off to West Ham and Dennis Wise is apparently the appropriate replacement.

Birmingham: Alex McLeish is sacked and they pay £55K to hire Kasey Keller from Chelsea where he was working as a youth coach.

Other Clubs:

Shakhtar: Carlos Alberto Parreira retires and Mark Hughes takes over.

CSKA Moscow: Russian champions Dinamo Moscow lose their manager to CSKA, Miodrag Bozovic replaces ****skiy who goes to Russia for 725K.

Dinamo Moscow: Hire Saturn’s Anatoly Baidachny to replace Bozovic for £250K.

Girondins Bordeaux: Lucien Favre is sacked and they hire Frederic Antonetti from Rennes for £725K.

Juventus: With Schaaf on his way to Liverpool, they hire the guy he replaced, Benitez!

Leverkusen: With Joaquin Caparros returning to former club Sevilla, they pay Werder Bremen £2M to hire Frank Rijkaard for the German champs.

At. Madrid: Javier Aguirre is sacked and ex Italy manager Cesare Prandelli is the new boss.

Feyenoord: Mario Been is sacked and assistant Leon Vlemmings is hired after a 2 month spell as caretaker.

Inter: Fatih Terim is sacked and hire ex Man City manager Javier Aguirre.

National Teams

Italy: Sack Cesare Prandelli and ex Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti takes the helm.

Russia: Dick Advocaat retires after a successful Euro 2012 and Leonid ****skiy takes over.

England: Capello retires and ex-United boss Mike Phelan becomes the new manager.

Poland: Franciszek Smuda retires and veteran manager Henryk Kasperczak is hired.

Interesting Appointments:

QPR: Alan Shearer is the manager to try and get them into the Prem.

Leeds: Bernd Schuster becomes their new manager after being sacked by Deportivo.

Valladolid: Ex Barca, Real and Serbia manager Radomir Antic becomes their new manager.

Watford: John Barnes goes back to his former club and becomes manager.

Sydney FC: Pay Al-Ahli 180K to hire David O’Leary as manager.

Hibernian: Owen Coyle is hired as their new boss.

Odivelas: Anyone remember Pedro Mendes? Well he takes over as boss of the 2nd Division Central side.

Crystal Palace: Alan Pardew returns to the team he once played for.

Panionios: Hire ex Inter boss Hector Cuper as manager.

America (MEX): They pay West Ham £1.6M to hire none other than Avram Grant as their manager!

Awards:

World Golden Ball

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (R. Madrid)

2. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

3. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

World Player of the Year

1. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (R. Madrid)

3. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

Team of the Year

GK: Iker Casillas (R. Madrid)

RB: Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern)

CB: Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

CB: Gerard Pique (Barcelona)

LB: Domenico Criscito (Man City)

RM: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

CM: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

CM: Xavi (Barcelona)

LM: Cristiano Ronaldo (R. Madrid)

ST: Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli)

ST: David Villa (Barcelona)

Subs

Julio Cesar (Inter)

Simon Kjaer (Wolfsburg)

Toni Kroos (FC Bayern)

Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

Antonio Cassano (Sampdoria)

Gareth Bale (Tottenham)

Carlos Tevez (Man City)

Prem Top Scorer

1. Gabby Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) 30

2. Darren Bent (Sunderland) 22

3. Carlos Tevez (Man City) 22

Prem Top Assister

1. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) 15

2. Moussa Sissoko (Man City) 13

3. Gareth Bale (Tottenham) 13

Prem Player of the Year

1. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

2. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)

3. Moussa Sissoko (Man City)

Prem Young Player of the Year

1. Jack Wilshere (Everton)

2. Milan Badelj (Sunderland)

3. Milan Djuric (Aston Villa)

Prem Manager of the Year

1. Quique Flores (Man City)

2. Hugo Sanchez (Aston Villa)

3. Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)

Tamworth

Top Goalscorer: Yvan Tomatula 12

Top Assister: Jake Bidwell 16

Highest Average Rating: James Booker 7.20

Fans Player of the Year: Jake Bidwell

Team of the Year:

GK: Chris Thompson (6.72) – Generally solid in goal, makes a few mistakes now and again but on his day he makes the difference.

RB: Sam Byram (7.01) – The youngster made a bright start to the season but got a bit sloppy towards the end, conceding penalties that put matches out of reach.

RCB: James Booker (7.20) – Another solid performance by him this season, bagging a fair few amount of goals himself, only good things to say about him!

LCB: Joe Mbu (6.90) – Still not quite hit the heights I’d want him to, but he’s definitely improved from last season.

LB: Jake Bidwell (7.18) – A fantastic left back, got 16 assists last season, just showing how vital he is to the team, we really needed him in the play-offs.

RM: Jadan Hall (7.10) – The 19 year old has certainly fitted into the team well, his clever runs behind the defence and ice cool finishing certainly have left a great impression on me.

RCM: Yvan Tomatula (7.09) – The flair player in the middle, his shots from distance never fail to amaze me, a great asset to have and with 12 goals, was our top scorer this season.

LCM: Andrew Greig (6.86) – A good player, didn’t do anything too special last season but covered well for Elliott, hopefully he’ll have a bigger role next season.

LM: Lee Angol (6.86) – The 18 year old is developing rapidly and does well down the left, again would like him to put in more consistent performances but he’s only young.

ST: John Kennedy (7.01) – Would have liked him to score a few more goals but not too bad this season.

ST: Jack Adams (7.18) – Not the Jack we all expected to be in this team, Adams has come a long way last season, despite his form deteriorating towards the end of last season, he was still our top league scorer with 10 goals, long may his goals continue!

Transfer

John Howells - Young striker let go by Portsmouth.

Goodbyes

Stewart Davidson - Never got his chance for the club and is on his way.

Mark Cook - My back-up GK was always gonna find it difficult to break into the team, so how could he turn down the chance to join League 2 Aldershot, best of luck to him.

ManUTactician247 · October 2, 2011

Tamworth FC 2013-14 Pre-season Report

Preview: Well, promotion is the aim this season, last year we were so close to coming top only to be thwarted by a Nuneaton side who parked the bus. The board's minimum expectation is promotion so we can't afford a terrible start like last season.

Media Prediction: 1st, even I was surprised with this, the team must be good if we're expected to win the league. Let's hope this prediction proves accurate this season!

Squad Report

Youth: Another bad intake, the best to come through once again has only 1/2 a star PA. LM/CM Graham Davies was considered the best of the lot. Also, I hope this guy doesn't get picked on too much in training, for his name and his hair! Currently though, we do have 2 youngsters who are worth keeping an eye on. Both 2 and a half star PA, Fraser Smith and Matt Davis.

Pre-season friendlies

Braintree (A) - A reasonable test to start pre-season off, against a BSS team challenging for the play-offs, should be interesting.

Hereford (H) - The mid-table League 2 side should provide a challenging visit.

Proodeftiki (H) - Not often, do a team like Tamworth get the chance to play against a side outside the UK, but I've arranged a visit from this Greek side, should be entertaining.

AFC Fylde (A) - Well, I didn't want to kill the team, so I arranged a nice easy fixture here.

Southport (A) - Southport have just come down from the BSP and should be our main challengers this season, so I set this up to see how we match up *smiles evilly*

ManUTactician247 · October 4, 2011

Pre-season Review: July 2013

Braintree

Tamworth

A disappointing start to pre-season. Braintree probably deserved to win as well. They took the lead after ten minutes after a good finish off a cross by Sam Lechmere. We levelled soon after when Bidwell's free-kick gave Booker a simple tap in. However, we conceded again after James Booker brought down Liam Hatch in the box to give away a penalty which James Robinson simply tucked away to get our pre-season off to a bad start.

Tamworth

Hereford

An outstanding performance against League 2 opposition, we could even afford to rest a few first team players and come quite close to victory. Hereford got the early lead, Dominik Werling's free-kick bounced off the wall and came back to him with Werling volleying it perfectly past Thompson. We levelled shortly after though, Kennedy giving it to Sampson who did well to sneak a shot into the bottom corner. We scored again later, a poor goal kick was headed forward by debutant CM Jack Sammoutis with Kennedy finishing well to give us the lead! And we'd have won it too, but Thompson spilt what should have been an easy take from a cross, Paul Webb took full advantage, finishing from a tight angle. A sad end to Thompson's career at Tamworth (see below). A debut here for on loan right-back Tom Vaughan. Injury news for us as well, bad for young winger Adam Gill who broke his ankle, Angol damaged his elbow as well, he'd miss pre-season but return for the start of the season.

Tamworth

Proodeftiki

I was satisfied with a draw here against a very good Greek side, we took the lead early on when young LM Jordan Clarke's corner was headed in by McDonald. Proodeftiki plugged away though and found the net on the stroke of half-time, Leonel scrambling the ball in 3 minutes into stoppage time. A debut here for young RM Stephen Brown as well.

AFC Fylde

Tamworth

The result was as easy as the scoreline suggests. Bad news for us saw Patrick Bamford injured early on, damaging his knee cap. However the man coming on for him, young striker Kyle Riley making his debut made an instant impact, his cross picked out Kennedy who slid home the opener. We went 2-0 up later and it was yet another debutant, Tomatula headed the ball down to young CM Rob Clowes who unleashed a 30 yard strike off the underside of the bar and in, future Tomatula anyone? We almost went 3 up before half-time, with Marcus Giglio finishing well off a Bidwell pass but the flag was up. We went 3 up anyway with Mbu forcefully heading in Bidwell's corner. A great ball by Clowes then picked out Kennedy who took his time before smashing it past the keeper. A routine win which also saw a debut for young right winger Russell Pritchard.

Southport

Tamworth

What a spectacle to round off pre-season! We faced our main title rivals Southport and put in a terrific first half performance. We led after less than 3 minutes as Adams' cross was headed in by young LM and debutant Lewis Sirrell. Adams then turned from provider to finisher, Sampson put him through and Adams mercilessly smashed it into the corner. We were 3-0 up in 20 minutes! Adams' shot was saved but Sampson only had an empty net to give us a convincing lead. Southport didn't let us celebrate though, scoring straight from kick-off, Jack Boyle getting on the end of a cross to score. They netted again on the stroke of half-time, another cross from the right was headed in this time by George Hollis. Southport then scored again just after the restart to complete their comeback. A good ball finding Hollis who quickly shot to get his 2nd. Southport almost won it in the end, but some good saves from Jack Dovey, our new first choice saw us survive what would have been an embarrassing defeat. Debut for young CM Richard Belcher for us as well.

Pre-season summary: Despite winning one match out of 5, I am fairly happy with how pre-season went, we avoided defeat against League 2 opposition and a good team from abroad. After the easy pre-season of last year saw us start the season off badly, I hope challenging them would make them respect their opponents more.

Transfers

Lee Vaughan - A solid right-back who comes in on loan from parent club Kidderminster, should provide some stability there.

Danny McAuley - Impressed with the versatility of this youngster who Bolton let go, LB/LM/CM.

Richard Belcher - Young CM that Peterborough released.

Stephen Brown - RM/CM let go by Sheff Wed.

Russell Pritchard - Another RM/CM who I have high hopes for, a 17 year old that has already played twice at Championship level for Burnley, also the only affordable player I saw on Trial Day. He failed 2 trials at St Albans before coming here, but hopefully will work out for us.

Goodbyes (The guys that never played for me)

Matthew Russell

Tom Marshall

Tony Davison

Sebastien Lake-Gaskin (joins BSS side Bath on Bosman)

Philip Ojapah

Goodbyes (The Rest)

Stefan Oakes - Was good in my first season but his stats have dropped with age, so not worth having any more.

Danny Elliott - Will be missed, despite an injury forcing him to miss loads of last season, I'm disappointed not to have tied him down to a new deal.

Alex Rodman - Wanted to keep him as well, but he moves on to parent club Kidderminster where he can play in the BSP, our record appearance holder although he is being caught up!

Chris Thompson - I didn't anticipate our best keeper leaving, especially so soon after signing a contract, but it was difficult to refuse an 8K offer from non-league Salisbury, hopefully youngster Jack Dovey can step up to the plate.

ManUTactician247 · October 8, 2011

August 2013-14 Update

Tamworth

Alfreton

Our season got off to the worst possible start, keeper Jack Dovey came a long way out of his area to take a free-kick, it fell straight to Scott McLaughlin who found the net from the half-way line! We were level shortly due to an error in defence of their own, a poor pass was cut out by Sampson who finished coolly to bring us level, marking his record-breaking 121st appearance for the club with a goal. The game seemed to be trying to tell me we couldn't win after Dougie Tuck stubbed his toe and Tomatula twisted his ankle. Late on though, we snatched a win, a good one-two between Kennedy and Adams saw the former finish it to give us the lead. Mbu sealed it in stoppage time when he headed in Bidwell's corner. A good three points to start the season. Debuts on the right-hand side for Tom Vaughan and Russell Pritchard.

Boston Utd

Tamworth

A pretty boring match which Boston probably deserved to win more than us. We however won it with 20 minutes to go, a long ball by Angol on the break sent Sampson through and he scored what turned out to be the only shot on target in the whole match!

Tamworth

Solihull Moors

It was a miracle that we won this match, but our hundred percent record continued. Bidwell's corner was tapped in by Mbu as we got another three points. Young CM Alistair Turner made his debut off the bench. Bad news for us though saw Sampson pick up a thigh strain, just when he was on good form.

Hinckley

Tamworth

A perfect start to the season seemed a reasonable dream, especially after winning this fixture 0-6 last season. However, we were simply undone by their strike force. We started well, Pritchard giving it to Adams who gave it to the top corner. Hinckley levelled straight away, a good run and a great strike by Christian Montano got them level. They scored again when a loose ball fortunately fell for Montano who scored again. We got things back to level terms when Bidwell's corner was headed in by Booker. Hinckley retook the lead in the second half taking advantage of a knock picked up by Tom Vaughan by attacking down the left and sure enough a cross was headed in by Yannick Makota. They sealed the win not long later, a cross finding an unmarked Kieran Burns at the far post who had a simple finish. The game ended sourly for us as Josh Hawker picked up his second yellow card for a needless trip.

Transfers

James Marsh - Young CM released by Norwich.

Alistair Turner - Young LM/CM let go by Stockport.

Philip Naylor - Young CM released by Eastleigh.

Robert Crace - Young CB let go by Middlesbrough.

David Law - Young Scottish CB released by Livingston.

Martin Byrne - Young CB released by West Ham.

Reice Charles-Cook - Young keeper let go by Arsenal.

Tom Taylor - Young versatile player released by Nuneaton, can play LM, CM and ST

A perfect month would have been nice but 3 wins and a loss is better than last season's 3 losses and a win in August. The match against Hinckley was always going to be difficult without Tomatula and Sampson who will hopefully make a quick return to the team.

ManUTactician247 · October 8, 2011

September 2013-14 Update

Tamworth

Blyth

I really hate playing against Blyth! They didn't really deserve a win that great but they sure as hell got it. They had a goal disallowed when Robert Dale was flagged offside but they led anyway on the stroke of half-time when Dale headed in a deflected cross. They went 2-0 up after Alex Evans had a simple tap-in after a corner. Blyth went down to ten men though when a terrible challenge by Harry Bunn saw him walk, Andrew Greig then had to come off, his knee twisted by the challenge. Tom Taylor came off the bench for his debut. Our injury worries weren't over yet, on loan right-back Tom Vaughan was at risk, forcing another debutant to come on in Jack Phillips. Blyth sealed the win shortly after, with a counter-attack which was well finished off by Nicky Deverdics.

Altrincham

Tamworth

After two consecutive defeats, conceding 7 goals, this was an incredible reaction from the players, in a reversal of the Blyth match, it was us who perhaps didn't deserve a win this big. It didn't start well for us, injuries to Josh Hawker, Tom Vaughan (strained knee ligaments) and debutant Jack Sammoutis (broken collarbone) we were forced to make all our subs in 35 minutes, I took advantage of this by trying out a 5-3-2. This seemed to help us take control in the second half, a great passing move eventually saw Pritchard play in Bamford who coolly placed it into the corner. The second came straight from kick-off, Angol played in Adams who delightfully chipped the keeper. We had to wait a bit for the 3rd, but it came when Bidwell's corner was headed in by young debutant CB David Ruddy who came on off the bench to mark his debut with a goal. The 5-3-2 certainly helped us keep a clean sheet, that and new GK Charles-Cook, making his debut and a positive impression!

Hyde

Tamworth

We were a bit unlucky in this game but that doesn't excuse our performance. Hyde took the lead after a cross was slid in by Michael Whitwell. Another goal came in the second half when a cross unfortunately bounced off Bradley and into the net. We got ourselves a late consolation when Kennedy played in Bamford who got his second of the season but we couldn't find another in a disappointing defeat.

Bradford PA

Tamworth

Newly promoted Bradford PA were never any match for us, I was a bit worried when it got to half-time and the score was 0-0 but I had no need to worry as we ran riot in the second half. The first goal came after a good pass by Adams gave Sampson the simplest of finishes. The 2nd came when Marcus Giglio's initial effort was saved but he tackled the defender and the ball somehow creeped in to give Giglio a bizarre first goal for the club. Giglio's first was shortly followed by his second after another good cross by Adams saw Giglio have enough time to bring it down and finish. The 4th came late on when a deflected clearance fell kindly for Sampson who got his second. Our star man completed his return from injury by completing his hat-trick, a good ball by CM Johnny Oliver gave Sampson enough time to lift it over the keeper and in. A debut here for young RM Stephen Brown.

Woodford Utd

Tamworth (FA Cup 2nd Qual. Round)

The last two teams out of the hat, this should have been an easy win but a disappointing performance in the second half made sure it wasn't. We led early on when Bidwell's free-kick was met with a diving header by Booker. We made it two when Bamford set up Sampson who did well to send it into the corner. We got complacent in the second half however, Woodford pulling one back shortly after the restart, a low cross was slid into an empty net by Stephen McGovern. McGovern then scored again, almost identical to his other one, we couldn't score again so we now have to play a replay which will kickstart our October. Another debut to mention, young RB Billy Malbon making his first appearance.

Transfers

Billy Malbon - Young RB released by Ipswich.

David Ruddy - Young CB released by Watford, already scored for us.

Peter Wright - Young LB let go by York.

Liam Bartlett - Young RM released by Blackburn.

Karl Pilkington - Young CB/CM let go by Dover.

Ryan Douglin - A young RM/CM released by Tottenham who I have high hopes for!

Giorgos Katsavos - A young English-Greek double sided winger released by Coventry.

A slightly disappointing month as I thought the matches against Blyth and Hyde were more than winnable. Also not happy that we weren't able to dispatch weak opposition in the FA Cup, hopefully we'll do a lot better at our ground. However there are positives to this month, one is that we're in the play-offs and another is the great displays against Altrincham and Bradford PA showing our opponents that we know how to score.

ManUTactician247 · October 9, 2011

October 2013-14 Update

Tamworth

Woodford Utd (FA Cup 2nd Qual. Round Replay)

I'm satisfied we got the job done this time as we progress to the 3rd qualifying round. It seemed to be an age before we decided to put away one of our chances, even though it was only on the half hour mark when Bidwell's cross was headed in by Adams. Unfortunately 5 minutes later, Bidwell was forced to come off through injury after twisting his knee. It didn't stop us from scoring at the start of the second half when Pritchard's free-kick was headed in by Booker. We could have made it 3 at the end, Adams' cross was intercepted but the ref spotted a push by Tom Nelthorpe on Sampson and we had a penalty. Sampson himself stepped up and ballooned it over the bar. We didn't do it in too much style but we progress to the next round.

Northwich

Tamworth

Despite just coming up to the Blue Square North, Northwich's start to the season and their performance in this match suggest they are here to stay. Northwich led after a good passing move culminated in a great strike by Andrew Rose. We managed to pull it level though in the second half, young right-winger Stephen Brown playing it through to Bamford who kept a cool head before slotting in the equaliser.

Tamworth

Nuneaton (FA Cup 3rd Qual. Round)

A tougher tie than I would have liked, but an opportunity for revenge for the draw that saw us not win the league last season. A great burst into the box by Bamford saw him tripped up in the box by Adam Strachan and we had a penalty. Tomatula stepped up to take it and put it wide of the post, another missed penalty! The game looked to be heading for an away replay but Pritchard's cross was met with a Sampson diving header which hit the post, rebounded off Korean keeper Lee Kang Ho and in for an own goal and our ticket to the 4th Qualifying Round!

Tamworth

Eastwood

Very pleased with the performance in the final third in this match. We took an early lead when Sampson put Bamford through on goal and he made no mistake, giving us the lead. Eastwood levelled it though, a low cross was powered home by Tommy Amos. We managed another goal before half-time though, Tomatula's corner was headed in by an unmarked Mbu. We got a third in the second half when Dougie Tuck's through ball found Angol who took his time before finishing it. Eastwood gave us a scare, pulling it back to 3-2, a goal-kick by Dovey was headed forward and Amos coolly finished past him for his second. We wouldn't rest though as Sampson put through Bamford once more and he bagged his second. We got a 5th towards the end after some great work down the right by Pritchard saw his low cross smashed in from close range by Angol. A great result here, for our goal difference as well. A debut here off the bench for young CM Eifion Davies.

Chasetown

Tamworth (FA Cup 4th Qual. Round)

A rather fortuitous draw, paired us with Chasetown who we dispatched of last season, but a disappointing performance in front of goal left us having to play them again. Chasetown actually took the early lead after a free-kick was headed in by James Smyth. We plugged away but we couldn't find an equaliser, eventually though, we got a penalty after Pritchard was brought down by Jack Clegg. Tomatula stepped up to take our 3rd penalty in the FA Cup this season, after missing the other two, could it be 3rd time lucky? It sure was, Tomatula smashed it into the corner to score his first of the season. We still should have won this match, here we go with the replay then. More bad news saw Sampson strain his wrist, meaning he'll miss some action.

Tamworth

Chasetown (FA Cup 4th Qual. Round Replay)

We'll struggle to score even one goal in one match and then go ahead and run riot the next match. A much better performance by the lads today sees us go to the FA Cup 1st Round. I made an early sub in this match as Bamford picked up a slight knock, Adams then came on and he sure took his chance! A fantastic run from inside his own half saw Jack Adams open the scoring after just 3 minutes on the pitch. It didn't take us long to grab another as Adams put Kennedy through and he had plenty of time to end his 11 hour goal drought and give us some comfort. We then got another one after a well-worked corner saw Angol's cross headed in from pint-blank range by Booker. It was 4 just before half-time, another silky run by Adams and a powerful finish saw him grab his second. We managed to grab a couple more in the second half, Hawker gave it to Adams who did well to turn past his marker before finishing off his hat-trick. There was a second goal in it for Kennedy as well, and what a goal! Hawker gave it to Kennedy 30 yards from goal and he did really well to pick out the top corner. A great win there and hopefully more to come.

Transfers

Adam O'Neill - Young RB/CB released by Walsall.

Andy Sherlock - Young CB released by Lewes and had a failed trial with Eastleigh.

Simon Burton - Young RM let go by Chelsea.

Harry Callaghan - Young CM released by QPR.

Clevon Modeste - A Trinidad & Tobago Under-20 international CB released by West Ham.

Eifion Davies - Welsh Under-21 all round midfielder released by Swansea. Rejected BSS side Woking to join us.

Michael Wilkinson - Young RB let go by Rochdale.

John Bainbridge - Young RB released by Leyton Orient.

Mick Hilton - Young CM released by Blackburn.

Eric Harper - Young RB/LB also released by Blackburn.

Ben Holmes - Young RM/ST let go by Southend.

Conor Elliott - Young all round midfielder released by Burnley.

A month dominated by the FA Cup saw us take the hard and unnecessary route to get us to the first round. In the league however, I would have liked to beat Northwich but I'm still very impressed with how much the team has improved at tucking their chances away. If we can maintain this, we might just get promoted this year

ManUTactician247 · October 9, 2011

November 2013-14 Update

Tamworth 0-0 Guiseley

A really frustrating match that we should have won. Not much else to say about that.

Corby

Tamworth

I used this match to play the fringe players and the gamble paid off after just over a minute when Kennedy slipped in Tom Taylor who scored his first goal for the club. Corby tried to take it to us towards the end but we held on to grab a valuable three points. Young striker John Howells made his debut for the club off the bench.

Port Vale

Tamworth (FA Cup 1st Round)

The magic of the cup was certainly on our side in this match, the media were saying "no contest", "easy win" and "adios Tamworth" but we proved them wrong. Port Vale had just been relegated from League 2 and were gonna be tough to beat. Port Vale lost possession cheaply after ten minutes and Adams played in Angol who had all the time in the world to finish. We managed another one in the second half when Bamford's cross from the left was headed in by youngster Stephen Brown who got his first goal for the club. Port Vale pulled one back towards the end after a great volley by Louis Dodd but we held on for the win. A great defensive performance restricted Vale to long shots so I have to praise them as well.

Nuneaton

Tamworth

I'm at a loss as to how we won this game, Nuneaton had 18 shots to our 2 but it shows how efficient we can be in front of goal. The first goal came after Bidwell's corner bounced off debutant CB Martin Byrne and into the net to give us the lead. We scored again when Sampson's tackle fell to Kennedy who finished well. We did well to stop Nuneaton from getting too close to the goal though, so well done to us in that respect.

Tamworth

Boston Utd (FA Trophy 3rd Qual. Round)

A fairly routine win against an off-form Boston Utd. We took the lead when Pritchard played in Angol who finished well to give us the lead. The match was finished off late on when Bidwell's corner was headed in off the post by Booker.

Tamworth

Worcester

A vital match in the race for the title as we were both level on points. We took the lead when Kennedy gave it to Adams who made a good run and finish into the box. Leon McSweeney was played through as soon as the 2nd half started and he finished well. Worcester scored again off the corner, a simple finish for Callum MacDonald. A disappointing defeat as we played pretty well.

Tamworth

Cambridge (FA Cup 2nd Round)

A disappointing defeat as we ran rings around the relegation threatened BSP side, a goal on the stroke of half-time by Andrew Milne undid all our hard work not just in this match, but the competition. Young defender Aidan O'Neill made his first appearance off the bench.

Well, we're 5th in the league but our game in hand sees us rise to 2nd. The FA Cup dream is over and in a match we deserved to win as well, I thought we could get to the Third Round and test how well we could do against a Prem side but never mind. Disappointed to lose to Worcester in the league as that match was also winnable. We can still quite easily grab first though, we just need to continue the consistency we showed before our two defeats.

ManUTactician247 · October 14, 2011

December 2013-14 Update

Vauxhall

Tamworth

A match we simply failed to show up for, a good run and finish by Dali Gomez gave them the lead. A good through ball then sent Jack Midson through and he had no trouble finishing. The 3rd came towards the end, Midson doing well to put in a snapshot.

Stalybridge 4-3 Tamworth

A fantastic match for the neutrals, and one I was disappointed not to get something out of. We took the lead when Pritchard's cross was headed in by Angol after a mistake by the keeper. Terrible news then struck with Bidwell tearing his calf muscle, meaning he'd miss the rest of the season with an unlikely chance of returning for the play-offs. Stalybridge immediately equalised, a good ball finding Wes Fogden who finished with ease. Fogden scored again when the second half started after the ball fell to him during a goalmouth scramble. We were back level though when Adam O'Neill gave it to Sampson who scored a peach of a goal from 25 yards. Our joy was short-lived though, as Stalybridge retook the lead. A low cross was helped in by Max Clayton. We were level again shortly, Pritchard's free-kick was headed in by substitute Martin Byrne. We got hit by another injury as Josh Hawker picked up a thigh strain. Stalybridge scored a late goal to make it 4-3, Fogden completed his hat-trick by heading in from a deep cross. We looked to have bagged an equaliser when O'Neill's deflected shot fell to 93rd minute sub Patrick Bamford and he headed it in but the goal was disallowed for offside. The team was furious! As was I and I made that clear in the press conference after the match. The FA remained silent so I guess I was robbed of a point there.

Tamworth

Cambridge (FA Trophy 1st Round)

Our chance for revenge after we lost to them in the FA Cup and the match officials were once again against us. We took an early lead when Tomatula played in Sampson and his shot was heading wide before it bounced off Blaine Hudson and in. The first dodgy call by the ref came on 10 minutes when Giglio's cross found Pritchard wide open and he put it away only to be denied by the offside flag. Cambridge then levelled the scores after Jack Coulson headed home a cross. We could have scored again in the second half, Sampson played in Pritchard who finished well again but was denied by the flag again, I couldn't believe our luck! Imagine how I felt when Cambridge then straight away came forward and won a corner. From the resulting corner, a "foul" by Mbu on Coulson who were both nowhere near the ball gifted Cambridge a penalty! What kind of a refereeing performance was this I thought as Gareth Llewellyn tucked away the penalty to send our FA Trophy dreams into tatters.

Tamworth

Cambridge C

More visitors from Cambridge in the form of pointless Cambridge City. We should have scored a few more goals in this match but I'm content with a victory based on our recent form. I was disappointed when we came into half-time at 0-0 and alarmed when Cambridge City scored straight away in the second half. A good ball found Ryan Rose who finished well to give them the lead, could they get their first point? Fortunately we levelled pretty much straight away when Tomatula's cross was finished off from close range by Booker. Things went worse for them when John Kennedy was put through but was tripped by Lewis Hamilton ( :lol: ) and he was sent off for being the last man, he must have driven the ref crazy, turned into trouble, or was there a flaw in the match ENGINE, ok I'll stop now . We took the lead almost straight away when Tomatula's corner was headed in from a tight angle by Booker for his second. A perfect day for the centre halves was rounded off when Tomatula's corner was headed in this time by Mbu. Debuts for RB Maurice Cameron and LB Eric Harper in this match.

Harrogate

Tamworth

A poor performance against opposition that we should be beating. Harrogate took the lead when Nicholas Dunn headed in from a corner. They scored again when Lamar Powell's persistence upfront paid off after a good strike into the bottom corner.

Tamworth

Droylsden

A match we deserved to win and hopefully one to boost morale. We dominated the match and in all fairness probably deserved more than one goal. The goal came when Kennedy put through Adams and he did well to get into the box and finish to wrap up the three points.

Transfers

John Edwards - Young RB/CB released by Sunderland.

Leon Cooke - Young RB let go by Crewe.

Dave Evans - Young RB released by Everton.

Mark Reece - Young CB/CM released by Doncaster.

Tony Brown - Young CM let go by Fulham.

Dan Smith - Young LM let go by Southampton.

Maurice Cameron - Scottish RB/LB let go by Livingston.

Tom Senior - Young CM released by Reading, also had an unsucessful trial with BSS side Sutton Utd.

Adrian Mooney - Young RM released by Scunthorpe.

Dougie Clark - Young Scottish all-round defender let go by Cowdenbeath.

Matthew Bamford - Young RM/CM let go by Arsenal, also had an unsuccessful trial with BSN rivals Hinckley.

Gareth Clarke - Young LB let go by Yeovil.

Alex Davey - Young CB released by Bury.

An extremely disappointing month which leaves us 7th in the table, although we have a game in hand which could see us go 5th. The injury to Bidwell is a massive blow to our chances but hopefully we can recover in January. In other news, mid-table BSP side Darliington sacked their manager and this little news item popped up in my inbox, I would be very interested in managing Darlington but will not cry to the media to get there. They have a caretaker at the moment but I'm sure we'll be keeping an eye on each other. A move could be imminent but for now, focused on my current job.

ManUTactician247 · October 15, 2011

29.12.13 - If you placed a bet on me getting an international job while still in the Blue Square Bet North then prepare for a large amoount of money as I become manager of Vanuatu! A little history on them in real life, they have qualified for the OFC Nations Cup 7 out of 8 times and got to the semi-final in 1973, 2000, 2002 and 2008. Despite finishing bottom of their group in the OFC Nations Cup in 2004, Vanuatu managed a famous 4-2 victory over New Zealand which prevented them from reaching the final and possibly getting into the World Cup. Ingame, they are currently 180th in the World Rankings and finished bottom of their 2014 OFC Nations Cup Qualifying group which included Tahiti, Fiji, Tonga and American Samoa getting just the one point against Samoa in a 1-1 draw. No fixtures scheduled yet but regardless of what happens, this should increase my reputation and possibly get better job offers!

Vanuatu Best Eleven (2013)

GK: James Willie Bila (Amical) 6.63

RB: Silvain Tabirap (Rainbow) 5.97

RCB: Fedy Vava (Tafea) 6.57

LCB: Rick Tchamako Mahe (Amical) 6.5

LB: Antonio Malapa (Nipikinamu) 6.5

DM: Alphonse Welin Qorig (Eraniau) 7.4

RCM: Richard Kalorib (Tafea) 6.47

LCM: Freskip Vatu (Siaraga) 6.35

AM: Graeme Demas (Puma) 6.33

ST: Willie August-Marango (Tupuji Imere) 6.43

ST: Seule Soromon (YoungHeart) 6.8

ManUTactician247 · October 15, 2011

January 2013-14 Update

Gainsborough

Tamworth

A disappointing performance by us, Booker came off after picking up a knock, I was worried that the defence would suffer and I was right when Jordan Lavendar headed in from a corner.

Alfreton

Tamworth

Disappointed that we didn't manage to win this one. We led when LM Tom Taylor's cross was headed in by Booker. However a 25 yard shot by David Bridges snuck its way through sub keeper Charles-Cook's fingers and in as we only managed a point in a winnable game.

Tamworth 0-0 Boston Utd

A match we really should have won but didn't take our chances, more bad news saw Tomatula come off with a damaged elbow.

Solihull Moors

Tamworth

A match we deserved to lose in the end. Solihull almost took the lead early on after a goalmouth scramble saw Darren McCaffery bundle it in but the ref ruled it out for offside. They eventually did take the lead when a cross from the left was slid in by Alex Wilkinson. We equalised in first half stoppage time in bizarre circumstances, a poor back pass forced Solihull's keeper to head it away, the ball fell to Sampson who rounded the keeper before scoring one of the easiest shots of his career. Solihull kept pushing and eventually got a late winner as Nathan Tooms smashed one in from long range.

Tamworth

Southport

We were so close to defeating underachieving Southport, I looked forward to this match after our thriller in pre-season. We took the lead, a great ball by Johnny Oliver sent Pritchard through and he beautifully lobbed the keeper for his first goal for the club. We looked to be set for the three points until the dieing seconds of the game. Adam O'Neill carelessly lost the ball in a terrible position and Tony Gray smashed in an equaliser to leave us 2 points short of what we deserved.

Tamworth

Hinckley

A fantastic match for the neutrals here, this game is always full of goals. We got the first one when Adams' cross was met with a Sampson diving header. Hinckley got a leveller after a simple tap-in from a free-kick by Jake Taylor. They scored again at the start of the second half, another free-kick into the box was headed in by Christian Montano. However, we got another goal, albeit a fortunate one as Sampson was put through, a tackle by the defender bounced off keeper Jack Binks and in for an own goal. Another set piece goal late on looked to have won it late on, a corner was headed in at the far post by Jordan Collins. We had one last trick up our sleeve though, Sampson was brought down in the box by Lewis Galpin for our first penalty in the league this season! Our fate fell into the hands of young right-winger Stephen Brown and he didn't let us down, drilling it into the bottom left corner to get us a deserved point.

Blyth

Tamworth

It was a case of one shot on target, one goal here. The goal came early on when Jake Speight cut in before hitting one into the bottom corner. A disappointing way to end another disappointing month.

Transfers

Adam Wallace - Young LB let go by Sunderland.

Jack Wint - Young CB released by Colchester.

Tony McDonald - Welsh U-19 international CM released by Swansea.

Chris Dolby - Young CM let go by QPR.

Ian Green - Young CB released by Southampton.

Steven Lloyd - Young CM that Leeds released.

A very disappointing month that saw us fail to win one match. We now lie in 14th in the league and my job is very much at risk. We really need to step it up if we want to achieve a respectable position this season. As for Vanuatu, without even playing a match we have gone up 6 places to 174th in the rankings. Despite going below Tonga; Mongolia, The Philippines, Cambodia, Guyana, East Timor, US Virgin Islands and Luxembourg all bit our dust. As I said when taking the job, my rep has definitely increased, I'm now been linked with 4th placed League 2 side Grimsby. 19th placed side Dag & Red also have shown an interest.

ManUTactician247 · October 16, 2011

February 2013-14 Update

Tamworth

Altrincham

A match against top of the table Altrincham was always going to be difficult in our current form. They led after a shot by Sam Winnall on the edge of the box could not be kept out by Dovey. They went 2-0 up after a cross from the right caused a terrible attempt at a clearance by Booker fly into the top corner. Booker atoned for his earlier error by putting us back into the game, heading in Tomatula's corner. We could only lose though, as the poor run continues.

Northwich

Tamworth

Another two points lost... We took the lead as late as the 85th minute when Booker's long ball over the top saw Sampson reach it before the keeper and finish into an empty net. However, a counter-counter-attack by Northwich saw them level it in the last minute, an unselfish pass across the middle gave David Lynch a simple finish. The game seems to be doing anything possible to stop us from winning!

Tamworth

Hyde

A WIN! At long last... We led early on when Kennedy put Sampson through and he finished well. Hyde levelled it after Stuart Dunn headed in from a corner. Hyde took the lead after a misunderstanding in defence put the ball on a plate for John Dempster who didn't disappoint. It seemed that we were heading for another defeat but we managed an equaliser before half-time as Pritchard's cross was spilt by the keeper and Angol had the simplest of finishes. We took the lead in the second half, Tomatula with a great ball to Sampson who powered the finish home. Our nerves were eased when Hawker gave it to Sampson who cut inside before unleashing a good strike to seal the win we've been waiting for!

Tamworth

Bradford PA

2-1 really didn't justify the performance we put in against the newly promoted side. We had an early 2-0 lead as 2 Tomatula free-kicks were headed in by Booker. Bradford pulled one back after a casual clearance by Mbu deflected kindly for James Spray who didn't mess around with the finish. We had a slight scare when keeper Dovey was forced off with an injury but it turned out to be nothing. In truth, we dominated and would have liked a few more goals but 3 points was always the main aim.

Eastwood

Tamworth

A disappointment as I felt this was a winnable game. Eastwood's goal came late after a counter-attack saw Liam Hearn finish well.

Transfers

Eric Quinn - Irish Under-21 international RM released by Sunderland.

Jamie Hughes - Young CM released by Newcastle, had a failed trial at BSS side Sutton Utd.

Rod Holden - Young CB let go by Leicester.

Dessie Killoran - Young English-Irish RB/CB that Burnley released.

Aaron Parker - Young Welsh CB released by Cardiff.

Simon Bath - Young English-Sierra-Leonean RM released by Bolton, also had a failed trial at BSS side St. Albans.

Pleased that we've finally registered a win but we're still only 14th in the table, I don't know how I still have my job but I think I'll be looking for a new one at the end of the season. I've been linked with League 1 side Rotherham which I find pretty amazing . As for Vanuatu they have gone down 5 places in the world rankings. We went above Nepal but Cambodia, The Philippines, Mongolia, Guyana, East Timor and US Virgin Islands are all now above us.

ManUTactician247 · October 16, 2011

March 2013-14 Update

Tamworth

Nuneaton

We got the job done here and that's all that counts, the only goal came from a beautiful Tomatula free-kick on the edge of the box that found the top corner. Nuneaton put us under late pressure but we held out.

Tamworth

Corby

We were unlucky not to win this match as we dominated against Corby. Things looked good for us early on when the ref dubiously pointed to the spot after Graham Fyfe brought down Pritchard, Tomatula stepped up to the plate and smashed it into the bottom corner to give us the lead. Corby levelled it though after a free-kick was headed in by Simon Hall. Then we had a chance to retake the lead as Tomatula's corner was met by a handball by Tom Lees and we had another penalty, Tomatula, on a high stepped up and smashed it against the cross-bar. A point which could have been three....

Guiseley

Tamworth

Another match we probably did enough to merit victory. The goal came in the second half, Bamford's effort was saved but the loose ball came to Sampson who couldn't miss. Like Nuneaton, Guiseley put up a good fight in the last few minutes but we held on. A debut in this match for young CM Mick Hilton.

Worcester

Tamworth

We had to wait for our winning goal but we deserved it in the end. Tomatula played it to Kennedy who spotted the keeper off his line and executed perfedctly a 25 yard lob, no-one would have guessed that he hadn't scored for over 21 hours before that goal, a morale booster for him and the team as we record another victory.

Tamworth

Vauxhall

A star-studded performance by the lads in this match as we really ran over a Vauxhall side who normally love playing against us. 2nd in the table at the time, we thought it was gonna be a hard match but we were wrong. The keeper was the only one on top form as we had to wait till the 65th minute for a goal as Mbu dive-headed Tomatula's corner into the net. The 2nd goal came late on as a blocked Bamford shot fell to Tomatula on the edge of the box and he rocketed one into the top corner.

Southport 0-0 Tamworth

We were on a high and I expected us to beat Southport and that's probably why we didn't. We came close though as we dominated, even having a goal disallowed as Tomatula's free-kick was headed in by Tom Taylor but the flag was up. New RB Barry Edwards made his debut in this match.

Transfer

Barry Edwards - I think I've pulled off a real coup, interest in him in England, Scotland and Wales, the Welsh under-19 international RB/CB released by Cardiff finally gives us IMO a permanent solution to our right-back problem.

We've gone up to 9th now and a play-off place is within reach, ok it's 7 points away but if we can beat Stalybridge in our next match, the gap goes down to 4 and we have a better chance but it's out of our hands now... We're looking more solid defensively on a bright note, haven't conceded for 4 matches. Here's hoping!

Vanuatu

Squad

GK: Fred Jimmy Obed (Eraniau), Auretau Frank Tabe (Tafea), Nari Russel (Rainbow)

DF: Silvain Tabirap RB/LB (Rainbow), Antonio Malapa LB/LWB (Nipikinamu), Dimitri Ake Yakeula CB (Amical), Fedy Vava CB (Tafea), Rick Tchamako Mahe CB (Amical), Andrew Chichirua CB (Puma), Maki Gerard Haitong RB/SW/LB (Amical), Tom Manses RB/RWB/CB (Eraniau), Geoffrey Lego Gete RWB/LWB (Tafea)

MF: Jimmy Ben RM/AMR/CM/AM (Atsal), Rexley Tarivuti CM (Siaraga), Richard Kalorib CM (Tafea), Freskip Vatu CM (Siaraga), Daniel Koko Alick CM (Blackbeach), Norman Tangis CM (Rainbow), Peter Roronamahava RM/AMR (Rainbow), Roger Joe CM (Tupuji Imere), Alphonse Welin Qorig DM/CM (Eraniau)

CF: Willie August-Marango ST (Tupuji Imere), Seule Soromon ST (YoungHeart), Sandy Alex Alick ST (Atsal), Georgie Sope ST (Tupuji Imere), Jean Christophe Massing ST (Amical)

Who do they play for?

Tafea (Vanuatu): 4

Rainbow (Vanuatu): 4

Amical (Vanuatu): 4

Eraniau (Vanuatu): 3

Tupuji Imere (Vanuatu): 3

Atsal (Vanuatu): 2

Siaraga (Vanuatu): 2

Nipikinamu (Vanuatu): 1

Puma (Vanuatu): 1

Blackbeach (Vanuatu): 1

YoungHeart (New Zealand): 1

Solomon Islands

Vanuatu (Friendly)

Our opponents for my first match in charge were a good 13 ranks above me and I'm not too surprised we lost, we took the lead very quickly though, Sope found Soromon in plenty of space and he finished to have me thinking we could win it. S. Islands levelled it though after a good ball saw Bld. Vanspor's Benjamin Totori finish off the move. They took the lead shortly after, a poor mistake by Yakeula saw him lose it to Totori who bagged his second. The match was finished off in the second half after a stupid tackle by captain Lego Tete on Totori saw the inform striker tuck the spot-kick away to wrap up the match.

Not the best start I would have liked, but I'm still staying, we've now dropped to 188th in the World Rankings with Malta, Laos, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Bermuda, Cook Islands, Mauritius, Guam and Turks & Caicos Islands going above us.

ManUTactician247 · October 22, 2011

April 2013-14 Update

Tamworth

Stalybridge

A match we needed to win to stay in contention for the play-offs and we managed it. We took the lead when Tomatula played in Pritchard and he did well to finish from a tight angle. We soon made it two when Booker headed in Tomatula's corner. Stalybridge managed a consolation before the break. Max Clayton was put through and he put in a good finish. Our two goal advantage was reinstated in the second half, Sampson did well to hold the ball up in the box before unselfishly crossing it for an easy header for Kennedy. We sealed it in stoppage time when Kennedy gave it to Sampson who rifled it home from 18 yards.

Tamworth

Harrogate

A match we really should have won here but didn't. Harrogate were the team who took the lead though, just inside a minute after a sloppy clearance by LB Eric Harper fell to Jordan Record who finished well. We showed good character to recover, Tomatula's free-kick was headed in by Pritchard. Pritchard then bagged his third goal in two games after Tomatula was tackled by a defender, the ball fell kindly for Pritchard and the keeper could do nothing to stop his powerful shot on goal. The team got complacent in the second half though and Luke Durham eventually equalised after a fierce effort from the edge of the box. A debut off the bench for Danny McAuley for us.

Droylsden

Tamworth

It was the performance that disappointed me more than the result. Despite Droylsden's good run of form I was expecting us to have at least more than 1 shot on goal. One positive out of this match was the return of Jake Bidwell after his long-term injury. It wasn't a happy start after right-back Barry Edwards strained his neck. The game seemed to tip in our favour after a dirty challenge by Josh Lee on Kennedy saw him sent off. This didn't deter Droylsden who scored in the first minute of added time, Terry Bennett scrambling it in after a corner. This leaves us needing a win in our last two matches to have a chance of play-offs.

Cambridge C

Tamworth

Based on this performance, we certainly do not deserve to be in the play-offs, a Cambridge side who were relegated a long time ago put in a hard working performance against us and certainly shocked many. The only goal came late on when a deflected cross fell to Gary Smith who finished perfectly.

Transfers

Mark Aston - Young striker released by Bolton.

Paul Boyle - Young Scottish striker let go by Carlisle. Overrated by my scouts so looking to get rid of him already .

A poor month... Despite an epic victory over Stalybridge, we should really be beating the likes of Harrogate and Cambridge City and since we didn't we are out of contention for the play-offs. So for the first time in this career, no last day drama. We are 11th in the league and after our last match we can only finish 7th at maximum, that's presuming we get a point away to 3rd placed Gainsborough. I can't see myself being offered a new contract at this rate. As for Vanuatu, we've gone down 2 more places in the rankings to 190th. Despite now being above Mauritius, Brunei Darussalam, Macau (China PR) and Montserrat now can say they are above us.

ManUTactician247 · October 22, 2011

May 2013-14 Update

Tamworth

Gainsborough

I was satisfied with our performance in a dead rubber match which now sees Gainsborough have a slightly tougher match in the play-offs because of us . Gainsborough led in the second half after a counter attack saw a low cross brought down and finished by Rory Patterson. We got an equaliser to please the home crowd when Sampson's cross was slid in by Kennedy. We then took the lead a couple of minutes later as Tomatula played it to Sampson on the edge of the box and he rifled it in to the top corner. Gainsborough weren't done with us though as the typical "goal-kick headed by midfielder sets up one-on-one" scenario saw Patterson bag his second of the game late on. Still a decent way to end the season though.

I was the last person in the world expecting the Tamworth chairman to offer me a contract after finishing in 11th place, 10 below where the media thought we would be but he has and I'm grateful to him for that. With any luck, our expectations next season will be a bit easier.

ManUTactician247 · October 22, 2011

June 2013-14 Update

Transfer

Aurelien Boumsong - Cameroon Under-20 international CB/CM released by Charlton.

Vanuatu

Squad

GK: Fred Jimmy Obed (Eraniau), Auretau Frank Tabe (Tafea), Nari Russel (Rainbow)

DF: Silvain Tabirap RB/LB (Rainbow), Antonio Malapa LB/LWB (Nipikinamu), Andrew Chichirua CB (Puma), Fedy Vava CB (Tafea), Rick Tchamako Mahe CB (Amical), Tony Sope CB (Tupuji Imere) Maki Gerard Haitong RB/SW/LB (Amical), Tom Manses RB/RWB/CB (Eraniau), Geoffrey Lego Gete RWB/LWB (Tafea)

MF: Francois Sakama RM/AMR (Tafea), Richard Kalorib CM (Tafea), Daniel Koko Alick CM (Blackbeach), Freskip Vatu CM (Siaraga), Jimmy Ben RM/AMR/CM/AM (Atsal), Peter Roronamahava RM/AMR (Rainbow), Roger Joe CM (Tupuji Imere), Alphonse Welin Qorig DM/CM (Eraniau), Hugo Pakito Tord CM (Amical)

CF: Willie August-Marango ST (Tupuji Imere), Seule Soromon ST (YoungHeart), Sandy Alex Alick ST (Atsal), Georgie Sope ST (Tupuji Imere), Jean Christophe Massing ST (Amical)

Who do they play for?

Tafea (Vanuatu): 5

Tupuji Imere (Vanuatu): 4

Amical (Vanuatu): 4

Rainbow (Vanuatu): 3

Eraniau (Vanuatu): 3

Atsal (Vanuatu): 2

Siaraga (Vanuatu): 1

Nipikinamu (Vanuatu): 1

Puma (Vanuatu): 1

Blackbeach (Vanuatu): 1

YoungHeart (New Zealand): 1

Papua New Guinea

Vanuatu (Friendly)

We probably deserved more out of this game than we got as we lose another match. A great display by their keeper saw us fail to score. Papua New Guinea's goal came in the first half after a good turn and shot by Rapatona's Nathan Pomat. Can't wait to not lose a match as Vanuatu manager .

We went up a place in the World Rankings with Kyrgyzstan going below us but the squad seems unable to win at the moment.

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