Jack's Journeyman Career

[JackJCFC]

Southport 2013-2014

League

Predicted: 17th

Finished: 8th

Done much better than our predicted position but that was always to be expected. I had the aim of a playoff spot and we came pretty close thanks to some great end of season form, what let us down was a big blip in the middle of the season as we struggled to score goals. I think that with a few new faces we can definitely improve next year and promotion is a real possibility.

League

I came 3rd in Manager of the year.

Cups

Had a great run in the FA cup, making it to the 4^th round where we lost to Everton, done our finances the world of good though as we earned over £300k from it.

Went out of the FA Trophy to Newport County in the first round after putting out a weakened team.

Transfers

Again, signed quite a few new players, the biggest of those being Chris Kirkland. Tom Naylor on loan from Derby also proved to be a very important signing at the back. Also picked up 3 impressive looking players from the Irish leagues, all of whom have championship potential.

Transfers

Key Transfers

Chris Kirkland

Tom Naylor

Frank Scott

Finances

Improved the finances massively this year thanks to our cup run. We managed to get in the black but currently sit just in the red which isn’t a problem at all. We are £1.5k under our wage budget which gives me plenty of options in the summer for transfers. Junior coaching and youth recruitment were both improved this year but no prospects came through.

Finances

[deltablue]

Important financial boost.

[JackJCFC]

August 2014

Ebbsfleet (A): 1-1. A tough game to start, we took the lead through Moult but they got a goal back in the 2^nd half. We were lucky to get the point with Kirkland keeping us in this one with a blinder of a performance.

Welling (A): 1-1. Similar to the last game except this time we should have won, this is a newly promoted team and should be picking up the points against them.

Cambridge (H): 1-1. Dominated the game and were winning until the 87^th minute when they equalised.

Halifax (H): 3-0. Goals from Mills and Scapuzzi (2) secured our first win of the season.

York (A): 0-0. An even match with both keepers making some great saves, draw probably fair result.

League

Not an amazing start to the season with a few too many draws, but its an unbeaten one. It’s still early days so the table has yet to settle down but as long as we can keep the opposition to the odd goal we should have a good chance of being near the top.

[JackJCFC]

September 2014

Hinckley (H): 2-1. Conceded early on but 2 goals from O’Donoghue gave us the 3 points.

Grimsby (A): 0-2. Grimsby were better in the first half but we got 2 goals in the last 20 minutes for the win.

Barrow (H): 4-1. A simple enough win, with goals from Clarke (2) and Cotton (2).

Sutton Utd (H): 2-0. A comfortable win with Kavanagh and Cotton on the scoresheet, could have been a lot more with 10 shots on target.

Blyth (A): 0-2. Goals from Mills and Moult gave us a comfortable away win, we went down to 10 men with 15 minutes left and Blyth missed a penalty in the last minute.

Stockport (H): 4-0. This was battle between 3^rd and 1^st and 3^rd came out on top. Goals from Cotton, O’Donoghue and Nkumu (2) gave us a great win and a great end to the month.

League

A great month for us, winning every match. We look to have settled down now and sit in 2^nd place. We are also the only unbeaten team in the league, if we can keep this up League 2 beckons.

[B.W.G]

Tough break with what happened at IK Frej but you've settled in at Southport very well and hopefully 14/15 season will bring you success.

[JackJCFC]

October 2014

Wrexham (A): 0-3. A big away win for us with O’Donoghue getting 2 goals.

Cheltenham (H): 1-0. An O’Donoghue goal 15 minutes from the end gave us the win, Harris was sent off with 5 minutes left.

Mansfield (H): 3-0. Jackson (2) and Scapuzzi were on the scoresheet but O’Donoghue went off injured and is out for 4-5 weeks.

FA Cup 4^th Qualifying Round

Barrow (H): 2-1. We were losing 1-0 at half time but goals from McCallum and Kavanagh in the 2^nd half gave us the win, I played a lot of the backups who weren’t match fit in order to rest some of my first 11.

Accrington (A): 0-0. Had Jackson sent off after half an hour but still had the better match, just unable to score.

League

Another unbeaten month for us and almost another 100% month. We sit top of the table by a point and face Port Vale in the next round of the FA Cup.

[JackJCFC]

November 2014

Newport County (A): 1-1. We were terrible in the first half but improved in the 2^nd, getting a goal 5 minutes from the end.

Forest Green (H): 1-1. They took the lead against the run of play but Scapuzzi got us back in it, we dominated for the rest of the match but couldn’t find a winner.

Chelmsford (A): 1-4. It was an even first half which finished 1-1 but we kicked on the 2^nd half, scoring 3 good goals to give us a convincing win.

FA Cup 1^st Round

Port Vale (H): 2-1. Port Vale took an early lead but goals either side of half time from Nicholson gave us the lead which we were then able to defend for the win.

Bromley (H): 2-1. Nkumu and Clarke gave us a first half lead with Bromley pulling one back in the latter stages of the match. This was a new unbeaten record for Southport; 23 matches.

Wycombe (A): 0-1. An own goal in the first half was enough for the win, perhaps becoming slightly complacent.

FA Cup 2^nd Round

Doncaster (A): 0-0. A tough game but one where we were the better team. However, we forced a replay at home which we have a chance of winning.

League

Bit of a poor start to the month but in the end we came through strong, still unbeaten in all competitions. We sit 2 points clear at the top with a game in hand.

[JackJCFC]

December 2014

Hayes & Yeading (H): 3-1. A Moult hat-trick in the first 20 minutes put us ahead, he then missed a penalty in the 2^nd half before Hayes & Yeading pulled one back from a penalty.

Woking (A): 0-1. Rested players for the upcoming FA Cup match and we still played well, McCallum got the goal 7 minutes from the end.

FA Cup 2^nd Round Replay

Doncaster (H): 0-1 ET. We were so unlucky to go out. First, we went down to 10 men after 20 minutes. We held them out until extra time when we went down to 9 men in the 99^th minute and had no strikers. Doncaster scored in the 111^th minute and O’Donoghue missed a penalty in the 120^th minute as we crashed out.

FA Trophy 1^st Round

Stockport (H): 1-1. Rested as many players as possible from the game 3 days before. Moult gave us the lead in the 2^nd half before Stockport equalised in the 89^th minute, we also had 2 strikers injured.

FA Trophy 1^st Round Replay

Stockport (A): 1-3. Played a stronger team this time, with Jackson, Clarke and Moult all on the scoresheet.

Ebbsfleet (H): 4-1. 4 goals from Moult secured us the 3 points in a dominating performance by the team.

Bristol Rovers (H): 1-0. Moult gave us a first half lead against the run off play, and for the majority of the match we were defending in our own half. A well earned point.

League

Still unbeaten as we go into January, 8 points clear at the top. We were unlucky in the FA cup but it did help to boost our finances. Don’t think I’m going to go out to win the FA trophy but you never know what might happen.

[JackJCFC]

January 2015

Welling (H): 2-0. 2^nd half goals from Kavanagh and Cotton were enough for an easy win.

Cambridge (A): 0-5. An impressive away win with goals from Jackson, Clarke, Orlandi and Moult (2).

Halifax (A): 2-4. Halifax took the lead twice in the first half after Scapuzzi equalised. Goals from Jackson, Moult and Scapuzzi again in the 2^nd half were enough for the 3 points.

FA Trophy 2^nd Round

York (A): 0-2. Played a lot of backups, with McCallum and Jackson on the scoresheet.

York (H): 1-0. Not a brilliant performance but a Kavanagh goal near the end was enough.

Hinckley (A): 0-1. An own goal was enough for a win in a pretty poor performance.

League

Still unbeaten in the league and we’ve really pulled away from 2^nd place now, 16 points ahead. We’re also making good progress in the FA trophy despite putting a bit of a 2^nd team out, we take on Boston in the next round, if we get to the latter stages I may take it more seriously.

[cerud]

That's a great unbeaten run! Promotion looks like an inevitability.

[JackJCFC]

February 2015

Grimsby (H): 2-0. Scott and Jackson got on the score sheet in a match we completely dominated.

FA Trophy 3^rd Round

Boston Utd (A): 2-4. Again, fielded a weaker team in this game, Kavanagh bagged a hat trick and Scott came off the bench to grab a goal in a fairly comfortable win.

Barrow (A): 2-2. Almost our first defeat. Moult put us ahead but 2 second half goals put Barrow in the lead, it wasn’t until Moult got his 2^nd goal in the 92^nd minute that we drew level to gain a point from what was a very complacent performance.

Sutton Utd (A): 3-2. It had been coming after our recent performances, defensively we were just terrible. Moult and Scapuzzi scored for us but we were 3-1 down at half time. Worst performance of the season, the players were either nervous or complacent.

Stockport (A): 0-0. An even match, we weren’t at our best today, confidence seems to have taken some damage.

Blyth (H): 1-0. Moult got the early goal and from then on we managed to control the match for the 3 points.

FA Trophy 4^th Round

Colwyn Bay (H): 3-0. Played the backups again in an easy win, Clarke, Nicholson and Kavanagh all got on the scoresheet.

League

Experience our first loss this month, overall it was a bad month as we dropped quite a few points. However, one positive note is that we are progressing well in the FA Trophy.

[deltablue]

Really pulling away now.

[JackJCFC]

March 2015

Wrexham (H): 0-0. A fairly even game which we probably should have won.

Mansfield (A): 0-2. 2 2^nd half goals from Moult were enough for a simple win.

FA Trophy Semi Final 1^st Leg

Cambridge (A): 3-1. We took the lead but Cambridge got one back straight away. They scored again not long after half time before adding a 3^rd on the break in the 94^th minute. Not a good result considering I played a full strength team.

Cheltenham (A): 0-2. Jackson put us ahead early on whilst Nkumu scored our 2^nd just after half time.

FA Trophy Semi Final 2^nd Leg

Cambridge (H): 3-0. We were all over them in that match, Kavanagh put us ahead after 8 minutes with Moult scoring the 2^nd just before half time. Both teams went in search of a winner with Cambridge offering 1 shot before Moult scored his 2^nd to send us to the final.

Chelmsford (A): 2-1. Chelmsford took the lead in the 1^st half from their only shot of the match. Goals from Clarke and Orlandi in the last 15 minutes completed a deserved comeback as we claimed the 3 points.

League

Had a poor first half of the month but confidence came back after the Mansfield win. We had a great comeback to make the final of the FA Trophy. In the league, we are now guaranteed playoffs and barring a disaster, we look set to claim the league title.

[JackJCFC]

April 2015

Forest Green (A): 1-2. An own goal gave us the lead before Kavanagh scored a 2^nd just before half time. Forest Green pulled one back in the 91^st minute.

Bromley (A): 4-5. Strange game this, we went 3-0 up after a hat trick from new signing Morris but Bromley got one back on the 34^th minute. We scored a 4^th just before half time but Bromley scored 2 quick goals in the 2^nd half to make it 4-3. Morris then added his 4^th goal before Bromley pulled another goal back. This win means that we are champions with 6 games to go.

Newport County (H): 6-2. Jackson, Kavanagh and Morris all scored in the first half. Jackson and Scott scored 2 more early in the 2^nd half before Newport got 2 in the last 15 minutes. Henderson finished off the match with a goal in injury time from a corner.

Wycombe (H): 2-1. We went 1-0 down in the first half but goals from Haines and Clarke gave us the points.

Accrington (H): 3-0. Jackson and Morris scored early in the first half whilst Kavanagh got a goal in the 2^nd half for a comfortable win. With this we break the record for number of points in a BSP season.

Hayes & Yeading (A): 1-0. Losing against the bottom team is shocking, we were very wasteful infront of goal and they scored with 10 minutes left.

Woking (H): 5-1. Moult scored a first half brace but Haines was sent off on the 51^st minute, however Morris, Cotton and Kavanagh all got goals in the 2^nd half in an easy win.

Bristol Rovers (A): 0-2. We had the more chances but were wasteful. Disappointing way to end the league season.

League

Had a good start to the month but the team became complacent in the last week or two leading to some sloppy defeats. Happy to have broken the points tally record nonetheless

May 2014

FA Trophy Final

Bromley (N): 5-2 ET. After an edgy first half, O’Donoghue put us ahead with a screamer just after half time. Bromley got a goal back of their own not long after before adding a 2^nd from a penalty in the 78^th minute. We went all out and equalised through an own goal 5 minutes later. The game then went to extra time where Kavanagh and O’Donoghue scored in the first 15 minutes before Morris rounded it off with a 5^th.

A great win for us and a nice to end my Southport career with a non-league double.

[JackJCFC]

Southport 2014-2015

League

Predicted: 8th

Finished: 1st

Won the league at a canter and finished with a record amount of points. We went unbeaten for over 35 games which helped massively. Had a bad last few games to the season but all in all a great year for the club, surpassing all expectation. The club should have no trouble staying up next year with the players available.

League Table

Cups

Made it to the 2^nd round of the FA cup where we lost 1-0 in a replay to Doncaster.

Made it all the way to the final where we beat Bromley 5-2 in extra time to claim the cup.

Transfers

Again, all players were signed on free transfers. Turned out that some of them weren’t really needed but others were key cogs in the team this year. I’ve also sorted a few transfers this summer for some players who should be really useful to the club next year, for whoever the manager is.

Transfers

Key Transfers

Jody Fox

Andrea Orlandi

Lewis Cotton

O’Donoghue (Signed at the end of last season)

Finances

Finances remained borderline in the red for most of the season with the cup runs providing small boosts. Our promotion brings the club up to Professional status, whilst this means more expensive contracts etc, this should be offset in large part by the TV revenue and crowd increases that occur.

Finances

Whilst I could easily stay another season or two to establish Southport in league football, I feel that its time to move on, as long as the manager isn’t really stupid they have the quality to be able to stay up so I’m not worried about that. Obviously I’ll have to see what comes up but I would quite like to try the Dutch league soon. My rep in England is now National so it should be a bit easier ot find a decent job.

[cerud]

Congrats on promotion! Any job offers yet?

[JackJCFC]

Congrats on promotion! Any job offers yet?

Cheers! I've applied to a few in the German and Portugese 2nd divisions but no offers as of yet. I was considered for the Huddersfield job who just got relegated from the championship but they went for someone else.

[JackJCFC]

My wishes have been granted! I applied for every job going and Dutch 2nd Division (Jupiter League) team Excelsior offered me a 2 year deal. I gladly accepted their £1,200 a week contract and i'm looking forward to the challenge.

The dutch season has just finished with Excelsior not performing well at all.

Going on what the current assistant says, the squad they have is pretty decent.

And finally, the finances look in great shape, with over £1million in the bank.

Can't wait to get started with team, its a big step up from semi-pro Southport but i'm hoping for a competitive season near the top. I will be bringing in my old ass man from Southport, Lee Hook and coach Kevin Phillips, both of whom left the club when i did.

[deltablue]

Unusually good finances for Holland where I've often found even Eredivisie sides in serious trouble.

[JackJCFC]

Unusually good finances for Holland where I've often found even Eredivisie sides in serious trouble.

I was surprised aswell, what shocked me more is that we are making around £100k per month! Not sure if our wages are very low compared to other teams or not but the TV revenue certainly helps.

[Razer82]

Well done on leaving Southport in a better position than when you took over.

Time to turn around an under performing side in Holland.

Good luck.

[JackJCFC]

August 2015

Telstar (H): 1-1. We took the lead after 5 minutes but Telstar equalised shortly after through an own goal. The rest of the match was fairly even but remained 1-1.

Go Ahead (A): 0-1. Took the lead early on and held on thanks to a superb goalkeeping performance, we were also down to 10 men for the last 15 minutes.

WKE (H): 4-1. We scored twice from set pieces in the first 30 mins, WKE equalised just before half time. We had a lot of chances in the 2^nd half with Benyamina scoring 2.

NAC Breda (A): 1-1. NAC took an early lead but Benyamina equalised for us not long after. The 2^nd half was all even and we had a great chance to win it near the end.

De Graafshchap (H): 2-0. We controlled the match from start to finish and goals from Tokic and Benyamina were enough for the 3 points.

League

Really happy with my unbeaten start. The board expectation is ‘consolidation’ and we are predicted 13^th so I wasn’t expecting these types of performances. Time will tell whether we can keep them up or not!

Just a quick note on my previous teams; IK Frej got relegated from the Swedish First division north in the season just gone, meaning they are now unplayable, the 4^th place I achieved with them was the highest they’ve ever finished so I’ve gone down in history there.

Stockport have had a pretty decent start to life in League 2 and sit 13^th after 4 games. They also beat Hull in the league cup 1^st round.

[JackJCFC]

September 2015

FC Den Bosch (A): 3-0. We were very poor, defending badly and offering nothing in attack.

AGOVV (A): 0-1. A tough match with a first half Tokic goal the difference.

FC Oss (A): 2-1. We had a poor first half, conceding twice. We improved in the 2^nd with Benyamina scoring on the 80^th minute.

Dutch Cup 2^nd Round

FC Utrecht (A): 2-0. Played the backups in this match as I want to focus on the league, that said they didn’t perform too badly against a much stronger side.

Willem II (H): 1-1. Willem were the better team for the most part, taking the lead in the first half. But N’koyi came off the bench to bag a goal and a valuable point.

League

Not a great month for us results wise but we are still in the top 6 which is good going. Not bothered about our exit from the cup as the league is my priority this year. Also got linked to jobs of Yeovil and Swindon, both struggling teams in League 1, but I denied my interest as I don’t want to go back to England in the near future unless its premier league.

[JackJCFC]

October 2015

FC Emmen (H): 2-1 After a poor first half from both team, Murray and Hrman gave us a 2-0 lead before Emmen pulled one back with 5 minutes left.

Almere City (H): 2-1. Two first half goals from Hrman gave us the lead, we went down to 9 men for the last 10 minutes after 2 injuries to strikers and Almere got one back in the 91^st minute.

FC Zwolle (A): 3-1. Disaster of a match, gave away 2 goals through penalties and had 4 players go off injured.

MVV (A): 1-0. An even match until we had a man sent off on the 78^th minute, they scored a minute later.

Sparta (H): 2-0. We dominated this match and Tokic goals either side of half time were enough for the win.

League

We sit in 3^rd place having played a game more than most other teams but the league is crazily close between the top 10 teams or so. Our home form so far has been excellent and if we can sort out our poor away form then we have a chance of making the playoff’s.

[JackJCFC]

November 2015

RKC (A): 0-1. Changed to a 5-3-2 formation for this match and it worked brilliantly, they struggled to break us down and Tokic managed to grab a winner with 12 minutes left.

Fortuna Sittard (H): 2-0. Tokic and Kongolo scored in the first half and we were able to hold out in the 2^nd half, despite Fortuna dominating possession the whole time.

Telstar (A): 2-1. Telstar were better in the first half and took the lead. A change of formation at half time meant that we created a lot more in the 2^nd half, with Tokic equalising, but Telstar stole a winner on the 87^th minute.

FC Eindhoven (A): 0-4. A comfortable away win with Tokic, De Laak and Murray on the scoresheet.

Go Ahead (H): 0-0. Dominated the match but just couldn’t find the back of the net.

League

A good month for us, we sit a bit more comfortably in 3^rd place now. The 2 teams above me have qualified for the playoffs by winning one of the 4 periods each, which I believe are 9 game sections. Hopefully I don’t finish 3^rd or something and not make the playoffs because I didn’t win a period.

[JackJCFC]

December 2015

WKE (A): 2-4. 2 first half goals from Harries put us ahead. WKE equalised just after half time before we had a man sent off. Hrman and Murray made it 4-1 to us and not long after WKE pulled a 2^nd goal back.

NAC Breda (H): 2-1. We took the lead early on through an own goal but NAC equalised straight away. 5 minutes later we went ahead again with a penalty. Both teams created chances after that, with Tokic having a goal ruled out in the 2^nd half.

De Graafshchap (A): 1-2. We took the lead early on with an own goal and just about held them out until they scored in the 78^th minute, however, Harries scored 2 minutes later for the 3 points.

League

A short but great month for us, taking all 9 available points, now 2^nd in the league and if we can keep this form going in the next few games we will make the playoffs.

[deltablue]

Pity top spot is so far away.

[JackJCFC]

January 2016

AGOVV (H): 4-0. Goals from Hrman, N’Koyi and Kongolo gave us the win in a match we dominated.

FC Den Bosch (H): 1-0. A fairly quiet game with Kongolo’s early goal the difference.

Willem II (A): 2-3. We ran riot in the first 30 minutes, going 3-0 up. Willem got a goal back just before half time and laid siege to our goal in the 2^nd half but we just about held out for the win.

League

A great month for us, we’re in a clear 2^nd now but im not sure if we’ll be able to catch Willem II. Despite not winning any of the periods we’re pretty much guaranteed playoff football due to our position.

[JackJCFC]

Pity top spot is so far away.

Yeah, hopefully now i've beaten them they'll drop a few more points and i can catch them!

[JackJCFC]

February 2016

FC Oss (H): 3-0. Goals from Tokic, Hrman and Dogan gave us a straightforward win. Hrman went off injured with 10 minutes to go.

FC Emmen (A): 0-2. Two goals in the first 20 minutes from Tokic put us in the lead, we were in control of the rest of the match but became complacent late on.

League

Only 2 games but we picked up maximum points, made great progress in the league and now only 2 points off top spot. We’ve also been guaranteed a playoff position.

[JackJCFC]

March 2016

FC Zwolle (H): 3-4. Poor performance defensively. We took the lead early on but Zwolle took the lead just after half time. We equalised about 10 minutes later but again Zwolle took the lead. We got our 3^rd on the 70^th minute before they scored the winner with 10 minutes left.

Almere City (A): 0-2. Kongolo and Tokic scored first half goals in a match where we were all over them.

MVV (H): 3-0. Goals from Tokic, Harries and an own goal gave us the 3 goals needed for the win in a standard home game.

Sparta (A): 3-0. Conceded after 30 seconds and played terribly the whole 90 minutes.

League

Disappointed to have lost twice this month, both times we lost we were 2 points behind first then threw it away. Looks like its playoffs this year.

[deltablue]

Well done on closing in, pity it's not likely to be enough.

[JackJCFC]

April 2016

RKC (H): 3-3. Tokic and Hrman put us 2 up in the first half but RKC quickly bought it back to 2-2 in the 2^nd. Tokic made it 3-2 from the penalty spot but RKC scored a 3^rd not long after. Tokic then had a 4^th goal ruled out 10 minutes from time. This means that Willem II win the league.

Fortuna Sittard (A): 0-3. N’Koyi came off the bench to bag a hat trick in the last 20 minutes, but with 2^nd place secured, there was little to play for.

FC Eindhoven (H): 2-0. Played some of the backup players and in the end it was a comfortable victory.

League

Ended up 1 point off the top spot which, whilst is a great over achievement for the club, leaves me rueing those two matches I lost last month. Just getting a point in one of those games would have made me champion. But it was not to be and I now look forward to the playoffs.

Also just checked and the annoying thing is that this points tally would have been enough to win the league by 4 or 5 points any other year!

[JackJCFC]

May 2016

2^nd Round Playoff 1^st Leg

FC Oss (A): 1-3. Oss took an early lead but we equalised just before half time after an own goal. In the second half, Harries put us ahead before Livramento scored a 3^rd from a free kick.

2^nd Round Playoff 2^nd Leg

FC Oss (H): 2-1. Tokic gave us an early lead in the first half and an own goal just after half time killed off the tie.

3rd Round Playoff 1^st Leg

SC Veendam (H): 3-0. Tokic put us ahead in the first half whilst both he and Hrman scored in the 2^nd to give us a great advantage going into the next leg.

3rd Round Playoff 2nd Leg

SC Veendam (A): 2-1. We took the lead in the first half but Veendam equalised just before half time. In the 2^nd half we went down to 10 men through injury near the end which led to Veendam getting a 2^nd goal. As a result we have won promotion to the Eredivisie!

[JackJCFC]

Excelsior 2015-2016

League

Predicted: 14th

Finished: 2nd

Exceeded all expectation this year by finishing 2^nd and missing out on the title by a point. However we were able to beat FC Oss and Eredivisie team FC Veendam to gain promotion through the playoffs.

I won manager of the year and at the end of the season I was linked with some pretty big jobs such as Maritimo, as a result I resigned to increase my chances of getting the job. Whilst I had a successful year here in Holland I don’t feel any loyalty encouraging me to stay such as at Southport. As well as that, I don’t think Excelsior stand much of a chance of staying up or progressing due to the quality of the players and stature of the team.

League

Cups

Lost in the 2^nd round of the Dutch cup to last years winners, FC Utrecht..

Transfers

Made much needed wholesale changes to the squad, getting rid of as many players as I could without compromising squad depth. In terms of buying, I focused more on free transfers to allow for a bigger wage budget.

Transfers

Key Transfers

Andrej Tokic

Sean Murray

Denis Hrman

Finances

Finances are still doing well, we are over £400k in the black having just paid out over 800k in bonuses for the league. We were losing around 50k a month and I don’t expect it to change too much next year as we only have a 3000 seater stadium!

One problem we could have is that high wage increases for promotion, wasn’t really expecting it this year so its taken me by surprise.

Finances

Quick update on Southport, they finished 4^th in League 2 and lost 1-0 in the playoff final to Scunthorpe so a great season for them.

In the job hunt now, got offered the AZ job who just finished 9^th in the Eredivisie, asked for a week to think about it but now they’ve given it to someone else, kind of regretting not taking it now.

[JackJCFC]

After being unemployed for a month, my plan kinda back fired and i was left with pretty much no options, i wanted to be managing in the top division of a country but there weren't any jobs going so i took over P.Ferreira who just got relegated from the Portugese top division. Hopefully i can make it 3 in a row with promotions but i only intend on being here for a year.

The squad should be good enough to go back up, obviously ill be bringing in a few players of my own.

Once again i've landed on my feet in terms of finances with the team £900k in the black.

[cerud]

Too bad on the job front. I hate it when I pass on a job only to wish I'd taken it How is the Portugese league setup? I've heard from others that it difficult to get promoted?

[JackJCFC]

Too bad on the job front. I hate it when I pass on a job only to wish I'd taken it How is the Portugese league setup? I've heard from others that it difficult to get promoted?

It's difficult in the regional leagues but in the division im in the top 2 teams go up so im fairly confident of doing it although i'm low on strike power at the moment.

[JackJCFC]

July 2016

Portuguese League Cup, First Phase Group C

Farense (H): 4-0. A straightforward win as was expected before the match.

August 2016

Portuguese League Cup, First Phase Group C

Santa Clara (A): 3-0. We were pretty poor but went down to 10 men early on. Not too bothered by the result as I don’t care about this competition.

Portuguese League Cup, First Phase Group C

Penafiel (H): 1-2. Penafield took the lead on the 45^th minute, in the 2^nd half the match was pretty even, we equalised on the 70^th minute but they got a winner shortly after. This means we don’t qualify from the group.

Sp. Covilha (A): 1-0. Played well in the first half but a poor 2^nd, conceding on the 70^th minute.

Going to resign as I don’t really want to be at this club, decided id rather be unemployed than employed just for the sake of it. I’m going to wait until a better club comes up.

[JackJCFC]

So after a couple of months without a job Crystal Palace, currently 15th in the championship approached me. I've signed a 2 year deal with them and hope to guide them to promotion in those years. Finances aren't too bad, at least we are in the black. One disapointment for me was that my old assistant from my previous 3 teams had become the manager of Woking so i've gone for Kevin Phillips as ass man.

[cerud]

Nice on the new job. Too bad about your old assistant manager, but I guess taking the opportunity to manage himself is a step up. Maybe you can get them as a feeder club

[JackJCFC]

October 2016

Coventry (H): 2-1. Two goals from Fontaine put us ahead, Coventry scored on the 79^th minute and pushed for an another, we had a man sent off in the last minute.

November 2016

Brighton (H): 2-4. Brighton took an early lead but 2 goals from Ball put us 2-1 up at half time, however, our 2^nd half display was very poor, particularly in defence as we lost the game.

Swansea (A): 1-2. We took a 2-0 lead after 2 Byrne goals, Swansea equalised later in the first half and we defended for our lives for the rest of the match for a great 3 points.

Watford (H): 1-0. After an even and uneventful first half, Jon Williams scored a 30 yarder just after half time to put us ahead. The rest of the match remained pretty quiet, with both sides having a couple of chances.

Ipswich (A): 1-3. Ipswich took an early lead but Byrne and Pedroza both got goals to put us in the lead in the first half. Fontaine then added a 3^rd in the 2^nd half from the penalty spot.

Wigan (H): 0-0. We went down to 10 men after 30 minutes but managed to hold out for a point against the team at the top, so all in all, a good result.

League

Great start to my time at Palace, we’ve got some big results in my first few games which has put us in 9^th place, well clear of relegation and with a chance of making the playoffs if we can keep this form up. I do need a couple more strikers though as we are thin in that department.

[JackJCFC]

December 2016

Sheffield Wednesday (A): 0-0. An even match with both sides having a lot of good chances, but it was the keepers who had the best games, making several great saves each to keep this a stalemate.

Preston (H): 1-0. A close fought game but a Byrne goal in the 2^nd half was enough for the 3 points.

Reading (A): 1-0. A close match but our keeper spilled the ball on the 88^th minute, gifting them a goal.

Leyton Orient (H): 1-0. Dominated the game and eventually got the winner with about 10 minutes left.

Hull (H): 0-0.Dominated the game in terms of chances but struggled to score.

League

Again, another decent month for us even if we should have won some of the games we drew. Our defence seems pretty solid, we just need a prolific striker.

[markyosullivan]

Steady start with Palace. Hope your former Assistant Manager does well at Woking.

How's your former clubs doing?

[JackJCFC]

Steady start with Palace. Hope your former Assistant Manager does well at Woking.

How's your former clubs doing?

IK Frej got relegated about 2 years ago from the Swedish First division North.

Southport are currently 2nd in League 2, although the squad remains pretty much the same as i left it, bar a few loan signings and free transfers.

Excelsior are bottom of Eredivisie and 5 points from complete safety.

P.Ferreira are currently 2nd in the Portugese 2nd division having been first for about a month and a half, they'll probably get promoted.

My ass man has taken Woking from relegation zone to mid table safety, he clearly learnt from the best

[markyosullivan]

Would be an interesting match if Woking got Palace in the FA Cup

[JackJCFC]

Would be an interesting match if Woking got Palace in the FA Cup

I doubt Woking could get far enough to face me! Closest i've come to facing a former team is my feeder team Gillingham played Southport in the FA Cup 2nd round.

[JackJCFC]

January 2016

Leeds (A): 1-0. A poor performance from us, I had to rotate the squad due to the busy schedule and some of the players were either not fit enough or simply not good enough.

FA Cup 3^rd Round

Burnley (A): 0-1. Dikagoi gave us the lead after 2 minutes and we somehow kept Burnley out for the rest of the match, a great result against Premier league opposition.

Middleborough (H): 1-1. An even match, they took the lead at the end of the first half but we got a goal back from a set piece in the 61^st minute.

Bournemouth (A): 2-3. A fortunate win, we went 2-0 up early on but Bournemouth got 2 back just before half time. We scored a 3^rd just after half time, after this Bournemouth threw everything at us, with our keeper playing very well, saving a penalty with 15 minutes left.

FA Cup 4^th Round

Sunderland (H): 0-1. It was a fairly even game with plenty of chances for both sides, however, Sunderland’s quality came through in the 2^nd half when Nene scored in the 65^th minute.

Charlton (H): 1-0. Completely dominated the match and just about got the win with a goal in the 93^rd minute.

League

Not a bad month for us, we had a decent cup spell and we’re still within touching distance of the playoff’s, that said, I don’t think we are strong enough to compete near the top.

[cerud]

Playoffs are definitely a real possibility.

[deltablue]

Will be a tough battle to go up.