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[FM17] The Hart Chronicles - Volume II: Adam Hart is 'Yes Man'!


PaulHartman71
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December

 

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A late winner from Liam Doughty saw us get past Long Eaton and progress in the FA Vase. 

 

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A busy month with some ups and downs, but overall a good start to my reign at Lincoln. 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses is a reasonable start for a side that was struggling and it's great to have scored 4 goals in successive games to end 2020 on a high note. 

 

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Hopefully this is the start of our push up the table, although a lot of sides have games in hand on us, so maybe we won't be moving up too far just yet. 

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January

 

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We had a fairly tricky away tie in the FA Vase and unfortunately couldn't get past Marske. 

 

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Although we won 3 and lost 3, this month has actually been better than it looks. I was fairly disappointed to lose to Dunkirk, but Westella and Parkgate are 1st and 3rd respectively, so to lose to them is not necessarily a massive failure. We did manage to win 3 times as I said too, which is a positive, especially the Liversedge and Albion Sports wins were so comfortable. Harrogate Railway were awful and never looked like doing much, but we only won due to an unbelievable first time 35 yard rocket from Joe Jarvis.

 

 

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We're now up to 12th, a few sides behind us have a game in hand on us but I'm confident we can stay in and around this point of the table for the rest of the season, as we are putting in reasonably good performances on a fairly consistent basis.

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10 hours ago, noikeee said:

One of these days, you're going to get a MASSIVE career break and be hired by a 8th tier team. :D

 

8 hours ago, jim owen said:

Never, 100 seasons in tier 9 is the dream

 

Haha. I'm hoping I don't look back on that failed interview with Scarborough for too long. If I get another 8th tier interview I'll probably just blag it and give them a load of false promises that I won't keep, then hope I do well enough to avoid the sack and cement myself at the 8th tier at least :D

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April

 

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A pretty great end to the season really, I'm pretty sure this is my first unbeaten month since taking over which is nice. All of these games were fairly winnable and it would've ben cool to beat Liversedge and get up to 9th, but overall I can't complain too much. 

 

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We end the season in 11th place, which is probably roughly the level that this squad is at. If I get the chance to bring new players in over the summer than we can definitely push on up the table next season. 

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At the end of each season I have a general browse to see what the general landscape of the game looks like, to see if anything exciting or out of the ordinary has happened etc. Not seen anything too crazy until this season. 

 

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A manager by the name of Kevin Horlock has managed to take Maldon and Tiptree from the Isthmian League First Division North (8th tier) to League 2 in just 5 seasons. Fair play to the lad :D

 

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A closer inspection reveals he had the help of a Tycoon takeover. Still a decent achievement and pretty cool to see, but that certainly puts it into perspective a bit haha.

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13 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

It's weird that they have a tycoon and dodgy finances, but maybe he's been splashing the cash a lot. 15th in League 2 as well, so tipping a away nicely there too.

 

Ah tbf it's July at the moment so that's purely alphabetical for now, will be interesting to see how they get on though, I'll be paying attention.

I think the insecure finances at present are caused by their enforced stadium upgrades to comply with each league's rules. The Conference is 4,000 - and through looking at their facilities page it looks like they paid out for expansions to be made to their original stadium to be a 5,500 capacity ground, which will be completed just before the end of April next year, whilst they currently play at Barnet's old ground, Underhill, which is 6,023 capacity. 

I'm pretty sure there are no further stadium capacity regulations apart from the Premier League, so their financial issues should soon clear up once the stadium is built, especially if their tycoon is in it for the long run. 

 

Edited by PaulHartman71
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3 minutes ago, PaulHartman71 said:

 

Ah tbf it's July at the moment so that's purely alphabetical for now, will be interesting to see how they get on though, I'll be paying attention.

I think the insecure finances at present are caused by their enforced stadium upgrades to comply with each league's rules. The Conference is 4,000 - and through looking at their facilities page it looks like they paid out for expansions to be made to their original stadium to be a 5,500 capacity ground, which will be completed just before the end of April next year, whilst they currently play at Barnet's old ground, Underhill, which is 6,023 capacity. 

I'm pretty sure there are no further stadium capacity regulations apart from the Premier League, so their financial issues should soon clear up once the stadium is built, especially if their tycoon is in it for the long run. 

 

I see, cheers for all the details, certainly seems like they'll be fun to keep an eye on!

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Season 5: Lincoln United

 

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I joined Lincoln in late November, which at the time was a very convenient move as it seemed inevitable that Basildon would sack me sooner rather than later. The board at Lincoln wanted me to guide them a nice mid-table finish and I did just that. Morale is currently at rock bottom due to my End of Season Meeting bombing a bit, but overall I feel we will be able to achieve similar results next season, with the possibility of rising up the table hopefully being on the table with more money for wages being offered.

 

Squad pt 1pt 2

 

Harry Garstang ended the season our top scorer, with 13 goals, not great numbers, but he did what he could. Lee Rathbone had a pretty good season on the left wing, with left back Ben Ingham and long shot connoisseur Joe Jarvis also stand out players among the pack.  

 

 

Career History

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season     Club                 Division                               Position      Achievements/Other
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016/17    Ipswich Wanderers    Eastern Counties Premier League          8th         Eastern Counties League Cup winners
2017/18    Ipswich Wanderers    Eastern Counties Premier League         11th         Left in November
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017/18    Coventry Sphinx      Midland Football Premier League         13th         N/A
2018/19    Coventry Sphinx      Midland Football Premier League         10th         Left in December 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018/19    Carlton Town         United Counties Premier League           8th         United Counties League Cup runners-up. Sacked. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019/20    Basildon United      Essex Senior League                      3rd         Gordan Brasted Memorial Trophy winners
2020/21    Basildon United      Essex Senior League                     17th         Left in November 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020/21    Lincoln United       Northern Counties East Premier League   11th         N/A
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Trophy Cabinet

Eastern Counties League Cup    x1 - 2016/17 (Ipswich Wanderers) 
Gordan Brasted Memorial Trophy x1 - 2019/20 (Basildon United) 
Edited by PaulHartman71
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Summer Transfer Summary

 

Our long shot lover, Joe Jarvis, left on a free to join Coalville. I can't blame him for leaving us to join a 7th tier club and would love the chance to join him :D

 

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The majority of these signings were just to add depth to the squad which was still quite small, but Jamie Malone will be our new first choice keeper and Cameron Hooper will likely play a lot of games up-front. 

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August

 

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We faced off against 10th tier side Little Common in the Extra Prelim FA Cup match, we were still a bit unfit from pre-season, but we managed to do enough to get through. 

 

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We got a tough draw in the Prelim Round, as we got given 8th tier side Taunton. We did our best but unfortunately they were way too strong for us. It's a real shame to end our FA Cup campaign so early, but we just didn't get very lucky with the draw.

 

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On the subject of draws, we had quite a lot in the league this month. 1 win, 3 draws and 1 loss isn't the worst start to the season, especially since even in the Eccleshill defeat we didn't play that badly and almost got a point from it. 

 

 

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Very early days yet, but we're in 12th for now. 

 

 

 

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September

 

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A really poor month, 1 win, 1 draw and 3 losses, including a completely baffling match against Rossington Main that saw them beat us 7-4. My only hope from that is that Garstang will gain some confidence from scoring a hat-trick. Elsewhere, it was slim pickings, with only a 2-0 win against bottom of the league Dunkirk filling us with any real joy this month. 

 

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We were plodding along okay in August and I thought that we could turn some of those draws into wins, but instead we  turned them into losses. I hope this isn't going to be a repeat of Basildon where I have a terrible 2nd season, if it is, then well, we better hope the usual October/November sacking season brings me another job again this year :D

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October

 

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Not too much happened this month, with just two matches being played. We beat a struggling Harrogate Railway 2-1, but then lost 3-1 to Maltby Main in a very unconvincing display, especially since Maltby Main had 10 men from the 35th minute onwards...

 

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We're still lumbering down in 17th...

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November

 

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A 3-0 win sees us through in the Northern Counties Eastern League Cup. I was really pleased with this big win, even if they are only a 10th tier side, we really needed the win to boost morale in general after a tricky few months. 

 

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We also won 3-1 in the FA Vase against Sutton Coldfield. 

 

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Unfortunately we couldn't translate our cup form to the league, with just 2 points from 9 in November. 

 

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It doesn't look too pretty in the league, but it looks like that might not be my problem anymore as I may well have gotten myself a get out...

 

 

 

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Manager reputation works in a bizarre way - surely you've had better seasons that could've attracted 8th tier clubs earlier, rather than now when you're fighting in lower table? Anyway, about time for the MASSIVE breakthrough. :applause:

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3 hours ago, noikeee said:

Manager reputation works in a bizarre way - surely you've had better seasons that could've attracted 8th tier clubs earlier, rather than now when you're fighting in lower table? Anyway, about time for the MASSIVE breakthrough. :applause:

 

Yeah not sure, I did have Scarborough interested in me last season but I flopped the interview. Suppose I have 5 years experience now so clearly that was enough to give my big break!

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Career History

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season     Club                 Division                               Position      Achievements/Other
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016/17    Ipswich Wanderers    Eastern Counties Premier League          8th         Eastern Counties League Cup winners
2017/18    Ipswich Wanderers    Eastern Counties Premier League         11th         Left in November
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017/18    Coventry Sphinx      Midland Football Premier League         13th         N/A
2018/19    Coventry Sphinx      Midland Football Premier League         10th         Left in December 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018/19    Carlton Town         United Counties Premier League           8th         United Counties League Cup runners-up. Sacked. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019/20    Basildon United      Essex Senior League                      3rd         Gordan Brasted Memorial Trophy winners
2020/21    Basildon United      Essex Senior League                     17th         Left in November 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020/21    Lincoln United       Northern Counties East Premier League   11th         N/A
2021/22    Lincoln United       Northern Counties East Premier League   17th         Left in December
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Trophy Cabinet

Eastern Counties League Cup    x1 - 2016/17 (Ipswich Wanderers) 
Gordan Brasted Memorial Trophy x1 - 2019/20 (Basildon United) 
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December

 

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Not really sure how to feel about this start to the season. 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses. Not too bad form considering the squad, but I would've liked to have had a slightly better impact in my first month in charge. 

 

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We're now in 17th place, which is not too good considering the board are expecting a mid-table finish. 

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January

 

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An absolutely fantastic month as we grinded out 3 wins on the bounce, we very nearly made it 4 wins as AFC Portchester only equalised in the 85th minute. Matt Fey had a good month, as did our defence for the most part with 3 clean sheets. 

 

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Despite this pick up in form we've not really risen up the table that much, but if we win our games in hand we could certainly start moving up in the world. 

 

 

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February

 

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A really poor month. Just 1 win from 7, with 2 draws and 4 losses. Terrible form by more or less anyone's standards. The Winchester draw and the Sidmouth loss were particularly frustrating as we led both of those games quite comfortably at one stage. 

 

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Our position in the table hasn't actually changed and we're still in 16th with 8 games to go. I'd like to move up the table before the end of the season, as I'm not sure whether getting around 16th/17th will be enough to convince the board to give me a new contract and keep me on. 

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Great updates again.  

Out of interest do you ever look for jobs and apply etc, or just waiting until approached?  

Are you using forum tactics or your own?  I feel you need a boost either tactically or maybe scouting/player signing wise?  I've never managed in such low leagues, but in the conf south/north it's usually easy to get a squad capable of challenging once the summer transfer releases happen.  I guess in this league you still keep a keen eye on what players are sitting out of contract?  Plenty of trials and such?

 

 

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22 minutes ago, mrdanbartlett said:

Great updates again.  

Out of interest do you ever look for jobs and apply etc, or just waiting until approached?  

Are you using forum tactics or your own?  I feel you need a boost either tactically or maybe scouting/player signing wise?  I've never managed in such low leagues, but in the conf south/north it's usually easy to get a squad capable of challenging once the summer transfer releases happen.  I guess in this league you still keep a keen eye on what players are sitting out of contract?  Plenty of trials and such?

 

 

 

So far I've always just waited until clubs have approached me. 

I mainly just stick to variations of a basic 4-4-2, with slightly more defensive/counter motions if we're playing away from home or against a better side. I think I could probably cobble together a decent squad if I had time, but I've often only had 6 months or 1 year at clubs so far, with a lot of them not giving me much in the way of funds, so I have to rely on what I have or loans. Swindon Supermarine, for example, haven't given me any wage budget yet so unfortunately I've been stuck with the relatively average squad I inherited. 

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March

 

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The month started on a massive positive and a massive win. We were 1-0 up against Weymouth but went in at half-time 2-1 down. I thought we'd blown it and was furious and gutted at the performance, but then we came out in the second half and turned the game back on its head to win 3-2. I thought this was going to be the catalyst for a strong end of season,  but since then we've lost 3 in a row :D We did show fight against Slimbridge and almost came back from 3-0 down, but unfortunately we couldn't get a 3rd despite a valiant effort. 

 

 

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We're in 17th place and unfortunately it looks like we're in a bit of a relegation fight, which I'm sure won't please the board one bit. 

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33 minutes ago, PaulHartman71 said:

 

So far I've always just waited until clubs have approached me. 

I mainly just stick to variations of a basic 4-4-2, with slightly more defensive/counter motions if we're playing away from home or against a better side. I think I could probably cobble together a decent squad if I had time, but I've often only had 6 months or 1 year at clubs so far, with a lot of them not giving me much in the way of funds, so I have to rely on what I have or loans. Swindon Supermarine, for example, haven't given me any wage budget yet so unfortunately I've been stuck with the relatively average squad I inherited. 

I guess as all players are on non-contract deals - could you keep some shortlists of good players and then just try and sign the good ones each time you move?  Releasing some old ones to free up funds?  I personally find shortlists very useful, I usually have:

- Good players 

- Good youngsters

- Loan targets

-Contract expired /expiring soon

-Must buys

 

Just a suggestion, as said might not work so well for lower leagues, I'd just love to see you start rising up those leagues :).

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5 hours ago, mrdanbartlett said:

I guess as all players are on non-contract deals - could you keep some shortlists of good players and then just try and sign the good ones each time you move?  Releasing some old ones to free up funds?  I personally find shortlists very useful, I usually have:

- Good players 

- Good youngsters

- Loan targets

-Contract expired /expiring soon

-Must buys

 

Just a suggestion, as said might not work so well for lower leagues, I'd just love to see you start rising up those leagues :).

 

At County level it was generally hit and miss whether they were part time on non contracts. I found non contracts annoying as I constantly got messages all year long that teams were offering my players contracts, they very rarely took them and left, but was still annoying seeing the notification so often :D 

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