The History Bhoys - From the Lisbon Lions to ____?

[mjaferrie]

Season Preview 2038

No new players in this winter, as there's just no one of interest available.  I had a £3.2m bid accepted for Jon Mulcahy, our former youth player who left us for Reading before they agreed to what turned into a 2.5 year loan spell, which would have absolutely smashed our transfer record and indeed budget.  Unfortunately he wasn't interested in talking to us, but a further year extension has been agreed and he stays with us for one final year (even if he would sign for us next time, he'll be older than 22).  

IN - none

OUT

Sam Andrews SP17a - released
Eoghan Beattie SP17b - released
Dave Devaney SP17c - released
Alan Sexton YP15d - released
Kyle Lyons SP17d - free to Finn Harps

Apparently my signing policy in the 17th season didn't work out too well Anyway, after some regulars leaving us, here's how the squad looks.

FIRST TEAM SQUAD

Goalkeepers

Barry Moran SP15e IRL (28) - 4CA/PA, starting to get on a bit, but we have plenty of talent waiting for their opportunity.
Jason Rowe SP17f IRL (22) - 2.5PA, pining for a loan out.
Verdict:  We're actually pretty overstocked, with 7 goalkeepers in total.  Some of the guys are likely to move out on loan or on permanent deals.

Right Back

Nathan McKenna SP19a IRL (22) - 3CA/PA.  
Verdict:  Only one recognised RB which is a bit worrying.

Left Back

James McLoughlin SP16b IRL (23) - 1.5CA, 2.5PA. Has likely reached his peak as he hasn't improved at all this last year.
Kevin Gorman SP20g IRL (20) - 2CA, 3.5PA.  First choice.
Verdict:  Grand here, with Hallett waiting in the wings.

Centre Backs/Sweepers

Roberto Connolly IRL (28) - 3CA/PA. Mr Consistent.
Michael Murphy SP17e IRL (26) - 3CA/PA. First choice.
Ken Lynch-Clarke YP17g IRL (20) - 2CA, 3PA nothing doing in the transfer market, tried to get rid of him for the 3rd time.
Luis O'Reilly YP20c IRL (17) - Good back up, switched to Irish from Argentinian.
Verdict:  Grand for now.

Right Midfielders/Wingers

Darren Brown SP16a SP21f NIR (22) - 4CA, 4.5PA. First choice.
David Williams SP20c ENG (21) - 1.5CA, 3.5PA.
Verdict:  So great to have Brown back!

Left Midfielders/Wingers

Jon Mulcahy YP16e IRL (21) - 4CA, 5PA.  One more year before we bid farewell to this machine.
Jonathan Buttigieg YP16a MLT (22) - 3.5CA/PA.  25 caps already.
Gavin Forde SP20b IRL (24) - 3.5PA.  Back up.
Verdict:  Grand!

Defensive and Central Midfield

Ryan Bolger SP15a IRL (23) - 2.5CA, 3.5PA. No improvement again.
Ian Harker SP18a IRL (23) - 2CA, 3PA.  Same here.
Adam Farrell SP15d IRL (26) - 3.5CA/PA.  First choice.
Jorge McGuire YP19a IRL (18) - 4PA.  Could be a class act.
Verdict:  With Devaney released and David Brennan on loan at TNS, Jorge McGuire YP19a comes into the first team.

Attacking Midfielders

Richie Nealon-Thornton IRL (28) - 3CA/PA.
Gareth Wright SP15b IRL (25) - 4CA/PA.
Kevin Healy SP16c IRL (25) - 3CA/PA.
Paul Moran SP17h IRL (25) - 3CA, 3.5PA.  
Reece Ward SP17g IRL (22) - 3CA/PA.
Simon Brennan IRL (25) - 2.5CA/PA, Might move him on.
Joey Connor SP15c IRL (25) - 4.5CA/PA, our best player by a mile!
Verdict:  No change here again, just a few more miles on the clock.  Brennan and Connor drop in here permanently.

Strikers - nay!

And with that, it's into the new season!  I have a feeling this is going to be my last year at Shamrock Rovers, so hopefully it's a good 'un!

[mjaferrie]

Well folks, I am in the hunt for a new job.  Back when I made the request to buy our stadium, you may recall that I promised the then Chairman that I'd improve our position in the league.  Well, we have a new board, but for some reason:



The table currently looks like this...



What a ****ing laugh.  

[BoxToBox]

What the hell?

[sherwinriga]

1 hour ago, mjaferrie said:

Well folks, I am in the hunt for a new job.  Back when I made the request to buy our stadium, you may recall that I promised the then Chairman that I'd improve our position in the league.  Well, we have a new board, but for some reason:



The table currently looks like this...



What a ****ing laugh.  

First of all, nice championship run in Scotland, then you made it through to the Champions & Europa League for more than 15 years. I'll be following and keep up the good work.

For some reasons of being released, first, since you released the following players:

Sam Andrews SP17a - released
Eoghan Beattie SP17b - released
Dave Devaney SP17c - released

I think you should have been compensated for losing them. For the second reason, while you're trying to improve, you drew four games and lost one. Lastly, it's supposed to be a European class caliber team, but losing games at Champions League and Europa League.

At the end, I hope you find another Irish club or another nation to explore more of it. As of now, there is no permanent replacement for Shamrock because Richard Bakary is taking over. I'll wait and see who will be the new manager for them.

[Keano16]

That chairman should be admitted to a mental asylum.......

[R7Now]

HA! That is just incredible incompetence. You'd have to imagine the Rovers fans are about to burn the stadium down at this point. Part of me wants you to go back to Northern Ireland just to destroy Shamrock. Also, fun to see Greg Kiltie in the running to replace you. A current player from my favorite Scot team - Kilmarnock.

[mjaferrie]

8 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

What the hell?

Yep - it's already been reported as a bug and SI are looking at it.  I guess I deserved it really, not progressing higher than 1st place

7 hours ago, sherwinriga said:

First of all, nice championship run in Scotland, then you made it through to the Champions & Europa League for more than 15 years. I'll be following and keep up the good work.

For some reasons of being released, first, since you released the following players:

Sam Andrews SP17a - released
Eoghan Beattie SP17b - released
Dave Devaney SP17c - released

I think you should have been compensated for losing them. For the second reason, while you're trying to improve, you drew four games and lost one. Lastly, it's supposed to be a European class caliber team, but losing games at Champions League and Europa League.

At the end, I hope you find another Irish club or another nation to explore more of it. As of now, there is no permanent replacement for Shamrock because Richard Bakary is taking over. I'll wait and see who will be the new manager for them.

Those three guys were released, so I had to pay them actually  Would be quite hilarious to get drawn against SR in Europe next time

6 hours ago, Keano16 said:

That chairman should be admitted to a mental asylum.......

I'll drive him there

6 hours ago, R7Now said:

HA! That is just incredible incompetence. You'd have to imagine the Rovers fans are about to burn the stadium down at this point. Part of me wants you to go back to Northern Ireland just to destroy Shamrock. Also, fun to see Greg Kiltie in the running to replace you. A current player from my favorite Scot team - Kilmarnock.

I almost took the Cork City job just to get revenge, haha.  I almost signed Kiltie when I was at Celtic, but he signed for Newcastle instead.  He's currently AssMan at Queen of the South.

Turbulent times here, but I've got a new job lined up!  Part 4 Coming Soon.

[mjaferrie]

Part Four
The Student Becomes the Teacher - Back to School for this Disgraced Rover

Only seven days have passed since I got the sack in Dublin.  One half of me wanted to rock the boat and apply for the Cork City job, available just 2 days after this:



But no, it was time for something new.  A fresh start.



The first team I have managed in this save without a European pedigree of note - of course in real life Cardiff Met are currently enjoying their first ever season in the top flight - but with Cwmbran (the first Welsh side to play in Europe) and Barry (first to win a European game) languishing in the lower leagues, and TNS not even interested in interviewing me (the bastards) Cardiff Met were the only side in Wales needing a new manager at the end of the season.  The Archers finished last year in 7th place, at the top of the lower split, so I'll be looking to improve on that this season.  We've qualified for Europe 6 times over the course of the last 22 years, and famously won the Dafabet Premier League for the first time in our history 4 years ago.



As ever, I'll be adhering to our strict signing policy.  Here's how the radius looks this season:



And here's some info about the club I've taken over at!








The first amateur side I've managed in this save, which means we're likely to see some serious player-poaching over the next couple of years.  Here's what we've got for now:

FIRST TEAM SQUAD



It's the 14th of July so we still have plenty of time in the transfer window, and it looks like we'll need it.  The usual in depth squad analysis will come as we head into the season!

What an absolute palaver!  I'm pretty ****ed off about how the Shamrock story ended, although the silver lining is that domestically I had achieved everything possible with them anyway.  It would have been far more annoying if it had happened in the first two or three years before we won the title.  Anyway, we now have the chance to complete Wales, with only 3 competitions to win here.  I'm glad to have ended up at a relatively small club here, as with TNS, Bangor City or Airbus UK the Welsh story would have been over pretty quickly!  Here we go!

[mjaferrie]

Brief Shamrock Rovers Update

So, briefly, a small update on how the season had been going at Shamrock Rovers.  We lifted the President's Cup after a 3-0 victory over Drogheda United, and the Leinster Cup on penalties following a 0-0 draw again with Drogheda.  We were knocked out of the League Cup at the Quarter Final stage, with Sligo Rovers progressing after beating us 2-1.  Two more trophies to add to the cabinet at Tallaght!  #noloyalty



In the league it was business as usual, as a home loss to Shelbourne and draws against Drogheda, Sligo Rovers, Shelbourne and Dundalk meant we sat top of the table, 8 points clear.



If anything, it was a good time to be sacked as I can now get a full summer preseason with Cardiff Met.  ****ing Rovers.  Mourinho has now retired, so our wrath will now forever be against the Dubliners!
 

Season  |          Club           |     Nation    |         League         |   Position  | Other  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016/17 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     1st     | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Scottish Cup
2017/18 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     1st     | League Cup, Europa League
2018/19 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     1st     | Glasgow Cup, League Cup
2019/20 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     1st     | Glasgow Cup
2020/21 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     1st     | Glasgow Cup
2021/22 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     1st     | Glasgow Cup, Scottish Cup, Europa League
2022/23 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     1st     | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Scottish Cup
2023/24 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     1st     | n.a.
2024/25 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     1st     | League Cup, Scottish Cup
2025/26 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     1st     | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Champions League
2026/27 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |     n.a.    | Club World Championship, resigned
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2026/27 |    Nottingham Forest    |    England    |  Sky Bet Championship  |     14th    | (joined with 10 games remaining)
2027/28 |    Nottingham Forest    |    England    |  Sky Bet Championship  |     1st     | n.a.
2028/29 | Nottingham Forest/Wales |    England    | English Premier League |     13th    | n.a.
2029/30 | Nottingham Forest/Wales |    England    | English Premier League |     16th    | n.a.
2030/31 | Nottingham Forest/Wales |    England    | English Premier League |     n.a.    | resigned mid-season
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031    |  Shamrock Rovers/Wales  |    Ireland    | Irish Premier Division |     2nd     | Leinster Cup, Senior Challenge Cup
2032    |  Shamrock Rovers/Wales  |    Ireland    | Irish Premier Division |     2nd     | President's Cup
2033    |  Shamrock Rovers/Wales  |    Ireland    | Irish Premier Division |     2nd     | n.a.
2034    |  Shamrock Rovers/Wales  |    Ireland    | Irish Premier Division |     1st     | Leinster Cup, Senior Challenge Cup
2035    |     Shamrock Rovers     |    Ireland    | Irish Premier Division |     1st     | Senior Challenge Cup, League Cup, President's Cup. Resigned as Wales manager.
2036    |     Shamrock Rovers     |    Ireland    | Irish Premier Division |     1st     | Leinster Cup, Senior Challenge Cup, League Cup, President's Cup.
2037    |     Shamrock Rovers     |    Ireland    | Irish Premier Division |     1st     | Leinster Cup, League Cup, President's Cup.
2038    |     Shamrock Rovers     |    Ireland    | Irish Premier Division |     n.a.    | Leinster Cup, President's Cup.  Sacked midseason. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2038/39 | Cardiff Met. University |     Wales     |  Welsh Premier League  |             | 

[mjaferrie]

Season Preview 2038/39!

So here we go!  The media predict that we will finish in 5th place, which meant that after last seasons disappointing 7th finish I had some work to do in the summer window.



As you can see from the image, Barry have been promoted to the top flight.  This is a bit unfortunate as I would have preferred to take that job over Cardiff Met as they have the European history, but I took the job here before the Barry job became available and I decided against a quick fire move.  Our first game of the season is against top half rivals TNS, and we'll be hoping to start off the season with a good result.  Here's all the Transfer deals so far and a look at the squad.

IN

Nathan Roberts SP22a (19), born in Cardiff- Free from Afan Lido
Mael Jenkins SP22b (20), born in Cardiff- Free from Goytre United
Jon Jones SP22c (20), born in Rhondda- Free, unassigned

OUT

Johnny Willis, Tim Hudson, Lee Cotterill, Danny Sprudd, Lee Branch, Will Green, Craig Young, Marcus Flanagan, Max Forster, Andy Armstrong, Jamie Nicholls, James Kelly, Anthony Bowen, Andrew Wigley, Christian Jenkins BREEAAAATHH, Craig Haworth, Nathan Bloom, Nat Phillips, Tony Vickers, Simon Finselbach, George Johnson, Matthew Lees, Callum Southam and Rhys Young - Released

The outs seem a bit excessive, but despite the reasonable size of our first team squad the Reserves and U19s were absolutely bursting at the seams.  This is a lot of dross that we really didn't need, and I'm much happier with the overall squad size now.

FIRST TEAM SQUAD

Goalkeepers

Ross Robinson-D'Auria WAL (27) - 3.5CA/PA, first choice for now.
Danny Carr WAL (30) - 2CA/PA, backup.
Jon Jones SP22c WAL (20) - 4.5PA, will develop into our first choice keeper.
Verdict:  Fine for now!

Right Back

Verdict:  No recognised right backs, but both left backs and a couple of the centre backs can drop in here.

Left Back

Darren Plant WAL (35) - 3.5CA/PA. Likely to retire soon.
Simon Thomas WAL (30) - 3CA/PA.  Second choice.
Verdict:  We'll need to replace both of these guys soon.

Centre Backs/Sweepers

Iwan Dodd WAL (30) - 3CA/PA. First choice.
Andrew Whitfield ENG (28) - 4CA/PA. First choice.
Greg White WAL (28) - 2CA/PA, a backup option.
Mael Jenkins SP22b WAL (20) - 3PA, will hopefully develop quickly.
Verdict:  Okay for now, but this is an ageing department and we will need new players in soon.

Right Midfielders/Wingers

David Webber WAL (31) - 3CA/PA. First choice.
Verdict:  Only one guy here and he's likely to retire within a few years.  If I continue with the strikerless tactic I won't need him though.

Left Midfielders/Wingers

Ian Cosslett WAL (29) - 2CA/PA.  Backup.
Aron Herniman WAL (26) - 3CA/PA.  First choice if we play with wingers.
Nathan Roberts SP22a WAL (19) - 3.5PA.  Will hopefully develop quickly and is being retrained as an attacking midfielder.
Verdict:  Grand!

Defensive and Central Midfield

David Wellens ENG (27) - 4CA/PA. Probably our best player, first choice.
Oliver Griffiths WAL (33) - 3CA/PA.  Rotation option at his age.
Jimmy Blackwell ENG (30) - 3CA/PA. Same here.
Bradley Theodore AUS (25) - 3.5CA/PA. First choice.
Verdict:  We're okay here, but again it's an ageing department and we will need to strengthen.

Attacking Midfielders

Paul Jones WAL (25) - 3.5CA/PA.
Verdict:  Quite a different story here than at Shamrock Rovers, but the strikers can drop in and hopefully a couple of wingers.

Strikers

Jon Platt ENG (32) - 2.5CA/PA.  Backup.
Jonathan Cleverley ENG (31) - 2CA/PA.  Wants to leave as he feels he's achieved everything here.  Happy for him to find a new club.
Danny Burns WAL (27) - 4CA/PA, first choice.
Verdict:  Danny Burns is our only real threat here.

So overall it's a very old squad and will need multiple new faces over the coming seasons.  Plenty of quality for this level though and hopefully we can make an impression in the league!

[ManUtd1]

What an absurd end in Ireland! I'd be irate. I like where you've ended up, but still...

[mjaferrie]

1 hour ago, ManUtd1 said:

What an absurd end in Ireland! I'd be irate. I like where you've ended up, but still...

Yeah, I was pretty pissed off about it at first!

[mjaferrie]

I just dropped into the Europa League screen to see how Shamrock Rovers got on (yep - they qualified for the group stage again after I left!), and they managed to get one point from a difficult group.  The real story though, is that after Christmas there will be FIVE Scottish teams in European knockout competition!







And in the Champions League:



This is the dream!  Scotland are set to overtake Italy in the coefficient rankings dependent on continued results - which would mean they'd get an additional automatic Group Stage spot in the Champions League.  That's mega!

Edit:  Italy have Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Lazio in the knockout stages (only Juventus in the Champions League), so I'm hoping for good displays from Scottish teams and poor ones from the Italians!

[mjaferrie]

Mid Season 2038/39 Update

I've decided to continue with the same strikerless approach I was using at Shamrock Rovers, and have been retraining all strikers and wingers to attacking midfield.  The first half of the season was a bit shaky, as the players took a while to adapt, but fortunately we managed to draw several games we really should have lost.  The second half has been a huge improvement, and the 6-1 win over Llandudno is the first real sign of the tactic coming together.



And you'll notice that we have our first cup final!  A 3-2 win over Prestatyn in the Nathaniel MG Cup Semi Final means we'll come up against Llandudno in the final in 3 weeks time.  Judging by the last 2 results, I think we can be fairly confident!  We're also through to the last 16 of the JD Welsh Cup, so we're still on track in all 3 competitions!  Only losing 2 games in the league means that we currently sit in 3rd place, in one of the tightest leagues I've managed in.



So we head into the January transfer window!  Hopefully I can keep hold of our better players - as everyone is on amateur contracts I'm expecting some serious player poaching considering our form.  Fortunately it's only a couple of months until the youth intake day...

[mjaferrie]

Nathaniel MG Cup Final - 23rd January 2039

We head into this game just after the league split, and the table now looks like this:  



It means that at the very least we'll improve upon last season's 7th place finish, but we have some very difficult games to come against reigning champions Airbus UK and perennial contenders Bangor City and TNS.

Meanwhile, we have our first chance at silverware in Wales!







This is what I like to see:



The lineups are announced!



Here we go!

[mjaferrie]

HALF TIME

Still 0-0 here at Eugene Cross Park.  Both sides not really threatening.

[mjaferrie]

FULL TIME

Still 0-0 here, we head into extra time!  This is the tightest game we've played against Llandudno all season!

[mjaferrie]

99th minute...  It's Marcao with a low cross for Llandudno, OH WATSON GETS ON THE END OF IT!!! Llandudno have broken the deadlock, 1-0!



And with that I need to pause the game back in about half an hour!  

[mjaferrie]

Alrighty!  Back to it.  We're at half time in extra time and Llandudno have taken the lead around 5 minutes before the short interval.  I've moved our sweeper up to centre back, one of our centre backs up to defensive midfield and two of our attacking midfielders up to striker.  We're now playing a sort of 4-4-2 diamond, and I've switched the mentality to attacking.  Our full backs have also been set to attack.  Might as well go all out when we've got nothing much to lose, eh!?

115th minute...  Still no change and only 5 minutes left to play.  The tactical switch is working to a point, we are much more aggressive and pushing forward in numbers but just don't have the final product.  WE NEED A GOAL!!!  I hope they heard me...

[mjaferrie]

116th minute...

Plant with a throw high on the left hand side for Cardiff Met.



It's straight to Griffiths who lays it off first time for Burns...



OH BURNS SHOOTS!!!



No!  Drury clears the danger for Llandudno!

[mjaferrie]

Marcao picks up the loose ball, but he loses it to Cotterill. 



Cotterill launches it over the top of everyone, and Burns is THROUGH ON GOAL!!!!



HE SHOOTS!



And this time he's not messing around, CARDIFF MET. UNIVERSITY HAVE LEVELLED THE TIE!!! 116:44 on the clock!!!

[mjaferrie]

120 MINUTES ARE UP!  This one will be decided on penalties!

Gale for Llandudno... D'AURIA SAVES!  0-0
Webber... SCORES!!! 0-1 for Cardiff Met. Uni!

Mason for Llandudno... OH D'AURIA SAVES IT AGAIN!!!
Theodore... SCORES FOR CARDIFF MET!  0-2!!!

Richards... Scores!  1-2!
P. Jones steps up for Cardiff Met... BUT LEWIS SAVES IT!  1-2 after 3 kicks each!

Barry... D'AURIA HAS A PENALTY SAVE HAT TRICK!!!  It's still 1-2 here!
Iwan Dodd with a potential winner for Cardiff Metropolitan University...  HE SCORES!!! CARDIFF MET, CHAMPIONS!



Danny Burns picks up the Man of the Match award after scoring such a late equaliser for us, but I think the true hero is Ross Robinson-D'Auria with 3 penalty saves in the shootout!  He only picks up a 6.7 which is absolutely insane!

[mjaferrie]

January Transfer Window 2039

Unfortunately being an amateur side with relative success means bigger clubs come calling, and we lose 3 key players this window.  Our cup final goalscoring hero Danny Burns leaves for Accrington, while Andrew Whitfield and David Wellens join Sheffield United and Notts County respectively.  Here's all the deals from this window:

IN

Pat Williams SP22d (21), born in Aberdare - Free from Pontypridd
David Sullivan SP22e (19) born in Newport - Free from Goytre United
Matt Williams SP22f (21) born in Merthyr Tydfil - Free from Welshpool

OUT

Danny Burns - free to Accrington
Andrew Whitfield - free to Sheffield United
David Wellens - free to Notts Co

3 in, 3 out, hopefully we can maintain our good form in the second half of the season.

[mjaferrie]

Youth Intake Day!

This is pretty gash, so much so that I haven't bothered tagging any of the players.  Nowhere near being able to reach first team level.

[mjaferrie]

This is the situation with only one game left to play in the league:



Four teams are able to claim the title on the final day.  We play 6th placed Llandudno, TNS play Connah's Quay, and Airbus play Bangor City on the final day.  Llandudno and Bangor both have nothing to play for, with their 5th and 6th place finishes confirmed, so hopefully we will have a good result but it means Airbus are likely to as well...  It's an incredible finale to the season!

Meanwhile, beating Prestatyn in another semi final this season means we face Connah's Quay in the JD Welsh Cup final!



Two matches left to play this season, both hugely important and with a positive outcome in both we could come away with a treble in the first season in Cardiff!

[deltablue]

I hope you do it in the league.

[mjaferrie]

3 minutes ago, deltablue said:

I hope you do it in the league.

So do I!  Here's how things look:

FINAL DAY 2039 - Kick Off 19:30

Llandudno v Cardiff Metropolitan University
TNS v Connah's Quay
Airbus UK v Bangor City



The lineups are announced!



Here we go on this dramatic final day in the Welsh Premier League!

[mjaferrie]

09.33

Plant with a free kick on the half way line for Cardiff Met.  He plays it right to White, who stumbles and Smith wins the ball for Llandudno.  It's over to Marcao on the wing who plays it to French, overlapping on the right.  French plays the cross but it's won by Theodore who plays the ball forward for Cleverley.  Cleverley threads it through to Griffiths, but not very cleverly as Thompson wins the ball back for Llandudno.  This is a bit of a dull midfield battle, with neither side able to keep the ball.

Thompson skips past Griffiths and plays it back to the right hand side where French is waiting.  French plays the long ball for Smith, up front for Llandudno, but again his long pass doesn't reach it's target as Edwards rises to meet it and clears for Cardiff Met.  His header is only as far as Kinsey who plays it back to Thompson.  Llandudno building from the back here.  Thompson plays another long ball forward for Smith, but again it's intercepted by a Cardiff man!

White stops the ball in it's tracks and plays it across defence to Dodd.  Dodd to Edwards, who plays it forward for Jones.  Jones switches it for Herniman, as the 3 Cardiff attacking midfielders bomb through Llandudno's 2 central defenders!



Cleverley is through on goal and he launches an optimistic effort from just outside the box...



THAT IS INCREDIBLE!!!  Cleverley strikes it clean into the top left hand corner, it's a GOAL FOR CARDIFF MET!

[mjaferrie]

22nd minute...  Llandudno win a free kick deep in Cardiff Met's half.  French whips the ball into the box... There is a tussle in the box... the free kick has sailed over everyone but the ref's blown his whistle!  Simon Thomas brings down Thompson in the box and the ref has awarded a penalty kick!  Walton steps up...  AND SENDS THE KEEPER THE WRONG WAY!  Llandudno 1 - 1 Cardiff Met. Uni

25th minute...  SAM DODD SCORES FOR BANGOR CITY!!!  Airbus UK 0 - 1 Bangor City

28th minute...  Smith with the ball in the centre circle for Llandudno, oh that is an awful challenge from Iwan Dodd and he's already on a yellow!  HE'S OFF!  Cardiff Met are down to 10 men!

35th minute...  A horrific challenge, IT'S RED!  David McCarron is sent for an early bath and TNS are down to 10 men!

[mjaferrie]

HALF TIME

Airbus UK 0 - 1 Bangor City
Llandudno 1 - 1 Cardiff Met University
TNS 0 - 0 Connah's Quay

Cardiff and TNS are both down to 10 men, but with the scores as they stand we still top the table.

Cardiff Met - 57 points
TNS - 57 points
Airbus UK - 55 points
Connah's Quay - 55 points

No change in the table in terms of positions, with us edging TNS on goal difference and the same with Airbus and Connah's Quay.  We need another goal, and we need to do it with only 10 men on the field...

[mjaferrie]

54th minute...

It's Smith with a low pass to the left for Barry, just on the edge of the Cardiff box.  The Llandudno men can't find a way through though as Cardiff park the bus.  Theodore slides in, don't do that!  He's already on a yellow!  Phew... that's a good tackle.  Theodore plays it forward for Herniman, but he's got no one to help him.  He makes a sideways run all the way to the touchline and plays it back for Plant.   Plant inside for Griffiths, who plays it first time back to Herniman.  Herniman chips it over everyone!  





Jones is first to the ball!



HE SHOOTS!



AND HE SCORES!  2-1 TO CARDIFF MET!

[mjaferrie]

In the build up to that goal, I missed that Airbus UK have equalised against Bangor!  A 53rd minute strike from Burke levels the tie.

60th minute...  SAM DODD PUTS BANGOR BACK IN CONTROL!  Airbus UK 1 - 2 Bangor City

65th minute...  TREMAINE BARNES!!! It's surely over now for Airbus UK!

65th minute...  IT CERTAINLY IS!  Sam Dodd takes a matter of seconds to complete his hat trick, it's Airbus UK 1 - 4 Bangor City!

73rd minute...  WAYNE WILSON SCORES FOR TNS!  The deadlock is finally broken in the 73rd minute, TNS 1 - 0 Connah's Quay.

85th minute...  2-0 FOR THE NEW SAINTS!  Carl Kite scores for the home side!  

We've reached the 90th minute!!!  As things stand:

Airbus UK 1 - 4 Bangor City
Llandudno 1 - 2 Cardiff Met University
TNS 2 - 0 Connah's Quay

Which means that the table is currently:

Cardiff Met - 59 points
TNS - 59 points
Airbus UK - 55 points
Connah's Quay - 54 points

If we can hang on during injury time, we'll win the title!!!

[mjaferrie]

92.39... 

We are officially in squeaky bum time now.  Just 20 seconds stand between us and the Welsh Premier League title.

Robinson-D'Auria sets up for the goal kick.  Take all the time in the world lad!  He plays it long over the top to Jones in attacking midfield.  The ball is won by Kinsey who heads it forward for Reeves, but Cosslett intercepts and Cardiff have the ball back.  Jones picks up the loose ball.  He skips past his man, and another!  That's a beautiful through ball for Cosslett who SHOOTS!



Will the keeper reach it?!



NO!  It's Llandudno 1 - 3 Cardiff Met - WE'VE DONE IT!!!  CHAMPIONS!

[deltablue]

Yesssss!!!!!!!

[mjaferrie]

We've done it, we've won the league!  There can be no rest though, as in only 4 days time we have the JD Welsh Cup final against Connah's Quay.  They'll be hurting after that defeat to TNS so we'll have to be sharp!

[mjaferrie]

This is it!  The final match of the season, and the chance to complete the treble less than 10 months after joining the club.  We come up against Connah's Quay at Eugene Cross Park.





Plenty of room for our fans up on the grass there!  Haha!  Around 900 supporters are expected to be in attendance. 





The lineups are announced, and we're underway!

[mjaferrie]

37th minute...

Brice with the free kick in the centre circle for CQ, he plays it right to Hughes.  Hughes surges forward but is crowded out and plays it right to Moore.  Moore plays the long ball for Morrison on the right wing.  He dribbles down the touchline but Plant wins the ball, that's a great tackle!  Plant for White, who chips it into midfield for Jones.  Jones loses the ball clumsily but regains possession and plays it forward for Nathan Roberts SP22a.  Oh that is a beautiful through ball!  The pass splits 3 CQ players and Cleverley runs on to it, he plays it left to Jones who has bombed forward from the centre of the park - he SHOOTS!



IT'S A GOAL FOR CARDIFF MET UNI!  

[mjaferrie]

At half time the score is 1-0 to us, but the game is really tight.  We've both had about the same number of chances and we only just edge the possession percentage.  Both teams have pretty awful passing stats though, at around 70% completed... 

We're out for the second half...

54th minute...

Theodore steps up to take the free kick, out wide on the left hand side, for Cardiff Met.  He plays a long ball into the box, oh and it's chaos!  In an almost exact replica of the game against Llandudno, the ball soars over everyone and out for a goal kick, but the players are appealing for a penalty and the ref has given it!!!

Nathan Roberts SP22a steps up...



AND SMASHES IT DOWN THE MIDDLE!!!  Connah's Quay 0 - 2 Cardiff Met University!

 

[mjaferrie]

FULL TIME!

Cardiff Met University complete the treble in a sensational season in Wales!







This leaves me with a decision to make about my future.  Winning both of our final games means we have won all available competitions in Wales and as far as I'm concerned, this part of the story is complete.  Should I stay and guide Cardiff Met through a couple of European games at the beginning of next season and try to build on our successes here, or should I move on knowing that the club will always be an amateur side and the glass ceiling here is pretty low...

[Keano16]

What a first season! 

[WeegieFM]

Can't believe how quickly you batter through these seasons!!! 

[mjaferrie]

10 minutes ago, Keano16 said:

What a first season! 

Thanks man!

3 minutes ago, WeegieFM said:

Can't believe how quickly you batter through these seasons!!! 

I only play the 'big' games - I holiday through the bulk of the season but I'll play all European matches, cup finals, big final day (like this season) matches or close rival games.  Or then I'll play through it just because I want to Mostly I'm holidaying through the day to day stuff though.  

[WeegieFM]

3 minutes ago, mjaferrie said:

Thanks man!

I only play the 'big' games - I holiday through the bulk of the season but I'll play all European matches, cup finals, big final day (like this season) matches or close rival games.  Or then I'll play through it just because I want to Mostly I'm holidaying through the day to day stuff though.  

Ah I see! Makes sense! Thought you must have a super computer to rally through seasons so quickly! 

[mjaferrie]

Season Review 2038/39

What a rollercoaster first year at Cardiff Met University, as we claim an incredible treble.  We take advantage of the poor standard across the league and with confidence in our tactics and a few great signings we've pulled off an incredible achievement.  To think that after drawing 6 consecutive games at the beginning of the season the squad wanted to hold a meeting as they were unhappy with my management!  Here's our results in the second half of the season:



We were actually pretty rough towards the end of the season, making the last two wins all the more impressive! 

Top 5 Young Players of the Season (Players 21 and under at the beginning of the season)
Nathan Roberts SP22a - Age 20, Appearances: 9(3); Goals: 3; Assists: 2; Av. Rating: 6.87
Mael Jenkins SP22b - Age 21, Appearances: 5(2); Goals: 0; Assists: 0; Av. Rating: 6.76
Jon Jones SP22c - Age 20, Appearances: 2; Goals: 0; Assists: 0; Av. Rating: 6.70

Is that it?!  3 players?! This is the worst showing I've had at any club, in any season.  We had such an ageing squad this season, so the only three youngsters who got game time are these three.  They paint an unfairly poor picture of the overall squad performance though, Nathan Roberts was our 17th best overall and we had 10 players with a rating of 7.04 or higher.

Here's the career stats so far, it was starting to get a bit big so I condensed the previous 3 jobs.  From here on it'll continue as normal and then at some point I'll condense it again.

Season  |          Club           |     Nation    |         League         |   Position  | Other  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016-27 |         Celtic          |    Scotland   | Scottish Division One  |   10x 1st   | 7 Glasgow Cups, 6 League Cups, 4 Scottish Cup, 2 Europa Leagues (2018 and 2022), Champions League 2026, Club World Championship 2027, Resigned in December 2026.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2026-28 |    Nottingham Forest    |    England    |  Sky Bet Championship  |  14th, 1st  | Joined with 8 games remaining in season 2026/27
2028-31 | Nottingham Forest/Wales |    England    | English Premier League |  13th, 16th | Resigned in the middle of 2030/31.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2031-34 |  Shamrock Rovers/Wales  |    Ireland    | Irish Premier Division | 3x 2nd, 1st | 2 Leinster Cups, 2 Senior Challenge Cups, President's Cup.
2035-38 |     Shamrock Rovers     |    Ireland    | Irish Premier Division |   3x 1st    | 3 Leinster Cups, 2 Senior Challenge Cups, 3 League Cups, 4 President's Cups. Resigned as Wales manager in 2035.  Sacked in the middle of season 2038.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2038/39 | Cardiff Met. University |     Wales     |  Welsh Premier League  |     1st     | JD Welsh Cup, Nathaniel MG Cup

 

[mjaferrie]

This is a shame in many ways.  At Shamrock Rovers, I was starting to get tired of the domestic dominance as it was going to take several years before I could mount any sort of serious challenge in Europe, but here it felt like we had to fight for each and every game and it was a real joy to manage here.  I just feel that after winning everything available in the first season I would get tired of managing in Wales quite soon so I think leaving now is for the best.  Hopefully I won't be too long out of a job, it's currently the 4th of June 2039 so ideally I'll get a preseason in somewhere.

[mjaferrie]

The Linfield manager left at the end of his contract and the Waterford United manager has just been sacked, which means we have two 1966-67 European teams needing a new manager... applications are in!  I've also got an application for the Glenavon job, so it seems like whatever happens I'm heading back to Ireland.

[mjaferrie]

Part Five
Full-Time is a Step We are Looking to Take - Fortune Favours the Brave

Well, I've been unemployed for just over a month but despite the fans laughing off my interest in the job, (That's a fairly polite way of putting it SI... Not sure that's quite the reaction a former Celtic manager who supports the club, with an Irish passport, would get when taking over at a club with such strong Rangers connections and um.. y'know?!  Jaysis... walking on ice here)  Linfield FC have offered me a contract on £375 a week!







One half of Belfast's big two, Linfield are one of the most decorated teams in world football - in real life they are behind only Rangers in terms of titles won.  They also have a rich and colourful European history, reaching the Quarter Finals of the European Cup in 1966/67 where they where knocked out by CSKA Red Flag of Bulgaria.



In game, though, success has been sparse with 2nd place finishes in 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2025/26 their best performances in the league as Cliftonville wage utter domination upon the Northern Irish game.  Our best finish in the last 7 seasons was 7th place...



As ever, here's the 30 mile signing radius:



Here's some info about the club!







A squad assessment will follow at the end of the summer transfer window... There's work to be done here!  I'm excited to bring Linfield back to the top of the Northern Irish game after not having any title success since 2011/12, and hopefully we can re-establish ourselves as a European force!

If there's anything else you would like to see posted about this save, give me a shout!

[ManUtd1]

Wow...what a season in Wales! Well done!

[BoxToBox]

Jesus, in and out of Wales before they knew what hit them.

[ManUtd1]

28 minutes ago, BoxToBox said:

Jesus, in and out of Wales before they knew what hit them.

He left a fiver on the nightstand. Always a gentlemen.