[FM17] Hastings United - starting from Lvl 22 (++Difficulty)

[majesticeternity]

On 3/30/2017 at 06:30, dirkgently1066 said:

A thread on Hastings! The Town of Champions! My home town!

This is the best thing ever. I think I might just cry 

Well don't cry now, this thread is to make people happy, not sad.

Good to hear, I liked Hastings' story when I read about it and was hooked.

[majesticeternity]

Pre-Season: Squad Changes

After the hit of losing Chris Regis, I was very happy to see this:

 

Surprisingly, after 28 clubs offered a place with them, he turned everyone down, and stayed with us. YAY!! 

Then this happened:

Can't fault him or Regis, finding a place all the way up in Vanarama National League South is a huge boon to their careers. Of course, it would happen sooner than later, just glad we held onto them for a whole season. Hope they both do well!

New Players

Our squad's average age has dropped in a mix of mid-teens and early 20's. No one really wanted to sign for us, outside of youth players from low tiers. Searching, scouting, searching, scouting...round and round I went, trying to find something. Eventually, thankfully, it paid off.

Stamp, Harrington, Tierney, Relizani, Botaka, McNeil, Gnahore are still here, so a decent portion of the original squad remains. That'll be very good for team cohesion.

Goalkeepers

Actual Attributes

Liam Kuhl - Nationality: England Age: 17 Height: 5'11" Birthplace: Eastbourne

Bio: From Eastbourne Ranger's youth at Tier 12. Last season, he was promoted from their B team to play 3 games. Didn't do very well.

Info: Kinda short for a keeper, but he'll have to do. 

Actual Attributes

Wayne Downing - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 6'0" Birthplace: Portsmouth

Bio: From Paulsgrove's youth at Tier 11.

Info: He's already quite good for his age, but not sure how much he can improve. He'll be fighting for starter.

Central Defenders

Actual Attributes

Paul Greatorex - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 6'0" Birthplace: Tetbury

Bio: From Avonvale United's youth at Tier 13.

Info: Looks very good for a defender at this level, and has already surpassed 8.0 ratings.

Actual Attributes

Aaron Park - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 5'10" Birthplace: Elstow

Bio: From Elstow Abbey's youth at Tier 12. 

Info: Has ability mostly where we need them, and nowhere else. But he's valuable, to play both defender and midfielder.

Right Defenders

Actual Attributes

Matt Fitzgerald - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 6'0" Birthplace: Hounslow

Bio: From Hounslow Wanderer's youth at Tier 11. With only 3 apps and 1 goal for them, he managed to earn Supporter's Player of the Year.

Info: Balance and Heading are an issue, he'll have to prove himself.

Central Midfielders

Actual Attributes

Carl Crittenden - Nationality: England Age: 17 Height: 6'0" Birthplace: Hartfield

Bio: From Hartfield's youth at Tier 20. Big poach, eh?

Info: Not much ability, but he had stats where they're needed. Pace, flair, passing. He "seemingly" has plenty of potential.

Strikers

Actual Attributes

Alex Hardy - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 5'8" Birthplace: Havant

Bio: From Clanfield's youth at Tier 11. He did pretty well with his 3 senior apps, earning 2 goals, 1 assist, and 1 POM.

Info: Not sure about him, for us, looks like he's not settling in well...

Actual Attributes

Liam De Winter - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 6'1" Birthplace: Henfield

Bio: From Henfield's youth at Tier 12. 

Info: Needing a replacement for Lobjoit, I went searching for someone with good long shots/free kick ability. Came across him and thought he'd be a great one to try up front. Lots of red all over the place. Worrying low first touch, technique, agility, vision, etc. But with incredible pace, flair, and stamina, I'm hoping he can shine.

[Joe.]

Aha my home town too, though I don't live there any more.. Will certainly be casting an eye on your progress

[majesticeternity]

(Sorry, the laptop crashed. Took some time to get it fixed and recovered. But now, the story can continue...)

Pre-Season: We Have Fans!

 

Pre-Season: 2 Things to Improve On

1. Having at least a decent level of determination in most of the squad is important.

I just wanted players who had ability on the pitch, but ignoring their level of determination meant that stressful situations in a match sent them into a tizzy. Conceding, holding onto a slim lead, the last minutes of a match, low energy...the player's mental states would plummet. Not only that, but low determination is contagious, and only gets worse. Now, I'm paying attention to it.

2. Don't set up a full 25+ man squad. This is vital.

A league and 3 cups along with poor fitness and stamina made me believe I needed a full squad. But the league gave us just 20 games(this season has only 16), and cups are shallow. So there were quite a few 2+ week breaks. 

Also, while the players wane easily during the match, they recover faster, so even a packed week can see most players playing every game.

Next, a 5-man bench means it's best to have a starting 11, and then 5 extra players who are versatile.

Lastly, when we finally start paying wages, it'll save money in the long run and be much more efficient. Saving money, especially when realizing how much Innovation Park will cost, is super important.

But, achieving the above is far easier said than done at this level.

 

Pre-Season: Innovation Park Status

Unfortunately, there has been a snag in the plans.

Constructing a pitch similar to the one at The Pilot Field is fairly straight-forward, but I'd wanted to lay the groundwork for expansion.  To replicate The Pilot Field would mean no foresight into the future, no hope of much success for the club. The plans created, therefore, accounted for alot of expansion, the "pieces" being there with minimal demolition and reconstruction needed. That way, costs could be minimized down the line. 

It may seem odd, but I'd rather have less facilities and more acreage dedicated to the stadium. Otherwise, if we reached the high tiers of English football, we'd have to relocate and start over, costing much more. Either that, or travel a good distance to an expensive rented stadium. I'd much rather bring the "tourism" from fans gained to Hastings, as well as minimize travel for the time, and reduce costs.

But...that means waiting. Basic construction did begin, but has now been halted.

Plenty of permits are needed, if we are to account for any future success. Code compliance, inspections, etc....it all takes time, and money. Originally, we had about $800k left in savings.

Now, we're down to $100k and forced to wait another 2 years minimum before construction can even continue. So, we must continue to settle for the poor pitch at the Complex and hope it stays in business long enough.

 

One very good thing, though, is we've finished construction of the indoor training facility.

Construction being delayed on the stadium left me more time to focus on this facility, and we've come up with a pretty good setup.

I'm quite happy with it, and excited about the much higher quality of training that will be available for our players and hopeful youth.

 

Pre-Season: More Squad Changes

Stamp, Harrington, and McNeil have left now. They haven't been able to get as high as Vanarama, but middle tiers have picked them up. Besides that, Connor Johnson and Lee Hawke were poached at the end of the pre-season. 

Which left us with very few players, and most of those 16yr olds.

It seems as though the 1st season is entirely different than the 2nd season. First season means everyone wants to get a club ASAP, the second season those players/staff have now established themselves and want to move on to their "correct" place in the scheme of things. As well, there's more opportunities available.

The better staff and scouts have moved on, meaning the only other staff besides me is a fitness coach.

The new scouts are mostly useless. Each match they scout a player in increases their knowledge by like 3%, which means it takes foreeeeeever to get any decent idea of anyone, unless the player is already somewhat "established".

Our knowledge level is currently:

So, we're left almost entirely blind in selecting players.

Only 2 were found:

Actual Attributes

Jackson Ramm - Nationality: England Age: 24 Height: 5'10" Birthplace: Norwich

Bio: Having started out at Blackburn, he's fallen down the tiers. Played 46 games for Dereham(Tier 8) before being released and picked up by us.

Info: To replace McNeil, with some good abilities, but very worrying decisions, marking, positioning...

Actual Attributes

Matt Castellan - Nationality: England Age: 21 Height: 6'0" Birthplace: Unknown

Bio: Playing primarily for Harold Hill(Tier 11), he'd done very well, scoring twice, earning 3 assists and 3 POMs. Then poached by Chobham Burymead in February, but not played much since.

Info: He's signed for us with the promise of Key Player status, and being an incredible player for this level, he'll certainly see it fulfilled.

Pre-Season: Hastings Prospects

The only other players we could find were those who responded to our flyers.

I'm looking to help our club as well as our town, so we held trials for Hastings youth looking for a footballing career, even if they already had a club. Most of them, of course, were told they'd better find a normal career. But a few had..promise...

Who knows what they'll achieve, but hopefully a few can learn, grow, and find clubs to pay them wages.

Actual Attributes

Joe Lapslie - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 5'9" Birthplace: Hastings

Actual Attributes

Pete Newman - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 5'10" Birthplace: Hastings

Actual Attributes

Paul Cole - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 6'0" Birthplace: Hastings

Actual Attributes

Frank Griffiths - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 6'2" Birthplace: Hastings

Actual Attributes

Henry Onovo - Nationality: England/Nigeria Age: 16 Height: 6'0" Birthplace: Hastings

Actual Attributes

Jamie Howes - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 5'9" Birthplace: Hastings

Actual Attributes

James Furness - Nationality: England Age: 16 Height: 5'10" Birthplace: Hastings

 

[majesticeternity]

Season 2 - 2017/2018

With such a shuffle of players, we have an almost entirely new starting eleven for this season.

That, of course, hit our tactical familiarity quite alot. At the end of pre-season, it still looks like:

Only Relizani and Gnahore have stayed with us.

 

How many of these will last longer than one season?

 

Season 2 - League Opener

Out first match at Tier 21. Moving up in the world, eh?

Everyone bet we'd lose this game, and for the first half, it seemed they were right.

Kuhl's outstanding keeping is the only thing that kept things level. Boy, if he can be this good regularly, we'll beat this league easy.

Not everyone's finding this tier so easy, as the competition surprisingly seems quite a bit harder. More people know about us, that we won each of our competitions last season, and they're looking to keep us at bay. Relizani is marked and steam-rolled.

At the 48th minute, Gnahore finally manages to sneak a ball past their defenders, right to Day, on the left wing.

A beautiful through ball that Day immediately sends towards the net. Right past the confused keeper. Where'd that come from?, he must be saying.

Yet again, Kuhl comes to our rescue in a one-on-one. Is he hoping for Premier League career??

We seem to be safe, at the 58th minute, when De Winter takes a free kick. Their GK, Madden, gets a hand on it and tries to stop it, but ends up sending it right back into their own net.

The rest of the game sends their team into desperation, and long shots from almost near midfield sees them throwing their chances away.

Overall, I'm very much liking what I see. A team already on the same page(most of the time).

 

 

 

Season 2 - Parsons Challenge Cup Second Round

We've been cruising through every game up to this point. Burgess Hill Athletic is our first competition of a "higher" quality, being 1 Tier higher. They are 3rd, though, and tipped to win the league. 

Here, they're expected to go through, and will be tough competition.

It's mostly a dull match, with both keepers doing their jobs well and making sure things stay level. All attempts on goal are neutralized. Not only that, but their team knows what they're doing, like ours. Marking the threats, passing beautifully, etc.

Come Full Time, the score is still 0-0 and we're going to Extra Time.

I've made no subs up till this point, and finally, their good marking comes back to bite them.

De Winter's being marked, but that leaves Gnahore, our "shoot less" midfielder completely unmarked. Somehow, he comes up with a shot and it's 1-0

I send 3 subs on, as most everyone is at 50% now, but just a few minutes later, they equalize.

Ramm tries to deflect the ball, but does so very poorly, right at the feet of Scutt, and Kuhl has no chance to react. 1-1

Everyone is either frustrated or furious, and it's certainly understandable, as we finally got the lead, only for Ramm to throw it away.

But, a touchline talk and everyone manages to get their head back in the game, save for Cole.

They clear the ball back to our end, but we send a long ball right back again. Their keeper runs out to catch it, but is too late. 2-1 A perfectly timed header into an open goal.

Of course, now everyone's on cloud nine, looking confident and thinking this was theirs, with just 5 minutes to play.

Before I can give them another touchline talk to not be so haughty, they send a cross through to the center, for Brown to knock in. 2-2

Super, guys. Just super.

 

Now it's on to penalties.

Unfortunately, poor penalty taking and poor finishing means we couldn't find the net twice, and it cost us.

[majesticeternity]

Due to many teams needing managers, several offers have come throughout the season. This is the highest tier so far, Vanarama North:

 

Season 2: League Standings

 

Player Spotlight: De Winter is a Revelation

From easy goals...

 

to difficult goals..

 

to flashy, incredible first-touch long ball goals...

 

This guy has been insane!

 

Just look at these incredible stats:

Apps    Goals             Assists           Pens S                POMs

 

The fans know it:

 

The media knows it:

 

He's been so amazing for us, the reason we've done so well. 

Until, a tackle in the first minute of a league game on January 13th and....

 

Gutted! Plummets our hopes, and so sorry for the poor kid! He had such ability, and probably could have gone to a very high tier, like Lobjoit did. Maybe in 2 seasons...I've shelled out some good money to send him to a specialist. Couldn't leave him in the lurch, and hopefully he can recover faster.

Fortunately, being so many points clear in the league means that's pretty much set anyways.

What we do have to worry about are 3 Semi Finals.

Now we must hope Relizani can step up. Alex Hardy is De Winter's replacement, but so green and untalented in comparison.

[majesticeternity]

A Chairman Retires and a New One Arrives

Originally, our required FA appointed Chairman "babysitter" took the job when practically no one else would, because he was nearing retirement anyways. A short, easy post for a few years at Hastings United seemed like a nice way to ease towards retirement.

However, after only one and a half seasons here, he announced an early retirement.

On the one hand, we were happy to see the strict, cantankerous old man leave. But on the other, this put our entire club's future in jeopardy. If a replacement couldn't be found with ease, the FA and/or Hastings Council could decide the club wasn't worth the trouble, force an embargo, liquidation or some such alternate measure.

The local media, of course, covered this issue. Meanwhile, 2 hours northwest in Barnes, London, a business tycoon named Samuel Duffy was reading that local coverage. Apparently, his interest had been peaked when we reformed the club, wanting to see what might happen. Our subsequent successes had then hooked him.

He immediately applied for the position, and soon after, all our worries were relieved:

 

Samuel Duffy definitely is already proving true to his word, that the fans are important to him. While the previous chairman was quite strict, and accepted every offer coming in for a player, he often rejects offers. He hopes to keep our club growing, progressing, keeping a team that's a unit, and not allowing other clubs to poach.

However, if he isn't sure what the best option is, he allows me to decide. His automatic rejections allow the club to run smoother, and eliminates the constant negotiations to try and keep our players here. 

 

We're working very well together. What a joy he is to have arrived!

Also, he has kindly injected $30k into our club's running costs. So, of the $100k we had left, I'd kept $70k in savings for construction, etc. The remaining $30k is used for club running costs. My $30k plus Duffy's $30k means we now are sitting much better financially. We have plenty of money to run and maintain the club.

With the excessive stadium costs and construction delays, we also now have a businessman with financial resources who has an emotional/financial investment in the club. Hopefully, we can make stadium/facility construction more efficient, financially stable, and prevent Innovation Park from derailing into a failure.

[oohlala111]

Loving it so far! Keep up the good work  

[majesticeternity]

Can We Earn a 3rd Cup Final Spot and Attempt to Retain Our Title?

4 Cups, we're still in 3. 2 are down to finals, and the most difficult one, the Mid Sussex Junior Cup is the last final to determine. We managed to win it last season, and we'll again be battling teams in higher tiers. This time, a team in 6th position in Division 7.

Despite us doing so well in the league and other cups so far, they say we will lose because of this:

Our formation needs 2 strikers. I could change the formation, but the boys are still learning this tactic, and it'd do more damage than good do switch. So, let's take a look at each striker option:

Thrizen Robinson is from this year's youth trials, and has only played 1 game. I'll put up the new youth at the end of season, but his at-a-glance abilities are good for a new youth recruit but very poor for a starter...this would be a tough ask.

Henry Onovo is better suited to being a passer than shooter, and he already has a spot as AMC.

Alex Hardy has a spot as Striker already.

Our best 2 options, Relizani and de Winter are both injured, along with Furness.

That leaves only Thrizen Robinson or Jamie Howes as our 2nd starting striker. It's a difficult decision, and on paper Howes seems the better choice, but his consistently very poor ratings make me think Robinson should take the spot...as a chance...

So, in a cup semi final, we're sending out a 17yr old with only 6 games under his belt and a 16yr old with only 1.

 

1 minute: Well, a mistake on their side gives us a fighting chance. Just a few seconds after kickoff, and we earn a corner.  Hardy takes the kick, and their defender clears...right to the feet of Onovo, who immediately sends it back forward to Park.

Park takes a couple of touches to ready himself, while the defenders scramble, and the keeper can't see in the midst of things. A simple foot against ball was the only thing needed to score a goal past the blind keeper. 1-0

6 minutes: Onovo gives credence to my decision not to place him as striker and bring on another midfielder. A clear, open shot, but poor and far too soft, easy for their keeper to catch without even trying.

8 minutes: They continue to give us corner chances, and Crittenden does very well to get on the end of it, even beating the keeper. But it falls at the feet of their defender, Ford, for a clearance.

17 minutes: It seems clear that this team is highly over-rated against us. Their team is good, but defenders are poor, and their defensive efforts consist only of clearances across the line or fouls. After a few more chances on our end, we send a long ball forward, and they aren't prepared. Robinson shows himself up to the pressure of starter, and works well with Hardy. A well-timed pass and Hardy uses the side of his weaker foot to send the ball past their defender and keeper. 2-0 

22 minutes: We have their number. They've only lost a handful of games this entire season in all competitions, but we know their weakness. A duplicate of the previous goal again appears. 3-0 and the match is set.

The same goal is repeated again, only with different players:

And again, giving Robinson his first ever career goal:

At half time it's 5-0 and everyone is on cloud nine.

Yet again, the same goal a 6th time:

 

 

BOOOM! Take that, all Hastings United nay-sayers!

 

Now...just a league title to secure and 3 finals to dominate. Can we do it?

[majesticeternity]

35 minutes ago, oohlala111 said:

Loving it so far! Keep up the good work  

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it.

[majesticeternity]

Season 2: Final League Standings

Following the brilliant 6-0 win, complacency set in and the players had turned off. A few narrow, less-than-10-mins-left goals and a loss see 4 games that allow me to give them a piece of my mind before and during each. 

Those 4 games give me enough time to try and restore their focus for the 3 upcoming Cup Finals.

The last-ditch efforts for 3 wins meant we weren't hurt much by complacency in the league, cruising home to 1st place, 10 points clear.

We're promoted and on to the 20th Tier!

 

Season 2: 3 Cup Finals

The first 2 cups were fairly straight-forward. Our easily-scoring side, along with good goalkeeping, see us over the line in the first two easier competitions.

 

 

 

Mid Sussex Junior Cup

However, this last Final sees us against a Division Five side. It puts us at Ashburnham Road, the biggest stadium we've played yet, at 1,000 capacity. It's also the highest tier we've ever played.

 

16 minutes: First chance, and Day sends it wide.

18 minutes:  Moan has a clear shot, we're vulnerable, but he takes too long to ready himself. He lets our defender catch him and sends it wide

20 minutes: Day sends the ball over the top to Relizani, for a perfect run while staying just onside.

Their defender attempts a tackle, but misses. Relizani dribbles forward, a bit too far, taking too much time. A really tight angle, and the goalkeeper with a good attempt, but it sneaks past. 1-0

22 minutes: A corner for us is deflected by their defender, sent to a midfielder, and thrown forward for a quick counter attack, leaving us exposed.

Wyke runs forward, our defender misses the tackle, and he's free to cross to Strizovic for a nice strike, and Kuhl once again comes up big to save us. NO goal.

24 minutes: Gnahore gets the ball back after Onovo's mistake, and sends it up to Relizani, who spins around(as he does so well), for a perfectly timed run by Hardy and pass through.

Hardy stays onside, and before their defender catches him, he gets a shot off. 2-0

25 minutes: Gnahore sends a great header right toward Hardy, but his shot bounces off the post right at the keeper's glove for an easy save.

34 minutes: Another wasted chance, Relizani has a lovely ball from Gnahore, but it's straight at Slade, and I'm wondering if complacency as set in..

52 minutes: A free kick for them, and our defenders are clueless for marking. Kuhl decides to run who knows where, and the goal is left completely open. A simple header by Hope for them to score. 2-1

Yes, Kuhl, hang your head. You abandoned your post and went crazy, to run who knows where and why.

56 minutes: Onovo again loses possession, but Hardy picks up the loose ball near the edge of the box. Gibson comes in for a tackle, and trips Hardy right outside. Hardy manages to stay up and attempts to dribble forward for a cross, 
but the referee doesn't like the manner of Gibson's tackle. He stops play and awards a penalty! Seriously?

56:30 minutes: Relizani steps up and an easy penalty sees the score now 3-1. Biased for us, eh ref? Well, we don't need your help, and didn't pay you off. We want to win fair and square.

70 minutes: A few more free kick chances for both sides, all sent wide, and now they're getting desperate. Mercer tries a shot from out in the boonies, for Kuhl to easily snap up.

 

Not much else happens, as they can't get past our defense or keeper, and we earn our 3rd cup trophy!
 

 

 

Season 2: Finances

Essentially, finances aren't an issue around these bottom tiers, unless you do horribly. There's barely any facilities to maintain/use, no player wages, no staff wages, no bonuses, no transfer fees, no agent fees. But with games played, competitions, prizes, match day earnings, season tickets, sponsors, and merchandise, seems like most teams can at the very least break even.

This makes sense too, I think, because if clubs were struggling to stay in the black at this level, when they have nothing of value to bargain with, they'd end up promoting to the higher levels with no facilities, bad players, etc, only to become even more in debt.

Talking to some other club owners in the lower tiers, who are still far higher than us, it seems the best option is to earn and save as much money as possible. Better facilities at this stage are not necessary, so saving money and having a good sum for use when needed will do much to keep us climbing up the tiers when the going gets tough.

During this next season, I'll be sitting down with Samuel Duffy to discuss short-term and long-term plans.

[majesticeternity]

 

Season 2 Review: Standout Players

Striker: Liam de Winter

18 apps, 24 goals, 7 assists, and 8 POMs.

Despite being out for the last 4 months of the season, he remained our top scorer. That is insane. 4 months out of matches, and yet Relizani(having played 95% of the season) was still 4 goals behind him. Not surprisingly, he's grown to be loved by the fans. His goals were made to look easy, and came match after match without fail. Not to mention, he hasn't let his serious injury weaken his abilities, apart from some minor physical ones. He'll be back and ready to go this next season.

 

Striker: Alex Hardy

14 apps, 14 goals, 10 assists, and 4 POMs.

Being inexperienced, and used to his place on the team as a sub, he suddenly had to take de Winter's place. Yet, he stepped up, showing he'd been watching de Winter, learning from his coaches and other players. His 10 assists also so he really gelled with Relizani, even more than de Winter had. A great replacement, and a reason for our successes.

 

Goalkeeper: Liam Kuhl

32 apps, 21 allowed, 15 shutouts.      

This season, Kuhl showed height is not such a determining factor for a good GK. Being only 5'11, he consistently saved tough shots which required great reach or jumping ability. A full 15 shutouts means almost half his games in goal were kept to clean sheets.

Just in the League alone, 39 shots faces, 32 saved. Just like de Winter, that's insane. Saving powerful shots, penalties, one-on-ones, he was up to the task.

 

Season 2 Musings

Having learned the most from last season on squad building, match strategies, etc for these bottom tiers, there's really only 1 lesson I took from this second season.

It's not a good starting 11 that's needed, but a good starting 2

Yes, football at these tiers is a game of 2 players per side, not an entire team of eleven. All that's needed is a quality keeper, and a quality striker. Having won the league and 3 cups, the above "standout players" were strikers and keeper. The other players bounced around in the low average ratings of 6-6.5. Here, even if you get the best defender, wingback, midfielder, advanced playmaker, etc for this level, it largely doesn't matter.

Good keepers are needed: Those defenders, wingbacks, etc will still leave enough time and space for the opponents. They'll still pass to no one, or directly to the opponent. They'll miss tackles, get distracted, not read their teammate's play...This means the keeper will, no matter how hard you try, be called upon again and again every single game. If Kuhl had been a lesser keeper, our wins would have turned into draws or losses, and no matter how great the rest of our team was, we wouldn't have creamed the league and won 3 cups. No way.

Good strikers are needed: With enough time and space on the ball in the box as opponent defenders give us, most anyone can put their foot against the ball and shoot it in the direction of the net. It takes a good striker, however, to consistently prevent the ball from going too wide, too high, or straight at the keeper. 

Aside from that, defenders, midfielders, playmakers, and all other positions are largely unimportant and replaceable.

[streety]

Great start, loving the thread well done on the promotion and other trophys..

[majesticeternity]

9 hours ago, streety said:

Great start, loving the thread well done on the promotion and other trophys..

Thank you!

[majesticeternity]

Pre-Season 3: A Personal Attempt to Help the Club in the Long Run

Our players decide to stay

Transfer-wise, this pre-season has been very different from the previous one. Whereas last time, we lost almost all our starting 11 and then some, this time, we've kept everyone, except 1 player, a backup GK.

Everyone else has stayed!

Oh, there certainly has been just the same amount of interest, several clubs bidding on most players.

What's the difference, then?

 

They've all decided to stay. In talking with each of them, and letting them know how much I appreciate them, 2 things came to light: 

1. 2 league titles and 6 cup wins have given them confidence and belief in our club. Our last team meeting led to most saying we should again win the league and promote.

2. A good working relationship, great tactical consistency, new training facilities, and an easy, focused atmosphere has given them "admiration" for me as a coach. They appreciate my style to tactically find players who can work together well. They also highly value a coach who finds positions and roles they can excel at.

 

But, how to repeat this and keep our players in the future?

This got me to thinking....

Say we promote at a good pace, in a few year's time, when we still have a team of non-contract players, what's to make the better players choose us instead of the better clubs? How could we maintain the vital "team cohesion"?

While the club's reputation can really only be improved by it's successes, better facilities and players....my reputation, however, is mostly separate, and it's a very poor reputation.

Most of our players now are local Hastings boys, who are happy in their "Hastings bubble", where local media coverage praises me highly. They're happy to stay at a club that treats them well and allows them to enjoy more successes than they ever thought they could achieve. So when a Mid Sussex Div 2 side comes calling, why should they re-locate to that club that's muddling around at that level and not winning titles or cups?

But the rest of the footballing world sees things entirely differently. While quite a few do see my talent and quality, several have tried to negate my so-called "ability" by saying that anyone with some footballing knowledge, common sense, and loads of money could do what I had done, easily.

"She has no experience when faced with actual competition, and will fall flat!"

"Even my kid playing for Crystal Palace U8's has more coaching skills than her."

If I am to continue to build this club, to attract good players, keep players, etc, I MUST prove myself a capable coach. But, how do I coach a team that's at a competitive level, without leaving the club?

 

Future Goal: Coach an international youth team

I decided then, to start following and subscribing to the different news outlets that cover the international teams. In time, once I have a few more titles as "proof" under my belt, someone would choose me. 

Here, my new international subscriptions showed the below jobs were open:

What alot of amazing nations! Such a great time to be a top coach! To be ear-marked for Brazil, or Argentina, or Spain..Italy...Russia, etc!

Several U21 jobs had opened up, but come and gone quickly. Nevermind that, I wasn't looking to apply right away.

Yet, there's one remaining, the France U21 job, and I decided to keep watch. If I could follow the process of the new head coach's hiring, that would help my chances later on. Right?

Well, a week went by, then two, and they were still looking for a coach.

Apparently, the big national senior teams being available now, meant all the best coaches were gunning for those instead. Plus, the massive amount of U21 coaches that had been recently hired, left the pool alot smaller. Add to that, most of the remaining coaches were busying themselves with their new clubs: pre-season friendlies, scouting, transfers, negotiations, replacements, training camps, etc.

I had no such time issues...Outside of friendlies, I was free. I decided to just apply, and see what happened.

 

[majesticeternity]

Pre-Season 3: France U21s New Head Coach

 

The FFF Comes A Callin'

Not much was expected from my application, but soon after, a call came in from the FFF requesting an interview.

Surprised, and suddenly so nervous I could barely speak, it took a few hours before I could answer them back to schedule the interview.

I was informed of their current situation. There were a handful of short-listed coaches, which included me. The current UEFA U21 Group 9 Table looked like this:

The previous coach, before retiring, had done a good job to set up France for qualification. It was only Belgium nipping at their heels, and France's youngsters were more than talented enough to finish the job without requiring a great coach to hand hold them.

So, having done their due diligence in researching each applicant, they disregarded my lack of top coaching licenses, and were intrigued by my successes.

Yes, it was worrying, my lack of experience at a competitive level. But if I was the coach I seemed to be, they were interested.

The trouble was, the previous coach was very good tactically, but poor in team selection and in helping France's youth to gain experience and be nurtured. He had really only selected a starting 11, and left it at that.

They wanted to know if I really was a coach who could take inexperienced youngsters and fit them together in an optimal tactical setup, find roles and duties that suited them, and get the best out of each.

A series of questions bombarded me as they tried to determine if I was such a coach.

 

A New Team to Manage

After the interview, a couple days passed, and I was hired! 

Now...could I handle this? Had the FFF really seen something in me, or was I fooling everyone?

Only time would tell. But, as they'd assured me, the task was not too difficult, as France was in the lead by 1 point, with only 4 games left.

 

With all my free time, and 2 months to prepare, I went through an insane amount of reports in order to select a full 23-man squad.

[majesticeternity]

Season 3: Bring Your Passport, We're Traveling the World

Alright, so maybe not the "world" entirely...But there will be plenty of travel involved.

Nordjyske Arena, Aalborg, Denmark: UEFA Denmark U21s vs France U21s

A 1 hour drive to Gatwick Airport, followed by an almost 2 hour flight to Aalborg Airport. A short 12 minute drive from there, to the nearby Nordjyske Arena, and I've arrived for the evening match.

A beautiful setting, a country and city I've never seen before, a 14,000 capacity stadium and France's elite youth to manage. What an experience!

 

I've picked our best 11, but kept a few of them on the bench for this game. Our toughest match against Belgium is in just 4 days, and it's almost a must-win match, as they could easily snatch the qualification from us.

 

 

Soon, it's already half time, and several free kicks for both sides, but all are taken poorly. Not much other than a few long shots show up.

The team seem to not quite be clicking together, but individually seeem to be godlike in my eyes.

I'm struck by the incredible dribbling pace of our wingers. The team's ability to pick out a play-making pass, to maneuver into the right position, make perfect attacking runs, determine their next action even before receiving the ball...it's all a wonderful display, and a world apart from my own club.
 

49 minutes: A throw-in near the left corner, and it's sent to Keita in the center. With a defender closing down, he passes to Nkunku for an easy knock in. Poulsen(DEN) shows his great defensive awareness, attempting to stick out a foot to stop it. But he's just a hair too late, as is their keeper. 1-0      Nkunku and his team are jazzed!

 

56 minutes: Guitane sends a pass out to Karamoh, showcasing his vision. Karamoh is wide open, with all their defender clumped in the center. He bombs forward for a layoff pass, but it's intercepted by Andersen(DEN)...straight into goal. 2-0 Poor Andersen(DEN)...

58 minutes: Their hopes are sunk, and we're now retaining possession around their box. Diallo spins around for a pass to Guitane. A first touch shot, and it's 3-0

66 minutes: They've used all 3 subs, and their team is looking much more dangerous. A couple close calls, and now we're left at the mercy of their striker.

Drongesen(DEN) sends a powerful shot, but Maisonnial does very well to parry it wide.

I instruct everyone to now sit back and defend, save their energy, and prevent conceding. That's that, and nothing more happens.

 

 

The table still looks the same. Belgium is still looking to overthrow us. Our next match is against them, and if we can win, we'll basically have secured qualification. If not...well, it'd mean our only prayer is that they screw up somehow...

 

Northgate Playing Fields, Crawley, England: Mid Sussex Junior Cup First Round

Unfortunately, these first 2 matches come with this cup's first round sandwiched in-between. It's still pre-season, guys, and we have a cup match! Crazy.

We have no assistant manager, and since this whole international coaching is in the end for Hastings United's good, how can I abandon them?

Sooo...it's another trip back whence I came, and I'm exhausted. Although, France U21's 3-0 win against Denmark has kept me excited, happy, and motivated.

   

Thankfully, I don't have to drive all the way back home to Hastings. This match is just 7 minutes away from the airport. Yes, I plan, and plan well.

 

Here in Crawley is a very different view than the Nordjyske Arena...To me, though, it's just as beautiful.

 

24 minutes: Hardy takes a free kick at the right edge of the box, and Greatorex anticipates the ball as it comes towards him overhead. A huge leap to meet the ball and head it towards goal. So huge, in fact, that he stumbles as he lands. But it's worth it, goal! His first ever goal for the club, and the team applaud his effort! 1-0

48 minutes: It's fairly even between the two sides. They're defending well, as are we. Until, another set piece, a corner, and we sneak up on them again. Hardy passes to Day and it passes just past the keeper's glove. 2-0

56 minutes: They've learned enough to beat us at our own game. A throw-in for them near our right corner. Sent to Gilligan, and our debut youth Brougham tackles him, gaining the ball. Yet, Gilligan takes it back from his feet. All our players saw Brougham gain the ball, and are already starting to sprint down field to counter attack. Gilligan, now immediately seizes the opportunity, and crosses to Weatherall. He shoots and scores. All this, while our players are turning around, trying to figure out what happened. 2-1

After that, we're able to hold onto the narrow lead due to Kuhl's goalkeeping. Phew, we made it through. And that's only the first round...

 

 

Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liege, Belgium: UEFA Belgium U21s vs France U21s

Now, it's a train-ride from Three Bridges Railway Station in Crawley all the way to Liège, Belgium.

Then, I arrive at the biggest stadium yet, Stade Maurice Dufrasne.

             

 

Their lineup vs ours are both defensive minded. They, however, keep most of their players back, probably anticipating our pace and skill on the ball to suddenly attack.

They defend very well, and our efforts are nixed immediately upon getting near their box. Most of the time we're kept at bay and left to long and poor shots. All of our cross attempts are expertly nullified. I then instruct the team to work the ball into the box, in an attempt to get them to work together.

 

On the other hand, we're also defending very well. They have few chances or even attempts to create, as they're focused primarily on defending.

 

46 minutes: It's been 45 minutes of a frustrating game. Then, we have a counter attacking opportunity. Mbappe takes off down the field after their set piece. As 3 of their defenders close down quickly, he has a clear pass to a completely open Ntcham.
Yet, he continues dribbling, and 2 defenders tackle at the same time.

Now, I'm done with giving my team chances to play correctly, done with seeing Belgium tackle us to the ground time after time. No more, and despite all the proficient dribblers, I instruct them to dribble less.

 

50 minutes: We're seeing plenty more passing between the players, more gradually building up play. The passing among 4 players in midfield lures some of their players over to ours. A pass to Augustin up front, and their defenders 
come in for the kill. This, happily, leaves Mbappe with no one around him at all. Augustin sneaks the ball through the defenders, and Mbappe saunters slowly up to the ball to ready himself for a strike. He takes almost too long, but the valuable
preparations pay off, and just before they can reach him, a fast, strong shot right into the back of the net. 1-0 and finally the breakthrough!

With just over half an hour to go, they pick up the pace, and desperately dribble out wide for a cross, or down field for a counter attack. We have capable defenders, however, and thwart their every try.

 

60 minutes: A corner for us is taken by Nkunku, and while Augustin tries for a header, De Medina is able to clear instead. Mbappe is there, and runs into it's falling path. A perfect first touch to get it out of the air and at his feet, 
and in a blink of an eye it's in the back of the net..juuuust skating past their valiant keeper's glove.  2-0 and the crowd is roaring!

 

68 minutes: We're left exposed and Bakkali attempts a good quality shot, but Maisonnial saves it.

 

90 minutes: While some of the spectators start leaving the stadium, Lusamba fiddles around on the right wing. He then turns, and shoots a cross right by the defender marking him. It goes straight to our sub, Mateta, and their keeper has no clue. 3-0

 

Another 3-0 win, an against our most difficult opponents!

With only Andorra and Gibraltar to play, we have won Qualification!

While France U21s won the Championship last year, the rest of the world deems this achievement as the least we could do. However, I'm jazzed!

 

The players now head back home, while I decide to splurge and spend a couple nights in Liege and enjoy exploring the city.

As I head back to the hotel, my head is filled with the experiences and feelings of these past 2 games. And I realize...I have a bug for international management...

[oohlala111]

Just caught up on this, awesome work on getting promoted! Next stop- the Premier League  

[majesticeternity]

On 4/28/2017 at 12:23, oohlala111 said:

Just caught up on this, awesome work on getting promoted! Next stop- the Premier League  

Haha, not just yet.

Thank you!

[majesticeternity]

Yet again, there is another Hastings United cup sandwiched between 2 international games. Yippee...

 

 

Stade Gabriel Montpied, Clermont-Ferrand, France: UEFA France U21s vs Andorra U21s

        

 

As we're coming up against a set of weaker teams, I've opted to bench most of our starting 11, in favor of the more inexperienced and less talented players.

The kids had a blast! By 20 minutes, we were up 3 goals to none.

 

Horntye Park Sports Complex, Hastings, England: Mid Sussex Junior Cup Second Round

A simple, easy game.

 

Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar: UEFA Gibraltar U21s vs France U21s

A beautiful, grand stadium with almost 40,000 capacity, down to a simple pitch with no turf, and mostly standing only..then back again to a large stadium. 

This "riches to rags to riches" thing is leaving me...confused.

Anyhow, a flight south, followed by a wonderful coastal jaunt even further south into Gibraltar, to one of the most beautiful stadium atmosphere's I've ever seen!

 

 

 

Of course, it's an easy game, and these set of 3 matches who are walks in the park, in beautiful stadiums, have left me loving life and loving the game!

 

[Koetzer]

Dynamo Chicken Kiev, what a name  

[majesticeternity]

22 hours ago, Koetzer said:

Dynamo Chicken Kiev, what a name  

No kidding!

Makes you hungry though...

[Lenzar]

Is your home pitch concrete? :o

[majesticeternity]

On 5/1/2017 at 12:16, Lenzar said:

Is your home pitch concrete? :o

Might as well be, the way they go on about the horrible pitch. 

[majesticeternity]

Season 3: Beginnings

After all those beautiful stadiums, I'm back home now:

 

Transfers:

No one's come in, but a handful of youth players that were able to earn contracts at higher levels. Most of them are now earning $1.6-$2k. It's nice to see that we can encourage young "Hastonians" to join, give them a season of training, and send them on their way up the tiers to have a career.

As far as those with regular starting spots on the team, they're happy to stay for now. Rising a few tiers up to a stale club is not worth it in their mind, since we've been winning leagues and cups galore.

 

For a while now, we've been on 100% familiarity, which is wonderful to see!

Season 3: Highlights

After 2+ seasons of being "top dogs" in almost all competitions, complacency sets in with a vengeance at times. So, poor players + complacency = quite a few funny moments this season.

Beating the Keeper is Easy. The Bar, However....

We Can Hit the Post, Too

..And Our Teammates

Plus a Keeper

Wait a Sec. Where's the Goal?

Funniest moment so far at Hastings.

Relizani takes a shot on the left, keeper comes out to save it, and the ball ricochets back to Onovo. Open goal, defenders behind, perfect 100% chance. Right?? Wrong.

Onovo: Yes! A chance! Take a shot either side of the keeper *Shoots*

Me: What're you doing, you idiot! That was a sure thing!!

Onovo: What? The keeper's supposed to be in the goal, so I hit either side and it goes in, right?

Me: *makes a note to replace their trainer*

 

In other news, the good side of things:

First Goal of the Season:

Fastest Goal Record Broken: 42 seconds

Not that it was entirely of our own awesomeness, but that the other team handed it to us with a free kick. Hardy then had to pull off the incredible.

The Best Goal Against Us

Honestly, most teams were quite poor, and not worthy of us. But this guy, however, handed us our first loss of the season, IN STYLE! A beautiful shot, rising high and dropping as it passed over the keeper. Incredible!

Showin' Em Up

Keeper distributed to Hardy, Howes runs up and just kicks it right off the guy for a goal.

 

They Have a Statue for a Keeper

Day sends a through ball to Relizani, who's far behind it. You'd think the keeper would come out to snatch it up, there's plenty of time.

Nope.   Relizani: Shall I get that?

Alright, a shot, the keeper will at least try to save?

Nope. Relizani: Boom!

 

Season 3: Results

With 4 games in hand, we earned promotion. 10 points clear. Sweet!

 

 

Finally, the biggest ever win so far. Against a side we'll be meeting next season in the league. 7 goals by half time!

 

Season 3: Standout Players

 

Striker - Liam De Winter:

33 apps, 39 goals, 9 assists, and 12 POMs.

Once again, he's primarily the reason for our success.Although he's been more inconsistent this season, when he plays well, he plays incredibly well, often earning hat-tricks.

Training Progress:

  Attributes

He's somehow picked up a preferred move(I don't know how), which makes him even better.

How is he so good? His pace.

Time and time again we'd see this scenario:

     

    

He knows how to stay on-side, then dash forward after the ball and shoot. That's it. That's all there is to football at this level. Well, not quite, but basically. Almost 40 goals. Wowie!

 

Goalkeeper - Liam Kuhl:

33 apps, 18 allowed, 19 shutouts.

Indeed, below shows his record-breaking shutout season. An amazing keeper at this level, and blocks practically everything. Yes, we've conceded plenty, but he's world-class in comparison to the other keepers.

Season 3: Record-breaking season

 

Season 3: Finances

 

 

Season 3: Current Tactical Success

Below are a couple of examples showing how we are succeeding so highly. 

We are the white in the first shot, and the purple in the second.

We're about even on tackles won, and go back and forth between losing/winning more headers.

The key is the possession stats, we hog the ball. Passes are also around double the other team's. 

We basically just camp around their third, pinging the ball back and forth between players until the inevitable chance opens up. The good passing means it's difficult for them to regain possession, and we end up having a ton of shots.

 

Season 3: Musings

Complacency May Be A Killer Later, But It's Not Now

Ah, yes, an insanely successful tactic. Every manager's dream.

Although, the other notable stats are the amount of long shots and off target shots. 

I've not really found that "dream" tactic. We win because we gain 20 or 30 chances. With such poor keepers everywhere, one of them is bound to find the net.

Complacency has set in with a strong grip, and win after win will continue to cement it. At this level, though, It's not a death sentence. Later on it will be an issue, but for now, it's impossible to combat, and the only harm it's doing is reducing the amount of goals we're leading by. 

Someone's bound to knock us off our high horse, but I hope it won't be until the Premier League Division One.  

[majesticeternity]

Hello everyone, 

Due to serious illness, I had to take a hiatus from this story.

Then, upon playing some more, it seems the England expanded editor data has an issue where it will "pause", and not schedule any league matches one season, then schedule them the next. This is unplayable, and I'll have to end this story.

Unfortunately, since it's the file itself, and the other big England file seems to have the same issue, I can't restart this save either.

 

[BadManager]

That's disappointing, but more importantly I'm sure everyone hopes you are over the illness.

[oohlala111]

That's a shame, at least you're well again  Hopefully you do another save at some point, cause I love your stories