The Martin Westley Story. 6 years in

[Guest martin w]

this is a brief story of my manager career so far. As I get the new FM09 game (after a little bit of trouble) I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do. Did I want to manage in Germany like I did in 08. did I dream of the premier league like 07. or did I fancy a new challenge maybe Spain or Italy.

I went for all but only the top leagues except England and I selected all of the football leagues (prem, championship, league 1 and 2).

But the next problem a raised should I put myself in a club or start unemployed. And do I start as a new to the game man or a former pro.

I chose to be a former pro but to start off unemployed.

When I started I looked for a job right away. The jobs available were Watford and Huddersfield. Well I went for both of them and got offered them both. After looking at them both I thought that Huddersfield might be the correct choice as they had more money to spend on players and I felt that I could get them in the championship and keep them there . I didn’t feel I would keep Watford in the championship that long.

Huddersfield offered something new to me as I had not managed in that league before. After a while I decided I wanted to take them to the prem or do well enough with them that I would get a job that I felt and could take them to the prem.

I looked at the squad and thought this is fairly strong. Target men, quick forwards as well as experiences defenders.

This I though would be great. No problems at all. But this was not the case. After the first 8 games I had won 3 lost 3 and drawn 2 not good. Just below mid table. The problem was the strikers were scoring when given the chance but not getting near the ball. I got 3 players in. Tomkins from west ham on loan, Possibon from united again on loan and Marida from arsenal on a loan. This did the trick and by the end of December I was in the play offs.

January 4th 2009 Wolves Sack Mick McCarthy and offer job to Martin Westley.

Wolves were bottom of the championship. 8 points. The team in 23rd had about 14 points and the team out of the relegation zone had 18 points.

I took the job as I had 5 million to spend and a lot to spend on wages. Also the fact that the owner was thinking of selling the club was appealing.

No really good players available and I felt that I could get the players playing right and we would be fine.

I started putting e-banks Blake and volkes up front as iwolumo had been poor all season. The 2 I started struggled up front together but we were strong at the back now and 1 goal was nicking the points for us. With 5 games left I was on 29 points and pretty much safe as the team in the relegation zone had 23 points and I was on a bit of a role. Iwolumo hit a bit of form at the end of the season scoring 9 in 7 games and I ended 15th safe and in the end happy.

The following season I wanted big changes. Eddie Johnson had been the top scorer in the Championship last year for Cardiff where he was on loan for the season and I got him in for £800,000 not a bad bit of business. But Michael Kightly wanted to leave for a premier league team so he was sold for 5 million to Hull.

In he place I signed Colin Kazim-Richards who had left he Turkish club to come back home to England. He cost me 2. 5 million. Also Wayne Hennessey left for Man City for a very nice 8 million and Steve Harper was signed as a replacement.

The next season didn’t go as planned. Finishing in a very bad 10th place. Mark Viduka was signed in Jan to strengthen the strike force but only had 1 good game where he scored 4 goals.

9 games before the end of the season a bid for the club came in by Al-habi a gentleman from Iran. God knows how much money this guy has but I am sure I can keep my job if I try hard.

When the takeover is complete the first thing the new owner does is offer me an new 3 year deal with a must be promoted theme within it.

The next year is better but still not great. I have 170million to spend. My new owner and I were going to get on very well.

But I cannot spend the money. I am struggling to bring stars to Wolves and thought well as long as I get promoted it doesn’t matter. I signed Watson of Crystal Palace but he doesn’t fit in the team that well and causes some unrest.

The team finishes a place below the play offs. Gutted really thought I would get promoted this year.

The following year I brought a 16 year old Italian (can think of his name so you can tell how that went) and a Turkish left back called Cal. Cal is a great hit at the club and settles the defence. This really pulls the team together but Eddie Johnson is not Scoring goals as well as we thought.

He is sold in jan to a Greek team who pay 1.2 million for him. His replacement is a young Centre forward by the name of Patrick Brown. Born in south Africa but plays for England U21. he cost 2.3 million and is only 18. rated the new Michael Owen.

He scores the goal that confirms the Play offs this year. For the first time a chance of promotion to the premier league. I finish 6th so that last play off place and play the team in 3rd Birmingham. In Birmingham first then at home.

The away game started badly Birmingham going ahead in under 2 minutes.

Then we get our act together but cannot get near the Birmingham goal and when we do shooting not going good. We ended up losing 2-0 gutted but we still had the home leg.

The Birmingham manager (David James) said he felt his team did enough to go through. I didn’t.

The return leg I though Sod it ill change the formation I went from 442 to 424. all or nothing. Started badly again within 10 mins Birmingham lead. 35 mins we have a huge chance as we are given a pen and the Birmingham keeper is off. Professional foul. What a fool. Your team is basically 3-0 up and you get yourself sent off to prevent a goal. If he was my keeper I would have sacked him for that. What made it better is he was the first choice but the 2nd and 3rd choice were injured and they only had an unused 16 year old keeper on the bench.

Ebanks-Blake scored the pen and it then looked better 3-1 down over all but 3 goals would change everything but a big ask against the team that finished 3rd.

Ebanks took it upon himself to blow as many chances he could before half time. The City defence started to worry about their 16 year old rookie keeper. 45+2 mins Brown scores 2-1 on the night and 3-2 over all.

My half time team talk was "you can do it" and they could. I felt they had the run of the mid so Kazim lost his place on the right of my 4 pronged attack for henry who slotted into a centre mid spot with Watson and Jones. It was up to Ebanks-Blake, Brown and Volkes. Could they get 2 goals and get me into that final.

48 minutes Ebanks gets 1 on 1 against the rookie keeper clean through and the kid did good turning it away for a corner. Up went volkes and all of a sudden its looking real. 3-3 one more goal and I'm there. 1 more goal and I will play stoke in the play off final. Viduka is retiring at the end of the season and Brown is Tired. So I swap them keeping formation. Time is ticking away 80 mins, 85 mins, 90! We are not going to do it our we is running though my mind. 90+4 last kick it must be. Viduka to Ebanks, back to Viduka, Stearman? What's he doing there he should be at right back but he is in the box no reason for it I didn’t tell him to be there. Oh my god he has gone around the keeper and………………. Hits the post!!!!!!! Oh no its not my day after all. Its picked up by a city defender and smacked right at Viduka, could it be on his last big game maybe? BANG 4-1 on the night 4-3 over all the final whistle goes and Wolves are in the Play off final. What a drama.

The reason I talked up the 2 leg play offs so much is that the final its self was very poor. A goal in the 55th minuted won it for us it was Brown again. He had been a big hit for us.

The prem was upon us and with so much money to spend and finally players to spend it on I went shopping. I felt I needed a keeper 2 centre backs, a new left back as Chelsea wanted Cal and were willing to pay a very high sum of money for him.

I could also do with a new striker but one that needed to score a lot of goals. As well as midd, and a left winger.

Tall order but I though "hell I have the money" I brought in Ochoa the Mexican number 1. his club in Mexico wanted 42million for him. I wasn’t going to pay that for a keeper. After a long time they dropped to 35 million and I bid 32million final offer. They accepted it. I knew they would. He signed no problem. Steve bull came out and said best signing in the clubs history and could be the difference between staying up and going down. He did know who else I wanted. I got Anton Ferdinand, Jack Rockwell (28 million), McGowan, Cristiano (young Brazilian), Mattock (23 million) and D'Alessandro.

I thought that this would be enough to stay up. The season started quite well 7 games gone and wins at Spurs and Everton were clamed and undefeated until now. Liverpool next up and Defeat was tasted for the first time. 5-0 battered, Keane was Brilliant but Torres got 3. Keane 2. incredible performance but little did I know that they were only the 6th best team in the league that year and I had the top 5 to come. Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City and the High Flying (under new ownership) Fulham……. Yes fulham. I had fulham next and again was badly beaten 4-0 Kun getting all 4 goals.

I was starting to worry as I won some games but anybody near the top 6 I was getting beat and beat badly. Xmas came and went and I was 12th but will a goal difference of -19. the worst in the league. We fell apart in the big games.

The window opened and I made a big transfer Downing fell out with Boro manager and I snapped him up for 19 million. The left hand side was breath taking and I got my left winger.

The rest of the season ended with a really good cup run that ended in us losing the Fa cup final to Fulham and us finishing 14th in the league. Not bad for my first season.

The problem I have now is how do I strengthen?

I found the answer to my question in my youth team. Bob Flowers a centre back with more talent that Ferdinand and he is only 17. this looks good.

I brought in a young Frenchman 22 from Lille who had only played 10 games but had scored 10 goals. Why was this lad not playing week in week out. Over 2 seasons he has been scoring every game. His stats were as good as anybody in the squad. I also signed a 25 year old Frenchman who had everything I wanted in a striker.

I have only played 8 games of the season so far but I have lost 6 drawn 1 won 1. not good huh well my first 8 games were (in order) Chelsea Away, Man utd away, Arsenal home (like it matters), Fulham Away, Liverpool Home, Leeds Home (the one I won), Spurs away (drew). I am bottom but have a really long run of winnable games.

Ill inform you when I have completed this season. I should be able to give you more details as I will be at my pc and not a work trying to do it from memory

[Goofus]

Erm, I'm not quite sure how to put this but this forum requires an actual 'story'. Yours is more of an anecdote more than anything. This should be in the GPTG forum. To see what makes an actual story browse through the various stories here.

[MeLikeFM]

is the story gonna start now