Gendo, We're Coming For You - A Dan & Shedender BSC Succession Save

So I've struggled this year to get into a real long term Football manager 2016 save, probably because I over did it last year on my around the world challenge. Where as Shedender has just brought his save to an end after a long handful of years in charge of his boyhood club Bangor. Now we put our heads together and decided to knock Gendo off his perch and complete the British Steel Challenge.

For anyone that doesn't know what the British Steel challenge is, you can have a read over here. Its a simple challenge on paper, but very complex in the game, you've got to win every trophy in England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales using only British players, no foreign talent allowed.


Here is the game setup we're taking on, only the obvious countries are loaded which are relevant to the challenge, all leagues from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland Wales. All other leagues I've loaded in for viewing purposes only and are purely just to overwatch the leagues and see if any shocks happen. Also should we fail the challenge we can move away from the challenge. The player count is 20,460 and the computer performance up at five stars and estimated game speed of four and a half stars.


Finally the man of the moment, former West Ham United and England striker Dean Ashton, his footballing days were numbered due to a serious injury and so hung up his boots at the age of just twenty six years old. Now with no playing experience for the challenges sake and no coaching badges, he's here to conquer the British Steel Challenge. Finally Dean Ashton will start as an unemployed manager, with the date starting the 1st July 2015.



England
Fa Trophy, Vanarama National North/South, Vanarama National,Johnson's Paint Trophy,Sky Bet League Two, Sky Bet League One,Sky Bet Championship, League Cup, Community Shield, FA Cup, Premiership

Scotland
Challenge Cup, League Two, League One, Championship, League Cup, Scottish Cup, Premiership

Ireland
Munster Senior Cup, Division 1, League Cup, Senior Challenge Cup, Premiership, President's Cup

Northern Ireland
Mid-Ulster Cup, Steel & Son's Cup, Interim Cup, County Antrim Shield, Division Two, First division, League Cup, FA Cup, Premiership

Wales
League Cup, FAW Cup, Premiership

I'm actually looking forward to this, going to be (hopefully) epic.

And so the challenge is well underway and its going to be the start up North as we head to Scotland. There wasn't much to choose from at the start of the game however I wanted to get us straight into management and found a perfect opportunity in the lowest playable tier in Scotland, the Scottish Ladbrokes League Two. They're a side who are predicted to finish in the top half.


Berwick Rangers, is a perfect side to start, they are an England Town however play in the Scottish footballing league. I applied for the job and immediately the chairman came back and invited us to an interview. Which of course we went on to attend, could it be a job at first chance?


Sure was, I milked the interview, said what I had to say, told the board what they wanted to hear and there we go, the jobs ours, now its just to impress. Scotlands lowest tier should be one we are able to tick off quickly, theres not much competition here, the club are predicted to finish in third and the board want us to reach the promotion playoffs, the bar has been set high for our first chance in management.


The staffing room is small here however we will need to try and increase what we have. I will immediately be on the lookout to improve what we have and fully strengthen. As of yet, the finances aren't important to us so as long as they are in control, it doesn't matter if we over spend a little on staffing budgets.


Finally, heres the team we have at our disposal, luckily we don't have to kick any players out or terminate their loans as everyone is English or Scottish, however I will use this transfer window to try and improve the squad we have here, we seem to be over loaded in defenders. I will look to use the loan system to the best possible to our disposal.

Our first competitive game in charge at Berwick and as a manager is finished on a sour note, despite the competition not being important at this time its annoying to lose to Clyde, a team in our division. The game went the whole way and we lost 4-3 on penalties come the end. A good goal from lavery set us on our way however we were pegged back within nine minutes. The second half was boring. Extra Time Lavery had a chance to double his tally however his spot kick was saved, we went on to lose the shootout.

Shame 'Dean Ashton' lost his first game in charge.

A very gutsy performance by this Berwick side. We were up against the odds and stats but battled back to narrowly fall short. We fell behind just before the break. Second half pulled one back immediately through Lavery. Conceding just four minutes later, infact it was two in two minutes. We pulled a second back but were always going to fall short here.

Out both cups, the leagues our priority though!

Despite exiting both cup competitions, the summer on the field has been very good with some strong showings and performances with five wins, one draw and one defeat. All in all, not bad over the friendlies.

The league season now beings, I've failed to find anyone to bring in for the season ahead as of yet.

Superb way to start the league season, especially after going out both cup competitions in our first two competitive games in charge. A very dominant showing from us at home against Montrose. Andy Russel gave us the lead on the thirty third minute. Second half Lavery and Henderson sent us three nil up. We conceded eight minutes from time before Morris sealed it with a four one win.

Great start to the L2 season, please build on that as it'll collapse when I take charge.

Its started well thats for sure, just need to get an early run in!


Another good performance in the league, the scoreline doesn't say the whole story, the stats show we dominated throughout the ninety minutes however despite taking twenty three shots, we only managed to score the one, twenty fourth minute Andy Russell netted for us. An early winner but another three points.

Three wins from three, another two goals fro Andy Russell who has now scored in five games running for us and has five goals in six games in al competitions. Shame we couldn't save the clean sheet, conceding late on. We nearly conceded a second late on too but held on. Topping the table after three games.

You've posted the same screenie twice chum - I think a lil edit is required.

Good spot, fixed it now.


Our winning run in the league comes to an end slipping to a narrow home defeat against Arbroath. We fell behind in the twenty first minute. Henderson then equalised from the six yard box however ten minutes from time we conceded and lost out.

Two without a win, a good comeback from two nil down, but another late goal as we switched off saw us throw away three points and have to settle for one. Good to see Russell net again as he grabbed two more to take his tally to six this season in the league alone. We sit third in the table to date.

Three without a win despite being completely dominant here. We still found ourselves two nil down. Lavery returned to scoring ways but we couldn't pull ourselves back from this one.

Back to winning ways and a good time to do so. Against second placed Annan. A late penalty saved us here.

Frustrating. The team have played well the last two games but failed to win ffs.

EDIT: Good win at home to Annan though, even if it was a lil undeserved.

Yeah we deserved more the last two games prior to the Annan one, even if we didn't win that one.


Again deserved more, again didn't take our chances. My last game of the three month stint ends on a sour one nil defeat against Clyde.

Should be a very routine route through to the next round of the Scottish Cup. We've been drawn at home against Threave Rovers on the twenty fourth of October, one for Shedender to run riot in hopefully.

And as my three month streak comes to an end, this is how our league position looks. The board expect us to qualify for the promotion playoff, we are predicted to finish fourth and after the first eight league games we sit fourth, occupying the final promotion playoff spot. We are only a point behind second place Elgin City. Arbroath opening up a gap at the top early on!

Over to you Shedender.

Denied maximum points because of a late goal, against the second worst team in the league.

With one of our centre backs (pretty much) being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign, it was essential that a new centre back arrived at the club, but whenever you're semi-professional, you're quite limited. Michael Selfridge has arrived on loan for the remainder of the season from Cove Rangers and will be thrown straight into the first team.

I'm still looking at other signings as well as the squad needs boosted.

One more position I thought we were quite weak in was the centre of midfielder and reinforcements were needed in that position, and quick. Twenty three year old Dale Fulton arrives on a free transfer until the end of the season and he's a little experience at a higher level which could prove vital.


Another centre back arrives under my three month reign - formerly of St. Mirren, doesn't have much experience. Josh McArthur will get guaranteed game time, and experience at Shielfield Park.


And the last signing is Stephen O'Donnell who has also joined the club until the end of the season, at the age of thirty two, he doesn't look good enough and probably won't be a regular in the first team. But, he brings bags of Premiership experience to Shielfield Park and that could be vital.

Back-to-back 1-1 draws at home for Berwick in my stint as we could only draw with East Fife.

We're through to the next round but I was hoping it would have been more convincing against the Lowland League side - we shouldn't have needed a goal twelve minutes from time to seal our passage.

Our reward?


I'd like to think we'll be in the fourth round.

Unacceptable really. Montrose started the afternoon second bottom and they played us off the park. It's now four games without a win in League Two, needs to be addressed as soon as possible or Dan's early work is going to be undone by me, but I did warn him. I've got seven league games and a Scottish Cup tie left before I hand the save back over.

Finally, a win and a clean sheet after a convincing victory over the basement boys.

Didn't deserve to be victorious here at Galabank, Annan bossed the game for large parts. Pleased to see Michael McKenna get on the scoresheet again.

A couple good signings, I really struggled to find anyone I felt good enough to bring in. Results are up and down as they were with me, keep plucking away man!

That's the problem sometimes with managing a semi-professional club pal, it's hard to find 'talent' that'll strengthen the squad.


Just a second league win under my stint as we've beaten Clyde 1-0 at home - Darren Lavery bagging the winner seven minutes from time. The Clyde red card probably changed the outcome of the match but it was a much needed maximum points. It's still tight at the top though.