Starting from the Bottom now we're...

Kinda jumping on the bandwagon and downloaded the EEE database which allows us to go from the Regional First Division. There are 6 leagues on offer at this level, in which I've chosen the Southern League Division 1 South West.

And within the league I've chosen to take charge of Guildford City, for the pure reason they play at the Spectrum Leisure Centre, somewhere I've been before.



Formed in 1921, the semi-professional club play out of the Spectrum Leisure Centre, which hosts 1000 spectators. The club has only won a few trophies in its 90+ year history, the most notable being the Southern Premier Division title, won twice in 1938 and 1956.



Finances aren't great, but hopefully a good solid season will start to see those figures increase. Going to be hard for me to get anyone in with any talent, may have to ship a few bodies first. We are also predicted to finish bottom (which they are in real life as well!) so I'm in for a long year!



Friendly Fixtures for us, good way to see what players fit in my plans.



Finally the squad. Few decent players here as well as a crop of youngsters that could be vital to our future success.

Next Update: Preseason and Transfer RoundUp.

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I've got 2 weeks off work due to a dislocated AC Joint (shoulder) so have plenty of time for FM, however my updates maybe vague due to only having the ability to type with one hand at the moment!

Good luck mate!

Good luck Kieran, be interesting to see how mine, yours and Ricks vary!

Cheers George and Dan, I certainly need it this season!
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Not too bad, could of been better, but due to a matter which I will explain later on, we ended up drawing quite a few games. However coming out of preseason with just a single defeat will hopefully give us confidence going into the season.

Transfers

I know its quite frowned upon to bring in players on loan at the lower leagues, however with about £90 in wages available to me, there wasn't much I could do. This is due to all of the youth players listed above in my first post all leaving the club before my game, as I made the mistake of not checking their contracts. This left me with a very small squad, which included a lot of random grey players. Even with all of this I still only had £90 to play with! Following my signings, here is how my squad looks heading into the first game.

Squad


The loan players should obviously make a difference, but I'm looking to the youngsters that I've signed to perform right from the off if we are to have a chance this year, more importantly goalkeeper Tom Elliot, and striker Reece Norton. Kershany Samuels and former Welsh international Ben Walshe are also big players for me this season, though they were already at the club.

So with the squad raring to go, how will we get on?

Next Update: August 2013

Good Luck With This Kieran

Cheers Jamie!
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So the season begins but how did we do? A 22 team league in which we are predicted to finish 18th...



Got off to a fantastic start with a 5-1 demolition of now bottom side Mangotsfield, thanks to a great team performance. We followed this up with a solid 1-0 home victory over Thatcham. Following a 0-0 draw with Yate however we seem to have begun a bit of a slump, after losing 2-1 to fellow relegation candidates Godalming. We also played poorly away at County League side Holmesdale in the FA Cup Prelims, which at least sets up a home tie I suppose. All in all a congested month and to be fair I think fitness is going to be a real issue as the season progresses due to the small squad I posses.

League Table

Not a bad start to the league campaign with 2 wins, a draw and a loss, however I hope the slight dip in form is only temporary. 22nd place is Mangotsfield, who are -11 after 4 games and are yet to register a point.

Next Update: September 2013, can we bounce back after the end of month results and solidify a decent league position?

Well after a decent start, where did we go?



God we suck, the start was clearly just a bit of fortune. None of the team is performing, and whatever I try we just can't get anything going. Doesn't help where I can't sign anyone. I want to get rid of Ben Walsche as his wages alone cover half our budget, however I'm not paying £7,000 to release him and no clubs want him, just have to pray I can stay up this season and then rebuild from there,

League Table


Awesome...

Next Update: October-December 2013, my shoulder is hurting so am going to play an extra couple of months before posting.

Good luck with this

Horror month there after you started brightly!

Cheers Johno, its certainly not going to be easy.

I know Dan, it was an absolute shocker!
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I think everyone involved with the club was happy to get September finished, with no victories in any competition is the last 9 games could we finally get back on track?



I'll take it that's for sure. October started brilliantly with a complete out of nowhere 4-0 drubbing away to Wimborne, with Reece Norton bagging two goals, something he ends up doing for 3 times in the next few games! We then hosted high-flyers Merthyr Tydfil and to be honest we were unlucky to lose this one. 2 straight 1-1 draws followed, the Stratford game being saved by Norton once again in stoppage time.

After that we endured a 2 game winning streak, making light work of both Bishop's Cleeve & Paulton. I then thought that the form was over and we were back to reality, after being defeated 2-0 by at the time bottom side Shortwood. This was then followed by a 3-0 defeat by league leaders Didcot, before ending the month of November on a high with a convincing 3-0 victory against Cinderford.

League Table

12th place, I'll take it at this stage. Our improved form has seen us slowly rise up the table, however in this league it seems any team can beat any team if its their day. Thanks to Reece Norton prolific goal scoring record this season we are actually ranked 2nd in the league in goals with 31 goals scored, however 32 goals against us also puts us near the top of that category, a place you really don't want to be!

Player Stats

It's taken me a bit of time to figure out which players are integral to any success I may have this season, but its slowly starting to unwind. I have two quality strikers at this level, which is evident by their stats. Reece Norton leads the way with 13 goals and 3 assists in 20 appearances, followed by his strike partner Leon Gordon, who has 7 goals and 7 assists in 18 games. Jack Joinson & Nick Simpson have patrolled the centre of midfield very well since joining the club, as both youngsters aim to improve. Lee Thompson has been a rock in the back for us since signing as well. There are some slightly concerning performances, mainly the ratings of the defence, however hopefully now we are starting to gel and play a more team based game, those ratings will increase and so will our results.

Next Update: December 2013

Last 12 games, 1 win, 11 defeats... Top three players injured and yeah, going great. Still only 19th though and 5 points above the relegation zone. Gonna play through until the end of the season then post, too depressing looking over the last couple of months fixtures!

So after 1 win and 18 defeats in 19 games, and having to use grey players at times due to all the injuries I finally got sacked as manager of Guildford, something I'm pretty happy about to be honest! However I'm going to continue the save and join another team, ready for the 2014/15 season. My next post will show all the league results for reference.

So after just a couple of weeks out of a job I was approached by Evo-Stick Division One South side Halesowen Town, who currently are in 15th place in the league, 6 points above safety with 6 games to go. Accepted the offer, as they seem a lot more financially stable, so after this season is over I should be able to start building my team.



Here's what the club is all about.



A very old club who has never endured a great deal of success, with their highest placing being runners up in what is now the Skrill North/South back in 1996. They have won the FA Vase twice, winning it in 1985 & 1986. I hope that this small trophy cabinet will grow!

Finances



We are in the black which is good, however we are over £200 above our wage budget. However due to the end of the season being near I'm not too fussed about this as I aim to rebuild the squad over the summer and invest in a lot of talented youngsters mixed in with a few veterans.

League Table



So we sit in 15th as I take charge. However we are only 4 points shy of the top half. Then again we are only 6 points from the relegation zone. I feel however as long as we get to 50 points we will be safe for sure. However we start by playing 2nd place Scarborough, followed by 4th place Mickleover. We also face a couple of mid table teams, with Carlton being the only team below us in the table. However we are in the final of the Birmingham Senior Challenge Cup, as we meet Burton Under 21's for a piece of silverware.

Fixtures



Squad



Fairly Decent Squad here I feel, so hopefully with a bit of direction they can start performing and finish the season on a high.

Next Update: Last 6 games and End of Season Review.

Unlucky being sacked mate, good luck with the new job!

Cheers Dan, I think any luck will be better than what I had at Guildford. They got relegated despite the new boss winning their first 2 games in charge!
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So a new start for me with the season drawing to a close. With the team sitting in 15th, and only 6 points clear of safety and a cup final to play, what on earth happened?

Fixtures


Happy with that. First two games we were expected to get pumped to 2 draws I'll take. We then play Burton Under 21's in the Birmingham Senior Challenge Cup Final, in which we triumphed 3-2, giving me my first trophy in charge of the club after just 3 games, not too shabby! After that we had 2 good wins in the league before losing the final game 2-0, which was disappointing, however we were safe and had a great end to the season.

Cup Final Stats


League Table

So I made 2 places on our starting point, but the man thing was we survived relegation comfortably, and with £1,100 to spend on wages and all of my big money players on their way out (they all want at least an extra £100 a week to play season, jog on!), I can begin to completely rebuild the squad and make it my own, something in which I'm relishing the challenge to do.

Next Update: 2014/15 Preseason and Transfer News

So into my first summer in charge of Halesowen and its time to see the in's and out's!

Transfers


Signed a real mixture here of youth and experience, the youths are there to rotate in and out of the squad and gain experience, while I'll be looking towards the older players to lead the team forwards. The outgoings were all players out of contract, with the majority wanting a ridiculous pay rise which I was not prepared to commit to.

The Squad


Despite being 42 I'll be looking to Lee Harper lead the team, not only as the number 1 goalkeeper but also as club captain. In defence, we have plenty of options, due to me playing 5 at the back. Chris Shaw & Donny Bernard still have legs in them, and they will be needed as they slot into wing back positions for the season.

In midfield I'm not as strong, though I feel everybody can do a job. However upfront I have a small yet strong core, I just have to hope that they don't get injured!

So with the new signings in place, how did we get on during preseason.



After a rocky start, losing the first 2 games we won all our remaining fixtures. I was pleased with the performances against Walsall (our new parent club) and Corby, as it gave me a sense of being able to compete with stronger teams.

Finances
Finances weren't looking great after preseason until this happened...



Very nice! Sorted us out nicely, leaving us in this situation going into the season.



I've got money left over on wages if absolutely necessary but I don't intend to spend it unless I need a backup striker at some point.

Next Update: August/September 2014

Good to see a great end to pre season! and the finances is a much added boost!

Some serious Legends in your team now! Good luck this season, cheeky prediction of promotion from me!

Cheers Dan, yeah definitely the money boost is perfect, nice to know I got a supportive board!

I know Juke, some were already in the squad as well, relying on their experience to help the younger players through!
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So its time to finally get the season underway, and with a little more expectation and being able to manage the team from the start of the season, how did we get on?



Bad start losing 2-1 away to Stamford. A game in which we controlled for large portions but couldn't seem to convert. However all was not lost as we defeated Carlton 1-0 in our home opener thanks to an early strike from forward Nathan Hodge. Sadly he then tore his calf muscle during the game, ruling him out for 5 months. We then entertained Bedworth in the FA Cup, to perform shockingly and lose 1-0. However we continued to strive on in the league, defeating Chasetown and Retford to finish the month on a high.

League Table

2nd after 4 games, its only the beginning of the season but its a nice position to be in that's for sure. However I started well last season with Guildford before it all fell apart so I won't be counting any chickens just yet!

Top Performers


With the signing of wing back Chris Shaw, Sam Benjamin was meant to be the backup, however Shaw started poorly and the 21 year old got his chance and has shone so far, creating 2 goals and performing very consistently. Jason Hill, another player in the starting 11 due to injuries has also played brilliantly. Next in the list is Iyseden Christie who is joint first in the team with 2 goals and leads the squad with 3 assists, proving early on he can score as well as provide.

So with a decent month finished, hopefully we can continue to push on a solidify a high position in the table in September.

Next Update: September 2014

Keep it coming mate

I'm certainly trying to Dan!
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I decided to play through October as well due to only having 2 fixtures in September, how did my now injury struck side get on?


Well I guess at least I can concentrate in the league now. We started well beating Barwell 2-0 thanks to a Jack McGowan double, however he then got injured, ruling him out for 2 months. This left me with just Christie up front so I had to bring in some under 18 players to fill in, however their inexperience showed and they were clearly not ready to play for the first team. I played Bedworth in another cup competition, this time the FA Trophy, only to lose 2-1. I get the feeling they are my bogey team! This was followed by a shock 2-1 defeat to Coventry Sphinx in the Birmingham Senior Cup, meaning we failed to defend our trophy at the first hurdle. We then returned to winning ways, defeating Loughborough 1-0 before a barren spell of 1 point out of a possible 9 made us fall down the table a little bit. However we made amends with a 1-0 victory at Kidsgrove thanks to another Christie strike, who has tied his goal tally from last season already with 5.

League Table

Despite a dip in form we find ourselves sitting nicely in 4th place, with 19 points out of a possible 30. Romulus continue to lead and have been for virtually the whole season so far. At the bottom Rainworth are the only team in the league who have failed to register a win. Our bogey team Bedworth sit in 13th place.

Next Update: November 2014

Headed into November with mixed form and a pile of injuries to key players, so how did we do with a reduced squad and even more injuries!!!


Another average month, topped off by another first round cup exit. Wow we stink in the cups. In the league we had 2 wins, a draw and 2 defeats for an average performance. I don't like to make excuses but injuries are really slowing us down. I honestly believe with a full strength squad we could be in the top 3 at least. However there were some positives, mainly getting Jack McGowan back from injury and scoring twice in the month, including once in a 2-0 victory over Bedworth. I've finally beaten my bogey team! Other top notch performers include wing back Chris Shaw, who after a torrid start to life at Halesowen has comeback with a bang, scoring two goals, and now leading the team in average rating. More bad news struck however, leading scorer Iyseden Christie, after scoring twice in a 3-2 victory over Newcastle Town was injured, ruling him out for a couple of months. This was reflected with other injuries in midfield, leaving me to have 3 youth academy players in my starting lineup in our 1-0 defeat to mid table Coalville. On the bright side however striker Nathan Hodge should be back in December, along with midfielder Jason Hill.

League Table

Despite the average month we remain in 4th position after 15 games, collecting 26 points. We trail leaders Chasetown by just the 3 points. Defensively we are one of the strongest in the league, mainly due to the 5-2-1-2 formation I'm using at the moment I feel, however with my top 3 strikers never fully fit together we are struggling at times to score goals. Hopefully I'll get them all back soon and we can get on a good run and push us right up near the top of the table. Only time will tell!

Next Update: December 2014 - Last month of year, hoping to be right up there!

A couple of mixed months but still very competitive chap! Keep it coming