Dans Journey Around The World [Take ll]

Theres always next year @Dan

Good foundations have been laid and you can make the improvements you need to build your own squad now!

I hope so @GG.com, I was more targeting it this coming season anyway, it would of been nice to do it last season but we're set up for this year.

Oh I would of still took it @Suffolk Seasider but it wasn't to be. Boston beat us in the final few league games and then in the playoff final to stop us on our way. We'll go again this season.

This season is hopefully ours @Shedender

Yes thats the target now @tongey we'll aim to win it this time around.

A quick round up of whats happened this summer on and off the pitch. I never delve into too much detail in these summer round ups as I don't think they're 'too' important. However I've been busy trying to ensure we can extend all contracts of the players here and at the same time bring in some new faces. I definitely feel we have a strong line up this year going forward.


Just one player in that cost money this season, Jason Davis from Burgess Hill cost us four and a half thousand pounds and I'm sure he'll repay all of that fee. We then went on to bring in three players on loan as well as two players for free from Linfield. On the other side we made five thousand pounds selling Stambolziev to Wrexham and then Tunnicliffe left on a free transfer.


We've currently got a very big squad and I'm sure some more players will leave before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. We've got a few players who i feel don't quite cut it. At the same time, i think we've got some players who are a cut above the rest in this division and could see us run riot in a couple matches.


A poor defeat against Wealdstone to kickstart the summer, perhaps getting over the summer off the pitch. However we then went on to pick up three wins and a draw to round up summer on the pitch. Onto the competitive football we go.

Next Post: Mid Season Round Up - 1st January 2019

Only just managed to catch up with this, as I've taken a bit of a break from football manager. Yours and @Shedender's saves on FM15 were the main reason I started using this site in the first place, so it's good to see it come back, and might do something similar myself when the game is released. Will be following @Dan

Thanks alot for taking the time to caatch up @Parker26, its good to see you still on the forum and its very kind words from yourself. Would be great to see you join the challenge, we already have Tongey joining Shedender and I. The more the merrier to see something different on this forum and a members challenge going on.

Half a season done here in England, my first, first half a season in my home country and here with Kidderminster and its been okay to date. We've had plenty of action on the pitch between cup and league football as we tried to make a mark for ourselves this year and earn that promotion. Our club finances have taken a turn for the worst and we're in a lot of trouble there with our numbers falling further into the red.


Our cup football this year isn't over yet, and its been pleasing to date. We made a good run in the FA Cup reaching the First Round proper, before we were dismissed from the competition by one tier higher side Morecambe. We gave them a good game though, narrowly missing out two one. In the FA Trophy we'll marching on following beating Salford over two legs, both legs went extra time, in the end after two hundred and forty minutes of football in four days, we won 6-5 on penalties. We face Woking in the Second Round, away from home.


Our form isn't quite the form of champions as of yet but it is looking very good thats for sure. We've currently lost just five times this season as we're nearing the halfway stage of the season. In fact we're halfway through the league games now. We started the season brilliantly, picking up four wins from our opening five games. Our strikers are free scoring thats for sure as both Taylor, Dieseruvwe and Gnahoua have all scored plenty this far into the season.


We're not quite in good enough form just yet as Nuneaton are top of the pile and sitting five points clear of second place Harrogate and six clear of AFC Telford who currently occupy third. We're sat down in fifth at the moment, the same place we finished last year and occupying the final playoff spot. We're currently eight points off the top spot of the but we do have a game in hand which I'm hoping we can make good use of.

Next Post: End Of Season Round Up - 15th May 2019

It looks like it's been a tough campaign in the league thus far @Dan but I'm sure you will get promoted someway or another.

Great to see this return! Good start with Dundela and Kidderminster.

It sure has @Shedender, I thought it would of been easier this year but we've struggled! Time will tell.

Thanks @DNZY its good seeing your here still.

My first full season in charge of Kidderminster has now come to an end and I've been in charge over a year now. As well as breaking my first milestone as I hit one hundred games in management earlier in the season. We went into the second half of the season with us in the title race, albeit around eight points off the top spot. We were also still in the FA Trophy which it'd be nice to succeed a good run in.


We resumed our cup action with the FA Trophy Second Round tie against Woking. We came back from two nil down and forced extra time, this was then finished in a draw so went into a replay. Here we drew two a piece in normal time but a late goal from Gnahoua sent us into the Third Round. We were then dismissed from the competition by Morecambe, the side that knocked us out the FA Cup too.


Our up and down form continued throughout the second half of the season. We hit some good runs of form, like the six wins in nine games to begin the second half of the season and the new calendar year. But then nearer the end of the season we went on a poor run, twice losing back to back games and that simply isn't the form of champions. We weren't going to win the title, could we hold on to a playoff spot for the second season running..


Just! We finished three points above Stockport who finished sixth and one spot outside the playoffs, meaning we'd face the daunting route for promotion for a second season running. Nuneaton went on to clinch the title and only automatic promotion spot by six points. We'd now face AFC Telford in the playoff semi finals whilst Salford will go up against Harrogate for two legs.


How annoyed I was at this result! We took the lead in the tenth minute thanks to Tyrone Williams. We also went on to grab a second before the break thanks to Ross Clarke. The second half we threw it away with a very lackluster performance meaning the first leg of the semi final would see us draw two a piece. We had it all to do in the away leg.


I'm not sure how we did it! But we came out on top here, I played a more defensive formation with a counter attacking style and it paid off. Digie gave us the lead in the fifteenth minute and Truslove made it two nil on the night just three minutes later. Come half time we were sailing and looking good. Second half we added a third through Croasdale before we quickly conceded. However we did hod on, and reached the final for the second year running.


What a game this was and what a comeback it was for us in the first ninety minutes. We trailed as Salford netted in injury time of the first half. We left it late to come back but eventually we did with Taylor netting eleven minutes from time. However it looked like we had blown it when Roberts netted for Salford in the ninetieth minute. But our never die attitude prevailed here, we went overload and Davis fired us into extra time. Extra time came and Davis grabbed his second of the day, sending us three two up. Although this time it was Salford' never die attitude with a one hundred and twentieth minute equaliser! Penalties it was, and we held our nerve from the spot as we went on to score all four of ours whilst Salford netted just once! We were promoted! Trophy 3 secured.

Next Post: End Of Summer Round Up - 1st August 2019

Congrats on promotion pal but you're out doing me in terms of trophies/promotions ffs.

I'm just picking up from where I left off in 2015 @Shedender but remember it's about trophies won per seasons played. We could both get thirty seasons in and you have more than me by then even if I have played ten more seasons and won more by then.
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Another quick summer round up as I complete my second summer in charge of Kidderminster Harriers and our first now we've moved up in the league as we prepare for life in the Vanarama National League. Just one step away from the football league now. Its been a busy transfer window for us as we've spent the most in the league this year, trying to strengthen to mount another title hunt. I always feel these two leagues don't differ too much in quality so we have a chance to be there or there abouts this season.


There have been five players to leave us this summer to date, all on free transfers as their contracts weren't worth renewing, they wouldn't play a part for us this season. There will be more to leave this summer I believe. Incommings we've spent over thirty five thousand pounds on four players as well as bringing in three players on loan. Delighted to seal Bransgove on a free transfer after having him on loan last season.


Admittedly we have a very big squad for the season once again, but I'm hoping that will help us over the season with plenty of squad rotation available. We also have a fair few players under the age of twenty five, so we have a bit of youth and time on our side, just hoping they have the quality too. I'm also still looking for more loan players to come in, if we can find anyone up to standard.


Three wins and a heavy defeated but an expected one, thats summer round up and we now go on the hunt to try and see what we can do in the Vanarama National League.

Next Post: Mid Season Round Up - 1st January 2020

2nd time's the playoff charm I guess, KUTGW

Never had a good go at the British leagues for some time tbh, maybe I should give it a go for FM17.

That as a hell of a play-off final! Congrats on the promotion. Told you it was more fun to go up via the play-offs

Best of luck this season.

I always love a playoff win, makes me think that I deserve to go up more than actually winning the league for some reason! Realistic expectations for the next season?

We got lucky I feel @Eric Portapotty, but I'll take it!

It was a super final @Suffolk Seasider although maybe next time a little more comprehensive will be better

Thanks @tongey thats strange, I feel winning the league is the ultimate way to go up. They want a top half finish, I can't see it but lets see what happens.

With the season in full swing now and the festive period of the year coming to an end it was time to see how we were fairing in my first season up in the Vanarama National League this season following us winning promotion via the playoffs last time around. The board expected us to finish mid table, I wanted us to be fighting for promotion and the FA Trophy otherwise it was pointless me being here.


Well, our hopes of an FA Cup run were dashed before they ever even got started really. Despite narrowly beating Alfreton one nil in the Fourth Qualifying Round, we went on to be knocked out in the First Round Proper when we traveled to Wrexham and they beat us three two in a back and forth affair. Then we got knocked out the FA Trophy First Round when non league Hungerfood caused an upset, beating us one nil.


Is this really the form of a side with a manager aiming for promotion? Well, only if every other team this season is playing as woefully. We've been poor this year and can't find anything consistant. Once again we had started the season really confidently with three wins from our opening four games and we were sat up in second place just a point off the top. But since then we've not had a run like it. Especially as of late with four defeats and two draws on the bounce leading us to six games without a win and as you can see, I've not quite completed December.


The table leaves us with little to look forward to. Twenty three league games played this season and we're sat down in fifteenth place and fifteen points outside of the playoffs, its York occupying the last playoff spot, a side I applied to take control of in the summer however knocked me back. Oh how it would of been so different had they of approached me back then.


And so on the 14th December 2019, moments after Hungerford knocked us out the FA Trophy I met with the chairman and left with my head held, well, slightly high. But I know I may of made things harder for myself by leaving. However as I keep stressing, I'm here to win trophies, to travel to world quickly. Not to be a loyal manager. I've got two coaching badges to my name, hopefully someone will take me on with trophy ambitions before the seasons out.

Opening Post Update with Career history.

Next Post: My Next Venture.

I can't say I'm surprised you have resigned pal from Kidderminster as it just hasn't seemed to work out - this season at least. Are any decent jobs available?

Time for a trip to Scotland?

Nope it just wasn't worth sticking around for @Shedender there is one I have my eye on...

Not yet @Suffolk Seasider but sure it won't be long.

I've only been out of the management seen for a month or so but already I wasted no time in getting re employed and as you can see we're heading back to Northern Ireland. Its a job that I wanted before but never became available as I thought they were a title contender last year. Well, they're a title contender this year but have dismissed their manager for some reason.


And its confirmed, I'm heading to Institute who are still playing their trade in the NIFL Championship 1, the same league I left Dundela in and much to my delight they are still hanging in there, albeit just about. You can also see Institute are sitting up in third place, so we've a real chance of creating something strong to finish the season and see another potential trophy. I'm hoping this could turn in to a short stint!


We've got a small and very young squad with a lot of members under the age of twenty one, however if they've got the quality on the pitch that the assistant ratings are suggesting then they'll fit into this team just fine by me. I'll get to work immediately having a look at what we've got here, I've got a small bit of time left in the transfer window to make improvements if I find any.


And here we are, we're currently sat up in third place admittedly six points off second place and seven points off the top spot but I'm hopeful we can put together a title hunting charge with a bit of direct, attacking football. We have ten league games to play through. As you can see, Dundela are bottom of the table, I'd love to see them stay up after they were my first club of the career.

Next Post: End of season Round Up - 1st May 2020

ffs Bangor, stop struggling.

Surprised you have returned to Northern Ireland just a few years after leaving @Dan but Institute are no mugs (same as Lurgan Celtic) and it'll be interesting to see how you do in the remaining games.

They're just rubbish @Shedender and in the game we've got a challenge on our hands to get the title but we're up for it.

So I had taken charge of Institute with just nine league games to go this season and I had the chance to take them to the title should all go well. We went into the final nine games seven points behind the league leaders and six points behind second place. A good run and we'd be there or thereabouts come the end of the year. Could we mount a serious title contention in just over ninety days in management...


Well would you just look at that form! Incredible stuff as we go on to win seven of our final nine league games which saw us go on to score twenty seven goals and concede fifteen goals, picking up just three clean sheets along the way, but thats not important. I got my reign off to a winning start with a four one win over Loughall, followed by a four three win over P.S.N.I. We don't do boring football Donegal Celtic were the first side to beat us. We had a brilliant tie against league leaders Lurgan Celtic, ending five four as Stevie Griffin nette four of our five goals. In fact, Stevie Griffin netted thirteen of the twenty seven goals we scored in my nine game run. And the title came down to the last day of the season where we needed to beat Armagh and hoped Carrick could at least grab a point against Lurgan Celtic.


And they did do it for us! Champions!. Its my first league title win and if I'm honest, I thought we were heading for the dreaded playoffs once again this season. But fortunately we've come away with the top spot, on goal difference. Unfortuantely at the other end, my former side Dundela fall out of the league and head back to where I started with them, I'm sure they'll continue to be a yo-yo team this year.


Job done and out of Institute. I know it was a short stint, in fact my shortest to date lasting just ninety three days and thankfully that was my own decision. Its been a good short stint but I know I'm not going to be able to compete for trophies at Institute next season, that has got to be my priority. So leaving now and taking the league out makes sense. I'll be back with another job soon hopefully.

Next Post: My next venture...

Pretty sure you won the title by a point and not on goal difference Congrats all the same on a first out and out league title! The Institute fans will need institutionalising after that mad stint!

If I keep guessing you'll go to Scotland I'll get it right eventually, but knowing my luck you'll hop over the border instead to the Republic.

Yeah I was just checking people were reading @Suffolk Seasider! But in all seriousness they must of lost late on as I know I was winning it on GD originally. Thanks though, Funny you should say that about the Republic of Ireland..

As Suffolk Seasider predicted, I am now heading across the Irish boarder and taking on a job in the Republic of Ireland as a big opportunity came up in the Irish First Division and it was very similar to the most recent Institute job that lasted just over ninety days. This one, could be even shorter should things go my way once again, let me show you what I mean..


Bray Wanderers sacked their manager with just four league games to go. They were expected to win the league this season after being relegated last season. However they are sitting just outside the playoffs as you'll see in a moment. But I chucked my name in the hat as soon as I saw it and with that they came back with the contract offer. I was shortly interviewed and hired. A four game contract potentially!


Just one win in six games has seen them slip down to fourth place, still level on points with UCD who they most recently beat who are third. It would seem a two horse race with four games remaining for that second and final playoff spot whilst at the top Wexford Youths and Shelbourne appear to be battling it out for the title. We face seventh place Athlone Town away from home, sixth place Drogheda United at home and then the top two teams away from home, second place Shelbourne and top side Wexford Youths to end the season.



Next Post: End of Season Round Up - October 2020

Good to see Northen Irish league title has been ticked off, hopefully you'll get another with Bray

Sure is @Parker26 I'm slowly getting somewhere. It would be ideal if we could tick off another league quickly.

So as you could see I managed to nail another very good job, Bray Wanderers looked very good to me with a big chance of taking a playoff spot and potentially another trophy with it. But there was work to do with four league games remaining. Would it be another quick stint, quicker than Institute even, well, lets see how those four league games unfolded.


Four games in charge, three wins and a draw, including a huge six goal thriller and four two victory against league leaders Wexford Youths. I began my reign with a trip to Athlone Town, winning one nil through Conor Lynch. My only home game in charge saw us beat Drogheda United. We were two nil up and then conceded a late goal, was worried we'd throw it away but held on. A trip to second place Shelbourne saw us take a point before we beat Wexford Youths four two. Surely enough to secure a playoff spot come the end of the season.


We had done what we could, we finished third place and in the end three points above U.C.D who toppled under the pressure of a playoff spot. Wexford Youths claim the top spot despite winning just two points from their last four league games. Shelbourne finished second four points behind and three points ahead of us. We'd go into a two legged playoff against them now.


The first leg, at home, we dominated the stats, perhaps not possession, but we fired our shots away with fifteen and seven of those on target whilst Shelbourne had just the one shot and managed to score it in the second half. Despite how much we pushed, we couldn't make a comeback and lost the home leg, one nil, a big blow for our promotion hopes.


We traveled away to Shelbourne for the second leg and it was much of the same story as the first leg, we dominated the stats, including possession this time around, but sluped to another defeat, losing three two on the night and four two on aggregate. We could of had a head start in the game however Lyons missed a penalty. We fell behind shortly after before Benson made it one a piece before half time. Lyons scored a penalty in the second half, eighteen minutes from time, levelling up the aggregate score. However an own goal and then a second for Shelbourne' Mulcahy saw them prevail into the Playoff Final.

Shelbourne went on to win the Playoff Final as well and won promotion.

Next Post: Mid Season Round Up - June 2020

Unlucky pal. Shame you couldn't gain promotion to the Premier Division.

I may try something similar to this if thats ok,might not get quite as far as yourself though mate,sounds hardcore.Well done so far though!!!

The more the merrier. It is quite an impossible challenge to conquer.

Come join the fun @Rooneysknees and we can try and conquer it as a group!

@Dan unlucky in the playoffs, they're beginning to haunt you!

Just caught up with all this Dan, great work so far. I could never be as ruthless to just leave after winning a title but thats the name of the game I guess. I get attached to teams too easily, even the garbage ones Though I am looking forward to attempting this or something similar one I've finished twatting about with Utd in my tester save. KUTGW

It was a shame @Shedender but I understood the chances of that happening taking on the job.

Be good to see you join in @Rooneysknees

Thanks @tongey tough to miss out but it wasn't my season in charge anyway.

Thanks for taking the time to catch up @SpinSwimScream its good to see so many people interested in the challenge this year afterall I think it was just Shedender and I back in the 2015 attempt. The more that jump on, the more we can compete against each other and see different routes. You've got to be ruthless here though. There are always teams I think about staying with but for the sake of the challenge, just carry on and leave!

Well we narrowly missed out on promotion last year, falling just short in the playoffs as Shelbourne beat us in both legs, despite us dominating the stats. Anyway, I'm honestly not bitter about that, we regrouped over the summer, saw the two teams who got relegated and I fancied our chances to go again this year, so I stayed in charge and now its time to see what we managed to do this season as we've reached the halfway stage.


Our cup runs have started as we've currently entered three different cup competitions. We beat last years second league winners Wexford Youths seven one to kickstart our first competitive game of the league season. A great win over the side a division higher. However we then lost to Shamrock Rovers, we trailed four one and went on to lose out four three, a good effort from my boys. The League Cup has seen us reach the Semi Finals, where we'll face another side a division above us, Derry City. And the draw for the Senior Challenge Cup third round hasn't been made yet, but we'll be in it.


Halfway through the league this season and we've been very good, losing just four games and drawing one of our opening fourteen league games so far this season. Drogheda have beat us twice this season already, despite us winning against them in the cup. Hopefully we can continue that and beat them the next two times in the league. We had a big four nil win over league title favorites Waterford United to end the first half of the season, this was immediately after beating Athlone Town four nil as well. But how do these results look in the table..


Its tight at the top, league favorites and the winners two years against, Waterford United lead the pack by just two points. We occupy second place, trying to keep the heat on the, Cabinteey are currently in third place, four points behind us which has given us a bit of breathing space. Cobh Ramblers, who were relegated last season, are down in sixth place with just sixteen points from fourteen games. Athlone Town occupy the bottom spot with just five points this season.

Next Post: End Of Season Round Up - October 2021

at Drogheda's only two wins in the league coming against yoursel.

That must suck, man.

Great form there, and battering everyone else for goal difference... we've seen how important that can be