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jameo_94
I will be starting off 2018's edition unemployed, as a Sunday League footballer with no coaching qualifications, so don't expect to see too many familiar teams or top flight battles in the first 20 seasons or so, but all of the lesser leagues and cups all count towards the end goal as well.
My aim is to win every single club competition available in the game (not including U21's or anything similar out of my control).
In the process I should also win each of the 13 continental titles (excluding the OCL as it is not available in the base game) as well as the holy grail - The Club World Cup
51 countries, endless opportunities, here I go!
I have randomly selected 6 countries using a random name generator, and I have loaded all of the divisions for each of these countries as my possible job opportunities. I won't add/remove leagues until I have fully mastered one and then I can replace it with another.
And my luck has already started! -.- I have managed to draw England, Argentina, France, Scotland, Slovenia and Ukraine - not quite the mix I was looking for.
My initial impressions are that it is going to be a fair while before I conquer any of these leagues fully, although I have never managed in Ukraine, Slovenia or surprisingly France before so at least there are some new things for me to look forward to!
Hold on tight, I hope you enjoy the ride.
April 2018 - Scottish League 2 Manager of the Month
jameo_94
So it makes sense to start at the beginning, which club should I manage first? I've had a look and there are 15 different options from 5 of the 6 countries, disappointingly no Slovenia, as this may have been the best place to start, but here are my options.
The only one not visible is Everton in the EPL, which is the least likely of the bunch (even if they are awful this season)
My options are actually surprisingly few as my "limited" experience and reputation mean that I would have no chance at a job at quite a few of the clubs - namely Everton, Sunderland, Tamperley, Velez, Rangers, FC Tours and even League One sides Gillingham and Bury.
This leaves me with 3 remaining options :
I could pick one of the English sides (Bognor Regis, FC United, Solihull Moors and Boston Utd), all of which play in the National League or National League North/South;
I could pick a Scottish side (Clyde or Cowdenbeath) both in League 2, the bottom tier of Scottish football;
or the last remaining option which is the Ukrainian team Rukh Vynnyky.
Out of the three options I would prefer not to play in England to start with, as I have managed low level English sides before.
Ideally I would like the job at Rukh Vynnyky, because who doesn't want to manage a side with only one vowel in it's name? But the reputation of the club may be too high, in which case I would settle for one of the Scottish sides (Clyde also only has one vowel) and I haven't managed in Scotland since I took Rangers from League 2 to the Champions league final (FM2012 I think?).
I will apply for the Rukh Vynnyky, Clyde and Cowdenbeath jobs in the first instance anyway and see where it takes me, with my preferred order
1)Rukh Vynnyky, 2) Clyde, 3) Cowdenbeath
jameo_94
So I have applied for the three jobs I mentioned previously, Rukh Vynnyky are in the Ukrainian Second Tier and despite being newly promoted have lofty ambitions of 6th out of 18 which makes them my number one target. Clyde are in the Scottish Fourth Tier and are predicted to finished 8th of 10 and Cowdenbeath are in the same division with a predicted finish of 10th following 3 seasons of relegation and finishing bottom in the league.
I may take the challenge of stopping the rot at Cowdenbeath at another stage but obviously when titles are the name of the game they are currently my last resort.
Excellent news arrived immediately after applying for all three jobs, I got invited for interviews at all three! This was particularly surprising as I thought Rukh Vynnyky were out of my reach.
Curse you IVAN MARUSCHAK. Well hardly surprising but disappointing since I nailed the interview.
I then got offered a job at Bognor Regis Town which I turned down
Finally I got offered the Cowdenbeath job, but delayed it hoping that I would get the Clyde job - fortunately they agreed.
As did Clyde - so I am starting my managerial odyssey in the Scottish Fourth tier!
jameo_94
Scotland, Cumbernauld near Glasgow, home of "The Bully Wee" at the 8,086 seater Broadwood Stadium, founded in 1887 - the scene for the first stage of my career.
My task: Top Half finish with Clyde, who are only predicted to come 8th. I can see myself doing some loan business with nearby Glasgow sides Celtic and Rangers to boost my squad as we have no transfer budget and £300 wiggle room in the wage budget.
Long-term I would like to take Clyde up a couple of divisions, but then if a better job comes around I can see myself moving on.
Lets see how pre-season goes.
Tommy Hughes
TinakoFM
jameo_94
Thanks Tommy, it's going to be a challenge for sure!
jameo_94
Thanks Skinner, normally get about 40 seasons in, but hoping this year that this will motivate me to see it through!
jameo_94
Well I said "lets see how pre-season goes", and then quickly realise that pre-season has come and gone!
Yes it is actually my first significant game day today, and I have no assistant manager, head of youth or any form of scouts, let alone a tactic to play with or the required players!
One positive though is that this game (and my next 3) is the BetFred Cup/League Cup, which I am unexpected to make any progress in and just be competitive considering I am in a division with top-flight side Partick Thistle, Championship side Queen of the South and League One sides Alloa Athletic and Albion Rovers.
All of these sides are "better" than I am so I will use it as a chance to evaluate my players and tactics, so I can see where the gaps are in time for the league season, any points are a bonus at this stage of the season.
First up - Alloa Athletic at home!
ptfc1876
jameo_94
The first thing I notice when about to play Alloa is that I have ex-Blackburn, Crystal Palace and Aberdeen striker David Goodwillie on my books, who is playing at a leading level for sides two divisions higher than me, so keeping him will be critical for my season.
I also notice that not only is he injured for the first game, but so are two other key players, and 9 of my selected first 11 are all severely lacking match fitness, what could go wrong?
After conceding early in each half I thought I was an absolute goner and was concerned about my challenge even at this early stage. I then made a fatal mistake at half-time as I made all three substitutions as I had poorly performing players in all areas with low morale. Then 59 minutes in I lose my left-back to injury and face the onslaught with 10 men. The turning point of the game was a penalty save from Blair Currie - my keeper after 74' which kept the score to 3-0. We then rallied with late goals from Burbidge and Wright to make the score more credible although we were never in the game.
This has however given me some optimism going forward as we clearly have some spirit and the squad reacted well after the game. I then found out that 9 of the 14 players used had made their debut in the game, so chemistry would need some work as well.
I manage to sort my backroom staff out fully just before the Queen of The South game, but have lost my best left-back for a month, so will now have to focus on bolstering my squad before the league season starts.
Considering Queen of The South had drawn their opening game to top-flight side Partick Thistle, I was pretty pleased with the result, Chris Kane, the goalscorer was on loan from another top-flight club as well and whilst never threatening going forward (other than an offisde goal), we did restrict them to only 4 shots on target with no injuries.
Definitely my easiest chance of a win, with Albion Rovers predicted to come 8th of 10 in the division above, although they are still the favourites. Good news is Goodwillie is back and squad fitness is improving.
Very disappointing, conceded a 25 yard screamer from ex top-flight player Graeme Holmes and just couldn't find the equaliser despite having a few clear cut opportunities. No goals again, but the first time I feel that we should have got something from the game.
Despite this being our hardest game, we applied ourselves well, but it could have been 6-0 if it wasn't for the saves of Blair Currie, easily the best player for us. Having said that, Barry Cuddihy and Darren Ramsey both hit the woodwork, although anything we got out of the game would have been undeserved.
Overall I am relatively happy with how it went, although it would have been nice to get a point or score a few more goals, at least we didn't get blown away by any side and morale, team chemistry and fitness have all been built. I would like to perform better in the competition next year when the squad are more established and work together better.
The board are also content with the campaign, which is the important thing
Now with my backroom staff in place, my attention can focus to the league, and enhancing my squad ready for the campaign.
jameo_94
They were quite upset you're right ptfc1876, but I don't know what I'm expected to do away to a side who are 3 tiers higher than us, I was quite happy that we hit the woodwork!
ptfc1876
Clyde lost 6-0 to our under 20’s a few years ago so you’re doing better than real life already! Best of luck with this, Goodwillie should stroll that league as on ability he has no business being there!
jameo_94
Into the month of August I go, and immediately we have yet another competition, this time the IRN-BRU cup, the cup for the lower divisions and Premier League's U20 sides.
We also have four league games, against Berwick Rangers (A), Annan Athletic (H), Elgin City (A) and Stenhousemuir (H) who are predicted to finish around me in 7th, 9th, 5th and 6th respectively, so this will be a good indicator of where my squad is actually at.
I feel like this is a good time to formally share my expectations for the campaign
This looks fine at first glance, but then when you see our league prediction
it seems that little bit harder.
I am essentially having to stick with the squad that I have inherited as well for this season due to only having £200 in the wage budget available, with no transfer budget and no room to take on loanees according to league rules. The one thing I have got in my favour is that trialists are allowed to play in 3 league matches, so I can at least try any new signings before committing.
First up is the must-win game in the IRN-BRU Cup against Kilmarnock U20's. I have no idea how this is going to go, as my experience playing U20 sides is varied, but we need to win to generate much-needed revenue and to meet expectations this year, despite the odds being stacked against us.
So despite being massive underdogs, we took a 1-0 lead through Mark Burbidge's neat volley from the recalled Goodwillie's cross. before Innes Cameron equalised 10 seconds later from the kickoff as we had gone to sleep making it 1-1. Our counter-attacking tactic proved to work though with Smart Osadolar netting just before the break. The goals stopped there as we held out to be deserved winners. New signings Lewis Doherty and James Carvell ran the show from central midfield and made a clear difference.
My reward for winning this tie? A home game against Rangers U20's, who scraped past Cowdenbeath on penalties - another winnable game.
Anyway, my attention is now solely on the start of the league campaign. The league will run for 36 games, and with only 10 teams it means we will play each other FOUR times, home and away twice each, so expect to see some familiar names.
A fair result, chances few and far between, Berwick probably had the better of the game but David Goodwillie had the two best chances to win it.
Our first league game of the season saw a shocking loss to Annan Athletic. We went behind early to an Aiden Smith header, before equalising through Smart Osadolar's intelligent finish. He should have ended up with at least a hattrick and saw a shot roll along the line after hitting the inside of the post before Smith notched his second. After 75 minutes I made changes and pushed for the win, which backfired as Smith completed his hattrick and Cameron Salkeld compounded our misery. The biggest positive was a return for Jordan Lowdon - our best player on the day.
This game was made for the saying "A game of two halves". We were two down thanks to goals from a 30 yard screamer from Aidan Wilson and Cameron Palmer after 62' despite having the better of the game. My front three were ineffective, including Goodwillie yet again, so got subbed on 63'. On came Smart Osadolar and Darren Ramsay, who combined for 3 goals and totally changed the outcome of a dire game. Ramsay also missed a penalty which took the game to extra time, so the players are incredibly tired and Ramsay is out for 4 weeks.
My reward in Round 3? St.Johnstone U20's! I love playing U20's
What an incredible game of football - too much to talk about. Positives:Goodwillie finally scored, I love Osadolar, Currie is a good keeper Negatives: The entire defence.
Kieran Sommerville just destroyed us - we had the better of the game and still somehow only scraped a consolation goal due to inept defending and toothless finishing. We dominated in every single stat, but the players are just not clicking as a team.
Overall September performance
Not a good league start, going to need to change formation in order to stop the rot and build some sort of cohesion between my players before we can move back to my preferred 4-2-3-1
Good cup performance though!
jameo_94
That's at least one way I'm doing better than real life at least! I was expecting big things from Goodwillie and was hoping that he would destroy the competition, but a consolidation goal and a penalty wasn't quite the return I was expecting after 10 games!
jameo_94
I feel considerably less optimistic starting September, but I think I have all of the pieces of a successful side, they just need time to gel.
The first business in October is the IRN-BRU Cup R3, already having exceeded expectations and playing well we face St.Johnstone U20's at home who needed penalties to sneak past Peterhead from my division in the previous round, so are beatable.
We also have four league games, against Stirling Albion (A), Edinburgh City (H), Cowdenbeath (H) and Montrose (A). Stirling and Edinburgh are just above me in the table so is an opportunity to get my league season kick-started, whilst Cowdenbeath is my personal rivalry as I turned down their job offer to join Clyde!
Daniel Jardine got St.Johnstone U20's off to a good start, before David Goodwillie equalised after an excellent Max Wright through ball. Goodwillie also missed a penalty in added time which was a sign of things to come. Extra time ended goalless and St. Johnstone U20's won 4-2 on penalties after Martin McNiff and Max Wright missed, although Currie did save one.
I have exceeded expectations in the cup though, getting one round further than expected, however I feel I could have gone further. No League 2 side made it further than this stage, so we were the joint best performers from our league. But at least all of our attention can return to our dismal league form now.
Trialled a 4-3-3 this game, essentially bringing a AM back to a DM, but this did not work well as Steven Noble opened the scoring for Stirling. At half time I reverted to a flat 4-4-2, thinking this may provide more support for my full-backs. It paid off with Kevin Nicoll bagging his first for the club from a corner. David Goodwillie increased my positivity 13 minutes from time, tapping in following good work from Smart Osadolar. Sadly the same old defensive frailties showed as Andy Black equalised and Blair Currie made a rare mistake to gift the winner to Callumn Morrison. Total defensive reshuffle for the next game.
Another embarrassing result has left me resorting back to a 4-2-3-1 after my 4-4-2 experiment failed. We were controlled throughout the game, and were unsurprisingly behind after Shepherd's goal. The only positive was Osadolar and Goodwillie combining well for the equaliser, but then we lapsed in concentration and Walker scored an easy winner. Still no league wins in 6.
Another loss, meaning that our only point of the campaign so far was the opening day goalless draw. We didn't deserve to lose this one, Cowdenbeath had two shots on target to our 6, and yet Smart Osadolar's consolation goal was all that we could get out of the game after the two Cowdenbeath strikers each scored.
Same story, passing tactic worked well in play, David Goodwillie is atrocious at finishing and failed to score 4 clear cut chances. Montrose score from a corner but rarely threaten. Really nice football from my boys, but result is a 7th consecutive defeat and some major jeopardy surrounding my position.
Booking some friendlies in for the start of October to smash some little teams for six and boost morale and team chemistry, as on FM18 it seems when morale is low, performances suffer, so results suffer in a vicious cycle.
Far fewer goals scored but also less conceded than last month, hopefully our friendlies will boost confidence, morale and chemistry, kick-starting my season for real (or so I hope!)
jameo_94
This is the make or break month of my time at Clyde, already 7 points adrift at the bottom and with no other distractions we have to start performing in the league. If we do, then morale will go up and I can see us going on a run. Another month like August and I will be unemployed once again!
We have three crucial friendlies to play when most people are on an international break against minnows Heriot-Watt Uni., Broxburn Athletic and Yoker Athletic all at home. These should be walkovers with clean sheets and a chance to improve morale and the ever-important 'dynamics'
We also have two league games to end the month, against Peterhead (H) and Elgin City (H), both of which are crucial. We also have a Scottish cup R2 tie against my personal rivals-Cowdenbeath at home. 6 home games on the spin to turn my season around or I'm for the chop!
Friendlies Summary
A 4-1 win over Heriot-Watt, a 2-0 win over Broxburn and a 3-0 win against Yoker all went to plan, progressively started playing good passing football as the three games developed - something I hadn't tried all season given the low ability of the players. Morale is up, chemistry is up, although players have no confidence in me - but after 7 straight losses who blames them?
Media have touted the game against Peterhead as a must-win or I'm for the chop, let's see what affect these friendlies and increased morale have!
We started well and were in control, until Rory McAllister scored from an indirect free-kick after 15 minutes. We stuck with the formation and were in control when Tommy Caffrey - on loan from Celtic, scored an excellent solo goal. We held Peterhead to just the one shot on target all game despite coming in as massive underdogs, and duly got our winner when the excellent Caffrey scored the winner 4 minutes from time. OUR FIRST LEAGUE WIN AT THE NINTH TIME OF ASKING.
Apparantly pressure is still on - a fan's poll says that 58% of them want me sacked, lets get them a nice cup run! Could have been an easier tie, since all other league 2 sides drew non-league opposition.
Expectations are that we should win through this round and then anything extra is a bonus.
Our level of control seemed to carry over into the cup, with MOTM - Partick Thistle loanee Mark Lamont - opening the scoring from outside the area before Smart Osadolar's shot bounced off the post and onto a Cowdenbeath defender to put us 2-0 up at half-time. Osadolar bagged his 10th of the season after the break, before Rory Connolly gave us a nervy last 10 with a consolation strike. Expectations met and onto Round 3 where we will meet Stenhousemuir from our division away from home.
Going into the game against the most free-scoring side in the league as the side with the worst defensive record and our only previous encounter ending 5-4 I thought this would be goals galore. However, the points were shared as David Goodwillie gave us the lead from a route one attack assisted by our keeper. Bruce Anderson - on loan from Aberdeen - equalised for Elgin with 20 to go and we couldn't find the winner despite having 20 shots to their 7.
An unbeaten month, morale and team chemistry boosted, October was an overall success, although we are still bottom of the league by 5 points, and around 9 points away from our pre-season ambitions.
jameo_94
Whilst October was good, we are by no means out of the woods and another bad run of fixtures will see my head roll very quickly. The key will be keeping the positive dynamic with the new attacking football.
This month we have league games against struggling Stenhousemuir (A) as well as Stirling Albion (H) and Annan Athletic (A), all of which are winnable. We finish the month by playing Stenhousemuir away again in the Scottish Cup R3
We lead three times against Stenhousemuir through Goodwillie, the returning Mark Burbidge and top-scorer Osadolar, despite being pegged back by goals from McGuigan and Longworth. Smart Osadolar however made the difference as he bagged a second with an excellent assist from sub Mark Lamont making it 4-2, so that McGuigan's second was only a consolation.
Our four-game unbeaten competitive streak ended in the dullest of fashions. The game only had 3 shots on target , 2 for us and 1 for them, but they scored theirs through Andy Little, and despite pressing, we couldn't score an equaliser.
John Cunningham got Annan off to a good start, heading in a long throw after Currie came out and missed the ball. Smart Osadolar proved to be having a tough day in front of goal, and three changes were made at the break as we'd failed to have a shot on target (they'd had 2). Osadolar got moved out to the wing, and young Tommy Caffrey came on upfront. He managed to score two and set up Matt Flynn as we dominated the second half and managed 8 shots on target to their zero. On march The Bully Wee!
Our meeting earlier in the month ended 4-3, and this game followed in the same fashion. Jamie Longworth put Stenhousemuir 2-0 up with a free-kick and slotted finish. We weren't at all in the game but Tommy Caffrey continued his goalscoring form and pulled one back undeservedly on the stroke of half time. Matt Flynn equalised with a nice half-volley, but Longworth completed his hat-trick with a header as Stenhousemuir deservedly won due to Longworth alone. We fought back well in the second half and Caffrey almost forced extra-time when he hit the post in the 92nd minute, but it wasn't to be!
Disappointing to be out of the cup, but can now fully focus on the league. Need to finalise who my best XI are and how to rotate the squad properly as we are now building relationships and actually looking like a team! Only a point behind Stenhousemuir and 8 away from our season's target after our recent upturn in form! Still under pressure going into December, but at the start of October I didn't think I'd make it this far!
jameo_94
The main aim of December is to clamber out of bottom position by Christmas and ideally start pushing for a top half finish. I also need to finalise my first XI and sort out shipping out some dead wood in the January transfer window to free up some finances.
We have league games against Montrose (H), Peterhead (A), personal rivals Cowdenbeath (A), Berwick Rangers (H) and Edinburgh City (A). This sees us take on the current top three in the league so will be a real test of how we have developed as a unit.
We travel to Links Park and league leaders Montrose first of all in December, and they blew us away in the first half, barely giving us a sniff and scoring through Daryl Nicol and a deflected goal. I gave the side a roasting at half time, as we only managed one shot altogether in the first half. I also had to make some personnel changes, which clearly made a difference and we were a different side after an hour. Smart Osadolar pulled one back with our first shot on target and equalised with 6 to play. We then went to sleep when Terry Masson restored a late lead for Montrose, but we fought and James Carvell's first goal for the club earnt us a point away to the league leaders. If only we could play for 90 minutes!
Going into this game we have 12 points from 14 games, which is exactly how Clyde have done in real life! Although they are eighth and had their manager sacked.....
Tommy Caffrey once again inspires another victory for The Bully Wee, bagging himself a brace in addition to Matt Flynn's excellent strike. Disappointing to not keep a clean sheet as Owen Gallagher scored a consolation for Peterhead, meaning we haven't kept a clean sheet since opening day. This is partly down to Blair Currie's awful form.
I always relish the games against Cowdenbeath, as I turned down their job offer to take the Clyde position instead. They're high-flying in the table and don't concede, so I was surprised to find us 2-0 up after 10 minutes through Osadolar's cross which was turned in by a Cowdenbeath defender, and Scott Ferguson's first goal of the season after a long injury lay-off. Ferguson added a second and third for a fantastic hat-trick. Centre-back Adam Watts added a fifth to take us beyond total control of the tie. Disappointingly, we did concede two needless goals at the end, both of which were Blair Currie's fault in goal.
For the first time this season, we went into a game as favourites, and struggled with the pressure as Aaron Murrell got Berwick Rangers off to a good start. Eventually our class shone through, and as the nerves started to settle Adam Watts headed home for his second in as many games, before substitutes Darren Ramsay and David Goodwillie combined twice, setting each other up to see the game off.
We went into this one unbeaten in 5 league games, whereas Edinburgh City had lost 4 on the spin. David Goodwillie, who has underwhelmed all season, started up top for the injured Tommy Caffrey, and repaid my faith by scoring the perfect hat-trick. Started with a simple left footed finish, continued with a right-footed blockbuster after Matt Flynn had put us 2-0 up from the edge of the area. He then completed the set after half time with a deft header, and almost scored a fourth when his lob came back off the bar. We couldn't keep a clean sheet again though as the last 15 minutes Edinburgh City looked much more threatening and pulled two back through Sterling and Garcia Tena.
My best month in charge of Clyde by a mile! We can now actually play nice, attacking football and always be confident that we can outscore any opponent. I'd like to improve our defensive concentration in the new year, and as well as getting rid of some deadwood, possibly bring in some other defensive options. But as far as December goes, we haven't lost, have played the best sides of the league, and AREN'T BOTTOM!!
jameo_94
For the first time we start a month not bottom, but actually 6th, only one point off the top half and three away from the playoffs! Looking the other way, we are only 4 points above 9th place as well, so we can go one of two ways, but are in really good form, winning our last 4. The major downside is that we lost the influential James Carvell [December's Player of The Month] in CM for 2 months with broken ribs, so I'm unsure as to how that will affect our performance moving into the second half of the season.
This month we play Annan Athletic (H), Elgin City (A), Stenhousemuir (H), Montrose (A) and Peterhead (H), so teams all over the league, but lots of games where we've previously had high scores.
Just a quick note - I won December's Manager of The Month award!
Two early goals from the in-form David Goodwillie were enough to see us win here, as we managed to keep a clean sheet for only the second time this season.
Expect a high-scoring game at Borough Briggs as the two most goal-friendly sides meet, and our last game here ended 5-4. Of course this means that I've jinxed the game and it ends 0-0. We had far more chances, but couldn't get enough efforts on target. When you're disappointed that you can't win away at 2nd in the league it can't be too bad!
Good news ahead of this one is that Jamie Longworth (scorer of 5 out of 9 Stenny goals against methis season) is out injured! We went 2-0 up thanks to a quick brace from David Goodwillie, but yet again could not hold on for the lead as McGuigan pulled one back and then Martin Scott scored a contender for goal of the season, a half-volley from 25 yards to equalise.
Same result as the previous game, but in totally different circumstances away to the runaway leaders. We dominated the first half getting 8 shots on target, but Jordan Millar in the Montrose goal had an excellent game, denying Goodwillie with an incredible double save amongst others. Daryl Nicol scored a brace early in the second half for a much improved Montrose, but after subs were made we came back into the game with goals from Goodwillie and Matt Flynn, although both were follow-ups from yet more Millar saves.
Once again, went ahead through Osadolar's first since the start of Decemeber, but couldn't hold out late in the game, conceding a basic goal when we should've already been 2 or 3 nil up.
Unbeaten in 11 games now, stretching all the way back to mid-November when we played Stirling Albion. However having drawn our past 4, we are without a win in a while, and our lack of ability to see games out and turn draws into wins has cost us 4 points this month, which would see us in the playoffs and only a point off 3rd!
jameo_94
We start February in the top half for the first time this season, and are performing well going forward in games. We are however leaky at the back towards the end of games so will need to look at a different tactics to use if we're winning going into the final 15 minutes. We should get James Carvell (arguably player of the season), back from injury at the end of the month as well and he has been sorely missed.
This month we play Edinburgh City (H), Berwick Rangers (A), Cowdenbeath (H) and Stirling Albion (A), so we play both sides on the same number of points as us at home, as well as bottom side Berwick Rangers away. If we can pick up 7 points going into the months final game at Stirling it should be a successful month.
David Goodwillie won January's Player of The Month!
A first professional goal for young centre-back Kyle Bradley [on loan from Rangers] was the difference here, as we actually managed to see out a game for a change!
A good result at bottom side Berwick Rangers, although a shoutout to home goalkeeper Robbie McCrorie, who kept the game respectable in the first half. Scott Ferguson finally broke the deadlock before half time with a floated finish. Meldrum turned a free-kick into his own net shortly after the break before Goodwillie increased his league tally to 15 from David Gormley's cross. Another clean sheet and no goals conceded in February so far!
We go into the game with my rivals level with them on points and goal difference, we are only ahead on goals scored., so this is a real 6-pointer for the playoffs. We ended our 12 match unbeaten run by losing this one disgustingly. Defensively frail-conceded every shot on target, and toothless upfront. I feel like 9+ changes need to be made for the next game.
Started poorly, conceding to Liam Caddis' simple tap in early on. As Stirling had beaten us by narrow margins in our previous meetings this season, I could see this game going the same way, even when David Goodwillie equalised after a good cross from Smart Osadolar. Osadolar himself then sealed the victory for us after the break with a stooping header. After this, we shut the game down completely and dominated possession taking few risks to hold out 2-1 winners.
Our best month defensively, only conceding one in 3 games aside from the Cowdenbeath disaster. Came into the month hoping for 7-8 points, and came out with 9! Total contrast to January where we couldn't get a win to save our life! Currently sitting just inside the top 4, but have starting AMC Matt Flynn and DC Adam Watts both out injured for most of March. 3/4 into the season though and I'm thrilled at where we are considering our start!
jameo_94
We start March in the Playoffs after our excellent victory over Stirling Albion. As far as the league title goes, it looks too far away this year as going into the final set of games [play each team once more each] we start 11 points adrift with 9 to play, so would require them to slip up massively, but nothings impossible. A more realistic aim would to be to finish as high up in the Playoff positions as possible. We are on a run of 2 defeats in 19, following our start of 7 defeats in 8 so have momentum behind us, but will need to keep this going.
In the penultimate month of the season we have a bumper load of fixtures as we play Elgin City (H), Stenhousemuir (A), Annan Athletic (A), Montrose (H) and Peterhead (A), Depending how successful the first 3 games of the month are, I'm hoping the game with Montrose may have more riding on it, but we shall see!
David Goodwillie got the game underway by scoring from the spot after an Elgin player handballed following James Carvell's free-kick. That was our first penalty since we first played Elgin in the third game of the season back in August! Smart Osadolar then added a brace after the break, both set up by the excellent Goodwillie. Our first victory over Elgin! Montrose also threw away a lead to lose to lowly Annan!
A crazy start to the game saw each of the first three shots on target go in! Two from Kieran Sommerville and one from David Goodwillie to reply. Martin Scott then scored at the near post from as corner as Goodwillie missed his clearance. Osadolar pulled one back late on after good work from Scott Ferguson but our bogey team beat us yet again. Montrose only drew however and 16 year old Sean Johnston made his debut and put in a good performance looking at positives. He also became Clyde's youngest ever player at 16 years and 50 days.
With Adam Watts and Matt Flynn back in the side, we travelled to Galabank fully expecting to blow away strugglers Annan Athletic. It certainly didn't turn out that way, and Annan were on top until Kyle Bradley flicked home his second ever professional goal. Matt Flynn on his return then emphatically doubled the misfortune, before David Goodwillie notched number 20 for the season from Blair Currie's route one ball. Aidan Smith then pulled two back for Annan after the break after slack defending, so changes had to be made. Sub Tommy Caffrey scored his first since early December after an excellent flowing team move to restore the two goal cushion at 4-2.
As Montrose won their previous game the current gap is 9 points, which would be closed to 6 points with 5 to play if we win this one, so if the title is our goal we have to win here, although could fall out of Playoff contention with a loss. We had never lead against Montrose but have fought back to claim draws twice. However this game got off to an excellent start with Smart Osadolar sweeping home from close range twice in the first ten minutes after excellent work from David Gormley. David Goodwillie then added a third on 30 minutes to leave me in disbelief, so we switched to a more defensive tactic. Terry Masson then got sent off just before half-time for Montrose to take us into dreamland. Jamie Redman did pull one back for the 10 men on the stroke of half time so it was 3-1. We pushed and were fully dominant in the second half, hitting the woodwork 3 times, before Goodwillie added his second and the team's fourth in the dying minutes and Lewis Morrison pulled one back with the last kick of the game for Montrose.
A poor game all around, few chances for both sides. Knowing that I'd need to win in order to keep up with Montrose, and thinking that I'd rather go for it at this stage, we went 2 up front and changed to a 4-2-2-2 on overload, so more like a 2-2-4-2 for the final 15 minutes looking for a winner. Peterhead had a couple of chances to score, but the usually prolific Rory McAllister was off form. I thought it would all be in vain until in added time, right-back Kieran Duffie pops up on the edge of the area and floats one into the top left corner of the Peterhead goal for his first goal for the club and first since 2014! I audibly screamed and annoyed my housemate, and felt like doing a Paulo DiCanio down the touchline. Unbelievable scenes.
Unbelievable scenes at Broadwood Stadium as a couple of crazy games to end the month see us rise up to second place in the league, FOUR points behind leaders Montrose with only four to play. I have no idea how this season is going to end, but we are guaranteed a top 7 and all but guaranteed a top 6 finish which is crazy to think about considering where we were at the end of September-rooted to the foot of the table with a single point after 8 games.
jameo_94
Very little needs to be said at this point. 4 points behind Montrose with 4 to play, at the other end, we are only 5 points away from falling out of the Playoffs altogether. If the next 4 games turn out the same as the previous 4 then I will win the title on goal difference, but realistically we need to take 10/12 points to stand a chance.
The critical games that we end our season with are Cowdenbeath (A), Stirling Albion (H), Edinburgh City (A) and Berwick Rangers (H), I think if we still have a chance and have taken 4+
points from the first two then we should win our last two, but I guarantee that rivals Cowdenbeath will end all hope for us.
Smart Osadolar won March's Player of The Month for his 5 goals in 5 games.
I like this new feature!
I probably have the hardest run-in apart from outsiders Elgin City, whereas Cowdenbeath and Montrose have relatively easy final fixtures - but we can only impact our own destiny!
A tense game with plenty at chances at both ends saw David Goodwillie give us the lead with 20 minutes to go with a strike from outside the area, before Rory Connolly equalised for Cowdenbeath ending a well-worked team move. We pushed for the winner and the Cowdenbeath keeper made a point-blank save to deny Scott Ferguson in the 95th minute as once again we went on overload. Montrose also drew meaning the gap is 4 points from 3 games.
Stirling helped me out in the previous game by snatching an equaliser at Montrose, but I now need them to help me by losing! A routine victory for us here, David Goodwillie netting yet again to open up with a volley, then Adam Watts headed home from a corner after the break. Montrose went 3-0 up to Berwick, but got pulled back to 3-2, and as much as I dreamed, Berwick couldn't get the equaliser.
Montrose only need 3 points from 6 to clinch the title, so attention focuses on the Playoffs. Edinburgh City are only a point below us, so we need to at least hold them to consolidate 2nd position. We got off to a good start when Scott Ferguson tapped in a delightful cross. On 31 minutes Smart Osadolar headed home, but Montrose also took the lead, meaning that anything we did here wouldn't be enough. To make matters worse, Morrison pulled one back for Edinburgh City from a poorly cleared corner. David Goodwillie added gloss to an undeserved scoreline in the second half, as we came out winners 3-1, but in truth were the 2nd best side and sat back and protected our lead. However, the story wasn't done, as Montrose not only lost their lead on 63 minutes, but then lost the game on 77 minutes, meaning we were a point behind them going into the final game of the season!
It's come down to this, the final game of the season, and not to survive as I initially thought it might be, but this game will decide if we win the title or not! We play already confirmed bottom side Berwick Rangers at home, and expect all three points. But this won't be good enough if Montrose win at home to Elgin City - who themselves need to win to have a chance at finishing in the playoffs. We will take the title if we win and Montrose don't, or if we draw and Montrose lose given our superior goal difference.
An absolute thumping of Berwick Rangers showed just how far we have come this season. David Goodwillie started the season awfully but scored yet again here, with a thumping effort from 15 yards. He then put pressure on a cross that forced Notman to head into his own net for 2-0. 16 year old Sean Johnston then scored his first professional goal, heading in from a corner and becoming both Clyde and League Two's youngest ever goalscorer by around a year! Adam Watts continued to prey on Berwick's inability to defend corners, when he closed down a Berwick defender's clearance and blocked the ball in to make it 4-0 at half-time. Meanwhile Montrose were 1-0 up at the break. Sub Tommy Caffrey added a 5th, and Watts almost added a 6th, but his effort was cleared off the line into a Berwick defender with the ball ending up in the net. 89 minutes in and I saw a goal update from the Montrose-Elgin game with "Allan" scoring. I didn't know who he played for so was optimistic, but it was Montrose going 2-0 up to clinch the title and crush my faint optimism. 6-0 winners, but only good enough for the Playoffs. We also managed to hold out for another clean sheet so I am happy that we have worked on our frailties from earlier in the campaign
A crazy season almost finished with a cherry to top the cake, but it wasn't to be! The frustrating thing is if we'd managed to pick up a total of 2 points from our first 8 games then we'd have won the league! We need to put this heartache behind us and move onto the Playoffs, where we will face Edinburgh City!
jameo_94
So we enter the Playoffs in good form, but slightly dampened spirits as we so narrowly missed out on the title. The format for the Playoffs is that the team in 9th in League One play the 4th placed side in League Two, and the 2nd and 3rd placed sides in League Two play each other over two legs, with the winners of both ties playing in a two legged final.
We will be facing Edinburgh City in our ties, which will take place only 3 days apart! The advantage I get for finishing higher is playing at home second in the deciding leg.
Just to add - I won Manager of the Month for May and Adam Watts won Player of The Month with David Goodwillie coming second.
We also had TEN players in the Team of the Week following our 6-0 thrashing of Berwick Rangers
A relatively quiet game, both sides had chances to win, we probably had more, but nothing that left me tearing my hair out. Advantage to us, knowing a win at home will see us through to the final.
Przemyslaw Dachnowicz got us off the mark with the young winger bagging his first for the club in his third appearance after an excellent cross from Jordan Stewart 7 minutes in. And that was all in terms of goal-mouth action, we had a couple of chances to extend our lead, and they could've equalised, but in truth we were in control.
As you can see, fate would dictate that the League Two Playoff Final is between us and Cowdenbeath - the side I turned down the opportunity to manage!
The big news going into this double header is that Cowdenbeath's best player - striker Rory Connolly - would be out injured for both legs. Joe McGovern however produced a Man of the Match performance in his absence, with the Cowdenbeath goalkeeper denying Smart Osadolar, David Goodwillie and Mark Burbidge twice each with excellent saves as well as an excellent last minute save to deny Jack Breslin. Przemyslaw Dachnowicz dominated the game, which was won by substitute Matt Flynn when he slotted delicately from 15 yards after good work from Barry Cuddihy. I am not overexaggerating when I say it should have ended about 4-0.
Przemyslaw Dachnowicz hit the post after 25 minutes and that was about all of the action in the first half. The second half started with David Goodwillie having to go off injured, which wasn't ideal, and became less ideal when Cameron Muirhead equalised on aggregate after 58 minutes.....with a cross. -.- Although this did spark a response as Dachnowicz equalised on the night, making it 2-1 on aggregate just 5 minutes later after good work from Osadolar. We then went defensive to try and hold out for the final 25 minutes, and Jordan Stewart saved us by clearing off the line from a corner with 12 minutes to play. We held on until the 96th minute, and we had done it! Promoted at the first time of asking.
As the stats show there - James Carvell was an inspired signing and proved to be the Player of the Season - my only player making it into the League 2 Team of The Year. The pivotal game in our campaign was the first win back in October after 7 losses on the spin against Peterhead following the friendlies which boosted the dressing room and team cohesion. This shows just how important dynamics is this year! We didn't look back after then, narrowly missing out on the title.
David Goodwillie finished as top goalscorer, and was linking with Premier League moves to Kilmarnock and St.Mirren, but then broke his leg in the final game, meaning that he was then willing to stay with us, but with him out until Christmas I'm unsure as to what I will do with him at this stage.
Now time for the off-season and time to prepare for survival in League One!
TinakoFM
jameo_94
TinakoFM
Tough call! Based on your goal, leaving may well be best - depends on what jobs are open I guess!
jameo_94
I had a look at the other jobs available to me, and decided that I will continue to build my reputation in charge of Clyde and maybe go on a cup run, but equally, if another opportunity comes around, I will be more than happy to take it. I might come back and do another career where this has left off, as I think Clyde have the potential to reach the top and challenge local Celtic and Rangers. However, for now I will focus on building a League One squad, and coping with losing David Goodwilie after he chose not to renew his contract.
As soon as I've written that, about 10 jobs become available, the feasible ones are : Forfar Athletic, East Fife and Queens Park - all of whom play in the division I've just been promoted to. Queen's Park are a team of amateurs, and the other two sides have wage bills of 2-3k, whereas mine at Clyde is 10k, so I think I'd be better staying where I am than taking one of those.
The other three that have potential are NK Roltek Dob and ND Nafta 1903 Lendava, both in the Slovenian Second Division and both were predicted to finish in the top 6 out of 16 last season and fell short, so are pushing for the title and could help me get my first silverware.
The other is Obolon-Brewer Kyiv, who finished sixth in the Ukrainian second tier and still parted with their manager so should be able to push for the title.
I have applied for jobs at both Slovenian sides and the Ukrainian one.
I didn't get offered an interview at Nafta, but did at Obolon-Brewer Kyiv, and I think I did a good job during the interview, despite getting asked questions about my poor dressing room atmosphere, when it has been excellent since January? Turns out I didn't get any of the jobs, so will need to plough on as manager of Clyde!
The excellent thing is that we have got a lot of money to offer out, as well as transfer fees when I adapt the budget. The negative thing is that no-one wants to join us! Not even League Two players! So I have hit the free transfer market. I spent about an hour scrolling through all of the players who had been released and have managed to find some suitable players to join The Bully Wee.
Here is the summary of business done so far.
Jordan Lowdon (DL), Ryan Lemetti (DL/DC), Kyle Bradley (Loan ended, DC), Callum Home (DR/DC), Jack Harrison (DR/DC), Kevin Nicoll (DC,DM,MC Captain), Martin McNiff (DL/DC), Andy Munro (DC, Loan terminated earlier in season), PJ Morrison (GK, Loan terminated earlier in season)
Mark Lamont (MR/AMR - Loan ended), Mark Burbidge (AMR/AML), Darren Miller (DM/MC), Max Wright (AMR/AMC/AML)
Tommy Caffrey (Loan ended - AML/STC), David Goodwillie (for all intents and purposes, although he will stay at the club without signing a contract whilst he recovers)(STC/AMC/AMR/AML)
Sam Morrison (DC), Daniel Church (DL - on loan from Celtic), Garry Kenneth (DC), Steven Bell (DC/DM/MC), Paul McLean (DR/DC/DL), Cameron Belford (GK), Jason Krones (DC).
Mark Lamont (AMR/AML (Different player to last season)), Ally Love (AML), Cameron Thomson (MC), Ursene Mouanda (DM,MC).
Ryan Wallace (STC/AMR/AML), Ryan Connolly from Cowdenbeath (STC), Amadou Kassarate (STC)
So in summary - 15 players out, 14 players in, a total overhaul of the squad, updating it to a League One side, but whilst keeping faith with the players who performed for me and had the correct attitude in League Two last season. I have signed a lot of Centre backs, but after letting players go I only had Adam Watts (who I brought in) and 16 year-old Sean Johnston able to play there. I am going to use pre-season and the BetFred Cup to evaluate my players to decide on my league starting XI and build some chemistry, as that has been lost (although the positive atmosphere from last season has remained).
Although I have signed 14 players, Sam Morrison will be trained to partner Sean Johnston as both are 18 or under and can form a lasting partnership for the future, so may not be used in the first team. Cameron Thomson, Ryan Connolly, Ursene Mouanda and Daniel Church are also all Under 18, so may be used sparingly as they get used to how we play football.
On to pre-season!
jameo_94
Now that my squad for the season is settled with a good mixture of old and new, youth and experience, it is time to prepare for the league season by playing some pre-season friendlies and in the BetFred Cup. Considering I lost every single game in this pre-season competition last year, it can't get any worse!
We play fixtures against minnows St.Andrews United, Carnoustie and Hurlford away from home which should all be easy victories as well as one against second tier side Dumbarton, before starting our BetFred Cup campaign with matches against Alloa Athletic (H), Queen of the South (A), Heart of Midlothian (H) and Stenhousemuir (A)
I know we have to play friendlies first, but I will quickly explain how the BetFred Cup Group Stage work. The top side in each group of five as well as half of the sides in second place with the most points qualify for the second round.
We have Premier League side Heart of Midlothian who will probably win the group, second tier sides Alloa Athletic and Queen of the South (although both are predicted to finish towards the foot of the table) and fourth tier Stenhousemuir - my bogey side. This is a difficult group with two Championship sides, Hearts and my least favourite League Two side, but I think we have a chance of getting second!
However, since we are only predicted to be competitive, anything extra will be a bonus!
To summarise the friendly performances - looks promising, beat all of the smaller sides as expected, and beat second-tier Dumbarton 3-1! Przemyslaw Dachnowicz starred and I have deliberately turned down the chance to sign a 4 star AMC, so that he can grow into the role as he has shown so much potential, and he hasn't let me down yet! Disappointingly, he's picked up a 6 week injury in the Dumbarton game which is a bit of a downer.
So we start this season in exactly the same way that we started last season - against Alloa. Last time out we lost 3-2, but both sides have gone up a division since then and none of the five goalscorers remain at the same club! Four debutants as well as a full bench of potential debutees started the game, but it was the old guard who got us off to a flyer as Matt Flynn headed down to Smart Osadolar who lashed in a volley which hit both posts after 51 seconds. The lead didn't last long as Iain Flannigan equalised from the edge of the box after 7 minutes. Debutant Ryan Wallace then restored our lead after just 10 minutes, heading home Osadolar's cross. Kevin Cawley then equalised with another shot from the edge of the box that Blair Currie should've dealt with better. After the break, substitute Cameron Thomson restored our lead from a corner on his debut. Ryan Connolly added a fourth from yet another Matt Flynn assist, his third, to become the third man to score on his debut. A 4-2 victory against the odds and a second tier side - redemption for last season.
My second game of this season is exactly the same as last season as well, this time we are looking to avenge a 1-0 loss to Queen of the South 12 months ago. 7 changes made for the start of this one as a lot of players are suffering from fatigue. We got absolutely battered in the first half and you can tell that these players had never played together. We were fortunate to hold out until half an hour thanks to Cameron Belford, but then Lyndon Dykes and Andy Stirling scored a quick-fire double to put us 2-0 down. Stephen Dobbie picked up where they left off after the break, as my team-talk went in our ear and out the other. Captain Steven Bell then had a header disallowed as we improved, but Bobby Barr had the last say as Queen of the South scored their fourth on the counter. 4-0 was harsh on us, but Queen of the South definitely deserved at least a 2-0/3-1 win.
Ally Roy got Hearts off to a good start before Ryan Wallace equalised on the half hour mark. We were absolutely battered and deserved to lose by 4-5, but Cameron Belford and the whole defence put in an excellent display to take the game to penalties. Here the winners would claim 2 points, and the losers 1. Less said about it the better as all three of our takers missed, Smart Osadolar hit the post, Kieran Duffie saw his penalty saved and Barry Cuddihy hit the bar to see us lose 3-0 on penalties. Still an excellent result!
A decent start to the month and excellent results against Heart of Midlothian and Alloa Athletic, although the performance against Queen of the South was disappointing and means that a second place finish is now near enough impossible, although we should finish third. It is clear to see the progress we have made since last year however.
ptfc1876