Touring the British Isles

Quality, @syemo!

Good job @syemo.

How has Dale Patton done for you? Anytime I play him he didn't perform, turned into a bellend and I ended up releasing him. I've got Ben Arthurs as first choice and he's been solid so far.

Cheers @Dan, @r96Skinner i'm just hoping we can stay up next season. I don't think the quality difference between the 2 leagues are massive.

@Shedender Patton started off being number 3 striker for me but Ben Roy got injured early on so got the nod and he made it his own. There was times he went missing then others he would score a brace. Here are his stats for the season. 21 goals is a good return, i was playing him in my PF Attack role

Well done on the title win! Hopefully you can carry this form into next season

bigmatb28 - I'm hoping we can continue some form going into this season, early pre season has been a struggle to get any upgrades in players. Ones that i have wanted don't want to even look at negotiating. Could be a long season.

So looking back on last season here is the games overview of the season. I'm surprised that we aren't classed as the overachievers since we have had a double promotion and was predicted to finish in 7th. With us and Dollingstown going up it could be a challenge for both of us.



Media prediction early on reckons that it'll be a tough season for us and Dollingstown with 1000/1 to win the league and favourites to go straight back down.



I have looked over the last two season in the game and i would reckon 30 points will see us survive the bottom two places to go down and not go into a playoff.

Last season Dergview went down with 29, Moyola Park with 27. Armagh survived on GD
Season previous to that - Knockbreda went down with 26, and PSNI with 21. Above them Ballyclare had 34 points.

In pre season i thought i'd go for my first coaching badge since i got promoted at first time of asking. Board rejected due to lack of money in the club. So i guess i'll wait another season to hopefully get on the badge ladder.

Pre season was a frustrating but uneventful affair, not many new additions as previously stated not many players that are an improvement will come to us attribute wise.

Our scout budget for this season is 1.9k. I've upped our scouting range to all Championship, Intermediate and Level 4 for two months to end of pre season then i'll drop it down again until nearer the next transfer window to save money.





The only addition late on was Left Winger Dylan McCorkell. He was my 6th choice player scouted in this position. One of the main positions we are lacking serious depth.



Our Board expectations and our wage / transfer budgets

Only 3 matches where played, 2 other friendlies where cancelled by other teams as they double booked.

Players where moaning that pre season started too early ( i selected 5 weeks)

Results where very mixed with a record of 1-1-1



Tough game against Glentoran we actually scored the first goal of the game and then just got outclassed by the premier side.

Next game against Dungannon swifts, day before the under 20s where playing a game and there was no option to not have players selected for that game i had to make them available. I made sure only 45 so then i could still play them. Didn't realise they were going to be ineligible for the next game so this 0-0 result was with a youth candidates team.

Tandragee - went 2 nil up and looked to be coasting but tandragee got one back after the hour mark to make it a nervy 30 mins.

August



Carrick - A good performance end to end game, but a good goal from Dale Patton after 70th minute got us a dream start in the league.

Armagh - We backed up the carrick performance with an even better performance after Armagh went 1 nil up after a pen 5 mins into the game. 2 from Patton and one from our Ball Winning Mid Taggart. Made it 2 from 2

Dollingstown - Last season Dollingstown got the better of us, it looked like it was going to be the same outcome until CB Barnes scored our equaliser with 11 to play

Institute - Bet Mclean Cup 2nd Rd this game was a complete shock didn't see this performance coming. Patton got the first and Dwaine Beattie got a hat trick before McAlinden got a consolation goal on 86th minute

Lisburn Rangers - We played a little rotated team giving some fringe players a run out, we go 2 up and Lisburn bring it back to 2-2, we then go 4-2 (Ben Arthurs completing his hat trick) before Lisburn got an 83rd minute pen to make it 4-3 we hold on to got through to the next round.

End of August we are sitting top after 3 games with 7 points.



Also i won my first manager of the month award, none of these awards happened last season probably due being in the lowest tier?

September

This month look tough, a lot of cups have started and games coming quick and fast every few games. Hope the good start continues but i see us rotating a lot thought this period.

First up is Cliftonville - Co. Antrim Shield 1st Rd. Tough match didn't have a sniff in the game got a consolation from Ben Arthurs 85th minute, long way off the quality need to challenge a premier side. Lost 3-1

H&W Welders - Tougher game than i thought it be, we just didn't turn up and had no answer to Caolan Conlon goal near half time. Our first loss of the season in the league.

Ballycare - Bottom of the table at home, we go 2 nil down and miss a pen before we made a comeback with Dale Patton scoring on 87th minute. Ballycare got a man sent off 86th minute.

We've dropped to 4th

1 - Portadown P5 10pts
2 - Loughgall P4 9pts
3 - Institute P5 9pts
4 - Bangor P5 8pts
5 - H&W P4 7pts

Rest of the games for September are as follows.

We carry on with September at home against Portadown. A match i just wanted to put on fast speed after they went 4-0 up, we didn't turn up and got dominated easily by a better team. A much in difference month a lost of red circles hoping this isn't going to be a long month with a lot of matches and quick decline in league position?

Just after the game with Portadown, Loughgall came in for our best CB Sam Barnes and he accepted there terms and moved on. Leaving us in a very bad depth at that position.

Next we face holders Coagh Utd in the steel and sons cup. Coagh go one up before half time with Richard Donaghy. But goals from Ben Arthurs (64), Michael Tolan (87), and Dale Patton (90+1) sees us into the next round.

Back to Dundela in the league after a small morale boost from a win in the cup. A good start with an own goal after 2 mins see us go 1 nil up, Ben Arthurs gets sent off after 6 minutes for a lunging tackle. But that doesn't hold us back with goals from Dwaine Beattie (10), and Dylan McCorkell (17). A small bit of complacency in the second half see Dundela get 2 back but we hold on for a 3-2 win.



To end the month we have Limavady Utd in the league, a 2 nil win with both goals coming in the 81st minute. First from right back Alan Mcmurtry. Then straight at kick off we win the ball back sends the ball forwards for Dale Patton to get our 2 and we finish 2-0 winners.

We end the month sitting in 5th 4 points behind Portadown.



Games for next month.

Loving those blue glasses

October has been a month i wished never happened, the team has started to perform badly and i think the massive amount of games and not a settled line up is starting to affect our form. Certain player have hit bad form too, strikers not scoring has turned into a big problem and silly mistakes have cost us early in games.

I have not won a penalty shootout yet in the game, and finally i have seen the computer missed one. We still missed them in the league one was against Armagh, for a chance to get back into the game. We keep falling down the league with relegation zone getting nearer and nearer.

Still hate when we get the message before the match that its an easy win in the next match and then we struggle and lose to the team in question.

In middle of the run the team thought it'd be good to question my management. At time we was sitting in 6th and that way above expectation for this season and still in 3 cups? what else do they want?





Up next is a quarter final match in the Bet McLean Cup agains Warrenpoint, then a relegation battle with Dollingstown.

Ouch thats not a great looking month at all!

Ouch indeed, just hoping this month we can start to steady the ship

Start to the month hasn't gone too well, a loss at Warrenpoint in the cup, we just gave the ball away too cheaper and just never looked like being in the game after they went ahead.

Hoping to get the league form back against a fellow relegation struggler but Dollingstown are seeming to be a bit of a bogey team as of late.

@syemo remember, if you get sacked as Bangor manager then you're getting banned.

Next up is Ballyclare, another big game in surviving. Ballyclare are below us by a couple of points. They take the lead before the half hour mark but a good comeback from bangor stop our losing streak.



H&W Welders where next, a good performance struggled again to find the net. But performances look like there getting back to what they where like last season finishes 0-0.

Intermediate 2nd round against windmill stars. Played a couple of youth looked like we did enough to get through Nelson scored on 62nd min but we conceded a goal 4 minutes later and couldn't find a winner, 10 minutes into extra time youngster Robert Jones gets his first goal for the club and we go through to the next round.

Back to the league and back to shite performance, keep Mo Walsh made 2 howlers that didn't help and Dundela cruised to a 4-0 win to end the month.

Portadown was next up earlier in the season we lost 4-0 to them, this game we looked good but 2 free kick goals, and a miss header from our defender to let the striker in on goal made it difficult to keep us in the game we did get 2 goals but portadown easily won 4-2. Scoreline definitely flattered them

With keeper Mo Walsh having 2 bad games in a row i decided to drop him for the Irish Cup 4th round against Sport & Lesiure. A game where i thought we would collapse if we conceded we made it easier with two quick goals in 50th and 57th minute, we are through to the next round. 2-0

Newry City where next in the league and even game until the 25th minute when keeper Gibbons makes a howler says the commentary to gift Newry the lead, and that was it. We huff and puffed but no luck in front of goal.

We have 2 games left of this month, Institute H, Limavady Utd A.

This is how we sit.

8th H&W P19 24pts
9th Bangor P19 19pts
10th Dollingstown P19 17pts
11th Ballyclare P 19 16pts
12th Armagh P19 15pts

Bad month there but am sure you will turn it around mate.

Brexit has been announced and looks like nothing has changed. I Know this wouldn't of affected this challenge.



This last month i have been linked with the coleraine job by the press and is the favourite for the job according to the odds in the job centre. There struggling near the bottom of the premiership.

/screenshot of coleraine job link/

I also got an interview with Dungannon a couple of days later. I declined.

I've also just received this offer from Crusaders, there in 6th at present but they won the league last season. This is where i am at present in the game and thinking about what to do, i still think the coleraine job would be offer to me as well.

/Crusaders offer/

I think i might have enough to stay up this year with bangor, i'm also still in a couple of cups and not sure the top flight teams go into some of these competitions. Moving clubs might make it easier to tick a couple of trophies off quicker but i'll still have to drop down and finish off a few competitions at this level. I do have unfinished business with bangor as i would like to see if i can make sure they stay up this season before moving on if that was the case.

*i have a couple of screenshots to add but imgur keeps failing to upload them will try again later*

@bigmattb28 - Indeed hopefully i can will be a tough second part of the season for sure.

@Shedender - I don't think that will happen just yet.

A couple of job interviews can be seen as progress mate. But definitely try an keep your current team up is the aim.

Decided to decline any interview, as i would see it a downwards step to drop back down for this league later on. So going to stick it out with bangor.

Started off well but a collapse and then going down to ten men and they score off the resulting free kick.

Only positive in the match.



So that brings another run of matches without a win

That's what I thought when I commented earlier, if you leave now and then decide to go back to Northern Ireland it's probably a downward step, no offence to NI but even their top league is probably the lowest ranked out of all the UK ones. Definitely stay and get it out of the way.

bigmattb38 - Only a couple of league would be on par with the top division in Northern Ireland but the lower 2 tier are the worse rep in the game out of the UK.



So last game of the month came Limavady. We weren't the favourites for this one but a stunning tackle and solo run from Dale Patton started the match off well. Then this happened. It's like london buses none come for ages and then all at once. He's doubled his tally of goals this season in 2 games.



End the month 9th on 22 points after 21 games.

We did get the best match in the Steel & Sons cup.