Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
A Journey from the bottom to stardom - A Journeyman Career

I have decided to make a long-term save alongside my Southampton save which ultimately will become a side save now and this is a save where I have a mission to start from the lower leagues and work my way up as manager to the big leagues with the ultimate goal of becoming the biggest and most successful manager in the footballing world. I'm not looking to take Southport from the bottom division to the very top, they are just merely a team I'm starting off my managerial career with and as success goes on and job offers roll in I'll be looking to leave should the right opportunity arise.

So here goes nothing, let's see where the future takes us. I'm really excited to see where the future takes us.

https://i.ibb.co/x56tt4Y/Chris-Johnson-Home.png

https://i.ibb.co/BCh0pK0/Southport-Players-Players-2.png

As you can see, the finances aren't exactly amazing and with us being predicted to finish 15th we're going to have to work hard to match my expectations to reach the Playoff Spots as a minimum as that's where I want to be as I'm ideally looking to get a promotion, tough and hard ask but if we work hard with the finances and bring in the right free players then we might just stand a chance. I'm going to have to strengthen the team quite considerably so I may have to rely upon non-contract players to add the depth we need.

Our expectations with the board which I've agreed is a Playoff spot, First round of the FA Cup and the third round of the build base trophy.

Next update will be end of pre season and transfers.

Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
Pre-Season Update

Hugely busy pre season transfer window for us, we've strengthened massively and we've not actually offloaded any players, We've got lots of depth and a lot more quality in the team now which should hopefully stand us in good stead. I'm looking to play some attractive attacking football, however, it remains to be seen how it goes throughout the season, if it goes drastically bad I do have a contingency plan tactic to play in less of an attractive way and grind out some ugly points.

https://i.ibb.co/fFw6sYz/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png

https://i.ibb.co/vwJ7N80/Southport-Transfer-History.png

https://i.ibb.co/BCh0pK0/Southport-Players-Players-2.png

https://i.ibb.co/SmYvCgG/Southport-Players-Players-3.png

As you can see, there's been a massive amount of transfer activity. I'm over the moon with the signings of Irwin, Konchesky and Kettings, they're going to bring in some much-needed quality into the team and in Konchesky's case a wealth of experience, I think he'll do fantastically well at this level, he's got experience of playing in the Premier League with Liverpool so if he can pass on some of that experience to the others then he'll turn out to be a fantastic acquisition. It wasn't the worst pre-season in the world, we played some really big clubs to bring in a bit more money into the coffers for us and I think that will put us in good stead for in the future. I was really surprised with our performances against West Ham and West Brom particularly seeing the gulf in class.

Possibly looking to get one or two more real quality faces in and then the squad is complete. We kick off the season against Telford United, I'm hoping to hit the ground running.

bigmattb28
10 years ago
3 days ago
1,474
Premium
Another journeyman save! Love stories going from nothing to the top! Looking forward to seeing where you go!
TinakoFM
10 years ago
2 days ago
1,522
Best of luck! Interested to see what you can do with Southport.
Dan
12 years ago
4 months ago
16,964
Good luck man, uncommon to see people start their journeyman save in england these days
Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
August Update

August has been a very hectic start to the season with no less than seven games in the league to contend with, we had games against title favourites Chorley and playoff hopefuls Stockport, I think we showed a really good account of ourselves in the start of the season and I hope we can keep it up. We managed five wins, one draw and a loss against Chorley albeit I believe we should have come away with a point at a minimum as we were the much better side but just failed to make the chances pay. We're sitting pretty at second in the table which I'm definitely not going to complain about considering our projected finish at the beginning of the season was around 15th by the media.

https://i.ibb.co/gwLqLWJ/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png

https://i.ibb.co/ZKzb052/Vanarama-National-League-North-Overview-Profile.png

https://i.ibb.co/VvG1dF1/Southport-Players-Players.png

https://i.ibb.co/Mhkk1B0/Southport-Players-Players-2.png

So we're sitting second in the league just the one point off top spot, I believe if we keep up this good form there's a good chance we should be able to manage my minimum expectation of reaching the playoffs come the end of the season.

Our squad as you can see is full of depth, I haven't found the need to add to it since the last update as there wasn't anyone of real noteworthy to sign and who I'd believe would improve the team no end.

Jason Gilchrist has been fantastic spearheading the attack, however, I'm just hoping he can just come that little slightly more prolific if he can, I believe he can it's just squeezing that extra 10-15% out of him what I know he'll be capable of. Our midfield has been brilliant in controlling games and they've made a huge impact in the good run of games we've had and if we keep our key players in midfield fit as possible then we've got any chance. The defence was a little leaky at first but it's starting to come round a bit now and seems to have tightened up a little. Kettings has been absolutely fantastic in the net for us as well, he's turning out to be a brilliant signing.



Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
September Update

Another relatively busy month with five games being played this month, we had a decent month also, we managed four wins and one loss. I was pretty annoyed with the loss to Spennymoor because of where they sit in the league, it really shouldn't have been a team we lost too as we definitely have more than enough quality to see us progress through. We've also managed to progress in the FA Cup, we're now in the 3rd Qualification round and have been pitted against Hyde away, we should be able to beat Hyde with relative ease should we play to our best.

https://i.ibb.co/tqhYkRQ/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png

https://i.ibb.co/dD0DhyX/Vanarama-National-League-North-Overview-Profile.png

https://i.ibb.co/dMr0w6D/Southport-Players-Players.png

https://i.ibb.co/4TDPmkD/Southport-Players-Players-2.png

We're sitting pretty at top of the table and having a point clear over second position Hereford, we're hitting some really good form and in the league we seem to have found a way of conceding goals at bay as we managed three clean sheets in the league last month. I'm hoping we can carry this form into the next month and try to extend our lead at top of the table if we can and take some pressure off us.

I can't really say there have been any real bad performers out there, the only person I would say is that Jason Gilchrist form has taken a huge dip and is not performing anywhere near the level he can that being said though, we're not missing his form massively as plenty of other players are playing their part and chipping in with goals from all over the field and that's what we need if we are to get the promotion we're looking for as you can't just rely on one player to bring in all the goals.

bigmattb28
10 years ago
3 days ago
1,474
Premium
Good results at the start of the seaosn there mate, hopefully you can keep it up
Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
October Update

An unbeaten month for us, we had some really tough games which we managed to grab points from. I was pleased to get the draw against Hereford as they were always going to be tough ask to beat with their current form. We got a win against Boreham Wood which was massive in terms of the FA Cup as they are a league above but also meant we qualified for the 1st official round of the FA Cup which brings in much-needed revenue money for us. I was slightly disappointed with the draw against York as they are really a team we should have beaten but I'm not going to bog myself down over it, it was still a successful month.

https://i.ibb.co/ZVzf91R/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png


https://i.ibb.co/YRvJnYv/Vanarama-National-League-North-Overview-Stages.png

https://i.ibb.co/dL2dr8J/Southport-Players-Players.png

https://i.ibb.co/qksSKJP/Southport-Players-Players-2.png

We dropped a few points this month but nothing major which has meant we have dropped down to the second position but I'm not going to complain as we faced some really tough teams this month. I'm really happy with the form we are in at the moment and I really hope that we do carry it on as we are on track for challenging for the top spot nevermind just a playoff position. We've drawn Kidderminster in the 1st Round of the FA Cup which I believe is a more than beatable opposition so I'm hoping that we proceed onto the second round and hopefully get a big away day.

I can't fault anyone at all this month, Gilchrist has turned his form around completely, he has been absolutely fantastic this month. He's our top goalscorer sitting with 13 goals but there are plenty of others players chipping in with some good goals. I'm really happy with how the squad are performing this month.

Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
November/December Update

A couple of fantastic months for us, we did drop some unnecessary points such as the draw against Bradford Park Avenue and the loss against Boston United, however, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. We've managed to progress into the 3rd Round FA Cup which is incredible for a club of our size and we have been pitted against Newcastle United which is going to be a great occasion for the lads to test themselves against Premier League opposition it's just a shame it's a home tie otherwise it would have been an incredible money spinner for us. I'm really happy we're in the second round of the FA Trophy as well, a couple of decent cup runs are happening.

https://i.ibb.co/ZSqBKCg/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png

https://i.ibb.co/5FGqKHR/Vanarama-National-League-North-Overview-Profile.png

https://i.ibb.co/znkt00H/Southport-Players-Players.png

https://i.ibb.co/j6xbX2k/Southport-Players-Players-2.png

So after the past two fantastic months, it's meant that we've accumulated plenty of points which has resulted in us going back to the top of the pile but not only that it's allowed us to get ourselves a really healthy lead of eight points in second place. If we keep up this form who knows what sort of gap we can actually accrue. I'm really really pleased with our cup runs, I'd be amazed if we manage anything other than a battering against Newcastle but I'm sure we'll give a good account of ourselves.

There's no stand out players really at all, the whole team are playing their part and if we keep up these performances then only good things will come. I'm starting to notice that Gilchrist is very much a striker which scores in bunches, he'll score in a few games then suddenly he'll stop scoring and then start scoring for a few games etc, I'm just hoping I can turn him more consistent as we could really do with him being more consistent to just give us that extra edge in the firepower.

Dan
12 years ago
4 months ago
16,964
A great couple of months that! Reaching the FA Cup third round is massive and to draw Newcastle, unfortunately at home otherwise the money would of been massive, is the game televised? Solid in the league and Gilchrist is killing it this season!
bigmattb28
10 years ago
3 days ago
1,474
Premium
Should get a decent income from Newcastle which will definitely help the coffers. Good couple of months there hopefully the inevitable loss against Newcastle doesn't hamper your squads confidence too much and you keep up this form.
Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
A great couple of months that! Reaching the FA Cup third round is massive and to draw Newcastle, unfortunately at home otherwise the money would of been massive, is the game televised? Solid in the league and Gilchrist is killing it this season!


Yeah, fortunately, it is televised so we'll get some decent tv revenue in from it also so we should get some sort of boost in finances, I'm expecting a bumper home crowd too hopefully! Gilchrist has been fantastic, I'm just praying I can keep him fit so we've always got a good option up top as the other strikers haven't really been at the races

Should get a decent income from Newcastle which will definitely help the coffers. Good couple of months there hopefully the inevitable loss against Newcastle doesn't hamper your squads confidence too much and you keep up this form.


That's the only thing I'm worried about myself if that an inevitable loss will damage our confidence, it shouldn't do as I'll just tell the players the pressure is off but it's sometimes tricky these situations but if we do lose confidence I think it'll only take a couple of wins to rally back around get the confidence back.
bigmattb28
10 years ago
3 days ago
1,474
Premium
Am sure the squad will realise you're not going to have much of a chance against Newcastle and the league takes priority. Still all the best.
Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
January Update

An massively hectic month for us January, we've played plenty of games and to be fair we only dropped five points in the league, however, Chester and Spennymoor are teams we should be beating but I'm not going to let it get us down as overall it was a successful month. We managed to beat Telford who is challenging at the top of the table with ourselves. So we ended up drawing at home 1-1 against Newcastle which was amazing considering the gulf in class between the teams and that meant we got an away tie at St James' Park which is one of the largest stadiums in England which brought us in over 500k in revenue which is fantastic! We lost the replay 2-0 at St James' Park but I'll take that as that's a fantastic effort. We, unfortunately, lost to Ebbsfleet and now that's meant we've crashed out of the FA Trophy a bit earlier than I wanted to but this means I can just focus on promotion in the league.

https://i.ibb.co/hyZ5qvy/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png

https://i.ibb.co/Czr99dj/Vanarama-National-League-North-Overview-Profile.png

https://i.ibb.co/JpprvKj/Southport-Players-Players.png

https://i.ibb.co/QdTLynd/Southport-Players-Players-2.png

https://i.ibb.co/Sd8VrWN/Southport-Transfer-History.png

We're currently sitting at top of the table still and six points clear of Hereford, we've dropped some points off our lead over them but we're still maintaining some good form in the league and I hope we can continue it restore a bigger lead at top of the table. We've had a fair few injuries in January also so I had to juggle the team massively, we actually ended up with only one fit central midfielder at one point so I had to make a couple of signings to add a bit more strength. I'm really pleased with how things are going and I'm looking forward to how the upcoming months pan out and whether we can lift the title.

Again there was no stand out players really this month who made me think damn he had an amazing month. Crawford popped up with a couple of good goals this month for us which is good as we needed a back up striker who could come on and change the game if Gilchrist is struggling like the other back up strikers I have used haven't really done anything at all. Walsh is proving to be having a fantastic season on the right wing also.

KEZ_7
17 years ago
1 day ago
1,875
A brilliant start and cup run, keep it going!
TinakoFM
10 years ago
2 days ago
1,522
Looking good so far! Hopefully you can keep Hereford away from you.
Dan
12 years ago
4 months ago
16,964
Still keeping well, looking good for ticking off the first step.
Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
End of Season Update

https://i.ibb.co/7yy6y8v/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png

https://i.ibb.co/8PWrMXN/Vanarama-National-League-North-Overview-Profile.png

https://i.ibb.co/NS4QQH4/Southport-Players-Players.png

https://i.ibb.co/PYhmxLy/Southport-Players-Players-2.png


What a season, a brilliant start to my managerial career. I was only expecting to hit the playoffs at a push at the beginning of the season but that great start at the beginning gave us the confidence to push on right through the season. We've ended up eight points clear at the top and we also had that amazing cup run in the FA Cup which generated us lots of money. We've been given £150k for next season to spend which is a decent amount for the VNL, however, it remains to be seen if there are any tempting offers which may come through for us to ply our trade in a higher league and take the next step into a more competitive league such as any of the EFL leagues or possibly abroad.

Gilchrist had a fantastic season finishing on 26 goals in all comps and 21 of them coming in the league alone, another stand out player for us was Luke Walsh who was an absolute menace on the right wing and caused havoc to whatever defence we faced. Another stand out performer was Kettings in goal for us throughout the season accumulating 20 clean sheets in all competitions. However, the player of the season goes to my first choice right back in Jordan Richards, he was an absolute machine and managed 12 assists and an average rating of 7.40 out of 46 matches in all competitions.

So let's see what develops over the end of the season and see if there is any big changes.

TinakoFM
10 years ago
2 days ago
1,522
Terrific season, well done!
Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
Pre Season Update

https://i.ibb.co/M7H7wtw/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png

https://i.ibb.co/wKzqQ9c/Southport-Transfer-History.png

https://i.ibb.co/XV0z4x7/Southport-Transfer-History-2.png

https://i.ibb.co/Rvwqg81/Southport-Players-Players-3.png

https://i.ibb.co/hsnJt2C/Southport-Players-Players-4.png


So I've decided to stay at Southport for the second season and see how our life pans out after promotion, we've strengthened the squad massively. We've added youth, quality and a bit of experience too. I'm delighted with the signings such as Glatzel, Larouci, Swanson, Warren from the likes of Liverpool's, Arsenal's and Man Utd's U18's along with the others. We've added a bit of experience and quality with Jamie O'Hara, he fits in our defensive midfielder deep-lying playmaker role perfectly. I honestly believe if we gel quickly enough we could actually give a good go at the playoffs this season, however, I've set my seasonal objective with the board to avoid relegation.

We didn't have the best of preseason results wise but I just look at preseason in terms of gaining fitness and I'm hoping we can hit the ground running, we've got Macclesfield Town first up freshly relegated from League Two so I believe this will be challenging start but one we're going to be relishing, here's to hoping for another successful year!


Dan
12 years ago
4 months ago
16,964
Great first season well done! Some pretty big clubs raided there this summer on frees! interesting to see how the busy window pays off
Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
August-December Update

https://i.ibb.co/Rp89C6J/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png

https://i.ibb.co/4f2kyW2/Southport-Senior-Fixtures-2.png

https://i.ibb.co/HGCPs6K/Southport-Players-Players.png

https://i.ibb.co/4srSZVs/Southport-Players-Players-2.png

https://i.ibb.co/0XLxJLt/Vanarama-National-League-Overview-Profile.png


An excellent first half of the season really, to be sat at 3rd after just being promoted is pretty special. We are a few points off the automatic promotion spot/league winners spot, that's not our objective but it's still not too far out of our reach if we perform as we have been it could well be something that we challenge for. It would be amazing to get back to back promotions, that would be the ultimate goal but I won't be disappointed if we miss out on that as I only really wanted to hit the playoff spots as a huge task for us. We've been doing relatively well in the cups also, we're in the 3rd round of the FA Cup and we've got a relatively beatable Colchester side upcoming should we be able to play to our very best and defy the odds. We've progressed also in the FA Trophy, I'd like to get a bit further in the FA trophy maybe around the Semi Finals if possible.

Glatzel has been a machine up front for us, he's been a fantastic player. I'm hoping he can carry on to the second half of the season and possibly go through the gears to his top form as there is plenty more to come from him. Richards and Whelan are notable mentions too as they have been instrumental to our successes so far this season, Richards has been an assisting machine at right back and Whelan keeps popping up with vital goals in the midfield.

Dan
12 years ago
4 months ago
16,964
Another promotion is a real possiblility this season, form is looking very good!
Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
January-End of Season Update

https://i.ibb.co/6m3KgvD/Southport-Senior-Fixtures-3.png

https://i.ibb.co/sWrYKDg/Southport-Senior-Fixtures-4.png

https://i.ibb.co/xJTGtyR/Southport-Players-Players-3.png

https://i.ibb.co/L0xRsHL/Southport-Players-Players-4.png

https://i.ibb.co/ZWNkJDZ/Vanarama-National-League-Overview-Profile-2.png


So we managed to get promotion, I would have preferred to do it automatically by winning the league but I'm still thrilled to get back to back promotions by winning in the play-off's, we had a slight dip of form but we worked through it and got enough points to keep us in the top 3 of the league so we immediately went to the semi-finals of the play-off's and then came into form at the right time to win both matches in the play-off's. I'm made up we also won the FA Trophy, my aim was to reach the semi-finals so to win it is a bonus and another trophy to add to my collection.

We had some outstanding players this season, in particular, Whelan, Healey and Prohouly all performed to the absolute best of their abilities and scored some really vital goals for us and they all got a decent goal tally throughout the season. Glatzel played well for most of the season but he became unhappy after I rejected interest from big championship clubs like Preston, he handed in a transfer request and it looks like it's a strong possibility he'll be moving on in the summer.

So the big challenge starts now. We've only got an extra 10k a week wage budget to transform the quality of our squad, it's going to be a hard task to stay up but I'm sure we'll give it a good go and hopefully manage to do it come the end of the season.

Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/BncGc3g/715.png
Pre Season Update

https://i.ibb.co/n11DkkH/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png

https://i.ibb.co/JpmCTLm/Southport-Transfer-History.png

https://i.ibb.co/Xxj4X59/Southport-Players-Players.png

https://i.ibb.co/DbYysQw/Southport-Players-Players-2.png


Mixed preseason results really, would have liked to have done better to generate more confidence however we've given everyone a good game. I haven't been able to add the quality I would have liked, we've added plenty of depth but the quality I was planning to sign just wasn't available due to players not wanting to join us because of our low reputation. The board think we will struggle to avoid relegation and the season preview reckons we will finish stone dead last so it's not looking too great for us so I'd be over the moon should we be able to avoid relegation with the squad we have.

I'm happy we've been able to bring in Healey permanently as he was brilliant for us last season and I think Obika should turn out to be a good signing as he's well proven at this level but it remains to be seen what we can create behind him to give him the chances due to lack of quality. I'd say Luke Maxwell should turn out to be our most important signing as he's the only one what seems to stick out to be a good enough to be a top league two player.

So here goes nothing, let's hope it doesn't go miserably wrong!

Dan
12 years ago
4 months ago
16,964
Congratulations on another promotion!
bigmattb28
10 years ago
3 days ago
1,474
Premium
Promotion! Well done man!
Brick Tamland
9 years ago
5 years ago
50
https://i.ibb.co/Q883tP5/742.png
July to End of December


I made a slight mistake, I was meant to copy the template from this update for the next one but I ended up being an idiot and just editing this for the next update so I've just put this update back to the way it should be just showing screenshots, apologies for the mistake

https://i.ibb.co/wC80ZV1/Southport-Senior-Fixtures.png
https://i.ibb.co/jMY6J6K/Southport-Senior-Fixtures-2.png

https://i.ibb.co/DWKvP9m/Southport-Players-Players.png
https://i.ibb.co/Rcmkr6r/Southport-Players-Players-2.png

https://i.ibb.co/MNy3Th6/Sky-Bet-League-Two-Overview-Profile.png

https://i.ibb.co/5T2FDsP/Chris-Johnson-Inbox.png
https://i.ibb.co/bLWk40P/Sky-Bet-League-One-Overview-Profile.png

Dan
12 years ago
4 months ago
16,964
Looked like a strong first half of the season, but didnt see that move to Wycombe coming! good luck, a jump up the leagues will help build that reputation

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