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This story began as an Alex Ferguson challenege thread, however it has now organicly bloomed into something else entirely, here's a quick recap of my career thus far;
41 Games: 16 Wins, 7 Draws, 17 Losses,
39% Win Percentage
71 Games: 38 Wins, 16 Draws, 17 Losses
54% Win Percentage
First Division Runners-up 2013/14, Challenge Cup Runners-up 2014/15
68 Games: 38 Wins, 11 Draws, 19 Losses
56% Win Percentage
First Division Runners-up 2014/15 & 2015/16, Challenge Cup Winners 2015/16
114 Games: 72 Wins, 25 Draws, 17 Losses
63% Win Percentage
Higher League Champions 2017 & 2018, Latvian Cup Winners 2018, Livornia Cup Winners 2017 & 2018, Baltic League Winners 2019
9 Games: 2 Wins, 4 Draws, 3 Losses
22% Win Percentage
Name: Dumbarton Football Club
Nickname: The Sons (of the rock)
Founded: 1872
Ground: Bet Butler Stadium (Capacity: 2025)
League: Scottish First Division
2011/12: 3rd in Scottish Division Two
Dumbarton Football Club is Scotland's 4th oldest football club – founded in 1872, just after Queen's Park (1867), Kilmarnock (1869) and Stranraer (1870). They come from the town of Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire and play their home games at the The Bet Butler Stadium, next to Dumbarton Castle.
The club were one of the greatest clubs of the nineteenth century, winning the Scottish Football League in the first two seasons of the competition. Since then the club have spent the majority of their history outside the top flight, and last played at the top level in 1985, thus being the only existing Scottish league champions to not have competed in the current Scottish Premier League.
In May 2009 Dumbarton were crowned Third Division champions after a late run of form; however, the following month club captain Gordon "Guido" Lennon died in an offroad car accident in Inverness. Despite an understandable difficult start to the 2009–10 campaign the team managed to consolidate their place in the Irn-Bru Second Division with a 6th place finish. In 2011–12 they earned third place and won the promotion playoffs to go up to the First Division for the first time since 1995–96.
Dumbarton Castle towers over the Bet Butler stadium.
Sir Alex only spent a single season with East Stirlingshire, without winning anything, so there is no pressure on me here at Dumbarton, it will mostly be a reputation building exercise, If I can win something then that would be great though of course!
I'm starting with a 'professional footballer' reputation as SAF did back when he started out in the management business, almost fifty years ago.
Because of us already possessing a decent squad, as well as the tight financial situation most Scottish clubs find themselves in, I am going to wait until the January transfer window before bringing anybody in, this will allow me time to better assess who is worth keeping and who is deadwood.
Here's a quick overview of the club's facilities...
As with the squad, everything seems adequate for a club of our standing and I shan't be looking to convince the bard to spend money on improving the facilities, not least because I don't intend on being here that long.
Our pre-season schedule was something of a mixed bag, three solid wins, and two rather dismal defeats to lower league opposition, particuarly going down 4-0 to Ayr, they players received the old hairdryer treatment after that one I assure you.
Note the win over Fergie's real fist club, East Stirlingshire though!
My first game in competitive management will be a first round Challenge cup match against fellow division one side Hamilton before more knock out football the week after as we take on Stirling Albion in the League cup.
The league kicks off at home to Raith Rovers before we square off against Hamilton again the following week.
SR67
Well my first month in charge of the Son's hasn't really gone to plan, just a single point gained in the league after three games has us lingering in ninth place at the end of August, to make things worse we were knocked out of both the League and challenge cups early on.
To be fair our actual football hasn't been too bad with the exception of a 4-0 mauling by Hamilton all the games have been close, our main problem has been the lack of chances fashioned by our creative players for the strikers, my wingers just don't look capable of whipping in a decent ball which may force my hand in the transfer market despite me initially wanting to wait until January to bring anyone new in, We could easily find ourself adrift and heading back to division two by then if we can't supply some ammunition up front.
The opening day draw with Raith Rovers was certainly a point gained in my eyes against one of the better sides in the division, Rovers enjoyed much of the possession throughout the opening hour of the game, but sensing their frustration at their inability to take the lead we pushed up and began to take the ascendency ourselves although we weren't able to snatch a goal.
The League defeat to Hamilton was a complete disaster, I tried to counter the 4-5-1 formation they had utilised in the cup game with us two weeks earlier by employing an untested 4-2-3-1 with the intention of making their five man midfield have to drop deeper to mark my three attacking midfielder's and lone striker, unfortunately this had the reverse effect and Hamilton pushed higher to ruthlessly exploit the additional space between my defence and midfield. At least I learned what not to do against a 4-5-1 for next time.
We were very unlucky to come away with nothing against Livingston, I again tinkered with my formation but this time to a much more desirable effect, I set out my side in a 4-5-1 of my own with the two wingers pushed up to support my lone striker Jim Lister, we found ourselves behind just after the half way point of the first half through a dubious looking penalty decision, however my lads kept going and it looked as if they were to be duly rewarded for their efforts in the 88th minute when Gary Flemming belted home an equaliser. unfortunately our luck was well and truly out as Livi went straight up the other end and restored their lead to inflict a cruel defeat upon us.
We produced another battling display in the League cup game with Dumfermline, showing courage after finding ourselves 2-0 to the Pars after half an hour who are top of our division, we pulled to back to 2-1 with quarter of an hour left on the clock and went in search of a dramatic leveller which unfortunately remained elusive despite our pressure.
Go for it mate. keep reading though.
September brought about a much needed improvement in form with us collecting seven points from our five games, briefly taking us all the way up to fifth before defeats brought us crashing back down again.
We kicked off the month with a credible draw with Falkirk to move out off the relegation places before following up with an excellent performance against Greenock Morton, my 'V' shaped 4-5-1 really exploited their weak full backs.
Beating top of the table Dunfurmline was a real achievement as we continued our revival, particularly as it avenged them knocking us out the League cup just a few weeks before, again I swapped formation to counter theirs, Dunfumline lined up with the same 4-5-1 that had been so effective for us in the previous game, I countered their wingers by setting up a 5-3-2 system with the wingbacks having to do a lot of running, it was a good change though as we routinely caught them on the counter whilst remaining solid at the back to protect out 12th minute advantage.
After the previous results I could have been accused of a spot of complacency tactically when to facing bottom club Airdrie and perhaps overcomplicating things, I reverted to 4-5-1 as Airdrie were using a midfield diamond which made them very vulnerable down the flanks and given our improved form we may have expected several goals, unfortunalty the home side snatched an early lead before shutting up shop as we struggled to break down their surprisingly effective diamond shape, we were handed a golden opportunity midway through the second half when the referee pointed to the spot for a foul on Stephen McDougall, however Chris Turner's shot was saved, causing heads to drop as our run came to an end.
I couldn't have many complaints with the result at Partick Thistle, despite a late resurgence from ourselves the Jags controlled much of the game and deserved their win.
Although we are back to ninth again, their is much encouragement to be taken from this month, I now know the level of football my players are capable of reaching, and I will be demanding that the maintain that level for the next six months, if they do then I do not believe we ought to fear the spectre of relegation too much.
I've now surpassed the 100 days mark as Dumbarton manager, Sir Alex only held his post at East Stirlingshire for 117 days so towards the end of next month I shall start keeping a prying eye on the bigger clubs in this division to see if any of their managers are shown the door, with the exceptions of Morton, Cowdenbeath and Airdrie I think any of the other clubs in this division could quickly be turned into promotion contenders.
In other news the draw for the FA cup has been made, we will face either Highlands League side Forres Mechanics or division three outft Montrose at home.
Also, one of our players was honoured in the monthly awards...
Well deserved recognition for a very dependable full back.
Shedender
Just the three games this month which has helped relive some of the nagging injuries within the squad, we've taken four points from those three games which has kept us very much in the fight for survival, in fact with a good run next month we could even go top! I can't see that happening though.
We earned an excellent point with Cowdenbeath, ordinarily I would have seen it as two points dropped but as we showed some real fight and determination to come from 2-0 down I'm more than happy to take the one.
I was disappointed not to get anything against Raith, we again came from behind and took the ascendency, however we got over confident and allowed Raith the opportunity to snatch the win late on.
With no win in five games I wasn't looking forward to the visit of Hamilton who have already pumped us twice this season, however I had learned my lessons from the previous games and adjusted to a 5-4-1 formation which worked a treat, albeit with a lot of help from our twelfth man...the referee. we received two penalty's in the first half which Chris Turner duly tucked away. Academical threatened a come back but a brace from player of the month Jim Lister.
Next up is a FA cup game with division three side Montrose, it would be nice to have a decent run in the cup and collect some prize money as the club has slipped into the red this month despite me not having brought anyone in which is a bit annoying to say the least.
Thanks mate.
November was fantastic month for us as we climbed out of the danger zone and into mid-table which is exactly where I aim to help the Sons wind up come the end of the season.
With the win over Hamilton at the end of October my side put together a run of five games unbeaten in all competitions which has given us a real shot in the arm and boosted our survival hopes dramatically although we are still a long way from safety yet.
Advancing in the FA cup will also do us the world of good, the prize money goes a long way at this level, and with third division struggler's Berwick next up I fancy our chances of clearing a few more hurdles in the competition.
Complacency could easily have tripped us up in the third round game with Montrose as we allowed the third division club far to much time on the ball and let them create some good chances which on another day could have cost us, thankfully this was not that day as right back Andy Graham's first goal for the club was just about enough to see us through to a fourth round tie with Berwick.
With Livingston just a single point above us in the league we knew we would climb out of the relegation places at their expense should we win, Bryan Prunty's 50th minute strike ensured victory much to my delight.
I was hoping we would follow up with another win against Greenock Morton who we beat 3-1 in September for my first league victory with Dumbarton, however after conceding with less than a minute on the clock things looked to be going a pear shaped, a Jamie Longworth screamer just before half time restored parity to ease our nerves although we were unable to capitalise on the momentum shift to grab a winner.
A wonderful hat trick from winger Steven McDougall ensured a fantastic win over Falkirk who not that long ago were an SPL side, the wingers match ball winning performance was complimented by a Chris Turner spot kick to ensure a memorable victory against one of the title favourites.
Finally came the visit to Dunfermline who we had already faced twice this season with one win a piece, today however was to be the Pars's day, we didn't play badly, however we were undone by the class of their winger Joe Cardle who scored both goals as he routinely drifted in from his wide position, causing my defence no end of headaches. He certainly looks cut out for the SPL and will be going on my short list for the future.
The Dunfermline result aside, November has been a great month in which we have exhibited some quality football, exactly the kind of play that will keep us in the division, with all this renewed energy and confidence within the camp we are now looking up rather than beneath us for the first time, although we have to keep our feet on the ground, a couple of bad results and we could be in a very different situation.
born-to-win
We finished 2012 in a Jekyl and Hyde fashion, three wins and three defeats which has seen us enter the new year still nestled fairly comfortably in mid-table.
I was absolutely furious with my team for allowing themselves to be eliminated from the Scottish cup by lowly Berwick Rangers, the hair drier was on full power afterwards to let my team know just how much they had let me and the fans down, our misery was compounded by the fact that we would have faced Falkirk in the fifth round, a side we have taken points from in both meetings this season so we would have had a real chance of reaching the quarter finals, and once you reach that stage who know what might happen?
My players responded to the bollocking they got after the Berwick humiliation with a much improved performance against the divisions bottom side Cowdenbeath, Gary Fleming scoring his first goal since August to set us on the right track with just five minutes gone, defender Martin McNiff who has really shone for us so far this season added the second towards the end of the first half.
Next up was another struggling side in the form of Airdrie United, against whom we just about did enough to come away with the points thanks to midfielder Ryan Metcalf.
I wasn't expecting the win over league leaders Partick Thistle, but a tremendous performance, capped by Ryan Prunty's late winner, avenged Partick's own 1-0 win over us at the end of September to send us forth.
After that result against arguably the best side in the league, you may have been forgiven for expecting us to take something from under performing Raith Rovers, however we started like a lead balloon, finding ourselves 3-0 down inside twenty minutes due to some lacklustre marking from set pieces, Greig Spence was deadly in front of goal, scoring the first two goals, he has become the latest addition to my short list of players for when I eventually move to a bigger side.
A second consecutive defeat to Livingston saw us slide down to sixth, we weren't as bad as in the previous game but we certainly didn't reach the performance levels I have come to expect in recent months, in the end we were punished by an 88th minute strike Kevin Kerr which was harsh as I think we at least deserved draw from the game.
We have another award recipient to take pride in this month...
A well deserved award for the young defender who has been our rock at the back.
January sees us take on Hamilton, Morton and Airdrie, all of which are winnable games in my eyes, there are also tougher games against Dunfermline and Falkirk, although we have already shown we can beat both of those sides this season.
Thank you, to be honest I can't see me winning silverware with Dumbarton, avoiding relegation is the main achievement to be had with them whilst I wait for one of the bigger sides in the division to part with their manager, I quietly have my fingers crossed for Falkirk or Partick Thistle.
EOF Gizmo
Our poor run was extended to five consecutive defeats this month which had the supporters sweating as to whether we would be drawn into a relegation battle with just eleven games remaining, however a fortuitous win over bottom club Airdrie and a stellar performance against Dunfermline will have done much to ease their fears for now, although our Division one status is still far from safe.
We were unlucky to miss out on a point against Hamilton, Matin McNiff's 88th minute equaliser looked to have shared the spoils and ended our losing streak, unforutunaetly Academical striker Martin Canning had other ideas, bundling home deep into stoppage time to condemn us to defeat.
There was similar bad luck against Morton, the visitors snatched the points courtesy of a dubious penalty and an own goal, but when your lucks out why expect any different?
We gave Falkirk a good run for their money but our perennial problem of putting the ball in the net once again cost us as Falkirk walked away with a narrow victory.
We knew that bottom side Airdrie who's relegation to division two looks all but certain now would be the best chance we had of breaking this terrible run of five defeats on the bounce, thankfully we were able to do that, albeit thanks to an own goal from Airdrie's Michael Hart.
Next up was Dunfermline who we had already locked horns with three times this season with two defeats and one win against the Pars, Lady luck smiled upon us as Jim Lister scored his first goal since October in the 90th minute to really begin to relive the pressure on us.
There is only three games next month so we have time to rest and be fully prepared for each, meaning we could be all but safe by the start of March if we could win all three games, beating struggler's Cowdenbeath and Raith is certainly the minimum requirement I am asking from my players, although Raith are the only team in the division we are yet to beat this season. A point against Partick Thistle would also be nice but a win is probably too much to ask at the moment.
Thanks mate, keep reading.
February proved a cruel dark and cold month as always as our fortunes took a turn for the worse again, two losses in key games really hurt us, causing us to be drawn within four points of ninth placed Cowedenbeath and the dreaded relegation play-off place as the season nears it's conclusion.
Going into the game as favourites against struggling Cowdenbeath on the back of two victories you may have expected us to grind out a result, however the Blue Brazil had other plans, my forwards were once again to blame as they couldn't hit a barn door from three yards at the moment, squandering chance after chance, the visitors were not so forgiving in front of goal as they put away both of their shots on target for a shock win.
I don't think anybody expected us to get anything against Partick Thistle and the defeat came as no surprise, although I was hoping for a bit more of a fight against the Jags, an own goal from full back Andy Graham early on didn't exactly set the tone for an underdogs victory as Partick continued their march towards a return to the SPL.
Our third and final game this month saw us travel to Kirkcaldy to take on Raith Rovers who earn the distinction of finishing the season as the only club my Dumbarton side has failed to defeat at least once, with two Raith wins and two draws between us, it looked as if all that was going to change, until bloody stoppage time...AGAIN!!!! Stuart Anderson's 93rd minute strike snatched two vital points from our grasp after midfielder Ryan Metcalfe had twice put us into the lead, there was some strong language aimed at my defenders back in the dressing room.
There is just three games again next month, Livingston, Hamilton and Greenock Morton, Livi has become a must win game, lose and our four point advantage will be cut to just one and we will come under real threat, Morton and Hamilton are beatable depending on whether my team turns up on the day, I'm aiming for seven points from the three games, I think that would set us up nicely going into the crucial month of April.
Off the field, money is becoming a big concern for the club,
Despite me not having spent any money on transfers and being well under budget wage-wise, the prize money in this division isn't too bad, finishing fourth would all but wipe out this debt, it's a big ask but I think it's better to have a lofty target rather than simply trying to scrape by and survive.
Yet another turn around in form has seen us all but safe in Division one this season and the Sons can now begin to plan for next season, although that will in all likelihood be without me at the helm I can't see my career progressing much beyond an annual relegation battle with Dumbarton so I will probably be stepping down after the final game of the season with Partick Thistle, I wish Dumbarton the best of luck, I've enjoyed my time with them, but I want to crack on with the challenge and establish myself at a bigger club.
March was certainly a better month than February as we achieved the seven point target I set for the squad last month which takes us to just five points from guaranteed safety, although in reality we have probably already achieved that as I can't see Cowdenbeath winning all of their remaining games.
My forwards finally seem to have found a vein of form at just the right time, both Jamie Longworth and Brian Prunty netted against Livingston despite abysmal goals to games ratios each, Prunty's coming in the 89th minute to give us a well deserved win in a game where we played very well, switching back to 4-4-2 seemed to provide a lot more chances than the 4-5-1 I have been employing throughout the majority of the season so I think I shall stick with it for the remaining games.
Even 'big' Jim Lister was in amongst the goals against Hamilton, I must admit when Hamilton went 2-1 up in the 27th minute after coming from behind I thought we were going to throw it away, however my players responded in a dogged manner and took on fifth placed Acadmical, they were rewarded by Jim's second half brace, he now has ten league goals to his name this season despite a goal drought lasting from October until the end of January.
We welcomed title chasing Greenock Morton knowing that a win would lift us above Hamilton should they fail to win at Livingston, Big Jim scored in consecutive games for the first time since early September to fire us into an unlikely lead against second place Morton, the goal came completely against the run of play as Morton besieged our box, however, for all their possession they had failed to convert a chance, until our left back James Craney was dismissed in the 77th minute after picking up a second yellow card, that provided Morton just the break they needed to go on and snatch a 83rd minute equaliser. in the end we were lucky to hold on and take a point from this fixture, all but costing Morton their hopes of SPL football next season.
All in all I'm very happen with our form this month, hopefully we can carry it over into next month and try to finish higher up the table to increase our prize money.
In other news we have inducted our next generation into the youth side;
There are some promising looking youngsters there indeed, the future looks bright for the Sons of the rock!
born-to-win
I bowed out as Dumbarton manager by guiding the club to their highest league finish in 25 years, winding up fifth in division one after beating champions Partick Thistle in my final game before tendering my resignation to the board.
Our four game unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with a dismal showing against Falkirk, who hadn't given up their title ambitions, a point against Airdrie wasn't good enough for either side really, we should have beaten them, and had it not been for Alex Robinson's red card midway through the second half we probably would have, in the end Airdrie gained nothing other than having their relegation confirmed from the result.
I continue to be in awe of Dunfermline's young winger Joe Cardle who once again was a constant thorn in our side in their 2-0 win over us, Cardle remains one of my key transfer targets should my next club be willing to splash some cash.
Victory over Cowdenbeath condemned the Blue Brazil to participation in the play-off's, our winner was an absolute pearl from midfielder Chris Turner who scooped the ball over the opposition keeper from all of forty yards with five minutes left to play.
We played the part of supporting actor for the final game of the season against Partick Thistle, who knew they just needed a point to secure the title and return to the SPL, having not lost in eleven games the odds were firmly in the Jag's favour, a defeat however would open the door to Falkirk who were at home to Dunfermline.
When Partick took the lead after just two minutes our supports must have thought they were in for a rough afternoon as the champions elect strutted their stuff as news of Falkirk slipping behind to Dunfermline broke nine minutes later.
However my lads were determined to finish on a high and battled back to level terms, Jamie Longworth firing home on the quarter hour mark, followed by a goal for Falkirk in the East which had the Jag's sitting less comfortably, They were positively sweating midway through the half when big Jim nodded us into the led from a well worked corner, throwing the door wide open for Falkirk, the Bairnes however were not having an easy time of it against Dunfermline and had slipped behind again, this time to my man crush Joe Cardle, however they pulled level right on the stroke of half time to set up two very nervy second halves.
Jamie Longworth fired us into a 3-1 lead with 12 minutes to go, much to Partick's dismay, The Jags were awarded an 80th minute penalty after Steven McDougall brought down Chris Doolan in the area, Aaron Muirhead's effort was however saved heroically by keeper Jamie Ewings to all but ensure we finished with the win but Partick were sweating on the result from Falkirk to know if they would manage to limp over the finish line, finally the news trickled through that Dunfermline's Andrew Barrowman had snatched a late winner, sending Partick's supporters into relived jubilation. the result also saw us jump two places to fifth, so celebrations all round on the final day!
What a great way to bow out! I've enjoyed myself here at Dumbarton and I can't wait until I can return with whomever my next employer may be, currently there are two jobs open that are eligible, Falkirk who clearly don't feel second place is good enough after sacking Mike Rigg, and Ross County who were relegated from the SPL after a disastrous season. I'm interested in both, which would you guys pick?
Thanks!
Yes, my mind is made up, after receiving offers from both Ross County and Falkirk I have decided that the Staggies offer the best opportunity to achieve my goal of winning the First division crown after being relegated from the SPL last season.
Club profile
Name: Ross County Football Club
Nickname: The Staggies
Founded: 1929
Stadium: Victoria Park (a.k.a Global Energy Stadium)
Capacity: 6,300
Last Season: 12th in Scottish Premier League (Relegated)
Ross County Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Ross-shire. They play all of their home matches at The Global Energy Stadium, also known as Victoria Park in Dingwall. The club currently play in the Scottish First Division after suffering relegation from the Scotottish Premier League in the 2012/13 season. Prior to the 1994–95 season they played in the Highland Football League, a competition they won three times. They have also won the Scottish First Division, Second Division, Third Division (once each) and Challenge Cup twice. In 2010, they reached the Scottish Cup Final. Nicknamed The Staggies, County's home colours are dark blue and white.
The previous manager had already arranged several free transfers, full back Eddie Malone was on my short list anyway so kudos to him for making my transition that little bit easier! George Francomb and Shaquile Coulhirst are also Neal Coopers acquisitions.
As you can see there are a flock of vultures circling above many of my better players following our relegation, I'm not sure if I should look to cash in and have money in order to build a squad of my own making, with the high expectations on me this season it may be better to try and hold on to the tried and tested. We have already lost the club captain Richard Brittain to St.Johnstone and Scott Boyd to Hearts on free which is most disappointing as they are both players who give the squad a lift.
Here's an overview of the clubs financial stuation;
A wee bit different to what I had to work with at Dumbarton where my squads average wage was £110
My balance could increase significantly should I initiate a fire sale, with several of the players who are wanted by SPL clubs valued over £250k each.
An finally here's a basic overview of the club itself;
Falkirk are the side predicted to come top if your wondering.
Queen of the South are the first divisions other new boys after they won division two, Cowdenbeth managed to retain their place in the league after winning the relegation play-off's.
The fixtures for 2013/14 have been released and you'll never guess who we have to travel to first...
Should be interesting!
Charlie M
SR67
I'm fairly pleased with how my first couple of months at the helm of the Staggies have gone, my first set of results have been decent and I've managed to bring in most of my transfer targets whilst showing the door to those who weren't happy to stick with the club following relegation.
Here's the list of traitors....
And here are the incoming faces...
I splashed £140k on Sparrow to bring him up from Crawley, he will fit nicely into the hole left by the departure of Richard Brittain.
On loan from Rangers, Chris is a great prospect for the future who could be an important player for us straight away.
Another Rangers loanee who provides good cover should we need him, but he may well be good enough to break into the starting line up.
I've long been a keen admirer of Jordan after coming up against him four or five times last season in Dumbarton Vs. Livingston games, if he performs as he did in said matches then he will be a bargain at £35k.
Snapped up for a bargain £14k from Oldham, a excellent rotation keeper.
A player I like in real life as well as FM, a great winger who should supply plenty of ammunition for our forwards, although I suppose some will see £85k as a lot for a League Two player I have faith he will be worth the money.
So on to the business of results....
My first game could of gone a little easier, having to play extra time in the very first game of the season was hardly ideal, however I managed to get my players going again in the extra period following a sluggish second half, my new winger Jordan Morton showed his class with his second goal of the game not long after the start of extra time before Stuart Kettlewell and Steven Ross banished Montrose as we advanced to the next round.
More cup action followed, this time against East Stirlingshire, Fergie's real life first club, a brace from big German forward Steffan Wohlfarth and a late strike from midfielder Alex Cooper was enough to see off the division three outfit.
Finally we got under way in the league, and with a real mouthwatering personal clash with my former employees Dumbarton, this is exactly the sort of game which could prove a stumbling block, thankfully big Steff was on form again with another brace to compliment Jordan Morton's strike to set up a sweet victory.
Next up was another big game with us taking on Rangers with the Old Firm side not having lost to a side outside the SPL yet since their reformation, only Aberdeen and Celtic managed to get the better of Ally McCoist's men in last season, now we have too! albeit with a numerical advantage during extra time with Rangers having Lee McCulloch sent off and then David Templeton carried off after having used all their substitutes, that's not to detract from what was a magnificent performance from my lads in the bizzare situation of being big underdogs to a side in a lower division. with Rangers out the picture the Challenge cup suddenly looks very winnable as we marched into the last eight.
A narrow 1-0 over Livingston maintained our 100% start before a credible draw with Greenock Morton with just ten men for over an hour.
After such a good start, the bubble had to burst sometime, it turned out to be another meeting with Livingston, this time in the League cup, the game went all the way to penalty's, a marathon penalty shoot out at that with each side getting nine kicks each, unfortunately our luck was out, Mark Fothringham was the unlucky man.
I was happy to write the defeat to Livi off as bad luck, however the defeat to Dunfermline was just a diabolical showing, even the hairdryer treatment didn't snap my players out of their flunk, I made it perfectly clear that I expect MUCH better in the upcoming game with Hamilton.
I certainly hope so bud!
Thanks mate!
Dan
We've really had a tough time of it this month, league defeats to Hamilton and Queen of the South, as well as being vanquished from the Challenge cup by second division outfit Arbroath stretched our losing streak to five games, which had me faring for my job less than three months after being appointed. Thankfully we showed signs of improvement in the last two games which has saved my bacon for now.
I was overzealous in the attacking department against Hamilton as I was desperate to nip our losing streak in the bud, this was exploited by Academical who themselves pushed up and caught us on the break numerous times.
The result against Arbroath was truly gutting as I genuinely thought we could have gone on to win the trophy and to be knocked out by a lower league side was infuriating.
Our poor form just kept coming as Queen of the South, who have adapted well to this level after winning division two title last season, QotS stormed into an early two goal lead as I was left holding my head in despair, we did put on a fightback and caused QotS a lot of difficulty, Steffan Wohlfarth got a goal back but we just couldn't find that all important equaliser.
After five consecutive defeats the pressure was really on me to switch things up, I responded by dropping our 4-4-2 in favour of a 4-5-1;
The change almost immediately had a positive effect as we put up a good display against title favourites Falkirk, we came within ten minutes of taking all three points, however we were unable to withstand the constant tide of pressure piled upon us by Falkirk, still, after our recent form I was happy to settle for the point and end our losing streak.
We finally returned to winning ways against Cowdenbeath, Matt Sparrow's first goal for the club was just about enough, hopefully this result will spark an upturn in form so that we don't find ourselves out of the title picture before the race even gets going properly.
Oh, I almost forgot, I have another new face to unveil;
Lewis is a player I have had my eye on for a while after he consistently impressed me for Cowdenbeath whenever I faced them with Dumbarton last season, in fact he won two player of the month awards last term. At £110k he was an expensive transfer for which I had to ask the board to complete for me. coincidently he made his début against his former club where he put in a good shift.
Thanks Dan, nice to see you back on the board.
Our October schedule only contained three games which brought about a big upswing in form, my side are now unbeaten in five games and starting to play like promotion contenders again as morale has picked up along with form.
I thought things might be going belly up against Raith after we started very slowly, allowing Greig Spence to fire Rovers into the lead, although a rather fortunate goal from Northern Irish winger Ivan Sproule rescued a point just before half time, we were much better in the second half and should really have gone one to win but were let down by poor finishing. This draw means I still haven't beaten Raith in five attempts, the only side who have been in the division since last year I am yet to taste victory against after two draws and two defeats to them as Dumbarton manager and now this. It's getting personal now!
The same could not be said in the subsequent fixture against my old club Dumbarton, for the second time this season we walked all over the Sons, now managed by Kenny Sheils. Steven Ross staked his claim for a regular starting place with a brace, Big Steff was also on target, as was Swiss defender Branislav Micic. It's disappointing to see Dumbarton struggling but with defensive displays like that it's easy to see why.
Our final game this month saw us travel to Livingston for what was already our third meeting of the season with one win a piece before kick-off. both sides had a good number of chances, however it wasn't until the 87th minute that one finally got put away, and thankfully it was us who did it, Micic heading in his second goal in as many games to hand us a good three points at the death.
So we're up to fourth now, just three points behind leaders Falkirk in a wide open league, our next opponents Morton remain the leagues only unbeaten side, we shall be aiming to change that when we meet!
There was a player of the month award Branislav Micic after his impressive form this month;
There was also one for me!
So that gives me my first five points in the SAF challenge, just 3935 to go!
This could take a while.
SR67
Another inconsistent month for us as my frustration continues to build at County, I'm not at quitting point yet as it's still early days and things could still turn around, but defeats to the likes of Queen of the South are doing neither the club or my own reputation any good.
A good 2-0 win over Greenock Morton made it six games without defeat, it was good to see Lewis Milne score his first goal for the club. we followed up on that result by making extending our winning run to four games as we avenged or 3-1 reverse against Hamilton back in September.
Unfortunately our good run unravelled completely against Dunfermline, Jamie Hamill was twice given the chance to score from the spot, neither of which he passed up on before a late goal from Callum Morris killed any chance of a comeback.
The visit of Queen of the South followed much the same pattern as the game in September, QotS took an early lead before captain Grant Munro pulled us level in the 91st minute which I should have been happy with and settled for a point, instead I kept my players encamped in the opposition half, allowing QotS to break away and score with the last kick of the game.
Finally came a Scottish cup game with our arch rivals Inverness CT, we survived immense pressure, dealing with their unusual 4-1-2-2-2 efficiantly to earn a replay at our place where perhaps we can pull of an upset.
I'm looking forward to January to finally get rid of the remaining whining individuals who want to join bigger clubs, I want to replace them with my type of footballer, hard working and determined players who will keep fighting right to the last, I currently have to many lazy and dispassionate players sucking money from the club.
Haha, first of many for us both hopefully bud.
The Staggies are back on top! after yet another U-turn in form my squad produced a fantastic run of results to shoot right to the summit of the Division One table
I was delighted with our win over arch rivals Inverness as our Scottish cup replay went all the way to penalties, fittingly it was Mark Fothringham, who missed the decisive penalty in our last shoot-out against Livingston who netted the all important kick in this game to see us through for a home tie with Falkirk in the next round.
Speaking of Falkirk, we took a credible point from the Bairnes away from home despite some tired legs after the extra half hour against Inverness three days earlier, we came within six minutes to taking all three points but were denied by a Lewis Small's strike.
We then played out an absolute epic with Raith who I have now finally beaten for the first time in seven attempts as manager of County and Dumbarton, a hat-trick from Steve Ross in addition goals from Jordan Morton, Lewis Milne and Grant Munro completed a wonderful display of attacking football.
The goals continued to flow at Cowdenbeath as we put the Blue Brazil to the sword, even left back Evangelos Oikonomou got in on the act by firing in from quite a distance to open the scoring in the eight minute.
It was then time for another meeting with my old club Dumbarton, I continued my good record against them with a 3-0 victory to go with the 3-0 and 4-0 we had already collected from the Sons earlier in the season, will we make it four out of four in March?
Finally we welcomed Livingston for our fourth meeting of the season with the score currently at 2-1 in our favour, we made it 3-1 with relative ease despite Livi threatening a late come back as we ran out 2-1 winners on the day.
I couldn't have asked for any more this month, the challenge now is to maintain our position now we've reached the top, can we do it? it will be tough but I certainly believe we're good enough.
My second monthly award takes me up to ten points (Points system is explained in the link within the first post in this thread)
You can just about see my bar now! I'm coming for ya' Fergie!
I wasn't the only one winning their second monthly accolade;
A well deserved award, the captain has been inspirational at the back for us so far this season.