FM14 - The Spitfire's Battle of Britain

And so it begins again, my seasonal attempt to take a Skrill South team all the way to the top and then some.

This time I'm going to make a concerted effort to keep my updates regular, and hopefully vaguely entertaining.

As with FM2013, I've gone with a small club from Hampshire, Eastleigh FC, also known as the Spitfires.



The team are in a strong place. There's quite a bit of depth through the spine of the team. GK, CB, CM and ST all have several worthy players, and the whole team is not short on physicality with lots of strong, fast, agile players.



I'm looking to bring in a couple of wingers for both flanks, and some full backs to sure up the defence, providing some respite for Green and Batt as the season drags on. I'm not clearing out the cabinet just yet. The majority of the players are good enough to warrant a place in the side but some of the wages seem astronomical. I'm fortunate that Eastleigh seem to have some minor Russian oligarch funding them so I they will pay their way till 2014 when the contracts expire and I can truly start building [i]my[/i] team.

The squad will have quite a hefty pre-season to work itself into the my tactical set up, gel as a team, with games falling every or four games against opposition that will tax them, and some morale boosting lower tier games to provide some impetus going into the season.

Tactically, Eastleigh will be a thuggish, direct 4-4-2 with long balls to the Target Man, Strevens who can either score himself, or set up his more nimble colleague Stuart Fleetwood for the finish. Pacey wingers will also be able to whip in a few lofted crosses to take advantage of the team's supposed aerial dominance.

The board want a win, there is no alternative so there wasn't too much that needed changing right at the start of this game, but football is a cruel mistress, and I'm sure a few games in I'll come to regret having said that...



So please join me for when the fun starts. I imagine as I get a few games under my belt and get to know my charges this will develop into a far more colourful narrative with a bit more role-playing and story telling.

Until then, all the best,

TJ

good luck mate !

Good luck with this mate, a genuinely tough chalenge!

Pre-Season Report

Pre-Season was certainly an encouraging period for the Spitfires with wins recorded against lower teams, and even a West Ham U21 side that included the likes of Ricardo Vaz Te. Solid draws against Celtic Reserves, Mangotsfield and Newport County proved the lads had the grit necessary to come from behind.



What truly impressed me was the manner in which all the matches were played with the wingers driving down the flanks, shaking off challenges and whipping in accurate crosses. All five strikers proved their class, holding up the ball, bringing the midfielders into play and impressing with their finishing. The most impressive of the five was youth prodigy Josh Brown who linked up with his more senior comrades with the ease of a seasoned pro and not a 17 year old rookie.

Transfer News



As I said previously, I haven't looked to unload any players - it wasn't necessary for the wage budget, and all the players have some worth in the side.

Primarily I focused on the flanks, brining in Edgar, Crighton, McGlinchey, Peacock and Johnson to take up the vacant slots on the left and right of midfield, all solid players meaning I can rotate freely to ensure I have fresh and pacy wingers to trouble the defence. McGlinchey has been particularly impressive, cutting in to strike from just outside the box.

Murray, Tyrell and Crighton provide more options in defence, whilst veteran journeyman Holmes brings experience gained from over 500 games and 100 goals across the vast majority of the professional leagues of Scotland and England. (Brown is on there as well because he was accidentally released from my youth team so I had to "re-sign" him. Tssk...

The team are taking their sweet time to learn the two tactics I've laid out for them, but with a relatively easy run of fixtures at the start of the season, I'm hoping they will be fluent enough in them by the time the tougher matches come along.

Forecast

Morale is high, the team are gelling well and everything looks promising at the outset. However, pre-season has not been without its difficulties. Premier strikers Fleetwood and Strevens suffering injuries that will see them on the side lines for quite some time. As previously mentioned, the team is well stocked with quality replacements, though it will mean that Brown will be called upon far more often, something which I am slightly hesitant to do due to his young age. I had hoped to ease him into first team football more gently, but needs must and this baptism of fire may be beneficial in proving his mettle. I just hope it doesnt shatter his confidence before his career has really started...

Seems a good summer on paper pal! Lets hope you take that form into the season!

Thanks DanW19, I know that pre-season friendlies against non-league teams aren't indicative of much, but a win's a win and its a good way to go into a season hey?






Finishing 2014 in style with a 4-2 win against Bath, We now find ourselves top of the Skrill South table with a comfortable six point gap between ourselves and Boreham Wood and a solid 13 point lead over 3rd place Ebbsfleet.

Fixtures have been marked by outstanding offensive play, coupled with several instances of shoddy defending that saw plenty of thrilling matches whose scores more resembled rugby matches. I may look at bringing a dedicated defensive coach next season to improve this situation. For the rest of this season, Beckwith will have to lead his younger, more inexperienced charges with an iron fist to ensure we don't give up this hard fought lead.



In other news, my balance has since taken a nosedive, but the board seem happy - I'm within wage and transfer budgets, so I assume they were expecting some losses this year. With entry into the latter stages of the FA Trophy, I'm hopeful of causing a few more upsets and taking this as far as we can go, God knows we need the prize money!



My one main hope is that we keep our outstanding youngster, Josh Brown who leads the way with 15 goals and, if he can maintain this form, will be a definite contender for the golden boot. In fairness, all 5 front-line strikers have scored at least 7 goals, all with multiple assists, highlighting just how well this team has gelled and united behind their debutant manager who himself picked up two manager of the month awards for October and November.

Forecast

Looking towards the future, I am confident of a title win for Eastleigh. With strength in depth and a obvious knack for outscoring the opposition, it really should be ours to loose. Beyond that there will be a mass exodus of players as the overly expensive players leave to make way for less demanding players. I also imagine I will be making a few more forays into the loan market to snap up some young prospects from Leagues One and Two with the promise of an extended first team run.

Its been a great six months and sitting by the fire with a sherry and a mince pie, I can feel content with my lot in live, and thrilled at the prospects that lay before me.

Fantastic form chap! Nice to see you top of the table and already nine points clear, hopefully you can hold that gap and go earn promotion with the title. Josh Brown seems a good striker for his age and in the division! Keep it up!

Unbeaten in January!

So it looks like the boys took their good form into January. Solid wins against most opponents, barring a dissapointing draw against Bishop's Stortford, a struggling team who we should really have walked over. A strong showing against the Skrill Premier ranked Dartford has put us through to the FA Trophy semi-final, the only Skrill North/South team to make it this far. I was so impressed with how the boys played. Scoring well constructed goals, before parking the tank infront of the goal and weathering the late onslaught. Goalkeeper Ross Flitney was just outstanding and, baring any injuries or suspensions, has guaranteed his place in the team for the rest of the season.


Not much to report. I've been rewarding some of the boys who have had a solid season so far with contract renewals. Getting closer to the end of their careers, captain Glen Southam and his vice-captain Chris Todd have both opted for a year's extension, with Todd graciously scaling down his duties, accepting a role as a back-up, acting instead as a mentor to the youngsters Crichton and Tyrrell who have both impressed with solid rearguard actions and imposing presences at set-pieces.

I have brought in one new signing this window, and he's not a player. Bowing down to the demands of the players, I brought in Dave Wilson,a fitness coach with 2 years experience at West Brom, on a two year contract. I'm hoping his input will help raise morale and help bring the lads up to scratch - despite a day's rest after games, many players need to be rotated on a weekly basis which isn't ideal with a move up to a higher league next season.

Unfortunately there have been some contract rebels. This is part and parcel of the rotation system I've been employing but it does mean that those more egoistical players will be let go and replaced with players happier to except backup or rotational contracts.

Every cloud hey?

Another fantastic month there matey!

Racing to the Skrill premier! Seems like you will finish one round ahead of the field.

This is looking good, have chosen Eastleigh for my 1st save to learn the game, hope I can do half as good

Thanks DanW19, but it must end soon.

Dyrim, it does look that way, but I'm not above imploding completely and throwing away a big lead, although the margin for error and fatigue that the boys have created for themselves is pretty damn high.

SniperLFC Eastleigh are a great first choice, especially for a Lower League play. With a huge transfer budget and wage budget, you can bring in plenty of players. The ones already in are pretty strong too! I would just say beware of the wages. Everyone knows the size of your wallet, and they aint shy to ask for a fair of wedge of cash!


... Because that's what I've experienced throughout February. From the high of a solid 2-1 victory in the cup, bringing us surging into the Semi-Finals, the bubble has finally burst and we experienced our first League defeat for some time away to Brighton City, relative minnows in this league. We played poorly in a game we really should have made our own. This was compacted by another goalless performance against Maidenhead.

Given the success of the previous month, these performances started to affect the morale of the players, and with a tough first leg this was not what I wanted. Barnet are no slouches, currently riding mid-table of the Skrill Premier and with this fixture being a double header, we HAD to make the home advantage count.


Everything looked good with the skipper coolly slotting home a penalty in the early stages of the first half. We held on until the whistle, but could not keep out the surging tide that was Barnet, conceding midway through the second.

A morale-boosting win against Tonbridge provided the impetus going into the away leg, which we only just snuck in at the very bitter end. To end it all, after 6 goals in 3 games, the boys decided they needed a rest and went back to a bore draw again.

I said opposite of the silver lining because, in that month and given the gap we had opened at the top, my focus was 100% on the three cup fixtures. We did what needed to be done, but I really would have liked to see the team push that final bit in the league games to ensure we don't let Weston-super-Mare, Boreham Wood or Sutton get a sniff of a chance to challenge us.


March sees us back in league action, with the FA Trophy final on the 23rd. I'm expecting all the boys to put in a shift in order to get their name in the hat. Poor performances = Subs bench or dropped for the gala event of our season.

Until next month, stay classy Sortitoutsi-diego

Doing really well mate. good luck for the FA trophy final

Well done, staying top easily and now in the FAT final! Brilliant

Well, we did it. With only nine months in charge, I've managed to take the boys all the way to Wembley. Cheered on by 19,360 avid football fans we did battle with Alfreton, sitting squarely mid-table in the Skrill Premier. After some pre-match mind games, some fired up Spitfires took off and did battle the Reds.

And it was that man Josh Brown who drew first blood, calmly slotting a right footed shot in the right hand corner after half an hour's play. From that point on Eastleigh dominated. Looking most threatning from set pieces until Brown secured his brace with a gentle tap in following a weak parry by the Alfreton 'keeper. What pleased me so much was how hard the boys pushed in this game, keeping almost 60% possession and having almost four times as many shots as their higher rated opponents.


It was a champagne moment for the club, their first piece of silverware since rising to the Conference. The route to the final was littered with Skrill Premier opposition which bodes well should we keep this run going in the league.

Our form there has been pleasing, particularly our defence which has been largely solid. Work does need to be done on how we cope with counter-attacks. With such strength going forward, the back four have occasionally turned off and been caught on the break. The only hiccup was a damning home defeat to Bishop's Stortford, a match which taught us a lesson concerning the dangers of complacency.

After that we continued on in our winning ways, rounding of the month with a brutal assault on Hayes & Yeading. Pick of the players were Tyrell and Crighton, our two young centre-backs who between them slotted three goals against a shaky team that never truly looked like threatening even despite their brace of goals.

As I slumped back into my chair after another exhausting month at the helm of my Fly Boys, I flicked through my memo's and emails. Only stopping on one message. One that brought a beaming grin to my face, a skip in my step and a song in my heart:



We did it!!!

With a massive twenty point lead over our nearest rivals, we were not to be caught. Five games left means we can take our time, play some youths and back ups and coast home. The boys have played amazingly, a true team effort. I'm grateful that they have accepted my rotational style of play. No-one was to big to take their turn on the sidelines and gave their all when they had their chance.

A few will go, most will stay. The board have been tight lipped about my future, but I'd like to think with a double under my belt, I should warrant a year's extension or two.

Until then I'll keep racking up the victories, hoping my actions speak louder than words and appeal to the higher ups.

Next month is the final month of the season. I'll see you then.

So, I've skipped ahead a bit - Basically I forgot to take screenies of the last month so I'll fill you in quickly:

We continued to rampage through the league, finishing 20pts clear of second place

This happened :

The club have decided to upgrade the stadium which will mean we play the first 3 months of the next season at the home of our local Skrill South rivals, Gosport

Our rapid rise through the Skrill South was one of the fastest in the league's history and whilst the opposition we faced never really amounted to much, we knew that that would stop as soon as we began the 2014/15 campaign. Managing to secure a two-year extension has given me a bit of protection in case of a run of poor performances, but not that much. Our target was to avoid relegation anyway so at least the board isn't expecting miracles, although the low esteem they hold the boys and me in meant that our wage budget increase was nominal - something also not helped by the debt we find ourselves in.

As a result of these two factors, the summer of 2014 saw a fair few changes within the club. An exodus of expensive and unnecessary players freed up a large chunk of cash which I invested into a several promising youngsters, and an extended back-room staff to help nurture them.


My move up a league also prompted a change in formation. Fearing what some of the more destructive teams in the league could bring to the table, I've opted for a slightly more defensive 4-1-4-1 formation, with the lone striker playing as a false nine to provide a further body in the midfield battles that I'm sure are to come. Playing five in midfield means that I'm probably going to have to rotate even more than last season (if that's possible) which should be no problem given the support I've brought in for messers Southam, Reason and Johnson:


Sammoutis looks like a great player and as you can see from his stats in the league, he's starting to prove that already! Aylmer is much more of a back-up DM and hasn't played terribly, but certainly has a lot of room to improve, and with only 20 years under his belt, he has definitely has plenty of time to do just that.

Pre-Season Friendlies & August Fixtures

As you can see, pre-season was really quite encouraging, notching several victories, with only one defeat to Premier League side Hull and draws to Bashley and Wycombe. The team seemed to settle into the new formation and play style rather quickly and whilst the boys weren't 100% fluent by the start of the new season, they did look competent enough in it for me to be happy enough to send them off to Forest Green with that tactical set up.

And they didn't disappoint, slotting three past a helpless Green defence, lone striker Strevens playing an absolute gem, holding up the ball before feeding it to the boys on the wing who did their best Robben impression to cut in and drill shots into the net. The following 4 games brought 8 points, taking the total up to 11 out of a possible 18. The only blemish, to round off the month was a loss to Hyde. An away game in which we still managed to put away a goal isn't too poor an effort for a recently promoted side who, after 6 games are sitting mid table.

Its early doors in the season, and only a few points separate 5 from 15, but the performances so far have truly been promising...

Till next month, keep it tidy.

Well done on last seasons double pal, not a bad start to this season either!

Thanks DanW19, its been an impressive turn of events that's got better with the season.

I'll do a full update later, but just had to throw this in. FA Cup 3rd Round vs Arsenal. What a way to christen the newly completed stadium extension...


WOW! Just WOW. Josh Brown had a flyer and I was so impressed with how we came back and countered. Set pieces were devastating and Josh's solo effort on the break was breathtaking.

As an aside, I will confess to having rage quit in a game or two in the last season. This wasn't the case vs Arsenal because I honestly thought that it wouldn't matter how many times I replayed the game, I just wouldn't win. Turns out I didn't need to!

Just wow. And now a game against Barnsley. If we can beat Arsenal we can beat them too... or not as the case might end up being.

Anyway, thats the update over, cheers!

Hi,

What's the average attendance in Skrill Premier? And on Skrill south?

The stadium upgrade as the board or you request?