Conquering Britain

Conquering Britain!

I love setting myself challenges so i've decided to try and win everything Britian has to offer. Not as intense as some of the world domination careers but fun none the less!

The only leagues i'm running are those in the UK & Ireland.

I started umemployed with Sunday League Footballer Experience, after applying for job after job I was finally given one!



Guiseley are currently 15th in the Conference North but only 5 points above the relegation zone with 11 games left to play.

This is the squad I have inherited and there are some good players at Conference North level but a few injuries and



I'm going to try and revamp the backroom staff as there is little quality there but also need to address some balance issues in the squad.

As it's the end of February, i'll play through to the end of the season before my next update!

Good luck with this! It'll be tough, only seen one person complete this challenge

Only have 11 games before the end of the season this year was about consolidating and building for a push towards the play offs next season. I have made one signing since coming into the club and he is a promising striker on a free from follow Skrill North side Workington. Hopefully his stats can turn into some goals next year.



A pretty decent set of results considering the side wasn't that balanced and there were a few injuries about however frustrating that we were only 3 points outside the play offs at half time against Vauxhall and after that 15 minute break we were dreadful and got ripped apart by Gloucester.



I tinkered with the tactics a bit in the first few games and settled on a 4-5-1 based on the players we had available. Will have another tinker over the summer so the players are learning the way i want to play next season.

Final Table:



Next update - Summer 2014 and transfers!

Firstly some bad news as our finances are in a mess, the board slashed the wage budget from £8k a week down to £5k but their minimum expectation is to mount a title challenge. Could be tough!

Due to the slash in budget i decided to try and promote a few younger players from within and this is the real gem currently at the club.



My assistant reckons he can become a good L2 striker so fingers crossed he develops well and makes the grade but his finishing stats need to improve!

Transfers:



Had to let a lot of players on the bigger wages leave the club so we could work within the new budget. It was a real shame to see Irie-Bi leave as he had been solid at the end of the last season and had a lot of potential.

Incoming players were hard to come by as my main targets were snapped up early by Skrill Premier sides but after some wheeling and dealing got some decent players to fill the side.









Due to the lack of width we have at the club i have adopted a wing back system and intend on training up some of my full backs to become wing backs so they fit the system. Even after a few months they have taken to the role well and should hopefully see more improve throughout the season.

Titchener looks very good for this level after dropping down from Fleetwood in L2, he will be partnering Salmon up top and hopefully they hit the ground running!

For pre season i arranged a lot of higher profile clubs to visit to boost the bank balance before the season started and we didn't fair too badly.



Next update - August - October 2014

August - October 2014

Main frustration during this stint was longish term injuries to key players, both Alex Titchener and Ben Parker who'd usually be first choice players got ruled out for 8 weeks with muscle tears. Luckily i had enough up top with to see me through but had to bring in a couple of players defensively to boost the ranks and offer some cover.




Skrill North



We've done pretty well so far in the league, frustrating at the start to only pick up draws but away at Hereford who are professional was very pleasing. We are poor at the back and have been conceding a lot of goals, i'm hoping this is down to having a very young group of defenders but we struggle to keep clean sheets whilst creating the chances going forward.

Standout performers have been Alex Salmon with 11 goals in 13 games and Archie Love averaging 7.26 so far this campaign.



FA Cup



The FA Cup didn't go well for us, Barrow should have been a side we beat as they were struggling in the league. 1-0 up and then conceded in first half injury time and 20 second into the second half. Played very poorly!

Next update - November & December 2014

Firstly some good news



Skrill North



A chance in fortunes defensively in the last couple of months after a tweak in tactics and moving towards a back 4 rather than 3 as we were getting done by wingers week in week out.

Hobson has started to hit the back of the net and is keeping Titchener out of the side following his injury.

The Boston game was frustrating, a class smash and grab from them but probably justice as i'd done exactly the same to Gloucester the previous game.



Great to be top of the league at the turn of the year, got to push on and carry on with this great form and hopefully capture my first trophy!

FA Trophy

The less said about this the better, had a very tough draw away at St Albans who were top of Skrill South and got battered 3-0. Disappointing!

Next update - January & February 2015

Top of the league Happy days!

Good luck with this man, will be interesting to see how far you can take them. It's always going to be tough being a part time side but hopefully when/if you get promoted, you will have enough funds to turn full time.

Cheers man. Money isn't looking good. Infact we're about £600k in the red.

The owner has just said he is leaving though to persue non-football interests so a takeover may be on the horizon!

Bar the win against Stalybridge with the last kick of the game January was a horrible month, couldn't score and got a spanking at Cambridge so gave the players a proper talking to and things started to change.

A couple of tricky ties and picked up a valuble points and then we started to win again and right on the tails of Stalybridge with 9 games left!

Good luck for the final nine games. I might be bit cynical but I would much prefer you end up in the play offs, makes a much better read !

A great run of form over the middle of these 2 months with Hobson scoring goals for fun but after a lot of games close together we ran out of steam a bit and then lost to play off hunting Hednesford & Telford in the last 2 games which left things a bit nervy...


Squad overview:



Now the major task is to tie down some of the best players for next season and add some extra quality to battle to stay up in the Skrill Premier. Going to be tough mind with the budget capped at £5k a week once again but we will battle till the end!

But in good news, the soon to be out-going board have given me a new deal!



Next update - Summer 2015

Good league win mate. Hopefully you will have the momentum to go up again next year but it will be tough playing against the full time teams with much bigger budgets.

Pre-season was brutal this year, after re-signing the core of the squad from last season the budget remained exactly the same at £5k a week with a minimum target of a mid table finish set.

Strangely, i had numerous news items saying my owner was leaving the club to persue activities away from football but there has been no takeover and he still owns the club so no change in fortunes quite yet!

Due to the budget restraints we haven't been able to bring anyone in apart from one loanee and the promotion of a youth player to boost the ranks:




That left me with a squad looking like this:



Skrill North

We've had a really good start to the season and luckily have been pretty injury free so far:




We had a great start with 3 wins in a row against some decent sides. e dropped the ball in 2 games, the 4-3 against Sutton where we where 3-0 up and the 3-2 vs Tamworth being 2-0 up with 20 minutes left.

We've struggled against some of the more established teams in the league but we have battled well and picked up points throughout the season so very happy!

FA Cup


A really good win at Southport who were smashing the Skrill North every week and we were rewarded with a home tie with Northampton in the first round proper. Hoping for a good run in this to bring some extra cash into the club!

Next update - November & December 2015

A topsy-turvy couple of months in both league and cups. Some very good performances followed by dreadful ones as the results will show.

In other news, after the owner of the club announced last seaosn he would be retiring (date to be confirmed) now the chairman and other director of the club have stated the same. I don't know when they are going to be leaving but club is going to be have some major changes soon.

This could be a blessing for me though as i need some extra funds for the squad as i think come summer time it is going to be a struggle to sign anyone existing or new as the board have reduced my wage budget from £5k per week down to £4.3k a week and now we are losing money for fun...

Skrill Premier




Some decent results in November, a point at Braintree who were top at the time and then a ridiculous game at Bristol Rovers, we were 1-0 up but a man down inside 12 minutes then Rovers went 3-1 up 10 minutes later before we produced a stupidly good performance to steal the 3 points.

December was poor but due to the small squad the players are knackered all the time and injuries/suspensions are starting to build and our league position is suffering. Luckily we are on target as it stands so just got to keep grinding away for points!

FA Cup


A poor performance vs Northampton but the fact they are a professional side showed in the last 20 mins where they scored all 3 of their goals!

FA Trophy


Decent start in the Trophy, beaten two sides from the Skrill North but we made it very hard work vs Hednesford in 2nd Round but in the replay we were 2-0 up with 3 minutes to play and then stumbled through on penalties. Kidderminster away up next so very tough if we want to make it further!

Thankfully the transfer window reopened and gave us an opportunity to strengthen as much as possible via the loan market, our form had tailed off completely in December as the squad was shattered and games were taking their toll.

After some battles i managed to bring in a few additions on loan until the end of the season!


Skrill Premier





First positive is that we have pretty much secured our place in this division again next season with 57 points and 10 games left, can't see all sides below us catching up.

The loanees have proved a massive hit, side is being rotated more now giving some players breaks for midweek gamesand you can see when the form really changed!

We still have an outside chance of the play offs but looking unlikely so a top half finish would be brilliant!

FA Trophy


A poor showing against a side we'd comfortably beaten a few weeks earlier in the league but fatigue played it's part and Kidderminster deserved to go through on the day!

Next update - End of the 2015/16 season!

We had a fantastic couple of months, and only dropped 6 points with 3 of them coming against the champions Gateshead, we have been in great form but were we to be rewarded?



WE DID IT! Managed to qualify for the playoffs and we have been competitive against all the sides still going so i am confident with some luck we can win promotion again.

Thankfully Sutton played Wrexham on the last day and they drew so the defeat we had at Gateshead wasn't too costly!

Here is the squad after the full league season:



We drew Bristol Rovers with the first leg at home...

Superb season mate and a great playoff semi final! Scoring twice in two minutes was special to get to the Final! bring it on!

Barnet were clear favourites before the game and we had lost Ben George following the end of his loan spell but i was confident we could cause an upset and win the game as it was a one off!





WE'VE DONE IT!!

A very tough game and Barnet were the more superior side and had most chances but Alex Salmon was in fine form once again, his first a great finish across the keeper into the far corner before we were pegged back.

Salmon then stole the game in injury time with a tap in from 5 yards out after a cross just dropped at his feet.



Delighted to be voted as Manager of the Year by my fellow Skrill Premier managers and now we have a big big step ahead for League 2!

Next update - Summer 2016 & Pre Season

Amazing season mate! Congratulations

Brilliant stuff man. Can you post a screenie of Salmon please?

Thanks for the comments guys, glad people are enjoying!

Here is Salmon, been playing him as a Poacher up top by himself with 3 in behind him.

The bookies have us finishing 24th by a long way this season so battling relegation is our main focus but that was the same this time last season! 45 points is our first target as this would have seen you safe in the last 3 years and i think that is well within our reaches.

First major bit of news is that we have become a professional club for the first time ever, with this the board have very kindly increased our wage budget to £7.5k a week, still not enough but some extra room to move with.

Secondly, our stadium is having some improvements done with one of the terraces being converted into seats, this should be done by mid November.

Next we had to tackle the backroom staff, get them all on full time contracts so i thought this was a good opportunity to revamp things.

Assistant Manager - Willie Herron
Under 18 Manager - Reece Butler
Coaches - James Coppinger & Nigel Winterburn
GK Coach - Neil Hastie
Fitness Coach - Sean Rush
Head Physio - Marty Royal
Chief Scout - Mark Osborn

Then it was down to player recruitment and i signed about 15 players in on trial to view during pre-season whilst trying to keep my old players happy and tied down to full time deals.

Transfers

We needed some major investment in the playing squad and some League 2 experience was a must if we wanted to survive this season, with the wage budget so small loans would be needed as well. Infact our budget is half of that of any other side in the league, nearly 4 times less than Southend who are paying the most this season. Going to be tough.

First i tried to fill the core of the team whilst filling some key positions with players who would cost a bit in wages but should see us improve:

Adam Boyes


Adam signed on a free after playing 40 games for Gateshead who came up with us last season, we were in need of a left winger and he had been on loan at the club when i joined a few years back. Was very solid then and turned into a decent player!

Michael Spillane


A very solid League 2 player who should add some bite in the centre of our midfield and can also play the holding midfield role which i tend to use when playing away from home. Was at Wrexham last year after joining them when they are in League 2 a couple years back.

Sam Deering


A very versatile player who joins from Exeter after 2 years there. Can play anywhere behind the front man so fits in well to my 4-2-3-1 formation. Fought off a lot of clubs to sign Deering so hopefully he impresses!

John Akinde


We needed an additional striker to assist Alex Salmon as Craig Hobson was struggling and wouldn't go full time for some reason. Taken a bit of a punt with Akinde as he'd been a bit of a journeyman before now and had been playing in the Skrill Premier for the past 3 seasons. Hopefully he can hit the ground running!

Lewis Cook


A very promising central midfielder signed on loan from Leeds, will be more of a back up but with nothing to pay for the year will be a good addition to the squad.

Richard Jones


Another loanee and this time from Walsall. Required a back up keeper to Etheridge late on in the window and Jones fit the bill perfectly.

Conor Whittle


A promising right back on loan from Dundalk in Ireland until the end of December, his contract with Dundalk ends then as well so will hope to sign him permenately in January without a fee!

Darren Dennehy


A similar situation to Whittle where he is on loan until Christmas but his contract runs out at the same time. He is offering cover at the moment but we shall see how he goes when on loan to see if i bring him in full time.

Robbie McIntyre


My final signing and another loanee but this time from Morton in Scotland. A back up to Ben Parker at left back but looks promising.

After these 9 signings i've gone about £1100 over my wage budget, annoyling the issue with the board all retiring hasn't been sorted as they are all still in place so they won't even think about increasing money available to me. I'm hoping a takeover happens soon as financially we are struggling!

Friendlies



A good pre season but slightly skewed due to the amount of trialists i had on show but a good workout anyway. The big challenge was on the horizion...

Next update - The Start of 2016/17

League Two


We have been so inconsistent this season and we have struggled majorly with the lack of quality and depth we have in the squad. Sam Deering has been an absolute godsend since he signed and scored a lot of goals. Without him and Salmon we wouldn't have scored at all but now Salmon is in the middle of a 13 game goal drought so things have got tough going into the New Year. Defensively we have been just as poor and having the majority of our squad filled with Skrill Premier players at best is starting to show.

We have had some plus points and won some big games but at the moment the table looks like this:



At this stage i'd take finishing 22nd by 2 goals but we really need to find some form in the second half of the season to hit our target of 45-50 points. Also need to stop conceding stupid goals but the loans of a few players are up and there isn't any money to bring anyone else in so we are really going to struggle!

Capital One Cup


A really strange game away at Wolves, we went 2-0 up inside half an hour and were absolutely cruising until we gave away a stupid 70th minute pen. They equalized late and we capitulated in extra time as we were knackered and down to 10 men after someone got injured!

FA Cup


We've faired really well in the FA Cup knocking out both sides from Swindon. First round was a bit of a walkover with them scoring a late consolation befre a tough game vs fellow L2 side Swindon Town. We got outplayed at home and held on for a draw and a replay where again it finished 1-1 at full time before we scored twice very quickly. One of our best performances of the season to date and a nice 3rd Round trip to Skrill Premier side Kidderminster to come.

2016/17 - 2017

January

With Connor Whittle and Darren Dennehy's loans ending as we entered January a couple of additions were required however funds were low so we agreed to terminate Craig Hobson's contract to release some wages! In place of the two loanees and Hobson we brought in 3 players to help us survive!

David Mitchell


Released by Sunderland last summer a young striker with some good potential, will be back up for Akinde & Salmon for the remainder of the season.

Michael Dunlop


Signed some Scottish L1 side Forfar on a free, can fill in at CB or RB so a good addition!

Paul Willis


On loan from Blackburn until the beginning of April and offers support in both wide positions and up top.

League Two


Our inconsistant form continued during January and between the start of the year and March we only won 8 points and were in a lot of trouble at the bottom. There was no real reason for the up turn in form bar a bit of luck going our way and the ball dropping the other side of the post but we only lost 2 more games before the end of the season to teams chasing promotion so very happy with our form but was it enough?



Brilliant! As suggested at the start of the campaign roughly 45 points were needed to stay up and thankfully we hit that target with a couple of games to spare and by that time Carlisle and Northampton had already been confirmed as going down. Whole club was buzzing with the outcome!

FA Cup


A comfortable win at Kidderminster drew us at home to Premiership side Leicester in the 4th Round and luckily we were put on TV which added some needed funds to the bank account so the chairman was happy (though he still hasn't left even after saying he would be retiring 2 seasons ago!!). On the day we held our own until about 30 minutes in when Oscar Threlkeld got himself sent off and then the floodgates opened. A good run nonetheless and completely overachieved!

Squad


Sam Deering was our main man this year and won Supporter's Player of the Year over the summer as well, a few others such as Salmon & Threlkeld also stood out for me but next season there is going to be some upheaval as some of the squad are still on part time contracts and want ridiculous money to move to a full time deal for the quality they bring to the side.

Those i'm looking to move out include Michael Potts, Alex Titchener, George Rigg, Neill Byrne, Ben Parker & Joel Bembo-Leta. Hopefully with the money we save some letting those guys go we can reinvest in the squad and bring in some needed quality, only time will tell!

Next update - Summer & Pre Season 2017

The bookies have been a bit more generous to us this season, we are predicted to finished 21st and are at 33-1 for the title (worth a couple of quid each way i reckon ) but once again the board have been very tight in their budgeting and we only have £9k a week on wages and nothing for transfer fees themselves so i have to be very careful in my squad building!

In other news we are expanding the stadium and adding 1000 extra spaces on our main terrace and will be complete by mid August! Should be good!

Transfers

We've seen 8 players our from our first squad leave the club over the summer, Michael Potts & George Rigg were released and are yet to find a club. Joel Bembo-Leto signed for Skrill Premier side FC Halifax, Alex Titchener has gone to Skrill North Boston and Neill Bryne is also in the Skrill Premier after joining Ebbsfleet.

We then received a £180k bid for keeper Ross Etheridge from Premiership side Fulham, i don't think i could step in his way so had to accept to keep the chairman on side as well. We also let Michael Spillane leave to join recently promoted Dagenham & Redbridge for £40k and John Akinde left for Championship side Millwall in a £52k deal (odd one i know!)

As with last season i wanted to sign quality to improve the side and i think i've done a good job of improving things even though i've exceeded the wage budget again!

Lee Burge

I had 3 keepers on trial initially to offer some back up to Etheridge but once he left i signed the best of the bunch in Burge as my new number one. He'd previously been at Lincoln in the Skrill Premier. He has room to improve and great to bring him in!

Jack Barthram

A young right back signed from Swindon after being released during the summer. Great potential and we've needed someone to tie down the RB slot as their own for a couple of years now!

Callum Driver

Signed from Mansfield after their promotion last season after coming through the ranks at West Ham. Can play on both sides as a full back and we had to fight off some competition from other L2 sides to bring him in!

Craig Fraser

Brought in on loan from St Mirren for the season to offer some competition at left back, another promising youngster!

Tom Parkes

A great signing and our new club captain after coming in from Bristol Rovers. We've needed a big commanding CB after our poor defensive record last season and he should slot in perfectly alongside Threlkeld.

David Pannell

In on loan from Notts County for the season and only 19 with a huge future ahead of him as both my scouts and assistant manager reckon he could play Championship football when he is older. To offer some back up to the other guys but i expect big things from him!

Lee Cox

Had been a regular at Barnsley in League One for the past 2 seasons before being released. A great addition to the squad and an upgrade in the DM position following Spillane's departure!

Alan Blackwell

Brought in on loan from Millwall following the Akinde deal to them. Some competition in midfieldand some cover for when things get tough later in the season!

Josh Hunt-Laurant

Released from QPR after a loan spell at L1 side Gillingham last season. A good back up in the centre of midfield but will offer some good competition in there as well.

George Francomb

Left AFC Wimbledon 2 summers ago and was without a club for the entire 2016/17 season which was a suprise. A very good right winger but also versitile enough to play at full back if needed. Very happy with his signing!

Chris Clements

Another signing from Mansfield and a very good replacement for Michael Potts following his release in June. Played 39 league games last season with 7 goals so should slot straight into my side!

Andy Turner

Following Akinde leaving we were a striker short so Turner signed on loan from Plymouth and looks like a very good option to have in the squad. Will be very interested to see how he progresses!

Friendlies



A very good pre season this year and the squad gelled very quickly to produce some great results and a big confidence boost before we play Oxford on opening day!

Next update - The Start of 2017/18

A couple of strong looking players in the side now, some of the stats are grande for this league!