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#216127 Through Hell and High Water.
Thederbyjack
Having moved the majority of my possessions into a hotel room, I was hastily put into a meeting with the formidable Russian chairman, Yuri Korablin who quickly outlined what I had to work with at the helm of Unione Venezia.
He might not exactly be challenging Roman Abramovich in the investment stakes but non the less it at least gives me something to work with as we look to claw our way into Serie B. Having no room to manoeuvre within the wage budget effectively forces me into making some changes to the squad as I look to free up some room to bring in anyone that could potentially make an impact upon the team but before I set to work its probably a good time to meet the current crop of players.
With just fifteen first team players actually listed on Venezias books the club is worrying reliant on loanees from a host of Serie A clubs. With a huge number of central midfielders, a flimsy looking back line and just two strikers there is still plenty of work to be done with this squad despite them apparently taking on every single loan listed player available within twenty miles of the stadium.
#216119 Through Hell and High Water.
Thederbyjack
Having recently taken a romantic break with the girlfriend to the most beautiful city in the world I somehow managed to convince her into a long trek across the island to the stadium of Unione Venezia the only stadium in Europe that has to be accessed by boat its not exactly what you think a ground representing such a stunning place would be.
Built one hundred and one years ago the stadium is the second oldest in Italy and it certainly looks like it. Gray, lifeless and damp. The likes of Paris St Germain, Milan and Barcelona have nothing to worry about here, however it didn't stop me falling in love with the grubby little club lost in the depths of Italian football.
Now struggling within the Third tier of the Italian leagues, the club did briefly taste some success, picking up a prized Copa Italia in the 1940s but a combination of money grabbing Chairmen, crippling bankruptcy, a match fixing scandal and even a tornado soon pushed the club out of the limelight and a world away from the glitz and glamour of Piazza San Marco.
However all that could soon be forgotten with the arrival of Yuri Korablin. Having arrived like myself as an awed tourist nearly three years ago, the Russian Millionaire too fell for the little club lost in the lagoons ending his sight seeing as the new owner of Unione Venezia and setting his sights on restoring some pride to the Winged Lions.
With the aim of taking the Venetian club back to its long forgotten glory days in Seria A and the pressure of representing one of the most beautiful cities in the world, its no small task but that is where I come in.
#115981 The English Rangers...A Berwick Rangers Story
Thederbyjack
#72512 Succession Game
Thederbyjack
Hope everything gets better soon Fola, I just moved in with my girlfriend....I know the feeling.
#291463 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
Just the four games for my first month in charge. A comfortable three goal victory against Finnsnes in my first competitive game seemed to suggest we were going to walk this league but no sooner had I begun to believe in it myself, we were immediately put to the sword in front of a disappointed home crowd by Mo.
A lifeless draw with Kvik Halden was the only game I didnt feature this month but a well earned point against the current leaders is nothing to be shrugged at, however the thrilling victory against Adeccoligaen opposition was undoubtedly the highlight, as goalkeeper Brattbakken finally squeezed us past Ull/Kisa and into the second round, following a nerve wracking penalty shoot out.
#72146 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
Another game at home and another defeat. This time in convincing fashion. It took just three minutes for our resolve to fall apart and Ostsiden quickly ran out victors with two late goals putting a shine on their scoreline and punishing us even more.
#72136 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
#72069 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
My first taste of the Norweigan Cup and it certainly didnt disappoint.
American attacking midfielder Mehrez continued to impress, scoring the opening goal and it seem his fine strike would be enough to seal the victory against first divisions Ull/Kisa but with just two minutes remaining a hopeful long ball, somehow found its man and he duly turned Schjarve to force extra time. Stand in left midfielder Debesay soon restored our lead with a stunning first time volley from the edge of the box but once again Ull/Kisa hit back with another fortunate goal. Penalties were on.
In a tense shootout it proved to be the keepers who would decide it as ten penalties a piece left both stoppers needing to score. Brattbaken calmly stepped up and stroked his penalty home, before palming away his opposite numbers tame effort to win the game.
Thrilling stuff...and this is only the first round.
#291462 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
Before signing him though I had to clear some space.
When checking through the entire team (I literally write down every position on a notepad...its bad) I realised I could probably get away with just having two full strikers and pray to Odin that they don't get injured throughout the season, unfortunately for Kaas that meant his departure was inevitable and with no one willing to sign the promising youngster, I was forced to push him out onto the free market.
However there was little time to feel sorry for him...
The attacking midfield positions are key to the entire formation and then I was informed about young Johnny Mehrez I could resist. The eighteen year old, already has the ability to slide seamlessly into the first team and with regular game time ahead of him and bags of potential, the young yanky could quickly become the key player in the team.
#72056 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
Eugh.
I was hoping to turn the Frogner Stadion into a fortress but we open our account infront of the Oslo faithful with a frustrating defeat. Cham hit the net for the third time in two games and it looked like we were set for another comfortable victory but an unusual mistake from Nas gifted Mo with an equaliser before our lack of width at the back was exploited when a floated cross from out wide was volleyed home from 10 yards.
The Pine Tree Formation needs work!
#72057 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
Well that wasn't so bad.
Mehrez marked his first game at the club with a rapid goal taking just 240 seconds to find the back of the net, with lone striker Cham putting a glossy finish on the game with two second half goals to cap a perfect start to the season and fill the club with new found optimism.
The Pine Tree formation is working!
#291461 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
A solid, if predictable pre-season. Defeats to First divisions, Mjondalen in my debut and Strommen were the only hiccups along the way to an overwise succesful warm up for the team.
The formation appears to be working reasonably well and the new signings have taken no time at all to blend into the team.
My main concern was that our three man defence would prove to be too little at this level but with three clean sheets and only one goal conceded against opposition who weren't in the division above us, things are looking far more solid then I expected.
As usual though the pre-season is never a reliable judge of how things are going to pan out come kick off time but I'm certainly looking forward to it...in an "oh god please work" kind of way.
#72035 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
The final game of our pre-season see us calmly see off our smaller neighbours, as new signing Haraldsen scored yet another early goal, with reliable midfielder Stig Haddal scoring just before the final whistle to send non-league Oslo City packing following an easy victory in the capital.
#72033 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
Once again we played first division opposition and were soundly beaten. Our pre-season has been full of early snatched goals and this time it was Strommen who took advantage to grab the lead and one which they would keep a firm grip of, doubling their lead deep into in the second half to seal a comfortable victory. We're clearly not at first division standard yet.
#71849 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
More none league opposition and this time the old boys at the team showed their class as they ran riot. Four goals showed our domination of the game as our midfield ran Tonsberg to ruins in style. Another promising step forward in our preseason.
#291460 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
Non league sides Korsvoll and Ullern were quick to take advantage of our leaving players, scooping up all six of the final departures between them as they look to assemble their own promotion chasing side in the darkest depths of the Norweigan game.
Having made absolutley no money from player sales, it was clear that all my signings from the coming transfer window were going to be from out of contract players, or those that clubs are willing to literally give away for nothing. It was going to be a case of trying to pick the best from a rather large and hairy bad bunch.
My first signing for my Scandinavian challenge is of course...Polish. The versatile midfielder can play in any position in the middle of the field, which is handy seeing as how I have six of them to fill. For now we will look to utilise Mazurkiewicz's creativity and passing ability by having him play just behind the striker as one of our duo of attacking midfielders.
I might be willing to throw caution into the wind by only fielding three defenders but I'm not about to abandon our defensive duties entirely. Veteran defender Haraldsen arrives at Frigg with a good deal of defensive ability. Arguably hes not exactly going to be a rock at the back but he will certainly be useful as a back up defender.
Haraldsen might be here to make up the numbers but Pal Schjerve is certainly going to make an instant impact. The solid defender will make a fine addition to our team, combining his solid defensive abilities with his natural talent for getting his head on the end of any ball, I'm hoping he get his debut season at Frigg off to a flying start.
The wide players will play a crucial role in the forth coming season and Seeberg will be sure to be leading the charge down the wings, with his strong crossing ability hopefully set to cause the opposition defenders all kinds of problems in the coming season.
The young Ramsland is set to partner Mazurk as an attacking midfielder in the near future but for now the eighteen year old will be picking up some much needed experience from the bench as we look to transform him into the lethal player he has the potential to become.
The defensive midfield position is key to our entire formation, so I was keen to strengthen it before the season began. Out of contract Heia has the ability to be a menancing ball wining midfielder, with his strong mental attitude certain to keep him battling for the ball right until the final whistle.
The squad has been streamlined down to a very manageable twenty players following a brief but very eventful window for Frigg.
We've not made any outlandish or major signings but some solid and reliable players have bolstered the ranks as we look to make the push towards promotion. With just under a month remaining till preseason, its going to be a busy time of team blending and tactics as our new arrivals join the team in trying to master my 3-6-1 formation.
#71845 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
Non-League opposition this time and a victory wrapped up within just six minutes. Right midfielder Badivuku netted a rapid brace as it looked like we would romp to victory but Gjovik-Lyn put up a stubborn fight, picking up a well earned goal before the end of the first half, with the remaining forty five minutes passing without incident.
#71844 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
A game against fellow second division opposition from the third group saw us take a convincing victory. Key defender Nas popped up with the opening goal from a corner in nine minutes and Mazurkiewicz continued the goal scoring form of our new arrivals with a goal of his own. The only downside of an encouraging game, was injuries to back up goalkeeper Voien and attacking midfielder Tonne both ruled out for five weeks.
#71842 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
First game at the helm of Frigg and the first taste of defeat. A punishing first half from our first division opponents Mjondalen saw them score three in fifteen minutes but a spirited second half display almost saw an impressive comeback as Ramsland and Seeberg both make impressive starts to their Frigg careers with a well taken goal each.
#291459 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I give to you my game changer...The Pine Tree.
My take on the much under used "Christmas tree" formation. Throwing caution into the wind, Ive opted to ditch the width at the back and rely entirely on the strength of full blooded Scandinavian central defenders. What we lack in defensive depth we will more then make up for in midfield wizardry as no less then six players now operate in the middle of the park with the lone striker key to the entire thing as we look to feed him with deadly balls from the wings and two attacking midfielders.
Its a bold strategy and one that quite frankly shouldnt work but I have afaith in this inspired design and come hell or highwater this 3-6-1 formation will one day make its way to a Champions League trophy.
#291458 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
With little to no credible history a huge potential fan base and a decent squad and backroom staff in place, it was a relativley easy decision to make. I have no plans to take them all the way to the top of Norweigan Football but as I suspect I might be here for some time I figured it makes sense to choose a team that I can hopefully atleast give a gentle push in the right direction.
With Twenty Four players currently on the books, I will be quick to try and free up some room in the wage budget to mold this team into a promotion chasing side but truth be told there is already a basis for a very good side here.
Promising strikers Eide and Cham are both well on their way to becoming reliable finishers at this level and the solid Sandstad appears to be the midfield general every lower league side needs, however its the back line that really holds the quality with young Vethe showing potential to be an unbeatable centre back in the near future with Johan Nas proving to be the standout player of the entire team.
The formidable defender will hopefully prove to be the solid foundation of my back line and boy will he be tested this season as I look to unveil a new formation on the unsuspecting Norweigan masses.
With an entire month until even the preseason begins Ive got plenty of time to reform a squad here, so without further delays, I'm going to start cutting loose the dead wood and bringing in some bright new talent to take this club one step closer to the Norweigan First Division.
#291457 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
With the lowest possible experience, all the Scandinavian Leagues ready and raring to go and a January start date I set off on my adventure by applying for every single job going, handing my limited CV in to no less then twenty four clubs.
Expecting very little in the way of interest I was suprised to not only have a job available to me but to actually have a choice of where I wanted to go. With ten job offers received the very next day it appeared Scandinavia was in dire need of some new managerial blood for the coming season and not wishing to leave my potential host nations waiting I quickly set about narrowing down my options.
It didnt take long before I left myself with three clear options to mull over.
Algard are Norweigan Second Division heavyweights. Having spent most of their ninety eight year existance in the league its fair to say they are more then ready for bigger and a better things and with a relativley massive eleven thousand in the transfer budget and room for a lower league Ronaldo in the wages theres plenty of opportunity for a bright young thing from the home of football to come in and take the club to higher places.
Relative newcomers to the Norweigan Third Divisions, Egersund have little in the way of reputation but plenty in terms of wages. With a massive three thousand pounds to play with, its a lower league managers dream, being able to create almost an entirley new team and set about taking on the rest of the league in their own way. However it remains to be seen if the tiny club with a kick ass logo can even attract any players worth filling the budget.
Frigg. Lets be honest its an awesome name for a football team. Middle of the run, average budgets and a deal to sort out before being able to turn them into title contenders but its still an interesting prospect. The team hail from the capital of Norway and with a decent run of promotions and some attractive football they could easilly see themselves overtaking Valerenga to becoming the biggest team from Oslo.
It was worth considering but one things for certain. I'm heading to Norway...
#291456 The Invasion
Thederbyjack
The one and only European cup victory comes from 1987 when Swedish football celebrated Goteburgs fantastic victory in the now Europa League, with only fellow Swedes, Malmos brief appearnce in the 1979 Champions League final against Nottingham Forest being their only other claim to European success.
Starting at the very bottom I hope to manage my way to bringing a team from each of the five main Scandinavian Countries to the very top of European football. It doesn't matter how or with who, just as long as I can bring the trophy back from the warmth of mainland Europe and into the land of snow and lava...
#290141 Rule Britannia
Thederbyjack
Its the seventh of June and despite a season that can really only be described as inconsistant, Stalybridge have somehow managed to worm there way into a chance of making it into the Blue Square Premier League.
Standing between us and a giant step closer to the bright lights of the English football league are the formidable Chester City. Having been favourites to win the league out right, the club will be desperate to make the most of the playoffs as they make there way to Bower Fold.
One Word.
Drama.
In a first half that saw no less then five goals it was a real end to end game as both teams threw caution into the wind in an attempt to kill off the match early.
A fifth minute goal got things off to the worst possible start but two goals within six minutes soon had Bower Fold rocking as we barged our way back into the lead courtesy of a rare goal from left back Lindsay and another well taken goal from back up striker Sherrif.
The match settled down for all of twenty minutes before Chester striker Jarman once again struck pegging us back but once again the Celtic were quick to restore their lead with right back Turton scoring his first of the season to send us into the break with a slender lead.
Soon after the restart the determined Chester once again found the back of the net but in a match that was destined to go blow for blow, winger Lynch gave them only eight minutes of rest bite before smashing home what proved to be the winning goal as we finally killed of there spirited display to win a seven goal thriller and take a confident stride into the final.
With the defences of both sides being question following the goal fest at Bower Fold, it is certain to be an intersting tactical display from both sides. For Stalybridge its time to either park the bus and hope for the best or go all guns blazing in an attempt to seal the deal...
Sixty Seconds...
thats all the stood between Stalybridge Celtic and an unexpected playoff final.
Having opted to batten up the hatches and try and maintain our slender advantage, it seemed that the plan was going to work perfectly but with most of Chester already dispairing of another season in the Blue Square North, their free scoring striker Redman, finally found the space in our tired defence to break the deadlock with a heartbreaking eighty ninth minute goal.
Heads dropped, legs were tired and Chester were sensing blood.
With the scores tied we headed into extra time, with the lottery of penalties seeming to be our only hope of winning the match but just minutes into the second period, left midfielder Clancy cut in from the flank to expose our flagging defenders before rifling in a twenty yard piledriver to send the Deva stadium into raptures.
I hate the playoffs.
Automatic or bust!
#43694 Rule Britannia
Thederbyjack
haha very true Kez! Thanks for the support!
I think the main thing different is I manage to lose just about everyone. Im a bit like Cardiff.
#290140 Rule Britannia
Thederbyjack
A sensational four goal victory against Colwyn Bay saw, backup striker, Dennis Sherrif fire a message as he bagged an impressive second half hat-trick in his first full start of the season to boost our hopes of holding onto the playoff spot.
A scrappy draw against Histon failed to increase our lead over the chasing pack but a fortunate penalty against Gloucester did just about enough to ensure we took all three points at Bower Fold as we put yet more distance between us and sixth place Gainsborough.
With time ticking down a tricky tie against fellow playoff competitors Harrogate saw us slump to an unwanted loss on the road but in fine fashion we ended the season with a thrilling victory against the ever improving FC Halifax to ensure our place in the playoff spots...
We claimed our place in the playoffs with a six point gap from the nearest chasers, however our impressive end to the season came at some cost as the physio room began to attract some unwanted visitors...
The influental midfield pairing of captain Adam Pepper and Sammy Stewart left us alarmingly weak in the middle of the field as we geared up for a trick playoff tie against league favourite Chester but its the loss of top scorer Corey Gregory that were really going to feel in the all important next few games.
It was always going to be tough getting past Chester but now its seemingly an impossible challenge.
These playoffs are never easy are they?
#43640 Rule Britannia
Thederbyjack
Hey Laudrup! Where have you been! Same old football manager for me, when can I expect to see you starting another career?!
#290139 Rule Britannia
Thederbyjack
Having scrapped our way through a sloppy February my hopes of a remarkable debut season at the helm of Stalybridge Celtic, seemed to be on the rocks but if theres one thing we can take from this season thus far, its that the league is constantly open and were far from beaten.
Two back to back impressive victories over Solihull Moors and Corby, saw the team right back into contention for the playoff spot, as striker Corey Gregory returned to scoring ways with a well taken brace but it was soon clear that March was to be another difficult one for those at Bower Fold.
A narrow loss to Vauxhall was followed up by a disappointing, convincing loss against playoff outsiders Guiseley. It seems that for every step forward we take in this league we take another one back. Progress is slow in our promotion push but with another hard earned point following a lifeless draw at Droylsden were clinging on to the last playoff place in the league and are somehow four points clear of our nearest rivals Gainsborough.
With the league quickly drawing to a close, it seems that despite our own efforts were destined to be in with a shot at escaping from the basement of the English league.
#290138 Rule Britannia
Thederbyjack
With January giving us a flying start to the year hopes were raised that 2013 might prove to be the year that sends Stalybridge into the Blue Square Premier League, however a goalless draw with Bishops Stortford hardly gave February the most impressive of openings and the month quickly turned sour for the Celtic faithful.
A late Jack Waddle goal proved to be too little to stop fellow promotion chasers Worcester from snatching three points at Bower Fold but the promosing young wingers next goal rescued a hard earned point as we battled to a spirited draw against Brackley.
A narrow loss against free-falling Boston soon put the dampeners on any hopes of a quick return to winning ways but Waddles third goal of an impressive month for the baby faced wide man rescued three points from a fairly disappointing month as we squeezed past FC Halifax to keep us within touching distance of the playoff spots.
Hopes of automatic promotion seem all but dashed already but there is everything to play for in the run up to the end of the season, with Celtic in a good position to battle for a place in the lottery of the playoffs.
#43328 Rule Britannia
Thederbyjack