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#511703 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
Indeed! It certainly was, makes it a very nervy process but one that feels great when you come out on top.
Cheers, Dan!
#511540 Challenge 1 - Last At Christmas (well new years eve)
r96
#511539 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
Thank you! Great to finally achieve some success in the save.
#511517 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
PROMOTION!
History didn't repeat itself, as we got revenge on Drogheda United in the promotion play-off finals. Only just, mind. We ran out winners via a penalty shoot-out after two nervy legs home/away, we better marginally the better so deserved to come out victorious.
It was 1-1 after 120 minutes at Hunky Dorys Park, Drogheda actually took the lead but substitute Dean Dillon got us level with just three minutes remaining of extra time. To my surprise, we won the penalty shoot-out with Michael Mahon, our 19-year-old left-back, netting the crucial spot-kick. What a way to go up!
Premier Division, here we come!
Thank you for reading!
Next? June 2023 (hopefully!)
Current Manager Profile:
Career Recap:
Job 001, 2019–2021:
Job 002, 2021:
Job 003, 2022–:
Awards/Trophies:
With Limerick:
Club: 2022 End of Season Play-offs (pic)
Personal: 2022 Manager of the Year (pic)
#511516 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
Indeed. However, I was pleased that UCD went up as champions - no way we were beating them. I was hopeful Longford were on a downer from their last day slip-up.
History repeats itself, as Drogheda United (of the top division) are Limerick's play-off final opponents.
#511512 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
Finn Harps done ... onto Longford Town!
#511509 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
Play-offs it is.
Our form was too inconsistent to win the title. We actually didn't lose to promotion rivals Longford Town or UCD (drawing both games in July/August) but didn't supplement those decent points with enough wins. September's losses to Cabinteely, when we could've closed the gap to three points, and Finn Harps killed us. We even dropped points to an average Athlone Town team to put our title hopes officially over before the final day. We just weren't good enough to secure top spot, barely even putting any pressure on unfortunately.
UCD went up as champions after taking advantage of a slip from Longford Town, who will be joining us and Finn Harps in the promotion play-offs. It's an interesting format in the Irish First Division. We'll met Finn Harps across two legs, with the winner facing Longford Town - again, after two legs. The winner there will then play two matches against the team that finished second bottom in the Premier Division - which will be either Drogheda United or Galway United.
It's a mammoth play-off structure. Remember, Limerick reached the final round of these play-offs last season prior to losing to the aforementioned Drogheda United. Hopefully our fans will have something to celebrate one year on.
I made a few signings, bringing in attacking midfielder Dean Dillon and centre-back Jack Funge (on loan). Dillon was needed after Robin Shroot retired mid-season, days before his loan was due to expiry anyway. Funge was just signed for defensive cover. The only other departure was Matthew Swann who returned to Basingstoke Town, I planned not to sign him but even if I did I couldn't as he renewed his contract with relegated Basingstoke.
Squad dynamics and board ratings have remained largely the same.
Thank you for reading!
Next? Play-offs!
Current Manager Profile:
Career Recap:
Job 001, 2019–2021:
Job 002, 2021:
Job 003, 2022–:
#511507 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
r96
Hopefully you can snag a trophy this season.
#511506 Challenge 1 - Last At Christmas (well new years eve)
r96
#511505 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
Thanks, as always!
Basingstoke went bad but Limerick was a good job to get so soon after, a few other jobs interested me but would've included a relegation battle - I chickened out and went for the promotion race instead.
#511503 Lets go on a European journey, man!
r96
#511502 Another shot at redemption.
r96
#511381 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
#511339 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
It has been an interesting start to my time with Limerick in the Republic of Ireland.
As shown above, we sit 3rd on 1 June 2022 and are in the midst of a three-way title race with Longford Town and UCD. Pre-season title favourites Shelbourne have struggled down in 5th.
It has been 'one of those' type of title races thus far, we were sitting 1st for all but three of the first thirteen matchdays but have dropped off a little recently - especially as Longford and UCD have, of course, been just as good as us throughout. UCD sit top, they're surprisingly still undefeated. Me & Limerick sit 3pts adrift of UCD, who are joined atop by Longford on 34pts.
As for the cups, we were knocked out of the Munster Senior Cup at the quarter-final stage to Cobh Ramblers - who, despite being 7th, have become our bogey team - W1 (narrowly), L2. Our EA Sports Cup journey also ended at the first hurdle as Premier Division outfit Galway United eliminated us. The FAI Cup will get underway in August.
Overall it has been a good first campaign for me at Limerick, given we were predicted to finish 5th. Still 11 First Division fixtures left to play, including home games against Longford and UCD. It's in our hands.
There are my transfers. I signed three of those in Matthew Swann, Robin Shroot and Philip Gannon - the other three are youth team signings made by my assistant Michael Timlin; the former Southend United player.
Swann is a player I had at Lisburn Distillery and Basingstoke Town. He hasn't really got a look in just yet, due to the form of Cian Murphy (14gls in 16gms) and Kevin Buckley (2gls in 2starts) but is a useful back-up option - I signed him on loan until the end of June, though can sign him on a pre-contract arrangement for July if I desire.
Shroot, the one-time Birmingham City man, was signed as we needed a CAM, same reasoning for Gannon except he is a CDM. Both have featured a fair amount of times so far. Liam Benson was the only departure, as he joined Cobh Ramblers' U19s within days of my arrival.
Squad dynamics and board ratings can be seen below. Managerial support is weirdly in the red despite no major or minor issues with the squad, which is lowering my manager performance rating to 'C+' - which is still fine, the board are happy with me.
Thank you for reading!
Next? 29 September 2022! (hopefully)
Current Manager Profile:
Career Recap:
Job 001, 2019–2021:
Job 002, 2021:
Job 003, 2022–:
#511076 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
I'm off to the Republic of Ireland!
Limerick of the First Division have allowed me to manage them from the upcoming 2022 season. I'm able to join right at the beginning thanks to my Basingstoke Town mid-campaign sacking. Limerick are predicted to finish 5th in 2022, so are expected to be amongst the favourites to be chasing the three play-off places from 2nd to 4th.
That's what awaits me, from the fixtures to the players. I'm excited to get started!
Current Team: Limerick (Irish First Division) | Honours With Them: 0
This Season's (2022) Expectation(s): Reach Promotion Play-off
Overall Team #: 3 | Career Honours: 0
Limerick were founded back in 1937, initially joining the top division prior to playing their first match in the Dublin City Cup in August of that year against Shamrock Rovers. They've won the Premier Division title on two occasions; in 1959–60 and 1979–80. However, nowadays they find themselves in the second tier after relegation in 2018. They've remained there in-game, finishing 7th, 8th and 4th across the last three seasons. The club's last trophy remains the 2016 First Division, though they did reach the Munster Senior Cup final last season - losing to Cork City.
Also in 2021, they came inches away from promotion to the Premier Division after reaching the play-offs. They defeated domestic rivals UCD and Longford Town, but would lose at the last hurdle to top-flight Drogheda United. Can I guide them one better in 2022?
Journey So Far!
Thank you for reading!
Next? 1 June 2022! (hopefully)
Current Manager Profile:
Career Recap:
Job 001, 2019–2021:
Job 002, 2021:
Job 003, 2022–:
#511074 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
Well that went splendidly, didn't it?
169 days into my reign of Basingstoke Town in England, I was sacked on Boxing Day 2021 - happy holidays eh? I'll get into what occurred shortly, but it was probably deserved given our position - though I felt our form was slowly turning a corner.
As you can see, it is understandable why chairman Ross Bettinelli felt a change was needed.
We actually started the campaign extremely well, given we were a newly-promoted outfit, after winning two of our opening three fixtures against Oxford City and Kingstonian. Things went south pretty quickly though, as we didn't pick up another three points until nine games later versus Welling United. That aforementioned win didn't do much, as we went on a fourteen-match winless streak in all competitions; notably getting knocked out of the FA Cup by lower league Aveley.
Mid-November saw a mini change in fortunes though, I led the team to beating Folkestone Invicta in the FA Trophy before securing a stunning 3-0 win over runaway league leaders Eastleigh. Sadly, that wasn't the start of a new dawn as we failed to get a National League South victory in my final month in charge - failure to beat relegation rivals Oxford City and Truro City saw Basingstoke fire me at Christmas.
A real shame. I get why I was sacked, but would've liked a further month in charge to see if the overall form had improved.
Not that it matters all that much now, but here are the fifteen signings I made with Basingstoke Town.
My main incoming was Matthew Swann from former club Lisburn Distillery. He actually worked out pretty nicely, currently (28 January 2022) scoring 12 goals in 34 games in all competitions with an average rating of 6.77. His Basingstoke contract actually ends in the forthcoming June, he is oddly loan listed and is interested in joining me at my next club (revealed shortly), so I might be reunited with my only memorable Basingstoke player very soon.
Onto the next one!
Thank you for reading!
Next? New Job!
Current Manager Profile:
Career Recap:
Job 001, 2019–2021:
Job 002, 2021:
#511067 Lets go on a European journey, man!
r96
Intrigued by the outcome of your decision, I can see the reasoning behind potentially leaving.
#511065 Another shot at redemption.
r96
#510922 Cant accept job offer from other club
r96
#510334 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
Thanks!
#510331 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
I have moved across the Irish Sea to England, joining Basingstoke Town in the National League South.
As I've mentioned before, I don't have any sort of rules to stick to in my journeyman saves. I just (try to) enjoy the ride, experiencing different footballing cultures. This save could easily end with zero trophies/success, or I could become the next Sir Alex Ferguson. Either way, I like to take it all how it comes. Therefore, going to England makes sense for me. I don't remember the last time I managed in the English lower leagues, it has been a long, long while.
Current Team: Basingstoke Town (National League South) | Honours With Them: 0
This Season's (2021-22) Expectation(s): Avoid Relegation
Overall Team #: 2 | Career Honours: 0
Basingstoke Town hold a respectable - if not massively successful - history.
The Dragons were formed back in 1896, initially joining the Hampshire League from 1901. Fast forward to 2021 and they find themselves newly-promoted from the Southern League to the National League South - England's sixth tier. They've previously played at this level (most recently in 2015-16) but haven't progressed any higher. They play their home fixtures at the modest Winklebury Football Complex. Their spiritual home is actually Camrose, though that has been left abandoned following disagreements with owner/chairman Rafi Razzak.
In terms of honours, Basingstoke have a 1984–85 Southern League title to their name - their last major trophy. They've won a few other things, including the Hampshire Senior Cup seven times.
Basingstoke Town have set me realistic expectations, with the key one being to avoid relegation. They would like us to reach the FA Cup third qualifying round and 'be competitive' in the FA Trophy.
Here's what awaits me. The squad is looking extremely light at the minute so will need building up, I do have a £14k transfer kitty at my disposal to help with that. In terms of fixtures, they've already played one pre-season friendly - a defeat to Cardiff City's U23s.
Thank you for reading!
Next? January 2022! (hopefully)
Current Manager Profile:
Career Recap:
Job 001, 2019–2021:
Job 002, 2021–:
#510330 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
r96
About the contracts: This could've been just in my experience there or maybe a bug, but a frankly ridiculous amount of clubs tried to poach my players; it truly felt like almost everyday, most of the time from random reserve teams. I always offered minor improved terms to avoid losing the players, so not sure how many would've actually departed.
#510321 The 'Worldwide' Win It All Journeyman
r96
#510291 16 Pre Season Tournaments From Around the World
r96
#510273 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
Current Team: Lisburn Distillery (Premier Intermediate League) | Honours With Them: 0
This Season's (2020-21) Expectation(s): Win The Title
Overall Team #: 1 | Career Honours: 0
Update: January to May 2021
2020/21 has come to a close. Could I lead Lisburn Distillery to any sort of success or would I face an early sacking?
A terrific unbeaten second part of the season left us in 2nd with just one fixture left to play, but it was all to play for as we were being chased by two others: Limavady United and Portstewart. We would host Limavady on the final day, while Portstewart would head to ninth place Annagh United.
Could we secure that play-off place?
Bottled it. We actually managed to bottle it.
We just didn't turn up on what turned out to be a gutting final day, as we narrowly lost out at home to Limavady United who went on to secure that play-off spot; and subsequent promotion after defeating Queen's University Belfast. We dropped down to finish 4th due to Portstewart's win over Annagh United. Very frustrating.
There's the fixture list, which you can see we actually managed to reach the Intermediate Cup final. Having defeated runaway Premier Intermediate League winners Tobermore United in the semi-finals, we met mid-table Dollingstown in the final on neutral territory at Seaview.
Could we salvage a trophy from this disappointing campaign?
Unbelievable. 90'+3 minutes...
We could've ended the campaign as play-off winners and Intermediate Cup holders, but instead we finish it trophyless and are still a third tier team.
My board rating was at 'E' for the majority but they didn't sack me, despite numerous board meetings that I managed to blag my way through. After the cup final, my rating strangely went up to 'C-' and they even showed me their upcoming 'Club Vision' (suggesting a new contract offer?) which was to finish mid-table in our current division (??) but become an established Championship team in 2022/23 despite no promotion being in their vision. Needless to say, that feature has bugged out.
Despite the possibility of a new contract, I decided to resign as Lisburn Distillery manager.
I fancy a new challenge, so a good point for me to part ways with the club; arguably better for them too!
Thank you for reading!
Next? New Job! (if it doesn't bug out again
Current Manager Profile:
Career Recap:
Job 001, 2019–2021:
#510260 F.C. Valdelavilla (English Club in the Spanish Pyramid)
r96
#510232 (FM20) - Hometown Hero
r96
#510231 [FM20] Earth Trip
r96
Indeed we do. Tobermore are too good to be caught, but hopefully we can squeeze into that play-off spot.
#510069 Broke to Bank (Journeyman)
r96
#510002 Broke to Bank (Journeyman)
r96