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#391722 Joe Cooper - Oxford City Hero
AWMG
Brian Cox: Hey there Joe, take a seat.
Joe Cooper: Thanks Boss.
Brian Cox: I've realized that our club has stagnated yet again, and you've been signing a lot of players recently yet you could not break through that barrier. Why is that so?
Joe Cooper: Well, that's what I'm trying to figure out. I'm still inexperienced with the job and trying to adapt as fast as possible. We've had some unlucky periods whereby we've been plagued with injuries.
Brian Cox: In the next few years, do you think you can achieve a promotion? The club and fans love you, and I am delighted to have you as a manager for the team, but we need to have a forward-thinking mentality for the best interest of the club.
Joe Cooper: Well, I am very optimistic about that opportunity of bringing us for a promotion although it'll be tough. If you could keep faith in me I'll promise to give my 100% to repay the favor.
Brian Cox: Alright then, I'll take your word for that
#391720 Joe Cooper - Oxford City Hero
AWMG
Carrying over from October, our bad run has seemed to continue
With 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses
Mike Fondop, Jean-Yves Koue and Navid Nasseri scoring once
With injuries during the season, Navid Nasseri was signed from Chester, who plays as an attacking midfielder.
Lee Knight who is a right midfielder, was also signed on a free transfer
An improvement during November compared to October.
With 3 wins, a draw and 2 losses.
Shaun McAuley scoring twice, while Jayden Harris, Navid Nasseri, Jayden Harris and Luke Carey scoring once
Jayden Harris and Luke Carey are signed on loan from Fulham and Charlton respectively, who both boosts the depth in the attacking midfield and midfield area.
January was a decent month,
With 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses.
Shaun McAuley the only one banging in goals with 2 for the month.
A quiet month with only 3 games.
Very good month in fact, 2 wins and one draw.
Jayden Harris scoring twice while Luke Carey scoring once.
Due to injury problems, short loans were made for Ben Roache a striker and Jack Paxman a midfielder who plays both central and attacking
March was a decent month.
Winning once, Draw twice and losing once.
Ben Roache scoring twice, Jayden Harris, Lee Knight and Jean-Yves Koue scoring once.
April was a decent month too.
2 wins, a draw and a lost
Shaun McAuley scoring twice, Ben Roache and Luke Carey scoring once.
Another mediocre season of ending around the same area.
Sadly our finishing isn't doing us any justice. Thinking about it our strikers are barely banging in any goals this season.
Not sure whether its the creativity side or is it just really a striker problem.
#391719 Joe Cooper - Oxford City Hero
AWMG
Well our Friendlies went.. decent I guess?
I mean you can't blame the team for losing since practically the opponents we face are like leagues ahead of us, but I think it went decent cause most of the games we managed to keep it a low scoring game except for Stoke of course.
We made a lot of transfers, just to cover more depth in the team, replace players who didn't believe our club had the same ambitions and them and some youngsters for the future when the people who wants to leave for bigger clubs leave.
A lot of the players were not needed either, due do their skills as compared to what we already have and compared to the other teams in the league.
Well I guess 7 games a month is a common thing for the lower leagues.
Starting off the season with 2 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss.
Shaun McAuley being a surprise player with 5 goals, Liam Walsh with 2 while Kynan Isaac with one goal
September went decent too.
With 2 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses to summarize the month.
Lewis Hall and Mike Fondop scoring 3 times, Jean-Yves Koue scoring once.
October was a good month.
With 4 wins and 4 losses. Although it was a worry that our last 3 games of the month was in a losing streak.
Mike Fondop scoring 4 times, Liam Walsh and Godfrey Poku scoring twice, Jean-Yves Koue, Lewis Hall and Thomas O'Connor scoring once.
#391404 Joe Cooper - Oxford City Hero
AWMG
With November coming in, a rare month of only consisting 4 games dawns upon us.
We managed to pull of 2 wins, a draw and a lost for the whole month.
Fondop scoring three times as Kynan Isaac scores once.
Seems like our games has been cut short recently with only 4 games a month.
In December, we managed to pull off 2 wins and 2 draws. Our best month so far if you ask me.
Scott Davies and Mike Fondop scoring twice while Godfrey Poku scoring once
Well I guess I stand corrected as in the month of January a 7 game month.
Winning 3 games, 2 draws and 2 lost for the month of January.
Mike Fondop scoring twice while Lee Henderson, Kynan Isaac, Scott Davies and Josh Ashby scoring once.
At the end of the transfer window, I decided to add more depth into our centre back with Kiran Khinda-John and also signing Matthew Lowe on a loan to improve our quality in the midfield
Another short month with only 4 games.
In the month of February, managed to pull off 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 lost.
Godfrey Poku and Mike Fondop scoring once.
March only holding 4 games,
We managed to end the month with a win, a draw and a lost.
Mike Fondop scoring twice while Shaun McAuley scored once
In the last month of April,
We managed to pull off 1 win, 2 draw and 3 losses.
Probably one of our worst months and it was a very close battle for the playoff spots.
Scott Davies and Sean Mullan scoring once
In a table with points just shoulder to shoulder, we finished 13th place which is practically a place below 12th, our place last season.
Jean-Yves Koue being our best player of the season.
I'm glad to announce that I've also been offered a new contract by the club
#391371 Joe Cooper - Oxford City Hero
AWMG
Our friendlies just showed how weak our team is, but it's at the same time not surprising as we are practically in one of the lowest leagues in England.
I tried to play a fast, direct passing football game however we can see that it does not work that effectively.
I've decided that I will switch it up to a normal pace and possession based play-style
With a lack of back-up goalkeeper, lack of defensive center-backs and right back, and only having 2 strikers, I've went out to do so with some expired contracts.
Signing in some basic staff due to the openings like 2 scouts, a physio and a Head of Youth development
With the starting month that I fully take charge of the team, it went pretty well considering the team didn't had much preparation to get used to the new play-style of possession based play-style.
With 7 games during August, we were able to pull off 3 wins, one draw and 3 losses during the month.
Kynan Isaac scoring the most goals during the month, while Shaun McAuly, Bonifcacio Neto, Josh Ashby, Mike Fondop and Scott Davies only scoring once.
On the second month of my stint, the team slowly gelled better with the tactic I imposed.
With 7 games, we pulled off a record of 4 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses. A game improvement from previous month so I'd consider it a positive sign.
Mike Fondop and Josh Ashby both the top goalscorers of the month with 2 goals each, while Jean-Yves Koue, Shaun McAuley and Kynan Isaac contributing one goal.
For October, the month toned down by one game.
With 6 games in hand, we puled of 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses (one of the games we lost was against St. Albans in the FA Cup replay via Penalties)
Mike Fondop scoring twice this month, while Josh Ashby, Bonifcaio Neto and Kynan Isaac scoring once.
#390892 Joe Cooper - Oxford City Hero
AWMG
I was told by the Chairman that I'd be meeting a reporter do some interview for the local paper regarding my unveiling as a manager of the team.
I walked into this small room that had one table and 2 chairs and inside it was a reporter from OxfordMail named David Pritchard.
David Pritchard: Hello Cooper, please take a seat.
Lee Cooper: Thanks for having me. Let's begin.
David Pritchard: With pleasure, do remember to speak loud and clear for the recorder to catch your sentences clearly. Congratulations on being appointed as a manager for Oxford City, a team in your hometown. How does it feel like to manage a team in the city you've grown up in?
Lee Cooper: Well it's an exciting feeling. I've always loved football and always wanted to get involved in it but didn't really had the physical attributes to make it. Hence, being a manager of the game is such an exciting prospect.
David Pritchard: Being just 20 years old, do you think this will be a challenge when managing people older than you?
Lee Cooper: Probably so when it comes to new players, the guys in the current squad knows me well as I've been shadowing Justin Merritt, learning some managerial stuff here and there.
David Pritchard: Are you nervous now that you are not shadowing anymore, but is in the spotlight taking control of every single thing?
Lee Cooper: A little, but I'm confident I can do something to make this team better.
David Pritchard: Is there anything you want to say to the local fans?
Lee Cooper: I've been a fan like every one of you guys as long as I can remember, and I know how you guys want to see this team to be in higher leagues competing with the bigger teams. I share the same vision and desire and I hope I can achieve those goals.
David Pritchard: That's admirable. Thanks Cooper, wishing you the best for your managerial stint.
Lee Cooper: Thanks Pritchard, thanks for having me again.
#390888 Joe Cooper - Oxford City Hero
AWMG
Oxford City currently holds 18 players in their first-team.
Having decent depth in the midfield while the rest of the team has a very big depth issue that needs to be fixed during the transfer window.
Godfrey Poku (Team captain), Josh Ashby (Loanee from Oxford FC) and Tyrell Belford are considered the best players of the club.
With a lot of contacting and a lot of convincing, I've managed to garner some of the higher-league teams to play on our turf for friendlies for extra income and more competition to play around with as I organize tactics or the season or even start gelling in new players that I'll be bringing in for this season.
#390887 Joe Cooper - Oxford City Hero
AWMG
A young lad from Oxford City who's not so gifted in his physical ability, but compensates for it with his love for the game of Football and becomes the brain of the team.
He didn't play much in his time, however, he did become a shadow of the previous manager, Justin Merritt. Joe would speak to Justin about the tactics and how things should be done and would sometimes lead to success.
As Justin had to attend to several personal matters, Chairman Brian Cox decided to let the Joe become the care-taker of the team as the whole squad knew who he was and knew he had some potential in him to become a manager.
This becomes the beginning of the story of Joe Cooper, the hero of Oxford City.
A team founded in 1882, Oxford City is a team that plays in the Vanarama National League South who finished mid-table last season.
Playing their home games in Court Place Farm, which holds below average training facility and basic youth facilities.
The club also possesses basic junior coaching and fairly basic youth recruitment network.
The club has not won a competition ever since the year 2006, only having 2 in their trophy cabinet in their entire history.
English Spartan South Midlands Premier Division (2006)
#389326 Bringing back the Golden Era of Liverpool
AWMG
#389199 Bringing back the Golden Era of Liverpool
AWMG
#389152 Bringing back the Golden Era of Liverpool
AWMG
Hey man,
Glad to hear you're enjoying it! Appreciate the kind words
I'm using a skin named Andromeda.
#389099 Bringing back the Golden Era of Liverpool
AWMG
#388793 Bringing back the Golden Era of Liverpool
AWMG
#388748 Bringing back the Golden Era of Liverpool
AWMG
#388736 Bringing back the Golden Era of Liverpool
AWMG
Hopefully I'll be able to pull this off
#388726 Bringing back the Golden Era of Liverpool
AWMG
#388721 Bringing back the Golden Era of Liverpool
AWMG
NEXT POST - SQUAD REVIEW
#388629 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
Will do. It's been a joy sharing to you guys my first ever series that I've done.
It was a joy talking in such a third person.
I'll be starting one again soon, probably a Liverpool save to bring them back to glory days.
#388627 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
Dan Ong has finally called an end to his time as a manager.
After 7 seasons of managerial experience, he has decided to hang up his coat and enjoy his time back in his homeland Singapore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey guys, I just wanted to say thanks for following the series.
I've decided to end the series because I felt like I don't have the passion to continue as a low league manager.
It feels like I'm just forcing out posts right now and just trying to get through the season until I get promoted again and the series becomes exciting again.
I got tired of the tedious role of just looking for free agents and loans offers and just getting no one due to the poor financial status of the club.
Hence, I've decided to end the series here as I have brought Eastleigh to their highest league and position in their history so I thought it was the best time to retire.
I'll probably embark on a new story. Maybe a new save with Liverpool, my favorite team or with some other team that you guys might want to see from me based on this story line.
#388376 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
APRIL
We ended the season with a horrible run. 3 draws and 2 losses. If we win at least one of the games we would have been in promotion playoffs but sadly that isn't the case.
Although finishing 8th is a big achievement for us as we were expected to be relegated.
I'll need to buff up our squad especially our defense cause it's been a great worry considering how many we've been conceding.
#388375 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
JANUARY
We started off the new years with a 1-2 loss against Barnet but bounced back with 3 wins and a draw.
We did some small transfer too for the January transfer window
FEBRUARY
February went well with a draw, 3 wins and a loss against Coventry.
I also had an interesting month of offers from higher reputation jobs and a certain ex club which was all rejected.
And we also had a new contract extension
MARCH
March went pretty decently with 3 wins, a draw and 2 losses.
#388294 Giving Hamburg a hand (hopefully)
AWMG
That's just FM. Win against better teams but can't win against teams who are worse sometimes
#388189 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
OCTOBER
October went great.
We started off on the wrong foot with 2 losses right off the back but bounced back with a 4 games winning streak before losing again on the last day of the month
Owen Ellis, a loanee from Newcastle won the player of the month after a fantastic month, with other 2 Eastleigh players trailing him. He also won the Young Player of the Month after scoring 6 goals in 6 games
NOVEMBER
November however, went horribly.
Starting off with a loss before winning in a penalty shootout against Southampton U23 and a win against Chesterfield.
A 3 games losing streak ensued to end off the month.
My phone was ringing this month with job offers. Apparently the word of my success has been spread that from promotion, I'm now in fighting contention for promotion again even though it was expected that we will be relegated.
And despite a horrible month, one of our players won the Goal of the month after banging in a screamer from 35 yards out
DECEMBER
December was short, and it went fine to be honest.
Starting the month with a draw, a 3-2 win against Gillingham before falling to a defeat to Leyton Orient and ending off the month with Bolton
During December, I felt like my phone was gonna explode. Every single week I'd get job offers from different clubs and different countries.
It was insane considering how the past few seasons no one even wanted me because of doubts after I got fired from my previous jobs.
And now? It's the complete, everybody wants a piece of me. However, again, I've rejected every single job offer to stick with Eastleigh. The only reason why I'd move right now when Eastleigh hasn't been to the Premier League is if Liverpool came knocking.
As of January 1, 2017, we are sitting at 7th place. Just barely outside the promotion playoffs. However, even if we finish 7th, it'll be considered as a successful season by myself, by the players and by many doubters
#388188 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
Well, hate to break it to ya, but they're seem to be doing worse as the season goes on. They're currently at 19th place as of January 1st 2023.
#388186 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
FRIENDLIES
We had 9 friendlies:
We won 6 games, drew 2 games and lost 1 games.
It was a good set of friendly games that made me have a good feeling for this upcoming season
AUGUST
In the month of August,
It didn't go as well as Friendlies did.
We started off the month with a 3 games losing streak before we finally got our first win against Bolton.
What ensued was a 2 games draw and ending the month with a win in penalties against Exeter.
SEPTEMBER
In September, it went better than August.
Starting off the month with a 2-1 win and then a lost against Peterborough.
Continuing the month was 2 wins and a draw against Coventry to end the month.
An improvement from August
TRANSFER WINDOW ACTIVITY
#388045 Giving Hamburg a hand (hopefully)
AWMG
#388035 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
Yeah, it was a bumpy and difficult 2 years, but hard work eventually paid off thankfully.
#388033 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
APRIL AND MAY
We ended the season with a weird run of 2 losses and 4 draws (Is this an FM thing where if you're doing well, and you leave the game and restart it makes you perform worse?)
And with that, the season of 2021/2022 has ended.
Did we get promoted?
or did we drop to the playoffs?
or did we not qualify for any in the end?
Promotion is ensured. After the final whistle against Exeter, all the fans ran on to the pitch and chanted and sang as if we just won the Champions League.
The players were crying on the floor as they embraced the hard work they've put, and how it paid off as they finally got promoted. One step closer to the premier league.
The fans, ecstatic. They've waited 2 years for this moment and it finally happened in the most unexpected manner as a lot of people has written us off as a 20th place team after our past 2 seasons.
For me, I was happy. So many doubts for the past 4 years, so many uncertainty. But this, this really boosts my confidence a bit. That I did the right things, and I did a good job.
Slowly after, the players ran over me and gave me a lift to throw me up in the air. I was in a glorious mood. It really made me feel happy and remember the days in Celtics.
Post game press conference
Dan Ong: Good evening guys, I am prepared to start taking questions.
Billy Allen from The Football League's Paper: Mr. Ong, what a magical season it is for you guys. A lot of pundits predicted you guys to be a 20th or below team, to be specific, the 23rd place. How does it feel to prove the doubters wrong by a very long mile and securing promotion?
Dan Ong: Well obviously it is a magical feeling. I don't really know how to explain it. It's like a fairy tale story. You can ask the lads, ask the board or ask the staff, everyone didn't though we would be finishing this high either. Not even to the extent of a mid table club. However, I told myself that I will push this team to greater heights, that even if we are not gonna finish a mid table, a move from a 20th place to maybe a 15th place is already an improvement. But with the hard work put in by the players and the great work of the staff, we were able to secure a promotion.
Billy Allen: You must be getting offers from a lot of clubs right now. Are you planning to stay with Eastleigh?
Dan Ong: I would admit that there have been some offers along the way from various clubs in various countries. However, I decided to say with Eastleigh not because of our great form but of the trust and belief that the board has given me when I was in a slump in my managerial career. Going out of 2 clubs in 2 years, I'm thankful that George Waldron took the risk of even hiring me and trusting me with the club and giving me another shot in the managerial role when I was surrounded by people who asked me to stop.
Billy Allen: The squad contains a total of 21 players who are below the age of 26, starting from the age of 19 while there's only 4 people who are above the age of 25. Would you say that's a factor to your promotion?
Dan Ong: I don't believe so. I believe that it's the hard work and their dedication to give their all every single game, despite the amount of games they need to play, that got us our promotion. They're a great bunch of people. They've given me utmost attention and followed my tactics and my Sol Campbell's (my assistant manager, ex Arsenal and Tottenham player) training routine, and that was why they performed so well to get us a promotion.
Billy Allen: Are you sending a message by choosing such a young core?
Dan Ong: A message? I didn't have any. I chose these young bunch because they were available in the market, are willing to join us, and are good enough to succeed in the club as first team players. Age does not matter to me if you have the abilities to provide and the work ethic to keep improving. So if I was to have a message, I would say don't look at the age, rather look at what they can offer and what kind of a player they are.
Billy Allen: Thanks for your time Mr. Ong. It was a pleasure to have given you instructions, and congratulations again in your achievement.
Dan Ong: Thanks for your time everyone. We'll see you next season in Sky Bet League One.
THE DAY AFTER
As I woke up, the promotion scenes still dwelt in me. I felt like it was all a dream. I felt like it didn't happen, like it was too true to happen, but it really did.
I went out to grab the morning papers after my morning run, and I saw the headlines.
Also winning Manager of the Year
CONTRACT RENEWALS
I also received a contract renewal with the club which I gladly accepted.
#387913 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
JANUARY
After the bonanzas of all those job offers that come in, I've assured the squad and the board that I'll be staying.
And then, it was back to business again,
Started January with a 2-0 win and a 3-0 win before falling to a 1-3 defeat to Rochdale.
Bounced back with a 1-0 win against Cambridge, 0-0 against Stevenage, 2-1 win against Wimbledon
FEBRUARY
Continued the undefeated run with a 0-0 before falling to a defeat to Braintree and Swindon
Bounced back with two 1-0 wins against Dag & Red and Barnet
The month of February also started with a job offer yet again, which was again, turned down.
I guess this season really has done much with my reputation that a lot of teams are suddenly wanting me when like the past few years no one even dared to offer me a job.
MARCH
Continued where we left off from February with a 2-1 win against Doncaster and a 1-0 win against Oldham before falling to a 1-0 defeat against Plymouth.
Bounced back with a 3-1 against Notts Co, 1-0 win against York and 2-1 win against Blackpool
At the end of March, I was awarded with the Manager of the Month while Shuttleworth almost wins Young Player of the Month
And we are doing tremendously great.
Looking at the table, compared to the previous seasons where we needed to find ourselves at the bottom of the table, this year, we don't need to look that far. Eastleigh are Second place with 2 months to go.
#387847 The Journey of Dan Ong, The Singaporean Manager
AWMG
OCTOBER
October went terrible to be honest.
We lost to Barnet 0-2, a drew against Exeter but winning in penalties in the end.
And then we had a losing streak of 3 games and drew our last game of the month.
Things were looking bad again as we are going back to our losing ways and I was not gonna let it side.
I've decided to mix up our tactic again.
NOVEMBER
We started off the month with a 0-2 lost against MK Dons, my initial thought was that okay that didn't really change anything, but afterwards we went on a miraculous 5 winning streak! YES, A 5 WINNING STREAK, SCORING 12 TIMES! Talk about a come back
It seems like my tactic of two strikers up front isn't going so well after a while, I probably got exploited (in other words, when I closed the game and loaded my game later on, it suddenly doesn't work) as the opponents scout have probably seen through our tactic.
Hence, I switched it up by having only one striker forward and then putting in an attacking playmaker to fill in the void in between the midfield and the striker.
Surprisingly, after one month of success, an offer for another job suddenly came knocking at my door.
Union Sportive Littoral Dunkerque (holy crap that was a mouthful to type out) is a French team from the French National League. (2 leagues away from Ligue 1)
We also won Manager of the Month for November which is great because it's been a while since I've been deemed as the best manager of the month (all the way back from my Celtic days)
DECEMBER
December was another good month. Winning two games to start of the month but sadly losing to Arsenal Under 23s because they used Welbeck and probably other players from their first team that are regens and all.
Bounced back with a draw and a win against Shrewsbury to end December's campaign.
During December we were flooded with job offers left right and center.
Obviously rejected all of them because we are doing well and Eastleigh has been a good club to me. Hence I've decided to stay loyal to the club.
2 of our players were battling out for the best player in December with Shuttleworth winning the award while Pierre is at second place.
I myself was also 2nd place in being the Manager of the Month which is still a good achievement.
And we are currently surprisingly sitting on 3rd place, fighting for promotion as compared to our previous seasons, trying to get out of relegation