The Man formerly known on SUSIE as Poolie Exile
Give my story a read - Now I would walk 500 miles...
HockeyBhoy Activity
Chapter 95: Clocking up the miles on the road
After losing in midweek to Harrogate Town, Bromley took a break from league action on the Saturday. And it was one heck of a long bus trip for sure, so much so that the team travelled up on the Friday. Their...
More to come soon folks, just been mega busy.
Can Bromley make the move into League Two or will Basil seek a new challenge at the end of the season? Watch this space.
Chapter 95: Inconsistency isn't the answer, it's the problem!
October arrived and with it, the latest announcement of the National League awards. Basil knew in his own heart he personally would win absolutely nada, but if a player could win so...
Chapter 94: Wake me up when September ends, oh it has....
Just one game remained in September 2021 for Basil and Bromley, and that was with rivals Sutton United at Gander Green Lane. Sutton were still probably smarting from the fact that the Ravens had...
Chapter 93: Losing happens, but it's how to bounce back that matters
As Basil waved the Lads back to Bromley after that Chesterfield loss, he pondered. He was going to have a few days just up the A61 in Sheffield, seeing people he hadn't seen...
Chapter 92: You gotta lose sometime, right?
September arrived and with it, another batch of fixtures for Basil and Bromley. The least important trophy of the four would start off proceedings before five more Vanarama National League fixtures: taking the...
Chapter 91: Steps in the right direction
[justify]Three games remained in the opening month for Basil and his Bromley side. It had been a tough month but the philosophy was to try and remain unbeaten from it. If the team could do that then Basil would b...
Chapter 90: 22 and counting...
Winning at Mill Farm in midweek exorcised the ghost of losing there last season, and Basil was a very happy manager when he boarded the bus home that night. It was also a bit of a statement as well. AFC Fylde were again on...
Chapter 89: Under starters orders
This was it, the start of the new 2021-22 National League campaign for Bromley and Basil Brush. After the disappointment of the Play-Off Final in May, it was time to reset and go again. Could the Ravens take that next s...
Chapter 88: Decision making exercises
With the season just 48 hours away, Basil sat down with Jerry in the boardroom at Hayes Lane to discuss what were going to be club's priorities for the new campaign. Compared to last season, the Club was in fou...
Chapter 87: Preparations complete, now time for the real thing
Basil reflected in the home dressing room after the home friendly draw with Lincoln that his reshaped Bromley side still had a lot to improve on. Last season had ended in a disappointing con...
Chapter 86: Pre-season means nothing, nothing
The final three pre-season games gave Basil proverbial food for thought. Thoughts of where he saw his team ahead of the big kick off on 7 August against Stevenage. And by the end of July, Basil knew that the...
Chapter 85: Cards on the table
The big pre-season friendly was just 24 hours away when Premier League Crystal Palace would make the short journey to Hayes Lane. Nobody knew what sort of side that Palace Head Coach Rafael Benitez would name. Would it be...
Domestic Managerial Jobs:
Werribee City: 1 July 2019 - 19 December 2020
Bromley: 19 December 2020 - present
International Managerial Jobs:
Cook Islands: 27 September 2020 - present
Awards Won:
2019-2020: National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 (...
Chapter 84: Not exactly what the doctor ordered
After completing the loan signing of Eoin Teggart, Basil's attentions switched to prepping the team ready for the first home friendly of the new season. Once more the team management on the day would...
Thank you, and for continuing to follow this story. It's very much appreciated.
Chapter 83: That's all folks!
Having brought in four newcomers to Bromley since the transfer dealings came into earnest, Basil was keen to add more and more so he had more competition for places in his squad. "If I can have two players for eac...
Tough at the top but I'm sure you will turn it around. Keep the faith!
Chapter 82: Building blocks
Since arriving back from Cancun, Basil had been hard at work. He was sometimes doing 14-16 hour days, 7 days a week, in his pursuit for preparing for the new season ahead. Since he had nobody to cosy up to at home, he saw not...
Chapter 81: Back to work
That holiday in Cancun was just what Basil needed, a break away from it all. Switch off the rat race and football business for a while, and soak up those rays. Except for a couple of days, it poured with rain constantly. There w...
Welcome back mate!
Happy birthday Susie!
Chapter 80: Picking up the pieces
When Hartlepool United's Brad Young sprung to his left to deny Luke Coulson, it was the end of the road for the 2020-21 season for Bromley. Basil had taken them from relegation candidates to within touching distanc...
Chapter 79: Achy Breaky Hart-lepool!
[justify]To be updated soon....
[/justify[
Chapter 78: The Final Countdown
It was the biggest week of Basil and Bromley's lives. Basil, during his playing career, had never played at the National Stadium. There had been times when he had been named in national squads but injury had robbed h...
Chapter 77: All I can do is dream, dream, dream....
It was a mild May evening as Basil drove into the car park at Gander Green Lane. He adjusted the collar of his Joma jacket which was emblazoned with a Bromley FC logo on its left breast and the Vanaram...
Chapter 76:
When Basil arrived in December, he didn't plan to be leading a Club into the play-off semi finals. So much so that he booked himself a summer break in Cancun days after starting work at Bromley. So as the team unravelled win after win,...
Chapter 75: Don't you just love that winning feeling?
Two matches to go, and a place in the end of season lottery guaranteed. That's how it was for Basil and his Bromley squad. A trip to Boreham Wood would conclude the away league list before...
Chapter 74: This train keeps on rolling and rolling...!
[justify]With three of their four league games at Hayes Lane, Bromley knew that their play off destiny was in their own hands. Basil was aware of it, the players were and the fans were certainly bu...
Chapter 73; An egg-cellent Easter!
With just six games of the regular season to play, everyone knew how important the Easter period was. Two games in three days would test anyone at any level, never mind in the National League. It could make or break a...
Chapter 72: That winning feeling
It was Maundy Thursday morning when the latest winners of the Vanarama National League monthly awards, and Basil was busy as ever. The players were in early doors for a lightish session ahead of the Easter games which wo...
Chapter 71: Jeers and Cheers
The day after that latest win, Basil was in London Heathrow Terminal 3 Departures for the second time in 2021 and probably not the last either. His destination? Auckland. To arrive in the Cook Islands eventually would see hi...
Chapter 70: And the train keeps on rolling
Seven wins out of seven, and just one goal conceded in that time. Perhaps Basil and Bromley would afford themselves some time to dream the impossible? Yet Basil, despite Jerry's excitement, remained calm....
Chapter 69: March-ing on together
The rain was lashing down as Basil boarded the team bus outside Hayes Lane, bags under his eyes so big you could fill a Tesco shop in them. He had very little sleep, and the worse was yet to come in March as he would em...
Chapter 68: It's just getting more better, maybe just maybe?
The morning after the Sutton United game, Basil started packing a suitcase. No, he wasn't about to walk out on Bromley but with no first team game on the Saturday Basil would be out...
Chapter 67: Creeping up on the outside
After three clean sheets on the bounce, Basil was rather content with how Bromley were performing. Granted they would have the odd blip like they did at AFC Fylde, the signs were that Bromley were starting to buy i...
Chapter 66: Let's build a bit of momentum
Basil had one thing to say to the Bromley team as they boarded the team bus in Somerset to head back to South East London, "Lads, let's build a bit of momentum." and he meant every single wor...
Interesting challenge this mate, taking on one of the richest sides in Europe if not the WORLD!
Good to see you back writing fella. My FM20 adventure is my main one as the FM19 one isn't loading anymore for some strange phenomenon.
Chapter 65: Sometimes you can't always be a success
As the month of January ticked closer to being completed, Basil sat back in his office chair...content shall we say. He'd finished his first month at Bromley, and the team were slowly buying...
Chapter 64: No rest, no play
The New Year echoed with bangs and fireworks a plenty. Basil had gone down to the centre of London for a few days to celebrate 2021's arrival. Like thousands, Basil stood in the cold night air on the Embankment watching...
Chapter 63: Off and running
Basil looked the fixture for the remainder of December 2020. A long trip north to Chorley to begin with then back to back Christmas home games against Aldershot Town and Havant and Waterlooville. Assessing the table, Basil th...
Chapter 62: Understanding Bromley
As Basil and his new backroom staff chatted in the centre circle of the Hayes Lane pitch, the players slowly trundled up the tunnel for training. Each player looked up as if to wonder what was going on, and smiled. Basi...
VOLUME 2 - EUROPE
Chapter 61: Getting to know you
Basil stepped off the flight at Heathrow Airport after the Boeing 777 parked at gate 32. It was 07:30 in the morning. The rain was teeming down as normal, and there was a brisk south-westerly wind which...
Chapter 60: All Good Things Must Eventually End
In between the games against Melbourne Knights and Heidelberg United, Basil had been summoned to a Zoom call. That call was with a certain Jerry Dolke. Jerry was the chairman of Vanarama National League si...
Chapter 59: Nothing lasts forever
The day before the ninth game of the season saw some welcome che...
Chapter 58: Winter is coming
After the crowd had dispersed following the 2-1 home win over Green G...
Chapter 56: It's gotta be...PERFECT!
After reaching their highest position in the new divisio...
Chapter 55: Fireworks!
[justify]After the team had delivered three points to him as an early birth...
Chapter 55: COOK-ed to Perfection
After Werribee's home game against Dandenong City, Basil di...
Chapter 54: Options will be kept open
Basil poured himself a glass of wine after submitting his fi...