|
 What is Football Manager: Football Manager is, as its name implies, a management simulation game in which a player takes charge of a football club team, an international team, or perhaps both at once. It is famous for its level of detail and quantity of data, having such an excellent database that it is sometimes employed by real clubs for scouting purposes. Another thing the series is famous for is its nature as a time sink. Players will spend much of their free time thinking up new tactics, trying to refine their old ones, mulling over possible transfers and other assorted things the job requires one to think about. It is a very popular series, being played by several professionals in the sport itself, with current Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Barcelona and France forward Ousmane Dembele, and Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portugal striker Diogo Jota among the highest-profile. The series isn’t something new to Something Awful either, with a joint playthrough of 07 , loco88’s playthrough of 08 , an archived run through of 14 and a recent let’s play of 18, by habeasdorkus, behind those links. Since then, FM19 and FM20 have been released, each of these games quite similar to the other but rather different to those that came before. A number of changes arrived when FM19 did, with a total overhaul of training, mentoring, the introduction of the much-maligned Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and, of course, Brexit. Team talks may now have cascading effects, so saying something a team leader likes may cause players who look up to him to have a similar positive reaction. Managing your players mentally is as important as managing their physical status. FM19 is more automated than ever, allowing a player to deal with as much or as little of the game as they want. Should your tactic be broken enough, you can even gamble by going on holiday and coming back when the season is done. There is a lot of raw data to sift through, but the game does offer manager inductions, the closest equivalent to a tutorial in this sort of game. Even then, it can be overwhelming. I’ll do my best to simplify where I can. Should you not know a thing about football, I’m happy to talk at length about it, so the walls of text I might cough up will probably have some useful information in them somewhere. Every so often, I'll talk about the sport in the real world, which is going to be coming back shortly from its coronavirus-induced hiatus. To start off, we'll be managing a small south coast club called Exmouth Harriers Football Club at the bottom available tier of the English football pyramid. They're a very young club, founded in 2008, and they've been steadily making their way up the league structure. Their training facilities aren't very good, their youth recruitment is minimal and they've got a long way to go before becoming anything more than a blip on the football radar. Their kits look like this.  They're owned by the supporters, and we're all well aware of what that means. Should anything of note happen to the club, those in the thread will be the ones to decide its fate. Will we take them to greatness? Will I be sacked within a couple of months? We will have to see as we go through Football Manager 2019. GruntMountain fucked around with this message at 13:48 on Jul 21, 2020 |
#
?
Jun 9, 2020 20:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 11:10 |
|
|
Bookmarks: Season 1: Part I: EX GENESIS BONUS: Meet the Squad PART II: AN AUSPICIOUS START PART III: AN ACE IN THE HOLE PART IV: RISING TO THE CHALLENGE BONUS: Meet the Striker PART V: THE PAUPER PRINCE Season 2: PART VI: A STEP UP IN CLASS PART VII: THE CREST OF THE WAVE PART VIII: PLUS ULTRA Season 3: PART IX: THE BEST DEFENSE IS A GOOD OFFENSE PART X: ONLY THE RESULTS MATTER PART XI: GOING FOR BROKE Season 4: PART XII: A SHREWD PIECE OF BUSINESS Trophy Case: 
GruntMountain fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Aug 8, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jun 9, 2020 20:35
|
|
|
EX GENESIS: (30/6/2018)  Though football in Exmouth doesn’t receive the same sort of exposure its resort facilities and palaeontological finds are showered in, it does still have a tendency to cause a stir when something of note occurs. To call the fallout from the latest session of managerial musical chairs a ‘stir’ would be understating the sheer perplexion coming out of Exmouth Harriers Football Club. Beloved Excavators boss Clark Zybourne, 51, announced this morning that his contract had been terminated with immediate effect, leaving the Exmouth supporters confused and disheartened. Having taken the Sunshine Stadium club from the lowest rung of English football to within touching distance of the Football League, Zybourne was seen as the club’s ticket to greatness. As it stands, Exmouth Harriers are a club with a steady upward trajectory. Formed in 2008, the Excavators have been climbing the non-league structure for a decade now. For a number of years, they have contested healthy rivalries with other south coast clubs, most notably Weymouth Wanderers, with whom they contest the Jurassic Classic. Such pleasantries will need to be set aside while the two south-west sports club duel in the National League South. Weymouth fight to have a chance to break into the National League. Exmouth, without the rallying figure at the helm, seem set to struggle to merely survive.  Club Chairman Riyad Hakimi (pictured above) is believed to be close to announcing a replacement. Without a frontrunner for the job emerging, whoever the choice for new head coach ends up being will be a surprise for us all. _______________ (1/7/2018, somewhere in Exmouth) : Am I right in saying this is your first foray into senior management, Mr. Berardi? : That’s right. And just Gio is fine.: Let’s not get too familiar. We may be a semi-pro outfit, but I expect a level of professionalism here. If we are to make it to the big time, I believe that it’s important to instil these sorts of standards within the club. Now, before we start, do you have any questions?: None just yet.: Good. Let’s continue. I’ll introduce you to the club. After Exmouth Town F.C. folded in 2008, many people in this town were understandably disappointed. To fill the void in their hearts, a group of four American expatriates founded this club, introducing it to the English footballing pyramid in the summer of 2008. The original crop of players comprised a group of construction workers, these men lending the club the nickname it keeps to this day. The Excavators, as we are called, are a club with big dreams. We intend to become a professional club within the next five years. The funds do so will not fall into our laps. Getting us to the next level is a job we’ve seen fit to entrust to you. : You have a year to impress us. You’re free to make a case to make your stay longer. Don’t force us to make it shorter. As I'm sure you're doubtless aware, we'll be playing our games in the National League South, one half of the sixth division of English football. This is as fine a place as any to start a managerial career. If you have realistic expectations about both the budget and the quality of football, you'll enjoy your time here. For now, let's get you acquainted with the facilities…_______________  For the first time in the series, Football Manager 2019 sees the introduction of a tutorial, a series of manager inductions to get the player up to speed on the various aspects of the job. You’re free to set yourself as ‘experienced’ in-game to skip past these but they’re very useful for a new player. As stated in the OP, FM19 has seen a complete overhaul of the tactics and training mechanics, so let’s take a look at those first.  Gone are the days in which a manager selects a mentality like ‘control’, ‘counter’ or ‘contain’. From FM19 onwards, one selects a general mentality from very defensive to very attacking, and one is free to pick a pre-made mentality ordered from most aggressive to least aggressive. Under each of these headings, the game suggests three formations that it thinks would fit that tactic best. You’re free to change these afterwards to something that you might feel would do the job better, but these base formations are good foundations upon which to build.  Each position has a variety of roles, with each player fitting a role based on their attributes. Getting the right combination of roles can make or break the balance of the team. While something might look good on paper, it could easily be torn apart by a single through ball.  The game then breaks down your tactical instructions into three specific zones. In Possession details what you want your team to be doing with the ball. Essentially, this is how you’re instructing your team to win the game. Passing directness can go from extremely short to extremely direct, the former being an extreme form of ball retention, the latter essentially being hoofball up to the strikers. Tempo can go from very low to extremely high. This determines how quickly you want the ball to move, with slow passing lending itself to patient build-ups, and therefore possession-based football, while higher tempo serves to disorientate and daze the opposition by sheer speed of play.  In Transition concerns what happens when the ball changes hands, so to speak. Counter-pressing means that your players will want to grab the ball back immediately, while regroup means the boys drop back to get back into possession to prevent counterattacks. Countering when possession is won indicates that you want your guys to try and catch the opposition out and score against the run of play, holding shape means going back to patient build-up once the ball is regained. The tab for goalkeeper possession principally determines what you want your keeper to do after goal kicks and after claiming the ball. Launching it long supports counterattacks, while kicking it short allows for building up from the back.  Out Of Possession determines how your team acts when possession is held by the other team. The level of engagement determines where pressing starts and where the team’s offensive line tends to sit, while defensive line determines where your defenders are placing themselves, with a high line pushing the team forward and allowing for very quick recycling of the ball for attacks, while a deep line means that the team is more resistant to counterattacks, especially if the centre backs on the slower side. Staying on your feet and diving in are two opposite sides of the coin, with diving in meaning a higher rate of tackling and turnovers with a higher rate of yellow and red cards, while staying on your feet relies on the individual skill of the tackler and hopes for a low volume of higher quality tackles to account for relying on only safe tackling. Playing the offside trap instructs your defensive line to try and get the opposition caught offside. This requires good pace and, more importantly, good communication so that the defensive unit is always in agreement as to when they want to push forward and when they slide back.  Training has been overhauled for this game, with it becoming much easier to mould your team into the football machine you want it to be. Each week, you’re given a training review and a training plan for the next week. Each training module, highlighted in dark blue in the above image, can be changed into a variety of specific training modules. If your team is facing a team that has a high proportion of headed goals, it may be worth it to train aerial defense and heading. If your team has been scuffing chances and fluffing their lines, attacking shadow play and chance conversion training can do wonders.  Your squad is divided into training units, pre-assigned by the game but able to be changed by the player. This can be useful when retraining a player to a different position. For example, if I want Ron the winger to become Ron the full back, I’d move him to the defensive unit. Each unit has a different focus and players might become upset if their unit is being asked to train too hard or isn’t receiving enough attention.  Mentoring has gone through a change as well. Beforehand, a manager would assign a player to tutor a single player, generally under the age of 24. In FM19, mentoring is divided into groups and each player in the group has a given influence on that group based on their social standing and seniority. Mentoring can be very useful for acquiring traits and indeed some traits can only be attained via mentoring. If I wanted Ron the winger to learn how to place his shots, then I’d place him in a group with Fred, who already knows how to do that. Mentoring also affects a player’s personality, so it’s good to have mentors who are model citizens or determined to reach their goals so that it rubs off on the players they’re mentoring. _______________ Of course, to start training and mentoring players, we’ll need to have players. That’s where you come in. Armed with the knowledge that your player is likely to be rubbish and jump ship within a year, please give me: Full Name: Nickname (Optional): City of Birth and Nationality: Age: Between 17-38 Position: Goalkeeper (GK), Centre Back (CB), Full Back (FB), Central Midfielder (CM), Wide Midfielder (WM), Striker (ST) You can also describe your player, giving me height, weight, hair colour, etc. The level of detail is up to you. Example using a real player: Full Name: Jorge Resurrección Merodio Nickname: Koke City of Birth and Nationality: Madrid, Spain Age: 28 Position: CM
|
|
#
?
Jun 9, 2020 20:39
|
|
|
I'm looking forward to another good FM LP. Habeas' always was fun. Full Name: Alexander Metzger Nickname (Optional): Lex City of Birth and Nationality: Landshut, Germany; British (renounced German citizenship) Age: 18 Position: GK
|
|
#
?
Jun 9, 2020 23:35
|
|
|
Sure, Full name: Adam Smith Nickname: The Institute Age: 31 Birthplace: Nottingham, UK Position: St Goals are a free market and baby, Adams looking to monopolise
|
|
#
?
Jun 9, 2020 23:49
|
|
|
Full Name: Brick Rockmeat Nickname: The Wall Age: 21 Birthplace: Brooklyn, US Position: FB Description: heavy, wide, bald, very tall
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2020 02:36
|
|
|
Excited for another FM LP! Put me in coach! Full Name: Paul Paulson Nickname (Optional): "Paul" City of Birth and Nationality: St. Paul, MN, a damned yankee Age: 19 Position: WM (left footed)
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2020 13:05
|
|
|
Sure! Love placing myself in the beautiful game. Might also be at my skill level too... Full Name: Brian Eaufort City of Birth and Nationality: Birmingham, England Age: 26 Position: LB (Left Foot)
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2020 18:07
|
|
|
I love FM let's plays Name: Ivan Avals Birthplace: Gomel, Belarus Age: 22 Position: CM/DM
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2020 18:51
|
|
|
I still play Xpert Eleven in tyool2020 and flushed a real turd a couple months ago, maybe he washed up here. Name: Rob Case Birthplace: America Age: 31 Position: Defender Description: white dude with blond afro (see hall of fame image), least awful thing about him is his freekicking, very bad and selfish personality. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2020 21:48
|
|
|
I'm always a fan of the underdogs. Full Name: Ronnie Rection City of Birth and Nationality: Exmouth, England. Age: 17 Position: ST
|
|
#
?
Jun 10, 2020 23:55
|
|
|
There are still up to 10 more spots on the team sheet for any thread lurkers or people still on the fence about submitting a player. I'll be starting the game on Monday, generating my own players in the event we don't have the standard Vanarama National South complement of 19 players.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2020 14:49
|
|
|
Precisely the image I was thinking of.
|
|
#
?
Jun 12, 2020 21:55
|
|
|
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus City of Birth and Nationality: Atherstone, Warwickshire, England Age: 16 Positon: LB / LWB edit: nickname! "Tribune" KYOON GRIFFEY JR fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Jun 14, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2020 01:09
|
|
|
Ziltoid the Omniscient (google the name you'll find some amazing art to use) Tulsa, Oklahoma 16 year old wonderkid (see what i did there) Uhh make him a midfielder
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2020 01:52
|
|
|
Jim Spurtworthy "Moistie" 17 Wainuiomata, New Zealand Midfield, WM 
sebmojo fucked around with this message at 23:34 on Jun 13, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2020 12:50
|
|
|
Full Name: António Madeira Nickname: Tó City of Birth and Nationality: Gouveia, Portugal Age: 25 Position: ST (You can make him CB or something if there is no one for that position)
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2020 14:35
|
|
|
Full name: Frederik Schytte Nickname: "Freddy Shite" City of Birth and Nationality: Copenhagen, Denmark Age: 24 Position: CM/CAM/Offensive minded midfielder right footed, tries to be a dribbling fancy-dan but sucks, 5'10/178 tall, weight about 90 kg/200 pounds
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2020 23:28
|
|
|
Sod it, why not. Full name: Roy Knypersley Age: 32 City of Birth & Nationality: Stoke-on-Trent, English Position: CB. Veteran no-nonsense centreback at lower league level. Strong and good in the air, but slow and has poor concentration. Currently good for our level, but obviously in decline as he ages throughout the season.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2020 00:21
|
|
|
Name: Robert Bass Nickname: Big Mouth Age: 26 City: Houston, Texas AMERICAN Position: CM/DM/RB If we can request traits I want the Argue with officials trait and Dives into tackles to be a red card disaster waiting to happen. Jack2142 fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Jun 14, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2020 07:03
|
|
|
Is it too early to talk about a raise in my wages?
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2020 08:21
|
|
|
Rocket Baby Dolls posted:Is it too early to talk about a raise in my wages? I noticed this post right as I finished simming a game in which Ronnie scores 5 in one half, so probably not.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2020 08:43
|
|
|
Rocket Baby Dolls posted:Is it too early to talk about a raise in my wages? Your wage will be determined by the invisible hand of the free market.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2020 18:42
|
|
|
BONUS: Meet The Squad: Tó: A product of the much vaunted Benfica academy, the affectionately-titled Resort Ronaldo is a powerful, technical striker who shoots confidently with either foot. Having captured the hearts of the Excavators fans since his arrival at the club in 2015, he has made 91 appearances and scored 71 goals for the club as we’ve risen up the leagues. Tó is a striker just entering his prime and someone from whom the fans can rely on to create a spark and grab a goal when needed. More than that, he is a great example to any youngsters in the game, a model citizen who deserves to be emulated.  The Institute: Nottingham born-and-bred, Adam ‘The Institute’ Smith is a new signing at the Sunshine Stadium. Standing at 172cm tall and weighing 71 kilogrammes, The Institute doesn’t seem like your typical imposing frontman, but his tenacity and work rate mean that he is a menace to sleepy defences. Possessed of electric pace and an eye for goal, The Institute has shone wherever he has gone, featuring for Nottingham Forest, Cambridge United, Dulwich Hamlet, Slough Town, Blythe Spartans and now Exmouth. Boasting a record of 140 goals in 261 appearances, he is a powerful offensive weapon.  Ronnie Rection: Clark Zybourne left an impressive legacy for the club and one of his greatest achievements is his education of rising striker Ronnie Rection. One of Exmouth’s very first academy products, Rection is a tall, composed striker with good feet for a boy of his size and an eye for goal his more senior peers might envy. A mere 17 years of age, he nonetheless seems ready for the step up into senior football.  Shite: Frederik Schytte is a man who adds a touch of class to the industrious Excavators midfield. A decent dribbler and an intelligent footballer to boot, he’s the one the team looks to to dictate the game and pull strings from the middle of the park. Poached from the FC København youth set-up and raised under the tutelage of the Exmouth staff, he has the necessary grit and steel to succeed in this league and add to the 36 goals he’s scored in his 136 appearances with the club. A recipient of our now famous chant "Shite's Alright", he has become a fan-favourite player.  Paul Paulson: Saint Paul from St. Paul is another one of our academy graduates, providing pace and poise on the left flank, though he is equally comfortable cutting in off of the right onto his strong left foot. A progressive thinker and as aggressive as a pitbull down the wing, he harries the opposition tirelessly, bringing great pride to the club and offering hope for the future of the team.  Oliver Goodsir: Our Banbridge Beckham is a Northern Irish gem freshly bought from Forest Green Rovers. A quick and dynamic right winger, he is sure to offer an impressive attacking outlet down the right, as his 50 career goals attest. An experienced head in midfield, his knowledge of the lower leagues will be indispensable as we look to battle through the season.  Moistie: A battler in midfield, Jim Spurtworthy truly embodies the spirit of being a Harrier. Fleet of foot and hard in the tackle, Moistie leaves no blade of grass untouched, pressing relentlessly to get his team further up the pitch. A product of our academy, his is a career the fans will watch with great interest.  Ziltoid the Omniscient: Whether the young man from Tulsa truly is omniscient remains to be seen, but the fact of the matter is that he knows a great deal for a player so early in his footballing journey. A smart player with a silky touch and an eye for a pass, he is seen by many fans as the understudy to and natural successor to Schytte, moulding himself into a maestro in the middle of the park. A mere 16 years of age, there are concerns that he lacks the necessary muscularity to make an immediate step up, but there is certainly nothing to worry about when it comes to his energy levels and drive.  Ivan Avals: The formerly BATE-based Belarusian is a new addition to the Exmouth fold, a hard man in midfield who acts as the catalyst for many of our counterattacking moves. 187cm tall, indefatigable and almost impossible to shake off of the ball, Avals is an enormously impressive midfielder for a man of just 22. By no means a bad finisher, we have faith that he won’t take long to score his first senior goal in Exmouth colours.  Tribune: Gaius Sempronius Gracchus bears the name of a Roman Popularis politician and, like his namesake, favours the cause of the people at large. A team player before anything else, Tribune is a very promising left back cum wing back, another of our recent academy graduates. The Atherstone-born teenager has a great platform upon which to shine, being in the company of Brian Eaufort and Robert Bass, two level-headed full backs that have years of experience and wisdom to impart on the lad.  Robert Bass: Our Houston Harrier is an established face at the club, joining us from AFC Liverpool back in 2016. Scoring 4 goals in 68 appearances, he has shown his value in multiple roles, being equally comfortable in central midfield, defensive midfield and even at right back. Energetic and fierce, Bass is a consummate competitor, sometimes blurring the lines between legal and illegal to get an upper hand in the game. His ferocity has won him plaudits among the Exmouth fans, who bring fake beards to match days in support of the bearded barbarian.  Rob Case: 'Discount David Luiz' may seem like an insulting nickname, but being compared to a Champions League winner is a massive compliment to anyone playing at this level. Case is an imported player from the States, bringing in brash bulk and silky skills to the heart of the defence. While primarily a safety-first type player, his long passes nonetheless have the ability to open up a stubborn defence.  Brian Eaufort: Another stalwart in defence, Eaufort joined the club from Nottingham Forest in 2016 and has been a fixture in the team ever since. An attacking full back with a good engine, Eaufort will race up and down the left flank tirelessly, recycling the ball and sending in dipping crosses for the forward to feast upon. A manager’s dream to manage, Eaufort can receive no complaints from the staff or the fans.  Roy Knypersley: An elder statesman of the game with 418 appearances to his name, our captain know his way around the old block. Starting his career at hometown club Stoke City, he has travelled from Stoke-on-Trent to Weston-super-Mare to FC United to Rothwell Corinthians before settling down at Exmouth Harriers in 2015. Not blessed with astounding pace, Knypersley is nonetheless a wily old fox and strong as an ox. Any striker expecting an easy time against the Bloke from Stoke is in for a nasty surprise.  The Wall: You might not believe it, but Brick Rockmeat, standing at 210cm and weighing in at 120 kilogrammes, is a mere 20 years of age. A full back by trade but comfortable enough to slot in the centre of defence, The Wall is an imposing presence at the back, perfectly personifying his name as he blocks attack after attack. His huge reach gives his access to a long throw that adds a new dimension to the attack, turning The Wall into a unique attacking addition.  Lex Metzger: Goalkeepers tend to be at their best in their late twenties and early thirties. If that is true for Metzger, then he has a bright future ahead of him. Already the first choice between the sticks at 17, Metzger is a tall, quick goalkeeper with sharp reflexes and great command of his box. He can only improve from here, completing his transition from prodigious talent to established professional. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2020 11:50
|
|
|
For people who watch the USMNT or The EPL like 10 years ago, my idea for Bass is Clint Dempsey, but a Defender. One game back in America he ripped up the refs notebook after we got two redcards back to back and ended up suspended from the Open Cup Competition for like 5 more seasons and he retired before he was eligible to play again last year. Jack2142 fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Jun 16, 2020 |
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2020 05:32
|
|
|
Those writeups are great, super pumped to see my wainui bogan bro rip up the midfield
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2020 06:40
|
|
|
Thank you for picking a good picture for Gaius Sempronius Gracchus.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2020 16:17
|
|
|
AN AUSPICIOUS START (25/6/2018)  _______________ (2/7/2018) (A lovely day in Exmouth. A calm breeze passes through the town. A dark-haired American with red spectacles sits down at a cafe, his gaze focused wistfully on the small stadium looming almost ominously in the distance. A blonde woman approaches him, her voice breaking his concentration.)  : When's your first match?: Hmm?: You're having an awfully intense staring contest with the Sunshine Stadium. The new season is starting in a month or so, so I assumed you'd gotten yourself a ticket to a match.: Oh, yeah. Actually, I think I've gotten myself a season ticket. I'll be following these guys for the year, at least.: The Excavators are an interesting choice for someone from out of town to follow. Although, they do owe a significant part of their success to an American, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised to see some of you following the club. : What sort of 'success' are you talking about?  : Perhaps calling it 'success' is overstating it. Still, the team has a lot of talent and a lot of potential, even if their manager has just jumped ship. I've just done a front-page article on that situation, actually.: Oh, you're a journalist?: That I am. Chrissy March. I'm with the Chronicle.: My name's Giovanni Berardi, but just Gio is fine. I'm... Crap, I'm late!_______________ First, Mr Hakimi needs to speak to us. His conference is one that will set out our professional relationship, whether we want to speak to the media and whether we have any philosophies to suggest. Gio, well-meaning though he is, doesn''t really have any idea of footballing philosophies, so we'll leave that blank for now.      After that, we have our meeting with our Assistant Manager (AssMan), Norman Lake, a most trustworthy fellow. FM19 allows a great deal of automation, so you're free to hire the most tactically astute manager in existence and then motivate the players yourself, or the other way around. We'll share duties with Norman for now.  : We've enlisted the help of 17 schoolboys and Brandon from accounting to give your boys something to do. While you do that, I'll try and find some money to spend on youth facilities.  Norman gives us a lowdown on our squad, what our strengths are and where the holes can be found. On the bright side, Shite is alright and The Institute is a monster up top. On the darker side, Lex is our only option in goal and our only proper centrebacks are Roy and Discount David Luiz. If both get injured, we're reduced to playing The Wall and Ivan at CB, which isn't ideal.   As it is, we have a decent squad on our hands. The media predicts us finishing at a solid 7th on the table, giving us access to the Playoffs. That's assuming no major injuries to key players.  Old Clark left us with four new signings, but I'll be looking to add to those. Not because they're not good enough, but because every team needs back up. Gio is a newbie to this whole football thing, so he'll need some help in identifying and purchasing quality players. We'll be heading to the staff centre and searching for a Director of Football. A DoF is someone who determines the overall transfer strategy of a club, a person who works closely with the first team manager to ensure that the team is moulded in the identity of said manager. A DoF is an enormously important position in football.   A quick search finds us Mr Bentley here. He isn't the most immediately impressive specimen out there, but his 8/8 player judging stats are pretty good for this level of competition. We'll be offering him a contract. While we wait, we need to introduce ourselves to the boys. They're itching to know who they're placing their hopes upon.    You can't win them all, I suppose. The rest of the players, however, are excited to work under Gio. Despite Rob's... objections to our arrival, even he seems to be in positive spirits and confident of teaching the playoffs. The media will want to see us next.    : At least that's what it says on the paper in front of me.  : You look familiar...: Answer the question, Mr Berardi. : I wouldn't tempt them if I were you, Mr Berardi.   : I've got no reason to believe that even one of them doesn't have the same faith in me.   : I'd say that's a good question... sir.  : To even think of having their respect as a manager, I need to respect them as human beings. We're in this together, for better and for worse._______________ It's about time we had our first look at the squad. They've got a lot of energy and their levels of concentration are, on the whole, pretty good. For that reason, we'll be running a pressing, counter-attacking tactic. Our primary formation will be bog-standard, flat 4-4-2. 4-4-2 is among the easiest formations for a layman to understand, as its function revolves around the strengths of its pairs. At the back, our two centrebacks need to cover for one another and have a good working relationship. On either flank, the pair of full back and winger need to interchange and support the other's duties when in and out of possession. In the middle of the park, the midfielders need to balance their duties, with an ideal partnership of a sitter and a supporter. Up top, our strikers need to be able to play each other and work off of each other's strengths to occupy the opposition centrebacks and score goals for the team. Our 4-4-2 is an aggressive one, with The Institute in there as a pressing forward. Out of possession, he will try to bully the centrebacks and full backs off of the ball and then either try to score himself or play in his striker partner. Said striker partner is To, our deep-lying forward. He plays deeper than The Institute, dropping into midfield to receive a pass from Ivan or Frederik, and then spinning his man to drive at the goal from deep. He isn't as quick as The Institute, so I expect him to have fewer open play goals, but I expect him to use his height and power to convert set-piece chances. On the left, we have Paul playing as a supporting winger, staying wide and throwing in crosses and through balls. His partner, Brian, is an attacking full back expected to run beyond him and hit first-time crosses into the area. The right side is the reverse. Oliver is an attacking winger, driving at his man and getting into the box as a supplementary goal threat. To temper his aggressive tendencies, our full back on that side is on the more defensive side, with a safer range of passing and sturdier defensive qualities. In the middle, we have Ivan as our ball-winning midfielder. This role requires him to run around the pitch, constantly harassing the opposition and grabbing the ball from them to support counter-attacking opportunities. As far defensive midfielders go, his role is one of the least safe. To compensate, we've set Shite as our sitter, a deep-lying playmaker who will receive passes from the back and distribute either to To or to either wing. This midfield is fairly aggressive but offers balance. At the back, Roy is entirely defensive, just hitting it long or very short to a full back. Rob is the opposite, being a ball-playing defender who looks to make through-balls to The Institute or Oliver. Between the posts, Lex is expected to be a fairly conservative keeper, more Foster than Ederson. Our defensive 4-5-1 floods the midfield with bodies and hands it two playmakers in the form of Shite and Big Mouth. These two will hog the ball, hopefully using their dribbling and physicality respectively to escape midfield pressure. Both flank pairs are a supporting full back and a defensive winger, doing their best to recycle the ball and steal from the opposition. Both CBs pass short. Up top, The Institute is stationed as a poacher, constantly waiting to burst beyond a high, aggressive defensive line to go one-on-one with the opposition keeper. Our aggressive 4-4-1-1 similarly asks us to have more midfielders to keep a hold of the ball. Instead of a CDM, we have a central attacking midfielder, here represented by Shite. The Advanced Playmaker (AP) has minimal defensive responsibilities, being the man we rely on to feed The Institute. A DLP and a BWM add steel to a stable midfield and two supporting wingers aim to feed our solo striker. Attacking full backs look to overwhelm an under-pressure defense and a sweeper-keeper at the back seeks to distribute the ball back to the playmaker to start building the attack again.   Early signs are promising, with an emphatic win over our non-existent u23s. My limited subs, however, have convinced me of our need to dip into the transfer market. First things first, we need to look at strikers. At present, our back-up to To and the Institute is 17-year-old Rection and I'm just not sure he's hard enough for the league yet. We'll need to find a more senior striker.   By default, the manager is set to scout, but with our limited knowledge, it's far better to have our Chief Scout just do his job. Normally, he has a general focus, finding bargains and good buys across the board. We can ask him to have more specific parameters.   With the arrival of Bentley, we now have a DoF. Rather usefully, we can request transfer targets directly from our DoF, giving us options that we might not have even thought about.   Let's ask him to find us a striker.  Of these players, O'Neill is the most interesting to me. In the Vanarama South, we are limited to five subs on the bench. Therefore versatility and the ability to fill in in multiple positions is quite valuable. O'Neill is described as a CAM and a striker, so he'd fill in well.  Every week or so, our chief scout will hand us a scouting report with recommendation numbers. Looking at the actual players themselves reveals a range of ability scores, daring us to spend money scouting them further, but for now, I'm happy to follow the recommendation on face value. We just need numbers. One of our pressing concerns was back-up for Oliver, so let's look at Causso Darame.  He demanded a fair sum of money, subsequently haggled down in exchange for more money to his agent, but we've got our man. A Portuguese player, I'm sure To will help him fit right in should he decide to join us.   Elsewhere on the signing front, George O'Neill decided to take a chance and join the Excavators. A naturally right-footed player, he can additionally play as an inverted winger off of the left, adding more versatility to his locker. We'll ask one of our lads to make him feel at home.    Lex is a good boy and agrees to my request. The reaction to us getting O'Neill seems to be rather positive. Let's stick him into the starting eleven in our next friendly.   While outshone by Paul, he did alright.  Enticed by the prospect of attacking football, a whole host of season tickets get bought. That's good news for us. It's more money for the reserves.   At the lower levels, managers can get invited to Trial Days. Players who have been released by clubs strut their stuff in friendlies in the hope of impressing a passing scout and getting a deal. We'll be sending our chief scout there and attending in person. I'm sure the boys will get a boost knowing that Gio is in the crowd. The match itself was fairly dull, with a late winning goal from Grant Beeney being the only incident of note in the game. Elsewhere, we've finally got our man. Already performing at a Van South level, his report indicates that he could go all the way to being a League Two level player, a full two divisions above us. In short, this seems to have been a quality transfer.    As is tradition, let's stick him in our next eleven.  2 goals and 2 assists attest to a ridiculous performance from the 19-year-old and a good day at the office for the team. Following such a good performance, I decided to reward the squad with new teammates.    The defence looks to have a great deal of depth now and I'm confident that the team has a solid foundation to build upon for the rest of the season. Let's see how the boys handle a friendly against Halesowen.   Rather poorly, it seems. Not only did we scrape a rather unconvincing 2-0 win past Halesowen, but our starting left winger, Paul Paulson, suffered a long-term injury that will prevent him from starting the season with the rest of the squad. Perhaps that Beeney fellow is still free...   Not bad for a panic signing. His personality, however, leaves a lot to be desired. Seeing as The Institue is an ambitious perfectionist, we'll be having Ronnie, Causso and Grant all being mentored by him, hopefully turning them into goalscoring machines.  He performs admirably in the friendly against Cardiff Metropolitan University, his pace causing a lot of trouble for the opposition defence. With friendlies just about coming to a close, our attention turns to other matters.   The last week of preseason is a mixed bag. While we've confirmed our captaincies, with Roy retaining it just as Gio promised to the media, our midfield engine Ziltoid has suffered an injury, leaving him and Paul on the treatment table. Should push come to shove, Robert can fill in there. It's a loss, but one we can manage with our depth. The media seems to now think that we make the push all the way up to 3rd. That has me convinced that we can make an honest challenge for the title this season. With some luck and some grit, there's no reason why Exmouth won't see its first trophy very soon. Preseason Summary: Total Goals Scored: 29 Total Goals Conceded: 3 Top Scorer: The Institute (7) Top Playmaker: Brian Eaufort (5) Injuries: Paul Paulson (4 weeks), Ziltoid the Omniscient (4 weeks) Transfers In: George O'Neill, Causso Darame, Oliver Gardner, Jack Challis, Matthew Carr, Grant Beeney. Transfers Out: None Next Opponent: Gloucester at home in the Vanarama National South. _______________ : Hey! Hey, Chrissy!: Do you need something?: Did you know I was the next manager when you came to talk to me?: Of course I did. I always do my homework, and it's very difficult to miss the American with the red specs.: Then why approach me at the cafe? You knew you'd see me in a couple of hours at the press conference anyway.: Let's call it curiosity. According to my sources, you're an absolute nobody, a former retail manager whose only experience in the game is the three years he played 'soccer' during college. I thought there'd have to be something special about you for the board to hire you after getting rid of the decorated head coach they had before. : Well, is there?: ... Goodbye, Mr Berardi. Good luck for your first game. Let's hope you won't need it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2020 18:30
|
|
|
The Institute asks that he be the main striker, To should support him!
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2020 20:25
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2020 20:57
|
|
|
Ok I'm not the only one who realizes we're being led by Johnny 5-Aces himself.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2020 06:47
|
|
|
AN ACE IN THE HOLE _______________ (11/8/2018) (The home locker room at the Sunshine Stadium, Exmouth. It's matchday, though the crowds and even the players themselves won't be here for another few hours. A tall burly man with a friendly face approaches the bespectacled man staring out the window with a lit cigarette gripped between his teeth. Recoiling as the smell reaches his nose, the friendly man presses on nonetheless.)  : You look nervous.: Who, me?: Yes, you. It's only the two of us in here. Normally it's just me that's in the dressing room so early. And here you are, chewing on that cigarette like you're going to find the cure for lung cancer inside it.: That bad?: Perhaps I'm exaggerating a little bit. Still, there's something bugging you. What's up, boss?: How did you feel before you made your debut?: Elated. Getting onto the pitch for my boyhood club was a dream come true.:...: I'm not going to pretend I wasn't nervous, though. All sorts of questions were going through my head. 'What if I mess up?' 'What if the gaffer doesn't fancy me?' 'What if I score an own goal?' 'What if I miss my man?' In the end, I just gave it my best shot. I played the full ninety and kept a clean sheet. When I got home, I was wondering 'What was I getting so worked up about?' Then it turned out that the manager did not, in fact, fancy me, and I eventually ended up at a club with a manager in the same position I was in 16 years ago. You'll do fine, boss. We've prepared as well as we can and we've assembled a good squad. The boys and I have faith in you to give us a good season.:... Thanks. That makes me feel a lot better knowing I've got your backing.: No problem, boss. If you ever need an ear, just let me know._______________ August:  The season is about to start and the games are coming in thick and fast. We'll practically have to play two different elevens in the two games just to keep everyone healthy.     Our first opponents are Gloucester, who we'll be welcoming to the Sunshine Stadium for Gio's first game. We're being pegged as strong favourites, but we'll have to be careful for this game. Gloucester have really packed the midfield, with 5 guys in there to try and win the battle in the middle of the park. Our players are very quick as a group, so we'll be bypassing the midfield entirely and looking to transition with speed. Match Report: Gloucester Highlights  A battling performance in the middle of the park by Moistie and Shite meant that, although we lost the battle for possession, we broke with speed and purpose, creating a multitude of chances that Oliver and To put away. Rob missing a penalty did little to dampen a very impressive performance from the centreback. The perfect platform upon which to build, our maiden campaign begins with a win. Our primary tactic worked to perfection with our first choice eleven. Our challenge for the title will be determined by our strength in depth.  Lex Metzger, our prodigiously talented goalie, broke a record, becoming Exmouth's youngest ever starter. Getting a clean sheet in the process makes the moment sweeter. (13/8/2018) Match Report: St Albans Highlights  The Institute ran rampant, causing constant problems for the St Albans defence. Aside from his goal, he made an assist for each of Rection and Darame's goals. Despite conceding, Metzger was brilliant in goal, diving down several times to deny Bignell and Merson when balls over the top threatened the defence. This game in particular exposed our centrebacks, with neither Rob nor Roy being blessed with any sort of pace. The directness of the two St Albans forwards caused us problems and on a different day, the two of them may have scored more and threatened our control over the game.   Ronnie seems keen to prove me wrong about his status at the club, putting in such a good performance that I need to consider him for future consideration as a starter. With our schedule being what it is, there will be plenty of opportunities for the guy to show me what he's made of. The fans are, by and large, over the moon for him. Seeing a local lad succeed is always pleasing. (18/8/2018) Match Report: Hampton and Richmond Borough Highlights  The boys had fun today, with half of our outfield players scoring a goal. Tribune had a brilliant time on debut, laying two golden chances on a plate for his teammates to convert. The young left back overlapped our man of the match, George O'Neill, who ran the Hampton and Richmond Borough defence ragged, getting in on the action with a goal of his own. Rob finally scored his first goal for the club, netting from 12 yards out. The wing players had the opportunity to show off their tricks and flicks, with Oliver Goodsir in particular pulling off a stylish roulette near the edge of the box to get away from his man. So total was our level of control over the game that the Football Association decided to let the rest of the league know as a challenge. All it's going to do is light a fire under our guys.  (25/8/2018) Match Report: Oxford City Highlights Oxford City took us to the cleaners. If it wasn't for a few fingertip saves from Lex, we'd have been looking at a much grimmer scoreline. With this match being seen as an easier one, we decided to let Oliver Gardner have a continued run in the centre of defence next to Roy and allow Tribune to try and continue to improve his form. This proved to be a fatal mistake, as the untested pair fell victim to Ronaldo Pearson and David Owusu's pace, while the youngster was overwhelmed by the physicality of the Oxford City right winger. Our first loss in the league was a sobering experience and a reminder to treat every game with the utmost care. (28/8/2018) Match Report: Chippenham Town Highlights Our return to winning ways is credit to our two wing players, Oliver Goodsir and Causso Darame, the latter in particular turning into something of a profilic goalscorer at this level. A fairly even game in most respects, the difference came in how clinical our finishing was. Oliver was the beneficiary of our playmaker finally seeming to click, while Causso saw an errant pass come his way and launched a rocket into the roof of the net off of his left foot. Aside from the beating we got from Oxford City, we had an extremely good August, and the league officials fully recognised that. A reward was in store for our very own Oliver Goodsir, while Gio narrowly missed out on being named Manager of the Month.   September: (1/9/2018) Match Report: Torquay United Highlights The Institute had an absolutely horrible game, two misplaced passes directly leading to two goals scored by the opposition forwards, leaving us 2-0 after just 17 minutes. Then the second half came and The Institute kicked into high gear, first setting up Darame and Rection before grabbing two goals himself in a spirited performance that left absolutely no question marks over his quality as a frontman. The influence of the dominating Wall at the back cannot be overstated, his beautiful long pass for The Institute's second being a highlight of the game.  : The man really making a case for himself becoming the Player of the Season is Exmouth's Rob Case, a versatile central defender cum full back whose quicksilver touch has greatly enriched a most surprising start by the Excavators. If ever there was an example of how to be a steely but elegant centreback at lower league level, then Rob Case is that example. He and the rest of Berardi's boys lie in 2nd, a mere pair of points behind Gavin Rose's Dulwich Hamlet. If Exmouth are to truly challenge for the title, then they have to find real quality. And if quality is what Berardi is looking for, and is desperate for, then Rob is on the Case.: (Maybe that's a bit hyperbolic, but Rob has been putting up some pretty good performances recently. You know, I started off on the wrong foot with him. I'm sure it'll go a long way to repairing our relationship if I give him a pat on the back.)(The home locker room at the Sunshine Stadium. In front of the mirror, Rob Case is running a comb through his impressively large afro, covering every patch of the sphere of hair meticulously. Gio approaches cautiously.) : Hey, Rob. You got a minute? : I've been playing you out of position at right full back because I'm really a big fan of your passing and crossing. You've really given us a platform to really challenge for the title, the way you've made chances for Adam and Anto, and the way you've protected the goal next to Roy.  : (Oh...)(8/9/2018) Match Report: Slough Town Highlights The Institute was keen to show his former employers what they were missing, with a trademark energetic performance for the team. A man possessed, he grabbed another brace, letting To and Avals get the other goals in a convincing win that Slough never really threatened to overturn. (11/9/2018) Match Report: Hemel Hempstead Highlights Our momentum came to a halt at Vauxhall Road, with a late goal from each of Ziltoid and Kaloczi meaning that it finished all square between Exmouth and Hemel Hempstead. (15/9/2018) Match Report: Bath City Highlights The boys got back into their rhythm with a win against Bath City, The Institute further adding to his already impressive goal return. We created a glut of chances, but, truth be told, so did Bath, and that may be a cause of concern. We were meant to walk over them, but were tested instead. Against a team with greater steel, we might run into trouble. I demanded a higher level of training from the boys. Some of them, one in particular, weren't particularly pleased with this order. : Listen, Rob, I've asked everyone to step up their preparations for the FA Cup match. If we progress, that means the club gets a lot of money to spend on better facilities and better players. It means that even the veterans like you will get a nice big payrise at the end of the day. Thing is, everyone is cooperating, but...  : I don't think I've trained any worse than anyone else to be honest. Besides, we're playing Hornchurch, not Man City. We'll walk this. : We need to take this seriously. The English are always talking about 'the magic of the cup' and crap like that. That means anyone can kick anyone else out of the competition. I need you in the game or we'll see ourselves on the end of something ugly. Please get your head in the game.: Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you getting at me for? I've been the top performer for this team and you're telling me to get my head screwed on straight?: That's... That's not what I meant... (22/9/2018) Match Report: AFC Hornchurch Highlights The league took a break as we went to face AFC Hornchurch in the Second Qualifying Round of the Football Association Cup (FA Cup). Playing in his favoured striker's position, substitute O'Neill plundered a good brace as the second string side ran out convincing winners, with Rob Case in particular having a great game at the back. With fellow non-leaguers Weymouth F.C. in the next round, we look to have a pretty easy ride through the FA Cup at the moment.     (25/9/2018) Match Report: Dartford Highlights Dartford held us to a draw, with under-fire Rob Case scoring a most embarrassing own goal. Bright spark Causso Darame hit the equaliser just before half time, his efforts not quite enough to spark a comeback. The result left us in 2nd, 2 points behind the surprise leaders, Dulwich Hamlet. (29/9/2018) Match Report: Welling Highlights We struggled to beat Welling, limping over the finish line thanks to a blockbuster from Moistie for his first senior goal. Jack Barham got Welling's opener through a shot at the edge of the box, his movement from midfield causing big problems for our defence, the inexperience of Moistie leaving the advanced midfielder free. Still, a win is a win, and we have Weymouth in the cup to look forward to next. Our good September form once again saw Gio nearly clinch the Manager of the Month award, failing to beat the man who seems to be shaping up to be the main villain of Season 1...  October: (6/10/2018) Match Report: Weymouth F.C. Highlights An embarrassing performance. We played like amateurs who had never even seen each other before and let Ken Coton, a wingback who'd never scored a goal in his life, hit one in for the winner. We threw shots at the wall hoping one would stick, but our finishing left a lot to be desired as we were dumped out of the cup by a team in a league below us. What's worse are the vultures circling for our cheap captures, with Jack Challis' short-term contract an apparent invitation to pursue him.  (9/10/2018) Match Report: Billericay Highlights Though they aren't first, Billericay are the strongest team in the league by some distance. That quality showed as they easily carved us apart, with Ivan Avals' goal mere consolation as they ran circles around our boys. We had to go back to the drawing board after this one. Too many of the same mistakes were happening. (13/10/2018) Match Report: Chelmsford Highlights Our boys are strong and battled their way to a 3-1 win over Chelmsford. Shite finally got his first of the season and worked well with To, who grabbed the other two. Our two advanced playmakers are in sync these days, playing quick one-twos between each other and upsetting the rhythm of the opposition to deadly effect. I guarantee that we'll be seeing more goals from Shite very soon. (23/10/2018) Match Report: Concord Highlights If you asked me to guess who was getting the first hat-trick in the Berardi era, I would certainly not have guessed that it would be Moistie. Our Killer Kiwi proved my doubts wrong, netting a treble on his 17th birthday, no less, in a contentious game at the Sunshine Stadium, a game which saw our soaring striker the Institute suffer a long-term injury to his knee that will keep him out for a good chunk of the season. With him in such good form, this will be a bitter pill to swallow for the team.    (27/10/2018) Match Report: Truro Highlights Truro were stubborn but a clinical performance from O'Neill and a fortuitous error for Shite to pounce upon handed us a 3-0 win. (30/10/2018) Match Report: Hungerford Highlights  Hungerford were lucky to only lose by one, failing to get a shot on target and seeing the Excavators dominant in possession. Moistie added another goal to his collection, getting into fantastic form. This result finally saw us leapfrog Dulwich Hamlet into 1st Place, equal on points but ahead on goal difference thanks to our free-scoring team.   Our next match is a crunch clash against the Hamlet at the Sunshine Stadium. Win and we go 3 points clear with a better goal difference. Lose, and we risk them running away if our heads drop. It's bound to be a fascinating clash, one that may yet define our season.  _______________ (Somewhere in Exmouth. A bearded Dane and a blonde woman sit at either end of a small coffee table, the Dane sipping from a cup of black tea.) : Thank you for agreeing to an interview, Frederik. A lot of people are very interested in knowing what's going on at Exmouth and an exclusive interview with one of their star players is precisely the platform we can launch such an inquiry from. First things first, your team has soared up the charts, landing themselves in 1st Place after 16 games played. What's the atmosphere in the camp like? : No, it's good. The squad is a good squad and we have a manager with good tactics. We have lots of formations we work on in training.: We've seen that several times in the league. Your team has switched from 4-4-2 to 4-4-1-1 and 4-5-1 on occasions, with your role almost being the most important in the team. Tell, how do you cope with being that core component of the team. : I think... I think the pressure is good. I like the pressure the manager puts on me. He says I am the best passer in the squad so he trusts me to control the games.: When you've gone to 4-4-1-1, you're almost given a free role behind the striker to do what you want, whereas in the 4-4-2, you're almost asked to play more conservatively and sit in the hole ahead of the centrebacks to protect them. Which role do you feel fits you better?: I like the free role. I like to dribble. I watch videos of Hazard and Isco to see their dribbles so I can learn. When Just Gio lets me pick my positions, I feel I can do more for the team.: When the team is at its best, you're quite fun to watch, latching onto risky passes and hitting low-percentage shots into the back of the net more often than not. Do you think you can sustain that level of performance? : We only take speculative shots because... because the team are not fully understanding each other. Earlier in the season, I would shout at Anto or Ronnie "Giv mig bolden! Giv mig bolden!" and they did not know what I was saying. Now that Just Gio has hired an English teacher for me, I think my team can understand me better and we can connect better passes and make better goals.: Can you win the title this season?: Yes. We will take the title this season.: That's a confident answer.: You don't win titles if you are not confident. Even with injuries, we are one of the strongest squads in the competition. If we play our best, we can beat anyone._______________ First Quarter Summary: League Position: 1st FA Cup: Eliminated by Weymouth FA Trophy: Not started yet Wins: 13 Draws: 2 Losses: 3 Win Percentage (League): 72% (75%) Top Goalscorer: The Institute (8) Top Playmaker: Rob Case (6) Best Average Rating; Rob Case (7.59/10) Most Yellow Cards: Moistie Most Red Cards: N/A Injuries: The Institute (3-6 weeks) Next Opponent: Dulwich Hamlet at home in the Vanarama National South So, board and fans, that's how we find ourselves at the end of October. Our star striker is injured for about two months and the better performer between our two backup centrebacks is leaving on a free the moment the January transfer window opens. What does the board think of the season so far? What do the fans want to see from the manager? Should we dip into the market to replace Challis or The Institute?
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 15:35
|
|
|
Needs more Wall.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 16:16
|
|
|
Wow, you really need to get off of Rob's Case.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 17:34
|
|
|
Thanks for the highlights!  If the match reports are meant to have hotlinks they aren't working. Rob Case is certainly living up to, uh, expectations
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 20:54
|
|
|
I've watched the highlights as far as the Chippenham match, I'll catch up with more tomorrow. It seems like we're having no problems with setting up chances and scoring. I think that replacing Challis is more of a priority at the moment, we still have Tó and there's a healthy mix of people in the squad who are scoring goals.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2020 23:09
|
|
|
The Institute is of course receiving private healthcare, none of that socialised nonsense
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2020 01:37
|
|
|
quote:A battling performance in the middle of the park by Moistie and Shite 
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2020 02:29
|
|
|
I'm cautiously optimistic that we're gonna get a cup, as long as nothing else stupid happens.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2020 03:31
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 28, 2024 11:10 |
|
|
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE November (3/11/2018) Match Report: Dulwich Hamlet Highlights A draw is a result that helped neither of us, as it saw Torquay United rise above us both into 1st. Nonetheless, this match was one for the neutral to enjoy. We took the lead through a Shite penalty before they pegged back through a free-kick. Ivan was dismissed fairly early on before Schytte's second goal. The Danish madman got himself sent off in the 90th minute, after George Essuman was earlier dismissed for Dulwich Hamlet. 3 reds in a 4 goal thriller is certainly an interesting way to back into the swing of things.   (17/11/2018) Match Report: Weymouth Wanderers Highlights We took on our main rivals at a point where their manager, Mark de Ruiter, was under great pressure. Berardi's Boys took no mercy, tearing Weymouth to shreds with a performance that ensured that de Ruiter went in the bin as soon as they went home. Exmouth boy Ronnie scored the winner, which he'll doubtless be pleased about.   (24/11/2018) Match Report: Wealdstone Highlights Just as Count Gio predicted, Shite got another goal, a fine addition to his collection. While Lex gave away a pretty terrible goal, in all honesty, Mr Reliable Causso Darame came up big with a looping header to win us the game late on. Dulwich suffered an embarrassing loss to Billericary, giving us a 3-point buffer at the top. Next up is East Grinstead in the FA Trophy. With some luck in the draw, we should have a fairly easy time of things in that particular cup. December (1/12/2018) Match Report: East Grinstead Highlights An impressive showing from the second-stringers puts up through to the next round of the cup, with Ronnie and The Wall deserving special plaudits in this game. This match also saw the much-awaited return of The Institute, who looks ready and raring to go. Giles Ferdinand does... something before getting sent off.   We were meant to play Eastbourne Borough next, but heavy rains caused a fouling of the pitch at the Sunshine Stadium, meaning the match needed to be postponed. As a result, we'll play the next game in the cup, Dover.  (15/12/2018) Match Report: Dover Highlights Dover play in the division ahead of us, right now being placed solidly in 5th in the Vanarama National. They sure played like it, absolutely tearing through our boys despite our rigid defensive set-up. Once again, we were dumped out of a cup competition, but at least we were competitive this time, giving Dover something to think about despite the difference in class.  Anyway, back to the league, where we'll play Eastbo...  (22/12/2018) Match Report: Woking Woking scared me more than a little bit before kick-off. They're a very strong team and the lads' heads would have been down after the thrashing by Dover. The end result was a 1-1 draw neither team could really be upset about. Luckily for us, Torquay United, the team now in 2nd, managed to lose their game, giving us a 3 point lead at the top of the table. (26/12/2018) Match Report: Gloucester The reverse fixture for the start of the season, we had every right to be confident about beating Gloucester again. Gloucester themselves had other ideas, forcing us to rely on To to give us a fairly late equaliser. We weren't quite good enough to force a winner.  (28/12/2018) Match Report: Eastbourne Borough The match was certainly not worth the wait. Even the cursor is desperately searching for goalscorers. Luckily for us, Torquay and Dulwich Hamlet played each other to a 2-2 draw, meaning that the difference between them and us remained unchanged.  January (1/1/2019) Match Report: Hampton and Richmond Borough Another draw, another 2 points dropped. This time, Dulwich took full advantage, reducing the gap at the top.  (5/1/2019) Match Report: St Albans We have no problems scoring against St Albans, with The Institute back and hungry for goals. I left Moistie out of the game for this way. While he'd been putting in good performances over the past few weeks, he was beginning to draw interest from the likes of Fleetwood. Time on the bench was time to get his head straight, in the hopes that he wouldn't force his way out.  (8/1/2019) Match Report: Chippenham Shite's red card somehow made us more dangerous, with The Institute plundering a pair of goals and letting his strike partners benefit from some sharp passing. Dulwich Hamlet are still hot on our tails, so we'll have to approach this last stretch of the season very carefully. We've only one competition to focus on, so any slip-ups will be completely unacceptable.  (12/1/2019) Match Report: Hemel Hempstead The Institute got his twentieth of the season, turning him into the outright highest scorer in the Vanarama South. New signing Joey Jones, signed for a princely sum of 4K, had a tough time at centreback. but looks to be a decent acquisition, his rigidity and calmness at the back giving Rob Case insurance as he drives forward.   _______________ (On the pitch at the Sunshine Stadium. Rain falls all around the ground. Gio stands by his dugout with a black umbrella while the players run through their paces. Once training finishes, Gio approaches a determined-looking striker.) : Hey, Adam, can we talk for a second? : It's 'The Institute'.: ... The Institute, can we talk for a second?: Sure, boss, what do you need?: We've been at the top of the league for a little while now. I know we're not exactly running away with it, but I'm quite confident we're going to bring the trophy home. What do you think?: I'm happy with how we're doing, boss. The way you've got the boys playing suits me down the ground. I think I'm on course to break my previous record.: Oh? What's your record?: 27 in 38. I'm on 20 in 26 at the moment. It just feels like I can score when I want these days.: That's good to hear. I'm glad my tactics are working for someone at least. Think you can break 30?: I know I can. If we keep playing like this, I can get more than that.: Fantastic.: Something else on your mind, boss?: Oh, yeah. You've put in some amazing performances this month. Take this, it's from the FA. : Thanks, boss. Now, if you don't mind...: Yeah, sorry. Should have thought about the rain.(The Institute disappears into the changing room. After a couple of seconds pass, the sounds of boisterous celebrations emerge from the door. The Institute's award seems to have gone down well with the squad.) : (This is a good squad. I'd have gotten nowhere if it weren't for how good these boys are. Onwards and upwards, lads. We've got the lead at the top of the league. Let's keep going, bit by bit.)(Gio retires to his office. Upon entering the small square room, he finds himself faced with a package wrapped in newspaper sitting on his desk. Intrigued, he unpacks the black-and-white covering, finding a shield-shaped trophy hidden within.) : Hey, boss. Congrats on the good work this month. We wouldn't be where we are if there wasn't a good head at the helm. The FA wanted to give you this, even told me to keep it a secret. Congrats on the award, boss. Let's hope for more to come our way soon. ~ Roy _______________ Middle Stretch Summary: League Position: 1st FA Cup: Eliminated by Weymouth FA Trophy: Eliminated by Dover Top Goalscorer: The Institute (20) Top Playmaker: Rob Case (8) Best Average Rating; The Institute (7.46/10) Most Yellow Cards: Big Mouth (8) Most Red Cards: Shite (2) Injuries: None Transfers In: Joey Jones (CB) Next Opponent: Slough Town away in the Vanarama National South _______________ Thread challenge: Please tell me what Giles Ferdinand was doing in this highlight
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2020 20:37
|
|