Posts tagged football

So, to recap, after failing to save Bishops Stortford from relegation, I found myself jobless. Eventually Gateshead offered me a short-term contract asking me to get them promoted from the Conference North. Wasn’t too hopeful, but took the job anyway…

And, gosh, what a difference! For one thing, they’ve got some players worth more than £2,000. Somehow, just before I arrived, they even managed to buy someone worth £20,000 from a League Two side. He is amazing. I’ve played two games with Gateshead so far and he’s scored four times and the media are falling over themselves to praise him. If he stays free of injury we’re home free… but that’s hardly likely over the whole season. At Stortford I was fairly lucky with the injuries until the end of the season, where three key players were out for a couple of months.

Just the quality of the footie on display is amazing. I’m seeing runs and teamwork and pace that I never, ever saw while managing football. It’s like the match engine’s been upgraded between seasons.

Anyway, this is the best (C/F)M game ever, I’m confident in saying.

That’s it.

Failure.

Injuy piled upon injury and the season came to a terrible end.

Relegated out of the Conference South.

Oh.

I’m losing hope at Bishops Stortford. I’m keeping the players’ morale up, but mine’s on the floor. We’re twenty-seven matches in now and sitting firmly in 21st place in the Conference South. Our last match was a real killer – we went 1-0 up, but then our opponents got two penalties and ran away with the points.

Looking at the stats, it seems Jack Midson is the second highest scorer in the league this season, but we’re very high up in the goals conceded list. That’s getting better now I’ve brought in Foster on loan to sit back on the right – he’s only a solid 7, but that’s better than anyone else I’ve got there – but I’m still not doing well enough.

I really, really want to save the club and my job now; if we can just scrape through this season then I can use my experience next season to take us further up the table – and hopefully take me into a better job. I’m aiming to be a Premiership manager within a few seasons, but that’s not looking likely right now.

We’ve just got to improve. Not a lot, but just enough so we edge these close matches. We’ve got to do it for the club, for the 352 people who come to see us play each week and, most of all, for me, so I don’t have to start a new game at the end of this season.

Well, now we’re at -

PLAYED: 14
WON: 3
DRAWN: 2
LOST: 9

We’re out of the relegation zone and morale is soaring.

Three things seem to ahve prompted this small turnaround.

1) My cpatain went out with the flu and his replacement is doing better.
2) I moved to a more attacking 4-4-2.
3) I promoted Anton Innocent from the reserves to the main squad. He’s not fit enough to last a whole match, but he’s great when he’s on.

Current record this season -

PLAYED: 8
WON: 1
DRAWN: 0
LOST: 7

Oops.