A UK Journeyman Story

[Hampus Silverholt]

After applying for numerous jobs and ultimately not getting any, the focus was now firmly on making Lincoln’s squad as competitive as possible for our first season in the Championship.

The only notable transfer out was first choice right back Teddy Howe for £250,000, who for some reason was demanding to go to League One Coventry…

And so far we have spent £1.6m in transfer fees.

The Morgan Rogers transfer was already agreed and we signed 2 more players that were on loan with us last season in League One.

Rod Herd was the first and joins for £300,000 which I thought was a bargain albeit for a player that’s probably not Championship quality yet.

Omari Forson was terrible for us last season considering how good we were as a team, but when he was listed by Southampton for £81,000 I just couldn’t resist

Oliver Webster was our most expensive signing at £400,000. He was surplus to requirements at Man United which made him so cheap but he’s also on a hefty wage of nearly £15,000 a week

Talking of hefty wages… Axel Gallardo joins on a season long loan from Villa and we’ll be paying all £17,000 of his wages per week.

The last loan signing (for now) was another attacking player in Marius Corbu from Southampton

Considering our initial budget, that’s some pretty decent business.

But it doesnt stop us from being predicted to finish 22nd in the Championship this season.

That’s because the majority of our squad are very good players for League One, but the Championship might be a step too far for them.

Centre back pairing Woolfenden and Rossi were incredible last season, but it remains to be seen what they can do in the division above facing higher quality players.

And our first game of the season is against Preston, the club who we turned down last month in the hope that we’d find a better job!

After 5 seasons of constantly winning it’s strange going into games expecting to lose, but I’m genuinely intrigued to see how well we can do at the start of the season.

And if it all goes wrong, we can always jump ship anyway…​

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

We’re back. Don’t you hate it when real life gets in the way of FM?

-

Our first game of the Championship season was away against Preston where we had 20 shots in total…

But still managed to lose.

However, a 3-1 win against Luton next up calmed any fears of the league being too difficult for us, with new signings Webster and Gallardo getting their first goals for the club.

And with a lucky win at Huddersfield followed by another victory over Swansea it was beginning to seem like the Championship was easy!

Oh how wrong I was.

Middleborough firmly grounded us in a ridiculous match.

How do you lose 7-0 yet have more shots than the other team? I’ve genuinely not experienced anything like it, especially after winning 3 in a row!

It’s the first time at any of the clubs that I’ve managed where the players have refunded the supporters - I hope it’s the last time too!

That result aside, it’s been a successful first month as a Championship manager.

We’ve played one game extra than most teams already (presumably because being knocked out in the League Cup 1st Round gave us a chance to play another league game) so are actually in 2nd, which is the highest we’ll be this season I think!

Then it was reported late in the transfer window that Gary Griffiths, a player who I’ve had at Oldham and now Lincoln, was wanted by Premier League side Sheffield United.

He was valued at £1.7m-£4.2m, so I decided to see if they were willing to pay £4.5m.

They were…

The player who joined us on a free for Oldham in the National League just 2 seasons ago has now gone to a Premier League club for £4.5m, plus we get him on loan for the season too!

I honestly think the Championship is his ceiling so it’s going to be interesting to see how he fares this season.

That deal came late in the window so we couldn’t really spend much of that money. The only other player we signed was right back Kyle Knoyle for £130,000 who will probably be our first choice for the season.

It’s still too early in the season for any manager to be under pressure, but I’m going to be keeping a close eye on the job centre over the next few months!​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Good to have you back mate!

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

Good to have you back mate!

Will hopefully be able to post a bit more often now!

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

For the last month or so we have been without captain Sam Field through injury, who has been a key player for us since taking over as manager just over a year ago.

But we have hardly noticed his absence. We’ve been lucky at times but have only lost 2 of our last 8 matches!

So we’re almost a third of the way into the season and still in the playoff places - it’s been a truly incredible start to life in the Championship as Lincoln manager!

A key part of our success has been down to striker Morgan Rogers, who has 9 goals in 13 matches which puts him at the top of the scoring charts.

Ben Chrisene also has 5 assists in 13 games from left back, which is almost as many as he got in the whole of last season in League One!

With us doing so well it’s making me think just how far we can actually take Lincoln. All of this is being achieved with the lowest salary in the division and we’re spending less than £8m on wages whereas teams like Norwich and Brighton are spending £45m+

The first managerial casualty of the season was at another Championship side Barnsley, who then offered an interview which I rejected.

I can’t say I’m interested in going to a club in a relegation scrap but over the last few weeks some really tasty jobs have become available at clubs who are below us in the table.

Middlesborough beat us 7-0 at the start of the season but that’s been their only good result so far, whereas Norwich and Brentford are both struggling despite having Premier League budgets and resources.

The only thing stopping me from applying is that I want to spend some time in Scotland at some point.

But what harm could applying for those jobs do?​

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

It’s truly managerial crunch time.

The November international break saw a whirlwind of changes, with Nigel Pearson leaving Bristol City to go to Brentford meaning that the side in 1st place were managerless!

Then we also gained our Pro Licence at just the right time, meaning that the bigger clubs in the league were starting to take notice.

None more so than Blackburn Rovers, who had just sacked their manager in the November international break.

They’ve just been relegated from the Premier League last season and more significantly, are described as RICH!

But at the same time as Corberan getting sacked, we were heavily linked with Middlesborough and the irony of joining the club that smashed us 7-0 just a month ago was actually becoming more and more appealing.

Especially as they then offered me the job to takeover at the brand spanking new Juninho Paulista Arena with a £19m transfer budget!

Then the Blackburn interview happened. The sheer temptation of the Premier League parachute payments made me delay the Boro offer for a week.

In that week we recorded another 2 emphatic wins with Lincoln against Charlton and Brentford, which is not helpful when you’re considering leaving because the team aren’t strong enough to compete in the Championship!

Both Blackburn (14th) and Middlesborough (16th) are below us in the table, but both are not far off the playoffs in terms of points and we’re still yet to reach the halfway mark of the season

Then it happened.

Blackburn offered me the job - with a budget of £36m!

My choices are:
​

1. Join 16th placed Middlesborough, with their £19m budget​
2. Join 14th placed Blackburn with their £36m budget and more parachute payments to come​
3. Continue at Lincoln for the foreseeable (we’re comfortably in the playoff places after all!)​

This is a tricky one! I actually don’t know what to do…​

 

[Enrico Pucci]

In terms of story plotlines, Blackburn Rovers owners are horrid and clueless. In real life, managing Blackburn would be a nightmare. However, Boro have failed so badly for so long. Its a tough choice. Also ... so ... much ... money ...

 

[FM_TNSSO]

I don't know if I could turn down nearly £40 million in the Championship! Blackburn all the way!

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

A big choice to be made especially since just coming up to the transfer window as well to let you get some decent players in as well for a promotion push

In terms of story plotlines, Blackburn Rovers owners are horrid and clueless. In real life, managing Blackburn would be a nightmare. However, Boro have failed so badly for so long. Its a tough choice. Also ... so ... much ... money ...

I don't know if I could turn down nearly £40 million in the Championship! Blackburn all the way!

Money talks...

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

I had to do it, sorry Lincoln.

When you remember struggling to afford £200 weekly wages for players at Colwyn Bay, in the end the prospect of splashing the cash with Blackburn was just too much.

We leave one historic club for another but the lure of Blackburn was too tempting. They’re a side that should really be in the Premier Lague (and were last season!)

I was a bit worried I made the wrong decision, but a quick glimpse at the finances extinguished any of those thoughts.

£86m! There’s absolutely no doubt this was the right choice even if we don't get promoted this season!

There’s quite an interesting selection of players at the club, including an ancient centre back pairing of Conor Coady and Ben Gibson

The key players are both English and both in their prime. Joe Gelhardt and James Garner are Premier League quality but also want to leave because the club were relegated last season.

But it is genuinely sad to be leaving Lincoln. We joined them after they finished 17th in League One, now they’re 3rd in the Championship.

On the other hand, we’re in 14th with Blackburn but only 8 points behind Lincoln.

We’re straight into the action with an away game against Swansea, and a reunion with Lincoln is also happening very soon.

Let’s see what we can do at Ewood Park!​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

I knew you wouldn't be able to resist....and I don't blame you one little bit! Can't wait to see who you bring in with all that dough!

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

I knew you wouldn't be able to resist....and I don't blame you one little bit! Can't wait to see who you bring in with all that dough!

The parachute payments were far too tempting!

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

So far as manager of Colwyn Bay, Oldham, and Lincoln we’ve won all of our first games in charge. Evidently, it was time for a change…

What’s the worst possible start to your first game as manager of a club?

Well having a player sent off in the first half, losing 3-0 and one of your key players getting injured for a month seems close!

A response was needed in our first home game in charge against Derby and thankfully we got it with a 3-0 win, which slightly flattered us.

The 3-0 loss and 3-0 win were followed by two of the flukiest wins ever!

The first was a huge win over Lancashire rivals Preston, with veteran Alex Mowatt scoring in the last minute, and the second was an even flukier win over Milwall in which we had another man sent off and another injury-time winner!

So with 3 wins in a row, things were starting to fall into place.

Next up was the big one. A reunification with Lincoln.

It was a pretty easy win for us in the end in what was quite a boring game, with my former favourite and League One Player of the Year last season Zeno Ibsen Rossi getting a red card

So, apart from the loss to Swansea and another loss against Derby, it's been a very successful first 6 weeks in charge of Blackburn.

We’re up to 8th position in the table and already ahead of my former club Lincoln. But the top 4 seem to be pulling away already.

One downside to taking over this Blackburn side is that there is a fractured dressing room. Our key players want out because the club were relegated from the Premier League last season, including striker Gelhardt and midfield maestro Garner.

I’m taking a 0% tolerance approach - I don’t care for players that don’t want to be at the club.

And that, coupled with the fact we have a sizeable budge anyway…

Did somebody say January fire sale?​

 

[Tom Blacksmith]

Sell them, with that amount of money you can easily get equal or better replacements, great read and good shout on going to blackburn !

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

Sell them, with that amount of money you can easily get equal or better replacements, great read and good shout on going to blackburn !

Cheers mate, and yeah they were out of the door on 1st January! Haven't actually spent a ridiculous amount to replace them either...

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

As expected, the bids came in for our key players in January and I did not hesitate to accept them.

James Garner and Joe Geldhart have both joined Sheffield United for a combined fee of £36m. The fans are not happy but I couldn't care less, I don't want to manage players that don't want to be at the club.

At £20m, the fee we got for Gelhardt was the highest fee Blackburn have received since Roque Santa Cruz!

The final departure out was Taylor Richards, who also wanted to leave the club under the previous manager and has joined Bordeaux for £9m

Now for the exciting part.

Despite having a lot of money in the bank we haven’t spent all of it, as I have one eye on the summer window as well...

To replace Joe Gelhardt we bought Shakur Omar for £18m from West Ham, a player both @Enrico Pucci and @TheNotSoSpecialOne are familiar with. He’s 23 here and close to Premier League quality, so I’m really excited to see what he can do in the Championship

Midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka was transfer-listed by Villa for £3.8m, so he came in as the replacement for James Garner

We also signed Jellando Duncan for £8m from fellow playoff chasers Bristol City - I like his versatility and really think he could make a very good playmaker in central midfield.

We also strengthened our ageing defence (our current centre back partnership is 34 year old Conor Coady and 35-year-old Ben Gibson) with Felipe Rocha joining for just £2.5m from Benfica

That was it for the permanent transfers, but we also managed to secure the loan signings of Dane Scarlett from Spurs and Lee Foster from Liverpool to give us further quality in the squad

I’m liking the balance of the squad now and despite the upheaval in January, we still managed to go through the whole month unbeaten.

But the problem is that the clubs around us all keep winning too! So we’re still fighting it out for the playoff places in 7th position.

One of those teams above us is Lincoln, who are having a resurgence under Scott Parker - it's making me question whether leaving was the right decision again!

But we can’t keep focusing on them, with 17 games remaining we have a job on our hands to get Blackburn into the playoffs at least.​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Looking forward to seeing Omar in action for you! He is immense for me!!

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

We’re now more than 3 months into life as Blackburn manager, and it’s fair to say things are going well.

The new signings have settled in well and February was a month where we could not stop winning games in the Championship, with the only downside being us getting knocked out of the FA Cup by Chelsea.

We also somehow managed to lose 4-0 against relegation-threatened Reading in a bizarre game.

I thought that would be the start of a slump but a brilliant comeback win against Portsmouth calmed any fears of that.

So the good form means that we are now firmly in contention for automatic promotion, whilst it looks like Lincoln will struggle to make the playoffs after a bad run of form

The exact same tactic we had at Lincoln seems to be working at Blackburn, although it does help when the players are of much better quality…

Daniel March has been the main goalscoring threat in the last few months and has notched 14 league goals so far this campaign.

He was signed before I joined on the cheap from Arsenal, but one worry is a £16.75m release clause in his contract that we cant get rid of!

Shane Thorbourne is another player that I’ve inherited who has performed well, with 7 goals and 8 assists so far this season.

I actually tried to sign him for Lincoln in the summer when Liverpool made him available for £700k. He ended up choosing Blackburn and I ended up managing him anyway!

There’s still a lot that could happen with 10 games to go, but our match away against current leaders Brighton in a month could potentially be a big one!

And the last game of the season is away against Lincoln… you can just see something happening in that game, can’t you?

But if all goes well, we could be leading Blackburn back to the Premier League!​

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

We started the end of season run-in with an appalling loss to Stoke but then reacted to that defeat with 4 crucial wins in a row.

That meant we were pulling away from the playoff places along with Brighton, who had been top of the league for the last few months.

We played them next.

The game on Good Friday would essentially decide who won the Championship.

But it didn’t quite go to plan…

For some reason whenever we lose a game we get absolutely battered. Our last 4 defeats have all been by at least 3 goals.

All of a sudden there was a lot of pressure on us in our final 4 matches of the season, with Fulham just 2 points behind in 3rd place.

And it was our former club Lincoln, the team we left Blackburn for halfway through the season, who we played in the final game of the season! The script was writing itself.

Some really nervy performances followed, but we gained 2 crucial wins against Milwall and Swansea to edge us further to promotion.

Was it enough to ensure Lincoln wouldn’t ruin the party on the last day? Of course not.

With a 3 point gap I’d be confident, but inferior goal difference compared to Fulham and the unique scenario of playing Lincoln in the very last game is making me nervous.

That, plus the news of our top scorer and main goal threat Daniel March being ruled out of the game is making me very, very nervous.

The reason we left Lincoln in November was to get Blackburn promoted back to the Premier League as soon as possible.

Now all we need is a draw against Lincoln to ensure that happens.

We can’t bottle this, can we?​

 

[Hampus Silverholt]

The good news before our final league match of the season was that star striker Daniel March was fit enough to have a place on the bench.

At the time I thought that was crucial news, but it turned out that we didn’t even need him anyway…

January signing Shakur Omar was the man of the moment - with his 2 goals firing us to promotion in a game we were actually quite lucky to win!

It was a risk to leave Lincoln for the Blackburn job, but one that has been fully justified with us getting promoted to the Premier League at the first time of asking!

Fulham were the other team that ended up getting promoted in the playoffs, with my former club Lincoln finishing in a very impressive 9th place.

2nd place is a great feat for our squad, which will need to be drastically improved on in the summer if we stand any chance of staying in the Premier League.

Shakur Omar was an inspired signing for us, with his 12 goals in 19 league matches a massive reason why we got promoted.

One really unsung hero this season has been 33 year old Alex Mowatt, whose performances as a box-to-box midfielder have resulted in 6 goals and 9 assists this season.

We have a real big task at keeping Blackburn in the Premier League next season and although my tactic has done well for me over the last few years, I don’t think it’s a wise way to go for a team in a relegation battle.

We only have £39m to spend in the summer, but we can make that go a long way if we spread the payments out over a few years.

It’s a bit of a small budget though considering we have £90m in the bank and more Premier League money to come!

But next season we enter an alternate universe where Man United are good and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is one of the best managers of all time…

We’re not quite there yet, but do have a 3-star reputation and an impressive 69% win percentage in 316 games as a manager.

8 years ago we were in the second tier of Welsh football… next season we will be in the Premier League!​