February 2 big games coming up in our slim chance of fighting for survival. We need our strikers to perform and our defence to tighten up to have any chance of beating the drop.
A tough result to take. Our final game without Plummer lacked the finishing that our top scorer has brought to us in previous game. We rely on Speed to create our chances but he is being let down by the finishing of those around us as he plays in the deep striker role.
We were the better team but once again Chris Speed's creativity was let down by the finishing of those around him. I let Plummer off in his first game returning from injury but wingers Gorman and Grubb missed sitters which would've given us the win.
Speed comes into the changing room after the game furious as he once again creates chance after chance only for them to be thrown away by our wingers and Plummer. Plummer was poor again and seems to have lost his finishing touch that he displayed pre-injury.
The play-off placed Chelmsford gave a display of clinical finishing which our home fans haven't seen in some time. The visitors took all 4 of their shots whilst we had 26 shots with only 2 on target. Speed hit the target with both of his shots whilst he created 14 other chances on his way to picking up man of the match. He continues to be the best player on the pitch for us despite the ones around him being of a higher quality.
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3 close results again before a clinical Chelmsford ended the month with misery for us. Speed's efforts have gone without reward as the striker is the only strong performer in a side that are now 17 points from safety. Plummer's been awful since his return from injury which is a worry as he is our top scorer with 10 goals; 6 of which have been assisted by Speed...
The news of Purnell wanting to leave has been spread around the club as the keeper has expressed his interest in moving up a tier or two in the summer. We understood but our reliance on him was made even clearer as he was injured for the month and our backup keeper was awful in all 4 games.
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6 of our final 11 fixtures come up in March and we will struggle to get anything from a tough month where 4 of our fixtures come against play-off chasing teams. We have Bath to end the month which is arguably our only winnable game but the hosts will be looking to pull away from the relegation battle too.
I expect nothing from the upcoming month but to be sacked before the seasons climax. The board seem to be in denial of our situation and after telling me I would be sacked if I didn't turn things around at new year I have somehow gotten this far with the job still being mine.
Run In Adjustments
With nothing to lose going into the final set of fixtures I decided to make some tactical adjustments. 2 games into March we have gotten 3 points (which you will hear more about in a later post) so with 9 games to go and a survival chance fading I opted to make some adjustments.
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With us needing wins and nothing else I went for an attacking option. I needed goals and we needed wins so I opted to ditch the defensive tactics we have been using to go all out attack. We need to keep the ball, move it round quickly, press and look for the overlap from full backs.
But it isn't the tactical adjustment I'm excited about it is the introduction of 3 of this years youth candidates who as soon as they penned their contracts I informed they would be getting some game time for the first team.
Philip Vincent-Day View attachment 145357At just 17 years old Vincent-Day didn't expect to get into the side with 3 right-backs ahead of him who my assistant manager reckons are better. However the introduction to youth and the fight of the young is what I hope to give us a survival chance. He isn't going to be great defensively but should provide some sparks behind Plummer on the right hand side.
Ben Beechey View attachment 145356
Technically and physically gifted the 16 year old will provide the chances behind Speed and hopefully will give the creativity allowing the wingers and striker to get more goals. He showcased his skills against the under 18's and will get a chance to showcase his skills in the first team.
Cameron Francis View attachment 145350
The kid I am most excited about is 16 year old Cameron Francis. He can operate out wide on the left or behind the striker but with Beechey in the middle he will be used out wide. He is physically outstanding for his age but it is his mental and technical attributes which set him apart. I expect him to be good for us as we enter the 9 game run in.
The breaking news today is that Weston-Super-Mare boss FM Saddler has been dealt a new 1 year deal to stay at the club till June 2017. Despite the clubs current struggles the board have backed the 20 year old to succeed at the Woodspring Stadium.
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It looks as if the club will be doomed to relegation at the end of the season so the future ahead seems blurry but the board are backing Saddler to succeed in the relegation battle moving forward.
Saddler released the following statement: "I am happy to have signed this extension and I am happy the board are backing me moving forward. I was worried about my contract and went to them a few weeks back when they refused to open discussions."
The board are also rumoured to have injected almost £50000 into the running budget of the club in order to pay off some existing debts.
March Our last chance of survival is coming up as we have a busy month to try and cling on to survival hopes. It won't be easy with big games against teams at the top and the bottom but I can only hope for the best.
A fantastic start to the new month with a result better than expected. Chris Speed was deployed as the loan striker and finally got the chance to take chances rather than create them. He did fantastically in the opening 10 minutes of the second half hitting the woodwork twice before getting the winner.
The former strugglers have turned their season around and are now chasing the play-off's so the defeat didn't hurt too much. We were in the game for longer than the scoreline suggests as two of their 3 goals were scored in the final minutes.
_____________________________ Sutton United 4-1 Weston-Super-Mare
The only game of the month where we were outclassed as promotion chasing Sutton outclassed us in every area. Whilst we weren't in the game defensively and in midfield Speed somehow managed to pick up on scraps to create chances over and over and we could've somehow had a draw if it wasn't for outstanding keeping.
Another team who have pulled away from the battle at the bottom and they managed to take their form into the game and continue a run of 4 wins on the bounce. The game was equal on the day but the hosts took the most of their chances scoring 2 goals from both shots on target.
Speed netted his second of the month to give us a one goal lead but a couple of injuries after subs hit us hard again as we ended with Speed in net and 9 players on the pitch for the final 20 minutes. Speed was awful in goal and certainly didn't make a claim to be our starting keeper.
A must win game to have any chance of survival but unfortunately we couldn't find the motivation to do so with the odds stacked against us. Bath got 2 early goals and took the momentum. We were always in the game and had 3 goals disallowed in the final 10 minutes as well as hitting the woodwork 3 times in the final 30 minutes. Speed scored the last goal of our relegation battle.
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So there it was. I tried my best but we were always lacking the quality to fight for survival. An early good run gave us hope but teams improved in January whilst we didn't have the money to do so and they took the advantage as we dropped to bottom.
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So there it is. A tough day to take as I get sacked on the day we get relegated. It was a tough fight that was always going to end badly but I'm glad I got as much as I did out of the side as it wasn't expected for us to do this well, as shown by the new contract was given.
I did find a flaw in the game as well as shown above as on the day I get sacked I was informed about the budgets for the next season... doesn't make too much sense.
Breaking news as National League side Bromley have hired former Weston-Super-Mare manager FM Saddler. The 20 year old manager will take over at Bromley for their final game of the season against Aldershot where he will be given a chance to assess his squad before the seasons end.
It was a surprise appointment as Saddler was sacked by Weston-Super-Mare after leading the side to relegation from the 6th tier of football but the club have said the following about the appointment:
"We know that this appointment will come as a surprise to many but we believe FM Saddler is the right man to lead us forward. We have done well this season and we can see the young fight and passion in Saddler being the inspiration to take us further.
We understand that many will question his ability after his relegation with Weston but we have watched a number of his games and believe he did well with what was a club destined for relegation. He brought fight and passion to a team who lacked the quality to beat the drop".
It is believed the 20 year old has signed a two year deal ahead of this weekends penultimate game of the season.
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So I was back in management quicker than I thought. Bromley offered me the job on the day they dismissed their previous manager and 3 days later I was given the offer. I couldn't turn it down. It was a step up a division to a stable team and the chance to move forward in my career.
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Bromley are a club who have survived their first season at this level and they will be looking to build forward after promotion to the National League at the 8th time of asking. They have basic facilities at this level but they have the ambition to move forward and improve.
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So with one game to go I get to assess the squad and I have a good chance of doing so with no worries going into the final game. We sit in 15th and are unlikely to move down as long as we don't lose.
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So it's a two year deal to give me the chance to build with the club. They only wanted to test me with a one year contract but agreed to the 2 year deal at the first time of asking showing their faith in me moving forward. The wage is lower than that of what I had with Weston but it doesn't bother me.
The Squad So with a final game to assess and a number of contracts in question I took a look at the squad.
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I was quite surprised to find the quality of the squad was better than I thought it would be. Goalkeeper will need some improvement but Julian looks to be the starter at the moment whilst Bridle-Card and Ramirez are both teenagers with a lot of potential.
In defence we need to improve a lot at right back. Rodgers is our only true right back and he isn't good enough to start. CB seems a good position with captain Swaine being a starting option alongside Chorley and Francis whilst Anderson is good at left back but we need to add depth.
In midfield we have a number of quality starters in the middle in Minshull, Porter and Prestedge. I would like to add a couple of youngsters to back them up. On the wings our only quality comes in Pinau who is refusing to enter talks for a new contract with his ending in the summer. Emmanuel will start on the right with Pinau injured for the final fixture anyway.
Then up front we have quality again. Emmanuel and Cunnington have combined for 24 goals this season and both players have been fantastic by all accounts. Cunnington is out of contract but was happy to enter talks. I will look to play the two together up top when I have a chance to improve our winger situation but at the moment it looks good.
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There are also 3 kids I'm looking forward to seeing as well. Grey has the best potential at left back and will possibly take part in next season whilst the other two will also have the chance to prove themselves in pre-season. At just 16 I can see all 3 developing into good squad players at least with the possibility of loan spells helping them do so.
First & Final Game So here it is my first game at the new club, I don't need a result but it is a good chance to evaluate what I have at hand.
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We host Aldershot who need a win to survive with the relegation battling teams around them in good form. The visitors will look to get nothing but a win. I was surprised to see Harry Kewell in charge of the visitors as we went into the game.
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A tactic I had wanted to use and experiment with at Weston-Super-Mare is what I would use for this tie. I midfield 5 with a lone striker and try to control the game moving the ball around quickly and pushing teams back. I knew it would leave us open on the counter but I was happy that a good defence could protect against this.
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16 year old Carlos Ramirez gets the start in goal with a strong back 4 ahead of him other than RB Rodgers who could struggle at this level. A very strong midfield 3 with Minshull leading the middle of the park. Dennis will look to earn himself a contract on the left whilst Emmanuel gets the start on the right with Pinau not fit enough to return. Cunnington starts up top as he looks to add to his 13 goal tally.
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The result in the end was unfair. We played better and created more chances and in fact controlled the whole game. We passed the ball around fantastically and that was shown for our goal as Prestedge scored in the 16th minute with every single player getting a touch in the build up to the goal.
At half time though we could hear Kewell screaming at his players as the news of them being in the relegation zone came in. Their players stepped it up in the second half and they found our weakness at right back. They kept hitting us down the right side on the counter and young keeper Ramirez was left helpless in goal twice.
I wasn't upset by the result as we played fantastically but in the end it came down to the need to win. Aldershot threw everything at us in the second half to win their survival battle and it worked for them. There was criticism of me in the media after with some sources claiming "I wanted to hurt" Aldershot. Kewell came to my defence though.
Injury News View attachment 145181
With the summer close approaching one of the players receives some bad news and it is 16 year old keeper Carlos Ramirez who receives it. He was doing some extra work with Goalkeeping Coach Glyn Shimell as he tries to improve heading into the break and he lands funny as he comes down from a dive getting a lower back stress fracture.
The 16 year old started our final game and at the moment is our number 1 heading into next season. He will have a restricted couple of months though as he recovers from this injury.
Expectations
Here I am at my second pre-season and after a disappointing season with Weston which ended in relegation despite my best efforts I sit a division higher with Bromley.
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The board have made their expectations for this season clear from day 1, they were discussed when I arrived at Bromley and will need to be met in order for my career to move forward. They want a sound mid-table finish with cup runs in both the FA Cup and FA Trophy.
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The media have lesser expectations as they see us as being in a bottom half finish with the possibility of a relegation battle. At 50-1 we aren't expected to be anywhere near the promotion fight but that's where I would like to be finishing.
So with my expectations laid out by the board and media I have set my own goals of being in the top half in the league and getting to the first round of the FA Cup and I see no reason for us not to be able to compete for the win of the FA Trophy.
Pre-Season
With my expectations laid out it is time to take a look at how pre-season went as we build up towards the beginning of the season and I mould the squad to what I want.
An easy test as we build up fitness towards the beginning of our true pre-season tests. It was a good performance with the returning players Cunnington and Prestege scoring the winning goals after we went 1-0 down in the first half.
______________________________ Bromley 3-0 Under 21's
A better performance with higher fitness levels as we put in a fantastic 90 minutes but a 3 goal second half gives us the win. All 3 goals were good team efforts which saw good finishes from 3 different players.
______________________________ Bromley 2-1 QPR
It's a fantastic win against senior affiliate QPR who I expected nothing but a loss from. We were the better team throughout and consistently hit the visitors on the break as we got two second half goals to seal a very impressive win.
A rotated 11 gave the backups a chance to claim a place and it was a good performance despite the result. Palace played a full 11 a tore through our back line constantly but we created chances and remained fairly strong at the back.
An identical result and performance to the Palace game where we were good going forward and strong at the back but it was just quality of players that played the difference as Blackburn made it two 3-0 losses on the bounce.
I follow my pre-season ritual of having a winnable game to boost morale at the end of pre-season and the win does just that. Cunnington got the only goal of the game but I scouted the Banstead keeper as he managed to keep out 17 of our 18 shots on targets as our starters destroyed the visitors.
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So with a good pre-season seeing only 2 defeats and one massively surprising victory I will take a look at the squad and our transfers in the next couple of updates before getting the season under way.
Transfers
After taking over last summer it was obvious I would need a big summer of transfer dealings to move forward with and that is exactly what I did.
Departures View attachment 141795
In a summer where I had a limited budget I had to make a lot of moves in order to keep and bring in players I wanted. This is shown in the sales of Pinau and Emmanuel who were both seen as key players by fans. Pinau didn't want to play for Bromley so was given the chance to warm the bench at Barnsley whilst Emmanuel was one of our highest earners but didn't have the skills to match so it was an easy decision to ship him off to league 2 Wycombe for £20k.
Julian was another I would've tried to keep but he jumped at the chance to go to Chesterfield so the would be number 1 was allowed to leave. All other departures were of back up and rotation players who I was confident in replacing, whilst I offered all contracts I didn't want to overpay them.
Incoming View attachment 141794
The key to the summer was making a profit and I did just that as I spent just £10k after making £25k in sales. Many questioned my transfer policy when I signed 5 (Owen, Oliver, Jezeph, Lewis & Raekwan Smith) from Walsall's released list but I couldn't turn down the chance to sign players I had watched on previous occasions and knew would be helpful for the upcoming campaign.
I made sure to add depth and strength in defence knowing I needed to improve on my defensive showings from Weston-Super-Mare to have success. I added 5 defenders in an attempt to create a stubborn back 4 for the season and I aimed to gel them before the season along with remaining defenders.
The two paid signings have both been approved by fans with them having seen and heard a lot of good reports about Tomassen and Banya. Tomassen was a player I tried to bring in last season at Weston but didn't have the funds to do so but he will come in and start at right back. Banya was a fantastic signing with league 2 clubs sniffing around after he scored 17 and assisted 12 goals in Maidstones promotion to the conference.
I also went back to my previous stomping ground to sign up Dayle Grubb and Chris Speed. Speed was key for me last year and I brought him in knowing he had the potential to be a key player for me in the future should other strikers (including loanee Adams) struggle. He will play most of his time in the near future for the under 21's but will need to be prepared to take his chances for the first team when called upon.
Finally is the signing which I believe to be the best of the summer, Ben Whitfield. I had seen him originally sign for Bournemouth a couple of years ago and was keen to follow his progress but when the premier league club released the 20 year old winger I couldn't turn down the chance to sign him. He will be key for us this season with the ability to tear this league apart and the potential to play as high as the championship.
Squad Analysis: Goalkeepers
This is the first look at the squad I have at hand for the year as I look at the goalkeepers of the squad.
Lenny Pidgeley View attachment 141793
The 32 year old will be our number 1 barring injuries after signing on a free transfer. He has the ability to play at a higher level and there were a number of football league clubs looking to capture the signing of my now starting keeper.
Dan Jezeph View attachment 141792
A kid I had heard a lot about as a Walsall fan and I was surprised to see he was released. I had to sign him knowing he had the potential to be a key player in league 1 but also knowing he had the ability to play at this level. He was going to be my number 1 prior to the surprise signing of Pidgeley.
Squad Analysis: Defenders The second part of our squad analysis as we take a look at the defenders who will be looking to stay stubborn at the back.
Joe Anderson LB View attachment 141790
The starting left back for the season as he looks to continue to do well for Bromley approaching his 100th appearance. I'm hoping he can also provide some attacking threat down the left with some impressing crossing.
Raekwan Smith LB/CB View attachment 141788
Our back up left back for the season is the recent signing from Walsall. He prefers to play CB but I will look to make him a versatile defender using him as cover for both positions.
Richard Bakary RB/RM View attachment 141787
He will be able to provide some cover for the wings should be need it but will mainly be used as the number two right back behind Tomassen.
Jack Holland RB/CB/CDM View attachment 141786
Similar to Smith I will look to turn Holland into a versatile option as he can provide cover at RB and CB. I aim to develop him into a back up option across the line and possibly into a CDM.
Steve Tomassen RB/CB View attachment 141785
Our starting RB who has impressive physical and mental stats for this level. He will need to improve technically as the season progresses but he will mainly be asked to perform defensive duties and provide little going forward.
Ben Chorley CB/CDM View attachment 141784
Easily our best CB and one of our key players heading into the season. He will be hard to beat in the air at this level and hard to break down on the ground with some impressive tackling and positioning.
Sean Francis CB View attachment 141783
He will be in a constant contention for the second CB spot alongside Chorley but will most likely be a backup for the season.
Rob Swaine CB (Captain) View attachment 141782
Captain Swaine will likely partner Chorley all season at the back. At 28 he is starting to decline physically but will use his mental attributes to continue to be a stone at the back for Bromley.
Squad Analysis: Central Midfielders The third part of the squad analysis as I take a look at the players who will try to control the game from midfield.
Lee Minshull CM/CB/CDM/CAM/ST View attachment 141781
Minshull is a really versatile but will be key to our midfield with his quality. He doesn't specialise in anything but should be playing at a higher level without question.
Max Porter CDM/CM View attachment 141780
Porter is another versatile player but will spend most of his time partnering Minshull or playing in a defensive midfield role. Another all round player who should be playing in the football league.
Ali Fuseini CM/CDM View attachment 141779
He will be the backup option for CDM but will be unlikely to feature often at CM with a lack of technical skills to move the ball around, he is a real defensive midfielder.
Reece Prestedge CM (Vice Captain) View attachment 141778
Our 3rd choice midfielder who is likely to feature a lot in the upcoming season. He is fantastically mentally, hence his vice captain role, and has some technical skills to go along with it.
Joe Lea CM View attachment 141777
Lea was a free signing and the 18 year old will feature off of the bench a lot but will struggle to maintain a starting place due to his physicals as a teenager.