Chris Ball - The European Journeyman

[FM_TNSSO]

January 2022

Scottish League Two – Matchday 19
Brechin City vs Peterhead
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, F.Duffy, K.Inglis (B.Eardley 60), M.Munro*, L.Callghan, G.Fisher, R.Currie, C.Starrs (P.Nawrocki 60)

BOOM! What a final few minutes as we completely turned this game on it’s head to record our first win over Peterhead this season, after losing twice already! Marky Munro has hit a little run of goalscoring form and certainly seems to be enjoying his new role in the diamond formation.

Scottish League Two – Matchday 20
Brechin City vs Stenhousemuir
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio (S.Bronsky 61), C.Taylor, F.Duffy, K.Inglis (B.Eardley 61), M.Munro, L.Callghan, G.Fisher, R.Currie, P.Nawrocki (J.Skelly 61)

I’m extremely disappointed to follow up a win against the league leaders with only a draw against the bottom side. Stenhousemuir got away with one here as we dominated the entire game, having 18 shots to their 4!!

Scottish League Two – Matchday 21
Edinburgh City vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio*, C.Taylor, F.Duffy, B.Eardley, M.Munro, L.Callghan, K.Inglis, R.Currie, P.Nawrocki

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! We were absolutely fantastic here as we took our chances well and defended excellently! We frustrated their front men all day long, whilst making the most of our own opportunities in front of goal. Possibly our best performance of the season!

Scottish League Two – Matchday 22
Albion Rovers vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio (S.Bronsky 63), C.Taylor, F.Duffy, B.Eardley, M.Munro, L.Callghan, G.Fisher, R.Currie, P.Nawrocki (C.Starrs 63)

Again we follow up a fantastic win, with a rather drab draw! We were well on top throughout as well so it is a game we really should have taken all 3 points from and it’s definitely a case of 2 points dropped here!

Scottish League Two – Matchday 23
Brechin City vs Annan Athletic
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, B.Luissint, B.Eardley, M.Munro, L.Callghan, G.Fisher (K.Inglis 67), R.Currie* (J.Skelly 78), P.Nawrocki

Annan Athletic have led the way in the league for more than half the season this year, so are making a real go of their promotion bid! So that makes this win even better and massive for us in the grand scheme of things! Both Rory Currie and Przemyslaw Nawrocki were both on fire here!

Incoming Loan; Jack Maciver (AMC)
Signed From; Aberdeen, Monthly Fee; £0, Salary Contribution; £0

On transfer deadline day, I was keen to add another attacking player to the ranks, particularly someone who could cover the new AMC role we are playing in the diamond formation. Jack was available on loan from Aberdeen and after a failed bid to sign him on a permanent deal, I settled for bring him until the end of the season on a temporary basis.

Released; Josh Skelly (ST)

The man I brought in at the start of the season that I thought would be our best striker, has been nothing short of a major disappointment after scoring only once in 13 appearances! He’s not worth the £130 p/w we were paying him, so I terminated his contract with immediate effect for a fee of £3.5k.

With a solid month of football behind us and some really good results, we are up to 2nd in the league and have firmly put ourselves amongst not only the playoff mix, but the title mix as well.

Player of the Month
Przemyslaw Nawrocki (Form; 7.9, 6.6, 7.7, 6.3, 7.7)

Nawrocki has chipped in with no fewer than 5 goals in 5 games this month, as well as an assist. He hasn’t been first choice up front for most of the season so far, but is certainly ensuring he is one of the first names on the teamsheet at the moment!

Back to back manager of the month awards for me!

As we look ahead to next month’s fixtures, we will be looking to extend our current run of 8 games unbeaten and ensure we keep up our title challenge for as long as possible.

​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

February 2022

Scottish League Two – Matchday 24
Stirling Albion vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio, S.Bronsky, B.Luissint, B.Eardley, M.Munro, L.Callghan (C.Coupe 77), G.Fisher (J.Maciver 77), R.Currie*, P.Nawrocki

With the league being as close as it is, every single win is going to be so important between now and the end of the season, starting with this one right here which puts 4 points between us and Stirling at full time. It was all over by half time here after we raced to a 4-0 lead by the break. We stepped off the gas in the 2nd half with the job already done, which kept the scoreline from being a complete embarrassment for our opponents!

Scottish League Two – Matchday 25
Brechin City vs Stranraer
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio, S.Bronsky, B.Luissint, B.Eardley (G.Fisher 52), M.Munro, L.Callghan, J.Maciver, R.Currie, P.Nawrocki* (K.Paton 52)

We’d recorded three straight wins against Stranraer prior to today’s match, scoring 10 goals in the process, so I felt confident going into this one. And I was right to as we were on top form once again, smashing another 4 past them. In 3 of our last 4 matches against Stranraer, we’ve now scored 4 goals!!

Scottish League Two – Matchday 26
Cowdenbeath vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, B.Luissint, B.Eardley, M.Munro*, L.Callghan (G.Fisher 60), J.Maciver, R.Currie (K.Paton 63), P.Nawrocki (C.Starrs 63)

That’s the fourth game in a row that we have scored 4 or more goals now as we look absolute dynamite going forward! I don’t wanna jinx it, but we might even be installing ourselves as the title favourites with our current form!!

Scottish League Two – Matchday 27
Elgin City vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio*, C.Taylor, B.Luissint, B.Eardley, M.Munro, L.Callghan, J.Maciver (G.Fisher 80), R.Currie (K.Paton 80), P.Nawrocki

We were very average in the first half in this game and possibly should have gone into the break behind after Elgin missed a couple of good chances. However, a firm kick up the jacksy at half time seemed to liven my lads up and we produced a much better 2nd half, scoring three and taking another big 3 points!

Just want to point out how impressive my two strikers (from last season) are doing and how they deserve to be holding down their starting lineup spots at the moment. Both Currie and Nawrocki are in the top 10 scorers for the division, and both of them have a minutes per goal ratio of less than 90 minutes!!

Say we are top of the league, say we are top of the league!! Oi oi, this is the first time in my career I’ve been at the top of the pile and not only that, we’re clear by 4 points!!! A playoff spot looks like it has to be an absolute minimum for us this year now!

Rory Currie lifts the player of the month award for League Two, after scoring 5 goals in his last 4 games! Przemyslaw Nawrocki actually scored 6, but came runner up to his strike partner.

I complete a hat trick of manager of the month awards, as my stock in Scottish football has got to be growing by the month!

Player of the Month
Przemyslaw Nawrocki (Form; 7.3, 8.7, 7.4, 7.1)

He may have missed out on the league award to Rory Currie, but Przemyslaw takes my award for his extra goal this month and also for more consistent performances (Currie had a 6.5 rating in there).

All that remains now is to play everyone 1 more time and next month we will play the sides in 2nd and 3rd in the league, which could shape the title race for the last few matches in April.

​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

March 2022

Scottish League Two – Matchday 28
Peterhead vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, B.Luissint (F.Duffy 63), B.Eardley, M.Munro, L.Callghan, J.Maciver*, R.Currie, P.Nawrocki (K.Paton 63)

A massive game in the title race between 1st and 2nd in the table, and we come up trumps! In all fairness, they were probably the more dominant team with 18 shots on our goal, but we took our chances when they came and nick a massive, massive win, which puts clear daylight between us and our nearest rivals.

Scottish League Two – Matchday 29
Stenhousemuir vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, B.Luissint, B.Eardley (L.Callaghan 61), M.Munro, G.Fisher, J.Maciver, R.Currie (C.Starrs 61), P.Nawrocki*

It’s no secret that we’ve struggled to get the better of Stenhousemuir over our last few meetings, drawing 4 of the last 5 (winning the other), so I knew this was a potential banana skin for us, despite them being bottom of the league! However, I was wrong to feel apprehensive as we never looked in doubt of beating the side that prop up the league this time round!

Scottish League Two – Matchday 30
Brechin City vs Edinburgh City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, G.Pascazio (S.Bronsky 73), C.Taylor, B.Luissint, B.Eardley, M.Munro, G.Fisher, J.Maciver, K.Paton (C.Starrs 73), P.Nawrocki (R.Currie 73)

Our poorest performance for a long time results in our first defeat in 15 games!! Let’s hope we can pick ourselves up quickly and recover from this and keep out title dream alive!

Injury; A big blow as I lose one of my centre back pairing to injury for potentially the rest of the season!

Scottish League Two – Matchday 31
Brechin City vs Albion Rovers
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, S.Bronsky, C.Taylor, F.Duffy (C.O’Neil 62), G.Fisher, M.Munro, L.Callaghan, J.Maciver, C.Starrs (R.Currie 62), P.Nawrocki

Are the wheels coming off?! Are we going to throw away this league title?! We were 3-0 up and cruising inside 16 minutes here, and went on to lose the game 4-3! This is worse than earlier in the season when we threw a 4-0 lead to draw 4-4 with Edinburgh! We need to pick ourselves up and fast!!

Five games to go and we hold a five point lead at the top of the table! It really is all in our own hands right now and we’ll only have ourselves to blame if we don’t lift the winner’s trophy at the end of next month!

Player of the Month
Przemyslaw Nawrocki (Form; 6.5, 8.6, 6.5, 7.7)

Two good performances from Nawrocki and 5 goals in 4 games was enough for him to secure my player of the month again.

April will see us play our final 5 games of the season! 4 wins will definitely be enough, but I think 3 will probably win us the title! No excuses…let’s get down to business!

​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

April 2022

Scottish League Two – Matchday 32
Brechin City vs Stirling Albion
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, L.Bollan, C.Taylor*, C.O’Neil, G.Fisher (B.Eardley 77), M.Munro, L.Callaghan, J.Maciver, R.Currie (K.Paton 68), P.Nawrocki

We came into this game knowing that a win would put Stirling Albion out of the title race and it would be one less team for us to worry about in the chasing pack! Now it certainly wasn’t the most convincing of wins, but right now we’ll take every win we can get no matter how ugly it is!

With other teams dropping points over the weekend, it meant that our next game against Annan Athletic became even bigger! A win could all but seal the title for us as I think the gap would be too much for anyone to close with 3 games left!

Scottish League Two – Matchday 33
Annan Athletic vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, L.Bollan, C.Taylor*, C.O’Neil, G.Fisher, M.Munro, L.Callaghan, J.Maciver, R.Currie, P.Nawrocki (K.Paton 68)

Our biggest game of the year and we absolutely turned up!! We outplayed Annan from start to finish and the ball over the top caught them out time and time again, with 3 of our 4 goals coming this way! Cameron Taylor may have got the man of the match but it was Jack Maciver’s passing that was a joy to behold through the match and he was my personal stand out player!

With other results over the weekend, we now sit 8 points clear at the top with only 3 games going. With our superior goal difference as well, it’s safe to say that a single point from any of these last 3 matches will secure us the title.

Scottish League Two – Matchday 34
Stranraer vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, L.Bollan, C.Taylor, C.O’Neil (F.Duffy 45), G.Fisher, M.Munro, K.Inglis, J.Maciver, R.Currie, P.Nawrocki (K.Paton 45)

Well Stranraer clearly didn’t get the memo did they?! We were bl00dy hopeless here and our opponents ran a mock! I don’t know if it was the nerves of the occasion, or just an off day, but we were quite simply thrashed!

Scottish League Two – Matchday 35
Brechin City vs Cowdenbeath
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, L.Bollan, C.Taylor, C.O’Neil, G.Fisher (B.Eardley 88), M.Munro (C.Coupe 61), L.Callaghan, J.Maciver, R.Currie, K.Paton (P.Nawrocki 61)

Oh dear me…surely we’re not going to go right down to the final day of the season to win this division….more importantly, surely we’re not going to throw an 8 point lead away and miss out on lifting the title?!

Well, the answer was no!! Despite losing our last two games, results went our way and with a game remaining, we have lifted the title in my second season!!!

The plaudits quickly started coming my way!!

With the title in the bag, I thought now was the time to ask the board to fund another coaching course for me….I mean, how could they say no?

Scottish League Two – Matchday 36
Brechin City vs Elgin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.Macpherson, L.Bollan, C.Taylor, F.Duffy, G.Fisher (B.Eardley 75), M.Munro, L.Callaghan, J.Maciver, R.Currie (P.Nawrocki 75), K.Paton (C.Starrs 75)

The only loss of my career to date that I honestly couldn’t give two craps about! It would have been nice to give the fans a good end of season send off, but considering we’ve been getting smashed off our faces for the last few days, we did well to only lose 2-0 ?

Confirmation of the final league table and we finished up top of the pile by 2 points in the end. Annan, Peterhead and Edinburgh will contest the playoffs, whilst Stenhousemuir will contest the relegation playoff and were never even close to surviving this year!

Player of the Month
Jack Maciver (7.9, 6.9, 7.1, 6.2)

Nobody was outstanding this month, but the young loanee gets my POM for his goal and two assists in a month where we suffered 3 defeats and most of the team was pretty mediocre.

​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

End of Season Review/May 2022

I added some important players to the squad last Summer and the likes of Joe MacPherson, Dale Burgess and Gary Fiisher were all first team regulars and played big parts in our success this year. Jack MacIver’s addition in January was a welcome boost and he made a solid contribution with 3 goals and 5 assists in just 13 appearances.

It really was a season to remember! We really didn’t start the campaign well, with only 3 wins in our opening 13 games, but a excellent mid season run spearheaded us to the top of the table and a title winning season!

Not sure I’d agree that the Kelty Hearts win was the match to remember, but that 5-2 win over Annan Athletic in the league was certainly one of our most impressive league wins!

Finances are on the up, with some significant prize money coming into the club from winning the title (well for this level anyway). Match day commercial and retail income nearly doubled on last year as well, with our extra success.

Despite three new strikers coming into the club throughout this season, it was the two lads from last year that proved to be the best partnership again! Other than the front two, only Pascazio at centre back is a player that I inherited as manager. Everyone else, I’ve brought in, so this very much is ‘my’ team.

On awards night, it was a repeat of last year with Cameron Taylor taking both the fan’s player and young player awards. Goalkeeper, Burgess, was the signing of the season and I’d probably agree with that as he certainly solidified things up at the back for us.

Dale Burgess, Joe MacPherson, Cameron Taylor, Marky Munro, Rory Currie and Przemyslaw Nawrocki all made the League Two Team of the Season!

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Excellent to see you lift the title with Brechin even if you did try your best to bottle it over the last 3 games. Will a better job come up over the summer or are you going to stick it out for a bit longer

We really did try to throw it away!! LOL! Be interesting to see if anyone comes in for me, but I don't hold out major hopes as my coaching badges are still pretty rubbish at the moment. I'm quite happy to start another season with Brechin and see how we far in League One though if nobody else comes in for me.

 

[HUNTY]

Love reading your stories!! ?? Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Just wanted to ask what set up whether it’s laptop or PC ?
I haven’t got Fm21 as my laptop was unbearable with FM20 so slow even with only a couple leagues loaded. Thanks

 

[Crayth]

Well done on winning the league!

Love the layout mate - keep it up!

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Love reading your stories!! ?? Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Just wanted to ask what set up whether it’s laptop or PC ?
I haven’t got Fm21 as my laptop was unbearable with FM20 so slow even with only a couple leagues loaded. Thanks

Appreciate the kind words!

I'm on a laptop mate. My old one used to struggle, but forked out a few hundred quid for a better laptop earlier in the year and never had problems since. FM is my fave game so was worth the investment (I don't really use my laptop for anything else).

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Well done on winning the league!

Love the layout mate - keep it up!

Thanks mate. Appreciate the comment....glad you are enjoying the read

 

[HUNTY]

Appreciate the kind words!

I'm on a laptop mate. My old one used to struggle, but forked out a few hundred quid for a better laptop earlier in the year and never had problems since. FM is my fave game so was worth the investment (I don't really use my laptop for anything else).

Thanks for the reply mate! Yeah I’ve been researching laptops that are supposedly good for FM as I’m desperate to play it - just can’t afford a new one at the moment. Seems like forming out for a decent one is the way forward though.

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Thanks for the reply mate! Yeah I’ve been researching laptops that are supposedly good for FM as I’m desperate to play it - just can’t afford a new one at the moment. Seems like forming out for a decent one is the way forward though.

This is the one I bought and it runs FM just fine mate.... https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compu...VyuvtCh1ndAh2EAQYAyABEgKtGfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[FM_TNSSO]

June 2022​

Incoming Loan; Fergus Owens (CB)
Signed From; Hamilton, Monthly Fee; £0, Salary Contribution; £0

With promotion to League One, I knew we’d need to strengthen the squad for the season ahead and the first signing of the Summer is centre back Fergus Owens, who joins on a season long loan from Hamilton. The 19 year old has some solid defensive stats and is a welcome addition to the back line. He played 14 times for Dumbarton in League One last season (on loan), so has experience at this level too.

Incoming Transfer; John Moreland (MR/AMR)
Signed From; Free Agent, Fee; Free Transfer, Contract; 3 years (£120 p/w)

My first permanent signing of the window is John Moreland who comes in on a free after being released by St Johnstone. The youngster is still to make a competitive appearance in his career to date, but I feel confident he can make a contribution for us and kick start his pro career this year.

Incoming Transfer; Aaron Steele (LB)
Signed From; Free Agent, Fee; Free Transfer, Contract; 2 years (£70 p/w)

20 year old left back, Aaron Steele comes in on a free after also being let go from St Johnstone. Just like his old teammate John Moreland (above), he is yet to make a competitive appearance so is classed as a bit of a risk, but again I’m confident he can be an asset for us.

Incoming Loan; Mo Urquhart (ST)
Signed From; Celtic, Monthly Fee; £0, Salary Contribution; £0

Even at just 17 years of age, Mo looks like one for the future and he can make a name for himself this season with us. He’ll get plenty of opportunities for us down at this level to show what he can do.

Incoming Loan; David Tremble (DM/MC)
Signed From; Queen of the South, Monthly Fee; £0, Salary Contribution; £0

Another 17 year old that looks like he could have a decent future in the game is David Tremble. The central midfielder has some great mental stats for someone so young and combined with a decent eye for a pass, I am hoping he can make an impact on the first team squad this year.

Incoming Transfer; Fraser MacLeod (AMC/ST)
Signed From; Clyde, Fee: Free Transfer, Contract; 2 years (£140 p/w)

One of the areas of the squad I was short on options was in the AMC role. I’ll be honest – my options in the transfer market were very limited as well and I’d still like to improve this position. However, for now Fraser MacLeod comes in and can hopefully do a job for us even if just in the interim. He played 13 times at this level for Clyde last year, but worryingly didn’t score a single goal or get an assist.

The board’s expectations for the upcoming season are very realistic to be honest. Fight bravely against relegation and just a competitive showing in the cups is all that is required.

For the third season in a row, we have been drawn against Brora Rangers in the group stage of the Betfred Cup. We also played Raith last year too. As per the past two seasons, I certainly don’t expect to qualify from this group, but to pick up a couple of wins would be nice.

Our first league game in League One will be away at Montrose, before 3 home matches. We will look to make as positive a start to the campaign as possible, but we haven’t exactly been fast starters in the league competition over the past 2 years, so I don’t hold high hopes.

I signed a new 2 year deal with the club. Deep down, I’m hoping that a bigger club will come in for me over the next 12 months or so though, if I can prove myself at this higher level.

Our first two friendlies of the pre season were chalk n cheese really. The first was an underwhelming 0-0 draw against non league opposition, whilst the second was an absolute goal fest as we battered Lothian Thistle 7-0!

​

 

[HUNTY]

This is the one I bought and it runs FM just fine mate.... https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/huawei-matebook-d-15-6-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-256-gb-ssd-space-grey-10205030-pdt.html?istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istFeedId=4d7eb93e-055f-499d-8ee5-1cdcc50d67d1&istItemId=irwimwtai&istBid=tztx&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~1011 (Shopping Ads) Laptops - Generic Adaptive~1011 (PLA) Windows Laptops And Convertibles ad group~Exact&mctag=gg_goog_7904&kwid=GOOGLE&device=c&ds_kids=92700059237016291&tgtid=1011 (Shopping Ads) Laptops - Generic Adaptive&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-5iUws7a7QIVyuvtCh1ndAh2EAQYAyABEgKtGfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Legend! I’ll look into it! Thanks a lot ??

 

[FM_TNSSO]

July 2022

Three more friendlies out the way before the Betfred Cup Group Stage kicks off. A good showing against Dundee United, before a great win against Monaco’s second string finished off with a routine win against non league Spartans.

Betfred Cup – Group Stage Matchday 1
Inverness vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, F.Owens, C.Taylor, A.Steele, D.Tremble (B.Eardley 62), M.Munro, L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, K.Paton, M.Urquhart (P.Nawrocki 62)

We opened our Betfred Cup account with a defeat away at Inverness…it can be forgiven, given that they are a Championship club! We weren’t terrible either in all fairness…don’t get me wrong, we didn’t deserve to win or anything, but we definitely made them work for it.

Betfred Cup – Group Stage Matchday 2
Brechin City vs Cowdenbeath
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, F.Owens, C.Taylor*, A.Steele, D.Tremble (B.Eardley 66), C.Coupe, K.Inglis, F.MacLeod, K.Paton, M.Urquhart (P.Nawrocki 66)

Our 24 attempts at goal to their 5 demonstrates our complete dominance in this game. However, we struggled in front of goal and only managed to nick the one goal through a Cameron Taylor header from a corner. Although it was enough to take the win.

This fan got it spot on with his Twitter post…

Betfred Cup – Group Stage Matchday 3
Raith Rovers vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson (G.Pascazio 72), F.Owens, C.Taylor, A.Steele, B.Eardley, M.Munro (C.Coupe 72), L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, K.Paton (R.Currie 87), M.Urquhart*

I’d have taken a draw before the game obviously, but I can’t help but feel slightly robbed of the win here after we went 2-0 up and then 3-2 up against the Premiership side! A monumental effort from my lads and I’m extremely proud. Just a shame we couldn’t win the shootout and take the bonus point.

Betfred Cup – Group Stage Matchday 4
Brechin City vs Brora Rangers
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, F.Owens, G.Pascazio*, A.Steele, B.Eardley, M.Munro, K.Inglis, C.Coupe, K.Paton, M.Urquhart (P.Nawrocki 61)

A good win to round off the group stages of the competition and our first win over Brora in 3 attempts. Progress?

A respectable enough showing in the Betfred Cup this year as we finish 3rd in our group with 7 points…more than the previous two seasons put together. First of the board’s expectations for the season ticked off.

Season ticket sales are on the up!

The draw for the second round of the Challenge Cup pits us against Falkirk’s second string…a game I’d expect us to win!

As the newly promoted clubs, it’s us and Annan that are the hot favourites to go straight back down. Morton and Queen of the South are expected to contest the title, although there are a few sides apparently seen as not too far behind them. Morton have the highest contribution to the media dream eleven squad, with 4 players.

Scottish League One – Matchday 1
Montrose vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, A.Steele, B.Eardley, J.Moreland (M.Munro 67), L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, K.Paton, M.Urquhart*

A perfect start to life in League One as 17 year old Mo Urquhart’s strike was enough to secure us a 1-0 victory on the opening day over our fiercest local rivals. A solid defensive performance from my team as we keep that all important clean sheet!

I wasn’t going to show the league table after just 1 game, but this is the highest we might be in the league all year, so enjoy…

Player of the Month
Dale Burgess (Form; 6.7, 7.2, 6.6, 7.5, 7.0)

Most players had one or two good games this month, but goalkeeper Burgess was the most consistent of all.

Four home games coming up in August and we have to use that to our advantage and hopefully get some more early points on the board.

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[FM_TNSSO]

August 2022​

Scottish League One – Matchday 2
Brechin City vs Airdrieonians
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, A.Steele, B.Eardley (D.Tremble 68), J.Moreland, L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, K.Paton, M.Urquhart (C.Starrs 68)

This was a proper back and forth game….they led, we led, they led again, we pulled it back! In the end though, they prevailed in a game that could have gone either way. Plenty of good stuff from my lads here again though and encouraging signs that we won’t be the whipping boys in this division.

Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup – Second Round
Brechin City vs Falkirk Reserves
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, F.Owens, C.Taylor, B.Luissint, D.Tremble, M.Munro, L.Callaghan (A.Steele 30), F.MacLeod*, P.Nawrocki, M.Urquhart (C.Starrs 45)

A shocking goalkeeper error allowed us to take the lead inside 15 minutes. Their keeper came out to sweep up a long ball over the top and completely missed it, leaving Fraser MacLeod to tap into an open goal for his first for the club. Nawrocki doubled our lead just before the break and we went into half time looking comfortable. There wasn’t a lot of action in the 2nd half and the score remained the same to see us progress to the next round.

A tough draw away at Hearts in the next round.

Scottish League One – Matchday 3
Brechin City vs Forfar Athletic
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking (Positive on 85 mins)
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, F.Owens, C.Taylor, A.Steele, B.Eardley, J.Moreland (M.Munro 68), K.Inglis, F.MacLeod, K.Paton (P.Nawrocki 68), M.Urquhart

The longer this game went on, the more I felt that Forfar were there for the taking. We ramped up our pressure on them throughout the 2nd half and eventually took the lead with only a few minutes remaining. From then, it was about holding on, but we just couldn’t do it as they equalized deep into stoppage time. Gutting!

Scottish League One – Matchday 4
Brechin City vs Alloa Athletic
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, F.Owens, C.Taylor (Sent Off 72), B.Luissint (A.Steele 80), B.Eardley, J.Moreland, L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, K.Paton (G.Pascazio 72), M.Urquhart*

Luckily, we’d already dealt the blow to Alloa by the time captain Cameron Taylor was sent off in the 72nd minute. We composed ourselves well for them final 18 minutes though and held firm to take a big win and continue our decent start to life in League One.

Scottish League One – Matchday 5
Cove Rangers vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, F.Owens, G.Pascazio, B.Luissint, B.Eardley, J.Moreland (M.Munro 87), L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, P.Nawrocki, M.Urquhart (C.Starrs 87)

Cove Rangers came into this game top of the league after an unbeaten start to the season, and it only took 21 seconds for them to take the lead against us!! However, we responded really well and within 4 minutes we were back on level terms, as Przemyslaw Nawrocki repaid my faith in giving him a start with a goal. Fraser MacLeod had us in front before the 20 minute mark and we went on to dominate most of the match. However, Cove weren’t ready to lose their unbeaten start just yet and for the 2nd game in a row we concede a stoppage time equalizer and only walk away with a point when we definitely deserved all 3!

Incoming Transfer; Kyle Bell (MC/AMC)
Signed From; Free Agent, Fee; Free Transfer, Contract; 2 years (£110 p/w)

As we entered transfer deadline day, there was only one role I still didn’t feel we had efficient cover for and that was the AMC position. I therefore moved to bring in Kyle Bell on a free after his release from East Fife in the Summer. He played 29 times for them in League One last season so has plenty of experience to offer for us and I’m sure he has improved the squad with his arrival.

A really solid start to our League One campaign with only 1 loss in our opening 5 matches. We are bang in mid table, and a good 5 points clear of them bottom 2 places!

Player of the Month
Przemyslaw Nawrocki (Form; N/A, 7.2, 7.2, N/A, 7.0)

He may have only played 3 games this month, but Nawrocki scored in all 3 of those appearances and his goals were imperative to putting more points on the board, so he gets the POM award.

We kick off next month with a really tough game away at Hearts in the Challenge Cup before 3 league matches. It’s going to be a tough month ahead, with only one game in front of our own fans.

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[FM_TNSSO]

September 2022

Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup – Third Round
Hearts vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, F.Owens, C.Taylor, B.Luissint, D.Tremble, M.Munro, L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod (K.Bell 45), P.Nawrocki, M.Urquhart (R.Currie 45)

As expected, we were completely outclassed throughout, but the scoreline wasn’t embarrassing and I’ll take that if I’m being completely honest. There’s one thing I’m aiming for this season and that’s avoiding relegation in the league.

Scottish League One – Matchday 6
Greenock Morton vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess*, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, B.Luissint, B.Eardley, J.Moreland, L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod (K.Bell 87), P.Nawrocki (Sent Off 45), M.Urquhart (R.Currie 87)

A great result for a couple of reasons. Firstly we were away to one of only two fully professional clubs in this division and therefore one of the favourites to win the league. Secondly, we had to play the 2nd half with ten men after Przemyslaw Nawrocki’s red card right on half time, after scoring an absolute banger from 22 yards to level the scores. The best point we’ve won so far this season!

Scottish League One – Matchday 7
Brechin City vs Annan Athletic
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, B.Luissint, B.Eardley (D.Temple 66), J.Moreland, L.Callaghan, K.Bell (F.MacLeod 66) , R.Currie (M.Urquhart 66), K.Paton

Not at all happy with this result!! If we are going to avoid a relegation battle this year, then we must be winning games like this against the team that come up with us last year! Not good enough!!

Scottish League One – Matchday 8
Queen of the South vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio (F.Owens 79), C.Taylor, A.Steele, B.Eardley (M.Munro 34), J.Moreland, L.Callaghan, K.Bell (F.MacLeod 67), K.Paton, M.Urquhart*

WHAT A RESULT!! A great response to the defeat against Annan from my lads as we beat arguably the best team in the league on their own turf! When our opponents raced to a 2-0 lead, it looked like it was going to be a long afternoon for us, but we responded really well and Mo Urquhart caused them problems all afternoon as he bagged his first hat trick of his career.

We remain in mid table at this stage, but only 3 points separates us and top spot. The main concern for me though is we continue to grow that gap to the bottom 2!

Player of the Month
Mo Urquhart (Form; 6.3, 6.5, 6.6, 8.7)

Can I give the award to a player for just one hat trick? You’re **** right I can when it led us to one of the best results of my career!

After only winning one match this month, we will be looking for a bit better form next month and we kick it off with a game against our bitter rivals Montrose. If we can get a win against them, it should give us the momentum to kick on and have a decent month!

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[FM_TNSSO]

October 2022

Scottish League One – Matchday 9
Brechin City vs Montrose
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking (Very Attacking on 45 mins)
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, A.Steele, B.Eardley (M.Munro 47), J.Moreland (C.Coupe 71), L.Callaghan, K.Bell, K.Paton (P.Nawrocki 47), M.Urquhart

Absolutely awful! No other way I can describe our performance here as we simply didn’t turn up!! The boys got a kick in at full time and I’ll be looking for a reaction in our next game!

Scottish League One – Matchday 10
Brechin City vs East Fife
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, B.Luissint, B.Eardley, J.Moreland, L.Callaghan, K.Bell, K.Paton, M.Urquhart

We were the better side for majority of this game, but two lapses of concentration at the back allowed them in to take control of the game in the 2nd half within just a 3 minute period. A poor start to the month with back to back defeats.

In the third round of the Scottish Cup, we’ve drawn Brora Rangers. Considering we’ve never been in the same league as this team, incredibly this will be the 4th time I’ve come up against them in 2 ½ seasons!

Scottish League One – Matchday 11
Airdrieonians vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Positive
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, B.Luissint (A.Steele 85), B.Eardley, J.Moreland (M.Munro 66), L.Callaghan, K.Bell, K.Paton, M.Urquhart (P.Nawrocki 66)

We didn’t play great here so we’ll take the point that we probably didn’t deserve!

With our form taking a dip, combined with the fact I’ve now got two coaching badges and a league title win under my belt, it’s time to start looking for the next step in my career. FC Honka Espoo play their football in the top tier of Finnish football. I wasn’t sure whether they’d consider me or not, but they have given me an opportunity to interview for the role, with the meeting seeming to go well.

Scottish League One – Matchday 12
Forfar Athletic vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Positive
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, B.Luissint , B.Eardley, J.Moreland, L.Callaghan, K.Bell, P.Nawrocki, M.Urquhart

We finish the month with another defeat and again we didn’t really deserve anything from this game. We are really starting to struggle in this division.

A winless month has seen us drop to 8th in the table and our form is extremely worrying. The only saving grace at the moment is that there is still 5 points separating us from the bottom 2!

Player of the Month
Dale Burgess (Form; 6.2, 6.6, 7.0, 7.0)

A really bad month had by all and Burgess was the only player to score two match ratings above a 7.0 so he takes the award.

November looks like a really hard month ahead as we’ll take on 3 of the top 4!!

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[FM_TNSSO]

November 2022

I didn’t get the Honka Espoo job in Finland. I suppose it was a bit much to ask for to go straight into the top tier of another country even if it was only Finland. In all honesty, I’m surprised I even got an interview.

Scottish League One – Matchday 13
Brechin City vs Cove Rangers
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, A.Steele, D.Tremble (B.Eardley 61), M.Munro (J.Moreland 61), L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod (K.Bell 73), P.Nawrocki, M.Urquhart

A much improved performance to kick off this month and to be honest, we deserved the win. Their late equalizer was an absolute banger that we couldn’t really do anything about. We have every right to feel a little disappointed to have to share the points here.

I applied for the Grimsby Town job and was a little p*ss*d off that I didn’t even get an interview!

Scottish League One – Matchday 14
Alloa Athletic vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking (Very Defensive on 87 mins)
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, A.Steele, D.Tremble (B.Eardley 75), M.Munro (J.Moreland 84), L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, P.Nawrocki*, C.Starrs (K.Paton 66)

With our recent drop in form, this had become a massive game for us against the club currently propping up the table! Both teams looked devoid of confidence and struggled to create many chances in this game, but it was us that just nicked it with a late strike from Przemyslaw Nawrocki when he rounded their keeper to slot home and take a massive 3 points!

Scottish League One – Matchday 15
Brechin City vs Greenock Morton
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, A.Steele, D.Tremble (B.Eardley 63), M.Munro, L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, P.Nawrocki, C.Starrs (K.Paton 63)

We gave a decent account of ourselves here and deserved a point, so it was hard to take when they scored and took the win late in the game. Nothing to be ashamed of though as Morton are one of the best teams in the division.

Keeping on the lookout for new jobs, I throw my hat in the ring for the FK Fotbal Trinec job in Czech Republic and they invite me to interview for their vacant manager’s role. Could I be moving to Eastern Europe?

I also applied for the Port Vale job, but didn’t make the shortlist. Clearly, my experience thus far is not good enough to land a job in England’s fourth tier just yet.

Scottish League One – Matchday 16
Brechin City vs Queen of the South
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, A.Steele, B.Eardley, M.Munro (J.Moreland 68), L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod (K.Bell 68), P.Nawrocki, M.Urquhart*

We were brilliant here!! We are looking like we are definitely the thorn in Queen of the South’s side! We’ve smashed 8 goals past them in 2 games, beating them twice this season now.

This is a really tight division with only 10 points separating the top 8 teams in the division. We are very much in that mix and well clear of the bottom 2 for now, which is the main aim of the season!

Player of the Month
Dale Burgess (Form; 7.1, 7.4, 6.8, 7.3)

Our goalkeeper has been in decent form this month and has been a massive contributor towards the points we’ve picked up this month.

Our form has picked up a little and I hope we can finish the calendar year on a high with some good results again next month.

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[FM_TNSSO]

December 2022

I won’t be moving to the Czech Republic after all!

Scottish League One – Matchday 17
Annan Athletic vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, A.Steele, B.Eardley*, M.Munro, L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, P.Nawrocki, M.Urquhart

With Annan below us in the league, this was a must win game and the lads duly delivered a good performance and all 3 points to go with it! A great way to start the month and this win moves further away from those bottom 2 positions.

A move to the Czech Republic could be back on the card as I am invited to interview for the Lisen job after declaring my interest in the role.

Our next game will be my 100th in charge at Brechin City.

Scottish League One – Matchday 18
East Fife vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, F.Owens, A.Steele (B.Luissint 78), B.Eardley, M.Munro (J.Moreland 82), L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, P.Nawrocki*, M.Urquhart (K.Paton 70)

Before kick off, I told my lads to go out there and get revenge for our previous defeat to East Fife. And in my 100th game in charge, my boys got their revenge! A Przemyslaw Nawrocki hat trick, and a headed effort from Greg Pascazio, doing the business to mark my special occasion!

With a move to the Czech Republic potentially in the background, Dunfermline Athletic offer me a job interview to maybe remain in Scotland?

Which might turn out to be a saving grace as I didn’t get the Lisen job anyway.

Or maybe not!! These rejections are becoming pretty hard to take!!

To make me feel better, the board agree to send me on a coaching course. Either they are funding it out of fear of me leaving the club and hoping it will encourage me to stay….or they really do appreciate what I’ve done for the club so far and are trying to help me progress my career. Either way, I’ll be qualified to National A License level in 4 months time.

Scottish League One – Matchday 19
Montrose vs Brechin City
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking (Very Attacking on 77 mins)
Lineup; D.Burgess, C.O,Neil, G.Pascazio, F.Owens, A.Steele, B.Eardley (D.Tremble 77), M.Munro (J.Moreland 77), L.Callaghan, F.MacLeod, P.Nawrocki, M.Urquhart (K.Paton 77)

Our rivals get the better of us again in a close game which could have gone either way. Hopefully we can bounce straight back from this and it will prove to be just a small blip in our current run of form.

Scottish League One – Matchday 20
Brechin City vs Forfar Athletic
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking (Very Attacking on 74 mins)
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, F.Owens, A.Steele, B.Eardley (D.Tremble 74), J.Moreland, L.Callaghan, K.Bell, P.Nawrocki, M.Urquhart (K.Paton 74)

This time it was our turn to get the late equalizer and it was no less than we deserved after dominating the second half of the game trying hard to level the scores!

Scottish Cup – Third Round
Brechin City vs Brora Rangers
Formation; 4-4-2 Diamond, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; D.Burgess, J.MacPherson, G.Pascazio, C.Taylor, A.Steele, D.Tremble, J.Moreland, L.Callaghan, K.Bell, P.Nawrocki, M.Urquhart*

The gulf in class between the two teams strikers was clear for all to see here. The amount of possession and chances created was pretty even but our superior finishing was the difference on the day!

We finish the calendar year in 6th place, comfortably clear of the relegation battle and only a few points behind the top 4. If you’d have offered me this at this stage at the start of the season, I’d have bitten your hand off!

Player of the Month
Przemyslaw Nawrocki (Form; 6.6, 8.9, 6.8, 6.7, 8.0)

Nawrocki has had a great month contributing with 4 goals and 3 assists.

A win over Airdieonians in January would massively help us close the gap between us and them in 3rd place. We have a big opportunity for points at the end of the month as we take on bottom club, Alloa, and in amongst all that we have the next round of the Scottish Cup to play.

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