Darren Trott's Managerial Journey!

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Newcastle?
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This is interesting. The club I played for is without a manager. Given my success at York and my liking for the club, I'm the third favourite contender for the job. The media sensed this and came banging at my door for an interview.

To sum up, this is what I said: "It would be a dream come true for me to manage Newcastle. It is a club close to my heart and given a chance, I'd pounce on it. But I am currently at York and have a contract here. Furthermore, the club hasn't even contacted me. So, while I am honoured to be a contender, there isn't much point talking about it just yet."

It was a vague reply, but it made the York board a bit unhappy. I have been nagging them for a better contract and wanted to see if this'll convince them to open contract talks.
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5th June 2016:

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Pre-season: A look at the squad
Goalkeepers:
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Micheal Ingham is retiring from football at the end of June. Flinders is my first choice GK anyway, and will continue to be so. I don't have any good back-ups in the U21 and U18 side. Might have to dip into the market for a back-up goalie.

Defense:
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Swan and Winfield's contracts are expiring at the end of the month. Swan is unwilling to open contract talks and Winfield is not good enough in my opinion. Hare has potential, but is still young. May have to get a solid center half.

Besides Ilesmani, Nolan and Straker are accomplished left backs. I may get another fullback but it depends on the budget.

Midfield:
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I like playing 4123_DM or 4231_wide. So, I need 2 or 3 central midfielders and don't exactly need wide midfielders. This is probably the brightest spot in the side. Penn and Berrett are automatic choices for the first team. Summerfield, Platt and Godfrey offer solid options.

While all my wingers are attack minded, they can do the job as a wide midfielder/defensive winger when needed. So, not too worried about it.

Attack:
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Lots of options here. Coulson and Carson are comfortable on either wing, giving much needed versatility. Lester and Straker are solid choices too. If needed, Bellamy can fill in the inside forward slot on the left wing.

Our strikers are young and can do the job. For now, I am sticking with them and not making signings in this area.​
 
Really enjoying this. A move to Newcastle at some point, even if it doesn't happen now, would be so poetic!
 
Yeti01 said:
Really enjoying this. A move to Newcastle at some point, even if it doesn't happen now, would be so poetic!
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Newcastle (or Southampton) is definitely a club I want to manage in this save.
 
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Overachievers
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So, MirrorFootball has picked us as the season's overachievers in their Sky Bet League 2 review. James Berrett and Ellis Bellamy were highlighted; the former for his consistent top-notch performances and the latter for being one of the signings of the season.
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Another one joins..
View attachment 199518I wanted two players in the defense, and now I have what I wanted. Jean-Francois is a pretty good player and will provide much needed depth to our left back position. I haven't decided whether Ilesmani or Jean-Francois will be my first choice - I will know a few games into the season.

Jean-Francois
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Stick to York and bring the team to EPL !!! It will be an amazing achievement !
 
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Pre-Season Team Talk
Most of the lads are back from the break where as some are on extended leave for a week or two, as per the physio's recommendation.

I didn't want to put too much expectation on the players, but at the same time I want to encourage them and motivate them to put a fight this season.
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Thankfully, the response was a positive one.
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View attachment 199201More transfer activity:

But of a slightly different kind...

With two defenders signed, I don't think I need more players to the squad. But I definitely need scouts and coaches, the former being a priority.

A few scouting additions were recommended by the director of football and upon looking at their resumes, I made a decision.

I also decided to loan out Callum Rzonca. He is an excellent prospect and I think he needs regular first team football.





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Final Transfer Business
With Scott Fliners being the only first team GK available, I decided to dip into the market for a back-up keeper. Barry Roche was available for free and after a few phone conversations, he agreed to sign for the club.
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He joins as a player/scout, which is ideal for us. His experience will come in very handy.

Barry Roche
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Pre-Season Friendlies
With the new season starting in about a month, my assistant manager arranged 4 pre-season friendlies. This was a great opportunity to test three things:

  • [*=left]Performance of the new players - Marc Roberts, Jean-Francois and Barry Roche
    [*=left]A 4-4-2 tactic; I went with 4123(DM) or 4231(wide) during my first season. I want to see if the lads can handle a 442 formation.
    [*=left]Fitness levels and team cohesion
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Mixed feelings, to be honest. We hammered AFC Fylde and Sutton Coldfield, but I expected that. We should be able to beat teams from the lower leagues with ease to justify our promotion. The draw against Dundee left me in a strange mood - our midfield was sloppy in possession and Dundee attacked us relentlessly, but the defense held very strong.

The loss to Stevenage was disappointing. Too casual an approach, even for a friendly.
As for the things I wanted to test:
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  • Roberts was a rock at the back and I'm looking forward to seeing him in action. The other two - still undecided.
  • The 442 formation clicked as we won against Fylde and Sutton. But when the midfield duo got sloppy, we got overrun very fast. Something to work on.
  • Players' fitness levels got better with every passing game, and so did the team cohesion.
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awww how could u beat fylde 7-0 makes me sad... just cos i have them in leauge 1 now
 
Cbarber871 said:
awww how could u beat fylde 7-0 makes me sad... just cos i have them in leauge 1 now
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Ouch....

On a different note, I'll be taking a vacation starting today and will be away till New Year's time. I restrained myself from starting the new season since I want to start it fresh, after I return (which will be about 13 days from today)

Merry Christmas to all you folks, and happy holidays!
 
mask0991 said:
Ouch....

On a different note, I'll be taking a vacation starting today and will be away till New Year's time. I restrained myself from starting the new season since I want to start it fresh, after I return (which will be about 13 days from today)

Merry Christmas to all you folks, and happy holidays!
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yeah have a good one...yeah i'll still try and update my save as and when i can
 
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The board are being very realistic, which I am happy about. I sense that we could be involved in the relegation battle in the League and we must give it all to make this a season to remember,

As for the three knockout tournaments, the main goal is to prevent from being eliminated in the very early stages. Considering we reached the JPT finals last season, I am aiming for a good run in the tournament.​
 
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We kickstart the season with a familiar foe. We went up against Shrewsbury in the North final of Johnstone's Paint Trophy last season. We smashed them 4-0 in the home leg and progressed to the finals. Hoping for a repeat? Not really but a victory would be great.
We started off very sloppily. We kept losing possession far too easily and had to survive a lot of scary moments early on. Shrewsbury created a lot of chances and even hit the crossbar once. But we survived. Our gameplay started to improve only towards the end of first half.

The score stayed 0-0 at the break. I was pleased considering how sloppy we were until then. I told the lads to relax and take it easy. I didn't think putting pressure in the first game after promotion was a good idea. I also made two substitutions - Coulson came on for the ill-performing Carson and Hyde on for the tired Oliver.

And that worked wonders. Hyde and Coulson started to combine brilliantly on the left hand side, allowing the midfield to make forward runs. One such run resulted in our first goal. With a slim lead, things could change quickly. But we kept pressure on our opposition and forced them to make mistakes. A cross from right wing was awkwardly dealt by Matt Tootle and the ball rolled past Shrewsbury's goal line. 2-0! The second half has been marvelous for us.

Coulson topped off a brilliant second half with a goal of his own. Neat footwork and a powerful strike to make it 3-0. With just 10 mins of normal time remaining, Shrewsbury had no way back.

A powerful start to the season.
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