Darren Trott's Managerial Journey!

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Disappointing...
View attachment 212898To lose at home this way was utterly humiliating. Oxford dominated heavily in the first half that we had no shots at all, let alone shots on target. We were a bit lucky to go into half time with the scoreline at 0-0.

Oxford took the lead deservedly after half-time. Then started the collapse and mental breakdown. We started creating some opportunities after taking a beating but sloppy final passes and terrible movements off the ball made all those opportunities go to waste. Roofe scored Oxford's second with an outstanding volley that flew into the top corner. It was a beautiful goal indeed!

First Osei (Carlisle) and now Roofe - why...just why are we conceding all the goals that are capable of being nominated for goal of the season.

We got one back in the 85th minute. I'll be honest - we didn't deserve a way back into the game after that disappointing display. But I told the players to go on the attack and throw everyone forward. We did put together some passes and whipped in a few crosses. But sadly, none of them resulted in a goal.

We lost at home for the first time this season. Oxford deserved the win but to allow the away team to dominate an entire half is disappointing.
The two back to back defeats drop us into 13th spot with 13 points. We need to pick ourselves up soon.
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Injuries
I've asked the head physio Jeff Miller to report to me every single time he saw an improvement in one of our injured players. He has been regularly doing that and the situation is looking a lot better now.

Only six of our first team players are unfit at the moment and 3 of them are soon to be back! I am particularly looking forward to Summerfield's return, who is one of the more creative players in our side.
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McCoy, the hero of the Cambridge game has picked up a slight knock and should be back in a week or so. James Berrett and Ilesmani are also on the right track to recovery. Besides Reece Thompson and Josh Carson, we should have a fully fit squad for me to choose from!!


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PREVIEW: For the second time this season, we face a team from a league above ours in a knock out game. No one gave us a chance. ****, even the York City fans who turned up has a hint of skepticism on their faces.

I was not very positive either but we held our own against Preston despite losing on penalties. So, there is definitely a bit of optimism in me, even though it's not much! So, here we go with our best foot forward....Can we pull off an upset?
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Oh yes, we can!!

We needed a penalty shoot-out but we did it. And what really impressed me was that we didn't park the bus or anything like that. We played to our strengths while defending valiantly. The first half was very balanced between the sides with us getting the better opportunities. Emile Sinclair had a glorious opportunity to put us ahead but he missed from a few yards out. At that moment, I felt that we let it slip...
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My fears got worse when Russ Penn received a straight red for a horror tackle. This is his second red card this season, and his first was in our previous game of the Johnstone's Trophy. We were outnumbered and I feared we'd lose this contest.

I constantly encouraged the players to keep up their game play. We played nearly the entire second half with 10 men. But we held our own. The lads actually created a few chances despite being a man down. The defense was impeccable - Bradford couldn't find a way past our defense.

90 mins. gone. It was time for a penalty shootout.
View attachment 212647Bradford missed their first two in a row, while we converted them both. We missed one but it wasn't enough to stop us from winning. We won the shootout 4-3.

We won a game which no one expected us to! We are through to the quarter-finals!!! Bring it on!

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I'm the Boss
Two red cards and we're not even half-way through the season. I had to have an open talk with Russ Penn. I told him in a very harsh tone that I'd drop him if he performed any more foolish tackles. When he decided to talk back, I told him to shut up. I was a defender myself and I have received less than five red cards in my entire career. And this fellow picks up two within 3 months!

Then, I got an e-mail from the FA, which was forwarded by the Managing Director. Russ Penn was suspended for two matches, not just one. The FA deemed Penn's tackle 'dangerous and reckless'.
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Alright, that was it - 8 yellow cards (two of which were in one game, resulting in an indirect red) and 1 straight red in 14 games was too much. A simple warning wasn't going to suffice. Russ Penn is an experienced campaigner and I needed to show him exactly what I thought of his on-field behaviour!

I slapped a two-week fine on his wages!
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JPT and Upcoming Fixtures
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The draw has been good to us. We have to face a League two side instead of a League one side, which is nice. However, we'll have to travel to Morecambe, which is not necessarily an easy trip. Away games are always tricky.

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Five league games in 17 days, with three of them requiring travel. Not an easy set of fixtures! Trips to Luton and Barnet are going to be tough, Luton are playing well and are in the play-off spots. Luton are media favourites to ****** an automatic promotion spot.

Barnet are flying high. Expected to be involved in a relegation battle, Barnet have done exceedingly well thus far and are in the top half. After that, we face three teams that are below us in the table but none of them are to be taken lightly. I'll be looking for 10 points or so from these five games. The more, the better!​
 
Haha - way to put Penn back in his place!!!

Presentation is amazing mate. Loving this.
 
As per plan
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This was the first game where I felt like I won a tactical battle. Luton have 4 wins and 1 draw in their 5 games leading upto this game with us. This was always going to be a tough one for us. I set-up my team a bit defensively expecting severe pressure. The front three were given a lot of creative freedom but the back four and the holding midfielders were asked to stick to their tasks without too much flexibility.

It worked brilliantly. Luton had a lot of the ball but never really threatened the goal. Most of their attacks were stopped by us before the ball got into our box. We man marked their striker and attacking midfielder and all but nullified their threat.
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After the break, Mackail-Smith scored one for the home side. It all started with a poor cross by the Luton winger which was awkwardly cleared by our centerhalf Lowe. We couldn't get a good clearance away and a everyone in the box tried to kick it in some direction or the other. After a few kicks, the ball rolled past the line into our net. What a poor goal to concede!! I facepalmed at the touchline, with a wry smile as I looked at our defense through the openings between my fingers. It was such a silly and strange goal to concede.

But their lead didn't last long. Michael Coulson immediately equalized with a left footed volley that hit the roof of the net. Brilliant goal. Their keeper was barely able to react. Get in!

After that, usual service resumed. Luton attacked, we defended. And we managed to hang on till the final whistle. It was nervy at times, but we somehow pulled through.

1-1 against a top half side, away from home is a really good result for us. This was easily the toughest fixture for us in this month, and I'm glad we were able to get something from it!
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Comeback kings
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2-0 down to 2-2 in 13 minutes! Barnet are flying high this season and are in the top half of the table defying all odds. This was a tough place for us to travel. And 21 minutes into the game reminded us why! McLean scored a scorcher from 15 yards that almost broke the net.

The 1500 odd Barnet supporters at the stadium then created an atmosphere that was deafening. They were the 12th man for the home side. They were taunting our players and then I realized why many teams lose to Barnet at home. Their fans are quite amazing.
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When play resumed after the break, we tried to counter their strategy a bit. But it was the home side who extended the lead. It was McLean again, who doubled their lead with a thumping header. He found some space between our centerback pair and directed the incoming cross goalwards.

Then, we got the break we needed. Barnet defense conceded a needless penalty and Coulson made them pay. 2-1 and all of a sudden, we were dictating terms. 13 minutes later - we pulled level.

Jake Hyde scored. It had to be! A former Barnet player, Jake Hyde scored the equalizer that all but silenced the Barnet crowd. This was the moment everyone talked about before the game began.
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Unfortunately, we went into our shells after equalizing. We couldn't create good passing moves and let Barnet dictate terms and dominate. We were a bit lucky to come away with the draw as Barnet hit the cross bar two times in the closing moments of the game.

But all that matters now is the draw. We got a point after an incredible comeback. This was a second tough away game in 4 days time and we got the point again. I congratulated the lads after the game.​
 
19th Oct 2015

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Following two draws, I decided to have a talk with the lads about our upcoming games. We set out to get draws against Luton and Barnet and got them. But it's time to push on now and get some wins under the belt.

I wanted to let the lads know that they have been doing a fine job so far. At the same time, I had to remind them of the importance of upcoming games. Before our training session for the day, I met with the players and spoke my mind.
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Russ Penn, who will be returning from suspension for the upcoming game took initiative and rallied the troops. I still haven't completely forgiven him for his reckless on-field behaviour and quietly nodded as he spoke to the players in a positive tone. A few tactics were discussed before the lads split up for their regular training.
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Quality over quantity
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We were the favourites for this game and I was expecting a win but 3-0 is a pleasant surprise. No sooner did the game begin than we went 2-0 up. It all happened so far - Lowe dispatched a free kick into the top corner of the net and 5 minutes later, a Hyde shot was blocked and Bellamy scored off the rebound.
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Dag & Red were shell shocked. To make matters worse for them, Jake Hyde made it 3-0, 10 mins before the break. We were cruising at 3-0 with only 40% of the possession.

My half time team talk couldn't have been easier and the second half continued where the first half ended. Dag & Red continued to have the ball but we had the quality and put them to the sword. We couldn't get a fourth but we came close a few times. I was a bit disappointed not to get a fourth because this was turning into a huge confidence boost for the lads.

In the end, we only had 37% of the possession but we made it count the most. We had twice the shots as our opposition and had way more shots on target as well.
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I shook the players' hands after the game and lauded them for a wonderful display of attacking football.

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Disinterested play
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**** it! This was horrible. I was expecting a win, or at the very least, a draw. But nope.

It was horrible play from everyone from the defender to the striker. Scott Flinders in goal was the only bright spot as he stopped the scoreline from becoming embarrassing. From missing simple headers to misplacing easy passes to shooting wide from 5 yards when there is no pressure, the players seemed disinterested in the game and ended up on the losing side.

One particular misplaced pass comes to mind, which sums up the sad nature of our gameplay - with acres of space in front of the player, Hyde passes it behind him and squandering a very good attacking opportunity. These type of passes were a recurring theme.
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Sean Rigg's goal was a good one but the centerbacks were horribly out of position to deal with a simple cross. A win could have moved us into the top 10 but now we're stuck in the middle of the table.

The players got a severe blowdryer treatment after the game and I was very close to pouring the hot cup of tea in my hand all over their faces. Following a good win against Dag & Red, the lads put on a disappointing play today evening.

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A response
View attachment 211798The players responded strongly to my criticism, both to the media as well as indoors. Crawley are in the relegation zone currently and didn't trouble us too much. All the front three got on the scoresheet which was nice to see!
League table:
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View attachment 211763Micheal Ingham
Two days before the clash against Cheltenham, goalkeeper Michael Ingham approached me to talk about personal matters. Ingham requested a transfer as he feels that he'd achieved everything he can at this club.
View attachment 211762Ingham is my second choice goal keeper behind Scott Flinders. Furthermore, age is not on his side either - at 35 years old, Ingham is nearing the end of his career. So, I didn't want to stand in his way.
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Pushing towards a playoff spot mate, killing it!

Right call to let Ingham go too I'd say.
 
amazing..as a guy born in york always nice to see them do well so keep it up
 
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