Diary Of A European Journeyman

[FM_TNSSO]

Congrats on the new role my friend! A big step up for you and your chance to carry on the good work from last season. Anyone from Conwy that you think would be worth bringing with you? Staff or players

Thank you!! There has been one signing from my old club already....all will be revealed in the next update

 

[Brane_Orsou]

OOO you tease! ?

 

[REIDZER2020]

Cracking read, especially during work...

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Cracking read, especially during work...

Thanks buddy! Glad it's helping you get through the day

 

[slav85]

Totally agree with REIDZER2020

Historically yours are the best stories on here and always love to read an update!

 

[MrTini23]

I can only echo other comments really. Your stories are always worth a read

 

[FM_TNSSO]

I'm genuinely flattered with all the positive comments guys! Thank you so much!!

 

[theilupo]

I'm genuinely flattered with all the positive comments guys! Thank you so much!!

Honestly, this is my favourite story I've found yet on fm 2020. I keep coming back to see if there's more updates...I NEED MORE!

 

[Brane_Orsou]

Now we've all finished bigging up your ego can you play a little more FM20 so we can have an update please ?

 

[TheMaestro]

Amazing story mate, just wanted to state it myself as well. Can't wait for the next update!

 

[woolly]

Great read mate. I've just started a journeyman save (Home Nations only) in the Welsh Second Div (South) with Llanwitt Major hopefully I will make it to the English Premier League and manage one of the big teams. Meanwhile I will just have to dream of getting paid (Llanwitt are an amateur side) for my work.

 

[JamesScott2908]

Cracking story as always! Looking forward to future updates!

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Diary of a European Journeyman
Chapter 12 – Friday 4th September 2020

The bookies odds are out and again I am expected to be in charge of a struggling team this season, with us predicted a 9th placed finish from 12 teams and we’re odds of 100/1 to win the division! Another good season for me here and I’ll start building a reputation as a major overachiever…that’s the plan anyway!

Incoming Transfer; I raided my old club to make my first signing for Aberystwyth! The player I brought in on a free transfer was my top goalscorer and player of the year, Cory Williams! We are thin on the ground for strikers, so it was the obvious choice to go in for him! He signs for us on a 1 year deal worth £110 p/w. Now it’s up to him to prove he can do it at the higher level!

Two of my best players get the responsibility of the captain’s armband this season!

Three of the five pre season friendlies were under my management. An absolute goal fest between us and Bury was sandwiched between two wins over lower league Welsh sides.

Welsh League Cup – 2nd Round
Cwmamman United vs Aberystwyth FC
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, J.Lewis (R.Ricketts 83), N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira (A.Lewis 83), M.Jones, L.Busumbru, C.Williams (L.Hughes 83)

My first competitive game in charge of the club results in us crashing out of the same cup I made the final of last year with Conwy! Not a good start, especially as we lose to lower league (Cymbru South) opposition! Man of the Match; Ashley Curtis (Cwmamman United)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 1
Llantwit Major vs Aberystwyth FC
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Cautious
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, R.Ricketts, N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Busumbru, C.Williams

We kick off the league campaign with a draw! We weren’t in the game in the first half and were lucky to get to the break only 1-0 down in all honesty! However, a kick up the a*se at half time and a change to a more attacking mentality produced a better 2nd half performance and we were unlucky not to win the game in the end! Man of the Match; Nathan Jones (Aberystwyth FC)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 2
Aberystwyth FC vs The New Saints FC
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Cautious
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, R.Ricketts, N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Busumbru (L.Hughes 60), C.Williams

This was always going to be a tough game against the side that completed a domestic treble last season! On match stats, we matched our opponents with 12 shots a piece and possession closely shared. One man was the difference between the two sides and that was New Saints winger, Josh Knight, who’s hat trick ensured I still don’t have an Aberystwyth win to my name! Man of the Match; Josh Knight (The New Saints FC)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 3
Aberystwyth FC vs Gap Connah’s Quay
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, R.Ricketts, N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Busumbru, C.Williams (L.Hughes 75)

After they rejected me for their job in the Summer, I really wanted us to beat Gap Connah’s Quay, and although we created the better chances in the game, it wasn’t to be and we had to settle for another draw! I’m still awaiting that first competitive win as Aberystwyth boss! Man of the Match; Kristian Sneiling (Gap Connah’s Quay)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 4
Caernarfon Town vs Aberystwyth FC
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Cautious
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies (R.Jones 67), D.Christou, J.Lewis, N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Busumbru, C.Williams (L.Hughes 82)

Get in there!! My first win as Aberystwyth boss comes at the expense of Caernarfon…a team I knocked out of the cup with Conwy last season! And it was ex Conwy player, Cory Williams, that came back to haunt them again with a brilliant hat trick as he bagged his first goals for us! Man of the Match; Cory Williams (Aberystwyth FC)

Incoming Transfer; We were very thin on wide midfield players and wingers, so on transfer deadline day, I was pleased to bring another right sided player in on a free transfer. Liam Jones has made a good start in the division below this season, bagging 3 assists in 3 games for Llanrhaeadr! Hopefully, he can bring some of that creativity to us!

Incoming Transfer; I desperately needed to add another striker to the squad before the transfer window closed as well! I managed to pinch Kyran Gardner, who has already scored against us this season for Llantwit Major. He will act as a squad rotation player and I am pleased to add a player with good pace and decent finishing to the front line! He joins on a free transfer!

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 5
Aberystwyth FC vs Bala Town FC
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Cautious
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou (R.Jones 72), J.Lewis, N.Jones, R.Lewis (A.Lewis 72), P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Busumbru, K.Gardner (L.Jones 83)

A massive kick in the teeth to concede so late in the game after we should have had the game dead and buried long before! We had more possession, more shots, and missed a couple of clear cut opportunities before the sucker punch came in injury time! A game we definitely should have won! Man of the Match; Daniel Hawkins (Bala Town FC)

It’s not been the best start to life at Aberystwyth for me, with only one league win from our opening five games! I can’t say we’ve been brilliant in any of the matches either which is a little worrying! Hopefully, once the new signings have bedded in and the players get used to my style of play, we can start to turn our early form around and string together some good results!​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Diary of a European Journeyman
Chapter 13 – Saturday 17th October 2020

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 6
Aberystwyth FC vs Newtown Association FC
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Cautious
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, J.Lewis (R.Ricketts 71), L.Jones, R.Lewis (R.Edwards 71), P.Vieira, N.Jones, L.Busumbru, K.Gardner

A shocking result at home to Newtown who were bottom of the league at kick off…this was actually their first win of the season. It’s not like I can say they didn’t deserve it either as they completely dominated us. We were very, very poor! Man of the Match; Nick Rushton (Newtown Association FC)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 7
Penybont vs Aberystwyth FC
Formation; 4-4-1-1, Mentality; Cautious
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, R. Ricketts, L.Jones (N.Jones 76), R.Edwards (R.Lewis 76), P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Hughes, L.Busumbru (K.Gardner 76)

Another defeat and the pressure begins to mount! We were much better here than we had been in the previous game against Newtown, and matched our opponents throughout the 90 minutes. However, they netted a goal and we didn’t, which was the only difference between the sides today…unfortunately, the difference that mattered! Man of the Match; Cullen Kinsella (Penybont)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 8
Aberystwyth FC vs Barry Town
Formation; 4-4-1-1, Mentality; Cautious
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, J.Lewis, L.Jones (N.Jones 77), R.Edwards, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Hughes, L.Busumbru (C.Williams 77)

The last thing we needed right now was a game against the side sitting a couple of points clear at the top of the league, but that was what we were presented with here! I felt before the game that it would go one of two ways…either we’d pull off an upset and narrowly win the game nicking it with a cheeky 1-0 or 2-1, or we’d get absolutely battered and suffer an embarrassing defeat! As it turns out, I was wrong on both counts as the game finished in a draw and we share the spoils! It’s a great result for us considering the league placings at the moment, but I can’t help but feel we could have taken the win if Danny Taylor had just tucked home that penalty! Man of the Match; Finlay Wood (Barry Town)

Injury; New signing Liam Jones will miss the next 3-4 months of the season through injury after breaking his ribs against Barry Town!

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 9
Colwyn Bay vs Aberystwyth FC
Formation; 4-4-1-1, Mentality; Cautious
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, R.Jones, D.Christou, J.Lewis, A.Boss, R.Edwards (A.Lewis 63), P.Vieira, M.Jones, N.Jones (L.Hughes 63), C.Williams

Absolutely terrible! We really didn’t put up much of a fight here at all against newly promoted Colwyn! Getting beaten so easily by a new team to the division is surely going to have the board discussing my job over the next few days! I can feel the pressure mounting! Man of the Match; James Hughes-Pickering (Colwyn Bay)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 10
Aberystwyth FC vs Cardiff Metropolitan University
Formation; 4-4-1-1, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, R.Jones, D.Christou, J.Lewis, N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Hughes, C.Williams

I hoped that a more attacking approach and a big team talk prior to the match (telling the lads aggressively to up their game), would spur the lads on to deliver a potential job saving victory for me! Now the performance was a lot better as we created 17 chances on their goal, but because we were only able to convert them into 1 goal, we have to settle for a single point…which might not be enough! Man of the Match; Danny Taylor (Aberystwyth FC)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 11
Aberystwyth FC vs Llantwit Major
Formation; 4-4-1-1, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, R.Jones, D.Christou, J.Lewis (R.Ricketts 45), N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Hughes, C.Williams (L.Busumbru 45)

Asking the team to pick up where we left off against Cardiff with another attacking display! However, this time the lads didn’t deliver and we were soundly beaten! Man of the Match; Giancarlo Gabbiadini (Llantwit Major)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 12
The New Saints FC vs Aberystwyth FC
Formation; 4-4-1-1, Mentality; Attacking
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, R.Ricketts, N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Hughes, C.Williams (K.Gardner 69)

We were bl**dy awful against the best team in the country and after getting a good thrashing, I can’t help but leave the field wondering if the writing is on the wall for me and my job as Aberystwyth manager! Man of the Match; Danny Redmond (The New Saints FC)

If I am about to be sacked, at least I will be searching for a new job with a National B License coaching badge to my name!

With only 1 win from 12 games in the league, we sit bottom of the table, 3 points adrift from safety! With my job hanging in the balance, a poor result against 4th placed Gap Connah’s Quay in our next game might just seal my fate!!​

 

[JamesScott2908]

Although the poor form is a pain the neck! Its refreshing to see a story with struggles! Heres hoping to an u-turn in form!! KIU!

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Although the poor form is a pain the neck! Its refreshing to see a story with struggles! Heres hoping to an u-turn in form!! KIU!

Cheers mate! I've always written my stories for better or worse...whatever happens to me in my save is exactly what you see. I don't sim any games, don't use instant results and don't 'go on holiday' at all....everything you see is all me

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Diary of a European Journeyman
Chapter 14 – Saturday 21st November 2020

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 13
Gap Connah’s Quay vs Aberystwyth FC
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Cautious
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, J.Lewis, N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Busumbru, C.Williams

Going away from home to a team 4th in the league and getting a draw is a pretty good result. But in our current situation, it may not be enough to keep me in my job, especially as the performance wasn’t great! We only managed 2 shots on goal, to their 10 whilst our opponents also dominated the possession as well! Man of the Match; Nathan Jones (Aberystwyth FC)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 14
Aberystwyth FC vs Caernarfon Town
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Positive
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, J.Lewis, N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Busumbru, K.Gardner

A more positive approach brought about a much better performance from the lads as we record a potential job saving win over 9th placed Caernarfon! We were the much better side and good value for the win and with Luke Busumbru bang on form up front, we never looked in doubt of not winning this game! Man of the Match; Luke Busumbru (Aberystwyth FC)

That win over Caernarfon ends a dreadful run of 9 games without a victory! Hopefully, we can push on from here and chalk up a couple more wins to pull us out of the relegation places now!

We will go away to minnows, Plas Madoc, in the 3rd round of the Welsh Cup!

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 15
Bala Town FC vs Aberystwyth FC
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Positive
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, J.Lewis, N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, R.Ricketts (Sent Off 17), L.Busumbru (C.Williams 63), K.Gardner (M.Jones 17)

When Bala went down to 10 men inside the opening few minutes of the game, I sensed a golden opportunity for us to make it back to back victories! However, Richard Ricketts levelled the playing field again when he was also sent off with a straight red card only 9 minutes later and it was game on again! Despite there being 2 less players on the field, it didn’t really open the game up as it should and the match had few chances. However, the best of them fell to Bala’s Jordan Jones who tucked home the opener in the 67th minute, before James Loveridge added a second to seal victory for our opponents with a close range volley! Man of the Match; Euros Griffiths (Bala Town FC)

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League – Matchday 16
Newtown Association FC vs Aberystwyth FC
Formation; 4-4-2, Mentality; Positive
Lineup; H.Churchill, D.Taylor, G.Davies, D.Christou, J.Lewis, N.Jones, R.Lewis, P.Vieira, M.Jones, L.Busumbru, K.Gardner

A really awful result in a game we had to win! Newtown are another of those clubs that will be struggling come the end of the season, so to lose to them and for the 2nd time is really poor! Every player on our side struggled today, with not one turning in a decent performance! Man of the Match; Tom Creamer (Newtown Association FC)

Immediately after the game with Newtown, the board summon me for a meeting to discuss my poor performance as manager!

The meeting didn’t go at all well, with the board and I disagreeing on a number of points, so the inevitable happened and they relieved me of my duties!

I was in charge of Aberystwyth FC for a total of just 123 days, with my career history now looking like this…
​

Dates​	Club​	Played​	Won​	Drawn​	Lost​	Win Percentage​	Reason for Leaving​
20/07/20 - 20/11/20​	Aberystwyth FC​	17​	2​	5​	10​	12%​	Sacked​
04/07/19 - 20/07/20​	Conwy Borough​	41​	25​	6​	10​	60%​	Resigned to take job at Aberystwyth FC​

 

[TheMaestro]

Shame about the sacking, but hoping a new job avenue comes up soon!

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Diary of a European Journeyman
Chapter 15 - Tuesday 19th December 2020

Ex Cefn Druids manager, Huw Griffiths is the man that Aberystwyth FC hired to replace me!

As for my own job search, I’d been unemployed for over 2 weeks and the first job to come up that I fancied and thought I might have a realistic chance of getting an interview for was the one at National League side, Harrogate Town.

Before also throwing my hat in the ring for Maidstone United job!

It seems that National B License I now have to my name gives me enough kudos for lower league English clubs to at least offer me an interview now, as Harrogate come back within days to offer me a chance to meet with their chairman! I attend and walk away feeling good about it…it certainly seemed to go well!

As I waited for Harrogate to come back to me with a decision, I didn’t want all my eggs in one basket, so I applied for the jobs at Gateshead, Darlington, Kidderminster and Wealdstone, that all came up within days of each other!

Gateshead and Darlington invited me in for a chat, but Kidderminster said I didn’t even make the shortlist, as I get mixed reviews from my applications. Any of the 3 jobs I have now interviewed for, would all be very much of interest!

But I won’t be off to Harrogate Town as they opt for George Cowie instead!

But I am off to manage in England for the first time as I accept an offer to take over at Darlington until the end of the season! And I even bag myself a pay rise of £750 p/w more than I was on at Aberystwyth….maybe getting sacked wasn’t so bad after all!​

 

[FM_TNSSO]

Diary of a European Journeyman
Chapter 16 – Darlington

My appointment as the new manager of Darlington has raised questions in the media, with some not convinced I’m the right man for the job!

Darlington are a English football club based in County Durham. The club was founded in 1883, but went into administration in 2012, and reformed under their new name of Darlington 1883. The trophy cabinet contains 1x Sky Bet League Two, 1x Vanarama National League, 1x Buildbase FA Trophy, 1x Evo-Stik League Premier Division, 3x Northern Football League and 1x English Third Division North titles! The club have basic training and youth facilities.

My new home is the 3,300 capacity stadium, Blackwell Meadows! Only 588 of the capacity is currently seated!

The board don’t have any real lofty ambitions and simply expect us to remain a top half side in the National League North over the next 5 years!

The club’s financial status is pretty strong with nearly half a million in the bank, although we are a couple of hundred quid over our wage budget.

Again, I seem to have joined another side with absolutely no backroom staff in place?! This is something I’ll have to rectify quickly!!

So when I look over my squad, I have no advice from a backroom team as to the quality of my players at the moment. However, what I do notice is that I have a squad entirely made up of English players and there are a number that are transfer listed or available for loan, which suggests it’s not the strongest squad!! A lack of defensive midfielders and strikers immediately suggests I will be playing with an attacking formation focused on a packed out midfield looking to get forward in the oppositions half! Looking at the current average ratings for this season, it’s fair to say that the entire team is performing pretty poorly on individual levels!

One of my best players is a 17 year old centre back in the form of Nick Flanagan! He’s not the quickest of defenders, but does have a good tackle and decent marking ability! He makes good decisions and is a brave defender! Flanagan is drawing interest from the likes of Yeovil and Cheltenham in the leagues above.

20 year old right winger, Tristan Thompson-Matthews is another of my better players! Decent pace down the right side and a good enough dribbler on the ball to cause opposition defenders problems.

On the left side, I have 20 year old full back, Richard Clough-Machell who is also worth a mention as one of my better players! He’s pacey and a good tackler…not amazing going forward but should be a solid defensive option at full back!

Taking a look at the dynamics, the team cohesion is good, whilst the dressing room atmosphere is not too bad. However, the players are not entirely overwhelmed by my appointment and may take a little winning over!

Nothing worth looking out for in the development centre!

As I take the reigns at the club, we find ourselves sitting 16th in the Vanarama National League North, only 7 points above the relegation places and a massive 22 points off the playoff spots! The club were predicted an 8th place finish pre season and with the board looking for a top half spot this season, that’s why previous manager Ewan Robb was sacked! My first 3 games will be Alfreton Town (away), Tamworth (home) and Bradford PA (away), so I have an opportunity to get off to a decent start with two of those sides below us in the table!

Although, with only 1 win from our last 9 games, the first thing I need to do is lift the lads as confidence will be at it's lowest!​