Eyes on Derby - An LLM Story

[StatesideRam]

I'm brand new to this website, & honestly had no idea it even existed until this very moment, but I'm no stranger to Football Manager. I've been looking for a way to record a long-term FM save, and this forum seems ****** brilliant.

So as an introduction to me & this thread:

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I'm Adam. I'm a 30 year old American born Derby County supporter, and I intend to take on the duty of restoring Derby to past greatness by means of an LLM save. Now, I realize this will be obscenely difficult, and I may very well fall flat on my face. I may not ever achieve what I set out to do, but I **** sure hope to make it interesting.

Derby County is very dear to me, and I will be using this thread to keep tabs on them as I progress. Sorry Forest.

I will be using myself as the head coach, a very real version of myself. By that I mean, I will begin with no coaching badges, and no playing experience. And just as I am in the football world, I will begin unemployed.

Ideally I want to start in the Football League, but given my lack of experience and awful attributes, I’ve decided that if I can’t find a League job by the January transfer window, I will avert to taking another job so I can play at least half of Year 1.

I know that by starting in the football league isn't truly a lower league, but I will be using all of the LLM rules that apply to making this as realistic as possible.

If you're interested & not too offended that I'm American, follow along. I'd love all the help and interaction I could get. I don't fancy myself a football expert, but I am very passionate about the game. I will need all the support I can get if I am to achieve what I set out to do in this thread.

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[StatesideRam]

Meet the Manager

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I have absolutely gone mental with the attributes

I don't see it being favorable to evenly disperse your attributes when you have so few to give. Hopefully the manager's football IQ will eventually be the edge I need to turn some of my youthful prospects into wonder kids.

This stylish pea coat could very well be the staple of my wardrobe. I was raised in the southeastern United States and I am accustomed to 100 degree temperatures, so I may very well switch it up to the Eskimo jacket at some point.

Priorities:

1. Football League
2. Stable Finances (will need to perpetually acquire coaching licenses)
3. Develop players within youth system
4. Sign young players for first team

Achieving all these priorities within my first club would be like hitting a scratch off. I don't anticipate that happening, but I do like to win at the lottery. I have numbered my priorities like any gentleman should to give you a guide of what I will be looking for during the search for my first job.
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[Raaritsgozilla]

Hopefully you can get a decent step up from the start. Good luck! I'll follow along

 

[StatesideRam]

June-December, 2015: Unemployed

December 13
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We are nearly halfway through the season, and our jobless manager still hasn’t put in an application that granted a job interview. In fact, it’s not until middle December the first jobs become available in League 2.

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Story of my Life


December 15

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Zidane being hired at Wednesday is not at all relevant to our young manager, but it certainly will be fun to track going forward.

December 25
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Mansfield required me to fly to England on Christmas to interview with the absolute worst club in the Football League.

Bah Humbug

December 26
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Dag & Red is in a little bit better of a spot, and would be a more appointment. Plus, they waited until the day AFTER Christmas, which awards points, as far as I’m concerned.

December 28
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Well that was fast. Our young manager gets his first job offer from last placed Mansfield.
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Another piece of brilliant timing by the Mansfield Chairman. He offers me the job the morning of the 28th, the day of a home fixture against York.

Mansfield have a ten day break after the Accrington game, so I ask to delay the contract a week so that I can explore other options, and watch Mansfield’s next two home fixtures.


December 30
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Our jobless manager finally has prospects. Bonafide.



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After Dag & Red’s ten day break, they return to play Wycombe (1st) and Northampton (3rd) in back to back home fixtures.

In addition to this, Dag & Red suffered a 3-0 defeat on the 28th, while Mansfield won 2-0
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This puts Our Young Manager in a peculiar spot. Does he choose Dag & Red and try to climb into a mid table position, or does he choose Mansfield and take this opportunity to chase down Dag & Red.

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Dag & Red agrees to delay, allowing our manager to have a ten day break before his first game with his chosen club.



January 2

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With 21 games remaining, and the January transfer window already open, I’m left with the decision between Mansfield, and Dag & Red. This should be a no brainer, but I can’t help but weigh my options here.
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I've added a poll to the post if anybody has read this or is interested in where this might go. Or you could make a case on this thread. I will let the poll run it's course, and advance this on the next post.



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[DerbyJack]

Best of luck Adam, good to see another Derby fan here!

Voted for Dagenham and Redbridge. Trust me, No man should have to go to Mansfield!

Out of curiosity what made you crazy enough to support the mighty Rams?

 

[Raaritsgozilla]

I also voted Dag and Red. They have straight swords. Straight. Swords.

That and they seem to be better all round, despite renting their stadium. Any ideas on who you'd like to sign in? Good luck!

 

[StatesideRam]

Out of curiosity what made you crazy enough to support the mighty Rams?

Long ago, in my childhood, before I was even introduced to the English pyramid, my father told me about Alan Hinton. Hinton's story was thought-provoking and lovable, and he wore his time at Derby like a badge, or war medal.

In the spirit of saving time, I'll only give you the introduction to the story.

I'm thrilled to find another Derby supporter here.

Pleased to meet you, friend.

 

[StatesideRam]

I also voted Dag and Red. They have straight swords. Straight. Swords.

That and they seem to be better all round, despite renting their stadium. Any ideas on who you'd like to sign in? Good luck!

The poll results are final, and resounding. Mansfield must be a horrible, horrible place. :O

I genuinely have no idea what direction I want to take this club in. I'm currently assembling a massive shortlist of youth prospects, and I guess I will go from there.

Thanks again for following along.

 

[StatesideRam]

January 6, 2016: Dag & Red Hire Carver As Manager

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One of the main takeaways from this is, the agreed promise to reduce the size of the backroom staff. I'll have to address this as soon as possible.

This picture also illustrates how small of a club Dag & Red truly is, relatively speaking.

If the club fields a competitive first team, it shouldn't be too long before Victoria Road is selling out with only 6,000 seats.

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Our young manager is making about what I make in real life to orchestrate an entire football club.


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In the end, our young manager spurns Mansfield, who now sit seven points buried into the relegation zone. Dag & Red are four points clear, but with four months left in the season, anything can happen.

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Edit: I'm not sure how long the poll results stay up, so if they vanish, here's a screen.

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[StatesideRam]

January 6, 2016: Dag & Red Financial Overview

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This is a scary first picture. I've arrived to a £0 transfer budget, with the demands of decreasing the wage budget by over 100,000. Even harder to rationalize is having only 15% of transfer revenue made available.


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From nearly a positive £500k balance in July to a negative £100,000 balance in January indicates a drastic wage problem. Dag & Red could fall into serious financial problems if there aren't equally as drastic measures taken. Taking the job only a week into the January window gives our manager an opportunity to cut some wages and potentially turn the financial tide.


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Uh Oh

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Priorities:
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1. 
   [*=center]Cut ≈ £100 - 250,000 in wages
   [*=center]Decrease backroom staff (per contract)

 

[StatesideRam]

January 6, 2016: Dag & Red Staff Overview

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Well, this is embarrassing.

The chairman has asked Our Young Manager to cut wages, and there are TWO staff members that the club pays more than me.

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Even worse, it looks like the best coach we have on the staff is the Part-Time Goalkeeping Coach, Jim Stannard. Having two fitness coaches is pretty redundant, especially at this level, and the part time coach is not very good.

The staff needs to be completely re-tooled. Unfortunately, the club's balance can't justify hiring any new coaches.


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Dag & Red's coaching staff is serviceable, but oversized.

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The scouting team has been neglected, but will most likely stay that way for the foreseeable future.

We Broke.

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Physio signed on until the remainder of the season.

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[StatesideRam]

January 6, 2016: Dag & Red Roster Overview

Goalkeepers
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Our Young Manager is left with not much choice here. Liam O'Brien is making far too much for a second team GK at this level, but will be hard to offload. If we can convince a team to buy him for free, it would save the team about £100,000 this season, so it's definitely worth trying.
Defenders
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Dikamona is our best, but is out for six weeks, so we'll have to cope. He's got a nice contract that runs through 2018, and thus far is our club's best asset going forward. Given the lack of depth from the defense, it would be wise to add another first team defender into the mix, maybe via loan.

Midfielders
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Jodi Jones is the key to this whole thing, Our Young Manager decided in a hurry. He is only 18 years old, and is already valued at £140,000. If we can convince Jones to sign an extension, he may become even more valuable to this club.

Joss Labadie and Kane Ferdinand are both class, and are signed to surprisingly efficient contracts. Labadie's form has been terrible, and he already has two reds this season. Getting him back into form is a top priority.
Attackers
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Zavon Hines and Ashley Hemmings are the club's best attackers and we'll be forced into playing with wingers, just so they can find form as early as possible.

McClure will have to find some form as soon as possible, or he'll have to be sold for free. He has the worst Goals/Shots Attempted percentage on the team at 5% (1/22) I don't know how that equals 5%, but that's beside point.

Cureton is the team's leading goal scorer, and he's 40. OUCH.

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Our Young Manager has had no problem diagnosing Dag & Red's woes thus far.

First team Goalkeeper has seven clean sheets in 25 games, and still, the goal differential is -19.

Dag & Red must find a way to start bagging goals, or will find themselves out of league play alltogether.

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[Raaritsgozilla]

A top goal scored of 3 in the season? **** that is terrible. You must wonder if Mansfield would have been any better. How are there two managers as well? Under 21s? Liam OBrien must have one **** of an agent to manage that sort of contract!

 

[StatesideRam]

A top goal scored of 3 in the season? **** that is terrible. You must wonder if Mansfield would have been any better. How are there two managers as well? Under 21s? Liam OBrien must have one **** of an agent to manage that sort of contract!

Yes, when I saw the stats for the club so far, I nearly lost it.

I'm honestly wondering if there is some sort of plague at Mansfield after the poll results went final. Also, with their position in the table right now, I don't see any other jobs as unenviable as Mansfield.

Indeed, Micah Hyde is the 18 & Under Manager at the moment. I removed the column that identified which squad the coach was assigned to.

Only in Football Manager can you make less annually as a manager than the backup goalkeeper.

 

[StatesideRam]

January 2016: Employment

January 6
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Our Young Manager decides to implement the same formation that was primarily used by the previous manager, with a few minor tweaks. Ferdinand and Labadie will anchor the midfield, while Jodi Jones will play shadow striker underneath McClure. McClure must show some signs of life, or I'll be forced to look elsewhere for goals.

Jodi Jones has the most potential of anyone at the club, and re-signing him to a longer contract is still one of the club's main short term priorities. Training him to master shadow striker is also a huge goal.

Dag & Red's personnel has practically forced us to play with wingers, for now.

Expect altercations if goals don't start streaming in.

January 6
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On day one, Dag & Red have terminated three staff member’s contracts that cost the club £57k in fees up front. The staff cuts will ultimately save the club about £70k in wages.



Dag & Red’s staff size is now in good standing in regards to the chairman.



January 10
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A staggering amount of pressure is lifted off our manager's shoulder's with the announcement of Jodi Jones signing an extension. The lack of a release clause in the contract doubles the worth of the contract and could mean Jodi Jones will be at the club for a long time.

January 12
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Jodi Jones has 12 key passes in Our Young Manger’s debut with Dag & Red for a MoM performance. Kane Ferdinand finished with a 100% tackle completion, and was near the same level as Jones. The defense was stout as Dag & Red held on to draw the 1st placed Wycombe Wanderers at home.


January 16
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After hearing complaints from left full back Joe Widdowson, Carver allows the fullback to move on loan to Ebbsfleet for the remainder of the season. The move will save Dag & Red £600 a week.

January 16
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I’ve been able to get four points from two of the toughest teams in the League in my first two games with ABSOLUTELY nothing from my wingers. Hines & Hemmings look lost.


Jodi Jones, on the other hand has bagged two MoM’s in two games, and has completely dominated, this game netting in the 52nd minute.


Another solid defensive performance leads to a second clean sheet in two games.


Joss Labadie did put a damper on the game by getting his 3rd red card of the season.


Our Young Manager fined Labadie two weeks worth of wages in response to the red card to send a message. We are too thin to be picking up red cards, especially from our best players. Labadie did put in 60 minutes of quality defense before the red, however.


After two games and a position change, the contract extension Jodi Jones signed is making Our Young Manager look quite brilliant.

January 19
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January 20
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January 23
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January 23
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January 28
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Another wage freeing move completed near the deadline. Doidge isn't good enough to play first team minutes, and we've found a manager who will pay his wages for now on loan.

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Some interesting transfers made in the transfer window. Here are a few.
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[StatesideRam]

February 2016:

February 2
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Zavon Hines put in a man of the match performance at home against playoff contenders, Carlisle. Another stellar defensive performance, particularly from Goalkeeper Mark Cousins.

This is Our Young Manager's first signature win at Dag & Red, with a dominant performance over a team that has impressed all season. This will surely boost morale.

As good as it feels to get three points against Carlisle, it's embarrassing to be playing a meaningful home match with only 1,500 spectators. If we are to have success going forward, we must find a way to bring some excitement to the club, and fill the stands.


February 6
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Jodi Jones is an absolute prodigy for Dag & Red.


Jones' transfer value continues to skyrocket as he puts on a clinic in the attacking midfield against Cambridge. The loan of Martin Samuelsen from West Ham is already paying dividends, as he scored his debut goal with a pure workrate-induced game clincher in the 90th minute.

Josh Passley has been slotted into the center back role after an injury to Obileye last match. Passley is not a natural center back, but he's been outstanding in the 170 minutes he's been there in the past two games. He finished the match at Cambridge with 16 interceptions, leading all players.

February 9

Hull's Greg Luer joins Dag & Red on Loan

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Greg Luer, a U-21 Striker for Hull, was recommended to Our Young Manager by the chief scout, and looks to be a perfect solution for our goal drought. He has extraordinarily high work rate, and finishing for this level.

Dag & Red have loaned him for 3 months, almost the remainder of the season.

February 13
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Martin Samuelsen nets again for Dag & Red, but we falter in the second half and can only escape with a draw against relegation favorite Barnet. After getting off to a cracking start in February, the draw against Barnet feels like a let down.

Hull loanee Greg Luer played his debut match with Dag & Red, and failed to impress. He looked uncomfortable, and was subbed out at the half. We'll have to be patient with Luer and try to work him into form. He is clearly talented enough, but may have a bit of a tough time getting adapted to the new club.

February 20
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Boucaud had a top eleven of the week type performance on the road against Mansfield. I'm not sure if this is more a testament to Boucaud, or a tale of how bad Mansfield truly are. Samuelsen scored another goal, his third match in a row with a goal, if you're counting. Our Young Manager is counting.

A truly superb game, dominated from start to finish.

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35 Year Old Jamaican Defender becomes a club legend with his bicycle kick goal against Mansfield

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Unlucky Dag & Red see undefeated streak end just as February ends.

A game of many positives and negatives. Dikamona and Obileye returned to the first team, but Obileye's foul just inside the box is what allowed Yeovil's only goal. Luer still can't find form in front of goal. Our Young Manager tried three different strikers against Yeovil and just couldn't seem to create any chances.

Not having key man Jodi Jones because of a minor injury is really what killed us, in the end. Samuelsen was decent in his place, but not nearly the quality that our manager is used to seeing from Jones.

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February Recap

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Our Young Manager puts together a very solid month, climbing up into the mid table of League Two. For his troubles, he was voted 3rd in the League 2 Manager of the Month award.

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The 7 game undefeated streak finally came to an end at the end of February with a home loss against Yeovil. 10 points in 5 games has steered the club to a comfortable position in the middle of the table 13 points safe from relegation. The task is not finished, however. 13 matches remain, and we'll take advantage of the club's fast start that has allowed us some breathing room.

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Overall, a great month for Dag & Red as Jodi Jones and Martin Samuelsen really stand out a cut above the rest.

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Derby

February 6
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February 21
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Big Sam takes over at the Ipro, and after one match is only three points out of a playoff spot in the Championship. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out for my Rams.

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[StatesideRam]

March 2016

March 1
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Our Young Manager’s honeymoon is officially over after an extremely disappointing match at Notts. Labadie, just removed from a five match ban because of his 3rd red card of the season, wastes no time in picking up his 4th red card of the season.
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After the match, we’ve fined him another 2 weeks worth of wages, in which he voiced his displeasure. He’s left us no choice however, as he’s nearly been suspended more times this season than he’s been selected.


After his 3rd red of the season, and first with Our Young Manager, Labadie began training to stop diving into tackles, and if this is not successful, we don’t see Dag & Red being able to retain him.


To top things off, Martin Samuelsen had to be taken off in the 32nd minute because of a shin injury. If this ends up being serious, it could be another big setback.

​

The match against Notts was hanging in the balance until Labadie’s second yellow card. A gut wrenching loss and a dreadful red from Labadie. It will be tough to rebound from this.

March 5
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Another frustrating result, as this is now 3 matches without a win for Our Young Manager. Again we’ve failed to score a goal, now a 3 match drought. The club’s morale is heavily shaken. Very grateful for the terrific February, or the team’s standing would be in serious jeopardy.

March 12
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Hartlepool have absolutely torn our defense to shredded bits. The club’s away form is very very poor, and the attack still needs a shot in the arm.


This is another low for the club, as the winless streak continues.

March 18
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A last ditch effort to score some goals, and send the club up the table. Mandron was scouted and recruited by the chief scout. Sunderland will pay his wages, and the loan deal will end shortly after the season.

March 19
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Another inept offensive match from Dag & Red. A total of 4 shots the entire match, and not a single one was put on frame. Our Young Manager is beginning to lose faith in his tactics, as the woes continue to pile up.

March 28
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Finally, 3 points. In one of the more meaningful matches of the season, we’ve managed to grab hold of all three points for the first time since February 20th. Goals from McClure and Luer have ended respective goal droughts for both strikers.

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Hopefully this win will turn the tide going forward.
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Recap
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2 goals in 5 matches sends the club reeling. On the positive side, Dag & Red still sit 13 points clear of the relegation zone.​

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Dag & Red Announce Ten Players Signed To Youth Contracts

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15 year old Adrian Lee highlights a group signed on to the academy this month. ​

 

[StatesideRam]

April-May 2016

April 2

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Martin Samuelsen opened up the scoring early, A stellar midfielding performance from Boucaud earns him a man of the match award here. Labadie's suspension has just ended, but I find it redundant to even make room for him in the first team. His suspensions have left him sorely out of fitness, and Boucaud has honestly been one of the most in form players in the club.


Labadie's contract expiries in June and I've not made up my mind on whether to offer him an extension or let him walk. His form has surely justified letting him walk, but he's one of the most valuable players in the club.


April 9
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Portsmouth were clearly the better club, as Dag & Red were humiliated at home in front of the biggest home crowd of Our Young Manager's career. Another goalless afternoon, and another match with only 4 shots.

After two straight losses, however, six matches remain and Dag & Red are still over ten points safe from the relegation battle. Barring some type of miracle or points deduction, we should still have no trouble steering clear of relegation.


April 13

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Greg Luer puts on a showcase, but Dag & Red are not able to hold on for three points on the road against Luton. Kane Ferdinand had a particularly good showing as well, claiming an assist.

April 16

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Greg Luer's impressive form is the story again as as he scores again to beat Leyton Orient.

Zavon Hines picked up a potentially serious injury in the 78th minute that could hinder his return to the club. Hines' contract runs out in two months, and a serious injury could de-rail his career with Dag & Red.
April 18
Jodi Jones injures knee in training, will miss 3 months
April 19


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Leur moved to CAM, to play shadow striker for the rest of the season in the wake of Jones' knee injury.


April 23
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Dag & Red were embarrassed in front of 7,000 spectators as promotion challenging Plymouth buckle up for the upcoming playoffs. It was clear from the opening whistle that Dag & Red were nervy, making countless careless errors. The absence of Jodi Jones continues to hurt Dag & Red.

April 30
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Martin Samuelsen bags his fifth goal for the club. He's been the club's most efficient goal scorer since coming in on loan from West Ham. Our Young Manager was lucky to sign Samuelsen, as he was a major contributor to Dag & Red crawling out of the relegation zone.

Unfortunately, his early goal today wasn't enough to beat Crawley. Dag & Red were again unable to create many chances and were lucky to save a draw.

May 7


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To avoid relegation going into the final match day, Bristol Rovers needed to secure a victory against Dag & Red whilst making up a -6 goal difference against Crawley, who sit three points ahead of them.

For whatever reason, 7,000+ people liked their odds enough to come support Bristol Rovers.

Fools.

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Recap

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An awful, awful finish to the season for Dag & Red. Our Young Manager can count himself lucky to be clear of the relegation battle going into the month, because this is the type of monthly performance that could've easily seen the team being relegated.

Having said that, It's time to celebrate for achieving the goals that have been set for me at the club, and start focusing on the future at Dag & Red

 

[StatesideRam]

2016 Season Recap

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In the end, I've attained what I set out to attain. It wasn't pretty, but Dag & Red will certainly be back in the Football League for 2016-2017, which was never certain when Our Young Manager began his appointment.

Bristol Rovers and Mansfield have been relegated. If you'll remember, Mansfield was the only other club that I was considering.

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An average attendance of 2,101 is unacceptable and must be changed immediately. I'll be working on changing the culture of the club in this transfer window.

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Martin Samuelsen leads the team in goals scored with 5. This has to be the lowest leading goal scorer I've ever heard of.



Squad Review
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U18 Review
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Adrian Lee was a stunning addition to the club's youth system, as were several others.

I'm impressed by the chief scout and will look to retain him, and add to the scouting staff this season.




Expiry


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A combined 433,000 worth of wages of expiring contracts. I only anticipate offering contracts to Hemmings, Hines, Labadie.





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Retained List

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I'll look to sell McClure in the transfer window, on a free if need be. Outside of him, I'm pleased with the core that this club has. Since a good majority of them are defenders, here are some stats. (Tackles Per Game/Tackle Completion %)

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I've inherited a sinking ship. I need to balance the books, or I could find myself unemployed.

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Derby Recap

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Allardyce fails to see Derby into the playoffs.​