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(I'm working on a backstory here)

So basically, my intention for this career mode is to simulate a save to the 1st of January ever year, and take over any team in the relegation zone who don't have a manager. However, at the end of the season, I must resign from the post and repeat the process again. I will build up my reputation higher and higher each time, and soon I will go from a National A licence to a Continental Pro Licence.

For this save, I plan just to load the English database down to the Vanarama North and South. I am currently in the process of simming to the 1st of January.
 
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The first of January came, and I applied for the three teams in the bottom places in the Vanarama North: Gainsborough Trinity, Brackley and Bradford Park Avenue.

All of these teams approached me at the same time with the contract offer, so I wasn't sure which to pick. In the end, I chose Gainsborough, as their team was the weakest (predicted to finish last at the start of the season)

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This is what Gainsborough's team looks like. I'd say I've a hard job on my hands, so I might sign a few players.
 
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First match played, and it's a 2-1 loss to Stalybridge. I'm a bit disappointed. Not the best of starts to my 'relegation saviour' campaign, huh?

I also made my first few signings.
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Avis Ganiyu joins us on a non-contract deal. He's formerly of Sunderland, and will play as a rotation player.
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Lewis Hawkins joins us on loan from Hartlepool. A great signing in my opinion, he's got 4.5 star ability, plus we really did need a new centre mid.
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Giannis Varouxakis joins us on a free, shortly after being released by Eastbourne Boro. We needed a defensive midfielder so we signed him.
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And finally, Callum O'Sullivan. We managed to sign him on a non-contract too, he'll provide backup for my attacking mids and strikers.
 
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FEBRUARY 2016

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A much needed first win for us as we beat Alfreton 3-2 in an exhilarating game, with Calum O'Sullivan scoring on his debut, but our right back Matt Bevans got injured.
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We upset the odds by beating Harrogate (who were 1/6 to win) 3-0, but our striker Nathan Jarman got injured.
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We beat fellow relegation contenders Bradford PA in a 2-1 win, but our left back Lewis Butroid got injured. Anyone seeing a pattern here?
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We were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom-of-the-table Gloucester. Disappointing match, but Matt Bevans made a return to the team.
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We beat Curzon Ashton 1-0. An average result, but that was probably the only average thing about the game (3 red cards!)
 
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Loving this story mode, Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis special this
 
Thanks Nathan, glad you're enjoying the idea!
League Table

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After 4 wins, a draw and a loss, I've taken this side from 21st up to 16th. We're still only 3 points clear of the dropzone, but now 7 points clear of bottom. It's also worth noting that we're 7 points from the top half of the table, 15 points from play-off places and 22 points from the top. I've done fairly well in my first month, bring on March!

I've also made one more signing, Joe Maguire on a free from our Vanarama North rivals Boston United. He's a decent centre-back and will slot straight into the first team.
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Altogether for this month, I'd say our Player of the Month would have to be Henry Waterhouse, our loanee from Accrington, who has smashed in 5 goals in 5 games this month. And he managed to earn himself a respectable runner-up position in the Player of the Month award.
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Who won Manager of the Month? Take a guess. Still not got it? Well, it just so happened to be yours truly!
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(Please don't mind the face, I know how terrible it looks - I just wasn't bothered changing it and just pressed Randomise Face)
 
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Doing well here mate. First time I've seen a story like this, think I'd struggle to save a team and just leave but will defo be following
 
Thanks Neavie, I'm glad I've actually come up with something slightly original haha

March 2017
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2-0 win to Nuneaton, with goals from O'Sullivan and Waterhouse.
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Managed to beat AFC Fylde 3-0, with O'Sullivan and Waterhouse (x2) again scoring the goals for us.
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Our undefeated streak was about to continue, but Louis Briscoe's 90th minute strike broke my heart as we lost 2-1 to league leaders Tamworth.
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When we'd grabbed a 89th minute goal through Nana Boakye-Yiadom I thought we had the win in the bag, but another 90th minute goal broke our hearts against Halifax.
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We finally got back to winning ways with a 2-1 win against Darlington, with Waterhouse and Lewis Hawkins (our loanee central mid) providing the goals. Funny enough, Darlington had been 1st when I took over, but they've since fallen to 4th. Hmmm.

I'd say our player of the month again had to be Waterhouse, with another 5 in 5 for him.

So, how does the league table look?
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We're now in 14th, two places up from last month and a respectable 10 points above the dropzone with 6 games to go. It's also worth noting we're 11 points from both last place and the play-off places.
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And this month, I came a respectable second place in the Manager of the Month competition!
 
APRIL 2017
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An okay start to the month, with a 1-0 win to Chorley courtesy of a Rothery goal.
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We were disappointing in a 1-0 loss to 10 man Stockport.
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We managed a shock win against a very strong Salford side, with goals coming from Waterhouse and Rothery.
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A 3-0 win against the side I turned down, Brackley, was the high point of the month, with goals coming from O'Sullivan, Rothery and a Massaro own goal.
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It looked like almost a certain draw, then in the 79th minute Emmanuel Diarrhoea (or however you spell his name) crushed my soul into tiny pieces.

And, the final game of the season...
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Oh. My. Lord. We were forced to a 2-2 draw. We had gone 1-0 down, then got 2 goals, and we thought all was going to be fine. We'd finish in 13th place, with 58 points. Then Jason Gilchrist went and slotted a goal home to take those 2 points away from us.

For this month I'd say our player of the month would have been our rightback Matt Bevans, who played well this month, with an average rating of 7.52.
FINAL TABLE
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I'm happy with how my first season went - I took a team in 21st who seemed destined for relegation to 14th place in a matter of 3 months :)

Keep tuned for the club awards ceremonies!
 
THE AWARDS
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Despite Bevans' rather good performances, I must say I'm surprised that Waterhouse didn't get a nod for a single individual award. I'm even more surprised that McWilliams, Jarman and Sparrow, who I never gave a game to, made the team of the year ahead of O'Sullivan, Hawkins and Joe Maguire!
 
After making a few more signings for Gainsborough (just because), I resigned from my duty, and began a journey to the month of December 2017, to save another team from relegation.
 
So, January has come at last. I got an interview at Premier League bottom side Norwich, but in the end it proved futile, so I applied elsewhere.

After a while, I accepted a job offer from Newport County, 23rd in League Two (quite a jump from the depths of the Vanarama North I know) for a one year deal of 800 pounds per week. Stay tuned for our first matches and our signings.
 
First game finished, and I am raging.

We were playing fellow strugglers Stevenage, who were in 21st place, and I thought it'd be an easy game. But guess what happened? Our star defender got injured, another defender got sent off, another defender conceded a penalty, and we lost 3-0 to a hat-trick. Raging.
 
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