Shaking Up The Football League

[DefinitelyTaylor]

It's safe to say my previous career didn't exactly take off... I didn't really enjoy it and now, with a new laptop, I thought it's better to start a new save. I've been documenting my progress on my Twitter (@TaylorBAFC if you're interested!) and I've been thoroughly enjoying it so I thought it would be a good chance to set the record straight and try again. Without further ado...

BURY FOOTBALL CLUB

So, why have I decided to take the challenge of managing Bury? Well, I support Wigan Athletic (and my local team... yes, I support two teams, I know) and they currently sit comfortably at the top of the Sky Bet League One table. Down at the other end of the league are Bury, who have been let down by previous manager Lee Clark who promised so much in the Summer. One of the main issues were the signings Bury made in previous years, especially this Summer. They tend to sign a lot of older players and this brings experience, but they lack youth. As well as this, they are prone to injury outbreaks, something I have found out too well so far.

My task here at Gigg Lane is to see if I can do better than what Lee Clark did in his stint at the club. The expectations are high and I'll have to be on my A game to ensure that I deliver what this ambitious board want, that is to aim for the playoff places. With a budget of exactly £0, it'll be a tough ask but it'll have to be done or we risk losing our job...

Up the Shakers!

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[DefinitelyTaylor]

Pre-Season 2017

Pre-season is over and well, it was interesting. When I arrived I was clearly told by the board that they wanted me to comply to their philosophy of defensive football and so, I did. After the bore 0-0 draw to Morecambe I decided for the remainder of pre-season, at least, I would ditch the defensive strategy and play a little more adventurous. Albeit against weaker opposition, we managed to get results.

These fixtures gave me a chance to play a few future stars at the club. One of these players is Tsun Dai, an 18-year-old central midfielder from Hong Kong. He impressed me throughout the games he played and therefore has been promoted to the first team for the season. Although he won't start games, he'll be an option on the bench and will also be used to rotate, especially in Checkatrade Trophy games.

The only result that bothers me is the obvious 4-1 loss to National North outfit Salford. We did rotate a lot, as you would expect in a pre-season fixture, giving a lot of youth an opportunity to show what they can do, however that is no excuse to be thumped by a lower league side. Jack Redshaw proved to be too much for us, using his Football League experience well, as he scored a hat-trick.

We'll open the season against Walsall, a side that typically finish in mid-table so it's certainly a winnable game for us. One man we'll have to watch out for is the 'Turkish Messi' that is Erkan Oztumer, who still remains at the club. If we can keep him quiet then that already gives us an advantage defensively.

Transfers to come next update...
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