Let’s Try Not to **** this All Away: A Burton Albion Story

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March see us visiting high flying Blackburn and Brighton whilst promotion chasing Watford come to the Pirelli along with Scunthorpe who I would be hoping to pick up some points against.
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2 wins and a draw from such a difficult month and I more than happy with that, and it has revitalised our playoff hopes. The Watford game felt like a win after being 2-0 down at half time, and the rocket that the players got at half time seemed to do the trick. The 1-0 wins against Blackburn and Scunthorpe were achieved with late goals, making a change from conceding them. The Brighton match was a really good game and very even in terms of shots and shots on target but we had controlled pocession so I was massively disappointed to slip to a defeat.
Its really tight around the playoff position with only 6 points separating 6th​ place and 12th​ place meaning that we are still in the shake-up for an extended season, that being said we really need more wins and more goals if we are to achieve this and overhaul the 5 point deficit. Of the 7 games that are left all but one are against teams struggling at the wrong end of the table, though they may not be the best teams to be playing at the business end of the season.
 
So April needs to be a good month, as with the league being so tight there is no room for error. With 4 of the 5 teams we are playing being teams that are below us in the league and the Leeds who like ourseleves are pushing for the playoffs I’m targeting 12 points.
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Well that was a good month and just what the doctor ordered, we haven’t played like this for most of the season. 4 really pleasing wins and the draw with Leeds should have been more until my left back got sent off and suddenly Leeds were well on top and we had to hang on. So with just 2 games to go in May we sit 9th​ but only 2 points off the playoff positions, in fact only 3 points separate 3rd​ place and 10th​ place so to say that it’s tight is an understatement.
May could be a big month with 2 games and then the possibility of playoffs. Firstly we need to ensure that we get 2 wins and hope that a few results go our way. I had been seriously considering a massive overhaul of the playing staff, but after Aprils performance I’m torn as we can obviously produce just that we aren’t doing it consistently enough. I guess what happens in these next 2 games will decide what happens and of course what sort of budget we get.
 
So did we make it into the playoffs? Did we win our 2 games get a bit of luck and make it? Did we ****! A defeat to West Brom 2 days after turning down an interview for their managers job, the suddenly went from a team that had won only 3 times since January to a team that beat us without too much difficulty. At this point we mathematically still had a shot at the playoffs and it was already relegated Charlton who arrived at the Pirelli. We then proceeded to absolutely batter them and fail to score meaning signing off the season with a poor 0-0 draw.
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That leaves the final table looking like this:

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I’m disappointed with 10th​ though I’m not sure I should be. I feel that whilst we are progressing as a team that we just can’t keep up with the bigger teams who can afford to spend double my entire transfer budget on a single player and then do it again 3 times over! I think it could be a very testing summer with £4m and 16k to spend, but with plans to extend the stadium meaning I only get 30% of sales to reinvest I will again have to scrape around for bargins. Next season could get worse rather than better!

Anyway end of season means awards night and here are the winners:

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So with the new season approaching myself and the scouting team sat down to identify our targets for the new season. Looking though our squad we seemed to lack a bit of leadership, work rate and aggression and we felt that this may be the cause of losing leads and crumbling a little bit under pressue (see last 2 games of last season). With this in mind we went about our serch looking for players who could add these things to our side along with any other qualities we were looking for.
Also with the memory of last season I took control of setting up the friendlies meaning 7 preseason games rather than the 3 of last season. I decided that we should have a mixture of clubs some on a par with ourselves, others of a higher rep and a couple of moral boosters with lower rep, and things went pretty well.
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The only 2 defeats came to the 2 teams of higher rep. though having said that we were competitive in both and only lost to a late goal against Nancy. The other games were all won and in truth were all comfortable. We had made a few tatical tweeks both to formation and roles within the formation and I’m happy with how things went and will therefore carry this into the new season.
Ok I know what you are thinking enough with the friendlies and tell us about the transfers. So here they are we will start with the outs:
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So along with the usual youngsters leaving having not made the grade and a couple going out on loan (not in the pic) we also had 8 players who left for actual cash. 5 of those who went were strikers and in the cases of Shankland, Sane and Uhre this was because they weren’t good enough. Shankland and Uhre had been brought in as youngsters with potential that they failed to reach whilst Sane started well last season but failed to score the goals we needed from him. Osei I’m sorry to see leave but I just could get a work permit for him and after god knows how many attempts I finally gave up and sold him, meanwhile Burkart may be one I live to regret but £1m rising to £2m plus a sell on fee for a player who was maybe 2 seasons from making an impact was too good to turn down. Rutten was unhappy and not really good enough whilst McGeehan had fallen down the pecking order due to players coming in so it made no sense to keep him around when he was unlikely to play. That leaves the big sale then. Roborto Insigne going to Huddersfield(who have spent £40m) for £11m. He hadn’t had the best season and with the stadium expansion putting us into debt it made sense to move him on, that and the fact that I had forgotten that I was only allowed to keep 30% of the money! So having made £13m in sales who did you bring in I hear you ask well here are the ins:
View attachment 101224It looks like a lot of players, however a number of them were youth players released by Premier League clubs who looked like they might have something about them and were brought in to progress in the u23s at least to start with. I won’t go through all of these guys but as you can see we have a bit of potential in the u23s now.
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So onto those who will in and around the 1st team:
View attachment 101222Brought in to play centre back and improve us a bit in that department. Decent Technicals and Physicals and with our current centre backs being on the younger side his age means good mentals as well. Can cover at right back as well which he may well do on occasion.

View attachment 101221Tommy Smith much like Michal above was bought to add to our defensive options. Good technicals for a centre half and ok physically. Again mentals are good and with high leadership and work rate also adds these to our side.

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Connor has the potential to be a really good defender. Will start thye season as a back up option but is certainly capable of doing a job if called upon.
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Brought in on a free just for extra cover at right back. Unlikely to play that much but again should injuries kick in I’m more than confident he can provide us with the cover required. Returns to the Pirelli having previously had a loan spell with us.

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Sam was brought in as a back up and to add a bit of steel to our midfield. Will probably make mainly sub appearences to help shore things up and hold a lead, also with high aggression, leadership and work rate helps a squad lacking in all of these.

View attachment 101216Louis can fill a number of midfield roles that we play and given the number of games in a Championship he will no doubt get plenty of game time. Again good aggression and work rate also help in the decision to bring him in.

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Robert was brought in just as another winger mainly as we had a few injuries at the time. A good player and young enough to maybe push on a little. Given how hit and miss my wingers have been during this save he will no doubt play a few games.

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Lookman on a free was part if the reason I sold Insigne. Good all round and young so will improve, especially as he will be starting most games.

View attachment 101213Given that we had sold most of our strikers, Fernandez at £120k offered a cheap whilst decent back up option. Has already had a few games and scored a few goals so could well be a good signing, if not he is already worth 4 times what we paid for him so a profit could well be made.
So ther other 3 signings were brought in on loan and in each case will be pushing hard for a starting spot

View attachment 101212On loan from Spurs Filip will again offer us a very good option a centre half. Quick, strong good in the air and the tackle, I think he will start as a back up but could easily become a starter in no time.

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Again brought in due to injuries on the wing. He has the ability to play either side and again will be pushing for a start should either of my current starters form drop off.

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Boris is the final signing and on loan from Man U. Not really a position we needed to strenghten but when you can bring in a player of this quality its hard to say no. I do think he will get plent of game time and will hopefully contribute to a successful season.

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Before the season starts I sit down with the local press to discuss the season ahead.
Journalist: So there have been quite a few new faces added, a lot of them youngsters, what is the thinking behind it.
Me: The youngsters represent a no risk punt for the future. We brought them all in for free will have them training at our high quality facilities with some really good coaches, giving them every chance to achieve what they want in football. If even 1 or 2 of them make it to the first team it will have saved the club a fortune.
Journalist: Are there any that we should look for in particular?
Me: There are a number of talented guys coming through the ranks that we are excited about. The ones that you are most likely to see in the 1st​ team are Wignall and Elstone in defense, Hearne in midfield and Malen up front but there are plenty of others. You should go watch the u23s they are good value for money.
Journalist: The squad is pretty big, will you need to sell players?
Me: There have been some departures and may be a few more, you can never rule anything out in football.
Journalist: What do you think is achievable this season?
Me: I really feel we can push for the playoffs again this season. The lads are all up for the challenge having narrowly missed out last year and with the additions we have made I think we are more than capable, though like every team we will need a bit of luck.
Journalist: Some of the fans are still not happy about Insigne departure, what have you to say to these fans?
Me: It was something that we felt was for the good of the club. We had just agreed to sign young Lookman, who I think will be a star, and the money generated from the sale help fund the other purchases and the re-development of the stadium. If I’m honest its something we will probably have to keep doing, at least in the short term, as we try to compete in this division as we don’t have the spending power of the big boys so we nee to scout better and pick up the rough diamonds on the cheap.
With that the interview ended and I could turn my attention to the first game of the season.
 
Our first game would be against newly relegated Watford, so a nice easy start to the season. We follow that with EFL cup action versus Mansfield. Sheff Wed would visit the Pirelli in the middle of 3 away games against Forest, MK Dons and Newcastle, through in a possible EFL cup game and suddenly having a big squad and the capibility to rotate could pay dividend. Some really tough games and we could easily struggle to get any points.

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Well that was a good start to the season. 2 wins and 3 draws in the league and into the 3rd​ round in the cup is more than I could have hoped for. We bossed all but the Watford and Newcastle games. Watford probably deserved a win and the Newcastle game a draw was a fair result, but given my pessimism I’m really pleased with the start.
September would be another busy month with 6 league games and another EFL cup game. 4 home games against Leeds, Burnley, QPR and West Brom meant that there would be no home win bankers this month and trips to Hull and Bristol City as well as the cup game against Brentford would mean that we would need to continue our good form if we were to get anything from the month.

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We lost our first game of the season against Brentford in the cup which doesn’t bother me at all. Each of the wins were probably more comfortable than the scoreline suggests and even the draw with West Brom we were the better team but when you concede 2 ogs and have a player sent off you can’t be too unhappy with a draw. So as we head into October we sit 2nd​ in the table and unbeaten in the league. Could we get automatic? Probably best not to get ahead of ourselves but if this kind of form continues who knows what we can achieve.
 
October would bring five very winnable games, at least given the form we have been on. Reading, Villa, big spending Huddersfield along with the Welsh duo were all mid-table teams that if we were serious about promotion we need to beat.
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So the month started as expected with a win away to Reading then we spanked Cardiff 4-0 but it really could have been double figures and that wouldn’t have flattered us. Then Swansea inflicted our first league defeat of the season and coming towards the end of October I can’t complain too much even if we were the better team. This however sparked a run of indifferent form which saw us lead Villa 3-1 with 20 minutes to go an only draw then absolutely destroy Huddersfield only to need a penalty to save our skins, I just hope that last seasons inability to score has not returned. Our dropped points have seen Watford stretch their lead to 8 points, looks like the title could be out of the question.

November with its international break would mean only 3 matches two of which would be away against top 4 teams in Blackburn and the seasons surprise package Preston. A home game with Scunthorpe would complete the months fixtures where I hope we can get back on track after a patchy October.
 
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So we continue our poor form into November with a defeat to PNE and what is more worrying is that despite dominating possession and have 26 shots we only manage 5 on target and 1 goal, this is starting to be very deja vu. Luckily we seem to rediscover our goal scoring against Scunthrope were not only do we score 3 but we also get 1st​ and 2nd​ in goal of the month for Wilson and Lookman. Blackburn was a tough and close game and we edge it 1-0. So not a bad month but what is better is Watford have slipped up and lost 2 out if their 3 games meaning we have closed the gap to 5 points.
December would be busy as usual with games against 1st​ placed Watford and 3rd place Brentford. The other 5 matches would see us face teams in the bottom half including Sheff Wed who have spent £81m and gone through 8 managers since I took over at Burton and they wonder why I keep turning down their advances!
 
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Brentford win a very even game that could easily have gone either way. We bounce back again and have 3 very comfortable wins which coupled with a poor run by Watford had let us move above them into 1st​ place. So we arrived at Watford and they had won only once in 7 games and I felt confident. Couldn’t have been more wrong. We didn’t turn up and were 4 down by half time with Watford scoring with there only 4 shots. Thankfully we get back to winning ways against Forset and Wednesday and that leaves the league like this is at the turn of the year.
View attachment 100844Top of the table and I know that Watford would go back top if they win their game in hand but I’ll take it. More importantly we are 14 points clear of 7th​ so we can hopefully get a playoff place at least.

We are also doing quite well on the player stats with top goalscorer, average rating, assist and PotM.
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January means transfer window FA cup and 4 games against teams mid table and below. I don’t care about the cup as we could do without the distraction. Transfers will be mainly out than in I’d imagine as the squad is a bit bloated and would probably get worse if we were to gain promotion. With regards league matches we need to carry on with our good form.
 
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Overall a good month though the FA cup replays are not helping with squad fitness. 3 wins in the league and a draw away to Burnely, which isn’t a bad result, meant that we remain top of the league by 2 points from Watford and we have a gap of 18 points over 7th​ placed Preston. The draw against Spurs also gave me a bit more confidence about what would happen if we did go up, though we’d need to bring in a few quality players if we hope to stay up, but that’s all ifs and buts at the minute we need to concentrate on getting promoted first.

February is another busy month with 6 league games and an FA cup replay. I must admit that I’m tempted to rotate heavily against Spurs as I don’t picture us winning at The Lane and even if we did we get Man Utd in the next round so progression is unlikely. The rest of Februarys fixtures see us play a couple of teams in and around the playoffs and a couple of teams in and around relegation, just hope we can continue our form and keep picking up points that will push us closer to the Premier League.

January Also means transfers of course, and as I previously there would be more outs than ins, and that proved to be the case.

Outs:
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A few of the youngsters going out on loans to aid their development and a few players who just weren’t getting any game time leaving permanently. Happy to add to the coffers which will hopefully be needed for reinforcements at the start of next season.
I did bring 1 player in and he came to light whilst scouting a different player and although I couldn’t see the majority of his stats and could afford to scout him I took a risk and if you ask me it could be £400k well spent. At least it would be if I can ever get a work permit for him, as again it was turned down despite playing regularly for his nation.

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Just caught up on this. Fantastic effort. Hope you get a good budget in the summer regardless of where you finish.

Tip with Burton: Upgrade Youth Recruitment as much as possibly. They have St. Georges as facilities so if you get better recruitment you should get some gems in the youth intake! :D
 
Wilko said:
Just caught up on this. Fantastic effort. Hope you get a good budget in the summer regardless of where you finish.

Tip with Burton: Upgrade Youth Recruitment as much as possibly. They have St. Georges as facilities so if you get better recruitment you should get some gems in the youth intake! :D
Click to expand...

Thanks mate. Been trying to upgrade youth recruitment but the board haven't been keen, think I requested it at least twice a season. Will keep trying.
 
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Another sucessful month. Undefeated in the league and we seem to be scoring plenty which is a good sign. We did go out of the cup to Spurs but a 2-1 defeat at Whitehart Lane with a team that included 7 changes from the usual starting 11 was reasonably pleasing. So with 10 games to go we are still top and our good form has lead to us opening a 10 point gap over 2nd​, 13 over 3rd​ and a massive 24 over 7th​ place and not getting into the playoffs, so a couple more wins and we shoud at least be guaranteed playoffs, though now I want the title!

March is a relatively quite month with only 4 games. Huddersfield and Swansea are pushing for playoffs whilst Villa and Preston are both lower mid-table. If we can continue playing as we have been we could pick up maximum points.
 
Great progress mate! That cousin over 3rd is pleasing but i'm sure you want the title now which i'm sure you'll secure soon enough!
 
neavie pops23 said:
Great progress mate! That cousin over 3rd is pleasing but i'm sure you want the title now which i'm sure you'll secure soon enough!
Click to expand...

Given the position we are in anything other than the title would be a disappointment, though at the start of the season I'd have been happy with making the playoffs and not going up.
 
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So not maximum points like I had hoped but unbeaten none the less. Swansea we score early doors and then played out a very even game. Villa we totally dominated only for them to equalise in the 91st​ minute. Preston we again were the better team but this time got the win our play deserved. Huddersfield gave us a real scare. We went 1-0 up only for our former player Insigne to equalise for them. Then to rub salt into the wounds the full back I tried to sign at the start of the season only for him to choose Huddersfield over us set up their 2nd​. It looked as though we were heading for our first defeat in the league since Boxing Day but then James Wilson spared our blushes with an 85th​ minute equaliser. All this has left us with a confirmed place in the playoffs and 11 points clear at the top. With 6 games to play 1 more win will confirm automatic promotion (if my maths is correct)
 
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