I will sub. Excellent stuff thus far. Good luck in the new season. I hope you can do well here! :)
 
I will sub. Excellent stuff thus far. Good luck in the new season. I hope you can do well here! :)

Cheers mate, hopefully this season will be better than the last otherwise Manuel may find himself unemployed again :S
 
Tough season there. Still you stayed up and can build towards the new season now. Should be fun :)
 
Least you avoided the drop, can build on from here now
 
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View attachment 781311

Notts Confirm Irvine Capture



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Notts County have today confirmed the signing of former Celtic midfielder Jackson Irvine. The young Australian has more recently had stints in the Scottish Premiership with Kilmarnock & Ross County & has been referred to as "a homeless mans Mile Jedinak."






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Manuel Pablo sez: What? I'm not homeless! I'm between Dwellings!!!






Manuel has a "sign an Aussie" policy too?
 
Manuel has a "sign an Aussie" policy too?

Ha, ha, every great manager has a sign an Aussie policy ;)

EDIT: Although it occurs to me now that if Birighitti had agreed to come i wouldnt have been able to afford Markkenan who, almost single handedly, saved us from relegation :S
 
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Off-Season

It was a very busy off season for Manuel. He made the decision to shorten the already brief English close season by scheduling a lengthy pre season which made the break even shorter. He knew, after last year, that there a lot of hard work ahead of him.


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Before all that though, there was to be a trip to Spain to catch up with old friends.

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Juan Carlos Valeron had recently announced his retirement from the game so Manuel decided it was time to catch up for a beer. The pair spent 13 years together at Deportivo & had formed a strong friendship before Valeron's departure for Las Palmas in 2013. It was good to meet up with his mate but before he knew it Manuel was on a plane back to sunny England.


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There were to be many changes a Notts this year. 14 first team players off contract meant that he would be spending countless hours scouring through scouting reports, watching video's, finding targets & dealing with degenerate agents looking to squeeze every cent out of the clubs budget.

Before he realised it the pre season was upon him with the club only securing 2 signings. Unfortunately the club had been passed over by a number of potential targets.





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Jackson Irvine


The Aussie midfielder will add some starch to a midfield that was often out worked last season. He is strong defensively & has the uncanny knack of finding himself in the right place at the right time to break up attacks. By no means a super star but if he can develop his passing game a little he will, no doubt, prove to be a handy first team addition.








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Felipe Alfonso


Spanish fullback Felipe Alfonso looks to have a bright future in the game & as such Manuel was more than happy to secure his signature. Alfonso has spent the last few years bouncing between Villarreal & the Villareal "B" team. Already a solid player defensively, if the youngster can improve his game going forward he could develop into a very good player for the team.





With the players now back in training, plenty of work to do tactically & the squad still looking very light, Manuel decided it was time to bring in some help.


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JCV Named DoF

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Notts County have today announced that former Deportivo player Juan Carlos Valeron will be the clubs new director of football. It is thought that the Spaniards duties will include handling contract negotiations however it is understood the manager will still have final say on who to target.



 
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Chihi Joins Notts County

Notts County director of football, Juan Carlos Valeron, has introduced Moroccan international Adil Chihi as the clubs latest signing. Chihi joins on a free transfer after his contract with Championship side Fulham was allowed to expire.



 
Look like 2 good signings there! What is your wage budget after releasing 14 contracts? Must be half decent?
 
Look like 2 good signings there! What is your wage budget after releasing 14 contracts? Must be half decent?

Yea had quite a bit to spend. FFP has my wage budget capped at 52k p/w & after 14 contracts expired my wage expediture was approx 32k p/w. So yea around 20k p/w but i wasnt given a transfer budget so its not as much as it sounds.

Good story man. What about loan signings?

Yea, always prefer to sign people permantely but Manuel & Juan Carlos are looking into loan options as we speak. ;)

EDIT: btw, thanks for the compliment. Where are my manners!
 
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Manuel's Office
Meadow Lane, Sunday 12th July 2015

Manuel: "JC, Thanks for coming"

Juan Carlos: "Of course Manuel, what can I do for you?"

"I need you to go to Scotland to have a look at a guy for me. He comes highly recommended by the scouting team. I am not sure we can afford him but his asking price has been repeatedly slashed & I know if you turn on the charm...."

Juan Carlos was shaking his head

" Manuel, Rome was not built in a day my friend! If you exhaust your budget now I fear we will be left short handed for the long English season ahead.

The squad has improved markedly, what you need now are rotation options. Guys you can bring in for a year or so to make up the numbers & cover the first 11."


" Ah yes JC, you are probably right they do play a ridiculous number of games over here."

"They sure do! Look, the first 11 is looking stronger why don't you leave the rest of the recruitment to me & focus yourself on training?"

"Once again my friend, I believe you are making sense. We simply do not have the funds to make any more "big" signings. I know I can trust you to bring in the back ups I require. We need wingers, defenders...."

"Yes I know Manuel, I know.....By the way, who was the guy you wanted me to look at?"

"An Aussie midfielder at Celtic, Tommy Rogic. Not that it matters."

"Hmm, an Aussie you say.......I'll have a look old mate but no promises."


 
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Pre-Season

Having left the recruitment side of things to Juan Carlos, Manuel was free to turn his mind to training & tactics. Many of the players were unhappy with the length of the pre season but he assured them that their hard work would pay off with results on the field.

For the most part they seemed happy with that & set themselves to the task at hand.

Looking at what he had to work with Manuel was pleased with the improved standard of the side. He was beginning to see the framework for a very good side, though as Juan Carlos had pointed out they were still a little short on numbers.

Fortunately JC had some good news on that front. Having had a look around, made a few phone calls & negotiated himself to the bone Juan Carlos was pleased to announce the addition of two more players for the year ahead.



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New Signings


View attachment 295890 Tom Barkhuizen

Manuel was quite pleased by this capture. Another winger was high on his list of priorities & JC looks to have landed him a good one.

Tom was at Blackpool last year & his availability had not occurred to Manuel. Along with Chihi on the left side they now possessed genuine pace & guile on the flanks & with the enormous presence of Eero Merkkenan in the middle there would be very few defences they couldn't unlock.



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View attachment 295889 David Medina

This one had Manuel a little worried. A 33 year old Spanish DM playing in the 3rd division & what's worse JC was actually paying a fee for him? He almost cancelled the deal but in the end he decided to trust his friend.

"I've seen him play Manuel, you wont be disappointed." JC assured him.

He looks to be decent from his stats but we will play this one by ear.




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Results



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A bit of everything here. An impressive win over Belgian side Genk, A creditable draw against Derby & a tight loss to Reading cancelled out by disappointing loses to Barnet & Barton Town. For the most part though Manuel was pleased with what he saw. The squad was blending nicely & everyone was fit & ready to go, with the exception of Jackson Irvine who sprained an ankle.



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Expectations



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Nothing too unrealistic asked by the board. If anything Manuel thinks they are being a tad unambitious but time will tell on that.
 
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