Sad tha you couldn't turn over but well for me that thing is my biggest weakness in the game. Amd at the end we all have been there. Try overseas? I guess you could ge top tier job in scandinavia well at least second tier
 
Good luck with the next job.

Cracking last line.

You should have left them with a "I'll come back!" or "I'll never come back", I don't know :p
 
Loving this series! Shame you couldn't stay up with Northampton, but I can't wait to see where you end up next! Good luck
 
Thanks nnicod. Must admit as soon as a slide starts I can't seem to stop the rot. I would love to go abroad but it seems that no-one out of the bottom tier of England is willing to take the risk.

Thanks Seano, it sure seems like it. Can only hope I get another shot.

Cheers Deathball! Thanks for all your support!

Thanks fishyfootball, nor can I to be honest. Always interested to see where I can worm my way into.




So having lasted less the a season in charge of a Football League side, it appears that I'm either cursed or incredibly bad at this.

Quite frankly I feel it could be a mixture of the two.

Either-way before getting myself detoxed and cured of whatever is causing me to be quite possibly the worst manager in football, there is just enough time to review what happened in Northampton.

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It was supposed to be my big break.

Having been unceremoniously dumped by Bristol Rovers, The Cobblers swooped in and immediately turned my fortunes around. Taking me from the depths of non-league football and catapulting me into a club in the top half of League Two.

However my initial appointment was really the only high of any otherwise bleak career at The Sixfields Stadium...

2018/19 Season
League Two

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It was supposed to be so much more.

Having taken over the club on a the edge of a play-off race I thought I was coming in to a club very much on the rise.

It wasn't until the transfer window that I realised what a mess I had actually inherited.

An entire first team nearly all set on departing the club, a backbone of players who are way short of Football League level and on top of it, a board driving the club deeper and deeper into debt.

In all honesty I'm glad to be gone.

I can say without doubt that there is no more I could do with this club.

They're going down and sinking fast.​
 
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So it was back to the ever present sofa for myself as I get back to job searching.

Given that I have achieved literally nothing, fallen short of every pre-season objective ever set and have now been sacked from two teams that are now seemingly doomed to be relegated. I was honestly expecting this to be a long wait.

However just days later I'm back at it...

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From the East Midlands to the heart of Liverpool.

However its not's the clubs geographical location that makes this job quite so interesting. Having just left a club stranded at the bottom of the table, I'm now back in the League and incredibly into the team just one position ahead of the Cobblers.

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So for me its the same wages and a place closer to escaping the dreaded relegation zone.

From the outside in, it's a lucky appointment for myself however its not quite all that simple.

Time to take a real look at my new position at the head of the The Rovers.

As it goes I've essentially just swapped the colours of the kits and the pictures on the club crests. Tranmere are in just as much trouble as I left the Cobblers in.

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Thanks to the now departed care-taker manager Shaun Garnett picking up an impressive victory in his one game in charge the club have remarkably climbed just out of the relegation zone by one solitary point.

With over three months of football left to play this season and finding myself once again locked back into a bitter relegation battle, I've still got my work cut out for me.

As the manager responsible for giving them a saftey cushion in the shape of Northampton at least I can claim to have already done them one favour in this fight to stay in the football league but as we head towards the end of the season, it's about time I prove myself and actually achieve something in this career.

The Rovers must Survive.​
 
Cheers Godfish! I don't even know how I've deserved anything thus far though!


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No time to get welcomed in Liverpool. Anfield and Goodison can wait. It's time to get myself comfortable at the imaginativley named Tranmere Stadium.

First things first lets see what we've got at our disposal.

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Its a huge improvement from what we had at Northampton.

A young squad with oldest player being an aged Twenty Nine Years old. Despite their tender years and lack of experience the squad us full of ability and has potential by the bucket load.

Things might be bleak at the minute for The Rovers but I can really see their is a strong team in the making here.

Having looked through the ranks there are two players that straight away fill me with confidence for the coming dog-fight.

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Despite looking like he is about to knock ten shades out of me, I feel like me and Harry are going to get on very well. With respectable Pace and agility Panayiotou will be a real handful in the opposition but it's his solid finishing and desire in the box that should have the St Kitts & Nevis star fire us to safety.


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Pace. Pure Pace. Oduwa never made the grade at Tottenham but in the lower rungs of the footballing ladder he should be an absolute machine. With the speed of a Bullet train and the flair that would fit straight into the Spurs first team, this young lad is an absolute banker to lead the goal scoring charts at this level and potentially beyond.



If you haven't gathered by now I'm excited by the team we have at our disposal.

All I need to do is to work out how to get the best out of them and quick.​
 
Excellent appointment from the team that saw you slide down to be marginally worse than them!

Enjoying this story mate, keep up the good work. Hope Tranmere brings a change in fortune
 
Realy enjoying this.
Going to start one myself.

Are you only running the English leagues, or also other nations?
 
Indeed Greg! Truly an inspired appointment. Thanks for the support!

Good luck Athomash! I'm actually using a whole host of leagues across Europe but it appears only English clubs are foolish enough to appoint me so far.



February
2019

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2nd February 2016
League Two
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Well things get off to a familiar start as we fall to a narrow defeat to mid-table York. Having witnessed Rovers destroy Carlisle using the caretaker managers tactics I opted to take a page out of his book. Unfortunately for me it seems I don't quite have the same magic touch.


9th February 2016
League Two
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So close to my first victory but it seems the football managing gods certainly have it in for me this season. In a goal-fest of a game, we seemed to have snatched the points with a goal one minute into injury time before Woking broke Tranmere hearts scoring an instant equalizer to finish the game.


12th February 2016
League Two
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Seriously am I cursed? Having once again fought back for a share of the points we seemed to again be on course to at least take something from the game but with the referee about to put his lips to the whistle Exeter broke through our back line, firing home a brutal winner.


16th February 2016
League Two
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The last two games might have been down to shear bad luck but a crucial relegation dog-fight against second from bottom, Bury certainly wasn't. In a game that could have had us increase or distance from the foot of the table we instead fling ourselves back into danger without any will to fight for survival.


23rd February 2016
League Two
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We round off my debut month at the head of Tranmere Rovers with a sloppy draw against Barnet. The boys struggled to find a route through to goal against the Bees but non the less I can be pleased to finally keep a clean sheet, even if it was a lifeless affair.


February 2016
League Two
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Courtesy of a horrendous honeymoon period I've managed to guide Tranmere back into the relegation zone and five points away from any form of safety.

At least I've shown the Rovers fans what they can expect already?
 
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Five points is doable with 13 games left :D
 
Thanks Seano! I think it would be for anyone normally but apparently I'm terrible at this.


Tranmere.png


Given that I've only been in the club just one month and the previous Manager signed no fewer then Seventeen players in the summer transfer window, the fans of the Rovers might have expected me not to have added to the ranks just yet.


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From: Out of Contract
Cost: Free

With the club having held on to just one clean sheet last month and the free-transfer window has not yet come to close, I jumped at the opportunity to bring in Jake Clarke-Salter. Having been released by Chelsea in the summer he has gradually sunk down to reality and jumped at the opportunity to revitalize his career in League Two.




With just Thirteen games remaining fingers are crossed that he can be the man to finally shore up the back-line, Unfortunately it wasn't until the Twenty-One year old joined the club that I soon realised he has the stamina of a Seventy Year old.

Should make those last minute goals all the more infuriating..​
 
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March
2019

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2nd March 2019
League Two
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Newly formed defence, even bigger problems. A horror show of a debut from Clarke-Salter saw Neport gleefully romp to a four goal victory. The boys never once looked like winning the game and failed to register a single shot on target throughout the entire game.


5th March 2019
League Two
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Having collapsed in the previous game, we at least looked like we would fight for the points this time around however a red card after the second half seemed to suggest we had no chance as we went towards the final whistle but a wonder goal from super sub Starkey managed to salvage an unexpected point.


9th March 2019
League Two
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This time around we actually managed to take the lead but it only managed to last for a grand total of Thirty Seven seconds. Forest Green soon woke up from their early slumber and showed us exactly why we are in the precarious position we find ourselves in right now, scoring two easy goals past our lackluster defence.


16th March 2019
League Two
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With the points passing us by without even a second glance we continue to maintain our position in the relegation zone with a sloppy display against Promotion chasing Southend. Once again we failed to trouble the opposition goal and the fans certainly made their opinions heard following the final whistle.


19th March 2019
League Two
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Port Vale are locked into mid-table but made us look like the team with nothing to fight for, smashing home the opening goal after just three minutes. Fortunately for the Rovers survival hopes, popular striker, Panayiotou tucked home an equalizer against the run of play to secure a much needed point.


23rd March 2019
League Two
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This was supposed to be the day I rubbed it in Northamptons face for sacking me just two months ago but in the relegation six pointer neither side was prepared to give up on life in the football league without a scrap. For once the boys in blue actually looked up for the game and almost set about picking up a crucial three points had it not been for a clumsy challenge, a straight red card and a superb free-kick from my former prodigy Thomas Reilly.

Revenge will have to wait.


30th March 2019
League Two
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Three draws in a row and the home crowds frustrastions begin to reach boiling point as I still sit awaiting my first victory for the club, managing to only dig their beloved team further into a footballing grave. A lifeless game at Tranmere Stadium did little to lift spirits as the prospect of life back in the non-league starts to become an unwelcome reality.


March 2019
League Two
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Two months into my time at the club and I've managed to single-handedly take them to the foot of the table.

With my former club, Northampton now on a three game unbeaten streak and the clubs just out of the relegation zone sitting a comfortable five points out of danger things are looking extremely bleak in Liverpool.
 
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April
2019

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6th April 2019
League Two

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The penultimate kicks off in what is become the running trend of this entire career. A disappointing defeat. Yeovil are well in the race of play-off spot and gave us a lesson what it takes to play with a purpose smashing home two quickfire goals to end the contest before the half-time whistle.

Something has to change.


16th April 2019
League Two
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Change is good!

Dropping a striker and adding in another midfield to the centre of the park and the team was transformed. Quick attacking football, neat passing and more importantly a winning goal. A resurgent rovers pick up my long awaited first victory for the club and send belief flooding through the squad.


19th April 2019
League Two
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We're not out of this yet. Grimsby where in free-fall down the table sitting just out of the relegation spots by the skin of their teeth but have managed to claw their way back towards safety but the new line-up once again works wonders. The boys certainly left it late smashing home two deserved goals late into the second half to send us back from Grimsby with back to back victories and well in the fight for survival.


22nd April 2019
League Two
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Three in a row! Winger Tyreke Johnson takes the plaudits with a game winning brace but it was another strong performance from the boys against fellow relegation candidates, Morecambe. We certainly made it a dramatic victory with both sides finding the back of the net within mere seconds of the final whistle.


April 2019
League Two
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We leap-frog my old club following a resurgent month of victories and now sit just three points away from safety thanks to Exeter City imploding towards the business end of the season, With just two games left till the end of the season we can only cross out fingers and hope the form book holds out.
 
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Starting to turn things around! You can do it!

Starting to resemble my most recent season with Exeter :p
 
Cheers Seano, This football league malarkey is tough!

Thanks Patrick! It certainly feels intense!


With just two games remaining and the run in for the final survival spot coming down to the wire, its a good opportunity to show you just how tense this relegation dog-fight has been.



May 2019

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4th May 2019
League Two

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One down, one to do.
A sensational victory from the boys as they send a strong Stevenage side packing. Given that they are play-off contenders, hopes were not high for anything more then a point from this time but in efficient fashion we took control of the game in the second half only slipping up to concede one late consolation goal. A super start to the run in.


May 2019
League Two

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With just the one game remaining we are in the driving seat... finally.
Exeters horrific form continues to send the club spiraling out of the football league and courtesy of Tranmere's relatively impressive defensive record we jump ahead of them on goal-difference alone. Meanwhile former employers, Northampton have also had a revival of their own also sitting just behind us by one point.


It all comes down to this final game.


May 2019

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11th May 2019
League Two

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Job done, all be it not in the most convincing of fashions. Knowing that all we needed to do was win the game to ensure our safety, certainly meant all the pressure was on the shoulders of our starting eleven but a goal mouth scramble resulted in an Oldham own-goal and the boys held down the fort to secure the most important victory of my career.


May 2019
League Two

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We've done it!

For the first time in my career, I achieved a board target in managing to narrowly avoid relegation from the football league. With the club seemingly in free-fall it took a dramatic turn around in fortunes in the very last few games of the season to save the club by the skin of their teeth.

its been an exhausting season at the helm of two relegation threatened clubs but for once lady luck was on my side.



On a side-note I'm actually going to Poland for a week so will not be around to post any updates.

So for now thanks for all your support, see you in a week!
 
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Well done on turning it round, great job! Surely the only way is up now?
 
That was intense! Great end of the season. I expected both Exeter and Northampton would win their final game and it happened, but so did you, which I also was expecting to happen :D

You got the contract length to include next season, didn't you? If not they should be offering a new one.
 
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