There's No Place Like Home!

Things can only get better...

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As days go for a manager, this one ranks as one of the most special. We made it. Pompey gave us a rough old time of it, but a Banton wondergoal, and Loft's 9th penalty of the season saw us home.

At this point, I'm being heralded as the playoff king. That's three in a row at Wembley now, it's turned into a bit of a fortress for us.

As to how many of these guys will still be at the club next season, well who knows. Only 5 of the last seasons playoff winning team survived, so I won't hesitate to be ruthless again. However, that's for another post at another time...​
 
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Well done m8 3 promotions all through playoffs is unbelievable! random question whats your attendance like they've never filled it when I've been to watch them play!
 
thejoshster said:
Well done m8 3 promotions all through playoffs is unbelievable! random question whats your attendance like they've never filled it when I've been to watch them play!
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There is definitely a case to answer that my players are big game but inconsistent. With better performances this season autos should have been doable.

In terms of attendance, pretty reasonable. IRL the games I've been to this season has been 2k +, in game it is increasing slowly, but definitely increasing. That's the downside of having a 10k stadium at this level, it always looks empty.
 
Yea, got a similar issue with my pompey one what about ur attendence in game though?
 
Lincoln City: The Three Year Plan

Firstly, apologies to Brendn for what is a semi-shameless rip off of a concept. However...

The reality is that Lincoln are woefully under equipped to deal with life in the championship. I'd argue that at this stage, the club is only just about capable of dealing with League 2. Therefore, I've set myself a three year plan for the Championship.

Year 1 - Survive and Consolidate


It seems like a pretty logical first step that the first task is to survive. So how will I achieve this?

Well, lets examine it on two fronts. Firstly, transfers. We need to bring in a blend of experienced heads, and youthful tenacity if we are to survive. With little budget, but a reasonable wage kitty, I'll need to juggle the figures to find a suitable arrangement. Monthly fees may be necessary, but I'll get to that.

We also need to work out who is good enough in the current squad. Not everyone will be staying, so now we just need to work out who the lucky few are. Those tough decisions have already been made, as will be demonstrated in the transfers post to follow this one.

Secondly, finances. The club is walking a tightrope on a positive balance and has been for a while. Therefore, we need to encourage attendance, and making sure that we fill the coffers ready for next season. Remember, we aren't a big club yet, so massive signings are off the table for now. Fill the bank this season, pray we survive, and spend suitably next time out. If we do use monthlies, make sure they won't cripple us in the years to come.

Minimum Expected: 21st

Year 2 - Starting to chase the pack

Year 2 should see us start to branch out as a club. Ideally, we want to be pushing the playoff chasers, but a mid table finish would suffice. We need to demonstrate that the club has advanced sufficiently to attract the bigger players, and those who may be able to improve the team further.

Further to that, we need to continue a focus on youth. With a push towards Cat 3. in year 1, we need to aim to push on further towards Cat 2. by the end of year 2 or start of year 3. Remember, there's no place like home.

We'll also have culled the remaining promoted deadwood by this point, and have a championship level squad. Financially the club should be on a stable footing, this can be helped with a cup run or two to increase the bank balance.

Minimum Expected: 12th

Year 3 - Get me out of here

By the end of the plan, I expect promotion. That is our primary goal here. We should have attained at least 1 if not 2 increases in youth facilities, and our playing squad should also have increased in terms of ability. The aim is that we have a stable squad, supported by signings initially made from season 1 that are continuing to blossom.

With the finances, we'll now be in a position to compete with the other top teams. The relegated teams may still be out of reach financially, but those pushing for promotion are our direct competitors. At this stage, we'll also be at a point where we start to push towards signings likely to play at a higher level as well, using the money saved over the previous two years.

If we need playoffs, well I haven't lost one yet. But I'd rather we get a trophy out of this one.

Minimum Expected: 6th

If all goes to plan here, we'll be in the Prem before you know it!​
 
thejoshster said:
Yea, got a similar issue with my pompey one what about ur attendence in game though?
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4.5k ish at league 1 level is reasonable enough I think. It has increased in the championship too. If I can get a good run of form,that'll help, it is entirely possibly my inconsistency last season cost me a few tickets along the way.
 
Transfers - Summer 4

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As you can see, it has been another busy summer for the club. Some of our more regular names departed, and I was particularly sad to see Ronnie Henry leave after two stupendous seasons with us. Ajala, Bruna and Roberts all leave after two years with the club.

Now, as I'm sure you'll have noticed, I spent a bit of money. Tom Hoyle became our new record signing this summer, joining us from the relegated MK Dons. This deal was completed early June as well, so affected our finances little.

I hear you ask though, who the **** is he? Well, he's the next midfielder off the production line at the MK Stadium.

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Having come across him in our games with the Dons last season, I started tracking him, and pounced at the end of the season, with Fulham, Reading, Leicester, Newcastle and Bournemouth among others too slow to react.

Just look at the physicals on that kid. Superb. He's got a good footballing brain as well, and his technical skills will only better with age. With the advantage that he is also a DM as well, I'm incredibly excited at linking him up with De Francesco and other new signing Huertas in the midfield department.

You'll also notice the signing of Martin Kelly. With the departure of Ronnie Henry and Sylvain Deslandes, I needed new fullbacks. Martin will fill the RB slot, whilst in the absence of a natural left back, Doug Loft shifts from CAM to the back. Callum McGregor and Harry Charlsey will share the playmaking duties this year.

We also formed a link with Liverpool this season, replacing the old Wolves agreement, and part of that saw young Welsh wing wizard Kendall join us for the season. With his compatriot Bale moving to Arsenal this summer, Kendall will be looking for a good year in the red and white stripes to push his international credentials,and possibly end up sharing the pitch with the ex-Galactico.​
 
I'm going to predict a draw here Jeff....


It's now the middle of September, and year 1 of the 3 year plan is going as expected. We are yet to win a game, but we have only lost one so far. In fact, 4 of the first games were all drawn 2-2. It leaves us 17th, without a win, but there are encouraging signs. All we need now is to be a touch more ruthless.

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What is pleasantly surprising is our cup progress though. We are through to the third round, where we face a bumper tie against Spurs at Sincil Bank. That should help with the coffers a bit, and give our players a chance to shine.

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If we can be in 17th at the end of the season, I'll be a very happy man. A win would be very nice though.​
 
Struggling to get a W on the board, I can sympathise mate.

Congrats on another promotion btw, astonishing run. KIU!
 
Killing it mate!! You'll stay up for sure!

Congrats on the promotion!
 
PatrickLFC said:
What a result!!
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Tell me about it! Probably my greatest result as Lincoln manager so far.

Side Note: The details for this and the rest of this year so far will be up tomorrow. Work calls unfortunately.
 
How time flies..


It's been a while hasn't it? Of course, you know about the little spoiler I put up earlier this week. Everyone enjoys the Spurs losing, and I'm absolutely no exception. It means a trip to the Emirates as well, so everyone gets a good night out in London. Result.

What about the rest though?

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Inconsistency is definitely the name of the game. That Spurs result did wonders for our confidence, and we were propelled up the table, claiming win after undeserved win. We have slipped back into our lacklustre ways though more recently, and are currently on 3 defeats in a row.

But what about the league I hear you ask?

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12th at this stage is beyond my most wildest of dreams. Even with our poor form, we are holding our own. A lot of that is down to this man:

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Bolton's misfortune was most definitely our gain. Thomas has been in stupendous form since joining us last year, and his 43 in 65 goal record for us only goes to back that up. There is a downside though that he can be a Premiership teams player for just 1.2m. Understandably, I'm incredibly edgy about this fact. He and De Francesco have been key for me so I can't afford to lose either of them.

What next?

Well, we have a few more fixtures to go before January, so finding some form is paramount. Leicester at Sincil Bank awaits in the FA Cup, so we need to be on point for that. I need the money if I'm to improve this threadbare squad I have.

Other than that, just keep my big names happy. If I keep hold of them, then that's half the battle.


​
 
Great going mate.. How do you find all your players? What scouting tips you got for me
 
banger93 said:
Great going mate.. How do you find all your players? What scouting tips you got for me
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Fluke partially? A lot of my Italian players came through by hiring Pericard as a scout. Jamie Thomas for example was pure fluke, I just happened to look at Boltons squad and saw him listed. I'd recommend you hire foreign scouts, and check relegated teams, that's my main method. That, and meticulously go through all the released players at the end of a season.
 
Long Time, No See

So I've not updated in a while. M'bad. So, quick update to where we are now then.

Last Season

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We recorded a 16th place finish in the end last season, after some poor end of season form saw us plummet down the table. Still, 16th is more than adequate for a club like us, especially after it being the first season in the league.

Player-wise, Alberto De Francesco and Jamie Thomas led the way on the player charts. De Francesco, captaining the team this season, recorded 7.18 as an average rating with 4 goals, as he ran the midfield for large parts of matches. Meanwhile Jamie Thomas finished 2nd top scorer in the league, finishing with 26 goals.

Card anyone?

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My Lee Cattermole impressionist Tom Hoyle went from strength to strength. Also went from booking to booking as well. He recorded 18 yellows and 2 reds for the season, as he developed some serious temper issues. Undeniable talent, but disciplinary issues. I've signed the English Balotelli...

So, how do I solve that problem?

I make him vice captain of course. Hopefully his new role of responsibility will calm him down a bit.

Transfers

So with the season done, who comes in?

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Not much is the answer to that. A small budget definitely hampered us this season, and left me with a difficult task. Stockdale and Kenny are both pretty useful signings, but not a long term solution. The loans are also reasonable, but I'll need to push for more budget at every opportunity.

That covers the prelude to the season, I'll back at some point with the next update, so stay tuned!​
 
Doing well so far and a nice start to life in the Championship hopefully you can push on this year
 
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