There's No Place Like Home!

The Season So Far...

It's now late October, and it seems like the perfect time for an update on things so far. So without further ado..

The Premier League

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Realistically, things could and should be going better. Granted, we've had a few tough fixtures, but there has been a certain lack of concentration from the team so far this season. Most disappointing was the thumping at Old Trafford, a game in which we posed no threat at all.

By winning our games with Southampton, Newcastle and Derby, we are demonstrating that we are at a decent level, but we aren't of the level that we can beat the better opponents. Having said that, were it not for a 91st minute goal from Hazard, we would have had a point from the Chelsea match, so that was decent.

In terms of performances, our best performer has been Lucas Moura. A guaranteed starter on the right side, he has provided assists and goals to at least give us a fighting chance. Alonso has also chipped in with some goals, but his performance has been inconsistent in recent matches.

Our next four matches are against Fulham, Stoke, Leeds and Sheffield Utd. We need to take a minimum of 9 points here to give ourselves a fighting chance of breaching the top half.

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Capital One Cup

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Our run in the COC has been pretty simple by all accounts. However, Spurs at home is a much more difficult prospect to deal with, so we may be hard pushed to emulate our semi final run of last season.

Away from the pitch

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We confirm two new players to join us in January. Almeda should become first choice RB, whilst Dutra will fight for a spot alongside my other CM's, but should provide a very useful option to have.


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Just as a heads up, I'm considering ending this thread. Apart from the odd one or two, there seems to be very little interest, and I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of talking to brick walls.
 
Godfish93 said:
Just as a heads up, I'm considering ending this thread. Apart from the odd one or two, there seems to be very little interest, and I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of talking to brick walls.
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Please no! :( I love this story!
 
November 2022

Results

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Before this set of fixtures started, I challenged the team to get 9 points. As you can see, 5 is not 9. The defeat in the Capital One Cup is also pretty disappointing, but not a massive priority.

The Fulham defeat wasn't unsurprising, they have been in great form all season. However, given it was an 85th minute winner, I can feel a little aggrieved. We bounced back spectacularly just before the international break though, as we stomped all over former housemates Sheff Utd, beating them 3-0 by half time.

The international break was costly though, as Lucas Moura picked up an annoying hamstring strain, knocking him out of action for a month. To an extent, that is displayed in the results for our next two matches. Without his creative spark, we didn't create enough chances. Bittencourt got 2 in 2, but he's now injured as well. Oh joy.

Table

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11th is still reasonable for now. If we can continue to lurk around the top/mid table area, we can set ourselves up for a decent finish come the end of the season.

Fixtures

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The fixture gods hate me. We're probably looking at 6 points maximum this month, which could cause us problems. QPR and Bournemouth are the target fixtures, but I reckon we can sneak something from Goodison and the Olympic Stadium. Think the first two games are a write-off though, it'll be backs to the wall.

The age of Messi is over. The time of Widmer has come...

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​
 
Godfish93 said:
Just as a heads up, I'm considering ending this thread. Apart from the odd one or two, there seems to be very little interest, and I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of talking to brick walls.
Click to expand...

No dont! i love reading this story its very interesting and i have learnt an awful lot from your threads :)
 
Godfish93 said:
Just as a heads up, I'm considering ending this thread. Apart from the odd one or two, there seems to be very little interest, and I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of talking to brick walls.
Click to expand...

The thread has had over 5000 views! Don't take a lack of comments to mean a lack of interest...
 
dllu said:
The thread has had over 5000 views! Don't take a lack of comments to mean a lack of interest...
Click to expand...

Would be nice for some of those viewers to pop their heads up once in a while and comment though
 
Don't quit!! I'm a silent reader!! It's a cracking story
 
For the record, you will get at least one more post from me on this. Whether I continue after I'll decide at a later point, but with the conclusion of this season comes something I find incredibly entertaining, so that'll be in with the season review.
 
End of 2022/2023, the transfer window, and the new Lincoln City

First, we start with the end of the season. Having finished 12th and 13th, I'd set myself a goal of 10th for the season. A disastrous run of form in the run up to Christmas left us in dire straits, but a drastic move to a 3-1-4-2 yielded a solid Christmas/January.

January saw a few new signings as well, including Lazar Markovic (3.4m) Mario Almeida and Joaquin Dutra. The later are both current Uruguayan internationals, screenshots of whom can be found in the post that will shortly follow this.

A few tactical tweaks saw the return of the 4-2-3-1 as well, as a winning end to the season, along with impressive perfomances against the big boys, saw us 11th with 1 to play. Thankfully for us, we got a point away at Bournemouth, whilst Stoke lost. That 20m prize money was gratefully received.

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Following the end of the season, we set to work on revolutionising both the playing squad and the backroom staff. Out went some of our longer serving staff, such as Andy Watson, who had been my long suffering assistant for 5 years. Replacing him was Italian and Liverpool legend Alberto Aquilani. Joining him was Michael Carrick, Adam Le Fondre and David Nugent amongst others.

In the playing squad, we brought back old favourite Maitland-Niles. Having done well in 2 loan spells, we seized the opportunity to sign him from Utd. We continue our South American theme to our squad as well, with Daisson Sampolo (ST), Gustavo Alexandre (CB) and Matias Rodriguez (CB) all joining us. Young striker Andy Green joins from WBA, whilst Sanchis (CB) comes in from Valencia.

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Lincoln under me managed 3 promotion in a row. Now meet the second club to do so in recent years...

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​
 

It is arguable that for the first three seasons of Lincoln's Premiership campaign that the team lacked any sort of identity. In fact, that can be argued for the entirety of my reign so far. You look at the big teams over history, and they all have a distinguishing feature. Klopp's Dortmund had Gegenpressing. Man City had 11 stars but no cohesion. LVG's Man Utd had... well, ****** all really. The point is there though. A successful team has a distinguishing feature or characteristic that people can focus on.

Throughout May and June, I sat and pondered. At this stage, Lincoln could be considered a stable-ish Premiership team. Our record high of 10th place last season was testament to the drive of our players, and also our backroom staff. For three years, we had worked tirelessly on highlighting key targets, scouting them fully and then bringing them in. To this end, my chairman, Barry Butler, has been superb. He's provided funds, he's upgraded facilities, basically anything I ask.

The next stage though is to crack that top half. Again, we go back to the idea of identity and philosophy. This needs to come across in the tactics, the choice of players, everything that goes on around the club. The inspiration finally came from the Copa America. I watched a few games, mainly to track my current players and targets, and it hit me that I could aim to emulate these teams.

The flair of Brazil and Argentina, the ruggedness of Uruguay, the cohesion of teams like Chile or Colombia. That's what I wanted. English football was starting to turn dour, and was the same week in, week out. I was going to change all of that.

The "South American Effect" had begun.​
 
So I now have a basic concept of what I want. The Copa America, won by Argentina, gave me a fair ideas as to what I needed, as detailed below:

Goalkeeper

Perhaps the easiest position on the park to deal with. Basically, stay in the net and don't let anything through. More importantly, a constant level of communication with the two centrebacks is necessary. In essence, what I am trying to create is a triangle of players, making life difficult for what is often a lone striker in England.

Centrebacks

As mentioned, I want the triangle shape formed with the keeper. However, with the centre backs, I want a staggered effect between the two. The aim is to have a hard hitting centre back, with his partner covering behind should anything go through. With the defenders largely staying in their own half should anything go wrong, they will need to be quick, strong and unafraid to wipe the opposition out if necessary.

Fullbacks

The fullbacks will need to charge up and down on a regular basis. Not only will they need to be able to identify the right time to attack, their work rate must be exemplary should they get caught out of position. I'm also looking for them to be comfortable on the overlap, and act as a winger should the situation dictate it. This will be more important on the left flank.

Central Midfielders

The two in the centre of the park will have slightly differing parts to play. One will take what I know as the Jordan Henderson role; runs all day, makes tackles, scores - the complete midfielder. The second will take a slightly more supportive role, sending key balls through, whilst covering the defence. Should it be necessary, he'll also be able to arrive late in attacks to add extra impetus.

Right Wing

On the right, I'm looking for the conventional winger. He'll be crossing balls in, tracking back, but largely staying on the right hand side without cutting in. Think Cuadrado. In theory he may not score many, but will be looking more likely to be high on the assists charts at the end of the season.

Central Attacking Midfielder

The focal point of our attacks, this guy is the playmaker. Again, he will be in a supportive role, creating a second triangle on the pitch with the two CM's, but he will be looking constantly for killer balls. This is where a lot of the Brazilian-like flair will come from as well, as the CAM dances around the pitch seeking as many opportunities. The CAM should also not be afraid to be asked to act as a Shadow Striker in dire situations.

Left Wing

Providing that the left full back is stable, the left winger is given more licence to roam and support the striker. In a role very reminiscent of Alexis Sanchez or Neymar, the left winger will be able to act as a striker, and will have more licence to cut inside than that of the right winger. However, defensive duties are still expected, and whilst flair is desirable, the ability to provide assists is considered more important.

Striker

Playing one up top, the striker needs to be a complete package. Whilst able to act as a target man, the ability to be a fox in the box is also necessary as he may find himself in a variety of situations depending on the match. A good eye for goal is essential, but failing that, the ability to turn creator is needed. The striker must be able to contribute, or the formation effectively acts without a head.

Whilst the team is encouraged to pass into space, possession retention is more important to retain control. However, the ability to complete devastating counter attacks is vital, and all wide men will have to have a certain amount of pace behind them.

The next stage is to examine some of the key players, and establish their importance in changing the footballing ethos at Lincoln.​
 
This change sounds very exciting cant wait to see how it goes :)
 
2023/2024

This season was largely a turning point for us. The adoption of new tactics and the introduction of new players saw us finish in a record high of 7th, which would have secured us European football. However, we had secured it much earlier down the line...

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That's right, Lincoln have silverware now! In what was a pretty easy ride to the final, we dealt with Utd efficiently to claim the trophy.

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What is noticeable from our overall XI though, is that goals were not forthcoming. With only 1 player in double figures, that was something I needed to address, and fast.

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(Note: these two season posts are brief summaries just to bring the thread back up to speed)​
 
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