Winners never quit. Quitters never win

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Tragedy

Sunday 27th November, 2011

12:13 pm


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I had decided to have a majorly lazy day, and didn't awake until the afternoon. Admittedly, due to the consumption of a few drinks the previous night. Okay, more than a few. It was rare that I drank much at the weekend, especially now that I was in management. I rubbed my forehead and grimaced. It's true what they say. The older you get, the less tolerant of alcohol your body is. Safe to say there was a bit of suffering on my part. I wasn't even going to say Never again!. Said it so many times before, and it happened again. And again. And again.

I gingerly got out of bed and got ready, nipping into the bathroom to get some aspirin and liver salts. I decided to have a cigarette, have a snack then watch the Aston Villa v Swansea City match. I was looking to forward to it a great deal-Swansea were playing some excellent football and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. I wouldn't have been surprised if they beat Villa-the way they pass the ball so fluidly is superb. After I prepared a snack, I took a seat on the couch and switched on the radio.

"Just to reiterate, if you're just tuning in, news coming to us at Talksport, that Wales Manager Gary Speed, has passed away aged just 42. Let's cross to the Liberty Stadium...."

I didn't hear much more after that-my mouth was literally gaping open in absolute shock and I was numb with horror. I simply couldn't believe what I was hearing. Or to be honest, I didn't want to hear what I was hearing. I switched on Sky Sports News and there it was. I listened to Bobby Gould on the radio, his voice shaking with emotion. And I just sat there smoking cigarette after cigarette. It was just impossible to take in. He was a legend. Playing for Everton, Leeds United, Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United, Sheffield United. It was a day when I simply did not care about the football being played today. A sentiment that was being shared everywhere.


As I saw the pictures coming in from the Swansea v Villa match, the grief was evident both on and off the pitch. The effect was felt everywhere all over the country. The football that was to be played was now insignificant. I switched off the television and just left the radio on. I couldn't get my around this. Why did it happen? He was so incredibly young. So gifted. A wonderful person. He was also a fantastic player-he would have been an excellent manager. But more tragically he would be leaving behind a family. Christ nows what they would be feeling right now.

I do admit, I shed some tears. He had been a tremondous servant for the sport wherever he played. Not one person that spoke about him on the radio, had a single bad thing to say about him. Warm, generous, lovely.....words used time and time again. I spent the remainder of the day reading statements by other footballers about him, and reliving glory days on Youtube, just watching him strutt his stuff. He was a truly great player, and always gave his all. And that was basically my entire day. I didn't want to do anything else. I had no care for anything else. It just seemed pointless.

We had not only lost a great player, and a potentially great manager......but also a wonderful human being.
 
View attachment 235312


A turbulent time


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The following spell after the Crewe defeat, was up and down to say the least. Our first match of December, a home tie against Rotherham United, resulted in a 3-1 loss. Our performance not aided by some awful weather-the ball would hardly roll in the rain. But the main reason was a very sub-par performance from the players. Poor crossing, poor passing and missed oppurtunities (clear cut ones at that) contributed. I had to lay into the players as it was so unlike them to play so poorly. It was totally unacceptable. But on the plus side, we were still 8th in the table.




I decided to change things up in training-focusing more on defensive positioning and the crossing aspects of the game, along with more focus quick passing. And it seemed to work. The next match against Plymouth Argyle resulted in a 2-1 victory, with a much better performance to boot. Even though we had won the match, we had dropped a position down to 9th which was annoying. The downside of other teams having games in hand due to cup competitions. But the following results were less than inspiring:



Hereford United 1 Port Vale 1
Hereford United 2 Accrington Stanley 1
Burton 0 Hereford United 0
Hereford United 3 Bristol Rovers 3
Dagenham and Redbridge 3 Hereford United 0
Oxford 4 Hereford United 0
Hereford 2 Shrewsbury 1
Gillingham 2 Hereford United 0


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Before we knew what had happened, we were now languishing in 13th position. All the hard work we had been putting in, was slowly starting to unravel. Morale was beginning to nosedive now, and it was clearly affecting performances. The transfer window was also absolutely pointless-we had no money to spend on bringing in reinforcements, be it loans or even free transfers. I had to work with what I had. And it was getting increasingly hard not to feel the pressure now, as teams below us were slowly creeping up behind us.

The day after the Gillingham match, I glanced at Sky Sports website and I glanced at the Hereford United page. My gaze froze. There had been a comment reportedly made by captain Delroy Facey. He basically wanted the board to offer me a new contract, not only as my current one was running out, but also as he, and other players, felt I had been doing a good job at the club and were happy playing for me. I leant back with a smile. It was a relief to read I still had the dressing room. It's always vital to keep players on your side through thick and thin. Otherwise it's a recipe for disaster. Not only for the manager, but potentially for the club as well and can have a majorly negative impact on a season.

But I still had to get the players fired up for the rest of the season. We were fast approaching crunch time. I had stopped thinking about the playoffs now. I felt it was going to be out of our reach. But I didn't see it as a bad thing. If we finished in the top 10, it would be a great achievement for everyone involved. Promotion would obviously be a tremondous bonus, but in some cases, when a club massively overachieves, it can potentially backfire spectacularly, so it's pretty much common sense to build gradually. It ensures a secure club.

But there was also something else I had to be wary of now. Players were becoming jaded, and some key players were needing a rest. Due to the team being ravaged by injuries earlier during the season, players who weren't as fit as the rest, had to pick up the slack, and were paying the price. And we were still having at least a couple of injuries nearly every fortnight. The toll it was taking on others was evident, so I had a feeling I would have to start calling up the youngsters and other reserve players to ensure fitness remained the required level. A very delicate balancing act.

The remaing February fixtures highlighted this problem:


Hereford United 3 Cheltenham 0
Aldershot 1 Hereford United 1
Hereford United 0 Swindon Town 1
Bradford City 1 Hereford United 0


View attachment 235318


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Some players were now running on empty and HAD to be rested for a few weeks-even if it meant leaving out key players. Their health and fitness were more important. I could not afford to risk anyone to further injuries. And remarkably it seemed to pay dividends. We recorded wins against AFC Wimbledon, Macclesfield, and Morecambe. Games we had been tipped to lose heavily. I was immensley proud of the players that had stepped up to the plate. We had climbed back up to 10th in the table, and things were looking up again, and morale was on the up again too. But as we know all too well, high morale and confidence don't always win you matches.

It was followed by a draw with Southend, and back to back losses against Crewe and Rotherham respectively. It was a big blow, as teams above us were dropping points left right and centre. And we found ourselves back to 15th position-yet somehow, only 7 points off the playoff places. It was incredible. I knew the Championship can be a very tight battleground, but this was new to me. And it was increasing the pressure-when realistically, it needn't have. The board, or the fans, were expecting playoffs or promotion. Just to try and stay in the division. Which we basically had. We had achieved safety mathematically, and basically, any position higher in the table was a bonus.

So as it stood, we were 15th in the table. 7 points of a playoff place with 6 matches to go. The final push was about to begin......








​
 
Iceman362 said:
great update mate good luck with the remaining games
Click to expand...

Thanks. Had to give myself a break as I basically had writers block and couldn't think of anything to write lol. Next few updates planning to go into more detail like previous ones. Still really rusty right now and don't want to do a half arsed attempt. Never had writers block before and don't want it again lol.
 
ajt09 said:
Thanks. Had to give myself a break as I basically had writers block and couldn't think of anything to write lol. Next few updates planning to go into more detail like previous ones. Still really rusty right now and don't want to do a half arsed attempt. Never had writers block before and don't want it again lol.
Click to expand...

yeah i had a bad case of that for my exams lol uve never done a half arsed update mate so im sure when it comes it will be brilliant
 
View attachment 235509



Make or break time


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After looking at the remaining 6 fixtures, I sat back in my chair in the office and let out a sigh. Plymouth at home, Accrington away, Barnet away, Northampton home, Crawley away and to wrap things up Torquay United at home. I leant forward on my elbows on my desk, and buried my face in my hands. The pressure had finally got to me. I wanted to make the playoffs so badly it was unreal. And who could blame me? We had exceeded all expectations and had put in some excellent performances at times, and beaten bigger clubs. The players had put the club in an excellent position. Mid-table may not sound excellent-but when you were written off as relegation material before the season kicked off, in a poor position financially.....the players had done a tremondous job for the club. I was distracted by a knock on the door, and it slowly openend. It was the chairman David Keyte.

"Not interrupting are you?" he asked with a smile. It was a more than welcome distraction. I stood up and smiled back.

"Course not. What can I do for you?" He sat down.

"I basically came in to wish you the best for the remaining games, and basically to tell you, that myself and everyone else, think you've done a tremondous job this season, as have the coaches and players." I smiled appreciatively.

"Thank you Mr. Keyte." I responded gratefully. "The players have been great this season. No-one gave us a hope in **** this season. And they responded magnificently." David nodded in agreement with a smile.

"They've done themselves proud. As you said, no-one gave us a chance. That was all the motivation they needed. But also, regardless of what happens between now and the end of the season, even if we don't make the playoffs, whatever happens. You've showed you're more than capable in management. Fans are flocking in, attendances have lately been maxed out, we're being talked about on TV...you've done a fantastic job. So even if we do finish mid-table, you've more than exceeded all expectations. Just don't focus too much on reaching the playoffs. Yes it would be fantastic to get that far-but lets not get ahead of ourselves at the same time. As we've seen all too often, clubs that move forward too fast can suffer in the future."




He was right and it was like I had mentioned previously. Too much too fast can result in things backfiring, rather than moving things forward. Stability was more important than begin the process of moving on and upward. The rest of the meeting was light hearted, and very relaxed. I had done what I had set out to achieve for the club, so now we could relax and start talking about what the future for the club could be. Goals for the club-and myself. I was pleased for the distraction-and it also filled me with a lot of confidence. Getting praise from the chairman, and the press and the fans (and in some cases other managers higher up) meant a lot and inspired me to do an even better job. But there were 6 other games to focus on.







Hereford United 2 Plymouth Argyle 1
Accrington Stanley 1 Hereford United 1


​
We were up to 14th place now-and more importantly, now 5 points of the final playoff place with 4 games to go. It was becoming unbearably tense now. And it was getting to the players now. We were in touching distance of reaching promotion playoff places to the Npower League 1, in my first season in charge. The next match against Barnet was now absolutely huge. If we won that, and the above teams lost we would be only 2 points off with 3 games to go.



Barnet 1 Hereford United 0


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A penalty, that was literally the last kick of the match, decided the result. It was a massive blow to the players-they had outperformed the Barnet players. But thanks to the dive in our penalty area-they stole the 3 points from us. 3 games to go, 8 points off. It was now looking incredibly hard to accomplish. We needed a miracle. We had to keep winning, and hope that every team above us lost. Which looked like it not happening. So once again, the next match was absolutely crucial.



Hereford United 3 Northampton Town 1



View attachment 235529



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A great performance from every single player, and with a tremondous atmosphere created by the fans. It was practically a sell out. Sadly however-we were now ruled out of the playoff places. We were still 8 points off with 2 matches left with teams above us winning. It was a sickener for the lads. Looking back now, I still rue the dive in the Barnet match that basically destroyed our push for the playoffs. The players were gutted, as were the fans. But still, at full time-every player received a standing ovation. The fans realised that even though we weren't in the playoffs, we had done a fantastic job all season and done tremondously well. Myself and the players, went around the entire stadium and applauded back at the fans. They had shown fantastic commitment and support all season long.





There were now 2 more matches left, that basically meant nothing more than finishing as high as possible:



Crawley Town 0 Hereford United 2
Hereford United 3 Torquay United 1


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At least we finished on a high. Our final league position was 11th, on 67 points. Against all the odds, we had finished where no-one expected us too. There had been no money for transfers, no more money for loan signings, even free transfers....been decimated by injuries, key players needing rest from fatigue.....we had finished at a position we could be justifiably proud of. And who knows, if things had gone for us instead of against us in certain matches.....we may have made the playoffs, and again who knows? We may have got promotion to Npower League 1.

I had been entrusted with the task of learning from my experience in the Npower League 2, and if possible, to avoid relegation. And I must admit, I was proud of the work I had done. And everyone else had reason to be proud too. I had never managed before, never played football at even amateur level, and had completed the first task of rebuilding the club with new ideas and tactics-basically an overhaul. I had also experienced the highs, lows and frustrations of being a club manager. And I thoroughly enjoyed it, thrived upon it.

And I was already looking forward to more of the same in my management career. Wherever it may be.............................




 
Well done mate, I was literally holding my breath with each scroll down, hoping you had made play offs. Definately following this. Hope you can check my story out when u can.
 
Cheers. Was certainly a rollercoaster ride of a season lol.

Shall do a bit of a season review once the Premier League finishes, and do a bit of other news like managerial changes, division winners, teams relegated etc later on today.
 
End of 2011/2012 season review


Premier League Winner: Liverpool FC

Premier League Runners-up: Manchester United

Clubs relegated: Wolves, Swansea, Blackburn


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Npower Championship Winner: Cardiff City

Clubs Promoted: West Ham United, Birmingham City

Clubs Relegated: Ipswich Town, Peterborough United, Coventry City


View attachment 235586




NPower League One Winner: Sheffield United

Clubs Promoted: Notts County, Huddersfield Town

Clubs relegated: Hartlepool, Colchester, Bury, Exeter


View attachment 235592



Npower League 2 Winner: Shrewsbury

Clubs Promoted: Gillingham, Rotherham, Swindon.

Clubs Relegated: Aldershot, Accrington


View attachment 235600



Blue Square Bet Premier: Cambridge

Club Promoted: Gateshead

Clubs Relegated: Kettering, AFC Telford, Southport, Alfreton


View attachment 235601



Blue Square Bet North Winner: Hinckley

Club Promoted: FC Halifax

Clubs Relegated: Workington, Guiseley, Vauxhall


View attachment 235602



Blue Square Bet South Winner: Chelmsford

Club Promoted: Basingstoke

Clubs Relegated: Maidenhead, Farnborough, Dorchester


View attachment 235603



UEFA Champions League Final

Manchester United 1 Barcelona 0


View attachment 235604



Europa League Final

Athletico Madrid 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0


View attachment 235605



UEFA Super Cup

FC Porto 2 Barcelona 1
(AET)


View attachment 235606


FA Cup Final

Birmingham City 1 Cardiff City 2
(AET)


View attachment 235607



Carling Cup Final

Sunderland 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

View attachment 235608



FA Community Shield

Manchester City 2 Manchester United 1


View attachment 235609



Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final

Tranmere Rovers 0 MK Dons 3


View attachment 235610



FA Trophy

Hayes and Yeading 2 Gateshead 0


View attachment 235611





​
 
Big season next for you then? Good Luck, promotion please!!! lol.
 
View attachment 235635



Decisions, decisions, decisions.............


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The season was over, and I decided to have a well deserved break. For 3 days. I'd been so busy since taking over the club, with little time to pause for breath, I'd forgotten how to relax and have a time out. So I decided to indulge myself in previous scouting reports, lists of players that were available for loan, free transfers, new formation and tactical ideas.....every little thing I could think of to keep myself happy. Even though the Euro's would be starting up soon, I actually found myself wanting to stick to club duites. Something which I never thought I would ever happen in my lifetime when it came to England. But it was necessary.




I had been hearing through the grapevine, that even though we had made some profits in certain areas-we were still in the red. And would be unable, still, to bring in new faces for the new season. Which concerned me. Somehow, we were plunging further into the red. We were hemorrhaging financially, and it was giving me cause for concern. I'd been hearing that I may be getting offered a new contract soon-but what good is it, when I can't improve the team so we could make a proper push for a top 6 finish. But most alarming of all-we would be losing 12 players, from a squad of 27 first team players-6 of whom were loan players. So we'd have 15 players left-with no room to manoeuver in the transfer market. It was a proper doomsday scenario. We needed money-urgently.




And I couldn't count on the youngsters. No disrespect to them, but every coaching report stated they weren't good enough for the club. Not to mention the average age was around 16 years old-they wouldn't last the season. I leant back in my chair and stretched, then sipped at a mug of cold coffee. I was at a loss as to what to do. No other clubs were interested in buying our players-not one. So there was no chance of raising money from sales of players. The way I saw it-we needed a miracle for next season if we were to progress.

Later, I found out the rumours were true about being offered a new contract. It was a one-year extension on £1,100 per week. However, there was no indication of transfer funds available, or any details on the wage budget as the club targets for next season hadn't been decided on yet. When I got home, my mind was asking questions that no-one could answer. What if I accepted the offer, then find out I can't replace the players we're losing, and the board want a top 6 finish? What if during the season the financial situation worsens, then we have to let go of players? I had to ask the chairman for a bit of time to think things through. And I had to think very carefully.

Question after question raced through my mind. But then I thought of my beloved Everton Football Club. Manager David Moyes basically had to earn success with barely any financial backing whatsoever-god knows how he did it, but he proved it's the ability of a player that's much more significant than the value. His past signings backed up that claim. I then dismissed that thought. There was no way I could pull off what he had done so soon into my career. I'd only been in management for a full season after all, and I still had much more to prove-and it's much, much harder further down the football tiers. And if it was a very bad season, it could ruin the club. I didn't care about how it would affect my prospects further down the line-I was more concerned about the club. There were peoples livelihoods at stake.

At the same time though, David Keyte had taken a chance on me to take the club forward. He had taken a major gamble with the club by appointing someone with virtually no experience-and it had paid off. So did I owe him another season as a show of thanks for what he had done for me? I spent hours thinking about everything. Every single pro and con I could think of.

I picked up the phone, and taking a deep breath, I dialled the number for the chairman to inform him of my decision...................





 
Recharging the batteries


​
Next morning, as I cleared out my desk, I thought about what my first ever managerial job had been like. To say it was a rollercoaster ride, is very much an understatement. I had never come across such stress. One minute you'd be beating a team top of the division, then you'd suffer a shock defeat to a team at the bottom of the division which sends morale plummeting when just before it's sky high. Then you'd be scouring every inch of the transfer market as you have virtually no money to spend on bringing in players, so you have to rely on unattached players, or if you're lucky, some loan signings. Managing at lower league level, is an incredibly daunting task. You're pretty much working 24/7. And if things go really badly, you'll be lucky if you get any sleep at all as I found out.

It was one of the reasons why I decided to resign as manager of Hereford after rejecting the new contract offer. Although I had the full backing of the board, fans and players-I simply needed a break. Perhaps I had underestimated just how tough management was-especially managing a club with very tough financial constraints. I couldn't blame the chairman or board though. They had tried their best to get hold of some form of cash injection, but in these current economic conditions it had been impossible. Banks were taking a harder line, and the board members could only provide so much money to keep the club going. It was a no-win situation for all involved.

But as I headed home from the office for the last time, I hoped the work I had done, would set a platform for the future of the club, and hopefully they'd be able to work their way up. The players had shown what they are capable of, and with a new manager, new staff and (hopefully) new players, they'd be able to break into the playoffs. I felt we had all done a very good job that season. I wished the best for the future to everyone I had worked with, including the chairman......and that was that. I was now an out of work manager. But through choice.





As the months ticked by, the complete break from football had made me feel incredibly invigourated. Initially I was bored due to having nothing at all to do, but before long I was refreshed, felt healthy again. I felt I was maybe ready to get into management again. I had basically cut myself off from football totally. No Sky Sports, no Talksport, no form of football press......it was a football free environment and it was a godsend. I decided to go on my first holiday abroad for over two and a half decades. I needed a complete change of scenery for a while and it definately helped. I decided to have a few weeks in Italy.





It was a beautiful country and I took in what I could. Great views from hills, had a look at ancient parts of Rome, went along coastlines. It was a remarkable country, and wished I had visited it sooner when I had the chance. It was a bit harder to avoid footballing related areas, but it was more bearable this time. I actually managed to get myself a tan this time round. Normally when I try I tend to burn myself into the colour of a lobster. I was sad to return to England, but I was safe in the knowledge I'd be returning to visit some time soon. I couldn't wait to either, such was the beauty of the country.





I was greeted by typical British weather upon my return. Rain, rain and......more rain.



But when I got back home, after I unpacked everything, I sat down on the couch with a coffee, stretched and decided. I was ready to get back into football. But I would have to remain patient. There were no vacancies at the moment. I would only be concentrating on Npower Leauge 2, maybe League 1. The experience I had from managing Hereford was absolutely invaluable. I now knew what to expect, especially when there's lack of money. I knew how to deal with the pressure involved.

The months of September, October, November, December, January, February went past in a flash. People are right when they say time goes past quicker the older you get that's for sure. I had sent applications to Accrington, Northampton, Boston, and Gateshead but no joy. Which was fair enough. I had been in charge of a club only one season, and only had a 38% win percentage so I could see why they'd be erring on the side of caution. And not to mention, Gateshead had only just been promoted, and were four points off safety so they had to give their manager a chance to turn things around.





It was now March 2nd 2012, and I was starting to get a little bit impatient. Then there was news breaking on Sky Sports, that Southend United manager Andy Thorn had been sacked. However, I was amazed they had got rid of him. There were 11 matches left, only 8 points off an automatic promotion place and lying in 9th place. It was a decision that had me scratching my head. The fans were furious aswell. 8 points off automatic promotion, 3 points of the last playoff place........I shook my head. Saying that, why should I be surprised. There'd been strange happenings up and down the league before. I shrugged my shoulders, and fired off my application.

Again, nothing was heard after my application. I shrugged my shoulders. Back to square one then. More time to work on some new tactics for my Football Manager game. The new love of my life! I walked to the fridge and grabbed a cold beer, then my mobile rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hi there." said a woman. "Am I speaking to Andrew?"

"That's me, what can I do for you?"

"I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Ron Martin, regarding your application to become manager of Southend United. Mr. Martin would like to arrange a formal meeting with you. Would you be able to attend a meeting on March 7th at two o'clock?" I actually found myself doing a little victory dance. Though truth be told it was more like a hamster dance.

"I'd be delighted too. Not a problem at all."

"That's excellent. I'll e-mail you the full details regarding the meeting in the next half hour, and will confirm you'll be able to attend. If you have any questions just get back in touch with myself."

"Okay that's great. Thanks now."

I gave a mini-punch into the air. I was confident. I had already proved I could do a job at a football club, without money. A crucial trait to have in some clubs. I was feeling arrogant, but it was a confident arrogant. I knew I could do it now-I had already proved it to myself, and had proved many doubters wrong already. And I was in a way at an advantage. It was already approaching the end of the season. I didn't need to buy any players, the club was already on the verge of making the playoffs.......and if the club failed to make the playoffs, I wouldn't be the one copping the flack from devestated fans. Because in all honesty-to sack someone at this point of the season, this close to playoffs is mind-numbingly incomprehensible. But, that's football.

Now, I had an interview in Southend to prepare for..................................................
 
Great story so far, buddy. Can't wait for the next. I'm almost sorry I chose to go with N-League Korea, but y'all got the English Leagues covered and doing the home-country's MLS seemed just kinda uninspired. But I do love the depth of the Brit-Leagues and doubly enjoy you guys that take it from the the low leagues and play the game right.
 
shalabi said:
Great story so far, buddy. Can't wait for the next. I'm almost sorry I chose to go with N-League Korea, but y'all got the English Leagues covered and doing the home-country's MLS seemed just kinda uninspired. But I do love the depth of the Brit-Leagues and doubly enjoy you guys that take it from the the low leagues and play the game right.
Click to expand...

I was actually ready to start a save few weeks earlier that began in Hong Kong (soft spot for the place as I used to live there), then nearly switched to MLS, but decided to stick to the leagues I know best. It's also great starting at the bottom as you get to prove your mettle when there's no money or anything, stuck with a really small squad etc. Really challenging stuff and when you make it big time it's extremely satisying
 
brilliant as usual mate nothin half assed here lol great update looking forward to the next one
 
Great story mate, i'm currently looking at one to start as my second season in Bilbao isn't as expected :(
 
Totally agree, man. I know NOTHING about the Korean Leagues, but hey, I'm learning along with my Manager-Persona. Really diggin the story though. I went with more of a dear-diary-type on mine because I honestly didn't realize we could just do a news-cycle thing. Wouldn't made more sense for me given I was a sports writer :) Still, I've found writing out what I'm doing helps me better analyze my own steps... and definitely reading others helps me. Since I don't use pre-packaged strategy or wonderkids stuff, its pretty much the only help I get, lol. Anyway, I'll let ya get back to your thing. Lovin it. Following for sure.
 
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