Working My Way Up

So here it was my first true derby game as we host TNS. They lead the league by 14 points so it is unlikely we will every catch up to them but this is my chance to show how good we can be and prove myself as a manager. It's a huge game for the club, the fans and me but after a 4-1 battering last time round I am keen to ensure we remain competitive against a side who obviously own the division right now.

TNS have 6 division titles on the bounce since we last won one in 2010/11 and have 10 out of 14 titles since former Welsh giants Barry have gone out of existence. We will look to break that dominance next year but right now I am aiming to prove they aren't as good as they look.

View attachment 117555What a game...

Gray got his first for the club after we dominated the first 42 minutes but failed to make chances count, a story which has been everpresent in my managerial career. It was a good goal with right back Field whipping a free kick in from the half way line and Gray rising highest.

However with the boys too excited they lost focus and TNS came right back from the kick off. They passed the ball around quickly but patiently waiting for their opening before burying the ball in the bottom corner.

After the break TNS were on top but never created any real chances. We forced them to just long shots whilst continuing to create chances on the break. With the introduction of wingers came a massive chance as Menagh came down the left and drilled the ball across the box but Gray could only knock it against the post.

TNS continued to push for the winner but never really threatened as we held the 14 point leaders to a 1-1 draw and showed the quality we possess.

After a good point we have a tough fixture list to look ahead to as we continue the Championship conference; we host Bala and Llandudno before a QF cup tie against Airbus at home. We then face Connahs Quay before a final four games of TNS away, Airbus at home, Bala away and Llandudno away.​
 
So into game 4 we go on the back of 2 wins and a draw. I don't know why but there is something putting me off about this fixture as I just have a nervous feeling...

View attachment 117551I was right to be nervous as we were dreadful. The first half could have finished with us being 6 or 7 goals behind but Bala failed to take chances which we continuously gifted them. As we went into the break I was furious and made the switch to bring on wide men, it helped the performance but we were never going to claw back from the first half.

View attachment 117550The stats show how poor we were with Bala being gifted 4 clear cut chances and 6 half chances whilst we had 1 of each. If we had made the most of possession and had more than 25% of our shots on target we may have stood a chance but that was dreadful.

We remain in 2nd with 6 games to go and we are 6 points clear of Bala. We face them again in our last but one game in what could be a huge game if we don't bounce back. I want to finish 2nd comfortably and at least make the final of the Welsh Cup.​
 
Before I get the post underway I just want to say; thanks for the following so far but let me know if there is anything you'd like to see from the story whether it is posts about different things (tactics, players, other divisions or teams, etc.) or whether you think there is anything I should do. I see a lot of other stories on here and the amount of likes and replies they get and it makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong.

So on the back of my first loss in charge of Bangor there was only one thing I wanted; a win! We needed to bounce back quickly and especially going into the Welsh Cup Quarter Final.

View attachment 117443What a win. It's a very rare thing that I get to say this but we were clinical. We had 5 shots all game and all 5 were on target whilst the wasteful Llandudno hit 12 shots with just 3 on target. It was that clinical finishing which gave us the win as we took our chances.

But it wasn't as if we needed to be clinical as we had 55% possession and controlled the game. We were just the better team and patient in our build up. I dropped Gray into a shadow striker role to try create better link up play between the midfield 3 and front 3 and it worked superbly as we recycled dead moves a lot better.

I was impressed by the performance all round. Connor Roberts, who has forced me to let him leave in the next window, was superb early on making a couple of huge saves. Our back line pushed the Seasiders back at every chance forcing them to go for long shots but they never paid off.

Our midfield 3 just controlled the play. Moving the ball nicely and spreading it out wide to the overlapping full backs we brought Llandudno out a bit which gave the front 3 of Gray, Branco and Smith the room they needed to create and take chances.

We head into the quarter final against Airbus with a big win under our belts and I am hoping the confidence will carry over and take us a step closer to the final we're expected to reach.​
 
So we are here ahead of my only real meaningful game for the season unless we win and advance in the Welsh Cup. We are hurt by the players who are cup tied in Gray, Menagh and Broom as all 3 have played for other clubs in the competition.

View attachment 117213The only thing more disappointing than the defeat is the performance. We had a real chance to win this competition but Airbus had a plan and executed it. We definitely missed Gray and the options of wide players in Menagh and Broom and in the end it was a lack of options which hurt us.

We dominated play and the shot charts but failed to hit the target once. We missed the link up play of either Gray as a shadow striker or the wide play of Menagh and Broom but in the end that's just excuses.

There is one good thing though as the day before the game we get our youth intake and there are a few players with very good potential who could possibly make an impact now but this is the key man...

View attachment 117212In a batch of youngsters which included a potential future starting keeper and a couple of players with very high potential this man stands out. The 6 foot central defender will be used in the final games of the season as we look to develop him. He is good in the right areas (heading, marking, tackling, decisions, work rate) and will only improve in other areas. It's a player I am excited about and it partly makes up for a upsetting defeat to Airbus.​
 
After the disappointment of the cup exit I opted to focus on two things. Developing our wide play and bringing through the younger players. We have nothing to play for now other than the 2nd spot in the division and that should be safe so I saw no reason why not to.

View attachment 117210So this is the 18 that will see the season out. Shaheen Gibbs and Leon Owen are both youth intake players from this season and I'll look to prepare them for first team football as they may be needed next season. With Menayese's loan ending in the summer and Roberts forcing his way out they could be future starters.

We then have Redman, Graham and Jones on the bench who are all high potential kids who I will look to bring into action to give them some experience heading into next season. This screenshot was taken after the game I will talk about in a minute so Graham will likely come in for the injured Damien Allen.

Then up front with Rodrigo Branco's contract expiring and him having a work permit rejected upon request after offering him a contract I have opted to have him as a backup. He is a good player but we need to prepare for life without the man and that's why he is on the bench.

We also drop two strikers in favour of wingers. I feel Broom and Menagh are of a high quality and whilst playing 3 up top has been successful at times I feel like stretching the field out could be fantastic for us, especially with Gray up top who can be prolific when in form.

View attachment 117209The man who cannot stay proves his worth. Branco was the key man as he came off of the bench to score a 5 minutes brace to give us the win. We were a bit slow starting but around the hour mark we hit our stride and never looked back.

It also saw a first appearance for Roger Graham off of the bench. The youngster came on after we got our first and he helped to provide a strong back line against any counter attacks. He definitely looks like a player who could be key in the future if he meets his potential.

Unfortunately TNS's lead which was there from before my arrival was too much for us to chase and they win the league yet again. We will look to break their dominance of Welsh football next season.​
 
So with 4 tough games left to play it was now down to trying to consolidate that 2nd place in the league behind TNS. It was more or less safe baring a disastrous finish so I focused on bringing in the kids to give them some time and look ahead to next season...

View attachment 117153After they had claimed the title it was our job to try and ruin their celebration. Similar to the first time I faced them we dominated opening minutes but failed to take chances until an unlucky own goal went in for us. They came straight back though. We were superb and if it wasn't for a stupid sending off for Gosset the fitness would have been their to hold on to a point or even challenge for all 3.

View attachment 117152So in came Graham, the youngster was playing well but eventually got sent off for a just as stupid foul as Gosset in the previous game. We had control of the game but it once again came down to the fitness of our 10 men versus the fitness of their 11, and once again we lost that battle.

View attachment 117151The frustrations continue as we were the better side for the entire game but once again failed to be clinical in our finishing. Branco continues to show what we will be missing as he tries to showcase him for future employers but we are unlucky not to claim all 3 points.

View attachment 1171504 goals to end the season with 4 winless games. I opted to play a rotated side including the kids and pushing any players who are potentially leaving to the bench but it is still no excuse. We were dreadful; Owen who had been good for us when needed at CB was dire and the midfield just didn't seem interested. This game alone gives me a lot to think about heading into next season with the pressure quickly piling up after a terrible end to the season.

View attachment 117149So there it is, we finish 2nd. A massive 22 points separate us and title winners TNS but we at least finished 6 points ahead of the chasing pack. It wasn't until after the final game when the following table appeared that I realised the table was split into two "divisions" to end the season; very lucky for Connah's Quay who had the least points in the division, but finished 6th... This Welsh division seems a bit broken!

View attachment 117148When I saw this is made the end of the season less painful, especially the 4-0 loss to Llandudno who actually finished the season strongest finishing a top of the "Welsh Premier League Championship Conference". It would have been nice to have seen the above table before the end of the season as I headed into the final game thinking there was nothing to play for yet we could have at least won this.

We are going to take a lot of improving to challenge next season, especially with some of the losses in players. We expect to lose stand out keeper Connor Roberts and star left back Cai Owens who are both refusing contracts with the hope of moving to a bigger team. Rodrigo Branco is forced into leaving at his contracts end with his work permit rejected. We also lose Menayese who returns to Cardiff where his contract is expired, I have tried entering contract talks but he shows no interest. We will also be losing Damien Allen as he refuses to become just a coach whilst asking for £250 a week to be a Player Coach, a massive £165 more than what he is currently on.

All in all I have come up with the following list of what we need to sign:
Starting Goalkeeper
Right Back
Centre Back
Left Back
Central Midfielder
Left Winger
Right Winger
Central Attacking Midfielder
Striker

This won't be easy though as the board have already revealed their plans to lower the wage budget by about £800 a week meaning we will have to be very clever with our transfer business.​
 
View attachment 117143
So the board appear to have re-thought the situation with the budgets and have opted to keep it at a similar level to what it has been this season. It should give me enough room to improve the squad this summer especially with some of the outgoing transfers expected.
​
 
So with the 1st of June comes the first two arrivals to the club. With players yet to depart at the end of June there will be a lot more business coming up but these were two players I had to bring into the club and I took my chance to snap them up before anybody else did.

View attachment 117139Scott Quigley is the first and the striker has a ton of quality and still more potential. A decent finisher he adds a bit of physicality to our front line. Mentally he is good in the right areas and although my assistant manager suggests he is better suited to the Defensive Forward role I feel he is more suited to being a Poacher.

Quigley was previously with Aberystwyth and had a decent season getting 7 goals and 3 assists in just 12 games for them. I am hoping he can continue that sort of record for us.

View attachment 117138The second is of right back Callum Morris who comes in from Bala where he had an okay season. With Owens set to leave our only right back options was Field and although he was great with a league leading 13 assists I feel at 31 it was time for him to be used as a rotation player.

Morris will likely be used as a wing back as some of his attributes are lacking. I like his mentals and I hope they can be key to his game whilst he develops the rest of his game.

So with two signings out the way I have to look for the following players before we hit an important season for the club and my career:
Starting Goalkeeper
Centre Back
Left Back
Central Midfield
Left Winger
Right Winger
Central Attacking Midfielder

I feel the youth we have at the club are enough to cover for any injuries as back ups but we need to aim to have all areas covered with quality players to help us push for a title challenge.​
 
So with me thinking I only had to focus on transfers this popped up...

View attachment 117137
I have no idea how but we have qualified for the qualifying rounds of the Europa League. It is a tough draw compared to what we could have had but I look forward to the challenge and hopefully a bit of extra money for the club.​
 
Not bad going lad, good luck with Bangor, Ryan Broom could be a decent player for you.
 
gthame1992 said:
Not bad going lad, good luck with Bangor, Ryan Broom could be a decent player for you.
Click to expand...

I'm hoping I can improve on that season, especially the end of the season cause we were poor to end. We do have quality and I am hoping I can add more but issues are popping up all over, I will be covering them in updates.
 
So we are in the Euro Cup and it isn't an easy draw but it's not been made easier. For one half of our squad will be leaving at the end of their contract which will happen in between the games leaving us with a very weak squad in the second leg.

This isn't helped by the fact that most of our new signings (who I will go over at a later point) won't be registered and aren't allowed to be unless we qualified. So let's take a look at how we did...

View attachment 117131We actually played really well in this game as I expected us to get battered by a much better side. We defender very well and it was only a corner which allowed HJK to take a 1 goal lead to the second leg.

View attachment 117130Once again we weren't bad. Without most of our key players from last season we held our own. Clowes was forced to start at left back with no available option to play there and he actually did well. We pushed for some consolation after going 3 down and got it through the make shift left back. Their late goal makes the result look worse but I am happy.

View attachment 117129It also MASSIVELY helped our finances as we received £71.42k for playing in each leg and then £142k for making this stage.

View attachment 117128However despite our massively improved financial position the board are reluctant to give me any more funds or support to push forward this season. Going off of last seasons finances it would take 5 seasons for us to go back into negatives.​
 
So as I said I have made some more signings before we get underway with pre-season and they haven't necessarily filled the gaps I would've liked to have but they will be a big help.

View attachment 117127Left back James Joyce becomes our 3rd new signing and will definitely be a help at left back as we were left without one after Cai Owens departure. He does need a lot of technical improvement but he can hopefully give us something going forward and he isn't bad physically.

View attachment 117126Then came another left back in Luke Llewellyn. He is a lot better defensively than Joyce and just as good mentally and physically. These two are going to be in a constant battle for the starting left back spot all season and I hope it provides some improved showings at the back.

View attachment 117125Another striker, this time from Aberystwyth as we bring in a strong presence up front. He is decent all round but his only real special attributes are jumping reach and strength. He could really add a different aspect to our game and gives us a good rotational option.

View attachment 117124Luke Chambers then comes in to fill our issues at keeper I hope. He isn't great but we needed someone in and I am not going to lie this was somewhat of a desperation signing with no other keepers out there.

These players should go some way to assisting in replacing what we have lost but we are still short in some areas. We still lack wingers, we need another centre back and I would like to bring in a central attacking midfielder.​
 
I think I have now completed my transfer business. We have a lot of potential in our squad and I think we need to use that so I aimed to replace what we have lost and didn't have and these are the final 4 signings for doing that.

View attachment 117122The first of the signings, well 7th, is Phil Jones. The left winger comes in as backup and he has decent attributes and could be a threat off the bench with his pace and acceleration down the left hand side. There is very little risk in the transfer so I am happy with it.

View attachment 117121Then came youngster Dean Miller. He can play anywhere in the central midfield roles and has a ton of potential. To get him on a free transfer is massive and his physicals and mentals are superb for his age. I am hoping he can develop technically though as he isn't great in those areas.

View attachment 117120Then came a needed signing at CB. With Rollins gone and no viable options out there I took a punt on Jordan Sherman. The centre back didn't look great according to reports but I went off of his attributes which are actually very good for a centre back. He does need to improve his tackling but he has a lot of potential and enough quality to come in when needed.

View attachment 117116Then finally came Liam Blake. He was brought in to be that attacking midfielder as it was a position we didn't really have covered. He is a decent player with a bit of potential but I had been chasing his signature for a while. It took four contract offers for him to finally accept and I think he could be a key player for us if he can work on some areas of his game.

View attachment 117113So there is our squad depth. I know some areas look a bit weak, such as goalkeeper, but players have been performing and I am confident we have the quality to do well this season. My biggest worry is the right wing. If Broom get's injured we will be limited to just Cai Holdsworth who is not ready to be in the first team. We have the depth everywhere else and I am especially happy with our spine with quality at CB, CM and ST.

There will be one last chance to find potential signings with the Welsh trial games where I hope we can find a hidden gem which our scouts haven't. If nobody else comes up I am confident with what we have in front of us but I feel we are one or two players short of being set for a perfect squad.​
 
So pre-season is done and it has been mixed...

View attachment 117101The losses in the Euro Cup were followed by uninspiring 0-0 draws where defensively we were strong but we were weak going forward. We then had 2 "easy" games where we had to be saved by 2 Phil Jones late goals from more poor draws. We are struggling going forward and I am struggling to sort this but defensively we have been strong, especially in the 4 actual friendlies where we conceded just once.

View attachment 117100
Four big injuries are existent heading into the season. Clowes got injured early on in pre-season and will miss up to the first month of the season, a big loss as he is our best defender by far. Tony Gray will be missed as the 3rd choice for a couple of weeks with a calf strain.

Joyce and Vieira are both out for up to a month. Joyce is likely to be 2nd choice left back so it isn't too bad but Vieira is key to our midfield and could be a huge loss.

View attachment 117099And here is the first two months. I expect to be unbeaten until the TNS game which should provide our first real test. We have quality, we have potential but it doesn't seem to be coming together just yet so I am hoping we can hit the ground running after a dull pre-season...​
 
View attachment 117098
So odds have us down to be closest challengers to TNS but it does look tighter than I expected with the top 6 all having decent odds. This could be a tough season.
​
 
So the new league campaign had arrived and with high expectations we needed a good start.

View attachment 116942Now I know the result doesn't look great but it is a result I am happy with for a few reasons. Firstly is that fitness was still mixed, a lot of key players weren't 100% ready after pre-season injuries but needed to be started.

Secondly is that two key players were still out injured. Clowes was missing from the back four and he is our best defender so to keep an away clean sheet without him is big. The second missing player was Menagh on the left hand side and whilst Phil Jones is good Menagh is a lot better.

We were stubborn defensively and created chances well on the counter. We had to bring on the likes of Graham and Blake who in normal circumstances may not have been introduced and they played well to see the game out.
​
 
After a tough opening day draw we headed into a 2 game run of our first home game and the Word Cup 2nd round. I expected wins from both but with injuries everpresent and piling up I would deal with a league draw.

View attachment 116902I was absolutely fuming. There is no way to say it other than- we were *****! Newtown came with the plan of isolating our lone striker and pushing our midfield deep and it worked as we failed to break away and create any chances. I hoped for a much better performance in our next game...

View attachment 116901But instead I got this! We dominated the first half and should've been 3 or 4 goals up so I expected is to cruise in the 2nd half on our way to the 3rd round draw. However the players showed no care in the second half and somehow lost a two goal lead before taking it to penalties. We eventually lost 16-15 on penalties but we should never have got that far and I am absolutely fuming.

The bottom line is we haven't been good enough. This is my 3rd full season in management after Cabinteely and Margate and I have started poorly with both. I left Cabinteely before being sacked but at Margate I still feel the sacking was unfair. The issue here is we are expected to be one of the big hitters in the division.

We have the quality. We have 2 or 3 top strikers, a whole wealth of midfield talent and enough defensively to be winning games but the players are showing no sign of giving a **** and it's showing in our results. I don't know how long I can last if we keep performing like this but I am not confident of holding onto the Bangor job if we can't turn it around soon.​
 
So with pressure building we needed to show some sign of fight in the next few games. Fans wouldn't be happy with the poor start so it is key to pick it up soon.

​
View attachment 116684
In all honesty we deserved all 3 points here but Connah's keeper just kept us out superbly. With just 30 seconds left we managed to get the equaliser after conceding a disappointing goal.

View attachment 116683Dreadful. We failed to create anything as table toppers Prestatyn gave us a lesson in how to create chances. We continue to struggle to find our strikers, despite playing 3 of them in this game and it is really beginning to frustrate me.

View attachment 11668265% possession. 89% pass completion. Just 4 shots...

We cannot control a game like that yet come out of it with a loss. Our midfield was superb, our strikers hit the target with all 4 shots and our defence didn't put a foot wrong but the clinical finishing of the hosts leaves us with just 2 points in 5 games and bottom of the league.

Here is where it get's interesting, sort of. I asked the board if I could study for my next qualification and they said no, it was a long shot, but it's their reasoning which frustrated me. They said they didn't want to fund the course as it would make me a better manager and add something to my CV for other teams to look at. They also said if I signed a new contract they would do it, so I asked for a new contract...

THEY SAID NO!

This has basically shown me the board have no care in the world other than retaining their top flight status. Now I am fine with this but what I am not fine with is being stuck at an unambitious club where expectations are high, pressure is high, but the board don't care as long as profits are made and I finish in the top 10 (out of 12).

So I have begun to look for a new role. I am still at Bangor but I refuse to stay at a club where they don't want to help me and the club improve. The refuse my request of a qualification, lowered the wage budget and decreased facilities. I want to be moving up, here I feel like I am stuck in a rut with nowhere to go but down.
​
 
After more disappointing results and a fall out with the board my time at Bangor was under serious question. That question is whether I get sacked or leave basically. But I was continuing on because I feel like there can still be success here when things come together.

View attachment 116681And this proves it. We were the better team and deserved all 3 points and were it not for a brief lapse in concentration after a minor injury forced Viera of we probably would have got all 3 points. It was by far our best performance yet and to get a point against a team who clearly dominate this league is massive.

View attachment 116680And if the last game was big this was even bigger. Menagh returned to full match fitness after a few sub appearances and him and Broom won the game from the wide areas. Broom first played a wonderful low cross into Menagh to tap home before Menagh and substitute Hill linked up before rolling the ball to Broom to drill home.

We get our first win of the season and with confidence up I see no reason we can't go on a run of form. The quality is there, injuries have cleared up and I've found a tactic that works (well the 2 games evidence suggests it works). We got more points in these two games than the previous 5 and it lifts us out the relegation zone, even if it is on goal difference.​
 
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