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retired_w0lfpack1

Wednesday, 28th July, 2004.

I signed the lease on a house today! Comparing rents in Lancaster with the rents in California is incredible - in California, we could barely afford a two-bedroom apartment on landfill in San Francisco Bay. Here in Lancaster, the prices were much more reasonable, and a cute three-bedroom cottage was easily affordable even on my reduced wage as manager of a semi-pro football club. My fiancee Stacy had liked my favorite house, judging from the virtual tour, and she said she'd be joining me next week - I can't wait! I've been missing her.

I was thinking about the club's financial state again, and watching the faxes from the FA, which announced any transactions registered by other teams in the Conference North, and it occurred to me that a lot of those teams were loaning in players. I thought I should see what that was about, so I called Barrie Stimpson into my office and asked him to explain the loan rules.

He told me the club can borrow up to 12 players per season from other clubs - and often can get off without paying the players' wages, which could be a real boon. It works like this: the team can have up to 4 'long-term' loans, e.g., loans which last until the end of the season, at any one time. The team can also have 8 'short-term' loans, loans which last a maximum of three months, so long as they have no more than 4 concurrently. Mostly, you loan in fringe players from a higher-quality team, on the theory that getting playing time in a lower division is better than rotting on the bench in a higher division.

That winger I'd wanted had just signed with Sevilla. I faxed them an offer to take him on loan for the season, though somehow I doubt they'll accept.

I also interviewed two new scouting candidates today - Simon Clifford and Spencer Field. Clifford is a 25-year-old, and has some experience as a youth coach; in fact, if he develops as I think he might, he may be more useful as a coach for us than a scout, long term. Field is 32, with no prior experience as scout for a football team, but he says he used to work as a volunteer researcher for a computer game company which makes a footie management sim. Being a former game programmer, myself, he and I had a great conversation!

I brought both in to observe Lancaster training sessions, and then asked for their opinions of the players. They each gave me overviews that were very similar to my own, and I offered them each a position. They're both much stronger than our current scout, Carl Richardson, and if either or both accept, I'm going to give Carl his marching orders.

retired_w0lfpack1

Saturday, 31st July, 2004.

We have two new scouts! Clifford and Field both accepted multi-year part-time offers. They're both incredibly talented, so I'm quite looking forward to working with them, although I'm sure both view Lancaster as a stepping-stone towards a position for a more prestigous club. That's okay - I want to turn Lancaster into a more prestigous club, so we're on the same page at least for now.

Sevilla has rejected my offer for that winger - I'm going to make one more offer, but I think they'd rather have him in Spain getting acclimated to the Spanish style rather than loan him back to mother England.

Tomorrow will be our last preseason match, only our second at home, against Slough. Then its a two-week layoff before the first match of the Conference North season on August 14th. I've decided to field my strongest XI and treat this like a competitive match: limiting myself to three substitutions, and going all-out to win it. I'd like to end the preseason with a winning record, and two straight wins would be something to build on going into the regular season.

A bit of bad news - young defenseman Joe McMahon suffered a twisted knee in a training pitch accident yesterday. He'll miss our last friendly, but the physio assures me he should be back by the first competitive match of the season, and might even be in shape to play.

retired_w0lfpack1

Sunday, 1st August, 2004. Friendly, vs Slough.

My two new scouts reported for duty this morning, and I told them both to watch today's match, then to both head out scouting. Field was instructed to scout the Championship for loan targets, with Clifford to scout anybody in England he saw fit.

For the match, I went with Speare in goal, Scott, Sparrow, Clark, and Uberschar across the back four, and Bauress and Birks at defensive mid. Stewart Clitheroe had recovered enough to play central mid, with Clarkson ahead of him. Yates and Black, my most successful pairing, were up front.

Before 101 fans, our final preseason matchup kicked off. The sides traded corner kicks in the early minutes, both seeming to threaten through the first fifteen minutes. Then it settled down to a defensive struggle until the 38th minute, when Clitheroe found Yates with a long ball. The striker seemed poised to score, but hesitated at the last and was caught from behind. Ryan-Zico Black did not make the same mistake on the 45th minute, when Clarkson fed him a ball just outside of the box. He took one touch to set himself up, and then blasted a curling 20-yarder which carombed in off the near post! We went into the half with a 1-0 lead.

I told the lads to settle down, and reminded them of my 'competition rules' plan: I would make three substitutions, but all sometime in the second half, and was playing this one all out to win. The Slough manager was obviously not playing that way, and by the 61st minute, he had made nine substitutions - providing an interesting test of fresh legs versus my starting lineup. Fresh legs provided Slough with one chance, a breakway by their speedy reserve striker, but Speare was up to the task with a beautiful save.

Our front foursome were getting tired - I'd noticed that they were bunching up a bit, and at the 72nd minute, I made my three changes, bringing out Clitheroe, Clarkson, and Black and replacing them with Beech, Jones, and Thomson respectively. The new front arrangement created great amounts of space in the Slough defense, and Beech and Thomson both had excellent chances; the former saw his effort saved, while the later grazed the crossbar. We weathered an injury-time counterattack, and then the ref blew the whistle on another 1-0 Lancaster victory.

Lancaster 1, Slough 0
Black 45; ---
MoM: Singh (Slough DL)

With two straight victories, I was upbeat. I figured we were ready for the start of the season, and 1-0 victories were exactly what we'd be playing for. I told the lads to drink heartily tonight, and take tomorrow off - I'd see them Tuesday, when I'd introduce them to our late pre-season training schedule.

retired_jimmy1943

:thup: Great read.
KUTGW.

retired_w0lfpack1

Thanks! Its nice to know there's somebody reading, and enjoying!

Apologies for the lengthy delay - I spent a few months without internet connectivity from home during a move.

retired_w0lfpack1

Tuesday, August 3rd.

Good news on the home front: my fiancee arrived from the states Sunday. When we'd first discussed moving to England, Stacy had expressed serious misgivings about British weather. She grew up in the deserts of Southern California, but went to school at Oxford, and is all too familiar with the chill and dreary grey of a British winter. However, she arrived in a very good mood, and we went for a pleasant bicycle ride along the coast yesterday, both quite enjoying the warm summer weather.

Unfortunately, that also means that our four cats have gone into quarantine - something about having utterly eradicated rabies on the islands, and not wanting to take a chance on bringing it back in. Never mind that all four have had rabies shots all their lives, and I've the papers to prove it. That's not good enough! It'll be six months in quarantine hell for the little fellows.

When I got back to the office today, I started the lads on some more technique-oriented late pre-season training schedules: still quite physically demanding as we work the last of the offseason fat away, but beginning to focus on the technical and mental aspects which I believe will be really telling over the course of a season.

Negotiations with a brilliant young attacking midfielder, Shane Tolley, were going very well - he agreed to join the club, and I happily countersigned his contract. We also have three trialists in this week.

I brought scout Carl Richardson into the office for a bit of a talk. After learning from my conversation with Barrie Stimpson, I broke it to Carl quite gently. I told him that we'd hired two new scouts, and that he no longer featured in our long-term plans. I explained that I didn't want to fire him per se, but that the five-year contract he currently has was not going to stand. I offered him a bit of an extra bonus if he'd drop it down to one year, again highlighting the benefits of being able to find similar work somewhere more appealing.

I think he bought it - but he didn't seem to like me much from the get-go, so perhaps he thinks leaving the club will be a step up as well.

retired_w0lfpack1

Friday, 6th August, 2004.

Its been a good week so far - the lads have been doing well in training, no injuries, and Joe McMahon still seems on track to recover in time for the season opener. Richardson did accept the reduced contract offer, so he'll be off the books at the end of the year - I'll make do with the slightly bloated staff this season, and be rid of the deadweight next year. We've also added two more trialists.

Meanwhile, I've been taking the time to get to know some of the stories of the players - we go out for a pint after training, believe it or not!

Neil Prince used to train with Liverpool from the age of 9 - in the States, that sort of talent-training doesn't exist in any sport, really. Ryan Elderton's claim to fame is the one year he spent as a full-time professional. Player/coach Gary Bauress won the Unibond Premier League with Stalybridge Celtic a few years ago.

But the biggest story is Peter Thomson, who became a club legend after his record transfer to Dutch side NAC Breda in 1998. The Dutch club clearly bought into the tale of his potential, but it didn't work out, and after a circuitous route with numerous stops, he's found himself back where it had all started, at The Giant Axe.

At home, its been all about unpacking and getting settled into our new place. Boxes, boxes, everywhere! I didn't realize we had so much stuff - and Stacy says she left lots of it behind, in storage.

We're such pack-rats!

retired_w0lfpack1

Wednesday, 11th August, 2004.

It's hard to believe I've been with the club a month now! The pre-season's over, and the tension is ratcheting up as the two weeks until the season opener pass.

I'm getting quite nervous about the season, to be honest. We haven't really identified any good loan targets, and I was very much hoping that we'd have several offers out by this point. Watching what the other clubs are doing, I think we'll need several loans to stay competitive.

I have Assistant Manager Kevin Hull's reports on our five trialists today. He didn't help me much, basically stating that he feels they are all talented youngsters with a great future. I can't afford to hire purely on potential; I need players who can help out this season.

Iain Ward is a DC/DMC who looks about equal to Joe McMahon or Ricky Mercer, a little slower than I would like but with better technical skills than McMahon.

Scott Black really can't hold a candle to Andy Scott, the incumbent left back.

Right wing Owen Story is about even with Lee Clitheroe, which would be a good fit with my preferred tactical style - I expect to need two wingers who can alternate starts.

Jason Lay is perhaps the most interesting find, as at 22 years old he is nearly even with Phil Clarkson at the AMC position - better phyiscally and technically, just not as much of a leadership presence on the field.

Andrew Oakes up front is a better aerial target than any of my current options, and so I think he'd be a good signing as well - he's also 22, and he's better than Peter Thomson in almost every phase of the game.

So, I found myself extending offers to Lay and Oakes, worrying a bit about further bloating of our wage bill but needing to upgrade wherever possible. Story demanded way more than we can afford, which is disappointing.

To compensate, I offered mutual termination to some of my players: Goalkeeper Mark Thornley, right back Andy Fensome, and left back Jimmy Graham. All three refused, despite the clear indication that they are not at all a part of my plans. I offered them out for transfer or loan again, along with my other fringe players, but I don't expect any more interest this time than last.

Scout Carl Richardson had finished his one-month search for new players, so I asked him to go scout our upcoming opposition; its a job that needs to be done, and he'll do less harm there than recommending players, I think.

Oh, entertaining news from the television - Manchester United lost to FC Kobenhavn 3-1 in the first leg of a Champions League qualifier, leaving them a fair bit of work to do in the home leg just to advance to the group stages!

retired_w0lfpack1

Friday, 13th August, 2004.

I arrived at the club this evening in a great mood, but Friday the 13th struck before practice even got fully underway. Ryan-Zico Black, my number two striker, twisted his knee playing Pig in the Middle to warm up this evening. He had to go to hospital, and it wasn't until near midnight that we got the initial word: out at least three weeks, and definitely missing the first four matches of the season. The club's message boards have been flooded with messages from fans worried this is crippling the team.

Can you believe a club this small has a website and a fan forum? It's true.

In other news, attacking midfielder Jason Lay accepted our contract offer. He'll be joining the team in time for the opening match, but I was not sure I'd play him on such short notice. I did hope his presence gives our starters some extra motivation, though!

Dunbar United made a loan offer for aging Scottish left back Jimmy Graham, and are willing to pay his wages for three months. That worked for me, but they have competition in the form of a club called 'Saint Cuthbert's Wands'. The name made me laugh - I've played Dungeons and Dragons since I was a lad, and of course 'Saint Cuthbert' is a diety in the Gary Gygax mythology. I'd had no idea the source of inspiration for the name, at least, was a real person!

Even better, a lower-division club, Marine, made an offer of £6,000 for fringe striker Tony Sullivan. The 29-year-old did have some talent, but his lack of composure, concentration, and an abysmal first touch sabotaged his efforts. Though he shot well in training, his ability to finish chances in a real match left a lot to be desired in our preseason run, so I was willing to part with him, and glad they were offering so much.

Also on my desk I found the scouting report for Hinckley. Ah, good old Carl Richardson. "I've had a look at Hinckley and I believe their team is competent." No indication of preferred style, no players to watch out for or weaknesses to exploit - heck, I was getting more information from the media in the run-up to this match than from him.

I wondered if he had even found Hinckley, or if he just wrote something non-committal whilst spending our money touring the pubs of England.