retired_teachems4

Promotion for Morton?

After a 2-0 defeat away at Abroath and a 2-0 victory at home to Dumbarton, combined with Stirling's lack of form, defeat to Ayr and draw with Alloa, we can secure our place in the first division next season with a victory at home to bottom of the league Ayr. With still three games to go, a win in any being enough for promotion, promotion looks inevitable and it has become a matter of when and not if. However, we cannot afford to be complacent and we face a side already relegated so who will have nothing to lose and will probably play with a lot of freedom. Fingers crossed.

Morton 4-0 Ayr United

Promotion was secured in style with this emphatic win over Ayr United. A breathtaking start by us saw to goals in the first 5 minutes through captain Stuart McCluskey and Jay Stein. After this the game slowed down a lot although Morton were in complete control. On the stroke of half time, Alex Williams coolly beat Ayr keeper Darren Johnson at his near post to put Morton 3-0 up at the break. After 70 minutes, John Maisano hit a great volley into the net to make it 4-0. During the game, we manager 24 shots on goal, 13 on target, whereas Ayr had one shot and zero on target. If you ask me, they deserve to go down. The only down side to the game was that Jay Stein suffered shin splits and will be out for at least 2 months. However, there was some good news as centre-back Derek Collins (aged 36) agreed to stay at the club for another year on a radically reduced wage. Collins is the clubs longest serving player (15 years) and has played more league games than anyone else who has ever been at the club (527).

Now, for our next game (away at Stirling). We have a chance to rub salt into their wounds by beating them on their own turf just a week after they missed out on promotion.

Stirling Albion 1-2 Morton
Morton 8-2 Alloa

Talk about ending the season in style! An away victory against our promotion rivals followed by an abo****ely magnificent display at home to Alloa on the final day of the season despite going 1-0 down early on. The score was 2-1 to us at half time and we scored 6 in the second half to take our league goals this season to an incredible 91. An Alex Williams hat-trick within the space of 9 minutes, 2 goals from Australian midfielder John Maisano, and goals from Peter Weatherson, Scott Bannerman and Jason Walker secured the victory for us and to be honest, I can't think of a more fitting way to end the season as that is what we have been all about, scoring lots of goals and conceding a few as well!!

Coming up next : Season Review

retired_teachems4

Final League Standings

1st Brechin City Pld36 W26 D5 L5 GF87 GA29 GD+58 Pts83
2nd Morton Pld36 W25 D2 L9 GF91 GA37 GD+54 Pts77
3rd Stirling Pld36 W18 D10 L8 GF63 GA38 GD+25 Pts64
4th Forfar Pld36 W18 D10 L8 GF61 GA42 GD+19 Pts64
5th Abroath Pld36 W11 D13 L12 GF48 GA57 GD-9 Pts46
6th Berwick Pld36 W11 D11 L14 GF60 GA62 GD-2 Pts44
7th Alloa Pld36 W11 D8 L17 GF48 GA74 GD-26 Pts41
8th Dumbarton Pld36 W10 D9 L17 GF53 GA73 GD-20 Pts39
9th Ayr United Pld36 W6 D5 L25 GF33 GA87 GD-54 Pts23
10th Stranraer Pld36 W5 D5 L26 GF36 GA81 GD-45 Pts20

I am very happy that we managed to do what the manager asked of us and win promotion to the first division. We've had a great year and I have confidence in the players, plus a couple of new signings, that we will do well next year in the first division. I am pleased with our cup performances and the 3 teams that beat us are all in higher leagues so I can have no complaints there. I will now assess the performances of each individual player:

Squad Assessment

Goalkeepers

Craig Coyle (Age-24) GK
Apps-42 Conceded-48 Cln Sheets-12 Avg Rating-7.00
Great keeper, very reliable and performed well throughout the year. Should have a good future in the game.

John Stark (Age-18) GK
Apps-3 Conceded-3 Cln Sheets-1 Avg Rating-6.67
Decent prospect. Filled in for a couple of games in Coyle's absence and performed reasonably well. Hopefully, he can improve to become a good goalie.

Defenders

Derek Collins (Age-36) SW/DRC
Apps-43 Goals-1 Assists-5 Avg Rating-7.28
Good solid defender, his partnership with Stuart McCluskey was one of the main reasons behind our success. Getting on a bit now but has just signed a new 1 year contract. His 1 and only goal proved crucial in the win over Berwick.

Dean Keenan (Age-19) SW/DRC
Apps-8(7) Goals-0 Assists-0 Avg Rating-6.93
Another decent prospect. His role was mainly coming on as a substitute for the tired Derek Collins but he also played some games while Stuart McCluskey was injured.

Stewart Greacen (Age-23) DRC
Apps-38 Goals-0 Assists-0 Avg Rating-7.34
One of my best players throughout the season. Played at right back and performed admirably. Pity he couldn't chip in with a few goals though. Sadly, he requested a transfer to a bigger club and probably won't be here next season as Dunfermline are interested.

Sean Callaghan (Loan) (Age-21) DL
Apps-6(3) Goals-0 Assists-1 Avg Rating-7.11
Loaned from Stranraer at the beginning of the season to provide cover for Marc McCulloch. Will not be signed permanently as we hope to sign another left back.

Stuart McCluskey (Captain) (Age-27) DC
Apps-38 Goals-3 Assists-2 Avg Rating-7.37
One of my best players. Consistently good performer, a rock at the back and excellent leader. I hope he'll remain here for many years to come.

Marc McCulloch (Age-25) DL/DML
Apps-39 Goals-0 Assists-3 Avg Rating-6.85
Decent defender, very consistent and an average part of the squad. Has done a decent job at left back though.

Jim McAllister (Age-19) D/AMR
Apps-7(2) Goals-1 Assists-0 Avg Rating-7.11
Didn't play a big part but did a job when called upon. Not sure about his future at the club. His only goal was a cracker against Dumbarton.

Midfielders

Scott Bannerman (Age-26) DMRC
Apps-39 Goals-3 Assists-8 Avg Rating-7.44
Great midfielder. Played in the centre and dominated the middle of the park. One of the best players but could have scored a few more goals.

Chris Millar (Age-22) DMRC
Apps-8(5) Goals-3 Assists-1 Avg Rating-7.38
Good central midfielder, performed well when he played. Unfortunately for him, he was competing with a Scott Bannerman for a place in the team so he never really stood a chance.

John Adam (Age-20) DMC
Apps-1 Goals-1 Assists-0 Avg Rating-9.00
Only played one game which was a cup tie but scored a goal and recieved the man of the match award. Probably deserved more of a chance. Next season, I will try and send him out on loan.

Marco Maisano (Age-24) DMC
Apps-17(8) Goals-2 Assists-8 Avg Rating-7.32
Did well in the early part of the season but he wasn't as good as brother John so had to settle for a place on the bench most of the time.

Darren Cross (Loan) (Age-19) AMR
Apps-3(1) Goals-0 Assists-1 Avg Rating-7.25
Loaned from Albion Rovers to provide cover for Paul Walker in January. Not really a very good player but we were just desperate for some back-up.

Willie Gibson (Loan) (Age-20) AML
Apps-9(15) Goals-0 Assists-8 Avg Rating-7.42
Loaned from Queen of the South to provide cover for Jay Stein. Performed extremely well when needed even though it was mostly off the bench. I might try and sign him permanently in the summer.

Jay Stein (Age-26) AML
Apps-35 Goals-6 Assists-20 Avg Rating-8.26
What can I say? What a superb signing! For only £8,000! Probably the best player this season, he got 9 man of the match awards and was Scottish Second Division player of the month for August, September and February. Also, won 2005 Scottish Second Division Player of the year. Fantastic player and his value has risen to £26,000.

John Maisano (Age-26) AMC
Apps-26(6) Goals-11 Assists-1 Avg Rating-7.47
Had a superb season and scored a lot of goals. However, I am disappointed in the number of assists he got. Also, a great character to have in the dressing room.

Paul Walker (Age-27) AM/FRC
Apps-40 Goals-11 Assists-14 Avg Rating-7.85
Another fantastic player who performed brilliantly throughout the season. Played on the right of midfield and to score that amount of goals from that position is incredible. Came runner-up to Jay Stein in Scottish Second Division Player of the year.

Forwards

Iain Diack (Age-24) FRC
Apps-1(1) Goals-1 Assists-1 Avg Rating-7.00
Disappointing season for him in the number of games that he played. He simply isn't good enough for this level and will be released at the end of the season as his contract expires.

Warren Hawke (Age-34) FC
Apps-9(14) Goals-6 Assists-2 Avg Rating-7.17
His experience has been very beneficial to the younger players of the squad and he has been a good player of the bench and has scored some crucial goals. I haven't decided whether or not to renew his contract yet.

Jason Walker (Age-21) SC
Apps-12(9) Goals-11 Assists-4 Avg Rating-7.19
Good prospect for the future and did ok this season, scoring 11 goals. His highlight of the season was scoring all the goals in a 4-2 win over Dumbarton.

Peter Weatherson (Age-24) SC
Apps-38(2) Goals-21 Assists-13 Avg Rating-7.32
A fantastic striker who has scored many crucial goals this campaign. However, I doubt we'll be able to hold onto him as Hibs and Dunfermline are interested in him but his value has rose to £150,000 (more than double anyone else in the squad) so we should get good money from him as we try to keep the club above the red.

Alex Williams (Age-22) SC
Apps-31 Goals-30 Assists-9 Avg Rating-7.58
An extraordinary striking ratio with almost a goal every game. His highlight of the season would have to be his four goals away to Dumbarton in a 4-1 win (everybody seems to have scored goals against Dumbarton!). We will probably struggle to keep hold of him as well.

Top Goalscorer - Alex Williams (30)
Top Assister - Jay Stein (20)
Top Avg Rating - Jay Stein (8.26)
Most Improved Plauyer - John Maisano

Well, now i have completed my assessment of the squad for this season. Hope you enjoyed reading about our campaign as it has taken a long time to write. Hope that you buy some of these players who have done well for me and if you do, post and tell me. In fact, just post if you've read any of the story.

However, the story doesn't end here and I will be back to tell you about how pre-season went and any new signings!

retired_puly1364

I read the thread through. Enjoy your time here! You did a fine job with the promotion!

retired_teachems4

thanks

retired_diane5

Great Story. Only thing bad about it is thelack of detail in matches. Otherwise it's good. About the pictures tryusing imageshack. U can use full screen mode.

retired_teachems4

See if this is better:

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/albu...photo=55073347

retired_smelesko

Says I'm not logged in

retired_teachems4

It should work now

retired_smelesko

Nope...

retired_teachems4

End of Season meeting with the chairman

On the 25th June, Morton Chairman Douglas Rae requested an end of season meeting with me to discuss how the season had gone and our aims for the next campaign.

I knocked on the chairman's door and he let me in and i sat down in a very comfortable chair in his office. He informed me that he was very pleased with my first season in charge and that I had repaid the faith that he had shown in me. He also said that if we are going to be successful in the first division then we need to tighten up our defence. However, he said my expectations were to avoid relegation and to help me to achieve this he had given me a tranfer budget of £35,000. At first I wasn't particularly pleased with this but when I sat down and thought about it, it seemed reasonable due to the current financial situation of the club. Finally, Douglas Rae said he hopes we can do well this year and will be supporting me all the way.

Transfer Targets

Seen as though there was not a lot of money around the club at the moment, I decided that it would be best if I looked towards young players who had not been offered new contracts at their clubs and therefore been released. One such target was Peter Newby, (19 year old midfielder) who had not agreed a new contract with Berwick and was looking for a new club. My scouts informed me during the course of last season that Newby was a good player with a lot of potential. I spoke to his agent over the phone and he agreed that Newby would have lunch with me to discuss a possible move. I arrived at a lovely little restaurant just north of Morton and found that Newby was already waiting for me and to my displeasure, his agent was as well. His agent informed me that Newby would require at least £1,100 per week but I told him that Morton could not afford to offer that kind of money, especially to a teenager. We had further talks and eventually I offered him a contract of £625 per week and they told me that they would get back to me. However, I am not in much hope as Airdrie Utd and St.Johnstone have made offers as well.

Other potential transfers are Kevin McKinley, Steve McGlinchie, Stephen O'Donnell, Scott Robertson, David McGeown, Iain Campbell and Stephen Jordan.

First signings of the season

It is the 4th July 2005 and I have managed to secure the loan move of Kieran McGuire from Premier League Outfit Dunfermline. McGuire is an irish attacking midfielder and is only 19 years of age but he looks like a good player who will go straight into the first team. At almost exactly the same time, I got an e-mail from 19 year-old Kevin McKinley saying that he had accepted my contract and will be at training the next day. McKinley is a forward who had just been released from Chelsea so at least he'll have been able to get tips of players like Didier Drogba, Adrian Mutu, Mateja Kezman and Eidur Gudjohnsen. McKinley doesn't look as if he is ready for the first team just yet.

Good news and bad news

I'll start with the good news, we have managed to secure the purchase of 19 year-old ex-Dunfermline striker Steve McGlinchie who, judging by his first training session, is extremely quick and has a lethal finish although I'm not much sure what else he has but he has signed on £725 per week deal therefore becoming the second highest paid player at the club. However, Peter Weatherson has left Morton to join premier league side Dundee. This could be considered as bad news but also as good as we have received £300,000 for him, an absolutely enormous amount for the club and also the chance to play a friendly against Dundee which could earn quite a bit as well. Also, left-back Iain Campbell has joined us on a 2 week trial and Jay Stein has recovered from shin splits.

Newby signs for St.Johnstone

To my immense disappointment, transfer target Peter Newby has signed for St.Johnstone as I feared he would. The draws have now been done for the first round of the league and challenge cup giving us a home tie in each. For the league cup, we have been drawn at home to Ayr United and in the challenge cup first round we have a fixture against Berwick so we will expect to win those although they certainly won't be easy.

Morton vs Birmingham City

Our first pre-season game was a tough home tie with Birmingham City. McGlinchie, McKinley, McGuire and Campbell were all given a chance to shine and we went in to the game playing a 4-4-2 with short, quick passing, little creative freedom, wide play and playing offside. The game started brightly enough with early opportunities for either side. 11,492 spectators had turned up to Cappielow Park and they were given something to cheer about when new signing Kieran McGuire gave Morton a surprising lead. However, the lead lasted no longer than 45 seconds when Stewart Greacen, usually so reliable, made an awful header and presented a chance to Clinton Morrison on a plate and he didn't disappoint the few Birmingham City fans who'd made the trip. Less than 5 minutes later, Emile Heskey pounced onto Damien Johnson's superb cross to put Birmingham in the lead at the break. Steve McGlinchie equalised on 62 minutes with a deflected effort before Jesper Gronkjaer was hacked down in the box by Iain Campbell and Stan Lazaridis tucked away the penalty to make it 3-2 to the Blues. Paul Walker had an shot superbly saved by substitute goalkeeper Nico Vaesen but Birmingham held on to win. Quite a pleasing friendly as we were not outclassed by superior opposition and the debutants played well.
Final Score : Morton 2-3 Birmingham City