"Hello, I'm the new Celtic Manager" (Editor's cut) - Page 24

Gricehead · 04-19-2005, 10:12 AM

After touching down in Frankfurt there's just time to grab a quick meal before bed. The following day it's down to picking a team for the Italy game. Haruna Babangida picked up a training injury and won't be available, and Udenze is suspended, so two changes at least are needed. The teamsheet handed to the FIFA official is:

Chigozie Agbim (Kaizer Chiefs); Emeka (NÃ¼rnberg), Celestine Babayaro (Chelsea), Taribo West (Kaiserslautern), Sunday Oliseh (Dortmund); Christopher Kanu (Ajax); Julius Aghahowa (Juventus), Alade Adeshina (Lecce), Tijjani Babangida (Vitesse); Hugo Michael Enyinnaya (Bari), Victor Agali (Schalke 04).

As often happens when a major competition gets to the later stages, the game tightens up. There was a worry that the attendances would drop off after the hosts were knocked out. No fear, it's another 83000+ crowd, but boy are they bored by this game. Italy played their usual boring, defensive football, but even that was enough to keep us under control. We weren't helped by an injury to Sunday Oliseh in the 8th minute. Attack after Italian attack bore down on our goal, but their finishing let them down every time. Half time came and went and the second half passed by in much the same way. Nwankwo Kanu came on in the 70th minute, but there was no late goal to save us this time, and into extra time we went. On came Pascal Ojigwe, but there still wasn't a goal. So, my first experience of an international penalty shootout.

I've not even had time to contemplate penalty takers, so I'm looking for volunteers. Nwankwo Kanu, Taribo West, Enyinnaya, Christopher Kanu and Babangida step forward. We win the toss, and off we go!

Nwankwo Kanu scored, and Marco Materazzi puts away Italy's first. Taribo West steps up, but keeper Abbiati makes an excellent save. Advantage Italy, but Vincenzo Montella couldn't capitalise, skying his shot over the bar. Hugo Michael Enyinnaya gets us back on the track, and Fabio Liverani steps up, and misses! With just two kicks of the ball, the game swings completely and it's over to us. Christopher Kanu scores coolly, and Francesco Totti keeps his head to keep Italy in the game. It's all down to Tijjani Babangida. He crosses himself, steps up...

...and scores! Nigeria are through to the Final!

Confederations Cup Semi Final. 7th August 2005.
Nigeria 0 Italy 0 (Nigeria win 4-2 on penalties)

The players go wild again! There'll be another big party tonight, and we'll play Spain in the final! After a quick call back to Stalybridge, I can afford to stay and party a little.

Gricehead · 04-19-2005, 11:23 AM

Back to Manchester Airport on Monday morning. Really racking up the airmiles here. In fact it's worrying, the staff at the airline are starting to recognise me! Halifax's visit sees two changes, Hulse in for Preece, and Burgess for Barker. It was a slow, slow start. We toyed with Halifax for the entire first half, losing Martin to an injury just before the half hour mark. Ommel came on to replace him and we continued to press. The goal eventually came on the stroke of half time, and it came from Burgess, who is looking really promising.

Kerr came on for Harris at half time, and it was looking like a repeat of the first half. That is until Burgess was shoved in the box and the ref gave us a penalty. Browne and Cameron came on, looking to push for a place in the side, and Ommel scored the spot kick. Ommel, who was having a good all round game (well, he would now he was at risk of not being an automatic choice), hit a second with just over ten minutes to go, and Browne got on the scoresheet in the last minute to cap a fairly comfortable victory.

Friendly. 9th August 2005.
Stalybridge 4 Halifax 0 Burgess 45 Ommel 63(pen),79 Browne 90

Andrew Martin has a dislocated shoulder, and will miss the first week of the season. I guess I get to ponder the squad for my first league match on the way back to Germany.

Gricehead · 04-19-2005, 02:38 PM

Back in Germany, I find that the squad have travelled to Berlin without incident. Julius Aghahowa is tired, but Nigeria suffer from a similar problem to the one which has aflicted England for so long, a lack of quality on the left. He'll have to play. There are some other changes, and the eleven chosen to participate in my first national final are:

Chigozie Agbim (Kaizer Chiefs); Joseph Yobo (Sochaux), Taribo West (Kaiserslautern), Ifeani Udeze (NÃ¼rnberg), Yakubu Adamu (St. Pauli); Pascal Ojigwe (Leverkusen); Julius Aghahowa (Juventus), Alade Adeshina (Lecce), John Otaka (HSV); Hugo Michael Enyinnaya (Bari), Victor Agali (Schalke 04).

The pattern for the game is set early on, when Ojigwe is yellow carded for a foul on Mendieta. Gerard sends in the freekick and Agbim has to punch the ball clear. We didn't get out of our own half really in the first quarter of an hour, and by the end of that period the Spaniards had taken the lead. It came, unsurprisingly, from a freekick. RaÃºl's effort was well saved by Agbim, but Gerard was there to put it away. It was going to be an uphill struggle from here in, as the Spaniards still had us pinned down. We finally managed to make it out of our half with a break from another freekick. Some good midfield linking got Adeshina free in the area, and Spanish keeper Iker Casillas had to palm the ball round the post for our first corner of the game, just before the half hour mark. The corner was a good one, and VÃ*ctor was forced to head it behind. The second was even better, and Ifeani Udeze rose highest to nod home our equaliser. Yes! Spain were rattled, and created little in the remainder of the half, whilst Aghahowa was unfortunate not to put us in front just before the break, pulling a fine save from Casillas.

The second half was end to end stuff from the first kick. Agbim in our goal was most impressive in keeping out shots from some of the finest attackers in the world. Our shots weren't really causing Casillas problems, though. Even substitute Nwankwo Kanu couldn't hit the target when he came on. Time ticked away, and before we knew it the referee was blowing his whistle for full time.

Another period of extra time, then. This one was different though. Neither side wanted to see this final go to penalties, and both were attacking. Our last tactical throw of the dice was the introduction of Oliseh and Ogbeche, and an early ball from Yobo into the box was met by Agali's head. Casillas parried it, and we had another corner. Yobo's corner was headed goalbound by Oliseh, but Casillas was there again. His clearance found RaÃºl, who ran through our midfield as if it wasn't there. His shot, though, was disappointing, and fizzed over the bar. Thus the first period of extra time continued, with both sides having opportunities to end the game, and both goalkeepers doing their countries proud. It was perhaps fitting that the game should be ended by a freekick. Udeze brought down the effervescent RaÃºl, who struck the set piece himself. The wall did it's job, but the rebound fell to Munitis. Ogbeche got a challenge in, but VÃ*ctor was on hand. His shot rebounded off the bar, and who was on hand to finish? That man RaÃºl.

Confederations Cup Final. 10th August 2005.
Nigeria 1 Spain 2 Udeze 31 / Gerard 16 RaÃºl 102 (Spain win on the Golden Goal Rule)

My first taste of internation disappointment. It's the players who are reassuring me, telling me they never expected to get this far. I'm pleased with the start I've made, but it's not over yet. Only four days until the next Friendly!

Gricehead · 04-19-2005, 07:18 PM

Back at Stalybridge, thanks again to a lift from Aldo, I'm just in time to welcome Paul Keegan to the club before heading home for some well deserved rest. A note from the Chairman congratulates me on my first taste of International competition, but expresses concern that I am heading off again for a friendly so soon. Tough, quite frankly! Time to take a look at the Stalybridge Celtic squad.

Gricehead · 04-19-2005, 07:19 PM

Stalybridge Celtic Squad, 2005/2006. Football League Division 2

Goalkeepers:

1. David Preece Age 28.
Club record signing David Preece has big boots to fill. Stalybridge have only had one first team goalkeeper in my time at the club, and now Batty has gone someone needs to step up. On paper Preece is a better stopper than Batty, but of all the positions, goalkeeper is one of the most difficult to bed in to. An injury in the preseason friendly against Accrington won't help that. Preece has plenty of experience, at West Brom, Rushden and Bradford. He will need it!

13. Paul Hulse Age 24. English. 13 appearances
Mixed feeling about Hulse. He stepped in when Batty was injured during the run in last season, and did enough to hold on to his place when the Kiwi returned. Then, just as I was thinking I had my long term goalkeeping problem solved, he completely loses the plot in the Playoff game at Reading. Another season on the bench for Hulse, and I'm left hoping that he can get over his fear of the big game.

34. Peter Brown Age 20. English. 7 appearances
Peter is still on the transfer list. He wouldn't have got a squad number had it not been for Preece's injury.

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Defenders:

2. Andreas Elgert Age 29. German. 63 appearances, 1 goal.
One thing I never expected was for Andreas to make 40 appearances last season, getting his first Stalybridge goal, and a handful of valuable assists in the process. A major injury for Burns meant the German had to step up to a regular first team place at the start of the season, and to be fair to him he did well. In fact, there have been quite a few occasions when his performance has meritted an equal consideration with Burns for the right back spot. Starts this season on that basis.

3. Tommy Jaszczun Age 27. English. 118 appearances, 1 goal.
Tommy finally came down from his high horse and agreed that Stalybridge was the place for him, which was the right choice in my mind as I had rescued him from his own personal hell at Blackpool. He went on to have his best season at the club, missing only a handful of games and scoring that spectacular goal at Cardiff. Signed a new contract which gives him at least another two seasons at the Bower Fold, and has every reason to be looking forward to 05/06.

4. Dave Challinor Age 29. English. 126 appearances, 11 goals.
For the second season, Big Dave Challinor only missed two league games. Statistically it has been his best season as well, and he chipped in with a personal record six goals in the process. Dave remains a first choice defender, which isn't difficult this season, and is due for some contract negotiation by Christmas.

12. Chris Morgan Age 27. English. 52 appearances, 5 goals.
The other half of our central defensive pairing, Chris Morgan provided everything that was expected of him. He rapidly established himself as the club captain, and his five goals were some of the most important scored by any Stalybridge player. Earned himself a lucrative (for Stalybridge) contract, mainly to keep him out of the hands of big spenders Carlisle.

18. Liam Burns Age 26 Northern Irish. 83 appearances.
Burns' broken leg kept him out of pre-season and a good deal of the first month of the season. This left him with a lot of catching up to do, and he never quite made it up to full pace. He'll start as first choice at right back, but I'm marking right back down as an urgent area to find new talent in.

29. Ronnie Howells Age 19. English. 3 appearances + Loan spell at Purfleet + Loan spell at Weymouth
As far as the combined voices of the Stalybridge coaching staff are concerned, Ronnie should have been on his way out of the club some time ago. I've still got a soft spot for him, but even I have to admit this is probably his last chance. Scarily, the lack of defensive depth at the moment could see him get several firat team opportunities this season!

30. Mike Lewis Age 23. Welsh. 14 appearances.
Mike continues, season after season, to impress all the coaching staff. God knows why. At least John Aldridge has seen the light, and feels it's time for the Welshman to move on. Made two appearances out of desperation, and to be fair did nothing wrong. Remains at the club for very much the same reason as last year - he's cheap.

39. Ross Johnson Age 29. English. 13 appearances.
Eventually we get to my third choice defender. Brought in from Colchester at what could be described as relatively short notice following Danny Cullip's departure, Ross has stepped in whenever either Morgan or Challinor weren't available and done a damned fine job. Much as I like my centre back pairing, I'm hoping Ross can push them for a place during the course of this season.

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Midfielders

6. Lee Collins Age 31. Scottish. 113 appearances, 14 goals.
Given AcuÃ±a's arrival at the club, it's maybe something of a surprise that Lee managed 27 appearances in the last campaign. His performances were, on the whole, up to his usual standard. At 31, though, he's getting into the twilight of his career, and with the surprise re-signing of the Chilean he can expect a similar role this year.

7. Andrew Cameron Age 23. Scottish. 139 appearances, 31 goals.
Andrew Cameron's report card says "could do better". He performed on a par with last season, but with the arrival of Mackie that wasn't enough for him to hold down a first team place. We didn't see as much of his trademark charging down the wing this year, which was a shame, but he never really got up to full fitness.

8. Brian Kerr Age 23. Scottish.
Signed in the summer, and one of the top paid players at the club, Kerr should bring extra quality down the left of midfield. A product of Newcastle's youth system, and with 7 years at that club, it was time for him to move on. Having only made two first team appearances in that time, he's absolutely champing at the bit to get going. Match fitness may be a problem to start with, but after that, watch out Dean Harris!

11. Dean Harris Age 21. English. 105 appearances, 16 goals.
Dean gets better and better. He could still improve his fitness, but he managed 43 appearances last season. His seven goals were more than matched by 17 assists, and he is still the best corner taker at the club in my opinion. His biggest test this season will be seeing off the challenge of Kerr. It might not be a problem, as he saw off Foley Sheridan to such an extent that the Irishman didn't get a look in!

15. Clarence AcuÃ±a Age 30. Chilean (78 caps, 1 goal). 51 appearances, 6 goals.
A mixed season for the man from Chile, who made all the headlines last summer leaving Premiership Newcastle for Second Division newcomers Stalybridge. He lost the captaincy and his place in the national side, but against everybodies expectations signed a new contract with us. It's now up to us to make the most of his solid tackling abilities for another season or two. He also chipped in with a reasonable number of goals, mainly from mean freekicks.

17. Matthew Christensen Age 19. Australian/English.
I'm very excited about having secured the services of Matthew for the season. He broke through into the Coventry squad at the back end of last year, and scored two smashing goals. Having watched him in training and during the preseason it's clear that he has top notch awareness and the eye for a killer pass. He's also bloody fast. He's not the best in the air, so I get the feeling we might be playing the ball along the floor more this season.

19. Darren Mackie Age 23. Scottish. 52 appearances, 5 goals.
Darren was convinced he would not be staying for more than half of his one season contract, and that someone big would come in to sign him by Christmas. Well, it didn't happen, and once I'd taken him aside and had a quiet chat he was happy to agree a new two year contract. He was impressive throughout the season, but I still think he's got more to show. Maybe the settled nature of having a longer contract will help focus his game.

20. Frazer Toms Age 25. English. 8 appearances, 1 goal + Loan spell at Lancaster.
Where is Frazer Toms going? Well, he's not getting any closer to a first team place that's for sure! Might be his last few months at the club as I feel a transfer listing coming soon.

21. Darren Bastow Age 23. English. 52 appearances, 9 goals + loan spell at Stotfold
Was all the fuss and trouble trying to persuade Darren to sign a new contract really worth it? He started well enough, but flattered to deceive once the season really got going. As such, he dropped down the pecking order and saw his chances limited even further by the arrival of Bill Browne. Of course, now Christensen is going to be fighting for that place as well. Darren may find himself featuring in more reserve games than he would like this year.

23. Kevin Aitchison Age 23. Scottish. Loan spell at Cheltenham Saracens.
The jury is still out on Aitchison. He needed a loan spell last year, but no-one was interested in him. Unfortunately, he's lost the confidence of Aldo.

36. Sean Friars Age 26. Northern Irish. 95 appearances, 20 goals.
Sean followed up with a second excellent season, but probably played more from the bench than he would have liked. He's stood up to having his first team place challenged, which is good, as he won't be an automatic choice this season either. I still don't think he's far away from a call up to the Northern Irish squad.

37. Bill Browne Age 21. English. 24 appearances, 4 goals.
I had to fight long and hard to get Bill Browne at the club from Southend. It cost me Â£150k up front, and a promise of another Â£110k after 40 league games. A full season building on last years work, and he could be worth every penny and more. He's fast and exciting, but he's still got quite a bit to learn. I hope he'll learn quite a lot from training and playing with Christensen.

Also: Darren Watts (3 appearances), transfer listed.
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Attackers

9. Andrew Martin Age 25. Welsh. 18 appearances, 7 goals (on loan from Crystal Palace)
When Leo left, I had considered permanently retiring the number 9 shirt. However, in Andrew Martin we might just have found someone capable of scoring at a similar rate. If we'd managed to extend his loan before arranging to sign him in the summer

he might have got the vital goals that would see him, and us, playing against his former employees in Division One this season. But, it wasn't to be, and instead he gets the chance to have a full season at a level I believe is below his natural standard. Unfortunately injured in the last preseason friendly, so will miss the start of the season.

10. Rory Fallon Age 23. English.
I'm almost as excited about capturing Rory Fallon on loan for the season as I am about Christensen. I can't believe that Barnsley, struggling below us all season, weren't playing this guy! He was amazing on every occasion I saw him. Unfortunately he missed most of the preseason with a knee injury, so he's not going to be an automatic first choice straight away.

14. Sergio Ommel Age 27. Dutch. 124 appearances, 37 goals.
Sergio attempted to step into the breach left by Leo, and he had his best goalscoring season so far. It's not enough though, and he'll most certainly see himself slipping down the order this year.

22. Paul Keegan Age 22. Irish.
Paul is the latest in a string of young strikers I've signed in the hope they will eventually break through into the first team and score a hatful of goals. None of them have done so yet. One of them has to, sometime, don't they? He has the pedigree of 5 years at Leeds on his side. Lets hope he adapts to life on this side of the pennines.

24. Mark Peters Age 22. English. 39 appearances, 8 goals.
Saw off the threat of Riordan and Sutton to maintain his place just behind the first choice strikers, and will be most fondly remembered for his amazing double strike against Reading at the Bower Fold. Unfortunately, he couldn't repeat the feat in the playoffs, and so his efforts were mostly in vain. Still needs to develop consistency to earn a regular place, and hasn't shown a great deal of effort so far in preseason.

25. Alex Hutchinson Age 21. English. 2 appearances + loan spell at Folkestone.
Another good season in the reserves for Alex, but he's another of our youth products that just isn't destined to break through into the first team. I've given him every chance, and the coaches are beginning to lose patience with me on what they see as a lost cause. One more season Alex...

26. John Willoughby Age 20. Scottish. 5 appearances.
In my eyes, John is a carbon copy of Alex Hutchinson. The coaches, however, have seen something special in him. Therefore, I've given him a new three year contract in which time I hope he progresses, otherwise heads will roll.

31. John Sutton Age 21. English. 1 appearance.
As predicted, struggled to get first team action. Surprisingly, struggled to get reserve team action as well. Still, he's young and has another two years on his contract.

35. Richard Barker Age 30. English. 62 appearances, 13 goals.
Thank God, Richie eventually scored. And in the end, 13 goals for the season isn't a bad return from about three quarters of the games. I suspect, though, that at 30 his days at the club are numbered. Unless he suddenly turns into the new Leo...