retired_amyslack

Season 1 (2001/2002)

In the flesh Brig Calhoun was not a big man. He lacked the physical stature of a Sam Allerdyce or a Steve Bruce. But there was no doubting that he had a certain presence. People noticed when he walked into a room. A straight-talking Teesider, people paid attention when he spoke. After an outstanding playing career at hometown club Middlesbrough, sadly cut short through a knee injury, Calhoun had a brief stab at punditry but his plain speaking was not what the BBC were after. They wanted frontmen who would spout platitudes and not ruffle any feathers, not someone who told it like it was. His fledgling media career cut short, he decided to try his hand at coaching instead and spent several months helping out at Sunderland. Then out of the blue came a job offer that he couldn’t resist – an invitation to take the vacant manager’s job at Hartlepool United.

On July 14th 2001, a few months after his 30th birthday, Brig Calhoun took his first steps in football management. The team played at Victoria Park, a compact stadium with a capacity of some 7,500. The club had a modest amount of cash in the bank but there were no transfer funds available and a compact squad of 26 players, two of who were already on the injury list. The Board’s ambitions did not extend beyond “a respectable league position” but Calhoun was hoping for a little more than that.

The new manager spent his first few days establishing his backroom staff and making an initial assessment of the players at his disposal. It was clear that the squad needed some improvement so Calhoun immediately sent his scouts out to scour the free transfer market. When Crewe made a bid for centre back Chris Westwood, Brig decided to try to bring some funds into the club and managed to negotiate a £200K fee – too good to turn down in the circumstances and the 24-year-old was sold on. By the start of the regular season three new faces had arrived on freebies, including veteran defender Neil Pointon who Brig felt could give the club a decent season of service.

Calhoun made an immediate impression on his players. His track record as a player certainly helped and it did no harm at all that, bad knees and all, it looked like he could more than hold his own out on the training pitch. He took no prisoners with his no-nonsense style and quickly made it clear what he expected his team to do – get hold of the ball and keep hold of the ball. Like it or lump it, everyone knew exactly where they stood with the new gaffer. He rapidly disabused any notion there might be about “hit and hope” football. He wanted his team to maintain possession – as he said “when they’ve got the ball then we can’t score, and if we can’t score then we can’t win.” One of his early half time team talks consisted of a single sentence – holding a ball in his hand he said, “This gentlemen is a football – any chance that we can go out and get it?”

Calhoun’s focus during pre-season was to start get his players used to the tactics and shape that he wanted to deploy. In what would become his trademark formation he set his team up with a back four where the wide players operated as wingbacks. He wanted a fluid five-man midfield with one man dropping back to guard the defence and another pushing up to play “in the hole” behind a lone striker. Whilst not a stunningly original approach it was nonetheless fairly sophisticated for a Third Division side and it brought immediate benefits. His team won five out of five in August – including a League Cup win at Second Division Swindon – and Brig took the first managerial award of the season. In addition, one of his free signings, a young Norwegian defender called Kristian Ravneng, was honoured on the playing side after a string of rampaging wingback performances.

Hartlepool’s fine form continued into September as they kept up their 100% record in the league. The highlight came early in the month with a 5-1 demolition of leaders Cambridge United to take over at the top of the table. A stoppage time winner from striker Gordon Watson to give them a win at Oxford showed the spirit in the team. The only blot on the Hartlepool copybook came with a 4-1 thrashing at home to Crystal Palace in the League Cup when their normally dependable keeper Tony Williams had a severe attack of the jitters before being replaced by teenager Jim Provett at the break. Calhoun won his second Manager of the Month award and Watson, with 10 goals in 10 starts, won the playing plaudits.

On the playing front Brig was concerned with what he perceived as a lack of adequate cover in midfield and to give more depth in that area another young Norwegian arrived in the shape of free-signing Tom Arild Fredriksen. There was movement in the other direction too with 20-year-old left back Mark Robinson moving to Southampton for a £400K fee. Calhoun had already had several run-ins with the player regarding his status in the team. The lad expected to be a regular starter but his manager felt otherwise and when Saints showed an interest Brig was happy to negotiate a good price. This left the team with just a single left back – the ageing Pointon – but Calhoun was determined to stamp his authority on the team. As far as he was concerned his word was law. As he said in a later interview – “When a player and I disagree we chat about it for 20 minutes and then agree that I’m right”.

Calhoun’s first defeat in the league came at the start of October when his team suffered a surprising 4-2 reverse at Southend. That apart, the only other blemish was a scoreless draw at Macclesfield although it took another stoppage-time strike from Watson to take all three points at home to Carlisle. Calhoun made it a hat trick of managerial awards and it was the turn of centre back Michael Barron to pick up a playing award. Moving into November Hartlepool headed the table, 6 points clear of Cambridge United and a further point ahead of Rushden. One new face appeared during the month as Calhoun picked up another free agent to provide some cover on the left of defence through 22-year-old Dane Mikkel Junge Jensen.

An otherwise flawless November was spoilt by a 3-1 reverse at Wrexham and Calhoun’s team how had a 4-point lead over Rushden. A mini-slump from Cambridge United left them a further 5 points adrift with Hull and Boston United both pressing for the final automatic promotion place. The month also saw FA Cup action with a 2-1 defeat of Shrewsbury sending Hartlepool into round two. An injury to striker Watson meant that Eifion Williams saw some action and he proved to be an able deputy. Kristian Ravneng continued to impress and was rewarded with his second Player of the Month award. Compatriot Fredriksen had made a big impact since his arrival and was keeping Darrell Clarke on the bench. Hull boss Peter Taylor was recognised for the fine form of his team with the monthly managerial award to break to Colhoun monopoly.

retired_embartl

And author of the challenge arrives

Looks like an excellent start so far, promotion on the cards pending a disaster.*

*jinxes Bob's second half of the season.

shannon2007

Yay! Good start as always Mr Clou..erm I mean Bob

retired_besheeran

Great read, will definitely be following this.

enjikari

Kristian Ravneng, I remember him. Legendary (maybe!)

Good luck. As the author of the challenge I'm expecting success here :p

retired_amyslack

Thanks guys

Season 1 (2001/2002) Continued

December and January can be a make-or-break period for any team chasing promotion with an already demanding fixture list becoming increasingly congested, particularly around the turn of the year. The first part of the test was passed with flying colours – four wins and a draw in the league keeping Hartlepool in pole position. Conference side Chester were despatched in the FA Cup and a second-string eleven exited the Vans trophy, a competition that Calhoun saw as an unnecessary distraction, at the hands of Port Vale. Wrexham boss Denis Smith won the managerial award in recognition of his team’s climb to the fringes of the playoff places. 19-year-old Fredriksen was lauded as Player of the Month and was fulsome in his praise for his manager.

In January, Calhoun would face three of his nearest promotion rivals inside ten days with an FA Cup tie sandwiched in between. The New Years Day clash at Rushden ended all square, which suited Brig just fine as his team maintained their 7-point advantage. Then a full house saw the home side suffer a narrow 1-0 defeat to Oldham in the FA Cup and four days later another big crowd witnessed a crucial 2-1 win over 4th place Hull. Three days after that Boston United were sent home on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline and Calhoun’s team sat 10 points clear at the top of the Third Division. But as the saying goes there’s no rest for the wicked and after a comfortable midweek defeat of struggling Bury, the ’Pool faced another big game with a trip to Cambridge United. An enthralling contest ended 3-1 in favour of Calhoun, much to the delight of the travelling fans and the Board of Directors. So a highly successful turn of the year saw Calhoun’s team continue to steamroller their way towards promotion. They sat ten points clear of Rushden and such was their dominance that it would not be too much longer before they had a guaranteed playoff place and his reward was another managerial award for his office.

Despite his team’s success, Brig was quite prepared to make changes in the squad, particularly amongst the fringe players. When Chester came in with a bid for midfielder Paul Arnison, Calhoun was quite happy to negotiate a £150K fee, twice the player’s worth in his opinion. To plug that gap he picked up 30-year-old Neil Howarth from Cheltenham for £50K. During February Brig had another run-in with one of his younger players. Teenage striker Adam Boyd was agitating for a place in the first team and when he failed to turn up for training he was immediately put on the transfer list. With Stockport agreeing to a £160K deal the young man went on his way. The same club then pitched for midfielder Darrell Clarke, a player who was doing well but whose ambitions did not match those of his manager. Some tough negotiations ended with a £400K fee – vastly inflated in Brig’s opinion – and the Calhoun war chest was growing. Next out of the door was midfielder Paul Stephenson in a £200K move to Derby. He had been in excellent form but having just turned 34 Brig felt that his best was well behind him and cashed in while the going was good. The downside of all of this was that the squad was now short of two midfielders but Calhoun was optimistic that he would soon identify adequate replacements.

Apart from an unexpected 1-0 defeat at Shrewsbury, the changes to the squad had not appeared to upset the balance of the team and at the end of February Hartlepool held a 12-point lead over Rushden and were guaranteed a playoff place at worst. However Calhoun was finding it more difficult to secure some new midfielders than he had hoped but one new player did appear after Barry Town agreed a £50K fee for 24-year-old Tom Ramasut. Despite the ‘Pool’s success, February became the first month where neither manager nor players appeared in the monthly honours. Ravneng and compatriot Fredriksen continued to impress as did strikers Watson and Williams who had close to 40 goals between them. In midfield Ritchie Humphries, Mark Tinkler and Tommy Widdrington were outstanding and centre back Michael Barron, although seemingly a little injury prone, was a key performer.

retired_amyslack

Season 1 (2001/2002) Continued

During March Calhoun saw two of his players dismissed in different games, the first such incidents of the season. The manner in which each episode was dealt with spoke volumes about the manager. Firstly star midfielder Humphries was sent off in the 2-1 win against Macclesfield for punching an opponent. Calhoun made an example of the player and levied a fine of two weeks wages, explaining that no matter how key an individual was to the team that he would not accept violent behaviour. Then in a 2-2 draw with Wrexham recent signing Ramasut received his marching orders for an innocuous push on an opponent. Calhoun saw this as simply over-zealous refereeing and publicly said so, defending his player and appealing against the resulting ban. Fiercely loyal to his players when he believed them to be in the right he was still a strict disciplinarian and would show no mercy if someone stepped out of line.

Later that month his team were involved in a 7-goal thriller at Leyton Orient – having taken a three-goal lead they were pegged back before scoring a late winner. With Rushden confirming their playoff place, Hartlepool were now 20 points clear of 4th place Cambridge United with 9 games remaining. A 2-0 loss at York, just their 4th defeat of the season, and three drawn games had allowed the pack to close a little but promotion was still virtually certain. However Rushden were now within 6 points and the title race was re-ignited. Brig made one final purchase before the end of the transfer window, bringing in the versatile Gavin McGowan from Colchester for £100K. The 26-year-old could play in midfield or defence and on the right or the left.

In early April the Third Division Select was announced and Hartlepool had three representatives – Ravneng, Tinkler and Watson. The point gained in an extraordinary 4-4 draw at home to Exeter at the start of the month gave the ‘Pool a guarantee of promotion but allowed Rushden to close to within 4 points. A superb 4-0 win at promotion chasing Hull steadied the ship after 4 games without a win. A win in their next game tied up promotion for Rushden leaving Cambridge United the most likely to grab the final spot. Despite losing both Tinkler and Widdrington to injury during the run-in, 4 wins on the spin gave Hartlepool the title. The championship was secured in the penultimate game of the season with a 3-1 defeat of Kidderminster in front of their own fans. Both the ‘Pool and Rushden smashed the 100-point and 100-goal barrier and Cambridge United, the third promoted team, finished with 96 points. Boston United came through the playoffs to claim their place in the Second Division. Calhoun gained the Third Division Manager of the Year award, Gordon Watson finished as the ‘Pool’s top scorer with 36 goals and was also chosen as the Player of the Year by the club’s supporters.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ************************************************ English Third Division - Sunday 5th May 2002********************************************** ***********************************************Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st C HARTLEPOOL 46 21 2 0 72 21 14 5 4 47 24 112 2nd P Rushden 46 19 2 2 51 18 15 4 4 50 33 108 3rd P Cambridge Utd 46 18 2 3 43 16 12 4 7 30 25 96 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4th Hull 46 13 4 6 40 26 14 3 6 38 26 88 5th P Boston Utd 46 16 3 4 34 15 11 3 9 26 20 87 6th Southend 46 14 2 7 35 24 8 3 12 38 39 71 7th Oxford 46 13 5 5 38 30 7 4 12 21 32 69 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8th Exeter 46 12 3 8 46 34 7 5 11 39 41 65 9th Wrexham 46 12 8 3 37 21 5 5 13 25 32 64 10th Swansea 46 8 7 8 32 29 8 9 6 33 31 64 11th Carlisle 46 12 5 6 32 19 6 5 12 24 32 64 12th Scunthorpe 46 6 12 5 27 26 9 7 7 25 22 64 13th Rochdale 46 13 3 7 46 40 6 4 13 30 47 64 14th Lincoln 46 13 3 7 42 26 5 5 13 26 46 62 15th Leyton Orient 46 9 7 7 47 36 8 2 13 36 54 60 16th York 46 11 5 7 37 29 4 6 13 17 36 56 17th Darlington 46 11 4 8 36 28 4 3 16 25 46 52 18th Shrewsbury 46 9 4 10 35 39 6 2 15 26 50 51 19th Macclesfield 46 6 6 11 32 37 6 7 10 21 33 49 20th Bristol Rovers 46 7 5 11 37 36 6 4 13 35 53 48 21st Kidderminster 46 6 4 13 26 45 3 9 11 26 46 40 22nd Bury 46 9 3 11 34 33 2 3 18 17 50 39 23rd Bournemouth 46 7 5 11 27 33 2 5 16 24 49 37 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------24th R Torquay 46 6 5 12 29 44 4 2 17 26 48 37</pre>

Mike..

Bah, a late entrant and he storms straight through stage 1

Well done BB

retired_bbcarr

congratulations, bob. quite a first season

retired_amyslack

Thanks chaps. Such a fast start was unexpected but I have to admit that, with the right players in place, my favourite CM0102 tactic does work awfully well.

Season 2 (2002/2003)

After an all too brief break, Calhoun was soon back at his desk preparing for life in the Second Division. With a decent amount of cash available through the TV rights payment he set about pursuing several transfer targets. A club-record £1M was splashed out on Fulham keeper Maik Taylor and a further £400K on versatile Norwich defender Darren Kenton. It took £450K to prise midfielder David Livermore from Millwall with Blackpool accepting £300K for Ian Hughes. Teenage keepers Neil Richards and Matt Dennis came in on free transfers and forward Martin Butler joined from Reading for £400K. In the other direction went Tony Williams to Shrewsbury for £200K, Jim Provett to Cheltenham for £12K and Mikkel Junge Jensen headed off to Norway for £20K. Full back Jonathan Bass was deemed surplus to requirements and went to Swindon for £65K.

Calhoun’s first month in the new division encompassed a 2-1 defeat of Mansfield in the League Cup and a perfectly symmetrical record in the league – won two, lost two, drawn one. The highlight of the month was a stunning 6-0 win at Peterborough on a day when everything went right for the visitors. September saw further success in the League Cup, Gordon Watson scoring both goals in a giant-killing 2-1 win at home to Premiership Everton, one of the biggest wins in the club’s history. Their league form was also encouraging that month with four wins out of five, including a morale-boosting 3-0 win at high-flying Oldham, lifting them to a playoff place. Ravneng had carried his excellent form up a division and Gavin McGowan had established himself on the left side of defence. Livermore and Widdrington were pivotal figures in midfield and Martin Butler was excelling in the support striker position. Before the end of the month Calhoun made moves to further strengthen his midfield, bringing in Paul McKenna from Preston for a fee of £350K.

Maik Taylor was proving to be frustratingly inconsistent for a £1M keeper. Generally excellent, he was prone to the odd nightmare game and one such performance cost his team three points at home to Plymouth at the start of October. That apart, there was no stopping Calhoun’s team in the league that month as 5 straight wins took them to the top of the table, two points clear of Oldham. Their League Cup run continued with another win over higher-level opposition as Southampton, relegated to Division One last season, were destroyed 4-0 at Victoria Park. Calhoun was rewarded with his first managerial award in Division Two and his team were handed a plum tie in the League Cup 4th round – a trip to Old Trafford.

An early-November defeat at Stockport saw the ‘Pool slip from the top of the table. They recovered with a victory over Brentford but then conceded three goals in three minutes at home to Crewe to lose 3-2 and a further 1-0 defeat at bottom club Boston United dropped them down to third. But there was more joy in the cups as Scarborough were beaten in the first round of the FA Cup. In the big game at Man United they matched their more illustrious opponents stride for stride and with the game scoreless after extra time it took a penalty shootout to settle the tie. Unfortunately United triumphed but it was a courageous effort from Calhoun’s side and at least they had the consolation of a bumper pay day.

In early December the brief FA Cup run was ended by a 2-1 loss at home to Tranmere but the second string managed to squeeze past Sheffield United on penalties in the Vans Trophy. The demanding December fixture list was negotiated with three wins and a draw, leaving Calhoun’s side top by two points over Bristol City. Then on December 29th, after a 2-1 defeat at Grimsby and with his team in 21st place in Division One, Derby manager John Gregory was sacked. At first the good people of Hartlepool paid no heed to this news – another managerial sacking wasn’t exactly unusual at that time of year. But within days the rumours had started – Brig Calhoun was on the Derby shortlist. The 1-0 defeat of Peterborough on New Years Day was overshadowed by “Don’t Leave Us Now” and “Brig Must Stay” banners. With neither club confirming nor denying that talks were in progress and Brig himself uncharacteristically refusing to comment to the press, speculation increased day by day. Then on January 10th 2003 the announcement was made – Brig Calhoun had been appointed as the new manager of Derby County.