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Southport: Sand, Sea.....and the Sandgrounders! (A FM2005 Odessey)
With my copy of FM2005 arriving from amazon today it is of no surprise (especially as the clue is in the title), that I am in fact using FM2005. With England Prem to Conf north/south, Scotland Prem to Third, Italy Serie A&B, France first to National and Spain Prem to Second. Using a large db etc etc on with the story...
11-08-2004, 01:53 PM
Southport: Sand, Sea.....and the Sandgrounders! (A FM2005 Odessey) Post #2
Southport manager Liam Watson today stepped down as club manager citing he wanted to concentrate on playing. Watson was player manager during his spell, he will now stay at Haig Avenue in a playing role only. Speculation is rife around the club as to who would succeed him, player and assistant manager Neil Whalley has already ruled himself out of the position.
A spokesperson for the club said that this was a mutual agreement between Watson and chairman Charlie Clapham and that there were no other reasons for his resignation from the managerial role. The spokesperson failed to comment on who or when a new manager would be appointed. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Gary Peterson was a little surprised as he read his morning paper, Watson had managed other clubs before whilst still playing. He thought it odd that it was the managerial role that was put aside. He finished off his coffee and flicked through the rest of the paper stopping at any story that seemed of interest.
Gary was from a wealthy family hence his nice house in the centre of Southport. Southport is often seen as a pleasant place to live where wealthy families that commute to Liverpool would settle here. The main economic source for the town is its tourism, miles of golden beaches, restored seafront, a fairground and his favourite six golf courses. He was on his way to one now, as a lot footballers do he liked golf, he could think of no better way of spending a sunny afternoon.
Once a professional footballer, a youth product of Manchester United he moved onto Everton, Burnley, Blackpool, Preston before ending his playing days at Southport. Despite his wealthy heritage Gary liked to work, he was involved with the PASE (Programme of Academic and Sporting Excellence) scheme. This is where 16-19 year olds are encouraged to get a nationally recognised degree whilst training in sport. This is done with an FE College and the local sports organisation, in this case Southport FC. So Gary would train and manage these kids and teach them sports science at the college.
As he was playing his round of golf Gary wasn’t surprised to hear Southport’s fans bewilderment at the news. It was widely accepted that Watson was doing a good job and that Southport were among the favourites to be promoted to the nation conference. This decision certainly threw a spanner in the works.
11-08-2004, 01:54 PM
Southport: Sand, Sea.....and the Sandgrounders! (A FM2005 Odessey) Post #3
Gary Peterson has been named as the new manager of Southport FC. In a press release received earlier today Peterson will take charge immediately. He had currently been working as the club’s PASE scheme manager, but he will pass those duties on as he becomes the club manager. It is expected that Peterson will guide the team to promotion as were the expectations of former manager Liam Watson. The 36 year old has no senior managerial experience but club insiders say that he has the potential to be a successful manager. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Peterson was taken aback when Charlie Clapham called him in for a meeting and offered him the job. All he was expecting was to give a report on the PASE team. At this level it wouldn’t be right to offer these kids contracts whilst still in education, however the scheme was handy for scouting talent. Peterson’s job included informing the chairman of any potential stars to sign up when they had finished the course. When he offered him the job Peterson could reply his mind had gone blank, out of the blue he had been offered this job he couldn’t really afford to turn down.
Management was always contemplated by Peterson after his playing career was up, and here was his perfect chance to get a foothold. Clapham had told him that Whalley had refused the job as he would feel uncomfortable managing his old boss. Whalley had also been Watson’s assistant manager at Runcorn FC Halton to give them their full title. Peterson wasn’t surprised, he also expected the two to move on to pastures new.
He couldn’t have found a better place to start his managerial career than here. The training facilities were good and they had a decent ground. The finances were all in order and in the black, they had a competent structure from top to bottom. Also a fantastic group of players and superb support. He relished the chance and was chomping at the bit to get down to the nitty gritty of management.
The club were in a financially strong position, there was still some leeway in the wage budget and transfer budget. However, he was a basics man, about everything both business and team. He would not jeopardise the future of this club by lavishing big wages on players, he would work to the budgets. Also he would use the basic but safe 4-4-2 formation, with this everyone knew their role it was bread and butter for any footballer. He knew tomorrow would be a long day, he had to asses the squad and find a new assistant manager.
11-08-2004, 05:36 PM
Southport: Sand, Sea.....and the Sandgrounders! (A FM2005 Odessey) Post #4
That evening when he got home he sat down at his desk and poured himself a whiskey. He had brought home the player evaluations that ex manager Liam Watson had made. These would give him a rough guide he thought, he would obviously judge for himself in training and pre-season if they were accurate. He hadn’t seen much of Southport as his work with the PASE scheme was always on a Saturday afternoon so he really was starting from scratch..
Southport had two keepers on their books, Steve Dickenson or Dicko as he is known is the first choice. He had some professional with Bradford City, his reflexes, bravery and agility were his better skills. Steve Daly was the backup keeper, at 18 he would be learning his trade from Dicko. In the centre of defence was a giant of a man, Earl Davis affectionately known as The Earl was as wide as he was tall. At 21 big things were expected of him, good heading ability and good marking skills made him a sure candidate for first on the team sheet. Farrell Kilbane brother of Everton star Kevin was a good tackler, he had spent time with Cambridge United and Preston and will be a useful player to have. Kevin Lynch was the other centre back, nothing special about him will spend most of his time on the bench. Jerome Fizgerald or Jez could play right back or at a push centrally, his special ability is killer long throws, something which may come in handy. James Williams or simply Jimmy was by rights a sweeper, but can play as a centre half or at right back, likely to be nothing more than backup. Alex Mortimer is the clubs only left back, not a very good one at that. A product of the Man U youth system he has also spent time at Leicester and Shrewsbury Town.
Neil Fitzherny, Fitz as he was known is a defensive midfielder, a good tackler and header, he could certainly do a job at centre half if needs be. Chris Price or Pricey was the only out and out right winger at the club, his pace was his blessing as his crossing wasn’t up to much. Dominic Morley was about as average as you could be, a central midfield player with no real excelling feature. Steve Pickford known as Syd, is the best all round central midfield player, his tackling and his dribbling ability made him ideal for defensive and offensive roles, he also has a bit of pace about him. Thomas Rafferty at 20 was nothing promising and would amount to nothing other than to make up the numbers.
Neil Robinson or Robbo is the first choice forward, his finishing will be heavily relied upon. Terry Fearns will be the likely partner for Robbo, he is a well rounded striker without really excelling in any particular area. Kevin Leadbetter or Leady as he is known would be Fearns’ competition up front, however his lack of pace means he will likely sit out for Fearns. The young Lee Mulvaney is nothing more than backup, never likely to be anything more.
Gary felt that some of his predecessor’s comments seemed unfair, he would certainly need to find out for himself. He would have to bring in a few players to get competition for places especially the wide spots, there wasn’t a single left sided winger at the club. Fortunately he had about £16k to spend, and he could get in some loans in also. What a day he thought, at least he didn’t have to arrange any friendlies they were all done for him. They were against Clyde, Wigan, Burnley, Albion, Motherwell and Stockport.
11-09-2004, 12:25 AM
Southport: Sand, Sea.....and the Sandgrounders! (A FM2005 Odessey) Post #5
It had been a whirlwind month for him, firstly Peterson discovered yet more player profiles on his desk. These were of players in the reserve team, it made sense as he did think it was a small squad even for this size outfit. All the players were young and were not going to break into the first team, however some provided cover in some vital positions. Whalley had moved to Grays for free, which hadn’t surprised him. What had however, was Watson, he wished to stay. Peterson offered Watson a position on the coaching staff, which he accepted.
Peterson also hired another coach, Steve Crowley a South African goalkeeping coach. He finally found a top notch in Ivor Doble, he was a great man manager and excellent with youngsters. Spencer Field and Mark Bradshaw were added to the scouting staff and were sent to find new talent.
The scouts reported back on a number of possible purchases, only three however took Peterson’s eye. Paul Douglas a 21 year old striker with great finishing abilities was offered a contract. Secondly a left sided winger from Chorley Alex Porter was purchased for £1k. Finally a young star was unearthed in Phil Brown, he was bought for £2k from Kendal. He has fantastic passing abilities and is one to be nurtured carefully.
New Southport signing Alex Porter has told us he cant wait to break into the first team setup at Haig Avenue.
The new signing from Chorley told journalists that he didn’t expect to play straight away but that if he gets his head down and works hard his manager will reward him with a first team place soon enough. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
The chairman of the Southport supporters association told journalists that Brown was brought to Haig Avenue.
Fans are said to be delighted that manager Gary Peterson has show good vision and ambition by deciding to bring talented Kendal youngster Phil Brown to the club.
The 18 year old midfielder has been singled out as a hot prospect for the future and could well become a key Southport player in years to come.
When asked what his expectations of Brown were Peterson said that Brown was a promising talent, but would have to prove his ability to get into the first team. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Peterson had also made some loan signings. Newcastle’s young defender Peter Ramage, Arsenal’s Jordan Fowler, Aston Villa’s Stephen Cooke and Manchester United’s Benjamin Collett. Petersen said that these young talents would provide that bit of quality needed to help push for promotion. Cooke especially would be handy, he can play anywhere in the midfield.
Before he knew it the first game of the season was upon him. The pre season games hadn’t gone brilliantly, however they weren’t totally disappointing either. Against Clyde they lost 2-0, they managed to draw 2-2 with Championship side Wigan. Against Burnley they lost 3-0 and drew 2-2 against Scottish outfit Albion. They were destroyed 5-0 by Motherwell but managed a 3-1 win over Stockport. Against bigger sides they managed to score a few which was pleasing. However, now it was totally different, it counted they were playing for points.
11-09-2004, 12:21 PM
Southport: Sand, Sea.....and the Sandgrounders! (A FM2005 Odessey) Post #6
Southport made hard work out of this game despite it being handed to them on a plate. Firstly Worcester’s star striker Leon Kelly was stretchered off injured after just 10 minutes. Then Worcester’s Robert Warner was sent off for picking up a second yellow by arguing with the referee about a yellow card he had just picked up for a foul. It wasn’t until the 56th minute when Southport made their advantage count. A Collett header from a Cooke corner putting Southport in the lead. 10 minutes later Cooke himself got into the area and slipped the ball under the keeper to give Southport a 2-0 lead. Then Jai Stanley picked up a second yellow and Worcester were reduced to 9 men, however Southport couldn’t capitalise and go to score again.
Southport 2 v 0 Worcester
Goals: Southport: Collett 56, Cooke 67
MoM: Cooke
Att: 506
Tuesday – 17/08/04, Conference North, game 2
Redditch v Southport
@Valley Stadium
Redditch are one of the sides tipped to be battling relegation this season. On the evidence of this performance they should have little trouble with relegation. They dominated the game from start to finish, perhaps the one thing they may struggle with is converting their many chances. It was in fact Southport who took the lead from a Ramage header off a Cooke corner. Reddich equalised through a Simon Hollis strike from the edge of the area.
Redditch 1 v 1 Southport
Goals: Redditch: Hollis 38 - Southport: Ramage 16
MoM: Ramage
Att: 317
Saturday – 21/08/04, Conference North, game 3
Southport v Moor Green
@Haig Avenue
Again Moor Green were another team set to be battling for their lives in this division. On the evidence of todays game they should have no trouble. It was a fairly even game in terms of possession and no one would guess Moor Green were relegation battlers and Southport promotion contenders. Moor Green mustered up an astonishing 27 shots at goal to Southport’s meagre 7. The difference being Southport got all of theirs on target, Moor Green only got 9 of their 27 on target. It would be this difference in quality that would shape the season for these two teams.
It was Moor Green’s attack stance to the game which conceded the first goal. The gave away the ball in the midfield and when Davis slipped the ball through to Cooke it was 4 men onto 1 in Southport’s favour. Cooke’s shot was parried by the Green keeper, into the path of Robinson who was left with a simple finish. Moor Green equalised when Jae Martin managed to turn the defence and get a shot on goal, the ball was parried by the keeper, Green’s Neil Davis was the first to react putting it into the empty net. Again Green’s attack stance was their downfall when Southport countered through Fowler. His cross to the back post was met be the unmarked head of Cooke who headed it back across the goal into the far corner.
Worksop were another side supposed to be battling the drop, yet again Southport found it hard to break them down. It was a very close affair, Worksop just dominating the game slightly. Both sides found it extremely difficult to break the others very stubborn defence down. In the end it was an own goal that decided the outcome of this game. Gary Townsend heading past his own keeper from a wicked Collett corner.
Worksop 0 v 1 Southport
Goals: Southport: Townsend og74
MoM: Dickinson
Att: 641
11-09-2004, 12:44 PM
Southport: Sand, Sea.....and the Sandgrounders! (A FM2005 Odessey) Post #7
By the end of August Peterson was rather pleased, the team were in 4th spot level on points with the top 3, just goal difference separating them all. So far they had only played teams that were considered relegation fodder. To say that they had an easy time of it would be a lie, it was that little bit of class that separated them. Peterson believed that consistency was the key, that the players playing together more often would gel and have a good understanding of each other. The starting line up hadn’t changed, and so far they were doing him proud.
For the home games Porter was on the bench instead of Pickford and he did a decent job when brought on. Brown also performed well when called upon. Dicko was the best performer so far, he had kept them in the lead on many an occasion and may prove to be the difference between promotion and obscurity. Cooke although he had a poor game against Worksop had proved the ability gap between himself and the other team members. They may be only four games into the season but it was of little surprise that the loanees had the lions share of the goals. Cooke with 2, Ramage with 1 and Collett with 1. Robbo was the only other player to score.
Just before the Worksop game scout Mark Bradshaw recommended 35 year old Billy Barr. The versatile defender just released from Gretna could play anywhere across the defence. After a short trial it was obvious his versatility would be a huge asset and was offered a contract as a backup player, which he accepted. Reviewing the whole playing staff Peterson thought he now had too many players, although still in budget he decided to list some of the players who would never likely get a game. There was now a two week lull in which there was no games what so ever, Peterson thought this would be the perfect chance to see all the players in action. He decided to play one Southport team against another, one team would be mainly first team and the other would be players hoping to prove themselves.
11-09-2004, 01:29 PM
Southport: Sand, Sea.....and the Sandgrounders! (A FM2005 Odessey) Post #10
I did start a game in Conference North, but the other game I was playing seemed more fun and took over. The standard of player here is hilarious though, I think even I could get a game.
Oh btw if you beat Park Avenue I'll have to kill you
Southport: Sand, Sea.....and the Sandgrounders! (A FM2005 Odessey) 
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