retired_jgirl87

Damn, another person with stage #1 completed.

Good stuff, HD. KUTGW :thup:

retired_heathermarie

Don't worry about how crap the squad is - the important thing is that you somehow made it.

Good work so far.

BarryLFC

Thanks guys. Fingers crossed, eh! :cool:

BarryLFC

The Championship, Year One

You could say it was the perfect season. Hartlepool started out with a run of form and ended with one, but in the middle was a Clough-tastic spell of one win in twenty-five games. Nuno Morais was added from Chelsea and Ecuador star Ivan Kaviedes arrived on a free, but neither were what could be described as impact players. The biggest disappointments wre Kanu, Kaviedes and Borgetti, none of whom produced anything worth of the name "form". Derek Riordan, if anybody, was the star with fourteen goals, whilst left back Paul Tierney was the star performer and Paul Gerrard a very dependable number one. When asked if he was happy with surviving in the Championship, Clough replied: I couldn't care less, when can I get a shot at Derby?

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | C | West Brom | | 46 | 32 | 8 | 6 | 103 | 28 | +75 | 104 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | P | Leicester | | 46 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 80 | 47 | +33 | 85 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | P | Hull | | 46 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 62 | 48 | +14 | 85 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Norwich | | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 68 | 42 | +26 | 80 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Sheff Wed | | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 76 | 62 | +14 | 73 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Burnley | | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 69 | 61 | +8 | 73 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Rotherham | | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 72 | 58 | +14 | 72 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Coventry | | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 74 | 66 | +8 | 72 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Derby | | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 62 | 56 | +6 | 71 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Cardiff | | 46 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 68 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Gillingham | | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 48 | 49 | -1 | 64 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Q.P.R. | | 46 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 63 | 62 | +1 | 63 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Sheff Utd | | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 60 | 54 | +6 | 61 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Stoke | | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 50 | 58 | -8 | 59 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Tranmere | | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 50 | 60 | -10 | 58 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | West Ham | | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 59 | 59 | 0 | 55 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Hartlepool | | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 40 | 55 | -15 | 51 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Plymouth | | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 52 | 70 | -18 | 50 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Millwall | | 46 | 9 | 21 | 16 | 60 | 73 | -13 | 48 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Brighton | | 46 | 10 | 17 | 19 | 54 | 70 | -16 | 47 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | | Reading | | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 42 | 66 | -24 | 47 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | R | Watford | | 46 | 10 | 14 | 22 | 41 | 60 | -19 | 44 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd | R | Crewe | | 46 | 10 | 12 | 24 | 54 | 81 | -27 | 42 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th | R | Wigan | | 46 | 4 | 11 | 31 | 32 | 90 | -58 | 23 | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | </pre>

retired_confal2

Brief and to the point

Best of luck with the challenge :thup:

BarryLFC

well, i don't see much value in going in-depth when i'm effectively marking time...

BarryLFC

Cheerio, Cheerio, Cheerio

Neale Cooper's escape from Clough's basement couldn't have come at a worse time. Not only was it the day of Brian's hair appointment, it was also a Thursday, which meant he'd be missing the new episode of ER on the telly. He decided now was time to high tail and leave town, quite an impressive feat in itself for a man of his age.

The new location for Clough was Brighton. The team had recently parted ways with manager David Penney having finished 20th just twelve months after missing out on a playoff spot on goal difference. Having only 21 contracted players at any level could be a possible explanation, but financially the club was much better off than Hartleppol after three years of Clough's totalitarian mismanagement, adding players like Ulises de la Cruz, Jamie Redknapp, Richie Wellens, Marcus Stewart and Joh Harley in the days efore his departure to further cripple the side.

What I'd really like, thought Clough, is an FA Cup.

shannon2007

TBF Challenge stories were never meant to have the depth of 'normal' stories, its just some people like to do that. (Flippers )

Well done on the Brighton Job.

BarryLFC

thanks

BarryLFC

Brighton - the players

It wasn't what you could call a well-populated squad. Of the players inherited only eleven were deemed by Clough to be worth keeping in or around the first team. Defenders Martyn Corrigan, Daniel Harding, Danny Cullip, Mark McGarty and Adam El-Abd were spared the ignominy of release, Corrigan, Harding and Cullip looking likely to be starters early in the campaign.

In midfield Darel Russell was denied permission to talk to Blackpool and started in the playmaking central role, with Simon Lappin likely to play most weeks. Brian Gilmour was also kept on-board. The forwards looked solid, Leon Knight and Quincy Owusu Abeyie are cast-iron starters on this team, though the latter, fresh from earning under 21 honours for the Netherlands, is hankering for a move to the big time.

Brian had to move quickly and effectively to replenish his staff. Goalkeeper Andrea Guatelli was recruited from Portsmouth for £300,000 and defenders Gonzalo RodrÃ*guez (£775,000, Villareal) and Gregor Robertson (£16,000, Hartlepool) came in, with Ivar Ingimarsson (£150,000, Hartlepool) and Talal El Karkouri (Free) chosen to anchor the midfield. Dean Whitehead cost £80,000 from Sunderland to compete for a midfield berth and forward Mark Yeates arrived from Tottenham in a £675,000 deal.

That was it. Brian was excited at the opportunity to thoroughly wear a few of these young men out.