retired_karamelkel

So that's 200K pounds that you're paying guys to sit for a total of six months...the irony. At lest Bhutia earned his share. ...

There are four things that can happen when you give a guy a huge contract, 1. He earns the pay. 2. He becomes, fat, lazy and insolent. 3. He chokes under the pressure of earning so much cash or 4. He gets injured for a portion of the year.

I hope Omar picks up the slack.

Bomberman

Hey a suggestion, how bout adding a league table? And Omar Daley replacing Bhaichung Bhutia? To quote Liverpool, your having a laugh. :thup:

retired_mekeesha

Hi huys,

having completed the first season i do know how these events transpire, but you'll have to wait and see :p

Karanfett - I've been trying to get away from a 'stats' story and go for a more reportage feel. I do frequently explain the placings at the top of the table as the tension rises nearer the end of the season, in narrative form.

Ready for the next installment? Here it comes ...

retired_mekeesha

Saturday 4th October: Barnet 1 - 3 Stanley

On Saturday we took our problems and new faces to Barnet, a solid mid-table team with a good home record. Flitcroft would have to deputise for Brannan of course, and Ifura started at the expense of Smith but otherwise I avoided making changes apart from putting newbie Naylor on the bench, having given up on the indifferent James (I told Darren to put the word out). I’d had a good few sessions during the week with the overpaid defensive coaches (Sedgley, Pickering, Winterburn) and defensive midfield coaches (Durnin, Lormor and Winterburn) to try to sort out our frailties, but if nothing changed there were options such as Clarke or Robbie Williams waiting for their chance.

Throughout the first half we were so poor – hesitant at the back, poor in midfield and blunt up front. It was only a matter of time before Barnet scored, which despite their modest quality up front, they duly did on 32 minutes after the first moment of quality in the game, reminiscent of a Mama-Williams combination if only they’d get in the mood. “Use the flanks! Use the f***ing flanks!� I bellowed as our boys trotted back solemnly - to no effect given that they couldn’t get hold of the ball. At half time Williams was bleating again – that boy does bruise easily, but this time I mollycoddled him as it gave me the opportunity to introduce Courtney Naylor, and to give him some minor chance of getting any service I replaced the subdued Langley with the more attack-minded Campbell.

We came out for the second half looking a different side. Our midfielders starting winning the ball and using it down the wings. On 53 minutes in a carbon copy of their goal Mama used his old magic outside the right of the penalty box and threaded the ball through a crowded six-yard area on for Houghton to tuck away. Within two minutes Mullin had his tail up and slammed the ball in from eight yards after the keeper gave him a second bite.
On 74 minutes, after Mama had started enjoying skinning his opposing full-back Houghton joined in the fun and put the ball on a plate for Campbell surging from deep – just like the old days. Even the defence started getting some tackles and key interventions in – quite why they started to do their job at this moment I couldn’t fathom. For the final ten minutes we allowed Barnet to get out of their half and even gave them a few half-chances, but really, on the basis of our second half display we were worth the three points (we were now fifth, but only a point off the leaders) and more importantly we’d finally put in (half) a performance to be proud of. Now if we could only take some confidence away and maintain this form. Mama took his sixth man-of-the-match award in eleven games although there were a good few equally impressive individual performances. Ifura and Naylor had shown enough to warrant starting berths; only Pierre was continuing to worry me – he’d have to drop down the pecking order.

After the team coach had returned and the players departed Darren Beckford informed me that a few clubs had expressed interest in taking Lutel James if we dropped the price. We’d taken James along for the ride to Barnet even though he wasn’t in the match squad and I could read his reaction to Naylor’s competent debut. If he was going to spread misery and unsettle the squad just as we were turning a corner he’d have to go, and even if we didn’t get much for him cancelling his inflated wages would please the board. “Get back to them – tell them we’ll accept only three grand� I instructed my number two. On Tuesday we heard that the conditional work permit for Omar Daley would be granted; however we wouldn’t be able to get hold of him until July when his loan deal with Preston expired. I’d keep a keen eye on his form and progress and hope that he might be a cheap replacement for our Bollywood idol when his loan deal expired.

retired_mekeesha

Tuesday 14th October: Stanley 3 - 1 Dagenham & Redbridge

I was hoping to keep Saturday’s second half momentum going so I largely selected the eleven that we finished with – Naylor and Campbell starting, Williams and Langley substitutes. The only substantial change was to put Pierre in the stands and bring coach Ally Pickering back to the starting line-up. The Daggers were one of those teams which was winning all of its home fixtures but losing all the game son the road – I was hoping the formbook would not be upset just yet. I wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or not when I saw that Andy Proctor wasn’t on the team sheet – I flogged him because he wasn’t good enough for us but then he knew some of our players inside out.

The first half didn’t quite pick up the tempo from Barnet but at least we were tight enough at the back. In our first chance Mullin sent the ball into orbit but a few minutes later Naylor collected a ball from Houghton and marked his full debut with a beautiful strike from the edge of the area. A minute later Naylor was bearing down on goal again but this time didn’t quite beat the ‘keeper. Both forwards saw Bhutia back in light training that morning – what was going through their minds?

When we’re singing we do like to come out of the blocks in full throttle after half time. Within a minute Naylor’s deft little flick on the half way line sent Campbell free to charge unhindered towards the penalty box and do a little shimmy before slipping the ball under the keeper. They got a goal back when their striker got the better of Ifura and lobbed Bull but I needn’t have been worried – three minutes later a 45 yard clearance by Flitcroft found Naylor on the half way line in space and he set off for the goal; the crowd went ecstatic when they witnessed the quality of his finishing, and I nudged Darren, reminding him how he tried to convince me the boy was a waste of money. With twenty minutes left I made my usual substitutions; Pickering and Armstrong were tired, and Mullin very quiet as the other forwards shone around him. We had some great chances after that but in the end we were delighted with the three goals we’d bagged against decent opposition. I was disappointed not to keep a clean sheet but Nikki acknowledge his role in the goal we conceded and apart from that the defence were very solid. for once the fans and hacks hardly even noticed that Mama had bee n on the pitch for ninety minutes – they had a new hero. Man-of-the-match Courtney Naylor. All the talk was about Bhutia’s impending return and how they’d link. I was looking forward to the next training sessions.

Only interest in James was from Wealdstone – would he deign to go? I called him in on Friday morning and he leapt at the chance. He was disappointed to be dropping down a level but just wanted to get away and play. He’d have to wait for the transfer window on January 1st though.

retired_mekeesha

Saturday 18th October: Woking 4 - 1 Stanley

Away to Woking – top of table (only one point more than us), 100% home record, only conceded three goals so far in the campaign (compared to our 21). Our scout reported that they were a defensive but lovely passing side. Bhutia still needed a couple of days so I used the same match squad that played so well on Tuesday but made two changes – firstly I put Roberto between the sticks; he’d been waiting patiently for a chance and Bull had been a little inconsistent over the previous two fixtures. Secondly I decided to start with Williams rather than Mullin – our scout had reported that Woking’s central defenders were unmatchable in the air but there were both slow, so I judged that we should avoid lobbing in high balls and that a pair of nippy little buggers could be their Achilles’ heel. In addition I instructed Ifura to mark their main striker out of the match and Armstrong to do the same to the main provider of their chances. If all went to plan I was hoping we could nick a 1-0 and go back to the top of the table.

The game began as I’d expected – a very tight contest between two evenly matched sides. The first chance fell to Williams on 16 minutes but he shot straight at the goalkeeper, and they reciprocated ten minutes later. Overall they were clearly out-passing us but without creating much. Roberto did well with a snapshot which he saw late before Williams rushed another good chance. Otherwise the ball largely stayed in the middle of the park. Just before half time however the deadlock was broken; Ifura lost concentration and his task for a moment and not one but two strikers broke through: 0 – 1. A minute later it was déjÃ* vu – they’d discovered our Achilles’ heel. Ifura’s attempts to stick with one striker was proving a disaster once this opponent had realised he could pull Ifura out of position and leave a gaping hole. I shouted at Ifura to abandon that idea and also told Flitcroft to drop back and support the back three. On the stroke of half time Woking had a corner. Campbell was marking the young basketball player who happened to be their manager’s son and was easily out-jumped; with three goals in three minutes it was game over and a sullen dressing room atmosphere. I took the blame; I thought I’d done my homework but I’d been out-thought by Glenn Cockerill. ‘Fair play’ I thought, ‘But what to do now?’ Williams may be fast but he didn’t have his finishing boots on that day so I sent Mullin on, and Flitcroft was demonstrating yet again that he doesn’t yet have the quality to play at this level so his coach Durnin came on yet again to show him how to do the job.

We came out fighting and our first opportunity came on 58 minutes. Howarth played a long ball down the middle and Campbell found himself in space. He charged in on the goalie and attempted to fire a shot between his legs. The ‘keeper got something on it to soften the pace and some 4800 watched in fascinated slo-mo as the ball trickled the final ten yards and just crept over the line – the goal was later deemed the runner-up in the October Conference goal of the month. But otherwise we were out-classed; our forwards got no change out of their back line and in the 94th minute Ifura gave away a penalty, which our best player Roberto saved but could do nothing about the follow-up. Tight, low scoring match? Sometimes I think this game follows no known laws of logic. ‘Baichung! Are you fit??’

Tactical Rethink
Bhutia was fit, but not match fit – nevertheless he was inked in to start, and despite the new flavour of the month having a very poor last game I wanted to try a partnership with Naylor. However I had to radically rethink the defence. As my coaches pointed out, without Brannan we had two aged warhorses in Armstrong and Durnin and an unfit and disappointing Flitcroft to select for the two DMC positions and they couldn’t provide enough protection for the back three. So we had to totally re-organise; I elected to go to an orthodox back four with one DMC. This meant a call up for Robbie Williams at left back. It was risky and the team would need time to gel – probably Brannan would be back before we’d sorted ourselves out anyway, but two months in I just couldn’t find a working formula with this 3-2-3-2 tactic so I switched to a 4-1-3-2. I asked Williams and Pickering to play as wingbacks but otherwise I tried to keep further tweaks to a minimum – there’s only so much their tiny minds can absorb.

Bomberman

Hey I have a suggestion. At the moment, although your story is much improved, its still a but cluttered. Could you have a little less detail? I love this story, but its impossible to read everything!

KUTGW. :thup:

retired_amyslack

A counter-opinion - I think that the detail is what makes the story interesting. This is the great thing about CMS (sorry FMS). There are all sorts of different styles, each appealing to different readers. They key thing is that the author should write as he sees fit. As readers, no one forces us to follow any particular story and if one is not to our particular taste then we always have a choice. Having said that, a tad more formatting can always help readability but Andy has already said that he is after a narrative style and that is his choice to make. Anyway, I'm reading along and enjoying the content even if the presentation is less than optimal.

retired_confal2

Definitely no need to cut down on detail. My favourite stories are those which attempt something different, and display a real attempt at narrative fiction rather than the 'tables & results' approach. But as BobBev says above, that's just down to subjective preferences, and it's the variety of the styles that makes CMS/FMS such an interesting and lively forum...

retired_karamelkel

Bob and Dave sum up my general views as well. No need to change anything Andy, though a bit more formtting wouldn't hurt. I'm enjoying this story, it's one of the best on the board at the moment.