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Using FM06. All leagues in Belgium, England, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, USA and Wales loaded.
Rather than visit Frank, decided to holiday for one season then took over Burscough, newly promoted to Conference North.
Season: 2006/7
Fans and Board: Battle against relegation.
Transfers in: 9 – including a couple signed before I arrived($2k)
Transfers out: 2 (0)
As expected, a weak team needing reinforcements with a shocking number of overpaid players over age 35 stretching the wage budget. Scout kept busy early finding two especially good players: a Steady DM and a young Balanced Striker. Started slowly and spent the first half of the season near the bottom. When the Balanced Striker went down, I thought all hope was lost but we picked up speed on the unexpected back of my young speedy Striker who seemingly could not kick a ball straight but suddenly went on a scoring rampage. With 6 matches remaining we found ourselves in 6th place, 1 point outside the playoffs. Two losses saw us fall to 7 points out but the team regrouped, winning 3 in a row. On the final match day we were again 1 point out of the playoffs but had to visit 7th place Nuneaton while 5th place Stafford had an easy home match against hapless, and already relegated Gainsborough. Still, with 70 minutes played we were heartened to see Gainsborough holding Stafford while we pressed hard for the all important goal. Alas, Stafford scored in the 75th minute and won 1-0 while we were held by Nuneaton, 0-0. Southport leapfrogged us and we finished an overachieving 7th. Cups sucked arse.
Conference North
Pld 42 W 18 D 10 L 14 F 58 A 42 G.D. +16 Pts 64
My Player of the Year: Speedy Striker (18 league goals).
Fans Player of the Year: Speedy Striker.
Season 2007/8
Fans and Board: Respectable league position.
Transfers in: 6 ($1k)
Transfers out: 10 (0)
Out went the overage deadweight, in came some youth on the wings. I knew what to expect as I’ve often experienced an overachieving season to be followed immediately by a tough season so I was not surprised when we took only 3 points from our first 8 matches. Still, to score only 3 goals over that stretch was tough to take. Fought hard over the next 12 matches to move up to 11th with the Board alternating between pleased and satisfied with my performance. Then, out of nowhere and for no apparent reason, suddenly I was sacked. Burscough’s new manager struggled initially but rallied the team, the team I built, to promotion via the playoffs.
Conference North
At time of sacking:
Pld 20 W 7 D 5 L 8 F 28 A 21 G.D. +7 Pts 26
Final:
Pld 42 W 17 D 12 L 13 F 65 A 48 G.D. +17 Pts 63
After 7 weeks unemployed was picked up by Tamworth who were sitting in the relegation zone. Not worth saying much other than we pushed up to 15th then had nearly everyone on the squad, including all of our keepers, go down to injury and we slid back into relegation. I re-signed in shame. After a horrible sophomore slump being sacked by one team and relegating another, I hoped for better next year.
I signed on with Conference South outfit Farnborough Town (who technically no longer exist having been reformed as Farnborough FC). One glance at the squad told me I had a lot of work ahead. The team was over the wage budget and had, I kid you not, 30 strikers on the roster – fortunately many with expiring contracts. Other areas of the team were pretty thin. There were a handful of good, solid young players though.
Fans and Board: Achieve a respectable position.
Transfers in: 9 ($100k)
Transfers out: 25 ($190k)
Had to sell a quick dribbling winger who was too good for the team so as to raise funds to fill the gaps. Scout failed me a bit as I ultimately got little for my money, however he redeemed himself when he found a quick midfielder who dribbled rings around the opposition. Team started well, struggled mid-season then gelled to make a late surge, looking unbeatable over the final 10 matches. Moved quickly towards the playoffs but 5th place Newport County surged also and we could not quite catch them, finishing 5 points back in 6th. Still, a good season that revealed a good, solid young core – particularly my Creative Striker and Composed Striker who formed a formidable pairing.
Conference South
Pld 42 W 17 D 13 L 12 F 53 A 39 G.D. +14 Pts 64
FA Cup: Lost in 1st round to Brighton 1-0
FA Trophy: Sucked arse
My Player of the Year: Composed Striker (14 league goals)
Fans Player of the Year: Creative Striker (10 league goals)
A Yank in Burscough - well briefly anyway 
Linear Mode
