If you register for free, you will be able to post threads, vote on polls and lots more. If you have problems with the registration or logging in, please contact the administrator.
Hello to all in LLaMa-land, been slowly working my way down the leagues so far with FM, and my latest, and hopefully greatest game sees me managing Havant & Waterlooville in the Conference South.
(FM2005, 5.0.2 87, English down to Conference N & S, Italian Serie A only, Spanish First Division only, Large DB ...yes)
04/05
Pre-season stats:
Balance: £55K in the red
Transfer Budget: Nil
Board Expectations: Rebuild the squad
Fans Expectations: Rebuild it some more
Anyway, a pre-season scouting trip brought up the names of 2 un-attached young defenders who I snapped up before any other clubs saw them, as they seemed a bit tasty for this division. I also grabbed 2 winger-types from League One clubs, because I could.
As it turned out, goalscoring was to be The Hawks' forté, largely thanks to a striker whom I was about to sell, before I brought him in to the team to help improve our mediocre start. This consisted of 3 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses, but the introduction of said striker and his partnership with a veteran striker of the league saw us rise steadily up the table.
At the same time as this spell, the cups began. The FA Cup qualifying rounds gave Havant a kind route to the first round, where a panicky Cambridge United side were soundly beaten 4-1 in wet conditions at Westleigh Park. To be fair, this didn't reflect the game as we caught Cambridge U chasing the game and scored twice in the last 3 minutes. Round 2 saw us at home again, as we played for an hour with a man advantage, but couldn't quite get the breakthrough, and it finished 0-0, with a Havant defender deciding to get sent off at the end too. The replay at Swindon, in front of only 500 more than the 4300 we managed to attract at Havant, was where our amount of games caught up with us, as we were calmly swept aside 3-1. I was very pleased though, even more when I saw what it had done to our bank balance.
The FA Trophy was a waste of time, as easy draws got us to a 3rd round against Tamworth. We lost a replay :groan: 2-1.
Back in the league, we climbed very steadily up to the top, until players got tired from playing so many games and, annoyingly, the Hawks finished 2nd to Hornchurch, but well clear of 3rd placed Newport. The first leg of the playoff semi, which is actually a quarter, was a 2-2 draw at home to Cambridge City, with all the goals coming in the last 10 minutes, and Havant losing the lead twice.
The away leg was perhaps asking too much, as it was the 56th game of the season. A meek 1-0 loss meant we stay in the Conference South. We can beat Cambridge United but we can't beat Cambridge City :thdn:
Still, the league campaign was a lot better than expectations, and a good cup run, means the season has to be seen as a success.
On a financial note, the wage bill was cut down well, with the players all too happy to accept cuts,a nd I finished the season £120K in the black :cool:
Post-season Summary:
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Conference South: 2nd Pl42 W23 D8 L11 F75 A49 Pts77Playoffs: Knocked Out in the Semi-finalFA Cup: 2nd Round ProperFA Trophy: 3rd Round </pre>
A combination of a high wage budget (due to last season's cup exploits) and the willingness of young players to sign for as little as £50-a-week just to get a contract meant that I eventually amassed a massive squad of 28, 12 of which were teenagers. Incidentally I used none of the £12K transfer budget.
This strength in depth helped what turned out to be an exceptionally successful league season, apart from the first day, as we lost 4-0 to Lewes. But after that, I managed Havant & Waterlooville to the Conference South title with 4 games to go, surpassing the expectations of a respectable position, and rejecting numerous dodgy-looking League One jobs along the way.
The cups were a non-event, apart from a 7-1 hiding of Eastwood in the FA Trophy, but that could only have helped the players. Although it didn't help the bank balance at all.
Summary:
Conference South - 1st: Won 26, Drew 7, Lost 9, 85 points
FA Cup - Lost in 2nd Quali. Round - 1-0 at () Merthyr Tydfil
FA Trophy - Lost in 3rd Round - 2-1 at home to Conference winners Morecambe
Average attendance - 676 (1296 last season :thdn
I now look forward to the Conference National, land of awards! title odds! televised fixtures! :cool:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Simpo:
I now look forward to the Conference National, land of awards! title odds! televised fixtures! :cool: <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
In my two seasons at Conference National level I have yet to see one of my matches picked for TV...
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Simpo:
I now look forward to the Conference National, land of awards! title odds! TV money! :cool: <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
This season has been one of absolute struggle in the Conference National. The first 8 games yielded just 1 point, and I started to regret selling an up-and-coming striker for £150K.
But, towards the end of the season, something magical happened. Everything started to click, wins started to come, and a 15 point gap to safety became 10, became 5... and this is where I am now.
4 games left, and 5 points away from staging the most miraculous comeback ever... and I get offered the Huddersfield job. They boast a near-£500k transfer budget and lots of wage budget still to be used, and are 3 points from League One safety with 5 games left.
I... can't... decide! Stay and maybe stage the comeback to rival Jesus himself, or move to the comforts of mid-league management and a nice big stadium. Help me choose!
(Whatever happens next will be tagged on to next season's update)
Summary thus far:
Conference National - 21st, Played 38, Won 7, Drawn 14, Lost 17 - 35 points
FA Cup - Lost in Round 2 - at Macclesfield (Conference) 3-0 (following a 2-0 win at L2 Wrexham)
FA Trophy - Lost in Quarter Final - 3-1 at Stevenage
Havant A Clue 
Linear Mode
