retired_nanciep

Halfway through the third season (first seasonin Division One). Falkirk is running away with the division, up by about 8 points over the second place team. East Stirling has continued doing well enough in the cups to keep the money flowing, we were especially lucky to have an away game against a premiership side. Our half of the gate reciepts for this one game is more than we brought in all last season.
My squad full of youngsters are maturing enough and have played enough games they are finally beginning to sort themselves out. I may be able to confidently get rid of a couple by the end of the season. We currently lie third 10 points back of Falkirk who we have never beaten which really upsets the board since they are derby games. I really need to look carefully at a map of whatever country I'm managing in (or at least read the location of the stadium I play in).
Davy

retired_nanciep

Exciting news for East Stirling! Falkirk has just sold their two top players and their manager was hired away by a second division english side. They lost the next two games so all the rest of the Division One teams (including East Stirling) are having a celebratory party. East Stirling is suppling the ale. All are invited.
Davy

KingsbayYHPE

KUTGW!! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] in Falkirk, Davy.

retired_nanciep

East Stirling managed to win the First Division and have good enough cup runs to keep a healthy bank balance. All of the success this season was a result of the incredible luck the very first season in having the right scout to allow us to fill the squad, and I do mean fill, with some extraordinary youth players who are now old enough to be making some substantial contributions. Almost the entire back line is composed now of youth players signed that first season.
So we are looking forward to a season in the premier league even though we are still semi-professional. I know that my players values would jump significantly if we were a pro team but I wish I had some way of knowing how much so I could compare their values with some of the players my scouts are finding. It seems very strange that a player is worth more just because the team is pro vs semi-pro but that's the way it works.
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> ************************************************** ********************************************** Scottish First Division - Saturday 8th May 2004********************************************** ************************************************** ================================================== ============================================== 2003/4 Table============================================= ================================================== =Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st C East Stirling 36 16 1 1 44 17 9 3 6 27 26 79 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd Falkirk 36 13 4 1 34 11 9 4 5 36 29 74 3rd Ross County 36 10 3 5 37 23 5 6 7 30 37 54 4th Ayr 36 8 4 6 35 30 5 6 7 27 31 49 5th Kilmarnock 36 9 5 4 32 25 4 4 10 24 35 48 6th Raith Rovers 36 9 7 2 30 23 2 3 13 20 39 43 7th Clyde 36 8 5 5 32 23 3 4 11 23 32 42 8th Partick Thistle 36 9 3 6 35 27 3 3 12 23 38 42 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9th R Inverness C. Thistle 36 6 7 5 29 28 2 6 10 15 27 37 10th R Alloa 36 5 5 8 23 30 1 5 12 12 37 28 </pre>

retired_amberger

I'm afraid to say I don't think East Stirling will ever become Professional. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif" alt="frown[/IMG] I don't think anyone on here has experience of a Scottish club changing status, and the general consensus is that is doesn't happen.

As for your player values, they will increase as your club's reputation increases. Probably qualifying for Europe would be the best way to do this, but it can take a long time for your players to be worth as much as some of the bigger Scottish clubs.

Good luck anyway mate, you'll need it! You'll soon find out why at the end of the season... [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG]

retired_nanciep

Ah the joys of being in the premiership with a newly expanded stadium! We are so far in debt 8 million pounds or so, that the interest on the debt each month is greater than the total wage bill of the club (about twice as much to be more precise). In addition, the interest payments are greater than our monthly gate receipts. This means of course not a penny available for new players and my wee calculator says that if I sold the entire 50 person squad for what they are worth I would still be in debt, so selling players is not a way out. About the only possible salvation I can see is to win enough cup games so that I can whittle down the principal somewhat by the end of the year.
On the field, after 12 games we are sitting eighth with 5 wins, 5 losses and two ties but are still alive in both cups. As December nears and we reach the magic six months before contracts expire I am spending huge amounts of time on my shortlist making sure every player who might become eligible to sign will really be able to contribute. There are about 10 players left on my shortlist who might come to us and I'm now on my third round of scouting them and trying to find time to get away and see some of their games.
Davy

retired_mj_ducky

Well done for getting in the SPL, this is where i kinda messed up with Peterhead. I spent sometime like 8/9 seasons in the SPL. Getting into the UEFA cup twice and winning a cup were my only achievements [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif" alt="frown[/IMG]

KUTGW!

retired_nanciep

We managed to survive our first season in the Scottish Premier League in good fashion. Finished third overall behind Rangers and Dundee. Rangers won the league before we even got close to the final five playoff games but East Stirling had a chance for second place if we had managed to beat Dundee at home in the final game. But it wasn't to be. I was pleasantly surprised by the 500,000 pound prize for finishing third. That plus all the prize money and gate reciepts we racked up with our successful campaign to win the Scottish League Cup (beat Motherwell in the final on penalties, they only made two shots on target and one was saved - amazing).
The highlight of the year was beating Rangers away in the Scottish League Cup quarter finals. Rangers mainly played their reserves and one came through for East Stirling by scoring an own goal!
We went the entire season without a penny for transfer or signing on fees due to the 8.5 million pound debt for stdium expansion. We managed to cut the debt by 2 million pounds but at this rate it will be three more years with no money for new players. The interest on the debt was higher than our wage bill for the year.
Two of our first year youth signings have matured into Under 21 Internationals, one for Scotland and one with dual Scottish/Polish nationality for Poland.
Davy

retired_google

East Stirling for Scotland's Third Force! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif" alt="wink[/IMG] [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG]

retired_nanciep

East Stirling 05-06
The boards goals were Cup success and avoid relegation. Exactly what I was planning on. This should really be the year to weed out some of the dead wood and look for some better players, but with no money and a 4 million pound debt they will have to be bosman signings.
Our Uefa Cup experience netted us quite a bit of money and East Stirling made it to the quarter finals where we were eliminated by Leverkuesen 4-2. The League Cup was East Stirlings for the second year in a row, and in the Scottish Cup we made it to the finals where we were to face Celtic.
Rangers ran away with the League again and itlooked like another third place finish for
East Stirling until Celtic began to falter. Their star striker was out for two m
onths. We entered the last game of the season 2 points up on Celtic wo we were to play away in Glasgow. But there striker was still out. A 2-1 win neted us second place in the league and gave us a lot of confidence for the Cup final again against Celtic but on neutral ground. Even though he was at 89% and not really fit to play, Celtic played their star striker against us in the Final and though he didn't score he played brilliantly and set up one of the goals. Celtic won the Scottish Cup 2-1.
We have six bosman signings coming in at the end of the season, four of whom are better than anyone we have in their positions so if the mesh well with the existing players the club should definately be improved next season and the debt should be cleared with the TV money at the start of the season.
Davy

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> ************************************************** ********************************************** Scottish Premier Division - Monday 5th June 2006********************************************** ************************************************** ================================================== ============================================== 2005/6 Table============================================= ================================================== =Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st C Rangers 38 15 2 1 43 14 11 3 6 38 25 83 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2nd East Stirling 38 12 5 1 37 22 9 5 6 37 34 73 3rd Celtic 38 13 5 2 51 14 7 3 8 32 32 68 4th Aberdeen 38 11 5 3 41 24 7 2 10 32 38 61 5th Hibs 38 12 4 3 34 21 2 6 11 25 42 52 6th Hearts 38 9 6 4 29 25 3 7 9 13 26 49 7th Dundee Utd 38 10 2 7 32 31 6 5 8 27 32 55 8th Falkirk 38 9 5 5 38 30 4 5 10 21 37 49 9th Dundee 38 8 2 9 36 31 4 3 12 23 34 41 10th St. Mirren 38 9 4 6 32 25 1 6 12 21 38 40 11th Livingston 38 6 4 10 26 36 3 2 13 20 42 33 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12th R Motherwell 38 6 6 7 33 35 1 3 15 19 52 30 </pre>