Part 18: Chapter the Fourth: Finding new ways to fail.
Chapter the Fourth: Finding new ways to fail.August 31, 2014-October 1, 2014
Begone, you cursed player! If this comes back to bites me in the ass I'm going to be quite irritated.
We've got several players out on loan so that they can get experience/not make a fuss. Of them only Milner is like as to stick with the team beyond this year, all of the other contracts are up and won't be getting renewed. Milner has made a fair amount of progress and will probably join the centerback rotation when his loan ends in 3 months.
Now that we're in the Skrill Premier we're limited by transfer windows, any players we buy after the deadline can't join the team until the start of the January window.
vs. Hyde, September 2, 2014
Skrill Premier
Hyde is the worst team in the Skrill Premier this season. We're playing at home. This should be a recipe for an easy victory. Instead we're stymied all game, and come away with just a draw. Our defense has been staunch this season, over the course of seven games we've conceded just five times and have four clean sheets to show for it. But our offense has been very inconsistent and this is the second time we have failed to find net so far this season, something that I don't believe occurred once during last year's promotion run.
Tackleford City 0-0 Hyde
Two of our scouts get the sack because I've found better replacements.
One of the new hires, Tony Wilcox is a 16/16 at Judging Ability and Potential, and also has 16's in two of the three important mental stats. Since he's only 29 years old he's likely to get even better at his job, and when his contract finishes in five years he'll likely have one or both scouting attributes at the maximum of 20. I generally find it's worthwhile to check once or twice a year for potential coaching/scouting upgrades, mutual terminations are pretty cheap at our level and the upgrade can be significant. For instance, he's replacing an 11/10 scout and the other guy is not only a 13/13 replacing a 12/10 but also is Dutch and will finally give us knowledge of players outside of the UK and Ireland.
Aww, isn't that nice of him. I'm glad he has no hard feelings.
Argh! I didn't realize when I edited the club's finances to make us non-rich that the club would refuse to sign new staff. I was able to offer new contracts to current coaches and scouts no problem, but I guess adding new ones will be a problem if I can't convince the board to give me more positions.
We can hire more scouts, but fail at increasing the number of coaches. It's fine for the moment, we have enough coaches to cover both youth and first team training, but this could get annoying in the spring. It's like pulling teeth with these penny pinchers.
Oh, thanks guys. You allowed me one more scout. Awesome. Now instead of having two new very good scouts and getting rid of deadweight, we just have two fewer scouts. All while we still have £4 million in the bank. I'll have to fire another scout and make sure to sign Wilcox, at least.
At Kidderminster, September 6, 2014
Skrill North
What was that I said about having a good defense? Because we sure didn't here. We allowed a goal in the first 20 seconds, and then another later in the first half before pulling one back before halftime. I gave the lads the old hairdryer treatment in the locker room at halftime, but it didn't take and we are now winless in our last five matches.
Kidderminster 2-1 Tackleford City
One thing is certain, our old controlling style of play is just not working. I'm switching us towards a more defensive format now that we have some faster wide players and strikers, looking to keep the opponent from scoring and aiming to win games on the counter and setting the old possession tactic to an attacking one for when we have to chase goals.
vs. Aldershot Town, September 9, 2014
Skrill North
We play our 4-5-1 in this match, and the difference is evident. The only disappointing part of this win was that we converted just one of our many, many chances. On the other hand, it did feature this absolute howler of an own goal by Aldershot's Joe Burke: http://youtu.be/HkcgppHoPvY?t=7s. I'm not sure who the Aldershot manager will be more upset with, Burke or the keeper who just watched it float by into the net.
Tackleford City 2-0 Aldershot
Oh come on, this isn't realistic. Qatar is saving all their money so they can buy the refs in 2022, not so they can win meaningless friendlies in 2014.
Changing our control tactic has resulted in a slight decrease in familiarity with the tactic as the players get used to a more attacking mentality.
At Gateshead, September 13, 2014
Skrill Premier
We take the lead after 12 minutes when Hatton hits an absolute rocket off the crossbar from 20 meters that ricochets down onto the sprawled Gateshead keeper and bounces into the net. He doesn't get credit for the goal, but picks up his first of the season in the second half after smoothly converting a penalty later in the half. We have less than 40% possession, but that doesn't matter when you take home all of the points.
Gateshead 1-4 Tackleford City
vs. Cambridge United, September 19, 2014
Skrill North
We are creating much better chances now. Rather than letting our opponents bunker in front of the goal and then launch attacks behind our defensive lines we're drawing them out far more which gives our attacking players space to work in. The Lads take a lead in the 15th minute, and while things get a bit hairy after Cambridge pulls to within one in the 90th minute we take what was in essence a textbook victory.
Tackleford City 4-2 Cambridge United
Despite our recent hot streak we've only gained two spots in the standings. The club sits three back from the league leaders, a Wycombe team that has overcome its early jitters to start playing like the higher division club it is.
If you have a scout assigned to check out your next opposition you'll get information about them a couple days before each fixture. I've had us focusing on offense when we're at home and defense when away; beyond that it's useful to see the form your opposition is in and if they have any particular weaknesses.
At Hereford, September 23, 2014
Skrill Premier
We're forced to play some of our youth players as injuries and fixture congestion are starting to take their toll. We play good defense in the first half, but we don't create any real chances ourself, leading to a pep talk where I have to simultaneously cuss out the players while bucking up their self-confidence. The pep talk goes well, but we can't push one across. We do keep them from scoring, and walk out of a tougher than expected match with a draw. Even better, one of our top youth players, the barely legal Martin Grainger, earns player of the match for stout as hell defense.
Hereford 0-0 Tackleford City
I don't make my fixture congestion issues any easier when I fail to make sure my backups aren't playing reserve games to keep their fitness up on the same day that I need them for the first team. This is one of many reasons why you shouldn't play this game after having a couple beers. There's simply too much to pay attention to after a long day of work and a couple-three double IPAs.
vs. Morcambe, September 27, 2014
Skrill Premier
Morecambe beat us in a preseason friendly 2-1. It was the one friendly that we were favored to win. Beating them would be a nice little piece of revenge, and more important hurt one of our competitors for promotion. Unfortunately, my players seem as tipsy as I am in the first half, and are down 2-0 by the time the whistle blows to signal an end to the half. We force our way back into the game early in the second half off of a brilliant set piece goal by Coulson, and miss an equalizer by mere inches after a free kick from just outside the area after the opposition keeper handles the ball outside of the box. We leave ourselves open to a counter-attack immediately afterward, and what could have been a tie game turns back into a two goal deficit. The Lad's aren't ready to give up the fight yet, however, and Duchamps pulls us back within one in the 70th minute off of a wicked volley from the edge of the area. Just minutes late the subbed on Bobby Oriogun pulls us level off of a perfect cross by Coulson. Even after all those heroics, though, we lose when Morcambe's Michael Ryan knocks a brilliant shot in from 25 yards out in the 90th minute. It's a crushing defeat given how hard we fought to tie the game.
Tackleford City 3-4 Morcambe
I tell the boys that they were unlucky, but pull the defense aside to give them a tongue lashing for letting the team down. Hopefully their response shows in the next few games, we're stuck in the mid-table right now and while there's still 75% of the season to be played I dislike being outside of the promotion playoffs.
Tommy Bent, our 3.5 star attacking coach, is going to get his book learnin' on. Coaching classes will improve your coaches talents, if they pass. I'm not positive of which criteria are used for determining whether they pass or not, but I'd wager a 2009 price bitcoin that it involves determination, discipline, and motivation. Generally these are good for your team, the worst that happens is you waste a trivial amount of money and if your coaches succeed they get more skilled.
At Forest Green, September 30, 2014
Skrill North
This is another match against a team we're fighting for promotion, and we get a huge advantage early when their defensive midfielder is sent off after going in studs up on Simon O'Donnell after less than five minutes. I switch immediately from a counter-attacking strategy to an offensive one, and we control play early but are unable to put one in. Our captain, Jim McCarron, has to come off after half an hour due to injury, leaving 16 year old Kris Clough as our field marshall, and midway through we're still knotted at zero despite multiple chances to go ahead. We concede in the 56th minute, which is frankly unacceptable when you're playing 11 on 10, and I throw everything forward to attack. It makes no difference. We give up a penalty in the 89th minute, but by then our chances were already long faded. Despite playing a man up for 85 minutes of regular time we lose, and I am somewhere between a screaming ball of rage and a weeping husk of a man.
Forest Green 2-0 Tackleford City
“Coach, you just lost a game where your team only gave up a single half chance and had a clear cut chance and five half chances of your own, how do you feel?”
I suppose I shouldn't have lowered the owners patience to 5, huh? Well, 10 points in 5 games, that should be doable. All it takes is three wins and a draw, or... shit. At least three wins and a draw.
Well. I had a big long thing written here after the last game about how I was going to work harder to figure out what we were doing wrong. I just got my legs cut out from under me. Time to put up or show up.
