Part 54: Chapter the Tenth: Flashing the cash.

Chapter the Tenth: Flashing the cash.
March 1, 2017-March 26, 2017



We only had two home games last month, which is why we lost some money. The good news is that we're drawing much bigger crowds than we had even at the start of the season. The last few games have seen 5,500 people coming out for regular League Two matches, whereas at the start of the season we had about 3,500 attendees. That makes a big difference in our bottom line. We also will get a nice shot in the arm from the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final late in the month, it'll be our second biggest crowd of the year after the Newcastle game.



I was worried this might happen. Todd has something like half of the premier league snooping around him, so naturally he's had his head turned. I'm not fully opposed to selling him but it would take at least a £5,000,000 transfer fee for me to agree to let him go.



Players who get their heads turned can become unhappy, and start doing things like skipping practice to try and force an exit from the team. You don't have to sell them, they're under contract after all, but it can become a huge headache and they'll refuse to re-sign with you, which can have big financial implications. You can mitigate this by making them promises, but they expect you to hold up your end of the bargain or they'll be even more upset than they were to start.

Players can also be completely crazy about wanting to move on to bigger clubs, I once had a guy want to leave my team after we had just won the Champion's League the previous season- the best possible competition a player can win outside of the World Cup- because Chelsea and Barcelona were interested in signing him as a backup. I mean, I know Halifax, England isn't the height of culture, but c'mon dude.

Todd is mollified by my promise for the time being. I do love that he says careers are short and thus he can't wait, the dude is only 17.

vs. Lincoln City, March 4, 2017
League Two


Gillingham and AFC Wimbledon are playing each other, the best result for us is a draw where each of them only gets a point but any outcome will be good for our title hopes. Lincoln, on the other hand, has a goal differential of -37 through just 36 games and are in last place. (Fun fact, only 6 teams in the league have a negative goal differential. The bottom three have been astonishingly bad, being outscored by a combined 92 goals over 108 games).



We need to take all three points from this game, but at the same time it's as much of a gimme as we have on the schedule. So of course I'm going to give a couple youth players a look and rest a lot of the first team for our next match against mid-table Plymouth Argyle. While this is decidedly not our best team, it still should be able to handle Lincoln.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack
Starting 11: Higgs, Thomas (c), Curran, Poole, Smissen, Jenkins, Cobb, Holt, Rainey, Netala, Spilsbury.
Subs: Al-Beloushi, Peters, Reid, Kadhim, Bailey, Price, Morgan.

We concede an easy goal in the 9th minute, and it's not the fault of the rookies. Our entire team plays lethargically in the first half, and my half time pep talk has to straddle the line of expressing my disappointment in strong terms while not crushing the young players on the field. It seems to work, we equalize shortly after play begins anew, and I make the order to swap out two of the rookies at the 60 minute mark. But ass Reid and Bailey warm up, we concede another goal, and when the match ends I've got egg on my face for fielding a weakened squad.

Worst Man of the Match: Daniel Thomas




Wrexham 1-2 Lincoln



Smissen's got the work rate, speed, and stamina to run up and down the field all game long, and playing a role in attack as well as defense. I'm comfortable having him do so, his last game aside he's been quite a good signing for us.



Yeah, don't worry buddy. You're not in my long term plans. I'm planning on releasing five players from our current team that will free up £5,850 a week, and I'm torn on whether to give Daniel Thomas a new contract. On the one hand, he's one of only three players left that I inherited when I took over the team. On the other hand, he's basically a backup at the League Two level, and we're probably getting promoted. On the third hand, he's still got a fair amount of potential, and is only 22. Whether he stays depends on what he's willing to take come the close season.

vs. Plymouth Argyle, March 7, 2017
League Two


I'm getting a lot more press conferences now as the title hunt heats up. By the time we're in the Premier League we'll be having one before and after every game. They can get repetitive, so if you get really bored with them you can delegate a manager with a “media friendly” personality to handle them for you, but I prefer to do them myself even though it means giving the same answers over and over. I imagine myself as Bill Belichick when I repeat for the thousandth time that I'm pleased with one of my players good performances.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter
Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Reid, Lewis, Smissen, Kadhim, Cobb, Bailey, Price, Mujkic, Harrison (c).
Subs: Al-Beloushi, Thomas, Todd, Jenkins, Franks, Netala, Baker.

The start of the game is all Wrexham, but it's Plymouth that scores with a corner against the run of play. Harrison has a look at the net that leaves the crowd puzzling at how he could could miss, but Price picks him up with a very nice bit of play off of an indirect free kick where he times his move past the defense perfectly. We take the lead off of another set piece after the break, this time a corner from which Lewis scores, and the board's confidence in our set pieces remains at zero percent. Price nabs his brace just before the hour mark, and I'm enjoying the match. I take out Mujkic and Harrison to keep them fresh for the Port Vale game a few days from now, and give Gavin Baker his debut, telling him there's no pressure. He proceeds to get hurt just before stoppage time, leaving us with ten men for the final two minutes. It's no problem, and we looked like a different team today than we had against Lincoln. Of course, we were a different team since only three players started both games.

Man of the Match: Tony Price




Wrexham 3-1 Plymouth



Gillingham drew and Wimbledon lost, so we're atop the table by two points again. Shrewsbury has bumped Wimbledon from third place and are now three points behind us.



Read's probably our best bet after Harrison to be with us for a long time. He was quite impressive in the first couple games he played for us last fall, but had slumped by the time Harrison returned from his injury. I sent him back down to the Youth team, but being a useful member of the senior squad as a 16 year old bodes well for his future.



Upson, on the other hand, is certainly talented but hasn't gotten a chance to play with the senior squad as he's our fourth option for our youth striker behind Read, Anthony Morgan, and the soon to be departed Anthony Hay. He's been fine at the U18 and U21 level, scoring 7 goals with 6 assists across 34 games, but it's a sign of how deep our youth system is at the position that he's almost an afterthought.



Holt's a youth player that I expected to have on the first team as a backup midfielder for part of the year. Instead he suffered a bad injury just before the start of the season and saw his place usurped by Neil Sinclair. Now that Sinclair was hurt he's my first choice for an offensive central midfielder, but he won't get into games if he can't stay healthy.



None of this interferes with my plans, though I really wish they'd cap my players so I could sell the ones I don't plan on using for more money.



Hey, it's Chuckles Nsangou. Tackleford looks like they'll avoid relegation, they're five points above the drop with eight games to play. We'll get to kick their asses next year!

At Port Vale, March 11, 2017
League Two


This is one of two tough matches left. Port Vale is in the hunt for promotion, they're just five points behind us, and we're playing in their house. I'd be happy with a draw, but a loss wouldn't be a shock. Given our remaining schedule I'm unconcerned if we do lose. We've got another week off after this game, so I'm able to play our best team without fitness concerns.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Defense
Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Reid, Lewis, Smissen, Kadhim, Cobb, Bailey, Netala, Mujkic, Harrison (c).
Subs: Al-Beloushi, Thomas, Todd, Jenkins, Price, Franks, Spilsbury.

The 14th minute sees us take a 1-0 lead when the own goal demon raises it's head again. Port Vale's centerback is in good position to deal with a cross from Netala, but accidentally slices it into his own net. Reid gives us some deserved offense off of yet another set piece goal (still at 0% confidence). Port Vale piles on pressure, but our defense plays well and we take the two-nil lead into the half. Mujkic is hurt in the 50th minute when he's clattered, and I really wish this game gave you information on how bad an injury was during the game rather than making you wonder how serious it is until after the match. Port Vale scores late, but we win. We've only got one tough match left in our league schedule, and we gain a point over our nearest competitors.

Man of the Match: Luke Reid




Port Vale 1-2 Wrexham



Not that bad an injury, but it'll keep him out for all but the last game or two of the season. He's had a successful first season with us, after his initial troubles settling in he's racked up six assists in the last twelve games, for a total of twelve assists in thirty-two games. It does mean that we're down both first choice wingers for the Johnstone's Paint Cup Trophy final, but with Price in good form and Netala having been decent all year it's not a huge concern.



Elections are coming up. Time to finish making backroom deals with the various members of the supporter's trust, [strike]Phil Bell[/strike] Disproportionation.



It's time to play my favorite game: “Find the awesome teenager playing for some local semi-pro team!”



I only sign four of our youth academy players, we've got a deep enough youth team now that having filler is a waste of wage budget, even at just £80 a week per player.



No! I'm going to be dropping the vast majority of our transfer budget on this kid if he deigns to sign with us, he's already very good and he's going to be awesome. But now his club, Falkirk, is wise to my designs on him.



I'm not joking when I say that I'm totally throwing my hat in the ring to coach the USMNT when they fail to make the World Cup for the first time in 25 years.

vs. Rochdale, March 18, 2017
League Two


League Two is very compressed, only five points separate the final playoff spot from thirteenth place. Rochdale thus has everything to play for with seven games remaining as they're just three points off a chance to go up to League One. They're going to have to go through us if they want to do that, and I have no intention on making it easy for them.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack
Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Reid, Poole, Smissen, Kadhim, Cobb, Bailey, Price, Netala, Harrison (c).
Subs: Al-Beloushi, Thomas, Lewis, Jenkins, Sinclair, Franks, Spilsbury.

We push Rochdale around from the start of the game, but a foul in a dangerous area by Smissen allows them to score from a free kick. The team responds from the moment of the next kickoff, with Harrison scoring exactly two minutes later after an impressive challenge by Cobb for the ball and a very nice piece of passing between Harrison and Netala to set up the goal. Another foul from the same dangerous spot on the left wing returns Rochdale to the lead, and we go into the locker room down one. It stays that way throughout the second half despite multiple opportunities to pull even. When Rochdale caps the day by scoring in the fifth minute of stoppage time it's almost a relief to be put out of our misery, except that it puts us in third place thanks to hurting our goal differential. How we can go from playing so well against Port Vale to playing so poorly against Rochdale is going to occupy my mind in the lead up to the next match.

Worst Man of the Match: Matthew Poole.




Wrexham 1-3 Rochdale



: It was like watching the worst of the old team's profligate habits. We're going to be spending a lot of time on the training pitch to nip that in the bud.



This means our youth fullback Ioan Peters is now backup, and presses Daniel Thomas into the starting role. Injuries are starting to take their toll just as we approach the finish line.



I've asked Kadhim to withdraw from his international team for this match, as we desperately need him at Defensive Mid for our Johnstone's Paint Trophy final. I've never tried this before, so I'm not sure how it'll work out. I'm guessing that there's a chance he refuses and gets angry at me, but we'll see. I also don't realize that Harrison is included in this group of players and forget to withdraw him from his team. He's back in time for the Trophy final, but at only 94% stamina. I'm dumb, and lucky that he's back in time for the game.



We got our man! It's by far my biggest transfer splurge since that first summer with Tackleford, and it nearly wipes out the transfer budget, but he's so very worth it. I've only found one other youth player that will sign with us that I consider worth signing, but if we can capture just one talent like Shirra each year we're going to be one of the best teams in the world in a decade from that source alone.



Johnston is our other signing, a very raw midfielder from Port Talbot in Wales.



Our pitch finally oozes into it's native state, a mud pit.

vs. Carlisle, March 21, 2017
League Two


Carlisle has dropped all the way to 19th, meaning that this should be a good chaser to the unpleasantness of the Rochdale match. We're only a point away from falling into the promotion playoffs and we've got four injured players and another two on international duty, so it's all hands on deck and damned fatigue.



And let me tell you, we're pretty fatigued.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack.
Starting 11: Higgs, Thomas, Reid, Lewis, Smissen, Kadhim, Cobb, Bailey, Price, Netala, Harrison (c).
Subs: Al-Beloushi, Ratcliffe, Poole, Jenkins, Franks, Spilsbury.

Carlisle is punchless, but so are we. We have a chance to take the lead on a penalty kick, but Tony Price makes like Jason Puncheon:



It turns out to be the only real chance at goal all game for either side. Worse, our physio's office gets even more crowded when Richard Cobb goes down in the 37th minute. We gain a point, and move up to second place, two off of late charging Shrewsbury, but it's time to call in the players for a little talk to get us back on track.

Man of the Match: Daniel Thomas




Wrexham 0-0 Carlisle




Well, that had absolutely zero effect.



Where's Nate Silver to tell me the probabilities of who'll win?!



23,000 is a bit less than I expected, but it's still going to be a good amount of cash as I believe we split the gate and concession haul.



Hey, maybe you're not such a bad politician after all. Congratulations. Congratulations to Mad Wack and AJ_Impy as well, both join the board of directors.



Poole has a Dribbling of 5 and a Technique of 7, we really don't want him holding the ball any longer than absolutely necessary.



Lots of first team playing time equals lots of improvement for most young players. Al-Beloushi is still probably a smidgen better than Higgs, but the difference is smaller now and Higgs still has a lot of room to grow whereas Al-Beloushi has more or less maxed out his skills.

Press Conference, 12:15pm
March 25, 2017
The Racecourse Grounds

: (With Great Respect) Gillingham's manager seems remarkably blasé about the importance of this match. Do you agree with him that it's no more important than any other?

: (Calmly) I think he's trying to convince himself that there's nothing riding on the match. I don't think it's working.

: (With Great Respect) You certainly seem confident, and I know you've proven in the past that you have every right to be, but is there a danger you're underestimating him?

: (Assertively) No, no. Gillingham will be a tough challenge. That said, I am confident that we can take home the hardware.

(With Great Respect): Will there be any changes to Wrexham's lineup before the match?

: (Calmly) We're going to have to look at the players fitness and performance in training before choosing who'll start. If you haven't noticed we've been run a bit ragged by injury.

: (Fawningly) This is a big match for Wrexham and the fans have high expectations, but you aren't nervous, are you?

: (Pedantically) I wouldn't be human if I wasn't at least a little nervous, but we've been in big games before.

: (With Great Respect): So can you tell us how you plan on playing tomorrow?

: (Slyly) I can't give away too much, but I think fans will be pleased with the style of football on display. We're going to show the whole country why we deserve to win the trophy.

: (Stentorianly) Coach? Dylan Edwards from BBC Radio Kent. You could make a real statement by going on the attack from the opening whistle. How will you approach this game?

: (Giving Side Eye) Didn't you hear what I just said about not giving away too much?

: (Huffily) I may have nodded off for a moment.

: (Laconically) I'm not discussing tactical plans at a press conference.

: (Probingly) Word is around town that Michael Coulson has been spotted in training for this match, is he available for the match?

: (Mendaciously) It's going to be touch and go right up to the kick-off, I couldn't say either way.

: (Quizzically) Hey, what is your relationship with Gillingham's manager like anyhow?

: (Bemusedly) We don't really have one, and it's not exactly relevant to the match. Any real questions? No? OK, see you guys tomorrow.



That was a disappointing set of games. Beating Port Vale was very good, but the draw with Carlisle and the loss to Lincoln makes it much harder to win the title this year. We're still in very good position to get automatic promotion, so don't get too worried about this slight slip in form. The next match will be in liveblog form at 1pm EST, today. It's time to start adding to our trophy collection.



BOARD VOTES

So that we don't have too many things to vote on at the end of the season, I'm going to put up a couple votes now. We've got a lot of cash in the bank, even with 105k for Shirra we've a balance of over £725,000. Finances are good, we're on pace to turn a profit of about £900,000 this year.

VOTE 1:

(Matter of Factly) We still need to add one more coach, a fitness coach, so that Craig Brown is not doing both strength and aerobics training. If we hire him our first team and U21 reserves will be fully staffed. It will cost about £300-£400 a week.

A) Get Mr. T on the line!
B) How hard could coaching 26 players in both strength training and aerobic exercise be? No.

VOTE 2:

(Calmly) We've improved our youth academy recruiting, but they're still arriving at the club woefully under-trained and thus will take longer and have a harder time meeting their potential. I would like to increase funding for junior coaching to remedy this problem.

A) Absolutely, there's no point in spending on the Youth Academy without making sure the players are coming to the club with as much training as possible.
B) No way, we already spend too much on our Academy, especially seeing as we haven't seen any fruits of that spending yet.

VOTE 3:

(Disdainfully) Norwich sucks as a parent club. They're not much of a draw for our friendlies- the last one drew fewer than 3,000 fans- and their players refuse to come play for us. They pay us a little shy of £40,000 a year, which would likely be matched or exceeded by whoever we replace them with. I would like to cancel the link with them and search for a new parent club.

A) To the devil with Norridge. Consider the call canceling our relationship made.
B) No, I'm sure that their players will come play for us when we're only one league below them.

Voting will close Monday at 10am EST.