Part 122: Chapter the Fourth: Game in hand.

Chapter the Fourth: Game in hand.
November 1, 2021-November 28, 2021

The good news is that a couple weeks of bad play isn't enough to sink us. We're still alive in our group, though we only have one home game remaining, and we're still in the hunt for the league title and the Capital One Cup. The dreams of the Quadruple are not yet dead, even if they're not nearly as likely as optimistic supporters had whispered in late September.



Shirra has developed from “wonderkid” to “cultured midfielder.” They grow up so quickly. He just had his 21st birthday in late October, when I told him I'd take him out for his first beer he looked at me quizzically as if I had forgotten that he could already order a beer with dinner when he arrived at Wrexham as a 16 year old.



I probably wouldn't have put Bastable on the team of the week given how many easy goals he failed to score against West Brom, but he got himself into very dangerous positions repeatedly. O'Hanlon is the 19 year old product of our youth system, I bought him from Northern Ireland's Linfield for 100,000 smackers in March 2020. He's already a two star player for us with 3.5 star potential, he's going to become a solid rotation option for our defense.



Our long winless streak drops me from Untouchable to merely Very Secure. The board has very high expectations of me, they want to see at least a return to the FA Cup semifinal and for us to reach the knockout round of the Champions League. If they stay this ambitious I'll have to do the double just to make them happy in five years time.

At Schalke 04, November 2, 2021
Champions League, Group B


We get another shot at Schalke right away. There's some tired legs on the club, but we have only a match against Reading before the November international break, and winning this game is of paramount importance to our continental aspirations. It's time to deploy the 4-2-3-1 in a counter, meaning we're going to drop back further and use Mair as a midfield destroyer.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Counter
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Cirjak (c), Laux, Todd, Suslov, Mair, Petts, Nieddu, Shirra, Mujkic, Bastable.
Subs: El Sayed, Pejkovic, Feruga, Morvan, Julio, Matko, Aarts.

First, the good news. The counter attack has caught Schalke completely out. We're rampaging through their defense every time they venture forward and lose possession. The bad news, someone's nicked our finishing boots and replaced them with Jozy Altidores. Dimitri Nieddu's disgusted with himself after an easy miss five minutes into the game, and his expression is mirrored on my own face. Bastable has the announcers calling his duffed shot “awful” as the eleventh minute ticks by.

Given enough time, typewritters, and monkeys you'll eventually end up with a complete set of Shakespeare plays, though, and given far less time and opportunity we'll finally score. Thus it is when Nieddu finds Bastable on a perfectly timed run, the Schalke keeper comes off his line to try and stop Bastable, and Bastable runs right past him and taps his finish into the open net from a few feet away in the 18th minute. We can't add to that slim lead, our best chance coming five minutes later when Bastable can't get a free header on target, and we lose our imposing centerback Mattias Laux when he comes up lame after winning a tackle in first half stoppage time, but Schalke never learn how to deal with our defense. They repeatedly get suckered into defense and lose possession, finishing with a paltry two shots on target all day. We leave Germany with a win that keeps us on course to escape the group.

Man of the Match: Tonci Cirjak




Schalke 0-1 Wrexham



European competitions have different yellow and red card rules than the league. Mair picked up a third yellow in four games, the European refs don't seem to appreciate midfield destroyers. Last year Mair spent all season as a Ball-Winning Midfielder in the Premier League and picked up eight yellow cards in 24 matches, a pretty normal rate of cautions for someone with his job.



Our finances have stayed stable since the end of the transfer window, we're still £4.8m in the red but haven't seen it get any worse. If we make it out of the group stage we're due another tranche of £2.8m.

vs. Reading, November 6, 2021
Premier League


We're four points back of Arsenal coming into today, and currently Man United are five points up after a 5-0 mollywholloping of Southampton in the early game. Reading are in 6th, the schedule-makers seem to always want us to face teams when they're at their peak.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Cirjak (c), Todd, Feruga, Mejasic, Morvan, Julio, Matko, Nieddu, Mujkic, Aarts.
Subs: El Sayed, Pejkovic, O'Hanlon, Dixon, Petts, Shirra, Bastable.

The best signing of 2020-2021 continues to show AC Milan what they let walk for nothing in the 18th minute when he jinks past the last defender and wins his 1v1 with the keeper. It's Nieddu's fifth goal in nine Premier League games this season, to go along with three assists. We don't score again until late in the game, but Reading look like a lower league side compared to our sleek machine rather than a club that's a mere four points back of us. We complete our victory with two late goals, one from Aarts where he coolly places a Meteor rebound into the corner of the net and one from Todd, courtesy a professionally delivered free kick from Mujkic. It's a performance akin to our early form, and our fourth shutout in a row.

Man of the Match: Chris Todd




Wrexham 3-0 Reading



AJ_Impy is approaching the midpoint of his potential four year term. I guess you could call it a success, so far. Still no titles, unlike the two we won in the lower leagues with Sky Shadowing. I guess you could call the FA Cup impressive. As I did last year, I'll hold an election in January if AJ_Impy is defeated in his reelection efforts.



Good thing we're going on a two week international break.



And to make sure it's actually somewhat of a break, I make sure our players who are being called up for friendlies don't get run out there for full 90 minute matches. The two exceptions are O'Hanlon and Cardozo, both of whom are set to earn their first international caps. I can't ask them to only play half a game in their debut.



I've become a famous enough man about town that reporters are dialing me up to ask about players picked for the England squad, in this case the decision to include Southampton's striker. England has a good team, but they are very poor at striker and this guy is clearly their best option, so I don't understand the hullabaloo and say so.




I am the father figure to a mighty brood.



Giggsy's Back! I guess he found some other oligarch to back his purchase of the third most valuable club in the world.



: HAHAHA!



: How well do you think you'll do without your only two world class players?



: YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE! AYATOLLAH OF SCREW YOU OVER WINS AGAIN!!!



Stay healthy for at least a month, please. You've got all the talent in the world, I'd like to see you actually reach it.



Viva Shirra! European Golden Boy is one of the biggest awards one of your players can win. The awards are based upon a calendar year and take into account both international and club competitions, so Shirra's excellent performance last spring and his downright otherworldly start to this season at Wrexham combined with his improving performances for Scotland make him a real contender for the award. I would bet that we might see him and another player or two in the conversation for the World XI team, as well. They may only make the bench, but being picked for that is a huge honor.

At Watford, November 20, 2021
Premier League


Our next match is in France against Olympique Marseille and a win there sends us to the knockout round. Ergo I'm going to rotate out some of our starters to make sure they're 100% for that match. As such, our backups need to show me something. Watford are struggling deep in the table, if this isn't a win, I'm going to execute a coach and bathe in their blood while whispering eldritch verses to seek the favor of a new, unwholesome diety.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Pejkovic, Laux, O'Hanlon, Mejasic, Mair, Petts, Nieddu, Shirra, Cardozo, Bastable (c).
Subs: El Sayed, Cirjak, Todd, Morvan, Julio, Taborda, Aarts.

After he delivers two wonderful through balls that don't end up in the back of the net, Petts takes it on himself to score in the 19th minute, courtesy a fine assist by El Juez. He's followed by European Golden Boy nominee Scott Shirra, who slaloms through the Watford defense for a second goal just before thirty minutes have elapsed. We take a well deserved two goal advantage into the break, but when play restarts Watford has clearly found their mettle and test us sorely. The Golden Boy doesn't care much for that, and shuts them down with his second goal of the match, coming on a lovely little give and go move with the Bastard just before the hour. Petts wants a brace of his own, and lashes a long free kick into the the back of the goal himself just a minute later, and our offense is once again humming with brutal efficiency. The only slight disappointment to take is a very late goal by Watford that ends Kovacevic's shutout streak at over 300 minutes. We put on the type of magisterial performances the best clubs are supposed to put on when visiting their poor cousins even when using a rotated squad, and it was a delight to watch.

Man of the Match: Scott Shirra




Watford 1-4 Wrexham



We previously had Man City in the League Cup quarterfinal sandwiched between Arsenal and Man U league matches, now we just have Arsenal and Man City. I'll take it, even though it means we'll have at least eight matches in January.



Dick Petts and The Golden Boy combined for four goals, I didn't see any other midfield doing that.

vs. Olympique Marseille, November 24, 2021
Champions League, Group B


We win this match, and we have something like a 90% probability to advance. We lose, and qualification is wildly up in the air. Marseille needs to beat us, they still sit at just four points and if they lose they're not making it to the knockout round.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Cirjak (c), Laux, Todd, Suslov, Morvan, Petts, Nieddu, Shirra, Mujkic, Bastable.
Subs: El Sayed, Pejkovic, Furuga, Dixon, Julio, Taborda, Cardozo.

We seem to have gone from a team that starts quickly and then tapers off to one that struggles at first and then asserts itself. I'm not sure why that is, but it leads to Marseille having more possession through the first quarter hour. They do nothing with it, and it's our turn to show why we deserve a spot in the Round of 16. First comes a cultured finish from Petts off a Nieddu cross in the 18th minute. Then Nieddu adds a goal to his assist thanks to a killer ball from the Bastard to spring him at 32 minutes. When Todd scores from the near post at 40 minutes, we've score thrice on five shots. Our clinical finishing is a welcome change from not being able to hit the broad side of a barn in past matches.

Bastable has to wait until the 90th minute to punch one in for emphasis, but I'm not sure anyone was watching him. The crowd was too busy gleefully chanting about the knockout round as they saw the 3-1 Valencia victory over Schalke finalized and realized that we were moments away ourselves from the sixteen team knockout round.

Man of the Match: Chris Todd




Wrexham 4-0 Marseille



Seven years ago we were mired in a relegation fight in League Two and my job was under pressure. Now we're one of the final 16 teams in the Champions League. Our seeding for the knockout round will be determined by whether we can win an away match against Valencia in two weeks time, if we do finish atop the group we've got a chance of avoiding a megabastard and instead getting to play a good but not great club like PSV or Porto. If we finish second, it's almost certain that we're going to be up against one of the best teams in the world.



Oh, right, and the money. The money is always nice.

vs. Norwich City, November 27, 2021
Premier League


I was looking forward to this game, I didn't rate Norwich and expected them to be hovering near the relegation zone. Instead, they're 9th in the league, and they've beaten Manchester United twice this season. We're still the better side, but when will we get some minnows to stomp all over? Other than West Brom, who are still looking for their first win a third of the way through the season.

Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control
Starting 11: Kovacevic, Cirjak (c), Feruga, O'Hanlon, Mejasic, Mair, Julio, Matko, Petts, Taborda, Cardozo
Subs: El Sayed, Pejkovic, Laux, Morvan, Shirra, Mujkic, Aarts.

Welsh tiki-taka is in full bloom in the first half, and Norwich can't fire a single shot. We take the lead when a Norridge defender plays Matko's early cross directly to El Juez in the six yard box. It couldn't have been a more perfect assist if he'd been wearing red. They clamber back into the game thanks to converting their first shot at 52 minutes, when a corner kick deflected off the scrum in front of the near post and out to a waiting and unmarked Canary. We drop points for the first time in four games despite outshooting Norridge 4-1, and racking up 6 chances to their 1. Our inconsistency in front of the goal continues, and makes us pay once again.

Man of the Match: Woj Feruga




Wrexham 1-1 Norwich



As frustrating as our struggles have been- it seems like a long time since we've walked into a match I expected to lose and every game we don't win against anything short of a megabastard is now an outrage- we're still just three points back of the league lead and we've qualified with a game in hand from our Champion's League group. After going winless five straight games for the first time since the Championship days in 2018 we ripped off six straight wins, and over the last seven games we've outscored our opponents 17 to 2. We're going to need another few years before I can dream about going undefeated in every competition, but through four months of twice weekly matches we've proven that we have depth and can succeed in both the toughest national league for club football while advancing past top clubs in the Champions League as well.