Part 64: Chapter the Sixth: A very Wrexham Christmas.
Chapter the Sixth: A very Wrexham Christmas.December 5, 2017-January 1, 2018
♫I saw Mommy
I spend some time talking with the players privately, giving them an atta-boy or a you-can-do-it or a get-your-act-together as needed. The chats all go well.
I believe, but I'm not certain, that the game is set up so that younger players are more likely to hold you in high regard (if you're not a jerk to them). I'd guess that's because they start with no or few “favored” players or staff, so the game looks to start relationships at their current team. I would also wager that giving them chances to play in the first team also helps.
The good relationships are important, they make it easier to motivate the player, easier to get them to accept reduced roles and new contracts, and allow you to criticize the player without immediately angering them.
It also doesn't hurt me that I usually focus on building up players confidence, the only times I ever get really cross with players is at halftime and if we blow an important game. I also don't irrationally attack any players, if they played well in a losing effort I won't tell them that they stunk. This seems like common sense, but there it is.
Don't worry that your relationship is ruined forever if you happen to piss them off at some point, either, they'll usually come around over time. Luke Reid went from being really pissed off at me for the first half year he played for us to loving me by the end of it. Then he went right back to hating me when I started shopping him around, which is why I took the first offer that came for him.
I also set up some tutoring links, Bailey is the perfect tutor for Shirra, who will eventually take his place when Bailey stops being amazing.
Coulson is the second oldest player on the team, so clearly he should also be mentoring someone. I haven't been doing a very good job on creating these links, other than Reid and Todd I can't recall having done it previously. It doesn't help that we don't have many older players on the club, our average age halfway into the season is 22 and a half.
All of them have been at least as good in League One as they were in League Two. Bailey continues to amaze me, I can't believe I almost let him go after our first season and only brought him back when he failed to latch on with any team and he agreed to a pay cut. We might still be in League Two if I hadn't been given the opportunity to correct that mistake.
The physio suggests a week or two off for all of them, and our next match isn't for eight days, so it's time for EURODISNEY TWO: THE MOUSETRAP.
Next year's World Cup draw occurs, and the US is in a group where they have a chance of advancing, if not a great one.
England is certain to advance.
Wales has as kind a draw as they could have hoped for. Egypt is good, but not great, and the same goes for Croatia. Iran is going to be lucky to not lose three times.
France, Russia, Argentina, and Spain are all destined to advance.
Uruguay and England as well, but Group E is certainly a grupo de la muerte. Chile, Germany, and Italy are all great teams, while South Korea is a solid mid-level international competitor who could easily play spoiler even if they're unlikely to advance.
Brazil is definitely advancing. Group G will see our very own Meteor Mujkic on the biggest stage in the sport, it's not impossible for Australia to advance if they can get lucky. Wales, as mentioned, can advance. The big surprise in this is who didn't qualify. No Netherlands. No Belgium. They were the runner ups at the last two World Cups and lost out in qualifying to the likes of Ireland, Wales, and Norway.
SkyShadowing's opponents should start making more of the hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling on mysterious expenses and salaries to people who've never been seen around the stadium.
Previously:
South Pole, Antarctica:
: Nothing could have survived that explosion in Disney's secret antarctic lair.
: Don't say that, Captain! In the movies whenever someone says that something most definitely did survive!
: Oh, Bailey, you nut. This is real life, not a movie. C'mon mates, we've got a football game to go win!
The End...
OR IS IT?!
(A charred, hulking, rat-like form rises from the still waters of the antarctic)
: I LIVE.vs. Rochdale, December 13, 2017
Johnstone's Paint Trophy, North Semifinals
This is our only remaining non-league competition, so now I actually want to win this match. That's especially the case as I'm fixing to get promoted and if we are this will be our last crack at the trophy. Rochdale has been a bugbear of ours, we've played them four times, and never won. Our three losses in those four games means that they're one of the teams we have the worst record against. It's time to set that right.
Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack
Starting 11: Higgs, Thomas, Lewis, Curran, Smissen, Simpson (c), Holland, Bailey, Coulson, Mujkic, Harrison.
Subs: Peters, Todd, Harper, Gorman, Price.
After an early goal by Harrison I'm hoping that we can just stomp Rochdale and I can relax for the rest of the match. It's not to be. Rochdale equalizes, and then takes the lead before the end of the first half. We show no gumption, and despite having nearly twice as many shots don't create as many scoring opportunities. We're now down to just league games, and it's not even Christmas. Look on the bright side, at least there won't be bad fixture congestion in January now.
Wrexham 1-2 Rochdale
We're positively spendthrift compared to Shrewsbury, who clock in at just under £1.2m salary a year, by far the lowest amount in the league.
I have never seen that Relationship before. Does he tremble when I walk into the room? Go to church but secretly whisper my name when everyone else is saying Lord?
At Shrewsbury, December 16, 2017
League One
Our fellow promotees are performing well above expectations this season. Predicted to be in a relegation fight they're currently sitting just a couple points from the promotion playoffs. It's not going to be an easy match, especially given our inconsistency these last few months.
They are starting this poor seventeen year old as their keeper, though, so I'm going to ask the players to just get as many shots on target as possible since I don't think he has a prayer of stopping any of them except by sheer luck.
Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter
Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Todd, Poole, Harper, Simpson (c), Holland, Bailey, Price, Mujkic, Harrison.
Subs: Taylor, Smissen, Curran, Rainey, Shirra, Gorman, Coulson.
Guys, we can't take advantage of that kid keeper if we don't get shots on goal. We spend the first half not getting a single shot on target, while we're lucky that Shrewsbury is similarly inept in front of our goal. Bailey finally puts us ahead when Shrewsbury does an awful job of defending a Price free kick, and we're ahead by two when a defender seems to think he's in front of our goal and heads in a Mujkic cross. Shrewsbury manages to find a goal of their own in the 90th minute, but thanks to the awful mistake by Shrewsbury's Gabin Nguelet-Foe we win the match.
Man of the Match: Justin Bailey
Shrewsbury 1-2 Wrexham
Price hasn't been that good this season, I probably shouldn't have re-signed him.
Nothing like negotiating with an impatient agent who already doesn't like you. We barely get an agreement on a contract extension for Rainey.
Sure, why the heck not. If he ever scores on one, I'll post the video.
Holland, Simpson, Harper, and Rainey get new contracts, to go along with Curran's earlier this year. It they increase our weekly wage bill by £2000, leaving us £9000 under the cap. Merry Christmas, lads. Now buy your coach a beer.
At Bradford, December 23, 2017
League One
A showdown against another promoted team, Bradford is also doing well in League One. They moved up to 10th place when we beat Shrewsbury. We need to keep winning to not fall further behind the automatic promotion spots, as Bournemouth and Sunderland are having both brilliant seasons right now and have a very real shot at a 100 point season. We're on an 82 point pace, which would be one fewer than the number that last year won League Two, and we're still behind them by six points.
Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack
Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Poole, Lewis, Smissen, Simpson (c), Holland, Bailey, Coulson, Mujkic, Harrison.
Subs: Taylor, Peters, Todd, Harper, Shirra, Rainey, Read.
Prior to the match I edited the tactics a touch. I added an instruction to play a pressing game to our attacking tactic while dropping the look for overlap order. This should mean we're less willing to wait for our opponents to come to us while at the same time not requiring our fullbacks to make as many forward runs. I decide to see if we can't sneak an early goal by going on the offensive from the outset, and we catch Bradford entirely by surprise. William Harrison has a goal disallowed for offsides (he was) but then scores one that counts ten minutes later. Bradford finally get themselves settled down, and I switch us over to our counter tactic, which I've also changed to emphasize tighter marking and a higher tempo of play. That switch pays off when Coulson scores on an amazing run where he beats the entire Bradford defense back before a lovely narrow angle goal. Bradford can't make anything happen until late in the game, when Danny Higgs makes two remarkable saves to preserve the clean sheet and more importantly the win.
Man of the Match: Danny Higgs.
Bradford 0-2 Wrexham
I'll throw my support behind whoever builds me a new youth training facility and promises to embezzle less than 15% of our yearly turnover.
Higgs has improved dramatically over the last six months. He's now better than Al-Beloushi, and still improving.
vs. Notts County, December 26, 2017
League One
The big game of the day is Bournemouth playing at Sunderland. One way or another one of the league leaders is going to drop points. We need to take advantage of this opportunity to pull ourselves closer to their clique.
Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack.
Starting 11: Higgs, Peters, Todd, Curran, Smissen, Harper, Simpson (c), Holland, Gorman, Mujkic, Harrison.
Subs: Taylor, Tench, Lewish, Holt, Shirra, Rainey, Coulson.
This game is never close. We allow Notts Co. just four shots all game, and only one is on target. Meanwhile it's all they can do to keep us from scoring at will. Mujkic is the best player on the field, repeatedly skinning his defender and leaving them for dead while launching perfect balls to our waiting attackers. He earns an assist from a corner kick when he finds Stuart Simpson attacking and unmarked in the 29th minute, and adds a goal of his own from point blank range tapping in a Rainey cross after the Notts Co. defense had come completely undone.
Man of the Match: Meteor Mujkic
Wrexham 2-0 Notts Co.
It's four days to the transfer window. Four days until I could find a buyer or at least a someone to take this poor, cursed man on loan.
No one important is coming up for renewal. I'll try to move Price when he's healthy again, and Fox is no longer needed now that Taylor is healthy. We do have a lot of staff contracts coming up, I'll probably wait to sort them out near season's end.
vs Coventry City, December 30, 2017
League One
We're running a little ragged on the edges due to fixture congestion, hence the youngun's in the lineup below. Coventry has been dire during the campaign so far, and if the season ended today would find themselves relegated. We did blow it against Oldham, who are still parked in last place, so I don't want to guarantee victory, but we really should be winning. If we win and Bournemouth loses, we move into second.
Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack
Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Poole, Lewis, Thomas, Harper, Shirra, Bailey, Coulson, Upson, Harrison (c).
Subs: Taylor, Peters, Curran, Simpson, Holt, Rainey, Read.
It's a back and forth first half that leaves me with my heart in my throat, and that ends with four goals split evenly between the two teams. I tell Bailey to get out there and win us this game for us, and he responds with an immediate free kick goal to put us ahead three-two. The second half of the game is just as exciting as the first, but we're able to get away with the win because Coventry didn't bring their finishing boots. We're scoring a ton of goals, but are not looking so strong at the back.
Man of the Match: Justin Bailey
Wrexham 3-2 Coventry
And on the same day he scored his first goal. Too bad.
Eh, Holland can play there in a pinch. But Simpson getting hurt would be a problem. We've got enough central midfielders to cover those two positions, but only three people with any familiarity at defensive mid.
Up Davies! Up Wales!
He's building a pretty nifty little trophy cabinet. This is just what he's won:
x15 Man of the Match
x10 Team of the Week
x1 Player of the Month
x2 Wrexham Best 11
x1 Wrexham Player of the Year
x1 League Team of the Year
x1 Goal of Month
x1 Goal of the Season
He also holds the League Two and FA Cup single season records for Assists. Granted, all those records were reset when the game started, but it's still impressive.
I have to be a frontrunner for Manager of the Year again, we're a full 10 spots above where we were predicted to finish.
Back to untouchable. I am the greatest manager of all time. Tell me I'm wrong, Sir Alex, just try!
vs. Crawley Town, January 1, 2018
League One
Both Wrexham and Crawley are on four game winning streaks, so at least one of those streaks are ending. We've pushed our way into second place, and I want to end this update there, it's a fantastic achievement for our team. I believed that we would be in striking distance of the promotion playoffs at this point in the season, somewhere between eighth and twelfth on the table. We're doing far better than I expected.
Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack
Starting 11: Higgs, Peters, Todd, Curran, Smissen, Simpson (c), Holland, Bailey, Rainey, Mujkic, Harrison.
Subs: Taylor, Tench, Lewis, Gorman, Holt, Read, Coulson.
Todd opens the scoring at 37 seconds in. Harrison scores in the 25th minute, and I'm ready for another easy victory. Crawley won't be put away that easily, though, and they pull back a goal in 1st half stoppage time. Despite my admonitions to stay focused because the match is still anyones game, we give up another goal ten minutes after the start of the second half. It's a nervy final half hour, but we walk away with all three points thanks to a 86th minute winner from Harrison, his second of the match. Once again, our scoring is elite, and our defense leaves something to be desired.
Man of the Match: Billy “the Kid” Harrison.
Wrexham 2-1 Crawley
I'm tempted to push the boat out to try and get promoted this season, but I'll have to see who's available.
At the halfway point in the season I couldn't ask for a better performance. We're on pace for a 91 point season, that's crazy considering we just got promoted. And I don't see why we would get worse as the season goes on, our average age is so damned young. We won't even have to deal with fixture congestion from cup matches because of our pathetic performances in them earlier this year, so we'll have well rested players. Next up, though, a team inventory.
I've also chosen the presidential candidates: Kingal, Tarbrush, and Jaguars! and Zeroisanumber are the candidates. DOOP and AJ_Impy were basically level for the last spot, but I gotta go with the buttfumble. Man that was hilarious.
