Part 76: Chapter the Third: Wherein I have to pull us out of a tailspin.

Chapter the Third: Wherein I have to pull us out of a tailspin.
September 2, 2018-October 10, 2018

We don't have a game for two weeks thanks to the international break. I should have checked to see if any players on the team needed a vacation, but forgot to do so. When we have no matches for a one or two week stretch due to breaks for international games it's a good idea to see if anyone on your team needs a rest.




Here's our current first team. You can see that we've got a lot of potential, but only Mujkic and Todd have four or more stars. We have a lot of three and a half star players, which is very good, and only five players aren't at least two and a half stars. That consistent level of talent allows me to rotate players in and out of the squad as needed, and means that beyond an injury to Mujkic we shouldn't suffer much if someone misses time.

Also, note the player's happiness. This is different from morale, and has an effect upon it. Our Italian loanee is grumpy about being loaned to us, while our Italian signing is finding Tedesco's presence helpful in settling in. Likewise, Djurovic and Vaillant are happy that they have people who speak the same language as them, making them less lonely. This is something you need to pay attention to when you start bringing in foreign players, if they don't feel comfortable at the club they can get homesick and take a long time to start playing well. Just ask how Spurs are enjoying the Erik Lamela show in real life.



Our under-18 squad has been restocked, and we're starting to bring in some good players through our youth academy. Walley should be ready for some first team time soon, and Newman isn't that far behind.



Lewis is happy again. No automatic raises in his contract, and we've got him for two more years after this one.



He was uninjured for a whole six months! He should stop playing football before he kills himself.



Bailey makes his first appearance of the year in the team of the week. He wasn't playing well the first month, but seems to be getting back on track.



He's right to complain, Tedesco hasn't been getting much time. But I'll try and assuage him without promising to play Tedesco.



I'm very persuasive.



Congratulations, Mr. Todd.



And to you, Mr. Harrison.



I probably shouldn't have accepted that clause in his contract that I negotiated just months ago.



We now play in a 15,500 seat stadium with the renovations. We'll see how many of those seats we can fill this season, our average attendance is still around 6000.

vs. Hull City, September 15, 2018
Championship


Tigers versus Dragons. I think we should have the advantage here, they're predicted to finish tenth and we're playing in Wrexham. They're currently second in the league, though, so I might be overestimating our chances.

Hull are a good example of why someone like Mujkic might want to leave us- like us they were an old club with a lot of history that had fallen on hard times by the aughts. Like us they had a meteoric rise, going from League Two in 2004 to the Premier League by 2009. But that's where they stalled out. They were relegated from the Premier League a year later, and then made another cameo in 2013. The real life Tigers are a good bet to stay up, but ingame they were relegated and have been back in the championship since. If you were a good young player at Hull in 2007 you could imagine the team reaching at least a stable spot in the Premier league, but if you were still at the club a decade later you'd have spent most of the interim playing for a Championship squad that couldn't stick in the premier league.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack
Starting 11: Higgs, Peters, Todd, Lewis, Garuti, Troelsen, Djurovic, Bailey, Gorman, Mujkic, Harrison (c)
Subs: Love, Mejasic, Vaillant, Holland, Tedesco, Coulson, Pym.

Hull pounce on us with alacrity, and are up two after a dozen minutes thanks to a 40 yard golazo from their captain. Mujkic and Harrison both miss sitters that could have pulled us back into the game, but once again we're being undone by our lack of finishing while our opponents are now good enough that they don't miss many chances on their own. We finally score a goal in the second half after I pull Harrison for Pym, but that's all we get and we lose again. The win puts Hull atop the league and we drift down into the relegation zone.




Wrexham 1-2 Hull



Yes, I agree.




I'm able to lift spirits a bit, but we won't really get better until we start winning some matches.



I also go through and tell the players performing worst that they need to pick it up.

At Crewe Alexandra, September 18, 2018
Championship


We need to start winning. I'm starting everyone who isn't in horrible form, because we desperately need to do something to recover from this start. It's not even that we're getting crushed, we clearly have the talent to play at this level but we're not catching any breaks and we're beating ourselves.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter.
Starting 11: Higgs, Vaillant, Lewis, Poole, Mejasic, Simpson (c), Holland, Bailey, Rainey, Mujkic, Pym.
Subs: Love, Peters, Todd, Tedesco, Shirra, Coulson, Harrison.

It's an even match through the first half hour, with neither side able to break down the defenses. Higgs makes an error in the 32nd minute, though, which puts Crewe on top. The game continues to be an even battle between the teams, and we actually finish with more shots than Crewe. None of them are goals, though, leading to yet another loss. This is the second time in the young season where Higgs has cost us points.




Crewe 1-0 Wrexham



The post match press conference is all about our shambolic play over the last month, always fun to deal with.



What, I'm supposed to junk the tactics we're comfortable with and go to a 4-4-2 despite not having the personnel for it?

At Derby, September 22, 2018
Championship


Joy, just what we needed, another match against a team playing well.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Defense.
Starting 11: Higgs, Peters, Todd, Lewis, Garuti, Simpson (c), Holland, Djurovic, Coulson, Mujkic, Pym.
Subs: Love, Mejasic, Poole, Troelsen, Shirra, Tedesco, Harrison.

Derby scores 5 minutes into the game, and in the 22nd minute big transfer Djurovic goes down injured. For once we show a bit of finishing skill when Pym thuds a header past the Derby keeper in the 45th minute to bring us even. Derby dominates the second half. Yet when the whistle blows after a furious last minute surge can't find them the go ahead goal we earn our first points in what seems like forever.




Derby 1-1 Wrexham



You couldn't run off a bruised thigh? Wimp.

vs. Bolton Wanderers, September 29, 2018
Championship


I wonder if ForeverBWFC has mixed emotions about who to support in this match. We probably shouldn't make him president while we play in the same league as Bolton, I wouldn't trust his loyalty. Bolton is having nearly as bad a year as we are, so for once we're not hopeless underdogs.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack.
Starting 11: Higgs, Siegrist, Lewis, Vaillant, Mejasic, Simpson (c), Bailey, Tedesco, Gorman, Mujkic, Pym.
Subs: Love, Garuti, Todd, Troelsen, Shirra, Coulson, Harrison.

The talismanic Mujkic scores 58 seconds in, and then Lewis scores from a corner twenty minutes later. So we're up two-nil when Dinko Mejasic is sent off 32nd minute for a rough tackle. It didn't look that bad, he was going for the ball and not coming in from behind the Bolton player. I bring on Todd for Siegrist to give us three centerbacks, and switch us back to a defensive posture. Bolton get some chances with us a man down, but don't score as we win our second match of the season. Perhaps we should get players sent off more often? We've won both times we've had someone given a red card. It's also strange that we've already had two players earn red cards this season after not receiving a single one last season.

Man of the Match: Stewart Lewis




Wrexham 2-0 Bolton



The foul was apparently worse than it looked in the game engine. Though viewing the replay, I think he went in with two feet, and he did arrive after the ball had been kicked on. I give a warning, which he accepts.



We've gone from “below average” to “adequate” facilities.



At least we've had players popping up on the team of the week once in a while.

vs. Brighton and Hove Albion, October 2, 2018
Championship


Brighton's currently on top of the table, and are very eager to get back into the BPL seeing as they have a whopping £129m in debt that they need to service. I'm going to try and steal an early goal before switching us over to a counter-attacking posture, hopefully it'll work.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack
Starting 11: Higgs, Seigrist, Todd, Poole, Garuti, Simpson (c), Shirra, Tedesco, Rainey, Gorman, Harrison.
Subs: Love, Vaillant, Lewis, Troelsen, Bailey, Holland, Pym.

We get no early chances at goal from coming out hard, and are almost undone on one occasion by Brighton's counterstroke. Brighton batters us about for most of the first half, but it's still nil-nil after 45. Our defense stiffens after the break, and we hold Brighton to just two half chances, neither of which they can convert on. Meanwhile our offense is similarly punchless, and the result is a draw. I'll take it.

Man of the Match: Matthew Poole.




Wrexham 0-0 Brighton



Harrison is getting benched. He's scored just one goal all season and routinely misses important chances. He's also offsides a half-dozen times a game. This is Pym's chance to take over the starting role if he can perform.



Hmm, I wonder...



I should have checked this before dropping nearly a million pounds on him. It looks like he's a lock to miss at least a month a season with injuries. He's no Anthony Walsh, but he isn't made of steel either.



Once again, not conflicting with our league schedule. It is so nice to have gotten promoted to a league that doesn't make us play without a third of our squad.

At Peterborough, October 6, 2018
Championship


A game against a team below us on the table! Sounds like a fine time to pick up some points.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack
Starting 11: Higgs, Vaillant, Lewis, Poole, Mejasic, Holland, Bailey, Shirra, Harrison (c), Mujkic, Pym.
Subs: Love, Siegrist, Todd, Simpson, Troelsen, Gorman, Coulson.

We sparkle from the first moment, and it pays off with a Mujkic goal in the 9th minute. He adds a second at the half hour mark, aided by a perfect through ball from Harrison. Not long after halftime Harrison adds a goal to make it three-nil, and end his scoring drought. Petersborough doggedly fight their way back into the game, scoring just before the hour mark on their first good opportunity of the day. They add a second when Mejasic fouls one of their players in the penalty area and earns a penalty shot. Mark Holland misses an easy shot that could have extended the lead back to two, but we're able to hang on for the victory after another anxiety inducing fifteen minutes.

Man of the Match: Mateo Mujkic




Peterborough 2-3 Wrexham



He played terribly today as well, our new fullbacks have not done well at all for us.



Prince Vaillant is a member of the Algerian national team, he also has French citizenship which is how we were able to sign him. He was called up for international matches, but will miss them now due to this slight injury.



He's becoming a regular feature of the team of the week.

At Queens Park Rangers, October 9, 2018
Championship


In real life QPR are playing in the Championship after being relegated from the Premier League, just as they are in the game. QPR has spent ungodly sums of money trying to become a megabastard team, to the point where one of their best players, Loic Remy, has been spending the season on loan with Newcastle in the Premier League, in essence being a player from a Championship team loaned up the pyramid rather than down. That's also cost them dearly, they're a financial basket case. They recently announced losses of £65.4m last year when they were still in the Premier League, those losses are nothing compared to what they'll lose this season. Their ultra wealthy owner, Malaysian airline magnate Tony Fernandes, would have had better luck setting those millions on fire, and the club is now mired with over £175m in debt.

Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Defense
Starting 11: Higgs, Peters, Lewis, Poole, Garuti, Troelsen, Simpson (c), Bailey, Harrison, Mujkic, Pym.
Subs: Love, Siegrist, Todd, Shirra, Tedesco, Gorman, Coulson.

The Kid is right back to his habit of missing easy chances. QPR is given penalty in first half and converts, it's the only goal of the opening half. Our offense remains as lively as day old roadkill, at halftime Harrison, Bailey, and Pym all have 6.1 ratings. Harrison and Bailey only get worse after play resumes and I have to pull them. Their replacements don't give us any spark, either. Thus it makes no difference that we conceded no goals other than the penalty, and we lose for the first time in five matches.




QPR 1-0 Wrexham



Not good. With Harrison struggling so much this means that if he gets sat we're going to be bereft of leadership. Luckily, we don't have another game for 11 days, so he shouldn't miss too much time.



On a lighter note, Justin Bailey and I are now “Icons” of Wrexham.



Those results are much better than last time, and I feel confident that the club has gotten their legs under them. A loss against league leading QPR is perfectly acceptable, and a draw against their promotion rivals Brighton is quite respectable. Our biggest problem this year has been our attacking, after raining goals on League One we've proven punchless at the higher level, relying upon Mujkic as our talisman to save our hides. We're not scoring much from corners, and Bailey has only two assists in 11 games played. Our fullback signings have been uniformly awful, which is on me for selling Smissen and Tench and bringing them in. We're a clear work in progress, but we have more than enough about us to keep our heads above water.