Bangura hasn’t had a card since.
I also remember injuries being a bigger problem after one of the patches? And what’s your opinion on your current goal keeper? just looking at your for + against stats i’d say your defence could do with a bit of a boost maybe, if your aim is promotion this season and staying up? and sometimes a goalkeeper can be a good option?(and cheaper than a couple of new defenders).
Zak, he did mention a new keeper being brought up to speed and I think he has started a few games (just checked: Alex Cisak, started at least against Northwich).
Ah yeah, i missed that! i also see he has bought in a couple of new central defenders, so it might just be a case of needing the time for them(and the goal keeper) to settle in to the team - or they might be duffers(I had a young under 21 hungarian international GK once that went that way sadly)!
Both the defenders I picked up were depth figures and Peter Stewart really needs a year or so to grow into his role. Alex Cisak meanwhile has started every game since Northwich and has gone 3-0-1 with three cleansheets to his credit.
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Kristian Dennis strikes for goal in this Blue Square Premier Goal of the Month
October 2011 - Part 3
Merthyr v. AFC Telford
Waiting for the next league match we got to see the draw for the FA Cup 1st Round - we drew Leyton Orient and I’d be surprised if we come out of that with even a draw. We’d go into our match with Merthyr without much idea of how they’ll play as they are a phoenix of a team coming up from Blue Square South, coming into that division last year as well. The press is saying they are the favorites but we’ll see. While both Dennis and Ndumbu-Nsungu are still out Bangura is now back in the game but will just be a substitute for this game.
Merthyr goes with a 4-5-1 formation something that really puts me on my heels for most of the first half and only gets worse after Golobart is given a red card putting us down to ten men at only the 36th minute. Though we can’t break through the thick Merthyr lines throughout the rest of the game neither can their forwards pierce ours and we cancel each other out despite their additional man on the pitch. The only thing that really salvages this game is the fine play of Cisak really, who goes out and gets his third clean sheet in four competitive games. He’s getting to be a fine catch. This’ll end our October.
League Table
*As of November 1st 2011
Telford go 2-2-1 throughout October.
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Midfielder Rory Carson places a shot on net during last months match against Hayes & Yeading
November 2011 - Part 1
AFC Telford v. Ebbsfleet
A stunning match that witnesses an all-star effort by Danny Allsopp. Goals also coming from Rory Carson and Ross Dempster. Real quality of play was seen from Yulu who set up just about every goal in an event that was a real treat to all Telford fans coming to the game. Ebbsfleet at times threatened with abandon but their efforts were usually brushed away by Cisak who has really taken over as a team leader coming in for Thackeray and giving Telford what it might need to keep its form running all season long.
AFC Telford v. Leyton Orient
A wonderful game that featured everything you’d want from an underdog story. Telford came into this match an impossible minnow as this league one side was certainly the favorite. Yulu was certainly the man of this match opening up the scoring with a wicked curved shot a mere twelve minutes in. Allsopp would double the lead giving some important insurance when he was opened up by another impressive Yulu passing play. Victory was assured only in the second half when Yulu once again was at the tail end of a good Telford rush up midfield. With the score now 3-0 the Leyton side got clearly upset earned four yellow cards in the second half alone but the real treat here was for the record crowd who went home having seen the most stunning upset of the first round. We’ll be playing league one side Stockport next time around.
AFC Telford v. Boston United
With time off between matches we get a friendly match arranged.
It isn’t much of a match as Ross Dempster takes control of the game as our less regularly used players get a little time to shine. With several players out on international duty this victory should cement my feeling that the who first-team is performing admirably and should be considered contenders for winning the league and promotion this year.
Notes and Injury Table
- This update is so sparse because I accidentally closed the tab right before posting - argh!
- Ruben Zadkovich is still out with a damaged elbow but he should be back in time for the upcoming Kidderminster match.
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Nice updates :) After a break of a few versions I’m hooked back on FM10 again. I’ve not ventured into the lower leagues yet as I always have to spend a couple of games as Liverpool first.
I’m also using a 4-1-2-1-2 mixed up with a 4-1-2-3 from time to time although I have had a decent amount of success using a standard 4-4-2 but the Match engine does seem to favour teams playing narrower formations.
Yeah, same here on getting hooked again. Started unemployed, got offered the Brenford job (League 2.) Playing a modified 4-3-3. As usual when starting in the lower leagues, my staff is crap, so I started by firing a few of them (including the asst. mgr. and physio) and picked up some replacements. The roster is VERY short, and not so hot, so bumped a couple of promising under-18s up. And of course, no real money for picking up talent via transfer.
The first part of a new career is my least favorite, actually, having to do so much house-cleaning.
Thanks for the AAR and getting me so hooked again! FM10 (and past versions) is in my top 5 addictive games of all types and times.
I never thought I’d see the word “Telford” appear in a Qt3 subject line. How wrong I was.
KG
It can be one my favourites but if I take on Liverpool I always set myself up as a non player reputation wise so getting rid of dead wood in the backroom is always a bit of a chore as it’s very hard to attract anyone decent to start with. Must admit I hate faffing around with training, I’ve got 20 odd coaches for god’s sake why do I have to fiddle around balancing the amount of fitness training to ball control etc? I just downloaded Tug’s training and left them to it.
I’m starting to gear up to take on a lower league team, Crewe always used to be my favourite but I might set my sights lower and see what happens. I know leagues still don’t, but if you take Arsend-of-nowhere Utd into the premiership are you still stuck with a crappy reputation you can’t improve past a certain point? I remember my crewe side winning the European cup and Premier League several years running in previous versions with average attendences of 7-8000.
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Yaya, Newton, O’Cearuill, and others celebrate another AFC Telford goal
November 2011 - Part 2
AFC Telford v. Kidderminster
Our home stint continues as we host last seasons foes - Kidderminster. We’ve met this side thrice, beating them in the FA Cup a few years back and losing both league matches last year. This year we hope to do a little better and with a long stint off from competitive competitions all of our squad is at peak condition ahead of this match. Coming into this game we have a fancy little challenge between three of our players going on as Allsopp, Dennis, and Moses-Garvey are all within two or three goals of besting the previous top goal scorer record for AFC Telford.
We come into the match a slim favorite considering our form these past few weeks. Telford fans, nearly a full crowd worth, wouldn’t need to wait long for our trio of strikers to get a good chance as Yulu crossed in a ball that was just narrowly punted after a good headed chance by Danny Allsopp. Instead it would be Moses-Garvey getting the first goal of the match. He was given enough time after Bangura headed a ball straight into his feet, with their attention placed firmly on Allsopp and Yulu the defenders reacted too late and Telford goes up 1-0. Almost immediately Telford resumed the attack when Vaughn was able to lob a cross ball into the box straight to Allsopp who volleyed the ball home without hesitation. Some of the confusion and anger from the Kidderminster side was evidenced in the 22nd minute when they picked up their first yellow card of the match after Lee Vaughn was tripped by midfielder Nathan Hayward. At the other end Kidderminster got its own chances as the half went on including one close ball that was barely scoped up by Cisak before it could be headed in by Ashley Hemmings, Kidderminsters leading goal scorer this year. But where the Worcestershire side couldn’t put in opportunities Telford could and did. Allsopp would pot his second goal just before the first half ended courtesy of another volley from the edge of the box. Hemmings would give Kidderminster some hope later on in the game, the result of a gaffe on the part of Cisak would just couldn’t handle an errant ball and O’Cearuill was unable to play the ball out. Otherwise Telford’s back line would prove to be solid with first-team regular Golobart proving his worth yet again with a series of crucial headers in his own zone. Shutting down Kidderminster for the most part Telford would coast to a well deserved 3-1 victory though Allsopp would rue some of his missed chances to add a third goal. Besides Allsopp and Moses-Garvey it should also be noted that Bangura really added something to the midfield this game, being integral to at least two of the goals this game, and his form has been good for at least the last month.
AFC Telford v. Eastbourne Boro
Fresh off our victory against Kidderminster we stay at home for our match with relegation candidates Eastbourne Boro. Last year they just narrowly avoided relegation but managed to best us in league play going 1-1-0 against us. That was last year however and it should be a stacked battle as one of the leagues best offenses goes up against one of its worst defenses.
There would be a drenching rain at New Bucks Head for the duration of the match, a fact that couldn’t keep big Telford crowds away. Our strikers showed their prowess early and often. Yulu got the first great chance of the game off a forward pass by Allsopp, but the Eastbourne tender got just enough of the subsequent shot to direct it up and away from the goal. Still Eastbourne didn’t just lay back and take it, both sides would exchange chances as the games first minutes went on. It wouldn’t be until the second half that anyone got on the scoresheet, but when it happened it was for the away side off of a corner. Eastbourne remained on top despite three shots on net in a row just a few minutes later, each of them came in the box but the tender was able to turn away Dennis, Allsopp, and Yulu in turn. Eastbourne continued its good run for awhile longer until Dempster was brought into the game and figured heavily in Powell’s first league goal. The opposing tender didn’t get down as a result though, making two or three more key saves in the next ten minutes until Alhassan Bangura rifled a shot into the top corner to give Telford its first lead at the 83rd minutes. That would end up being all that Telford needed.
Stockport v. AFC Telford
This will be our third and possibly last match in the FA Cup as we are one of only five BSP teams left in the competition. It’ll be a cold wet match though.
A sorry overlong match that sends Telford out of the competition. I never really thought we had a chance and we didn’t. Stockport’s midfield was simply much better and while our defenders had an okay game we just couldn’t get into their box to make a game of it. Still it is good to be out and back to focusing on league play.
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Telford players, including young Rory Carson (left), protest a non-penalty decision during last weeks FA Cup game
November 2011 - Part 3
Forest Green v. AFC Telford
This will again be the first match we’ve seen against Forest Green since last years league games and I haven’t yet beaten this side. Our squad is still healthy right now, without major injuries in the first-team. It is a team that has been widely increased in the back end with the addition of left back Mike Williams (D LC) and right backs Gary Silk (D/M R) and Reece Brown (D RC). The addition of these new players is enough that I can feel confident to discard Imani Likita, who is on loan here from Oxford United, and put Ashley McMenamin on full reserve squad duty. I’m fairly confident that I’ve got everything I need now to win the league.
Allsopp would grab his eighteenth goal of the season early into this game, the result of a fluke Ndumbu-Nsungu shot lob that fooled the goalie. Seeing it didn’t have enough on it to cross the line before the keeper nabbed it Allsopp pushed it in. Motivated by what they felt was a fluke goal and an undeserved lead the Forest Green side made it a point to keep us hemmed into our half through most of the rest of the half, but despite their good handling of the ball they only get one good chance on Cisak who merely pushes the ball back out and onto the foot of Golobart who easily chases it away. Coming out of the break Forest Green got level off a corner play. Ndumbu-Nsungu makes it close to another Telford lead in the 68th minute having enough space to possibly get a good shot but he punts it too far up. The rest of the match is mostly played in the midfield as neither can get past a good set of a defenders on each side. We’ll have to settle for a draw this time.
That ends November and we get some good news at the end - Danny Allsopp has been named Blue Square Premier Player of the Month. I came runner-up for Manager of the Month awards, that went to Merthyr’s boss.
First Team Stats
League Table
*As of December 1st 2011
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Kristian Dennis has a go at net during Telford training sessions
December 2011 - Part 1
AFC Telford v. Aldershot
Aldershot is a promotion this year and they are doing about as well as I did last year operating in mid-table. We’ve played once, a friendly that my side loss a few years back. That can’t tell me much about our current chances but judging from my form it should be us as favorites. While waiting for the match to get here we get an offer to loan McMenamin and we do so, he isn’t in my first-team plans now and should get some first-team experience instead. Unfortunately it seems Sean Newton believes it would be best that McMenamin would sod off to Tamworth for good, this isn’t good and Newton is on thin ice with me from now on.
While we get an opening shot off against Aldershot they are poaching into our zone far too often throughout the first half. Still we get the best chances including a two shot stoning by Allsopp and Powell that is barely kept off the scoresheet. Allsopp would be denied a second time before the 30th minute. Aldershot would only get ahead during the 48th minute after a lob ball is snatched up and Golobart is unable to stop Hylton. Joe O’Cearuill gives Aldershot a great chance to extend the lead in the 55th minute hauling down a player inside the box. Cisak makes a wonderful penalty shot save to keep it just 0-1. Without that goal Telford would eventually tie it after Allsopp was put into the box by Zadkovich. The experienced striker could not be stopped like usual, getting his nineteenth league goal as a result. We would go down again in the 76th minute as Hylton put in his second. Nothing could get us even after that point and we go down for our first loss in quite a while.
Cambridge United v. AFC Telford
This is an important game for us against the league leaders and we’d love to steal the three points against them. If we win this will be our first victory against them.
A corner kick within ten minutes gets Telford its first real chance of the game, but it is kept out of the net by only the vagaries of chance having hit the post and a Cambridge players back. It would take until the 22nd minute for the Telford side to score, when Dennis lifted a lazy ball into the box. Allsopp would get to it and place it into the net for a 0-1 lead. Cambridges’ Bignall would level the play soon after getting a ball behind Cisak for tie it all up. Ultimately noone can add another after that and we get a draw, though I would wish that we could stole all three points. A fairly boring game all around.
AFC Telford v. Eastwood Town
This will be my first match in the FA Trophy and we are up against Eastwood Town a recently relegated conference team. Never played them before.
Dempster almost puts us up early in the game as he’s given the entire net to shoot at, but the resulting shot is blocked and we continue level past the 20th minute. We’d finally put a goal past Eastwood in the 30th minute after Moses-Garvey receives a pass from Dempster that puts him well into the box. The resulting shot goes under the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Yulu doubles the lead in the 55th minute the result of an extended possession in midfield until it’s plopped into the box for the versatile Angolan striker. There isn’t much else to this match. In the second half both teams mostly contest the midfield and Eastwood is unable to strike into our zone due to the bolstered back line.
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Are you still forced to watch the games play out in this version?
Don’t think so. At the very least you can set the replays to “goals only”, which I’m pretty sure you could do in the previous version as well.
Now when you fine a player after some bursts of aggression on the field, it usually reduces their aggression or dirtiness(hidden) attributes on players like this. It’s also a good tool to improve the workrate attribute too.
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Telford fans show off their pride in Calais, France
December 2011 - Part 2
AFC Telford v. Barnet
Well some very bad news - Cisak has been injured, he tore a groin muscle in training and will be out eight weeks or so. Well shit I’ll have to roll with Thackeray but if he gets injured I’m hosed. Anyways I’m playing Barnet next, the start of the second half of the season as I’ve already played them. As you well know we got a draw last game and this time I’ll be hoping to take all the points. In contract news I’ve tendered a new deal with Ruben Zadkovich who will now be staying with AFC Telford until the end of the 2012-2013 season.
A large crowd would brave the weather to come out to New Bucks Head this day. Home town fans would almost celebrate first when Allsopp was sprung in the 35th minute, but he slid it just wide. Instead it would be Ndumbu-Nsungu who became the man of the hour courtesy of yet another slick Yulu passing play. We’d bring that lead into the second half without much difficulty. Barnet gave themselves a great chance in the 66th minute by way of a long ball forward to Jai Reason and while he gets a good chance he is also offsides. Dempster and Allsopp would both get their own good chances but ultimately we’d rue our missed chances in the 79th minute after Barnet evened up the score. Ultimately noone else could score another goal and we got yet another draw.
Southport v. AFC Telford
For our next match we’ll venture to Southport for our second match against these relegation candidates. We’ll need to rest many of our players for this match seeing as the Barnet match is still very fresh. For contract news I’ve also resigned Kristian Dennis and Ross Dempster.
Bad news early in the game as Martel Powell is injured and forced out of the game. Ndumbu-Nsungu would hold the balance in the first half, coming very close to a first goal during the 13th minute rattling one off the crossbar in an otherwise excellent showing. He’d get that goal in the 19th minute, this time bouncing it off the post and into the net past the Southport goalie. Almost an offside call Southport would take its first yellow card of the game arguing the legitimacy of the goal much to their chagrin. Going into the next half Allsopp was almost gifted a goal in the opposition box the result of a careless error, but he’d send it wide to keep it a mere 0-1 game. Throughout the second half both sides were given chances and Thackeray was called upon to make several important saves but this day Southport was just not able to challenge for a draw like Barnet could, we’ll get all three points as a result.
AFC Telford v. Crawley
We received the physio’s news about Martel Powell after the Southport game - he tore his calf muscle and will be out for four to five months - dang. I’ll need to use the transfer market to get a replacement. In some better news we’ve inked Danny Allsopp to another year so it is safe to assume he’ll be playing out his career with Telford. In some bad news our loan of Yulu is at an end, I’ll be making a bid to get him bad either on loan or with a transfer as I still have a full budget for that. I’m also making a bid for Stephen Husband, an attacking midfielder who is regarded as not needed by Blackpool.
Again we are coming into this game without much rest and we’ll do the same in a few more days. So we’ll need to rest up our best players soon. Allsopp won’t play the first half as a result. Kristian Dennis would end his scoreless drought in the 34th minute, being put into the box and placing it past the tender - another of the sort of goal that has characterized the Telford offensive this season. Coming during the 61st minute Allsopp would almost get himself to a loose ball in the 64th minute only for it to be thrashed out of the field to prevent him from getting a shot off. Crawley players got their best chance in the 73rd minute, putting a header off the crossbar and out of play. Dempster gets our second goal, a far ranging pass from Mike Williams would be the thing that puts him into the box, and from there we go up 0-2. That would be enough and while both sides seemed to be out of form and exhausted at the end it would be enough for Telford to get another three vital points. Alhassan Bangura is injured near the end of the game. He has a gashed arm and my physio says he’ll be out about a week, missing at least the coming Accrington Stanley game.
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[center]League Table
*As of January 1st 2012
Coming into January Telford has regained top spot in the league courtesy of a good run of form throughout the last half of December. Danny Allsopp continues to lead the league in goals but his recent drought is worrying.
First Team
A look at my first team coming into January. As you can see injuries to Alex Cisak, Alhassan Bangura, and Martel Powell. Otherwise things are pretty good. Over the last five games our backend has been playing best, with Golobary, O’Cearuill, and Zadkovich coming in for particular praise.
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Ruben Zadkovich strikes for goal in what would prove to be his first goal of the 2011-2012 season
January 2012 - Part 1
Accrington Stanley v. AFC Telford
First of all I’d like to show you a historical film about AFC Telford, the game that lead to me being hired. You can see what the previous manager was fired, just dreadful. Anyways I’ve had just two days off since my last match and several members of my team are too tired to take part so I’ll be fielding a second-string team this game in my backend. Giving a rest to Danny Allsopp may come back to be my best move after this all plays out.
We’d come into this game with a lot of steam, seeing two good chances up to Allsopp within the first three minutes. After that Accrington would have its own time on attack before the half turned back to Telford after the 30th minute. Still it would be Accrington Stanley that got the first goal, coming in the 49th minute off a lapse in defensive concentration. A response would not take long, Ndumbu-Nsungu would increase his goal total following a fancy little chip pass in the box by Danny Allsopp. Even better in the 76th minute we’d take the lead following a further goal, this time by Moses-Garvey. Kristian Dennis must take most of the credit for the goal, setting a neat little pass into the box for the midfielder to catch. That would keep us on top through the rest of the game, Accrington was just never able to respond after the second Telford goal. Furthermore coming off this game we’ve just picked up another three exceedingly valuable points, especially as Accrington was fourth placed coming into this.
AFC Telford v. Droylsden
My next match is for the English FA Trophy. You may remember that last month Telford beat Eastwood to make it to this moment and for the second round we’ll face Blue Square North side Droylsden. We haven’t met since the 2009-2010 season but we had the better of them going 1-1-0 in our season series. They are doing quite good this year though and could be in our league next year so we shouldn’t underestimate this side. Thankfully we have plenty of days to get ready for the match. In other news Kidderminster has signed Martin Nash, brother of Steve Nash, to be the assistant manager. What the?
Danny Allsopp would end his long goal drought early into this game. Put into the box by Moses-Garvey he’d unleash a real cannon of a shot right past a diving Matthew Atkinson. Or so we thought when it was blown back as an offsides. Droylsden would get its own great chance a few minutes later but this time it would be the crossbar making the save long enough for Golobart to clear it off the line. The rest of the first half was mostly spent in the Droylsden side and midfield, though nothing came of our possession. That said we came through the second half with much better form including a goal by Allsopp that just couldn’t be denied. Ndumbu-Nsungu would push the ball up the league leading scorer who then potted his first FA Trophy goal. In the next few minutes Dennis would also figure himself onto the scoresheet, a dazzling rimshot effort that would pop up in the dreams of many Telford fans in the coming weeks. Droylsden would nearly face disaster in the 76th minute, allowing Ndumbu-Nsungu into the box and allowing him a good effort on Atkinson, but this time the experienced Droylsden keeper would shuffle it aside without much effort. Moses-Garvey would put the final nail in the coffin of Droylsden chances late into the game courtesy of a fantastic Ndumbu-Nsungu dribble down onto the byline, he’d eventually give it over to his teammate who recorded an easy tap-in. That would be all we’d see from either side, the result being an impressive 3-0 victory to push AFC Telford into the 3rd round for the FA Trophy. Besides my uppermost guys we really must admire the work by those done at the back as Golobart, O’Cearuill, Silk, Williams, Zadkovich, and Brown really put the damper on Droylsden chances - they allowed only two shots the entire game.
AFC Telford v. Altrincham
Waiting for the next game we get the draw for the third round of the FA Trophy. We draw Southport much to my relief, we’ve smacked them all around this year and should hopefully do the same when we meet them for that game. In between the two games interest in me as a manager increases and I am both linked to the now open job at Fulham and offered the position. I both deny and reject the idea. Also of note we’ve agreed to a mutual contract termination with Malik Buari, he joined the club midway through the 2009-2010 season and helped to get Telford promoted that season but in the last two years hasn’t figured into my plans. His agreement to the termination saved me the £4,500 it would have cost me to release him on a free otherwise.
Booting his first league goal in four games Danny Allsopp would put us ahead of Altrincham just twenty-five minutes in. Once again Telford fans could attribute the goal to mindful midfielder Aaron Moses-Garvey who has now continued his solid run of form, figuring into yet another goal. The 33rd minute would see Altrincham nearly strike level but while they could beat Thackeray the crossbar once again turned out to be the friend of the Telford crowd on this third fan day of the year. They’d soon have another thing to be happy with as Chris Nurse acted the strategist in the second Allsopp goal of the night, once again a ball played well into the box for the awaiting Australian striker. Allsopp would take a knock late in the half and since I can’t afford him out I substitute him coming into the second half just to make sure he isn’t injured. Dennis takes his place on the pitch. He’d add his own to the scoreline in the 71st minute, once again it was the forward pass by Moses-Garvey that would put our striker into the box with enough space to get a shot off. We’d play for another thirty minutes but the game was by then decided and neither side would add another marker to the end score. Telford fans once again left the field happy and were happy to note the occasion of Aaron Moses-Garvey’s 100th game for the club.
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