Football Manager, one day at a time

Weekend Sale

2013-03-16T19:32:00.001+11:00

I decided to put the ebook on sale at 60% off for this weekend. I expect it’ll be a while before I discount it again, so if you haven’t bought it yet this is your chance to save a few bucks and still help me out.

That link again: http://gum.co/fmonedayatatime

If you’ve enjoyed this series, please do try to spread the word. The more people who read it, the more I’ll be encouraged to try other big blogging projects in future.

Now Remastered in Ebook Format

2013-03-11T14:46:00.001+11:00

I finished it. For the past two months, I’ve been plugging away at a thoroughly-edited, revised, expanded, prettified, remastered version of the blog. And now you can read it.

I did custom layouts for every page, doing my best to make it a great magazine-like experience. I hope the results speak for themselves. I’ve linked to a sample version below, which is just the first month. Scroll to the bottom of the post for screenshots.

I’m charging $5 $2 (AUD) for it, so that I can make back at least some money for the huge time investment this thing turned out to be. If you don’t want to or can’t afford to pay, no worries—the blog isn’t going anywhere. But if you want a good experience as you read through this enormous project, you’ll need to pony up the cash. And if you want to pay more than $2, be my guest—it’s just the minimum, so you can pay $500 if you’re so inclined.

So what do you get?

You’ll receive a zip file (~120MB) containing PDF, ePub, Kindle, and HTML formatted versions of the ebook. They all have the same text, although only the PDF has custom layouts and lots of images. I recommend the PDF version, read on an iPad or Android tablet. But the other options are there.

If you need any help reading any of these, or putting them on your device of choice, hit me up and I’ll walk you through it as best I can.

The whole thing is around 91,000 words, of which close to a tenth is explicit fourth-wall-breaking criticism about the game and the nature and appeal of virtual football management (the rest is a diary in Juan Day’s voice).

I believe this is the first time that anyone has written at length about the nature of football management games, and the strange ways in which they simulate reality. I hope you enjoy reading!

Click here to make your purchase.

Here's a sample PDF with the first three weeks.

Final-ish Thoughts

2013-03-08T18:46:00.001+11:00

Okay, so here we go. Final-ish thoughts below. Special ebook version and more words to come shortly.

I don’t think I realised quite what I was getting myself into, and I certainly never thought I’d last a full season. Yet here I am, nearly 11 months after I started, signing off at last.

My greatest appreciation: Simulation is not the goal, but merely a by-product. The goal seems so obvious when you say it, yet you’d be forgiven for never having thought of it. You see, Football Manager—and every other game of its kind—exists to approximate the glories, successes, and failures of controlling a professional or semi-professional football team.

It’s not about simulating the life of a football manager, or the lives of his players, or even the beautiful game. These things all happen to some extent, in that all are imitated and modelled by the program, but they are neither the focus nor the core appeal.

Football Manager does not seek realism insofar as it strives for authenticity. Its internal logic and the drama that unfolds must be perceived to be occuring naturally, by way of the ideology within and the interplay of millions of variables. The inauthentic seems contrived, projected according to some external value system—whereby outside expectations determine behaviour.

The real is not always authentic, just as the authentic is not always real. But Football Manager depends upon you believing it to be so, for without authenticity it’s just a really sophisticated spreadsheet that purports to represent the complex interactions between real-world players, clubs, and leagues. With authenticity, however, it’s the best thing on the market for pretending you’re an insider of the world of professional football.

It resembles football in such a way that you feel like it could represent its approximated slice of reality. That’s all most of us need to buy in to the fantasy that we just signed Sergio Aguero for Weymouth FC. There’s no way Weymouth will be playing in the Champions League ten years from now, but Football Manager affords us this reality by mimicking just enough real-world economics that a crafty manager can guide his unknown team up through the leagues in record time with complete plausibility.

That is why we play—because the impossible becomes the plausible. That obscure Slovenian club you picked at random, just for kicks, can grow into the best team in the world. Mega-giants like Barcelona and Manchester United can inexplicably go from champions to relegation fodder in two seasons without a financial crisis. And a club other than Celtic or Rangers can actually win the Scottish Premier League.

The remainder of my closing remarks (yeah, I still have more to talk about) will be published in the ebook edition, ~~to be available as soon as I finish it (but hopefully within a few hours of this post).~~ available here.

Sorry about the holdup; more to come soon

2013-03-04T23:22:00.001+11:00

Well, as such things are wont to do, my plans for getting these final thoughts written up and finishing my something extra got thrown to the wind by the ravages of real life. Deadlines. Bloody deadlines.

Anyway, my new schedule is that the extra thing—which I’ll now admit is a thoroughly-edited, repackaged, expanded, prettified ebook version of this blog—will be done by the end of the week. The Final Thoughts post will come a day or two before that, hopefully. I’m working on it now, but it’s not easy reflecting on and articulating my thoughts about such a mammoth undertaking.

Day 309

2013-02-22T23:24:00.001+11:00

I picked it—Gateshead and Mansfield won comfortably in the Playoff Semi Final Second Leg this evening. They’ll face off in the final on the 19th of May—about a week and a half from now—to decide who gets promoted with me. My money’s still on Mansfield, but it could be a tight game.

Meanwhile, Crewe and Hereford are dropping down from League 2 to take our place. I’m so excited about next season; it’ll be such a fantastic new adventure, whether it goes well or poorly for me and Lincoln.

The journey continues for Juan Day, the Sunday league footballer who made it big on a dream to manage a team professionally, and who against all odds guided his club to promotion at the first attempt, but this story has come to an end.

I can tell you, after jumping ahead to the end of the month, that defender Paul Robson had a change of heart about leaving the club. Day refused to remove him from the transfer list. Forest Green beat Wrexham in the FA Trophy final, winning for the first time in their history.

Gateshead edged out Mansfield 9-8 on penalties in the playoff final, after Mansfield led for most of the match. Jon Shaw broke some hearts, I expect, when he equalised in the fifth minute of stoppage time, forcing extra time and then penalties.

The Lincoln players got £104,650 split amongst them for their league heroics, as per the bonuses agreed on at the beginning of the season. The club, meanwhile, got £138,000 in prize money—not enough to stem the losses, but a handy amount nonetheless.

Ebbsfleet midfielder Michael West won Blue Square Bet Premier Player of the Season. Juan Day felt Barnes-Homer had been shafted, but accepted that West had a stellar season—with an average rating of 7.37 from 46 appearances, coupled with 21 goals and 21 assists.

But little could contain his rage at being rated third best manager of the year. Just two of the 19 managers who voted in the award cast their vote for Juan Day, while a whopping 13 favoured Gateshead manager Ian Bogie. Forest Green manager David Hockaday, of all people, picked up second-place honours—despite his team not even making the playoffs. Interestingly, all three managers led their team to heights far above expectations of a mid-table finish.

Did Day ruffle too many feathers along the way, and miss out because of spiteful voters? Or was Bogie genuinely more deserving? It’s hard to say, from where I’m sitting.

Lincoln City director Stuart Tindall has retired from the world of football after 10 years at the club. No word yet on who’ll replace him.

Our story concludes with what may turn out to be Day’s shrewdest signing yet. Veteran Spanish midfielder Juan Carlos arrived on the 1st of June on a free transfer from Scottish side Dundee. Star winger Salomon Olembé leapt to his manager’s praises, ecstatic at the news.

So that’s it for the diary, and the story of Juan Day’s first season as a professional football manager. I’ll be back next week with some concluding thoughts about the experience of playing Football Manager in this strange “one day at a time” format. Then hopefully by the end of the month I’ll have the surprise addition ready. All I’ll say for now is that if you enjoyed this blog, you’ll likely love it.

Day 308

2013-02-21T22:28:00.001+11:00

I’m pleased that my big improvers over the course of the season are Kanouté, Woods, and Billington. All three impressed me with their style and attitude, and of course also performances—especially in the last few months.

Unfortunately Olembé’s declined in the past year. Not much, mind you, but enough that I get a sense he won’t be much use after next season as a regular first-team player. The Cameroonian’s had a stellar career, though, since breaking in to the Nantes team (in France’s top flight) as a teenager. I hope I’ll be able to keep him around to help the younger players, and maybe even join the coaching staff, when he exceeds his usefulness to the first team.

Francis Laurent is sadly a shadow of his former self, judging by the reports I’ve received. The forward was suffering from a severe hamstring injury when I took over at Lincoln. Sometimes players never fully recover from injuries—especially long-term ones. It’s a shame, because by all reports he was quite the footballer, but that is how things happen.

Karlton Watson and Rui Marques vehemently resisted my request that they work together on the training ground, but it turns out forcing them was the best thing possible. They’re friends now, and the youngster seems to have made huge progress as a result. Perhaps he stands a chance of earning a starting berth next season. I’d love to see that.

My entire squad is on holiday now. It’s just me, the scouts, and Martin O’Connor until June 25th. Sure is quiet.

Day 307

2013-02-20T22:19:00.001+11:00

I was pleased to see that coach Grant Brown believes young defender Samba Kanouté has improved as a footballer in the last six months. I have high hopes for the lad’s future, and I consider him integral to our chances of climbing through the leagues.

I realised today that he’s actually our highest-valued player. Kanouté’s £200,000 price tag is more than double fellow youngster Karlton Watson’s £85,000 value. And then it’s another big drop before you hit Woods at a £26,000 valuation, followed by Barnes-Homer at £20,000 and then Birchall and May at £18,000 apiece.

Veterans Olembé and Marques may be my key men, but they’re rated at a measly £12,000 and £4,500, respectively—although these values are most likely reduced because of our low standing as a fifth-tier (soon-to-be-fourth-tier) English club and because both players are over 30.

Day 306

2013-02-14T23:55:00.001+11:00

Assistant manager Martin O’Connor extended his contract for another year. I’m delighted to have him as my second in command. Head scout Peter Johnson also agreed to a new deal, ensuring that we’ll at least have somebody competent looking for players over the summer.

I took charge of the Under 18s for their final match of the season—a home tie against Chesterfield. I was fairly hands off about it, though, deferring most of the decisions to O’Connor and coach Grant Brown.

My boys started the sharper of the two sides, with Hancock particularly threatening early on. The breakthrough didn’t come until the 37th minute, however, when Dickinson hashed his clearance of a Wormall long through. The ball fell at Aaron Rice’s feet, and the young winger dispatched it first time. He’s had a great season in the Under 18s, from the reports, so I’m pleased to see him on song with my own eyes.

Meanwhile in defence, Weaver made several brilliant interventions to keep Chesterfield from troubling the keeper. The 17 year old hadn’t really been on my radar, but he was ingratiating himself well with this performance.

My boys continued to control the match, but a second goal never came. The match ended 1-0.

Truth be told, it was terrible quality. I felt like I was watching the Under 12s at times, wondering why players kept losing their position or mis-controlling the ball. There were other moments, though, that wowed me. Hancock, Rice, and Cunningham showed that they have that little bit of class needed to make it as a professional, while 15 year old striker Jean-Charles Valette impressed me with a few special moments.

That win ensures the Lincoln Under 18s finish third in their league. It’s a brilliant achievement, amongst bigger clubs such as Derby, Ipswich, Watford, and Norwich.

In other news, Newcastle beat Liverpool 3-1 in the FA Cup Final. That’s great news for the Magpies, who aren’t going to finish high enough in the league for European qualification. Taking out the FA Cup means they’re in the Euro Cup—Europe’s second-tier continental cup—which will be huge financially.

Josh Gowling looks set to miss the start of next season, after breaking his ankle in training today. That throws off my plans to sell the defender over the summer. How many clubs will be willing to make a bid on an injured player? Not many, I expect.

Alex Billington’s also looking at time in the physio room. But he should be ready to roll early in the pre-season schedule. I hope this doesn’t complicate my hopes of signing the young full-back permanently.

I’m taking the next few days off from the blog, to celebrate my girlfriend returning to the country after several months overseas. I’ll do another couple of days next week, then call it quits on the diary part. Some final thoughts will follow, before a special surprise that I hope you’ll all love (along with lots of other people, who I plan to draw in after I finish). If all goes to plan, we’ll be all wrapped up by the end of the month.

See you soon.

Day 305

2013-02-14T01:09:00.001+11:00

I got a scout report from Mark Bradshaw on former Aston Villa trainee Isaiah Osbourne. The 24 year old central midfielder is of a very similar standard and style to Chris Birchall, but I’m still going to take a closer look—purely on merit of that standard being so high.

My Under 18s wrap up their season tomorrow. I’ll be there in the dugout to watch and oversee their tactics. It’ll be a fresh chance for me to size up Samuel Hancock, the talented 16 year old from our youth system who got injured on his first-team debut a few weeks ago.

Day 304

2013-02-12T19:07:00.001+11:00

Grant Brown led the backroom meeting today. He suggested I sign Steve Kember as a new coach. Kember, according to the information I have at my disposal, is no better than anyone currently on staff. That’s not good enough—we’re on the climb, so we need to bring people in who raise the standard. Brown also offered two alternatives, however, and one of those was up to scratch.

Only problem was that Joe Roach wanted £150 more a week than the board will let me offer. He bargained down to £575, but that was still £75 over budget. I’m not too down about it—I plan to recruit new staff more formally in July, when the preseason begins.

Brown also suggested three fantastic scouts as additions to the backroom. None of them would accept my terms.

Since I’d been prompted about new additions, I went ahead and decided which staff members I want to keep next season. Among my three scouts, only Peter Johnson met my exacting standards. Gardner and Bradshaw will leave when their contracts run out.

In the physio room, Samantha Rees is out; Kevin Oxby has another year on his contract, so I guess I’m stuck with him.

I’m on the fence about youth coach Andy McMillan, who is good but not great with youngsters—and nothing to write home about in any specific coaching skills.

Goalkeeping coach Chris Adamson is no longer of interest to me as a player (he was my backup keeper this season), but I think I’ll keep him on as a coach. Grant Brown (defending expert) and Kevin Paxton (fitness expert) are also on the “probably keep” list. I don’t think I’ll offer Jason Fowler a new contract, however.

Rounding out the backroom staff is assistant manager Martin O’Connor. I’ve been delighted with his contribution since he replaced Curtis Woodhouse in February. He’s staying on for sure, provided I can meet his wage demands. (And in fact I already offered him a new deal.)

Day 303

2013-02-11T21:57:00.001+11:00

The first leg of the playoff semi final went by this evening. Grimsby hosted Gateshead in a 0-0 draw, while Mansfield earned a vital away goal in their 1-1 draw with Wrexham. My money’s still on Mansfield and Gateshead facing off in the final, with Mansfield triumphing for that second promotion spot.

The second leg is scheduled for the 8th on May. I’ll be watching with great interest.

Day 302

2013-02-10T21:40:00.001+11:00

Karlton Watson was the star of the training ground this month. He showed signs of improvement in almost every area, with the biggest gains in his strength and jumping.

Ebbsfleet midfielder Michael West came home strong in his quest for the Player of the Season award, earning Player of the Month honours for five goals and an average rating of 8.48 in his four appearances in April. The 21 year old has notched a remarkable 21 goals and 21 assists over the course of the season—meaning that he’s been directly responsible for between half and two-thirds of Ebbsfleet’s 77 goals.

Manager of the Month went to Fleetwood Town’s Micky Mellon, who led his team to a late rally for the final play-off spot. The fact that they missed out leaves me thinking maybe he didn’t deserve the nod. I would have given it to Rob Scott of Grimsby Town, who guided the club to fourth place in a tough month.

All eyes turn now to the best of season awards, which should be announced in a few weeks. I’d say West might have just clinched best player with those final few matches, although my boys Shuker and Barnes-Homer are certainly in with a chance. As for best manager, I’m surely the front-runner—given that I won the league with a team that was expected to finish mid-table.

We lost £74,145 last month, which is a pronounced increase on the £44.8K loss from March. That puts us around £610,000 in the red. I wonder how much we get for winning the league, and for TV rights next season. We’ve apparently lost £582,506 so far this season, without me spending a penny on transfer fees. I frankly don’t see the slight increase in attendances and TV money next season overcoming such a shortfall (keeping in mind that our expenditure will be up, too, because of higher wages and scouting costs, if nothing else).

Day 301

2013-02-09T19:42:00.001+11:00

I’m holding out hope that there may be a chance—however slim—to sign one of my favourite players over the summer. Lomana Trésor LuaLua, a dynamic Congolese forward who played for Newcastle and Portsmouth in the Premiership last decade, is out of favour and soon to leave Blackpool. If nobody approaches him, I might be able to swoop in. That would be a dream come true.

As expected, I received a categorical no from Airdrie Utd about my Ryan Donnelly enquiry. I didn’t expect, however, that I wouldn’t be allowed to offer anyone in exchange. Suddenly Donnelly seems beyond my reach. I asked the board if they would sponsor a big offer; they said it “wouldn’t be prudent.” So…it’s probably not going to happen. Damn.

Day 300

2013-02-08T21:32:00.001+11:00

Peter Johnson, my head scout, took a look at transfer target Ryan Donnelly. He thinks the young Scottish striker is a special talent, good enough to be a star player in any League 2 side—and perhaps in any League 1 side, a few years down the line. His report was even more glowing than Ian Gardner’s and Mark Bradshaw’s were.

Now the trick is figuring out how to sign Donnelly. He has another year on his contract, and he’s at a small club that doesn’t seem too keen to lose him. With a prospective transfer budget next season only a little bigger than nothing, it could prove a big challenge.

I put in an enquiry. From there, I’m thinking of proposing a player exchange—some of my youngsters for Donnelly. His club, Airdrie United, will be promoted to the Scottish First Division—the second tier of Scottish football—for next season, so I’m betting they’ll need a few more players.

Day 299

2013-02-07T22:35:00.001+11:00

I was offered a player by Queen of Sth today. Unfortunately the offer came with two big caveats:
1) They want remuneration; he comes with a £4,500 transfer fee.
2) He’s not very good. He isn’t bad, either, but he’d struggle to get a regular spot in my team.

I declined. Ryan McGuffie will have to ply his trade somewhere else next season.

Ian Gardner’s report on Airdrie United striker Ryan Donnelly was even more glowing than Mark Bradshaw’s. I’m going to wait until Peter Johnson—my best scout—takes another look at him before I start working on a way to sign the lad.

Meanwhile, assistant manager Martin O’Connor is more or less in agreement with Gardner on Declan McManus—the 17-year-old Aberdeen striker will grow into a fine Championship-level player. Now the only problem is that his current ability doesn’t appear good enough to break into my team—putting a potential loan deal on ice—and he’ll cost more than I can hope to pay for a transfer deal.

Day 298

2013-02-06T22:56:00.001+11:00

Alfreton, who finished 18th in the Blue Square Bet Premier this season, are being targeted for takeover by a consortium of businessmen. If only I knew why.

The second opinions I asked for on Declan McManus and Ryan Donnelly came back in the form of the exact same reports from Bradshaw and Gardner, respectively. I guess I didn’t make myself clear on what a second opinion means. This time I explicitly asked other staff members to compile reports on them.

Ian Gardner also sent in an update on his roaming search of the UK and Ireland for talented players. His only recommendations this time were three Welsh youngsters who will never even come close to breaking in to my team. I think next season I need to sign new scouts, too.

Day 297

2013-02-05T22:27:00.001+11:00

Before I could look through my existing squad, there were six more scout reports on my desk.

Airdrie United’s 20-year-old striker Ryan Donnelly looks like a good signing—he’s of comparable ability to Barnes-Homer, with his best years still ahead of him (Barnes-Homer, on the other hand, is at his peak). I worry that his decision-making isn’t good enough, although it hasn’t done much harm to my current crop of strikers. I’ll take another look at him shortly.

Gary Smith is further along in his development, despite being the same age. The worry with Smith, however, is that he lacks speed and doesn’t make up for it in strength or aerial ability. I’m not sure that he’d fit my playing style. I think I’ll pass.

Declan McManus—yet another young Scottish striker—looks to be a very well-rounded talent, although he’ll need to add to his pace before he can really thrive. At just 17 years old, he may already be good enough for a fringe role at Lincoln. The trouble is that he’s still under contract, and at a club as big as Aberdeen I have little chance of a bargain-basement price. I’ll have to monitor the lad’s progress instead.

I’m not interested in midfielder Craig Murray, despite a glowing report on him from Peter Johnson. Likewise with Joe Wilson. Both strike me as possessing critical weaknesses that would be exploited in the kinds of football I expect to be playing. Joe Slattery, meanwhile, misses out on further attention because I just don’t think he’ll ever make the grade.

Moving over to my own players, I went through each of their prospects for first-team football next season and beyond.

Winger Benjamin Laurant only arrived in January—a mere two months ago—but he may not be around much longer. He hasn’t made as big of an impact as I’d hoped, so if a better wide man comes along he’ll be on the way out. Fellow wingers Francis Laurent and Simon Russell will be released at the end of their contracts in a little over two months.

I think I’ll sell Josh Gowling, once I settle on a replacement. Gowling had a great season, especially considering the shaky start to our working relationship (he spat the dummy when I changed his squad status), but I see him as a weak link in our armour going into League 2. I expect Kanouté to bump him out of the starting lineup sooner rather than later, regardless.

I’m satisfied with goalkeeper Mark Halstead, but I’m open to signing a new number one. I definitely need a second keeper who’s up to standard.

I think Marques and Birchall will again play key roles next season, and I see no reason why Woods can’t also. With Olembé and Shuker it all comes down to how well they can cope with the increased strain and their aging legs. I hope young Robert Taylor plays a bigger role—the boy’s got enormous potential that I hope comes to fruition.

Midfielders Alan Power and Jean-François Christophe, along with defenders Peter Bore, Nicky Nicolau, John Nutter, and Paul Robson, are all on their way out. I’ll leave it until the transfer window reopens before I transfer list Nutter; the rest of them have contracts expiring, so they’ll leave on a free. Strikers Sam Smith and Nialle Rodney, too.

I’m all set to make an offer for young left back Alex Billington, who was excellent on loan for us in the closing stages of the season, as soon as I’m allowed. Fellow youngster Karlton Watson may be farmed out on loan, back into the Blue Square Bet Premier, for the match experience he sorely needs.

Without factoring in new signings—since I can’t be sure of any dealings in the market at this point—we’re looking at just 16 first-team players sticking around, from a squad of 28. And one of those is John Nutter, who I plan to sell. Youth team graduate Samuel Hancock and loan returnees Danny Hone, Kyle Perry, and Bradley Barraclough will bolster those numbers, but I don’t know anything about those three guys who’ve been away at other clubs.

The take away here is that I need to rebuild. I figure with the League 2 season being 46 games long, plus cup matches (meaning there are at least 50 competitive games to worry about), I should aim for a senior squad of 24-28 players. So I need to sign somewhere between five and 12 players on permanent or long-term loan deals. It could be a busy summer.

Day 296

2013-02-04T19:38:00.001+11:00

More scout reports came in.

Frenchman Steven Thicot still appeals to me as a central-defensive partner for Rui Marques next season, but I wonder if he’s not enough of a step up from Gowling. I could sign a deal with him now—he’s interested, and his contract at Brechin expires in just over a month. I’m paralysed by indecision, however. I’ll have to move on this soon if I want him—bigger clubs like Aberdeen have already started sniffing.

Brentford’s Pakistani central midfielder Adnan Ahmed is a quality player, but it sounds like he’s no better than Woods or Birchall, so I’ll save my money for someone else.

We’re priced out of the market on Portsmouth youngster Chinedu Vine, who looks like he’s a couple of years shy of readiness for regular first-team football. Likewise for 17 year old Limerick (an Irish team) striker Steven McGann—unless somehow the youngster breaks free of his contract before we approach him (otherwise I believe it’s a choice between compensation or a transfer fee).

I’m on the fence about Joe Slattery, a young midfielder whose contract is set to expire at Kilmarnock in July. He has potential, and lots of growth ahead of him, but I worry about his weak points holding him back. I asked for another report on the lad.

I guess I should make some plans about my existing squad tomorrow, deciding who will stay or go and who is important to our future plans.

Day 295

2013-02-03T23:47:00.001+11:00

Five of the scout reports I asked for came in this evening.

I think I’ll pass on Chesterfield right winger Tendayi Darikwa. In a couple of years he’ll be better than Chris Shuker, but not be enough to be worthwhile on a player who’d cost us a transfer fee.

Walsall central defender Oliver Lancashire will remain on my shortlist; he’s not far off the standard of Rui Marques, at 11 years his junior—although I am a tad concerned about his poor passing ability and purported selfishness. Lancashire’s contract is up at the end of the season. If he leaves Walsall, I’ll take a serious look at him.

Arsenal youngster Zak Ansah spent three months on loan with us earlier in the season, where his signs of promise were marred by injury lay-offs. The young forward looks to be coming along nicely; with a bit of luck, I’ll be able to loan him for the duration of next season.

Pier Larrauri, a Peruvian attacking midfielder currently contracted to Leicester, got a great rap from Peter Johnson. I don’t see it, but I’ll keep an eye on his progress—the 18 year old sounds like he’s brimming with potential.

Hull left back Conor Townsend spent this season on loan at Grimsby, where he was one of the better performers in the league. I’ve been impressed by him, and Johnson thinks the youngster “should be regarded as a definite purchase.” I like Alex Billington more. If I can’t get Billington on a permanent deal, however, I’ll take a good hard look at Townsend.

Day 294

2013-02-02T22:49:00.001+11:00

With the main part of the season over and done with, my attention now turns to building a squad for life in League 2. I pulled out my shortlist and asked for updated reports on highly-recommended players who fit one or more of the following conditions: transfer listed, loan listed, contract expiring in the next few months, or contract expired.

I don’t know what budget I’ll be given for rebuilding, but I think it’s best to assume that it’ll be minuscule—which means bargain-signings only. That shouldn’t prevent me from getting a strong team together, judging by the success of the approach this season and the talent of the players that met those conditions.

I also went into the drawer full of unread scout reports, noting the names of players that I think are worth a closer look.

Day 293

2013-02-01T22:14:00.001+11:00

I didn’t realise it yesterday, but striker Omar Koroma’s 20th goal of the season yesterday earned him a big bonus. He gets £300 a week, and £40 for each goal (along with £170 for every first-team appearance), so the £3,000 bonus must feel special to the lad—it works out at around two months’ pay. I’d say it’s well deserved. He had a brilliant season, following a shaky start when he signed in mid-August.

Koroma ended up being one of my best performers, and our slumps coincided with his injury absences. Besides the 20 goals, he contributed 10 assists (eight in the league and two in cup matches) and he earned six best-on-ground awards.

Veteran Spanish midfielder Juan Carlos confirmed his transfer to Lincoln this evening. At 35 (going on 36 in June), he’s getting on in years as a professional footballer. But he looks to be an excellent physical condition. And his technique and passing stand him above and beyond the standard of this level. I can’t wait to see how he works with Olembé.

Day 292

2013-01-31T22:40:00.001+11:00

With one game to play, my Under 18s climbed to third in their group today. It will be a fantastic achievement if they can hold the position.

Meanwhile, the seniors faced off against Darlington for their final game of the season.

I decided to field an almost-full-strength team, with my first-choice back four—Kanouté, Gowling, Marques, Billington—and strike-pairing—Koroma and Barnes-Homer—supported by midfielders Shuker, Woods, Olembé, and Power (with Halstead in goal). Power got the nod because he was a key player for us through the first half of the season, and he’s made a few vital contributions since falling back to fringe status.

Power’s actually only missed one game in the league all season. He started 21 (soon to be 22) matches and came off the bench in 23.

Youngsters Robert Taylor and Karlton Watson took their place on the bench with Diagouraga, May, and Nutter. I chose not to put a second goalkeeper in the 16, leaving us vulnerable if Halstead were to get injured or sent off.

We went close twice in the opening few minutes, with good efforts from Koroma and Shuker. It looked as though we’d be in charge of the game. We were helped by Darlington’s defensive misfortune moments later. A Billington corner from the left bounced off one Darlington player’s back and off another’s—James Gray’s—heel, before rolling over the line.

Koroma should have doubled the lead in the 34th minute, when he dispossessed Ziggy Gordon inside the box and slid a shot across goal. It was off the mark, however. I wondered whether the striker would break his goalless streak today—he’d gone more than 12 games without scoring.

He got it. Koroma picked up Power’s pass on the edge of the box on 60 minutes, fought off the challenge of Balotoni, and calmly placed the ball in the bottom corner. His 20th league goal of the season sure was a long time coming, and you could see the relief on his face to finally break the drought.

Young centre back Karlton Watson replaced Kanouté in the 67th minute, with Gowling moving across to right back. Then Power went down injured in the 76th minute. I picked John Nutter as his replacement, since I wanted the club captain on the pitch at the final whistle. Olembé took on an unfamiliar central midfield role to accommodate Nutter.

Darlington pulled a goal back in the 81st minute. Unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box, Bridge-Wilkinson volleyed Foster’s free kick goalwards. Halstead was beaten, but the ball cannoned off Billington on the near post. Felice Coppola was perfectly positioned to tap the rebound in, adding a disappointing note to our title celebrations.

We held on for a deserved victory, however. Koroma took man of the match honours, while we all got to celebrate the Conference crown. Our next league game will be in the division above—League 2. I’m especially pleased that we hit 100 points, scored 106 goals, and conceded just 43 times—less than once a match.

We smashed our season record for attendance—6,538 people turned out to see us raise the trophy and accept our winners medals (and watch some football too, presumably).

The play-offs are scheduled. Wrexham face Mansfield, while Grimsby go toe to toe with Gateshead.

Day 291

2013-01-30T22:21:00.001+11:00

Voting started today for Blue Square Bet Premier Player of the Season. Two of my players were nominated: striker Matthew Barnes-Homer, who currently tops the league in average ratings, and midfielder Chris Shuker, who leads on assists. I abstained from voting, since I’m not allowed to vote for one of my players (and I think Barnes-Homer deserves the nod).

Apparently Shuker and Ebbsfleet’s Michael West are considered front-runners for the award. I think it’ll either go to Barnes-Homer or West—who’s been something of a one man army this season, bagging 19 goals, 21 assists, and seven best-on-ground honours in 45 appearances. West is also second to Barnes-Homer on the average ratings.

I’m disappointed that Salomon Olembé wasn’t nominated, but I guess it’s because he missed so much football—just 29 (soon to be 30) appearances.

The board are expecting a season-record attendance for tomorrow’s match against Darlington. Around 6,000 people could turn up to watch us lift the Conference title. It’s about bloody time more of Lincoln’s fans bothered to show up.

We’ve been given odds of 4-7 to win the game. But it’s all academic, of course, because neither side stands to gain or lose much—we could hit 100 points, and they could climb one place to 17th (or fall one spot to 19th).

Those scout reports I requested yesterday came through this evening. Juan Carlos is slightly better than Olembé, I’m told. This has me thinking of a possible Carlos/Olembé partnership on the left flank next season—Olembé at left back and Carlos at left midfield. That could be a formidable force if they work well together. I offered him a contract.

The report on Laurent Hervé was similarly positive. He could play regular first-team football in League 1, scout Ian Gardner says. And he’d make a fine calming influence to either our defence or midfield. I tried to offer him a contract, too, but wasn’t willing to give him a “match highest earner salary” clause. He walked away. I’ll try again later.

Meanwhile, Blackpool asked for £8,000 for veteran Maltese striker Daniel Bogdanovic. I countered, “Nothing or nothing!” If they understand my new bid, I’ll either be in talks with Bogdanovic soon or I’ll have to fight off other clubs when his contract expires at the end of June.

Day 290

2013-01-29T19:49:00.001+11:00

We held the last backroom meeting of the regular season today. I had to take striker Matthew Barnes-Homer off his composure training—an individual regime intended to improve his effectiveness in front of goal—because the workload was too high.

My staff recommended several potential signings. I was not familiar with any of them, so I told them to write up reports. Three of these were on my desk by the evening, alongside a scout report on veteran Maltese striker Daniel Bogdanovic. At 32, Bogdanovic is past his prime—but he’s still much better than any of the forwards at the club at the moment. I’m told his only real weakness is a lack of pace, and with his Blackpool contract soon to expire I might be able to sign him on a free transfer.

He’s unwanted at the club, too—listed for both transfer and loan. I put in a somewhat cheeky bid of £0.

The other reports left me unmoved, but a scouting update from Mark Bradshaw caught my notice. Laurent Hervé and Juan Carlos—both veteran (35-year-old) players with pedigree in the top leagues of Europe—have been playing in Scotland and will soon be in need of a new club. I asked Bradshaw to take a closer look, since his early impressions suggest they could be great signings.

Day 289

2013-01-28T19:17:00.001+11:00

Wrexham, Grimsby, Gateshead, and Barrow made up their remaining game in hand today, finally placing every team under the same number of games played—I don’t think this has happened since Christmas. The final standings look to be pretty much set with a game to play. No team can climb more than three places, and most cannot even move up one.

In the play-off zone, where position dictates who plays whom, it seems likely that the pecking order will stay as it is now—Mansfield, Gateshead, Grimsby, Wrexham. Yep, Wrexham went from serious title contenders to fifth place with a difficult home game against Mansfield that must be won if they are to improve their lot. I think the play-offs are likely to be Wrexham versus Mansfield, Gateshead versus Grimsby. I’d tip Mansfield and Grimsby to win those ties, with Mansfield just edging out Grimsby in the play-off final.

I checked out the past positions in the league this season. The top five teams have been in the top five since round 14. Four of these five—Gateshead are the odd ones out—were there by round 8. That means the top end of the Conference League has been a fortress this season, impenetrable to nearly all of the 24 clubs.

The bottom end tells a similar story. Kettering never climbed above second last place. Barrow fell into the relegation zone in round 8 and never made it out. Braintree started poorly, rallied well, then slipped back into the relegation zone (and stayed there) after 18 matches. Stockport started strongly, then sunk into the horrid red zone in round 15—never to return.

While teams in the large middle section—from sixth all the way down to 20th—have exchanged positions and ebbed and flowed with the home and away schedule, the bookends of the table have held remarkably solid. I find that fascinating—this idea that there are five or six teams considerably better than the rest, four or five teams considerably worse, and a dozen or so that are fairly similar in ability.