CM - QuikSand Back to Lincoln City

[QuikSand]

My third tour of duty with Championship Manager, the much-heralded soccer simulation – this time with version 03/04. I will return to familiar environs, taking up as manager of third division club Lincoln City, and seeking to guide the Red Imps up the ladder in the British Isles. I’m playing by my usual rules – a softly-stated version of lower league rules, where I won’t be using the “real player” database, and I won’t be using any complicated or imported tactics. I generally run a pretty simple twist on the standard 4-4-2 setup, but whatever I do use will be my own work.

[QuikSand]

Getting Started

Here is the roster that we start off with – the printout from the game is a little clunky, but should serve its main purpose, I suppose. (I really liked the text printout from CM 00/01, but I guess that didn’t survive the upgrades)


13th in English Third Division
Squad Screen

| Pkd | Inf | Name | Position(s) | Form | Morale | Cond. | Apps | Av R | Value |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Parry, S* | D C | | Okay | 70% | - | ---- | £110K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Kamara, P* | S C | | Okay | 68% | - | ---- | £45K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Mills, P | D/DM R | | Okay | 66% | - | ---- | £40K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Cross, B | AM/F RL | | Okay | 67% | - | ---- | £35K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Holt, T | S C | | Okay | 68% | - | ---- | £30K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Rowe, C | D C | | Okay | 68% | - | ---- | £22K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | O'Connor, S | S C | | Okay | 67% | - | ---- | £22K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Maher, M* | D C | | Okay | 68% | - | ---- | £20K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Davison, A | M LC | | Okay | 67% | - | ---- | £18K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Saunders, D | GK | | Okay | 69% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Baldwin, P | F RC | | Okay | 68% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Banks, D | F C | | Okay | 65% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Connolly, L | DM C | | Okay | 69% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Hussey, A | AM C | | Okay | 66% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Kay, D | D C | | Okay | 65% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Marsh, L | D L | | Okay | 70% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | McGrath, J | M LC | | Okay | 68% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Morgan, D | AM LC | | Okay | 66% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Murphy, S | AM/F R | | Okay | 71% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Wnt | Platt, S | D RLC | | Okay | 68% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Ward, S | D C | | Okay | 68% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | Lmp | Willis, C | GK | | Okay | 68% | - | ---- | £16K |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


I confess, I’m not really wild about that supposed “printout” function – it provide an awful lot less than what we had in CM 00/01. I still don’t understand the concept of removing features from an evolving game… but this doesn’t seem too important to most players, I guess.

As we prepare for the 2003/2004 season, my expectations are pretty simple. Our immediate success is probably fairly immaterial – what is post important is building a base from which to grow. If things work out for us like they have in my past attempts with this sim, then most of my initial store of players will be gone within a couple of seasons – out the door for cash to larger clubs, or else released for lack of potential. So, in short, we won’t get too attached to the group above until it makes some sense to really start paying attention.


Coaching Staff Table

| Name | Job | CGk | Coa | Phy | Tct | Yng | Man | Ada | Det | Jud | JPt | Dis | Mot |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| QuikSand | Manager | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Moran, A | Assistant Manager | 11 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 18 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 20 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Thompson, D | Coach | 15 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 10 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| O'Brien, C | Coach | 8 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 18 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Rose, S | Physio | 2 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Murphy, L | Physio | 2 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Griffiths, J | Scout | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 11 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Management

| Name | Job | CGk | Coa | Phy | Tct | Yng | Man | Ada | Det | Jud | JPt | Dis | Mot |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Fowler, T | Chairman | 8 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 8 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


There is our staff – things look pretty good to me here. I’m not inclined to shake things up a lot, as I’m satisfied with our top assistants.

Tom Fowler, team chairman, will become a familiar name as he is the mouthpiece for the board, who will give commentary on my job security and the state of the club.

[QuikSand]

July 2003

As the season starts off, we have £25,500 available in our transfer budget – not really a lot of cash left around. By my usual mode in my first season or two is to only pursue free transfers – so I probably won’t even tap into that cash, unless I’m really moved by a player.

Our wages are currently at £14,210/week – a shade over our budget of £12,750 – so we will be on a lean diet in the near future, I reckon.


Steve O’Connor notches the first goal in our initial friendly, and then sets up Paul Kamara for the next, as we take a 2-1 win over Bradford, PA. We’re mostly just getting the side into shape here, not focusing too much on results – though we looked pretty sharp in the opener.


We almost immediately get a nibble for one or our players, defender Simon Platt. I reject the offer, but we’ll watch him as a possible transfer out. Hereford wants to loan him to the Conference – I reject that as well. He seems like a pretty hot property already.


We have a match with Div 1 Crewe – and expect to get shelled. However, trailing only 1-0, we manage to pull even at 77, and gain a PK from O’Connor at 81 to take the 2-1 edge.


In our next friendly against Norwich, we get four goals from second-half substitute forward Paul Banks, and win 8-1. The club looks great – but I suspect we’re up against the scrubs from the higher division opponent, so we’ll hold off on popping champagne corks right now.


The odds are released for the Third Division. Huddersfield and Northampton are the co-favorites, but we share a tier at 2-1 with several others. So, we are considered to be at least “in the mix.” Encouraging.


We limp through our last friendly to a 0-2 loss, but are feeling pretty well primed for the start of our regular season schedule. Our first match is at home at Sincil Bank, against Bristol Rovers.

Our first goal of the regular season comes from captain Chris Rowe, off a corner kick. We get a number of shots late, but their keeper holds fast. However, we make the one goal hold up, and come away with a home win to open the season. Lincoln 1, Bristol 0.


Ur initial matchup in the League Cup is against Peterborough from the Second Division – we’ll use most of our first team here, as we don’t really have enough depth to contemplate major switches. Paul Kamara gets us the first goal with a nice strike at 35 minutes, and we hold that edge until well into the second half, when they draw even. We go into extra time level at one, and despite our possession edge – we go to penalty kicks. Our young keeper Saunders makes two saves, and we are even through five kicks. Two misses follow, and the deadlock continues. It takes until the 8th kick, but Michael Maher nails his, and when the Peterborough kick sails high – we clinch the very hard-fought win.


We travel to Boston United, back in the league schedule. Steve O’Connor’s first half goal gets us ahead, but we lose him to an injury shortly thereafter. Boston Utd gets on a roll later, and pull away for the fairly easy win. Boston Utd 3, Lincoln 1.

We look for a rebound back home against Leyton Orient. Dave Banks, in for injured O’Connell, scores off a nice feed from Kamara to get us ahead – but then he, too, goes down hurt. Scott Murphy scores on a second half follow-up, and we secure a solid edge, as we go on to take the shutout. Lincoln 2, Leyton Orient 0.

At Bury, we have another league match, hoping to get our first road victory. Paul Baldwin, in his first match for us at striker, notches two goals and helps the cause, as we cruise to an impressive 3-0 win. Lincoln 3, Bury 0.

I am a bit worried about our midfield, and I go looking for target players I might be able to bring aboard to help out. I’m looking for cheap acquisitions – not players I’d need to spend cash up front to take on. I make an approach to a Canadian youngster – we’ll see if he is interested (I doubt it).


We wrap up August with a match against Cheltenham, who are just ahead of us in fifth place in the league table. It’s scoreless through 79 minutes, but they pull ahead on a freaky play, a follow-up chance after a fast break that we stopped. That goal is all they need to secure a nice win. Cheltenham 1, Lincoln 0.


Blackburn approach us with a £30,000 offer for striker Paul Kamara – but it’s already pretty clear to me that he is one of our brightest lights. If he has to go at some point, so be it – but it won’t be without a fight, and it definitely won’t be for a measly £30,000.

A young French player, Gilles Besson, I had pursued re-signs with his old team – ending my thoughts about an impact transfer.

[QuikSand]

September 2003

The Lincoln directors are hopeful of a long and successful era with you at the helm.


We start off the month hosting Kidderminster, and get an early lead off a brilliant goal from Paul Kamara, doing all the work himself. We end up with a comfortable win, after another dominant effort. Lincoln 3, Kidderminster 0.


We agree to send defender Ian Briggs on loan to Halifax. This helps to relieve our salary problem, for a while at least. However, Halifax can’t take him after all – they are at their loan-in limit. We may find another home for Briggs, though. Aldershot comes up with another offer, to pay 100% of his salary, and we soon get that worked out.

I am shocked when a standout Bolivian striker, Fernando Montaño, accepts our contract offer. He is only 15, but he looks like he might have loads of talent. We’re waiting for a work permit to come through – we’ve seen this be a problem before. But if he does come, he could be a major addition for us. ::crossing fingers::


We’re back to the pitch, visiting Yeovil Town. Our only goal comes from a free kick by Ben Cross, and we settle for a draw on the day. Lincoln 1, Yeovil 1.

We come home and host Darlington at our place. Danny Morgan tallies his first goal on a beautiful play, and we get the lead until the 69th minute, when they draw level. At 77, Dave Banks nails a penalty kick, and we pull ahead again, and we hold that margin for the win. Lincoln 2, Darlington 1.


We next have a league match – against Portsmouth from the EPL. Tough draw for us, and probably our exit. We’re in pretty good health and spirits, but I expect we will be badly outclassed here. We trail 1-0 behind the furiously fast Portsmouth squad, but manage to draw level on a PK after 86 minutes, and go into extra time. We manage, once again, to put the match into penalty kicks – with young Dave Saunders in the pipes for us. Saunders comes up with one block and forces another high shot, and we come away with the improbable victory! Lincoln 1, Portsmouth 1 – Lincoln advances.


I’m not too surprised when we get the news that Bolivian wunderkind Fernando Montaño will not be coming to us after all – his work permit has been declined. We’ll keep trying, but I don’t expect to see if come through after all. Rats!


We’re focusing back onto the pitch, as we visit Carlisle, who are about mid-table. We have Danny Morgan red carded after 5 minutes for an unfortunate incident, and we get run over on their pitch, losing badly. It’s a tumultuous first half, as we slide behind by three goals, and get into several scuffles – not like us, really. Carlisle 3, Lincoln 0.

With a suspension and a couple injuries in our midfield, I need another body – and call up Luke Harrison, who has been playing on our 19u team.

We wrap up September still in good league position, and surprisingly still alive in the League Cup. Things are going fairly well here at Sincil Bank, and we will try to keep the home fans happy with continued success.

[QuikSand]

October 2003

Now that we have put together a few matches, and have a bit of a feel for our players – I’ll put together a familiar table. I’m simply not satisfied with the printout function of the game itself – so I’ll construct this from time to time instead.


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con AvgR

Carl Willis 23 £750 £16K Kicking,OneonOne,Throwing,Determ 6 6 6.33
Dave Saunders 19 £300 £16K Determination,Command,Influence 5 5 5.80

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Lee Marsh 21 £500 £16K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 10 0 0 0 7.20
Michael Maher 24 £500 £22K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 8 0 1 1 7.00
Chris Rowe 21 £825 £24K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 7(1) 1 1 0 6.75
Paul Mills 29 £500 £26K Bravery,WorkRate,Marking,Determ 7 0 0 0 6.29
Steve Parry 24 £850 £100K Determ,Anticipation,Teamwork,Infl 5 0 1 0 7.20
Simon Platt 18 £ 80 £16K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 5 0 0 0 7.00
Stuart Ward 24 £500 £16K Determ,Bravery,Teamwork,Marking 2(2) 0 0 0 6.50

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Danny Morgan 18 £ 80 £16K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility 10 1 0 1 6.90
Adam Davison 26 £750 £16K Creativity,SetPieces,Flair,Infl 8 0 4 0 7.13
Ben Cross 26 £400 £30K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 6(1) 1 1 1 7.29
Scott Murphy 26 £800 £16K Determ,Balance,OffTheBall,WorkRate 6 1 0 0 6.67
Andrew Hussey 21 £550 £16K Determ,OffTheBall,Acceleration,Tmwk 5(5) 0 0 0 6.80
Lee Connolly 20 £475 £16K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 5 0 0 0 7.40
Colin Bradshaw 16 £ 80 n/pr Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 4(1) 0 0 0 7.20
Luke Harrison 18 £ 75 £16K WorkRate,Acceleration,Determ,Agility

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 18 £400 £40K OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 10 4 4 2 7.50
Paul Baldwin 21 £825 £16K Workrate,PKs,Technicque,Determ 5(1) 3 1 1 6.83
Dave Banks 20 £275 £16K Aggression,Balance,Heading,Agility 3(3) 2 0 0 6.50
Steve O’Connor 21 £550 £26K PKs,Acceleration,Dribbling,Determ 3 2 0 0 7.33
Tony Holt 19 £450 £30K Determ,Aggression,Bravery,Workrate 1(1) 0 1 0 7.00


Actually, assembling that table was a very good “immersion” exercise for me – and has fueled my thinking about this side.

At keeper, I don’t think either if these kids is the answer – and I’ll be looking for a player or two to add at the position. Defensively, though, I am pretty happy with our lot – I like Marsh on our left, and I think that Simon Platt might work into the starting role on the right side. That leaves the trio of Parry, Maher, and Rowe to tend to the middle spots – and they all seem to be okay. Solid, for now.

My midfield seems a bit thin – but I have something to work with. Lee Connolly seems to be a good fit for my defensive center midfielder role – I like a tough tackler there. Ben Cross can play either side, and I expect to get him in a lot on the right. Morgan and Davison have both been getting time on the left side – but now I’m thinking that Davison might be better suited to go into the more forward attacking slot – he might be our best playmaker of the lot.

On attack, Paul Kamara is clearly the cream of the crop. I don’t like the skill sets of any of the rest too much – maybe Tony Holt deserves more playing time that he has gotten. I’ll probably be looking for an addition here as well.

Work to do – but so far, we are getting decent results even as we are just settling in.


As we start off October, we stand in 7th place in the league table. The top three clubs seem to be Southend, Doncaster, and Cheltenham. We are four points out off the third spot – I have to think that our goal will be to stay in or around the 4th to 7th zone, where we’d make the playoffs for the final promotion spot.


Okay – back to the pitch. At Doncaster, we trail early, but get a nice drop-in from Bradshaw to Holt to draw level. It’s even for a long time, despite them playing better in my view, but justice is served when they tap one in during injury time, and get the win. Doncaster 2, Lincoln 1.


No surprise, but Fernando Montaño’s work permit has fallen through, and we simply won’t get the promising young striker. Disappointing, needless to say, but I’m used to this.


We play host to Huddersfield, and I’d like to see us get back with a win. We are in control the whole way, and with two goals from Kamara put this one into the W column easily. Lincoln 3, Huddersfield 0.

Club Chairman Tom Fowler declares his pleasure with the result.


We’re up again, and we host Scunthorpe. We win an uninspiring match, with the only score coming on a stupid own goal by their defender – but we’ll take it. Lincoln 1, Scunthorpe 0.


In our opening match of the Vans trophy, we visit Mansfield. They break a long-standing tie with a goal at 74, and hold on to get the win – abruptly ending our stay in that competition. Mansfield 2, Lincoln 1 – Lincoln eliminated.


We head to Macclesfield, and immediately fall behind on a goal in minute 2. However, at 41, we pull even with a goal from O’Connor, set up by a great play from Paul Kamara. Not a great game for us, but we’ll take the point from the draw on the road. Lincoln 1, Macclesfield 1.


I get inquiries about Paul Kamara, but unless they knock my socks off, I have no plans to let him go. He likes it here, and with our dearth of effective strikers, he’s our brightest light on the attack.


In the League Cup, we are at Cardiff, a Div 1 club. Tough foe for us, again – but we’ve been fortunate thus far. We are outplayed badly this time, and take a tough beating from the much quicker side from Cardiff. Cardiff 3, Lincoln 1 – Lincoln eliminated.

[QuikSand]

November 2003

Our first match of the month is at home with Cambridge. We give away the narrow lead late when keeper Carl Willis makes an unwise move, can’t handle an outside ball, and lets an open goal await the Cambridge striker for an easy score. Lincoln 1, Cambridge 1.


We’re getting deep enough into the season that the standings actually have some meaning – let’s take a look at the league table:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Cheltenham | | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 6 | +16 | 30 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Hull | | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 12 | +14 | 27 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Doncaster | | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 11 | +13 | 27 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Southend | | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 26 | 13 | +13 | 26 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Lincoln | | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 13 | +7 | 24 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Bury | | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 24 | 15 | +9 | 23 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Cambridge | | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 26 | 20 | +6 | 23 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | York | | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 23 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Northampton | | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 23 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Bristol Rovers | | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 18 | -2 | 23 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Torquay | | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 21 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Yeovil | | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 18 | +5 | 20 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Scunthorpe | | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 21 | +2 | 19 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Boston Utd | | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 19 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Oxford | | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 15 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Kidderminster | | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 20 | -6 | 15 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Mansfield | | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 20 | -6 | 15 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Macclesfield | | 14 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 24 | -9 | 15 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Swansea | | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 14 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Carlisle | | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 17 | 25 | -8 | 14 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Rochdale | | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 24 | -11 | 13 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Darlington | | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 17 | 29 | -12 | 13 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Leyton Orient | | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 30 | -17 | 12 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Huddersfield | | 14 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 20 | -9 | 9 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|



By my reckoning, we seem to be a full tier behind the top three or four clubs, but certainly belong right in the next group of eight or so who will be competing for a playoff position. Lots ore to shake out, of course, but that seems encouraging.

We’re at Swansea, ready for a good showing in a road matchup. Carl Willis gets some redemption for us, as he puts in his best performance of the season so far. Regrettably, we cannot get onto the scoresheet either, as the Swansea keeper played very well, too. Lincoln 0, Swansea 0.


Despite the decent showing from young Carl Willis, I feel that keeper is a need area. I have my sights set on an addition here – and we are in contract talks with 33 year old David Crowley. He’s got good leadership skills, seems to be a passable keeper, and would join as a player/coach. He also isn’t seeking a monster contract – which helps as well.


We field a shaken-up lineup for our next match, at Cambridge in our FA Cup opener. Holt and Kamara strike for two early goals, and we take command early. Some of our subs play very well here, and we look exceedingly sharp. Lincoln 4, Cambridge 1 – Lincoln advances.


David Crowley accepts the transfer from Doncaster, and comes aboard as our new player/coach. He has nice skills as a talent spotter, is good with young players, and is very good coaching goalkeepers. Plus, he might be an improvement for our current first team – all looks good for a pretty cheap (£10K) transfer in. I immediately get him in charge of the keeper training, and we will try to work him in as a reserve a few times to get him match fit.


Back in league play, we play host to Northampton – a pretty big match for us. We trail by a goal at the half, but Paul Kamara gets his 10th goal of the season to pull us even – off a great feed by a recent youth pull, John Jackson. We end up even – not too bad, but a shade disappointing. Lincoln 1, Northampton 1.


We are at Rochdale, and in a spot where we might be able to grab a nice road win. But Rochdale scores with 12 minutes down, and we are already in a hole. They go on to just bury us, and eliminate my hopes for an easy road spot here. Very disappointing. Rochdale 3, Lincoln 1.


I give Paul Kamara a rest as we play at Southend, a tough spot anyway. Southend strike quickly to take the lead, and it is a disastrous affair for us all around. Southend 3, Lincoln 0. David Crowley now has come in as a sub twice, and has conceded four goals – not a great looking sheet (though I’m not yet ready to assign him blame).

[QuikSand]

December 2003

We start off the month against Boston United in the FA Cup – and we are in a bit of a funk. We could use a good showing here. We are level through 90 minutes, but give up a terrible goal in injury time, and fall at home. Boston Utd 2, Lincoln 1 – Lincoln eliminated. Bad loss, we seem to be in free fall.


31 year old striker James Henderson looks like he will become our first Bosman transfer in, as he accepts a modest offer. He has been pretty effective with second division Brentford this season, and should still have a bit left in the tank. So, that should give us one more scoring option for next season, as we bring along a handful of emerging strikers.


We play host to York, and need to get a home win to get this club back on track. This one stays scoreless for a while, but I sense we are being outplayed. York goes ahead on a nice goal at 75, and thought we get a few good chances late, we cannot pull even. York 1, Lincoln 0. This has been a very tough spell.

Back home for Hull, we are in need of a rebound – eve against a major contender like them. Paul Kamara delivers with a great shot at the 3 minute mark to get us ahead. Kamara gets a couple more good looks, and then opens up with another great shot to put us ahead 2-0 before the half. Great effort – Kamara clearly earns MOM, and David Crowley gets a clean sheet in his starting debut for us. Lincoln 2, Hull 0.

We follow up at Mansfield, looking to turn that win over Hull into a rally. Mansfield, though, looks sharp early, and earns a chance to take the lead on a PK. But Crowley blocks it, and we stay even – for now. Adam Davison connects after a free kick, and we have the lead despite being the ones under pressure. Lee Connolly gets a huge goal from the mid-pitch, and we cruise home to a convincing win. Lincoln 3, Mansfield 0.

The two wins have vaulted us back up into 6th position – good for us.


Barnet is haggling over their 20 y/o striker Tommy Senior, a guy I think could be very effective in our game plan. He is lightning quick – and has skills a lot like those of Paul Kamara. They ask for £20,000 – and I consider the deal seriously. I think I might unload most of my older strikers, and go with a youth movement.

Senior, though, doesn’t like my contract offer – and he doesn’t want to leave Barnet. After debating whether he was worth a £20,000 transfer fee, I now find out he’s a homebody and wants to stay there for £120/wk rather than play here for £700/wk. Okay, pally. After I try three times, he calls of talks and stays put.


We are back home for Torquay. We are “caught napping” and concede a goal off a corner pass in after a nasty tackle. Bt young Darren Hopkins, playing for Paul Kamara, evens things up with a nice finish. In the second half, Hopkins deflects a hard ball from Davison for another goal, and we take a solid lead, turning them away badly. Lincoln 5, Torquay 1. Even without our top striker Kamara, we were flying high on the attack this time.

[QuikSand]

January 2004

While December wasn’t our best month, we might have something on the way back. The Board remains delighted with my performance as manager. Good show!

Let’s look at the league table – following a shaky run by our club:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Doncaster | | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 43 | 14 | +29 | 47 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Southend | | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 46 | 19 | +27 | 46 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Cheltenham | | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 38 | 17 | +21 | 43 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Hull | | 22 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 36 | 22 | +14 | 38 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Lincoln | | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 32 | 22 | +10 | 35 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Bury | | 22 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 31 | 19 | +12 | 34 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Scunthorpe | | 22 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 35 | 27 | +8 | 34 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Cambridge | | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 41 | 31 | +10 | 33 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Northampton | | 22 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 21 | -3 | 32 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | York | | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 31 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Bristol Rovers | | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 24 | 30 | -6 | 31 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Darlington | | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 31 | 39 | -8 | 31 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Torquay | | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 28 | 29 | -1 | 30 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Oxford | | 22 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 28 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Mansfield | | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 27 | 30 | -3 | 28 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Swansea | | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 26 | 30 | -4 | 28 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Boston Utd | | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 32 | 38 | -6 | 28 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Rochdale | | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 29 | 35 | -6 | 28 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Kidderminster | | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 29 | 34 | -5 | 25 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Yeovil | | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 29 | 35 | -6 | 23 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Carlisle | | 22 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 27 | 43 | -16 | 21 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Macclesfield | | 22 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 21 | 42 | -21 | 20 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Leyton Orient | | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 19 | 44 | -25 | 19 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Huddersfield | | 22 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 38 | -21 | 12 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


So – we are right back into our sought position, in the playoff range. Not too bad, following a pretty desperate spot there.

Let’s update the look at the roster:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con AvgR

Carl Willis 23 £750 £16K Kicking,OneonOne,Throwing,Determ 14 14 6.14
Dave Saunders 19 £300 £16K Determination,Command,Influence 10 11 6.00
David Crowley 33 £220 £16K Kicking,Agility,Bravery,Positioning 4(2) 5 6.17

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Lee Marsh 21 £500 £16K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 22 0 0 0 7.00
Simon Platt 18 £ 80 £16K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 21 1 0 1 7.10
Steve Parry 24 £850 £100K Determ,Anticipation,Teamwork,Infl 19 0 1 0 6.89
Michael Maher 24 £500 £22K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 17 0 2 1 6.94
Chris Rowe 21 £825 £24K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 17(1) 1 1 1 6.67
Paul Mills 29 £500 £26K Bravery,WorkRate,Marking,Determ 13(2) 0 1 0 6.60
Stuart Ward 24 £500 £16K Determ,Bravery,Teamwork,Marking 3(2) 0 0 0 6.60

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Danny Morgan 18 £ 80 £16K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility 14 1 1 1 6.93
Adam Davison 26 £750 £16K Creativity,SetPieces,Flair,Infl 20(1) 1 9 0 7.14
Ben Cross 26 £400 £30K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 19(1) 2 2 1 7.20
Scott Murphy 26 £800 £16K Determ,Balance,OffTheBall,WorkRate 9(2) 2 1 0 6.73
Andrew Hussey 21 £550 £16K Determ,OffTheBall,Acceleration,Tmwk 15(7) 0 4 0 6.59
Lee Connolly 20 £475 £16K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 21 2 1 1 7.48
Colin Bradshaw 16 £ 80 n/pr Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 9(1) 1 1 0 6.90
Luke Harrison 18 £ 75 £16K WorkRate,Acceleration,Determ,Agility
John McGrath 18 £ 80 £16K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression 2(2) 0 0 0 5.75

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 18 £400 £40K OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 25 12 9 6 7.56
Paul Baldwin 21 £825 £16K Workrate,PKs,Technicque,Determ 5(4) 3 1 1 6.67
Dave Banks 20 £275 £16K Aggression,Balance,Heading,Agility 4(3) 2 0 0 6.43
Steve O’Connor 21 £550 £26K PKs,Acceleration,Dribbling,Determ 12(1) 7 0 0 7.23
Tony Holt 19 £450 £30K Determ,Aggression,Bravery,Workrate 6(1) 3 1 0 6.14
John Jackson 16 £ 80 yth Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression 3(1) 0 1 0 5.50
Darren Hopkins 16 £ 75 yth Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina 2(1) 2 1 1 7.33


So, we are starting to see what we really have here. I feel like the midfield is the shallow and weak spot on the club – I’d love to add one solid player there, and a loan in is probably our best shot of getting that to happen.


We head to Bristol Rovers to start off the new year. At 37 we commit a penalty, and they take the PK – but Crowley comes up with the save. But at 63, their strike is true, and the Rovers take the 1-0 lead. That’s all it takes this time – a tough match. Bristol 1, Lincoln 0.


We are home for Boston United, and would like to get back on the winning side. But Boston gets out quickly, drawing a penalty off Lee Connolly, and hitting on a follow-up after the PK. But into the second half, after a pretty exciting affair, it’s 2-2 with plenty of time left. Each side has a couple good chances, but neither can break that tie. Lincoln 2, Boston Utd 2.

We are on the road at Oxford, a mid-table rival. Paul Kamara is getting some rest – so we have O’Connor and young Darren Hopkins in at the striker slots. We get a fair degree of pressure in the late first half, but cannot get ahead. At 51, oxford connects for the first goal – and we area behind now. At 75, they pretty much seal it with another nice goal, and they go on for a good win. Oxford 2, Lincoln 0.


We are on the road again, but at Leyton Orient we ought too stand a chance of coming away with a result. We struggle through the first half, but get ahead on a rebound kick-in by Dave Banks, who we just recalled from our reserve squad. But at 60, they draw level with a decent effort, and our goals of getting a road win here dwindle. At 83, we fall behind, and are in danger of not even getting a point here. They clinch it after another minute – and our awful fade is complete. Leyton Orient 3, Lincoln 1.

So much for getting some real momentum – after ending December red hot, we have limped to a 1-3 record in January. Morale has really slipped, and this might be hard too get out of.


I am still foraging for players to bring in for next season through the Bosman rule, but not having much luck. The majority of my players are already locked up through next year – we have a big bunch of contracts that end in June 2005 – that will be the big “rollover” for our roster, I suspect.

Meanwhile, we get an offer for DM Lee Connolly, who has been working out quite nicely for us. No deal, of course, and certainly not for a £16K pittance.


So, we are back home for Cheltenham, and would very much like to pull a food result here. We get two goals from Andrew Hussey, and a brilliant MOM performance from keeper David Crowley, and get a very solid win. Lincoln 2, Cheltenham 0. Crowley has been a good acquisition for us, I reckon – and now is pretty much our default option at keeper. At 33, he might have a couple more productive years ahead, even.

At Kidderminster, we’ll try to get a road win, which have been scarce for us. We break a scoreless tie at 67 with a kick-in from Steve O’Connor, and we luck out when they botch a pretty easy shot in injury time – so we hold on. Lincoln 1, Kidderminster 0.

[QuikSand]

February 2004

Still in league play, we host Yeovil Town. They score at 10 minutes, and we are suddenly in some trouble. But at 14, we get a goal from defender Lee Marsh, and draw level. From there, though, we dominate the match, add two more goals, and comfortably cruise to a solid league victory. Lincoln 3, Yeovil 1.

We’re right back in action, hosting Bury – who have been on a great run lately and remain red hot. We have Paul Kamara back in action, after his rest period, and are hoping to give a good effort here. Scoreless at the half, we pull ahead at 63 when Paul Kamara makes an unbelievable play through heavy traffic to dish to O’Connor for a beautiful goal – maybe the best all year, in my book. We hold on with the 1-0 margin, until Kamara nails it shut in injury time to seal the great win. Lincoln 2, Bury 0.

We are a little tired and worn out as we play at Darlington. I switch up a couple spots, but we want to keep our high morale players playing, mostly. We are not sharp here, but still have a chance to get even in the final minutes – but a shot from O’Connor comes off the post and we take the loss. Darlington 1, Lincoln 0.

We are home for Doncaster, who lead the Third Division. A win here would be tremendous, but we are just hoping to make a solid showing. We fall behind early, but Kamara makes a nice open field play to get us even at the half. Early in the second half, they retake the lead, and hold it the rest of the way – we get our respectable showing, but no league points for the effort. Doncaster 2, Lincoln 1.


We have Paul Kamara resting again as we hit the field for Huddersfield. We’re on the road, but would like to beat up on a relegation-bound club here. We don’t beat up on anyone, but our defense is very sound, and we accept a good road victory. Lincoln 1, Huddersfield 0.


We make a minor personnel move, transferring in another quick-footed striker, David Rose. My scouts don’t think much of the 25 year old, but I love his speed, and hope that he can be a useful rotation player for us. At only £300/wk, he won’t be a strain on the wage budget, either.

We receive an inquiry about reserve defender Stephen Murphy – and I set a fair price for him. I’d be willing to let many of my underused players go, and thin out the wage budget a bit (we are still well over the approved amount there).


We are home to Carlisle, still in good position, and looking for a few points to put up on the league table. Carlisle are facing possible relegation – so we ought to have the upper hand here at home. We get Dave Rose in for some action after a scoreless first half, and he ends up putting in the put-away goal to seal our solid win. Lincoln 2, Carlisle 0. We suffer two injuries, though – so this win may not be a joyous day.

Danny Morgan is the serious injury – he will miss several weeks, further depleting an already shaky midfield for us.

[QuikSand]

March 2004

Our whole coaching staff is up for renewal for the coming season. Time to give a look at what they are really up to – and who should be retained.

I decide to keep on Assistant Manager Adam Moran, who has decent skills across the board. I think I need new scouts, though, and I pursue an aging player who has good scouting skills – maybe he can step in for us.

We add Steve Naylor as our new scout. He’s not a player, but a pro scout, and ought to be a step up from our current scout, who doesn’t seem too trustworthy.


The team’s finances are in decent shape, despite my wage budget being a shade high:

6th in English Third Division
General Finances

| | |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Transfer Budget (Season) | £25,500 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Transfer Budget (Remaining) | £8,500 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| % of transfer revenue made available | 90% |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sponsors | 3 year deal at £33.75K per season. Ends 2004 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Loans Outstanding | - |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Income

| Item | This Month | Last Month | This Season | Last Season |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Gate Receipts | £0 | £93,571 | £857,202 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Season Tickets | £0 | £1,089 | £160,858 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| TV Revenue | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Merchandising | £0 | £4,037 | £27,715 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Players Sold | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Prize Money | £0 | £0 | £54,500 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Investments | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Interest | £0 | £477 | £2,959 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Other | £0 | £3,497 | £26,010 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sponsorship | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Overall | £0 | £102,671 | £1,129,244 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Expenditure

| Item | This Month | Last Month | This Season | Last Season |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Wages | £0 | £74,055 | £486,596 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Bonuses | £0 | £970 | £7,694 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Signing On Fees | £1,000 | £396 | £1,396 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dividends | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Players Bought | £0 | £7,000 | £17,000 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Ground Maintenance | £0 | £46,933 | £333,868 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| League Fines | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Interest | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Tax | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Other | £0 | £16,065 | £162,750 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Total | £1,000 | £145,419 | £1,009,304 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|



Wage Budget

| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Total Wage Budget | £12,750 p/w |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Current Wage Total | £15,058 p/w |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------|



At Scunthorpe, we face a club trying to edge into contention – and playing on the road, this will be a tall order. Dave Rose scores the go-ahead goal, and earns MOM honors with an excellent performance, as we get the very welcome win. Lincoln 2, Scunthorpe 1. That certainly hurts their chances of moving forward into a contending position.

Tom Fowler, our chairman, is thrilled with the win over our “arch rivals.”


Lee Connolly, our hard working defensive midfielder, is going to rest for a week or two, and we have young Gareth Ricketts up from the reserve team to take that spot for a while. Ricketts has been pretty effective playing with the lesser club – we’ll see how he can do here.

His debut is home for Macclesfield, who are battling relegation. 12 minutes into the contest, Ricketts drives and nails a nice shot to create a nice splash. They pull even, but Dave Rose hits another game-winner in injury time to give us the home victory. Lincoln 2, Macclesfield 1.


So far, our new striker Dave Rose has hit the ground running, literally. He has three goals, one MOM honor, and a 7.67 average rating for his three appearances. And, I think, he represents the direction I plan to head with a good part of this team – Rose has very good speed (pace 18, acceleration 18) and I’m thinking that even if he doesn’t have great ball handling or tactical skills, if he can get loose on the attack from time to time, he might pick up some fairly wide open chances. So far, so good – Rose looks to me like he might be our top reserve for Paul Kamara (pace 17, acceleration 19, better overall skills) and take some of that job when Kamara cannot go. We may even put them together from time to time, though my thinking is that I’d rather have a more naturally complementary player with either of them. But I think I will be looking for high-pace players to be on the attack for us – which might set up nicely for a counter-attacking scheme down the road for the club.


We head to Cambridge for our next league match. It’s scoreless through 65 minutes, but Cambridge breaks through with some good pressure, and gets the only goal they need. Cambridge 1, Lincoln 0. Shaky effort, especially by our offense, which didn’t generate much at all.


As we hit middlemarch, here’s the league table, with nine matches left for everyone:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Doncaster | | 37 | 24 | 9 | 4 | 67 | 24 | +43 | 81 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Southend | | 37 | 21 | 12 | 4 | 77 | 29 | +48 | 75 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Cheltenham | | 37 | 19 | 12 | 6 | 61 | 27 | +34 | 69 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Bury | | 37 | 18 | 11 | 8 | 61 | 32 | +29 | 65 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Hull | | 37 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 66 | 45 | +21 | 64 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Lincoln | | 37 | 18 | 6 | 13 | 51 | 37 | +14 | 60 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | York | | 37 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 46 | 36 | +10 | 58 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Cambridge | | 37 | 17 | 6 | 14 | 64 | 48 | +16 | 57 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Boston Utd | | 37 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 54 | 51 | +3 | 55 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Bristol Rovers | | 37 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 40 | 42 | -2 | 55 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Torquay | | 37 | 15 | 8 | 14 | 53 | 50 | +3 | 53 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Scunthorpe | | 37 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 56 | 57 | -1 | 51 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Rochdale | | 37 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 55 | 56 | -1 | 50 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Oxford | | 37 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 50 | 39 | +11 | 48 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Northampton | | 37 | 13 | 9 | 15 | 34 | 43 | -9 | 48 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Darlington | | 37 | 14 | 5 | 18 | 46 | 62 | -16 | 47 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Yeovil | | 37 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 55 | 59 | -4 | 46 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Swansea | | 37 | 12 | 7 | 18 | 41 | 56 | -15 | 43 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Kidderminster | | 37 | 12 | 6 | 19 | 50 | 62 | -12 | 42 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Mansfield | | 37 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 42 | 58 | -16 | 39 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Leyton Orient | | 37 | 8 | 9 | 20 | 41 | 69 | -28 | 33 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Macclesfield | | 37 | 8 | 9 | 20 | 35 | 82 | -47 | 33 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Carlisle | | 37 | 6 | 7 | 24 | 37 | 79 | -42 | 25 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Huddersfield | | 37 | 4 | 12 | 21 | 31 | 70 | -39 | 24 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


So, Doncaster and Southend look very likely to retain promotion spots. I think it’s very unlikely that we can jump from our current spot to the third promotion slot – we’re nine points back right now. So, it seems as thought our main goal is to avoid being caught – and to try to land in the 4-7 zone and earn a playoff bid. With a five point edge on the clubs who might be able to do that – we probably just need to hold our own down the stretch.


We head home to host Swansea – a club we ought to be able to bank three points against, if we are in form. We get Kamara and Connolly back into the lineup, and we’ll hope to have them fresh for the final stretch run. We get the win we want here, and look very solid. Lincoln 2, Swansea 0. In goal, Dave Saunders has really improved his performance, and is becoming a much better performer than early in the season – he earns a clean sheet this time.


We are approached by Exeter about young striker John Jackson. They want to know what it would take to land him – I come up with a price of £80,000. He seems pretty decent, but doesn’t fit into my immediate plans – so I’d be okay getting some cash, which would make the board happy, I’m sure.

Exeter backs off – but we do get another offer, which is £35,000 plus 40% of his next sale. I decline. We get another offer, also no good.

Funny thing is – I wouldn’t pay £35,000 for Jackson right now, if he weren’t on my team. So, why should I be willing to keep him, when I can get that price for him right now? Odd – but I’m sticking with my decision.


We are home to Southend, and would love to get a good result here against one of the league titans. It’s uneventful through the first half, and both sides miss chances in the early second half, but it stays scoreless. We end up dropping in a series of long shots, none of which make it, and end up with a score draw. Lincoln 0, Southend 0. Paul Kamara is awarded a stinky rating of 4 for the match – an aberration for him, by all means.

[QuikSand]

April 2004

The transfer deadline comes and goes, and we make nary a peep. I’m getting comfortable with the current roster, nearly all of whom will be together through next season, and I’m not looking to add just “more of the same,” which seems to be just about all I can find in the transfer market. So, no moves here.


Now we have a very important matchup – we face York, who are just five points behind us, and giving chase in the standings. If they can win at home here, they pull within two points of us, and become a real threat. I have our fast attackers, Rose and Kamara, in together for the first time here – we’ll see how that comes off. It’s scoreless for a long time, but Paul Kamara jukes the keeper for the first goal at 60, and we take the lead. At 67, he strikes again, and we are in command. In the space of ten minutes, we crack this one wide open, and assume a 4-0 edge. Lincoln 4, York 0. Ben Cross and Paul Kamara each get the coveted 10 rating for their efforts – a great match for us, maybe the best of the whole season. The board is delighted.


I’m thrilled with what we’re getting from young defender Gareth Ricketts. I have used him in 5 matches now, as he came in first to sub for the tired Lee Connolly at my defensive midfielder spot. Upon Connolly’s return, the versatile Ricketts dropped back to fill in for injuries at center defense. In five outings, he has posted two goals and a 7.20 match rating average - he looks like he will be effective, and we know he is versatile. Great addition.


Now we are at Northampton, facing a club who is out of the race. It takes us 87 minuets to break the scoreless tie, but we do – and get the goal we need from Kamara, as usual. Lincoln 1, Northampton 0. This nice run, well timed, has put us into a pretty good position on the league table, now.


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | P | Doncaster | | 41 | 27 | 9 | 5 | 73 | 28 | +45 | 90 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | Pl | Southend | | 41 | 22 | 14 | 5 | 83 | 34 | +49 | 80 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Cheltenham | | 41 | 20 | 15 | 6 | 67 | 32 | +35 | 75 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Hull | | 41 | 20 | 12 | 9 | 70 | 47 | +23 | 72 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Lincoln | | 41 | 21 | 7 | 13 | 58 | 37 | +21 | 70 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Bury | | 41 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 66 | 38 | +28 | 68 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Cambridge | | 41 | 19 | 8 | 14 | 73 | 51 | +22 | 65 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Boston Utd | | 41 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 63 | 56 | +7 | 64 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Scunthorpe | | 41 | 17 | 9 | 15 | 64 | 59 | +5 | 60 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


With five matches to go, we look to be secure in our playoff spot – it would take close to disaster to lose that, now. Could we catch Cheltenham for the third auto-promotion spot? Well, we have three of five at home, and only one among the clubs listed here in the “contenders” tier (at Hull) – so it might be an outside possibility. We’ll keep an eye on it, but it’s still a pretty slim hope, I think.

We are back home, and face Rochdale – in 15th place on the league table. We get a solid performance overall, a nice goal from Colin Bradshaw (our pretty quiet but decent attacking middie) and come away with the needed win. Lincoln 3, Rochdale 0.


Paul Kamara’s contract will expire in six months. Locking him up is a top priority – and I go immediately to work. He’s making £450/week right now, but I know he’s worth plenty more than that – he is pretty clearly our best offensive player, and might be our best player overall. At 20 years old, we’d like to keep him around.


Now, we play at Hull – and this might be a huge match for us. A road win here would give us some real hope. We are even through 90 minutes, but in the final seconds of injury time, Hull strikes from far out, and they sneak away with the win at their place. Hull 2, Lincoln 1. The win probably kills any hope we had of taking the third position, and instead gives hull their chance to do so, if they can stay on a good pace. Tough loss for us.


Striker Tony Holt is out of contract now. Interestingly, he has ratings that are generally very good, but he never clicked on the pitch for us. Compared to Dave Rose, Holt looks far superior – but on the pitch, Rose has played very well, and Holt was a total dud. I release Rose, helping to trim our wage budget (he was making £450, the same as Paul Kamara). Maybe he will catch on somewhere, I suppose.


Speaking of the wage budget, Paul Kamara has rejectd our first contract offer, and is now saying that he doesn’t think we have the resources to meet his needs. This doesn’t sound all that good. I put up a pretty good signing bonus, in an effort to get him to look more favorably. We’ll try again.


We are back home to Mansfield. Keeper Dave Saunders get hurt early on – we’ll watch that, as veteran David Crowley takes over. I have reserve strike Andrew Lochhead in the mix this time, to see what he can do for us. Lochhead misses a strike in the first half, and we are scoreless as we approach the break. However, Andrew Lochhead redeems himself with a nice goal just before the half. At 81, Lochhead strikes again, and helps us salt away the solid win. Lincoln 2, Mansfield 0. Lochhead gets the MOM in his debut – might be a good sign.

Andrew Lochhead has been a standout with our reserve team, but I hadn’t really thought of him as a true option. His ratings seem very pedestrian, but this performance might encourage another, longer look.


With two matches to play, we have 76 points, tied with Hull, but six behind Cheltenham. Indeed, the loss to Hull ended any hopes we might have had of getting automatic promotion this season – but we will continue to angle for a good spot in the playoff round.


On our third try, we finally work out a new deal with our star striker Paul Kamara. It will pay him £1,200 per week, and we post a £50,000 signing bonus, locking him up through the 2008 season. The four year extension solidifies our offensive plans for the future. I am relieved.

[QuikSand]

May 2004

Lincoln City’s Ben Cross has won the English Third Division Player of the Month award for April.

Lincoln City’s Paul Kamara has won the English Third Division Young Player of the Month award for April.

A good month, and these two have played a huge role in making it so. Cross has really pulled everything together, and has become a creative force for us on the wing – taking up much of the slack left by the rest of our mostly quiet midfield.


We are at Torquay in our second last match, and will fight for the good position in the Third Division playoffs. We get what we need here, a solid road victory and a lock for a spot in the league playoffs. Lincoln 3, Torquay 1.


Our last match is at Oxford – and I decide to keep momentum, rather than sub in a lot of reserves. We secure a very solid win at home, and ensure our team is crisp as we prepare for the postseason. Lincoln 3, Oxford 1.


As the regular season ends, we have managed to land in fourth position with 82 points. We draw Cambridge as our opponent for the playoff opening round, and prepared to start off at their field for the first of two matches.

Setting the lineup for the big match, I decide to keep Andrew Lochhead in at striker – his morale is super-high, and he has played quite well across from Paul Kamara. Dave Rose will be ready as the top reserve. I also keep Gareth Ricketts in the lineup – using him for the first time over on the left side of the midfield, alongside central defensive midfielder Lee Connolly. We’ll go with the veteran David Crowley in goal.

At 14 minutes, we get a lead, as Paul Kamara scores off a rebound opportunity. We get a 2-0 lead for a while, but concede a goal at 89 minutes to make it more respectable, and then Cambridge surprises us with a great effort to pull even. After really dominating the match, we end up with only a draw to show for it. Lincoln 2, Cambridge 2. If they can beat us at our place, Cambridge will move on.

Ben Cross was carried off, and will miss some time – he will not be ready for our next match with Cambridge. Hopefully, we will play again after that, and we’ll see him back on the pitch for us in the spotlight matchup.


It’s our biggest match of the year, and we are home to Cambridge, needing a win or low scoring draw. At 18 minutes, though, Cambridge makes a beautiful goal, and they pull ahead. But at 41, Adam Davison strikes on a free kick, and bends one right into the corner of the net for the tie. Davison just misses at 54 – could have had a double on the day.

At 72 minutes, disaster strikes – they get a break into our corner, cross over, and nail the go-ahead goal. Now it’s 2-1 Cambridge, and they have the lead, as well as their second away goal. Now, we need a goal just to tie in the overall. This is getting out of hand – we are getting desperate. I sub in Andrew Lochhead as a third striker, and we will hope to get a comeback goal – we need it now, badly.

Lee Connolly takes a nice long shot at 87, but their keeper holds it. That ends up being our last best chance, and the clock winds out on us – a disappointing loss that sends us home, and back to the Third Division for another season. Cambridge 2, Lincoln 1 – Lincoln eliminated.


I’m trying another transfer in – and pursue 30 y/o Croatian Mario Dadic. He is out of contract, but seems like a very solid player to me, at least on paper. He’s a left midfielder, and would fit nicely into a spot that I consider to be very much unsettled. There are several teams listing interest in him, but at the moment we have the only offer on the table. He’d be a potentially very exciting addition.

After a few days, he accepts our offer, and the freen transfer in will take place in early June. Adding him to the midfield ranks ought to help us out, and we should not forget about James Henderson, a veteran attacker who will be coming aboard as well.


In the league playoff final, Hull defeats Cambridge, and are promoted to the Second Division. We’ll be back next year, among the better clubs remaining from this year’s Third Division, we certainly hope.


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | C | Doncaster | | 46 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 80 | 31 | +49 | 99 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | P | Southend | | 46 | 24 | 17 | 5 | 91 | 39 | +52 | 89 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | P | Cheltenham | | 46 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 75 | 35 | +40 | 85 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Lincoln | | 46 | 25 | 7 | 14 | 70 | 41 | +29 | 82 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | P | Hull | | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 80 | 56 | +24 | 82 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Bury | | 46 | 22 | 15 | 9 | 73 | 41 | +32 | 81 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Cambridge | | 46 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 85 | 56 | +29 | 77 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Scunthorpe | | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 76 | 62 | +14 | 70 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Boston Utd | | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 69 | 65 | +4 | 70 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | York | | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 53 | 50 | +3 | 66 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Northampton | | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 48 | 51 | -3 | 65 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Bristol Rovers | | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 51 | 58 | -7 | 64 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Torquay | | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 71 | 67 | +4 | 62 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Oxford | | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 62 | 51 | +11 | 59 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Rochdale | | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 66 | 76 | -10 | 57 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Yeovil | | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 63 | 72 | -9 | 55 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Darlington | | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 55 | 81 | -26 | 53 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Mansfield | | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 54 | 71 | -17 | 52 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Swansea | | 46 | 15 | 7 | 24 | 49 | 73 | -24 | 52 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Kidderminster | | 46 | 15 | 6 | 25 | 65 | 81 | -16 | 51 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Leyton Orient | | 46 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 53 | 84 | -31 | 44 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Macclesfield | | 46 | 10 | 10 | 26 | 44 | 100 | -56 | 40 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | R | Huddersfield | | 46 | 7 | 14 | 25 | 45 | 84 | -39 | 35 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | R | Carlisle | | 46 | 8 | 8 | 30 | 45 | 98 | -53 | 32 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Next year, the Second Division relegatees will include Plymouth, Swindon, Bournemout, and Oldham – so they will all be in the Third Division with us. From the Conference, we will see Barnet and Dag & Red receive promotion. So – some new faces await us.

Here is a year-end update of our player data:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

Carl Willis 23 £750 £16K Kicking,OneonOne,Throwing,Determ 15 17 3 6.00
Dave Saunders 19 £300 £16K Determination,Command,Influence 20 13 12 6.45
David Crowley 33 £220 £16K Kicking,Agility,Bravery,Positioning 19(3) 25 6 6.50

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Lee Marsh 21 £500 £16K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 48 2 6 2 7.06
Simon Platt 18 £ 80 £16K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 42 3 0 4 7.19
Steve Parry 24 £850 £100K Determ,Anticipation,Teamwork,Infl 30 0 3 0 6.83
Michael Maher 24 £500 £22K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 36 0 5 1 7.00
Chris Rowe 21 £825 £24K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 33(2) 3 1 2 6.86
Paul Mills 29 £500 £26K Bravery,WorkRate,Marking,Determ 13(2) 0 1 0 6.60
Gareth Ricketts 18 £230 £16K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 11 3 0 0 7.36
Stuart Ward 24 £500 £16K Determ,Bravery,Teamwork,Marking 4(2) 0 0 0 6.33

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Lee Connolly 20 £475 £16K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 42 2 3 2 7.40
Ben Cross 26 £400 £30K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 40(1) 3 6 4 7.44
Danny Morgan 18 £ 80 £16K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility 24(1) 1 4 1 7.08
Adam Davison 26 £750 £16K Creativity,SetPieces,Flair,Infl 37(1) 4 12 0 7.13
Scott Murphy 26 £800 £16K Determ,Balance,OffTheBall,WorkRate 20(3) 3 2 1 6.83
Andrew Hussey 21 £550 £16K Determ,OffTheBall,Acceleration,Tmwk 22(7) 3 4 0 6.59
Colin Bradshaw 16 £ 80 n/pr Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 24(2) 2 1 0 6.92
Luke Harrison 18 £ 75 £16K WorkRate,Acceleration,Determ,Agility
John McGrath 18 £ 80 £16K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression 4(5) 0 1 0 6.33

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 18 1200 £40K OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 43 22 16 9 7.56
Steve O’Connor 21 £550 £26K PKs,Acceleration,Dribbling,Determ 21(1) 10 1 0 6.91
Dave Banks 20 £275 £16K Aggression,Balance,Heading,Agility 8(3) 4 0 0 6.27
Dave Rose 26 £300 £20K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 7(2) 4 2 1 7.11
Andrew Lochhead 29 £500 £16K Determ,Agility,OffTheBall,WorkRate 4(1) 3 2 1 7.00
Paul Baldwin 21 £825 £16K Workrate,PKs,Technicque,Determ 5(4) 3 1 1 6.67
John Jackson 16 £ 80 yth Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression 3(1) 0 1 0 5.50
Darren Hopkins 16 £ 75 yth Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina 2(1) 2 1 1 7.33


Some ups, some downs – but overall, it’s hard to complain about the results. Fourth place in the division is pretty good, and we are finding our way toward a more complete roster. I’ll need to keep working on the finances, though – I am getting way over my wage budget, which might not sit too well with the front office.

Here’s how we end the season financially:


General Finances

| | |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Transfer Budget (Season) | £25,500 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Transfer Budget (Remaining) | £8,500 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| % of transfer revenue made available | 90% |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sponsors | 3 year deal at £33.75K per season. Ends 2004 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Loans Outstanding | - |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Income

| Item | This Month | Last Month | This Season | Last Season |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Gate Receipts | £110,587 | £63,138 | £1,108,008 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Season Tickets | £183 | £1,093 | £162,498 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| TV Revenue | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Merchandising | £3,583 | £3,580 | £38,915 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Players Sold | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Prize Money | £210,000 | £0 | £264,500 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Investments | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Interest | £34 | £200 | £3,485 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Other | £0 | £3,690 | £32,493 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sponsorship | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Overall | £324,387 | £71,701 | £1,609,899 | £0 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Expenditure

| Item | This Month | Last Month | This Season | Last Season |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Wages | £62,358 | £60,398 | £669,608 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Bonuses | £1,251 | £1,183 | £11,119 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Signing On Fees | £0 | £54,990 | £56,386 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dividends | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Players Bought | £0 | £0 | £17,000 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Ground Maintenance | £25,342 | £37,875 | £430,085 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| League Fines | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Interest | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Tax | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Other | £0 | £21,630 | £212,730 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | | |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Total | £88,951 | £176,076 | £1,396,928 | £0 |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Wage Budget

| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Total Wage Budget | £12,750 p/w |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Current Wage Total | £15,677 p/w |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------|



In the Third Division Player Select, we have one representative: Lee Connolly. A little bit surprising, but positionally, he was a real standout.

That wraps up our season – we’ll be ready to come out swinging in 2004-05.

[QuikSand]

I'm sorry for using so much formatted text here, but I don't see any other way to present the information. I hate the new board's system of scrollgin windows rather than just showing the code-tagged text... but it seems there's nothing I can do about that.

*sigh*

Hope it's still fairly easy to read through. Certainly doesn't look as nice as my version in MS Word.

[SirFozzie]

Looks good.

Sorry, I was rooting for the CAM-BER-IDGE (my favorite English team ;))

[DukeRulesMAB]

Love this dynasty...the scrolling formatted text wouldn't be so bar if it scrolled bother ways. But with it just side to side, it doesn't seem to do much of anything useful.

[Radii]

The scrolling does make it very difficult, but I will be following along up to the point that I get the urge to buy this(I just don't have the time to play it, I can't even juggle poker and FBCB). This is an improvement over what was available with CM4 initially at least. I think if it were not for the terrible scrolling in the new board it would not be an issue at all.

[klayman]

Try the HTML output. You should be able to import it directly to the board.

As an example, look here (bottom of the 1st page)

[QuikSand]

Thanks for the tip, klayman. Forme, those pages are nearly unreadable (the white text is just a mismatch for the background) but I'll see what I can do about that.

[klayman]

Thanks for the tip, klayman. Forme, those pages are nearly unreadable (the white text is just a mismatch for the background) but I'll see what I can do about that.
Ah yes, I forgot that it was pretty much unreadable outside of Solecismic Yellow.

[QuikSand]

Lincoln City, 2004-05 Season

After our first year toiling in Third Division, we were able to get into a playoff position, and will return as one of the top contenders in the league. Hopefully, the tailoring we continue to do to our roster will pay dividends for us, and we can keep moving forward.


June/July 2004


We have some staff turnover – I have let a few contracts run out, deliberately. Here is the staff we have on hand as we prepare for the season:


Coaching Staff Table

| Name | Job | CGk | Coa | Phy | Tct | Yng | Man | Ada | Det | Jud | JPt | Dis | Mot |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| QuikSand | Manager | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Moran, A | Assistant Manager | 11 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 18 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 20 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Crowley, D | Coach | 17 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 17 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 12 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| O'Brien, C | Coach | 8 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 18 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Murphy, L | Physio | 2 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Naylor, S | Scout | 10 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 18 | 17 | 8 | 12 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|



We complete our two offseason signings, forward James Henderson and midfielder Mario Dadic. Both are veteran players, and we expect them to help us out in short order. Henderson surprises us, though, by announcing that he intends to simply go one and out – that this will be his final year in football. Disappointing, but we’ll live with it.


I work out a new contract with young keeper Dave Saunders. He actually accepts less per week than he was making, so the only risk here is the commitment. But, he came on late last season, and now fits into my plans as my second keeper option, I think. Under training from player/coach David Crowley, he seems to have taken wing a bit. But keeper remains a position where I’m very open to making an addition.


One of my youth players, goalkeeper Brian Hardy, has left the team after his contract expired. But with my shallow situation at GK, I decide to bring him back – and he accepts a modest £75K new contract. A 17 year old, he will get regular playing time with my U19 club, and could get a shot with the senior squad from time to time.


Midfielder Colin Bradshaw is seeking a new contract. It’s fair enough –he’s only making £90/wk, and got pretty regular playing time down the stretch for us last season. However, I really want him to be more of a supporting player – the position he plays (attacking midfielder) is one where I’m trying to upgrade anyway. He wants £675/week and we are already more than £4000/wk over our wage budget – so something’s got to give. Adam Moran says we ought to deny the new contract, and I agree – we turn him down, for now.

His agent withdraws the request, and publicly apologizes. Looks like this is okay, for now.


We receive £230,000 for television rights for the coming season, and have a new sponsorship deal for £12K over 4 years. The sponsorship seems less than we had previously – I don’t know why that would be.

Our transfer budget for the year will be £35K – and we’ll get to recycle any transfer receipts into that spending allowance. I spent some money last year, but generally I prefer to bring in players via free transfers. We’ll see – but £35K probably won’t buy an impact player anyway.


The board are very pleased with your performance as manager this season.

The team is expected to achieve a respectable league position within the Third Division in the coming season.

To help you achieve this the Lincoln board have given you a transfer budget of £35K.


I really don’t need to be all that worried about the wage budget, in practice. Last year we were over budget all season, and still ran a handsome surplus. This year looks to be even more so – but we’re pretty stable, financially.


Young goalkeeper Brian Hardy is apparently unsettled – right after re-signing with us. This might turn out poorly – but at least we don’t have huge cash invested in him.


There are a number of pretty good players out there unsigned – but we simply are not a high profile destination for a veteran player. Eventually, we might be able to land a few more – but for now, we’ll do okay with our young lineup and our two veteran additions.


Bristol Rovers make an approach for one of our young defenders, Ryan Williams. I accept the offer, and we prepare to see him depart. He doesn’t have the skills I want in a defender, so it’s little loss to us, I think. Brentford also comes in with their own bid – we’ll let him decide where he wants to go. Bristol ends up the destination, for a £4000 transfer fee.


England wins the Euro football championship on penalty kicks, and Spain settles for the runner up spot. Immediately, Spain sacks their manager, of course.


As we prepare for the season, here is my first draft of a depth chart. At each position, I want to have first and second options clearly defined, though we won’t follow this perfectly. Regardless, this is where we are right now, I think.

KAMARA O’CONNOR
Rose Lochhead



HENDERSON
Morgan
Bradshaw



DADIC CONNOLLY CROSS
Davison Ricketts Murphy



MARSH MAHER PARRY PLATT
Ricketts Rowe Rowe Mills



CROWLEY
Saunders

This, of course, presumes that our two new acquisitions will work out, which is no certainty. Henderson is a strike by nature, but in the past I have had good results using well-rounded strikers in my attacking center midfield spot on (more or less) this offense, so I’m sticking with him for now. Dadic is an unknown, but if he doesn’t fit well, we might be able to work with Davison or Ricketts in that spot. If both Henderson and Dadic work out and improve those two roster spots, then we’d have something very nice going on – those are the two most concerning weak spots form last year’s roster, by my reckoning.


We take the field for our first friendly. Dave Rose gets dinged up, but Andrew Lochhead comes in and lands two goals, and we win 3-2 over Scarborough. We’re putting together our club at this point – not worrying about wins. Next game, we will get Dadic and Henderson in for the duration, and see how they perform mixed in with our regulars.

We get a nice result from our next friendly – Henderson gets an 8 rating and a goal while playing in the attacking middie spot, and Dadic on his left earns the MOM honors. That’s just what we’re looking for – good indications of success there. And a win over Brentford is fine, too.

[QuikSand]

August 2004

We get a notice about players whose contracts are expiring – and the list is positively staggering: 19 players from our current senior club, plus four reserves and nine juniors. This will be a big year – both in terms of getting some success while we have these players locked up, but also in terms of seeing who is worth keeping around as we go forward. We ought to also be fairly free in bringing in Bosman transfers – as many of our current salaries are going to become voidable after this season.


We kick off our regular season at home to York. At 48, we get a goal just the way I want it – a nice assist off the foot of new attacker Stevenson, and up to Andrew Lochhead for the strike. If Stevenson can start delivering assists and an occasional goal from that spot, our attack will be much better served. We fall behind 2-1, but Mario Dadic scores from midfield, on a weird shot that somehow slips past the keeper. At 85 minutes, Paul Kamara sets up Lochhead for the go-ahead goal, and we secure a thrilling win. Lincoln 3, York 2.

I’m not wild about the somewhat suspect defensive play for a stretch there, but I like what I’m seeing from our attack. I’m also seeing a lot of playing time for Andrew Lochhead in the future, as he seems to be a pretty effective striker for us, despite fairly unimpressive skill ratings.


I bring back the same lineup for our next match, our first round clash in the League Cup, at home against Yeovil Town. We jump out to a 2-0 first half lead, and carry it out from there – a solid win in the cup opener. Lincoln 2, Yeovil 0 – Lincoln advance. The win earns us £20,000 and a nice morale boost. Great match for David Crowley, too – he’ll stay in for a while, with Saunders nursing a bum foot.


We’re home to Leyton Orient for our next league match, and I sub in several new starters to get some fresh legs out there. We concede a PK early on, and trail through the first half. I feel like we generally outplay them through the second half, but two good chances go begging, and we end up on the short side. Leyton Orient 1, Lincoln 0.


I bring in another player/coach for us – striker Ian Reed. He’s 36, and not exactly a spring chicken, but I think he might be a useful occasional sub for us, and he comes pretty cheaply on his new contract. We’ll try to get him into shape, and work him in a bit at some point.


Our rescheduled league match at Yeovil gives us a shot to bring back most of our starters. We have beaten them before, and we do again – a really great effort overall. Lincoln 2, Yeovil 0. David Crowley is again superb, and our attack looked pretty sharp to me.


Back on the road, we travel to Barnet for a league match. Paul Kamara gets us ahead when he scores off Ben Cross’s corner kick at 6 minutes. We seem in control but yield the tying goal at 65, and it’s even again. We settle for a draw, after outplaying them nearly all the match. Lincoln 1, Barnet 1.

[QuikSand]

September 2004

We have agreed terms with Simon Platt on a new deal – he will make £200/wk for us through 2007. He has been a very effective defender for us, playing mostly on the right side, and we’re glad to lock up this promising young player for a very affordable salary.


Midfielder Colin Bradshaw is again lobbying for a new deal. My first offer fails, and it’s getting a little edgy. Thing is, I don’t think he merits becoming one of our top paid players – he’s decent and fairly promising, but not an anchor to the team. I boost my offer to £500/w, and hope that this does the trick.


Andrew Lochhead has been called up to play with the New Zealand national team. This is a slight kink in our planning, but with the recent addition of veteran striker Ian Reed, we should have options in the attack side. We’ll also be looking at players from our young crop – especially Darren Hopkins.


We play our first match of the month, home to Boston United. We get ahead fairly early off a long shot from Lee Connolly – a good sign. We drive out a three goal lead in the first half, and Crowley gets a clean sheet for the day in a nice win. Lincoln 3, Boston Utd 0.


Colin Bradshaw signs for the £500/wk, and so he is now locked up. Our wage limit is becoming pretty meaningless this year – but we’ll clear out a lot of chaff for next season.


We are at Bury, in another league matchup. We get some great early pressure, but fail to nail down the goal. At 24, we get a PK opportunity, but Ben Cross misses it – a first. Late in the match, Darren Hopkins breaks a tie with a nice header, and we take a 2-1 lead. However, we yield a goal five minutes later, and then another at 87 to allow them to pull out an improbable win over us, despite great pressure during the final fw minutes. Bury 3, Lincoln 2.


We are home for Scunthorpe, and I rest our two new faces Henderson and Dadic. Dadic, in particular, has been outstanding for us – I love to see his ability to zip in a quick pass from the outside right to a challenging attacker. Both players have been effective for us thus far. In this match, we get a very early lead in the first minute, but yield a tying goal in the first half. It’s disappointing to settle for a draw here. Lincoln 1, Scunthorpe 1. This drops us to 9th position in the league table.


Ben Cross the the latest players to ask for an improved contract. This guy is definitely one who fits into our future plans – and I want to keep him settled. I put a £900 contract on the table, and assure him he gets “key player” status. He is starting nearly every match already, and gets most of our set piece chances, too – he’s already key.


At Dag & Red, we are looking for a road win – and have Dadic and Henderson back in. Paul Kamara makes a beautiful move to get us ahead at 19 minutes, and we make it hold up, with a good defensive effort, led by Dave Saunders in goal and Lee Marsh on the defensive wing. Lincoln 1, Dag & Red 0.


We have a couple injuries on our defense – and will be without Steve Parry and Gareth Rickets for a few weeks. We’ll patch over, but if we lose one more player, things will get a little tough back here.


Kettering want to take our reserve keeper Carl Willis on loan, and are willing to pay his wage. I hungrily accept the deal – I’d love to unload his £825/wk wage, of course.


We are at home for Mansfield in the League Cup – and we’ll face them again in a few days in league play. I go with an “alternate” lineup here in the Cup match. At 78 minutes, we get a nice long shot from Connolly to draw even with them – I was very worried. In extra time, we get a lot of chances, but cannot come up with a goal, and the match goes to penalty kicks. We end up missing three of our first four shots, and Mansfield advances on PKs. Lincoln 1, Mansfied 1(p) – Lincoln eliminated.


I’m a little bit frustrated – it looks like we are on target for another season just about like last year – we’re in 6th position right now, but not quite as far out of it as last year, admittedly. Regardless – with so many contracts expiring after the season, I feel like we have a sense of urgency – and if we don’t promote from the Third Division this year, I don’t know that we’ll have this good a chance right away. But it’s still pretty early to panic.


I continue to struggle with a new contract for winger Ben Cross. I am up to £1,200/wk and £20,000 up front, but he won’t budge – we might end up with a hole here, if I can’t get this done. My scout says let him go, but I have seen him be very effective for us on the pitch, and I want him to stay.

[QuikSand]

October 2004

Here’s a look at our player performance thus far:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

David Crowley 34 £220 £16K Kicking,Agility,Bravery,Positioning 6 5 3 7.33
Dave Saunders 20 £250 £16K Determination,Command,Influence 4 4 1 6.25

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Lee Marsh 22 £500 £16K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 10 0 0 0 7.10
Simon Platt 19 £ 80 £16K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 9 0 0 0 7.44
Steve Parry 25 1000 £90K Determ,Anticipation,Teamwork,Infl 8 0 1 0 6.88
Michael Maher 25 £550 £26K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 5 0 0 0 7.40
Chris Rowe 22 £900 £30K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 5(2) 0 0 0 6.71
Gareth Ricketts 19 £230 £16K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 2(1) 0 1 0 7.00
Stuart Ward 25 £500 £16K Determ,Bravery,Teamwork,Marking 0(1) 0 0 0 6.00
Paul Mills 30 £500 £12K Bravery,WorkRate,Marking,Determ

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Mario Dadic 31 1000 £35K Flair,WorkRate,Stamina,SetPieces 9 1 2 1 7.56
Ben Cross 27 £400 £45K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 9 1 2 1 7.78
James Henderson 31 £200 £16K Anticipation,SetPieces,Jumping,Accel 7 1 1 0 7.00
Colin Bradshaw 17 £500 £16K Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 3 0 0 0 7.00
Lee Connolly 21 £500 £22K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 2 2 3 2 7.40
Adam Davison 27 £750 £20K Creativity,SetPieces,Flair,Infl 1(1) 0 0 0 7.00
Scott Murphy 27 £800 £16K Determ,Balance,OffTheBall,WorkRate 1 0 0 0 7.00
Danny Morgan 19 £ 90 £16K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility
Andrew Hussey 22 £600 £16K Determ,OffTheBall,Acceleration,Tmwk
Luke Harrison 19 £ 75 £16K WorkRate,Acceleration,Determ,Agility
John McGrath 19 £ 90 £16K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 19 1200 240K OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 8 6 5 3 7.78
Andrew Lochhead 30 £500 £16K Determ,Agility,OffTheBall,WorkRate 6 4 1 0 6.67
Steve O’Connor 22 £600 £28K PKs,Acceleration,Dribbling,Determ 2 0 0 0 6.50
Dave Rose 27 £300 £20K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 2(2) 0 0 0 7.00
Darren Hopkins 17 £ 75 yth Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina 2(2) 1 1 0 6.75
Ian Reed 36 £300 £16K Determ,Influence,WorkRate,OffTheBall 0(2) 0 0 0 7.00
Dave Banks 21 £300 £12K Aggression,Balance,Heading,Agility
John Jackson 17 £ 80 yth Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression


We’re getting outstanding play from lots of players – Kamara, Cross, Dadic, and Platt key among them. I’m thrilled with the performance from keeper David Crowley, too, in the early going.

Here’s where this has us on the league table:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Northampton | | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 18 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Oldham | | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 10 | +5 | 18 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Barnet | | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 15 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Oxford | | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 15 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Darlington | | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 15 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Torquay | | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 15 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Bury | | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 14 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Lincoln | | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 14 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Bristol Rovers | | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 14 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Swindon | | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 12 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Cambridge | | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 12 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Mansfield | | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 11 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | York | | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 11 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Bournemouth | | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 11 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Leyton Orient | | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 10 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Boston Utd | | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 10 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Dag & Red | | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 15 | -6 | 10 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Swansea | | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 9 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Scunthorpe | | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 19 | -2 | 8 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Kidderminster | | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 15 | -3 | 8 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Plymouth | | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 14 | -3 | 7 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Macclesfield | | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 18 | -7 | 7 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Rochdale | | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 15 | -7 | 6 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Yeovil | | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 17 | -12 | 2 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|



We see Mansfield again – this time at their place for a league match. I use James Henderson for the first time in at striker. He misses two pretty open shots – and I’m resigned to slotting him back as our playmaker rather than finisher. We get a couple of goals and a MOM nod from Darren Hopkins, but we can only get away with a draw. Lincoln 2, Mansfield 2.


After what must be our sixth offer, we have finally inked a new deal with winger Ben Cross – three years, at £1,500/wk. He’s now our highest paid player, but that’s just what it took to land him – and that was a priority.


We have a big match at Sincil Bank – we host first place Northampton. I have our first team in, with top morale guys getting the call as needed. At 16 minutes, they convert a good forward pass into a goal to take the lead. Kamara’s goal at 43 is waived off, as we were offside. We get a PK at 81, and get a great chance to pull even – but Ben Cross sends it high and over. We end up fruitless, and lose at home. Northampton 1, Lincoln 0.


At home to Rochdale, we are now really in need of a good effort. And we are tired – so we have some new faces in there. We finally capitalize on lots of early pressure with a PK goal by Steve O’Connor. At 87, Rochdale pull even, and we are in jeopardy of only drawing this game we have dominated. Lincoln 1, Rochdale 1. Very disappointing – without some of our offensive stars, we just didn’t generate good shots with our chances here.


I have a slew of offers land in for reserve defender David Kay. He’s decent enough, but isn’t exactly my style of player – not a tough tackler, really. So, I am open to the offers – and five clubs make an approach.


We are back in action, at Bournemouth. We haven’t won in weeks – and now are starting to panic a bit. We have command of the match, but miss several chances in the second half, and hold only a one goal lead. And once again, we yield a cheap goal later (here at 73 minutes) and lose our advatage despite seemingly dominating the opposition. Lincoln 2, Bournemouth 2. Very disappointing, once again.


We are back home to Darlington, in league play once again. Cross and Dadic are back in, and each get a goal to help us get a real lead this time. Lincoln 2, Darlington 0. Maybe we can parlay this into a good run with some high morale – we could use a few points for the league table, where we are now down to 8th, even after this win.


I make a move to pick up a new player – defender James Carter. He seems to be a pretty effective offensive player, which would be new for us, really. He is very fleet-footed, and might be helpful as another option out on the wing, even. Sunderland is interested, and we start to talk contract with the 22 year old defender. However, I am surprised when he accepts a loan instead of the transfer to us. Shame.


In the Vans Trophy competition, we start out at home against Hull. This one is scoreless through 90 minutes, and we head into extra time. After 30 more minutes, we are still scoreless – so it’s to PKs. The kicks are even at 4-4 through five rounds, so we keep going on. Crowley saves their sixth kick, but James Handerson hits the bar with the could-be clincher. Painful. Hull is too high with their next shot, though, and we capitalize off the foot of Colin Bradshaw. Lincoln 0, Hull 0 – Lincoln advances.
On the road at Oxford, we have the forst team plugged back in, and will look to get another boost. I want to see our offense rack up a few goals – we’re getting frustrsted with only one goal per game or so. But rather than lighting things up here, we allow two goals and fall way behind. Oxford 2, Lincoln 0. I now wonder where we really fit – we no longer look like a top contender at all. Oxford are solid, but we looked positively outclassed there. We drop to 9th place in the league table – and now have work to do just to get back into playoff contention.

[Barkeep49]

It's great to be reading about Lincoln once more.

[RPI-Fan]

Great writing - really enjoy reading about Lincoln City!

[Senator]

Fear Plymouth.

Great read. I seem to miss where you discuss what tactics you employ.

[QuikSand]

Fear Plymouth.

I have a similar saying about Plymouth. Different F-word, though.

Great read. I seem to miss where you discuss what tactics you employ.

You haven't missed much. Pretty vanilla, but I'll try to expand at some poitn down the road. In the second season I switch to do a lot more counter-attacking -- that's coming up soon in the narrative, if I haven't already gotten there. But past that - there isn't a lot to reoprt. I have never been all that interested in deep tactics in this game -- I just determine a style of play, and try to find players who suit it in general.

[QuikSand]

November 2004

So, we head home, to face Bristol Rovers. We pop in about six shots inn the first ten minutes – and get no goals. At 17, they turn tables, and we are behind again. Ben Cross gets us even at 31 with a long banana shot, and Henderson follows up with the gol ahead at 34. We come away with a good win, much needed, after our late first half scoring spurt. Lincoln 3, Bristol 1.


I decide to tinker with tactics a bit. This isn’t a main focus of my game play here, but I am starting to get a feel for the players, and we’ll set things up a little better. Fewer long shots for Lee Connolly, who is just not reliable from far away. And we will try to get our forward players to be more attack-inclined. I decide to try the counter attack for a while – I think we might be well set up for that, especially with some speed from Kamara (who has been awfully silent lately).


We are at Swansea, looking to steal a ron win against a lower-tier league foe. Kamara makes a drive, and pulls out the keeper – setting up an easly loft over to Murphy who buries it. Ben Cross draws a penalty, nailed by Dadic – and we are firmly in control. Murphy and Kamara each have two goals in a total romp – just what we wanted. Lincoln 5, Swansea 0.


In the FA Cup, we are visiting Boston United. They make a great play at 10 minutes to move ahead. We trail 2-1 late in the second half, but unheralded defender Stuart Ward gets us a goal off a corner to pull even. We yield a PK, though, and they take the lead in the closing minutes. Boston Utd 3, Lincoln 2 – Lincoln eliminated.


In the Vans Trophy, we are home to D2 Sheffield Wednesday. At Sincil Bank, we hope to stay in this one against the higher level club. At 69, while scoreless, we give up a PK goal, and fall behind. And that’s all they needed – we played tough, but could not get an attack on target. Sheff Wed 1, Lincoln 0 – Lincoln eliminated.


We now play at Torquay, who are comfortably atop the league table. Do we have a major surprise in us here? We get the pressure on them early, and Dadic to Kamara works for a go-ahead goal at 8 minutes. We make that hold up, and despite a flurry of chances in the closing minutes, we come away with a great road win. Lincoln 1, Torquay. The win boosts us back up to 6th in the division.


James Carter, the lightning-quick defender I had sought earlier, is now coming to Lincoln. It will occur in late January, after his current loan period ends, but he will come to us on a £20,000 transfer fee. I’m looking forward to his arrival – as I think he might help provide some more offensive spark for us.


Home to sad sacks Maccelsfield, we are looking for a big win here. I stick with our top guns, wanting to stay in a high morale mode – but call up young striker John Jackson. It takes us until 56 minutes, but we get ahead on a nifty play by Jackson. We get away with just what we ordered up – a convincing win. Lincoln 3, Macclesfield 0.
Now, a big match against Cambridge – we are currently in 3rd and 4th position, respectively – so this is a pretty important one. A win here, for either side, gets that club into a promotion spot at this point. Big match. John Jackson gets two shots in the first two minutes, but no dice there. It stays scoreless through 74 minutes, despite a few chances on each side. In the end – all this sound and fury signifies nothing. Lincoln 0, Cambridge 0.

[QuikSand]

December 2004

Lincoln City’s QuikSand has won the English Third Division Manager of the Month award.

We have advanced to fourth position, with four wins in our last five matches – so we are right back into the hunt, it seems.


It is contract time. I have a long list of my own players who are due to be out of contract in six months, and the window has opened on a range of players who also expire on June 1 – and are eligible for a Bosman transfer.

We put about ten Bosman offers on the table, nearly all to players who would come in at £1000-1500/wk salary. This will press our salary budget – but I expect that we might land one or maybe two of that lot. I will be doing a good deal of filling in, I’m certain. I also put in offers on several of our key players, but expect to let several others’ contracts run out.


We visit Kidderminster, who are outplaying us through a scoreless first half. They get ahead at 49, and I am worried. That goal is all they need – it wasn’t out A team, but we had enough talent on the field to do better than this. Kidderminster 1, Lincoln 0. We need to be able to get points on the road against lower-half clubs if we are going to contend for promotion. Tough loss.

We also lose midfielder Danny Morgan for three months with a broken foot. Tough loss there, too, though his role has reduced a good deal since Mario Dadic has taken the left wing spot mostly.


Our first player to re-sign is left side defender Lee Marsh. He actually got less than some of his colleagues, but has been very stable for us at that spot, and could well lead the team in appearances again this year. Lee Connolly, our solid central defensive midfielder, is also locked up – and should be a regular starter into next season as well.

A forward I really wanted was Barnet’s Tommy Senior, who has great speed and solid attacking skills. However, he has accepted their extension offer, and will stay with Barnet it seems. Disappointing – I still feel like we have a starting striker spot sitting wide open for next season.

Actually, this first round of offers might not yield any fruit at all – I have a list of rejections already.


We take on Swindon Town at home, in the kind of match that we need to be winning. But with Dadic and Cross both out, we just don’t have the presence on the wings that has helped our offense this season. Regardless, we get on track with pressure inside, and get a couple goals in the first half to take command. Lincoln 4, Swindon 0. We get great production from our “off strikers” (meaning the guy other than Kamara) as Dave Rose lands one, and then Ian Reed in on a sub gets two in the second half.


Central defender Steve Parry is a new re-signing. Our current wage budget is strained beyond limits, but we need to lock up players where we can. Parry has been part of a very effective rotation at the two central spots for us – now we need to re-sign Michael Maher, too.


We land our first Bosman deal, and a potentially good one. Mike Gordon is a 21 year old midfielder from Blackburn, who has been playing with Bristol Rovers on loan. I like what I see in him, and I see him as a strong candidate to step in and play at our attacking midfield spot. He has good overall skills – a versatile and fast player. I reckon he’ll be a better fit than the somewhat disappointing James Henderson (who has already announced his retirement after this year anyway).


Adam Davison, a decent midfielder for us, has agreed terms with Port Vale, and will transfer there after this season. Fine with me – he’s okay, but didn’t seem to be a major factor for us last year when he was playing more regularly. Scott Murphy, our backup to Ben Cross on the right side of the midfield who has played very well this year, has accepted an offer from Farnborough, and he will be leaving, too. So – that’s a true hole to fill.


We play at Plymouth, another lower-half side. This is another chance to grab some points on the road – we need to come through. Paul Kamara makes a dazzling move at 16 minutes to give us the early lead – a wonderful pivot to shake his defender and nail the 15-yard shot. But the hometown side strikes twice in the first half to get ahead of us. But this match is all about Paul Kamara, who gets his hat trick and then one – a fabulous performance that gets us the win we wanted. Lincoln 5, Plymouth 2.

The board are delighted with the win, which pushes us momentarily into a tie for 2nd in the league table. We have played 22 matches to 21 for most others, so that is fleeting – but we are back in the hunt for a top three finish, at least.


I work out a new deal with reserve defender David Kay, and call him up to the senior squad. We’ll get him training, and perhaps a shot or two to play with the big club.


Oldham are in 12th place in the league – and traveling there isn’t an easy win, but one we’d love to get, of course. They get out ahead on a OK at 22 minutes, and we need to go uphill from here. Early in the second half, Paul Kamara works more magic – following up his own goal to strike for the equaliser. I make a triple sub at 75 minutes, hoping to spur a breakout goal. It looks like a draw, until they pop one in at 91, and secure their home win. Oldham 2, Lincoln 1.


We have landed another Bosman transfer, Doncaster’s 28 year old midfielder Shaun Howe. He can play both the left and right sides, but my thinking is that he will step in to become the main backup on the right side for Ben Cross, assuming the role currently held by Scott Murphy. I don’t know that Howe will be an impact player for us, but he is pretty affordable and versatile – both of which will come in handy.


We get bad news from the training fields – as defender Michael Maher has suffered a badly torn groin, and will be sidelined for a long while. We have a rotation there, but will have to go a little deeper – maybe getting Gareth Ricketts some time in the defensive middle.

Paul Mills, a little-used right side player, has agreed terms with Oldham. One more salary out the door for next year.


We take the field next at Sincil Bank, hosting Yeovil Town. Should be a laugher, if we are in form. We get our ahead, and when their defender trips Kamara on a break, they get the red card and we get the PK goal. Lincoln 3, Yeovil 1. Good showing on our part – and Mario Dadic again gets the MO for his stronog efforts on the left side.


At Leyton Orient, we are looking to win if possible, but maybe pick up a point from a draw. They are a mid-table team – and shouldn’t be easy to beat on their field, especially without Kamara, who got dinged in his last match. Dave Rose, however, fills in well enough and gives us a first half lead with a breakaway goal. Rose’s main asset is speed, but he put a nice move on the keeper to finish the effort. Rose gets two goals on the day, but it is his assist to Ian reed in the 91st minute that seals the deal for us – a great win on the road. Lincoln 3, Leyton 2.

[QuikSand]

January 2005

Lincoln City’s Mario Dadic has won the English Third Division Player of the month award.


Here is where we stand on the league table now:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Barnet | | 25 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 38 | 17 | +21 | 48 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Lincoln | | 25 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 48 | 25 | +23 | 45 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Northampton | | 25 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 38 | 27 | +11 | 44 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Torquay | | 25 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 45 | 25 | +20 | 43 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Dag & Red | | 24 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 39 | 30 | +9 | 43 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Cambridge | | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 35 | 22 | +13 | 42 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Oxford | | 26 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 36 | 25 | +11 | 42 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Boston Utd | | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 38 | 30 | +8 | 41 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Oldham | | 25 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 40 | 38 | +2 | 40 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Bury | | 25 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 44 | 35 | +9 | 39 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | York | | 24 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 28 | +6 | 38 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Scunthorpe | | 26 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 52 | 51 | +1 | 37 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Bristol Rovers | | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 27 | 25 | +2 | 34 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Leyton Orient | | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 33 | -4 | 34 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Mansfield | | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 32 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Swindon | | 24 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 31 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Bournemouth | | 25 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 29 | 31 | -2 | 29 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Darlington | | 25 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 35 | -12 | 29 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Rochdale | | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 33 | 45 | -12 | 28 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Kidderminster | | 25 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 27 | 46 | -19 | 27 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Swansea | | 26 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 27 | 44 | -17 | 23 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Macclesfield | | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 35 | 53 | -18 | 23 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Plymouth | | 26 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 32 | 62 | -30 | 23 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Yeovil | | 24 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 27 | 49 | -22 | 17 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


So, we have benefited greatly from a very strong mid-season run, and we sit in a very nice spot at this point, with the best goal differential in the division.

Here’s a snapshot of our player performance thus far:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

David Crowley 34 £220 £16K Kicking,Agility,Bravery,Positioning 18 14 8 6.61
Dave Saunders 20 £250 £16K Determination,Command,Influence 12 16 3 6.25

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Lee Marsh 22 £600 £16K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 29 0 1 0 7.10
Simon Platt 19 £200 £16K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 24 0 0 0 7.46
Michael Maher 25 £550 £26K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 22(1) 0 1 0 7.30
Steve Parry 25 £900 £90K Determ,Anticipation,Teamwork,Infl 16 0 2 1 6.75
Chris Rowe 22 £900 £30K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 17(2) 0 1 0 7.00
Gareth Ricketts 19 £275 £16K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 7(3) 0 2 0 6.80
Stuart Ward 25 £500 £16K Determ,Bravery,Teamwork,Marking 1(1) 1 0 0 7.00
David Kay 19 £250 £16K Heading,Bravery,Jumping,Stamina 2 0 0 0 7.50
Paul Mills 30 £500 £12K Bravery,WorkRate,Marking,Determ

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Mario Dadic 31 1000 £35K Flair,WorkRate,Stamina,SetPieces 24 4 9 4 7.75
Ben Cross 27 1500 £45K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 21 3 8 1 7.67
James Henderson 31 £200 £16K Anticipation,SetPieces,Jumping,Accel 17(3) 2 2 0 6.95
Colin Bradshaw 17 £500 £16K Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 10(1) 0 0 0 7.00
Lee Connolly 21 1000 £22K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 27(1) 4 1 2 7.21
Adam Davison 27 £750 £20K Creativity,SetPieces,Flair,Infl 3(2) 0 2 1 7.80
Scott Murphy 27 £800 £16K Determ,Balance,OffTheBall,WorkRate 11 4 1 0 7.36
Danny Morgan 19 £ 90 £16K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility 6 1 1 0 7.33
Andrew Hussey 22 £600 £16K Determ,OffTheBall,Acceleration,Tmwk 0(3) 0 0 0 6.33
Luke Harrison 19 £ 75 £16K WorkRate,Acceleration,Determ,Agility
John McGrath 19 £ 90 £16K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 19 1200 240K OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 24 16 9 6 7.58
Andrew Lochhead 30 £500 £16K Determ,Agility,OffTheBall,WorkRate 8 4 2 0 6.63
Steve O’Connor 22 £600 £28K PKs,Acceleration,Dribbling,Determ 6 3 0 1 6.83
Dave Rose 27 £300 £20K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 6(2) 3 2 1 7.13
Darren Hopkins 17 £ 75 yth Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina 2(2) 1 1 0 6.75
Ian Reed 36 £300 £16K Determ,Influence,WorkRate,OffTheBall 0(2) 0 0 0 7.00
Dave Banks 21 £300 £12K Aggression,Balance,Heading,Agility 1 1 0 0 7.00
John Jackson 17 £ 80 yth Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression 3 1 1 0 6.00



So, we head into our next match – home to Barnet. We get a solid win at Sincil Bank, and keep our momentum and spirits high. Lincoln 2, Barnet 0. With this win, we have achieved a first – we are in first place in the Third Division standings.


We travel to Boston United – a tough foe. They are 6th right now – and at home they will be a tough out. We at least get Paul Kamara back off this injury – that might help. Kamara serves as a decoy on our first goal – as Bradshaw fakes the pass to Kamara, then drives the score in. We hold that lead until 61 minutes – and then give up a tying score. But we strike with two goals in the next ten minutes, and go on to put it away – a huge win on the road for us. Lincoln 4, Boston Utd 1.


I’m a little surprised when my backup central defender Stuart Ward signs a new contract for next year with Wrexham. We’ll be okay without him, but I hadn’t thought he would be a hot commodity, really.


Riding high, we now head home for another pretty big match – we host Bury, currently in 5th place. If we can keep winning against quality foes, we put ourselves in great position for the stretch run. We are, however, without injured Mario Dacic, so our left side penetration will be impaired. I don’t expect to see a whole lot of offense here. After 40 minutes, Scott Murphy scores – taking advantage of the piled defense on Kamara’s left side. After we withstand lots of pressure from Bury’s attack, we get a chance – and Kamara gets sit past the keeper for the two goal edge. Lincoln 2, Bury 0. Fabulous effort, once again.


Now, we are on the road again, facing 15th place Scunthorpe. They are an up-tempo team, who score more and yield more goals than anyone else in the league. This one does not go our way – they notch two goals in the early second half, and we cannot muster much of anything. Scunthorpe 2, Lincoln 0.


Sunderland approaches us about a player we had expressed interest in – defensive midfielder Peter McMahon. He is listed as worth £175,000 – but they are only asking for £30,000. If I can get him sealed up, he would be a nice advance Bosman deal. But, I have my doubts – he’s making £2,700/wk with Sunderland, and I can’t afford much more than half that. We’ll see.

I put in the £30,000 offer, and McMahon’s asking price is only £1,500 per week. But, he is being approached for Bosman transfers from other clubs, too – so there is some urgency to make this happen now. I hope he accepts my offer, but I don’t expect it.


At Northampton, I have 17 year old keeper Brian Hardy making his first start. Both my regular senior keepers are in bad morale, and his is great – so this seems to make sense. He survives his first test, and we settle in. At 33 minutes, we get a goal to take some pressure off the kid. They draw level after 52 minutes, and things are tight once again – Northampton are getting loads of pressure, and are really outplaying us. But at 83 minutes, Mario Dadic gets a ball through to Kamara, who lofts it past the Northampton keeper for the go ahead goal. Lincoln 2, Northampton 1. We are lucky to get out with this one – and Brian Hardy played no small part in that.


Peter McMahon laughs off my contract offer – he doesn’t want to play in a lower division, and that’s that. Okay.


I get an inquiry for Mario Dadic – a pittance of £35,000. I decline, saying he’s too important. I don’t know what it would take to get him away from us – but that’s nowhere near the ballpark. In a surprise to me, Dadic makes it known that he is unhappy that we rejected the proposal. That might portend bad things to come, if he wants out. Drat.


We welcome James Carter to the fold – he’s the flashy, fleet-footed defender we have picked up from Sunderland. He’s been playing in the conference all season – and has been rather effective. He’s even scored eight goals from the defensive side – I’m hoping he can add some of that spark for our attack, too. Home against Mansfield, we drop Carter right in on the right side of the defensive line. I don’t expect him to be particularly tough on the defensive side, but if he can help give us some more attacking power on the right side, all the better.

The game starts out hot, with a goal apiece in the early going. Carter gets a nice chance at midfield at 18 minutes, and quickly drops it ahead for an assist to Dave Rose. We get a solid win out of the effort, and I am tantalized by the potential for such a fast attacker coming from our backfield. Lincoln 3, Sunderland 1.

[daedalus]

Good to have a QS dynasty again. Good reading. :)

[condors]

always enjoy a cm dynasty, good luck on the promotion this year

[QuikSand]

February 2005

Lincoln City’s Paul Kamara has won the English Third Division Player of the Month award.

Lincoln City’s QuikSand has won the English Third Division Manager of the Month award.

Another very good month in the books for us – here’s how it adds up:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Lincoln | | 31 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 61 | 30 | +31 | 60 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Cambridge | | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 51 | 25 | +26 | 56 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Barnet | | 32 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 47 | 26 | +21 | 56 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Oxford | | 32 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 49 | 31 | +18 | 55 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Bury | | 32 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 57 | 42 | +15 | 53 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | York | | 31 | 16 | 5 | 10 | 47 | 37 | +10 | 53 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Torquay | | 32 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 54 | 38 | +16 | 52 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Cambridge is still very much a threat for the top spot, but our solid play of late has us well positioned, of course. But it’s easy to see how a bad run of three or four matches could easily drop any team right off their pedestal – including us.

Fortunately, we will be getting right winder Ben Cross back soon. Scott Murphy has played well in his absence, but Cross gives us a creative attacking presence on that side – which should help us even more. With James Carter attacking from behind him, we might start getting things going on that side – bad news for defenders. Cross is also a superior corner kicker – so that aspect should improve upon his return.


We are at York – a tough matchup. And they come right out and score in the first two minutes, digging our hole even deeper. After 12 minutes, they lead 2-0 and we are in deep. At 81 minutes, we finally get on the board with a corner kick-in by Ricketts, but promptly yield a mirror image goal the other way. York 3, Lincoln 1.


We welcome Ben Cross back to the lineup, as we host Dag & Red. They were once a red hot club streaking up the league table, but have since cooled off a bit. Cross and Carter are playing on the right side, but our scores come, as usual, from the left – Dadic and Kamara fill it up for the edge. We end up in a dominating state, and crush the Daggers easily. Lincoln 3, Dag & Red 0. James Carter twists a knee – and the attacking defender experiment will have to take a back seat for a while.


Ben Cross, just back after a long injury, is down again – he is hurt in training, and will miss a couple more weeks with a hamstring. Scott Murphy will be back in on our right wing, where he has had a very solid season.


We are now sitting dead even with Cambridge for the spot atop the league table. We have to travel to play at Rochdale. Still scoreless, each side gets a good chance in injury time, but neither one can connect. Lincoln 0, Rochdale 0. With that, we slide to second position behind Mansfield, winners in their match.


I make a move for next season, signing 24 year old striker Paul Russell. I’m not totally thrilled with the corps we have to complement Kamara – I don’t know if Russell will add much, but he should be affordable and content for time.


We host Bournemouth, a club we really ought to handle. But, despite getting many chances, we cannot break though their “circle the wagons” defensive tactic, and we settle for a score draw. Disppointing at home, of course. Lincoln 0, Bournemouth 0.


Exeter have made an offer for young midfielder Andrew Hussey, and I promptly accept. I don’t think he is a good fit for us, and I’m glad to unload his contract.


Now we face some pressure to deliver on the road – at Darlington. All hell breaks loose early, they get ahead 2-0 after 20 minutes, and we cannot dig out. Darlington 2, Lincoln 1. I fear that we are entering the kind of slide that we just cannot afford.

[QuikSand]

March 2005

As we start the month, here is the table:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Cambridge | | 36 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 65 | 26 | +39 | 72 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Lincoln | | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 66 | 35 | +31 | 65 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | York | | 36 | 20 | 5 | 11 | 61 | 42 | +19 | 65 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Oxford | | 36 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 55 | 35 | +20 | 64 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Torquay | | 36 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 67 | 42 | +25 | 62 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Barnet | | 36 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 53 | 31 | +22 | 61 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Bury | | 36 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 62 | 46 | +16 | 60 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


We can’t like the trend line here, as we have all but walked away from the top spot, letting Cambridge open up a wide lead for the division title. Now, we are in a very tight race for the other two promotion slots, and with the way we have been playing… it’s tough to feel very confident. This would be a very disappointing collapse – we need to bounce back.

Ten matches to go – there’s still time for this to shake out a lot more.


Our chance to get the ship righted in a HUGE match at home, against Oxford. If we hold them off, we gain much ground on the team best poised to catch us for a promotion slot. If they win, they catch and pass us right now. We get a great outside shot from Davison to launch a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute. At 26 minutes, we get our third goal, and the onslaught looks impressive. Lincoln 4, Oxford 0. That has to be as big a win as we have ever had – and gets us back into a good position, of course.


We head to Bristol Rovers, but we don’t want to lose a step. But, despite our efforts, we can’t get a thing going – and we fail to even get onto the board at all. So much for momentum – we lose valuable ground here. Bristol 1, Lincoln 0.


Now we are at Macclesfield, and I don’t know what team will show up this time. Fortunately, it’s the hot team that does – and we easily swamp them at their place. Lincoln 3, Macclesfield 0.


With the transfer deadline approaching, I try to make a move – I’d like to add a striker for the stretch run, if we could. I end up pursuing Stuart Thomson – who is not exactly a striker, but could help us with our offense, I think. He’s another blazing fast player – decent complementary skills, but very fast. We’ll see whather this team concept bears any real fruit.


Ian Briggs, our right side swingman, has accepted a deal with Hereford for next year. He’s been a reserve for us mostly – not a huge loss.


And now – we are home to Torquay, who are dead even with us for the third spot on the league table. Another huge matchup. It’s tight the whole way – we both avoid making a big mistake, and in the end, we don’t manage to separate at all. Lincoln 0, Torquay 0.


I’m a little bit ticked off right about now. Peter McMahon, a pretty good midfielder I had been pursuing, has signed a new contract … with Dag & Red. He explicitly rejected us because he didn’t want to come down to Third Division. Now he signs with Tird Division Dag & Red for next year. In all likelihood, Dag & Red will still be toiling in Third Division next year, pally – and Lincoln has a good shot to move on up. What’s that all about?

[QuikSand]

April 2005

Lincoln City’s Ben Cross has won the English Third Division Player of the Month award.

I didn’t see that coming – our club was a bit shaky this month, but Cross’s return is welcome, of course.


We are home to Swansea, and we need to get a win here, of course. I sound like a broken record, but the only way to stay at the top is to keep winning. Sometimes, we play well as a team, and sometimes we just drop back and let Paul Kamara win the match for us. This was one of those – his two goals, both on great individual efforts, are the whole scoreboard today. Lincoln 2, Swansea 0.

And so, a few days into March, here is the leagyue table with everyone at a level number of matches played:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | Pl | Cambridge | | 41 | 24 | 10 | 7 | 73 | 28 | +45 | 82 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | York | | 41 | 24 | 6 | 11 | 72 | 43 | +29 | 78 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Lincoln | | 41 | 22 | 9 | 10 | 75 | 36 | +39 | 75 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Torquay | | 41 | 22 | 9 | 10 | 78 | 45 | +33 | 75 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Barnet | | 41 | 20 | 11 | 10 | 59 | 36 | +23 | 71 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Oxford | | 41 | 20 | 11 | 10 | 60 | 43 | +17 | 71 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Bury | | 41 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 71 | 50 | +21 | 68 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Cambridge has all but locked up the top spot, but there is a mighty battle afoot for the remaining two promotion spots. It’s probably down to the next three teams for those two spots… but anything could happen with five matches left.

On our remaining schedule, we have a few tough ones:


| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sat, 16.4.2005 | 15:0 | A | Cambridge | Third Division | | - |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sat, 23.4.2005 | 15:0 | H | Kidderminster | Third Division | | - |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sat, 30.4.2005 | 15:0 | A | Swindon | Third Division | | - |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sat, 7.5.2005 | 15:0 | H | Plymouth | Third Division | | - |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sat, 14.5.2005 | 15:0 | H | Oldham | Third Division | | - |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Away at Cambridge looks awful, but the rest at least avoid the top seven clubs. I’m guessing that we’ll need at least 10 points form these five matches – and practically speaking, that might well mean three wins from the final four. Tough.


We are rested and ready, but this is Cambridge. At their place. Tall order. We’re not playing conservatively, but they keep possession a lot through the first half. Our defense holds up, and it remains scoreless – so far, so good. Our one good attack got the ball into the side netting off Kamara’s foot – we need to straighten that one out. At 54, they score off a corner kick, and we are in some trouble. They extend to two goals, and we “have a mountain to climb.” No way. Cambridge 2, Lincoln 0.


My young winger Danny Morgan is looking for a new contract. He’s thinking £1,100/wk… I’m thinking about half that. I’d like him around, but I don’t think he’s good enough to be paid like an anchor. I break off talks – hoping to get back to him later.


Now, we need to get our act together – we are home to Kidderminster, a must win. We let out some real frustration, and mercilessly pound the Harriers, with Paul Kamara getting another hat trick and James Henderson on the cusp. Lincoln 7, Kidderminster 1. The seven goals is not only a club record, but a Third Division record. That’s a big win for us – and hopefully will swell morale for our final road matchup, coming up next.


So, at this point, the league table has adjusted a bit, of course.


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | P | Cambridge | | 43 | 26 | 10 | 7 | 79 | 31 | +48 | 88 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | Pl | Torquay | | 43 | 23 | 10 | 10 | 82 | 48 | +34 | 79 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | Pl | Lincoln | | 43 | 23 | 9 | 11 | 82 | 39 | +43 | 78 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | Pl | York | | 43 | 24 | 6 | 13 | 75 | 48 | +27 | 78 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | Pl | Oxford | | 43 | 22 | 11 | 10 | 63 | 44 | +19 | 77 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Bury | | 43 | 20 | 14 | 9 | 78 | 50 | +28 | 74 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Barnet | | 43 | 21 | 11 | 11 | 64 | 41 | +23 | 74 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


So, we are guaranteed a playoff position, but the real race is for the auto-promotion spot. Our draw with York didn’t resolve anything, so we are still in a tough three-way battle for those last two spots.

Good news, though – York is heading to Cambridge next, and we can certainly hope for them to get the same rude result we already did. That would certainly help us out. Torquay’s schedule looks a lot lighter – two at home, none in the top seven.

All our remaining matches are very important, of course, but this is the most borderline of the lot. We are at Swindon Town, in 9th place – a solid team. And, for all intents and purposes, we need a win here. At 23 minutes, Ben Cross works some magic, weaving through two defenders and piping a shot right past the keeper. Wonderful! At 32 minutes, it’s Paul Kamara with anoter – and we look to be in good shape. Kamara strikes again in the second half – just a wide open chance that he drives right past their helpless keeper

But after getting a 3-0 lead, we see an unbelievable collapse – and within 15 minutes it is all level. I am shellshocked. Ay 82, we have to rely on a save on a PK to avoid falling behind. In the final minutes, it’s edge-of-the-seat stuff as we try desperately to fend them off and hold on to our even score. But in injury time, 92 minutes on the clock, they tally the winner. Swindon 4, Lincoln 3. An absolutely unforgivable collapse – we lead 3-0 after 50 minutes in a must win game, and end up on the short end. Unthinkable.


York did indeed lose to Cambridge, but that only serves to propel Oxford into the third spot now – we are now in fourth, down by two points. Unbelievable.

[Fonzie]

Steve Parry, eh? Is he, by chance, a journeyman player?

*rimshot*

Thanks everyone. I'll be here all week.

[Fonzie]

Dola-

Seriously, excellent read as always QS.

[SirFozzie]

Ouch. er, nice to see Cambridge going up???

*ducks*

[QuikSand]

May 2005

Lincoln City’s Paul Kamara has won the English Third Division Young Player of the Month award.


At this point, we not only need to win, we will need help. We sit in 4th place – not good enough, of course.


We host Plymouth – in what ought to be a simple walkover win. Mario Dadic, after a dreadful effort last time out, is out of the lineup – and in foul spirits overall. Somehow, the club that folded like a tent last time out just looks sensational here, and we run out to a shocking four goal advantage in the first half. Lincoln 4, Plymouth 0. Where was this team in the second half last time out? Arrrgh!

Oxford and York won this week also – so we didn’t gain any ground on them. However, Torquay lost, meaning they dropped to third place – and are now only one point ahead of us in the standings. So, if we win our final match, and either Oxfrod loses or Torquay loses or draws, then we can sneak into that final promotion spot.

In our final match, we are home to Oldham (8th place) – which is no small task to begin with. Oxford finish at home to Dag & Red (13th place) and Torquay are home to 6th place Barnet. I feel that my best bet is for Barnet to put together the stinger over the reeling Torquay, and for us to get in that way. We’ll definitely be watching the league scoreboard as the match progresses.


For the big final match, we have David Crowley in goal, and most of our first team activated. Mario Dadic remains in a terrible spirits, and I decide to go it without him. Paul Kamara and James Henderson will start at striker – Henderson has had a nice little run up there lately. We’re ready to go, morale is very high.

We get to the half without a score either way, in a tightly played match. Meanwhile, both Torquay and Oxford are similarly in scoreless draws. The last 45 minutes will tell a lot of the tale, it seems.

At 68 minutes in our match, still no score. Same for Torquay and Oxford both, oddly enough. York is ahead in their match now – so they are looking like a factor again. At 80 minutes, the situation is exactly the same – it’s as if the first team to score a goal can go on – almost a three-way sudden death situation. York has their game all but wrapped up, so they are actually looking good right now, wit ten minutes to go. I push us into attacking mode – a draw does us absolutely no good here, of course.

At 87 minutes, Lee Connolly takes an outside shot that misses left by less than a foot. Close call, but no goal. They announce three minutes of injury time… but we can’t get anywhere, and end up in a scoreless draw – the most frustrating result I can imagine. Lincoln 0, Oldham 0.

As it turns out, Torquay pulled out their match with a late goal, while Oxford faltered with a scoreless draw as well. So it’s Torquay and York who end up getting the two remaining auto-promotion slots. Awful result for us – it was all there for us.

Now, we will have to regroup and try to work our way through the playoffs and hope to secure the promotion the hard way.


We will face Barnet in a home and home for the semifinals – starting at their place. I’m going with Mario Dadic back in on the left side – despite his low morale, he has been awfully good for us this year. Lee Connolly is off with an injury in the first two minutes – reducing some of our flexibility. We get a first half goal, and a few saves from Crowley, to end up with a 1-0 lead as we get into the closing minutes. An injury to Kamara – no idea how serious yet – has us reeling, but we come away with the edge at their place, at least. Lincoln 1, Barnet 0. We choked at this stage last season – but we’ll hope for a better showing this time around.

The physio’s report is eagerly anticipated – and bad news. Both Paul Kamara and Lee Connolly will have to miss the second stage. Awful news for us – our attack simply isn’t very solid without Kamara, we know that much.


We head into the second match with Barnet, one goal up and playing at home. Dave Rose, in for Kamara, gets hurt himself – and we end up with Scott Murphy subbing in at striker, where he has played only sparingly. At 41, Barnet break through with the first goal of the match, leveling things up overall. It’s there until 70 minutes, when Ben Cross nails a free kick into the right corner, and we pull even for today – but ahead again overall. Huge effort! And that’s enough for us to limp it home, and take the 2-1 aggregate victory! Lincoln 1, Barnet 1 – Lincoln advances.


And so, in the playoff final, we will face Oxford. Winner goes on, loser stays in Third Division. Can’t be stakes a lot higher than that.

[QuikSand]

June 2004

Lincoln City’s Paul Kamara has won the English Third Division Player of the Month award.

And the physio reports that Kamara is healthy enough to play in the finals. Great relief!


We have a lot of contract-related issues to deal with – but the pressing issue is the match for the promotion spot. Bear with me as we resolve a few things on the contract front.

These players’ contracts have expired: Andrew Lochhead, Steve O’Connor, and Chris Rowe. My thinking is that I want to get Rowe to return, but the others I am ambivalent about. Lochhead started the season on the first team, but his play didn’t really inspire a lot of confidence – and I consider the striker spot still up for grabs. O’Connor isn’t a strong choice there, either. All three are on month-to-month contracts for now.

We have reached the transfer period – and we see a few roster changes. This is weird that it happens before our final match of the 04/05 season, but we will have to make do.

We see these players departing: Adam Davison, Paul Mills, Scott Murphy, and Ian Briggs. Losing Murphy and Davison certainly thin out our midfield options – the other two were versatile, but not regular contributors.

We bring in Paul Russell, a new striker, discussed previously. I’m hoping that he becomes a regular starter for us.

A big blow is that Mike Gordon’s transfer in is cancelled – the transfer fee is too much for our budget, apparently. (I’m not quite sure what happened – is this the bonus we paid him? Or was there compensation to his old club? Either way, it’s off. Ouch.) I put in a straightforward offer for him, as he becomes a free agent – we’ll try to land him through the back door now – we really could use another productive midfielder.


We have two honorees for the Third Division Select team – Paul Kamara and Mario Dadic. No surprises there – both had fabulous seasons. Kamara had the highest average player rating in the whole division, while Ben Cross was 3rd and Dadic was 5th. Outstanding!

With the transfer window re-opened, and a few contract situations still pending – we have some work to do. Soon.


But now, we have a match to go win! Our morale is pretty high, our injured players are back – and we are ready to roll. We play this one at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff – a big venue for us.

After 30 minutes and a few back and forth opportunitites, we get a break. Mario Dadic, back to himself finally, makes a great forward play into the left corner, and sends a ball inside. Paul Kamara gets it, pivots nearly 270 degrees, and sends the ball into the pipes! It’s a 1-0 lead for the good guys! That lead holds up until halftime.

At 52 minutes, we yield a counter-attack opportunity, as they get a ball clear ahead of midfield, and take it right in for the equalizer. It goes to 90 minutes without another score – things are looking very shaky right now, even though most of the pressure is ours. This one limps through 30 more minutes… and the final promotion spot will be determined on penalty kicks.

I don’t think this bodes that well – it’s just not our strong suit, either side of this.


Ben Cross is up first – his shot is firm, but their keeper makes the save. But Crowley responds with a save of his own! 0-0.

Mario Dadic goes high and right, and pegs the corner. And David Crowley makes another great save on the center kick. Lincoln 1-0.

Paul Kamara hits his shot to the left, and it fools the keeper completely for the score. Oxford hits their goal, too, tagging the right side. Lincoln 2-1.

Simon Platt freezes the goalkeeper, and nails the shot on the right side. We are in good shape now, even though Oxford hits their shot, too. Lincoln 3-2.

Ian Reed, veteran forward, is our last shooter. This one can clinch it! He goes center, while the keeper leaps to the left! The ball taps the back of the net, and we gain the win with a 4-2 edge! Lincoln 1, Oxford 1 – Lincoln advances on penalties..

All that effort, all that drama…and we end up advancing to the Second Division on the strength of a few penalties, and a couple clutch saves from David Crowley. Again… unbelievable!

After taking a few deep breaths, it’s time to settle things up for the 2004/05 season. Here’s a final look at the league table, complete with our final adornment:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | C | Cambridge | | 46 | 29 | 10 | 7 | 84 | 31 | +53 | 97 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | P | Torquay | | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 85 | 50 | +35 | 85 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | P | York | | 46 | 26 | 6 | 14 | 79 | 49 | +30 | 84 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Oxford | | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 65 | 44 | +21 | 84 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | P | Lincoln | | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 89 | 43 | +46 | 82 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Barnet | | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 70 | 43 | +27 | 80 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Bury | | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 79 | 52 | +27 | 77 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Oldham | | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 72 | 71 | +1 | 71 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Northampton | | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 74 | 71 | +3 | 69 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Swindon | | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 61 | 56 | +5 | 67 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Mansfield | | 46 | 20 | 6 | 20 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 66 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Scunthorpe | | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 86 | 79 | +7 | 66 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Dag & Red | | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 73 | 70 | +3 | 66 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Boston Utd | | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 63 | 63 | 0 | 64 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Bristol Rovers | | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 58 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Rochdale | | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 59 | 64 | -5 | 54 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Darlington | | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 43 | 61 | -18 | 54 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Kidderminster | | 46 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 60 | 94 | -34 | 53 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Leyton Orient | | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 52 | 73 | -21 | 52 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Bournemouth | | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 51 | 85 | -34 | 47 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Yeovil | | 46 | 12 | 9 | 25 | 59 | 88 | -29 | 45 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Swansea | | 46 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 46 | 69 | -23 | 42 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | R | Plymouth | | 46 | 11 | 5 | 30 | 51 | 109 | -58 | 38 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | R | Macclesfield | | 46 | 9 | 8 | 29 | 51 | 99 | -48 | 35 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


And here is the grid for our player performance on the year:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

David Crowley 34 £220 £16K Kicking,Agility,Bravery,Positioning 38 27 20 6.89
Dave Saunders 20 £250 £16K Determination,Command,Influence 14 21 3 6.21
Brian Hardy 17 £ 75 £16K Jumping,Acceleration,Punch,Aerial 2 2 0 6.50

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Lee Marsh 22 £600 £16K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 48 2 3 0 7.13
Simon Platt 19 £200 £16K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 44 1 3 0 7.36
Chris Rowe 22 £900 £30K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 39(2) 0 1 0 7.22
Michael Maher 25 £550 £26K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 34(1) 0 1 0 7.29
Steve Parry 25 £900 £90K Determ,Anticipation,Teamwork,Infl 24 0 3 1 6.83
Gareth Ricketts 19 £275 £16K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 16(6) 1 2 0 6.82
James Carter 23 £350 £16K OffTehBal,Pace,Accel,Creativity 5(1) 0 1 0 7.00
David Kay 19 £250 £16K Heading,Bravery,Jumping,Stamina 5 0 0 0 7.00
Stuart Ward 25 £500 £16K Determ,Bravery,Teamwork,Marking 1(4) 1 0 0 6.80

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Mario Dadic 31 1000 £35K Flair,WorkRate,Stamina,SetPieces 44 6 12 5 7.59
Ben Cross 27 1500 £45K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 36 7 9 4 7.64
James Henderson 31 £200 £16K Anticipation,SetPieces,Jumping,Accel 25(4) 5 6 0 7.03
Colin Bradshaw 17 £500 £16K Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 32(2) 5 5 1 7.12
Lee Connolly 21 1000 £22K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 35(1) 4 2 3 7.17
Adam Davison 27 £750 £20K Creativity,SetPieces,Flair,Infl 17(4) 2 4 1 7.33
Scott Murphy 27 £800 £16K Determ,Balance,OffTheBall,WorkRate 20(2) 6 1 0 7.18
Danny Morgan 19 £ 90 £16K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility 8 1 2 0 7.50
Stuart Thompson 23 1000 £18K Positioning,Pace,Stamina,Accel,Agil 0(3) 0 0 0 6.67
Andrew Hussey 22 £600 £16K Determ,OffTheBall,Acceleration,Tmwk 0(3) 0 0 0 6.33
Luke Harrison 19 £ 75 £16K WorkRate,Acceleration,Determ,Agility
John McGrath 19 £ 90 £16K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 19 1200 240K OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 46 32 19 15 7.87
Andrew Lochhead 30 £500 £16K Determ,Agility,OffTheBall,WorkRate 10(2) 4 3 0 6.50
Steve O’Connor 22 £600 £28K PKs,Acceleration,Dribbling,Determ 9 4 1 1 6.56
Dave Rose 27 £300 £20K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 20(2) 6 6 1 7.05
Darren Hopkins 17 £ 75 yth Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina 6(2) 3 1 0 6.50
Ian Reed 36 £300 £16K Determ,Influence,WorkRate,OffTheBall 4(12) 5 2 0 7.06
Dave Banks 21 £300 £12K Aggression,Balance,Heading,Agility 1 1 0 0 7.00
John Jackson 17 £ 80 yth Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression 3 1 1 0 6.00



I think it’s a good time to do an inventory of this team – because I think we still have some holes to fill for the coming season.

Keeper

David Crowley remains a veteran leader and solid coaching assistant. But we need to bring in another option – I prefer to ride my keepers based on morale, and I want to have faith in a second player. Saunders doesn’t look like that guy, and young Brian Hardy is unsettled because he hates me so badly. Target area for a good acquisition.

Defenders

We have four starters returning already – so in intact foursome of Marsh, Maher, Parry, and Platt can be there. I’m trying to work out a new deal with Chris Rowe to be in the rotation at the center defense position. Gareth Ricketts is turning into a decent sub option – playing left or center, midfield or defense. James Carter is the attack-minded defender, and I still don’t know quite how to use him. David Kay seems to be moving up and has some promise – if things fall apart with Chris Rowe, he’ll see even more time. I think we are solid here.

Wingers

Mario Dadic and Ben Cross are standouts, though Cross seems a little injury prone, and Dadic is unhappy about not being dealt. I’m hoping that they can both return with another very good season for us in 05/06. However, we really have little behind these two as of now. Danny Morgan can play the left side, and I am re-initiating talks to lock him up for this season. But I think we need to have at least one more reliable option for the outside midfield spots – especially someone who can comfortably play the right side behind Cross. Priority.

Central Midfield

I’m comfortable with our defensive midfield spot, as Lee Connolly is a stable presence there, and I think we have pretty good backup from Gareth Ricketts. If we re-sign Danny Morgan, he can play some here as well.

The forward attacking midfield spot is a concern. Colin Bradshaw was very adequate there late last season, and we could do plenty worse. But I really seek a difference-maker player in this position – someone who will rack up assists and notch goals of his own. Bradshaw doesn’t screw things up, but 5 goals and 5 assists is less direct production that I would expect from such an attack-inclined position. Our experiment with James Henderson, a versatile striker, didn’t pan out too well – I think we need a true attacking midfielder with the right skills here. It’s a good spot for an acquisition of note, if we could land one.

Strikers

Paul Kamara is beyond words right now – he had a fabulous season, and is the absolute cornerstone of our offense. Who should be playing beside him? James Henderson and Ian reed got lots of time down the stretch for us – and both have announced their retirement. Dave Rose seems okay, but doesn’t have many skills to complement his raw speed. Newcomer Paul Russell looks promising – and might be our first look when the new season starts. I am definitely open to adding a new face or two, and we expect to see a little more of Darren Hopkins this year also.



Following hat analysis, I move to lock up two players we need – defender Chris Rowe and midfielder Danny Morgan. Both accept deals a bit less than their initial request, but will come back on good terms and should see plenty of playing time in the coming season.

I make a few more approaches to free agent players who are out of contract. My hope is to land another impact player here – like we did last June with Mario Dadic.

The first player we land is a defensive-minded midfielder, Gary Doyle. He’s a 27 year old Aussie, coming over from Aston Villa. He played on loan to Watford (first division) the last season, and was pretty solid. My scout likes his skills – he is very tough, a strong tackler, and a potentially effective offensive player as well. He can play either defender or midfielder – so he might step into a role comparable to that of Gareth Ricketts, as a top backup to Ben Cross and occasional starter at a few different spots. Assuming we have no problem with a work permit, we ought to be in good shape with this addition. (It won’t go through until late this month)


Paul Kamara has been voted Lincoln’s Player of the Year by Lincoln supporters.

A repeat performance, but a dominant one. The club got better, but so did he – our left side attack from Kamara was in top form through most of the year. Great season.

That wraps up the 04/05 season – one with more than its fair share of drama. Work to do as we settle into the Second Division.

[SirFozzie]

Congrats and good luck, I think you're going to need it!

[QuikSand]

NEW SEASON - July/August 2005

The Lincoln board are very pleased with your performance as manager this season.
The team is expected to fight bravely against relegation from the Second Division in the coming season.
To help you achieve this, the Lincoln board have given you a transfer budget of £50K.

We also receive £300,000 in television revenues.


We continue to pursue free agent players – my ideal is to bring in one or two more players who could help right away. I’m shooting high right now – expecting to be turned down, but who knows?

We receive, so far, a series of thumbed noses.

The transfer of midfielder Gary Doyle is complete. Looking him over, I think he might very well be an impact player for us – a great passer, tough tackler, and hard worker. I expect to see him getting playing time at several spots.


Striker Ian Reed has left the club and retired from football, as he had indicated was his intention. He served pretty well for us last season, especially as a substitute. He now stays on as a coach for us.

We had expected fellow striker James Henderson to follow through on his retirement, but it looks as thought he may not do so. That would be fine by us – he’s making peanuts, and played pretty effectively for us as a striker last season (after we moved him out of the attacking midfield spot, where he was mediocre). Only 32, if he sticks around, he might have a few years ahead.


I send out my scout to look at 20 y/o free agent keeper Ryan Parker, and they drool over his potential. He’s been on the bench for Man Utd – that’s not a bad bloodline. We put in a bid – but soon after see a number of other clubs following suit. I figure I’m a longshot – he looks great, but our rivals are all higher level clubs.

As a backup plan, I put in an offer to another keeper – Irishman Jim Magill. He doesn’t have the great upside that Parker has, but looks to me like a very big improvement over Dave Saunders.


Ryan parker signs a deal with Grimsby Town, another Second Division club. I’m disappointed, but not too surprised.

On our second try, though, we land Jim Magill. So, we will have a new face between the pipes this season. Magill has one cap from playing for the Northern Irish club in international play, which might prove to be an issue for us through the season. But overall, my comparison suggests that Magill has better actual tools than David Crowley, and probably will become our first team keeper. We’re paying him appropriately for that role – so we hope to get some good results from him.


This brings us to our first friendly match, at Chester. We get a solid win, and start the tuning-up process for our players. No injuries – good there.


Our next friendly gives us a chance to see some of the new faces in action, including Jim Magill, who mans the goal for us. We get a decent effort all around – except for newcomer Gary Doyle, who looks a bit lost playing on the right side of the defensive line.

[QuikSand]

August 2005

I have decided to extend a new contract with young midfielder John McGrath, and I expect that he might get called up to the senior squad this season. He has a few solid skills, including good pace and flair, and might be a pretty good fit with our system.


The bookmakers have made Lincoln a 50-1 shot for promotion from Second Division this season. They don’t have any of our fellow promotees in the mix, either, at least. The top contenders are, apparently: Ipswich, Burnley, Chesterfield, Brighton, Watford, and Reading.


At this point, I am back over my wage budget – though not by all that much. Regardless, we will once again be in our usual pinch – unable to offer a sufficient weekly wage to attract real impact players, by and large.

We are approached by Wolves about defender Lee Marsh. I say he’s not available, and hope that’s the end of it. These things have a way of spiraling downhill, though.


We have finally reached the regular season, and start out at home to Cheltenham. We break the tie after the half, with a nice goal fed in from Kamara to Paul Russell. Holding our 1-0 lead in injury time, we strike on the counter attack, and Kamara dishes to Russell again for the clincher. Lincoln 2, Cheltenham 0. Paul Russell gets off to a great start with us with a match rating of 10 and a MOM award – and probably clinches the starting striker spot across from Kamara right here.


We play in the first round of the League Cup, against Grimsby Town. They gain the early edge as a shot slips right past Crowley. We draw even in the second half off the foot of Thomson, his first for us. James Henderson subs in and immediately makes and steal and scores on a breakaway goal – a great effort! Henderson’s second half earns him the MOM honors, with two goals making the difference. Lincoln 3, Grimsby 1 – Lincoln advances.

So far, so good against Second Division competition. I don’t expect we’ll cut through like we did in Third Division, but I’m thinking we can steer clear of relegation – we don’t seem to be terribly outclassed, at least not yet.


At Reading, we are looking to stay competitive against a highly regarded division rival. Might be a better test here. After a scoreless first half, I am pleased with where we stand – I’d even say we are outplaying the host club here. Down the stretch of this scoreless event, it’s our side getting pressure, and their keeper keeping them in it practically by himself. Lincoln 0, Reading 0. I’m pleased, basically – we played well and earned a tough point on the road.


We now are at Southend, a club who are even with us on the league table right now. They are swarming and aggressive – this is my first eye-opener moment in the Second Division. They land one goal off a transition at 18 minutes, and we feel like we’re on our heels the whole way. At 69 minutes, a pass to Kamara is errant, and the Southend keeper comes out to get it – but Paul hastily rushes for the ball, gets to it first, and strikes right into the untended goal to pull even. We’re being outplayed, I think, but we are now even on the scoresheet. We make the even score last, despite late pressure, and get away with another hard-earned standings point. Lincoln 1, Southend 1. This was a fast and tough team – I expect to see Southend competing for a good league position this year.

Striker Paul Russell comes from the match with a groin injury – and will miss a couple of months. So, we’ll be back to a rotation of players at the striker spot.


We play host to a more familiar foe, York. We get several shots and chances through the first half, but come away with nothing on the board. We draw a PK at 62, but Dadic’s kick lands right in the lap of the keeper. Once again, we settle for a draw – we are undefeated, but are slipping backward in the standings. Lincoln 0, York 0.


Ian Reed’s coach contract expires, and I let him go. We can bring in a better asset or £300/wk than him, I think – he gave us some solid play last season, but that was our main mission in landing him. Sorry, pal.


We are home again, now to Port Vale. Ben Cross pops in a beauty after 33 minutes, but Port Vale puts theirs in at 67 to pull level. At 76 minutes, David Crowley is caught way out of position and yields an easy goal – a bad play all around. We lose this one at home, and fall from the ranks of the unbeaten. Port Vale 2, Lincoln 1.

[QuikSand]

September 2005


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Rushden | | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 12 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Port Vale | | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 12 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Brentford | | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 10 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Torquay | | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 10 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Doncaster | | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 9 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Grimsby | | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 9 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Watford | | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 9 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Chesterfield | | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 9 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Ipswich | | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 9 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Southend | | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 8 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Colchester | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 9 | +1 | 7 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Cambridge | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Cheltenham | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 7 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Brighton | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 7 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Rotherham | | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 7 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Lincoln | | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Notts Co | | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 6 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Wigan | | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 6 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Barnsley | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 4 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | York | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 4 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Stockport | | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 4 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Wrexham | | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 3 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Reading | | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 11 | -8 | 2 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Burnley | | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 1 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


So, in the early going we are holding our own – but the last match was disappointing. We need to get our attack in gear – so far, we have not been very effective with out offensive chances.


The Lincoln board are very pleased with your performance as manager.

We play at Notts County, back in league play. They are right next to us on the league table – we’ll try to get our first road victory here. Kamara drops a pass back to Bradshaw for our first goal at 31, and we take the lead. At 73, we extend to two goals with a follow-up kick by Ben Cross, and we look good. Notts responds right away with a great effort for a goal, and get back within one. James Henderson takes a long pass, and gets in for another goal. We get tagged with a flurry or cards, and give up one more goal – but come away with the win, regardless. Lincoln 3, Notts Co 2.


Away at Watford, we have a shuffled defensive lineup, including James Carter for the first time this season. He’s our explosive attacker, slotted on the right side of the defensive line – we’ll try to get a little more pressure against a tough rival here. Our first goal comes off an improbable play – defender Michael Maher heads a corner kick in from ten yards out. Watford get even, but we regain the lead with a nice goal from Colin Bradshaw, who is reasserting his hold on the attacking midfield spot (despite my persistent efforts to replace him!). It’s a pretty exciting finish, and Watford have several attacking chances to pull even – but at 89 minutes, we get a counter attack goal to seal the deal. Lincoln 3, Watford 1. That’s a great win for us – locking up two straight on the road certainly helps our status – we leap up to 9th on the league table now.


Gareth Ricketts’ contract is up, and I want to keep him. He’s not a star performer, but he is very versatile, and seems to give a solid effort at any of his possible positions. That’s worth a modest salary, which is all he’s seeking.


Now that we are several weeks into the season, let’s have a look at player performance.


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

James Magill 31 £950 £22K Trowing,OneonOnes,Pace,Punch,Eccentr 6 4 3 7.17
David Crowley 35 £220 £22K Kicking,Agility,Bravery,Positioning 2 3 0 5.00
Dave Saunders 21 £250 £22K Determination,Command,Influence
Brian Hardy 18 £ 75 £22K Jumping,Acceleration,Punch,Aerial

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Lee Marsh 24 £600 £22K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 6 0 1 0 6.83
Simon Platt 21 £220 £22K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 7 0 1 0 7.29
Chris Rowe 24 £775 £40K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 7(1) 0 1 0 7.38
Michael Maher 27 £900 £28K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 3 1 0 1 7.33
Steve Parry 27 £900 £90K Determ,Anticipation,Teamwork,Infl 5 0 1 0 6.80
Gareth Ricketts 21 £100 £22K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 4 0 0 0 7.25
James Carter 25 £350 £22K OffTehBal,Pace,Accel,Creativity 1 0 0 0 8.00
David Kay 21 £250 £22K Heading,Bravery,Jumping,Stamina 1 0 0 0 8.00

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Mario Dadic 32 1000 £24K Flair,WorkRate,Stamina,SetPieces 7 0 0 0 7.43
Ben Cross 28 1500 £75K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 8 2 1 2 7.88
Colin Bradshaw 18 £500 £22K Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 6 2 0 0 7.33
Lee Connolly 22 1000 £28K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 4 0 0 0 7.00
Danny Morgan 20 £ 90 £22K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility 3(1) 0 0 0 6.25
Stuart Thompson 24 1000 £22K Positioning,Pace,Stamina,Accel,Agil 2(2) 1 0 0 6.75
Gary Doyle 27 1200 £22K Tackling,Passing,Determ,WorkRate 0(3) 0 0 0 6.33
Luke Harrison 20 £ 75 £22K WorkRate,Acceleration,Determ,Agility
John McGrath 20 £ 90 £22K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 20 1300 375K OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 7 1 3 1 7.43
Paul Russell 26 £400 £28K Penalties,Balance,Strength,Dribbling 4 2 0 0 7.75
James Henderson 32 £200 £28K Anticipation,SetPieces,Jumping,Accel 3(1) 4 0 1 7.75
Dave Rose 28 £300 £20K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 1 0 2 0 6.00
John Jackson 18 £200 £22K Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression 1 0 0 0 7.00
Darren Hopkins 18 £200 £22K Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina


We have to be happy with our overall effort so far, but there is still room for improvement. Dadic and Kamara have not yet been “clicking” on our left side – and we’ve been getting our goals on breakaways and follow-ups, mainly. Eventually, we will hope get our left side attack back in gear, which had been a real staple of our best efforts last season.


We head home to host Torquay, a club who promoted along with us last season, and who have found great early success here in the Second Division. Lee Connolly wastes no time, and scores on our very first touch – in less than 45 seconds! At 74 minutes, still ahead by one goal, Colin Bradshaw commits a penalty and afford them a PK – but Magill comes through with the save, protecting our eventual margin of victory. Lincoln 1, Torquay 0.


I make a press release about my pleasure with Ben Cross this season – he has been excellent, adding some outside shooting and opportunistic play to his typical slashing offensive style. Great effort thus far. The fans voice their agreement – apparently they didn’t think he’d cut it at this level.


We stay at home, and face Brentford. We are getting all kinds of pressure in the first half, but can’t manage to get off even a good shot or two. Finally Henderson scores off of Dadic’s corner kick at 65, and we assume the lead that I think we have deserved. Off a free kick, Ben Cross taps right to lee Connolly, who sends it home, and we lead 2-0. Lincoln 2, Brentford 1. Jim Magill is injured, though – which might be cause for concern.

Jim Magill, it turns out, will only miss a week or so, according to our physio. We ought to be able to scrape by okay without him, I reckon. Dave Saunders will be set to take the spot for our next outing.


Our next match, it turns out, is in the League Cup – against Bury. I feel like we can shuffle things up a bit, though I don’t want to upend our momentum. We are the ones with all the pressure and chances, but the game goes into extra time still scoreless. At 116 minutes, their corner kick sails right into the goal (nice arc!) and they secure a 1-0 win to send us packing from the Cup. Bury 1, Lincoln 0 – Lincoln eliminated.

That might be the last straw – I think I want Dave Saunders out of here, stat. He is listed immediately, and I expect to accept most any offer.

[QuikSand]

October 2005

Lincoln City’s QuikSand has won the English Second Division Manager of the Month award.
The award panel made their decision after the Red Imps boss guided his team to victory in all four of their league games this month.


We get some bad news from the training field – right winger Ben Cross is down with an injury, and will miss a couple of weeks. This means that Gary Doyle will finally get his chance to step in and play for us – we’ll see what he can bring to the table. He has skills, but has yet to really earn my trust.


We are in 3rd position on the league table, and now we get to face Rotherham. This one is pretty back and forth – but neither side is able to break through and get on the board. Lincoln 0, Rotherham 0.


We head to Burnley, one of the clubs targeted for good things as the season started. They are having a tough go of it, so far, in 20th place. Magill gets caught running out early, and gives up an open net goal at 3 minutes. They had a good attack going, but his error made it a giveaway. We draw even at 8 minutes, but they strike right back, and it’s 2-1 after only 13 minutes. We simply aren’t used to seeing this kind of electricity. At 38 minutes, Kamara rushes to the left corner, and sends in a pass to Henderson who knocks it in for the equalizer. Henderson strikes again at 54 for a beautiful breakaway goal, and we assume or first lead in the match. We hold on to secure the hard fought win. Lincoln 3, Burnley 2. Henderson, who has really blossomed since being tabbed for regular starting time at striker, had two chances to tally a hat trick, but managed the side netting both times.


Paul Kamara has been called up to the England Under 21s squad to face Iceland Under 21s.

Great news for our exciting young striker, but it’s bittersweet for our club. If he is going to wander off every so often to play in international matches, we are probably going to need some more depth on our attack.


We host Chesterfield, and once again get caught into a mess – we are getting pressure, but send ball after ball sailing over the top of the goal with our long shots. In the end, we cannot get the win that I think we deserve, and settle for a scoreless draw. Lincoln 0, Chesterfield 0.


Lincoln player Brian Hardy has told his agent he is no longer unhappy with manager QuikSand and is willing to stay at the club.

Well, that’s nice. I’m still not certain that he fits into our plans for the longer term, bit it’s nice to know that he isn’t grousing any longer.


Now we head on the road to take on Ipswich. We are scoreless for a long time, and it looks headed to a nil-nil as well – but in injury time, Michael Maher heads in a corner kick from Cross, and we squeak away with a victory. Lincoln 1, Ipswich 0.


The Red Imps performance so far this season warrant the top half position they currently occupy, but at this early stage of the season they must be aware that a few defeats would see them head rapidly towards the foot of the table.

The might still be favourites to go down, but the start they have made to the season has certainly been encouraging.


Wolves have made a £22,000 offer for Lee Marsh. Marsh is a stalwart for us on the left side of the defensive line, and I am reluctant to let him go – especially for such a pittance. I respond, affirming that he is an important starter, and decline the deal.


Our next match is at Stockport, a struggling team near the foot of the table. They tally a goal at 35 to take the lead, but it gets called back by an offsides. Regardless, what we are seeing does not look like a 20th place outfit, they seem fast and organized. At 71 minutes, Paul Kamara sends in a gorgeous goal, arcing it right around the poised keeper, and we take the lead. That’s all the edge we need, as we shut things down in the second half. Lincoln 1, Stockport 0.


One thing in this game that sometimes escapes main notice is the personal undercurrents. There are layers of notes for each player about their attitudes and happiness. Here is a little survey of where some of our players are.

First – there are plenty who have a generically positive comment like “Content with conditions at the club currently.” Generally, I figure that these are players who are not too ego-driven, and enjoy being around on a club that is winning a lot of matches. David Crowley, our veteran player/coach, is just such a guy – he’s not making a ton of money, he’s not getting a lot of playing time, but he’s enjoying the ride.

Several of our younger players include “Enthusiastic about his future at the club.” Simon Platt, our 20 year old starting defender, has been here for the whole time, and it’s nice that he considers this the place for him to be. Lee marsh, his counterpart on the left side, feels the same way, as do players like Lee Connolly and Colin Bradshaw.

Another common comment is that the team is basically in awe of Mario Dadic. Several players include mention that they think he is talented – he is the aspirational leader of this club, it certainly seems. Paul Kamara puts up the big numbers, but it’s Dadic who gets everybody excited on the pitch.

Dadic himself is “happy to stay at the club.” At one point, he was upset that I denied a transfer bid, but he seems to be past that, and is happy with us. Promotion will help there, I have found.

Young striker Darren Hopkins seems to be capable of some good efforts, but has been inconsistent in his play – occasionally allowing a real stinker on the pitch. I see that we have added a note about him – he is “unambitious.” Not a hard trainer, not a hard worker – it all fits, really. His fellow young striker John Jackson has the same tag – and the same reputation, really. Neither one has a lot of my confidence.

Paul Kamara, only a couple of years older, is the opposite. He is “driven” – and is clearly a guy who gives his all. Really, I don’t see that he has a whole lot more raw talent than a guy like Hopkins, but it’s perfectly clear that he is committed to the success of the club, and has been a huge part of it thus far. He, too, is “enthusiastic about his future at the club.”

Fortunately, we don’t have any real malcontents on the club – which is nice. I have had clubs descend into chaos over various things – but generally, as long as the club is doing well and reaching expectations, the chemistry tends to stay strong, like a rising tide that lifts all boats.


We play at Brighton, who are in the bottom half. A road win here would actually place us at the very top of the league table! Paul Russell I healthy again, and we have him slotted in to start at striker. At 43 minutes, Colin Bradshaw gets a steal, and sends it forward to Paul Kamara, who sends an open shot past the keeper. At 57 minutes, though, they get even. Colin Bradshaw makes another nice play to get us ahead – knocking in a solid pass-in from Mario Dadic. Lincoln 2, Brighton 1.


Although the season has only just started, relegation candidates Lincoln City find themselves top of the league and playing superbly.

Many feel that it won’t last long though, and that their slide down the table is just around the corner.

This club might start adopting an “us against the world” mentality, at this rate. The points are well taken, but it’s very exciting for us to be on top of the Second Division league table.

Might as well get a snapshot of this, since even I don’t know how long it might last:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Lincoln | | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 20 | 10 | +10 | 32 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Torquay | | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 30 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Rushden | | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 30 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Rotherham | | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 25 | 20 | +5 | 28 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Cambridge | | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 27 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Chesterfield | | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 11 | +9 | 27 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Grimsby | | 15 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 25 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Cheltenham | | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 18 | +7 | 25 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Brentford | | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 26 | 14 | +12 | 24 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Doncaster | | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 22 | 13 | +9 | 24 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Southend | | 15 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 24 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Watford | | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 15 | +5 | 24 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Ipswich | | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 19 | +5 | 22 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Port Vale | | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 22 | -1 | 22 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | York | | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 19 | -2 | 18 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Colchester | | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 29 | -8 | 18 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Wigan | | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 21 | 28 | -7 | 17 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Barnsley | | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 15 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Burnley | | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 24 | -6 | 15 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Notts Co | | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 17 | 28 | -11 | 14 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Brighton | | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 28 | -14 | 13 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Stockport | | 15 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 16 | 31 | -15 | 8 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Reading | | 15 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 35 | -22 | 7 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Wrexham | | 15 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 32 | -25 | 5 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Woo. Hoo.


We are at Rochdale in the Vans Trophy first round, looking to keep things going at full tilt. Paul Kamara gets two single handed goals in the first half, and has us ahead 2-1. At 42 minutes, Kamara makes another shot, which is partially blocked by the Rochdale defender and goes in – it’s counted as an own goal, but clearly was Kamara’s doing. Later on as we have the match well in hand, Kamara seals his actual hat trick with a goal off a corner kick. Lincoln 6, Rochdale 1. Paul Kamara, off to a lukewarm start by his high standards, has a breakout performance as he carries the offense here.

The Vans Trophy is a dilemma for us – I don’t think we are really deep enough to properly maintain a solid Cup campaign, so we’re probably better off just playing our backups from here on out in that event. I think that’s our plan – though we might be a threat there, if we really committed. But I don’t want to be exhausted and end up losing league matches because we went all-out in the Vans Trophy matches.

Much the same for the forthcoming FA Cup – I don’t see much point in putting out our best players there, since we’ll just get them too tired to play.

[QuikSand]

And now, dear reader, you are essentially caught up with my real time play. You've been spoiled so far, but I am pretty enamored with this club at this point, and fully intend to keep chipping away when I can.

[Sublime]

Simply a PIMPTACULAR read!

[Senator]

That is a good point. What is the real incentive tiring or possibly hurting the players on the Trophy and Cup series that you have no real chance to win?

Do the starters get angry about this, the fans, or management? Are there any repercussions by tanking these games?

[SirFozzie]

That is a good point. What is the real incentive tiring or possibly hurting the players on the Trophy and Cup series that you have no real chance to win?

Do the starters get angry about this, the fans, or management? Are there any repercussions by tanking these games?


Casssssssssh Money!

All lower league teams DREAM of being drawn against a big money team like Man Yoo/Arsenal/Chelsea/Liverpool at their house. Why? They get half the money from the gate. In the big stadiums, that's quite a lot.

A lot of teams have also used the springboard of the shock upset to reach higher then they normally could in league too

[Senator]

Ahhh. Makes sense, should have thought of that.

Goes back to the old saying, "When you want to know why someone would do something, just follow the money."

[RPI-Fan]

Also, big cup wins are great for team morale, which plays a large role in CM.

[QuikSand]

Actually, had I known that I would be in such a solid league position, I probably would have made an effort to bring in an extra handful of capable players - to ensure that we had enough hands on deck to field a squad for both the cup competitions and for the league matches. As it is, I really don't even have a "B" team in total -- so my choices are very limited there.

[thealmighty]

Quik, this is great stuff. I read every word of it. Jolly good show. :)

[Celeval]

Echoed. Would write more, but reading. :-D

[petrochile]

QS, reading this dynasty, and those of the past, have always got me through my workdays! For over the years, thanks!

[daedalus]

Outstanding read so far. Thanks for sharing, QS. :)

[condors]

i actually like using some of my youth players in cup games(even when i have enough players). I try to get a few players who are top performers down there and let them play with the first team. Also dont forget you have 3 subs bringing on a couple tired guys at the 40 minute mark isn't too bad as they get a little stamina boost at the half. so if you got 5 regular guys who are closest to 100% play 3 youth guys and sub in 2 regulars at 40 minute mark and you have a team (although injuries and suspensions can play havok with a small squad).

This dynasty inspired me start a new game(taking rushden to the top)

[QuikSand]

November 2005

Lincoln City’s James Henderson has won the English Second Division Player of the Month award.

He has been sensational of late – a great surprise. (Hell, I’m surprised he’s even playing, much less playing great!)

We’ll have a look at the player performance to date this season:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

James Magill 31 £950 £22K Trowing,OneonOnes,Pace,Punch,Eccentr 14 8 8 6.93
David Crowley 35 £220 £22K Kicking,Agility,Bravery,Positioning 2(2) 4 1 5.75
Dave Saunders 21 £250 £22K Determination,Command,Influence 2 1 1 6.00
Brian Hardy 18 £ 75 £22K Jumping,Acceleration,Punch,Aerial

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Lee Marsh 24 £600 £22K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 14 0 1 0 7.00
Simon Platt 21 £220 £22K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 16 0 1 1 7.31
Chris Rowe 24 £775 £40K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 15(1) 1 1 1 7.44
Michael Maher 27 £900 £28K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 11 2 0 1 7.45
Steve Parry 27 £900 £90K Determ,Anticipation,Teamwork,Infl 8 0 1 0 6.88
Gareth Ricketts 21 £100 £22K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 5(3) 0 0 0 6.88
James Carter 25 £350 £22K OffTehBal,Pace,Accel,Creativity 2 0 0 0 7.00
David Kay 21 £250 £22K Heading,Bravery,Jumping,Stamina 2 0 0 0 7.50

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Mario Dadic 32 1000 £75K Flair,WorkRate,Stamina,SetPieces 17 1 5 0 7.53
Ben Cross 28 1500 £80K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 15 2 5 4 7.87
Colin Bradshaw 18 £500 £22K Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 15 3 1 0 7.20
Lee Connolly 22 1000 £28K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 13 3 1 1 7.15
Danny Morgan 20 £ 90 £22K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility 3(1) 0 0 0 6.25
Stuart Thompson 24 1000 £22K Positioning,Pace,Stamina,Accel,Agil 3(3) 1 0 0 6.83
Gary Doyle 27 1200 £22K Tackling,Passing,Determ,WorkRate 5(3) 0 0 0 6.75
Luke Harrison 20 £ 75 £22K WorkRate,Acceleration,Determ,Agility
John McGrath 20 £ 90 £22K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 20 1300 400K OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 15 6 5 3 7.53
Paul Russell 26 £400 £28K Penalties,Balance,Strength,Dribbling 5 2 0 1 7.60
James Henderson 32 £200 £28K Anticipation,SetPieces,Jumping,Accel 10(1) 7 1 2 7.73
Dave Rose 28 £300 £20K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 3 0 3 0 6.67
John Jackson 18 £200 £22K Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression 2(2) 0 0 0 6.25
Darren Hopkins 18 £200 £22K Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina 1 0 0 0 7.00



And, at long last, we face Wigan. It had to happen eventually.

For those new to the Red Imps fan club, repeat after me: WE HATE WIGAN.

A couple of early goals get the Sincil Bank crowd all fired up, and we go on to a mighty win at home. We get goals from a whole host of players – two defenders (Marsh and Maher) and our defensive midfielder Lee Connolly. Lincoln 4, Wigan 0. We hate Wigan.


Stalwart defender Lee Marsh, just off his first goal of the season, has picked up a broken arm in training, and he’ll be out for a few weeks. My plan is probably to use Platt and Ricketts in the left side defender spot, and to largely use Gary Doyle as our right side defender. I still remain intrigued by James Carter, too – perhaps we’ll try to get some attacking effort from our defenders while we play without Marsh.


We play host to Cambridge, and have James Carter in and prepared to be aggressive from the defensive spot. We get our first goal at 44 minutes, when Carter pitches forward to Ben Cross, who sends it in for Paul Kamara – a very nice coordinated attack. They pull level in the second half, and we are unable to get the win here. Lincoln 1, Cambridge 1..

I’m watching James Carter fairly closely, and while he is aggressive when with the ball, he doesn’t seem to really be into the flow of the offense. I’ll see what I might be able to fiddle with there – I’d like to see him forward on corner kicks, and that sort of thing.


We have another injury – to Mario Dadic. Now, this requires some thinking. For now, my plan is to have Ben Cross come over and play on the left side (where Dadic usually plays) and we’ll use Gary Doyle on the right side of the midfield. That means that James Carter will probably get some extended time starting for us on the defense- which is okay, too. We’ll finally get a feel for him back there, and whether he can be effective in our attack.


The adjusted lineup takes the pitch against Oxford, in our opening match of the FA Cup. Doesn’t seem like a bad spot to do some dabbling. We look out of sorts, and trail by a goal until we pull even in injury time – on a setup pass from Ben Cross to Paul Russell. Lincoln 1, Oxford 1. We’ll have to replay the match – and we’ll hope to be in better form for the rematch, which will be at their place.


In the second round Vans Trophy matchup, I have basically a “second team” on the field to take on Darlington. Our main hope is not to jeopardize our nearly universal sky-high morale with a clumsy loss here. Up 2-1 in injury time, as hold off three straight corner kicks to secure the narrow win. Lincoln 2, Darlington 1. We got what we wanted here – a win, and some good time for our reserves on the pitch.


Back to Oxford, to resolve the first round result. We have a mixed lineup in, but have most of our starters back in there. We get fired up right away, with two goals by 11 minutes. We make that margin hold up, dodging a few late bullets but holding on. Lincoln 2, Oxford 0 – Lincoln advance.

I know that this run of good fortune has to end at some point, but right now we are all walking on air, and we are getting a lot of lucky breaks to keep us that way. Even without key players, and even when pretty tired, we are still getting the job done.


Chesterfield have made an approach for defender James Carter, asking what price we might accept. I still am intrigued by him, but I decide that I could part with him for a pretty heft £100,000. If they’ll pay that much, we’ll let him go – he’s really not a great fit into our system, despite his pretty solid play in the last few matches, including scoring one goal.


We have a big league match at 4th place Grimsby Town, and welcome Mario Dadic back to the lineup just in time. Grimsby gain the lead at 21 with a very nice goal off a corner push, and we are in a trailing position. Mario Dadic makes a beautiful play in the second half, swerving in (very much like Ben Cross would) and setting up a shot for Paul Russell, who buries it. But Grimsby strikes right back, and retakes the lead at 62 minutes. At 80 minutes, though, we get even again – Dadic hits it in off Cross’s corner kick. In injury time, we get an intercepted pass, and Colin Bradshaw is streaking toward the goal when he is tripped up – causing the penalty. Paul Russell’s PK is tipped away, but he is right there for the follow-up, and we secure the lead. Lincoln 3, Grimsby 2. An unbelievable effort – we were outclassed through most of the match, but managed an unlikely win to continue our white hot streak.



Our latest injury is to defender James Carter – just as he was getting into the flow with regular play, he’ll be sidelined for two weeks. I’ll drop Gary Doyle back to play that spot now – and will keep the attacking instructions in place.

Meanwhile, Chesterfield has backed off their approach for Carter – probably the price sent them away. So, he’ll be ours for further experimentation.


We are home to Barnsley next. Their season hasn’t really panned out too well – they are sitting near the foot of the table. It takes us until 53 minutes to break the deadlock, which Kamara accomplishes on a fabulous breakaway. Kamara seals it by finishing off a Ben Cross corner kick, and we secure three more standings points. Lincoln 2, Barnsley 0.

[RPI-Fan]

Just curious - how do you watch the games? Do you do "extended" highlights, or watch longer portions of the match, or something else?

[QuikSand]

I change up. When there's something in particular that I want to watch in some detail (like my recent matches with either Carter or Doyle playing the "attacking defender" role) I will switch to the extended highlights. Most often, I have my highlights set to the liwest level - key, I think it is called. I usually don't watch friendlies at all.

[DukeRulesMAB]

I vaguely recall that you ripped though the Second Division in your last really long Lincoln dynasty as well. Both Third and First took a few years, but the Second you thrashed both teams. I wonder if the second divisions isn't really much of a step up in quality from the Third...

[QuikSand]

I just found an old write-up from my ill-fated career with CM4 - and the team's success went like this:

Team History:

SEASON League Pos W D L GF GA Pts

2002-03 Third Division 6th 23 11 12 71 45 80
2003-04 Third Division 2nd 28 9 9 82 41 93
2004-05 Second Division 9th 23 3 19 68 46 75
2005-06 Second Division 13th 18 14 14 60 41 68
2006-07 Second Division 8th 20 15 11 69 35 75


In the 2007-08 season I had an irretreivable crash, and had to dump the career. As I recall, the club was doing quite well that year, also.


I don't have records handy from my Lincoln run with CM 00/01, but the notion that Second Division wasn't a big obstace sounds right. I recall spending a long time in Third Division (a really didn't know what the heck I was doing at all) but I think we got out of Second Division in a couple of seasons.

Ah... good times.

[daedalus]

Man, you are just getting some CRAZY amount of injuries going on this season. Insane.

[QuikSand]

December 2005

Lincoln City’s Paul Kamara has won the English Second Division Player of the Month award.

Lincoln City’s QuikSand has won the English Second Division Manager of the Month award.

We continue our roll, still with only one loss in the league season thus far – our record is 12 wins, 6 draws, and only one loss to Port Vale. Unbelievable.


And now it is December – time to start thinking about Bosman transfers. We have a few players whose contracts will be up after this year (later in June) – Mario Dadic is chief among them, but also David Crowley, Darren Hopkins, and James Henderson. I think I will try to seal up new deals with Dadic and Henderson, and then see what happens with the other two.

Dadic is fine with basically an extension of his new deal – I offer £1,200/wk with an £8,000 bonus. But Henderson wants to get paid – he makes £200/wk now, but is thinking about £1,000/wk or more. I decide to defer there.

But we want to try to bring in a player or two to help the club for next season, wherever we’ll be playing. It looks as though most contracts are running out in late December (rather than Dec 1) so that will likely be the time to move – stay tuned next month.


We are at Rushden & Diamonds to start off December, and have to fend off lots of early pressure. At 69 minutes, they finally break through with the inevitable score – they have seemed very effective today. That’s all they need, as they drop back and accept the margin. Rushden 1, Lincoln 0. So much for our hot streak – now we need to keep this from cascading into the much-predicted landslide.


We work out a new contract for winger Mario Dadic, which will keep him with us through the next two seasons. He ends up receiving £20,000 up front, and will make a weekly wage of £1,400. A pretty big investment, but he has made a big difference in our club – and as previously noted, the team basically adores him.


At Brentford, we continue in the FA Cup. Crowley gets caught out of goal and gives up an easy long shot to give them the early edge. Henderson later misses an easy header, and we remain behind at the half. Once again, the one goal is all the opposition needs – as we take a second straight loss by that edge. Brentford 1, Lincoln 0 – Lincoln eliminated.


Our morale, after two losses, is now damaged. This is where a team can really start to fall apart. We need to get a win – preferably a good, decisive one. Fortunately, next up for us is the Vans Trophy matchup.

We face Telford, out of the Conference ranks. They have played well – but we’ll be the favorites. I have Jim Magill back in goal, trying to snap him out of a deep funk. Two first half goals from Paul Kamara certainly help the cause, and have us feeling better. We seal it later with a long shot from Lee Connolly, and get the boost we wanted – right on call. Lincoln 3, Telford 1 – Lincoln advances. In the North semifinal, we will play Rushden – a very tough draw for us, and it’s at their place, Nene Park.


We are still pretty tired and banged up when we have to take the pitch again, in league play against Colchester. We start off looking quite fresh indeed, and get loads of pressure culminating in a 28th minute goal from James Henderson on a nice feed from Ben Cross. Henderson lands another in the second half to make it comfy. Lincoln 2, Colchester 0. That’s more like where we want to be – and the three points certainly help, too.


We are on the road next, at Wrexham. (Okay, punchline time: Wrexham? Damned near killed ‘em! Now wasn’t that fun?) We fall behind as Steve Parry accidentally lets one in off his back (technically an own goal) but pull even off Kamara’s foot soon after. Kamara’s shot creates a rebound tip-in for Henderson at 56 minutes, and we assume the lead. A penalty kick by Dadic seals it late in the second half, and we get a good road win in league play. Lincoln 4, Wrexham 2.


Doncaster is in 9th position, so taking them down at their place will be no mean feat. After several missed chances, we finally break the deadlock at 80 minutes, as Paul Kamara takes a shot, leaves a rebound chance, and Paul Russell is there to sweep it in. At 84, a would-be tying shot bounces off the top post, and we are spared there. As they try for an equalizer, we manage to strike on the counter attack, and a final goal from Thomson seals the win. Lincoln 2, Doncaster 0.


Despite being many people’s favourites for the drop, Lincoln have been playing superbly, but surely it can’t last much longer.

Well, the punditocracy is surely against us – but we will keep earning it on the pitch, thanks just the same.


Young striker Darren Hopkins is out of contract in six months – time to decide what to do there. He has some promise, but isn’t too motivated. However, all he wants is a £150/wk youth contract – so that makes him such a good deal I can’t pass it up. We offer his demanded salary through 2008.


We next visit Port Vale – who have already beaten us at our place. Paul Kamara is resting – so we have Henderson and Russell in at striker. But Ben Cross is back, and his corner kick sets up Henderson for our first score. We get this one well in hand, and in the final minutes, Paul Russell kicks in an easy shot for his hat trick – his first three-goal effort with Lincoln. Lincoln 4, Port Vale 0. This team is really clicking right now – we are racking up standings points at an unheard-of rate.


As December wraps up, we have a number of contract issues to work through. We have a couple of our own players who will expire in six months’ time, including James Henderson. As I mentioned earlier, he’s difficult as he expects a pretty big salary – and isn’t making much right now. I like him, but putting up more than £1,000 a week (when we are already well over our prescribed wage budget) just adds to the strain on our finances. In addition, it compromises our ability to sign top players through transfers, since it limits the wages we are able to offer. Tough call there – Henderson got off to a red hot start this season, but now looks like he’s back to being “pretty good” but not remarkable at all.

David Crowley isn’t too tough – I want him to stay on as a coach, and if it takes another extension as a player/coach, that’s okay. He won’t be hotly pursued.

Other than those two, our team is slated to come back pretty well intact for next season. I’m making Bosman approaches, looking to add perhaps one more solid midfielder and one more solid striker for next year – in an effort, if nothing else, to have a bit more quality depth for purposes of Cup matches and the like.


Young Estonian midfielder Roman Ivanov is a low-impact transfer in for us immediately – my scout found him playing in Sweden and likes his potential – he will join our reserve squad for now, but we’ll keep him in mind as an option down the road. It’s only a £1,000 transfer – not a big investment overall.


Darren Hopkins accepts a new deal, and will remain with us on a cheap contract for the next few seasons. That gives us a good fallback plan in the event that we cannot land another striker in the open market this season.

[QuikSand]

January 2006

Lincoln City’s James Henderson has won the English Second Division Player of the Month award.

Well, that ought to help him in negotiating another contract – he has been very effective of late, admittedly, as the team continues its top form. Here is the league table – where we are flattered by our lofty position:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Lincoln | | 24 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 42 | 16 | +26 | 54 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Cambridge | | 24 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 49 | 22 | +27 | 48 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Torquay | | 24 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 42 | 19 | +23 | 47 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Chesterfield | | 24 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 34 | 18 | +16 | 44 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Cheltenham | | 24 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 37 | 22 | +15 | 44 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Grimsby | | 24 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 38 | 18 | +20 | 43 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Rushden | | 24 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 32 | 25 | +7 | 43 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Watford | | 24 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 40 | 25 | +15 | 41 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Doncaster | | 24 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 37 | 26 | +11 | 39 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Ipswich | | 24 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 35 | 27 | +8 | 39 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Southend | | 24 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 37 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Rotherham | | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 32 | 38 | -6 | 35 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Barnsley | | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 37 | 30 | +7 | 31 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Port Vale | | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 35 | 45 | -10 | 31 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Brentford | | 24 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 34 | 30 | +4 | 28 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Colchester | | 24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 31 | 43 | -12 | 28 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | York | | 24 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 32 | 35 | -3 | 27 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Burnley | | 24 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 25 | 34 | -9 | 24 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Stockport | | 24 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 34 | 46 | -12 | 22 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Wigan | | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 23 | 50 | -27 | 22 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Notts Co | | 24 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 29 | 46 | -17 | 21 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Brighton | | 24 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 23 | 48 | -25 | 15 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Reading | | 24 | 3 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 56 | -35 | 15 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Wrexham | | 24 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 18 | 49 | -31 | 12 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


And as of the beginning of the new year, here is an update of player performance:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

James Magill 31 £950 £22K Trowing,OneonOnes,Pace,Punch,Eccentr 22 13 12 6.95
David Crowley 35 £220 £22K Kicking,Agility,Bravery,Positioning 8(2) 9 3 6.10
Dave Saunders 21 £250 £22K Determination,Command,Influence 2 1 1 6.00
Brian Hardy 18 £ 75 £22K Jumping,Acceleration,Punch,Aerial

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Chris Rowe 24 £775 £40K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 28(1) 1 1 1 7.28
Simon Platt 21 £220 £22K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 23 0 1 1 7.22
Lee Marsh 24 £600 £22K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 22 1 1 0 7.14
Michael Maher 27 £900 £28K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 17 3 0 1 7.47
Steve Parry 27 £900 £90K Determ,Anticipation,Teamwork,Infl 10(1) 0 1 0 6.91
Gareth Ricketts 21 £100 £22K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 7(8) 1 0 0 7.00
James Carter 25 £350 £22K OffTehBal,Pace,Accel,Creativity 10 1 0 0 7.40
David Kay 21 £250 £22K Heading,Bravery,Jumping,Stamina 8(1) 0 0 0 7.00

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Mario Dadic 32 1000 £75K Flair,WorkRate,Stamina,SetPieces 27 4 10 1 7.56
Ben Cross 28 1500 £80K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 24 2 13 4 7.83
Colin Bradshaw 18 £500 £22K Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 25 3 2 0 7.20
Lee Connolly 22 1000 £28K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 25 5 1 2 7.36
Danny Morgan 20 £ 90 £22K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility 5(1) 0 1 0 6.67
Stuart Thompson 24 1000 £22K Positioning,Pace,Stamina,Accel,Agil 7(3) 3 0 0 7.00
Gary Doyle 27 1200 £22K Tackling,Passing,Determ,WorkRate 16(3) 0 1 1 7.00
Luke Harrison 20 £ 75 £22K WorkRate,Acceleration,Determ,Agility
John McGrath 20 £ 90 £22K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 20 1300 400K OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 25 12 9 5 7.76
Paul Russell 26 £400 £28K Penalties,Balance,Strength,Dribbling 13 10 1 4 7.92
James Henderson 32 £200 £28K Anticipation,SetPieces,Jumping,Accel 16(2) 12 4 3 7.61
Dave Rose 28 £300 £20K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 4(1) 0 3 0 6.80
John Jackson 18 £200 £22K Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression 3(2) 0 1 0 6.40
Darren Hopkins 18 £150 £22K Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina 3 0 0 0 7.00



And we get news of our first Bosman transfer in – forward Dean Roberts from Swansea. He has played effectively in both the Second and Third Divisions – and we will bring him in hoping to get him time at the attacking midfield spot in relief of Colin Bradshaw. (He’s got to be the third or fourth player brought in with this nominal intention – but so far Bradshaw continues to hold his job pretty tightly) Roberts can also play striker on the right side – so he could conceivably follow in Henderson’s shoes and assume some duties on the front as well.


We are back to the pitch, at Sincil Bank to host reading. We get ahead early on an own goal) created by a powerful crossing pass from Dadic) and then run and hide with two Russell goals, each set up by great passes from Kamara. Lincoln 5, Reading 0. An easy, comfortable victory at home, pleasing the fans wildly.

Our attendance has topped 10,000 for a few recent home matches – that is approaching our full capacity. It might be time to invest in some new facilities, methinks. I have yet to approach the board with any requests, but I hope I have the sway to get some things done as we continue this great run. We have won six straight league matches – that’s a club record, too.


Miguel Angel Lucena, a very talented young midfieler, has agreed terms with our club on a Bosman transfer. He is a very, very exciting young player (only 20 years old) but there is the usual hitch – he’ll need to receive a work permit. So, he’s on hold, and my expectation is that this won’t end up working out. Shame – he could be a great addition for us, I think.


Brian Watkins is a midfielder whom I have watched for some time, and now that he is about to be out of contract, I put in an offer. He’s a versatile center midfielder, and I think he could probably play at either the defensive or attacking spot for us. He accepts our offer, and the 28 year old will join us for next season on another Bosman deal.


We are swelling next year’s wage load a bit here – but I think we really do need to be a bit deeper than we are right now. If we actually promote to First Division, that’s obviously true, but even if we remain here, having a few solid players on the shelf would make things a lot more comfortable.


James Henderson has rejected my first contract offer – he is looking for pretty big money now, and I don’t know if we will be able to retain him. He has had a very nice season, and should be good for a few more years – but his eyes are wide open for big cash. We’ll see how it works out.


I am getting a little bit worried about my star striker Paul Kamara. He has the “wanted” tag, indicating that another club is expressing interest. That club, it turns out, is Leeds – a big player in the English Premiere League. He also “wants a new contract” – but he doesn’t believe that Lincoln has the resources to meet his needs. So, it’s possible that we end up losing our best player not too long from now – this is just what you deal with at the fairly lower levels. I will do absolutely everything that I can to retain him, but there are limits built in to this approach.



We have been doing great this season, as success breeds success. Our winning has kept morale very, very high, and the high morale has probably helped keep us winning. That suggests, though, that it’s certainly possible to see things turn around quickly. A couple bad losses, and we could head in the other direction. We just need to stave off that downturn.


Darlington, in Third Division, would like to take our striker James Hopkins on loan. He’s just signed a deal to play with us for a few more years – the experience ought to do him good, and we are okay at striker as it stands right now. I accept the proposal, and we’ll watch his progress as he gets some playing time with their first team, hopefully.


We are in great spirits as we hit the pitch again, visiting Cheltenham. It takes us until 68 minutes, but we finally get on the board – Ben Cross drives and dishes forward to Paul Kamara for the short shot. We hold on and make it hold up, getting another road win, albeit a less then impressive one. Lincoln 1, Cheltenham 0.

We are home to Southend next, and once again we are deadlocked for a long time. At 76 minutes, though, we again break through, and get a Kamara goal off a nice rebound. We again make that one goal hold up, and secure a narrow win, but still a win. Lincoln 1, Southend 0.


Onasbruck’s Miguel Angel Lucena has been granted a conditional British work permit for his move to Lincoln.

That’s surprising – but pleasantly so. He looks like a really good player, and at only 20 years old, he should develop into a serious contributor. I’m excited to have him coming aboard.


I make a move to bring in another striker, and have worked out a transfer for 24 year old Jamie Martin. He’s fast and has been effective playing at the lower levels, playing for Telford – I think he’s a good fit for our style of play, from what I can tell. He’s also not looking for a huge contract, which helps. It’s a £20,000 transfer, fairly costly, but he’s only seeking £240/wk in salary, which makes him very affordable under the wage budget. Looking ahead, if we are in jeopardy of losing James Henderson and possibly even Paul Kamara (shudder), then we’re going to need some options up front.


We are at York, facing a tough road challenge. At 12 minutes, a strong shot get to Magill, slips just past him and dribbles in. At 36, though, we get it even with a corner kick, in off the defender and captain Chris Rowe. Ben Cross sets up Kamara for another goal in the second half, and we take the lead. We ride out the storm, and get yet another one goal win. Lincoln 2, York 1.


I decide to try to cash in on my current good run as manager, and I approach the Board to request improved training facilities. They readily agree, and confirm the investment is coming.

Heh. That was easy.


We are in play again at Rushden – a club who remain very much in contention in the league. This match, though, is our North semifinal of the Vans Trophy. At 68 minutes, they get a transition goal off an errant pass to get ahead by one. At 79 they score off a free kick, and that pretty well seals it. Rushden 2, Lincoln 0 – Lincoln eliminated. Our spell of wins ends here, but the league record is unblemished – and we’ll be focused there from here on out.

[daedalus]

That's awesome to be able to get the improvement you asked for! :)

Good luck with Lucena getting his permit as well. Have you considered looking into Africa for players? Sometimes players there have an easier time getting their work permit since they sometimes can get on the National Team sooner (as is the case with Arsenal's Kolo Toure with Ivory Coast). The only problem with that is the fact that you'll likely lose them for awhile around New Year (Africa Cup).

[QuikSand]

February 2007

Lincoln City’s QuikSand has won the English Second Division Manager of the Month award.

Another four-for-four month, though the trophy loss places some doubt in my mind going forward. Regardless, looking at the awards board – we are dominating thus far: I’ve been tabbed as top boss in three of five months already, and my players have won it three of five months as well.


We host Notts County, in a critical match. We are at home, but our team morale has taken a knock. If we lose here, I fear we could suffer a house-of-cards situation. Notts get out ahead right off the bat, scoring off a corner kick in the 2nd minute. It takes us until 55 nminutes before we get even, off a Ben Cross free kick. At 76 minutes, we get a penalty kick when Kamara is help – and Paul Russell and sends it right home. We make it last, and get away with a hard-fouught but important win at home. Lincoln 1, Notts Co 0.


We turn right around and have to play on the road at Brentford – they are in the lower half of the table, but still, any road matchup is tough. I have to rest a couple of starters who are a bit worn down. We get one early goal, and then clamp down and secure the road win by that one. Lincoln 1, Brentford 0. Jim Magill is back into top form, and gets the MoM honors for this one, with two clutch saves against open attackers.


Now we brace for a huge matchup – we are at Torquay, where our fellow newcomers to the Second Division will square off for a very top spot near the top of the table. The Gulls sit in 3rd position, with 57 points – they are a real threat for one of the autopromotion slots. We, of course, are running away with things so far – and have 13 points on second place Chesterfield with 72.

It’s Ben Cross, once again, nailing a free kick right into the corner of the goal for the early lead. He has had a quietly excellent season thus far, and continues his great level of play here – landing a second free kick at 57 minutes to double our edge. Lincoln 2, Torquay 0. Our improbably hot streak just carries on, and getting a road win against a top rival at this point just adds to everything.


Morale is understandably very high as we head home, for our next match against 4th place Ipswich. After 22 minutes, Kamara and Dadic execute a gorgeous give-and-go play, to get us ahead by an early goal. Wonderful play! They get even after 55 minutes, on a nice banana shot goal. We get some late pressure, but cannot get another score up, and we settle for a draw here. Lincoln 1, Ipswich 1. So, we lose our winning streak – but still haven’t lost a league matchup in quite some time.

We host Watford next, and this one starts of quietly as so many have for us lately. In the second half, Paul Kamara sets up Jamie Martin, who pivots and nails his first Lincoln goal. We are extremely lucky to get away with this narrow margin – but nonetheless, it goes into the book as a W. Lincoln 1, Watford 0.

We head to Rotherham, and don our lavender backup unis (I hate them). Paul Kamara has four pretty good chances in the first 20 minutes, and ends up with no goals – side nets and overshots all. The deadlock breaks in the early second half – but it’s to their advantage, with a free kick into the right edge. When we yield a second goal, it’s all but over. We get one late goal, but this one goes in the books as a case of too many missed opportunities. Rotherham 2, Lincoln 1. We outshoot them 15 to 6, and end up on the short end.

And, we have some injuries. Goalkeeper Jim Magill will be out a few weeks with a fractured cheekbone, after a brutal run-in. Defensive midfielder Lee Connolly will also miss a few weeks, opening up playing time opportunities for perhaps Gary Doyle or Gareth Ricketts.


Steve Parry continues to earn £900/wk in salary, but has proven to be the lest reliable among our regular defenders. I decide to shop him around to several other clubs – in hopes of lessening our salary burden. At this point, I trust David Key even more than I do Parry, who has yet to post a season of ratings over 7.00 so far.

It looks like we will be able to get a deal done – several clubs express interest, and the price will be pretty good, apparently my asking price of £70K is suitable to them.

[QuikSand]

March 2007





James Henderson has received his first offer for next season – and it’s decision time. From us, he is demanding a three year deal, worth £1,500 – making him our richest-paid player overall. He’s 33 now, and he’ll get paid through age 36. Tough to lock up that much money, especially since despite his flashes of greatness this season, he has been a little shaky. We have Paul Russell, have just added Jamie Martin, and will be bringing in the versatile Dean Roberts for next season, too. I decide that Henderson will get many thanks for his couple of years of fine service for us, and we’ll presumably let him get paid by Oldham or whomever ends up coming up with the necessary deal.


Chesterfield works out a contract with Steve Parry, and we let him escape. We hope that his journey is sound, as we go our separate ways. Puns aside, I am still pretty comfortable with our defenders – this pushes Michael Maher and Chris Rowe into more regular starting roles, with David Kay as our primary backup in the central zone. Simon Platt, Gareth Ricketts and James Carter can also play central defense – so I feel like we are plenty deep. And this drops our wage burden by £900/wk – and bring us £70,000 in cash – all good news for the bottom line.


It is indeed Oldham who manage to sign James Henderson – and the Bosman deal will go forward for next season. We’ll miss him – but I’ve already explained my thinking.


We are home to Burnley now, and have some changes in the roster. Dave Saunders is in goal, and at central defender we have recalled James McGrath from our reserve roster. At 7 minutes, Paul Kamara takes a hard shot, which sets up a rebound chance for Henderson, who does not miss. We carry out to a decent enough win, but are very worried after Paul Kamara had to be helped off just before halftime. Lincoln 2, Burnley 1.

Turns out Kamara will be fine – but keeper Dave Saunders is hurt more seriously, and will miss a few weeks. We’re getting desperate at keeper suddenly, with two injuries. Versatile defender Gary Doyle will also miss a couple of weeks – bad timing for him.


Boosted with an influx of cash to our transfer fund, I am looking for potential transfer targets for our final run. With these injuries to our midfield, I see what we might eb able to do there – and focus on in Richard Vaughan from Stoke. His loan out is just about to expire, and we could bring him aboard in about a week. I negotiate a price – I’m surprised it’s as low as £16,000, but he is freed by the club. The issue is signing a contract with him – he has been earning £2,700/wk from Stoke, and I can only afford half that at most.


But the contract issues must wait, as we have a huge matter at hand. We are playing now at 2nd place Chesterfield, who have been in good form of late, and though they are 12 points behind us now, they remain our top rivals. It’s a big matchup anytime #1 plays #2, of course.

At 6 minutes, Kamara sends a rocket to their keeper – the ball slips past him, off the post, and into his back leg. The keeper inadvertently bumps it rught into the goal, and we take the lead. Paul Russell drills a PK at 11 minutes, and we take a strong two goal lead early. However, they push hard, and get two strikes to get even – all before halftime. At 78 minutes, Chesterfield strike again, and assume the improbable lead. That’s good enough, and we manage to let go of a stranglehold on them. Chesterfield 3, Lincoln 2.

So, here is an update of the league table, following the loss:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Lincoln | | 36 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 63 | 25 | +38 | 82 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Chesterfield | | 36 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 61 | 33 | +28 | 73 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Watford | | 36 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 59 | 35 | +24 | 64 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Torquay | | 36 | 19 | 6 | 11 | 57 | 34 | +23 | 63 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Cheltenham | | 36 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 55 | 35 | +20 | 63 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Cambridge | | 35 | 17 | 11 | 7 | 71 | 42 | +29 | 62 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Grimsby | | 36 | 17 | 10 | 9 | 64 | 35 | +29 | 61 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Doncaster | | 36 | 17 | 6 | 13 | 55 | 35 | +20 | 57 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Ipswich | | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 59 | 47 | +12 | 57 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Rushden | | 35 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 44 | 39 | +5 | 57 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Southend | | 36 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 53 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Rotherham | | 36 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 54 | 60 | -6 | 51 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Barnsley | | 36 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 54 | 47 | +7 | 46 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | York | | 36 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 49 | 49 | 0 | 44 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Colchester | | 36 | 13 | 5 | 18 | 46 | 66 | -20 | 44 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Notts Co | | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 46 | 59 | -13 | 41 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Port Vale | | 36 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 49 | 69 | -20 | 40 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Stockport | | 36 | 11 | 6 | 19 | 55 | 68 | -13 | 39 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Brentford | | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 56 | -12 | 38 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Wigan | | 36 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 40 | 74 | -34 | 34 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Reading | | 36 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 38 | 74 | -36 | 32 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Burnley | | 36 | 8 | 6 | 22 | 36 | 63 | -27 | 30 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Brighton | | 36 | 7 | 8 | 21 | 39 | 67 | -28 | 29 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Wrexham | | 36 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 31 | 66 | -35 | 25 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


So, our margin remains very strong – we’re ahead of Chesterfield by a full nine points, and a very solid 18 points ahead of the third place club. With 10 matches yet to play, it’s possible for us to lose our top-two position, but it would really take some doing.

As long as we can stay tough through this rash of injuries, we ought to be in pretty good shape for an excellent final position.


We get approaches on several of our players – Wolver again come after Lee Marsh, and again get spurned. They also covet Simon Platt, but I decline their advance – neither are available.

Rotherham have asked about Colin Bradshaw. What should I do with the 19 year old player? He’s been a very solid, but never spectacular, presence for us in the middle of our attack. He’ll end yet another season with average ratings over 7 – but I still would like more of a “quarterback” in that role going forward, and I keep pursuing other options. At £575/wk, Bradshaw is very cheap for us – and I decide not to pursue a deal. Plus, he certainly could keep getting better.


The big result from the loss against Rotherham, though, is a major drop in team morale. We have coasted in this regard all season long – and now we are going to have to deal with a real problem.


Home to Stockport, we will try to get a win to rebuild our confidence before the wheels fall off. We yield the early lead at 30 minutes, as David Crowley (our healthiest keeper) fumbles a short ball and concedes a fairly open shot. And we can’t get anything going, and Stockport gets the one goal to hold up for the final margin. Stockport 1, Lincoln 0. Morale is in free fall, and we need to keep this from becoming a huge collapse.


Meanwhile, midfielder Richard Vaughan has accepted our contract offer, and will come aboard. With Lee Connolly still out hurt and Mario Dadic needing some rest, the timing is excellent – we need an extra hand. He will probably get immediate action at the defensive midfield spot.

We will also be very glad to get keeper Jim Magill back to the pitch – very necessary, I think. Perhaps he can help us right the ship.


Regrettably, with our form in a trough, we have to travel to Cambridge – the third place club right now. Predictably, we yield a goal at 6 minutes, and fall into a deficit position yet again. Somehow, we get even – on a Henderson kick-in off a Cross corner kick. We manage to make that last, and eke out a point in this critical road matchup. Lincoln 1, Cambridge 1.


Our injury list is mounting – and daunting. From this week, add Ben Cross and Paul Kamara. Lee Connolly had a setback and will be out for a few more weeks, too. Kamara will miss about three weeks – but he hasn’t been “right” for a while, regardless.


We hit the month’s end transfer deadline – and we’ll go the rest of the way without any new additions. I’m disappointed – I have been courting a Russian midfielder who was recently released by Barcelona, but could never get him to listen to our contract offers.

[Fonzie]

Chesterfield works out a contract with Steve Parry, and we let him escape. We hope that his journey is sound, as we go our separate ways.

Rock on.

[daedalus]

Ow, more injuries. Perhaps it's time for more or at least new Physios? :)

[QuikSand]

I think a new physio will be hired soon - we currently have only one, but the required investment is pretty modest.

[QuikSand]

April 2007

We remain in first place – but only four points ahead of Chesterfield. Our margin is 14 on Cambridge and Cheltenham, though – so we still look good for a top two finish. I have to be very worried about the recent stumbles, and the resulting poor morale.


What a time to visit Wigan. We hate Wigan. Without Dadic, Cross, and Kamara – I hardly recognize our attack. Jim Magill is practically on his head holding up our first half shutout, and we get to halftime without conceding a goal, somehow. We cannot get anything going on the attack, but we bottle them up all day, and get away with a score draw. Lincoln 0, Wigan 0.


With the draw, we keep building points – albeit very slowly now. Here’s another snapshot of the table:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Lincoln | | 39 | 25 | 9 | 5 | 64 | 27 | +37 | 84 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Chesterfield | | 39 | 24 | 8 | 7 | 68 | 34 | +34 | 80 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Cambridge | | 39 | 20 | 12 | 7 | 79 | 44 | +35 | 72 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Cheltenham | | 39 | 20 | 12 | 7 | 62 | 38 | +24 | 72 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Grimsby | | 39 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 75 | 35 | +40 | 70 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Torquay | | 39 | 21 | 6 | 12 | 63 | 36 | +27 | 69 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Watford | | 39 | 19 | 10 | 10 | 61 | 40 | +21 | 67 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


We are closing in on a mathematical lock for at least a playoff position – but with our current form, it’s the top two spots that really matter to us.


Our next match is home, but to yet another top-tier club, Grimsby. We hold on valiantly through the first half despite an utter lack of offensive pressure, but finally concede a goal at 63. They tack on another, and get away with a pretty dominating effort at our place, sending us to a tough loss. Grimsby 2, Lincoln 0.


Now we play at home again against Brighton and Hove Albion. Morale is low – but this ought to be a chance to get it together and get a win. At 14 minutes, though, it’s clear that we aren’t going to have an easy time of things – and they get ahead with a nice attack. A PK shortly afterwards makes it two goals – and we are in big trouble. Brighton 2, Lincoln 0. This is the free fall that I had been fearing – we can’t seem to play at all an I don’t know what it will take – but now we are in real jeopardy, which would make for a terrible finish to a potentially wonderful season.


We have now slipped to 2nd place – and play at Barnsley. I have subbed in the least dejected players we have. One bonus is that Paul Kamara gets clearance to come back in and play – and we really need him. This one, again, looks bleak – but we get a miracle goal at 82 minutes from Colin Bradshaw to take the lead. We make it though the final ten minutes, and eke out a very important league victory. Lincoln 1, Barnsley 0. That goal, coming from nowhere, might have been the single most important play of the whole season – three standings points right now stand huge.

Morale is way up now – exactly what we needed. We have vaulted back into first place with that win, and have mathematically locked up a playoff spot.


Amidst the flurry of other activity, a player I have long coveted becomes available on a Bosman transfer (to be effective in October). 19 year old midfielder Adam Howarth is a talented player with a lethal outside shot – and I see him playing for us in a rotation with Lee Connolly. Howarth should be a great asset – and will join us come October 2006.

It seems to be the nature of our offense that the defensive midfilder hangs out some 15 yards or so from the goal as the melee happens inside. The result is that Lee Connolly ends up taking a fair number of unopposed outside shots when in that role. Howarth has good overall skills and can play the role – but he has a great talent for long shooting, which would be one more element in our attack, I think. That is what has me most excited about his joining the club. It’s a £75,000 compensation to Torquay for the young player – the most we have paid for any player, but it’s supported by the income we brought for defender Steve Parry.


We play host to Rushden, and I am hoping that our rebound in morale will carry us to a win. I have Mario Dadic and Ben Cross back into the lineup – and we’re looking to get the offense back in form. Our first goal, oddly enough, comes from Dave Rose – his first of the season. Rose later make a nice forward move and sends a pass in to Kamara for the second goal. With a one goal edge, Kamara seals it in injury time and we get away with a good-looking victory. Lincoln 3, Rushden 1. This is the best we have looked in some time – and the echoes of the first place club are back.


We host Wrexham, who are already slotted for relegation. At 30 minutes, Paul Kamara steals a pass between two Wrexham defenders, and advances the ball for a nice long goal. We suffer through some late pressure, but get away with one goal up. Lincoln 1, Wrexham 0.

And it’s official:

Lincoln has won promotion to the English First Division.

Whether we finish in position one or two is pretty secondary – the point is to get promoted, and we have that locked up, with two matches yet to be played.

We certainly got a scare with a badly times bad run – but we seem to be escaping that drought and are back in pretty good form. We’ll try to edge out Cheltenham for the league championship, but the main goal has been accomplished.

[DukeRulesMAB]

Wow, congrats!

I have a feeling it'll be a rough go in the First Division next year, as the core of your team still seems to be the group you had in the Third Division. But you've topped expectations before...

[condors]

good luck in the first division

[SirFozzie]

Kickass~!

Now go win the bloody thing!

[Fonzie]

Congratulations!

[petrochile]

Congrats QS!

[Senator]

greatness.

I am about to be fired my very first season, but maybe a conference team will have me.

[John Galt]

Wow. Congrats. The First Division should present a much greater challenge.

[daedalus]

Woohoo! Congratulations! :)

[thealmighty]

Congrats on moving up. :D

BTW, what is the status of Kamara and his contract. Thought someone wanted him and he said you couldn't afford him, or something. Or did I make that up?

[QuikSand]

BTW, what is the status of Kamara and his contract. Thought someone wanted him and he said you couldn't afford him, or something. Or did I make that up?

Kamara has another club listed as wanting him, and he seems to be interested in a new contract. So far, the other club had not approached us, and he hasn't actually raised his concern - so I'm skating along until we reach a problem. But if things progress like they did in CM 00/01 in similar circumstances, we might well end up getting a hefty transfer fee out of the deal but losing the star player.

[oykib]

Lincoln Supporters demand Update

Drunken Lincoln supporters gathered outside Mick's pub last night and demanded to be updated about the team's progress and the board's plans for striking stalwart Paul Kamara. Said Oykib, "I'm dying over here..."

[petrochile]

Lincoln Supporters demand Update

Drunken Lincoln supporters gathered outside Mick's pub last night and demanded to be updated about the team's progress and the board's plans for striking stalwart Paul Kamara. Said Oykib, "I'm dying over here..."

I am about to overturn a car! :) I hope all is well QS and that you will get back to the updates.

[QuikSand]

Sorry, gang. I have wrapped up the tail end of the season... but have not yet started the next one in earnest. I've been tied up with a few other things most of this week... maybe tomorrow.

For now, this will have to do.

[QuikSand]

May 2004

Lincoln City’s Paul Kamara has won the English Second Division Player of the Month award.

The striker has been in deadly form this month, scoring in excess of a goal a game.


We are at Colchester for our penultimate league match, and the whole club is soaring in morale. We control the match through the early stages, and get an early lead from Kamara’s foot, once again. And as we have through the season, we are ale to make one goal stand up. Lincoln 1, Colchester 0.


We wrap up our season at home to Doncaster, a solid club in the upper half of the division. We get an early goal from our ragtag lineup to get the edge, and another at 27 minutes – both notches come from defenders, too. We seal down, get the win, and lock up the Second Division championship in the process. Lincoln 2, Doncaster 0.


Let’s get a snapshot of how our squad performed for the year in total:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

James Magill 31 £950 £22K Trowing,OneonOnes,Pace,Punch,Eccentr 38 25 20 6.66
David Crowley 35 £220 £22K Kicking,Agility,Bravery,Positioning 9(2) 10 3 6.18
Dave Saunders 21 £250 £22K Determination,Command,Influence 6 3 3 6.67
Brian Hardy 18 £ 75 £22K Jumping,Acceleration,Punch,Aerial 2 3 1 7.00

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Lee Marsh 24 £600 £22K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 39 1 1 0 7.08
Chris Rowe 24 £775 £40K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 38(1) 2 1 1 7.23
Michael Maher 27 £900 £28K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 37 6 0 3 7.32
Simon Platt 21 £220 £22K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 30 1 2 2 7.20
James Carter 25 £350 £22K OffTheBal,Pace,Accel,Creativity 24 1 1 0 7.21
Gareth Ricketts 21 £100 £22K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 15(12) 1 1 1 7.07
David Kay 21 £250 £22K Heading,Bravery,Jumping,Stamina 19(1) 0 0 0 6.85
Steve Parry 27 £900 £90K Determ,Anticipation,Teamwork,Infl 10(3) 0 1 0 6.85


Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Mario Dadic 32 1000 100K Flair,WorkRate,Stamina,SetPieces 44 5 14 2 7.57
Ben Cross 28 1500 £80K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 44 5 17 6 7.80
Colin Bradshaw 18 £500 £22K Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 39 4 3 0 7.10
Lee Connolly 22 1000 £28K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 41 5 4 2 7.32
Gary Doyle 27 1200 £22K Tackling,Passing,Determ,WorkRate 27(4) 0 4 1 7.00
Stuart Thompson 24 1000 £22K Positioning,Pace,Stamina,Accel,Agil 14(3) 3 1 0 7.06
Danny Morgan 20 £ 90 £22K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility 6(2) 0 1 0 6.63
John McGrath 20 £ 90 £22K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression 4(1) 0 0 0 7.20
Richard Vaughan 29 1400 £30K Technique,Bravery,Creative,WorkRate 6(1) 0 0 0 7.00

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 20 1500 450K OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 41 21 15 9 7.78
Paul Russell 26 £400 £28K Penalties,Balance,Strength,Dribbling 23(3) 15 1 5 7.62
James Henderson 32 £200 £28K Anticipation,SetPieces,Jumping,Accel 23(2) 14 5 3 7.28
Dave Rose 28 £300 £20K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 7(4) 1 4 1 7.00
Jamie Martin 24 £240 £26K Flair,Pace,Jumping,Agility,WorkRate 6(1) 1 0 1 7.29
John Jackson 18 £200 £22K Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression 5(3) 0 2 0 6.25
Darren Hopkins 18 £150 £22K Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina 4(1) 0 0 0 6.60
Matt Lewis 19 £ 90 £ 6K Jumping,Determ,Finishing,Heading 1 0 0 0 7.00


It looks like Paul Kamara is pretty likely to grab his third straight award as our top player – though I think Ben Cross and Mario Dadic both deserve consideration. Regardless, the real outcome that matters is the team outcome – and that couldn’t have been much better.


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | C | Lincoln | | 46 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 72 | 32 | +40 | 99 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | P | Chesterfield | | 46 | 29 | 10 | 7 | 79 | 36 | +43 | 97 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | Pl | Torquay | | 46 | 27 | 7 | 12 | 80 | 43 | +37 | 88 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | Pl | Grimsby | | 46 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 88 | 38 | +50 | 86 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Cheltenham | | 46 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 71 | 41 | +30 | 85 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Cambridge | | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 87 | 54 | +33 | 80 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Watford | | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 73 | 48 | +25 | 79 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Ipswich | | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 78 | 70 | +8 | 69 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Doncaster | | 46 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 65 | 46 | +19 | 68 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Southend | | 46 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 58 | 48 | +10 | 67 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Rushden | | 46 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 59 | 60 | -1 | 64 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Port Vale | | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 76 | 80 | -4 | 60 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | York | | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 62 | 61 | +1 | 58 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Notts Co | | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 59 | 73 | -14 | 55 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Rotherham | | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 62 | 81 | -19 | 55 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Wigan | | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 55 | 86 | -31 | 52 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Barnsley | | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 63 | 73 | -10 | 51 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Brentford | | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 55 | 74 | -19 | 49 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Colchester | | 46 | 14 | 7 | 25 | 56 | 88 | -32 | 49 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Stockport | | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 65 | 85 | -20 | 48 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | R | Brighton | | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 57 | 82 | -25 | 48 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | R | Reading | | 46 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 48 | 89 | -41 | 44 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | R | Wrexham | | 46 | 9 | 10 | 27 | 42 | 82 | -40 | 37 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | R | Burnley | | 46 | 9 | 8 | 29 | 44 | 84 | -40 | 35 |
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|



Torquay and Grimsby face off in the playoff final, and it’s Grimsby Town who will join us in promotion to First Division, by a 2-0 final margin.


Lincoln fans are absolutely ecstatic after their boss QuikSand beat all the odds to bring them glory in the English Second Division.

One fans’ spokesperson was heard to remark that QuikSand has performed miracles with the Lincoln team and they would be looking to dedicate a statue of him outside Sincil Bank.

Lincoln board members were spotted celebrating amongst the fans after winning the competition.


£475,000 comes our way for winning the league – that’s worth something, too.

[RPI-Fan]

I find it interesting how your goalkeepers get consistently low ratings with such good stats. McGill gave up, what, 0.75 GPG, and isn't even close to a 7 avg. rating? My keeper, Jens Reuter, gives up greater than a goal per game and pretty easily exceeds a 7 average.

It must say a lot about our defensive styles... granted, I only use three in the back, but I think I have a pretty good group back there. Two are dominant in the air and have good speed, the other is manned by a more attack-minded guy, but he's averaging almost an 8 per game.

Then again, when I had an injury to my keeper, I noticed us giving up a lot of weak goals.

Something still doesn't really add up, though. I'd think given my poor defensive GAA, either the defense or the keeper would have a bad ratings average - that doesn't seem to be the case, though.

[condors]

goalkeepers game rating can be bad when in fact he is playing fairly well, if he only has to make a few saves it hurts his overall rating. Same thing applies to your defense if you have a couple who are very good at passing and pass the ball back and forth you can consistantly get 8's but that can also lead to your goalie being hung out to dry

In your case if your not watching the games watch the next few and see if this is happening to you

[RPI-Fan]

I do watch the games, and here's what I notice...

At first, I thought my #1 keeper was pretty ordinary - he didn't let in many weak goals, and made a big save here and there, but was by no means spectacular. But he played pretty much every game, and I didn't have anyone to compare him to. Then when he was hurt for two weeks, I saw my #2 keeper play. This guy let in weak goals, and never made big saves.

My defense is a pretty "defensive" group. The 3-man backline is generally really tall and good at marking. They don't do much of the passing back and forth that you describe.

So I think what is probably happening is my defense and keeper are solid, though since I'm an attacking minded team there is a lot of pressure on my backline and subsequently, keeper. Both do a reasonable job of handling it, and get strong ratings. We give up a lot of goals though, due to the sheer volume of pressure we face.

QuikSand, on the other hand, has a defense that only acts when called upon, which isn't often because of his good ball-winners in midfield. Since very little gets through that backline, his keeper doesn't have much to do in the net.

I think that offers a partial explanation as to the phenomanon - thanks for the comments condors!

[Desnudo]

I find it interesting how your goalkeepers get consistently low ratings with such good stats. McGill gave up, what, 0.75 GPG, and isn't even close to a 7 avg. rating? My keeper, Jens Reuter, gives up greater than a goal per game and pretty easily exceeds a 7 average.

It must say a lot about our defensive styles... granted, I only use three in the back, but I think I have a pretty good group back there. Two are dominant in the air and have good speed, the other is manned by a more attack-minded guy, but he's averaging almost an 8 per game.

Then again, when I had an injury to my keeper, I noticed us giving up a lot of weak goals.

Something still doesn't really add up, though. I'd think given my poor defensive GAA, either the defense or the keeper would have a bad ratings average - that doesn't seem to be the case, though.

6 is "average" so 7 is a good, but not great performance. I think the primary factor in the rating is shots on goal. My goalies usually average right at 7 or a little below due to the lack of shots they face. Of course if they get a nine or, god forbid, a ten, then I know I got lucky.

[QuikSand]

Lincoln City – 2006/07 Season

Well, so far things have really blossomed here at Sincil Bank. Our scrappy Third Division club has put things together, and we stand as a new addition to the English First Division, where we will try to run with much wealthier rivals. We still have a stadium with under 11,000 seats, but we have a nice core group of players, who will try to put together another good season. Is this “too much, too soon” for this small club? Or can we cut it against some of the much bigger boys in First Division? We’ll see!


YEAR LEVEL W D L PF PA GD Pts Finish

03/04 Third Division 25 7 14 71 41 +29 82 4th
04/05 Third Division 24 10 12 89 43 +46 82 5th – won playoff
05/06 Second Division 30 9 7 72 32 +40 99 1st



The transfer period marks the beginning of the new year – and we embark on a voyage into the English first Division. I wasn’t sure how we would fare against the Second Division foes last year – but I have to think that a number of our current players will prove to be outclassed at this new level. This could prove to be a rude awakening.


We have four players already committed to come to Lincoln for the coming season, so I feel like we have reinforcements already in the pipeline. I’m not panicked, therefore, as I look through the players awaiting contracts – if I can locate one or two affordable guys who look like they could help, that would be fine… but it’s not a pressing matter.

I do come across another veteran player, 30 year old striker Mamadou Doumbia. The Ivory Coast native has some very impressive skills, it seems, and we’ll try to get some production from our front group. He agrees to our contract offer… and of course the next stage is to secure a work permit. I know how these usually work out. (They don’t)


As the offseason progresses, so does 2006 the World Cup. I’ll post some updates on how that goes – I don’t think any of our Lincoln players will have any role, but I’ll note that also if appropriate.



Paul Kamara has been voted Player of the Year by supporters.

No surprise – the strikers put up the gaudy numbers, and he deserves the award. Ben Cross might have been my vote, but we got good efforts from a lot of guys.


TV right for the first division total £625,000 – much more than we are used to seeing.

Our upgraded training facility is complete – that’s good news, too. I don’t know how it translates into the game, but it’s nice to see progress there.


The Lincoln Board are very pleased with you performance as manager this season.

The team is expected to fight bravely against relegation from the First Division this coming season.

To help you achieve this goal, the Lincoln board have given you a transfer budget of £525K.

That’s a whole lot more money that I’m used to having available – opens a lot of doors, I suspect. Our wage budget, though, will probably be the biggest problem – if all we can offer is £1,500/wk, it might not matter that we can afford a nice transfer price.

Fortunately, it seems that our wage budget has bounced up as well, now that we are in the First Division. We can spend £28,000/week on wages – which should give us much more flexibility. My board is prepared to support weekly wages of up to £2,800 for a top player – so we ought to have more flexibility there, gladly.


My player/coach goalkeeper David Crowley is about to run out of contract, and it looks like he isn’t interested in playing any longer. I might keep him around as a keepers’ coach (he is very good with them) but this will thin out our ranks there a bit. I’d still very much like to pick up a young keeper who could step into some playing time and develop into our starter down the road. Veteran Jim Magill is okay for now, but I’d like to have a sense of where we are going.


In the World Cup second round, here are the matchups:


USA Japan
Cameroon Colombia
Switzerland Serbia & Montenegro
Portugal Germany
Mali England
Holland Slovenia
Spain Czech Republic
Brazil Argentina


Based on the early outcomes, I make Brazil and Germany top players, with England in the mix as well. The Brazil-Argentina matchup in round two is likely to be epic.

I try to renew an old tradition, and offer a friendly to tiny Lincoln United – our crosstown little sister club. They readily accept the chance to play at Sincil Bank.




Some World Cup results:


USA 4 : 2 Japan
Cameroon 1 : 0 Colombia
Switzerland e3 : 2 Serbia & Montenegro
Portugal 1 : 4 Germany
Mali 2 : 2p England
Holland 2 : 1 Slovenia
Spain 1 : 2s Czech Republic
Brazil 3 : 1 Argentina



I have appealed the rejection of Mamadou Doumbia’s work permit, but I now don’t expect to see him come aboard. Too bad – I had pretty high hopes… but this whole work permit process remains mysterious to me.


David Crowley has left the club, immediately after the expiration of his player/coach contract. And now, he seems to have escalated his demands – making it even tougher for me to try to land him back as a coach.



World Cup Quarterfinals

USA 3 : 1 Germany
Cameroon 3 : 1 Switzerland
England 2 : 1 Brazil
Holland p0 : 0 Czech Republic


Both England and the US are moving on with mighty upsets! And once again, my ability to forecast results in national competition are demonstrated to be lacking.

[QuikSand]

July 2006[/u]

It’s July, and the transfers from last season are allowed to go through. A quick recap of our new acquisitions coming aboard:

21 year old central midfielder [b]Miguel Angel Lucena is from Venezuela, but has been playing in Germany. An excellent passer, Lucena has solid all-around skills, and my plan will be to get him time at both the attacking and defensive midfield positions. A very exciting player. Our commercial director mentions that we expect a lot of his jerseys to sell – the fans must also be excited about this new acquisition.

Striker Dean Roberts is 30, but should still be effective for a while. He’s a well rounded shooter and dribbler, and takes a mean penalty kick. I see him stepping into the role held by James Henderson, probably rotating with Paul Russell as the right-side striker.

Midfielder Brian Watkins will probably end up getting fill-in time in several places – a jack-of-all-trades. He’s 28, and is pretty affordable – just the sort we will need to play a tough schedule this year. Decent, versatile player.



World Cup Semifinals

USA 1 : 0 Holland
Cameroon 1 : 3 England


Wow – the World Cup final will be a rematch of… well… the American Revolution! Or would it technically be more of a rematch of the War of 1812? Hard to say. Either way…

England have won the World Cup after a 3-0 win over U.S.A. at Olympiastadion.

Heads are rolling in the international managerial community, as several big nations release their bosses after disappointing World Cup showings-- France, Brazil, Spain, and Portugal among them.


We slap Lincoln United around pretty well at our place in our first friendly – it’s more of a warmup for us anyway, as we try to settle in for the season ahead and find out who is ready to play. Against the overmatched United side, our first team offense look like world-beaters, but we’ll see how that holds up against more considerable foes.


David Crowley, our former keeper/coach, has signed on as Assistant Manager at Hereford in the English Conference. So, it seems that his demands were justified – he got £875/wk from them for that role, which is plenty more than I would have paid him to be a keepers coach. Good for him.


Barnet seek our young striker John Jackson on loan, and I agree. He simply doesn’t fit into our plans right away – and probably for the long haul. They will pay his salary, and if things work out, maybe they will take him in a transfer at some point. Would suit me just fine.


In the friendly matches so far, I’m getting a sense that our new midfielder Lucena is a better fit in the defensive center spot than in the attacking spot. This isn’t a big disappointment, and I will probably give him chances at both positions, but he was really the guy I was hoping would take over the forward role and make it his own for this year. He’s such a talented passer, I want to see him involved in the attack.


Michael Maher is out for our opener – our first injury of the season. This reminds me – I want to hire a second physio. I make an offer to a decent guy with a lousy reputation and soon after, Tom Bishop joins up with our staff. We’ll hopefully get him into the training and medical support, and see if we can’t reduce our injuries a shade.

[daedalus]

Yay! Glad to have the dynasty back. :)

[RPI-Fan]

My limited knowledge of the work permits is that players from outside the EU must have played 75% of his country's recent international matches. For young stars there are sometimes exceptions - but not often.

Once the player is transferred in, he is eligible for the duration of his contract, but if you want to re-sign him he must play in a signifcant portion of YOUR team's matches.

Hope this helps a little,
rpi-fan

[QuikSand]

My limited knowledge of the work permits is that players from outside the EU must have played 75% of his country's recent international matches. For young stars there are sometimes exceptions - but not often.

Thanks - that comports with what I feel like I know. I just never can tell when one of these exceptions is going to come along -- like my recent addition of Lucena seemed to go through because he is young - even though he has yet to play for his national team. But I don't fully understand the provisions that apply to him and not, for instance, Doumbia (who also had not played for his national team, but is 30 years old).

[RPI-Fan]

He might have played for their U-21 team or something.

Or maybe it's just random.*shurg*

[SirFozzie]

Set out below is the work permit criteria for non-European Economic Area (EEA) football players for the 2003/2004 season that have been agreed by the football governing bodies.

Work permits will be issued to international players of the highest calibre who are able to make a significant contribution in footballing terms to the development of the UK game at the highest level (i.e. clubs competing in the Premier League and Football League Division 1 to 3 in England and Scotland, The Leagues of Wales in Wales, and The Irish Football League in Northern Ireland).

CRITERIA


A player must have played for his country in at least 75% of its competitive 'A' team matches he was available for selection, during the two years preceding the date of the application; and,
The player's country must be at or above 70th place in the official FIFA world rankings when averaged over the two years preceding the date of the application.

COMPETITIVE MATCHES
The definition of a competitive 'A' team international match is a:

World Cup Finals game
World Cup Qualifying group game
Football Association confederation tournament game, for example:
The FIFA Confederations Cup;
The UEFA European Championships and Qualifiers;
The African Cup of Nations and Qualifiers;
The Asia Nations Cup and Qualifiers;
The CONCACAF Gold Cup;
The CONCACAF The Copa Caribe;
The CONMEBOL Copa America;
The OFC Nations Cup and
The UNCAF Nations Cup


Where an application has been refused on the grounds that it does not meet the published criteria, a club may seek a review against the decision. A club will have 28 days to inform Work Permits (UK) that it wishes to seek such a review. If a review is sought within this time limit, Work Permits (UK) will refer the club's evidence to an independent review panel.

The review panel will normally consist of representatives from the relevant football governing bodies together with up to three independent experts. The panel's terms of reference are to consider whether the player is of the highest calibre and able to contribute significantly to the development of the game at the top level in UK. The panel will make a recommendation to the Head of Work Permits (UK) whose decision will then be relayed to the club. Ministers will be informed of the result.

Clubs should note that, in respect of any application, there will only be available one review (i.e. a panel hearing and recommendation, followed by a decision). A club should therefore ensure that all evidence that it wishes to present in support of its application is presented at the review.

If the club has previously made an application that was unsuccessful at review a further review cannot be made for the same player during the season. For these purposes a season is deemed to run from 01 July until 31 May

[daedalus]

I think there's an internal (hidden) reputation rating of some sort that makes a difference. To the best of my knowledge the 75% is correct for qualifying for a permit. But without having done that, players with high reputations can still get permits. I've had a number of young non-EU citizens playing for me without having capped before.

As Kyle mentioned, however, once he's on your team, he'll need to be playing in 75% of matches he's eligible for in order to sign a new deal with you. Frequently, I use these younger players as the 12th man off the bench to get them the number of appearances they need. As an aside, after 5 years, they'll get their English passport.

[thealmighty]

Hey Quik, how do you go about enlarging or building a new stadium? What kind of costs would you be looking at to do so? Seems like attendance of only 11k each home game would put you even further behind the larger D.I sides over a period of time.

[QuikSand]

Stadium is the province of the board - I can ask them to meke the investment, and see what they say. If they go forward, it probably shows up in the club finances overall (I assume) but I have never been succesful in expanding in any career, so I can't say.

At the moment, I'm watching attendance - and if we're filling up regularly, I am going to put in for an expansion.

[QuikSand]

August 2006

We get word about the contracts that run out after this year – and the list is pretty routine. Mario Dadic, who is 33 years old, is nearly out of contract – and so are younger players Lee Connolly and James Carter. We will have some decisions to make mid-season this year, as we would expect.


Among the First Division clubs, Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough, and Coventry are tabbed as preseason favorites for promotion. Leeds, Stoke, and Q.P.R. are also considered to be likely contenders. We are pegged at 80-1… though we were longshots in Second Division as well. We’ll see – but I have a hard time imagining we are anything more than mediocre player at this level this season.


We open up our regular season of league play at Sincil Bank, home to Sheffield Wednesday – a top-tier club according to the touts. They get a lead off a corner kick at 31, and our score to draw even is disallowed, leaving us behind at the half. At the 90 minute mark, we get even right after a corner kick, as newcomer Miguel Angel Lucena strikes for his first Lincoln goal, getting us even for the final. Lincoln 1, Sheff Wed 1.

Paul Kamara had a dreadful debut for the season, according to his final match rating of 4. (It was his offside that wiped our first goal – that could play a big role in that number) That’s very unlike him – I’m checking for signs of him being unsettled. At the moment, he looks fine – I hope he can quickly get out of that rut, as we need our best player to be sharp if we’re going to compete.


We’re back in action against Grimsby Town, in the League Cup. At their place, we are looking for a good effort to move on, and I have most of our first team still in. Paul Russell nets a goal at 21 minutes to give us an early lead. They pull even before the half, as our defenders just miss a challenge and leave an open shot for Magill. At 79 minutes, I am delighted to see Paul Kamara nail a great shot for a go-ahead goal – much needed. We tack another one on late, and get the win and some momentum. Lincoln 3, Grimsby 1 – Lincoln advance.


We are at Derby’s Pride Park, facing an unfamiliar foe in league play. I have subs in to start here, as some of our first team is a bit worn down. After getting en early edge, we yield two goals to fall behind by early in the second half. Brian Watkins comes in for a tired Mario Dadic, and makes some very nice plays down the stretch – leading to two late goals on the transition, and putting us ahead. He won’t make the scoresheet himself, but Watkins made an impression with his manager there. Lincoln 3, Derby 2. Regrettably, Watkins comes out of the match with a ding – he has a fractured wrist, and will miss some three weeks. Bad timing, pal.


Tamworth have made an offer of £35,000 for Dave Saunders.

We’re not terribly deep at goalkeeper, but I’m pretty sold that Saunders is not part of the solution. I accept this offer, and will work toward getting another, younger, keeper into the fold fairly soon.

This makes Brian Hardy, who himself is unsettled and transfer listed, our only reserve keeper. This is a fairly urgent situation – we’ll get something worked out shortly, hopefully.


We are home to Tranmere in a league match, and have our starting group mostly back in place. I am giving Brian Hardy a start in goal, hoping to get him some confidence and form. We get a reasonable effort all around, but our offense fails to click, and we settle for a score draw. Lincoln 0, Tranmere 0. Brian Hardy was okay – it’s our vacant attack that was worrisome.

[QuikSand]

September 2006

It’s too early to get worked up over the league table, so I’ll just note that we have earned a respectable eighth place through three opening matches, with one win and two draws. Middlesbrough and Crewe Alexandra look like the early hot starters, tied atop the table right now.


Paul Kamara is going to see some action with the England Under 21 side – nice exposure for him, and we can work through any absences. Jim Magill and Gary Doyle are both on Ireland’s national team roster – so we might have some issues with them also.


I think we have isolated the target young keeper that we have sought – Grimsby has young Ryan Parker on their reserve squad, and my scout loves his potential. He has very impressive ratings, and I suspect he’d move right into a starting rotation. We offer £100,000 – and are up against Middlesbrough here.


At Coventry, we look pretty flat all told, and suffer our first league loss. We got a few shots on goal, but nothing with much zip – and end up getting blanked again. Coventry 2, Lincoln 0. We need a little more spice in the attack, of this isn’t going to work out – our defense is okay, but not strong enough to carry us the whole way.


Grimsby’s Ryan Parker has agreed terms with Middlesbrough. He rejected the offer from Lincoln.

He goes on to talk about his excited he is to join their club – but we end up empty handed, and still in pretty dire need of another usable keeper. Back to the player searches we go.


We are back home to Preston North End, and would very much like to see something go right. At the halftime break, we still have yet to score – this is getting very concerning. It takes until 69 minutes, but we finally break though – Kamara scores off a rebound, and we get a lead. In the next ten minutes, it’s like we popped the cork – and we tally two more goals on three good shots. Lincoln 3, Preston 0. This is much more like I want out club to play – and it ought to help our ever-important morale, too.


For about the past year, I’ve been getting an offer every month or two from Wolves, seeking defender Lee Marsh. Up to now, they have been predictable lowball offers - £22,000 or so for a solid starter. However, we now have an offer on the table of £70,000 for him. I’m still not interested, bit it seems that they have decided to get a little more serious. We’ll see where this goes – Marsh has been solid, but not a real star for us.



After a little dabbling, I have acquired an intriguing young goalkeeper – 16 year old Jamie Green. He has been in the youth system of Crystal Palace for a while – my scouts love him, and we will give him a shot to contribute. We will get him into the fold pretty quickly.


At Birmingham, we get ahead in the first half when Dean Roberts connects on a penalty kick (a specialty of his). Brian Hardy has a few excellent saves in goal, and we hold on to our edge – topping things off with a nice breakaway goal in the closing minutes. Lincoln 2, Birmingham 0. Well, at this point, it looks like we ought to be capable enough in First Division to set aside fears of relegation. We don’t yet know where we truly fit here, but I don’t see things going so badly that we end up at the foot of the table.


Home to Queens Park Rangers, we are unable to get any real inside penetration at all in the match, and our offense consists of a series of long shots from our midfielders – most sailing harmlessly over the target. Lucena nails the post on one – it’s the closest either side gets to the scoreboard in this hard-fought draw. Lincoln 0, Q.P.R. 0.


EPL club Charlton play host to us in the League Cup next, and we slip behind early on a nicely set-up goal. Kamara’s attempt to pull even sails a bit high, but at 20 minutes Dean Roberts makes a great play to get open, setting up Kamara for the goal. Shortly after, one of Lucena’s long range strikes ekes past the keeper and we take the lead. Brian Watkins, subbed in for injured Mario Dadic, makes an incredible pass forward to set up Dean Roberts for a strike. Lincoln 4, Charlton 2 – Lincoln advances. A very impressive display for our side – overcoming an early deficit and turning on the style!


At Cardiff, we see a welcome sight – Mario Dadic dropping in a pass forward to Paul Kamara, who jukes the keeper and buries it. This used to be probably our stable offensive move – now it’s buried in the repertoire a bit, as defenders seem to be more capable of handling their give-and-go routine. It’s a seesaw match – we take the 3-2 lead at 80 minutes, only to give away the equalizer in injury time, and then are lucky to hold on for the draw at that point. Lincoln 3, Cardiff 3.

Now Mario Dadic, who had fallen in each of our last two matches, is diagnosed with a cartilage problem in his knee – and will miss some time. I expect that we will rotate in Brian Watkins and others into that starting spot. I might even try Miguel Angel Lucena out there.

[RPI-Fan]

The thing that jumps out at me: You didn't mention Ben Cross's name ONCE in August or September.

[QuikSand]

The thing that jumps out at me: You didn't mention Ben Cross's name ONCE in August or September.

Very fair point.

A sneak peek at text from the not-yet-finished month of October narrative:

Generally, our players are up to par. I’m seeing that our abilty to advance the ball in off the wing has been severely compromised this year – and thus the dropoff in numbers from Dadic and Cross. At least I think the cause-and-effect works in that direction.

Up to this season, I got very accustomed to seeing Mario Dadic advance the ball forward on the left side, and either pass back to a midfielder for an outside shot or else punch it up to Kamara for an inside attack. And I got used to seeing Ben Cross take the ball from the right wing, make a move to lose his defender, and penetrate toward the goal himself - looking to either shoot or pass off.

This season, I'm seeing rather little of either one. I still don't know why - but the structure of our most conspicuous attack is definitely changing.

[The Afoci]

In my career as Lincoln, I have had the stadium expanded the last two seasons, both in the EPL for what it is worth.

[QuikSand]

October 2006

The Lincoln board are delighted with your performance as manager.


We bring in a new player – fulfilling a Bosman deal settled last season. Adam Howarth is a defensive midfielder, who has a solid skill set and a deadly cannon for a long shot. It’s the later skill that has me most giddy – in our attack, we tend to drop our DM back a bit, and he gets a fair number of shots. Howarth, if he takes to that role, could end up adding a new dimension for us.

Admittedly, our midfield is getting a bit crowded. I’m using Lucena pretty regularly, along with Dadic and Cross on the wings. That basically leaves one spot for former regulars Lee Connolly and Colin Bradshaw, along with Brian Watkins, Richard Vaughan, and Stuart Thompson. I expect that we will revert to more of a true rotation as we move ahead – keeping everyone fresh and getting some playing time spread around.


We now have a big matchup at Middlebrough – who are in 9th pace, just a few spots behind us. If we can get a road win here, it will go a long way to saying that maybe we are really even contenders for the First Division, as unlikely as it seems. At 12 minutes, Middlesbrough execute nicely to get ahead, and they extend in the second half to a two goal edge. Down 2-0, Paul Kamara sends two good shots into the side netting for near misses, and we cannot capitalize on the few chances that we could muster. Middlesbrough 2, Lincoln 0.


We have shuffled our lineup for our next match, at home to first place Crewe. We are in a morale slump after the loss to Middlesbrough, and I’m trying to shake things up. At 4 minutes, we assemble a glorious attack – four direct passes, a big cross over to Dean Roberts, and a missile off his foot that find home. We end up in another seesaw match – we fall behind in the closing minutes, but gain the big equalizer in injury time. It’s the reverse of our recent matchup with Cardiff, but we are lucky to get the draw here. Lincoln 3, Crewe 3.


The result is a mixed blessing for us – we drop to 13th in the league table, as the middle ground is very competitive. However, getting a draw against the league’s top team is a pretty good accomplishment, I think. I’m fairly pleased all told.

It’s high time we got a sense of how everyone is doing, up here in First Division. Here’s an updated player performance table:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

Brian Hardy 19 £ 80 £28K Jumping,Acceleration,Punch,Aerial 7 7 4 6.43
James Magill 32 £950 £35K Trowing,OneonOnes,Pace,Punch,Eccentr 5 9 0 5.60
Jamie Green 16 £500 £35K Stamina,Eccentricity,Agility,Pace 0(1) 0 1 6.00

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Chris Rowe 25 £875 130K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 12 1 3 2 7.17
Simon Platt 22 £240 140K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 9 0 3 1 7.22
Lee Marsh 25 £650 £70K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 8 0 0 0 7.00
James Carter 26 £425 £60K OffTheBal,Pace,Accel,Creativity 6(1) 0 2 0 7.00
Michael Maher 28 £900 160K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 5 0 0 0 6.80
David Kay 22 £275 £55K Heading,Bravery,Jumping,Stamina 5 0 0 0 6.60
Gary Doyle 28 1200 110K Tackling,Passing,Determ,WorkRate 3 0 0 0 6.33
Gareth Ricketts 22 £110 £35K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 1(1) 0 0 0 6.50

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Ben Cross 29 1500 725K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 11 0 1 0 7.55
Mario Dadic 33 1500 300K Flair,WorkRate,Stamina,SetPieces 10 0 2 0 7.30
Miguel Angel Lucena 21 1500 675K Passing,Stamina,Pace,Balance,Infl 10 2 1 0 7.00
Colin Bradshaw 19 £650 £85K Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 5(1) 0 0 0 7.17
Lee Connolly 23 1100 170K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 4 0 0 0 7.50
Richard Vaughan 30 1400 £90K Technique,Bravery,Creative,WorkRate 4(2) 0 3 0 6.83
Adam Howarth 20 1300 £85K Determination,LongShots,Marking 1(1) 0 0 0 6.00
Brian Watkins 28 1100 160K Marking,Pace,Stamina,Strength,Aggr 2(3) 0 1 0 6.80
Stuart Thompson 25 1100 £90K Positioning,Pace,Stamina,Accel,Agil 0(2) 0 1 0 7.00
Danny Morgan 21 1000 £70K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility
John McGrath 21 £240 £35K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression


Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 21 1500 2.2M OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 9 5 3 0 7.00
Paul Russell 27 £400 160K Penalties,Balance,Strength,Dribbling 4 1 0 0 6.75
Dave Rose 29 £300 £60K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 0(1) 0 0 0 7.00
Jamie Martin 25 £240 110K Flair,Pace,Jumping,Agility,WorkRate 3(1) 3 1 1 7.75
Dean Roberts 30 1100 120K Penalty,Workrate,Stamina,Strenght 8 9 1 3 8.00
John Jackson 19 £230 Unkn Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression On loan to Barnet
Darren Hopkins 19 £150 £35K Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina
Matt Lewis 20 £100 Jumping,Determ,Finishing,Heading


Generally, our players are up to par. I’m seeing that our abilty to advance the ball in off the wing has been severely compromised this year – and thus the dropoff in numbers from Dadic and Cross. At least I think the cause-and-effect works in that direction.

Dean Roberts has certainly gotten off on the right foot, and has really earned a regular spot for us on the attack.

We need to get Jim Magill back into good spirits – our goalkeeping has not been very sharp this season, and we simply much do better. Magill in great form and spirits makes a pretty big difference, I think. Regrettably, this intent is followed with news that he has suffered a training injury and will be unavailable for a few weeks. Pressure will be on the youngsters.



I confirm that three of our last four home matches drew over 10,000 patrons – and I put in a request for a stadium expansion.

The Lincoln City board concur that Sincil Bank needs to be improved if the club is to fulfill its current potential. They assure you there are plans afoot to expand the stadium.

I expect this will take place in the offseason, this summer. Good news.


We have a match at Bristol City – another mid-level club. We have Mario Dadic back in – and will hope to get things going on our attack again. Young Jamie Green is making his first start – and we will hope to get a spark from him as well. However, two goals conceded in 20 minutes doesn’t help the lad’s ego – and we are in trouble early. They just bury us totally – it’s a hugely demoralizing loss, one that might wreak havoc with our team’s ever-fragile morale. Bristol City 5, Lincoln 0. Awful.

And so this could be the beginning of a dreadful slide. Our morale is bottomed out – plenty of players are now listed at “very poor” and it will take some doing to try to field a side who are in anything but total despondence.


We are put to the test quickly, as we play at home to Chesterfield. I have a ragtag group out there – the best we can patch together for right now, it seems. At the 25 minute mark, we get a counter-strike goal from Kamara – and take the lead. Chris Rowe heads in a Ben Cross corner kick for another goal in the second half – and we actually look like we’re playing with some poise. Lincoln 2, Chesterfield 0. The way we thrive on good chemistry and morale – I can’t overstate the importance of getting a good, solid win here.

We travel to Leeds, where we face a tough club who remain in the top echelon of the league thus far. It’s early, only 5 minutes in, when young keeper Jamie Green makes a blunder – coming our of goal to make a pass forward, then getting caught off the intercepted pass for an easy long goal into the untended net. This doesn’t look good for us – when they get to 2-0, it looks like it’s over in the first half. After we get a corner kick in to halve the difference, we might have ashot, but are still being outplayed. We get even in the second half, when Mario Dadic shows a little of his old flair, and penetrates for a nice feed to Kamara for an old-time Lincoln goal. There is pressure both ways down the stretch, but it’s Leeds who snare the score at 90 minutes – a huge goal to wrap up a tight contest. Leeds 3, Lincon 2.


We have brought aboard a new coach to the staff – Daniel Black is going to be our goalkeeper specialist, in charge of developing Jamie Green and perhaps Brian Hardy, who seems to be working his way back into our plans. Black essentially replaces David Crowley, who departed after his player/coach contract expired.

[QuikSand]

November 2006

Lincoln City’s Paul Kamara has win the English First Division Player of the Month award.

The board remain delighted with me – but I’m a little worried that we are about to go through a tough stretch. Here’s the league table – and I don’t like what I see right now:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Crewe | | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 13 | +23 | 30 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Blackpool | | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 20 | 14 | +6 | 23 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | West Ham | | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 18 | +4 | 23 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Bristol City | | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 22 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Nottm Forest | | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 22 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Middlesbrough | | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 16 | +4 | 22 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Leeds | | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 22 | +1 | 22 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Sheff Wed | | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 21 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Norwich | | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 11 | +2 | 20 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Q.P.R. | | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 19 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Wolves | | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 20 | 16 | +4 | 18 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Chesterfield | | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 13 | +3 | 17 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Gillingham | | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Lincoln | | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 19 | 21 | -2 | 17 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Tranmere | | 13 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 20 | -4 | 17 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Stoke | | 13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Birmingham | | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 21 | 22 | -1 | 14 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Grimsby | | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 16 | -3 | 14 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Coventry | | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 18 | -6 | 14 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Preston | | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 26 | -9 | 12 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Wimbledon | | 13 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 27 | -10 | 12 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Cardiff | | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 27 | -15 | 12 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Derby | | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 27 | -12 | 11 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Hull | | 13 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 21 | -5 | 9 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


So, where does this bring us? 14th place doesn’t seem so bad… but “six points out of 2nd place” is a lot better. We’ll probably find out soon whether this glass is half empty or half full.


We play in the League Cup third round, facing second division Walsall at their place. I have most of our first team in – hoping to get a win and a morale boost, which I think we could benefit from. Instead, we see keeper Jim Magill yield two pretty easy goals, and we slide behind by two in the first half. After we get a “consolation goal” at 86 nminutes, we get one final chance as the clock ticks away – and we get a miracle shot off a beautiful pass from Dadic – Ben Cross strikes home for the dramatic equalizer!

In extra time, we aren’t able to resolve the deadlock – both sides seem very tired. It will go to penalties to be resolved. Magill comes up with a save on their first shot – a good redemption of his earlier mistakes. But Dean Roberts’ rifle shot is saved, also – and we are even. Magill saves again – unreal! After Dadic find the net, though, Richard Vaughan shoots too high – and we are even after three shots. Magill gets spared as one goes wide, but Ben Cross hits the post and it’s only 1-1 after four shots. Simon Platt keeps us alive, and we got into a sixth round of PKs. Magill lets this one by, and when Paul Kamara’s shot sails high, it’s over – our furious rally is for naught. Walsall 2, Lincoln 2 – Lincoln eliminated.


We’ve got a match now at home to Gillingham – this is the sort of match that we need to be winning in league play. At 11 minutes, we take a good step, as Dadic sends in a corner kick and Kamara sends it home. Through the first half, Mario Dadic looks like his old self again – advancing nicely, and passing well. We get another goal from Kamara, this time set up by Adam Howarth from over the middle – probably the bet play Howarth has made for us so far. Lincoln 2, Gillingham 0. We seemed very much in control through this one – much better play here.


This match has boosted our morale greatly, and I seek to ride the wave as we head up against West Ham. A win here would be great – on the road against a solid club ahead of us in the standings. We play well through the first half, but their tough presence inside keeps us off the scoresheet. The Hammers get ahead in the early second half, though, and drop back to protect the edge. At 69 minutes, though, we get a beautiful pass forward from Lee Marsh, up to Kamara who finds a corner. They come right back to go back ahead, and we are outplayed down the final minutes. West Ham 2, Lincoln 1.


Despite the recently strong play of Mario Dadic, I am thinking about the left-side midfield position a bit. Though I am getting deep with central midfielders, I have yet to be thrilled with the results from using them on the left wing. To that end, I am pursuing a pretty solid Spanish player, left-winger Fernando Camacho. I’ve agreed to a £30,000 transfer fee – if we can work out a contract, I’d like to bring him aboard and see if he’s a good fit for us. He has been effective playing in Spain, and I think he could be good here, too. At 25, he’d be a younger option that Dadic – whose contract expires after this year anyway.


We are home to Nottingham Forest, and would like to get back onto the good side of things. Our morale has been up and down with our wins – and securing a home victory would certainly help get us back to better footing there. Mario Dadic puts us ahead on a free kick into the right edge, a lovely strike. Dean Roberts connects on a penalty shot, after Ben Cross got mugged penetrating toward the goal. We yield one goal that makes things interesting, but manage to hold on for the vital win. Lincoln 2, Nottm Forest 1.


As has been the case for the entirety of this campaign, we simply are not getting particularly standout production from our attacking central midfield spot. I’ve brought in several different players with that role in mind – and most have been either underwhelming, or just better suited to a different role. I don’t have any answers right now, but Colin Bradshaw is seemingly still our best option, and we know what we get with him: vanilla.

A player who has been much better this season has been Mario Dadic, whose last several matches have seen him regain his spot as a critical part of our attack. I go to the media in praise of him, and the club supporters chime in their joy as well. He may not have many years left, but Mario Dadic may be remembered as the player who made the biggest difference in us becoming a serious team on the rise.


After Fernando Camacho rejects my initial contract offer, I am now quite pessimistic about the likelihood of him coming aboard. He wants a very prominent role and top dollar – I don’t think I can really offer either one. Interestingly enough, my scout chimes in – he doesn’t think we ought to pursue Camacho anyway. I guess that’s that.


We are at Blackpool, facing the club just ahead of us in 9th place. James Carter makes an attacking run, but gets caught – and their counter attack to the undefended left side, scoring the first goal. A long shot at 17 minutes gives them a huge early edge – we have been ambushed in the early going. A PK from Dean Roberts gives us some hope, though, and
Kamara tips in a shot after a scrum right in front of the Blackpool goal – and we are ell even, still in the first 30 minutes. At 44 minutes, Colin Bradshaw makes a through ball to Kamara (anything but vanilla there) setting up the lead at the half. When Magill gives up two more goals in the second half, I yank him for Jamie Green – probably too late. Blackpool 4, Lincoln 3.


Another match on us right away – home to Wimbledon. I’m hoping our on-again, off-again results are back in good shape, as we play before the Sincil Bank faithful. I’ve got a young defender up from our reserve squad – playing in the center and hopefully giving us a spark. Our defenders let us down badly against Blackpool. However, martin O’Brien is the culprit early as his man slips past to notch the first goal. But O’Brien gets kudos later, as his pass sets up a great long shot from Lucena that strikes for the evening goal. Kamara gets us ahead with a banana shot later on – great effort. Lincoln 4, Wimbledon 1. Good effort to bounce back, as we get our attack back in gear in the second half – Kamara’s would-be hat trick goes south on an offside call.

[QuikSand]

December 2006

Lincoln City’s Paul Kamara has win the English First Division Player of the Month award. The 22 year old has been in a rich vein of form, scoring an incredible seven goals in five games.

Unbelievable rebound for Kamara, after a somewhat shaky start to the season. He has elevated his average match rating right back to his usual level – he’s back to 7.76 on the year (despite opening with a big, fat 4). I go to the media to back up this award – praising his recent efforts. The fans will no doubt follow.


On the road now, we face Grimsby Town. We’ve had trouble getting a good effort on the road this season, and this is no exception, as we fall behind early. At 78 minutes, Mario Dadic gets us all square with a free kick into the right side – his patented curve kick. But at 83, they pull back ahead on a nice shot getting past Jamie Green. Grimsby 2, Lincoln 1.


We host Norwich, and back at home I’m seeking a good showing. We don’t really look too sharp – no score until 67 minutes, when Ben Cross gets us ahead with a free kick. As it turns out, that’s all we need – our defense rose to the occasion this time, bottling up Norwich all afternoon and holding them to only two shots all day. Lincoln 1, Norwich 0.


At this point, I feel like I know “who we are.” We’re not quite halfway into the league schedule, but it’s fairly clear that Lincoln is a decent club, fairly competitive in the First Division, but not a real threat to contend for a promotion spot. We are capable of getting wins, especially at home, when we play well – and are also capable of playing poorly against properly situated foes. My expectation is that we will stay well clear of any relegation fears, but will probably bounce around mid-table all season and presumably end up in the middle dozen somewhere. For a club that’s only two years removed from the Third Division, that’s wonderful, of course. The loyal followers are simply going to have to make peace with more losses than they are used to, that’s all.


We’re in 8th place, and now head on the road to face Wolverhampton. Wolves are in 17th position – not faring that well this season, but are a fairly established club at this level. They have the pressure on early, but we get through several spells without conceding a goal. They finally tally one just before halftime to get the lead. After being roundly outplayed, we get a break at 84 minutes – Ben Cross makes his usual play toward the goal, sends in a shot which causes a rebound for Dean Roberts to tap in. We draw level at 1-1. However, the next minute, we fall behind again, and lose by the one goal margin – tough break. Wolves 2, Lincoln 1.


I made an approach to Bohemians about their promising young striker Michael Kelly. The press said I was “living in a dream world” for doing so, but I ended up making an offer anyway. Bohemians have accepted the offer now – I’ve put £150,000 on the table, following my scout’s revelation that this kid is truly something special. I’m talking contract with him – if we can lure him in, it might be a major coup for us. It would be very nice to bring in a promising young attacker – right now our regular complements to Paul Kamara are all veterans. Michael Kelly has tremendous skills – he could be an impact addition to the side.


Home to Hull, we play through a scoreless first half, and things are pretty uneventful well into the second half. Ben Cross goes down with an injury – that’s not good news. We end up with nothing on the board, in a hapless home draw. Lincoln 0, Hull 0.


A few days later, we are on the road to Sheffield Wednesday, where we will home to score a rare road win against the fairly weak foe here. Ben cross makes a nice penetration into the right fore, sends it in and Kamara gets a rebound shot into the net. Kamara strikes again on a breakaway, and we gain a 2-0 first half advantage. At 65 minutes, they get a goal to get back within one, and we are nervous. At 91 minutes, our anxiety is justified, as they get in a shot off a deflection for the equalizer. Lincoln 2, Sheff Wed 2. Tough to fritter away that opportunity there.

Paul Kamara went down with an injury in the match, and we hold our breath awaiting word on his status. The physio reports back – he’ll be okay, as his knee is just twisted, and he should be fine in a few days. Whew.


After two rounds of contract negotiations with young striker Michael Kelly, it’s clear that we can’t land him. I am offering what is, for us, a staggering contract -- £2,500/wk and £100,000 up front – but it’s not even registering with him. We just aren’t a big money club, and don’t have the resources to make a big play like this. I was probably in that dream world all along – the pundits were right.


We are home against Derby, and this is a chance to make a dent. They are in fifth position – several spots ahead of us. But getting a win here would help us get back within striking range of the meaningful spots. I dump the counter attack, and drop to a much more vanilla tactic for now – just to shake things up a bit. Our attack is very lacking here, but Jamie Green puts forth an outstanding effort to keep us level in this one – and gets MOM honors deservedly. Lincoln 0, Derby 0.


It’s the end of December, the pivotal contract time for this year. I have a list of players whose contracts are due to end after this year – and I put in a few extension offers. James Carter and Colin Bradshaw are both pretty realistic – and I offer to each of them a £900/wk offer, which is very affordable. Lee Connolly wants a bit more, but I make the same offer to him, only with a little more cash up front. Simon Platt, our versatile defender, is another tough case – I make an offer of £1,000/wk for him, but it might not be enough.

And then there is Mario Dadic. What to do here? He is 33 years old right now, and we’re looking at the downside of his career in the years ahead. But he is so revered and respected, it would be very tough to just let him walk away. However – he wants a contract for £3,300/wk – more than twice what anyone else makes for us. My thinking is that we will try to wait him out, and see if that gets more reasonable. At his age, I don’t think he’ll be a terribly hot prospect on the open market.


On New Year’s Eve, we are up against Stoke. Paul Kamara works some magic and sneaks in a long shot that seemed to have no chance to get by. They draw even after 34 minutes, then strike again in two more minutes -- and it looks like this match might open up into a track meet. Jaime Green makes a terrible gaffe, roaming forward with the ball, and predictably enough an errant pass yields an easy long shot. We cant’ get into a “track meet” scoring bonanza, though, and end up one short. Stoke 3, Lincoln 2.

[QuikSand]

January 2007

It’s a fair time for an update of our overall status – we’ll start with the player stats:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

Brian Hardy 19 £ 80 £28K Jumping,Acceleration,Punch,Aerial 7(1) 8 4 6.38
James Magill 32 £950 £35K Trowing,OneonOnes,Pace,Punch,Eccentr 13 21 2 6.23
Jamie Green 16 £500 £35K Stamina,Eccentricity,Agility,Pace 8(2) 14 5 6.70

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Chris Rowe 25 £875 130K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 28 2 4 3 7.32
Lee Marsh 25 £650 £70K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 19 0 1 0 6.68
Simon Platt 22 £240 140K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 13 0 3 1 7.15
James Carter 26 £425 £60K OffTheBal,Pace,Accel,Creativity 12(4) 0 2 0 6.81
David Kay 22 £275 £55K Heading,Bravery,Jumping,Stamina 12 0 0 0 6.25
Gary Doyle 28 1200 110K Tackling,Passing,Determ,WorkRate 11(2) 0 1 1 6.62
Michael Maher 28 £900 160K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 9(1) 0 0 0 6.60
Gareth Ricketts 22 £110 £35K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 4(4) 0 0 0 6.50
Martin O’Brien 20 £120 £35K Strength,Agility,Accel,Aggression 5 0 1 0 6.40

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Ben Cross 29 1500 725K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 26 2 7 1 7.54
Mario Dadic 33 1500 300K Flair,WorkRate,Stamina,SetPieces 26 2 8 1 7.42
Miguel Angel Lucena 21 1500 675K Passing,Stamina,Pace,Balance,Infl 16 3 1 0 7.06
Colin Bradshaw 19 £650 £85K Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 14(4) 0 1 0 6.94
Lee Connolly 23 1100 170K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 8 0 0 0 6.63
Richard Vaughan 30 1400 £90K Technique,Bravery,Creative,WorkRate 6(3) 0 3 0 6.67
Adam Howarth 20 1300 £85K Determination,LongShots,Marking 8(3) 0 2 0 6.73
Brian Watkins 28 1100 160K Marking,Pace,Stamina,Strength,Aggr 4(9) 0 1 0 6.62
Stuart Thompson 25 1100 £90K Positioning,Pace,Stamina,Accel,Agil 2(2) 0 2 0 6.50
Danny Morgan 21 1000 £70K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility
John McGrath 21 £240 £35K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 21 1500 2.2M OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 23 18 4 4 7.61
Dean Roberts 30 1100 120K Penalty,Workrate,Stamina,Strenght 17 13 1 3 7.76
Paul Russell 27 £400 160K Penalties,Balance,Strength,Dribbling 9(1) 2 3 0 6.90
Dave Rose 29 £300 £60K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 3(1) 1 0 0 6.50
Jamie Martin 25 £240 110K Flair,Pace,Jumping,Agility,WorkRate 5(1) 3 1 1 7.17
John Jackson 19 £230 Unkn Bravery,Strength,Stamina,Aggression On loan to Margate
Darren Hopkins 19 £150 £35K Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina
Matt Lewis 20 £100 Jumping,Determ,Finishing,Heading


And here is the league table as we start 2007:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Middlesbrough | | 25 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 44 | 29 | +15 | 48 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Crewe | | 25 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 47 | 23 | +24 | 46 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Leeds | | 25 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 46 | 42 | +4 | 42 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Bristol City | | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 36 | 25 | +11 | 41 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Derby | | 25 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 39 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Chesterfield | | 25 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 35 | 26 | +9 | 36 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Blackpool | | 24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 38 | 35 | +3 | 36 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | West Ham | | 24 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 34 | 31 | +3 | 36 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Birmingham | | 25 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 47 | 40 | +7 | 35 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Nottm Forest | | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 32 | 28 | +4 | 35 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Sheff Wed | | 25 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 34 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Tranmere | | 25 | 10 | 4 | 11 | 29 | 39 | -10 | 34 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Grimsby | | 25 | 7 | 12 | 6 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 33 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Stoke | | 25 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 28 | 27 | +1 | 33 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Q.P.R. | | 25 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 32 | 31 | +1 | 32 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Lincoln | | 25 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 38 | 38 | 0 | 32 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Gillingham | | 25 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 29 | 31 | -2 | 31 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Cardiff | | 25 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 42 | -13 | 31 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Wolves | | 25 | 8 | 6 | 11 | 33 | 32 | +1 | 30 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Norwich | | 25 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 23 | 27 | -4 | 30 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Coventry | | 25 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 23 | 38 | -15 | 29 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Wimbledon | | 25 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 34 | 48 | -14 | 27 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Hull | | 25 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 31 | 48 | -17 | 22 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Preston | | 25 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 27 | 42 | -15 | 20 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


We’re currently in a somber 16th position, but see that the entire middle of the table is so bunched together, that it’s practically a toss up everywhere between 6th and 20th. Again, I don’t think we’ll get into the top seven this season, but it’s possible that we get close. Or, it’s possible that we end up in about 18th or 20th position.


It’s time for us to be considering the roster for next season. We have made extension offers to most of our players whose contracts are up – now we are looking to make Bosman transfers in, in an effort to improve. Id like to bring in a solid goalkeeper, as I’m not totally sold on any of our current crop – especially Jim Magill, who is our default starter. I think a central defender and perhaps a left side midfielder would be useful additions as well. I’m open to adding impact players anywhere, of course.


We visit Tranmere, and with out club’s low morale, I’m not expecting a particularly good effort. Paul Kamara gets an open shot early, but the keeper makes the save – Kamara should have passed back to Roberts for an easier chance. Roberts gets his goal at 36 minutes – and we are looking pretty sharp through the first half. We manage to make that goal hold up – and secure a nice road win here, just as I came in full of sighing. Lincoln 1, Tranmere 0.


A few days into the new year, we have some contract announcements. Colin Bradshaw (“mister vanilla”) has inked a new three year deal, as has James Carter (who is surprisingly vanilla as well, despite his promising offensive skills – he rarely gets into the scoring activity). Also, Lee Connolly, our former regular defensive midfielder, will stick around with us, despite hid drop in playing time this season.

I also get word that Lebanese defender Hussein Hallak has accepted our offer, and will come aboard on a Bosman deal for next season. He will need a work permit – so this one remains up in the air for now.

Another defender, potentially an impact signing, is 15 year old David Taylor from Crystal Palace. CP has agreed to our transfer fee of £75,000 – and we will try to sign him for an immediate transfer in. It doesn’t look like he is very excited by our approach, though – stay tuned.


We agree to terms with defender David Kay on a new deal. He has disappointed this year, but the deal is for pretty modest money – he’ll stay as a reserve. Ideally, I’d like to bring aboard an impact starter for our central defense, but so far no luck there (stay tuned on young David Taylor).

Gary Collins, an 18 y/o keeper for Herefrod is my latest quarry, and it looks like we’ll get him to come aboard. One more young keeper, with a new keepers coach – this ought to be a good mix. At least we’ll have options – maybe just to ride the guy with the highest morale.

I am also after young left-side defender Paul Donaghy, and am talking contract with him after Brentford accepted my approach for £40,000. I’m thinking we need a good alternatuive to Lee Marsh – and Donaghy will be cheaper, even. If he fits into our system great.

And, after another day or two, another feeler I sent out comes back positive – my £60K offer for 20 year old keeper Michalis Charalambous has been accepted, and I am offering a deal to the promising youngster. I’d be happy to have several young keepers on hand, and the ability to play several and see who can perform best with our club. That seems to be the direction we are heading.


Another young defender, Brazilian Rogerio de Barros, has accepted our contract offer. He comes right aboard (I don’t know why this one wasn’t held up for a work permit) and I’m delighted to add a fresh new face to our defensive ranks. De Barros can play either the left or right side of the defense, and has pretty good all-around skills. I’m not yet sure whether he is a future starter, but I do expect to rotate him in soon and see what we have in him. He’ll be working on his English in the meantime.


Defender Simon Platt, perhaps seeing all our activity with new defender prospects, has agreed terms with us. He remains a main element of our future planning – he’s been effective every season, and can play any of the defender spots, making him extra valuable. We’re glad to give him a considerable wage increase to £1,200/wk, and he is happy now.


And some of the remaining pieces settle into place. Goalkeeper Gary Collins accepts our contract offer, and joins right away. Young defender David Taylor, a potentially very exciting addition, will join us in June. Potentially two very exciting moves for our club.



We are in the third round of the FA Cup, facing Nottingham Forest. I’ve got young Gary Collins dropped right in as our keeper – we’ll give him a trial by fire of sorts. With a 2-0 lead in the early second half, I bring in de Barros for his first Lincoln action as well – he need to play his way into match condition. We go on to a total romp, Dean Roberts tops off his hat trick, and we get a sterling performance from our new goalkeeper along the way. Lincoln 5, Nottm Forest 0 – Lincoln advances. The win is worth £50,000 – that’s nice, too.


The goalkeeping quest has taken another turn – young Cypriot keeper Michalis Charalambous has also agreed terms with us. It’s a £60,000 transfer – and one more entry into our sweepstakes to locate a solid keeper for our future.

And finally, left side defender Paul Donaghy has joined up as well. His is a £40,000 transfer – another that I hope can result in our locating a future contributor.


At Preston, we have Paul Donaghy slotted as our left side defender – our scouts like him a good deal, and I’m interested to see him fit into our setup. Late in the first pass, Donaghy makes a long pass up to Kamara, who passes over to Roberts for the score. But Preston tallies two second half goals to get ahead of us, and they make that edge hold up. Preston 2, Lincoln 1. In only one match, I see in Donaghy a tendency to pass far forward – which might suit our counter-attacking style pretty well.


We host Birmingham, with our team still in pretty good spirits, and with Gary Collins still starting in goal. Mario Dadic weaves his way in for a rare straight-on goal for him, and we take the first half lead. We get another goal later, and put away a solid win. Lincoln 2, Birmingham 0.

Paul Kamara limped through about 25 minutes before coming off injured (and with a match rating of 4) – and we again are holding our breath. It seems he is okay – but I’ll give him a rest for a bit anyway.

Kamara’s contract status remains a little unsettled – he wants a new deal, but he doesn’t think we have the means to get it done. I decide to put in a new offer to him – to try to calm this if I can. But even a £3,000/wk offer with a £150,000 bonus – the highest figures we can offer – is not enough to get him to agree terms. We might be looking at a big transfer if he isn’t going to be comfortable with us. His current contract runs through next season.


30 year old French striker Christian Blanc has agreed to come aboard for next year on a Bosman deal. Another solid veteran striker – should be a contributor, but I don’t know whether he’ll start or just be in a rotation. He’s been successful with French club Beauvais – we’ll give him a shot here in jolly old England.


Defender Hussein Hallak’s transfer has been delayed as he hasn’t gotten a work permit. I have appealed, but don’t hold out a lot of hope. Fortunately, we have brought in some reinforcements for our defense – though I still am seeking an impact player for the central defense (as we have picked up two defensive wingers).


We are playing host to Coventry here, with the club in particularly good morale following a solid road win. We are getting plenty of pressure early, but stretch through the first half without tallying a goal. Finally, we get one in – Dean Roberts scores off the corner kick from defender Simon Platt. They draw even right thereafter, though as the headers just clears the reach of keeper Gary Collins. Deep into injury time, we each have chances – but come up empty and settle for the draw. Lincoln 1, Coventry 1. That’s a bad result against a low-level side, we need to secure that win.


At Q.P.R., we face a solid club – and have Jim Magill back in at keeper. We get our attack working fairly well, and get out ahead by a couple of goals shortly after the half. I bring in Charalambous at keeper, to get him into the flow with the club, and he promptly concedes two goals – not a great start for him. But, we manage to get more on the board, and hold on for the much-needed win, anyway. Lincoln 5, Q.P.R. 3. Good win for us.


Mario Dadic has signed a new contract with Lincoln. The deal will keep him with the club until June 2009.

I didn’t want to let him get away – and my hope is that he remains at least fairly productive through this contract. Either way – Hull had expressed some interest, and I didn’t want him to depart without us getting a chance.


At this point in the season, it’s becoming clear that our most effective striker is Dean Roberts, and (gasp) not Paul Kamara. Kamara is still very effective, but it’s been Roberts who has taken the real lead role in the offense, and has performed at the very highest level. The two together have been very good, of course – and that’s the recipe we want to move forward with up front.


We’re in the 4th round of the FA Cup, at Norwich. Since our season isn’t really going anywhere – this is our best chance to come out of the season with a measure of success – so we’re in with the best lineup we have to offer. Ben Cross makes it happen with the first goal at 42 minutes – a great penetration for a shot into the far edge of the net. At 73, they pull even with a nice pass-and-shoot setup to get past Magill. That’s how it ends – we’ll have to go again in a replay match, at Sincil Bank. Lincoln 1, Norwich 1.


A striker I had been pursuing for some time, Irish lad Michael Kelly, has finally been sold. He comes to the First Division, but selects to play for Sheffield Wednesday, who will be paying him in excess of £8,000/wk – a whole lot more than we can even fathom. No surprise then. I predict big things.


Defender Hussein Hallak will not be coming to Lincoln after all – his work permit did not come through. No surprise.


Now we head to face Crewe Alexandra, who sit atop the league table. They get ahead at 15 minutes off a corner kick, and we are in trouble – as I might have predicted. Dean Roberts gets us even with a nifty move in traffic – single-handedly creating hic chance. At 69 minutes, Mario Dadic gets us ahead on a long free kick – curved right into the corner of the net, a beautiful strike. We come away with an unlikely win on the road against the league’s top club – I’m stunned. Lincoln 2, Crewe 1.

[daedalus]

Ugh. Too bad we missed out on Kelly. Awesome news on the transfer and Bosman front, though. We got Taylor AND a bunch of keepers! Huzzah! Good to see Dadic re-upped, too. It'd be nice to see him retire an Imp.

No move for (yet another) replacement for Mr. Vanilla?

[QuikSand]

No move for (yet another) replacement for Mr. Vanilla?

Nope. But Mr. Vanilla (Colin Bradshaw) has steadily regained his playing time... without attracting any atention in the game write-ups of course. He doesn't get any goals or assists, but he very rarely screws things up and pretty much posts a match rating of 7 every match... I guess I can live with that.

Lucena has been a real disappointment so far - that's the guy I thought would be electric in that role, and he just doesn't have it, it seems. Maybe given a little mroe time to settle in... but so far, he's been the wet blanket.

[LionsFan10]

Hey, Quik ... gotta quick question for you (no pun intended)

Before you start a match, how do you go about selecting your squad, do you "Ask Assisstant to pick," then go through and edit it as you see fit or do you start blank and do it all yourself? I ask because I find myself a little lost when it comes to picking the starting XI, and I figure me & you are pretty level in our knowledge of futbol (very basic) so I was hoping for a little advice, thanks.

Great read by the way, keep it up!

[QuikSand]

With this club, I have been using a pretty regular group of players. Initially, I had to do a lot of experimenting, but once I got guys with whom I could be comfy in most positions, I reverted to using them unless their morale dropped off the planet. Eventually, you'll get there -- you'll just revert to using a certain player as your starter in that slot unless there's a reason not to do so.

I'm using morale as a MAJOR factor in this career - to prety good effect, thus far.

[QuikSand]

February 2007


We start off the month at Chesterfield, who are right behind us on the league table. They get ahead after 9 minutes – not such a good start for our lads. Just before halftime, though, Dean Roberts is stopped on a PK, but he follows through with the rebound goal to get us even. In the second half, Magill gives up two goals quickly – one on a big mistake by him, the other on a shot he left too open. Chesterfield 3, Lincoln 2. I’m very upset with Jim Magill – who is going to find the bench for a while.


We have picked up a Bosman transfer in, for next season. 32 year old central defender Nick Bullock has been very effective playing for Ipswich in the Second Division, and we pull him up to our level for next season. Good all-around skills, and a possible team leader – I thin he can be an excellent veteran addition for us. I had been looking to add one more central defender – he’ll fill the bill nicely (despite being on the wrong side of thirty).

As I had been looking for a central defender, I also put in a bid on a young French player, who now comes aboard as well on a £6,000 transfer. Didier Diagouraga is an intriguing youngster, 23 years old and pretty hard working. I might find some chances for him down the stretch this season, as we are in the laboratory focusing on next year for the most part. For now, he heads to the reserve squad to get into shape.


We are on the pitch again, hosting Norwich in our FA Cup replay match. Prety big stakes – we have a first team squad on the field. At 41 minutes, Dadic makes a penetration in from the left wing, and his crossing pass goes to Mr. Vanilla himself, Colin Bradshaw, who sends it in. Paul Russell subs in during the early second half, and promptly notches another goal – and we get a more secure edge. A late goal from Kamara seals the deal – a great effort for our side. Lincoln 3, Norwich 0 – Lincoln advances.

We get £75,000 for the win, and will play host to Bristol City in the fifth round.


And we head right back onto the pitch, to take on Bristol City – a preview of our forthcoming Cup match, I suppose. Ben Cross is resting, and Paul Kamara gets hurt right away – so our attack will be compromised. Paul Russell, again on as a sub, is in for the first goal to give us the lead fairly early. They draw level at 56 minutes, and that’s all we see here. Lincoln 1, Bristol City 1.


We play again at home for Middlesbrough, who remain in contention for the league title. They score on us almost immediately, with a looping shot right over the head of Charalambous in goal – but fortunately for us, it is waived off. At 75 minutes, though, they make it count. That’s the edge they needed, and they get away with a solid win at our place – dashing any realistic hopes we might have been clinging to about making a late season run into contention. Middlesbrough 1, Lincoln 0.


We are in the FA Cup fifth round match, hosting Bristol City. Collins in net makes an error dribbling, and gets punished for a quick goal. That really hurt. We’re outplaying them through the first half and into the second, but remain behind by that goal. We end up zeroed out, and only the fluky play early settles the match – terrible misfortune. Bristol City 1, Lincoln 0 – Lincoln eliminated.


Back home to Leeds, we get ahead a great effort from Paul Kamara – a hard shot right through the keeper. However, he was ruled offside, and it’s lost. On the opening possession of the second half, Kamara simply dribbles forward, right through the heart of their defense, and strikes from 15 yards to get us even – another sensational individual effort. However, we just don’t seem to have our act together today – we yield another goal to Leeds, and we end up on the wrong side. Leeds 2, Lincoln 1.


At this point, we are entrenched right back in the mid-table zone:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Middlesbrough | | 36 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 63 | 41 | +22 | 68 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Bristol City | | 35 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 56 | 33 | +23 | 64 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Crewe | | 36 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 68 | 41 | +27 | 63 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Leeds | | 36 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 65 | 60 | +5 | 59 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Tranmere | | 36 | 17 | 5 | 14 | 49 | 50 | -1 | 56 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Derby | | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 61 | 49 | +12 | 55 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Sheff Wed | | 34 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 54 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Chesterfield | | 36 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 51 | 44 | +7 | 53 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | West Ham | | 36 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 49 | 52 | -3 | 51 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Nottm Forest | | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 49 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Birmingham | | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 61 | 57 | +4 | 48 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Blackpool | | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 51 | 51 | 0 | 47 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Lincoln | | 35 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 54 | 52 | +2 | 46 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Grimsby | | 36 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 44 | 45 | -1 | 46 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Q.P.R. | | 36 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 56 | 54 | +2 | 45 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Stoke | | 36 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 35 | 37 | -2 | 44 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | Gillingham | | 36 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 35 | 46 | -11 | 42 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | Wolves | | 35 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 46 | 43 | +3 | 41 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Coventry | | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 39 | 56 | -17 | 41 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Cardiff | | 35 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 41 | 62 | -21 | 40 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Wimbledon | | 36 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 43 | 61 | -18 | 39 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Hull | | 35 | 10 | 8 | 17 | 45 | 64 | -19 | 38 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Preston | | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 39 | 54 | -15 | 37 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Norwich | | 33 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 29 | 44 | -15 | 35 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Just a few weeks ago, we had crept up to about 9th on the table, and it looked like we might have a glimmer of hope. But I feel like we’ve been put back into our place now, and we’ll have to see where we go from here – probably no place.


We’re at Gillingham, and are without suspended Mario Dadic, whose yellow cards have caught up to him. We concede two quick goals, and have a hole to dig out of early. They go on to crush us – a pretty tough loss. Gillingham 4, Lincoln 1.


Reading have made an offer for our young striker John Jackson – and I agree to their £14,000 price tag. I’m convinced that he doesn’t fit into our plans – so we’re glad to get something for him.


Paul Russell is squawking a bit about not playing with the first team. I promise he will get chances – but I don’t like mouthy players.


We are home to Cardiff, seeking a win to get us out of this current rut. Paul Russell is in as a starter, and he strikes on a penalty kick after Ben Cross gets tripped up slashing toward the net. We go on to a very solid, impressive win – reflecting the up and down nature of our whole season. Lincoln 3, Cardiff 0.

[daedalus]

Middle of the table is a pretty good debut into division one, though. Definitely acceptable. :)

[QuikSand]

March 2007


We have inched up to 11th place on the league table, and now we host West Ham – without winger Ben Cross, who is down with a minor injury. We gain the edge when Mario Dadic’s corner kick finds Michael Maher for the header goal. Maher has long been our best scorer from among our defensive ranks – a nice strike here. Kamara sends forward a ball for Paul Russell, who nails that one in for our second goal. At 77 minutes, the Hammers get on the board, and pull within one goal. Adam Howarth gets loose and scores to seal it, though – it’s his first goal for us. I was envisioning him notching all sorts of shots from the outside for us, but here he is tapping home a goal on a breakaway – exactly what he doesn’t have the skills to do. In the closing minutes, Howarth adds another goal, and we wrap up a solid win at home. Lincoln 4, West Ham 1.


Do I even want to make mention of the league table at this point? Oh, why not.


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Bristol City | | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 59 | 34 | +25 | 71 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Middlesbrough | | 38 | 22 | 5 | 11 | 66 | 44 | +22 | 71 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Crewe | | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 72 | 41 | +31 | 69 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Leeds | | 38 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 68 | 62 | +6 | 63 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Sheff Wed | | 37 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 49 | 37 | +12 | 58 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Derby | | 38 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 64 | 52 | +12 | 57 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Tranmere | | 38 | 17 | 6 | 15 | 49 | 52 | -3 | 57 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Chesterfield | | 38 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 53 | 46 | +7 | 55 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Lincoln | | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 62 | 57 | +5 | 52 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Birmingham | | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 67 | 62 | +5 | 51 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Blackpool | | 37 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 51 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | West Ham | | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 50 | 58 | -8 | 51 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


We’re somewhere in the midst of the “contenders” list at this point. Five points out of seventh doesn’t seem all that bad – but we have yet to show the consistency necessary to advance on anyone at that rate. We have eight league matches remaining, and probably would need 16 or 18 points out of those matches to get there. Seems unlikely.

Incidentally, we have devolved into a pretty reliable club at home, with a season record of 9 wins, 8 draws, and only 2 losses at Sincil Bank. But we only have 5 wins on the road, to 13 losses. This isn’t a complete outlier (much of the division looks similar) but it does seem pretty stark. Getting wins on the road is tough business at this level.


We are at Nottingham Forest, seeking an elusive road victory. At 24 minutes, Miguel Angel Lucena scores off Ben Cross’s corner kick – nice goal. Kamara sends two shots just over the bar, and we end up ahead by only one goal at the half. At 57, they draw even with a nicely placed shot, and they have come alive. Quickly, they strike again for the lead at 63 minutes. Tough loss, to let that lead get away. Nottm Forest 2, Lincoln 1.


I bring aboard another midfielder, 22 year old Czech Martin Vesley. It’s a cheap contract, he can play the right or left side, and if things work out he may become a backup to Ben Cross and Mario Dadic. Probably not a major impact signing, but a guy worth adding on to the squad. The announcement indicates him as an “enthusiastic midfielder” – which sounds pretty good to me.


Now, we are back at Sincil Bank, and taking on Blackpool, who get a leg up early with a 5th minute score. Without Dadic and Kamara, I don’t expect much firepower – but we get a nice goal from Paul Russell to get right back even. Lincoln 1, Blackpool 1. A draw at home is a death knell for our chances to advance – I’m now thinking that we will give some of our younger players chances to play, and try to build up a sense of who can do what for us, looking toward next season.


I’ve been negotiating for two weeks with Chester over their 16 year old midfielder Roberto Lazzarni. I’m intrigued by his efforts thus far in the second division, and I think he might be a good fit for our style of play. We end up deadlocked about £20,000 apart in his buying price – and I won’t be outmuscled here. I back out of the talks.


On the road at Norwich, we have a very different lineup in. I’m interested to see what we can get from this young crowd. We hold off their pressure and get to halftime scoreless, but without any real threat to them at all. They do get ahead early in the second half, and we try to no avail to get even. My forward tandem of Martin and Lewis (really!) set up a great shot at 59 minutes, but their keeper defends well, so no score. We actually get some nice efforts late, but still come up without a goal. Norwich 1, Lincoln 0.


We finally agree terms over young midfielder Roberto Lazzarrini, and I have a contract offer in to him. It won’t go through until next season anyway – but I’d like to bring aboard one more promising youngster while I have some space in my transfer budget. He agrees, and will join us in August. We get the deal done just under the wire for the transfer deadline.


Paul Kamara chooses now to indicate that he believes he can get a better contract elsewhere. I open talks with him, and for the first time see a number indicating his demands. He wants £8,700/wk – more than twice what my board will authorize. I put up the fattest deal we can possibly offer - £3,700/wk plus a £190,000 signing bonus. That’s really the best we can do – I sit back and hope he accepts. Kamara has understandably become the one “favoured player” on my own personnel sheet – he remains the heart and soul of this team, despite having something of an off year this season. *crossing fingers*

[daedalus]

Any chance you might be able to ask the board for more salary budget?

[QuikSand]

Any chance you might be able to ask the board for more salary budget?

I'm not sure what I've got to lose -- I have a bad feeling about Kamara right now.

The thing is, my team is currently below the board's total wage budget - so that's not the problem. The problem is the overall cap they have placed on wht I can offer a single player, which I guess is some calculated figure based on the wage budget and other things. So, in their view -- I can "afford" Kamara and a salary of something like 7,000/week -- but they just won't let me offer that much to any one player. (I can, though, offer three different guys 3,000/week each)

So, I fear I'm stuck.

[Fonzie]

I'm not sure what I've got to lose -- I have a bad feeling about Kamara right now.

The thing is, my team is currently below the board's total wage budget - so that's not the problem. The problem is the overall cap they have placed on wht I can offer a single player, which I guess is some calculated figure based on the wage budget and other things. So, in their view -- I can "afford" Kamara and a salary of something like 7,000/week -- but they just won't let me offer that much to any one player. (I can, though, offer three different guys 3,000/week each)

So, I fear I'm stuck.

This has become perhaps my greatest frustration with the current iteration of CM. In my current career my EPL squad has become filthy rich, with over 130 million pounds in the bank and a wage budge of nearly 2 million per week, of which I'm currently using just 850k. Despite our excellent financial shape and profitability the board is limiting my maximum wage expenditure for "Key Players" to 18k per week, which just cost me two of my best players (lost to Bosman signings). What was even more frustrating is that these were players I'd really become attached to - they'd spent their entire careers on my team and I watched them develop into superstars. In addition, they had been making far more per week (~40k) on their last contract with me, so I'm even more astonished and agitated that the board so severely restricted what I could pay them.

Irksome.

Sorry to interrupt with my little diatribe.

[QuikSand]

April 2007

Paul Kamara has rejected Lincoln’s offer of a new contract.

I don’t see what we can do. Perhaps we’ll see another bump in the wage capacity as next season starts? That might be our best hope here. I make a tweak, but I don’t expect the new offer to stick, either.


At Wimbledon, we see our whipper-snapper lineup struggle a bit, and fall behind early. We let them get loose, and the Dons romp to an easy win at home. Wimbledon 3, Lincoln 1. Our lone score comes on an own goal – as we remain weak on the attack without our established stars in there.


Home to Grimsby, I have a couple more reliable attackers in – trying to spark at least a little offense down the stretch here. But our first goal comes from midfielder Martin Vesely, his first with us. Dean Roberts notches another in the first half, and we are in control. Lincoln 2, Grimsby 0. Not a bad effort, as all our youngsters acquitted themselves well. I’m very pleased with the early showing from Martin Vesely in particular – he might turn out to be a bigger deal than I gave him credit for initially.


At home to Wolverhampton, we miss on a couple early chances, but Gary Collins keeps us scoreless through the first half. Wolves get the lead early in the second half, though, and we need to get going. A couple more good possessions go flat after bad shots, and we end up struggling to a disappointing finish. Wolves 1, Lincoln 0. We didn’t play badly, but were just unable to get one across.

[QuikSand]

May 2007

Two more league matches left, and our mid-table position is pretty well secure. We are in 14th position right now, but we’re part of a giant mass of clubs stuck like this all season – we are two points out of 10th place, and four points ahead of 19th place.


We play at Hull, and get ahead early after Ben Cross’s corner kick sails past everyone, but Dean Roberts jumps on it, pivots, and drives it in. We concede two quick goals, though, to slip behind in the first half. They keep their 3-2 edge through the second half – much drama both ways, but no give. Hull 3, Lincoln 2.


And so we muddle our way to our season finale. I have most of the first team back in, just to try to restore continuity. I’m starting to see some of our veteran starters express concern about being on the sideline – a start to close things out might help a bit.

So, we play at home to Stoke, and slag through a dreary, scoreless first half. Stoke is putting up a defensive wall, perhaps seeking a draw on the road. Turns out, it works just fine – neither side breaks through, and we end the season on a ho-hum note. Lincoln 0, Stoke 0.


Bristol City manage to get the First Division title for the year, and will be promoted along with Middlesbrough and the playoff winner. Cardiff, Preston, and Coventry are relegated to the Second Division. We at Lincoln end up in 16th position – on the low end of the range I had been expecting recently.


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D.| Pts |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | C | Bristol City | | 46 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 44 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 33 | +28 | 84 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | P | Middlesbrough | | 46 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 47 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 30 | 39 | +24 | 83 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | Pl | Crewe | | 46 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 49 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 34 | 34 | +35 | 82 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | Pl | Sheff Wed | | 46 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 40 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 29 | 29 | +24 | 80 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | Pl | Leeds | | 46 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 50 | 33 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 25 | 47 | -5 | 70 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | Pl | Derby | | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 48 | 25 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 27 | 37 | +13 | 69 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Chesterfield | | 46 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 43 | 17 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 34 | +14 | 68 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | West Ham | | 46 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 45 | 26 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 39 | 0 | 65 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Birmingham | | 46 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 45 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 37 | 53 | +11 | 64 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th| | Gillingham | | 46 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 40 | 21 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 31 | 0 | 63 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th| | Tranmere | | 46 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 36 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 21 | 40 | -8 | 63 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th| | Wolves | | 46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 44 | 24 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 26 | +11 | 62 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th| | Norwich | | 46 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 30 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 14 | 35 | -8 | 61 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th| | Nottm Forest | | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 31 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 28 | 40 | -3 | 59 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th| | Grimsby | | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 38 | 27 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 34 | -4 | 58 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th| | Lincoln | | 46 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 33 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 36 | 54 | +1 | 57 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th| | Blackpool | | 46 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 24 | 45 | -12 | 57 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th| | Hull | | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 42 | 32 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 19 | 44 | -15 | 55 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th| | Q.P.R. | | 46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 38 | 33 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 24 | 36 | -7 | 54 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th| | Stoke | | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 35 | 21 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 27 | -6 | 53 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st| | Wimbledon | | 46 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 36 | 31 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 24 | 50 | -21 | 51 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd| R | Cardiff | | 46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 34 | 26 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 21 | 59 | -30 | 51 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd| R | Preston | | 46 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 33 | 29 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 37 | -17 | 48 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th| R | Coventry | | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 31 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 14 | 46 | -25 | 48 |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


I‘m not too thrilled with the eventual result – but at least we were never really in any danger of relegation. Plus, we have a few incoming players who will give us youth and options with the club for next season. We’ll just have to watch and see how things settle out with Paul Kamara and a few of our unsettled veterans.

Here’s the player performance summary for the 2006/07 season:


Keepers Age Wage Value Top Skills App Con Cln AvgR

James Magill 32 £950 £35K Throwing,OneonOnes,Pace,Punch,Eccen 19(1) 25 5 6.45
Gary Collins 19 £400 £60K Agility,Balance,Reflexes,Throwing 15 19 4 7.07
M. Charalambous 20 £220 £50K Aerial,Eccentricity,Handling,Decis 4(1) 7 1 5.80
Brian Hardy 19 £ 80 £28K Jumping,Acceleration,Punch,Aerial 7(1) 8 4 6.38
Jamie Green 16 £500 £35K Stamina,Eccentricity,Agility,Pace 8(2) 14 5 6.70

Defenders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Chris Rowe 25 £875 130K Influence,Determ,Heading,Jumping 41 2 4 3 7.15
James Carter 26 £425 £60K OffTheBal,Pace,Accel,Creativity 35(4) 0 5 1 7.18
Simon Platt 22 £240 140K WorkRate,Pace,Jumping,Acceleration 29 1 8 2 7.31
Michael Maher 28 £900 160K Decisions,Marking,Heading,Stamina 27(1) 1 0 0 6.86
Lee Marsh 25 £650 £70K Positioning,WorkRate,Bravery,Determ 19 0 1 0 6.68
Gary Doyle 28 1200 110K Tackling,Passing,Determ,WorkRate 14(2) 0 1 1 6.63
Paul Donaghy 23 £800 100K Creativity,Stamina,Tackling,SetPiec 14 0 0 1 6.93
Rogerio de Barros 24 £600 £85K Determ,Agility,Acceleration,Strength 10(5) 0 1 0 6.73
David Kay 22 £275 £55K Heading,Bravery,Jumping,Stamina 12 0 0 0 6.25
Martin O’Brien 20 £120 £35K Strength,Agility,Accel,Aggression 10 0 2 0 6.40
Gareth Ricketts 22 £110 £35K Teamwork,Workrate,Agility,Determ 5(5) 0 1 0 6.60

Midfielders Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Ben Cross 29 1500 725K Dribbling,SetPieces,Agility,Balance 42 3 17 4 7.64
Mario Dadic 33 1500 300K Flair,WorkRate,Stamina,SetPieces 43 5 12 2 7.40
Colin Bradshaw 19 £650 £85K Pace,Dribbling,Passing,Determ,WorkR 33(4) 2 1 0 6.97
Miguel Angel Lucena 21 1500 675K Passing,Stamina,Pace,Balance,Infl 26 4 1 0 6.81
Lee Connolly 23 1100 170K Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Tackling 17 1 1 0 7.06
Adam Howarth 20 1300 £85K Determination,LongShots,Marking 14(4) 2 2 1 6.89
Richard Vaughan 30 1400 £90K Technique,Bravery,Creative,WorkRate 11(3) 0 4 0 6.71
Brian Watkins 28 1100 160K Marking,Pace,Stamina,Strength,Aggr 4(18) 0 2 0 6.64
Stuart Thompson 25 1100 £90K Positioning,Pace,Stamina,Accel,Agil 3(2) 0 2 0 6.60
Martin Vesely 22 £275 £65K Teamwork,Workrate,Marking,Anticipat 5(1) 1 0 0 7.33
James Hay 19 £110 £28K Stamina,Agility,Determ,Dribbling,PK 4 0 1 0 7.50
Danny Morgan 21 1000 £70K Flair,Passing,SetPieces,Agility 3 0 0 0 6.67
John McGrath 21 £240 £35K Determ,Flair,SetPieces,Aggression 1(2) 0 0 0 6.67

Forwards Age Wage Value Top Skills App G A MoM AvgR

Paul Kamara 21 1500 2.2M OfftheBall,Creativity,Techn,Acceler 41 22 8 5 7.37
Dean Roberts 30 1100 120K Penalty,Workrate,Stamina,Strenght 36(2) 29 3 5 7.58
Paul Russell 27 £400 160K Penalties,Balance,Strength,Dribbling 15(4) 8 3 1 7.05
Dave Rose 29 £300 £60K Pace,Acceleration,LongShots,Flair 3(1) 1 0 0 6.50
Jamie Martin 25 £240 110K Flair,Pace,Jumping,Agility,WorkRate 5(1) 3 1 1 7.17
Matt Lewis 20 £100 Jumping,Determ,Finishing,Heading 3 0 0 0 5.67
Darren Hopkins 19 £150 £35K Finishing,Pace,Acceleration,Stamina


So, there are some good notes from this season. Dean Roberts really looked like a first class striker, exceeding our expectations. It looks like Gary Collins might be the keeper of the future we’ve been looking for. And perhaps we have some intriguing youngsters among the new acquisitions – guys like Vesely, Hay (a youth pull for us), Donaghy and de Barros all seem to have some potential.

On the down side – we’ve got Kamara’s form declining ever since we’ve been in contract talks and he’s been unhappy. We never got much from Miguel Angel Lucena, who was purported to be our next big thing. And we now have so many players in our midfield, that it will be practically impossible to keep them all happy.


Down the road in league play, it’s Derby unexpectedly gaining the final promotion spot through the playoffs – they will head on up to the Premiership for next season.

[QuikSand]

June 2007

The board remains delighted with my performance as manager – so I’ve no need to worry right away. Eventually, I’m sure they will elevate their expectations for us – but so far, I’m clearing the low bars easily.


It doesn’t look like my assistant manager Adam Moran is willing to re-sign for a wage that I can afford. I will have to be looking for some new staff, it seems. Moran is okay, not too special – so it’s possible that we can do better than him. Perhaps we finally have enough clout (and cash) to raid the staff of a lower club, rather than dig through the rubbish of the unemployed (many of whom still won’t even listen to my offers).


We receive £625,000 for our final position – a solid sum to tidy things up on the books, I’d say. Here’s our financial picture as we close the season:


16th in English First Division
General Finances

| | |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Transfer Budget (Season) | £518,647 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Transfer Budget (Remaining) | £277,310 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| % of transfer revenue made available | 75% |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sponsors | 4 year deal at £12.5K per season. Ends 2007 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Loans Outstanding | - |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


Wage Budget

| | |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Total Wage Budget | £37,500 p/w |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Current Wage Total | £29,221 p/w |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------|


We have a season-ending balance of some £4.2 million – enough to give us a meaningful cushion for more player spending, I hope, for next season. My top priority, of course, is to find a way to settle up with striker Paul Kamara.



The First Division Select team is announced – and Dean Roberts has earned a starting spot, while Paul Kamara is tabbed as a reserve. Very impressive for our first season at this level! Roberts had 23 goals – only two shy of the division leader. All four of our top stars – Roberts, Kamara, Dadic and Cross – were in the top 20 of first division average player ratings.

[RPI-Fan]

Just curious - what nationality is your manager in the game? If you're American, it's awfully hard to negotiate with the unemployed staff candidates.

[QuikSand]

Just curious - what nationality is your manager in the game? If you're American, it's awfully hard to negotiate with the unemployed staff candidates.

Wonderful. That's me, a Yank. Nice twist.

[daedalus]

Unless this part has changed in the new version, once your reputation rises, your nationality should become less of a problem. It just seems to rise slowly.

Heh. I like the Hattrick-influenced term "youth pull". Hopefully Lucena just needed time to adapt. Perhaps some room to experiment as to his final destination (position-wise)? If I recall correctly, you are able to offer players to teams in CM4. Perhaps that is a possibility with Kamara? If he isn't looking to re-up, perhaps he can be translated into other strikers.

[PilotMan]

I had a couple of questions for you Quick.

First, do you control the Reserve and U-19 squads or let the assistant do that?

What do you do about training, since you havn't really mentioned it?

Third, how many players do you keep on the senior squad, and do you move them back and forth from squad to squad, or let them sit more?

I am having a hard time trying to decide who and how many where with my own squad.

Thanks. Great read.

[QuikSand]

PilotMan, I have basically delegated the lower levels and training to my staff. I don't have any sense how much I lose by doing so -- but I'm comfortable in my own game just managinng the roster and taking care of personnel decisions, plus fiddling lightly with tactics.

I generally have about 30 players on the senior squad, and have maybe a total of six or eight who bounce up and down from reserves to the top level through the season.

Hope that helps. (I played a few more games with Lincoln recently - may have an update here soon)

[daedalus]

(I played a few more games with Lincoln recently - may have an update here soon)Yay! :D

[QuikSand]

July 2007


We pick up a Bosman transfer in, striker Christian Blanc. He has played a bit for the French national team, and seems very talented. At 30 years old, he ought to have plenty of good football in him – I think this is a good signing.

We also bring aboard 32 year old fullback Nick Bullock – who is here to help stabilize our center defense. Actually, that’s been okay for us – but the big Aussie Bullock should become a leader there, and he will be a smooth operator for our interior wall. He’s not that fast – we’ll keep an eye on his ability to stay with his man.


I get an offer for defender Gary Doyle, which I accept quickly. He has never panned out like we had hoped, and picking up some cash for him will help doubly. We’re under some pressure with the wage budget this year – so moves like this might be more important than before. Watford pays £55,000 – and it’s a done deal.


David Gray comes aboard as our new Assistant Manager. I believe he is a step up from Adam Moran, and will give me a shade better advice from time to time. I like the move.


We have our now-traditional early-season friendly with Lincoln United, giving them a chance to play at Sincil Bank. I’m trying to use this as an early-season confidence booster for some of our borderline players. I’m also seeing players like Christian Blanc for the first time. We get a predictable walkover, but get what we want from the affair, with a 5-0 win and a nice goal in the open field from Blanc.

[QuikSand]

Not much there, I realize - but we've started the season in earnest, and I'll try to keep it going. I haven't forgotten - but have just gotten busy with other things.

[thealmighty]

Other things??? :eek: :confused: :eek:

C'mon QS, where are your priorities? ;)

[QuikSand]

The last couple of tims I have fired up CM 03/04, I have been really put off by the long delays between actions. It seems that the game has really slowed down on me -- I'm frequently waiting two or thre minutes between game days, which really gets annoying.

It's possible that it's just something I overlooked back when I was really immersed... but it sure seems a lot worse noe, and is hindering my ability to get re-immersed here.

Anyone else have this happen -- seven or eight years into a career, things start to slow down even worse than before?



Regardless, another update coming shortly... just one month's worth is all I could do last night.

[QuikSand]

August 2007

The Lincoln board are very pleased with your performance.

Expectations are that we will fight against relegation – so that’s really where the bar has been placed. I’m hoping to exceed that and perhaps even compete… but I think we certainly ought to be able to get enough wins to stave off a drop in level.


We bring in 16 year old midfielder Roberto Lazzarini – he will play on a cheap contract for us, starting out with our U19 club. My hope is that he develops well, and can come up and become a reserve behind Ben Cross. He seems like a solid and promising player – and my scouts liked him a lot.


We have a number of players on contracts ending after this season – and will have a lot of work to do in that regard. Included in that is a number of decisions – where to re-up and where to cut bait. And, of course, looming in the background is the situation with striker Paul Kamara, who wants a new deal but is apparently priced out of our wage range. So, it looks like we’ll be losing my favorite player at some point.


We are posted at 50-1 in the opening promotion odds – so the forecast is for a “long, hard, and ultimately disappointing season.” Nice. The early pundits’ picks are Sheff Wed, WBA, and Leeds, followed by Fulham, Sheff Utd, and Crewe. We’ll be watching for them all.


We start off our season at home to Leeds. At 73 minutes, tied at 1-1, we get a wonderful goal as Kamara sends it up to Christian Blanc, who finishes it with emphasis. Kamara drives for another goal later on his own, giving him two for the match and locking up the MOM honors. Lincoln 3, Leeds 1. Good start against a highly regarded foe, but we have to remember last season – where we were solid at home, but couldn’t buy a win on the road. Once we start notching points on the road, I’ll take this more seriously.


I’ve got a B team in for our opener in the League Cup, against D3 Mansfield. We give up a goal at 3 minutes – not much of a start, really. And that’s all there is – 90 minutes later the final whistle blows, and we are out of the league cup – quickly. Mansfield 1, Lincoln 0 – Lincoln eliminated.


We’re back home to Norwich, and looking for another good showing. This is another quiet one, and we head into injury time with an empty scoreboard. Christian Blanc gets a great chance when he intercepts a crossing pass, but his drive hits the side post and goes into the netting – and our last good chance goes begging. Lincoln 0, Norwich 0.


Now we head to Wolverhapton, and face Wolves. We’re scoreless trough the first half, but Wolves get it through at 71 minutes to take the lead. And in keeping with the late trend, that’s it. Wolves 1, Lincoln 0. On the road, against any foe, we’re in trouble – situation normal.


Again on the road, we head to face Crewe Alexandra. They score off a free kick at 33 minutes, and we are again behind the eight ball. At 80 minutes, they seal the deal with another goal – and of course our inept offense cannot hope to score one, much less two goals in the final minutes. Crewe 2, Lincoln 0.

[Fonzie]

Glad to see this dynasty is back!

But to answer your question: no, I've not had similar slowdowns.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Quiksand - I had glanced at this thread before, but never really read closely until today. A few questions if I may (some/most/all of which have probably been answered in other CM threads, but I really haven't followed those very much since originally dismissing the game as "not for me this time around")

-- I'm sitting here with WinMe, 850mhz PIII, 128 MB Ram: Is that going to fit the needs for running something similar to what you're doing with this dynasty? (I know lower end machines = running fairly shallow in the foreground & background)

-- Under similar setup (fictional players, starting in D3 & trying to move up): Who would you recommend as an alternate club for a similar challenge? I'm looking for a team that's roughly in the same circumstances financially, talent, etc.

-- In the Oct 2004 summary, you mention "top morale guys getting the call as needed.": I'm getting the distinct impression that morale is bigger influence on performance than I recall from previous CM's. Is that a fair statement? And if reasonably so, what sort of impact are we talking about here in terms of playing "lesser" players over "greater" players due to morale differences? In other words, I'm asking whether I should sit an above average reserve for an apparently below avg reserve based on a large difference in morale? Or is morale more a case of "determining between otherwise equals"?

Crap, I have several other questions, but I'm being pulled away from the computer at the moment. And I'd rather post these now instead of having to start over later.

Sorry to stick you with so many questions (and anybody else should free feel to chime in as they see fit) but basically it's this dynasty has me wondering if maybe I ought to pick up 03/04 after all, so I figure I'll just lump my questions together here (since it's pretty much your fault ;) )

[QuikSand]

-- I'm sitting here with WinMe, 850mhz PIII, 128 MB Ram: Is that going to fit the needs for running something similar to what you're doing with this dynasty? (I know lower end machines = running fairly shallow in the foreground & background)

-- Under similar setup (fictional players, starting in D3 & trying to move up): Who would you recommend as an alternate club for a similar challenge? I'm looking for a team that's roughly in the same circumstances financially, talent, etc.

-- In the Oct 2004 summary, you mention "top morale guys getting the call as needed.": I'm getting the distinct impression that morale is bigger influence on performance than I recall from previous CM's. Is that a fair statement? And if reasonably so, what sort of impact are we talking about here in terms of playing "lesser" players over "greater" players due to morale differences? In other words, I'm asking whether I should sit an above average reserve for an apparently below avg reserve based on a large difference in morale? Or is morale more a case of "determining between otherwise equals"?

I'll try my best - but I don't knwo that I have the depth to respond well.

--It sounds to me like your computer can handle CM 03/04 if you are modest in your league selection. The game does seem a shade slower than the last version I played a lot(00/01) but it's tolerable. Even with the extra slowness I'm facing lately, I can getby (with another aplication running to kill a couple minutes at a time).

--I have no idea about other clubs... I picked Lincoln more or less at random, and know nothing about whether they are a well-suited team to advance. I know that I really struggle with this tiny stadium even after advancing - I have to imagine that this would be the case with most clubs, though. So, I'm basically no help there.

--I am depending on morale an awful lot in this career - but I can't really say whether it's becasue the game has changd or because I have changed the way I play it. I'm having pretty good success trying to ride morale -- and am frequently sitting down high quality players in place of high-morale reserve-caliber players. I figure I want to get the lesser players ome time anyway, why not try to do it when they have their best chance of succeeding. my top stars generally start anyway - but on my current team that's usually only about 3-5 starting slots, the rest are up for grabs. Anyone who is good enough to be on the team shoudl be good enough to play a match or two in case of injury - and the same guy shoudl get the occasional call when he's in good spirits and the starter isn't... at least that's how I've been managing, largely.



Hope that helps, at least a little. Maybe you'll get some better answers from the other readers... of float something in the main forum, perhaps.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Hope that helps, at least a little. Maybe you'll get some better answers from the other readers... of float something in the main forum, perhaps.
It does help actually.

It seems to me that the way you're approaching this dynasty is the way I might need to approach CM 03/04 -- keep it fairly simple, use fictional players, don't make it into an all-consuming search for accuracy & realism. In other words, treat it like a game, not like the game.

I guess it struck me, while reading this dynasty, that I'd be having fun if I were running the same project pretty much the same way ... and that isn't how most dynasties/campaigns strike me (even if I enjoy reading some of them).

Thx,
Jon

[3ric]

I'm in 2014 with a fictional game, six leagues, and am not experiencing slowdowns other than the usual early season logjam.

[daedalus]

QS . . . Glad to have this dynasty back on track.

Jon . . . You may want to up your RAM total to add some performance boost. Of course, there's always starting out with low RAM then adding some and the illusion from the improvement could make it feel fast! :D

[QuikSand]

Trouble with this dynasty right now is that the nature of CM is to move pretty slowly... and after playing all this multi-player FOF has me itchcing for a sports sim experience that I can just whip through at my own quick pace, rack up lots of seasons quickly, that sort of thing. CM isn't a good fit for that urge.

I might go back and pick up my solo FOF 2004 career... or else finally play OOTP 6 (that shoudl take me all of about three real-life days to become completely exasperated, if my previous OOTP play is a guide).

[Buccaneer]

I'm told to wait for the 6.03 patch next week, as I decided to do before I start my career in OOTP.

[QuikSand]

Just wandered back into this game recently... what a great sim this is.

[QuikSand]

September 2007

We start the month at home to Doncaster, and in need of a good effort. We end our goal-less dry spell early when Kamara sends a ball forward for Blanc, who sends it in for the early lead. Blanc finishes another to give us a 2-0 halftime lead, and we are in firm control of the match, for once. Doncaster scores at 56 minutes, and our firm control is loosened, but that’s as close as they get, and Kamara slams it shut with a late topper. Lincoln 3, Doncaster 1. As always, home and away are just two different stories.


A remarkably talented young player, who has been playing in Argentina, has been released from his contract. I put in an offer, but have basically no hope of landing him. I expect the big buys will be hunting for the services of Dean Miller, a promising 20 year old defender/midfielder. Sure enough, the suitors come running – Bayern Munchen, Juventus, Man City, Arsenal, and so forth. Eventually, it’s Man Utd who land the big fish – to nobody’s surprise, really.


Now we head to Nottingham Forest, for another road match. Can we show up and look good here? Alas, no. Down 1-0, we have one chance late when Ben Cross sends a zinging free kick goalbound, but just misses and picks up the side net instead. Nottm Forest 1, Lincoln 0. Not an awful showing, but a loss nonetheless.


Home to Grimsby Town, we are inn lousy spirits, and I fear we might not even have a good home effort in us. Mario Dadic goes out injured in the first half – more bad news. We get ahead on a fabulous header from Chris Rowe, off a long free kick from newly healthy Martin Vesely. Kamara zips in a second half goal to give us a good edge, and we take the needed win. Lincoln 2, Grimsby 0.

Dadic’s injury will keep him out for a couple of weeks, so we expect to be seeing a lot of Martin Vesely on the left wing. I’m optimistic that we have found a pretty solid player in Vesely – so far, so good.


After a disappointing stint with our club, midfielder Miguel Angel Lucena has requested a transfer. I oblige, and put him onto the list. I was very hopeful that he would be an impact player for us – but after a full season and change, he’s fallen far short of those expectations. I hope to get some cash for him – he remains a very intriguing prospect, by his scout ratings.


We have young Roberto Lazzarini in alongside Paul Kamara for his first senior squad match, on the road at Birmingham. We get lots of early pressure, and score on a weird play – Paul Kamara ends up behind the attack, but sends the ball forward for Vesely, who feeds defender Rogerio de Barros for the goal – his first of the year. We make the one goal lead stand up, and get a solid and rare road victory. Lincoln 1, Birmingham 0. Lazzarini is awarded the MOM honors – a nice bounty for the young and promising player.


We are at Fulham next, and I have most of the same lineup in there, trying to capitalize on a good wave of morale. Fulham are in 3rd on the league table – so this is a daunting task to face them at their place. In the first half, there is some pressure each way, but no scoring until 35 minutes, when a deflected ball gets past Gary Collins for the Fulham lead. At 71, they make it 2-0, and it looks over. Fulham 2, Lincoln 0.

[QuikSand]

October 2007

Lincoln City’s Gary Collins has won the English First Division Young Player of the Month award.

The 19 year old goalkeeper has really demonstrated to everyone what a capable player he is over the last few weeks.

Nice praise – reaffirming what I believe. I think we have found our long term solution at the keeper position, after a few seasons of twisting in the wind a bit.


Here is the league table at this point:


| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1st | | Sheff Wed | | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 4 | +16 | 21 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2nd | | Fulham | | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 18 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3rd | | Birmingham | | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 6 | +12 | 17 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 4th | | Stoke | | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 17 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5th | | Bradford City | | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 16 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 6th | | Crewe | | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 15 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 7th | | Wolves | | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 15 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8th | | Ipswich | | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 15 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9th | | Gillingham | | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 13 | +2 | 13 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 10th | | Lincoln | | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 13 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 11th | | Q.P.R. | | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 11 | -2 | 13 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 12th | | Chesterfield | | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 12 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13th | | Norwich | | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 12 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 14th | | Hull | | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 12 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 15th | | Grimsby | | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 11 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 16th | | Sheff Utd | | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 10 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 17th | | West Ham | | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 10 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 18th | | W.B.A. | | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 9 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 19th | | Tranmere | | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 9 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 20th | | Nottm Forest | | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 17 | -9 | 9 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 21st | | Blackpool | | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 8 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 22nd | | Doncaster | | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 17 | -8 | 6 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 23rd | | Leeds | | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 18 | -11 | 5 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 24th | | Wimbledon | | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 24 | -19 | 3 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|



Once, again, we are right in the middle of a giant group that is not really in contention for a promotion slot, but not really in jeopardy of relegation either. I’d like to sneak out a few extra wins along the way, and perhaps contend for a playoff position, at least – and the key seems to be getting points while on the road.


We have allowed midfielder Stuart Thomson to go to Cheltenham on a loan – he’s not getting any time with our club, and I’m happy to have then pick up his salary.


Now we’re back home at Sincil Bank, facing Sheffield United. They are not off to a great start, but are a well-regarded side. Lee Connolly starts us off with a rocket long shot into the pipes for the lead at 10 minutes. They pull level at 48 minutes, and it’s a new game. Ben Cross, though, sends in his patented free kick goal to give us the edge again, and we won’t let it get away this time. Lincoln 2, Sheff Utd 1. Great effort, a wonderful match.


We’re a little weary as we have a make-up match against Stoke, at home. Their tactic on defense seems to be to smother and crush Paul Kamara – not a bat strategy against us, really. We are roundly outplayed through a scoreless first half, but Kamara finally gets us ahead with a nice goal in the early second half. They tie us up, but Dean Roberts scores off a Ben Cross corner kick, and we secure the 2-1 win. Lincoln 2, Stoke 1.


Chris Rowe, our solid central defender, has been injured – we’ll probably give a long look at veteran Nick Bullock. His first few matches with us didn’t set the world on fire, but he looks like he can fit well within our system, so we’ll take a better look now that the space is pretty free.


At Bradford City, we have a few new faces in the lineup. After a largely quiet affair, we see back-to-back goals at the 90 minute mark, which leaves us in a deadlock. Lincoln 1, Bradford 1. We’ll take the point, but could have taken the win here without one sloppy play.


We head back home, to face West Bromwich Albion – and a rare tally from “Mister Vanilla” Colin Bradshaw gives us an immediate edge. At 62 minutes, sub Martin Vesely (in for a tired Ben Cross) makes an unbelievable play, picking off the ball from his man, driving toward the goal through traffic, and then sizzling a shot through the keeper – complete individual achievement. He still makes some mistakes, but this guy has real potential. Lincoln 2, W.B.A. 0.


At Ipswich, we get a nice early goal when Lee Marsh sets up Christian Blanc for an easy putaway. Paul Kamara made the nice forward pass to give Marsh (a defender) great position on the left wing – a nice play all around. Another later goal from Blanc gives us a 2-0 edge, and MOM Gary Collins makes a few nice saves to keep it that way. Lincoln 2, Ipswich 0. Always good to get a win on the road – they don’t come easily.

[condors]

great to see this getting updated again!

[RPI-Fan]

Great dynasty and glad to see it updated!!

Having not played 03-04 and 'suffered' through some of CM4's shortcomings, I absolutely cannot wait to see what SI puts out with FM2005.

A more functional transfer market, and more goals from non-strikers will about seal this game as the best game ever, I think.

(FWIW, for anyone wondering about the transfer market in CM4, it stinks. I had a player, Jon Palmer, 28 years old - in his prime - who was averaging essentially a goal and an assist <b>per game</b>. Understandibly, he wanted a huge contract. Knowing I'd struggle to find the money, I listed him on the market a year and a half before his contract ended. He got not one bite - this is a player who single-handedly took us to the 3rd Division from the Conference, and then the 2nd Division, and could probably dominate 1st Division play if not the Premier League. I should have been constantly hounded by bigger clubs for this guy, yet even when offered to other teams NOBODY showed a sniff of interest.)

QuikSand: Just curious - do you find the transfer market fairly 'normal' in 03-04? Any cases like the one I described above?

Thanks!!
~rpi-fan

[QuikSand]

Two things:

1 - I don't really know whather I'm back into this career for real, of if thisw is just a flirtation. I reserve the right to walk away again if I want to... but I'm thinking of playing through some more today, for what that's worth.

2 - I'm honestly not the best judge of game mechanics, I fear. RPI-Fan, my answer to your question about the game's transfer market is that it seems pretty robust to me -- but all my experience is basically what I've written here. My best young player, Paul Kamara, is getting lots of interest and is turning down all my contract offers -- I presume that he'll eentually get bought out or will walk away. But I don't have a really clear sense of whether this is a little better, a lot better, or the same as in previous versions. I basically played one long career in CM 00/01, one short career in CM4 (ugh) and this one -- so my experience is very limited.


Hope you have enjoyed... and if we continue from here, hope you stick around.

[Bee]

I found the transfer market in CM03/04 to be better than CM4, but still kind of tight. I have no idea how that compares to real life though. I just found it odd that some players that could start for lower division clubs and were being offered for $0, still didn't get picked up (even if their salaries were reasonable). Of course, on the other hand I've had some players that got way too much attention to the point of my having to issue "hands off" comments.

[RPI-Fan]

I just found it odd that some players that could start for lower division clubs and were being offered for $0, still didn't get picked up (even if their salaries were reasonable).

Cool - this was pretty much exactly the scenario I was wondering about. Basically means I'm not going to go buy CM03-04 for a couple months while waiting for FM2005. Here's hoping this kind of (small) issue is fixed in FM2005!!

[QuikSand]

November 2007

Deleted, on account of yet another game crash.

Starting to remember why I stopped playing this fucker in the first place. It has gotten painfully slow, and the craches seem to coem from time to time. Since backing up takes 5 minutes or so, I don't do it as much as I should... and today I lost 2-3 hours of progress. *sigh*