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Greyfriars Bobby · 07-25-2018, 12:56 PM

25 December 2016

Dang, this is a lot of fun. I was expecting us to struggle in our first season in the Conference South. We do have trouble with the better sides in the league, especially away from home. However, we've been feasting on the rest of the teams and, as a result, we're in better shape than we've been at mid-season since 2014.

I've learned to make better use of the scouting reports Lee Sparkes gives me. Against tough opponents, away from home, I use the Counter mentality. At home, I use Standard. If their forwards don't have a lot of pace, I add the Push Higher Up instruction. Otherwise, I don't; I learned my lesson after some quick strikers got behind my defense and scored easy goals.

I also think we are benefiting from the fact we have a core of players who have stayed together for a while now. I've resisted the temptation to bring busloads of new men in each year.

Chris Beesley, Matty York, Matt Osman, Jonathan Booth, and Paul Douglas have been fixtures in the first team since 2013. Mick Hart graduated from our youth program that first spring. That means over half of my preferred first eleven have been with us almost from the beginning. Ashley Lane, who has evolved into a reserve, is also an original Alfredian.

Roy Porter and Max Westlake joined the team in 2014, and Tom Wilkinson came up from the youth ranks in spring '15. Dominic Hutchinson signed with us last season, and Malte Seidel replaced three-year starter Richard Ahern this year. At most, the team is adjusting to only one or two new players each season. I think that stability has made a difference, and it's something new for me; I tend to start bringing in too many new players when my team starts to struggle.

I've also realized the value of finding players with the right attributes for the roles I want them to play, rather than fixating on their star ratings. That has the added bonus of enabling me to find some bargains. Our wage bill is well under control, because I'm not paying premium wages to "five star" players when a "two star" lad can do the job I want done just as well.

We're out of all the knockout competitions, after our loss to Havant & Waterlooville in the FA Trophy. The board is fine with the progress we made.

Our scoring is much better balanced this season. Hart leads the team, as usual; even after missing a month with a bad leg, he has nine in all comps. But John Nash (7), Paul Douglas (6), and Tom Wilkinson (6) are right behind Mick, and Matt Osman (4) and Malte Seidel (4) are pitching in, too.

Seidel's long throw ability gives us a really cool new weapon. Malte can easily hurl the ball from the touch line into the penalty area. Once, when his delivery went untouched, the ball CLEARED the box in the air, finally hit the ground on the far side, and went into touch on the opposite side of the pitch. Novelty value aside, we've scored several times as a result of his ability to put us in a dangerous position from a throw.

We're in a big enough league that our players are eligible for monthly honors. November was a good month for our boys, wasn't it?

The gaffer had a good month, too.

A couple weeks ago, I noticed that old Alfredian Ryan Ryder had learned enough about evaluating talent to make a decent scout. I had an opening on my staff, so I signed him. It's good to have a familiar face in my backroom staff.

Here's how our end of the table looks:

Happy Christmas from the Alfredians!

07-25-2018, 12:56 PM	#31
Greyfriars Bobby College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2013	25 December 2016 Dang, this is a lot of fun. I was expecting us to struggle in our first season in the Conference South. We do have trouble with the better sides in the league, especially away from home. However, we've been feasting on the rest of the teams and, as a result, we're in better shape than we've been at mid-season since 2014. I've learned to make better use of the scouting reports Lee Sparkes gives me. Against tough opponents, away from home, I use the Counter mentality. At home, I use Standard. If their forwards don't have a lot of pace, I add the Push Higher Up instruction. Otherwise, I don't; I learned my lesson after some quick strikers got behind my defense and scored easy goals. I also think we are benefiting from the fact we have a core of players who have stayed together for a while now. I've resisted the temptation to bring busloads of new men in each year. Chris Beesley, Matty York, Matt Osman, Jonathan Booth, and Paul Douglas have been fixtures in the first team since 2013. Mick Hart graduated from our youth program that first spring. That means over half of my preferred first eleven have been with us almost from the beginning. Ashley Lane, who has evolved into a reserve, is also an original Alfredian. Roy Porter and Max Westlake joined the team in 2014, and Tom Wilkinson came up from the youth ranks in spring '15. Dominic Hutchinson signed with us last season, and Malte Seidel replaced three-year starter Richard Ahern this year. At most, the team is adjusting to only one or two new players each season. I think that stability has made a difference, and it's something new for me; I tend to start bringing in too many new players when my team starts to struggle. I've also realized the value of finding players with the right attributes for the roles I want them to play, rather than fixating on their star ratings. That has the added bonus of enabling me to find some bargains. Our wage bill is well under control, because I'm not paying premium wages to "five star" players when a "two star" lad can do the job I want done just as well. We're out of all the knockout competitions, after our loss to Havant & Waterlooville in the FA Trophy. The board is fine with the progress we made. Our scoring is much better balanced this season. Hart leads the team, as usual; even after missing a month with a bad leg, he has nine in all comps. But John Nash (7), Paul Douglas (6), and Tom Wilkinson (6) are right behind Mick, and Matt Osman (4) and Malte Seidel (4) are pitching in, too. Seidel's long throw ability gives us a really cool new weapon. Malte can easily hurl the ball from the touch line into the penalty area. Once, when his delivery went untouched, the ball CLEARED the box in the air, finally hit the ground on the far side, and went into touch on the opposite side of the pitch. Novelty value aside, we've scored several times as a result of his ability to put us in a dangerous position from a throw. We're in a big enough league that our players are eligible for monthly honors. November was a good month for our boys, wasn't it? The gaffer had a good month, too. A couple weeks ago, I noticed that old Alfredian Ryan Ryder had learned enough about evaluating talent to make a decent scout. I had an opening on my staff, so I signed him. It's good to have a familiar face in my backroom staff. Here's how our end of the table looks: Happy Christmas from the Alfredians!