[Izulde]

Oh how cool. The fans have created a special chant just for Gianluca Gracco, and he's being idolized.

Shane Fagan is upset about not getting regular first team experience. Sorry kid, but you're playing behind Max Crocombe. What do you expect?

I offer to loan him out but he says he wants to be moved permanently. I tell him we should discuss it another time and he gets pissed off and says he's mad.

Whatever.

@Braintree (18th
GK Max Crocombe
DL Leon Clowes
DC Tom Sharpe
DC Sergio Sanchez
DR Samuel Bangura
DM Taylor Parmenter
DM Seanan Clucas
ML Claudiu Hoban
MR Courtney Harris
ST Gianluca Gracco
ST Lewis Taaffe

Oh now this is interesting. According to my coaching staff, Samuel Bangura has surpassed Izak Reid as our top DR player. He's also now tied with Leon Clowes for our 2nd best DL, who I'm switching back to DL because the gap between him and Sharpe at DL is less than the DC gap between the two.

Reid's been complaining about his heavy workload in training and he's decreased due to also having been trained at DR most of the year on the recommendation of the staff. I honestly don't think he's going to hang around here once his contract runs out - he's very much a backup now. Even when he was a starter, he was prone to bouts of inconsistency, and in danger of losing his spot to lesser players like what happened to Yeoman, who is still considered my top striker by far.

Weird first half. Only one highlight and it was for them. On the other hand, Gracco and Parmenter both pick up yellows, and Hoban and Taaffe are hurt. In come Max Noble back from injury to MR, Harris switching to the left side, and Guedioura in for our striker.

We should be dominating this team, so I firmly tell them they've been playing like crap, and by the ratings, they have been.

63 - Seriously? Now Gracco is hurt. But he'll play on.

75 - Going to burn my third sub with Wickham for Parmenter. This has been an ugly game.

Great job defensively, but we just lacked that killer instinct in front of goal. Our play did improve quite a bit in the second half and we had a few chances, so I'm not going to be too hard on them.

Taylor Parmenter impresses in training, and he's one guy I forgot to sign to a two year deal who I really wanted to lock up, but the board is blocking me from meeting his salary demands. With a little negotiation though, I'm able to get him to consider a contract extension.

I also work on locking up my staff that's under contract to keep them for another year. Why fix what isn't broken?

@Stockport (21st)
GK Max Crocombe
DL Leon Clowes
DC Tom Sharpe
DC Sergio Sanchez
DR Samuel Bangura
DM Taylor Parmenter
DM Seanan Clucas
ML Callum McNish
MR Courtney Harris
ST Gianluca Gracco
ST Lewis Taaffe

0 - I think it's a testament to how much Crocombe has improved that he made the right decision in coming out and snagging the ball out of the air in a dangerous situation. Before, he would have mistimed coming out and allowed the goal.

11 - Beautiful 25 yard strike on a free kick by Taaffe that overpowered the goalie! 1-0

30something - They made an awesome move of passes that completely hoodwinked our backline, but Crocombe makes a dynamite save on what I think again would have been a surrendered goal earlier in the year, and Sharpe gets rid of it.

Literally 5 seconds before the half ends, McNish is slapped with a yellow. Cheap shit if you ask me. We could be up by more than this, so let's keep it going folks.

46 - Booming kick by Crocombe and it's no challenge at all for Gracco to beat his opponent and charge ahead for the one on one with the keeper. This isn't a flub shot - just pure perfection and the sweet string music of a doubled lead. 2-0

51 - Yellow for Bangura

57 - Woodford on for Clowes

71 - Tiptop send from Sharpe to Gracco, but the open angled shot just nicks the post and out.

75 - Textbook pass by Clucas to Harris on a run and gun, and our right midfielder gets a very lucky bounce in on the post for the clincher. 3-0

8.0 for Crocombe, 7.6 for Bangura, 7.9 for Sanchez, 8.1 for Harris, 7.9 for Taaffe and 8.8 for our Player of the Match, Gianluca Gracco.

30 games in the books, 16 more to go. We're in 2nd place with 61 points, a mere point behind Forest Green for the lead.

Good trains
Max Crocombe
Ashley Yeoman
Sergio Sanchez

Bad Trains
Elvis Hammond

Gianluca Gracco wins BS Premier Player of the Month and I win Manager of the Month

We lost $34k last month, but the board still loves me, even if Eddie Nisevic is still on their hearts and minds. Nevermind that we've three players who are equal to or better than him.

Samuel Bangura signs a new contract that tears up his $2,200 deal and has him making $14.75k instead, a massive raise, but one he's frankly earned.

@Boreham Wood (11th)
GK Max Crocombe
DL Leon Clowes
DC Stevland Angus
DC Samuel Bangura
DR Izak Reid
DM Ryan Woodford
DM Aaron Wickham
ML Claudiu Hoban
MR Courtney Harris
ST Nabil Guedioura
ST Ashley Yeoman

Because everyone's tired, we've got a B-list lineup operating for the most part today. Could spell trouble.

7 - Yeoman came determined to play, slicing a beautiful pass by Guedioura, who does his best bang-in Gracco impersonation for the early lead. 1-0

40 - Yeoman gets knocked but he'll play out the half.

42 - I thought Crocombe had the ball when he pounced for it, but the attacker faked him out and literally dribbled it in. First terrible mistake I've seen from our Kiwi keeper in ages. 1-1

Uh, let's see.. 5.8, 5.9, 6.1 and you want to say we're playing well, Assman? Hell to the nawh, Shawty. Hammond comes on for Yeoman. So in my talking to players individually, I restored Guedioura's confidence but pissed off Wickham. Weird.

51 - Not going well here. 1-2

85 - Ridiculous. 1-3

So we lose Ashley Yeoman for 4 weeks and Ryan Woodford for 6-7 weeks. Better them than our starters. We also drop to 3rd, but are 2 points back. Getting to be a crowded field in the 1-4 spots - just 3 points separate those places. 5th is further back with 57 to 60 in 4th (Ironically that 5th spot is held by Portsmouth) and 6th is another 3 back with 54.

With 15 games left, anything can happen. Except our getting relegated. While it's mathematically still possible for us to drop as far as 22nd, we have no ability to crash all the way to 23rd or 24th, and even if we suddenly go on a cold streak, this will be considered a successful season.