Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - FM19 - From Volunteer to the Premier League (Queen's Park/Morecambe/Middlesbrough)

NoSkillz · 01-19-2020, 07:34 PM

2020-21 Morecambe FC Recap and Statistics

2020-21 Morecambe FC Best Eleven

GK - Rory Watson - 17 apps 0g 7.00 avg
DL - Bailey Owen - 41 apps 2g 7.13 avg
DC - Stefan O'Connor - 29 apps 3g 7.18 avg
DC - Sam Lavelle - 45 apps 2g 7.02 avg
DR - Corey Whelan - 39 apps 6g 7.25 avg
DM - Matt Dolan - 22 apps 7g 7.53 avg
MC - DJ Buffonge - 39 apps 12g 7.26 avg
MC - Andrew Tutte - 47 apps 11g 7.29 avg
AML - Carlos Mendes Gomes - 45 apps 13g 7.02 avg
AMR - Harvey Neville - 33 apps 10g 7.13 avg
ST - Jahmal Hector-Ingram - 46 apps 21g 7.13 avg

Other notables: GK Lewis Thomas 12 apps 0g 6.99; DL James Morris 21 apps 0g 7.13; DC Samuel Nsumbu 16 apps 0g 6.93; MC Lewis O'Brien 32 apps 7g 7.15; AMC A-Jay Leitch-Smith 12 apps 0g 6.72; AMR Jordan Cox 24 apps 7g 7.20; AMC Thierno Ballo 30 apps 2g 6.90

Morecambe FC Fans Player of the Year: Andrew Tutte

- The stats shown above take into account all competitions with our senior team and include everyone who played at least one game for the big club this past season.
- Asterisk (*) means player did not finish season with club

Goalkeeping

-- Six different keepers played at least one game for our senior team this year, showcasing the issues we had in the first half of the season. We brought young Jonathan De Bie in on loan feeling he could lead the way but after a solid first month, he started to battle his confidence and continually let in bad goals. He was being outplayed by U18 keeper Lewis Thomas so we needed to make some moves in January to solidify the position, bringing in Rory Watson and Conor Mitchell. Watson took the starting job and ran with it, putting in a number of great performances and making the position his own. We should be in solid shape moving forward with Watson.

Defence

-- Our top fullback was Liverpool loanee Corey Whelan, who brought leadership, grit and talent to our back four. He also contributed 6 goals and added 7 assists, wonderful returns from a fullback. On the other side, the main man was natural inverted fullback Bailey Owen, who added two goals and seven assists on his own. January signing Jordan Gabriel performed very well upon his introduction to the team and will get the chance for a larger role next season. Young James Morris provided able backup for Owen on the left side.

-- Our top central defender is Sam Lavelle and he was just okay this year. He handed in a transfer request early in the season but could not come to terms with Crystal Palace in January and stayed with our team the whole year. He's got great intangibles and was very professional the whole season but didn't dominate the way I thought he would based on his talent. We are on very good terms at the moment but he still is looking to be moved in July. Stefan O'Connor was strong alongside Lavelle and January signing Gabriel Osho looked great as well and could be in line for more action should we move Lavelle. On loan defender Luke Woolfenden was average when called upon but I did like the look young Samuel Nsumbu gave us when used.

Central Midfield

-- We made a mid-season formation change to include a defensive midfielder, one that paid dividends right off the bat and likely contributed to our in-season renaissance. Captain Alex Kenyon was a solid leader off the pitch but wasn't very good on it - his contract is expiring and I will not be retaining his services going forward. However, January signing Matt Dolan was a revelation - his physical attributes are average at best but he brings great professionalism, leadership and technical ability to the club. He was a force on set-pieces, scoring about five of his seven goals from dead ball situations and really locked things down in a holding role.

-- In central defense, we were led capably by our supporters player of the year, Andrew Tutte. He's a very versatile player, equally adept at playing many roles and fit in well in our box-to-box role especially. The second half of the season belonged to Manchester United loanee DJ Buffonge - we couldn't find a spot for him early in the season but moving to three central mids allowed us to let him blossom in a Mezzala role. He was also clinical from dead ball situations and was a main component to our attacking style. Lewis O'Brien, on loan from Huddersfield, also played excellent football and was a common starter in the second half of the season.

-- Summer signing Thierno Ballo was perhaps our most intriguing addition but he was a victim of our formation change in December. Honestly, despite his immense talent, he wasn't making much of an impact offensively in a key role and his usage diminished greatly as the season progressed.

Forwards

-- We got impressive performances from our wingers this year. On the left side, incumbent Carlos Mendes Gomes notched 13 goals and added 9 assists while young Harvey Neville added 10 goals and 6 assists in essentially half a season, as he took the AMR starting role in December from on loan Kyle McAllister, who was largely ineffective and injury prone. Another loanee, Jordan Cox, proved more capable and we also got some late season help from Tyreke Johnson, another loanee.

-- Up front, we were led by young West Ham striker Jahmal Hector-Ingram, who led our team with 21 goals while adding 7 assists in 46 appearances. He was superb. No one else really made their mark at striker, although young Harvey Knibbs has some decent potential.

Year-End Financials

Our finances were in rough shape when I came to the club, with a bank balance well into the negatives, no transfer budget and the lowest wage budget in the league by far.

Through some effective player sales, some smart scheduling with our friendlies and a tight lock on the wage bill, we were able to pull a decent profit in 2020/21.

We did require a small shareholders investment about mid-way through the season but I'm hopeful that another year of being in control will allow us to keep making improvements to the balance sheet as we look toward earning a spot in the Championship in the near future.

Closing Thoughts

Well, it's always painful to have a season end with a playoff loss but I am quite satisfied with how the season went, especially after our very rough start both on and off the pitch.

I'm hopeful that we've found something with our 4-1-4-1 attacking formation that allowed us to be the best team in the second half of the season in League One and most importantly, our finances are getting stronger and will continue to do so as some dead weight will come off the books at the end of June.

I was offered a one-year extension (at the same wage) late in the season and decided to take it, with hopes of using as much money as possible on new signings and a new back room team.

That is another key - because of our bleak financial outlook, I was forced to keep all existing staff members around until their contracts expired in June of this year. With that on the horizon, I can now put together a full team of backroom staff to propel our club forward.

Support from players, management and supporters continues to grow and I've settled into life here in Morecambe.

I look forward to putting my full imprint on the team in 2021/22, as we will look to improve upon our 6th place finish in Sky Bet League One.

01-19-2020, 07:34 PM	#60
NoSkillz College Benchwarmer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: St. Catharines, Canada	2020-21 Morecambe FC Recap and Statistics 2020-21 Morecambe FC Best Eleven GK - Rory Watson - 17 apps 0g 7.00 avg DL - Bailey Owen - 41 apps 2g 7.13 avg DC - Stefan O'Connor - 29 apps 3g 7.18 avg DC - Sam Lavelle - 45 apps 2g 7.02 avg DR - Corey Whelan - 39 apps 6g 7.25 avg DM - Matt Dolan - 22 apps 7g 7.53 avg MC - DJ Buffonge - 39 apps 12g 7.26 avg MC - Andrew Tutte - 47 apps 11g 7.29 avg AML - Carlos Mendes Gomes - 45 apps 13g 7.02 avg AMR - Harvey Neville - 33 apps 10g 7.13 avg ST - Jahmal Hector-Ingram - 46 apps 21g 7.13 avg Other notables: GK Lewis Thomas 12 apps 0g 6.99; DL James Morris 21 apps 0g 7.13; DC Samuel Nsumbu 16 apps 0g 6.93; MC Lewis O'Brien 32 apps 7g 7.15; AMC A-Jay Leitch-Smith 12 apps 0g 6.72; AMR Jordan Cox 24 apps 7g 7.20; AMC Thierno Ballo 30 apps 2g 6.90 Morecambe FC Fans Player of the Year: Andrew Tutte - The stats shown above take into account all competitions with our senior team and include everyone who played at least one game for the big club this past season. - Asterisk () means player did not finish season with club Goalkeeping* -- Six different keepers played at least one game for our senior team this year, showcasing the issues we had in the first half of the season. We brought young Jonathan De Bie in on loan feeling he could lead the way but after a solid first month, he started to battle his confidence and continually let in bad goals. He was being outplayed by U18 keeper Lewis Thomas so we needed to make some moves in January to solidify the position, bringing in Rory Watson and Conor Mitchell. Watson took the starting job and ran with it, putting in a number of great performances and making the position his own. We should be in solid shape moving forward with Watson. Defence -- Our top fullback was Liverpool loanee Corey Whelan, who brought leadership, grit and talent to our back four. He also contributed 6 goals and added 7 assists, wonderful returns from a fullback. On the other side, the main man was natural inverted fullback Bailey Owen, who added two goals and seven assists on his own. January signing Jordan Gabriel performed very well upon his introduction to the team and will get the chance for a larger role next season. Young James Morris provided able backup for Owen on the left side. -- Our top central defender is Sam Lavelle and he was just okay this year. He handed in a transfer request early in the season but could not come to terms with Crystal Palace in January and stayed with our team the whole year. He's got great intangibles and was very professional the whole season but didn't dominate the way I thought he would based on his talent. We are on very good terms at the moment but he still is looking to be moved in July. Stefan O'Connor was strong alongside Lavelle and January signing Gabriel Osho looked great as well and could be in line for more action should we move Lavelle. On loan defender Luke Woolfenden was average when called upon but I did like the look young Samuel Nsumbu gave us when used. Central Midfield -- We made a mid-season formation change to include a defensive midfielder, one that paid dividends right off the bat and likely contributed to our in-season renaissance. Captain Alex Kenyon was a solid leader off the pitch but wasn't very good on it - his contract is expiring and I will not be retaining his services going forward. However, January signing Matt Dolan was a revelation - his physical attributes are average at best but he brings great professionalism, leadership and technical ability to the club. He was a force on set-pieces, scoring about five of his seven goals from dead ball situations and really locked things down in a holding role. -- In central defense, we were led capably by our supporters player of the year, Andrew Tutte. He's a very versatile player, equally adept at playing many roles and fit in well in our box-to-box role especially. The second half of the season belonged to Manchester United loanee DJ Buffonge - we couldn't find a spot for him early in the season but moving to three central mids allowed us to let him blossom in a Mezzala role. He was also clinical from dead ball situations and was a main component to our attacking style. Lewis O'Brien, on loan from Huddersfield, also played excellent football and was a common starter in the second half of the season. -- Summer signing Thierno Ballo was perhaps our most intriguing addition but he was a victim of our formation change in December. Honestly, despite his immense talent, he wasn't making much of an impact offensively in a key role and his usage diminished greatly as the season progressed. Forwards -- We got impressive performances from our wingers this year. On the left side, incumbent Carlos Mendes Gomes notched 13 goals and added 9 assists while young Harvey Neville added 10 goals and 6 assists in essentially half a season, as he took the AMR starting role in December from on loan Kyle McAllister, who was largely ineffective and injury prone. Another loanee, Jordan Cox, proved more capable and we also got some late season help from Tyreke Johnson, another loanee. -- Up front, we were led by young West Ham striker Jahmal Hector-Ingram, who led our team with 21 goals while adding 7 assists in 46 appearances. He was superb. No one else really made their mark at striker, although young Harvey Knibbs has some decent potential. Year-End Financials Our finances were in rough shape when I came to the club, with a bank balance well into the negatives, no transfer budget and the lowest wage budget in the league by far. Through some effective player sales, some smart scheduling with our friendlies and a tight lock on the wage bill, we were able to pull a decent profit in 2020/21. We did require a small shareholders investment about mid-way through the season but I'm hopeful that another year of being in control will allow us to keep making improvements to the balance sheet as we look toward earning a spot in the Championship in the near future. Closing Thoughts Well, it's always painful to have a season end with a playoff loss but I am quite satisfied with how the season went, especially after our very rough start both on and off the pitch. I'm hopeful that we've found something with our 4-1-4-1 attacking formation that allowed us to be the best team in the second half of the season in League One and most importantly, our finances are getting stronger and will continue to do so as some dead weight will come off the books at the end of June. I was offered a one-year extension (at the same wage) late in the season and decided to take it, with hopes of using as much money as possible on new signings and a new back room team. That is another key - because of our bleak financial outlook, I was forced to keep all existing staff members around until their contracts expired in June of this year. With that on the horizon, I can now put together a full team of backroom staff to propel our club forward. Support from players, management and supporters continues to grow and I've settled into life here in Morecambe. I look forward to putting my full imprint on the team in 2021/22, as we will look to improve upon our 6th place finish in Sky Bet League One. __________________ MY CURRENT FM19 DYNASTY - FM19: "Ludere causa Ludendi - To Play for the Sake of Playing" - Queen's Park FC (Scottish League Two) MY OLD FM11 DYNASTY - FM11: From Semi-Pro Minnows to the EPL - Dover Athletic FC My Personal Blog - Now on the Tee - Golf, Sports, Poker, Life 2006 GOLDEN SCRIBE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST 'OTHER SPORT' DYNASTY - EHM2005: Sharpening Swords in Buffalo Last edited by NoSkillz : 01-19-2020 at 07:41 PM.