[Izulde]

ARGH! Computer restart ate my post.

I don't feel like re-typing/copy-pasting it all over again, so we lost a bunch of guys, added a developmental striker and an attacking winger in case we use it again, and also added a 31 year old Jamaican DRC who will be awesome, I hope.

We also added Much Quicker Tempo, Shoot On Sight, and Short Passing instructions with Attacking mentality as we're simply going to overwhelm the opposition with shots and Law of Averages.

We're also in the Reading Premier League, a 6 team league that includes The Original Assholes.

Best 11
G: Damien Stevens
D: Jordan Cunningham/Simon Bryant/Hayden Johns/Dan Starbuck
DM: Paul Nisbet (Player of the Year)
M: Michael Taylor/Jason Joes
AM: Jed Vale/Will Mizvimbiri
ST: Dave Chitty

Also, as an example of how much roster turnover this is in an amateur team, Chris Peach leads the team all-time in appearances with 28.

Transfer In - DC/DM/MC Liam Nicell - 29
Look up physical beast in the dictionary. See this dude.

More Transfers Out
ST Milo Shackleford - $4.6k
DLCR Jordan Cunningham - $9k
DC Daryl White - $3k
FB Rob Clarke - N/C

Transfer In - DL Marc Mitchell - 17
New DL starter. Really concentrating on strengthening the backline this offseason.

We're 1-10 favorites to win the league. Next closest is Long Sutton Athletic at 1-5. Everyone else is 5000-1.

@ Langtoft United
G: Chris Rowley
D: Marc Mitchell/Liam Nicell/Ian Penney/Bradley Thomas
DM: Paul Nisbet
MC: Justin Cooper/Vinny Philpott/Jason Jones
ST: Darius Morgan/Dean Ruddy

35 - Penney sends it up to Jones, and the beautiful ball sees Ruddy sink one just outside the box! 1-0

41 - Jones gets the ball after I think it was Nicell made the takeaway, a pass up into space for Morgan, who beats the defense and also fires just outside the box for a score 2-0

45 - Assclwon Thomas own goals it. 2-1

61 - Suspect PK, but we'll take it and Philpott's conversion all day. 3-1

74 - Sherlock on for Cooper; Attwood for Philpott

7.7 for Jason Jones, 8.0 for Dean Ruddy, and 8.3 for PotM Darius Morgan. Excellent start to the year.

Dave Sherlock is hurt for the umpteenth time, and will miss the next game.

Jason Jones and Marc Mitchell are appointed Captain and Vice-Captain for the year.

Transfer Out - ST Dean Ruddy - $400
Well that's a damned shame. Expected, however.

1st vs Rhyhall United (5th)
G: Chris Rowley
D: Marc Mitchell/Liam Nicell/Ian Penney/Bradley Thomas
DM: Paul Nisbet
MC: Justin Cooper/Vinny Philpott/Jason Jones
ST: Dave Chitty/Darius Morgan

5 - Beautiful interception by Cooper and the lateral pass to Mitchell leads to a booming diagonal cross that the keeper jumps up to deflect. Assplant, and there's Morgan to put away the rebound. That's twice I recall us doing that to this particular keeper 1-0

30 - Mitchell saved a certain goal there with a rocket off the line.

54 - Atwood to BWM; Philpott moves to AP, and Jones sits.

71 - Philpott kicks it out to Thomas on the wing, who dribbles all the way down the pitch and crosses to an unmarked Chitty for the easy score. Aferwards, Morgan switches to the TM role and Carter comes on as AF. 2-0

This is the best backline play I've seen in ages. All defenders were 7.0 or better, keyed by Bradley Thomas with a 7.6, and Marc Mitchell's PotM 8.3. You have to go all the way back to our first season to find that kind of performance.

Side Note: Since transferring in Bradley Thomas and Marc Mitchell, another adjustment I made to the formation besides the three shouts outlined above was changing from automatic Fullback roles to Complete Wingback roles.

Also worth noting: Connor Durkin was our top rated defender last year with 6.63. Shows you how bad our backline was.

A DC prospect we never cared about is signed away on a youth deal. Nick Lowe, who doesn't have the physical stats in retrospect, leaves on a non-contract.

Our U21 squad loses 0-1 to Grimsby's U18 team.

1st @ Ketton (3rd)
G: Chris Rowley
D: Marc Mitchell/Liam Nicell/Ian Penney/Bradley Thomas
DM: Paul Nisbet
MC: Justin Cooper/Vinny Philpott/Jason Jones
ST: Dave Chitty/Darius Morgan

I set up a mentoring relationship between Vinny Philpott and Jason Jones, as I anticipate Philpott will take over the AP role for Jones at some point.

Big game here. Get a win, and we put ourselves in the driver's seat for promotion.

33 - Nicell makes an incredible takeaway and boots the ball down to Chitty. There's a backpass and buildup before Mitchell gets it on the wing and crosses to Morgan. The ball's knocked loose, but Morgan wins it back and centers to Chitty for the easy short score. 1-0

74 - Philpott to AP; Attwood at BWM, and Jones off. Bryant replaces Mitchell.

85 - Morgan gets knocked, so Carter comes on.

It's the kind of game where Bradley Thomas (PotM) and Dave Chitty's 7.1 are good enough to stand out. 7.1 for Liam Nicell, too. There have been other 7+ games in our first two wins, by the way, but I haven't noted them.

We've also matched all of our wins from last season already. Sweeeeeeet.

All three matches in league today were 1-0 affairs, by the way. Us and Long Sutton Athletic are both unbeaten through three. The Original Assholes and Ketton each have one win, with Rhyhall United and Langtoft United the punching bags.

Darius Morgan is questionable for our next game, which really sucks.

Liam Buchan takes a $2.3k deal, which is whatever. His greatest claim to fame will be injuring two of our guys last year in training sessions. And right when I say that, Chris Rowley will miss our next game after colliding with Ian Penney. Not good.

1st vs Sutton Bridge United (4th)
G: James Foster
D: Marc Mitchell/Liam Nicell/Ian Penney/Bradley Thomas
DM: Paul Nisbet
MC: Justin Cooper/Vinny Philpott/Jason Jones
ST: Dave Chitty/David Carter

Great. So we're up against The Original Assholes without our keeper and our star striker.

15 - Will we never beat these dicks? 0-1

Philpott to AP, Attwood at BWM and Jones off; Morgan in for Carter at the half, as I rip the team a new one, then cuddle them.

87 - Nisbet has the ball in the middle of the pitch and passes to Chitty. Two dribbles, and a shot outside the semi-circle equals a late draw rescued maybe. 1-1

And it does. We can never beat these guys. I want to go up just so I never have to play these jerkasses again.

And they took out Bradley Thomas for 5-6 weeks, which means 1-2 games. Like I said, The Original Assholes.

Some midfielder prospect signs elsewhere. So do James Foster and the suckitude of Ashley Harrison-Barker. Also leaving is Michael Rose, all three on non-contracts.

2nd vs Langtoft United (6th)
G: Chris Rowley
D: Marc Mitchell/Liam Nicell/Ian Penney/Joel Kerwin
DM: Paul Nisbet
MC: Justin Cooper/Vinny Philpott/Jason Jones
ST: Dave Chitty/Darius Morgan

I smell a trap game here.

49 - Nisbet heads it to Jones, who wins the ball, snakes past everyone, and fires just inside the box for the score. 1-0

59 - Jones is triple-teamed, but he gets it to Kerwin in the box. But it's a back center pass to Philpott just outside the box, and we've got the insurance! 2-0

72 - Chitty hauls it up to Cooper, who kicks ahead and dribbles to catch up to the ball, then crosses to the middle of the box, where in the sea of white jerseys, Morgan blasts it home. Atwood at BWM, Sherlock at BBM, and Cooper slides over to AP, replacing our two tired central midfielders. 3-0

Only three starters were lower than 7.1. That's how dominant we were today. 8.3 for PotM Jason Jones, 7.9 for Vinny Philpott, and 7.5 for Darius Morgan, as the light switched on after a pretty fucking awful first half.

Ketton beat Long Sutton Athletic, meaning at the halfway point it's:

Us - 13 points
Long Sutton Athletic - 10 points
Ketton - 9 points
Ryhall United - 7 points
The Original Assholes - 4 points
Langtoft United - 0 points!

We face Long Sutton Athletic both times on the back end, and that's going to be key in determining who wins the league. We've also tied the 13 points we got from all of last season in just 5 games.

But James Kerwin is our second straight starting DR to be injured, making him questionable for next game.