FM2006: Lurgan Celtic - Page 2

Godzilla Blitz · 02-01-2006, 01:15 PM

Quick Note on the Dynasty...

I've received word in the past week that I'll be getting in two large work projects. One looks to start next Monday. The bulk of work on both projects will likely occur during the month of February.

Because of that, it looks likely that I'll be taking about a three-and-a-half-week break from the dynasty starting in a few days. A good cutting point will be to finish this season and start the break then, which is what I'll aim to do.

Godzilla Blitz · 02-03-2006, 01:10 PM

March 2008

Match Results & Standings

Code:

W Home 3-0 vs. Oxford Utd Stars
L Away 1-3 vs. Bangor
W Home 3-1 vs. Dunegal Celtic

Second Division Position: 11W 3D 6L, in 1st place out of 12 teams

Match Comments
We rock the house in a big 3-0 win over 4th place Oxford Utd Stars to start the month. David Armstrong scores two of our three first half goals and we cruise from there. The win opens up a three-point margin for us over the second place team in the division.

Things don’t break well for us on the road against Bangor. In an excellent, up-and-down match, they break a 0-0 tie with an incredible shot from 25 yards out. We make two incredibly stupid plays after that, both of which result in Bangor goals to put the game out of reach. We end up losing 3-1. Fortunately for us, the horde of teams in our wake suffered similar fates. We still hold a 3-point lead on the title.

Underdogs at home against Donegal Celtic, we fall behind 1-0 at the 12-minute mark in a game we desperately need to win. Just before halftime an injured David Armstrong manufactures a goal to tie the game at 1-1. Things stay that way until late in the game, when perhaps one of the more historic goals in Lurgan Celtic history gives us a 2-1 lead. At the 60-minute mark, I generally sub out a striker and a winger to get fresh legs in the game. Lately, I’ve been putting in striker John Watson for Armstrong. Well, on the bench for this match I also had a central defender by the name of Brian Watson, a youngster just called up from the Under-18 team. By mistake I subbed this 16-year-old defender into the game at striker, with the season on the line and the score tied 1-1. One minute later our left defender lofts a long ball toward the Donegal Celtic net. Brian Watson runs up, outjumps the defender and drills a header into the net to give us a 2-1 lead! Unbelievable! I ended up pulling him a few minutes later for the correct Watson, who then also scored a goal to give us a critical 3-1 win.

Roster Moves
Toward the end of the month, I renew some of our coaching contracts. I also get an offer for a three-year extension on my contract, which I accept.

Overview
We now lead the division by three points with two matches left. We’re also five points up on the third place team, which is our margin. Our goal differential is better by a significant margin over the second and third place teams, so ties will work in our favor. Two matches to go, and we are knocking on the doorstep of a division title and a promotion. One win should do it.

We’re also only three goals away from breaking our league record of 44 goals in a season, and only four points away from the league record for points in a season.

On to April and our destiny…

Tellistto · 02-03-2006, 02:15 PM

Oh nice, in excellent shape to get into the higher divisions. Just a question, have you been putting people on full time contracts or leaving it at part time? I know in the past it's been difficult to get a team from semi-pro(I assume LC is this) to professional status which gives you a better chance of getting quality players. The ticket was giving everyone full time contracts and praying that someday it'd happen, from what I've read on the FM boards in the past.

Tell

Godzilla Blitz · 02-03-2006, 09:04 PM

Ah...

I didn't know that giving full-time contracts helps move the club to professional status. Lurgan Celtic is semi-pro now, but even the teams that I've looked at in the Premier League are semi-pro in Northern Ireland. I was thinking about dealing with the issue if I get to the top of the First Division, but that's great to know that giving full-time contracts will help move things along.

There's been a few times when I've mistakenly offered full-time contracts to potential players, and they have come back to me saying they don't want full-time soccer. Might have something to do with the fact that 100 pounds/week would be a bit tough to live on if you can't work elsewhere.

Tellistto · 02-04-2006, 07:59 AM

That very much makes sense. I haven't played this version of the game much, nor have I religiously read the SI boards to see if taking a club from semi pro to pro got any easier. It's more an issue in larger countries, I'm sure, who have high prestige upper divisions.

I was mostly just curious as to how it might work in the new game, I've never played in NI so wasn't sure if any teams there were professional or not. I would think at least some of the ones in the premiership would be professional, but it's not exactly a mecca of footie, so who knows. Thanks for the info!

Tell

Godzilla Blitz · 02-06-2006, 12:20 PM

Tell: I've been meaning to take a look at the top teams in the N. Ireland Premier League, but I keep forgetting to. I do know that the half dozen teams I looked at were all semi-pro, which suprised me. I figured the Premier League would be mostly professional teams.

March 2008

Match Results & Standings

Code:

W Home 4-0 vs. Ballymoney
W Away 3-2 vs. Wakehurst

Second Division Position: 13W 3D 6L, in 1st place out of 12 teams

Match Comments
Tied at 0-0 at the half, we play a brilliant second half from start to finish and annihilate visiting Ballymoney 4-0. The second place clubs lose, which means…

WE WIN THE SECOND DIVISION!!!!

WOOT!

The clubhouse is bedlam! We’re taking one big step up in the world.

In our last match, a meaningless one against Wakehurst, we hold a three-goal lead at the 89-minute mark. In the last five minutes, Wakehurst score two goals and nearly get a third as time runs out. We hang on and win, 3-2.

Roster Moves
Nothing.

Overview
We did it! I thought for sure we were doomed when we slipped to fourth place in the middle of March. Nothing was going right. But our mini-camp to get our defense and tactics straightened out made all the difference in the world. From that point, we outscored our opposition 17-6 and won six of seven matches to take the division by six points. We ended up setting a league record for points and goals scored as well.

But now we’ll go from being the best team in the Second Division to being the newbies of the First Division. We’ll have a lot of work to do to make a step up in quality, and with our debt now back to 200,000 pounds, things may prove difficult.

Godzilla Blitz · 02-08-2006, 10:24 PM

2007-08 Season Summary
It’s hard to find fault with a year where you win your division and win one of two tournaments. Overall, I’d have to give us an A- for this season. We clearly had a talented team, and were powerful offensively and competent defensively. Still, I made a number of clear mistakes in personnel that became evident once I took a closer look at things (and read the manual). Also, I left our team thin in several spots at the beginning of the year.

Nevertheless, we played well and won the Intermediate Cup. We burst out of the gate in division play and grabbed a quick lead in the division. After floundering for a couple of months, we straightened things out and put on a strong finish to win the division.

Good year.

Godzilla Blitz · 02-08-2006, 10:25 PM

2007-08 Final Stats

Code:

| Pkd | Name             | Apps  | Gls | Ast | Pas   | Tck   | Drb  | Av Rat| 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC  | David McConnell  | 14    | 4   | -   | 56%   | 3.49  | 0.49 | 7.36  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC  | Michael Robinson | 26    | 8   | 1   | 65%   | 1.87  | 0.23 | 7.35  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC  | David Armstrong  | 21 (2)| 17  | 5   | 65%   | 0.74  | 2.02 | 7.26  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC  | Mark Murphy      | 27    | 2   | 8   | 63%   | 3.15  | 0.37 | 7.19  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC  | James O'Neill    | 8     | 1   | -   | 54%   | 2.25  | 0.75 | 7.13  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK  | Mick Gill        | 13    | -   | 1   | 72%   | -     | -    | 7.08  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC  | Gary Robinson    | 25 (3)| 13  | 7   | 66%   | 0.44  | 1.50 | 7.04  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC  | Peter Brown      | 28 (1)| -   | 2   | 62%   | 3.75  | 0.29 | 6.97  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC  | Chris Johnston   | 9 (14)| 12  | 3   | 71%   | 0.16  | 1.50 | 6.96  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC  | John Watson      | 9 (9) | 7   | 5   | 59%   | 0.43  | 2.37 | 6.94  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR  | Andrew Smith     | 14 (2)| 5   | 6   | 55%   | 2.62  | 1.85 | 6.94  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR  | Ryan Millar      | 15 (3)| 2   | 10  | 57%   | 2.10  | 1.69 | 6.89  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML  | Mark McCann      | 26 (2)| 1   | 4   | 59%   | 2.36  | 1.49 | 6.86  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL  | Colin McMullan   | 7 (13)| -   | 4   | 60%   | 2.64  | 1.70 | 6.85  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DR  | Brian Stitt      | 20    | -   | 2   | 54%   | 4.94  | 0.55 | 6.85  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC  | Gary Wilkinson   | 6 (3) | -   | -   | 55%   | 4.85  | -    | 6.78  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC  | Brian Watson     | 1 (3) | 1   | -   | 68%   | -     | -    | 6.75  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL  | Michael Kelly    | 8     | -   | -   | 58%   | 3.62  | 0.26 | 6.75  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK  | Peter Mullan     | 18    | -   | -   | 72%   | -     | -    | 6.72  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL  | Mark Watson      | 16    | -   | 1   | 57%   | 3.70  | 0.68 | 6.69  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML  | Stephen McCabe   | 1 (5) | -   | 2   | 61%   | 2.08  | 1.38 | 6.67  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC  | Jimmy Moss       | 15 (1)| -   | 1   | 63%   | 3.86  | 0.55 | 6.50  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC  | Kevin Maher      | 5     | -   | -   | 58%   | 6.20  | -    | 6.40  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Stat Comments
David McConnell was one of a handful of players who were bumped up to a major role in the team once I reevaluated their skills. He played outstanding defense for us down the stretch. Midfielders Michael Robinson and Mark Murphy once again played stellar in the middle. Striker David Armstrong was everything we thought he would be. Goalkeeper Mick Gill kept outplaying Peter Mullan and eventually won the starting job there. Right midfielder Andrew Smith’s play fell off significantly, but he was badly hurt twice during the year.

Godzilla Blitz · 02-08-2006, 10:26 PM

Dynasty on Break

As I mentioned earlier, work is rearing its ugly head this month and I'm putting things on hold for about two/three weeks. This seems like the perfect place to stop things.

I hope to get the bulk of work done by the end of the month, and am looking foward to getting back to Lurgan Celtic come early March.

Thanks to everyone who has posted feedback and advice. It's been fun so far.

02-03-2006, 01:10 PM	#52
Godzilla Blitz College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000	March 2008 Match Results & Standings Code: W Home 3-0 vs. Oxford Utd Stars L Away 1-3 vs. Bangor W Home 3-1 vs. Dunegal Celtic Second Division Position: 11W 3D 6L, in 1st place out of 12 teams Match Comments We rock the house in a big 3-0 win over 4th place Oxford Utd Stars to start the month. David Armstrong scores two of our three first half goals and we cruise from there. The win opens up a three-point margin for us over the second place team in the division. Things don’t break well for us on the road against Bangor. In an excellent, up-and-down match, they break a 0-0 tie with an incredible shot from 25 yards out. We make two incredibly stupid plays after that, both of which result in Bangor goals to put the game out of reach. We end up losing 3-1. Fortunately for us, the horde of teams in our wake suffered similar fates. We still hold a 3-point lead on the title. Underdogs at home against Donegal Celtic, we fall behind 1-0 at the 12-minute mark in a game we desperately need to win. Just before halftime an injured David Armstrong manufactures a goal to tie the game at 1-1. Things stay that way until late in the game, when perhaps one of the more historic goals in Lurgan Celtic history gives us a 2-1 lead. At the 60-minute mark, I generally sub out a striker and a winger to get fresh legs in the game. Lately, I’ve been putting in striker John Watson for Armstrong. Well, on the bench for this match I also had a central defender by the name of Brian Watson, a youngster just called up from the Under-18 team. By mistake I subbed this 16-year-old defender into the game at striker, with the season on the line and the score tied 1-1. One minute later our left defender lofts a long ball toward the Donegal Celtic net. Brian Watson runs up, outjumps the defender and drills a header into the net to give us a 2-1 lead! Unbelievable! I ended up pulling him a few minutes later for the correct Watson, who then also scored a goal to give us a critical 3-1 win. Roster Moves Toward the end of the month, I renew some of our coaching contracts. I also get an offer for a three-year extension on my contract, which I accept. Overview We now lead the division by three points with two matches left. We’re also five points up on the third place team, which is our margin. Our goal differential is better by a significant margin over the second and third place teams, so ties will work in our favor. Two matches to go, and we are knocking on the doorstep of a division title and a promotion. One win should do it. We’re also only three goals away from breaking our league record of 44 goals in a season, and only four points away from the league record for points in a season. On to April and our destiny…

02-03-2006, 02:15 PM	#53
Tellistto College Prospect Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Whitman, MA	Oh nice, in excellent shape to get into the higher divisions. Just a question, have you been putting people on full time contracts or leaving it at part time? I know in the past it's been difficult to get a team from semi-pro(I assume LC is this) to professional status which gives you a better chance of getting quality players. The ticket was giving everyone full time contracts and praying that someday it'd happen, from what I've read on the FM boards in the past. Tell __________________ FOOL - Ann Arbor Winged Lingerines FOOLX - Portland Axemen Hattrick - Fizzle United (222968)

02-04-2006, 07:59 AM	#55
Tellistto College Prospect Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Whitman, MA	That very much makes sense. I haven't played this version of the game much, nor have I religiously read the SI boards to see if taking a club from semi pro to pro got any easier. It's more an issue in larger countries, I'm sure, who have high prestige upper divisions. I was mostly just curious as to how it might work in the new game, I've never played in NI so wasn't sure if any teams there were professional or not. I would think at least some of the ones in the premiership would be professional, but it's not exactly a mecca of footie, so who knows. Thanks for the info! Tell __________________ FOOL - Ann Arbor Winged Lingerines FOOLX - Portland Axemen Hattrick - Fizzle United (222968)

02-06-2006, 12:20 PM	#56
Godzilla Blitz College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000	Tell: I've been meaning to take a look at the top teams in the N. Ireland Premier League, but I keep forgetting to. I do know that the half dozen teams I looked at were all semi-pro, which suprised me. I figured the Premier League would be mostly professional teams. March 2008 Match Results & Standings Code: W Home 4-0 vs. Ballymoney W Away 3-2 vs. Wakehurst Second Division Position: 13W 3D 6L, in 1st place out of 12 teams Match Comments Tied at 0-0 at the half, we play a brilliant second half from start to finish and annihilate visiting Ballymoney 4-0. The second place clubs lose, which means… WE WIN THE SECOND DIVISION!!!! WOOT! The clubhouse is bedlam! We’re taking one big step up in the world. In our last match, a meaningless one against Wakehurst, we hold a three-goal lead at the 89-minute mark. In the last five minutes, Wakehurst score two goals and nearly get a third as time runs out. We hang on and win, 3-2. Roster Moves Nothing. Overview We did it! I thought for sure we were doomed when we slipped to fourth place in the middle of March. Nothing was going right. But our mini-camp to get our defense and tactics straightened out made all the difference in the world. From that point, we outscored our opposition 17-6 and won six of seven matches to take the division by six points. We ended up setting a league record for points and goals scored as well. But now we’ll go from being the best team in the Second Division to being the newbies of the First Division. We’ll have a lot of work to do to make a step up in quality, and with our debt now back to 200,000 pounds, things may prove difficult. Last edited by Godzilla Blitz : 02-06-2006 at 12:20 PM.

02-03-2006, 09:04 PM	#54
Godzilla Blitz College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000	Ah... I didn't know that giving full-time contracts helps move the club to professional status. Lurgan Celtic is semi-pro now, but even the teams that I've looked at in the Premier League are semi-pro in Northern Ireland. I was thinking about dealing with the issue if I get to the top of the First Division, but that's great to know that giving full-time contracts will help move things along. There's been a few times when I've mistakenly offered full-time contracts to potential players, and they have come back to me saying they don't want full-time soccer. Might have something to do with the fact that 100 pounds/week would be a bit tough to live on if you can't work elsewhere.

02-08-2006, 10:24 PM	#57
Godzilla Blitz College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000	2007-08 Season Summary It’s hard to find fault with a year where you win your division and win one of two tournaments. Overall, I’d have to give us an A- for this season. We clearly had a talented team, and were powerful offensively and competent defensively. Still, I made a number of clear mistakes in personnel that became evident once I took a closer look at things (and read the manual). Also, I left our team thin in several spots at the beginning of the year. Nevertheless, we played well and won the Intermediate Cup. We burst out of the gate in division play and grabbed a quick lead in the division. After floundering for a couple of months, we straightened things out and put on a strong finish to win the division. Good year.

02-08-2006, 10:26 PM	#59
Godzilla Blitz College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000	Dynasty on Break As I mentioned earlier, work is rearing its ugly head this month and I'm putting things on hold for about two/three weeks. This seems like the perfect place to stop things. I hope to get the bulk of work done by the end of the month, and am looking foward to getting back to Lurgan Celtic come early March. Thanks to everyone who has posted feedback and advice. It's been fun so far.

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