WWSM09: Luton Town or life after being decked 30 points

[FrogMan]

December 11, 2009
Olivier Bernard resumes full training.

December 12, 2009
League Match #20: at Barnet (13th) (Luton 6-4 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK	PR	Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	24	-	6.71
DR		Ritchie De Laet	D RC, WB R	Superb		99%	20	-	6.85
DL		Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Superb		100%	7 (8)	-	6.77
DC		George Pilkington	D RC	Superb		100%	6	-	6.92
DC	PR	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Superb		100%	24	-	6.70
DMC	PR	Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		100%	3	-	6.87
MR		Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Superb		97%	19	3	7.03
ML	PR	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Good		100%	14 (8)	1	6.85
MC	PR	Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		98%	25	2	6.83
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		100%	22 (1)	14	6.92
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		100%	11 (2)	8	7.09
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Superb		100%	1	-	6.60
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		100%	5 (14)	-	6.57
S3	PR	Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Superb		90%	2 (11)	1	6.85
S4		Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Superb		98%	4 (9)	1	6.76
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Poor		100%	15 (3)	4	6.72
-	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		82%	22	2	6.83
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Okay		91%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-	Rsv	Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Very Good		96%	5	-	6.38
-		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Superb		98%	13	-	6.74
-	Inj	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Okay		71%	18 (1)	-	6.79

We thought we'd get up by one in the 14th minute but one of their defenders cleared the ball right on the line. We didn't wait much though, as Sébastien Heitzmann gives us the lead in the 22nd minute, converting an in-swinging corner from Daniel Jones. What worries me a bit at that point is that we're losing possession heavily. Another corner by Jones is at the source of our second goal, but this time our pressure didn't lead to us putting it past the keeper, but one of their defenders did. It's an own goal and we're up 2-0 at the half. Kevin Nicholls suffered a nick and he's taken out at the half.

Daniel Jones also has to leave the game after being nicked in the second half. They'll take one back in the 89th minute but it was too little, too late. Final Score: 2-1

Barnet	Statistic	Luton
9	Shots	8
2	On Target	4
5	Off Target	4
2	Blocked Shots	0
1	Clear Cut Chances	1
50%	Possession	50%
4	Corners	5
8	Free Kicks	14
19	Throw-Ins	23
11	Fouls	6
3	Offsides	2
67%	Passes Completed	62%
20%	Crosses Completed	18%
95%	Tackles Won	91%
57%	Headers Won	59%
2	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0

A pretty even game that could have gone either way. I warn the lads about complacency in our next game. Stockport beat Lincoln 4-0 so we're still in 2nd place.

Kevin Nicholls comes out of the game unhurt but Daniel Jones sustained a gashed leg and will miss 2 to 3 weeks.

December 15, 2009
Dean Pearce resumes full training after missing three weeks.


FM

[FrogMan]

December 19, 2009
League Match #21: vs Wycombe (19th) (Luton 4-7 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	25	-	6.72
DR		Ritchie De Laet	D RC, WB R	Superb		100%	21	-	6.86
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		96%	22	2	6.83
DC		George Pilkington	D RC	Superb		100%	7	-	6.91
DC		Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Very Good		100%	25	-	6.71
DMC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		100%	4	-	6.85
MR	Wnt	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Superb		98%	20	3	7.02
ML		Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Superb		100%	8 (8)	-	6.77
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		95%	26	2	6.82
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		99%	23 (1)	15	6.94
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		100%	12 (2)	8	7.09
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Superb		100%	1	-	6.60
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		100%	5 (15)	-	6.53
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Superb		93%	2 (12)	1	6.83
S4		Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Superb		97%	4 (10)	1	6.76
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Poor		99%	15 (3)	4	6.72
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Superb		64%	15 (8)	1	6.87
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Good		99%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-	Rsv	Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Very Good		100%	5	-	6.38
-		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Superb		98%	13	-	6.74
-	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Okay		90%	18 (1)	-	6.79

The full 7 days between games has been nice. Daniel Jones is now 6 to 10 days away from coming back from his injury. Morale is insanely high in the locker room prior to the game and it translates into a lightning fast strike Sébastien Heitzmann beats his previous record and scores the fastest ever Luton goal, scoring only 19 seconds after the start of the game. Hi s previous record was of 28 seconds.

It'll be complete domination from there on with two goals from Andrea Lombardo before the end of the half, and another from Shiva-Star N'Zigou to start the second. We're coasting to an easy victory. Final Score: 4-0

Luton	Statistic	Wycombe
14	Shots	8
4	On Target	1
4	Off Target	5
6	Blocked Shots	2
3	Clear Cut Chances	0
50%	Possession	50%
2	Corners	2
20	Free Kicks	11
22	Throw-Ins	19
9	Fouls	18
2	Offsides	2
67%	Passes Completed	70%
31%	Crosses Completed	40%
88%	Tackles Won	96%
57%	Headers Won	62%
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0

As expected, Andrea Lombardo gets the Man of the Match. The fasn are delighted by the convincing win.

Even better, Stockport lost to Oxford and we're now within one point of them and 1st place in the table.


December 20, 2009
Interesting tidbit of news in the transfer rumours. It's being circulated that I might be interested in bringing Etienne Esajas to Kenilworth Road. Might sound out of the blue but those of you who've read my previous dynasty (WWSM2008: Long live The Hatters and their FrogManager!) might remember that I had brought him in to the Hatters. He's been transfer listed by Sheff Wed but they're asking $45k for the left winger. I'll keep an eye on him.

December 22, 2009
Mike Pollitt and Andrea Lombardo have been selected to the League 2 Team of the Week.

FM

[FrogMan]

December 26, 2009
League Match #22: at Chesterfield (6th) (Luton 4-5 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	26	-	6.74
DR		Ritchie De Laet	D RC, WB R	Superb		99%	22	-	6.88
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		98%	23	2	6.85
DC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		100%	5	-	6.92
DC		Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Very Good		100%	26	-	6.73
DMC	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Okay		96%	18 (1)	-	6.79
MR	Wnt	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Superb		100%	21	4	7.09
ML		Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Superb		100%	9 (8)	-	6.78
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		99%	27	2	6.83
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		100%	24 (1)	16	6.99
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		100%	13 (2)	10	7.19
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Superb		100%	1	-	6.60
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		100%	5 (16)	-	6.54
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Superb		93%	2 (13)	1	6.82
S4		Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Superb		97%	4 (11)	1	6.77
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Poor		98%	15 (3)	4	6.72
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Superb		67%	15 (8)	1	6.87
-		George Pilkington	D RC	Superb		100%	8	-	6.94
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Very Good		94%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-	Rsv	Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Very Good		95%	5	-	6.38
-	Rsv	Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Superb		91%	13	-	6.74

We go down one in the 24th minute on a crazy long and well placed shot that Mike Pollitt just couldn't save. Dean Pearce's mistake is pointed as the reason for the goal. The kid will not play well after that mistake.

We put some pressure, but it's a down game for us. We go down by two in injury time. Final Score: 0-2.

Chesterfield	Statistic	Luton
17	Shots	6
5	On Target	1
7	Off Target	3
5	Blocked Shots	2
1	Clear Cut Chances	0
51%	Possession	49%
5	Corners	4
23	Free Kicks	9
26	Throw-Ins	24
7	Fouls	18
2	Offsides	5
65%	Passes Completed	61%
29%	Crosses Completed	18%
91%	Tackles Won	92%
60%	Headers Won	61%
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0

An ugly, ugly game for us and I tell the guys I'm disappointed by their effort. Good news is that Stockport also lost, to Dag & Red, so we're still only one point behind.

This was our first defeat in six games.

December 27, 2009
Daniel Jones resumes full training.

FM

[FrogMan]

December 30, 2009
League Match #23: vs Rotherham (15th) (Luton 4-6 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Very Good		100%	27	-	6.73
DR		Ritchie De Laet	D RC, WB R	Very Good		94%	23	-	6.90
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Very Good		97%	24	2	6.83
DC		George Pilkington	D RC	Superb		100%	8	-	6.94
DC	Yel	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Good		97%	27	-	6.73
DMC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		98%	6	-	6.95
MR	Wnt	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Very Good		96%	22	4	7.07
ML	Wnt	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Superb		89%	15 (8)	1	6.87
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Very Good		94%	28	2	6.82
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Very Good		96%	25 (1)	16	6.96
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Very Good		97%	14 (2)	10	7.11
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Good		100%	1	-	6.60
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		100%	5 (17)	-	6.54
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Superb		91%	2 (14)	1	6.81
S4		Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Very Good		96%	10 (8)	-	6.74
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Poor		98%	15 (4)	4	6.69
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Okay		87%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-		Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Superb		97%	4 (11)	1	6.77
-	Rsv	Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Poor		92%	5	-	6.38
-	Rsv	Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Okay		92%	13	-	6.74
-	Rsv	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Very Poor		79%	19 (1)	-	6.75

Prior to the game, I get tons of notices of contracts that will expire in 6 months time. Kevin Gallen is among them. Is okay as a backup but at 34, with about no speed left (pace=5, acceleration=3) and little stamina left (9), I can't justify offering him contract. I'll also hold off on Olivier Bernard who, at 30, could probably be replaced by a younger, just as effective left defender.

Keith Keane is a young one, but his skill set just can't justify $3,300 a week.

As for the game, we go up 1-0 on a Kevin Nicholls penalty in the 20th minute but they tie the game only 5 minutes later. They go down to 10 players in the 29th minute when one of their guys is sent off after having pushed Andrea Lombardo in the chest during a stoppage of play.

It's 1-1 at the half but we take a 2-1 lead on a Sébastien Heitzmann goal only 4 minutes into the second half. We put some heavy pressure on their back line but the craziest thing happen when they tie the game at 2 a piece 50 second into injury time. ARRRRGGG!!!!! Ten men and their lone scorer ran through three defenders!!! and he really looked to be offsides. This really sucks. Final Score: 2-2.

Luton	Statistic	Rotherham
17	Shots	2
5	On Target	2
4	Off Target	0
8	Blocked Shots	0
2	Clear Cut Chances	2
64%	Possession	36%
12	Corners	0
4	Free Kicks	16
22	Throw-Ins	12
14	Fouls	5
2	Offsides	0
83%	Passes Completed	52%
21%	Crosses Completed	33%
92%	Tackles Won	81%
50%	Headers Won	62%
2	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	1

We completely dominated them but our defenders had a collective brain fart to let that one guy go through with time fading away... Ugh, the game's taken a toll on us too. Kevin Nicholls will miss 3 weeks after suffering a thigh strain. Shiva-Star N'Zigou came out of the game after getting nicked but he comes out okay.

FM

[FrogMan]

January 1st, 2010
The board are satisfied with my management of the team. The fans are still unhappy with the 0-2 loss to Chesterfiel though.

I come in third for Manager of the Month. The Hatters collected 10 points in December while Paul Simpson's Shrewsbury collected 11 points. Close call I'd say...

Rumours fly as the tranfer window opens. We're again tied to a move for Etiennne Esajas but also to 33yo MC Ian Ashby. He looks good on paper, but at 33, and playing at which we're well stocked, I'm not too sure I need him.

Dean Brill's $20,000 move from Luton to Wrexham is finalized, freeing us of $3,300 on our weekly wage bill.

As we're getting ready for our FA Cup clash with Swindon, we're hearing that the fans are hopeful for us to win it.

January 2, 2010
FA Cup round 3: vs Swindon (10th in L1) (Luton 5-4 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Con
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK
DR		Ritchie De Laet	D RC, WB R
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L
DC		George Pilkington	D RC
DC	Yel	Pelé	D C, DM, M C
DMC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C
MR	Wnt	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C
ML	Wnt	Daniel Jones	D/M L
MC	Rsv	Dean Pearce	DM, M C
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST
ST		Fred Sears	ST
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C
S4		Lewis Emanuel	D/M L
S5		Andrea Lombardo	ST
S6	Rsv	Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC
S7	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST
-	Rsv	Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R
-		Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C
-	Inj	Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C

(sorry for the cut-off info. no clue what happened here)
We're comfortable favourites, maybe the fans had reasons to feel hopeful. Neither of my captain, Kevin Nicholls, nor his co-captain, Kristian O'Leary will be of the starting eleven so Sébastien Heitzmann will act as captain for this game.

We're having a rough start but Sébastien Heitzmann pinpoint freekick, rounding a five man wall from just outside the penalty area, gives us a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. You can see where the ball went in the screenie below. We really pick up our play level after that goal and we hold the lead at the halftime break.

We play a tight defensive game for the second half, but they are knocking at the door like crazy. They get a corner kick in the 86th minute where their keeper comes up to be the 10th man inside the box. We hold on to our lead! Final score: 1-0.

Luton	Statistic	Swindon
6	Shots	9
2	On Target	2
3	Off Target	5
1	Blocked Shots	2
0	Clear Cut Chances	1
42%	Possession	58%
3	Corners	6
19	Free Kicks	13
23	Throw-Ins	14
10	Fouls	15
3	Offsides	4
70%	Passes Completed	71%
15%	Crosses Completed	18%
88%	Tackles Won	88%
65%	Headers Won	55%
0	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0

We're through to round 4!!! That second half was simply us pushing them out. A cool crowd of 7117 was their to enjoy the win. We're given $110k for the win. We did lose Daniel Jones for 7 to 10 days though. He suffered a bruised rib following an accidental collision. He's making me nervous as he looks a bit brittle.

January 4, 2010
Mike Pollitt was selected to the League 2 Team of the Week.

Seeing how Daniel Jones is again injured, I try my luck and put in a bid for Etienne Esajas. They're asking for $40k for him but I only have $10k in my transfer kitty. I offer them that plus 50% of the next sale.

The draw for round 4 of the FA Cup happens and we'll play Wigan, at Kenilworth Road. Won't say it out loud, but this may be where our run ends.

January 5, 2010
Our offer for Etienne Esajas has been accepted! Sadly, his agent informs us that he not currently willing to discuss terms of a deal with us. Maybe later when he'll have evaluated all the options, but not now. Blech. I still offer him a contract, not a big one, nothing to break the bank, but still something to mull over.

FM

[FrogMan]

January 6, 2010
League Match #24: vs Hereford (15th) (Luton 1-2 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Very Good		100%	29	-	6.74
DR	Rsv	Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Okay		100%	5	-	6.38
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		95%	26	2	6.82
DC		George Pilkington	D RC	Superb		97%	10	-	6.92
DC	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Good		96%	29	-	6.74
DMC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		96%	8	-	6.88
MR	Wnt	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Superb		93%	24	4	7.06
ML		Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Very Good		100%	10 (10)	-	6.75
MC	Rsv	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Poor		95%	20 (1)	-	6.76
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		95%	27 (1)	18	6.98
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Very Good		100%	15 (2)	10	7.05
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Good		100%	1	-	6.60
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		100%	5 (19)	-	6.56
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		95%	2 (15)	1	6.81
S4		Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Superb		96%	4 (11)	1	6.77
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Okay		96%	16 (5)	4	6.71
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Superb		64%	17 (8)	1	6.85
-	Inj	Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Very Good		70%	29	3	6.84
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Okay		100%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-		Ritchie De Laet	D RC, WB R	Superb		92%	25	-	6.90
-	Rsv	Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Good		100%	13	-	6.74

They beat in week 1, we beat them in the Johnston Paint Trophy a few weeks later. Daniel Jones is 2 to 4 days from coming back fully. As for Kevin Nicholls, he is 8 to 13 days from coming back.

It's a cold day to play football, -2 C is what the thermometer indicates today at Kenilworth Road. I'm used to that but these English lad are all freezing. Oh, and we're playing with that funky orange winter ball.

The cold weather is probably what makes this game a very defensive one. It's scoreless until the 76th minute when Andrea Lombardo scores. We double our lead when Kevin Gallen scores one of his rare goals in the 88th minute. Sadly, he'd had to come in because of an injury to Shiva-Star N'Zigou. Final Score: 2-0

Luton	Statistic	Hereford
19	Shots	1
5	On Target	0
7	Off Target	1
7	Blocked Shots	0
3	Clear Cut Chances	0
63%	Possession	37%
9	Corners	1
8	Free Kicks	7
32	Throw-Ins	11
5	Fouls	8
2	Offsides	0
77%	Passes Completed	47%
29%	Crosses Completed	50%
90%	Tackles Won	86%
70%	Headers Won	53%
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0

Score sure wasn't close only because we didn't try. Look at that domination in the stats. Shots, possession, corners, throw-ins, percentage of pass completion. We seriously ran them over. Kevin Gallen's late goal makes him he Man of the Match. The fans are delighted with the win but oh crap. My physio informs me that Shiva-Star N'Zigou has suffered a torn calf muscle and will miss 4 to 5 months. Or in other words, he's gone for the season. That's a slap in the face.

Sure is better for it to happen early in the tranfer window. I go back to Graeme Owens, see if he's changed his mind a few months later and I offer Middlesbrough to take him back on loan.

January 7, 2010
Looking for replacement wingers, I also spot a winger available for loan at parent club West Ham. Name is Junior Stanislas, 20, who could probably be of good use to us.

January 8, 2010
Heh, Middlesbrough have rejected our offer to loan Graeme Owens. They say they are not willing to allow him to leave on loan du to his first-team commitments to the team. He's listed as a backup to the first team.

January 9, 2010
League Match #25: at Aldershot (17th) (Luton 1-3 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	30	-	6.74
DR	Rsv	Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Okay		96%	6	-	6.50
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		93%	27	2	6.82
DC		George Pilkington	D RC	Very Good		95%	11	-	6.96
DC	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Good		95%	30	-	6.75
DMC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		95%	9	-	6.87
MR	PR	Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		94%	2 (16)	2	6.86
ML		Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Very Good		93%	11 (10)	-	6.78
MC	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Poor		93%	21 (1)	-	6.76
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		94%	28 (1)	18	6.96
ST	PR	Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		95%	16 (2)	11	7.07
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Good		100%	1	-	6.60
S2	Rsv	Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Good		100%	13	-	6.74
S3		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		100%	5 (20)	-	6.58
S4		Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Superb		95%	4 (11)	1	6.77
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Okay		99%	16 (6)	4	6.71
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Very Good		66%	17 (8)	1	6.85
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Superb		63%	25	4	7.07
-	Inj	Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Very Good		69%	29	3	6.84
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Okay		100%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-		Ritchie De Laet	D RC, WB R	Superb		96%	25	-	6.90

We've never won in three games against Aldershot (2L, 1D). Sébastien Heitzmann makes sure it doesn't stay that way with a brace in the first half and after 36 minutes, we're up 2-0. It's still a very close game and at the half, I tell the guys not to let their performance drop. Stockport is currently losing 1-2 to Grimsby.

They take one back in the 57th minute and damnit, they tie the game in the 73rd minute. Looks like we went on the defensive a bit too early. I crank up the tempo a bit and we finally get back ahead in the 83rd minute when Andrea Lombardo heads in a nicely centered ball from Heitzmann down to the byline. Final Score: 3-2.

Aldershot	Statistic	Luton
8	Shots	9
3	On Target	4
4	Off Target	3
1	Blocked Shots	2
2	Clear Cut Chances	2
46%	Possession	54%
1	Corners	5
18	Free Kicks	11
15	Throw-Ins	22
9	Fouls	15
2	Offsides	3
67%	Passes Completed	73%
33%	Crosses Completed	33%
97%	Tackles Won	95%
64%	Headers Won	55%
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0

Phew, dodged one there. As you'd expect, Heitzmann is the Man of the Match with two goals and an assist in a truly wonderful performance.

Stockport lose their match to Grimsby, 1-2 and we're sitting on top of the league table!

Pos	Team	Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	Luton	25	14	5	6	47	25	+22	47
2nd	Stockport	25	15	2	8	41	20	+21	47
3rd	Port Vale	25	13	5	7	40	26	+14	44
4th	Darlington	25	13	5	7	28	25	+3	44
5th	Exeter	25	11	9	5	33	21	+12	42
6th	Shrewsbury	25	11	7	7	28	24	+4	40
7th	Cheltenham	25	10	10	5	28	25	+3	40
8th	Northampton	25	10	9	6	27	27	0	39
9th	Chesterfield	25	11	3	11	32	30	+2	36
10th	Bury	25	9	8	8	37	31	+6	35
11th	Chester	25	9	8	8	31	31	0	35
12th	Lincoln	25	11	2	12	33	36	-3	35
13th	Barnet	25	9	7	9	30	25	+5	34
14th	Rotherham	25	9	7	9	29	31	-2	34
15th	Hereford	25	9	6	10	30	31	-1	33
16th	Oxford	25	9	6	10	34	42	-8	33
17th	Aldershot	25	8	6	11	23	27	-4	30
18th	Wycombe	25	8	6	11	23	37	-14	30
19th	Torquay	25	7	8	10	24	29	-5	29
20th	Grimsby	25	7	6	12	32	36	-4	27
21st	Notts Co	25	5	10	10	37	39	-2	25
22nd	Accrington	25	5	8	12	31	43	-12	23
23rd	Morecambe	25	6	5	14	18	34	-16	23
24th	Dag & Red	25	4	6	15	13	34	-21	18

January 10, 2010
Portuguese Filipe Morais is another possible winger I could bring in. The 24yo is currently playing with the Rangers reserve team and while he's valued at $275K, Rangers seem to be intent on letting him go as they have listed him for only $14K. I take my usual shot and offer them nothing up front but 50% of next sale.

Etienne Esajas accepted a contract with Leyton Orient. I never had any hope of landing him, really.

January 11, 2010
Mike Pollitt is again selected to the League 2 Team of the Week. It's now been 11 times this season.

Our offer for Filipe Morais has been accepted and I set to work on a deal to bring him to Kenilworth Road. Woah, the greedy bastage is looking for a lot of money. He's currently earning $4,100 a week at Rangers, something I would have thought to be a bit high for us, but now he's looking for lots more money, $7,100 a week to be exact. We can't afford that much. I offer him the max our board will allow me, $4,600 with a signing on fee of $30k, based off the evaluation of my scout that he's to be regarded as a definite purchase.

Sweet, Junior Stanislas has agreed to join us on loan until the end of the season. He's still a bit raw, but he comes from a much bigger team so he could probably contribute. Coach report mentions he should be regarded as a key member of the first team squad.

January 13, 2010
Filipe Morais rejected our contract and while he's willing to negotiate, I will never be able to meet his demands so I break off talks.

Looking at my assistant's team report, I see that he feels we are weakest in defence, especially at the left fullback spot. I sorta agree with that, thus my decision not to offer yet a contract to Olivier Bernard. He recommends 22yo Rhoys Wiggins as a potential tranfer target. He's currently playing with the reserve team at Crystal Palace but while he's tranfer listed, when I go to make an offer to Crystal Palace, I'm told he has already accepted a contract offer. I can't see anything anywhere until I realize that Crystal and Southampton seem to have a part exchange organized. Might be only the other player left to accept a contract. I'll keep an eye on him in case that deal falls through.

FM

[FrogMan]

January 16, 2010
League Match #26: vs Notts County (21st) (Luton 1-2 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	31	-	6.74
DR		Ritchie De Laet	D RC, WB R	Very Good		100%	25	-	6.90
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		98%	28	2	6.83
DC	Wnt	George Pilkington	D RC	Superb		100%	12	-	6.97
DC	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Good		99%	31	-	6.76
DMC	PR	Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		100%	10	-	6.92
MR	Loa	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Good		98%	-	-	-
ML	Wnt	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Very Good		93%	17 (8)	1	6.85
MC	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Okay		97%	22 (1)	-	6.76
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		99%	29 (1)	20	7.01
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		100%	17 (2)	12	7.07
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Very Good		100%	1	-	6.60
S2		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		99%	13 (1)	-	6.74
S3		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		100%	5 (21)	-	6.57
S4		Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Very Good		99%	12 (10)	-	6.80
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Poor		100%	16 (6)	4	6.71
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Superb		62%	25	4	7.07
-		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		90%	3 (16)	2	6.88
-	Inj	Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		72%	29	3	6.84
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Good		95%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-		Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Very Good		94%	4 (12)	1	6.77
-		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Very Good		100%	7	-	6.56

This'll be Junior Stanislas debut as a Hatter. I tell him there's no pressure on him today.

We take a 1-0 lead in the 9th minute when Olivier Bernard lays a perfect pass for Andrea Lombardo who dribbles past a defender before beating the keeper. We double our lead only 4 mintues later when Dean Pearce scores his first ever goal as a Hatter, again following nice play by Lombardo and Bernard.

We're up 2-0 after 45 but it's been a rough first half. Both Daniel Jones and Sébastien Heitzmann's have taken hits and are limping slightly. I replace them both to start the second half. The second is uneventfu and we hold on to our lead. Final Score: 2-0

Luton	Statistic	Notts Co
14	Shots	7
7	On Target	2
5	Off Target	2
2	Blocked Shots	3
7	Clear Cut Chances	0
42%	Possession	58%
2	Corners	2
12	Free Kicks	7
18	Throw-Ins	22
6	Fouls	10
1	Offsides	2
71%	Passes Completed	74%
30%	Crosses Completed	12%
100%	Tackles Won	94%
43%	Headers Won	86%
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0

My assistant is odd sometimes. We win it with our keeper getting a clean sheet and he recommends I give no team speech and that I tell Mike Pollitt, Ritchie De Laet and Pelé that I'm disappointed in their performance. They got form ratings of 6.9, 6.9, and 7.0 respectively, and A CLEAN SHEET for our keeper. I tell the guys collectively that it was well done. Andrea Lombardo is the Man of the Match and the fans are pleased with the win. This was our third straight league win. We remain in first place and even pull away a little with a draw by Stockport. Progression report is attached.

Kevin Nicholls resumes full training following his thigh injury.


January 16, 2010
Hrm, rumour is that Leyton Orient might be ready to shell out up to $3.5M for Dean Pearce. If they really want to, I'll gladly take the money...


January 18, 2010
And again, Mike Pollitt is selected to the League 2 Team of the Week.


January 19, 2010
Seeing how Watford was now also interested in Dean Pearce, I upped his required price to $4M. Sure enough, the rumour is now that Watford could be ready to pay that much for Pearce.


January 20, 2010
Oh crap! My physio wants to see me. He's got the long face that never announces good news. Turns out Ritchie De Laet tore his hamstring while attempting a sprint in training today. No clue as to how long he will be out, but it's not looking good.

News comes in the afternoon. Ritchie'll be out for 3 months, essentially ending his season. With the limit on the number of players on loan, I terminate his loan effective immediately.


January 21, 2010
Remember Rhoys Wiggins? Well, he's now available again. Crystal Palace are looking for $6k for the defender valued at $60k. I offer them only 30% of next sale.

FM

[FrogMan]

January 23, 2010
FA Cup Round 4: vs Wigan (3rd in Championship) (Wigan 4-6 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	32	-	6.75
DR		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Good		100%	7	-	6.56
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		99%	29	2	6.85
DC	Wnt	George Pilkington	D RC	Very Good		100%	13	-	6.98
DC	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Good		100%	32	-	6.77
DMC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		100%	11	-	6.92
MR	Loa	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Very Good		98%	1	-	6.60
ML	Wnt	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Very Good		96%	18 (8)	1	6.85
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		95%	29	3	6.84
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		100%	30 (1)	20	6.98
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		100%	18 (2)	13	7.10
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Very Good		100%	1	-	6.60
S2		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		98%	13 (1)	-	6.74
S3		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		99%	5 (22)	-	6.58
S4		Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Very Good		100%	12 (11)	-	6.80
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Poor		100%	16 (7)	4	6.68
S6	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Good		98%	23 (1)	1	6.79
S7		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		95%	3 (16)	2	6.88
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Superb		62%	25	4	7.07
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Good		100%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-		Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Very Good		95%	4 (12)	1	6.77

Fans are openly pessimistic about the outcome of this game. Let's say I'm not too optimistic myself either, but I try not to let it show to the players. We've already attained the goal set out by the board, I only hope we don't get destroyed too much.

Setting up for the game, I get the news that our offer for Rhoys Wiggins has been accepted. Going to offer him a contract, I find that his demands are quite acceptable. He's looking for a two year deal worth $1,300 a week. We're currently $4,500 under our weekly wage budget and I offer him what he's looking for. Immediately following that offer, I get the news that Blackpool have offered $2,000 To Crystal Palace for Wiggins.

Kevin Nicholls is match fit and will be back in the starting eleven for this important match. Again, my assistant is acting a bit silly. He recommends telling the guys they can win this match. Huh, oookay. I end up telling them to play this one for the fans.

We're playing really well early on, but it's Wigan who score first. Down 0-1 after 22 minutes and that's the score after 45.

We put all sorts of crazy pressure to start the second half. Kevin Nicholls put a fierce shot just above the bar and Sébastien Heitzmann heads one just wide. We finally tie the game in the 75th minute when Heitzmann bends a nice ball using the outside of his foot. We've done it, we're back into this! From then on, we're surprisingly in charge of play, yet we can't pierce their defensive wall. Final Score: 1-1.

Luton	Statistic	Wigan
17	Shots	15
5	On Target	4
10	Off Target	4
2	Blocked Shots	7
2	Clear Cut Chances	1
51%	Possession	49%
3	Corners	5
14	Free Kicks	19
31	Throw-Ins	18
16	Fouls	10
3	Offsides	4
68%	Passes Completed	60%
16%	Crosses Completed	27%
94%	Tackles Won	86%
57%	Headers Won	61%
2	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0

Arg, at home is where we should have won this thing. Will be much tougher to go win this thing in the replay match on their pitch. Still, a very good game in which we at least showed we're no pushovers. Look at the number of throw-ins for us. This tells me they were simply defending for some time in the game and juts kicking the ball out. Andrea Lombardo is the Man of the Match. He had 14 runs past opponents in the game. Replay match is planned for February 3rd.


January 24, 2010
There's an open rumour that Scottish Premier side Kilmarnock are hot after Dean Pearce. It's being said that a fee upward of $2M could be necessary to get Pearce. I SAID $4M, NOTHING LESS!!! Seriously, I issue a hands off warning.


January 25, 2010
The draw for the fifth round of the FA Cup is today and it dawns on me that if we succeed to win again Wigan, we'll have made it into the sweet sixteen. Then holy moly, it hits me. I'm thinking about us having a shot at winning. The it hits me again when the draw is over. The winner of our match will play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

FM

[FrogMan]

January 26, 2010
League Match #27: at Oxford (16th) (Luton evens fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	33	-	6.75
DR		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Superb		94%	8	-	6.65
DL	PR	Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Very Good		100%	12 (12)	-	6.80
DC	PR	George Pilkington	D RC	Okay		95%	14	-	6.96
DC	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Very Good		95%	33	-	6.77
DMC		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		99%	5 (22)	-	6.58
MR	Loa	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Very Good		93%	2	-	6.75
ML	Wnt	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Superb		93%	19 (8)	1	6.85
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		90%	30	3	6.86
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		94%	31 (1)	21	6.99
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		94%	19 (2)	13	7.12
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Very Good		100%	1	-	6.60
S2	PR	Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Good		92%	12	-	6.89
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		92%	3 (17)	2	6.88
S4	PR	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		92%	30	2	6.82
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Poor		99%	16 (7)	4	6.68
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Superb		62%	25	4	7.07
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Good		100%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-		Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Very Good		94%	4 (12)	1	6.77
-		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		98%	13 (1)	-	6.74
-	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Good		96%	23 (2)	1	6.80

The first half is a bore to watch. We're not able to get anything going and I chew a few guys up at the halftime break.

While we start the second half stronger, it still takes about 20 minutes for use to creat something worth cheering for. Junior Stanislas dribbles the ball wide right, all the way to the byline, before crossing the ball to the far post to an unmarked Andrea Lombardo. We hold on to that one goal lead until the end. Final Score: 1-0.

Oxford	Statistic	Luton
8	Shots	8
2	On Target	1
1	Off Target	3
5	Blocked Shots	4
1	Clear Cut Chances	0
55%	Possession	45%
3	Corners	5
19	Free Kicks	13
23	Throw-Ins	15
9	Fouls	15
4	Offsides	4
70%	Passes Completed	59%
47%	Crosses Completed	38%
92%	Tackles Won	90%
56%	Headers Won	61%
0	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0

A win is a win, and an away win is quite okay in my book, but it was a poor match. Mike Pollitt collects his first Man of the Match selection of the season, surprisingly enough, given how many times he's been part of the Team of the Week.

Pelé reached the limit of 5 yellow cards and will be banned for one match starting February 2. Grr, he'll play the League match against Torquay on the 30th but will miss the Wigan FA Cup replay match.

Following the game, we learn that Rhoys Wiggins has agreed to the terms of the contract we offered him. He joins us right after the match and rightaway, my assistant says he should be regarded as a key member of the first-team squad already.

FM

[kingfc22]

Nice job FM. The squad continues to be in excellent form.

[FrogMan]

February 2, 2010
FA Cup Round 4 replay: at Wigan (3rd in Championship) (Wigan 2-5 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	35	-	6.77
DR		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Very Good		100%	9	-	6.67
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		100%	30 (1)	2	6.83
DC	Wnt	George Pilkington	D RC	Very Good		97%	16	-	6.96
DC	PR	Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		95%	13 (1)	-	6.91
DMC		Romain Beynié	DM, M C	Okay		95%	-	-	-
MR	Loa	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Superb		95%	4	-	7.05
ML		Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Superb		95%	13 (13)	1	6.85
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		94%	32	3	6.85
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		95%	33 (1)	22	6.99
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		95%	21 (2)	15	7.14
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Good		99%	1	-	6.60
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Good		100%	6 (23)	-	6.59
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Good		90%	3 (19)	2	6.86
S4	Wnt	Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Very Good		94%	4 (12)	1	6.77
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Poor		98%	16 (7)	4	6.68
S6	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Good		96%	24 (2)	1	6.80
S7		Gavin Swankie	AM RL	Poor		99%	-	-	-
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Superb		64%	21 (8)	1	6.85
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Very Good		61%	25	4	7.07
-	Inj	Rhoys Wiggins	D/WB/M L	Poor		60%	1	-	-
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Good		99%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-	Sus	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Very Good		97%	35	-	6.79
-		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		97%	13 (1)	-	6.74

Well, this is comforting. Not only is an easy win being predicted for Wigan, but their fans expected their club to pile on the misery for our fans.

I tell the guys the pressure is off. We're having a rough first half but we keep it scoreless and even take the lead late in the half. Sébastien Heitzmann take a free kick from the left and contrary to his habit of driving the ball to the net, he floats a nice ball to the far post, and ball that Andrew Lombardo runs under and heads past the keeper. Up 1-0 at the half.

Possession is about even at that point, but they are outshooting us badly. Still, we're up 1-0, anything can happen now. I tell the guys to do it for their fans.

They seem to respond very well to that as they start denying Wigan of chances after chances. Kevin Nicholls clears a couple of very dangerous balls and we're playing a tight defensive game for the rest of the way. Final Score: 1-0.

Wigan	Statistic	Luton
17	Shots	5
3	On Target	1
10	Off Target	1
4	Blocked Shots	3
1	Clear Cut Chances	1
51%	Possession	49%
4	Corners	0
16	Free Kicks	25
29	Throw-Ins	23
18	Fouls	10
7	Offsides	6
65%	Passes Completed	52%
14%	Crosses Completed	33%
97%	Tackles Won	93%
62%	Headers Won	56%
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0

We're through, WE'RE THROUGH!!!! then it hits me. Oh SH*T! we're playing Chelsea next! Oh well, we'll deal with it when we get there.

Claude Gnakpa is the Man of the Match. Romain Beynié played solidly in his debut, despite severely lacking in match fitness. The fans are delighted with the win. We're given $150k for the win. Now we're talking!

We'll play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on February 13.

Tough news following the game though. Lewis Emanuel pulled a hamstring and will miss around 4 weeks. What's with this darn left side of the field??? Looks Like Gavin Swankie's signing has now become really important.

FM

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Nice job FM. The squad continues to be in excellent form.

thanks, I'm quite pleased with the form myself. Apart from a couple of flat games, which we managed not to lose, we've been doing quite well.

FM

[kingfc22]

Bring on Chelsea.

They got nothing on you!

[Izulde]

Wow! Knocking off Wigan on their home pitch!!!

Great job you've done thus far and Lombardo has really kicked ass for you this season it seems.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Bring on Chelsea.

They got nothing on you!

LOL, gotta love the optimism. So you know, While we were toying with Wigan, they just knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup to get to round 5. heh...

FM

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Wow! Knocking off Wigan on their home pitch!!!

Great job you've done thus far and Lombardo has really kicked ass for you this season it seems.

that Wigan away game was surreal. And that free kick floated for like 5 mintues on the way to the far post. To see Lombardo run under it, pas the defender who simply stayed there and never saw it coming, it was beautiful.

I kinda agree about Lombardo, he's been on hot streaks at time. The nice thing is that him and Heitzmann have relayed each other on goal scoring duties, so much so that it has not left much space for Fred Sears. All the better for me, as these two will be there after this season. Even better is that Lombardo is still relatively young.

FM

[condors]

congrats, KUTGW!

[chesapeake]

Hatters Top Wigan!

Congratulations on your great cup run. How is the gate split in the FA cup? At the very least, I would expect that the Chelsea match will be a big payout for you.

[FrogMan]

February 6, 2010
League Match #29: at Accrington (22nd) (Luton 1-3 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	36	-	6.78
DR	PR	Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		95%	14 (1)	-	6.94
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		94%	31 (1)	2	6.83
DC	Wnt	George Pilkington	D RC	Superb		92%	17	-	6.95
DC	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Good		100%	35	-	6.79
DMC	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Very Good		100%	24 (2)	1	6.80
MR	Loa	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Very Good		92%	5	-	7.02
ML		Gavin Swankie	AM RL	Okay		100%	0 (1)	-	6.60
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		92%	33	3	6.86
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		93%	34 (1)	22	6.99
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		93%	22 (2)	16	7.15
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Good		98%	1	-	6.60
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Good		100%	6 (24)	-	6.59
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		92%	3 (20)	2	6.86
S4	PR	Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Superb		94%	4 (12)	1	6.77
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Poor		98%	16 (7)	4	6.68
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Superb		64%	21 (8)	1	6.85
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Very Good		61%	25	4	7.07
-	Inj	Rhoys Wiggins	D/WB/M L	Okay		59%	1	-	-
-	Inj	Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Superb		64%	14 (13)	1	6.86
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Good		98%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Very Good		96%	10	-	6.73
-	PR	Romain Beynié	DM, M C	Superb		88%	1	-	7.10
-		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		97%	13 (1)	-	6.74

These away games where we're heavy favourites always make me nervous, but we are 3-0 against Accrington in the last two seasons.

We talked about Andrea Lombardo being a fixture for us up front, well he does it again in the 32nd minute. Kudos to Sébastien Heitzmann for winning an aerial battle with an opposing defender that sprung Lombardo's run to the net. It's 1-0 at the half and I encourage the players. While we're winning possession, all other stats are pretty even between the two teams.

For some odd reason, many guys start the second half playing nervously, but they get a hold of themselves eventually and we hang on to win it. Final Score: 1-0

Accrington	Statistic	Luton
16	Shots	10
6	On Target	1
6	Off Target	4
4	Blocked Shots	5
2	Clear Cut Chances	2
48%	Possession	52%
3	Corners	4
16	Free Kicks	18
15	Throw-Ins	30
13	Fouls	11
5	Offsides	5
62%	Passes Completed	58%
26%	Crosses Completed	15%
96%	Tackles Won	92%
52%	Headers Won	69%
0	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0

Not a real dominant win, but a win's a win. The fans are pleased with the away win which was our six straight win in a row. Stockport also won their game and we keep 'em one point away with two games on hand.

Pos	Team	Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	Luton	29	18	5	6	54	25	+29	59
2nd	Stockport	31	18	4	9	54	29	+25	58
3rd	Port Vale	31	16	7	8	49	30	+19	55
4th	Cheltenham	31	14	10	7	37	30	+7	52
5th	Darlington	30	15	6	9	33	31	+2	51
6th	Exeter	31	13	11	7	40	29	+11	50
7th	Chesterfield	31	15	4	12	43	36	+7	49
8th	Northampton	31	13	10	8	35	33	+2	49
9th	Shrewsbury	31	13	9	9	34	30	+4	48
10th	Bury	31	11	11	9	43	35	+8	44
11th	Barnet	31	12	8	11	43	36	+7	44
12th	Chester	31	11	10	10	41	41	0	43
13th	Rotherham	31	11	9	11	31	33	-2	42
14th	Aldershot	31	11	7	13	30	32	-2	40
15th	Lincoln	31	12	4	15	40	48	-8	40
16th	Hereford	31	10	8	13	36	38	-2	38
17th	Oxford	31	9	10	12	40	50	-10	37
18th	Torquay	31	9	9	13	30	38	-8	36
19th	Wycombe	31	9	9	13	29	46	-17	36
20th	Notts Co	31	7	12	12	43	46	-3	33
21st	Grimsby	31	9	6	16	40	47	-7	33
22nd	Accrington	31	6	10	15	33	48	-15	28
23rd	Dag & Red	31	5	9	17	17	40	-23	24
24th	Morecambe	30	6	6	18	21	45	-24	24

February 8, 2010
Our FA Cup match against Chelsea has been brought forward to 12:30 for television coverage. Game is in 5 days. This is gonna be big.


February 10, 2010
League Match #30: at Morecambe (24th) (Luton 1-6 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	37	-	6.78
DR		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		95%	15 (1)	-	6.96
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		94%	32 (1)	2	6.83
DC	Wnt	George Pilkington	D RC	Superb		95%	18	-	6.93
DC	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Superb		97%	36	-	6.79
DMC		Romain Beynié	DM, M C	Superb		92%	1	-	7.10
MR	Loa	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Superb		94%	6	-	7.00
ML		Gavin Swankie	AM RL	Good		95%	1 (1)	-	6.75
MC	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Superb		95%	25 (2)	1	6.79
ST		Fred Sears	ST	Poor		97%	16 (7)	4	6.68
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		95%	23 (2)	17	7.14
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Good		98%	1	-	6.60
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		100%	6 (25)	-	6.58
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		90%	3 (21)	2	6.86
S4	Wnt	Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Superb		94%	4 (13)	1	6.77
S5		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		94%	35 (1)	22	6.99
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Superb		64%	21 (8)	1	6.85
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Very Good		60%	25	4	7.07
-		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		94%	34	3	6.86
-	Inj	Rhoys Wiggins	D/WB/M L	Okay		59%	1	-	-
-	Inj	Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Superb		64%	14 (13)	1	6.86
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Good		98%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Very Good		100%	10	-	6.73
-		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		96%	13 (1)	-	6.74

Wow, I know they're dead last, but those are some heavy odds in our favour. This is one of our games on hand and we're the only two teams in action in League 2 today.

Injury status time:
Rhoys Wiggins, 1-2 days
Daniel Jones, 2-3 weeks
Lewis Emanuel, 2-3 weeks
Shiva-Star N'Zigou, 2-3 months

I'm sitting out Kevin Nicholls for this game and going with a youngish inner midfield of Romain Beynié and Dean Pearce. Beynié is still lacking in match fitness quite a bit. Sébastien Heitzmann will also rest in preparation for the Chelsea match. Andrea Lombardo will act as captain for this match. Kind of a tiny reward for his nice season.

I toyed with the idea of telling the guys I expected them to win but I decided to tell them to do it for the fans. My assistant warns me of overconfidence in the locker room and maybe it's the reason for how flat we play in the first half.

Odd too is how by the 40th minute or so, 9 players are playing nervously, maybe fearing they'll make a mistake and cause us to go one down. A boring scoreless first half is followed by more boring soccer and a scoreless second half. Final Score: 0-0.

Morecambe	Statistic	Luton
5	Shots	6
1	On Target	0
3	Off Target	5
1	Blocked Shots	1
1	Clear Cut Chances	1
56%	Possession	44%
2	Corners	3
15	Free Kicks	9
16	Throw-Ins	17
9	Fouls	12
0	Offsides	3
73%	Passes Completed	72%
20%	Crosses Completed	26%
94%	Tackles Won	87%
88%	Headers Won	48%
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0

Disappointing, and I tell the guys it was just not good enough. Seriously, we should have destroyed these guys. At least we didn't let in a fluke goal and we scrape away a tiny point. The fans, just like me, are disspointed.

Chesapeake mentioned gate receipts and as I checked, our bank balance shows upward of $315k, much, much higher than what it was just a year ago at the same time. Those two round 4 matches have certainly helped us. I see gate receipts close to $500k for January, that's about as high as what we had in July, when we had some very high profile friendlies. Through all of last seasons, we never had a month go higher than $275k (November 2008). Looking forward to see how much that match at Stamford Bridge will bring in. Certainly, win or lose, we should get something for or coffers.

FM

[kingfc22]

FM - I don't have '09, but I see you mention your guys playing nervously. Is there a mention of that during the game or does it show up on one of the in-game screens? Or is it just to make the write-ups more interesting?

[FrogMan]

February 13, 2010
FA Cup Round 5: at Chelsea (1st in Premiership) (Chelsea 1-8 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	38	-	6.78
DR		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Very Good		100%	10	-	6.73
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		93%	33 (1)	2	6.84
DC	Wnt	George Pilkington	D RC	Superb		95%	19	-	6.94
DC	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Very Good		95%	37	-	6.78
DMC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		95%	16 (1)	-	6.95
MR	Loa	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Very Good		94%	7	-	6.97
ML		Gavin Swankie	AM RL	Good		94%	2 (1)	-	6.73
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		99%	34	3	6.86
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		96%	35 (2)	22	6.97
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		93%	24 (2)	17	7.13
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Good		97%	1	-	6.60
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Good		99%	6 (25)	-	6.58
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		89%	3 (22)	2	6.85
S4	Wnt	Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Superb		94%	4 (14)	1	6.75
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Very Poor		92%	17 (7)	4	6.66
S6	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Superb		92%	26 (2)	1	6.79
S7	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Good		97%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Very Good		64%	21 (8)	1	6.85
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Very Good		60%	25	4	7.07
-		Rhoys Wiggins	D/WB/M L	Okay		68%	1	-	-
-	Inj	Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Very Good		64%	14 (13)	1	6.86
-	PR	Romain Beynié	DM, M C	Good		90%	2	-	6.95
-		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		96%	13 (1)	-	6.74

What nice headlines in the papers yesterday: "Chelsea fans expecting comfortable win" & "Luton face the impossible". Well, they are sitting 1st in the Premiership and if they can knock Arsenal out of the Cup, we surely are not much on their radar screen.

Rhoys Wiggins resumes full training but will not be suiting up for this match. I go with my more experienced lineup and while my assistant is all upbeat and wants to tell the guys that they "can win it today!" I tone it down a bit and tell them that the pressure is off.

They pressure us from the opening kickoff and even score in the 8th minute, but it's disallowed. Our offside trapped worked just fine that time. It won't be long before they score and after a crossbar in the 16th minute, it's their. Down 0-1.

We're hanging in there though and surprisingly, the guys are playing with motivation and confidence. We're just not getting out of our defensive zone much. By the 34th minute, they've attempted 12 shots to none for us. They finally score another just before the end of the half on a very nice play, almost unstoppable for us. We finally have our first shot in injury time of the first half and it took a great save from their keeper to keep us from cutting into their lead.

Still, reality is we're down 0-2 and they are dominating us, as they were expeted to, but we're surviving and not completely being destroyed, which is, in all honesty, better than what I expected.

We hold on until the 79th minute before letting a third goal go in and while we're not really challenging their keeper, we manage to fire a couple shots. Final Score: 0-3.

Chelsea	Statistic	Luton
29	Shots	3
7	On Target	3
15	Off Target	0
7	Blocked Shots	0
3	Clear Cut Chances	0
54%	Possession	46%
9	Corners	2
19	Free Kicks	9
18	Throw-Ins	18
3	Fouls	15
6	Offsides	4
72%	Passes Completed	54%
27%	Crosses Completed	20%
100%	Tackles Won	89%
64%	Headers Won	47%
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0

Okay, don't look at the match stats. Oh, too late? Well it was not much prettier than what the stats indicate, but we stuck in there and came out of it taller, if only in experience. I mean, this was a match on TV, in front of a hostile crowd of more than 34,000 screaming fans. I tell the guys that despite the loss, it was a good effort. The fans are still pleased even though we lost the game.

We're out of the FA Cup and the team board declare themselves delighted that we reached the 5th round, much higher than their expectation of a 3rd round. But holy moly! this last Cup match has brought in close to $950k in gate receipts and close to $400k in TV revenue. That's a cool $1.35M in our coffers. Rock on! Our bank balance now sits at over $1.5M.

While we were playing, the whole of League 2 were in action and Stockport regained possession of 1st place witha 2-1 win over Aldershot. We still have two games on hand though and even with these two games on hand, we're still 5 points ahead of 4th place Cheltenham and the autopromotion line.

Pos	Team	Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	Stockport	32	19	4	9	56	30	+26	61
2nd	Luton	30	18	6	6	54	25	+29	60
3rd	Port Vale	32	16	8	8	52	33	+19	56
4th	Cheltenham	32	15	10	7	39	31	+8	55
5th	Chesterfield	32	16	4	12	44	36	+8	52
6th	Darlington	31	15	7	9	36	34	+2	52
7th	Exeter	32	13	11	8	40	30	+10	50
8th	Northampton	31	13	10	8	35	33	+2	49
9th	Shrewsbury	32	13	9	10	34	32	+2	48
10th	Chester	32	12	10	10	42	41	+1	46
11th	Bury	32	11	12	9	44	36	+8	45
12th	Barnet	32	12	8	12	43	37	+6	44
13th	Rotherham	32	11	9	12	32	35	-3	42
14th	Aldershot	32	11	7	14	31	34	-3	40
15th	Lincoln	32	12	4	16	40	49	-9	40
16th	Torquay	32	10	9	13	33	40	-7	39
17th	Wycombe	32	10	9	13	32	48	-16	39
18th	Hereford	32	10	8	14	36	39	-3	38
19th	Oxford	32	9	11	12	41	51	-10	38
20th	Notts Co	32	8	12	12	44	46	-2	36
21st	Grimsby	32	9	6	17	42	50	-8	33
22nd	Accrington	32	6	10	16	35	51	-16	28
23rd	Morecambe	32	7	7	18	23	45	-22	28
24th	Dag & Red	32	6	9	17	18	40	-22	27

February 15, 2010
Mike Pollitt has again been selected to the League 2 Team of the Week. Seriously, if he's not an easy selection to the League's Best Eleven of the season, I'll cry to the media.

FM

[FrogMan]

February 17, 2010
League Match #31: at Darlington (6th) (Luton 4-5 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	39	-	6.77
DR		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Good		98%	11	-	6.73
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Superb		93%	34 (1)	2	6.84
DC	Wnt	George Pilkington	D RC	Very Good		94%	20	-	6.93
DC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		95%	17 (1)	-	6.95
DMC	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Superb		98%	26 (2)	1	6.79
MR	Loa	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Very Good		94%	8	-	6.95
ML		Gavin Swankie	AM RL	Poor		94%	3 (1)	-	6.53
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		94%	35	3	6.85
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Very Good		95%	36 (2)	22	6.96
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Very Good		95%	25 (2)	17	7.08
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Okay		97%	1	-	6.60
S2		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Good		100%	6 (26)	-	6.58
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		90%	3 (23)	2	6.83
S4	Wnt	Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Superb		94%	4 (14)	1	6.75
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Very Poor		97%	17 (8)	4	6.64
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Very Good		64%	21 (8)	1	6.85
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Very Good		60%	25	4	7.07
-		Rhoys Wiggins	D/WB/M L	Okay		88%	1	-	-
-	Inj	Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Very Good		64%	14 (13)	1	6.86
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Good		97%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Okay		95%	38	-	6.74
-		Romain Beynié	DM, M C	Good		95%	2	-	6.95
-		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		95%	13 (1)	-	6.74

Interesting stats, in three games against Darlington, we've beat them 4-0 and 3-0 at home while we've lost our only away game to them 0-1. This game is away and as thus, makes me nervous. Pelé has been struggling recently and I give him a game off.

Junior Stanlislas scores his first goal as a Hatter to give us a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute. He's played quite well since joining us. He received a nice pass from our other new winger, Gavin Swankie.

The second half starts with Claude Gnakpa upending an opponent inside the penalty area. PENALTY! Former Hatter from way in the past, Richard Langley, buries the ball to tie it at one a piece. We can't find a way to score another goal and it ends in a tie. Final Score: 1-1.

Darlington	Statistic	Luton
12	Shots	10
4	On Target	3
3	Off Target	5
5	Blocked Shots	2
1	Clear Cut Chances	1
48%	Possession	52%
3	Corners	2
12	Free Kicks	21
26	Throw-Ins	22
16	Fouls	9
5	Offsides	4
63%	Passes Completed	62%
19%	Crosses Completed	29%
91%	Tackles Won	90%
54%	Headers Won	71%
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0

Junior Stanislas is the Man of the Match but overall it was a disappointing performance from the lads and I tell them so. Bein the only team in action, we regain 1st place, tied on point The fans are pleased with the draw on the road.

And Pelé will finds his spot back in the starting eleven real fast as George Pilkington suffered a pulled hamstring and will miss around 4 weeks.

FM

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

FM - I don't have '09, but I see you mention your guys playing nervously. Is there a mention of that during the game or does it show up on one of the in-game screens? Or is it just to make the write-ups more interesting?

It is indeed part of the in-game "TV View" mode where one of the little info screen you can activate is a "motivation" module. For every player, it shows the mood they are in. Info I remember seeing are among the following:
Playing okay (yellow/neutral
Looking motivated (green/positive)
Playing with confidence (green/positive)
Having/had a good game (green/positive)
Deserved his "x" goals (green/positive)
Having/had a poor game (red/negative)
Looking complacent (red/negative)
Playing nervously (red/negative)
Mistake led to goal (red/negative)

I've included screenies from the TV View with the motivation module opened. #1 is from the Morecambe game with lots of guys playing nervously, #2 is from the Chelsea game when guys were still playing with confidence, #3 is with the Darlington player setting up for the penalty kick and #4 is to show how bad Claude Gnakpa felt about causing a penalty.

I think it's a really nice feature, I quite love it and consult it numerous times per game, especially at halftime to adjust my team-talk to try and give a confidence boost to some players. Not much you can do about it during the game though. Maybe this'll be touched upon with the new in-game instructions I think you'll be able to make in FM2010.

FM

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

It is indeed part of the in-game "TV View" mode where one of the little info screen you can activate is a "motivation" module. For every player, it shows the mood they are in. Info I remember seeing are among the following:
Playing okay (yellow/neutral
Looking motivated (green/positive)
Playing with confidence (green/positive)
Having/had a good game (green/positive)
Deserved his "x" goals (green/positive)
Having/had a poor game (red/negative)
Looking complacent (red/negative)
Playing nervously (red/negative)
Mistake led to goal (red/negative)

I've included screenies from the TV View with the motivation module opened. #1 is from the Morecambe game with lots of guys playing nervously, #2 is from the Chelsea game when guys were still playing with confidence, #3 is with the Darlington player setting up for the penalty kick and #4 is to show how bad Claude Gnakpa felt about causing a penalty.

I think it's a really nice feature, I quite love it and consult it numerous times per game, especially at halftime to adjust my team-talk to try and give a confidence boost to some players. Not much you can do about it during the game though. Maybe this'll be touched upon with the new in-game instructions I think you'll be able to make in FM2010.

FM

Definitely getting FM2010 now.

I have 08, but this type of feature and all the other new ones I have read about are just to good to resist.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

It is indeed part of the in-game "TV View" mode where one of the little info screen you can activate is a "motivation" module.

That really is a nice looking feature.

Pity I couldn't even get the demo to run (IIRC) on my poor old PC.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Definitely getting FM2010 now.

I have 08, but this type of feature and all the other new ones I have read about are just to good to resist.

What I found about '09 is that there's a lot more feedback available to you. Your assistant is a lot more useful this time around. I think I've mentioned about him recommending players in his team report. I think Rhoys Wiggins came to me as a recommendation from there. Say your assman will say he's happy with the depth of the club but that we could still improve in the defense area and then he'll recommend a player or two, most of the times, players I have no scouting reports on.

You can also ask him to give you a report about possible players to get on loan, either at a certain club, or at large in a certain position (say "find me left defenders to loan").

There's also a lot more confidence ratings that you are evaluated upon and the team board seems a bit more "intelligent" in their evaluation. Like last season when I had a crappy draw in the League Cup and lost in first round. They expected me to make it to the 2nd round and said they were disappointed we got out in first round but that they could understand how we lost to the team we lost to.

I can't believe '10 will have less of this, actually more and more is being advertised already.

FM

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

That really is a nice looking feature.

Pity I couldn't even get the demo to run (IIRC) on my poor old PC.

it's a pity indeed.

FM

[FrogMan]

February 20, 2010
League Match #32: vs Port Vale (3rd) (Luton evens fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Very Good		100%	40	-	6.77
DR		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Good		96%	12	-	6.61
DL		Rhoys Wiggins	D/WB/M L	Okay		90%	1	-	-
DC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		95%	18 (1)	-	6.95
DC	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Okay		99%	38	-	6.74
DMC	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Very Good		93%	27 (2)	1	6.79
MR	PR	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Very Good		92%	9	1	7.02
ML		Gavin Swankie	AM RL	Okay		92%	4 (1)	-	6.58
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Very Good		92%	36	3	6.85
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Very Good		93%	37 (2)	22	6.95
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Very Good		92%	26 (2)	17	7.07
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Okay		96%	1	-	6.60
S2		Romain Beynié	DM, M C	Good		97%	2	-	6.95
S3		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		90%	3 (24)	2	6.83
S4	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Very Good		92%	35 (1)	2	6.85
S5		Fred Sears	ST	Very Poor		99%	17 (9)	4	6.64
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Very Good		63%	21 (8)	1	6.85
-	Inj	George Pilkington	D RC	Very Good		66%	21	-	6.93
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Very Good		59%	25	4	7.07
-		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Good		97%	6 (27)	-	6.56
-	Inj	Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Very Good		64%	14 (13)	1	6.86
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Good		97%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-	Wnt	Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Very Good		94%	4 (14)	1	6.75
-		Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		95%	13 (1)	-	6.74

Feels good to be back home. We've played our last five games on the road: at Wigan, at Accrington, at Morecambe, at Chelsea and at Darlington. Also, this long cup run came with a cost. Sure we have two games on hand over everyone, but we're suffering through fixture congestion, having just played three days ago while everybody else played 7 days ago, and we play again in three days, when nobody but us will be playing.

This is a big one, against 3rd place team Port Vale. Third place is the line for autopromotion. Rhoys Wiggins is not in super shape, but I give him the start as he's our left back of the future.

I had not realized this but it hits me when it's mentioned in the pre-game milestones. It's been a heck of a long time since Sébastien Heitzmann's last goal. 481 minute to be exact or more than 5 games. I tell him I have faith in his ability.

Well, it made it to just a tad over 500 minutes before he scored, in the 22nd minute of the game to be exact. He took a great lofted ball from Dean Pearce into the box and the keeper just couldn't do anything. We keep putting pressure and have a goal disallowed for offside maybe 15 minutes later. It's almost odd looking at the stats since we're losing possession but are having more chances on goal than them.

It's only 1-0 at the half and with that kind of tight game, I tell the guys not to get careless. Right after the start of the half, they hit a post that I was absolutely certain was going in. The ball's cleared and we take all the way down the other end where Gavin Swankie scores his first ever goal as a Hatter. Final Score: 2-0.

Luton	Statistic	Port Vale
14	Shots	14
6	On Target	5
3	Off Target	5
5	Blocked Shots	4
3	Clear Cut Chances	3
47%	Possession	53%
3	Corners	5
15	Free Kicks	12
23	Throw-Ins	24
6	Fouls	13
6	Offsides	2
57%	Passes Completed	63%
23%	Crosses Completed	20%
97%	Tackles Won	92%
63%	Headers Won	55%
1	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0

Great, confident performance by many of our guys. Good crowd of 7167 too. Dean Pearce did very well, assisting on both goals, but it's Gavin Swankie who's the Man of the Match. This win extends our unbeaten run to 10 league games. Stockport lost 0-1 at Rotherham and we move 3 points away from them.

Pos	Team	Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	Luton	32	19	7	6	57	26	+31	64
2nd	Stockport	33	19	4	10	56	31	+25	61
3rd	Port Vale	33	16	8	9	52	35	+17	56
4th	Cheltenham	33	15	11	7	40	32	+8	56
5th	Darlington	33	16	8	9	38	35	+3	56
6th	Chesterfield	33	17	4	12	47	37	+10	55
7th	Exeter	33	13	12	8	41	31	+10	51
8th	Shrewsbury	33	13	10	10	34	32	+2	49
9th	Northampton	32	13	10	9	36	35	+1	49
10th	Chester	33	12	11	10	43	42	+1	47
11th	Bury	33	11	13	9	46	38	+8	46
12th	Barnet	33	12	9	12	44	38	+6	45
13th	Rotherham	33	12	9	12	33	35	-2	45
14th	Hereford	33	11	8	14	40	40	0	41
15th	Aldershot	33	11	8	14	31	34	-3	41
16th	Lincoln	33	12	4	17	41	53	-12	40
17th	Wycombe	33	10	10	13	33	49	-16	40
18th	Notts Co	33	9	12	12	46	47	-1	39
19th	Torquay	33	10	9	14	33	41	-8	39
20th	Oxford	33	9	12	12	42	52	-10	39
21st	Grimsby	33	9	7	17	44	52	-8	34
22nd	Morecambe	33	8	7	18	26	46	-20	31
23rd	Accrington	33	6	10	17	36	54	-18	28
24th	Dag & Red	33	6	9	18	19	43	-24	27

February 22, 2010
Aaaaand Mike Pollitt has once again been selected to the League 2 Team of the Week.

FM

[FrogMan]

February 24, 2010
League Match #33: vs Northampton (9th) (Luton 1-2 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	41	-	6.77
DR		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Good		97%	13	-	6.65
DL		Rhoys Wiggins	D/WB/M L	Good		91%	2	-	7.00
DC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Superb		96%	19 (1)	-	6.95
DC	PR	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Good		96%	39	-	6.75
DMC	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Superb		94%	28 (2)	1	6.82
MR	Loa	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Superb		95%	10	1	7.03
ML		Gavin Swankie	AM RL	Good		94%	5 (1)	1	6.77
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		94%	37	3	6.85
ST		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		94%	38 (2)	23	6.96
ST		Fred Sears	ST	Very Poor		98%	17 (9)	4	6.64
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Good		98%	1	-	6.60
S2		Romain Beynié	DM, M C	Good		98%	2 (1)	-	6.87
S3		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Good		100%	6 (27)	-	6.56
S4	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Very Good		96%	35 (2)	2	6.85
S5		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Superb		93%	27 (2)	17	7.06
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Very Good		66%	21 (8)	1	6.85
-	Inj	George Pilkington	D RC	Very Good		66%	21	-	6.93
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Very Good		59%	25	4	7.07
-		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Very Good		91%	3 (25)	2	6.82
-	Inj	Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Very Good		66%	14 (13)	1	6.86
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Okay		89%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-	Rsv	Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Very Good		85%	4 (14)	1	6.75
-	Rsv	Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		89%	13 (1)	-	6.74

Interesting question in the pre-match press conference. I'm asked for my views on the title chase. Been asked that question in the past and used to answer with the name of the team that was sitting in 1st place. We're currently sitting in 1st place so I get cute and answer the only team I could: Luton. There's no reaction from the players though. I was kinda worried about doubt, or overconfidence.

This is the only game in the League today, we're playing that last game on hand. In injury status news, both Lewis Emanuel and Daniel Jones are 1 to 3 days away from being back to training while George Pilkington is 2 to 3 weeks away.

I give a game off to Andrea Lombardo and the start to Fred Sears. Trying to build back up Sears's confidence, I tell him there's no pressure on him today. Maybe only a coincidence but he starts on a roar and scores only two minutes and a half into the game. Junior Stanislas's cross from the byline was simply perfect on that play. Christos Karypidis then doubles our lead in the 16th minute with his first ever goal as a Hatter. He is then called for a foul in our penalty area in injury time for the first half. He can't believe it, expressing to the referee that he thought it wasn't a penalty. Referee stands by his decision and they score on the ensuing kick. We're up 2-1 at the half, coolly in control.

Fred Sears adds to his tally, again two minutes and a half into the half. He's having a heck of a game. Final Score: 3-1.

Luton	Statistic	Northampton
13	Shots	9
5	On Target	3
4	Off Target	2
4	Blocked Shots	4
0	Clear Cut Chances	1
51%	Possession	49%
3	Corners	8
12	Free Kicks	20
20	Throw-Ins	19
16	Fouls	10
5	Offsides	2
61%	Passes Completed	56%
20%	Crosses Completed	8%
90%	Tackles Won	91%
56%	Headers Won	68%
0	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0

As expected, Sears is the Man of the Match, ending his own goal drought of more than 943 minutes with his 5th and 6th goals of the season. The fans are delighted with the win that puts us six points clear atop the league table and a cool eleven points safe into autopromotion. Even further, we're now 18 points ahead of the playoff line.


February 25, 2010
Looking at the team stats, we're at the top of just about every stat category. Look at the attached screenie below, we've scored more goals than anyone else, and conceded less than anyone else.

FM

[Alf]

I was saying : rock on !

[FrogMan]

February 27, 2010
League Match #34: at Shrewsbury (8th) (Luton 4-5 fav)

Pkd	Inf	Name	Position	Morale	Last 5 Games	Con	Apps	Gls	Av Rat
GK		Mike Pollitt	GK	Superb		100%	42	-	6.77
DR		Claude Gnakpa	D RC, WB R	Very Good		94%	14	-	6.68
DL	Wnt	Olivier Bernard	D/WB L	Very Good		95%	35 (3)	2	6.84
DC		Christos Karypidis	D RC, DM, M C	Very Good		95%	20 (1)	1	6.98
DC	Wnt	Pelé	D C, DM, M C	Good		94%	40	-	6.75
DMC		Romain Beynié	DM, M C	Good		98%	2 (2)	-	6.83
MR	Loa	Junior Stanislas	AM RC	Very Good		93%	11	1	7.09
ML		Gavin Swankie	AM RL	Good		93%	6 (1)	1	6.79
MC		Kevin Nicholls	DM, M C	Superb		93%	38	3	6.85
ST		Fred Sears	ST	Okay		94%	18 (9)	6	6.71
ST		Andrea Lombardo	ST	Very Good		97%	27 (2)	17	7.06
S1	Rsv	Darren Randolph	GK	Good		98%	1	-	6.60
S2	Wnt	Dean Pearce	DM, M C	Superb		92%	29 (2)	1	6.84
S3		Kristian O'Leary	D RC, DM, M C	Good		98%	6 (28)	-	6.57
S4		Rhoys Wiggins	D/WB/M L	Good		87%	3	-	7.10
S5		Sébastien Heitzmann	ST	Superb		92%	39 (2)	23	6.96
-	Inj	Daniel Jones	D/M L	Very Good		69%	21 (8)	1	6.85
-	Inj	George Pilkington	D RC	Good		66%	21	-	6.93
-	Inj	Shiva-Star N'Zigou	AM R, F C	Very Good		58%	25	4	7.07
-		Kevin Gallen	AM RC, F C	Good		93%	3 (25)	2	6.82
-	Inj	Lewis Emanuel	D/M L	Good		70%	14 (13)	1	6.86
-	Rsv	Tom Craddock	ST	Okay		93%	2 (8)	-	6.20
-	Rsv	Keith Keane	D/WB R, DM, M C	Very Good		90%	4 (14)	1	6.75
-	Rsv	Edward Asafu-Adjaye	D RC	Very Good		92%	13 (1)	-	6.74

Romain Beynié is still lacking match fitness but that darn fixture congestion is leaving Dean Pearce a bit out of breath so Beynié gets the start today.

Grr, Gavin Swankie has to leave the game in the 19th minute because of an injury. Rhoys Wiggins is kinda low on conditionning but he'll have to do for the rest of the game.

We play a reasonably good first half, but our last 8 minutes are really good in terms of pressure applied on the opposing defense. It finally pays off when Andrea Lombardo scores on a nicely centred ball by Junior Stanislas, two and a half minute into the announce three minutes of injury time.

We add to our lead in the 60th minute when Freddy sears converts a pinpoint pass from Andrea Lombardo. Final Score: 2-0.

Shrewsbury	Statistic	Luton
8	Shots	10
1	On Target	7
5	Off Target	0
2	Blocked Shots	3
0	Clear Cut Chances	2
47%	Possession	53%
2	Corners	4
14	Free Kicks	20
25	Throw-Ins	16
13	Fouls	12
7	Offsides	2
71%	Passes Completed	70%
18%	Crosses Completed	33%
97%	Tackles Won	97%
70%	Headers Won	58%
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0

Andrea Lombardo is selected as the Man of the Match with a goal and an assist. He also completed 17 of 20 passes, 3 of them key passes. The fans are delighted with the win.

Stockport destroyed Notts County, 5-1, so we remain 6 points ahead of them.

Swankie was able to walk off his injury and comes out okay. The same cannot be said for Romain Beynié. He will miss 3 weeks with a twisted knee.

The good news is that both Daniel Jones and Emanuel Lewis have returned to full training today.

In other news, Liverpool have won the League Cup, beating Portsmouth 2-0.


March 1st, 2010
Wow, February really was the Luton month! I was named Coach of the month while Dean Pearce was named Player of the Month and Junior Stanislas was selected as Young Player of the Month. The team won four games out of six, drawing the other two for 14 points. Second best were Chesterfield and Stockport with 12 points in their month of February.

Dean Pearce and Junior Stanislas make for an interesting case. Pearce is 17 and Stanislas is 20. Pearce came in first for Player of the month while Stanislas came in second, but Pearce is not even mentioned in the top three for young player of the month. He's still only 17. Odd... Anyway, really, really happy with the awards.

Mike Pollitt, Chirstos Karypidis and Andrea Lombardo have been selected to the League 2 Team of the Week.

The board are still pleased with my management of the team. The club made a profit of $1.27M last month, thanks to that game at Stamford Bridge.

FM

[GoldenEagle]

You are going to have to start beating clubs off with a stick for Dean Pearce when the window opens back up. I would not sell him for anything less then 6 million.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

You are going to have to start beating clubs off with a stick for Dean Pearce when the window opens back up. I would not sell him for anything less then 6 million.

yeah, I think so too. He's had that "Wnt" tag for a while now, with currently 5 Championship sides interested in him: Norwich, Nottm Forest, Sheff Wed, Swandsea and Watford. Not sure they all have really deep pockets, but his current price tag of $4M will certainly be upped as we get closer to the reopening of the transfer window next Summer.

FM

[Alf]

we want more !

[Alf]

no time left ?