Waltham Abbey (FM 14)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

It's good to see a few Football Manager stories appearing on the board again. I'll add one more to the mix.

I'm using my favorite version of the game, FM 14. I've loaded a very good database that extends the English football pyramid two more levels, down to the Regional First Divisions.

I've decided to manage Waltham Abbey, a semi-professional club in the Ryman Isthmian Division 1 North. For those of you who aren't expert in the geography of English lower league football, Waltham Abbey is in Essex, about 15 miles northeast of central London.

I'm playing with "fake players," if only because I want them to all have faces showing on their player pages. It helps me immerse myself in the game.

This time, I'm going to keep my posting style simple. Trying to create pretty pages, working with image hosting sites, etc. can sometimes feel like work. I want to spend my time playing Football Manager and writing about it. I hope the "minimalist" approach works for those of you who might want to read along.

I hope that's quite a few of you. I'll try to make it an enjoyable experience.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Meet the Abbots

The Isthmian Division 1 North season is still a few weeks away, and here's a look at the team as it now stands.

The star ratings shown are the opinion of my assistant manager, Trevor McAvoy. Trev is a decent judge of talent for a club at this level.

My usual formation is a 4-4-1-1. I also play 4-1-4-1 with a defensive midfielder, and I'll use the good ol' 4-4-2 on occasion, too.

Goalkeepers
Mark Crabb (age 19; 3.0/5.0 stars): Not very tall (5'11"), but decent in the air and commands his area well. Tough; keeps his head in the game. So-so handling; decent at communicating with his defense.

Mick Laird (age 28; 1.5/1.5): Agile keeper with very good aerial ability. Decent positioning. Loses his composure easily. Was awful in our intra-squad friendly, allowing four goals in 45 minutes to our Under 21s.

I'm OK giving Crabb the number one shirt. I've got serious doubts about Laird as his backup, though. Unless he shows me something else in our remaining friendlies, I'd bring a 'keeper up from the U21s before I'd give Mick the gloves.


Defenders
Patrick Greene (age 24; 3.0/4.5) : First team left back. Hard-working; puts the team first. Very good crossing ability. Dangerous from set pieces. Decent all-round ability.

John Carney (age 20; 5.0/5.0): Very talented young center half. Bags of pace; can run all day. Very determined. Plays with an edge. Needs to work on composure and concentration. Can also play right back and as a defensive midfielder.

Geoff Taylor (age 20; 4.5/5.0): Another cracking good young central defender. Strong in the air. Dogged tackler who marks his man well. Isn't quick, but is otherwise outstanding for this level.

Ben Marriott (age 19; 3.5/5.0): First team right back. Very athletic; quick and fit. Terrific mental attributes; a natural leader. Could use improvement technically, but he's young.

Mark Holdsworth (age 19; 2.0/3.5): Can play all along the left side. No single trademark skill, but does most things fairly well. Very good with the ball at his feet; good passer. Not very fast. Valuable reserve.

Phil Perks (age 24; 4.0/4.0): Can play either center or left back; best suited for CB. Best passer among the defenders. Decent pace. Very determined. Marks his man fairly well.

I really like Carney and Taylor. If one of them were left-footed, they'd be an ideal pairing. Perks is almost too good to sit on the bench, and I'll definitely find him some playing time. Greene and Marriott are fine. I could use a little more coverage for Marriott on the right; if he were unavailable, I'd have to shift Carney to right back.


Midfielders
Lenny English (age 20; 4.0/5.0): Defensive midfielder. Solid in the tackle. Marks his man well. Very good passer. Brave; determined; hard-working. Needs to build more strength.

Phil Martin (age 28; 3.0/5.0): Versatile; can play on left or in center. Another determined, hard-working player who puts in a shift. Not very pacy, but has good stamina.

Alex Smith (age 33; 4.5/4.5): Classy central midfielder. Still insanely athletic at age 33. Deadly set-piece taker. Deft passer who sees the pitch well. Surprisingly awkward first touch. Doesn't offer much defensively.

Richard Heald (age 21; 4.0/5.0): Right winger with solid technical skills. Hits a nice cross; passes well. Tracks back willingly on defense. Enough pace to do the job.

Paul Bateman (age 24; 2.5/3.5) Ultra-versatile; natural CM, but can play almost anywhere. Outstanding ball skills; perhaps the team's best passer. Marks his man with tenacity. No pace whatsoever.

Remi Turner (age 23; 1.5/3.5): Reserve left midfielder. Runs well. Plays with flair. Solid, unspectacular.

Tony Thompson (age 18; 2.0/5.0): Will feature regularly with U21s; might see time with first team in cup ties. Fast; creative; aggressive. Decent technicals for a teenager.

Tom Bircham (age 28; 2.0/2.0): Provides cover at CM and DM. Very good mental makeup; future Head of Youth Development? Good team player.

I love using a Deep-Lying Playmaker in front of my back four, and English fits that role very well. He can play MC when I'm playing 4-4-1-1. Smith is the kind of midfield boss I always hope to see in a team. I only wish he were younger. Martin is nothing special; he's best suited for MC, but I have to play him on the left. Heald is fine on the right. Versatile Bateman is a one-man second eleven.


Attackers
James Munday (age 24; 2.5/4.5): Composed; skilled; technically adept. A natural number 10 with creativity and poise.

Charlie Phelan (age 22; 4.0/5.0): Fairly quick; agile; cool-headed. Decent finisher. Awkward dribbler. Good leader with resolute personality.

Liam Walshe (age 20; 2.5/4.5): Well-rounded player with balanced skills. Not much pace. Suited for several different offensive roles.

I'm excited about Munday--I like having a player like him as a number 10. I'd be tempted to use him as an Enganche, but they usually work better with a two-man front line, and I usually don't use that many attacking players. Both Phelan and Walshe are capable of leading the line, and if I use 4-4-2, I can use Charlie as the scorer and Liam as the provider. The one thing these guys lack is pace. Fortunately, I have some fast strikers in the U21 team.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

The Under 21s

Let's take a quick look at the players on our Under 21 team. There's a lot of talent here--in fact, there are players at U21 whom Trevor thinks are as good, or better, than some in the senior team.

Remember what I said about needing depth at right back? Forget that. Danny Dighton is more than capable of filling that role, despite his youth. Matthew McPhee and Steve Hartley are big lads who have the physical presence to command the area in front of our goal. McPhee, in particular, is ready for some first-team action.

Paul Gardiner is another Swiss Army knife who is already able to deputize all over the place. We have another playmaking defensive midfielder in Jordan Mantle, and a waterbug winger or two in Chris Farrell and Christy Slack.

Brad Austin is talented, but he's demonstrated some attitude. He's refused to be tutored, and if another team came calling, I'd be tempted to sell him.

Jay Cooke and Ayrton Campbell are a pair of pacey strikers and, as such, they fill a need the first team is currently lacking.

Normally, I wouldn't pay as much attention to the Under 21 team as, perhaps, I should. This time, I'm going to watch them closely, because there are a number of exciting prospects here.

Oh, and they beat the varsity 5-3 in an intrasquad friendly, with goals from Ian Keeling, Cooke, and Slack, and two from Campbell.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 August 2013

League play begins in just a few days, and the squad is rounding into shape. We have a clean bill of health, with one exception. Paul Bateman's hamstring is giving him some trouble, and he'll be shelved for another three weeks or so.

Results

6 July: Waltham Abbey 4-2 Didcot Town
Friendly
Our defenders turned scorers today, with Patrick Greene and John Carney putting us two goals ahead before Didcot showed signs of life. Our reserve 'keeper, Mick Laird, did nothing to help himself by conceding two late goals. Fortunately for us, Charlie Phelan and Phil Andrews found the range in the final minutes to secure the win for us. Andrews, by the way, is a non-contract midfielder who might deserve a decent look.

13 July: Waltham Abbey 1-1 Carshalton Athletic
Friendly
I used the 4-1-4-1 formation in this match, and we definitely kept things tighter at the back. The Robins are a bigger club, and we allowed them only two good scoring chances. Liam Walshe scored for us.

20 July: Burgess Hill Town 1-1 Waltham Abbey
Friendly
We controlled the game well, but one howler of a defensive lapse allowed the Hillians to get their equalizer. Lenny English, who was a classy presence in our midfield today, was our scorer.

23 July: Wembley 2-2 Waltham Abbey
Friendly
Kudos to Liam Walshe, whose quick-fire double just after the hour mark enabled us to return home with a share of the honors. Young Paul Gardiner played very well in a substitute role.

30 July: Waltham Abbey 3-0 Bedfont Town
Friendly
We closed out our preseason with a bang. U21 midfielder Jay Cooke had a brace, and Alex Smith converted a penalty. Even better, Mark Crabb and Mick Laird kept their sheet clean. Mick saved his spot in the team, at least for now.


Hello and Goodbye
Here's where I'll spread the news about our activity in the transfer market. We have a transfer budget of exactly £0, so we won't be buying any players. When I came into the club, I inherited a Director of Football, Nick Baldwin. I'm giving Nick the responsibility of finding players and negotiating deals with them, but I reserve the right to approve any transaction before it becomes official.

So far, there's nothing to report here.


Notes from the Manager's Desk

• I awarded the captain's armband to Charlie Phelan. Alex Smith will be the vice captain.
• SkyBet made Needham Market the odds-on favorite (4-5) to win the league. Harlow (5-4), AFC Sudbury (6-4), Aveley (7-4), and Cheshunt (2-1) are tapped for the playoff places. We're well down the list, at 40-1.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 September 2013

My first full month as manager of Waltham Abbey F.C. began badly, but the Abbots and I picked up some momentum as the month drew to a close.

7 August: Hello, Daniel Garlick
The Director of Football, Nick Baldwin, found this handy player who can play on the right or in the center of our defense. Daniel is young (20), pacey, and responsible defensively. He needs to work on reading the game. He'll give us additional depth and, when you see our fixture list, you'll understand why this is such a good thing.

Note: Unless there's additional information about a result, the match was part of the Ryman Isthmian Division 1 North programme. I'll also provide the starting eleven for each match.

10 August: Waltham Abbey 1-2 Burnham Ramblers
Laird, Marriott, Taylor, Carney, Greene, English, Heald, Smith, Munday, Turner, Phelan.
It was my league debut as manager, and I screwed up.
A couple weeks earlier, I made Mark Crabb available for an Under 18s match to get him some more match fitness. I forgot to change his availability setting. Today, the U18s had a match...before the league contest. So, the U18s, a side full of greyed-out "ghost" players, had our senior team's number one between the posts. That, of course, meant the big boys didn't. Mick Laird wasn't terrible, but he let in two, and we only scored one, through Lenny English.

13 August: Heybridge Swifts 1-0 Waltham Abbey
Crabb, Dighton, McPhee, Garlick, Holdsworth, Bircham, Gardiner, Austin, Martin, Keeling, Walshe.
I ran out a completely different team at Swifts, and they couldn't generate any attack at all. We didn't test the Heybrige 'keeper a single time. We were generally good defensively--that's not a bad back four at all--but we slipped up once, and that's all it took. It's still early days, but it's never fun to see your team in the relegation places.

17 August: Romford 1-1 Waltham Abbey
Crabb, Marriott, Carney, Taylor, Greene, Heald, Smith, English, Martin, Munday, Phelan.
My heart sank when Romford scored just past the hour mark, because we had been the better side all day. Then, captain Charlie Phelan ran onto a pretty long ball from substitute Phil Perks and deposited the ball just inside the right post to allow us to grab our first point of the season.

20 August: Waltham Abbey 2-0 VCD Athletic
Crabb, Garlick, Carney, Perks, Greene, Heald, Smith, English, Holdsworth, Munday, Walshe.
We returned to Capershotts, our home ground, and gave the 32 in attendance there a much better show than we'd provided in our league opener. This was Abbey football the way I like to see it--lively in attack, keeping control of the ball, tight defensively. Alex Smith and Charlie Phelan got the goals, but it was the magisterial play of James Munday that made the difference. He set up both scores and made five key passes in all, playing his number 10 role to perfection. Only a nasty injury--Daniel Garlick's torn hamstring, which will sideline him until the holidays--spoiled today's fun.

23 August: Hello, Toby Charles and Adam Reynolds
I wasn't going to let the U18/senior team schedule thing get me twice. I decided to find a promising young goalkeeper, sign him to a youth contract, and assign him to the Under 18 team. That's how Toby Charles became an Abbot. He has the reflexes of a mongoose and a decent sense of how to position himself, but he's a disaster in the making if he has to deal with a high ball. He's young, though, and there's some promise here.
The DoF must think we need more defenders, because he brought in another one in Adam Reynolds. Adam can play center back, as a defensive midfielder, and in the middle of the park. At 5'6", he's tiny for a center half, but he's otherwise well-equipped to handle his responsibilities at any of the three positions he plays. His skill set is very balanced. His passing ability is especially distinctive when he plays in the back. Adam is 23, and he took his senior bow on his first full day as a member of the club.

24 August: Waltham Abbey 1-0 Cheshunt
Crabb, Marriott, Taylor, Carney, Dighton, Smith, Reynolds, English, Keeling, Munday, Phelan.
If one of the 84 in attendance at Capershotts today looked down at her program or took a bite of his pie right after the kickoff, she or he missed the only goal of the match. It took all of 18 seconds for Charlie Phelan to gather in an incisive pass from Lenny English and smash it in. The bad news: Ian Keeling suffered cracked ribs, and he'll miss a few weeks.

26 August: Harlow Town 1-2 Waltham Abbey
Crabb, Dighton, Bateman, Perks, Greene, Heald, Martin, Andrews, Holdsworth, Walshe, Cooke.
Can we win away from Capershotts? Yes, we can! I lined the team up in 4-4-2, since our scouting report revealed the Hawks had been struggling mightily against teams playing that formation. Patrick Greene did the honors from the penalty spot on the half hour, and a few minutes later Liam Walshe scored his first goal for us in league play. Mark Holdsworth was Man of the Match, with a nifty assist on Liam's goal.

31 August: Waltham Abbey 0-0 Barton Rovers
FA Cup, First Preliminary Round
Crabb, Marriott, Taylor, Carney, Greene, Heald, Smith, English, Holdsworth, Munday, Phelan.
We drew 384 fans--our best crowd of the year, by far--to Capershotts, and they watched Rovers sit back and absorb our pressure all evening without cracking. We were looking at a break of over a week before our next match, which is a rarity for us right now...but now we'll be going to Barton for the replay in four days. So much for that break.


Here's the league table as it stands now. There are 24 teams in our league, but I can only fit the top 20 on the screen at a time. The bottom three clubs are relegated.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

I have an interesting decision to make, and I'm wondering what some of you would do in this case.

My Director of Football found a goalkeeper playing with Hendon, one level higher than we are. His name is Christian Lang. He's 25, and he's from Germany.

Christian is Hendon's first choice, and he's played well for them. However, he's been playing on a non-contract arrangement.

Lang has agreed to contract terms with us. He'd become our top wage earner, on £110/week. I have room in the wage budget to take on Christian's salary.

He is a better goalkeeper than our current starter, Mark Crabb. Our staff rate Lang at 4 stars, to 3 for Crabb, and while I know star ratings are not perfect, when I compare their attributes myself, I can see that Lang is the better player.

However, Crabb has played pretty well for me so far, for just under half the salary (£50/week).

What do some of you think I ought to do? Accept the deal and bring Lang into the team, or decline it and stick with Crabb?

Hope to hear from a few of you.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

12 September 2013

September was an even busier month than August had been. We had a full slate of matches in league play, plus two cup competitions. It was a good month, with only a few bumps in the road.

Lots happened during the month, so I'll present the tale in two installments.

4 September: Barton Rovers 1-1 Waltham Abbey
FA Cup, First Preliminary Round Replay
Crabb, Marriott, Taylor, Carney, Dighton, Mantle, Heald, Smith, Munday, Martin, Walshe.
This match had a bit of everything. We fell behind on 23', and the match took an even more ominous turn when Liam Walshe was forced off with a badly twisted ankle. Charlie Phelan came on for him, and WITHIN FIVE MINUTES Charlie was on the sideline, getting treatment from the physio! Phelan soldiered on as long as he could, but I eventually had to pull him from the game, too.

Now James Munday was our frontman, and while he's far from natural there, he can pass a football no matter where he's playing. On 86 minutes, he spotted an unmarked Alex Smith at the edge of the six yard box and slipped him the ball. Smith slotted it home and kept our hopes alive!

On we went to extra time, and neither team could score.

Now, to penalties. It took nine rounds to settle matters, but when Mark Crabb got his gloves on Anthony Lord's spot kick, the Abbots secured a spot in the next round!
Waltham Abbey win, 8-9, on penalties.

Phelan's knock turned out to be a bruised rib. He'll be out for two weeks or so. Walshe's ankle was much worse; we won't see him on the pitch until mid-October, at the earliest.

7 September: Waltham Abbey 1-0 Wroxham
Crabb, Carney, Bateman, Perks, Greene, English, Heald, Thompson, Austin, Holdsworth, Campbell.
The hapless Yachtsmen were bottom of the league when they came to Capershotts to face a very, very weary Abbots side. We had just enough in the tank to see them off, on a goal from Richard Heald. I hadn't been sure what to make of Heald at the beginning of the season. It turns out he responds very well to a more assertive approach.

8 September: Hello, Nathan Clarke
Clarke was the solution to our acute need for a striker. Not only were Phelan and Walshe injured, so was youth forward Jay Cooke, who got hurt in a U21 match. Nathan is 16, and he's got very good wheels. He's understandably raw, but he's determined and hard-working, with a Resolute personality I like a lot. Once the injury problems subside, I'll let him develop with the youth team. Right now, I'm having to rush him into the fray.

8 September: Hello, Christian Lang
You might recall I wasn't sure what to do when Nick Baldwin presented me with the chance to bring Lang into the team. I decided to ask for some advice. Two of you PMed me, and both voted "yes." Then I asked my in-house experts: my two oldest children.

My 13-year-old son was enthusiastic. He calls Lang "The Manuel Neuer of the Isthmian League First Division North." My 10-year-old daughter also voted "yes," but with reservations, pointing out that Crabb just owned the penalty shootout in the Cup tie and kept his sheet clean against Wroxham.

So, with such stirring support from his fans, Christian Lang is now an Abbot. He's big like Neuer: 6'6", 209 pounds. He bosses his area and organizes his defense with authority. His Achilles heel is the mental side of his game, which is only so-so. If he were better there, he'd be playing in the Football League. He's 25, so he is what he is, and what he is will work just fine here. Mark Crabb has done fine, but Lang looked too good to pass up.

9 September: Brentwood Town 0-2 Waltham Abbey
Lang, Marriott, Carney, Taylor, Dighton, Slack, Wheeldon, Reynolds, Turner,Munday, Clarke
We arrived at Brentwood Centre in high spirits, as we'd just snuck into fifth place, the lowest playoff spot. The Blues were third, so this was a very good test for us.

We passed the test with flying colors, thanks to our new gloveman Lang, who handled all three shots he faced, and a pair of teenagers. Christy Slack, up from the U21s to man the left wing, potted a goal early in the second half. Then, as time drew down, he lofted a pretty free kick that another U21 call-up, big Matthew McPhee, headed home.

Take a bow, Christy Slack. You're the Man of the Match.

10 September: Hello, David Evans
Poor Nathan Clarke didn't seem ready for first team football, not quite yet. At 16, he can't quite conquer his nerves. Enter our new striker, Steven Evans.

I discovered Evans in an off-beat way. Our next opponent was Lewes, a bigger club in the Isthmian Premier League. As I was scouting them, I noticed that the smallest player in the Premier League was the aforementioned Evans, who played for Thamesmead Town and tops out an inch shy of five feet tall.

Yes, you read that right. Evans is 4'11". He weighs 121 pounds. He's the smallest player I've ever seen in Football Manager.

Intrigued, I decided to see what kind of player he was. It turned out Evans, 23, was on a non-contract arrangement with Thamesmead, and he'd turned out for them seven times, four with the U21s. He's as quick as a wink, which you'd have to be at his size, and possesses the determination of a terrier. He's also a wickedly effective finisher. He was willing to come to Waltham Abbey on a non-contract deal.

Once Phelan and Walshe are back on the pitch, Evans will probably be our third striker. Nonetheless, he should be a useful player, and he's a heck of a lot of fun to have on the team.


Just for fun, here's how our kits look. I seem to be partial to teams who wear green and white hoops. Wantage, whom I had fun managing in FM 13, wear them, too.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 October 2013

Here's Chapter Two of the story of our very busy September. It features double doses of knockout competition fun.

14 September: Lewes 0-0 Waltham Abbey
FA Cup, First Qualifying Round
Lang, Dighton, Carney, Taylor, Greene, Heald, Munday, English, Martin, Clarke, Evans.
Lewes' home ground is called The Dripping Pan. How cool is that? Almost a thousand turned out there to watch us face the Rooks.

Playing away to a bigger club, I took a defensive approach, and it worked fairly well. Lewes has had trouble playing against teams who use a 4-4-2, so I lined up that way, with Clarke and Evans on top.

I was perfectly content to leave The Dripping Pan with a goalless draw...and I smiled when I thought of the gate receipts if lots of Abbots supporters decide to come to Capershotts for the replay.

18 September: Waltham Abbey 0-3 Lewes
FA Cup, First Qualifying Round Replay
Lang, Marriott, Carney, Taylor, Greene, Heald, Munday, English, Martin, Clarke, Evans.
This one is on me, lads. I got a bit overconfident. I saw that big crowd--565 strong, the biggest by far we've had--and decided they deserved to see a good show. I should have done what worked at Lewes and kept things tight at the back. But, no, I decided to be a little more aggressive at home, and the Rooks spanked us.

The supporters and the board aren't happy. At least it was a nice night, and nobody else got hurt.

20 September: Hello, David Cartwright
At first, I was going to pass on this lad. He's a 19-year-old center back who can't play anywhere else. I have a bunch of young center backs already. And, David is only 5'11". Sure, both our scouts give him five stars. I'm still not sold.

Then I looked a little closer. His "attribute polygon" is almost completely balanced, and I'm a sucker for that. Then I saw that 12 for Passing. A "classy center half," right here at Capershotts? I'm in. I like to play out of defense, and Cartwright has the skill to help make that happen.

David will start beside Geoff Taylor in our back four. I'll move John Carney to DM, where Lenny English has never really bedded in. English has been playing center midfield anyway, while Alex Smith is mending.

21 September: Leatherhead 1-1 Waltham Abbey
FA Trophy, Preliminary Round
Lang, Dighton, McPhee, Cartwright, Perks, Mantle, Slack, Reynolds, Austin, Turner, Phelan.
Another rotated squad took the pitch at Fetcham Grove for this FA Trophy match. We welcomed back our captain, Charlie Phelan, and his goal gave us an early lead. The Tanners got the equalizer, and once again, it will require a replay to settle this tie.

New man David Cartwright was very solid in his debut.

25 September: Waltham Abbey 2-0 Leatherhead
FA Trophy, Preliminary Round Replay
Lang, Marriott, Taylor, Cartwright, Greene, Carney, Heald, English, Munday, Martin, Phelan.
It seems our fans don't get nearly as excited about the FA Trophy. Only 32 turned out to watch us dispatch the Tanners, on goals from Phelan and Richard Heald.

Phelan made it look easy, volleying a long diagonal free kick from Patrick Greene inside Richard Oldroyd's right post. Heald pounced on a muffed clearance at the edge of the six-yard box and drilled it in.

David Evans was introduced at 70', and he nearly got a goal when he broke the Tanners' offside trap. Oldroyd leaped impressively and tipped David's drive over the bar.

26 September: Hello, George Broad
Our DoF is apparently determined to perform an extreme makeover of our central defense. Where does he find these guys?

Approving the acquisition of Broad, 19, was a no-brainer. He needs to hit the weights and build strength, but otherwise, he is a boss. He has the pace to run with all but the swiftest forwards. He's cool under pressure. He understands where to position himself. He keeps his head in the game. He's a club captain in the making.

He'll earn £85/week, but I think he'll be worth it.

28 September: Erith & Belvedere 1-1 Waltham Abbey
Lang, Marriott, Broad, Taylor, Perks, Carney, Heald, English, Munday,Turner, Clarke.

You'd like to think a team in the playoff places would be able to take care of the second bottom club, even at that club's ground. For 77 minutes--the interval between a well-taken goal by the Deres' flashy 16-year-old wide man, Ryan Mutch, and a successful spot kick by our substitute, Paul Bateman--it looked like we were about to fail miserably at that task.

We weren't good, and I told the team that after the game. Most of the players responded well. Geoff Taylor and Phil Perks were the exceptions.

The draw didn't affect our place in the table, however. Lots of the Division 1 North teams are juggling their schedule to accommodate cup ties right now, so we've all played different numbers of matches. Still, we're looking good right now, exceeding the media's predictions for our season, and the board is pleased with my work.

[Izulde]

Super Mouse Evans is so short and fast, defenders will be the Toms to his Jerry.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Super Mouse Evans is so short and fast, defenders will be the Toms to his Jerry.

And that's how a nickname is born. I was trying to come up with something good for him, and that just seems to fit.

Super Mouse it is. Thanks for stopping by, Izulde.