FM09: Dover Athletic FC - From Ryman Isthmian League to European Glory!

[NoSkillz]

For some reason, I've always been drawn to the challenges of lower league management. In FM, that meant taking on a Conference North or South side if you wanted to ply your trade in England.

After coming across this thread over at the Sports Interactive 'Challenges and Experiments' forum, I realized that tougher opportunities existed...

A bunch of masochists over there basically sim out the first season and then take on one of the clubs that get promoted from Level 7 on the English pyramid into the Blue Square North or Blue Square South.

Essentially, it's a way of taking on one of the lowest reputation clubs in FM that are otherwise unmanageable within the current framework of the game and it seems like a pretty cool challenge to me!

This is my own dynasty and I'm not going to follow any of their strict house rules. So if my reputation increases to the point where I'm offered a bigger job, I just might take it. If I get the chance to manage internationally, again, I may accept.

In the end, it should be fun starting at rock bottom and trying to work my way to the top of English and European football! It should be a wild ride!

[NoSkillz]

Level 7 on the English Football pyramid is made up of three different leagues, with each league having two 'feeder' divisions that make up Level 8 on the pyramid. All of the teams at these levels are organized on a regional basis.

Here is a brief synopsis of the three leagues that make up Level 7 in the English Football League system:

Unibond League (Northern Premier League: Premier Division) -

The Northern Premier League (NPL) was founded in 1968, as the northern equivalent of the Southern League, decades after the other two leagues at what is now the seventh tier of the English football league system, the Isthmian League and the Southern League. At that time they were the highest level non-league division below The Football League (Levels 1 to 4), the same level as the other league in Northern England, the Northern League.

Over the next two decades, the NPL successfully displaced its older rival to become the pre-eminent regional competition in Northern England, with the Northern League eventually forced to accept status as feeder league to the NPL. In 1979, upon the creation of the Alliance Premier League, the NPL became a feeder league and fell down one level in the English football league system and with the Conference's addition of regional divisions in 2004, the NPL was demoted by a further tier and there are now two levels between it and the Football League.

Since 2007, the NPL has had three divisions: the Premier Division, Division One North and Division One South. Prior to 2007 there was just a single Division One.

The Premier Division has 22 clubs, with the champions promoted to Conference North along with the winners of a playoff between the second to fifth place clubs. The bottom four teams are relegated to Division One North or South, or possibly to the Southern League Division One Midlands, depending on their location.

British Gas League (Southern League: Premier Division) -

The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England. For historical reasons, the Welsh club Merthyr Tydfil also currently play in the Southern League.

In 1920, virtually the entire top division of the Southern League was absorbed by the Football League to become that league's new Third Division. A year later, the Third Division was expanded and regionalized. The Third Division clubs from the previous season became the Third Division South, with the addition of the Third Division North.

For the next six decades, the Football League and Southern League would exchange a limited number of clubs as a result of the older league's re-election process. From 1920 onward, the Southern League's status as a semi-professional league was firmly established.

With its clubs seeking a more regular means of advancing to the Football League, in 1979 the Southern League became a feeder to the new Football Conference along with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League, and the top Southern clubs of the day joined the new league. In turn, the Conference would eventually succeed in becoming a feeder to the Football League. The league lost more of its top clubs in 2004 when the Conference added two regional divisions below the existing Conference National: the Conference South and North.

There currently are 66 clubs which are divided into three divisions. The Premier Division is at Step 3 of the National League System (NLS), and is a feeder division to the Conference South. Feeding the Premier Division are two regional divisions, Division One South & West and Division One Midlands, which are at Step 4 of the NLS. These divisions are in turn fed by various regional leagues.

Ryman League (Isthmian League: Premier Division) -

The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England.

The league was founded in 1905, and was strongly dedicated to amateurism. The champions did not even receive a trophy, league policy being that the honour sufficed. Teams less able to compete financially thus gravitated to it rather than the Southern League, while those with ambition and money would move in the opposite direction.

Although the league established itself as one of the strongest leagues in the country, routinely providing the winners of the FA Amateur Cup, it was still seen as being at a lower level than the Southern League and Northern Premier League which were the top regional semi-professional leagues.

The league began to admit professionalism in the 1970s, although it refused to participate in the formation of the Alliance Premier League in 1979. Two Isthmian clubs, Enfield and Dagenham, defected to the APL in 1981 but it was not until 1985 that the Isthmian League champions were given a promotion place to the newly renamed Football Conference.

The reward of promotion into the Conference means that, since 1985, no team has retained the title, as had happened on 22 occasions previously. However, Canvey Island were runners-up three seasons running from 2000-01 to 2002-03, also winning the FA Trophy and reaching the Third Round Proper of the FA Cup, before finally securing the 2003-04 league title.

In 2004, The Football Association pushed through a major restructuring of the non-league National League System (NLS), creating new regional divisions of the Football Conference. The Isthmian League was reduced back down to three divisions, and its boundaries were changed to remove the overlap with the Southern League.

The current plan calls for clubs based on the edges of the Isthmian League's territory to transfer to and from the Southern League as necessary to maintain numerical balance between the leagues.

[NoSkillz]

Let's start by taking a look at my gaming world:



My intention is to move up the ladder in England, hence making that country the only one playable. The other active leagues are in countries that all send at least two clubs to the Champions League. England, Spain and Italy have four representatives, Germany, France and Portugal have three while the others have two.

I also like to load in all players from my home country of Canada, just in case I ever get the opportunity to manage the national team.

[DaddyTorgo]

Yowsers - sounds like fun. Maybe my lazy big-clubbing ass should try that.

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Yowsers - sounds like fun. Maybe my lazy big-clubbing ass should try that.

Hehe...yeah, I always go for the big challenges that LLM provides but there is a lot less pressure in the lower leagues...guess I'm worried about getting sacked a month into the job with one of the larger clubs!

[NoSkillz]

I've simmed up to late June 2009, just a few weeks before the new season starts in England.

Here is a synopsis on what happened in the world of football over the past year!

International Competitions and Awards:

FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 -
Brazil prevailed over Spain 2-nil behind goals from Diego and Luis Fabiano to take the Cup. Italy placed third after destroying the U.S. 4-0 in the consolation game.

2008 Olympic Games -
Once again, it was Brazil coming out on top, defeating Argentina 3-2 on penalties in the final. The U.S. continued their strong year, winning bronze in the consolation game over Italy in another penalty shootout.

FIFA World Footballer of the Year -
1. Antonio Cassano: Sampdoria
2. Carlos Tevez: Manchester United
3. Fernando Torres: Liverpool

FIFA World Player of the Year -
1. Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United
2. Francesc Fabregas: Arsenal
3. Frank Lampard: Chelsea



World Team Competitions:

FIFA Club World Cup -
Manchester United absolutely annihilated LDU de Quito from Ecuador 5-nil to win the Club World Cup. Finishing in third was Mexican side Pachuca in a 2-1 win versus Japan's Urawa Reds.

Next up:

Winners in the European competitions, including the Champions League then we'll move onto the domestic competitions and ultimately find out which teams I get to choose from that gained promotion into the Blue Square North or South!

[NoSkillz]

European Championships and Awards:

UEFA Champions League 2008/09 -
In a thrilling finale, Samuel Eto'o scored the only marker to lead Barcelona to a 1-0 victory over Liverpool.

UEFA Cup 2008/09 -
A.C. Milan is taken to penalty kicks by Aston Villa in the final but Milan prevails 2-1.

UEFA Super Cup 2008/09 -
Manchester United continue their strong season by defeating Russian side Zenit 2-1 in a penalty shootout.

UEFA Goaltender of the Year -
1. Gianluigi Buffon: Juventus
2. Hugo Lloris: Olympique Lyonnais
3. Christian Abbiati: A.C. Milan

UEFA Defender of the Year -
1. Giorgio Chiellini: Juventus
2. Cris: Olympique Lyonnais
3. Gael Clichy: Arsenal

UEFA Midfielder of the Year -
1. Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United
2. Frank Lampard: Chelsea
3. Francesc Fabregas: Arsenal

UEFA Striker of the Year -
1. Carlos Tevez: Manchester United
2. Luca Toni: FC Bayern
3. Fernando Torres: Liverpool

UEFA Footballer of the Year -
1. Carlos Tevez: Manchester United
2. Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United
3. Frank Lampard: Chelsea

UEFA Golden Boot -
1. Luca Toni: FC Bayern
2. Ruud Van Nistelrooy: Real Madrid
3. Frederic Kanoute: Sevilla

[NoSkillz]

Domestic Competitions - Europe

Belgium: Jupiler Pro League -
Champion - Anderlecht
Runner Up - Standard
Relegated - Mons; Roeselare; FCV Dender; KV Kortrijk

Anderlecht steamrolled the competition here, with only one defeat in 34 games to win the league by 15 points. No drama for the other Champions League slot either, as Standard finished nine points clear of third placed Club Brugge.

Czech Republic: Gambrinus Liga -
Champion - Sparta Prague
Runner Up - Slavia Prague
Relegated - Zlin; Bohemians Prague

A two horse race in the Czech Republic, with Sparta's 25 wins and 4 losses in 30 matches edging Slavia Prague by 3 points.

France: Ligue 1 Orange -
Champion - Olympique Lyonnais
Runner Up - Paris Saint-Germain
Relegated - FC Lorient Bretagne Sud; Valenciennes FC; Grenoble Foot 38

Olympique Lyonnais had a huge year both in the league and in cup competitions, as previously documented. They won the league by 15 points. FC Girondins de Bordeaux took the third available Champions League slot by two points over Olympique de Marseille.

Germany: Bundesliga -
Champion - FC Bayern
Runner Up - Stuttgart
Relegated - Karlsruhe; Cottbus

A pretty tight competition at the top, with Bayern winning the table by six points over Stuttgart. Werder Bremen took the third Champions League slot, edging past Dortmund by a single point.

Greece: Super League Greece -
Champion - Olympiakos
Runner Up - Panathinaikos
Relegated - Asteras Tripolis; Thrasyvoulos; Panserraikos

Olympiakos lost only one game in 30 matches and won the league by 14 points, allowing only 19 goals in the process.

Italy: Lega Calcio Serie A TIM -
Champion - A.C. Milan
Runner Up - Juventus
Relegated - Catania; Siena; Bologna

Definitive victory here for Milan, who topped the table by ten points over Juventus. The competition was much more fierce for the remaining two Champions League slots: Sampdoria finished comfortably in third with 80 points but Roma fell one point short in their bid for European qualification to Inter.

Netherlands: Eredivisie -
Champion - Feyenoord
Runner Up - Ajax
Relegated - ADO Den Haag; Volendam

Feyenoord went undefeated in league play, winning 26 games and drawing 8 to prevail over Ajax by nine points. PSV finished third by a single point to miss out on Champions League play.

Portugal: Liga Sagres -
Champion - Sporting CP
Runner Up - Porto
Relegated - Leixões; Trofense

Pretty tight race among the top four teams in Portugal as they battled for the league title and the three Champions League slots. Sporting prevailed by four points over Porto and six over third placed Benfica. Fourth placed Braga missed out on the Champions League by a single point.

Romania: Liga I Frutti Fresh -
Champion - Steaua
Runner Up - Dinamo Bucureşti
Relegated - Poli Iasi; Pandurii; FC Arges; Gloria Buzãu

Steaua used their stifling defense (23 goals conceded in 34 games) to edge out Dinamo Buc by a single point on the table.

Russia: Rosgosstrakh Premier League -
Champion - Zenit
Runner Up - CSKA Moscow
Relegated - Spartak Nalchik; Khimki

Zenit had a big year overall both in league and cup competition and dominated the Premier League by 15 points over CSKA Moscow.

Scotland: Clydesdale Bank Premier League -
Champion - Celtic
Runner Up - Rangers
Relegated - Hamilton

Again, it was Celtic and Rangers showing themselves to be the class of the league, with Celtic's 83 points good enough to slip by Rangers by 3.

Spain: Liga BBVA -
Champion - Barcelona
Runner Up - Real Madrid
Relegated - Numancia; Málaga; Sporting

You could certainly make a case for Real Madrid being the most dominant team in Spain, as they lost fewer games and had a much better goal differential than Barcelona. However, Barcelona's 28 wins put them five points clear of Madrid for the league title. Sevilla and Valencia nabbed the other two Champions League slots.

Turkey: Turkcell Süper Lig -
Champion - Besiktas
Runner Up - Fenerbahçe
Relegated - Kocaelispor; Konyaspor; Eskişehirspor

What a race this was for the league title and the two Champions League slots! Besiktas won the league by two points and Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray tied for second. However, one more win for Fenerbahçe saw them move on to European competition.

Ukraine: EpiCentre Premier-Liha -
Champion - Shakhtar
Runner Up - Dinamo Kiev
Relegated - Karpaty; Kryvbas

Shakhtar dismantled the competition, going undefeated with only one draw in 30 matches and allowing only nine goals in the process.

[NoSkillz]

If any of my readers have a favourite club that they'd like updates on, just let me know and I can give a summary of that club's season.

[gi]

When you're at the same level as Oxford United, I 'd like to have updates. Thanks!

[SirFozzie]

How did Cambridge United do?

[Izulde]

Glad to see Sevilla make it to Champions League.

Even gladder to see Malaga get relegated.

[Coffee Warlord]

C'mon FC United. You know you wanna be the anti Man-U's.

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

C'mon FC United. You know you wanna be the anti Man-U's.

They have to make it first! Oooh...the suspense!

I'll be revealing the promoted teams later tonight (I hope!)

[NoSkillz]

We finish off our 2008/09 recap by summarizing what happened in England, where I'll soon be starting my managerial career.

Cup Competitions - England

FA Cup 2008/09 -
Arsenal took the title in a 1-0 win over Chelsea, with Carlos Vela scoring the only goal in the final.

Carling Cup -
A Darren Bent goal lifted Tottenham to a 1-0 Cup victory in the finals over fellow Premiership side Everton.

Community Shield -
The match between Man U and Portsmouth was a thriller, with United coming out on top 3-2. Nani, Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez scored for the winners while Niko Kranjcar and Peter 'Lurch' Crouch replied in defeat for Portsmouth.

Johnstone's Paint Trophy -
In a battle between League One sides, it was Leicester prevailing over Carlisle 2-1 to continue a tremendous season for the Foxes.

Setanta Shield -
Two Blue Square Premier clubs battled it out for the Shield, and I'm sure Flasch will be happy to know that Ebbsfleet took down York 1-0 in the finals to win the competition.

FA Trophy -
Again, it was two BSP clubs battling it out for glory and in the end it was Kidderminster defeating Wrexham 2-0 to win the Trophy.

[NoSkillz]

Domestic Competitions - England

Barclays Premier League -
Champion - Chelsea
Runner Up - Manchester United
Relegated - Stoke; West Bromwich Albion; West Ham United

Chelsea was the class of the Premiership in 08/09, taking the title by 8 points over Man U. The other two Champions League slots went to Arsenal and Liverpool

Coca-Cola Football League Championship -
Champion - Birmingham
Runner Up - Cardiff
Promoted - Birmingham; Cardiff; Ipswich
Relegated - Coventry; Preston; Southampton

Lots of parity in this league, as only 10 points separated the top nine clubs. Ipswich actually tied for 2nd with Cardiff but finished with two fewer wins, forcing them into the playoff round with Reading, Bristol City and Sheffield United. In the end, Ipswich got the deserved promotion in a 2-1 Playoff final against Bristol.

Coca-Cola Football League One -
Champion - Leicester City
Runner Up - Leeds
Promoted - Leicester City; Leeds; Southend
Relegated - Yeovil; Northampton; Hereford; Bristol Rovers

Leicester City get a double of sorts, winning the league and also taking the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. It was a stellar display in the league, cracking the 100 point barrier with 30 wins against only 5 defeats in 46 league games. Leeds took the second automatic promotion spot, leaving Oldham, Peterborough, Southend and Swindon to battle it out for the third spot in the Championship. In the end it was 5th placed Southend defeating Oldham 3-1 to win promotion.

Just as an FYI to some FOFC'ers preferred clubs, BYU's Millwall squad finished 10th, Marc Vaughan's Brighton side finished 16th while Sov's Crewe Alexandra finished one spot lower in 17th.

Coca-Cola Football League Two -
Champion - Brentford
Runner Up - Gillingham
Promoted - Brentford; Gillingham; Morecambe; Bradford
Relegated - AFC Bournemouth; Macclesfield

Quite an interesting season in League Two, as the top club in the league DIDN'T gain promotion. That designation went to FrogMan's own Luton Town, who won 27 games and lost only 11 in 46 games and would have won the league easily if not for their 30 point deduction for their financial shenanagans in the previous season. As it stands, they were comfortably in mid-table and look to be promotion favourites for 09/10.

It was really stacked tight at the top, with Brentford winning the league by a point over Gillingham and two points over Morecambe. That left Aldershot, Shrewsbury, Bradford and Port Vale to battle it out for the remaining promotion place and Bradford would prevail 2-0 in extra time over Aldershot.

Blue Square Premier League -
Champion - York
Runner Up - Grays
Promoted - York; Torquay
Relegated - Ebbsfleet; Barrow; Eastbourne Boro; Lewes

York's loss in the Setanta Shield to relegated Ebbsfleet was but a distant memory, as they gain promotion to the Football League by two points over Grays. The playoffs featured the runner up along with Burton, Torquay and Cambridge United and it was the 4th placed Gulls who moved into the fulltime ranks with a 1-0 win over Grays.

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by gi

When you're at the same level as Oxford United, I 'd like to have updates. Thanks!

Oxford United finished the 08/09 campaign right at .500, winning 17, losing 17 and drawing 12 games to finish in 14th place with 63 points.

They had a great run in the FA Trophy, knocking off Woking in a first round replay, destroying Alfreton 4-1 in the second round, slipping past Barrow 2-1 in the third round and defeating Harrogate 3-0 in a 4th round replay to reach the Semi Finals. They would lose 4-2 on aggregate to eventual champion Kidderminster.

Their other cup appearances were less eventful, losing in the 3rd Round (their first match) to Crawley in the Setanta Shield and also losing to Swindon in the opening round of the FA Cup.

Manager Darren Patterson, who looks to have had quite a long history at Oxford, was sacked in December after a 2-1 loss to Weymouth in league play. The team wasn't on a poor run of form so I can only assume finances were getting a bit out of control.

Their top goalscorer was striker James Constable, a loanee from Shrewsbury Town who scored 29 goals in league and cup competition. Goalkeeper Billy Turley was the Fan's Player of the Year.

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

How did Cambridge United do?

Ah, how I love the Cambridge clubs! I was very much hoping for City to get promoted from Level 7 in order to take them on again...you'll find out soon if they made it!

As for United, as you can see, they had a fine season in league play, finishing fifth on the table with 75 points, with 22 wins against 15 defeats and 9 draws. They qualified for the playoffs but lost 3-1 on aggregate to Grays in the semifinals.

Their best Cup success came in the Setanta Sheild, where they started with a 3rd round, 2-1 win over Kidderminster. They would beat Histon 1-0 in the 4th round then defeat Stevenage 3-2 on penalties to advance to the semifinals. United would lose to the eventual runner up, York, 2-1.

United would defeat rivals Cambridge City in an FA Cup 4th Round Qualifier to gain access to the main draw but lose in the first round proper to Darlington 2-1. They had limited success in the FA Trophy as well, defeating Crawley 3-0 in the first round before losing 2-1 to eventual runner up Wrexham in the next round.

Interestingly enough, the club sacked manager Gary Brabin after a league loss to Grays in March and hired former Stevenage skipper Graham Westley, who guided United to seven wins in their final eleven fixtures.

Their top scorer in '08/09 was striker Lee McEvilly, who notched 24 goals in 47 appearances. He was also the Fan's Player of the Year.

The club did not dabble at all in the transfer market so I wonder if finances were an issue in the sacking of Brabin...

[NoSkillz]

We finally hit the Blue Square North and South!

Blue Square North League -
Champion - Harrogate
Runner Up - Southport
Promoted - Harrogate; Tamworth
Relegated - Vauxhall Motors; Alfreton; Burscough

A solid season for Harrogate, as they win the league crown and gain automatic promotion into the BSP with a 4 point advantage over second placed Southport. The runner up would do battle with Gateshead, Hinckley and Tamworth in the playoffs and the 5th placed Lambs would prevail 2-1 in penalties over Gateshead to earn a promotion.

Blue Square South League -
Champion - AFC Wimbledon
Runner Up - Chelmsford
Promoted - AFC Wimbledon; St. Albans City
Relegated - Bromley; Worcester; Eastleigh

Really tight at the top here, with Wimbledon winning the league by a single point over Chelmsford, who did battle to the bitter end by winning their last three league games to make things interesting. However, they would fall 2-0 to St. Albans in the playoff finals to miss out on a promotion spot, with Basingstroke and Bishop's Stortford also making the playoff round but falling just short of advancement.

[NoSkillz]

Now, we can finally find out who gains promotion from the unplayable Level 7 in the English pyramid into the Blue Square North and South for the 2009/10 season!

UniBond League (Northern Premier League - Premier Division) -
Promoted - Boston United; Leigh Genesis

British Gas League (Southern League - Premier Division) -
Promoted - Farnborough; Merthyr Tydfil

Ryman League (Isthmian League - Premier Division) -
Promoted - Dover Athletic; Ramsgate

So there are my six choices!

Here's how things are shaking down: Farnborough, Merthyr, Dover and Ramsgate all are being placed in the Blue Square South League, while Boston United and Leigh Genesis move to the Blue Square North.

To even things out, Bishop's Stortford and Braintree Town are forced to move to the Blue Square North League from the South.

So, any thoughts from the peanut gallery as to who I should take on? Not that it will help, as I've already made my choice and I'll let you know tomorrow why I chose that club but I'm curious as to what people may think of those choices.

[Izulde]

I vote Dover Athletic. I used to play them a lot in the soccer sim I can't remember the name of... Ultimate Soccer Manager I think it was?

Ayorinde became one of my fave names because of that game and team.

[st.cronin]

I vote Leigh Genesis, because its such a strange name.

[SirFozzie]

Ramsgate?

[kislingbury]

Farnborough Town. They had a decent cup run a couple of years ago and scored against Arsenal, so youve already got some history!

[gi]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

Oxford United finished the 08/09 campaign right at .500, winning 17, losing 17 and drawing 12 games to finish in 14th place with 63 points.

Sounds like real life...thanks!!!

[gi]

Boston United tis be my vote.

[BYU 14]

One more for Boston U

[Coffee Warlord]

Leigh Genesis!

C'mon, you know you wanna play the Team Formerly Known as Leigh Railway Mechanics Institute F.C.

[NoSkillz]

Wow! Votes for everyone but Merthyr!

I did some research on all six teams and two of them stood out above the rest.

One of them was Boston United. They have a pretty interesting history and have been as high as League Two before running into financial problems which seemingly still exist today. Their ground also seems to be substandard from what I've read so if money problems exist, it may be difficult to move up in the pyramid.

In the end, however, there was one team that stood above the rest in a number of areas. So I put my pen to paper and signed the contract to seal the deal!



There were a number of reasons why Dover appealed to me. First, I kind of like the fact that it's a relatively new club (established in 1983), giving me the opportunity to build some history for the club and its supporters.

Basing things on real life, it looks like the team is on solid footing from a financial perspective, something infinitely important in the lower leagues, behind chairman Jim Parmenter.

Another huge plus is the great support the team gets in real life, as average attendance for Dover games was TRIPLE that of the next highest club in the Isthmian League Division One South in 07/08. Again, if that's replicated in the game, I should be in good shape at the gate.

It doesn't hurt that the real life team is destroying the competition in the Isthmian League this year and looks destined for a promotion into the BSS next year!

Dover Athletic FC also has a great website (The Official website of Dover Athletic Football Club), 'voted' the best non-league website in Britain...how can you not love that?! They have a DoverTV and DoverRadio on the site as well so it will be easy for me to become a fan of the 'real-life' team as well through this dynasty, helping my immersion possibilities.

So begins my life as the manager of The Whites!

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

FIFA Club World Cup -
Manchester United absolutely annihilated LDU de Quito from Ecuador 5-nil to win the Club World Cup.

For some reason, I think it's worth noting that in real life, just today, Man U won the Club World Cup.

Their opponent?

LDU de Quito, of course.

Crazy!

[AlexB]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

Coca-Cola Football League One -
Champion - Leicester City

Leicester City get a double of sorts, winning the league and also taking the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. It was a stellar display in the league, cracking the 100 point barrier with 30 wins against only 5 defeats in 46 league games.

Woohoo! We're actually doing well IRL as well after relegation last year. (My sig is the adopted Leicester anthem BTW)

[NoSkillz]

Dover Athletic FC - Club History

Dover Athletic F.C. was formed in 1983 after the town's previous club, Dover, folded due to its debts. The new club took Dover's place in the Southern League Southern Division, with former Dover player Alan Jones as manager and a team consisting mainly of reserve players from the old club. Initially, Athletic struggled, finishing second from bottom of the table in the 1984–85 season. In November 1985, Steve McRae, who had succeeded Jones a year earlier, was sacked and replaced by Chris Kinnear.

Under Kinnear the club's fortunes turned around, with two top-five finishes followed by the Southern Division championship and with it, promotion in the 1987–88 season.

The team started strongly in the Premier Division, finishing in sixth place at the first attempt, and then winning the championship in the 1989–90 season. The club was denied promotion to the Football Conference, however, as Crabble Stadium did not meet the standard required for that league. After finishing fourth and second in the subsequent two seasons, Dover won the title again in the 1992–93 season and this time were admitted to the Conference.

Although Dover finished in eighth place in their first season in the Conference, the following season saw the club struggling against relegation, and Kinnear was dismissed due to a combination of the team's poor performances and his own personal problems. John Ryan was appointed as the club's new manager, but his reign was a short one and he was dismissed when the club lost seven of its first eight matches in the 1995–96 season. The club then appointed former England international Peter Taylor as manager but he was unable to steer the team away from the foot of the table. Dover held onto their place in the Conference only because Northern Premier League runners-up Boston United failed to submit their application for promotion before the required deadline.

Bill Williams took over as manager in 1997 and proved to be Dover's most successful Conference manager, leading the club to the FA Trophy semi-finals in the 1997–98 season and a best ever league finish of sixth place in the 1999–2000 season. Williams left the club to take a senior position with Conference rivals Kingstonian in May 2001. By now the club was in severe financial difficulties, with a number of directors resigning and debts exceeding £100,000. Amid the crisis, the entire board of directors resigned, forcing the club's Supporters' Trust to take over the running of the club and manager Gary Bellamy was sacked after just six months in the job. Former Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall took over but was dismissed just three months later, with Clive Walker taking over in March 2002 with the club rooted to the foot of the table. The club finished the season bottom of the Conference and was relegated back to the Southern League Premier Division.

The club's ongoing financial problems led to it entering a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), a process by which insolvent companies offset their debts against future profits, due to debts that were now estimated at £400,000.

In Dover's first season back in the Southern League Premier Division, the Whites finished in third place, albeit 17 points adrift of Tamworth, who claimed the one promotion place available that season. A poor start to the following season saw Walker replaced by Richard Langley. Dover finished the season in 19th place, before being switched to the Isthmian League Premier Division in the summer of 2004 following a re-organisation of the English football league system.

The new season started with six successive defeats, which saw Langley sacked, and the financial problems continued, with the club coming within two months of being closed down. Dover were relegated to the Isthmian League Division One at the end of the season, but were saved from possible extinction in January 2005 when former director Jim Parmenter returned to head up a consortium that took over the club. Parmenter quickly sacked manager Steve Browne and convinced Clive Walker to return to the club to replace him and also arranged for the club's outstanding CVA debts to be cleared, putting the club on a firm financial footing for the first time in many years.

Dover Athletic narrowly missed out on an immediate return to the Premier Division in the 2005–06 season, reaching the play-offs for promotion but losing out to Tonbridge Angels. The following season Dover again reached the play-offs but lost in the semi-final to Hastings United, after which Walker did not have his contract renewed and was replaced by former Gillingham manager Andy Hessenthaler. In his first season in charge he led the club to the Division One South championship and promotion to the Isthmian League Premier Division. He followed that up by guiding Dover Athletic back into the second tier of non-league football in 2008-09, only to be replaced by a Canadian unknown...

[NoSkillz]

My first day on the job is a busy one, as I take stock of what we have at Dover both from a player and staff perspective.

First, a couple of screenshots -

Here is my manager profile on the first day of the job:



Next, let us look at our club information screen:



Right off the bat, I'm quite happy with our financial situation. We're doing pretty well for a side that just got promoted from the depths of Level 7 on the pyramid and we're ranked at 112th out of the 160 teams in England at the Blue Square N/S Level or higher in estimated team value at £325,000. In fact, we are ranked third in the BSS, with only Merthyr Tydfil (another recently promoted club) and Team Bath (university club) ranked higher.

Our current bank balance exceeds £44,000 and our wages are under budget at the moment.

I don't intend to ever do anything to put our finances at risk and will keep a close eye on wages and the like to ensure we're on steady footing from a monetary standpoint.

Next Up: Looking at our staff

[NoSkillz]

Dover Athletic FC: Staff -

Not much to talk about here. We pretty much have nothing!

We've got a great chairman in Jim Parmenter, who loves the club and has some money but as far as useful staff go, we have an Assistant Manager (Darren Hare), who probably won't like me much after his brother-in-law Andy Hessenthaler was sacked as Manager and we have a Physio (Frank Clarke) who knows how to apply bandaids but that's about it (Rating of 4 for Physiotherapy).

No coaches.

No scouts.

Needless to say, I have some work to do here. I'd like to bring in as many coaches and scouts as possible so I head to the Job Center website and place advertisements for every possible job, including coach, first team coach, youth coach, goaltender coach, fitness coach, physio and scout.

[Young Drachma]

Fun. Keep it up.

[adubroff]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

Needless to say, I have some work to do here. I'd like to bring in as many coaches and scouts as possible so I head to the Job Center website and place advertisements for every possible job, including coach, first team coach, youth coach, goaltender coach, fitness coach, physio and scout.

I'm curious if you're allowed to hire more than one coach. My board won't allow more than 1 coach. I've even tried hiring volunteer staff and they won't allow it....

[NoSkillz]

Updates coming, hopefully tonight, but a question to anyone out there...

I've asked the board to find me a parent team in the hopes of developing a relationship that would see me get some decent loan players.

They came back with the following three options, all good ones:

- Crystal Palace
- West Ham United
- Southend United

Neither of Crystal Palace and West Ham United have feeder teams at the BSN/BSS level or above so those two teams appeal to me most. Both are currently in the Championship, after West Ham got relegated in 08/09. Which team should I choose?

[st.cronin]

I normally base a parent club choice on income.

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

I normally base a parent club choice on income.

Meaning how much you'll get annually or how rich they are?

I ask only because the board didn't tell me how much each team was willing to pay me but by the looks of things, West Ham is the richer club.

However, Crystal Palace is already paying their Baltimore, MD affiliate a ridiculous sum of money and CP doesn't have an English feeder team whatsoever.

I'm leaning slightly toward West Ham right now..

EDIT: Ok, now I see the screen where it tells you how much you get annually for being a feeder club. West Ham is offering slightly more than Crystal Palace and Southend comes in with even less.

[NoSkillz]

Monday June 29, 2009

My first order of business on the day was heading down to the job center and placing advertisements for all of my available staff positions.

Upon my return to the Dover offices, I started working the phones with the intention of scheduling a few more friendlies in preparation for our first season back in the Blue Square South.

We had only two friendlies already scheduled upon my arrival at the club, with home matches scheduled against AFC Telford United from the BSN and another home match against Tamworth from the Blue Square Premier.

The first club to come back to us is Ashford Town FC, a club that plays in the Isthmian League Division One South. We are their parent club at the moment and we're supposed to play a friendly each year on their ground as part of the arrangement.

After being rejected by Coventry, Cambridge City, Southampton and Stoke, we hit a home run! Manchester United agreed to send their reserve team to Crabble Athletic Ground for an upcoming friendly, one that will generate some decent money for our side! Awesome!

I also worked the press a bit, telling them of my admiration for Watford FC boss Ian Holloway, who then proceeded to come right back and praise the work I've done in the short time at Dover. Watford is my favourite team both in real life and the game so I wanted to start a relationship with them, hoping it pays off down the line

Tuesday June 30, 2009

The butt-kissing with Watford must have worked, as their reserve team has decided to accept my offer to host our club in a friendly match in a couple weeks. I also secured a friendly match with one of our rivals, Folkestone, in another fixture away from home. We now have six friendlies scheduled, which should be enough to get prepared for the upcoming season.

Wednesday July 1, 2009

My predecessor made a couple of moves to bring in players before I took over and they both were officially welcomed to the club today. Kevin Halliday is a 25 year old defender who comes over from Chippenham Town, where he spent three seasons. He started his career with Swindon and the journeyman has also seen time at Worcester, Newbury and Cirencester. He looks to be a solid fullback and my assistant manager thinks he's a quality addition. We also welcomed 29 year old winger Kevin James from Chemsford, a veteran who has spent some time in the Premiership with Charlton early in his career. Our supporters seem to be delighted with both signings, both of which were free transfers. We let two players leave without contract offers: defender John Keister and striker Nathan Bailey were both transfer listed under the previous regime and I saw no reason to retain them for the upcoming year. I did offer last minute contracts to striker Giuliano Grazioli, a veteran forward that starred for years with Barnet, defenders Craig Cloke, Alan Pouton, Lawrence Ball, Matt Fish and Sam Gore and young striker Jerahl Hughes.

Thursday July 2, 2009

Ball, Fish and Gore accept my contract offers, with all of them at a smaller wage than their last contract. Both Grazioli and Hughes reject my offer and continue to be employed on a month-to-month, part-time basis. I immediately show Grazioli the door, as his wage is entirely too high for his skillset at this point in his career. Hughes, on the other hand, is young and has upside, so I decide to keep him around and offer him a slightly better deal.

Friday July 3, 2009

I get my first coup as manager of Dover, signing former Manchester City youth player David Ball on a free transfer, beating out a number of teams for his services. The 19 year old striker has tremendous physical tools already and looks to be ready to make an impact immediately. The fans were elated with the bargain-buy, as he's signed for only £140/week. I also receive word that veteran defender Alan Pouton has signed a new deal to remain with us for another year.

Saturday July 4, 2009

We continue to build our roster of players, resigning defender Craig Cloke and bringing in former Celtic player Ross Hepburn on a four-week trial basis. Hepburn has the potential to be "one of the best players at the club" according to my assistant manager. Couldn't resist bringing him in! I also was able to get Jerahl Hughes to accept a new, one year offer.

All these new players but still no response from any potential staff members through my advertisements in the job center. I decide I'm going to have to be more proactive next week in finding some coaches and scouts.

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by adubroff

I'm curious if you're allowed to hire more than one coach. My board won't allow more than 1 coach. I've even tried hiring volunteer staff and they won't allow it....

Through a little trial and error, I found a work around for this...

Like you, my board only wanted one coach for the squad. However, through the filter, you can find players that are classified as player/coaches.

You can sign them as PLAYERS and once they accept the deal and are on your squad, you can offer them a new contract for the same terms and wage and just change their designation to player/coach.

Boom...now you have additional staff!

[adubroff]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

Through a little trial and error, I found a work around for this...

Like you, my board only wanted one coach for the squad. However, through the filter, you can find players that are classified as player/coaches.

You can sign them as PLAYERS and once they accept the deal and are on your squad, you can offer them a new contract for the same terms and wage and just change their designation to player/coach.

Boom...now you have additional staff!

Thanks...this worked for me but I'm a bit confused about filtering for player coaches. I had to list all staff and look for the ones which had no role specified. Is there an easier way to find player coaches?

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by adubroff

Thanks...this worked for me but I'm a bit confused about filtering for player coaches. I had to list all staff and look for the ones which had no role specified. Is there an easier way to find player coaches?

Nope, this looks to be the only way, checking for staff with 'Unknown Role'.

[NoSkillz]

Monday July 6, 2009

With no word back on my staff advertisements, I decide to take matters into my own hands. The first thing I do is sack our physiotherapist Frank Clarke, who maybe had his first aid certificate but not much more expertise. It was an expensive sacking, as we came to a mutual agreement for half his owed wages, amounting to £2000.

We also announced the signing of two scouts, bringing 36 year old Steve Harvey into the fold as well as 38 year old Shaun Noone. Noone will be my go-to guy both as an advance scout for upcoming matches in addition to a trusted confidant when looking at new players. Harvey will compliment him by being my main field scout.

I was also able to sign my first coach in 35 year old Ben Newton. He is an adept fitness coach and will organize our cardio and strength training. I'm told by the board that they only want one coach on staff so I will have to be creative bringing additional staff on board. I will have to look at player/coaches to make the signings feasible to the chairman.

Tuesday July 7, 2009

What an exciting day! In a joint press release with West Ham United, their chairman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson and Dover chairman Jim Parmenter announce that the two clubs have gone into partnership with one another. West Ham will be able to send players on loan to our club, with wages paid in full by the parent club.

We also get the opportunity to host an annual friendly between the the two clubs and get to keep all gate receipts. In addition, we will receive £14,240 annually from West Ham United for providing roster space.

It doesn't take long for West Ham manager Mircea Lucescu to make his first move under the link, offering young striker Zavon Hines the opportunity to go on loan to our club. Hines looks to be quite the prospect and he will decide if he wants to play for us over the next couple days.

Wednesday July 8, 2009

Two more staff members come into the fold at Dover. First, we get a real physiotherapist on staff in 26 year old Mark Garner. He's nothing fantastic but comes at a very reasonable wage, something that will be of utmost importance for us going forward.

We also sign our first player/coach in D R Scott Hiley, a former premiership player who played last season at Tiverton Town. The 40 year old Hiley will be our Youth Coach for the upcoming season and will stay in shape playing with our reserves.

Thursday July 9, 2009

We lock up our final two coaches today, first coming to terms with M RC Lee Cartwright, a 36 year old former Preston legend who last played for Hyde United in the Blue Square North. We also signed GK Gareth Howells, a 39 year old who started his career with Tottenham and last played for Eastleigh.

Cartwright will be our general coach and has great teaching skill in tactics and attack while Howells obviously will be our goalkeeping coach. Both will get the chance to play on the reserve team as well.

The best news of the day came when West Ham's Zavon Hines announced that he will join our club on loan for the entire season! Awesome!

Saturday July 11, 2009

On the recommendation of assistant manager Darren Hare, we were able to talk D C Andrew Pearson into coming to Dover for four weeks on a trial basis. Pearson was recently released by Brighton from League One and should be a solid player at our level but this gives me a chance to see him in action before offering him a contract.

We also bring in another D C on trial in Sam Simmonds, a 19 year old former Aston Villa youth player. This lad looks even more talented than Pearson and I'm excited to see him in action and will consider offering him a deal.

ON TAP NEXT WEEK -

MONDAY: Players return from Holiday; Pre-Season Fitness Tests; Setanta Shield South 1st and 2nd Round Draws
TUESDAY: Dover Athletic at Watford Reserves (Friendly)
SATURDAY: Dover Athletic at Ashford Town (Friendly)

[NoSkillz]

Monday July 13, 2009

All of the Dover players and trialists reported for fitness and training tests today after a nice holiday. We had no issues with any of the players, as everyone seemed to take good care of themselves while away from the team.

We currently have about 30 players in camp, including all of our available youth players. I won't go into detail about our roster until we hit the start of the season, as I would like to move a few players (and their heavy contracts) out of town before the Blue Square South season begins.

The players were divided into a couple of training groups to start things off, as we devised special preseason schedules for both goaltenders and outfield players.

We also implemented our tactical structure for the upcoming season and we're planning on employing one of four gameplans depending on the opponent, the odds, whether we're home or away, the weather or any other number of important factors.

We will utilize the 4-4-2 framework under the 2-6-2 mentality structure: I really like the unity this structure provides in the midfield especially and it seems to keep the entire team working on the same page. The 2-6-2 means that the two central defenders work off the same mentality; the fullbacks, the wingers, the 'holding' central midfielder and the 'holding' striker have the same mentality and finally the 'attacking' central midfielder and the 'attacking' striker share the highest mentality.

Within that framework and structure will be four separate gameplans, shown in order from most attacking to most defensive, with strategy descriptions courtesy of the wonderful Tactical Theorems and Frameworks 2009 by Richard Claydon and Gareth Millward -

DOVER 4-4-2 ATTACKING:
This strategy will be used for matches that we are favourites to win and expect to dominate possession in our opponents half. It aims to exploit space in the final third by employing fast tempo, direct, attack-oriented passing supported by a defensive strategy aimed at recycling possession. It focuses heavily on getting players forward and into space and allows them the creative freedom to express themselves. In this system, we have three players with Defending roles (DC, DC, MCd), two with Support roles (MCa and FCd) and five with Attacking roles (DL, DR, ML, MR, FCa).

DOVER 4-4-2 CONTROL:
A bit of a hybrid philosophy that sees the player mentalities sit directly between the attacking style and a standard style. This strategy can be used when a more patient approach is deemed necessary against a team that is sitting back and trying to frustrate. Closing down is more cautious than in the Attacking strategy in order to entice the opponent out of their defensive comfort zone and free up some space. Tempo is the same as the Standard strategy but the width from the Attacking strategy is maintained here. In this system, we have two players with Defending roles (DC, DC), five players with Support roles (DL, DR, MCd, MCa and FCd) and three with Attacking roles (ML, MR, FCa).

DOVER 4-4-2 STANDARD:
Our default strategy for tough home games or road games where we might be a slight favourite. Pretty much a middle of the road philosophy, with normal tempo and width and a mixed passing structure. The aim with this system is to give yourself a base to start then assess the match situation and how well the team is playing before making a decision to switch to another more specialized structure. In this system, we have 3 players with Defending roles (DC, DC, MCd), four players in a Support role (DR, DL, MCa and FCd) and three players in an Attack role (MR, ML and FCa).

DOVER 4-4-2 DEFENDING:
A structure we plan to employ in matches where we are the decided underdog or where we expect our opponent to dominate possession. It aims to keep men behind the ball, to restrict space in our own half, to slow things down and to frustrate the opposition. It relies on direct balls to the forwards followed by sharp and quick passing interchanges upfront to score goals on the counter. In this system, we employ five Defending roles (DR, DL, DC, DC, MCd), two Support Players (MCa and FCd) and three Attacking roles (MR, ML and FCa).

At the end of the day, I watched as the Setanta Shield South draw was held. Our opponent will be Hampton and Richmond Borough FC, a fellow member of the BSS, in an away fixture on September 8th. The winner of our match will move on to face either Lewes FC or Basingstoke in the Second Round.

Tuesday July 14, 2009

Preseason Friendly: Watford Reserves vs. Dover Athletic

No long-winded writeups for the preseason games, as I'll reserve that for the games that count

I decided to start with a standard gameplan against the Watford Reserves, even though we were huge underdogs against the Championship side. After about 10 minutes of constant pressure, I changed to my Defending gameplan and proceeded to give up four goals in ten minutes!

Yikes!

We were down 4-nil at half and I changed to our Attacking gameplan. I also started to substitute the starters in twosomes but not before getting on the board early in the second half, courtesy of holding forward Zavon Hines, our stellar loan player from parent club West Ham United. We'd concede yet another goal late but add another marker of our own just before injury time, as fullback Sam Gore pounced on a miscue in the box and rifled a shot home from close range to win the second half for us and bring the scoreline into respectable territory.

Watford Reserves 5 - Ewan Clarke (21, 29), Steven Kabba (25), Billy Gibson (31), Adrian Mariappa (82)
Dover Athletic 2 - Zavon Hines (47), Sam Gore (90)

Thursday July 16, 2009

West Ham agrees to loan out MC Holmar Eyjólfsson, a good looking prospect but he unfortunately has no intention of joining our club for the upcoming season. He would have looked great as our holding midfielder, that's for sure!

Saturday July 18, 2009

Preseason Friendly: Ashford Town (Kent) vs. Dover Athletic

Ashford Town is our feeder club and this friendly at The Homelands, their home pitch, is part of our partnership deal.

Ashford are currently plying their trade in the Isthmian League Division One South, so we are huge favourites in this one. Therefore, I employ our Attacking gameplan and hope for the best.

There was no drama today, as we avenge our defeat against Watford with a scintillating display of football, scoring in the seventh minute and never looking back in a convincing 7-0 win over the overmatched Nuts and Bolts.

Ashford Town 0
Dover Athletic 7 - Zavon Hines (7), Ross Hepburn (23), Kevin James (34), Dean Hill (40), Shaun Welford (59, 90+3), Ellis Roberts (Own Goal - 67)

A great confidence booster, for certain, but we must be mindful of the competition's quality, which was lacking. Morale is high though, something we need as we prepare for a stiff home contest against the mighty Manchester United Reserve squad next week.

Sunday July 19, 2009

We had a player pick up a knock in our last game, as M R/L Jerahl Hughes suffered a gashed leg and will miss up to three weeks.

Our grounds supervisor met with me today as well to go over the pitch dimensions for the upcoming season and I instructed him to leave things as-is. We have a shortish pitch but one that is a bit wider than normal - I just didn't think it was necessary to make adjustments at this time.

ON TAP NEXT WEEK -

WEDNESDAY: Manchester United Reserves at Dover Athletic (Friendly); English Trial Day
SUNDAY: AFC Telford at Dover Athletic (Friendly)

[NoSkillz]

Monday July 20, 2009

We bring in 19 year old Michael Kay, a right defender formerly with Sunderland, for a one month trial. He looks to be pretty solid across the board.

Zavon Hines, our fine young loanee from West Ham, came down with food poisoning and will miss some time. Disappointing that he will miss the Man U fixture...

Tuesday July 21, 2009

Not surprisingly, we find out that Holmar Eyjólfsson has no intention of playing at our level for the coming season on loan. We turn instead to the two matches that make up English Trial Day and there are a number of interesting players in attendance.

One that would interest FrogMan was Vincent van den Berg, a former member of the Arsenal academy and one that played for his Luton Town squad in one of his dynasties, if I recall correctly. I scout him and he actually expresses interest in becoming a member of the Whites but his wage demands are entirely out of reach for a squad of our size.

We don't make any offers based on the trial days but will keep an eye on a few of the players for down the road.

We do make an announcement before our big home fixture against the Manchester United reserve squad, as we came to an agreement with 20 year old defender Jordan Collins. This pacy right fullback came up through the Aston Villa system and was recently released by their squad. I was able to sign him to a ridiculously low wage of £65/week and he looks primed to be our main starter for the coming season at that position. He will make his debut on the weekend against AFC Telford.

Preseason Friendly: Dover Athletic vs. Manchester United Reserves

I consider it a big deal to have Alex Ferguson on the premises at Crabble Athletic Ground and I'm amped for this game, to say the least. Yeah, there are no big names playing in this game, with only goalkeeper Ben Foster, a former Watford loanee, a name I recognize. No matter...a big test for us, without doubt. I tried to engage Ferguson in the press before the match but he really couldn't give a crap about some rookie Canadian manager and wasn't shy about saying I might be in over my head in this contest. Fun stuff!

We're 20-1 underdogs but I once again decide to go with a standard gameplan instead of going defensive. It's only preseason and I want to see how this team plays in our base structure.

Well, we have trouble maintaining possession but we play a much more solid game than we did against Watford. They get a couple glorious chances in the first twenty minutes but come away empty, shooting wide both times from inside the box.

They finally strike in the 32nd minute, with young Italian Federico Macheda breaking through the defense and striking the ball home past John Whitehouse for the 1-nil lead.

We'd hold strong while continuing to play a mid-tempo game but give up a second goal early in the second half. I'd bump up the aggression and move to a more attacking style in the 70th minute and we'd break the shutout late in injury time, as trialist Ross Hepburn would score his second goal in as many matches on a gorgeous cross from youth team striker Paul Stannard to bring us to within one. The final whistle sounded shortly thereafter but it was a fine effort in defeat and I expressed my satisfaction with the effort in the locker room with the players after the game.

Dover Athletic 1 - Ross Hepburn (94)
Manchester United Reserves 2 - Federico Macheda (32), Joshua King (60)

Interestingly enough, our supporters were quite happy with the effort in the loss and have been happy with all three of our games thus far, even with two losses. Expectations seem to be low both from fans and the media so I hope to surprise a lot of people this season!

After the match, we announce yet another signing, as we bring in Ireland's 19 year old Sam Sheridan, who has been capped at the U19 level, on a two year deal. The central midfielder looks well suited for our holding role in the middle of the pitch and has a fine pedigree, coming through the Bolton youth system.

Friday July 24, 2009

Sky Bet announces the BSS promotion odds and they peg Chelmsford as the 5-4 favourites to gain promotion to the BSP this season. They price us as 40-1 longshots and feel that relegation is a real possibility - I look forward to proving the sceptics wrong!

Sunday July 26, 2009

Preseason Friendly: Dover Athletic vs. AFC Telford

We welcome AFC Telford to Crabble Athletic Ground for what projects to be a competitive matchup between similar squads. Telford play in the Blue Square North so we are very evenly matched and while the visitors are still favoured, the odds are short and the pundits still expect a close game.

My advance scout tells me they like to sit back and wait for counter opportunities so I figure this is my chance to break out my 'Control' gameplan, one that is adept at breaking down tight opponents.

And it seemingly works early, as we completely dominate possession but they are able to draw first blood after a brilliantly played longball from their goaltender to striker Jarred Stevens, who somehow shaped a scorcher between our two central defenders to take the early lead.

We'd come back in the 32nd minute when our own striker David Ball finally dented the twine for the first time in Dover white, converting a nice cross from winger Jon Wallis to knot things at one.

It looks like it might be a heartbreaking game when Telford strikes in the final minute of the first half, as Terry Fearns is able to take advantage of a miscue by our trialist defender Michael Kay and pound one home for the 2-1 halftime lead.

My assistant wants to lash into the players but I hold back, telling them they can still win this game. And we come out with guns ablazing, as midfield trialist Ross Hepburn scores yet another goal, his third in three games, taking a spectacular through ball from newcomer Sam Sheridan and making no mistake in putting it in the net for the 2-2 tie.

We had upped the aggression by this point and after bringing on all of our subs, we strike late in the contest for the deciding marker, as Frannie Collin takes a perfect cross from winger Kevin James and heads it home for the 3-2 comeback victory!

Dover Athletic 3 - David Ball (32), Ross Hepburn (46), Frannie Collin (86)
AFC Telford 2 - Jarred Stevens (12), Terry Fearns (45)

ON TAP NEXT WEEK -

WEDNESDAY: Dover Athletic at Folkestone Invicta (Friendly)
SATURDAY: Tamworth at Dover Athletic (Friendly)

[NoSkillz]

Wednesday July 29, 2009

I learn today that 13 of our players will have contracts expiring in the next 12 months. I'm in no particular hurry to get them signed and will take note of their progress as the season progresses.

I also met with the player's representative regarding win bonuses for the coming year. I decided to give higher than normal bonuses for both league play and cup competitions in the interest of keeping morale high. Many of the players are thrilled with my decision.

Preseason Friendly: Folkestone Invicta vs. Dover Athletic

Despite playing on an opposing pitch, we're big favourites in our game against Folkestone Invicta, who play in the Isthmian League Division One South. My advance scout indicates that they play a regular 4-4-2 but have a narrow pitch. I decide to utilize my standard tactics at the start of the match and move on from there.

We started off beautifully, with young striker David Ball ripping a scorcher into the net from the edge of the area for the early lead. Invicta's Steve Horsley would equalize in the 12 minute but we'd strike again in the 22nd minute and it was Ball once again doing the honours.

Stellar trialist Ross Hepburn scored in the 37th minute to make it four goals in as many games to give us a 3-1 lead then just before half, Ball completed the amazing hat trick on another rocket launcher of a goal to give us the 4-1 halftime lead.

Folkestone would notch a second marker on our goalkeeping coach Gareth Howells, who started the game for us in net. I'd pull him in favour of transfer-listed John Whitehouse and there would be no additional scoring. A fine effort that saw us dominate possession to the tune of 67% to 33%.

Folkestone Invicta 2 - Steve Horsley (12), Brett Dean (48)
Dover Athletic 4 - David Ball (3, 22, 43), Ross Hepburn (37)

Thursday July 30, 2009

I realize I've made a grave error - attacking midfielder Ross Hepburn's trial period ends in two days, just before my last friendly with Tamworth takes place. The former Celtic academy member has been unbelievably good for us, with 4 goals in as many games so I offer him a contract that meets his initial demands.

I'm going to have to cross my fingers on this one, as the media get wind of the offer and that of course means other teams now will throw him offers as well.

Saturday August 1, 2009

No word from Ross Hepburn, as he packs up his belongings and leaves our club, as his trial period with us has ended. He's currently mulling over contract offers from us and Darlington, who play in the Coca-Cola League Two.

Yikes! I'm going to have a hard time competing with them for his services!

In the meantime, I offer contracts to my two young center back trialists, Andrew Pearson and Sam Simmonds. Pearson is nursing an injury right now but both players look to be keepers and have the quality to start immediately.

Preseason Friendly: Dover Athletic vs. Tamworth

Our final preseason friendly takes place at home as we welcome Blue Square Premier's Tamworth to Crabble Athletic Ground.

The media feel that Tamworth may be relegation candidates but they still feel that they will likely come out on top during our matchup. My advance scout says they like to hang back and utilize counter attacking measures so I will go with my control tactical gameplan in an effort to draw them out and look for space.

Tamworth strikes first at the three minute mark on a scramble in front of the net. However, we strike back quickly, as loanee Zavon Hines, recently recovered from his bout with food poisoning, places a lovely ball into the net for the equalizing goal.

Two minutes later, we'd strike again, this time on a free kick from just outside the box by winger James Simmonds to take the 2-1 lead, which would hold until the end of the half.

We'd score early in the second half off an error by their center back, with David Ball staying hot and notching his fourth goal in two games to give us a two goal cushion.

I'd change to an aggessive tactic to keep the pressure on and it worked, as we brought on our substitutes. Recent trial pickup Michael Kay, a right fullback, took a gorgeous cross from Sam Gore and headed one home for the 4-1 lead. Transfer listed striker Shaun Welford would score twice in the last twenty minutes, including one on a penalty shot, to give us the surprising 6-1 win in front of 266 supporters.

Dover Athletic 6 - Zavon Hines (7), James Simmonds (9), David Ball (48), Michael Kay (60), Shaun Welford (73, pen 81)
Tamworth 1 - Lee Moore (3)

I'd make yet another stupid mistake, not going into the dressing room after the game for a postgame team talk. Half my roster is livid with me, saying I don't give them enough credit. I can't believe I skipped past that bloody screen! We're playing our tails off, scoring goals at will, and now I have a mess on my hands! Wonderful.

Sunday August 2, 2009

Another team is in the running for the services of Ross Hepburn, with Gillingham from League One now offering him a contract. I have a feeling this isn't going to work out well for us!

With the preseason now behind us, we can start preparing for our season opener, which takes place next Saturday right here at Crabble Athletic Ground against Bognor Regis Town.

ON TAP NEXT WEEK -

FRIDAY: Andrew Pearson's trial finishes
SATURDAY: Sam Simmonds's trial finishes; Bognor Regis Town at Dover Athletic (Blue Square South)

[NoSkillz]

We have completed our preseason schedule, winning four of six contests and scoring an incredible 23 goals in those contests while conceding 12.

Now, we'll take a look at how our roster looks as we head toward our season opening game in the Blue Square South, which takes place next week against Bognor Regis Town.

[NoSkillz]

[NoSkillz]

We also have a 16 year old in our Youth system named Martyn Kenyon. He's a monster of a lad at 6'4" and 202 lbs and he's a demon in the air. My assistant thinks he could amount to something so he's worth keeping an eye on for down the road.