Football in the Highlands (FM13)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

A few days ago, something happened to my Rosport (Luxembourg) game on Football Manager 13, and I couldn't get it to load properly anymore. That really frustrated me, because I had been enjoying playing it and writing about it very much.

At first, I was hesitant to try something else with FM13 until/unless I can figure out if the program is messed up; I don't want another game to crash just as I'm getting into it. I'm also not sure if my going-on-three-years-old laptop has enough muscle to run Football Manager 14, so I haven't purchased it yet.

I started a new career on Football Manager 12, but after spending an evening trying to create a training program I liked, I began to really miss the streamlined training routine that had been developed for FM13.

So, I gave FM13 another try...and it's working like a charm.

I'm using a database that creates a fun pyramid system for Scottish football and I've taken over a team in the Scottish Football Premier League, the third of eleven levels in this database. I discovered that if you go too far down the pyramid, many--in some cases all--of the players you begin with are "grey ghosts" at the beginning of the game. Unless you sign them to contracts, you can't find out much about these lads at all.

I have a good feeling about the club I'd chosen to use on FM12, so I'm going to give it another go.

Strathspey Thistle FC play in the Highlands town of Grantown-on-Spey. They are a semi-professional club, founded in 1993. Strathie's home ground, Seafield Park, holds 1500.

Strathie will be competing with 17 other club in the SFPL. The top two clubs earn automatic promotion to Scottish Premier League Two, and the next four in the table take part in a promotion playoff. The bottom three are relegated to the Scottish Football League Premier Division.

The board's goal for the year was simply to avoid relegation. With the lads they had on board, that was a pretty fair assessment of the situation.

I'll be back as soon as I've played the 2012-2013 season as far as early August. I'm hopefully going to be bringing in some new players, so the squad won't have a chance to settle itself out before then. At that point, I'll introduce you to the club's players and briefly update you on how the first weeks of the season have been going. I hope we'll all enjoy the story.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

5 August 2012

We played six pre-season friendlies; we won three, drew two, and lost one. In the process, we scored 14 goals and conceded six.

The match we lost, 1-2 to Buckie Rovers at home, was actually one of our better performances by every measure, except for the scoreline. We did a better job of maintaining possession than we did in all but one of the matches we won.

Most importantly, we are basically healthy and match fit as our first League match of the season approaches.

We've been playing 4-5-1 and 4-4-2 most often so far, and we've also been working on a 4-1-2-1-2.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

I think our roster is pretty well set for now, so it's time to start meeting the players.

Goalkeepers
Not to be confused with the governor of New Jersey, our Chris Christie (age 22) is our first-choice keeper. He's very athletic, and his eccentric style will be exciting (and possibly nerve-wracking) to watch. His backup will be Ian McDonald (19), whose potential will earn him some playing time.

Defenders
Paul Duncan (26) will start at left back, but he would be one of our two best center backs or central midfielders, too. Stevie Bell (19) and Willie Campbell (20) are two of our most promising young players; like a lot of young players, they'll suffer some growing pains, but they're both tough, determined, and fast. Right now, our best bet at right back is either Jamie Bannon (24) or Mark Brown (22). Neither one is an ideal fit, and I'd like to have Bannon on the bench, because he can play everywhere on the pitch except striker or goalkeeper.

Jamie McKinlay, Aleksejs Ulanovs, George Mackintosh, and Richie Park are the reserves.

Defensive Midfielders
We'll use a DMC quite often, because we have a promising one in William Jess (16), who will get better.

Christie is a very solid goalkeeper, and Bell looks like he'll be a good player in this league. I'd like to find a better option at right back, but I haven't located him yet.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Here are our midfielders and attackers:

Midfielders
Stephen Brady (age 21) can play M(L) or AM(L) equally well. Attribute-wise, he's the best player in the side, with very good technique for a player his age. On the right side we have Calum O'Neil (22), who can also play in the middle of the pitch or in an advanced position. He's fast and good with the ball. Christian Bowles (17) and Mark Brown (22) are our best bets at central midfielder. Bowles is a young man with old man skills--very good technically, but below-average athletically. Brown would be better at DMC, and his ability to play on the back line would make him a valuable reserve. Bowles plays AMC when we use one.
Kenny Allan (24) can fill in at AM(L) or AM(R), and we have several teenagers with promise there, too.

Strikers
When we use a single striker, Stevie Murray (21) is the man. He is very strong, very athletic, and a deadly finisher. Our next-best striker, Craig Gordon (21), has many of the same qualities, and they'd both be better off with a partner who was a better distributor. I'll be looking for someone to play that role in the days to come.

I like to use the 4-4-2, but it doesn't work terribly well with our current cast of characters. We don't have the necessary boss in the middle of the park.

[bbgunn]

Ah, sad to see that the Luxembourg dynasty is over, but I'll be following this as well.

I have FM14 on my going-on-five-years-old-and-running-Vista laptop, and it is sluggish when I'm playing in the so-called "full fat mode" (that still sounds to me like something you order at a steakhouse). But I play FM Classic nowadays, and FM14 Classic runs well. Anyway, you probably made a good choice.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

Ah, sad to see that the Luxembourg dynasty is over, but I'll be following this as well.

I have FM14 on my going-on-five-years-old-and-running-Vista laptop, and it is sluggish when I'm playing in the so-called "full fat mode" (that still sounds to me like something you order at a steakhouse). But I play FM Classic nowadays, and FM14 Classic runs well. Anyway, you probably made a good choice.

Thanks, bbgunn. I was enjoying Luxembourg, and I was looking forward to seeing how Rosport would do in the National Division. I liked the side I had put together there very much.

I've never really gotten a handle on the training aspect of FM12. I like the way it works in FM13 much, much better.

That's why I gave FM13 another try, and I'll manage the Speysiders in FM13, too.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

8 August 2012

Strathspey Thistle 2-2 Fraserburgh

4-4-2 Diamond
GK: Chris Christie
D: Paul Duncan, Stevie Bell, Willie Campbell, Jamie Bannon
DMC: William Jess
M: Stephen Brady, Calum O'Neil
AMC: Craig Gordon
ST: Stevie Murray, Craig Gardner

Goals: Bell (41), Murray (59)

The pundits gave us very little chance in this one, even though we were at home. We are, after all, 2000-1 long shots to achieve promotion, so nobody is expecting very much from us.

Bell's goal came off a perfectly-placed corner by Duncan. That, and his solid play on defense, earned him Man of the Match (8.2).

We allowed one frightful goal, when two defenders came out to challenge the man with the ball and left another attacker completely unmarked. There was nothing Christie could do at that point.

You may have noticed the new name on our team sheet. Yesterday, I agreed to contract terms with striker Craig Gardner, a 37-year-old veteran who was looking for a club. He's a very well-rounded player with the strength and presence to make him an effective target man. We don't need Gardner to dazzle the crowd; if he can hold up play and make simple passes to guys like Gordon and Murray, he's earning his paycheck.

I decided to see what would happen if I played Gordon out of position, simply to get him onto the pitch. He can play AM(L) and AM(R), but he doesn't have experience in the middle. Craig unleashed a variety of long shots, none of which challenged the keeper.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

11 August 2013
Scottish Football League Cup, Round One

Stonehaven 1-4 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, George Mackintosh, Allan Park, Kevin Hughes
M: Brady, Christian Bowles, Mark Brown, Allan Mackay
ST: Murray, Gordon

Goals: Park (32), Murray (38, 44, 45+1)

We drew Stonehaven, a smaller club, away in the first round of the Scottish Football League Cup. A hat trick by Stevie Murray, accomplished in the span of six minutes, gave us a comfortable passage through to the next round.

The goal of the game was Park's. Duncan delivered another very good corner, which Mackintosh headed over to Park. Allan knocked it into an almost open net.

Park both scored a goal and cost us one. He trucked a Stonehaven forward in the area, and they converted the spot-kick.

There are a number of unfamiliar names in that starting eleven, aren't there? Get used to seeing a lot of squad rotation for a while. Strathspey Thistle are eligible for three cups. In order of their prestige, they are the Scottish Cup, the League Cup, and the Scottish Football League Cup. We have matches in all three of these tournaments between now and the end of September, in addition to our SPL fixtures.

It was fun to see Stonehaven, because I managed them in my first-ever Football Manager game.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

15 August 2012

I was looking at the Strathie roster, trying to figure out what formations might be best suited for the team and which players to use in spots where there's no clear first team talent.

Right now, there doesn't seem to be anyone available who is good enough to make a significant difference at the positions where we are weakest: left and right back and central midfielder. At least, there's nobody we can sign; there are players I'd love to have, but they want twice as much money as we can pay them.

So, I've decided to give some of our most promising teenagers a chance to see what they can do.

We have several players whom our staff project as three, four, even five-star talents one day. I wonder what will happen if, instead of sending them out to play for the reserves or the U19 side, I give them a chance with the first team?

Strathie aren't expected to win the league. We wouldn't be the favorite even if Rangers (!) weren't in our division. Therefore, I won't be running a promotion-calibre outfit into the ground if I give a couple of kids a shot.

It will be interesting to see if they develop more quickly, or more reliably, if they play regularly for the senior team. If they struggle, and if their struggles seem to hurt their morale, I can always replace them with one of the pedestrian twenty-somethings I had on the roster when I arrived.

Here are some of the players who will be getting an opportunity to show what they can do over the next several matches:

Richie Park (17): D(R), 0.5 silver stars, with 4.5 star potential. His athleticism and fitness are solid, and he's developed some skill at tackling already.

Zander McLeish (17): AM(L,R,C), 1 star, with 5.0 star potential. McLeish plays a position where we're already solid, but with the fixture congestion we're encountering, he'll get an opportunity to play.

George Mackintosh (17): D(C). 1.5 silver stars, with 3.5 star potential. Mack played against Stonehaven and did well, with a 7.1 rating. We're training him to play D(L), and I'll try to get him some playing time there, too.

William Jess (17): DMC/M(C). 5.0 silver stars, with 5.0 star potential. He's already our #1 DMC, but I want to give him some time at central midfielder, too.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

18 August 2013

Edinburgh City 1-5 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Bell, Campbell, Richie Park
M: Brady, Jess, Bowles, O'Neil
ST: Murray, Gardner

Goals: Murray (6, 28), Gardner (31, 56), Bowles (pen 45+1)

We weren't favored to win this one, either, and we pulled off our second surprise in a row.

Stevie Murray has six goals in three appearances now, and it was great to see Craig Gardner get a brace, too. Craig and Stevie both rated at 9.1, and Craig was Man of the Match. Christian Bowles netted a penalty and assisted on two goals.

It was a rough game--City finished the match with ten men, after Michael Boyack drew his second yellow of the day.

Richie Park (7.5) had a fine game on his debut, and 15-year-old Lee Leiper came on as a substitute midfielder.

We moved up to sixth place with our victory.

This sure was great to see!


The green and white shirt is Buckie Thistle, and the red and white is Clyde. The goalkeeper is from Montrose.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

25 August 2012

Strathspey Thistle 1-4 Elgin City

4-3-3 Disastrous Experiment
GK: Ian MacDonald
D: Duncan, Bell, Campbell, R. Park
M: Bannon, Bowles, O'Neil
AM: Brady, McLeish
ST: Murray

Goal: Bowles (10)

This is what I get for trying to be clever!

I decided to see what I could do to get most of my most talented players on the pitch, and the result was a 4-3-3 with attacking midfielders playing wide. Then, because O'Neil, my M(R) is also good, I wanted to use him as well. To balance the field, I used an M(L), too.

As a result, I had very little presence in the middle of the pitch, and I paid for it. Elgin City had way too much room to operate in the midfield, and by the time I went back to a good, solid 4-4-2, I was already way behind.

Ian MacDonald, our backup keeper, took the brunt of the punishment, but this wasn't his fault. Sorry, Ian.

I could see exactly what went wrong when I looked at the post-match analysis. That's an excellent tool that I'm only now learning to use to its fullest advantage.

Lesson learned.

On a more positive note, Richie Park had the highest rating among our defenders, with a 6.6. Until further notice, he's our first choice right back.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 September 2013

Today is Transfer Deadline Day for Scottish football. I was invited to join in the media coverage, so before and after our match away to Clachnacuddin, I'll be taking questions from the press.

I have an "indifferent" relationship with Sean Nicol from the Grantown-on-Spey Football Free Press, and Sean's personality is described as "boring." In our pre-match presser this week, he asked me if I was interested in making an offer for Ronnie Thomson, a central midfielder with Huntly, one division down from us. I'd never heard of Ronnie Thomson, so I dodged the question as best I could and, after I was done, I had our staff scout him.

It turns out that Thomson's a good player. He's 30, and he can play anywhere in the middle of the park, from center back to striker. He's fast and in excellent condition, and his determination, work rate, and teamwork are all very high.

Thomson is available on a free, so first thing this morning I put in an offer for him. Huntly quickly accepted, so I began negotiations with Thomson. We negotiated a little bit and eventually he found the terms acceptable.

Meanwhile, Buckie Thistle, who are already a very strong side, signed a good goalkeeper, Jock McCabe. He's Chris Christie, without the entertaining forays from his area.

Now Nicol is telling me there's strong interest in Kevin Hughes, a promising young defender. This is news to me. I want to hold on to him, and I tell Nicol so. Hughes wants to stay, so that makes him happy.

At 9:15, we learn that Ronnie Thomson is on his way to Seafield Park. We'll pay him £325 a month, which we can easily afford to do--we're about £2400 a week under our salary budget. Ronnie will play alongside Christian Bowles in our central midfield, and since he's best in a holding role, he's a good partner for Bowles, who likes to push forward. I'm going to buy Sean Nicol a pint. If Thomson turns out to be a star, I'll buy Sean a few more pints.

A little later, I told Sean that Zander McLeish would be "in and around the first team squad," since there was apparently some hope I would be loaning him out.

Several hours passed before I heard from Sean again. When he returned, around 14:30, he mentioned that "recent reports have linked [me] with a move for Formartine Utd defender Brian Shields." I had just looked at our list of likely prospects, and I hadn't seen Shields. I would have noticed him.

Shields is on loan from Inverness Caledonian Thistle, a Premier League club. In other words, he's probably out of our league, in a literal sense. I quickly put our scouts to work on getting a report on him, although I doubt I need an convincing from them. I tell Sean "there's definitely some interest from our side." For some reason, this news confuses backup goalkeeper Ian MacDonald.

Then, it was time for the match.

Clachnacuddin 1-1 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Campbell, Bell, R. Park
M: Brady, Ronnie Thomson, Bowles, O'Neil
ST: Murray, Gardner

Goal: Murray (84)

Our new addition, Thomson, made his Strathie debut, wearing the number 7 shirt. I really liked this lineup, but I only got to enjoy it for 19 minutes before Willie Campbell was forced off with an injury. He'll be fine, but Stephen Brady won't. On 32 minutes, Brady broke his toe, and he'll be out for about three months.

The match was scoreless until 81', when the Lilywhites finally beat Christie, who made several outstanding saves. Fortunately, Stevie Murray had the last word, equalizing four minutes later. We'll return home with one point, lying 11th in the table.

Stevie Bell (7.3) was Man of the Match, but it could have just as easily been Christie or Murray.

By 17:00, we were off the pitch and back to the business of Deadline Day. We rejected transfer bids for Zander McLeish from East End and Sunnybank.

Less than two hours remained when we heard back from scouts Sean Gallagher and Graeme Davidson. They agreed that Brian Shields would be a leading star for a side like ours, but doubted he'd want to join us. I made an offer to Inverness Caledonian, and waited to see what would happen next.

They accepted, and now it was in Brian's hands. At 23:00, he told us he wasn't interested in negotiating a contract with us. Just for kicks, we tried again, with the same response.

Maybe acquiring Shields was never in the cards, but it was worth a try. And I think we signed a very talented player in Ronnie Thomson. We're a better side than we were this morning.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

5 September 2012

Stirling Albion 3-1 Strathspey Thistle

4-5-1
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Mackintosh, Bell, Mark Brown
DM: Jess
M: Thomson, Bowles
AM: O'Neil, Gordon
ST: Murray

Goal: Murray (40)

Tonight we discovered how one of the better sides in our league plays the game. Stirling were sharper, quicker, more polished than we are, and the scoreline reflected their advantages. Granted, we didn't have Stephen Brady, and we started George Mackintosh at center back to let Willie Campbell rest, but it wouldn't have made much of a difference in the result.

Mark Brown, a journeyman whose most valuable skill is his versatility, played right back, and he wasn't bad. He's a perfect example of the kind of player who was on the roster when I arrived: decent, but drawing a bigger paycheck than his talent ought to command. Mark is a useful player, but not quite worth £220 a week. I'd happily sign him for next year at half that much.

Their striker, Sean Brown, is very similar to our Stevie Murray. His supporting cast is better right now, however, and they set him up for a hat trick. We were level going into halftime, with Murray scoring on 40', but Sean Brown fixed that in a hurry.

Now we've dropped to 14th, two spots above the relegation zone, but four points clear. It's still early, though, so it's easy to move up...or down...the table.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

8 September 2012
Scottish Cup, Second Round

Brechin Victoria 0-2 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Bell, Campbell, R. Park
M: McLeish, Brown, Lee Leiper, O'Neil
ST: Murray, Gardner

Goals: Murray (16, 34)

The Scottish Cup is contested by every football club in Scotland, from Premier League powerhouses like Celtic to Scotia League Two sides like Nairn St. Ninian. We drew a bye to the Second Round, went away to Brechin Victoria, and came back with the result we anticipated. We're in the third level of Scottish football, and Brechin Vics are a Scotia League One club, nine levels below us.

The good news:

• Stevie Murray scored two more goals. One was a beautiful finish off an equally beautiful through ball by Craig Gardner.
• Lee Leiper, a lad of 15, started at center midfielder and played well. We needed him, because the fixtures are coming fast and furious now. Leiper is a very good passer, and he has more composure than some of his teammates who are almost twice his age. Keep an eye on him.
• Mark Brown gave us another solid game, this time at M(C). Again, his presence meant we could give Bowles and Thomson the day off.
• Chris Christie kept a clean sheet, and because our back line did their job, it was an easy day at the office for him.
• By advancing to the Third Round, we've exceeded our board's expectation for the Scottish Cup.

The bad news:

• Someone other than "Stevie Wonder" needs to score a goal now and then.
• Richie Park twisted his knee, and he'll be out 4-5 weeks. Mark Brown will probably get the call at right back while Park heals.
• Seven of our players--Campbell, Thomson, Bell, Gordon, Duncan, O'Neil, and Murray--will draw the league's automatic one-game ban if they are booked. That list looks a lot like our starting XI, doesn't it? Our league imposes a penalty on the SECOND yellow card. Be careful, lads.

We had more good news during the week, too. I signed a new coach, Andy Robertson. He has several qualities our staff needed; he's a good fitness coach, he's much more of a tactician, and he's way better at evaluating players than anyone in our back room. It's interesting to see how Andy's report differs from those of his fellow coaches. For example, he is much more impressed with Richie Park, and much less impressed with Craig Gardner.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

15 September 2012

Strathspey Thistle 2-1 Wick Academy

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Campbell, Bell, Brown
M: O'Neil, Thomson, Bowles, Bannon
ST: Murray, Gordon

Goals: Thomson (14), Bowles (56)

We were considered the favorite today, probably because we were playing at Seafield Park. It might have been the first time all year we were favored to win a league match.

The commentator described the contest as a "massive relegation six-pointer," which made me smile. Wick Academy stood 11th going in, so I suppose he was right.
I promised attractive football in my pre-match presser, and I fielded the strongest possible side I could, given the injuries to Brady and Park. I wanted to defend our grounds and put some distance between us and the relegation zone.

Ronnie Thomson got his first Strathie goal, a 25 yard strike from Craig Gordon's pass, off the frame of the goal. Gordon was Man of the Match (7.6).

We got lucky when Christie seemed to get his legs tangled up and fell down, and they missed a wide open net. The Great Football Deity set things straight less than a minute later, when they abused Mark Brown and scored a highlight film-worthy goal.

I got the defenders fired up at halftime, and it seemed to work. At first, I wondered if it would matter. At 53', Duncan held Andrew Irvine's shirt in area, and the ref gave them a penalty. Christie turned it past the post to keep things level.

I switched from Control to Counter. We seem to play well with that strategy. It paid off again, as O'Neil made a nice run and laid on Bowles for the deciding goal.

Those three points help us quite a bit:



Rangers have scored 22 goals and conceded 2. They drew with Annan, 1-1, to spoil their otherwise perfect record.

Rangers, along with arch-rival Celtic, are one of Scotland's most legendary clubs. If you're wondering why they're in our league, here's the story. The first paragraph sums it up very succinctly.

Wikipedia's account of Rangers' administration and liquidation

[Greyfriars Bobby]

19 September 2012
Scottish Football League Cup, Second Round

Beith 0-0 Strathspey Thistle

4-5-1
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Hughes, Bell, Brown
DM: Jess
M: Leiper, Bowles
AM: McLeish, O'Neill
ST: Murray

We were back in our accustomed role as underdog as we went away to Beith for the Second Round of the SFL Cup.

According to the scouting report, Beith has problems playing against a 4-5-1, so that's how I decided we would line up.

I had no idea at the time, but Chris Christie and Kevin Hughes saved the match for us on 19'. Christie parried a hard shot, and when Beith recovered and attacked again, Hughes headed off the line.

At the end of full time, it was still a scoreless draw...so on to extra time we went. It wasn't what I would want to happen--not when we're playing two matches a week--but it was better than losing in 90 minutes.

Stevie Murray barely missed twice in extra time. He put a diving header inches wide, and hit the right post with a laser shot. Had either one gone in, it would have been a tremendous goal.

We did great work in the penalty shootout. Murray, William Jess, Stevie Bell, and Ronnie Thomson (in for Bowles) all scored, and Christie made two fantastic saves.

Naughty list: Calum O'Neill and Stevie Bell drew yellow cards, and both will be suspended from our League Cup tie against Dumbarton. Bell was Man of the Match, despite his booking.

Beith, incidentally, was the home of John Witherspoon, president of Princeton and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

22 Setpember 2012
Scottish League Cup, Second Round

Dumbarton 1-2 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Campbell, A. Park, Bannon
M: Murray, Thomson, Bowles, Kenny Allan
ST: Gordon, Gardner

Goals: Gardner (88, 90+5)

MirrorFootball.co.uk called it "a mild autumnal afternoon at Dumbarton Park." It turned out to be a wonderful day for an upset, too.

Granted, Dumbarton are currently in 15th place, in the relegation zone, but they're still in the highest level of Scottish football. Playing on their own grounds, they had to be considered the favorites.

I let my new coach, David Robertson, choose our lineup today. The U19s had a match yesterday, so the kids were tired...that's why we had reserves filling in all over the place. Yes, that's Stevie Murray on the left wing. He isn't rated to play there, but he gave us a good half of football there before we subbed him out and let him rest.

The game was a scoreless draw at halftime, and the crowd voiced its displeasure with the home side. Honestly, they were lucky it was still a draw. On 34 minutes, Kenny Allan missed a good chance, putting it just wide.

I'd had us playing a defensive strategy, and about fifteen minutes from full time went to good ol' Counter. It worked like a charm! We picked up a loose ball and turned up the pitch. Craig Morrison, a reserve forward, put Craig Gardner through, and he buried the equalizer.

The last thing we needed was another match going into extra time. Gardner took care of that. With everyone on the Dumbarton sideline screaming at the ref to call time, Gardner made a beautiful move on a defender to open up space and scored again.

So, it's on to the next round in this competition, too. We earned £2000 for advancing.

In TEAMtalk.com: "Strathspey Thistle have delighted their fans by firing a mighty twenty goals past their opposition in just ten matches, notching up six wins in the process." Four of those have come in knockout cups; if we could only capture that form in the league, too.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

23 September 2012





I'm not sure why they call the win over Beith a shocker, unless it's because we beat them away.



Welcome to the big time, Strathie.

[Rawhide]

I imagine the whole town will close down and head to Celtic Park!

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by Rawhide

I imagine the whole town will close down and head to Celtic Park!

I imagine you're right. Every man, woman, and child from almost thirty towns the size of Grantown-on-Spey would be able to find seats in Celtic Park.

Celtic have a Champions Cup match against Schalke 04 three days before they host us. I'm wondering if we'll actually play their U19 lads that afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by!

[Greyfriars Bobby]

26 September 2012

Strathspey Thistle 0-3 Buckie Thistle

4-5-1
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Campbell, Bell, Brown
DM: Jess
M: Thomson, Bowles
AM: O'Neill, McLeish
ST: Murray

Move along, people. There's nothing to see here.

Buckie Thistle were 1-2 favorites tonight, so this result wasn't terribly unexpected. There's a definite gap between the quality of the best sides in our league and the next tier, and another gap between those and the bottom-dwellers. Right now, I would say we are the very model of a middle-of-the-table side.

Naughty list: Yellow cards were shown to Paul Duncan and Ronnie Thomson, so they'll miss the match against Clyde in three days. They might have had to miss it due to fatigue, anyway.
NINE of our players face one-game suspensions if they get another yellow card. Only one club in our league--Edinburgh City, bottom of the table--has more players in danger of disciplinary suspension.

I've got to do something about that. I'm going to make sure our marking style is set to zonal, and pay close attention to the personality of the referee we have for each match. If we get a fellow who likes to pull cards, we'll be extra-cautious.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

29 September 2012

Clyde 0-2 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: McKinlay, Campbell, Bell, Cammy McKimmie
M: Jacek Wawrzyniak, Bannon, Brown, O'Neill
ST: Murray, Gordon

Goals: Gordon (65, 69)

Going into this game, Craig Gordon was still looking for his first Strathspey Thistle goal. He left the pitch in Clyde today with two of the biggest goals of the season under his belt.

Again, we came into the match as big underdogs, but the players refused to let the hype affect their play.

Two more debutants today: 16-year-old right back Cammy McKimmie, a "grey guy" I signed to a contract after his attributes caught my eye, and veteran Polish journeyman Jacek Wawrzyniak, who is on the reserve side for just this reason--to fill in when we need a player.

McKimmie was outstanding; he would have been Man of the Match with his 8.2 rating had Gordon not had a brace.

Gordon's goals came in rapid succession, just past the hour mark. The first one was set up by Stevie Murray, who nodded the ball down to Gordon for a left-footed volley past the diving keeper.

Murray banged one off woodwork a minute later, but it wasn't long before Wawrzyniak laid on Gordon with a perfect pass.

I totally parked the bus after Craig's second goal, pulling Murray for an extra defender and going into contain mode. It worked this time. In stoppage time, Christie made a brilliant save and a Clyde dude hit the upright; if those shots had each been one foot to the right, the game would have been a draw.

Naughty list: The zonal marking and cautious tackling worked well--Christie kept a clean sheet. Unfortunately, Stevie Bell was booked, so he'll sit out against Mid Annandale on 6 October.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

6 October 2012

Mid Annandale 1-2 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2

GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Campbell, Hughes, Bannon
M: O'Neill, Thomson, Brown, Bowles
ST: Gordon, Murray

Goals: Gordon (65), Campbell (90)

The pundits don't like us. Even when the bookmakers call us the favorite, an "expert" always seems to say that we don't have much of a chance, etc. Tonight, we were 1-3 favorites away, facing winless Mid Annandale, who have two points in eight matches. The mediot still expressed his surprise that we came away with a result.

I wish I could say it was easy. We spotted them an early goal, when Kevin Hughes got turned the wrong way and let one of their guys have just enough room to head one past Christie from inside the six yard box.

I'm never sure about how to approach a game when we are favored to win away. Should I be defensive-minded, like usual when we are away, or more aggressive, since we're the better side? And, if we fall behind, how much does that change the equation? I probably didn't help matters much by changing our approach from Counter to Standard to Control.

Anyway, it was past the hour mark when our "new" scoring threat, Craig Gordon, equalized from a very good pass from our new set-up man, Stevie Murray (four key passes and a key cross, including that assist).

It looked like we were going to come away with a draw, until a goal from an unexpected source--center back Willie Campbell, who pounced on an error from their defender and pushed it into the goal. It wasn't pretty--nothing about the game was pretty--but we'll take it.

We missed Stevie Bell on our back line, but Richie Park has almost completely recovered from his twisted knee, and he came on as a sub tonight.

It's now been almost a month since Murray scored a goal. Our opponents seem to follow him wherever he goes, and that opens up space for Gordon or Gardner, whoever his partner is that game. Still, it would be nice to see Stevie back on the scoresheet.

Naughty list: None! I think the zonal marking/easy tackling is working well.

Strathie's SFPL record: 4-2-3, 10th place
16 goals, 16 conceded

A sad note: The attendance at this match was 15. Each side had more men in uniform than that tonight.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

In Scotland, a strath is a wide, shallow river valley. Strathspey, then, refers to the valley of the River Spey, which is the second longest river in Scotland.



The Spey flows fast, and it's a very good river for fishing and canoeing. Strathspey is also a center of the whisky industry. There's a Malt Whisky Trail that connects seven Speyside distilleries.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

10 October 2012

Strathspey Thistle 2-0 East Stirlingshire

4-4-2
GK: MacDonald
D: Duncan, Bell, Campbell, R. Park
M: O'Neill, Thomson, Brown, Bowles
ST: Murray, Gordon

Goals: Murray (29), Gordon (64)

Again, the pundit says East Stirlingshire have enough talent to send us off on our own grounds, while the bookies offer 1-2 odds on a Strathie victory. The bookies were right.

The fans have begun griping about Calum O'Neill having a place in the first team. His form is a little down, but everyone agrees how talented he is, so he's staying put.

Maybe this should be obvious, but I'm noticing that when I'm watching a match, good strikers shoot visibly harder in the game. The guys on poor sides can't put any zip on the ball. Stevie Murray, on the other hand, strikes the ball hard. He demonstrated that ability on his goal, his first in quite some time. Stevie set up Gordon perfectly for the other goal, so he's Man of the Match with an 8.8 rating.

Ian MacDonald got a start in goal. I owed him one, after sending him out to take that four-goal drubbing from Elgin City. He kept a nice clean sheet, with help from Willie Campbell, who saved one off the line just before the half.

Mr Finnie, our referee, has a penchant for displaying yellow cards. He pulled one for Willie Naismith, their most dangerous scorer, for diving, and now Naismith will be sitting a match out.

He also booked Paul Duncan, so Paul will be sidelined again, too.

On 83' I had just made my last substitution to relieve a tired Campbell when Park got a knock. We had to finish the match with 10 men. We survived unscathed, but Park twisted his knee again. He'll be out another 4-5 weeks.

Still, we got a win, and climbed a little higher up the table.

In the biggest match of the day, 1 and 2 played at Buckie Thistle, where Rangers won 1-0.

Strathie's SPFL record: 5-2-3, 7th place
18 scored, 16 conceded

[Greyfriars Bobby]

10 October 2012

Here's one of the best stories of the year to date.

Last week, I was looking at the profiles of the players in our club, and I was very pleased to see that several of the lads have me listed as "favourite personnel." One of them, Paul Duncan, also has a very good relationship with an amateur player for Tain Thistle named Felix Nilsson...who is also Duncan's younger brother.

Paul Duncan is a Scot, born in Tain. He speaks one language, which is, of course, English.

Felix Nilsson is a Swede. He was born in Linköping, Sweden. He speaks Swedish, French and Italian well, and has a basic knowledge of English and Dutch. Felix is eligible for two nations, but neither of them is Scotland. He has somehow managed to add the Democratic Republic of Congo to his footballing itinerary. Because Felix has been in the UK for almost 2400 days now, he could gain UK nationality, but he apparently sees no benefit in doing so.

Felix is also a pretty good attacking midfielder who can play striker or central midfielder. He's five years younger than his big brother, which makes him 21. He anticipates the flow of play well for our level, he has good technique, he's a good passer, and he's got fairly good pace. Even if he weren't Paul's lil' bro, I'd probably offer him a contract. The brother thing sealed the deal.

We learned today that Felix will be joining us on 1 January, when the transfer window opens again. He won't have any teammates to speak Swedish with, but he's better off than poor Aleksejs Uljanovs. Aleksejs only speaks Latvian and Russian.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

13 October 2012
Scottish Cup, Third Round

Kirkcaldy YMCA 0-1 Strathspey Thistle

4-5-1
GK: Christie
D: McKinlay, Campbell, Bell, Hughes
DM: Jess
M: Brown, Bannon
AM: McLeish, O'Neill
ST: Murray

Goal: McLeish (45)

The Scottish Cup is contested by clubs from all levels of Scottish football. You could draw a powerhouse, like Celtic (whom we drew in the League Cup). Or you could end up playing a doughty group of lads from the Scotia Championship, eight levels below us. That's a good description of Kirkcaldy YMCA, who gave us all we could handle at Denfield Park this afternoon.

We didn't send our third or fourth team out there, either. With Richie Park and Stephen Brady injured and Paul Duncan banned, that's as good a side as we could field today.

The deciding goal came on a nice combination by wingers Calum O'Neill nad Zander McLeish. O'Neill jinked a Kircaldy full back and launched a cross from right to left. Clarke Moncrieff, who is one big hombre (6'4") leaped to head it, but it eluded him. Z-Man took the ball on the bounce and fired in his first Strathie goal.

Moncrieff later broke up a very good scoring chance, demonstrating impressive awareness and cutting off a pass to an incredibly wide open Stevie Murray, facing a goalkeeper who was sprawled on the ground at the other side of his goal. If Stevie gets that ball, put it on the scoreboard. I'm having our staff take a look at Mr. Moncrieff, who is a lad of 17.

So, we proceed in the Scottish Cup, banking another £5000. The downside is, of course, the fact that we'll be playing every three or four days throughout the month of November.

Bye, bye: Bobby Bennett, a defender whom you've never read about, asked for a mutual termination of his contract. I kinda hated to do it, because Bennett is a local guy from Grantown-on-Spey, and he's a supporter of the club. He wasn't getting any first team football, though, because he's neither very talented nor very versatile. He was pulling in £130 a month to do nothing, so for £500, we bought him out. Good luck, Bobby. No hard feelings, mate.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

20 October 2012

Rangers 5-1 Strathspey Thistle
Attendance: 47,096

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Campbell, Bell, Brown
M: O'Neill, Thomson, Jess, Bowles
ST: Murray, Gordon

Goal: Gardner (87)

Rangers are one of the two most prestigious clubs in Scotland. Their trophy case contains 54 Premier League championships, the 1972 European Cup, and almost 100 pieces of hardware from various domestic competitions.

Their financial problems have tarnished their reputation, but Rangers remain a formidable side. They demonstrated that fact to us today at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, before a crowd of over 47,000.

There are all kinds of ways to measure the relative strength of the two sides. I'll offer one: The average Rangers player makes more per week than our entire salary budget.

Nevertheless, we came to Glasgow to play a football match, and we didn't back down. We got beat, but we didn't back down. We were outshot 24-4, but we didn't back down.

Glasgow captain and Scotland international David Allan scored a hat trick, and he could easily have had five goals. Chris Christie saved against him from point-blank range in the first half, and after Willie Campbell fouled him in the penalty area, Christie punched away his try from the spot.

One day, Craig Gardner will tell his grandkids that he scored against Rangers in Ibrox Stadium. It was a pretty goal, too. Zander McLeish intercepted a pass and played it ahead to William Jess, who knocked it on to Gardner. He made a move around a defender and fired a left-footed strike past Chris McKimmie, who has made four appearances in goal for Scotland.

Gardner was our highest-rated player, with a 7.3 Ronnie Thomson (6.9) and William Jess (6.8) also played good, solid football.


Strathspey Thistle aren't used to playing in front of crowds like this. You can see the section where Strathie's supporters are sitting, behind the corner flag.

Today, Hibs (Hibernian) beat Hearts (Heart of Midlothian), 3-1, in an Edinburgh derby match, and Aberdeen saw off Dundee United, 3-1, in a New Firm derby.

Strathie's SPFL record: 5-2-4, 10th place
19 scored, 21 conceded

[bbgunn]

Wow, what a crowd!

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

Wow, what a crowd!

I'm going to sound like a gawking tourist from the sticks, but I'd never seen anything like it (in Football Manager). I've always managed lower-level clubs, so this was the first time I've managed a team in a big stadium.

Usually FM is, therefore, a fairly quiet game. There's occasionally a whistle, which catches our dog's attention, or some soft crowd noise. I can be playing FM in the room where our kids are, and nobody will notice at all.

The crowd noise from Ibrox was a very different story. Our seven-year-old daughter heard it and said "Daddy's game just got really loud!" She giggled, because she's the one who is usually told to quiet down. Of course that got my ten-year-old son interested. He's intrigued by FM anyway, and he's watched me play before.

"Whoa...you got a team with a big stadium now! You must be a beast."

I had to tell him that I wasn't that big a beast, and why Rangers were playing in a league with teams like Strathspey Thistle.

"Man, that stinks. That's like Aberdeen (in this case, the short-season Class A Orioles farm team we've watched) having to play in a league with the Red Sox."

My wife, who is a very good sport about my sports simulation hobby, caught the end of my conversation with my son.

"So you're not managing a big club? Sorry to hear that. I was looking forward to a much bigger virtual house and wardrobe."

"Honey, you're already there. I was capped 58 times by Scotland."

Thanks for checking in.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

27 October 2012

Strathspey Thistle 7-1 Vale of Leithen

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Mackintosh, Bell, Bannon
M: McLeish, Thompson, Brown, Kenny Allan
ST: Murray, Gordon

Goals: Murray (6, 13, 47, 90+1), Gordon (27), McLeish (45), O'Neill (84)

Poor Vale of Leithen. They were 17th in the 18-team SFPL going into today's match, with three goals scored and 25 conceded in 11 matches, so for once we were favored to win. The idiot pundit who presents his opinion in the match preview still thought Vale of Leithen would have enough to see us off.

I didn't try to pour it on. I came out with an Attacking mentality, but I dialed it back at halftime. If goal differential didn't matter, I would have done that sooner, but as you'll see, we're in a battle for position with several other clubs. Even with a Defensive mentality, we kept scoring goals. We outshot them 21-6, a little like what Rangers did to us.

Stevie's hat trick plus? double brace? gave him 10 league goals, one fewer than the leaders (Sean Brown of Stirling and Gary Findlay of Buckie Thistle) and tied with Rangers' David Allan. Murray had a 9.9 rating, the first I think I've ever seen one of my players earn.

Kenny Allan (no relation) is a decent player who is in the unfortunate position of (1) playing the same positions as several of our best players and (2) not being quite as good, or (3) quite as young as they are. He is 24, plays striker and all three AM slots and is even convincing as an M(R). He's also under contract through 2014, so finding ways to use him would probably pay off. He played M(R) today and, like everyone on a side that wins by six goals, rated very well.

Here's a look at the SPFL Team of the Week:



Vale of Leithen play Rangers on 17 November. I wonder if Rangers will play the kids, and even if they do, what might happen?



Here's what I mean about every goal counting right now. The teams in the middle of the table are so closely matched. We're very close to a place in the promotion playoff, but would I really want to be going up to the next level with Rangers? I might want them to have a one-year head start.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 November 2012

My monthly update from the board went very well. My job status has been upgraded to Very Secure (74%) . I'm comfortably under the wage budget, and we're in the middle of the table with a squad the board thought would struggle to avoid relegation.

The fans are finally off my back about giving playing time to Mark Brown. I was getting tired of looking at that complaint, because Brown is OK in my book. When I took over at Seafield Park, Brown was one of the squad's key players. I changed his status to Rotation, and a day or so later he asked to speak to me. I told him that we apparently differed in our opinions about his value to the club, and he took it like a man...no pouting, threatening to take his talents elsewhere, etc. I liked that. He was proud enough to talk to his new boss after the boss downgrades his status, and grown up enough to handle the news with class. I got the same response from Jamie McKinlay, so as far as I'm concerned, if Jamie and Mark don't make excessive salary demands, they've got a Strathie shirt for as long as they want one.

At our level, a player who's valued at £1000 or more is usually going to be good enough to help us, so I look out for those kind of players in our scouting reports. I spotted one who was transfer listed, so I decided to investigate.

Calum Noble is listed as an M(L)/AM(L), but he's apparently played everywhere but sweeper and goal in his 22 years on the planet. He's with a club called Camelon, who are two levels below us but who have some very talented players.

Noble is very responsible defensively, the equal of any of our midfielders in that regard. He's sure in the tackle (9), has good physical attributes, and I like his 11 Determination. And, in a league that starts handing out suspensions on a player's second yellow card, having players who can literally fill in anywhere is very handy.

At first I didn't think I was going to be able to sign him, though. I offered him Rotation status, and a salary of £130/month. That's as much as our board will allow us to pay for that status, and a £20 raise over what Calum makes at Camelon. He came back with a request for £150. When I tried bumping his player status up to First Team, he asked for a salary befitting that status--again, more than the board will allow us to offer him. Points to Noble for not being a pushover.

Almost out of frustration, I offered him the original deal again--and this time he took it! The next day, he announced he'll be at Seafield Park on 1 January.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

3 November 2012

Montrose 3-1 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2 Diamond
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Campbell, Bell, Bannon
DM: Jess
M: O'Neill, Bowles
AM: McLeish
ST: Murray, Gardner

Goal: O'Neill (87)

A further illustration of the difference in quality between the clubs at the top of the SFPL Premier table and the ones in the middle.

Montrose had wrecked teams who played a flat 4-4-2 against them, so we tried the 4-4-2 Diamond. Montrose wrecked us anyway. We were outshot 20-10, conceded 10 corners and didn't take a single one, and had possession only 42% of the time. I hate to go into a defensive shell every time we play against a decent side away from Seafield Park, but I'm thinking I might have to swallow my pride and give that a try.

Stevie Murray played Calum O'Neill through for our goal, which came very late and didn't do much except make the match seem closer than it was.

In four days, we're away to Brora for a cup tie, and in a week, away to Celtic for another. Busy times.

Strathie's SPFL record: 6-2-5, 10th place
27 goals, 25 conceded

[bbgunn]

Originally Posted by Greyfriars Bobby

I'm going to sound like a gawking tourist from the sticks, but I'd never seen anything like it (in Football Manager). I've always managed lower-level clubs, so this was the first time I've managed a team in a big stadium.

Usually FM is, therefore, a fairly quiet game. There's occasionally a whistle, which catches our dog's attention, or some soft crowd noise. I can be playing FM in the room where our kids are, and nobody will notice at all.

The crowd noise from Ibrox was a very different story. Our seven-year-old daughter heard it and said "Daddy's game just got really loud!" She giggled, because she's the one who is usually told to quiet down. Of course that got my ten-year-old son interested. He's intrigued by FM anyway, and he's watched me play before.

"Whoa...you got a team with a big stadium now! You must be a beast."

I had to tell him that I wasn't that big a beast, and why Rangers were playing in a league with teams like Strathspey Thistle.

"Man, that stinks. That's like Aberdeen (in this case, the short-season Class A Orioles farm team we've watched) having to play in a league with the Red Sox."

My wife, who is a very good sport about my sports simulation hobby, caught the end of my conversation with my son.

"So you're not managing a big club? Sorry to hear that. I was looking forward to a much bigger virtual house and wardrobe."

"Honey, you're already there. I was capped 58 times by Scotland."

Thanks for checking in.

That is an awesome story! I wish my wife was as good a sport about FM. Well, she is... she's glad I'm having fun with my game, but she doesn't care one iota about it.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Originally Posted by bbgunn

That is an awesome story! I wish my wife was as good a sport about FM. Well, she is... she's glad I'm having fun with my game, but she doesn't care one iota about it.

Thanks. I definitely married well.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

10 November 2012

Two cup ties for one here. Neither one was pretty, so I'll hit the (low)lights and move on quickly.

7 October 2012
Scottish Football League Cup, Third Round

Brora Rangers 3-0 Strathspey Thistle

Brora are top of the table in the Scottish Football League First Division, one level below us. They look like they are a better side than many of the clubs in our level.

We gave Bill Hendrie, a hard-working 17-year-old M(L), his first team debut tonight, and he did well.


10 November 2012
League Cup, Third Round

Celtic 7-0 Strathspey Thistle

Attendance: 23,095

I'm now officially over the experience of getting curbstomped by the giants of Scottish football. We've played both members of The Old Firm, and we've lost 12-1, on aggregate.

Fun fact: On Celtic's roster are players who have won full caps for 13 different nations. Their captain, Stephen Rioch, has also skippered Scotland.

Incidentally, I'm not using players' real names, but I've discovered it's pretty easy to figure out who a lot of their doppelgangers are.

We're out of two of the three knockout competitions now, so the lads will soon be getting a little more rest. Before then, however, we have four matches in the next two weeks...

[Greyfriars Bobby]

10 December 2012

(I've been on vacation without reliable wi-fi, which turned out to be something our family really enjoyed. I did have my laptop, however, so I got to play some Football Manager. Here's a brief summary of what happened with Strathspey Thistle during the last month, game-time.)

SFL Premier League play
Strathie have won three and drawn one since my last report. On 14 November, we were home to Queens Park, and won 2-1 on goals by Christian Bowles and Zander McLeish.

Away to Peterhead on the 21st, we got early goals from debutant striker Sean Dickson and Calum O'Neill, and held out for another 2-1 result.

We had to return to the pitch three days later, and battled Annan to a scoreless draw, as both sides fielded weary, partially rotated squads.

December was ushered in with a 2-0 victory at Fraserburgh, courtesy of scores by Craig Gordon and Stevie Murray.

Here's the league table:



The Scottish Cup
On 17 November, we advanced to the next round by edging Darvel, 1-0. Mark Wright, a midfielder up from the reserves, got the game-winner after 84 minutes. We've drawn Inverness Caledonian Thistle next, so we'll face another top-level club--on their grounds, on 22 December.

Hello and Goodbye
Our backroom staff spotted several players over the past month, and recommended that we take a closer look at them. Fortunately, the board pleasantly surprised me by increasing the amount they're willing to pay for good talent.

On 21 November, we signed Sean Dickson, who had been looking for a club. Sean is 19, and like a lot of young strikers, the physical aspects of his game are ahead of his technical proficiency right now. He does demonstrate good off-ball skills, and he's a decent finisher for his age. At £250 a month, he might turn out to be a good bargain.

Two days later, we added another very talented young defender to our back line. Andy Chisholm is still two months away from his 18th birthday. He's fast, tough, and very focused for a player so young. Chisholm is best at right back, but he can also play in the center, and he's immediately stepped into our first team. He's an old-fashioned, defensive-minded full back. Our best evaluator of talent, Andy Robertson, says Chisholm has the potential to play at the highest levels of Scottish football. For now, he's ours for £775 a month.

When the transfer window opens again on 1 January, we'll add midfielder Chris McLeod, 31, from Hill of Beath. Chris brings a veteran presence to the club, and his mental attributes are all solid. He can play both on the right side and in the central midfield, and he will receive playing time in both spots.

Two players--Mark Wright and Michael Britton--will be leaving Strathie on free transfers next month. Both have signed with lower level clubs, and we wish them well.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

15 December 2012

Berwick 1-1 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Campbell, Bell, Andy Chisholm
M: McLeish, Bowles, Thomson, O'Neill
ST: Murray, Sean Dickson

Goal: Murray (37)

Berwick were 2-5 favorites here, and for almost an hour, it looked like we were going to steal three points. Stevie headed in a pretty cross from O'Neill and our defense, headed by new acquisition Chisholm at right back, did a great job of stopping Berwick from threatening our goal. Greg King, who had come on at the hour mark, equalized at 87'.

The pattern of the match was a lot like it is whenever we play one of the better clubs in the league. Berwick controlled possession (61%-39%), outshot us (16-9), and generally looked like the better side. We played a defensive mentality and tried to keep them off the scoreboard. It's not my favorite way to play the game--I prefer a more free-flowing style myself--but you have to do what you have to do. We'll take the point and be thankful for it.

Hello: Our backroom staff, especially Andy Robertson, keep finding intriguing players for us on clubs a level or two below ours. This time, Andy tipped me off on Stevie McCluskey, a 23-year-old midfielder who was having problems breaking into the first eleven at Keith (one level lower).

He's a lot like Calum O'Neill. He's fast, not quite as strong, a little better defensively, and a little less polished technically--possibly because he's been playing at a lower level. McCluskey is a big dude--6'3", 194 pounds--and he has a touch of a nasty streak. That might not be a good thing in a league that starts making lads sit out after their second yellow card.

We've signed Stevie to a two-year deal at £275/month, with a 5% raise next year. He'll join us on 1 January. At the very least, McCluskey will provide cover for O'Neill, and at best, he'll be able to step in if we can't sign Calum for next season.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

19 December 2012

Strathspey Thistle 2-1 Edinburgh City

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Campbell, Bell, Chisholm
M: Brady, Bowles, Thomson, O'Neill
ST: Dickson, Murray

Goals: Murray (58, 72)

Edinburgh City sits bottom of the table, and they came into the match without a manager--they sacked their man last week. I'd like to think we would manage better than a 2-1 result against them, but that's what we got.

It's not like I went easy on them, either. That lineup is, right now, the best I can put on the pitch; Craig Gordon will be out for a few weeks with a painful sports hernia. We went out in Attacking mode, playing at home against a weaker side. We didn't score until I dialed it back to Standard.

For those of you who are reading along: could it be the case that this club simply doesn't play well using an Attacking strategy? Other clubs I've managed have been able to pounce on weaker opponents in matches like this one, and Strathie has never established that killer instinct. Maybe playing with a new striker, Sean Dickson, made it tougher for them to coordinate their attacks.

We actually went a goal down, before Murray struck twice within 20 minutes to pull the three points back our way. Stevie was Man of the Match (8.8) and, with 14 goals in league play, he's on the leader board now.

Stephen Brady's recovery from injury is progressing slowly. He's getting tired quickly, and once we pass the hour mark, he needs to come off the pitch.

Naughty list: Stevie Bell was booked again--his fifth yellow card. He'll miss the Cup tie against Inverness Caledonia Thistle on the 22nd.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

22 December 2012
Scottish Cup, Fifth Round

Inverness Caledonia Thistle 4-1 Strathspey Thistle

4-5-1
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Hughes, Chisholm, R. Park
DM: Jess
M: Thomson, Brown
AM: McLeish, Bannon
ST: Murray

Goal: Murray (88)

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

Strathie faces a Premier League (or PL-calibre) side on their grounds, plays the majority of the match without the ball, and endures a barrage of shots on goal, many of which Chris Christie manages to save. In the second half, the stronger side wears us down and scores three or four goals, despite our attempt to park a fleet of buses in front of our net. And Stevie Murray knocks one in to give us one brief moment when we can hold our heads high.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle aren't Rangers or Celtic, but they're still in the Premier League. And, with a league match three days earlier, we can't field our best side against them, which doesn't help matters. They scored in the first minute, but we managed to hold them right there until the half. Then, they scored three times in the first 20 minutes of the second stanza to complete the rout

Stevie Wonder's goal was possibly the best of the year. From 26 yards out, Stevie curled one past their keeper into the top right corner of the goal. It was his 20th goal of the year, third most in Scotland.

Incidentally, the SFPL is the highest-scoring league in the nation. Robert Henderson of Elgin City has 18 goals in league play; Gary Findlay of Buckie Thistle has 15; Murray has 14. Henderson and Findlay are the two men with more total scores than Murray. Stevie's total would lead any other league in Scotland.

Now we're out of all the cup competitions, so for 2013, we can concentrate on league play. Our three points today put us into the promotion playoff spots (we're 5th)...but as I've said, as rewarding as promotion would be, do I really want to accompany Rangers up to the next level? It might be nice to have a season go by without having to take my lumps against them twice!

Happy holidays from Granton-on-Spey.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

29 December 2012

It's time to start thinking about contracts for next season.

ST Stevie Murray: He's 21 years old, and he's scored 20 times in 25 appearances. He wants a £75/month raise, to £675/month. That's a no-brainer. There's no reason to believe he won't be this good for a while.

GK Chris Christie: Chris is better than average for our league and, compared to other keepers of his quality, he's been a good bargain at £190/month. I offered him £275/month for next year, and think he'll be worth the investment.

M/AM Calum O'Neill: Like Christie, he's 22, and he's been solid for us (6.92 avg rating). He wants a £200/month raise for 2014, up to £500/month. I'd like to talk him down from that, and with Stevie McCluskey coming on board, Calum is now a little more expendable than he was before.

D Stevie Bell: At age 19, Bell is one of our best young players. His average rating in league play is a 7.27, so he's doing the job. He's on £250/month now, and he wants £325/month for next year. Sounds good to me.

D Willie Campbell: He's a year older than Bell, and he's been a notch below Bell's standard. He also wants £575 a month. I'll need to think about this one.

M Stephen Brady: When he's been healthy, Brady has been solid. He's appeared in only nine matches this year. He's asking for £700/month for next season, a £150 raise from this year. I'm leaning towards "no thank you", but I'd like to watch him a little longer first. I've got Zander McLeish on a youth contract, and that makes Brady's salary demands less pressing.

M Christian Bowles: I'm happy with Bowles; he has four goals and a 6.83 average in the league, at age 18. He looks like a great deal at £250/month for next year, up from £200/month. Definitely yes.

D/M Paul Duncan: Paul is a little older, at 26, and he's been destroyed in matches against better opposition. Still, he's been fine in the league, and he can play several positions. He's willing to come back for next year at £220/month, same as he's making now. I'll offer him that deal.

M Ronnie Thomson: Here's where it gets tough again. Ronnie is 31, so he's no spring chicken. He's fast, but his defensive liabilities have been exposed several times since he's been with us. He's not a great partner for Bowles, who is also primarily an offensive force. He's OK with another year at £325/month, but I won't go higher. I hope Ronnie makes my decision look good.

D/M Jamie Bannon: With a 6.91 rating in the league and the ability to play anywhere, Jamie's the kind of player I like to have in the club. He wants a £125/month raise, to £300/month, which is more than the board will let me pay a backup. When we discuss giving him Rotation status, his request immediately doubles. Calum Noble is about to arrive at Seafield Park, and he's very similar to Bannon. Right now, there's no deal.

M/D Mark Brown: Brownie, 22, is two years younger than Bannon. He isn't as versatile, and he isn't quite as good. Our staff thinks Brown is as good as he'll get, but I like him. I offer him a £20/month raise, to £250/month, and he's OK with that.

ST Craig Gardner: The most significant thing about Craig is now his age, which will be 38 next season. He wants a £115/month raise, to £275/month. I've got too many good attackers--Murray, Gordon, Dickson-- who are younger and just as good, or better. Sorry, Craig.

D/M Jamie McKinlay: Again, Mac is a guy I like a lot. He's about to turn 33, and his talents are starting to slide. He's on £170/month now, and he wants £200. I'm not sure he'll be worth it next year.

The tough calls here are Campbell, who might well be worth £575/month, and Bannon, whom the board won't let me offer a measly £25 more a month. If I don't have Willie, I need Jamie even more, and without Willie, I'll need one of the young center backs to really step up his game.

I smile and offer Campbell his contract. He's basically getting the money I won't be paying Craig Gardner next year. And, if I can't reach an agreement with Bannon, that money is available, too.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

1 January 2013

Happy New Year, everyone!

The following players have accepted their contract offers for the 2013-2014 season:

Mark Brown
Willie Campbell
Stevie Bell
Stevie Murray
Paul Duncan
Chris Christie
Christian Bowles

That puts six members of our typical starting XI--Campbell, Bell, Duncan, Murray, Bowles, and Christie--under contract for next season. Craig Gordon, another regular, is already signed through 2014, and so are William Jess and Kenny Allan.

Bowles has been drawing raves from our staff for the quality of his training. He's developing into a real boss.

I have a feeling I'll want to sign Andy Chisholm to a new contract, but right now he's requesting more than we can pay. Our board will allow an offer of £925/month, and Andy is asking for an even grand.

Eric Rojas, a 25-year-old Argentine attacking midfielder for Barca, won the World Golden Ball and World Player of the Year awards. He wears the number 10 shirt at Barcelona. Wonder who he's supposed to be?

The board is extremely happy with my performance, and I like seeing that "Untouchable" job status up there. They're not happy with Jamie Bannon's performance, which is making the possibility that he'll be on his way out a little greater.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

5 January 2013

Elgin City 4-0 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Campbell, Bell, Chisholm
M: Brady, Bowles, Chris McLeod, O'Neill
ST: Murray, Gardner

Ouch.

Ronnie Thomson got hurt in training and Sean Dickson has a bad cold, so they joined Craig Gordon in sick bay. Elgin City is a good side, solidly in position for the promotion playoffs. Still, we were horrible. No two ways about it.

Andy Chisholm and Stephen Brady, who between them make over £1200 a month, were terrible; Andy rated out at 5.3 and Stephen at 6.0. I subbed them both out before the hour mark.

We allowed 23 shots, and SIX clear chances. Of our 10 shots, only three were on target, and only one--a nice strike by O'Neill--was even the least bit dangerous.

The loss broke our string of seven games in the league without a defeat, and it drops us to seventh in the table, a point behind Stirling and two clear of Berwick.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

12 January 2013

Wick Academy 0-1 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Bell, Campbell, Chisholm
M: Brady, Bowles, McLeod, O'Neill
ST: Allan, Murray

Goal: Allan (17)

It wasn't pretty, but our games away from Seafield Park never are. We lost the possession battle again, 58-42%, and were outshot, 14-8. But Stevie Murray played in Kenny Allan for a tidy goal, and our defense played a much better game.

Andy Chisholm, in particular, was a force; he was Man of the Match with a 7.8 rating.

Incidentally, I don't think I'l let our youth coach give another team talk. For some reason, he told the lads he had nothing to say, which confused Chisholm...that would confuse me, too.

We have two weeks off before our next match, home to Clachnacuddin.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

26 January 2013

Strathspey Thistle 2-1 Clachnacuddin

4-4-2
GK: MacDonald
D: Duncan, Bell, Campbell, Chisholm
M: Brady, Bowles, McLeod, Stevie McCluskey
ST: Dickson, Murray

Goals: Campbell (2), Bowles (pen 40)

We took advantage of two weeks' off to let some players get healthy and make one final tweak to the roster as the transfer deadline approaches.

The one frightful performance against Elgin City notwithstanding, Andy Chisholm has been very good for us so far. And, since he's only 17 years old, he's going to get better. Unfortunately, he might price himself out of our budget, as soon as next season.

With that in mind, we signed a Northern Irishman called Matt Kennedy. He's a little older (21), and he can play both right and center back. Matt's "attribute circle" fits just about perfectly with Andy's, and our staff think he's almost as good a player--but without the Premier League potential. The fact that Matt's salary is £170/month--about a fourth of Andy's--is relevant, too.

We sent Jamie Bannon out on loan to Leith Athletic(two levels down from us), where he'll hopefully work through the struggles that have put him on our fans' bad side lately. Leith are willing to pay his wages over the term of the loan, and he'll get regular football there.

Against Clachnacuddin, we struck almost immediately off a corner, with Willie Campbell rising up and pounding a header into the top left. Christian Bowles added one from the penalty spot, after Stevie Bell was blatantly knocked down in the area. Bell was great all afternoon, and was named Man of the Match (8.4).

Ian MacDonald, whom four clubs are trying on a daily basis to get me to release on a free, started in goal. He let in a late goal, but it was a good one, and otherwise he looked sharp. I need to play Ian more often. Andy Robertson says he has five-star potential, and he won't turn 20 until April.

Stevie McCluskey debuted at right wing, and Matt Kennedy came on as a sub for Chisholm; both looked comfortable and played well.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

2 February 2013

Strathspey Thistle 2-2 Stirling

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Bell, Campbell, Kennedy
M: Brady, Bowles, McLeod, O'Neill
ST: Dickson, Murray

Goals: Dickson (28), O'Neill (90+5)

This one felt good. Nobody gave us a chance against Stirling, even though we were on our own grounds. It wasn't a win, but watching Calum O'Neill knock in the equalizer late in stoppage time was thrilling, and it gave our lads a big lift.

Our first goal was one of the funniest I've seen yet. It began with Willie Campbell hoofing a clearance from deep in our end. The ball bounced past Stirling's defenders and on to their keeper, Stuart Cross, while Sean Dickson raced in pursuit. Expecting Cross to control it easily, the Stirling backs did what they should--stop their run toward their own goal and make themselves available for Cross's pass. Only Cross didn't handle it easily. As he moved up to the edge of his area to kick it, he lost his balance, sprawling onto his front; instead of a crisp clearing pass to a teammate, he tapped it conveniently up to Dickson. Sean easily put it into a wide-open net to level the score at 1-1.

Stirling's Sean Brown knocked in his 20th goal of the season just past the hour mark, and it looked like that would be the result...until a lovely series of passes laid in O'Neill for the equalizer. Murray began the sequence with a back pass to Kennedy, continuing his run up the right channel to take the return pass. Stevie then sent the ball to Bowles on his left, and when O'Neill slipped past his mark into the area, Christian set him up perfectly. Keep doing things like that, Calum, and we'll find you that £500/month you're looking for.

Here's the latest league table:


Now there are four tiers:

1. Rangers. They are clearly showing their class to the rest of the league.
2. The rest of the top half, eight clubs lining up politely with one point between all of us.
3. The third tier, not close enough to challenge for the promotion playoff, but safe from relegation.
4. The drop zone gang, all of whom are at least 12 points from safety.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

4 February 2013

When I started negotiating new contracts back in late December, I somehow forgot to sign Sean Dickson. Andy Robertson, the only coach in our backroom with any real ability to tell a good player from a pub leaguer, says Sean is already almost as good as Stevie Murray, with the potential to be even better. I offer Sean £300/month for next season, and he accepts.

At the same time, I secure Matt Kennedy's services for another year at £220/month, a £50 raise. It's hard to imagine Matt won't be worth that much.

Incidentally, I also signed Robertson to a new deal, paying him £300/month for next season. He's a very good coach for this level.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

16 February 2013

Buckie Thistle 2-3 Strathspey Thistle

4-4-2
GK: MacDonald
D: Duncan, Campbell, Bell, Chisholm
M: Brady, Bowles, McLeod, O'Neill
ST: Murray, Gordon

Goals: Bowles (5), Murray (15, 28)

Buckie have been on a run of poor form that sent them from second top, right on Rangers' heels, into the group of teams that are scrapping with us in the second tier. We avenged an 0-3 loss at Seafield Park with an exciting reversal of fortune on their grounds.

All the scoring came before the half. Bowles rifled in a cross from O'Neill, and Murray tapped in a pass from Gordon, after O'Neill hit him with a second beautiful ball from the right flank. Buckie pulled one back, but two minutes later, Stevie scored again to give us back our two-goal lead. Their second goal came right before the half, on a wicked free kick that tied MacDonald in knots.

It was good to see Craig Gordon back on the pitch, but we'll be playing without Christian Bowles for a few weeks. He twisted his ankle early in the second half. Ronnie Thomson is almost match-fit now, so he'll be playing regularly in Christian's spot.

Naughty list: Three-quarters of our back line--Paul Duncan, Stevie Bell, and Willie Campbell, drew yellow cards from referee John Beaton. They'll all miss the next match, home to Clyde--a tough side, against whom they would come in very handy.

In seven SFPL matches, "Mr Beaton" has handed out 24 bookings, and he's the lowest-rated official who has worked in the league this season. "Mr Beaton," you're a git.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

23 February 2013

Strathspey Thistle 1-1 Clyde

4-4-2
GK: Christie
D: Kennedy, Mackintosh, Noble, Chisholm
M: Brady, McLeod, Thomson, O'Neill
ST: Murray, Dickson

Goal: Murray (10)

With three starting defenders sitting out the match, I'm far from disappointed with this outcome. Fortunately Clyde aren't one of the higher-scoring clubs in the league. They are very stingy defensively--only Rangers have conceded fewer goals in league play--so getting an early goal was a big boost for our confidence. It was a bit of a fluke, as Stephen Brady took a shot from 18 yards that actually hit Stevie Murray and caromed to Stevie's right. He beat a Clyde defender to the ball and knocked it past their keeper.

Clyde's equalizer came on a beautiful solo run up the right side by John McMillan. It was the kind of goal you love to watch, unless it's being scored against your club.

The worst thing about the evening was an injury to Sean Dickson. He went off early in the second half, but fortunately he won't miss any further time.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

9 March 2013

Strathspey Thistle 3-1 Mid Annandale

4-2-3-1
GK: Christie
D: Duncan, Noble, Campbell, Chisholm
DM: Jess, McLeod
AM: Murray, McLeish, O'Neill
ST: Gordon

Goals: Murray (28, 50), Gordon (52)

A home fixture against one of the weaker clubs in the league seemed like a good time to try out our third tactic. Zander McLeish isn't as good at AMC as he is on the flanks, but he's the best we have there. Stevie Murray is every bit as deadly at AML as he is up top.

Since Stevie Bell has been booked four times, his suspension lasted two games; that's why Calum Noble was at center back again tonight. Noble's versatility has already been as big a benefit as I thought it would be when we signed him.

Murray's first goal was, in the commentator's words, a shot "no goalkeeper on earth would stop." Their keeper parried Gordon's shot back toward Stevie, and he hit a screaming half-volley back across the face of goal and into the far corner. Stevie's second score was laid on by Gordon, who played a perfect ball for him to run onto just inside the area.

It seemed only fair that Craig would get a goal of his own, and his came off a scramble following a free kick. It wasn't pretty, but it counts.

Murray (8.9) was Man of the Match, with Gordon (8.5) and Andy Chisholm (7.7) also playing especially well.

We moved into the playoff spots again, and it remains extremely tight:



We still have matches with Rangers, Berwick, Montrose, and Peterhead among our eight remaining fixtures.

Hello: I've noticed that as we are continuing to play competitive football, I'm finding more players willing to consider signing with us. For example, this week we lined up our first transfer for this coming summer. He's a player we've had our eye on for a while, and in January, he wasn't interested in us at all.

His name is Robert Muirhead, and he's a 17-year-old left/center back from Stirling University F.C. His club is currently battling for promotion to the SPFL for next year, so he might be facing his former teammates in league play next year. I'll be glad to have him on our side.

Robert is already a sure tackler with very good positional awareness, especially for a teenager. He needs to work on his strength, but he's fast, well-conditioned, and explosive. Our staff thinks he's almost ready to start for us at left back, but his potential is what has us excited. He's not cheap, at £325/month, but I think he's a good investment.