CM4 - Lincoln City, 2003-04

[QuikSand]

Lincoln City, 2003-04

This thread continues my career as manager of Lincoln City, a Third Division English club in Championship Manager 4, started following the release of expansion pack #4. I’m playing with “lower league rules” – all fictional players, no fancy tactics. So far, the budget has been strained – but the on-field results have been pretty decent.

Thread History:
Lincoln City, 2002-03

Team History:

SEASON   League          Pos   W  D  L   GF  GA   Pts
2002-03  Third Division  6th  23 11 12   71  45    80

From here, we will start up in July, and kick off preparations for the new season.

[QuikSand]

July 2003

I’ll start with a quick rundown of my players – including their stats from last season:

Keepers            Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App   Con  AvgR

Alan Ryan           23  £550   £18K   Kicking,Comm,One on Ones             27(1) 39  6.96
Darren Baines       26  £300   £16K   Rushing Out,Eccentricity             28(1) 28  7.06

Defenders          Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App   Gls  AvgR

Martin Gibbons      22  £700  £110K   Decisions,Determ,Stamina             49     1  7.67
David Francis       20  £1.1K  £18K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression           41     1  7.21
Andrew Cross        22  £160   £16K   Heading,Jumping,Strength             45(1)  0  7.32
Andy Hughes         19  £300   £16K   Determ,Teamwork,WorkRate             25(2)  0  6.59
Ryan Hughes 	  15  £ 75          Heading,Creativity,Positioning       13(2)  0  6.80
Ian Hutchinson      24  £475   £16K   Determ,Marking,Bravery,Jumping       12(8)  0  6.84
Michael Kelly       20  £1.0K  £16K   Stamina,Finishing,Aggression          7     0  6.85

Midfielders        Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App   Gls  AvgR

Richard Lewis       20  £1.0K  £16K   Dribbling,Acceleration,Pace          36(1) 11  7.48
Lee Williamson      21  £400   £40K   WashingUp,Jumping,Bravery,SetPieces  38    11  7.34
Jason Wilson        19  £375   £16K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression,Infl      33(3)  1  7.16
Mark Oakes          25  £400   £16K   Determination,LongThrows,Bravery     35     0  6.77
Andy Allen          17  £ 90   £16K   Anticipation,Stamina,WorkRate        11(11) 0  7.18
Richard Wallace     25  £350   £16K   Flair,SetPieces,Teamwork,Jumping     19(5)  2  6.50
Jamie Mason         25  £800   £16K   Determ,WorkRate,OffTheBall,Balance    9     0  6.44
Ian Wilson          32  £500   £16K   Influence,WorkRate,Acceleration      10     0  6.19
Adam Newman         17  £ 80   £18K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression,OffBall    6(4)  0  6.59
Lee Harris          16  £ 85          WorkRate,Marking,Stamina,Balance      2(7)  0  6.44

Forwards           Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App   Gls  AvgR

Alan Jones          17  £ 80   £16K   Creativity,Agility,Balance,Infl      30    13  7.73
Chris Morgan        28  £500   £16K   Determ,OffTheBall,Agility,WorkRate   20(1) 11  7.33
Jamie Barnes        20  £550   £28K   Pace,Crossing,Positioning,Finishing  13(2) 10  7.59
Matthew Jackson     14  £ 70          Stamina,Aggression,Bravery,Finishing 16(12)17  7.25
Matt Dixon          18  £400   £16K   Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Agility   12(1)  3  7.07
Kevin Clarke        18  £650   £16K   Strength,Teamwork,Aggression,Determ   3(2)  1  6.59

The players in italics are in some degree of contract limbo, and their return for the coming season is not assured. With some turnover expected in our midfield—especially the anticipated loss of Jason Wilson (whose drama over a work permit has been well catalogued)—we have made efforts to try to recover there.

I have transferred in one new player already—right-side midfielder Gary Webb who was a standout with Hereford in Conference last season. So, he projects to step right into the mix for us this season.


July remains a period of transition – we’re anticipating some friendlies to help get the squad into match shape, and are still putting finishing touches onto our roster for the season. I’m still really worried about our midfield, especially if we end up losing Jason Wilson. Without him, I’ll only have two basically unproven youngsters to use in the defensive midfield spot. Andy Allen was okay playing part time, but I’m not sure I want him as a full time starter. And Lee Harris is even more unproven. I’d much rather have those guys as #6-7 in my midfield queue than their current #4-5 or so.


We have our first friendly, against Crystal Palace. We get the win on two fairly early goals by Jamie Barnes, a strike who has quietly become pretty reliable for us. Lincoln 2, Crystal Palace 0.

We travel to Margate for another friendly, and the home side is motivated to get the victory in the warmup contest. Margate 2, Lincoln 0.

Home for Northampton, striker Matthew Jackson nails a hat trick to secure a 3-2 win for us, pleasing the home crowd. Lincoln 3, Northampton 2.


Dag & Red make an offer for our young defender Andy Davies, who is on my transfer list. I prefer cash to the veteran player they are trying to send me—though I might accept a veteran midfielder, of course. Brentford is offering £12,000 for Davies- and that’s getting closer, as I will consider cash here. I make a counter to Brentford – seeking to acquire their midfielder Kevin Wilson, who could be a nice addition for us. (I doubt this will work, but Davies is younger, at least)

We host Brentford for our next friendly, as discussions are ongoing. Thins one ends in a draw, as both sides are focused more on getting everyone active than strategy. Lincoln 1, Brentford 1.

After the match, Brentford get word to us that they are withdrawing their bid for defender Andy Davies – they don’t like our part-exchange offer.


I have a new plan, and am offering defender Andy Davies to Telford United of the conference for one of their better midfielders. If that doesn’t fly, I will try to send them a striker instead. I think a part exchange might be our best ticket here.

[QuikSand]

August 2003

We have our final friendly, and have our match-ready squad looking fairly sharp. Hosting Wimbledon, we allow a late goal to spoil an otherwise perfectly good scoreless tie. Wimbledon 1, Lincoln 0. I’m fine with the outcome, as we are getting ready to play for real in just a few days.


The bookmakers think you are one of a number of teams with a serious chance of promotion. They feel that as long as you perform to your capabilities, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be in a promotion spot come the end of the season.

Well, that’s good to know. They make Swansea the favorites, with Port Vale, Swindon, Hartlepool and us the second tier. Port Vale and Swindon are both relegates from the second division last season.


We kick off the league season with our opening match, at Tranmere. They are another relegated team newly in the Third Division. We get the lead from Jamie Barnes, on a long feeder pass from defenseman Andrew Cross. That holds until the 8-th minute, when they get even on along shot. But Lee Williamson gets us the edge at 88, with a beautiful goal, and we get off on the right foot after all. Lincoln 2, Tranmere 1.


We next host Dag & Red in our opener at Sincil Bank. We get ahead on a long shot by Gary Webb, his first for us. Jason Wilson follows with a nice set piece goal, and we have a comfortable lead. Our defense and keeper played some inspired football to hold the led during the late stages, and we secure the clean sheet for Baines. Lincoln 2, Dag & Red 0.

However, Martin Gibbons, our defensive leader and team captain, will miss a month with cracked ribs. We were hurting without him at this time last year, too.


We now head to Swansea, to take on the oddsmakers’ league favorite. We pick up a pair of yellows in the first half, but manage to avoid falling behind – despite being outplayed a bit. At 65, a nice effort by Richard Lewis gets us ahead for the 1-0 lead, but Swansea gets a furious rush to draw even at 71. Swansea’s midfielders just seem to rocket the ball into position, and they do so to strike again, for the 2-1 lead after 81 minutes. Swansea 2, Lincoln 1. Tough match, made worse by our fleeting lead.


My 25 y/o defender Ian Hutchinson is playing without a contract, and comes to me asking for a new deal. I talk with him, but his demands of over £1,400/wk are well beyond my thoughts – I offer him a deal as a backup, paid appropriately. He shrugs this off, and I fall back. If e leaves the club, we’ll see what happens to his demands. Until then – there’s not much I need to do.


I find 20 y/o Irish midfielder Michael Lynch seeking a contract, and decide to put in for him. I suspect he’d become a rotation player for us, but I am worried about our midfield – so this might make sense.


We host Macclesfield, and will be looking for a good effort to regain our composure. Scorelsss into the second half, we make some subs to try to get moving – but we fall behind at 63 from a long shot that gets by Ryan. We cannot even up, and take a tough loss at home. Macclesfield 1, Lincoln 0.


My forward Jamie Barnes is looking for a new deal, and wants to talk right away. I put in a pretty solid offer – but it is well short of what he is actually seeking. He wants £1,700/wk and I’m offering just over half that, which is still a good jump over the £550 he makes now.


We head in to take on Mansfield, and now are smarting from two straight losses. Matthew Jackson makes his return from injury, and we hope to get him into the offense right away. Mansfield is smothering us early, and they look very much in control. They strike just before the half, then again in the early second half, and take total command. We mostly stop the bleeding, but cannot get back into the match, and suffer another setback. Mansfield 3, Lincoln 0.

Welcome to the bottom half of the league table, Lincoln.

[QuikSand]

September 2003

We are suffering our first real dip in morale – the team’s general condition is slipping, due to our bad start (presumably). I fear this could get worse before it gets better.

Martin Gibbons cannot return fast enough – I have the sense that he’s the glue that holds this whole club together. Last season when he got injured, we had trouble, and this year we have fallen apart without him.


Our next match is home for Bristol Rovers. Richard Lewis, after a very flat first half, sets up Matthew Jackson nicely for the first goal. We’re able to make it hold up, despite the overall lackluster effort. Lincoln 1, Bristol 0.


I decide to release midfielder Richard Wallace on a free transfer. If he is willing to sign for a pittance, I might bring him back – but he has generally been a liability for us, and I don’t need to pay for that (I have youth players who seem to be just as capable).


Midfielder Jamie Mason is a mystery – he played pretty poorly for us last season, despite looking like he’d be pretty effective. Macclesfield has made an offer of £16,000 for him, and I accept. I accept the offer – yes, this thins out our midfield even more, but I feel we’re losing chaff, not wheat.


In the league cup, we open up at Huddersfield. We’ll have 16 y/o youth player James Anderson in goal, as Baines is injured and Ryan is terribly depressed. Anderson should be chuffed to get this chance – and maybe he’ll even stick for a while. In the early going, Anderson faces some tough shots, and we fall behind 2-0. We get a couple of chances late, but cannot connect and that’s how it stands. Huddersfield 2, Lincoln 0 – Lincoln eliminated. Young James Anderson, unfortunately, suffered a gashed leg and will miss a couple of weeks – losing quite an opportunity, too.


In our next match, it’s our other youth keeper who gets the call – Steve Howarth. I’m also calling up Paul Warner, a yon central midfielder. Since I’m having little luck bringing in outside veteran talent, I might as well start taking a look at our younger players on board already.

At Boston United, Williamson and Barnes collaborate on an early goal – and things looks good right off the bat. Howart comes up with a couple of monster saves, and protects the narrow lead through most of the match. At 77, Barnes strikes again, and we end up getting a nice league win – much needed. Lincoln 2, Boston Utd 0. My chairman is pleased – he considers Boston Utd to be a serious rival to our club.


And now we return defender Martin Gibbons to training, and he should be ready to go soon. We’ll reinstate him as the on-field captain, and hope to see our overall organization improve with him back. I think Andy Davies, who has been playing fabulous football of late, will stay in the starting lineup beside him.


Karl Walker, the veteran midfielder I have chased in vain for months, has finally signed on to play for West Bromwich Albion. I tired all the inducements I could, but simply couldn’t compare with an EPL side like WBA.


I leave Steve Howarth in goal for our next match, hosting Scunthorpe. Barnes and Williamson set up a lovely early goal, and get another shot in the first half that Barnes sails just wide. Williamson scores again in the early second half, and we lead 2-0. We drop back to protect the lead later in the game, but Barnes picks off a pass, and sets up Lee Williamson for his first hat trick. Lincoln 3, Scunthorpe 0. Steve Howarth gets another clean sheet, and Lee Williamson is flourishing again in an attack role. Scunthorpe is the club that my chairman cares most about – he is delighted with the big won over our arch rivals.


We’re back up into good position, and now we host Bury – another solid club from the Third Division. Williamson scores again off an Alan Jones rebound, and then he feed Richard Lewis for the follow-up, and we lead 2-0 at the half. That’s all we need, as the score holds through the remainder, too. Lincoln 2, Bury 0. It is not lost on us that young keeper Steve Howarth now has three straight clean sheets. He’s somehow caught fire, and has played far better with the senior squad than he was with the U19s just a couple of weeks ago.


Right now, we are clicking pretty well with Lee Williamson slotted as a forward, and Andy Allen playing the left side midfield spot. Williamson did well last season on the left wing, but right now he’s on fire up front, and I’ll stick with this setup. We are rotating guys in the other two midfield spots (not including Richard Lewis’s forward midfield role) and getting solid results from the fresh faces.

At Swindon Town, we are up against another pretty good club. Jamie Barnes makes a great strike early to get us ahead, yet again. Swindon scores on a PK, which is the first yielded by Howarth (but hardly his fault). Williamson’s shot late in the first half leaves a nice rebound chance for Richard Lewis, who sends it home. We get that margin to hold up again, with another tight second half performance. Lincoln 2, Swindon 1.


Nuneaton Borough make an offer to us for Andy Davies, our improving defender. They are offering a midfielder who looks pretty good on paper – Darren Anderson looks like a solid defensive midfielder, suitable for our center-back spot. However, in conference play last year he only posted a 6.43 average in 7 matches – that’s not so strong. I decide against the deal from Boro, as we are pretty intrigued by our current group of midfielders—my response is that I’d do the deal if they threw in £30K, which ought to kill it.

[QuikSand]

October 2003

Lincoln City’s QuikSand has won the English Third Division Manager of the Month award.

Solid. Quite a turnabout from the awful month we had in August.


I’ve got more bids for defender Andy Davies, whose recent form has apparently sprouted interest. I make one reasonable counter offer – conference club Woking has an attacking midfielder I’d exchange him for, and I make that overture. I’d be happy to find a player to back up Richard Lewis in our forward midfield spot, and I think this guy might be a good candidate for that role.


Hartlepool have lisped to mid-table, and they are angry when they visit Sincil Bank for this match. Hartlepool get ahead in the early second half on a top corner shot, and we are behind for the first time in a while. We try to push late, and get a late equalizing goal from Lee Williamson, off a feed from Matthew Jackson. We get the draw for the match – not too bad after being behind most of the way. Lincoln 1, Hartlepool 1. Defenseman Andy Davies has been named Man of the Match for the second time this season – behind only Lee Williamson in that regard.


Woking is persuaded that Andy Davies is worth the investment, and they put up their midfielder Simon Houghton into their offer. I accept the deal, and will try to work out a new deal with Houghton – who I see as a factor in the forward midfield spot for us. I offer him a solid rotation contract – twice what he makes with Woking in the conference.

However, the deal falls through, as we cannot agree terms with Simon Houghton. He wants to be among our top-paid players, and I see him as perhaps a rotation player. Alas – we’ll keep shopping Andy Davies, who seems to be a very hot commodity. I raise his price to £40,000.


We play at Kidderminster, and I have Lee Williamson back slotted at the left wing, hoping that he can continue his great form from back there. He kicks in a corner that is tipped in for a score by Matthew Jackson, we take a 1-0 lead into the half with a man up due to a red carding. Lee Williamson is very active for us, as he scores a goal in the second half and moves the attack along nicely. Lincoln 3, Kidderminster 0. Andy Davies is again named MOM – and while his price tag rises, I have to wonder if this is a guy I want to let go. . .


Following Lincoln City’s 3-0 win over Kidderminster Harriers, Lincoln’s Chairman Martin Knowles declared himself extremely pleased with the result.

The Red Imps have started the season in reasonable form, finding themselves comfortably positioned in the top half as many pundits predicted pre-season.

Strong recent performances will give plenty of encouragement to the team’s faithful that they can move further up the table as the season progresses.


Our club is walking on air, generally – nearly everyone has snapped out of our early funk, and are in top spirits. We hope to continue the recent run of good play, of course – that will keep everyone happy.


We travel to Stockport, to take on that second division contender in the first round of the Vans Trophy. Bad draw for us I fear – and this is the contest where we might have a shot to do well. Stockport get ahead pretty early, getting one past Howarth, and that’s all they need. They ride out the 1-0 lead all the way, withstanding a few chances from us, but overall seeming very much in control. Stockport 1, Lincoln 0 – Lincoln eliminated.


We have a home match against Port vale – currently in second place and considered a top threat in the Third Division. This is a big chance to reassert ourselves as players for the league’s top spots. I have shuffled our lineup, and hope to have everyone playing fresh and ready. Pot Vale gains an early lead, but we even up as Matthew Jackson sets up Alan Jones nicely. It’s even 1-1 at the half. At 57 Jackson gets a breakaway, but hits the post on his nice long shot. He does come through at 70, though, and we gain a 2-1 lead. Baines makes a clutch save at 89, and that gets us to full time, with a big league victory. Lincoln 2, Port Vale 1.

Richard Lewis will need to sit for a couple of weeks, and we’ll basically b auditioning midfielders for the forward spot. I’d rather keep Alan Jones in the striker rotation, but he is an option here as well, especially if things don’t go well with younger players there.


We get our FA Cup draw – and will host Boston Utd. The chairman should be pleased: a chance to kick them to the curb.

[QuikSand]

November 2003

Okay, with the season in full swing – let’s check the roster and see how everyone is doing for us:

Keepers            Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App   Con  AvgR

Darren Baines       27  £300   £16K   Rushing Out,Eccentricity              6     3  7.50
Steve Howarth       18  £275   £16K   Determ,Stamina,Bravery,Agility        5     1  7.00
Alan Ryan           24  £550   £18K   Kicking,Comm,OneonOnes                3     6  7.00

Defenders          Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App     G  A  MoM AvgR

Andy Davies         21  £375   £16K   Heading,Bravery,Marking,Jumping      12(1)  0  0   3  7.30
Martin Gibbons      23  £700  £120K   Decisions,Determ,Stamina              9     0  1   1  7.44
Michael Kelly       21  £1.0K  £16K   Stamina,Finishing,Aggression         12     0  0   0  7.00
David Francis       21  £1.1K  £18K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression           11     1  1   0  6.63
Andrew Cross        23  £160   £16K   Heading,Jumping,Strength              5     0  1   0  6.59
Ryan Hughes         16  £ 75          Heading,Creativity,Positioning        2     0  0   0  7.50
Andy Hughes         20  £300   £16K   Determ,Teamwork,WorkRate              1     0  0   0  6.00
Ian Hutchinson      26  £475   £16K   Determ,Marking,Bravery,Jumping        0(4)  0  0   0  6.75

Midfielders        Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App     G  A  MoM AvgR

Richard Lewis       21  £1.0K  £16K   Dribbling,Acceleration,Pace          15     3  2   1  7.19
Lee Williamson      22  £400   £40K   WashingUp,Jumping,Bravery,SetPieces  14     7  5   3  7.35
Gary Webb           24  £1.0K  £16K   Passing,Technique,Stamina,Flair      11     1  0   0  6.81
Jason Wilson        20  £375   £16K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression,Infl       8(4)  1  1   0  7.25
Mark Oakes          26  £400   £16K   Determination,LongThrows,Bravery      3     0  0   0  6.33
Andy Allen          19  £ 90   £16K   Anticipation,Stamina,WorkRate         7(3)  0  1   0  6.80
Adam Newman         18  £ 80   £18K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression,OffBall    4     0  0   0  7.00
Lee Harris          16  £ 85          WorkRate,Marking,Stamina,Balance      1(4)  0  0   0  6.59
Paul Warner         16  £ 80          Passing,Heading,Technique,Aggression  2(2)  0  0   0  7.00
Craig Russell       16  £ 90          Dribbing,Heading,Crossing,Teamwork    2(1)  0  0   0  7.00
Jamie Mason         26  £800   £16K   Determ,WorkRate,OffTheBall,Balance    1     0  0   0   ---

Forwards           Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App     G  A  MoM AvgR

Alan Jones          18  £ 80   £16K   Creativity,Agility,Balance,Infl      12     3  2   1  7.19
Jamie Barnes        21  £550   £28K   Pace,Crossing,Positioning,Finishing   7(2)  4  4   0  7.22
Matthew Jackson     15  £ 70          Stamina,Aggression,Bravery,Finishing  6(3)  3  2   1  7.11
Chris Morgan        29  £500   £16K   Determ,OffTheBall,Agility,WorkRate    1(1)  0  0   0  6.50
Matt Dixon          19  £400   £16K   Aggression,Determ,WorkRate,Agility    reserves
Kevin Clarke        19  £650   £16K   Strength,Teamwork,Aggression,Determ   reserves

So, things are starting to settle into place. We knew that we were going to go through changes in our midfield, but it’s take a different shape than I had imagined. Jason Wilson remains active for us, despite being out of contract for months. Every attempt at a work permit fails, so we just keep using him and getting good results – as long as that can last. e keep rotating in guys like Warner, Russell and Harris – to pretty respectable results so far.

I’m a little surprised on the defensive side. Andy Davies, very little used last season has emerged as a real force in the middle of our defense, and has really been outstanding- pushing Andrew Cross (our solid starter from last year) right aside. David Francis has been a shade disappointing, but he’s been hurt (right when we were really rolling, too) and we expect him to recover form. And as Andy Allen bids for playing time as our left side midfielder, that allows us to use Lee Williamson up front, where he has been lights-out.


In this match, however, we are without Lee Williamson (banned for yellow cards) and also the injured Richard Lewis. So, our offense will be a little bit makeshift, I suspect. We’ll try out Gary Webb in the attacking midfield spot, usually held by Lewis.

We’re at Wrexham, who have gotten off to a disappointing start this season. Predictably, we have little offensive punch – but we remain even with strong defense and good possession control. Matthew Jackson, though, breaks through on a wonderful crossing pass from Gary Webb, and nets the go-ahead score at 67 minutes. He later feeds Alan Jones for another goal, and then Gary Webb gets the finishing shot to set us off. Lincoln 3, Wrexham 0.


Lincoln City’s Andy Davies has won the Third Division Young Player of the Month award.

Very nice – good effort to really put himself right into the middle of our plans. I decide to pull Davies off the transfer list.


After that win, we have moved into a great position on the league table. Here’s a summary:

                W  D  L   GF  GA   Pts

Boston Utd     10  1  3   29  12    31
Lincoln        10  1  3   24  10    31
Rochdale       10  0  4   37  27    30
- - - (auto promotion line) - - -
Tranmere        9  2  3   28  13    29
Port Vale       9  2  3   28  14    29
Mansfield       8  2  4   29  14    26
Dag & Red       7  4  3   23  13    25
- - - (promotion playoff line) - - -
Bury            8  0  6   26  21    24
Rushden         8  0  6   25  21    24

Very tight, indeed. But I’m very pleased that we are living up to our form – playing tough defense and allowing the fewest goals in the league, without even employing a deliberate defensive-minded strategy in regular course.


We are at Bournemouth, who get the lead in the first half off a well-executed passing setup. Williamson and Morgan do a nice pass-off setup in the second half to get us even, and Morgan kicks in a later rebound to get us ahead. In the 68th minute, Chris Morgan finishes off his unlikely hat trick, and powers us to a 3-2 lead. At 81, Bournemouth draw even again at 3-3 – and that’s how it ends up. Lincoln 3, Bournemouth 3. Morgan, our man of the match, has earned himself a spell with the first team, after coming on to replace the injured Matthew Jackson.


Now we host Southend, and are hopeful for regained form. But Southend strike quickly against our defense, and get ahead 1-0 after only three minutes. The lead holds for a long time – we’re making subs late to try to pull even, but despite our best efforts we come up short. Southend 1, Lincoln 0. It looks like the CM roller coaster is heading downward again.


16 y/o striker John Garner has been getting raves from our reserve squad staff, and I decide to give him a call up to the big squad. We’ll see what he can do, as we have a few injuries among our regular attackers. Garner has been on our transfer list for a while, but we haven’t gotten any takers on the youngster.


We are at home for Boston United – a huge match with the top club in the league right now. This is the first round of the FA Cup, and we’re taking it fairly seriously, as we are already out of the other two competitions. We slip behind, but john Garner tips one in to get us even right before the half. Richard Lewis scores, but then gets hurt again. Garner tallies his second goal in the later second half, lofting one past the keeper to put the win away. Lincoln 3, Boston Utd 1. Our chairman will be pleased. We will get to host Port vale in the second round.


Next, we are home for York, back in league play. Our defense gets a workout early, but we hold them off – and then get Williamson a feed for the lead after 26 minutes. York get even on a weird play, a double-bumped shot that just rolled in past Howarth. We can’t get the lead again, but our defense works overtime to keep it even. Lincoln 1, York 1.


And quickly, we are off to Rushden, to face off against another contender in the Third Division. We are scoreless through 45, and Darren Baines makes a huge save in the open field against a runaway attacker to keep it that way. We get a penalty kick at 52, and Michael Kelly delivers it home—his first goal for us. That’s the first chance we’ve gotten to use his solid penalty skills. Rushden get another wide open chance, and they bury it for the equalizer after 74 minutes. But Morgan sets up Lewis for the go-ahead after 77, and we are on top again. We get a couple chances to extend, but cannot convert. We still hold on to get the win, though. Lincoln 2, Rushden 1.


I make an offer to a veteran German forward Markus Dittrich, who looks like he ought to be playing. He’s not thrilled with playing at my level, but I put up as much cash as is practical for us, and hope to be surprised. I also make an approach to Neil Hooper, a conference player with Yeovil who seems to have some potential – and could play in the left midfield spot along with Williamson. He’d require 45,000 in compensation, but he might well be worth it.

Neil Hooper prefers or offer to Yeovil’s, and we get to agreement over his contract. however – once again, it’s the limit of our transfer budget that sticks this up. We only have £35,000, and Yaovil would be compensated by £45,000 – so this one falls apart. Drat!


We host Carlisle, and are looking for another three points with a win here. Morgan blows an opportunity, but comes back and finished his next for the early lead. He then feeds Jackson for a nice score, and we look very sharp. We get chances all day, but that’s all we can do – fortunately, our defense holds them off admirably, and that’s plenty. Lincoln 2, Carlisle 0. Another clean sheet for Darren Baines.


As November is wrapping up, I need to look ahead for contract expiries. Jamie Barnes is up for a new deal, but I’m trying to shop him rather than re-sign him right now. Jamie Mason is our only other player whose deal runs out after this season – so we’ll be able to put our wage budget to good use, hopefully. I don’t have to make any expensive extensions, but am able to sit back and keep the cash flowing in. We’re about £3,500 under our wage budget for the year, and that give me flexibility to bring in an expensive addition if we want to (and if we can get anyone of any quality to sign with us).


Jason Wilson has signed a new contract with Lincoln. The deal will keep him at the club until June 2006.

Out of the blue, Wilson finally qualified for a work permit, and is formly on the roster. This is fabulous news!

I had all but given up on him ever being eligible to pay for us (other than just lingering on his month-to-month deal). But this should erase his unhappiness, and let him focus on his play in the middle for us. Suddenly, with Wilson re-signed and Gary Webb playing pretty well on the right side, I’m not nearly as worried about my midfield as I once was. And we really didn’t move mountains to get here, either.

the agent for Jason Wilson has said his client is satisfied with the terms of his contract.

Happy, happy.

[Barkeep49]

Without looking back it seems like you aren't moving players as much to open up money as you did last dynasty. Are you just really happy with your squad or has there just not been a deal to your liking?

[QuikSand]

I'm really just not getting many takers. I have had a half dozen players up for tranfer since near the beginning, and most have not fetched a single offer.

There also seems to be this weird built-in tendency to have a huge share of players valued right at 16K or 18K, and I can't really understand why that is so. As a result, in part, I end up with lots of players whose more realistic values are a little more unknown to me.

Part of it might also be the fact that there are so few players for me to bring in, that I don't have any real pressing sense of urgency that I need to "make room." Make room for what?

But with December ahead - that means Bosman signings, pursuing guys whose contracts run out in June. That's my next big chance to make some real additions... maybe things will turn for the better.

[Godzilla Blitz]

I read a thread over at SI Games where gamers have mentioned the lower leauges are too stagnant, with very little transfer movement, especially among the AI teams.

There is also a note in the readme file that EP5 will "increase slightly the number of transfers in lower level leagues".

And in case you missed it, Marc posted earlier here that EP5 most likely will be released sometime this week.

[QuikSand]

GB: Egg salad...

[QuikSand]

December 2003

This month is our big chance to make moves for next year – trying to get Bosman transfers which don’t require compensation to the club losing the player. Especially if we are fortunate enough to promote, we’ll need to make improvements in the squad – and we have the resources to do it (other than a transfer budget).

I make an optimistic bid to a veteran Norwegian defender/manager Øyvind Lund, offering him a role as player/coach. I expect he’d be a solid contributing player, and would offer some veteran leadership. However, he’s not really interested in coming to a club like ours – so we’ll almost certainly get blown off.

We also approach Ukraininan Volodymyr Fedorov, who at 19 is already a serious talent, on the reserves for Arsenal – far beyond the range of anyone we have aboard right now. I’m offering a pretty handsome deal, but he’s looking for more than my board will allow. Regardless, if we somehow landed this guy, he would certainly become an impact player for us. He can play defender or midfielder, and plays on the right side—we’d likely slot him as a DM and use him in the middle. He looks like a real talent.


Our first match of the month is at Rochdale, who sit a few slots behind us in 6th place on the league table. Rochdale is aggressive, and we eventually yield a goal after 30 minutes – but it is called back on an offsides call. We fend them off again and again, clinging to a scoreless tie through 80 minutes. We end it without a goal, and are glad to hold on for that much. Lincoln 0, Rochdale 0. Defenseman Andy Davies is again our MOM honoree.


I am stunned… flattened… when we get word that Volodymyr Fedrorov intends to join Lincoln for next season. We put up a reasonable signing bonus of £50,000, and he took it. The 19 year old defensive-minded player looks to be a great talent, and we are excited about his future addition. So, from a raft of initial offers, it looks like we may well have landed one big fish. Or, considering the amount we’ll be paying and his origins, perhaps a big caviar. He’ll join us in June, after the transfer ban is lifted.


In the FA Cup, we play host to Port Vale, a solid Third Division club. I’ve got Alan Ryan in goal for the first time in a while, and he is not in a good mood. In the first ten minutes, Alan Jones scores, has it called back, and scores for sure. Port Vale’s Peter Curtis pokes in a great banana shot for the evening measure. Curtis is a demon out there, and he gets them ahead 2-1. Morgan gets us back level with a little nutmeg, and then Richard Lewis crows off another approach with his first goal. 3-2 at the half isn’t our usual style of play, here. We pour it on late, getting an ugly own goal from them and Morgan follows up with his third goal for the hat trick. Lincoln 6, Port Vale 2. Surprising outcome – our offense rarely rolls like that.

We get £30,000 for winning the match – at our level, that kind of money makes a real difference!


We’re hosting Torquay, and look to keep our offense moving along. Lee Harris heads in a goal – his first for Lincoln. We get in two more in the first half, a Lee Williamson sets one up and finishes the other – brilliant work. Williamson tallies again after 40 minutes, and we are really rolling along. At 73, Williamson practically breaks the pole with a hard shot that bounces right out – close to another hat trick for him. Lincoln 4, Torquay 0.


Following Lincoln City’s 4-0 win over Torquay United, Lincoln’s chairman Martin Knowles declared himself extremely pleased with the result.

The Red Imps were reckoned to have little chance of breaking into the top six before the season started, yet QuikSand’s men now find themselves described as potential title challengers by some sections of the media.

With so many games to go, it remains to be seen whether they can do it but the fans are increasingly optimistic after this excellent recent form.


We play at Doncaster, where we face a lot of early attacking pressure, but manage to hold them off – at least until 26 minutes, when they go ahead. Late in the match, Chris Morgan does a lot of work to make his own chance, and he puts it through to level the score. We are downright lucky to get away wit a draw here, as they were flying all about in the attack. Lincoln 1, Doncaster 1.

Home for Exeter, we suffer an early injury to David Francis, and then another to midfielder Jason Wilson. Two tough breaks, and we run through our subs pretty quickly. It’s scoreless at the half, as we look a little flat after seeing two of our mates carted off. The defenses prevail, and after all that, we’re okay with a score draw. Lincoln 0, Exeter 0. Fortunately, both injuries are short-term only.


We land another Bosman transfer – another midfielder, actually. 22 y/o Paul Harper can play the middle or the right side, and has been stashed on Derby’s reserves lately. He’s excited to be lined up for some action with our squad, and accepts a solid rotation contract. My scout didn’t care too much for him, but we’ll give him a look and see what we have here – at the very least a decent reserve, I reckon.


I have a few more irons in the fire, and would like to land perhaps one more player through the free transfer process. I’m already pretty excited about Federov, and Harper should be a good plus as well. If we could just get a midfielder who could play the left side, that would free up Lee Williamson to play more as a forward, where I think he’s just more effective overall, even though he is our best at crossing passes.


We host Tranmere, and get a quick goal from Matthew Jackson to lead early on. Michael Kelly connects on a PK, and we lead 2-0, looking in control. That lead holds, as we wrap up another solid league effort, and remain in the hunt for a top position. Andrew Cross, our semi-forgotten defender, gains MOM honors, reinforcing the extreme depth we seem to have in our central defense. However, he is hurt – tests reveal a slightly broken arm, and he will be sidelined for a while.


21 year old defender Chris Richards, currently with Sunderland’s reserve squad, is our latest sign-up. He looks like a solid reserve or rotation guy, playing either the middle or the right side. He signs up for our decent offer, and will get into our rotation for next year as well.


I visit Southend, who are in financial peril. I make an offer for their versatile midfielder David Pearson, who seems to be pretty effective for them, and can play the left side 9as well as the right). Even based on a partial scouting report, I am convinced that he could be the guy that we really need to help fill that roster slot.

I have offered £8,000 – they counter asking for £14,000, and I agree to that. We should be at the negotiation table during the first days of the new year, and hopefully we can meet his wage demands and bring him aboard quickly. Getting some help immediately would be useful for our late-season drive, where we faltered pretty badly last season.

[3ric]

As for selling players available on transfer - have you tried out the function "offer player to clubs" with the assistant manager's suggestions for clubs? I've found it works pretty well when off-loading unwanted players.

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by 3ric
As for selling players available on transfer - have you tried out the function "offer player to clubs" with the assistant manager's suggestions for clubs? I've found it works pretty well when off-loading unwanted players.

I have tried it a couple of times, with no meaningful results. I think that most of the players I have decided to unload are basically valueless - that's my biggest impediment, I suspect.

The uniquitous "16K" and "18K" tags just seem to conceal what players are really worth... maybe in time that wil adjust itself.

[Chas in Cinti]

QS.

It seems in my countless dynasties, it always took a good 2-3 years for the "transfer wheels" to really start turning in my universe. Especially for players not playing much, but at an age when their skills are not digressing, initial values will not change... play them and they'll begin to adjust themselves. Further, check their "transfer status" page and make sure the value button hasn't switched off of automatically computing the value... I've had that happen from time to time during the off-season.

Good Luck!

Regards,
Chas

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Chas in Cinti
Further, check their "transfer status" page and make sure the value button hasn't switched off of automatically computing the value... I've had that happen from time to time during the off-season.

Chas - if there is such a thing as the "value button" in CM4, I am not seeing it. I remember what you're talking about from my past play of CM 00/01, but I see nothing like that in the current version. I assume that my players are being automatically valued (I have some whose values are rising realistically without my touch) but I can't assure that, really.

[QuikSand]

February 2004

We are soaring in the league standings, with a very strong run of performances. Here’s the top of the table, updated:

                W  D  L   GF  GA   Pts

Lincoln        21  6  5   59  21    69
Tranmere       21  3  7   67  33    66
Port Vale      20  3  9   66  38    63
- - - (auto promotion line) - - -
Hartlepool     17  5  7   43  31    56
Boston Utd     16  5 10   58  48    53
Doncaster      15  7 10   63  51    52
Bristol Rovers 16  3 13   49  39    51
- - - (promotion playoff line) - - -
Rochdale       15  6 11   68  62    51
Mansfield      15  5 12   56  41    50

Well, Hartlepool has come on strong of late, and they have played three fewer matches than most of us – so figure them as really right in the mix for the top three spots. But we’d probably have to have a very bad run to lose out to al three of those teams (or any three) to lose a promotion spot. The Red Imps’ faithful are already abuzz with plans for a promotion to the Second Division.


Here’s the snapshot of our squad:

Keepers            Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App   Con  AvgR

Darren Baines       27  £300   £16K   Rushing Out,Eccentricity             17    10  7.47
Steve Howarth       18  £275   £16K   Determ,Stamina,Bravery,Agility       14     7  7.28
Alan Ryan           24  £550   £18K   Kicking,Comm,OneonOnes                5     9  7.00

Defenders          Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App     G  A  MoM AvgR

Martin Gibbons      23  £700  £140K   Decisions,Determ,Stamina             31     0  1   4  7.48
Michael Kelly       21  £1.0K  £16K   Stamina,Finishing,Aggression         30     2  2   0  7.13
Andy Davies         21  £375   £16K   Heading,Bravery,Marking,Jumping      28(1)  0  2   6  7.44
David Francis       21  £1.1K  £18K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression           26     0  2   1  7.19
Andrew Cross        23  £160   £16K   Heading,Jumping,Strength             14     0  1   3  7.42
Ryan Hughes         16  £ 75          Heading,Creativity,Positioning        8     0  0   0  7.62
Andy Hughes         20  £300   £16K   Determ,Teamwork,WorkRate              2     0  0   0  6.00
Ian Hutchinson      26  £475   £16K   Determ,Marking,Bravery,Jumping        0(10) 0  0   0  7.09

Midfielders        Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App     G  A  MoM AvgR

Gary Webb           24  £1.0K  £16K   Passing,Technique,Stamina,Flair      32     4  2   0  7.21
Richard Lewis       21  £1.0K  £16K   Dribbling,Acceleration,Pace          29     9  3   1  7.34
Lee Williamson      22  £400   £40K   WashingUp,Jumping,Bravery,SetPieces  28    10  9   5  7.60
Jason Wilson        20  £950   £40K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression,Infl      27(4)  1  5   0  7.51
Andy Allen          19  £ 90   £16K   Anticipation,Stamina,WorkRate        15(9)  0  4   0  6.83
Lee Harris          16  £ 85          WorkRate,Marking,Stamina,Balance      5(6)  1  1   0  6.72
Paul Warner         16  £ 80          Passing,Heading,Technique,Aggression  2(8)  0  1   0  7.00
Craig Russell       16  £ 90          Dribbing,Heading,Crossing,Teamwork    5(2)  0  0   0  7.42
Andy May            22  Loaned In     OffTheBall,Teamwork,WorkRate,Bravery  4     1  1   0  7.25
Adam Newman         18  £ 80   £18K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression,OffBall    4     0  0   0  7.00
Mark Oakes          26  £400   £16K   Determination,LongThrows,Bravery      3     0  0   0  6.33
Jamie Mason         26  £800   £16K   Determ,WorkRate,OffTheBall,Balance    1     0  0   0   ---

Forwards           Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App     G  A  MoM AvgR

Alan Jones          18  £ 80   £16K   Creativity,Agility,Balance,Infl      25     6  5   3  7.76
Matthew Jackson     15  £ 70          Stamina,Aggression,Bravery,Finishing 17(3) 12  7   4  7.40
Chris Morgan        29  £500   £16K   Determ,OffTheBall,Agility,WorkRate   16(3) 10 13   2  7.57
Jamie Barnes        21  £550   £28K   Pace,Crossing,Positioning,Finishing  10(6)  8  5   0  7.25
John Garner         16  £110          Strength,Stamina,Bravery,Flair        3     2  0   0  7.00
 

We have some very impressive numbers among our starting squad – and while willing is the tide that lifts all boats, we’re winning for a reason, too. Four defenders across, all rating significantly above 7 – that’s what I love to see. Our opponents, on the other hand… maybe not.

We definitely have the engines running smoothly right now, with every single starter notching respectable ratings on average. Michael Kelly is struggling a bit with his shifting roles – he may not want to get involved in the offense the way I’d like him to. But overall, it’s hard to complain, really.


Lincoln City’s Matthew Jackson has won the Third Division Young Player of the Month Award.

Great run for him, as he continues to be a fireplug for our offense. My confidence with him grows and grows.


At Scunthorpe, we will play most of our healthy starters, with Barnes and Jackson in at striker. It’s scoreless through 50 minutes, but at 52 Scunthrope get ahead. They put in another as the clock reads 88, and manage to get us upended pretty well. Scunthorpe 2, Lincoln 0. We yield the 1st place position to Tranmere with the loss – it’s definitely tough at the top.

But, we’ll get Lee Williamson back, which ought to help our offense. I think he’ll play mostly at midfield – I’m not convinced that Andy May is a full-timer for us at the left side spot, and we’re probably better off with Williamson there.


Next up – we are at Hartlepool. Off the loss, this is particularly big – we don’t want to represent a spiraling team. They get an apparent score at 19 with a hard outside shot, but it’s called back, and we remain scoreless. That lasts until 41 – when Morgan feeds Barnes with a cross for the go-ahead just before the half. We do a triple sub with 76 minutes gone to stay fresh – we don’t want to concede a cheap equalizer. We ride it out, and get away with the narrow margin victory – very solid. Lincoln 1, Hartlepool 0.


Tranmere, right behind us in the league standings, are in financial chaos. I approach, as always looking for midfield help. I pursue Mark Howard, an 18 y/o left side midfielder, who has been pretty solid for them this season. They want £16,000 and I offer £10,000. However, once I open the bottle – now Darlington are in offering £20,000.


We host Kidderminster, a club we usually crush. We’re looking to rack up standings points now, in an effort to secure our promotion. Lee Williamson, playing at forward this game, notches a nice goal from a wide angle. We’ve gotten pretty god a making 1-0 leads hold up, but after 71 minutes, Baines yields the equalizer on a breakaway. Barnes gets a good shot off at 80, and it dribbles right to the line after the keeper tips is partially, and then Williamson is there to send it home for the lead. That’s what it takes here, as we gain three more standings points. Lincoln 2, Kidderminster 1.


Tranmere ask for £16,000 for their midfielder Howard, and now I oblige. We offer him a contract for £1,000/wk, but this is short of what he really thinks he’s worth (twice that). We will await his decision – he could be a real help, but I’m also borderline about whether he’s worth this big a deal.


We face Port Vale in a big league matchup. They are six points back in 3rd place, with 11 matches remaining. They win, and they are back in the hunt for the top spot. We win, and they fall nine points behind us, which would be pretty tough to make up, and then they’d have to worry more about losing the #3 slot.

We are very lucky to avoid an early deficit as a hard shot bangs the post and flies out after 11 minutes. Port Vale is playing aggressively, trying to get after us early. Baines taps another one wide after 16 minutes, and then we get moving a bit. After 17 minutes, Lee Williamson jukes the opposing keeper right away, and tips a shot into the corner – a thing of beauty. Andy may follows up by finding a seam in the defense, and scoring while unmarked. We get called for a cheap foul, and they convert the penalty kick to make it 2-1 at the half. With the minutes winding away, Lee Williamson strikes for an insurance goal, and we secure a big league victory. Lincoln 3, Port Vale 1.


Jamie Barnes’ agent has told the Lincolnshire Echo that his client is satisfied with his role in the Lincoln team.

That probably reduces my desire to deal him away – he is undoubtedly a solid player. He’s gotten some PT as others have been hurt, but is really just a rotation guy for us.


Still atop the league table, we come back to friendly Sincil Bank, where we host Wrexham, whose season has been a wreck – they likely face relegation, even after being a solid contender last season. We can’t score until 67 minutes, but we do then as Williamson gets it in off Jackson’s pass. Williamson is in again at 82, as we put this one away to the delight of the fans. Matthew Jackson makes a great leap to tap in another off a long pass, and we have a comfortable home win. Lincoln 3, Wrexham 0.

[QuikSand]

March 2004

Lincoln City’s Lee Williamson has won the English third Division Player of the Month award.

He is really, really effective when he gets to play up front as a forward. He sets up goals, he finishes, and he just makes thing happen – more so than any of our other players, I think. This just reinforces the reasoning behind wanting to bring in a serious starter for the left midfield job – to free Williamson up for more starts up front.


We play at York, looking for another chance to gain standings points. York gain the early lead with a free kick strike, and they hold it for a long time. Alan Jones sets one off to Lee Willaimson, who again snakes it past the keeper for the score and the tie. Lee gets us one more late chance, but his shot sails just too high, and we cannot pull away. Lincoln 1, York 1.

With 38 games played by everyone, the standings are fairly straightforward: Lincoln 82 and Tranmere 78 seem to have promotion spots locked up. Port Vale and Boston Utd are even at 69, and then there are six clubs at 60 or better, three of whom will probably get into the promotion playoff.


We offer a new deal to our Physio, Yugoslav Phil Hawkins. He’s solid, and takes our deal in short order.


At Southend, we have a shot to avenge the biggest loss of this season. They have other ideas, and get out to a 1-0 lead early on. At 28, Gary Webb makes a big forward pass, which dribbles all the way up to and right past the napping goalie. Easily a 65 yard goal, but surely not on purpose! At 37, Southend strike again with a well-executed scheme. Right in the second half opening, Morgan finds Williamson for the score, and we draw even again. Williamson is in again off two rebounds, and we make it 3-2. At 82, Southend draw even with a free kick strike, and this thrilling match is again wide open. That’s how it ends, after all that excitement. Lincoln 3, Southend 3.

Two straight draws – not awful, but not helping us toward the top spot, either. We remain two points ahead of Tranmere, but we have 14 points on the third place clubs, so our promotion is virtually assured.


We head home to host Rushden & Diamonds, who have nee rolling lately and have recently moved into a playoff position. During the scoreless first half, midfielder Gary Webb gets hurt – that might be bad. As things look to be headed toward a scoreless tie, Rushden get a good chance at the 90th minute, and they get a rebound tip-in for the winning goal. Rushden 1, Lincoln 0.


Our club’s morale, which had been remarkably high, is starting to crumble. It’s relative – we were winning most of our matches for so long, that a tiny rough spot like this suddenly seems like a really big deal. Best way to get it straightened out? Whip up on somebody.


Bournemouth comes to visit us, and they sit in 23rd position on the league table. Richard Lewis sets up Williamson beautifully here for the early lead at 25, but our goal is waved off—and they strike right back to get ahead. Michael Kelly misses a PK that could have pulled us level, but later Williamson centers it for Alan Jones, who drives one home after 78 minutes. Williamson puts on a shot that dribbled away from the keeper, and Jones is there to follow up for the score. That holds up, as we get the win we wanted – though perhaps not the thrashing we hoped for. Lincoln 2, Bournemouth 1.


My young defender Ryan Hughes is seeking a professional contract, and his performance this season suggests that he’s really worth a serious investment. He signs our deal, which will tie him up with us for £750/wk through 2007.


Wrexham have offered a contract to our defensive substitute Ian Hutchinson, who has been month-to-month with us since last spring. Hutchinson agrees to their offer, and he departs immediately. We’re so deep at center defender that I feel we can afford the loss.

Halesown Town offers us midfielder Richard Wallace (back) to us for £9,000 – but he’s not what we have in mind. I make an offer for a young midfielder from York, but he’s tough and I end up missing the transfer deadline. We’ll go forward with what we’ve got.

[QuikSand]

April 2004

With five matches to go, we are assured of at least a playoff position. That’s good – but another win, and I think we lock up a promotion slot, which is a much bigger deal. It would be nice, but not essential, to catch Tranmere in the process – but our recent dip in form suggests to me that’s unlikely.


We play at Carlisle, where we ought to have a class advantage. Lee Williamson draws a penalty, and we send in Gary Webb to drill it home. Williamson sores himself at 14, and we have a good early edge. Matthew Jackson gets one in off a corner, and we cruise with the 3-0 edge through the rest of the match, unchallenged. Lincoln 3, Carlisle 0.


Lincoln have won promotion to the English Second Division.

Well, that’s what we wanted to hear. Tranmere is also secure, and the other two spots are still up for grabs.

I think we will go with a few more young players in these last few weeks, to try to get a sense of what they can do for us.


Our match hosting Rochdale is our first one where we are experimenting with the lineup. Howarth is challenged in goal early and often, but he is up to the task, and we stay even with the contending club for a while, but after 30 minutes they take advantage of a mistake by young defender Ian Cook, and get in for their first goal. We get even on a weird own goal off a corner, then go ahead just before the half. Garner sets up Morgan for a second time to put us up 3-1, and we are looking more comfortable out there now. Lincoln 3, Rochdale 1. That puts a dent in their chances of getting up into a playoff spot.


Andy May’s last match with us on his loan will be here, at Torquay. Torquay really fell off this season, too – and they are being relegated to the Conference. My young defenseman Ian Cook gets sent off while we trail 1-0, and I am wondering openly whether he is ready to be a contributor. We are easily beaten here – odd, since Torquay has nothing left to play for, either. Torquay 5, Lincoln 1.

Here is Andy May’s final line for his performances with our side:

Midfielders        Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App     G  A  MoM AvgR
Andy May            22  Loaned In     OffTheBall,Teamwork,WorkRate,Bravery 13     2  2   0  6.76

Not a stellar effort, but he was pretty solid – and his rating of 5 for this last match brought down his average a bit. So – not a bad transaction for us, I don’t think. He is making a wage of over £9,000 a week with Man U – more than any six or seven of my players, and I don’t think he’s that much better than what we have here. Alas.


We host Doncaster, and we play to a fairly unpsectacular 1-1 draw, as we have many yonger players and reserves getting time here down the stretch. Lincoln 1, Doncaster 1. Our loss, couple with the win by Tranmere, give them the league championship. Port Vale have won the third auto-promotion slot, and they will return to the Second Division, along with Tranmere.


I have done some dabbling in the transfer market – just looking for players who might be sitting out there looking for a deal for next season. I’m still hot after a midfielder who can give us some time on our left side – that remains my very top need overall. I have approached a number of solid players, but all have snubbed our offers.

[QuikSand]

May 2004

Our final match of the season is at Exeter, and we again field a mixed bag. We’re getting some good time for unproven young players like defender Nick Barnes and midfielder Craig Russell, and that’s valuable. We come up flat here, and give this final match away – but our season goal has already been reached. Exeter 3, Lincoln 0.


Here is the top of the Third Division table at the end of the season:

                W  D  L   GF  GA   Pts

Tranmere       32  4 10  101  46   100
Lincoln        28  9  9   82  41    93
Port Vale      28  4 14   92  53    88
- - - (auto promotion line) - - -
Rushden        24  8 14   86  61    80
Doncaster      23 10 13   96  72    79
Boston Utd     23  8 15   89  74    77
Hartlepool     22  8 16   60  61    74
- - - (promotion playoff line) - - -
Bristol Rovers 22  4 20   67  56    70
Mansfield      20  9 17   71  61    69
Rochdale       20  9 17   89  84    69

So, we couldn’t have caught Tranmere even had we stayed aggressive through the whole season – they finished strong. In the playoff, I think Doncaster might be the side to beat – they have played well lately, although Rushden did make a big springtime move to get into position, and they should have little trouble with Hartlepool in the opener.


I make an offer to Rochdale, trying to secure one of their midfielders. Rochdale had expressed interest in my forward Jamie Barnes, who is still a bit unsettled with us. I offer Barnes and some cash for their 19 y/o midfielder Nick Thompson. However, they aren’t willing to let Thompson go, and they reject our offer.


Peterborough are in dire straits financially, and are looking to move out some contracts. I home in on Kevin Whittle, who was fairly effective for them as a left midfielder and forward last season. Plus, he is willing to leave to help out the club. I put in a transfer offer of £35,000 – everything we have left in the budget. Peterborough ant £90,000 for him – much more than I can afford. I try again with £35,000, but they decline.


In the Third Division final, Rushden take out Doncaster 3-0, and they will advance to the Second Division with us.


Lincoln have been given £230,000 for their final position in the Third Division.


Rochdale’s Nick Thompson is squirming a bit about his contract – and I renew my efforts to land him. I offer £26,000 for him, which is most of our remaining transfer budget.


Tranmere Rovers’ John Walker has won the Englis Third Division Manager of the Year award. QuikSand of Lincoln City came in second, and Paul Woods of Port Vale came third.


This essentially wraps up our season. We’ll have a look at the final player performance grid:

Keepers            Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App   Con  AvgR

Darren Baines       27  £300   £16K   Rushing Out,Eccentricity             24    15  7.33
Steve Howarth       18  £275   £16K   Determ,Stamina,Bravery,Agility       21    22  7.28
Alan Ryan           24  £550   £18K   Kicking,Comm,OneonOnes                5     9  7.00

Defenders          Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App     G  A  MoM AvgR

Martin Gibbons      23  £700  £140K   Decisions,Determ,Stamina             40     0  1   5  7.52
Michael Kelly       21  £1.0K  £16K   Stamina,Finishing,Aggression         41     3  2   0  7.09
David Francis       21  £1.1K  £18K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression           38     0  3   1  7.10
Andy Davies         21  £375   £16K   Heading,Bravery,Marking,Jumping      35(1)  0  2   7  7.44
Andrew Cross        23  £160   £16K   Heading,Jumping,Strength             23     0  2   4  7.52
Ryan Hughes         16  £ 75          Heading,Creativity,Positioning       10     0  0   0  7.40
Andy Hughes         20  £300   £16K   Determ,Teamwork,WorkRate              2     0  0   0  6.00
Ian Hutchinson      26  £475   £16K   Determ,Marking,Bravery,Jumping        0(10) 0  0   0  7.09

Midfielders        Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App     G  A  MoM AvgR

Gary Webb           24  £1.0K  £16K   Passing,Technique,Stamina,Flair      40     6  2   0  7.22
Richard Lewis       21  £1.0K  £16K   Dribbling,Acceleration,Pace          40     9  3   1  7.25
Lee Williamson      22  £400   £40K   WashingUp,Jumping,Bravery,SetPieces  37    19 13   8  7.67
Jason Wilson        20  £950   £40K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression,Infl      31(6)  1  6   0  7.54
Andy Allen          19  £ 90   £16K   Anticipation,Stamina,WorkRate        23(12) 0  5   0  6.80
Lee Harris          16  £ 85          WorkRate,Marking,Stamina,Balance      8(8)  1  1   0  6.75
Paul Warner         16  £ 80          Passing,Heading,Technique,Aggression  3(8)  0  1   0  7.09
Craig Russell       16  £ 90          Dribbing,Heading,Crossing,Teamwork   11(2)  0  0   0  7.07
Andy May            22  Loaned In     OffTheBall,Teamwork,WorkRate,Bravery 13     2  2   0  6.76
Adam Newman         18  £ 80   £18K   WorkRate,Determ,Aggression,OffBall    5(1)  0  0   0  6.83
Mark Oakes          26  £400   £16K   Determination,LongThrows,Bravery      3     0  0   0  6.33
Jamie Mason         26  £800   £16K   Determ,WorkRate,OffTheBall,Balance    1     0  0   0   ---

Forwards           Age  Wage  Value   Top Skills                          App     G  A  MoM AvgR

Alan Jones          18  £ 80   £16K   Creativity,Agility,Balance,Infl      29     8  5   3  7.68
Matthew Jackson     15  £ 70          Stamina,Aggression,Bravery,Finishing 21(3) 14 10   5  7.41
Chris Morgan        29  £500   £16K   Determ,OffTheBall,Agility,WorkRate   21(4) 13 16   2  7.48
Jamie Barnes        21  £550   £28K   Pace,Crossing,Positioning,Finishing  18(6)  9  8   0  7.29
John Garner         16  £110          Strength,Stamina,Bravery,Flair        5(1)  2  3   0  6.83
 

Pretty good performance from here, across the board. We got 7+ ratings from every starter, and quite a number of our players rank in the division leaders in match rating. We’re strong defensively, pretty good up front, and passable in the middle, I’d say.


Alan Atkinson, one of our coaches, has announced his intention to retire after this season. So, we will be looking for another coach to bring to the staff. I first ask Atkinson if he will reconsider, and stay for another season. He agrees to think it over.


This puts a “wrap” on our 2003-04 season – a success by really any measure. Now, we will have to see if we measure up with the competition in the Second Division, as we are movin’ on up!

[winkingpirate]

QS,

I noticed on this edition of the Lincoln, that their is a dearth of Scandanavian players on the squad. Last go around, Lincoln was pratically little Oslo. Has the reduced database you are using limited the amount of potential 'Northern Alliance' players in your squad? Also have you patched to EP5, has that added movement to the transfer market in the lower leagues?

[RPI-Fan]

Sweden youths were abundant in CM 00-01. In later versions, with CM4 being no exception, they're toned down.

[QuikSand]

I have patched to EP5 as of right now - so my 2004-05 season will be the first under the new system.

Since I am not running Sweden or any other countries outside of England, it looks like my ability to draw from there will be very limited. RPI-Fan is correct about the changes since 00/01, but I would be back up there if I could be - even if they weren't overabundant. *sigh*

[Godzilla Blitz]

Congratulations on the fine season! I've sent my check in for season tickets for next year as well.

I still find it amazing that Jackson is only 15 and playing so well. What are your staff saying now about his future?

[QuikSand]

Originally posted by Godzilla Blitz
I still find it amazing that Jackson is only 15 and playing so well. What are your staff saying now about his future?

Actually h ha since turned 16 - but he is still rolling right along. (That personal information is up to me to keep current... and I am just going to fail sometimes)

The staff like him a good deal, as he is "showing his worth despite his young age." It's tough to deny his results - he makes a terrific super-sub for us, and is effective as a starter, also.