FM2006: East Stirling

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Standings - Start of March

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		Berwick		27	16	5	6	43	24	+19	53
2nd		Cowdenbeath		27	16	2	9	54	41	+13	50
3rd		Stenhousemuir		27	12	11	4	37	20	+17	47
4th		Queen's Park		27	13	5	9	43	42	+1	44
5th		East Stirling		27	11	8	8	32	27	+5	41
6th		Arbroath		27	10	8	9	34	31	+3	38
7th		Albion Rovers		27	9	7	11	35	34	+1	34
8th		East Fife		27	9	3	15	29	56	-27	30
9th		Montrose		27	5	7	15	24	40	-16	22
10th		Elgin		27	4	4	19	31	47	-16	16

We slip out of the top 4 and are 3 points behind Queen's Park.

Monthly Awards

None.

Board Confidence
They are still delighted with my performance. We pulled a profit of $4.61k.

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, March 4th - vs Arbrosth
Gribbon gets us started with a goal in the 26th minute. We have a 1-0 lead at the half. Gribbon gives us some room with another goal at the 46th minute, just after the second half got started. They get within 1 at the 82nd minute. We are able to hold on for the win. Mark Tyrrell is Man Of Match. WIN 2-1

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, March 11th - vs. Elgin
They score in the 29th minute when Paul Tyrrell gives the ball up and they score easily. McInuilty ties it for us in the 40th minute with a header off a cross. They score again the 44th minute off a free kick. We had a great chance in the 63rd minute, but Diack's shot hits the bar and they get the rebound and clear. We had a few more chances but failed on all of them. LOSE 2-1

Scottish Third Division, March 18th - vs Queen's Park
Queen's Park is 3 points ahead of us in 4th place. Ure gets us on with a goal in the 30th minute! Have I missed him! They manage to get a goal 3 minutes into injury time and make it 1-1 at the half. They score again less than a minute into the 2nd half by flooding the goalie area and they get a goal off a rebound. We have several shots that looked "destined" to be goals. They score again during injury time. I rip into my team after the match. LOSE 3-1

[SirFozzie]

I am thinking that ripping into them turned out to be a bad move tactically

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, March 25th - vs. Stenhousemuir
In the 6th minute, they score off of a free kick. Our defense holds tight for the rest of the half. Gribbon missed an easy chance earlier. They get a player sent off in the 80th minute. Graham scores put is called offsides. LOSE 1-0

[sabotai]

East Stirling Offer Wood New Contract

East Stirlingshire chairman Alan Mackin has offered you a new three year contract at $8,000 p/y.

Mackin indicates that the board would be able to offer you a transfer budget in the region of $20k to fund the purchase of new players.

With the current salary standing at around $75,000 p/y, the board are pleased to be in a position to offer you scope for additional salaries within the budget should you wish.

The board are willing to give you as much flexibility as possible however and have offered you several alternative budgets to choose from.

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Standings - Start of April

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	Pl	Berwick		31	18	6	7	49	30	+19	60
2nd		Stenhousemuir		31	15	11	5	45	24	+21	56
3rd		Cowdenbeath		31	17	3	11	58	48	+10	54
4th		Queen's Park		31	16	5	10	51	45	+6	53
5th		Arbroath		31	12	8	11	38	35	+3	44
6th		East Stirling		31	12	8	11	36	34	+2	44
7th		Albion Rovers		31	11	8	12	43	40	+3	41
8th		East Fife		31	9	3	19	32	66	-34	30
9th		Montrose		31	7	8	16	31	44	-13	29
10th		Elgin		31	5	6	20	34	51	-17	21

Well, our chances at promotion are pretty much gone. Ayr United has already clinched bottom od the Second Division and will be joining the Third Division next season. The good news is that The Shire has given me a transfer budget to help buy a few players and improve.

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, April 1st - vs. Montrose
We get several chances and miss them. In the 44th minute, Jackson came way out of goal to play a pass, but it was bad and their forward easily hits a goal from far away. We dominated the possession, but didn't score. LOSE 1-0

Scottish Third Division, April 8th - vs Berwick
It goes scoreless until the 42nd minute when pete Ross puts one in. I think he was just trying to cross it, but it went in. In the 82nd minute, Diack scores after he gets the rebound off of a blocked free kick. Mark Tyrrell was Man of Match with a 10 rating. WIN 2-0

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, April 15th - vs East Fife
The first half is scroeless. Darren Gribbon goes insane and scores 2 goals in 7 minutes to give us a 2-0 lead. Hat trick for Gribbon in the 75th minute! I think Gribbon took something before the match, he scores his 4th goal in the 80th minute. WIN 4-0

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, April 22nd - vs Albion Rovers
We both get several chances but miss them all. Not much to report here. DRAW 0-0

Scottich Third Division, April 29th - vs. Cowdenbeath
The first half goes scorelesss. Derek Ure gets us on board with a goal in the 47th minute. Ure scores again the the 64th minute when he heads in a shot off a free kick. Ally Graham gets a goal as well in the 66th minute when he intercepts a pass from their goalie and puts in an easy goal. WIN 3-0

We finish off the season nicely.

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Standings - End Of Season

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	C	Stenhousemuir		36	18	13	5	49	25	+24	67
2nd	Pl	Berwick		36	19	8	9	51	35	+16	65
3rd	Pl	Cowdenbeath		36	19	4	13	64	54	+10	61
4th	Pl	Queen's Park		36	18	6	12	57	51	+6	60
5th		East Stirling		36	15	9	12	45	35	+10	54
6th		Arbroath		36	15	9	12	46	39	+7	54
7th		Albion Rovers		36	11	10	15	45	45	0	43
8th		East Fife		36	10	5	21	35	74	-39	35
9th		Montrose		36	8	9	19	34	51	-17	33
10th		Elgin		36	6	9	21	38	55	-17	27

We get $75,000 for 5th place. We may have finished 5th, but we took in a bunch of awards.

Monthly Awards - April

Player of the Month
Carl Thywissen wins the Player of the Month award for April. Mark Tyrrell came in second.

Young Player of the Month
Derek Ure wins his 3rd Young Player of the Month award.

Manager of the Month
I finish 2nd for this award again


Yearly Awards

Manager Of The Year
I placed 3rd for this award.

Player of the Year
Derek Ure takes the honors for the Third Division Player of the Year!

Team Of The Year
Mark Tyrrell (DC), Carl Thywissen (MC) and Derek Ure (ST) all get named to the Third Division Team Of The Year (all as starters - most starters on the team, Berwick 2 starters, 1 sub, Queen's Park 2 starters).



Board Confidence
They are delighted. We made a profit of $72.88k last month.

[Butter]

Very, very close... too bad you hit that bad patch in March, you might've been able to contend.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

Very, very close... too bad you hit that bad patch in March, you might've been able to contend.

Yeah, I had a bunch of injuries (most were a virus or flu) in Jan through Feb. I finally got to start playing my full squad again that's when Roddy Hunter's loan period ended.

At least I'll be able to buy a few players for next year. On my list is looking for a replacement for Gaughan (gets carded way too oftan) and help on the wings.

[sabotai]

What good is a transfer budget if no one wants to sign with you because of your training facilities that your board does not wish to improve?

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by sabotai

What good is a transfer budget if no one wants to sign with you because of your training facilities that your board does not wish to improve?

such is the life of a manager at a smallish side... and one of the reason why I usually start a little bit higher up in the food chain

FM

[sabotai]

Updates From Around The World

World Cup 2006 - Qualifying
Africa: Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Morocco
Asia: South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Iran
North America: Mexico, USA, Honduras
Europe: Holland, Ukraine, Greece, Portugal, Slovakia, Ireland, Slovenia, Italy, England, Poland, Serbia and Mont., Sweden, Croatia
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, Columbia

African Cup of Nations 2006
Ivory Coast defeated Ghana

Oceania Nations Cup 2006
Vanuata defeated Fiji

European U21 Championship 2006
Italy vs. Portugal (to be played in a few days)

[sabotai]

European Competitions

Champions Cup - Chelsea (ENG) beat Inter (ITA)
EURO Cup - Espanyol (ESP) beat CSKA Moscow (RUS)
European Super Cup - Liverpool (ENG) beat CSKA Moscow (RUS)

England

Premier Division - Chelsea
Championship - Crystal Palace
League One - Nottingham Forest
League Two - Torquay
Conference National - Morecambe
Conference North - Harrogate
Conference South - Weymouth

FA Cup - Chelsea defeated Newcastle
League Cup - Chelsea defeated Aston Villa
Community Chield - Chelsea defeated Arsenal

Chelsea really dominated this year

LDV Vans Trophy - Gillingham defeated Scunthorpe
FA Trophy - Cambridge defeated York

Scotland

Premierleague - Rangers
First Division - Dundee
Second Division - Morton
Third Division - Stenhousemuir

Scottish Cup - Celtic defeated Aberdeen
League Cup - Rangers defeated Dundee United
Challenge Cup - Partick defeated Gretna

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

such is the life of a manager at a smallish side... and one of the reason why I usually start a little bit higher up in the food chain

FM

A bit frustrating but I did manage to find a few people willing to slum it for us.

[sabotai]

New Season Almost Ready

The board are very pleased with my job so far and I am expected to invest in new players to start rebuilding for the future.

Derek Ure also was named Player Of The Year for East Stirling by our supporters.

[sabotai]

World Cup 2006

Group A: Italy, USA
Group B: Argentina, Ghana
Group C: Serbia and Mont., Ireland
Group D: Sweden, Slovakia
Group E: Nigeria, Ukraine
Group F: Japan, Holland
Group G: Greece, Slovenia
Group H: England, Croatia

Second Round

Italy 2, Ghana 0
USA 3e, Argentina 2
Slovekia 2, Serbia and Mont. 0
Sweden 2, Ireland 0
Holland 2, Nigeria 0
Ukraine 2, Japan 0
Croatia 2, Greece 1
England 4, Slovenia 0

Quarter Final

Italy 0p, Sweden 0
USA 4, Slovakia 0
Holland 1, England 0
Croatia 1p, Ukraine 1

Semi Final

Italy 2, Croatia 0
USA 1, Holland 0

Third Place Playoff

Holland 1, Croatia 0

Final

Italy 0p, USA 0

[sabotai]

East Stirling Roster 2006-2007

Note: Technicals do not inluce "set pieces" attributes.

GK Aaron Gilespie, 21 years old
Goal: Rushing Out 13, Eccentricity 12, Tend. To Punch 10
Mental: Flair 11, Teamwork 10
Physical: Jumping 12, Balance 11
05/06: 2 App, 1 GA, 6.00 AvR

GK Derek Jackson, 40 years old
Goal: Reflexes 10, Aerial 5
Mental: Aggression 14, Determination 14, Influence 12
Physical: Strength 12, Balance 11, Jumping 10, Stamina 8
05/06: 36 App, 34 GA, 15 SO, 6.81 AvR

D RC Johnny Walker, 32 years old
Technical: Crossing 8, Tackling 5
Mental: Determination 12, Flair 12, Aggression 9
Physical: Strength 12, Jumping 8
05/06: 36 App, 1 Gls, 2 Asts, 1 MoM, 6.72 AvR

D R Kevin McMullan, 23 years old
Technical: Heading 15, Dribbling 11, Passing 11, Tackling 11
Mental: Bravery 11, Teamwork 10, Work Rate 10
Physical: Jumping 13, Nat. Fitness 12
Signed on a Free Transfer. Played for Arbroath last year
05/06: 6 App, 5.83 AvR

D RC, M C Mark Tyrrell, 23 years old
Technical: Tackling 6
Mental: Work Rate 13, Teamwork 12, Determination 12
Physical: Stamina 13, Jumping 12, Balance 11
05/06: 34 App, 1 Asts, 4 MoM, 7.21 AvR

D C Paul Gaughan, 25 years old
Technical: First Touch 6, Tackling 6
Mental: Aggression 14, Bravery 14, Determination 12, Work Rate 12
Physical: Strength 13, Stamina 12, Jumping 10, Balance 10
05/06: 32 App, 4 MoM, 7.06 AvR

D C Stephen Oates, 22 years old
Technical: Heading 6
Mental: Work Rate 10, Determination 10, Concentration 10
Physical: Pace 9, Acceleration 9
05/06: 7 App, 1 Asts, 6.86 AvR

D/WB L Chris Miller, 23 years old
Technical: Passing 8, Marking 7
Mental: Aggression 20, Influence 14, Teamwork 13, Work Rate 13
Physical: Nat. Fitness 10, Stamina 10
05/06: 2 App, 6.00 AvR

D/WB L Mark Gourlay, 21 years old
Technical: Dribbling 7
Mental: Bravery 19, Aggression 13, Influence 13
Physical: Nat. Fitness 12, Pace 10, Acceleration 10
05/06: 28 App, 1 Asts, 1 MoM, 6.68 AvR

D/WB L, M L Henry Sobolewski, 20 years old
Technical: First Touch 6
Mental: Teamwork 18, Influence 16, Flair 14, Work Rate 13
Physical: Acceleration 13, Nat. Fitness 13
05/06: 27 App, 4 Asts, 6.63 AvR

D L, M L Sean McInulty, 18 years old
Technical: Crossing 4
Mental: Influence 12, Bravery 11, Teamwork 10, Aggression 10
Physical: Balance 9
05/06: 25 App, 1 Gls, 1 Asts, 6.64 AvR

M RC Andy Brand, 23 years old
Technical: Tackling 12, Passing 10
Mental: Determination 13, Influence 13
Physical: Acceleration 14, Stamina 13, Nat. Fitness 11
05/06: 17 App, 2 Gls, 1 Asts, 6.71 AvR

M R Steven Masterton, 21 years old
Technical: Long Shots 12, Dribbling 11, Finishing 10
Mental: Flair 13, Influence 10, Composure 10
Physical: Strength 12, Pace 11, Acceleration 11
05/06: 5 App, 1 Gls, 1 MoM, 6.60 AvR
Signed on a Free Transfer after Clyde did not offer him a new contract

M R Peter Ross, 26 years old
Technical: Dribbling 8
Mental: Teamwork 15, Work Rate 12
Physical: Nat. Fitness 17, Acceleration 12
05/06: 21 App, 1 Gls, 3 Asts, 6.95 AvR

M C Carl Thywissen, 28 years old
Technical: Tackling 10
Mental: Aggression 18, Work Rate 13, Influence 11
Physical: Jumping 12, Nat. Fitness 12, Acceleration 11
05/06: 33 App, 3 Asts, 2 MoM, 7.21 AvR

M C Steven Blair, 20 years old
Technical: Marking 6
Mental: Determination 13, Work Rate 13
Physical: Acceleration 10, Strength 10
05/06: 5 App, 7.00 AvR

M C Paul Ross, 21 years old
Technical: Marking 8
Mental: Teamwork 17, Influence 14, Creativity 13, Work Rate 13
Physical: Nat. Fitness 16, Pace 13, Acceleration 12, Stamina 12
05/06: East Stirling: 10 App, 6.70 AvR
05/06: Cumbernauld Utd: 14 App, 3 Gls, 9 Assts, 1 MoM, 7.29 AvR

M C Paul Tyrrell, 26 years old
Technical: Passing 6
Mental: Influence 14, Work Rate 14, Determination 13, Aggression 12, Bravery 12, Teamwork 12
Physical: Stamina 13, Balance 10, Strength 10
05/06: 34 App, 2 Gls, 5 Asts, 7.12 AvR

AM L Stuart Callaghan, 29 years old
Technical: Long Shots 9, Passing 8, Finishing 8
Mental: Work Rate 14, Aggression 13, Bravery 13, Determination 12, Teamwork 12, Flair 11
Physical: Nat.Fitness 14, Strength 13, Acceleration 12, Balance 12, Stamina 11
05/06: Brechin: 8 App, 6.25 AvR
Signed on a Free Transfer. Last team: Brechin

AM/F C Martin McBride, 20 years old
Technical: Heading 15, Finishing 14,Passing 7
Mental: Teamwork 17, Work Rate 13, Influence 13, Bravery 11
Physical: Strength 11, Nat. Fitness 11, Jumping 10
05/06: Queen's Park: 13 App, 2 Gls, 3 Asts, 1 MoM, 7.08 AvR
Signed on Free Transfer. Played for Queen's Park on load from Gretna last year.

ST Ally Graham, 39 years old
Technical: Heading 8
Mental: Work Rate 13, Influence 12, Teamwork 12
Physical: Strength 14, Jumping 13
05/06: 22 App, 5 Gls, 2 Asts, 1 MoM, 6.77 AvR

ST Derek Ure, 21 years old
Technical: Finishing 6
Mental: Determination 15, Work Rate 14
Physical: Pace 15, Acceleration 14, Stamina 11
05/06: 26 App, 13 Gls, 2 Asts, 5 MoM, 7.27 AvR

[sabotai]

Friendly Matches

vs. St. Mirren (SCO First Division) - LOSE 1-0
vs. RAF Lossiemouth (SCO No Division) - WON 1-1p
vs. Burscough (ENG Conference North) - LOSE 2-1
vs. Boldmere (ENG No Division) - LOSE 3-0

[sabotai]

Matches

Challenge Cup Round One, July 29th vs. East Fife (SCO Third Division)
They score within the first minute off of a free kick. In the 24th minute, Sobolewski scored on a long shot that looked more like a long pass that missed but caught the corner of the net and went in. On the 43rd minute, their forward knocked the ball from the goalie, and out raced him to get to the ball and kicked it in. In the 48th minute, we get a penalty kick but it goes off the post. We get a few more chances, but fail. LOSE 2-1

We get $4,100 for the 1st round lose.

Promotion Odds

Berwick have been given 4-5 odds on promotion this year. Ayr have even odds, Cowdenbeath 5-4, Queen's Park 6-4, Arbroath 7-4 and East Stirling 6-1.

We are predicted to have a midtable finish this year.

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, Aug. 5th vs. Arbroath
They get a goal in the 10th minute when their forward just outran my defender, dribbled the ball by him and kicked it passed Gillespie. Paul Tyrrell scores off of a free kick in the 34th minute. The referee is very yellow card happy. He's given out 6, 4 to me, by the half. Derek Ure gives us the lead in the 46th minute when he heads a long pass into the goal. Paul Tyrrell scores his second goal off of another free kick in the 55th minute. By now, 9 yellow cards, 6 to me, have been issued. In the 66th minute, they score again. We are able to hold on to the win. WIN 3-2

Scottish League Cup, Aug. 8th vs. Ross County (SCO First Division)
This will be ugly. Or not. We actually keep it scoreless for the first half. In the 49th minute, their forward pwns our defense and makes it look easy against Jackson. In the 71st minute, on a throw in, their forward takes, goes right passed my defenders and scores. Into injury time, they add insult t injury and score their 3rd goal. LOSE 3-0

We get $20,000 for our 1st round exit.

Scottish Third Division, Aug. 12th vs. East Fife
They score in the 18th minute when they pass it to a forward who is just sitting in front of my goalie. My defenders don't play the pass and I guess my goalie was too busy picking his nose to notice. I will be searching for a new goalie soon. Gillespie isn't good enough and Jackson is old. They score again in the 24th minute. Jackson looked like he had iron weights on his shoes as they score off a long free kick. We had a couple of chances in the first half, but didn't take advantage of them. McBride gets us on the scoreboard with a goal in the 68th minute. They have a player sent off in the 70th minute. We couldn't get another good chance and it's over. LOSE 2-1

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, Aug. 19th vs. Elgin
In the 15th minute, Masterton scores off a rebound. They score in the 25th minute off a penalty kick. We seemed to dominate the second half, but couldn't get any thing to go in net. DRAW 1-1

I warned Sobolewski for his poor performance. He rated a 5, a 4 for most of the match. Near the end, he messed up a throw in that nearly cost us the game.

Scottish Third Division, Aug. 26th vs. Albion Rovers
The first half goes scoreless. They score in the 46th minute. Wasted chance after wasted chance. Dymock gets us tied up in the 77th minute. DRAW 1-1

[sabotai]

Scottish Thrid Division Standings - Start of September

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		Cowdenbeath		4	3	0	1	9	2	+7	9
2nd		Queen's Park		4	3	0	1	6	6	0	9
3rd		Ayr		4	2	1	1	5	4	+1	7
4th		East Fife		4	2	0	2	6	8	-2	6
5th		Montrose		4	2	0	2	4	6	-2	6
6th		East Stirling		4	1	2	1	6	6	0	5
7th		Berwick		4	1	1	2	5	5	0	4
8th		Elgin		4	1	1	2	6	7	-1	4
9th		Arbroath		4	1	1	2	5	6	-1	4
10th		Albion Rovers		4	0	2	2	4	6	-2	2

In 5th place, but our performance has been good. 2 draws that should have been wins that would have puts us tied for 3rd.

Monthly Awards

Player Of The Month
Stuart Callaghan was 3rd for this award.

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, Sept. 9th vs. Cowdenbeath
They score in the 33rd minute off a free kick. Derek Ure answers right back in the 36th minute when he scores. They get a player sent off in the 64th minute. We get the go ahead goal in the 89th minute when Paul Tyrrell heads in a cross. WIN 2-1

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, Sept 16th vs. Berwick
They score quickly in the 6th minute. It looked like the goalie was going to play the ball, but pulled up thinking my defender was going to play it, who did the same thing (stopped). Their player gets to it and kicks it passed Jackson. McBride answers when he kicks in long pass to tie it up in the 16th minute. We get a penalty kick in the 52nd minute and they get red carded for the foul. We score on the penalty kick and take the lead. We get another penalty kick in the 56th minute. We score on it again and take a 3-1 lead. McBride adds insult to injury with a goal during injury time. WIN 4-1

Scottish Third Division, Sept. 20th vs. Queen's Park
Both teams had a few chances but failed to take advantage of them. McBride gets us on board with a goal in the 51st minute with an assist from Ure and Callaghan. McBride clinches the win with a go during injury time. WIN 2-0

Scottish Third Division, Sept. 23rd vs. Ayr
They score in the 12th minute to start it off. They look like they might be too fast for me, especially since my team is a bit tired. They score again in the 28th minute. Ure gets us on board with a goal in the 63rd minute to pull within one. LOSE 2-1

Scottish Third Division, Sept. 30th vs. East Fife
We score quickly in the 6th minute off a shot by McBride with Ure on the assist. We're able to hold them off for the win. WIN 1-0

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Standings - Start of October

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		East Stirling		9	5	2	2	16	10	+6	17
2nd		Queen's Park		9	4	2	3	11	13	-2	14
3rd		Berwick		9	4	1	4	15	12	+3	13
4th		Elgin		9	3	4	2	14	11	+3	13
5th		Albion Rovers		9	3	4	2	10	8	+2	13
6th		Arbroath		9	3	3	3	12	12	0	12
7th		Ayr		9	3	3	3	9	10	-1	12
8th		Montrose		9	4	0	5	9	12	-3	12
9th		East Fife		9	3	1	5	9	13	-4	10
10th		Cowdenbeath		9	3	0	6	10	14	-4	9

A great month for us as we land into 1st place. We have a 3 point lead and hopefully we can keep this hot streak going.

Monthly Awards

Player Of The Month
Martin McBride wins the Player Of The Month award for September. Callaghan placed 2nd for the award.

Manager Of The Month
I win the Manager Of The Month award for September. Sweet!

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, Oct. 14th vs. Montrose
We dominate the first half and get several chances, but we just can't find a way to score. Dymock scores in the 66th minute to finally get us on the board. We hold on to the win but we should have destroyed them. WIN 1-0

Scottish Third Division, Oct. 21st vs. Arbroath
They score quickly in the 11th minute. We hold them off and keep them out of our zone. We get a lot of chances but fail on all of tham. LOSE 1-0

Scottish Third Division, Oct 28th vs. Elgin
We get things started in the 13th minute with a goal by Masterton. Ure is injured and has to come out in the 33rd minute. They tie it at 1 in the first minute of injury time before the half. McBride gets us back in the lead at the 57th minute. They tie it up in the 87th minute when my defense loses their mind and has a horrible pass taken by their forward and my goalie was out of position. DRAW 2-2

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Standings - Start Of November

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		Berwick		12	7	1	4	22	14	+8	22
2nd		East Stirling		12	6	3	3	19	13	+6	21
3rd		Arbroath		12	5	3	4	15	14	+1	18
4th		Ayr		12	5	3	4	12	12	0	18
5th		Elgin		12	4	5	3	18	15	+3	17
6th		Queen's Park		12	5	2	5	16	20	-4	17
7th		Albion Rovers		12	3	6	3	11	10	+1	15
8th		East Fife		12	4	2	6	12	16	-4	14
9th		Montrose		12	4	1	7	9	16	-7	13
10th		Cowdenbeath		12	4	0	8	14	18	-4	12

We slip down to second after having a 1-1-1 month that could have easily been 3-0-0. Hopefully my team pulls it together so we don't have a midseason slump like last year.

Monthly Awards

Player Of The Month
Carl Thywissen comes in 2nd for the award.

Young Player Of The Month
Steven Masterton comes in 3rd for this award.

Board Confidence
They still love me.

[SirFozzie]

Glad to see you continuing this, this is the year! Maybe. Could be.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Glad to see you continuing this, this is the year! Maybe. Could be.

Hopefully. Last year I felt like I was winning games I should have lost, this year I'm drawing and losing games I should win. Keeping my fingers crossed that we don't go through another midseason slump.

BTW, Derek Ure is out for 2 weeks to 2 months....

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Thrid Division, Nov. 4th vs. Albion Rovers
Thywissen scores our first goal of the game in the 26th minute. We control the entire match and survive with a win. WIN 1-0

Scottish Third Division, Nov 22nd vs. Cowdenbeath
In the 10th minute, McBride scores off a Paul Tyrrell free kick. They tie the game in the 26th minute off a penalty kick. They have a player sent off during injury time before the half for getting his second yellow card. They take the lead in the 54th minute. Callaghan ties it back up for us in the 59th minute on a cross from Masterton. DRAW 2-2

We draw Buckie Thistle for the 2nd Round of the Scottish Cup.
Derek Jackson has stated he will retire at the end of the season.

Scottish Third Division, Nov 25th vs. Berwick
Masterton gets us on board in the 17th minute to take an early lead. Dymock gives us some room in the 52nd minute making the score 2-0. We hold on and take the win. WIN 2-0

Derek Jackson is out for 2 weeks to a month.

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Standings - Start of December

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		East Stirling		15	8	4	3	24	15	+9	28
2nd		Berwick		15	8	2	5	24	17	+7	26
3rd		Ayr		15	7	4	4	17	14	+3	25
4th		Elgin		15	6	5	4	24	19	+5	23
5th		Queen's Park		15	7	2	6	22	24	-2	23
6th		Arbroath		15	6	4	5	19	19	0	22
7th		Cowdenbeath		15	5	2	8	20	22	-2	17
8th		Albion Rovers		15	3	6	6	12	15	-3	15
9th		East Fife		15	4	3	8	14	20	-6	15
10th		Montrose		15	4	2	9	12	23	-11	14

We take back 1st place, but this will be a tough month without our starting goalkeeper.

Monthly Awards

Player Of The Month
Stuart Callaghan takes the Player of The Month award for November. He has become one of my most valuable players.

Manager of The Month
I come in second for the award.

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, Dec 2nd vs. Queen's Park
Gillespie gets beat in the 14th minute to give Queen's Park the lead. They go up 2-0 when Gaughen is caught out of position. They go up 3-0 when Gillespai just let a lob go in. Dymock gets us on during injury time at the end of the game, but it's far too late. LOSE 3-1

Scottish Cup Second Round, Dec 9th vs. Buckie Thistle
They score quickly in the 8th minute as my defense just broke down. By the 35th minute, I had two players injured and had to come off. They take a 2-0 lead off a penalty kick in the 39th minute. (At the half, I looked through their team and am wondering what exactly are half of these players doing a on team that isn't in a Divison!? They have a striker I would love to have based on his attributes!) We FINALLY get a score (one our first shot on gaol) in the 85th minute. We had another chance to score a tieing goal, but we fail. Terrible job by my team. 10 shots, only 2 were on goal. LOSE 2-1

We are 0-3 in Cup matches this year

Scottish Third Division, Dec. 16th vs. Montrose
McBride gets injured in the 43rd minute and has to come out. Another game we should have won easily, but no goals. DRAW 0-0

McBride will be out for 3 weeks to 2 months.

Scottish Third Division, Dec 23rd vs. Ayr
They score quickly in the 7th minute on a shot that Gillespie should have easily stopped. They again score in thw 38th minute and I am crying for Jackson to get better. Derek Ure gets injured AGAIN at the half time mark. McMullen gets us a goal in the 58th minute. They answer with a goal in the 60th minute. Gillespie will be out of a job ASAP. LOSE 3-1

Injuries, loses....it's happening again.

Scottish Third Division, Dec. 26th vs. Arbroath
Neither team does anything in the first half. They score in the 57th minute. McMullen is sent off in the 71st minute. They score in the 72nd minute off of a penalty kick. And then they score again in the 75th minute. LOSE 3-0

I wish I could get a new goalie, but anyone worth a damn won't come here because of my training facilities, and I've already asked three times for the board to upgrade them.

Scottish Third Division, Dec 30th vs. East Fife
My two forwards are tired, but I have to play them since my other two forwards are hurt. Paul Tyrrell gets us a score in the 59th minute. Dymock gets us a second goal when he knocks it in off a second rebound. They tie it in the 81st minute when Gillespie is, surprise-surprise, caught out of position. But we hold on. WIN 2-1

[sabotai]

New Faces

Bought two players to help out when my players get injured. I was hurting there for awhile with only 2 healthy forwards.

ST Matthew Biddle - 19 years old
Technical: Finishing 13, Dribbling 10, Pen. Taking 10
Mental: Teamwork 13, Flair 12, Composure 11
Physical: Nat. Fitness 11, Jumping 11, Pace 10, Strength 10

AM RLC, F C Lee Sichi - 23 years old
Technical: ...not good.
Mental: Flair 14, Aggression 14, Work Rate 11
Physical: Nat. Fitness 13, Pace 11, Stamina 11, Acceleration 11, rest = 10
Grabbed him because he is "Accomplished" or "Natural" at all Midfielder and Forward positions, so he can be my emergency backup for more than half of my team.

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Standings - Start of January

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		Berwick		20	11	4	5	35	22	+13	37
2nd		East Stirling		20	9	5	6	28	25	+3	32
3rd		Ayr		20	8	6	6	23	21	+2	30
4th		Queen's Park		20	9	3	8	29	30	-1	30
5th		Elgin		20	8	5	7	31	29	+2	29
6th		Arbroath		20	8	5	7	28	28	0	29
7th		Albion Rovers		20	7	6	7	26	22	+4	27
8th		Cowdenbeath		20	7	2	11	26	31	-5	23
9th		East Fife		20	5	6	9	22	27	-5	21
10th		Montrose		20	5	4	11	15	28	-13	19

Despite our poor showing last month, we still hold on to second place. But only 3 points seperate me from 6th place and Berwick is starting to run away with it. Derek Jackson is back, but he doesn't look all that good. He is aging quite fast, and I still can't find a good GK to come here.

Monthly Awards

None

Board Confidence

What can I say? They still love me.

[tanglewood]

Still reading, nice dynasty. Hopefully you get promoted this year and get the cash to upgrade the training facilities.

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, Jan 6th. vs Elgin
Ally Graham starts it off with a penalty kick in the 22nd minute. They tie it up in the 31st minute when they get 3 guys sitting in front of my goalie and my defense doesn't do anything about it. Callaghan gets us back in the lead with a score in the 48th minute. They tie it back up in the 59th minute. In the 74th minute, Sichi gives us the lead, scoring in his debut. But then they tie it up again in the 83rd minute off a corner kick. DRAW 3-3

New Face

GK Sandy Young - 20 years old
Technical: Ten. To Punch 16, Aerial Ability 11, Handling 10, Communication 10
Mental: Flair 11, Teamwork 11, Positioning 10, Work Rate 10
Physical: Agility 14, Jumping 10, Strength 10, Nat. Fitness 10
Bought on Transfer ($7K) from Inverness CT's Reserve squad.

Scottish Third Division, Jan 13th vs Albion Rovers
Young's debut, and he lets in a goal in the first minute of play. They score a second goal in the 75th minute. Can't really blame that one on Young since my defense decided to not play the ball and just kind of stand around. LOSE 2-0

Ally Graham announces he will retire at the end of the season.

Scottish Third Division, Jan 20th vs. Cowdenbeath
We score quickly with a goal by Masterton in the 6th minute. Paul Tyrrell extends our lead with a goal in the 21st minute off of a free kick. Biddle gives us a 3-0 lead in the 46th minute off a long pass from Masterton. They score off of a penalty kick in the 74th minute. Sichi gets us a goal in the 85th minute to put a stamp on this game. WIN 4-1

I think I finally found a squad of forwards that can get the job done. Ure being back, Biddle played well, Sichi is doing good and I should be getting McBride back. Graham and Dymock have had to be my forwards for the last month, and the results speak for themselves.

Scottish Third Division, Jan 27th vs. Berwick
They score in the 10th minute when Gaughan misplays the ball and their forward gets an easy chance. They score again in the 26th minute. They score again the 51st minute off of a penalty kick. We finally get on board with a goal from Masterton in the 56th minute. In the 87th minute, Masterton gets us within one, but it's too late. If it wasn't for that damn penalty kick. LOSE 3-2

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Standings - Start of February

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		Berwick		24	13	4	7	39	29	+10	43
2nd		Ayr		24	12	6	6	30	24	+6	42
3rd		East Stirling		24	10	6	8	37	34	+3	36
4th		Albion Rovers		24	9	8	7	32	23	+9	35
5th		Elgin		24	9	7	8	40	36	+4	34
6th		Arbroath		24	9	6	9	31	30	+1	33
7th		Queen's Park		24	9	5	10	32	39	-7	32
8th		East Fife		24	7	6	11	30	34	-4	27
9th		Cowdenbeath		24	8	3	13	30	38	-8	27
10th		Montrose		24	6	5	13	21	35	-14	23

We slip down to 3rd. Hopefully we continue to hang on and at least make the playoff for promotion.

Monthly Awards

None

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, Feb 3rd vs. Montrose
7 shots by half time, 0 on target. 11 shots at the end, 1 on target. We absolutely dominated this match with no goals to show for it. DRAW 0-0

Scottish Third Division, Feb 10th vs. Queen's Park
They score in the 29th minute off of a free kick after we failed on several easy chances. Ure ties the game off of a penalty kick in the 34th minute. They take the lead in the 68th minute. They score again in the 80th minute. LOSE 3-1

Scottish Third Division, Feb 17th vs. Ayr
The first half scoreless. Ure gets us a goal in the 50th minute. Thywissen gives us an insurance goal in the 82nd minute. A badly needed win versus one of the top teams. WIN 2-0

Scottish Third Division, Feb. 24th vs Arbroath
They score quickly in the 8th minute and then take a 2-0 lead at the 20th minute mark. Mark Tyrrell puts the stamp on this game in the 86th minute when he passes it to Jackson...and it's REALLY off, into our own net. LOSE 3-0

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Standings - Start of March

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st		Berwick		28	16	5	7	46	33	+13	53
2nd		Ayr		28	14	7	7	34	27	+7	49
3rd		Elgin		28	11	7	10	46	42	+4	40
4th		East Stirling		28	11	7	10	40	40	0	40
5th		Arbroath		28	11	6	11	38	35	+3	39
6th		Queen's Park		28	11	6	11	40	43	-3	39
7th		Albion Rovers		28	9	9	10	34	30	+4	36
8th		East Fife		28	9	6	13	37	41	-4	33
9th		Montrose		28	8	6	14	26	39	-13	30
10th		Cowdenbeath		28	8	5	15	33	44	-11	29

We slip down into 4th place. It's going to be a very close race to the end.

Monthly Awards

None

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, March 3rd vs East Fife
They score in the 40th minute. They score again in what is becoming an every game event for me when they score off a penalty kick. Mark Tyrrell gets sent off for getting 2 yellows. They score their 3rd goal in the 72nd minute. They score again in the 74th minute and I'm really starting to wonder if Young is good enough to replace Jackson next year... Callaghan at least gets us a goal in the 80th minute. LOSE 4-1

Scottish Third Division, March 10th vs Elgin
They score in the 11th minute when Gaughan gets pwned by their forward. McBride ties it back up for us at the 19th minute. Ure gives us the lead off a penalty kick. They score in the first 30 seconds of the half when they head in a long pass. DRAW 2-2

Scottish Third Division, March 17th vs. Albion Rovers
Paul Tyrrell scores the first goal in the 17th minute off of a free kick. They tie it up in the 62nd minute when their forward heads in a long pass. We dominate possession but can't get the win. DRAW 1-1

Scottish Third Division, March 31st vs. Cowdenbeath
They score in the 15th minute when they swarm in front of my goalie and my defense can't get the ball out. They score again in the 31st minute on another defensive breakdown. Callaghan, my most dependable player, gets injured in the 57th minute. LOSE 2-0

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Standings - Start of April

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	Pl	Ayr		32	17	7	8	41	34	+7	58
2nd	Pl	Berwick		32	17	6	9	51	38	+13	57
3rd		Queen's Park		31	14	6	11	49	43	+6	48
4th		Elgin		32	11	9	12	48	49	-1	42
5th		East Stirling		32	11	9	12	44	49	-5	42
6th		Arbroath		31	11	8	12	41	39	+2	41
7th		Albion Rovers		32	9	13	10	38	34	+4	40
8th		Cowdenbeath		32	11	5	16	38	47	-9	38
9th		East Fife		32	10	7	15	43	47	-4	37
10th		Montrose		32	10	6	16	31	44	-13	36

We slip down to 5th now, and are pretty much in a race with Elgin, Arbroath and possible Albion Rovers for the last promotion playoff spot. I play Berwick, Queen's Park, Ayr and Montrose. The top 3 teams and the bottom feeder. I think I need to win at least 2 of those matches to have a chance.

Montly Awards

None

EDIT: I've pretty much lost Callaghan for the rest of the season, so this will be very tough for me.

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, April 7th vs Berwick
We had 3 very clear chances for a goal and failed on all of them. We have several more chances in the second half as we practically shutdown the top Third Division team's offense. But we just can't seem to find a goal. DRAW 0-0

Elgin draws Montrose and Arbroath beats Ayr. We are in 6th place now (tuied for 5th with Elgin) with Arbroath in 4th place by 1 point over us. 3 to go.

Scottish Third Division, April 14th vs. Queen's Park
Sobolewski is injured in the 25th minute. Both teams have a few chances for a score, including a penalty kick for Queen's Park, but the half is scoreless. They score on a header in the 90th minute () when my defense leaves their forward unchallanged. LOSE 1-0

Albion Rovers win one and draw another to jump into 4th place. East Fife has won their last two and have jumped up as well. I'm now in 8th place. However, only 1 point seperates 4th from 8th, so if we get lucky and string 2 wins together, we still have a shot.

[sabotai]

Matches

Scottish Third Division, April 21st vs. Ayr
They score in the 30th minute. Their forward had been beating my defense and he finally got us. They have a player sent off in the 31st minute for getting his second yellow card. McBride ties it up for us during injury time before the half. McBride gives us the lead in the 50th minute. We take a 3-1 lead when Ure hits a penalty kick in the 54th minute. Paul Tyrrell gets sent off in the 70th minute for getting 2 yellow cards. We hold on for the win. WIN 3-1

Elgin vs Arbroath played to a draw, Albion Rovers drew Queen's Park. East Stirling and East Fife have 46 points, tied for 4th.

East Fife will be playing Arbroath. I will be playing Montrose, who are dead last in the Division. Although my recent performance vs Montrose will show that this will not be easy.

Scottish Third Division, April 28th vs. Montrose
We do with without Paul Tyrrell who is suspended. Damn...Thywissen scores in the 12th minute to give us an early lead. They tie it with a penalty kick in the 34th minute. For whatever reason, I do good against Berwick, I have Ayr's number, but this worst team in the Third Division that is Montrose always gives me problems. I have a player (Gourlay) sent off in the 50th minute. Of course, the last game of the year, I have to win this game, and I get my first red card (not including getting 2 yellows)....They take the lead in the 60th minute. Ure gets it tied again off of a penalty kick. And then they score the winning goal in the 83rd minute. LOSE 3-2

Our captian and best midfielder suspended, a player sent off in the 50th minute....ugh, no promotion this year.

[sabotai]

Scottish Third Division Final Standings

Pos	Inf	Team		Pld	Won	Drn	Lst	For	Ag	G.D.	Pts
1st	C	Berwick		36	18	7	11	55	42	+13	61
2nd	Pl	Queen's Park		36	17	7	12	57	47	+10	58
3rd	Pl	Ayr		36	17	7	12	43	42	+1	58
4th	Pl	Albion Rovers		36	11	15	10	45	39	+6	48
5th		East Fife		36	13	8	15	52	52	0	47
6th		Arbroath		36	12	10	14	45	47	-2	46
7th		East Stirling		36	12	10	14	49	54	-5	46
8th		Elgin		36	11	12	13	50	53	-3	45
9th		Cowdenbeath		36	12	7	17	41	50	-9	43
10th		Montrose		36	12	7	17	39	50	-11	43

[sabotai]

End Of Season

Third Division Team Of The Year
Steven Masterton and Stuart Callaghan were named as starters to the Team Of The Year. Paul Tyrrell was named as a sub.

Player Of The Year
Stuart Callaghan came in 2nd for this award, and Steven Masterton came in 3rd.

Promotion
Beriwck wins promotion and Queen's Park with the playoff for pormotion. Dumbarton finished last in the Second Division and Alloa lost in the playoff and will be relegated.

Statistics

Team Stats

East Stirling was 5th in Ave. Attendance (450). Ayr was first, by a mile, with 1270.
East Stilring finished LAST in Goals Allowed. Notice how none of my defenders ever seem to win any honors.
East Stirling was the only team in the Third Division to not score a goal off of a corner kick.
East Stirling did have the fewest amount of yellow cards.

Player Stars

Stuart Callaghan has the best Ave. Rating in the division with 7.32
Martin McBride was 4th in the division with % of Shots On Target (57%).
Steven Masterton had the most Man Of Match awards with 6, Stuart Callaghan tied for second with 5.
Martin McBirde was tied for 7th in goals with 11. Derek Ure was tied for 15th with 8.

[sabotai]

Budget For Next Year

I choose the budget for next year. $220K per year (same as it is now) and a transfer budget of $42K.