Mike Bassett: England Manager

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April/May 2022

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Results

Rotherham 0 Coventry 1

My first game in charge saw us secure a solid win at  Rotherham, that meant we climbed out of the bottom four.

We got off to a great start. In the 9th minute, centre back Mark O'Hara hit a long ball to Jerry Mbakogu. The forward found his strike partner Matt Godden in space, and the previously out of favour striker finished superbly to give us a 1-0 lead.

We dominated the first half. The second half was more even, but we contained our hosts brilliantly, with centre back pairing Mark O'Hara and Gabriel Zakuani rock solid, winning five tackles each.

Man of the Match: Jerry Mbakogu

Rotherham couldn't cope with Jerry's ability to run at their defenders. He created two chances, provided the assist for the goal, and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet himself.

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Coventry 1 Macclesfield 0

This Sunday game was a day after everyone else having played. Scunthorpe's victory meant that we started this game back in the bottom four.

We dominated the first half, and our reward came in the 34th minute. A loose ball came to left back Rasmus Lindkvist, whose 30 yard effort beat the visitor's keeper, to give us a deserved 1-0 lead.

We were unable to sustain the pressure in the second half. The game became more even, and both sides had chances to score. We had a brilliant display by goalkeeper Alex Smithies to thank for keeping a clean sheet, but on the balance of play, I believe that we deserved the win.

Man of the Match: Alex Smithies


That result takes us out of the bottom four again. A win at Bristol Rovers in our final game will secure safety, but if Bolton and/or Scunthorpe lose, our next result won't matter.

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Bristol Rovers 1 Coventry 0

The hosts dominated the first half, and took a deserved lead in the 17th minute. I made a substitution at half-time, and had a reshuffle. We dominated the second half, but a Man of the Match winning performance by the host's keeper Mark Oxley prevented us from getting a deserved equaliser.

My immediate attention was drawn to the Bolton and Scunthorpe games. Bolton held Accrington to a draw, while Scunthorpe got an impressive win at Forest Green. These are the final standings.

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Despite picking up six points from a possible nine, it wasn't enough to keep Coventry in League One. I'm gutted. Only Mike Bassett could win the League One title, then take a side down to League Two six weeks later!

I know I've only been here for eighteen days, and previously stated that I'd be happy to manage in League Two next season if that was what transpired, but this is a tougher job than I realised.

Coventry have the second lowest wage bill in the division, (Hartlepool's is the lowest) but have a serious expenditure problem.

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As you can see from the image above, almost 30% of the club's expenditure goes on ground maintenance. We are paying for the upkeep of St. Andrews, home of Birmingham City.

This is a problem, considering our income.

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This will be reduced next season when our average attendance drops. As you can see, we've already had a bailout of over £1.1M shortly before I arrived, but the club are currently over £1.4M in the red.

If we'd stayed up, I'd have been happy to continue, despite the club's financial constraints. Relegation however has made me have a rethink. The Sheffield Wednesday job has just come up, following their relegation from the Championship. I've applied for it.

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My next update will provide you with the outcome, along with a brief summary of the season.
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by Here2Win79 »

Damn, just one goal needed in your last game to survive but sadly no-one can find it. Coventry then are on their way down but unlike Ted Lasso, Mike Bassett has no honour and immediately goes looking for a lifeboat. With the England job as the ultimate aspiration, a season of desperate horse trading in League Two wouldn’t have done the trick, but this is still surely more of a Jim Royle move than a Mike Bassett one. Sounds like the one plus point from your brief time in Coventry is running into Smithies, who could prove a useful signing for your next club.
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by Redknapp69 »

Arggggghhhhh - go down on GD!

I thought you boxed it after winning the 2 games - GUTTED!

Assume Sheff Wed are in League 2 then?

Can't believe you are binning Cov ;)
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

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Redknapp69 wrote: Sun Feb 05, 2023 11:26 pm Arggggghhhhh - go down on GD!

I thought you boxed it after winning the 2 games - GUTTED!

Assume Sheff Wed are in League 2 then?

Can't believe you are binning Cov ;)
Sheffield Wednesday have just been relegated from the Championship into League One.

The financial situation at Coventry is perilous, otherwise I'd be happy to stay.
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May 2022

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Sheffield Wednesday have decided to go for the guy who has took MK Dons up from League Two via the playoffs.

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However, the Reading job has come up after they failed to win promotion to the Championship. I applied for that too.

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Sadly for me, Reading have gone for the man that got Lincoln into 9th place in League Two.

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I'm scratching my head a bit, as my track record and reputation is much better than the men who beat me to those jobs.

Perhaps Sheffield Wednesday and Reading were wary about appointing a manager who has recently parted ways with one club after winning a third successive promotion, and was prepared to leave another club within weeks of his appointment. I can't blame them really.

With this in mind, the best thing for me is to focus on the job in hand at Coventry.

My predecessor, Mark Robins, had arranged a handful of Bosman deals to go through this summer. I'll honour those arrangements, and have lined up a few free transfers of my own. I'll give you more details in my next update.




Summary of the Season

After winning the League Two title with Hartlepool twelve months ago, expectations weren't particularly high going into my debut season in League One.

We had the lowest wage bill in the division, and the board were expecting a relegation battle.

However, a great opening couple of months saw us four points clear at the top of the table, and unbeaten by the end of September.

We then showed some wobbly form, and by the end of November had slipped into 2nd place, four points behind leaders Accrington.

In late November we had suffered a home defeat to Bolton. There was no looking back after that though. From the next game through to late March, we showed blistering form. We went on a 21 league game unbeaten run, that included winning 17 in a row.

It wasn't long before we regained our place at the top of the table, and as time went on, the gap between ourselves and the rest just grew and grew until we had an unassailable lead.

We secured promotion with that seventeenth win, then held eventual runners-up Sunderland to a draw at the Stadium of Light, to clinch the title with seven games to spare.

This was a squad effort, and throughout the season I highlighted players such as central defenders Michal Stanczyk and Martin Vukorepa, along with midfielder Ivan Roca.

For me though, the outstanding player at Hartlepool last season was goalkeeper Anastasios Karagiozis.

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Anastasios put in a series of brilliant displays throughout the season. He played a huge part in the club having the best defensive record in the division, and was deservedly named in the League One Team of the Year.

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With my objectives complete at Hartlepool, it was time for me to think of pastures new. When the Coventry job came up, I was seduced by them being a big name club at this level. As it turns out, the club haven't got the fan base to financially cope.

In hindsight, I should've held on at Hartlepool for a little longer. I may well have had a better chance with the Sheffield Wednesday and Reading jobs had I have done so. Instead, I'm facing the next twelve months back in League Two, with a club that are in a desperate financial position.




Next Update

I'll look to clear out the deadwood, and have lined up a few free transfers that I'm happy with. I'll need to utilise the loan market next season. Details to follow.
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by Redknapp69 »

Well - this is a spanner in the works

Bizarre how you were not offered the Reading and Sheff Wed gigs - feels odd/worrying

Do you go for a lesser job now or as you say - stick it out at Cov but will be a helluva challenge
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by Here2Win79 »

Uh oh!
Get your transfer business done quickly as after the June update the board will likely slash your max wage allowed.
Interesting that you couldn’t get other jobs, I feel like I’ve seen other stories where people jumped ship quick but maybe you need to resign and apply?
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

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Redknapp69 wrote: Mon Feb 06, 2023 9:44 am Well - this is a spanner in the works

Bizarre how you were not offered the Reading and Sheff Wed gigs - feels odd/worrying

Do you go for a lesser job now or as you say - stick it out at Cov but will be a helluva challenge
I messed up by going for the first job that came up after winning the League One title with Hartlepool. I should've bided my time. Instead, I gambled that I'd save Coventry from relegation. I very nearly did, but I have to own this bad career move, and try to make the best of it.
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

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Here2Win79 wrote: Mon Feb 06, 2023 11:00 am Uh oh!
Get your transfer business done quickly as after the June update the board will likely slash your max wage allowed.
Interesting that you couldn’t get other jobs, I feel like I’ve seen other stories where people jumped ship quick but maybe you need to resign and apply?
There are plenty of deals lined up.

Before taking the Coventry job, I wondered whether to just take it on a three-game basis (in my head) then walk away if I was unsuccessful. I also wonder if I'd have had a better chance of the Sheffield Wednesday and Reading jobs if I was a free agent.
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England News & Squad Changes: Summer 2022

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World Cup

After reaching the semi finals of Euro 2020, England comfortably qualified for the 2022 World Cup.

However, this tournament didn't go so well.

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A defeat by Belgium in their opening group game was followed by an emphatic 5-2 win over Uruguay.

That was as good as it got for England though, as they were held to a draw by Senegal in the final group game.

This was enough to see England through to the 2nd round, but they played out a drab 0-0 draw with Switzerland, and qualified for the last eight via a penalty shootout.

England were then deservedly beaten by Serbia in the quarter finals, who went on to eliminate Scotland in the semis.

Serbia did well to get to the final, but were comfortably beaten by Germany.

Gareth Southgate has kept his job, and there is no sign that his tenure is insecure.




Squad Changes

I've been able to offload sixteen players this summer, bringing in just over £1M in transfer fees.

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I've been busy snapping up either free transfers or player exchanges, bringing in twenty-two new signings. Eight of those were arranged by my predecessor Mark Robins.

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Lewis Page and Jacob Davenport were with me at Hartlepool last season, on loan from Charlton and Blackburn respectively.

The pick of the bunch is a name that you'll be familiar with, Ivan Roca.

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I first signed Ivan in January 2021, halfway through Hartlepool's League Two title winning campaign. He helped us get over the line that season, then played an important role in my former club's League One title win, starting 24 of our 46 league matches, and averaging 3.7 tackles per game.

Hartlepool made a surprise bid for our young goalkeeper Tom Smith. I clicked 'exchange' and Ivan was one of several players that came up. I left my former club with an abundance of midfielders, so they were happy to accept the swap.

Ivan will be very much an upgrade on what we currently have here at Coventry, so I'm delighted to have acquired him. I'm confident that he'll thrive in League Two, having already shown me what he can do at a higher level.

I won't go through every player that I've signed, but throughout the season I'll highlight any players that have a significant impact.

I've also made half a dozen loan signings. You won't be surprised to see where most of them have come from.

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I signed Gary O'Neil for Hartlepool in January 2021, but he wasn't high enough in the pecking order to be anything more than a fringe player. I tended to use either Ivan Roca, Ben Thompson or Sam Finley as my midfield duo, then latterly Jamie Ness.

With less options available to me, Gary should become an important member of my Coventry squad.

Luke Gambin is a left midfielder that struggled to get games in League One last season, but was a decent member of my Hartlepool squad that won League Two the previous season. In 15 league starts, he scored 7 goals and provided 6 assists.

Jake Williams is a central defender who I brought to Hartlepool twelve months ago. I like the look of him, but Michal Stanczyk and Martin Vukorepa had already established themselves as my first choice central defence pairing. Jake slipped further down the pecking order after I splashed out on Chey Dunkley.

I will highlight the other three loan signings I made though, as I believe they are capable of making a significant impact.

You may remember goalkeeper Gary Woods.

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I signed Gary for £70K from Oldham in January 2020, halfway through our National League title winning campaign. He displaced Ethan Carry, and did really well for us.

He was solid during the first few months of our League Two title winning campaign the following season, but lost his place due to a suspension, and couldn't win it back from his replacement in the side, Anastasios Karagiozis.

Preston met Gary's £700K buyout clause in January 2021, so he moved on.

He has only made five starts during his time at Deepdale, so when I saw that he was available on loan, I snapped him up.

The next player I moved swiftly to bring in is Lloyd Isgrove.

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I signed Lloyd twelve months ago from Swindon for £210K.

This was money well spent. Lloyd is comfortable playing either side of wide midfield, and made 20 starts in League One last season, scoring 5 goals and providing 8 assists.

That return suggests he'll do even better this season in League Two.

Finally, Jahvan Davidson-Miller.

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I signed Jahvan in the summer of 2020 after Hartlepool won the National League. He was initially behind Jordan Owens and Ollie Palmer to play in the target man role, but eventually forced his way into the side. He played his part in helping the club win League Two by starting 11 league games, and scoring 9 goals.

He'll hopefully post similar returns this forthcoming season.




Next Update

I'll provide details of the club's finances, expectations, and team news ahead of our opening day fixture at home to Bradford.
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by Redknapp69 »

• Ugly WC Group so they did well to come out of that
• But poor then in knockout stages
• Shame Southgate doesn’t get binned
• Wahahahahaha – gone shopping in Hartlepool then :lol:
• Decent cash brought in as well!
• You applying for other jobs as and when they come up or will ride out this season with Cov?
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

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Redknapp69 wrote: Tue Feb 07, 2023 5:57 am • Ugly WC Group so they did well to come out of that
• But poor then in knockout stages
• Shame Southgate doesn’t get binned
• Wahahahahaha – gone shopping in Hartlepool then :lol:
• Decent cash brought in as well!
• You applying for other jobs as and when they come up or will ride out this season with Cov?
After failing to get those Sheffield Wednesday and Reading jobs, I'm going to knuckle down at Coventry. I'm kind of hoping that a League One club will headhunt me though, without the need for me to apply for any jobs.
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

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Always thought it takes a little longer to get headhunted
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Finances, Expectations & Team News 2022

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Finances

The club's finances are in a right old state, despite the £1M I raised in player sales. The £200K+ that we're paying out in ground maintenance is crippling us. We're currently over £1.3M in the red.

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It may have been fiscally prudent of me to try to keep our wage bill low, but I also want to give the club the best chance of an immediate return to League One by assembling a strong squad.

As a result, we go into the season with the joint second highest wage bill in League Two. We're set to pay out £7.25M, which is a big increase on the £4M we were paying out last season.

This means that we will be losing several hundred thousand every month. This is unsustainable, and I'm hoping that the board will inject a substantial amount of cash when required. Alternatively, a takeover would be even better as it may generate transfer funds.

What may become a problem is if players become unhappy about the club's financial situation. In general, unhappiness doesn't necessarily mean that a player will lose form, but it could be a problem for certain individuals if their hidden value for Professionalism is low.




Expectations

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This seems fair enough. I might not have been able to spend any money on transfers, but I still feel that I've been able to assemble a strong squad of free transfer signings, loan signings, and player exchanges.

I think that my Coventry squad is possibly better than my Hartlepool squad that won League Two just over twelve months ago, so I'm reasonably confident that we can go up as champions.




Forthcoming Fixtures & Team News

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Our first game is at home to Bradford, who finished in 11th place last season. Later in the month we'll have a tough EFL Cup game at home to Newcastle, who are now in the Championship.

This is my side for our opening fixture, after having good preseason results against the three sides that made the League One playoffs last season, but failed to go up.

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Six of my new signings will be making their full debuts, and I've decided to keep Serge Leuko as captain.
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Post by Here2Win79 »

Particularly terrible finances in the current month where zero revenue less zero income = a 20k loss 😂
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Here2Win79 wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 10:13 am Particularly terrible finances in the current month where zero revenue less zero income = a 20k loss 😂
I think Kwasi Kwarteng is our Director of Finance...
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Post by Redknapp69 »

Shame Newcastle is not away - lets hope you get a draw in that game!

Christ - big jump in wages - deffo need to get promoted then!

Surely one of the favourties though being a relegated club who has strnegthened

Fingers crossed for that cash injection/takeover

Not sure players care about financial situation but like you say - maybe that hidden attribute may kick in for some
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August/September 2022

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Results

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Our opening match saw us suffer a 0-2 defeat at home to Bradford. It was goalless at half-time after an entertaining first half. The game remained too open for my liking. We weren't doing enough to get on top, and it was the visitors that took a 56th minute lead.

We were pushing for what would have been a deserved equaliser, but debutant central defender Christos Koukolis received a red card in the 86th minute for a two-footed tackle. Andy Carroll compounded the misery in the 90th minute, with a goal that completed the scoring. Bradford keeper Connal Trueman was named Man of the Match.

Next up was a trip to Notts County. Koukolis was suspended, so I brought in on-loan central defender Jake Williams for his debut. The young New Zealander was lucky to escape with just a yellow card in the 22nd minute for a two-footed tackle, but committed exactly the same offence again twelve minutes later, and this time received his marching orders.

Despite our numerical disadvantage, we made a game of it. Both teams could have won it, but the 0-0 draw was a fair result. This time it was our keeper, Gary Woods who received the Man of the Match award.

We then faced Championship side Newcastle in the 1st round of the EFL Cup. We were the better side against our full-strength opponents, but it went to penalties. Newcastle could only convert one of their four spot-kicks, while midfielders Jacob Butterfield and Ivan Roca along with striker Michael Smith, all successfully converted their's, to ensure that we won the shootout 3-1.

Back to League One action, and our first goal of the season was enough to get a 1-0 win at home to Oldham. We'd been wasteful in the first half, and was also unfortunate to hit the woodwork a couple of times. We eventually broke the deadlock in the 60th minute when on-loan midfielder Gary O'Neil headed in a corner by left back Rasmus Lindkvist.

Two days later we had a trip to fellow relegated side Southend. I made ten changes for this game, as every outfield player's condition was below 95%. We played well in the first half, and right midfielder Jordan Kirkpatrick met a cross to the far post by on-loan left midfielder Luke Gambin to give us a 32nd minute lead. Our hosts were better after the break though, and scored a deserved 70th minute equaliser to ensure the game finished 1-1.

We then faced Exeter at home. Right midfielder Jordan Kirkpatrick scored his second goal in two games, to give us a 3rd minute lead. We went 2-0 up in the 32nd minute through striker Jahvan Davidson-Miller, who's excellent volleyed effort was his first goal for the club. Davidson-Miller then scored his second goal just before half-time, by getting on the end of a cross by Kirkpatrick, to make it 3-0. The visitors pulled one back in the 72nd minute, but we were deserved victors.

Next up was Premier League side Everton at Goodison Park in the 2nd round of the EFL Cup. Our hosts were at full strength, but some good goalkeeping by Gary Woods kept our opponents at bay. They eventually broke the deadlock through Moise Kean in the 62nd minute, who added another two minutes later. Woods capped a very good display, by saving a penalty from Juan Mata in the 73rd minute.

Back to League Two action, and a 1-1 draw at Cheltenham. The hosts took a 35th minute lead, but Jahvan Davidson-Miller headed in a corner from left midfielder Luke Gambin to give us a 39th minute equaliser. Wastefulness in front of goal cost us all three points.

We then faced another trip to Southend, this time in the 1st round of the EFL Trophy. Striker Matt Godden scored a 67th minute penalty won by central defender Mark O'Hara, but we failed to kill the game off, and conceded an 88th minute equaliser to take the game to penalties. The shootout went against us this time, and Southend won it 3-2.

Back to League Two action again, and a 2-2 draw at Salford - our fourth consecutive away league draw. The hosts took an 11th minute lead after club captain Serge Leuko gave away a penalty. Midway through the second half, striker Matt Godden missed two good opportunities to level the score, so we went in behind at half-time.

It looked like it wasn't going to be our day. Jahvan Davidson-Miller hit the woodwork in the 52nd minute, then midfielder Jacob Davenport did the same in the 57th minute. The equaliser eventually came in the 60th minute when Davidson-Miller headed in a cross from the right by Jordan Kirkpatrick.

We were playing well, and Davidson-Miller headed in another effort in the 67th minute, to give us a 2-1 lead. We were unable to hold on for our first away victory of the season though, as our hosts equalised in the 77th minute.

Davidson-Miller headed an effort against the bar in the 88th minute, to deny him a hat-trick, and us what would have been a deserved winner.

We put that frustration behind us with a 1-0 win over Lincoln. Matt Godden scored in the 8th minute in what was a more entertaining game than the scoreline suggests. The visitor's keeper made several saves to prevent us from doubling our lead, while Lincoln were quite wasteful in front of goal.

I made nine changes for the trip to Burton Albion just two days later. On-loan central defender Jake Williams made just his second appearance for the club, after being dismissed on his debut earlier in the season. The poor lad suffered the same fate again, and was shown a straight red card for a professional foul in the 12th minute.

I took off striker Jerry Mbakogu, and brought on Jacob Davenport who slotted into central defence, then fifteen minutes later lashed us into a 27th minute lead following a free kick. We contained the hosts well, particularly through captain for the day Ivan Roca, who won an impressive eight tackles in midfield. This helped us to get that first victory of the season on our travels.

We finished September with a 2-1 win over Cambridge. Right midfielder Lloyd Isgrove headed in a far post cross by left midfielder Gervane Kastaneer, to give us a 1-0 lead in a cagey first-half.

Our wide players combined again in the 52nd minute for our second goal. This time it was our full backs. Rasmus Lindkvist made a marauding run down the left, then put in a far post cross for right back Chris Solly to drive us into a 2-0 lead.

We struggled to contain the visitors after that. Goalkeeper Gary Woods conceded a dubious penalty in the 63rd minute, but he saved the resulting spot kick to keep our two-goal advantage intact.

Our opponents eventually pulled one back in the 83rd minute when central defender Jacob Davenport was beaten in the air following a corner. We stayed solid for the remainder of the game, but Cambridge will probably feel that they deserved something.

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As you can see, things are very congested, with just five points separating the top twelve teams.

It's been a mixed first couple of months. After suffering a defeat on the opening day, we've remained unbeaten in the nine league games since. I'm encouraged that we've won our last three games, and that we have the joint best defensive record in the division.

I'm concerned about the lack of goals though. I've contemplated whether I should switch from the flat 442 to the attacking version, but I think that some of the players are the problem, not the formation.

Club captain Serge Leuko has been disappointing at right back. I may have to relieve him of the armband to see if that improves things. There's not many goals or assists coming from midfield, while strikers Michael Smith, Jerry Mbakogu and Matt Godden have started fifteen games between them, but have managed just one goal.

On the plus side, Gary Woods has been one of the division's better keepers so far. Rasmus Lindkvist is doing a decent job at left back, providing three assists from his seven starts. Ivan Roca has averaged 4.4 tackles per game from midfield, which is currently the highest in League Two, while striker Jahvan Davidson-Miller is amongst the division's top scorers with five goals from seven starts. His three Man of the Match awards have earned him the Player of the Month award.

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There's a couple of players that I'd like to highlight, who arrived in the summer. The first is Christos Koukolis.

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Christos was available for free after being released by Doxa Dramas. I felt that he looks as though he could do well at this level, and that at 32, is experienced.

The player had a disastrous debut, getting sent off on the opening day, but he's done very well since returning to the side, following the resulting suspension.

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The second player I'm highlighting is right midfielder Jordan Kirkpatrick.

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Jordan arrived in a player exchange from Tranmere, with central defender Michael Ihiekwe going the other way.

I preferred another summer signing, Moussa Sanoh on the right for the opening three games, but Jordan got his chance on Matchday 4 against Southend, and scored on his debut.

The player remained in the side for the next four league games, before I had to leave him (and eight of his team-mates) out of the Burton Albion game, due to his condition not being high enough.

Two goals and two assists from five starts is a good return. Hopefully that kind of form will continue throughout the season.

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Finances

By the end of August, we were £1.8M in the red. Playing Everton at Goodison Park meant that we received a welcome £400K as our share of the gate receipts. That was closely followed by the board pumping in £1M to help with running costs.

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That meant that we were only £400K in the red, but our paltry monthly income combined with our huge monthly outgoings saw us lose £700K in September, meaning we're back to being over £1M in the red.

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Average attendances are down to around 5800. This is currently the 11th highest of the twenty-four clubs in League Two. Our huge wage bill is swallowing up £600K per month, and ground maintenance/rent is over £200K per month.

I'll do my best to raise some cash and reduce our outgoings by offloading some players in the January transfer window, but we're going to need those regular cash injections. Ideally they'll be a takeover, and the new board will deposit several million to create a nice cash reserve. I've never experienced that before in a save though, so I don't know how realistic those hopes are.




Hartlepool

My former club are holding their own in the Championship. They are currently in 18th place, four points clear of the relegation zone. Their regular XI is barely recognisable from my time there. My replacement Sam Ricketts had put his own stamp on the club. The only players playing regularly that I signed are goalkeeper Joe Lumley, and central defender Chey Dunkley.




Forthcoming Fixtures & Team News

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Our next game is a trip to 7th place Colchester. This will be my XI.

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Redknapp69
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by Redknapp69 »

• What a result v Newcastle
• Any away cash from the Everton game which helped? Ah 400k – nice!
• Nice start in league – tight defence but maybe some more goals required – well positioned though
• Kirky in midifld looks to be punching – Greek RB doing nicely
• Are you making any cash in gate receipts then? Or you are making some but not full whack if not your ground?
• Or is the issue too big a stadium sucking up rent costs and small attendances?
• You really are in a tough position – but you are putting all in eggs in promotion basket and kinda leaving others to worry about the cash (although guess doing your part selling players as well)
Here2Win79
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by Here2Win79 »

Well positioned after the first few games learning who you can trust at this level. Maybe a striker on loan needed? It would also be an experiment to put Jordan on the left and see if he cuts in and scores but with him performing well on the right prob not the time to upset the apple cart.
My biggest concern would be other clubs buying your top performing loanees. Do you have a patch btw I thought English clubs could only have two loans in?
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by ebfatz »

Mass catch up from the first League Two season.
You did a hell of a job at Hartlepool. As you mentioned early in the story, I think it has made it a little easier for you signing players of all nationalities but still, using 4-4-2 and long ball, you've still got it done.

In terms of being overlooked for Sheff Wed and Reading, is there not a thing where you essentially get overlooked for jobs for a 3 month period after appointment?
Or is that a myth?

I'm sure I remember one of Kingsley's stories where he was having to move jobs quickly that he had to resign to allow him best chance of getting the gig.
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Libertine73
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by Libertine73 »

Redknapp69 wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:34 am • What a result v Newcastle
• Any away cash from the Everton game which helped? Ah 400k – nice!
• Nice start in league – tight defence but maybe some more goals required – well positioned though
• Kirky in midifld looks to be punching – Greek RB doing nicely
• Are you making any cash in gate receipts then? Or you are making some but not full whack if not your ground?
• Or is the issue too big a stadium sucking up rent costs and small attendances?
• You really are in a tough position – but you are putting all in eggs in promotion basket and kinda leaving others to worry about the cash (although guess doing your part selling players as well)
My sides often start slowly, especially in terms of goals. We tend to find our rhythm as the season goes on.

We made £120K in gate receipts last month. 5800 in a 30000 stadium. The best thing that I could do for this club is to give them successive promotions, and try not to increase the wage bill.

They'll have a fighting chance in the Championship, with the increased attendances. Of course, if I do achieve promotion from League Two, then League One, I'll be walking away. Like with Hartlepool, I won't be managing in the Championship...in the near future.
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by Libertine73 »

Here2Win79 wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 12:21 pm Well positioned after the first few games learning who you can trust at this level. Maybe a striker on loan needed? It would also be an experiment to put Jordan on the left and see if he cuts in and scores but with him performing well on the right prob not the time to upset the apple cart.
My biggest concern would be other clubs buying your top performing loanees. Do you have a patch btw I thought English clubs could only have two loans in?
In this update and the patch that comes with it, English clubs can have up to six players on loan. Unlike previous updates, loan players are secure at the club that has loaned them. This means that no-one can bid for them, or even offer a contract if the one at their parent club is due to expire.

Whenever I've tried using left footers on the right, or right footers on the left, I've tried to set up the player instructions so that they cut in and either have shots at goal or play nice little through passes. It never seems to really work though. They still just run to the byline then put a cross in.

I've tried selecting 'run with the ball' 'long shots' and 'try through balls' along with turning off 'crossing' .
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Mike Bassett: England Manager

Post by Libertine73 »

ebfatz wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:36 pm Mass catch up from the first League Two season.
You did a hell of a job at Hartlepool. As you mentioned early in the story, I think it has made it a little easier for you signing players of all nationalities but still, using 4-4-2 and long ball, you've still got it done.

In terms of being overlooked for Sheff Wed and Reading, is there not a thing where you essentially get overlooked for jobs for a 3 month period after appointment?
Or is that a myth?

I'm sure I remember one of Kingsley's stories where he was having to move jobs quickly that he had to resign to allow him best chance of getting the gig.
Before I started the story, I pondered whether to stick with British and Irish players, but figured that twenty odd years on from the film, there are a lot more overseas players in the lower divisions. This has made it easier for me, but I suppose that the main emphasis of the story is seeing how high my rep can go by succeeding outside the top two divisions, whether that will be enough to get the England job, and if successful, whether the 442 with long-ball can succeed at international level.

I'm not sure about the three month thing. I did consider simply walking away from Coventry after the club got relegated, as I've previously read that you have a better chance as a free agent. On the other hand, I was concerned that I'd be left clubless for months if walking away from two clubs in quick succession somehow went against me.
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October/November 2022

Post by Libertine73 »

Results

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Our nine game unbeaten run in League Two came to an end with a 0-1 defeat at Colchester. This was one of those days. In the 2nd minute, midfielder Ivan Roca deliberately committed a handball in our area. The Croat received a straight red card, and our hosts scored from the resulting penalty.

The ref evened things up in the 32nd minute, when one of their players was sent off for a two-footed tackle on striker Michael Smith. We were the better side in terms of the amount of chances we created, but we came up against a Man of the Match winning performance by opposition keeper Ondrej Mastny.

Our next game was a 2-2 draw with fellow relegated side AFC Wimbledon. In the 5th minute, left midfielder Gervane Kastaneer provided the assist for Jacob Butterfield to fire us into a 1-0 lead with a ferocious strike. That was the midfielder's first goal for the club, but the visitors equalised in the 14th minute.

We were unlucky not to be in front at half-time, but we didn't start the second half very well, and conceded in the 60th minute. I switched from the flat 442 formation, and made three substitutions. This did the trick, and in the 90th minute Kastaneer provided his second assist of the game, when he headed the ball down for striker Jahvan Davidson-Miller to drive in the equaliser.

We then went to promotion chasing Port Vale. The hosts took a 14th minute lead, but Gary O'Neil met a corner from midfield partner Jack Burroughs, to give us a 45th minute equaliser. This completed the scoring in a 1-1 draw.

Our winless run extended to four games, with a disappointing 0-2 defeat at home to Eastleigh. We were the better side in the first half, but the opposition keeper kept us at bay.

We started the second half poorly. The visitors switched to a defensive mentality, which made it difficult for us to create chances. The Eastleigh striker, Tom Bearwish, is the leading scorer in League Two, and he inflicted the damage upon us in the 52nd and 53rd minutes.

We bounced back with a solid 2-0 win at Mansfield. With Jahvan Davidson-Miller injured, I decided to deploy Gervane Kastaneer in the vacant target man role. The Curaçaoan international repaid my faith in him by getting on the end of a cross by left midfielder Luke Gambin, to head us into a 44th minute lead. Young midfielder Jack Burroughs grabbed his first goal of the season in the 61st minute, to complete the scoring.

We put in a very good first-half performance in the victory at home to Northampton. Right midfielder Lloyd Isgrove headed in a Jack Burroughs corner, to give us a 7th minute lead. Isgrove returned the favour in the 26th minute, when his low cross into the box found Burroughs who made it 2-0. Isgrove played a part in all three goals, when his cross into the box found striker Julian Ngoy who headed us into a 3-0 lead, to complete the scoring. Lloyd Isgrove was unsurprisingly named Man of the Match.

It was Lloyd Isgrove and Julian Ngoy who also did the damage in the 2-0 win at Swindon. Ngoy scored both goals in the 4th and 45th minutes, and both assists were provided by Isgrove.

I made eleven changes for the FA Cup first round tie against National League North side Chorley. Youth product Tom Jolley gave us a 15th minute lead, and his strike partner Jerry Mbakogu doubled our advantage in the 53rd minute. The visitors pulled one back in the 75th minute, but we held on for a 2-1 win.

Back to League Two action, and a 2-1 victory over Stevenage. We went behind in the 11th minute, but that was the only shot on target that the visitors had in this game. Central defender Christos Koukolis got above his marker, and headed in a Jack Burroughs corner to give us a 36th minute equaliser.

In the second half, Julian Ngoy got on the end of a cross by left back Jacob Davenport to put us 2-1 up in the 53rd minute. We had several chances to double our lead, but the visitor's keeper made a string of good saves.

We finished November with a solid 1-0 win at Newport. In the 47th minute, Jahvan Davidson-Miller found midfielder Ivan Roca in the opposition area, and the Croat took his chance well, to register his first goal for the club.

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It has been tough at times. The four game winless run throughout most of October culminated in us losing 0-2 at home to Eastleigh, and dropping down to 10th.

I took action by dropping under performing players. On-loan midfielder Gary O'Neil, along with strikers Matt Godden and Michael Smith paid the price.

We bounced back by winning five league games in a row, to climb into the automatic promotion positions.

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One player who has come in and had in impact is Julian Ngoy.

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The pacy striker arrived this summer. The deal was arranged by my predecessor Mark Robins.

I preferred either Matt Godden or Jerry Mbakogu to partner my target man at the start of the season, but with both of those players struggling for form, I turned to Ngoy.

The Belgian/Congolese forward didn't do much on his full debut at Mansfield, but his first goal for the club was our third goal in the win over Northampton. Julian then put in a brilliant display at Swindon, scoring both goals and earning the Man of the Match award.

He followed that up with the winner against Stevenage.

I'm hoping that Julian can sustain this form. I'm also hoping that Godden and Mbakogu will fight for a place in the team in case Julian loses form, gets injured, or gets suspended.

Another player that has stood out recently is youth product Jack Burroughs.

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Jack had already established himself as an important member of the squad when I arrived. This season Jack has forced his way into the side despite having Ivan Roca, Gary O'Neil, Jacob Davenport, and Jacob Butterfield in front of him in the pecking order at the start of the season.

All three of Jack's assists have been from corners. A very useful weapon to have. He's also shown that he can get amongst the goals himself.

It'll be difficult for Jack to sustain this form over our remaining twenty-seven league games, but I'm hoping that he'll play an important role in this promotion campaign.




Finances

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We lost almost £700k in November, and are now almost £2.8M in the red. We need a massive bailout.




Hartlepool

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My former club are finding life tough in the Championship. My successor Sam Ricketts is picking players that he signed. The players that I took there have either been sold, are out on loan, or are kicking their heels in the reserves. Only one of my signings, Chey Dunkley, is playing regularly.





Forthcoming Fixtures & Team News

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A tough game against League One side Carlisle in the FA Cup coming up, before an intense run of fixtures over Christmas and New Year.

This will be my side for that Carlisle game.

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