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[FM19] Taking Stock of the Situation

goblue96

Disney and Curling Expert
220px-Stockport_County_Logo_2014.png

Stockport County was a member of the Football League since 1900 before it was relegated from League Two into the Conference National in 2011. It was a quick drop into the North Division just two years later. The club has been part of the North Division for the last six seasons. It is, clearly, a club that has an infrastructure way too big for the level that it is playing in. Stockport spent most of it's history bouncing around League One and League Two with a brief spell in the Championship. The club has, at least on Football Manager, a fierce rivalry with Manchester City. I'm guessing this came about during City's time as a Championship/League One club before the oil money flowed in.

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In addition to the good training facilities (especially for a Vanarama National League North club), they play at Edgeley Park which boasted an all-seater capacity of 10,500. It is the largest in the sixth tier and the fourth biggest in the Vanarama National League (behind Halifax, Gateshead, and Wrexham). This capacity means I won't need to worry about expanding the stadium in the first few years of the save allowing me to invest more money into the youth and data facilities. The top priority, in my opinion, for the club is to shed it's semi-professional status and become a full-fledged professional club.
Friendly Season
I went into the summer friendly season wanting to keep things simple. We are running a 4-4-2 under a variety of tactical plans. Control possession against teams we are stronger than. Route One against teams we are weaker than. Wing play against teams who only have one player out on the wing in an attempt to overload him and stretch the center of the defense/midfield.

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I started out with a resounding 4-0 win against a lower division club in Leek. After that, I cancelled a bunch of friendlies and scheduled some money-making friendlies against higher division clubs. A 1-1 win against Bury was a shock but then we dropped the next two friendlies against Stock and Notts County. The losses also stripped away some of the club's confidence and the losses lingered in matches against Brighton's U-23 team and lower division Clitheroe. The purpose of the Clitheroe match was to rebuild our confidence with what I thought was going to be an easy win. Instead, we came out of it with a 0-0 draw and squad whose confidence was still on the shaky side.
Vanarama National League North
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Scheduling those friendlies against bigger sides had a bigger impact on the team's confidence than I thought that it would. We started shaky out of the gate. We only lost one game but our offense was struggling to find the net outside of a 4-1 thrashing of Southport. We had lots of possession and lots of shots but they were either getting blocked by the opposition midfield and defense or sent wide. We finished August with a 2-4-1 record which had us firmly in the middle of the table.

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At the beginning of December, I switched from a 4-4-2 formation to a 4-4-1-1 formation. Our deep lying center forward prefers to play in an attacking midfielder role. Thinking that this could part of the problem with our offense, I decided to slide him back into his preferred position. As you can see, the club immediately felt the impact of the move as we took all 12 points in the month and I was named Manager of the Month. Matthew Warburton, the player in question, responded by second two goals in four matches while his strike partner Rowan Roache, on loan from Blackpool, scored two goals in the month as well.

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The winning streak stretched to five games as the strike partnership scored all three goals in a 3-1 victory over Hereford. The streak came to an end against Blyth. The strike partnership was hitting on all cylinders to close the month as Roache and Warburton scored all four goals in a 4-1 win over Chorley. We go 2-1-1 in the month and 6-1-1 since we made the formation switch. The club continued to rise up the table.

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November was a light month in the league with a week off at the end of the month and a cup game which forced a reschedule. It was another undefeated month but Warburton and Roche did not lead the way. We had to find a third scoring option which we did in right winger Jake Kirby and an option off the bench in Harry Crawford when we pushed against relegation candidate Brackley as we went into a 3-4-1-2 formation to try to claim all three points and keep us in the promotion hunt. Another undefeated month and an 8-2-1 record with the 4-4-1-1 formation.

1) York 40 pts. +24
2) Ashton United 38 pts. +17
3. Stockport 36 pts. +16
4. Blyth 35 pts. +12
5. Chorley 34 pts. +7
6. Leamington 31 pts. +5
7. FC United 30 pts. +5

FA CUP

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We had an easy run into the 1st round of the FA Cup. We got to play two lower-division sides in Methryr and Warrington before we had to hold on to claim a 4-3 victory against Nuneaton Boro. That gave us entry into the 1st round proper and we got drawn against League Two side Grimsby Town. They made easy work of us and knocked us out of the cup.

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My team takes a lot of shots which I like in the lower levels. Every shot is, basically, a lottery ticket. It forces the goalkeeper and defense to make a save and be in position to stop any rebounds or loose balls. If they aren't ready, our offense needs to be ready to pounce on the rebound. I'm not too concerned with pass completion percentage at this level because it's more of a physical "kick ball" style game. The games aren't pretty and you need to win ugly on occasion. I am concerned with our lack of aerial prowess. We aren't strong in the air and this could cost us points as the season goes on.

I do like that we have one strong player per "line." Scott Duxbury is the cream of the crop. The left back has one of most consistent players all season. He leads the team with five man of the match awards and has a whopping nine assists. He is also one of our best defenders. He wins 96% of his tackles, 81% of his headers and has two interceptions per game. A very good all around player. Right winger Jake Kirby is the top midfielder. He has scored five goals while adding five assists. He is one of the few players who I trust with making a risky pass to unlock the defense. As a result, he has one key pass per game. Matthew Warburton leads the team with 13 goals in 20 appearances. He is a volume shooter has he also leads the team with 3.56 shots per 90 minutes.


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Finances are not an issue for the club. We have made money every month even in the month where we only had three league games. I can't wait to see what the board will let me do with this money (expanded transfer/wage budget, improve facilities, allow me to take coaching courses). Making and having money is all well and good but what's more important at these lower levels is what I'm allowed to do with the money.
 
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goblue96

Disney and Curling Expert
220px-Stockport_County_Logo_2014.png


2018-19 Winter Update
Another tactical shift led to some short term difficulties but once the team sorted things out, especially at the back, they put together the foundation of a championship season. Transfer-wise, we didn't make any moves during the winter. The team was very settled and everyone knew their roles. It's a small squad but they don't get hurt (not sure how much of the part-time status has with that). They go out and do their job without much complaint.

December

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We had a pair of cup games in addition to the typical league games, we entered the FA Trophy competition in the 3rd qualifying round. It was a lot of work but we dispatched the Cows of Hereford on a late headed goal by center back Zehn Mohammed. The 1st round proper was much easier against lower-division side, AFC Sudbury. The league was fairly easy. Promotion contenders, Ashton United, caught us in a rotated lineup after the cup match and beat us 2-1. Three straight league wins allowing just one goal followed. The month and year ended with a thud as Kidderminster earned a draw on our home ground.

January

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January was a month of upheaval for the club from a tactical standpoint. The defense was very leaky. The offense did what it could to earn draws. Teams started to attack us early and force to play from behind which we couldn't do especially once teams bunkered in after getting the lead. We took only five points from a possible 15 during the month. The tactical switch we made was abandoning the 4-4-1-1 with wing play and 4-4-2 controlling possession. The controlling possession was all well and good. We kept the ball with the tactic but did nothing with it. We moved a 4-2-3-1 gegenpress. The defense struggled with it in the beginning which you can see by the lack of clean sheets. I was impressed with the offense and it's ability to score and break down defenses. The FCUM game made me think that we were on to something with the formation. Two goals in the last 10 minutes of the game to earn a point showed me that this squad wanted more out of the season than a cup of coffee in the playoffs.

February

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In February, the club took off. The defense solidified. The offense kept clicked. The wins kept coming. Only one cup game as we kept our cup run going with a 2-1 win over Chester. 15 points from a possible 15 saw us rocketed up the table. Everybody is contributing to the effort. Goals coming from center forwards, wingers, central midfielders, and center backs. We even got a goal from our left back in Scott Duxbury. Just a great month from the team.

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Our form has moved us to the top of table with a little bit of a cushion over 2nd place York. The playoffs, at this point, are all but assured with an 18 point lead over 8th place Alfreton with 10 games remaining. It's looking like regional football for Curzon Ashton who just can't win and lead the league with 20 losses.

Season Stats

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Scott Duxbury has been the class of the team, this season, from his left back position. He leads the team with 13 assists while being one of our top defenders as he wins 93% of his tackles and making just under two interceptions per game. While he is currently suffering from a dip in form, right winger Jake Kirby has been a bright spot since moving to the 4-2-3-1 formation. A great all-around player with eight goals (3rd on the team) and nine assists (2nd on the team). This dip in form as been covered over by back-up Adam Thomas who has chipped in with one goal off the bench but has provided good all-around play which doesn't always show up in goals and assists. The center of the attack has been covered by a three-headed monster. Loanee Rowan Roache and Matthew Warburton get the majority of the starts. Warburton leads the team with 19 goals with Roache not far behind with 16 goals. Frank Mulhern comes off the bench in league games and starts in cup games. He has added seven goals in this role.

Finances

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Finances are in great shape. I have no worries on this front. Gate receipts currently outpace wages so we should continue to make money. This should continue to happen until we double or triple our salary given attendance does not improve as we move up the league ladder. The short-term projects will be to move from semi-professional to professional status and then start to improve the youth facilities.

Youth Intake

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A youth intake that doesn't have a lot to write home about. There are some players in here who could contribute to the club in a reserve or spot starter role at best. Maybe with improved youth facilities and full-time training, they will develop faster than expected and I can sell them off for a small chunk of change to lower division clubs who have a lot of money but not a lot of training facilities to make their existing players better. Teams that need a more polished product. I have the biggest hopes for center forward Peter Clayton and wingers Ron Brownhill, Gary Johnstone and Charlie Edgar.
 

goblue96

Disney and Curling Expert
220px-Stockport_County_Logo_2014.png

With nine games remaining in the season, we were in a good position to take the Vanarama National League North division title. We had a five point lead. We were in great form. We had adapted well to the 4-2-3-1 formation. So, what happened.

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A solid March put us in an even stronger position. We won six out of the seven matches. We advanced to the FA Trophy Final where we will face playoff contender York City. We are now just beating up on teams in the lower depths of the table. The 4-1 win over Ashton United was a bit of a surprise. They were one of the few teams that could realistically challenge us for the title. The lone slip-up was against Darlington. Darlington came into the match on great form as they were pushing for the bottom of the playoff spots. They caught us in between cup matches against Vanarama National League side Chesterfield.

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We clinched the title on our home ground against mid-table Blyth Spartans. Blyth made us work for the title. They played great defense and stonewalled us at just about every opportunity. Supersub, Frank Mulhern, came in and scored a headed goal at the death to give us the goal we needed to get all three points and secure the title. The last three matches were all about not getting our small squad hurt before the cup final against York which took place about a month after the league season ended. The rust showed in the cup final. Our high-flying offense had crashed back to earth and were out of sorts. Jake Kirby would provide the only goal that we would need in the Final as the club completed a Vanarama National League South-FA Trophy Cup double.

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In the end, we won the league by 11 points over Ashton United. York City will be joining us in the National League next season as the winner of the playoffs. Guiseley, Nuneaton Boro, Cruzon Ashton drop out of the national leagues and return to regional football. Not knowing who is dropping down into the South Division next season, I would make Ashton United and Darlington as favorites to win the league next season.

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The playoffs were all wide open affairs. Multiple goals in all the games. Not sure if this has to do with the one-off nature of the rounds but it made for some exciting soccer including an extra time final won by York City.

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The offense, once we switched formations, hit on all cylinders. We had six players score 10+ goals for the season. 11 players finished the season with an average rating at 7.00 or above including league player of the year candidate Scott Duxbury, who finished the season with 7.44 rating.

Duxbury was our top defender and assist man for the season. He racked up 17 assists from his left back position, won over 90% of his tackles, and 75% of his headers. He did all of this while picking up only five yellow cards for the entire season. First name on the team sheet before every game. Matthew Warburton ran things from his attacking midfielder location. He led the team with 22 goals and added in another seven assists. Out of our six players with 10+ goals, we only had one player who racked up double figures in both goals and assists. That was Jake Kirby who had 12 goals and 10 assists. The large majority of our assists came from our wingback. Duxbury was the team leader with 17. Right back Same Minihan was second on the team with 12 assists. Our two central midfielders were tasked with winning the ball back and getting the ball in position to start or re-start an attack. Still Connor Dimaio had 10 goals for the season.

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I took a page out of Ben's "team morale" building playbook for this save. It works brilliantly. Most of those names under "very close" are first team regulars. Just about all of them have me listed as "favored personnel." They love playing here. Most of them have the ability to play in the National League so I don't need to go out and replace a bunch of them with more talented players. I'll be able to keep most of the core of the team intact for next season.

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The board was willing to take some our £1.2 million that we have sitting in the bank and spending it on improving our youth facilities. Our first youth intake was very lackluster. Hopefully, some improved facilities will help our future intakes as we roll through the seasons (and hopefully divisions).
 
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