Day 309

I picked it—Gateshead and Mansfield won comfortably in the Playoff Semi Final Second Leg this evening. They’ll face off in the final on the 19th of May—about a week and a half from now—to decide who gets promoted with me. My money’s still on Mansfield, but it could be a tight game.

Meanwhile, Crewe and Hereford are dropping down from League 2 to take our place. I’m so excited about next season; it’ll be such a fantastic new adventure, whether it goes well or poorly for me and Lincoln.

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The journey continues for Juan Day, the Sunday league footballer who made it big on a dream to manage a team professionally, and who against all odds guided his club to promotion at the first attempt, but this story has come to an end.

I can tell you, after jumping ahead to the end of the month, that defender Paul Robson had a change of heart about leaving the club. Day refused to remove him from the transfer list. Forest Green beat Wrexham in the FA Trophy final, winning for the first time in their history.

Gateshead edged out Mansfield 9-8 on penalties in the playoff final, after Mansfield led for most of the match. Jon Shaw broke some hearts, I expect, when he equalised in the fifth minute of stoppage time, forcing extra time and then penalties.

The Lincoln players got £104,650 split amongst them for their league heroics, as per the bonuses agreed on at the beginning of the season. The club, meanwhile, got £138,000 in prize money—not enough to stem the losses, but a handy amount nonetheless.

Ebbsfleet midfielder Michael West won Blue Square Bet Premier Player of the Season. Juan Day felt Barnes-Homer had been shafted, but accepted that West had a stellar season—with an average rating of 7.37 from 46 appearances, coupled with 21 goals and 21 assists.

But little could contain his rage at being rated third best manager of the year. Just two of the 19 managers who voted in the award cast their vote for Juan Day, while a whopping 13 favoured Gateshead manager Ian Bogie. Forest Green manager David Hockaday, of all people, picked up second-place honours—despite his team not even making the playoffs. Interestingly, all three managers led their team to heights far above expectations of a mid-table finish.

Did Day ruffle too many feathers along the way, and miss out because of spiteful voters? Or was Bogie genuinely more deserving? It’s hard to say, from where I’m sitting.

Lincoln City director Stuart Tindall has retired from the world of football after 10 years at the club. No word yet on who’ll replace him.

Our story concludes with what may turn out to be Day’s shrewdest signing yet. Veteran Spanish midfielder Juan Carlos arrived on the 1st of June on a free transfer from Scottish side Dundee. Star winger Salomon Olembé leapt to his manager’s praises, ecstatic at the news.

So that’s it for the diary, and the story of Juan Day’s first season as a professional football manager. I’ll be back next week with some concluding thoughts about the experience of playing Football Manager in this strange “one day at a time” format. Then hopefully by the end of the month I’ll have the surprise addition ready. All I’ll say for now is that if you enjoyed this blog, you’ll likely love it.

Day 308

I’m pleased that my big improvers over the course of the season are Kanouté, Woods, and Billington. All three impressed me with their style and attitude, and of course also performances—especially in the last few months.

Unfortunately Olembé’s declined in the past year. Not much, mind you, but enough that I get a sense he won’t be much use after next season as a regular first-team player. The Cameroonian’s had a stellar career, though, since breaking in to the Nantes team (in France’s top flight) as a teenager. I hope I’ll be able to keep him around to help the younger players, and maybe even join the coaching staff, when he exceeds his usefulness to the first team.

Francis Laurent is sadly a shadow of his former self, judging by the reports I’ve received. The forward was suffering from a severe hamstring injury when I took over at Lincoln. Sometimes players never fully recover from injuries—especially long-term ones. It’s a shame, because by all reports he was quite the footballer, but that is how things happen.

Karlton Watson and Rui Marques vehemently resisted my request that they work together on the training ground, but it turns out forcing them was the best thing possible. They’re friends now, and the youngster seems to have made huge progress as a result. Perhaps he stands a chance of earning a starting berth next season. I’d love to see that.

My entire squad is on holiday now. It’s just me, the scouts, and Martin O’Connor until June 25th. Sure is quiet.

Day 307

I was pleased to see that coach Grant Brown believes young defender Samba Kanouté has improved as a footballer in the last six months. I have high hopes for the lad’s future, and I consider him integral to our chances of climbing through the leagues.

I realised today that he’s actually our highest-valued player. Kanouté’s £200,000 price tag is more than double fellow youngster Karlton Watson’s £85,000 value. And then it’s another big drop before you hit Woods at a £26,000 valuation, followed by Barnes-Homer at £20,000 and then Birchall and May at £18,000 apiece.

Veterans Olembé and Marques may be my key men, but they’re rated at a measly £12,000 and £4,500, respectively—although these values are most likely reduced because of our low standing as a fifth-tier (soon-to-be-fourth-tier) English club and because both players are over 30.

Day 306

Assistant manager Martin O’Connor extended his contract for another year. I’m delighted to have him as my second in command. Head scout Peter Johnson also agreed to a new deal, ensuring that we’ll at least have somebody competent looking for players over the summer.

I took charge of the Under 18s for their final match of the season—a home tie against Chesterfield. I was fairly hands off about it, though, deferring most of the decisions to O’Connor and coach Grant Brown.

My boys started the sharper of the two sides, with Hancock particularly threatening early on. The breakthrough didn’t come until the 37th minute, however, when Dickinson hashed his clearance of a Wormall long through. The ball fell at Aaron Rice’s feet, and the young winger dispatched it first time. He’s had a great season in the Under 18s, from the reports, so I’m pleased to see him on song with my own eyes.

Meanwhile in defence, Weaver made several brilliant interventions to keep Chesterfield from troubling the keeper. The 17 year old hadn’t really been on my radar, but he was ingratiating himself well with this performance.

My boys continued to control the match, but a second goal never came. The match ended 1-0.

Truth be told, it was terrible quality. I felt like I was watching the Under 12s at times, wondering why players kept losing their position or mis-controlling the ball. There were other moments, though, that wowed me. Hancock, Rice, and Cunningham showed that they have that little bit of class needed to make it as a professional, while 15 year old striker Jean-Charles Valette impressed me with a few special moments.

That win ensures the Lincoln Under 18s finish third in their league. It’s a brilliant achievement, amongst bigger clubs such as Derby, Ipswich, Watford, and Norwich.

In other news, Newcastle beat Liverpool 3-1 in the FA Cup Final. That’s great news for the Magpies, who aren’t going to finish high enough in the league for European qualification. Taking out the FA Cup means they’re in the Euro Cup—Europe’s second-tier continental cup—which will be huge financially.

Josh Gowling looks set to miss the start of next season, after breaking his ankle in training today. That throws off my plans to sell the defender over the summer. How many clubs will be willing to make a bid on an injured player? Not many, I expect.

Alex Billington’s also looking at time in the physio room. But he should be ready to roll early in the pre-season schedule. I hope this doesn’t complicate my hopes of signing the young full-back permanently.

I’m taking the next few days off from the blog, to celebrate my girlfriend returning to the country after several months overseas. I’ll do another couple of days next week, then call it quits on the diary part. Some final thoughts will follow, before a special surprise that I hope you’ll all love (along with lots of other people, who I plan to draw in after I finish). If all goes to plan, we’ll be all wrapped up by the end of the month.

See you soon.

Day 305

I got a scout report from Mark Bradshaw on former Aston Villa trainee Isaiah Osbourne. The 24 year old central midfielder is of a very similar standard and style to Chris Birchall, but I’m still going to take a closer look—purely on merit of that standard being so high.

My Under 18s wrap up their season tomorrow. I’ll be there in the dugout to watch and oversee their tactics. It’ll be a fresh chance for me to size up Samuel Hancock, the talented 16 year old from our youth system who got injured on his first-team debut a few weeks ago.

Day 304

Grant Brown led the backroom meeting today. He suggested I sign Steve Kember as a new coach. Kember, according to the information I have at my disposal, is no better than anyone currently on staff. That’s not good enough—we’re on the climb, so we need to bring people in who raise the standard. Brown also offered two alternatives, however, and one of those was up to scratch.

Only problem was that Joe Roach wanted £150 more a week than the board will let me offer. He bargained down to £575, but that was still £75 over budget. I’m not too down about it—I plan to recruit new staff more formally in July, when the preseason begins.

Brown also suggested three fantastic scouts as additions to the backroom. None of them would accept my terms.

Since I’d been prompted about new additions, I went ahead and decided which staff members I want to keep next season. Among my three scouts, only Peter Johnson met my exacting standards. Gardner and Bradshaw will leave when their contracts run out.

In the physio room, Samantha Rees is out; Kevin Oxby has another year on his contract, so I guess I’m stuck with him.

I’m on the fence about youth coach Andy McMillan, who is good but not great with youngsters—and nothing to write home about in any specific coaching skills.

Goalkeeping coach Chris Adamson is no longer of interest to me as a player (he was my backup keeper this season), but I think I’ll keep him on as a coach. Grant Brown (defending expert) and Kevin Paxton (fitness expert) are also on the “probably keep” list. I don’t think I’ll offer Jason Fowler a new contract, however.

Rounding out the backroom staff is assistant manager Martin O’Connor. I’ve been delighted with his contribution since he replaced Curtis Woodhouse in February. He’s staying on for sure, provided I can meet his wage demands. (And in fact I already offered him a new deal.)

Day 303

The first leg of the playoff semi final went by this evening. Grimsby hosted Gateshead in a 0-0 draw, while Mansfield earned a vital away goal in their 1-1 draw with Wrexham. My money’s still on Mansfield and Gateshead facing off in the final, with Mansfield triumphing for that second promotion spot.

The second leg is scheduled for the 8th on May. I’ll be watching with great interest.

Day 302

Karlton Watson was the star of the training ground this month. He showed signs of improvement in almost every area, with the biggest gains in his strength and jumping.

Ebbsfleet midfielder Michael West came home strong in his quest for the Player of the Season award, earning Player of the Month honours for five goals and an average rating of 8.48 in his four appearances in April. The 21 year old has notched a remarkable 21 goals and 21 assists over the course of the season—meaning that he’s been directly responsible for between half and two-thirds of Ebbsfleet’s 77 goals.

Manager of the Month went to Fleetwood Town’s Micky Mellon, who led his team to a late rally for the final play-off spot. The fact that they missed out leaves me thinking maybe he didn’t deserve the nod. I would have given it to Rob Scott of Grimsby Town, who guided the club to fourth place in a tough month.

All eyes turn now to the best of season awards, which should be announced in a few weeks. I’d say West might have just clinched best player with those final few matches, although my boys Shuker and Barnes-Homer are certainly in with a chance. As for best manager, I’m surely the front-runner—given that I won the league with a team that was expected to finish mid-table.

We lost £74,145 last month, which is a pronounced increase on the £44.8K loss from March. That puts us around £610,000 in the red. I wonder how much we get for winning the league, and for TV rights next season. We’ve apparently lost £582,506 so far this season, without me spending a penny on transfer fees. I frankly don’t see the slight increase in attendances and TV money next season overcoming such a shortfall (keeping in mind that our expenditure will be up, too, because of higher wages and scouting costs, if nothing else).

Day 301

I’m holding out hope that there may be a chance—however slim—to sign one of my favourite players over the summer. Lomana Trésor LuaLua, a dynamic Congolese forward who played for Newcastle and Portsmouth in the Premiership last decade, is out of favour and soon to leave Blackpool. If nobody approaches him, I might be able to swoop in. That would be a dream come true.

As expected, I received a categorical no from Airdrie Utd about my Ryan Donnelly enquiry. I didn’t expect, however, that I wouldn’t be allowed to offer anyone in exchange. Suddenly Donnelly seems beyond my reach. I asked the board if they would sponsor a big offer; they said it “wouldn’t be prudent.” So…it’s probably not going to happen. Damn.

Day 300

Peter Johnson, my head scout, took a look at transfer target Ryan Donnelly. He thinks the young Scottish striker is a special talent, good enough to be a star player in any League 2 side—and perhaps in any League 1 side, a few years down the line. His report was even more glowing than Ian Gardner’s and Mark Bradshaw’s were.

Now the trick is figuring out how to sign Donnelly. He has another year on his contract, and he’s at a small club that doesn’t seem too keen to lose him. With a prospective transfer budget next season only a little bigger than nothing, it could prove a big challenge.

I put in an enquiry. From there, I’m thinking of proposing a player exchange—some of my youngsters for Donnelly. His club, Airdrie United, will be promoted to the Scottish First Division—the second tier of Scottish football—for next season, so I’m betting they’ll need a few more players.

Day 299

I was offered a player by Queen of Sth today. Unfortunately the offer came with two big caveats:
1) They want remuneration; he comes with a £4,500 transfer fee.
2) He’s not very good. He isn’t bad, either, but he’d struggle to get a regular spot in my team.


I declined. Ryan McGuffie will have to ply his trade somewhere else next season.

Ian Gardner’s report on Airdrie United striker Ryan Donnelly was even more glowing than Mark Bradshaw’s. I’m going to wait until Peter Johnson—my best scout—takes another look at him before I start working on a way to sign the lad.

Meanwhile, assistant manager Martin O’Connor is more or less in agreement with Gardner on Declan McManus—the 17-year-old Aberdeen striker will grow into a fine Championship-level player. Now the only problem is that his current ability doesn’t appear good enough to break into my team—putting a potential loan deal on ice—and he’ll cost more than I can hope to pay for a transfer deal.

Day 298

Alfreton, who finished 18th in the Blue Square Bet Premier this season, are being targeted for takeover by a consortium of businessmen. If only I knew why.

The second opinions I asked for on Declan McManus and Ryan Donnelly came back in the form of the exact same reports from Bradshaw and Gardner, respectively. I guess I didn’t make myself clear on what a second opinion means. This time I explicitly asked other staff members to compile reports on them.

Ian Gardner also sent in an update on his roaming search of the UK and Ireland for talented players. His only recommendations this time were three Welsh youngsters who will never even come close to breaking in to my team. I think next season I need to sign new scouts, too.

Day 297

Before I could look through my existing squad, there were six more scout reports on my desk.

Airdrie United’s 20-year-old striker Ryan Donnelly looks like a good signing—he’s of comparable ability to Barnes-Homer, with his best years still ahead of him (Barnes-Homer, on the other hand, is at his peak). I worry that his decision-making isn’t good enough, although it hasn’t done much harm to my current crop of strikers. I’ll take another look at him shortly.

Gary Smith is further along in his development, despite being the same age. The worry with Smith, however, is that he lacks speed and doesn’t make up for it in strength or aerial ability. I’m not sure that he’d fit my playing style. I think I’ll pass.

Declan McManus—yet another young Scottish striker—looks to be a very well-rounded talent, although he’ll need to add to his pace before he can really thrive. At just 17 years old, he may already be good enough for a fringe role at Lincoln. The trouble is that he’s still under contract, and at a club as big as Aberdeen I have little chance of a bargain-basement price. I’ll have to monitor the lad’s progress instead.

I’m not interested in midfielder Craig Murray, despite a glowing report on him from Peter Johnson. Likewise with Joe Wilson. Both strike me as possessing critical weaknesses that would be exploited in the kinds of football I expect to be playing. Joe Slattery, meanwhile, misses out on further attention because I just don’t think he’ll ever make the grade.

Moving over to my own players, I went through each of their prospects for first-team football next season and beyond.

Winger Benjamin Laurant only arrived in January—a mere two months ago—but he may not be around much longer. He hasn’t made as big of an impact as I’d hoped, so if a better wide man comes along he’ll be on the way out. Fellow wingers Francis Laurent and Simon Russell will be released at the end of their contracts in a little over two months.

I think I’ll sell Josh Gowling, once I settle on a replacement. Gowling had a great season, especially considering the shaky start to our working relationship (he spat the dummy when I changed his squad status), but I see him as a weak link in our armour going into League 2. I expect Kanouté to bump him out of the starting lineup sooner rather than later, regardless.

I’m satisfied with goalkeeper Mark Halstead, but I’m open to signing a new number one. I definitely need a second keeper who’s up to standard.

I think Marques and Birchall will again play key roles next season, and I see no reason why Woods can’t also. With Olembé and Shuker it all comes down to how well they can cope with the increased strain and their aging legs. I hope young Robert Taylor plays a bigger role—the boy’s got enormous potential that I hope comes to fruition.

Midfielders Alan Power and Jean-François Christophe, along with defenders Peter Bore, Nicky Nicolau, John Nutter, and Paul Robson, are all on their way out. I’ll leave it until the transfer window reopens before I transfer list Nutter; the rest of them have contracts expiring, so they’ll leave on a free. Strikers Sam Smith and Nialle Rodney, too.

I’m all set to make an offer for young left back Alex Billington, who was excellent on loan for us in the closing stages of the season, as soon as I’m allowed. Fellow youngster Karlton Watson may be farmed out on loan, back into the Blue Square Bet Premier, for the match experience he sorely needs.

Without factoring in new signings—since I can’t be sure of any dealings in the market at this point—we’re looking at just 16 first-team players sticking around, from a squad of 28. And one of those is John Nutter, who I plan to sell. Youth team graduate Samuel Hancock and loan returnees Danny Hone, Kyle Perry, and Bradley Barraclough will bolster those numbers, but I don’t know anything about those three guys who’ve been away at other clubs.

The take away here is that I need to rebuild. I figure with the League 2 season being 46 games long, plus cup matches (meaning there are at least 50 competitive games to worry about), I should aim for a senior squad of 24-28 players. So I need to sign somewhere between five and 12 players on permanent or long-term loan deals. It could be a busy summer.

Day 296

More scout reports came in.

Frenchman Steven Thicot still appeals to me as a central-defensive partner for Rui Marques next season, but I wonder if he’s not enough of a step up from Gowling. I could sign a deal with him now—he’s interested, and his contract at Brechin expires in just over a month. I’m paralysed by indecision, however. I’ll have to move on this soon if I want him—bigger clubs like Aberdeen have already started sniffing.

Brentford’s Pakistani central midfielder Adnan Ahmed is a quality player, but it sounds like he’s no better than Woods or Birchall, so I’ll save my money for someone else.

We’re priced out of the market on Portsmouth youngster Chinedu Vine, who looks like he’s a couple of years shy of readiness for regular first-team football. Likewise for 17 year old Limerick (an Irish team) striker Steven McGann—unless somehow the youngster breaks free of his contract before we approach him (otherwise I believe it’s a choice between compensation or a transfer fee).

I’m on the fence about Joe Slattery, a young midfielder whose contract is set to expire at Kilmarnock in July. He has potential, and lots of growth ahead of him, but I worry about his weak points holding him back. I asked for another report on the lad.

I guess I should make some plans about my existing squad tomorrow, deciding who will stay or go and who is important to our future plans.

Day 295

Five of the scout reports I asked for came in this evening.

I think I’ll pass on Chesterfield right winger Tendayi Darikwa. In a couple of years he’ll be better than Chris Shuker, but not be enough to be worthwhile on a player who’d cost us a transfer fee.

Walsall central defender Oliver Lancashire will remain on my shortlist; he’s not far off the standard of Rui Marques, at 11 years his junior—although I am a tad concerned about his poor passing ability and purported selfishness. Lancashire’s contract is up at the end of the season. If he leaves Walsall, I’ll take a serious look at him.

Arsenal youngster Zak Ansah spent three months on loan with us earlier in the season, where his signs of promise were marred by injury lay-offs. The young forward looks to be coming along nicely; with a bit of luck, I’ll be able to loan him for the duration of next season.

Pier Larrauri, a Peruvian attacking midfielder currently contracted to Leicester, got a great rap from Peter Johnson. I don’t see it, but I’ll keep an eye on his progress—the 18 year old sounds like he’s brimming with potential.

Hull left back Conor Townsend spent this season on loan at Grimsby, where he was one of the better performers in the league. I’ve been impressed by him, and Johnson thinks the youngster “should be regarded as a definite purchase.” I like Alex Billington more. If I can’t get Billington on a permanent deal, however, I’ll take a good hard look at Townsend.

Day 294

With the main part of the season over and done with, my attention now turns to building a squad for life in League 2. I pulled out my shortlist and asked for updated reports on highly-recommended players who fit one or more of the following conditions: transfer listed, loan listed, contract expiring in the next few months, or contract expired.

I don’t know what budget I’ll be given for rebuilding, but I think it’s best to assume that it’ll be minuscule—which means bargain-signings only. That shouldn’t prevent me from getting a strong team together, judging by the success of the approach this season and the talent of the players that met those conditions.

I also went into the drawer full of unread scout reports, noting the names of players that I think are worth a closer look.

Day 293

I didn’t realise it yesterday, but striker Omar Koroma’s 20th goal of the season yesterday earned him a big bonus. He gets £300 a week, and £40 for each goal (along with £170 for every first-team appearance), so the £3,000 bonus must feel special to the lad—it works out at around two months’ pay. I’d say it’s well deserved. He had a brilliant season, following a shaky start when he signed in mid-August.

Koroma ended up being one of my best performers, and our slumps coincided with his injury absences. Besides the 20 goals, he contributed 10 assists (eight in the league and two in cup matches) and he earned six best-on-ground awards.

Veteran Spanish midfielder Juan Carlos confirmed his transfer to Lincoln this evening. At 35 (going on 36 in June), he’s getting on in years as a professional footballer. But he looks to be an excellent physical condition. And his technique and passing stand him above and beyond the standard of this level. I can’t wait to see how he works with Olembé.