Hey guys and welcome back to my Football Manager 2011 story with Brighton & Hove Albion. After a busy pre-season I am now faced with the task of blending 9 new signings into the team and hitting the ground running. My goal is promotion and this must be done at the first time of asking, we have the players and the rest is down to me. Today’s post won’t be too long, I’ll be talking about our form up until January and revealing where my side lye in League One.
League One results — August to September
With so many new signings it was bound to be a rocky start but the lads blended well to beat Tranmere 2-1 and Yeovil 3-1. A good start but bad chemistry started to show as we drew at home to Leyton Orient. An away win over Colchester masked the issues but they all came flooding forward as Brighton showed terrible composure when drawing against Charlton and Swindon. My next three opponents were beaten with ease, but only because they are the worst in the league. Notts County, Walsall and Rochdale were horrendous and despite beating them I had doubts over my ‘Manchelona’ tactic which was showing holes in a weak defence.
League One results — October to November
With doubts hanging over my ‘Manchelona’, we needed some good performances against tough opposition. Dag & Red were beaten well but things took a turn for the worse as we drew 2-2 to Bournemouth before losing 2-1 to Carlisle. Those two defensive displays were the final straw as I switched back to my old cautious 4-5-1, you can view that tactic here. The switch seemed to work well and changing from fluid to balanced philosophy meant the players were far more organised as we beat Exeter 3-0. We went on to get a few decent away draws against Peterborough and Plymouth before winning our last three matches including two more games away from home.
League One results — December
With my tactical switch in full flow and the lads hitting more direct passes as opposed to giving the ball away with a short possession play game the Winter snow couldn’t stop us. Southampton were beaten 2-0, Brentford fell victim to a 4-0 drumming and we earned a valuable point away from home against the MK Dons. This was followed by an outstanding run of three victories including nine goals and three clean sheets.
League One table
After a shaky start the boys in white and blue turned it up a gear and enjoyed a great run of form. Glancing at the top eight reads well for Brighton as we sit top of the table with a 3 point gap to Colchester in second and 10 points ahead of Peterborough in third.
Saint Johnstones Paint Trophy results
Considering I rested my stars for this competition we seem to be progressing well. We beat Bournemouth away on penalties, then Aldershot 1-0 away before struggling to beat League Two’s Cheltenham away on penalties also. Our next match is against second placed Colchester and I expect the journey to end there. This competition is of no importance to me and I’d rather have a fit squad for the league matches.
League Cup results
Yet another competition that saw me field the second string XI and we certainly held our own. Wycombe took an early thrashing, 3-0 before Championship side Reading lost in a shocking 1-0 thriller. QPR were drawn next and while we relied on penalties I was ecstatic to knock out another Championship club. The fourth round proved too much though as Bolton showed their EPL pedigree to beat Brighton 2-0.
FA Cup results
While I love the romance of this competition I needed to remain focussed on what really mattered, the league. My weaker line up has taken us past Lincoln and Fleetwood to earn a third round tie against Brentford. I honestly believe that we have done very well in all competitions and the fans must be happy to see us competing with some of the bigger boys. Scoring a massive home tie in the fourth round would be nice. :)
Squad stats
A mixed start has hindered my squads average ratings and those easier cup ties have offered some second string players a chance to shine. But looking through the list below I’d single out our centre back and captain, Greer, who has scored 7 goals and managed an average rating of 7.62. Spence has also impressed since joining on loan while Brandy has been a revelation with 13 goals from 17 starts.
Player of the post: Gordan Greer
Playmaker of the post: Craig Noone
Well that about does it for today, my next post will see the seasons end and start with some important January transfer news. I hope you’ll tune in for that, but until then thanks for reading and please feel free to comment below. :)
Laxeyman
25 августа, 2011 at 12:11
Great start to life with Brighton Darren, scoring plenty of goals and very hard to beat, a great combination :) Brandy has been fantastic, so hopefully he will keep scoring loads of goals, and if he does you will certainly win promotion. Good luck!
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:24
It has been a fruitful start Laxeyman, I don’t usually manage so well with a lower league side that isn’t ridiculously good like Southampton. Hence I am awaiting the bad run :)
Rob
25 августа, 2011 at 12:13
Good run of results mate, what tactic are you using? the 4-5-1 you used with Newcastle?
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:23
Thanks Rob, I am now using the 4-5-1 I used with Newcastle, but not the Manchelona. If you read the post there is a link to that post somewhere.
Vineeth
25 августа, 2011 at 12:28
Hi Darren :D
Nice going …..a 10 point gap with a squad that’s still blending…it seems promotion is almost certain(barring injuries of course)…
but I think without Fabian Brandy your team would be in some serious trouble…odd that your costliest player, Chris Wood, isn’t scoring that much…
And too bad Manchelona didnt work….I was hoping you would be demolishing L1 defences… ;)
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:15
Yeah I agree mate, we’d really struggle to score without Brandy and the reason Wood is so bad for me is that he just doesn’t suit my tactic.
Birdy
25 августа, 2011 at 12:34
Hey Darren
Very nice work, i Really hope you will gain promotion. Fabian Brandy has been phenominal and I really hope you guys can keep it up. Good luck
Birdy
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:13
Thanks Birdy, Brandy has done well and I hope we can maintain the form too.
rolando
25 августа, 2011 at 12:38
That’s some fantastic results, didn’t expect everything to go quite as smooth, and two defeats in half season is just amazing. Keep on the good work :)
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:12
Thanks Rolando, the season has started well and must admit I didn’t know what to expect myself.
Kevin
25 августа, 2011 at 12:44
Hi Darren
That subtle switch from fluid to balanced has een to have done the trick for you with much better results to finish the year off. Happy to see that Spence is high in the rankings as I think I mentioned him in your last post. Anyway, great start on the South Coast and I’m sure we will see The Seaguls pull away in the second term.
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:10
I agree Kevin, the switch in tactics has made a difference and I think the cautious approach will last a fair few years.
Lye Kuek Hin
25 августа, 2011 at 13:42
Hi Darren,
You have done pretty well in those results. I believe sometimes we love to see our players win with fluid football. Just as my Telford team, they won some of the games but i am not happy with the performance. The switch may have done you good. Fluid and attacking football and guarantee results. Good luck for the rest of the month.
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:07
Thanks Lye, I’d love to enjoy the same Football as I did at the Toon. But have to be realistic and accept this isn’t possible yet.
Daniel
25 августа, 2011 at 13:42
as expected your top and as expected jordan spence is amazing
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:06
Yeah top of the stack and Spence has been a rock.
Daniel
25 августа, 2011 at 22:45
its a shame that west ham dont start off with good training facilities because he could become quality
tom
25 августа, 2011 at 13:50
Great start…what i like about Spence is he could grow with you as you progress….at the start of the game hes perfect for league 1…then after a season of progression great for championship..then after 2 years a reasonable prem player…
Hopefully he will join you on your rise…
Keep up the good work! Your presentation of your game is an entertaining read!
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:06
Thanks Tom, I agree about Spence, he grows perfectly to follow any L1 side through the leagues. However I highly doubt the CB will be joining on the long term next year as my finances aren’t pretty. :) Glad you enjoy the read mate.
George Dobson
25 августа, 2011 at 13:59
well done Darren top of the league and your doing well in the cups as well despite using a second string team well done!!! :D
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:03
Thanks George, lets hope the form continues.
Dan
25 августа, 2011 at 14:14
Great start Darren, you’ve opened up a nice gap between you and the play-offs and your team is performing great since the tactics change. The 2nd string seems to be doing well in the cups too. Well done! :)
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:03
Thanks Dan, we started well and I hope to maintain the form.
Mikulas Nemeth
25 августа, 2011 at 15:18
Just finised pre-season and played 1st match for Brighton. Pretty well..Colchester went down 5-1. Managed to loan Pacheco from LFC :) Will see how it goes. Might post you link to my squad later.
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 18:57
Nice one Mikulas, sounds like you’ve got the side playing well.
Mikey
26 августа, 2011 at 11:03
Well…exactly like you I lost to Carlise away 1:0. But otherwise looking good.
Darren Smith
26 августа, 2011 at 11:58
lol, they are a pain.
Johnny Karp
25 августа, 2011 at 15:28
The results are excellent and the good thing is that I believe the team will play even better in the second half of the season! You will surely get promoted but I’m also hoping for a heroic FA Cup run :) Good luck!
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 18:57
Thanks Johnny, not sure if we’ll perform better in the second half of the season…that will depend on fitness and injuries I think. The FA Cup will be interesting though and who know…it’s a great competition because anyone can cause an upset. :)
Michael Grantham
25 августа, 2011 at 16:39
Hi Darren,
Some great form there and it looks like the tactical switch has worked really well for you. Great to see you have a good cushion on the teams in the playoff positions already, promotion is comfortably in your hands now!
Good luck mate
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 18:55
Thanks Michael. I hope you’re right and we gain promotion with ease. The tactical switch was needed and I’m just relieved I was bold enough to sort the problem quickly.
Nicholas Phipps
25 августа, 2011 at 16:56
Nice start and your team are playing well in the league. It’s a shame that you had to drop the ‘Manchelona’ but it just shows how maybe it isn’t the best tactic for a lower league club, because of the high fluidity and levels of intellegence needed in the players that you wont often find at this level. Good luck for the rest of the season and promotion seems very probable at this point :)
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 18:54
Thanks Nick, we have enjoyed a good start and you’re right about the Manchelona. It is only successful when you have talented players or are the dominating force in a lower league.
picks
25 августа, 2011 at 17:56
looks like you still havent forgot how to win from the newcastle days lol good results i think ur walk the league this year!
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 18:53
Thanks mate, I hope to finish the league off and start planning for next season early. :)
vaibhavc
25 августа, 2011 at 19:02
Hey Darren
I guess the Manchelona doesn’t work to well with a weak side, but your 4-5-1 does! I think you can beat Colchester in the cup even with a weakened side.
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:26
You’re right Vaibhav, the Manchelona doesn’t work well with a weak team. It did wonders while I managed Southampton, but trying it with Brighton was a step too far :)
Sibo
25 августа, 2011 at 19:20
Great work Darren, the league should be a walk in the park this year and I’m sure Gus Poyet would be proud of how you are doing with the Seagulls! :D
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 19:27
Thanks Sibo, lets hope I can go one better than Gus and beat his points record. :)
Ana Garcia
25 августа, 2011 at 21:03
Go Carlisle!
My local team!
You have made a great start to life at Brighton and are already topping the table.
Calderon sounds familiar but am not sure from where, and another piece of useless info is that Glenn Murray the player at the bottom of your squad went to my school!
He was a few years ahead of me but he was born in Cumbria were I live, he played for Carlisle too. He was also a regular at my salon too, so play him more! :)
Anyways good luck!!
Darren Smith
25 августа, 2011 at 21:31
Thanks Ana, we have had a good start and Carlisle are a real pain in the ass to beat. So cool you went to school with Murray, maybe you could ask him to hit the target every now and then for me. :)
CsAtlantis
26 августа, 2011 at 04:03
It’s a good start, Brandy is a lower league destroyer, try playing Soukouna up front, he seems to be much better at playing as a striker than a winger anyway from what I see from my coach reports, quite a lot of your players have found the net, are you sure you don’t want to give the Johnston’s Paint trophy a try? Might be your only chance to win that trophy before bigger things come calling………..:P
Darren Smith
26 августа, 2011 at 11:57
Yeah Soukouna could do well upfront although I need him on the wing for now. I honestly don’t want to bother with the JPT as its just a lower league trophy and no one remembers who has won the previous year anyway. I’d rather be certain of promotion.
cak
26 августа, 2011 at 18:01
hey darren
its a shame that things didnt work out with the manchelona, but since changing tactics brighton seem like a different team and brandy has been an awesome player, but you’d expect that from a former red devil :P winning the league looks achievable and the reserves seem to be holding there own in the cup competitions. look forward to reading the next update
Darren Smith
26 августа, 2011 at 18:31
Yeah it is a shame the Manchelona doesn’t work mate, hopefully we will see me revert back in the future. Brandy has been great and if he stays fit we should have no problems gaining promotion.
Sayam Khan
26 августа, 2011 at 21:10
Great start Darren! I think you should give the manchalona tactic more time! Fabian Brandy seems to be doing good, he has pace which is a huge bonus in the lower leagues ;-) good luck
Darren Smith
26 августа, 2011 at 21:22
Thanks sayam, the season did start well. I couldn’t give the Manchelona time as it evidently wasn’t working, the defence just couldn’t cope with the high line and I felt a very poor run coming.