Darren: FM 2011 Brighton burning bright until Winter 2010/11

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. :)