Hello my friends, I’m happy to bring you another episode of the Dorchester Town Football Manager 2010 story! I had a few busy days lately so I have not been able to get as much FM time as I would have liked but I managed to go through December 2014 eventually. A quick recap of where we were: our position was 10th at the end of November, safely in the middle of the table with relegation looking quite far away. Let’s see if we managed to consolidate that position in December.
Before starting the league games we had a pretty important Carling Cup game to play, the quarter final clash with Championship side Swansea. The Swans were not having a good season, they were 12th in the Championship, so I decided to rest a few of the important players and sent in some backup players instead. We had a good chance of advancing to the semi finals and the lads played a pretty good first half in which we scored the only goal of the game, centre back Francesco Tosto hit the net for the first time this season with a corner kick header. Then Swansea tried to react but their best chance finished against the post after that respective shot was palmed away by backup goalkeeper Gabriel Nicolau. It was not an impressive performance from us but I was delighted that we went through while resting some players in the process. The semi final will see us facing Arsenal in a two-legged encounter, we have a pretty slim chance of reaching the final but we’ll surely give it our best shot.
Our first league game of the month was at home with 12th placed Wolves, an important mid-table battle. We got off to a perfect start as Omar Koroma was brought down inside the box and Willo Flood converted the penalty kick nine minutes into the game but then Liam Parker hit the post from a great position. Then Wolves started to push forward and Doyle scored a fabulous equalizer after being denied by our keeper a few minutes earlier. We took control of the game after the break but Parker went on to miss another couple of chances, I was already thinking about taking him off when centre back Petre Micu netted a quickfire double from corner kicks to put us comfortably ahead. Wolves missed a good opportunity to get back into the match 10 minutes from time but then Fran Merida wrapped up the game in style, he fired in a great free kick shots from 30 yards out and celebrated his first ever goal for the club. The score didn’t really reflect what happened on the pitch, I have to admit that it was an even game.
Next up, a very difficult away game at 6th placed Birmingham. I expected it to be a tough test for my lads and I was very curious to see how they would cope with in-form Birmingham. My players impressed me right away, they managed to test the opposition goalkeeper twice during the first 40 seconds of the game! The game continued to be quite entertaining and we finally broke the deadlock on 22 minutes when Liam Parker hit the net on the breakaway a few minutes after missing yet another clear cut chance. Our joy lasted only 13 minutes though, Birmingham reacted and leveled the game. We continued to play well though and we had a golden opportunity to take the lead again just before the break, a penalty kick. Willo Flood was not on the pitch so Dacian Varga had to take the shot and, as I feared just before seeing the shot, the keeper saved it! I was afraid that the missed penalty would demoralize the lads but it really didn’t, the second half was a cracker! I had to replace Omar Koroma after half time because he was tired and I sent in young Jonathan Ezquerro but the youngster looked really fired up as he created a chance for himself right away. It wasn’t his lucky day though but he still managed to make a big impact, he played the assist for Liam Parker‘s second goal of the game 15 minutes from time! Then we had to defend but Birmingham were unable to cause any real trouble while Parker could easily have scored a third goal on a counter attack. It was an excellent result and a great performance too, we had all the reasons to be happy since the three points saw us moving up into 6th place!
We had a good chance to consolidate that position too as our next game was away at bottom of the table Newcastle. They were having a rather poor season so I was hoping to get a win. We had a terrible start of the game though, Newcastle created no less than 3 clear cut chances during the initial 15 minutes of the game! Luckily they missed those chances and then we took control of the game and kept pushing forward until the final whistle. We missed our fair share of opportunities though, we just couldn’t hit the net and the closest we came was when one of our many shots thundered off the woodwork. We should have won the game but things could have gone a lot differently if Newcastle would have converted one of those early chances.
The next game was a lot more difficult, defending champions Manchester United were coming to meet us at our temporary home, St. Mary’s Stadium. I was hoping to hold on for a draw but it seemed to be all over by the 20th minute, Rooney and Berbatov appeared to be having lots of fun with my young defenders. Omar Koroma gave us some hope one minute before the break when he rounded off a team move and the team started to play better after the break. We never looked like pushing Man United into the ropes and another quick exchange between Berbatov and Rooney led to their third goal. Petre Micu hit the net with a corner kick header again on 81 minutes but United proved to be too strong for us. I might have made a mistake in choosing to play offensively against them, I could have tried a more cautious approach but who knows, maybe they would have scored even more then. Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.
Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.
Jean Paul Borg
29 сентября, 2010 at 22:36
I just love how you manage to win against tough oposition like Birmingham, I wouldn’t worry much about the loss against Manchester United, I mean come on, you beat Liverpool twice! I hope you can beat Arsenal to qualify for the final of the Carling Cup. I was doubting the ability of the Romanians you bought but they left me speechless :) Well done on your 6th place, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dorchester as Carling Cup champions or reaching a qualifying spot for the Champions League!
Hope Juventus will avenge your Romanian team’s loss against Manchester City tomorrow!
Johnny Karp
30 сентября, 2010 at 09:57
Thanks Jean Paul, that win over Birmingam was my favorite :) I don’t think that we can grab a top four spot though, I’d be happy to remain 6th :)
mariano
30 сентября, 2010 at 08:39
You are doing very good considering you have a much weaker team then your first season in Premier league with Notts co……!:)
I Haven´t read many of this post of this story so maybe the following questions have been answer, anyway,,,,,
Are you still using the magpipes tactic?(With a gel squad i consider using it cheating:)
Some feedback/suggestions:
1.Would like a post about how you get your squads geld so fast, for example with so many Romanians like in the first season with Dorchester.
1plus: if i manage a finnish team and i sell ALL my players and sign ONLY Indonesian(muslim) players will the gelling of the squad be ok?
It´s not a joke, i mean they all speak the same language and share the same religion, they should´t have problems understanding each other.
2.A post with a step by step explanations of how you find so good youngsters in the under´s national teams
3.i would like your stories to be more detailed regarding to your interaction in the pre-match and during the match about your tactics so i can learn to become a better manager.
mariano
30 сентября, 2010 at 08:45
I mean, would be nice if yo could explain in your stories which tactical changes you made,why,how and the outcome.
This would make the stories so much more interesting for me because i would be learning, and getting more ideas to experiment with.
Johnny Karp
30 сентября, 2010 at 10:05
Thanks for the questions Mariano, I’ll try to answer them :)
1. I don’t think that the squad gelled faster than usual but I do take some steps to make that happen. First I try to play many friendly games in pre-season, around 8. Then I try not to make too many tactical changes during the season. Having a group of players from the same nation does seem to count indeed, the backroom staff sometimes give such advice.
2. I don’t think there are too many steps to describe, just browse through the under 21 and under 19 teams and check the attributes. Then compare them with your own players and, if possible, send a scout to check the player. Now I rely on my scout reports since I can send them all over the world. I always send them to any international under 21 and under 19 competitions as well.
3. I do mention when I do some tactical changes (I still use the Magpies tactic, the latest version which is 4.2 if I remember correctly). I will try to post the pre-match and half time team talks too from now on if you think that might help you. When I don’t mantion any tactical changes then you have to assume that I stick to the default magpies tactic :)
Kevin
30 сентября, 2010 at 09:29
Hello Johnny
That was a very good month indeed culminating in a great win at Anfield. I can’t belive you are now challenging for a a place in Europe next season. Even though you have such a great track record in the game itself I somehow didn’t see Dorchster doing well in the Premier. So, I’m proved wrong and keep up the excellent work in 2015!
Johnny Karp
30 сентября, 2010 at 10:06
Thanks Kevin. The December results were a nice surprise for me too. I guess the turning point was the game at Birmingham, both myself and the team got a lot of confidence out of that win and great performance :)
mariano
30 сентября, 2010 at 11:07
Thanks Johnny,
When i mention tactical changes , i meant during the matches.
And by tacticl changes i mean tactics, philosofy, opposition instructions, mentality etc……
Would help to understand how you can do what you do:)
Or i am complicating things too much?
Johnny Karp
30 сентября, 2010 at 11:17
I understand what you mean Mariano. Most times I do mention when I change those aspects during a game, I remember that I almost always mention when I switch to «counter» strategy during a game or to a different setup than the 4-4-2. I never change the philosophy though :) I will try to give more details about the opposition instructions from now on but normally I do not set opp instructions too often.
Darren Smith
30 сентября, 2010 at 11:37
Hey Johnny, great results this month. It a shame you drew to Newcastle and lost to Man Utd, but that is to be expected. With your current form and next weeks fixtures, I reckon you’ll be challenging the top four or at least securing the top 7-8. Well done mate
Johnny Karp
30 сентября, 2010 at 18:49
Thanks Darren. I just hope the players will stay reasonably fit in January with the very congested schedule.
hils
30 сентября, 2010 at 15:41
Well done Johnny! I think a top half position is a realistic target now! Good luck!
Johnny Karp
30 сентября, 2010 at 18:49
Thanks Hils, I guess you are right.
hils
2 октября, 2010 at 08:26
Oh,i forgot to say that in FM11 i think you should manage a team like Corby!
Lye
30 сентября, 2010 at 15:49
Hi Johnny,
That’s a very good month and you are close to a play-off place. Next month will be tough but i believe you will pull off some surprises and grab a play-off place. Good luck.
Johnny Karp
30 сентября, 2010 at 18:49
Thanks Lye. No more play-offs in the Premier League though :)
Laxeyman
30 сентября, 2010 at 16:40
Hi Johnny, that was a brilliant end to the year, and now you’ve got a really good chance of finishing in 6th place. Good luck in the Carling Cup!
Johnny Karp
30 сентября, 2010 at 18:50
Thanks for the good wishes Laxeyman. I don’t have too many hopes for the Carling Cup, two legs against Arsenal is a pretty tough test.
Sears
30 сентября, 2010 at 17:09
Hi Johnny,
good month, nice to see you battling for a Europa League place. I think you can finish in the top seven, what a achivement that would be. By the way, who will you manage in FM11?
Johnny Karp
30 сентября, 2010 at 18:51
Thanks Sears. I have not decided which team I will manage in FM11, I will most probably put up a poll on the website and then you will decide for me :)
mariano
30 сентября, 2010 at 19:31
Yes, making a poll is a great idea.
The poll will be about a team or a national league?
Have you ever took Craiova to win the Champions?
As a San lorenzo Argentinian fan, usually is the first team i manage and take them to win the Copa Libertadores(South American champions League).
I would like you to manage an Argentinian lower league team just to see your reaction while trying to understand the Argentinian rules:)
There are 2 Champions every season in the same tournament, one after the first round and one after the second round.
2 teams face direct relegation every year, and are not the too at the bottom of the table, are the ones with the lower amount of points……….during the las 3 years!
In the winter break which last 2 weeks, clubs are allowed to signed unlimited players and in the summer break , which last 2 months only 4 signs are allowed!
And to qualify for the champions league, qualify the 2 teams who had more points between the second half of one season and the first half of the next season…..
Johnny Karp
30 сентября, 2010 at 20:07
I think it will be a mixed poll with specific teams and leagues as well. I did achieve that triumph with Craiova in FM 2007 or 2008 but it took me lots of seasons to make that. I did play a career in Argentina too in FM 2006, I took Quilmes to win the Copa Libertadores and the FIFA Club World Cup (Intercontinental Cup)! So I do know a bit about the Argentinian system, we even had some matches broadcast live on TV here in Romania a couple of years ago. I have to admit that your system is quite weird indeed, it took me some time to fully understand it. Then I played a career in Brazil and I noticed that they have their own strange things as well :)
rab carr
1 октября, 2010 at 19:00
hey johnny,, first of all well done in ur progress so far outstanding among other superlatives can only descibe your skill in FM about the team you will manage in FM 11 i would lovee to see you take my beloved celtic in the spl to glory in all fronts a know thats never gonna happen tho lol can always hope tho what a smashing good read that would be
Johnny Karp
1 октября, 2010 at 19:13
Thanks for the kind words. Winning the SPL with Celtic would be a bit too easy I guess but I am considering taking over a lower league Scottish team and taking them far enough to challenge for the title along with Celtic and Rangers :)
rab carr
1 октября, 2010 at 19:23
yeahhh a suppose your right you would destroy the spl with celtic a 3rd division teams seems right would be a even better read,, but for now reading the dorchester town journey is amazing :-)