Hello friends and welcome back to my continuing struggle with Plymouth as our second season in the EPL draws to a close. We showed some slight improvement over the last couple of months so let’s seem if the team could carry that forward into the New Year.
January 2016
The start of the New Year began with the usual board meeting where I decided to keep the clubs expectations at avoiding relegation despite our current mid table league position.
With morale sitting at abysmal it was a terrible time to play an away cup game but that’s exactly what we faced as we took on Stevenage in the FA Cup 3rd Round. The home side took the lead after just 5 minutes exploiting a massive gap between my two central defenders. Beciraj soon put us back on level terms after which young Brazilian defender Marcao headed in the go ahead goal from a corner on his debut. Looking good by the interval we soon capitulated in the second half as Stevenage went on the rampage and got their equalizer just after the hour. They couldn’t find the winning goal try as they might and we were lucky to get out of Broadhall Way alive.
The next game away to Everton was totally forgettable as it played out to a boring 0-0 draw which meant we had gone four EPL games without scoring.
Well I had said I wasn’t going to sign anyone in this transfer window but once Manuele Cecconi popped up on my radar I changed my mind particularly as he had been released by the New York Red Bulls so cost nothing at all.
Cecconi started up front along with McLaughlin as we took on Stevenage in the FA Cup 3rd round replay. The young America immediately tormented the opposition back four but just couldn’t find that all important finishing touch, though neither could his team-mates. That would change on the stroke of half time as Cecconi set up Pelosi from a short option corner that we’d been training on to take the lead. Pelosi’s through ball would create a chance for his fellow countryman Cecconi who buried the ball into to net to double our lead. Kostas Fortounis who now seems more settled headed in goal number three to send us through to the 4th round to meet Swansea.
Next up was the visit of Newcastle who took the lead from a corner after just seven minutes as Kapellhof “walked away” from guarding the left post allowing acres of space for the goal. Newcastle controlled much of the first half though we weren’t completely out if it and a half time talk did wonders as my midfield trio created a masterpiece of a goal which was finished off by Jonjo Shelvey who drove the ball under the sprawling Newcaslte keeper. With the game heading for a draw Kapellhof turned from villain to hero as his long ball out of defence caught the Newcastle back four flat footed and substitute Iosif Baesu pounced on the opportunity to score the winning goal!
Morale was high as we travelled to Villa Park but we found ourselves undone by Villa’s slick passing which eventually led to a goal on the stroke of half time. Once more we were unable to capitalize on any possession with limited ideas in the final third. A statue like defence handed Villa a second goal just after the hour mark though McLaughlin did manage a consolation goal with 9 minutes remaining.
The loss to Villa was quickly followed by two more as we crashed out of the FA Cup with a humiliating defeat away to Swansea where we had 56% of the ball but only managed two shots on target. A slightly better effort at Vicarage Road looked like ending in an away point until DC Ryan Shotten misjudged the flight of the ball allowing space behind him for the Watford striker to score the only goal of the game with just minutes left on the clock.
Goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov handed in his transfer request following these two defeats which I accepted and he was quickly snapped up by Russian side Terek for £700,000. Before the month was up my promising young defender from Brazil, Marcao handed in a transfer request also.
February 2016
We started the month off with the visit of West Ham United but with morale slipping deeper into the abyss the game was over by half time as The Hammers lived up to their nickname scoring three times in the opening 45 minutes sending us back towards the relegation zone. We now had lost four in a row scoring once in 360 minutes of football.
We stayed at home for the visit of 20th place Southampton which provided an opportunity to end our losing streak. A lively start was interrupted by the Saints being unfairly awarded a penalty kick after 24 minutes that….was saved by Loris Karis to keep us in the game. At the other end we came close but still couldn’t score. Early in the second half McLaughlin found himself all alone in the box after a brilliant through ball by Shelvey but he hit the post. With 11 minutes remaining we forced a corner which was driven in low by Mauricio and defender Kyle Bartley got his head to it and…..1-0! We tightened things up ran down the clock and finally won a game to the relief of the fans.
After the win against Southampton we found ourselves 14 points clear of the relegation zone and Sunderland had been deducted 9 points (not sure why) which was good for us!
Next we travelled to London to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and we got off to an unbelievable start as from an early corner defender Jamie Richards who was returning from injury rose above the pack and his header deflected off an Arsenal player and were in the lead. The Gunners came right back at us looking for a quick equalizer but we caught them on the counter and long clearance out of defence found Kostas Fortounis all alone and he simply ran the ball forward, rounded the keeper and it was 2-0 after just 16 minutes. Arsenal were deflated for the rest of the half and we could have easily added another two goals but with an hour gone Arsenal did pull one back and for the next thirty minutes desperately tried to find the equalizer but couldn’t. Right back Kappelhof was sent off in injury time but wasn’t enough to sway the game and we took all three points!
March 2016
We returned to Home Park to take on Fulham and in a frantic and gruelling encounter that left both sides totally exhausted we pulled off a come from behind victory. A stern half time talk did the trick with two goals in 15 minutes to snatch the victory.
Our three game win streak was about to come to an end at Old Trafford as Man United totally dominated a game in which we could not even get out of our half in the first 45 minutes. Thankfully there was no repeat of last season’s 7-0 thrashing and this time we lost by a score of 2-1.
Our return to Home Park saw goalkeeper Loris Karius sent off, William Ekong injured and we ended up with just 9 nine men on the field as Bolton capitalized on the numerical advantage beating us by a score of 2-1.The final game of the month saw us travel to Anfield which played out very much like our visit to Old Trafford where we couldn’t get out of our own half though we did only lose by a single goal.
Results Summary:
League Table:
I’m pretty sure we can avoid relegation now with just another few points.
Super Sevens:
I only have one which isn’t really worth showing so here’s how we shape up in terms of leading goal scorers which is not much better either :)
Fixtures:
We have a good opportunity to pick up some additonal points before what looks like to be three straight losses to finish off the season.
Last but not least our financial situation which continues to be quite healthy.
*** I decided not to upload the story at this point and thought I might as well finish off the seasonas there was not really anything to play for.
April — May 2016
Our first two games in April ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Sunderland and a 2-0 loss away to Stoke though that aside we were going to stay up for another season in the Premier League as 18th place Wigan couldn’t catch us.
Mike Pelosi who had been on international duty somehow got stuck in the USA and was still there come April and would not rejoin us for the rest of the season!!
Next up was 18th place Wigan where after falling behind to an early goal we managed to fight our way back into a 2-1 lead by half time. Following the interval we gave away three goals in the space of 20 minutes before pulling one back deep into injury time.
The last four games went by in somewhat predictable fashion as we beat Leicester at home by a single goal scored by Iosef Baesu and then promptly lost our last three against much stronger opponents.
So we ended up in 14th place, one place higher than last season though I feel we could have done much better if we hadn’t been so inconsistent in front of goal.
That brings us to the end of this Plymouth Argyle story but before I finish here’s some final stats and information.
This I’m very proud of this considering how much debt we were in as a League 2 team.
Financial Overview: June 1st 2016
£17 million in the bank, not bad at all.
Thanks very much for reading this update and for all your comments and support over the last five seasons. I will be back with a new story and hopefully very soon.
Here’s a clue as to where… and as they saying goes «they always get their man» :)
Ivo
5 февраля, 2012 at 22:01
congratulations on 14th place and the 2-1 arsenal win. I’m from Croatia and Fatos Beciraj plays for Dinamo Zagreb in real life :D. He is really something special (scored against Real Madrid on Santiago Bernabeu in the champions league) but he doesn’t get too much first team football. He deserves a better club for sure. I’m really looking forward to your next season maybe you can win the fa cup and taste a little bit of europe :). You should try to buy a big attacking name who can score at least 15+ goals…
Peace , Ivo
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 10:07
Hello Ivo
Greetings from Canada and thanks very much for leaving a comment. I’m glad you have enjoyed this update but unfortunately it is my last one with Plymouth if you go back and take a look :) I’ll try and pick up a Croatia player in my new save for you!!
Ivo
6 февраля, 2012 at 13:51
Oh yeah i forgot sorry … Are you going to start a new game with golden coast united ? In australia there are a lot of croatians so i believe youre going to find one .. When are you starting ?
Dino Ozbolt
6 февраля, 2012 at 15:39
Wehe, I’m not the only Croat here! That’s something! :D
Good job once again, but it’s sad somehow to see this story dead.. It was such a fun! :D
Hopefully, your next one will be even better! Can’t wait to read it :)
Sears
5 февраля, 2012 at 22:50
Well Kevin, that was a trilling finish to your Plymouth career. Can’t believe how far you bought the club in such a short space of time and I’m truly saddened that you are beginning a new save. However, I’m sure the new save will be just as exciting and I cannot wait until it begins! :)
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 10:04
Hi Sears
Although the Plymouth gae is over it’s not deleted so you never know? Hope you will follow along wiht my new story which has fresh and exciting objectives…at least for me:)
Lye
6 февраля, 2012 at 01:08
Hi Kevin,
I still believe the team has more potential than what the position has shown and 14th place is not a bad finish after all. Pity that a wonderful story has ended but i am anticipating for the next one for sure.
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 10:02
Helo Lye
Glad you enjoyed the story and hopefully the new one will be as equally entertaining.
CsAtlantis
6 февраля, 2012 at 01:59
Awww Kevin are you sure you do not want to lead Plymouth to Europe and beyond? Regardless, in a short amount of time you have done exceptionally well to bring Plymouth into the Premier League and erase the debts from the club, well done!
Looking forward to your next team
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 09:58
Hi CsAtlantis
Although I enjoyed my time at Plymouth I felt the moment was right to move on mainly because in real life I find myself increasingly disconnected from the UK ( that’s sad but it’s life) an felt I needed a save closer to home just like Johnny and Darren.
PeeDub
6 февраля, 2012 at 03:24
In what world does an MLS team release a player that then goes on to start for a Premier League side?
Crazy good find.
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 09:55
Hey PeeDub
Cecconi was a good find indeed but needed more time to settle I feel.
Bhargav
6 февраля, 2012 at 06:41
We shed a tear for the end of this wonderful story. I wish I could have read about Plymouth hoisting up the UEFA Champions League trophy but it was still quite a story. I am going to guess that you will foray into the MLS with the Whitecaps, something you indicated in your earlier story. But wherever you go, I know I will be excited to read what you do!
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 09:54
Hi Bhargav
I’m so happy you enjoyed the story though I think the next version of FM would have ben out before I lifted the CL Trophy :)
By the way spot on with your guess of my next story.
Bhargav
6 февраля, 2012 at 10:13
Haha, I think you’re selling yourself short! You absolutely dominated the lower leagues; it’s just a matter of time before you at least win the EPL! It Johnny 3 (?) seasons in the top flight before Viitorul won the Romanian League.
Also, will you be continuing with the same save file for your journey through the MLS or will you be starting a new save?
Malhar Bhadbhade
6 февраля, 2012 at 08:38
hey kevin,
sad that the story is coming to an end, but all good things eventually must :) you did a fantastic job getting plymouth into the epl and i think its fair to say that under you, plymouth became an established premier league club. that win against arsenal was absolutely fantastic!!! great job! cant wait to find out what your next story will be. hopefully its something in europe….i want to see you play in the champions league….cheers!
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 09:51
Hello Malhar
I’m in fact delighted with what I achieved finacially with Pymouth but with a 100 million pound transfer budget difference betwen us Man City the following season would have been much the same.. Still, the champions league is my aim though not in Europe :)
Martin - F.M.J.S
6 февраля, 2012 at 08:50
Hi Kevin
A few mixed results but I feel a couple more seasons and I think you would have got Plymouth into Europe. I look forward to your new story and I have a feeling what your next job is ;).
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 09:48
Hi Martin
I think you may have ben right about getting Plymouth into Europe but the save was starting to feel like the same old challenge of previous saves…time for something different with fresh objectives.
vaibhavc
6 февраля, 2012 at 09:13
And thats it from Plymouth, you did a great job on bringing Plymouth so far, fantastic attempt! I think your new club is Toronto like last year.
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 09:46
Hello vaibhavc
Thanks for your support along the way with Plymouth though it’s not Toronto but pretty close :)
vaibhavc
6 февраля, 2012 at 17:49
Montreal Impact?
Marcko
6 февраля, 2012 at 11:26
Hmm just guessing but are you going to Dallas?
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 15:12
Hi Marcko
Good guess but just a little further north and west :)
Darren Smith
6 февраля, 2012 at 11:54
Well done Kevin, your Plymouth story was a really good read and breathed realism which is refreshing. I think that finishing with the club in excellent financial health and a squad good enough to avoid the drop is a success.
Can’t wait for the new story, no guess’ as I don’t want to give it away ;)
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 15:18
Hi Darren
Thanks a lot and that’s nice to here that you found my efforts realistic. I was just delighted in how we ended up financially which was in fact the most satisfying part of the whole five seasons as I remembered how people said what a challenge Plymouth would be.
TheZiggy
6 февраля, 2012 at 12:20
I think you’ve done a great with Plymouth, pulling them a club where morale was rock bottom and favourites to be relegated from the football league, to establishing them in straight seasons as a Premiership club.
I know your two seasons in the Premier League were tough, but it’s what’s to be expected for a club which rises up through the leagues so fast. History has shown how difficult it is for any club who are promoted to the top division to stay there, so don’t be too harsh on yourself. Having just taken Torquay to 3 successive promotions I’m about to sample the agony and ecstasy of live with the big boys.
It’s too late for this story, which you’ve sadly brought to an end, but by accident I may have found an answer to the problem with the strikers. For some reason, possibly hitting the scrollwheel on my mouse, but I went into a game with Attacking Movement set as my focus, and to say the result was spectacular is an understatement, but there’s a fellow Championship side wondering what hit them. ;)
As for your next team, I don’t know why, but I have a very well known Monty Python song going around my head now. ;)
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 16:32
Thanks Ziggy
It’s been actually a great challenge taking Plymouth into the top flight considering how it all started off and i’m especially delighted with my financial achievements as a real life budget manager. Good to know the the striker issue has been resolved so I’ll make sure to check that when startting my new game which you’ve correctly pointed out the destination.
Woody
6 февраля, 2012 at 16:51
well done kevin, a great and to a great story
and also great to see your financial posistion cleared of debt.
anyway well done and good luck in the new save
Woody
6 февраля, 2012 at 16:59
and where can i download the save
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 17:29
Hi Woody
Glad you enjoyed the story and I do appreciate your support. As for the file it’s not available for download anywhere as I still consider my personal property. Sorry.
Johnny Karp
6 февраля, 2012 at 17:54
Thanks for the wonderful story Kevin, you took this club a long way and that proves you’re a much better manager than you think ;) Looking forward to the «closer to home» story! :)
Kevin
6 февраля, 2012 at 19:50
Hi Johnny
Many thanks for such a gracious comment. To be honest I’m much more delighted with my financial performance more than anything else though really felt that it would be tough to do much more with Plymouth on the field. Besides I think the main site page is in a transition phase with stories about teams that the writers can more easily relate to in their own lives so the timing seemed to be right to make the move to….????
Laxeyman
7 февраля, 2012 at 16:36
Pretty good season Kevin, you had a magnificent career with Plymouth, so congratulations! Your Plymouth side certainly has a lot of potential and if you do return to them, I’m sure you’ll keep making them better and better :) Looking forward to your new story mate.
Ana Garcia
7 февраля, 2012 at 20:26
Great story am sad to see it end, but if you feel its the right time to end then I understand.
You were just starting to build your team but no point in managing anymore if you feel that you have come to the end, your new team sounds intriguing!
Am useless with clues! Even the most obvious of ones so am guessing your going to the MLS but the hat and the red coat I think it is gives me no real help! :)
Anyways I am looking forward to it so the best of luck!
Dave912
27 апреля, 2012 at 10:16
Hi Kevin
Congrats on a fantastic rollercoaster of a Story. Could you please tell me what tactic your using and if i’m able to download it? Thanks