Hello folks and welcome to another episode of the Motormen Football Manager 2011 story! It will be a rather long update since we had to play no less than 9 games in the last month of 2013. We managed to remain unbeaten through November but a few draws and a couple of postponed matches pushed us down in 3rd place. I was quite curious to see how my team would cope with the packed schedule and, assuming that you are curious as well, I guess we should start rolling the story…
Vauxhall vs Rotherham (Johnstone’s Paint Trophy North Semi Final)
Venue: Rivacre Park
Attendance: 2,169
Starting line up: Martin Hansen – Jacob Hronec, Daniel Pappoe, Mervin Simon, Grant Baddeley – Carlos Bogado, Mark Brown, Graham Howson, Jason Banton – Darryl Duffy, Mark Cullen
Team Talk: For the fans!
It was a very important match both for club and fans, it was an opportunity to reach the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy North final and I was extremely determined not to let it slip away. I tried to pass some of that determination to the players through the team talk but we started off on the wrong foot as a gaffe from Cullen gifted Rotherham the lead on 11 minutes. The lads reacted very well though, we were laying siege on their goal and finally managed to net the equalizer in the 31st minute. Everybody was expecting another goal from us but it came into the wrong net, Rotherham took the lead totally against the run of play. We dominated the first half but we were 2-1 down at the break, that was rather unfortunate.
Half time score: 1-2
Half time team talk: For the fans!
Half time substitutions: Peter Leven for Brown
My players came out of the dressing room with even more determination and we leveled the match again after just nine minutes when Mark Cullen fired in on the rebound after Carlos Bogado‘s shot had been parried. Four minutes later Cullen had another good chance, he was clean through inside the penalty area and a last ditch tackle from a defender sent the ball into the back of the net. We were in the lead and we had several other chances to score before Jason Banton finally put it beyond doubt with a cool finish.
Full time team talk: Congratulations!
Man of the match: Graham Howson
Flop of the match: Mark Brown
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Darlington vs Vauxhall (League 1)
Venue: Darlington Arena
Attendance: 2,785
Starting line up: Martin Hansen – Ken Harris, Oliver Nicholas, Daniel Pappoe, Alex Billington – Carlos Bogado, Mark Brown, Graham Howson, Keith Higgs – Omar Koroma, Darryl Duffy
Team Talk: You can win today!
First league game of the month and a good chance to grab the three points as we were meeting 20th placed Darlington. The difference between the two sides was made quite clear right from the start, we were piling on the pressure and finally broke the deadlock on 21 minutes through Omar Koroma. Omar could have doubled his tally a few minutes later but he only managed to hit the crossbar but it was a good first half.
Half time score: 0-1
Half time team talk: Encourage.
Half time substitutions: Matthew Ball for Howson, Jason Banton for Higgs, Mark Cullen for Koroma
Darlington started the second half with a different approach, they were trying hard to get back into the game but fortunately we closed that door in the 57th minute when Mark Brown found Cullen with a good pass and the striker powered home. Our opponents didn’t stop trying, they even had a couple of good chances, but Darryl Duffy put it beyond doubt seven minutes from time with a breakaway goal.
Full time team talk: Well done!
Man of the match: Mark Brown
Flop of the match: Carlos Bogado
Match Stats
Video Highlights
Vauxhall vs Preston (League 1)
Venue: Rivacre Park
Attendance: 2,500 (capacity crowd)
Starting line up: Martin Hansen – Jacob Hronec, Daniel Pappoe, Mervin Simon, Grant Baddeley – Darren King, Peter Leven, Graham Howson, Jason Banton – Darryl Duffy, Mark Cullen
Team Talk: You can win today!
Preston were the league leaders before the game, so it was a massive test for my team. We were three points behind them but with a game in hand so we had the chance to cancel the gap before playing that postponed match. The first half was played at a fierce tempo, both sides were playing their hearts out. We did seem to be slightly better though and could have made that count on the score board it we wouldn’t have wasted a pair of clear chances. Preston showed themselves in attack as well but centre backs Pappoe and Simon were having a great game.
Half time score: 0-0
Half time team talk: You can win today!
Half time substitutions: none
I was quite optimistic at the start of the second half but Preston took the lead after four minutes thanks to a free kick header. We had it all to do at that point and I was satisfied with the players’ reaction, they pushed forward and tried to level the game but it just didn’t work. There was a feeling of frustration across the team and that probably pushed right back Jacob Hronec to make a horrendous tackle during stoppage time. He got sent off and he deserved it but we didn’t really deserve to lose this game. Preston were now six points clear at the top of the table and it appeared that our title chase suffered a major blow.
Full time team talk: Good effort!
Man of the match: Grant Baddeley
Flop of the match: Darren King
Match Stats
Hereford vs Vauxhall (League 1)
Venue: Edgar Street
Attendance: 3,067
Starting line up: Martin Hansen – Ken Harris, Daniel Pappoe, Mervin Simon, Alex Billington – Carlos Bogado, Mark Brown, Graham Howson, Jason Banton – Darryl Duffy, Dale Hills
Team Talk: You can win today!
Hereford were sitting in 20th place before the game so it was a good chance for us to bounce back after the bitter defeat against Preston. A great counter attack put us ahead after just eight minutes, it was Dale Hills who finished it with a fine strike. We dominated the game until half time and Carlos Bogado hit the crossbar with a great shot from inside the area.
Half time score: 1-0
Half time team talk: Encourage.
Half time substitutions: Derrick Williams for Billington, Omar Koroma for Hills, Matthew Ball for Brown
Our domination became even clearer four minutes after the break: one of Hereford‘s centre backs made a professional foul on Duffy and got sent off. My lads were quietly in control and Darryl Duffy pushed in the second goal after the opposition goalkeeper had fumbled a cross into his path. We won the game and we didn’t even had to try too hard.
Full time team talk: Well done!
Man of the match: Darryl Duffy
Flop of the match: Omar Koroma
Match Stats
Video Highlights
There were five more games to play before the end of the month, go to the next page to read all about them!
Go to the next page to read the rest of the story.
Well Done Johnny, you ended up being first at the end of December. You had a good run except for those last 2 games. Dale Hills’s attributes are good, maybe he will start to fins his touch later for you.
Thanks mate. I still believe in Hills’s ability, he’ll have until the end of the season to prove himself.
1st one in a while, hope to read some more very soon. Good luck for next month part from the Notts County Match as i am a massive Season Ticket holder with them, got Man City in the cup at the weekend Cant wait. Anyway Johnny Good luck and i hope to see you storming the Championship soon lol Take care Mark
Thanks Mark and best of luck to the Magpies against Man City! You know that I’ve managed Notts County in FM 2010, don’t you? Won the Premier League too :)
yet again a good month. couple of bad results in the month but ur team bounced back well. u are doin an awesome job with the motormen. hopefully ur post a new update soon as this is the only game i enjoy reading since the southampton game has gone…well done mate
Thanks Garry, I’m doing the best I can to post as often as possible. The other stories are just as good though, even better. At least that’s what I think :)
That was a great month Johnny considering the huge fixture list. Well done on going top of the table!
Thanks Sears, it’s a pretty competitive league…
Really good month Johnny, you were slightly unlucky with Preston, i wish you luck mate!
Thanks James, I agree that we didn’t have too much luck against Preston.
Hi Johnny, good month, and the inconsistencies of Preston mean that you’re in a great position to win promotion. Funnily enough, Preston are also in League 1 in my game, and are top iof the table, but they do lose a lot of games. There’s a long way to go, but I reckon you can stay ahead of them and win promotion. Good luck!
Thanks Laxeyman. There doesn’t seem to be a dominant team in the league so I guess we have as good a chance as any of the top four.
Hey Johnny,
I hate December and January in football management, there’s too many games!
Anyway, i’ve noticed your not afraid to say harsh words at the end of a match if the result isn’t in favour of you! Also you make subs at half time quiet often!
Good month there anyway and to be at the top half way through the season is great
You did some brilliant scouting to snap up that 18 year old! Hopefully you can keep him at the club.
Good Luck!
Thanks for the good luck wish Sayam. About the team talks, usually I try to encourage the players and boost their confidence but I do use the whip as well from time to time. Most of the substitutions are forced by fatigue issues, my tactic requires a lot of running from the players and those with less stamina can’t be at the top of their condition for more than 45 to 65 minutes. I can’t remember which scout spotted Baddeley but he surely would deserve a fat bonus :)
You never fail to surprise me Johnny. You just know how to win don’t you ;)
I don’t know Ravenie, it’s a game of chance :P
Well done Johnny, that was a very successful month and you seem to be making League One look like a breeze. Howson is amazing, no wonder he assists so many with a freekick rating of 20!! Your competition is stiff with ex Championship sides like Doncaster, Preston and QPR lurking. However, you seem to have a very good squad and I’m confident in your sides chances. Good luck mate.
Thanks Darren, I might be looking to add a couple of transfers in January to boost our chances.
Hi Johnny,good month there!!!!!!!!! You should do well from now!!!!!!!!! Good luck!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Hils!!!
Solid month Johnny, I can already see championship football. Its interesting Baddeley makes a number of interceptions because his anticipation isn’t one of his best attributes, what attributes do you think allows a player to make a lot of interceptions? Also I’ve been trying to create my own tactics of late and am struggling to do so really, do you have any tips whilst creating one? Your thoughts would be much appreciated, Thanks :)
Thanks Jack. About Baddeley, I think that his determination might help him to play well at this level. About creating tactics, first you have to figure out how you want the team to be playing, then use the tactic creator to shape it up and then tweak it along the way. It’s a trial and error process and I would suggest watching full games for a while to see more of what’s happening than in the highlights. That’s what I did when I created my tactic, I started from wanting an attacking, creative and aggressive team (high defensive line, press more, attacking strategy, more creative freedom etc)
Thanks Johnny that is a big help! Good look for the rest of the season!
Thanks mate, let me know whenever you need help.
Hi Johnny
Well done in coping with that massive fixture list and even though you lost two games you’ve managed to go top which is fabulous. A long month to follow so I hope you can keep up the momentum as well as keeping Nicholas on the books. Scott Wooten is worth a look at as he fills in fr Nicholas really well in my Wrexham save. Also check out Danny West of Chelsea if he’s in your game too. Great update!!
Thanks for the two recommendations Kevin, I will have a look at those. I’m not too keen on keeping Nicholas but I won’t sell him cheaply either.
You had a lot of matches, but you managed to get to the top of the table and you should stay there. Championship, here comes Johnny!
Thanks Arjuna. There’s still a long way to go until reaching promotion but I guess we’re on track.
Hi Johnny,
A lot of games to be play and i thought you did pretty well. Sitting on top at this point of time is great as December is always the most difficult. No doubt this will put you in good position to win the title. Good luck.
Thanks Lye. I agree that we are in a good position but the title is still far away at the moment, lots of work still to be done.
Well done Johnny a really good month, you deserve a medal for just getting through it and then writing it! :)
But it was a really good read and good to see you topping the table, looks very close at the top though with most sides seperated by a few points am hoping you can stay there come the end of the season!
Good luck!!
Thanks Ana, now we should figure out who should give me that medal :) Just kidding, thanks a lot for the comment and for the good luck wish.
Hey, sorry I haven’t posted for awhile. My pc’s was broken for ages. I kept up with your story and everyone else’s though! You’ve been doing very well, I was just wondering coz your stadium is still 2,500 like mine, are you hemorrhaging money? Coz I am and the board just won’t upgrade the stadium!
Hi mate, thanks for following the stories and sorry to hear about your computer problems. About your question, we are losing money but not too much so we are able to compensate those losses with the income from the cup games.
It’s alright. I’m only slightly behind you on my game. 10 games into League 1 so I’ll catch up soon. Ah ok, well I went out the league cup straight away but I’m still in the johnstone’s so I’ll concentrate on that as it is possible to win and provides income. Next Season they better upgrade my stadium! Cheers Johnny
I have asked them to upgrade the stadium a few times but money is scarce so I guess both of us will have to wait for a while before having a bigger stadium.
Yer they did that to me so I decided to see if they’d build a new stadium rather than upgrade and they agreed. I didn’t really want too but I’m just gonna go with it now hopefully it’ll be good. It’s gonna be done just before the next season so hopefully if I get promoted I can have a brand new stadium for the Championship!
That’s great, I didn’t try to ask them for a new stadium. I might do that now :)