Career Tree's 30yr "Goal A Mile" Challenge - added World round-up!

[Mr Tree]

Credit to @Ashez for the original idea 

Short version: we're going from the southernmost club in Britain to (hopefully) the northernmost, changing jobs when our designated striker earns enough miles for us to move - a goal a mile!

 

CLARIFICATIONS

Spoiler

 

It's changed a little since the first instance, with Truro now being the southernmost playable club. Elgin in Scotland is our target.

Also, when I started playing around with Google Maps, I noticed some... "inconsistencies". The original route, Plymouth to Inverness, was quoted as 641 miles, and that's what you get in Google:

 

But actually, on the Maps app, it gives a different result

 

I'd prefer to use the Maps app, but sadly they don't have an "as the crow flies" option. So I've decided to do it as the walking distance between the two stadia:

 

And so, our target is set:

 

 

664 miles. So that's at least 22 goals per season over 30 years, and frankly we'll almost certainly be taking an indirect route so... God knows how close we'll get!

But I'm willing to give it a go!

 

CONFESSION

Before we go on I must come clean... 

Spoiler

 

I had to swiftly start again.

I thought I'd try one of the forum's crazy tactics to see if I could generate lots of goals to speed up my quest.

But the Vanarama National South just wasn't ready for @FrAn4eSc0's Smashing Success formation

(obviously, I didn't use it in the first game!)

Can't believe they sacked me

 

 

SECOND ATTEMPT

Ok, let's be serious now.

Spoiler

 

So, if you know England well, you'll know the South West is a bit "isolated".

I was thinking (after my first few games), maybe it's better to start from the top (Elgin). But then the problem would switch - the last step would be hard. So it's all much of a muchness...

Anyway, target one was 47 goals, which would put Plymouth within reach:

 

I checked through the leagues and there really aren't many other options - there's only two others within 100 miles:

 

And otherwise, you're looking at:

 

*gulp*

 

I set about making myself comfortable in Cornwall...

 

WEAPON OF CHOICE

This was a pretty easy choice, and the lad came good:

 

Spoiler

 

He did take a while to get going, to be fair, but I came to love him. Started noticing the commentary saying things like "Trademark strike from Rooney... He loves to give it the full gun!"

 

He started showing signs of what a legend he'd become in a fantastic comeback win at poor Chelmsford:

 

And he got rolling in the second half of the season:

 

But our plucky little squad couldn't quite steamroller their way to success, and a super-skanky win from our main rivals (with about 5 games to go):

...ultimately proved to be decisive:

 

 

 

STICK OR TWIST?

Spoiler

 

Now, the thing is, this is no disaster. I exceeded expectations, the Roon bagged a fair few goals... Maybe staying down in the VNS is the savvy move long-term?

Maybe I'm not that savvy. When we cross that line, we play to win!

 

 

 

So a successful year, but how did the main man do?

And he even threw in a couple of cup goals

 

My manager profile at the end of year one:

 

Spoiler

 

 

COMING NEXT: Can The Roon get the 18 goals needed to get us to Plymouth? And will the Pilgrims have a job opening?

Note: I will be periodically editing the posts to put old stuff behind spoilers so that the thread is a bit more readable in general

Edited June 21, 2019 by Mr Tree

[Ian]

I like the first attempt the best.😆

Look forward to following your journey. 😉

[FuddledFox]

Really enjoyed this write up.

Good luck and hopefully you can get to Plymouth.

[Ashez]

Nice OP and I like the plan, good luck mate! 

[Paul186]

Good luck mate this seem it will be a fun challenge

[Nucleus]

Hopefully you’ll get further than I did 😂

[Gunners Rishi]

12 hours ago, Mr Tree said:

Credit to @Ashez for the original idea 

Short version: we're going from the southernmost club in Britain to (hopefully) the northernmost, changing jobs when our designated striker earns enough miles for us to move - a goal a mile!

 

CLARIFICATIONS

It's changed a little since the first instance, with Truro now being the southernmost playable club. Elgin in Scotland is our target.

Also, when I started playing around with Google Maps, I noticed some... "inconsistencies". The original route, Plymouth to Inverness, was quoted as 641 miles, and that's what you get in Google:

 

But actually, on the Maps app, it gives a different result

 

I'd prefer to use the Maps app, but sadly they don't have an "as the crow flies" option. So I've decided to do it as the walking distance between the two stadia:

 

And so, our target is set:

 

664 miles. So that's at least 22 goals per season over 30 years, and frankly we'll almost certainly be taking an indirect route so... God knows how close we'll get!

But I'm willing to give it a go!

 

CONFESSION

Before we go on I must come clean... 

I had to swiftly start again.

I thought I'd try one of the forum's crazy tactics to see if I could generate lots of goals to speed up my quest.

But the Vanarama National South just wasn't ready for @FrAn4eSc0's Smashing Success formation

(obviously, I didn't use it in the first game!)

Can't believe they sacked me

 

SECOND ATTEMPT

Ok, let's be serious now.

So, if you know England well, you'll know the South West is a bit "isolated".

I was thinking (after my first few games), maybe it's better to start from the top (Elgin). But then the problem would switch - the last step would be hard. So it's all much of a muchness...

Anyway, target one was 47 goals, which would put Plymouth within reach:

 

I checked through the leagues and there really aren't many other options - there's only two others within 100 miles:

 

And otherwise, you're looking at:

 

*gulp*

I set about making myself comfortable in Cornwall...

 

WEAPON OF CHOICE

This was a pretty easy choice, and the lad came good:

 

He did take a while to get going, to be fair, but I came to love him. Started noticing the commentary saying things like "Trademark strike from Rooney... He loves to give it the full gun!"

 

He started showing signs of what a legend he'd become in a fantastic comeback win at poor Chelmsford:

 

And he got rolling in the second half of the season:

 

But our plucky little squad couldn't quite steamroller their way to success, and a super-skanky win from our main rivals (with about 5 games to go):

...ultimately proved to be decisive:

 

STICK OR TWIST?

Now, the thing is, this is no disaster. I exceeded expectations, the Roon bagged a fair few goals... Maybe staying down in the VNS is the savvy move long-term?

Maybe I'm not that savvy. When we cross that line, we play to win!

 

So a successful year, but how did the main man do?

And he even threw in a couple of cup goals

 

My manager profile at the end of year one:

 

COMING NEXT: Can The Roon get the 18 goals needed to get us to Plymouth? And will the Pilgrims have a job opening?

Love that great write up, great challenge and good luck!

[Mr Tree]

2 hours ago, Nucleus said:

Hopefully you’ll get further than I did 😂

Thanks for all the kind comments everyone

I was waiting until I got a new job before starting the thread so... I'll try (but not sure it'll be possible) to update here every other day. I have a little bit stored up. You might find out my next destination in my next post....... or you might not

[Mr Tree]

SEASON 2

Spoiler

I know we have an international audience on here, so again, I know some might not be so familiar with English geography.

The Vanarama National League features some towns that are the very definition of "northern outposts", and my introduction to the higher level would have left even the most hardened supporter weeping:

 

The long bus journeys served as effective team-building exercises, and we held our own. We recruited a young lad called Kelsey Mooney, giving us a Rooney and Mooney (or The Roon and The Moon) strikeforce to envy the Bright and Wright duo I grew up on (dating myself there, but anyway, dad was a palace fan).

 

The job offers started rolling in:

Spoiler

 

Nope, not earned enough goals to get me there.

Whoa, definitely too far!

Are you kidding me?!

Merry Christmas to you too - at least this is reasonably close, but alas still a bit too soon

We couldn't get far in the FA Cup after a frankly ridiculous display of refereeing - three penalties in one game?!

Spoiler

But we were rolling nicely in the league, particularly the main man:

 

We were nowhere the top though, with Wrexham setting a blistering pace:

Spoiler

 

Ok, ok, that doesn't look too flash. But check the date, then consider this:

86pts from your first 32 games, then lose three in a row?! Madness

I held on to my playoff spot, just about, although I needed a last-day win at Hartlepool to be sure (leapfrogging my hosts in the process):

Spoiler

That defence looks a bit ropey, mind.

And that meant, a few days later, I welcomed the Monkey Hangers down to Cornwall. The Roon had a stormer!

 

Two wins from the Football League, could we do it!

No, we could not.

Spoiler

But still, a very successful season:

 

And that meant Plymouth, who were struggling in the bottom half of League Two were within striking distance.

And finally the breakthrough came!

 

As I started packing my things, scouring accommodation listings and lazily accepting any bids that came in for my soon-to-be-former Truro players, imagine my surprise when...

Spoiler

Crap.

So another season in Cornwall awaits. At least Rooney has been doing the business, so I'm only looking at another 19 goals to reach Torquay, or 27 for Exeter. Let's hope the big fella doesn't get injured or attract too much interest from above in the meantime.......

 

 

Edited May 10, 2019 by Mr Tree

[Mr Tree]

SEASON 3

I set about further improving the squad, and started the season like a house on fire:

Spoiler

The league campaign ticked along nicely, but the FA Cup was the main source of fun in this season. Firstly the big fella got a huge goal at this notorious West London dump:

 

Leading to a glorious night down in Cornwall:

Spoiler

And the lads went bananas in the second round:

Spoiler

The lads started dreaming of a trip to Old Trafford or Anfield, but all we got was the glamour of Ashton Gate after holding the Championship outfit to an honourable draw at home. We did the same away but couldn't quite finish them off on penalties

Spoiler

I sold Mooney for 275k, giving me money to reinvest, but unfortunately any striker I approached wanted me to double his wages 🙄 So I ended up checking out my reserves and found this lad - not bad huh?

Spoiler

Anyway, a few games there without goals from The Roon - never fear, he was still getting it done:

 

But then, the big moment came!

 

They were within reach, and they were a division below, so I had to apply and...

 

I left Truro in a good spot:

Spoiler

And as for The Roon, what more can I say, he did me proud:

87 goals overall, covering the 79 miles from Truro to Torquay.

 

My manager profile before the move:

Spoiler

So, what of my new team?

Spoiler

Well, Claridge had defied the odds that presumed he was an incompetent nitwit to somehow leave them well placed for promotion:

I needed a new hero of course, and although I was tempted by former transfer target Jamie Reid, in the end I couldn't resist Barnesey:

 

He quickly came up trumps for me:

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

But, ridiculously, I didn't screenshot his stats on the day I arrived so I hope this effectively verifies that he only had 3 goals, before scoring 5 in my first 3 matches!

 

That hot start led to awards:

 

And of course, noone was catching us for top spot:

Barnesey ended up with 9 goals for me:

 

And my manager profile at the end of the season:

Spoiler

 

So we're finally on the move! Target one is 22 miles to Exeter, so only another 13 goals needed. But more squad surgery required as we elevate to a higher level. (btw what's the view on me claiming this promotion towards the Warnock challenge? It'd be a bit skanky, right?)

Thanks for reading!

Edited May 10, 2019 by Mr Tree

[FuddledFox]

It almost seems a shame to be moving on from Truro as you seemed to be building something good but as that’s not the challenge well done on the move to Torquay.

and it would be very sneaky!!!

[Mr Tree]

2 hours ago, Foxy said:

It almost seems a shame to be moving on from Truro as you seemed to be building something good but as that’s not the challenge well done on the move to Torquay.

and it would be very sneaky!!!

Aye exactly - part of my interest in the challenge is this is a totally different way of playing, for me. I never pay attention to the job listings normally, I'm a one-club kinda guy. 

I wouldn't feel good about claiming that, so I won't. But I'm hoping I'll rack up a few over the course of this career.

[samhardy]

I’m really enjoying following this  Keep it up!

[Paul186]

Well done on moving up the country, KIU

[Mr Tree]

SEASON 4

The main news this year was...

 

Alas, this came about a month too early, leaving us trapped at Plainmoor for the foreseeable

The league campaign started well...

Spoiler

 

And of course, there was a reunion with my old mates on the cards. A hostile atmosphere at [never noticed what it's called] Stadium for my first return, but we survived:

 

Unfortunately, loanee Burroughs was stealing Barnesey's thunder, even though sometimes it was highly appreciated:

 

And he ended up as the league's top scorer!

 

Didn't help me much, as a shocking second half of the season (4 wins from 20) left me needing snookers on the last day, and I just potted the white anyway 🙄

At least we had a little fun in the cup...

Spoiler

...before our friends down the road ended our dreams:

So a disappointing season, although we had no money and low expectations so I still did alright in the big picture:

 

Remember, Barnesey was on 3 goals when I arrived, so he had 9 last year with me, plus 20 this year, so we're on 29.

After Exeter, there are a few options around 60-70 miles away, so I need a bit more from Barnesey (especially as he turns 30 this season!). After experimenting (unsuccessfully) with formations and roles this season, I'm set for season 5 with a return to a sole striker formation and BB as my main man, backed up by a couple of yoofs. I had no wingers apart from one junior, but I've recruited a load now so hopefully that'll help us get to the next stage.

As mentioned before, the start of this challenge needs perseverance - but once we make it to the next step, it should get lively, with many more options clustered together.

Thanks for following, and hopefully Barnesey comes good next season!

Edited May 10, 2019 by Mr Tree

[FuddledFox]

Hard luck on the Exeter job.

Maybe not getting promoted will be a good thing if you can rack up a few more miles at the lower level.

[Ian]

I’m enjoying this, hopefully your new signings will bear fruit in the new season.😀

[Ashez]

Finding myself really invested in this now I've caught up, looking forward to more mate

[Mr Tree]

SEASON 5

It's World Cup time! And a damp squib of a final...

Spoiler

Of course, events in Qatar had little impact on the Vanarama National, so how did we go?

Well it was an inauspicious start:

 

Fortunately, got him to settle down, but the VNL was crazy at the start of the season, super-tight. Barnesey wasn't getting many goals and had low morale, but I liked the team and had a feeling we could go on a run.

My old friends were really struggling though, and tearfully suggested a reunion:

Alas, that would have been a backward step. 

The cups were where we saw the first signs of the squad really gelling.

Spoiler

A great win at league opposition...

...followed by an away win at my fellow non-leaguers...

...led to our name being in the hat for the third round.

Again, dreams of Anfield or... Oh, Anfield it is! Very nice!

Of course we were lambs to the slaughter, though at least we pulled it back to 2-1 at one point. But, as ever, the fans are dicks:

We kicked on and finished the season in style. This injury-time deflected Barnesey free-kick had me running round the room, shirt off and waving it round my head (deny everything):

 

And the fella was sorting himself out:

 

But where did that leave us? (oh, just seen the spoiler above! 🤦‍♂️)

One defeat in the second half of the season (at home to second-placed Grimsby!), and 9 wins and a draw from the last 10 games, saw us home in style:

 

We even added the FA Trophy for good measure:

 

Barnesey's up to 53 miles earned, only 7 away from Yeovil:

 

But for whatever reason, the fans don't like him much, preferring our 19yo (who scored 17 goals) in the team of the year:

Ooh, colourful!

 

My manager profile at the end of the year:

Spoiler

 

I won't be able to maintain this "update every 2 days" pace, not least because it's my little lady's birthday on Thursday! So next update will be at the weekend I guess, and will work on two per week from there, midweek and weekend.

Hopefully, some new horizons to come next season, although BB might struggle at the higher level so we'll see...

Thanks for reading!

Edited May 10, 2019 by Mr Tree

[Mr Tree]

SEASON 6

A fantastic season for Barnesey, but we fell apart a bit. And we're still at Torquay, but change is on the horizon. 

On to the details...

CUPS

Spoiler

 

My first Carabao Cup experience didn't last long, but we did pretty well:

And we reached the FA Cup third round before losing at a Premier League team for the second year in a row:

And we got to the quarter-final of the Checkatrade, but meh, just played the reserves throughout.

 

LEAGUE

Spoiler

 

The first few games were a step up, but we soon hit our stride.

Accrington were smashing it...

...which made this late goal all the more frustrating:

 

But Barnesey was dealing with the step up well:

 

I got up to a point off 3rd (auto-promotion) at one point, but a couple of injuries led to a horrendous run-in of one win in 15, including two 4-4 away draws where I conceded late equalisers, and losing 6-1 to the 23rd-placed team! Not sure what went wrong really, but these things happen and I'd exceeded expectations overall, not only for the team but also Barnesey, so it wasn't a disaster:

 

JOBS

Spoiler

 

I started the save thinking I'll just take anything that comes up, but a couple of job opportunities popped up this season that gave me pause for thought:

I didn't really want to follow Claridge in again, plus I was a good 20 goals-miles past Yeovil at that point so it would have almost effectively wasted a season.

Weston-super-Mare were more tempting, but they were in a slightly perilous position:

Obviously, there was some "Saviour Cometh" potential, but the downside would've been risking the whole save. And i didn't fancy dropping back down to the VNS again, so I gave it a swerve.

 

Manager profile at the end of six seasons:

Spoiler

 

 

MAIN MAN

Spoiler

 

So how did BB end up?

I joined him in his second season at Torquay and he scored 9 of his 12 goals with me, so overall...

...88 goals now, putting us within spitting distance of Bristol (if you can spit a fair way). And to be fair he was on a goal a game really until the late slump.

He's 31 now though so who knows how much more he has in the tank. Will try to keep him as my main striker still for now and see how it goes.

 

Thanks for reading

Edited April 5, 2019 by Mr Tree

[Mr Tree]

Just realised though, this means I'm now a fifth of the way through the challenge and still on the South Coast! 😂

But anyway, given that no-one seems mad enough to try this 🎣 I should end up with the top score, even if I finish just north of Birmingham

[Mr Tree]

SEASON SEVEN

Short story: I'm still at Torquay. I realise that this is, frankly, lame, so I will hide the rest of the update in a spoiler, though it is still worth reading if I do say so myself - it was a cracking season.

Anyway, I can promise that season eight will FINALLY see me leave the South Coast (with quite some fun finding my next destination!), so you'll have to just stay on the edge of your seat for the next update!

Spoiler

First things first: the summer before the season was the European Championship, and apparently the Czechs (where I actually live IRL) are planning quite the renaissance after England's recent real-life hiding:

 

As for me, well I had some fun in the cups. Barnesey's late winner got me through the first round of the Carabao:

Before I met my old loanee Burroughs in Round 2. Coventry destroyed us, but they had to hang on at the end:

 

My FA Cup run ended at a Premier League ground for the third year in a row, although one of the crappier ones and in heartbreaking circumstances...

I was in a rotten run at that time, had a couple of late goals costing me points in the league too, including one in the 90+7th minute, grr!

 

But the squad actually came together lovely, and Barnesey was enjoying himself:

 

The league was crazy-tight again, similar to the VNL in season 5...

 

But I had a great little squad, with four teenage wingers with huge potential, led by McIntyre:

 

And a 4-1 smashing of poor Barnet on the last day sealed the deal:

 

Our hero was the top dog:

And he ended the season with 122 goal-miles to his name:

But he's 32 now, so the step up will be tricky...

I genuinely didn't get much opportunity to move during the season - nothing really came open within range. But now the likes of Forest Green and Swindon are on the horizon. Not sure I'll get much more out of Barnesey though.

 

As for me:

 

Thanks for reading!

 

[Mr Tree]

SEASON EIGHT

Jobs

Spoiler

Frankly, I was desperate to move at this point, not least because still being on the South Coast was making this thread a wee bit pointless.

Salisbury was available in the off-season, but alas it was more East than North - I was hoping to get a bit higher up the country.

With Barnesey on 122, I had a look around and got Swindon into my mind, 126 miles from Torquay. It looked ideal except... Of course, their manager got poached early in the season!!

I went kamikaze but alas, the tactical option of "run into the area and fall over" hasn't been invented yet, so I came up short

At this point, my range of options was this area of England:

... which, unfortunately, if you know your lower reaches of English football and your geography, you'll be aware: doesn't contain many football teams. Hmm.

But not long after, the Gloucester job came up!

I was almost literally giddy with excitement. I tapped in "Gloucester football" to my Maps app, an effective way of quickly getting the direct address of the football club and save having to mess around looking it up... But for some reason it didn't work here 🤔

So I had to Google it and oh...

Guess who don't play in their home city but actually ground-share 20 miles north-east of it?

FFS!

I couldn't take any more. Even though it wasted nearly a year of BB's good work, I had to go:

7 more goals in the new season had put Barnesey up to 129 overall. He wasn't good enough to lead the line at this point, but he was one of my inside forward rotation and still my penalty-taker, and he still had his awesome free-kicks too.

Spoiler

So time to say goodbye to Torquay, despite a decent start to the new season, inspired by a great free-transfer pick up:

Spoiler

!!!!

My manager profile upon leaving:

Spoiler

Hello, Bristol!

Spoiler

I took over the reins at high-flying Rovers:

They were, in fact, on a tremendous run of form when I turned up, with one "notable" exception...

Could I keep it going?!

Of course! ...not, of course not

Their squad was ghastly - I much preferred the team I had left. I performed some hasty surgery in January but still, bleh.

My new hero looked pretty good, though:

 

And he started spectacularly!

That's me three-quarters of the way to Bristol City already!Of course, again, I didn't bloody screenshot his goals the day I arrived. So see the dates below - he was on 13 before his first game with me:

Spoiler

Sammy did pretty well, but we couldn't defend for toffee, so results were pretty inconsistent. And then this:

Spoiler

Knackered for the run-in, especially after a decent run of form - gutted

 

We survived the cauldron of hate in my return to Plainmoor:

 

But the injuries kept piling up:

 

So we just didn't have enough to keep pace with Ipswich and Shrewsbury at the top:

Scunthorpe lost on the last day, allowing Torquay to overtake them and sparing me an awkward playoff semi...

Big Sam ended up as top scorer, good lad:

 

Scunthorpe were dispatched easy enough, so then I nervously clicked on... Would rather not face Torquay at Wembley thank you...

Phew, it's Millwall instead. And after 20mins, penalty to me, red card to them!

Unfortunately it'd seem big Sam, for all his talents, is not a penalty-taker. This was his third miss without a successful conversion.

And when the computer awarded itself a free-kick 30 yards out with 2 minutes left, I could see what was coming...

 

Balls. Especially as big Sam is already agitating to move to a bigger club (and won't discuss a new contract).

Still, he earned me 18 miles this season:

 

Among the season-end honours for all my guys, one glory-stealer 🤔

Spoiler

My manager profile at the end of the season:

Spoiler

And finally, the chance to display some new high-tech graphics!! The journey so far...

(apologies that my google displays "Great Britain" etc in Czech language, but i'm an immigrant so 🤷‍♂️)

 

Thanks for reading - next time, we'll see how far Sammy can take me, and whether I can keep him happy!

Edited May 10, 2019 by Mr Tree

[Ian]

You’re on the move up the country now, should get more options going forward I would think.😀

It’ll be interesting which clubs you end up going for when you get to the northeast.

[Mr Tree]

SEASON NINE

Of course it was a World Cup year, so who won the big prize?

Spoiler

Blimey 😮

At home I was hoping to recover from the crushing pain of playoff defeat. Let's cut to the chase: we did it!

A stonking season with my team taking the mantle of the great entertainers of the division. We'd already crushed promotion rivals 4-3 and 5-3 before this mentalness came around in the Checkatrade:

And we carried on in that vein...

What of Dalbs? Oh, he was getting his - he even managed to convert a penalty!!

Spoiler

Some fun in the cup saw us knock out Championship opposition...

Spoiler

... before succumbing to the big boys:

Spoiler

Meanwhile my old mates at Torquay were doing well, adding some extra spice to my second trip back to Plainmoor:

Spoiler

Big Sam came up trumps - well and truly sorted his spot-kick jitters!

Spoiler

Fair play to the Gulls though (although I'd like to claim all the credit due to the strong foundation I left behind etc etc blah blah blah...) - they got the job done in the playoffs. Second year in a row that 10 men win the big prize!

Spoiler

Meanwhile, with promotion in the bag and Lincoln already relegated, bottom by a mile having lost 20+ in a row at one point (!!), this was amusingly inevitable:

Spoiler

Anyway Dalbs had a great year:

Spoiler

But where did it leave us?

After 18 goals with me last year, this year's output left us on 57 goal-miles overall, putting us within sight of Worcester (fat lot of good that does us...)

And my manager profile at the end of nine years:

Spoiler

UP NEXT: my first ever season in the Championship - but how long will it last?

Edited May 10, 2019 by Mr Tree

[Mr Tree]

SEASON TEN

We took our reputation as the great entertainers seriously, and I was immensely proud to end the season averaging four goals per match.

Spoiler

The fact that I scored just over two per match and conceded just under that is neither here nor there...

I was never really in the playoff mix, to be fair, but finished well and glad to get so close.

Unfortunately that confirms that I didn't get a new job. Not for the lack of trying! Redditch (70 miles) and Kidderminster (71 miles) came available while Sammy was on 68! 

Spoiler

Our next game was against our local rivals, and while it was a legendary match for the Gasheads, I was just screaming "pass the ****ing ball, Listy!"

A missed penalty for salt in the wounds.

 

I did get one job offer, but hadn't quite earned enough miles to take it (and it was a bit the wrong direction):

So we were stuck, but we had fun. Dalbs only had one hat-trick during the season...

Spoiler

...against poor Shrewsbury, who were having a mare:

 

They finally picked up their first win of the season shortly afterwards, but look closely and see if you can pick out the real reason for this screenshot:

I'd say that was ridiculous but Forest have been involved in a 5-5 IRL this season

It was slightly disappointing after being 4-0 up in 20 minutes though

 

That capped a fun run:

...which was then further capped by a whooping at PL opposition in the cup:

Anyway, Dalbs was recognised for leading the line:

 

And he ended up top of the pile:

Although my loanee striker bizarrely stole player of the year for his efforts in the run-in. I got the sympathy vote manager of the year:

 

My manager profile with a third of the career completed:

Spoiler

And the main man added one goal in the cup to leave us at 88 overall

 

Programming notice: I'm off for a two-week holiday tomorrow, so the updates will have a similar break. I probably would have the downtime for it, but I want to avoid just doing the same thing in a different place, so will have a break from FMM while I'm away.

I've got season 11 in the can (it's a beauty), and I should be able to write it up on the (ten hour!) journey home. And hopefully I'll get season 12 sorted to get back into rhythm thereafter.

Thanks for reading

Edited May 10, 2019 by Mr Tree

[Mr Tree]

I'm back, baby!!

SEASON ELEVEN

I managed to go er maybe 5 days cold turkey, before drifting back into it... So I've got a couple of seasons in the bank now.

So before we dive into the 2028/29 season, congratulations to Italy, the 2028 champions of Europe!

Spoiler

Back in Bristol, I was keen to move. Up to this point, I'd been relying on the messages in my News feed, rather than checking the Jobs page. But there was a real drop in the frequency of these messages in the early weeks of this season, so I went to check (in case I'd missed something) - and Villa were bloody available (and within reach!).

Seems that if you use the "Club" option on the news feed, you only get told about the jobs where "Club X have appointed Bob as their new manager. Club Y are now looking for a replacement" - but doesn't tell you about sackings. Not sure I really follow the logic there. So I've had to switch to the "National" option now, which is annoying cos I have to put up with loads more pointless crap.

And then Villa appointed someone else anyway, and then the Wolves job came available and then they appointed the bloody Birmingham boss, and I'm not going there, yuck, so we soldier on.

Big Sam's late winner stuck it to the Villains as we enjoyed a good start:

Spoiler

Young reserve winger Tony Carlin ensured that he'd never need to buy himself a pint in the blue half of Bristol by banging home an injury-time free-kick in the derby:

Spoiler

And our general good form continued to lead to prizes:

Spoiler

We brought up the 100-goal mark with 10 games to spare:

Spoiler

And despite losses to my nearest rivals, I was crushing everyone else in a devastating run of form:

Spoiler

In the end, victory against my old mates confirmed Rovers' rise to the Premier League:

Spoiler

It was a great squad effort, with five of them notching places on the Team of the Year, and goals everywhere, with Dalby's understudy Holmes blossoming to take over the main responsibility (and the two playing often as dual TM's, surprisingly effective!)

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

My manager profile is looking sweet now:

Spoiler

And challenge-wise, Dalbs is up to 119 goal-miles overall:

 

NEXT TIME: Life in the Prem doesn't quite go to plan, leading to a change of scene. 119 (or more?) miles gives me quite a range of options - any guesses where I end up?

Edited May 10, 2019 by Mr Tree

[Ian]

Welcome back, Great season there.😀

I’ll have a guess and say Oxford United for your next club?

[Mr Tree]

37 minutes ago, 1759 said:

Welcome back, Great season there.😀

I’ll have a guess and say Oxford United for your next club?

You'll have to wait until Tuesday, but you're quite close... Although not close in the geographical sense 🤔

Edited April 26, 2019 by Mr Tree

[FuddledFox]

Excellent season there 👍🏻 

Close to Oxford but not geographically 🤔

Cambridge Utd?