International Break [2018/19]

I wasn't with dirty Leeds any more but I still had a job, with the Ireland U19's. We had gotten through the first qualifying group. Now we had one more group to get through to qualify for the U19's.

4 teams, 1 qualifying spot. I had a group with Estonia, England and Denmark. I wasn't favourite to get out of this but I was full of confidence because of our performance against Spain.

I put together a nice little squad but then immediately messed up. During friendlies the squad selection had clashes with the U21's, meaning I lost out on players. I just assumed we had a similar clash here and didn't even bother wasting time on trying to get the U21 squad players. It wasn't until I had to call up a replacement for an injury that I realised I could...and that I was playing a much weaker squad than I actually needed to. Bugger.

Still I was fairly happy with the squad - after all Allen was my striker. A Championship first teamer leading the line? Not bad.

Things didn't go to plan though*.

First up against Estonia...we took the lead, got pulled back. Took the lead, got pulled back again. Then, in the 96th minute (we only had 4 to play!) they scored from a corner and we lost 3-2. I was fuming. We really needed something from the game.

Next up was Denmark. We battered them but only came away with a scoreless draw. The man of the match went to the frame of their goal.

Finally England...at this point we couldn't go through. England had 6 points after beating Denmark and Estonia. Estonia were second with 3. We were third with 1 and Denmark were bottom. We were just playing for pride.

And play we did. It was a scoreless draw again but we were all over them. They were genuinely lucky to survive the onslaught. It didn't let up for the full 90 minutes. We should have won but the draw was creditable.

So we were out but hopeful for better next time. Lesson learnt in regards to the U21's and selection!






*See the next post for a note on this...

I've had it [2018/19]

I've had enough of Leeds. And it's not just because I don't like them as a club.

After the pick up in form I brought in a couple of players in the January window.

Both stars of the future I think and both for less than £600k, combined. Allen I knew about from my U19's role. I put both of them to work in the 1st team. Usually from the bench.

Our form became hit and miss though as you can see.

Not terrible, in fact we still had a pretty good run. At one point I think I had 1 league loss in about 20 games. But we started to drop points and fell off the pace a bit. At one point we were just outside the playoffs. Oddly enough our drop away happened around the same time that Danny Rose got injured for the season....

So we ended up 12th. Not what the board wanted but better than when we had started and something I was fairly happy about. Throughout my first season with Leeds I had the dreaded 'one bad performance away from the sack message' about four times. I also had the fans or fan favourites (ta Nigel Martyn) say they wanted me to have more time.

My job security fluctuated from secure, to precarious and all shades of worrying in between. By the end of the season I back on very insecure. I had a feeling I was going to be sacked after the playoffs and the manager merry go round started, or that maybe I'd get the start of next season but it wouldn't be a very forgiving one. Which left me with a bit of a choice. Did I want to stay and chance it or jump ship - hoping the season (ish) I'd done in the championship had enhanced rather than harmed my standing?

On one hand I was starting to build a team. I had my two new players and two new youth players coming in on a free at the end of the season. I had room in the wage budget for some more and some dead wood to clear that might bring a little bit of cash in.

On the other hand the players irritated me. The best I could hope for in a team talk was no reaction across the board. What I tended to get was players switching off or getting angry. Now I'm not grand master when it comes to team talks but I wasn't saying anything to them that was horribly wrong. They just didn't respect me or what I had to say. The way around this was to increase my rep or get rid of them. Increasing my rep meant doing better which the players didn't seem to care about, and getting rid of them involved a pretty extensive clean sweep.

Rose and Gosling occasionally seemed to dislike me and my talks but they were the heart of the team. I couldn't really get rid of them (though getting rid of Gosling would have please half the team who hated he was captain).

So I decided to leave. I didn't care about the club. They were going to be nothing but a stepping stone. Although I had a soft spot for the players I'd brought in I wasn't tied to a long term development of a club.

Lesson's learnt:

1) Love for the club matters - If you hate them or don't think you want to build with them then it's not the move for you. Battling relegation and failing with Eskilstuna City would have been more rewarding than being snubbed by Leeds.

2) Rep and Respect matter - If your rep is low and the players don't respect you...you're going to have a bad time. I was constantly fighting in team talks, and in team meetings, to combat morale issues. It was an uphill battle because ultimately most of them didn't care what I had to say unless it was something they already agreed with.

3) Personalities matter - They had plenty of clashes within the team which meant we became less effective. Gosling had an amazing season as captain but that didn't filter down because so many of the team struggled with him.

Just a blip [2018/19]

Ahem....

If you ignore the 4 initial defeats in a row that doesn't look too bad does it? Take that board...my job status has understandably gone from precarious to stable. 1 loss in 16 games will do that. It will also catapult you up through the table as well.

10th is much better, and with 46 points we only have a 5 point (6 if you consider the goal difference is a bit much) gap to close in the final 15 games. We're in the right form for it and team really seems to be fighting. I made a few changes and they've really worked.

First of all despite his age and how good Nilsson is meant to be Cameron is my starting striker. He gets goals and he provides them.

Secondly Pearce and Nolan don't get to play unless there's no way round it. I don't care what their stats look like they are worse than useless. Situ and Austin have it covered in the centre of defence and have it covered pretty well. I don't have to worry about Hanlon messing things up as I've moved him on for £1m to title chases Wigan. All part of the master plan to ruin them from the inside.

I also have to say Danny Rose and Gosling have been great. They irritate me because they pay so little attention to me (relatively low rep manager I guess) but they have been playing really well. Rose in particular. He reminds me a bit of Alan Smith - the determined tackling high up the pitch, not the being a thug bit. In the last match dived in with a tackle, dispossessed the right back just outside the area and then took it round the keeper. It reminded me of an Alan Smith goal.

The transfer window is open and I have just over 550k to spend. I don't think I'll be signing any super stars but I'll have a hunt. With 15 games to go I only really need to make sure I get into the play offs so my signings can be youth or cover.

I dare you to sack me board, I double dare you [2018/19]

A blog post title full of piss and vinegar. If only the team spirit followed suit I wouldn't be in the odd position I am in now. My job security is almost non-existent, the team are considered to be in the wrong half of the table. On the other hand I'm on a ten match unbeaten run and the performances are getting better.

17th with 31 points after 25 games. Not really what a play off chasing team should be doing but there's only a 5 point gap between us and top 10 (just) and 10 from the playoffs. With another 20 or so games to go we can still reach the target.

The board seem a bit pissy though. They're remembering both the 4 matches lost in a row (12 valuable points) and the fact that 17th is a poor place to occupy. They seem to be forgetting that over 10 games had been and gone before I arrived though.

Still forms looking up.

A few more draws than we would like but they keep the points ticking over. Each match we get a bit better too. In the last game we took on 1st place Wigan and, score aside, trounced them. They got through that match by the skin of their teeth.

Cameron Jerome has been a revelation. Initially I thought he was old, past it and on far too much money. A signing of folly by the previous manager. Nilsson was my first choice. But he's not performed and he got injured. Cameron stepped up and has been causing havoc. He's goal tally isn't great but he looks much more at home in the team than Nilsson does.

With January coming up I'll have to see what I can do transfer wise. If I can shift a few of the poorer players I have a few targets in mind. No one (special) seems very interested in coming to Leeds though so I might hold on and just get some cover in. Maybe an extra midfielder considering how tired Gosling has been getting.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly [2018/19]

The Good [Ireland u19's]

We had potentially quite a tough group. Spain, Armenia and the Faroe's. It would be tempting to say that Armenia and the Faroe's shouldn't be a problem but I had lost to Thailand in a friendly earlier. It had served to demonstrate that I was largely at the mercy of the other Ireland managers. Most of my good players had a tendency to be picked for the other squads, senior and U21's. Those that hadn't...some were just too old by the time the next games came around.

The first game was away to Spain....and we won it! A 1-0 smash and grab. We hit them on the counter attack, won the corner, nodded it in. Then it was counter attack all the way as we soaked up pressure. Towards the end of the game Spain got frustrated and had a player sent off. The points were ours.

And nice 2-0 win over Faroe Islands, followed by a 3-0 win over Armenia put us top.

Which means we're now through to the next qualifying round.

The Bad [Leeds]

First 5 games and....1 point.

What is worse is probably how many we've conceded. I know the tactic is bedding in still and it might take a while but that is a horrifying amount of goals to just give away.

A special mention goes to the Sheffield Wed game. We were robbed in that one. Went 2 down to an own goal and a free kick, came back to put it at 3-2 with some wonderful moves, they got a soft penalty at the end.

The Ugly [Leeds]

I think I can explain The Bad. The players are utter bastards. They hate each other. They really don't get on. They're a team in a mini-crisis all because of poor morale and personality clashes. One of them doesn't like Gosling as captain. Two of my defenders seem to hate the striker, Nilsson. I put the Swede on from the bench one game at half time and they suddenly lost confidence. Which was a bit rich seeing as they had both, Pearce and Hanlon, cost us the game with the worst defending I have seen.

Which brings me round to the defence. Kane Ferdinand is injured but still there's no excuse for how bad they are. Pearce and Hanlon are terrible. The board want me to play attacking football and when we get forward we show brief glimpses of some good stuff. But it's all hampered by the fact that the defence can't look after itself, and we quickly end up chasing the game from the off sometimes.

I have the rebuild the back before I can do anything else really. But that has to wait until I can find the players to come in. And for me to have the money. I think I can shift some of the more useless bastards in January but until then I won't have the money to bring more in (plus you know, transfer window).

I need to stamp my image onto the squad but I need to survive long enough to do that.

Leaving for Leeds [2018/19]

A new page in the story then. Leeds United. A team that had been stuck in the championship for far too long. They had a one season spell back in the premiership in 2015/16 but they were now back in the Championship and were under performing.

After 11 games they had 13 points and were 16th. The board were expecting the play offs at least and so the old manager got the boot and I got my chance.

The team looks pretty good.

I won't go through everyone but I've got Danny Rose, Dan Gosling, Ben Amos and more. The core of the squad seems pretty good. The problem seems to be though a combination of injuries, suspensions (Dirty Leeds) and old players. There are some old timers there on some big wages and I need to get rid of them. I'm in no rush though. I've got the players I need for my favoured tactic when the injuries ease off so I'll stick with that until January. I've sent my scouts out far and wide, fingers crossed they'll turn up with something.

The club look pretty stable at the moment too. I can't seem to find any debt which seems a bit odd. I've no transfer budget but no debt. If I can free up some more room in the wage budget I'm okay with that.

What I'm worried about at the moment is how the fans think of me. Apparently I'm not experienced enough...

They have a point. There's a bit of a leap from Swedish 2nd tier to English 2nd tier. The board have gambled on me. If I don't start well the pressure will mount.

I've got a bit of a break though. I have my first game against Carlisle and then I'm away with the Ireland U19's for the Euro Quals - Spain, Armenia and Faroe Island. Only one gets out. I'll deal with that in a separate post.

P.S. Eskilstuna didn't give Bergh the chance to take over :( They got a fellow Elite manager in. Poo.