fm2005:working for Max "moneybags" Griggs an empty cuboard challenge
 

i have played Rushden at least 6 times in fm2005 and have been able to get them to the Premierleague but always left for greener pasters when i got there. I decieded i want to stay with Rushden through thick and thin(until i get the sack anyways) and so i went in to the spawn of satan(if you read the llm forum) editor and gave Rushden a sugar dady and released all the current players from the squad.

I am going to find 11 of the best young english lads who are not under contract to come in and be the B team. Hopefully these guys will grow with the team. I am also going to look for young players who are transferlisted and deemed surplus at the bigger squads. Hopefully these kids can get better as our team moves up in leagues and be our A squad.

Next season i will try to get 11 of best "youth" players i can get my hands on. Maybe bringing on some bosman tranfers as well.

first thing i do is look over our staff.

I need an assistant manager. I decied to look over Manchester United staff to see if we may be able to steal a coach from them. Jackpot! Rene Meulensteen is a 38 year old coach with fantastic abilty and has an obsecure repuation. I offer him a postion to be my assistant manager and hope he accepts.

ps. I was going to try to play season 1 with all grey players and only use regens to fill my team but for some reason i am expected to win the league this season(due to my sugardaddy edit i am sure) and without some players i am unable to avoid the 1st season sack.

I always enjoy empty cupboard dynasties. Good luck!

I thought you had to set sugardaddy in the config file, that the settings in the editor only controlled how much money could be given at the beginning of a game.


Tell

there was a box to check for sugar daddy and i checked it, it did work though i have a bunch of cash(over 400 million) although i am limited to how much i can use(80+ million) as i am a inexperienced manager.

the team will play swansea in the league cup 1st round. They are a league 2 side just like us. We definatly need to get past them.

I am asked a question by the media. My side is tipped for promotion do i feel i have the squad capable of promotion. I say i believe the squad can achieve a promotion.

Cambridge manager Steve Thompson doubts our promotion. I respond by saying i fancy our chances.

I am asked if i am nervous before our first match. I respond that this is the reason i took the job and i thrive on pressure.

our current squad

gk-staurt taylor, purchased from arsenal, i like this kid 23 years old. 13 handling, 17 reflexes 18 agility, looked to be the best young transferlisted keeper out there(by a long shot imho)

dr-marcos painter purchased from birmingham 19 year old fullback he has a 15 tackling 13 accerlation 11 pace, his 8 marking and 6 postioning are huge worries but he was the best young guy i could find that was transferlisted

dc-ryan scott 21 year old free transfer he is described as a promising centerback so i am giving him playing time his 11 marking and 12 tackling with his 13 accerlation and pace are nice to have also has 13 postioning. 12 jumping 7 heading.

dc-jon otsemobor 21 year old centerback purchased from liverpool 16 marking 13 tackling 16 accerlation and pace, only a 7 postioning 15 jumping 13 heading. I think he is our best defender

dl-stephen warnock 22 year old left fullback 13 accerlation 12 pace 13 marking 16 tackling 15 postioning if otsemobor is our best warnock is 1a these two guy i think can get it done for us even as we go up in the leagues.

I have a real concern at right fullback our backup John Cooger is the opposite of Painter he has 15 marking but only a 4 tackling. also has a 3 postioning. He does have 15 accerlation and 14 pace though. Will give both of them a look but may have to bring in another body at some point.

Our backup on the left side is Jamie Leacock ummm i don't care much for Jamie will be a body is Warnock is unable to go but that is about it.

In the center for depth we have Phillip Bardsley bought from manutd. I thought he would be our starter but after looking over the roster he will but on the bench when we have a full squad. our 4th centerback is John Burwood. Burwood is great in the air 16 jumping and 15 heading but he doesn't do anything else well 8 tackling 6 marking 7 postioning.

Overall i am hoping that these guys will get the job done barring injuries i think we should be ok with Taylor being as good as he is we should be hard to beat in the back espcially if either Cooger or Painter improve and step up.

the midfield:
i am playing 2 central midfielders with back arrows for now to help out on defense and 2 wingers with forward arrows to help out on offense(not sure how long i will be using the tactic but it seems like a good idea now)

mc-david fox purchased from manutd 20 years old only has a 9 tackling but is pretty good everywhere else. I am hoping he will get better.

mc-leandre griffit 20 year old from southampton, he is an attacking middfielder who can play left right or centrally. I am playing him out of postion and i don't see him being the guy long term(maybe not even short term) but he was the best i saw out there and needed a body. (i also got him before i made my tactic which he doesn't fit)

backups we have lee sims and andrew watts both are listed as d/dm i like them both and decieded just now to replace griffit in the starting lineup with Watts, Watts is described as a promising centerback but he isn't the strongest in the air and i see him better as a defensive midfielder.

on the wings we have-

ml-marcus kelly(not sure if its the same guy from frogmans dynasty) he is an 18 year old left footed midfielder who is able to play right or left but i like him on the left good dribbling skills and pace not much else yet.

currently don't have a backup/starter for him

mr-matthew turner 22 year old winger with good speed and will be taking our corner kicks.

currently looking for a backup/starter for him.

forwards:

the man the myth the legend Elvis Hammond i have read alot about him but never had him on my team. I am hoping for big things from this 23 year old purchased from fulham.

Sam Parkin purchased from swindon(he wasn't transfer listed but has a release fee i met) i love this guy. He is the best young english striker out of the top flight i have seen 15 jumping 14 heading 15 finishing 16 penalty taking 14 first touch, he is guy i probally overate.

for cover we have craig coates 21 year old product of manutd youth system was out of contract i don't think we lose much with him in the game

also have chris humphreys 20 year old product of manutd youth system that was out of contract i think this kid may have a future as well.

we currently have offers out to 2 wingers to come in and start for us Stephan Dalmant from Inter and Fabrice Fernandez from Southampton
these guys would really make us a terror on the wings in league two not sure why either of them are transferlisted.

our first game is against Cambridge.

I am watching a horror show. I definatly need to work on my "tactic"
we manage 38% possesion, they get 35% in my third. They outshot us 8-0 and win 2-0. The only thing i can say is we didn't get blow out. We did get 3 injuries, David Fox, Elvis Hammond and Matthew Turner all got hurt.

What i saw was a complete and utter lack of ability to win the ball, and when we did win it we tried to play it to our forwards but played it to their defenders. It was ugly to say the least.

Alot of work to be done here!

3 days after our first game we have our 2nd game
gk-taylor
dr-cogger
dc-bardsley
dc-burwood
dl-warnock
ml-kelly
mc-sims
mc-griffit
mr-turner
sc-humphreys
sc-coates

I go with a slower pace and get things more compact, we get 56% possesion and outshot them 10-5 but get a 1-1 result, Much better than last game but still not where we want to be.

our next game is away to notts co

i think i may be watching our first game all over again

we are careless with the ball and are giving them way too much space coming forward.

the game ends with us doing a little better protecting the ball (51%) but we are outshot 10-5 and lose 3-1.

If i don't turn things around fast this will be a very short stint at Rushden.

Dalmat and Fernadez have been signed. This gives us creativity on the wings.

On the plus side most of the goals we have conceded have been on set pieces so its not the end of the world there.

we are at home vs Grimsby

we play much better in front of our fans controlling possesion and outshooting them 12-5. Sam Parkin gets the brace in our 2-0. A result we desperatly needed. hopefully it is a sign of things to come.

Our next game is against Swansea in the cup at thier place.

I get a couple quick yellow cards and notice the infamous Rob Styles is the refree and tell the players to lay off the challenges.

the first half ends with us outshooting them 5-4 and we had 49% possession not impressive stuff there and they lead 1-0.

in the 62nd minute Parkin hits the post they counter attack and the score is 0-2.

we end up outshooting them 8-7 and had 51% possesion but lose 0-2.

i am very disapointed with the current results. Hopfully it will just take a little time for the team to come together if we aren't squared away soon though i may have to bring in a couple ringers to get the results. IF losing in the first round of the cup doesn't get me fired straight out.

we play Yeovil at home

we are a different team at home. In our best effort of the season we win 2-0
outshooting them 18-0. Dalmat had a 10 rating for man of the match. I expected these kind of results. Hammond is a slight worry in 5 starts he has 0 goals. While Parkin has 5 goals in the same amount of starts.

Fernandes got his first goal and is only the third player on the team to score as Marcus Kelly has a goal on his ledger.

Hopefully we have the lack of scoring beaten after this game.

our next game is against Macclesfield at their place.

we need to win and look good doing it.

Parkin adds another goal in the first minute(can't ask for a better start)

Humphreys (playing for the injured Hammond) gets his first goal of his Rushden career in the third minute.

Ferndaz adds one of his own in the 18th minute and Humphreys gets a brace in the 23 minute. We scored on 4 of our first 6 shots on goal.

the half ends 4-0

in the 2nd half Humphreys gets his hattrick at the 54th minute,

they ruin our clean sheet in the 83rd minute on a long throw into the box that bounces around and ends up in the net.

we dominated the game away from home and got a 5-1 result. The team is starting to come together. Hammond may not get his place back in the first team. I am going to give Humphreys a run and see what he does with it.

we have Cheltenham at their place and thier manager is talking trash about putting a dent in our promotion hopes. I say i believe we can win promotion.

in the 32nd minute they get the first goal and i don't like what i am seeing.

we get 2 of our 4 shots in extra time. I am gutted as we lose 1-0. The brilliant football we had been playing the last few games simply wasn't there.

Our promotion hopes are "dented" for sure as we sit in 11th place

I have my 22 players but i am less than impressed with our central midfield none of the 4 players have really done much of anything, Lee Sims seems to cover more ground than any of the other players and is good at winning the ball but what he does after he wins it just hurts my eyes. Griffitt may be the most talented but he seems to never get involved in the game. David Fox who i thought would be an anchor for the team is currently demoted to third choice. Watts who i thought alot of has been a total disapointment.

your Marcus Kelly looks like the same fellow, as he is currently 25 in 2011. A left footed AM RL. I also like him best on the left, but he definitely can play both side and almost as well on either side. Keep a hold of him, as he a form rating machine and a playmaker on the wing. Could give you the chance to play my slow pace/ball control tactics with some success ;)

I see some players I've had on my shortlist for ages (Warnock, Fernandez) and some who've either played for me or are currently playing form me (Hammond, Kelly)...

Good luck with your team!

FM

thanks for the post Frogman.

We our at home vs Oxford

lineup-
gk-taylor
dl-warnock
dc-bardsley(c)
dc-otsemobor
dr-cogger
ml-dalmat
mc-sims
mc-griffit
mr-fernandes
fc-humphreys
fc-parkin
s1-dennis
s2-scott
s3-kelly
s4-turner
s5-coates

humprheys bangs home a dlamat cross for his 4th goal of the season. Bardsley adds a header from a set piece and Humphreys get a late brace with a cross from Kelly.

Dalmat was mom with a 10 rating. we outshot them 20-3 and dominated the game hopefully we will be able to maintain this form long enough to get to the top of the league.

in the post match report Ramon Diaz said the better team did not win, I wanted to call him an asshat and say he is bitter his first love(a rectal trout) left him for a sardine but the option was grayed out.

our next game is home vs Leyton Orient we go with the same lineup and hope for the same results.

our central midfielders appear to have shown up this game

lee sims gets a goal in the 14th minute and leandre griffit adds another in the 18th

sam parkin adds a 3rd in the 35th minute

griffit adds a 2nd in the 44th minute

at the half we are dominating outshooting them 14-2

we don't get any goals and end up outshooting them 19-2

we have a vans trophy game tuesday which will see our B team in action hopefully a few of them give me a reason to get a shot in the A team

we are playing woking

gk-dennis
dl-leacock
dc-ryan
dc-burwood
dr-painter
ml-kelly
mc-watts
mc-fox
mr-turner
fc-hammond
fc-coates
s1-taylor
s2-otsemobor
s3-warnock
s4-griffit
s5-parkin

we have them at home

matt turner scores in the 20th minute with a nice free kick

at the half we are outplaying them and outshooting them 7-2.

they pull one back in the 81st minute off a very long ball behind our defense.

Elvis Hammond gets a goal in injury time for the 2-1 lead.

the game ends 2-1 with us outplaying them and outshooting them 13-3.

marcus kelly was mom with a 9 rating, turner, watts, and hammond all had 8's

our next game is on the road vs Chester. We are 7 pts out of 1st place so we can't be dropping points here. They are in 15th place we are in 6th.

I go with the same lineup as our last 2 league games.

parkin gets a goal in the 26th minute we are outshooting them 7-2 at the half. Hopefully we don't go into a shell in the 2nd half.

2nd half parkin misses a penalty kick they score on a free kick from 25 yards out

elvis hammond comes on with kelly and turner in the 70th minute and 76th minute hammond has to come off. We finish the match with 10 men and are unable to get a 2nd goal game ends 1-1.

we outshot them 14-3 but poor finishing cost us dearly here.

it sometimes happens in this sport but it doesn't mean i have to like it.

we are home vs Shrewsbury they are 20th we are in 10th place on the table.

we dominate getting goals from Fernandes and Griffit winning 2-0 outshooting them 15-0

Cambridge hasn't lost a game yet and are 9 points ahead of us on the table luckily its a long season and they will at some point have a dip in form i just hope we can maintain our winning ways for the rest of the season and get close to them asap.

we are in 7th place playing 16th place Lincoln at their place.

Dalmat is out with a twisted knee, Kelly is one of the guys i can count on to give a good permformance so not a major worry there. We need to start getting results on the road.

I am now being described as an under-pressure manager.

they come out in a ultra defense mode with 3 defender 3 defsenive midfielders 2 central midfielders 1 attacking midfielder and 1 striker

we outshoot them 8-3 but the are unable to get anything past their keeper.

a 0-0 result is not what we were looking for here.

our next game is against wycombe at home they are in 15th place we are in 9th.

The first half we outshoot them 9-2 but have nothing to show for it.

the 2nd half is similar to the first half we outshoot them 25-3

luckily we get goals from Cogger(his first for Rushden) and Sims to get a 2-0 win.

we are still 7 pts behind cambridge on the table in 7th place. there are 33 games left so there is plenty of time but i don't like having to play catch up espcially if i want to give my first team some fa cup games. I may sacrafice the fa cup for the league not sure yet.

we have a vans trophey game against 1st place Cambridge at their place. I decide to run out the B team and hope for the best (since humphreys hasn't done much lately i run him out there and will put hammond back on the A team) The game ends 1-1 and goes into extra time it was a pretty even affair but they win 2-1 at the end of extra time. They did use their A team hopefully going into extra time will make thier first team regulars a little tired and drop points in the upcoming games. Craig Coates got our lone goal in the 81st minute. Marcus Kelly was injured and had to come off at the 75th minute. Painter, Leacock, Scott, Fox, Watts and Coates all had 8 for ratings while their keeper won man of the match.

crud Marcus Kelly suffered a broken colarbone and will miss about a month.

since we have only 22 players i decied to look on the transfer list for a left sided midfielder. I don't see anyone that excites me. After some serious deliberation on my part i make an offer to Aston Villa for 26 year old Gavin Mcann defensive central midfielder. I like what i see on the guy a resillant midfielder with an iron willed personality. I think we could use him and he would step right into the first team.

Our next game is against Scunthrope at home. Dalmat open the first half scoring up getting his first goal ever for Rushden in the 4th minute. He follows it up with another 19 minutes in. Fernandes gets a goal at the 46th minute. Griffit gets one at the 49th minute.

We end up winning 4-0 outshooting them 18-1. Seems our midfield is playing better but our strikers have gone to sleep.

Gavin Mcann is signed we change our tactic to have 1 arrow going forward and 1 back in the central midfield to take advantage of Griffit abilites.

We play 20th placed Mansfield at their place we are in 6th but only 5 pts out of 1st and have the best goal differance in the league.

we outshot them 14-3 getting goals from Griffit and Fernandez. We will gladly take the 2-0 win on the road.

we are now in 5th place but only 3 pts behind 1st place Cambridge. still 31 games to play so anything can happen.

our next game is the FA cup 1st round against Harrowgateat their place after giving it some thought i decide our B team should be able to handle them. Sims is left footed and was replaced on the A team by Mcann so i move him into Marcus Kelly's spot for now. I am honestly not sure who the odd man out of our central midfield is. David Fox has been the biggest dissapointment.

I am appauled by what i watch. They outplay us and outshoot us 13-8 but we manage a 2-2 tie. We should thump these guys by 4 goals.

to say i am dissapointed is an understatement. I have a very fragile team here. I am not going to be playing any 1st teamers in cup games. i am going to have to try to keep them as fresh as possible for as long as possible.

I am in 5th place and still described as under pressure manager.

The board believes we should be holding a higher league postion and are generally satisfied with me. That doesn't bode well at all. I need to get results.

We are on the road against 12th place Northampton. We go back to our first team minus Bardsley who is injured. We play Ryan Scott in his place(who started the season with the A team).

Elvis Hammond gets us 2 goals and Sam Parkin adds another in a 3-0 win we outshot them 10-4. We didn't dominate as much as some other games but we certainly played well enough to get a win.

We are out home for our FA Cup Replay match against Harrogate.

Kelly, Warnock, Bardsley and Humphreys are injured and we have a Wensday game and a Saturday game. I play Hammond for Humphreys, Sims for Kelly, and hope Warnock and Bardsley get well soon.

well Elvis Hammond ends up scoring both goals in a 2-0 win. We outshot them 17-1. A much better effort than last time around.

We are in 5th place playing Rochdale who are in 21st place in thier building. While we are in 5th place we are only 1 pt behind the leaders. Anything can happen with 4 teams tied for 1st place.

Elvis Hammond who finally seems to have found his form scores 2 goals in the first half to give us a much needed 2-0 lead. Gavin Mcann scores in the 46th minute to give us a nice cushion.

the game ends 3-0 a much needed result for us. We are 2 pts behind Cheltenham but have a game in hand and 1 pt behind Bristol Rovers who have played 17 games just like we have.

Cheltenham have only conceded 7 goals in 18 games and have the best defense(19 goals scored is a pretty pedistrian offense though) with our 9 goals conceded being 2nd best. Our 36 goals for is the best in the league. Bristol Rovers have the 2nd best offense with 33 but have conceded 18.

Just for the record i was very close to trying to bring in Chelsea's spare parts of Veron and Crespo (not sure if they would have signed with me) but by the time we make it to the premier league they may not be the top players they are now and the games i would really need them (FA Cup) i probally would be playing a bunch of scrubs. I am saving the money for the "new" players that will come this offseason. I will be very aggresive in signing any "wonderkid" that i can find (i have had 0 success in locating players that are described as wonderkids but i find a bunch of promising types and will probally get 1 at each postion)

By the way if anyone has any suggestions of what to do with the dynasty or anything just let me know. Also for some reason every attempt of mine to put a graphic from the game into the forum has failed.

Our next game is at home vs Southend

i play a mixed bag of a lineup

gk-taylor
dl-leacock
dc-burwood
dc-scott
dr-cogger
ml-dalmat
mc-fox
mc-watts
mr-turner
fc-hammond
fc-parkin

basically its my B team with Taylor, Dalmat, and my top 2 strikers.

we win 4-0 outshot them 10-1. We get another 2 goals from Hammond, another from Cogger and Watts.

Philip Bardsley injury i don't remember getting a message about it, so i take a look at him is going to be out for 4 more months with a fractured skull. Luckily i have confindence in Ryan Scott.

Our next game is home vs Hull in the FA Cup 2nd round. I don't think i could roll out my B team and beat these guys. I put out my best possible lineup

gk-Taylor
dl-Warnock
dc-Scott
dc-Otsemobor
dr-Painter
ml-Dalmat
mc-McCann
mc-Griffit
mr-Fernandez
fc-Hammond
fc-Parkin

i sure hope we blow these guys doors off.

we end up outshooting them 14-3.

Griffit gets a goal and Coates who came on as a late sub gets another for a 2-0 win.

I would have been very upset if i trotted out the B team at home and lost to these guys. The board wouldn't have liked it either.

Our third round game is against Plymouth from the English Championship league at home. I think our A team can take them. Depending on my league postion i may play the B team in the league before them. I really think my A team could cause any team some problems at home.

We have 7 league two games before our 3rd round FA Cup game. Hopefully we can continue our winning ways in the league and make it an easy decsion for me.

We currently are in 2nd place in the league and we are playing Bury at home who are in 10th place,

at the half it look like they lack the speed or skill to get behind our defense we are outshooting them 8-0 we get goals from Otsemobor, Cogger, Hammond, Fernandez and Parkin to take a 5-0 lead.

Dalmat adds a goal in the 46th minute and Griffit adds a 7th goal in the 82nd minute. the game ends 7-0. We outshot them 17-1.

Very nice result for us here. I am no longer listed as an under pressure manager.

Our next game is at home vs 1st place Bristol Rovers thier boss Ian Atkins tries to get me in a war of words in the press before the game but i just say he is doing a great job and their fans should be proud of him (the several times i tried to fire up my players earlier in the year i got no reaction) I look over my players and they don't seem to respond to either his or my comments.

I am playing my A team and really want to beat the crud out of these guys.

Marcus Kelly returns to the bench after his injury.

at the half we are outshooting them 12-0. We have goals from Parkin and Fernandez.

in the 2nd half Fernandez gets the brace in the 67th minute.

and the game ends 3-0. We outshot them 26-0. We dominated them with almost 70% possession and 45% of the game was played in their 3rd. Our finishing was quite poor or the game could have been 10-0.

the team is really starting to come together.

i am asked by the media that we should beat Swansea, since my players haven't responded to my normal tactics i say i will eat my hat if we lose this game and Dalmat is proud and is glad his manager has every faith in his players.

Swansea is in 6th place and we are at their place we are still in 2nd as Bristol Rovers is 1 point ahead of us but have played an extra game.

at the half we are outshooting them 8-2 but they lead 1-0.

we outshot them 17-8 but they got a few chances by switching to a 2-3-5 formation late in the game. Hammond did get us a goal in the 65th minute and the game ends 1-1. We deserved more here but we could have been beat as they piled on alot of pressure using the 2-3-5 and we got stuck in our third.

Our next game is on the road vs Boston Utd who are in 7th place.

Taylor comes out of his net to intercept a cross and it ends up behind him where Andy Kirk pounces on it and puts the ball into an empty net.

luckily 2 minutes later Sam Parkin answers to make the game 1-1

at the half we outshot them 8-3 in a 1-1 game

we outshot them 14-7 but the final score is 1-1 another draw on the road that we should have won that is 4 pts in our last two games we have lost.

our next game is home vs 22nd placed Darlington i keep Taylor in net but put out the B team defense and midfield then go with Hammond and Parkin up front. Coates and Humphreys haven't done much with their latest chances and we really need to points (we are 2pts out of first place right now).

we outshot them 15-2 and get goals from Hammond and Fox for the 2-0 win.

We are tied on points with Bristol Rovers but ahead on goal differance. Cheltenham is only 1 point behind the both of us.

Its the halfway point Parkin leads the team with 12 league goals and Hammond is 2nd with 9. (Parkin is tied with Tommy Mooney with league lead)

Dalmat has the best average rating in the league with 8.59 and Fernandez is 2nd with 8.42. In a surprise by me Cogger is 13th in the league with a 7.55 average rating. I may not be so bad at right fullback as i thought(although his tackling is still a 4 and unless that moves up to at least an 8 sometime soon his hold on the job is very weak at best, although he has gotten forward and scored 3 goals and assisted another i want someone who can actually take the ball from a winger and it will be more important as we move up in the leagues)

our next game is home vs Cambrige who are in 4th place.

we outshot them 19-2. We get goals from McCann and Parkin to take a 2-0 win.

We have 1st place now with a 2 point lead Bristol Rovers and 3 points ahead of Cheltenham.

It is also January 1st. I make 11 offers to players who contracts are up. I don't expect to get them all but hopefully i will get a few bodies in to improve the squad.

the first player we get is a 17 year old right fullback from Arsenal who is described as promising named Kerrea Gilbert if he was on the team right now he would be starting he isn't great but he is better than what i am putting out there.(he also came to the team right away and Arsenal was compensated 500k)

Patrick Kluivert rejects Rushden he doesn't want to drop down in divisons and doesn't believe I am the right man to develope his career.

Tim Weise rejects Rushden and sign with Werner Bramann (darn this 23 year old goalkeeper would have made Taylor a backup i think the guy is top drawer stuff)

Our next game is against 10th place Kiddmeister at thier place. We need to get the result and not drop needless points on the road.

In the 22nd minute Griffit gives us a 1-0 lead

in the 31st minute Griffit is injured and has to come off, darn he has played well since i adjusted the tactic to have go forward instead of backward.

we get goals from Hammond and Parkin before the half, in the 2nd half we get a fourth goal from Chris Humphreys even though i see him as a striker he is listed a FLC and i brought him on for Griffit.

we outshot them 16-9 and win 4-0 it was closer than the scoreline but Taylor brought his A game this week.

Jocelyn Lescott agrees to sign with Rushden i think he will step in right away at centerback and start for us. He is described as a strong centerback. His 18 tackling with 15 pace, accerlation and jumping are very nice. He only has a 12 marking and 13 heading but i think he steps right in and is our best centerback.

Tottenham's Reto Ziegler rejects us and resigns with Tottenham he is an 18 year old left fullback who could have challenged Warnock for first team action.

*Mark Van Bommel has rejected PSV and has signed with Rushden(i know that isn't realistic) huge signing for us. He is by far the most complete player on the squad. With him and McCann in the midfield that should worry any club along with Dalmat and Fernandez. I am "over the moon" on this signing.

Palmero's Mario Roberto Santana has signed with Rushden 23 year old winger who can play right or left side is a guy who looks to have everything you want in a winger and will be able to make Turner 3rd string on the right side.
He only has 1 cap for Argentina so this signing may not happen.

Boudewijn Zenden has rejected the offer from Rushden and doesn't wish to take negotations further. Darn he would have given us the other winger to go with Santana.

Andri Voronin rejects us and signs with Leverkusen. This would have been another over the moon signing for us and i didn't expect to get him.

Owen Hargreaves rejects us and signs with FC Bayern another guy i didn't expect to get.

1 more guy to see if we can get him.

Our next game is against Plymouth at home in the FA Cup 3rd round. I go with the A team as i don't want to get knocked out here and i believe we should win the game with our best players.

out outplay and outshoot them 12-1 but they had a super goalie and the game ends 0-0.

We find out if we beat them at thier place, we get to go to Highbury to play Arsenal and i don't expect to be able to go there and get a result.

Freddy Adu rejects Rushden and stated his desire to further his career at DC United. Oh well it was worth a shot.

Lescott and Brommel will be welcomed in the offseason and Gilbert is already our starting right fullback. If Santana gets a work permit great if not then its not the end of the world.

I am happy with the guys i did get. They will all step right in and start for us.

With the FA Cup replay we have 3 games in 7 days.

The first game is home vs Notts Co, I play my A team and hope for a result.
They are currently 8th in the league.

we get a goal from Sam Parkin, Marcus Kelly(off the bench) and a brace from Elvis Hammond to win 4-1 we outshot them 20-4.

Stephen Warnock is suspended for 1 game due to yellow card limit. I was planning on playing my B team next game anyways.

crud Fernandez suffers an injury in training and will be out about 2 weeks. Which means Turner is going to have to step it up.

We play Grimsby who are 23rd in the league at thier place. I start my B team except for Taylor who i leave in the goal. Also due to Bardsley skull fracture i play Jon Otsemobor in the central defense.

this game isn't pretty our B team stinks on the road no two ways about it.


Its 1-1 and Otsemobor gets red carded and they get a penalty 2-1.

they get a goal in injury time to make it 3-1 which is how the game ends.

they outshot us 13-11 our goal was scored by Craig Coates.

we are in 1st place still by only have a 1 pt lead over Bristol Rovers.

The FA Cup Third round Replay we watch a back and forth game

Sam Parkin scores in the 26th minute to give a 1-0 lead

Brian O'Neal scores for Plymouth to make it 1-1

In the 2nd half Akos Buzsaky scores for Plymouth to make it 2-1.(i am saying alot of uncomplmentary things about Stuart Taylor)

In the 70th minute Griffit bangs a goal of a deflection to tie it up at 2-2

in the 89th minute Ryan Scott scores his first ever goal as we get a free kick and send the central defender into the box.

the game ends 3-2 and we get to play Arsenal at Highbury. I am very interested to see how we do against these guys.

we did outshoot them 15-8 but when it was 2-1 i was thinking the worst.