FM: Harrogate is Moving on Up..

[Eaglesfan27]

3 minute mark: What was I saying about Atkins? He may have the foot speed of a snail stuck in rubber, but he manages to steal the ball at midfield on a long pass from the keeper that was intended for Lynch. He immediately plays a wonderful through ball which Palmer gets to just before Coyles reaches it.. Palmer dribbles to the left of the keeper.. fires the ball into the open net.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

13 minute mark: Palmer tries to steal the ball from left fullback Andy Lodge. Slides into him.. Palmer gets a yellow card for a rough slide.

22 minute mark: Wall intercepts a long pass.. plays it to midfield for Smyth.. he dribbles a few steps.. plays a through pass into the box for Palmer.. Palmer dribbles once.. defender closing in on him.. shoots for the upper left corner.. the keeper blocks it. Folds clears the ball.

30 minute mark: Morley gets whistled for holding Lynch's shirt as Lynch was trying to run by him. Yellow card for Morley.

32 minute mark: Lynch gets an open opportunity in the box after Catney makes a great pass to get it to him from the left wing.. Lynch dribbles right.. shoots for the lower left corner... Scarsella tries to get to it.. but it's by him.. GOAL. 1-1.

37 minute mark: Atkins takes the corner kick and sends it out towards the right corner of the box.. Wall heads it from 15 yards out.. into the upper left corner of the net.. the keeper looks like he was screeened.. GO... OH NO! The goal is disallowed as Wall is judged to have unfairly unjumped with Wayne Diuk.

49 minute mark: Catney gets a yellow card for pulling on Kelly's shirt.

53 minute mark: Black with an excellent tackle to prevent a Lynch breakaway.

55 minute mark: Wayne Diuk dribbles past Atkins.. into the left side of the field.. in our zone.. crosses for Drew Roberts.. Roberts jumps with Wall.. outjumps Wall.. heads it.. Scarsella has no chance as it sails into the upper left corner of the net.. GOAL. Down 2-1

58 minute mark: Lynch gets the ball inside the left edge of our box.. passes to Catney.. Catney shoots for the upper right corner.. Scarsella gets in front of it and catches it.

I've been trying to get subs on, but to no avail... 58 minute mark (again): Catney steals the ensuing Scarsella kick.. dribbles past Atkins.. passes to Burgess.. Burgess dribbles into the box.. shoots..going towards the lower right corner.. Scarsella dives.. can't get to it.. GOAL. We are now down 3-1.

Finally I get to make my subs. Atkins has a 7 for the match, but he is tired and repeatedly getting beat. I bring in Barnett. Also, Morley is playing tentative with his yellow card so I bring in Shepherd.

69 minute mark: Kelly steals it at midfield... dribbles across the midfield line.. plays a great through ball into the left corner of the box.. Smyth is racing two defenders to it.. he beats them, but they are closing in fast.. he immediately shoots.. for the upper right corner.. Coyles tried to come out and cut down the angle, but this one sails over his left shoulder..into the net.. GOAL!!!!!!! Down 3-2 still.

73 minute mark: Shepherd with a big header to prevent a pass from reaching Lynch.

87 minute mark: Barnett steals it at midfield.. nice pass to Kelly on the wing.. Davies on the wing.. Davies passes to Kelly.. Kelly passes to Palmer on the right edge of the field. Palmer centers for Kelly at the right corner of the box.. defense closed in.. Kelly passes between them.. aiming for Smyth by the left post.. Kelly's pass is offtarget and behind Smyth.. out of bounds.

91 minute mark: Barnett sends a long pass from Smyth.. Hodges makes an amazing leap and heads it away before it can reach Smyth.

93 minute mark: Davies gets the ball.. dribbles up the right wing.. centers for Barnett who is on the edge of the box.. Barnett is about to shoot.. Whistle.. Game over!

Game over. 3-2 loss.

We both had 8 shots. We both had 5 shots on goal.

Wayne Diuk won MoM for Kettering, 22 of 24 passes, 4 of 7 tackles, 2 of 6 headers, 1 interception, 2 assists.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 11th, 2006 -

Chesterfield (League 1) just offered 36,000 dollars for Scarsella. I turned down the offer. There are now officially 7 different teams interested in Scarsella at this point in time. Leave my keeper alone you vultures!

[Eaglesfan27]

September 16th, 2006 -

We are in 10th place. Today, we host 3rd place Newport County. Newport is led by the astounding play of Ceri Hughes who is a very dangerous 35 year old midfielder. Hughes played on the Welsh national team at one point in the past and still has some significant skills. Jonathan Coates is a dangerous left winger who has also had several nice assists this year. Ashley Williams is a young right winger who is also playing very well. The midfield is clearly this team's strength at this point. Kevin Aherne-Evans is a speedy defender who has been shutting down the opposition's strikers along with his partner at centreback Gethin Jones. Thomas Carroll has been their main striker this year so far. Keeper, Jamie Speare has 3 clean sheets in 5 games but that appears to be due in part to facing very few good scoring opportunities.

We've never played this team before.

We are heavy 4:5 favorites this game!

It's a sunny day with temperatures in the 50's.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Bridges
S2: Barnett
S3: Farrell
S4: Shepherd
S5: Davies

[Eaglesfan27]

15 minute mark: Gethin Jones gets a yellow card for pulling Kelly's shirt.


39 minute mark: Their defenders have been mostly staying back and using speed to negate our strikers.. however, suddenly we catch them on the counter attack.. Scarsella kicks it long to Kelly.. Kelly and Smyth have just two defenders back.. both defenders rush to Kelly as he enters the box.. passes between them to Smyth.. Smyth shoots for the upper right corner.. the keeper can't get to it.. GOAL!!!!! 1-0.

42 minute mark: Wall intercepts a pass intended for Carroll.. heads it to Surey. Surey passes to Smyth at midfield.. Smyth plays a very good through ball to the right corner of the box for Palmer.. Palmer finally burns the defenders.. he's 3-5 yards ahead of them.. two strong dribbles to his right.. keeper tries to play the angle.. Palmer shoots for the near corner.. it's past the keeper.. it just makes it inside the post.. GOAL!!!!! 2-0. That is Palmer's 5th goal of the year.

60 minute mark: Wright gets the ball on the left wing.. passes to Smyth in the left corner.. Smyth immediately passes to Wright on the left corner of the box.. Wright shoots.. it sails over the keeper's right shoulder... GOAL!!!! 3-0.

65 minute mark: Davies on for Collett, Barnett on for Surey.

65 minute mark: Barnett steals the ball at midfield.. plays a long pass for Palmer at the right corner of the box.. the pass is a little high for Palmer.. he jumps and heads it.. right to Kelly at the center of the box! Kelly shoots.. lower left corner.. the keeper doesn't have a chance.. GOAL!!!! 4-0. That is Kelly's 5th goal of the season.

Game over. 4-0 win!

We outshot them 10-5 (7-1 on goal)

Smyth gets a 10 for form and wins MoM, 21 of 23 passes, 0 tackles, 3 of 6 headers, 2 runs, 2 assists, 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 19th, 2006 -

Mark Smyth was named to the English Conference (National) Team of the Week.

The team's morale is superb all around after the big win a few days ago. Hopefully, this can start a nice winning streak.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 21st, 2006 -

Darn it! Cambridge United has joined in the Scarsella hunt. They just offered Stephen Smith a young midfielder plus 8,000 dollars in cash for Scarsella. I turned them down.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 23rd, 2006 -

We are currently in 8th place, and we are traveling to play 19th placed Crawley today. Crawley is led Ryan Yeomans who has been spectacular in goal. Unfortunately, for him the defense in front of him has been shoddy, and he has faced a lot of shots this year. He has also been the victim of poor offensive support with Charlie MacDonald being the only player with more than 1 goal on the team. In fact, MacDonald has scored 3 goals, and only one other player has scored 1 goal, right winger Mo Harkin. The 4 goals scored all year hasn't been enough to combat what the defense has allowed into the net.

Despite this, Crawley is a 6:4 favorite.

We've never played Crawley before.

It's sunny in the high 50's today.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Bridges
S2: Barnett
S3: Farrell
S4: Shepherd
S5: Davies

[Eaglesfan27]

26 minute mark: Wall gets a yellow card for a trip on Charlie MacDonald.

28 minute mark: Barnard intercepts a pass intended for MacDonald, heads it to Surey at midfield. Surey dribbles down the field.. between two defenders into the box.. Surey dribbles around a third defender.. shoots from 15 yards out.. lower left corner.. Yeomans can't get to it... GOAL!!!! The announcer says, "What a magical goal from Surey!" I couldn't agree more. 1-0.

36 minute mark: Kelly it tripped by Robert Traynor. Kelly takes the free kick from 30 yards out... over the wall.. sailing towards the goal.. right by the keeper's right shoulder.. into the back of the net!!!! GOAL!!!!! 2-0 I don't know how Yeomans let that one in.

41 minute mark: Sean Hankin gets a yellow card for Tripping Kelly.. Kelly is running by these defenders at will.

44 minute mark: MacDonald receives a long pass from Hankin.. he beats Morley.. into the box.. shoots.. Scarsella deflects the shot.. Wall clears it.

Halftime: 2-0 lead for us.

60 minute mark: Barnett on for Surey. Davies on for Kelly.

70 minute mark: Wright intercepts the ball.. passes to Palmer who is on the left side of the field for some reason.. Palmer centers for Davies.. Davies turns on the jets.. dribbles past the DC.. into the box.. the keeper comes out part way to meet him.. Davies with a booming kick.. lower left corner.. just out of the keeper's reach.. into the back of the net!!! GOAL!!!!! 3-0. That is Davies' first goal for us.

71 minute mark: Barnett steals the ball at midfield.. passes it to Smyth on the left wing.. Smyth plays a through ball for Davies.. Davies has the speed.. he flies past the defenders.. gets to the ball.. just at the edge of the box.. dribbles towards the net.. the keeper comes out to meet.. dribbles to his right around the keeper.. shoots.. right into the open net! GOAL!!!!! 4-0! That is Davies' second goal in a 1 minute burst!

84 minute mark: Barnard with a misplay as he heads a long pass right to Charlie Mapies.. Mapies immediately centers for Georgie Smith in the box.. Georgie Smith hit the kick shot from just right of the center of the box.. and he slammed it into the upper left corner. Very little chance for Scarsella.. GOAL. 4-1.

Game over. 4-1 win.

We outshot them 15-9 (8-4 on goal)

Despite only playing 30 minutes, Davies wins MoM, 5 of 5 passes, 1 of 1 tackles, 3 of 3 headers, 4 runs(!), 2 goals.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 26th, 2006 -

Today we are in 3rd place and we host 5th placed Woking. Woking has played well despite their best forward Raphael Nade missing the last few weeks with a partially torn groin muscle. Amos Foyewa has stepped up and has 5 goals on the season. Left winger Steve Evans has played very well with 3 goals and 3 assists. Right fullback Simon Jackson has led the defense well this year. Keeper Lee Harrison has either been great or horrible. In 3 games he has conceded 9 goals, but he has 4 clean sheets in the other games.

This will be our first match ever against this team.

They are even odds favorites.

It's a sunny day with temperatures in the low 50's.

The team is in good shape, despite playing 3 days ago. I decide to use the same lineup.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Bridges
S2: Barnett
S3: Farrell
S4: Shepherd
S5: Davies

[Eaglesfan27]

18 minute mark: Kelly takes the corner kick.. sends it towards the near post for Wright.. Wright jumps.. heads it.. it hits off the left goal post.. and into the net! GOAL!!!! 1-0.

39 minute mark: Amos Foyewa receives a long pass from their right fullback on the right edge of my box.. dribbles into the box.. passes the ball between Wall and Morley.. Alex Tiesse has it at by the left post all alone.. quickly shoots.. easy goal for him to hit. GOAL 1-1.

41 minute mark: Barnard intercepts a pass deep in our zone.. sends it down the left sideline to Smyth. Smyth dribbles into the left corner of the field.. centers for Palmer in the middle of the box.. Palmer heads it.. towards the right upper corner.. Harrison can't get to it.. GOAL!!!!! 2-1.

Halftime: 2-1.

50 minute mark: Wright throws the ball in.. towards Palmer in the box.. Palmer is tackled by Patrick McCarthy.. Whistle blows.. Penalty shot awarded!

Barnard steps up to take the penalty shot.. powerful blast.. over the bar.

61 minute mark: Barnett on for Surey and Davies on for Kelly.

64 minute mark: Harrison stops a shot by Davies.. feeds it out to Karl Murray on the right wing.. Murray plays a nice long through ball for Stevie Ferguson.. Ferguson is behind our defense.. wide open.. races into the box with the ball.. shoots.. lower left corner.. Scarsella dives.. it's past him.. GOAL. 2-2 game.

73 minute mark: Smyth gets the ball at midfield.. sets up Palmer.. Palmer dribbles into the box.. tries to draw the keeper out.. he stays back.. Palmer shoots.. the keeper, Harrison, tips it just wide of the net.

80 minute mark: Barnett takes a free kick from the right outer edge of the box.. right to Davies.. Davies heads it.. Harrison blocks it.. Palmer shoots the rebound.. a defender blocks it.. Smyth gets the rebound.. a defender blocks his shot.

Game over. 2-2 tie.

We each had 8 shots. We each had 4 shots on goal.

Simon Jackson wins MoM, 17 of 27 passes, 7 of 9 tackles, 2 of 3 headers, 7 passes intercepted.

[Eaglesfan27]

September 30th, 2006 -

We are still in 3rd place and we host Barnet which has fallen to 17th place early in the season. Barnet ended the season in 5th place last year, and barely missed winning promotion during the playoffs. Barnet sold two players earlier in the year, and their best remaining striker, Giuliano Grazioli, has been injured for the past few weeks. None of the other strikers has even 1 goal. Sagi Burton and Ismail Yakubu are playing excellent defense in front of keeper Mark Paston.

We have never played them before.

They are even odds favorites.

It's going to be an overcast day with temperatures in the mid 50's.

Mark Smyth was injured yesterday in practice and while he is day to day, I'm going to rest him.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Farrell
SC: Palmer

S1: Bridges
S2: Barnett
S3: Dunning
S4: Shepherd
S5: Davies

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Kelly gets called for tripping Sagi Burton. Yellow card for Kelly.

4 minute mark: Right fullback, Damien Batt, gets a yellow card for Bodychecking Farrell.

30 minute mark: Collett has the ball on the right wing.. great pass to kelly.. Kelly dribbles into the box.. tackled by Burton.. the tackle knocks the ball towards the left corner of the box.. where Farrell is in perfect position.. he kicks it immediately.. upper left corner.. Paston dives.. he can't get to it.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

Half time: 1-0 lead. I just noticed our attendances are up this year. This game we have 2185 fans!

47 minute mark: Morley intercepts a long pass.. sends it up the field towads the box.. Kelly races to it.. as does a defender.. Kelly heads it.. over the defender.. and the keeper who came out to get it! It's in the net.. fluke goal!!! GOAL!!!! 2-0

66 minute mark: Davies on for Kelly who is tired. Dunning on for Farrell who is tired.

88 minute mark: Collett takes the ball up the right sideline.. crosses for Davies.. he heads it... it clangs into the crossbar. The defense clears it.

Game over. 2-0 win

We outshot them 9-5 (5-1 on goal)

Collett wins MoM, 19 of 26 passes, 1 of 2 tackles, 3 of 3 headers, 4 interceptions, 3 runs.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 1st, 2006 -

I won manager of the month for guiding the team to 3 wins in the last 5 games! Martin Murray of Kettering Town came in 2nd, and John Cunningham of Dagenham and Redbridge came in 3rd.

Scarborough's Steve Burton won player of the month with 5 goals in 5 games this month. Ashley Lyth of Scarborough came in 2nd, and Mark Smyth of Harrogate came in 3rd.

Mark Smyth won young player of the month! He has 3 goals and 9 assists on the season. Jordan Fitzpatrick of Dagenham and Redbridge came in 2nd, and Garry Hunter of Morecambe came in 3rd.

Thomas Carroll of Newport Co. had the goal of the month vs York with a well placed shot between two defenders.

Cambridge just offered Stephen Smith and 8,000 for Scarsella again. I turned it down again.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 14th, 2006 -

We've had several more offers for Scarsella from Cambridge, Bristol Rovers, and Parramatta Power. Scarsella seems to be flattered by all of the interest, but quite content to stay with us.

Today we are in 4th place and we host Forest Green which is currently in 20th place. None of Forest Green's players have really played well. Ben Cleverley appears to be their best midfielder. Danny Greaves appears to be an above average keeper, but they have been plagued by an inability to score. They have 4 goals in 9 games. None of their strikers have scored, as all 4 goals have been scored by 3 different midfielders: right winger, Phil Rowland, MC Ben Cleverley, and Left winger Korey Nix.


Despite this they are even odds favorites (I think the oddsmakers are smoking some good stuff - either that or the odds are all set before the season starts and don't get updated?)

We beat them last year 3-0 in the 3rd round of the FA trophy.

It is going to be a sunny day with temperatures in the mid 40's.

Lineup:

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyh
SC: Palmer

S1: Bridges
S2: Barnett
S3: Farrell
S4: Shepherd
S5: Davies

I've noticed that despite my earlier assertions, I'm reluctant to rotate guys. I feel comfortable with guys I'm not playing in a pinch, but I think this lineup gives me the best chance to win and will likely rely on it til about midseason when I'll start giving guys more rest as needed.

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Striker Nathan Thomas gets the ball in the right corner of the field.. he centers for Ben Cleverley by the near post.. Cleverley heads it.. into the near corner of the net. GOAL. Maybe the oddsmakers weren't crazy.

Halftime: Forest Green has played one of the first 4-3-3 formations I've seen ever as a coach. They are dominating ball possession and shots on goal. My team needs to come out stronger in the 2nd half. 1-0 lead for Forest Green.

47 minute mark: Palmer steals it from left winger Korey Nix.. he dribbles down the right sideline.. to the right corner of the pitch.. centers for Kelly.. Kelly outjumps the DC.. heads it.. into the upper right corner.. GOAL!!!! 1-1.

54 minute mark: Surey steals it at midfield.. passes to Smyth who is just outside the left corner of the box.. he passes it between two defenders to Kelly.. Kelly dribbles to his left.. shoots for the left upper corner.. it hits the post.. bounces in off the post.. GOAL!!!! 2-1.

59 minute mark: Kelly takes the corner kick.. heads it to Atkins at the near post... Atkins heads it.. but the centreback Michael Lea heads the shot away. He saved a goal for sure.

62 minute mark: We've been dominating the last 17 minutes but now they are counterattacking again.. Cleverley receives a nice cross from Phil Rowland.. heads it.. Scarsella barely tips it over the bar.

Morley has had a relatively bad game. He had a 5 form at halftime, and has only raised it to a 6. I decide to pull him for Shepherd. Also, Barnard is slightly hurt, I decide to put in Barnett (his versatility is great.)

66 minute mark: Collett steals it from the right winger.. dribbles up the sideline.. we have a 3 on 1 breakaway! Collett could pass, but he shoots.. the keeper blocks it.. but Smyth is there to put away the rebound.. GO... what.. Palmer went offside! That bloody jerk! I can't believe he managed to go offside on that play!

77 minute mark: left fullback Brian Healy dribbles up our left sideline.. he crosses for Cleverley.. Cleverley heads it from the center of our box.. towards the upper left corner.. Scarsella watches it sail over his shoulder.. GOAL. 2-2.

Game over. 2-2 tie.

They outshot us 17-7 (7-5 on goal)

Kelly wins MoM, 22 of 26 passes, 0 tackles, 7 of 9 headers, 2 interceptions, 2 runs, 2 goals.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 16th, 2006 -

Greg Kelly was named to the National Conference Team of the Week today.

The 4th qualifying round the English FA Cup was drawn today. I could have drawn a much weaker team, but we ended up getting Barnet from the English Conference National for this match. It's on their pitch no less. At least, Barnet has been playing severely under their expectations this year. We will be playing them in 12 days on 10/28/06.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 17th, 2006 -

Oxford has joined the hunt for Scarsella. They offered 20,000 dollars for him. I declined.

My scout recommended a young left fullback named Michael Foulkes who was recently released by Northwood. It seems odd to even consider him, but the kid has a certain determination that I like along with some good physical skills. I decide to contact him, and he says he will be glad to be a rotation player and play for 100 dollars/week. I decide to take a chance on this kid and offer him the deal.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 17th, 2006 -

We are currently in 4th place, and we travel today to face 10th placed Burton. Burton's Robbie Talbot has been a deadly scorer this year with 10 goals already on the season. Right fullback Alan Martin has played very good defense, but his fellow defenders haven't been as steady. This has led to Neil Thomas the keeper giving up quite a few goals this year. Hopefully, we can pepper him with plenty of shots.

I've noticed that we lead the league in scoring goals by a wide margin with 24 goals. The next closest opponent has 17. Our defense is middle of the pack so far though.

We have never played Burton before.

They are 4:5 heavy favorites.

Our lineup is the same as last time except that Wright injured his shoulder in training the other day. As a result Barnett will start at left wing. Dunning will take Barnett's place in the sub list.

[Eaglesfan27]

6 minute mark: Morley with a huge tackle to prevent a likely Talbot goal.

18 minute mark: Collett with a great cross from the right wing to the far post to Smyth who heads it to Palmer.. who immediately kicks it.. right into Thomas's arms.

19 minute mark: Kelly is tripped by the DC, Darren Stride. Talbot argues the call.. yellow card for Talbot!

28 minute mark: Left winger, Aaron Webster dribbles around Collett.. into our zone.. towards the corner.. crosses to the near post for midfielder Anthony Jubb. Jubb heads it... Scarsella leaps and saves the header!

34 minute mark: Aaron Webster gets whistled for unfairly jumping with Black. Webster argues the call.. the ref warns him.. Webster continues to argue the call.. the ref gives him a yellow card.. he continues to argue the call even more! The Ref gives him a second yellow card.. He is out of here!

The ref moves the free kick forward 10 yards, penalizing Bury for dissent.

Half time: 0-0.

64 minute mark: Palmer has looked lacksidasical and only has a 5 for form. I put in Farrell for him. Kelly is tired, so I bring in Davies for him.

83 minute mark: Barnard sends the ball down the left sideline towards the corner.. Smyth gets to it.. centers for Davies by the far post.. Davies heads it.. just inches wide of the post.

85 minute mark: Barnett takes the ball down the left wing.. centers for Davies in the middle of the box.. Davies with a powerful header.. Thomas barely tips it over the bar.

Game over. 0-0 tie. I can't complain too much about a point on the road.

We outshot them 7-5 (4-1 on goal)

Surey wins MoM, 23 of 32 passes, 8 of 9 tackles, 0 of 2 headers, 2 interceptions.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 21st, 2006 -

Michael Foulkes signed today, and said he is excited to be joining such a talented team. The kid sure knows how to brown nose

Today we host Dag & Red. We are currently in 5th place in the conference, and Dag & Red are 12th place. Two of their best defenders, Tim Cole and Shane Blackett, are injured for this match. Kye Holly has been a very competent right fullback this season. They rely on attacking midfielder, Mark Bentley for most of their offense and he has 7 goals on the season. They are relying on an 18 year old kid in goal named Stephen Henderson. Henderson is quite talented and has had 4 clean sheets, but he averages 2 goals/game conceded in the other games. It will be an interesting matchup.

We've never played this team before.

This is the first team that I can remember playing that also uses a 4-3-1-2 and relies on heavy scoring from the attacking midfielder. It will be interesting.
They are 6:4 favorites.

It's a rainy day with temperatures in the low 50's.

We are using our most recent lineup except Wright is back at left wing, and Barnett is going back to being a sub. Barnett is starting to complain about my using him all over the pitch and he wants to be played more at right fullback or right winger.

[RPI-Fan]

We are using our most recent lineup except Wright is back at left wing, and Barnett is going back to being a sub. Barnett is starting to complain about my using him all over the pitch and he wants to be played more at right fullback or right winger.

Woh, more details on how this occured?

[Eaglesfan27]

2 minute mark: The left MC, Glen Southam dribbles up the left side of the field.. crosses to the far post Bentley... Bentley heads it.. into the crossbar.. Morley clears the rebound.

5 minute mark: Kelly gets the ball from Surey about 30 yards out.. dribbles towards the box.. draws 2 defenders.. passes the ball between them to Palmer who is by the right post.. keeper comes towards Palmer.. Palmer centers for kelly who has run into the box.. Kelly hits it on the half volley.. GOAL!!!! 1-0 What a two man game! That is Kelly's 10 goal of the year!

12 minute mark: My heart skips a beat as Tony Boot falls inside the box as Black is chasing him.. Yellow card for.. Boot for diving!

14 minute mark: Palmer gets the ball at the right wing.. passes to Kelly who is 30 yards out.. Kelly dribbles past the DC to the edge of the box... he shoots from 20 yards out.. towards teh lower right corner.. fast hard shot.. keeper dives.. can't get to it.. GOAL!!!! 2-0.

36 minute mark: Kelly gets the ball at midfield.. dribbles past his man.. towards the box.. two defenders coming to meet him.. he passes to Palmer by the right post.. Palmer shoots.. the keeper barely tips it over.

Halftime: 2-0.

54 minute mark: Palmer gets the ball at midfield.. plays a great throughball to the left corner of the box.. Smyth gets to it... shoots.. wide right.

56 minute mark: Scarsella with a huge save of a pointblank Fitzpatrick shot.

61 minute mark: I was considering putting Barnett in at right fullback, but Wright is tired. So, despite his complaining to me quietly, I put Barnett back in at left winger. I also put in Davies for Collett.

94th minute: Kelly has been trying for the hattrick all night.. he intercepts the ball at midfield.. passes to Davies on the wing.. Davies dribbles up the sideline.. burns a man.. passes it to Kelly at the edge of the box.. Kelly hits a low drive to the right corner... it's in the net! GOAL!!!! 3-0! Kelly has his hattrick.

2 seconds later the final whistle blows.

Game over. 3-0 win.

We outshot them 15-9 (9-4 on target)

Kelly wins MoM, 29 of 36 passes, 3 of 4 tackles, 4 of 5 headers, 1 interception, 5 runs, 3 goals. 10 Form for the match. Palmer also had a 10 form for the match and has had low morale for some reason.. I decide I will praise Palmer in the postgame interview.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Woh, more details on how this occured?

I noticed he had an unhappy tag. I checked his profile and I see that he has a concern that he isn't being played at his strongest position. According to my coaches, and my own belief his best position is right fullback and right winger, but he is rated at all 3 defender and midfield spots. Implying a conversation occured was me taking artistic license.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 22nd, 2006 -

Mr. Fotherby was praising our team in the media. However, the sports columnist said that our early form is very impressive but he is sure that we won't be able to maintain our challenge for the league title. He said, "anyone but the most diehard Harrogate fans expect their early good form to peter out and for the team to be unable to maintain a challenge for a title."

The fans agree with my comment last night that Palmer has been a key player for us in helping us maintain our high league position.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 25th, 2006 -

Mike Davies seperated his shoulder in practice today. This is a significant loss as Matt has played with a lot of energy off the bench. Mike will miss approximately 4 weeks.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 28th, 2006 -

Preston North upset Liverpool 1-0 in the 3rd round of the English Cup today. Preston keeper Danny Coyne really put on a fine display in goal with 12 saves.

Speaking of keepers, Oxford just offered 36,000 dollars for Scarsella. I continue to tell these vultures to buzz off.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 28th, 2006 -

Today we travel to play Barnet in the 4th qualifying round the English FA cup. Barnet is currently 16th in the English Conference National, but have won their last few games as they have had some guys recover from injury. Their keeper, Matthew Baker, has played incredibly in goal the last 5 games. 19 year old Callum Legate is playing wonderfully in the midfield. Giuliano Grazioli has been their main scorer from the striker position, but he doesn't start every game or even many games. It will be interesting to see if he starts this one.

We beat Barnet 2-0 earlier this year.

Barnet are 4:6 favorites.

It's an overcast day with temperatures in the low 40's.

Our lineup:

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Morley
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Bridges
S2: Barnett
S3: Farrell
S4: Shepherd
S5: Dunning (for the injured Davies)

[Eaglesfan27]

11 minute mark: Scarsella with a great save of a shot by Grazioli from 15 yards out.

13 minute mark: Smyth gets the ball at midfield.. tries to hit Palmer with a long pass.. passes it over his head and out of bounds.. Goal kick.

18 minute mark: Surey intercepts a keeper kick at midfield.. heads it to Palmer.. dribbles past the defender.. into the right side of the box.. shoots.. the keeper blocks it.. defense clears it.

21 minute mark: Collett gets it on the right wing.. lays a perfect pass on the edge of the box for Kelly.. Kelly has it.. takes one step.. shoots.. way wide right.. don't see that much from him.

23 minute mark: Surey intercepts it at midfield.. passes to Kelly.. Kelly dribbles into the box.. three defenders surround him.. he somehow passes it to his left.. right to Smyth.. Smyth hits a powerful kick towards the upper right corner.. it hits a defender.. deflects into the left corner of the net.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

44 minute mark: Smyth receives a pass from Wall at the left wing midfield.. sends a nice through ball to the right corner of the box.. Palmer races to it.. shoots for the upper left corner.. the keeper had come out to cut the angle off.. he deflects it.. it's rolling towards the goal... DC, Sagi Burton gets to it just before it crosses the goal line and clears it.

Halftime: 1-0. We've dominated ball possession and our defense has generally stopped any attacks before they could be true threats except for early in the game. The entire team is playing very well so far.

63 minute mark: Morley has had a bad game. He has had quite a few 6's for form this year, and I'm looking at my stat sheet seeing his average is 6.58. I think it's time to demote him for a bit. For the time being, I sub in Shepherd for him. Also, I sub in Barnett for Collett.

87 minute mark: Black with a big block of a shot by Grazioli.

89 minute mark: Barnett steals it from the left winger.. passes to Smyth who is at the left corner of the box. Smyth shoots.. hits the crossbar. The defense clears it.

Game over. 1-0 Win! Shepherd also played poorly at DC with a 6 for form. Besides Morley and Shepherd, everyone had a 7 or higher (as they have most of the season)

We outshot them 13-6 (9-2 on goal)

Matthew Baker won MoM for his 8 saves.

[Eaglesfan27]

October 28th, 2006 -

Winning has its privledges. Since we are in the English Conference National, that was our only qualifying round. We are through to the first round of the English FA Cup.

We received 18,000 for that win.

[Eaglesfan27]

Another note. We are averaging around 2,000 fans at our home games, and we are finally making money this season. We are no longer in debt, and have almost 100,000 dollars in the bank!

[Eaglesfan27]

October 30th, 2006 -

Today we heard about the draw for the 1st round of the English FA cup. Not the most favorable draw we could have had. We will host Shrewsbury (13th in League 2 Currently.) Still we could have had a worse draw.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 1st, 2006 -

Farnborough Town's Dean Austin has won Manager of the Month after guiding his team to wins in all 4 of it's games in October.

John Keeley of Kidderminster came in 2nd, and Glenn Cockerill of Woking came in 3rd.

Woking's Alex Tiesse won Player of the Month. Greg Kelly came in 2nd, and Paul Scott of Bury came in 3rd.


Aldershot Town's Tyron Smith won young player of the month. Ryan Catney of Kettering Town came in 2nd. Wayne O'Sullivan of Exeter City came in 3rd.


There was a news article today saying that Brighton (8th in league 1) are one of several prestigious teams that are going to be chasing highly regarded Harrogate youngster Mark Smyth. The reporter is now calling me to ask if I want to respond to the speculation for his follow up article. I have the sense that Mark isn't particularly ambitious and I know we need him so I decide to say, "I'm not selling Mark to any of these clubs" and I issue a hands off warning.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 4th, 2006 -

We are currently in 3rd place and we travel to play 8th placed Morecambe today. Morecambe's main scoring threat, AMC Garry Hunter, is suspended for this match due to receiving two yellow cards in his last match. He has 9 of their team's goals this year, and no one else has more than 3. Striker, Danny Carlton, is their nex tmost dangerous scorer and he is quite talented. Their keeper, Jonathan Tuffey is above average. Their entire defensive line is solid, and it's led by left fullback David Perkins.

This will be our first match ever against them.

They are even odds favorites.

It's going to rain most of the match. Temperatures will be in the mid 30's.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Barnett (Morley has 6.54 avg form, lowest on the team among regular starters - only one below 7. It's time to completely bench him a few games to see if he can find his game again after some rest and reflection. Also, I'm hoping regular PT will make Barnett happy.)
DC: Wall (playing well despite his young age.)
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Bridges
S2: Fox (he really developed last year.. deserves some PT)
S3: Farrell
S4: Shepherd (only other player with under a 7 for form.. will get one or two more performances to show trend of improvement.)
S5: Dunning

[Eaglesfan27]

The first thing I notice is that they are the first time I've ever played to come out in a 4-4-1-1. Should be interesting.

10 minute mark: Kelly gets the ball from Surey who intercepted it at midfield.. Kelly dribbles past the defender.. shoots from 15 yards.. Anthony Williams who started in goal for the first time this year blocks it.. Kelly gets the rebound.. shoots.. Williams blocks it again. Defender clears it.

23 minute mark: Danny Carlton gets a long pass in our box.. he is all alone.. he dribbles to his left.. around Scarsella.. Carlton shoots... over the bar! Whew, he missed the open net.

31 minute mark: Surey steals the ball at midfield.. passes it to Palmer.. Palmer passes it to Smyth in the left corner of the box.. Smyth shoots for the upper right corner... inches wide.

36 minute mark: Barnett intercepts a long pass from the keeper.. heads it to Surey.. Surey passes to Kelly.. Kelly dribbles to the edge of the box.. hard shot.. just over the bar.

43 minute mark: Wall with a great tackle on Carlton to prevent him from shooting at point blank range.

Halftime: 0-0. Barnett has a 7 at DC.

53 minute mark: Barnett with a great tackle inside the box on Stefan Bailey.

58 minute mark: Morrison gets a great pass from Bailey.. quick pass to Carlton in the box.. Carlton shoots for the lower right corner.. Scarsella dives, but it's too quick.. into the net. GOAL. Down 1-0.

59 minute mark: Kelly gets the ball at midfield.. passes to Palmer who is at the edge of the box.. Palmer passes to Smyth.. Smyth draws two defenders to him.. passes between them to Palmer who is 10 yards from the goal.. Palmer shoots.. towards the lower left corner.. Williams has no chance.. GOAL!!!! 1-1.

I love how my team responded immediately.

62 minute mark: Black with a steal in our zone.. sends it to Collett.. Collett with a great through ball which Kelly gets at the right corner of the box.. Kelly dribbles two steps.. shoots.. over the bar. He has had a really off game with a 6 for form. He is tired, and I decide I will sub him out at the next opportunity. They send a long goal kick on the counter attack.. Barnett has great speed and he catches Carlton from behind and tackles him cleanly.

65 minute mark: Dunning on for Kelly, and Fox on for Collett (tired.)

71 minute mark: Flurry of activity in front of our goal.. several defenders stop shots.. Scarsella stops 3 shots.. finally Wall clears it out of bounds.

73 minute mark: Curtis the new striker gets a breakaway.. Scarsella blocks his shot.. Twiss the AMC is racing towards the ball.. Barnett beats him to it and clears it to prevent a sure goal.

75 minute mark: Curtis gets the ball in the left corner of the field.. crosses for Twiss.. Twiss settles it.. immediately shoot.. lower right corner.. Scarsella dives.. it's just out of his reach.. GOAL. Down 2-1.

84 minute mark: Surey sends a great pass to Dunning just outside the box.. Dunning dribbles.. he is too slow.. the defender quickly catches up to him from behind and tackles it free.

90 minute mark: Fox gets the ball on the right wing thanks to a pass from Wall.. Fox plays it down the right sideline.. Palmer gets to it.. centers for Smyth by the far post.. it's wide open net... Smyth heads it.... OVER the bar!

Game over. 2-1 loss. However, I discovered Barnett can play DC VERY well, at least from a one game sample. He has an 8 for form, and his speed was spectacular to watch in our defensive line. I think he has earned at least 2 more starts at the position. Hopefully, he'll become happy with regular PT.

They outshot us 18-14 (6-4 on goal)

Surey has a 9 and wins MoM, 20 of 23 passes, 11 of 11 tackles, 3 of 5 headers, 3 interceptions.

[Eaglesfan27]

NO!


November 4th, 2006 -

Mark Smyth has told a national football website that he owes it to himself to look seriously at moving to a bigger club.

The Striker admitted that he has always been excited by the prospect of playing at a higher level and given the interest from Brighton, he would certainly consider any forthcoming offers.

Darn it! The dream team of Kelly, Palmer, and Smyth might be breaking up

[Eaglesfan27]

November 4th, 2006 -

Mark Smyth game into my office today and told me that he wants me to move to him a bigger club at the next available opportunity. He is unhappy playing at this level of play, and while he appreciates me giving him a chance to prove himself he feels that he is a player who is of higher calibre than the English Conference National.

Quite honestly, I don't see how I can keep him. I think if he is miserable, it will ruin team chemistry. Of course, if I move him, it might ruin team chemistry as well. A tough decision. If I do move him, I need to get at least close to his 220,000 dollar value and use that money to bring in a good young striker.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 6th, 2006 -

After Smyth walked into my office, I thought long and hard about what to do. I decided to offer him a new deal!

I brought him into my office to see what he wanted. He said that wanted a significant pay raise to 700 dollars/week (420/week before) I decided to offer him almost a 100% pay raise with a new salary of 800 dollars per week. I also guaranteed him some preimere perks. I noted that he wanted a 260,000 dolllar buyout clause. I countered with a 400,000 dollar buyout clause. He wanted to sign through June 2008. I countered with an offer to stay through June 2009.

He told me he would sleep on it. I waited patiently that morning for his reply. He came into my office at 9:00 AM and told me that he agreed to sign the contract. He feels if a team wants him bad enough, they will pay the 400,000 dollars. He also is touched that I want to make him the highest paid player on the team.

[Desnudo]

I've got about 5 or 6 players who are unhappy because they want to move to a larger club. I choose to ignore them, the ungrateful sods.

[Eaglesfan27]

Addendum -

At least this new contract eliminates the worry of a club taking him under minimal compensation as his contract runs out. Now, I've bought myself some time to consider this situation.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 6th, 2006 -

12:00 Noon, Mark Smyth told me he is really happy to have signed this new contract and he looks forward to staying with the club.

I hope he means it.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 7th, 2006 -

Despite the loss last game, we remain in 3rd place. We host 15th place Stevenage today. Stevenage finished 8th in the conference last year. They have a high scoring offense, that is only just below my team's pace. Midfielder, Richie Hanlon, has 8 goals on the year. Striker, Anthony Elding, has 7 goals. Barry Laker quarterbacks the defense. New keeper Chris Neal is a very good keeper. He will be hard to beat.

We've never faced this team before.

They are even odds favorites.

It's going to be muddy with temperatures in the high 30's.

GK: Scarsella
DL: Barnard
DC: Barnett
DC: Wall
DR: Black
ML: Wright
MC: Surey
MR: Collett
AMC: Kelly
SC: Smyth
SC: Palmer

S1: Bridges
S2: Fox
S3: Farrell
S4: Shepherd
S5: Dunning

[Eaglesfan27]

30 minute mark: Scarsella saves a shot from Elding.. kicks it to Collett on the right wing at midfield.. Collett outjumps the left winger.. heads it towards the corner for Palmer.. Palmer gets it at the corner of the box.. centers for Kelly.. Kelly quickly shoots for the lower right corner.. Neal dives.. he can't get to it.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

45 minute mark: Barnett with a big header to keep the ball away from Hanlon on a cross in the box.. Barnett heads it to Surey.. Surey with a great through ball for Kelly.. Kelly dribbles between two defenders.. shoots for the right corner.. hits the crossbar.. the defense clears it.

Halftime: 1-0 lead.

62 minute mark: Laker tackles Palmer, and Palmer looks hurt bad. Farrell on for Palmer. Also Fox on for Collett.

66 minute mark: Phillips gets it to the right of the box.. centers for Elding.. Elding hits it on the half volley.. past Scarsella... GOAL. 1-1.

68 minute mark: Surey passes it back to Barnard.. Barnard with a great through ball long to the box.. Farrell gets to it.. it's just him and the keeper.. dribbles to his left.. shoots.. Neal blocks the shot.. Laker clears it.

75 minute mark: Fox takes the free kick from 35 yards out.. sends it to Kelly on the edge of the box.. Kelly starts to go right and spins around counterclockwise and suddenly accerlates to his left.. what a move! Dribbles past the defender.. into the box.. shoots for the left corner.. it's in! GOAL!!!! 2-1.

78 minute mark: Smyth steals teh ball from Laker deep in their zone.. passes it to Kelly who is by the right corner of the box.. Kelly unleashes a quick powerful shot towards the right corner.. it barely skates past the post.. GOAL!!!! 3-1. That is Kelly's hattrick. That is his 15th goal on the season.

Game over. 3-1 win.

We outshot them 14-10. (5-3 on goal.)

Greg Kelly has a 10 for form. He wins MoM, 19 of 25 passes, 1 of 2 tackles, 4 of 8 headers, 1 interception, 5 runs, 3 goals.

[Eaglesfan27]

After the game, a national media member approached me and asked me about David Scarsella. He said, "David is becoming increasingly appealing to a number of teams with his recent form. Do you think he will stay at Harrogate?"

I replied, "As far as I'm concerned, David is part of this team and that is the way it will stay."

[Barkeep49]

Just wanted to say again how much I enjoy the dynasty. One of the most enjoyable aspects for me, as I enjoy my winter break, has been the regular updates. It's nice to know that there's a good shot that this will be updated each of the two to three times a day I check the board.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

Just wanted to say again how much I enjoy the dynasty. One of the most enjoyable aspects for me, as I enjoy my winter break, has been the regular updates. It's nice to know that there's a good shot that this will be updated each of the two to three times a day I check the board.

Glad you enjoy it. I just woke up as I was on call last night and didn't get to bed til 10 AM as it was a busy call. About to fire up FM now

[Eaglesfan27]

November 11th, 2006 -

Today we host Shrewsbury in the 1st round of the FA Cup. Shrewsbury is currently 13th in league 2. They are led by centreback Mark Williams who really solidifies the defense. Midfielder, Jamie Tolley, has taken over leadership of the midfield since attacking midfield Ben Smith has been hurt most of the year. Keeper Joe Hart is above average and has 4 clean sheets on the year. Striker Luke Rodgers leads the offense with 5 goals.

We've never played this team before.

They are 4:7 favorites with the odds of us winning 4 to 1.

It's going to be sunny with temperatures in the mid 40's.

I'm using the exact same lineup as last game. Here is hoping Barnett can have another good game at DC alongside Wall.

[Eaglesfan27]

1st minute: Barnett with a big tackle on Rodgers in the box. Wall clears it to Collett. Left winger, George Jermy trips Collett. Yellow card on Collett.

4 minute mark: Black had already made several big blocks of passes/shots from his right fullback slot. This time he heads away a cross from Jermy and the ball goes to Surey in the center of our zone. Surey passes to Smyth on the left wing just past midfield.. Smyth heads the pass towards the edge of the box... Hart comes out to get it.. Kelly beats him to it.. dribbles to the left of the of the keeper.. going right around him.. flicks it into the open net.. GOAL!!!! 1-0.

25 minute mark: Surey intercepts a keeper pass at midfield.. passes it to Kelly at the edge of the box.. Kelly shoots for the lower right corner.. it's past the keeper... inches wide.

33 minute mark: Kelly gets a yellow card for pulling midfielder Kevin Street's jersey.

35 minute mark: Kelly shows a great flash of speed getting the ball at midfield.. dribbles down the center of the field.. past two defenders.. into the box.. he has Palmer open by the right post.. he shoots.. right into the keeper's arm. That seemed like a poor choice.

42 minute mark: Jermy gets the ball after a throw in on the left sideline.. crosses for Tolley.... Tolley outjumps Wall.. heads it towards goal.. it sails over Scarsella's left shoulder... into the net. GOAL. 1-1.

43 minute mark: Black steals the ball deep in our zone.. hits it to Palmer at midfield.. Palmer plays a through ball towards the center of the box.. Smyth races to it.. the keeper races to it.. they get to it at just about the same time.. Smyth is there a fraction of a second quicker.. steps to his left with the ball.. fires a shot just barely past the keeper's outstretched arm.. into the net! GOAL!!!!! 2-1. That was Smyth's 5th goal on the year (he has been much more of an assist man so far this year.)

Halftime: 2-1 us. Everyone of my players has a 7 for form, except for Palmer, Smyth, and Kelly who all have 8's.

51 minute mark: Wall gets a yellow card for pulling Rodger's jersey.

71 minute mark: Tolley's free kick from 22 yards out deflects off the wall to Rodgers who has a great shot from 10 yards out.. Rodgers shoots.. Scarsella does a great job to tip it over the net.

74 minute mark: Palmer picks up an injury and has to go off. Farrell on for him. I decide to put Shepherd on for Wall since Wall has a yellow card and is playing a little tentative (Barnett bailed him out with a big tackle a minute ago.)

80 minute mark: Mark Williams clears a pass from Surey that was intended for Smyth.. he sends it to Tolley.. Tolley with a great through ball to Rodgers.. Shepherd misses him.. Rodgers has the shot from about 5 yards.. Rodgets shoot.. upper left corner.. Scarsella can't stop it. GOAL. 2-2. (I knew I was going to regret taking out Wall )

85 minute mark: Collett plays the ball back to Scarsella.. great pass from Scarsella to Smyth.. he dribbles into the box.. shoots from 20 yards out.. Hart blocks it.. Farrell gets the rebound.. shoots.. Hart tips it over the bar.

89 minute mark: Shepherd gets a yellow card for pulling on Tolley's jersey. Referee Keith Hill calls a tight game.

Game over 2-2 tie. This one is going to be replayed on Shrewsbury's pitch. I hope a big crowd shows up.

We each had 11 shots. We each had 5 shots on goal.

Greg Kelly wins MoM, 18 of 28 passes, 1 of 3 tackles, 3 of 8 headers, 2 interceptions, 4 runs, 1 goal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Post Match Info: Grant Black injured his shoulder. He will miss around a week.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 12th, 2006 -

Atkins injured his ankle in training today. He has severely sprained it, and will likely need about a month to recover.

[Eaglesfan27]

November 13th, 2006 -

Greg Kelly was selected for the Conference National Team of the Week.

The 2nd round of the English FA Cup was drawn today. If we beat Shrewsbury in the replay match, we will go face Brighton on their pitch. I find this quite ironic since they want Smyth. Hopefully, we can win the rematch so we can play and beat Brighton (although I know they will be very tough.)