Pangaea

Apart from a brief game on the FM05 demo, this is my first game on the FM platform. Figured this would be the best approach for a career game, as I didn't know what was up and down on the game. Pretty much in the same sitation as most new managers.

Loaded all the Scottish and English leagues on Large database. That's the most my 'puter can take, perhaps even that is too much, based on current processing times.

Was tired of England as I've always played there, so I just wanted Frank to find me a club in Scotland. He landed on the strange and funny name Stenhousemuir. It's located in the Falkirk area, where an arm of water stretches westwards into the land.

Okay, enough of the boring intro. Let's get down to business.

Season 2005/06

Stenhousemuir - Scottish Third Division

The backroom was pretty much empty, so needed someone to fill the gaps. The job centre provided some hopeless souls. Hired 3 coaches, two physios, two scouts, and a new assistant manager. The mix of horrible scouts and nobod willing to join meant I only managed to sign one player. Got a AM RLC for 1K in January, after getting rid of 5 players for 2K.

I soon discovered the team was dissappointingly strong (later had a peak on the real league-table, and they're 2nd). This meant I had a strong enough team to get promoted even though the odds suggested I would be near the bottom. The new-signing played great, and helped us to run away from Arbroath by 17 points.

The cups were a different story. Knocked out 2nd Div Forfar in the Scottish Cup, then drew the mother of moneyshakers in the 3rd in Celtic away. Got raped 10-0, but made about £450,000 in the process.

Scottish 3rd Div: 1st P36 W24 D6 L6 57-20 78pts
Scottish Cup: 3rd Rnd. Celtic (SPL) (A) 0-10
League Cup: 1st Rnd. St. Johnstone (SD1) (H) 1-2
Challenge Suck-Arse Cup: 2nd Rnd. St. Johnstone (SD1) (H) 0-4

Overall a good season, a bit too good really. Especially the Celtic game removed any financial worries. Glad the board didn't provide much transfer-funds though, but we improved the training facilities during the summer.

Before anybody chops my head off... 2nd and 3rd season on the way, just gotta check out the facts and write them first

Pangaea

Season 2006/07

Stenhousemuir - Scottish Second Division

Media, fans and board saw us as relegation battlers, and wanted us to fight that ghost.
To help us achieve this I brought in 6 players, some of them actually pretty decent. DC, MC and another AM R in the summer. And GK, D RC and MC in january for a combined cost of 7K. Got rid of 8 players for 17K. Also brought in a new assman and coach as some left us for bigger clubs.

Was never in real danger of relegation, but never really in the running for play-off spot either. Was 2 points behind at one point, but terrible close-season form left us 7 points behind play-off on 5th. Partick got promoted with 83 points. Airdrie got promoted through play-off.

Out in the same rounds of the cups this year as last year. Nothing to write home about really.

Scottish 2nd Div: 5th P36 W14 D9 L13 56-47 51pts
Scottish Cup: 3rd Rnd. Hibernian (SPL) (H) 1-6
League Cup: 1st Rnd. Aberdeen (SPL) (A) 0-2
Challenge Suck-Arse Cup: 2nd Rnd. Peterhead (SD2) (A) 0-4

Pangaea

Season 2007/08

Stenhousemuir - Scottish Second Division

Board wanted a respectable league position. Fans still only wanted to battle against relegation. After some minor tactic changes and promising friendlies I had hopes of promotion, or at least a play-off spot. Scouts were still utter sh!te, but managed to get in a DR in the summer for 1K. More successful in january and bought AML, DL, GK and young SC for 9K. Gave away 8 players for free. Once again my backromm staff went on a hide and seek tour, and I had to bring in yet a new AssMan, a coach and a physio.

The new tactic did wonders for me, especially in the first half of the season. Struggled more after X-mas, but were never in trouble of losing my play-off spot, and ended on 2nd. Raith completely ran away with the league and won it with 97 points, 19 ahead of us.

Morton was 3rd so we played them in the play-off semis. Had beaten them five times in a row, and had few problems beating them 4-0 on aggregate.
Queen of South was up in the final. I'd never before been in a play-off final, so I was incredibly nervous, and postponed starting the match for quite a while... Star-AM R got us in the lead after 50mins, which calmed me down. Was an even match, but we did create the most chances. With 73mins on the clock our SC hit home another one, and we were 2-0 up. Now all hell was loose, but we came out on top. They got a bit frustrated in the end, and got a guy sent off in the 90th after a right-hook
We were set for 2nd tier football, with a squad way too thin, with way too poor quality. We needed reinforcements, and heaps of them!

This season's cup runs are in a different thread. League and Challenge Cups were short chapters with my reserves, ie juniors. Scottish Cup went quite okay though after some lucky draws and good results. Beat 1st Div Airdrie and non-league Keith on our way to the quarter final. There Gretna beat us 3-2, after we were 2-0 up after 20 mins

Scottish 2nd Div: 2nd P36 W23 D9 L4 76-35 78pts [Beat Queen of Sth in play-off final]
Scottish Cup: Quarter Final. Gretna (SD1) (A) 2-3
League Cup: 1st Rnd. Livingston (SPL) (A) 0-5
Challenge Suck-Arse Cup: 3rd Rnd. Dundee (SD1) (A) 0-4

A good season, but next one will be rough. The start isn't promising and for the first time, I have serious doubts of staying up :thup:

mkus

KUTGW

wewak

Two promotions in three seasons :thup:

KUTGW :thup:

Pangaea

Thanks

Been very fun so far, even though the financial worries went out the window with Celtic away.

Forgot to mention the goal, which obviously is to get to the SPL. If I fail that, bettering the club's best position which is 3rd in 1st Div.

Had hoped for more people to show up though. Not gone up much from 3rd Div to 1st Div. Averaged 800-ish last season. But at least I don't know them all by name

omonoia

KUTGW :thup:

butlerjrt

KUTGW! :thup:

I might have to have a go in Scotland after my challenge effort.

Rabbitman

Have you seen the loch ness monster yet, I suppose not as you seem to have been too buzy with your footballing duties.

Wizzle_O_Sizzle

Well done, Pangaea. KUTGW :thup:

BTW, Rabbitman, Loch Ness is quite a distance from Falkirk: I wouldn't have thought it was on the agenda