After last seasons fine midtable position, I was hoping to push on and make a play for the playoffs (or at least be closer to the playoffs than relagation) with the bookies even giving me odds of 50-1, though our media prediction was still last.
Though my players quickly quashed any hopes of a play for the playoffs with nearly everyone wanting out: Keeper Galley, Right-Back Balu, Left Back Cardozo, Centre-Backs Diego, Whitbread and Cowling. Right Winger Owen, Midfielders Patterson, Batchelor, Hurrell, Fievet and Strikers Pearson, Mintus and Rankine.
By the end of the season Right-Back Allan, Left-Winger Friar, and Midfielder Gudgeon joined the list of players wanting out.
During the Summer window I didn't receive a single bid for one of the many players who want out or are wanted by someone, though with January approaching I only managed to get Keeper Galley to sign a new contract with Striker Pearson sold to Hibs, Right-Back Balu sold to Millwall and Midfielder Hurrell sold to Partizian, and with no-one willing to offer any money for Caradozo or Fievet they were both poached on free's.
I didn't have a great time bringing in replacements - young Serbian Full-Back Ivan Miladinovic and Czech Striker Petr Kucera were brought in for the future, whilst I loaned a rightback from Leeds, and with most of my strikers injury prone I brought in Striker Whitbread on a free.
I also let various youngsters go out on loan, to get some experience, though my squad is now rather bare so some are going to be thrown in at the deepend.
This season proved to be a mixed bag, we had no consistency, whilst we had the ability on our day to beat anyone in the league if we could be bothered to turn up, the problem was when we didn't turn up we were woeful, having half my team wanting out didn't help the motivation, with the ones not wanting out upset due to a lack of squad harmony.
In the end it was just a case of where midtable we would finish - with seven games left we could neither reach the playoffs nor be relagated, I then gave some of the players who weren't unhappy a chance in the team and in the end we finished a creditable 13th.
Final Table - Rather worrying is the amount of points needed to get out of this league, in any but the last two seasons Forests 97 pts would have been enough for the title.
POS Graph - We just bounced around the midtable positions after a good start.
Snapshot - The cups saw us go out to Premiership sides Arsenal in the Third Round of the Carling Cup after needing an injury time goal to beat Grimsby and a pen in extra-time to beat Notts County.
The FA Cup saw us take Spurs to a replay in the Third Round before some woeful refereing knocked us out - this challenge from Corluka is not even worth a yellow card, but a similar challenge from my defender Diego is worthy of a red card - if anything my chance was more of a clear goalscoring chance than theirs and both should have been red cards :(
Squad - whats left of it.
In Goal Mark Galley had a solid season and his new contract see's him become my top earner.
In Defence Richard Allan was given the rightback spot after Balu left, though of course he now wants to leave, on the left is Jack Ferdinand who is about my only happy player now that he no longer dislikes half my team. Providing cover was young Serbian Ivan Miladinovic, he's not ready for first team football but I don't have anyone else.
In the centre of defence Diego and Mal Thompson are first choice, with Steve Cowling given a chance to impress at the end of the season as Diego wants out, but now Cowling wants out aswell.
In midfield Jamie Cole stepped in for the injured and want away David Owen, and he had a good season until Sunderland wanted him back and upset him. David Owen had a quiet season apart from demanding a transfer, but with no interest he has decided to stay (we'll see how long it is before he wants out again).
The Left wing is the one position apart from goal that I seem fine in Gonzalo Alonso had another fine season as did his understudy Andy Marshall and rather shockingly they are both happy at the club.
The centre of midfield is another matter, Steve Patterson was in fine form, but demanded a move at the end of the season, which saw youngster Ben Wharton given a chance. Partnering them was Harry Gudgeon who stepped in for Keith Hurrell who defected to Serbia in January.
Upfront Captain Sendoa was my top scorer for a record fourth time, with the loss of Pearson in January the striker spot was up for grabs with Matty Rankine and Lewis Mintus the least injury prone of the rest, though it will be no surprise to learn that they both want out aswell.
Best XI and Overall XI - Overall is starting to look better now after a few seasons in the Championship (looks like games in higher leagues are given a lot more weight than the league below, so it'll break again if we ever make it to the Premiership) - with the sale of Pedro and Patterson at the end of the season the odds are rather high that Sendoa will have more appearances than the rest of the team put together soon.
Profile - minor changes, whilst I take it manager knowledge no longer exists apart from your nationality?
Club Info - Not sure what David Owen did last season to get on the favoured panel, whilst our repuation is still Regional but shockingly is better than Leyton Orient's as next season we are no longer expected to finish rockbottom.
Club Facts - our average age actually went up for the first time in ages, whilst we are still outmatched wageswise but not as bad.
Club Stats - we rearly need to cut out some of those mistakes.
Club Facilities - most of my transfer profits have been put towards improving our Facilities, we now have Top Training Facilities (not 20/20 yet as they are being improved again) and Excellent Youth Facilities - which at the end of the season produced my first potential youngsters since the first couple of seasons - a 7star Keeper and a Championship Potential Left Winger, its a shame they are in positions I don't need, hopefully they are the start of a production line as I could do with some squad depth.
So the plan for next season is to see how many players I have left who want to play for me, and then hopefully make a play for the playoffs.
Career Overview
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| 2009/10 | Blue Square North | 1st | Promoted - Champions |
| 2010/11 | Blue Square Prem | 5th | Playoff Final |
| 2011/12 | Blue Square Prem | 1st | Promoted - Champions |
| 2012/13 | League Two | 2nd | Promoted |
| 2013/14 | League One | 24th | Relegated |
| 2014/15 | League Two | 6th | |
| 2015/16 | League Two | 4th | 2016/17 | League Two | 1st | Promoted - Champions | 2017/18 | League One | 3rd | Promoted - Playoffs | 2018/19 | Championship | 21st | 2019/20 | Championship | 21st | 2020/21 | Championship | 14th | 2021/22 | Championship | 13th |
