East Stirlingshire, From Scottish 3rd Division obscurity to SPL succes (Hopefully)

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Alex Ferguson was today unveiled as the new manager of the Scottish 3rd Division team East Stirlingshire. This would be Mr Ferguson's first attempt at managing. Read below his first interview as a football manager.

Congratulations on your new post Alex. How does it feel to dabble your toe into management for the first time?

"Well I'm very excited about the prospect. I really am looking forward to this."

How do you feel about starting with such a low league team Mr Ferguson?

"Everyone has to start somewhere, right? I was hardly expecting to begin managing Barcelona now was I?!"

East Stirlingshire are a team rather low on talent at the minute. Who would you consider to be the key to the current team?

"I rate Simon Lynch very highly at this level. I am also looking forward to working with Jamie Barclay who is on loan here currently. But aside from these two I will need everyone at the club to put in a great effort if we are to have any success."

Will you be busy in the transfer market this summer Alex?

"Well thats definatly something we will have to look into, but with such a low transfer budget it will be players out of contract I will be looking at."

One last question Mr Ferguson. Have you got your eyes on any players?

"I would very much like to bring Cristian Peruchini to the squad. I really feel that he could bring a certain va va voom going forward."

Well Alex I wish you the best of luck in your career and for the coming season.

"Thankyou very much."

---------- Post added at 04:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:29 AM ----------

This will be my first attempt at a story. I am really sorry if I get bored early on. But il try my best not to And please, dont start slabbering if you have a problem. I will take a few days to catch myself up as i am already into december and have only just decided to make a story. I also have school so it won't be the most active. Any advice and questions would be welcome. Good Night.

 

[_jt_]

So now Il update you on my transfers. And Il show you some screenies of the better transfers.

So I raided the free transfer market with nine signing, most of which i can see aiding my team no end.
First I got Barry Quinn a thirty year Irish old no-nonsense centre back who can also play Defensive Midfielder or occasionally centre mid. Very good for this level of football.

View attachment 32178

My next signing came in the form of Englishman Lewis Hamlin. At only 24 years of age, a useful signing. He specializes in AM R but can easily play AM L and if needed FC. Atm though I play him LM. Not an amazing player so Il skip the screenie.

My next transfer was of Gary Wilkinson who was largely a disappointment, but tbh for free it dosnt really matter. Btw he's a defending midfielder.

I then signed Yaser Kasim, an Iraqi defensive midfielder. DM was a position I was very weak in so Kasim was someone I needed to get.

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I then moved on to get a potential superstar. Cammy Howie who is a 16 year old DM. I firmly beleive he is the star of the future.

Belal Aiteouakrim, a striker. I really regret this signing. Far from good enough for even my squad.

Aurelien Schmitt is a great centre back and a good DM. A great CB partnership with my other signing Quinn. Il not bother with the screen shot but if you want it just ask. Hes a great player.

Ludwig Norbert is a top class right midfielder and AM R for me. I rate him highly. Although not the best of my signings I think hes a great player.

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Now what I would consider to be a marvelous piece of business, Cristian Peruchini, who if you remember I had looked at and mentioned in my first interveiw. Links up beautifully with Simon Lynch when they are played in the right duties. I beleive he is the key to my success. Screenie Below:-

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I also made one new loan acquisition in the young striker Jon McShane. He could score a good few goals once he gets going.

Any Opinions would be great.

 

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I won't bother with all the scores that have been recorded so far, as I'm already into December. I will update each game month. Could I have some replies just to know someone is following. Any suggestions of tactics, players etc. Thanks

 

[Edwardb]

Hello, could i have a screenshot of your Leauge and i'd reccomend signing Buba free transfer - if you get promoted try and get jamie ness on loan from rangers Change your tactics every month teams start to figure them out so just keep it nice and fresh I'll be following

 

[_jt_]

Thanks mate, Screen shot will be here in a few minutes with my december update.

 

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December:

Cristian Peruchini will be out for this month and a small portion of January. It will be interesting to see how we create chances without him.

Albion Rovers. Away. Lost this one 2:1. Dissapointing. I thought we had a decent chance although slight underdogs. It also appears now that Barry Quinn will be out for the next game.

Montrose. Away. Even though we were underdogs here we put up a great fight and managed a stirling 1:4 win. This puts us 5 points ahead of Montrose who are in third just behind us. Turns out we really can perform without Cristian Peruchini.

Livingstone. Home. We go into this game with little chance of walking away with all the points. We are already 11 points behind them. "Super" Simon Lynch got us off to a flyer with a goal on 8 minutes. Dogged defending kept us in the lead until half time. 10 minutes into the 2nd half Schmitt gives away a needless penalty which Livingstone duly put away. I am pleased with the performance but am slightly dissapointed in needlessly giving up a win.

Now after a reserve match it appears that Jamie Steveson (our current replacement for Peruchini) will be out for around a month.

Forfar. Home. The whole club is gearing up for what should be a close encounter in which home advantage gives us the edge. 2 mins before half time loanee McShane gives us the lead. A goalless 2nd half gives the win in a tight encounter.

A decent month, the highlight undoubtedly being our 4:1 win v Montrose who we were expected to lose against. At the end of 2009 we are 11 points off Livingstone at the top of the table, and 5 points ahead of Montrose who are in third. Heres a screenshot of the league table.

View attachment 32218

Hope to hear from you.

 

[Joshh]

this is a good story so far. KIU.

 

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Thanks. 2 updates coming for january, first one for all matches, then one seperate for new transfers.
Any ideas. No money, free transfers and considering promotion is a prospect i would need potential. Need full back prospects, especially right backs. Thanks

 

[Joshh]

Thanks. 2 updates coming for january, first one for all matches, then one seperate for new transfers.
Any ideas. No money, free transfers and considering promotion is a prospect i would need potential. Need full back prospects, especially right backs. Thanks

On one of my old saves which I have now lost :'( I loaned a player from Rangers called Andrew Shinnie.
He's a right midfielder, quite a good player actually.
I was Dunfermline, so he might join you.

 

[_jt_]

Thanks, shall check it out.

 

[Edwardb]

Doing well so far i'm following

 

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Thanks. Two more games in January. Should be up soon. I havnt bothered with the transfer market this time as I beleive we have a strong squad. Although I would hapily take any opinions and ideas. XD

---------- Post added at 06:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:13 PM ----------

January 2010

This year began with great news. Key player Cristian Peruchini has resumed full training and is looking on course for the Berwick match.

Berwick. Away. This should be a tightly contested affair. We are slight favourites but need to put up a good fight. Peruchini will be eased back in during this match, probably only playing half the match. It will be nice to see how he links up with Lynch after this time out. Lynch scored a decent goal from the edge of the area on 17 minutes. Some switching round at half time to bring off the fatigued Norbert and the tired Peruchini. Straight into half time and Berwick have equalised. Yaser Kasim receives his marching orders just before the game is called to a close at 1:1. Not a bad showing but we probably should have won. Had I brought the correct subs things may have been better. One or two players playing out of position for the second half.

After the match we have found out that Simon Lynch has got a twisted ankle and looks to be out for at least 6 weeks. Uh Oh. Looks to be up to young loanee Jon McShane to provide the goals for a while.

Stranraer. Home. We definatly should be winning in this match. I hope to see a good performance from Peruchini to show me he has recovered from the injury last month. Neil Lindsay has a goal ruled out for offside on 23 mins. McShane then scores a minute later. The opposition equalise through dangerman Hopkins soon after. A dreadfully boring second half ends in a draw. We really should have won easily.

This dissapointing result leaves us 11 points behind Livingstone, STILL! and only 1 point ahead of Montrose.

Elgin. Away. This is a game we should be winning easily having won 3 nil earlier in the season. However, early in the first half we concede and go down by 1 goal to 0. And then 2 nil down just before half time. Some serious words are needed in the half time break. A better performance brought us back to draw. In truth we really should have done better.

That draw has seen us moving down into 3rd, one point behind Montrose in 2nd. To be honest I cant see myself catching Livingstone as they are now 13 points ahead of me. Play offs here we come. lol

Anaan. Home. Last time out against Anaan we lost 2:0. This time though I expect much better. We are comfortable favourites for this match and I have high hopes for the scoreline. This will be the first match Cristian Peruchini will play on top condition. Lynch however won't be back until early February. 5 minutes in and McShane scores a screamer from outside the box. Up until half time we were dominated by Anaan and were unable to launch any meaningful attacks, so because of that I changed to a Counter strategy to ensure we dont get caught short at the back. On 51 minutes Anaan have equalised. I then took a risk and swapped to overload in a hope to outnumber their defence and get a goal. McShane broke away 5 minutes from the end but failed dismally in a one on one he really should have buried. 2 minutes into extra time we have claims for a penalty. Which the referee heeds and points to the spot. Lewis Hamlin steps up and... misses Yet another draw for East Stirlingshire. We really need to get out of this rut.

Montrose however lost their match, alowing us to take 2nd place from them on goal difference.

Queens Park. Away. I wasnt sure how this match would go due to our recent form but with every body in good good condition I was sure we had a chance. 1:0 to East Stirlingshire after half an hour thanks to a goal from Andy Rodgers. Queens Park equalised on the 55th minute. A goal from McKenzie puts us back into the lead. He then scores again 10 minutes from the final whistle. The game finishes 2:1 to us. Our only win this month. Hopefully February will be better. Much better.

This month wasn't great but we are still in a good position.
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February.

Albion Rovers. Home. We go into this game as comfortable favourites even though we lost last month. We plan to set the record straight this time round. Rodgers puts us ahead on 25 minutes. Hopefully we can keep this lead, unlike most of last month. Delight follows for Peruchini early in the second half, as he marks his full return from injury with a good goal. Albions Benton is sent for an early bath 5 minutes from the end of the match. Cristian Peruchini got man of the match today.

I am VERY happy to get this month off to a better start than last month. This victory also opened our lead over Montrose to 3 points.

Forfar. Away. Home advantage is all that gives Forfar a slight advantage. I think we should win this one but well see how things pan out. Goal for Forfar on 26 minutes sees us on the backfoot. at this point I turned to a more attacking approach so we have the numbers in attack. It seems to have worked wonders as, just before halftime, Rodgers scores to put us level. Jon McShane has a goal ruled out for offside on the stroke of the hour. That proved to be crucial as we only managed another draw.

Berwick. Home. We go into this match firm favourites but will need to get out of this rut of draws. We need to score and then defend the goal. Or score more. A deflection off Richardson from a Berwick header puts Berwick into the lead. A Berwick own goal puts us on level terms. But they quickly atone for this error and go back into the lead. A Berwick wingers fluked cross flys over an unsuspecting Jamie Barclay in goal. Berwick then go further into the lead with a questionable lack of offside call leading to the goal. 4:1 to Berwick. How dissapointing :'(

Some news on a brighter note now, Simon Lynch is now available for selection although it will take a few games to get back to his full match fitness.

Montrose. Home. We go into this game comfortable favourites but judging by our recent form against lesser opposition the odds are nothing to go by. After only one minute of play Montrose take the lead through a header from a corner. Cristian Peruchini get us back on terms after 53 minutes. Jon McShane hits the post 2 minutes from time. Another draw for East Stirlingshire. Oh No. Im going to have to shake things up abit.

At the end of this month we are left 16 points off the leaders Livingston and are 4 points ahead of Montrose and Anaan who occupie 3rd and 4th places.

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[Jack Fulham]

Is this Alex Ferguson the third ?

 

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Emm, Yea? Whos the second one? The fella emulating Sir Alex? I got the idea of East Stirlingshire from his story but I'm not necessarily trying to follow Ferguson's footsteps. Just seemed an appropriate name to use on a public story. I dont really want to use my real name tbh.

 

[Jack Fulham]

Emm, Yea? Whos the second one? The fella emulating Sir Alex? I got the idea of East Stirlingshire from his story but I'm not necessarily trying to follow Ferguson's footsteps. Just seemed an appropriate name to use on a public story. I dont really want to use my real name tbh.

Yeah I guess so, always nice to give King Eric some friendly competition, good luck with this, I hope you have great success.

 

[_jt_]

Thanks Jack. Good Martinez Story btw. Probly should be saying that on the thread but never mind

 

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March.

My aims for this month are to recover from my recent bad form and record at least 2 wins and a draw with possibly a loss (but hopefully better) against league leaders Livingstone. I will probably experiment with some different tactics against the lesser opposition this month.

Livingstone 3-0 East Stirlingshire.
The Shire go into this match with hope of a draw, if you look back on the last two fixtures vs Livingstone. The media however expects a bad loss. Our recent form has seen some horrible results so this could be a very difficult match.
I am playing this match with a defensive approach, as it seems to have worked vs Livingston before now. On 8 minutes Livingstone take the lead. Then on 10 minutes Davy Winters clears the defence and places the ball past Jamie Barclay. Just minutes later, DM Yaser Kasim receives an injury and is subbed off for G Wilkinson. 73 minutes in Livingston go 3-0 up. An expected loss but a disappointment all the same for East Stirlingshire.

Stranraer 1-1 East Stirlingshire.
The Shire are slight favourites for this match and I will be expecting alot of my players here. Simon Lynch will be playing for at least half the match to try and regain some match fitness.
Half an hour of decent pressure on Stranraer’s defence pays off and some bulldog like closing down on the centrebacks from loanee Jon McShane ends up in a goal. Stranraer equalise with a powerful drive on 39 minutes. Oh Great, ANOTHER DRAW. Im going to shake up the tactics before them next match in the hope of a better result.

East Stirlingshire 0-1 Elgin.
With a whole new formation aimed at retaining a lead, I would like the team to record an overdue win. On 38 minutes Cammie Howie the Defending Midfielder is to be subbed off due to injury. At half time the scores are level. Dissapointingly Elgin score on 67 minutes. So this match ended in defeat. A different formation may be the key, but not this one.

Anaan 1-1 East Stirlingshire.
My expectation of this match is at least a draw. But personally I desire a win. We need to get out of this run of terrible form if we are to keep in a place for the playoffs.
Horrible start to this match, as within 10 minutes we are behind by one goal. Peruchini pulls it back for us to 1 all after 35 minutes. Second half was a boring goalless affair ending in a one all draw. I really need to do something about this.

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March Player of the Month: Cristian Peruchini
Peruchini put in some great performances this month. This has signaled to me that he is truly back from his injury and back to his form and fitness earlier in the year.

 

[_jt_]

Can I ask for opinions on the layout for the March update. Is it clear enough? Is there anything I should include?

---------- Post added at 02:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:06 AM ----------

It dosnt feel like many are following but if you are give me a shout. Until I can rack up some followers I will be updating less and concentrating on progressing the game.

 

[Jack Fulham]

You have only just started it is late at night and not many people are online, the only way you will get followers are if you update regularly for at least a season.