A Football Manager 2016 Story where I try to take Shamrock Rovers, a team that has enjoyed the high life in Ireland, to European glory.
Shamrock Rovers are a well established club in Ireland, if not THE club in Ireland. Founded in Ringsend, Ireland in 1901 the club has since moved to Tallight Stadium in Dublin. The Hoops have won a record number of 17 Irish Premier Division titles, 24 Irish Senior Challenge Cups, and 2 Irish League Cups. Sadly, Rovers have not lifted any silverware since 2013.
Liam O'Farrell - Our Fearless Leader
I, Liam O'Farrell was born in Dublin, Ireland on May 31, 1979. I started my playing career with Shamrock Rovers when I was just 15 and stayed with my boyhood club until I retired at the age of 34. After seeing a job opening with Hoops I put in my application and I believe that I am the man who is going to take my beloved Hoops to European glory.
Goals For Hoops
- Within the first two seasons, win either the Irish Premier League, or the Irish League Cups.
- Because we qualified for the Euro Cup last season, my goal for this season is to make the group stages and with luck, make it out of the group.
- Develop young Irish talent. Rovers are known for developing and sending the most Irish players to play for the Irish national team.
The Squad
I probably won't be looking to bring in any players during this first transfer window. My main focus will be to strengthen the backroom staff due to lack of staff members and a lack of transfer and wage budget. As you can see we have depth in the areas where I feel it is most important and we also have an Under 19's team that is overall pretty good.
Barry Murphy will most likely start every game between the sticks for Rovers this season (praying that he stays healthy). Simon Madden is a player that I am excited to see, his potential looks worldly and his work ethic is incredible. With solid passing and crossing attributes I am expecting him to supply lots of goals from the wing. Luke Byrne is a player that is very similar to Simon Madden and I expect just the same from him that I expect from Simon.
Our midfield looks strong, with lots of depth there I don't believe that we will encounter any problems in the heart of the pitch. Killian Brennan is the player I will keep my eye on, because he is able to play multiple roles he will be a major player throughout the season.
Our two men on the wings, Gavin Brennan and Brandon Miele will be the perfect players to cut in and support Danny North with the attacking style that I want them to play. I am expecting lots of goals from Brandon Miele, he has the attributes to be the best player in this clubs history. I don't want to put too much pressure on him.
Danny North and Mikey Brennan will be our men up top. They are both very similar players and they will definitely be competing to see who gets the starting job. Just scoring goals won't be enough for me, I want to see them occasionally assist give 100% in training and 110% on matchdays. Overall I want my strikers to be team players and never put themselves first.
Tactics
I want to make sure we hold possession in our games, but I also believe focusing on the defensive aspect of the game is key as well. I put our Right and Left Backs on the Wing Back role because when we do push up and attack, I like for them to be there to provide some cover and whip in a few crosses. An Advanced Playmaker like Gary McCabe will be there to feed balls in to our Inside Forwards and Advanced Forward (normally I like using a Complete Forward but we lack a striker that is capable of playing that role). I like the roles of Ball Winning Midfielder (Defend) and Deep Lying Playmaker (Support) to be holding back a little just in case the Wing Backs do decide to push up we won't get caught in a fast counter situation. Inside Forwards are my favorite roles for Attacking Midfielders to play because I like the pressure that they put on defenses by being able to cut in and pepper shots on goal, also because the Wing Backs can slip in to where they would be and put in a few crosses that can supply them with goals. The Advanced Forward is a good role, I want my striker to always be on the heel of the last centre back and trying to find lanes to slip in to and put the ball into the back of the net.
I like a slow paced game, I want my players to take their time and make sure that the decisions they are making are the right ones. The centre backs are told to play the ball out starting with them, I also want them to close down much more. Sure they draw fouls, but I am confident in them to make the right calls. Also, a high defensive line is necessary because I believe they can catch opposing strikers offside, without accidentally pushing up too high and letting the enemy forwards slip past them with a high overhead through ball.
Stay tuned for next week where I play my first league games in charge of Shamrock Rovers. Will I have The Luck of the Irish? Or will I crumble and fail to take my beloved Hoops to glory?
All comments and input are appreciated!
