[FM24] [EN] LLM - The Oldest Club in the World - A Carlos Dolbeth Adventure

[Burkina2008]

March 22nd, 2024 - So close I can taste it!

 

There was now more time between games, and it seemed that the reinforcements brought during the small winter break were a complete success. Sheffield had nevertheless only 4 points over the second place Liverstone and it was clear at this point that the objective was the first place which was the only one to give direct promotion. That meant that the game away to Liverstone was a almost a title decider. Sheffield entered strong, even better than in the first round and went to the break with a 0-1 advantage…but as the second goal was not falling, Hodgkinson saw a red card and the visitors saw themselves playing with one less player. The true color of a champion team came at this point when the visitors rallied and made the 0-2 to put 7 points difference on the top of the table. The following game was a clear and expected victory in the Home of Football and for the first time this season, Carlos Dolbeth, during the press conference confirmed what everyone was already expecting “We are candidates, and we will win the title and that I am sure!”

From day one, Carlos Dolbeth became not only a fan favorite but also a local media favorite. His style of always being open to talk to the press and call it like he saw it was a breath of fresh air and this also contributed to the healthy atmosphere at the club. February ended with 4 points gathered in 2 games where Sheffield had to play without the two starting central midfielders (one due to injury and the other suspended). That made for two rather pitiful displays which did not affect negatively the table position, in fact adding another 2 points advantage to Liversedge who was now 9 points away! On the field everything was going well, but Carlos had some concerns which he was quite vocal about. Namely why was the food so bad in England and “…what the hell is this stuff that people eat during the games? Where is my bifana and beer?”

Food aside, the run continued for Sheffield F.C. in the away game against Bridlington Town where the 0-4 result was better than the exhibition which confirmed mathematically that at least the playoffs were secure. The next couple of games were at home and with Hodgkinson already available against a weak team of Winterton Rangers and during a fan day with a lot of goals and another 3 points Sheffield F.C. continued on a roll. Unfortunately, the run of 14 games without a loss could not last forever and despite a good performance at weekday 32 against mid-table Hebburn City finally an unfair loss. This left the club on the verge of the title. There are only 6 games left and the distance to now second placed North Ferry is 12 points, so the expectation is that within the next 3 games the first place is secured…but you never know in football!

 

 

Cronica Leonina!

Isto não cabe na cabeça de um tinhoso…vencem o Porto em casa para depois irem perder com o Braga. Eu tinha dito que a concentração era na taca, mas já nem isso vamos lá. Só mesmo na Europa e até foi a rasca em penalties com a Lazio, ou o Lazio. Agora veem os camones do West Ham, eu vou ver já que aqui estou mais ou menos perto. Valha-nos isso já que o campeonato, estamos reduzidos a uma luta pelo terceiro lugar com o Braga. A venda do Israel? Nem estava cá a fazer nada!

 

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[Banks29]

Diria que dificilmente a subida direta foge mas nunca se sabe nestes campeonatos, o importante é vencer os dois próximos jogos e ai sim arrumar a questão de vez. 

[Burkina2008]

Citação de Banks29, há 8 horas:

Diria que dificilmente a subida direta foge mas nunca se sabe nestes campeonatos, o importante é vencer os dois próximos jogos e ai sim arrumar a questão de vez. 

Pois mas ja vais ver...

[Burkina2008]

April 27th, 2024 - Champion without wins...

 

7 points in the next 6 games would be enough to secure the title and the automatic promotion that escaped Sheffield F.C. for many years. But it was not as easy as expected. The last 6 games were mostly against teams of the top 6 of the table and on top of that some of the most influential players had a bit of a clash due to the lack of left backs in the squad with coach Dolbeth. All of that ended up in a lackluster performance away at Belper Town which saw the team lose two games in a row for the first time this season. A left back was bought short notice, and the squad was not showing disgruntlement in the following game home against second placed North Ferriby, so a different result was expected. It was in fact better and Sheffield went to half-time winning 2-0, but a dreadful second 45 minutes ended up in a fair draw.

It was by far the worse period of Sheffield F.C. all season. 3 games without a win. That said it was still an 8-point advantage with 12 points to go but you could see that the smile on Carlos Dolbeth face was a bit more nervous than at other portions of the season. The following fixture was again a though one, Consett playing home were in the 5^th place and needing the points to secure the playoff. And yet again a poor exhibition especially in the second half, ended up in another loss and a forth game without a win…but also the two other teams with a slim chance of achieving the title last their games, so despite the poor form, a win or even a draw against Pontefract Colleries, curiously the first team that defeated Sheffield F.C. this year, would be enough to secure the title. This time Sheffield F.C. played much better and were by far the best team…still only a draw in the end.

1 point in the next 2 games was enough now to secure the title. The first chance to put an end to the bad stretch of results and lift the team was against 14^th placed Stocksbrige Park Steels, a team with nothing to win or lose anymore. Again it was much harder than anyone was expecting, the home team scored earlier and the first half was very even, when Sheffield F.C. woke up in the second half of the game but Dawson managed to miss a penalty and it was only in the 89th minute that Mintus managed to score to draw and finally after a bunch of unsuccessful games lift the championship! It was a party in Sheffield, for once it was not United or Wednesday to celebrate and Carlos Dolbeth got drunk on good Portuguese red wine! The last game of the season was a home celebration where a lot of reserve players had a chance to get some minutes and receive the league medals. The result should not have been important but another defeat giving Sheffield F.C. the title for just a single point with a horrible finish…

 

 

Cronica Leonina!

Nesta altura já dissemos adeus ao campeonato e com 4 jornadas para o fim e no 4º lugar acabamos por ter uma época lamentável, absolutamente lamentável! Por alguma intervenção divina e por mais estranho que pareça a Europa pode salvar isto tudo. Tínhamos passado a Lazio (que são uns fascistas) depois com o West Ham perdemos fora e pensava que tavamos feitos, mas não em casa o tanque sueco marcou dois e viramos a eliminatória. Agora falta a meia-final com aqueles alemães da bebida que da asas…passando esses, há Liverpool ou Roma. Quem sabe, já vi coisas mais estranhas no Entroncamento!

 

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[cadete]

Que é que se passou? Vá lá que veio o título.

[Burkina2008]

Citação de cadete, Em 06/03/2025 at 00:45:

Que é que se passou? Vá lá que veio o título.

Um bocado de azar e um mix de azelhice...que nos ia f*dendo no final. Mas como disseste...pelo menos o titulo!

[Burkina2008]

June 23rd, 2024 - Awards and changes

 

Sheffield F.C. got the automatic promotion but Liversedge did deservingly get the second spot after beating two teams in the playoffs. It was an interesting season also on the individual point of view league wise, as the player with most Players of the Match Awards was from a team that finished 15^th place in the league and Sheffield although winners had little placement of players on individual level. That said, Luke Billam ended up winning the Player of the Season award while the top average rating of the champions was from David Dowson, who only started in 15 matches and scored his 22 goals mostly coming from the bench and getting a close to one game per 90 minutes on the field. Quite an achievement for a 35-year-old stricker.

Carlos Dolbeth also won a couple of monthly awards as well as Manager of the season but on the individual level it was really the attack that made the title a reality, Dowson and Mintus on the front and Luke Billam on the right side were crucial. Already preparing a new season, Carlos Dolbeth signed a new 1-year deal which included the promise to expand the capacity of the stadium to 1850 seated spots and an increase of 60% in the wage budget for next season. Prior to going to the beach in Portugal for a well-deserved, although short vacation, interviewed by the local paper while waiting for an Uber, Carlos left the following message to the supporters “Yes, look, there are around 10-12 players who were informed that we would not need them for next season…it’s not personal, but we need reinforcements to be competitive in the next season, especially in defense and midfield. I wish them all good luck, but their future is not here!”

Some new faces started showing up the clubhouse including the first ever money transfer from the club in many years. Terell Pennant was did cost less than 3000 pounds but at 21 years old and coming out of Leicester youth academy, a lot was expected in the way of goals. Among others Kamga was also someone that will occupy a problematic position in the past season, defender left as well Joe Dixon was also up for the attack. On the first day of the new season, it was visible that the team was not fully sorted out, there were players that had only one week left on their contracts and maybe the most surprising thing, Dewain Sewell who partnered up well in the second part of the last season with Mintus up front was put in the transfer list…

 

Cronica Leonina!

Estava tudo a correr tao bem na Europa…estava, até tínhamos vencidos os alemães do leste em casa com um golo do puto moçambicano…mas não, la no Leipzig tínhamos de perder. Se tivesse sido isso, mas a época a nível nacional foi de lembrar tempos em que não ganhávamos nada! Quarto lugar? Isto não pode ser admissível para uma equipa como o Sporting! Mas não há quem meta a mão nisto! Epá vão buscar alguém que perceba de futebol! Estou farto!

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[cadete]

Vamos Pennant, nome de jogador. Parabéns pelo título, muito equilibrado mesmo no topo. Aproveita bem o aumento da capacidade do estádio.

[LUIZ CESAR]

Voltando a acompanhar!

boa sorte!

[Burkina2008]

Citação de cadete, Em 08/03/2025 at 10:43:

Vamos Pennant, nome de jogador. Parabéns pelo título, muito equilibrado mesmo no topo. Aproveita bem o aumento da capacidade do estádio.

Sim mais 150 lugares...

Citação de LUIZ CESAR, há 9 horas:

Voltando a acompanhar!

boa sorte!

Thanks

[Burkina2008]

August 9th, 2024 - Awards and changes 2

 

After a good few weeks going to the beach and reading “Record” every day from top to bottom, Carlos was not looking forward to being back in England…the reason being that in the 2024 Euro Portugal lost in the round of 16^th against the winners…England. It was therefore understood that some mocking would be carried out by both the Sheffield F.C. supporters as well as some of the players. At the end it was mostly cheerful and only a large English flag on the manager’s office made for a good laugh. That said, not everyone at the club was happy. Around 12 players left as their contracts ran out, but Dewain Sewell had another year on his deal and was relegated to the U18 squad. Both him and his agent were not happy, but it was understood that with another 4 stickers on the squad, one had to go.

 

In the meantime, no less than 7 new players joined the squad, put together with another 4 new faces hired during the holiday break, that meant that half of the team was new. Also, the coaching staff had some changes with Carlos Dolbeth feeling the need to bring someone from Portugal to be the assistant manager. Using his contacts at Sporting, Carlos Dolbeth managed to convince the U-19 assistant manager to come to England, also using some of the new budget generated by the climbing of a step in the English Pyramid. One thing that was quite different this time was the quality of the opponents in the pre-season. Excluding Atherton Collieries, all other teams were from divisions above what Sheffield F.C. is used to face.

This naturally meant that all around wins were not expected, still it gave the chance to create some chemistry in the squad and get an idea of the starting eleven. While last year there was some inconsistency on both midfield as well as on the defensive side, players like Snowdon from the Leeds United Academy or Kershaw from the Stoke City Academy, looked to be what the team needed, still in an interview close to the start of the first official game of the season, Dolbeth was clear that “Yes, I am happy, but now on the wings I see the team less balance…in both defense and offense. I am confident in a good season, but anything can happen”. Finally, the summer telenovela was over, and Dewain Sewell was sold for a whooping 25,000 Euros. Amazing fee for a club of Sheffield stature and for a player which was not even part of Dolbeth’s plans.

 

 

Cronica Leonina!

Mas isto será para sermos competitivos ou levarmos na boca outra vez? Não despediram o Amorim porquê? E estas contratações? Nem um gajo que eu conheca…tudo a preços de saldo…mas ninguém mete a mão nisto. Mais uma época para ficar em quarto? Dos três grandes fomos os que compramos menos depois de uma época como a que se viu. E os resultados já ai estão. Na liga Europa tivemos para ser eliminados por uma equipa que deve ser da Chechénia. Enfim agora na segunda ronda apanhamos outros miseráveis e a coisa parece estar encaminhada…

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[cadete]

Epah, foste contratar um Snowdon? Vamos lá ao próximo escalão da pirâmide. 

[Burkina2008]

Citação de cadete, Em 10/03/2025 at 00:26:

Epah, foste contratar um Snowdon? Vamos lá ao próximo escalão da pirâmide. 

Foi mas este nao vai bufar informacao!

[Burkina2008]

September 27th, 2024 - Increased difficulty

 

It was not the first time in their history that Sheffield F.C. was in the 7^th tier but it was long ago and most of the supporters would not even be able to say when. In this level you could already recognize some teams like Farsley Celtic, Redcliffe, Marine or Guiseley and once again only one team would go into direct promotion and 4 others into a playoff for a second spot. According to Dolbeth, the objectives of Sheffield were to get to the Top 10 of the table. Sounded like a complicated target but with so many faces it could be possible. The first game of the season was away at Worksop and the team fielded no less than 7 new faces in the starting 11, with a complete overhaul of the defensive sector, but it did not start well and nine minutes in, Sheffield was down 1-0. The team reacted with one of the players retaining their spot from last season scoring (Mintus) as well as the other stricker Pennant, making an unfair halftime scoreline of 2-2. The second 45 minutes were much tighter but Dolbeth’s boys scored one single goal to make it the first 3 points of the season.

 

The first home game was exactly what the fans wanted, a total domination from beginning to the end and a lot of goals on 5-2 galore with Mintus scoring a hattrick, so it was very surprising how in weekday 3, we got a trashing away at Gainsborough. Truth be told, Sheffield was the better team, but still it was a 0-3 loss. Carlos was not happy and knowing that Cup season was starting in the next game, didn’t please him either…so it was as expected a second-choice squad that played this first FA Qualifying round and manage to win against a rather lackluster Sutton Coldfield Town. The following game for the league was not the best for a rebound from the first loss of the season, Radcliffe was touted to be the best team in the league and so far, had won all 3 games, without conceding a single goal. Well, they definitely did not keep a clean sheet on this one but although a very even game, Sheffield did not manage to win against this organized side.

 

It was not perfect, especially in defense and that is why probably despite hating team changes after the start of the season, Dolbeth went into the market to find Luke Hewitson on loan from Barrow. Three days later the new goalkeeper already started in a very good second qualifying round of the FA Cup which saw Sheffield F.C. defeating Stafford Rangers by a clear 3-0 and achieving the minimum desired by the board to this competition. Now this was a time in the season where games were one after the other and just 3 days later, there was a game away at Leek Town, a team playing very well at the start of the season and once again defense was terrible to the point of Dolbeth throwing a chair at one of the players…3^rd defeat in a row! The following game against Farsley Celtic was almost a carbon copy and another defeat (although playing with a rotation squad) and only finally against Basford United away did the team see a win, 1-6 and a position in the mid of the table after weekday 7.

 

 

Cronica Leonina!

Surpreendido pela positiva…especialmente depois daquela pré-época e de não termos ido buscar nenhum jogador que se apresente, pensava que estava mais uma vez o caldo entornado. Mas não, entramos no campeonato a vencer, fomos empatar ao Dragão, vencemos o Braga e na Europa mesmo cagado la vencemos mais uma equipa do Turquestão e vamos para a fase de liga onde temos um sorteio com alguns marrecos de Gibraltar e das Bósnias da vida. Sera que aquele presidente com cara de apito fez algum vudu na equipa?

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[cadete]

Melhorias no Sporting. No Sheffield, entrada normal numa liga equilibrada e muito campeonato pela frente.

[Burkina2008]

Citação de cadete, Em 11/03/2025 at 12:53:

Melhorias no Sporting. No Sheffield, entrada normal numa liga equilibrada e muito campeonato pela frente.

Sim vamos aprendendo

[Burkina2008]

November 18th, 2024 - A league as priority

 

After finally breaking the poor form with a win against Basford United, 3 days later Sheffield F.C. played the 3^rd qualifying FA Cup round against Vanarama league team of Blyth Spartans. Dolbeth’s boys had already done enough in this FA Cup, and it was unlikely that they would pass Blyth and given the number of games in a row, a more rotate team was fielded. It ended up being a good display in the first half but after the break Blyth a superior team managed to get the result to go through. After a good 7-day break it was back to the Cups with the FA Trophy home against Matlock Town and there will a refreshed team, Sheffield F.C. probably made the best game of the season so far winning 5-1. Four league games against theoretically (and judging by the table) easy opponents followed and the expectation was that our boys could make at least 9 points.

 

First against Bamber Bridge in the Home of Football finally a clean sheet and a good performance making a relatively easy “3-0” win. Again, home against Ilkeston Town, a team struggling in relegation spots, Sheffield F.C. managed to dominate again the game but the 2-1 ended up being a bit short for the number of shots (26, 11 on target). The trip to Lancaster to play against the 15^th placed City, happened after a rare one-week interval (which was really appreciated) and yet again showing that the first month was a bit of a rough patch, the boys managed to grab the three points. This part of the season was game-packed and 3 days later Sheffield played the last league game before another cup match. At home against Whitby Town was an even better game with a stunning and rather fair 5-0 victory with Mintus scoring a hattrick and climbing to the top of the goal scorer’s table.

 

The last game of October was another FA Trophy round against another theoretically beatable team but where Dolbeth fielded again a rotated squad. Sheffield was down 3-0 after 10 minutes and you could see that Dolbeth was not unhappy to leave the cup behind…but not that way! With some changes the game ended up in a 4-3 defeat. There was still one cup left but prior to those two further wins in the league, totaling now 7 straight and putting Sheffield F.C. 3^rd in the league…but not everyone was fully satisfied. The supporters were still a bit sore due to some fan favorites that left the team at the end of last season and from the board came the message that Dolbeth could not always field weaker teams in the cups. With that in mind and taking the opportunity to show their new jerseys, Sheffield did go with the strongest eleven on the first round of the Northern Premier League Challenge Cup against Grimsby Borough which resulted in an easy win.

 

 

Cronica Leonina!

Eu não quero lançar já foguetes porque já se sabe que o Natal acaba sempre por ser complicado em Alvalade, mas continuamos em primeiro na liga! Sim eliminados da taca, que ninguém quer saber e depois com os lampiões fomos roubados e perdemos, mas mesmo assim vamos em primeiro e ainda demos 4 batatas no Boavista. Até na Europa ficamos em primeiro na Taca da Conferencia! Mas vamos ver…Janeiro sempre complicado, ainda por cima com dois jogos com o Pinto da Costa!

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[cadete]

Liga como prioridade sem dúvida. Mesmo assim, veremos o que traz essa challenge cup. Sporting acordou mesmo.

[Banks29]

É para lutar pela liga até ao final, nem pensaria duas vezes. 

[Burkina2008]

Citação de cadete, Em 14/03/2025 at 00:27:

Liga como prioridade sem dúvida. Mesmo assim, veremos o que traz essa challenge cup. Sporting acordou mesmo.

Sao tacas que nao interessam na realidade

Citação de Banks29, Em 14/03/2025 at 08:09:

É para lutar pela liga até ao final, nem pensaria duas vezes. 

Deus te oica

[LUIZ CESAR]

Vamos ver se consegue brigar pela liga e melhor ainda, ser campeão. Boa sorte na sequência.

[Burkina2008]

Citação de LUIZ CESAR, há 41 minutos:

Vamos ver se consegue brigar pela liga e melhor ainda, ser campeão. Boa sorte na sequência.

Thanks

[Burkina2008]

December 30th, 2024 - Firm Top 5

 

On a complete high with 7 straight wins and climbing the table, the uncensored was that all these 7 adversaries had been mid to low table teams and the challenge on weekday 14, promised to be different. Marine was fighting for a spot on the playoffs and playing at home they had a bit of an edge. The game was a disaster defensively as despite same number of shots and even xG, the game finished with a 4-1 defeat…the run was over. Hopefully it would be just a one-off as next game at home was a fan’s day sponsored by same company on the new Sheffield F.C. shirts: Strongbow an English cider with more than 60 years of existence. Asking for a comment, Dolbeth said “I prefer wine…but I am getting used to this thing, its sweet and fresh. I mean, we should pack the stadium, with 5-pound ticket, you get two ciders, what more can you ask for?”. The game itself was rather dull and despite being the better team, Sheffield had a hard time in front of goal, leading to a new defeat…at least some of the supporters were happy with the free alcohol.

The boys returned to the wins in the local cup with a solid win away at Ossett United and to the league at home Sheffield managed to pile on the disgrace of the last place Warrington Rylands in an unconvincing fashion. At this time, it was already clear that Dolbeth was looking into bringing a few new boys into the team, given the discontent of some of the less used players, including Kieran Kennedy who was loaned out and Hodgkinson who expressed the desire to leave the team. It was also around this time that there were some rumors later confirmed by the manager that Stratford Town want him to manage their team. His response “Not a chance!”. The league was entering the final stages of the first round and until the end of December there were still 5 games to be played. The first one home resulted in a decent 2-0 win over Nantwich Town…

December and the cold weather were something that Carlos Dolbeth hated even more than the English food and it would now be a bunch of games in snow and dirty fields with the risk of injuries and strange results. Still against Morpeth Town a win 2-1 does not tell how superior Sheffield was and at Matlock Town even resting some players from the starting XI, Sheffield managed to grab another comfortable win. At the start of the boxing day the team was only 2 points behind the leaders but this was always going to be a strange part of the season and after a lucky win against away against one of the title contenders, Sheffield faced the other side of the coin at home against Guiseley, one expulsion and two disallowed goals was too much to avoid a loss in the last game of 2024, still keeping the team in the top 5, 3 points away from the top.

 

Cronica Leonina!

Não sei se andam a drogar os jogadores, já que aquele Varandas com o consultório de medicina pode andar a fazer isso, mas o que não deixa de ser verdade, a equipa parece transfigurada desde o ano passado. Até vamos em primeiro. Chegamos a Novembro sem derrotas. Verdade que nestes últimos jogos também foram só adversários que não têm onde cair mortos, especialmente aqueles clubes na Europa. Mas não deixa de ser extraordinário…vamos ver se passamos o Natal!

 

Obrigado a quem segue e sobretudo a quem comenta! 

[cadete]

Tirando a derrota contra o Workington, que apanhou-me de surpresa ainda para mais em casa, mas de resto, tudo dentro do esperado, na luta pela subida. Já o Sporting, não pode perder contra o Benfica...

[Burkina2008]

Citação de cadete, Em 16/03/2025 at 02:44:

Tirando a derrota contra o Workington, que apanhou-me de surpresa ainda para mais em casa, mas de resto, tudo dentro do esperado, na luta pela subida. Já o Sporting, não pode perder contra o Benfica...

Sim na luta mas essa derrota foi damaging...