It's 30 years since football changed forever with the foundation of the all-conquering Premier League and now thanks to the database created by MadScientist for Football Manager 2022, we're about to immerse ourselves in the magic and madness of the 1992-93 English football season.
I'm starting the save off as I would normally, in charge of my beloved Grimsby Town. Instead of the likes of Shaun Pearson, Harry Clifton and John McAtee at my disposal, I now possess the late, great Paul Futcher, our very own Captain Marvel Paul Groves and potent goal threat 'Super' Clive Mendonca in my arsenal. After two successive promotions in 1990 and 1991 before a lower mid-table finish in 1992, Town find themselves just a division below the Sky Sports funded gravy train. Promotion isn't my overall goal for the first season of the save however, I'd be more than happy to emulate Town's real life top half finish achieved at the end of 92-93.
(There are a couple of slight caveats to the save that are beyond my control and that of the database's developer. Modern innovations such as transfer windows and squad numbers are included and I have tried to replicate the numbers for the relevant players as much as possible. Derby County also start this season with the same twelve point deduction that they did in the 2021-22 season.)
Pre-Season & Transfers
Our pre-season preparations are relatively modest by usual standards, we get underway with a relatively routine 4-0 win over neighbouring non-league outfit Barton Town before hammering another non-league side, Enfield Town, by a comprehensive 5-1 scoreline. Despite looking comfortable for 60 minutes against Partick Thistle of the Scottish Premier Division, we let a 2-0 lead slip to end our final pre-season run out level at 2-2.
In terms of transfer activity, we're in the precarious position of having both one of the smallest budgets in the division as well as a skeleton squad meaning reinforcements have to be cost-effective. The first new face to shuffle through the Blundell Park door is Luton Town's young midfielder Scott Oakes who arrives on a season-long loan from Kenilworth Road. With just three recognised first-team strikers and only a 17-year-old Jack Lester in reserve, a new striker becomes imperative. After a bid for Partick's George Shaw (who scored both goals to help them come back from 2-0 down against us) is rebuffed, I'm able to bring in Ken Charlery fresh from scoring the winning goal for Peterborough in the previous season's Third Division play-off final. The main outgoing is veteran midfielder Tony Ford who departs for Millwall and he is joined in the capital by youngster Chris Hargreaves who joins Fulham on loan.
The serious business gets underway as we welcome last season's beaten play-off semi-finalists Cambridge United to Blundell Park. On a day where it could really have gone either way as both sides created plenty of chances with the visitors eventually getting the three points. I'm never really fussed about the result of the first day of the season, league titles have never been won or lost on the opening day and I'm more than happy with the performance especially as the players seem to be buying into my philosophy of playing simple and attacking passing football in the classic 4-4-2 formation.
After the opening day setback, we're thrust into Coca-Cola Cup action against recently relegated Burnley and thankfully we progress into the second round thanks to Jim Dobbin's thunderous effort from just outside the area on the stroke of half-time. Without adding any more to the score, we never really look in any danger although goalkeeper Rhys Wilmot is named man of the match thanks to making a couple of saves and keeping the score level when Burnley are presented with their best chance to level affairs when they are awarded a late penalty. Our reward for the victory is a second round trip to Premier League outfit Sheffield United.
Four days after our cup exploits, we make the long trip to Ashton Gate as guests of Bristol City. In one of the most bizarre games I have ever seen in the almost 20 years I have been playing manager games. Despite having more shots on goal and more on target than the home side, we're handed a heavy 6-2 defeat. I feel I have to carry the can for this defeat for putting an ageing Paul Futcher to mark a young, electric Andy Cole and this comes to bite me on the behind as Cole nets a hat-trick. Our goals come in the shape of a first half Clive Mendonca penalty to level the scores at 1-1 and Scott Oakes scoring in the opening exchanges of the second half to reduce our arrears at the time to 3-2
On the Saturday after the Bristol City defeat, we welcome the division's bottom club (due to their points deduction), Derby County to Blundell Park. The visitors put in a display that proves that their league position is nothing more than a matter of circumstance as they sweep us aside 4-0 on a day when nothing seems to go right for us and everything goes right for them. The only crumb of comfort comes in the neat interplay between Mendonca and debutant Ken Charlery towards the latter stages of the game.
The final game of this instalment saw us make the relatively short trip down the M18 to Sheffield as we line up against United at Bramall Lane in our Coca-Cola Cup second round clash, having shipped ten goals in our previous two outings and mustering only two in reply I'd be lying if I said I didn't fear the worst. Thankfully, my fears are unfounded as we turn out our best performance of the season despite going down 3-1. In a first half where chances were few and far between as we find ourselves bravely defending waves of Blades attacks, we make one of our limited opportunities count when Charlery nets his first goal in Mariners colours when he stabs the ball home following a bit of a goalmouth scramble. Our resolve lasts until first half stoppage time when Dane Whitehouse (who had been giving John McDermott a torrid evening) levels for the home side. Alan Cork nudges Sheff Utd in front early in the second half and our brave resistance comes to an end in the dying embers of the game when Mark Lever is sent off and Ian Bryson hammers home the resultant free-kick to send us tumbling out of the cup.
The end of this instalment sees us occupy 23rd place in the league, without a win and only off the bottom due to Derby's points deduction. It's a marathon not a sprint however so it's onwards and upwards to part two which will be coming soon.
See you in the next one and Up The Mariners!
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