FM 2008: The Rise of the MK Dons! *PRE-SEASON OVER! Macclesfield 1st up in League 2*

[OrderDX]

MK DONS - THE NEW ERA

Saturday 7th July 2007

It has been announced that Paul Ince has parted company with the MK Dons sighting a job of a higher regard and the MK Dons have turned to a rookie named Luke Gardener to help the Dons achieve success. After a meeting with the chairman a set of objectives was reached including gaining promotion out of League 2 and getting to grips with life in League 1 by the end of a three year plan. Luke Gardener is said to be very excited about his first job in management and is relishing working with the group of talented players he has available to him.

I was then handed my contract and given a breakdown of basically my job at the club. I signed on the dotted line and i was officially on the managerial ladder. I couldn't wait to get started as i had said that i would aim to win the league and had been given my transfer budget and wage budget because of what i had said.

It was now time to get to know the team and see the areas i would need to strengthen to be as strong as i could but i had plenty of time to do this in as my first pre-season match was a week away and i had over a month until my first League 2 match i was itching to get started!

 

[freddiw]

good start and good luck this is awesome start cxant wait for it

GO THE DONS

 

[DPRA]

Good luck with this story.

Check out mine:

Droylsden FC chasing the ultimate dream.

 

[tonka998]

Come on MK Dons! Great start and lets hope its successful!

 

[OrderDX]

Saturday 7th July 2008 Continued

Looking at my squad like my assistant i was reasonably happy with the depth and was sure that we would have a great chance of getting promoted and possibly winning the title as well. However there were a lot of bargains available and i was looking to strengthen my left side of midfield and defence so i have sent my scouts on missions all over the country and hope to receive some feedback soon.

Hearts had offered a contract to my Goalkeeping coach and although i offered a contract to him he was having none of it and to be honest i wasn't surprised and Hearts are a great team. We received 10k compensation which i would use to help me get a replacement.

It was now time to make some quality signings and see how my tea performed in pre-season. Would the Dons be in good shape?​

 

[tonka998]

Oh well - I dont think he was going to refuse Hearts! I recommend Thomas Kahlenburg (great free-kick taker! :P) - maybe u shuld raise sum money first though! - Nice pres and Keep it up!

 

[OrderDX]

Monday 9th July 2007

I decided to review my team and i noticed i had loaned a player called Bally Smart from Norwich and after looking at the player in the squad and seeing where he would fit in i decided he was surplus to my requirements so i decided to have a word with him and we terminated his loan.

Friday 13th July 2007

I had decided that i needed to improve the heart of my defence and also the left side of my midfield so i splashed the cash in signing two players from two of the top teams in England, Chelsea and Manchester United. After my scouts had reported it was clear they would be a great acquasition for the Dons and i couldn't wait to see them in action!

Both the players were transfer listed and i managed to sign Adrian Pettigrew for ?60,000 which was a great deal and i was very pleased. He was young like my second signing the left winger from Manchester who was truly going to be an exciting prospect for the Dons.

Michael Barnes cost me ?75,000 but i believed this money was money well spent and he would play a massive part in the future of the Dons and the progress we could make. The fans seemed to agree with me as well.

Saturday 14th July 2007

It was the day of my first pre-season match and i decided to go with my strongest team and the team i would think about playing for the opening match in League 2. I was anxious to see how they performed and i certainly wasn't disappointed. Here was how i lined up.

I was facing Bellshill so really i was expecting a comfortable win but i chose to not put too much pressure on the team and said to go out and enjoy the game. I was delighted with our performance in front of goal as we managed to score seven! Michael Barnes scored two on his debut and looked a great signing already and Jemal Johnson managed to get a hat-trick and looked deadly in front of goal. I wasn't disappointed in anyone as the whole team played very well but i was slightly concerned by my defence as they let two goals in although this was after a series of substitutions which may have unsettled the team. Overall it was a good performance and i couldn't really have any major complaints.

I was now going to look at a few more players and after the match the confidence of the fans was good to see and it had seemed that a good start had made a difference to my credentials as for the first time fans were greeting me around the Dons stadium where my office was situated.

I had a busy week ahead with Norwich in midweek which i know would be a much more difficult test for the players. It would be interesting to see how they would react and i couldn't wait for it!​

 

[KingCJ]

Nice team choice mate! Well done with your first match, keep it up.

 

[tonka998]

Great start - 7-2 against any team is a great result but im sure you'll have a tougher test at Norwich im sure! KUTGW!

 

[Left_Hander]

7-2 is a smashing result

 

[OrderDX]

Tuesday 17th July 2007

Today was a huge day for me as i was about to play my first match at stadium:mk and it was not going to be easy either as i was facing a very good Norwich team which were two divisions above ourselves. However i was eagerly anticipating the match and couldn't wait to see how the playes performed. I had decided to go with one change from our win in the previous match in the central defence area. Swailes came out and O'Hanlon got a chance i wanted to see which player would be the best to play with new signing Pettigrew.

I was actually quite nervous before the match but as i came out the fans gave me a great ovation and i couldn't wait for the match to start. We started off really well and were rewarded with a goa by Jemal Johnson who was in fine form in the last game who scored a goal one on one with the keeper in the 15th minute. I was very pleased! Norwich tried to respond but they couldn't as our defence played brilliantly until a minute before half time when they equalied but i was still happy. The second half proved good for us as we had defend but we could have also won the game ourselves and the final score being 1-1 was a great result because of the nature of our performance. I was pleased with the new signings and the togetherness we showed.

It appeared that the fans were also happy with the result and i was happy because i didn't want to lose my first game at ome. After all Paul Ince achieved a lot with the Dons soi had to live up to his reputauion. We were still a long way from the start of the season though and ihad plenty of work to do. 6530 people turned u which was a good turnout for a pre-season game and i couldn't wait until Saturday when we played St. Mirren.

In the days up to then i was looking at a few players and also some staff to come in and help me. I was settling into the job nicely now and was starting to find my feet.​

 

[PaulNixon1]

Great result against norwich order dx KUTGW

 

[tonka998]

Fantastic result vs Norwich there and I think Jemal Johnson could be instrumental in your successes this season! Great player! (Former Man Utd of course :P) Keep it up!

 

[freddiw]

yea norwcih a biggish fan my best champ team

KUTGW and good luck for the rest of the season

 

[KingCJ]

Good result against Northwich, at least you didn't lose.