Everything changes

Now the season is  underway, and even tho smiles can be on the fans face we know it could all change in a blink of an eye. We have found a new chief scout in a retired manager and someone who went on to work with some of the class of 92, David Moyes join Salford to find the next generation, and with a good youth intake this season perhaps for me I start trusting the youngest in league games.

No it’s the point of the season things get fast and tricky.

One bit of business we have done, is to bring back one of our young talents from a force in English football, Larry Taylor, signing a deal for January, a left footed winger which will suit the 442  we play from Arsenal.

October had a bright start with a home game Vs Bristol City when 5 different scorers was on the pitch winning the match 5-1, to then set up a game of the top two, Sunderland came to town. It was a hard game but my Salford side narrowly won 3-2 thanks to a brace from Marquinos. A chance for 6 more points came in 2 away games but we failed to take the chances and came away with 2 points, both finishing in draw.

Derby brought our biggest crowd of the season and it was back to winning ways but we have to wait for the last 15 minutes to get 2 goals. Following that luck changed, draws against West Bromwich and Hull moved us down the table, after that we ended the month with a loss to Luton.

Need a change of form heading into the festive period, didn’t go to plan, we threw away a 2 goal lead Vs Barnsley at Oakwell. Then a battering to Stoke saw us conceded 4 goals.  Swansea was a bright spark when we were able to score 5 in our 1st win in 5 games. But then came crashing down again losing to Bristol City in the last minute and a 4-3 defeat to Millwall.

Christmas joy wasn’t at Salford as we went down 2-1 to one of the inform teams in the division, Ipswich Town. We suffered a boxing day defeat against Blackpool and they leap frogged over us in the league.

One bit of joy over Christmas came to the fans of Salford, a new goalkeeper is arriving in January and it’s a reunion……….. Tommy Setford has joined his brother here from Ajax. The 22 year old is the perfect backup for his brother who has suffered a few injuries this season.

We end the year with yet another draw this time against Swansea with Watts scoring a penalty. To be at the top at the start of the season to end the year in 12th is poor by my standards.

During the new year’s sky sports transfers show, I was interviewed on the signing I have made and what key areas we need to improve on. So make sure you come back next time to see if our fortunes have changed?

Check out my X for more updates  https://x.com/Wroot1FM?t=UIDghWqipwz_Bjg1M1kiNw&s=09

The goal is to survive

Now pre season is done and dusted, transfer all done and I must say I am happy with the business we have done even tho I am still looking for the future, the start of the season is here. Going to feel strange going to the Salford community stadium this year but with a bigger attendance, we have to make this a hard place to go like we did at moor lane.

The Wednesday before the season kicks off, we all had a meeting and chatted about things, like where we want to be at the end of the season, we must keep this team in the championship so that’s the end goal. Press is going to be on these players now with the club one step from the premiership.

Fans turned out for the 1st game of the season and what a game they enjoyed, Cardiff away and we picked up where we left off by winning 6-4. Following that we went to Watford in the carabao cup and after going one down, we were able to win 3-2. The good start carried on with wins against Middlesbrough and Burnley and another cup win Vs Preston. Things came back down to earth with a defeat to Norwich. The new signings are bedding in well and to be near the top is a great achievement.

September was a mix and match with 3 wins and 3 defeats. Away to Leeds was 1st up and we showed the league favourites how to play football by winning 4-2, but after that Reading came to our temp home and we narrowly lost 4-3. Fulham was fun, where the returning striker Chalmer showed his former employer a show bagging 2 goals in a 5-2 victory.

West Ham took us to school in the carabao cup by beating us 4-0, and at this point I didn’t want heads to drop before the home game against Watford. The hornets were out for revenge and gave us our 2nd league loss of the season by winning 0-1. A trip down south to Plymouth was up next and we needed to get back to winning ways, which we did with 2 from Vale and captain Watts earning a 3-0 win.

A great start after 10 league games see us 3rd, and hopefully a season where we feel safe. This team has already shown they belong here but we know it will be hard to stay this high in the division.

New striker who we paid over £20 million for , Kym Chalmers is proving money well spent as he has 7 goals so far and Marquinos is our highest rated player getting 7.53 on average.

Still a long way to go so I hope you join me on our journey.

#WeAreSalford.

How to improve the team to stay in the championship

Favourite for the drop, I needed to boost the squad to stay in the championship. Me and the scouting team had to pick up players to replace players like Ibou, Lingard and Pogba. And with the chairman willing to put his money where his mouth is, with the backing of the class of 92, it’s time to work. Ryan Giggs walked into our meeting room with one hell of a smile on his face, everyone looked at each other and asked “why is he happy”, he then broke the news of the transfer budget of £55 million and told Ryan, do not make the same mistake again, and keep us in this league.

You can only imagine what it is like in the board room, names being thrown around on who the owners want, and as per normal Gary Neville is the loudest but in all it’s  a happy room because with the amount we have to spend.

We went through who has left and needed to replace them and players we would like to try and bring in.

1. Jack Rudoni

We all agreed on this deal, because he can play across the midfield and in an advanced position. He is 26 years old and expressed interest in joining. Huddersfield accepted a £6 million and the deal moved quickly after that.

2. Marquinos

This deal went through in January, but he has made the move. The Brazilian winger has a gift and could be key in unlock defences.

3. Matt Tagget

The left back was made available by his agent and we needed a left back, he fitted the mould we wanted. 31 year old has been at some key clubs and his experience will be key for us to do well this season.

5 more players have joined the club to build for the future, Ba, a midfielder from Paris FC, another Brazilian Melo who has a bright future, 2 goalkeepers arrived Vignaud and Bulay.

Bulay from Boca

The final transfer is a player who has the chance to play for a top side, coming from Fulham for a club record £24 million is Kym Chalmers, the strike has scored 5 times last season but done well in the reserve league, also turning out for Northern Ireland.

Business is all done and the team has done well in pre season, now we have to get off to a good start in the league. Ok it may not be our home but we must make the AJ Bell a fortress. The media has predicted 12th for this Salford side, I would be happy with that because I believe this club should be in the championship.

So get behind this side and join me on this journey.

#WeAreSalford

Ibou Touray testimonial

It’s a special event when one of the longest serving players has called it time in his career at a club who has shown him loyalty. He will always be a big part of the history of the club, joining when the club was in non-league and taking them back to the championship.

Club legend is not thrown around too often, but Ibou Touray is a true legend of Salford City FC.

Players, management and family all got together to celebrate Ibou time at the club with a meal at Hotel Football. The players, especially captain Elliott Watts put together a “this is your life Salford” for him, lots of jokes and stories.

Managers past and present, myself, Gary Bowyer, Richie Wellens and Graham Alexander presented Ibou with a trophy just for him for being with Salford from 2017 until 2029.  And the next day he would play his last game for the club against fiorentina.

Normally I will be doing a pre-match press conference, saying it’s a chance to show if my management style can go up against an Italian giant, but today isn’t about the team or me, it’s about Ibou. Yes we have some trailest to bring in which is a great chance for them but it’s about the day and the send off Ibou gets.

7000 fans turned out to see this special event to give Salfords record appearance maker the send off he deserves. Former players Natey, Watson and Mallan all turned out for this team, and they all stood in a guard of honour just for him, captain for the day.

The game itself was entertaining as it finished 2-2 with Ibou setting up the 2nd goal for new signing Rudoni to score.

After 395 games for Salford it was a fitting way to end his time here, he wasn’t known for his goal scoring 13 times in 12 years. The fans all stood and clapped as he went around the ground. He will be a hard man to replace but he is always welcome back to the club.

2 important players say goodbye

Now the end of the season has been and gone, I need to start planning for the future. It will be a big task to keep this Salford team in the championship, but we are going to do it with 2 players, who have had their moments this last season.

Jesse Lingard has called it time on his career, starting out at Man Utd in the 09/10 season, he didn’t get 1st team action until 2012 where a move to Leicester helped him with 5 apps. A year later 15 games and 3 goals at Brighton helped him get noticed, the loan moves to Birmingham and derby helped him into the utd team.

After Utd, West Ham and notts forest, Everton spent £19 million on him, but 17 games and one goal wasn’t enough to keep him there before a shock move to Salford on a free. He played 32 games scoring 8 goals in a season that saw Salford do the double.

The 2nd player to hang up his boots, has not been out the public eye, Paul Pogba. The frenchman has a strange time in the football world, at one point one of the best players in the world, ups and down, playing for Man Utd, Juventus mainly, with a spell at AC Milan and Real San Sebastian before a move back to Manchester with Salford.

Playing in 42 games grabbing 17 goals including goal for the season ended on a high getting one last trophy to his already large cabinet.

These 2 will always be part of the history of this save and it has been great to have them part of my team.

#WeAreSalford

#FM24

Down to the wire for the Non League Pep

These moments of the season are what every manager looks forward to. To go into the last 2 months of the season, just in the top spot, nothing is guaranteed, still, a lot to play for and with Cardiff hot on our heels, I had to keep this Salford team winning if they were going to head back to the championship.

March and April both are a bit light in games, with 6 games left of the season and only points between the top two. Playoffs ticked, and we knew if something happened then we still had a path if we needed it. Potentially we have another 2 games as the Papa John’s trophy has come down to the final 4. As I sit back in the chair I wonder how can I do? this, and in a way called upon the spirits that helped me get called the Non-League Pep from the press, but show the class of 92 I have what it takes like Sir Alex.

Before a ball has been kicked, the board has announced that the current ground is to get a makeover. With the team doing so well, the fans have increased which means more revenue. The current ground is being upgraded to a 7500 approx all-seater ground, with more if needed. This should take 12 months to complete, for the next season, we will play our home games from the Salford community stadium, the AJ Bell.

It was a trip to my hometown of Colchester to start in March, and we left it late again, after a miss pen and 95 mins on the clock, Jack Vale popped up with the winner. Sky cameras saw an entertaining semi-final in the Papa John’s Vs MK Dons, I was on the sidelines shouting to the team to get forward and with 6 minutes left we were able to get a winner and book a place in the final against Arsenal under 21’s. With a point needed to gain promotion, I set up the team to break down a Wrexham team, but with nearly 2 weeks break, we were slow to get started but 2 goals from Peart-Harris sealed a 2-1 win and promotion.

Wembley was the venue for the Papa John’s final, a place I came to a year ago, and what a game it was, we were cruising 4-1 with 15 mins left, only to get pushed back but still was able to hold out and win 4-3.

No time to celebrate as the league was still there to win, and Preston was next up, I had to make changes due to the final and it proved to be the wrong decision, as we lost 1-3. I had to pick the heads up after that defeat with 3 games left, but 2 goals were enough to beat Notts and one set closer to the league. Cardiff lost their game which means I needed a team to get a point for the title. Bristol Rovers was next up and OMG I was up and down all game, we scored, they scored, nail-biting for the fans, but we were crowded CHAMPION after a 7-5 victory.

The double was completed before the last game Vs Birmingham, the blues gave us a guard or honor which was lovely but we showed how good we are by beating them 6-1.

The board is extremely happy with the season and expects more next season in the championship.

The season review is in, and firstly I want to say a thank you to Jessie Lingard for his impact on the team, and will now join the backroom staff full time. Nicky Butt set me a goal of the playoffs but to win the league delighted him and the rest of the class of 92.

Fans player of the season was Peart-Harris, who also picked up the top goal scorer and most assists for the season. The young player of the season went to new signing Jack Stott. Signing of the year was Finn Azaz arriving on a free and an average rating of 7.1.

Peart-Harris won the sky bet league one player of the season, he needed a good season after coming down from the championship last year.

It’s time for a break and work on deals for next season. But my trophy cabinet is getting full. I also picked up the manager of the season, not bad from a non league manager taking his 1st professional job.

#WeAreSalford

Retirement comes to us all

Even tho at the start of the season, Jesse Lingard, a player-coach at the club, made the choice to hang up his boots at the end of the season. With 16 games this season scoring 8 goals is a good return for a 35-year-old player who had a good career turning out for Man Utd and Forest, as well as England. How he can turn to his coaching, teaching some of the youngsters here at Salford to become better players.

Now we start the new year, it’s got to be better than we ended last year, December was poor by our standards. With it being the new year, transfer window time, and looking at the team, I have to say we are a bit light at the back.

So to start the new year was a transfer meeting with Roy, Paul, and Nicky to get started. Coffee was flowing and a plan has been made, but the challenge now is to go and get these players.

4 players arrived at the start of January, left winger Jack Moylan came in from Sligo Rovers on a free. West Bromwich let go of Harry Clarke for £375k to bolster our back line, also Sander Brouwers, a left-center arrived from Feyenoord, and to complete the window for us Paul Scholes brought in Di’Shon Bernard, returning to the club from Millwall for £3 million.

The new signings were in the stands to watch us beat Cheltenham in the 1st game of 2028 4-2 away from home. The TV cameras were out for the cup game Vs Matlock, a match important to me, friendly faces now rivals in a match for a quarter-final spot. 2 goals from former gladiator Jack Stott and one from Hugill gave us a 3-0 win.

The top two came to blows next as this Salford side sits 6 points behind Cardiff, after taking the lead at the 30-minute mark, we got pegged back. I am waving the lads forward with 5 minutes to go till half time, we were able to get 2 quick goals to make it 3-1 at the break. The game finished 4-1, and the lead cut to 3 points. A win Vs Bolton put us level on points as the Bluebirds lost, but I wasn’t happy after we lost to Stockport 2-0, missing out on a 3-point gap. Coventry was next up in the quarter-finals of the Papa John’s trophy, this was a hard battle for us scoring late on to draw the game and go to pens. We were able to score all of our pens to win 4-2. After that, we ended January with a draw against Fleetwood.

February we changed things up with a new formation, to try and not concede goals when we are in the lead, but after taking the lead against Notts, we could only come away with a draw. A double home victories followed against Wycombe and Wigan. Then a 2 all draw against Walsall made it 3 unbeaten and a lead at the top of the league. Up next week got an away win at Exeter but couldn’t extend the lead after a defeat to Burton.

We had 2 more home games to finish up February, Lincoln was 1st up and a goal from John-Jules was enough to get 3 points, but then Peterborough made the trip up north, and a brace from Morton was able to get a win finishing up 3-1.

Fans at the ground are getting excited with a 3 point lead going in to the last 2 months of the season. 6 league games left, so there is a lot of work to do on the training ground if we are to go up, plus maybe a Papa John’s trophy final if we get past MK Dons in the semi finals.

I hope you enjoy this round up and hope you can join me to see if I can add to my trophy cabinet and the run of a trophy every season I habe been involved in.

The plan going forward

When an opportunity comes up, you tend to take it with both hands. My assistant manager who has been here for a while, helped me settle this team at the top of League 1 and got an offer to manage Scottish giants Celtic. That’s something you don’t stand in the way of. So I need to find a right-hand man. I placed an advert out and had a few people come for an interview, but it was during a Salford under 21’s game that I found him. 

I’ve seen this person before, and of course, he is friends with the board, so I asked Nicky Butt about it and he was on board with the idea. So we headed up to the box to have a chat. Me, Butt, and Scholes sat there and spoke with this former player for an hour and agreed on a deal over a pint of Guinness. Please welcome my new assistant manager……….. Roy Keane.

Big Roy

Now the backroom is sorted, a new deal after 3 months in place, we have to plan ahead. The goal at the start of the season is to get this club back to the championship. Working with the class of 92 is great, they are working with the fans to make this club better, and with us sitting at the top of League 1, everything is going according to plan.

After the defeat in September, I needed to pick the team up, we started slowly in October with a 2-all draw Vs Coventry. Following that, a 3 game-winning run, 2 in the league, and one in the Papa John’s trophy before a hell of a game drawing 3-3 with Accrington. Back to winning ways to finish off the month, notably against Cardiff.

November was brilliant, with 9 games in total with 6 wins, 2 draws, and a defeat in the FA Cup. It wasn’t great losing to League 2 Crawley, because I have built my reputation on doing well in the cup, things looked good when we were 2 up only to take our foot off the gas and then crumble to a point we couldn’t get back

The draw for the next round of the Papa John’s trophy was made and it’s a match I thought I would never happen, a game Vs my former club, a team that I have built to be in the football league, Matlock town FC.

Now the testing time of year is upon us, December, a time that can make or break a title challenge. As we enter this month, this Salford side sits in 2nd place. Before that, I have to make a choice, whether to resign Paul Pogba on a longer deal and keep him for 2 more years. This player has made it to double figures already, but can he cope with the pace I need.

A thriller at the start of December between two favorites for the league at St Andrew’s where we visited Birmingham, after being 4-3 up at the 90th minute, we crumbled and lost 5-4. Then a home defeat to Preston but all the hard work we had done comes to an end. The form is poor at this part of the season and needed to change very fast, and before a busy Xmas period, we beat Portsmouth 4-0, but then turned into 3 draws in a row. The last game of 2027 was a home game to Gillingham which we gave our fans a late Xmas gift by winning 4-1.

The transfer window is upon us and I do have some eyes on some players to bring in, I need to get this team back to form from the start of the season if we are going to get back to the championship.  Currently, we are 2nd and January and February are very busy with league games let alone more games if we carry on in the Papa John’s trophy.

Join us as we take on 2028.

#WeAreSalford

3 months in ……..

Everyone was saying at the start of the season, “Who is this guy? Never been in charge of a league team”, it makes you determined to prove fans and pundits wrong. The work we have done behind the scenes has been on point, and ready to show that this team belongs in the championship.

I had to pick my captain for the season, and with 2 very loyal players at the club, I chose someone who would be able to see all around, none other than Elliot Watts.

Now to the start of the season, fans are flocking to the ground, kids walking around with their favorite player on their shirts,  Pogba, Lingard, and John-Jules just to name a few.

The changing room is set up and of course, music is playing, my 1st ever match as a league manager is here, and during the interview, I was asked how did I feel, I answered “Of course I am excited but nervous at the same time, but it’s not about me, today is about the team getting off to a good start, and for the fans to see how this team has changed since being relegated”.

1st up was a game I have been looking forward to, Colchester UTD. We made a statement by winning 5-2 with Vale and Azaz getting their 1st goals at the club. We carried on our fine scoring in the league cup with a 4-2 win against Chesterfield. The next 3 games in the league were against Peterborough, Wrexham and Walsall. We ran out winners in all 3 of those games, which put us joint top of league 1. We finished August with a PJT match Vs Preston which a goal from new boy Uwakwe was enough to seal the win.

Now we are one of the pace setters, we had to carry on in September, and 1st up was Bolton, a team who last season wanted to employ me, and a Lingard hatrick and one from John-Jules was good enough for a 4-1 victory. A trip to Wolves in the league cup was next up and even tho we took the lead, the premier league outfit ran out 2-1 victors. We breeze past my former DOF at Matlock, Martin Carruthers’s Stockport 3-1 before drumming Fleetwood 6-2 at home. A sour note as the team suffered its 1st league loss of the season to Wycombe, a 2-1 defeat to end September.

But 3 months into my job, the board called me in for a chat, unbeknown to me that a meeting was due. I walked into the room to see the Neville brothers, Scholes Casper and Nicky Butt sitting there and Peter Lim and David Beckham on video call. It was a really positive chat about how the team was looking and plans for the future which ended up with some really good news. An envelope was passed to me which I opened only to be surprised that I was offered a 2-year deal by the club. I asked why, and they all replied “You are doing a great job, you have the mentality of winning which was put into us when we played for Sir Alex” I didn’t need to think about it, I put pen to paper.

Now the hard work begins as the next 3 months have lots of games ( 2 games a week) and we need everyone focused on the task ahead. So join me as we tackle this run towards the new year.

#WeAreSalford.