THE ZONE - MANAGERZONE.COM

Round 5

A routine routing of the Highlanders by Alness. 33 yearold forward Callum McFall was in scintillating form with five goals to his name.

Bigar, you have finally picked up another three points with an emphatic win over Argyle. You must be pleased to get more points on the table?

It’s my second win and very happy. Next few matches should allow us some breathing space and get out of regulation, although our opponents in round 7 may be a harder nut to crack than expected. If all goes well, we should be on our way to stay in the top 7 for the remainder of the season.

I have to say that Twoj have been is great form. However, this result really surprised me all of Scottish football. North Face were best of the rest last season and taken apart by the promoted side. By half time the game was dead and buried with Twoj three nil up.

Andy, the new boys Twoj beat you quite comfortably today. What went wrong for North Face today?

Disappointing but looking more like last season was an overachievement with every passing game. The new boys were well worth their win and on the bright side its good to see another side having a go and not just coming up to be fodder.

A dominating display by the Headhunters. Strong in defense. Creating chances and putting them away. The march continues.

Duncan, another big win. Are you happy with your teams performance?

Yeah good to be back to winning ways after back to back defeats, certainly will be an interesting game on Sunday vs Two Star hopefully we can take the points.

Big miss match today as Floodish wolloped James' troops. By half time Floodish was five nil up. Even after Deuchar's sending off they continued to dominate scoring three more goals

James, your lads were up against the champions today, and you were taken apart. What are your thoughts on the game and how your season is going so far?

Wasn't expecting anything to be honest as im trying new formations with the squad and will take time for them to adapt ,as long as I maintain my status in top flight ill regard that as progress as trying to develop a consistent team

Duncan, despite been down to 10 men your team were still vastly superior to Grangemouth. However, Deuchar was in the Team of the Zone last issue! Will management be reprimanding him for ill-discipline?

The match was already 5-0 when Deuchar was sent off luckily. Today we played a very solid match in all our lines and when the team was down to 10 men we continue the same trend and manage to score three more goal before the end. We are going to miss Deuchar next match against Alfordians hope not to lose points.

Match of the round is at Prospect Street where two evenly matched teams battled hard for the points. Fraserburgh took the lead after 9 min when Tande scored. However, keiths men showed their battling skilled and picked up three goals and three yellow cards. It was a vital three points that the Alfordians required to keep chase with Floodish.

Keith, a bit statement made today by beating a strong Fraserburgh side. Does this put a marker on your teams title credentials?

Your next game is a huge one. Do you plan any tactical tweaks to overcome Floodish?

Record against Floodish recently is poor. They are still the front runners but I think there will be results along the way that throw a spanner in the works, hopefully this Sunday ! Two Star are definitely the new dark horses after the last result.

A disaster of a result for Muir United as they were unable to slay the dragon. Dragons star Aaron Dunnachie bagged a hatrick. While polish defender Konrad Grucza lost the plot and seen red.

Round 6

This has to be the important crunch game of the round. Two big guns of Scottish football. Alfordians were hoping to cut the gap at the top, while Floodish wanted to extend their lead. Bulgarian star Gyudzhenov struck first blood scoring on the 30min. Thing could have took a turn for Floodish when midfield ace Otter was injured. However, Shane McSimson proved to be a perfect replacement as he helped contain the Alford midfield. With 13 min to go Gyudzhenov scored his second and killed the game. Arrol hit the 3rd in injury time.

Keith, a hard game against Floodish. I’m sure you are disappointed with the result. How does one bring up the team moral for the next match on Wednesday?

Always going to be tough. Floodish have been top dogs for a long time but it's early days and there are some decent sides in this league. Plenty twists and turns to come yet. Onwards and upwards ⚽ 😉

Duncan, a massive win against the men from Alford. No doubt you will be delighted beating my main challenge so far. How will the team cope when double scoring hero Gyudzhenov retires at the end of the season?

Can’t describe how important this win has been for us. Not only we take a 5 point lead in the tournament, we are the only team that hasn’t lost any points in the six rounds played already. Gyudzhenov is a key player for this team and with no replacement in the near future, talking has already started to convince him to stay at least one more season with the Floodish pals!

Sometime managers do the dumbest things. Today was one of those days. Muir United somehow managed to put out a squad with the average age of 18 instead of the usual average age of 20. In the end Fraserburgh showed the rueful streak and banged 11 past the sorry Muir.

Marto, It was men against boys and you triumphed 11-1. It’s a result that puts you in joint 2nd place. Can Fraserburgh finish 2nd? If so what puts you ahead of your rivals?

A victory was important on this game - not a result. Was a important also to stand up after terrible 1:3 against Alfordians , so I'm happy with victory to keep us close to Elite cups places. Will be interesting battle for this spots! We need to improve lots of our production and discipline! 2 red cards in easy games is not acceptable!

A mid-table clash where the three points would be hard won. The spoils went to Alness with McFall producing a fine display which earned him the match ball.

Bigar, another 3 points and an all-important clean sheet. Are you pleased?

Indeed, happy to get to 7th place and we will do our utmost to stay at least at this position and hopefully one or two higher. The team is looking forward to the next match.

A game to try and regain some battered confidence for North Face. After recent struggles they will be happy to have face Argyle and smash 13 past them.

All good things have to come to an end. Both teams have been in fine form since promotion to the SPL. In the end the big difference was £3.2m Forward Sara. He produced a sublime performance and scored 3 quality goals.

Duncan, a lot has been said about today’s opponents Twoj about how they have been a surprise package. Your team dominated. Does this make Chelsea the king of the promoted sides?

Yeah they've certainly done well up to now and I was expecting a much tighter game than what played out, just what we needed heading into our mid-week game against The North Face.

As for us being king of the promoted sides I'm not so sure but king of the transfers definitely belongs to Fraserburgh Wet Squirrels.

Two teams desperate for 3 points. Battle lines were drawn. However, no one could take the advantage and the spoils were shared.

James, a 1-1 draw vs WMG. Are you pleased with the result or do you think Grangemouth should have done better?

Think I’m in for a long season as were just not clicking yet but patience is the game here.

Round 7

A fine performance by Muir United. Jakub Piesciuk had one of those games where he showed his class and why Brian MacDonald invested £900k in the Polish keeper. 10 saves and only with 16 min to play did Jimmy Fraser finally beam him.

Biger, a tough game against Muir United. Were you worried the goal would not come?

You would have been pleased when Jimmy Fraser struck with 16 minutes to go?

I was looking forward to playing this wildcard as the team is new to the Premier League. Glad to have won it but it was close. My star player Simson was injured so I was a little worried but the team did not let their supporters down even when the winning goal was quite late in the match.

A big game with two giants. North Face struck first blood on the 3rd min and all looked good for Andys army as former Muir United (turncoat) Cullen picked up an injury. However, Chinese forward Bing Qian hit a double and ensured all the points headed to the bridge.

A question was asked but deleted before I saved it. Anyways this was the response!

Yeah massive win for us vs a quality side, decided to drop Sara back into a number 10 role to allow Qinny a start up front which thankfully paid off, Cullen out for 2 days a small price to pay but he will be available for his return to former club Muir United.

Andy, what is in the water at the fort? Best of the rest last season and your really struggling to pick up wins. Can North Face get back to winning ways against the big teams?

Yeah I think we can do better Brian. It's been as poor a start as I can remember but its clear the competition have stepped it up a bit from last season. I also cant just keep recycling an U23 side and expect to be challenging for the title, some investment in experienced players needed in the right positions if I am to step it up myself.

A scoreline that suprised me. I expected Grangemouth to give the Alfordians a harder game. However, Keiths warriors produced a materclass display and provided a harsh lesson to Grangemouth. Posadzki grabbed 3 and midfield master Lenberg scored 3!

Keith, a fine performance over an active manager in James. Do you have any words of advice and encouragement for your opponent after such a devastating attacking display?

Patience is the key to MZ

Old Firm? El Classico? Nothing compared to the Drenched Derby of Manager Zone. Floodish took the game by the scruff of the neck and left Fraserburgh high and dry after 26min as they were three nil up. After near drowning in sorrow Fraserburgh picked up a consolation goal.

Duncan, Floodish are in dominating form and you have defeated pretty much every major rival. How do rate your opponents today?

Great start for our team this season cant ask for more. Looking forward for the next 8 matches ahead hope to keep the difference with our opponents. All teams are building up with young lads so the big difference today with the rest is the experience of our old players.

Marto, your team were decimated by the champions in the first half. Is this a body blow to your challenge for Elite Cup places?

We pay for our red cards every time!. That was happened today! We can't use our capitan (Stoenchev)because of ban so We are terrible in defense. WE have lot a work to do to improve the team and discipline is one of that. But even everything We still pretenders for Elite Cups spots!

The routine thumping of Argyle happened again with Dragons enjoying putting 10 past them.

Twoj picked up the three points with a little bit of help from WMG's Wal McGrowther. He would have been gutted scoring an own goal.

Round 8

A miss match in class. Muir United were torn apart by a rampant Chelsea. A fine win by Duncans troops which has helped move Chelsea to 2nd in the table due to other results of the day.

Duncan, A gigantic win that moved you to 2nd in the table. Whats your thoughts on the results today?

Yeah I'm happy with the performance overall against a very young organised team, they defended quite well at times and their keeper pulled off a couple of special saves so credit to them for that. Tricky fixture up next vs Alford so hopefully we can continue in the same fashion

A hard thought match where both teams were desperate for the three points. However, the deadlock could not be broken as both keepers made an astonishing 22 saves between them.

Keith, a hard earned point today vs an off the pace North Face. Was discipline a problem today?

Polish defensive midfielder sent off. Will miss him badly in upcoming games. 0-0 against NF is no disgrace.

Brazilian keeper Santana picked up Man of the Match. How important is he to you?

Massively important. Great keeper who is now at his peak.

Nothing like boucing back with a big win after a big defeat. That is excatly what James' Grangemouth did. After taking a pasting last round they decided to turn the tables and give Bigars boys a right good bashing!

Bigar, Your team was still in touching distance at 3-2 until Beckenbauer was sent off. Grangemouth then decimated your defense. How disappointed are you in Beckenbauer and the result?

Beckenbauer is a temperamental young lad who did let the team down and he knows it. Him being sent off left a gaping hole the rest could not fill. It is unfortunate it happened against Grangemouth, a team we should be able to take when the team puts their mind to it.

Not that Duncan needs any give me's but facing Argyle is a big a give me as he could have asked for. Floodish smashed 11 past a poor Argyle.

One of the shock results of the round for me. WMG have been anything but consistent. However, they provided Dragons with a thumping. When looking at the fixture I though he Double D would have been favorites

Statistically this game was close, 46% to 54% possession, 10 shots to 16. However the score line says different. 0 - 5 . . . Tande with a hatrick and Barna with a double.

Bigar,

Round 9

A dominating display by Chelsea where they put the Alfordians to the sword in the last 20 min. Chelsea's chinese hitman Bing Qian popped up with a hatrick!

Keith, a big loss against an organised Chelsea. What are your thoughts on the game?

Missed our suspended talisman but no excuses....outclassed.

Duncan, a magnificent win which a dented a challengers chance to claim 2nd. What are your thoughts on the games?

Yeah very happy with the performance was quite a convincing display in the end albeit Alfordians having two key players suspended, I expect a closer match in the return match and hopefully we can convert more of the chances we create into goals.

A hard earned draw where Alness showed that they can defend when required. North Face had the chances to win the game but squandered in the final 3rd

Bigar, you gained a hard earned point vs top opposition. Did you feel before the game you could get something seen as North Face have been out of form?

As the two oldest teams in the Premier League, The North Face and Alness go very far back. I remember winning 3-1 and 5-2 from them in the Scottish Cup in 2007 (then they were still known as Fort William). In the 12 years since then, The North Face went from strength to strength and we entered our "Wilderness Years". So, I am glad to see we are back on equal footing, even if it may only be for this one match. As a side note: we went on to win that Scottish Cup, probably still our proudest moment😋.

Andy, another 2 points lost today. It puts North Face in the playoffs. Are you feeling the heat from the home support?

Yeah getting dogs abuse after that one, which is fair. There’s no way we should be dropping points in some of these games and we are in a sort of false position I guess so am still confident we will be top 5 by the end of the season. Maybe 'default' tactic will have to be looked at, hah

Muir United had nothing to lose. 2nd bottom in the table and the only way is up really. However, Grangemouth are desprate for points and Tyler McGorrie provided a double to see off the Muir challenge. Beaten but not disgraced!

Routine win for WMG. The suprise is that they only managed 5 goals against the Highlanders

The scorline flatters DD in this game. Fraserburgh dominated start to finish and should have had alot more goals

I never see this scoreline coming. However, being that its the champs vs a newly promoted team I should have. Questions are now been asked of Twoj, who had a great start to the season.

Duncan, a crushing victory over Twoj. They have been a hard team for everyone else. What’s your magic recipe?

To be honest we didn’t expect such a goal difference against a opponent that is just starting in the game but has achieve very good results in the beginning of this tournament. We made some offensive changes in the team, Phillip Arrol despite he only has 6 balls in shooting has been moved in attack with Gyudzhenov and the team seems to like this new formation. Let’s see what happens in the near future.

Round 10

No issue here for Keiths troops. Muir tried a new tactic to try and upset the applecart. However, a flat back 5 and long ball did not work. The humping happened that thats the bottom line.

Keith, a comfortable win vs one of the league whipping boys. This game keeps you 2 points behind Fraserburgh and 4 from Chelsea. Is 2nd still the aim for the season?

Qualifying for the Top Teams Cup is the target so top 3. Gonna be much more difficult this time I think !

Chelsea have really started to get in to a swing. Bing Qian with another hatrick!

Duncan, another win and solid proformance vs Alness. I keeps you in 2nd, 6 points behind the leaders. Can you push Floodish? Last season they had a poor half of season!

Yeah we had played Alness in a couple of cup matches and felt quite confident heading into this one so glad to get another win on the board after a lack luster first half.

I think after a couple more seasons we'll be able to mount a serious title challenge, the core of the team will have aged to around 26/27 and most likely be at its peak.

Bigar, a crushing 5-0 defeat which keeps you in the relegation playoff. Are you worried about the fans turning on you?

We expected a defeat and will do so again the next match, although we always endeavour to win. The fans stick with the team through thick and thin and although they hate to see the team loose, they know there was realistically not a lot of chance of getting a good result here.

If their was ever a team that needed a win it was North Face. Andys troops have been shocking this season compaired to last season. Ince and Osasun will be getting a pint in Ft William tonight!

James, a defeat today vs North Face. Your team currently sit 7th after 10 games. Are you pleased with how the season has gone so far?

kind of gutted after today thought we had enough for the win ,so upwards and onwards

Four nil could have been 14 nil. Floodish kept pounding and pounding the WMG goalmouth today. Credit should go to WMG keeper Airth producing 27 saves!

Duncan, Ten games and team wins. Can you do the clean sweep and win 22 league games in a row?

It’s no our real objective, I’ve already done the 22 wins in the past in SPL so for the moment we are trying to find the best team possible for the coming matches. We all know this is not for ever so let’s enjoy we can still watch everyone from the top

A game for increasing the goal diffrence. Fraserburgh put 16 past the sorry Highlanders

Marto, A big win vs the bottom boys and keeps you with pace to Chelsea. Are you please with how your team have preformed in the first 10 games?

Yes, it was a routine victory ... glad that both goaltenders keep in good shape. I'm happy with lads performance after first 10 games and because of my mistakes We are not so close to Floodish. Еxpect to stay in to Elite Cup places!

A tight game that could have went either way. In the end Twoj picked up the result courtesy of a fine hatrick from Pitta.

League Table

Team of the Zone

by Brian_McSnail