A shorter piece this week as we lurch towards what passes for a summer in the Scottish Highlands. Six league games to go and one meaningless Scottish Cup quarter-final wedged in the middle. Nerves shredded, squad patched together with hope and half-fit full-backs, and the faint possibility of promotion lurking like a mirage in the Highlands.
Part Four of this odyssey begins with everything still to play for—and plenty still to go wrong.
Bonjour! and welcome back to Bayonne. Last week we won promotion at the first attempt, but can we strengthen the squad over the summer to make it capable of surviving first season relegation from Ligue 1?
First business is cup draws, and it’s non-league Gueugnon in the Coupe de France…
And because we’re now a top flight team, we can play in the League Cup…
Hallo, and welcome back! We’ve had the transfer window which was great fun and now its time for the managers to see if their choices have helped or hindered them.
As ever in Scotland, first up, it’s the cup! A battle between newly refurbished Ross and manager holiday Zak. It looks like its headed for extra time that nobody sitting screensharing post 9pm on a Tuesday wants, and thankfully (for Ross) new boy Karl-Oscar hammers in a winner.
Hello Blogseekers! Settle down, Mickey love, it’s time to delve into season 2 of my German project. As a quick recap we finished 4th in the league after a blistering start aided by Nicolas Anelka, followed by a lumpy middle and then some stability with the arrival of Oliver Bierhoff.
A a top 4 finisher, we enter the weird little League Cup thing at the start of the season and are immediately shot down by the Bayern behemoth.
Welcome back as we step into 1998 like Gala being Freed from Desire.
Twenty-one games played, and the table has taken shape. Ross County sit 2nd, level on 44 points with Albion Rovers, separated only by goal difference. It’s been a strong first half of the campaign: 14 wins, a couple of draws, and the occasional reminder that defending remains optional in Division 3.
Alloa are right behind on 43 points, making it a tight three-way contest at the top. Queen’s Park and Dumbarton aren’t completely out of the picture either, but for now the focus is on staying ahead of Alloa and keeping pace with Albion.
A reminder of this season’s extra layer of pressure:
We must finish in the top three, replicating Ross County’s real-life finish in 97/98. No room for drifting into mid-table; the targets are clear.
And of course, the other self-imposed rule continues:
Every matchday squad must include a Ross.
So far, that’s been manageable — though the bench has occasionally looked like a naming-day ceremony.
Good moaning! and welcome back to Bayonne, where our Basque bunch have been holding their own in the French second division for the first half of the season. Can they keep the momentum going after such a good start?
Welcome back again! This week’s tale is of the transfer window. Here is a customary reminder of who was allowed to sign how many.
Deano, Nathan and Zak will get 1 transfer, Phil, myself, Ross and Rob will be allowed 3 signings, whilst Dave, Matt and Nick will be afforded 5 new players.
So, who did everyone target. A reminder that everyone was allowed to select any Scandinavian players who began the season at Scandinavian clubs but were not already assigned to one of our teams.
Each manager could provide a list of up to 16 targets in preference order. The draft would see preference go to the lowest ranked team where a tie in selection was made. Any teams tied on points, I’d spin the wheel of misfortune and see who misses out.
Good morning – I won’t dwell on last weeks update – after the positive part 1, part 2 felt like a poor follow up. Anyway, here’s where we are. No European or domestic cup games to distract us – just 11 games to see if we can pick things up.
After a rocky August, the Ross Revolution finally has lift-off. It’s taken a few tactical tweaks, a few injury miracles, and one 18-year-old wonderkid from Liverpool, but Ross County are suddenly looking like a side that knows what it’s doing.
First up, Albion Rovers away. It’s the kind of fixture you dread in this division – a bobbly pitch, a half-empty stand, and a man selling pies who looks like he’s been doing it since the 50s. None of that bothers Trevor Steven, though, who rolls back the years with a vintage hat-trick. The veteran midfield man finishes like it’s 1985 all over again, and we sneak away with a 3–2 win.
Bonjour and happy Vendredi! Welcome back to Bayonne, where I’ve managed to assemble a squad of 17 players in time for the start of the Ligue 2 season, which isn’t bad considering the limited pool of players I have to sign from. Wish us luck, I think we’re going to need it…