Playing With Fire

After the euphoria of promotion had subsided, a period of reflection was necessary, especially as my contract ran out in the summer. So I asked myself how far I could take Oxford, bearing in mind that I was competing on a lower budget than even the teams high up in League One (Season 4 spendings: Oxford 140k, Preston and Ipswich both around 4M). My stats are good, except for "Ambition", which has fallen to just 2. So I wondered if a Premier League team would accept me (Like Paul Ince going to Blackburn IRL).

With impeccable timing, West Ham sacked their manager, so I rejected Oxford's contract offer and applied to West Ham. A nervous wait followed as I wondered whether I'd aimed too high - my reputation was only "regional" after all. You'd think that two promotions on a shoestring in four seasons would get you noticed! Sure enough, West Ham rejected me.
Happily, Oxford came back with an improved offer: Wages of £2,300pw instead of £1,000pw, and an increased transfer/wages budget. I accepted, so have another three seasons to see how far I can take Oxford. An interesting stat to note here: West Ham's new manager is on just £2,000pw.

Once the Championship TV money came in, the budget was raised further. I now had about £1M to spend on players, and £51k per week on wages (last season: £34k, so an increase of 50%). I was over-budget with wages last year, on around £38k, but suddenly that problem was removed.

Now that I'd got the money and the new contract, it was time to prepare for life in the Championship. I needed new players in almost every position, otherwise, as my assistant manager helpfully informed me, I'd sink without trace. Wheeling and dealing follows in the next post...