MVP: ---

Team DPs: 118

STI are rivals to 5 teams.

a better defence, a better midfield and some other players

**Season 57 update** Well that was a riveting season. Ball control with MAs had some success - making the SESL semi-final, beating Rangers on the way and a last day of the season shot at the playoffs. The team has definitely improved and is in a better position to go for promotion this season. Last season I did regret not risking EL in a couple of games but Olmec/old stone face has a habit of pouncing on any of my players if they drop below 0EL at any point in a game. I also wanted to be competitive going into the playoffs if we made it and but for a few games vs some high SL keepers with MOM performances we would have finished higher. Talking of risk - I forgot the first auction of the season was division 3 only and I should have gone with higher bids. I hope I won;t have too many regrets by the end of the season.

**Season 56 update** I haven't done an update in 3 seasons. Stirling have been on their worst run of form since I took over the club. After relegation from division 2 we finished 10th and then 15th and 14th in Div 3. Last season was so bad we only had only player appear in the player stats for DP. The squad is down to bare bones and with so few age 2/3 players to invest CP in I opted to boost the OTF instead, The highlight of the season was joint winning the prediction league (finally not missing the cup round) and the +3 OTF prize means Stirling start with 9 OTF, 2 MAs 20+SL, a 1/16 MA Bosman and a plan.

**Season 53 update** Stirling avoided the wooden spoon in Div 2 but could not escape the drop. The plan to sell TP and bring in older high SL players did not work as we couldn't buy the quality players we needed. The midfield was bolstered towards the end of the season but it was too late to recover and the defence was severely lacking. The idea also means we acquire a lot of older low SL players for later seasons. It also tells a tale that we didn't manage a single league draw last season. So change of plans for this season - all 4 youth players will be used to shore up the defence and train up the next generation keeper. 

**Season 52 update** Stirling survived a season back in Div 2. Thomson played the same number of games as in the previous season but scored nearly twice as many goals. The team performed well and eventually finished comfortably midtable. This season we start with the worst T-11 and 3rd worst T-17 in the division, which isn't great. Having the 2nd oldest squad doesn't help, but the aim is still to sell off another 10 TP and use the funds to transfer in older quality players. The aim again is to go with 2 or 3 forwards up front to increase the goal scoring opportunities and hopefully avoid relegation. 

**Season 51 update** Stirling finished 3rd bottom in Div 1 and were relegated. We had the least amount of goals scored, perhaps somewhat to do with 30SL FW Thomson missing a number of matches due to suspension and injury. Defensively we were tight with the GA matching that of title winning Arbroath. This season isn't starting well and the team is lacking a 3rd decent DF. There is also a slight change in managing the team with the onus shifting to bringing in and improving the FW line. Midtable mediocrity would be an acceptable aim for the season. 

**Season 50 update** Last season was the year of the underdog. Continuing to sell off TP and buy in players instead payed off again with the team finishing an amazing 3rd place with Van der Valk missing out on the Golden Boot by one goal after failing to score in the last 2 games of the season. Season 50 will see him lead the lines one more time this time with the Captain's armband. He will lead yet another band of veterans with only Clydebank fielding an older SESL squad. Whether we can survive a season in division one is the question. I need new players in key positions and start with the bottom three in T-11 and T-17 on the plus side there's money in the bank and a third place in the prediction league maintained our OTF.

Season 40 was a difficult season, we were mainly competitive but just could not get the results needed to stay in Division 2. I also refused to break the bank in an effort to avoid relegation preferring to retain the revenue for this season and investing in youth. Dropping back to Div 3 is at least a good opportunity to train up an apprentice keeper, but I think defensively we may struggle.

Two consecutive promotions saw Stirling reach Division One, but the next season saw the club relegated back down to Division 2 after only one season in the top flight. Unfortunately, living up to the club's nickname of the yo-yos. We just didn't score enough goals.The next season the club started on a better footing. The overall squad improved, a young forward was brought in and trained up and we had a deal with Arnold at Kilmarnock for their MPP Bosman just before he left the game. His final act was a little joke naming the MPP after me. Season 37 was not good as we scored nowhere near enough goals and finished 15th in Division 2 our yo-yo from Div 3 to Div 1 and back again was complete. Last season we started with a top four T-11 and 7th best T-17, but stats have not been a good indicator before and it was a good thing I wasn't taking anything for granted as we finished 8th. Steady investment in youth and a few MAs combined with a sturdier defence helped Stirling to a 3rd place finish and promotion. Top 6 was the goal, but defensively we were tight and we squeezed enough goals and wins to push higher. 

Season goals:

- Build the squad up and try and get near the playoffs

- Keep the regular flow of youth players going to reduce the age of the squad

About Stirling Football teams and their histories and quirks interest me (did you know neighbours East Stirlingshire groundshare with Stenhousemuir? Stenny have a bar called the Wee Bar, a Norway Stand and fans from Norway actually travel to the game dressed up as vikings! Brechin City FC has a hedge)

Stirling are a young club founded in 1945. Coincidently given the SESL Stirling's history one of their nicknames is the Yo-yos and in the 50s in Scotland people used the phrase 'going up and down like Stirling Albion' More obviously they are also called the Binos. Recent history shows that in 2011 Stirling ran a competition called 'So You Think You're Good Enough?'  in which they invited potential players trials at the club for which they had to pay £200 and out of those players 2 were given contracts - defender John Crawley and a keeper who is still on Stirling books called Sam Filler (currently the only Englishman at the club)

In 2012 Stirling became the first club to beat Rangers after their fall from grace and went on to draw with them in their second home tie to maintain an unbeaten record home record against them. 

Like most modern clubs Stirling can be followed on twitter @Stirling_Albion

**SEASON 57 update - Roy Rolsten 26th season - more MAs, 10 OTF, let's go!**

More random injuries prevent a return to football (you wouldn't believe it!). Hoping for an August return. Weight loss didn't happen. I need to find more time to exersize and diet properly. My daughter finished primary school and starts secondary in September. My 5yr old finished reception.

Started reading the Mistborn series, found the last series of Taskmaster New Zealand on Youtube.

** SEASON 56 update - Roy Rolsten 25th season - let's try something different **

I've moved offices again, same town, same job. The town's going through a major revamp as well. My daughter finished her swimming and I tried to get back to the Saturday morning football but through a random series of random injuries managed only 3 games in the last year. Who gets bitten by an insect on an indoor football court?! Current plan is to lose a little weight (5lbs so far since New Year) so my hamstrings won't give way the next time I try to run as fast as an 18yr old. My 4yr old has started school, he'll be at the same school as his big sister for one year.

I've recently been watching The Expanse on Amazon Prime. Loved the What If? Marvel series on Disney+ And obviously watched The Mandalorian, Andor and Ashoka. 

** SEASON 53 update - Roy Rolsten the let's try that one again twentysecond season in charge **

My old office has transferred to the next town which means the Mrs is now working there 2 days per week and my old work colleagues and fellow Friday-lunchtime-pub-goers are no longer available for a pre-weekend beverage. My daughter is onto her gold junior life saver stage and after that I'll be able to dust off my 5-a-side trainers. I have watched some decent TV in the last couple of months - Wheel of Time, Only Murders In The Building and Strike being the standouts.

Historical BIog info

September 2022 update

So I guess the update is to cover the summertime - well it's been very warm and sunny. We;ve had a couple of nice holidays - a week in Whitley Bay and a weekend in Centre Parcs (Cumbria) where we saw red squirrels again. As well as 4 partridges who randomly decided they were going to sit on a log behind our lodge. Emily's still doing her Saturday swimming, which stops me playing 5-a-side football, she's up to her silver life saving badeg now. There's only gold to go before she runs out of lessons to attend. Edward started doing 4 days in nursery which is doing him a lot of good although it does tire him out bless him.

We've all enjoyed watching the England Woman's football team play this summer and delighted to see them lift the Euro trophy. Emily would like to see some live games, but there are no WSL teams in the North East. I'm planning instead on taking her to see local team Middlesbrough Ladies play and I've just read that the BBC will show one WSL game every weekend this season which will be good. 

I always wanted to branch out into one of the other Olmec/SOS leagues, so joined SESL waiting list in June 2013 and was given the Stirling job for season 31.
Bio:- This football obsessed fanatic was born in Manchester, raised in Stockton-on-Tees, educated at Sunderland University and then returned to Teesside as a civil servant.
I bought my first house 12 years ago and moved in with my fiance Roisin in March 2010. We got married on 7th May 2011 - the same day Darlington, the team I was a season ticket holder for, were playing at Wembley and went on to lift the non-league FA Trophy! Then in September 2012 we were happy to announce the birth of our daughter Emily who will no doubt try to distract me from all football management games!

Darlington won their 2012/13 league with a record number of points and in the 13/14 season they finished 2nd and had to go into the play-offs places in the Northern League Evo-Stick Division 1. Unfortunately they lost so it's another season in the Evo-stick. The 2014/15 season went well and we finished 2nd behind Salford - the team that the Man Utd ex-players own. But that far down the football league only one team goes up automatically, but unlike last season we dominated the play-offs and are playing in the Evo-Stick Northern League Premier League in this 15/16 season. The 15/16 season couldn't have gone better - we won the division and move up to the Conference North for the 16/17 season. We were indebted to local rivals Spennymoor towards the end of the season with a congested fixture list and waterlogged ground they let us use their ground for a couple of games that proved crucial in the end. The move back into town is still on and we expect to start playing games at Blackwell Meadows in October. On Boxing Day 2016 we finally returned to the town.

Previous seasons have seen Darlington finish in the play-of places of the Conference North but were denied actually playing them due to regulations that will have existed for just one season. So now Darlington are treading water in the Conference North. We sacked ex-player turned manager Tommy Wright last season (he had replaced ex-player turned manager Martin Gray) and we now have ex-player turned manager Alun Armstrong at the helm. 

The question I posed 4 seasons a go was: Will real-life Darlington or SESL Stirling make it to top division first! Well Darlo are in A Premier League but not the one George Reynolds predicted back in 2000 and my 5th season in SESL saw Stirling Albion in the top flight!
 

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Roy Rolsten SOS Teams Managed 

SFLSL
Locomotive Darlington 
SESL
Stirling Albion 

OASL
Colorado Rapids

SOS Cup
Locomotive Darlington(SFLSL)