The Big Interview: Tommy Kelpo

I'm a Newbie in Clough, Get Me Outta Here!

The community continues to chop and change as the months fly by. Established managers leave for pastures new, yet the UFFA is continuing to see a steady influx of fresh new talent, wanting to make their mark in their respective FAs.

Some of the difficulties they will no doubt face is the stiff competition when signing players and the need to exercise substantial financial restraint; and of course the competition, which will 90 per cent of the time be more established and stronger.

To gain an insight into the life of a newbie manager, The Cloughite caught up with Bluebirds gaffer Tommy Kelpo, who is currently cutting his teeth in the XEFA Championship, having been promoted from the lower divisions -- not bad for a rookie.

During our interview, Tommy demonstrated an unwilting sense of optimism, both for his team and the UFFA in general. This is how it all went down:

*Note: This interview was conducted last season when Tommy was still cutting his teeth in the lower divisions.


The Cloughite: So you're a newbie in FML, how are you finding it so far?
Tommy Kelpo: I have got to say, on the whole...I'm loving it!

The Cloughite: Did you initially find it daunting? Considering you were around 3 seasons behind everyone else?
Tommy Kelpo: Very daunting! I signed up on a whim and at first I thought I was way out of my depth. But because I had paid the money up front I thought I'd better give it a serious shot. After chatting to some good blokes and getting a bit of info here and there, I ironed out my initial mistakes and things began to look up.

The Cloughite: Now you're sitting 5th in division 2, comfortably on course for a play-off place. The secret of your success appears to be a certain superstar Brazilian.
Tommy Kelpo: Ah my buck toothed maestro! He has been the real heart so far. I was very,very lucky to be playing against his owner during one of my first matches and mentioned how lucky he was to have him in his side. After some good natured chat he kindly offered him to me on loan. It took all of 0.0001 of a second to decide. He has been great though I am not foolish enough to rely purely on him...I do have players who can slot in to his place when I finally wave goodbye.

The Cloughite: Tommy, no doubt you'll have heard all the whinging about the stadiums coming into effect. How has it affected you as financially you seem to be quite sound.
Tommy Kelpo: Up until now I have been concentrating on the playing side of things, but I have now begun a construction programme in order to stay in line with the supporters' needs. From what I can gather if you are careful enough, expanding slowly when required, you should be OK. Financially...I have been very careful as far as transactions are concerned. I have made great use of the filter and bought players for a certain amount at the lowest possible wages, looking all the time for the attributes I needed. There are some great bargains to be had for those who are patient I feel.

The Cloughite: Does the mass exodus of managers from Clough bother you at all?
Tommy Kelpo: To be perfectly honest, not too much. Simply because, personally, I am dealing with what I have found and have right now. I am a newbie and don`t have anything to compare it with. I don't know how the Clough UFFA was before, only now and currently there is plenty for me to deal with.
Of course if it continues then questions must be asked and addressed. What are the real reasons behind this exodus? What are the major differences between UFFA's that managers find important?

The Cloughite: Have you made any friends on Clough? How have you found the general interaction?
Tommy Kelpo: There are quite a few people that I have had some regular chat and banter with. It can be a real good laugh with the action taking a back seat to the conversation at times. Of course some managers just prefer the game and keep the chat to a minimum and that's OK too. I do get the impression that the community here on Clough is quite a strong one and there are many good examples for people to follow. I learnt a long time ago it's nice to be nice, and even more nice when people are nice!

The Cloughite: Finally, what does the future hold for Bluebirds?
Tommy Kelpo: Well, I want to win as much as possible of course! But more importantly compete with everyone I play......it took me a while to combat the 4-5-1 formation and was very frustrating at times. I am slowly coming to terms with how to compete against it without actually becoming another 4-5-1 devotee. That's been the real challenge so far.