[FM10] The New Adventures Of Lollujo

I got fed up with keep changing the name of my thread everytime I move clubs...

As with last year, I'm aiming for a long term game, so in order to keep it competitive as the years go on, I've loaded all leagues from Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, on a large database. I'm playing on the 10.1 patch with no edits to the database, attribute masking turned on and real player names turned on.

I'll be playing very much in an LLM style, with the ultimate goal being realism for every decision. For this reason, I'll be starting at the closest club to my front door in the lowest playable league in the game, and this time round that's Corby Town. The guidelines I'll be playing to are:

* All tactics will be my own creations, not downloaded or copied from anyone else

* All training plans will also be my creations, again with no downloads or copies

* No editing the database at any point, either before or during the game

* No use of any downloadable cheat programs (FM Scout, that kind of thing)

* I won't be going near the player search screen, as there is no equivalent to this in the real world

* I will only sign players found by my scouts, or who I would know about in game (ie. I've played against them, I've been linked to them by the media)

* I will be starting with an automatic reputation, as I have no footballing experience in real life

* I won't be sharing any tips or tactics in this thread

* Most importantly, I will be basing my decisions in game on what I would do in real life. So if a club offers to double my salary in a new job, chances are I'll take it. Likewise, if I'm offered a job in the Brazilian lower leagues, the money will have to be amazing for me to even consider it!

Corby Town Football Club

History

During the 1930s Corby was represented in the United Counties League by steelworks side Stewarts & Lloyds. But by the 1948 it was decided that the expanding town could support an independent football club and Corby Town was formed. Their nickname of the Steelmen derives from the link with Stewarts & Lloyds.

Corby Town played their first game in August 1948 at Occupation Road, which was to be their home until 1985. They won the United Counties League championship in both 1950/1951 and 1951/1952, and these successes prompted a step up the Midland Football League in 1952. The Steelmen spent five seasons in the Midland League before switching to the Southern League. They were promoted to the League's top division in 1965 and made several applications for Football League membership without success.

Corby were relegated from the Premier Division in 1968 and remained in various forms of Division One until league re-organisation in 1982 saw them placed in the new-look Premier Division. The Steelmen were relegated again in 1990 - by which time they had moved to a new home at the multi-purpose Rockingham Triangle sports complex and for the remainder of the 90s the club struggled to stay in the Southern League.

Since 2002, however, the club's fortunes have turned around, culminating in a return to the Southern League Premier Division in 2006 following a fantastic season with Rob Dunion at the helm. Following a tough year back in the Premier Division that saw the departure of both Dunion and his successor Dougie Keast, the club were saved from relegation by Farnborough Town's demise from the Conference South. 2007/08 looked really positive for The Steelmen, with a new board led by ex-Kettering Town Chairman Peter Mallinger, Mick Leech & Les Manning of Corby based construction company Weldon Plant,as well as former Kettering director Dave Dunham. However the side assembled by Kevin Wilson vastly underachieved and following his sacking by the club and an influx of new players by new manager Graham Drury The Steelmen avoided relegation with just one week of the season remaining. Following a number of new signings and complete team restructuring the Steelmen's promotion to the Conference North was achieved on the 25th April 2009, at the Rockingham Triangle in front of a strong crowd of 1,990 which is a record to date.

Pre-Season Update

Corby have handed me a 2 year contract on £450 a week. In exchange for that, they're expecting a top half finish, and will give me a transfer budget of £3000 and a weekly wage budget of £9000. The current wage wage bill is £8070p/w, and the starting bank balance is £117,192 with no loans or debts. They own their own 3000 capacity stadium and basic training facilities and minimal youth facilities. Whatever position they finish this season will be their highest league finish ever. So in short, they're a blank canvass with some decent potential for growth. I think there is potential within the club for a couple of promotions before I move on, but we'll see how it goes...

As with last year, I'll be updating the thread at the end of each season, but if anyone wants any extra screenshots or info along the way, just let me know.

Good luck with your new career lollujo

Make sure You touch up those rules on LLM lollujo

Good Luck Indeed

I wonder if Bristol Rovers will offer you a job this season? Only joking.

I'll be following with intrest.

I enjoyed the title changing.

Good luck.

Thanks everyone, I'll hopefully have my first season done before the day is out, so should have an update in the next day or two.

Make sure You touch up those rules on LLM lollujo

I have made one or two changes. There was no mention of editors in the old set. I didn't use any though.

I wonder if Bristol Rovers will offer you a job this season? Only joking.

If they offered me more money than I'm on at Corby, I'd still go there! Relegating them every season may be a new tradition...

I enjoyed the title changing.

It might return. I couldn't think of any suitable puns for Corby though.

Is it a Fish, a Plane? No Its a Semi Professional Team with Potential!

Its 1AM here, sorry for that..

Thanks everyone, I'll hopefully have my first season done before the day is out, so should have an update in the next day or two.

I have made one or two changes. There was no mention of editors in the old set. I didn't use any though.

If they offered me more money than I'm on at Corby, I'd still go there! Relegating them every season may be a new tradition...

It might return. I couldn't think of any suitable puns for Corby though.

DO you still have that back injury which allowed to play so much of your LLM game ?

FFS Sax that is atrocious.

DO you still have that back injury which allowed to play so much of your LLM game?

No, touch wood my back has been OK for a couple of months now. Still not 100%, but it doesn't effect my daily life any more. Some of you lot have scarily good memories!

However, I am a soap dodging student now (there was no way I was going to get another banking job with the economy the way it is), so I do still have plenty of gaming time on my hands...

Is it a Fish, a Plane? No Its a Semi Professional Team with Potential!

FFS Sax that is atrocious.

I quite liked it! It's already on the shortlist of names for next year's thread...

No, touch wood my back has been OK for a couple of months now. Still not 100%, but it doesn't effect my daily life any more. Some of you lot have scarily good memories!

However, I am a soap dodging student now (there was no way I was going to get another banking job with the economy the way it is), so I do still have plenty of gaming time on my hands...

I quite liked it! It's already on the shortlist of names for next year's thread...

Thats good news mate, I remembered because you were flying through the seasons. As long as you still have good gaming time then im happy

Corby Town - Blue Square North - 2009/10

Well I wasn't expecting that!

League Table

Leagye Position Graph

I love the new tactics creator! I managed to get my team playing pretty much how I wanted them to be playing straight away (something I never properly achieved in last year's game). I took a few months to find a striker capable of scoring the goals for me, but once I found him, it all came together, and we ended the season very strongly, and looked like a very good side.

We also went on a run to the semi-final of the FA Trophy, and more than held our own against BSP opposition in that tournament, only going out to Cambridge to a last minute goal in the second leg of the semi-final.

Transfers - I didn't sign as many players as I expected to, firstly because there was already a pretty decent squad already at the club, and secondly because the club started to suffer a bit financially, so I tried to keep the wage bill down. The backroom advice helped a huge amount in assembling a good team quickly, and all but 2 of my signings over the season were as a result of assistant or other staff recommendations (subsequently scouted of course!).

The key signings were:

* Michael Standing (who I remember was a star for my FM08 Peterborough team) - added a bit of much needed quality before the season started.

* Jonny Lund - a top quality goalkeeper who really should be playing at a higher level. There are now several league clubs interested in him.

* Sylvain Legwinski - his experience was invaluable, and although he couldn't play every game at 36, he was there for all the big games and never let us down.

* Sean Rigg - until he signed we were struggling for goals, but he got us 14 in 28 games and was always a threat

* Craig King - he only played 6 games for us after signing on loan in March, but they were the last 6 after Rigg picked up an injury, and he scored 7 goals to push us over the finish line. Unfortunately I have no chance of signing him permanently.

Finances - Very frustrating. We lost £270,000 over the course of the season, even though my wage bill was only £5K a week against a budget of £9K, and we had a run to the FA Trophy semis. The board even had to inject £25,000 to stop us going under. The main problem is the average attendance of only 300. I don't see any way we can do anything but go bust unless that average gate trebles next season. Hopefully promotion will help, but there's no way I can cut the wage bill any further and stay competitve - ideally I'd like to add to the squad, but just can't do it with the financial situation as it is.

Squad - It's one of the smallest squads I've worked with, and although it's full of good players, I'm going to struggle to keep it together unless the finances are sorted...

Career Overview

Season	Team	        League                 Position    Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
09/10   Corby           Blue Square North      1st         Promoted as champions

Next season

I have no doubts that the current squad is good enough for a mid table finish in the BSP. My worry is that it won't be this squad starting next season, as I'm going to have to sell my best players to balance the books, and won't have the money to replace them. I'll wait and see what happens, but I'm watching the job centre very closely...

2009/10 Season Summary

Premier Division

Winners - Chelsea

Relegated - Birmingham, Stoke, Burnley

Championship

Winners - Sheff Utd

Promoted - Sheff Utd, Middlesbrough, West Brom

Relegated - Blackpool, Barnsley, Doncaster

League 1

Winners - Millwall

Promoted - Millwall, Leeds, Southampton

Relegated - Bristol Rovers, Carlisle, Wycombe, Brentford

League 2

Winners - Notts Co

Promoted - Notts Co, Rotherham, Bradford, Rochdale

Relegated - Darlington, Dag & Red

Conference

Winners - Oxford

Promoted - Oxford, Stevenage

Relegated - Eastbourne Boro, Salisbury, Tamworth, Chester

Conference North

Winners - Corby

Promoted - Corby, Solihull Moors

Relegated - Redditch, Harrogate, Hyde

Conference South

Winners - Chelmsford

Promoted - Chelmsford, Bath

Relegated - Bishop's Stortford, Weston-super-Mare, Dorchester

FA Cup Winners - Chelsea

League Cup Winners - Arsenal

Community Shield Winners - Man Utd

Johnstone's Paint Trophy Winners - Southampton

FA Trophy Winners - York

Champions League Winners - Chelsea

UEFA Cup Winners - Olympique Lyonnais

World Cup - England

A fantastic season there lollujo Time to jump ship already perhaps?

And England won the World Cup

Superb first season lollujo! I don't know what i'm more shocked at...Corby winning the BSN or England winning the world cup!

Good work, how are you finding FM10?

Well done mate,

I always wonder how non league clubs survive with hardly a soul coming through the turnstyles, I guess Corby on FM don't have the backing they get in real life.

You said in last seasons installment how you like to turn the finances around for your clubs. This should be quite a challenge to do at corby. I just hope you don't get hit with points deductions due to the poor financial situation.

Cheers guys. It was definately a good season!

A fantastic season there lollujoTime to jump ship already perhaps?

And England won the World Cup

I've heard from a lot of people that England have been winning the world cup. Perhaps SI know something we don't...

Superb first season lollujo! I don't know what i'm more shocked at...Corby winning the BSN or England winning the world cup!

Good work, how are you finding FM10?

I really like FM10. The 2 key things for me are the tactics creator and the backroom advice. They make it a completely different game. The tactics creator allows me to finally get a team playing how I want them to play in FM, and I can really see it working in the match engine. The difference between setting an MC to ball-winning (defend) and advanced playmaker (attack) is huge, and has a real impact on the game. Plus being able to change things quickly with the touchline instructions is great.

The backroom advice is great to, as it is turning up better players than my scouts have been! Also, it's getting me using features I've never used before (praising players in media, preferred move training) and I'm guessing these must be having some impact on the success too. I always thought they were just cosmetic features, but perhaps I should look into them a bit more now...

Well done mate,

I always wonder how non league clubs survive with hardly a soul coming through the turnstyles, I guess Corby on FM don't have the backing they get in real life.

You said in last seasons installment how you like to turn the finances around for your clubs. This should be quite a challenge to do at corby. I just hope you don't get hit with points deductions due to the poor financial situation.

The financial struggle is going to be the hardest thing in this job. I've arranged some high profile friendlies to try and clear the debt (although it'll be hard to do that with only a 3000 capacity ground). Even if I manage to clear the debt by the time the season starts, last season the wage bill was nearly double gate receipts, so the debt will soon mount up again. I've got my fingers crossed that I start seeing gates around 1000 every week this year. An FA Cup run or big offer for one of my players would be nice too...

Superb first season lollujo! I don't know what i'm more shocked at...Corby winning the BSN or England winning the world cup!

Good work, how are you finding FM10?

A fantastic season there lollujo Time to jump ship already perhaps?

And England won the World Cup

Why are you bolding his name :confused:

Great season, you could do with an FA cup run this year

Corby Town - Blue Square Premier - 2010/11

As predicted, the squad was good enough for a mid-table BSP finish.

League Table

League Position Graph

We struggled for the first 10 games or so, and I was starting to worry that we might end up in a season long relegation battle. But gradually the new additions to the squad blended, and performances improved. By the turn of the year, we were on 6 game winning streak, and at one point only 3 points away from the play-offs. Then my star striker got injured for 6 weeks, and we didn't score for the next 3 games. We never really recaptured the same form, and I ended up rushing him back from his injury too early. He only managed 3 games before getting injured for another month. With about 10 games to go, we were firmly sat in mid-table with no danger of getting promoted or relegated, so I started to experiment with some younger players and different tactics that will hopefully serve us well next season.

Transfers - I added a proper strike partnership to my squad in pre-season, with Willy Topp (very quick and good finisher) and Pavol Suhaj (6' 4", strong and a good passer). It took them a few games to get used to each other, but in the end they got 42 goals between them, which was crucial to our survival. Other than those 2, most of the signings were younger players, a lot of whom broke into the team as the season went on. I released most of the dead wood from last season, but by the end of the season I'd signed twice as many players as I'd released, so our squad was a bit too big for what we needed.

Squad - I need to trim probably 10 names from this squad list in the close season, especially as I've already lined up 4 new signings for 1st July. Even though the squad is big for the BSP, we're still £2K below our wage budget, so I don't feel too guilty about the club's financial situation.

Finances - I managed to claw back some money with some high profile pre-season friendlies, but the much needed cup run never happened. We did make a profit of £50K for the season, but that still leaves us £140,000 in the red. Plus, playing so many friendlies left the squad very tired by the start of the season, which was probably the main reason for our slow start, so I won't be repeating that again. Our weekly wage total is £6000 against a budget of £8000, but attendances are still only averaging around 450. My wage budget has been cut to £6000 for next season, so I'll definately have to get rid of some players before I bring in any new faces.

Career Overview

Season	Team	        League                 Position    Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
09/10   Corby           Blue Square North      1st         Promoted as champions
10/11   Corby           Blue Square Premier    13th

Next season

The board are looking for a season of consolidation (I thought we'd just done that...). I translate that as 'don't get into a relegation scrap'. I think we should be fine with that, providing we can keep hold of our key players. I'm starting to think promotion would kill this club though, as it would mean going full time and the increased wages that brings. I would suggest attendances would need to be 2000+ to support a league club, and I don't see that happening here. Especially with a 3000 capacity ground. I've got 2 years left on my Corby contract, and I can't see myself signing another one.

2010/11 Season Summary

Premier Division

Winners - Tottenham

Relegated - Hull, Middlesbrough, Bolton

Championship

Winners - Newcastle

Promoted - Reading, Birmingham

Relegated - Derby, Swansea, Sheff Wed

League 1

Winners - Charlton

Promoted - Huddersfield, Doncaster

Relegated - Stockport, Notts Co, Tranmere, Yeovil

League 2

Winners - Port Vale

Promoted - Crewe, Bristol Rovers, Carlisle

Relegated - Bury, Barnet

Conference

Winners - Cambridge

Promoted - Luton

Relegated - Solihull Moors, Altrincham, Bath, Hayes & Yeading

Conference North

Winners - Tamworth

Promoted - Northwich

Relegated - Nuneaton, Farsley, Nantwich

Conference South

Winners - Salisbury

Promoted - Bromley

Relegated - Gloucester, Farnborough, Carshalton

FA Cup Winners - Liverpool

League Cup Winners - Tottenham

Community Shield Winners - Man Utd

Johnstone's Paint Trophy Winners - Leyton Orient

FA Trophy Winners - Darlington

Champions League Winners - Barcelona

UEFA Cup Winners - At. Madrid

Only 2 seasons into my game, and already Arsenal and Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League, and Spurs won the league (only for Harry Redknapp to retire immediately afterwards)!

Also, money bags Notts County got relegated straight back down to League 2 again. They haven't spent any money since the first transfer window in the first season. That didn't last very long...

It might return. I couldn't think of any suitable puns for Corby though.

I'm sure you could have worked something in about trouser presses.

I'm sure you could have worked something in about trouser presses.

Unbelievelably, I didn't even think of that one. I'm ashamed of myself.

Corby Town - Blue Square Premier - 2011/12

A shorter than usual update, because I formatted my hard-drive to install Windows 7 at the end of this season, and forgot to backup my FM pics. I did get a backup of my save though, so that will continue. I've gone in and taken the screenshots it would let me do.

League Table

Although the finishing position looks good, it doesn't tell anywhere close to the full story. I actually uninstalled FM as soon as this season was finished, and haven't even thought about it for a week. I was disgusted! We were dead certs for automatic promotion and in the semi-final of the FA Trophy in mid-March. But then we lost our semi-final, and from then on went on to lose EVERY SINGLE GAME for the rest of the season. We were lucky to stay in a play-off spot, but of course we lost there too.

Even thinking about it now is making me not want to play the game! It was without doubt the worst run of form I've ever experienced in FM, and something I hope to never repeat.

Transfers - much quieter on the transfers this season, as I have a good squad that can comfortably achieve the club's goals. I just need to get them playing properly again...

Career Overview

Season	Team	        League                 Position    Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
09/10   Corby           Blue Square North      1st         Promoted as champions
10/11   Corby           Blue Square Premier    13th
11/12   Corby           Blue Square Premier    5th         Lost in play-off semi

Next season

Even writing this update is making me not want to play the game as it brings back the memories of that last few months of that season. I might even have to quit Corby to bring myself to carry on. If I do stay with Corby, it'll be my last season with them. My contract runs out next summer, and there's no chance I'm signing another one...

2011/12 Season Summary

Premier Division

Winners - Chelsea

Relegated - Birmingham, West Brom, Sheff Utd

Championship

Winners - Hull

Promoted - Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough

Relegated - Bristol City, Cardiff, Plymouth

League 1

Winners - Swansea

Promoted - Derby, Blackpool

Relegated - Rochdale, Crewe, Hartlepool, Carlisle

League 2

Winners - Bournemouth

Promoted - Notts Co, Luton, Wycombe

Relegated - Accrington, Macclesfield

Conference

Winners - York

Promoted - Dag & Red

Relegated - AFC Wimbledon, Barrow, Northwich, Tamworth

Conference North

Winners - Fleetwood

Promoted - Chester

Relegated - Ilkeston, Boston Utd, Guiseley

Conference South

Winners - Dover

Promoted - Hayes & Yeading

Relegated - Dartford, Tiverton, Billericay

FA Cup Winners - Q.P.R.

League Cup Winners - Tottenham

Community Shield Winners - Liverpool

Johnstone's Paint Trophy Winners - Leyton Orient

FA Trophy Winners - Wrexham

Champions League Winners - Man Utd

UEFA Cup Winners - Arsenal

What do you expect when you play on Friday 13th?

I've decided to blame Windows 7, and I'm sticking to my story.

Corby Town - Blue Square Premier - 2012/13

BSP League Table

I'd been threatening it for a little while, but on 23rd February 2013 I resigned from Corby Town, even though we were top of the BSP and on course to get promoted to the Football League for the first time in the club's history. I had become frustrated with the lack of ambition shown by the fans. We have still only been getting attendances of less than 500, and there's just no way that can support a league club. I made the decision before the season started that this would be my last, and fully expected to just walk away when my contract expired.

Then an opportunity came along that I couldn't refuse...

League 2 League Table

Crewe came in for me, offering me a 2 year deal at £700 per week (£175 a week more than my Corby contract). Their average attendance this season is over 5000 which gives me plenty to work with, but best of all, they're top of League 2! I couldn't turn down the chance to be managing a League 1 club with potential to go even higher a few months down the line, so Corby will have to finish the job without me. I hope they give the managers position to one of my two senior players who have served me so well for the last 3-4 years (and who are both retiring aged 39 at the end of the season) Sylvain Legwinski or Inigo Idiakez. I'd love to see them still get promoted, but unfortunately I think turning professional could bankrupt the club, so we'll see how they get on!

Career Overview

Season	Team	        League                 Position    Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
09/10   Corby           Blue Square North      1st         Promoted as champions
10/11   Corby           Blue Square Premier    13th
11/12   Corby           Blue Square Premier    5th         Lost in play-off semi
12/13   Corby           Blue Square Premier    1st (at time of resignation after 34 games)

Loving the updates lollujo, keep it up, seems like you are doing a good job, look forward to seeing how you do with Crewe

You couldn't refuse Crewe? Have you ever been there?

Crewe Alexandra Football Club

History

Founded in 1877, Crewe Alexandra are a professional English club currently playing in the Coca-Cola League 2. The club play their home games at The Alexandra Stadium and possess good training facilities and a good youth setup. The Crewe reserve team play at Reaseheath. The club is affectionately known as The Railwaymen and retains a fierce rivalry with Stoke City.

The club enjoyed probably their best spell of success during the 1930s. Although now enduring a seventy-six year barren spell, having not won a competition since 1937, The Railwaymen still have a history of which they can be justly proud. Crewe finished runners-up in the English 3rd tier for the only time in 2003, finished runners-up in the English 4th tier for the only time in 2011, and won the Welsh Cup in 1936 and 1937.

Current Situation

I join the club 13 games from the end of the season, and they are currently 3 points clear at the top of League 2, with former manager Stuart Gray having left to join League 1 Barnsley. Although everything looks good on the pitch, the board have made it clear that they will accept nothing less than the League 2 title, so I can't afford to have a slow start.

The club is also in a poor state off the field, and is nearly £1.5million in debt. I'm not allowed to sign any new players due to the financial position the club is in, but hopefully a promotion can help solve that problem. It's going to be an interesting few months...

You couldn't refuse Crewe? Have you ever been there?

Have you ever been to Corby?

No, but it can't be any worse than Crewe.

The fierce rivalry with Stoke is a laugh. Stoke fans couldn't give two hoots about Crewe while Crewe fans hate Stoke, despite very rarely being in the same division. It's also a laugh how they are proud of winning the Welsh Cup.

Good luck with Crewe.

Looks like its instant success as a minimum requirement, which is a bit harsh to walk into. But at least your in prime position to give it a go.

Crewe Alexandra - League 2 - 2012/13

We were in a very strong position when I arrived, and the team was good enough to just carry on as they were and get themselves promoted. We ended up scoring 99 goals and getting 99 points, which gave us the second highest League 2 points total since the start of my save. Unfortunately Stockport were even better than we were (They must have won all their games since I joined Crewe, because we only dropped 6 points).

League Table

League Position Graph

I'm very happy with my short time at the club. Joining a team who are top of the league with most of the season gone has the potential to go very wrong, but we managed to hold things together and get promoted.

Transfers - I joined in February, so no transfers, just a couple of loans to cover injuries.

Finances - This is probably going to be the biggest challenge at this club. They've been in debt for years, but it's getting worse each season, and the board have invested nearly £400,000 just since I've been at the club. Hopefully the promotion will improve attendances and increase income. I've also had £5000 slashed off my salary budget for next season. I might have to sell one or two players as well. Ultimately, if I'm to have long term success at Crewe, I need to sort the finances out first.

Squad - The 2 strikers got 63 goals between them, and they are comfortably the best players at the club. Townsend, at 29, will hopefully stick around for the next 2 or 3 years while I build a new team of younger players. Fairhurst on the other hand is only 24 and has some big clubs sniffing around him. I'm hoping I can get a £1million+ offer for him and clear the debts in one go. Other than those 2, the rest of the squad is made up mainly of young players. Crewe have good youth and training facilities and a youth academy. Hopefully this will lead to a better quality of youngster than most of our competitors at this level.

Career Overview

Season	Team	        League                 Position    Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
09/10   Corby           Blue Square North      1st         Promoted as champions
10/11   Corby           Blue Square Premier    13th
11/12   Corby           Blue Square Premier    5th         Lost in play-off semi
12/13   Corby           Blue Square Premier    1st (at time of resignation after 34 games)
12/13   Crewe           League 2               2nd         Promoted to League 1

Next Season

The goal is to stay in League 1. More than half of last season's first team squad has left the club over the summer at the end of their contracts. I've managed to bring in 6 young replacements, but that's still taken me over my wage budget (which has been reduced by £5000 per week). So the rest of the squad will be filled with youth players. I'm very keen to sell Fairhurst if a big offer comes in, because not only will it hopefully clear the debts, but it will also taken £3000 off of our £22000 wage bill. A season of scrapping for survival whilst rebuilding the club is ahead...

2012/13 Season Summary

Premier Division

Winners - Man Utd

Relegated - Hull, Reading, Middlesbrough

Championship

Winners - Sheff Utd

Promoted - Q.P.R., Peterborough

Relegated - Blackpool, Doncaster, Swansea

League 1

Winners - Colchester

Promoted - MK Dons, Norwich

Relegated - Brighton, Wycombe, Bristol Rovers, Luton

League 2

Winners - Stockport

Promoted - Crewe, Hartlepool, Rochdale

Relegated - York, Hereford

Conference

Winners - Mansfield

Promoted - Wrexham

Relegated - Grays, Salisbury, Chelmsford, Bromley

Conference North

Winners - AFC Telford

Promoted - Worcester

Relegated - Vauxhall, Stalybridge, Hednesford

Conference South

Winners - AFC Wimbledon

Promoted - Eastbourne Boro

Relegated - Thurrock, Wealdstone, Cambridge C

FA Cup Winners - Wolves

League Cup Winners - Man Utd

Community Shield Winners - Chelsea

Johnstone's Paint Trophy Winners - Cardiff

FA Trophy Winners - Wrexham

Champions League Winners - Genoa

UEFA Cup Winners - Arsenal

Good to see the Posh getting promoted to the Premier League without my help for the first time in any FM save I've had. Although it does make it a much less appealing job for me to aim for. Also disappointing to see Corby's new manager throw away the position we were in when I left and lose in the play-offs. And Genoa winning the Champions League? I'm only 4 seaons in, and already some strange results seem to be happening...

I'm desperately trying to resist signing this player. His name is brilliant.

I signed a player of the same name for Billericay in my 09 save, and he did well for me over four seasons.

Way back on the Zealot 01/02 clan game, one of the human managers signed a player called Brilliant, who was truly awful. He also signed an African called Chocolate, which sounds rather wrong.

The board wouldn't let me sign him in the end. My poor financial management has worked in my favour by stopping me signing a player just because I liked his name!

Crewe Alexandra - League 2 - 2013/14

Well that has to go down as one of the strangest seasons I've ever played. With 2 games to go there were only 3 points seperating 2nd and 8th place in the league.

League Table

League Position Graph

We had a great start to the season, and with 5 games gone we were unbeaten and in a play-off position. It started to get a lot harder from that point, not helped by the fact that my 2 star strikers from last season only played 30 minutes together in the first half of the season as they were both dogged by injury. At Christmas we were closer to relegation than the play-offs, and things didn't look good. Then the 2 strikers got fit again, and I signed a couple of experienced players in the transfer window, and we went on a great run of form. We were unbeaten for the last 11 games of the season, and won our last 5 games in a row. Going into the last game, we were in our highest position of the season - 3rd. We won 5-0, and finished the match in an automatic promotion position for the first time all season!

Transfers - We had no money to spend, and spent the first half of the season over the wage budget, so had to sell some key players in January to keep our heads above water. The signings of Hartley and Idrizaj in March were both vital to our promotion, although I'm not sure if either of them are capable of making the step up a divison.

Finances - We made a profit for the season of nearly £250,000, but still find ourselves over £1million in the the red. Hopefully promotion and the extra TV money and gate receipts that brings will help us out.

Squad - We struggled for goals in the first half of the season, but once we got the top strikers back we improved in the second half. Joel Lynch was a star at centre back, and there has been talk in the media of £500,000+ bids for him. Hopefully the promotion and extra money it brings will allow us to turn them down if they come.

Career Overview

Season	Team	        League                 Position    Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
09/10   Corby           Blue Square North      1st         Promoted as champions
10/11   Corby           Blue Square Premier    13th
11/12   Corby           Blue Square Premier    5th         Lost in play-off semi
12/13   Corby           Blue Square Premier    1st (at time of resignation after 34 games)
12/13   Crewe           League 2               2nd         Promoted to League 1
13/14   Crewe           League 1               2nd         Promoted to Championship

Next Season

Survival is the goal again. And I have a feeling it's going to be a lot harder this time around. I'm also starting to keep my eye open for a potential next job. I signed a 3 year deal at £1500 per week in the close season, but I think that will be my last one with Crewe. The stadium only holds 10,000 people, so there will always be a ceiling on how far I can take them, and I think it's probably top of League 1/bottom of Championship (where we are now!). I won't apply for another job whilst under contract, but if a big Championship club or a Premier League side come in for me, I'll be off.

2013/14 Season Summary

Premier Division

Winners - Chelsea

Relegated - Crystal Palace, Wigan, Peterborough

Championship

Winners - Hull

Promoted - Middlesbrough, West Brom

Relegated - Preston, Nottm Forest, MK Dons

League 1

Winners - Bristol City

Promoted - Crewe, Barnsley

Relegated - Bournemouth, Rochdale, Port Vale, Walsall

League 2

Winners - Northampton

Promoted - Brighton, Bristol Rovers, Lincoln

Relegated - Dag & Red, Mansfield

Conference

Winners - Kettering

Promoted - Rushden

Relegated - Dover, Worcester, Ebbsfleet, Eastbourne Boro

Conference North

Winners - Barrow

Promoted - Braintree

Relegated - Bradford PA, Bedford, Oxford City

Conference South

Winners - Grays

Promoted - Lewes

Relegated - Havant & W, Canvey Island, Tonbridge

FA Cup Winners - Man Utd

League Cup Winners - Liverpool

Community Shield Winners - Man Utd

Johnstone's Paint Trophy Winners - Southend

FA Trophy Winners - Bury

Champions League Winners - Man Utd

UEFA Cup Winners - At. Madrid

Congratulations on the double promotion. I agree with your assessment on how far you can take Crewe so it'll be interesting to see where you're next move takes you.

I've just caught up.

Well done on the double promotion with crewe. Second season was a real surge towards the top at the end judging by your league positions graph. Next season could be tough with little money to spend.

Good luck with that.

Me too, i've just caught up. Nice career progression there. As you and Terk said, it'll be difficult to see you taking Crewe any further (although it's always possible of course). Any preference of where you'll move to next or will it be a case of whoever offers you something?

Disappointed to see Forest relegated from the Championship. It took us 3 years to get out of there last time!

As always I'd love to get the Peterborough job. Other than that, it'll be whoever offers me the most money (or more likely, the first club to offer more money than I'm on at Crewe...)!