How to take my team to the 'next level'

I am managing Torquay - in my 5/6th season. Got promoted in my 1st season which was amazing! But every season i have struggled, flirting with relegation. my higest finish in league 1 is 15th.

I think the main problem is that my board dont have much ambition. i am given a wage budget around £29k and i cannot offer any players more than 3,2k a week.

This pre-season i was getting tired of struggling so re-shaped my squad. I sold Oscar Jansson who was absolute quality for 1million in order to put wage money elswhere in the team. Michael Poke was my 2nd keeper who is just as good so happy with him. I brought in Jake Buxton and a few regens but still conceding far too many goals per game.

Midfield is looking good i feel, with some really good wingers and mix of defensive and attacking players. All my strikers are pretty solid too and have 4 long season loans all youngsters of really good potential/quality.

I really thought this season would be different with the quality of players i brought in - and to be fair i have had a lot of players out injured but are all fit now. Im currently 16th (prob 7/8 points off play-offs) played 11 games. won 3, drawn 3 and lost 5. I havent won away yet - although have picked up 3 really pleasing draws and have already lost 2 games at home which i never like to do.

I have tweaked my tactics a lot - i think perhaps too much - but am clearly not stepping up to the next level that i crave in order to get in and around the play-offs.

What are chances of Torquay being taken over!?

Anyone in the same boat or have any advice which could help.

anyone?

10101010

try one of the tactics on the tactics thread. they can really cause an impact. also try to keep the harmony level high, that is more important than it looks like, and don't bring in too many players at the same time. if you want some more money you can always organize friendly tournaments in the pre-season against world class teams, that'll give you some money

From my own experience with Southend United, I generally find that the signing of a player that can play at a higher level galvanises the whole team. If you have a team that it is only good enough to finish 15th, then you are more than likely going to finish 15th, give or take one or two places either side. The signing of such players can be a risk financially but if it propels you to a higher level then you are going to get more money anyway. You can also get such players on loan and on a free. I signed a 34 year old James Beattie on a free and he scored 25 goals one season for me, helping my Southend team to 6th in the Championship in our second season there. We were hammered in the play-offs, but we did get there nonetheless.

If you do not have the resources or an unable to sign the quality of player required to reach a higher level, then you are left to good tactics and motivational techniques. My team, currently, is only really good enough for a top-half fiish in the Championship but we are right now 5th with a very good chance of finishing second. My tactics are far from advanced but I always make sure my team is motivated and that I'm getting the best out of every player at my disposal. Adam Barrett plays for me at centre back. He's out of his depth at this level but his average rating is 7.04 after 20 something games. Max Noble plays on my right wing and he is not that good, especially at the high-end of the Championship but he is still playing very very well for me and keeping my much better winger on the bench.

Tactically I'm always looking for my defense to be solid and then snatching one or two goals. In one season my goal difference was +3, a mixture of a lot of draws, one nil wins and one nil defeats. This year, my best year so far, my defense is doing very well again.

well firstly i think you made the correct move in sacraficing your high valued star to get funds in. this is an unfortunate side to lower league football but its often needed to get your team building in progress.

with that money that there are a few ideas to take on board to get good quality on your team.

a) loans, with the possiblity of a parent team

b) free transfers

c) signing cheap players with high stats in the relevant positions.

i find that it is quite easy to loan people in this version so if you filter the transfer list for loans only and for instance if you are looking for a defender centre you should look for a loanee who has high stats in the special defensive only attributes. also, at such a low level it could be a good idea to partner a player with someone who compliments him rather than looking for two complete players. for instance playing a pacy defender with a strong defender would be beneficial. similarly, perhaps play a player with high mental attributes with a player with high technical attributes.

personally in such positions i would tend to play defensive tactics and always use either an anchor man or two ball winning midfielders to solidify my defence until a point where i knew i could compete with being an open and attacking team.

Look for the best free transfers. If you offer contracts to a load of free players at one time you can go over the wage budget. Your board won't be happy about it, but if you manage to get into the premiership you've got 30 million quid a year of tv rights to look forward to. Also get back up players on loan! They are very good at being cheap covers, especially if you manage to negotiate 0% of their wage.

check your backroom advice, sometimes they recommend players, usually in your budget

That is FM for you.

Sadly realism of the highest degree means playing year after year in lower league football or if you are me, manage West Ham to mid-table year after year.

That is FM for you.

Sadly realism of the highest degree means playing year after year in lower league football or if you are me, manage West Ham to mid-table year after year.

No it doesn't. By your reckoning, i should still be playing in the championship, yet my team are now premier league and champions league winners. A bad workman blames his tools!

OP, money is a tugh commodity in lower league football. Just look at Accrington last night, the prize money from getting to the 4th round of the FA cup will wipe their debts out. So try and get on a cup run, with a bit of luck and the right draw you could get to round 4. Another idea is to get a feeder team, either from the championship or above. You'll get paid for that and can loan their players for nothing. Another one is trying to arrange money spinning pre-season friendlies against stronger teams at home, something that will get the fans along and earn you maney that way. Once you have cash, the rest falls into place.

I think in the lower leauges its best to keep it simple. I made a very basic tactic that did me well.

Maybe some of the default 442's or 352's might work.

Try and get some good loans, one at the back and 1 or 2 up front and the rest in midfield. Check out some of the youth players from the prem and championship.

And All the good free transfers that are willing to come. I managed to sign some good young players for free just by offering a 50% next sale clause.