Rick87

Monday 10th July 2023 -My attempt to sign midfielder Shaun Gardner as a player/coach ended in failure, as he chose to sign for Penrith instead. Wednesday 12th July 2023 - I have begun recruitment for my support team, places adverts for managers, coaches and physios at senior, U21 and 18 levels. Friday 14th July 2023 -We welcome 25-year-old Ellis Pearson to the club, Ellis has played for Carlisle, Workington, Gretna, Annan and most recently; Penrith. He can play anywhere down the left-hand side, which gives me options. Saturday 15th July 2023 - I ventured up to Coatsbridge to watch Albion Rovers Vs. Annan Athletic in the Scottish cup. I was running the rule over midfielder Josh Dixon for selection this September. Dixon got an assist during his side's 3-2 win, which does his hopes of facing Turkey and Liechtenstein no harm at all. Sunday 16th July 2023 -Today was spent tweaking training routines for the next few weeks, I've dedicated time each week for team bonding to increase cohesion in the squad given we have several new signings, I'm also working hard on set-pieces. Next Week -We make the 40 mile or so journey South through the Lakes to take on Kendal County in our first pre-season fixture. This will be important as it's my first opportunity to see how my squad is gelling and taking on my tactical messages. -Penrith Vs. Workington on Tuesday, as many as 14 potentials could be on show in this friendly. I'm also scouting Workington Vs Carlisle on Saturday.

So after another test, everything seems to working as it should, so without any further delay, let's crack on with building a football superpower! I shall be using a weekly update format, as that seemed to be popular in my last career. To keep things clear, I shall be using a Blue for Aspatria and Green for Cumbria. Monday 3rd July 2023 My first day on my new career path of football management and I find myself now in charge of two sides with the opportunity to build a footballing legacy that will elevate not only my own standing in the game but my local club and our newly formed National team too! There is no international games for a couple of months, so my focus in this first week will be on Aspatria. -I spend the day with my assistant manager, Adam Myres, Adam gives me his opinion on the existing squad. It is plain to see we need to recruit heavily this summer; We have almost no central defenders or midfielders, and half of the squad is still in school. Let's hope that their homework doesn't get in the way of their footy! I'm a regular at Workington AFC, so I already have a few ideas in mind regarding potential signings, whether we can get any of them is an entirely different matter. - I've reorganised our pre-season schedule, we now have friendlies against Kendal Town, Dalbeattie Star, Workington and Kendal County. We will also take part in a cup competition I have dubbed 'The Four Counties cup', with representatives from three of the counties that border Cumbria; Barnard Castle from County Durham, Lancaster from Lancashire and Lochmaben from Dumfries & Galloway in Scotland. -I terminate the contracts of the recruitment analyst, loan manager, sports scientist and director of football. They just aren't necessary at this level. I also take full responsibility for all staff hiring and contracts to prevent other members of staff hiring more unnecessary people. -At the first staff meeting, Adam advises me to appoint a captain, I hang fire for the moment with an eye to bringing in some experienced players who are better candidates than anyone in the current squad. Tuesday 4th July 2023 -Today I've been working on tactics, training schedules and set-piece routines, it's just over two weeks until our first friendly against Kendal County, I want to have my team fit and with a basic grasp on what I want from them tactically by then. To begin with, I've opted for good ol' 4-4-2 but with the two wingers pushed forwards and cutting in from the wide positions and the two central players dropping deeper to protect the defence. This will no doubt change over the course of the season, but I think it's a solid base to work off for my 'go-to' tactic. -I meet the players for the first time, I tell them we are aiming for a top-half finish in Division One this season, which is a target they are all happy with. Good bunch of lads. -I've offered contracts to five free agents in hopes of bolstering the squad. We can only offer amateur deals, so my powers of persuasion are very limited. - I hold press conferences for both Aspatria and Cumbria; I'm asked questions about the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier against Turkey in Istanbul, I respond that whilst it will no doubt be a tough game we will do our best to give the fans something to cheer. Thursday 6th July 2023 -My first signings for Spyatri! A triple coup for the club; 20-year-old striker Jack Milburn came through the youth team at Barrow before joining Kendal Town in step four, he made eighteen appearances for the Mint cakes before being allowed to join Penrith where he made just one appearance. Hopefully he can find a more permanent home here at St Mungo's. Ball winning midfielder Liam Lightfoot is a Carlisle graduate who left Bloomfield Road for Workington, where he has been a part of the Red's development team. He now joins us on free with the aim of getting more first team football. Liam Lightfoot Finally today, we have Adam Walton, who played in the same Carlisle youth set up as Liam Lightfoot. They will renew their acquaintance as my DM partnership in the heart of midfield. Friday 7th July 2023 -Another new face at St Mungo's today; Michael Williamson was born in Carlisle but started his career north of the border with Queen of the South and Gretna 2008 before joining Penrith and then Carlisle City. He has the ability to score a lot of goals in the First Division. Can he provide the firepower we need to achieve our goals this season? - Bolton's tenacious midfielder, Kyle Dempsey, is ruled out for 3–6 months with a hip injury, meaning he won't be available for selection in our Euro 2024 qualifiers this autumn. Next Week -Preparations continue for the new season, I'm still looking to find players to fill the gaping holes in the squad. The four new faces this week will help, but further strengthening is required. -I'm off to Scotland to watch Albion Rovers Vs. Annan Athletic in order to watch Annan's Josh Dixon who is a potential candidate for the national team.

Thanks guys; Sorry it has taken so long to get started, after noticing a couple of minor problems I ran a ten-year holiday test on my file which flagged up a major issue to the longevity of this save, namely that Cumbria weren't competing in the Nations League or European Championships. The World Cup qualifying worked fine, but UEFA just didn't work. After much head scratching, I decided to rebuild the whole thing again using Raibowz excellent Isle of Man database as a template, which has resolved the issue.

1000 at the moment, do i need to increase it?

Hi all, I've been making a custom nation, turning my home county, Cumbria into a new nation. I overwrite United Ireland and moved Kazakhstan to Asia. I then imported a level 20 database and added the Cumbrian teams from that database to the nation rules I had made. When testing; Qualifying for the World cup and club continental competitions has gone fine, however Cumbria doesn't seem to be entering either the Nations League or Euro 2028 qualifying, Can someone help me fix this please

The Challenge: To travel the length and breadth of Europe, collecting silverware and building your reputation as a tactical genius as you climb the ladder in European football You will need a league megapack to have all 54 European nations available, I recommend THIS ONE by Qwert2. You must start unemployed with Sunday League reputation and with no coaching badges. No cheating - Hopefully that goes without saying, but please disable the in-game editor and no reloading after defeats to get more favourable results. How you set up your database is up to you, I recommend loading all 55 nations but as 'view only' with only the five nations in your current step set to playable. That is entirely up to you though. The Ladder: To Win this challenge, beginning at the bottom in step one, you must complete the eleven steps on the ladder, which are based on the current UEFA coefficient ratings. Each step is made up of five countries. You must win Three of the five top divisions in each step before you may move on and load the next group of five. There is nothing to stop you going for the other two nations in each step if you want to make it even more challenging, but it is not a requirement. Step Eleven England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France Step Ten Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Turkey, Czechia Step Nine Scotland, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Denmark Step Eight Israel, Greece, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia Step Seven Poland, Cyprus, Hungary, Sweden, Romania Step Six Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Russia, Slovenia Step Five Moldova, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Finland, Republic of Ireland Step Four Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Liechtenstein* *Liechtenstein's clubs play in Switzerland's system, winning the Liechtensteiner cup will satisfy the challenge. Step Three Iceland, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Malta Step Two Georgia, Albania, Estonia, Belarus, North Macedonia Step One Andorra, Wales, Montenegro, Gibraltar, San Marino The very best of luck to all who take part, it's a great challenge that takes you to countries you might never load up on FM otherwise. Let us know how you're getting on below! Leaderboard

Thanks mate, keep reading! Just to make everyone aware, I have had to restart as I realised I had missed the clubs who are in the Westmorland league in real life, I wouldn't have bothered, but it was a sizeable number of clubs, and it has actually allowed me to add a third division. I have edited the posts and screenshots above to reflect these changes.

So then, dear reader, we move onto the club I will be leading on a domestic level; My local club, Until the great Cumbrian secession last year, played in the Cumberland County League in a nondescript tier of English football. They now suddenly find themselves in the second tier of Cumbria's newly formed league system. They are as basic as a football club can really get, just local lads having fun on the local park, surrounded by kids shouting on the playground next to the pitch and dogs running on and off the pitch as walkers transverse the park. No stands, no real facilities at all other than a small changing room in the corner of the park, and certainly no fancy pants corporate nonsense. This is grassroots football at its very heart. Aspatria (or Spyatri if you are local) is in the Noth-Western part of Cumbria, about fifteen miles from the capital city Carlisle. Aspatria enjoys the enviable position of being sandwiched between two areas of outstanding natural beauty; the Solway Coast to the North and the Fells of Lakeland to the South. It is a small town with a population of just below 3,000 and is a heavily agricultural area. The chairman doesn't have much ambition regarding our five-year plan, beyond maintaining a position in the top half of the first division. This suits me as there will be less pressure, however my personal targets far exceed that of the board; Club Objectives (Short-Term, Mid-Term, Long-Term) - Achieve a top half finish in Division One -Win Promotion to the Premier League -Win against rivals Wigton - Defeat one of the professional teams (Carlisle or Barrow) - Become recognised as 'the best of the rest' behind the two professional clubs -Qualify for the Conference League -Win the Cumbrian cup - Reach the League stage in the Conference League -Win the Premier League -Be ranked Cumbria's top club -Reach the league stage of the Champions League - Win the Champions League Clearly, much needs to happen if any of the objectives in amber or red are to be achieved. Foremost, I need to make money to pay for upgrades to the facilities and enable us to produce high quality trainees who can help not only the club, but eventually go on and play for my national team as well. Here is my squad on day one; Obviously, much strengthening is needed ahead of the new season. The entire squad is newgen players, there is some potential, but I think I need to bring in some experience to fill in the gaps the squad has. We kick off the campaign with a home game against Windermere Sports Club before a tough trip to Cleator Moor Celtic who were playing in the North-West Counties League last season. Here are the media predictions for the inaugural First Division season, clearly they don't give us much chance of achieving the board's target of a top half finish, in fact they seem to think we should be more concerned with avoiding dropping into the second division. OK, that is day one covered for both club and country, time to begin building a league and nation capable of winning the top prize in World football!

Welcome back all, thank you for your continuing readership! So here we go; day one on the job(s) I will be starting this build-a-nation challenge managing both my local club and the glorious independent nation of Cumbria in tandem, with the hope of raising the standings of both in the world. I will start my introduction with the Cumbrian national team; Cheers, Chris, I'm glad to be here! I have an entirely blank slate with the national team, we have no staff in place yet (aside from Chris who for some reason was hired before me), so I can build a team with my own ideas and philosophies, which is naturally quite an exciting prospect. Due to the season starting in July here, the game has already simulated part of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, which is a shame as it would have been nice to have been in charge of the country's first ever fixture. It's fair to say we are not off to the finest of starts. My first game in charge will be a trip to Istanbul to face Turkey. I fully expect a defeat, but hopefully we can keep it respectable. I will certainly be aiming for points against Liechtenstein at home though as I look to deliver the nation's first victory. I cleared the AI selected squad and have gone through all the positions to pick my own players, my selection will most likely change before the first fixture against Cameroon in September, but here is my initial selection; A handful of elite players such as Jarred Branthwaite, James Trafford and Ben Davies who will be the base I build my team on, the rest are occupying various levels of the football league and in several case non-league positions (And one with no club at all!) . Scoring goals is my main worry as none of the forwards are great, so defence will likely be our bread and butter, at least to begin with. As a collective group I would say we should climb the world rankings pretty quickly, this is a squad that I think is considerably better than our fellow European minnows San Marino, Andorra, Kosovo and Faroe Islands. If I were to pick a level I think this group should be operating at, I would say a stature akin to that of Albania, Latvia or Cyprus, someone of that ilk. My National team aims; (Short Term, Mid-Term, Long Term) - Win any game - Get promoted from our Nation's League Group - Have a player reach 100 caps for Cumbria -Have a player reach 50 goals - Beat England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland in competitive games -Qualify for the Euros -Qualify for a World Cup -Win the Nation's League -Win Euros -Win World Cup That's everything covered from a national team perspective, let me know what you think, how do you reckon we Cumbrians will fare on the world stage? Next update I will cover my club team who I will be hoping to transform into a European powerhouse!

When setting up Cumbria in the editor, I have ensured we are the lowest ranked nation in the world to make this as challenging as possible; I have changed the nationality of everyone who was born in a Cumbrian town or city, from English to Cumbrian; with the exceptions of Scott Carson and Dean Henderson and Rob Edwards, who have all represented England at senior level. That leaves a talent pool of 91 players on day one. (Not including generated players) There are a couple of EPL players in the National team, Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and Burnley's James Trafford are both young and the national team could be built around them for years to come. Rangers's Ben Davies will also important. OK, so that's the Cumbrian national team, now let's have a look at the domestic system; Cumbrian Premier League The top tier of Cumbrian football comprises of eighteen teams who play each other home and away, 17 are from Cumbria and one from Scotland, I have invited Gretna 2008 to take part as the border between Cumbria and Scotland runs through the town. Gretna has entered (and won) the Cumberland cup on multiple occasions, so they have previous form in the county. The winner of the division is crowned champions and will have the honour of being the first club to represent Cumbria in the UEFA Champions League next season, entering the first qualifying round of Europe's elite club competition. Second and possibly third (depending on the Cumbrian cup winner) will embark on an adventure in the UEFA Conference League, also in the first qualifying round. The bottom two clubs are relegated to the first division below, the team in 16th faces a play-off against the side finishing third in the First division. Reputation-wise, the league is ranked 180th in Europe; alongside the Welsh second division and English seventh tier. My job will be to help raise the profile of the league to make it more attractive to top players and indeed sponsors, so clubs can afford to upgrade their facilities and produce high quality academy players to supply the national team with talent. Prize money is modest for realism, as is TV money, over time they will increase as the league's profile increases. The biggest obstacle I foresee is Carlisle and Barrow completely dominating, I'm sure they will do for at least the first few years, but hopefully the smaller clubs can gradually improve and eventually challenge the two big boys, I'd prefer not to have an Old Firm type dominance where nobody else can win for decades at a time. Cumbrian First Division The promotion tier has eighteen teams vying to reach the top table, the top two go up, whereas third place can gain promotion if they can overcome the 16th place Premier League side. As with the Premier League, The bottom two are automatically relegated to division two, the team in 15th receives a chance to save themselves by means of a play-off against the third place second division club. All the clubs down here are amateur, There isn't much to chose between them in terms of stature, so hopefully that means they will all get a chance to play in the Premier League over the next decade or so. Cumbrian Second Division The basement division, 20 clubs who play a 38 game season. The top two are promoted, the third is involved in the inter-division play-off with the 16th place team in division one. The bottom two are relegated out of the league. Cumbrian Cup The national cup is contested in a single leg knockout tournament by every club in the country, ties go to a replay if drawn. The winner earns a place in next season's UEFA Conference league. If the winner is the same as the club finishing first or second in the Premier League, the team finishing third in the League takes the Conference League berth. Supporters Shield A two-legged super cup between the Premier League champions and the Cumbrian cup winners. (Or League runners-up if they are the same) Visit Cumbria Cup A cup competition for the clubs in the first and second divisions, to give them a chance of some silverware. Single leg knockout rounds, except the semi-final, which is played home and away.

Hi all; after my sacking in my Sutton Coldfield save, I decided to try something a little different. After much fiddling in the editor, I have helped my home county, Cumbria, to declare independence and secede from England. At around 2,613 square miles, Cumbria is the third-largest English county in terms of area, behind Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and is in fact larger than a number of the European countries that we will be facing in our quest to become a footballing powerhouse. Despite its size, it is actually one of the least populated counties with only around 498,000 people calling it home, which could be an obstacle as I look to develop the nation's football pedigree. Bordered to the North by Scotland, the Irish Sea to the west and by England to the East and South, Cumbria becomes the fifth nation to make up the United Kingdom. Cumbria's location within the British Isles. Best known for the beautiful Lake district which is almost entirely within the new country's borders, as well as historic castles, sandy beaches and vibrant towns; Cumbria attracts around 47 million tourists a year which is a huge contributor to the area's economy. In the next post, I will begin outlining how I have set up the proud nation of Cumbria in the editor and take you through the league set-up. Keep reading and get involved!

I pay little attention to it other than to get an idea of my first starting XI when I first take over a club whose players I don't know. I've had many who have poor ratings who are consistantly brilliant for me. Once I've been at a club a while and know my squad I don't pay attention to the ratings anymore.

I'm going to give this a go, playing as Matlock. I have many happy memories of trips to Matlock and Matlock Bath, so come on the Gladiators!

I'm quite tempted to try this, I did got quite deep into it years back on the Sortitoutsi forum. One question though, is it really necessery to win both the Cymru North & South and the National League North/South seperatley? as they are the same level. Seems like one of each should be enough.

Good luck, nice to see a save in a league that doesn't get posted about alot on here.