[FM10] When The Saints Go Marching In - Crouchy's Mighty Saints Save!

**Jake_Saint** · 25-10-2010 13:11

Geat thread so far Crouchy. Hope you keep updating it.

COYS!

**crouchaldinho** · 25-10-2010 13:46

Cheers Jake_Saint. Will certainly keep updating it.

COYS!

**crouchaldinho** · 27-10-2010 22:07

Two quick updates coming up!

**crouchaldinho** · 27-10-2010 22:15

UPDATE FOR FEBRUARY 2020:

Manager Comments for February 2020:

A bit of a rollercoaster month, including two 3-2 results, luckily both in our favour.

With Yegorov and Dimitrov in fine form, we kept plugging away at the promotion push. What worried me was the high number of goals we were conceding this month.

To be honest, I've never quite managed to trust my new goalkeeper, Luis Bianchi. It seems selling the veteran Chris Smith in the summer was a big mistake.

You can't win the league without a great goalkeeper, so the saying goes, and clearly we're finding it difficult right now. My faith in him is disappearing and his morale has dropped right down. He seems to be letting in some goals that I feel he ought to be saving. As a result, I've decided to send him to the reserves and bring in one of my young stars of the future, Billy Malone. Hopefully he will be able to make the step up.

We finished the month with a disappointing loss against Leeds and another poor draw at home to Walsall. I feel that our progress has stalled somewhat but we're still in it, for now at least.

Current League Position:

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | West Brom    |       | 35    | 20    | 10    | 5     | 56    | 26    | +30   | 70    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Sheff Utd    |       | 35    | 20    | 7     | 8     | 73    | 38    | +35   | 67    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | St. Albans   |       | 35    | 19    | 10    | 6     | 66    | 44    | +22   | 67    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Leeds        |       | 35    | 17    | 13    | 5     | 55    | 28    | +27   | 64    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Nottm Forest |       | 35    | 19    | 6     | 10    | 64    | 42    | +22   | 63    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

COYS!

**crouchaldinho** · 27-10-2010 22:21

UPDATE FOR MARCH 2020:

Manager Comments for March 2020:

Billy Malone went straight in and kept a clean sheet in his first match, away to Huddersfield.

A 5-1 win against Preston at home followed. A marvellous display, with the usual Dimitrov and Yegorov show up front.

The low point of the month was a really poor performance and loss away to Southend. A team we really ought to be beating or at least coming away with something from. We had quite a few injuries for this game, most significantly playmaker Andres Abdesalem, who is the focal point of the team and the player I have built the tactics around, so I'm blaming it on this really.

A top of the table clash against fellow promotion contenders Sheffield United was a key moment in our season. We came away with a point after going behind in this match only for Yegorov to save us in the second-half.

We finished the month with a 5-0 demolition of Leicester City at Clarence Park.

Overall verdict: better. Much better!

Current League Position:

Code:

| Pos                                                                                                      | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st                                                                                                      |       | West Brom    |       | 40    | 23    | 12    | 5     | 64    | 27    | +37   | 81    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd                                                                                                      |       | St. Albans   |       | 40    | 21    | 12    | 7     | 77    | 48    | +29   | 75    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd                                                                                                      |       | Sheff Utd    |       | 41    | 22    | 8     | 11    | 79    | 46    | +33   | 74    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th                                                                                                      |       | Norwich      |       | 41    | 21    | 9     | 11    | 61    | 44    | +17   | 72    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th                                                                                                      |       | Nottm Forest |       | 41    | 21    | 8     | 12    | 70    | 47    | +23   | 71    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

COYS!

**crouchaldinho** · 27-10-2010 22:23

I'm sorry for the slightly ridiculous looking table in the last post. It's because there is a note in the table about Birmingham losing points due to going bankrupt.

Hopefully you can just scroll across to see the points etc.

**crouchaldinho** · 27-10-2010 22:25

We kick off April with a home match against top of the table West Brom. What a huge match that could be!

**crouchaldinho** · 27-10-2010 22:57

What a game!

We had such a poor first-half and we were getting ripped apart down the flanks. West Brom kept punishing us on the break.

We were much better in the second-half and luckily still in touching distance. When the last minute equaliser went in, I was absolutely delighted.

We're still 6 points behind them but now 2 points ahead of Sheff Wed having played the same number of games.

Catching West Brom is going to be tough now but 2nd place is still very much ours to lose.

**JonnyCurrie** · 27-10-2010 23:34

It's been a great read so far. Will be satisfying to see St. Albans reach the Premier League without question.

**Saxonaitor** · 28-10-2010 11:23

Norwich to thrash and end St Albans dream 5/1

**crouchaldinho** · 28-10-2010 15:35

Originally Posted by JonnyCurrie

It's been a great read so far. Will be satisfying to see St. Albans reach the Premier League without question.

Cheers JonnyCurrie.

**crouchaldinho** · 28-10-2010 15:36

Originally Posted by Saxonaitor

Norwich to thrash and end St Albans dream 5/1

Hey, didn't I tell you to get out of my thread!

Norwich away is my next game!

**jackripper** · 29-10-2010 08:08

how are cardiff doing mate?

**Terras-FM** · 29-10-2010 14:00

Incredible thread KUTGW!

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 16:43

Originally Posted by jackripper

how are cardiff doing mate?

League One and currently challenging for the play-offs.

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 16:44

Originally Posted by Terras-FM

Incredible thread KUTGW!

You are far too kind.

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 16:54

UPDATE FOR APRIL 2020:

Manager Comments for APRIL 2020:

It's fair to say that things didn't quite go to plan this month.

The draw against West Brom wasn't ideal, seeing as they were one of the sides we were battling it out with for automatic promotion. The loss against Norwich was even worse, allowing them to make up ground on us. Finally, we blew a 2-0 lead against Portsmouth, conceding two in the second-half. It was a match that we really ought to have won. Nevertheless, we kept ourselves in the race for automatic promotion with wins at home to Burnley and Nottm Forest.

Going into the last game of the season, we are three points off West Brom and Sheffield United. We need results to go our way in order to gain automatic promotion. Otherwise, it seems that we will have to contest the play-offs again.

It is theoretically possible that we could win the title, although we would need both sides above us to lose and a 5 goal swing in our favour to catch up with Sheffield United.

Current League Position:

Code:

| Pos                                                                                                      | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st                                                                                                      | Pl    | Sheff Utd    |       | 45    | 26    | 8     | 11    | 87    | 49    | +38   | 86    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd                                                                                                      | Pl    | West Brom    |       | 45    | 24    | 14    | 7     | 69    | 35    | +34   | 86    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd                                                                                                      | Pl    | St. Albans   |       | 45    | 23    | 14    | 8     | 89    | 56    | +33   | 83    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th                                                                                                      | Pl    | Norwich      |       | 45    | 23    | 11    | 11    | 66    | 45    | +21   | 80    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th                                                                                                      |       | Q.P.R.       |       | 45    | 22    | 11    | 12    | 57    | 35    | +22   | 77    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th                                                                                                      |       | Leeds        |       | 45    | 19    | 17    | 9     | 61    | 34    | +27   | 74    | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

COYS!

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 16:59

My main hope was that West Brom would lose and that we would win, which I saw as being our most realistic passage through to automatic promotion.

West Brom were playing already relegated Preston at home in their final match of the season, while we were playing mid-table Rotherham away.

Let's just say that it seemed a long shot and a lot to hope for without even considering our poor away form this season.

We've been ruthless at home where our record reads 18 wins, 5 draws and no defeats. But on the road, our record compared to other sides would place us in 14th place in the league. Our away record reads 5 wins, 9 draws and 8 defeats.

Anyway, the deciding games:

West Brom v Preston

Rotherham v St. Albans City

Results coming up in the next post!

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 17:12

Championship Final Match - Rotherham 1 - 2 St. Albans City

Formations & Starting Line-ups

Overview, Match Stats & Player Stats

We were eventually deserved winners in this match but this last day of the season had a few twists and turns, as detailed below.

With 10 minutes gone, the Saints had a major setback when star striker Victor Yegorov came off with an injury. Backup Jokin Saiz came off the bench to replace him.

After just 11 minutes, news came in from The Hawthorns that West Brom were 1-0 down to Preston thanks to a goal scored from the penalty spot. It seemed unlikely that Preston would hold out for the remaining 79 minutes, so I paid little attention.

Ten minutes later, the Saints took the lead through substitute Jokin Saiz. He powered home a head from a Jose Antonio Gomez corner. As things stood, the Saints were going up in second place and West Brom would have to go through the agony of the play-offs!

At half-time, the scores were still the same. I really didn't get excited because I fully expected West Brom to come back. Preston were just playing for pride, after all. Furthermore, our game wasn't over yet. A 1-0 lead was not enough to satisfy me.

My worst fears were realised on 71 minutes when Rotherham got an equaliser from a cruel deflected free-kick. Agony. As it stood, West Brom were going up automatically in 2nd place.

I decided to chuck on Nuno Paiva, a young Portuguese wide player, for Rob Kogeldans, who had so far been ineffective. It was a like for like swap and I didn't have too much hope of the youngster making a difference to the outcome of this match.

However, just a couple of minutes later, Paiva went on a mazy run and was taken down in the area. PENALTY! Up stepped Jose Antonio Gomez and he made no mistake from the spot. 2-1! It was enough for us to steal the points!

Checking the scores at The Hawthorns, I saw that it was somehow still 1-0 to West Brom. And that's how it finished.

Final scores:

West Brom 0 - 1 Preston

Rotherham 1 - 2 St. Albans City

A dramatic and quite extraordinary last day!

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 17:15

Here is how the top six finished:

Code:

| Pos                                | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st                                | C     | Sheff Utd    |       | 46    | 26    | 8     | 12    | 87    | 50    | +37   | 86    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd                                | P     | St. Albans   |       | 46    | 24    | 14    | 8     | 91    | 57    | +34   | 86    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd                                | Pl    | West Brom    |       | 46    | 24    | 14    | 8     | 69    | 36    | +33   | 86    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th                                | Pl    | Norwich      |       | 46    | 23    | 12    | 11    | 66    | 45    | +21   | 81    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th                                | Pl    | Q.P.R.       |       | 46    | 23    | 11    | 12    | 58    | 35    | +23   | 80    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th                                | Pl    | Leeds        |       | 46    | 20    | 17    | 9     | 65    | 34    | +31   | 77    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

The top three all level on points with only goal difference separating them!

The right team probably finished top, given that they won more matches than anyone else. I also never felt that we would be deserving champions.

It was so close between us and West Brom though. If you like attacking football, I guess we were the best choice for runners-up. We scored more than anyone else in the league, although we also conceded the most goals in the top six.

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 17:32

Check out our fantastic home form this season:

Code:

| Pos                                | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st                                | P     | St. Albans   |       | 23    | 18    | 5     | 0     | 62    | 26    | +36   | 59    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Unbeaten at Clarence Park!

And then compare it to our disappointing away form:

Code:

| Pos                                | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th                               | P     | St. Albans   |       | 23    | 6     | 9     | 8     | 29    | 31    | -2    | 27    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

**hrbfcrule** · 31-10-2010 17:58

Congratz on getting to the premier league, took you long enough

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 18:00

Hey!

Well, actually, I suppose it did.

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 18:17

END OF SEASON 2019/20 LEAGUE TABLE & PLAYER STATS:

Final Championship Standings:

Code:

| Pos                                | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st                                | C     | Sheff Utd    |       | 46    | 26    | 8     | 12    | 87    | 50    | +37   | 86    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd                                | P     | St. Albans   |       | 46    | 24    | 14    | 8     | 91    | 57    | +34   | 86    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd                                |       | West Brom    |       | 46    | 24    | 14    | 8     | 69    | 36    | +33   | 86    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th                                | P     | Norwich      |       | 46    | 23    | 12    | 11    | 66    | 45    | +21   | 81    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th                                |       | Q.P.R.       |       | 46    | 23    | 11    | 12    | 58    | 35    | +23   | 80    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th                                |       | Leeds        |       | 46    | 20    | 17    | 9     | 65    | 34    | +31   | 77    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th                                |       | Watford      |       | 46    | 21    | 14    | 11    | 54    | 35    | +19   | 77    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th                                |       | Burnley      |       | 46    | 23    | 8     | 15    | 71    | 55    | +16   | 77    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th                                |       | Nottm Forest |       | 46    | 21    | 10    | 15    | 75    | 61    | +14   | 73    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th                               |       | Ipswich      |       | 46    | 20    | 8     | 18    | 72    | 62    | +10   | 68    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th                               |       | Huddersfield |       | 46    | 19    | 11    | 16    | 63    | 55    | +8    | 68    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th                               |       | Leicester    |       | 46    | 19    | 11    | 16    | 42    | 50    | -8    | 68    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th                               |       | Wolves       |       | 46    | 17    | 13    | 16    | 70    | 58    | +12   | 64    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th                               |       | Rotherham    |       | 46    | 15    | 17    | 14    | 48    | 46    | +2    | 62    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th                               |       | Sheff Wed    |       | 46    | 18    | 8     | 20    | 50    | 52    | -2    | 62    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th                               |       | Walsall      |       | 46    | 16    | 11    | 19    | 66    | 71    | -5    | 59    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th                               |       | Southend     |       | 46    | 13    | 17    | 16    | 49    | 54    | -5    | 56    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th                               |       | Plymouth     |       | 46    | 14    | 13    | 19    | 39    | 54    | -15   | 55    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th                               |       | Coventry     |       | 46    | 11    | 12    | 23    | 39    | 65    | -26   | 45    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th                               |       | Birmingham   |       | 46    | 10    | 18    | 18    | 56    | 68    | -12   | 38    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 21st                               |       | Colchester   |       | 46    | 7     | 15    | 24    | 38    | 76    | -38   | 36    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22nd                               | R     | Swindon      |       | 46    | 8     | 10    | 28    | 37    | 82    | -45   | 34    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23rd                               | R     | Portsmouth   |       | 46    | 8     | 13    | 25    | 46    | 71    | -25   | 27    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 24th                               | R     | Preston      |       | 46    | 7     | 5     | 34    | 34    | 113   | -79   | 26    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10 points deducted from Portsmouth |       |              |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10 points deducted from Birmingham |       |              |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       |       | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

First Team Squad Statistics (all competitions)- sorted by average rating:

Code:

| Pkd   | Inf   | Name                    | Position     | Apps    | Gls   | Ast   | MoM   | Av Rat| Age   | Nat   | Value | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK    | Rsv   | Billy Malone            | GK           | 13      | -     | -     | -     | 6.90  | 19    | ENG   | £1.1M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DR    | Wnt   | Gianni Zuiverloon       | D/WB R       | 47      | -     | 4     | 1     | 7.04  | 33    | NED   | £875K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL    | Wnt   | Joe Hall                | D L          | 22      | -     | 2     | -     | 6.97  | 20    | ENG   | £2.6M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC    |       | Borja Rodríguez Sánchez | D RC         | 39      | -     | 2     | -     | 6.77  | 25    | ESP   | £625K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC    | Unh   | André Pinto             | D C          | 43 (1)  | 2     | -     | 2     | 6.94  | 30    | POR   | £1M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR    | Wnt   | Rob Kogeldans           | AM R, ST     | 25 (14) | 13    | 5     | 3     | 7.08  | 24    | NED   | £2.8M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML    | Rsv   | José Antonio Gómez      | AM RL        | 21 (16) | 11    | 5     | 2     | 7.05  | 22    | ESP   | £2.3M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC    | Rsv   | Vito Favalli            | D C, DM, M C | 24 (2)  | 2     | 5     | 2     | 6.94  | 25    | ITA   | £2.2M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC    |       | Andrés Abdesalam        | M C          | 32 (2)  | 5     | 9     | 4     | 7.26  | 25    | ESP   | £3.3M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMC   | Inj   | Aleksandar Dimitrov     | AM/F C       | 38 (3)  | 16    | 11    | 5     | 7.23  | 22    | BUL   | £4.2M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ST    | Wnt   | Victor Yegorov          | ST           | 43 (2)  | 28    | 10    | 7     | 7.25  | 22    | UKR   | £3.5M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1    | Wnt   | Tamás Kádár             | D LC         | 3 (6)   | 1     | -     | -     | 6.84  | 30    | HUN   | £550K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2    | Inj   | Luke Hoyte YP1          | D RL         | 7 (10)  | -     | 2     | -     | 6.83  | 26    | ENG   | £300K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3    | Wnt   | Rodney Strasser         | DM, M C      | 22 (3)  | 1     | 4     | -     | 7.03  | 30    | SLE   | £1M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4    | Rsv   | William Carvalho        | M C          | 15 (9)  | 2     | 7     | 2     | 7.09  | 28    | ANG   | £450K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5    | Wnt   | Nuno Paiva              | AM RL        | 3 (13)  | 4     | 1     | 1     | 6.97  | 19    | POR   | £1.8M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S6    | Wnt   | David Waite YP8b        | AM L         | 30 (8)  | 1     | 3     | -     | 6.78  | 19    | ENG   | £1.8M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S7    | Unh   | Jokin Saiz              | ST           | 7 (13)  | 5     | 4     | 2     | 7.03  | 23    | ESP   | £2.2M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Rsv   | Leighton Baines         | D/WB/M L     | 21 (1)  | -     | 2     | -     | 6.82  | 35    | ENG   | £75K  | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Wnt   | Michael Johnson         | M C          | 10 (14) | 1     | 3     | -     | 6.72  | 32    | ENG   | £700K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Rsv   | Scott Cuthbert          | D C          | 12 (7)  | -     | 1     | -     | 6.74  | 32    | SCO   | £500K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Rsv   | Kevin-Prince Boateng    | AM C         | 1 (5)   | -     | -     | -     | 6.58  | 33    | GHA   | £120K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Rsv   | Marc Albrighton         | AM R         | 23 (10) | 3     | 6     | 2     | 6.78  | 30    | ENG   | £250K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Wnt   | Haris Vuckic            | AM/F C       | 5 (6)   | -     | 2     | -     | 6.69  | 27    | SVN   | £500K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Rsv   | James Rhodes            | D RL, WB L   | 3 (1)   | -     | 1     | 1     | 7.17  | 22    | ENG   | £325K | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 18:24

Play-off final result:

Norwich City return to the Premier League for the first time since 2004/05. Someone will be pleased.

**DSYoungEsq** · 31-10-2010 18:30

I was gonna say, now we are doomed to hear the joy of the Naaridge supporter(s). <sigh>

Can't you reload and replay that final?? <lol>

Congrats to you on getting St. Albans up, though, even if it does come at the cost of Canaries in the Premiership...

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 18:34

I was tempted to reload the final.

Just kidding!

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 19:08

Ex-Saints manager, Steve Castle, has just retired from football.

**JonnyCurrie** · 31-10-2010 20:08

Good work Crouchaldinho!

Victor Yegorov stats suggest a promising player - I assume he'll be still in your first XI next season? (assuming you're continuing with this..)

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 20:53

Originally Posted by JonnyCurrie

Good work Crouchaldinho!

Victor Yegorov stats suggest a promising player - I assume he'll be still in your first XI next season? (assuming you're continuing with this..)

Cheers JonnyCurrie.

Yegorov has been great for me during the last couple of seasons. Certainly, I'll be giving him a chance in the Premier League. Hopefully he will be able to make the step up!

And yes, I'll be continuing with this. I won't be starting a save on FM11 initially, so I'll keep battling away with the Saints for now!

**AcidBurn** · 31-10-2010 21:48

First off congratulations Crouchy and second of all about time we get to see you in the EPL.

You must have been worried once they equalised and great to see Gomez score what is in effect a £60 million penalty or whatever it works out as. Looking forward to the next chapter in this career been waiting ages to see you and the Saints in the top league.

**crouchaldinho** · 31-10-2010 22:56

Thanks AB!

Finally in the PL. Time to take the next step!

**Nobby_McDonald** · 01-11-2010 00:19

Well done Crouchy. Now the real challenge starts...

**crouchaldinho** · 01-11-2010 08:10

Cheers Nobby.

Yes, next season should be tough!

**Saxonaitor** · 01-11-2010 09:08

Originally Posted by crouchaldinho

I was tempted to reload the final.

Just kidding!

What I thought

Originally Posted by DSYoungEsq

I was gonna say, now we are doomed to hear the joy of the Naaridge supporter(s). <sigh>

Can't you reload and replay that final?? <lol>

Congrats to you on getting St. Albans up, though, even if it does come at the cost of Canaries in the Premiership...

I don't like you

Originally Posted by crouchaldinho

Play-off final result:

Norwich City return to the Premier League for the first time since 2004/05. Someone will be pleased.

Wonder who?

Congrats on getting promoted to the top flight anyway crouchy great achievement after a few long hard seasons. I'm still backing the Canaries over St Albans for survival though ;D

**jaycar** · 01-11-2010 10:13

*Lurk mode off* Finally! congrats on making it to the prem! *Lurk mode back on*

**crouchaldinho** · 01-11-2010 10:21

Cheers Sax and Jaycar.

**Flamers** · 01-11-2010 10:43

Originally Posted by crouchaldinho

...After just 11 minutes, news came in from The Hawthorns that West Brom were 1-0 down to Preston thanks to a goal scored from the penalty spot. It seemed unlikely that Preston would hold out for the remaining 79 minutes, so I paid little attention.

...Final scores:

West Brom 1 - 0 Preston

Rotherham 1 - 2 St. Albans City

A dramatic and quite extraordinary last day!

check the scores

Flamers

**crouchaldinho** · 01-11-2010 12:38

Good to see someone is paying attention!

Fixed.

**jackripper** · 01-11-2010 16:13

about time mate haha well done

**Flamers** · 01-11-2010 16:40

im a sucker for precision and it does prove that some people do read your updates fully :P

Flamers

**crouchaldinho** · 01-11-2010 17:06

Originally Posted by jackripper

about time mate haha well done

Cheers Jackripper!

**crouchaldinho** · 01-11-2010 17:06

Originally Posted by Flamers

im a sucker for precision and it does prove that some people do read your updates fully :P

Flamers

Appreciated.

**AcidBurn** · 01-11-2010 17:47

Hows the bank balance looking Crouchy?

Any news on a new stadium or anything?

**crouchaldinho** · 02-11-2010 19:29

The bank balance is looking pretty bare to be honest Acidburn. I think I may be able to raise some funds by selling a few youngsters.

As for the stadium, funny you should ask. We're moving temporarily to West Ham United's ground, which is a bit random.

This is while the necessary work is undertaken on our ground to bring it up to Premier League standards.

I mean, West Ham seems a bit weird. I thought it would probably be a temporary ground share with Watford to be honest, which would make sense. At a stretch, maybe Luton. At a greater stretch, perhaps somewhere in north London (i.e. Arsenal or Spurs). But West Ham is a strange one.

Hang on a minute and I will locate the news item.

**crouchaldinho** · 02-11-2010 19:30

So, off to Upton Park until 30/01/2021. Then we will move back into a 7,296 capacity Clarence Park!

**crouchaldinho** · 02-11-2010 21:50

Crouchy's Mighty Saints Save - St. Albans City in the Championship (Season Eleven at Clarence Park - 2019/20)

End of Season 2019/20 Screenshots:

League Table - see above post for the full league table. Our runners-up finish was a record high for the club.

League Positions Graph - As you can see, we started slowly and maybe peaked a little early, ending up having to fight tooth and nail for second place.

FA Cup - A major disappointment to be knocked out against local rivals Watford in a Hertfordshire derby.

League Cup - Just the early rounds before we got knocked out by Villa.

Transfers - As usual, it was a case of selling some players to make ends meet. We managed to bring in £2.1m through sales, which is terrific stuff. All of my new signings were free transfers, as usual, so we didn't spend a penny on improving the first team. The best signing was probably bringing Aleksander Dimitrov back on loan from Chelsea. Otherwise, Dutch winger/forward, Rob Kogeldans, was the signing of the season for us. Goalkeeper Luis Bianchi, on the other hand, was a total flop.

Key players:

Andres Abdesalam - My favourite player by far and club player of the year for the third season running. Abdesalam has been absolutely brilliant as our advanced playmaker in the midfield. This is his second season as captain. Played less than last year thanks to injuries. When he was missing, we were poor. When he was in the side, we were fantastic. Once again, he more or less carried the team this season.

Rob Kogeldans - The Dutch wide player/forward has been a terrific find. Hard working and brave, he sort of reminds me of Dirk Kuyt. He can dribble and cross really well, while his attributes also make him a decent goalscorer, so he was able to play out wide and also up front if needed.

Jose Antonio Gomez - The Spanish winger has really come of age lately, improving dramatically and making the left side of midfield position his own. A solid technical player, good at dribbling and also excellent at finding the back of the net. Great stuff from the youngster.

Aleksandar Dimitrov - Scored 15 in the league and 16 overall. Set up another 10 goals and 11 overall. Great stuff. Another one who played a little less than last season due to injuries. I'm basically desperate to sign the Bulgarian genius from Chelsea if I get the funds this summer.

Victor Yegorov - Scored 26 in the league and 28 overall. Sensational, once again. Has been getting interest from Premier League clubs, but I'm hopeful he'll stay and step up to the PL level this season.

Team of the Season - There seems to be a bug with this because Jonas retired last season and is now a coach with us. For some reason, it is counting his games last year as being played this season, which is a nonsense. Otherwise, it's pretty much right.

Overall Best XI - Looking more and more eccentric. It never quite gets it right and makes some odd choices.

Other Club Info:

Fans’ Player of the season: Andres Abdesalem for a third year running.
Signing of the season: Rob Kogeldans on a free.
Top goalscorer(s): Yegorov 26 in the league (28 goals in all competitions).
Most Assists: Dimitrov with 11.
Most MoM awards: Yegorov with 7.
Best Average Rating: Andres Abdesalam 7.26 (34 apps).

Average Attendance: 5,863 (quite a big increase on last year - 800+).
Season Tickets: 1,657 (Almost 200 extra last year).

Club finances: The cupboard is bare but at least we aren't in any debt.

City Legends: Wilfred Minter, Steve Clark, Phil Wood (no new additions).
City Icons: Colin Lippiatt, Lee Clarke, Peter Risley, Kevin Mudd, Richard Evans, Paul Bastock, Andres Abdesalam (Abdesalem added!)
City Favourites: Steven Hetherington, Victor Yegorov (Yegorov added).

Most League Apps for Club - Steve Clark 488 (all time), Luke Hoyte 279 (current).
Most League Goals for Club - Steve Clark 322 (all time), Aleksandar Dimitrov 58 (current).

**crouchaldinho** · 02-11-2010 21:53

Youth academy products season reports (the youngsters that my assistant recommended):

I've decided to change this section slighty as I'm a bit fed up of reporting on the failures. I'm just going to report on youth products who make it to the first-team.

Luke Hoyte (YP1) - Played as a backup this season. Still fairly solid and reliable when called upon. I want to keep him on so that he can taste Premier League football - then he will have played in all divisions as we have risen up the leagues!

David Waite (YP8b) - This lad wasn't even the player recommend in his youth batch. He has, however, gone on to be the first successful youth player since Luke Hoyte for us. Hard working with plenty of stamina and a great cross. He got a fair number of starts this season even though Gomez was preferred at ML.

100 club (players that have made 100 league apps for the club under my management):

Code:

Name                	Position  	Era             Apps	Goals	Honours	
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luke Hoyte (YP1)	DL		2010-Present	279	3	Blue Square South (2012)
									Blue Square Premier (2014)
									Coca-Cola League Two (2015)

Borja Rodriguez Sanchez	DC		2016-Present	161	4	

Laurence Gaughan	DRC		2009-2015	152	3	Blue Square South (2012)
									Blue Square Premier (2014)
									Coca-Cola League Two (2015)

Sol Shields		MC		2009-2014	152	10	Blue Square South (2012)


Steven Hetherington	AMLC		2013-2017	146	21	Blue Square Premier (2014)
									Coca-Cola League Two (2015)

Ryan Carolan		DLC       	2009-2013	137	3    	Blue Square South (2012)

William Carvalho	DM/MC		2015-Present	133	7

Mick Hodgson 		DC		2014-2019	131	7	Coca-Cola League Two (2015)

Horacio Palomino	ST		2015-2018	127	63	

Andres Abdesalam	MC		2016-Present	126	20

Craig Calver 		ST 		2009-2015	122	45	Blue Square South (2012)
									Blue Square Premier (2014)
									Coca-Cola League Two (2015)

JJ O'Donnell		AMRLC		2009-2014	111	10	Blue Square South (2012)

Ben Martin 		DC		2010-2014	109	4	Blue Square South (2012)

James Rhodes		DR		2016-Present	112	1	

Peter Smith		DL		2009-2013	105 	4	Blue Square South (2012)

Paul Hakim 		FC		2009-2013	102	27	Blue Square South (2012)

James Quilter		DRC/DM/MC	2009-2013	102	1	Blue Square South (2012)

James Fisher		DR/MC		2009-2013	100	2	Blue Square South (2012)

Alfie Potter		AMR		2012-2015	100	17	Blue Square Premier (2014)
									Coca-Cola League Two (2015)

**crouchaldinho** · 02-11-2010 21:56

Other News:

- The Big Boys:

o Arsenal win their first league title since 2011. Between them, Arsenal and Man Utd are finally stopping the dominance of Man City who won the title five times in a row from 2014 to 2018. Man City, Man Utd and Blackburn completed the top four. That's two Champions League finishes in a row for Rovers under their manager Alan Shearer. Reading, Middlesbrough and West Ham are relegated.

o Chelsea win the FA Cup defeating Liverpool 3-0 in the final.

o Man Utd pile more misery on Liverpool by winning in the League Cup final 1-0 against their rivals.

o Man City may not have managed to win a trophy domestically but they did win the Champions League title. It was an all Manchester final and City defeated United 2-1 to win the trophy. It's the first time they have managed to win the trophy. Roberto Mancini has now managed to add the Champions League to his five Premier League trophies.

o The Europa is won by Atalanta. They defeated Spurs in the final.

**crouchaldinho** · 02-11-2010 21:57

My Manager Awards:

- 2019/20 Coca-Cola Championship Manager of the Year Third Place.

- 2016/17 Coca-Cola League One Manager of the Year Third Place.
- 2016/17 Coca-Cola League One Manager of the Month for April.
- 2016/17 Coca-Cola League One Manager of the Month for February.

- 2014/15 Coca-Cola League Two Manager of the Year.

- 2013/14 Blue Square Premier Manager of the Year.
- 2013/14 Blue Square Premier Manager of the Month for April.
- 2013/14 Blue Square Premier Manager of the Month for March.
- 2013/14 Blue Square Premier Manager of the Month for December.

- 2012/13 Blue Square Premier Manager of the Year Third Place.
- 2012/13 Blue Square Premier Manager of the Month for December.

- 2011/12 Blue Square South Manager of the Season.

- 2010/11 Blue Square Manager of the Month for September.
- 2010/11 Blue Square South Manager of the Season Third Place.

- 2009/10 Blue Square South Manager of the Season Runner-up.

Career Overview:

My managerial record at the Saints (2009 - Present [3275 days])::

Code:

P 	W 	D 	L 	F	A	Win % 		Competitions Won
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
572	296	155	121	938	575	51.75%		Coca-Cola League Two (2015)
								Blue Square Premier (2014)
								Blue Square South (2012)

Cups:

Code:

| Season 	| FA Cup	| League Cup	|  FL Trophy	| FA Trophy		
|-----------------------------------------------|--------------------------------  
| 09/10 (BSS) 	| 3rd Rnd    	| N/A		|  N/A		| 3rd Qual Rnd 
| 10/11 (BSS) 	| 1st Rnd    	| N/A   	|  N/A		| 1st Rnd
| 11/12 (BSS) 	| 2nd Rnd    	| N/A 		|  N/A		| 1st Rnd
| 12/13 (BSP) 	| 2nd Rnd    	| N/A 		|  N/A		| 3rd Rnd
| 13/14 (BSP)	| 3rd Rnd    	| N/A		|  N/A		| 1st Rnd
| 14/15 (L2) 	| 3rd Rnd    	| 1st Rnd 	|  1st Rnd	| N/A
| 15/16 (L1) 	| 1st Rnd    	| 2nd Rnd 	|  S Semi	| N/A
| 16/17 (L1) 	| 3rd Rnd    	| 2nd Rnd 	|  1st Rnd	| N/A
| 17/18 (Ch) 	| 3rd Rnd    	| 2nd Rnd 	|  N/A  	| N/A
| 18/19 (Ch) 	| 5th Rnd    	| 3rd Rnd 	|  N/A  	| N/A
| 19/20 (Ch) 	| 3rd Rnd    	| 3rd Rnd 	|  N/A  	| N/A

League:

Code:

Season      	Team      		League      	Position   	Achievements & Notes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2009/10      	St. Albans City   	BSS	    	4th      	FA Cup 3rd Rnd
2010/11		St. Albans City   	BSS	    	2nd      	Play-off finalists
2011/12		St. Albans City   	BSS	    	1st		BSS Champions, Manager of the Season
2012/13		St. Albans City   	BSP	    	5th      	
2013/14		St. Albans City		BSP		1st		BSP Champions, Manager of the Season
2014/15		St. Albans City		CCL2		1st		League Two Champions, Manager of the Season
2015/16		St. Albans City		CCL1		3rd		Play-off finalists
2016/17		St. Albans City		CCL1		2nd		Automatic Promotion
2017/18		St. Albans City		CCCh		7th		
2018/19		St. Albans City		CCCh		4th		Play-off finalists
2019/20		St. Albans City		CCCh		2nd		Automatic Promotion

Misc. screenshots:

News about stadium expansion -

Where are they now? A report on my overall best eleven -

Next Season: STAY UP!

COYS!

**AcidBurn** · 02-11-2010 22:36

The ground share is a bit strange but as Nantwich Town I moved to the Stokes ground even though Crewes is only up the road.

Good luck for next season I am predicting a 14th place finish.

**crouchaldinho** · 02-11-2010 22:47

I hope you are right AB.

I've been given a £30m transfer budget. I've never seen so much money in all my FM days!

I know it will go too quickly though!

First priority is to build from the back. New goalkeeper and central defender.

**AcidBurn** · 02-11-2010 22:57

Yegorov needs to be put on a nice long contract he looks brilliant should easily step up to the EPL. Fast strikers are deadly in FM10 GK and defenders are most sensible but sometimes I build from the front instead lol. Your location needs changing as well.

**crouchaldinho** · 02-11-2010 23:23

I've done it AB. Just put Yegorov on a big, fat contract.

The chairman has also offered me a contract, which takes me through to 2024. I signed, naturally!

**crouchaldinho** · 02-11-2010 23:23

Absolutely gutted.

Newcastle United signed Dimitrov. He rejected my offer.

**crouchaldinho** · 02-11-2010 23:57

I also missed out on the England job.

Stuart Pearce was sacked after Euro 2020, which was held in England. Pearce had taken the national team backwards. If you think things are bad now in real life for England then just thank the heavens that Pearce isn't in charge and doing what he did in FM. Let's just say, I don't he would have even got them to qualify if it wasn't for the fact that they automatically qualified as hosts!

Anyway, Steve Bruce is the man to take over from Pearce apparently. According to the FA anyway.

**Flamers** · 03-11-2010 09:49

on my game pearce is doing ok, same as capello, knocked out in the second round, classic england :P

Flamers

**jaycar** · 03-11-2010 10:25

Shame about Dimitrov

Do you have a replacement target?

**higgins** · 03-11-2010 14:18

What are you planning for FM 11 Crouchy, another massive Saints save or you'll wait till the 3rd patch to play it?

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 14:30

Will get FM11 but will be carrying on with FM10 saves for some time yet.

First of all, I have this save. As we've only just got into the Premier League, I'll definitely be continuing on for some time to come!

Then, I also have my calcio career - currently at Hellas Verona - and I would like to go back to that at some point. I have unfinished business there, for sure.

So it's going to be quite a while before I load up a new long-term save on FM11.

For what it's worth, in terms of FM11, I'm a bit frustrated by the player interaction and the lack of new features that I am personally interested in. Chief among the disappointments for me is the lack of continued development of the tactics creator, where I was hoping for new roles, more options and the ability to add customisable content. So, ultimately, there is nothing that is making me want to drop FM10 and rush to FM11 at the moment.

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 14:31

Originally Posted by jaycar

Shame about Dimitrov

Do you have a replacement target?

Looks as if I will be switching to a 4-4-2 as I have managed to bring in a couple of decent looking strikers to replace him. All will be revealed in my pre-season update!

In other news, Man Utd at home is my first fixture in the Premier League.

Funnily enough, it was also Man Utd at home on FM07, which was the last time I managed to take City all the way up to the PL. I won that game and ended up finishing comfortably mid-table.

Let's hope it's a good omen!

**williamshankley** · 03-11-2010 17:23

Delighted for you Crouch KUTGW

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 21:34

PRE-SEASON 2020/21 TRANSFERS:

This was a summer of major change at Clarence Park as I sought to take us to the next level. We needed big alterations to the squad in order to survive, and so I rang in the changes, with the risk of poor team gelling definitely a possibility.

OUT:

Code:

| Date               | Person                | To                 | Fee                | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2020           | Cuthbert, Scott       | Coventry           | £400K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2020           | Saiz, Jokin           | Hull               | £2M                | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2020           | Baines, Leighton      |                    | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2020           | Boateng, Kevin-Prince |                    | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2020           | Albrighton, Marc      |                    | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2020           | Joynes, John          |                    | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2020           | Simpson, Neil         |                    | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2020           | Lodi, Sergio          |                    | Free               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2020           | Bianchi, Luis         | Hull               | £900K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2020           | Johnson, Michael      | Coventry           | £625K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11.7.2020          | Zuiverloon, Gianni    | Walsall            | £550K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.7.2020          | Rivers, Bobby         | Southend           | £650K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.7.2020          | Vuckic, Haris         | Dinamo             | £825K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15.7.2020          | Hawes, Danny          | Sheff Wed          | £200K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18.7.2020          | Kádár, Tamás          | Hull               | £450K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19.7.2020          | Strasser, Rodney      | Leicester          | £550K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 21.7.2020          | Glen Miller YP8       | Morton             | £210K              | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                 |                    | £7.25M             | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

I was ruthless in clearing players in order to make some money to spend on improving the squad.

Out went some of the older players while I could still make a profit on them. The likes of Scott Cuthbert, Michael Johnson, Gianni Zuiverloon and Rodney Strasser were shown the door for some decent profits.

Striker, Jokin Saiz, has shown considerable promise but I also axed him when I got a £2m offer. I reasoned that his poor natural fitness was always going to hold him back and cashed in while I could.

Among the others to be sold was Luis Bianchi. He had been a flop as our goalkeeper last season but at least we made a tidy sum on his transfer out of the club.

Finally, a whole bunch of youngsters were sent on their way.

INS:

Code:

| Date               | Person             | From               | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2.7.2020           | Lopes, Raúl        | Benfica            | £725K              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.7.2020           | van Dijk, Ryan     | Dinamo Kiev        | £13.25M            | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.7.2020           | Sneijder, Wesley   | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7.7.2020           | Nørgaard, Steffen  | FC København       | £6.5M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.7.2020           | Lorenz, Christian  | Rapid Wien         | £2.5M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9.7.2020           | Leandrinho         | Tom                | £3.2M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11.7.2020          | Amos, Ben          | West Ham           | £7M                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12.7.2020          | Ferreira, Vitor    | R. Madrid          | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15.7.2020          | Lobato, José       | R. Madrid          | Ln Fee £55K        | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17.7.2020          | Stansfield, Tom    | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.7.2020          | Barrios, José Luis | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.7.2020          | Bergara, Joseba    | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 24.7.2020          | Rossi, Gaetano     | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 26.7.2020          | van Dijk, Stefan   | FC RB Salzburg     | £800K              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.8.2020           | Larrea, Aritz      | Osasuna            | £210K              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                    | £34M               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

In terms of the incomings, first of all, I was unfortunately unable to tempt Aleksandar Dimitrov to sign for the club. He ended up signing for Newcastle United.

I was given a £30m war-chest and also spent some of the incoming transfer money. I'd never seen so much money in my FM days.

During my time with the Saints, I spent £30k on JJ O'Donnell while in the BSP and that's about it. So to get £30m+ to spend was pretty exciting.

The absolutely key was to make sure that I made it count. Every single penny.

I did some major business, bringing in no less than 15 players who would be in the first-team squad this season! I strengthened in pretty much every position in order to try to give us the quality we would require to step up to the Premier League.

I pretty much thought that a spine of Abdesalem, Gomez, Yegorov and Kogeldans would step up to the next level. Other than that, I felt that I needed to really improve things everywhere.

I started building from the back. I brought in Ben Amos from temporary landlords West Ham for £7m. It seemed like a fair price for a leading Premier League goalkeeper who was the right kind of age to come in and organise the defence. In the defence, I decided to spend some money on the best centre-back I could find. £13.75m brought me a Dutch international in Ryan van Dijk. A player who, at 24, still has plenty of years service in him. Leandrinho, the first Brazilian to play for the Saints, came in to partner him at around £3m.

The legendary Westley Sneijder added something to the midfield. He may be 36 now but he still has something to offer and I managed to sign him up on a free. Tom Stansfield was another great signing on a free. A kind of Danny Murphy style player who can play in the middle or wide right.

Up front, Danish forward Steffen Norgaard for £6.5m, which seemed a bargain for a very talented young player. Jose Luis Barrios and Gaetano Rossi were also signed on frees to ensure that we would definitely have plenty of attacking options.

All in all, it was a pretty massive overhaul and rebuilding of the squad. I'll have to be patient, no doubt, due to the team gelling, but I feel we have done some great business and it gives us a real chance of staying up.

I was surprised to be given so much support from the chairman. We've essentially spent our TV money before receiving it and have taken out a loan to finance this spending spree. Hopefully, it gives the club a great chance of survival and maybe building on something for the future.

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 21:34

Originally Posted by williamshankley

Delighted for you Crouch KUTGW

Thanks WS. Very kind!

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 21:43

This is my anticipated starting XI for the first game of the season:

It's a change to a 4-4-2 formation due to having a number of quality forwards to call upon and therefore wanting to play with a front two.

New signing Ben Amos will start in goal. At the back, it's all change, as we have a new back four. At left-back and centre-back, we have the two van Dijks, but no relation! The centre-back, Ryan van Dijk, is the most expensive player in the history of the club. Partnering him is powerful Brazilian defender Leandrinho. And at right-back, we have young Spanish fullback, Aritz Larrea.

In the midfield, new signing Jose Antonio Gomez and club icon Andres Abdesalem will be joined by two new signings. Ball winning midfielder, Christian Lorenz, is a young Austrian midfielder. Wide right, we'll mostly be fielding Tom Stansfield, who is a kind of Danny Murphy style player. He can also play in the centre.

Up front, Yegorov will be partnered by Steffen Norgaard, the creative Danish forward.

So it's a lot of new changes but we've improved the quality and depth of the squad quite dramatically. Hopefully the players will blend well and quickly. This could be key to our survival.

So have I done enough this summer to ensure that we have a great chance of survival come the end of the season? Time will tell. The main worry right now is that we will probably have a slow start due to all of the changes, but if we can shake that off quickly and find some form, we'll hopefully have a good chance of staying up.

COYS!

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 21:55

UPDATE FOR AUGUST 2020:

Manager Comments for August 2020:

Well it doesn't get much harder than starting with Manchester United and I also quickly noted that we would also have to play the champions, Arsenal, in August. A tough month.

There was no romance on the first day of the season as plucky St. Albans City were well beaten by Manchester United at their temporary home Upton Park.

Christian Gross is the new boss at Old Trafford and has recently taken them to Premier League success a couple of seasons back and the Champions League final last season, where they finished as runners-up. It was, therefore, always going to be a big challenge. It became an even greater challenge when Andres Abdesalem got himself sent off early on. After that, it was smooth sailing for Man Utd.

A 1-0 defeat away to Bolton showed that we could mix it with the big boys. It wasn't a great performance but we were in the game right up until the final whistle.

A 2-1 defeat at 'home' against Arsenal made it a pretty miserable start for the no-so-mighty Saints in the Premier League. Victor Yegorov at least scored our first goal in the Premier League after approximately 220 minutes of Premier League football. Tony Mowbray, the Arsenal manager, sent some kind words in my direction before the match suggesting that we would stay up. I felt he was right and that even though we had zero points to show for our first three games, we had been in every game and not been hugely outclassed.

The league cup provided a nice little break from the pain of losing as we cantered to a solid 2-0 win against Crystal Palace.

Then in the final game of the month, we got our first win in the Premier League away to Newcastle United. Newcastle had a player sent off after 18 minutes and I sensed that we could win the game. Asking my side to raise the tempo and attack more, I felt confident that we would be victorious, and I was proved right as we scored three goals in the second half as Newcastle capitulated. It was a great feeling to get that first win!

So, three losses and one win. Not a great start but we've got better with each game and I feel we are a solid enough side. It's going to be tough though, that's pretty clear. A long way to go.

Current League Position:

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Arsenal      |       | 4     | 4     | 0     | 0     | 7     | 2     | +5    | 12    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Aston Villa  |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 6     | 1     | +5    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Man City     |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 4     | 1     | +3    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Man Utd      |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 4     | 1     | +3    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Bolton       |       | 3     | 2     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 0     | +2    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Liverpool    |       | 4     | 2     | 1     | 1     | 5     | 5     | 0     | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Sheff Utd    |       | 3     | 1     | 2     | 0     | 7     | 4     | +3    | 5     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Newcastle    |       | 4     | 1     | 2     | 1     | 4     | 5     | -1    | 5     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Blackburn    |       | 3     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 6     | 5     | +1    | 4     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Tottenham    |       | 2     | 1     | 1     | 0     | 3     | 2     | +1    | 4     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Norwich      |       | 4     | 1     | 1     | 2     | 6     | 7     | -1    | 4     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Stoke        |       | 4     | 1     | 1     | 2     | 6     | 8     | -2    | 4     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | St. Albans   |       | 4     | 1     | 0     | 3     | 4     | 5     | -1    | 3     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Fulham       |       | 3     | 1     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 3     | -1    | 3     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Everton      |       | 2     | 0     | 2     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 0     | 2     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Southampton  |       | 3     | 0     | 2     | 1     | 4     | 6     | -2    | 2     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Bristol City |       | 4     | 0     | 2     | 2     | 3     | 9     | -6    | 2     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Chelsea      |       | 2     | 0     | 1     | 1     | 1     | 2     | -1    | 1     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Hull         |       | 4     | 0     | 1     | 3     | 1     | 4     | -3    | 1     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Sunderland   |       | 4     | 0     | 1     | 3     | 2     | 7     | -5    | 1     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

COYS!

**Flamers** · 03-11-2010 22:16

well done

now stay there :P

Flamers

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 22:17

Fingers crossed Flamers.

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 22:18

To put into context just how much we spent this summer, I had a look at some of the other clubs in the PL, and only Manchester United and Man City spent more than us.

Man City spent way more than anyone though - £67m!

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 22:22

Can I get a round of applause for the legendary youth product, Luke Hoyte!

He has now played in every division from step 2 of Non-League to the top flight of English football.

He will probably need to be sold on soon, which is a shame, but I'd like to see him getting some regular football somewhere. A great servant to this club.

I'll follow his career on wherever he ends up and I hope we'll see him back at the club as a staff member one day.

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 22:26

It's funny but I had to wait for another 7 seasons to get another decent youth product in David Waite YP8b.

Now, in my 12th season, it seems I've lucked out somewhat, as I have a new youth player called Dean Smith YP11, who has basically gone straight into the first-team squad. He looks like he could be my most successful youth product yet.

My youth facilities are still pretty awful, so I guess that it's just down to a bit of luck more than anything. Most of my youths have not been good enough over the years. I really need to get some money spent on improving the academy as I'd love to have more youth players coming through the ranks.

**Flamers** · 03-11-2010 22:34

still a 7.2 in his only game surely he can be a sub or something? :P keep him for this season and see what happens

my second top goal scored is a midfielder with long shots 12 and finishing 12 who scores more than strikers with 16 finishing and they only have close shots...

i am keeping some of my original players until they retire just for old times sakes :P

Flamers

EDIT: This was my first youth prospect, now 21 and his physicals are AMAZING!

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/u...1500/FM/35.jpg

**hrbfcrule** · 03-11-2010 22:53

Woah thats a lot of transfers, someone enjoys the transfer market

Hopefully that league cup win can turn the results around but 13th is pretty good even if its only 4 games in. Think of it this way: you are higher than Chelsea

Also congratz to Luke Hoyte

**Wavelberry** · 03-11-2010 22:55

Glad to see Hoyte go through the division. Always nice to see and something for everyone to aim for.

Good start to the month there Crouchy given the opposition. It'll take a while for your players to gel as well given all the ins. I know you probably don't want to consider it (especially this early) but if you went down and after all the money you've spent are you gonna be in trouble.

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 23:23

Originally Posted by Flamers

still a 7.2 in his only game surely he can be a sub or something? :P keep him for this season and see what happens

my second top goal scored is a midfielder with long shots 12 and finishing 12 who scores more than strikers with 16 finishing and they only have close shots...

That's true. Some players can have the hidden mental traits that make them seem to play on above their level. I'll keep him as a backup but the fact is that I will find better players and he will have to be moved on at some point.

EDIT: This was my first youth prospect, now 21 and his physicals are AMAZING!

Looking good!

http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/u...1500/FM/35.jpg[/QUOTE]

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 23:24

Originally Posted by hrbfcrule

Woah thats a lot of transfers, someone enjoys the transfer market

I did enjoy it. It was a lot of fun actually, although a little frustrating as I kept finding gems here and there once my transfer budget was all gone!

Hopefully that league cup win can turn the results around but 13th is pretty good even if its only 4 games in. Think of it this way: you are higher than Chelsea

There is that I suppose!

**crouchaldinho** · 03-11-2010 23:26

Originally Posted by Wavelberry

Glad to see Hoyte go through the division. Always nice to see and something for everyone to aim for.

Good start to the month there Crouchy given the opposition. It'll take a while for your players to gel as well given all the ins. I know you probably don't want to consider it (especially this early) but if you went down and after all the money you've spent are you gonna be in trouble.

I imagine player sales would save us in that event. We've got quite a lot of sell-able assets now.

Hopefully, that won't be the case anyway. I'd like to think that I've spent wisely.

I think the team gelling will be the major issue. Fingers crossed the team blends quickly.

**Saxonaitor** · 04-11-2010 08:28

Norwich are ahead of you

**Chutney132** · 04-11-2010 10:52

Crouchaldinho, have you had any problems complying with the 8 home-grown players rule?

I'm sure if it was real life the press would be criticizing you for not playing anyone English...

Regardless of that, great career!

**crouchaldinho** · 04-11-2010 11:24

No problem with the 8 home grown players. The following players qualify: Luke Hoyte, James Rhodes, David Waite, Ben Amos, Tom Stansfield, Andres Abdesalem, Rob Kogeldans, Borja Rodriguez Sanchez and Billy Malone. So that's nine players.

In the starting XI, in terms of English players, I have Ben Amos and Tom Stansfield as first-team regulars. And in terms of regular squad players, I often have the likes of Billy Malone (backup goalkeeper), David Waite and Dean Smith to call upon.

I'd like to have more English or British players, there is no doubt about that. But it's really just a case of what represents value for money and I'm trying, at all costs, to survive. English players are more expensive and difficult to get hold of.

I have been trying to bring through young English players but I have rarely succeeded to be honest. In my reserves, I have nine young English players currently out on loan at various clubs. I'm hopeful some of them will make the grade eventually. In the long-term, I really want to get some players from St. Albans City representing England. So far, I have quite a few youngsters in the U19s, U20s and U21s, as follows: Billy Malone (U21), David Waite (U21), Shaun Ramsey (U20) and Dean Smith (U19). So it's not particularly true to say I'm not playing anyone English.

There is a real shortage of quality English players in the Premier League in 2020 actually. Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City have just three in their first team squad. Arsenal just two. Hopefully not a sign of things to come in the real future!

In the future, if I can establish myself in the Premier League, I'll be looking to buy and bring through more young English players for sure. I'd like to operate with 5 or 6 first-team regulars who are English or British ideally.

**Chutney132** · 04-11-2010 14:00

Ah fair enough. Thanks for the confirmation!

I agree, its very hard to get a predominantly English/British team when you first appear in the Premiership. As you said, you had about 30m to buy essentially an entire team, and I find English players in particular are very expensive in comparison to equivalent quality foreigners...

Maybe once you dominate the League (and Europe) you can do a Dafuge-style all Saints team?

**crouchaldinho** · 04-11-2010 14:38

Originally Posted by Chutney132

Ah fair enough. Thanks for the confirmation!

I agree, its very hard to get a predominantly English/British team when you first appear in the Premiership. As you said, you had about 30m to buy essentially an entire team, and I find English players in particular are very expensive in comparison to equivalent quality foreigners...

Maybe once you dominate the League (and Europe) you can do a Dafuge-style all Saints team?

I'm not sure I'll ever quite manage a Dafuge-style team as I'm a much slower player, so I doubt I would find the time for such a plan to be put into action!

I would like to try to have an all English or maybe British side at some point though. If I was to get the England job, it would be a great incentive to try to get as many Saints players in the squad as possible!

**AcidBurn** · 04-11-2010 16:44

I might be missing it but any chance of a screen shot of van Dijk?

**crouchaldinho** · 04-11-2010 17:08

This is Dutch international defender Ryan van Dijk. Also has a good personality and enjoys the big matches. Rated by my scouts as a leading Premier League defender and he hopefully also has some more PA to gain.

**Flamers** · 04-11-2010 17:14

he looks nice

i like raiding the international squads :P

Flamers

**JonnyCurrie** · 04-11-2010 22:31

Tough start to life in the Premiership. Quite sweet though that you got a good first win away from home.

I take it Newcastle are a decent side (mid-table) in your save?

**crouchaldinho** · 04-11-2010 22:41

Yes, a very tough start JonnyCurrie. Looks like I'm going to have to get used to losing. A lot.

Newcastle are a decent mid-table team. Predicted to finish 13th. So a great result.

**crouchaldinho** · 04-11-2010 23:19

I've already got the feeling that playing a 4-4-2 may be a little optimistic and that I might need to switch to a system that is going to give me numerical superiority in the middle of the park in order to 'spoil' some games. It might be the best way to get a few more points on the board.

**Flamers** · 04-11-2010 23:29

i would suggest trying 2 central mods on defensive first, little changes can make a big difference, i went from mod table to champions and conceded fewer goals in the second half of the season by going from a 4-4-2 flat to a 4-3-3 attacking with a defensively minded midfield

Flamers

**crouchaldinho** · 05-11-2010 13:33

It'll definitely be a case of changing shape, I think, Flamers.

I want to try to make the most of what I have in my squad as well as trying to flood the middle of the park. At the moment, the 4-4-2 isn't doing either of those things. So time for a rethink.

**crouchaldinho** · 05-11-2010 13:41

UPDATE FOR SEPTEMBER 2020:

Manager Comments for September 2020:

Well, the Premier League keeps on getting tougher and tougher. There is no rest from playing the top teams week in, week out. This time we had Liverpool at home and Aston Villa away. I wasn't feeling too hopeful of coming away with anything.

And so it proved. A good performance against Liverpool, in which we matched them, but ultimately we couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. Then, away to Villa, our worst performance yet in the Premier League, as we more or less fell apart and ended up on the wrong side of a 3-0 scoreline.

We were knocked out of the League Cup away to Stoke. I wasn't too worried really as I couldn't care less about it this season. The whole point of this season is to survive in the league.

Then, our first six-pointer of the season! Sheffield United at home! We absolutely hammered them 3-0 and got a well deserved first 'home' win at Upton Park.

What seems clear already is that we are miles away from the best teams but that we can compete with some of the teams in the bottom half. I may need to have a rethink on the formation front though, as suggested above, as I don't think I am getting the most from my squad tactically.

Current League Position:

Code:

| Pos   | Inf   | Team         |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Arsenal      |       | 7     | 5     | 1     | 1     | 14    | 5     | +9    | 16    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Aston Villa  |       | 6     | 4     | 2     | 0     | 14    | 2     | +12   | 14    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Man Utd      |       | 6     | 4     | 2     | 0     | 10    | 5     | +5    | 14    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Man City     |       | 6     | 4     | 1     | 1     | 8     | 2     | +6    | 13    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Blackburn    |       | 7     | 3     | 2     | 2     | 15    | 10    | +5    | 11    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Liverpool    |       | 6     | 3     | 1     | 2     | 7     | 7     | 0     | 10    | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Norwich      |       | 7     | 2     | 2     | 3     | 9     | 9     | 0     | 8     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Sheff Utd    |       | 6     | 2     | 2     | 2     | 9     | 9     | 0     | 8     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Southampton  |       | 5     | 2     | 2     | 1     | 6     | 6     | 0     | 8     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Newcastle    |       | 7     | 1     | 5     | 1     | 9     | 10    | -1    | 8     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Stoke        |       | 6     | 2     | 2     | 2     | 9     | 10    | -1    | 8     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Bolton       |       | 6     | 2     | 2     | 2     | 5     | 9     | -4    | 8     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Tottenham    |       | 4     | 2     | 1     | 1     | 4     | 3     | +1    | 7     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | St. Albans   |       | 7     | 2     | 0     | 5     | 7     | 9     | -2    | 6     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Bristol City |       | 7     | 1     | 3     | 3     | 7     | 13    | -6    | 6     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Everton      |       | 5     | 1     | 2     | 2     | 6     | 9     | -3    | 5     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Fulham       |       | 7     | 1     | 2     | 4     | 7     | 14    | -7    | 5     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Chelsea      |       | 3     | 0     | 2     | 1     | 2     | 3     | -1    | 2     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Hull         |       | 6     | 0     | 2     | 4     | 2     | 7     | -5    | 2     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Sunderland   |       | 6     | 0     | 2     | 4     | 4     | 12    | -8    | 2     | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

COYS!

**crouchaldinho** · 05-11-2010 13:49

Here is my new signing, Steffen Norgaard. He was young player of the month for September.

Note the wonderfully ginger hair. This is probably one of my best signings. I bought him from FC København for £6.5M.

He is rated as a wonderkid and is a very talented attacking player.

In terms of my formation, I am thinking of making some changes and building a team around Norgaard, who would play in a purely creative role.

I think I would stick with 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 attackers, but I think I'm going to apply some of my lessons from the world of calcio and convert to a 4-3-1-2 formation (a simple variation on 4-4-2, most common in Italy, i.e. the diamond midfield).

My wide players are not the strongest and this would allow me to focus on fielding my strongest players in the midfield (e.g. the likes of Abdesalem, Stansfield, Lorenz) while also allowing me to field some of my talented forwards in Yegorov, Rossi and Barrios. Between the lines, I can then field Norgaard as a pure creator. He is probably going to be our great hope this season.

**crouchaldinho** · 05-11-2010 13:58

The likely line-up will be:

Amos

Smith - Leandrinho - R. van Dijk - S. van Dijk

Stansfield - Lorenz - Abdesalem

Norgaard

Rossi - Barrios

This will be my line-up for my next match away to Southampton.

Saints v Saints!

**Flamers** · 05-11-2010 14:03

damn thats one confusing fixture :P i'm glad you didnt go for the 4-5-1 it has never seemed to work for me very well.. if you get safe at the end of the season try a 4-3-3 with 3 strikers and see what happens

Flamers

**crouchaldinho** · 05-11-2010 14:10

Originally Posted by Flamers

damn thats one confusing fixture :P i'm glad you didnt go for the 4-5-1 it has never seemed to work for me very well.. if you get safe at the end of the season try a 4-3-3 with 3 strikers and see what happens

Flamers

I don't really like the 4-5-1 (DM, MC, MC / AMR, AML) very much to be honest. I've used it a few times but I don't like the football it produces. If I'm going to go 4-5-1, it'll be 4-2-3-1.

Not too keen on the 4-3-3 with the tight strikers either to be honest. Not something I would tend to use in my games.

**Flamers** · 05-11-2010 14:15

i play 4-3-3 with a wide midfield and 3 narrow strikers and it produces some attractive football, with a lot of possession even against teams who are far better (i lost 2-1 against tottenham who are top of perm and im bottom of league 1) i might post the strategy up at some point so you can have a look at it

Flamers

**Saxonaitor** · 05-11-2010 14:34

Norwich still beating you

From a fellow ginger that ginger looks fabulous.

**AcidBurn** · 05-11-2010 14:38

4-3-1-2 greatest attacking formation I used on FM10 produced some stunning football. Decent-ish start just got to keep getting points and try and stay in the division.

**crouchaldinho** · 05-11-2010 14:59

Originally Posted by Flamers

i play 4-3-3 with a wide midfield and 3 narrow strikers and it produces some attractive football, with a lot of possession even against teams who are far better (i lost 2-1 against tottenham who are top of perm and im bottom of league 1) i might post the strategy up at some point so you can have a look at it

Flamers

A wide midfield a three narrow strikers? Doesn't sound like my cup of tea, to be honest!

You'll have to excuse me as I'm somewhat of a tactical purist/snob. It's quite a sad condition really, as it means that I am a bit of a boring old git who takes FM way too seriously.

Basically, I tend to only play formations that I think work pretty much as teams play it in real life (in my opinion, of course, and within the obvious limitations of a computer game!)

Formations I have played and enjoyed with my teams include: 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1, 4-2-3-1 deep, 4-3-2-1 (but I use a proper narrow version and not the tactics creator version), 4-1-3-2 and 4-3-1-2. Those are like my foundation formations really and I don't often tend to move away from them.

I also quite like to be on a par with the AI teams, which means I only tend to use formations that they use, if that makes any sense. Formations that come close to an exploit (like the three strikers one) are ones that I would tend to avoid at all costs.

Yes, I know it's only a game, but I'm stuck in my ways!

**crouchaldinho** · 05-11-2010 15:01

Originally Posted by Saxonaitor

Norwich still beating you

They won't be for long....... I hope, anyway. :/

From a fellow ginger that ginger looks fabulous.

I agree!

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