The Blackpool Team Guide: The futures bright...the futures Tangerine!

Firstly, I would like to dedicate this thread to the Blackpool youth coach, Gary Parkinson, who suffered a stroke in September and is still battling in hospital - we wish him a speedy recovery. I also want to thank Tyoldhino and Arsenal_2111 in helping me make this thread. Enjoy!

Formation

Blackpool were founded on the 26th July 1887, participating in the Lancashire Leagues. By the end of their first season of existence they had already two pieces of silverware regionally. Their successful debut resulted in the then chairman Alderman John Bickerstaff announcing a profit of £20 - Blackpool had arrived. After a 7 year stint in the Football League, starting in 1896, Blackpool were denied re election and so were relegated back to the Lancashire League. It would be the following season (their last out of league football to date) which would be so important in the foundations of the club, as they merged with local team Shore F.C, with several of their players joining the Pool. The aim was to create one single, stronger team from the Fylde Coast. This seemingly worked, as the re structured Blackpool were elected back to the second division where they stayed for 26 years before another promotion to the First Division.

Post War: The Glory Years

Blackpool most successful period; the decade following the Second World War saw Blackpool greats such as Stan Mortensen and Stanley Matthew gracing the Bloomfield Road turf as The Pool competed in the best league in the world for over 30 years, under the guidance of manager Joe Smith. It was these two who would shape the success that the club had for the years to come, as Mortensen finished top goal scorer in his first 9 seasons. By the 1952-53 campaign, Blackpool had already reached two FA Cup Finals losing to Newcastle and Manchester United. On the 2nd of May 1953 Blackpool played Bolton in what would be one of the greatest FA Cup Finals ever. With 89 minutes on the clock Blackpool were 3-2 down but a magnificent late comeback crowned them champions. Even though Stan Mortensen still holds the record for the only player to score a hat trick in the final, the match has since become known as ‘The Matthews Final’ name after the 38 year old ‘Wizard of Dribble’.

Downfall

The rest of the 20th century saw Blackpool fall from fame. Joe Smith left in 1958 a year after finishing runners up in the First Division and in the space of 22 years Blackpool had seen 5 relegations and two promotions. Their only major success in this period was winning the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1971 by beating Bologna 2-1 in the final. 4 years later Mickey Walsh scored the BBC goal of the season, shown below. Their free fall through the division saw them start the 1991-92 season in the Fourth Division, the basement of English League Football. Their domestic fortune turned that year however, when they were promoted from the Fourth Division after beating Scunthorpe on penalties in the playoff final. They managed to stay in the newly created Second Division (formerly know as the Third) under notable managers such as Sam Allardyce, Gary Megson and Nigel Worthington. Worthington left the club towards the end of the 1999-2000 season with relegation looming. Steve McMahon was given the task of keeping them up but the inevitable happened and Blackpool started the new millennium in the bottom tier of League Football.

Onwards and Upwards: The 21st Century

2000-01: Steve McMahon immediately wins promotion back to Division Two beating Leyton Orient 4-2 at the Millennium Stadium to win their first of three playoff campaigns in the decade. Brett Ormerod scored the winning goal.

2001-02 to 2005-06: Blackpool win the Football League Trophy twice, beating Cambridge United 4-1 and then Southend 2-0.

2006/07: Simon ‘Larry’ Grayson’s first full season in charge as manager sees Blackpool win the promotion through the playoffs once again, a club record ten wins on the bounce is completed at Wembley against Yeovil Town. Goals from Keigan Parker and Robbie Williams secure a 2-0 victory

2007/08: Blackpools first season in the Championship for 29 years is difficult, with the 36 goal partnership of Keigan Parker and Andy Morrell from last year only contributing 5 this season. Regardless, Blackpool avoid relegation by two points on the last day of the season, finishing 19th

2009/2010: After Simon Graysons departure in the previous season to manager his boyhood club, Leeds ,Karl Oyston appoints Ian Holloway as manager on the 21st of May 2009. Exactly a year and a day later he wins promotion to the Premiership at Wembley- despite being favourites to go down. Blackpool finish 6th and reach the playoffs where they face Nottingham Foreest. Blackpool win 6-4 over two legs with a hat trick from DJ Campbell securing their place in the final. They meet Cardiff at Wembley in soaring temperatures. In the game worth £1,000,000 per minute Blackpool come from behind twice to win 3-2, with Brett Ormerod scoring the winner, just like 9 years ago versus Leyton Orient. Blackpool’s long awaited revival is complete; can you carry it even further?

The Stadium

Bloomfield Road today stands as a testament to many years of neglect, a ground that has been allowed to fall into disrepair by successive boards and one which has remained essentially untouched for over 60 years. It is hard to believe now that at one time the ground was regarded as one of the most modern in the country and in fact in 1932 played host to an England international fixture.

Bloomfield Road was once the home of South Shore FC, following their merger with Blackpool in 1899, it became the permanent home to Blackpool FC for the 1901/02 season. It started with just one stand, the West Grandstand, holding only 300 seats. After a fire in 1917, massive improvements were made with the erection four new stands, including the famous ‘Spion Kop’. These improvements would take the capacity up to 18,000 and made Blackpool one of few clubs in Britain to have a four sided stadium in the 20’s. However, these developments caused massive financial woes and nearly bankrupted Blackpool Football. Ironically, the stadium would save the club, as the Royal Air Force cleared all of their debts in exchange for the use of the ground during World War II. Post war, the capacity would reach a peak of a record 38,098 supporters witnessing a 2-1 win over Wolves.

However, ever since there has been a massive decline, with health and safety measure taking the capacity first down to 30,000, then to 18,000 and eventually down to just 9,000 in the 90’s.

Recent Development

On the 11th of March 200 Karl Oyston, the Blackpool chairman, announced long awaited plans for the drastic redevelopment of Bloomfield road, these plans would see the capacity rise to 15,242 seats. In 2000 and 2001 respectively, the Spion Kop and the West stand were demolished and the new North and West Stands were completed in the summer of 2002, being officially opened on the 6th of August. After their completion, the South and East Stands were then demolished, with a temporary East Stand quickly being put into place for visiting fans.

The South Stand has been a massive source of controversy ever since. It took till the 09/10 season for work to finally commence, the President of the club, Latvian investor Valeri Belokon funding much of its building. The stand opened on the 20th of March for Blackpool 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace and was opened by Blackpool legend Jimmy Armfield, it was also named after him - with the lettering of ‘Armfield’ spread across the seats.

The most recent development was in the pre season for current, 2010/11 season, which sees Blackpool competing in the self claimed best league in the world. As well as the construction of certain Premier League requirements such as a press box and a medical facility, a new temporary East Stand was put in place, taking the overall capacity of Bloomfield Road to 16,220.

A view of Bloomfield Road from the South West corner, before the building of a new temporary East in August 2010

An external view of Bloomfield Road’s West Stand

Club Colours and Kit

Blackpool are known for their unique club colours, their tangerine home shirt is like no other in English league football. In their first years of existence though, they had played in blue and white shirts and were known as ’The Merry Stripes’. By 1903, the club had moved on to wear a dark shade of red up until 1914. For the 1914/15 season they wore a hooped kit with the colours of the Belgium flag, as a symbol of their support for the many Belgium refugees who had fled to Blackpool at the start of World War I. It wasn’t until the 1923/24 season when the club first wore the famous tangerine kit, upon recommendation of one of their directors. Albert Hargreaves, also an international referee, had officiated at a game between Belgium and the Netherlands. He was impressed with the orange shirts of the Dutch side and on his return he persuaded his fellow directors that this would be a distinguished colour for their team. No other Football League had worn plain shirts in this colour before. Ever since ‘The Seasiders’ have worn tangerine, except for a 5 year period in the 30’s in which they brought back the dark blue/ light blue striped jersey.

For the current season Blackpool are donning the usual tangerine and white home kit, with a reverse for the away kit. They have also introduced a third kit for that will be used in matches such as against Stoke and Sunderland, it is once again the dark blue/ light blue stripes.

Club Overview

Nation: England

Year Founded: 1887

Reputation: National

Chairman Status: Loves the club

Legends: Stan Mortensen, Stanley Matthews, Jimmy Armfield, Jimmy Hampson`` Favoured Personnel: Trevor Sinclair, Peter Clarke, Steve McMahon, Simon Grayson, Steve Banks

Fierce Rivals: Preston, Bolton, Burnley

Other Rivals: Oldham, Tranmere, Wigan

Media Prediction: 20th

Squad Personality: Loyal

Finances

Estimated Value: 24.5 Million (6M debt)

Balance: 9,185,300m

Loans Outstanding: Bank Loan of 3m (88K/ per month until 30.06.2012)

Gift Loan of 2.5m (52K/ per month until 30.06.2013 when in profit)

Gift Loan of 2.7m (56K/ per month until 30.06.2013 when in profit)

Facilities

Name: Bloomfield Road

Capacity: 16,220

Stadium Condition: Poor

Under Soil Heating: No

Roof: No

Pitch Condition: Poor

Corporate Facilities: Average

Training Facilities: Adequate

Youth Facilities/Academy: Basic

Youth recruitment: Basic

Staff

Chairman: Karl Oyston

President: Valeri Belokon

Manager: Ian Holloway

Assistant Manager: Steve Thompson

Goalkeeping Coach: Peter Fox

Youth Coach: Mark Westhead

Physio: Phil Horner

Physio: Alan Bent

Scout: Billy Dearden

After bringing in no less than ten players over the summer, Blackpool have good strength in numbers, with many similarly skilled players. However these players are out of their depth in the Premier League and with a tough season ahead your team selection will be vital.

Goalkeeper

Blackpool have three goalkeepers in the first team, all of pretty similar ability. Matthew Gilks has found himself as the Number 1 so far in the Premiership campaign with Paul Rachubka injured in real life. Richard Kingson was also brought in on a free transfer after playing for Ghana at the World Cup. As all the keepers are pretty similar it could be a good idea to rotate them due to form. With a tough season ahead where the ‘Pool will undoubtedly ship a fair few goals in, these three keepers should all see decent playing time

Key Man: Richard Kingson

Prospect: Mark Halstead

Right Back

There are three natural right backs at Blackpool this season. Firstly is Neal Eardley, at the age of 21 He is a good all round player with good attributes at defending, attacking and fitness. He is only young but has already played 137 games, also captaining Oldham at just 20 years old. Eardley then is certainly one to watch, but can be a little inconsistent; that’s where Alex Baptiste comes in. Baps can play naturally at RB or CB but is probably more suited to the latter. Reportedly bought for just 5k, he can be easily sold to Stoke for around £2m and with 6 other very capable defenders this may be a good option. Lastly is Danny Coid, he has been at Blackpool his entire career but is very injury prone and is probably not even good enough for backup. He will only see game time if there is a massive injury crisis.

Centre Back

One of the strongest positions with no less than 5 players competing for the starting XI. Ian Evattis the longest serving central defender, joining ‘The Seasiders’ in their promotion to the Championship in 2006-07. ‘Evo’ is a big no nonsense type standing at 6”3 and 14st, however he isn’t a totally restricted defender and has good decisions and composure attributes and would be a good choice as a defensive leader. Your assistant manager Steve Thompson reports Dekel Keinan to be the best central defender at the club, but his attributes suggest otherwise. Keinan signed for Blackpool in the summer from Israeli side Maccabi Haifa and is pretty similar to Evatt with good attributes in the key defending stats (14/15 in tackling/marking/heading). Next is perhaps one of the more promising youngsters at Blackpool –Craig Cathcart. He was brought in from Manchester United just days before the season kicked off. At 21 he is the best tackler in the squad and has the all-round ability to be my partnership choice with Evatt. Lastly is Rob Edwards, he starts off in the reserves and will probably stay there for the rest of the season. He is handy backup but with 4 other really good centre backs (including Baptiste) you may look to loan him out and see what happens when his contract runs out at the end of the season.

Defender Left

There is only one natural left back at the club, Stephen Crainey. He has been much improved in this year’s FM and rightly so as he continues to put in consistent performances even at the highest level. With high tackling, composure and bravery he is a very useful defender. He also has decent crossing and physical attributes so isn’t half bad at going forward but if you’re looking for more of a wing back you’ll have to bring somebody else in.

Key Defender: Ian Evatt

Prospect: Craig Cathcart/Neal Eardley

Centre Midfield

I’ve decided only to include a CM section and to put all the wingers into a ST bit, as most are natural in both. If you are staying true to Blackpool’s 4-3-3 formation you. Firstly is Charlie Adam, surely the clubs ‘star man’. His 18 goals were so vital in the clubs promotion. Not only does he have goal scoring ability but he is the most creative player in the team with the ability to pass the pall anywhere he wants. He will definitely be one of the first names on the team sheet and at just 24 has a great career ahead; I will talk more about his best position/role in the recommended tactic section as there is more than one way of getting the most out of him. Also in the centre is Keith Southern, Blackpool’s longest serving player. At 30 he is one of more experienced and will be a good choice for the Captaincy. He is more suited to a defensive midfielder role with good tackling ability. However he is good all round and plays a more advanced role IRL so a box to box role arriving late in the box could see a healthy goal return. Next is David Vaughan, one of the Pool’s most underestimated players, however this year’s FM see his passing and flair skill rise to 16 and dribbling ability could see him be played in his accomplished position of left midfield - if you’re playing 4-4-2. If you’re playing 4-3-3 though playing him as an advanced playmaker is a good shout. In my opinion those three are perhaps the strongest midfielders, closely followed by Ludovic Sylvestre. With passing 17 and technique 16 he is well suited as a playmaker and could be seen as a similar type player to Charlie Adam. For some reason FM says the Frenchman can’t speak English, so it may take him a while to settle in to the area and get used to the way you play. Another player brought in from France this year is Malaury Martin. He was on trail at first and signed just days before the first game of the season, so it would seem he was brought in for backup and his attributes would further suggest this. He is only 21 and is decent at passing and creativity, but will not be pushing for a regular place any time soon; loaning him out would be a good idea. The last first team CM is Chris Basham, reportedly bought for £1.2m from Bolton this year. ‘Bashy’ is a great prospect at just 21 and with stats like tackling 15 and determination 17 he will be pushing Keith Southern for that defensive/box to box midfielder role. If he does not get into your starting XI he will be very useful backup and will more than likely play some role in your survival campaign, whether it is at CM or CB. There is also Stephen Husband a 19 year old who has sat in the reserves since his transfer from Livingston back in January. He has some OK attributes such as his passing but isn’t a great prospect by anybody’s standards

Key Man: Charlie Adam

Prospect:Stephen Husband

Wingers:

One of the more versatile forwards is Elliot Grandin; he is more than capable of playing at every position from midfield to up front and is natural at AMR. At just 22 Grandin has already played for teams such as CSKA Sofia and Marseille and was brought in this year to ply his trade in the Premiership. He has the attacking ability and skill to be a key player who will suit most tactics of your choice. If you’re looking for a bit more strength on the wings however, Gary Taylor-Fletcher is your man; again he can be played AMR/RM/ST and even CM if needed. GTF puts his name in the record books as Blackpool’s first ever Premier League goal scorer and though he rarely plays upfront by himself the last two FM games have seen this to be his best position. He will add something a little different if you’re playing 433 and there is a good chance he will be your biggest goal scoring threat for a winger. There are also a couple of youngsters for backup, with Matt Phillips probably the most promising after being bought on deadline day from Wycombe. He is primarily an AMR but can play on the left and has good dribbling and finishing attributes for a 19 year old. There are two or three championship clubs interested in loan deals straight away, but only as cover, so you may want to keep him in your reserves and to keep an eye on him - maybe giving him game time in cups. The other youngster is Ishmel Demontagnac-, he is pretty similar to Phillips but, at 22, is three years his senior, the ‘Demon’ is known for his attitude problems but was once was seen to have real potential back when he was at Walsall. For me though he should be offloaded if any interest is shown - if not the reserves are there for a reason! There is also David Carney, brought in for backup he can play as an attacking winger or as a full back. He has pretty average attacking attributes and even worse defensively so he won’t be playing too many games this season. Lastly is Luke Varney, on loan from Derby. He has good enough attacking attributes for cover and can play anywhere up front. On my save file he is a bit of a super sub and is a definite goal threat.

Key Man: Elliot Grandin

Prospect: Matt Phillips

Strikers

Whatever your formation Marlon Harewood is a good shout for your Centre Forward. Marlon was brought in on a free transfer and has years of Premier League experience. At 30 years of age, Harewood has good physical attributes, not only 16 at strength but 16 at pace as well, so he could be more than just a target man. However his heading/finishing ability isn’t great, so a supporting deep lying forward may be your role choice. Next is perhaps the best finisher at the club, DJ Campbell. DJ has already had two loan spells at Blackpool, scoring 20 goals in 38 games. He is fast and has good dribbling and flair so an out and out advance forward may be a suited position, but he could also be utilised as an inside forward on the left wing. Next is Brett Ormerod, a legend in any Blackpool fans eyes. This is his second spell at the club and he has proved to be a goal scorer in every division he has played in for the ‘pool’. This season he will surely become the first person to score in every football league in England for Blackpool. At 33 he is coming to the end of his career, but his work rate and determination standing at 18 and a good natural fitness will see him looking for a first team place every week. Another striker is Billy Clarke, if it weren’t for his injury putting him out for the next 11-13 months he would likely be pushing for a first team role. For 22 he is talented enough and at just 5 foot 7 would suit an advanced forward or a poacher role with his natural finishing ability. His contract runs out at the end of the season and it will be your choice whether to give him an extension without seeing him play any league football this year. Lastly is Jason Euell, at 33 years old he may only have a couple of year left but he has decent enough stats for you to consider playing him. Whilst not of the same ability of some of the other strikers he could still provide useful and I would suggest giving him a try when necessary and then deciding whether to extend his contract which finishes at the end of the year. There is some transfer and loan interest from the Championship so this is another option.

Key Man: DJ Campbell

Prospect: Billy Clarke

Shown below are the season expectations with their corresponding budget. Presuming you will go for ‘attempt to avoid relegation’ you will have a decent budget of £4m. If you’re like me and aren’t exceptional at FM you might want to look at signing some younger players. If you can get players who will do you well in the long term you should have a good team to compete for promotion straight back up if you get relegated this year.

Right Back:

SEAMUS COLEMAN – If you sell Baptiste for his £2m price tag then you may choose to bring somebody in for this position. Coleman had a successful loan spell at Blackpool last year and is available for loan again this season. He isn’t on high wages and adds a more attacking dimension to the defence. If you’re looking for somebody for more experience then Steve Finnan is a good shout for the short term on a free transfer. You will probably be able to get him on a for around £5,000 a week. TONY MCMAHON is also available with an asking price of around £600,000. He is only 24 and seems pretty decent but that might be a bit too expensive for somebody who could be just for cover.

Centre Defender:

SEAN MORRISON is a promising youngster at just 19 years old. He already had good defending attributes and with the right training, maybe a mentor and some game time he will develop fast. Swindon will probably sell for around.£400,000 and you can get him for wages on just over £1,000. For a cheaper option JAY DEMERIT is a free agent and will provide great cover for an already strong position. Another free transfer could be ex-pool player DANNY SHITTU, he has heading is 18 and tackling 17 and he is a solid defender with experience. A short term option for the immediate season is MATTHEW BOOTH. You can get him from Sundown’s and his work permit should be passed. He has attributes such as tackling 16 and heading 18 and could be a key defender.

Centre Midfield:

MARCO VERRATTI is pretty well known as an excellent prospect at just 17. I got him with Blackpool for a fee of £450,000 and £6,000 p/w, I offered more than his agent demanded due to large interest in him. If you want more defensive type then another prospect is CARLOS LAZARO from Vallodid. He is transfer listed at around £120,000 and a small wage fee. After playing a couple of games for me his value soared to ten times that amount so you could see profit in the future. Another option is ARON GUNNARSSON at up to £2m. At just 21 years of age he has already played nearly 100 games and is a cracking young defensive midfielder. The experienced option could be GAVIN MCCAN. He is available on free transfer for around £5,000 p/w. With attributes like tackling at 17 and the experience of playing his entire career in the Premier League he would make an immediate challenge for the starting XI.

Winger:

There are a lot of wingers at the club already so I would only look for the younger options. DANNY SWANSON is available from Dundee United at around £600k and on below £5,000 p/w. His dribbling and flair attributes are at 16 and 17 respectively and at 23 he still has time to improve. You could probably get some good Championship talent such as the likes of KRIS COMMONS and PETER WITTINGHAM but they would certainly take a good chunk out your transfer budget. Whereas Stephen Dobbie had natural finishing talent and can play on the wings or up front. He will cost around £600,000 and if played in the right position/role could get you vital goals.

Striker:

In a similar manner to the wingers section there are a lot of good strikers at Blackpool but my main target would be Leigh Griffiths. He could cost from £600,000 to £1m I think but a quick look at his history will show you that he has scored 41 goals in 80 games and at 19 years old his finishing is already 16, for me he is a must buy.

Charlie Adam’s contract runs out in the summer and as he is your key man you need to keep hold of him or at least stop clubs signing him on a free in January. There is some minor interest from Everton whilst the August transfer window is open but they shouldn’t make an offer. To stop the agent asking for a very high wage wait until around October when the window is shut and there is no interest. If you have treated him well and he isn’t unhappy he will sign an extension for a moderate pay rise.

Also you may notice there are only two coaches at the club and if your want to improve your squad via training then you need to bring in more. I suggest keeping Paul Fox, the goalkeeping coach but offering a mutual termination to Mark Westhead. As you have a restriction on the amount of coaches allowed I would sign ones best in: defensive, attacking, fitness, tactic and technique coaching - offering them contracts allowing them to work with the first team and the reserves. I would then assign them all to their best coaching attribute and then put Steve Thompson (Ass Man) to coach all expect goalkeeping and fitness.

Thanks for reading and I hope you really enjoy a game with Blackpool. They present an excellent short term and long term challenge and with financial security guaranteed for the future you have the opportunity to carry on Blackpool’s rise since the millennium. Good Luck and please contribute!

Reserved for future purposes

reserved for future purposes

Thanks for reading I will update it over the next couple of days as I have a couple of youtube links and some pictures still to add in - i will also put a full squad list in

Haven't got the full version yet, but this is one I'm well up for. Usually do Q.P.R all the time, but this could be interesting. I'll let you know how I get on.

Comon you pool!

Nice thread, keep updating

Great OP mate .

Well done on the OP Might have a go as Blackpool sometime. Ugh, so many options, so little time

Brilliant OP there foggy mate - im glad you asked to do this as you've done a great job. May start my Blackpool game up soon thanks to my brother. Just finishing my second season as Southend United then i'll see about it. Reckon it would be a really tough test but something that could prove very humbling if you succeed. Will be keeping an eye on this thread

That was probably one of the best threads on here. Certainly the one I enjoyed reading the most anyway. Very, very good mate.

That was probably one of the best threads on here. Certainly the one I enjoyed reading the most anyway. Very, very good mate.

Wow cheers dude! I had a really good book on Blackpool's history so it took me ages to trim it down to not bore everyone!

hey, ive just started a game as blackpool fancied a challenge after getting a little familliar to the game... sorted out some targets and sent scout out ... also asked board for loads haha

just pressed continue so ill keep you infromed!

Can't wait to start my first game aha! Who have you signed for Blackpool? So far I've signed;

kirk broadfoot - rangers

salomon olembe - free

boyata - loan from city

bamba - hibs

I beat Chelsea in my first game, away live on TV.

I wasn't even playing with my top line-up due to injuries. Great start, now my morale boost for entire first team is superb.

Screenshots of my team/stats below.

Proof of victory - http://i53.tinypic.com/dope83.jpg

Tactics/Team used - http://i56.tinypic.com/24njxvo.jpg

Table position after defeating Chelsea - http://i54.tinypic.com/20p7leb.jpg

Superb confidence boost after beating Chelsea - http://i56.tinypic.com/21dk6yq.jpg

Great opening post. Started the Blackpool game because of this.

Anyway I'm finding it extremely hard to get anyone half decent to sign for me, currently have managed to sign Smithies, Wickham, Spence (on loan) and some more youngsters.

The positive thing is that after suffering in pre-season I just won my first league game 2:1 against the Wolves.

As promised Foggy - I've started my blackpool save and apart from not being able to get a player for 1 position I think could be a problem area, my signings have been decent I'll let you know when i've finished pre-season

How much did you pay for Areola Bpool? I can't seem to afford him

This is a great OP - kudos!

I normally start a Man Utd game and also a game with a struggling Prem team - the latter has been Hull the past couple of FM's but it's definately gonna be Blackpool this time around.

How much did you pay for Areola Bpool? I can't seem to afford him

I'm pretty sure he's only got him on loan.

I'm gonna be starting my Blackpool save soon but does anyone know if Ibricic (sp?) from Hadjuk will come to Blackpool? In my Man Utd save, my best scout says he would be a leading Prem player and is available for only £1m!

I forgot all about Connor Wickham I am definately signing him!

As promised Foggy - I've started my blackpool save and apart from not being able to get a player for 1 position I think could be a problem area, my signings have been decent I'll let you know when i've finished pre-season

Good to hear Alstarz, good luck with your game! Ive only just started as ive been really busy at college and i have Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Everton in my first 5 games! By the way what was your problem position

Its a DM - I play a very attacking game, just like Blackpool in real life - so i put a DM in - but can't buy in a player to play there - Keith Southern is injured for a while which isn't helping! I drew 1-1 with the Gunners first game of the season away from home which im happy with, then i have Chelski away as my second game - i dont think FM11 likes me that much! lol

have you not tried Basham there? Gavin Mccan is a free agent as well and he has tackling 17

Basham is who i'm using now, but he isn't really good enough - might look into McCann

Fullbacks

Petar Zanev - D L - 180k

Hedenstad - D R (can also play M RC) - £700k and my scouts rate him as having a lot of potential

Defensive Mid

Try Ropotan or Onicas for DM, both should be cheap. And there's a guy called Arevalo from Uruguay who you should be able to sign on a bosman. Also take a look at Cirigliano from River in Argentina.

Mingazzini for DM??

Awesome team thread mate well done.

I have played 9 games in the league: W5 D1 L3

Currently in 6th position.

Also qualified to quarter finals of the league cup (have drawn Reading).

Best players so far:

Smithies (700k) - my number one GK, has done really well and been the difference in all of my narrow wins

Wheater (6M over 48 months) - rock solid and consistent, best average rating in the team, kept Drogba to 5,5 rating in my 2:1 win over Chelsea, Drogba barely touched the ball

Harewood - 7 goals in 9 games in the league

Vaughan - magnificent on the left wing

Grandin - solid on the right wing

Full back are my biggest concern at the moment as I can't get them to perform, not sure if it's my tactics or they are just not good enough. Rotate Crainey / Souprayen (loan from Lens) on the left and Baptiste / Spence (loan from West Ham) on the right. They often just pass to opposition and rarely finish the game above 6.5.

Also Adam has been extremely dissapointing (playing him as a deep-lying playmaker, can't get to the team any more and thinking of selling him as his wage demands are outrageous) as is Wickham (3M over 48 months) in 5 games or so he has played.

Argh. I'm finding it really difficult with Blackpool..

6 games played - 3 draws and 3 defeats. I've scored a decent 9 goals but conceded 13!

I've extended my coaching staff limits from 6 to 8, and brought in some good coaches to give me as good a chance as possible of improving my current first teams attributes.

Gonna try a few things different with tactics. Not of the back four are particularly quick, so figure I will have to defend with a deep defensive line. Set both centrebacks to Limited Defender due to their composure and decisions not being too high.

Next up is a home game against Blackburn which I really need to be taking 3 points from. I'm currently 17th in the league.

Any tips from fellow Seasiders would be apreciated!!

-TV-

Argh. I'm finding it really difficult with Blackpool..

6 games played - 3 draws and 3 defeats. I've scored a decent 9 goals but conceded 13!

I've extended my coaching staff limits from 6 to 8, and brought in some good coaches to give me as good a chance as possible of improving my current first teams attributes.

Gonna try a few things different with tactics. Not of the back four are particularly quick, so figure I will have to defend with a deep defensive line. Set both centrebacks to Limited Defender due to their composure and decisions not being too high.

Next up is a home game against Blackburn which I really need to be taking 3 points from. I'm currently 17th in the league.

Any tips from fellow Seasiders would be apreciated!!

-TV-

I haven't started my game as Blackpool yet but surely attack is the best form of the defence? Why not try playing a 4-3-3 of some sort and allow Grandin and co lose. Maybe play Adam and Southern or another DM in the DM slots and look to have another CM in front of them to help get forward and and back?

I just had time to play one game yesterday, beat WBA 3:1 away and moved 5th. I'm 5 points off the top placed Tottenham now with 10 games played and have them next at home.

I haven't found the tactical consistency yet, I think I haven't started two games with the exact same tactic yet and every game I find something I am not happy with. I played around with limited defender role as well but I couldn't get it working as they kept smashing the ball away (to opposition) much more often than in regular defender roles. I started the season with 4-4-2 but the last few games I have played 4-3-3 (with two wingers as inside forwards) as I have had only one fit striker available.

Thanks for the advice.

Well I just drew 0-0 with Blackburn, although they had 12 shots to my 5. Possession was fairly even, I had 47%.

Both Evatt and Cathcart played really well at the back for me, and Gilks didn't make any howlers - thank god! Eardley looked a bit dodgy though. Basham wasn't great at DM so I'm looking forward to Southern getting himself fit again. Vaughan played well at CM and later at AML. Charlie Adam was disappointing yet again. DJ Campbell made some good runs and dribbles but just no end product. Garra Dembele worked his backside off up front on his own, closing down their defenders well thanks to his high Determination attribute.

I told them post match that I was pleased with the result and defend Dembele in the press conference afterwards. I need to keep the morale up otherwise we will never get a win. The team are still blending and getting used to the tactics.

Away at Newcastle next, which will not be an easy game.

YEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!

First win of the season!!!!

I beat Newcastle 2-1 at St James Park in a nail biting game.

I just edged the posession with 51%

They had 16 shots to my 8 - but only one of mine was off target, compared to 5 of theirs.

Crucially, I had 4 clear cut chances while they only got 3.

Gilks again looked reliable in goal. Cathcart and Evatt were solid again, and even Eardley had a good game this time round against the pace and trickery of Jonas. Zanev at left back comitted 4 of the teams 10 fouls and picked up our only booking, so I might put him on Easy tackling next game (he has 15 for Aggression). Basham was quiet and only made one tackle all game, but at least he didn't make any massive mistakes. Adam was once again poor and the game completely changed once I took him and Dembele off. I brought on Tomas Horava and Tom Cairney. Cairney went into the Advanced Playmaker role at MC, I moved Vaughan out to AM L and DJ Campbell to the lone striker role as a Poacher. Horava went in at MC with a Central Midfielder [Attack] role. He changed the game - scoring the first and setting up DJ Campbell's winner (after Xisco had scrambled an equaliser for the Geordies). Horava was Man Of The Match but Campbell and Vaughan also played very well.

I'm now in 16th, overtaking Newcastle on goal difference.

Next up in the league - Birmingham at home then Wolves away.

-TV-

YEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!

First win of the season!!!!

-TV-

Congrats dude - shamefully i have only just started the game cos i have been crazy busy at College and only recently got my laptop working. UTP

Thanks foggy.

I just beat Birmingham 1-0. I really feel like the tinkering and small changes I make throughout the game from watching the match is really making the difference, especially in these bottom of the table 'six pointers'.

I'm up to 13th now but a couple of teams below me have a game in hand. (EDIT - they both got beat )

I am still 5th after 13 games : W8 D1 L4

Lost to Spurs at home, then beat Fulham away and Villa at home. Have Everton and Man C next.

Adam signed a new contract (14k per week) and had couple of good games at last.

Looking to get rid of Evatt and Carney but no takers. Also Gilks and Martin want to leave to get first team football.

My current team:

GK: Smithies (700k) / Kingson / Gilks

DR: Baptiste / Spence (loan)

DL: Crainey / Souprayen (loan)

DC: Wheater (6M) / Cathcart / Keinan / Evatt

DMC: Basham / Fofana (300k)

MC: Sylvestre / Adam / Labyad (2M) / Martin

AMR: Grandin / Fletcher

AML: Vaughan / Campbell

ST: Harewood / Wickham (3M) / Gauch (800k)

Congratulations r10 you are doing extremely well.

I`ve started a game with Blackpool, after a good ride with Tottenham I wanted a real challenge and let`s be fair: Blackpool has to be the most challenging team in the PL. I`ve started of signing some good free transfers:

http://img526.imageshack.us/i/blackpooltransfershisto.png/

I only have one goal of the season and that`s to survive. I still have about 5 mill to spend and I want to use them on some youngsters, but I might wait to January or next summer.

My first game away game was against Man City I was expecting to be hammered, but the result was amazing. I was actually up 3-0, but they came back two times and I was fully expecting them to score a third and fourth goal, but it never happened. A great start, the next games will show if it was just luck or maybe my team is better than I think

http://img811.imageshack.us/i/mancityvblackpoolinform.png/

Thanks Luffe_81. Good result against City.

I'm really enjoying the game at the moment. Since the last update I lost away to Everton, drawed with Man C at home, then beat Reading in league cup quarter final and got Bolton in semis, then won against Blackburn away and West Ham at home.

So currently 6th in the league with 32 points and 17 games played: W10 D2 L5. Next up Stoke and Wolves away and then Arsenal at home.

I am looking to strenghten in January but as I have zero funds and am over the wage budget and no teams are bidding for the players I would like to get rid of looks like this is not going to happen. There are quite a few transfer listed players who would do well (Bassong, Kaboul, Jenas, Santa Cruz, Park, Maxwell) but their wages are all too much for me and none of them has any intention to join Blackpool anyway.

Just a little update. I’ve struggled all season in the league. I’ve actually had a streak of 13 matches without victory. But fortunately I surfed on a very good league start so I had a good bunch of points in hand. The worst was when I actually was one point above relegation. I was completely desperate and changed to a 442 and then my form picked up a bit. My last match I’ve beat Arsenal 2-1 at home

and with four matches left I am six points above relegation, I really can’t see my self being relegated.

I will give a complete summary tonight, one thing is sure r10 is doing heck of a lot better than me, kudos to you.

I was actually brought down to earth during yesterdays session, not sure what happened but my whole team just lost the spirit. I started by beating Stoke away 1:0 in a game which I deserved to lose, then lost away to Wolves 0:1 in a game I didnt have a single CCC. Wolves were second from bottom at this point. Then I had Arsenal which I lost 0:1 again and then Chelsea totally dominated me and lost 1:4.

Currently still in 7th position, lost a lot of ground to teams in front of me and Everton is just two points off now in 8th. 21 games played, 35 points with W11, D2, L8. Next up have FA cup 3rd round away at Crystral Palace (23rd in Championship with half the team injured and still marked favourite against me in game odds?) and first leg of league cup semi final with Bolton.

Am in January now so managed to sell Martin for 500k to Lorient and gave Evatt away for free to Middlesbrough. Brought in Ljungberg for free as Vaughan broke his leg and is out until end of the season.

Starting a blackpool save

will update as i go on

I'm doing a network game with 5 of my mates. For a change we decided to do the bottom 6 teams in the Prem. Somehow I've got stuck with Blackpool. Oh dear.

To be fair, they aren't bad. I'm just curious about what sort of quality of player I'm going to be looking at? I've had a quick look at player search and it seems that filtering unrealistic targets still leaves a fair amount of sort of quite decent players about - I've got a solo game as PSG and just looking at the list for Blackpool has given me a couple of targets for them. Is the assistant's filter wildly optimistic on the players you can get for Blackpool?

I'm doing a network game with 5 of my mates. For a change we decided to do the bottom 6 teams in the Prem. Somehow I've got stuck with Blackpool. Oh dear.

To be fair, they aren't bad. I'm just curious about what sort of quality of player I'm going to be looking at? I've had a quick look at player search and it seems that filtering unrealistic targets still leaves a fair amount of sort of quite decent players about - I've got a solo game as PSG and just looking at the list for Blackpool has given me a couple of targets for them. Is the assistant's filter wildly optimistic on the players you can get for Blackpool?

If your looking for players. Look at frees. There are many that will do the job. Use your transfer budget to bring in youngsters for the future.

See, with it being a network game with 6 people, I don't see that. I can't see us getting more than 2 or 3 seasons deep, so I'm not sure of the point in buying players for a future we won't get to. On the plus side, Blackpools team is not as bad as I had imagined. Need centre backs and a striker IMO, but not as terrible as feared.

Played my pre season games and my first league game against man-u at home which i drew 3-3.

great game falling behing 3 times but each time equalising i was unlucky not to win.

See, with it being a network game with 6 people, I don't see that. I can't see us getting more than 2 or 3 seasons deep, so I'm not sure of the point in buying players for a future we won't get to. On the plus side, Blackpools team is not as bad as I had imagined. Need centre backs and a striker IMO, but not as terrible as feared.

Ian Evatt and DJ Campbell is actually very good as center back and striker. DJ Campbell also works good on the wing

Played my pre season games and my first league game against man-u at home which i drew 3-3.

great game falling behing 3 times but each time equalising i was unlucky not to win.

Good luck I`m really enjoying my game.