Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Southampton F.C. Guide - Football Manager 2012 This was last year... [video=youtube;7Qmvcn59aFI] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qmvcn59aFI [video=youtube;IPBUHgjmi5o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPBUHgjmi5o&feature=related Are you ready for this year?... Find out in Football Manager 2012 Want a Championship side, only one promotion away from the Premiership pot of gold? (tick) Want a team full of confidence after earning promotion last season? (tick) Want a team with the estate of a Swiss Billionaire as owner? (tick) Want a team with great youngsters you can bring through? (tick) Want a team with one of the best youth academies and training setups in England? (tick) Want a team with a large fan base, modern large stadium with ability to expand? (tick) Choose life, choose Southampton in FM12! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Club Information Home Kit for 2011/12 season Red & white striped shirt, white arms, black shorts, red socks with white trimming Away Kit: Yellow shirt with blue trimming, blue shorts and white socks Rivals: Portsmouth Minor Rivals: AFC Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion Derby: "South Coast Derby" vs Portsmouth Affiliations: Eastleigh Legends: Lawrie McMenemy, Matthew Le Tissier, Ted Bates, Mick Channon, Markus Liebherr [video=youtube;YB9HjYmYwpk] [video=youtube;HrO061mzNlQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrO061mzNlQ&playnext=1&videos=7IIFFk8mJig&feature=mfu_in_order Icons: Ted Drake, Charlie Wayman, Bill Rawlings, Derek Reeves, Nick Holmes, Gordon Strachan, Kevin Keegan, Jimmy Case, Ron Davies, Bobby Stokes, Terry Paine, Martin Chivers, Alan Ball, Ernest Arnfield Favoured Personnel: Peter Shilton, Francis Benali, Jason Dodd, Dave Jones, Mark Wright, Wayne Bridge, Gareth Bale, Chris Nicholl, Tim Flowers, James Beattie, Chris Marsden, Chris Baird, Matthew Oakley, Rod Wallace, Mick Mills, Mark Dennis, Glenn Cockerill, Kevin Moore, Andrew Surman, Michael Svensson, Antti Niemi, Theo Walcott, Alan Shearer, Marian Pahars, Claus Lundekvam, Peter Osgood, David Armstrong, Steve Williams, Rickie Lambert League: Coca Cola Championship Media Prediction: 7th Team Captain: Dean Hammond Vice Captain: Jose Fonte Finances Estimated Value: £29m Loan Debt: £20.5m Chairman Gift Loan (non repayable) Balance: £23.4m Starting wage bill: £265k p/w Finances Secure Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Season One - Expectations Stadium and Training Ground: St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton Capacity: 32,689 Expansion Capacity: 54,000 Season Ticket Holders: 15,000 Average Ticket Price: £30 Average Season Ticket Price: £595 How St Mary's could look if expanded... [video=youtube;Ppy65d5QHcI] Training ground: StaplewoodTraining Facilities: Top Training FacilitiesYouth Facilities: State of the Art Youth Facilities Junior Coaching: Good junior coachingYouth Recruitment: Well established youth recruitment Staplewood Training Ground in the New Forest, as it will look once it is finished Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Staff Chairman: Nicola Cortese Nicola Cortese with model of the training ground development Chairman Nicola Cortese with the late owner Markus Liebherr Manager: Nigel Adkins Assistant Manager: Andy Crosby 1st Team Coach: Dean Wilkins Coach: Martin Hunter Goalkeeper Coach: Jim Stannard Nigel Adkins Andy Crosby Fitness Coach: Nick Harvey Fitness Coach: Mark Armitage Fitness Coach: James Bunce Youth Coach: Jason Dodd Youth Coach: Paul Williams Youth Coach: Matthew Crocker Youth Coach: Terry Moore Goalkeeper Coach: Vince Bartram Physio: Mo Gimpel Physio: Steven Sparks Physio: Chris Lovegrove Physio: Matt Radcliffe Physio: Mal Godtschailk Physio: Emma Gimpel Physio: Mark Forbes Scout: Andrew Stone Scout: Rod Ruddick Scout: Chris Welman Scout: Jakob Friis-Hansen Scout: Stephen Corns Scout: David Burke Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Squad Analysis Starting XI Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Summer Signings The summer of 2011 saw four new signings join Southampton... Central midfielder Jack Cork signed from Chelsea for £1m. Winger/striker Steve De Ridder signed from De Graafschap for an undisclosed fee. [video=youtube;GKlRM-E6xfs] Left back Danny Fox signed from Burnley for £1.8m. Centre back Jos Hooiveld signed on loan from Celtic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Goalkeepers Current number one keeper is Kelvin Davis, Polish keeper Bartosz Bialkowski has been battling hard with Davis for the number one jersey and plays in most cup games, with Tommy Forecast some distance behind in the pecking order. Kelvin Davis Bartosz Bialkowski Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Right Backs Frazer Richardson made the right back spot his own after recovering from a dislocated shoulder early last season. Experienced defender Danny Butterfield provides strong competition for the berth having played most of his career at Championship level. Frazer Richardson Danny Butterfield Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Left Backs £1.8m summer signing Danny Fox faces stiff competition for the left back spot with last season's regularDan Harding not giving it up lightly. Danny Fox is also useful as a left footed set piece taker. Ryan Dickson also provides some more depth in this position but is some way behind the other two. Danny Fox Dan Harding Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Centre Backs First choice is Jose Fonte, a £1m signing in 2010. Loan signing from Celtic until January 2012, Jos Hooveld provides balance in defence as a left footed partner for Fonte. Veteran Tunisian International Radhi Jaidi and youngster Aaron Martin provide cover. Danny Seaborne is a long term absentee with a fractured skull after an incident outside a city nightclub. Jose Fonte Jos Hooiveld Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Central Midfielders England under 21 international Jack Cork returned to the club on a permanent basis in the summer having completed his £1m move from Chelsea. He was previously on loan at Southampton in 2008/09. Dean Hammond is the teams captain and started the season as Jack Cork's partner in central midfield, however he faces stiff competition from French under 21 international Morgan Schneiderlin and Richard Chaplow. Jack Cork Dean Hammond Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Attacking Midfielders Adam Lallana is the teams key creativie player and a lot of the play goes through him. Although Adkins plays Lallana on the left of midfield, he is given license to roam and also can play in the hole behind the strikers. A tricky, creative and flair player you should create your tactic around him. Brazilian Guly Do Prado Guly Do Prado plays on the other wing and often switches with Lallana and can also play as a striker, he faces competition this season from Steve De Ridder, a Belgian winger with pace to burn. Adam Lallana Guly Do Prado Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Strikers Rickie Lambert was a prolific scorer in League One, and has already started to show he can score at Championship level, the big question is who will partner him? Lee Barnard who misses the start of the season through injury and Irish international David Connolly provide options, as do Guly Do Prado and Steve De Ridder. Rickie Lambert David Connolly Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Youngsters to watch from Saints Academy! There are four players of note in the current Saints under 18's team... Jake Sinclair (younger brother of Swansea's Scott Sinclair), is a big prospect as a striker. He has his brother's pace and eye for a goal. Nurture his talents well and he will make a big impact. Jake Sinclair Another youngster with a big future coming through the Saints youth academy is 16 year old Luke Shaw, a full back that can also play as a wide midfielder. He has been likened to Gareth Bale in the national press. Luke Shaw James Ward-Prowse is a cultured central midfielder that along with Luke Shaw is on the fringes of the 1st team aged just 16 years old. James Ward-Prowse Finally, is a summer signing from Plymouth Argyle. £150k was paid for 17 year old Jack Stephens during Argyle's financial crisis. He has already seen 1st team action for Argyle last season and his versatility can prove useful. Possibly most suited as an attacking right back. Jack Stephens Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 My tips for success with Southampton List to be completed soon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Who to loan and who to buy for Southampton in season one? Goalkeepers List to be completed soon Defenders List to be completed soon Midfielders List to be completed soon Strikers List to be completed soon The home of South Coast football! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Placeholder Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 10, 2011 Author Share Posted October 10, 2011 Placeholder Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 Placeholder . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 Placeholder . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muy878 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Great work with this guide Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 *bows* Very, very well done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayapo Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Very nice. Your 2011 guide was awesome is this one is even better. You give me reasons to play as Southampton. Great job! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robsy1990 Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Had my best ever FM save with Saints on FM10, but gave them a miss last year in favour of saves with Dortmund and Basingstoke. Might go back to them this year. Only thing I noticed in the demo - Seaborne's nightclub altercation happened waaaaay after the season began, so should his injury really be in FM? I though real-life injuries were only included if they were sustained before the game-start date? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshace Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 le tiss..... oh how i miss players like that... you just dont get them anymore.. legend Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 Only thing I noticed in the demo - Seaborne's nightclub altercation happened waaaaay after the season began, so should his injury really be in FM? I though real-life injuries were only included if they were sustained before the game-start date? It was three weeks after the season began and as it was a non football related injury (not sustained in training or a match this season) that means he is out for a substantial amount of time, we decided to include it as an exceptional case. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nottingham Forest Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Absolutely cracking thread . I actually may start a Southampton save. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purefun Posted October 11, 2011 Share Posted October 11, 2011 Best thread ever? I think so. Respect man. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 Best thread ever?I think so. Respect man. Thanks, it does get easier and quicker to do in that I use the previous year's thread as a basic template and add to it each time to try and make the new one better than the last. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshace Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 on another note... can't think of a chairman more liked and respected by fans then Marcus, im not a saints fan but i love the club for how they've handled themselves and the football they play.. i love the players they currently have , i love the stadium.. will definately be bringing back premiership footie to the saints... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
humpeljulbonus Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Great thread! Started the demo with these guys after reading it. My question: As this team has a bunch of cash, what is the "best" youngster one could sign with this side for the first transfer window? Example: Got Yaya Sanogo for 370kEU. He is decent. Got Alex Pearce from Reading for 350kEU. Also decent. But none of the high profile youngsters wants to come, not talkin about the likes of Lukaku but it would be pretty awesome to sign a youngster for about 800kEU to ready up for Premiership. Any hints a warmly welcomed! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Best thread ever?I think so. Respect man. Don't be so crazy. PSG > * Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dovEs Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Yaya Sanogo should be more than just decent for Southampton. Play him all season in the Championship and his attributes should rocket. Would be able to start building a team around him after a couple of seasons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtoon9 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Great thread! Started the demo with these guys after reading it. My question: As this team has a bunch of cash, what is the "best" youngster one could sign with this side for the first transfer window? Example: Got Yaya Sanogo for 370kEU. He is decent. Got Alex Pearce from Reading for 350kEU. Also decent. But none of the high profile youngsters wants to come, not talkin about the likes of Lukaku but it would be pretty awesome to sign a youngster for about 800kEU to ready up for Premiership. Any hints a warmly welcomed! I managed to get erick torres, however he was a bit pricey at £4 million Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshace Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 whats 370kEU.. is that like .. £3million? or 300k ? also.. bare in mind this is the demo... there will be 1000's of top notch youngsters who will come to southampton in the full game if can find them .. uncovered gems is what its all about Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oswaldo Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Great thread MLG I cba with starting on the demo as I will just start a new save when the full game is out with a much larger database, so will post in here when I have that up and running. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
humpeljulbonus Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Welshace: Sorry for the currency. Im translating from Swedish Krona to EU (10 kr = 1 eu). Seem like EU is less worth than Pound so... Sum: 37MKrona = 3,7Meu = 2 M£... maybe, but math was never my strong suit . Anyho, got Nick Montgomery for 1.6M£ (ich) and I think he will provide some destroying in the midfield that this team really needs. Not alot of toughtboys. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maccad_1471 Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Very nice thread mate, was planning on giving Saints a go for my Champo save this year and this makes up my mind! Looking forward to your list of targets! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshace Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Welshace: Sorry for the currency. Im translating from Swedish Krona to EU (10 kr = 1 eu).Seem like EU is less worth than Pound so... Sum: 37MKrona = 3,7Meu = 2 M£... maybe, but math was never my strong suit . Anyho, got Nick Montgomery for 1.6M£ (ich) and I think he will provide some destroying in the midfield that this team really needs. Not alot of toughtboys. ahh thats ok, i worked it out .. it was me being dumb .. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy_Styles Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 € 3.7M is worth £3.2M in today's money. Humpel, I always use www.xe.com to convert currency, it's a lot easier =D (Wow I sound like an ad here!) On Southampton, this is really a great thread! I had my most enjoyable save with them on FM10, but am just not sure whether I could cope with the long seasons in the Championship.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcysaint Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Great work mate! As you can probably tell by my user name that i am a huge saints fan They are the only team i play with on all FM/CM titles and i just love taking them to premiership victory. If i can be of any assistance to you and anyone else who would like advise on player/staff/tactical additions/formations then feel free to ask I have a few recommended signings: Jordan Spence (West Ham young D R/L/C) who will turn into a gem and is much needed at cover at the back. You will be able to get him for around 1 mil. jonny howson (Leeds CM star) for around 1.5 mil, absolute must buy for the middle of the park to partner jack cork. Ricky lambert is a beast but would suggest getting another striker. You can grab Brett Pitman (Bristol City CF/ST) for around 1 mil. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
evertonmarc Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Brilliant club guide mate. Was undecided between Southampton and West Ham for my championship save. Think this has swung me! If i had the time, wish i could do something similar for the Everton thread (seems no one has done one for FM12 yet). Look forward to starting this on Friday! Big congrats to Southampton on their start to the season btw Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigman Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 what a thread! had a great game with the saints on last years game that is still going.....i now look out for them in real life too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint_clark Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Started a game with Saints (of course). Signed Jamie Mackie for £1.3million to partner Lambert, Stephen Kelly for £1.7million to replace Richardson at RB and Joe Lewis for £1.3million to replace Davis. ---------Lewis Kelly-Fonte-Hooiveld-Fox -----Cork--Schneiderlin De Ridder------------Lallana ---Lambert----Mackie Subs; Davis, Martin, Chaplow, Hammond, Guly Not sure i'm gonna be able to get into this, it seems overcomplicated this year round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oswaldo Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I've started tonight aswell, played 2 games, 1 in the league beating Bristol City 2-1 and first round of the League Cup beating Northampton 2-0. Signings I've made are: Jackson Martinez (3.1 mil) Jeffrey Schlupp (2 mil) Tom Hateley (300k) Shaun Hutchinson (1 mil) Joris Delle (325k) Only 2 outgoings Kelvin Davis has gone for 300k and Richardson has gone on loan, also loaned out Stephens to aid his development. I know what you are saying about the game clark, does seem pretty complex. Hoping I'll get used to it as I get further into it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayapo Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Hello, I`ve been having a blast with my first game in FM 2012 playing Southampton. I decided to make this post because I just know that my first bad result is getting closer and closer and I really wanted to share what has happened so far... The first 2 friendly games were just about getting things going against very low rep teams, but I was really impressed with the form I got from the other 3 friendly games I played. Specially the win against Celtic. First game of the season was tense away at Cardiff and I thought 0x0 was a good result all things considered. The win at Swidon was expected, being a home tie against a League 2 side, but we were very dominant and I was happy with the performance. The Derby game was the first league game at home and I wanted to impress the fans. We won 2x0 solid performance, nothing expectacular but solid enough to secure the win. Then came the game at Ipswitch and a loss was looking predicatable. The team barelly touched the ball untill Ipswitch scored at the 34th min and I was shaking my head not knowing what to do. 5 mins later De Riddler scored an unlikely equaliser and at hhalf-time we were tied despite being dominated. I let the team know they should be doing much better, got a couple of angered but most of them were fired-up. Second half was much different and we ended up winning 2x1 with Lallana scoring the winning goal. The 1x0 win at home against Peterbourough was by far the most impressive performance of the season so far. Peterbourough had 2 shots on this match and the first one was after half-time. Amazingly though we only managed to score the winning goal at the 90th+ minute with Lambert scoring off a corner where the defense wasn`t able to clear the ball and left it alive inside the box. League Cup game against Hull, and with me thinking Hull was on the Premiership division (I am brazilian, I don`t follow english football, other then in FM that is), that elastic score was surprising to me because of that. Though at the pre-match screen it showed most of the Hull players with very low (red) morale. So I told my team that I expected a win, and the rest is history. Away at Burnley I just knew this was going to be my first loss and I prepared the team for it, lowering the pressure where I could. Again another game where I`m dominated in the first-half, score an undeserving equaliser before half-time and end up winning at second-half. Though this game was much more difficult then the one against Ipswitch. So the squad at this point... I like playing with the first window transfers turned off but I actually forgot to tick it off when I made this save, so I decided to just see how it would go. My pleasure in the game comes from consistency and making players play beyond what they are capable of so my only signing was Stephen Kelly. He was on the transfer list, seemed ok with that high determination even if he is bellow my standarts for decisions. That said all my scouts and coaches kept bugging me about how I should get him, so I did. Since I brought him in I sold Frazier Richardson, though in retrospect I shouldn`t have. I should have kept him as Kelly`s back-up since Butterfield`s contract is near the end and he is already a bit old. Frazier would have probably been an acceptable RB backup for a team aiming for promotion next season or even for one fresh at the Premiership. I got really plagued by injuries in these first weeks. Had to play Guly do Prado(...how I hate that name, his name is GUILHERME....not ...whatever) as a striker since even Forte came back from an international game injured. I toyed with the idea of getting a striker on loan but decided to just stick with what I had. The last transfer I thought about making was bringing in a goalkeeper but honestly I prefer to replace Davies at the end of the season and so far he has been very good for me, some of those games, Burnley I`m looking at you, could`ve been really different if it weren`t for his intervention at those key moments. Last thing to show is... Nothing fancy, just a plain old 4-4-2. Yes, I`m from Brazil and a flat 4-4-2 makes no sense to me...that said... I play FM since it was called CM and I`ve learned to love the simplicity of the 4-4-2 even though I do prefer tactics that make use of a creative AMC, any would do, really. I thought about which tactic to go with for Southampton and even made a 4-5-1 tactic to use, it made sense to not let Schneiderlin sit on the bench. But honestly Southampton doesn`t have any depth in the MC position and not a lot on the wings either. Going with a 4-5-1 would require transfers and I didn`t really want to buy anybody. So a 4-4-2 was the best bet even though I don`t like leaving Schneiderlin on the bench. Well, I suppose he is going to be coming in every game. Up untill the game against Burnley I had Lallana as a WM support but while he was performing ok, ok just wasn`t good enough for the guy who is supposed to be the star of the team. So I did something I NEVER do, I messed with the "advanced" player settings and to set him up as a winger who would cut inside and pass instead of cross. I also set up the CM on his side to be defensive thinking it would give him more space to cut into. All I can say is, we won the game and he got the winning goal along with the assist to the first one. So I guess I`m going to keep him that way for now. Now, I`m no expert in FM tactics and I`m just waiting for someone to call me out and saying what I`m doing doesn`t make sense but what I tried to do in this simple 4-4-2 is to make sure the player roles make some sense. I have the CBs as limited defenders since at any level other then the very top it seems to me that defenders are too error prone if left to make any decisions and Southampton`s pair are not very good at decisions at all. Stephen Kelly got a Wing Back role as an experimental project and so far I didn`t come to any conclusions. The other full back and plain and support duty. I wanted Jack Cork to run the show so he got the deep playmaker duty with a CM support (later defend) at his side. I would have prefered a true defensive midfield and ball-winner to play here but, alas we don`t have one available. Guilherme (yes, that`s the name) is setup as a winger with attack duty. It might be a waste of his other qualities but he is the only one who can cross the ball on the squad (and his backup De Ridder too) and so far I`ve seen a lot of goals coming from his wing. I do admit that I`m still not happy with having him just stuck on the line like that. We`ll see. I have Lambert as the DLF and whoever is playing with him as a poacher or AF. My reasoning for this setup is this, I have 3 main creative hubs in Cork, Lallana and Lambert and I tried my best to separate them evenly over the pitch. Cork and Lambert are on the same side, but one is the DLF and the other the DLP that garantees quite a bit of space between them. Lallana is on the other side and (now) cutting in. This makes almost all players able to reach one of my creative players from anywhere on the pitch. Granted I`m still not happy with Guilherme hugging the line, but it is working for now. There you have it. My aim for this season is to do well on the league and consolidate my team and prepare for a push to the top next year. If I get promotion this year, well, ...promotion for a side that isn`t quite ready for it usually means a very tough year and I just hate very tough years. I don`t cope well with losing lots of games, I end up yelling at the players and pretty soon morale is so low I can`t get out of the hole. I also aim to do well at the Cups, I`m even paying the players more money for cup games. I`ll try to keep you posted if anyone is interested. If I don`t, I either don`t have time to play or don`t have time to post. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oswaldo Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 So 8 games left in my first season and I am top by 8 points. Added 2 more signings to the ones listed above in Mushaga Bakenga on a free from Rosenberg who has scored 16 in 15 so far, and Guillermo Burdisso for 3.7 mil from an Argentine club (I forget which). I was unbeaten until 35 games in when I lost to Pompey and have since lost twice more which has reduced my lead in the league. The strangest thing to have happenend though is my youth recruitment. On this years FM the recruitment happens in March and you get to choose from an initial squad who you would like to offer a youth contract to which I think is a pretty good new feature. So I get my youth candidate squad and it has 16 players, 13 of which are described by my Assman (Tony Coton) as being good Prem players or better. So I have got very lucky with this or the reports are massively exaggerated. If they aren't exagerated then in 6/7 seasons time I could quite easily have a top 6 Prem team made up of players from the academy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbsn1fan Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I've heard that before from someone else seems they are replicating good academies much better this way Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshace Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 PRE SEASON UPDATE So, started my Saints save finally..... i'll keep my updates as short and snappy as possible.. TRANSFERS My feelings are that the core of the squad is more than capable of challenging for the league and gaining promotion and a good number are good enough to start in the premiership.. with that in mind, ive made signings to just strengthen the squad and compliment top class players like Lallana, Cork, Schneiderlin and lambert click for fullscreen Top premiership standard players like Tomkins, Kelly, Collison and Loovens were no brainers.. players like Mouche and Arthuro were brilliant finds imo and add a different dimension to my squad... ARTHURO FULL SCREEN Arthuro, for those who havent seen him, is a freebie, and a damn good signing i feel and adds a bit of steel upfront, his balance and speed of turn is a thing of beauty.. he plays with his back to goal and spins past defenders like they weren't there. Give him a go MAIN TACTIC AND LINEUP So thats basically it so far.. ive just finished pre-season (all wins) and had my first league game against Doncaster which went superbly, we ran out victorious, winning by 6-3.. which some superb free flowing passing and team goals and a few spectacular ones... such as this beauty by Lallana i felt compelled to show... All in all, a very happy manager right now.. bring on the season [video=youtube;KGNKjRiBxEQ] *sorry for the non snappy and quick update .. they will be from now on!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oswaldo Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Some good signings there welshace Im into my 3rd season now as the Saints and heres a little summary of my progress so far. First season I ended up finishing 2nd so gaining auto promotion. I spent a fair bit and found it almost impossible to sell some of the fringe players for reasonable prices. Anyway here are my transfers - http://gyazo.com/fe533ec1a7e22d461472588ebeef86f5 Bakenga was the best signing of the lot ending up with 22 goals in 21 league games and has continued to improve in the Prem - http://gyazo.com/63db49eefefa912b0e1d1daa07396c7e Second season and my first in the Prem I went a little overboard with the transfers, and as mentioned above I have a ridiculous u18 team due to the academy. Here were the transfers - http://gyazo.com/d301e122b12daf9aa6f79b45eb10dfe9 Armenteros proved to be the best signing and scored 26 goals in the season - http://gyazo.com/aa47cf3eafb56a496f2a80e00b0ee03f He won young player of the year at the end of the season, and we finished a respectable 8th, and also won the League Cup meaning we were in the Europa League the following year. Another academy intake brought another 5 good regens with high PA so my u18 team looks like this -http://gyazo.com/d9c0c9bb7927e5c857114bdc6d9a72c8 2* PA now means a decent prem player so as you can see I basically have a top half Prem squad ready and waiting in my u18's if they are developed properly. Plus the 4 that you start the game with in Stephens, Ward-Prowse, Shaw and Sinclair. Stephens is now my back up RB and hopefully will continue to impress this season. Third season I'm only 4 games into, but have won every game including beating current champions Liverpool at Anfield 2-1. Played 2 games in the Europa League, against Lille and Red Star, winning both very comfortably. On the transfer front it was a much quieter window as I want to be able to bring through the youth rather than buy **** loads of players. Transfers - http://gyazo.com/1f77f356943c77601cfe2f559854a2ec So yeah basically am enjoying the save and reckon I could get into the Champs league either this year or next and with the youngsters coming through I don't see any reason why I can't be challenging for the title in the next 5 years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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