Ri916's FM 12 Youth Academy Challenge!

[yoponz58]

Just getting started on this myself, just holidaying through the first season at the minute. Was previously on a Sheffield United save, where in 2021, I'd won every game by the end of November, so was happy to stumble across this challenge.

Very brief checklist-ish. We don't need any scouts then, obviously. And I can play lots of high profile friendlies to gain cash - although not sure how wise that would be with a small squad. Vowing not to use FCUM or Chester, due to popularity, I'll see who is there!

I'm a student so have a free summer, until uni restarts in September, aim is to have some form of success by then. We'll see, never done owt like this before!

[yoponz58]

Yerunkel takes over at Lewes

Lewes today announced that rookie manager Bobs Yerunkel will be the new manager of the club, after chairman Steve Ibbitson admitted he was dazzled by the 25 year olds strategy for the club.

"He's barmy" said Ibbitson, "he says he can do it all with our youth players. I said to him, go for it you crazy madman"

The clubs youth facilities are rented, and with the media predicting a swift return to the regional leagues, Yerunkel will have a tough task on his hands, after promising not to buy a single player, permanently or on loan.

"It's some challenge, but I reckon I'm up to it" claimed Yerunkel, who has previously played only Sunday league football. "Frankly, my lack of experience doesn't bother me. I'm a pub team player, and Lewes are a pub team club, so maybe we match each other. We'll wait and see, although consolidation is the immediate goal. Just because I'm the new Einstein at football management doesn't mean we'll be a Champions League club in 5 years."

Perhaps Yerunkel will be lucky to still have a job in 5 months.

[ri916]

Yoponz- welcome to the challenge mate but unfortunately harrogate arent eligible as they start in the BSN. If you want to see the available teams, once on 24th june go to england-season report and the teams promoted from regional premier divisions will be on it about 2/3rds of the way down.

[yoponz58]

Sorted ri916.

EDIT: At Lewes, all the youth players are greyed out...am I just going with my first team and 3 reserves for the first season?

[ri916]

Sorted ri916.

EDIT: At Lewes, all the youth players are greyed out...am I just going with my first team and 3 reserves for the first season?

Yep . Welcome to the challenge

[Bobbins71]

Chester City Season 3: 2014-15 - Bobbins71

League Position 8th - Superb season.
FA Cup - Knocked out fourth round by Aston Villa
Johnstone's Paint - Knocked out Qtr Final round by Macclesfield (I may have hit a bug because it won't let me filter on this competition, it still has FA Trophy and BSP only!)

Season 3 Objectives
Stay in league 2 - Achieved
Good Cup Run / Increase revenue somehow - Achieved, but still need money.
Improve Junior Coaching - Nope, won't let me.
Improve Training / Youth facilities again if possible - Nope, won't let me.

Another very satisfactory season. Considering we were expected by the media to finish 24th and this shows how the team measured up at the beginning of the season and we easily have the lowest wage bill. It was actually possible to finish in the play-offs going into the last day of the season but a 1-1 draw at Cambridge City prevented it. As the season progressed my team got stronger and stronger and finished as the form side. Of the last 10 games they won 7, drew 2 and lost 1. I actually think if I don't make the play-offs next season I'll be disappointed! But it was probably good we didn't make the play-offs this season as the squad isn't ready for League 1 right now. They will be by the end of next season though.

Chester scored 97 goals this season. The league's top scorers. Unfortunately we also conceded 72. I tweaked my defence in the 2nd half of the season which helped a little. As the central pairing of Marcus Cotteril (YP1b) and Neil McCann (YP1a) get better and better, I should run a much tighter ship next season.

Adam Taylor (YP02a) scored 52 goals in 44 games. League top scorer, MoM 18 times, League player of the year - he's quite phenomenal. Sean Miller (YP0d) alongside him scored 24 goals in 51 appearances which under normal circumstances would be very impressive. With these two players playing and scoring like this, we always have chances.

Finances are OK. I'm spending a lot on scouting for some reason, so I'll get rid of my scouts. Its not as if I can buy players! I am finding it difficult to raise money and I've still only had one increase in Junior Coaching and one Youth Facility improvement. My board just won't let me improve!

Youth Intake was good again this season. Only 2 players promoted this time, but Brian Roberts (YP3a) is a great prospect. Liam O'Donnell (YP3b) adds additional fire power.

Transfers - Zilch

Youth

Starting
Craig Hulse (YP0a) | Report - will probably let him go as he's fallen behind Nathan Ryan and James Osula.
Joe Ormorod (YP0b) | Report - Squad player
Jordon Grace (YP0c) | Report _ Squad player
Sean Miller (YP0d) | Report - No2 Striker and extremely impressive development.

1st Intake
Neil McCann (YP1a) | Report - Solid at the back
Marcus Cotterill (YP1b) | Report - Solid at the back
Nathan Ryan (YP1c) | Report - had a bad injury which stunted his progress.
Neil Collins (YP1d) | Report - also suffered injury problems and now finds himself No2 to Marc Owen (YP2b).

2nd Intake
Adam Taylor (YP2a)| Report - Goalscoring superstar
Marc Owen (YP2b) | Report - Great DM and 3rd on team sheet after the 2 strikers.
James Osula (YP2c) | Report - played a lot looks good prospect
Eddie Knowles (YP2d) | Report - LB is a weak position for me so he's valuable even though he's raw.

3rd Intake
Brian Roberts (YP3a)| Report - Looks good to play already and we need midfielders
Liam O'Donnell (YP3b)| Report - Adds extra firepower and looks to have potential

Facilities

Squad - Mostly youth players already. Jamie Rainford, Anton Sarcevic and Chris Smith continue to lead the team next season.

Season 4 I will be disappointed not to make the playoffs. Automatic promotion is probably not achievable but I have 7 or 8 players who can play in League 1 already. With Adam Taylor leading the line and scoring freely I think I have a chance. I've had Liverpool and Man City watching him for a while now and hope I can hold onto him.

[yoponz58]

GK terrible, and 1 FC over the age of 18, who is 32 and slower than my dead Grandad.

Long season in store.

[lwillis003]

Well my challenge in this thread has come to an end! Missing updates for 1.5 seasons - then I was binned. Expected to achieve a top half finish in BSN but with half of the season gone I was languishing in 17th - sackable offence apparently! I might do an update tonight for the 18months i've left out.

I will be taking another shot at this - probably before FM13 but have decided to give toonbalmy's challenge a go first. Good luck to everyone!

[AlaskaFox]

Started this today with Chester. 3 games into the season 3 wins. Not a bad start. Made over 300k from arranging four pre-season cups against the likes of Birmingham, Burnley, and Shamrock Rovers, which saw me increase both Junior Coaching and the Youth Facilities. Going to fly through this season so I can get to the youth intake next year, only using 2D key moments and full-speed for the matches to make it quicker.

Picked Automatic reputation by accident rather than Sunday League footballer, but as I only have a regional rep, I assume it's not that big an issue.

[ManUtdFan]

I just read through the whole thread and i have to say,that i have huge respect for everyone who has started this challenge.I am starting this challenge,hopefully i won't rage quit after a month.Just wanted to ask,is this a correct set-up of this challenge?

http://i.imgur.com/xyx3O.png

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Can't believe I read every post in this thread! But I found it so engrossing, I couldn't stop myself.
Some of you guys have or are doing amazing, well done.
have taken a few llg to top league, but never like this and will definitely be giving it a go soon, next few weeks or so.

[ri916]

I just read through the whole thread and i have to say,that i have huge respect for everyone who has started this challenge.I am starting this challenge,hopefully i won't rage quit after a month.Just wanted to ask,is this a correct set-up of this challenge?

http://i.imgur.com/xyx3O.png

That set up is correct.

Can't believe I read every post in this thread! But I found it so engrossing, I couldn't stop myself.
Some of you guys have or are doing amazing, well done.
have taken a few llg to top league, but never like this and will definitely be giving it a go soon, next few weeks or so.

Thanks mate hope to see you in here.

[mack4life]

Just went to load my save game and it's corrupted.

So, a dozen or so seasons wasted!

Oh well, time to start again.

[ManUtdFan]

Wow,that's ashame mack4life . Are you going to pick a new team or you gonna manage with FC United again?

EDIT : Who said LLM was boring ?

[westa03]

Hey, so i have been engrossed in this thread and started my own game using this challenge. I wasn't going to post my progress, however i have decided to now as i'd like to share my adventure. I already have one season completed already (and what a rollercoaster that was).

Aaron West takes over at newly promoted BSS side Hendon (some proof to show when i joined)

Facilities:

Training Facilities: Basic
Youth Facilities: Minimal Rented
Junior Coaching: Adequate
Youth Recruitment: Limited

End of Season Review

Blue Square Bet South:

If the team's pre-season was anything to go by the season ahead was gonna be a difficult one, i expected to take beatings off celtic, brighton and bolton, however the 3-1 lose to Fleet and 2-2 draw with Berkhamsted set off all kinds of alarm bells.

We started the season off with a 2-0 lose to Salisbury (away) and i started to prepare for a tough season ahead. This however changed very quickly, the team started to gel and the results started to change, and from the 13th league game onwards we were in a hotly contested battle for top spot with Chelmsford. Dips in form from us and Chelmsford meant that it was a constant game of tug of war about who was going to finish 1st. 6 games to go and we faced Chelmsford at Home, knowing a win would put us 6 points clear...Chelmsford had another idea and beat us 3-1 putting them top on by goal difference. I thought that our over-achieving had finally caught up with us and that we were going to have to settle for a play-off place, this was not the case with us winning our next 3 games and Chelmsford slipping up we opened a 6 point lead, and knowing that we went into penultimate game knowing that a draw would bring us the title. The pressure overwhelmed the team, and lost 5-2 to Dorchester (away). So away to Welling would be the deciding game, if we just managed a draw we would be crowned champions. When our striker Danny Morrissey scored in the 8th minute i was full of confidence that we would be bringing the title home...however the team bottled it massively and conceded 3 goals in the second half. We would have to go through the playoffs as Chelmsford won the league by having a +6 better goal difference then us.

BSS Play off Semi-Final:

We would be facing one of the teams that stopped us winning the league...DORCHESTER. The first leg was at Dorchester, time for some revenge. We took the lead through our centre back Simon Cox, this seemed to make Dorchester actually start to play and they were 2-1 up in the 56th min. Simon Cox who had been fantastic throughout the season, single-handedly took the game by the scruff of the neck and scored another 2 goals (59th and 77th min) to finish the leg 3-2 to us.

I went into the second leg rather worried about the strength of Dorchester as we were lucky to come away with a victory in the first leg. My fears were slightly put to bed, when none other than Simon Cox popped up with another goal to make it 4-2 agg. This however was short lived as goals from Dorchester in the 38th and 50th minute brought the tie back level to 4-4. Going into the last ten minutes of the game, i was cursing my luck, but Simon Cox, who i may rename 'wonder boy' decided his goal scoring was not finished and produced the winning goal.

BSS Play off Final:

My opposition for the play-off final was Dover, and i just had a bad feeling about this game. We took the lead on the 31st min with a goal from D.Morrissey. However, for the second game running we conceded two goals to make it 2-1 Dover in the 90 min, with D.Morrissey also getting a straight red card. In added time, i was furious, chucking a game away like this. My left back playing left mid however scored an equaliser with a diving header to take it to extra time. 3 minutes into extra time, and everything changed my top goalscorer S.Richardson put us 3-2 ahead and then another 2 goals from G.kinsella and J.Federico put us 5-2 up and PROMOTED to the Blue Square Bet Premier.

This has to be my most epic season i have ever had, the three play-off games and the title challenge was just a rollercoaster and a half.

League Table
League Graph


Key 3 Players:

Simon Cox

Stewart Richardson

Darren Currie


Our Youth Intake wasn't as good as i needed: i made Keke Richardson (coach report) my Yp01 player as he had the best chance of getting in my squad next year. I also signed 4 others that had 4-5 star potential, but not the CA to play in my team straight away.

I have managed to increase my Junior Coaching to Adequate, and won manager of the year for my massive over achievement.

I should be excited about the prospect of playing in the BSP next year however i have just received this
The new stadium puts me -204,413 in the red, so may put back me improving my facilities for a while

Current Squad: Selection Info - Assistant Report

Transfers

[ri916]

Welcome the two Wests!

JkWest- Unfortunately thats not how it works. The team you take charge of has to be unplayable at the start of the game. The best way to do this is to pick a tem promoted after season 1.

Westa03- What a great season you've had with Hendon! to gain promotion already is brilliant!

[Nottingham Forest]

Ri, decided to start this again as Hendon. They currently have two players away from the club on loan. Am I able to recall them back and use them in my first team?

I know it shouldn't be a problem but I thought I'd check first.

[jkwest]

Ah see I was worried about that, that's fair enough i'll start again asap. I'll probably give the European youth academy challenge a go!

[ManUtdFan]

Crash dumps ended my Chester career prematurely,not sure what team to pick this time.

[ri916]

Ri, decided to start this again as Hendon. They currently have two players away from the club on loan. Am I able to recall them back and use them in my first team?

I know it shouldn't be a problem but I thought I'd check first.

If their contracted to your club it's fine

[westa03]

Hendon 2013/14 Season

Blue Square Bet Premier- 21st (Relegated)

Fa Cup- 4th Q Round - Canvey Island 3-4

FA Trophy- 2nd Round - Hayes and Yeading 1-3

I learnt a lot this season, success too early is not always a good thing. When it came to the league this year, the team was totally out of its depth and this is shown by the 87 goals we conceded. Our back four were terrorised and were just not ready for the step up to BSP. A few years may be needed in the BSS just to re-group and gel. I'm possibly taking a gamble, which may or may not pay off but a few of the older heads, that are on 1-1 and a half stars CA are gonna be let go allowing my youth to have a chance to develop.

Key Players:


Jon Lamb: Info - Report- This bloke was a youth player when i first came to the club, and got a few games last year where he was highly inconsistent, however this year he's started to shine and develop into my main striker. As you can see he is rated a good striker for the BSP and the potential to be a Leading L1 striker. I am worried that someone is going to bid for him though, as my assistant has said that he feels Lamb's progress is stalling due to needing a new challenge.

Simon Cox: One of few that managed to have a good average this year of 7.04 and was probably the only solid defender i have the rest have good potential but are few inconsistent and prone to mistakes.

YP Watch:

Keke Darlington YP01a: Info Report - Only played 3 games this year, down to injuries and being poor when used. Will give the lad a chance more next year in the BSS, as i'm looking to give quite a bit of youth a chance next year.

Chad Watkins YP01b: Info Report -

When Darren Currie sprung the surprise on me at the end of last year that he was retiring, i was livid as he added a touch of class to my left side of midfield. Chad stepped up this year, with 6 assists, 3 goals and an average rating of 6.88, he will be my main left winger next year and hopefully he will turn into a star.

Youth Intake: I decided to sign 8 of the youth intake this year as they had good potential and with me being in the BSS i believe i can give them more first team football. The player that stood out for me was Patty Moke (report card) with his CA of 2 stars, i decided to chuck him into the last few games and he didnt disappoint. He ended with 2 goals and an average rating of 7.04. I have decided to give him the tag YP02 for this crop of youngsters.

Transfers

Squad: Pt1 Pt2

Finances: 4k in black

I haven't been able to improve my facilities due to me losing quite a bit of money every month.

My aims for this year are to bleed the youth in to the team and finish about mid-table.

However i don't know if my board will be happy with just that as my job was insecure due to the relegation.

[westa03]

i did my end of season post last night but it isnt showing...is my post still being moderated or has it just failed...if so im gonna have to re-write it again, which means i have to relive the nightmare once again

[Bobbins71]

Chester City Season 4: 2015-16 - Bobbins71

League Position 1st - Blitzed the league and won comfortably.
FA Cup - Knocked out third round by Everton
Johnstone's Paint - Knocked out in North Final on away goals by Bradford. Quite disappointed about it. Would have liked a wembly visit.
League Cup - Knocked out third round by Blackburn

Season 4 Objective - Make the playoffs - Achieved, bettered, got automatic promotion.
Tighten the defence - Achieved, conceded "only" 56 goals (72 last season)

This challenge is fantastic. I'm loving this. You really get attached to your players when you bring them through the ranks. My team is almost all youth players now as I head into season 5.

This season we were just awesome. The problem is that the team are built around Adam Taylor (YP2a). He's one of those "once a generation" players you get. I'm so lucky to have him. He was quite simply amazing this season. 73 goals in 48 games. MoM 25 times. 8.11 average rating. He's just makes my game worthwhile. This is the best game of FM I think I've had. He is carrying the team now, and I'm worried because his agent has made it clear he wants to leave. He has 1 year left on his contract and I'm in a dilemma. Keep him to help us stay in league 1 or sell him now and get some money. Without him the team are really going to struggle. Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool have been watching him a lot. I put a £25M price tag on him to scare them off, and it worked. However, my finances are struggling. 6000 attendances are just not enough to make money and even £1M would make a hell of a difference to the club. Should I sell now as he is in the last year of contract?

Facilities - Had an improvement in Junior coaching. Now Excellent. Had improvement in Training facilities at a cost of £1.3M planned but the board cancelled it at the end of the season. Pitch is in a shocking condition as well.

Finances are OK, but not much in the bank. £675K - I'm kind of treading water but I need to start paying league 1 wages next season. Its a problem.

Youth Intake was good this season thanks to the improved coaching. Frazer Keefe (YP4a) looks a star in the making, Curtis Holt (YP4b) is a 15 yo GK and will be thrown into the deep end next season. Ian Godfrey (YP4c) adds cover in midfield.

Transfers - Saves time not having to look.

Youth

Starting
Craig Hulse (YP0a) | Report - kept him this season and he played a lot. He's a squad filler though and league 1 is above his capabilities.
Joe Ormorod (YP0b) | Report - hardly played. Dropped to the reserves and will be released.
Jordon Grace (YP0c) | Report _ was good cover but now dropped to the reserves and will be released at end of contract.
Sean Miller (YP0d) | Report - Had another good season alongside Adam Taylor (YP02a) 29 goals and 14 assists and league 1 quality.

1st Intake
Neil McCann (YP1a) | Report - Has been excellent but I seriously ticked his agent off and now can't get him to sign a new contract. Will probably leave for free before league 1 starts. Shame because he's my best defender.
Marcus Cotterill (YP1b) | Report - After what happened to Neil McCann (YP1a) I signed him up on a long term contract.
Nathan Ryan (YP1c) | Report - Did OK, not rated by my staff though. Will probably have him as a backup this season.
Neil Collins (YP1d) | Report - also suffered injury problems and now finds himself No2 to Marc Owen (YP2b).

2nd Intake
Adam Taylor (YP2a)| Report - Goalscoring superstar - Too good for us. Should be in the prem. Sell or not to sell?
Marc Owen (YP2b) | Report - Love this player. Does a lot of good work. Signed him up on a long term contract.
James Osula (YP2c) | Report - 1st choice RB but injury prone.
Eddie Knowles (YP2d) | Report - Weakest point of the defence. He won't ever be good because he's a midget! 5'3" tall and built like a reed.

Still better than any other LB I have though.

3rd Intake
Brian Roberts (YP3a)| Report - Solid. Progressed well.
Liam O'Donnell (YP3b)| Report - Played a bit, didn't score as often as I liked and definately 3rd or 4th choice. Not the future but OK for now.

4th Intake
Frazer Keefe (YP4a) | Report - Looks promising and can play CB if Neil McCann (YP1a) should leave.
Curtis Holt (YP4b) | Report - Will be 1st choice GK - 15yo!
Ian Godfrey (YP4c) | Report - adds depth to midfield and may be needed if Frazer Keefe operates as a CB.

Squad - Very few original players left now. Strong in some areas but not a strong squad. Could be tough next season.

Season 5 - Stay in the division. Should be possible with Adam Taylor (YP2a) but if I sell him and lose Neil McCann we will really struggle!

[fortasel]

Hey guys!

I saw this challenge and tried to do it with FC United. I truggled through the first 2 seasons, and when I was finally managing to play proper football, and developing interesting players, my brilliant board decided that it was time to build a stadium. For a team who had been struggling to stay up. By the end of that season, we were relegated because we couldn't play our wages (even though I made about 2mil in friendlies). I'm restarting the challenge and post about it here.

Hopefully, I'll be able to choose Redditch United. I had already played LLM with them in FM10 or FM11 and won everything. It was quite the challenge. I think this one will be bigger.

[fortasel]

Alright then, I started with:

Club: Redditch United
Nickname: The Reds
Fierce Rivals: Worcester
Other Rivals: Evesham, Southport
Estimated Value: €350k
Season Ticket Holders: 81
Bank Balance: £10k

Stadium: The Valley Stadium
Stadium Capacity: 5,000 (40 Seated)
Corporate Facilities: Basic
Training Facilities: Basic
Youth Facilities: Minimal (Rented)
Junior Coaching: Basic
Youth Recruitment: Limited


Fingers Crossed!

[benjam1nge]

Hey only just noticed this thread and i'am looking to get involved. I've holidayed the first season and decided to choose bury as other people have already started with chester! I have the once mighty James Scowcroft leading the line so promotion shouldnt be a problem il be starting this properly after the weekend. If i do well i hope to keep this thread alive a bit! Ive already done things like this on my own accord, relying only on youth but ive only ever done this AFTER ive won everything with a club ive taken from the lower leagues. Lower league management is the most fun so im looking forward to the challenge.

[danger_mouse]

Im starting this tonight, i want to try and take a team that nobody has started with already. I'll post up when ive got my team.

[danger_mouse]

Tooting & Mitcham it is then

[Bobbins71]

Chester City Season 5: 2016-17 - Bobbins71


League Position 5th - Overjoyed at the performance this year. Promoted to the Championship via the play-offs.
Cups though were a washout this season.
FA Cup - Knocked out first round by Bradford
Johnstone's Paint - Knocked out second round by Stockport on a penalty shoot out.
League Cup - Knocked out first round by Blackburn (again)
Results
Results 1 | Results 2 | Results 3

Season 5 Objective - Stay in the division - Failed, but not the way I intended. We will be in the Championship next season.

Season    League                   Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13   BSN			   1st		FA Cup 1st Rd  FA Trophy 3rd Rd
2013/14   BSP			   5th		FA Cup 1st Rd  FA Trophy 3rd Rd
2014/15   NPower League 2	   8th		FA Cup 4th Rd  League Cup 1st Rd, Johstone Paint North Qtr Final
2015/16   NPower League 2	   1st  	FA Cup 3rd Rd  League Cup 3rd Rd, Johstone Paint North Final
2016/17	  NPower League 1	   5th		FA Cup 1st Rd  League Cup 1st Rd, Johstone Paint North 2nd Rd

Wow! what an amazing season. The league form this year was amazing. Chester City were actually in 1st place this year for the early part of the season. I actually couldn't believe I was winning some games but they were mostly by the odd goal and couldn't be continued in the long run. We managed to stay in the top 6 all season and the fifth placed finish get us into the semi playoffs against Charlton. I didn't really expect to get past them, but we did in a hard fought game 2-1 at home followed by a 2-2 draw aet at the valley. The final against tranmere was a marvellous game with chances and goals galore, which we just edged 3-2. I can't quite beleive Chester are in the Championship after 5 seasons! It was an even more surprising because I sold club legend Adam Taylor (Yp2a) to Derby this year for £4M and 50% of the next sale. I decided to cash in and get some money before he left for free at he end of the season. It was a difficult decision but I'm obviously chuffed that the team could perform without him. Sean Miller (Yp0d) filled his place and scored lots of goals. He continues to amaze me because his stats are not THAT good. 52 goals in 49 appearances and league top scorer.

Facilities - Had an improvement in Junior coaching. Now Exceptional but boy is it expensive. The Youth setup is now >£2M annum and we just can't afford it. The £4M from Adam Taylor (YP2a) has funded this for this year but I seriously need some more revenue to keep this going. There were upgrades in the works for Youth and Training facilities but we are burning cash at such a prodigious rate that the Training Facilities improvement was cancelled at the end of the season (for the 2nd time).

Finances are OK as we still have the Adam Taylor (Yp2a) money. £2M+ but burning through it quickly. Had the lowest league salary. Sold out most home games. Hoping for a new stadium next season.

I had high hopes with the Youth intake this year given the high investment and it was pretty good. Dale Yates (Yp5a) is the pick of the bunch but he needs retraining as I don't use wingers. Simon McLaughlin (Yp5b) is the 2nd choice reserve keeper. Kieran McDermott (Yp5c) is the backup centre back I was looking for. Andrew Prescott (Yp5d) is the cover for strikers. He isn't that good but I'm short of players in the position.
Transfers - Saves time not having to look.

I had a board takeover this year. Sadly no change. The first thing they did is terminate my link with Chelsea. £57K not useful obviously!

Transfers - none

Youth

Starting
Craig Hulse (YP0a) | Report - kept him this season but he didn't play much and will probably be released at the end of his contract.
Joe Ormorod (YP0b) | Report - Released at the end of the season. Doesn't have a club yet.
Jordon Grace (YP0c) | Report _ Released at the end of the season. Doesn't have a club yet.
Sean Miller (YP0d) | Report - Filled the gap left by Adam Taylor (Yp02) and did tremendously well. Now a club legend. Has scored 147 goals for Chester in 5 seasons! Oldest player in the 1st team at 22! Team Captain.

1st Intake
Neil McCann (YP1a) | Report - Managed to renew his contract on the last day before it expired. 43 appearances and key member of the squad.
Marcus Cotterill (YP1b) | Report - Solid season. 49 appearances. Him and Neil McCann should be my 2 CD for a few years. Vice Captain.
Nathan Ryan (YP1c) | Report - Squad player who fills in adequately when needed. Won't renew his contract with me. May lose him.
Neil Collins (YP1d) | Report - Squad player who fills in adequately when needed.

2nd Intake
Adam Taylor (YP2a)| Report - Sold for £4M to Derby. Didn't have the best of seasons. Derby were relegated from the premiership so we will meet him next season.
Marc Owen (YP2b) | Report - Excellent DM and key player. One of the few already good enough for the championship.
James Osula (YP2c) | Report - 1st choice RB had a better season.
Eddie Knowles (YP2d) | Report - Broke his foot and was out for 4 months so gave his position to another Youth prospect who threatens to displace him this season.

3rd Intake
Brian Roberts (YP3a)| Report - Great Box to Box Midfielder.
Liam O'Donnell (YP3b)| Report - Very disappointed but does tend to raise his game for the big occasion.

4th Intake
Frazer Keefe (YP4a) | Report - Solid first season as anchor man. 1st International cap for Wales.
Curtis Holt (YP4b) | Report - Played every game. Good 1st season and can only improve.
Ian Godfrey (YP4c) | Report - played lots of times mostly from the bench. He looks a good player but its a shame because midfield is where the team is strongest so baring an injury to those ahead of him he won't get that many chances to start games.

5th Intake
Dale Yates (Yp5a) | Report - really excited by him, but need to retrain him as a striker first.
Simon McLaughlin (Yp5b) | Report - Reserve goalkeeper, probably won't play.
Kieran McDermott (Yp5c) | Report - Becomes understudy to the 2 CD Marcus and Neil.
Andrew Prescott (Yp5d) | Report - Will probably get chances as my attack relies on Sean Miller. Became Chester's youngest ever scorer this season.


Season 6 target - Stay in the Championship.

[benjam1nge]

So after starting with Bury Town my main goal was to get into league football as soon as possible, which would allow me to sign players up professionally and get them proper training. This would allow me to get a better intake and also allow my players to their max potential quickly. Then sell some to upgrade my facilities which would have a snowball effect where i then get through better players to sell for more money to upgrade even further. This is my main goal and what i believe is key to successfully completing this challenge. So far so good. After my first season I managed to gain promotion via the playoffs beating Darlington in the Final. (Always good because I'm from Hartlepool!). I was a 10-1 under dog too! But came out winning VERY comfortably. As you can see I also have a couple of my youth intake playing in the game.

I decided after looking at the players available i took on:

Aidan Boon - Looks pretty good so far. Was solid from what i saw in the Blue Square North. I think he will be treading water in the Premier and if i can push into league football will probably need replacing by then. But a decent prospect nevertheless.

Matt Searle - Decent Right back/Right mid who will most likely only ever be a fringe player but because my defence is aging and pretty poor, he will play quite a few games. Again same as Boon he will be treading water in the Premier.

Adam Haynes - Decided at the last minute to promote this guy as I'm planning to release a few strikers at the end of the season. I think this kid has a chance to play a few games. My logic being that id rather play a youngster than an aging Nathan Joynes who is 27!! I think this is also in the spirit of the challenge giving the kids a chance to shine. Again though, I can't see a massive future beyond next season.

Chez McKenzie - Saved the best til last! So glad I got a good prospect at centre-back because its a key place for any team and my current centre-backs were really poor (hence the 62 goals conceded). He so far seems to be the best prospect and since hes came into the side I've seen a significant drop in the goals being conceded. I think this guy can play league football and that's what I'm looking for!

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___________

A special mention to some of the key players this season.

Ryan Lake - Amazing season as you can see from his stats. Hopefully next season he can keep it up and push the team up the table. 11 goals and more importantly 26 assists he is rightfully Blue Square Bet North Player of the Season. Also Voted Fan's Player of the Year.

Sam Reed - Top scorer in the league by 7 goals I'll be looking to him to convert the chances created by Ryan Lake next season too. Absolutely deadly in the box and looking to get more out of him in the Premier.

Liam Hubbuck - I think this guy deserves a mention too, because if he stayed fit all season i really believe he would have out scored Sam Reed for top scorer. Unfortunately he seems very injury prone which is a shame. I cant complain too much though because as you can see whenever hes played, hes done well. If he can have better luck next season i think with him and Sam Reed upfront i wont struggle to avoid relegation and could push towards the top half. 15 goals in 20(2) games in all competitions is very good.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________

Final Table - I scored for fun but conceded far too many. With Boon and McKenzie coming through though I'm hoping next season will be different. Both will be first choice players at the age 16, which can only be good for the future of the club.

England Season Summary - Dominated by the mighty Bury Town!

End of season Squad - I'll be releasing about 5-6 players to streamline the squad because at the minute it's far too big. I've already signed up most of the players I want til the end of the 2014 season so its just about releasing the deadwood now.

Transfers - To show I ain't cheating yo'!

Stadium expansion - Nice to see this. Even though it's only 500 seats it puts my capacity to just under 4000. Decent enough! Shame i cant upgrade my youth facilities, although i have improved the junior coaching.

My Profile - Sunday League Footballer.

Next season im aiming to get at least in the top half of the division. If im right i can then turn professional which will be a big turning point for the club. From there i think the progression will be a lot quicker. The advantage of being in the premier is more coaches which will benefit the team to no end. Hopefully I can find a good fitness coach to keep the team in shape. Im also going to save up as much money as possible so I can improve the training and youth facilities if possible. This could be done if i can get a good cup run going. Any cup at all will do. Just looking for that big away day!

I think if I finish in the top half of the Blue Square Premier the club will turn professional? Can anyone confirm that?

[mitjamvp]

is there a minimum reputation which club needs to turn professional from semi pro?

[Bobbins71]

When you reach league 2 you will be professional.You can ask the board earlier than that if your finances are secure and the ambition of the chairman is high enough.

[Bobbins71]

Chester City Season 6: 2017-18 - Bobbins71

League Position 12th - Solid season, established in Championship.
FA Cup - Knocked out sixth round by Man Utd at old trafford. A good cup run and earned us a lot of money.
League Cup - Knocked out 2nd Rd by Derby

Results
Results 1 | Results 2 | Results 3

Season 6 Objective - Stay in the championship. Achieved.

Season    League                   Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13   BSN 				1st	FA Cup 1st Rd  FA Trophy 3rd Rd
2013/14   BSP				5th 	FA Cup 1st Rd  FA Trophy 3rd Rd
2014/15   NPower League 2 		8th	FA Cup 4th Rd  League Cup 1st Rd, Johstone Paint North Qtr Final
2015/16   NPower League 2		1st	FA Cup 3rd Rd  League Cup 3rd Rd, Johstone Paint North Final
2016/17   NPower League 1		5th	FA Cup 1st Rd  League Cup 1st Rd, Johstone Paint North 2nd Rd
2017/18   Championship			12th	FA Cup 6th Rd  League Cup 2nd Rd

Solid season, with some really exciting news at the end, which I'll come to later.

An interesting 1st season in the Championship. This was a real step up in challenge and I know many of the players are not really good enough quality for this league. We were on the receiving end of many drubbings this year and it was a little dispiriting. We conceded 4 or more goals 7 times this season. However, a surprising stat for you, Chester scored 89 goals this season, the league top scorers, but conceded 88, the second highest conceded in the league. Only bottom placed Crystal Palace conceded more. If I can tighten up the defence I should do better next season.

Sean Miller (YP0d) continued knocking them in regularly, 45 goals this season but new player Dale Yates (YP5a) also weighed in with 26 goals and 12 assists. I expect him to get better next season.

Facilities - Youth facilities upgraded. I also have upgrades to training and youth facilities underway. The board are also in the planning stage for a new stadium, so lets see what happens (I never asked for it).
Work done this year to turn the Diva Stadium to a 6000 all seater.

Finances are OK - we got a further £2.9M from the sell on of Adam Taylor (YP2a) who went to Wolves in a big money move. I made a profit this season but the youth costs are ridiculous. Championship money is just about enough to cover us. Have the lowest salary though.

Have a link with Everton now. I'm now an Icon.

Youth intake - Now onto the big news. the Youth Intake was excellent. 2 players with potential for Premiership quality. Eddie Boardman (YP6a) looks a great striker. However the big news is Daniel O'Keefe (YP6b) (MY SON) appeared this term, and he's a good player. What is even more spooky is my son in real life is also called Daniel!!!! I almost fell off my chair when I saw him. Getting two quality players like this is fantastic. Daniel will get plenty of opportunites next season.

Transfers - none

Starting
Craig Hulse (YP0a) | Report - Played 20 times this year but not really good enough. May renew his contract, not decided yet.
Joe Ormorod (YP0b) | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Jordon Grace (YP0c) | Report - Doesn't have a club yet.
Sean Miller (YP0d) | Report - Continues to bang in the goals.

1st Intake
Neil McCann (YP1a) | Report - His place is under pressure now from the new defenders.
Marcus Cotterill (YP1b) | Report - Another solid season.
Nathan Ryan (YP1c) | Report - Wouldn't sign a contract and was released. Hasn't found a club yet.
Neil Collins (YP1d) | Report - Made 20 appearances, mainly as sub. Will offer a new contract as a back-up.

2nd Intake
Adam Taylor (YP2a)| Report - Established England U21, signed for Wolves this season and did well scoring 20 goals.
Marc Owen (YP2b) | Report - Another solid season.
James Osula (YP2c) | Report - 1st choice RB had a better season. But faces competition from Ian Godfrey (YP4c).
Eddie Knowles (YP2d) | Report - Established himself as first choice LB this season.

3rd Intake
Brian Roberts (YP3a)| Report - Marvellous season. Gets forward and scores important goals. Have bigger teams sniffing around him.
Liam O'Donnell (YP3b)| Report - Despite being suitable for the championchip, just doesn't perform. 4th or 5th choice now.

4th Intake
Frazer Keefe (YP4a) | Report - Player of the season for Chester.
Curtis Holt (YP4b) | Report - Played every game again. Solid if unspectacular.
Ian Godfrey (YP4c) | Report - Retrained him as a RB as I'm light there. Did well. Did get a 3.3 rating once though!

5th Intake
Dale Yates (Yp5a) | Report - Now a striker. Did really well.
Simon McLaughlin (Yp5b) | Report - Reserve goalkeeper, didn't play.
Kieran McDermott (Yp5c) | Report - Had a few opportunities but dissapointing.
Andrew Prescott (Yp5d) | Report - Came in and did well when needed.

6th Intake
Eddie Boardman (YP6a) | Report - Didn't score but looks promising.
Daniel O'Keefe (YP6b) | Report- My son! Will get lots of chances. Good looking boy too!
Phil Davison | Report - Will be retrained to a full back as I'm light here.


Season 7 Objectives - Build on this season, tighten the defence if possible.

[ri916]

Bobbins71-Congratulations on getting a son mate! Very creepy that he has the same name as your son too!

[Padders]

As promised in April/May time I have started this challenge again.

It is a great challenge and now my wedding and honeymoon is over I have more time on my hands

I have started this time as Redditch United.

[Padders]

First season all about staying up

Started okay and was midtable after Christmas then went on a terrible run but managed to stay up

Nothing exciting in my first Youth Candidates

               Redditch United Youth Academy


-----------------------------------------------------------
 Season    League   POS   PTS    FA Cup   League Cup   Other
-----------------------------------------------------------
2012-13     BSN    17th   52     QUALS

[Bobbins71]

Chester City Season 7: 2018-19 - Bobbins71
League Position 4th - Lost semi final playoff 3-1 agg against Barnsley (who subsequently were promoted)
League Cup - Knocked out first round by Shrewsbury. I played a lot of second string players but we should have got a result.
FA Cup - another good performance. Some favourable home draws and a memorable 3rd round win over Liverpool meant we went one stage further than last year and reached the Semi-final and a trip to Wembley. Unfortunately we were then stuffed 5-1 at Wembley Stadium by West Ham Utd.

results 1 | results 2 | results 3

Season    League                   Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13   BSN				1st     FA Cup 1st Rd  FA Trophy 3rd Rd
2013/14   BSP				5th     FA Cup 1st Rd  FA Trophy 3rd Rd, Promoted via Play Off
2014/15   NPower League 2		8th     FA Cup 4th Rd  League Cup 1st Rd, Johnstone Paint North Qtr Final
2015/16   NPower League 2		1st     FA Cup 3rd Rd  League Cup 3rd Rd, Johnston Paint North Final
2016/17   NPower League 1		5th     FA Cup 1st Rd  League Cup 1st Rd, Johnston Paint North 2nd Rd, Promoted via Play Off
2017/18   Championship			12th    FA Cup 6th Rd  League Cup 2nd Rd
2018/19   Championship			5th     FA Cup Semi    League Cup 1st Rd, Lost Play Off Semi Final

Another Solid season in the Championship. We improved on last year, scoring over 100 goals and tightened up the defence a little, but not really good enough to go up. If I could find a way to concede less then I would be set for a good season. We started the campaign with a 5-0 victory away at Sheffield Utd followed with a 6-0 home victory against Luton. I thought at that stage I had nailed it, but alas it was a false dawn. Nonetheless, the form through the season was consistent, we were at the top in the first 2 months but settled into the play-off positions almost the entire remainder of the season. We are definitely a top 8 Championship side right now but it might take another 2-3 seasons before we make the step up to the Premiership. This is a tough league!

Transfers - None. I've still only sold one player. I think I can safely sell one or two of the fringe players now. Oh how I wish I still had Adam Taylor (YP02a)!

Squad - looking OK. I have a number of players who are Championship quality and can improve further but not quite enough of them to get promoted. An injury to a key player (and I had a lot of injuries this season) effects the team quite badly. Squad depth of sufficient quality needs improving.

Facilities - The new stadium completion date slipped again. It might be ready in 3 or 4 seasons time. I hope its a good one! In the meantime, I have had an upgrade of 1300+ seats installed this season. The board announced a further upgradeof 1600+ seats at the end of this season. My youth facilities are being upgraded again (if I can afford it and they don t cancel.)

Finances - Doing OK but only enough to tread water. The last two season I've had good cup runs, otherwise I wouldn't be so comfortable. Attendances of 7000+ are not enough to keep a team in the championship despite having the lowest wage bill. Either need a promotion to the Premiership (just for a season) or a new stadium and increased attendances.

I am now a club legend. (Yay!) I reckon its a toss up now between myself and fellow legend Sean Miller (YP0d) to decide who the new stadium will be named after. Or it will be something boring like "The Chester Stadium".....

Youth Intake - With exceptional junior coaching, I usually get 1 and sometimes 2 Premiership or Championship potential players in my draft. This year only 1 player is really good enough and that is Billy Stubbs (YP7a) but he is a left back and I really need some better full backs so I'm not complaining.


Starting Youth
Craig Hulse (YP0a) | Report - Released. Never found a club and has retired.
Joe Ormorod (YP0b) | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Jordon Grace (YP0c) | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Sean Miller (YP0d) | Report - Top scorer again. Club Legend despite not being rated by my coaches. Scored 32 this season.

1st Intake
Neil McCann (YP1a) | Report - Good solid season. Good enough for the Championship and a colossus in the air.
Marcus Cotterill (YP1b) | Report - Steady. Never lets me down.
Nathan Ryan (YP1c) | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Neil Collins (YP1d) | Report - Good squad player. Backup when needed.

2nd Intake
Adam Taylor (YP2a)| Report - Another solid season for Wolves in the Premiership.
Marc Owen (YP2b) | Report - Still love this player. Played a lot this season.
James Osula (YP2c) | Report - Good season but picks up niggling injuries.
Eddie Knowles (YP2d) | Report - Now 2nd choice LB after new Youth Player Billy XXXX. seems to be injury prone.

3rd Intake
Brian Roberts (YP3a)| Report - Love this player. Was injured a while this season, but chips in with lots of goals and is obvious quality.
Liam O'Donnell (YP3b)| Report - Squad cover, but did better this season on the limited occasions he got a chance.

4th Intake
Frazer Keefe (YP4a) | Report - Injured for a long portion of the season. Chester's best player, if I can keep him fit.
Curtis Holt (YP4b) | Report - Ever present. Still not reached his potential and has a better backup now.
Ian Godfrey (YP4c) | Report - Played at RB quite a bit but also had lots of chances in midfield because of injuries. Useful squad player.

5th Intake
Dale Yates (Yp5a) | Report - Great season, more goals. Super player.
Simon McLaughlin (Yp5b) | Report - Reserve goalkeeper, didn't play.
Kieran McDermott (Yp5c) | Report - sent out on loan. Didn't do well. Will look to sell I think.
Andrew Prescott (Yp5d) | Report - Squad filler.

6th Intake
Eddie Boardman (YP6a) | Report - Had a horrendous injury when he was getting into his stride. When he came back he wasn#t the same. Need to restart his career next season.
Daniel O'Keefe (YP6b) | Report - My son is now first choice centre back. Called up for the England U19 squad too.
Phil Davison (YP6c) | Report - Squad Player. Cover at the back.

7th Intake
Billy Stubbs (YP7a) | Report - LB with lots of potential. Was injured in his 1st game though.
Brian Jones (YP7b) | Report - New backup for the GK Curtis Holt (YP4b) will give him a few games next season against the weaker sides.

Question: Why is international management not allowed? How does it give an advantage?

[ManUtdFan]

Has anyone had their youth facilities upgrade cancelled ? Quite frustrating this.

[Bobbins71]

Happens all the time. The board agree to upgrades based on cash in the bank, not cashflow. If you sell someone but are losing money the chance of the upgrade being cancelled is very high.

[XaW]

I've decided to give this a try. I've been away from FM for some months now, but this seems like a real challenge. Anyway, I give you the new manager of Bury Town; XaW.

I might have some problems early on as my squad only have 1 gk and very few midfielders, but we'll see how it turns out. Wish me luck!

[haunted1234]

id like to see the tactics people are using on this

because i would argue all the guys getting promoted early on etc are using the tactic exploits. but i dont want to make any accusations :P

[ri916]

id like to see the tactics people are using on this

because i would argue all the guys getting promoted early on etc are using the tactic exploits. but i dont want to make any accusations :P

What are the tactic exploits? Are you talking about corners? The only guys that get promoted first season are doing it with Chester or other good teams.

[XaW]

XaW - Season 1 (2012/13) - Bury Town FC - Blue Square North - New years update

I've played the first half of the season and I'm doing surprisingly well. We are sitting at 4th and in the play-off zone after 22 of 42 matches. In the FA Cup we managed to get as far as the 2nd round when we met Exeter from League Two after having a rather easy run beating Bedford, Thurrock, Redditch and Cirencester. We got a home tie, but made it hard for ourselves by getting two red cards within the first 15 minutes of the match. Still we defended brilliantly and in the 84th minute we managed to counter in a goal. But it was not meant to be as we conceded a couple of minutes later and the match drew 1-1. By fighting our way to a draw we had a rematch, this time away and I knew we couldn't do the same again. We did our best and scored first, but in the end we lost 1-5 and were out.

The best player I have must be our striker Sam Reed. 34 goals in 30 matches is way beyond what I would have expected.

I've tried several times to get more money for youth coaching, but so far the board has rejected since they "feel they are operating at an acceptable level". I've also tried to expand the youth facilities, but we don't have the money. I can't wait until march to get some new youngsters. I mostly hope for good defenders and a goalie. I only have one goalkeeper in my squad and luckily he haven't been injured yet. I get a grey up to the match squad for each match and I'm not sure if it is allowed to use him if there's an injury? It would be great if someone could answer that.

Edit: There are some issues with the images, I'll try to fix it

Edit2: Images should be ok now, lemme know.

[Nottingham Forest]

You can't use greyed out players I don't think. I wouldn't anyway.

[XaW]

Got the junior coaching budget increased, but it's still "Basic". But every little thing helps!

[XaW]

Junior Intake

I just got my first junior intake. The most promising player is this guy. I also got a GK who might become an ok backup. Atleast I get to have GK on the bench from now on!

[Bobbins71]

Chester City Season 8: 2019-20 - Bobbins71
League Position 3rd - Promoted via play-off
League Cup - Knocked out by Chelsea in the Semi Final 5-4 on aggregate.
FA Cup - Knocked out 3rd Rd by Southampton.


results 1 | results 2 | results 3

 Season    League          | Position | Achievements
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 2012/13   BSN             | 1st      | FA Cup 1st Rd  FA Trophy 3rd Rd
 2013/14   BSP             | 5th      | FA Cup 1st Rd  FA Trophy 3rd Rd, Promoted via Play Off
 2014/15   NPower League 2 | 8th      | FA Cup 4th Rd  LC 1st Rd, Johnston Paint North Qtr Final
 2015/16   NPower League 2 | 1st      | FA Cup 3rd Rd  LC 3rd Rd, Johnston Paint North Final
 2016/17   NPower League 1 | 5th      | FA Cup 1st Rd  LC 1st Rd, Johnston Paint North 2nd Rd, Promoted via Play Off
 2017/18   Championship    | 12th     | FA Cup 6th Rd  LC 2nd Rd
 2018/19   Championship    | 5th      | FA Cup Semi    LC 1st Rd, Lost Play Off Semi Final
 2019/20   Championship    | 3rd      | FA Cup 3rd Rd  LC Semi, Promoted via Play Off

We're entering the promised land of the Premiership. This season the team were solid and players came on very very well. The new tweaked tactic worked well and the goals were more pleasing on the eye and more evenly distributed among the strikers. I do concede ridiculous amounts though and just cannot defend, I guess it's a symptom of my tactic (high pressing, defensive line pushed to the half way line, three players up front.)


This season was slightly different to previous seasons and we started slowly but finished like a train and the form side, handing out some thrashings on the way. Southampton were runaway leaders and handed us some severe beatings this season, but most other teams were beatable. We were predicted 11th and after last season's 4th I harboured hopes of doing better this time around. Norwich finished second and on the penultimate game were 2 points ahead of us and had to come to the Deva Stadium. We had the chance to take the 2nd spot but blew it, losing 3-1 (deservedly). Into the play-offs against Hull we were thrashed again and lucky to come out with a 2-0 loss. Back at the Deva on the day of the game I had 5 players called up for international duty so only had 13 1st team squad players to choose from!!! I was extremely angry with myself for not noticing and not withdrawing them from the international squads. Despite this, everything clicked and the players I had left thrashed them 6-1 (they scored with their only chance). The final against Watford was one sided, especially when they had a man sent off after 30 mins. We ran out 4-1 winners. Season 9 sees me start in the Premiership. Should be interesting.


I wanted to send this result….. A 7-6 win away at Forest. A crazy, crazy game. Must be a record in this thread?

I now have 400 games under my belt.


Transfers - None. Tried to sell some players, no interest though. I had a few away on loan who didn't play well.


Squad - developing nicely but could be better. I have 2 Premiership quality players Dale Yates (Yp5a) | Report and Frazer Keefe (YP4a) | Report and a number of Championship quality players in Marc Owen (YP2b) | Report, Brian Roberts (YP3a)| Report , James Osula (YP2c) | Report, Daniel O'Keefe (YP6b) | Report, Curtis Holt (YP4b) | Report and then a number of players who will make it in the Premiership but need a couple more seasons Eddie Boardman (YP6a) | Report, Billy Stubbs (YP7a) | Report and new player Terry Burke (YP8a) | Report. Its not really a squad with plenty of quality in depth.


Facilities - The Deva had its capacity expanded to 9000 this season. The new stadium has been announced! I'll be playing in my new custom built stadium with under soil heating called….THE CHESTER STADIUM…. In 2022 It has 17K+ capacity. I'm not exactly overwhelmed but hope it can be upgraded as time goes by. It was needed as well because gates of 9000 are not enough and I was losing a LOT of money!


Finances - Not well at all despite a play-off final. The Premiership revenues and the new stadium should rectify that. I'll look to start improving facilities now. Still lowest salary.


Youth Intake - Only one player gets the YP tag this season but he's a good one! Leading Premiership potential and a "Model Professional" too. He is my new Box to Box midfielder. Did OK and scored a corker of a goal on his debut. I'm excited by him.




Starting
Craig Hulse (YP0a) | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Joe Ormorod (YP0b) | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Jordon Grace (YP0c) | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Sean Miller (YP0d) | Report - Continues to score regularly. Club captain and legend. Only leading League 1 quality apparently but doing OK in the Championship. Found himself eclipsed by Dale Yates (Yp5a) | Report in the scoring charts this season though.


1st Intake
Neil McCann (YP1a) | Report - Another good season and probably still good enough for a few more years.
Marcus Cotterill (YP1b) | Report - Had his chances restricted this season and started to be a bench warmer. Good squad player though.
Nathan Ryan (YP1c) | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Neil Collins (YP1d) | Report - Still in the squad. Not really good enough but when he plays, never lets me down.


2nd Intake
Adam Taylor (YP2a)| Report - Still doing well at Wolves.
Marc Owen (YP2b) | Report - Marvellous player who continues to be solid and reliable.
James Osula (YP2c) | Report - Developing into a good right back but injured quite a bit.
Eddie Knowles (YP2d) | Report - Found his chances limited because of injury and now 2nd choice LB because of the rise of Billy Stubbs (YP7a)


3rd Intake
Brian Roberts (YP3a)| Report - Chipped in with lots of goals. Big game player. Good future for him.
Liam O'Donnell (YP3b)| Report - Sent him out on loan. Didn't impress. He's not going to make it with us long term but is a body in the squad for now.


4th Intake
Frazer Keefe (YP4a) | Report - Scored a few DFKs and always plays well. Had lots of small injuries though.
Curtis Holt (YP4b) | Report - Never missed a game. May try giving his backup a few games now because he's developed so well.
Ian Godfrey (YP4c) | Report - Versatile squad player. Valuable in a small squad. Not brilliant but Championship quality.


5th Intake
Dale Yates (Yp5a) | Report - Chester player of the season. Scored lots of goals. Real talent. League top scorer.
Simon McLaughlin (Yp5b) | Report - Reserve goalkeeper, didn't play.
Kieran McDermott (Yp5c) | Report - sent out on loan. Didn't do well. Reserve player. Tried to sell but no takers.
Andrew Prescott (Yp5d) | Report - Did OK when needed. 4th choice striker so gets a few games.


6th Intake
Eddie Boardman (YP6a) | Report - Still suffering from injury problems. Frustrating because there is a good player in there.
Daniel O'Keefe (YP6b) | Report - Developing really well. 1st choice CB. Apple of his dad's eye!
Phil Davison (YP6c) | Report - Reserve player.


7th Intake
Billy Stubbs (YP7a) | Report - Injury prone but had a good run in the 1st team and developed well.
Brian Jones (YP7b) | Report - New backup for the GK Curtis Holt (YP4b) will give him a few games next season against the "weaker" sides.


8th Intake
Terry Burke (YP8a) | Report - Possibly the best YP I've had come through. Real superstar in the making and a good attitude too.


So the premiership awaits. From BSN to Premiership in 9 seasons. (It took Toon 12 seasons - I checked :-))

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Justin takes charge at St Albans.

Profile.

In the local St Albans paper, Justin has been quoted in saying, 'I will never purchase a player, my idiom is to promote from within. St Albans has talent in bags, all they need is someone to tap into that talent and bring them to their potential. Many people would question such a philosophy, yet I would question the value of purchasing a player when you may have a rough diamond just waiting to be picked up and enjoyed.'
This has certainly surprised a lot of people, St Albans has never been known as a formidable producer of talent. One can only hope that this puzzling Australian, will succeed and bring a little sunshine in St Albans.

Squad.

Facilities:
Stadium:Clarence Park.
Capacity:6,000 (900 seated).
Corporate Facilities:Basic corporate facilities.
Training Facilities:Fairly basic training facilities.
Youth Facilities:Minimal youth facilities.
Junior Coaching:Minimal junior coaching.
Youth Recruitment:Limited youth recruitment.

No cheating.

[offen94]

Giving this a go right now. Usually I've relied heavily on transfers and never paid much attention to my youth system so this will be a nice change. Chose Chester - it seems like a lot of others have too, I'm not really bothered as it'll still be really difficult with any team.

[XaW]

XaW - Season 1 (2012/13) - Bury Town FC - Blue Square North - End of season update

Table | Past Positions | Squad | Finances | Transfers |

My first season with Bury Town was a great one. We actually eased our way through the season winning much more than I could have imagined. My way to play is a 4-3-3 with wide inward wingers and a striker with good pace, but since we didn't have much in the winger department I had to switch it up some. After the friendlies I'd decided to play with three narrow strikers, but the wide ones had quite some defensive tasks as well. The central striker still needed to be quite quick and we did indeed have someone who fit in perfectly. Sam Reed was my choice as main goalscorer and did he ever deliver! 61 goals in 49 matches is just incredible. He was won the award for most goals in the league aswell. A fun fact is he was also the person to get call off for offside most with 88! His job was to be a poacher aswell as running in behind the defence at every chance he got. When we have a player who has the capacity to score as much as he did we also needed someone to assist him. Our main ones were Lee Smith and James Scowcroft. The other notable players this season is Chris Shaw, Billy Clarke and Craig Nurse.

Our FA Cup run went great as we went to the 2nd round were Exeter got the better of us after a rematch. Out stint in the FA Trophy was much shorter as we lost at the second hurdle against Corby.

Our financed suffered a hit at the end of the season since our board have decided to turn some of our stands into seating. Otherwise we went around even this season.

For the next season my only goal is to survive in the Blue Square Premier and hopefully get some more talented youngsters through our ranks.

Season         Division             Position       Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13        Blue Square North    1st            Champions, promoted

[haunted1234]

i got bury town too, iam not big on the screenshot things so nevermind me, but iam not even close to staying in the league, let alone get 85 points ~_~ >_>

[XaW]

i got bury town too, iam not big on the screenshot things so nevermind me, but iam not even close to staying in the league, let alone get 85 points ~_~ >_>

If you use Steam just press F12 to take a screenshot, then shift+alt to enter the steam menu to upload it. The main reason for getting so many points was my striker scoring for fun. I conceded way to many goals to my likening, but we still won most matches. My GK had almost no clean sheets, mainly because he is crap, but also because some of my defenders aren't good enough. I've just started the next season, and I'm struggling with my players fitness. Finishing most matches with most in the 50-60% range, which means I have to start my next game with players below 85% fitness. I think more youngsters are going to play some games than I intended yet...

[Padders]

Well done on the promotion XaW

Something I haven't managed yet I have tried this challenege 4 or 5 times

Currently with Redditch, into my 5th (I think, I'm at work) season

Keep having great starts and in and around the playoffs after 25 games or so then have massive slumps in form and finsih mid table

Started the new season on Wedneday night and won 2 of the first 3 games. Can't wait to get promoted out of the BSS. I am determined to do it

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Nice one XaW, good effort, I'm in December sitting 4th, see how I go. Because of only having 2 DC's (ones half the time not available due to red cards)and 2 Strikers ( one is 37 and is still yet to score), I am playing a 361, seems to be going ok at the moment.
Hang in there Padders, i'll probably join you lol, just played a team where every player in front of the two DC's supposedly had a 2 star rating or less, went attacking and got spanked 4-2.

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Just jinxed myself, just went on a bad run and find myself in eighth.

[tommy0306]

Thought i might give this a whirl, and it is Cambridge City which is cursed with my presence.

[Padders]

I feel your pain mate

Still battling in BSN after 6 seasons (it might even be 7!!!)

Unfortunately the last 2 season has been bottom half finishes.

I am struggling in defence also. Nothing decent coming from the Youth. I do have one decent striker who was top scorer in the BSN last season. Will try my best with some screen shots later tonight

[chocolatecoatedballs]

St Albans ~Season one~

Placed 7th

Well what can I say about my first season in charge? All over the place, didn't help only having one ok striker and a couple of Center Backs, I tried to be smart at the start of the season and created a couple of formations, a 361 with one more defensive than the other, it did ok till we hit December and everything went topsy turvey. So I started to play two variations of a 442, playing fullbacks in center back positions when needed. I only had one injury to any one of my strikers which lasted all of 6 days iirc, so we did ok there.
The team on a whole was very inconsistent, but a lot of the players are under 24 so could have something to do with it.
My highest placing was 3rd and my lowest was 18th, pretty much sums up the year, so to finish 7th was not to bad. We had a slight chance of getting into the play offs, but things didn't go our way in that regard.
I have promoted a few yp's, hired one player as a coach and looking to hire another (my 37 year old striker) who retires soon.

A few stats:

Average attendance: 471
Average ticket price: $15.20
Season ticket price: $239
Season ticket holders: 109

Facilities are the same and have not been improved, this league bleeds to much money, need to go up as soon as I can.

League table
As you can see we managed to score a few, but our defense was pretty leaky. Salisbury and Dover went up, realised later I should have taken the screenie after it happened.

I was just praying for a striker to come in the batch of new youths and I got my wish in the best of the pick.

I had to pick a few yp's as I either need them now or I will soon. Messed up on the yp naming a little but can't be bothered to fix it.

Alex Whitehead (yp01) : As soon as he came in he went into the first team, scoring on debut and two more times, He has a balanced personality so I am getting him tutored to be more of a professional. I have high hopes for the lad.
Calum Good (yp01a): A much needed goal keeper, as you may have noticed we let a few go into the net because the keeper I just released was terrible. This young guy has almost identical stats to him at this young age, so next campaign will be my starting keeper.
Tim Lawson (yp01b): I have used this guy already as well and has already showing signs of progress. One time when we had two matches in three days, the other when one CD was injured and my other one (ever reliable) was chilling out on one of his many red cards. Got a 6.8 to 7.4 rating! Will be coming into the first team.
Sean Booth (yp01c): Another handy defender rated more highly than Tim Lawson (yp01b) but has a way to develope and determination is pretty low, but I have the guy to tutor him with an awe inspiring determination of 14! (on a side note who was that american playing in Sth Africa last name Booth, surely not Sean?).
Matty Lumley (yp01c): Apparently rated pretty high as well, needs a lot of work but we need another DM.
Zema Beham (yp01d): Only rated a three star potential, but I need a AML, maybe if he gets game time he may increase a star? seen it happen before.

OK just some news items.

Alex Whithead (yp01) : The youngest goalscorer for the club to date.
Tim Lawson (yp01b) : Becomes the youngest player.
What!? Not a lot of patience, retires a month after getting a youth contract!


In other news:

English FA Cup: QPR 2-2P Bolton
English FA Cup: Fulham 2-1 Bolton

Premier top spot goes to Man United.
Relegation from Premiership: QPR, Wolves and Watford.

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Would be interesting to see that striker Padders.
Try shielding your defense with a couple of DM's if you can and just pray to any and every god out there for a decent DC lol, worked for me.
Anyway good luck, hopefully i'll join you soon, it is my only aim at the moment to get out of this league.

[XaW]

Hmh, I have a problem. The only real GK in my squad is injured for 3 weeks and I only have this guy to replace him. Gonna be some interesting weeks...

[XaW]

XaW - Season 2 (2013/14) - Bury Town FC - Blue Square Premier - New years update

I didn't quite know what to expect this season after last the surprise promotion last year. We started out good, but soon it started. The period of the season best summed up in a single word.... "Draw"! Yes, I've called it the Draw and I think you can guess why. In 19 league matches we managed 11 draws, mostly 1-1s and 2-2s. We have still managed to remain around mid table despite the draws since we only have 4 losses in the league so far and we hold the 11th place. The latest months we have also had a serious injury problem with many of our main players. This has led to more youth players getting their chances than I originally intended. Still, they have preformed well, but none have exceeded what I could expect.

Sam Reed still scores much more than one could hope for, but he has suffered many small injuries so far this season. Sadly, in his absence no one have stepped up to try to take his place and we have had problems scoring when Reed were out injured.

The FA Cup was shorter than last years, but we got as far as the 1st round were we held Barnet of League Two to a rematch, but they proved to hard a challenge at their turf. In The FA Trophy we are still running, but our next step is the 1st round rematch against Burton.

[Padders]

Here we go again



After a good start and 10 games unbeaten, here comes a stupid run of losing every game November/December time

I LOVE IT

[chocolatecoatedballs]

@Xaw, doing well mate. First season in and getting draws is better than losses, in the next year or few you can turn those draws into wins. Hope you do ok with that awesome keeper too.

@ Padders, I holiday after a bad run, sometimes a new perspective can get you a much needed win and let your assman choose the team. Hope that helps.

[chocolatecoatedballs]

@Xaw, my keeper decided to play in his skates, slid (standing up I might add) all of six - eight feet to earn himself a red card.

[XaW]

@Xaw, doing well mate. First season in and getting draws is better than losses, in the next year or few you can turn those draws into wins. Hope you do ok with that awesome keeper too.

Yeah, I'm more pleased with draws than losses for sure! More than satisfied with avoiding relegation this year than anything. My junior keeper conceded some goals and made a few mistakes, but nothing extreme. He remains an ok backup for now.

@Xaw, my keeper decided to play in his skates, slid (standing up I might add) all of six - eight feet to earn himself a red card.

Hehe, that happens sometimes, but usually it's my defenders who gung ho into challenges. I can see the red cards coming miles away.

[XaW]

Here we go again

After a good start and 10 games unbeaten, here comes a stupid run of losing every game November/December time

I LOVE IT

I use to have the exact same, but I've dodged that bullet so far. Hopefully you squad will come around.

[Padders]

Would be interesting to see that striker Padders.
Try shielding your defense with a couple of DM's if you can and just pray to any and every god out there for a decent DC lol, worked for me.
Anyway good luck, hopefully i'll join you soon, it is my only aim at the moment to get out of this league.

I will put a screenshot of him tonight, promise. He has had a great start to the new season as well. He did have a goal a game before the bad run I went on (see screenshot above)

[Padders]

@ Padders, I holiday after a bad run, sometimes a new perspective can get you a much needed win and let your assman choose the team. Hope that helps.

Cheers, will give it go tonight. Don't really like doing it, but its worth a go

[Padders]

As promised a couple of screen shots of my striker that doing quite well in BSN

Rod Orpe 1

Rod Orpe 2

[XaW]

I use to have the exact same, but I've dodged that bullet so far. Hopefully you squad will come around.

And I jinxed myself.... 11 last games, 1(yeah, that a ONE) win....slipping down the table now...

[XaW]

As promised a couple of screen shots of my striker that doing quite well in BSN

Rod Orpe 1

Rod Orpe 2

Wow, that guy's a beast! Hopefully someone like that will come through my ranks soon...

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Red Orpe looks pretty good, handy he can take a cool penalty or two.

Bad luck Xaw, hopefully you can turn it around.

I have two players who seem to go from superb moral to very poor for no apparent reason! They respond well to talks, the team is winning, then suddenly during the match I see their moral mysteriously drops? Very strange, then they start performing badly.

[Padders]

Absoutely devstated, relegated last night out of the BSN.

Had four games left, I played teams in postison 1st, 16th, 3rd and 4th. I needed to win one of those games to stay up. Didn't win one of them. I hammered the team in 16th. Had 15 shots on goal (only 2 on target) and concdeded in the 94:30 minute to lose 1-0

So gutted, I had a another striker in the last Youth Candidates come through who looked very strong, but after EIGHT seasons in the BSN I have now got to decide whether to start again or not for the FIFTH time!!!!!!!!!!!

[haunted1234]

Absoutely devstated, relegated last night out of the BSN.

Had four games left, I played teams in postison 1st, 16th, 3rd and 4th. I needed to win one of those games to stay up. Didn't win one of them. I hammered the team in 16th. Had 15 shots on goal (only 2 on target) and concdeded in the 94:30 minute to lose 1-0

So gutted, I had a another striker in the last Youth Candidates come through who looked very strong, but after EIGHT seasons in the BSN I have now got to decide whether to start again or not for the FIFTH time!!!!!!!!!!!

similair to my experience

i dont understand how people can get promoted in first or second season with this crappy squad you get from the start, sometimes i even lack players for a standard formation and have to retrain couple guys on positions to have a reserve to choose from, let alone catch a injury or two and its game over :P

[Padders]

Started yet again!!

Harrow Borough this time

[Padders]

Started the first season with 3 wins and 1 loss!!!

[XaW]

Junior intake 2014

Season 1:
Mohamed Rahman YP1 - The best of the pick from the first season. Got a bit more matches than intended and done ok.
2012/13
2013/14

Season 2:
Tommy Goodchild YP2a - Promising defender. Need a bit more strength, but otherwise good stats.
2013/14

Tim Cobb YP2b - Left back. Hopefully he can improve, as that's one of the spots we need a great one.
2013/14

Warren Southon YP2c - High hopes for him as he have some great physical stats already.
2013/14

Russel Pearce YP2d - Another defensive midfielder whom I hope can take the step up.
2013/14

[XaW]

Got junior coaching increased again and it's now up to "adequate". We need cash to increase the facilities though, but every bit helps!

[XaW]

4 matches left of the season and I'm only 4 points away from the relegation zone. Had a terrible spring so far, but I'm hoping we'll stay up!

[haunted1234]

how about the "youth candidates", can i sign these guys?

[XaW]

how about the "youth candidates", can i sign these guys?

Yeah, but only the ones who come trough your own club.

[XaW]

XaW - Season 2 (2013/14) - Bury Town FC - Blue Square Premier - End of season update

Table | Past Positions | Squad | Finances | Transfers |

My second season as manager of Bury Town, and the clubs first in Blue Square Premier started out great. We won the two first matches in the league and continued with few losses all the way until the new year. Granted, we had a majority of draws, but we kept the pace of the league and we comfortably in the upper part of the table. Around new years however the tides turned. We started losing matches rapidly and got loads of injuries which caused us to use way to many youth players who are far from being ready. We went on a run of 14 matches without a win, managing only 2 draws among them. This caused us to slowly, but surely, sliding down the table and closer to the relegation zone. It wasn't before the final 8 matches we started to play something that look like football. We finished those matches strong going 5-1-2 the last matches to make up for some of the lost ground earlier in the spring.

The cups this year was cut short as we went out in the first round of both the FA Cup and the FA Trophy after replays.

The most vital players this season was much like last year. Sam Reed is still the major strike force up top. He also managed to be 3rd place topscorer in the league this season playing only 32 matches because of injuries. Other notable players were Lee Smith, Kieran Leabon and Craig Nurse.

Financially we are still dropping, but hopefully our attendances will continue to increase the next season.

Season         Division             Position       Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2012/13        Blue Square North    1st            Champions, promoted
2013/14        Blue Square Premier  16th           Avoided relegation

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Congrats on the youth upgrade Xaw, my board want me to concentrate on signings!

Probly not the start you wanted, but you had a lot of draws, hopefully some players progressed and you may turn some of them into wins next year and some of those losses into draws. Here's to a better campaign next year. But it's a step in the right direction, onwards and upwards!

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Sorry been away for a bit, had other things to do. I start my season and after 6 games I lie in second, won 5 drawn 1. If I do not go up this year I will be devastated. YP01 scored 5 in one game, he is now semi professional, my tutor retiring before he was fully professional. That same tutor was the same 37 yr old striker I wanted to sign as an additional coach, but he didn't want to enter into talks.
Hopefully I will join you guys in the BSP, unless I have just put the Jinx on myself :P

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Tim Cobb YP2b and Warren Southon YP2c look to be great prospects, work on Cobb's quickness and he could be very good for you.

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Last year I had a scout to scout the UK and next opposition, it was costing me between 10 - 20 k a month, so I got rid of him, I did make a mistake this season though, signing up to reserve league, as the board insisted I have a youth league. Hoping this does not have adverse effects on my finances, as I can see us alreadt making a loss this season.
I also tried a different rout with friendlies, only to hamper the finances more, will not try that again lol.

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Oh, the Indian U23's job came up, so I applied. Do not think that I will get it, but if I do, I hope it will impact on my reputation.

[chocolatecoatedballs]

Absoutely devstated, relegated last night out of the BSN.

Had four games left, I played teams in postison 1st, 16th, 3rd and 4th. I needed to win one of those games to stay up. Didn't win one of them. I hammered the team in 16th. Had 15 shots on goal (only 2 on target) and concdeded in the 94:30 minute to lose 1-0

So gutted, I had a another striker in the last Youth Candidates come through who looked very strong, but after EIGHT seasons in the BSN I have now got to decide whether to start again or not for the FIFTH time!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay at it padders, you have some good youth, you will bounce back next year.

[Bobbins71]

Oh, the Indian U23's job came up, so I applied. Do not think that I will get it, but if I do, I hope it will impact on my reputation.

International management isnt allowed. No idea why not. I asked but didnt get an answer.

[ri916]

International management isnt allowed. No idea why not. I asked but didnt get an answer.

The answer is mainly I find it unrealistic for a manager to manage an english club side and an international team, especially India U23's

[Bobbins71]

Chester City Season 9: 2020-21 - Bobbins71
League Position 10th - You cant get more mid table than that!
League Cup - Knocked out 1st round by Stockport. Not happy with that.
FA Cup - Knocked out in Semi Final by Liverpool. We'll win it one day.


results 1 | results 2 | results 3

 Season    League          | Position | Achievements
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 2012/13   BSN             | 1st      | FA Cup 1st Rd  FA Trophy 3rd Rd
 2013/14   BSP             | 5th      | FA Cup 1st Rd  FA Trophy 3rd Rd, Promoted via Play Off
 2014/15   NPower League 2 | 8th      | FA Cup 4th Rd  LC 1st Rd, Johnston Paint North Qtr Final
 2015/16   NPower League 2 | 1st      | FA Cup 3rd Rd  LC 3rd Rd, Johnston Paint North Final
 2016/17   NPower League 1 | 5th      | FA Cup 1st Rd  LC 1st Rd, Johnston Paint North 2nd Rd, Promoted via Play Off
 2017/18   Championship    | 12th     | FA Cup 6th Rd  LC 2nd Rd
 2018/19   Championship    | 5th      | FA Cup Semi    LC 1st Rd, Lost Play Off Semi Final
 2019/20   Championship    | 3rd      | FA Cup 3rd Rd  LC Semi, Promoted via Play Off
 2020/21   Premiership     | 10th     | FA Cup Semi    LC 1st Rd

A solid first season in the Premiership. I'm very satisfied with how we performed. Scored lots of goals but conceded a few as well. This season aim was survival, so I would say we did really well. We never were in any danger and skirted around the top six for a while. Next season's aim is to build on this and try and finish higher.


Transfers - None.


Squad - Quite solid now. Could do with a better defence. Midfield is very strong and in Dale Yates I have one of the best strikers in the world.


Facilities - Improvements underway on the training and youth facilities. I can afford it now! Move into our new stadium at the end of next season.


Finances - Ridiculously wealthy now. Made £28M in profit in one season. Sponsorship took a huge jump. I even have a feeder club in the US for merchendising! I hope the board allow me to start paying higher wages because the players are starting to ask for more money now. The salary limit is tiny.


Youth Intake - Three players get promoted. Jimmy McDermott (YP9a)| Report, Luke Pearson (YP9b) | Report and Bobby Briggs (YP9c)| Report. All have the potential to be premiership players.


Starting
Craig Hulse (YP0a) RB | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Joe Ormorod (YP0b) MC | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Jordon Grace (YP0c) MC | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Sean Miller (YP0d) SC | Report - Played only a bit part this season. Still scored whenever he came on though. I'd like to keep him but his contract is up at the end of the season and he wants too much money than I am allowed to give him.


1st Intake
Neil McCann (YP1a) DC | Report - Played but being found out at this level.
Marcus Cotterill (YP1b) DC | Report - Now a squad player, 3rd or 4th choice centre back.
Nathan Ryan (YP1c) RB | Report - Never found a club and has retired.
Neil Collins (YP1d) MC | Report - Only played a handful of games. Backup squad player.


2nd Intake
Adam Taylor (YP2a) SC | Report - Had a $14M transfer to Liverpool. Now earns £68K week but not a great season for him performance wise.
Marc Owen (YP2b) MC | Report - Still quality.
James Osula (YP2c) RB | Report - Has a terrible injury record but is still my best right back.
Eddie Knowles (YP2d) LB | Report - Has lost his place to Billy Stubbs (YP7a) and only played a handful of times.


3rd Intake
Brian Roberts (YP3a) MC | Report - Great season. Rampaging midfielder who has now scored 50+ goals for Chester.
Liam O'Donnell (YP3b) SC | Report - Spent on loan again. Not good enough and will be released.


4th Intake
Frazer Keefe (YP4a) DM | Report - Another great season as the anchor man.
Curtis Holt (YP4b) GK | Report - He's OK. I don't really have great GKs so he will do.
Ian Godfrey (YP4c) MC/RB | Report - Mr Versatile and has done well.


5th Intake
Dale Yates (Yp5a) SC | Report - Premiership player of the season runner up. 40 league goals!!! and leading MoM.
Simon McLaughlin (Yp5b) GK | Report - Released. Now plays for Carlisle.
Kieran McDermott (Yp5c) DC | Report - Not going to make it and will be released.
Andrew Prescott (Yp5d) SC | Report - Not brilliant but did OK, scored 6 goals.


6th Intake
Eddie Boardman (YP6a) SC | Report - Better season, scored 14 goals and is getting better and better.
Daniel O'Keefe (YP6b) DC | Report - Best defender. Good season.
Phil Davison (YP6c) DC | Report - Has not progressed. Will probably release him.


7th Intake
Billy Stubbs (YP7a) LB | Report - Was injured 3 times this season, every time he went on international duty! Fortunately not long term.
Brian Jones (YP7b) GK | Report - No better than Curtis Holt. Solid backup until I get a better one.


8th Intake
Terry Burke (YP8a) DC/MC | Report - Have very high hopes for him. Came on well this season.


9th Intake
Jimmy McDermott (YP9a) LB | Report - Very promising LB. Being retrained as a RB for this coming season.
Luke Pearson (YP9b) MC | Report - Could be a Leading Premiership Midfielder but will be trained as a CB next season. I've very light there.
Bobby Briggs (YP9c) MC | Report - Could be decent Premiership Midfielder. Will be a back up next season.




Lets get at em.....

[tom_numbers]

FWIW, you can take me out of the OP. I stayed away from this save for too long and lost my love for it

[peterdunnebrfc]

Ok, I know it has been FOREVER since I posted anything, but I have been playing at a slow rate at this save the whole time.

Northwich Victoria now find themselves in the Premier League for the first time for the 2023/2024 season. Bottom of the league 12 games in but making a whole load of money all of a sudden at least!

I intend to take a load of screenshots and post updates in here tonight (fingers crossed) at some point.

[Padders]

Only lasted two seasons with Harrow

Relegated in the second season

Started yet again, this time as Weymouth. Trying a total different formation now and signed coaches that are different than I have done before

[korvalis]

Whilst I'm also languishing in the lower echelons of the Spanish leagues for another youth team challenge, I thought I'd also try my hand at the English equivalent too.

So being a good honest Yorkshire lad, the opportunity to manage one of the multitude of local teams couldn't be passed up. So I've taken over as manager of Bradford Park Avenue, they're predicted to finish 21st, and looking at the squad I can possibly see why that might even be a little optimistic... yeah, no keepers in any of the squads.

Other than that 'minor' issue, I do feel the squad should be decent enough to at least stay up.

Profile
Team General Information
Team Facilities

[Padders]

First season at Weymouth and finished 6th!! Gutted

Needed to win the last game of the season to finish 5th and lost

New season really struggled as most of the better players I didn't sign on huge wages, think that may have been a mistake. When I took the job at Weymouth the wage bill was £20 a week! As the season progressed I signed the players were were doing well onto contracts, but some of the players wanted £400 - £600 a week.

[Padders]

Third season finished last night and needed to win my last game by two or more goals and hope St Albans don't win.

St Albans drew 0-0 so I have to win, here is the my result

I stayed up by ONE goal!

I have never been so nervous playing a game of Football Manager, the main reason is this guy came through my Youth Candidates

Wanted by Premiership Leicester already

Billy Byrne scored goals for fun, just can't stop conceding them!

[Padders]

I need a better season next year if I want to stay up

[Padders]

Hat trick on Harry Dawes first start of the new season.

[Padders]

Just broken my record of goals scored in a match, 6 scored by Harry Dawes

This is only my second game I've won in the first EIGHT games