clemo's FM Rags to Riches. No cheating, if I lose, I lose...

[clemo]

Hey guys I'm clemo, a long time reader/first time blogger. Lets see how this goes...

A background: I'm 22 and I live in Barry, South Wales and I am a die hard Cardiff City FC fan.
I've played FM since it wasn't FM, CM 99/00 in fact. I've had great careers in single player so I thought I would take it to the next level by documenting my progress in the vastest game I have ever loaded due to the sheer amount of leagues.


Game Details: I've decided to load (Deep breath) Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Rep, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine. Right down to the lowest loadable league.

Also I have to tell you that I am on a small database because I have a lack of faith in my Pentium i5 processor, but never mind because the amount of teams loaded will provide plenty of talent. I haven't loaded the SPL because it isn't that important of a league in my mind.

I am going to be a Sunday league footballer because that is what I am, no use in lying. I will also be starting off unemployed and I will accept the FIRST offer that I get.

I will use my own tactics, If I don't do very well then its tough, makes the game more realistic.

Finally, if you have any questions or if you think I have done something wrong, don't hesitate to say, I'm always open to discussion.

[clemo]

So I've been offered I luxurious £170 p/w part-time contract with Thisted Fodbold Club. Playing in the Danish second division west.



The Stadium



Sparekassen Thy Arena can host 6000 fans although this one solitary stand is the only seated area (Seating 1000) the pitch condition is poor and as I anticipated there is no under soil heating which could make things.......interesting. Basic junior recruiting and coaching means that I will have to work with what I have and maybe bring in a couple of lads in on a free since i have £0 transfer budget and £-1.81k wage budget.

Team report to follow...

[cerud]

Yikes! Add some water to that and you could have a great outdoor rink for hockey Best of luck!

[clemo]

Well not as bad as I thought...



As you can see I really need to get A left back and at least two sufficient right wingers. The team shouldn't have any problems finishing their chances (Touch wood) but I really do need to fatten up the reserve as you can see 2* and 1.5* players wont be able to obtain good results unless they are bang on form.

Current key squad members:

Martin Nielsen - Probably my best player, if not certainly one of them. Good speed for the level of football he is playing.


Daniel Kristensen - Very versatile, well rounded midfielder. At 30 years old adds experience to the squad. Possible captain/vice captain.


Kristian Kirk - Only goalkeeper capable of performing even decently at this level, will need to sign some competition for him as the youth prospects are lacking any talent I'm sorry to say.

Sead Gavranovic - Young exciting striker with good finishing ability.

[clemo]

Yikes! Add some water to that and you could have a great outdoor rink for hockey Best of luck!

Haha thanks buddy!

[clemo]

After seeing the amount of players I have loaded from the leagues in player search I will revise a new plan. Due to the amount of talent that I can obtain via free transfers. I will keep my key players and sign a mostly new squad. I know this may sound a little extreme but after a little bonding I'm sure the team will perform well, give or take a little time... I will announce my new signings in bulk and put up a screenie of the completed squad...

[cerud]

If the squad need dramatic change, then change it shall have. Be interesting to see how far you go.

[SRL88]

Good luck fella.

[DazRTaylor]

All the best mate

[clemo]

Pre season wasn't the best, but towards the end you can see the new signings taking root.



Here are the best of my new signings as I prepare my assault on Denmark's third tier...

Jacques-Alain Tanoh - What a rough diamond I discovered! my best striker (I hope he gets at least 20 goals at this level) 4.5*
Wágner - Great rock at the back, need a lot of defensive stability this campaign.
Yaya Diané - Good bulky striker with great strength and balance. I hope he bosses defenders at this level.
Raymond Lenting - I looked to bring in some competition for my current GK but it looks like Raymond will be my first choice.
Andrea Iozzia - Well needed quality at right back. I just hope he does his job, nothing great is expected.

[cerud]

Tanoh seems like a very good striker for that level!

[clemo]

Tanoh seems like a very good striker for that level!

Indeed mate, he ha scored on his debut! will upload an update this evening.

[clemo]

Start of the 2011/12 season.

If you were wondering, my tactics are self-made. I prefer to convert to classic because there is more options to tinker with in order to get the right mix. When I was growing up I used to watch various football teams and because it was the 90's that meant that 4-4-2 would be the majority of team's tactical choice. So what I did was I set out to make a 4-4-2 tactic that used the wings but also could keep possession, you could call it a blend of modern and 90's football. Its far from complete but it seems to work well for me, partially because I obtain players that would fit well into my system right from the off.



In case you're wondering, the players have just played a game so their condition is low.

[clemo]

I will maybe make one or two more additions to the squad but this is pretty much the final take. Some players are given 2* ratings but they have high attributes for the position they are playing (ie. Left Midfielder - 11 Crossing 12 Dribbling 11 Balance 13 Acceleration....and so on)

Team Report Final

[clemo]

November 1st 2011 Update.



Wow. That's all I can say about this, rarely have I had an FM save that has gone THIS well. Silkeborg, in case you didn't know are in the Superliga, I beat 5-0! The African stars up front have provided over 10 league goals each already!

I did sign one central midfielder since my current pairing were tiring every other game.

Jorgen Jalland - A great mature head who has experience at a higher level.

The rest is pretty self explanatory, here's the league table as we enter the winter months.....