FM14: The Skrill Premier, North & South thread

Overview:

Inspired in part by the Sky Bet Football League thread, I decided to follow suit and create a thread for the three English non-league divisions.

I'd wager that taking over a non-league English team and trying to take them up the leagues is one of the most popular saves in FM world, and rarely are there ever more than a few random team threads that pop up. Here I'll be providing a guide to each of the three leagues, including:

• Each of the 88 playable non-league teams, in order of where they are predicted to finish
  
• A 'Star XI' for each league
  
• My own suggestions for teams to be and why

Similar to the Football League thread, it will be a place for posters to update on their own saves, ask questions, get information about each league/teams/players and anything else relating to English non-league football (even if that stretches below the Skrill leagues).

So without further ado, please enjoy!

Overview:

Without a doubt, my favourite league to manage in, and while everyone talks about the Championship being one of the toughest leagues in the world to get out of it, the Conference to me ranks as its equal. Indeed, the mixture of clubs from season to season is always fascinating; from formerly proud league clubs like Luton and Macclesfield that have slipped down in recent years, to smaller part-time outfits such as Braintree and Nuneaton who match it with their professional counterparts. Every season two more Football League clubs join the party, while four from the North/South rise up with the intention of upsetting the pre-season odds.

With 46 league games and only one automatic promotion spot, it is a gruelling schedule. The positive however is that teams promoted very rarely come straight back down. On the other hand, those relegated from the Football League very rarely bounce straight back up, as Lincoln, Hereford, Wrexham and numerous others will attest to.

The teams:

1: Barnet

2: Wrexham

3: Luton

4: Kidderminster

5: Grimsby

6: Forest Green

7: Gateshead - Official thread

8: Cambridge

9: Chester

10: Macclesfield

11: Alfreton

12: Hereford

13: Tamworth

14: Aldershot*

15: Lincoln

16: Salisbury

17: Dartford

18: Woking

19: Hyde

20: FC Halifax

21: Braintree

22: Nuneaton

23: Welling

24: Southport

*deducted 10 points

Recently-relegated Barnet are the surprise title favourite, just edging out beaten playoff finalists Wrexham and perennial underachievers Luton. I like Kidderminster for the title personally, while Forest Green may have the best squad on paper, and are currently managerless in real life.

At the other end, you could throw a blanket over relegation chances right up to Macclesfield, while Aldershot will do well to finish mid-table with a points deduction and a fairly weak squad.

Dream Team:

Please note I have limited selection to one player per club, in a traditional 4-4-2 formation. For each position I have also listed an alternative name, and have not included players on loan

Goalkeeper: Joslain Mayebi (26, Wrexham)

The Cameroonian may play with flair and panache, but he's also arguably the best shot-stopper in the division, with an excellent vertical leap and confidence aerially. You may however lose him to the African Cup of Nations.

Other: Danny Lewis (31, Kidderminster)

Right back: Ronnie Henry (29, Luton)

What the veteran lacks in pace he makes up for in leadership and experience. He can also play in midfield and central defence if you're looking for a more attacking player here.

Other: Joe Oastler (23, Aldershot)

Left back: Aswad Thomas (23, Grimsby)

Probably more of an offensive weapon than a stopper, he will run all day and his physical attributes should see him rarely subbed.

Other: Chris Stokes (22, Forest Green)

Central defence: Matty Pearson (19, FC Halifax) & David Stephens (21, Barnet)

Two youngsters with pedigree (Pearson from Blackburn and Stephens from Norwich/Hibernian), they are both players who can do a job immediately and grow with you up the divisions. Stephens in particular is probably the best defender in the division, and will attract attention from SPL clubs immediately.

Other: Junior N'Tamé (28, Wrexham) & Ian Miller (29, Cambridge)

Right midfield: Wes York (19, Nuneaton)

A tricky winger who can also play up front, Wes has an eye for the spectacular and will score from range. At only 19 he can develop into a capable league footballer.

Other: Richie Baker (25, Tamworth)

Left midfield: James Norwood (22, Forest Green)

Devastating on his day but prone to ill-discipline, he can play all across the front, however is at his best cutting in from the left wing.

Other: Adam Boyes (22, Gateshead)

Central midfield: Jake Gallagher (20, Welling) & Luke Berry (20, Cambridge)

Gallagher's high attributes for determination, tackling, stamina and natural fitness make him ideal for a Conference slog, and Berry seems part of the furniture at Cambridge despite being only 20. He has the class to go a long way in the game.

Other: Elliot Bradbrook (28, Dartford) & Curtis Weston (26, Barnet)

Strikers: Anthony Malbon (21, Kidderminster) & Jamie White (23, Salisbury)

Malbon is a renowned non-league marksman, and in reality should be good enough to rise through the leagues with you. White is unproven at this level, but has scored nearly 80 goals in his previous two seasons and is capable of the mercurial.

Other: Liam Hearn (27, Grimsby) & Matthew Paterson (23, Aldershot)

Looking for a team?

Chester

After setting all manner of records in the Conference North last season (points, goal, goal difference, longest unbeaten run, most goals scored), big things are expected of the part-time club which was formed in 2010 after Chester City went bust. Can you keep the momentum going and delight the loyal fan base?

Wrexham

Once a fixture in the Football League, at the Red Dragons you start with expectations of promotion after losing in the playoff final last season. However, the squad has a few holes and if you don't secure promotion in the first season, expect to have some real financial difficulties. That is, if you even keep your job.

Nuneaton

The surprise packets of last campaign, finishing comfortably mid-table despite being forecast as relegation certainties. You have the reigning top scorer Andy Brown in your ranks, and pairing him with York will surely produce the goals. Can you make an unlikely playoff push?

Overview:

You'll want players with strong mental attributes and will need to get used to muddy pitches and fixture congestion to succeed here. Starting the season with consecutive Saturday-Monday fixtures will challenge any small squad, and again with only one auto-promotion spot, a lot of hard work can be wasted in the playoffs.

Former league clubs Stockport and Boston United reside here, and Stalybridge are the only professional club in the division.

The teams:

1: Guiseley

2: Altrincham

3: Stockport

4: Harrogate

5: AFC Telford

6: Barrow

7: Brackley

8: North Ferriby

9: Stalybridge Celtic

10: Boston United

11: Worcester City

12: Hednesford

13: Bradford Park Avenue

14: Solihull Moors - Official thread

15: Gainsborough

16: Workington

17: Oxford City

18: Colwyn Bay

19: Gloucester City

20: Histon

21: Vauxhall Motors

22: Leamington

I agree with Guiseley as the media favourites as I feel they have the strongest squad in the division, while Altrincham have the attacking options to score heavily. Stockport are a mess currently and are probably ranked that high on reputation, while I think Brackley are the dark horse to impress.

Leamington and Vauxhall are both good challenges to avoid relegation, and with Stalybridge you can have your prospects train full time from the start.

Dream Team:

Goalkeeper: Ryan Young (33, AFC Telford)

A mainstay in the Telford goal for years now, he has stuck with the club despite relegation and is a reliable custodian for a team chasing promotion.

Other: Matt Sargeant (24, Worcester City)

Right back: Joe Magunda (24, Leamington)

Perhaps not his strongest position, but he can play in midfield and at centre-half too. His size makes him ideal against any diagonal balls.

Other: Andy Holdsworth (29, Guiseley)

Left back: Ben Parker (25, Guiseley)

Quick and hard-working, Parker can put in a tackle and also has the ability to deliver a good cross, and might be the stand out fullback in the division. Will also perform as a wingback.

Other: Sam Adkins (22, Leamington)

Central defence: Brett Solkhon (30, Brackley) & Shane Killock (24, Harrogate)

Solkhon is everything you want in a player at this level. He is determined, committed, a leader and versatile; an ideal tutor for any youngsters and a perfect captain. Killock provides some class, and can also play at fullback.

Other: Matt Wilson (26, North Ferriby) & Dominic Langdon (24, Solihull Moors)

Right midfield: Elliot Durrell (23, Hednesford)

Arguably the most damaging winger in the league, Durrell can beat a man and deliver a cross in equal measure, while he is also a penalty specialist. He is rated as having the potential to be a leading League One player.

Other: Marc Newsham (26, Boston United)

Left midfield: Conal Platt (26, Stalybridge)

Platt brings with him experience in higher divisions and will work hard for the team, despite having the attacking attributes to treat as a luxury.

Other: Ryan Beswick (25, Solihull Moors)

Central midfield: Lewis Hogg (30, Gloucester City) & Alex-Ray Harvey (22, Barrow)

Hogg's jaw-dropping physical attributes make him the first name on any team sheet at this level, and he complements that by being a more than capable ball player. On paper, he is probably the best player in the league. Harvey on the other hand makes up for his diminutive stature with high tackling and aggression attributes, and can also beat a man.

Other: Michael Potts (21, Guiseley) & Alan Moogan (29, AFC Telford)

Strikers: Damian Reeves (27, Altrincham) & Mike Symons (27, Oxford City)

Reeves' exploits in front of goal are legendary, and he will finish amongst the league top scorers whether you manage him or not. Symons on the other hand is a big lump of a target man, and ideal for any direct game plan.

Other: Ryan Kendall (23, North Ferriby) & Phil Jevons (34, Stockport)

Looking for a team?

Stockport

The obvious challenge. As the only club in English league history to drop from the second to the sixth tier, financial pressures have forced the club to go part time. Promotion will be your aim, but the squad is not the strongest and you'll need to save pennies wherever you can.

Histon

It was not so long ago that Histon were in the playoffs to be promoted to League Two, and now they are on a slippery slope to relegation to the regional leagues. Can you reverse their fortunes with an inexperienced playing group?

North Ferriby

Despite being in their first ever season at this level, a top half finish is expected and it is very achievable behind the goals of Kendall and Nathan Jarman. This is a club with plenty of regional trophies, but you can take them into the real stuff.

Overview:

I feel this is the stronger of the North/South duo, with clubs such as Eastleigh, Ebbsfleet, Boreham Wood and Dover looking to set the pace with deep and experienced squads. There are plenty of experienced heads scattered throughout this league, and I've noticed it's particularly strong in terms of wide players, with no less than seven wingers in contention for a spot in the divisional team.

The teams:

1: Ebbsfleet - Official thread

2: Eastleigh

3: Dover

4: Chelmsford City

5: Boreham Wood

6: Sutton United

7: Havant & Waterlooville

8: Bath City

9: Whitehawk

10: Bromley

11: Farnborough

12: Basingstoke Town

13: Hayes & Yeading

14: Bishop's Stortford

15: Eastbourne

16: Tonbridge Angels

17: Weston-super-Mare

18: Maidenhead

19: Staines

20: Concord Rangers

21: Gosport Borough

22: Dorchester

I have Eastleigh as the favourites, purely due to their full time status and summer recruiting drive, which brought in some excellent experienced players. Ebbsfleet and Dover had an interesting off-season, as each side signed a few players from the other, and the title should be raffled between these three on paper.

Down the end Dorchester look certainties for relegation, while Gosport and Concord Rangers will both enjoy their debuts at this level.

Dream Team:

Goalkeeper: Preston Edwards (23, Ebbsfleet)

A well-known lower league 'keeper, he is one of the stand outs in this league and will develop as you hopefully go up the leagues with him.

Other: Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz (28, Hayes & Yeading)

Right back: Sekani Simpson (29, Bath)

Not someone to be relied upon to provide attacking width, but Simpson is very solid defensively and will provide dour experience to any back four.

Other: Terrell Forbes (31, Dover)

Left back: Joe Anderson (23, Bromley)

One of the best attacking non-league full backs, he will deliver a deadly cross and strikes a mean free kick too, while his defensive attributes are more than adequate.

Other: Johnny Herd (23, Bishop's Stortford)

Central defence: Ross Adams (28, Basingstoke) & Ed Harris (22, Havant & Waterlooville)

Two very solid, no-nonsense centre-halves who have the ability to play at a higher level. Harris in particular has outstanding attributes for only 22, and both can also deputise at right back if required.

Other: Tom Cadmore (25, Whitehawk) & Chris Todd (31, Eastleigh)

Right midfield: Dayle Grubb (21, Weston-super-Mare)

Perfect for a team looking to make the most of set pieces and aerial threats, with a deadly right foot and his best years ahead of him. Can also play centrally.

Other: Tom Phipp (20, Ebbsfleet)

Left midfield: Matty Whichelow (21, Boreham Wood)

A former Watford youth product, Whichelow combines pace with high attributes for crossing, dribbling and off the ball, making him an ideal winger. He is also a more than handy striker.

Other: Christian Nanetti (21, Havant & Waterlooville)

Central midfield: Jamie Collins (28, Eastleigh) & Hakeem Adelakun (22, Whitehawk)

Of Eastleigh's summer signings, Collins was potentially the best of them, only dropping down a level for family reasons. He will run games from the middle of the park with his class, and can also fill in at left back if required. Adelakun will bring real grit as a holding player, and can hit a ball from range.

Other: Ashley Nicholls (31, Bromley) & Jamie Gleeson (28, Dorchester)

Strikers: Reece Connolly (21, Farnsborough) & Nathan Elder (27, Dover)

Formerly of Aldershot, Connolly has been prolific in three separate spells as Farnborough, and at 21 already shows the potential of being a league striker. He has quite a range of attributes which mean he can play a number of different striking roles, and even on the wing or in the hole if required. Elder on the other hand is a big target man type, and bagged 15 for Ebbsfleet in the Conference last campaign.

Other: Cliff Akurang (32, Bishop's Stortford) & Stuart Fleetwood (27, Eastleigh)

Looking for a team?

Gosport Borough

Perhaps more famous for being Steve Claridge's 21st and final team, Gosport were the fairytale story in the Southern League last season, clinching the last playoff position on the final day, and beating Hemel Hempstead on penalties to get into the Conference South for the first time ever. Can you keep them there?

Bishop's Stortford

The first thing you'll notice is your top five or six players are real quality for this level. The second thing you'll notice is they're all on non-contract terms and won't discuss a new contract with you. It's a small squad but if you can keep the majority together, raid the loan market and make a few re-enforcements, it's a club with real potential to push for promotion.

Dorchester

This is a real challenge. The loss of star striker Kieffer Moore to Yeovil impacts an already threadbare squad, while two of your best players in Arran Pugh and Mark Jermyn start the season injured. Avoiding the drop will be your first task, before slowly trying to improve the club's reputation and financial situation.

Great idea .

Would recommend linking any Skrill Premier threads in the OP .

Nice one C&C, a thread I will definitely visit and contribute to.

Transfer budgets and club status (pro/semi-pro etc) would be very useful if it's something that can be included - apart from the commonly known ones like Eastleigh and Ebbsfleet it's always hard to judge where to go.

Looking forward to this anyway.

I should probably start a save with my beloved Stockport County but it's too depressing to see us this far down the footballing pyramid, 10 years ago we were in the Championship. Histon could be an interesting save with the oldest player at the club being just 22.

Great idea .

Would recommend linking any Skrill Premier threads in the OP .

That's my plan - currently just have Gateshead and Ebbsfleet but I'm sure more will crop up.

Nice one C&C, a thread I will definitely visit and contribute to.

Transfer budgets and club status (pro/semi-pro etc) would be very useful if it's something that can be included - apart from the commonly known ones like Eastleigh and Ebbsfleet it's always hard to judge where to go.

Looking forward to this anyway.

Eastleigh and Stalybridge are the only two professional clubs. In terms of transfer budgets I haven't checked, but would be surprised if any club outside 2-3 would give anything worthwhile. As always the best thing to do is save some wage budget and try and change it to transfer funds.

However if you can give some guidelines over what sort of club you're looking for (playing style, size etc) I could certainly make some recommendations.

Excellent thread man, great detail and info.

Bravo.

Having just seen the completed guide, I must say it contains everything needed to make a good choice. I had a couple of seasons at Hayes & Yeading in FM13 until it crashed, so look forward to having another bash at a 'Skrill' club in the future.

In my only save to date on FM14, I signed Dan Holman and Lee Gregory for my L1 team and was delighted with their contributions. I'd love to assemble a squad including the likes of them, Ryan Kendall, Graeme Montgomery, Liam Hearn, Damian Reeves etc.

Any idea which players are the most valuable assets that could be sold to help fund a really strong team?

Just a quick note I started a game with chelmsford city but have sinced started a new one qith my beloved Newcastle.

I signed Blair Sturrock on a free £250pw and he scored 12 goals in 7 games before I stopped, well worth a look.

Liking the thread, a very good idea that I will no doubt have a go at in the future.

I normally start around L1/L2 level and I am always looking for players from the lower leagues to take up the divisions with me, so I will have a look at the players from your dream team.

Good luck one and all

great thread...

will play as my local team Dorchester.

and what a job I have on my hands just trying to keep them up.

will use your info to help me along

Having just seen the completed guide, I must say it contains everything needed to make a good choice. I had a couple of seasons at Hayes & Yeading in FM13 until it crashed, so look forward to having another bash at a 'Skrill' club in the future.

In my only save to date on FM14, I signed Dan Holman and Lee Gregory for my L1 team and was delighted with their contributions. I'd love to assemble a squad including the likes of them, Ryan Kendall, Graeme Montgomery, Liam Hearn, Damian Reeves etc.

Any idea which players are the most valuable assets that could be sold to help fund a really strong team?

I think your best best bet may be to start at a Premier club if you're looking to buy and sell - and maybe a professional one to ensure proper training. Some transfer budgets for the bigger Conference clubs:

Kidderminster: 30K (playoffs)

Grimsby: nothing (playoffs)

Luton: nothing (promotion)

Forest Green: 10K (top half)

Cambridge: nothing (top half)

Wrexham: 60K (promotion)

Barnet: 10K (win the league)

Lincoln: 20K (mid-table)

I think Boreham Wood start with a really good squad to develop personally, especially if you play with wingers. Whichelow, Ricky Shakes and Montgomery are class, and Charlie O'Loughlin is one of the best captains and centre-halves in the division. Plus the versatile Sammy Doolan, and you start with Stevenage's Matt Ball on loan who is far too good for that level. The squad needs quality up front but it'd be a good challenge trying to beat the big guns of the division.

great thread...

will play as my local team Dorchester.

and what a job I have on my hands just trying to keep them up.

will use your info to help me along

I had two epic Dorchester saves on FM13. Try and get Arran Pugh signed to a part time contract as soon as possible.

Anyway, time for an update, now that I've reached the new year in my first season with Guiseley.

I usually prefer to start with clubs that are predicted to struggle, however I've always wanted to play with the Lions and after a failed beta save with Leamington (in which we got promoted but couldn't sign anyone), I took the chance. With the board expecting promotion, it presents a different kind of challenge.

I've managed to successfully recreate a tactic I had a lot of success with on FM13, which is a 3-5-2 with wingbacks, based on pressing hard without the ball and then playing through the AMC. It's worked well so far, as we end 2013 top of the league on goal difference, with a game in hand on Oxford City.

The first thing I noticed in comparison to my Leamington save was the amount of players available to me, particularly on loan. Godwin Abadaki (FC, Rochdale), George Pilkington (DC, Mansfield), Dominic Knowles (FC, Burton) and Ryan Higgins (WBR, Birmingham) have all joined on season loans, with Adabaki in particular very effective, scoring 16 in 18 starts before spraining his ankle. Former player Josh Wilson also joined on a free from FC Halifax in December to add to my attacking options.

Of the players already at the club, Rhys Meynell and Gavin Rothery have been the stand outs.

We went out of the FA Cup (Kiddy) and FA Trophy (Lincoln) to teams in the division above, however we took both to replays and could have won both ties.

After my previous post on here about starting a game with Chelmsford but then starting one with Newcastle, I have since quit Newcastle for a challenge .

I have started a new save with the other Tyneside club, Gatehead. I think they have potential in the form of a 12,000 all seater stadium and an affiliation with Newcastle United, so I'm hoping to exploit that in the coming seasons. The board want me to finish in the top half and I agreed to that as I have no transfer budget. I have only brought 1 player in on loan, Micheal Duckworth RB from Hartlepool as Gateshead have a fairly large squad that are all quite evenly matched.

I have so far played 6 league games, winning 4 draw 1 and losing 1, having success against Barnet, Kidderminster, Grimsby and Woking, a draw against Southport and losing to Maccelsfield. Currently sitting 2nd in the league 2 points behind Hyde.

I think the challenge will be our finances, after a home friendly against Newcastle are Balance jumped from £30,000 to £100,000 but the projected balance is -£400,000 at the end of the season, so I think I need some sort of success this season, wether that be winning promotion to the football league or a good FA cup run, also I need to sign some of my best players to new contracts as nearly the whole squads contracts run out at the ened of the season and then needing to rebuild next summer.

So far I'm really enjoying being in the lower leagues, but hoping not to be in there for to long as I have big plans fo Gateshead, to become the biggest club in the North East.

I think your best best bet may be to start at a Premier club if you're looking to buy and sell - and maybe a professional one to ensure proper training. Some transfer budgets for the bigger Conference clubs:

Kidderminster: 30K (playoffs)

Grimsby: nothing (playoffs)

Luton: nothing (promotion)

Forest Green: 10K (top half)

Cambridge: nothing (top half)

Wrexham: 60K (promotion)

Barnet: 10K (win the league)

Lincoln: 20K (mid-table)

I think Boreham Wood start with a really good squad to develop personally, especially if you play with wingers. Whichelow, Ricky Shakes and Montgomery are class, and Charlie O'Loughlin is one of the best captains and centre-halves in the division. Plus the versatile Sammy Doolan, and you start with Stevenage's Matt Ball on loan who is far too good for that level. The squad needs quality up front but it'd be a good challenge trying to beat the big guns of the division.

Cheers again C & C. I'm not there yet, but will definitely pick a team from one of these leagues in the future.

This is a brilliant thread

After my previous post on here about starting a game with Chelmsford but then starting one with Newcastle, I have since quit Newcastle for a challenge .

I have started a new save with the other Tyneside club, Gatehead.

You'd do well to look in the Gateshead thread for inspiration - I believe col and SRL have combined to get seven promotions in seven seasons! Callum Challinor turns into a beast too.

This is a brilliant thread

Cheers, had more fun than I thought making it.

Playing an AFC Telford game as I have done for the past 4 FMs, struggling a bit more this time round though, been sacked twice already

Playing an AFC Telford game as I have done for the past 4 FMs, struggling a bit more this time round though, been sacked twice already

That's a tough game I think. They are predicted top five which I would assume means you have to make the playoffs, but I don't think their squad is one of the best five in the division.

Anyway, all the issues I had with signing players for Leamington are seemingly non-existent with Guiseley. After first raising the Conference Premier to sign Wilson from Halifax, we've gone back for Wes York, who was surprisingly willing to drop down a division given he was playing regularly for Nuneaton who are 7th (though we have tripled his wages).

The deal is £4.5K up front, £20K over 48 months and a 10% sell-on, which I think represents a good deal given he is IMO one of the most promising non-league talents.

Currently sat 9th in championship with Staly Celtic in 2020. This is my first time managing outside the EPL on a proper FM save and i have to say i am thoroughly enjoying it so far. To make the save that bit more interesting i decided to rely only on players i develop myself from the youth system, though in fairness given the awful finances at Staly it might actually have worked out easier to do it this way anyway.

I have been pretty lucky with my youth intakes, been getting at least 5 star prospect each season, which has allowed me to rise up the English leagues, just one promotion away from the promised land of the EPL and all that lovely T.V money.

This guy has been my star performer right from the start of the save, and he is currently set as a club legend.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Using a professional club certainly made life a lot easier in the skrill leagues, no major dramas with contracts, and the new 3 year optional contract extensions make it really easy to tie down promising youth players, now i just need a new stadium so i can stop relying on F.A cup runs to balance the books.

That's a tough game I think. They are predicted top five which I would assume means you have to make the playoffs, but I don't think their squad is one of the best five in the division.

Do you have any player recommendations that will sign for a Skrill North team on low wages? Just got sacked again by AFC Telford, their team really is poor but you have very little wages to work with

Mingus - Coombs looks outstanding - I am guessing he is a newgen and you've just turned the faces off? DId he come through intake or on a free at the start?

borobadger - What tactics are you using? I'm finding a back four is really ineffective with this current ME.

As for signings - the following should be available to you at Telford (with a large database, only English leagues loaded):

Mitch Harding (Bristol Rovers, MC/ST, loan)

Jordan Goddard (Bristol Rovers, MC/AMC, loan)

Declan Dalley (Man Utd, DC, loan)

Ryan Beswick (Solihull Moors, AML, transfer)

Fred Murray (unattached, D/WBL)

Mansour Assoumani (unattached DC)

Sebastien Carole (unattached, AML/R)

Lance Cronin (unattached, GK)

Marien Ifura (unattached, DC)

Rico Taylor (unattached, AML/FC)

Luke Ifil (unattached, MC)

All would improve your starting squad - what positions are troubling you the most?

Thanks for the help CAC. The team as a whole play so poorly every game that it's hard to say where we are weakest. My fullbacks always seem to have a sub 5.0 rating, but I think that is the case for everyone's fullbacks really.

Tony Gray is a real gem up front if you can get him to play, as far as tactics go I tried a 4-4-2 with advanced wingers but I got sacked using that, then got sacked using a 4-3-3, and got sacked again through changing the formations to suit the opposition

I'll start another one here and try signing a few of the players you mentioned, wage budget permitting and see how it goes.

Thanks again for your help

Coombs is at the club as a 16 yo from the beginning, I just have faces turned off so i don't have to look at all the terrible regen portraits. I think i just got lucky with random PA, if he is that good every time i would rate him as a must buy, he absolutely destroyed defenses for me, and is still scoring one every 2 in the championship.

Fwiw 3-4-1-2 against 4-4-2 variants and 3-1-4-2 against 4-5-1 variants has been doing the business for me, 3 @ the back seems really well tuned in FM14, bad defensive wingers seem to play far better than even good full backs, which i guess is down the bugs.

I think he is a newgen which would make him exclusive to your game, as he isn't at Stalybridge at mine.

Anyway...

A pretty comfortable league win - we actually clinched the title with three games to spare, and then proceeded to lose them all, which made the final table look a lot closer than it should have been.

We had the best defensive record in the league (albeit still slightly more than a goal a game) and scored the second most, and to me the key was the spread of goals, which meant we always had players finding the net. Abadaki scored all of his in the first half of the season before injury, Knowles was hot from December onwards, signings Wilson and York got 16 between them, while I also got 14 from Rothery in midfield and nine from my 5th choice striker Phil Marsh.

As for transfers, I've only screenshotted those who came in, as the outgoings were just a bunch of players leaving on frees, and it may give people some ideas as to first season signings.

Plenty of goals there, but to me the key was signing former Wolves 'keeper Cotman, and at 19 he should be able to rise up at least 2-3 divisions as he develops.

As for tactics, I stuck with a 3-5-2 I developed last year.

I dominated most games in terms of possession and shots, and particularly CCCs, and will be interesting to see how it holds up in the Premier where I'll have one of the weaker squads.

I've been looking over this thread recently, and now that I finally have some time, I decided to begin my first FM14 save in Skrill South with Gosport. Seems like a decent challenge thus far.

Currently in pre-season. Have attempted to revamp the team, but there isn't much you can do on a shoe string budget. Just created my first 4-2-3-1 Deep formation, and have had some decent results.

Look forward to hearing everyones stories, will post more when I have progressed my first season.

Hey SLB. Ive been mucking about with Gosport too. Ive found that Dan Wooden (AF) and Andy Forbes (TM-S) make for a pretty good strike partnership.

Nice to see some fellow Aussies posting in here!

We're predicted to finish 19th, and have had a good summer in the transfer market, although I've noticed as soon as you go over your wage budget, the board will not sanction any signings, even on non-contract terms. So we may be vulnerable to any injuries.

In terms of transfers out, the only first-teamer we lost was Ben Parker, who had the opportunity to go to Newport in League Two, so it's hard to argue with that.

Players in:

Dominic Knowles - Massive signing. He was our best player last season with 20 goals and 14 assists while on loan from Burton, and was willing to sign permanently on a free.

Lance Cronin - An experienced 'keeper at this level, and will provide competition.

Shane Killock - A left-sided centre half who can hopefully make the step up from Harrogate.

Carl Piergianni - Like Killock, will be looking to make the step up from the Conference North with Boston.

Ryan Kendall - A classy striker who adds depth on a non-contract basis from North Ferriby.

Joe Magunda - Leamington were relegated, so I snapped up this handy utility man on non-contract terms.

Richie Baker - This was a real coup. Will step straight in as our best midfielder.

We fleshed out the squad with three loan signings in Curtis Thompson (MC, Notts County), Glenn Matthews (D/WBL, Bolton) and Michael Duckworth (D/WBR, Hartlepool), and play fellow promotees Stalybridge on opening day.

Good to have signed up your best player (Knowles) and I hope Kendall will be capable at that level because I have my eye on him when I start in the Skrill leagues. It's a shame about Parker (always used to take him on loan from Leeds at lower FL level) but you did well to keep him for a year as he started on a non-contract basis didn't he?

Good luck in the Premier!

Good to have signed up your best player (Knowles) and I hope Kendall will be capable at that level because I have my eye on him when I start in the Skrill leagues. It's a shame about Parker (always used to take him on loan from Leeds at lower FL level) but you did well to keep him for a year as he started on a non-contract basis didn't he?

Good luck in the Premier!

Thanks. Yeah he starts on non-contract terms, and wouldn't change that all of last season (though not sure if that's the players not re-signing bug). His replacement is a kid from Reading, who I signed as a first team loanee, didn't play him much, and got a call from Brian McDermott asking me why. That's a pretty cool feature.

As for the Premier, I'm definitely seeing all the defensive issues I didn't see last season. We're 3-3-6 from 12 games and sitting 18th, having shipped 27 goals in our 12 matches. However, we are matching a lot of teams and have been in most of those losses, which makes me confident we'll be able to put together a run at some point. Our wins have also come against Stalybridge, Eastleigh and Salisbury, teams around us.

Piergianni lasted two games before having his contract mutually terminated, after cracking it over a fine for a 4.6 match rating, and was promptly replaced by George Pilkington on a free (who has been equally bad). Wes York has scored eight in 11, however has an overall rating of 6.82, as any game he doesn't score in ends in a 5.4 performance.

Kendall hasn't scored yet but he has barely played.

I tried a season with AFC Telford and really no need to panic buy as the squad is good. I got rid of 2 players which were not needed and added 2 cheap forwards.

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That's a very dominant season, particularly defensively. What sort of tactics are you using?

EDIT - just realised Stockport finished second with a negative goal difference?!

We're a third of the way through the season and we've established a bit of a gap between us and the relegation spots...

Although, we owe that to the fact that four teams have been absolutely horrible. We've also had quite a few results like this and this where we've bossed the game for long periods with no result to show for it, so we could conceivably be 8-10 points better off and already out of trouble.

On a nice little unbeaten run now, which has up into the second round of the FA Cup (to play at L1 Carlisle) and 12 points clear of relegation after 19 games.

Also, after Rothery left by mutual termination due to not getting games, I managed to snap up this young man...

His attributes are still absolutely class for this level and he is in great physical condition despite his age. He would also make a superb tutor - if only I had any worthwhile prospects!

Delap looks immense for that level, I will keep an eye out for him on my FC united save.

Finally made it to the promised land of the EPL and all that glorious T.V money. I got really lucky thanks to a super competitive Championship and a brilliant run of results from January onwards, managing to win the league on the last day of the season with a measly 88 points.

A lot of credit for promotion goes to the first player I have signed on this save, Jacques Stewart, who returned on a free transfer in Jan having left the club when his contract expired at the end of the previous season. As he is a Stalybridge academy graduate I am still going to claim the academy players only challenge is still on.

I have no idea what I am going to do in the EPL, I have some good players, but probably only 3 or 4 could be considered EPL standard. I had my worst ever youth intake this season, so there is no new talent coming through, I am just hoping the board will build me a new stadium so I can continue to build for the future, my income is a real issue atm.

Even with the lowest wage bill in the championship, 3.35M a season ( brighton have the highest with 32.5M ) I just break even in the championship, mainly due to spending 300 grand a month on youth training, so for the long term i really need a new stadium in order to improve my facilities. I wonder if FM includes parachute payments for relegated EPL teams, that would be pretty sweet if so.

I found this guy on my FC United save, and i cannot decide whether to believe my scouts and ass manager, who rate him as only 1 star. he has the the weirdest combination of great stats and awful stats, in fairness to him he has played well so far, I have just neevr seen a player with such extreme variations of stats.

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Was going to say he'd make a superb DLP in the lower leagues, and then I saw the decisions attribute of 1...

lol yep, before i scouted him i thought i had lucked out and found some world beater for the lower leagues, decisions and composure of 1 is pretty worrying.

I have been playing around with Stockport (only place I could get a job as a Sunday League Yank!) and I am discovering that they have some good striking and defensive options, but no midfield. Playing a 5-3-2 and expect to have about the same results as your table. Lots of 1-0 wins, but brutal losses when the team isn't clicking.

I think Stockport are a real challenge on this game - it seems you can build fairly solidly around Tunnicliffe defensively, but as you say there isn't much midfield depth. Have they fixed the issue where they were a full time club in the beta?

They are now a part-time club. If I get the chance soon I will post my current setup with them. I had some issues before with building a part-time squad properly (not being able to sign non-contract when over budget is really poor), so started over.

Like I said earlier, playing a 5-3-2 now and I have only let in 1 goal while scoring 5 in the last 3 pre-season matches.

I'm having a laugh with my Lincoln save.. Just got the 2nd round of the FA Cup, beating Bristol Rovers 7-1 in a First Round Replay.. Got Notts County in the 2nd Round, so it'll be tough.

Can I just ask, Do you have to start in the North/South Division to get the English Hero Achievement?

Hi all. I think I'll be posting in here in a fortnight or so. I'm currently doing Dafuge's Challenge, but when I've either completed it or given up on it I'll be starting a save at Cambridge United.