My New Save!

I decided I wanted to post on here in order to document my save game. I will doing a career game with no real aims other than to not get fired on a regular basis. I am starting with a Sunday League reputation with the following leagues loaded:

I have started off as unemployed and have applied for every available job. Lets see how it goes!!

Edit: I feel I should also give an honorable mention to FCUtdWill for his English Football Pyramid database (beta) which extends down to level 10. I however was only interested in going down to level 8! I also forgot to mention that this game is being played on FM2014 using patch 14.3.

After attending several interviews, mainly for English level 8 sides and some Norwegian lower league teams I had around 5 offers. I decided to go with Godalming Town. I don't know what drew me to them in particular except maybe their expectations in the League were a little higher than everyone else who offered me a job, so I thought perhaps they would have a stronger squad. Here is a background on the team:

Looking through the squad its clear there is a lot that needs to be done but I only have around 50 pounds to play with in the current wage budget so radical changes aren't likely. I will need to strengthen in midfield a little though if I want to play my favoured 4-4-2! I have a couple of reasonable players to work with though. Here are probably the best 2 players from the squad I inherited.

Richard Taylor

My assistant Neil Selby picked this man out as my key player. His attributes don't read very well, however his experience in amoungst a very young squad will be crucial.

Jack Mazzone

A decent all round forward for this level. Im thinking of using him mainly as a deep lying forward to link together the midfield and forwards but this may change as I experiment during pre season.

Board Expectations

Southern League Division 1 South - Respectable league position

FA Cup - 1st qualifying Round

FA Trophy - Just compete

Southern Trophy - 1st round

Personal Expectations

The board have set reasonable expectations in the cups, however with a poorly balanced squad I think it will be difficult to achieve our league aims. Hopefully a couple of signings before the start of the season will help in this area.

Budgets

Transfer: £0

Wages: £389 p/w

Balance: £4000

Good luck! Hopefully you will be able to meet expectations.

Good luck! Hopefully you will be able to meet expectations.

Thanks abulezz! I hope so as well!

I took charge of the team after they had already played Arlesey Town which we had won. Pre season was a mixed bag. We produced a win and a draw against Cray Wanderers and Wealdstone respectively which was excellent against opposition from level 7 in the pyramid. However our only defeat came against level 8 opposition in the form of Waltham Forest. The other 2 matches were against teams in non-playable leagues with one good win over Molesey and a fortunate draw against Abingdon Town. Its hard to know what to expect going into the new season especially as we have picked up a few injuries from these games but we shall see!

Transfers In

Micah Jackson (loan) - I was a little short of central midfielders and with no transfer or wage budget left available I decided to ask my assistant for any loan recommendations. He found this man, who is pretty average even for this level, but beggars cant be choosers!

Rod Millington (free transfer) - a solid wide midfielder who can play on either flank. His versatility will be important.

A nice boost before the season starts! Should help keep our finances somewhat under control!

Good luck at Godalming.

Good luck at Godalming.

Thanks Nobby!! I'm sure I will need it!!

League - Its been a great start to the season in the league with 2 wins an 1 draw. The win in my first game in management could not have been more dramatic as substitute Sammy Pullan turned around a 0-1 deficit with 2 goals in the 80th and 92nd minute. We twice came from behind to earn a respectable draw at Didcot and were awarded 3 penalties in our 5-1 over Evesham United. That game also saw midfielder Wiltshere grabbing a hattrick (2 penalties)

FA Cup - We were 1-0 down at half time but another late rally saw us through to the 1st qualifying round as Sammy Pullan once again came off the bench to equalise in the 80th minute. Then, in the 91st minute Jack Mazzone managed to be standing in the right place in the 6 yard box as the ball just hit him and trickled into the back of the net. Oh the magic of the cup!!

Our superb start in the league has put us nicely into 3rd place. We are certainly scoring enough goals so if I can figure out a way to keep a clean sheet we could have a really good season. Its early days though and we certainly cant keep relying on last minute winners all season!

League

Our league form began to temporarily dip this month as we claimed just 3 points from our first 4 league games. The draws at Taunton Town and Thatcham Town were probably fair scorelines whilst the draw against Wimborne Town perhaps didn't reflect our dominance in that game. The Yate Town defeat was our first in the league. After a tight first half a poorly judged half-time team talk seemed to effect our second half display. We finished the month strongly though with 2 good home wins. The first was against a good Merthyr Town side who have made a poor start to the season. The win over Clevedon was important as they were 3rd place before the game started with 2 games in hand over us, so to get the 3 points means they will have to work harder to overtake us.

FA Cup

Being drawn against Kirkley and Pakefield at home was favourable, so it was disappointing to go out of the competition much earlier than we should have. They are a level below us in the pyramid and when we took the lead after just 8 minutes I thought we might win at a canter. However from that point on-wards they dominated the first half and went in 3-1 up at half-time. We played better in the second half but did not really create any chances of note, and so crashed out of the competition. By reaching the 1st qualifying round we managed to achieve our board expectations.

Going out of the FA Cup this month was disappointing, however we are still performing above expectations in the league and I would have taken 2nd place at this point. And all this despite having mixed results this month. If we can find some consistency we may even be able to challenge for promotion this season which was certainly beyond what I had hoped for before the season began.

Club Records

- 6 games unbeaten is a new club record

League

There was a lot of cup action this month, not only for ourselves but for other teams in our division, so we only managed to play 2 league games. They were both against teams who have been under achieving this season. Cirencester Town were comfortably dispatched in a match we dominated, however the introduction of a new manager seemed to buoy Mangostfield United. We took the lead through an own goal but were quickly 2-1 down half way through the second half. In the end I was pleased with a point with Sammy Pullan once again coming off the bench to save the day.

FA Trophy

The Preliminary Round victory over Bamber Bridge was a nice comfortable win and with a home draw in the First Qualifying round I was hopeful of a good run. However Aveley had other ideas as a Yoas hattrick broke our 5 game winning streak. We were only asked by the board to be competitive in this competition so they were delighted to get through at least one stage.

Southern League Cup

Not a competition I intend to take too seriously, however any wins are good so I was happy to get through a tight encounter with Ashford Town (Middlesex). Despite getting through to the second round I wont be prioritising this cup much unless we stumble through to the semi-finals!

With our lack of league games this month we have lost a little ground on the leaders. After playing all home games in October we now have 7 away games in a row! We are still yet to win away from home in a competitive match since I took charge which has to change if we want to mount a serious title challenge. November may turn out to be a pivotal month in terms of how we do in the league this season.

Seven away in a row? Ouch!

Seven away in a row? Ouch!

I know. And if our past form is anything to go by, we wont win any of them!!

League

There were 7 league fixture this month, with all but one being away from home, which was rather worrying since we had not won a competitive away match since I took over. A close defeat to Stratford town did little to ease my concerns. However, we proceeded to win the next 2 matches at Shortwood United and North Leigh respectively to keep up our playoff challenge. That's where the wins dried up though as we took just 1 point from the next 4 games. We were competitive in each match but a few injuries to key players are starting to hamper my selection. The fans were particularly upset with the defeat at home to rivals Guildford City.

Southern League Cup

We were drawn away to Southern League Premier side Hitchin Town with many tipping us for defeat. Despite falling behind we produced a fantastic second half comeback to get through to the 3rd round, where we meet another Southern Premier side in Biggleswade, again away from home.

Our up and down month leaves us a little way off the playoff positions now although we still have some games in hand to claw our way back into contention. I have just lost my top scorer Andy Reid for the rest of the season which is a major blow to our hopes now though. The league is extremely tight so a good run of form can propel any side up the table quickly so getting back to winning ways will be key. I have another busy month in December so getting through it with as many points and as few injuries as possible is the key.

League

This was truly the month from hell as the wheels completely came off of our challenge for the playoff places. The performances in these games varied. We were unfortunate not to beat both Fleet Town and Thatcham Town having taken the lead in both of those games. However leading up to that we had put in some terrible performances in all the games we lost. Scoring goals has not been an issue but the defence has fallen to pieces. Perhaps its the constant shuffling of personnel at the back which is effecting the defending or maybe the lack of quality defensive cover in midfield. Either way I have to sort it out. We at least ended the month positively by beating Evesham United to complete the double over them this season.

A terrible run of 10 games without a win has seen us plummet to 14th place. We are still only 6 points off of the playoff places but there are many teams between ourselves and the top 5 so its going to be difficult to claw our way back up the table. I'm trying to focus now on trying to get as many points as it takes to keep my job! The board are satisfied now but if I slip further down the league there could be trouble for me!

Transfer In

Steve Harper (loan) - After losing Andy Reid for the rest of the season I got 2 further injuries upfront and so decided to ask my assistant to recommend a loan signing to fill the void. The best player he came up with was this man. He is only a backup as far as I'm concerned, however he did score on his debut against Evesham United

Club Records

-Neil Selby scores fastest goal for the club (20 secs vs Swindon Supermarine)

-10 games without a victory

League Record

-Neil Selby scored the fastest goal in the divisions history (20 secs vs Swindon Supermarine)

League

The new year started very much as the old one had finished. A defeat, coupled with a poor performance against Wimbourne finally saw the chairman wanting a talk with me regarding the clubs form. The chat went well fortunately for me, as I cited our growing injury list as the main reason for the clubs problems. Thankfully the chairman agreed and I had a stay of execution. We followed that performance up with another defeat to Taunton Town at home and I thought maybe my time would be up. But then after being battered in the first half without actually conceding a goal, we pulled off a miraculous home win against top of the table Yate Town. We then finished the month with easily our best performance of the season as we turned over under achieving Merthyr Town 4-0

Southern League Cup

Our adventure was over as Southern Premier side Biggleswade Town had too much class for us on the day despite a spirited performance from what was essentially a second string side. By reaching the 3rd round we massively exceeded the boards expectations for this competition.

Its amazing what a couple of wins can do, particularly in a tight division like this. The playoffs is looking unlikely and relegation is also looking unlikely (unless we embark on another poor run). As I said at the end of the previous month, my main aim now is to keep us at least in our current position of 11th in order to have a chance of keeping my job. My job is "stable" right now but I know a few defeats will put me back in the chairmans office.

I had to beg for this a little! I went up to the chairman, while they were still happy with our league position, and asked if I could get an extension on my contract. I mentioned it would be good for the players to see the clubs commitment to me. It took a few more pleas to finally get the contract offer but I have it now, although on slightly poorer terms. I will be on the same wage however my payoff for getting fired will only be 50% as opposed to the 90% I was going to get. I do have a promotion wage increase in the unlikely event of us going up this season. I was quite relieved to even be offered a contract so I accepted the terms as they were.

League

The month started with what proved to be a testing trip away to Clevedon Town. We showed tremendous character to come from 2 goals down to steal a point 2 minutes into injury time, with our center back Richard Taylor bundling home from a corner. Cinderford Town also proved stubborn opposition but we ground them down to gain a good victory. We dominated our match against Cirencester Town and lead at half time. We then missed chance after chance to seal the win before they hit back with 2 goals of their own, condemning us to a frustrating defeat. The win over Paulton Rovers was the Cirencester match all over again however we were the team that somehow managed to get the victory after twice being behind.

I forgot to take a screenshot of the league table so I will just have to say that we were in 8th place at this stage, still 9 points from the playoff positions. Its a frustrating period of the season at the moment as the team cant seem to find any consistency and we seem destined for a mid table finish. However I know that if we start to slide down the table im still risking the wrath of my chairman despite signing a new contract.

League

To take just 4 points from 5 games is definitely disappointing. We started the month with a poor performance and defeat at home to Bishop's Cleeve who are fighting for their lives to stay up. This win gave them the double over us this season. We recovered to smash bottom club Fleet Town with even the 5-1 scoreline flattering them. We then had 2 games away from home against teams chasing promotion. Magnotsfield United simply had too much class for us and we were never in the game. We fought really hard against Tiverton Town, but were undone with a goal halfway through the second half in a game of few chances. We ended the month with a crazy 3-3 draw at home to Stratford Town. We went behind only for a Jack Mazzone brace to put us in front 2-1. We then went behind half way through the second half, but a screamer from Jack Mazzone with 5 minutes left clinched his hattrick and a point for us.

We finish the month in 13th place. With 4 games left we can no longer get relegated but the playoff are now all but out of reach. We are just playing for pride going into these final games. I still want to finish as high as we can to build some confidence going into next season though.

League

An unbeaten month was a nice way to finish the season, although the 3 draws were each, in their own way, frustrating. We came from behind to gain a point at home to Shortwood United without playing well at all. Away from home to local rivals Guildford City we had to play the last hour of the match with 10 men after Ray Wiltshire got himself stupidly sent off for complaining to the referee and getting a second booking. We were still able to create some excellent chances in the match, so I felt disappointed to get only a draw. We took the lead against North Leigh only to play poorly in the second half and slip to our 4th draw in a row. We finished the season nicely though with a win over Bridgwater Town, which, unfortunately for them, condemned them to relegation on the final day of the season.

That final win put a little gloss on what was otherwise a poor second half of the season. Still to finish 10th place is a decent finish and gives me hope that with a few additions in the summer we might be ready and able to challenge for a playoff place next year. Mangotsfield United clinched the championship on the final day of the season, although any of the top 3 would have been worthy winners. At the bottom, Fleet Town were pretty much bottom all season and there relegation was confirmed shortly after we had hammered them last month. The last relegation slot was much tighter, with Bishops Cleeve in the second relegation position for much of the season until they had beaten us, also last month. Our win over Bridgwater on the final day relegated them when a draw would have been sufficient for them to survive. The playoffs and a season review will follow..

Paulton Rovers shock Yate Town in the semi-finals with a heavy victory. This may have been due to Yates recent Southern League Cup victory which left them a smaller amount of time to rest for the match. Tiverton Town beat Taunton Town as expected in the other semi-final. It was a tight final, with Tiverton eventually coming out on top in extra time. So its Mangotsfield United and Tiverton Town promoted to the Southern League Premier Division for next season.

Not a shock when only two points seperated them over the season.

Not a shock when only two points seperated them over the season.

I think maybe I was shocked then!!

In my first job in management my main aims were to meet the boards expectations in the league, which I felt would be difficult to attain given the squad I started with.

League Table - I was initially disappointed with 10th place, but that was in the context of a season that started well and faded badly around the midpoint of the season. A 10 game stretch without a win killed off any realistic playoff hopes I had. But if you had given me 10th at the start of the season I would probably have taken it, especially with the squad I had inherited.

FA Cup - A good win in the preliminary round was followed by frustration in the First Qualifying round as Kirkley & Pakefield are a level below us in the pyramid. We still met the boards expectations for the competition though.

FA Trophy - We weren't expected to pull up any trees in this competition so to get through a round was nice but we were completely outclassed at home to Aveley.

Southern League Cup - It was nice to get through a few rounds with decidedly weaker teams employed by myself. The Hitchin win was fantastic, but eventual runners up Biggleswade has too much for us away from home.

Transfers - I had no tranfer funds and very little room to maneuver with the wage budget either so I had to stick to a couple of frees and a couple of loans. Steven Harper was probably the biggest success on loan as he weighed in with a few goals, but Luke Denton may prove to be a useful acquisition as well.

Squad - I inherited a squad without any decent central midfield players which is a problem I still haven't solved although Ray Wiltshire has come through well from the youth team this year. With one or two tweaks and a fit Dan Read, I'm hoping we can challenge for the playoffs next year. Judging from what some of the players are asking for to renew their contracts for next year I'm also expecting some outgoings in the summer.

Finances - made a small profit so far this year which I'm very happy with. If we can have some success in the cups next year hopefully this will continue.

Key Player Profiles:

Steve Harper - my loan signing managed a goal every other game which really helped my cause towards the end of the season. I doubt I will be making this permanent though as I doubt he would want the switch.

Richard Taylor - a good solid season from our experienced centre half. Chipped in with a few goals as well.

Ray Wiltshire - the youngster came through well this year to cement a regular first team place.

Career Overview

Season     Club             League                            Position       Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013/2014  Godalming Town   Southern League Division 1 S/W    10th           none

Next Season

I would like to think that with a few signings in key positions we can push for a playoff place next season. Keeping Dan Read fit is also important as he was my top scorer until he got himself injured for 6 months. I have to strengthen in the centre of midfield for sure if I want to achieve these aims. I am a little worried that the board may want even more from me next year but I'll see. Hopefully, if their expectations aren't too high, that will take the pressure off me and the players

Hyundai A-League: Wellington Phoenix

Brazilian First Division: Sao Paulo

Cup: Athletico Mineiro

Ligue 1: Olympique Marseille

Cup: Olympique Marseille

Coupe de la Ligue: Monaco

Bundesliga: Bayern Munich

Cup: Bayern Munich

Greek Superleague: Olympiakos

Cup: Atromitos

Dutch Eredivisie: Ajax

Cup: AZ

Serie A: Juventus

Cup: Udinese

Norwegian Premier Division: Rosenborg

Cup: Rosenborg

Portuguese Premier League: Porto

Taca de Portugal: Benfica

Cup: Benfica

Scottish Premier League: Celtic

Cup: Hearts

League Cup: Dundee Utd

Liga BBVA: Real Madrid

Cup: Real Betis

MLS: Toronto FC

Welsh Premier League: TNS

Cup: Port Talbot

Premier League Cup: TNS

UEFA Champions League: Arsenal 0 - 1 Manchester City

Europa League: Olympiakos 2 -1 Fiorentina (aet)

Premier League

Champions: Chelsea

UEFA Champions League Qualifiers: Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Arsenal

Europa League Qualifiers: Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Hull City

Relegated: Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace

Championship

Champions: Wigan Athletic

Promoted: Queens Park Rangers, Leicester City (Playoffs)

Relegated: Charlton Athletic, Leeds Utd, Ipswich Town

League 1

Champions: Sheffield Utd

Promoted: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brentford (Playoffs)

Relegated: Sshrewsbury, Stevenage Borough, Oldham Athletic, Gillingham

League 2

Champions: Portsmouth

Promoted: Bury, Oxford Utd, York City (Playoffs)

Relegated: Torquay United, Dagenham & Redbridge

Conference Premier

Champions: Cambridge Utd

Promoted: Luton Town (Playoffs)

Relegated: Southport, Welling Utd, Woking, Hyde

Conference North

Champions: Stalybridge Celtic

Promoted: Stockport County (Playoffs)

Relegated: Histon, Gainsborough Trinity, Leamington

Conference South:

Champions: Ebbsfleet Utd

Promoted: Whitehawk (Playoffs)

Relegated: Maidenhead Utd, Dorchester Town, Gosport Borough

Northern Premier League Premier Division

Champions: Chorely

Promoted: Witton Albion (Playoffs)

Relegated: Trafford, Barwell, Marine, Skemmersdale Utd

Isthmian League Premier Division

Champions: Margate

Promoted: Lowestoft Town (Playoffs)

Relegated: Cray Wanderers, Leiston, Billericay, Carshalton Athletic

Southern League Premier Division

Champions: Corby Town

Promoted: Cambridge City (Playoffs)

Relegated: Stoubridge, Banbury Utd, AFC Totten, Hinckley Town

Northern Premier League Division 1 North

Champions: Warrington Town

Promoted: Lancaster City (Playoffs)

Relegated: Wakefield, Ossett Town

Northern Premier League Division 1 South

Champions: Bedworth Utd

Promoted: Chase Town (Playoffs)

Relegated: Lincoln Utd, Newcastle Town

Isthmian League Division 1 North

Champions: Needham Market

Promoted: AFC Sudbury (Playoffs)

Relegated: Redbridge, Wroxham, Waltham Abbey

Isthmian League Division 1 South

Champions: Burgess Hill Town

Promoted: Tooting and Mitcham (Playoffs)

Relegated: Eastbourne Town, Peacehaven & Telscombe, Three Bridges

Southern League Division 1 Central

Champions: Kettering Town

Promoted: Roysten Town (Playoffs)

Relegated: Uxbridge, North Greenford Utd

Southern League Division 1 South/West

Champions: Magnotsfield Town

Promoted: Tiverton Town (Playoffs)

Relegated: Fleet Town, Brigwater Town

FA Cup: Manchester City 4 -1 Bolton Wanderers

League Cup: Manchester Utd 1 - 0 Arsenal

Football League Trophy: Peterborough Utd 1 -4 Walsall

FA Trophy: Cambridge Utd 2 - 0 Luton Town

Northern Premier League Challenge Cup: Chorely 1 - 0 Warrington Town

Northern Premier League Peter Swales Shield: Skemmersdale Utd 0 - 2 Kings Lynn

Isthmian League Cup: Bognor Regis 1 - 0 Leatherhead

Southern League Cup: Yate Town (5) 5 - 2 (4) Biggleswade Town

Fifa World Cup 2014

The major shock of the group stages was England not managing to get out of a favourable group. The USA might also have been disappointed not to have got through to the knockout stages as well. Hodgson lost his job after that performance. Cameroon were the big surprise of the tournament, getting through to the Semi-finals where they lost to eventual winners Germany.

Newcastle Town relegated.

And to be pedantic, it's Chasetown and not Chase Town.

Newcastle Town relegated.

And to be pedantic, it's Chasetown and not Chase Town.

I thought you'd be disappointed with that Nobby, seeing as you have a massive save with them! I think by the time I got to typing Chasetown I just wanted to get that bit done!

Isn't it horrible when someone brings out an update and you just know you wont be satisfied playing your current save when there is a new file out there waiting to be discovered?!

Well, MagicMastermind has finally brought out his long awaited English EEE project after some recent bug fixes from SI, and as difficult as it is to leave this save, I really need to try this file out. I am hoping to start a new thread as soon as I get going on my new game.

I've resisted three whole versions of the game to continue my Newcastle Town save. It's about where your preference lies and how much will power you have to resist updates/new versions of the game.