The Long Road Back - Stockport County FC

Following on from the discussion in the, er, general discussion thread I've been having trouble getting back into FM after the MLS bug blew apart my move from Yanbian to San Jose. I downloaded classen's megapack of leagues and spent a fun half-season in an otherwise unplayable league. But then I realized that would play out the same way I always do, start unemployed and develop a journeyman career.

So I decided to follow cougar2010's suggestion: Play a way you normally don't. That led me to something I'd been thinking might be a good challenge: Reversing the decline and fall of Stockport County.

I almost never play in England because, frankly, that's (probably) most of the threads on this forum, and because I don't like the long grind of an English season. But it's fair to say not many clubs have gone into the kind of freefall Stockport has: In the 2001-02 season, they were relegated from the second division. Now, 14 years later, they find themselves a part-time club sitting midtable in the Conference regional division. They've never played in the top flight. Their last piece of silverware is the 1966-67 Fourth Division trophy (technically it's actually 2010-11 Cheshire Premier Cup, but that's not playable in FM).

So that's what I intend to do: A one club save, trying to haul Stockport back up through the league.

This also means I can reduce the number of leagues running. I'll run everything from Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Scotland, Spain and USA

And this is me:

Reserved for career summary

The Yank comes to England.

I've had a couple of very enjoyable Stockport County saves, prior to their real plummeting down the leagues. A sad story for the club, and when your time in the Conference Premier ends with a pitch invasion and a fist fight with your own fans, it's obviously not great.

I think it's a fact that on the final day of the season Man City were promoted to the Premier League, Stockport were already relegated to League One. They beat them that day, and obviously from that moment their club trajectories have gone in vastly different directions.

I've had a couple of very enjoyable Stockport County saves, prior to their real plummeting down the leagues. A sad story for the club, and when your time in the Conference Premier ends with a pitch invasion and a fist fight with your own fans, it's obviously not great.

I think it's a fact that on the final day of the season Man City were promoted to the Premier League, Stockport were already relegated to League One. They beat them that day, and obviously from that moment their club trajectories have gone in vastly different directions.

A fist fight with there own fans,did they seriously do that forameuss? sounds mental.

I almost never play in England because, frankly, that's (probably) most of the threads on this forum

It's nowhere near that bad. Out of the 54 threads from the past month, there are only other 10 active ones (excluding those that didn't really get going) focussed on England. Yours makes it just 5 out of 24 with posts from the past 5 days. Admittedly there are a handful of others that are either UK-based or had a decent stint in England as part of a journeyman but it's still not overwhelming, especially given there is always going to be a strong British bias among the FM fanbase. My current career may be English-based but that's the first time (a couple of long stints at Ipswich aside in careers where there was still plenty of travelling) since FM09.

A fist fight with there own fans,did they seriously do that forameuss? sounds mental.

From what I heard, they'd had a particularly woeful season, and the fans came on on the last game to dish out some Stockport justice. Shameful scenes.

From what I heard, they'd had a particularly woeful season, and the fans came on on the last game to dish out some Stockport justice. Shameful scenes.

I might need to have a gander at that on youtube sounds mental

It's nowhere near that bad. Out of the 54 threads from the past month, there are only other 10 active ones (excluding those that didn't really get going) focussed on England. Yours makes it just 5 out of 24 with posts from the past 5 days. Admittedly there are a handful of others that are either UK-based or had a decent stint in England as part of a journeyman but it's still not overwhelming, especially given there is always going to be a strong British bias among the FM fanbase. My current career may be English-based but that's the first time (a couple of long stints at Ipswich aside in careers where there was still plenty of travelling) since FM09.

I may also be a minority here, but I simply don't see the appeal in, nor do I imagine would enjoy, playing in some of the less traditional countries that a lot of the folks here play. I enjoy playing with teams I recognise, be them England, Scotland, or other fairly major nations, and to be honest I've not read most of the games that involve slogging around China, Korea, or other less fancied nations.

No offence to the guys who like to play in those, but that kind of game just isn't my cup of tea.

I almost never play in England because, frankly, that's (probably) most of the threads on this forum, and because I don't like the long grind of an English season.

That's funny, I generally prefer the UK/Irish leagues because they just seem the most realistic and fully fleshed out in the game. No matter how well-researched the other nations become, to me there is just a different...feel about the British Isles. Having said that, I have very much enjoyed following other people's careers in "alternative" nations.

Anyway, to each his own. Good start and good luck!

Best of luck with this, i have a Stockport save running currently too.

Didn't even make it to November.

Struggled for results (hovering around the relegation zone), then lost the locker room (coming out of pre-season, I opted for the younger GK who'd looked better in preseason matches. The older GK was listed a "key player", didn't like that he was riding the pine, and got about half the team to support his grievance).

Simple solution. Employ Nello.

Marvellous.