smp20 Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Trying To Emulate Ranieri's Leicester In July 2015, Claudio 'Tinkerman' Ranieri took over relegation candidates Leicester City. Fast forward several months and as we know he managed to win the Premier League, pulling off one of the most remarkable underdog victories in the history of sport. In this save, I am going to try to do it the Ranieri way. So much so, I have removed him from the database and create a manager profile with as close to his attributes as possible:I am buying in fully to Claudio's philosophy, first transfer window budgets are off but after this it will extend to his transfer policy. Here's how I am lining up tactically:Team InstructionsI have downloaded an add-on which includes real Premier League fixtures so that I can compare the results to those in real life. I will update monthly, starting with August. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 August 2015ResultsSunderland ~ West Ham ~ Spurs ~ Reading ~ BournemouthWe kicked off the campaign with two straight wins against Sunderland and West Ham. Okazaki scored two very early goals in our first PL game, although we seemed to relax a little too much towards the end of the game and nearly let Sunderland back in it. We were solid against West Ham, limiting them to shots from long. It was disappointing to conceded a late goal against Spurs, Harry Kane was a handful, but a draw was still a good result. We managed to win the cup match against Championship Reading despite playing a back-up 11 (except Okazaki). However we finished the month very badly. We were absolutely torn apart by Bournemouth's Juan Iturbe in a 4-1 thrashing. It seems our back line aren't quite as good at coping with attacking pressure/pace as they are in real life! That and it still feels as though the team are adapting to the way of playing, we are bound to make errors at this stage.League TableA 2-1-1 record see us lying in the top half of the table, a decent start.Player of the Month - Riyad MahrezRiyad grabbed 4 in 4 as well as an assist, even performing well against Bournemouth.Real LifeLeicester went unbeaten in August, gaining one more point than I was able do. They sat 3rd after 4 games. Look at City's start! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 September 2015ResultsVilla ~ Stoke ~ Norwich ~ ArsenalVardy came alive in the Villa game, grabbing a hat-trick in a very good victory. Robert Huth became the villain when he got sent off against his former club, but we battled the game back to 3-3. It was gutting to concede in stoppage time, our defending was woeful throughout! Our B team again lined up in the cup and this time were duly dispatched by Norwich. I was fearful for Okazaki when he went off injured, fortunately it was only minor. The match of the month was definitely our 2-0 win over Arsenal, which we won deservedly so despite needing late goals. Apologies, I forgot to screenshot the league table.Player's of the Month - Vardy & MahrezMahrez managed three 9.0 ratings and Vardy grabbed four goals, what a pair!Real LifeTheir unbeaten run came crashing down in a 5-2 loss against Arsenal. Unlike my attempt, they did progress in the Capital One Cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 October 2015ResultsNorwich ~ Southampton ~ PalaceAn unbeaten month for us and only 3 goals conceded in 3 games, so an improvement. We perhaps should have beat Norwich, but we followed this up with a great result away at St Mary's. We completely destroyed Palace, it should have been more!League TableSo after 10 games we find ourselves with a 6-2-2 record in the chasing pack, 6 points behind leader Man Utd. A start I am very happy with.Player of the Month - Danny SimpsonAn excellent month from the ex-United right back - great defensive performances, plenty of key passes and an assist to go with it.Real LifeIRL Leicester had a busier October, playing two extra games. They lost on penalties to Hull in the C1C and won against West Brom, our tie against them was moved to Monday which falls in November. Not counting the penalties loss to Hull, a great unbeaten month for the Foxes.They had played an extra game and are 2 points in front of us, chasing the leaders Man City & Arsenal who haven't pulled away quite as much as United have for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 November 2015ResultsWest Brom ~ Watford ~ Newcastle ~ Man UtdA very strange month for us. We kicked it off with a high scoring draw against a struggling West Brom side, followed by obliterating Watford. We then faced Newcastle, who were rock bottom and had just sacked McClaren. The manager-less side came back from behind twice to win the tie where we were really poor. Nonetheless we bounced back with a fantastic victory against League leaders United in a game where we found ourselves 1-0 down straight from kick-off. A fantastic goalkeeping performance from Kasper and a late winner from Jamie Vardy inflicted United's first defeat of the season.League TableThat win against Man Utd was extremely important, we're 6 points behind instead of a potential 12.Player of the Month - Jamie VardyWhat a month for the talisman striker, scoring in every single game and a total of 8 in 4!Real LifeThey continued their unbeaten run, if you were to include the West Brom game here it would mean 10 points in 4, we managed 7 so were are slightly behind them.Results elsewhere really helped them climb up the league, where they sat in 2nd place only behind on goal difference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 December 2015ResultsSwansea ~ Chelsea ~ Everton ~ Liverpool ~ Man CityAn extremely tough month of fixtures left us with a mixed bag, two wins, two losses and a draw. Frustratingly, it was perhaps the two 'easier' ties that we managed to lose, Swansea & Everton. Our clean sheet against Chelsea was helped somewhat by a useless Falcao and even his replacement Diego Costa was rubbish. Once again it has been our attack producing the goods while our defence has been doing us no favours. Robert Huth has been a liability and I will be strengthening that area in January. The final game against Man City was an even, open game contested by two tired sides.League TableA slippy month has seen us drop down the table, 7 points off top. This is how we stand at the half-way point in the season.Player of the Month - Jamie VardyWell it certainly wasn't going to be a defender! Vardy continued his impressive goalscoring, yet again scoring in every match with 8 in total.Real LifeThey fared a lot better than us, mainly because they managed to beat Swansea & Everton. Joint top at the half-way point, only a dream for my save. As we all know, they were top on Christmas Day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 January 2016TransfersI'd spent December scouting potential targets and I felt Domanoj Vida was the best that we could afford - even then we had to get rid of Inler to free up the funds for him. He has pace and technical ability to go alongside Captain Morgan.ResultsBournemouth ~ Swansea ~ Spurs ~ Villa ~ StokeA month to be very happy with. We started off by getting revenge against Bournemouth, beating them 4-0 with Vardy getting all 4. This extended his scoring run to 10 consecutive PL matches and an incredible 20 goals in this period, unfortunately he wasn't able to score against Spurs to extend this but a 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane was a fantastic outcome in a very even match. A 100% record, excluding our second string side's loss in the FA Cup, was broken by Stoke, where we even needed an own goal to grab a point in a rare game of poor attacking/finishing from us.League Table We climbed back up the table into joint second, however Man Utd are runaway leaders winning all 4 of their games extending their lead to 9 points.Player of the Month - Marc AlbrightonA fanastic run of form for Marc Albrighton, 8.8, 8.4, 8.5, 8.9 in his Premier League matches.Real LifeThey also suffered defeat in the FA Cup, but it took a replay for Spurs to overcome them. Unbeaten in the PL with two wins and two draws.With 15 games left, they've gained a 3 point league at the top of the table. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 It's a shame United have got their usual OP status in your save. You're doing brilliantly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 It's a shame United have got their usual OP status in your save. You're doing brilliantly. Thanks Lenzar. United have been very good, spent 70m on Yarmolenko and Laporte to strengthen too which made me feel less dirty signing Vida. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 February 2016Liverpool ~ Man City ~ Arsenal ~ NorwichAn excellent month where we gained 10 points from a tough run of fixtures. For the second game in a row our attack let us down in a rare 0-0 against Liverpool. A super-sub appearance from Schlupp saw us sneak a late 2-1 victory against Man City in an extremely even game. This was followed up with an equally impressive victory at the Emirates despite not creating that many chances. We finished off the month with a 2-1 win at home to Norwich, a game in which we dominated.League TableUp to second in the league and narrowed the gap to 5 points, though United have a game in hand. Look how awful Newcastle are at the bottom, making our loss to them even more disappointing!Player's of the Month - Danny Drinkwater & Riyad MahrezOur roaming playmaker Drinkwater had a solid month, while Mahrez put in a couple of MOTM performances.Real LifeLeicester had a good month also, despite a loss against Arsenal who managed a double against them. The results against Liverpool and City showed their title challenge credentials.2 points clear of Spurs and the league looks like it could be won by any of the top 4 sides. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 March 2016West Brom ~ Watford ~ Newcastle ~ PalaceWe continued our 2016 unbeaten run once again getting 10/12 points. Schlupp got a cameo goal which gained us a point against West Brom, then our defence kicked in for the next three games. A single goal from Drinkwater was enough to secure the points against Watford, while Vardy was at the heart of a revenge victory against Newcastle. Before international duty, we wrapped up the month with a 2-0 win at Selhurst Park.League TableWe're now just two points behind United with 7 games left to play. The catch is that United have 2 games in hand over us!Player of the Month - Danny DrinkwaterAnother great month for Danny in central midfield, scoring a goal and getting lots of key passes.Real LifeLeicester's defence really kicked in with just 1 goal conceded and 3 consecutive clean sheets. Our month's were almost identical.They really started to pull away, gaining a 5 point lead over Spurs. It's a shame we haven't been able to do so ourselves, but we are 2 points behind their tally so I am pleased. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 April 2016ResultsSouthampton ~ Sunderland ~ West Ham ~ SwanseaWe remain unbeaten but I cant' help feeling a little disappointed. We drew two games against weaker opposition, needing a stoppage time equaliser from Vardy and letting in a late goal against the Hammers.League TableWe're at the business end of the season and we are 7 points behind the leaders AND United have a game in hand. At this point, we've guaranteed Champions League football so it will be a case of where we finish. There is still a glimmer of hope for the title:As you can see, we face Man Utd in the next game. Anything but a win for us will ensure them the title. Their game in hand is a tricky tie against Arsenal, but even if we beat them and they lose to Arsenal, we need them to fail to beat Bournemouth and Norwich and we need to win all our remaining games. Van Gaal must feel like he has one hand on the trophy.Player of the Month - Marc AlbrightonHe's becoming one of my favourite players, yet another great month from him continuing some very consistent form.Real LifeThey had a fantastic month in April and another load of clean sheets and 10 points.A sight we are very familiar with now! Leicester stand 7 points clear in the league with 3 games to go....we know what happens! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 Manchester United Versus Leicester City An outstanding victory! This was a truly enthralling game to watch. It was fast paced, direct and full of chances for both sides. Kasper Schmeichel saved a penalty in the 5th minute and continued to have the game of his life pulling off several more key saves. We took an early lead through Jamie Vardy in the 7th minute and the game flow after was fantastic. We capitalised on United throwing men forward for the equaliser by scoring two late second half goals, securing an emphatic 3-0 win at Old Trafford, though it really could have gone either way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 Squeaky Bum Time - May 2016Our ResultsEverton ~ ChelseaIncredible, just incredible. We well and truly demolished Everton and followed it up with a victory against Chelsea. We'd done all we could to challenge for the title.Manchester United ResultsNorwich ~ Arsenal ~ Bournemouth Man Utd failed to win any of their remaining games! They absolutely battered Bournemouth in the final game, but could only find an equaliser in the 85th minute and somehow Bournemouth held firm in the dying minutes. It was nervy watching the latest scores come through, this is how the season finished:League TableWe are the champions!!!!!! On 81 points and via goal difference, we defied all odds and managed to pip Man United to the title. I didn't think we'd do it. As I'm sat here watching the Leicester - Everton game with them ready to lift the trophy after it, we've managed to emulate them. A truly fitting outcome. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedese Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Unbelievable stuff! Congratulations, that's an incredible season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 Unbelievable stuff! Congratulations, that's an incredible season Thanks, I really thought we weren't going to catch Man Utd. Looking forward to going into an alternate reality next season, gotta sign a new contract yet though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 The PlayersVardy ~ OkizakiAlbrighton ~ Drinkwater ~ Kante ~ MahrezFuchs ~ Vida ~ Morgan ~ SimpsonSchmeichelAwardsTeam of the Year Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius1998 Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 I can't believe it's happened. Both in real-life and in-game. Congrats. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maw74 Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Wow Man Utd really did bottle that lol. It wasn't looking likely that you would repeat the real life story, you did it in a more dramatic way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 7, 2016 Author Share Posted May 7, 2016 It really was an exciting season finish! Thanks both. Here's the latest news: A new four year contract signed, likely to be the last. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 [video=youtube;iNqSjdMYazE] Think this fits nicely here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 Haha, thanks Lenzar - I also want to share Mr. Ranieri lifting the trophy I've had a very busy pre-season, August update will come soon! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 Transfers Summer 2016Transfers OutI thought I'd start with our outgoings, which have pumped in a lot of money to the club! I wasn't planning on having big changes, but when the bids came in for last season's high performers the team got unsettled and it ended up being a case of grabbing as much as I could. Selling Danny Drinkwater for nearly £50m is insane, there was a bidding war between City, Chelsea and Real Madrid for him! We also cashed in on Danny Simpson who left for Moyes' Chelsea and Demarai Gray who just didn't have the attributes to succeed in our club philosophy. Valencia came in for Fuchs who I'm sure wouldn't have been happy playing second fiddle and £15m is great for an aging full back. The rest of the players we sold were players I felt did not have a future at the club - in total we brought in £126m from player sales.Transfers InTiote ~ Cook ~ Gomez ~ Jenkinson ~ Rulli ~ Adriano ~ Willems ~ Wilson ~ ShawcrossOur first signing was the stealing of Tiote from recently relegated Newcastle, he will add depth to our midfield. After the sale of Drinkwater, I decided that I wanted to bring in some young English talent and I believe I've made two fantastic signings in Cook and Gomez - the latter being loaned out to PL debutantes Brighton. Jenkinson comes in to replace Simpson for 20% of the price. I had already agreed deals for Rulli, Willems & Adriano back when we got our new budget and they joined us on 1st January. James Wilson became my third English hot prospect and I think he could be Vardy's long term replacement. Wes Morgan has really started to lose his physicals so Shawcross comes in to add depth, or most likely to replace Morgan who is going into the final year of his contract.August 2016Swansea ~ Arsenal ~ West Brom ~ BrightonWe started the season with a penalty win in the Community Shield, we really should have won it in open play. An excellent start against Arsenal turned to pot as we gave up a two goal lead to lose 3-2 - Arsenal's pace and tempo was just too much for us in the second half. It took two late goals from substitutes to eventually get the 3 points at the Hawthorns, while we should have won a lot more comfortably against the newcomers Brighton. Overall, an okay month on the pitch, but I imagine it will take some time for our new players to gel.Before playing us Brighton had won both of their opening games and just like last season Bournemouth have started strong. Conversely, City find themselves in the relegation zone at the moment!Deadline Day!!!Alexis SanchezOn deadline day, we made a big, big signing. I wasn't planning on buying 'stars' but Alexis is the perfect player for our system - he's a workhorse with huge talent. I had a big budget leftover due to our player sales and Sanchez was unhappy due to not getting CL football - it just had to be done. Speaking of Champions League football:We've been drawn with the competition favourites Real, but other than that we have a very good chance of progressing into the latter stages. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedese Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 So, you swapped Danny Simpson and Danny Drinkwater for Alexis and pocketed £16 million as well? Now that's good business Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 August Player of the Month - James Wilson Knew I'd forgotten something, our player of the month was youngster James Wilson who's banged in 3 PL goals already. Jamie Vardy, however, has not started well... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 8, 2016 Author Share Posted May 8, 2016 So, you swapped Danny Simpson and Danny Drinkwater for Alexis and pocketed £16 million as well? Now that's good business Haha, hadn't thought about it like that but yes Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 I will be posting up a few updates at some point today - I have just got to January 2017 so I have some backlogging to do Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northernpilgrim Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Great stuff so far. Looking forward to seeing how you do Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 Great stuff so far. Looking forward to seeing how you do Thanks Northernpilgrim update(s) to follow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 September 2016Southampton ~ Malmo ~ Bournemouth ~ Sunderland ~ Stoke ~ Real MadridA 100% record for September is a great way to show we mean business the season after winning the league. Our three PL games were ones we were expected to win and I am pleased to say that I am happy with my depth as rotational sides were able to beat Malmo in the CL and Sunderland in the C1C. We finished the month on a high by beating Real Madrid in stoppage time, making Ronaldo look extremely average in the process.It's early days, but a very good position to be in. Arsenal continued their winning streak.Key Performers1) Carl Jenkinson - top notch performances from the hard-working full-back, including 2 worthy of MOTM.2) Riyadh Mahrez - rested for two of the games but was outstanding in 3 of the 4 games he did play.3) James Wilson - continued his goalscoring streak in the Premier League. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedese Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 1-0 against Real You're doing unbelievably so far! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 October 2016M'boro ~ Liverpool ~ Wolfsburg ~ Man Utd ~ Palace ~ SpursWe had some tricky PL ties this month, although we started off by beating newly promoted Middlesbrough comfortably. I was very happy with our results against Liverpool and Spurs as we continued our tradition of performing well against the bigger clubs, though we weren't able to match this in a tight 1-0 loss against United. The Wolfsburg game kicked in to life late in the game and we extended our 100% record in the CL, while a rotated side lost on penalties to Palace in the cup - a game we should have won in normal time.The league table is starting to shape up and we are still just 3 points behind the leaders Arsenal.Key Performers1) Marc Albrighton - his brilliant work ethic makes him a handful for everyone and he's come up with the goods yet again this month.2) Lewis Cook - he's had the task of taking over Drinkwater's role and so far he has been very solid for us - developing nicely too!3) Alexis Sanchez - he needed a mention despite only featuring in two of the matches due to injury. He scored a cracking goal against Mboro and was man of the match against Spurs in the newly created Shadow Striker role, tailor made for him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 1-0 against Real You're doing unbelievably so far! Thanks, I was very surprised by the result also! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 November 2016Wolfsburg ~ Palace ~ Norwich ~ Malmo ~ Watford ~ Real MadridAn important month with three games a piece in the Champions League and Premier League. I was expecting to be able to pick up maximum points in the PL and we were able to thrash Palace & Norwich, but Watford inflicted a humiliating 3-0 defeat. They have been on an incredible run of form and managed to do to us what we did to many of the top teams last season. We beat Malmo & Wolfsburg and thanks to the latter beating Real and securing our top spot we were able to go to the Bernebeu with no pressure. I even managed to field academy products Chilwell and Choudhury and we only lost 1-0.The league is very tight at the top with us, United and Arsenal, while Watford are surging up the league.Key PerformersA mixed month but Mahrez, Sanchez and Cook once again put in some pleasing performances. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 Nooooooooooooo :( My laptop decided to turn itself off in my bag when I had clicked save....note to self, rolling auto-save needs to be enabled and I should always wait for it to finish saving before putting laptop lid down. Absolutely gutted that I've just lost this save, I had just got into February and made two more great signings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedese Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 If you go into your FM 16 folder, the 'Games' folder and then right click on the save, is there an option to Restore Previous Versions? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smp20 Posted May 10, 2016 Author Share Posted May 10, 2016 If you go into your FM 16 folder, the 'Games' folder and then right click on the save, is there an option to Restore Previous Versions? Thanks for the suggestion but there doesnt seem to be the option Might do a youth only save somewhere. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherwinriga Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 Too bad you lose the save. I think you will have to be careful on the saves. Maybe you may start a Leicester youth save or challenge soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Thanks for the suggestion but there doesnt seem to be the option Might do a youth only save somewhere. Be interested to see where you land, brother. I've got a couple saves that are at the "do I really want to do this" stage, including a few challenges. Nothing is grabbing my attention, though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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