FM10: Official MK Dons Thread - Play at the MooCamp

Welcome to the MK Dons Thread for Football Manager 2010 – Play at the MooCamp!

History & Background

Milton Keynes Dons Football Club more commonly known as the MK Dons are a professional football club in the English Football League One. Founded in 2004 the club was relaunched under its current name on the 21st of June 2004 nine months after Wimbledon F.C. moved from London to Milton Keynes. Although legally the club is a continuation of Wimbledon F.C. they make no claim on the history of the former club or the trophies. This was so the Milton Keynes Dons Supporters Association would be recognized by the Football Supporters Federation and so we could make our own history. The rise of the Dons began in 2008 when they were crowned Football League Two winners and also won the Football League Trophy. During the 2008/09 season the dons surpassed all expectations of struggling to survive in League One by spending the whole season in the top six, narrowly missing out on automatic qualification before eventually losing in the playoff semi final.

Stadium

The club’s first stadium was the National Hockey Stadium which was converted for football whilst construction began on a new stadium. Completed in the summer of 2007 the 22,000 seater stadium:mk was officially opened by the queen on the 29th of November 2007.

In-Game Info

Reputation - Regional

Chairman Status – Loves the club

Legends – None

Icons – Dean Lewington, Paul Ince

Favoured Personnel – Clive Platt, Sam Baldock

Fierce Rivals – AFC Wimbledon

Other Rivals – High Wycombe

Finances - Okay

Average Ticket Price - £19

Average Season Ticket Price - £350

Season Ticket Holders - 6000

Estimated Value - £4.6M ( Loan Debt:£5.75M )

Continental Competition - None

Media Prediction - 5th

Stadium – 18,000 all-seater stadium:mk, Milton Keynes

Training Facilities – Good training facilities

Youth Facilities – Average youth facilities + Youth Academy

Squad (All players in their natural position.)

GK – Willy Gueret, Stuart Searle

DR – Dan Woodards, Jude Stirling

DL – Dean Lewington, Sol Davis

DC – Mathias Doumbe, David McCracken, Darren Powell, Danny Swailes, David King, Sean O’Hanlon

MR – Luke Chadwick, Lewis Gobern, Richie Partridge

ML – Jason Puncheon, Jemal Johnson

MC – Luke Howell, Mark Carrington, Stephen Gleeson, Peter Leven

ST – Aaron Wilbraham, Sam Baldock, Jermaine Easter, Jabo Ibehre

Although the squad looks thin in some areas, the Don’s players are highly versatile therefore there is adequate cover for all areas.

Strongest Line-up (At start of game.)

GK – Willy Gueret

DR – Dan Woodards

DL – Dean Lewington

DC – Mathias Doumbe, Sean O’Hanlon

MR – Luke Chadwick

ML – Jason Puncheon

MC – Stephen Gleeson, Peter Leven

ST – Aaron Wilbraham, Jermaine Easter

Key Men

Willy Gueret – class goalkeeper can be trusted to take care of the goal at this level.

Dean Lewington – Quality when playing at Left back. The captain and last member of the original Wimbledon team. Injury prone but when in the team marshals the defence majestically.

Mathias Doumbe – Has his Maradonna moments.

Jason Puncheon – Wing wizard will be your creative source on the flank. Can score from free-kicks.

Aaron Wilbraham – Long time terrace favourite not been scoring much but still integral to the team.

Jermaine Easter – Will get goals as he is showing IRL.

Expectations

No choice given the chairman expects the team to reach the Playoffs. As a result the transfer budget is set at £50k and the wage budget at £46.5k p/w. Wages are currently at £46,426 p/w. As the Dons proved last year and on this seasons form, the squad is strong enough to make the playoffs. There is an outside chance of automatic promotion but with Leeds, Charlton and Norwich in the league reaching the playoffs will be very respectable.

Transfers

Your ability to buy players has been severely restricted by Pete Winkelman who will also be demanding the club start repaying the loan this season. So laying out money on transfer fees is out what I suggest is request a parent club immediately. The board act pretty quickly and within a few days will return a verdict. I chose Arsenal from the choices Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham due mainly to the young players available. Act quickly enough and you can get Jack Wilshere on a season loan.

My second act was to adjust the budgets. The board will reject any increase to the wage budget so I did it myself decreasing the transfer budget to £500 and increased the wage budget to £47,537 p/w.

Although there are several quality unattached players willing to sign for the Dons they all require wages of between £1-3k putting them out of reach of you, unless you defy the board and break the budget. I however used my slightly increased budget to sign Lars Stubhaug for free on £160 p/w. This was a necessary signing as there was no cover for the GK. Whilst not especially happy with him, he is the best available in the demo. In the full game a different can be signed when you have more options to choose from.

My second free signing was Willy Topp he will sign a contract for £800 p/w just as extra cover for the strikers. After this I looked at the loan list with a new parent club players are now available for zero wages. In addition I also brought in on loan:

Richie De Laet – Useful defender will be first choice in the centre of your back four and provide good cover for the full backs.

Isaiah Osbourne - from Villa for League One his physical stats his stats are great for the box-to-box midfielder role.

Also willing to come to MK Dons are: Corry Evans, Jose Baxter, Junior Stanislaus and John Bostock.

Conclusion

Taking the Dons to the Prem will be a great challenge for any manager the chairman may be tight this year but he will make money available in subsequent years and the stadium capacity can be easily increased although that may not be the case in FM it is a Premiership standard stadium. The club also has a high enough reputation to attract decent loan players not just the aforementioned players. However the academy right now is not producing any kids of a high enough standard in the first few seasons it would be better to concentrate on established players in FM09 the academy began to produce some -8 players from season 5 onwards.

Feel free to add to this guide and post your own more detailed squad analysis. Good luck in your game and give Milton Keynes Dons the history they deserve.

Added to the links thread.

Good effort mate.

I've never been arsed to create one of these over the years on this forum.

With moocamp mentioned, i assume you are on it? Platty by any chance?

Not sure about in game, but in real life i jude stirling is a liability who is only in the squad for his long throws!

No, I am in the family section in the South stand directly opposite the dugouts, its too loud over there for me.

I dont usually play Stirling mainly because I have never been able to get a Delap style throw-in strategy up and running.

With moocamp mentioned, i assume you are on it? Platty by any chance?

Hello

Just a note: I added the loan in this summer as it wasn't in previous versions, and anyone who's seen our accounts will know we definitely have a debt. Unfortunately Pete starts asking for the money to be repaid almost instantly, which shouldn't be happening - he's going to want it back, but the payments I was making every month when running through it on the demo were way too big. I'll try and have a look at it for the next patch.

I was doing rubbish by the way, started quite well and beat Stoke in the League Cup but then we lost to Leeds and it all collapsed, I had them about 13th.

Oh dear Oli. Are all the current loan signings there on the game? Obviously I don#t think devaney will.

Only long-term ones are included, so Puncheon. Doran, Oscar Gobern and Devaney aren't.

Has anyone got them to the Premiership yet?

Have hit 2013 and it looks like it could possibly be the season we get promoted although only half the season gone

Had to ship most of my team out last season and have a minimum of 5 players wanted whether were playing good or bad!

i got dons in the premiership on 07

i got dons in the premiership on 07

Got them in in FM09 promoted from each season.

Thinking about starting one again up tonight.

Question is Stadium:MK in the game expandable in the game as it is in real life for the 2018 bid? I think IRL its 44,500 expandable and wondering if they expand it in game?

have just started as the dons on FM10 patch 10.3, so got Andros Townsend and Mark Randall from the start, like the OP says there is no money but I've got Chris Basham and Jordan Spence on-loan.

Anyone else playing as MK?

Hi Guys,

Ive taken MK Dons into the Championship in my first season, I have been given 50k to spend, ive done some good deals with outfield players, but really need an excellent reliable GK to help me with the season ahead, has anyone got any ideas? I have looked at frees and loans and im really stuck who to get, so thought i'd ask on here for ideas and help.

Thanks

Hi Guys,

Ive taken MK Dons into the Championship in my first season, I have been given 50k to spend, ive done some good deals with outfield players, but really need an excellent reliable GK to help me with the season ahead, has anyone got any ideas? I have looked at frees and loans and im really stuck who to get, so thought i'd ask on here for ideas and help.

Thanks