The_Mack2007 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 PROMOTION!!!!! 1st season!!!! a two nil win over west brom at wembley confirms meon valley will be playing in the premiership! Youth player Scott Mackay (incedently my sign up player) headed the second to ensure promotion. People if u have my plaer in your squad along with albertella, build them up, they have good potentials!!! UP THe VALLEY Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 ***Holiday Game – Season 2 (08/09) Transfer Window Update*** Valley Hit by Shock Departure Sheff Utd manager Bryan Robson has raided the Valley for a second time. Simon Johncock, the UFOs’ assistant manager, has left the club to become the Blades number two in a deal that has netted Valley £130k compensation. Jennings announces retirement The second piece of bad news is that Pete ‘playmaker’ Jennings has retired, ending his Valley career after one, let’s be honest, fairly average season. The good news is that he is still there in a coaching capacity. Incoming… Joining Fairclough’s first signing Marcus Bean, in midfield is Trinidad and Tobago international Andre Boucaud, on a free transfer. Centre Back Gordon Greer looks a much more useful addition. He cost £150 from Doncaster. Mark Yeates becomes Meon Valley’s record signing at £375k. Yeates is a direct replacement for Tomlinson who left for £300k – just proves what a bad piece of business that was. The final signing is Simon King from Gillingham. King can play left back or centre back and cost £180k. Kirk Hilton has left for League One Millwall in a £50k deal. The Season so far… Pre-season went well with four wins, although the quality of the opposition was not exactly taxing. Last season started with a goal in the 3rd minute for Dan Higham (now at Aberdeen). This season was only 4 minutes old when the first goal came… for Millwall. Valley looked destined for an opening day defeat for the second season running, until Mark Yeates grabbed a late equaliser. Valley then struggled against Walsall, going down 3-1, Calvin Zola netting the only goal after Valley again went down inside 4 minutes. Four wins on the bounce (including League Cup victory over MK Dons – a game which saw Kirk Hilton sent off in his final appearance) changed the picture dramatically. More League cup drama was to follow. Valley took the lead against West Brom 4 minutes after goalkeeper Chris Kelly was sent off. The Championship side equalised immediately after half time, but it took extra time to dispatch the UFOs. Amazingly, that is one of only two games where Valley have not gone 1-0 down inside 20 minutes (4, 2, 13, 2, 17 and 2). Without conceding those goals, they would be in second place, but currently sit in 6th instead. Player Records Top Goalscorer Calvin Zola (5), John Cunliffe(3), Mark Yeates(2) Most Assists John Cunliffe (5), Mark Yeates, Marcus Bean (2) Highest Average Rating Mark Yeates (7.63), Calvin Zola (7.29), John Cunliffe (7.13), Chris Kelly, Gordon Greer (7.00) Highest rated sign-up players Craig Hopper (6.50), John Carthy, Jonny Hennel, Keith Spendiff (6.00), Chris Burns 5.88 Most apps for sign-up players Chris Burns (8), Craig hopper (1+1sub) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 Sorry, the correct assists should read: Most Assists Mark Yeates (5), John Cunliffe, Marcus Bean (2) ...which means that Mark Yeates has been involved on 7 out 12 goals so far this season. Definitely the star player so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by The_Mack2007: PROMOTION!!!!! 1st season!!!! a two nil win over west brom at wembley confirms meon valley will be playing in the premiership! Youth player Scott Mackay (incedently my sign up player) headed the second to ensure promotion. People if u have my plaer in your squad along with albertella, build them up, they have good potentials!!! UP THe VALLEY </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Excellent. Well done. So far I think that makes it 2 relegations, 1 last day escape and 1 promotion, plus a few in progress. Any plans for how to survive in the Premiership, or are you just going to take the money and build again the following season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Mack2007 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 its going to be difficult of course, with our stadium capacity being low, it will definently have an affect on our players. I believe that the club could attract some half decent players. but it will be a big ask for a relatively small club. Time will tell however and i believe that our youth players could do something for us! I will continue to use my 4-1-2-2-1 formation, is working wanders! wil upload my starting line up 2mo etc etc! Up the Valley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
varun↕§☺☻♫ Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Started the challenge yesterday. Managed to get Jonathan Evans, Lee Martin and Chris Eagles on loan from Man Utd. Also, I got a left-back from Blackburn called Martin Osslan (it's something like that). Signed Malcolm Christie and Shemku Kamara on a free and got 5 coaches. Results so far: MV 4 - 1 Patrick Thistle MV 0 - 3 Blackburn MV 1 - 2 Fiorentina MV 3 - 0 Newport MV 4 - 1 MK Dons MV 1 - 1 Linfield MV 2 - 0 Blackpool MV 4 - 0 Cheltenham (League Cup) MV 1 - 0 Norwich MV 3 - 1 Ipswich MV 0 - 1 Man City (League Cup) MV 0 - 3 Sheff Wed It was a fantastic start but now Tomnilson and Higham have injuries. Hope I can bounce back against Sheff Utd. Before the defeat against Wednesday, I was leading the Championship. Now, I'm 5th. I'll keep updating. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 6, 2008 Author Share Posted February 6, 2008 I'm starting to get the feeling I should have just put Malcolm Christie straight into the squad and saved you all the trouble! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
varun↕§☺☻♫ Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Played 2 more games. Results are as follows: MV 0 - 0 Sheff Utd MV 3 - 1 West Brom I got Man Utd as my parent club. As Chris Kelly is injured for around 2 months, I'm trying to get Tomasz Kuszczak on loan for 3 months. Our bank balance is around 2.5m. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 6, 2008 Author Share Posted February 6, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by varun↕§☺☻♫: Our bank balance is around 2.5m. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> How did you manage that? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NepentheZ Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Might give this a go once i complete Gundo's challenge. However, I will edit the database to put myself in replacement of one of the other players Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Country Cop Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Then thats not the actual experiemnt is it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginger Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 After selling Higham (£1.2million) and Tomlinson (£2.1million), and finishing 21st in the Championship my bank balance was almost £6million!! I kept under my wage budget and made a profit every month - I thought the finances would be a major problem in the challenge but it appears its not too difficult. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 6, 2008 Author Share Posted February 6, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ginger: After selling Higham (£1.2million) and Tomlinson (£2.1million), and finishing 21st in the Championship my bank balance was almost £6million!! I kept under my wage budget and made a profit every month - I thought the finances would be a major problem in the challenge but it appears its not too difficult. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Have you got your new budgets yet? It will be interesting to see if you are given enough wages to attract a decent class of player. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterspud Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 Meon Valley Update With the transfer window just about to reopen, I thought I'd post my first update. Not had a lot of time to play, but I'm starting to get into it now. After a really disappointing start to the season (1 win and 1 draw from the first 7 games), things were looking bleak and we just couldn't buy a goal. My scout turned up little of interest, with the exception of everyone's favourite, Malcolm Christie, who became my sole permanent signing. A couple of loan players from both Man Utd (Jonathan Evans & Phil Bardsley) and Arsenal (Kieran Gibbs) gave us a little more strength, but there was little optimism. But things started to pick up a little after that and, with the help of a change of tactics, we managed to start grinding out a few wins. By the time we'd reached the beginning of December, we'd risen to the heights of 10th place, with some incredible performances and a bucketful of goals from (no surprises here) Will Tomlinson making the difference. However, it wasn't to last and the end of December sees us back down in 18th place, with just two points from our last 6 games, the majority of which were at home, which makes it even more frustrating. While the team has still performed quite well, the goals seem much harder to come by and the limitations of such a small squad are starting to tell. Hopefully a few key signings in the next weeks will go some way to improving our fortunes and we can start to climb the league again. Table League Graph Top goalscorers: Tomlinson (13), Higham (7), Jennings (3), Christie (3) Top Assisters: Tomlinson (5), Higham (5), Christie (3) Top AvR: Tomlinson (7.54), Evans (7.19), Higham (7.14) So far, no major injuries, no players sold. With a bit of luck, I can hold the squad together until the end of season. I'm fairly confident of getting mid table. Hopefully next season will prove to be a major improvement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
varun↕§☺☻♫ Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by playmaker: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by varun↕§☺☻♫: Our bank balance is around 2.5m. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> How did you manage that? </div></BLOCKQUOTE> I dunno how it happened. I didn't buy anyone who cost money and kept within the wage budget. It might have been the 77k Man Utd pay me every year. I guess I'm just lucky. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudger Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 My first update will be posted tommorrow hopefully. Im playing it slowly lol, admiring my kits I made. I will just add a slight teaser, after our great top two start, we now lie in the bottom half coming up to January lmao. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginger Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by playmaker: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ginger: After selling Higham (£1.2million) and Tomlinson (£2.1million), and finishing 21st in the Championship my bank balance was almost £6million!! I kept under my wage budget and made a profit every month - I thought the finances would be a major problem in the challenge but it appears its not too difficult. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Have you got your new budgets yet? It will be interesting to see if you are given enough wages to attract a decent class of player. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> I am just into the start of the new season and I have got a wage budget of £51k and a transfer budget of £2.5 million. Team Squad - http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/7566/meonfirstteamsquad20080su0.jpg Finances - http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/5280/meonfinances200809cl5.jpg Salary - http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/5383/meonwages200809ee6.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
varun↕§☺☻♫ Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 I guess finances shouldn't be a problem as we don't have any loans to pay off. I'll update later today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
varun↕§☺☻♫ Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 MV 0 - 0 Sheff Utd MV 3 - 1 West Brom MV 1 - 0 Leicester MV 3 - 0 Coventry MV 1 - 2 Wolves MV 3 - 0 Plymouth MV 1 - 2 Bristol city The bank balance has dropped to 2.35m. None of my strikers are doing well, so I'm trying to get Theo Walcott on loan. It's probably gonna be rejected but no harm in trying. I got Tom Heaton on loan from Man Utd. I'm 5th and have a game in hand on everyone else ahead of me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterspud Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Nothing? Has everyone given up already? I'm still playing, but getting very little time, so have nothing more to report since my last update, but it was nice popping in to see what everyone else is doing. Someone must have some news? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginger Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I could give a quick run through of my first full season, escaping relegation on the final day - I have been pretty busy at work and haven't played for a few days, can't wait for the weekend!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by betterspud: Nothing? Has everyone given up already? I'm still playing, but getting very little time, so have nothing more to report since my last update, but it was nice popping in to see what everyone else is doing. Someone must have some news? </div></BLOCKQUOTE> I've run the holiday game on to Christmas in the second season, but not had time to write the report yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudger Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Im still playing, just very slowly. I havent really had time to do a mere week of FM in the last few days. Hopefully over this next week or so I can get an end of season update out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
varun↕§☺☻♫ Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Me neither. I just don't get enough time to play. Have a long weekend - 3 days. Will post after that for sure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudger Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Meon Valley – Season 07/08 – The end of a rather… successful season? After some hardcore gaming today, the season is up, and in my opinion, we did just enough to make myself a happy man, and more importantly, the chairman. We had our fair shares of ups, but also downs. The main thing which caught us out was our terrible consistency. We would go on a three match winning streak, then go on a five game losing drought. It was hard for me to find a tactic which really suited our style, and when January hit, it didn’t help that our key man, Dan Higham decided to agree a contract with Aberdeen which meant I could have potentially lost out on millions. Nevertheless, I look on, still within the Championship ranks after finishing, wait for it… 17th. It all started with a brilliant start, it even took us too second place (though the cup run isn’t even worth mentioning it was that short) but then, within mere weeks, we started to lose. Morale was so low, that not even a Galaxy Caramel couldn’t cheer them up. There was only one way to raise it, bring in Gianfranco Zola as Assistant Manager. Well, try too. After several contract negotiations with ‘The God’, where bare in mind each broke down so early couldn’t even chew on that chocolate, I decided to leave Zola until the next season, which of course is now. Basically, he will be the first person I sign with my hopefully big wage budget. Zola = Legendo. Now onto how it went overall, to be honest, we didn’t do bad. Dropping into the relegation zone only once. We were more of a team which liked to make their manager worry because they were very, and I say very meaningfully, close to going in the drop zone. The thing which made me chuckle, was that until Dan Higham agreed his exit from Meon Valley that would be completed for zilch pounds, he was utterly useless. Once that deal had been agreed he scored a whopping 20 goals in half a blooming season! I brought in Frazer Campbell also, who to be honest, was out of this world. If I get any transfer fund next season, I will honestly invest it all in him. 19 goals in 28 games, add on the 8 assists, and you get a wonder kid. Well kind of. Next season, me and Gianfranco, if it all goes well, will be aiming on getting Meon up into the top ten, possibly even in a play off place! Wish us damn luck. Oh and also, if we do eventually get Zola as an assistant manager, ill post a screenshot. You want prove of all this~? Well here it is! MV: 07/08 Manager Profile MV: 07/08 Championship Table MV: 07/08 Squad Stats Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 ***Holiday Game – Season 2 Christmas Update*** Happy Christmas! Glad tidings I bring – Meon Valley are sitting at the top of League One at the halfway point. It’s pretty tight up there though. Only seven points separate the top six places and one loss could send the UFOs tumbling down to third. On the other hand, Valley are just seven points from equalling last year’s end of season points total and already have the same number of wins. 1st Meon Valley Pl(23), W(13), D(5), L(5), GF(33), GA(22), GD(11), Pts(44) 2nd Millwall Pl(23), W(12), D(6), L(5), GF(40), GA(25), GD(15), Pts(42) 3rd Doncaster Pl(23), W(13), D(2), L(8), GF(39), GA(24), GD(15), Pts(41) 4th Brighton Pl(23), W(11), D(7), L(5), GF(35), GA(27), GD(8), Pts(40) Quick player rundown John Cunliffe is without doubt the star player so far. He has the most goals, the most assist and the highest average rating. Mark Yeates started the season well, but is currently going through a bit of a dip in form. Chris Kelly is the only one of the ‘five pros’ still playing for Valley. With 8 clean sheets in 25 appearances, he is one of the top performers at the club. The back four of Ben Clark, Gordon Greer, Chris Burns and Simon King has performed reasonably well – not spectacularly as individuals, but having a competent, settled backline that works as a unit appears to have been beneficial to the team. Strength, work rate, strong tackling and particularly aerial ability seem to be the main strengths. Most players have a decisions attribute of 9, so while I would value this attribute at the higher levels, it is clearly not as important in League One. Calvin Zola has gone the entire season so far without getting sent off once. Player Records Top Goalscorer John Cunliffe (13), Calvin Zola(11), Liam Davis (5), Mark Yeates (3) Most Assists John Cunliffe, Mark Yeates (5), Marcus Bean (4), Chris Burns, Simon King (3) Highest Average Rating John Cunliffe (7.23), Calvin Zola (7.09), Chris Kelly (7.08), Mark Yeates (7.00), Simon King (6.95) Highest rated sign-up players Blan Page (7.00), Jonny Hennel (6.91), Craig Hopper (6.33), John Carthy (6.30), Chris Burns (6.27) Most apps for sign-up players Chris Burns (27), John Carthy (10), Jonny Hennel (6+5), Keith Spendiff, Craig Hopper, Blan Page (2) A bit about the sign-up youth squad Chris Burns is now firmly established in the first team. No one has made more appearances. However, with 2 goals and an assist in his 6 starts, Jonny Hennel is firmly established as the clubs number three striker and is looking a really good prospect for the future. The other strikers are having very different seasons. Daniel Williams has very little playing time under his belt. Last year’s U18 goal machine has been limited to just 9 appearances for youth and reserve teams, scoring 5 goals. Louis Jackson and Harley Rabbit have gone out on loan to Margate, where both are doing well with 6 goals and 7 assists respectively.Mark Baker is now getting much more playing time in the U18s in the absence of his team mates. He has 13 goals in 16 appearances. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldkohmew Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Blan page gogogo!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginger Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Playmaker - What's happened to the other pro's? Where have they gone to? Any big movers? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share Posted February 13, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ginger: Playmaker - What's happened to the other pro's? Where have they gone to? Any big movers? </div></BLOCKQUOTE> I will take a look later. There won't be much to report on Pete Jennings and Simon Johncock as they have both retired and FM doesn't really give an indication of how coaches are doing. So that only really leaved Will Tomlinson at Sheff Utd and Dan Higham at Aberdeen (which is not on a playable league). Anyway, I'll report back when I get a chance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Mack2007 Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 playmaker! Hows scott mackay doing??? and also Scott sherman??? im goin to be continuing my game tonite! will report tomorrow. IN the premiership!!!! LOL FIrst season promotion!!! LOVE IT!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
milanfan_apoorv Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">After getting in a couple of freebies, including malcolm christie and jody morris, Meon Vally pulled off a coo by signing Kieran Lee and Chris Eagles from Man Utd on a season loan. They had quite a good start to the season with the following friendly results.. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> you just beat the typo i mentioned here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share Posted February 13, 2008 I will give a full update on all the players at the end of the season, but here is a quick roundup on those players requested: Dan Higham has 15 goals in 27 appearances for Dan Higham. It seems that he is a big game player, His strike rate is 1 in 3 in the league (or 6 in 18), but 3 in 4 in the cup and 5 in 6 in Europe. He is already negotiating another contract, despite only being there for half a season. Then again, he is well on his way to being their player of the season with an average rating of 7.37. will Tomlinson is going well at Sheff Utd. So far he has made 28 appearances, getting 4 goals and 6 assists.He doesn;t have the best morale and it looks like this is contributing to some average form at the moment. However, an average rating of 6.96 is pretty decent. Simon Johncock is still at Sheff Utd as their assistant. His stats seem to stringer (from memory) and he has 'Manager' shown at about 75% on his Staff Roles. Sheff Utd are 11th. Pete Jennings is first team coach at Meon Valley. Not much to report other than for some strange reason I seem to have knowledge of Serbia. Scott Mackay is the regular centre back for the U18sand has an average rating of 6.17, the fifth best at this level. He has not added to his one senior apearance and is currently out for a month. Apart from his key attributes, he still looks some way short of getting in the first team, though he has 18 months on his contract. It is a similar story for Scott Sherman. Just replace the average rating with 6.00 and injury with suspension. Has anothe four years left on his contract which will take him to the age of 20. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share Posted February 13, 2008 Oops, I should have looked at the bold tags a bit closer! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudger Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Good news guys, Zola is now Meon Valley Assistant Manager, and along with him, we have old veteran Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank upfront supported by none other than bargain buy, using his 1.7M release clause... wait for it... LULINHA! Anyway, ill post some screenshots later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudger Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Looks like after terrible form is continuing, Jack Striker could very well be getting the sack sometime this month. Th team itself is on paper good, but togther terrible. Ill kee you informed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 ***Holiday Game – April Fools Day Season 2*** This is no joke – the wheels are coming off the wagon When we last caught up with Valley, the were going great. Promotion looked a formality and John Cunliffe was destroying defences left right and centre. If only life was that simple. As inevitably happens in football, the story always takes an additional twist or two. The new year started well, with wins against Walsall and Notts County. Three goals in two games for Calvin Zola cemented Meon Valley’s place at the top of the table. But then a wretched run of three draws, followed by three losses (including a 4-1 thumping at the hand sof mid-table Crewe) saw the UFOs drop to fifth place – a run during which neither Cunliffe, nor Zola found the net. This was followed by a recovery in form – four wins on the bounce, lifted Valley back up to second. Unfortunately, the goals have once again dried up, one in four games to be precise, resulting in two back to back losses and two draws. With six games left, Valley find themselves in fourth place, three points off the top, but well entrenched in the playoff positions. It’s mighty close up there with five teams in with a chance of automatic promotion. If Valley are to get one of those two spots, it is clear that Cunliffe is the key. His current form reads 7-6-6-6-6. If he is on form, Valley do well, but if he isn’t, then Valley don’t have people stepping up to the plate. Strangely, it is Zola who was dropped by manager Paul Fairclough. Has he become over-reliant on the increasingly fragile confidence of the 23 year old? Jonny Hennel has impressed when given a chance. Maybe he is worth a place in the team? Marcus Bean is also much less effective in the second half of the season and is not aided by Fairclough failing to find a decent partner for him in the centre of midfield. John Carthy has been sold to Scunthorpe (along with Keith Spendiff) and it appears his contribution to the side has been vastly underestimated – I’m not sure I have even mentioned him much myself. Neither Andre Boucaud or January signing Kevin Nicholls have performed at the same level. Chris Burns has been absent for the last two and a half months, but Jamie Lowry has perfomed equally well in his absence. Still, Burns started off as first choice, and his absence seems to have coincided with the bad run. Uh-oh. Remember how it went last time Chris Kelly looks likely to miss the next four games through injury. Last season that sparked a poor run of form that Valley never recovered from. League One Table Whatever happens, the playoffs look like being ‘The Battle of the South Coast’ with Valley, Bournemouth and Brighton all set for playoff places. 1st Leeds Pl(39), W(22), D(4), L(13), GF(66), GA(45), GD(21), Pts(70) 2nd Doncaster Pl(40), W(20), D(9), L(11), GF(60), GA(38), GD(22), Pts(69) 3rd Millwall Pl(40), W(19), D(11), L(10), GF(63), GA(49), GD(14), Pts(68) 4th Meon Valley Pl(40), W(19), D(10), L(11), GF(53), GA(39), GD(14), Pts(67) 5th Bournemouth Pl(39), W(18), D(12), L(9), GF(58), GA(47), GD(11), Pts(66) 6th Brighton Pl(40), W(17), D(12), L(11), GF(58), GA(50), GD(8), Pts(63) 7th Crystal Place Pl(40), W(15), D(14), L(11), GF(56), GA(45), GD(11), Pts(59) Player Records Top Goalscorer John Cunliffe, Calvin Zola (17), Liam Davis (8), Mark Yeates (7) Simon King (4) Most Assists Mark Yeates (7), Marcus Bean, John Cunliffe (6), Chris Burns, Calvin Zola (5), Simon King (3) Highest Average Rating John Cunliffe (7.16), Calvin Zola (7.05), Simon King (7.03), Chris Kelly (7.02), Mark Yeates (6.83) Highest rated sign-up players Blan Page, Sergio Harris (7.00 – only 2 appearances each), Jonny Hennel (6.73), Craig Hopper (6.33), Chris Burns (6.35), Craig hopper (6.25) Most apps for sign-up players Chris Burns (34), John Carthy (15 – now sold), Jonny Hennel (8+7), Robert Dawson (4+2), Craig Hopper, Blan Page, Sergio Harris (2) Please note – I will do a full update on all the players at the end of the season. It is only six games away, so please be patient! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 ***Holiday Game – Season 2 Run In*** H Tranmere (15th) H Yeovil (24th) A Bristol Rovers (16th) A Brighton (6th) H Port Vale (10th) H Bradford (18th) Not bad, but with Chris Kelly out, John Cunliffe out of form, no decent DM and poor morale it won’t be easy. Predictions? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudger Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by playmaker: ***Holiday Game – Season 2 Run In*** H Tranmere (15th) H Yeovil (24th) A Bristol Rovers (16th) A Brighton (6th) H Port Vale (10th) H Bradford (18th) Not bad, but with Chris Kelly out, John Cunliffe out of form, no decent DM and poor morale it won’t be easy. Predictions? </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Promotion via Play-offs... For my save, prediction would be sakced very soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudger Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 28th October 2008 - STRIKER SACKED Today the Meon Valley board announced that they had gone seperate ways from ex-manager Jack Striker. --------------- I will probably sytart the challenge again sometime today, it was in a way, my fault, as just so I could get a bigger transfer/wage budget I said we could win the league haha. Anyway, there were a lot of mistakes I made in this save, next one, ill try to not make the same ones again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 That was a bit daft! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 ***Holiday Game – Meon Valley v Tranmere*** Team Line-up 12 Craig Hopper 30 Jamie Lowry 4 Simon King 14 Gordon Greer 28 Ben Clark 17 Mark Yeates 29 Liam Davis 24 Kevin Nicholls 6 Marcus Bean 23 Calvin Zola 31 John Cunliffe Match Report Valley started nervously, losing possession from the kick off and presenting Tranmere with their first chance after 20 seconds. Despite that, the UFOs had the best early chance. Kevin Nicholls won the ball in the centre circle and spread the ball wide to Mark Yeates, who was in plenty of space. His cross left Zola with the goal at his mercy, but he fired wide, spurning a guilt edged opportunity. In the 19th minute, Mark Yeates sent Valley fans in to raptures, scoring from a free kick to put Valley 1-0 up. Valley began to control the game. When they broke, Tranmere worked Jamie Lowry hard on Valley’s right, before Yeates repeated his party piece again in the 31st minute, this time with the aid of a deflection past the helpless Gunnar Nielsen in the Tranmere goal. Valley continued to push as Kevin Nicholls fired narrowly over, after good work by Simon King on the left, but right on the stroke of half time Tranmere were handed a lifeline. Gordon Greer was penalised by referee Mike Riley for shirt pulling and Chris Greenacre scored past Craig Hopper from the penalty spot, deep into injury time. Two minutes into the second half, Greenacre found himself with a chance to make it 2-2, after being played in behind the Valley defence, but instead managed to blaze the ball over the crossbar. That miss proved to be crucial. A minute later Valley went 3-1 up, Zola rising above ex-Valley defender Sneaky Ninja, who had come on as a second half sub, to head the ball home. Minutes later John Cunliffe spurned a chance to put the game beyond doubt, as he broke free of the defence, but fired his shot straight into Nielsen’s chest. The chances continued to come at either end, before Cunliffe converted another Yeates cross from eight yards. Five minutes from the end, man of the match Yeates was forced off with an injury. With Doncaster, Millwall and Leeds all picking up wins, the final whistle confirmed the 4-1 victory, but at what cost? Craig Hopper (7), Jamie Lowry (7), Simon King (7), Gordon Greer (5), Ben Clark (8), Mark Yeates (9), Liam Davis (8), Kevin Nicholls (8), Marcus Bean (8), Calvin Zola (8), John Cunliffe (8) Leeds midweek game in hand puts them 4 point clear at the top. With Bournemouth losing it now looks like a straight fight between Doncaster, Millwall and Valley for second place, with just two points separating them. Bournemouth trail Valley by four points, as do Brighton. Palace have effectively ended their play-off hope after a loss. They are now seven points off the playoffs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudger Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Playmaker, After just having ythe new patch released with database etc, I think it'd be a good idea to have this made with the 8.0.2 patch so that when I start my new game, I can play it with the new database etc. Do you agree? I could do it for you, as ill just jott down the info from the database you provided a link to (the one with currently play with) and add all the information to a new database using 8.0.2 as the base. Shall I? Or will yopu be doing it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 I'm not sure that I have the time to do it myself - I've still got a fair bit to do for the next issue of The Bootroom and of course, running the holiday game and reporting on it takes a big chunk of time too. I don't have any problems if you want to do it. One thing that you will need to do is check what the wage and transfer budgets are like. What is entered into the original database is not quite what is in the save game. FM obviously does some calculations to rationalise the numbers (as it does with the player attributes). The figures you need to end up with when you start a new game are approx £50k for transfers and £8k spare for wages. Of course, the free tansfer list will probably be much shorter, which will make the task even harder! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
varun↕§☺☻♫ Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 December Update The season is going well and promotion looks likely even though it is only the halfway point of the season. The results are as follow: MV 2 - 0 Stoke MV 2 - 1 Cardiff MV 2 - 3 Burnley MV 2 - 1 Scunthorpe MV 1 - 0 Watford MV 0 - 3 Charlton MV 4 - 0 Colchester MV 1 - 1 Crystal Palace MV 3 - 0 QPR MV 2 - 1 Barnsley MV 2 - 0 Hull Records Dan Higham - 12 goals (20 games) Malcolm Christie - 8 goals (23 games) Pete Jennings - 7 goals (23 games) Will Tomlinson and Chris Eagles - 4 goals Will Tomlinson - 8 assists Pete Jennings - 7 assists Championship League Table 1st Wolves - 50 pts 2nd Meon Valley - 47 pts 3rd Sheff Utd - 44 pts So, as i said, the season is going really well. No injuries to any key players except Simon Johncock, so I got Jack Hobbs on loan from Liverpool. My defenders have scored 5 goals for me with Jonathan Evans really good in the air from corners. I got an offer from Birmingham for Higham. It was 1m. I rejected it even though isn't agreeing a new contract. The bank balance is now 2.45m and increasing. I'm making a profit every month now. So there's my update. It's 9 December and I'll update during the transfer window. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 14, 2008 Author Share Posted February 14, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by varun↕§☺☻♫: Pete Jennings - 7 goals (23 games) Pete Jennings - 7 assists </div></BLOCKQUOTE> I'm well chuffed with that record. I just hope that my old legs can hold out for the rest of the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 ***Holiday Game – Meon Valley v Yeovil*** Team Line-up The good news is that Mark Yeates injury was not serious and he is fit to face Yeovil. Chris Burns returns to the side after an injury lay off in an otherwise unchanged side, despite doubts over his match fitness. 12 Craig Hopper 2 Chris Burns 4 Simon King 14 Gordon Greer 28 Ben Clark 17 Mark Yeates 29 Liam Davis 24 Kevin Nicholls 6 Marcus Bean 23 Calvin Zola 31 John Cunliffe Match Report Valley again started slow, with Yeovil winning three corners in the first three minutes. The third came after Marvin Williams broke clear of the defence, but failed to beat Craig Hopper. Valley’s first real chance fell to John Cunliffe after Zola had cut a throw-in back into his path. Cunliffe forced a good save from Steve Mildenhall. Yeovil looked much the better side and got their just rewards in the 21st minute after an incisive break. Martin Devaney found Williams in space on the right with a superb cross field ball. Williams bore down on the UFOs goal and smashed the ball home to make it 1-0 to the visitors. Valley came close to scoring directly from the restart. Liam Davis played the ball through to Cunliffe, but his shot was parried and the Yeovil defence scrambled the bal to safety. Bottom placed Yeovil continued to probe and long ball looped over the statuesque Gordon Greer to find the rampant Williams in space again. His first shot was blocked, but Hopper could only direct it back into Williams path, who made the most of an easy opportunity to put Yeovil 2-0 up and score his 20th goal of the season. Valley found their way back into the game only minutes later. Terrell Forbes failed to clear a Simon King free kick and Calvin Zola pounced on the ball to score via a deflection. The game fell into a lull for the remainder of the first half, with Yeovil perhaps happy to sit on their lead. Valley went into the break 2-1 down. Gordon Greer tried to make amends in the 52nd minute. His 25 yard pile driver was turned over the crossbar, but wouldn’t have counted anyway as Zola had already been ruled offside. From the goal kick Williams found himself one on one with Greer and left the Valley defender for dead before Hopper spared his team mates blushes, making a good save down low. The home side looked distinctly out of sort but still managed to fashion a chance for Zola to grab a second goal. His 67th minute shot was tipped over. The exhausted Chris Burns wasted the corner and was substituted minutes later. Boucaud replaced Nicholls in the midfield and his long distance shot was parried, before being scrambled away. With Valley finally getting a grip on the game, Cunliffe’s header hit the outside of the post – the closest the UFOs had come to an equaliser. That was to be his last real contribution to the game, as manager Paul Fairclough sent Jonny Hennel on in his place. This proved to be an inspired substitution. Liam Davis cross had missed everyone, but Jamie Lowry’s cross was headed into Hennel’s path and he buried it to bring Valley level with nine minutes of normal time to go. Ben Clark had earlier found a way to keep Williams quiet, forcing the striker to go off and get treatment after a strong challenge, but Williams nearly restored Yeovil’s lead in the 87th minute. Hopper again did well to prevent the shot going in. A minute later Hennel went close to putting Valley in front for the first time. His shot fizzed past the post after Zola flicked on Hopper’s long ball. Valley came close again, this time from a Yeates shot, after Liam Davis had broken down the left and delivered his cross. The resulting corner fell to Devaney who ran the length of the pitch to win a corner after taking the ball into the corner. Yeovil were clearly happy to hang on to a point. Valley regained possession, but more sloppy defending from Greer presented Williams with another chance. This time his shot hit the side netting. The fourth official signalled a minimum of four minutes stoppage time. A draw look the likely result, but as the 4th minute of injury time was complete, the Valley defence switched off and Devaney found himself in the clear. This time Hopper could not stop the shot and Yeovil were given a vital 3-2 win and a relegation lifeline, while Valley’s fans were left stunned. Craig Hopper (6), Chris Burns (6), Simon King (5), Gordon Greer (4), Ben Clark (6), Mark Yeates (6), Liam Davis (7), Kevin Nicholls (6), Marcus Bean (6), Calvin Zola (6), John Cunliffe (6), Jonny Hennel (7), Andre Bocaud, (6), Jamie Lowry (6) Leeds lost, but still top the table. Doncaster and Millwall both won though and Valley are now five points off of an automatic promotion spot. They remain fourth despite Brighton picking up a win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopper99 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Good to see Craig Hopper holding down a first team spot. Hopefully the UFO's will make it via the playoffs, unless they get a miracle in the last two games Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudger Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Ill work on it now and post it up when im finished. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Fudger: Ill work on it now and post it up when im finished. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Thanks. Don't forget to check the Defoe issue. Can't have Pompey going bankrupt! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
playmaker Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Last update before the weekend... ***Holiday Game – Bristol Rovers v Meon Valley*** Team Line-up Chris Kelly makes a welcome return to the side, coming back from injury earlier than expected. The side is otherwise unchanged. 1 Chris Kelly 2 Chris Burns 4 Simon King 14 Gordon Greer 28 Ben Clark 17 Mark Yeates 29 Liam Davis 24 Kevin Nicholls 6 Marcus Bean 23 Calvin Zola 31 John Cunliffe Match Report For once Valley made the early running. A John Cunliffe header was turned over the crossbar for a corner. Valley had three attempts at getting the ball past the first man, before Liam Davis put the third corner behind for a goal kick. Valley continued to put Rovers under pressure as Kevin Nicholls fired his 8th minute long range shot wide, the a minute later Cunliffe’s smart shot was turned over for another corner. Yeates delivered the ball into a crowded area and half the ground thought Valley had scored as the headed clearance landed on the top of the net. The UFOs continued to pile on the pressure and were well in control before Rovers counter attacked. David Pipe broke clear on Rovers’ right. His cross was met by Rickie Lambert whose shot hit the post. Jason Jarrett’s follow up was brilliantly blocked by Ben Clark and Valley cleared their lines. Valley continued to bombard the Rovers goal, but could not find a way through until the 40th minute. Referee Jarnail Singh had adjudged Rovers defender Steve Elliott to have unfairly challenge Cunliffe as he tried to get on the end of a Mark Yeates cross and Kevin Nicholls converted the penalty – his first goal for the club. However, Valley’s joy was short lived and they couldn’t hold on until half time. Richard Walker finished easily after Rickie Lambert set him up with a clever pass right through the middle of Valley’s defence. Three defenders surrounded Walker, but could not get close enough to prevent the equaliser. The Valley players went in at half time wondering how they were not comfortably in front. Early in the second half Lambert missed an opportunity to add to Valley’s misery, firing his shot straight at Chris Kelly after Pipe’s cross had found him unmarked. As the game became more open, Zola put his shot over the bar under pressure from the Rovers defence. The home side surged forward again, but first Greer made a good recovery tackle, then Chris Kelly pounced on a low cross to avert the danger. Rovers were beginning to control the match. Substitute Lewis Haldane turned Ben Clark and Kelly was relieved to see the shot go over the bar. Manager Paul Fairclough threw on ‘super-sub’ Jonny Hennel with ten minutes to go, hoping to snatch the winning goal. With two minutes of normal time left he latched on to a clearing header and had just Steve Phillips to beat. He looked to have done the hard work, side-stepping the Rovers keeper, but then hooked his shot wide with the goal at his mercy. The game was set up for an exciting finish. Hennels shot was saved after Cunliffe played him into a good position. At the other end and Kelly was forced into a close range reflex save. Deep into stoppage time Valley finally earned the win they deserved. Smart play between Hennel and Marcus Bean gave Cunliffe the opportunity to wrap up the points. His shot was parried only as far as Yeates, who reached the ball first to put it into an empty net. Rovers tried in vain to equalise straight from the kick-off, but Valley cleared the ball and the final whistle went on a well earned 2-1 victory. Chris Kelly (7), Chris Burns (7), Simon King (7), Gordon Greer (7), Ben Clark (7), Mark Yeates (7), Liam Davis (7), Kevin Nicholls (8), Marcus Bean (7), Calvin Zola (6), John Cunliffe (7), Jonny Hennel (7) Leeds returned to form, but with Doncaster losing and Millwall only getting a draw, second, third and fourth place are once again separated by just two points. The win means that with three games left Valley are virtually assured of a playoff place. Leyton Orient are 9 points behind, with an inferior goal difference to the tune of 22 goals, so while it is not a mathematical certainty it would take something pretty catastrophic for Valley to finish seventh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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