[FM11] Back to the 1920's !

[brFM2011]

Back to the 1920's !

The game version is Football Manager 2011. (slightly outdated now I suppose? )

The database size is small as this save was started on the FM11 Demo version.

The leagues selected are:

England, Blue Square Bet N/S and above.

This game save is based at one club only, Huddersfield Town.

The aim is to take Town back to the top flight and eventually win the division. The title name is understandable when you look at Town's list of Honours..

First Division

Champions: 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26

Runners-up: 1926–27, 1927–28, 1933–34

Third-place: 1922–23, 1935–36, 1953–54

FA Cup

Winners: 1922

Runners-up: 1920, 1928, 1930, 1938

Semi-finalists: 1929, 1939

FA Charity Shield

Winners: 1922

Never played: 1924 (Newcastle United), 1925 (Sheffield United), 1926 (Bolton Wanderers).

You can take a look at Huddersfield Town's history and more by checking out their wiki page.

Please Note:

I started this save around Christmas time in 2010. I left the save midway through January during the second season and have just returned to it. It is now November 2012. Updates contain little info up until January of the second season.

Post #25 is the first update since I returned to this save.

If you have any questions about this save or want info regarding a player/team, feel free to ask.

I hope you enjoy reading about this save as much as I will enjoy playing it.

[E.Gray]

Good luck !!!

Will be reading, good old Herbert Chapman !

[brFM2011]

Good luck !!!

Will be reading, good old Herbert Chapman !

Cheers man and yes, he made us and then made Arsenal .

[deadfncat]

Haha when I first saw the title I thought you had made an edit so you were using teams from the 20s and different leagues etc.

[brFM2011]

Haha when I first saw the title I thought you had made an edit so you were using teams from the 20s and different leagues etc.

hha sorry , I tried that on football manager 2009 but it always seemed to fail when i loaded it, besides there were only 12 teams I believe back then.

[brFM2011]

erm, reserved? will be edited.

[brFM2011]

so why did you go from Huddersfield to Bog Road?

Hardly gonna get the England job that way...

When I posted on how they did that was from my own interest I started off unemployed & ended up in northern ireland.

I'l edit so it doesn't look like I made a drop.

[brFM2011]

Half way through my first season in charge of Huddersfield Town, the table looks like this.

Some sort of review by myself, can ignore this.

Season: Christmas, 2010-2011, NPower League 1.

Bold = progress (not bold) = expectations, or similar. (exceptions with the best signings/game)

Position: 2nd. Would of taken this in the summer.

FA Cup: 3rd Round, at home to Mansfield Town. To get as far as possible.

League Cup: Ko in the 2nd Round to Swansea City. The FA Cup is where the money comes in, and JPT is the one to win so wasn't that fussed.

JPT Trohpy: Ko in the 1st Round to Carlisle Utd. Northern Final, possibly to win.

Best signing- Jay DeMerit for me, has been quality and has attracted interest from Dortmund & Bolton.

Best game- Without a doubt has to be this cracking result vs big giants Southampton, would of probably accepted a draw.

[m1234566778]

As a Town fan and season ticket holder, I'll follow this.

Who to be a terrier, Who to be a...

And, Those were the days my friend…

[brFM2011]

As a Town fan and season ticket holder, I'll follow this.

Who to be a terrier, Who to be a...

And, Those were the days my friend…

haha those were, I'm only 5-6 games further in since my last update, currently with a mate(leeds fan) making a cheated leeds season for a laugh, will be back to showing the league table and stuff at the end of the season.

Btw, do you want Clark out or one of the few who have faith? j/w

[m1234566778]

Tbh, I want him out and replaced by Jacko and Boothy.

[brFM2011]

Tbh, I want him out and replaced by Jacko and Boothy.

ha boothy I wouldn't mind quite a fan of Clark myself tho.

Still with my mate, may aswell move in! Will be back on the Town career probs on new years day & gonna try get 2-3 seasons done before the 5th .

[brFM2011]

I've finally finished my first season with Town & gained promotion after a heavy 3-0 loss to carlisle, so there wasn't many cheers .

Had so many chances to stay above Peterborough in 1st place but poor form towards the end of the season meant we had to settle for second best, Posh also did the double, winning the JPT Trophy vs Plymouth earlier on.

Town were the only side in the top six tiers of english football to go the season unbeaten at home.

The League table is here.

Season: End of season, 2010-2011, NPower League 1.

Bold = progress (not bold) = expectations, or similar. (exceptions with the best signings/game)

Position: 2nd(promoted, runners up). Would of taken this in the summer.

FA Cup: Ko in the 4th Round to Wigan Athletic. To get as far as possible.

League Cup: Ko in the 2nd Round to Swansea City. The FA Cup is where the money comes in, and JPT is the one to win so wasn't that fussed.

JPT Trohpy: Ko in the 1st Round to Carlisle Utd. Northern Final, possibly to win.

Had a cracking result against Posh at home, one game I thought I may actually lose but ran out 4-0 winners.

Having somehow slipped slowly into debt, other teams around me tried to snipe players in Jan for not even half of there value, however at the end of the season my chairman invested £4million into the club so we sit on a healthy balance ready for the championship. Next update will probs be start of the season showing transfers, pre-season games etc(maybe). Then Christmas update and at the end of the 2011-2012 season.

[m1234566778]

Great season. Bring on the Championship!

[E.Gray]

Very nice first season in football management, good luck for next season !

[brFM2011]

Great season. Bring on the Championship!

! Should be goood

Very nice first season in football management, good luck for next season !

Cheers, shame its at a much slower pace than most

ALOT of schoolwork to do, so my second season is probs gonna take a few weeks being honest =/.

[brFM2011]

Well, after a month out of this save i've had my fun.. now back to business.

Back on this save more then others & i'd rather post just about my Huddersfield Town then any others to be honest.

Will try to update maybe every ingame month or 2.. gonna write "key" things down so I have it in my mind instead of scratching my head for 20mins when deciding what to write on here.

I've looked at some other threads lately and those that I first saw when I signed up have made huge progress!

[brFM2011]

Season 2011-2012, manager of Huddersfield Town. Npower Championship.

Transfers, ins & outs.

other transfer outs that can't be seen were the following: Ian Bennett, Christ Atkinson, Aiden Chippendale, Leigh Franks & Toni Silva(loan). (other's mentioned are released on free's)

August, 2011

League: Hull 2-3 Town

First league game in the championship, was 1-0 down inside 10 minutes and just had a feeling that Hull would punish us. Gudjonsson scored with 10mins to the break and then 2 mins into stoppage time, debutant nathan dyer scored to put us ahead. 5minutes into the 2nd half dyer grabbed his second to put us 3-1 up, Hull later made it 3-2.

Carling cup 1st Rnd: Town 1-0 Tranmere.

Phillips scored his first, from a penalty which tranmere seemed quite fuming about. Won only 1-0 and rhodes had a shocker :|, the whole team played quite poor in the 1st half.. I changed from a 4-3-1-2 to my usual 4-4-2 and things turned around in the 2nd half.

League: Town 2-3 Forest.

A game we were predicted to win, not sure how though. Ended up being 1 nil down by a wonder strike, Rhodes levelled on 22mins but it wasn't long before Joe Garner came back to haunt Town.. scoring a 20 yard curling shot from the edge of the box, 2-1. They went 3-1 up almost instantly after h/t and then missed a penalty, which with us scoring late on it sure gave them a nervy end to the game.

Transfer Update: After negotiating for a while, Jonathon Greening rejected a contract at the club, he seemed adamant he wouldn't accept any less then 26 grand which was double the most I could offer. Also young goalkeeper Szczesny has joined on a 3 week trial following his release from Arsenal.

League: Doncaster 1-0 Town.

Played great, outclassed them but a few individuals let the team down in the end, turned off 10 mins from time and conceded a late winner. Last season most games we would have about 20-30% shots be on target, this game was more towards 80% and yet we failed to find the net. Disappointing result.

Carling cup 2nd Rnd: Sheff Utd 1-2 Town.

2 goals in 2 minutes from 2 defenders, love it. Both set pieces, both free headers . Actually a brilliant performance but in the second half one or two shut down just like at Doncaster and was punished with a late goal conceded, apart from that no real complains.

League: Town 2-0 Bristol City.

A good 3 points at home & back to back wins over tough opposition gives us confidence . City should have been 1, 2 maybe 3 in front at half time but failed to hit the target, though they passed the ball so swiftly. Cruz scored a good goal after David James had kept City in it during the second half, Phillips was then brought on for Cruz who had taken a knock and made it 2.

League: Reading 0-3 Town.

Reading, bottom of the championship, played with no confidence in this game, despite 19 efforts on goal they failed to make it count. DeMerit was fantastic today, scored once and had a header hit a defender on its way in. Brilliant result as I wanted to win because of Reading's position.

The table currently looks like this. The bottom few teams can't be seen,which is annoying, it's the same when I use my TV which is much bigger then my moniter. I'l post their league stats if asked to do so.

[brFM2011]

DEADLINE DAY.

After no luck in finding a central midfielder to add competition, I had only few options available on deadline day. Loans from players such as Lansbury & Randall were gladly accepted but the players rejected Huddersfield. I tried to sign Darren Pratley from now League 1 side Swansea City, but without the funds to sign him I resorted to a loan bid which was rejected how much I offered up front. Stoke City were quite generous in loaning out of favour midfielder, Michael Tonge for the season with a view to a permanent move. Gavin Rae remains on trial, Szczesny's trial to end soon.

September, 2011

League: Town 1-0 Posh.

Could prove vital come the end of the season, we had a goal disallowed for offside so i'm glad we managed to hold onto the 1-0.

League: Derby 2-2 Town.

Almost a repeat of the Forest game, we scored to make it 2-2 and then the lads decided it was time to play football, pushing for a winner which wouldn't have been deserved but gladly taken.

Transfer Update: Gavin Rae signed on a free transfer due to recent injuries to Scott Arfield, Antony Kay & new boy Michael Tonge in the middle of the park.

League: Town 2-0 Barnsley.

Another local derby, that already equals last years tally of 2! . Dominated possesion and passed the ball around really well, couldn't manage to score a goal though and although quite a few injuries to

the first team squad, youngster James Spencer came on and scored to relieve the late pressure from Barnsley. Even thought the ball did just "hit" him and roll in, it still counts .

Carling Cup 3rd Rnd: Town 1-0 Portsmouth.

What can I say, confidence is sky high, even after the derby result the lads are always fired up during the games which is very pleasing to say we are early in the season. Carey put us ahead on the 16th minute and after that we didn't make the most of our chances but they were much better efforts then Pompeys, looking forward to the draw. 1 or 2 players were rested for this fixture too.

League: Preston 1-1 Town.

Strugglers Preston did really well to battle for a hard earned point againt my side, one playing with unbelievable confidence. Perhaps complacency was an issue here, not so sure.. the players were all confident of a result but we just couldn't hit the target for toffee, it was like being in League 1 all over again.

League: Town 2-1 Ipswich.

Ipswich, predicted to finish in 9th place by the media.. were suprisingly the under dogs in this game. They went 1 up 2minutes in to the game and looked to extend their lead but some brilliant defending & goalkeeping saw off their best efforts. We turned the game around superbly by going for it, rather then sitting back with a counter attack threat, we pushed up and turned the tables. Afterwards my assistant has informed me that my team becomes "overawed" by teams with a higher reputation to ourselves, this result however and our Carling Cup run seems to prove him wrong.

That concludes September, a rather interesting month to be fair, Kay and Tonge are both fit again after their injuries so hopefully with the extra competition/options in midfield, October will be even better.

Click here for the table.

[brFM2011]

October, 2011

League: Leicester 2-0 Town.

2 or 3 poor individual performances let down a great effort from the rest, we we're on top throughout the first half but came in 1 down. In the second half Leicester got back into it but we we're never out of the game utill they scored the second goal, we were favourites to win due to form but I would of gladly taken a point.

Transfer Update: Jason Roberts has joined on a 3 month loan from Town's parent club Blackburn Rovers. The deal was made after Cruz recieved a neck injury which will keep him out, albeit just for 2 weeks.

League: Town 1-2 Palace.

Almost as identical as the game at Leicester. We didn't play bad, and Palace didn't really play good but they scored a 30 yarder early on which changed the way of the game. Later, as we pushed on for an equaliser Palace scored quite another special goal, several good passes lead to a corner which after a scrap in the box, fell to van den Bergh who beat 3 players before curling one in off the far post.

League: Middlesborough 1-0 Town.

It's becoming a bad habbit now, the game was even and Boro' did miss a penalty but a loss is harsh on my lads, confidence was still good though despite 2 losses before hand. If October is to be a good month then things are gonna have to turn around.

League: Town 1-1 Burnley.

A good point against 3rd in the table Burnley, they equalised with just under 10mins left so the fans were dissapointed with the result. However, it has stopped the run of losses.

Carling Cup 4th Rnd: Everton 3-0 Town.

When after only 3 minutes in your "so far player of the year" gets sent off, it always would be a struggle. DeMerit took an early bath while the rest of the lads crumbled, no problems with confidence, but Everton were just too dominant for us. The fans were devastated with the result, I understand because of the little amount of chances we created but we have done well to even make it this far. Next on our fixture list, the team that has won their last 11 matches in a row, Wigan Athletic.

League: Town 0-3 Wigan.

Well, i'm sure I said I hope October will be even better.. maybe I was abit too eager. They truely dominated us, 12 wins in a row now for Wigan, the in-form team.

Here is the current league table. A poor month see's up slip down the table, but we are still above expectations.

Here is the current league form. Recent form, they say a picture can speak a thousand words? Here's a few.. shocking, abysmal, poor..

[Lynchy789]

You sir. Are a posh mammoth.

[brFM2011]

You sir. Are a posh mammoth.

*sips tea* quite right sir.

jk u tank

[brFM2011]

November, 2011

League: Town 0-1 QPR.

We passed the ball well & managed to create a lot of chances, getting the majority on target. Despite the great stats we lost the game 1-0, though the performance can be something we can use in our next game.

League: Leeds 0-2 Town.

After a run of poor results we managed to finally grab a vital 3 points over local rivals Leeds United. Before the game Simon Grayson mentioned Antony Kay as our biggest threat. He was right as he came on from the bench & smashed in a 20 yarder in the last minute to make it 2 after Rhodes had put us 1 up early on.

League: Southampton 2-3 Town.

Another vital 3 points to be honest, though we probably didn't deserve them. The Saints were all over us untill they went to 10 men, which is when we managed to come into the game.

League: Town 3-2 West Brom.

We went 2 down in the first half & we had almost every positive to take except the scoreline :/. We turned it around magnificently & at 2-2 in the last minute, Novak squared the ball to Rhodes who had in front of him an open net, although from 20 yards out he decided to attempt some fancy lob, luckily it just crept under the bar. Great 3 points.

Click here for the current league table. A better month has seen us keep in touch with those above us, however Wigan are looking mighty favourites for the title now. Only a month untill the January transfer which with the current league position, might have to be used to help us go for a back to back promotion. Being honest i'l settle for a good few years in this league, but if its possible then why not. The one concern is wether I would still be the gaffer if relegated from the Premier league. =/

[brFM2011]

December, 2011

League: Blackpool 2-1 Town.

Played a lot worse then what the scoreline suggests, got outclassed everywhere but a few players had the determination to help get the side back in the game towards the end.

League: Town 2-1 Norwich.

A good result, after City had most of the ball early on I just asked the lads to retain possesion and slow things down, it worked a treat as it tired out their big guns while our midfield battled for the victory.

League: Coventry 1- 3 Town.

After being 1 down we responded well, 2minutes later Carey smashed in a rebound, DeMerit added to his brilliant tally while Gavin Rae got his first as a Terrier.

League: Town 1-1 Hull.

We never really got going so i'm glad with a point. Our fans expectation levels are ridiculous, I seriously think they will be disappointed if we fail to make the play-offs.

League: Forest 1-0 Town.

Forest weren't exactly amazing, we just let their decent performance take all 3 points. I did rest 3-4 players as we played Hull 2 days prior but was still dissapointed with the performance.

The last 2 months have definately been better than October, the board also asked me about a new expectation which I took up on their offer & told them I could achieve a mid-table finish. We now have a much better budget & only being 7 points from the play-offs, I may invest in 1 or 2 new signings.

The League table.

[brFM2011]

So it has been an extremely long time since I have been on this save. I thought now was the right moment to get stuck back into it until I have FM13. I feel as if there is unfinished business here too.

Halfway through January was where I left this save.

Back into the action then, this is how the games went in Jan.

I'll mention the last 2 games in January. After so long out of this save and a poor run prior to the Norwich game I thought I'd try my luck switching to a more direct style of play with an idea of getting my wide players involved in the game. It has so far proved to be a success. Against Posh we came back 3 times in the game to claim a good point. They were 14th in the league before the game, so just like us they were enjoying the Championship after promotion.

January Transfer Window

In

Mark Beevers (CB), £2m from Sheffield Wednesday.

Andrew Keogh (ST), loan from Wolves with an option to buy. (scored twice from the bench in his debut against Posh)

Martin Lundberg (DM, CM), £725k from AIK.

Out

Several youth players left on loan.

Summary

Generally a decent window, a fair bit of cash has been spent but I'm hopeful the signings will prove to be worth every penny as we push for a place in the play-offs. Beevers, at 22 brings a bit more youth to our CB area. Keogh is a proven scorer at this level, scoring 19 times in 33 for Cardiff last season. Lundberg was a great find from our scouting team. He is already rated very highly and at 20, he should have a good few years here in West Yorkshire.

42 goals scored doesn't look too bad in the league but we could do with a striker actually scoring more regularly (Hence the Keogh loan). It looks as if we need to improve defensively. With Beevers now in the team and DeMerit to come back from injury, things can only get better.

The next update will be at the end of the season.

[deltablue]

Very good season so far in the Championship.

[brFM2011]

Here are the results from the start of February till the end of the season.

After the Preston game I set a target of 75 points if we were to make the top 6. Of course, 75 points doesn't guarantee anything but it will certainly run you close. 75 points meant we would have to perform at 2 points a game, the lovely mark of a championship winning team. In the end, we gained 30 points from the last 14 games, slightly exceeding my own target.

Here is how the table looked, if you want the full table click here.

A summary of the season will follow.

[brFM2011]

2011-12 End of Season Review

League Table

League Graph

Squad

Overall I have no complaints on how the season went. The team progressed really well and we gave it an unbelievable effort after January to try and push for the play-offs. A lot of players started off slowly but they looked more then comfortable in the Championship in the second half of the season, to pick just one player of the year would be a very tough task, good luck to the fans.

We exceeded expectations in the league and both cup competitions.

League Cup, FA Cup

Town's Stats/Facts

• Town lost to Doncaster twice, winning one of those games would have seen Town finish 6th instead of the South Yorkshire club.
  
• Town took points from only 3 of the top 6 clubs. (1 from Burnley, 1 from Wigan, 6 from West Brom)
  
• 27 of Town's 76 goals scored came from set pieces. (incl pen)
  
• Only one of Town's players made 40+ league appearances. (Alex Smithies)
  
• Graham Carey was involved in 20 of Town's 22 victories, more then any other player.
  

Top scorer- Jay DeMerit, 13. Jordan Rhodes, 10.

Highest Assists- Graham Carey, 21.

Average Attendance - 19,411

Finances- The loss and dip into the red zone doesn't worry me at all. Gate receipts are currently not enough to cover our player wages, although the wages are very low at the moment.

[brFM2011]

npower Championship 2012-13 Preseason

Start of season expectations: Achieve Promotion

Transfer Budget: £8m

Wage Budget: £170,000 p/w (currently spending 147,755 p/w)

Sky Bet promotion odds: 40-1

Media Prediction: 12th

Season ticket holders: 10,857 (10,491 last season)

Summer Transfer Window

In

Lee Naylor (D/WB L), free transfer from Cardiff.

Conor Clifford (MC, DM), free transfer. Released by Chelsea.

Paul Scharner (DC, DM, MC), free transfer. Released by Everton.

Jay Rodriguez (ST), £90k from Burnley.

Albert (ST), free transfer. Released by Barcelona.

Andrew Keogh (ST), £850k from Wolves.

Michael Kightly (MR, AMR), free transfer. Released by Wolves.

Matt Duke (GK), free transfer. Released by Hull.

Adam Matthews (DR, DL, MR), 130k upfront for a season-long loan from Cardiff.

Out

Anthony Pilkington, £300k to Sheff Wed.

Omar Koroma, £170k to Sheff Wed.

Peter Clarke, released.

Adriano Basso, released/retired. (now Tonbridge manager)

Jennison Myrie-Williams, free transfer to Wigan.

Gary Roberts, free transfer to Doncaster.

Jamie McCombe, season-long loan to Ipswich.

Anthony Kay, £70k to Brighton.

Jordan Rhodes, season-long loan to Newcastle.

Many youngsters on loan or released.

Summary

The outs were all either dead wood or youngsters going out on loan, with the exception of Jordan Rhodes. I felt as if he wouldn't get much game time and Newcastle were interested. I have the option to recall him and Jamie McCombe.

We brought in a lot of frees despite the £8m budget. The squad looks great but I will need to have a loan option on stand-by if a wide player gets seriously injured. I highlighted Keogh as 1 of 2 strikers I wanted to bring in. When I saw Alberto & Jay Rod available for the cost they were I had to sign them. Hopefully it won't be a case of fixing something that isn't broken.

Here is how our preseason friendlies went.

Our first game is at home to recently relegated Cardiff. Keogh and Beevers picked up injuries in preseason which will keep them out of the first few games, while Alex Smithies has been called up to the u23's squad for the Olympic Games. Joe Hart fractured his wrist in the first match and Smithies played great after coming on. At least he will be playing and won't be wasted when he could be playing for us! Time for Matt Duke to prove his worth.

The next update will be at the end of December.

[brFM2011]

Mid-season update

Here we are again, just past the halfway point of the season.

After a bright start things started to slow down by speeding up.. somehow. The amount of goals we have both scored and conceded is quite ridiculous. While the games have no doubt become more entertaining for the spectators, the results have been far from what we wanted.

We started quite well but haven't hit the same consistency since, until December when we consistently lost for 4 games.

We have the same amount of points this season as we had last season.

It's clear we just have to stop conceding goals to rise up the table. It says a lot that we're in 8th place after some of the results we've had, had we defended better throughout we could be sat nicely at the top.

The squad

[brFM2011]

January Transfer Window

In

Nacer Barazite (AMC, M/AM), loan from Blackburn.

Jonathan Grounds (DL, DC), loan from Wolves.

Wes Morgan (DC), 1.1m from Notts Forest.

Out

James Spencer, free transfer to Grimsby.

Graham Carey, 250k to West Ham. (activated release clause)

Martin Lundberg, 3m to Lazio.

Martin Angha, 500k to Newcastle.

Mark Beevers, loaned to Rangers.

End of season update

Promotion aside, I want to mention the defensive record we can boast in the last 19 games of the league campaign. Just 8 goals conceded in that time played a big part in an unbeaten run which saw us eventually climb into a competitive top 6. We dropped out of the top 6 on the 13th of November and it took until the 1st of April to return, thankfully when we did we made it count.

The table, full table here.

[brFM2011]

Play-Off review

Play-Off Semi Final Leg 1

We deserved to lose after the way we started the game, the lads thought they just had to turn up. This game brought our side back down to earth and certainly made me think long and hard before the 2nd leg.

Play-Off Semi Final Leg 2

I stuck to the same players who started in the 1st leg, hoping they'd prove that game was just a terrible day at the office. We took long enough to grab the 2nd goal in the game to take it to E.T. After Leicester grabbed a vital goal I thought we wouldn't get the luck we needed and deserved but an own goal proved me wrong. The game went to penalties and young Adam Matthews had a chance to send us to Wembley, but he hit the post. That took the shoot-out to sudden death and Leicester had the first penalty, thankfully Alex Smithies came to our rescue with a save to give us the advantage. Lee Naylor stepped up and he made the headlines with the winning kick.

Play-Off Final

We did our trick of old in gifting Forest a terrible goal, luckily for us Arfield equalised before half-time. We looked like the team who would go on to win in the 90 minutes but we couldn't find the net and had to go through extra-time, again. Forest ran out of steam at this point and we made it count with 2 goals to send us to the top flight.

[brFM2011]

2012-13 End of Season Review

League Table

League Graph

Squad

I couldn't ask for more after winning promotion. I thought our Jan onwards form last season was special but this season it was even better. Hopefully we won't be a yo-yo team and we can survive next year.

Once again we did alright in both cup competitions.

League Cup, FA Cup

Town's Stats/Facts

• Town's 19 league matches unbeaten was second to Champions Burnley, who went 33 games unbeaten.
  
• Lee Naylor was Town's only ever-present player both in the league, and all competitions together.
  
• Albert was the first Town player to score 20 goals in the league since Pawel Abbott, in 2004-05 (League 1) and the first in the Championship since Marcus Stewart in 1998-99.
  
• Town scored 83 league goals this season(not incl play-offs), the most since 1979-80 when they scored 101. (League 2)
  

Top scorer- Albert, 23.

Highest assists- Scott Arfield, 17.

Average Attendance- 18,090

Finances- We enter the red but once again, I'm not worried. What worries me more is that we are well under our wage budget and still have £5.4m left in our transfer budget.

[deltablue]

Good luck in the PL.

[Plobdork]

Congrats on promotion! keogh seemed to be your best player that season

Whats kieran trippier + izale mcleod like on the older game? interested

[brFM2011]

Good luck in the PL.

Thanks.

Congrats on promotion! keogh seemed to be your best player that season

Whats kieran trippier + izale mcleod like on the older game? interested

Thanks, Keogh had a great year.

Izale Mcleod, his history.

Kieran Trippier, his history.

[brFM2011]

English Premier Division 2013-14 Preseason

Start of season expectations: Attempt to avoid relegation

Transfer Budget: £26.5m

Wage Budget: £250,000 p/w (currently spending £444,997 p/w)

Sky Bet promotion odds: 4000-1

Media Prediction: 20th

Season ticket holders: 11,446 (10,857 last season)

My first new deal, only a small £23,000 p/w rise..

Summer Transfer Window

Transfers, Ins(detail below) & Outs (quick view)

In

Neil Wilson (M/AM LC), free transfer. Released by Tottenham.

Dmitry Alexeev (DM, MC), £650k from Dnipro.

Simon Fernandez (DR, DL), free transfer. Released by Marsielle.

Rio Ferdinand (DC), free transfer. Released by Man United.

Frank Lampard (MC, AMC), free transfer. Released by Chelsea.

Alberto Paloschi (ST), free transfer. Released by AC Milan.

Owen Hargreaves (DM, MC), free transfer. Released by Man United.

Esteban Granero (AM/M RLC), free transfer. Released by Real Madrid.

Henrique (DC), free transfer. Released by Barcelona.

Benik Afobe (ST, AML), free transfer. Released by Arsenal.

Kevin Foley (D/WB R, MR), £350k, season-long loan from Wolves.

Summary

Dean Hoyle(chairman) once again backed the club massively. It looks like a healthy profit with some great signings, but in truth we probably broke even due to player/agent fees. The 'big name' players have actually declined a fair bit, so they aren't as good as you maybe first think. They will still no doubt do a job for me considering I want to survive.

A lot of good players were released this year, Mario Gomez, Ashley Cole & Yury Zhirkov all considered contracts from us, not surprisingly they chose elsewhere. We also missed out on 2-3 targets who were available for loan.

[brFM2011]

Our warm-up for the Premier League.

We play Burnley and Bristol in the first 8 games, both at home. Also 3 teams who finished in the bottom half last season. I think we need to start strong and our home record could be key, although it'll be tested by Everton and then Manchester United after the Burnley game. Anything above 1 point/game is probably going to be a boost, considering 39 points has been enough to survive in the last 3 seasons.

Updates will be bi-monthly from now on.

[brFM2011]

August & September update

We haven't done too bad at all. Against Birmingham we lined up 4-4-2 which lead to a very open, close game. The difference was the level of finishing. The Burnley game, which was a vital 3 points, was pretty similar only we won. We took a good point at Everton before coming close to nicking one from United.

We should of done better at Fulham, they went down to 10 men but if anything it made them play better. We edged a close game against Wolves with 2 late strikes from new boy Paloschi.

In the cup we've usually being the underdogs, this year so far has been different. Upsets were in the minds of Cheltenham and Oxford fans but they were left disappointed. The 4th round tie will see the Arsenal travel up north to West Yorkshire.

Only the Fulham result looks bad when you see where the respective teams are in the league. We're well placed but with a trip to West Ham followed by a home game against Bristol City, we need to be on guard.

transfer news: Sam Walker signed for Bolton, costing them 1.2m + add-ons. Lee Novak has left for Brighton on loan with a view to buy. Brad Friedel joins the Terriers for 30k from Aston Villa.

[brFM2011]

October & November update

October didn't go too bad, we came close to getting a point at West Ham. We went 1 down to Bristol and left it late before we won, Frank Lampard coming on from the bench to hit one from 25 yards.

Newcastle hadn't won in 13 games but had drew a lot of them. Picking up a result was important which we just about managed. The following run was quite tough, we were unlucky against Spurs but the Liverpool & City scorelines could have been a lot worse.

After beating Arsenal in the cup we have Birmingham away in the quarter final.

We play Burnley, West Brom & Stoke in the next 2 months, 3 games we really need to win. With us being quite close to the drop I might have to get a player or 2 in to make sure we don't drop out of the league.

[brFM2011]

December, January & February update

December started off quite poor and ended very well. We got a crucial win against Stoke before letting Birmingham have a taste of revenge. They had beaten us every time we had played them in the season so to win was great, to win by 5 was even better.

We went into January feeling confident and it showed in a thriller at Old Trafford in the cup. We were quite poor against Burnley but only one thing mattered and that was winning. The next 3 games were tough and we were well beaten in them all. We ended the month with a welcomed clean sheet.

We continued to draw early on in February before 2 big wins against 20th placed Bristol and an indifferent Newcastle side.

In the League cup we were unlucky against Birmingham. In the FA Cup we got a tough 3rd round draw, however we made the most of it and should of really won the game but for a last minute United equaliser. The replay was close but the United quality shone through and they ran out 2-1 winners.

For a long time we were just 7 points safe, thankfully we have given ourselves a nice gap as we head into the last 10 fixtures, they are tough games but we are capable of winning 3-4 of them.

[brFM2011]

January Transfer Window

Heading into January the board offered me the chance to change our expectations. I told them we would avoid relegation.

Transfer overview

Ins

Wayne Bridge (DL), £250k from Man City.

Vito Mannone (GK), £200k, loan until the end of the season.

Darnel Situ (DC), £3.4m from Bolton.

Outs

A couple of youngsters have moved on for free but with a sell-on. a few more have gone out on loan, notably Simon Fernandez to Crystal Palace and Dmitry Alexeev to Feyenoord.

Summary

Alex Smithies took a knock in training and missed the Man City game earlier on in the season. With Friedel looking very unlikely to perform at this level I wanted to bring in a goalkeeper for backup which I feel I have done. Our left back area had been a bit of a problem with Lee Naylor aging and performing inconsistently. Bridge is a short term option until the summer. I had a look at numerous centre halves and opted for Gary Cahill, however Bolton weren't happy with a £10m offer so I decided to go for his partner in Situ, who was a lot cheaper and is younger. Our central defence hasn't been too bad but I wanted somebody for the next few years as most of our DC's are 30+.

[brFM2011]

March, April & May update

The last 3 months were indifferent to say the least, we lost 6 straight before 2 fantastic wins. We were safe for a while so at least during the losing streak we weren't under massive pressure.

In mid March Birmingham's chairman attempted to lure me to the West Midlands.

15 points safe in the end. The plan now is building for the next few years.

[brFM2011]

2013-14 End of Season Review

League Table

League Graph

Squad

Well we survived, that's that for this season really. We haven't spend loads and our average wage is less than half of the Premier Division's average. Surviving again is the aim for next season in my mind, mainly as I want to try and rebuild the squad.

We did alright in the cups, we had a good run in the LC.

League Cup, FA Cup

Town's stats/facts

• Town's Esteban Granero recieved 3 red cards, more than any other player in the league.
  
• Town's Frank Lampard was the 9th most successful passer in the league, with 86% of his attempts reaching their targets.
  
• Town only had 1 penalty all season, coming in the 36th game against Stoke.
  

Top scorer- Alberto Paloschi, 14.

Highest assists- Esteban Granero, 6. He had the joint most assists in the league with a few other players, however he missed a lot of games through suspension so I think he would have had more.

Average attendance- 21,799

Finances- Overall the financial state of the club looks a lot better, surviving in the Premier Division will only boost these.

[brFM2011]

English Premier Division 2014-15 Preseason

Starts of season expectations: Stay clear of relegation

Transfer Budget: £28.5m

Wage Budget: £625,000 p/w (currently spending £532,953 p/w)

Sky Bet promotion odds: 2000-1

Media Prediction: 14th

Season ticket holders: (11,446 last season)

Summer Transfer Window

Transfers, Ins(detail below) & Outs (quick view)

In

Tobias Figuieredo (DC, DM, MC), £180k from MK Dons.

Frank Bean (AMC, ST), free transfer. Released by Arsenal.

Chris Gadi (ST), £6.75m from Chelsea.

Jack Cork (MC, AMC), £1.9m from Burnley.

Jack Robinson (DL), £500k, season-long loan from Chelsea. £14m agreed fee.

John Smith (MR, ML), £350k, season-long loan from Man City. £10.5m agreed fee.

Federico Balzaretti (D/WB L), free transfer. Released by Real Madrid.

Gabriel Fredes (GK), £300k, season-long loan from Lanus.

Summary

I think we've strengthened our squad while trimming down on it very well this year. We're spending less on wages which is great for the finances. In signing Gadi I was confident in letting the striker who did the business in the lower divisions leave. We have some great youngsters signed and with our academy recently producing a few decent players the future looks good.