FM12: Leeds United - Bring back the glory days

[AidanofLFC]

Hello, and welcome to the FM12 Leeds thread.

This is to help any user that is playing as Leeds

In here you can also post about your career as Leeds

United.

Leeds United: A brief background

Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire,

who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club's home ground is Elland Road.

The club's most common nicknames are "The Whites", "United" and "The Peacocks".

Leeds United were originally formed in 1904 as Leeds City FC. However were re-named Leeds United in 1919. Leeds play at the well-known Elland Road. which is a 37,700 all-seater.This is a good base to make money and you should capitalize on the large stadium, which can be expanded and in worst case scenario build a new one.

The Glory Years

In March 1961 the club appointed Don Revie as manager. His stewardship began in adverse circumstances; the club was in financial difficulty and in 1961–62 only a win in the final game of the season saved the club from relegation to Division Three. Revie turned the team around, winning promotion to the First Division in 1963–64. During this period, Revie succeeded in building one of England's greatest footballing sides, with a loyal group of core players.Between 1965 and 1974, Revie's Leeds side never finished outside of the top four, winning two League Championships (1968–69 and 1973–74), the FA Cup (1972), the League Cup (1968) and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups (1968 and 1971).Set against the success was an unenvied record of second places; during the same period Leeds were runners up in the League five times, losing finalists in the FA Cup three times, runners up in the Fairs Cup once, and losing 1–0 to AC Milan in the European Cup Winners Cup final.

1975 European Cup Final

The 1975 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Parc des Princes, Paris, on 28 May 1975 between Leeds United and Bayern Munich.

Leeds dominated most of the match and had a number of near misses. After three minutes Bayern's Swedish international defender Björn Andersson had to be replaced by the inexperienced Sepp Weiss after a hard tackle from Terry Yorath, described by Uli Hoeneß as the "most brutal foul I think I have ever seen". He only played a handful more matches for Bayern. In the 23rd minute Beckenbauer was in his own penalty box on the ground and rested on his left arm which subsequently got in contact with the ball. The Leeds players appealed for a penalty which the French referee Michel Kitabdjian denied. More controversial however was when the referee denied a penalty in the 34th minute after Bayern captain Franz Beckenbauer tripped Allan Clarke, who was attacking the Bayern goal from the left wing and seemed ready to dangerously round Bayern keeper Sepp Maier. The first half also saw German international Uli Hoeneß, later president of Bayern, suffering a serious knee injury in the 42nd minute after a tackle by the Scottish left back Frank Gray, which would ultimately bring his career to a premature end in 1979 at the age of 27, and thus starting as prematurely his career in club management. He was replaced by one time German international Klaus Wunder.

In the 62nd minute Billy Bremner was denied from five metres by a reflex of Sepp Maier in the Bayern goal. Less than a minute later a goal by Peter Lorimer was disallowed, due to Bremner being in a tight passive offside position in front of the goal at at the six yard box. Referee Michel Kitabdjian initially pointed to the centre circle (indicating a goal) and then Beckenbauer convinced him to consult with the linesman who hadn't raised his flag. The referee then indicated offside against Bremner. This decision caused riots to break out.

After a match interruption Roth finished off a counter attack in the 71st minute with the 1–0 for Bayern after a short pass from Conny Torstensson. This completely derailed Leeds and ten minutes later another counter led to the 2–0 for Bayern through Gerd Müller after a cross from the right side by Jupp Kapellmann. This put the match completely beyond the reach of the team from England.

The violence saw Leeds banned from Europe for four years, although this was reduced to two years on appeal. Ultimately, this ban was never applied due to a decline in the performance of the club in the late-1970s preventing European qualification until 1991–92.

1975–1988: Legends fail as managers

Assisted by coach Don Howe, Armfield rebuilt Revie's team, and though it no longer dominated English football, it remained in the top ten for subsequent seasons. However, the board was impatient for success and dismissed Armfield, replacing him with Jock Stein, who also lasted just 44 days before leaving to manage Scotland. The board turned to Jimmy Adamson but he was unable to stop the decline. In 1980 Adamson resigned and was replaced by former Leeds and England star Allan Clarke. Despite spending freely on players, he was unable to stem the tide and the club was relegated at the end of 1981–82. Clarke was replaced by former team-mate Eddie Gray.

With no money to spend on team building, Gray concentrated on youth development, but was unable to guide them to promotion from the Second Division. The board again became impatient and sacked him in 1985, replacing him with another former Revie star, Billy Bremner.

Bremner carried on where Gray had left off, but found it just as difficult to achieve promotion, though he did bring the club close; Leeds got to the 1987 play-off final but were defeated by Charlton Athletic after extra time, a result which prevented Leeds from winning promotion and ensured that Charlton avoided relegation. Leeds also endured a near miss in the FA Cup, losing to Coventry City in the semi-finals.

2010-2011 Season

The season saw Leeds return to the second tierof English football for the first time in four years with them finishing in a respectable 7th position, just missing out on the play-offs.In other competitions, the club performed poorlyin the League Cup, going out in their first match, however made it to the third round of the FA Cup forcing Premier League giants Arsenal to a replay in the process. This was a decent season for United, one which you should aim to build on.

The Stadium

It is a 39,402 all-seater stadium and as of last season it is the largest stadium in the Championship, As Sheffield Wednesday were relegated

Possible Formations in Football Manager

Or

[AidanofLFC]

In Football Manager 12

Balance 5,000,000 (5 Million)

Transfer/Wage Budget

Playoffs: 300k transfer /175k wage

Promotion: 375k transfer /190k wage

Winner: 400k transfer/200k wage

Media Prediction: 3rd

The Squad

Captain: Jonny Howson

Vice Captain: Patrick Kisnorbo

Other Key Players: Rob Snodgrass, Luciano Becchio, Andy O'Brien

Goalkeepers

Andy Lonergan - Slightly the best goalkeeper in your squad, followed by Paul Rachubka. Lonergan will perhaps do the job for one season, but in the long term you will need a new man inbetween the sticks. Andy is a new signing for The Whites. Having joined from Preston for an undisclosed fee.

Paul Rachubka - Also a new signing for United. He joined from Blackpool on a free in the summer, and is a decent backup to Lonergan. However again may need replacing fairly soon.

Goalkeeper Summary - You have 2 goalkeepers of around similar standard, However this is arguably the weakest position in the squad and should be invested in as a primary target, especially in the second season. Paul Lonergan is your best player in goal.

Full Backs

Paul Connolly - One of the worse players in the squad, he needs replacing as he is an ageing player. The right-back position needs investing in. Connolly is currently the only right back in the squad. Apart from Leigh Bromby who is naturally a central defender.

Danny Pugh - The best left back in the squad, but again could do with being replaced. Danny is currently on loan from Stoke and has agreed to join Leeds at the end of the season. Left back is recommended but you also have Ben Parker in the team.

Ben Parker - Parker is a decent player, but as stated above. the left back position is in need of a revamp, should perhaps look to sell Ben, as he is only a 2-star potential player and hasn't got very good stats either

Full Back summary - This position needs strengthening, both left and right sides. It lacks depth and quality. Danny Pugh is the best player in this position.

Central Defenders

Andy O'Brien - He is the best centre back in the team. You should have him and Kisnorbo in the heart of your defence, can cut it at Championship and Premier League level, you shouldn't sell O'Brien.

Patrick Kisnorbo - Kisnorbo is a good centre back that will definetly help in the Championship and perhaps BPL level too. He should be in your starting XI pretty much every week and with his decent tackling (15), he could help you gain promotion without letting too many in.

Darren O'Dea - Perhaps one for the future, he doesn't really look ready for first-team football in the Championship, a move back to Scotland looks the best thing. He is only on loan from Celtic and unless you really want him i would terminate the loan. He may provide decent backup but its up to you.

Alex Bruce - Another one you should perhaps get rid of, i would get rid of O'Dea or Bruce and unless you've got enough money, dont sell them both, you need a back-up centre back.

Centre Defense Summary - Kisnorbo and O'Brien should see you through for one season. Perhaps look at signing a talented youngster for this position. Keep one of Bruce and O'Dea. O'Brien is the best centre back in the team.

Midfielders

Danny Pugh - He can play Left defense, Centre Midfield and Left midfield, he is most effective in Left midfield, although he is your best left back. You do have enough cover to play him at left back, with Rob Snodgrass, Ross McCormack and Ramon Nunez.

Ramon Nunez - Perhaps one to sell, he is probably the worst Attacking Midfielder in your squad. to be honest i would sell him however he could be backup to the team.

Jonny Howson - He is your captain, he is the Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard of your team, he is creative, he can score goals and he is easily the best midfielder in your team. You should not sell Jonny Howson and if you play him right, he will light up the Npower Championship.

Michael Brown - He is about as good as Howson, he is a new signing at Elland Road, joining from Portsmouth on a free. However he is ageing and at 34 years of age, maybe only has a season left in him.

Mika Vayrynen - He is a very good Attacking midfielder, depending on your formation he should be playing most games, to get the best out of him i would recommend 4-3-1-2 or 4-2-3-1 if you want to play him.

Adam Clayton - He is a good midfielder, but you have better. You could sell him. But he would be a good backup to your team.

Midfield Summary - This is hands down the best area in your team, Midfield doesn't need improving and Jonny Howson, your skipper is the best player in this position.

Wingers

Lloyd Sam - Isn't one of the better players in the squad. Perhaps look to sell Sam as he doesn't really look good enough for the first team, I think you'd be better off without him as you already have Snodgrass and McCormack for wingers.

Robert Snodgrass - The best winger in the squad, don't sell under any circumstances. He is a brilliant player in your team and should be one of the first on the team sheet.

Ross McCormack - He is a good winger and joined last season. He was a good player last season and you shouldn't really sell him. He can also play as a striker. But i prefer to play him as a winger as you have Becchio and Forrsell for up-front.

Winger Summary - You have good wingers but could perhaps do with some backup to improve the depth of your squad. Snodgrass is your best player in this position

Strikers

Mikael Forssell - The best in the squad along with Becchio, he is a new signing, joining on a free in the summer. he's getting on a bit though, he is 30 years old and perhaps replace him long term with a younger signing.

Luciano Becchio - An Amazing striker, he should be in the team most games. Last season managed 19 goals in the league. He is the best goalscorer in the Leeds squad.

Billy Paynter - The 'Andy Carroll' of the team, he is a target man and doesn't really score many goals, only managing 1 league goal last season. you should perhaps look to move him on.

Andy Keogh - He's on loan from Wolves, he is a decent backup striker. Leave him at Leeds for the whole season. Just in case Becchio, McCormack or Forssell get injured.

Davide Somma - Not a bad player, but you've got better. I would recommend selling him and using the money to buy a better player, he may get a few goals but dont expect a lot

Striker Summary - The striker position is ok, it doesn't need drastic action but perhaps replace Billy Paynter with a younger player. Your best player is Forssell

Full Squad Summary

Your Leeds team is very good, among the best in the league. You might have to strengthen in a few positions, left and right back especially. You dont really have any terrible players. Your squad is quite young on the whole, but there is a few ageing players so you may need to bring in some younger talent

Key Players

Patrick Kisnorbo

Jonny Howson

Luciano Becchio

Good Luck With Leeds United, I hope you enjoy the thread and enjoy playing as Leeds

[tugboat]

hi AidanofLFC, nice one and thanks for doing this thread,but whats a liverpool fan wanting to do a leeds thread for:D

[AidanofLFC]

hi AidanofLFC, nice one and thanks for doing this thread,but whats a liverpool fan wanting to do a leeds thread for:D

I dont know I just love Leeds and they're my second team

[Matt_no_7]

Nice. Not long into the game and just finished my second competitive game. Went unbeaten in pre-season then beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at home in the league and the Bury 4-0 in the League Cup.

In:

Ryo Miyachi (loan)

Jack Robinson (loan)

John Flanagan (loan)

Stuart Parnaby (free)

Out:

Billy Payner for £200k to Peterborough

Playing a 4-2-3-1

GK: Lonegran

RB: Connelly

LB: Pugh

CB: Lees

CB: Bruce

MC: Clayton

MC: Howson

AMC: Nunez

RW: Snodgrass

LW: Miyachi

ST: Forsell

Tom Lees is a monster, cannot believe how good he is. Easily the best defender through pre-season. Also Monty Gimpel looks awesome, played him against Bury and he was faultless. And i wasn't aware that Pugh was coming in on a perminent deal in January for £500k....

P.S. Your guide is missing Bromby and Lees. And why no mention of the 1975 screw job against Bayern Munich in the European Cup final?

[Welshace]

"Ramon Nunez - Perhaps one to sell, he is probably the worst Attacking Midfielder in your squad. to be honest i would sell him however he could be backup to the team."

shocking words from a leeds supporter

[Matt_no_7]

"Ramon Nunez - Perhaps one to sell, he is probably the worst Attacking Midfielder in your squad. to be honest i would sell him however he could be backup to the team."

shocking words from a leeds supporter

I agree. He's been one of the better performers in my game so far, first choice for me in the AMC spot.

[jeesh]

Looks like an interesting team to manage. Are there any quality youngsters?

[Matt_no_7]

Looks like an interesting team to manage. Are there any quality youngsters?

Monty Gimpel, 17, looks very good, young German central defender.

Tom Lees, 20, English central defender, again looks promising.

Aiden White, 19, English LB/WBL/ML. Bags of pace and good along the left.

Zac Thompson, 18, has been good in real life but not sure if he has the same talent in the game.

[Nicko Blaggo]

Good to see the Leeds thread up and running - thanks AidanofLFC. I agree with your squad appraisal, including the Ramon Nunez comment; LOL. I'm pretty busy this weekend so will not get much time on the demo. Should be back on here from Monday with some transfer tips.

[MattR1]

Clayton needs a boost in the next patch IMO, and Lees perhaps, but otherwise not bad, will report back.

[Coen]

Hey guys!

Thanks for starting the thread AidanofLFC, overall a great squad summary, just to add a few comments on the various areas myself:

Goalkeepers - unfortunately I think Longergan is underrated in game which leaves this quite a weak area, might have to look to bring in someone new.

Fullbacks - some decent options on the left in Pugh and White but both are better in midfield, and only Connolly on the right means again this is a weak area. Getting a new rightback is probably a priority

Central Defence - O'Brien looks the best all round defender based on in game stats, Kisnorbo also pretty good although weak in some areas (pace and mental stats), Lees is a great prospect and good enough to use as back up. Not sure the other defenders at the club are up to it so I'd probably look to offload them and maybe look to get another quality CB in if possible.

Midfield - loads of good options; Snodgrass has to start in the AMR position, Vayrynen looks quality as a AMC, Pugh and White both decent on the left, and Howson and Clayton good as CM playmakers. The only problems might be a lack of decent defensive midfielders (only Brown, and he's getting on a bit, although bizarrely Howson isn't bad defensively based on his in game stats) and possibly lack of cover for the wide positions, especially if Pugh/White end up filling in at left back. I'd agree Nunez is quite poor in game but might be worth keeping as back up for the AMC position.

Forwards - again lots of good options; McCormack, Becchio and Forssell all look good, Keogh seems decent as a support striker but probably lacks the finishing ability to play on his own up there. Somma is the best finisher at the club but out injured long term.

So overall - the squad has plenty of quality in midfield and up front, but is quite poor defensively (so a pretty accurate representation of the real Leeds team really!). I think the challenges for a Leeds manager on FM12 will be sorting out the defence and then coming up with a formation that makes the best use of all the attacking options in midfield and up front, not really sure what the best formation is myself yet but will be trying various stuff out in the demo. It does seem it will be possible to raise a bit of cash by offloading people like Paynter, Bruce, Bromby and maybe Kisnorbo/Nunez so should have a bit of cash to play with. However the start of season expectations of at least a play-off place means the pressures on to get it right from the start.

And yep, some good young prospects in Gimpel, White and Lees which is good to see.

[Matt_no_7]

Well if you need cover on the wing defo look at Ryo Miyachi from Arsenal, they are happy to loan him out and as i said in an earlier post, he can play on either side so playing him with Snodgrass, having them switch.... Could be good. Flanagan (RB) and Robinson (LB) from Liverpool, again i was able to get them on loan. Stuart Parnaby looks pretty good, will perhaps make the RB position his own on my save and as he comes on a free, you don't really have to touch the small amount of money you do have.

[Coen]

Well if you need cover on the wing defo look at Ryo Miyachi from Arsenal, they are happy to loan him out and as i said in an earlier post, he can play on either side so playing him with Snodgrass, having them switch.... Could be good. Flanagan (RB) and Robinson (LB) from Liverpool, again i was able to get them on loan. Stuart Parnaby looks pretty good, will perhaps make the RB position his own on my save and as he comes on a free, you don't really have to touch the small amount of money you do have.

I think RB is the one position that definitely needs a signing to start with, so Parnaby does look very good on a free. Tom Hateley is another option for RB, has the added benefit of also being able to play in midfield but costs £200k (from Motherwell).

As for the rest, I'm still playing around with the current squad before deciding what to change, but will probably hold off doing too much scouting of potential signings until I get the full game as will no doubt have a much bigger database of potential players!

[Matt_no_7]

I think RB is the one position that definitely needs a signing to start with, so Parnaby does look very good on a free. Tom Hateley is another option for RB, has the added benefit of also being able to play in midfield but costs £200k (from Motherwell).

As for the rest, I'm still playing around with the current squad before deciding what to change, but will probably hold off doing too much scouting of potential signings until I get the full game as will no doubt have a much bigger database of potential players!

I looked at Hateley but his lack of pace put me off and i always want alot of pace in my sides, it's the primary attribute i try and build my sides around.

[Coen]

I looked at Hateley but his lack of pace put me off and i always want alot of pace in my sides, it's the primary attribute i try and build my sides around.

Ah good point, and pace is particularly important for a full back. Parnaby it is then!

I'm playing a similar formation to you I think, just Forssell up front with an AMC and 2 wide men. Early days but working well so far, won 4 and drawn 1 of our opening 5 Championship games. Using McCormack on the left rather than getting anyone else in for now and he's been doing pretty well out there.

[Matt_no_7]

Yeah, i've been using McCormack as a winger also and he isn't bad, decent back up for both Miyachi and Snodgrass, plus all 3 can play on either side which is a big advantage and saves me having to get another winger in.

[higgins]

Maybe some images put in the right place and/or formatting could improve this thread?

[elland road boo boys]

Can somebody help me please.

How do you get opposition tactics & pitches up on Scout Reports?

All I seem to find is the strength option not formations, attacking or defensive or pitch size.

[mojo_pin1]

Love how White and Lees are good enough to start and have tons of potential... Very realistic! Well done researchers! though i think we owe the Bury one's for Lees' stats.

Are Chris Brough and Ricardo Ravanelli real players?

[mojo_pin1]

I think they've done a really good job taking into account that there's not much they could have done about Clayton and McCormack's improvement, other wise the players are almost spot on,

Finding it very hard to find any bargains out their though,

[Coen]

Can somebody help me please.

How do you get opposition tactics & pitches up on Scout Reports?

All I seem to find is the strength option not formations, attacking or defensive or pitch size.

When you scout opposition, the team report has buttons across the top for squad depth, team comparison, last match, tactic analysis so you can see what tactics they play there.

But at the moment I can't see how to check the pitch size for away games either!

[Coen]

Love how White and Lees are good enough to start and have tons of potential... Very realistic! Well done researchers! though i think we owe the Bury one's for Lees' stats.

Are Chris Brough and Ricardo Ravanelli real players?

I dont think Brough and Ravenelli are real players, I've certainly never heard of em!

Finding it hard to find players to sign on the demo as well, other than Parnaby on a free. Guess it's a pretty small database though.

[elland road boo boys]

When you scout opposition, the team report has buttons across the top for squad depth, team comparison, last match, tactic analysis so you can see what tactics they play there.

But at the moment I can't see how to check the pitch size for away games either!

The only way I have found is to go to that clubs info screen it will give there pitch there.

Nice to hear from you again!!!

[Matt_no_7]

I dont think Brough and Ravenelli are real players, I've certainly never heard of em!

Finding it hard to find players to sign on the demo as well, other than Parnaby on a free. Guess it's a pretty small database though.

They aren't in the youth team's according the wikipedia... First instinct was Ricardo Ravanelli would be related to Fabrizio. I'm having the same problem, Jame McFadden was also available on a free but wants like 35K a week and he's about as good as Snodgrass who isn't even on half of that.

Also i have a small list of players i know are available on a free transfer.

Marco Materazzi (DC)

James McFadden (AMC/L i think)

Thomas Cruise (DL) (former Arsenal player and mission impossible specialist lol)

Stuart Parnaby (DR)

Jerzy Dudek (GK, not in the DB but he is available in real life)

[Nicko Blaggo]

As has been said, there isn't a huge amount of talent in the demo database that will come to Leeds. However, I have found a few who will improve what we start with; ironically some of them are from Finland.

GK Niki Maenpaa , Lukas Hradecky (Both Finns, check spelling).

DR Parnaby (as said previously), Timothy Durwael (squad back up).

DL Jack Robinson on loan (as said previously).

DC Glenn Loovens, Tal Ben-Haim

MC Jose Luis Acciari

AML Roni Porokora.

ST Jose Mota (gun).

None of them are that amazing, but all offer a bit of variety and are easily affordable if you decide to move some players on. There are also a couple of players from last years PA shortlist.

Edit. Mota is indeed a gun, 6 goals in 5 and picks up player of the month award. Two loanees to consider: Jordan Spence and Emannuel Frimpong. Additionally, Coen's old pal Yaya Sanogo can be picked up for £2.6M. I was put off by his unavailabilty, but this disappeared from 1st September.

Five games in, won 3, drawn 1 and lost 1. With the acquisitions, the side is decent; but in the full game I wouldn't settle for it.

[Coen]

The only way I have found is to go to that clubs info screen it will give there pitch there.

Nice to hear from you again!!!

Hi Elland, good to see you still around as well.

Kinda given up on the demo for now, I've played around with a few formations etc but really need the full game now so I can start looking at some proper players (and of course see what South American gems Nicko can unearth this year!)

I think I've decided I'll go for my usual 4-4-2 formation, with Snodgrass pushed forward as a AMR as he's excellent there. The starting squad looks close to being good enough for a play-off spot without the need for wholesale changes, but what the heck, I'm the same as Nicko - I'll probably make loads of changes anyway.

And Nicko - yep already scouted out a few old favourites like Yaya Sanogo and Vaclav Kadlec, will be looking to bring young Yaya to Elland Road again this time around I think.

[Matt_no_7]

Still going with the demo here, so far i've played 9 (7 league games, 2 cup games) and only lost once (Reading away).

Currently sit in 3rd with 14 points (scored 12 and conceded 8). Played 7, won 4, drawn 2 and lost one however the two draws and the defeat have come in the last 3 games. Beccio came back in for one game, scored a belter and then got injured, out for 3 weeks, Keogh is top scorer with 6 goals in 8 games (only 2 have come in the league though). The keepers have struggled with silly mistakes in the last couple of games which doesn't help so that will be an area i'll address in the full game.

Yaya Sanogo for £2.6m.... Knowing how good he was 10 years down the line in FM11 £2.6m is probably bargain of the century! Also, i just saw Kevin De Bruyne go to Rangers for £900k so he's another i think i'll defo be looking at when i get the full game at x-mas.

[AidanofLFC]

Not really played FM (been hooked on FIFA 12) but i've played a few games and im currently top of the table after 4 games. I've also played and beat Walsall in the Carling Cup

Here are my fixtures

And My transfers

Edit: If images didnt work, right click and open in new window

[brad71]

plodding on with demo,not signed anybody thought i would see what i could do with the current squad and so far so good, played 12 won 8 drawn 3 lost 1. 2nd in league, lees at cb more than capable imo.but he has not played the last couple of games, trying others, he has now decieded he wants to leave.also andy keogh has 14 goals in 12 apperances as a poacher(with a few tweeks) in a 4-4-2 formation pushed m/r into a amr role snodgrass looking good there.only position that may need someone when game is out is r/back.other than that leeds do have a good squad that should do well for you in championship imo.

[elland road boo boys]

These are the positions I will be looking to sign

GK Lonergan not that good

DR. Backup DL. Pacey CB. Backup MCd (for when Brown goes) & another pacey striker.

Apart from that the squad doesn't look that bad

[Coen]

These are the positions I will be looking to sign

GK Lonergan not that good

DR. Backup DL. Pacey CB. Backup MCd (for when Brown goes) & another pacey striker.

Apart from that the squad doesn't look that bad

Yep pretty much my thoughts as well. Although can probably make do with Pugh/White as back up for the DL position. But with those changes I think the squad should be good enough for play offs at least.

Longer term though, not sure there's that many of the current squad that are going be up to the Premier League. At the moment I'm thinking only Snodgrass, Howson, Clayton, Pugh, White, Lees and Gimpel might be able to cut it, so will need to be a lot of rebuilding to be ready for the Premier League even if not many changes are needed to get there.

[Nicko Blaggo]

These are the positions I will be looking to sign

GK Lonergan not that good

DR. Backup DL. Pacey CB. Backup MCd (for when Brown goes) & another pacey striker.

Apart from that the squad doesn't look that bad

I think that is a fair enough assessment Elland.

In my opinion:

Neither of the GK's are good enough.

Or the DL's. Pugh and White are good squad players.

O'Brien is the best DC and is good enough for squad back up with Lees.

The DR is really poor.

We haven't really got a quality AML.

We have good options up front but lack a "gun".

In terms of prospects, White & Lees are pretty decent and I suspect that Gimpel may be overrated. Other than these three the reserves/youth team lacks potential quality and the three prospects in the youth team are most likely not real players.

Overall, and as Coen says, the side is probably good enough for a play off challenge. There is a great challenge to push up the quality of the side in advance of the Prem and this is made more difficult with the increased HG requirements and the 5 subs rule; looking forward to the full game!

[elland road boo boys]

Yep pretty much my thoughts as well. Although can probably make do with Pugh/White as back up for the DL position. But with those changes I think the squad should be good enough for play offs at least.

Longer term though, not sure there's that many of the current squad that are going be up to the Premier League. At the moment I'm thinking only Snodgrass, Howson, Clayton, Pugh, White, Lees and Gimpel might be able to cut it, so will need to be a lot of rebuilding to be ready for the Premier League even if not many changes are needed to get there.

Am using White as backup AML with the Arsenal player on loan.

Forsell & Keogh upfront. (Deep Lying Forward & Advanced Forward

)

As far as DC's are concerned O'Brien will be backup with a strong DC & Covering DC needed.

A few decent backup "squad players" & I think that might be it

[Matt_no_7]

Actually i don't think Gimpel is over-rated... Liverpool and Chelsea were in for him before we snatched him up so he's defo got something about him. But he is very very short for a DC, on my game he is only 5ft 9in but i think i saw a height bug mentioned.

[Coen]

One other thought - Keogh seems to be performing really well on the demo, he was my top scorer and it looks like others and finding the same. Only trouble is we've only got him until January. The option is there to sign him permanently for £500k, but I'm not convinced that's the best use of available funds in the first season so will need to look at other options for a new striker from January onwards.

I'll be pulling out all the stops to sign Yaya Sanogo when the January window opens I reckon!

[Nicko Blaggo]

One other thought - Keogh seems to be performing really well on the demo, he was my top scorer and it looks like others and finding the same. Only trouble is we've only got him until January. The option is there to sign him permanently for £500k, but I'm not convinced that's the best use of available funds in the first season so will need to look at other options for a new striker from January onwards.

I'll be pulling out all the stops to sign Yaya Sanogo when the January window opens I reckon!

No chance of signing Keogh IRL then..

[Matt_no_7]

One other thought - Keogh seems to be performing really well on the demo, he was my top scorer and it looks like others and finding the same. Only trouble is we've only got him until January. The option is there to sign him permanently for £500k, but I'm not convinced that's the best use of available funds in the first season so will need to look at other options for a new striker from January onwards.

I'll be pulling out all the stops to sign Yaya Sanogo when the January window opens I reckon!

Think Sanogo will still be available in January?

[Coen]

Think Sanogo will still be available in January?

Will have to see when the full game comes out. I seem to remember in previous years that quite a lot can change between the demo and the full game, even for players that are on the demo they might end up being much more expensive or not available on the full game.

[Matt_no_7]

Oh what i meant is if you start a new game and wait until January you may miss out with him going in the summer.

[Coen]

Actually I just reloaded a demo game from when I was still in August and was able to sign Sanogo before the end of the summer transfer window, he seems to be injured at the start of the game so it just depends on whether he will recover enough to pass a medical before the transfer window closes I guess, which is probably slightly random. They wanted £3.5m for him though.

[Burty76]

My team on the demo is :

GK Lonergan

DR Parnaby (free)

DL Jack Robinson (loan)

DC O'Brien

DC Andrew Davies (loan)

DMC Frimpong (loan)

MC Howson

MC Jordi Gomez (loan)

AMR Snodgrass

AML Miyachi (loan)

ST Sanogo (3M)

[Matt_no_7]

My team on the demo is :

GK Lonergan

DR Parnaby (free)

DL Jack Robinson (loan)

DC O'Brien

DC Andrew Davies (loan)

DMC Frimpong (loan)

MC Howson

MC Jordi Gomez (loan)

AMR Snodgrass

AML Miyachi (loan)

ST Sanogo (3M)

Nice but how did you raise the £3m for Sanogo? Who did you sell and what kind of deal was it, installments, straight cash, incentives?

[chob]

i'm really struggling with Leeds on this FM (I think im the only 1 that's struggling). Does anyone have a decent tactic that I could possibly try?

[Burty76]

Nice but how did you raise the £3m for Sanogo? Who did you sell and what kind of deal was it, installments, straight cash, incentives?

Not at home so cant give you precise details but as I recall Bruce, Nunez, Kisnorbo were all wanted by clubs at the start. Offered them out at 4x their value and got offers of between 2 and 3 times their value - altho some over 24 months. Also managed to sell Clayton for 1M to QPR and Connoly for 300,000. Sanogo was all over 48 months BUT with a bit more careful planning you could split this between up front and 48 months and remain within budget, after the sales.

[Matt_no_7]

i'm really struggling with Leeds on this FM (I think im the only 1 that's struggling). Does anyone have a decent tactic that I could possibly try?

Try a 4-2-3-1 formation with box to box midfielders in the centre, defensive wingers on either flank, the AMC set in attack and a striker set as a target man (support). Works for me, but you will need to tweak certain things which i can't remember off the top of my head. The one i can remember is setting the mentality for the MC's to be a bit more on the defensive side as you can get caught on the break when they both decide to push up.

Not at home so cant give you precise details but as I recall Bruce, Nunez, Kisnorbo were all wanted by clubs at the start. Offered them out at 4x their value and got offers of between 2 and 3 times their value - altho some over 24 months. Also managed to sell Clayton for 1M to QPR and Connoly for 300,000. Sanogo was all over 48 months BUT with a bit more careful planning you could split this between up front and 48 months and remain within budget, after the sales.

Cool. Sadly i doubt i'll be letting Clayton, Nunez, Bruce, Connolly or Kisnorbo go. Bromby, Sam, Paynter and Somma when he's fit will be the only ones i ship i reckon.

[Burty76]

Can I ask why Matt? The players I brought into replace them are all of a higher standard. Forgot I sold Paynter too. Desperately needed a class forward and you dont get offered any decent money for Bromby or Sam and Somma is injured so cant be sold.

[AidanofLFC]

Keogh is amazing, he's now my first choice striker and my top scorer... keeping Forssell out of the team

[Matt_no_7]

Can I ask why Matt? The players I brought into replace them are all of a higher standard. Forgot I sold Paynter too. Desperately needed a class forward and you dont get offered any decent money for Bromby or Sam and Somma is injured so cant be sold.

Because i really like Clayton and Nunez and from what i've seen so far Bruce ain't too bad and Connolly is so far keeping Parnaby out of my side which is sat in 3rd. Besides i like to build with what i have, in FM11 i didn't get rid of Beccio until i'd won 2 F.A. Cups and a Premier League title with him as a first team regular, Snodgrass left after the 2017/18 season with 4 Premier League titles, 3 Champions League titles and 3 F.A. Cups to his name and Howson is still my first choice MC in the 2018/19 season.

Keogh is amazing, he's now my first choice striker and my top scorer... keeping Forssell out of the team

Same here, he'll bottle his fair share of chances but with the amount of chances the team tends to create he could easily get himself 20-25 goals in all competitons in the first season.

[Coen]

I'll probably look to sell Nunez, Bruce, Bromby, Kisnorbo and Paynter to start with - Nunez because he can only really play at AMC and I don't think I'll be using a formation that utilises an AMC (otherwise I'd keep him), the 3 defenders because we have other better defenders and Bruce and Kisnorbo are wanted by other clubs, and Paynter because he's rubbish.

Clayton aint going anywhere though!

I'm also not particularly keen on using loan players in the Championship as I'd rather try to buy young players and start developing them as soon as possible, so I probably won't be using any loans.