FM12: Coventry City FC - Fancy a challenge?

[Mike_Cardinal]

WHY PLAY AS COVENTRY?

Despite being one of the country's bigger cities in terms of population, Coventry City's Football Club are a bit of a mess. This season, tight finances led to the departures of key players such as Keiren Westwood, Aron Gunnarsson and Marlon King, with the only new signings being two goalkeepers. The team is now struggling against the threat of relegation, with several youth team players thrown into the first team squad out of necessity. The challenge is to operate wisely on a difficult budget, making the most out of the players you have whilst attempting to improve this club's fortunes. Are you up to the job?

SKY BLUE REVOLUTION

Since being founded in 1883 and joining the Football League in 1929, Coventry have not won a great deal of silverware for a club with such a large potential fan-base, though they still boast a proud history. The club's first successful period began in 1961, when former Fulham player and PFA chairman Jimmy Hill was appointed manager following an embarrassing FA Cup defeat at home to non-league Kings Lynn. In 1962, he made the notable changes of reverting back to the club's old sky blue kit, and writing the Sky Blue Anthem. Both the kit colour and the song have been a constant and important part of the club ever since. In 1964 Hill guided Coventry to promotion from Division Three (now Football League One) as champions after a final day 1-0 victory over Colchester United, and followed it up by being promoted as Second Division champions to the top flight for the first time in their history in 1967. This made manager and BBC Sport presenter Jimmy Hill a legend at the club. Coventry's record attendance was also set in this year - officially recorded as 51,455, (although many people who were at that game suggest the attendance was a lot higher, possibly even over 60,000) against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the team which Coventry would only just finish above at the top of the table.

TOP FLIGHT YEARS

Following this promotion, Coventry managed 34 consecutive years in the top flight of English football before their relegation in 2001. At the time, only Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton could boast longer tenures, and even now it is a longer consecutive run than clubs as large as Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle have ever managed, whilst Manchester United only passed the landmark for the first time in 2010. In that period, the Sky Blues only once qualified for Europe, however, by finishing 6th in the 1969/70 season. They also had several narrow, miraculous escapes from relegation as well as reaching two League Cup semi-finals, in 1981 and 1990. The club's only major honour came in 1987 when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3–2 to win the FA Cup, a game often cited as possibly the greatest FA Cup Final of all time.

Coventry's top flight spell is also often fondly remembered for this sublime piece of skill and invention, which was outlawed just hours after it was performed.

[video=youtube;Wjq2xT-tx38]

RECENT HISTORY

Since then, however, Coventry have rather dropped off. They are now in their 11th consecutive season in The Championship, this season becoming the longest-serving club in the division. They have largely continued the club's general pattern of struggling in the bottom half of the table, and in 2007 came within 20 minutes of going into administration before being saved by Ray Ranson. The club certainly appears to be in need of a big shake-up. On pitch success seems impossible at this moment without financial security, and so perhaps it is only on Football Manager that there is a real chance for good management to bring around a change in the team's fortunes.

[Mike_Cardinal]

​

FACILITIES

Corporate Facilities - Average corporate facilities.

Training Facilities - Good training facilities.

Youth Facilities - Adequate youth facilities.

Junior Coaching - Adequate youth facilities.

Youth Recruitment - Above average youth recruitment.

Youth Facilities - Adequate youth facilities.

Junior Coaching - Adequate junior coaching.

Youth Recruitment - Above average youth recruitment.

Stadium - The Ricoh Arena.

Coventry moved into this new 32,609 all-seater in 2005, leaving their old stadium Highfield Road, the club's home for 106 years. Highfield Road had an interesting history, with the Main Stand bombed by the Luftwaffe in 1940. It also became England's first ever all-seater stadium in 1981. The final game there was played against Derby County on the 30 April 2005, with City winning 6-2 on an emotional day, where, fittingly, Coventry-born Andrew Whing scored the last ever goal, and Gary McSheffrey, another local player, scored two. The Ricoh Arena is a great stadium, with the only downside being the £500k a year that the club has to pay to rent it annually. You can ask the board to buy it to avoid this, though its unlikely that that will be immediately possible. The club won their first ever game at the Ricoh, beating QPR 3-0. It has also been announced that the stadium will be a host stadium for football matches at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

FINANCES

Balance - £1,636,251.

Transfer Budget - £30K (Consolidate) - £50K (Winner).

Wage Budget - £80K p/w (Consolidate) - £88K p/w (Winner). The club is currently spending £74,639 per week on wages.

Percentage Of Transfer Revenue Made Available - 40%.

Sponsors - 3 year main kit sponsorship deal at £333K per season. Ends 2013.

Loans Outstanding - Gift loan of £30M. (£462K/per month until 30.5.2013 when in profit).

NON-PLAYING STAFF

[Mike_Cardinal]

SQUAD ANALYSIS

The financial situation at the club is such that, realistically, in order to buy players you will have to sell some. Certainly, I will be assessing the abilities of players and highlighting areas for improvement, but at the same time I feel it is also worth mentioning which players will get you the most money should you wish to sell them.

Goalkeepers

Joe Murphy – Your first-choice keeper and a good one. Having just joined the club, you won’t get any money trying to sell him, and really there are other areas of the squad which need improving much more than the goalkeeping position. Hold onto him for a season at least, as he’s a very competent shot-stopper at Championship level.

Chris Dunn – A decent young backup player, with probably enough potential to improve and perhaps even challenge Murphy in the future. You won’t be able to sell him, and really there’s no reason you should want to, as he likely won’t need to play much, but if he does then he’ll probably do fine.

Danny Ireland – The young Aussie keeper is the only thing preventing you from having a 100% domestic bias in the stats screen, but if that doesn’t bother you then you might well make use of him. Potentially a very good backup player, perhaps more if you were to stay at this level, he’s a good option to loan out for experience and call back if you should have a goalkeeping crisis.

Overall – A good first choice, a decent backup and a reasonable young prospect who isn’t a bad third option. No fireworks here, but it’s not a position which requires your urgent attention either.

Central Defenders

James McPake – A really good defender at this level and probably should be your first choice centre back assuming that you keep him. Strong, decent in the air and excellent on the ground, he might be too slow to play in a high defensive line, but that is not a tactic that suits your first choice goalkeeper or any of your other defenders, really, especially in a league with a lot of fast strikers.

Richard Wood – A good player. Might well be part of a left foot/right foot combination at centre back with McPake, or a really good backup player. There is some interest in him though, and he might be the sort of dispensable option you choose to part with. Also could be retrained to left back as an emergency option, given your lack of strength in depth there.

Richard Keogh – One of those rare players who is equally comfortable in two positions – the centre and right of defence. Not the quickest, but a solid defender who’s good at winning the ball. You might well choose to sell him, but his Marking is too low to make him a first choice centre back for my taste, and I like my right backs a little quicker, but he makes a good compromise backup in both positions. Others may find him to be a consistent first team player, however.

Martin Cranie – A dependable player who you might sell for around £1m, maybe a little less, but definitely worth keeping despite his high wages. He can play all across defence, providing you give him a little position training to become an accomplished left back, and is a really solid player, if not outstanding in any area. Perhaps not strong enough for a centre back, perhaps not quick enough and good enough offensively for a full back, but as a covering central defender, defensive full back or perhaps even a first choice backup in three positions at once, he’s a great young player with definite room for improvement.

Nathan Cameron – Young, and already a rock at League 2 or so level, you may have to fight off teams attempting to loan him out. He has some potential, though it may vary from game to game whether he becomes good enough for a first team player. You are actually quite well stocked at centre back in the game, but he’d make a reasonable young backup in an emergency. Worth holding onto.

Cyrus Christie – In some ways he reminds me of a poor man’s Chris Smalling, or perhaps Micah Richards. Pacey and powerful, he has been converted from a central defender to a right back and asserted himself as a crucial part of the first team with an excellent cross to boot. On the game, however, he has not yet received a rating at right back or a sufficient boost to his speed related attributes to reflect this, though this does not mean he has no potential. You may wish to retrain him to right back, and he has enough ability to warrant becoming a backup player for your team. One to watch.

Overall – Probably the strongest part of the side. You might not keep all of the players, and they might not be the quickest, but McPake is a great first choice, Cranie, Wood and Keogh are all also good players and I would definitely advise that you keep at least three of them around.

Full Backs

Jordan Clarke – Maybe your best young prospect, though he’s out injured at the start of the game. Capable in either full back position, he has pace and attributes in all the right places to become a good player. A great backup, and those who take a chance and give him more games may find that the risk pays off with his likely decent performances and great improvements.

Chris Hussey – Maybe not as good on the game as in real life. He has potential to improve, but at the start he probably shouldn’t be more than a backup left back for all round ability. You might choose to loan him out, sell him or keep him as competition for probably the weakest position at the club, as he's by no means a bad player who might get much better.

Overall – The side’s weak point. You’ll almost certainly want to bring in a leftback – Stephen Jordan and Jlloyd Samuel are available on a free, for example. Right back isn’t quite so bad, as Keogh and Cranie can play here as well as Clarke, but if you’re looking for a quicker, more rounded player as good offensively as defensively, this might be another place to bring someone in.

Central Midfielders

Sammy Clingan – A good Championship pro and a Northern Ireland international. Good defensively, and his passing and set piece ability might well make him the fulcrum of your play, as he can dictate the tempo and keep possession for your side, making things tick from a deep lying playmaker position (his best, in my opinion). Personally I wouldn’t sell him, though there is interest from other clubs, as Clingan and Deegan make a lovely defensive shield who can both also really play. Also watch out for him slamming in a couple of outstanding long range free kicks each season.

Gary Deegan – A really strange player on FM. The Irish researcher certainly overrated him at the expense of some stats like his First Touch particularly, but he’s a brilliant midfielder once he gets back from injury. Not only is he wonderful defensively, offering a strong shield for your back four, but he has great Creativity and Passing, so can be relied on to play some super through balls in behind the opposition defence.

Gael Bigirimana – Your lack of strength in depth is such that your third best central midfielder is a 17 year old. He doesn’t lack in ability for his age,and though his potential won’t see him become a world beater, he’s a very nicely rounded midfielder who can both graft and create. A nice backup and one to try and develop – whatever price he would earn you at the beginning of the game would almost certainly rise after a couple more seasons.

Conor Thomas – One of the best prospects at the club. Not really ready yet for first team football, but might earn himself a chance in such a threadbare side as this. His potential was enough to earn him a loan deal to Liverpool last season who took a look at him, and if you get lucky with his potential he might be a creative midfielder that becomes a part of your squad for seasons to come. Certainly has the potential to be a good Championship player at the least.

Callum Wilson – Not as good as Thomas or Bigirimana, Callum Wilson at most clubs would just be another young midfielder in the Reserves to be loaned out. Assuming that you add to your options at central midfield, that’s exactly what you should do. Not an incredible prospect, in truth, but a reasonable young player.

Overall – Two great first choice players and then a real lack of strength in depth. I would say you need to bring it at least one, if not two players who can play in this position to add some competition, though feel free to go for versatile men who can play other positions. You don’t really have an AMC, so you might wish to strengthen that area if it is part of your tactical plan for the side. Bigirimana and Thomas are fine as backups and have good potential, but any side looking to play three men in the centre of the park should see this as the most important part of the team to improve.

Wide Midfielders

David Bell – Not rated as a central midfielder where he’s been playing in AndyThorn’s diamond midfield, David Bell is a reasonably talented wide player whomight slot into your side nicely. Quite slow for a wide man but think more inthe David Beckham or perhaps Bentley style – a good crosser, long distanceshooter and passer of the ball, and certainly his creativity means he’ll createchances. Like so many players in the side, he’d make a great backup, but mightnot be good enough for your first team. He’d fetch a little money, but reallyit depends on whether you see him fitting into your style of play.

Gary McSheffrey – Again, not given a rating for his position in the currentteam – where’s playing as an AM behind the strikers. He can play up front, andwould be a good choice as a Poacher due to his pace and reasonable Finishingability. Your best left sided player, he is a fairly good winger with theability to pass, dribble and cross. He’s also a fairly hard worker, a local ladand loves the club, so I certainly wouldn’t let him go, as he’s been a verygood player for the team over the years. That said, for a side with promotionaspirations, he’s probably not quite of first team standard.

Carl Baker – An interesting, tricky little player with the ability to both tearthe odd team apart and go completely missing in a match. Though he has decentcreativity and is the only player with any real ability as an AMC in the team,I wouldn’t recommend playing him there as anything more frequent than a backup.He has very good flair, ability with both feet and can run at teams, cross andscore. The problem is that aside from his well above average ability to takeplayers on, his game can be lacking in other aspects due to poorer pace anddecision making, though he’s by no means a bad player. You may wish to cash inon him due to his being somewhat of a luxury player, but he’s one of the fewplayers who can genuinely be called a game-changer, even if that might only beoff the bench.

Roy O’Donovan – Not a bad choice either as a backup right winger or poacher,but he certainly should be a backup. He’s still quite young and will presumablyimprove a little, but it would be understandable to try and sell him. If you dokeep him around, he’s a decent backup, but no more.

Overall – Not a particularly strong area for a team at this level. Any of theseplayers would make only ‘okay’ first choices but good backups, and you mightwell see this as a position to improve on – perhaps buying and selling a coupleof players. Your players are quite versatile, however, with the collectiveability to play any wide role well.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Forwards

Lukas Jutkiewicz – Your best striker, probably your best player both currently and potentially, your main goalscorer, hope of survival and everything else. However, Jutkiewicz is also your best chance at making some money. I’ve seen him on other games frequently move to Wolves for around £2.8m, and though all I managed to get on a test was £2m from Reading, he can definitely make you money. Be sure that you can replace him, however. Quick, strong, a great finisher and a good header of the ball, he’s an excellent all-round goalscorer at Championship level with the potential to improve to become a decent Premier League player.

Freddy Eastwood – The club seems to be trying to get rid of him in real life, and it’s easy to see why given his indifferent form at the club and high wages. However, his injury at the start of the game may harm your chances of selling him, and if you either cannot or choose not to, Eastwood is a player who may frustrate at times, but certainly has ability as a creative forward that surpasses that of any other player on your books. Given the chance, he might just prove himself indispensable to your side.

Clive Platt – An alternative option. Platt is your standard target man. Big ,strong, good in the air, a hard worker and good defensively. I think he’s worth keeping around as a Plan B – you might get some luck out of chucking long balls into the box late on and hoping he nicks your side a crucial goal, and you won’t get much money for him given his age. Not talented enough to warrant astarting place in my opinion, though.

Cody McDonald – A young striker signed late in the transfer window. A decent backup in any centre forward role, really, but probably not good enough to play as a first choice striker quite yet, though he looks like he might make an excellent impact sub as a Poacher, particularly. Hopefully his attributes can improve, however, and you won’t sell him in the first window due to his recent arrival in any case.

Shaun Jeffers – A young player who can also play at AMC. Might be an okay backup option in an injury crisis, but really he ought to be going out on loan and gaining experience this season on the off-chance that he improves enough to become a first team member.

Overall – Jutkiewicz is a very good player, but aside from that your options are thin. He’s not much of a creative forward, so you could either have him as an attacking forward, say, a lone Advanced Forward or Poacher or perhaps make use of his height and play him as a target man. Eastwood might be seen as good enough to play in a front two with him, but if you wish to either play with two strikers or sell Jutkiewicz, you’ll probably have to do some thinking about the style you want to implement and who you ought to sign to allow that move.

Under 18s

In truth, the best prospects from the Under 18s side have already been forced into graduating into the first team, with the rest only being decent players at best. Thomas starts in the Under 18s but, as mentioned, is worth promoting, and it’s also worth keeping tabs on the young striker Jonson Clarke-Harris. He could do with games and tutoring, but you may well reap the benefits of nurturing this player, whether they come against opposition defences for your first team or into the club’s coffers as you make a little money selling him on once more developed. Aside from that, it’s worth keeping an eye on these young players, but I wouldn’t expect too much from any of them particularly on a consistent basis.

[Mike_Cardinal]

TACTICS

4-4-2

The most straight forward formation for an English team, but it fits the side well. With wide players back in the MR/ML positions, your full backs will be helped defensively, and should you give your wide men a role as winger then the full backs won’t need to get forward as much – something which isn’t really their strength. You could opt to play a narrow tactic, telling your supportive wingers to cut inside and encouraging your full backs forwards, though you might have to invest in new players to do this. At goalkeeper and centre back you are fine, as discussed, and Deegan and Clingan are a central midfield partnership who can both defend and create, though you lack depth beyond them. I prefer Deegan as the more defensive, with Clingan given more chances to get forwards and shoot, but to retain Creativity you might well ask both players to play as Deep Lying Playmakers. Jutkiewicz should lead the line up front, perhaps alongside a new forward. How you choose to play Jutkiewicz should affect this – if you see him as a Target Man consider a pacey poacher to play off him, if you see him as the Poacher or Advanced Forward then look for a player who can play a supporting role to feed him.

4-2-3-1

Not a bad option for this team. The back four has the same strengths and weaknesses as previously mentioned, whilst Deegan and Clingan again offer you a wonderful double pivot. You probably need to bring in an AMC to play this formation, preferably a real creator to play a supporting role to Jutkiewicz, feeding him through balls to run onto and score. He ought to be your most important signing. The wide players are up to you – you could go with Wingers or Inside Forwards, with Bell, McSheffrey and Baker quite as good cutting inside as they are at getting down the line, though you may feel you need to bring in someone with a little more cutting edge in the final third than these three.

4-5-1

Perhaps not the best tactic for the team originally, but if you want to implement this style of play then you could certainly bring in the players to make it work. You could either play one of Deegan and Clingan at DMC, and the other alongside a new central midfielder, or you could play them together at CM and give yourself a really secure midfield with a new holding player behind them. Consider new full backs if you want them to be attacking, but you may decide that with AMR/Ls you need a little more caution. Again, your wide men can play as either Inside Forwards or Wingers, but be careful that Jutkiewicz does not become isolated in this formation. There are not enough goals elsewhere in the team to warrant Lukas playing a supporting role, in my opinion, so make sure that his supply is not less than he would have with a creative FC or AMC just behind him. This may mean telling central midfielders to get forwards more – perhaps buying a new creative MC or perhaps allowing your wide players the option of coming inside to support him.

4-1-2-1-2

The formation that Andy Thorn’s side have been playing since he took over as manager. The trouble is that David Bell won’t perform as well at CM and Gary McSheffrey at AMC like they do actually, but should you wish to play this style then there is some potential – you don’t have that many outstanding wide players, Baker can play in the hole, McSheffrey and O’Donovan up front and Bell could either be sold or retrained. Clingan or Deegan would both make excellent sitting midfielders and would easily retrain to become DMs. A variation would allow them to play at CM in a 4-3-1-2, or perhaps you might prefer the defensive security of 4-1-3-2. In any case, this is a formation to help you dominate possession against a 4-4-2, particularly with an intelligent playmaker at AMC.

You would need to strengthen though – at AMC and probably in the wide MC positions – look for energetic players who can go box to box and effectively shuttle across out wide to prevent your being overloaded by opposition wide players. Consider applying the Opposition Instruction of ‘Closing Down – Always’ on opposition full backs to prevent their having too much space. You may also find the full backs at the club are not good enough offensively to offer you the width your attacks need, and as mentioned elsewhere, you may want a new partner for Jutkiewicz up front.

You now know the club, the team, and the challenge it faces.

Can you spark a new Sky Blue Revolution?

[Mike_Cardinal]

Nice one. I'm afraid my internet is playing up so the thread is still in progress, but by the end of the day it ought to be complete, at which point I'll start talking about my Cov game!

EDIT - Unfortunately, it's not allowing me to edit the third post, perhaps because there is too much text. As a result, I am unable to add in the pictures of Joe Murphy, James McPake and Sammy Clingan I was going to add, as well as slightly tidying up the format and fixing the errors in the 'Wide Midfielders' section where some pairs of words have somehow contrived to be stuck together. I could possibly get around this if Ben deleted his post and perhaps copied it into a new post below this one, so I could maybe delete the third post but split it's text over more posts, allowing me room to add in pictures and do the rest of the formatting. As it is, I will just leave it here, and say let the thread begin!

[skybluedave]

I started a game with Cov. Was doing so so. Hit January in 12th.

Like you suggest I retrained Christie to right back and he out performed Clarke there. I sold Cranie because you don't really need him and you can save on his wages along with Baker. Signed Jlloyd Samuel for left back was but he was gash, quite pleased I only gave him a 1 year contract. signed Andros Townsend on loan, Scott Wagstaff for 200k (the Cranie money) and Gavin Williams on a free. That signing was purely down to the fact you start with a few injuries in centre mid with only Clingan, Bigi and Thomas fit. So he was cover until Deegan came back.Best signing though was Krisztian Nemeth on a free to partner Jutkiewicz. Was well into double figures by Jan.

I started the season playing a 442 and sometimes a 424. Jutkiewicz as a target man (support) and Nemeth as a Trequartista. Though as the season wore on found myself prefering a 451 and at times quite liking Clive Platt as the lone target man oddly.

It is tough though, and partly why I started a game with Juve. But I will go back, I'm sure though once you get past the first season it will get better. The wage bill will be healthier then and with the right free transfers could push for the playoffs.

[Straightedgehero]

I am tempted to start a game with Coventry as Ive always had a soft spot for them over the years.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Right, I'll update once my transfers are properly through, but I've decided to play a deep 4-2-3-1, and there'll be some buying and selling which I'll update you on later. A player on a free transfer who I'm particularly excited about is Alen Pamic (I think that was his name), a tall Croatian holding midfielder, plenty of potential and looks like he'll be able to do the business. Don't normally like to spread payments over 48 months, but with the board gobbling up so much of the incoming transfer funds, I don't see how I can afford the improvements I want to make otherwise. Told the board I'd finish mid-table, hopefully I can do at least that well, if not top half, maybe pushing for the play-offs this season. We shall see though, PUSB!

[SRL88]

Very nice thread mate. Props .

[Nottingham Forest]

Thank you Mike. Time to out smart SRL. Reading you see. Great thread too and they could be the new Scunthorpe(Have to wheel and deal).

[SRL88]

Haha NF. Me wont take this lightly!!! I shall have my revenge .

[manutdfan123]

Ive just finished my 2nd season with Coventry I finished up as 11th in the Championship which is an improvement from being 17th last year, gradually getting better but Im -2.3m in the bank which aint good.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Financial issues are always going to be there if you're still in the Championship and don't own the Ricoh. Any particularly successful/unsuccessful signings, manutdfan?

[manutdfan123]

Yeah a little of all them but Ive sold a player for 750k, also done quiete a few friendlies with top prem teams to generate some money, hopefully Ill do better this season coming then maybe push for play off position the following season, gradual progression is good.

[manutdfan123]

Finished my 3rd season as 7th but I think Ive taken them as far as I can after having to sell my best players to to sort out the 3m debt Ive got which should be ok after Ive done a few more big name friendlies.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Almost all of my prospective signings fell to pieces, the finances really are a mess, and banking on short-term success i.e. promotion by using the 48 month technique just doesn't seem to be worth the risk, so I'm going to give the original first team squad a go with a straight 4-4-2, seeing how I can do with some good old fashioned graft. Left back and centre midfield are the main problem areas, as mentioned in the first post, but I can't seem to find any centre forwards on the cheap, so Eastwood will be given his chance. Think I'll just sign Stephen Jordan and Richard Hughes, develop the youngsters and hope I can stay out of the relegation zone unlike the actual Cov!

EDIT - Nemeth is a decent shout, but he is an incredibly similar player to Eastwood, so I don't really think it's worth the hassle of integrating a new player into the squad. Worth a shot, though.

[Nottingham Forest]

For centre forward, can't you try and sign Kristian Nemeth? He's a free agent at the start. For LB, have a look at Jlloyd Samuel, he's definitely a cheap option and I'd also loolk at Febian Brandy for centre forward.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Ah, you were thinking along the same lines as me! Yeah, I think I'll keep Eastwood over Nemeth for now, but I'll think about Brandy - he might be quite effective as a pacey option off the bench, even if his level looks more to be League 1 or 2 than the Championship. As for Samuel, yeah, him and Stephen Jordan are very similar players on a free transfer at left back, but I think I'll go for Jordan as his extra strength and height will be useful defensively, especially as I won't be asking my defenders to go forwards and do anything particularly exciting this season! Thanks for the names, in any case.

[manutdfan123]

Get rid of Eastwood he never did the business for me, dont sign Brandy or Jlloyd Samuel cos they never get a game and just waste your wage budget, definetly sign Nemeth he done really well for me, decided to leave my Coventry save for a bit and go back to it later on, hope it goes well for you Mike.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Not a bad result against a decent team! We fully deserved it too, cracking team goals from O'Donovan and McSheffrey early on, then we soaked up pressure and played keep ball very nicely. Good start so far, it might only be a friendly but we cruised past Hinckley 3-0 without conceding a shot, and I let the assistant draw 1-1 at Exeter as I couldn't be bothered with my first match.

EDIT - A 1-1 draw with West Brom and 5-0 and 4-1 wins at Coleraine and Nuneaton rounded off a pleasing set of pre-season fixtures. Figured out that Carl Baker is pretty useless in a 4-4-2 as he's only Unconvincing at MR/ML, so he's been shipped out to Millwall for 325k. Jordan and Hughes my only signings so far, but I'm looking to bring in another midfielder (hopefully a versatile) to add some competition to that area of the park. Encouraged by McSheffrey and Bell so far, though tougher opposition are ahead and I think I'm going to be very reliant on Jutkiewicz.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Problem solved. Jake Livermore comes in on a season long loan (with no fee!) and ensures I've got a mean central midfield even until Deegan is out, and will also retrain nicely to cover for me at right midfield, whilst Hughes has already become accomplished on the left, so I ought to be fine. Start of the season has gone well, with a great 3-1 win at Palace followed up by an inexperienced side just about managing to win 2-1 at Oxford, which I'm happy with. Reading at home is a decent draw for the second round.

Meanwhile, Jutkiewicz has made his debut for Poland after getting two goals at Palace (and 6 in 5 friendly games). He really is crucial. I said higher up I was going for the play-offs, but that was assuming I could afford mass improvements. With the current squad (minus Baker, plus Jordan, Hughes and Livermore) I would be very happy with mid-table and some nice football.

Just played one more game - a frustrating 1-0 loss at home to Birmingham, they took a chance late on in an otherwise even game. Bell ruled out for 3 weeks.

[manutdfan123]

Keep Jutkiewicz aslong as you can mate he scored 20+ goals a season for me, hope you have a good season mate.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Cheers, Wolves made an enquiry for him but I'm definitely holding onto to him if the board will let me. Mixed end to the month - a great 2-0 win away at Portsmouth and a 4-1 thumping of Peteborough at home was followed by a very poor 3-1 loss at home to Reading in the League Cup and a 2-0 loss away at top of the table Southampton who so far have a 100% record.

Ninth place is great, (at this very early stage) but I'm worried at the way I've already lost two home games against better sides (Birmingham and now Reading). I'm also yet to draw in my seven games in charge - the balance is not yet here, as playing Counter at home seems to invite better teams onto me too much whilst Standard leaves things too open. My away form has been pleasing though - McSheffrey and Jutkiewicz make a lovely counter-attacking combination, and O'Donovan's pace has been surprisingly useful as well. Clingan's on 3 goals already too, another key player - he smashed in this stunning 35 yarder against Peterborough:

[video=youtube;Fp74UJXLZuY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp74UJXLZuY

[manutdfan123]

Yeah you did better then me in my first team I ended up 17th in the league but 2nd season was 13th 3rd season ended 9th so gradual progression is always good.

[Mike_Cardinal]

September was a strange month. I asked for more draws and I got them. 0-0 draw at home with Blackpool isn't a terrible result - we couldn't quite break them down but seemed to be holding on a bit at the end. Really good display at Barnsley, but my deserved 1-0 win was scuppered by a last minute equaliser. Then a third consecutive draw - 2-0 down at Brighton at half time, I rallied the troops and we dominated for 45 minutes, coming out with a 2-2 final result. Finally, confirmation that we are dreadful at home (or against teams who set up to defend against me so I can't counter them - don't seem to have the attacking quality to take teams apart) - we lost 2-0 at home to Hull who were bottom at the time. That leaves us 10th, with 12 points after 9 games, which is fine, but I won 3 of my first 4 and now haven't done so in 6 - against Bristol City at home would be a good place to get back in track, assuming I can improve my home form.

[Mike_Cardinal]

October

A good, unbeaten month! I wanted a win against Bristol City, and we managed exactly that with a 2-1 victory. We then continued our drawing run and good away form, drawing 1-1 at Ipswich and at home to Leicester and 0-0 at Millwall. Our month ended on a high note, as we played very well in beating Middlesbrough 2-0, with Jutkiewicz getting back to scoring ways after a few matches of being off form - David Bell gave two sumptuous assists, with a cracking through ball that split the defence from deep and a great run which culminated in a super cross to the back post from the byline.

This means we remain comfortable in 11th place with 21 points from 14 games. Incidentally, with 13 goals conceded, we have the second best defensive record in the league after Birmingham on 10, and they've played a game less. Probably a result of my generally cautious, counter-attacking strategy, but it shows where the team's strengths lie. Problems come further forwards, as we need McSheffrey, Bell, Jutkiewicz or Eastwood to have a really good day to stand a chance of beating most teams - bar a Clingan wondergoal or set piece. I'm starting to think about January, and whether a couple of player sales and loaning people out might free up enough wage budget (I'm currently JUST under it and losing 400k odd a month) to bring in a quality offensive player or two on a loan or free would give me an outside chance at mounting an attack on the top half, and maybe the play-offs with a bit of luck - it is a bizarre league. The main knack to managing Cov, I think, is being shrewd tactically and in keeping players happy. Use the means available to keep morale up as high as possible, and scour reports and line ups to look for any potential weakness to be exploited in the opposition, keep it tight at the back, and you have a chance of nicking a result in any game.

[jamiegolf]

Well well guys...lifelong sky blues fan here....which also translates to lifetime sufferer!!! Can i quickly say a huge thankyou t Mike for creating this thread; you have clearly put a lot of time and effort into this and it is much appreciated...as a Coventry fan I sometimes feel alone in this footballing world so it's fantastic to see more of the Sky Blue Army! Please support this thread!

So our financial information is awful and not looking at getting any better anytime soon...where is our Dubai Oil Tycoon?!?!

Despite this I am happy and very proud to tell you that I have got Coventry promoted in the 2nd season via the playoffs. I finished 11th in the first season. I found the 2nd season very hard financially, and if i hadnt of secured promotion i would have seriously beein in trouble for the 3rd season.

I took the risk in season 1 of selling cranie and jutkiewicz, this got me a mass of money (for cov) and allowed me to buy some bargains: Marlon Harewood was awesome, Amdy Faye, Cha Du-Ri from Celtic and a left back called Sbai. Also bought a guy called Drinkwater as a long term signing (centre mid) and he is fab. Hardly played Eastwood to be honest. David Bell was awesome for me in both seasons, and McSheffrey too! Legend!

We do have some solid championship players such as mcsheffrey, wood, keogh, clingan so a good spine of the team does exist. Therefore solid possession based football should be the basis...afterall if the opposition do not have the ball then they cannot score!

The second season was awesome, I managed to get Venegoor of Hesselink who was amazing....i was over the moon to get him, also got frei on a cheapy as well. So loads of experience upfront (also got dudek as back up keeper) on short term contracts, in the hope that when (or if!) i get promoted their contracts will be up and i can reinvest their wages in better players. This worked to a tee!!

Im aware this thread may be short on detail but Im hoping to offer some quick insights into who i bought etc. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions, I am happy to help out. I will add more info as and when.

I am building up to Premier League footy now so looking for bargains and a little experience to help the youngsters come through. Long term aim is to have a young team, with world class youth facilites....and I want players such as Jordan Clarke, Bigirimania (bad spelling i know!) to be constant fixtures in the team...even if they dont quite come up to standard!

Thankyou guys, keep the support up...PUSB!!!

[Mike_Cardinal]

Nice one jamiegolf - definitely know what you mean about suffering as a Cov fan. Bigi and Christie's stats are shooting up for me already, not sure how far off their potential they are, though. Interesting that you sold Cranie and Jutkiewicz - they've been two of my better players but maybe aren't worth it. I'm playing it safe this season, but given the amount of money I'm losing I really can't imagine I'll be able to hold onto my better players, so there might be a bit of a clearout and an attempt to pick up bargains instead. I also want to play possession football, but I really don't think that my original squad has got the players for it - maybe I should just give it a go as it worked out for you. My long-term aims are to establish us a top flight force, buy the stadium and also produce some of my own local talent, but that seems a long way off. Good luck in the Premier League, anyway, and keep us updated!

[manutdfan123]

Yeah good luck Jamie and Mike hope you do well, just got a game as Sheff Utd and Sheff Weds but will come back to my Coventry game eventually.

[jamiegolf]

Thanks Guys.

I noticed that at the start of the game i was given approx 50% of any transfer revenue that I received, maybe a little more. By end of second season this had dropped down to 10% so I think I got really lucky decidng to sell earlier and reinvest. I was given £16m and a wage budget of £135k after promotion. I decided to adjust the wage budget to £200k and the transfer came down to £10m.

I have just bought Craig Dawson from West Brom, Rafinha from Chelsea, Miku and Macheda. Most of these were spread out over 48months, but are mainly young players. Have bought a few others but cannot remember there names. I will look into how to post screenshots and put some images up when i get chance.

Have just played first game of season at home to Fulham...attendance was 28,000...awesome! And i won 4-1! WTF! I am more than confident of staying up, building reputation and starting to attract better players....when we have money. Loan payments stop next year which will be £500k a month better off, so its starting to take shape.

I decided last year to really concentrate on the structure of the club, i.e scouts, physio etc...I want a good solid foundation in place so we can grow from there. Im trying to hire great ex-players as staff to help with their experience...even if they're reputations are great initially.

My current balance is -£7m.....eeek! Im sure I will be able to manage this...somehow!!

Keep up the good work Mike,

Jamie

[Mike_Cardinal]

My balance is now into the red! Still losing hundreds of thousands a month, but not like I care - I might even have an outside chance at the play-offs at this rate:

November

Leeds United 0-1 Coventry City

A great piece of smash and grab against an underachieving Leeds side. They had more shots, but we had the better chances, defended well and hung onto an early Jutkiewicz goal - Murphy was Man of the Match.

Reading 2-0 Coventry City

For the second time against this team, we were comprehensively outplayed. They got their goals in the first 13 minutes, and I was worried they were going to hit double figures. However, we played quite well after this, and though we didn't take any of our chances, neither did they - they managed 5 clear cut chances, most of which came from breaking absurdly quickly after our attacks had died out.

Coventry City 4-3 Derby County

Not a typical result for my team! For the first (and only so far) time this season, I didn't use the 'Defensive Positioning' Match Preparation, instead going for Attacking Movement to try and kill off a Derby side deep in the relegation zone. The difference told. We were sensational, managing 59% of the possession and 6 clear cut chances to their 1, as Eastwood (finally another goal!) and Jutkiewicz put us two up in ten minutes, before they got one back with a long range strike that Murphy seemed to make a mess of. Brilliant football and a McSheffrey goal followed, so I was a little bemused at the scoreline as Steven Davies went on a incredible run and pulled another goal back for them to make it 3-2 at half time. We continued to dominate, so I was more than a bit annoyed when they equalised in the 77th minute. On came Platt for Eastwood, an Attacking strategy, wingers pushed up and instructions to get the ball down the flanks and into the box. It worked, David Bell did what he always seems to against tired defences, (probably due to good stamina but average speed), tearing past two players and pulling back a fantastic ball which Clive Platt crashed into the net. Justice!

Coventry City 1-1 Burnley

Not a bad result against a side that have been in the top 6 at least all season. We were surprisingly excellent again, dominating possession and creating the better chances. Richard Wood flicked in a corner at the near post after 5 minutes and the commentary confirmed that we had Burnley rocking with a couple of lines like 'Coventry are really taking the game to Burnley' and 'Can Burnley weather the storm?'. All this on a Counter strategy. Sadly, we weren't good enough in front of goal, they improved second half and pulled back a goal from a wide free kick with around half an hour to play. Scared to go for the win too much for fear of losing, we plugged away on a Standard strategy, and though Platt seemed likely to cause problems, things finished level.

Doncaster Rovers 2 - 4 Coventry City

Another crazy game. Doncaster are admittedly bottom of the table and low in confidence compared to the great team spirit my side have at the moment, and I hate to blow my own trumpet, but we looked very good again. Clingan and Jutkiewicz tore them apart, and we were a comfortable 2-0 at half time. They scored with a move straight from the kick off in the second half, with our side's first touch being Murphy picking the ball out the back of the net. We eased the nerves with two late, counter attacking goals chiefly revolving around the running of Platt and Jutkiewicz and Livermore's creativity before they grabbed a late consolation.

Overview

These results mean that I'm sitting pretty in seventh place with 31 points after 19 games, only two points off Brighton in the last play-off place. To be realistic, I know that form is temporary, my team lack the attacking quality to regularly break teams down, and though my central midfielders offer a great mix of industry and craft and my defence are solid players capable of playing with their backs to the wall, they are not outstanding individually and are a little lacking in pace as a general rule. However, my side are proving very difficult to beat, and seem to be improving all the time.

Platt has particularly impressed me since he came back from injury and gives me a new option, but I'm considering whether selling Eastwood, O'Donovan and McDonald and perhaps Hussey in January (I don't use the latter three and Eastwood has shown quality only really in glimpses which I can easily replace) would be worth it to free up funds, but more importantly the wages, to infuse my side with enough attacking quality on loan to really have a go at promotion this year before the money disappears completely. My player search indicates that I could get Federico Macheda on loan (for free!), and perhaps him and another pacey, talented young thing who can play out wide would just give that little bit extra. Even if we don't do quite that well, we're playing well above my expectations of this group of players, and I can't wait for the rest of the season.

[SBAndy]

Anyone care to elaborate on how exactly to get the team performing, and what signings to make. Ideally I'd be happy to sell Juke and Cranie but never seem to get any offers for either of them. Had 2 goes as Cov now, finished 18th and 19th, with no real promise going into the second season either time. As you start off with such a small budget it is impossible to bring in any real talent in the first transfer window. I also find it's nigh-on impossible to bring any decent players in on frees in the second year as their wages are usually too much. Last year's FM I took Cov to consistent Prem winners with ease, but this time out it seems so much harder. I really need help.

One thing I did in my second attempt was bring in a few loan signings, of which 2 were fixtures in the first team all season (Grant Hanley and Jose Baxter). Is this a good way to go? Or is it ultimately going to end in me having holes in the team?

So yeah, some kind of formula for doing well(ish) first season with a decent outlook for second season would be nice.

[Mike_Cardinal]

I don't know about any formula, but I think that in the Championship on FM the tiniest details make the biggest differences. Look for weaknesses in the opposition's team and formation, then exploit them. Do they have a slow or short defender? Do they play a narrow formation vulnerable to attacking wide players? Equally, do they have an AMC who needs to be tightly marked or a fast forward that necessitates you playing a deeper defensive line? Cov don't have a great team at all, but certainly one that can hold out for a draw against any opposition if they're set up well. Momentum seems important - consistent morale is crucial to a good season on FM. Use private chats, team talks and team meetings to boost morale exactly as it is needed - if a player's morale is still low as you go into a game, try and improve their performance with a personal team talk. But yeah - you need to sell to buy, and they don't give you much of what you gain from selling, so it's just about making the best out of what you've got. Loans are great in that you can get higher quality players in for nothing, but are a gamble of short-termism over long-termism - it's better to buy a player if the loanee probably won't make a vital difference to your team in that season and therefore long term. My signings have been Stephen Jordan and Richard Hughes on frees, then Jake Livermore on loan, and things are going well, though maybe it won't last as I'm only just under the halfway point. It's hard to give a recipe for success as the game is so complex now - it's all about how much of you can in interact with.

[manutdfan123]

I signed Joe Lewis on a free in the 2nd season and sold my goalie to make some money, then sold Joe Lewis after signing another goalie on a free but cant remember his name then I sold him after I signed Robert Green so Ive made money that way and just looked for bargains and loans, thats all you can do really.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Gutting. A sublime 4-0 win at home to Cardiff means that only goal difference separates us from the play-offs, but an even game at managerless Forest results in a 1-0 loss after a counter attack in the 93rd minute and Jutkiewicz is injured and now ruled out for 6-7 weeks. I hope we can cope without him - 10 league goals in 21 games so far for him.

EDIT - The rest of November was quite simple in that we continued to win our home games and lost away. A good comeback saw us respond to going 2-0 down in 16 minutes against Watford to win 3-2, we then got thumped 3-0 at runaway leaders West Ham, though two of those goals came from corners. We rounded off 2011 with an easy 1-0 win at home against bottom club Palace - it took a 81st minute McSheffrey penalty to get us over the line, though. Anyway, we're in 8th place with 40 points after 24 games, and remain a point off Brighton who have the last playoff place at the moment. Eastwood has scored a couple of goals recently, so I'm reconsidering selling him. I'll update with January transfer news, should be there be any.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Three interesting results since beating Palace. We drew 1-1 at home to Pompey but were definitely the better team - they had 2 shots, one went in after a good move and the other was a long shot. We had 59% of the possession, 21 shots, 7 of which were on target, hit the woodwork 3 times, squandered 3 clear cut chances, 4 half chances and another 14 other chances. Livermore scored a lovely goal, but we really should have won a game which would have lifted us into the play-offs - they elude us still.

Then I decided to do some January dealings. I really wanted Marlon Harewood (thanks for the tip Jamie), so he came in on a free after the board gave me a bit more money to adjust expectations from Consolidate to Midtable - I'm being conservative. I've loaned out McDonald and Hussey and also Cameron again, and released Roy O'Donovan in order to fund the wage budget to sign Sone Aluko, also on a free, who'll give me a nice and cheap backup option as a left winger.

Then came two good performances, a surprisingly comfortable 1-0 win against Stoke in the FA Cup in front of a sold out Ricoh was followed by a good display at Birmingham who are a very good team - they had a player sent off on 33 minutes and McSheffrey put us a goal up just before half time, but they equalised not long after. I wasn't sure whether to go for it against the ten men or be happy with a point and avoid risking counter attacks, and the middle ground resulted in another 1-1 draw that could have been a win. We're still just outside the play-offs, a position we've been in for a while now, but Jutkiewicz will come back from injury either next match or the one after as he's training again now, and him and Marlon Harewood look a potent strikeforce in this division, especially with Eastwood, McSheffrey and Platt as backup options. Can I make the play-offs? Maybe, but if not then we certainly look good for a top half position I'd have bitten your and off for at the start of the season.

[Mike_Cardinal]

January ended in bizarre style - my tired team were obliterated 4-0 at home to Southampton! It was an even game, we probably even edged it, but they gave a frankly ridiculous display of clinical finishing, taking every chance they had, whilst we spurned a handful. However, we managed a 2-0 win at Peterborough and a 2-2 draw at West Ham in the fourth round of the cup, and Harewood got 3 of the 4 goals, with Jutkiewicz grabbing the other on his first game back - they're going to be a real handful. I didn't really want a replay in the cup - the league is definitely my prime focus, but anything that might earn us a little cash is a bonus. Hopefully we can win the return game in a week or so at the Ricoh, as a Fifth Round tie away to Middlesborough and Preston is winnable enough to give us a money spinning tie through TV and possibly gate receipts. One game at a time though, and we are STILL a point off the play-offs - it's been this way for at least a couple of months I think - this time in 8th. We're yet to get into the play-offs all season, only at certain points during games so far. Things are very tight - Brighton and Southampton on 46 points, we're on 45, Pompey are on 44 and Ipswich are on a good run on 43, though Brighton and Portsmouth have been alongside me for most of the season. PUSB!

[Mike_Cardinal]

February

A good month which saw me finally make the jump up into the play-offs, and I was named the runner up in Manager of the Month! David Bell was also a runner up in the Player of the Month - this is the first time this season that either me or a player has been recognised in anything other than the Team of the Week.

Blackpool 0-3 Coventry

A nice reaction to the thumping Southampton gave us, and a really good counter attacking win. They had no answer to the pace and power of Jutkiewicz/Harewood.

Coventry 2-3 West Ham

Frustrating, in that I really thought we had this in the bag. We missed a load of chances, then took the lead, only to lose it to a smashing goal from Bentley, shortly followed by a 35 yard screamer from their right centre back after we cleared a corner out to him. Perhaps a blessing in disguise, as it allows us to focus on the league, but as West Ham proved with their 4-1 win - Preston wouldn't have likely posed much of an obstacle between us and the Quarter Finals.

Coventry 3-0 Barnsley

Another crushing victory including a brace for Jutkiewicz. The man is on fire since his return from injury. Incidentally, this elevated me into the play-offs for the first time this season.

Hull 1-0 Coventry

Like Southampton, they've now done the double over me. We were given a lesson in taking your chances in here, not good enough in possession or in front of goal. Straight back out the play-offs.

Coventry 3-1 Brighton

Much more like it against a play-off rival. They took the lead, but two goals from Harewood (His first in 6 games) turned the match in our favour after an excellent finish from Bell. Back into the play-offs.

Bristol City 1-2 Coventry

Fantastic result against the team just above me, taking me up to the dizzying heights of 4th! Harewood beat two players on the right flank and sent over a great cross that Jutkiewicz characteristically crashed in, they equalised with a header from a free kick soon after, but Sammy Clingan won the day in the 81st minute with yet another screamer of a 35 yard free kick. That's 8 goals and 10 assists from him in the league so far this season - I don't know how he hasn't won a Goal of the Month competition yet.

So, we're now sitting in 4th place, firmly in the play-offs, but I'm desperately hoping that we've not peaked too soon. There are fifteen games left, and the top three of Burnley, Birmingham and West Ham are probably well out of my reach, whilst only 4 points separate us from Brighton in 10th place - there are at least 7 sides with a great chance of taking the last three play-off places at the moment, in my opinion. On the upside, we are looking better and better - Harewood has 4 goals and 3 assists from his 8 league games so far, and Jutkiewicz has managed 6 goals and an assist in HIS 8 games since returning from injury. A deadly duo. Next up is Ipswich who are now in 6th place after winning 8 games in a row, a run which ended as they drew at Forest but they responded by beating Watford and now are coming to the Ricoh hoping to go 11 unbeaten. Can't wait!

[jamiegolf]

Hey Guys,

Mike, great to see the thread gaining momentum...and great posts too. Good luck with coming to the end of the season. My last post involved me just starting out in the Premier League after gaining promotion via the playoffs. I started the season with a 4-1 Home win over Fulham....fantastic I thought, this is going to be a doddle!

Sadly, I am not the amazing manager I thought I was lol! I made some fantastic signings in Macheda from Man United and Ben Foster on a free, but I really do feel like I have wasted the £16m budget I was given on a general mix of averageness. I think that having little money from previous seasons saw me with scouts that arent the greatest shall we say and I sadly listened to a couple of them rather than trust my own instincts. Lesson learnt!

I have three strikers that are just plainly not premier league material, a serious lack of quality in the middle of the park and one decent central defender. If it wasnt for Macheda and Foster id be down already!

Saying that, I am 15th with 21points from 21 games.....it is so tight though. I am 3 points off bottom and 3 points off 12th. My finances are good, I now have £2m in account despite beong £20k over wage budget each week. However I cannot get anyone in on loan, and there are people like Wellbeck and Sturridge available for peanuts and I cant even offer them a grand a week! And i cant sell anyone either. This is so frustrating now....what a game!!

Anyway, i think with Cov at the start of the game you most definitely have to look to sell top players and reinvest with loans and bargain buys. The squad and financial situation does not allow you to do much else, and you have to you have to hope you get a little lucky like I did and scrape through via the playoffs. It sounds like Mike is doing a great job so I advise reading his posts and following his progress. And Mike is doing it without selling Cranie or Jutkiewicz...are you an accountant in real life!!

I dont know if you guys are local to Cov in real life, but last night on Midlands Today there was a story on the Sky Blues reporting on fans prtoesting against SISU. A top councillor is making it his lifes aim to get the out and get some proper investors in....if only!! There was even a story that we may be able to buy a percentage of the stadium back...small progress but much welcomed. Anyway, good luck guys, keep reporting ack, I love seeing how everyone is getting on.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Nice one jamie - survival has to be deemed success, really. I'm not so sure about being an accountant! We're still not doing well in the finance stakes - all I've done is stay around 2k under the wage budget, and all of my (very few) signings have come from releasing, loaning out (with a wage contribution!) or selling players or from the boost to my budget the board generously gave me in January. Well, that and getting players to sign new and lower contracts with bonuses etc - so my only financial control is over the wage budget.

Also - I've just noticed that the loan repayments (which frankly, are pretty much the only reason we're losing hundreds of thousands of pounds a month) are only paid when we are in profit. So - in the last couple of months I've been around 600k in the red, which has meant the loan wasn't paid, and last month I lost 66k, and so far, in March (full update later) I've actually made 123k! I suppose this is a good thing - I was worried about going into millions of debt with these regular loan repayments. Can't wait to have the loan off my back, own the stadium and hopefully start to fill it up if I ever reach the top flight (seems a bit unrealistic considering Cov's real situation, though), and then I pray financial difficulty will be over. My percentage of transfer revenue currently available is 25% - that's worse than if I managed an MLS club!

Another thing - my assistant has started telling me that regular football is seeing improvements in training levels of a lot of my experienced players - and he's not lying! McSheffrey, Stephen Jordan, Richard Wood, Joe Murphy and Keogh's stats are all shooting up at the moment, presumably due to their playing the vast majority of my games this season.

[jamiegolf]

Wow I think iv just had the best performance by a coventry team in the premier (that iv ever managed anyway). Now, I was only playing Bristol City (who were 3 places and 2 points ahead of me) however a 6-2 win was much unexpected. I had 7 CCC's at half time!! Now 6 pts clear of relegation zone!!!

I still have Joe Murphy as No.2 GK, Clingan starts every game, and Bigirimana (spelling?) and McSheffrey are key players for me. Wish I still had Wood.

It sounds like you have a tight reign on the finances, great work. Bloody Cody McDonlad is killing me at the moment-he had a clause in contract on huge payrise ifgot promoted-he is now sitting in the reserves doing jack on £14k a week!! wtf!! Only a few months til he leaves though!!

Have you had any good youths develop at all Mike? Conor Thomas looks like he has potential.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Bit too early for the current youth players to reach their potential fully, but I do have high hopes for Jordan Clarke and hopefully Conor Thomas. Bigi and Christie are good enough as backups.

March

​A month of real ups and downs. I started it wondering if automatic promotion was still out the question, then just prayed I might still make the play-offs, something I'm starting to feel more confident about. I also made a profit of over £260k this month due to not paying the loan repayments, which leaves me at 400 and something thousand in the red.

Coventry 3-0 Ipswich

A brilliant win and performance against the division's form team at that time. This made it 3 consecutive wins, something I'd not managed yet all season. However, Wood and McPake both picked up injuries. I remained in 4th place.

Leicester 0-1 Coventry

An amazing defensive display took me up to third place, just a point off Burnley in second (though Birmingham below me had 2 games in hand - they won those later on). The amazing thing was that Jordan got injured, adding to Wood and McPake in being injured, and Jordan Clarke (Jordan's replacement) got himself sent off on the stroke of half-time. My makeshift defence of Keogh/Cranie/Christie/Deegan held on for the rest of the match quite comfortably, and we might have even added to Harewood's early goal. Possibly my high point of the season so far.

Coventry 1-3 Millwall

We came crashing back down to earth after 4 straight wins against a relegation candidate. The press billed this as my biggest game of the season, I'm not entirely sure why, but perhaps because a win would have taken us up to second, if only temporarily, but the loss dropped us down to 4th. This time my makeshift defence looked weak and tired, with Christie particularly looking out of his depth and having a disastrous game. We quickly went 2-0 down, and aside from a Jutkiewicz pen (he really does smash them in the corner!) we didn't take our chances and they extended the league with a late counter attack as I pressed for the equaliser.

Middlesbrough 3-0 Coventry

McPake and Jordan back, but we still looked all over the place. We were poor in front of goal, and my cautious strategy invited too much pressure on the defence which they tore to shreds. They looked a very good side, I slipped down to 5th place, joint on points with Pompey in 6th, and worried this was the start of a slide into mid-table.

Coventry 1-0 Leeds

Wood returned, and we returned to winning ways with a Harewood goal and a lot of spurned chances once again, though defensively we looked fine, happily, as we always seem to when playing sides without quick strikers.

Derby 2-2 Coventry

A mad game which we dominated but needed a 93rd minute equaliser from Harewood to get anything out of. Even more missed chances and crazy defending, but teams around and below me all lost.

Coventry 4-0 Reading

Possibly our most important and best result and performance so far against a side that had crushed me 3-1 and 2-0 earlier in the season. The importance was that they were in 7th place, and 4 points away from me. Pompey lost their match, we destroyed Reading and now are firmly in the play-offs in 5th place - 7 points off Reading who remain in 7th and 3 points ahead of Portsmouth in 6th. I don't expect us to catch Birmingham in second who have 74 points (West Ham are on 82, continuing to race to the title - I have them on the last day!) but it's nice to be within touching distance of them with 6 games to go. The most pleasing thing is that this very good side barely had a sniff at goal whilst we ripped them apart down the flanks, with the Bell/McSheffrey/Harewood/Jutkiewicz combination proving too much. Jutkiewicz grabbed two, and when Bell was injured (out for 3 weeks), Jake Livermore came onto the right flank and wreaked havoc for the last half hour, laying on a couple of goals.

So, 4 wins will seal our play-off place, which might be a bit too much to ask, but I really hope we can get over the line in any case. Next up is Burnley away - they're 3 points above me in 4th, so it's a big game. Avoid defeat and I'll have the enviable distinction of being unbeaten against all of the three sides currently in the play-off positions this season, though that doesn't necessarily count for anything. Bring on the rest of the season!

[Mike_Cardinal]

April

A fantastic last month of the regular league season in that we managed to go unbeaten and qualified for the play-offs, but we also really suffered as Jutkiewicz tore a calf muscle in the Burnley game which will put him out until August. We also continued to stay in 5th place for the entire month, where we've been since the Middlesbrough game.

Burnley 0-1 Coventry

Jake Livermore's goal and a super display from Joe Murphy saw us cling onto this hardly deserved result against what is a really good side.

Coventry 0-0 Doncaster

Bottom of the table and soon to be relegated, this was the sort of game I've not been used to as Cov manager - playing against a side only interested in stopping me score. We looked like missing Jutkiewicz already, and couldn't put away the chances we had.

Cardiff 2-2 Coventry

A great match. Either side could have been ahead at half-time, but we held the advantage through a Harewood goal. They had the advantage, however, of being able to bring on their lethal strikeforce of both Kenny Miller and Rob Earnshaw (45 goals between them in the league this season) on at half time, and went 2-1 up. We showed resilience though, and in the last minute a long ball into the box was controlled and layed off excellently by substitute Clive Platt, and Jake Livermore slotted it home.

Coventry 0-0 Nottingham Forest

We only needed another point to guarantee our play-off spot, and against a dangerous side I was quite cautious, so that's exactly what we got. Neither side really deserved to win - another display with a worrying lack of Jutkiewicz-esque cutting edge.

Watford 1-2 Coventry

A strange result that all but relegated Watford. We had not much to play for, they had everything, but rare set piece goals from Cranie and McPake put me in control and we managed to see out the game, for all Watford's huffing and puffing.

Coventry 2-1 West Ham

A great result to round off the season, and 4th time lucky for me against this team. Admittedly, they had already wrapped up the title and played a couple of kids, but we were 1-0 down at half-time and heading for 6th place and a play-off match up against Burnley, in my opinion the most dangerous of our possible opponents. We rallied well and McSheffrey and Harewood scored the goals to highlight a good performance in front of over 26k at the Ricoh and TV cameras. Avoiding defeat also means morale is really high going into the play-offs, undoubtedly a good thing.

So - this means we go into a double header against Bristol City, a side I beat 2-1 home and away this season, but was probably fortunate on both occasions. Regardless of what happens, I'm delighted at how this season has gone - 82 points is a great figure that we have reached, and in many ways we were unfortunate that West Ham and Birmingham are such excellent sides. I don't know if I can do it without Jutkiewicz - Eastwood has looked fairly unimpressive - but wish me luck, anyway!

[Mike_Cardinal]

Playoffs

Coventry 1-0 Bristol City

A great performance which extended our unbeaten run to 10 games. We dominated the match from the start, McSheffrey scored a wonderful individual goal after a good team move, and we really should have put away more of our chances. David James was man of the match, and Sammy Clingan was frustratingly injured for a couple of weeks after 5 minutes, meaning he missed the whole tie.

Bristol City 4-1 Coventry

A crushing defeat that wasn't quite as bad as it looks. Harewood scored a great breakaway goal after 5 minutes, and 2-0 up on aggregate we looked comfortable. I was thinking about Wembley and the possibility of the Premier League when David Clarkson lobbed Murphy from 35 yards with an outrageous strike. That was the score at half-time, and though we seemed to tire, we looked like holding out under Bristol pressure. Infuriatingly, Richard Hughes gave the ball away inside our box after a corner in the 84th minute, though, and it was 2-2. Then, just before extra time, Stephen Jordan was injured, and I'd used all three subs, meaning I'd have to hang on with 10 men. Our resistance lasted 18 minutes, and at 3-1 we had to go for another goal to try and get to penalties. Then, with the players giving all they had left, Bristol broke well and scored a humiliating fourth on the counter attack to give a flattering scoreline.

4-2 on aggregate was very generous on the eventual Playoff winners Bristol City (they beat Burnley 1-0 in the final), and I wonder if having my probable two best players in Clingan and Jutkiewicz might have made the difference, particularly in putting the tie to bed in the first leg. Jordan's injury and Hughes' catastrophic mistake are also very annoying, but overall I can be very proud of what I've achieved this season, and hope to at least emulate it in the future.

Season Overview

As you can see, a steady improvement across the season, but we never even flirted with mid-table obscurity, which actually was my aim at the start of the season!

The whole team was very good, as you can see. Strong performances generally in defence, Clingan was wonderful, Bell and McSheffrey did very well, as did Livermore, and Jutkiewicz and Harewood are my main strengths as a side.

Not that many changes from the original squad, overall, though I think I strengthened it in the most important areas. Jordan was excellent, Hughes was a good defensive option in midfield, Livermore slowly improved and became a key player in the middle or as a flying winger after being retrained and Harewood was a real game changer in my step up from top half team to play-off challengers. Harewood and Jordan have had their contracts extended, and I'm now thinking about the team for next season. Livermore's loan will obviously come to an end, Clive Platt and Chris Dunn want to leave at the end of the season for first team football which is fine, but otherwise I'll probably sell a few of the younger bits of dead wood like Hussey and McDonald and try and see how the team can be improved. We lack pace at the back, Murphy is a decent keeper but could certainly be improved upon, the midfield is fairly strong but could be more creative if I want to play possession football, and Eastwood probably isn't good enough to justify his wages up front, so I'll see who I can find. PUSB!

EDIT - Oh! Just to top it all off we were given £2.18m for participating in the Championship (no idea why!), which means we are a healthy £1m in the black for the moment with an overall profit for the season. I'm sure things will get worse soon as the loan repayments are resumed, but it's certainly a postive.

[jamiegolf]

Mike comiserations for the play-offs...how frustrating...sounds like you were robbed by lady luck!! But congratulations on a very successful season, play-offs for Civ is a fantastic achievement!!

I have a day off today so hope to get a good four hours in later in my quest for premier league survival. Currently 7 points ahead of the drop zone with about 14 games to go!

[Mike_Cardinal]

It's only the 21st of July, but my transfer activity is over and I'm now almost ready for the new season. Here are the ins and outs:

The only thing you can't see is that Bigirimana has gone out on loan for the season to MK Dons (I think it was them). I've got enough options in the centre of midfield without him in Clingan/Deegan/Hughes/Noble/Drinkwater, so I thought some first team football at a decent standard would be good for him (it also means that I am still JUST under my wage budget). My main changes are a strengthening of the Goalkeeper position - Murphy is okay, but Lewis looks fantastic and Price seems to be a better backup, an injection of pace into the backline with Howard, Smith and Nelson over McPake and Keogh (allowing me to play a higher defensive line) and a few midfield players to give me more creativity and tactical options. Ambrose wanted a transfer away as Palace went down, and Nelson looks like a fantastic prospect and might well become a fixture at centre back for years to come - I had to pay for his transfer fee over 48 months, but it should be worth in this case. I couldn't sell Eastwood, so he's gone out on loan. This is the first team squad for the season, consequently:

I'm trying to slowly transform from the counter attacking and at times quite direct side I was last season to a more positive, possession based passing side who can dominate games and play great football. That does not mean I won't be counter attacking, but I'd like to take the game to my opponents more. To do this, I'm going to switch between 4-4-1-1 (my first choice shape), a deeper 4-2-3-1 and occasionally 4-4-2 depending on the situation, rather than just playing the forms of 4-4-2 I used through all of last year.

Lewis comes in as an excellent shot stopper who's bigger and quicker off his line than Murphy was, which will help as I'll be playing a higher line, pressing the opposition so as to have as much of the ball as possible. As mentioned, my defence is becoming quicker and more offensive to help with this, and I have a really nice variety of options. Wood and Cranie are certainly still first team players despite the new arrivals, as whilst Howard will slot straight into the first team, Nelson and Smith will need a little bedding in as they hopefully reach their very high potential and become first choice - at times I might prefer Wood's height and strength at centre back or Cranie's defensive reliability across the back four instead. Hopefully Nelson and Smith's youth will not be an issue defensively, as the higher defensive line they allow me to play means I can use possession as my biggest defensive tactic, instead of backs to the wall defending all the time. Jordan is the first choice left back still and can expect to start every game with his excellent fitness levels. Clarke and Christie are decent cover, but I'm worrying about their development.

In midfield I'm retaining my solid Deegan/Clingan base, with Hughes there as a defensive backup and Drinkwater or Noble giving me other creative options. I could also play Nelson there, or at DM where I'm retraining both him and Deegan. Drinkwater, Noble or Ambrose will be starting as my first choice AMC, I've not yet decided who, but they all look like good players. Ambrose, along with the continuing development of Aluko, means I am no longer so reliant on McSheffrey and Bell out wide, who I expect solid seasons from again. Up front Jutkiewicz and Harewood are both outstanding goalscorers, and McSheffrey offers me nice backup.

So - how well can we do this season? The board and media seemed to think we can match last season's exploits - as I'm predicted to finish 6th in the table, and I told the board I'd finish in the top half of the table which was their lowest possible expectation. Newcastle, Swansea and QPR have come down, and all look decent sides - Newcastle particularly look like an even better version of West Ham last year with a high chance of running away with the title, whilst Huddersfield, Sheffield United and Charlton probably will not be pushover additions to the league. It's an incredibly tight league where pretty much any of the teams can beat any other side, and I'd say that about 2/3 of the league could be in line for promotion this season if things go their way, with many sides improving their squads over the summer - frustrating, as my wage budget remains one of the lowest in the league and I had to sell players before I could bring anyone in. That said, I think I've improved the squad, and hope that I can therefore make it into the play-offs again this year, but even if not, I should be playing some nicer football along the way, regardless. Wish me luck!

[OutClassed]

Will start up a Coventry game this evening and this will be the one I play until the post-January update. I thinkto make it challenging I'm going to limitmyself to 2 transfers of players over 21 a season, a maximum spend of £500k on 1 player and only sign British and Irish players. Should be interesting to see what's available from the off.

[Mike_Cardinal]

Nice one. I'm also playing only with players who have British or Irish nationality. I'm not sure the maximum spend limit will be an issue really - it's hard to afford anyone that costs so much from the off! I'd be interested to see what sort of youth you might develop with your over 21s limit, though. Good luck!

[jamiegolf]

Some great signings there Mike, very interested to see how you do next season!

Outclassed...there will be absolutely no problem for you making a challenge of managing Coventry....you'll see!! lol.

Im pleased to announce at the end of my first season in the Premier.....I stayed up!!! Had a great end to the season, picking up 7 points from the last 3 games....the last game saw a 1-0 home win over no other then MANCHESTER UNITED!! Great keeping performance from Ben Foster!!

In the new season i have been given a budget of £22m and a wage budget of £220k. My aim is to compete for the top 8. after finishing 13th last season!

Will put up screenshots when work out how.

Keep up the good work guys!