London City Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Introduction Welcome to my FM 2013 career thread! I previously started a career thread on FM 2011 but, unfortunately, my game became corrupted after a few seasons (probably due to the custom database that I was using). Hopefully, this save will last much longer. This career will be mostly based in Europe, although I may expand things a bit later on if I feel that I want a new challenge. I am only planning to do a couple of updates per season. Manager Profile [TABLE] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD]Name: Johannes de Wolff DOB: April 18th, 1981 (31 years old) Nationality: Dutch Second Nationality: English Experience: Professional Footballer Languages: Dutch, English, German[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Database Setup I am starting with just a small handful of playable nations loaded, but I may add more as I go on. I have a large number of view-only nations loaded. [TABLE] [TR] [TD]Playable Nations (All Divisions Loaded) England Germany France Holland USA [/TD] [TD]View-Only Nations (Top Division Only) [TABLE][TR] [TD] Spain Italy Portugal Brazil Russia Turkey Ukraine [/TD] [TD] Mexico Argentina Greece Australia South Korea Scotland [/TD][/TR][/TABLE] [/TD][/TR][/TABLE] Database size: Custom (Large) Load all players based in nation: England Load players with continental reputation: All continents Start Date: England (July 2012) House Rules I must remain at each job for at least three seasons (unless sacked). If I accept a new job within the same nation, I can only move one division above my current club (in other words, no skipping over a division). If I accept a new job in a different nation, I will use my judgment to adhere to the spirit of this rule. I cannot split time between club and country. If I accept an international management job, I must resign from my club position (and vice versa). Career Objectives Achieve promotion with any club Win a top domestic division Win a top domestic cup Qualify for a continental competition Win the Eredivisie at least three times with any club other than Ajax, PSV or Feyenoord Win the Champions League with a Dutch club Become manager of Holland Win the Euro with Holland Win the World Cup with Holland Become the greatest Dutch manager of all time Become the greatest European manager of all time Become the greatest worldwide manager of all time See out my career somewhere exoctic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Nice! Good luck with this! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 ***Warning: Spoilers*** Manager History Overview [TABLE] [TR] [TD]YEAR[/TD] [TD]CLUB[/TD] [TD]DIVISION[/TD] [TD]NAT[/TD] [TD]W[/TD] [TD]D[/TD] [TD]L[/TD] [TD]PTS[/TD] [TD]POS[/TD] [TD]CUPS/OTHER[/TD] [TD]SALARY[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2012-2013[/TD] [TD]Hayes & Yeading United F.C.[/TD] [TD]Blue Square Bet South[/TD] [TD]ENG[/TD] [TD]28[/TD] [TD]9[/TD] [TD]5[/TD] [TD]93[/TD] [TD]1st (22)[/TD] [TD]FA: 3rd Qual. Round FAT: 3rd Round[/TD] [TD]£19,500[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2013-2014[/TD] [TD]Hayes & Yeading United F.C.[/TD] [TD]Blue Square Bet Premier[/TD] [TD]ENG[/TD] [TD]15[/TD] [TD]8[/TD] [TD]23[/TD] [TD]53[/TD] [TD]18th (24)[/TD] [TD]FA: 1st Round FAT: 4th Round[/TD] [TD]£27,500[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Legend FA: FA Cup FAT: FA Trophy Compeitions Won Hayes & Yeading United F.C. Blue Square Bet South Champions (1: 2013) Awards Hayes & Yeading United F.C. Blue Square Bet South Manager of the Month (3: August 2012, October 2012, April 2013) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 [TABLE] [TR] [TD][/TD] [TD]Hayes & Yeading United F.C. Club Profile Year Founded: 2007 Nation: England Division: Blue Square Bet South Nickname: The United Rivals: Slough (Local), Woking (Local), Gateshead (Competitive) Club Status: Semi-Professional Reputation: Local Finances: Okay Wage Budget: £199,000 p/a Current Wage Total: £172,900 p/a Facilities Stadium Name: Kingfield Stadium, Woking, Surrey (groundshare with Woking F.C.) Built: 1989 Capacity: 6,036 (2,500 seated) Pitch Condition: Average Training Facilities: Fairly basic training facilities Youth Facilities: Basic youth facilities (Rented) Manager Contract Appointed: July 17, 2012 Wage: £19,500 Contract Length: 1 year (expires June 2013) Philosophies: None[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] For my first foray into management, I have decided to take over Coference South side Hayes & Yeading United F.C.. The club's brief history is described by Wikipedia as follows: Hayes & Yeading United Football Club was formed on 18 May 2007 after Conference South clubs Hayes F.C. and Yeading F.C. were merged. The club play with the motto "Porro Simul" on their badge. Translated from Latin, this means "forward together". The badge also features elements taken from the Middlesex crest and semblance of the colours from both the former sides. Having been relegated following the 2011-2012 season, Hayes & Yeading United F.C. are hoping to bounce straight back into Conference National. Brentford is our parent club, with the only result being that we host an annual friendly. According to hyufc.com, the club is sponsored by "prestigeous recycling and waste management company Powerday". I feel like there's some sort of joke in there about the squad being rubbish. Time will tell. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Nice! Good luck with this! Thanks for the encouragement! I'm hoping it will be a successful career. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2012-2013 Season Preview Summary I inherited a decent squad that should be able to compete at this level. However, there were some very significant weaknesses that needed to be addressed immediately, including wingers on both flanks. Unfortunately, I did not have much space to operate within my wage budget. The challenge was made all the more difficult as several larger sides made contract offers to one of my promising young players who was on a non-contract. I had to put him on a part-time contract in order to keep him at the club, effectively using up the remainder of my wage budget. As a result, I could only bring in new players either on loan or on non-contracts. Thankfully, I managed to make a few key acquisitions that should prove crucial this season. In terms of backroom staff, I inherited a useless Director of Football whose contract was mutually terminated on my first day at the club. I had no scouts or physios when I arrived. I hired both a Chief Scout and a regular Scout on non-contracts. I also hired a physio on a part-time deal. Finally, I rounded out my staff with a new Coach. Expectations The Board expects me to reach the promotion playoff, which is reasonable. My squad should be capable of making a title challenge. However, there isn't much depth at any position and we have no remaining wage budget. As a result, a spate of injuries could very well derail our plans. Board Expectations: Blue Suqare Bet South: Reach the promotion playoff FA Cup: First Round FA Trophy: Second Round Media Prediction: 2nd (Odds: 5-2 J/F) Transfer Activity [TABLE] [TR] [TD]Transfers Incoming: Leon Soloman, DL (Free) Hamza Aslan, ML (Free) Ben Gill, MC (Free) Carel Tiofack, AM L/R (free) Outgoing: None.[/TD] [TD]Loans Incoming: Kevin Betsy, MR (from Woking) Luke Norris, ST (from Brentford) Outgoing: None.[/TD] [TD]Staff Incoming: Claus Lundekvam, Chief Scout James Gray, Coach Jimmy Frain, Scout Mick Gilbert, Physio Outgoing: Tony O'Driscoll, Director of Football (Mutual Termination)[/TD] [/TR][/TABLE] Total Amount Spent: 0 Total Amount Received: 0 Club Signing of the Window: Young Dutch winger Hamza Aslan looks extremely promising. Managing to get him on a non-contract feels like a coup for our club. Hopefully, in time, I will be able to tie him down to a part-time deal. Squad Overview and Tactical Outlook Our primary formation will be a standard flat 4-4-2. Given the level of skill in this division (or lack thereof), we will play a simple, direct style with low creative freedom. Key Players: Note: I forgot to take screenshots of their profiles before the start of the season. I could take screenshots now, but then I'd be giving spoilers about how well (or poorly) they are doing! Brandon Hall (GK) Yassin Moutaouakil (DR) Kudus Oyenuga (ST) Notably, my #1 key player is on a non-contract! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Thanks for the encouragement! I'm hoping it will be a successful career. It's looking like a nice start. Knights fan? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreatTraveler Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Good Luck, should be interesting! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conardo Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I find Claus Lundekvam in every second FM 13 career thread, when starting in England Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenG Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Really love the layout you used to present the club's infos. Hope you don't mind if I use the same. Good luck for your first season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 Really love the layout you used to present the club's infos. Hope you don't mind if I use the same. Good luck for your first season! Thank you! And no, I don't mind at all. I'm using tables to keep the layout nice and clean, and I'm pretty pleased with the result. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 I find Claus Lundekvam in every second FM 13 career thread, when starting in England Good luck! Thanks. I think he's about the best scout available for an English club at this level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2012-2013 Mini-Update A quick mini-update on a couple of recent notable events. My 34 year-old defender/midfielder Mark Bentley suffered a major injury that will keep him out of action for the rest of the season. I had mostly been using him as a rotation option anyway, so this pretty much guarantees that I will not be renewing his contract at the end of the season. However, I've had several recent conversations encouraging Bentley to look into coaching once he hangs up his boots for good. Currently, his profile indicates that he is looking into coaching with a view to management when he retires. So, I may end up bringing him back as a coach if his ratings are any good. If he does go on to become a manager, I will be follow his career closely and post updates here. On a second note, we have officially moved back into our own stadium, The Warren. We had been groundsharing with Woking while our stadium was undergoing repairs. (click to enlarge) Our massive new digs can accomodate 2400 supporters, with 250 of them seated. We'll be hosting major international tournaments in no time, I'm sure! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2012-2013 Mid-Season Update Summary We started off with a massive unbeaten streak in the league that left us comfortably ahead at the top of the table. However, we struggled mightily through December and, although we are still narrowly ahead of the pack, it is clear that we are not simply going to run away unchallenged in the league. In the meantime, I have started offering contract extensions to some of my key playing personnel. However, with limited ability to give pay raises, this is proving to be a significant challenge. Competitions Blue Square Bet South (click to enlarge) So far, we are on course to achieve promotion. We have a key match coming up against second placed Maidenhead, so a win will put us in a great position for the final push to the title. FA Cup Hayes & Yeading 3-1 Lewes (FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round) Boreham Wood 2-1 Hayes & Yeading (FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round) We failed to meet the Board's expectations in the FA Cup by losing to fellow Blue Square Bet South side Boreham Wood. On the bright side, we will be able to devote more attention to the league. FA Trophy Hayes & Yeading 2-0 Sutton Utd (FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round) Hayes & Yeading 1-0 Histon (FA Trophy 1st Round) Hayes & Yeading 1-0 Dartford (FA Trophy 2nd Round) We have exceeded the Board's expectations by advancing to the 3rd round of the FA Trophy. Unfortunately, our next draw will be a tough one for us. Transfer Activity I made a few moves to reduce the wage bill in order to allow me to offer extensions to more important players. At the same time, Crewe offered a contract to my Head of Youth Development, leaving me a little short of backroom staff. My squad is currently feeling the effects of fixture congestion. As a result, I will be looking to add some depth during the January transfer window. However, due to my wage budget situation, I can only bring in players on non-contracts or on loans. [TABLE] [TR] [TD]Transfers Incoming: None. Outgoing: Dan Spence DR (Free to Welling) Daryl McLean ST/AMR (Free to Havant & W) [/TD] [TD]Loans Incoming: None. Outgoing: None.[/TD] [TD]Staff Incoming: None. Outgoing: Derrick Matthews, Head of Youth Development (Free to Crewe)[/TD] [/TR][/TABLE] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 According to hyufc.com, the club is sponsored by "prestigeous recycling and waste management company Powerday". I feel like there's some sort of joke in there about the squad being rubbish. Time will tell. Ba-dum tish! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 Ba-dum tish! I always wondered how to spell the cymbal sound. Now I know. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenG Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Well it is going pretty easily, hope your players can keep it up to achieve promotion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2012-2013 Season Recap Summary After a few hiccups in December, we coasted in the second half of the year, easily capturing the Blue Square Bet South title! Unfortunately, our season was a complete disaster on the financial front (no fault of mine - I kept well within my alloted wage budget), resulting in a downgrade of our financial status to "insecure" (more on that to follow in the next update). Nevertheless, despite the uncertainty about our financial future, there is just cause to celebrate our successful league campaign and our promotion to the Blue Square Bet Premier! Luke Norris set a club record scoring 27 league goals from 32 appearances. He won league awards for Top Goalscorer and Player of the Year. Unfortunately, when his loan ended, he had no interest in moving to the club on a permanent basis. Fans' Player of the Year: Kudus Oyenuga Transfer Activity Due to some fixture congestion in December and January, I decided to sign a large number of youth players, simply to add some depth to the squad. While some of them may not have a future at the club, we at least have a full reserve side now (for the first half of the year, our reserve and youth squads consisted entirely of greyed-out players). Much more importantly, I brought Archie Love in on loan from Burnley to shore up my midfield. He played exceptionally well, and turned out to be one of our key players during our final push for the title. [TABLE] [TR] [TD]Transfers Incoming: Stevie Gordon, DL (Free) Ernie Simpson, DC (Free) Ian McNally, DC (Free) Nathan Beeden, ML (Free) Ellis Fitton, MR (Free) Connor Oldfield, MC (Free) Yonas Geza, ST (Free) Stuart Belt, ST (Free) Daniel Bisungu, ST (Free) Johnny Goddard, DM (Free) Josh Pike, DC (Free) Niall Wellington, DL (Free) Rico Taylor, AML (Free) Outgoing: Aristede Bassele, ST (Free to Egham)[/TD] [TD]Loans Incoming: Archie Love, MC (from Burnley) Outgoing: None.[/TD] [TD]Staff Incoming: Graham Liddington, Head of Youth Development Outgoing: None.[/TD] [/TR][/TABLE] Total Amount Spent: 0 Total Amount Received: 0 Club Signing of the Window: Archie Love was brought in on loan to shore up our midfield, and performed spectucularly from day one. Youth Intake (click to enlarge) A whole lotta' nothin'! I signed about half of the intake, simply in order to field a full youth side. Competitions League (click to enlarge) A solid finish saw us win the league comfortably, 12 points ahead of runners-up Salisbury. FA Cup Hayes & Yeading 3-1 Lewes (FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round) Boreham Wood 2-1 Hayes & Yeading (FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round) As indicated in the mid-season update, we failed to reach our expectations by crashing out to Boreham Wood. FA Trophy Hayes & Yeading 2-0 Sutton Utd (FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round) Hayes & Yeading 1-0 Histon (FA Trophy 1st Round) Hayes & Yeading 1-0 Dartford (FA Trophy 2nd Round) Hayes & Yeading 1-2 Luton (FA Trophy 3rd Round) Faced with injury problems and fixture congestion, I decided that there was no chance of winning against a much stronger Luton side. As a result, I gave several of my regulars a rest and fielded a team of mostly youth players. Nevertheless, we put in a credible performance, leaving me to wonder what might have been if I had fielded a full-strength side. World Update Barcelona took home La Liga and Champions League honours. Fair play to Fenerbahçe for defeating Liverpool in the Europa Final. Competition Winners Champions League: Juventus 1-3 Barcelona Europa League: Fenerbahçe e 2-1 Liverpool Premier League: Man Utd La Liga: Barcelona Bundesliga: FC Bayern Ligue 1: Lyon Serie A: Juventus Primeira Liga: Porto This and That: Arsenal had a dismal season, finishing 15th in the league and escaping relegation by a mere 2 points. Other surprises: Fullham finished 4th, Q.P.R. finished 5th and Newcastle was relegated. My predecessor at Hayes & Yeading, Nas Bashir, was appointed manager of Stalybridge Celtic. I'll check up on him in a few seasons to see how he's faring. I was a bit surprised that I didn't even crack the top three for Blue Square Bet South Manager of the Year. Unlike past versions, it seems like this game places more emphasis on exceeding expectations than on pure performance when awarding such honours. I think that is an improvement, as in previous versions it seemed as though the award always went to the manager of the club that won the title. This is easily the most unusual tactic I have ever faced in FM. I'm surprised they bothered fielding a striker at all! Career Update I demanded a contract renewal and a pay raise in January, which were both given (a one-year extension worth £27,000 p/a). However, at the end of the season, they gave me a further extension and raise: 3 years at £27,500 p/a. I am therefore committed to Hayes & Yeading through June 2016. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Love the layout Congrats on the promotion WHAT?! Arsenal finished 15th?! ****ing hell. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 Love the layout Congrats on the promotion WHAT?! Arsenal finished 15th?! ****ing hell. Thank you! Although, the next season is shaping up to be an uphill battle... more details to follow. The Premier League table as a whole looked a little bit odd. I'm really not sure what caused Arsenal to perform so poorly - maybe a terrible series of injuries? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 14, 2012 Author Share Posted November 14, 2012 Interestingly, Arsenal did advance to the Semi-Finals of the Champions League, losing to Barcelona. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 15, 2012 Author Share Posted November 15, 2012 Hayes & Yeading United F.C. Summer 2013 Mini-Update I am not quite ready to post my season preview for 2013-2014. However, I wanted to post a mini-update to advise of some major developments at Hayes & Yeading (all of which are very, very bad). As I indicated in my last update, our financial status has been downgraded to "insecure". So, I already knew that I would have my work cut out for me next season. Unfortunately, that job became a lot more difficult over the summer. First, following our promotion to the Conference National, the Board decided that we will become a full-time professional squad. Although this means more staff and more training time, I am deeply concerned about this change. From a practical perspective, it means that I can no longer offer non-contract deals or part-time contracts. I can only offer full-time or youth contracts. Players on full-time deals expect much higher wages since football will be their primary source of income. This means that I have to spend much more on wages that I did last season. Unfortunately, my budget has only marginally increased. Second, the Board announced plans to build a new stadium, Ferdinand Area (named for Les Ferdinand, who once played a season for Hayes in the 1980's). While I agree that we need a new stadium eventually, I think that it may be too soon right now. With the club's finances already "insecure", the Board have committed £4.2M for the construction of our new home. Financing for the new stadium comes in part from a £2.02M bank loan, as well as a £1.45M grant from the authorities, a £291k stadium sponsorship deal, and £625k from selling our old stadium. The Board expects that construction will be finished in time for us to play the 2015-2016 season at the new stadium. That is the final year of my current contract, but there is every possibility that I may move on to a new club before we ever set foot on the new pitch. Oh, and finally, the Board terminated our link with parent club Brentford. So, you know, there's also that. So, to summarize: The club is already in an "insecure" financial position. We have become a professional club, meaning that all of my players are demanding significantly higher wages. I have to start paying back a multi-million pound bank loan for a stadium that may not be finished before I move on to another club. In the meantime, we are still playing in a 250-seat stadium, so I can't generate much match day income. Yikes! Time to arrange some friendlies... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason the Yank Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 Check out the chairman's office, see if he has some exotic fish.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 17, 2012 Author Share Posted November 17, 2012 Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2013-2014 Season Preview Summary It's going to be a struggle. That's really all I can say. There has been a major turnover in terms of our playing personnel, mostly as a result of my inability to offer competitive wages. We will start the season with a negative bank balance, and will no doubt lose even more money over the course of the season. I tried to stop the bleeding as much as possible by arranging some major away friendlies (our stadium is too small to make money from home friendlies). After an astonishing 2-0 victory over Brentford, we were trounced by Leicester, QPR and Arsenal. The revenue from those matches left us just shy of getting back to a positive bank balance. Expectations The Board expects me to achieve a safe mid-table finish in our first season up. Given our poor financial status and the number of key players who have left the club, I think we will do well to avoid relegation and stay out of receivership. Board Expectations: League: Mid-table finish FA Cup: First Round FA Trophy: Third Round Media Prediction: 14th (14-1) Transfer Activity I tried to lock some of my more talented young players into multi-year professional contracts. However, in order to do that, I had to let several of my more experienced players move on. Unfortunately, I was unable to hang on to promising Dutch winger Hamza Aslan. Given our financial constraints, most of my new signings are also younger players. Hopefully they will give me just enough quality to consolidate our position in the Blue Square Bet Premier. [TABLE] [TR] [TD]Transfers Incoming: Andy Robson, DM (Free) Paul Clowes, MR/ML (Free) Elyon Egbeku, ST (Free) Sam Wilson, MC/ST (Free) Scott Rogers, DM (Free) Adam Evans, AML (Free) Ricky Mercer, DC/MC (Free) Tom Williams, DL (Free) Wayne Carlisle, MR (Free) Thijs Houwing, MC (Free) Outgoing: James Beasant, GK (Free) Ben Gill, MC (Free to Welling) Hamza Aslan, ML (Free to Salisbury) Leon Solomon, DL (Free to Morecambe) *Tom Cadmore, DC (Free) *Pelé, DC/DMC (Free) *Sam Cox, DMC (Free) *Elliot Legg, DR (Free) *Daniel Wishart, ML/ST (Free) *Jay Kalama, DC/DMC (Free) *My apologies for the lack of screenshots.[/TD] [TD]Loans Incoming: Regan Edridge, DC (from Chesterfield) Outgoing: None.[/TD] [TD]Staff Incoming: Adi Aymes, Fitness Coach Wayne Carlisle, Player/Under 18's Coach Ian Nolan, Reserves Manager Outgoing: None.[/TD] [/TR][/TABLE] Total Amount Spent: 0 Total Amount Received: 0 Club Signing of the Window: The only position where we have really upgraded since last season is at left fullback, where Tom Williams will replace Leon Solomon. Squad Overview and Tactical Outlook With our young and somewhat outmatched squad competing in a higher division than last year, we will line up with a conservative, counter-attacking 4-1-4-1 most nights, with last year's 4-4-2 in our back pocket whenever we feel we can compete for the win. Our biggest weaknesses are in the middle of the pitch: central midfielders and centrebacks. Key Players: Tom Williams, DL Yassin Moutaouakil, DR Brandon Hall, GK Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerud Posted November 17, 2012 Share Posted November 17, 2012 Yikes! Looks like your Chairman has his own version of a "fiscal cliff"...and he jumped right off it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 20, 2012 Author Share Posted November 20, 2012 Yikes! Looks like your Chairman has his own version of a "fiscal cliff"...and he jumped right off it! I'm really not sure what to make of it. My only guess is that he might be a sugar daddy, as he is now giving us monthly cash injections to cover our substantial operating losses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 20, 2012 Author Share Posted November 20, 2012 Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2013-2014 Mid-Season Update Summary Well, I knew from that outset that this season was going to be difficult. And, as of January 1, 2014, we find ourselves languishing in the relegation zone. On top of that, the club is bleeding money, and only remains afloat as a result of four cash injections from the Board to cover our monthly operating losses. Competitions League With 29 played, we find ourselves firmly in relegation territory. We've lost an impressive 19 out of 29 league matches and boast a league-worst -26 goal difference. On the plus side, there is still plenty of football to be played. With a little luck, hopefully we will be able to string together a few wins in the second half to avoid the drop. FA Cup Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2-1 Carshalton (FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round) Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 1-3 Tranmere (FA Cup 1st Round) We met the Board's expectations by reaching the first round, and then promptly lost to Tranmere. FA Trophy Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2-0 Basingstoke (FA Trophy 1st Round) Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2-0 Sutton Utd. (FA Trophy 2nd Round) We met the Board's expectations by reaching the third round. Now, the focus is on putting together a good run for the rest of the competition to bolster our finances. Transfer Activity With our finances in such a shambolic state, I have started shipping out anyone who is overpaid and underperforming. Unfortunately, that is a long list. Below are the first of my many efforts to trim the wage bill, and I expect that I will make more moves before the window closes. At the same time, I am trying to improve the playing squad. The only way that I can do this without taking on additional wage commitments is through loans. Unfortunately, most of the higher reputation clubs don't want their youngsters playing at such a low level on the pyramid. [TABLE] [TR] [TD]Transfers Incoming: None. Outgoing: Rourke Pickford, GK (Free to Redditch) Julian Owusu, ST (Free to Dorchester) Ricky Mercer, DC (Free to Carshalton) Paul Clowes, MR/ML (Free) Stevie Gordon, DL (Free) David Scully, MC (Free) Terry Sealy, MR (Free) Ernie Simpson, DC (Free) [/TD] [TD]Loans Incoming: Danny Jackson, DC (from Doncaster) Ricky Holmes, MR (from Barnet) Outgoing: None.[/TD] [TD]Staff Incoming: None. Outgoing: None.[/TD] [/TR][/TABLE] Miscellaneous The Board is not happy with my league performance but, so far, my job status is still "stable". However, I fear that if I can't turn things around soon, I may be told to pack up my office. Even if I can manage to stay up, I'm not sure how far I can progress as long as our finances continue to be so dismal. I started in the lower leagues because I wanted a challenge, and this game has delivered in spades. Wish me luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 Hayes & Yeading United F.C. Mini-Update Here is the relegation picture with two matches left to play. (click to enlarge) We sit three points clear of the relegation zone. Both of our remaining matches are at home. Fist we host league champions Plymouth. Next, we host relegated Alfreton. Neither of our remaining opponents have anything left to play for. However, Plymouth has enough quality to beat us even if they field their reserve side. Woking (three points below us) will host Grimsby (currently sitting 4th) and then play Tamworth (6th) on the road. Thankfully, both matches should prove a challenge for them. Harrogate (level on points with us) plays Stockport (2nd) and Kidderminster (13th), both away. Ebbsfleet (level on points with us) faces Forest Green (15th) and Hereford (8th), both away. This leaves us with a number of possibilities: If we win both of our remaining matches, we stay up. If we win one and draw one, we stay up. If we win one and Woking fails to get all six points form its two remaining matches, we stay up. If we get at least one point from our two remaining matches, we stay up if any one of the following occurs:Woking gets three points or less from its two remaining matches; Harrogate loses both of its remaining matches; or, Ebbsfleet loses both of its remaining matches. [*]If we take no points from our remaining matches, we stay up if Woking gets less than three points from its two matches. So, we have a lot of outs with this hand, but I'm not taking anything for granted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2013-2014 Season Recap Summary At the last update, we were sitting three points clear of the relegation zone with two matches to play. Our first challenge was against league Champions Plymouth, while our second was against relegated Alfreton. As the matches were just two days apart, I decided to make a strategic decision. I would field a heavily rotated squad against Plymouth, leaving my first team regulars fresh for the more winnable second match. Yet, to my surprise, my collection of reserves and youth players managed an impressive 1-0 win over Plymouth! That same day, Woking lost, ensuring our survival. Interestingly, my regulars could only manage a draw against Alfreton two days later. Fans' Player of the Year: Kudus Oyenuga Transfer Activity The process of trimming the wage bill continued. Most notably, I let recent signing Tom Williams leave on a free to Hednesford. He wasn't performing up to my expectations and was one of my highest wage earners. To replace Williams, I brought in Tom Sharpe on loan from Wycombe. [TABLE] [TR] [TD]Transfers Incoming: None. Outgoing: Gerry Clark, DL (Free) Greg Wood, ST/AM (Free) Ian McNally, DL (Free) Tom Williams, DL (Free to Hednesford) [/TD] [TD]Loans Incoming: Tom Sharpe, DL (from Wycombe) Outgoing: None.[/TD] [TD]Staff Incoming: None. Outgoing: None.[/TD] [/TR][/TABLE] Youth Intake (click to enlarge) Once again, our youth intake leaves something to be desired. I only ended up signing a couple of them. It doesn't matter who it was, as none of them will ever see meaningful football. Competitions Blue Square Bet Premier (click to enlarge) We performed much better in the second half and managed to stay up. Nevertheless, it was a poor season. The Board is unhappy with our performance in the league, having expected us to achieve a safe, mid-table finish. FA Cup Hayes & Yeading 2-1 Carchalton (FA Cup, 4th Qualifying Round) Hayes & Yeading 1-3 Tranmere (FA Cup, 1st Round) We met the Board's expectations by reaching the first round. FA Trophy Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2-0 Basingstoke (FA Trophy, 1st Round) Hayes & Yeading United F.C. 2-0 Sutton Utd. (FA Trophy, 2nd Round) Bath 1-3 Hayes & Yeading (FA Trophy, 3rd Round) Hayes & Yeading 1-2 Stockport (FA Trophy, 4th Round) We exceeded the Board's expectations by reaching the fourth round. World Update Barça continue to dominate, repeating as both La Liga and Champions League champions. Meanwhile, Man City took home the Premier League title. Competition Winners Champions League: FC Bayern 1-4 Barcelona Europa League: Stuttgart 3-4 Napoli Premier League: Man City La Liga: Barcelona Bundesliga: FC Bayern Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain Serie A: Juventus Primeira Liga: Benfica This and That: Stuttgart took Napoli to extra time in the Europa League Final, but were relegated from the Bundesliga. Barça have now won the Champions League four of the past six seasons. Tottenham were big spenders, bringing in Glen Johnson from Liverpool, Christian Fuchs from Schalke, Douglas Costa from Shakhtar, and Léonard Kweuke from Sparta Prague. The spending has continued into the summer, with Spurs bringing in Ryan Shawcross from Stoke, Etienne Capoue from Toulouse, and several others. Nas Bashir (my predecessor at Hayes & Yeading) was successful in his first full season at Stalybridge Celtic, finishing a strong third in the Blue Square Bet North and narrowly missing out on promotion. My former midfielder-turned-coach Mark Bentley remains unemployed. There is a good chance that I will make a move to add him to my backroom staff. I'm late in posting this, but Gabon were suprise winners of the 2013 African Cup of Nations. Liverpool sacked Brendan Rodgers last season and hired back Rafa Benitez. Then, they sacked him and brought in Javier Aguirre. Career Update I still have a few years to go on my contract with Hayes & Yeading, and I want to try to consolidate our position in the Blue Square Bet Premier. However, we are still in a very precarious financial position, and that won't change any time soon (not until construction of the new stadium is complete). According to my house rules, I am free to move to another club at the end of next season, so I may have a difficult choice at that point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 World Cup 2014 Preview Hosts: Brazil Groups [TABLE] [TR][TD]Group A Brazil Slovakia El Salvador Ghana [/TD] [TD]Group B Argentina Slovenia Mexico Nigeria [/TD] [TD]Group C United States South Africa Sweden Uruguay [/TD] [TD]Group D Belgium Croatia Colombia Australia [/TD][/TR] [TR][TD]Group E Japan Cameroon Italy England [/TD] [TD]Group F Portugal Chile South Korea Bosnia & Herzegovina [/TD] [TD]Group G Canada Denmark Algeria Spain [/TD] [TD]Group H Netherlands Iran Ireland Peru [/TD][/TR] [/TABLE] Football fans around the globe are getting excited for this summer's World Cup in Brazil. The groups have been drawn, the squads have been selected, and the managers are fine-tuning their tactics. There are some notable absences from this year's tournament. Germany failed to qualify after finishing third in their qualifying group (behind both Sweden and Ireland). Turkey lost its playoff match to Belgium, while France fell to Slovakia. Egypt and Honduras also failed to qualify from their respective tournaments. Full credit to Canada who finished second in the final stage of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament, just ahead of the United States! Group E looks toughest to me and will certainly be the most interesting. I'm also keeping my eye on Group H, where Ireland have a chance to get through after an impressive run in the UEFA qualifier. My predictions are as follows: A:Brazil, Ghana B:Argentina, Mexico C:USA, Sweden D:Belgium, Colombia E:Italy, England F:Portugal, South Korea G:Netherlands, Ireland I am also picking Brazil to win the tournament on home soil. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 World Cup 2014 Recap Hosts: Brazil After an exciting tournament, Argentina were crowned world champions. Of note: Hosts Brazil lost in the second round to eventual winners Argentina. Ghana had a great run, topping Group A after beating Brazil 3-1. Not only that, they adanced all the way to the third place playoff, losing to the Netherlands. The United States failed to advance from Group C, finishing behind Uruguay and Sweden. Ireland continued to play well, finishing second in Group H (behind the Netherlands) before losing to Spain in the second round. Croatia put up a great fight in a cracking 5-4 quarter final loss to eventual winners Argentina. Group Stage [TABLE] [TR] [TD]GROUP A[/TD] [TD]W[/TD] [TD]D[/TD] [TD]L[/TD] [TD]PTS[/TD] [TD]GD[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ghana[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]+3[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Brazil[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]6[/TD] [TD]+2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Slovakia[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]+3[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]El Salvador[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]-8[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD]GROUP B[/TD] [TD]W[/TD] [TD]D[/TD] [TD]L[/TD] [TD]PTS[/TD] [TD]GD[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Argentina[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]+4[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Slovenia[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]5[/TD] [TD]+1[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Mexico[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Nigeria[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]-5[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD]GROUP C[/TD] [TD]W[/TD] [TD]D[/TD] [TD]L[/TD] [TD]PTS[/TD] [TD]GD[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Uruguay[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]9[/TD] [TD]+6[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Sweden[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]+3[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]United States[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]+1[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]South Africa[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]-10[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD]GROUP D[/TD] [TD]W[/TD] [TD]D[/TD] [TD]L[/TD] [TD]PTS[/TD] [TD]GD[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Colombia[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]+4[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Croatia[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]+3[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Belgium[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]-2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Australia[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]-5[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD]GROUP E[/TD] [TD]W[/TD] [TD]D[/TD] [TD]L[/TD] [TD]PTS[/TD] [TD]GD[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Italy[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]+4[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]England[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]5[/TD] [TD]+2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Cameroon[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]+3[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Japan[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]-9[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD]GROUP F[/TD] [TD]W[/TD] [TD]D[/TD] [TD]L[/TD] [TD]PTS[/TD] [TD]GD[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Portugal[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]+3[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Bosnia & Herzegovina[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]5[/TD] [TD]+2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Chile[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]-2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]South Korea[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]-3[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD]GROUP G[/TD] [TD]W[/TD] [TD]D[/TD] [TD]L[/TD] [TD]PTS[/TD] [TD]GD[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Spain[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]+2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Algeria[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]5[/TD] [TD]+2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Denmark[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Canada[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]-4[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [TABLE] [TR] [TD]GROUP H[/TD] [TD]W[/TD] [TD]D[/TD] [TD]L[/TD] [TD]PTS[/TD] [TD]GD[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Netherlands[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]+5[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ireland[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]6[/TD] [TD]-1[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Peru[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]1[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]+2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Iran[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]3[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [TD]-6[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Second Round Ghana 3-1 Slovenia Brazil 1-2 Argentina Colombia 1-0 Sweden Uruguay 0-2 Croatia England 1-4 Portugal Italy 3-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina Netherlands 1-0 Algeria Spain 2-0 Ireland Quater Finals Argentina 5-4 Croatia Ghana 4-1 Colombia Portugal 2-4 Spain Italy 1-2 Netherlands Semi Finals Ghana 2-3e Spain Argentina 4-1 Netherlands Third Place Playoff Netherlands 5-3 Ghana Final Spain 1-2 Argentina Awards Best Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas, Spain Golden Ball: Sergio Agüero, Argentina Golden Shoe: Sergio Agüero, Argentina Best Young Player: Jetro Willems, Netherlands Goal of the Tournament: Lionel Messi, Argentina (v Croatia) Dream Team:GK: Iker Casillas, Spain DL: Jordi Alba, Spain DC: Giorgio Chiellini, Italy DC: Gerard Piqué, Spain DR: Sergio Ramos, Spain ML: Arjen Robben, Netherlands MC: Luka Modric, Croatia MC: Wesley Sneijder, Netherlands MR: Dirk Kuyt, Netherlands ST: Sergio Agüero, Argentina ST: Lionel Messi, Argentina Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
London City Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 So, my game keeps having memory leaks and crashing at random times. These issues are stalling my progress on this save and, unfortunately, making me lose my enthusiasm for it. As a result, I am "suspending" this save for a while. However, I may come back to it at some point if I can get my game working properly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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