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[Jogo Bonito]

Great update Gunner, it's like 'diary style'. I hope the big fee on your new striker proves a good move.

Welcome back to a calmer jac, it sounds like you have something to work with now.

[Gunner 101]

September started with a tough away trip to Aston Villa. High on confidence we produced a spirited display and in the 85th minute, Massey got to the byline and knocked it across for Dalla Valle to tap in. 1-0 win and 4 wins in a row! It wasn't all good news though, as after the match I receive news that Dalla Valle twisted his knee during the game and now faces 4 weeks on the sideline. This is bad news as he's been in fine form, hitting 6 goals in 6 starts this season so far.

A ding dong battle in the next game produced our first defeat in five games, Wolves getting the better of us in a 3-2 defeat.

Instead of bouncing back, we flopped away to Reading and ended up on the wrong side of a 2-1 scoreline after going 2 down in the second half.

We take an interest in transfer listed Derby midfielder Paul Coutts. I send my scouts to watch him, not once but twice to get a better look at him. However, I decide to bide my time as they expect £30k a month on a loan deal as well as covering £5,575k a week wage. This deal is on the back burners for the time being.

They say bad things come in three's.. Another defeat at home to Neely promoted Brentford this time. We desperately need a slice of luck to start moving in the right direction!

After this, I kept the players behind and called an urgent team meeting. "Im keen to ensure our heads don't drop. Things haven't been going our way but I know we've got the ability in this squad to change things around." The players reacted well and agreed to buck up their ideas.

A break from League football, as we entertained Premiership side West Brom in the Third Round of the Capital One Cup. An unfortunate 2-1 defeat sent us out of the competition and onto 4 defeats in a row.

Despite having the better of the game against Wigan in our next game, we are out of luck upfront and can only get a point. No win in five..

I look to seal two contracts with two current players. Thomas Rogne rejects the terms and is now proving to be a concern due to his contract running out in the summer. I offer fresh terms to Linganzi amid an offer from Clermont Foot.

There's good news on the injury front, with Dalla Valle returning to full training. He's become my main striker this season and is starting to show a lot of promise, averaging 7.63 in 7 games, scoring 6 goals before being ruled out for 4 weeks!

Linganzi signs a new deal with the club keeping him with the side till 2019. He's made 71 appearances for the club since joining on a free in 2012/2013. Drey Wright pops by my office to express his concerns about the lack of first team football. He asks for a loan move which I grant, although no offers are made straight away.

So we ended Septemeber the way we started it, with a victory. A tough away game against Cardiff was the challenge, we won 4-2 courtesy of a Vernon hat trick and Hopper's first goal for the club! After that victory we end the month in 16th place.

After Vernon's fine performance we open contract discussions with the striker and I lay a one year deal on the table. A couple of days later and Vernon put pen to paper on the new deal stating his "love for the club" the reason behind it.

[Jogo Bonito]

Well done Gunner, an enjoyable read. Hopefully a top half finish will be within your reach.

I'm in July 2013 at Coventry, but have taken some steps to improve our financial situation. Our mega-loan of £390k p/m to Tim Fisher (Chairman) ends in May 2014 and our smaller loan of £92k p/m to the bank ends in December 2013, so we have one more season of struggle.

The Board cheekily reduced our transfer share from 50% to 30%, but given our situation I decided not to challenge this. Following our promotion and increasing revenue, the forecast doesn't look too bad for the end of year, and the initial transfer budget was £90k (more than I expected). However, after plenty of activity in the transfer market so far, we now have an available kitty of £387k. Our wage budget is £91k p/w (currently spending £75k p/w).

At the end of the first season, long-term loanees James Bailey (Derby), Frederic Mendy (Estoril) and Shaun Cummings (Reading) returned to their respective clubs. Cauley Woodrow also returned to Fulham after his 3-month loan. Mendy made 16 appearances, mainly from the bench, scoring two goals and adding three assists. Cummings made 32 appearances, and was a reliable performer with an average of 7.09, whilst Bailey was useful (39 appearances, three goals and two assists) and ended with a rating of 7.03. Woodrow made 10 appearances, mainly from the bench, and added two goals to the cause. Also leaving the club were Daniel Philliskirk (Dundalk) and Stephen Elliott (Motherwell) as their contracts expired, whilst Lee Burge and Aaron Phillips have been released.

In view of our financial situation, and the fact that I had re-signed all of our promising young HG talent on long-term deals, I felt that we had a squad that was more than big enough to compete in the NPower Championship even if I reduced the numbers. So I decided it was time to help the club coffers improve, and have sold three of our promotion-winning first team squad. Richard Wood (£750k) and Marin Leovac (£500k) both went to Leeds, and Franck Moussa (£450k) joined Crystal Palace. We also received £100k for reserve team member Adam Barton (Notts County).

Wood joined in 2009, and last season made 44 league appearances (three goals, one assist, 10 POM, average rating 7.40). His form was impressive, but as he has left IRL, I took the tough decision to cash in. Moussa had also contributed to our success with 32 league appearances. He was often used from the bench due to his versatility in a range of midfield positions, but only contributed one goal and two assists. Although I like him, the offer was too good to resist. Leovac I had picked up from FK Austria Wien in January for £80k, and he was a quality left-back. He made 14 league appearances at a rating of 7.09, and turned the club a profit of £420k in just six months, but I have youngsters Blair Adams and Jordan Clarke who can fill that position so the Croatian was allowed to go. Barton had never been in my plans but the club appreciates the efforts of the other three.

On the incoming front, most of my business for the coming season had been done back in January, with the moves coming in to effect during this summer. These deals were for young Australian 'keeper Matthew Ryan (free from Central Coast Mariners), non-league striking sensation and golden boot winner Dan Holman (£65k from Braintree), right-sided winger Armiche (free from Valencia), and a couple of young Czech strikers in Antonin Fantis (£50k compensation to Banik Ostrava) and Tomas Wagner (£55k compensation to Viktoria Plzen).

I did want to strengthen the midfield still, and my top target was Jeff Hughes, available on a free from Notts County. I'd converted to a three-man central midfield with an additional anchor behind, so have cooled the idea of bringing quality wingers in for the moment, unless one of my shortlisted targets suddenly become available on attractive terms. Unfortunately, after having a deal agreed, Hughes decided to join Blackpool instead so I was disappointed with that. Another midfielder I am trying to acquire is Eric (Gaz Metan) but after making my bid, a host of bigger clubs started to chase him so it's in the balance now.

I'd also looked to bring in Jamie Ness from Stoke on loan as he was making no headway there, but could not convince them to send him out. However, they did me a favour by allowing me to take Charlie Adam on a season-long non-contributory loan, and I am hopeful that he can recapture his better form and bring some creativity and experience to my young side from the middle of the park. He will play a similar role to John Fleck, who is still available for transfer despite his impressive first season (42 league appearances, two goals, one POM award). Fleck's league-high of 16 assists was mainly down to his free-kick and corner-taking skills so it flatters him a little, and this is borne out by an average rating of only 6.97, one of my lowest. I think Adam can match that and possibly contribute more in other areas too, so if an offer comes in for Fleck, it won't be refused.

Also joining on loan for the season is Jordan Obita, promising young left-winger from Reading. Like Armiche (on the right), will give me attacking options on the flanks if I need to revert back to that kind of formation. I am not paying anything for his services (Armiche is only earning £650k p/w too) so I won't feel under pressure to play either of them unless I need to.

With £1.8m received from these sales and just £170k shelled out, we have improved our balance sheet, and I still think we have a squad that can consolidate it's position this season. Last season our first-team squad contained young HG talents Christie, Clarke, Cameron and Thomas, who will continue to get plenty of opportunities in the first team. We also have Adams, Willis, Daniels, Wilson and Jeffers, who look to be the pick of the reserve youngsters pushing to join them for this campaign. Despite the departures, some more of the first-team squad might attract further bids (Murphy, Fleck, Baker, Vuorinen), and we still have a few more reserve players that I am willing to take cash for (Dunn, Malaga, Bell, McDonald).

Coventry squad for 2013/2014 as it stands in July 2013

GK: Murphy (TL), Dunn (TL), Corrin Brooks-Meade, Matthew Ryan

FB: Christie, Clarke, Adams

CB: Edjenguele (TL), Cameron, Teddy Mezague, Redah Atassi

CM: Jennings (TL), Thomas, Fleck (TL), Joel Perovuo, Charlie Adam (loan)

WM: Baker (TL), Armiche, Jordan Obita (loan)

ST: Clarke, Hermanni Vuorinen (TL), Dan Holman, Antonin Fantis, Tomas Wagner

* TL indicates Transfer Listed, which is mainly for asset-stripping purposes as they are amongst the most valuable commodities we have.

[Gunner 101]

Looks like you're building a very good, young squad with the opportunities available for them to grow as individuals and a team together, can only mean good things are coming for you in the future.

The difference in budgets between Coventry and Colchester are quite something, even with your financial struggle. It wasn't until this season (2015/2016) that my wage budget reached the same heights of yours and that was only down to the fact that Eastman was sold on, otherwise we would have been struggling again. Again, once you've come out of the long tunnel your budgets should improve further.

Your signings seem to be very well thought through, something I need to take more time about now seeing as I want to progress further up the Championship. I normally start well and then fade, but this year we've started slowly, so hopefully we can pick it up and start moving forwards now!

Good luck for the season ahead, looking forward to further updates!

[Jogo Bonito]

Looks like you're building a very good, young squad with the opportunities available for them to grow as individuals and a team together, can only mean good things are coming for you in the future.

The difference in budgets between Coventry and Colchester are quite something, even with your financial struggle. It wasn't until this season (2015/2016) that my wage budget reached the same heights of yours and that was only down to the fact that Eastman was sold on, otherwise we would have been struggling again. Again, once you've come out of the long tunnel your budgets should improve further.

Your signings seem to be very well thought through, something I need to take more time about now seeing as I want to progress further up the Championship. I normally start well and then fade, but this year we've started slowly, so hopefully we can pick it up and start moving forwards now!

Good luck for the season ahead, looking forward to further updates!

Thanks alot Gunner. Yes I do like to retain a core of young HG talents, and it was one of the reasons for taking on this challenge. I think in FM14, City may be too tough (we will see!) but the finances are not terminal in this version, and as you say, we have much more 'potential' than you at Colchester, or the guys at Yeovil.

If I do say so myself, for a team starting in L1 with no transfer budget, my signings so far have been fairly sound. I do take ages on getting the right guys in, so it's good when it works out. I do have some pre-season concerns over Armiche and Fantis in particular, but I'm not relying on them. Part of my buying strategy is to buy for free, or at worst, cheaply. They're all players that I think can improve my squad, and they will be played, but I also won't hesitate to sell them on if I can turn a quick profit of £100k or more.

Without kicking a ball, the freebies values are already looking promising: Ryan (£300k), Armiche (£425k), Fantis (£1.2m), and Wagner (£475k). I don't intend to sell Ryan (neither Mezague or Atassi from last season), but the others will be fair-game as I don't have loyalty to these foreign signings. Looking back at last season, Vuorinen was signed for free and has done OK, and is available for over £100k, whilst Perovuo was bought for £40k and impressive performances see him worth £350k now. In contrast, I am very loyal to our own HG talents, and want them to populate the first team squad for some time if possible. The age of the squad is purposely low, with only Murphy and Baker over the age of 28. Both of them can go if I can get offers in too.

My transfer strategy worked well with Leovac (£420k for six-months of helping my team improve, thank you very much) and a few more of these purchases could easily follow the same path. I was also pleased I had re-signed Wood last term (he was going to be out-of-contract) because I felt he would help me that season and also provide me with a cash injection in the future if I could get a taker for him. I was prepared to take offers on him or Edjenguele, whichever was a better sum, and those decisions on him and Leovac alone earned the club £1.2 million.

I have no expectations for this season (new and un-tested strikers mean it could go either way), but if we survive and clear our debts, we should be well placed for steady improvement after that. I will update at the start of the season, as there may be more activity to mention (in and out).

Good luck with your season, it's a long haul for you to be developing your whole club.

[Gunner 101]

October was upon us! The month started with further bids for Linganzi, despite him just signing a new deal with the club. This time Ligue 2 side FC Istres offered £350k for the midfielder, which was again turned down.

Three players were called up for International duty, Dalla Valle (Finland), Thomas Rogne (Norway) and Secer (Croatia Under 21's)

Josh Thompson pops by the office to express his concerns about the lack of first team football. Unfortunately, Rogne, Bikey and Okounghae are all infront of him in the pecking order and so we come to an agreement that a loan move would be best for now.

Two more players are called up for International duty. On loan Nakoulma gets selected for Burkina Faso and Linganzi for Congo.

The opening game of the month seen us take on a strong Sunderland side. It was a back to wall job and after we dropped more defensively we shut them down well. Both sides hit the crossbar but in stoppage time, Gulpen sent over a corner, Bikey flicked it on and a Sunderland defender got tangled with his keeper to send the ball into the back of the net and to gift us the 3 points!

A defeat away to Leeds United in our next game, as went down 1 goal to nil. We didn't create much and unfortunately a lapse at the back let them in.

After a 10 day rest due to Internationals, we faced another away trip, this time to Burnley. In an even game, Burnley lost a player to injury after they had already made their allocated substitutions, which enabled me to push forward and come away with a 2-0 win thanks to two strikes from Vernon.

There's an injury blow in training as Lee Peltier is ruled out for 2 months. This is a blow as Peltier has been in fine form since joining in the summer, playing 17 times, scoring once and getting an average rating of 7.01. Frazer Richardson will step in to fill the void.

Next game, an in form Millwall made their way to The Weston Homes Community Stadium. We fell behind, but equalised right in half time with Edwards getting his first for the club. The clock was ticking down but a nice little bit of play seen Gulpen put Massey in who calmly placed the ball past the keeper to make it 2-1 and give us the three points! More injury news after the match with Thomas Rogne suffering a gashed leg meaning he will miss 12 days of action.

We show an interest in central midfielder Juan Carlos from At. Madrid who looks an exciting prospect for the future. We make an offer for the 20 year old who is transfer listed at his club.

The transfer offer is accepted and we put a contract offer to Carlos and await his response.

We face rivals Ipswich Town next at Portman Road who are top of the Championship too. We defend bravely though and could have won the match but had a goal correctly ruled out for offside. We take a good point away though. Frazer Richardson suffers a bruised rib during the derby game and faces 7 days on the sidelines, leaving me with two injured right backs.

Juan Carlos accepts my contract offer and will join the club on the 1st January 2016. We managed to get the young Spaniard for nothing after a cheeky offer that At. Madrid accepted. He's also only on £1,800 a week so not a massive risk for the club should it not come off.

October is quickly becoming injury month as Fred Benson pulls his hammy in training, ruling him out for 3 to 4 weeks. Benson is yet to make an appearance this season.

FC Istres return again with another bid for Linganzi which is rejected. A further injury is forced upon the squad with first team left back Ben Gordon out for two weeks. We now have 5 first teamers in the treatment room.

Halloween was upon us and we decided to have a nightmare as lowly Notts County frustrated us and we lost 1-0. This left us in 11th place after 17 games.

We again open contract talks with Thomas Rogne but he declines the offer again. With less than a year to run on his contract we face the decision whether to try and sell him or keep our fingers crossed that he will sign a deal closer to the end of his current deal.

[Gizmo7]

Be interested to see how Tom Hopper does for you Gunner. I have him at Leicester still in first season and he's doing alright for my academy, his stats aren't great though from what I remember. Didn't think he's turn out to be Championship quality to be honest!

[Gunner 101]

Be interested to see how Tom Hopper does for you Gunner. I have him at Leicester still in first season and he's doing alright for my academy, his stats aren't great though from what I remember. Didn't think he's turn out to be Championship quality to be honest!

Yeah Leicester let him go for free but my scouts seemed to think he has potential. He's played six (mainly out wide) scored once with an average rating of 6.98 so far.

[Gizmo7]

Very average then, think you've probably overspent on him if I'm being honest. £1m+ for him seems very expensive.

[Gunner 101]

Very average then, think you've probably overspent on him if I'm being honest. £1m+ for him seems very expensive.

I think it's too early to say right now. He's just put in a decent performance playing upfront alongside Vernon. He got a 7.30 and an assist and won a penalty for us. He's got a decent leap on him too!

[Gizmo7]

Hope he does well for you, keep us informed

[Jogo Bonito]

Another great update Gunner. You seem to be having terrible luck with injuries, although when I think back to last season I did have a couple that were 2-3 months at at a time. Luckily they were in positions where our cover was as good as the missing men.

I missed out on my second midfield target, Eric (Gaz Metan) who joined Arles Avignon on a ludicrous wage of £14k p/w. However, I have just secured the services of Ilie, from Barcelona B on a free transfer. He's a 22 year-old central midfielder with good all-round ability. Upon completion of the signing, I see his value has been set at £1.2 million so hopefully he will live up to that billing. I don't intend to move him on as I think he could become a key player, but I will need him to justify the huge wages of £9k p/w that I had to commit. Nobody else (except the free-loading Cody McDonald) earns more than £4k p/w so it was quite a brave move for me. Still, if it doesn't work out, I sit comfortable in the knowledge that we can sell him for a good fee.

It's definitely time to cut-back our wage bill now, so we will continue working hard to move on a few more. If I can do that, there might be room to bring in a top marksman, if I see one that warrants the investment. Until then, we need to remain sensible though.

For that reason I just pulled out of a loan deal to take Anthony Wordsworth from Ipswich Reserves at £10k p/m, and 100% wage contribution of £6k p/w for a season long loan. I will keep an eye on him in the future though, as he did well IRL at Col U, and seems to have decent ratings in the game.

We have our first pre-season friendly at Stalybridge to look forward to now, followed by visits to Nuneaton (feeder club), Braintree (part of the Dan Holman transfer) and Walsall (probably the only place we can afford fuel to visit). I think there is a need to fit in a prestigious home friendly before we kick off at Portman Road.

[Gunner 101]

I actually have a full squad, by that I mean two people for every single position which helps.

The thing is with foreign players they seem to expect more in wages then domestic based players, that's what I've found anyway.

Good luck for pre-season! I also looked at Wordsworth in my second season but decided against him.

[Jogo Bonito]

That's a good position to be in, like you I now have at least two for every position.

I'd like to sign more HG players, but can't afford to until our finances improve. You might be right about the wages, but I saw when Blackpool pipped me to Jeff Hughes, they gave him a massive £11k p/w. I'm sure Wordsworth would have loved a return to your club.

Oh, first friendly ended 0-0 at Stalybridge. Oops!

[Plainlayzee]

Update time!

We are flying....just. Maybe with a slightly faulty engine.

43 games into the season and we are now 4 points clear at the top of the league. Quite how we got there I don't know, but who cares!

After Sunderland raced top with just 10 games remaining, they have lost 4 in a row, as have derby and Brighton, leaving me to take over at the top.

To clear up, when I say I don't quite know how we got there, this is why. On route to this position I have recent lost 4-0 to Derby, 5-0 to Southampton and lost of home to both Middlesborough and Tranmere who were bottom of the league at the time. I also lost 1-0 to Ipswich just 1 game ago but everyone else lost the same day.

3 games remaining, H Blackpool, A Brighton, A Brentford. For me Blackpool can be beaten as can Brentford, but Brighton may be tricky. Hopefully we can nick the 6 points needed to get us into the Premier League.

Encase you couldn't tell, IM BUZZING!!!

[Plainlayzee]

Game 1 - Disaster - a 1-1 draw with Blackpool. McGuinty sent off, Upson off injured....panic!

[Jogo Bonito]

Haha, after reading those recent results, are you sure the table isn't upside down? Good luck anyway, two to go...

[Plainlayzee]

Game 2 - lost 4-0 to Brighton....

Erm.... HELP!!

Other results though saw teams around me drop points again so I am still top...

Top 6 now looks as follows going into the last game of the season..

1 Yeovil 79 points

2. Brighton 77pts

3 Derby 77pts

4 Peterborough 76 pts

5 Watford 75 pts

6 Sunderland 74pts

[Gunner 101]

November starts off with an award for one of the clubs players as Andre Bikey picks up the player of the month award for the Championship. In six appearances he produced an average rating of 7.92!

Linganzi again attracts interest from France, this time Chateauroux make a bid which is again rejected.

Richardson, having just returned from injury faces another 8 days on the sidelines having sustained a stubbed toe in training.

The first game of the month came against Birmingham City. We took the lead twice through Gulpen and Bennett but the blues came back both times before on the 86th Didac stabbed home for his first goal for the club and the victory!

The International call ups were around again and it seen four Colchester players selected for duty. Mulcaire (England Under 19's), Linganzi (Congo), Dalla Valle (Finland) and Secer (Croatia Under 21's)

We looked to continue our good form against Bristol City and we started well, going 2-0 to the good. However, they do say football is a game of two halves and so it proved to be, as Bristol City came back to draw the match 2-2. There's more bad news after the math as we lose both Gulpen (7 days) and Gilbey (12 days) to injury.

Contract discussions are open with reliable left back Bennett. I offer the fullback a further one year contract.

A couple of days later he signs on the dotted line to my delight.

Were still searching for players despite the transfer market being closed and my attention turns to Ante Juric, another young player from Hajduk, the same team where we signed Secer from. My scouts bring back glowing reports for the young left winger and I make an enquiry to his club.

Hajduk respond by saying he's not for sale, but with money in the bank I have the ability to prize away this young talent. I open the bidding at £60k. Although my scouts reckon he will cost £1.3m.

As expected the bid is turned down and we return with a more realistic offer of £875k. Ben Gordon is also declared fit to take part in full training again.

Hajduk again reject the bid but negotiate the deal. I reject their negotiation and go back to them with an offer of £1.3m.

That bid is accepted by Hajduk and we open contract talks with the young winger.

November continues to bring injury problems, this time left winger Nakoulma suffers a twisted knee. He's expected to be out for 2 to 3 weeks.

A timely return to fitness for my other left winger in Fred Benson, who will see first team football for the first time this season with Nakoulma out. We also receive the news that Linganzi has suffered a back strain whilst on International duty and will be out for 4 weeks.

Juric agreed terms on a five year deal at £775 a week. The £1.3m transfer will go through on the 1st January 2016. Juric commented that the teams league position was the main factor behind joining.

Our first game in two weeks seen us face Peterborough away. A header from Edwards gave us the lead before Hopper was brought down. Mulcaire did the honours and smashed home the penalty before Massey chipped home for the third of the game. 3-0.

We again open talks with Thomas Rogne, however his agent seems to playing games and won't budge. He supposedly wants £41,000 a week! It's looking increasingly likely that we will be losing yet another star centre back..

My scouts come across a young Irish striker called Darragh Keady. And with him running down his contract at Silgo Rovers, I nip him to try and nab him on a free transfer. The contract offers on the table and we await the response from the 17 year old striker.

Another away game followed and with injuries and tired legs, we was on the end of an ugly 5-1 defeat to Boro. Richardson continued to struggle with injury, coming off in the defeat and will now face 3 more weeks on the sidelines.

The left wing and right back roles seem to be cursed just lately, as Benson is again sidelined for 12 days. Young Irishman agrees to a three year contract on £150 per week. The free transfer will go through on the 1st January 2016.

Keady, like Juric was impressed with the clubs league standing.

We ended the month with a 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday. Secer made his league debut in the match, keeping a clean sheet and producing a great point blank stop. This result also seen us sitting comfortably in mid table in 11th going into December. Another injury after the match though, as Fernandez is ruled out for two weeks. We're now down by six first teamers due to injury.

[Plainlayzee]

And we have done it.... A 0-0 saw Brighton take top spot, it derby drawing 2-2 at home to Sheffield Wednesday meant we sneaked through and finished second! Yeovil are in the premier league. I will review in a lot more detail shortly.

[Jogo Bonito]

Congratulations Mr. Layzee, taking Yeovil up to the top flight. Maybe in a few years, Col U and Coventry will join you.

KUTGW Gunner, you're making steady progress despite the injuries.

I wish I had the same time to progress as fast as you guys do. I'm still in pre-season...

[Plainlayzee]

So following last nights updates we have had a bit of a disaster....my save game has crashed and is now not loading.....luckily I have a back up save but it back on February the 1st, some 13 games from the end of the season.

Unfortunately it looks like I will have to play it again which s extremely annoying, especially as I was frankly elated to get promoted.

Anyway....ignore all the above, attempt two begins .

A quick update (this will be long winded!),

In January we signed Phil Neville for 1k p/w plus he is helping with the coaching. I have decided that his influence and versatility may be useful between now and the end of the season. Also brought in Tracey Varney on loan from Burnley (they are paying his wages) and Dwight Gayle from Peterborough again on loan with me paying 50% of his wages. Overall I was quite happy with the players I brought in. Outgoing was the extremely inconsistent Iain Hume, together with Sam Foley and Bryon Webster both of whom were not playing on a regular basis. Letting the 3 of them go has saved me around 7k p/w on the wage budget which is great.

Recent results have not been great. I can't remember where I had updated too previously so I will start with the fact that I went out of the FA Cup to West Brom in a 3rd round reply. We lost in extra time 3-2 which, although it was disappointing to go out, it was a good effort against a Premier League side. Since then we have beaten Wolves away from home 1-0 with Paddy Madden bagging the winner, before a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough. Then came our massive downfall. Away to Sheffield Wednesday who were sat 15th in the league at the time, we lost the game 5-1! It seems that when we are on the back foot we have no leaders to get the team back into the game and stop the rot. Wednesday were 3-1 up at home time and could of added at least 6 more in the second half. Sean McGuinty and Curtis Obeng both went missing, as did my entire midfield and Phil Neville looked like the 36 year footballer that he is.

That results leaves us 4th in the league on 61 points. Top of the league is Peterborough who have 62 points so as you can see it is quite tight up there. In fact overall there are only 6 points different between 1st in the league and 8th! We need to get a result against Leeds now to push us on again, however, following the S.Wednesday result I don't see how we are going to get that. Maybe a change of tactics will be needed, possibly thinking of switching to a 4-5-1, putting Neville as the defensive midfielder to help provide some cover for my centre backs and push Jerome Thomas and Tracey Varney up slightly to support with Madden or Okiba. Obika just doesn't seem to be scoring lately, hence the signing of Dwight Gayle who I think can offer us something different.

Anyway, sorry for the confusion with the game crashing etc and for the long update!

[Plainlayzee]

Congratulations Mr. Layzee, taking Yeovil up to the top flight. Maybe in a few years, Col U and Coventry will join you.

KUTGW Gunner, you're making steady progress despite the injuries.

I wish I had the same time to progress as fast as you guys do. I'm still in pre-season...

How you getting on Jogo? Are you still trying to put together your squad for the Championship?

[Jogo Bonito]

Ah, that's really tough luck on the crash. Hopefully you can recreate the magic and do it again.

I'm just about to start season 2, but pre-season hasn't gone well on the pitch. I added a young Belgian midfielder on loan, Jore Trompet, as he is a lad I had recruited before at Westerlo. This was done as I'm still trying to make money and the latest sale is John Fleck to Wigan for £725k. I've made about £2.5m in sales during the summer, but there is lots of pressure on the youngsters and new foreign recruits. I hope they will perform but it's by no means an expectation. I have no idea how the bookies rate us as 'contenders' at 16-1, I'm happy if we survive and then improve the following season. Once finances are better, I can return the club to a more likeable HG pool, just keeping a handful of foreigners if they prove their worth.

Oh, Mezague has settled in now and is awarded the VC role for this season as I know he will be a key player, and I can't offer the VC role to any TL or loaned players.

[Plainlayzee]

Very good mate. How are the finances looking now?

Are you board expecting you to challenge for promotion or just avoid relegation?

Mezague is a summer target for me. I made a few moves for him during the t/window in January but they wanted 30k per month and me to pay 50% of his wages. It worked out to be around 40-50k if I remember rightly and I simply can't afford that. A new CB will be needed for the summer though so he is likely to be a target.

[Jogo Bonito]

Well, I'm sure we will continue to make a loss every month, although the smaller of our loans (£90k p/m) ends in December 2013. We are currently £11k p/w under the wage budget and have about £560k spare in the transfer kitty. Finances look OK because of the sales, but once the season gets underway and no big money is coming back in, it will deteriorate. The board are content with my 'avoid relegation' ambition so that is fair.

I'm still looking to shift a few more players out. Murphy and Jennings (captain) are out of contract next summer so if a decent bid comes in, I will accept. I'm trying to get a few quid in for Baker too, but really I want to off-load McDonald (the fools gave him £11k p/w, no wonder the club went on a downward spiral and hired me), Malaga, Bell and Dunn. To date, there are no takers on those four, even for free. They're not good enough to pay for clubs who can afford the wages, and clubs more at their level won't get near the salary the player wants.

I've never paid more than £150k for Mezague in all my games, he would be a really good buy for you, I'm sure.

[Plainlayzee]

I agree re the finances, I always seem well off in the summer but once the season starts are you are paying out bonuses for appearances or whatever the balance soon goes down! Who on earth put him on 11k??? No wonder you can't move him on!

My best contract has to be Paddy Madden, he is only on 1500k p/w and hasn't yet asked for an improved deal. The likes of Stech and Upson are both on around 5k so how my best player and highest goalscorer is willing to accept such low wages who knows. No doubt he will ask for more shortly.

I will be honest I don't think I will make it to the prem. I know I did last time before the save crashed but that was mainly down to other teams hitting bad form. I just think my players have ran out of steam, Obika/Madden's goals are drying up and defensively we have lost the plot. I have just brought in Andy Crosby as a coach to assist with the defence but I just can't see to keep many clean sheets. As I said before my only other option is to go defensive and nick a goal on the break. Likely hood is we are going to be either scrapping for the play offs or we will fall just short. If we do then we will build for next season knowing we will be a lot better financially. In reality, maybe the prem will be too soon for us this season? On the other hand, If my game hadn't crashed we would be there now!!!!!

[Gunner 101]

@Plainlayzee That is the most unluckiest thing to happen. I was actually going to say you're probably going to be going up too soon and was slightly worried for you. I've had it in the past when I went up with Norwich (FM2009 OR FM2010 I think) and I couldn't establish a squad, we ended up with about 9 players who could just about manage top flight football and we got absolutely destroyed week in and week out. I'm lucky I got a decent sum for Eastman as it's enabling me to bring in players that previously we wouldn't be able to afford and we're slowly starting to become a side that people want to sign for.

[Jogo Bonito]

That's a great contract for Madden. I have only two players on more than £4k p/w - my new Barca B recruit Ilie (Bosmans always want high wages), and the unfortunate situation of McDonald. On the pitch he may not be too bad, but I never gave him a single game, knowing he has no future because of his salary. My latest plan is to put him in the first team and try to generate some interest by performances (he refused to terminate his contract after a chat).

I would really struggle to continue in your circumstances so fair play to you for perseverence. Being in the PL would be an achievement, but an even tougher challenge. If you're struggling in the second tier, imagine what the promotion will do! But, as you say, it's all about building piece by piece. Get there, try and stay there, and if you do...

Andy Crosby is a good coach to have. IRL he is the Asst Mgr at Reading (my team) so I look at him in most saves since the update. On the original patch he wasn't available as he was No. 2 to Adkins at Saints at that time.

@ Gunner. You two are at similar clubs, and similar stages, both fighting against the odds. Funnily enough, when I get teams to the top flight I usually stop and start again (I did that after taking Gillingham up in 4 seasons). I guess that sounds a bit odd, but I didn't want to see my labour of love get whipped every week!

[Gunner 101]

Have either of you guys been approached for other jobs at all as well? I'm not saying I'd jump ship but I've not once been even linked with another position. Bit strange considering we have overachieved every season and took out some big sides (Arsenal, Man City, West Ham etc) in the cups. Still, my reputation is only regional still but I guess it's down to the club I manage.

[Jogo Bonito]

I haven't had any club interested in me yet Gunner, but I haven't quite started season 2 yet. I don't think much poaching happens if you start lower down (or on lower rep), I don't think any top clubs chased me at Gillingham, Bournemouth, or Hayes & Yeading!

[Plainlayzee]

That's a great contract for Madden. I have only two players on more than £4k p/w - my new Barca B recruit Ilie (Bosmans always want high wages), and the unfortunate situation of McDonald. On the pitch he may not be too bad, but I never gave him a single game, knowing he has no future because of his salary. My latest plan is to put him in the first team and try to generate some interest by performances (he refused to terminate his contract after a chat).

I would really struggle to continue in your circumstances so fair play to you for perseverence. Being in the PL would be an achievement, but an even tougher challenge. If you're struggling in the second tier, imagine what the promotion will do! But, as you say, it's all about building piece by piece. Get there, try and stay there, and if you do...

Andy Crosby is a good coach to have. IRL he is the Asst Mgr at Reading (my team) so I look at him in most saves since the update. On the original patch he wasn't available as he was No. 2 to Adkins at Saints at that time.

@ Gunner. You two are at similar clubs, and similar stages, both fighting against the odds. Funnily enough, when I get teams to the top flight I usually stop and start again (I did that after taking Gillingham up in 4 seasons). I guess that sounds a bit odd, but I didn't want to see my labour of love get whipped every week!

I don't quite know what has made me give this another go. I was enjoying the game so much and promotion would of been amazing, but I am sure that we can either have another go this year or maybe push next year.

As we have said, it is about doing it stage by stage. Maybe the game crashing is a blessing! I don't quite know how my currant squad would of coped in the Premier League. It wouldn't it my general feeling. Even against the 'smaller' teams such as Blackburn, Burnley, Cardiff, West Brom and Swansea (the currant bottom 5) I don't think I would have a chance! In fact that is proved by the fact that West Brom knocked me out the cup. I Just don't see how I could of surrived, but when I am still pushing for it now and certainly won't complain if we do get there. The 60m in the bank will do me nicely.

On a transfer note a deal has been agreed for the signing of Johnny Russell. The Dundee front man who has signed for Derby IRL would be a good addition to the squad next year. He is versatile and can certainly add some firepower to the team. This year he has scored 13 goals in the Scottish Premier League including a hat-trick against Celtic recently. If he can put that sort of form in for me, whether it be in the Championship or the Premier League it will sure boost our chances.

Just looking at my squad I can see quite a few players who are likely to leave for one reason or another. With the loans of Obeng, Anuke, Abdi Ibrahim, Keith Tracey and Dwight Gayle all ending, plus Joe Edwards, Richard Hinds, Jamie McAllister, Phil Neville, James Hayter and Jerome Thomas all out on contract, it could be quite a big turn over of players. Ideally I would like to keep Obeng at the club as he has been quite good at right back, and Gayle is interesting. Never used by Peterborough however his stats say to me that he can certainly add something. If he can get a few goals between now and the end of the season he is someone I would like to keep on, especially if I do not go up.

The likes of Edwards, Hinds, McAllister, Neville, Hayter and Thomas are all out of contract and due to the fact that they aren't getting many games or are frankly not performing (in the case of Thomas!) they are going to go and clear a large chunk of the wage bill.

Clearly the ideal is going to be to replace them with players who are better/younger. Ash Taylor at Tranmere is one target I have in mind together with Bobby Grant of Rochdale. Perhaps James Wallace of tranmere as well although I do suspect he will want a move to a bigger team than me.

In fact, the longer I type this the more I realise that I am actually planning for life in the Championship....see how little optimism I have since I lost 5-1 and had to go to work and ponder how to fix my team all day!

Next games are Leeds @ home before Southampton and Tranmere away.

[Plainlayzee]

Have either of you guys been approached for other jobs at all as well? I'm not saying I'd jump ship but I've not once been even linked with another position. Bit strange considering we have overachieved every season and took out some big sides (Arsenal, Man City, West Ham etc) in the cups. Still, my reputation is only regional still but I guess it's down to the club I manage.

I did get offered the job by St.Mirran Gunner when they got taken over by a tycoon however I turned it down immediately as firstly I have a job to do at Yeovil and secondly I don't see the Scottish Premier League as that much of a step up. Especially as they are bottom of the league.

[Plainlayzee]

@Plainlayzee That is the most unluckiest thing to happen. I was actually going to say you're probably going to be going up too soon and was slightly worried for you. I've had it in the past when I went up with Norwich (FM2009 OR FM2010 I think) and I couldn't establish a squad, we ended up with about 9 players who could just about manage top flight football and we got absolutely destroyed week in and week out. I'm lucky I got a decent sum for Eastman as it's enabling me to bring in players that previously we wouldn't be able to afford and we're slowly starting to become a side that people want to sign for.

I see your point Gunner definitely, I think it may have been too soon for us, however, we do still have a fighting chance if we can turn our form round. If not then we get another season to build, we will make some more money etc and go again. The big thing this season has been the lack of a stadium. The average attendance is around 4k per game because we are playing in Bournmouth. I think once the stadium is completed which is in the next week or two I should be able to bring in about 9-10k per game which is much better and will certainly generate some extra income.

I have just read your last few reviews Gunner, you are going quite well. You seem to be dealing in millions in terms of transfers which is impressive. I appreciate that you have had to let a few of your key players go, but at least you are bringing a good amount of money into the club. If you can sign some cheaper replacements and bank the difference then that would be brilliant.

Can you let me know how you are getting on with Juan Carlos? He is someone that my scouts have just picked up on and I am considering a move for. He could be the creative attacking player that I am missing!

[Jogo Bonito]

@ Plainlayzee. I agree, another season of steady progress would be much better for both your team and your own sanity!

I like the proposed signing of Russell, he looks decent IRL and came down from Scotland with a very good reputation. I think in game he seems to do well too, from memory. The likes of him, Tony Watt and Gary Mackay-Steven usually stand out in Scotland. That's going to be quite a turnover of players, hopefully for the better.

[Plainlayzee]

@ Plainlayzee. I agree, another season of steady progress would be much better for both your team and your own sanity!

I like the proposed signing of Russell, he looks decent IRL and came down from Scotland with a very good reputation. I think in game he seems to do well too, from memory. The likes of him, Tony Watt and Gary Mackay-Steven usually stand out in Scotland. That's going to be quite a turnover of players, hopefully for the better.

I had a look at Tony Watt but he scored something like 29 goals in 30 games for Celtic last season which shocker me. It seems Hooper was out injured for long periods of season 1 and most of this season and Watt has been banging them in for fun. His valuation of in excess of 5m means he ain't coming on loan!! Johnny Russell should be great, I am excited to see him and Madden link up.

I may actually got for a slight tactical change next season to put more width in the team. We need to create more chances and have more possession!

[Gunner 101]

Absolutely gutted that you're signing Russell! Have a feeling he will be a real coup for you! Hopefully your new signings will gel, would hate to see you have such a massive turnover and for them to take a while to settle. Crowds are starting to pick up for myself too now, around 8,200 at home just lately, only 2,700 season ticket holders though! The Eastman money was key, yes we lost a brilliant player but we bagged over 6 million and I signed Bikey for nothing and he's done brilliantly well. I've decided Im just going to keep Rogne, if he decides to leave, he leaves on a free in the summer. We signed him for nothing so were not losing anything and he could well be key to what the future holds for the rest of this season. Should have December update up sometime tonight!

[Plainlayzee]

Absolutely gutted that you're signing Russell! Have a feeling he will be a real coup for you! Hopefully your new signings will gel, would hate to see you have such a massive turnover and for them to take a while to settle. Crowds are starting to pick up for myself too now, around 8,200 at home just lately, only 2,700 season ticket holders though! The Eastman money was key, yes we lost a brilliant player but we bagged over 6 million and I signed Bikey for nothing and he's done brilliantly well. I've decided Im just going to keep Rogne, if he decides to leave, he leaves on a free in the summer. We signed him for nothing so were not losing anything and he could well be key to what the future holds for the rest of this season. Should have December update up sometime tonight!

Good stuff mate. Looking forward to reading your update.

Interesting decision with Rogne. Do you not think there is a change you can make him sign a new deal?

As for my squad turnover, I agree. It's going to be painful, could take me a while to get them to Jel but then the first 11 should be pretty similar so I may be ok. It's the squad that needs improving really.

[Jogo Bonito]

@ Plainlayzee. Yes, it looks like we all agree that you will have a top notch striking pair for this league, nice work:thup:

@ Gunner. As hard as it is, sometimes you have to take the hit. You can see why clubs do it IRL and have to absorb all the supporter abuse that follows. I don't think I owned Bikey in FM before, maybe several years ago when he was at Reading, not sure. He's as mad as a box of frogs, but hopefully FM doesn't have a shirt-throwing fit or assaulting opponent off-the-ball mechanism. He's a passionate and emotional kind of guy but a bit of a cult status type. I will be interested to see how his composure is, and hope his performances for you reflect a decent player.

[Gunner 101]

Good stuff mate. Looking forward to reading your update.

Interesting decision with Rogne. Do you not think there is a change you can make him sign a new deal?

As for my squad turnover, I agree. It's going to be painful, could take me a while to get them to Jel but then the first 11 should be pretty similar so I may be ok. It's the squad that needs improving really.

I'm not too sure, if he leaves his agent then maybe, he seems to enjoy it here and he's captain too. His agent though doesn't like me, I mean, to request £41k a week wages!? The most I can offer him is £8.75k a week so obviously we are miles apart. I feel like we have nothing to lose (signed for nothing) but a lot to gain (could help us to promotion) And Eastman was better and we have replaced him pretty well..

[Gunner 101]

@ Plainlayzee. Yes, it looks like we all agree that you will have a top notch striking pair for this league, nice work:thup:

@ Gunner. As hard as it is, sometimes you have to take the hit. You can see why clubs do it IRL and have to absorb all the supporter abuse that follows. I don't think I owned Bikey in FM before, maybe several years ago when he was at Reading, not sure. He's as mad as a box of frogs, but hopefully FM doesn't have a shirt-throwing fit or assaulting opponent off-the-ball mechanism. He's a passionate and emotional kind of guy but a bit of a cult status type. I will be interested to see how his composure is, and hope his performances for you reflect a decent player.

Well he's won Player of the Month once so far, average rating of 7.92 and 3 goals too. #Beast

[Jogo Bonito]

Superb stuff on Bikey, a shrewd signing. Hopefully the Rogne situation won't harm you. Best of luck.

[jac4121993]

Grr, just as I thought I was about to hit a run of clean sheets, my right back does something stupid and gifts the opposition a goal and a point. No idea what he was doing. For some reason, he decided to leave his man and go close down a striker that my centre back was already on. Long shot came in (which my keeper didn't deal with very well) drops straight to the man my right back left open and he could've gone and made a cup of tea before shooting, that's how much space he had. It was disappointing really, as we'd completely outplayed them and should've had more goals.

Apart from a few defensive lapses and some poor decision making when it comes to shooting, I'm rather pleased with how my team is playing. We're rated as one of the worst sides for passing and creativity in the league, yet we're dominating possession in a lot of games and playing some fantastic pass and move football at the same time.

Coming into a difficult period now where it's pretty a game every couple of days. Not got many options when it comes to rotating at fullback (apart from a couple of youngsters I'm a bit wary of playing at the moment), but I should be fine elsewhere for now.

[Gunner 101]

I may have broken my laptop in anger..

[Plainlayzee]

I may have broken my laptop in anger..

Calm down Gunner, don't do it, think about the save game!!

We are now limping towards a final play off place. And I mean limping!!!

A number of injuries to key players at important times have cost us big time over the last few weeks. Firstly Stech has been injured and missed 3 games, Tommy Spurr 3 games, Jonathan Obika missed 2, Upson 2 and Ayling 2. Not great considering they are key players for me. I think my results have shown the inconsistency in my team selections....

Following our 5-1 hammering by Sheffield Wednesday I was determined to bounce back and get 3 points on the board at home to a struggling Leeds side. A 2-1 win moved us to 2nd in the league. The next 2 games were for me 2 of the trickest I had left this season. Southampton who were 23rd in the league at the time and Tranmere who were 17th and on a 9 game unbeaten run. We struggled in both, Southampton cruised to a 2 win against us with us only managing 1 shot on target all game, and despite putting a better fight against Tranmere we still lost 3-2. The only positive being Dwight Gayle getting his first 2 goals for the club.

With 3 defeats from the last 4 games we were desperate for some points and what a better chance to get them than at home to Peterborough. I was second in the league at this stage, they were third. A massive chance to open up a 4 points gap over them. With our injury hit squad we unfortunately just never got going. Richard Hinds and Sean McGuinty both had absolute shockers, both making mistakes throughout which eventually led to us losing 2-0.

Our next game was away to Hull in which we produced perhaps our performance of the season. Hull were sitting 6th at the time we played them, just 5 points behind us and unbeaten in 7 at home. However, Paddy Madden decided today was the day he would cause some real havoc. 2 goals from him and a Ed Upson screamer gave us a 3-2 win and a massive 3 points.

Now all season our biggest problem has been consistency and this was to be our inconstant best. Firslt away to Millwall, against a team pushing for a play off place. We raced into a 2 goal lead, Madden at the double again and we could have had 3 or 4 more by half time. However in the second half we collapsed and 2 late goals cost us a vital 3 points. A 2-2 draw that we just didn't need. Next game was at home to Ipswich, they were hovering mid table and had nothing to play for, a great chance for 3 points I thought. However, we were slow out the blocks and they lead 1-0 at half time. A spirit second half performance got us a 1-1 draw, however we really needed to win.

We now sit 4th in the league. I have posted the top 8 below:

Brighton 74

Peterborough 69

Sunderland 69

Yeovil 69

Huddersfield 65

Leicester 65

Derby 65

Watford 64

As you can see it is very tight at the top. In fact Wolves who sit 12th in the league are only 4 points off a play off place with 4 games remaining.

The 4 games are (H) Bolton, (H) Blackpool, (A) Brighton and (A) Brentford. 6 points should get me a play off spot, 10 would probably give me a fighting chance of getting second but unfortunately I just can't see that happening now.

[Gunner 101]

I'm out for now unfortunately. Obviously punched it too hard this time.. Now my laptop just won't do anything at all. The thing is, all my Windows discs are back at home in Leicester at my parents house so won't be able to try and fix it until I visit them sometime in September. I ordered a new MacBook Pro last night though and it's getting delivered next week so will start up a new game on that once I get it. Will stick around and keep my interest in your guys games and then rejoin the fun once my Mac gets here.

Just out of interest, what systems and specs do you guys use?

[Plainlayzee]

I'm out for now unfortunately. Obviously punched it too hard this time.. Now my laptop just won't do anything at all. The thing is, all my Windows discs are back at home in Leicester at my parents house so won't be able to try and fix it until I visit them sometime in September. I ordered a new MacBook Pro last night though and it's getting delivered next week so will start up a new game on that once I get it. Will stick around and keep my interest in your guys games and then rejoin the fun once my Mac gets here.

Just out of interest, what systems and specs do you guys use?

Hang on....what did you actually do to your laptop????

[Gunner 101]

Hang on....what did you actually do to your laptop????

I punched it..

[Plainlayzee]

I punched it..

Good effort! I will be doing the same to mine shortly.....see next update!

[Plainlayzee]

So this is quickly becoming a disaster!

As per my last update we were/are hanging on to the play offs by the skin of our teeth. Well now we really really are. Having played 3 games in a row at home, we have come away with just 1 points against lowly Ipswich. A 3-0 hammering by Bolton (22nd in the league) left us with big problems, and our latest game at home to Blackpool (already relegated and 24th in the league) ended in another 3-2 defeat.

We now haven't kept a clean sheet in 12 games and in that time have conceded 24 goals, quite clearly an average of 2 a game.

We hang on, still 5th in the league however just 2 points separate us and 7/8/9th place, all of whom are level on points. At the same time we are just 3 points of the automatic places! It's going to be a close finish.

With away games against Brighton (league Champions) and Brentford (unbeaten in 7) to end the season, I am lacking optimism. Even if we do somehow scramble a few points and get into the play offs I wouldn't fancy our chances of beating anyone whatsoever in this form.

A very very disappointing end to the season that promised so much, it now seems like scrapping a play off place is the best we can hope for. I suppose at the beginning of the season that would be of been a massive achievement, but after being up there all season and having the 3 games in row at home I fancied our chances of sneaking the automatic spaces.

**goes to cry**