dafuge's FM15 challenge

[Hypanimz]

Maidstone United Football Club - Sky Bet League 2 - 2020/21

This season I really expected to have a struggle to stay up. Things started better than expected with us picking up some early points but also losing 4 games in our first 10 so I thought this would be the story of the season and we would hopefully survive. After this defeat we went on a run and didnt lose again in the league until a 3 game losing streak in January. I thought this might be the mid season blip but we recovered brilliantly and went on to win 15 of our final 19 games whilst only losing 2 of those games. We stormed up the table in that time and moved into the automatic promotion spots in week 37. We continued our run and jumped into first place in week 43 and held our nerve on the final game of the season. 1 point seperated the top 3 and we won 1-0 thanks to a Della Verde goal whilst York and Bristol City both slipped up. Somehow we have managed back to back promotions and we managed to win the league.

League Table - Brilliant achievement to win the league. Managed some great results along the way like beating Bolton home and away 5-1 and 5-2 and beating Barnet 6-0.

Past Positions - You can see where we started to pick up our form. we never dropped brlow 17th early season so I thougth we were capable of survival. I never expected to win the league.

Cups - Made the 3rd round of the FA Cup for the first time. Completely outclassed by Swansea. No luck in the Capital One Cup but we made the Quarters in the JPT.

Squad - We need a big overhaul to survive in League 1. The centrebacks and the striker is fine. We just need to improve some placves in midfield.

Transfers - Frank Ross was the pick of the signings joining in January. Muir has a solid season in goal. Borris got a few important goals and Thompson on loan from Birmingham played well at left back. Gibson had a great season at right back.

Finances - £1.57m in the bank. Nice profit.

Key Player Profiles:

Lyle Della Verde - Another great season. Got capped by Jamaica. Can he step up another level?

Oliver Pinch - The midfielder I turned into a striker. Now fully trained as a striker he had a fantastic season. 38 goals and 15 assits. Confident he will step up.

Frank Ross - Signed in late January. Solid in the centre of midfield.

Phil Burgess - Formed a great partnership with Jamie Anderson at the back. Those 2 need to play well next season to help us survive.

Next Season

After back to back promotions we need to survive in League One.

Career Overview

Season          League                      League Finish     Achievements
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16         Vanarama South              8th   
2016/17         Vanarama South              1st               Champions 
2017/18         Vanarama Conference         16th 
2018/19         Vanarama Conference         6th   
2019/20         Vanarama Conference         4th               Play off Winners
2020/21         Sky Bet League Two          1st               Champions      

[michaeltmurrayuk]

Thats really strange. In my first season in League 2 (report to come tonight) Bolton were also in there with me. I beat them 5-2 and 5-1.

In nearly every version of the challenge I have done over the years Bolton have nearly always been relegated to non-league, and they are on their way there in my game too, having just finished bottom of League One and gone into Admin.

[michaeltmurrayuk]

FC United – League Two 2018/19 – Season 4

So after claiming our second sucessive title last season we had finally made it to the Football League.

Wierdly the board didn't inform me of any expectations this season though the Media Predicted we'd sneak the last playoff spot with a seventh placed finish whilst the bookies gave us an outside chance of promotion.

Transfers - Quiet season mainly because I struggled to find quality players I could afford, I managed to pick up two quality players and a couple of squad players, other than that I filled my squad out with free loan players. Saleswise Backup Keeper Johansson went to Championship side for £24K whilst Striker Camps was sold to League One Walsall for £20K on transfer deadline day after he moaned, not sure if it's a good or bad sign that my squad players are being sold to higher clubs?

Paint Trophy - We made our debut in the Paint Trophy this season and my second string did me proud in the first round beating League One Carlisie 3-1 though only 1,057 people turned up setting a new attendance low, before we suffered a poor defeat to a Bolton side that would finish bottom of League One.

League Cup - We also made our debut in the League Cup though we had to beat fellow promoted side Kidderminster in a Qualifer before my second string was comfortable beaten by Championship side Rotherham.

FA Cup - In the First Round we made the trip to League One Shrewsbury and somehow came away with a 7-2 win as everything just went flying into the back of their goal, in the Second Round we then drew Charlton the strongest side in the Cup at this stage as they walked League One and we put up a good fight but just couldn't score and then gifted them three goals but the game was closer than it looked.

League Two - It was a mixed debut in the Football League, I should be happy with a playoff spot and the fact that we were only one point away from automatic promotion, however it was a frustrating season as despite scoring the second most goals in the league and having the second best defence we lacked any kind of consistency - in 14 of our victories we won by more than two goals, but we suffered seven 1-0 defeats, five 2-1 defeats and two 2-0 defeats plus the eight draws where some of those goals would have been nice.

We got off to a solid start and found ourselves in a title race in the first third of the season, unfortantly our form then suffered as I lost players to injury and despite wins over title rivals Stevenage and Exeter over Christmas our revival was short lived and in March we suffered four straight defeats without even looking like scoring, this video pretty much sums up how our games were going at this time:

[video=youtube_share;-Sn_e_FPfT8]

Striker Cass heads the ball agains the crossbar, it bounces out hits the Keeper on the back rolls towards goal, is cleared off the line onto the post by a Hartlepool defender, where the ball seems to get stuck without crossing the line, the Keeper then steps on the ball freeing it to finally be cleared, all the while my Striker (or any of my players) instead of following up the loose ball starts walking away before turning around and just watching their failed attempts at clearing the ball off the line And to make matters worse we then concede a silly goal as a shot/cross is parried into my goal by my Keeper

So with us looking utterly dead and buried I switched things around dropping everyone I could and in the next game (possibly thanks to my Striker Drew who can actually score being back rather than my changes) we beat bottom side Kidderminster to at least ensure we wouldn't be relegated with 10 games left and we followe that with two wins and a draw before losing to promotion rivals Luton and Exeter, which meant with fours games left first and second were now out of reach but Stevenage 10 points ahead of us in the last automatic spot we still stood a slim chance of automatic promotion, though we did also have Exeter six points ahead of us to also worry about whilst Port Vale and Southend were on our coat tails, with Cambridge just outside the playoffs six points behind.

In the next game we thumped Bury, though Exeter also won but more importantly Stevenage could only draw to Kidderminster. Next up we beat Morecombe to at least secure a playoff spot, Luton did us a favour by crushing Exeter and Stevenage again drew this time to lowly Wycombe, this meant with two games left we were three points behind Exeter and just six behind Stevenage who we faced next.

In the second to last game we thumped Stevenage 4-0 which was my 200th game and Exeter lost to Burton to leave us in fourth just three points behind Stevenage and level with Exeter but with a vastly superiour goal difference to them both.

In the Final day we were home to Tranmere and things looked to go our way as Tranmere were reduced to 10 men after just 12 mins, however we couldn't find a way through and it was still 0-0 at half, unfortantly on the other side of the country Stevenage were 2-0 up against relegation threatened Wimbledon. In the Second half we finally took the lead with a scruffy goal - a cross just seemed hit Striker Drew and roll into the back of the net, whilst elsewhere Wimbledon had pulled it back to 2-2, however that is how things ended and we ended up in the dreaded playoffs.

Going into the playoffs we were at least the form side having won our last four games without conceeding a goal and were drawn with a Port Vale side we'd beaten and drawn to this season so far.

In the First Leg we started strongly having a goal rule out for offside before Henderson opened the scoring from the spot, Cass then volleyed home a cross to make it 2-0, though we did then let Vale back in with a goal before Centre-Back Bennett scored a thumping header from a corner to give us a solid 3-1 first leg lead. In the Second Leg we again controlled the game with Left Back Mortensen opening the scoring after he somehow found himself in the box and with his first shot saved he tapped the rebound into an empty goal, Cass then made sure just before half-time with a penalty as we claimed a comfortable 5-2 agg win.

In the Final we'd face Exeter who like us were unlucky not to get an automatic promotion spot, but according to the press we were comfortable favourites though we did have a problem on the left wing First Choice Clucas was nursing a facial injury but was forced to play as his understudy was off on England U20 duty along with my backup Keeper. The Final was a closely fought game in front of an impressive ~52,000 people we limited Exeter to long range efforts whilst we were limited to half-chances however we took our own Clear Cut Chance as Striker Drew scored a close range effort just before half-time before he was typically foced off with an injury but we held on to claim victory and promotion to League One

Squad, Overview

Young Keeper Dean Henderson was in fine form again this season, though his form did drop in our bad run towards the end of the season, but he reclaimed his position for the run in with some solid performances, providing cover was Promising Keeper Lyle Fontana who was loaned from Southampton though he had shocking start to the season, before stepping up with some good performances at the end of the season before picking up a injury that cost him his place in the side again.

In Defence Right Full-Back Danny Holmes had another solid season, whilst Left Back Louis Rowley started the season well but had some shocking performances later on that saw him lose his place to Dane Magnus Mortensen who was loaned from Liverpool and ended the season in fantastic form (though for some reason the game seems to thing his form of 7.50 is woeful and is something I need to deal with?)

At Centre-Back Rhys Bennett had another solid season, as did new signing Axel Tuanzebe who was the latest ex-Man Utd youngster to sign for me and even found himself scouted by the England Manager in the Playoffs (have to worry about the state of the English side if they are scouting my players ), whilst providing cover was Promising Centre-Back Max Bell onloan from Watford.

In Midfield Joe Riley continued on the Right Wing and had a solid enough season though he did go missing through our rough patch which gave Icelandic new signing Petur Porsteinsson a chance to impress and he'd been snapped up to provide cover after my new Swedish Scout recommended him after he'd been released by AIK, down the Left Sam Clucas was again in good form.

In the Centre of Midfield I snapped up Scot Liam Henderson after he'd been released by Celtic and he added some much needed extra quality to my midfield, this saw Norwegian Sondre Tronstad switch over to the Deeplying role which he actually preferred as he had another strong season, providing cover was Irishman Darragh Lenihan however again his chances were limited by injuries, which gave highly rated Man City Loanee Rodney Kongolo a chance to impress.

Upfront Irishman Jordan Graham had a solid season in the Deep-Lying role well when he wasn't injured as he missed three months of the season through injury, partnering him was NIrishman Ruairi Croskery who started the season on fire scoring seven goals in just eight games however he then went and broke his ankle ruling him out for four months and on is recovery pulled his hamstring ruling him out for another six weeks and after that he just never got going again scoring just one goal in his next 10 starts (plus 12 sub appearances), though his injury may have been a blessing as it meant I loaned in Promising Welsh Striker Graham Drew from Forest on deadline day and he proved to be deadly scoring a club record 28 goals (and a club record 24 league goals) and it was his goals that kept us going the season and it was no surprise our form utterly died the month he was injured, he was also third top scorer in the league and is only four goals short of being our all-time top scorer, my other option upfront was fellow loanee Barrie Cass who returned on-loan from Blackburn but couldn't refind his scoring boots from last season and whilst he scored 12 goals six of them came from hat-tricks in two games, though he did at least turn provider when he couldn't score.

League 2 Team Year - Riley and Drew were named in the dream team, though I have no idea how those four defenders got picked as there were several better ones, including Bennett, whilst Midfielders Clucas and Henderson were weirdly snubbed aswell?

Best XI - Correct Again.

Overall XI - Quite a few changes as Clucas, Tronstad, and Riley all get selected in the midfield, whilst Bennett and Holmes come into Defence and Henderson goes in goal.

Fans Player - Rhys Bennett claims his second Fans Player of the Year award with a landslide victory.

Finances - Wierd season as we lost ~£80K a month as our expenses on non-football wages, other and tax shot up, thankfully we earned nearly £600K from the Playoff Final and were given our £250K bribe from the Premier League at the end of the season to give us a tidy balance that was all spent almost immediately on finally upgrading our training facilities and expanding our ground which will see us spend next season at the 6K capacity Regional Athletics Stadium that doesn't seem to be being used by anyone else.

Club Reputation - Slight increase to two stars but we will be bottom of the pile in League One.

Profile - I finally bagged the National C License (as it finally stopped bugging out) not that it made much difference to my attributes, though my Reputation did increase to National

Goals for next season

- Survive and hope the board don't demand a fourth promotion in a row.

- Add some squad depth I'm going to need some Strikers and possibly a better Centre Back and Left Back next season, as well as some squad depth.

Leaderboard points (FM Mode)

(My Steam Username is same as here if anyone wants to add me)

(points / position)

Single Game: 1,120,484 (55,650)

Single Season: 617,814 (76,068)

Single Season in England: 617,814 (38,482)

Single Season League Two: 61,136 (1,718) - Relly not sure what is going on with the Leaderboard points in FM15?

Career Overview

[TABLE=class: cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_cms_table_MsoTableLi ghtShadingm, align: center]

[TR]

[TD=bgcolor: #007ACC]Season[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #007ACC]League[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #007ACC]Position[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #007ACC]Achievements (Domestic)[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #007ACC]Achievements

(Europe)[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #007ACC]Leaderboard Points

(Season / Game)

[/TD]

[TD=bgcolor: #007ACC]Euro C/E

(Place)

[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]15/16[/TD]

[TD]Conference North[/TD]

[TD]7th[/TD]

[TD]-[/TD]

[TD]-[/TD]

[TD]13,793 / 13,793[/TD]

[TD]-[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]16/17[/TD]

[TD]Conference North[/TD]

[TD]1st[/TD]

[TD]Winners - Promoted!!![/TD]

[TD]-[/TD]

[TD]427,741 / 441,534[/TD]

[TD]-[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]17/18[/TD]

[TD]Conference[/TD]

[TD]1st[/TD]

[TD]Winners - Promoted!!![/TD]

[TD]-[/TD]

[TD]617,814 / 1,059,348[/TD]

[TD]-[/TD]

[/TR]

[TR]

[TD]18/19[/TD]

[TD]League Two[/TD]

[TD]4th[/TD]

[TD]Playoff Winners - Promoted!!![/TD]

[TD]-[/TD]

[TD]61,136 / 1,120,484[/TD]

[TD]-[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

[EvertonblokesMobile]

Just beat one of my old clubs in the cup to qualify for the FACup 1st round proper and we drew Football Legends Accrington Stanley (who are they?)

Will be glad to keep within 5 goals of them though as they are currently league one! Biggest team I've faced so far

Update:

AND its been picked to go on the telebox, £70k bonus for us

More update:

Unsurprisingly we got destroyed! 7-1. Now to concentrate on the league.

[darren1983]

Dulwich Hamlet Season 2016/17 Conference South

After a 11th place finish last year I was hoping for a playoff push this season.

League - frustrating, 8th place was OK, at various times we looked like we'd get in the playoffs but in the end our awful defence cost us (87 goals against was the worst in the league)

FA Cup - not much to see here

FA Trophy - same as the FA Cup

Transfers - shipped a few out, some decent signings in.

Squad - need to improve the defenders.

Finances - a mess

Key Players

Erhun Oztumer - the Turk is a legend at the club so was very happy to pick him up after Peterborough let him go, trying to get him to sign a new deal though

Ben Marlow - signed him last season but injuries harmed him, good breakthrough year this year

Marcel Henry-Francis - didn't hit the highs from last season but still, 19 goals in 42 games is a decent return

Alexandru Petresc - signed to play RB but played pretty poorly, broke through as a right winger and done well

Djar Parfitt-Williams - not as good as his first season but still a key player

Career Overview

Season    League                     Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16   Vanarama Conference South  11th
2016/17   Vanarama Conference South   8th

[Bruce Drundrige]

I have never had such a hard time on FM as I've had over the past few days playing this challenge as Dorchester. Before FM15 came out I played a couple of seasons as St. Neot's and did pretty well, lost in the playoff final in my second season but jeezo NOTHING worked for me as Dorchester.

Ravaged by injuries for the first few months, anytime I won a game or thought I sensed a bit of momentum I was then humped or - as happened last night - my defence capitulated against a fellow relegation rival. When I quit the game 25 minutes at 0-3 down to Hayes & Yeading we'd conceded two from corners which must have taken us to almost 20 goals conceded from corners in around 30 or so games. At least twice as many as the next team on the list - and most of those corners came about because my players passed the ball straight out of play when trying a pass back!!!

Anyway. Deep breaths. Reloaded. Trying again as Margate. Onwards and upwards...

[fcunitedfan]

Just beat one of my old clubs in the cup to qualify for the FACup 1st round proper and we drew Football Legends Accrington Stanley (who are they?)

Will be glad to keep within 5 goals of them though as they are currently league one! Biggest team I've faced so far

Update:

AND its been picked to go on the telebox, £70k bonus for us

More update:

Unsurprisingly we got destroyed! 7-1. Now to concentrate on the league.

Try not to get sacked...

[abgers]

Blyth Spartans - Season 3 (17/18)

Much better season this time - played much better football and managed to shore up the defence. The whole top half of the table was really tight, and it didn't look totally likely I was going to reach the playoffs during a rocky patch midway through the season. But then I bought Andy Hall and Dan Casey, and they just seemed to boost the team. Hall scored 10 goals in 13 starts, whereas Casey and Weledji formed an amazing partnership and were the rock(s) of the team!

Sealed promotion with a 3-0 win (plus 2 disallowed goals!) away at Harrogate, which meant the final day wasn't even a nervous affair!

Pre-season targets:

- Promotion. Complete

- Concede less than 65 goals. Complete (46 goals)

Competitions:

League - 3rd

FA Cup - 4th Qualifying Round

FA Trophy - First Round

Key Performers:

- Neil Stainfield (CM - Loan)

- Mechack Kanda (SS/CF)

- Lee Pugh (LB/LM)

- Connor Oliver (RB)

Key signings - both signed in the 2nd half of the season:

- Andy Hall

- Dan Casey

Best Prospects:

- Justin Mann: played solidly throughout and his versatility was really useful.

- Lucas Catley: without being able to sign a decent keeper, I had to play a youngster. Catley's little eccentric, but some of his shot stopping was superb.

Shopping List:

- GK (Catley has a little potential but need a better keeper to try and stay up)

- RB (don't think Oliver will be good enough)

- CB (don't think Weledji will be good enough)

- BWM x 2 (don't think any of my CMs will be good enough)

- AMC (I want a more creative midfielder now that we're moving up)

- RM (need a direct running winger on the right)

- CF (Andy Hall probably won't be the answer in the Conference)

Other Notes:

- I read earlier that defence was the key to gaining promotion and I really do think a solid defence is what everyone needs to aim for - the team looked so much more assured with the improved defensive players and tactics, even the corners conceded ratio has calmed down to an acceptable level.

Targets next season:

- Avoid relegation.

- Get further in the cups.

[Bonzo1]

I have to agree with the defensive solidity being super important. I tried on my previous failed attempt to out gun everyone but we'd score 3 and concede 6. Getting much more success playing more defensively.

[EvertonblokesMobile]

Try not to get sacked...

Not this time, I just got a new contract

[smp20]

This is going to be my first challenge attempt on FM15 I'm currently holidaying until the reset date. It's a shame I can't add my actual coaching badges in!

[kingjericho]

This is going to be my first challenge attempt on FM15 I'm currently holidaying until the reset date. It's a shame I can't add my actual coaching badges in!

Good luck! And leave the bragging for when you win the CL

[fcunitedfan]

Season Summary

We won the Vanarama Conference and the FA Trophy again. The end! I typed up a long summary, but these stupid forums ****ed it up and I lost it all.

[fcunitedfan]

This is all you're getting from me this season I'm afraid. I can't be bothered to type a long summary again, so it's just screenshots for the most part.

Maidstone United - Vanarama South - 2015/16

Club Information | Facilities | Manager Profile | Board Overview | Confidence

League

Table - 1st

Past Positions

Results 1 / 2

Cups

FA Cup

FA Trophy

Key Players

Zane Banton

Zak Ahern

Lyle Della Verde

Lloyd Harrington

Squad

Staff

Transfers

Finances

Aims For Next Season

Avoid relegation. Another good FA Cup run.

Career Overview

Season          League                League Finish     Achievements
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/400804-dafuge-s-FM15-challenge?p=10014249&viewfull=1#post10014249"]2015/16[/url]         Vanarama South        1st               Vanarama South winners, FA Trophy winners
[url="http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/400804-dafuge-s-FM15-challenge?p=10041601&viewfull=1#post10041601"]2016/17[/url]         Vanarama Conference   1st               Vanarama Conference Winners, FA Trophy winners, FA Cup 3rd round

[smp20]

Good luck! And leave the bragging for when you win the CL

Cheers, hopefully I get to that stage to be able to brag

I'm spending ages loading up to get a team I fancy, not really even sure who I want but not one of the big ones.

[Dagenham_Dave]

A 2-2 home draw with League 1 Stevenage in the 2nd round, so have to go to their place and win.

Fair to say there's incentive now.

Given I've just failed Financial Fair Play rules by about 600 quid (even though I'm miles below wage and transfer budget) this would go some way to alleviating the financial woes. Going to be a mega tough replay though against a side from one division above.

[smp20]

Page Takes The Helm At Bury Town F.C.

Manager Profile ~ Facilities

After hours of re-loading myself I noticed that a file had already been uploaded containing one of my local clubs Bury Town two seasons in (thanks G_D_K for this). They are a small club that have never played at this level, but they do have adequate training facilities and average youth recruitment which is very good for this level. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into this!

[Cardiovascular]

Was really struggling with this, won the opening day game and then lost about 10 or so matches on the bounce. A few draws kept us in the loop a touch but come December we were six points adrift at the bottom.

However, my strike partnership of 16 year old Chris McDonald and Westleigh Rush seems to finally be clicking, and winning three on the bounce has soared us to the mighty heights of nineteenth. Now officially excited for the remainder of the season! /jinx

It does however look like I'm going to lose Rush at the end of the year (he's far too good for this level) and also our 39 star in midfield Gavin Mahon, former Watford man. He wants waaay too much for me to afford to keep him plus I feel he's possibly on his last legs as far as his career goes. Shame really, he's been great this year.

[michaeltmurrayuk]

My Striker Croskery has finally ended his 16 game goal drought with four goals against Notts County, which is half the amount of goals he managed last season, which puts him just three goals away (and one goal ahead of Drew) from becoming our all-time topscorer, though that is a lofty record of 28 goals set by Walters

[Cardiovascular]

Was really struggling with this, won the opening day game and then lost about 10 or so matches on the bounce. A few draws kept us in the loop a touch but come December we were six points adrift at the bottom.

However, my strike partnership of 16 year old Chris McDonald and Westleigh Rush seems to finally be clicking, and winning three on the bounce has soared us to the mighty heights of nineteenth. Now officially excited for the remainder of the season! /jinx

It does however look like I'm going to lose Rush at the end of the year (he's far too good for this level) and also our 39 star in midfield Gavin Mahon, former Watford man. He wants waaay too much for me to afford to keep him plus I feel he's possibly on his last legs as far as his career goes. Shame really, he's been great this year.

Laptop died. Have to replay all the games.

[darren1983]

Right, not touched my game for a few days, but got the next 3 days off so should be able to get a couple of seasons done in that time

[smp20]

Bury Town F.C. 2016/17 Season

League Table ~ Past Positions ~ Transfers ~ FA Cup ~ FA Trophy ~ Best 11 ~ Finances

I've had a tricky start to this challenge so far. Mid way through the season it looked as though I was in deep trouble, dipping into the relegation spots on a regular basis. A run of good form in March (5 wins in 6) saw us climb up to safety and we ended up in a respectable 15th place. The success story of the campaign was our run to the 1st Round Proper of the F.A. Cup, in which we forced a replay against League 1 high-flyers Rochdale. We were 3-0 up after 15 minutes in front of the cameras but then proceeded to being battered the rest of the game and we were lucky to get the draw. We battled hard at home but two late goals saw Rochdale through. Our finances are appalling and I'd hate to think how bad it would have been without the TV money, prize money and gate revenue from the FA Cup. Our star performer, and consequently fans player of the year, was 2015 youth product Paul Howard. He was a creative menace roaming from defensive midfield and complete a lot of key passes alongside his assists and goals. He finished the season with the best average rating in the league (7.36) so it was pretty baffling when he wasn't even nominated for player of the year. Next season is going to be tough - due to our financial insecurity our wage budget has been slashed from £4.5k pw to £3.3k pw which will make it difficult to strengthen the side. Nonetheless, my aim is to finish in at least a comfortable position, ideally in the top half. I've found it very difficult to find and sign players. At the beginning of this season I had several players in on trial who would have been good assets, however they all turned me down to go elsewhere. Lets hope I have better luck in the new season.

[kingjericho]

smp20 I tried with Bury Town last year and I couldn't complete the challenge. If you can improve that defence you can finish much higher

[smp20]

smp20 I tried with Bury Town last year and I couldn't complete the challenge. If you can improve that defence you can finish much higher

I guess everyone's in the same boat but its leaking money that's the biggest pitfall to success. I've managed to bring in some okay defenders and a good quick striker so I'm feeling more confident about this season.

[Dagenham_Dave]

A 2-2 home draw with League 1 Stevenage in the 2nd round, so have to go to their place and win.

Fair to say there's incentive now.

Given I've just failed Financial Fair Play rules by about 600 quid (even though I'm miles below wage and transfer budget) this would go some way to alleviating the financial woes. Going to be a mega tough replay though against a side from one division above.

Lost 2-0, so no big pay day.

Finances are awful, still under embargo, looks like I might lose a lot of key players. Doing ok in League 2 this season, but it could be the beginning of the end. I really need the club to be taken over, because none of the financial problems are my doing, I'm well below the transfer and wage budget. I think this board must have been on the board at Ibrox in another life...

[OnTheLevee]

Blyth Spartans AFC

Season 2018/2019

Competitions:

League: (1) (2)

Another season of mediocre achievement and mediocre performances. We were never in the hunt for promotion, or even the playoffs, and relegation was never likely. I tried a few things tactically to try and get things going. Had successes here and there but haven't been able to make anything stick. I think I simply need better players to make up for my own tactical shortcomings. I am slowly building a decent squad so there are some positives.

F.A. Cup

Made the first round proper before losing to Bristol Rovers.

F.A. Trophy

Made it to the lofty heights of the 3rd Round before we got a nose bleed and lost to Barrow. I team I seem to get beaten by a lot. They lost in the playoff final too so another year of being beat up by them for me.

Transfers

Made some promising signings with Lee Hetherington being the pick of them.

Squad

We have improved from last year. I'd still like to add a quality DM and AMC then I'll be happy.

Finances

An increase in sponsership dollars across the spectrum is hopefully a sign we are becoming more well known in the football world.

Key Performers:

Lee Hetherington App: 45 Goals: 24 Avg: 7.03

Brilliant first season with the club and has really brought the best out of Dan Maguire too.

Conor Tinnion App: 44 Goals: 9 Avg: 7.07

Another great season but his spot in the first team will come under threat if we can sign an improvement.

Dan Maguire App: 51 Goals: 22 Avg: 6.99

After a couple of poor seasons Dan Maguire has come back and had a good year. Hopefully we can get even more out of him next season. We need it.

Neal Hooks App: 50 Goals: 9 Avg: 6.97

Mr. Reliable. Our captain never fails to hold things together in midfield. He's getting on though and will need replacing sooner or later.

Next Season:

We're getting closer although it might not look like it. Next year is the year. I can feel it. Or I may be suffering from within some sort of delusional state. Either way I'm feeling tip top about things.

Year	League	Pos.	Champ.L	Uefa	FA.Cup	Cap.One	JPT	FAT 	Achievement
15-16	Van N	14th	None	None	4th Qual None	None	2nd Rnd	None
16-17   Van N   10th    None    None    2nd Qual None   None    1st Rnd None
17-18   Van N   15th    None    None    2nd Qual None   None    3rd Qua None
18-19   Van N   11th    None    None    1st Rnd  None   None    3rd Rnd None

[Bonzo1]

Wonderful start to the season + forgetting how to win games after xmas = being still the relegation fight going into the last game!

[Ricky Button]

Just starting out as Canvey Island, having briefly attempted this challenge in the past and never succeeded I'm hoping to stick with it for longer this time.

Having such a hard time though, I'll get my first proper post up after I finish the first season, hopefully tonight.

[Hypanimz]

Usually I wouldnt sign a player of this age but I thought why not.....

[michaeltmurrayuk]

Just won a game 1-0, having spent nearly the whole game with 10 men and two right wingers in the centre of midfield and a Striker on the Right Wing (though they can all sort of player in those positions they are just not their main positions) after my first midfielder got sent off for a two footed lunge on 20 minutes, we took the lead through an injury time goal with our only effort on goal before losing our other centre-midfielder to injury at half-time (and he was only playing after moaning about his lack of playing time, and this showed exactly why I haven't been using him). And to make matters worse typically my goal scorer went off injured in the second half, however we held on to beat an admittedly woeful Doncaster side

[michaeltmurrayuk]

And thanks to a Croskery hat-trick against Sheff Wed we are somehow top of League One after nine games though I'm not sure what I'm more surprised by us toping the league or Croskery beating Drew to our all-time goals record as Croskery is now on 31 goals (though in 60 games, compared to Drew's 26 in 40) thanks to scoring 10 goals in just six appearances this season which also makes him the leagues topscorer so far

[Crispypaul]

Dulwich Hamlet

2016/17 Season

Vanarama Conference South

Season Review

League: 1st

We started the season off very well, leading us to be there or thereabouts. We ultimately wrapped up the title on the last day of the season.

FA Cup: 1st Round

Another run to the 1st Round, this time ended by League One Crawley after a replay.

FA Trophy: 1st Round

Not as great this time, but once more ended by Dagenham & Redbridge

Key players:

Alex Addai: another prolific season from the striker

Marcel Henry-Francis: also did very well as the support striker, although I think the Conference Premier is a step too far for him.

Danny Stenning: the central midfielder stepped up a gear this season, and was also our dead ball specialist.

Rohdell Gordon: the attacking central midfielder had a great first season with us.

Robbie Sweeney: a very good season from the on-loan left winger.

Finances: nice and solid from our cup runs and early season sales

We have a stadium expansion coming up too, of an extra 1,000 standing places.

[u]Season[/u]      [u]League[/u]      [u]Position[/u]     [u]FA Cup[/u]    [u]League Cup[/u]     [u]FA Trophy[/u]   [u]Europe[/u]    [u]Notes[/u]   

2015/16      VCS            6th        1st          -             SF             -         -
2016/17      VCS            1st        1st                        1st

Around the World

Champions League: Real Madrid

Europa League: Roma

Premier League: Manchester City (Spurs relegated in 20th place :o)

FA Cup: Chelsea

League Cup: Manchester United

[EvertonblokesMobile]

Oh. My. God.

The unbelievable has happened!

Next update will require pictures!

Hopefully up by Sunday evening, I am physical drained!

[Bonzo1]

Promotion?

[davidnio_422]

Witton Albion - 2015-16 Season Review

I would call it a season of ups and downs, but it was really just one big up and then a crashing down. My aim was for relegation to never be a serious possibility and I acheived that, but we only mathematically confirmed safety with 3 games to go.

Final Table

Position History - in the playoffs just before Christmas then we collectively lost our marbles, myself included.

Squad

We finished 15th, fourth highest goals scored and third highest conceded. I just never managed to get them to gel in a more defensive shape. Conceded almost 2 goals a game average.

Had a great run in the FA Cup losing in the 1st Round to Walsall

Star Players

Matt Needham - ever present, never seemed to put a foot wrong. For some reason he doesnt want to sign a new deal though

Danny Andrews - hard working right winger with an incredible knack for popping up at the far post for overhit crosses from the left wing (something of a specialty)

Alex Titchiner - Star striker. Best player by a mile. Head of Youth Development? Is there anything he can't do? (Hint: yes. Head the ball)

Nest season depends on what sort of quality I can bring in but hopefully we can improve a bit. Really enjoying the challenge so far.

[Bonzo1]

Marine 2015-16 (Season 2)

"Episode IV A New Hope"

League - 19th

FA Cup - 2nd Qual

FA Trophy - 3rd Qual

Started wonderfully and we were up around the top half of the table until the start of January. Couldn't buy a win in the second half though and we fell away and stayed up with little room to spare.

Key players

Archie Buck - Loanee was excellent all season and topped the average rating and chipped in with a few useful goals

Lewis Codling - Top scorer. His pace served us well in the Defensive striker role up top on his own. Lack of finishing will lead him to be replaced as a regular tho.

Jake Hibbs - Played well in midfield scored a 40 yard winner early on as well. Provided useful cover wide right when injuries hit

Biggest Disappointment

Andeele Martins - Struggled to make any impact wide or up front. Took up a lot of my wage budget as well.

Plans for next season

Improve squad

Finish higher

History

Season    League      FA Cup     FA Trophy          Notes
----------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16    19th       2nd Qual   3rd Qual

[dafuge]

Canvey Island - Barclays Premier League - 2024/25

In our first season in the top flight, this year was all about building a squad and avoiding relegation.

League Table - we spent most of the season in the top four, but our form dipped towards the end. Squad depth was our issue.

Capital One Cup - this was a bit of a shock as we lost to lower league opposition.

FA Cup - beaten easily by Arsenal.

Transfers - selling my star player turned out to be the best thing possible as I replaced him with someone better and brought in a number of new players.

Squad - we have a mixture of great new players and Championship level squad players that need replacing.

Finances - despite all the spending, we've still made a huge profit.

Key Player Profiles:

Fabinho - he's carried on his goal scoring.

Deleon - the DM who replaced Serio.

Kenneth Wind - signed as an AMC, but finished on the wing.

Jonata Eduardo - signed in January, hopefully will make an impact next season.

David Vera - my first wonderkid.

Career Overview

Season    League                       Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16   Vanarama Conference South    9th       
2016/17   Vanarama Conference South    1st         Promoted as champions
2017/18   Vanarama Conference Premier  20th        FA Trophy finalists
2018/19   Vanarama Conference Premier  13th        FA Trophy finalists
2019/20   Vanarama Conference Premier  1st         Promoted as champions
2020/21   Sky Bet League 2             2nd         Promoted
2021/22   Sky Bet League 1             2nd         Promoted
2022/23   Sky Bet Championship         10th        
2023/24   Sky Bet Championship         1st         Promoted as champions 
2024/25   Barclays Premier League      8th         

Next Season

If I can sign a few key players I think we stand a decent chance of qualifying for Europe, although my budget doesn't appear to be too great.

[Bartrcm]

I put my Hendon save on a hold. After the last patch I can't win a game anymore.

I'll try the youth challenge and maybe come back later.

[EvertonblokesMobile]

Evertonblokes Bognor Regis Season 22/23

This season started off in my usual style, pleading for a job from some clearly confused football club chairman.

They had sacked their previous manager to hire some unknown called Holiday Man, who then promptly changed his mind and ran out on them leaving the managers hotseat completely free.

I, of course, totally aced the interview, at one point claiming (Assertively) that hiring me would be the greatest decision they ever made! Whats that? Relegated three times, sacked four times, in five seasons? Well we were never really in a position to do any better, hardly MY fault gov'nor!

They gave me the chance after I told them I would do better than fight against relegation. Of course I would do better, if I don't we go down, I get sacked, obviously I am going to claim that!

The squad was thin on the ground, I like to have 2 players per position, I brought in 10 players and 4 loanees. The one area that I couldn't get happy with was the striker position with only 2 players and a loanee that were good enough, there was also a 4th player that was just awful and I would try not to use. This fact would prove to be very important to our season.....

The season started quite well with a decent patch of form right at the start, I knew it wouldn't last though so was just thankful for the points thinking the good start would keep us out of the relegation zone, after a couple of months we started to slip down the table as I expected and by November we were 13th, I was happy with this, the plan was always to survive and build, each seasons target was to just get a few more points than the last.

The turning point came in February, I just let Affy Obafemi go on a free to avoid dressing room discontent, he was the forth choice striker I didn't even rate so didn't want him hanging round, literally the next day I get another striker injured, and no less than a week later, I lose another. One fit striker was all I had, this was going to be a tough few weeks until they came back.

I changed my supporting striker to MC and made him an advanced playmaker attack. I noticed my tactical familiarity was awful, even with the tactic I had been using all season so far so was a bit concerned, but had little choice. The next game went well, not just because we won, but there just seemed better all round play. Specifically there was always a passing option available, it looked better than panic and hoof it long. A few games later and I decide I'm finishing the season with this tactic and going to stick with it next season.

I checked the table, 12 games to go, a good run of form and we could easily make the play offs, a bad run a it was still possible to go down.

We won the next game, I stupidly got my hopes up!

We then took 1 point from the next 3 games. Oh well, I planned to survive this season, no point worrying about it.

2 wins and 2 draws in our next 4 matches and I'm thinking we're safe now, no need to worry, we're 12th now and about 6 points of that last play off spot with awful goal difference, lets just see out the season.

Another win, great form now, cheers lads, where was this in the middle of the season?

Another win, seriously guys, it still mathematically possible, why are you doing this to me you little s**ts?

2 games left now and 4 points off the play off, I still force my hopes to stay down, no way is Maidenhead going to fail to win at least one of their games. Then I noticed it.

Our next game was against Maidenhead! That means there only one game that I cant account for, not two. If we win against them its all back on and we really could nick that last spot.

And win, we did, just a simple 7 goal thriller, but we did win it, and after going behind twice! Maidenhead were broken, I was confident they wouldn't win their next game now, I checked the table once again. Five teams could now take the last playoff spot and I was in the mix at just one point behind

Away to Grays who had nothing to play for, a 2-1 win was duly delivered, but had the other results gone my way?

Yes, yes they had!

I couldn't believe it, who would have thought a striker crisis would have led to this? But it wasn't over yet we had some serious games to come now. At least the other results didn't have to go my way, it was all in our hands again. We were in cracking form, and best of all, the teams we were beating in the run up to this freak shot at the play offs were all teams in the play-offs with us! They couldn't beat us in the league recently, I knew we had a chance, I was feeling confident, the kind of confidence you get while on a 9 match unbeaten run!

Bristol Rovers were up first, that's right Bristol F-ing Rovers, they were in League 1 just 12 seasons ago, they could still have some player on their books from that squad! We drew with them in the run up, and the home leg was no different, it was all on the away leg..... We smashed it, 5-3 was the final score, we're in the play-off final!!!

I hate the play-off final, I really do, I hate it more than a cup final, it is without doubt the worst game for stress for me than any other game because it changes your entire next season in a single game, possibly a single minute, a single kick even. I've been playing this game since the Domark days so I have had my fair share of play-offs too. It was going to do me again this time.

Eastleigh were the oppo this time, and we started brightly, 14 mins gone and my aging left winger who I couldn't talk out of retirement puts us ahead. We push on looking for the second, but it cant be found, half time rolls around. Doing well lads, keep it up. They came at us all guns blazing in the second half, but we held firm, until the 67th minute when they equalised. Gutting.

They now had the momentum, I didn't want to change to control for fear of being caught up the pitch, I didn't want to sit too deep for fear of inviting them to attack even more. I made the middle management decision to do nothing and closed my eyes hoping for the best, when I opened them it was full time, 1 all, and I had to click to start Extra time.

I watched the extra time, it was horrible, they were all over us, I kept shouting at the screen whenever we got the ball to hit it long to our striker and see what he could do, it was like they couldn't hear me, constantly being pushed back, but they couldn't score, try as they might, then, and I s**t you not, in the 120th minute, the final f**king minute of extra time, after 42 league games, plus playoffs, football manager broke me. Eastleigh scored!

I couldn't believe it, I was going to get my happy ending! We won the penalties 4-1. Easy! We're only bloody going up! After all my seasons of mediocrity we'r bloody going up!

Oh yeah, and we got to the 1st round proper of the FA cup this season too!

No I have to turn the luckiest team in the Conference South into proper battlers for the Conference Premier, this should be fun!

Summary:

15/16 Billericay - Conf South - 13th

16/17 Billericay - Conf South - 9th

17/18 Billericay - Conf South - 20th - Relegated and sacked

18/19 Margate - Conf South - 11th

19/20 Margate - Conf South - Sacked in October

20/21 Canvey Island - Conf South - 22nd - Relegated and sacked

21/22 Stamford - Conf North - 20th - Relegated and sacked

22/23 Bognor Regis - Conf South - 5th - Promoted via Play-offs

[kingjericho]

Congrats! You might just be the happiest man ever to win promotion from the Conference South

[EvertonblokesMobile]

Congrats! You might just be the happiest man ever to win promotion from the Conference South

Cant argue with that!

Think I did enough groundwork!

[kingjericho]

Dulwich Hamlet - Vanarama Conference - 2020/21

League - we had a great start but the second half of the season was dreadful, taking us far from the playoff places where we were until January.

FA Cup - a decent run that brought in a nice income.

FA Trophy - terrible.

Squad - we don't have many really good players and that needs to be addressed quickly.

Transfers - we were very active but the leap to a new division requires even more improvements.

Finances - steady... for now.

Career overview

Season    Division                    Position   Achievements
----------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16   Vanarama Conference South   6th
2016/17   Vanarama Conference South   8th
2017/18   Vanarama Conference South   16th
2018/19   Vanarama Conference South   7th
2019/20   Vanarama Conference South   1st        Promotion
2020/21   Vanarama Conference         12th

Next season

We urgently have to bring in difference makers, because if our end of season form continues we'll be in a relegation battle.

[G_D_K]

Page Takes The Helm At Bury Town F.C.

Manager Profile ~ Facilities

After hours of re-loading myself I noticed that a file had already been uploaded containing one of my local clubs Bury Town two seasons in (thanks G_D_K for this). They are a small club that have never played at this level, but they do have adequate training facilities and average youth recruitment which is very good for this level. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into this!

Good luck with Bury Town...might've been my choice had I not already started a King's Lynn save by the time I pulled that team up.

[Bonzo1]

Chuffed for you evertonbloke

[LeedsUnitedForLife]

Blyth Spartans AFC

Season 2018/2019

Competitions:

League: (1) (2)

Another season of mediocre achievement and mediocre performances. We were never in the hunt for promotion, or even the playoffs, and relegation was never likely. I tried a few things tactically to try and get things going. Had successes here and there but haven't been able to make anything stick. I think I simply need better players to make up for my own tactical shortcomings. I am slowly building a decent squad so there are some positives.

F.A. Cup

Made the first round proper before losing to Bristol Rovers.

F.A. Trophy

Made it to the lofty heights of the 3rd Round before we got a nose bleed and lost to Barrow. I team I seem to get beaten by a lot. They lost in the playoff final too so another year of being beat up by them for me.

Transfers

Made some promising signings with Lee Hetherington being the pick of them.

Squad

We have improved from last year. I'd still like to add a quality DM and AMC then I'll be happy.

Finances

An increase in sponsership dollars across the spectrum is hopefully a sign we are becoming more well known in the football world.

Key Performers:

Lee Hetherington App: 45 Goals: 24 Avg: 7.03

Brilliant first season with the club and has really brought the best out of Dan Maguire too.

Conor Tinnion App: 44 Goals: 9 Avg: 7.07

Another great season but his spot in the first team will come under threat if we can sign an improvement.

Dan Maguire App: 51 Goals: 22 Avg: 6.99

After a couple of poor seasons Dan Maguire has come back and had a good year. Hopefully we can get even more out of him next season. We need it.

Neal Hooks App: 50 Goals: 9 Avg: 6.97

Mr. Reliable. Our captain never fails to hold things together in midfield. He's getting on though and will need replacing sooner or later.

Next Season:

We're getting closer although it might not look like it. Next year is the year. I can feel it. Or I may be suffering from within some sort of delusional state. Either way I'm feeling tip top about things.

Year	League	Pos.	Champ.L	Uefa	FA.Cup	Cap.One	JPT	FAT 	Achievement
15-16	Van N	14th	None	None	4th Qual None	None	2nd Rnd	None
16-17   Van N   10th    None    None    2nd Qual None   None    1st Rnd None
17-18   Van N   15th    None    None    2nd Qual None   None    3rd Qua None
18-19   Van N   11th    None    None    1st Rnd  None   None    3rd Rnd None

hey mate dont lose faith good to see someone else who doesnt win the league each season. u will be rewarded

[knap]

What is the best way of using your scouts for this challenge?

[Vipertitan]

Margate - Vanarama Conference South - 2019/20

this season was about brining the kids up from the under 21's and under 18's and getting rid of the dead wood, the players that i picked did well this season.

League Table

Past Positions - as you can see we went on to win the league and was not expecting to we were 40-1 to win it on the last day of the season.

FA Cup- i wanted to try new formation in this years FA CUP and seamed to do well we got to the third qualifying round this year.

FA Trophy - played most of the second team in this they were not good nuff.

Transfers - as you can see got rid of most first team to try and reduce the high wage bill that we have.

Squad1

Squad2- with half the first team from last season gone i set about bringing players up from the under 21 and 18 to see how they were development was going and have to say going quite well.

Finances -the project balance 10.5k should be decent wage budget for next season.

Key Player Profiles:

Joe Down - top scorer again this season 47 games 28 goals.

Mark Overton - building the squad around this guy he is quality.

Pete Agutter -one the kids i bought up second top scorer with 13 goals out 28 games.

Francis Obaje -injuries did not help this kid only played 8 games this season did well when he was fit.

Career Overview

Season    League                     Position    Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16   Vanarama Conference South  3rd     play off winners 
2016/17   Vanarama Conference          19th     None   
2017/18   Vanarama Conference          24th     None  
2018/19   Vanarama Conference South   6h      
2019/20   Vanarama Conference South   1st     Champions 

Next Season

Try and avoid relegation and stay within my wage budget.

[Hypanimz]

Maidstone United Football Club - Sky Bet League 1 - 2021/22

After back to back promotions from the Conference I was thinking this season would be all about consolidating as I still had a few players from the Conference still playing reguarlarly. We drew our first game against Leeds 0-0 but then we won our next 13 consecutive league games We held a large lead at the top almost all season long after this initial run and confortably walked the league. In the end we won the league title by 16 points and it was all to easy. Our success was built on the back of a solid defence conceding only 32 goals all season in the league. We also managed to win the JPT conceding only 3 goals in the whole competition. Hopefully the defence can stay solid in the Championship as surely we will have a struggle next season.

League Table - Walked the league. Top for almost the entire season. Never lost top spot once we hit first.

Past Positions - Took first in week 6 and never lost it. Took a massive lead and never looked back.

Cups - 3rd round in both the FA Cup and Capital One Cup. We beat Premier League Middlesborough in the Capital One Cup 5-0 before conceding 2 late goals in round 3 and losing 2-0 to Fulham. Knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Chesterfield. JPT was a comfortable win and only conceded 3 goals in the entire competition.

Squad - Solid defence, Pinch took a while to get going upfront this season. Need to strenghten to survive in the Championship.

Transfers - Thompson came back after last years loan spell and did well. The loanees did very well with Coyne standing out. Bukran took over as number 1 keeper. Wayne Rooney was awful. Was signed mainly to mentor but he wasnt interested in doing it at all. Will be released.

Finances - £3.25m in the bank.

Key Player Profiles:

Jamal Egan - Goal scoring midfielder. Great loan signing.

Oliver Pinch - Took a while to get going this season due to injuries. Still scored 21 goals.

Oliver Coyne - 17 goals for the loanee winger.

Phil Burgess - The rock in the defence. Should step up nicely to the Championship.

Next Season

After 3 successive promotions we need to try to stay up in the Championship.

Career Overview

Season          League                      League Finish     Achievements
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015/16         Vanarama South              8th   
2016/17         Vanarama South              1st               Champions 
2017/18         Vanarama Conference         16th 
2018/19         Vanarama Conference         6th   
2019/20         Vanarama Conference         4th               Play off Winners
2020/21         Sky Bet League Two          1st               Champions
2021/22         Sky Bet League One          1st               Champions     

[fcunitedfan]

Congratulations to dj clark boy and EvertonblokesMobile. Good luck in the Vanarama Conference (You'll need it EvertonblokesMobile lol).

Excellent work getting promoted again Hypanimz. I'll have to get some game time in, so I can catch up with your Maidstone side

[Andrew Haines]

St Neots Town FC

2016/17

Conference North - 12th

Overview

5 wins from the last 5 of the season gave a flattering look to the table. In actuality we were in danger of relegation right to the end. I found it difficult to bring in players of the right quality, particularily in defence. The high point was a run to the 2nd round of the FA Cup which generated a decent amount of revenue.

Year	League	Pos.	Champ.L	Uefa	FA.Cup	Cap.One	JPT	FAT 	Achievement
16/17	Van N	12th	None	None	2nd Rnd	None	None	1st Rnd	None