Gunner 101 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 A Brazilian teenager rocking up at Carlisle, who would have thought it? That's a decent start Jogo! Strange choice of team but it's something different and I'm interested to see where you get to with them. How do you feel about the challenge ahead? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 Even to me, it's a strange choice of team. It may not be a long one as I'm keen to manage quite a few teams in L1/L2. The challenge won't be easy, but I want to see how it is next season with a team that I can class as more of my own. Young players is the way to go. Almeida qualifies under my philosophy rules because of his time at Man City, but I did laugh when the signing was announced and he said he was 'looking forward to a better lifestyle'. Brazil nuts, I think... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Hopefully you will enjoy it and continue for a little while. Looking forward to seeing how it all pans out for you. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Friday 3rd October 2014 Billy Hasler-Cregg agreed to extend his loan deal with Vanarama Conference North side Guiseley. The 18 year old midfielder will now spend the next 4 months out on loan. Saturday 4th October 2014 Joel Logan agreed to extend his loan deal with Vanarama Conference side Forest Green Rovers. The 19 year old winger will now spend the next 3 months out on loan. James Hooper agreed to extend his loan deal with Vanarama Conference North side North Ferriby. The 17 year old full back will now spend the next 3 months out on loan. Rochdale 3-1 Barnsley As we looked to pick ourselves up from the last game we welcomed a so far disappointing Barnsley side to Spotland. Adil Nabi broke the offside trap to latch on to a ball over the top and smash home on the 22nd to hand us the advantage. Barnsley drew level just before the hour mark through Kane Hemmings smart finish. A subsitution saw Calvin Andrew leave the pitch to be replaced by Ian Henderson and it was Henderson who grabbed our second and third goals to seal the 3 points. Mohamed Coulibaly and Daryl Horgan both did enough to earn places in the League One Team of the Week. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 4/2 Joe Bunney - 3/2 Ian Henderson - 5/0 Mohamed Coulibaly - 2/0 Calvin Andrew - 1/1 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Callum Camps - 1/0 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Sunday 5th October 2014 Andy Cannon agreed to extend his loan deal with Vanarama Conference side Forest Green Rovers. The 18 year old midfielder will now spend the next 3 months out on loan. Wednesday 8th October 2014 Nyal Bell agreed to extend his loan deal with Vanarama Conference North side Bradford PA. The 17 year old striker will now spend the next 3 months out on loan. Saturday 11th October 2014 MK Dons 1-1 Rochdale It was a top of the table clash at Milton Keynes as we faced a tough away trip to third placed MK Dons. The game was a tense encounter and it showed in the first half however the second half produced a much better game. MK Dons took the lead on the 56th minute but an ispired substitution saw Callum Camps grab the equaliser 3 minutes before the end. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 4/2 Joe Bunney - 3/2 Ian Henderson - 5/0 Mohamed Coulibaly - 2/0 Callum Camps - 2/0 Calvin Andrew - 1/1 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Sunday 12th October 2014 Rochdale youngster Johnathan Diba has today signed his first professional contract with the club. The 17 year old goalkeeper signed a three year deal with the club and is looking forward to continuing his career at Rochdale alongside a group of talented players. Tuesday 14th October 2014 Injury Update: Ashley Eastham - Groin strain - 2 to 3 weeks Joe Rafferty - Sprained ankle - 4 to 5 weeks Saturday 18th October 2014 Rochdale 4-1 Gillingham[/b] An efficent perfomance saw us come out on top against Gillingham. Febian Brandy, making only his second appearance since his return from injury gave us the lead on the 31st minute. Ian Henderson doubled the advantage two minutes before the break. Coulibaly added the third 10 minutes after the break and Nabi finished the contest just after the hour mark. An unfortunate own goal through Rhys Bennett gave Gillingham a consolation goal. Sean Long, Mohamed Coulibaly and Ian Henderson all featured in the League One Team of the Week. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 5/2 Ian Henderson - 6/0 Joe Bunney - 3/2 Mohamed Coulibaly - 3/0 Callum Camps - 2/0 Calvin Andrew - 1/1 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Febian Brandy - 1/0 Tuesday 21st October 2014 Rochdale 3-0 Preston North End The Second Round of the JPT North pitted us against fellow League One side Preston. We needed to win and progress in order to meet expecatations set at the beginning of the season and thankfully our midfield shown us the way. Jamie Allen was the one of the midfielders to score on 22 minutes. Ian Henderson then finished from the spot just after the half time interval. Mohamed Coulibaly wrapped up the scoring 10 minutes later. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 5/2 Ian Henderson - 6/1 Joe Bunney - 3/2 Mohamed Coulibaly - 3/1 Callum Camps - 2/0 Calvin Andrew - 1/1 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Febian Brandy - 1/0 Jamie Allen - 0/1 Saturday 25th October 2014 Yeovil Town 1-1 Rochdale On a rainy day down in Yeovil we had to take a share of spoils although we pherhaps should have had more. A Calvin Andrew header gave us the lead just after the hour mark but Yeovil pegged us back just 3 minutes later to ensure the game ended in a draw. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 5/2 Ian Henderson - 6/1 Joe Bunney - 3/2 Mohamed Coulibaly - 3/1 Calvin Andrew - 2/1 Callum Camps - 2/0 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Febian Brandy - 1/0 Jamie Allen - 0/1 Tuesday 28th October 2014 Injury Update: Ashley Eastham is currently out with a groin strain. The defender is expected to be back in 1 to 2 days. Rueben Noble-Lazarus is currently out with achilles tendonitis. The midfielder is expected to be back in 3 to 4 weeks. Joe Rafferty is currently out with a sprained ankle. The defender is expected to be back in 8 days to 2 weeks. Steve Collis is currently out with strained knee ligaments. The goalkeeper is expected to be back in 6 to 7 week. Swindon Town 3-0 Rochdale Top of the table Swindon, like Leyton Orient previously, outclassed and strolled to a 3-0 success. Unfortunately we had a couple of key players who couldn’t play due to fitness issues and the guys who came in couldn’t get on terms with one of the leagues best sides. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 5/2 Ian Henderson - 6/1 Joe Bunney - 3/2 Mohamed Coulibaly - 3/1 Calvin Andrew - 2/1 Callum Camps - 2/0 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Febian Brandy - 1/0 Jamie Allen - 0/1 End of Month Round-Up - October 2014 Sky Bet League One - 3rd (possible finish 1st to 24th) Capital One Cup - Lost in Second Round (v Reading) FA Cup - First Round (v Ebbsfleet) Johnstone’s Paint Trophy - North Quarter Final (v Notts County) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 Hopefully you will enjoy it and continue for a little while. Looking forward to seeing how it all pans out for you. Good luck! Cheers mate. Well done on another decent month (apart from the Swindon game of course). If I can match your results at Carlisle I will be very satisfied. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nottingham Forest Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Trying so hard to get into another save similar that gave me some enjoyment. Tried Mansfield, Forest, Fleetwood(from Accrington save) and even Accrington again. Not been successful in getting back into those so saved them. Instead I've gone with Colchester United. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Cheers mate. Well done on another decent month (apart from the Swindon game of course). If I can match your results at Carlisle I will be very satisfied. Thanks buddy! We're doing well and if it wasn't for dropping points against Yeovil and Swindon we would be top of the league. Trying so hard to get into another save similar that gave me some enjoyment. Tried Mansfield, Forest, Fleetwood(from Accrington save) and even Accrington again. Not been successful in getting back into those so saved them. Instead I've gone with Colchester United. Good luck at Col Utd! Had a great game with them on 14. Eastman is a rock at the back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nottingham Forest Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Yeah Eastman looks like he could play at a higher level. They have a number of youngsters who look like they could become good players. Already signed a favourite from Accrington as he's left them in real life so he's now a free agent . He'll only be backup for now though. Also looking at bringing back a former Colchester player who moved a couple of seasons ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Yeah Eastman looks like he could play at a higher level. They have a number of youngsters who look like they could become good players. Already signed a favourite from Accrington as he's left them in real life so he's now a free agent . He'll only be backup for now though. Also looking at bringing back a former Colchester player who moved a couple of seasons ago. Wonder who!? Kevin Lisbie? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nottingham Forest Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Nope. I did look at possibly signing him as well and he may join in the future as he's a fans favourite. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Nope. I did look at possibly signing him as well and he may join in the future as he's a fans favourite. Fair enough. Look forward to seeing who it is when you update! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackEdwardsHappel Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 If anyone is after a good Championship striker, look for Sergi Enrich. History Attributes Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammo10 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Sheffield United Halfway review 2014/15 Fixtures We managed to go on a 19 game unbeaten run since the last update and it seemed like it was going to be a comfortable route to the championship. However since that run we have been a bit more inconsistent. December an especially poor month. The goals have been shared around the team. With McNulty and Mcdonald bagging a few as well as the wingers chipping in. Baxter as scored occasionally but seemed to use all of his goals up in the Chesterfield game. signings have fitted in nicely. Woodgate has performed well when fit, Wordsworth is an important part of the starting XI and Matty Pearson is looking better and better with every game, won the Goal of the month after a screamer against Rochdale. We were very unlucky in the FA Cup, forcing a replay out of Cardiff which shows we can mix it with championship sides if we manage to go up. Also in the Northern final of the SJP trophy. We will defend our 1-0 aggregate lead in the next game at home. League Table We sit 3rd in the league, 1 point behind second place Doncaster and 7 behind MK Dons. I dont think Dons will be able to keep up their level of performance, but fancy us to get at least 2nd if we can reproduce the kind of form we showed in the early stages of the season. Not sure how we will fare if we get the play off's with consistency being an issue currently. January transfers Just the one January transfer. Simeon Jackson. Very cheap at 100k and has scored freely for Coventry. Adds something different to Mcdonald and McNulty with his lightning pace. Jogo - Nice update. Interesting choice of team, will certainly be a challenge Gunner - Good work, hopefully the return of Brandy will help out. Big fan of his Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 NF: Good luck with Colchester. Lots of young players there, although whether they can fulfil their potential or not is unclear. Would Wordsworth be the new signing? sammo10: Nice update with Sheff Utd. Despite a few inconsistent results, you're well set to push on, with plenty of time left. Good cup form too, especially the JPT. I hope Jackson is a useful addition, it's been a few years since I managed him but he used to be decent in FM and it sounds like he still is in your game. I've no idea how I ended up at Carlisle instead of Sheff Utd (I definitely want to try them myself), but will see how it goes here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammo10 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Thanks Jogo. Jackson has just scored on his debut against one of his former sides Gillingham, so looking promising. I was actually looking at Hiwula before I signed Jackson but wasn't sure if he was ready for League 1 football just yet. Hopefully he will be able to score a few more for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Notts County update - season 2015/2016 finished So we finally manage to limp over the finish line. Could have had the league wrapped up a little earlier, but all's well that ends well, and I can't complain at the season we've had, we've been brilliant. Top 6 was the goal so to win the league like this I'm absolutely delighted. My big concern however, is how reliant we were on our young loan stars. Here's a list of our top rated players this season: George Green, Zeli Ismail, Conor McAleny and Tyias Browning our top 4 performers, and all of which will no longer be at the club next season. This worries me greatly, and will mean that I'll have to be very clever in the transfer market this summer if we want to have any chance whatsoever in staying up. I have my work cut out, but it will be an interesting challenge for me - bring on the Championship! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Congratulations Gizmo. Quite a low total for league winners but it looks like it was tight throughout. Promotion after what you started with/like is a great achievement, but next year sounds like it will be a battle. Everton aren't interested in extending any of the loans? What kind of budget did you get for next season? @sammo10: Good start for Jackson. Hopefully Hiwula will grow in to his role when my team improves. I think I still don't have the perfect formation and tactics yet, but it's all just minor tweaks so maybe we settle down soon and can push on in the winter months. It doesn't help that I have six or seven unwanted strikers, but there will be a lot of deadwood leaving in the summer so maybe my proper targets can be recruited then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Congratulations Gizmo. Quite a low total for league winners but it looks like it was tight throughout. Promotion after what you started with/like is a great achievement, but next year sounds like it will be a battle. Everton aren't interested in extending any of the loans? What kind of budget did you get for next season? Yeah it seemed no-one really wanted to win the league Not that I'm complaining I've managed to get Browning and Garbutt back on season-long loans, but Everton are reluctant to let George Green or Conor McAleny go out on loan to us again, as they said they need to be playing with higher quality players than us Wolves are also being annoying with Ismail, and they want us to pay £27k a month loan fee, on top of paying 100% of his £2,200 p/w wages, not sure what to say to them? Ismail has 1 year left on his contract, and we're on his favoured clubs. I offered £700k for him and they rejected, I was hoping Ismail would kick-off and demand his way out but that didn't happen. We have £800k transfer budget and £22k wage budget to play with in the summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Sammo10: Yeah I'n glad Brandy is back. He's not a great finisher so I try not to play him as my most advanced player and ultimately he's behind various players, Ian Henderson being better than him in the right winger position for example. But he's fast and has good dribbling skills and can help move defences around and give space to other players so he's a good option to have at this level. Gizmo: Congratulations on your promotion. Hopefully you can get some players in to replace those outgoing loanees! I try to limit my loanees to players that I think I can keep hold of at the end of their loan spell and it's worked well in the past. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Yeah it seemed no-one really wanted to win the league Not that I'm complaining I've managed to get Browning and Garbutt back on season-long loans, but Everton are reluctant to let George Green or Conor McAleny go out on loan to us again, as they said they need to be playing with higher quality players than us Wolves are also being annoying with Ismail, and they want us to pay £27k a month loan fee, on top of paying 100% of his £2,200 p/w wages, not sure what to say to them? Ismail has 1 year left on his contract, and we're on his favoured clubs. I offered £700k for him and they rejected, I was hoping Ismail would kick-off and demand his way out but that didn't happen. We have £800k transfer budget and £22k wage budget to play with in the summer. Two out of four isn't bad. Regarding Ismail, I would definitely leave it and maybe pick him up for free at the end of the season. Plenty of other options out there, I'm sure. £800k is a very fair transfer budget, although the wage allowance doesn't seem massive. Gunner: I think you're on to something good there, looking forward to the next diary entry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Regarding Ismail, I would definitely leave it and maybe pick him up for free at the end of the season. Plenty of other options out there, I'm sure. Yeah good point, hopefully he won't sign an extension or sign for someone else, he's been class for us over these past 2 seasons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Jogo: I think we're behind a few teams when it comes to quality, Swindon and Leyton Orient matches show that. But then we have beat the likes of Sheffield Utd, Preston, Barnsley etc. I would be more than happy at achieving a play off spot at this stage which I feel we have shown that we have the potential to achieve that as a minimum. I'm happy because we're scoring quite a few goals, it's 11/11/2014 in my game and both Adil Nabi and Ian Henderson have achieved double figures and Calvin Andrew has started to notch goals now too. Andrew is a machine in the air btw, wins 95% of his aerial duels! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 That's pretty good striking returns. I'm on about the same date, and my top scorer has only six (half of them in cups). League 1 is a very competitive division, so a play-off spot would be really good mate. * I should add that by mid-November, Matt Tubbs of Portsmouth already has 22 league goals in 14(1) appearances. I picked the wrong club Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Henderson has played all his games (apart from one) from either the right or left midfield position so that's even better! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Delph Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 After I spent the last couple of days playing around with tactics and reading the tactics forum I've decided to give Championship new boys Rotherham a go. I always start with the first transfer windows off so no changes will be made to the playing squad. Wish me luck lads!! started around 3 games in the last week and gave up on all of them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Good luck Mr.Delph! My advice to you would be to stick with it until you can put your 'stamp' on the team Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Good luck Mr.Delph. If nothing else can I say thanks for making Steve Evans unemployed! As a matter of interest, which teams did you try and give up on? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG17 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Good luck with Carlisle Joga Bonito. I started as them a while back and have just completed the first season. Scraped into the play offs but didn't make it through. Find myself struggling to bring in good enough players which has left me a little short at the start of the second season but I'm confident I'll sort that out soon enough. I'm also building the team around the youngsters, Potts, Beck, Meppen-Walter and Dempsey (especially if I can't get any better attackers in). Are you playing Gillespie in goal? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Good luck with Carlisle Joga Bonito. I started as them a while back and have just completed the first season. Scraped into the play offs but didn't make it through. Find myself struggling to bring in good enough players which has left me a little short at the start of the second season but I'm confident I'll sort that out soon enough. I'm also building the team around the youngsters, Potts, Beck, Meppen-Walter and Dempsey (especially if I can't get any better attackers in). Are you playing Gillespie in goal? Ah nice one. Good season for you, unlucky to lose in the play-offs. Yes, I felt Gillespie was marginally better than Hanford, but it's good to have them both. I stumbled along until December, and then created a tactic/formation that seems to really work well for us. I've ditched all the older players to the bench and U21 squads, I really have no interest in them. Unfortunately nobody else wants any of them either, did you find the same? I'm not using Meppen-Walter much for personal reasons, but I use Symington, Brough, Potts, Dempsey, Wyke and Beck regularly. I made Potts our VC in pre-season and when Grainger was poor/suspended he took the armband on quite a few occasions. When you add in that Gillespie, Hanford, Young, Marshall, Buddle, Gillies, Rigg, Kearns and Amoo are all in my main squad and aged 23 or under, it's a really young group I'm using. In fact, the three extra loan players (Lelan, Dawson, Hiwula) and two free transfers (Laird and Gabriel Almeida) that I recruited are all young too, so only Archibald-Henville and Grainger are involved over the age of 24 now. I can't wait for the end of season 1 to get most of the oldies off the wage-bill (in view of his long service I might try to keep Thirlwell if he agrees a coach only role on vastly reduced wages). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FjollFan Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Si I have finally made it through the transfer window of 2020/2021 and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised with it. Starting with the newcomers. Javi Bayón was mostly bought due to the cheap price as well as his versatility. His lack of acceleration is a bit worrying but my plan is that he will do early crosses when acceleration is not as important. Viktor Nagy is the polar opposite of Bayón and is a more traditional winger who will run down the flank and be as annoying as possible. Sadly he injured himself and is gone for 6 weeks Stanislav Zyumbyulev is a monster in the making. He is a bit short and slow but frankly everything else about is really good and hopefully he will grow to become a bulgarian beast Jean-Marc Vidal was immediatly loaned back to OL but as I have Vukojevic for this season aswell I think it was best for him to take another season in Ligue 1 to nurture and come back next year and challenge Jerkovic for the DM spot. The ones I haven't mentioned is either gambles or players who will not play the first team this season but hopefully in a few years they will start popping up As for the ones who have left us Cinar and Christensen stands out. In Cinars case he was a major pain in the butt during the last months of last season with missed training and general whining just because I sold Ferchichi and in Christensens case it was more that I felt he had reached his limit and I think £5M is a pretty decent fee for him. Extremly important that Hwan is not on this tab but just in case I have a few right wingers on my shortlist if some bigger teams start opening their wallets in January. This means the team looks something like this: GK: Karezis/Bull LB: James/Ademir CB: Gomez/Zyumbyulev CB: Nugent/Some random youngster RB: Janko/Shimizu DM: Jerkovic/Vukojevic MC: Aneke/Atkinson MC: Waters/Pollard AML: Bayón/Nagy AMR: Hwan/Isgrove/Pollard ST: Saunders/Simic The start of the season has been brilliant and the wins against Spurs and Chelsea was even more impressive because I had several important players injured. But once again we are playing badly against lower teams and in this case Sunderlund pulled out us from our hubris with a deserved victory as we played horrendous and didn't achieve anything of value. Also, amazing updates everyone, was gone for the weekend so it was great reading through it all today Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Coming to the end of pre-season now, will get my update up soon-ish. Just a bit of an odd one though as Russia have just offered me an interview for their vacant national team's managerial job I politely declined, but it's good to know that I'm building a reputation for myself :thup: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Notts County - Sky Bet Championship - Season 2016/2017 preview Very happy with my signings this summer, I'll start off by showing you my biggest signing on the window; Leigh Griffiths - Can't believe we've managed to get him, and for so cheap too! He was transfer-listed at Celtic, so we swept in with a bid of £145k and it was accepted! Griffiths has been a beast on previous FM's, I loved him on FM11 with my Leicester team, hopefully good times ahead! A few other notable signings include: Thomas Eisfeld - I had this player on FM14 with my Aberdeen team and he was class, so when I saw he was available on a free and was interested I snapped him up. Looks a solid Championship player, isn't on huge wages so can't really complain, although it does look like he's been slightly downgraded in this year's FM. He's also just picked up a calf injury and is out for 4-5 months - highly frustrating.. Ryan Fredericks - PACE! Pretty much the only reason I signed him, because of that blistering pace - he has a decent cross too but not much else going for him, will be interesting to see what I can do with him. Jay Bothroyd - He's getting on a bit, but I remember when he ripped our team apart last season at Rotherham, so when I saw the chance to sign him I thought why not, if you can't beat 'em... Still should do a job in the Championship I reckon. Kieron Freedman - Looks a good Championship player - also a local lad from Nottingham, came through their academy and has actually had loan spells with us back in 2011/2012 + 2013/2014. He's been doing alright at Derby so not too sure why they let him go. Oh well, their loss is our gain. Janoi Donacien - Picked him up on a free from Aston Villa, should be alright back-up, and is still young too. Danny Hollands - Will provide back-up for the midfield. He looks a steady player and has averaged ~7.20 in his past two seasons at Portsmouth, so he deserves a chance at a higher division. Bradley Fewster - One for the future - already has impressive finishing and is pretty quick. Ellis Bellemy - Another one for the future. And yes, it is Craig Bellemy's son He looks like a tidy player in fairness. Choi Il-Myeong - Another one for the future - looks decent. --- Very much looking forward to the season now - as I think we actually have a good team for this league. As long as I can hold off injuries that is... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG17 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Ah nice one. Good season for you, unlucky to lose in the play-offs.Yes, I felt Gillespie was marginally better than Hanford, but it's good to have them both. I stumbled along until December, and then created a tactic/formation that seems to really work well for us. I've ditched all the older players to the bench and U21 squads, I really have no interest in them. Unfortunately nobody else wants any of them either, did you find the same? I'm not using Meppen-Walter much for personal reasons, but I use Symington, Brough, Potts, Dempsey, Wyke and Beck regularly. I made Potts our VC in pre-season and when Grainger was poor/suspended he took the armband on quite a few occasions. When you add in that Gillespie, Hanford, Young, Marshall, Buddle, Gillies, Rigg, Kearns and Amoo are all in my main squad and aged 23 or under, it's a really young group I'm using. In fact, the three extra loan players (Lelan, Dawson, Hiwula) and two free transfers (Laird and Gabriel Almeida) that I recruited are all young too, so only Archibald-Henville and Grainger are involved over the age of 24 now. I can't wait for the end of season 1 to get most of the oldies off the wage-bill (in view of his long service I might try to keep Thirlwell if he agrees a coach only role on vastly reduced wages). I've signed Jalal to play in goal. Gillespie is decent but Jalal just sneaks it for me. Gillespie has the hump though which is fair enough. I definitely found that with the older players yes, managed to get rid of them now but they all hung around for the first season getting little football. The only ones I used were Asamoah, O'Hanlan and Paynter as well as Grainger and Archibald-Henville who are still with me. I've let Symington and Wyke go (Wyke wanted to leave when I couldn't guarantee him a game and Symington just wasn't good enough). Brough is just about being used at the moment but not regularly and will leave soon I think. I've let a lot of the attackers go so my 2nd season is trying to build that back up. Most of it will be based around Beck so wide players to give him service is what I'm looking for. I've only kept him and Dempsey from last season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Saturday 1st November 2014 Rochdale 2-1 Preston North End We had to fight hard to get back to winning ways against Preston. Things started well as Ian Henderson slotted away a 9th minute penalty. We then doubled the lead through a cheeky lob by Adil Nabi. Preston came back into it though and a goal on the 83rd minute made it a tense finale but we held out for all 3 points. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 6/2 Ian Henderson - 7/1 Joe Bunney - 3/2 Mohamed Coulibaly - 3/1 Calvin Andrew - 2/1 Callum Camps - 2/0 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Febian Brandy - 1/0 Jamie Allen - 0/1 Monday 3rd November 2014 Callum Camps agreed to extend his contract at the club. The new deal means he will now be tied to the club into 2017 with the option of a further year. The 18 year old midfielder has played in 7 games so far this season, scoring 2 goals with an average rating of 7.08. Saturday 8th November 2014 Rochdale 4-0 Ebbsfleet United A steady but unspectacular performance saw us overcome Ebbsfleet of the Vanarama Conference North in the First Round of the FA Cup. Joe Bunney got the scoring started after just 12 minutes, slotting home after Calvin Andrew put him through. Central defender Rhys Bennett doubled the lead on the 23rd minute, rising highest from a free kick to head the ball in. Jamie Allen extended the lead further with another header on 38 minutes before substitute Adil Nabi finished completed the scoring. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 6/3 Ian Henderson - 7/1 Joe Bunney - 3/3 Mohamed Coulibaly - 3/1 Calvin Andrew - 2/1 Callum Camps - 2/0 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Jamie Allen - 0/2 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Febian Brandy - 1/0 Rhys Bennett - 0/1 Tuesday 11th November 2014 Injury Update: Rueben Noble-Lazarus is currently out with achilles tendonitis. The midfielder is expected to be back in 1 to 6 days. Steve Collis is currently out with strained knee ligaments. The goalkeeper is expected to be back in 3 to 4 weeks. Notts County 0-3 Rochdale A professional performance saw us come out victorious in this JPT North Quarter Final tie against fellow League One side Notts County. Adil Nabi grabbed the first goal of the game just before half time. After the break Calvin Andrew scored 2 goals in 4 minutes to seal the tie. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 6/4 Ian Henderson - 7/1 Joe Bunney - 3/3 Calvin Andrew - 2/3 Mohamed Coulibaly - 3/1 Callum Camps - 2/0 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Jamie Allen - 0/2 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Febian Brandy - 1/0 Rhys Bennett - 0/1 Saturday 15th November 2014 Port Vale 1-1 Rochdale A trip to Stoke-On-Trent saw us come away with a share of the points following a tough encounter with Port Vale. Tom Pope gave the hosts the lead as Oliver Lancashire misjudged a header which left Pope with only the keeper to beat. Adil Nabi managed to equalise on the 17th minute at the second attempt after having his first effort save. Following three substitutions, Nabi then picked up an injury meaning we had to face the last 15 minutes with 10 men. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 7/4 Ian Henderson - 7/1 Joe Bunney - 3/3 Calvin Andrew - 2/3 Mohamed Coulibaly - 3/1 Callum Camps - 2/0 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Jamie Allen - 0/2 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Febian Brandy - 1/0 Rhys Bennett - 0/1 Thursday 20th November 2014 Jonathan Diba agreed to join North Ferriby on loan. The goalkeeper is set to spend 1 month with the Vanarama Conference North club. Friday 21st November 2014 Dominic Reid agreed to join Solihull Moors on loan. The midfielder is set to spend 1 month with the Vanarama Conference North club. Saturday 22nd November 2014 Rochdale 1-3 Doncaster Rovers Doncaster continued their red hot form in which we was wasteful. Ian Henderson gave us the lead just before the break but the second half took a turn for the worse as we shipped 3 goals. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 7/4 Ian Henderson - 8/1 Joe Bunney - 3/3 Calvin Andrew - 2/3 Mohamed Coulibaly - 3/1 Callum Camps - 2/0 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Jamie Allen - 0/2 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Febian Brandy - 1/0 Rhys Bennett - 0/1 Tuesday 25th November 2014 Injury Update: Steve Collis is currently out with strained knee ligaments. The goalkeeper is expected to be back in 5 to 11 days. Wednesday 26th November 2014 Rochdale manager Thomas Timson put pen to paper on a new two year contract with the club. Saturday 29th November 2014 Rochdale 3-0 Oldham Athletic Adil Nabi opened the scoring in this game with a fierce strike on the 11th minute. Left back Scott Tanser doubled the advantage on the 31st minute with a free kick. Nabi grabbed his second and our third on 69 minutes from close range to seal the points. Season Goalscorer’s: League/Cup Adil Nabi - 9/4 Ian Henderson - 8/1 Joe Bunney - 3/3 Calvin Andrew - 2/3 Mohamed Coulibaly - 3/1 Callum Camps - 2/0 Ashley Eastham - 1/1 Jamie Allen - 0/2 Daryl Horgan - 0/1 Stephen Dawson - 1/0 Peter Vincenti - 1/0 Febian Brandy - 1/0 Rhys Bennett - 0/1 Scott Tanser - 1/0 End of Month Round-Up - November 2014 Sky Bet League One - 6th (possible finish 1st to 24th) Capital One Cup - Lost in Second Round (v Reading) FA Cup - Second Round (v Colchester) Johnstone’s Paint Trophy - North Semi Final (v Sheffield United) League One Player of the Month: Adil Nabi - 2nd League One Young Player of the Month: Adil Nabi - Winner Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 Great updates FjollFan, Gizmo and Gunner. Crewe look to be settling in as a Premier League club, Notts County look to be getting stronger each year and hopefully can survive, and Rochdale are punching above their weight (and look set for a play-off spot on that basis). Final word to GashGuff because I can relate to life at Carlisle. I'm glad it wasn't just me unable to shift the vets, and really looking forward to shaping a proper young squad next season. I'm in January of season 1 now, and will do an update at the end of the window. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 I've just hit the end of January (season 1) with Carlisle, and I'm pleased to say we are currently a contender for a play-off spot. The turning point for our season (well, assuming it continues) was actually the unlucky loss on penalties to Oldham in the JPT. Having failed miserably in both other cups, I made a rare decision to try and take this competition seriously - but unfortunately our brave effort came to an end in the Northern area semi-final, when we lost 6-5 in a shootout. That Oldham defeat also saw an injury to Jordi Hiwula, who would have to miss the next six months due to a torn calf muscle. Having switched from 442 to 451 and then 433 over the previous couple of months, I decided now was the time to try 352 (the game calls it 5-3-2-WB) - and it paid instant dividends. The first immediate benefit was that it enabled me to get most of the better players on the pitch, and in positions that seemed more suitable to their strengths. Despite the absence of Hiwula (and Brough) I was pleasantly surprised to see it gel so quickly. Without Hiwula, who had probably looked the best of my striking options, it made me pair two bigger strikers together (Beck and Wyke) for the first time. It also allowed me to take Grainger out of the left-back slot where he had been a liability (never ideal for your captain) and put him on to the left side of the back-three. Symington could now be used as a wing-back on the right, which suited his attacking (and lack of defensive) skills, and I could make use of Gabriel Almeida in a roaming playmaker role on the left of my midfield three - instead of having him shifted between more traditional left and central midfield roles. With Brough out for a few weeks, Potts was moved from a central midfield role to take on duties as a wing-back on the left, and both Dawson and Dempsey completed the midfield trio. The spine of the team remained virtually the same, with Lelan the ball-playing central defender in the middle, Archibald-Henville just to his right, and Gillespie still between the sticks. Amoo would always be a useful asset from the bench with his pace capable of creating and scoring late goals. A run of four straight wins - the first two emphatic victories - propelled us up the table, and although it would be unrealistic to keep that form going without the odd slip (and you can see, we have had a few recently), I feel we now have found our identity and have something solid to work from. Now that Brough is available again, when he starts on the left, I push Potts back in to the middle, with one of either Dawson or Dempsey taking a rest. For anybody interested in the tactic, it's really these 12 players (the 11 shown below plus Dempsey) who are starters, with Amoo the most-used bench option, and Young used when one of the defenders (most likely Symington) is tired. There was just one more addition in the winter window (another free transfer) when Jarrett Rivers of Blyth Spartans arrived on 1st January. That deal had been struck a couple of months earlier (he rejected the chance to even open talks in the summer), and I'm keen to see if the ex-Middlesbro youth can display the kind of exciting form that had served Blyth so well in this year's FA Cup run. On the downside, unfortunately the January transfer window just passed without being able to off-load any of the unwanted players (there are about nine or ten of them still at the club). The club is also losing over £100k per month, and there seems to be little I can do to stop this happening. I know it will improve slightly in the summer when I lose some of the high earners that aren't needed, but going with the young players on cheap wages and/or getting promotion will be the only way I can turn those kind of losses around. Finally, I'd just like to give a brief moment in the spotlight to my young Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Almeida, acquired on a free transfer in September. He probably isn't familiar to many, and although he hasn't set the world alight yet, I think this image (taken at the start of January) show there is some potential for the teenager to become a real favourite at the club in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrefuze Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 @Gabriel Almeida - looks like a great find. did you managed to get work permit for him? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 @Gabriel Almeida - looks like a great find. did you managed to get work permit for him? Yeah, he was previously at Man City before heading back to Brazil (Man City and Man Utd tried to get him to stay in England). He gets a WP due to second nationality (Portuguese). I took him to Grasshoppers in Switzerland on the previous patch and he was very good even at that level (both in the league and in Europe), so I couldn't resist bringing him to Brunton Park Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Gunner 101 - Abil Nabi doing brilliantly for you! KUTGW Jogo Bonito - Almeida looks great Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Cheers Gizmo. I'll be devastated if he 'turns Portuguese' again, like he did when I had him at Grasshoppers. It's way more cool to have a Samba-star rather than a Portuguese prospect Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FjollFan Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 @Gizmo: Some nice signings there, Griffiths should tear most teams a new one @Gunner: Rochdale on their way to a playoff spot, not bad @Jogo: Besides his rather silly photo, Almeida looks like a handy little guy. The Brunton Park version of Juninho Paulista maybe? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Almeida does look very good! Great find that Jogo! Cheers Gizmo. Unfortunately a little too good as he's in talks with West Brom over a new deal. FF: It's close at the top. Swindon are out in front but from 2nd down to 7th there's only 2 points in it - hence why I dropped from 2nd to 6th despite having a decent month in the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 FF: Haha, yes the pic was from his Man City days by the looks of it. The new Juninho perhaps - that would be very cool. Gunner: Cheers mate, who needs scouts eh?!? To be honest mine never get asked to do anything, I just feel I have to have one or two. Gizmo: I agree on the comment that Griffiths has some real FM pedigree - it's just a shame that he is such a muppet in real life. * I'm glad my form improved so I can try and 'keep up' with all of you guys. Great to read how well you're all doing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammo10 Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Jogo - Good to see you progressing well with Carlisle. Great run of results. Shame you can't get rid of your unwanted players. Any of their contracts up in the summer ? Gunner - Nice update, hopefully you can keep in those play off places, would be a great achievement. I think my game is broken. Jonathan Woodgate has just come on in the 23rd minute for the injured John Brayford. He scored an equaliser, then put us into the lead, then got a Hat trick ! I'm speechless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Cheers sammo10, about half of 'the unwanted' will be released in the summer, but some will have another year unless something dramatic changes. I bet that was a first for Woody, did you report it as a bug? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fyrefuze Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 @sammo10 - thats how Woodgate repays your faith in him out of curiosity though do you have him on player/coach duty? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammo10 Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Sheffield United Season review 2014/15 We are promoted as champions! A very good second half to the season sees us go into the champonship with a league title. Fixtures A really strong second half of the season, only losing twice and picking up 13 wins. A big part of this was the signing of Simeon Jackson who was unbelievable. The Peterborough, Doncaster and Barnsley wins were massive for us. Despite beating MK Dons to the title, unfortunately we couldn't beat them in the SJP final and our trip to Wembley was a big dissapointment. Player of the Season This could've gone to Simeon Jackson, but he was only here for half a season. It had to be Bob Harris. Did not have a bad game all season, popped up with some vital goal and assists including a last minute free kick to win against Barnsley. I have full faith that he will make the step up to the Championship with ease and probably be the best Left back in that league too. Special mentions Chris Basham and Jay McCevely were rocks at the back. All 4 wingers rotated superbly and it was a hard choice of who to play every game as none of them let me down. Jose Baxter scored a couple of important hat tricks and was a real creative spark in midfield. Transfer Ratings Thought I would give my opinion on how the new signings did for the season Anthony Wordsworth - 7/10 - Performed very well when available. Created plenty of chances and kept the ball very well. Unfortunately he missed large parts of the second half of the season due to multiple injuries. Scott McDonald - 6/10 - Aside from a massive hat trick to turn the game around at home to Port Vale he never really got in the sided over Jackson or McNulty, scored a few when he played but not as good as the other two Jonathan Woodgate - 7/10 - Lifted the trophy as the club captain. Played about half the games, due to fitness but invaluable experience and helped out tutoring the young defenders. An incredible hat trick in the run in was his highlight by a mile. Jak Alnwick - 8/10 - Feel he justified my decision to move Howard on and bring him in. Is getting better and progressing nicely. An excellent shot stopper and put in plenty of match winning performances. Matty Pearson - 7/10 - Made the step up like a duck to water. Did his job quietly winning the ball back constantly and starting attacks. Scored the goal of the season. Will be interesting to see if he can make another step up next season. Ben Osborn - 7/10 - Rotated with the other midfielders nicely, played very well. Will try and get him back if Forest let me next season Simeon Jackson - 10/10 - TAlk about making an impact. 16 goals in 15 games on top of his 10 goals for Coventry won him the leagues golden boot. Got to the point where I was shocked if he hadn't scored. Expected a few goals but not over a goal a game. Superb and without him probably would not have won the league Haha Jogo if it happens again it will be getting reported FF - He'll always be a hero I currently have him tutoring but I'm looking to get him on the player coach next season if I can. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Congratulations on winning the league Sammo! Is Matty Pearson the one from Halifax? I'm sure I have a sell on fee percentage as he used to be at Rochdale so hopefully he will get a big move soon and give me some money to spend! Hopefully I can also finish better than what Rochdale did in your game! Guess it just shows I'm a decent manager after all! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Brilliant update sammo10, and well done on the league win. It's great to hear your review on who did what and how. I'm stunned at how well Jackson did, it seems FM still loves him like it did for me in FM13. If I was asked to pick out a likely 'best player' from that squad it wouldn't have been Bob Harris - so that's a nice little story, he certainly looks to have had a superb season. I noticed you got a stack of penalties - do you have a 'run at defence' instruction or was it just players with good dribbling/off the ball skills making this happen? Gunner: It does indeed look like you're doing a very decent job as manager of Rochdale. In your transfer clauses at the start, I believe there were a couple that could benefit you in the future? I wish I had something like that with Carlisle, but we seem to be happy losing over £100k every single month. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner 101 Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Yeah, hence being able to spend £275k on one player. I've got a few more left but none that will happen this season I don't think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.