Kaiserwatman Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 After a competitive albeit defensively frail opening season in League One , Shrewsbury Town had ideas of strengthening to tighten the ship. Whilst the club financially is in a much better place than it was in 2014 things are still very much on the breadline and Shrews were unable to compete financially with league opponents in getting in the necessary defensive cover. The previously free flowing attacking football had to be replaced with a more grind out results system labelled as boring by some supporters at The New Meadow. Signings wise Alexander N'Doumbou left the club after stating his desire to move to Championship side Brighton for a fee of 700k and was replaced by Paddy McCourt who joined on a free transfer. Striker Will Grigg joined on a free following a successful loan period with the club last season. Sean Goss and Deni Kadoic also arrived during the summer period. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barnetfan Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Getting a bit easy I think. I won the League 1 with Coventry and now I'm one place away from auto promotion. With a team with 60M debt, promotion will surely help. Also had a takeover and surivived it. Than god for those Zeo Athena tactics If it's getting easy, maybe make your own tactic? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiserwatman Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Following a positive start to the season Stephen Ireland was signed after Stoke City ripped up his contract in a hope to add a little bit of quality in the play-off push. Although he played well in patches he contributed little. Striker James Collins who had a pretty injury plagued season hit form towards the end of the season to finish with a respectable total of 17 league goals. Mission accomplished in terms of the season in gaining a play-off spot. Oldham Athletic did win out 3-2 on agg in what was a pretty even tie in the semi-final and went on to gain promotion. With Bolton Wanderers and Bristol City on the way down its going to be a tough ask given their resources but Shrews will battle once again towards the goal of promotion. *EDIT - Following Walsall's promotion Dean Smith has moved on to pastures new and they have asked for a chat .. Saved at this point Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Kaiser, that's a very good effort to finish 6th even if you were unlucky in the play-offs. It must be tempting to switch to Walsall after their promotion. I guess it depends how much you are 'in love' with your Shrews after all the work to get them to that stage? I'm sure we will find out what you decide soon enough! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean0987654321 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 If it's getting easy, maybe make your own tactic?Maybe I will when we are established in the EPL, but not now. 60M debt is no joke Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Hey @Jogo Have any good recommendations for who to go in the lower leagues on this years game? I'm determined to give them a good crack now after wearing out the top league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Hey @JogoHave any good recommendations for who to go in the lower leagues on this years game? I'm determined to give them a good crack now after wearing out the top league. Hey smp, it will be good to have you on board again. What kind of challenge are you after? Championship or L1 or L2? With some funds or without? Will be happy to suggest a few clubs for you to consider. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I did plan on starting a few weeks ago, but I got side tracked with attempts at Villa and Newcastle. I'm looking for a long term challenge. So L1 or lower. I'm not too fussed on the funds side, but I don't want to go a team who are favourites to go up. Burton are the only team on my shortlist at the moment, unless you have some other good recommendations? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 I did plan on starting a few weeks ago, but I got side tracked with attempts at Villa and Newcastle.I'm looking for a long term challenge. So L1 or lower. I'm not too fussed on the funds side, but I don't want to go a team who are favourites to go up. Burton are the only team on my shortlist at the moment, unless you have some other good recommendations? Burton are a decent little club with a nice starting squad - so it's a good choice. I'd say they're amongst the favourites for promotion though. Good luck if you go for it with them, but slightly lower expectations would come from somebody like Morecambe or Wycombe. They both have decent squads in my opinion, and Wycombe in particular can be turned in to a much better club. Alternatively, you could take on possibly the biggest challenge in the entire football league, and join me at Exeter, where I have just started. I expect it's going to take a while to get out of L2 as they have no transfer budget, no spare wage budget, and seem to be unable to attract young reserves from L1 clubs, transfer listed L2 players, or even non-contract Vanarama North/South players... By the way, when I was creating the thread, I added in media predictions, transfer and wage budgets, club balances, and a few of my own suggestions (post #4 on page 1). It might help you make the right choice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 @Jogo Cheers mate I'll have a look I'll give Burton a miss then, I want more of a challenge! I'll let you know who I go. How far are you along with Exeter? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 @Jogo Cheers mate I'll have a look I'll give Burton a miss then, I want more of a challenge! I'll let you know who I go. How far are you along with Exeter? I didn't want to put you off Burton mate, but think you might find it too easy. If none of the others take your fancy, give them a whirl. I'm just at the end of pre-season with Exeter, and although results so far have been much better than expected, I think when L2 starts it's going to be a tough test - exactly what I was after. So far I have managed to pick up a teenage goalkeeper on loan to compete with my number one (teenage) 'keeper, a teenage winger on loan from the reserves of a L1 club, an out-of-contract former L2 defender, a striker - who has never played above Isthmian league level - on a free (plus a friendly, and a further £5k if we ever get promoted), and another teenage forward on loan from a L2 club. Believe it or not, I think that is going to be my squad improving for now. We have a very young group, with a handful of past-it players in their mid-30's. But we can't afford any more wages, loan fees, agent fees or anything else, so I can't do much more. Is that tempting you?!? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Yes it has! I'm going to load an Exeter save now! Cheers Oh and did you cash in on Grimes? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Yes it has!I'm going to load an Exeter save now! Cheers Oh and did you cash in on Grimes? Haha, welcome to the club, my fellow Grecian. Nobody has left yet permanently or on loan. I would have been happy to sell Cummins but when my transfer targets were not interested and/or affordable, I decided to try and keep everybody unless a good offer comes in. I don't want to lose Grimes and will do everything in my power to keep him at the club with a new contract. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 How do you go about with tactics in the lower leagues? I believe in playing football with the 'pass and move' and 'keep the ball' style, however, I'm assuming it's going to be a lot harder to implement in the lower leagues? Do you stick with it and try to improve the players and eventually bring in and train players that will work with your system? Or set your team up with a more direct outlook as it will suit the players' lack of skill and technique more? Also, Grimes won't sign a new contract so i'm going to cash in on him now before he leaves on a free. I've managed to agree a decent fee with Burnley, with installments coming in for 12 months too and a 40% fee from future sales, which could come in handy down the line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 How do you go about with tactics in the lower leagues?I believe in playing football with the 'pass and move' and 'keep the ball' style, however, I'm assuming it's going to be a lot harder to implement in the lower leagues? Do you stick with it and try to improve the players and eventually bring in and train players that will work with your system? Or set your team up with a more direct outlook as it will suit the players' lack of skill and technique more? Sorry for delay mate, was just doing an overdue update on my Grasshoppers save! To be honest, it depends on the team and the players at the club. For example, at Bristol City I used their back-three and wing back formation, and felt they had enough quality to keep possession and out-play their opponents. With Exeter and other less talented teams, I am looking to be solid in defence (at every team, in every league, I want a solid defence), work hard in midfield, and get the ball forward quickly. That, and the fact that we are weak in the striking department, means I'm playing 4-4-1-1 at the moment, with a counter attacking and structured approach. I keep it very simple, and don't overload their limited minds with instructions!! I do try to train my players to become better, but if the tactic and formation is fluid, and results are reasonable, this will improve as you go along anyway. To that point, if you have seen your staff, it's not very good. The one coach there is pretty poor, coaching additions are not possible, and you have no Assistant Manager. Probably the best two signings I made were for my new Assistant Manager and Chief Scout. I terminated the contract of the original scout, but feel very restricted on the coaching situation. I normally like to have one attacking coach, one defensive coach, and a fitness coach - but I don't think the board will increase the numbers (I haven't asked yet) given their reluctance to find a senior affiliate!! Have you made a start yet mate? First impressions? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiserwatman Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 It must be tempting to switch to Walsall after their promotion. I guess it depends how much you are 'in love' with your Shrews after all the work to get them to that stage? In the end I declined to speak to Walsall , Looking at them now they seem to be holding their own in the championship so will remain to be seen if indeed it was the correct decision. As for Shrewsbury things didn't exactly get off to a great start as Charlton Athletic met the minimum release fee for Benjamin Siegrist (650k). Milinkovic Savic on loan from Man Utd is a temporary solution whilst i try get a work permit for Thomas Glover who arrived after been released by Tottenham. Harry Chapman signed from Boro on a free. Bolton as expected currently lead League One following their relegation . Doncaster Rovers and Fleetwood both surprising so far following their promotion from League Two. Whether they can hack the pace remains to be seen as the usual suspects lurk ready to pounce. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 @Kaiser, well done on sticking with Shrewsbury - loyalty should be applauded. Despite the loss of Siegrist, that's another good start you have made. Looking at the graph, it's going in the right direction! @smp, I've just asked the Exeter board to increase the number of coaches and it's been agreed - from three to four! I've decided to sign my tried and trusted fitness coach, and will probably terminate the existing coach (Haylock). He may be a nice bloke, but is the master of nothing in this world. Then I will bring in a specialist attacking coach. That means I'm personally left with defensive coaching and technical coaching, my Assistant Manager is best on tactics (and man management), and the goalkeeping coach and physio are good enough for now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 @smp, I've just asked the Exeter board to increase the number of coaches and it's been agreed - from three to four! I've decided to sign my tried and trusted fitness coach, and will probably terminate the existing coach (Haylock). He may be a nice bloke, but is the master of nothing in this world. Then I will bring in a specialist attacking coach. That means I'm personally left with defensive coaching and technical coaching, my Assistant Manager is best on tactics (and man management), and the goalkeeping coach and physio are good enough for now. Nice! I'll ask them as well then, see if they are as generous with me! Grimes has gone to Burnley. Hopefully they'll sell him on for £5m-£10m soon haha! I've already made a move to strengthening my squad by bringing in Johnny Gorman on a free from Barrow. I will be looking at bringing in maybe 1 or 2 more if possible, with Aaron Dawson a likely departure once Ribiero is back fit. Also, with your tactics, do you create 3 completely separate tactics, or do you have 3 of the same which are slightly different? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Nice! I'll ask them as well then, see if they are as generous with me!Grimes has gone to Burnley. Hopefully they'll sell him on for £5m-£10m soon haha! I've already made a move to strengthening my squad by bringing in Johnny Gorman on a free from Barrow. I will be looking at bringing in maybe 1 or 2 more if possible, with Aaron Dawson a likely departure once Ribiero is back fit. Also, with your tactics, do you create 3 completely separate tactics, or do you have 3 of the same which are slightly different? See - within the first hour we have taken very different paths, which will keep it interesting! How much did you sell Grimes for? And what is the % of income you get to use in the market? I reckon that if you just made the club a tidy sum, they will grant your request on coaches. Gorman looks well rated this year, and is a good option as he was on NC terms with Barrow. I had him at Leyton Orient in FM14 and he wasn't able to get in to my squad, but at L2 level he could do alright. I couldn't afford the NC players I looked at from the Vanarama leagues - Featherstone at Harrogate was interesting me, but he turned me down...along with almost everybody else. I've been using Butterfield in pre-season at RB, until Ribeiro is fit. Dawson is a bench option but might get some time as he can play CM also. As for tactics, I always just create one, and use it. Occasionally I might change mid-match, depending on the way the game is going, but I like a consistent approach. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 We have indeed! I managed to get the revenue up to 50% before I sold Grimes. I then received £350k upfront, with money coming in over 12 months as well, £12k per appearance for his first 10 and a 40% future sell on fee. Yeah I may go back to the Vanarama leagues to pick up a new CB and GK. Still very early days yet though with only 1 pre season friendly played. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Nice work on Grimes! You sold your soul but probably saved the club, and will benefit greatly from that decision. Meanwhile, I can't get any of my targets in - but I'm loving the difficulty level here. I'm not naming those that have joined, or those that I looked at, so we can make our own moves - and compare later! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 He went for 1.75m in real life so it'll be less of a challenge after the next patch down in Exeter I would imagine. You went at the right or wrong time depending on how you look at it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 He went for 1.75m in real life so it'll be less of a challenge after the next patch down in Exeter I would imagine. You went at the right or wrong time depending on how you look at it. Indeed, although I was surprised there wasn't a loan-back agreement made on him IRL. In game he is valued at only £185k though, and has a contract expiring in 2015, so 'smp' got a good fee for him. I did take the decision to try and manage Exeter before the update on his transfer, as I thought it would be more interesting - I'm kind of mad like that Edit: just looking at the squad, only two 18 year old forwards have a contract beyond 2015 - they are long-term deals until 2016. Nice!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Nice work on Grimes! You sold your soul but probably saved the club, and will benefit greatly from that decision. Meanwhile, I can't get any of my targets in - but I'm loving the difficulty level here. I'm not naming those that have joined, or those that I looked at, so we can make our own moves - and compare later! Haha! The challenge has just become that little more difficult! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Haha!The challenge has just become that little more difficult! Ooh, has something bad happened over there? I'm sitting 9th in League 2 but don't worry - it's alphabetical order as I am about to host Portsmouth on the opening day. I can't imagine being as high in the table as this again for a few years Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Think I may go ahead with my idea of Hartlepool. Their debt should make for an interesting challenge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 @Jogo The challenge has become more difficult for you I'm really buying in to this one! @Lewis999 Good luck mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 @smp - nice one. No question, I have made my task much harder than yours by wanting to keep Grimes. But it's great to try and overcome the obstacles in my way - however long it takes. On a serious note, if you want any help or advice feel free to ask - although maybe that should be coming from your side? @lewis - Jeff will be proud of you...good luck. Edit: The footballing gods are not being kind. I talked Matt Oakley in to a new contract as a player/coach on less wages than his playing contract. He accepted the terms, but the board would not sign the deal off as we 'don't need any more staff members'. Madness. Then, after a very credible 3-3 draw away at Swindon in the COC (we lost 5-4 on pens), we only go and draw Swindon away in Round 1 of the JPT... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Thanks guys. Going to start now. Quick question - what do you do with your manager profiles? (Reputation and coaching badges.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Thanks guys. Going to start now. Quick question - what do you do with your manager profiles? (Reputation and coaching badges.) I have National reputation and a Continental B Licence. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I have National reputation and a Continental B Licence. Is that professional footballer national level or regional level? I've just ticked the boxes suggested for Hartlepool. Edit : Let's write some History, no honours won! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 See I've gone the other way, A Licence but with a Sunday League footballer level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Sorry about the double post but I thought this was a nice new feature (if it is new?) about the players reasoning behind welcoming a lesser known manager. Also very happy to introduce my new Head of Youth Development who looks very good and also has a 'fairly professional' personality. My other new staff member is a colleague of Jeffs and he has a model professional personality which is what i'm looking for hoping it will help with the personalities of the youths I get in my academy going forward. He currently doesn't have any coaching badges so hopefully he can improve a lot as his working with youngsters stat is lower than I would of liked but his DDM is good and I want him to be my tactical (13) coach. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 @lewis: That's a good reaction from your players, which should help. Regarding your new staff member, I think that one day (if you're successful), you'll be playing at 'The Soccer Saturday Stadium'... @smp: I guess your profile and mine balance out, despite the differences. I had loans for seven players accepted (wanted to sign just one or two of them) on 0% wages, and all seven rejected me. It doesn't matter that they were going to be first team players here rather than sit in their own club's U21 squads, they're just not interested. Maybe I need to head off to Brazil like the club did in real life, and see if I can bring in a future star on loan! I'm joking of course, as it's good to see that every one of our squad has UK & Ireland nationality. I also had a real LOL moment in the COC tie at Swindon. My ex-Isthmian League striker scored a penalty before the shootout in front of the (our) away fans behind the goal, and ran off wildly celebrating. There were just seven fans in the entire away end, all sat on their own as they obviously don't like each other, and all going mental like my scorer. It was really funny to see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 @Jogo I think it does too! Ah no! I've managed to finish my transfer dealings with over a week to spare before the first game. All 5 are free signings and will help bulk up my squad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Nice one mate. I have played until the end of the transfer window now. My five signings (three on loan and two free transfers) are all less than spectacular - and certainly not the five players I had in mind when I took the job on. The last deal I did was on 31st July, and nobody has left, but I put some of the lads in to the U21 squad so I'm running a first team squad of 23. I've switched to 442 in the last two games, although I'm not too unhappy with the start we made as we are not in the drop zone! I'll get a proper update done in a bit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 @Jogo I've switched to a 4-4-2 also. I've decided I can't keep trying to implement my way of football until I have the players with the right att's to play it. I know it's going to be a while until I get those players mind. What do you use to upload photos? Not that you wont believe my write up, but I'd rather upload photo's, not that my start is anything to show off :/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 I've arrived at St James Park. Unfortunately, it's not black and white stripes, an impressive stadium, and some financial backing - but red and white stripes and a much less desirable environment. Anyway, this is Exeter City - and I've accepted the challenge to try and make something of The Grecians. The tools at my disposal are not great, as we have no transfer funds and no spare wage budget as the finances of the club are poor. The squad is mainly young, with numerous teenagers and a handful of past-it old pros in their mid-30's. Every member of playing staff has UK & Ireland nationality, as do all the members of staff. It's time for a Devon cream tea and my first update... 1. Staff review The staff already at the club weren't the best, but the board permitted me to add another coach. I've dismissed the former chief scout and coach as they offered little expertise, and brought in a few of my own men. Unfortunately the board were not very switched on when they refused to sign-off the deal to convert 37 year old Matt Oakley from a player to a player/coach - despite the lower contract he had agreed to accept. Oakley had been talked in to taking on extra duties by me, and would provide excellent defensive coaching skills, but until or unless I can get him on board in that capacity, it's left to me personally to do defence and technique coaching. Surprisingly, for a club of such small stature, we already have a DOF and HOYD in place. 2. Transfer review I felt we were short of a proper goalkeeper, central defender, central midfielder, winger and striker. The five men recruited should fill these positions or at least add depth - but none were my original targets. Unfortunately, the men I had in mind refused to entertain the idea of joining us - either on loan or permanently. I've decided to retain all of my existing players for now, whilst I try to gel a cohesive team together. With the exception of two 18 year old lads, every other playing contract is due to expire at the end of the first season, so if they don't impress me, they will be moved on in January or next summer. 3. Tactical review Pre-season was played with a basic 4411 formation, but I have changed to a 442 in the last couple of matches. I'm using counter-attacking and structured approaches, with minimal team instructions. 4. Performance review We had an excellent pre-season, although I wasn't fooled by the fairly modest opposition beaten. The start we have made to competitive matches has also been acceptable, especially as luck has been against us on a couple of occasions. Portsmouth grabbed a goal against the run of play in the L2 opener, Swindon only edged us out in the COC after extra time and penalties, Plymouth scored an 86th minute equaliser, and York grabbed an 88th minute equaliser. The outstanding victory at Burton was a massive bonus - and flattered them and not us. We're proving tough to beat, and that's a good base to work from. Unfortunately we lost our star talent Matt Grimes to injury in the Burton win, so hopefully when he returns we can build on the solid start. Edit: @smp, I use photobucket for my images. I'm sure your start won't be worse than mine - and I'm really looking forward to your update to see how you approached it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I've arrived at St James Park. Unfortunately, it's not black and white stripes, an impressive stadium, and some financial backing - but red and white stripes and a much less desirable environment. Anyway, this is Exeter City - and I've accepted the challenge to try and make something of The Grecians. The tools at my disposal are not great, as we have no transfer funds and no spare wage budget as the finances of the club are poor. The squad is mainly young, with numerous teenagers and a handful of past-it old pros in their mid-30's. Every member of playing staff has UK & Ireland nationality, as do all the members of staff. It's time for a Devon cream tea and my first update... 1. Staff review The staff already at the club weren't the best, but the board permitted me to add another coach. I've dismissed the former chief scout and coach as they offered little expertise, and brought in a few of my own men. Unfortunately the board were not very switched on when they refused to sign-off the deal to convert 37 year old Matt Oakley from a player to a player/coach - despite the lower contract he had agreed to accept. Oakley had been talked in to taking on extra duties by me, and would provide excellent defensive coaching skills, but until or unless I can get him on board in that capacity, it's left to me personally to do defence and technique coaching. Surprisingly, for a club of such small stature, we already have a DOF and HOYD in place. 2. Transfer review I felt we were short of a proper goalkeeper, central defender, central midfielder, winger and striker. The five men recruited should fill these positions or at least add depth - but none were my original targets. Unfortunately, the men I had in mind refused to entertain the idea of joining us - either on loan or permanently. I've decided to retain all of my existing players for now, whilst I try to gel a cohesive team together. With the exception of two 18 year old lads, every other playing contract is due to expire at the end of the first season, so if they don't impress me, they will be moved on in January or next summer. 3. Tactical review Pre-season was played with a basic 4411 formation, but I have changed to a 442 in the last couple of matches. I'm using counter-attacking and structured approaches, with minimal team instructions. 4. Performance review We had an excellent pre-season, although I wasn't fooled by the fairly modest opposition beaten. The start we have made to competitive matches has also been acceptable, especially as luck has been against us on a couple of occasions. Portsmouth grabbed a goal against the run of play in the L2 opener, Swindon only edged us out in the COC after extra time and penalties, Plymouth scored an 86th minute equaliser, and York grabbed an 88th minute equaliser. The outstanding victory at Burton was a massive bonus - and flattered them and not us. We're proving tough to beat, and that's a good base to work from. Unfortunately we lost our star talent Matt Grimes to injury in the Burton win, so hopefully when he returns we can build on the solid start. Edit: @smp, I use photobucket for my images. I'm sure your start won't be worse than mine - and I'm really looking forward to your update to see how you approached it! Not a bad start! Very impressive win over Burton as well! I was interested to see who you brought in, any of them standing out so far? Oh, when I figure out how to upload my pictures, You'll see i'm off to a worse start! Also, now i've uploaded a screenshot to photobucket, how do I post it on here (apologies for being a computer moron) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Not a bad start!Very impressive win over Burton as well! I was interested to see who you brought in, any of them standing out so far? Oh, when I figure out how to upload my pictures, You'll see i'm off to a worse start! Cheers mate. Yes it could have been worse, and the Burton game was a massive shock - of the positive kind! I've noticed the players getting really tired in the second half of games, which is probably why we keep conceding late goals. Hopefully that will improve as time goes on, but I don't mind whatever the results are really. The whole idea of this effort is to take on a difficult job that won't bring unrealistic early success. If we avoid the drop, I'll be happy enough. The new players? McGee has just edged out Pym as GK, and looks decent so far. Stewart has been rotating with Baldwin as CB partner to Bennett (my captain). Morris is usually starting as left winger (with Wheeler on the right, and Davies the bench option). Allen is in competition with Cummins and Nichols for the two striking spots, but is generally starting and doing OK. Dempsey is being re-trained to CM as that is where he plays in real life, and is only a substitute for the time being. Don't worry if your start is better or worse, I think it's a surprisingly good management test. You're probably talking to a bigger computer moron here, so I'm not sure if I can direct you well on the images. Once it's on photobucket, and the image you want to copy is open on the screen, on the right hand side you should see 'share link' options. The 4th of those says 'IMAGE' and has a box with the URL for that pic. Click on the box, the text goes yellow for a brief moment, and then you can copy the URL code in to these pages. I hope that makes sense and works for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Ok so here goes. I'm not going to do an introduction as i'm not confident this post is eve going to turn out right with the pics haha! This really is turning in to a difficult challenge. I didn't have the best start to the league, although I do feel they are tricky fixtures to begin with. I'm quite glad in a way that i'm out of the cups so I can keep all my players fit for the league which looks important to me at the moment. I decided before the Oxford game to change it up. The 4-4-2 wasn't working for me, I just weren't creating enough chances. I changed to a 4-1-2-3 (DM) with a very high pressure style, pushed higher up with my focus on putting the opposition under pressure and creating chances higher up the pitch, forcing attempts through their mistakes. It seems to have worked well for the first 2 games, with a pleasing away win at Cambridge too. My aim based on the start I've had is to stay in League 2 this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 @smp: Well done on the images, now you're sorted. That was a tough start, obviously a lack of goals was hurting you. But it's good to see consecutive wins without conceding, and you're safely outside the bottom two. Hopefully the new formation will continue to work out and you can push even further away from the trap door. By the way, I almost signed Michael Cheek - I had a deal agreed but delayed it three times and eventually cancelled it. I thought he had some very good stats and equally some very poor ones, but he does seem to have a good scoring record IRL. How are your new signings getting on? I'm happy to report that I just extended Matt Grimes contract until 2017 on £700 p/w. He has a £450k relegation release clause but no minimum release clause from any other situation, and the fans are happy we have secured our brightest talent for the next few years. The difficulty level on this is very high, but I'm really enjoying the challenge! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I think up north im going to have to negotiate promotion from this division somehow or the debts might eat me up and not allow me to strengthen much. It's going to be a difficult challenge in a different respect to Exeter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 @lewis: Promotion is going to be a big ask though isn't it? I can't imagine your chances of that are any greater than ours in the South West are they? Keep us updated! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 @lewis: Promotion is going to be a big ask though isn't it? I can't imagine your chances of that are any greater than ours in the South West are they? Keep us updated! It's going to be a big ask yeah but I think Hartlepools starting squad is a touch better. Only the defence though, hardly have any midfielders, wingers or strikers in the starting squad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Exeter don't have much quality in the attacking area either to be honest. Good luck mate, hope you enjoy the challenge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 @Lewis good luck @Jogo Yeah i'm hoping to build on this tactic now. Cheek hasn't really done much to be honest and now he doesn't really suit my new fast playing style. Scoring is going to be a problem I feel so i'm going to need to be solid at the back if i'm to achieve my aim of staying up. I'm loving the challenge though. Edit: I will give another proper update at the end of the Christmas period, should I still be in charge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Think i've just pulled off a brilliant signing. I was having a look at the smaller teams in USA to see if there were any Englishman that went over there (I checked in Australia too) that I could sign. I was flicking through a few teams and saw this young Croatian on an amatuer contract and he is fantastic. Even more surprising is that he wanted to join for as little as £600. I couldn't find anyone in Australia but I think I may re-train him as my striker as he is very creative. Basically try and make him my Messi and play through him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiserwatman Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Nice to see some new saves been kicked off , best of luck to those grinding it out in League Two Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smplfc123 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Oh no, I've been sacked Sitting 23rd in the league after 18 games and only 14 points accumulated, the board decided it was time for me to go. I'm disappointed as although I was finding it tough, I was thoroughly enjoying it. The fact that they let me go without any warning rankles me a bit. I'm not giving up there. This has only made me more hungry to succeed in League 2 and I'm not letting you have one up on me that easily Jogo. I've learned a lot about League 2 in this stint, as I've never really played at this level before and realised there are some big differences. I'm going to find a team with similar expectations to Exeter and crack on with another go at this league tomorrow. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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