FM16: Barnsley F.C - The Only Way Is Up Surely?

[lewis999]

Just had a young American chap join after we had agreed his transfer in the middle of last season. He joins on his 18th birthday without a work permit and I have no idea how I managed to convince him to swap the bright lights of New York for the wind and rain of South Yorkshire.

He's very good for his age (2*) and has big potential (4*+1 black*.)

[Kamakazeee]

PROMOTED

 

The season went alarmingly well, better than I expected in all honesty, but actually a lot easier than I thought. Implementing the style of football I wanted to from the off, I did worry that I would be asking too much from the players, the style is by no means near the end project, better players and specialist development will bring that, but the current crop impressed no doubt and have given me food for thought going into next season.

League 1

 

• ·         Pos - 1st | Pld - 46 | W - 32 | D - 11 | L - 3 | For - 87 | Ag - 31 | GD - 56 | PTS - 107

   

Like I stated in my half season report, we bossed it. No team ever really troubled us when we had our full 11 on the pitch, something which only 3 losses over the season indicates. Winning streaks stretching 14 games and unbeaten runs including 17 games and 14 games really pressed the issue that nothing was going to stop us going up. Coupled with the best style of football the league has probably seen, all with no signings and probably the youngest, if not one of the youngest squads in the league.

Cup Competitions

 

• ·         FA Cup – Fourth round exit.
• ·         Capital One Cup – Third round exit.
• ·         Johnstones Paint Trophy – Winners.

In terms of the cups, I was willing to sacrifice for league success, I did however expect us to win the Johnstones Paint Trophy as the caliber of teams in that competition indicated due to our performance in the league shouldn’t be giving us too many problems, which was proven to be true. The FA Cup and Capital one cup I was pleasantly surprised by and maybe tells me there is a bit of quality in our back up players.

Player performances (Only players who made 10 appearances or more)

 

Goalkeepers

 

·         Adam Davies – | Pld – 53 | Conc – 39 | Cln – 27 | Avg – 6.87 |

He did well enough, he was neither outstanding or did nothing to suggest he couldn’t be our number one for another season, hes developing quite nicely. I don’t see him as a long term goalkeeper, but I do see him playing a part in the clubs future success, providing as the save goes on hes happy with a more back up role.

Fullbacks

 

• ·         George Smith - | Pld – 45 (4) | Gls – 0 | Asts – 16 | Avg – 7.52 |

Didn’t start the season as my first choice, as that position went to Aidan White, who actually picked up a long term injury early on. However, I had no qualms about bring George in and he actually performed really well, much better than I expected. He also got himself into the team of the year.

• ·         James Bree - | Pld – 44 (2) | Gls – 0 | Asts – 1 | Avg – 7.39 |

A wanted man for the majority of the season, by some big big clubs in comparison to Barnsley, but he knuckled down, signed a new long term contract. In terms of stats, he doesn’t look too impressive, but he isn’t on the pitch for his attacking ability, he plays a much reserved role compared to his opposite, but I had to adapt my ideal tactical vision due to the squad I had to work with, but James absolutely locked out right wing down, resulting in us only conceding 3 goals directly from that area of the pitch.

• ·         Aidan White - | Pld – 12 (10) | Gls – 0 | Asts – 3 | Avg – 7.33 |

Disappointing that he got injured so early on and due to the form of George he found it hard to work his way back into the squad, but he was good enough at the start that he isn’t completely out of my plans going forward, I have to very well rounded, competent full backs for one position.

• ·         Kevin Mbabu | Pld – 3 (9) | Gls – 0 | Asts – 4 | Avg – 7.59 |

Brought in for the final few months of the season, as we were beginning to pick up niggly knocks and I wanted to ensure we were strong enough to get over the line with no scares, but he more than played his part in getting us over the line in the short time he was here. Someone I will keep an eye on incase I can get back to the club on a permanent basis.

• ·         George Williams | Pld – 4 (12) | Gls – 0 | Asts – 1 | Avg – 7.42 |

He was decent enough when he played, but he was very much a backup option to Bree, but when he was called upon he never let us down. I don’t see him making the step up sadly in leagues, but if I can’t get a good enough player to compete with Bree, then I don’t see a problem staying at the club for one more season.

• ·         Matty Templeton | Pld – 5 (8) | Gls – 0 | Asts – 2 | Avg – 6.98 |

Not overly impressive, solid. But I don’t see him at the club going into the next season, he hasn’t developed all that great and wasn’t up to the standard our other two left backs have been this season.

Central Defenders

 

• ·         Alfie Mawson | Pld – 55 (1) | Gls – 1 | Asts – 4 | Avg – 7.42 |

Fantastic, played really consistently, stayed fully fit for the season, developed really well, can see him being at the club for many years to come. Would like to see him develop his ball playing game a bit, but hopefully that will come next season, when I can really start to shape the development of players and style im tryint to implement at the club.

• ·         Lewin Nyatanga | Pld – 41 (3) | Gls – 4 | Asts – 1 | Avg – 7.32 |

Was calming present next to Mawson and the two really made a great partnership. He is however attracting a fair bit of interest from other clubs and he is someone I would surprisingly consider selling, providing I can get able players in the defense. His value isn’t going to raise any further, plus I need funds into the club to develop it further.

• ·         Marc Roberts | Pld – 13 (14) | Gls – 2 | Asts – 2 | Avg – 7.26 |

Solid, he seems happy with a back up role, which is what he will continue to do next season. His throw ins are also a massive weapon when they need to be called upon, adds a different dimension to our set piece game.

Central Midfielders ( DMC)

 

• ·         Josh Scowen | Pld – 58 | Gls – 4 | Asts – 10 | Avg – 7.40 |

Missing one game all season really sums this guy, he’s the player every teams needs in the heart of there midfield, he battles away, wins the ball gives to the more gifted players to do something with, so important to how we play. Looking at his goals and assists though, he shows he isn’t just a battler, he has some quality on the ball and is instrumental in starting our attacks from out the defense. Key player.

• ·          Ryan Williams | Pld – 52 (1) | Gls – 19 | Asts – 8 | Avg – 7.62 |

He was just fantastic and makes up one part of our fantastic 4 ( ). He wasn’t meant to get as many goals as he did, as I didn’t set him up to get that many, he was supposed to be a important player in the transition utilizing his movement to upset defense’s, but he ended up being a consistent contributor in terms of his involvement in goals, scored and assisted.

• ·         Conor Hourihane | Pld – 32 | Gls – 4 | Asts – 8 | Avg – 7.58 |

He was having an absolutely storming season as our main playmaker, but then went a broke his leg or ankle, can’t remember, silly sod. But, he can be assured of his place in the squad when he returns, he was fantastic and our attacking play did noticeably suffer once he got injured, so going into the market and looking for competition for him is vital next season. As, without him or someone similar we will really struggle next season.

• ·         Jak McCourt | Pld – 18 (8) | Gls – 1 | Asts – 2 | Avg – 7.22 |
• ·         Brad Abbot | Pld – 6 (18) | Gls – 2 | Asts – 3 | Avg – 7.25 |

Im going to talk about these two guys together, as like Sir alex once said, the team is only as good as its squad and not just its first 11. These two performed well above there abilities, and easer the loss Hourihane to the extent it didn’t become a travesty, they battled away rotating when form was off and kept the team gunning for the league. Really impressed with them and it will be with a tad of sentiment that I will find it hard to replace them next season, as they really stood up to be counted.

Wingers

 

• ·         Adam Hamill | Pld – 47 (4) | Gls – 16 | Asts – 11 | Avg – 7.56 |

Immense, really took it to the league and played to his full ability. He really had a knack of sscoring when we needed him too though. A lot of his goals turned draws into wins and loses into draws. In terms of points actually on the board, I don’t think we had a more important player, which is a big statement considering some of the returns of Isgrove and Winall.

• ·         Lloyd Isgrove | Pld – 40 (2) | Gls – 20 | Asts – 16 | Avg – 7.70 |

One guy I’m going to fight tooth and nail to get back to the club either on loan or permanently. He was my personal choice for player of the year, he started off slowly and after 10 games I was actually contemplating dropping him, but then all of a sudden after a telling off, he just hit his stride and I cant remember a bad game from him there after. He was so important of how we play in terms of attacking that half space, causing defences all sorts of problems.

• ·         Marley Watkins | Pld – 24 (18) | Gls – 11 | Asts – 14 | Avg – 7.52 |

Another player in the ilk of Abbot and McCourt, performed well above his ability and was so important in our rotational system and coming off the bench. The amount of games he and Hamill salvaged for us I lost count. Fantastic impact sub.

Strikers

 

• ·         Sam Winall | Pld – 56 (1) | Gls – 31 | Asts – 12 | Avg – 7.41 |

The messi in our system. Okay, not quite as good, but I wanted to try and get as many goal scoring opportunites in the tactic as I could, which from the squad stats, I had 6 players in double figures and the same for assists. But, obviously in such a system im trying to replicate, I need a quality striker and Winall more than provided that, I have no worries about him in the championship.

• ·         Ashley Fletcher | Pld – 10 (12) | Gls – 11 | Asts – 6 | Avg – 7.14 |

Again, another example of how important a squad is, I goal every other game from the bench/starting is fantastic return, couple that with an assist every 3 games, he just unlucky I had Winall, or he would have been a sure started with such form. I did try to get him back, but I was quoted £2m which the club can’t afford this time on one player.

 

Thoughts on next season and the squad…

 

I haven’t really decided on what I think we can achieve next season, this will solely depend on whether I can strengthen the squad with the players I have scouted. But, I do believe the team is good enough to stay up as it is, however, I want to be in the premier league within two years from this season, so ideally with the signings I hope to make I expect to be around mid-table to top half, it’s just a waiting game. In terms of positions, I want a new partner for Mawson at the back and a left back, the midfield needs a few more options, especially after the Hourihane injury amplified this, a striker to challenge Winall and just depth to the squad. Hopefully John Stones makes a big money move that should enable to us make the moves we hope too.

The board have agreed to improve both our youth and training facilities which is good news, I will now concentrate on building a scouting network to hopefully get some bargains from abroad to get our youth team competing. The recent youth intake didn't include anyone of note which im quite disappointed by, but hopefully with a better HOYD and the improved facilities this season will improve.

[Kamakazeee]

PRESEASON SHENANIGANS.

 

Targets

• League - Promotion.

• FA Cup - Not important.

• Capital One Cup - Not important.

Hopefully nothing to unrealistic, the young players I see futures for at the club have developed tremendously, which instantly strengthens the squad without signings. I do feel a lot of the top performers from last season can reproduce there form, even whilst moving up a league, the likes of Bree, Mawson, Scowen and Hourihane could even cut in the premier league. So, I do have a sense of optimism.

It’s also vital to get promotion, as the players mentioned above, as long as a few others are already attracting interest from bigger clubs and the only way I can see of satisfying them is by getting to the premier league as quickly as possible. The amount of wages I can offer them is about at the limit I want to go to whilst not in the premier league, so hopefully a quick flirtation with the Championship is all that’s on the menu.

Summer Transfer window

IN

• Liam Moore | Loan -  A coup in all honesty, with numerous Premiership and Chamionship teams interested in him. As soon as I saw he was unhappy at Leceister I threw in a loan deal, worth £10k a month, paying 30% of his wages and I have got myself the perfect partner for Mawson in the Championship. I also included a future fee of £1m in the event I wanted to make the deal a permanent one. His versatility is also a massive bonus, as he can pretty much play anywhere across the back line.

• Jhon Arango | £9k – For £9k, why wouldn’t you? His potential is tremendous, I actually spotted him whilst browsing around the south American leagues, his average rating of 8.89 at the time drawn my attention. So I sent my scout to get a report and he was signed in a matter of days, with his work permit coming a few weeks after. I have big hopes for this lad, and depending how he develops this could be the first signing that portrays the vision I have Barnsley.

• John Egan | £125k – After getting the offer from MIddlesbrough I did, which was to good too turn down, I needed a rotational option for Mawson and Moore. After checking my scout reports, Egan stood out like a sore thumb. Nothing flash, just a brute of a centreback, perfect for the championship, I couldn’t have picked up a more perfect player in my eyes, for what I was wanting.

• Lloyd Isgrove | P/Ex – How could I not bring Lloyd back? His exploits last year were huge in getting us promoted. I did initially want him back on loan though, but Southampton showed an interest in one of our youth players, who I actually didn’t rate, a target man, with the preferred move of static target man, in a possession based fluid system? No thanks, so they gladly took the player of my hands in exchange for Lloyd, super happy with this business.

• James Henry | Loan – I tracked him all last season as I saw him as an option to Isgrove if I couldn’t get him back to the club for the championship season. So I tied this deal up early to ensure I wasn’t left short or he wasn’t snapped up by someone else. But, how can I complain at having both of them at the club? It further adds to my optimism that we are going to have a short stay at this club. I did include a £750k future fee, for the exact same reason I did Moore.

• Victor Anichebe | Free – He wasn’t my first choice, or my second, or my third or even my fourth in all honesty. He is very much a player to ensure the squad has sufficient cover going into the season. I was happy though that he signed on a 1 year deal and his contract his very incentive based rather than a wage. He will however have a great influence on the youngsters with his resolute personality.

OUT

• Callum Evans | £50k – He spent the season out on loan whilst we were in league 1 at Gillingham, where he was pretty much first team. He didn’t progress all that greatly in truth and when they showed there interst in him for a permanent move I got what I could and off he went.

• Lewis Nyatanga | £1.5m – Now this was the departure I thought long and hard about, he was a rock for us last season. But as I said in my last update, I felt that I would have to consider selling somebody out of the better performers last season to help fund new transfers. I didn’t want to sell any of Bree, Mawson, Scowen or Hourihane, so when Middlesbrough shown an interest in him, he said he wanted to move as they were in the Premiership, it made my decision all the easier in the end.  

• Paul Dredge | P/Ex – This was the guy that went in exchange for Isgrove, he will probably be as good as Carroll is developed correctly, but he was never going to fit in my style of play, so it was a no brainer in all fairness.

• Jak Walton | £150k – Rangers must be back upto there old tricks, as I never saw an offer like this in a month of Sundays, so it was an easy deal to do.

Not a great deal of movement, but all our best players stayed at the club, which was much important to me than getting new players in, as they pretty much as good as most players in the championship in their respective positions. What I do want to do in the future, which will probably be January, which hopefully see us have an increase in reputation, I hope to sign a marquee player who will really start the process of nailing down this brand of football.

 

[lewis999]

Good luck in the Championship, with the signings you have made I think you will at the very least get the top half, if not promotion, hopefully. Liam Moore is the standout signing to me, he's a very good player especially in the Champinship.

[lewis999]

Just finished my first season in the Premiership and it went very, very well. Partly thanks to other teams dropping a lot of points I have to say but we did well to capatalize on it.

We played Liverpool in the last game to finish 6th but we lost 3-1 and thanks to a late Blackburn goal against Leicester courtesy of Ben Marshall and a late fightback from Arsenal against Crystal Palace we just about held on to 7th place and European football next season.

The board has given me a massive 57m to do what I like with. We don't need much really. Well we need world class players to get into those top 4 spots but i'm not going to go out and get a load of players that are slightly better than what we have but are on 60 and 70k a week. I'm happy to keep what we have and keep our wage budget right down.

I did decide to go out and make a big signing in the shape of wonderkid Marcus Rashford. He was on loan in the Premiership with Swansea last season and did very well so I know he will hit the ground running. He's our top erner by about 15k a week on 50k but i've paid for the next 7-8 years really.

His value is already at 30m and i'm really looking forward to seeing how he gets on. It's going to be a battle up front but Marcus can play on the wings (Competent) and just behind the striker if needed so has incredible versatility.

 

[Kamakazeee]

CHAMPIONS!

I do want to apologize for not doing a half season report, time didn’t allow so I just played through and decided to do a full season report. Next season I should be back to the original format I initially wanted to do.

Well I wanted to go up, I wasn’t really fussed how, but as champions? Yeah I’ll take that. It wasn’t no fluke either, we had to compete really hard with Crystal Palace who still had the magic of Cabaye and Sunderland who still had the prowess of Defoe. We again neglected the cup competitions to make sure our full focus was on the league and again it paid dividends.

January Transfers

IN

• Ryan Mason | £3.5m – The first marquee signing that needed to drive this club over the line into the premiership. He will provide the quality we need to break open the defenses that are just happy with shutting us out. He will also provide the first cog that will be vital in implementing this world class playing style I’m trying to at Barnsley. Really surprised he signed in all honesty.

 

OUT

• Ryan Williams | £3.6m – Such a stuff decision to make on deciding to sell him or not. Hes been superb for us for 18 months and ran this team at times. But he wouldn’t be good enough in the long term, and the wages he wanted to resign his contract, it just made sense to accept Bournemouths offer and fund the signing of Ryan Mason.

• Marley Watkins | £500k – Again another tough sale, but the offer was too good to refuse, as he would only ever be back up player at best in the following season. Cashed in whilst we could, for a decent fee.

• Marc Roberts | £500k – He never really got to grips with the league in all honesty, then after a torrid run around against Dembele at Fulham just further cemented his poor performance had warranted a move, as his time had come. Good squad player in our promotion to the championship. Signed for reading.

 

Championship

·         Pos - 1st | Pld - 46 | W - 26 | D - 15 | L - 5 | For - 82 | Ag - 44 | GD - 38 | PTS - 93

Okay, we didn’t dominate like we did last season, but this one felt all the more deserving due to how hard we were pushed from the aforementioned Crystal Palace and Sunderland. Our start to the season was diabolical in all honesty and I did wonder if I’d made a mistake in not strengthening the squad more, we actually drew 4 and lost 2 of our first games in the league before we got our first win. But we stuck with it and eventually the results started coming and the football improved. We actually ended the season with only 1 defeat at home, which is a massive achievement in its self, never mind getting promoted. I do have big things planned for next season, with a massive shake up of the playing squad.

Cup Competitions

·         FA Cup – Third round exit.

·         Capital One Cup – Second round exit.

In terms of the cups I wasn’t too fussed about what we did, obviously a cup run would have been welcome, but it didn’t come about, so we moved on. From next season though, I do expect better performances in both cups.

Player performances (Only players who made 10 appearances or more)

Goalkeepers

·         Adam Davies – | Pld – 49 | Conc – 50 | Cln – 13 | Avg – 6.89 |

Again he delivered, he didn’t get better from last season, but he just about performed at the level that would ensure we went up. From next season though he will be reduced to a back up role, as I intend to chase my list of first choice keepers, as I look to combat staying up in the premier league.

Fullbacks

·         George Smith - | Pld – 38 (1) | Gls – 0 | Asts – 15 | Avg – 7.58 |

Another fantastic season from Smith, his return from left back in terms of assists has been remarkable over the past few seasons. Admittedly he does have a more attacking role than his counterpart at right back, but I didn’t expect such a return, especially in the championship. However, next season the system is going to evolve as I feel James Bree has developed enough for me to employ the ultra attacking role Daniel Alves had under him. Still though, smith will stay at the club and will be great weapon in those games where teams are hard to break down or were chasing a goal.

·         James Bree - | Pld – 37 | Gls – 3 | Asts – 6 | Avg – 7.92 |

He signed his 2^nd new contract under me in January of the season just gone, which will keep him at the club for 5 more years and repelled the interest of many premier league clubs. His value has risen to £7m already and will only keep rising. Next season I have big plans for James as the main development of the system will be to replicate Daniel Alves in the right  back position, but I did need James to develop before I could unleash him in that position, next season will be the season.

·         Aidan White - | Pld – 9 (10) | Gls – 0 | Asts – 4 | Avg – 7.37 |

It was disappointing that he got injured during our time in league 1, as he was by far our number 1 leftback, but since coming back from injury he has been unable to win his position back from the fantastic George Smith. Hes been great when called upon, but the premier league will be too much of step up for him.

·         George Williams | Pld – 9 (12) | Gls – 0 | Asts – 1 | Avg – 7.42 |

Similar to Aidan White, he very much had to play second fiddle to James Bree, which is unfortunate, as he is a good player for League 1/Championship level. But, he isn’t a necessity to replace next season, so he will again continue his back up role.

Central Defenders

·         Alfie Mawson | Pld – 38 (2) | Gls – 4 | Asts – 2 | Avg – 7.48 |

Again consistent at the back, made the step up with ease and I expect him to play his part up in the Premiership. He offered a goal threat last season, weighing in with 4 goals, which turned out to be important goals ending up with us beating our rivals. My one worry with Mawson long term is that his ability to play the ball is significantly weaker than my future defensive targets.

·         Liam Moore | Pld – 40 (2) | Gls – 0 | Asts – 1 | Avg – 7.22 |

Similar to last season with Lewis, they developed calming present next to Mawson and the two really made a great partnership. But, with him being more natural at right back, I don’t think im going to make his move permanent, but I’m not under estimating his influence at the back this season and its going to take a good player to replace him.

·         John Egan | Pld – 22 (8) | Gls – 2 | Asts – 1 | Avg – 7.25 |

Solid, he developed well and was great as a tutor. His value has risen considerably, he will stick around next season, but will eventually be sold on for profit to further fund the development of this squad. Next season though I don’t have any worries about him backing up the first team.

Central Midfielders (INCLUDING DMC)

·         Josh Scowen | Pld – 45 | Gls – 7 | Asts – 11 | Avg – 7.47 |

For the second season in a row he missed only one game. He is quickly becoming the most important player in this squad, as he is on a weekly basis dominating the midfield in games. He’s also developing his game quickly and becoming an essential attacking presence weighing in with plenty of goals and assists, which really isn’t what I expect from him in his role for the team. Another player I have no worries about stepping up to the challenge of the premier league.

·         (LEFT IN JANUARY)  Ryan Williams | Pld – 19 (1) | Gls – 7 | Asts – 8 | Avg – 7.69 |

It’s a shame he left when he did, but he had his head swayed by the interest from Bournemouth, which quite rightly there interest was warranted as he was outstanding for 1 and a half seasons. The offer was just too good to refuse and off he went. But he will leave a massive hole in our squad for the time being, his ability to collect the ball deep from the midfielders and drive forward was vital in the way we played.

·         Conor Hourihane | Pld – 32 (2) | Gls – 4 | Asts – 11 | Avg – 7.48 |

Again he had a season interrupted with a 2 month lay off, but for the second season in a row he was fantastic in midfield. He and Scowen are in my opinion the best midfield duo outside the premier league in my game. They can both tackle, pass, score and dribble. Perfect for my system. I have no worries about Hourihane next season being part of my squad.

·          (JOINED IN JANUARY) Ryan Mason | Pld – 15 (1) | Gls – 1 | Asts – 8 | Avg – 7.98 |

What a signing. I didn’t expect him to come off at all, it was audacious for sure. But, he was the signing I mentioned in a previous update, the signing that would really help me push forward the style of play. I expect big things from him next season as he will be centre to what we are trying to create at the club.

·         Paul Digby | Pld – 6 (18) | Gls – 2 | Asts – 3 | Avg – 7.25 |

A squad a player at best, he couldn’t really compete with the options we already had at the club and I was left wondering why he turned down Ipswich at the beginning of the season. Though, his versatility did help at times throughout the season.

·         Jhon Arango | Pld – 32 (4) | Gls – 12 | Asts – 12 | Avg – 7.68 |

Bargain of the century? He has developed two fold, signed for £8k now worth £2.5m? That should tell you everything about his performances, he was regualary played as our most advanded midfielder or as the False 9 in our team. With still room to grow, he could quite easily challenge Mason and Bree on becoming the best player at the club. Superb.

 

Wingers

·         Adam Hamill | Pld – 39 (1) | Gls – 12 | Asts – 11 | Avg – 7.41 |

Again he showed his class, which further pointed to my thoguhts that he was too good to be down in league 1. The step to championship was never in doubt and I more than certain he will play his part in the premiership. I do have plans to move him inside so he can use his creativity from the central areas more and not worry about his lack of pace in the premiership, but this all depends if I can get the signings I want too, he be used as cash building option to be sold.

·         Lloyd Isgrove | Pld – 34 (1) | Gls – 10 | Asts – 16 | Avg – 7.61 |

Well he carried on from last season and was most certainly the best performing winger in the whole of the championship. He has now scored than 30 and assisted more than 30 in two seasons. He so vital to the team that to tempt him back I had to pay him double the wage than our highest paid player at the time. He should adjust fine to the premier league and he still has room to grow. I honestly can’t speak high enough of his contributions for the past few seasons.

·         (LEFT IN JANUARY) Marley Watkins | Pld – 10 (5) | Gls – 5 | Asts – 3 | Avg – 7.78 |

He started the season as our only fit striker, and was bang in form, we just couldn’t get the points on board. As the start the season progressed moral dropped in the squad, which made us even more unlucky in some games. Due to this, once winnall was fit he was straight back in the team and Watkins struggled to compete with any of the players there on in, collecting only 3 assists in his final 7 games for the club upfront, so once we got the offer we did, we accepted and off he went. Good servant though on our journey to the premiership.

 

·         James Henry | Pld – 11 (1) | Gls – 7 | Asts – 4 | Avg – 8.05 |

What a player and what a impact he had when we signed him. But, he did his cruciate early on in loan deal, so I had no option but to cancel his loan. Such a shame, as I do feel he could have made a massive difference to our squad.

·         Mustapha Carayol | Pld – 6 (8) | Gls – 0| Asts – 3 | Avg – 7.01 |

Signed as replacement for james henry, but in all honesty he never had anywhere near the same impact, but he did provide crucial cover and a rotation option to keep other players fit, so that im grateful for.

Strikers

·         Sam Winall | Pld – 40 | Gls – 22 | Asts – 4 | Avg – 7.45 |

Well he produced again, but not quite to the standards I expect him too. He did average over a goal every other game, which can be sniffed at, but I did expect him to closer to the goals he did last season. The goals he did score were hardwork to come by, I didn’t want to manage the tactics as much as I did for him to score, he became very inconsistent and a lot of his goals came in golden patches. Shame, as I don’t think hes going to be able to step up to the premiership, I do have interest in him though, so he should bring some much needed cash for the development of the squad.

·         Victor Anichebe | Pld – 7 (12) | Gls – 6 | Asts – 6 | Avg – 7.19 |

A squad player, no less no more. His scout report did say he would have problems with injuries, but they failed to mention I would be a recurring theme every week it seemed, though in the past I usually get good luck with injury prone players whilst managing there training. Was very unfortunate as at times his aerial presence and power would have been vital from the bench. Lesson learned here.

Thoughts on next season and the squad…

I haven’t made too many changes to the squad up until this point in the game. As at the start I did feel the original squad could take us to the premiership, and they did. Now though, with the extra money and reputation I want to really put my mark on this squad and get players in that will not only keep us in the premiership, but really develop the brand of football I want to implement at Barnsley. We have been handed absolute warchest by the chairman, of £29m to spend, which I think has partly to do with keeping wages and transfer costs to a minimum upto until the signing of ryan mason. We have also saved a lot of money by scouting an f**king gem down in the lower leagues, meet Mick Hardaker who is probably already one of the better strikers in England and has loads of room to grow. Hopefully he will spearhead our team for years to come.

[Kamakazeee]

Looking good, pleased too see you get a decent budget if you stay in the premiership. Good signing in rashford too, i had the chance to get him in on load, but I'm not the biggest fan of getting players from bigger teams on loan when im in the premiership. Seems a bit pointless developing players for other clubs when your inevitably going to be challenging them at somepoint. Good signing though, how do you intend to use him? Central to your plans for that money i guess?

[Kamakazeee]

SUITING UP FOR THE PREM.

 

 

 

Targets

• League - SURVIVAL.
• FA Cup – Fifth Round.
• Capital One Cup – Fourth Round.

I’ve built a team which should be more than competitive in the league this season, so worrying about survival shouldn’t be too much of a worry. But, getting those magic 40 points should be our aim. It was mighty important to get to this league to satisfy some of the players that had out grown the club in the leagues below. But, the better players have all now signed new contracts, I’ve managed to get at least 75% of my chosen targets to the club, so I’m super confident we can give the league a good go. The system has been developed to the final point now and will only be improved by adding better talent to the squad, but I’m confident the players at the club now, can give a decent representation of what we are trying to create.

The cups I hope to have better showing than in the past, as I intend to field the strongest teams I can at the time, fitness permitting. We need to raise our reputation to attract better players to the club, as ideally want an aggressive 2 or 3 windows during our time at the club, taking advantage of the aforementioned reputation and financial hike.

Summer Transfer window

IN

• Tim Krul | £8m – A massive upgrade on our number 1 from the championship. He’s decent with his feet (jumping on that band wagon, BOVVERED? ), but not quite as good as I would like, but he’s a very solid keeper all round and with Newcastle being relegated I took advantage. Should be our number 1 for a few years til I find a more suitable goal keeper. 
• Scott Dann | £2.5m – At the beginning of last season, I saw him make a big move to Chelsea, something around £15m mark, I thought to myself “that ain’t gonna work out”, so I added him straight to my shortlist, as I was pretty much certain he would be on transfer list next season. I didn’t expect him to be so cheap, he’s an outstanding defender, comfortable on the ball, strong and reasonably quick. He’s not a long term option, but he’s certainly going to be a big player over the next few seasons.
• Anthony Knockaert | £7m – Another relegation I took advantage of, one of the most rounded wingers I could have signed within my budget. He has a vital role to play on my wing next season, and long term once I develop a few of his more defensive stats will be my central playmaker, his work ethic makes him pretty much ready now, but I need his flair too much out wide for that at the moment. A player I have high hopes and plans for in the present and future. Could be Barnsleys very own version of the great Iniesta.
• Antonio Rudiger | £5.5m – Another player I was very surprised to find on the transfer list. He will form the second part of my new look central defensive pairing along with Dann and Krul. He’s just as comfortable as Dann on the ball, but much quicker across the ground, which will be instrumental in ensuring the high line we play doesn’t become a hindrance. Depending on how we fair in the league over the next few seasons and how he develops it could become a challenge to keep him, as I have seen play for much bigger clubs in past saves. But, I hope we progress enough to match his ambitions, as he’s such a quality player and coup for Barnsley to have at this stage.
• Jesse Lingaard | £5m – He had an absolutely blinding season for Stoke last time out, so I was shocked to see him on the transfer list. At a bargain price of £5m I couldn’t see a reason why I shouldn’t get this signing over line, he wasn’t initially on my shortlist, but my first target choose to move to another club. Like Knockaert though, he’s extremely well rounded in the sense he can pass, dribble, finish, tackle and is hardworking. However, it was his versatility that attracted me most to him, as with my preference of working with small but flexible team, I rely on different players to be able to play numerous positions, which is also vital to the system I’m trying to implement.
• Massimo Haidara | £1.5m – Exploiting my boy hood club Newcastle again, Haidara was extremely cheap, is a massive upgrade on my current options at left back. He much more represents a hard working defensive winger than an out and out fullback, but isn’t that what Pep likes his full backs to be? At the price he was though, it’s a great bit of business as he will become a big profit or legend at the club and be here for years.
• Jon Toral | Loan – Ive been tracking this guy for 2 years now. As when I got promoted from the League 1 his contract was expiring and I was hoping to get him on a free transfer, but Arsenal signed him back up and sent on loan to Spain. But I now have my man, its loan deal for the year and I very much intend to make the move permanent as there is a £5m future fee included in the deal. He has so much potential and his all rounded game and versatility means he can pretty much play anywhere across the midfield and attack so he will see plenty of game time.
• Mick Hardaker | £450k – The striker position as something I was worried about, it was taking ages to find a suitable player that would be able to spear head the team. As the striker or lack of striker in Peps system is such a demanding role, in that the player needs to be able to pretty much do everything. I was fast running out cash once I started to add up the signings in my notebook. That was until my new scout came back with this specimen of a player. It has been a while since I have seen a regen this good, especially from down in the lower regions of League 2, Portsmouth to be exact. I expected to be quoted a ridiculous sum, but £450k? I thought my scout was lying. He was signed within in a matter of days and should be banging the goals in for years and years to come.

OUT

• Adam Hammill | £8m – I wasn’t particularly pleased about having to sell Adam, as he pretty much made the left wing spot his own over the past two years. But, the fee was big and with Knockaert and Lingaard signing, I wasn’t overly sure he could compete with them over the season. So I accepted after a lot of thought and off he went to Watford. I just hope my judgement was right, as he has been cracking a player.
• Sam Winall | £6m – Another sale which was given a lot of consideration too. Yes, I did say last season that I would move him on, as despite a 19 goal haul last season, he did seem to struggle. But, I did start to think was that down to the quality of the team behind him, would he perform better with a better team? Arguably yes, but I couldn’t take that risk and with Hardaker in the team I didn’t see what role he would play that would be worth rejecting a £6m bid from West Ham for, as if he wasn’t in the team his value would only decrease.
• Paul Digby | £2.5m – Snapped Aston Villas hand off when they big for Digby, I was resigned to the fact I would have to just let him see out his contract in the reserves. But, still they must have seen something I didn’t and off he went.

Our first proper transfer market, where I have tried to mold the club into mine. There was a decent turnover of players, nothing to major, as I decided I was going to go for quality over quantity, the squad is rather small, but we should be ok, as there is a lot versatility in the squad to cover. The wage bill has risen quite a bit, but we needed it too be competitive in the league, there are still strict limits in place to ensure the club grows financially and on the playing field at the same rate. I primarily targeted two options when signing players this season, which you have probably picked up on. The transfer market, was littered with quality players who fell out favor at their clubs, it was pretty much like a hand in the cookie jar scenario and also Newcastle being relegated benefitted me greatly in the signings of Krul and Haidara. The only position I was slightly disappointed about not strengthening was a backup striker, but I have players who can play there and also I think one more midfield option would have been handy, but I do have a few decent prospects in the youth team, so I could give them a chance to impress.

[Kamakazeee]

Played spurs first game of the season, got a draw, thought great.

Was shocked to see I had to play Man Utd straight after, got a draw, thought thats even better.

Then I looked at my next 2 games.... WTF haha

 

[lewis999]

4 hours ago, Kamakazeee said:

Looking good, pleased too see you get a decent budget if you stay in the premiership. Good signing in rashford too, i had the chance to get him in on load, but I'm not the biggest fan of getting players from bigger teams on loan when im in the premiership. Seems a bit pointless developing players for other clubs when your inevitably going to be challenging them at somepoint. Good signing though, how do you intend to use him? Central to your plans for that money i guess?

Yeah I was surprised it was that big to be honest but I think European Football and the money I will get from TV in that will of pushed it up around 10-12m. As i'm quite happy with my over achieving squad who aren't as good as their rivals but work a lot harder I thought I would bring an absolute superstar to the team to add that little bit extra. I had him in League 1 from January onwards and he was fantastic. I tried getting him in the Championship but fellow promotion rivals Sheff Utd managed to get him and he won the Championship young player of the year.

Yes he will be central, I think to start with he will be on the right as we are lacking a really good right winger but as he beds in I will be looking to play him up front more and more. In games where I expect to get pushed back he will be up front as his pace will be devastating.

2 hours ago, Kamakazeee said:

Played spurs first game of the season, got a draw, thought great.

Was shocked to see I had to play Man Utd straight after, got a draw, thought thats even better.

Then I looked at my next 2 games.... WTF haha

 

2 brilliant results and, although it's early, it looks like you will be fine in the Premiership. Get the hard ones out of the way that's what I say Very good signings too, I like the Haidara one the most because he always performs way above his attributes and for 1.5m that is an absolute bargain. Do you have an issue with Ryan Mason and injuries? I scouted him in the Championship and they said he could have a real problem with injuries, not the yellow icon, but it was either orange or red which suggested he would be on the physio table more than the pitch. Just looking back at the signinfs, they are all good really, Krul is a solid keeper, Rudiger is really fast which is what you want in your system, Scott Dann is all round very good and under rated on here and Knockaert and Lingard are going to terrorize defences.

Also out of curiosity can you put up some screenshots of the initial Barnsley team that are still with you? If not, no worries.

[Kamakazeee]

1 hour ago, lewis999 said:

Yeah I was surprised it was that big to be honest but I think European Football and the money I will get from TV in that will of pushed it up around 10-12m. As i'm quite happy with my over achieving squad who aren't as good as their rivals but work a lot harder I thought I would bring an absolute superstar to the team to add that little bit extra. I had him in League 1 from January onwards and he was fantastic. I tried getting him in the Championship but fellow promotion rivals Sheff Utd managed to get him and he won the Championship young player of the year.

Yes he will be central, I think to start with he will be on the right as we are lacking a really good right winger but as he beds in I will be looking to play him up front more and more. In games where I expect to get pushed back he will be up front as his pace will be devastating.

2 brilliant results and, although it's early, it looks like you will be fine in the Premiership. Get the hard ones out of the way that's what I say Very good signings too, I like the Haidara one the most because he always performs way above his attributes and for 1.5m that is an absolute bargain. Do you have an issue with Ryan Mason and injuries? I scouted him in the Championship and they said he could have a real problem with injuries, not the yellow icon, but it was either orange or red which suggested he would be on the physio table more than the pitch. Just looking back at the signinfs, they are all good really, Krul is a solid keeper, Rudiger is really fast which is what you want in your system, Scott Dann is all round very good and under rated on here and Knockaert and Lingard are going to terrorize defences.

Also out of curiosity can you put up some screenshots of the initial Barnsley team that are still with you? If not, no worries.

Yeah, I'm looking forwards to getting that bit of extra money, as I really do need the board to upgrade the facilities and they currently in the process of buying the stadium. So, after a few additions here and there, I'm going to concentrate on the infrastructure of the club. The majority of my squad building was done in this window.

Yeah, he looks quality, I had him for Newcastle on a past save, if i still have it ill get you a screen shot, but i think that one is on my laptop. If i remember correctly i trained primarily as a poacher, got him to unlearn shoots from distance, i think thats what he has. I also got him to learn PLaces shots, PLays one twos, moves in to channels and he pretty much got 50-60 goals every season for about 6 seasons.

In terms of Ryan Mason, i have just checked his coach report and there was no mention of injury problems. So not sure what your scout has been drinking (or mine :S )  Rudiger was a massive shock, didnt think he would even consider moving to us. Scott Dann has always surprised me on this game, I usually wait til chelsea sign him and they put him on the transfer list

 

Yeah sure, Adam Davies | Alfie Mawson | Conor Hourihane | George Smith | George Williams | Josh Scowen

[lewis999]

46 minutes ago, Kamakazeee said:

Yeah, I'm looking forwards to getting that bit of extra money, as I really do need the board to upgrade the facilities and they currently in the process of buying the stadium. So, after a few additions here and there, I'm going to concentrate on the infrastructure of the club. The majority of my squad building was done in this window.

Yeah, he looks quality, I had him for Newcastle on a past save, if i still have it ill get you a screen shot, but i think that one is on my laptop. If i remember correctly i trained primarily as a poacher, got him to unlearn shoots from distance, i think thats what he has. I also got him to learn PLaces shots, PLays one twos, moves in to channels and he pretty much got 50-60 goals every season for about 6 seasons.

In terms of Ryan Mason, i have just checked his coach report and there was no mention of injury problems. So not sure what your scout has been drinking (or mine :S )  Rudiger was a massive shock, didnt think he would even consider moving to us. Scott Dann has always surprised me on this game, I usually wait til chelsea sign him and they put him on the transfer list

 

Yeah sure, Adam Davies | Alfie Mawson | Conor Hourihane | George Smith | George Williams | Josh Scowen

Yeah I think i'm the same as you, I need the board to upgrade the facilities. They have done once but I need it again if I want the young players to reach their potential. I've had them buy the stadium the same and we are now debt free which is good to know. I can't believe there's no injuries mentioned in the report, every time i've ever scouted him it's said it and thinking about it he's quite injury prone in real life, but i'm glad he's not on yours. A brilliant signing then. Talking of injury problems, i'm in the process of trying to loan Jack Wilshere. We need some depth and he is still very good but i'm getting him on a sort of try before you buy to gauge how his glass legs hold up. Looking at his history he hasn't had that many which is encouraging. He will fit in right behind Rashford eventually which will be a brilliant partnership.

Great minds think alike with trying to unlearn the shoots from distance, first thing I did when he came Yeah I remember seeing Rudiger on the transfer list but he wanted a lot in wages so I stuck with Alfie and Maguire who I got in similar circumstances to you with Scott Dann but instead of Chelsea it was Tottenham.

Do you have a screenshot of Bree? Smith has done better with you than me, Aidy White stayed injury free so he was my LB for a long time and George didn't get a chance unfortunately. Josh is for you like he is in real life, all action, never stops and isn't just a trier, he is very good with the ball at our level.

[Kamakazeee]

Yeah sorry, not sure how i forgot him, James Bree.

Ive actually just checked with another coach, who said he could have issues. Not sure whats goiing on there, but hes never been injured for me. 

Yeah i looked at Wilshere early this season, but I decided to develop Arango more and loan Toral.

[lewis999]

On 26/08/2016 at 18:08, Kamakazeee said:

Yeah sorry, not sure how i forgot him, James Bree.

Ive actually just checked with another coach, who said he could have issues. Not sure whats goiing on there, but hes never been injured for me. 

Yeah i looked at Wilshere early this season, but I decided to develop Arango more and loan Toral.

Bree's well on course to be a top, top player. Wilshere ended up going to Stoke for 13.5m on wages I couldn't and wouldn't offer. I did manage to sign someone else though for £13.25m.

 

[lewis999]

Roberto is looking at a lot of my players which is encouraging. Everyone apart from Forster would be getting their first cap so let's see if we can start this season well and force a few of these young lads into the squad.

Brought in some new signings before the window has shut to add depth for Europe and hopefully really far cup runs. In fact a cup win would be very nice so i'm going to go all out in every competition as I usually do.

Fraser Forster

Javi Manquillo

Malcolm

The best until last is the 13.25m signing for a relegated Southampton team.

[lewis999]

So we came through our Europa League qualifying game and the play-off game against Portuguese team Arouca

and got this group....

Obvious favourites are Dortmund but we have beat Man City, Arsenal and Man Utd in the league over the last year and 5 games once so no reason why we can't beat them if we are bang at it. Kasimpasa appear to have a better team than Sparta but I should be beating them both if we have any outside chance of winning this thing.

 

[lewis999]

Don't take your chances at this level and you lose. Bad result especially at home when it could of gone either way.

[lewis999]

I hope he gets on the pitch to pick up his first cap. Him and John Stones will be playing and there both from here.

[lewis999]

January 2019

Going very well so far, We are at about our level so far. We don't have the quality in depth to sustain a season in the top 4 just yet. We can beat the top teams on the odd occasion and never get battered as you'll see but we need that bit of extra quality at the back especially.

The worst result was against Leicester. Yes they do have a good squad but we didn't even start and was 3-0 down at half time. As you can see we did manage to get a few back after some changes but the damage had been done.

3 very close wins against 2 very good teams and one not as good. We didn't get going against West Brom really as their 4-4-2 seemed to cause more trouble than I would of liked. With the hectic schedule I have which is basically a game every 3-4 days so far I may have fielded a weakened team so as long as we got through. Arsenal have a brilliant team so it's going to be a very hard task to get through that over 2 legs but i'm going to prioritize it as I want a trophy as early as possible.

The teams we played turned out to be a lot better than I first thought. The last game against Kasimpasa which could of allowed us to top the group we somehow drew. It was just shot after shot after clear cut chance and drew 1-1 to a late equaliser which as you can see came back to bite us in the arse as we were handed a 1st round knockout to a very good Sevilla team.

 

[Gungner]

I've started with Barnsley, in an attempt to have my very last save on FM'16. Got Liverpool as my parent club, and I immidiately loaned Jordan Rossiter from them (I know, huge signing). Besides that, I have signed Abdul Razak for free and loaned in Aaron Kuhl from Reading. My scout has recommended an free agent, American central defender Will Packwood. I'm scouting him, as he looks good. Will update you on my save

[lewis999]

On 06/09/2016 at 16:10, Gungner said:

I've started with Barnsley, in an attempt to have my very last save on FM'16. Got Liverpool as my parent club, and I immidiately loaned Jordan Rossiter from them (I know, huge signing). Besides that, I have signed Abdul Razak for free and loaned in Aaron Kuhl from Reading. My scout has recommended an free agent, American central defender Will Packwood. I'm scouting him, as he looks good. Will update you on my save

Good choice for a last save mate. Rossiter is a fantastic signing. Not only is he a very good player but we also lack a defensive midfielder in the starting squad. I would also recommend Packwood as he is very versatile, young and has potential. Looking forward to the update.

[lewis999]

As I approach the end of my second season in the Premier League I thought I would update a little bit as I have been trying to get through the season with the new Football Manager soon to be out.

So we lost to Sevilla on penalties after they scored a late winner in the 2nd leg. Was a bit of a sickener as we should of put the game out of sight but if you don't put your chances away in Europe, that's what happens and we only have oursevles to blame.

So after a fine run of 5 wins in a row including a 2-1 win over Man City it has led us to been in this very good position. Not sure we 100% deserve to be where we are to be honest. I have used a different tactic to how I usually play FM which is tight at the back and build on clean sheets but as you can see from the goals scored and goals conceded columns I have decided to just try and outscore teams and it makes me more nervous as a result haha!

These are our remaining fixtures which, after the Chelsea and Liverpool games are a lot easier than the other teams fixtures. Although saying that we have been very good against the top teams and not as consistent against the teams that sit deep and make it very difficult to break through.

 

[Gungner]

1 hour ago, lewis999 said:

Good choice for a last save mate. Rossiter is a fantastic signing. Not only is he a very good player but we also lack a defensive midfielder in the starting squad. I would also recommend Packwood as he is very versatile, young and has potential. Looking forward to the update.

There's definately a lack of defensive midfielders, which is why I signed Razak. Then the opportunity for Rossiter came about and he was a no brainer. Both Razak and Kuhl can play the central defensive midfielder, but it's not their best position. Regarding Packwood, I have never heard of him, but my scout recommended him, and he's scouting him now. He looks good, and one that can get games when one member of the preferred duo can't play.

Glad to hear you're looking forward... Will definately be updating.

[lewis999]

Just played both the Chelsea games and Liverpool games and these are the results.

Neither team deserved to win this, hardly any chances created for both teams. Really boring match.

As the header says we were winning until the 81st minute when Sheyi Ojo looped a header over the top of the goalkeeper whilst running backwards. It looked a very good finish but one the goalkeeper should of done a bit better with in truth. We were holding on in the last 10 minutes so i'm glad to get a point.

[lewis999]

It says they got lucky and chance wise it was probably even but the chances we gave them was disgusting defensively. Annoyed is an understatement as it was a very winnable game with them being 17th in the league. Makes no sense how they are there as they still have a top 8 team but I was expecting a lot more and we let ourselves down. Still no trophy.

[lewis999]

As I knew would happen we collapsed in one of the most important games of the season and gave up ground in our search for Champions League football!

Yet again we can't seem to create many chances against the teams that sit deep and not allow us space. It's something I really need to address.

So it looks like we have thrown this away at the last hurdle which is infuriating. We don't deserve 4th place anyway as we haven't performed consistently all season performance wise. Our last game is against already relegated Norwich which means absolutely nothing the way we are playing recently. It's by no means an easy win and it might not matter anyway even if we do get the 3 points.

[lewis999]

Well we went out of the season with a whimper. We deserve all we got and finished 5th. After the position we were in, we should be playing in the main European competition not the baby brother one. There will be a lot of changes this pre-season.

[lewis999]

Another very good budget for the coming season.

Pleased with the ambition from the board. I didn't even need to ask for the upgrades.

A very good season that was disappointing right at the end. Lost in 2 domestic semi-finals which is frustrating but hopefully this year we can go further and win one. I may need to expand the stadium too in line with the success of the club.

Bree won the fans player of the year with a massive 70% of the votes and rightfully so. Rashford weren't in the top 3 which is surprising.

Marcus scored the most goals despite playing in a variety of different positions. I ended up with 5 players that scored over 10 goals so the goalscoring responsibilities were shared out which is good to see. No red cards is a massive positive as we have players with cool heads. Malcom who was on loan from Dortmund had a fantastic season and got the most assists and got in the Premier League team of the season. Will be looking to bring him in permanently.

 

[lewis999]

So with £44m to spend and a few positions to strengthen as we are in Europe again the first news of pre-season wasn't something I was anticipating. It came about very quick and ended within a few days. It wasn't totally surprising as Lewis Cook, the player in question came to me asking to join Arsenal as they had shown an interest around February and I said if they make an offer he can leave as we were doing well and I didn't want an unhappy player amongst the ranks.
Anyway in the summer they did bid and it totalled £33m but it was in bits and installments so I asked for £40m up front and they accepted and off he went. A main part of my team had gone so with £84m behind me I needed a replacement for him.

In came more than a replacement in my eyes....

Cook's replacement! :)

He's a fantastic player and cost £5.75m. Yeah you read it right, £5.75m for someone as good as him. So a £34m profit and a player as good if not better in his place.

The next person I saw was a striker and as much as I was impressed with his stats and what he could bring to the team I don't need another forward. With that said I bid anyway and got him as he was a little bit different to my other strikers.

He only cost £9.75m which is nothing with the money I had left and he is homegrown as well which helps.

Still very young, with good finishing skills, good pace and good dribbling. His vision, passing and teamwork need a bit of work but when he plays his sole job will be to put the ball in the net and be clinical which is what we missed last season. It may be a case of I need to fit 2 strikers into my formation this season.

Last season I only had 1 left back in the squad after I couldn't find any worthy players to battle Charlie Taylor for the position so he had to play almost every single game, in fact after checking he played every single game last season. 38 in the prem and 22 in the cups so a 60 game season with no injuries is fantastic. This pre-season I found a player that is probably better than Taylor but out of loyalty will start as back-up.

Baba Rahman has arrived on loan from Juventus and i'm not sure why they've let him go. He is unhappy with the lack of first team games and they do have Alex Sandro but defensively anyway Baba is better. They have also just brought in Andy Robertson originally from Hull but has been at Liverpool, Wolfsburg and now Juventus so has had some big moves. Rahman is transfer listed for £11.75m so I will probably make that permanent in January if everything has gone to plan and he isn't injury prone or disruptive, which I doubt but, you never know.

I already needed another central midfield player before Cook left so with Kimmich coming in I still wanted another and so this guy arrived for £14.75m who I have been after for ages because I had him in my previous Barnsley save and he was beyond excellent.

Ivor Fossum is an all action, complete midfielder who will add a lot of energy and athleticism to the team. He has been unhappy at Bayern Munich for 2 seasons now but they wanted 20m which I wasn't willing to pay. With the 40m from the board and the 40m from Cook's transfer I decided to go for it to try and upgrade the team. He's our highest earner on 60k a week but for a player of his calibre it isn't that much.

Adalberto Penaranda joins on loan from Dortmund ironically as it's the place we loaned Malcom from last season who was brilliant. He isn't as good as him and to be fair was my 2nd choice as Malcom, my first choice went to Valencia for 13.25m. I tried to get him but he opted for Spain which is disappointing.

Iuri Medeiros is another loanee and a stop gap before I find a top class option on the wings. He will be back up initially and he may end up playing out of this world but at the moment he's just an short term option. I don't particularly like his low work rate and teamwork but we'll see. He is brilliant in other areas, especially when he has the ball and being left footed is different to what we have now.

Moreto Cassama joins for just 2m after being transfer listed by FC Porto. He's a brilliant attacking midfield player and as I sold captain Conor Hourihane as he wasn't playing anymore, Ryan Woods who, again was only playing when injuries occurred and Ante Coric who didn't develop as I had hoped I needed another attacking midfield player and Cassama more than fits the bill. He has all the stats needed and more coupled with being just 21 years of age I can feel he is going to be a massive player for us.

 

[Gungner]

Some very nice signings there, and with plenty left in the kitty.

Here's to another good season for Barnsley