Jogo Bonito Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Haha, yes real life does tend to do that! Colchester are about the closest you could get to Crewe, in terms of being strugglers who rely on their youth system. Definitely a long term project. Walsall are a great little club, but with some very good players at this level (I'm at Coventry and spent £2m to sign Henry, Sawyers and Bradshaw after a second season promotion). With the talent they have, it might just be about making them a stable Championship club, because promotion is a strong first season possibility. Another League 1 option could be Rochdale, a neat little operation who also give youth a chance - and they haven't ever been in the second tier, so you could make history. There would be a few League 2 clubs that might suit you too, if you want it to be even harder! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottGooner Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 I all ears regarding League 2 sides. The game wouldn't be fun if it was a cakewalk. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 True! The hardest test would be Yeovil. Awful injuries to half of their squad, no quality, no big budget, young group, high media prediction. I can recommend Oxford, a great squad for L2 level with some good younger players but a massive debt. Promotion would be an achievable early target though. Wycombe have some reasonable young players, no cash, and no youth system - a bit more tricky than Oxford. You could possibly look at AFC Wimbledon or Hartlepool - some may even suggest Bristol Rovers, Accrington or Morecambe following their experiences with them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kozmik Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 @kozmik: I can only dream about picking up players like that. I'm sure it's a nice place to be, having the cash and success to cherry pick your favourites! Yeah, it'll be fun for a while yet. I can usually keep myself interested at a top club for around five seasons. I just signed a contract extension until 2024, so three more years. Will likely start to keep my eyes open for chances to change clubs, preferably to a top job abroad, after the coming season, and definitely can't see myself staying beyond the three years. I've never really done a save where I move from country to country to collect different league titles, I'm thinking of attempting that in this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottGooner Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 Cheers Jogo. I think I'll go with AFC Wimbledon for my FL save. Had some fun with them a few years ago when they were trying to get into the Football League. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Good choice, I was considering them after the update if they have any 'plan' set for a stadium move. I asked about it the other day, but don't think it will be included to be fair. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrientTillIDie Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Good luck with York, and well done with MK Dons!P.S. Had so many posts to catch up with that I forgot to say anything about Derby - keep up the great work there! Thanks Jogo! As a side note, has anyone had any experience with Harry Cardwell (from Reading) or Macauley Bonne (from Colchester)? I've had offers accepted for both but had to leave it there last night. I only want one of them ideally but have no idea who to take. I had Bonne in League 2 on FM15 and he was class but new game means different ability. Also Reading don't want financial contributions for Cardwell but Colchester want 50% wages for Bonne (which is only about £400). I'm leaning towards Cardwell but thought I'd see if anyone had managed them before. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungner Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Still early days at Wigan, but thinks are going great. At the end of August, I'm sitting first with 5 wins and a draw. I got Manchester United as my parent club, who instantly loaned me Jesse Lingard and he's a beast in League One. I also brought in Danny Holla as cover for my defensive midfield. Got knocked out of the Capital One Cup in the second to Birmingham, who scored a winner in the 89th minute to win 1-0. Gutted, but still okay with it, as it gives us a chance to focus on the League. Facing Oldham in the JPT, where my reserves will get some playing time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Thanks Jogo!As a side note, has anyone had any experience with Harry Cardwell (from Reading) or Macauley Bonne (from Colchester)? I've had offers accepted for both but had to leave it there last night. I only want one of them ideally but have no idea who to take. I had Bonne in League 2 on FM15 and he was class but new game means different ability. Also Reading don't want financial contributions for Cardwell but Colchester want 50% wages for Bonne (which is only about £400). I'm leaning towards Cardwell but thought I'd see if anyone had managed them before. Harry Cardwell for me, he turns out to be a cracking player Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrientTillIDie Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Harry Cardwell for me, he turns out to be a cracking player Thanks Gizmo. He certainly looks better on the face of it, plus he costs me nothing. Just got to hope that he actually agrees to join me now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Thanks Gizmo. He certainly looks better on the face of it, plus he costs me nothing. Just got to hope that he actually agrees to join me now! No problem! Here he is in my game - I tried to sign him in the summer but he chose St Johnstone over me He has a decent season for Notts County last year, that put him on my radar. Hope you can sign him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kozmik Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Finally got through the pre-season and am about to kick of the new season against Chelsea in the community shield. Like I said, lots of player movement this window, combined with a pre-season of only 5 weeks has left us at a very low tactical fluidity yet again. Have arranged a bunch of midweek friendlies until the start of the champions league to get more tactics training done. Anyway, we made a new record sale twice, with Son moving, as expected, to City for 53 million, including 13 million after 10 internationals. After a flood of bids for Renato Sanches, including one from City, they turned their attention to Correa, club icon and fans player of the season twice in a row. But couldn't say no to 70 million. So off he went to City as well, much to the fans' dismay. Here's two of probably the most surprising transfers yet in this save, if you thought Renato Sanches or Domenico Berardi at Derby were astonishing, make sure you're sitting down: Koke was transfer listed at Atletico, probably because they finished 5th and thus missed out on champions league. A record buy for us with a 55 million fee. Expecting him to really own the supporting midfield slot. Other outgoings were Pohjanpalo, who had an extremely disappointing third season, and Sergi Samper, as I needed to get rid of a midfielder to make room for Koke. Sold him to Inter for 25 million, 22 million profit after one year. Fabinho from Dortmund came in as Christie's replacement, Kenedy from Bayern as Son's replacement, Ross Barkley from United as Correa's replacement and an Argentinian regen from Juve as Pohjanpalo's replacement. Also moved to the next phase in squad building by signing a bunch of youngsters so that I have basically an XI of at least 2,5 star potential prospects. I'll keep then in my first team squad but available for u21's and try to use them in first team games as much as possible. There are a few that I think have the potential to be first team regulars in the future. Then some evidence of the progress we've made as a club: 9th richest club and 14th on the reputation table. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted February 26, 2016 Author Share Posted February 26, 2016 Amazing. To be honest, all I can say is 'wow' at Christie to Barca. And there was me, hoping to bring him back to Coventry... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kozmik Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Amazing. To be honest, all I can say is 'wow' at Christie to Barca. And there was me, hoping to bring him back to Coventry... I know, it's ridiculous! I listed him for 15 million and expected mid-table prem teams to be all over him. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the "Barcelona make Christie bid" news item. I think it's a combination of Barca's finances not being in too great shape (low-ish price and wages) and Christie's reputation being inflated by our successful league and champions league campaigns. And of course his performances inflated by the match engine. To be honest, I think mid-table prem is his level. Barca's DR options don't look too good (first choice is a 31 year old Matteo Darmian), so he might even get to play a bit, but really he should be nowhere near that squad. FM works in mysterious ways, I guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelBrown Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 True! The hardest test would be Yeovil. Awful injuries to half of their squad, no quality, no big budget, young group, high media prediction. I can recommend Oxford, a great squad for L2 level with some good younger players but a massive debt. Promotion would be an achievable early target though. Wycombe have some reasonable young players, no cash, and no youth system - a bit more tricky than Oxford. You could possibly look at AFC Wimbledon or Hartlepool - some may even suggest Bristol Rovers, Accrington or Morecambe following their experiences with them. Second this, Yeovil is a challenge. It took me 12 seasons to get to the Prem, including two relegations. I had a takeover one year in and the new owners were content with making me spend whatever I made; for a few seasons I had no transfer or wage budget. Insecure finances were the norm and Yeovil's wage bill was the lowest throughout every league I was in. Even in the first season in the Prem, the board gave me around £15m to spend which is nothing. Luckily I've had a Italian consortium take over now and they're happy to fund both the team and facilities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirManager Posted February 27, 2016 Share Posted February 27, 2016 I'm back boys. After a bit away due to work and etc. Expect a save with Sheffield United. Good update guys. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungner Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Just won promotion to the Championship with Wigan, as we're 17 points clear of number two with 5 games to go. We won the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, with a 1-0 win over Leyton Orient in the final, do to a Danny Holla penalty in the 40th minute. Got knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Birmingham in the 3rd round, and the FA Cup by Sunderland in the 5th round. I've signed Kike from Middlesbrough, who will join us next season in the Championship. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungner Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Just about to start my second season in charge of Wigan. Will Grigg finished the season as league one topscorer with 28 goals in his 42 appearances. We're kicking the season off with a home tie against Cardiff. Board expects a midtable finish, but I believe we can challenge for the play-off spots. Arriving at the DW Stadium are Kike, Nikica Jelavic, Tommy Spurr, Rubén Rayos and Sam Johnstone (season-long loan). I still need a central defender and a right back, and with a budget of £4 million, I suppose it should be doable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westmarsh7 Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 I'm normally premiership or big clubs just done 6 seasons with Spurs and loved it but looked for a new challenge and found Middlesbrough. Early on in season have 3.5million left to spend I am thinking I need to bring in a keeper as have one on loan which I'd rather terminate and a defensive and central midfielder is where I believe I need to bring in. You guys seem to have so much experience on players that will come to championship clubs please help me with advice on who to bring in please. Look forward to hearing from you all Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Can anyone recommend a good lower league save please. Looking for a team with good facilities, good financial footing (preferrably debt free) & a decent starting squad would be useful. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshace Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Can't go wrong with Pompey, debt free is a struggle down there, but with a club the size of Portsmouth, you'll be rich soon enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrientTillIDie Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Can anyone recommend a good lower league save please. Looking for a team with good facilities, good financial footing (preferrably debt free) & a decent starting squad would be useful. Thanks You will struggle to find a lower league team that is debt free. It just doesn't happen. The only way teams break even down there is if the chairman reaches into their pocket to balance the books. All clubs make losses or owe someone money. Obviously there are some clubs who are more stable than others but certainly not debt free. Slightly biased but I think Orient are a good team to start with. Decent youth setup and facilities, fairly stable finances and a very good squad on paper. Mental chairman who is quite ruthless but he's willing to back you if you are successful. Only difficulty is getting good youth intakes consistently because of the competition on London for players. Rochdale are fun to use. Other than that you've got Sheffield United, Bradford etc who are all "fallen giants" so will have good facilities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 You will struggle to find a lower league team that is debt free. It just doesn't happen. The only way teams break even down there is if the chairman reaches into their pocket to balance the books. All clubs make losses or owe someone money. Obviously there are some clubs who are more stable than others but certainly not debt free.Slightly biased but I think Orient are a good team to start with. Decent youth setup and facilities, fairly stable finances and a very good squad on paper. Mental chairman who is quite ruthless but he's willing to back you if you are successful. Only difficulty is getting good youth intakes consistently because of the competition on London for players. Rochdale are fun to use. Other than that you've got Sheffield United, Bradford etc who are all "fallen giants" so will have good facilities. Funnily enough Sheff Utd are one i was looking at. Only problem is that from memory 4 of their best players are out with long term injuries to start with Also thought about Pompey, Wigan and maybe Coventry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Can't go wrong with Pompey, debt free is a struggle down there, but with a club the size of Portsmouth, you'll be rich soon enough. That is one i am considering.. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshace Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Could always download a league expansion file and go with Salford? Or from a personal point of view... please take Wrexham up to the promised land.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Could always download a league expansion file and go with Salford? Or from a personal point of view... please take Wrexham up to the promised land.. Wrexham......now that would be a challenge lol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 Could always download a league expansion file and go with Salford? Or from a personal point of view... please take Wrexham up to the promised land.. By promised land, do you mean in to League 2? Spike, there are a few good ideas there. I agree that Wigan, Sheffield United and Portsmouth are probably best placed to force their way upwards. I'm currently managing Coventry, and by the time the second window comes, they are a nice squad to work with. On a smaller scale, but with a number of good players, maybe have a look at Walsall? @westmarsh: I'm not sure if they will join, but you could do worse than try Ndoye (Angers) or the young Serbian that Liverpool are signing, Marko Grujic (Red Star). If you're brave, you could have a look at some young British players like Allen (Rochdale), Tshibola (Reading), or maybe Carroll would join on loan from Spurs? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Funnily enough Sheff Utd are one i was looking at. Only problem is that from memory 4 of their best players are out with long term injuries to start with Also thought about Pompey, Wigan and maybe Coventry. Barnsley are obviously the best choice. No bias whatsoever. We have a thread that 'someone' made. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhroX Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Well, I'm certainly enjoying my Cambridge game, so I'll recommend them. Good budget for a League 2 team with a reasonable amount of cash in the bank, no loans, and a solid squad - several of the starting players are still doing a good job for me in the Championship. In addition, the expectations aren't that high, so even if you don't manage to get promoted in the first couple of seasons, you're probably not gonna be thrown out the door Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Thanks for all the recomendations guys Once i've finished my current Arsenal season I will pick a challenge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Anyone had any experience with Burton Albion? I like the idea that they have the National Training Centre as part of their facilities. Should help develop players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrientTillIDie Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Anyone had any experience with Burton Albion?I like the idea that they have the National Training Centre as part of their facilities. Should help develop players. Tricky. On the current version of the game they're a tough challenge because no one expected them to perform as well as they have done IRL. They've got essentially the same group of players that got them promoted. On the update patch, they may be a different animal altogether but they've got a small squad with no real stand out players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Quick update with life at Morecambe in the Championship 2019/2020. As imagined, this is a very tough league, but we're doing okay, sitting 4 points above the drop after 15 games. We've been having a mixed bag of results really, and we've struggled to put together a proper sequence of good results. But apart from the West Brom and Brentford games, nobody has given us a proper spanking, and we've looked very good offensively, we're just leaking goals for fun at the back! If I can sort that out then we look set to stay in the division this season. Fingers crossed though, there's a long long way to go! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 Good luck Gizmo, it would be great to avoid relegation. Look at Everton though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Not really sure what's happening at Everton. Currently managed by Phil Jagielka, and they seem reluctant to sack him, despite him being the man to relegate them from the Premier League last season Oh, and they also have a certain Wayne Rooney captaining them, amongst a host of other big name players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapačko Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Cant wait for update anymore so i started new save in Championship with Middlesbrough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westmarsh7 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Just been promoted as champions with Middlesbrough in my first season. Over the moon with that achievement what I don't like is the £10 million I have for transfers going to be very hard to bring in players to help me be stable in this division. I play 442 what players can people recommended for me to bring in beginning of season two for my Middlesbrough side please?!? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Thanks for all of the suggestions, I have finally decided on......Bradford City Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 Thanks for all of the suggestions, I have finally decided on......Bradford City Good luck, they certainly have the facilities and fan base to support success. Just need a team to match those ambitions! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhroX Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Cambridge - 2017/18 Season Well, third season down, and after the last two, it's almost a disappointment, as we didn't get promoted. But, to be fair, that was never really on the cards (and I'd've been worried about the game's realism had I been able to do so...), and we achieved our real target of staying in the Championship - and in the end, did so quite comfortably, 17 points above the drop zone. Our season was rather streaky form wise, with a promising start, a terrible run over December and January, which we turned round just about in time to avoid being caught in the relegation zone with a run of 4 wins in 5, and then bursts of 4-5 winless games followed by 4-5 without losing up to then end. Reading have suffered back-to-back relegations there, and for a long time it looked like Villa would join them, until they rehired Paul Lambert ( ), who managed to drag them clear of the drop. So, 16th. Not bad for the lowest wage bill in the division, and very limited transfer spending. I did bring in a couple more free signings over the season, Hungarian striker Soma Novothny joined in October and went on to be joint top scorer (albeit with only 10...), and Max Thiel, a German winger was picked up in January, but got injured just as he was hitting match fitness, so didn't really get a huge amount of game time, but seemed very good in the 4-5 games he played at the close of the season. Fan's player of the year was, again, right winger Adam Drury, with his rival for that slot, Josh Clarke, getting second, though the latter had a slightly better average rating. Goals were rather spread around the team - even with our two best only getting 10 each, we were 10th in the Championship for goals scored, though our defense was less reliable than in the past, letting in 63 over the year. I've already done something rather unlike me for this save, in spending money on a transfer (only my second buy in three years - Ray cost a compensation fee to sign when out of contract so doesn't count): we've got a 17yr old Norwegian right winger named Steffen Jensen joining in the summer. Right wing is of course, the last place I need to strengthen, but he's roughly as good as my two players for that position already, with plenty of room to grow, so for £250k, he seemed worth it. The plan is probably to play Drury at RB and rotate Clarke and Jensen in the wide midfield slot. I'm going to need to pick up a striker (again...), a centre half and a left back over the summer for certain, then maybe a centre mid if a good deal comes my way. I'm started to get approaches from other clubs. I'm certainly not adverse to leaving Cambridge - indeed, I tend to prefer moving myself up rather than taking a small club all the way to the top, as the latter never quite feels believable - but only if the job was actually a step forward (say, a big Championship club or better). Right now it's League 1 teams, and a couple of Scottish Premiership relegation fodder sides, which ain't happening. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottGooner Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Great stuff PhroX. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gungner Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 After securing ourselves the League 1 title, the Championship has been a success so far aswell. The date is currently October 10th, 2016, and my Wigan team is sitting 2nd in the League as the only undefeated team so far. However, we are not scoring many goals and are drawing too many matches. But since the board's goal is a midtable finish, then I'm more than happy. My signing, Ruben Rayos from Sochaux, has been a revelation so far. Quality signing for peanuts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Well things have well and truly turned to **** now at Morecambe. We can't get a win for love nor money and we're playing awful, awful football. Shocking stuff. Here's how the table is looking - we're bottom, and if we're not careful this could turn out to be an embarrassment of a season for all involved. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogo Bonito Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 Gungner, well done with Wigan. Gizmo, that's tragic. But plenty of time left, and one win might spark a revival... Edit: Sorry, another well done to you PhroX - nice to see you consolidate your position with Cambridge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrientTillIDie Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 So it looks like the update is out tonight barring any unfortunate happenings so I will be starting my Orient save (with a slight edit so Kevin Nolan stays as a player) at some point over the weekend. Little bit sad to be leaving my York save for a while (might get back to it depending on how I do with Orient!) but I had some dreadful results in the 4 games I played last night. Managed to sign Cardwell who subsequently got injured on his first day in training for 5 days. Vadaine Oliver and Anthony Straker's goals dried up completely so I was struggling to get a goal in most games. Last game I played was away to Carlisle where I lost 2-0 and don't really remember touching the ball, let alone getting a shot away. Been trying to work out what system to play with Orient to accommodate all of our players. Thinking I might have to move a few on to keep my squad happy! We've got a ridiculous amount of depth at the moment for the level we're at which I think will make it hard to balance but I'll see how it goes. I'll post updates in here as I go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 We've won a game! Just a cup game, but still, we played well and deserved to beat a full-strength Sunderland side. Next up we have fellow strugglers Charlton, who we spanked 0-3 earlier in the season at their place. Big game for us Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gizmo7 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Beat Charlton 2-0. The beginning of The Great Escape? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nottingham Forest Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Leicester Mk2 . Just downloading the update and I shall be starting as Forest. Might be even be a bit more difficult this time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewis999 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Will be starting as Barnsley now. Altered a few things in the DB regarding the players. Some things have been slightly upgraded and the pessimist in me has downgraded some things. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nottingham Forest Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 Just about completed pre-season as Forest. The first time I've completed pre-season in about 4 months on FM16 . Lost Tyler Walker to an injury for about 2 months which is frustrating and as I ticked no transfer budgets I wasn't able to sign any frees. I've promoted Dylan Burns(who is fairly well rated but won't get a work permit after this season), Ben Brereton and Kieran Hayes. Whilst I've offloaded Danny Fox to Huddersfield on loan for the season with them paying £6k per week along with a number of youngsters. I've offered new contracts to a few highly rated youngsters as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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