[FM16] Kafra FC - All Youth in England

[abulezz]

[fabioke]

I can only imagine how hyped your club would be in real life.

[Torminator]

Abulezz, great work and read so far! Love the updates. As mentioned earlier, its my favorite career to follow this year!

Try to get a HoYD, -18 GK coach and -18 fysio a.s.a.p. The higher the youth rating the better the regens you can produce!

[abulezz]

[abulezz]

I can only imagine how hyped your club would be in real life.

If this story was in real life, I would be the first supporter of the club!

Abulezz, great work and read so far! Love the updates. As mentioned earlier, its my favorite career to follow this year!

Try to get a HoYD, -18 GK coach and -18 fysio a.s.a.p. The higher the youth rating the better the regens you can produce!

Wow - those are wonderful comments! Thank you so much! As for the HoYD, Coach, and Physio, I have them all already - I am trying to now push the club to Category 1!

[abulezz]

SEASON REVIEW 2035/36

Technically, I should not be disappointed as, for the first time since were promoted to the Championship, we avoided an outright relegation fight for most of the season. Still, I had figured we would have finished above 18th Place, and was quietly hoping for a mid-table finish, so our 19th Place position at the end of the season was below expectations. I honestly thought we had amassed enough talent on the team to meet the goals I was setting, and almost all the players showed the type of improvement in ability throughout the season I would’ve hoped to see. Unfortunately, we have a very young squad, and our offense is even worse form than it was a couple of years back – combining those two, I think, was the primary reasons for our slightly disappointing finish. Still, we look at the positives: our new captain and No.1 Kelledy made amazing strides, and even though the defensive line in front of him was laughably short on depth and talent this year, the Kafra Youth Academy has delivered us what could potentially be three rotation defensive players. Our defense ended up being the 8th best defense in the league, but that is more to do with my ultra-defensive tactic and the improvement in form of Kelledy than our actual defensive line. Our central midfield position, however, has never been in better shape, and it showed this season. We have both of our starters finishing the season with neither one 18 years old yet, but their star power is evident and obvious. The goal in the next coming years is to develop them and keep them together, playing in the center of our pitch. In front of them, Ferguson is also a star in the making – our three central midfield position (2xCM and 1xAM) are the three most talented players on the team by a long shot. Our wing positions, unfortunately, need a lot of help – the jury is still out on Miller on whether he can develop into a good left winger and while Chappell delivered a great season at the right wing position, it does not seem he has enough talent to continue as our starter long term. The worst is left for last, however – Gary Morris, our starting striker this year, gave us a decent season, but we have no striker that is anywhere near the talent that they are supposed to be to compete at a Championship level of football. This is a bane in my side, because we desperately need goals. Overall, I would rate our performance in the league as slightly disappointing, while our performance in the Capital One Cup (2nd Round exit) and FA Cup (3rd Round exit away to Arsenal) was nothing to write home about.

It feels good to say it – we are doing good financially. The club is making money at the end of the season, our wages are very low, and I have had no problem financing improvements in our facilities the past couple of years. The extension to our stadium is done, and it will not be able to fit over 11,500 people, which of course will help with our attendance. Speaking of which, our attendance, thanks to being able to play at the 20,000+ The Den, hit a new record of 9,068 this season, which obviously helped a lot when it came to our finances. We are once again improving our facilities this summer, both Training and Youth, so hopefully that will continue to help us in our attempt to produce and train players of greater quality.

GOALKEEPERS

George Kelledy (2030): He is a now a 5th year starter and a 2nd year captain, and I have absolutely no complaints about our No.1. He just turned 22 at the end of the season, and this was actually the season he showed the most improvement in his abilities, with my coaching staff now reporting that he is very well suited for Championship level football. He also gave us his best season statistically, as well – 40 Games, 1.31 Con/90 (4th in League), 11 Clean Sheets (6th in League), 128 Saves Held (Best in League), 92 Saves Parried (Best in League), and a 6.90 AR. Overall, he was easily one of the top 5 GKs in the Championship this season, and the encouraging thing is he just seems to get better with every passing year. Under his leadership, the club also improved in the league, so he seems to be handling that role very well.

LEFT DEFENDERS

Allan Bullivant (2030): It is hard to understand how someone with a 6.03 TpG (4th in League) can actually be so mediocre at everything else. In 33 Games, he registered 6.62 AR – the sad part about that is that it was the 22 year old’s highest AR in his 6 years of starting for the club at the left back position. We had a few prospects come in through the Youth Academy this year that will be challenging Bullivant for the spot next season – if they can show me they can outperform him (which should not be difficult), he might start losing playing as early as next season.

CENTRAL DEFENDERS

Mitchell Brady (2033): Two injuries kept him out of action for a total of 10 weeks, but it was clear that the 19 year old was our best option at the CD position this year. He played in 30 Games, registering 3.50 TpG and a 6.85 AR while giving solid and consistent form to the back. He probably would have done better if he didn’t spend a lot of time recapturing his matchday form after being injured for a while, and I expect he will do better next season for us. He showed good improvement in training, so that was encouraging as well.

Terry Davis (2030): The 22 year old probably went through his last year as a starter this season, as next season will see the new prospects that came out of the Youth Academy given a chance. He played in 27 Games, registering 2.52 TpG and a 6.76 AR this season, and that’s probably in line with what he would be giving us every year. It is not from a lack of effort, but his abilities are limited – there is no scenario in which Davis should be a Championship level starter. Given our lack of depth at the position over the past couple of years, however, we have been forced to give him ample playing time, and he has done a decent job at it. We do need – desperately – to upgrade, however.

RIGHT DEFENDERS

Daniel Whittaker (2029) : Well, at least he improved his form noticeably for the second straight year – that is a positive, I guess. The 22 year old played in 36 Games, registering 4.72 TpG and a 6.68 AR (up from 6.60 AR last season) - not good numbers by a long shot, but with an extra push, they could be borderline bearable. Honestly, I don’t know what it is about my fullback positions that I just cannot seem to get right – maybe it is the tactic I am employing, because I have not gotten a proper season out of any fullback thus far in this save. Whittaker is obviously not the long term answer here, but as has been the case, I don’t really have any other alternatives.

CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS

Phil Gwinnett (2034): I could not be happier with both the form and the progress shown by the 17 year old star prospect this year – he really is looking like he is going to be something special. In 45 Games, he registered 3 Goals, 3 Assists, 4 PoMs, 2.94 TpG, 1.10 DpG, and a 7.09 AR – this was his second year as a starter and thus far, he has only missed one league game over the course of both seasons. His improvement in abilities has also been great, and I really think he is on the right course to becoming a future England international. He has already made his debut for the England U21 team, earning a cap over the course of the season – his technical ability and potential is what really sets him apart, although it is getting difficult to find a fault in his game overall. He has become a crucial and indispensable member of the team.

Dimitris Dakoutros (2035): Only 16 years old and already crowned the Kafra Player of the Year – that should tell you all you need to know about this outstanding prospect on our hands. The CM position has never been healthier – we have potentially two international stars starting alongside each other, and neither has turned 18 years old yet! As for Dakoutros, he played in all 46 Games, registering 4 Goals, 2 Assists, 3 PoMs, 2.99 TpG, and a 7.06 AR – I can’t remember of any player in the past 15 years giving me a more impressive debut season. Ever reliable on the pitch, he was just as dedicated off of it, showing great improvement in all abilities throughout the season. Like his partner Gwinnett, it is very hard to pinpoint a flaw in his game – he is one I am going to enjoy developing over the course of the next few seasons.

Jesse Simmonds (2032): This is only the 3rd year he is part of the rotation, but for some reason it feels like the 20 year old has been around a lot longer than that. The first choice off the bench to rest either Gwinnett or Dakoutros, his improvement in his abilities over the past 2 years is what has set him apart, and head, of former Kafra Player of the Year Samuel Watkins. In 29 Games, he registered 4 Assists, 2.27 TpG, 1.29 DpG, and a 6.90 AR, registering a career-high in the last category. My coaching staff love him, but he has expressed unhappiness due to playing time and has requested to leave. I am not sure I will give in to that demand, although a decent offer would persuade me otherwise.

LEFT WINGERS

Louis Miller (2034): The 18 year old is one of my most intriguing players, and I have to admit, one of the players I really want to see get better and succeed. The second prospect from the ’34 Youth Class (after Phil Gwinnett), he has shown great improvement learning a position that was unnatural to him. He did not have a good season by any stretch – 39 Games, 5 Goals, 3 Assists, 2.08 TpG, 1.14 DpG, 6.68 AR – but if you look closely at the numbers and past the inconsistent form, you can see the potential there. Whether he starts living up to it is another question completely, but if his dedication to training and improving keeps up, I cannot see a reason why he would not be able to.

Les Sealy (2031): The 3rd highest player at the club, the 21 year old only played in 14 Games as Miller was preferred to his inconsistent and volatile form. He does not look to have much a future at the club, especially considering his expensive wages (£2.4k per week), and he whines on and off about his playing time. I will be looking for takers this coming summer to see if I can get him off of the squad as he is not worth the money paid for him. He has always had great pace, he just has not put in the work to improve the other aspects of his game, and he seems to have peaked in terms of ability.

RIGHT WINGERS

Phil Chappell (2032): Wow – I did not expect Chappell to give me this good of a year, as he showed tremendous improvement in form over the 2034/35 season. He played in all 46 Games, registering 5 Goals, 15 Assists (5th in League), 3 PoMs, 1.89 TpG, 4.25 DpG (8th in League), and a 7.00 AR. He is almost the exact same player as Sealy in terms of ability and strengths, but he has applied himself a lot better than his teammate and as such had a season Sealy can only dream of. Although he is not my ideal right winger, he has done a fine job and earned the starting position for next season.

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS

Tom Ferguson (2033): I wouldn’t say the 19 year old star regressed this year – I would say more like he stagnated a bit. He continued to improve his abilities, although not at previous years’ pace, and his form was still one of the best on the team, but I just cannot shake off this nagging feeling that he could contribute so much more. In 35 Games (he had several nagging injuries throughout the season), he registered 4 Goals, 7 Assists, 1.74 TpG, 1.74 DpG, and a 7.00 AR – all numbers that were slightly down from last season. He was also unhappy most of the year, with talks of wanting to play for a Premier League club – I guess coupled with the injuries, he must have had a harder time than usual this season. Still, Ferguson remains one of our best players – with potential to be our best – and expectations will be high for next season.

FORWARDS

Gary Morris (2033): The 19 year old was played sparingly the previous two seasons, but with Dean struggling this year, he took his chance and never looked back. In 33 Games, he registered 15 Goals, 2 Assists, 2 PoMs, and a 6.96 AR, leading the team in goals scored and generally being quite a decent player for us at the forward position. Is he the long term replacement to Forde? No, but then again, neither is Dean. While Dean is better in the air, Morris is quick and has better attacking instincts, so he brings a different type of game to the squad. He will most likely start the coming season as our starter ahead of Dean.

Dan Dean (2030): One year removed from a truly fantastic season, that year seems more like a lifetime away. Through the first couple of months of the season, Dean could not score – I finally had to replace him in the starting lineup and I was justified with my decision as he did not get any better through the course of the year. He played in a total of 20 Games, scoring only 1 Goal and registering a 6.62 AR. He remains in the rotation with Morris, but as his backup, and unless something drastically changes next season, it will remain so for the foreseeable future.

YOUTH INTAKE

Jack Roberts – Courtney Hendon – Elliot Watson

In terms of star power, this is our weakest Youth Intake in years, but it could also potentially be one of our deepest Intakes we have ever had. We got a lot of help defensively, which exactly what we needed, so in a few years, we could potentially see two new starters at the CD position. Additionally, two of our three best prospects are natural at the left back position, so I hope one of them can show enough talent down the left flank to replace Bullivant as our starting left back. Overall, I am pretty happy with the Intake even though we don’t look like we have a star on our hands this year.

2036/37 PRESEASON REPORT

The hope this season is that the ’36 Youth Class will show considerable improvement in abilities right off the bat, and I can hopefully get one or even two of them into the starting lineup consistently because we need all the defensive talent we can amass. I triggered the extension clauses for Brady and Gwinnett, the latter against his will, but that ensures that they are with me for a few more seasons. I saw some good preseason dedication to training the whole team in general, so that was encouraging. I also decided to replace Watkins as my vice-captain, naming Tom Ferguson in his place. We will once again be relying on our midfield to handle the burden for us, and hope for further good form from our captain and GK George Kelledy.

Looking at the Youth Intakes over the past 4 years, we now see that the ’33 Youth Class has 3 starters in the lineup (Ferguson, Brady, Morris), the ’34 Youth Class has 2 starters (Gwinnett, Miller), and the ’35 Youth Class only 1 starter (Dakoutros). It is too early to judge the ’35 and ’36 Youth Classes, but it seems like the ’33 Class is a notch above the rest from this decade, along with the ’32 Youth Class (John, Simmonds, Chappell). The class that has been most influential on the team, however, is probably the ’30 Youth Class (Kelledy, Davis, Dean, Bullivant).

FORMER PLAYERS

Edwin Indeche – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2027 for £475k: Now 26 years old…Has started his 5th year with Swedish side Malmo….How now earned 31 Caps for Kenya.

Obed Mohammed – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2028 for £3.5m to Bournemouth: Now 25 years old…Made a £1.2m move to West Ham from Bournemouth at the beginning the side….Rarely played for the club that bought him from Kafra, spending most of his time on loan….Still has not built on his 2 Caps for Ghana.

Bruno Borges – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2029 for £1.7m: Now 24 years old….One year after buying him for £7.75m, Hull sold him to Aston Villa for £7.25m….Only played 2 games for Hull, and so far as only played 2 games for Aston Villa.

Hadan Lavine – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2030 for Free: Now 26 years old….Left Yeovil on Free and joined Skybet League 1 side Hartlepool this season….Had a decent season, registering 13 Assists and a 6.94 AR….Now has 63 Caps and 19 Goals for his career as he is slowly starting to turn into a national team icon.

Brett Brown – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2032 for Free to Aberdeen: Now 23 years old….Bought by Hamilton from Aberdeen last season for £105k, he has become quite the underachiever….Only played in 5 Games this season for his new club.

Kemar Herrera – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2032 for Free to Aberdeen: Now 23 years old….Played his first full season for Aberdeen since joining the club, not doing too bad….How now earned 35 Caps for Jamaica.

Ernest Frimpong – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2034 for Free to Rangers: Now 21 years old….Is not enjoying life in Scotland – his last two seasons have been miserable….Spend the season on loan with Hearts.

Marvin John – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in January 2035 for £5m to Manchester City: Now 20 years old….Became the first player in the history of the Kafra Youth Academy to earn an England cap….Made his debut for England on against Switzerland on March 2036….Is now worth close to £20m after playing for Man City 15 times and registering a 7.49 AR this season….Easily the best to ever graduate from the Kafra Youth Academy, and our biggest loss in terms of players leaving the team.

[MichaelBrown]

John is superb - it's a real shame he left as I reckon you would've gone on to the Prem with him in your side.

Can you show a screenshot of when contracts expire?

BTW, the 6''6 CB looks a talent, as does the LB. Even though you correctly point out there's no ''star quality'', I reckon those two could fill the positions that have been plaguing you since I started following these updates.

[Torminator]

My oh my, Marvin John is the real deal. What a defender.

Can't wait for the next update, maybe place 15 this year?

[abulezz]

John is superb - it's a real shame he left as I reckon you would've gone on to the Prem with him in your side.

Can you show a screenshot of when contracts expire?

BTW, the 6''6 CB looks a talent, as does the LB. Even though you correctly point out there's no ''star quality'', I reckon those two could fill the positions that have been plaguing you since I started following these updates.

Thanks for the comment! Yes, John is already something special - the type that can single-handedly change defenses. Hopefully, the new class can fill some voids - I don't need stars, I need reliability. I will post the screenshot after this reply.

My oh my, Marvin John is the real deal. What a defender.

Can't wait for the next update, maybe place 15 this year?

That's the aim! If we can get 15th Place, that will be good progress. Thanks for commenting!

[Draakon]

About that striker - In my Ajax save (which goes by the same rules, but obvious exception being that Ajax youth system gives you enormous advantage at the start of the save) in FM13 I played some 10 season and got all sorts of talented youngsters from intakes, but never got a single half-decent left-back. None. Nothing. My left back was great, but he had no backup and he finally turned 34 without ever getting a decent youth player to take his place.

I finally decided to take a young right-footed sweeper (great pace, short statue) and retrain him as DL. Nothing else to do.

So, while in long term it's very possible to rely only on youth, especially in the middle of the park, but in certain positions it could turn into nightmare.

[abulezz]

About that striker - In my Ajax save (which goes by the same rules, but obvious exception being that Ajax youth system gives you enormous advantage at the start of the save) in FM13 I played some 10 season and got all sorts of talented youngsters from intakes, but never got a single half-decent left-back. None. Nothing. My left back was great, but he had no backup and he finally turned 34 without ever getting a decent youth player to take his place.

I finally decided to take a young right-footed sweeper (great pace, short statue) and retrain him as DL. Nothing else to do.

So, while in long term it's very possible to rely only on youth, especially in the middle of the park, but in certain positions it could turn into nightmare.

Hi Draakon - I am fan of your save, and I love the detail you go into discussing strategy.

My last youth intake actually gave me a potential left back, but it has been very rare. I am in my 21st year, and I have not had a single decent striker prospect as you are saying. Then again, my Youth Facilities are still being improved, so I'm hoping at some point I can get that all-important striker. But like you said, it seems there is a lot of concentration on the central positions as opposed to the flanks, as well. It is definitely a difficult challenge!

[abulezz]

[MADA]

strikers in intakes have been a huge problem in recent fms.

[BoxToBox]

It's funny, in my current save all I'm getting is strikers, I have 12 in my academy currently.

[abulezz]

strikers in intakes have been a huge problem in recent fms.

Yeah, I don't remember receiving any good strikers in last year's FM as well.

It's funny, in my current save all I'm getting is strikers, I have 12 in my academy currently.

Are cross-save trades allowed?! Lets make this happen!

[glennuk]

Still loving this mate. Shame to see some of the sponsorship money go down, even though you are making progress year on year.

Also gutting to see that John is going to be an England Legend, hopefully you can see the positive side, and realise that your youth academy can create some wonderkids.

I bet in the next intake you get a good striker or two...its been a while so the law of averages...

KUTGW

[bucket]

Is it not worth asking to get better training facilities as well as the youth. It's all well and good getting the decent youth players in, but you can only get "some" of their potential out as the training facilities are only good compared to the superb for the youth?

[abulezz]

Still loving this mate. Shame to see some of the sponsorship money go down, even though you are making progress year on year.

Also gutting to see that John is going to be an England Legend, hopefully you can see the positive side, and realise that your youth academy can create some wonderkids.

I bet in the next intake you get a good striker or two...its been a while so the law of averages...

KUTGW

Just had my Youth Intake - it was more in line with last year's crop as opposed to recent years in that we had a few good prospects as opposed to that one star prospect. The best striker, unless he can show me crazy improvement in abilities, does not look like he will be the solution - I don't consider him one of the few good prospects. As for the John, he is the only wonderkid the academy has produced in its 22 years of existence!

Is it not worth asking to get better training facilities as well as the youth. It's all well and good getting the decent youth players in, but you can only get "some" of their potential out as the training facilities are only good compared to the superb for the youth?

It was all a matter of priority - in the lower leagues, where money was a lot harder to come by, I could not develop both at the same time. Now that we have some money to play around, I have been consistently developing both, but that is the reason the Youth Facilities are of a higher grade than the Training Facilities. But you are right - at this point, the Training Facilities play a key role in development of already talented players, so it has been a focus of mine.

[abulezz]

Well, this is encouraging - new Youth Intake striker scoring on his debut as he come on as a sub:

[BoxToBox]

Love that kind of thing happening!

[abulezz]

Love that kind of thing happening!

Yeah, its the little things that make you care so much about these fake players!

[MichaelBrown]

Whens the next update!

[abulezz]

Whens the next update!

I am actually working on it, some probably sometime tomorrow!

[abulezz]

SEASON REVIEW 2036/37

So we should have done better than 19th Place this year – honestly, our team’s overall talent level has never been higher. Save for our fullback positions, we have decent players, if not star players, at every position, and I was really aiming for a mid-table finish. Instead, we got dragged into a relegation fight early in the season and while our form improved, we were too inconsistent throughout the rest of it to really challenge for a mid-table finish. This is the first year in this save where I can confidently say this team underachieved. I don’t know if it’s the inexperience of the squad or not, but we should have done better. Our GK played well this season, but our defensive line – despite having the most talent in it in years – let in a lot more goals than last season, so that might have been what held us back. We went from being a Top 10 defensive team to being ranked 17th in the league, which was a big drop. At least we got better offensively, rising to the new heights of 18th Place! Our midfield is our strength, whether it is our CM or AM positions, and those are the players that carried us this season. On the wings, we had decent players who did a decent job, but it was the center of the pitch that won games for us. The team will be staying together next year, so I hope to see significant improvement of this season – hopefully, the experience our players gained will carry over.

Out attendance dropped to 8,501 after we moved back to the renovated and expanded Kafra Stadium, but our finances remain in good shape. I continue to put money in our Youth and Training Facilities, and it seems to be paying off in a big way – we are getting more talented Intakes that are developing much better than before.

GOALKEEPERS

George Kelledy (2030): Our best season in the Championship coincided with perhaps our 22 year old captain’s weakest yet, as he conceded a record number of goals and registered the lowest amount of Clean Sheets since the club was promoted to the league 5 years ago. He played in 43 Games, registering 1.65 Con/90, 7 Clean Sheets, 150 Saves Held (Best in League), 77 Saves Parried (4th in League), and a 6.80 AR. I shifted our strategy a little bit to be more attacking, so that could have been the reason why we conceded more goals, but he still remains one of our most indispensable players and one of the few players that we have whose CA is of a Championship level. He has earned 2 U21 Caps till now, and has yet to stop showing improvement in his abilities. I tried to renew his contract towards the end of the season, but we could not come to terms, although I don’t think I will have problems signing him to a new contract sometime in the summer.

Benito Vera (2035): He did not play much this season, but I figured I had to highlight one of my brightest prospects. I honestly don’t know what I am going to do when he gets too good to keep on the bench, and judging by how much he improved over the past two seasons, it doesn’t look like it is something too far off. Kelledy is our captain and one of our most important players, but Vera is quickly catching up to him in terms of ability even though he is only 18 years old.

LEFT DEFENDERS

Elliot Watson (2036): I don’t hold too much expectation on a player’s debut season, especially at a position that seems to spit out one underachiever after another. That being said, Watson – if we consider his talent – should have done better than 4.33 TpG and 6.61 AR in the 30 Games he played. Of course, I understand he just turned 17 during the season, and I will certainly be patient with him as I was with the ultimately disappointing Bullivant (who registered 6.51 AR in his debut season). His talent exceeds Bullivant’s by a good amount, and next year, I don’t think I would be unreasonable if I carried some expectation that he will give us a decent season.

Allan Bullivant (2030): His days as our starting LB seem to be over – he took over the job in 2030 and kept the position for 6 seasons, ultimately frustrating the living crap out of me. This year, he was our second choice LB, playing when Watson was out our when I felt I needed a more experienced player out on the field – he played in 16 Games, registering 4.72 TpG and a career-low 6.43 AR. I hope I never get put in a position where I have to start him again, and the 23 year old’s contract, which runs out at the end of the 2037/38 season, will unlikely be renewed giving he is now earning £2.2k per week.

CENTRAL DEFENDERS

Mitchell Brady (2033): At 20 years old, it is amazing that Brady is the experienced and “old” one of this new like back four, but that is exactly the scenario he has found himself in. With talented but extremely young prospects coming up through the Kafra Youth Academy, I found myself relying on Brady a lot this season, and thankfully, he did not let me down. In 34 Games, he registered 3.11 TpG and a 6.83 AR – though not great numbers by any means, he was consistent in form throughout the season, and also showed good improvement in his ability, putting him at a decent level for Championship football. Sometime in the next few coming years, he will most likely lose his starting place to one of the few upstarts at the position, but going into next season, he will remain vital for us in the center of the defensive line.

Courtney Hendon (2036): The 17 year old proved to be both our best defensive prospect and player since Marvin John broke into our first team in 2032, with Hendon displaying similar stats as the now England international in his debut season. Granted, John had more talent and it was obvious he was going to be a bonafide star from the get-go, but Hendon certainly shored up a defensive line significantly with his play. In 42 Games, he registered 4.07 TpG, 38 Key Tackles (3rd in League), 164 Key Headers (2nd in League), 590 Interceptions (13th in League), and a 6.92 AR – numbers that would indicate he was amongst the better CDs in the Championship this season. His training performances were very encouraging, and while it is not likely he will ever reach the levels of Marvin John, he does look like the future for us at the position.

Jack Roberts (2036): The 3rd prospect out of the heavily touted ’36 Youth Class that basically took over the starting lineup for the teammate defensively, he is the youngest of the 3 defensive prospects. Still only 16 years old as the season came to an end, he found himself as the 3rd choice CD behind Brady and Hendon, and while he did not deliver consistent form, he did show great training dedication and improvements in his abilities. In 30 Games, he registered 3.85 TpG and a 6.62 AR, having made only 18 starts out of those 30 Games played. If he keeps it up in training and keeps on showing this kind of improvement, it will not be long before he forces his way into the starting lineup.

RIGHT DEFENDERS

Daniel Whittaker (2029): If the left backs that we have received from our Youth Academy turn out the way I hope, this will remain my only trouble position in the defensive line. I lost patience with the 23 year old this season, and ended the year starting Hubbard instead of him. In 21 Games, he registered 4.35 TpG and a laughable 6.50 AR – no one can blame me for looking for any other solution to him. I doubt he will be given back his starting job after 3 and half years of complete disappointment, and with the new generation of defenders coming through the system, I will be looking to reduce his presence as much as I can.

Billy Hubbard (2035): The 18 year old wasn’t good by any stretch, but you compare his mediocre numbers (27 Games, 4.93 TpG, 6.56 AR) to Whittaker and they represent an improvement, then you know you have to find a solution. Hubbard is not the long term fix – he might not even be the short term as I will be seriously exploring my options this summer (re-training, etc.), but I can’t be upset at such a young player who was called up from the U18 side and be expected to carry the burden. If he does remain as a starter going into next season, it will one I will begin judging him on.

CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS

Phil Gwinnett (2034): Probably our must underappreciated player, the 18 year old continues to impress with every passing season. This was his 3rd year as a starter, and he did a great job in the middle of the pitch for us – 42 Games, 3 Goals, and career-highs of 8 Assists and a 7.11 AR. He continued his immense improvements in his abilities, and my coaching staff have him now rated 5/5 CA and very well suited for Premier League football. Thankfully, I put an extension on his contract so I have him tied up till 2040 – another 3 seasons – so it would take an extremely impressive offer to pry him away from us. My hope is that sometime in those 3 seasons we show enough progress where he won’t think the club doesn’t match his abilities or ambitions. He has become only the second player from the Kafra Youth Academy to be billed a Wonderkid, and he is one player I wish I can hold on to as we try to progress up through the Championship. He has now earned 5 England U21 Caps, and I am sure he will build on that through the summer and the coming season.

Dimitris Dakoutros (2035): Our former Kafra Player of the Year (he won the award last season at the age of 16!), I don’t think it will be long before he is named a Wonderkid. As opposed to lightweight Gwinnett, this kid is a physical specimen with good speed and good physical stats – a reminder that he is only 17 years old. In 43 Games, he registered 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 3.25 TpG, 1.10 DpG, and a 7.30 AR – rarely had a bad game and his AR was the second highest on the team. He has been called up to the England U19 side several times already, and my coaching staff think he is ready for Premier League football thanks to the fantastic progress he made in his abilities this season. Between him and Gwinnett, I have a CM duo that can even rival Premier League sides in terms of ability, and they still have a lot of growth in them.

LEFT WINGERS

Louis Miller (2034): Without a doubt, the 19 year old was our most improved player this year despite spending almost the first two months of the season on the injured list. He has done a fantastic job of improving himself immensely, and proved with his form that my trust in him was not misplaced. We spent last year going through his growing pains, but he repaid us in a big way this season – 30 Games, 8 Goals, 4 Assists, 2.52 TpG, 1.68 DpG, and a 7.03 AR that outdid anything his predecessor Les Sealy gave us. He is rated as a potential Championship level left winger right now by my coaching staff, but if he keeps this up, he can easily be of a Premier League quality by the time he turns 21. As of right now, I have no complaints about his training or his matchday performances, and I hope he will show us even better form next season.

RIGHT WINGERS

Phil Chappell (2032): I was in fear that the season Chappell gave us last year was a fluke, but he proved me wrong in the biggest way – 42 Games, 5 Goals, 15 Assists (6th in League), 4.34 DpG (4th in League), and a career-high 7.15 AR. He definitely solidified his position as our starting right winger, removing any doubt from my mind about whether or not he could keep the role and becoming one of the league’s more dangerous forces down the right flank. The 21 year old can’t boast much in terms of technical or attacking ability, but his pace is world-class. The coaching staff think he is pretty close to fulfilling his full potential, but as long he keeps giving me seasons like this, I have nothing but good things to say about him.

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS

Tom Ferguson (2033): For the second time in his career, our unhappy talisman was named the Kafra Player of the Year – he has been very vocal about wanting to leave for a bigger club for the past two seasons. He also ended up winning the Championship Young Player of the Award, which drove his value to almost £8m. This upcoming season will be the last year of his contract, so I have a big decision to make in the offseason on whether to ride it out and lose him for free, or whether to try to sell him for a good amount. In any case, he was fantastic this year – the 20 year old played in 40 Games, registering 6 Goals, 11 Assists, 6 PoMs, 2.02 TpG, 2.72 DpG, 189 Key Passes (8th in League), and a 7.40 AR. I do not have a replacement of his talent, and he is going to leave a giant void if we do sell him in the summer – he has just been great since breaking into the first team, and he really took a giant leap in terms of form this season. His abilities are unquestionably Premier League level, and I don’t fault him for wanting to advance his career – I would probably rank him as our second most talented player to come out of the Kafra Youth Academy ever, after Marvin John, thus far in the save. He is rated as the next Andy Maloney – here is some screenshots of who Mr. Andy Maloney is! Andy Maloney Attributes – Career

FORWARDS

Gary Morris (2033): Honestly, I am ecstatic with the season the 20 year old gave us considering his actual abilities – 40 Games, 16 Goals, 9 Assists, 6.89 AR are nothing to laugh at, especially seeing how we are so depleted from talent at the position. As opposed to Dean, who completely fizzled out after his breakout season, Morris kept it up and provided us with a decent threat up front for the second straight season. He is not going to get any better ability wise, and he is nowhere near Championship level material, but he is the best we have right now, so I am just happy we are getting this type of return from him. Hopefully, he can stay in this type of form next season, as well.

YOUTH INTAKE

Danny Judge – Matty York – Mikele Burton

This was a similar Youth Intake to last season in that we don’t have anyone who will end up being a star, I don’t think, but we do have a few solid prospects who can end up making the rotation. The most talented of the bunch looks to be Danny Judge, and we have another left back option in Mikele Burton. They all got some playing time after making the move to the first team, and I am happy with what I saw from all of them. I have the luxury of bringing them on slower than players in the other intakes simply because my team’s depth is at an all-time high, so the team does not need to go through the inconsistent form and growing pains of having a inexperienced teenager be your starter.

2037/38 PRESEASON REPORT

We started the preseason by shopping Ferguson around a bit – I offered him for £20m and then for £15m, but no one was interested. Our HoYD retired, so the next move was to hire a new one – we got an upgrade, so that is good. I sold one of my ’37 Youth Class intakes (GK) for £1.3m to Aston Villa, since I already have good, young talent at that position, and that was pretty much it. Spent the rest of the preseason rejecting offers for Hendon and Watson – other teams must really think they are going to be something special because it was mostly Premier League teams I was rejecting. I am cautiously optimistic that we can make a big jump in terms of position in the league this season – my aim is 15th Place or above. This will be the first time we spent more than 6 years in a league, and I must say, thus far the Championship is kicking my butt. I am hoping this season, we can return the favor.

FORMER PLAYERS

Edwin Indeche – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2027 for £475k: 27 years old…Still in Malmo, doing a decent job in the center of their defense…Won the Swedish Premier Division for the 5th year in a row….Was named in the Malmo Overall Best Eleven….35 Caps/4 Goals for Kenya.

Obed Mohammed – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2028 for £3.5m to Bournemouth: 25 years old…Has not done much after moving to West Ham for £1.2m last season…A bit part player for his new club, not even part of the rotation…Still only 2 Caps for Ghana.

Bruno Borges – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2029 for £1.7m: 25 years old…Bought by Ipswich for £2.9m this season…Played in 21 Games, registering 2 Goals, 6 Assists, and a 6.99 AR in the Premier League…Ipswich are the 3rd team to buy in 3 seasons.

Hadan Lavine – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2030 for Free: 27 years old…This was his second season with Hartlepool after joining for free…Was not great – his debut season with them was better…Still one of the most important players for his nation, however…66 Caps/20 Goals for Barbados.

Kemar Herrera – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2032 for Free to Aberdeen: 24 years old…Was bought by Fulham for £1.7m this season…Did not play much for the Premier League side (8 Games, 6.47 AR)…42 Caps/1 Goal for Jamaica.

Ernest Frimpong – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2034 for Free to Rangers: 22 years old…Having a miserable time in Scotland…20 Games, 6.24 AR – he can’t be proud of those numbers…On the plus side, made his debut for the Ghanaian national team, the second graduate from the Kafra Youth Academy to feature for Ghana.

Marvin John – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in January 2035 for £5m to Manchester City: 21 years old…The pride and joy of the Kafra Youth Academy, and its only graduate to ever feature for the English national team…Is now a full-time starter for Man City, and is worth an estimated £25m…Has also earned his place on the English national team, as well, becoming a regular fixture for it…Already a Premier League and Champions League winner…10 Caps/0 Goals for England.

[glennuk]

Mate keep it up, you seem to be getting stronger every year which is a good sign.

Also I think have a youth intake with depth like that was good, I especially like the look of the young LB Burton (Including his AMAZING afro). Amazing determination which should hopefully help in his long term development, and good starting acceleration and okay pace. I bet he will be a starter soon enough, although Watson is still a very good player.

Hope that this next year is THE year.

Have you got any foreign affiliates? Any foreign coaches? I think I am right in saying they help get more foreign players into your academy, which may vary it up slightly.

[MichaelBrown]

What is Sarpong like?

[abulezz]

Mate keep it up, you seem to be getting stronger every year which is a good sign.

Also I think have a youth intake with depth like that was good, I especially like the look of the young LB Burton (Including his AMAZING afro). Amazing determination which should hopefully help in his long term development, and good starting acceleration and okay pace. I bet he will be a starter soon enough, although Watson is still a very good player.

Hope that this next year is THE year.

Have you got any foreign affiliates? Any foreign coaches? I think I am right in saying they help get more foreign players into your academy, which may vary it up slightly.

I hope you are right about this year being THE year - we sound like Liverpool fans! Thanks for the kind words and the comments - really appreciate it! The only feeder club I have is a Scottish side called Dalbeattie Star (The board affiliated with Newcastle as a parent club), and since I have not employed any scouts, the only staff that come up are UK and Irish staff. I have started training Burton at the RB position - let's see if he can solve my problems on the right flank.

What is Sarpong like?

Here is a screenshot:

[dllu]

Sam Winnall - with a name like that, he seems just the guy to install the right mentality in your youngsters!

[abulezz]

Sam Winnall - with a name like that, he seems just the guy to install the right mentality in your youngsters!

LOL! You know I hadn't realized until you pointed it out to me - if they can get on board the Winnall mentality, we will be alright!

More upgrades:

[glennuk]

Wow that's class. Could be huge for the club.

Also nice sneak peek at the league position and form looks good

[abulezz]

Wow that's class. Could be huge for the club.

Also nice sneak peek at the league position and form looks good

Ha, yea - I think what's going on right now with the team warrants a mini-mini mid-season update:

So the big news is I ended up selling Tom Ferguson to Aston Villa for £11m, but this is even more heart-breaking for me than losing Marvin John a few years ago. The screenshots below will explain why - look at those numbers this year! He has been not only the best player on our team, but the best player in the Championship, period. This guy has lifted the team to new heights - he has been carrying us on his back and the whole team has performed better because of it. I have registered 4-1 and 5-0 wins that I have never done before, and we have yet to lose a Home Game this season. Absolutely gutted that we lost him - I just hope the team can carry on in the same form without him.

As for the team itself, almost everyone has been performing well beyond expectation. My defensive line has taken great strides, led by my 6'6 giant Courtney Hendon, and I have a 16 year old striker who has been showing me good form and consistency. Our captain Kelledy just signed a record breaking £7k per week deal with us, making him our highest paid player by far, and he has also been having a career season. Like I said above, we have yet to lose a home game this season, and look at some of those victories! This team is dominating Championship level competition! This is a huge relief because the past two years, I feel we had underachieved, so to be pulling off these kind of results is really comforting to me. I was honestly having doubts about my strategy and youth development skills (training, etc.) but I feel justified. We had a rough start to the season, but if you look at our form over the past two months, there can be no complaints. We might be in 13th Place, but we are only a few points off of a playoff spot and well beyond reach of the relegation zone. It might be too early to say this, but after 22 years of fighting and clawing, our undertalented, Kafra Youth Academy graduate only team is making me start to taste the hope of Premier League football in the next coming few years. I just hope we will be able to deal with the loss of Ferguson accordingly. Marvin John might be the most talented player to come out of the Kafra Youth Academy, but no one captured the hearts like Ferguson, who I think belongs in the Legend department with Shane Forde and Graeme Jones after these past two seasons.

[MichaelBrown]

Sarpong has the potential to be a really good keeper, it's a shame three have came at once!

[abulezz]

Six games to go, two points from a play-off spot! The team hit a rough patch just after New Years (and the departure of Ferguson), but we have since then picked up our form from mid-February onwards.

[abulezz]

We got 2 games left - a home match against Nottingham Forest (biiiiiig one) and a home match against Derby.

[abulezz]

Its in our hands now.

[abulezz]

Aaaaaannnnnd the Premier League dream is over.

[abulezz]

Some good news after the heartbreak.

[Cardiovascular]

Tough to take but I am of the belief you will bounce back even stronger next year.

[abulezz]

Tough to take but I am of the belief you will bounce back even stronger next year.

That's the hope! It was a tough break, but we did well improving as much as we did. The important thing is we don't go backwards next year.

[Pompeyboyz]

Do you feel the squad is ready to jump up to the Premiership though?

Last thing you want is to go up and be wrecked week after week

[abulezz]

SEASON REVIEW 2037/38

Two years of frustration, underachievement, and disappointment were wiped out of memory this season as the team rose above all expectations and nearly – NEARLY – earned themselves a play-off spot. We fell to Derby at home in our last match that saw us drop out of the play-off spot, but despite that heartbreaking situation, I could not be prouder of my boys. We started off slow, but Tom Ferguson decided to give us one hell of a farewell, and for half a season, he was the most impressive player in the Championship. He left for £11m during the January window, and the team just never flowed the same afterwards, although the results continued to come in. Everything clicked this season – the defensive line was strong (9th Best in League), our GK had another career season, and our offense was historically good in terms of Kafra’s own history (5th Best in League). The way our offense played was the big surprise – spurred on early in the season by Ferguson, the rest of team picked up the slack after he left and our surprising 16 year old striker gave us quite a decent effort up front. Our midfielders all pitched in as well, whether through goals or assists, and this is what ended up giving us our best offensive season in the club’s 22 years of existence. We have been fighting our way up the leagues for 20+ years, and it is so heartbreaking to have been so close to reaching the Premier League only to fall at home – the same home we have been tremendous at this season. Nevertheless, like I said, I am proud of the season we had, and we can definitely look towards building towards next season as the team’s core will be together. We were a disappointment in both cups, losing in our first match of each.

Financially, the £11m did wonders for our account, and I have reinvested in Youth Facilities and increasing our Youth Category. We are now a Category 1, so hopefully this will amount to receiving better prospects in the next few years as we push towards trying to make the Premier League. Our wages are still laughably low – our highest paid player takes £7k per week and our 2nd highest £3.5k per week – so our expenses continue to remain very low. I also ended up aligning the club with its second affiliate this season – the first is Dalbeattie Star in Scotland, and now Linfield in N.Ireland has also joined the ranks.

GOALKEEPERS

George Kelledy (2030), 23 Years Old: His 52 Goals Conceded were 4th best in the league and his 11 Clean Sheets 8th best, so he definitely took some strides when it comes to improving his form this season. He played in 41 Games, registering 1.27 Con/90 and a 6.84 AR, while leading the league in Saves Parried and coming in 3rd in Saves Held. This was his 7th season as our starter and his 4th as our captain – all of this before the age of 25! In all honesty, he continues to be a great leader and one of our most important players – the defensive line more often than not this season looked good because they had him behind them. After some tough negotiations, he became Kafra’s most well-paid player ever at £7k per week, and I definitely think he deserves it.

Benito Vera (2035), 19 Years Old: Another season of little activity, although he continued to work hard in training and show improvements in his attributes. Again, I am highlighting him because he is too talented to ignore, but with only 4 years difference between himself and Kelledy, I might look to move him if I end up getting a good offer for him – I just don’t see him become so good that he ends up replacing the captain between the sticks.

LEFT DEFENDERS

Elliot Watson (2036), 18 Years Old: Although it was not a great season by any stretch, Watson gave us the best season at the position we have had in a long, long time. He had a few injuries, though, which limited him to 32 Games, in which he registered 5.47 TpG (10th Best in League) and a 6.71 AR that was better than anything his predecessor Bullivant gave us. I was encouraged by Watson’s form, and I believe next season he will give us even better numbers, and I was especially happy with his training and his improvement in attributes. He has high determination, so I don’t have any worries about his ability to improve, and given that he already has good pace, I certainly have high hopes that he will figure it out and be our first real left back presence we have had.

CENTRAL DEFENDERS

Courtney Hendon (2036), 18 Years Old: Excellent season from our second year starter and now undisputed leader of our defensive line. In 40 Games, he registered 2 Goals, 3.60 TpG, 190 Key Headers (Best in League), 659 Interceptions (10th in League), and a 7.10 AR. No, he is not the second coming of Marvin John and it is not clear if he will ever be good enough to feature for the English national team, but he has become our most valuable defensive asset. He is 6’6, so he will win nearly every aerial battle he faces, but as witnessed by his Interception numbers, he has been quite capable on the ground as well. The ’36 Youth Class is now famous for its defensive players, and Hendon is probably the best of them.

Jack Roberts (2036), 17 Years Old: Roberts shared duties with Brady siding alongside Hendon this season, but as it stands, it looks like he will become the full-time starter sooner rather than later. He was not as impressive as Hendon in form, but he certainly was not bad – in 34 Games, he registered 3.63 TpG and a 6.91 AR, a fantastic improvement over last season’s numbers. He unfortunately strained his knee ligaments at the end of the season, so that ruled him out of the last month of action, but he looks to be a solid rotation player at the very least in the next few upcoming seasons.

Mitchell Brady (2033), 21 Years Old: The new talent earned their playing time at the expense of Brady this season, and he only featured in 26 Games, registering 2 Goals, 3.01 TpG, and a 6.93 AR. I don’t have a single complaint about him – he is a professional, does the job consistently, and very rarely disappoints. Unfortunately, his abilities have probably peaked, and while he can hold his own at a Championship level, when (or if) we get promoted to the Premier League, I doubt he will have the talent to compete.

RIGHT DEFENDERS

Mikele Burton (2037), 16 Years Old: Given the state of the position and how lacking it was, I had to get creative last summer, and I decided to experiment in retraining Burton – a natural left back – in hopes that he would be able to give me a decent season that no one else was seemingly capable of at right back. While his retraining is still happening, and he did not show as much growth in his abilities as I would’ve hoped, he did give me a very decent season in which I am now cautiously optimistic about he could be capable of in the future. In 40 Games, he registered 4.77 TpG and a 6.76 AR that I think might be a new record at the position. The exciting part is that he has not even turned 17 yet, so here’s hoping our right back issue is finally solved.

CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS

Phil Gwinnett (2034), 19 Years Old: Our second player to ever be classified as a Wonderkid (the first was Marvin John), Gwinnett ended the season have earned 12 England U21 Caps thus far. In 40 Games, he registered 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 77% Pass Ratio, 3.59 TpG, 1.45 DpG, and 7.18 AR, playing his role in the center of the pitch nearly to perfection. He has made a lot of noise about wanting to leave the club for a bigger one, but he is still under contract for another two years, so he will be sticking around atleast for the next year. I perhaps expected more of him in terms of creativity, but his presence and consistency more than makes up for his lack of impressive statistics. He rarely has a mediocre game, and constantly finds himself as the starting point for a Kafra attack. This was his 4th year as a starter for us, and he is getting closer – I think – to becoming an England international.

Dimitris Dakoutros (2035), 18 Years Old: He is probably the most talented player on the team after the departure of Ferguson, and he showed it by giving us another great season. In 38 Games, he registered 6 Goals, 2 Assists, 3.97 TpG, 75% Pass Ratio, 1.62 DpG, and 7.29 AR – similar numbers to his partner in the center of the midfield Gwinnett, but just a little more impressive. He has also been classified as a Wonderkid, the third such classification for a player coming out of the Kafra Youth Academy, and like Gwinnett, I don’t expect it will be too long before they get the call up to the England national team. Between Gwinnet and Dakoutros, Kafra probably has the most talented CM duo in the Championship.

Matty York (2037), 17 Years Old: Part of the deep ’37 Youth Class, York wasted no time in fighting his way into the rotation, becoming the 3rd choice CM by the end of the season. He played in 28 Games, and registered 2 Goals, 4 Assists, 3.22 TpG, 76% Pass Ratio, and 7.16 AR, coming on constantly with the two ahead of him looking to rest. There was a lot interest in him from other clubs throughout the season, but obviously, all bids were rejected. My coaching staff is very high on him, and I can understand why.

LEFT WINGERS

Louis Miller (2034), 20 Years Old: Both my wing positions continue to surprise me – in 40 Games, Miller registered 13 Goals, 8 Assists, 2 PoMs, 2.56 TpG, 1.86 DpG, and 7.21 AR. He was the second highest scorer on the team, and he gave us a threat down the left wing we haven’t had since Mitchell in the mid to late 2020s. I couldn’t ask for more from him – he has already overachieved so much that he has broken all expectations set before him. My coaching staff went from thinking he couldn’t be more than a League 2 player to admitting he is a Championship level winger, and the work he has put into his training has paid dividends when it has come to improving his attributes. He is probably not good enough to be a starter for a Premier League team, but as long as he keeps giving me the results he is, then he will remain the starter for the club.

Emma Adamu (2035), 19 Years Old: He broke into the first team last year, but he did terrible, so it was not until this year that the Nigerian finally showed what he can do. The left wing position has not had this much talent in it ever, I believe, and Adamu thrived in his role behind. He played in 25 Games, registering 5 Goals, 2.90 TpG, 1.84 DpG, and 7.11 AR – he was also just as effective playing as AM, showcasing his versatility. More of the same will be expected next year.

RIGHT WINGERS

Phil Chappell (2032), 22 Years Old: Our newly crowned Kafra Player of the Year for the first time, Chappell had a fantastic season for us. In 40 Games, he registered 6 Goals, 22 Assists (2nd in League), 4 PoMs, 4.98 DpG (6th in League), 51 % Shot Target, and a team-high 7.51 AR, delivering the best season of his career by far. If anyone stepped up and try to fill the void left by Ferguson in January, it was Chappell, who completed his 4th year as a starter for the club. Other than his pace, he might not look like much, but he has proven over and over again that he is no fluke. His 22 Assists were a new record for the club, and his presence down the right will resonate for years with the fans.

ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS

Tom Ferguson (2033), 20 Years Old: It took £11m with barely 6 months to go on his contract to finally sell him to Aston Villa, and it was heartbreaking because he was having a record breaking season for us. 22 Games, 12 Goals, 10 Assists, 6 PoMs, 8.10 AR – all of this before January. He has officially been declared a legend in the club books, and the type of season he was giving us would made it an all-time best season for us from any player. Unfortunately, he refused to renew his contract with us, and as such, I had to sell him – although £11m is not bad at all, I would have rather kept him giving the way he was lifting our team. No doubt about it, he was an absolute beast for us, and without him, I doubt we would have been higher than 12th Place this season. This one’s departure was tougher to take than even Marvin John’s, and I wish we could have had him for his entire career.

Danny Judge (2037), 17 Years Old[/b]: The man with the unenviable task of replacing Tom Ferguson, the youngster did quite a decent job of taking his place. In 32 Games, he registered 4 Goals, 9 Assists, and 7.06 AR while showing good improvements in his attributes. Like the other prospects from the ’36 and ’37 Youth classes, Judge will probably never be a superstar, but he looks like he can be quite a capable addition to the team. No one can realistically look to replace Ferguson’s numbers or presence over the past two seasons, so I am not expecting Judge to that. What I would like to see next season is some offensive threat coming from the position as Judge continues his development as a player.

FORWARDS

Jordan Webb (2037), 16 Years Old: The past 5 years has seen 3 different strikers take the starting position, but the most recent addition looks like the most talented one yet. This is not to say he is a star prospect, but he made his debut last season with a splash and he has been in good form since. This season, he played in 36 Games, registering 19 Goals, 5 Assists, 3 PoMs, and 7.00 AR, all before turning 17 years old. If he can continue to improve his attributes the way he does this season, he can definitely be at least part of the rotation going forward – as it stands right now, he is the best talent we have at the position right now.

YOUTH INTAKE

John Robertson - Paul Elderkin

This is the third straight year we don’t get a real star prospect. This Intake is probably my weakest in quite a few years – the last two have given us quite a lot of rotation players, but this one really has only one prospect that could probably be of any use to us. Overall, I would rate it a pretty weak intake – we had a good stretch in the early 2030s where it was a star after star, but the last few years has been more rotation players, which is fine, but we kind of need some star power back in the team! Also, it seems that our deal with our Scottish affiliate Dalbeattie Star has started to give back some returns, with our best prospect this year being Scottish.

2038/39 PRESEASON REPORT

After the success of last season, we really need to focus on continuing the momentum we have created and push for a play-off spot. Our defensive line finally appears to be improving after years of regression, and our defensive positions are now the deepest on the team. Both our CM positions are occupied by Wonderkids in Gwinnett and Dakoutros, and while the 17 year old Judge is nowhere near the player Ferguson was for us, he looks to be quite talented with good potential behind him. Our winger positions are our shallowest – we have capable starts, but almost no backup. It is going to be a real issue if one of them picks up a long term injury. Finally, we have two young and capable forwards that look to at least be a reasonable threat upfront. Webb has already proven he can score at this level, and our prospect from last season’s intake looks Webb’s equal. It all needs to come together like it did last season and if we can show a bit more consistent form, we should be able to challenge for that play-off spot.

We had a good run in the early and mid-2030s where we got a few star prospects (John, Ferguson, Gwinnett, and Dakoutros), but for the past three years, we have had solid prospects with no star power. On the other hand, the intakes have been deeper – the ’36 Youth Class sparked a defensive revolution for me, and we will go into this season with two of that class as our starts and another a big part of the rotation. The ’37 Youth Class has given us Judge, our starting RB Burton, and our current starting striker Webb – none of them look to be potential stars, but all 3 are starters now. Between the ’36 and ’37 Youth Classes, we have 5 starters. The ’35 Youth Class was the last one to give us a star in Dakoutros, and since then the Intakes have contributed immensely to the depth of the team.

FORMER PLAYERS

Edwin Indeche – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2027 for £475k: 28 years old…Happy with Malmo in Sweden, where he remains a starter in their defensive line…Continues to be important for the Kenyan national team as well…44 Caps now for Kenya.

Obed Mohammed – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2028 for £3.5m to Bournemouth: 26 years old…Joined Rangers for £300k this season...Continued to miss out on a call-up to the Ghanaian national team, missing out on the World Cup…Still only 2 Caps for Ghana.

Bruno Borges – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2029 for £1.7m: 26 years old…His second year with Ipswich was not as good as his first…Saw himself coming on as a sub more than as a starter…Still, this is the 4th consecutive year he plays Premier League football.

Hadan Lavine – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2030 for Free: 28 years old…Joined Ostersunds FK in the Swedish second division on Free…Played well in his 11 Games, registering 4 Assists and 6.93 AR…Continues to be a star for his Barbados national team…76 Caps/21 Goals for Barbados.

Kemar Herrera – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in 2032 for Free to Aberdeen: 25 years old…Spent the season on loan to League 1 side Charlton…Ironically, was offered to me in a trade for Matty York…Continues to hold great importance to his national side, however…52 Caps now for Jamaica.

Marvin John – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in January 2035 for £5m to Manchester City: 22 years old…Became the first player in Kafra's history to feature in the World Cup...Was a starter for England as they crashed out in the 2nd Round...Has become a fulltime starter for both country and club, and had an excellent season for Manchester City this year...23 Caps/2 Goals for England.

Tom Ferguson – Attributes Upon Leaving – Left in January 2038 for £11m to Aston Villa: 21 years old…Left during the January window after giving us the best form of any player in the history of the club…Did well in the Premier League, as well, and was even in contention for the World Cup squad before getting injured.

[Fhex]

Great stuff!

Without knowing the role have you considered moving Gwinnett, Dakoutros or even York to the advanced central AM position? Putting your most talented players there might help them make a difference further up the pitch. Could lead to to more assists from these guys which it sounds like you're looking for.

Judge's stats suggest he more a winger to me (especially the low passing).

[BoxToBox]

Reckon Robertson could be a great striker for you, don't know if it's coincidence, but usually when I see Scottish regens in England, they're crackers.

[abulezz]

Do you feel the squad is ready to jump up to the Premiership though?

Last thing you want is to go up and be wrecked week after week

The squad was not ready in any one of my promotion, but thankfully we managed to never get relegated. The Premier League is a whole different animal, though - do I feel like the squad is ready? No. Would I still want to get promoted and take my chances? Absolutely!

Great stuff!

Without knowing the role have you considered moving Gwinnett, Dakoutros or even York to the advanced central AM position? Putting your most talented players there might help them make a difference further up the pitch. Could lead to to more assists from these guys which it sounds like you're looking for.

Judge's stats suggest he more a winger to me (especially the low passing).

I have already gotten Judge training as a right winger, and the idea this season is to play Dakoutros as the AM while York starts alongside Gwinnett. I agree completely that Judge is better suited for the wing.

Reckon Robertson could be a great striker for you, don't know if it's coincidence, but usually when I see Scottish regens in England, they're crackers.

I really hope so - I'd like to see him make some good improvements in his attributes before I consider him for a starting place. As for Scottish regens, I wouldn't know, but I sure hope so!

[abulezz]

World Cup 2038 - Mexico

[abulezz]

Its not going to last long, but we can claim that atleast for a week, we were on top!

[rGade]

Been lurking in here for a while, just feel I should comment about how cool this thread is to follow to atleast show some appreciation:applause:. Keep it up!

[abulezz]

Been lurking in here for a while, just feel I should comment about how cool this thread is to follow to atleast show some appreciation:applause:. Keep it up!

Thank you for the comment - it is most appreciated! I hope you continue to enjoy reading my story!

[ExMissioner]

Thank you for the comment - it is most appreciated! I hope you continue to enjoy reading my story!

It is a good read abulezz. I like the depth in your posts too - it's always good to see how each position in the squad performs instead of just key players. Can't wait for the next update!

I fancy a go at doing something similar, but haven't played FM properly for a good few years. Any tips with the newer stuff like tactical manager and overseas league details specifically with these challenges, do they make a big difference?

[abulezz]

So here's the mini-update for the midseason:

The big news is that I decided to cash in on Phil Gwinnett for £20m + 15% of his next sale. I'm not quite sure I agree with my own reasoning here - I figured he has one year left after the end of this season and there is a very low probability he will renew with us. If I waited until the summer, I probably would have gotten a lot less for him, and even though he is a Wonderkid and a vital member of my team, it is still a lot of money for a player I probably won't have in 6 months or a year's time. The good thing, immediately after sale, this became an option!

We are very close - half the season is gone and we have proven that last year was no fluke. We do have runs of bad form, but generally, the boys have been very impressive. 7 years in the Championship, and now we can confidently call us ourselves one of the better teams in the league.

So I wanted to bring you guys closer to my save and the best players in it, so I have featured the new World Golden Ball winner along with the past 2 previous ones. Tim Uhlke was one of Germany's best players as they won the World Cup, and he was also Barcelona's main player as they won the Champions League for the first time since 2015. I have also featured the previous two winners - Arturo Gonzalez is an absolute legend: If we were take the best players of all-time, it would go last this (by decade they played): Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi, Bernardo Silva, and Arturo Gonzalez. He led Spain to back to back World Cups and oversaw the most successful period in Man City history.