ExiledKopite Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 So, I've lurked and lurked here for years reading people's threads, only occasionally actually commenting and such; but thought I'd give this a go myself at last. So here it is, my first long-term FM save of the year. Loaded the main European leagues, plus Argentina and Brazil (though only England is loaded all the way to the bottom tier), and started with no badges, no rep, and unemployed. I wanted to try and take a Conference North/South team right to the top, though for the sake of realism, I reserve the right to be tempted away by interesting challenges and such, like I think I would be in real life. This will be LLM rules, or at least my rough interpretation of them (ask away for clarification!). Anyway, meet the Manager: A handsome fella, if a bit rubbish stats wise, who began his career in football management by immediately buggering off on holiday and getting his PA (reports that this was in fact his Mum, are obviously false) to apply for jobs on his behalf and let him know if he got an interview. Which of course, he did, and wouldn't you know: The Club: The Squad: Well that's not the worst squad I've ever seen. Goalkeeper is a bit of a worry, as are the wide players as I think that those positions will be very important for the systems I plan to try and play, but it's more than workable, imo. Ainge and P. Marshall are the obvious stand-outs, Marshall in particular will be very important for any success I have. Outside of that, the staffing needs some work - we have no scouts and no physios, and without scouts in particular, we can't actually try and sign anyone. First priority, imo, are scouts. Despite all that though, this seems like a good first job, plenty of room to progress and grow a side, and eventually push for a promotion after a season or two of consolidation - provided of course I can wrangle our slightly shaky finances into something workable. The catch of course, is that this job is available in September for a reason. The board are expecting a mid-table finish, and we currently sit 21st in the Vanarama North. Our form tells you all you need to know: Ouch. So after a lengthy first post to compensate for the fact I may or may not have been playing this save for a little bit already, we're away! Any feedback on the layout, recommended ways to update and post, and the game itself and anything really, comment away! And yes, the thread title is a little tribute to the God that is Lemmy Kilminster, one of my all time heroes, and frontman of the legendary Motorhead who passed away yesterday night. What a life that man lived. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dllu Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Welcome! Not sure why but I can't see any of your pictures. Have you made your Photobucket folder "public"? If not, that might be the problem - or maybe it's only me... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 That is peculiar... All my folders are set to public, I double checked that. I just logged out of both here and Photobucket to see if I could still see them in the thread and I can, if that tells you anything. Not sure why you wouldn't be able to see them, tbh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dllu Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 If everyone else can see them as well, maybe it's some sort of cache thing on my part... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 Fingers crossed that I haven't ballsed up the first post entirely then I'll wait a little while for some others to confirm before pressing on with an update, just in case. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 I can't see the photos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 Think I discovered the problem. Tried organising the Photobucket library after the fact, and it changed the source url for the photos. It's either that or because the account was linked to my FB, which is private as hell. It's weird, I signed out of fb, and I couldn't see the photo's on the forum anymore. Either way, changed the links, unlinked my FB account, hopefully it's worked. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted December 29, 2015 Author Share Posted December 29, 2015 Right then, my brother has checked this on his computer, and it's working, so let's give this a shot, shall we? Originally thought about doing seasonal updates, and it may still turn out that way. But because it normally takes me a while longer to knock through my first year at a club due to forward planning and such, and because of other reasons to be explained, I’ve opted for semi-regular mid-season updates for now. So then, signings: Injuries forced my hand on this one (the only one!). Marshall and Walshaw both injured for longer than I was okay with, and the appearance of an elder Dele Adebola in my inbox of scout reports meant I made a move. The 40 year old wanted next to nothing in wages, and looks reasonably good still. His form since signing has been far better than I thought it would, so am pretty chuffed with this bit of business. 3 goals in 5 games. Nice. The Tactics: Embarrassingly, there’s no screenshot for this, but needless to say, I opted to go with a straight forward 4-4-2; with wingers, an AP and BWM, a Target Man/DLF, and AF. Floated crosses, and looking to exploit the flanks, and probably attacking more often than we should have been. Might have learned a bit of a lesson with that. The results: Pretty happy with that. A noticeable turnaround in form since I took over, which is what I was after, and we managed to edge ourselves out of the relegation spots, and look to be gaining momentum. St. Juste surprised me with his quality, and Marshall was as good as I thought he would be. On the other side, Kanteh, our other CB has made enough mistakes that I’m determined to replace his asap. Convinced it’d make a huge difference. Promising stuff overall, and I was really beginning to feel excited about my time here. With a bit of work, I’d take this team far. Well that is until: Ah, well that puts paid to that. I applied to one job, in the league above. The most frustrating thing is that I didn't even want it, I just idly wondered if I'd get it, expecting at worst, a telling off from the board and a warning. Nope, instant dismissal. A good start, then. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler26 Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Oof. Harsh! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Harsh indeed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 So, with a shall we say, eventful start to my managerial career, I began to start my hunt for another job. Come December, the sackings began to pile up, and weirdly, so did the job offers from clubs in the division above me. Southport, Aldershot, and Bromley all came in with Job offers, as well as Concord Rangers and Brackley. To be honest, a step up was more than tempting, but I wanted to feel like I’d earned it. A jump up after about 8 games didn’t feel right – or realistic. More personally, I also wanted the chance to nail Bradford once or twice while I was earning it, which only really left me with one option: Squad: Results: In all honesty, this is a step down from Bradford. Average squad, albeit with far fewer losses than when I took over there. Finances are even worse than at Bradford though, about a grand over the wage budget, and 50k in the red with the chairman already having put 50k into the club himself this season. Should be fun. Three days till my first game in charge. Micro-Update Should tell you all you need to know about my first three games in charge: Honestly, the signs that there is a team buried under the crap results are there. We went 4-1 down by half time in my first game, and made a good show at clawing their way back into the game. We were unlucky not to draw. We matched a decent Corby side fairly well, just lacked a cutting edge; and put in a great performance against a 2nd place Alfreton. Actually outplayed them, only to be put down by a dodgy pen in the last 5 minutes. I also hadn't realised how heavily the squad had been hit by injuries. A few first teamers have come back into the side recently, and we host 20th placed FC United next. We desperately need a result there, because it won't be long before we start running out of games, and we're still propping up the table. Convinced I can salvage this team. Convinced. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maaka Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 And yes, the thread title is a little tribute to the God that is Lemmy Kilminster, one of my all time heroes, and frontman of the legendary Motorhead who passed away yesterday night. What a life that man lived. Gotta say, the title was what pulled me into this one. Rock on, Ian, say hello to Ronnie James while you're at it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dllu Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I can now see everything and everything looks good! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 Gotta say, the title was what pulled me into this one. Rock on, Ian, say hello to Ronnie James while you're at it! Still reeling from this a little tbh. There's never not been a Lemmy, or a Motorhead, not since I was old enough to know what they were. Been kicking my arse for going on 15 years now. I can now see everything and everything looks good! Good to hear! Onwards we ride... Opening up with three straight losses was a bit of a blow to my natural optimism, and I made the decision to drop to 4-4-2 for a wide 4-3-3 that would hopefully make us much more threatening. The risk being of course, that the attacking wing backs left a touch more exposed than I'd have liked for a relegation threatened side. A massive gamble upon which really rested my second job in only my first season in management. A look at the fixture list showed that after the struggling FC United, we faced a run of games primarily away at pretty much the entire top 6. Bugger. The Tactic: The Results: As you can see, first three games aside, this isn't a bad start. I was happy with the draws against most of the top teams tbh, though we really could have done a with more than the one win - although snagging that against top of the table Stockport was very much unexpected. The manner in which we beat them was even more pleasing - we were very much the better team. After that we managed to snag three wins in five, and finally clawed our way out of the relegation zone. Though, with the rest of our games coming against teams below and around us, that could change far too easily for my liking. Besides the actual football, there are several off-field spanners in the works: None of my players will even discuss contracts until we're safe, and I'm more than a little worried I'll have to pretty much sign a brand new squad, rather than the partial overhaul I was planning. Also, I promised the board I would make no changes to the backroom staff for the first season in charge. What I didn't realise this meant, was that when my Assistant got poached by another club, I can't actually replace him. We are down to the absolute bare bones, staff-wise, man. Finally, and perhaps the biggest: Despite the board investing just over £150k into the club since I've been here to help with the debt, we're still about 50k in the red, and falling. I have to confess, I've never really done the 'club in dire financial straits' deal before, and don't really know how to improve the situation. Reducing the wages is an obvious first step, making the fact that the entire first team squad's contracts run out at the end of June quite handy - but building an even halfway competitive side on no money is the kind of task I'm not entirely used to. I said I wanted a challenge.... A poor, poor 2-1 loss to Fylde leaves me back in the relegation zone with four games to save the club from the drop. Gloucester are up next, and were the team that just leapfrogged us to safety. They are two points ahead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted December 30, 2015 Author Share Posted December 30, 2015 Now if we can just hold on.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 2015/16 Review Bit of a mad year, with being sacked so suddenly and soon in my career, but what can you do, I suppose. First things first: League Table: We survived! Our form stayed pretty shaky, and it went down to the last day; but with a team meeting to boost morale, and a few days of to relax them and get everyone fit, we nailed an 11th placed Tamworth 2-0. Sorted. On the other hand, our finances are increasingly dire, and half our first team squad (the half we want to keep) won't renew their contracts, and the other half (the half we don't!) want unacceptable pay rises. Ah. Our wage budget for the next season was set at 3k, which I though was just enough to be fair. Maybe I could build a decent squad with that, and give myself a decent platform with which to build further. Player of the Year - Well deserved, really. He was the key to our midfield, we were much worse without him - just a shame he was a loan player. Already tried to resign him, but they weren't having it. Also managed to bag a new contract, and sign a few players, before this happened in early July. More than double the Brackley wage budget, with an actual, real life, honest to God transfer budget. I'd really like to see what I can do with Brackley, but I just don't think I can say no. A clean slate with a freshly promoted side is just too tempting. New Club - Dorchester Overview - Background Finances - Much, much better, thank you very much. Staff - This on the other hand, is a problem. This opportunity has only really arrived already into July, leaving me with little time to get a coaching team in for pre-season, let alone a scout or two. It's times like these I wish I could use the staff search function. My Manager: My Manager Profile - Information - History - Bio Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 Thank goodness you survived with Brackley. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 Thank goodness you survived with Brackley. What a start that would have been - sacked twice in my first season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Squeaky bum time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 I was going to split the season into two separate updates, but I got caught up in the save if I'm honest, and ploughed straight through to the end of the season. Season 2016/17 Review Transfers: An entirely necessary squad overhaul, though some of those listed arrived later on in the season to fill holes that became obvious as we progressed into the season. Mozika and Kotwica are the standouts of the players shown, although arguably my best signing came in early March when an injury to our two first team strikers forced me to pick up a young English lad called Jake Watkins on a free. He's a class above what we currently have imo, though he's yet to really hit the form I think he's capable of. Overall, we are a good level below the top teams in the division despite the amount of signings - something I wasn't sure was true as we begun. My tactics failed to make up for the gap in quality, and our full backs and wide players in particular were a huge let-down. That said, we have a decent squad here now, and the right additions could allow us to make a real promotion push next season. League Table: Fixtures 1 - Fixtures 2 A good opening day win left me falsely positive that our predicted finish of 20th might have been wildly off the mark. What followed was an utterly sound reality check that only FM can really deliver. Bath and Wealdstone games aside, the scores were deceptive. We were absolutely diabolical. We couldn't keep the ball, couldn't defend, and were finishing games with only two or three shots. Then, we scraped a win at Margate, and our subsequent run of form left me wondering if we had turned a corner, and that perhaps my tactics had begun to click. 2/3rds of the season gone, and we were three points off of a play-off spot, and I was fancying my chances. Cue a desperately frustrating close to the season where we bounced from comfortably putting teams away, to getting turned over by relegation threatened sides, consigning us to a cush mid-table finish. Still, considering we were tipped for relegation, we've actually had a really good season - but having coming so close to the play-offs and fallen short in the manner we did just really takes the shine off. Particularly painful was Brackley doing the 3-1 double over me. Their victory over us on the last day of the season led to them finishing above us by a point. Ouch. The Cups: FA Cup FA Trophy Gave an FA Cup run a go for the prize money mostly, started well but were disappointingly dismantled by Cheltenham - Just all round arse in the FA trophy. Not actually fussed though. Finances - Looking good, though our good profit margin (60k profit this season, with 90k in the bank) looks to be down to a mad 50k per year stadium sponsorship that runs out this season (which the board has replaced by one at 5k). Be interesting to see how we hold up without that. Team of the Year - Player of the Year Next Season? An improved defence is a must - LB and a new CB of sufficient quality are needed, along with a CM and a good winger if I can find one willing to join. As of now we've brought in our LB, but we're struggling to find players of the right standard who are willing to join. Most aren't willing to relocate to Dorchester (their loss - Warmwell Holiday Park has a dry ski slope for the ages), and the rest don't believe we're strong enough/can offer enough money (despite the fact their clubs have just been relegated). My scouts are letting me down, struggling to find anybody above a three star rating. In minor news, I got offered a contract for another year at Dorchester and promptly accepted, determined to at least score them a promotion; and was nominated at least for Manager of the Year (though was some way off of winning it, to be honest). Plus, I secured my first coaching qualification. So progress! Manager Profile - Manager Information - Manager History Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 So, like, exactly what is 'other'? It's like this vicious tiger that pops up every so often and savages my finances every now and again out of spite. Was thinking I was doing quite well this season with a friendly cup and a few high profile games, brought in 90k, and then that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Given when the biggest chunk is, it appears most of it is the club Christmas party budget. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter T Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Catchy title, great read. Hope you win a promotion with Dorchester! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dllu Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Since the expenses peak around the half-way point of the season, could it have something to do with player contracts? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted January 5, 2016 Author Share Posted January 5, 2016 Given when the biggest chunk is, it appears most of it is the club Christmas party budget. Them carrot crunchers throw one hell of a party. Catchy title, great read. Hope you win a promotion with Dorchester! Glad you're enjoying it! Since the expenses peak around the half-way point of the season, could it have something to do with player contracts? No idea, to be honest. But if you look that month's (July 2017) 'Other' expense was an absolutely whopping 80k - it was only 95k total for the whole of the previous season. I hadn't even got started renewing contract by that point, and had only really signed one or two players. I won't lie, my very first instinct was that it was the game's way of checking the way people exploited big team friendlies for money that seemed really prevalent last year. I have to confess I arranged a set of three homes games against big team, just to try and keep the income up during pre-season. I don't know whether that is the kind of thing the devs would do. On a finance related note, the massive drop in stadium sponsorship (we went from 50k per year to just under 5k per year) has really hurt our ability to break even. Our attendance is up, but just not enough. That said, my utterly shoddy showing in the cups this year probably hasn't helped Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted January 5, 2016 Author Share Posted January 5, 2016 Season 2017/18 January Update Tranfers: Nothing particularly special on this front to be honest. Gallinagh is a utility player who can play all the way across the defense, plus RWB and CM, so is stupid handy to have around. Not quite as good as my first picks in any of them, but decent enough. Monthe I was hoping would nail the LB spot for this season - he has better stats than the current occupant Muscatt, but Muscatts performances have been phenomenal since we switched the FBs to WBs. Connor Martin is the right winger who was my starter at Brackley. He should be good enough, but is struggling according the the average ratings - has looked better at CM, but we have an abundance of talent there, so he hasn't managed to break through to the first team. Dutton is a solid CB, and much better than anybody we have there. No brainer. Conor Hudnott is the one overwhelmingly positive note. He was brought in on what was tantamount to a whim (I don't normally invest in back-up keepers), and it has worked spectacularly. Gave his a shot in our second game of the season and not looked back. Excellent. League Table: (My fixtures screenshot was taken just before the Whitehawk game (4-3 win for us!), whereas this table is from immediately after) Fixtures 1 - Fixtures 2 Mixed season. The series of opening draws made for uncomfortable watching, but our form after that more than made up for it - there was a point where we were sitting pretty at the top of the table unbeaten, a good amount of game's played with me thinking we were going to achieve something special this season. Our subsequent abysmal form has left me lost for words. Genuinely shocking performances. **** poor at the back, and less said about going forward the better (never played a game without a single shot from one of my sides before. Left me genuinely speechless). It was only 5 or 6 games in truth, but given our form leading up to it, it was crushing to witness. That said, we've just beaten Whitehawk, so maybe our form is about to pick up again... Other notable moments include me reaching 100 games, and this potential game-changer: For context, Stevenage are currently propping up the League 2 table with a squad that was expected to have steered well clear of a relegation battle. The jump up to League football is tantalising, but can I really leave Dorchester mid-promotion push? EDIT: It's nice to feel wanted.... Sorry Stevenage, I just can't leave. If I wasn't already pretty sure I want to stay here, I definitely am now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler16 Posted January 5, 2016 Share Posted January 5, 2016 Great thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted January 13, 2016 Author Share Posted January 13, 2016 Laptop problems had absolutely killed my ability to play this game, and there was even a point where I thought I had lost the save. Hopefully all the problems have now been resolved, but if you spot logos/player pics and such that aren't there any more or are different, it's cause I've had to redownload them and get new ones. Anyways, finally got this season actually finished. Still have no idea what was actually wrong with the damn laptop. Season 2017/18 Review League Table: Fixtures 3 We had two patches of unbelievably bad form that meant by the time we were four or five games from the end I couldn't believe we were in a title challenge. But looking back, we actually had a really very good season. Snagging it on the last day of the season over a much better Maidenhead side was pretty damn satisfying. The Cups: The less said the better really. FA Cup - FA Trophy Dorchester Best XI - Team of the Year - Player of the Year Davis-Wilson snagged it again, though for me, one of Kotwica or Watkins deserved it. They were immense, with 20+ goals apiece. Renewed my Contract with Dorchester to try and establish them in the Conference (Vanarama National? Whatever), despite the job offers that have really started to come in. Only one from the division we were just promoted too though, so nothing actually tempted. Getting people to come to Dorchester is still a major issue, nobody seems to be interested, even players from leagues below us. Plus Watkins and Kotwica don't wan't to sign new contracts because they somehow feel we don't have a strong enough squad to compete at their level (newsflash lads, we are officially competing above your level). Manager Profile - Manager Information - Manager History Hall of Fame - I've never topped this before, and I think I'd like to with this save. Some way to go... Despite my miracle working with Dorchester (game's words, not mine), not even in the top three for Manager of the Year. Disappoint. Also, this happened. No idea how this will affect our financial situation and such, but is surely good news, right? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Nice job winning the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledKopite Posted January 16, 2016 Author Share Posted January 16, 2016 Nice job winning the league. Cheers! ... No mid-season update for me this time, I'm powering through till the end of the season right away. With that end of Season though, will come a development in my career: They're bloody well 2nd in the league! I could end up jumping ship to a League 2 side, which would be pure madness imo. I have accidentally accepted a contract from Dorchester since, so don't know if that will affect things, but I can say I feel like I'm finished with Dorchester, providing I keep them up this season. Need a change of scenery, and have loaded a bunch of other leagues in the hopes of maybe going abroad if the Braintree thing doesn't work out. This decision has in no way been influenced by the diabolical form we appear to be finishing this season in. I'm not sure I remember the last game we won in the league, and complimented that by getting spanked in the FA trophy semi by a team from the league below. Ugh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Braintree would be a good move. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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