mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Season Preview 2027-28 Our squad needed a bit of a makeover, as 8 players left us at the end of year due to loan expiries, and a further 3 left us at the end of their contracts. They wouldn't resign with us, and then left me with a worse than expected First Team squad of 11 players... Hey, that's all I need, right?... Fortunately we had a few crackers returning from loans out as well, but plenty of new faces have been acquired. Here's all the movement in this summer's window:OUT Reice Charles-Cook - £45k to West BromDomagoj Pavicic - Contract expiryDanny Rowe - Contract expiryShaun Lindsay YP1b - Contract expirySam Byram - releasedDarren Wilson - releasedLiam Millward - releasedScott Hinchcliffe - £200k to BirminghamJacob Murphy - £800k to LeedsAdam Veitch - £30k to BerwickCharlie Gilbert - releasedMason Holgate - £3.5m to HuddersfieldLee O'Brien - £120k to DoncasterDean Stevenson - £900k to HullAdam Bullivant YP11a - £500k to Norwich First team players Hinchcliffe, Holgate and O'Brien allowed to leave. Disappointed with the departure of Bullivant, my HOYD sanctioned the move and I missed the email in the inbox - rookie error. Some staff responsibilities fixed later, and this won't happen again. IN Christian Abubakar SP12a (20), born in Leicester - £210k from LeicesterBrad Whitman SP12b (22), born in Loughborough - £19.5m from Loughborough UniTom Stabana SP12c - (19), born in Leicester - FreeMiles Keeton SP12d - (19), born in Leicester - FreeOllie McAlindon SP12e (19), born in Newark-on-Trent - £0 from Bradford PARegan Cherry SP12f (20), born in Loughborough - £100k from LeicesterConnor Nicholson SP12g - (21), born in Leicester - £100k from LinfieldStephen Slade SP12h - (17), born in Arnold - £800k from ReadingMatt Parsons SP12i - (17), born in Burton-on-Trent - £59k from ColchesterGrant Hall SP12j - (19), born in Leicester - Free Whitman's signing was allowed due to joining us on the 9th of June, before his 22nd birthday on the 26th July. I think this is the biggest turnover in players for the whole save so far. We've got some cracking young guys in on frees and from non-league teams, so I'm looking for them to make the step up and hopefully they have a point to prove. Looks like Leicester is a hotbed of young talent at the moment. FIRST TEAM SQUADGoalkeepersJoey de Zeeuw NED (26) - 3.5 CA/PA, number 1.Ian McAllister IRL (19) - 2CA, 4.5PA, returns from a loan spell at Woking last season to replace the departing Hinchcliffe.Verdict: McAllister looks to be a solid option for the future here. Right BackDarnell Fisher ENG (33) - 3CA/PA. First choice, but isn't likely to be here longer than 1 or 2 seasons.Grant Hall SP12j ENG (19) - 1.5CA, 4.5PA. Signed to replace Holgate, and will replace Fisher in time. Verdict: Glad to get someone much younger in, but will need others soon.Left BackOscar Krusnell SWE (28) - 3.5CA/PA. Subject to bids of around £3m in the summer, which I would have accepted if I'd had the opportunity to replace him. Jamie-Luke Webb ENG (21) - 1CA, 3PA. The £2k non-league signing makes a big step up.Verdict: At 21, Webb might not have the time to develop into a Championship or Premier League quality player, but I'm certain we'll be able to make a significant profit on our £2000 outlay.Centre BackTom McIntyre SCO (28) - 4CA/PA. Our only quality option here.Brad Whitman SP12b ENG (22) - 1.5CA, 4PA. Bags of potential, but at 22 time is perhaps running out for Whitman to reach his peak.Tom Stabana SP12c ENG (19) - 1.5CA, 4.5PA. Likely to be around for a while.Jordan Noonan IRL (20) - 2CA, 3.5PA. Returns from a loan spell with Sligo Rovers.Verdict: Signings had to be made in this area to replace all of the loans we had in last season. If the younger guys can develop quickly we'll be alright, but this is a weak area of the team.Right Midfielders/WingersSantiago Puente ARG (26) - 4.5CA/PA. Incredibly, our best player was allowed out on loan to Sampdoria last season for a pittance - a £300k loan fee - having fetched £2.2m in a similar spell at Racing Club 2 years earlier. First choice for us here now. Messèdé Bessan BEN (22) - 3CA/3.5PA, recently switched nationality from French to Beninese in a friendly against Mali.Verdict: Missed Puente in my first few games in charge, good to have him back.Left Midfielders/WingersDaniel James WAL (29) - 3.5CA/PA. Rotating with Brennan.Kieran Brennan IRL (24) - 3.5CA/PA. Returns from a loan spell at Oxford and is straight into the team.Verdict: Another loan signing in what is a key area for me... this is going to be some undertaking. Defensive and Central MidfieldJamie Allen ENG (32) - 3CA/PA. Our captain is declining with age, but is a quality player.Steve Evans WAL (24) - 2.5 CA, 3.5 PA. Room for improvement, but might not develop much further at his age.Adam Spooner ENG (21) - 3CA, 5PA. Our hot prospect returns from a loan at Bolton and has played every game so far this season.Darren Davies WAL (21) - 3CA, 4.5 PA. Moves up from the U23s to the first team. Bags of potential, and determination of 17.Paul West YP11b IRL (18) - 1.5CA, 5PA. The first youngster to come up here.Verdict: Much happier with this season's midfield, and not a signing to make. Attacking Midfielders Miles Keeton SP12d ENG (19) - released by Leicester - 3.5PA so likely won't be here forever, but I needed someone here to fit my tactical ideas.Verdict: Hi God, I know we don't speak much, but if Keeton could avoid injury that'd be pure amazing. Cheers big man!StrikersLiam Cullen WAL (28) - Second option, with 3.5 CA/PA.Shane Cook ENG (27) - Our excellent number 9.Stephen Slade SP12h ENG (17) - 2CA, 5PA, will play the cup games as he looks to be an exciting prospect. Verdict: Much better! So, onto the important part. How have our wheelings and dealings affected performance on the park? Well, an 8-0 victory over Birmingham was an incredible start to the season, and we've gone on to win 7 of our 8 games during the transfer window including a fantastic 4-3 win over Premier League side West Brom in the EFL Cup! A huge improvement on last season's performances so far, hopefully we can keep this up! We are currently 2nd in the league with 15 points and a game in hand. A heavy 5-0 defeat to Bournemouth in the league is our only slip up so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltablue Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Good luck with the Forest Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Okay, I'm a pretty calm, relaxed guy. But do you remember that time I spent 2 years in the pissing rain in cold Manchester, having to grin and bear the Special Brew's company as I tried to coax wonderkid Stephen Chalmers from the grasps of Manchester United. United initially wanted somewhere in the region of £80-90m for him, before that price went up to £103m. Two years of watching U23 matches and U21 Scotland games meant I eventually signed him for £19.5m, a club record at the time. Fast forward 2 years, and where is he now? Top of the Sky Bet Championship scoring charts, after QPR signed him for £2.8m. What the flying duck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 2 minutes ago, deltablue said: Good luck with the Forest Cheers mate! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedese Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 On 27/01/2017 at 18:14, mjaferrie said: And the starting 11? Apart from Kristoffer Ajer, who was already at the club, all were born within 30 miles of Glasgow, or came through the Youth academy of the club. That is madness. One of the most impressive things I've seen on here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 24 minutes ago, Jupjamie said: That is madness. One of the most impressive things I've seen on here Totally mental! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Seeing the Forest for the Trees - A Mid Season Review Oh Scotland, how I miss your scenery... and your structured approach to season updates! Not really sure yet how I'm going to proceed with these, but for now we've played 23 league games putting us exactly halfway through the league season. So far, our stand out performer by an absolute mile is striker Shane Cook, who has smashed Forest's goalscoring record already, putting 31 in the back of the net already. He's set up 11 more, and an average rating of 7.92 is the highest I've had through the whole save. In terms of results, we have been in decent form, with 4 draws and 4 losses in 23 games. In terms of league position though, we have been in incredible form - we're top of the league and 6 points clear! A narrow 2-1 loss to Liverpool means we're out of the EFL cup for this year, but we still have a draw against Barnsley in the 3rd round of the FA Cup to look forward to. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Here's something I should have been doing for a while already, keeping track of the progress! Format shamelessly borrowed from @Makoto Nakamura Season | Club | Nation | League | Position | Other ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016/17 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Scottish Cup 2017/18 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | League Cup, Europa League 2018/19 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup 2019/20 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup 2020/21 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup 2021/22 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, Scottish Cup, Europa League 2022/23 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Scottish Cup 2023/24 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | n.a. 2024/25 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | League Cup, Scottish Cup 2025/26 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Champions League 2026/27 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Club World Championship, resigned ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2026/27 | Nottingham Forest | England | Sky Bet Championship | 14th | (joined with 10 games remaining) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Youth Intake Day! We have attacking midfielders, alright! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 That Irish kid looks like a cracking player in the making. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Final Day, May 2028 We've secured promotion! Nottingham Forest and Barnsley are getting promoted to the Premier League, but the question is who will win the Championship? It all comes down to the final day, and a point will secure the title for us. Poor form in the second half of the season, with 7 defeats and 3 draws, means that Barnsley have closed the gap to only 3 points, with 3 goals difference. If we lose our final game to away to Chesterfield, and Barnsley can secure victory at home to Bournemouth, a big enough goal switch could see them snatch the title from us... Either way, it's a fantastic turnaround for a team who were languishing in the lower mid table last season, and had gone through 7 managers in 5 years! We've also gone on an incredible run in the FA Cup, with victories over Barnsley, Bolton, Crewe and Watford putting us through to the Semi Final vs Newcastle. Unfortunately we fell to a 3-1 defeat at Wembley, but I'm really happy with getting to the semis in our first year! Our best performer this season going into the last game has been Scottish defender Tom McIntyre, and our top goalscorer? It's no surprise! Shane Cook has scored 42 goals in all competitions this year! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 41 minutes ago, BoxToBox said: That Irish kid looks like a cracking player in the making. Hopefully his determination will compensate for the Unambitious personality, he's not going to be short of games anyway! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 13 minutes ago, mjaferrie said: Hopefully his determination will compensate for the Unambitious personality, he's not going to be short of games anyway! I don't mind unambitious, long as the Professionalism is good enough, which is hard to tell of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 07/05/2028 Chesterfield vs Nottingham Forest Barnsley vs Bournemouth 7th minute... IT'S GARY WILLIAMS FOR CHESTERFIELD! 1-0 at the Proact Stadium! 19th minute... TIM TANTRAM SCORES FOR BOURNEMOUTH! 1-0 at Oakwell! 30th minute... ANDREW BRENNAN MAKES IT TWO FOR CHESTERFIELD! HALF TIME We're losing two-nil in Chesterfield, just a few miles up the M1 from our own patch. It's not at all where we want to be with so much at stake, but fortunately Barnsley are also losing at home to Bournemouth. If the scores stay as they are, we'll win the Championship... 10 minutes pass. No change. 20 minutes pass. No change. 30 minutes pass. Still no change. 40 minutes pass. STILL NO CHANGE! 87th minute... KEITH GARNER! It's 3-0 for Chesterfield! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 10 minutes ago, BoxToBox said: I don't mind unambitious, long as the Professionalism is good enough, which is hard to tell of course. It's not definitive, but these don't make me too hopeful on the pro front. It's a couple of months since the youth intake though, and he's made 7 starts and 1 substitute appearance. That's been enough for his Personality to change to Fairly Determined, so hopefully there have been some improvements under the hood! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Well, it's certainly not how we'd have liked to go out, but who the hell cares. We're going to the Premier League! What an amazing journey for such a young team, but we can't rest on our laurels. I'm under no illusions, we are not a top flight team. Players are leaving us at the end of this season and will need replaced. We have a first team squad size of 19 players, which is not enough depth for the demands of top flight football. We need quality in, and fast! Here's a look at what's happening at the end of this season:End of Season DeparturesDarnell Fisher - end of contract. Fisher is a cracking right back - but he's 34, isn't Premier League quality, and wants a Premier League contract. Nae chance.Kieran Burke - end of contract. Youth player who doesn't cut it.Top 5 Young Players of the Season (Players 21 and under at the beginning of the season)Jordan Noonan - Age 21, Appearances: 5(12); Goals: 1; Assists: 1; Av. Rating: 7.08Adam Spooner - Age 22, Appearances: 22(34); Goals: 9; Assists: 4; Av. Rating: 7.01Neil Lamb-Wilson - Age 20, Appearances: 8(7); Goals: 1; Assists: 0; Av. Rating: 6.97Brad Whitman SP12b - Age 22, Appearances: 21(8); Goals: 1; Assists: 0; Av. Rating: 6.88Ian McAllister - Age 20, Appearances: 9(1); Goals: 0; Assists: 0; Av. Rating: 6.86 We're thin on the ground in terms of young players, and those aren't exactly mind-blowing average ratings, but I put that down to it being too close to the start of this journey. Again, McAllister was our 16th best performer overall, and hopefully the average age of our squad will decrease rapidly over the coming years. Due to injury to de Zeeuw, McAllister had to deputise between the sticks for a few games at the start of the year, which has aided his development brilliantly.Notable Mentions Tom Stabana SP12c Stephen Slade SP12h Matt Parsons SP12i Darren Davies Miles Keeton SP12d We're going to have to take a long hard look at our squad again, and hopefully we can make some quality local signings to prepare for next year. We'll need it, or we're going to get absolutely whipped at the hands of the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City. I can't help but feel that revenge against Mourinho is not coming soon... Season | Club | Nation | League | Position | Other ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016/17 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Scottish Cup 2017/18 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | League Cup, Europa League 2018/19 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup 2019/20 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup 2020/21 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup 2021/22 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, Scottish Cup, Europa League 2022/23 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Scottish Cup 2023/24 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | n.a. 2024/25 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | League Cup, Scottish Cup 2025/26 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Champions League 2026/27 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Club World Championship, resigned ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2026/27 | Nottingham Forest | England | Sky Bet Championship | 14th | (joined with 10 games remaining) 2027/28 | Nottingham Forest | England | Sky Bet Championship | 1st | n.a. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 We're rich! ... Christ almighty. Not exactly Premier League strengthening stuff is it? We are going to make good use of that TV money... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 In other news, after my resignation Kris Commons could only steer Celtic to a First Knockout stage loss against Tottenham. This season though, the Glasgow side knockout out Juventus and Real Madrid on the way to a Semi Final against Manchester City, which they lost 4-1. City went on to lose the final to... Manchester United! A 2-0 victory means Mourinho has lifted the trophy 5 times as United manager. Regardless, Celtic performed much better than last season! In the Europa League, Newcastle are the eventual winners as Hearts and Rangers both falter at the Group Stage. Celtic have spent £100m on foreign imports though, and have increased their wage bill astonishingly - Christopher Norris is now on £155,000 a week!!! For reference, my Champions League winning side had its highest earner, club captain Kristoffer Ajer, on £46,500. Mental. While the coefficient has declined by 2 points, Scotland still sits in 7th. They're currently 10 points clear of Russia, so they should be safe for now, but it's going to take a mega effort to close the gap on 6th place Portugal and win another Champions League group place - they're currently 22 points ahead. I know, I know. I'm the guy moaning at the bar for hours about how great the ex was. Well, to be fair, England are 11 points clear at the top and have been for almost the whole save. TV ruined football. But it may just save our transfer window... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedese Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Good luck in the Prem! You'll probably have won it in two years Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 European Championships 2028 - Hosts: Scotland and Wales Here's who the British countries are going to come up against over the next couple of months. I'm hoping for a disastrous display on all fronts, and hopefully a job interview or two will get me on the way to ticking off some off those international achievements! 2 minutes ago, Jupjamie said: Good luck in the Prem! You'll probably have won it in two years Haha, Christ on a bike, nae chance! I'll be happy to survive the drop! A few years of Sky's leprechaun gold though and who knows, our Junior Coaching and Youth Recruitment aren't up to producing that level of player yet though... My prediction is sacked before Christmas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Ho ho ho! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 30, 2017 Author Share Posted January 30, 2017 Scotland and England both qualify for the knockouts and, despite coming bottom of the group with just 1 point, David Moyes still has a 'stable' rating for his Wales job. So much weird for one post. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 This is absolutely excellent news! Two crucial upgrades in one board meeting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 On 1/29/2017 at 09:15, mjaferrie said: Well now @ManUtd1, do I bite? Hahaha. Sorry I missed this yesterday! I see got went with Forest, though, which should be a good fit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 15 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said: Hahaha. Sorry I missed this yesterday! I see got went with Forest, though, which should be a good fit. I wasn't ready for League One yet, England is the land of hope and glory, Brexit ****ness and FM burnout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 I can understand Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Breaking News! Following Italy lifting the trophy, David Moyes did in fact lose his job. Meanwhile, England manager Nuno Espirito Santo also loses his, as the FA lose patience following a Quarter Final defeat to Portugal. Both jobs applied for - I've been laughed out of the England job already by the media, despite having 85% reputation and a hoard of trophies under my belt. I suppose being half Scottish half Irish is just too much to ask. Hope and glory my FA. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Alright! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Nice! Congrats on the Wales job! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Season Preview 2028-29 Another summer window, another squad overhaul. This year wasn't quite as drastic in terms of players leaving us, but another 8 local lads join us - including a familiar face. Here's a look at all the ins/outs for this year: (oh, the lack of a January window update last season was due to the lack of anything to talk about - naebdy in, naebdy oot).IN Ainsley McGregor SP13a (18), born in Arnold - £180k from LeicesterChris Roberts SP13b (21), born in Derby - £16m from SouthamptonNeil Richmond SP13c (18), born in Chesterfield - FreeMichael Sullivan SP13d (18), born in Chesterfield - £39k from ChesterfieldAdam Parish SP13e (17), born in Derby - £1.2m from EvertonChristopher Driver SP13f (17), born in Burton-on-Trent - £450k from LeedsGiannis Kantimoiris SP13g (17), born in Burton-on-Trent - £950k from WolvesAdam Bullivant YP11a SP13h (17), born in Leicester - £500k from Norwich Well, sticking to this 30 mile limit in England is an absolute nightmare. The higher standard of players coming into youth intakes in general, means there is a lot more to go through. Couple that with the greater depth in terms of town/city coverage for England in the FM database, plus the size of the country geographically, and you've got a fantastic recipe for a 10-fold increase in time spent looking for players. Local rivalries with Derby, Leicester, Notts County and Mansfield also makes it a massive pain in the arse to convince anyone to sign for us - which means we need to wait for them to sign elsewhere (such as Southampton and Everton above) and then pay over the odds to get them to come here, when we'd had tiny bids accepted already but the player just wouldn't talk. Argh. Our current annual wage outlay is £13.5m, with Barnsley ahead of us on £21.9m. Up in the dizzy heights of 18th, in terms of annual spend, is Burnley on £39.7m, that's 3 times ours! We're going to have a long, hard season ahead of us. Anyway, in terms of players in, we've broken our transfer record to get Roberts, a quality centre back with excellent potential. He's already Premier League standard and has a long way to go yet, so I'm really happy with that one. After losing Bullivant to Norwich a year ago, I bit the bullet and re-signed him for us. We lost just over £350k on a player who came through our own ranks, but whatcha gonna do.OUT Michael Robinson, Daniel Solomon YP12c, Charlie Brown, James Tracey YP12d, John Judge - freeAndy Davie - £10k to Airbus UK Not so interesting in terms of outs. A couple of youth intake guys who's PA had just plummeted. Staff Ins/OutsIN Pierre Barrieu - Fitness Coach, freePaul Jenkins - Coach, freeJohn Vik - Scout, from CardiffDerek Langley - HOYD, freeAndrea Iore - Scout, from IpswichMike Williamson - Coach, from Bolton Reunited with former Celtic staff Barrieu, Langley and Jenkins. Our HOYD here had already announced his intention to retire in one year, and when I saw Langley was interested to join us I jumped at the chance, he was responsible for bringing through some fantastic prospects north of the wall.OUTDominik Simersky - Grimsby, ManagerGary Brazil - released, HOYD So where does all this leave our first team squad for next year?FIRST TEAM SQUADGoalkeepersJoey de Zeeuw NED (27) - 3.5 CA/PA, number 1.Ian McAllister IRL (20) - 2CA, 4PA, improved a lot last year and could be a future Premier League quality 'keeper.Verdict: No change here.Right BackMark Buckley YP12f ENG (16) - 1CA, 3PA.Verdict: This is worrying. With all my time spent focusing on getting players in, you'd have though I'd have never let this happen. Tits. Left BackOscar Krusnell SWE (29) - 3.5CA/PA. Jamie-Luke Webb ENG (22) - Is being furiously retrained as a Right Back. I am clearly still a tool.Verdict: What better way to start life in the Premier League than by being seriously understocked in defence.Centre BackTom McIntyre SCO (29) - 4CA/PA. New captain.Chris Roberts SP13b ENG (21) - 3.5CA, 5PA. First choice along with Tam Mac. Brad Whitman SP12b ENG (23) - 2.5CA, 4PA. Developed a huge amount after featuring frequently last year.Tom Stabana SP12c ENG (20) - 2CA, 4.5PA. Coming along nicely.Jordan Noonan IRL (21) - 2CA, 3.5PA. Backup.Verdict: We're much stronger here than in the Full back positions, so I think we're going to switch to our 3 man defence tactic for the majority of this season. Who needs a backline anyway.Right Midfielders/WingersSantiago Puente ARG (27) - 4CA/PA. Every man and his dog are after our Argentinian winger, he's Premier League quality and he isn't going anywhere.Messèdé Bessan BEN (23) - 2.5CA/3PA, isn't developing as I'd like, and is likely to move on.Verdict: Okay for now.Left Midfielders/WingersDaniel James WAL (29) - 3CA/PA.Kieran Brennan IRL (25) - 2.5CA/PA. Verdict: These guys play 50/50, but neither are PL quality.Defensive and Central MidfieldJamie Allen ENG (33) - 2.5CA/PA. Lost the captaincy and is on a steep decline. Won't be around for long.Steve Evans WAL (25) - 2.5 CA/PA. Hasn't developed and will need replaced.Adam Spooner ENG (22) - 3CA, 3.5PA. First choice.Darren Davies WAL (22) - 3CA, 4.5 PA. First choice.Paul West YP11b IRL (19) - 2CA, 5PA. Developing nicely!Verdict: Spooner and Davies have taken the starting spots from Allen and Evans, and there is likely to be a significant overhaul in this area in coming windows. Attacking MidfieldersMiles Keeton SP12d ENG (20) - 3PA, backup.Kevin Barker YP12a IRL (18) - 5PA, the youth player is right into the starting 11.Verdict: Was that a sign?StrikersLiam Cullen WAL (29) - Second option, with 3CA/PA. Tried to sell him in the summer but nothing doing.Shane Cook ENG (28) - Our excellent number 9.Adam Parish SP13e ENG (17) - 1.5CA, 4.5PA, will play the cup games as he looks to be an exciting prospect. Verdict: Cullen can leave, Cook is a beast, and we've got plenty of talent in the U23s waiting to make the step up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 How about the results before the end of the window? Well, life in the top flight is treating us well so far. A 3-3 draw away at West Brom, a 1-0 win over Tottenham (?!) and a 4-2 loss to Chelsea both at home, means we're in the top half. Can we just end the season here? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Having a look at the Season Preview in the Premier League page. The media don't have much belief in us but I figure if we can get positive results against Huddersfield, Barnsley, Burnley and Watford, none of whom I believe impossible to defeat at this stage, we could manage to scrape a 16th or 17th place finish. I'd be jumping hoops. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Christ, Premier League money is mental. It's the 22nd of September, and we have already earned more money this season than in the whole of last year. See the really sharp drop after April 2028? That's when I broke our club transfer record to sign Chris Roberts from Southampton. See the really sharp rise just after it? That's when TV money started coming in... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Mid Season Update Well, after picking up only one win in August, we picked up only one in September too. One in October... .... aaaaaand one in November... But two in December! (Yeah, yeah, there's double the games, who cares). We've picked up some cracking results, and some awful ones - but we're looking pretty good up in 14th place! Into the January window! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Meanwhile, in Wales, things aren't going exactly to plan. I opened my tenure with a baptism of fire, in a European International League away game against Germany. A 2-0 defeat, followed by a 4-2 friendly defeat to Portugal and the camp wasn't in a good place. Fortunately, a rally call saw us pick up two 0-0 draws at home against Scotland and Germany, before a narrow 1-0 defeat at Hampden sealed our relegation from Division B. We finish up the year with a 2-0 defeat to Australia. 6 games, 0 wins, 2 draws, 4 defeats. Excellent... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Hmm. Any tips for turning my international career around? We've got a pretty grim lack of depth - here's the squad and key players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Youth Intake Day! So January saw no players come in or leave, same story as last season. Youth intake brings us a few new faces, but I can't see many of these guys sticking around. Hopefully Gibbons can develop into a class act. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Season Review 2028-29! Well now! January started off badly, but picked up! Unfortunately we crashed out of the FA Cup to Watford, but we got our revenge in the league days later. Two out of three in February, our best month so far! A 3-1 win against Huddersfield means we survive March. Some pretty heavy defeats in April, including a 4-0 hammering by Mourinho's United - his contract was due to expire this year, but he's just signed a further 2 year extension. I think time's running out on our revenge though May was what it was. So, where does all of this leave us? We picked up 47 points overall this season, which is phenomenal for our first year in the top flight. That's enough for us to finish in 13th place, pick up £15.92m prize money, and absolutely smash preseason expectations of bottom from the media, and 16/17th from myself. I'm dead chuffed! Finances are looking pretty healthy, and our total income this year was just shy of four times what we made last year. Not bad, especially when you consider our net transfer spend was around £18.2m. End of Season Departures No players leave us at the end of this year, but coach Andy Whing has moved on to become the new manager in Paisley, at St. Mirren. After all the hoo-ha getting Derek Langley in during the season, he's decided he fancies retirement as well, so I'm currently in the market for a new HOYD. Andrea Iore moves to Hull as a scout.Top 5 Young Players of the Season (Players 21 and under at the beginning of the season) Chris Roberts SP13b - Age 21, Appearances: 39; Goals: 1; Assists: 0; Av. Rating: 7.02John Yusuf - Age 20, Appearances: 1(2); Goals: 0; Assists: 0; Av. Rating: 6.95Neil Lamb-Wilson - Age 21, Appearances: 12(10); Goals: 1; Assists: 0; Av. Rating: 6.94Kevin Barker YP12a - Age 19, Appearances: 31; Goals: 5; Assists: 6; Av. Rating: 6.88Miles Keeton SP12d - Age 21, Appearances: 5(1); Goals: 0; Assists: 0; Av. Rating: 6.73 I had a feeling this was going to be pretty grim, after some pretty horrible results this season! Performances haven't been at a high standard all year, with our best performer, Shane Cook, only managing a 7.19. We're going to have to improve a lot if we want to climb the table next year.Notable Mentions Christian Abubakar SP12a Adam Parish SP13e Giannis Kantimoiris SP13g Darren O'Connor Eric Whelan YP12h Almost not worth mentioning at all, the highest rating of these is a 6.72... Season | Club | Nation | League | Position | Other ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016/17 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Scottish Cup 2017/18 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | League Cup, Europa League 2018/19 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup 2019/20 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup 2020/21 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup 2021/22 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, Scottish Cup, Europa League 2022/23 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Scottish Cup 2023/24 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | n.a. 2024/25 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | League Cup, Scottish Cup 2025/26 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Glasgow Cup, League Cup, Champions League 2026/27 | Celtic | Scotland | Scottish Division One | 1st | Club World Championship, resigned ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2026/27 | Nottingham Forest | England | Sky Bet Championship | 14th | (joined with 10 games remaining) 2027/28 | Nottingham Forest | England | Sky Bet Championship | 1st | n.a. 2028/29 | Nottingham Forest/Wales | England | English Premier League | 13th | n.a. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 I'm a big fan of @Ö-zil to the Arsenal!'s tactics work on here, and I decided to delve back in to the thread on Wales' 2016 European Championship exploits in real life. A serious tactical rethink later, and while it's not pretty, it works. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 3 hours ago, mjaferrie said: Hmm. Any tips for turning my international career around? We've got a pretty grim lack of depth - here's the squad and key players. What tactic are you playing? Without much skill/depth, maybe a relatively standard 442, 4411 or 4141? A 424 with DMs and advanced wingers, a la @smp20? Play on the counter? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 10 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said: What tactic are you playing? Without much skill/depth, maybe a relatively standard 442, 4411 or 4141? A 424 with DMs and advanced wingers, a la @smp20? Play on the counter? I was trying to utilise the same tactics I'd been obliterating teams with at Celtic - it worked with Nottingham in the Championship so I thought I'd go gung ho and give it a shot. Nae joy! It was wishful thinking really. After reading through this: I've actually gone with Tactic number 2 (gonna need something more Grapefruity here man, number 2 is just nowhere near catchy enough) from page 1 on here, one I've been using with the club teams regularly, but dialling everything back a bit. The formation is actually remarkably similar to the one in the post anyway. I'm on a Highly Structured, countering system, and I got rid of the high press, and aggression of the club team version. It's working a treat so far, 0 goals conceded! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 By tactic number two, I mean from my own post - that was maybe confusing. I've basically tweaked my own tactics from the beginning of this save according to the theories in the Wales at Euro 16 post. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 In the process of switching to a different computer - hopefully I'll have an update at the end of the day! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 Oh but meanwhile, this is all very mysterious! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steff91 Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Liking the way you have this all set out will be keeping an eye on this one - nice work indeed mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 2 hours ago, steff91 said: Liking the way you have this all set out will be keeping an eye on this one - nice work indeed mate Nice one mate, cheers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 Season Preview 2029-30 It was an exciting summer this season! Not only are plans afoot to build a new stadium as we're filling out the City Ground, but we also got another double whammy in the youth development field: Our finances are skyrocketing since being promoted to the top flight, and as far as I'm concerned that's money well spent. Our sponsorship is the lowest, by a considerable amount, in the Premier League though. We're £51.2m behind the division average. Still, the TV money is enough for us to improve from off the list, to 34th in the world in terms of finance. Finally, I am absolutely delighted about this! Looking forward to some mental Germans in our youth ranks. Otherwise, it was actually a pretty quiet transfer window. 3 players in, and only one out on a permanent deal. I have to admit - I'm not feeling the love down south. The scouting mission is an absolute time trap, it is taking me at least 2 or 3 times the length of time to get through a season as it did up in Glasgow. There is a massive lack of talent in our local area relative to the league, at least for now, and it's taking a long time to find nothing. To top that off, the TV money makes it feel like you're playing on easy, while all your league rivals are on over-easy. Want a new contract? No problem! Need a facilities upgrade? Nae borra! Want some extra staff? Be my guest! It's kinda taking the challenge out of the challenge, in a way, for me. Anyway, we're powering on for now and into our 3rd full year at Nottingham!INShaun Stevens SP14a (16), born in Chesterfield - £2.2m from LeicesterAJ Luke SP14b (19), born in Burton-on-Trent - £300k from MiddlesbroughMichael Clancy SP14c (16), born in Leicester - £1m from Leicester AJ was an absolute steal at £300k! He goes straight into our first team at left back.OUTJamie Luke-Webb - £54k to Millwall Picked up £1.9m in a loan deal for Steve Evans to Partick Thistle, otherwise it was pretty quiet in the outgoings.Staff Ins/OutsINJames Barrow - Fitness Coach, from WiganSam Shulberg - Goalkeeping Coach, from YeovilDavid Wetherall - HOYD, from Bradford CityCraig Dean - Scout, from MillwallAlexander Hahn - U18s Manager, freeMiguel Rios - Scout, from FulhamBartek Sylwestrzak - Coach, from BrentfordTom Clarke - Coach, from Notts CountyKeith Andrews - Scout, from LeedsChris Burton - Physio, from BirminghamRichard Clarke - Physio, from BrentfordAndy Procter - Physio, from CambridgePeter Geigle - Physio, freeOUTJames O'Connor - released, U18s CoachJack Lester - released, U23s ManagerFIRST TEAM SQUADGoalkeepersJoey de Zeeuw NED (28) - 3 CA/PA, number 1.Connor Nicholson SP12g ENG (23) - 3CA, 4PA, improved a huge amount after a short loan spell and working with the U23/18 squads here. He also had a lot of cup game time which has served him well.Verdict: Nicholson likely to displace de Zeeuw this season.Right BackMark Buckley YP12f ENG (17) - 1CA, 3.5PA.Grant Hall SP12j ENG (21) - 2CA, 4PA.Verdict: Better, still a bit mince.Left BackOscar Krusnell SWE (30) - 3CA/PA. AJ Luke ENG (19) - 3CA, 5PA. Can't believe he was only £300k.Verdict: Luke is a long term replacement in this area.Centre BackTom McIntyre SCO (30) - 3CA/PA. Starting to decline with age.Chris Roberts SP13b ENG (22) - 4CA, 4.5PA. First choice.Brad Whitman SP12b ENG (24) - 3.5CA, 4PA. Keeps getting better and better. Tom Stabana SP12c ENG (21) - 2CA, 4PA. Coming along nicely.Jordan Noonan IRL (22) - 3.5CA, 4.5PA. Despite being only considered as a backup last year, he proved me wrong and got loads of game time. He's developed a huge amount as a result!Verdict: Tom McIntyre is on the way out, but our young guys are developing really well in this area.Right Midfielders/WingersSantiago Puente ARG (28) - 4CA/PA. Signed a new contract, but is still a wanted man.Messèdé Bessan BEN (24) - 3CA/PA, tried to sell him but nothing doing.Verdict: Okay for now.Left Midfielders/WingersDaniel James WAL (31) - 2.5CA/PA.Kieran Brennan IRL (26) - 3CA/PA. Verdict: Still playing 50/50 and still need replaced. Nothing available in the transfer market according to my rules, so we're stuck with this for now.Defensive and Central MidfieldJamie Allen ENG (34) - 2CA/PA. Offered him for £0 but no takers.Adam Spooner ENG (23) - 3CA/PA. First choice.Darren Davies WAL (23) - 3CA, 4PA. First choice.Verdict: Paul West has gone out in search of game time and will hopefully return as a good replacement for Jamie Allen.Attacking MidfieldersMiles Keeton SP12d ENG (21) - 3PA, backup.Kevin Barker YP12a IRL (19) - 5PA, first team regular.Verdict: Happy with what I've got here now.StrikersShane Cook ENG (29) - 3.5 CA/PA, ageing and will need replacing in the coming years.Adam Parish SP13e ENG (18) - 2CA, 4.5PA, developing really well.Verdict: Decent for now. Anyway, we're into the season and we kick off against: Wish me luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 German kids, could be a real coup! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjaferrie Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 Just now, BoxToBox said: German kids, could be a real coup! A similar deal with Karlsruher SC at Celtic produced Elvis Lala. I can't wait for Intake Day Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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