BoxToBox Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 So, after the United troubles, we're off again, hopefully with as much success, and much less computer meltdowns. Thanks to some great help from @Makoto Nakamura who provided me with a database edit that activated the Irish lower leagues, we're off on a journey around the Emerald Isle. The plan is to work up the ladder, and take a job in the higher levels of the Irish structure(there is no promotion/relegation between the 2nd and 3rd level, so you can't work a single club all the way up), and once there build something, hopefully boosting the national team along the way. No initial plans on limitations or anything, but everything is subject to change really. This is were we start in January 2017, no club, no badges, no skills, no history. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keano16 Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 In first! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makoto Nakamura Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 Best of luck with this! I really, really hope the database holds up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 There were lots of jobs available across the 6 levels, and I could have even gotten some level 5, maybe even 4, job, but I had a look through the 6th level, the Leinster Senior 1B. I picked the team with the best youth recruitment, and applied, turns out they're also the team expected to win the league, they offered me the job and away we go, first port of call is south Dublin. They're a club focused on youth, and are a feeder team for Bray Wanderers. Can't tell you much about the squad, as we have no staff, besides that there are a lot of [Wnt] icons, so probably best get used to shifting sands..... These two especially, won't be here by season's start. I'd be baffled if at least a 2nd level side didn't take them, hell they're good enough for Irish Prem. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 10 minutes ago, Keano16 said: In first! Cheers! 5 minutes ago, Makoto Nakamura said: Best of luck with this! I really, really hope the database holds up! Cheers! I'm sure it'll be fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 What tactics are you looking to employ? While practicality may be demanded initially, I'm more curious about long-term, and whether you'll look to establish a style for national side. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 37 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said: What tactics are you looking to employ? While practicality may be demanded initially, I'm more curious about long-term, and whether you'll look to establish a style for national side. For the moment, the three best players at this club are all strikers, so I'm just chucking the old Giza/Hoyvik deal at it. Long, long term, if I get to the upper level teams and if the NT happens, I might continue that strikerless thing from the United save, or another strikerless system, I was really enjoying that, we were often picking teams apart, and it was ridiculously good against the big sides that came at us. Ideal for an underdog Ireland. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Transfer Window's shut. I scattergunned it, picking up anyone that looked half decent, expecting to lose all my good players, but all that left was the holding mid. The pair of monsters stayed, I assume that's because I have first window transfers off, and the big clubs couldn't offer a contract due to agents fees and the like. So, expect them gone in the summer, for now we'll make hay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbokav1971 Posted June 14, 2017 Share Posted June 14, 2017 2 hours ago, BoxToBox said: (there is no promotion/relegation between the 2nd and 3rd level, so you can't work a single club all the way up), That's pish poor. Good luck with this, (and the database). Care to share the thinking behind the title? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 19 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said: That's pish poor. Good luck with this, (and the database). Care to share the thinking behind the title? It's an old Horslips song. About a character from The Tain who could travel the circumference of the country in a day. As far as I remember, my google-fu is struggling to find references to it and it's been a decade plus since I read the book(which is a bit of a mass at that). EDIT: I'm surprised, getting a first coaching course funded already. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Little over a month in, and we're absolutely mullering teams. I felt proper sorry for the smashing of the St. James's gate boys. They started as a workers team from the Guinness brewery. Five games in, and this lad's already on the favoured personnel list... Pretty ridiculous form, though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 14, 2017 Author Share Posted June 14, 2017 Another month down, and we're ploughing away. One minor blip, against the team in 10th..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andychar Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 9 hours ago, BoxToBox said: Little over a month in, and we're absolutely mullering teams. I felt proper sorry for the smashing of the St. James's gate boys. They started as a workers team from the Guinness brewery. Five games in, and this lad's already on the favoured personnel list... Pretty ridiculous form, though! Jesus that's ridiculous. How can you score 7 goals assist 7 goals in 5 games with an average rating of 8.84 and only be POM once! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 5 hours ago, andychar said: Jesus that's ridiculous. How can you score 7 goals assist 7 goals in 5 games with an average rating of 8.84 and only be POM once! It was the strikers either side of him that hovered up all the rest, here's how it looked after 17 games. Here's the latest update. Few blips, but still comfortably in the lead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 Speed the Plough This though, is where we part ways with Joeys, after a frankly shocking offer... As the summer(midseason for us) window opened, I had a look at the jobs list, and just to see what kind of response I'd get, applied to jobs in the top two leagues. Bohemians said I was too late, the interview process was over, St.Pats said I wasn't to be considered as there was better available(as everyone should have said), Bray Wanderers offered me an interview, fair play to them, but said in the end I "wasn't the right man for the job". So, three Premiership sides, no results, but closer than I should have gotten. How about the First Division(2nd level), well I did apply for one job, expecting similar results.... but they offered me the job, and I couldn't refuse. I know this was meant to be a jaunt around the amateur leagues for a while, but I can't say no to an opportunity at a semi pro side, and if all goes well, something interesting could be built here. Turns out "Faster Than The Hound" was an apt but of foreshadowing. We take an hour and a half drive almost directly west, and pitch up at Athlone Town. The oldest club in the League Of Ireland. They've won the Premiership twice, in the 1880's, and the FAI Cup once, winning the cup without conceding a single goal! They won the Presidents Cup(Charity Shield thing), and a fey League of Ireland Cups in the 1980's. After that, not much to tell. Recently they've been a yo-yo club and had some financial difficulties, as it stands they're 60k in the red. They have a decent stadium, and good youth recruitment, and the bones of a professional squad, which is what interested me. Squad is a bit of a mess, quality wise though! Their ambitions are quite reasonable now, too, pre-season expected to finish 4th, from here, all they want is to not finish last. I think we can do that, we have 8 games to make it happen. These were the two best players at the club, along with the hottest prospect, when I joined, as you can see, I'm trying to chuck the keeper as he's on high wages and I prefer the other keeper at the club. This one can actually stop shots! Anyway, the squad is in a mess, but they did offer me the job *early* on deadline day. I had the boon of a few hours to do what I can to improve things, albeit with no money(also 0% of sales), and -150pw wages. First, clear out some players I didn't want. The lad gone to Bray is a handy winger, but I have no need of wingers, plus he was the *only* handy winger, so no one on the opposite side and I didn't fancy experimenting with asymmetrical tactics right now(we continue with the 4-3-3 battering ram from Joeys). As for incomings, well, with no time to scout, it was down to what players the club already knew about, and a raid on Joeys, as I knew some of their players were more than good enough for this level and beyond. The entire reason for the wage clear out, I got the two monsters! Both are listed as 5* ca players for Athlone too, and reports say they're star player for Prem. sides, so probably not staying here long either! Nanetti was loaned to play at CM(a). There was one lad I picked up for Joeys at the start of the window, who I'll be chasing when the opportunity arises. Reckon he could be quite good. Now, they have no staff, so off to fill that out, and set up training. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Moving on up...CL titles are sure to follow! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makoto Nakamura Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 You've been optimistic on their history "A bit of a yo-yo club" = 3 good seasons and 15 seasons in the bottom half of the table Best of luck with Athlone! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 22 minutes ago, Makoto Nakamura said: You've been optimistic on their history "A bit of a yo-yo club" = 3 good seasons and 15 seasons in the bottom half of the table Best of luck with Athlone! Cheers! To be fair, I just took a quick skim of their Wiki page. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 One month down, and everything's going to plan. Not quite the smashings Joeys were dishing out, but we're doing what needs to be done. No much we could have done in the cup, having to face the best team in the country. Highlight was the derby with Longford, who are league leaders, mainly because of this. Looks like we made an enemy. It'd though because his profile says he has a good relationship with me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITFC_Blue Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Good to see Cemal Ramadan doing well for you, he was at my club, Ipswich Town as a youngster, never really got a chance other a couple of loans out at some local non-league (I think 7th or 8th level) teams. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 1 hour ago, Makoto Nakamura said: You've been optimistic on their history "A bit of a yo-yo club" = 3 good seasons and 15 seasons in the bottom half of the table Best of luck with Athlone! We all can't be as good with a yo-yo as you, @Makoto Nakamura ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 16 minutes ago, ITFC_Blue said: Good to see Cemal Ramadan doing well for you, he was at my club, Ipswich Town as a youngster, never really got a chance other a couple of loans out at some local non-league (I think 7th or 8th level) teams. He done far better than I expected, he's ranked the best player at the club now that I took the two other strikers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjoe Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Your two monsters are insane. What the hell happened there. Other than that, just the usual shenanigans. Beating everyone to a pulp. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheriff7 Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 Good luck mate!!Saves with semi-pro clubs are always difficult!!Don't drink too much whisky there... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 1 hour ago, Benjoe said: Your two monsters are insane. What the hell happened there. Other than that, just the usual shenanigans. Beating everyone to a pulp. No idea! I guess it's pot luck with the "add players to playable teams". 15 minutes ago, Sheriff7 said: Good luck mate!!Saves with semi-pro clubs are always difficult!!Don't drink too much whisky there... Cheers, bit late on the whiskey front, had a few nips last night whilst playing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 Not so much teachers as fighters, and what we teach is how to fight.... Youth intake day, I'm quite happy! We got an exciting prospect, who could already hit the bench. The weird thing here is that the top three are all rated at 1.5 ca, but when you look at them, Jibrin is much better than the other two. Not be keeping the lot, we don't have the finances for that, even on youth contracts, but also, want to ditch the worst personalities(the ones that don't look to have upside like Jibrin, that is). Jibrin has a fairly weak personality, but we can work with that, sooner or later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 Sure the boy was green... So, year one in the bag, and we done alright in the end, won more than we lost, finished two places above where we were when I took over, and hit expectations. I think there's the chance of a real good season next year, if I can get a better defence together, especially left back, our left back is crap. Jibirn scored on the last day of the season, but he had played against Cobh too, so no debut goal. Our fans aren't as much drunken idiots, but idiots who are also drunk. That goal was a six yard box tap in, Collins played 12 games and averaged 6.3, Barry 8 games and 6.4..... Don't spend it all in one place, aye lad? To be fair, decent wages. Well over a grand of surplus, and our highest paid player is on 170 a week. So a few freebies are on the cards, especially as I'll let a good lot be released. Also, Joeys still have two games left, but are already confirmed champions, so that's nice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjoe Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 6 minutes ago, BoxToBox said: Sure the boy was green... You should probably seek medical attention for your green ween. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 1 minute ago, Benjoe said: You should probably seek medical attention for your green ween. That would be an ecumenical matter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjoe Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 2 minutes ago, BoxToBox said: That would be an ecumenical matter. You sound like a cultist. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbokav1971 Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 #SellOut (albeit sell-out to a Semi Pro team with Established Youth Recruitment). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 3 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said: #SellOut (albeit sell-out to a Semi Pro team with Established Youth Recruitment). I'm terrible, of that there can be no doubt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 St Joseph's was all too easy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 15, 2017 Author Share Posted June 15, 2017 8 minutes ago, Nobby_McDonald said: St Joseph's was all too easy. The two boys were just way too much for amateur sides to handle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 Trouble with a capital T. After an all too long off season(5 months!), we're back in action. Quiet a busy offseason at that, a large clear out combined with hovering up a lot of talent. We even paid for one, which is a massive deal considering we're semi-pro.... and broke. The board, have decided this season, we must win the league, end of. That said, media predictions have us 1st too, so I guess it's not all unreasonable. Our two striker gems aren't much interested in new contracts, with a year left, and one of 'em fancies a move to Sligo. Oh well, we'll put on a fight, and maybe if we win promotion they'll stay. Unless they're poached on bosmans. Outgoings. Clear out, they were all either old, rubbish or old rubbish. Especially Collins, despite what the crowd thought. Incomings. Went back to the well, to get McFaul as I said I would(and I've my eye on one more). O'Donovan might just be first choice striker, between the two, at 16(had quite the growth spurt right after joining). Cooney is rated as the biggest prospect at the club now. We paid money for Walsh, but he's going to be great(injuries permitting, didn't pay attention to that...). Keogh at Bray is another I'm especially happy with. Biko Brad-Bren will partner him. Owens is the best LB I could find, and by find I mean poach from Waterford where he was on trial..... This is the squad expected to fire us to the league title. The Romanian, Latvian, Uruguayan and Portuguese blokes, I have no idea how they ended up playing semi-pro football in the Irish 2nd div, they were here before me.... Invernizzi has played in a million lower league Italian and Uruguayan clubs that I've never heard of. The 45 year old Scottish bloke is also a scout, and has played for Celtic and Leicester. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Sounds like the start of an epic joke...so, a Romanian, Latvian, Uruguayan and Portuguese bloke, all join a football club... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManUtd1 Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 ...and then the Uruguayan says, "Grapefrukt her? I hardly knew her!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noikeee Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Bit more of a challenge here than Man Utd, but even then that's relative... holy crap at the 2 Andys, wtf were they doing in 6th tier Irish football? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 26 minutes ago, noikeee said: Bit more of a challenge here than Man Utd, but even then that's relative... holy crap at the 2 Andys, wtf were they doing in 6th tier Irish football? Hell, it's questionable that they joined me in the 2nd tier. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjoe Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 I laughed at your budget being lower than mine. ... Now I've stopped laughing - bar the joke @ManUtd1 made. Very nice transfers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 1 hour ago, Benjoe said: I laughed at your budget being lower than mine. ... Now I've stopped laughing - bar the joke @ManUtd1 made. Very nice transfers. The money is crazy weird, Dundalk splashed the cash, bought a bunch of players for 2-500k a pop. Then came to us and said, yeah, we'll give you 1,500 for your best prospect. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 People say we've got the power, the phrase I think is hearts and minds... We've started at pace, winning plenty, surprisingly so in the cups as I haven't been playing the starters. U.C.D. and the relegated Finn Harps are right on our tails though! The big surprise here is, that for the most part, it's not the pair of Andys who are driving us on, but the 16 year old Jack O'Donovan hitting close to a goal a game. Dundalk in the Senior Cup final, so that was fun while it lasted. We're also working hard on brining in the right kind of player, where possible, and combined with tutoring, the squad personality is developing nicely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidthekid Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 I just saw that you have a goalkeeper that's 45 years old. Never seen that in FM. Is he a regen or he's a real life player? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 Just now, kidthekid said: I just saw that you have a goalkeeper that's 45 years old. Never seen that in FM. Is he a regen or he's a real life player? Real life player. Man's been around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidthekid Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 decision making at 6, and he's 45. Didn't he learn anything in 30 years of goalkeeping Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 37 minutes ago, kidthekid said: decision making at 6, and he's 45. Didn't he learn anything in 30 years of goalkeeping That's why he's in Athlone earning 65 bucks a week, I guess, could get five times that and more sweeping up the local McDonalds. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 We heard the hounds we could not see, and knew our time had come... Two more months down, a step closer to the Premiership. 13 games left, 11 points clear, looking pretty rosy. Gave Dundalk a better game than expected. Not many dropped points. Outside of fixtures, there's news, good, bad and quite odd. Good. One of the Andys extended his deal! Bad. The other did not... Odd... I was poking around different nations youth teams(always be hustling), and spotted a pair of unattached teenagers in Bulgaria's U21's... Odder still, they accepted semi-pro contracts in Ireland. Krumov joins now, Biserov in late 2019. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 Midseason transfers. Out. In. Interesting one is Nolan, ex-Inter lad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxToBox Posted June 16, 2017 Author Share Posted June 16, 2017 But Ferdia just laughed, shook his silver spear, and fell to battle again... So, obviously after the transfer window closed, our star players foot would fall off, why wouldn't it? That's his season done. Bohemians offered me an interview, but they have a crap academy, and are very much looking at relegation. Still, without our star strikers, we marched on, in sparkly form, especially the massive upset against Derry City in the cup. The game against Cabinteely sealing the league and promotion. After promotion was confirmed, I made a request, one to my delight was granted. @Benjoe may be enraged, mind.... I assume it must be a requirement for the Premier League for them to accept it despite being flat broke. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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