[FM15] Jamaican Me Crazy: Time to Shock the World!!!!!

[kidthekid]

8 minutes ago, dllu said:

 Very apt gif

[ManUtd1]

On 05/09/2018 at 14:12, kidthekid said:

Since everyone is doing it 

So deliciously fraudulent...

[kidthekid]

2018 Youth Intake

I can't complain about any of my intakes so far. They have all provided me with depth and that's really what you can ask for. This fourth intake, blows the other intakes out of the park though. Don't know if it's the increased junior coaching, the assistant manager who handles intakes or just randomness. 

Once again, I forgot to screen shot the page where with the stars and all that. Well, we got about  4-6 five stars, can't remember the exact number. But even with the other intakes, you can see how the 4th class dominates.

Ryan Green (4G) actually started in the second leg of the promotion play-offs (more on that later).

These are just some of them, again remember, an attribute of 10 is solid at this level.

       

 

       

 

It's almost impossible to improve the facilities due to money, so game time is the only chance we have to develop these guys.

[kidthekid]

2017/2018 Season Review

So we started the season on a good note. Dominating, scoring, not conceding..you know the good stuff. Eventually we couldn't sustain it but we managed to win the league title. Third time in 4 years. We had the lowest points tally of any of the winners since this save began, but a win is a win.

               

So you know what this means, promotion playoff time!!

We were drawn against Reno FC, who were a better side than us but we still had hope. The first leg, we won 3-1. It was very scrappy but we deserved the win. We were one leg away now. Is it finally happening or is it a preparation for an epic choke.

We still had a second leg to go and was it a sign of destiny, that it was on my 100th game in management?

 

To the match we go...In a moment of panic, I switched from my 3-5-1-1 formation with wingers to a 4-1-4-1 formation with a defensive mentality. I don't want to say it worked because it was not pretty and it could easily have gone the other way, but a 1-0 loss was enough to send us to the top flight for the first time in Bath F.C's history. 

          

 

We finally did it.

Final Thoughts

We did it, it was not pretty but we did it. The concern was that the two goals they scored in both legs came from corners. We lack height outside or CBs, and our goalie has a low command of area attributes. We have a lot of needs to address but I also want to give our youngsters a chance. It is going to be an interesting off-season, that's for sure. But now we are making progress.

[kidthekid]

[Minuy600]

Fitting how you did it just before the current season. Good stuff.

[noikeee]

Nice job. Bathing in glory.

[kidthekid]

2018/2019 Mid Season Update

So in our first season in the Jamaican top flight, how did we do?

First of all, let's talk about transfers. This had to be one of my most frustrating windows, I just couldn't get the players that I wanted, even by being desperate and looking at attributes with 7 or higher. That's right, a 7 out of 20, even for the Jamaican second tier is below average, and the scouts couldn't find such players, (vision, teamwork, anticipation and decision are hard to find to be fair). Shortly before the window closed, I realized my 3-5-2 with a libero wouldn't work as the guy I used just kept on receiving the ball from the keeper and hoofing it to where he knows none of our teammates would be.  I switched to a trusted 4-4-1-1 I had used in my Cyprus save. Only issue is that we did not not have fullbacks, so I am retraining wingers to fullbacks. About 20 games played as fullbacks, one of them is unconvincing and the other still has no familiarity in the role. Fantastic!

The Wolf Cup is one of the most prestigious pre-season tournaments in all of football. If you don't know about it, you need to ask somebody. Basically ask the founder @BoxToBox So I'm honored to continue the tradition.

But how have we done in the regular season so far?

Not amazing, but better than the media prediction of 12th (last place). We can still be relegated as all it takes is two straight defeats and two wins for Arnett Gardens FC and we would be in the bottom 2. At the same time we can still finish in the top 4 which qualifies us for the playoffs and a chance to win the title. But that is not going to happen. We are barely hanging, and I wouldn't be shocked if we get relegated. I have to rework my squad in the window.

Quest for Professional Status

Also, about 3 or 4 teams have turned professional. A quick look at the finances says that they are valued above 1 million with a high valuation to debt ratio. We are currently valued at about 500,000 pounds, so maybe in 2 or 3 seasons we can get there too. Only issue is the board expands the stadium every season, meaning we always have debt.

Professional status is important because our youth can train full time and two, we can attract better players.

Also, a side bar. I don't know if it's changed but FM15 grouped countries into three economic stages; developed, developing and "third world state". From my experience, the difference between developing and third world was huge because clubs in what FM classified as developing countries (many Asian and South American clubs) could sign players from any country, while clubs in third world countries could  only sign players from fellow third world countries (with a few exceptions) regardless of how much money they had and how bad the player was. Jamaica is rated as a developing country, so we can sign anyone as long as they are on our level, so watch this space  But the database I use, limits Jamaican clubs to 4 foreigners, so maybe do not watch this space.

I'm not saying it's unfair or its fair, or whether the ratings are right, just saying what I experienced in FM.

Thanks for reading as always.

[BoxToBox]

Great work taking the Wolf Cup!

[kidthekid]

2018/2019 Season Review

So in my last update,we were in 8th position and 5 points above relegation zone. We were struggling at fullback because we were playing wingers in that position and their retraining was not going to plan. So in the transfer window, I bought two proper fullbacks. We also had an easy three game skid where we would play bottom teams. So we were going to stretch the lead right?

 

Nope, we had an injury crisis, but that's no excuse. The poor results led to low morale and suddenly we were facing a losing battle, at one point we were 7 points from safety and 3 points off last place. I already believed we would be relegated and I was contemplating if I should resign after the season and wait for a top flight job to open. We had gone 14 games without a win and I had zero hope. Then I decided to ditch our 4-4-1 formation to go back to my back 3 tactics with wingers and so I came up with this.

  

Then this happened

I've played FM for a long time and never had a great escape before, but this was it. The match against Humble lions was ridiculous, we won 4 -1 but had a guy sent of in the 18th minute. Then we beat first place Harbor View 3-0, how did the formation change spark results? I wish I could tell you but I used instant result. I tweak my tactics based on stats and only play pivotal games, and by pivotal I mean 'win or go home' games. I plan to pay more attention next season though, as it almost cost me.

 

[kidthekid]

[kidthekid]

Gaffer's Log, Bath, Jamaica. 30 August, 2019 - 2019/2020 Season Preview

So, we escaped relegation after having a 14 game spell without a win and me ranting to some unfortunate listeners in some random whatsapp group. Not only did we escape relegation but yours truly won Manager of the year and his club were named overachievers of the year. 

Do I deserve the award? Probably not, but all that matters is that it helped me get another endorsement, this time with a network provider, "Tun Up Mobile". I had to star in the commercial, and it went something like this.

A gentleman was trying to call his car mechanic because his car broke down while he was with his date. The problem was that he couldn't get any signal on his phone, so he had to borrow his date's phone, and she happened to use "Tun Up Mobile." The call goes through, the mechanic comes, fixes the car and everything works out. The gentleman decides to head to the "Tun up mobile" store to swap providers. 

A voice over artist now narrates. "Tun Up mobile, the network for the people that make things happen. Just ask Carlos Ibrahim, Jamaica's manager of the year." Then the camera turns towards me, as I am coaching a fictional team on the sidelines, and I give a thumbs up and say "Mi deh yah, everyting criss, thanks to Tun up Mobile."  Then I turn back to the match and continue coaching in the fictional match. It looks better  than I say it, trust me. 

Back to football, I knew we were lucky to escape relegation and I knew what had to be done. A proper reshaping of the squad was in order. I cleared out most of the squad, those whose contracts expired I didn't renew except the goalie and even some of those on long term contracts, I bought their contracts out. Luckily we are way below the wage budget, so the board did not care. I had to release a player for 19,000 pounds. That's a record for a release, but financially we can swallow it without problems.

Tactically we will continue the 3-4-2-1 that led us to the great escape. In fact I am fully committed to it that I let my fullbacks go and bought in technical midfielders. (For our level, that is). I do believe we can kick on from last season, the media expectation is an 11th place finish, but I believe we can crack the playoff spots (top 4). Famous last words?

[kidthekid]

Professional Status Watch

Out of the 12 teams in the Jamaican premier league, 7 are now professional. This is good. Hopefully we follow suit in a season or two. Not only will it aid development, but that's when agents based in South America and Europe start offering players to you. I did explain a few posts back why they would be interested in coming to Jamaica, it's partly because of the economic status in the game.

[ManUtd1]

31 minutes ago, kidthekid said:

Gaffer's Log, Bath, Jamaica. 30 August, 2019 - 2019/2020 Season Preview

[Snip]

Famous last words?

[oriole01]

On 12/09/2018 at 20:36, kidthekid said:

Then this happened

[kidthekid]

10 hours ago, oriole01 said:

Honestly, it did feel like that. Never had this kind of experience before.

[kidthekid]

The chairman has been wanting to sell the club for a few months now, so no surprise. I hope the new owner (if the deal goes through) wants to turn professional and wants to invest in upgrading the facilities. But knowing FM, it will be a new owner who doesn't change anything.

[noikeee]

Well, that was one hell of a turnaround.

[kidthekid]

JAMAICAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION CHAMPIONS CUP FINAL  (Sponsored by Redstripes Beer)

Hello all and welcome to the BEIN sports presentation of the JFF Champions Cup final. I am Scott Taylor (ST) and I am here with 77 times capped former Jamaican International and Stoke City legend, Ricardo Fuller (RF). () 

 

RF: Thank you Scott, it’s great to be here for what should be a great game.

ST: Today’s match is between Waterhouse Football Club and Bath FC, and some say this is a case of David vs Goliath. Do you agree?

RF: Yes and no Scott. On one hand you have three time winner Waterhouse, one of the power houses of Jamaican football who also happen to be the most successful Jamaican Premier league side in the past 5 years. With Bath, you have a club that has only played one full season in the top flight. So I can see how one could see it as David vs Goliath. But right now, with 10 games gone in the league, Bath are in second place and Waterhouse are third. So these teams are closer than their history suggests.

ST: Great analysis, Ricardo. So what do you think are the key factors to watch for in this game?

RF: Normally against Bath, you want to watch out for the flanks because they play without fullbacks or wingbacks, but Waterhouse usually line up in a 4-3-1-2, so Bath’s lack of fullbacks may not be exploited. Instead, I think Bath City would be the ones trying to exploit the space out wide while Waterhouse would be looking at taking advantage of Bath’s suicidal high line with their narrow front three.

ST: Any predictions?

RF: I expect a few goals and I predict a 3-2 win for Waterhouse. I think they are more experienced and they have the pedigree. The won the premier league three straight years from 2016 to 2018. Many of those players are still there.

ST: Ok, the players are lining up at the tunnel, we have the team news and we can see that the managers have approached their benches. Waterhouse manager Anthony Patrick, a two time Caribbean club championship winner and three time Jamaican league winner, is dressed in a suit as you would expect in a cup final. The 51 year old would be hoping to add the JFF cup to what has been a hugely successful 5 year period at Waterhouse.

On the other bench, 30 year old Carlos Ibrahim is dressed in what I am being told by my producers is a "Senegalese Kaftan."

RF: Nothing surprising here, this is a man who wears Aloha Shirts with straw hats to league matches. Wouldn't be surprised if he endorses both the Kaftan and the aloha shirts. You know he loves his endorsements.

A 1 minute laughter ensures. The National anthem is played and the match kicks off.

[kidthekid]

ST: As we expected, Waterhouse are lining up in a 4-3-1-2 and Bath in their attacking high risk 3-4-2-1. Anything surprising in the team sheet Ricardo?

Waterhouse gets to kick off and we are ready to go

I didn't know the FM skin I downloaded shows the opposition player roles, as I usually instant result and when I play the games, I don't even see the page but yeah, it is there.

[kidthekid]

Third minute

ST: Waterhouse goalie takes the goalkick, the Bath defenders deal with it and now the ball is on the right wing, with Malcolm. Malcolm advances to the final third, tries to thread a pass and Waterhouse clears...but only to Green the bath city central midfielder. Green gives to Malcolm, Malcolm has space to run onto, but he elects to cross the ball, and it gets to Broderick, Broderick takes a first time shot.....And it somehow finds its way in despite the keeper having a touch on it. Bath have drawn the first blood. Can you believe it!!!

RF: In the pre-game I talked about the flanks and we saw it right there, Malcolm had so much time on that right hand side, he could have called his wife, called his agent and still have time to put in a cross.

ST: Actually, it's been ruled an offside. Broderick was in an offside position and the scores remain 0-0.

RF: That as definitely an offside after seeing the replay, but Waterhouse should be careful about their flanks.

[kidthekid]

17th Minute

ST: Waterhouse have a freekick at the edge of box. Campbell strikes it and it hits the side netting. 

29^th Minute

ST: Bath work the ball to the final third, Broderick lines up a shot and it’s blocked, the rebound falls to Campbell, and he gets fouled. Its a freekick in a dangerous area for Bath.

RF: Funny tidbit Scott, there are three Campbells playing in this game. Two for Bath and one for Waterhouse.

ST: And who is about to take the freekick? You guessed it, it’s Campbell...It deflects of the wall for a corner.

31^st Minute

The resulting corner is taken by Walker. He passes it short and the ball finds it way to Scott, Scott strikes it from just inside the box...and it’s saved by McCallum the Waterhouse goalie.

33^rd Minute

ST: Bath advance down the right, after a series of quick passes, Gordon plays a through ball for Campbell, Campbell with a chance...and it’s narrowly wide past the near post.

RF: It was from a tight angle but he should have hit the target there. You wonder how many times they will get another opportunity.

44th Minute

ST: Waterhouse recover a clearance, they work their way down the left side before firing a cross, Nelson rises above everyone to head the ball...and it’s in. Waterhouse lead 1-0!

RF: Cruel way to concede after doing all the playing I this half but this goes back to the experience point that I talked about. Most of the Bath players have spent majority of their careers in the second and third tier while Waterhouse are currently playing the North America champions league after winning the league three straight times. Big difference in pedigree right there.

[kidthekid]

ST: It's half time and the scores are 1-0. Waterhouse lead via a 44th minute header from Nelson. Here are the statistics on the screen. Your thoughts on the game Ricardo?

RF: I think it's been very tentative so far, hopefully the second half should see an increased sense of urgency from either side. I think Bath still have a chance, they have built some decent attacks, but they haven't been clinical enough. As for Waterhouse, they haven't been great, but with the goal, they can play the counter attack game as e expect Bath to push for the equalizer. Look for those balls over the top from Waterhouse in the second half.

ST: Thank you Ricardo and it looks like the players are returning to the pitch for the second hand, so after a few words from our sponsors, we'll be set for the second half.

 

[kidthekid]

46th Minute

ST: Bath win a corner, a quick short corner routine and Bath find themselves with a chance on goal, but a goalmouth scramble falls Waterhouse’s way and they are able to clear the ball.

52nd Minute

ST: Waterhouse with a corner, and it’s taken by Forbes. Taylor is the first to get to it but his header just glances past the post. Could have been 2-0.

RF: Bath could count themselves lucky. That should have been 2-0 and maybe the match.

59th Minute

ST: Bath city are making a change, Broderick their top goalscorer comes off for Boothe.

RF: Broderick has been off his game today, it does not hurt to see what Boothe can do. He’s scored a few goals since coming back from injury.

65th Minute

ST: Bath city get the ball down the left. Some good running by Walker as he gets to the final thrid. He lays a pass to Gordon who finds Campbell, but Campbell’s shot is tame and the keeper easily saves it.

RF: That’s another tame shot by Campbell. He has had their best chances, maybe it’s time to sub him or look to move into a deeper role.

68th Minute

ST: Well Ricardo, it looks like Carlos Ibrahim heard you, Campbell is off and McCalla comes in.

RF: That must have been a tough decision, as Campbell has been one of their best players all season, but McCalla is a natural striker, he has better movement and he’s a better finisher, not as good on the ball as Campbell but he is better in front of goal.

75th Minute

ST: And Bath use their final role of the dice, they bring Wellington on for a tired Walker and they also looked to have moved to 3-4-1-2 with McCalla moving to his natural role as a striker.

90th (+2) minute

ST: Bath have been trying everything to score but Waterhouse have been defensively solid. Every attempt in the box is blocked and now Bath are attempting desperate long shots,

which are barely threatening the keeper. This match is as good as done.

90th (+3) minute 

ST: The referee blows his whistle, the Waterhouse bench erupts. Carlos Ibrahim congratulates his Waterhouse counterpart and his staff and tries to console his players.

RF: It was not the blockbuster we thought we would see but credit to Waterhouse. In the second half, we saw that they were the better team. For Carlos Ibrahim and his squad, this has been a great tournament. They are a young squad and they can only get better.

ST: The award ceremony will be on BEIN Sports Extra, right now we are going to switch gears to the Monaco vs Lyon game with Ray Hudson and Kevin Egan on the commentary. On behalf of Ricardo and myself, we want to thank you for watching.

[kidthekid]

Live updates are hard, why would anyone want to do that. Never again 

[kidthekid]

Takeover News

Not worried about my job. If I get fired, I'll be alright.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Unlucky man

 

Looks like baths are no match for entire houses full of water. 

[ManUtd1]

2 hours ago, kidthekid said:

Takeover News

Not worried about my job. If I get fired, I'll be alright.

You'll never want for dinner, that's for sure.

[kidthekid]

2019/2020 Mid-season review

We are halfway into the season and while we are much better off than we were last season, I'm a bit disappointed at how we ended it. Our form has tailed off a bit and we are in danger of not making the top 4, which is important as the top 4 gets to compete in the playoffs for the league title. The cup run was nice, if we had won we would have qualified for the Caribbean Club championship. Both the cup winners and the league winner qualify, so there's technically a chance but no, we won't win the league.

Some of our losses have been to terrible teams and as usual it's a case of us misfiring upfront and then our defensive woes since this save started have crept up again. I don't care about our defense, I have long given up on trying to fix it, it's the attack that frustrates me. We are missing too many chances.

We will try to get more fire power during the window. As far as my job is concerned, I renewed my contract. I told you I wasn't worried.

 

[kidthekid]

So this save is off the rails. I instant result almost all the games because the quality is so bad to watch but I'm on a poor run of form and it's not like we are playing badly we are just making comical errors and missing chances. I just had a game where I lost 6-0 and we had similar possessions and shots on target. Trying to recruit better players is quite difficult, either Jamaica just doest not have good defenders or the top clubs  that have turned professional hoard all of them, so until we can scout outside Jamaica, we are stuck.

Also, every monthly training report, I get told that most of my young players are declining. Never had that happen before. I assume it's down to poor facilities but we can't improve it due to finances. I've also had the "player has become unmotivated due to off the field issues" message about three times already this season.

I'll finish the season and try again next season, but I'm getting frustrated to the point that I might start doing a season by season summary instead of midseason updates. And to think, just a few weeks ago we were in the cup final and in second place.

[kidthekid]

2019/2020 Season Review

So the second half of the season turned out to be a disaster. But to put things in perspective, we did survive relegation on the last day last season, so this season as an improvement. We won overachievers of the year once more. I still feel like this was a wasted season because I felt like my team was just as good as some of the top 4 teams.

 

I’ve played FM for a long time and I still can’t diagnose how our form just did a 180. Our defending has always been suspect but it did not stop us in the first half of the season. We continued to dominate most teams in the league but we just couldn’t finish anymore and our errors got worse. So many “Bath FC unlucky in defeat” headlines after instant resulted a match.

Looking forward I think I have to move away from my back 3 as the Cbs at this level are just not good enough. Then again, I almost got relegated when I did move to a back 4 last season. This off season is going to be critical. We need to make sure this drop in form does not happen for a third straight year.

But after complaining in the previous post, I realize why I like FM so much, I like the challenge.

[kidthekid]

One of our players won young player of the year and midfielder of the year. Our lone bright spot of the season.

[kidthekid]

Pre-season update and a season preview to follow. Here's a preview..I'm hopeful again

[kidthekid]

2020/2021 Season Preview

So this is our third season in the Jamaican premiership. The first two seasons we finished 9th and in both seasons we suffered epic loss of forms with patches of winless streaks. I have switched tactics once more and I intend to be more hands on. I still plan to use instant result but not at the same frequency.

Transfers

We are actually spending money now. We spent a total of 3,400 pounds all in 48 months installments .  In anticipation of a move to a back 4, I signed 2 fullbacks (the two guys who came on free) . My youth intake players will act as backups. I let our goalkeeper go and promoted one of our intakes to a starting role as I felt that with game time he would develop into a top goalie for this level.

I signed a technically gifted midfielder in Campbell. By technically gifted I mean he has first touch, technique, and passing all above 10  . He has good dribbling and passing as well. He lacks finishing so he'll play in a deeper midfield role. The other paid signing is a speed merchant. He should add something to our strike force despite his lack of technicals.

Tactics

Last season we played a 3-4-2-1 with three centre backs, 2 central midfielders, 2 wingers, two AMCs and one striker. We have moved to a 4-4-1-1, with a 4-4-2-0 strikerless and a 4-4-2 as alternative formations depending on who is available.

I know having two playmakers next to each other is frowned upon but I set them as playmakers to encourage our defenders to find them. The 4 players that play in this two roles have some of the best ratings for first touch and passing so we want them on the ball a lot. Also, the United team that won the champions league in 08 had Carrick and Scholes playing as DLPs. At least that was my interpretation. So this our version of that partnership.

 

I'm starting with 6 TIs; Play out of defense, close down more, pass shorter, work ball into box, stay on feet and prevent goalkeeper distribution. So far in preseason (yes, I'm watching the games now), our attacks tend to come from our deeplying playmaking duo. They exchange passes with themselves and the defenders, then when our wingers or attacking midfielder create space, they they launch passes and good things happen. I haven't instructed the front 4 to roam from positions yet, but I may do that eventually depending on how thing unfolds when the real season begins. I also want to switch the DLP-d to support and DLP-s to AP-S because I feel the dlp-d is too constricted, but I know that could cause other problems defensively. 

I think my team is good enough to go against anybody in Jamaica, but it requires me to micromanage more than any other save. Leaving it to my assistant can be problematic, as we concede a ton of late goals and some of that could be avoided if he doesn't wast esubs early on. 

[kidthekid]

We having turned pro yet and we had about 1.7 million in the bank, but I couldn't help it, I asked for training upgrade since Junior Coaching isn't an option anymore, and youth recruitment (this is pre FM18)  isn't an option...And they obliged. I don't want to ask for youth facilities yet. I feel it's on the lower end of importance for me..ah, what the hell,  couldn't help it, I asked for an upgrade on that too. So we've spend 875,000 pounds on upgrades. That's slightly more than half of what we had in the bank. I hope we make enough money to turn professional soon. I feel like I'll regret the upgrades in the short term. 

 

[noikeee]

Hope this is the tactic your team clicks together with!

I'm not sure I'd have spent the money on facilities, it's tempting of course but the players are so bad either way. Hopefully I'm wrong and you eventually find the footballing equivalent of Bolt. 

[kidthekid]

2020/2021 Season update

We have played 31 games in our 33 game Jamaican premier league and I choose to do my seasonal update now…

First half of the season

 

We started the season against the three best teams and lost all three. The first game we were terrible but the next two could have gone our way. Eventually we went on a good run and then the inevitable collapse happened. After we lost 3-0 to a bad Montego bay team, we were 9th place and far from the top 4 and I knew it was time for a change. I was able to see that our wingers in our 4-4-1-1 formation were not producing much in terms of creating chances or finishing moves.

I sent my scouts to look for 3 star wingers and they came up with nothing. So it was either, change formations or retrain players. I chose the former because I’ve had some bad experiences with retraining players in this save. So this was the result.

 

If you put the DM in the CM strata it becomes similar to the Ancelotti's Christmas tree. So how did the change go..

Second Half of the Season

  

We are a different team. Finishing better, defending better and finally being able to be competitive against the big teams like Waterhouse and Harbour view. Most importantly the comical errors have drastically reduced it, I owe that partly to the addition of a DM but also being able to get better CBs during the window. The key roles are the shadow striker, the roaming playmaker and the wingbacks. In terms of technical ability, the wingbacks are rubbish but they have been decent in their new attacking roles. They have really added a new dimension to our attack. The AM-S role is still hit and miss though.

We are 4th place with two matches to go and are 6 points ahead of 5th place Humble Lions, who we play next. As mentioned, the top 4 go to a playoffs.  So if we can finish in the top 4 we have a chance to win the title...in theory that is. But we need to finish 4th first of all. The fixtures seem almost rigged as we play 5th and 6th to finish the season.

 

[kidthekid]

Week 32

We have an away fixture against Humble Lions who are in 5th place and still with a chance to steal 4th place from us. We have been playing well but so have they, so this should be a cracker…

 

In truth, they were better. Our two goals were wonder goals, a long range free kick and a long range shot. Despite our good run of form, our strikers have started struggling. This does not bode well for us.

As at now, the table looks like this

[kidthekid]

Week 33

All we need is a draw and we are in the playoffs. We play 6^th place and last season’s champions Portmore United. It’ a tough match but it’s a home game, and if we deserve to be in the playoffs, then we should get the result...No excuses

 

We won the game but the goal came from a corner. Portmore had 3 good chances to score and on another day they would have taken them. The shots count and possession count are quite deceiving. Our strikers are struggling and our AM on support is struggling too, no matter who plays the role.

 

For a club that was predicted to finish 10th, this is good stuff.  Anything in the playoffs is a bonus.

[kidthekid]

 

Since we finished 4th, we play first place Harbour view in a two leg affair.  The winner makes it to the final, which is a one game affair.

But no use discussing it, we are not making it past Harbour for two reasons.

Reason number 1: Past meetings 

 

Yep.

Reason number 2: Star player is injured

 

 

He is our best player. Without him we are much weaker. He should be available for the second leg, but I’m not sure what his fitness will be for the game. When he doesn’t play, I change the role from an RPM to CM on support because nobody can do what he does. We are less dynamic, that’s for sure.

[kidthekid]

Jamaican Championship Playoffs: First Leg

First leg of the playoffs and we face the team with the best record. It's at home so we have a chance, albeit a slim one.

 

(Sorry for the cropped out screen but this is part of the many reasons why I'm still on FM15).

We line up in our typical formation, I did change the RPM to CM on support. I always tell my AMCs to mark the fullbacks/wingbacks, so I had to do that before I pressed start. I kept the team mentality on standard which I always do, I only adjust when I feel a need to. Their advanced striker is very pacy so I need to watch for that as I play a fairly high line. I'm watching the game on comprehensive then switch to key if I like what I see. 

[kidthekid]

Jamaican Championship Playoffs: First Leg

First Half

So it's been a fairly even half in terms of possession and shots but we are three nil up. It's nothing about tactics, it's just luck. The first goal was scored by our shadow striker after our right back lofted a pass that got to him. (My right back has a passing of 8). Davidson struck it from a tight angle and it went in.

Second goal: A terrible goalkick by their keeper and it landed straight to our left back. Our left back has 3 for dribbling, but he had acres of space, so he just ran and ran and ran and got to the box, waited for the keeper to follow him and then played a square pass to our striker who tucked it in.

Third goal: A clearance from my team landed into the opponents box, some tugging happened and a penalty was given. Pryce tucked it by firing it down the middle.

 

 

[kidthekid]

Jamaican Championship Playoffs: First Leg

Second Leg

This was a disastrous half. They scored from a well struck shot at the edge of the box 3-1 at the 86th minute, thats ok we can manage a 3-1 lead but no, last kick of the game, a free kick...goal. 3-2.

I gave a harsh team talk, three players were confused, but the rest were motivated. Gotta do some morale control real quick, massage their egos like the great Michael King.

 

 

[kidthekid]

Jamaican Championship Playoffs: Second Leg (Bath FC leads 3-2)

Although we have the lead. Harbour View have 2 away goals. They should be favorites here, but we will try our best. Same formation, same mentality. Hoping for a repeat.

 

 

[kidthekid]

First Half

Harbour View got a goal from an indirect freakick and it's been back and forth. As it stands Harbour view are heading to the final.

 

[kidthekid]

Better side won. No complaints. There was nothing we could do to. If we could have held on to 3-0 maybe we would have had a chance. They dominated us in the air, dominated us in the tackling department. Any chance we got they swarmed and dispossessed our forward players. 

 

Like a great man once said 

[kidthekid]

Cool

Not cool

Also denied my request to turn pro. And it wasn't due to lack of funds but due to not having confidence in me (although their board confidence in me is sky high). I'm going to look out for other jobs, as long as it's Trinidad or Jamaica, the goals of this save remains.

[ManUtd1]

Such enjoyable stuff, as always. Going pro really needs to happen. Stupid board.

(Such wisdom from Drake there, eh?)

[kidthekid]

4 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

Such enjoyable stuff, as always. Going pro really needs to happen. Stupid board.

(Such wisdom from Drake there, eh?)

Thanks. I'm afraid turning pro may not happen even next season as we are now less than a million in terms of finances. Right now the goal is to just maintain until it happens. It's bound to happen eventually..I hope. No more asking for upgrades though.

[kidthekid]