FM19: The English Football League thread

[Dong21]

Thanks @warlock, appreciate your comments. Congrats on your promotion with the Canaries! Looking forward to seeing how your young players get on in the Prem. 

[warlock]

20 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

Hopefully i'll get a save going soon

[torquayfmer]

Through September and October, results below

We've managed to stay in the play off hunt at the moment, but I'm getting concerned by the amount of goals we're conceding. I felt at the start of the season that our defense was quite secure, Lumley I felt was a good signing in goal and I thought we'd really strengthened by bringing in Pinnock. He has missed the last five games through injury which has coincided with the worst of our conceding. but it is definitely something we are going to need to look at. 

Obafemi has now scored seven goals so far this season, and also scored a hat trick on his third cap for Ireland.

I've also been really pleased with Bali Mumba's improvement, and although he isn't our best midfielder, he is starting most games. We seem to play better when he is in the side, so for now he is keeping his place.

[Dwells2015]

20 hours ago, Carlf788 said:

Good news managed to pick up a few wins at last. Head just above water going into January! Thanks to Benrahma stepping up and getting 8 goals in the league. Even Hugill has 4. Jordan Hugill as my main striker in the premier league what was I thinking and shows what I'm up against. I class my defence and keeper as premier league standard though. 

Sold Mephams sell on clause so I have 2m to make a loan signing in attack for the 2nd half of the season. We have a chance..:

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your updates! Hoping you find some helpful form in the league. 

 

Also I have found that when playing with a smaller squad in the PL you can have luck playing counter football at home because teams want to play super attacking against you

[Carlf788]

Thankyou  I will look into that too! To be honest I didn't expect to get promoted at all, never mind season 1, as I have had saves with Leeds and Derby and either got sacked or just ended the save as I was way off the pace. 

Edited May 14, 2019 by Carlf788

[Carlf788]

4 hours ago, Dong21 said:

Thanks @warlock, appreciate your comments. Congrats on your promotion with the Canaries! Looking forward to seeing how your young players get on in the Prem. 

Champions league with Charlton is some going fair play! How did you find the first season in the PL? Seems a lot harder and more realistic now too as I remember past versions of FM I have been able to get 7th/8th first season after promotion now it's a dogfight for 17th which is how it usually is in real life for most clubs 

[BadAss88]

26 minutes ago, Carlf788 said:

Champions league with Charlton is some going fair play! How did you find the first season in the PL? Seems a lot harder and more realistic now too as I remember past versions of FM I have been able to get 7th/8th first season after promotion now it's a dogfight for 17th which is how it usually is in real life for most clubs 

Wolves finished 7th this season.

[Dong21]

Cheers @Carlf788! We did surprisingly well in our first season back in the Premier League, finishing 9th. I think the key to our success was that upon promotion I quickly identified many of the squad were not cut out for the top division and therefore made wholesale changes. I retained key men who took us up such as Cullen, Aribo and Bielik, but added an array of new faces (trying to forget any emotional attachment I had for some of the players!). If I recall correctly I believe we brought over 20 players in and moved over 20 on. I made quite a few free transfer signings in an attempt to make my budget stretch as far as possible. I also looked for bargains in remote leagues such as Romania, making the most of some bargain minimum release fees in some instances. Another thing I did which I would recommend, was completely overhauling the backroom team as we were now able to attract a better calibre of staff.

Good luck for the rest of your season with Brentford! I'm sure you will steer them safely away from the drop zone.

Edited May 14, 2019 by Dong21

[Carlf788]

1 hour ago, BadAss88 said:

Wolves finished 7th this season.

Hence why I said "most"  and to be fair they have different circumstances than the average promoted club 

[Dong21]

Some exciting news on my save - Several years after planning permission was approved, we're finally expanding The Valley!

I'm interested to see if playing our home games at Stamford Bridge for the season will have any impact on our performances.

This investment in infrastructure has been possible due to my tight control of the purse strings at Charlton:

In other good news, the board have also allowed me to aim for Youth Level 1 which should hopefully see a higher quality of young player come through our academy. The youth set up is already showing some promise as my U23 team lifted the Division 3 title last season.

[warlock]

Norwich: Season 2, the Premier League

Life in the top division? Pretty easy, if you ask me .

I'd be happy if we could end the season here. On the upside, we're 3 points closer to the magical 50.

Transfers

The board gave me a pretty generous £40m and, to be honest, I wasn't sure what to do with it. I felt the squad was largely good enough to give us a decent shot at staying up, although there were a couple of issues. Pukki ended the season with just 5 goals from 19 appearances, trained badly every week, and was generally a pain, so he was nailed on for a transfer out. Similarly, Srbeny had a poor season so he was nudged towards the exit. Louis Thompson started the season with a long-term injury and never managed to force his way back into the team. The odd one was Stiepermann - our top scorer and a player I liked, but he was on the radar of a couple of German teams and said he wanted to go home, particularly with European football on offer. So I listed him... and no-one bid, until Fulham popped up. So with no homecoming, and no European football, he went to Fulham  All of which generated an additional £12m.

The one that hurt was Buendia. He seemed happy, won the Championship Player of the Year award and everything was tickety-boo until Leicester bid. I know, I scoffed. But Leicester had finished 7th and were in the qualifying rounds of the Europa Cup. Buendia suddenly decided he couldn't live without European football. I tried everything to talk him out of it, but he wasn't interested so we agreed I'd let him go for £20m and Bayer 04 soon emerged as the favourites. The transfer pot grew substantially larger and I still didn't know what to do with it.

Actually, one thing I did know was that I wanted a new first-choice goalkeeper. Krul eventually settled down and produced some decent performances but I never felt I could rely on him. McGovern's contract was running out and I wasn't inclined to renew a 35-year-old. With Stoke having struggled to avoid relegation in the Championship, Jack Butland was available for £16m so a deal was agreed. Then Stoke were subject to a takeover bid and a transfer embargo killed that. Instead I turned to a player I've signed a lot over recent years: Koln's Timo Horn, a player I know I can rely on.

Second priority was a replacement for the late, lamented Buendia. Here I had the money, but few were interested. Eventually, I settled on another player I know and can count on, Brentford's Said Benrahma, a like-for-like replacement as a right-winger, and for a reasonable £7m.

Rather more perplexing was the issue of right-back. Big-money bids for Aarons hang over us like a sword of Damocles, so I was far from certain he'd be with us for the start of the season. And Passlack's loan expired and Dortmund were not inclined to renew. So the question was, did I sign a strong RB who would become unhappy playing second fiddle to Aarons, or sign a backup and suddenly find myself without a first choice. In the end I opted for another loan, who could fit either role: Everton's Jonjoe Kenny.

Final question: what to do up front? Last season's loan signing Jon Bautista had done reasonably well, with 8 goals in 18 appearances. I had negotiated a transfer fee of £1.4m, but could he step up the PL? Additional complication: Nelson Oliveira returned from loan... could he perform in the PL? I decided to trigger Bautista's option, figuring that at the price I could easily make money if it didn't work. And I was prepared to give Oliveira a shot, but in pre-season his lack of goals and general attitude eventually convinced me we needed another striker. I pondered long and hard over a number of options, including @Jogo Bonito's choice of Cenk Tosun (transfer listed), Brighton's Florin Andone (unhappy and wanting away), and Serb Wonderkid Dejan Loveljic. Had a deal agreed for Joveljic but he couldn't get a work permit. Had an offer in for Andone, but Brighton were playing hardball and wanted more than £28m, which I wasn't prepared to pay. Was almost ready to sign Tosun when one of those random media reports popped up linking us with Napoli striker Roberto Inglese. Don't know the man, I thought, but threw a scout at him anyway. £4.7m later, he's ours and - based on very limited acquaintance - an excellent choice. Two goals on his debut has endeared him to me!

I'd like to say I'm confident, but I'm not. My squad depth and league comparison reports are very worrying. Even worse, the media and the bookies are tipping us for immediate relegation, but the board is demanding a mid-table finish . And if we fail, it'll be my fault because I have £36m left in the transfer budget and I'm not spending it. At least, not until January...

[DefinitelyTaylor]

21 hours ago, torquayfmer said:

We've managed to stay in the play off hunt at the moment, but I'm getting concerned by the amount of goals we're conceding.

A lot of high-scoring games recently. Luckily, you've been able to out-score your opposition recently, but this won't happen forever - you'd imagine. Hopefully the defence can tighten up without effecting the number of goals you've scored going forward.

15 hours ago, Dong21 said:

Some exciting news on my save - Several years after planning permission was approved, we're finally expanding The Valley!

Great news! I hope you don't suffer too many issues with the temporary move to Stamford Bridge. I can see it being a hurdle you'll need to overcome, but one that you could manage. Pleased to hear about the increase to the youth too. You're setting up incredibly well for a strong push in the league and in Europe this season.

11 hours ago, warlock said:

Life in the top division? Pretty easy, if you ask me .

 Great start! They do say to start as you mean to go on...  Quite an interesting summer you've described there. Buendia will be a huge miss, but for such a hefty fee there is a positive - despite the fact you're losing a quality player. It's also better to let him go rather than keep him around against his will, causing discontent to run rife in the dressing room. Good money made on Pukki too, given the situations around him. Some gambles made on the likes of Bautista - can he make the step up, for example and Inglese. The latter is someone I'm familiar with and he's off to a good start with two goals to his name on the opening day. Kenny is a young player, but has experience at this level - plus to get someone of his quality in on loan is always a plus. Horn and Benrahma should provide the goods and for such small fees, I think could prove to be valuable assets down the line. 

Should be a cracking season at Carrow Road.

[smplfc123]

Great start there @warlock I prefer doing what you did there and not just spending it for the sake of it though. I see some people bringing in 10-12 players, I wouldn't be able to cope with all of that 

I've finally picked a Championship club to go, will get an update up soon.

[Carlf788]

17 hours ago, warlock said:

Norwich: Season 2, the Premier League

Life in the top division? Pretty easy, if you ask me .

I'd be happy if we could end the season here. On the upside, we're 3 points closer to the magical 50.

Transfers

The board gave me a pretty generous £40m and, to be honest, I wasn't sure what to do with it. I felt the squad was largely good enough to give us a decent shot at staying up, although there were a couple of issues. Pukki ended the season with just 5 goals from 19 appearances, trained badly every week, and was generally a pain, so he was nailed on for a transfer out. Similarly, Srbeny had a poor season so he was nudged towards the exit. Louis Thompson started the season with a long-term injury and never managed to force his way back into the team. The odd one was Stiepermann - our top scorer and a player I liked, but he was on the radar of a couple of German teams and said he wanted to go home, particularly with European football on offer. So I listed him... and no-one bid, until Fulham popped up. So with no homecoming, and no European football, he went to Fulham  All of which generated an additional £12m.

The one that hurt was Buendia. He seemed happy, won the Championship Player of the Year award and everything was tickety-boo until Leicester bid. I know, I scoffed. But Leicester had finished 7th and were in the qualifying rounds of the Europa Cup. Buendia suddenly decided he couldn't live without European football. I tried everything to talk him out of it, but he wasn't interested so we agreed I'd let him go for £20m and Bayer 04 soon emerged as the favourites. The transfer pot grew substantially larger and I still didn't know what to do with it.

Actually, one thing I did know was that I wanted a new first-choice goalkeeper. Krul eventually settled down and produced some decent performances but I never felt I could rely on him. McGovern's contract was running out and I wasn't inclined to renew a 35-year-old. With Stoke having struggled to avoid relegation in the Championship, Jack Butland was available for £16m so a deal was agreed. Then Stoke were subject to a takeover bid and a transfer embargo killed that. Instead I turned to a player I've signed a lot over recent years: Koln's Timo Horn, a player I know I can rely on.

Second priority was a replacement for the late, lamented Buendia. Here I had the money, but few were interested. Eventually, I settled on another player I know and can count on, Brentford's Said Benrahma, a like-for-like replacement as a right-winger, and for a reasonable £7m.

Rather more perplexing was the issue of right-back. Big-money bids for Aarons hang over us like a sword of Damocles, so I was far from certain he'd be with us for the start of the season. And Passlack's loan expired and Dortmund were not inclined to renew. So the question was, did I sign a strong RB who would become unhappy playing second fiddle to Aarons, or sign a backup and suddenly find myself without a first choice. In the end I opted for another loan, who could fit either role: Everton's Jonjoe Kenny.

Final question: what to do up front? Last season's loan signing Jon Bautista had done reasonably well, with 8 goals in 18 appearances. I had negotiated a transfer fee of £1.4m, but could he step up the PL? Additional complication: Nelson Oliveira returned from loan... could he perform in the PL? I decided to trigger Bautista's option, figuring that at the price I could easily make money if it didn't work. And I was prepared to give Oliveira a shot, but in pre-season his lack of goals and general attitude eventually convinced me we needed another striker. I pondered long and hard over a number of options, including @Jogo Bonito's choice of Cenk Tosun (transfer listed), Brighton's Florin Andone (unhappy and wanting away), and Serb Wonderkid Dejan Loveljic. Had a deal agreed for Joveljic but he couldn't get a work permit. Had an offer in for Andone, but Brighton were playing hardball and wanted more than £28m, which I wasn't prepared to pay. Was almost ready to sign Tosun when one of those random media reports popped up linking us with Napoli striker Roberto Inglese. Don't know the man, I thought, but threw a scout at him anyway. £4.7m later, he's ours and - based on very limited acquaintance - an excellent choice. Two goals on his debut has endeared him to me!

I'd like to say I'm confident, but I'm not. My squad depth and league comparison reports are very worrying. Even worse, the media and the bookies are tipping us for immediate relegation, but the board is demanding a mid-table finish . And if we fail, it'll be my fault because I have £36m left in the transfer budget and I'm not spending it. At least, not until January...

Benrahma eh! How is he doing? How are you finding scoring goals in the PL? Benrahma is the only reason I have my head above water in January.

I feel similar to how Newcastle were in January in real life. Solid defence and defensive midfielders just not much in attack. 

That's my current first 11 in January with the window just opening, my keeper and defence I would be happy with for the next few seasons, same as the 2 holding midfielders. I'm hoping to get Demarai gray and a striker on loan which hopefully should be a game changer 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by Carlf788

[warlock]

1 minute ago, Carlf788 said:

Benrahma eh! How is he doing?

Haven't played much today so too early to tell. 

3 minutes ago, Carlf788 said:

olid defence and defensive midfielders just not much in attack

For a first season in the top flight that's probably the right approach, I think. For easier games you could try pushing one of the DMs to CM and unleash Longstaff a bit for more attacking threat.

[Carlf788]

look forward to seeing how he does as he's been the key player for me. Yeah I agree to build from the back. The keeper I got for 1m and he's 20 year old but a great prospect, Badashille was 8m from Monaco and is only 18, Konsa is a PL standard centre half and wanted by Everton and Rico Henry is a good left back, 2 solid DMs too.

So yeah just that attack needing work, just got aphonso Davies on loan from Bayern and Isak on loan from Dortmund so hopefully they get us over the line. Hope we stay up as we move in our new stadium at the end of this season and with another seasons PL money I think we will have a decent team next year 

just had a right bonus too Brighton just gave me 12m for Ollie Watkins who has done nothing all season and is a championship player so I can get better than him for 14m that I now have to spend. Isak and Aphonso Davies arrived on loan and 10m on Daniel James from Swansea for some pace in attack, think I might be ok now with these 3 

Edited May 15, 2019 by Carlf788

[Carlf788]

Absolubtely massive result. First away win of the season and Benrahma saving us again and moving into double figures in the premier league. Crucial 6 pointer needed that 

 

 

[Carlf788]

[smplfc123]

Good going @Carlf788, hopefully you can keep your head above water. Keen to see how young James does for you.

[Jogo Bonito]

Swansea City Season 2 (December 2018 - May 2019)

As December came, my side was out of the drop zone after a four match unbeaten run

A heavy defeat at Southampton reminded me that I still had a battle on my hands, but the rest of the month wasn't bad at all

The only other loss was a stoppage time defeat at Old Trafford, and I earned vital  wins over Newcastle (away) and West Brom

But then January came, and I decided no new players would be coming in

And the boys repaid me handsomely for my loyalty with five straight defeats, including four in the league

Let's just say that wasn't the best month I had ever experienced...

February saw that run of losses extend to six, but a credible draw at home to Tottenham stopped the rot and lifted spirits somewhat

Narrow wins in the next two were important, and I even managed to grab an unexpected point away to Man City 

The run of four unbeaten had kept my team safely out of trouble, and a short March schedule saw another three games unbeaten

The massive improvement had been in defence, with the goals against column drastically better than it had been before

The lack of goals didn't concern me too much, although my ace marksman Cenk Tosun suddenly stopped scoring

In fact, he had gone 11 fixtures without a goal before ending April on a high with an 87th minute winner over Newcastle

That month had seen just one defeat (a poor one at Brighton ending a nine game unbeaten streak)

By then I had accumulated enough points to guarantee safety, and I was pushing myself up towards mid-table

Two more unbeaten games in May finished the season off nicely, and I edged in to 12th with a late winner over Man Utd on the last day

One defeat in the last 13 league games was a staggering improvement on what had gone before, and I was delighted with my progress 

The final league table is below, and shows fairly good home form balancing out an expected poor return on the road

Seeing how the other two promoted sides (Leeds and West Brom) had done, I couldn't be happier with the season overall

Eventually, club finances improved and the club is now healthy again and in a position to establish itself in the top tier again

The player stats are as below, with Tosun and Harry Wilson the pick of the bunch

Not included here are Nathan Dyer (who only played at U23 level this season) and Jamal Lowe who played only twice early in the term

Lowe had done well in his first season, but was never at Wilson's level and I sold him to Reading for £2.5m in January

Another name, not appearing is Che Adams, my £9m signing from Birmingham in January 2019

He had only scored twice on the way to promotion, and as such was my third choice striker for the PL campaign

A couple of poor cameos from the bench in the autumn reminded me of his level, and he skipped training about six times too

I repeatedly fined him, but despite a good goal return for the U23 team, he was never going to win me over

I couldn't sell him in January, but have a £6.5m sale to Burnley agreed for June and I'm lucky to get that for him

The board have given me a £49m transfer budget for the following season, but I'm weary of the PL and will be ending this journey here

Swansea is a great club to manage (with some great ethos opportunities), but I just don't enjoy the PL survival battle too much

I couldn't deliberately take them down, but I decided I would only continue if I had been relegated (and kept on of course)

Thanks for following the adventures of Jack Army, it's been a successful time there for me

 

[Jogo Bonito]

Some great updates from everybody in the last week or so, it's been enjoyable to read them all.

Promotions at Brentford and Norwich (well done @Carlf788 and @warlock) plus excellent work by @torquayfmer too. Apologies if I missed anybody as there is so much activity in here, but I'll end with a special word for a superb season by our old friend @Dong21 with Charlton. Your durability there is exceptional and you deserve every success you get with The Addicks.

I look forward to seeing more as the real season draws to a close, and even @smplfc123 claims to be 'back in the game' so that will be an interesting read after your excellent efforts at QPR.

 

[torquayfmer]

Great work @Jogo Bonito, what an end to the season and to finish the season where you have especially in comparison to Leeds and WBA as you said is brilliant.

Look forward to your next adventure 

[DefinitelyTaylor]

2 hours ago, Carlf788 said:

Tight! But that win against Villa was huge. A six pointer, indeed!

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

The board have given me a £49m transfer budget for the following season, but I'm weary of the PL and will be ending this journey here

I can understand that decision. You enjoyed a fantastic season with the Swans in the end, with a great run towards the back end of the season. Looking forward to seeing who will be your next challenge. I enjoy each one very much! 

Edited May 15, 2019 by DefinitelyTaylor

[smplfc123]

Congratulations on an excellent save @Jogo Bonito 

I look forward to seeing where your next challenge takes you.

[Jogo Bonito]

58 minutes ago, torquayfmer said:

Great work @Jogo Bonito, what an end to the season and to finish the season where you have especially in comparison to Leeds and WBA as you said is brilliant.

Look forward to your next adventure 

Thanks for that, and keep up the good work yourself!

48 minutes ago, DefinitelyTaylor said:

I can understand that decision. You enjoyed a fantastic season with the Swans in the end, with a great run towards the back end of the season. Looking forward to seeing who will be your next challenge. I enjoy each one very much! 

Thanks very much. Maybe I will see you at Roots Hall...but in which dugout

49 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

Congratulations on an excellent save @Jogo Bonito 

I look forward to seeing where your next challenge takes you.

Thanks very much, I'm looking forward to your next adventure too. In fact I might just delay my choice until I see where you end up.

[warlock]

3 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

it's been a successful time there for me

Yes, indeed . That's a very solid return to the Premiership. And certainly makes me wish I'd signed Tosun when I had the chance . Ayoze would have been a useful addition, too, but he'd already moved to Turkey back in January. I'll point a scout at Daniel James as well.

Hope to see you back soon!

[Carlf788]

Yeah top work @Jogo Bonito

i know what you mean about the PL getting tiring as if you aren't one of the top 6 it's just so hard to get anywhere!

i got relegated with my Brentford team last night, the squad just wasn't ready for PL and with only 30m to spend our attack was just too weak. We were solid at the back but as soon as I tried to open up or go attacking we got demolished. I was drawing 0-0 at home to Reading  at half time with 8 games left, I didn't want to settle for a point and go down wondering so I went for it and got beat 4-5 in the second half then I had a hard run of games to end the season and went down in 18th with 30pts. 

I don't know what to do now, we have a good team for the championship and a 30m budget but I don't know if I have the will to do it all again. I turned down a 1 year deal to take over Everton.

[torquayfmer]

Our form hasn't got un-noticed this season and following my assistant manager David Weir leaving to become Peterborough's new manager, I got this offer.

Jobs not done yet though, and I'm determined to get Sunderland back to the Premier League, so it's been turned down for now.

Edited May 16, 2019 by torquayfmer

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Carlf788 said:

i got relegated with my Brentford team

Tough one. I've said many times that it's easier to keep going when you can see some progress; much harder when you're faced with repeating a large part of the process. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[torquayfmer]

3 hours ago, Carlf788 said:

Yeah top work @Jogo Bonito

i know what you mean about the PL getting tiring as if you aren't one of the top 6 it's just so hard to get anywhere!

i got relegated with my Brentford team last night, the squad just wasn't ready for PL and with only 30m to spend our attack was just too weak. We were solid at the back but as soon as I tried to open up or go attacking we got demolished. I was drawing 0-0 at home to Reading  at half time with 8 games left, I didn't want to settle for a point and go down wondering so I went for it and got beat 4-5 in the second half then I had a hard run of games to end the season and went down in 18th with 30pts. 

I don't know what to do now, we have a good team for the championship and a 30m budget but I don't know if I have the will to do it all again. I turned down a 1 year deal to take over Everton.

Best of luck in your next journey, whatever that may be. Are you thinking of another Championship side if you start again, or go lower down the leagues?

[Carlf788]

Thanks yeah just we came up too soon and the attack was too weak. I would only leave for a PL job I think as we have one of the biggest budgets and best squads in the championship next season so I don't see the point in leaving to a championship team 

I will probably start the season as Brentford try to go back up and keep an eye on the job centre 

[torquayfmer]

So we've just got through January, and right near the end of the window we had a £5m bid for Bryan Oviedo. He's been pretty good for us last season and this season, but he's 29 and I think I would have looked to replace him in the summer anyway. I decided to accept the offer from Nottingham Forest, feeling I'd be able to get in one of my targeted replacements that I had on my shortlist, or failing that, we had Reece James as back up who had always performed well enough, so I would have been happy with him until the end of the season if need be. 

Well, my plan backfired and after having a bid rejected for Rico Henry of Brentford, I finally had an offer for Lloyd Kelly from Bristol City accepted for just over £6.5m. Only problem was, I hadn't checked my transfer budget correctly and it was going to cost £200k too much!

Oviedo was now gone, and to really complete the failure, Reece James picked up a training injury and is out for 3/4 months. I couldn't find another replacement in time and I've ended up signing Nottingham Forest's back up left back, a Norwegian called Jonathan Parr, on loan until the end of the season to cover!

[warlock]

Norwich; Season 2, December

Coming up on the halfway point of the season and can't be anything but delighted with the way things have gone so far:

Yes, a pretty mixed bag of results, but closer inspection reveals that we've only lost against Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City and Man Utd, and managed to nick an incredible win against Chelsea. We've struggled a little for goals - especially from the strikers - but picked up enough from other areas to make up the difference.

We sit, proudly, in 7th position. There are a couple of weak spots in the squad. Gomes has struggled to cope with life in the Premier League, while the ageing Tettey is pretty much done. Everton loanee Kenny isn't up to the standard and will probably join Gomes in returning to their respective clubs in January. Standout performers include wingers Benrahma and Wildschut, who have 4 goals each, and Xadas who holds the leading scorer slot with 5. In defence, everyone has been stellar but Klose has really upped his game this season. Pinnock and Okore are doing well; club captain Grant Hanley has been the weakest link. A couple of error-filled games apart, Aarons has been brilliant and his value is now up to £21m.

I'll be away for a long weekend, so no further progress until Monday. Hope you all have a good one!

[Carlf788]

Some going that 30pts already! Think I got that all season with Brentford in the PL ha ha. Yeah goals seem hard to come by in the PL. Would like to see your first 11 on Monday 

[Carlf788]

Brentford update

So after getting relegated from the PL in May 2020 I have decided to carry on with Brentford in the championship. The main reason been the budget and squad that we now have as well as moving into our new stadium!  I have made some good transfers over the summer and I'm feeling very confident of getting top 2 again even though the bookies predict us to finish 6th. 

Only lost Rico Henry for 5m to Burnley and Ben Godfrey to Fulham for 7m as they both had relegation clauses so that give me 50m to play with to add to an already good team at championship level.

in came Ayoze Perez, Jese, lys Mousett, Bryan Oviedo, Tyrone Mings, Douglas Luiz, Jack Harrison, Oli Mcburnie and Jack Butland for a combined 25m. I already had class championship players like Jonathon Hogg and Daniel James. 

The squad is looking very solid indeed so fingers crossed we go back up and then we will be in a lot better place to stay up in the PL next season. 

Edited May 17, 2019 by Carlf788

[Carlf788]

We are primed for a  promotion push, I had 20m left over so I just signed the best striker in the league Rondon for 18m! Surely I cant fail to get top 2 with this team and the options off the bench in attack too.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2019 by Carlf788

[Dwells2015]

59 minutes ago, Carlf788 said:

We are primed for a  promotion push, I had 20m left over so I just signed the best striker in the league Rondon for 18m! Surely I cant fail to get top 2 with this team and the options off the bench in attack too.

 

 

Still one of my favorite reads on the whole site. 

[Carlf788]

Too kind! Definitley the most enjoyable save I have had in a long time though.

Really solid keeper,defence and midfield even for PL level i reckon so IF I go up I reckon I will fare loads better than coming 18th last time. Lot more quality up front than before already and should have 50m or so to spend on a couple of attackers. This could develop into a long term save as Brentford and to think i was close to leaving after relegation. I think the ups and downs have been whats made it

Edited May 17, 2019 by Carlf788

[torquayfmer]

@warlock Great going so far and you'd think with a 23pt gap between you and the relegation places you're probably already safe. Keep going the way you are and you'll push for a European spot I'm sure.

@Carlf788 Good transfers and hopefully money well spent. I can't see anything other than promotion straight back for you, good luck!

[Carlf788]

He is having a stormer for season 1 in the PL

 

Thanks! Yeah we are flying 14 games unbeaten and 3 points clear in mid November. Having an 18m striker in the championship I'd be embarrased if I never went up ha ha especially with the rest of the squad, Jese and James are on fire on the wing too. We barely concede a goal either such a solid settled defence and defensive mids and so many options in attack.

I just signed a new 3 year deal and we are getting 17k sell outs in the new stadium with the youth facilities getting upgraded. Good times ahead I feel. I think that's why I wasn't too bothered about relegation as I knew the squad wasn't ready for PL and we could go down and use the parachute money to come back stronger.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Carlf788

[torquayfmer]

It's going to be an interesting last three games for us at Sunderland.

We're currently sitting at third in the table, six points behind Bristol City in second, but we've got to play them in the second to last game and a win there could put us right back in contention. If not, it is looking like the play offs for us.

[Carlf788]

Exciting end to the season! What form are you in? I've never played in the playoffs I would be so tense! 

[torquayfmer]

The last five games have gone pretty well, apart from the goals conceded against Norwich where we really should have won the game. We've been a bit up and down all season though, going through stages as above but at one stage we didn't win for over six games. 

Never done the play offs either so I'm hoping that we can win all of the last three and if Bristol City slip up in one of theirs then automatic promotion is still on.

We hit some really poor form in December and I had to make a couple of loan signings in January, Trevor Chalobah came in at centre back, and he's been really good providing cover across the back line and in defensive midfield. We also brought in Kelechi Iheanacho, who I think has really made the difference. Lyle Taylor and Obafemi have been good, but Kelechi is real quality for this league and his ability to pop up with a goal in what could be his only attempt all game has really helped us.

[torquayfmer]

Well, that's the dream over. Just got beaten 3-1 by Blackburn and Bristol City won, going 9pts ahead. No catching them now, but the play offs are all to play for. Just got to make sure we stay in the right place in the last two games!

[torquayfmer]

Made it into the play offs with a last game win against Reading having dropped outside the play offs following a 1-1 draw with Bristol City. We're now facing Blackburn, and while they beat us a few games back, I'm confident we can get through.

[Jogo Bonito]

@warlock A superb start to your PL season with Norwich, streets ahead of how I adjusted to top flight football with Swansea. European football potentially? Let's be 'avin you

@torquayfmer Very unlucky in the end, but a great season. Good luck in the SF against Blackburn

@Carlf788 Well done for continuing at Brentford. That's a cracking squad now with Rondon and the others, so when (not if) you go up, you'll have a great chance of survival. Keep up the good work  

[torquayfmer]

End of season review

We managed to beat Blackburn on penalties, and we got through to play Preston in the play off final at Wembley.

And we did it! A fantastic performance, my front three showing that they're really too good for this league and taking us up to the promised land!

Our initial budgets were set immediately after the win, and £38m should get us in the players we need to give us a chance against relegation next season.

Squad review

Lumley and Norris will stay as my two goalkeepers for next season, unless I get an offer I can't refuse from Brighton, who are interested in Lumley. Norris joined in January from Wolves for less than £100k and is happy as backup, after we sold the unhappy McLaughlin to MIlwall for £1m.

Pask, Parr and Chalobah will all return to their parent clubs next season and I'm not interested in signing any of them either permanently or to rejoin next season on loan. Jack Baldwin, Tom Flanagan and Reece James are likely to leave, although I don't mind James staying as a back up left back. Whatmough has interest from three Premier League clubs but I'll be looking to keep him as well. We'll be after a new left back, right back and centre back in the summer.

In midfield we are also likely to see a couple of departures, with Power and Honeyman not really up to Premier League standard, with Honeyman currently unhappy with his lack of playing time and looking for a move anyway. We'll need to strengthen, especially cover for Godfrey, but this could come in the form of a loan.

In attack, we will also see the departures of loan players Obafemi, Iheanacho and Chong. Obafemi won't be rejoining as I don't think he'll quite cut it in the Premier League, Iheanacho I'd be interested in looking at if I could get him cheap enough and Chong I will definitely be trying to sign on a loan deal again. Will Grigg will also leave having not played a game this season and Lyle Taylor is also likely to go as again, I don't think he'll cut it in the Premier League. Watkins has interest in him but I'm looking to keep hold of him. We definitely need to strengthen up top.

Goalscorers this season. Chong was brilliant and really effective from the right wing cutting inside.

Also some great ratings across the season, with a note on 18yr Old Bali Mumba, who has been brilliant, scoring 10 goals and getting 7 assists.

He's really improved well and I'm expecting offers for him this summer.

[Jogo Bonito]

@torquayfmer Congratulations! I think you may find £38m doesn't go too far when searching for PL quality, and it sounds like you have plenty of gaps to fill. I intended to say before, Iheanacho was a great signing - he could be very useful to you next season if you can get him back.

[Dong21]

On 15/05/2019 at 12:20, DefinitelyTaylor said:

Great news! I hope you don't suffer too many issues with the temporary move to Stamford Bridge. I can see it being a hurdle you'll need to overcome, but one that you could manage. Pleased to hear about the increase to the youth too. You're setting up incredibly well for a strong push in the league and in Europe this season.

Cheers @DefinitelyTaylor! I'm juggling managing Charlton with managing England and I have both the Nations League Finals and the Confederation Cup this summer so it might take me even longer than usual to post an update about how we get on at Stamford Bridge!

On 15/05/2019 at 19:57, Jogo Bonito said:

I'll end with a special word for a superb season by our old friend @Dong21 with Charlton. Your durability there is exceptional and you deserve every success you get with The Addicks.

Thanks @Jogo Bonito, very kind of you. I sometimes wonder if I am mad persevering with the same club I started with when the game was released, but I get such a lot of satisfaction building a club up over time that it's hard to move on!

Great work with Swansea - although, knowing how you feel about managing in the Premier League, as soon as I saw how well you had done I knew you would be moving on to pastures new!

@warlock What a terrific start to life in the Premier League! Looking forward to hearing  how the rest of the season goes, when you return from your long weekend away.

@Carlf788 Looks like you have done a good rebuild of the squad there. Particularly intrigued to see how James gets on for you.

@torquayfmer Congrats on your promotion. Great to see Chong doing the business for you too.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Dong21

[torquayfmer]

@Jogo Bonito Completely agree having had a look around. Going to have to try and find some real bargains to be able to strengthen to the level required.