[FM19] Kafra FC - 2019 Edition (Youth Only in England)

[abulezz]

Our first England international, Mr. Terry Howell!

[abulezz]

Look at this kid:

[The_Gato_In_Goal]

1 hour ago, abulezz said:

Look at this kid:

That's a very very good 15 year old. Depending on how long this save goes, you could try to hit 1,000 appearances with him or score as many goals as possible.

[Torminator]

Wow, now thats what we call a hot prospect. Thats going the be the GK for many years to come. 

Be carefull though i once had a youth prospect come through fully developed ( i checked with scouting tool). 

Edited January 3, 2019 by Torminator

[abulezz]

3 hours ago, The_Gato_In_Goal said:

That's a very very good 15 year old. Depending on how long this save goes, you could try to hit 1,000 appearances with him or score as many goals as possible.

If he develops properly, he could end up being one of the best GKs in the world.  1,000 Appearances is not far-fetched with this kid.

 

3 hours ago, Torminator said:

Wow, now thats what we call a hot prospect. Thats going the be the GK for many years to come. 

Be carefull though i once had a youth prospect come through fully developed ( i checked with scouting tool). 

He's already developed slightly in the past few months, so hopefully he is one of those prospects that comes in with great skills and ends up being an all-timer.  I've already put him in the starting lineup in place of Lalite (tough decision), so I am giving all the minutes and experience he can get to help him develop quick. 

[abulezz]

 

SEASON REVIEW 2032/2033

 

 

TEAM REVIEW

We improved one spot in our second year in the Premier League, but it did not feel like we did better – overall, most of my team regressed in terms of form, especially defensively.  We were the worst ranked defensive team in the PL (no surprise), and we had a -16 Goal Difference.  Even offensively we struggled somewhat this season, being ranked only the 9^th best team on offense.  Given how we took steps back individually as players, we could be considered to have overachieved this year as a team.  The good news is, we have an outstanding GK prospect that came up this year that could potentially improve our defense just by himself.  He already has better attributes at 15 than our starting GK does at 27, so I am excited about that.  We also advanced to the 5^th Round in the FA Cup for the first time in our history, so despite our struggles internally, we managed to record our highest finish in the PL (13^th) and highest finish in the FA Cup in our history.

 

Our finances are beyond comfortable, so much so that when the board finally made a decision on a stadium, it was nearly full funded by our own money.  The Kafra FC Stadium (thank god it wasn’t named after one of my players) will be a juggernaut – it will seat nearly 52,000 people when it is completed in 2035.  We also improved our Youth Level from Cat 4 to Cat 3 this season, which will hopefully aid in improving the players coming in through the system.  Also, this coming summer we will bid goodbye to our GOAT so far in this save – Lewis Hodges will not get his contract renewed and will attempt to play the twilight of his career somewhere he can get meaningful minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY PLAYERS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ricardo Marques (2030), 19 Years Old, Left Winger: Marques surprised me this season, taking major steps towards becoming a top PL player and winning the hearts of our fans.  In 35 Appearances, he registered 15 Goals, 8 Assists, 5 PoMs, 1.20 TpG, 1.62 DpG, 58% Shot Target, and 7.19 AR – his 41 Key Passes and 14 Chances Created were amongst the top of the league.  This was his third year as our starter, and he has steadily improved throughout where he reached the point he won his first Kafra Player of the Year.  He has been given the “Wonderkid” description and has earned a few caps with the England U21 squad.  I am impressed with his work ethic, and his continuous improvement has contributed immensely to his impressive betterment in form. 

 

 

DEFENSE

Rhys Lalite (2022), 27 Years Old, Goalkeeper: Lalite was replaced in the starting lineup after 10 and ½ years by young prospect Taylor in March, and thus came the end to one of our most important players’ run with us.  Even though Lalite was playing fine, as I suggested last year, I was starting to get the sense that we needed someone of more talent between the posts.  He did play in 24 Games, registering 6.91 AR, which is right around his career average of 6.93 AR.  Taylor at 15 years old is already more talented than Lalite is now, so it would be a crime not to try to give him as much experience as necessary.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

Steven Smith (2028), 21 Years Old, Central Defender: This was a confusing season from Smith – on one hand, he led the PL in Interceptions (173), Key Headers (111), and Shots Blocked (88), while also ranking 6^th in     Headers Won Ratio (85%).  On the other hand, he registered only 0.89 TpG and 6.79 AR (down from 6.91 AR) while playing in all 38 Games.  He was undoubtedly more inconsistent this year, but he still showed up in the important moments.  Still, the expectation was to improve in our second year in the PL, not regress, so the hope is he will do better next year.  [Rating: 6/10[/b]

 

Adam Laing (2025), 24 Years Old, Central Defender: While Smith regressed, our other CD – Irishman Laing – improved.  For the third straight year, he played in every game – in 38 Appearances, he registered 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 3 PoMs, 1.27 TpG, 6.81 AR, 69 Key Headers (9^th in PL), 133 Interceptions (7^th in PL), and 61 Shots Blocked (2^nd in PL).  Arguably, he was even more important to our relatively useless defensive line than Smith was this season, which his perhaps why we were the worst defensive team in the league.  Overall, given his talent level, I would say this was a good season from Laing.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

 

MIDFIELD

Terry Howell (2027), 22 Years Old, Central Midfield/Left Defender: Our first England international, he ended the season having earned 4 Caps, although this was definitely a worse season than last for him.  In 37 Appearances, he registered 2 Goals (down from 6), 2 Assists (down from 7), 1.66 TpG (down from 2.35), 84% Pass Ratio, and 6.89 AR (down from 7.11 AR).  Overall, save for his efficiency in passing, he produced significantly lower numbers than our first year in the PL, which is important because we are very reliant on him in the midfield.  Here is my dilemma: he is naturally a left-back, and even in the England set-up, that is where he plays.  He has played at CM out of necessity for me, but given that our defense needs as much help as it can get, and he is quite a bit better than our current starting left-back Ryan Jones, I have been asking myself if I should give him a try there and see what I can organize in the middle of the pitch.  Something to think about going into next season.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

 

ATTACK

Curtis Slone (2028), 21 Years Old, Striker: After setting the world on fire last year, winning the U21 World Footballer of the Year, Slone softly came back down to earth – he didn’t play bad, but it was not at the same level.  In 38 Appearances, he registered 19 Goals, 4 Assists, 2 PoMs, 76% Pass Ratio, 60% Shot Target, and 6.93 AR, down from 7.31 AR last year.  The three-time Kafra Player of the Year found it more difficult this season in terms of consistency, and there were some games where he was nearly invisible.  That being said, he is still the best striker we have, and is still considered the best prospect the Kafra Youth Academy has delivered to us by myself.  I am looking forward to a better season next year.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

Dan Demby (2027), 22 Years Old, Striker: Again playing in 38 Games, Demby registered 17 Goals, 7 Assists, 80% Pass Ratio, 59% Shot Target, and 6.97 AR – his Assists were down but his scoring remained the same.  Generally, the whole team struggled individually this season with a few exceptions, and Demby felt that, as well.  Overall, however, I cannot ask any more from him than what he is already delivering – he has been one of the durable and consistent members of the squad, and his grown in importance with every passing season.  Rating: 7/10

 

 

HOT PROSPECTS

Josh Vincent (2030), 19 Years Old, Central Midfield: My staff still have him rated at 5/5 PA, but I am starting to have my doubts – he his just not developing in the speed that I would have hoped.  This was his second year as a starter for us, and in 34 Appearances, he registered 2 Goals, 2.06 TpG, 84% Pass Ratio, and 6.79 AR.  While his passing efficiency is good, his lack of Assists and relatively low number of Chances Created and Key Passes is a little bit worrying.  I need more from the youngster, and he needs to show me more not only on the pitch, but also in training. 

 

Harvey Nicholls (2030), 19 Years Old, Goalkeeper: With the emergence of Aaron Taylor, the hopes of Nicholls managing to fight his way into the No.1 position have all but effectively been dashed.  He made his debut for the club this season, playing in 5 Games and registering 7.04 AR, and my staff still maintain his 5/5 PA rating, so the potential is there and he proved he could play in the PL, as well.  As long as Taylor is injury-free and at the club, however, there is no chance of Nicholls unseating him – the best he can hope for is to maintain that No.2 position, and I am not sure that is something he wants to do long term.   

 

Emeka Umeh (2031), 18 Years Old, Striker: He spent the year on loan with Blackpool in the Vanarama National, scoring 9 Goals in 27 Appearances.  His rating is 4.5/5 PA, and my staff think he is potentially a PL level striker.  I personally think that isn’t the case, but I like his aerial ability and he could prove useful to me in the rotation in a couple of years. 

 

Dennis Duncan (2031), 17 Years Old, Right Winger: Duncan is the most polarizing player currently in the lineup – although they switched his PA rating from 4/5 to 4.5/5, my staff still advises me to switch him from the starting lineup as they believe we have more ready players.  I believe Duncan has the look of a star – he will only be 18 years old at the start of next season and already has two seasons as a starter for us under his belt.  In 38 Appearances, he registered 3 Goals, 15 Assists (2^nd in PL), 1.21 TpG, 76% Pass Ratio, 1.11 DpG, 12 Chances Created, 46 Key Passes (Best on team), and 6.87 AR.  Those are some very complete numbers for such a young player – the only thing that he has to continue to work on is his consistency.  His performance in training has been equally impressive – he has shown significant improvement over the past couple of years, especially in his Physical abilities.  I love me an underdog, and Duncan personifies that, so I really want him to make it. 

 

Micky Najia (2031), 17 Years Old, Central Defender: Yet to make his debut, Najia came up from the Youth Academy with 3.5/5 PA – today, it stands at 5/5 PA.  He has shown great improvement in his attributes, and he is in line to make his debut next season and prove to me that he has what it takes.  He has all the right skill-set to be a successful CD, now it is all about how hard he wants to work for it. 

 

Matthew Vincent (2032), 17 Years Old, Left Winger: I am a little bit confused thus far with Vincent – his PA went up from 4/5 to 4.5/5, but his performances have been a real disaster.  He played in 12 Games this season (4 Starts) but was terrible in all – his 6.53 AR is probably being too kind on him.  Nevertheless, he is still very young, and he has shown good attribute improvement, so he will continue to be closely monitored. 

 

 

 

IMPORTANT PLAYERS LEAVING/RETIRING

Lewis Hodges – Career – Biography: Much of the success in the club’s formative is owed to this man – our captain from the late 2010s to the early 2030s, he was also our undisputed best player, as proven by his 10 Kafra Player of the Year awards, 7 of which came consecutively between the years of 2023 and 2029.  This is a player that made appearances for us from the Vanarama South all the way to the Premier League – granted, he was already replaced in the starting lineup by the time we got to the PL, but he still featured in a few games.  Before the 2030/31 season, Hodges never played in less than 40 Leagues Games – that is 13 years of durability, which led to him appearing in 571 League Games, in which he scored 338 League Goals.  His 7.21 AR is the best any Kafra player has recorded over the course of his career thus far, and for seven straight years from 2019/20 until 2025/26, he registered 10 or more Assists.  He was complete a striker as one could ask for, and he leaves the club having been crowned the Vanarama National Player of the Year, the Vanarama National, League One, and League Two Top Goalscorer, and Kafra’s greatest player of all-time. 

 

Mike Rigby – Career: Although the CD has not featured for us in the three years, we can’t forget his importance in our defensive line from the mid-2020s to the late 2020s.  Over the course of that time, the Cyprus international (54 Caps/2 Goals) made 243 League Appearances for us – he also carries the distinction of being Kafra’s first ever internationally capped player.  What I loved about Rigby was his hard work and his constant overachievement – if you look at his skills, you would figure he belongs in the Vanarama North/South, yet in 2028/29, his 7.05 AR season was one of the big reasons we managed to win promotion from the League One to the Championship.  He is the embodiment of what a Kafra player’s attitude should be – hard work, no complaining, and overachieving. 

 

 

 

YOUTH INTAKE

                                                                                        

 

 

Aaron Taylor - Thomas Exell-Heaton

Aaron Taylor looks like he is going to be something else – he is already better than any of our GKs, and he is only 15 years old! I am wasting no time with him – he gets slotted into the starting lineup immediately, and hopefully he shows the kind of improvement in his attributes I am hoping for.  Elsewhere, there is zero noteworthy prospects – outside of Taylor, this is the shallowest Intake we have had in a while.

                                                                                        

 

 

YOUTH CLASS REVIEW

2031/32: The ’32 Youth Class was considered weak last year, and it has done nothing to change that perception.  There is only one player of note thus far in Matthew Vincent, but even the left-winger has not shown the type of ability to really make any noise.  TOP PLAYERS: Matthew Vincent

 

2030/31: Dennis Duncan is already our starter at right-wing, and there are two other prospects in Emeka Umeh and Pete Charlesworth (SC and DR, respectively) who have a chance at the first team.  Micky Najia has made great strides – unheralded coming out of the Youth Academy, the CD is now rated as a 5/5 PA prospect.  TOP PLAYERS: Dennis Duncan, Emeka Umeh, Pete Charlesworth, Micky Najia

 

2029/30: The top prospect from the ’30 Youth Class is Ricardo Marques, who is looking like quite a special player already.  He is joined by 5/5 PA CM prospect Josh Vincent and 5/5 PA GK prospect Harvey Nicholls. TOP PLAYERS: Ricardo Marques, Josh Vincent

 

2028/29: Kwame Nartey is on the fringes of the rotation for the first team, while Ben Foyston (5/5 PA) spent the year on loan. The ’29 Youth Class continues to look relatively weak compared to our other most recent Intakes.  TOP PLAYERS: Kwame Nartey, Ben Foyston

 

2027/28: The amount of defensive talent that came out of the ’28 Youth Class is uncanny.  Steven Smith has already made it into the starting lineup at CD, while players like James Redmond, Jamie Hickman and Dan Ellis are all fighting for playing time in the defensive line.  The best player out of the ’28 Youth Class – and the Kafra Youth Academy’s history – is Curtis Slone, the current three time Kafra Player of the Year, 2031 U21 World Footballer of the Year, and 2032 PL Top Goalscorer.  TOP PLAYERS: Curtis Slone, Steven Smith, James Redmond, Jamie Hickman, Dan Ellis

 

2026/27: The ’27 Youth Class has officially taken over as our most talented Intake so far in this save.  It has given us three Premier League level players who are in my starting lineup in CM Terry Howell, LB Ryan Jones, and SC Dan Demby.  It also features our No.2 GK Dean Bettinelli and rotation player Reece Jonas, both of whom are in the first team.  TOP PLAYERS: Terry Howell, Ryan Jones, Dan Demby

 

2025/26: The ’26 Youth Class currently has two players in the first team – CM John Cooper and RB Louie Weir.  The best player, however, is right-winger Jim Yuill, who is starting for Everton in the Premier League and has earned 2 Caps for England.  TOP PLAYERS: Jim Yuill, John Cooper, Louie Weir

 

2024/25:  Adam Laing and Nelson Peres are currently members of the first team – the only other player of note is Marcus Clarke, who is a talented winger still with the club that bought him for £2.4M in Brentford.  TOP PLAYERS: Marcus Clarke, Adam Laing, Nelson Peres

 

2023/24:  What initially was by far our strongest Intake has slowly eroded into an underachieving one – several players are still in the game playing high level football, but only one remains part of Kafra’s first team plans (Roberto Santos).  TOP PLAYERS: Jonathan Sheckleford, Joseph Oliseh, Gary Bowen, Mike Beverley, Alfie Watkins, Roberto Santos

 

2022/23: With Mike Rigby now out of the lineup, there is no one from this Intake that remains part of the first team.  While not the weakest Intake, the ’23 Youth Class has been perhaps the most disappointing and underachieving. TOP PLAYERS: Mike Rigby

 

2021/22:  The ’22 Youth Class has a clear best player in our GK Rhys Lalite.  The other two noteworthy players (the only ones still in football) are Kyle Connolly, who plays for Swindon, and Anthony Garrard, who left the club in 2031.  TOP PLAYERS: Kyle Connolly (at 23 years old), Rhys Lalite, Anthony Garrard

 

2020/21: Widely considered our weakest Intake, no one from this Intake is still in the game.  Adam Burgon was the best player from the ’21 Youth Class, playing a few games for the club.  TOP PLAYERS: Adam Burgon

 

2019/20: Sam Rodon is the only player of note from the ’20 Youth Class, and the only one still in football.  After spending the 2020s as one of the club’s most valuable players, he has seen his role diminished to that of a rotational player over the past couple of years due to more talented prospects coming up from the Youth Academy.  Niall Jackson was a back-up at the winger and striker positions from the early 2020s to the late 2020s, before joining Dorchester and retiring in 2030.  TOP PLAYERS: Sam Rodon

 

2018/19: Emmanuel Adu remains the only player in football from the ’19 Youth Class, playing with Grimsby in the League Two.  Olisema is the only other player of note from our first Youth Class, as he was a rotational defender for us in the early to mid 2020s.  TOP PLAYERS: Emmanuel Adu (at 26 years old), Benjamin Olisema

[Mr Highbury]

That GK really does look the real deal. Do you think you'll have any issues hanging on to him if he turns out to be a world beater?

On an unrelated note, it was pretty tight at the top - 4 point covering the top places in the league!

[dino]

Just read this all - incredible stuff. 

I applaud your patience when you bumbled around the lower echelons of League One for a few seasons. 

Might have to go back and read your previous editions too... 

Edited January 4, 2019 by dino

[abulezz]

4 hours ago, Mr Highbury said:

That GK really does look the real deal. Do you think you'll have any issues hanging on to him if he turns out to be a world beater?

On an unrelated note, it was pretty tight at the top - 4 point covering the top places in the league!

I think if we can manage to maintain our standards and get into the Top 10 in the next couple of years, we should be fine in terms of hanging on to him.  

Yes, very competitive at the top, and Tottenham took it for the first time since 1961, I believe!

 

2 hours ago, dino said:

Just read this all - incredible stuff. 

I applaud your patience when you bumbled around the lower echelons of League One for a few seasons. 

Might have to go back and read your previous editions too... 

Thank you! If you read last year's edition, there were some real struggles in the Leagues before we were able to progress.  The best read is probably the first one (2016) - we won the PL a few times, I think I made it to the 2070s, but never won that elusive Champions League title!  That is the goal here. 

[BoxToBox]

That keeper, oh my!

[abulezz]

13 hours ago, BoxToBox said:

That keeper, oh my!

Indeed! He is having a rough rookie season, but I am going to stick it out with him obviously. 

[abulezz]

SEASON REVIEW 2033/2034

 

 

TEAM REVIEW

In each of our three Premier League seasons, we have moved up one spot – we finished our first season in 14^th and we finished this year in 12^th Place.  Our team has been pretty consistent in its inconsistency, but the reality is the squad simply does not have enough talent in it currently to push it past the mid-table.  No matter, though, because at this point I am happy with our place in the league – we are not ready to challenge the big boys but I don’t have to worry about relegation. 

 

As per usual, our offense carried us, led this year by the fantastic Marques and Demby, who overshadowed Slone in terms of goals and form.  We ended up being the 4^th best offense in the PL, which is pretty good.  Of course, our defense was the 19^th worst, so it evened itself out.  We have a great GK prospect in Taylor, but he had his struggles in his rookie year, although he did start figuring it out towards the end.  Outside of him, I believe that our defensive line lacks the talent needed, left-back Howell being the exception.  We still don’t have a permanent right-back starter, and our CDs – while great for the Championship – are not quite talented enough to anchor a top PL defense.

 

Our new stadium (Kafra FC Stadium) is a year away from being completed – when the board funded it pretty much from our own account last summer, our balance went to below zero.  One year later, and it back in very healthy territory, allowing me to pretty much improve all Youth, Training, and Data Analyst facilities again.  In this respect, we are in a good spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY PLAYERS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ricardo Marques (2030), 20 Years Old, Left Winger: The new face of the team, this season he took another step up and was one of the best players in the entire league, not just on the squad.  He was 3^rd in the PL with both his 19 Goals and 7.37 AR, having also played in all 38 Games and registered 12 Assists, 6 PoMs, 1.08 TpG, 1.67 DpG, and leading the league with his 64 Key Passes and 26 Chances Created.  His performances did not go unnoticed, and England boss Nenad Brnovic (Montenegro) rewarded him with 3 Caps, in which he scored 2 Goals.  Overall, this was a dream season for Marques, and considering he is only 20 years old, there is still so much more to come.  Rating: 9/10

 

 

DEFENSE

Terry Howell (2027), 23 Years Old, Central Midfield/Left Defender: This was the first season that Howell played in his natural position of left-back, the same position that he has played in all 12 of his England Caps.  In 38 Appearances, he registered 5 Goals, 3 Assists, 3 PoMs, 2.52 TpG, 10 Key Tackles, 85 Interceptions, 77% Pass Ratio, and 6.85 AR.  His form was understandably better at CM, but he also played well for us in a tough position.  He is an English international left-back, and I plan to keep him at his natural position going forward.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

Steven Smith (2028), 22 Years Old, Central Defender: Despite some inconsistent form and some dreadful games, Smith was generally lively and up to the task as he appeared in all 38 Games this season.  He registered 1.71 TpG, 9 Key Tackles, 175 Interceptions, and 6.76 AR, highlighting his importance to our defense and his inconsistency as well.  My staff think he still has a lot of improving to do (3/5 CA, 4.5/5 PA), and I hope they are right, because if his Defensive skills can get better, he will become quite a handful at the CD position.  He is strong and so far has been extremely durable, and has attracted the attention of other PL clubs in the process.  Rating: 6/10

 

Adam Laing (2025), 25 Years Old, Central Defender: This was pretty much a carbon copy of last year for the Ireland international (3 Caps), so we know exactly what we’re getting at this point.  In 37 Appearances, he registered 1.27 TpG, 136 Interceptions, and 6.79 AR, down from 6.81 AR last year.  He is not going to be a PL star, but so far he has been adequate and provided some consistency in an otherwise inconsistent back-line.  Although his aerial ability leaves a bit to be desired, his strength and speed help make up for it.  Rating: 6/10

 

 

MIDFIELD

Josh Vincent (2030), 20 Years Old, Central Midfield: Vincent thrived in his fourth year with the club, improving heavily from the previous season and embracing his role as leader of the midfield after Howell was shifted to left-back.  In 36 Appearances, he registered 5 Goals, 3 Assists, 4.47 TpG, 81% Pass Ratio, and 6.98 AR, up from 6.79 AR last year.  He also had 103 Interceptions and led the team with 1,456 Passes Completed, showcasing solid ability at both the defensive and attacking ends of the game.  He has taken the description of “Wonderkid”, and my staff still have his PA at 5/5, so I’m hoping he still has a lot of improving to do in terms of his attributes.  He is finally starting to take shape as a good PL CM,  and was important to our campaign this year.  Rating: 7/10

 

 

ATTACK

Curtis Slone (2028), 22 Years Old, Striker:  Somewhat the forgotten man in between Marques and Demby’s fantastic seasons, Slone quietly had a pretty good year.  In 34 Appearances, he registered 17 Goals, 10 Assists, 2 PoMs, 66% Shot Target (Best in PL), and 7.07 AR, which was up from 6.93 AR but still falls short of the 7.31 AR he registered two seasons ago.  His CA has leveled out at 3.5/5, so he never truly developed the way I had hoped, but he remains a huge presence for our team both on and off the pitch.  Rating: 7/10

 

Dan Demby (2027), 23 Years Old, Striker: This year, Demby relinquished the role of supporting striker to Slone and actually became our main weapon upfront.  In 35 Appearances, he registered 22 Goals (2^nd in PL), 8 Assists, 6 PoMs, 79% Pass Ratio, 64% Shot Target, 48 Key Passes, and a career-high 7.29 AR.  This was actual the first season in the last five where he missed games, but his durability is still one of his main strengths.  My staff have him rated at 4.5/5 CA, and he is now playing up to his maximum potential, according to them.  If he keeps giving us seasons like this, then he will be our striker up front for a long time to come.  Rating: 7.5/10

 

 

HOT PROSPECTS

Dennis Duncan (2031), 18 Years Old, Right Winger: One of the most important things about Duncan, at least to me, is that my coaching staff refuse to increase his 4/5 PA, even though his progress has been stellar.  He played in all 38 Games for the second straight season, registering 6 Goals, 10 Assists, 1.86 TpG, 74% Pass Ratio, 1.22 DpG, and 6.97 AR, up from 6.87 AR.  He has shown consistent improvement in both form and attributes since entering the first team.  He might not end up being a world-beater, but he has been more than capable so far at right winger for us.

 

Micky Najia (2031), 18 Years Old, Central Defender: Najia finally made his debut this season, although he did not play well in his 8 Appearances.  My coaching staff continue to maintain a 4.5/5 PA for him, and his versatility in that he can play any position in the defensive line is certainly a plus, but I would like to see better progress in his attributes.

 

Callum Foley (2032), 18 Years Old, Central Midfield: Players like Foley is why I still get romantic about FM after all these years – he came out of the Kafra Youth Academy as an after-thought (0.5 CA and 3.5 PA), but after I shifted Howell to left-back, I needed a replacement at CM.  I gave Foley a shot and he never looked back, improving his attributes immensely over the course of the season.  In 26 Games, he registered 8 Assists, 1.20 TpG, 80% Pass Ratio, and 6.93 AR, delivering consistent form next Vincent and living up to the expectations that were put on his shoulders. 

 

Aaron Taylor (2033), 17 Years Old, Goalkeeper: Our great GK prospect’s rookie year had its ups and downs, but was generally satisfactory considering he spent most of it as a 16 year old.  What was slightly worrying was his lack of progress in his attributes despite his heavy playing time – I hope that doesn’t end up being a bigger concern down the line.  He played in 37 Games, registering 2.41 Con/90 and 6.89 AR – he only had 1 Clean Sheet, however.  There was no judgement this season – I was expecting him to struggle as GK can be a very tough position for such a young player.  I am looking forward to seeing how he progresses next year.

 

Owain James (2032), 17 Years Old, Central Defender: James is still part of the U18 team as he has not made his debut yet, but he has caught my eye with his improvement in his attributes.  He has also caught the attention of my staff, up have now upped his PA to 4.5/5.  I will monitor him next season, and see if I can maybe give him a debut.

 

 

IMPORTANT PLAYERS LEAVING/RETIRING

Sam Rodon – Career: He hasn’t been part of the first team plans since a few years ago, but during the 2020s, Rodon was one of the most vital players on our team.  From 2020 to 2029, Rodon never played less than 42 Games in a season, and his 475 total League Games for us is amongst the highest by any Kafra player ever.  It is no coincidence that his three best years (2020/21, 2023/24, 2028/29) were also the years we got promoted from the Vanarama National, League Two, and League One, respectively.  In the mid-2020s, he was considered to be one of the two most important players on my squad – along with striker Lewis Hodges – and he was the heartbeat of our team, with almost every play down the middle running through him.  The game might not recognize him as such, but Rodon is a club legend in every sense of the word in my book.

 

Roberto Santos – Career: Part of the much hyped but ultimately disappointing ’24 Youth Class, Santos was an integral part of the team in the late 2020s and early 2030s.  Playing down the right flank as our starting right winger, the lesser known prospect from that youth class ended up being the most meaningful one to the squad.  He played far better than his talents suggested, although he did have a problem with injuries, never playing over 40 Games in any of his seasons. His last meaningful season with us was in 2031/32, our first year in the PL, before he was fully replaced by Duncan in the starting lineup.

 

Nelson Peres – Career: Like Santos, he was an important member of the team in the late 2020s and early 2030s – while Santos played right winger, Peres played at the opposite end on the left side of the pitch.  They were actually very similar players – their main strength was their speed, and they overachieved in terms of form when looking at their talent. Peres’ best years came during our two years in the Championship, and his contributions were very important to our eventual promotion the Premier League. 

 

 

YOUTH INTAKE

                                                                                        

 

 

Dylan O’Keefe

A year after delivering Aaron Taylor to us, the Kafra Youth Academy decides to take a break and gives us what might be the most useless Intake thus far in this save.  Seriously, there is no one of any use here.  Dylan O’Keefe is the best prospect, but he doesn’t look like he has much to offer unless he shows drastic improvement in his attributes immediately.  Very disappointing Intake.                   

 

 

YOUTH CLASS REVIEW

2032/33: Aaron Taylor is easily one of the best prospects to ever be delivered by the Kafra Youth Academy, and he is already our starting GK.  There are no other prospects of note other than Taylor.

 

2031/32: The ’32 Youth Class was considered weak, but a few players have started to make some noise.  Matthew Vincent was the top prospect coming out, but CM Callum Foley, CD Owain James, and SC Jordan Chamberlain have all become part of the first team and have made good progress in terms of development.  TOP PLAYERS: Matthew Vincent, Callum James, Jordan Chamberlain, and Owain James

 

2030/31: Dennis Duncan is already our starter at right-wing, and there are two other prospects in Emeka Umeh and Pete Charlesworth (SC and DR, respectively) who have a chance at the first team.  Micky Najia has made great strides – unheralded coming out of the Youth Academy, the CD is now rated as a 4.5/5 PA prospect.  TOP PLAYERS: Dennis Duncan, Emeka Umeh, Pete Charlesworth, Micky Najia

 

2029/30: The top prospect from the ’30 Youth Class is Ricardo Marques, who is looking like quite a special player already.  He is joined by 5/5 PA CM prospect Josh Vincent and 5/5 PA GK prospect Harvey Nicholls. TOP PLAYERS: Ricardo Marques, Josh Vincent

 

2028/29: Kwame Nartey is on the fringes of the rotation for the first team, while Ben Foyston played a few games for us this season. The ’29 Youth Class continues to look relatively weak compared to our other most recent Intakes.  TOP PLAYERS: Kwame Nartey, Ben Foyston

 

2027/28: The best player from the ’28 Youth Class is Curtis Slone, who is a three time Kafra Player of the Year, 2031 U21 World Footballer of the Year, and 2032 PL Top Goalscorer.  The rest of the prospects from this youth class were all defenders, with the best of them having been our current CD starter Steven Smith.  TOP PLAYERS: Curtis Slone, Steven Smith, Dan Ellis

 

2026/27: The stars of the ’27 Youth Class are England international Terry Howell, who is now our starting left-back, and the 2034 PL 2^nd leading Goalscorer Dan Demby.  Ryan Jones remains the only other player of note from this talented youth class.  TOP PLAYERS: Terry Howell, Dan Demby, Ryan Jones

 

2025/26: The ’26 Youth Class currently has two players in the first team – CM John Cooper and RB Louie Weir.  The best player, however, is right-winger Jim Yuill, who is starting for Everton in the Premier League and has earned 12 Caps/3 Goals for England and his valued at around £55M – we sold him for £3.7M total. TOP PLAYERS: Jim Yuill, John Cooper, Louie Weir

 

2024/25:  Adam Laing is currently the only member of the first team left from the ’24 Youth Class, with Nelson Peres having left the club on Free Transfer.  The only other player of note is Marcus Clarke, who is with PL club Southampton but not part of their first team plans currently.  TOP PLAYERS: Marcus Clarke, Adam Laing, Nelson Peres

 

2023/24:  What initially was by far our strongest Intake has slowly eroded into an underachieving one – several players are still in the game playing high level football, but only one remains part of Kafra’s first team plans (Roberto Santos).  TOP PLAYERS: Jonathan Sheckleford, Joseph Oliseh, Gary Bowen, Mike Beverley, Roberto Santos

 

2022/23: With Mike Rigby now having left the club, there is no one from this Intake that remains part of the first team.  While not the weakest Intake, the ’23 Youth Class has been perhaps the most disappointing and underachieving. TOP PLAYERS: Mike Rigby

 

2021/22:  The ’22 Youth Class has a clear best player in GK Rhys Lalite, who was our starter throughout the 2020s and early 2030s. The other two noteworthy players (the only ones still in football) are Kyle Connolly, who plays for Swindon, and Anthony Garrard, who left the club in 2031.  TOP PLAYERS: Kyle Connolly, Rhys Lalite, Anthony Garrard

 

2020/21: Widely considered our weakest Intake, no one from this Intake is still in the game.  Adam Burgon was the best player from the ’21 Youth Class, playing a few games for the club.  TOP PLAYERS: Adam Burgon

 

2019/20: Sam Rodon is the only player of note from the ’20 Youth Class, and the only one still in football.  After spending the 2020s as one of the club’s most valuable players, he has seen his role diminished to that of a rotational player over the past couple of years due to more talented prospects coming up from the Youth Academy.  Niall Jackson was a back-up at the winger and striker positions from the early 2020s to the late 2020s, before joining Dorchester and retiring in 2030.  TOP PLAYERS: Sam Rodon

 

2018/19: Emmanuel Adu remains the only player in football from the ’19 Youth Class, playing with Grimsby in the League Two.  Olisema is the only other player of note from our first Youth Class, as he was a rotational defender for us in the early to mid 2020s.  TOP PLAYERS: Emmanuel Adu, Benjamin Olisema

 

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by abulezz

[abulezz]

Kafra Youth Academy has 4 players going with England to the World Cup 2034 in Japan - the three below and Jim Yuill of Everton:

[Torminator]

wow great progress. Lets hope some defensive youngsters will come through. I think that with facilities improving it will take no more than 5 years before you challenge for the top spots.

 

Any difficulties keeping the players happy about not being transfered? Or dont you get that many bids?

[abulezz]

Just now, Torminator said:

wow great progress. Lets hope some defensive youngsters will come through. I think that with facilities improving it will take no more than 5 years before you challenge for the top spots.

 

Any difficulties keeping the players happy about not being transfered? Or dont you get that many bids?

I get alooooot of bids, but generally the players that I have are now content to sign contracts with the club - I think the club has developed a large enough reputation for them to think it satisfies their ambition.  I do get a lot of requests for new contracts - Howell received one in the summer and then wanted a new before the season ended!

The only exception so far is Marques - he continues to spew the whole "club not large enough for my ambitions" nonsense.  He has 3 years left on his contract, though, so lots of time for him to change his mind. 

[Torminator]

You could try to use the Club can extend for 2-3 years clause in contracts. Bit of an abuse maybe but often the talents do accepts such a clause.

[abulezz]

34 minutes ago, Torminator said:

You could try to use the Club can extend for 2-3 years clause in contracts. Bit of an abuse maybe but often the talents do accepts such a clause.

I already do, lol.  All hell would break lose if I didn't - that is what kept the players at the club most of the time in the lower leagues. 

[abulezz]

So I let go our old HOYD, and hired this guy this summer.  Anyone know if the effects are immediate - will he effect the next Intake or will I have to wait a couple of years?

[Anderwalius]

@abulezz I don't want to disappoint you, but it seems that JPP/JPA are irrelevant in case of the ability of your youths. I heard it in FmScout's stream and it is rather confirmed by this post: 

So basically the only attributes I focus on since I realize that is Personality and Preferred Formation.

[abulezz]

33 minutes ago, Anderwalius said:

@abulezz I don't want to disappoint you, but it seems that JPP/JPA are irrelevant in case of the ability of your youths. I heard it in FmScout's stream and it is rather confirmed by this post: 

So basically the only attributes I focus on since I realize that is Personality and Preferred Formation.

Well, that's news! Luckily, his personality is fairly determined, so that's a plus.  I had no idea - thanks for letting me know!

[abulezz]

World Cup 2034 in Japan:

 

 

[Torminator]

20 hours ago, abulezz said:

Well, that's news! Luckily, his personality is fairly determined, so that's a plus.  I had no idea - thanks for letting me know!

Im such an idiot. I almost only look at JPP and JPA for years... Will change my Hoyd then.

[Anderwalius]

7 hours ago, Torminator said:

Im such an idiot. I almost only look at JPP and JPA for years... Will change my Hoyd then.

You are not an idiot - it's just the game that is highlighting wrong attributes and also provides almost no information about such crucial information.

[abulezz]

18 hours ago, Torminator said:

Im such an idiot. I almost only look at JPP and JPA for years... Will change my Hoyd then.

I was on the same boat - for year's I thought the most important attributes were JPP, JPA, Motivating, and Working with Youngsters! 

 

11 hours ago, Anderwalius said:

You are not an idiot - it's just the game that is highlighting wrong attributes and also provides almost no information about such crucial information.

That is true - then again, it does make sense somewhat that the quality of your Academy plays an important role in what kind of young players you produce. 

[abulezz]

My new CD prospect just set this record:

[abulezz]

Will put up season review soon. 

Edited January 15, 2019 by abulezz

[abulezz]

SEASON REVIEW 2034/2035

 

 

TEAM REVIEW

Well, the good thing is we moved up a few spots to 10^th Place – we can safely be considered a mid-table Premier League club at this point.  We are still conceding a ridiculous amount of goals (we were the worst defensive team in the PL again), but our offense is carrying us.  Even then, our offense was not its usual self this season either, even though we finished as the 5^th best offensive team in the PL.  I am getting tired of 3-5 losses and 4-3 wins – I really want to see our defense take that extra step up and become reliable enough to at least NOT be the worst defensive team in the league. 

Financially, we are in a perfect spot – everything we paid for towards our new stadium, which we move into this summer, has already been made back.  That, of course, means further investment in Training and Youth facilities, which have been done.  The continuous upgrading of the facilities, along with a new HOYD, will hopefully bring up the standard of the players coming out of the Youth Academy, as there still is a significant difference between the Kafra Youth Academy quality and the quality that comes out of the bigger club’s academies.  Overall, I am pleased with the progress we made in our 4^th season in the PL.  We might not be quite there in terms of challenging for a spot in Europe, but we currently have zero concerns about getting into relegation scraps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY PLAYERS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ricardo Marques (2030), 21 Years Old, Left Winger: What a year for the new four time Kafra Player of the Year.  He won the World Cup 2034 in Japan with England, getting named the tournament’s Best Young Player, went on to have a fantastic season with us in the PL, and was subsequently named the Kafra Player of the Year for the third consecutive time.  At this point, it is safe to say that he has surpassed Slone and Howell as the most talented product the Kafra Youth Academy has produced thus far.  In 32 Appearances, he registered 18 Goals, 9 Assists, 5 PoMs, 1.58 TpG, 2.05 DpG, 54% Shot Target, 13 Chances Created, and 7.32 AR, which was actually down slightly from 7.37 AR last season.  He scores goals from the left wing like a striker, but not at the expense of his passing ability – he still managed to be one of the leaders in Assists and Chances Created.  Overall, I think he is in his own tier when it comes to talent on the team – he has become our talisman.  Nothing I love more than a left-winger (my real life position!) that does his job well!  Rating: 9/10

 

 

DEFENSE

Terry Howell (2027), 24 Years Old, Left Defender: England’s starting left-back and World Cup winner, Howell was also named in the World Cup 2034 Dream Team, and was rewarded the following month by being named Kafra’s new captain.  Considering our worst ranked defense, how he managed 6.88 AR must be a minor miracle.  He played in every game (38), registering 2 Goals, 4 Assists, 2 PoMs, 2.46 TpG, 77% Pass Ratio, and was amongst the league leaders in Shots Blocked with 25.  He improved on last season when he registered 6.85 AR, but its obvious that when our defense improves collectively and we stop conceding so many goals, Howell is going to be one of the best performing left-backs in the PL.  Rating: 7/10

 

Steven Smith (2028), 23 Years Old, Central Defender:  Either the PL leader or amongst the leaders in almost every defensive category, Smith remains our rock in the middle of our defensive line.  Look at the numbers: 13 Key Tackles (Best in PL), 174 Interceptions (Best in PL), 64 Shots Blocked (Best in PL – 2^nd was Laing with 43), 104 Key Headers (2^nd in PL) – all that in 37 Games and with a 6.90 AR.  He might not be the most talented CD in the PL, but he definitely ranks amongst the most important and active, and right now, he is close to being irreplaceable for us.  Rating: 7/10

 

 

MIDFIELD

Josh Vincent (2030), 21 Years Old, Central Midfield: It was a decent season from Vincent – he played in all 38 Games, registering 7 Goals, 6 Assists (Both career-highs), 2.64 TpG, 81% Pass Ratio, and 6.97 AR (6.98 AR last year).  His 110 Interceptions were the highest of any non-defender on the team, and he was the team leader with 1,633 Passes Completed.  He still has some ways to go to reaching his potential according to my staff (3.5/5 CA, 5/5 PA), and although I am not crazy about his skill-set, he is at least consistently decent for us in the center of the pitch.  I’d love to see him get into 7.20+ AR form, and it does not seem out of reach for him.  Rating: 7/10

 

 

ATTACK

Curtis Slone (2028), 23 Years Old, Striker: Slone’s 12 Goals were his lowest total since he entered the first team, and I think he is now officially ceded his role as our primary offensive weapon to Marques and Demby.  Still, he had a decent season – in 34 Appearances, he registered 12 Goals, 8 Assists, 3 PoMs, 79% Pass Ratio, and 6.96 AR, which was down from 7.07 AR last season.  He is no longer considered one of our most talented players by my coaching staff, but he still has tremendous influence on the team.  The three time Kafra Player of the Year, who was once considered the best product the Kafra Youth Academy has ever produced, is due for a 15+ Goal season again, and hopefully it will come next year.  Rating: 7/10

 

Dan Demby (2027), 24 Years Old, Striker: It was a small step back for Demby this year in terms of form, but he still did a good job as our primary weapon up front.  In 35 Games, he registered 16 Goals, 5 Assists, 3 PoMs, 82% Pass Ratio, 65% Shot Target, and 6.99 AR, which was down from 7.29 AR last year.  To be fair, last season was the best of his career, so he had quite some living up to do, and in general the team was a bit more inconsistent than last year.  Demby has a taste for scoring important goals – a number of times, he hit equalizing or game-winning goals, proving he can thrive under pressure.  Rating: 7.5/10

 

 

HOT PROSPECTS

Dennis Duncan (2031), 19 Years Old, Right Winger: This was a career year for the young right winger, who despite not having turned 20 yet just completed his 4^th year as our starter at the position.  In 38 Games (his 3^rd straight season playing every game), he registered career-highs of 10 Goals and 12 Assists, along with 2 PoMs, 1.42 TpG, 1.74 DpG, and 7.11 AR, up from his previous career-high of 6.97 AR last year.  My staff flip-flop about their opinion on his potential, but he is clearly a PL level talent at this point.  This was also the 3^rd straight year where he registered 10+ Assists, but now he has become even more dangerous because of his goalscoring ability.  He is one of those prospects that you work on hoping they will pan out how you like, and he has. 

 

Micky Najia (2031), 19 Years Old, Central Defender: Nothing much to report here – he barely played and although he did make some progress in his attributes, it was not anything worth noting.  He is still rated at 4.5/5 PA, which is a long way from his 2/5 CA, so the potential could possibly be there – my staff’s opinion of him has increased significantly since Intake Day (3.5/5 PA), so they must see something they like. 

 

Callum Foley (2032), 19 Years Old, Central Midfield: Like Najia, Foley was unheralded coming out of the Kafra Youth Academy, with no one really giving him a chance.  A few years down the line, and he is now one of our starting CMs, and doing a job at that.  In 32 Appearances, he registered 3 Goals, 11 Assists, 2 PoMs, 2.53 TpG, 31 Key Passes, 80% Pass Ratio, and 6.98 AR.  His Mental attributes are what differentiate him from other prospects, but he has steadily gotten himself better overall, as well. 

 

Matthew Vincent (2032), 19 Years Old, Left Winger: This was a season that came out of nowhere from Vincent, who rose above and beyond the expectations and surprised everyone.  In his two previous seasons, he had registered 6.53 and 6.45 AR – this year, in a career-high 23 Appearances, he registered 7.02 AR to go with 3 Goals and 3 Assists.  I don’t really know what happened – his attributes didn’t develop much, and he is playing in the same system and position as always, but something must have clicked.  I hope he keeps it up – he might never be starter-level material in the PL, but he proved to be a capable rotational player this season. 

 

Jordan Chamberlain (2032), 18 Years Old, Striker: He has all the rights stats to make him a solid striker, but he has yet to score!  Granted, I sometimes play him at CM when needed, but he has not shown him he has that scoring touch yet.  I don’t think he will be better than either Slone or Demby, and I am not expecting that of him, but I do want to know that he has the ability to score if I need to call upon him.

 

Aaron Taylor (2033), 18 Years Old, Goalkeeper: He started showing the kind of progress in his attributes I wanted this year, and his description is now “Wonderkid”.  His sophomore year was pretty much the same as his rookie year – 38 Appearances, 2.24 Con/90 (was 2.40), and 6.87 AR (was 6.89).  The major difference, however, was the 7 Clean Sheets as compared to just 1, pointing to better focus and placement and less silly mistakes.  He has already been called to the England U21 squad and has the look of a future England No.1 if he develops the way that I hope. 

 

Dylan O’Keefe (2034), 17 Years Old, Central Defender: My staff see something in this kid that I clearly don’t – they now have him rated as 5/5 PA.  I won’t argue, and I will try to give him playing time in order to aid his development, but it feels like I am wasting my time and I think they got this one wrong.  In any case, he has good pace and his Physical attributes developed well this season – let’s see if other core Defensive abilities will also develop. 

 

 

IMPORTANT PLAYERS LEAVING/RETIRING

None of note.

 

 

YOUTH INTAKE

                                                                                        

 

 

Giorgos Panagiatou – Daniel Jackson – Dane McPherson

This was the first Intake under my new HOYD, and he immediately went to work.  We have been needing a good CD prospect for a while, and he gave us exactly what the doctor ordered.  Panagiotou looks like the real deal, someone who could anchor our defense for years.  I will put him in the starting lineup right off the bat, because I need this boy to develop quick.  The other prospect of note is Daniel Jackson, a winger masquerading as a striker.  I really like his skill-set, so if he shows some initiative and develops his attributes, I will definitely make a place for him. 

 

 

 

 

YOUTH CLASS REVIEW

2033/34: Initially looking like a weak Intake with no notables, a couple of CDs are starting to make some noise in Dylan O’Keefe and Kenroy Gillings. 

 

2032/33: Aaron Taylor is easily one of the best prospects to ever be delivered by the Kafra Youth Academy, and he is already our starting GK.  There are no other prospects of note other than Taylor.  TOP PLAYERS: Aaron Taylor

 

2031/32: The ’32 Youth Class was considered weak, but a few players have started to make some noise.  Matthew Vincent was the top prospect coming out, but CM Callum Foley, CD Owain James, and SC Jordan Chamberlain have all become part of the first team and have made good progress in terms of development.  TOP PLAYERS: Matthew Vincent, Callum James, Jordan Chamberlain, and Owain James

 

2030/31: Dennis Duncan is already our starter at right-wing, and there are two other prospects in Emeka Umeh and Pete Charlesworth (SC and DR, respectively) who have a chance at the first team.  Micky Najia has made great strides – unheralded coming out of the Youth Academy, the CD is now rated as a 4.5/5 PA prospect.  TOP PLAYERS: Dennis Duncan, Emeka Umeh, Pete Charlesworth, Micky Najia

 

2029/30: The top prospect from the ’30 Youth Class is Ricardo Marques, who was named the 2034 World Cup Best Young Player.  Marques and Jim Yiull from the ’26 Youth Class are definitely our top prospects to come out of the Kafra Youth Academy.  The other notable prospect from the ’30 Youth Class is our starting CM Josh Vincent.  TOP PLAYERS: Ricardo Marques, Josh Vincent

 

2028/29: Kwame Nartey is on the fringes of the rotation for the first team, while Ben Foyston played a few games for us this season. The ’29 Youth Class continues to look relatively weak compared to our other most recent Intakes.  TOP PLAYERS: Kwame Nartey, Ben Foyston

 

2027/28: The best player from the ’28 Youth Class is Curtis Slone, who is a three time Kafra Player of the Year, 2031 U21 World Footballer of the Year, and 2032 PL Top Goalscorer.  The rest of the prospects from this youth class were all defenders, with the best of them having been our current CD starter Steven Smith.  TOP PLAYERS: Curtis Slone, Steven Smith, Dan Ellis

 

2026/27: The stars of the ’27 Youth Class are England international Terry Howell, who is now our starting left-back, and the 2034 PL 2^nd leading Goalscorer Dan Demby.  Ryan Jones remains the only other player of note from this talented youth class.  TOP PLAYERS: Terry Howell, Dan Demby, Ryan Jones

 

2025/26: The best player from the ’26 Youth Class is right-winger Jim Yuill, who currently plays for Arsenal earning £195K per week and is valued at £64M – we sold him for £3.7M total.  Yiull has earned 24 Caps/4 Goals with England to date, and is a World Cup winner after lifting the title at Japan 2034.  The other notables are Louie Weir, who was our starting right-back from the mid 2020s to the early 2030s before leaving the club, and John Cooper, a rotational player at the SC and CM positions for us from the late 2020s to the early 2030s. TOP PLAYERS:Jim Yuill, John Cooper, Louie Weir

 

2024/25:  Adam Laing is currently the only member of the first team left from the ’24 Youth Class, with Nelson Peres having left the club on Free Transfer.  The only other player of note is Marcus Clarke, who was with PL club Southampton but retired at the age of 25 after being let go.  Clarke was a wasted talent – he was amongst the leading goalscorers at the tournament for England in the 2029 U20 World Cup.  TOP PLAYERS: Marcus Clarke, Adam Laing, Nelson Peres

 

2023/24:  What initially was by far our strongest Intake has slowly eroded into an underachieving one – several players are still in the game playing high level football, but none remain at the club.  TOP PLAYERS: Jonathan Sheckleford, Joseph Oliseh, Gary Bowen, Mike Beverley, Roberto Santos

 

2022/23: With Mike Rigby now having left the club, there is no one from this Intake that remains part of the first team.  While not the weakest Intake, the ’23 Youth Class has been perhaps the most disappointing and underachieving. TOP PLAYERS: Mike Rigby

 

2021/22:  The ’22 Youth Class has a clear best player in GK Rhys Lalite, who was our starter throughout the 2020s and early 2030s. The other two noteworthy players (the only ones still in football) are Kyle Connolly, who plays for Swindon, and Anthony Garrard, who left the club in 2031.  TOP PLAYERS: Kyle Connolly, Rhys Lalite, Anthony Garrard

 

2020/21: Widely considered our weakest Intake, no one from this Intake is still in the game.  Adam Burgon was the best player from the ’21 Youth Class, playing a few games for the club.  TOP PLAYERS: Adam Burgon

 

2019/20: Sam Rodon is the only player of note from the ’20 Youth Class, and the only one still in football.  After spending the 2020s as one of the club’s most valuable players, he left the club in the early 2030s and is now an Assistant Manager looking for a job.  Niall Jackson was a back-up at the winger and striker positions from the early 2020s to the late 2020s, before joining Dorchester and retiring in 2030.  TOP PLAYERS: Sam Rodon

 

2018/19: Emmanuel Adu remains the only player in football from the ’19 Youth Class, playing with Grimsby in the League Two.  Olisema is the only other player of note from our first Youth Class, as he was a rotational defender for us in the early to mid 2020s.  TOP PLAYERS: Emmanuel Adu, Benjamin Olisema

 

[Sysiphus]

Fantastic to get such a good CD to pair with the young GK. Keep it up.

[Torminator]

Awesome progress! In my save i appointed model professional Carlos Puyol as my HoyD after reading that Determination and character were the two most important attributes of a HoYD.

 

Really good prospects!

 

What is your highest valued player?

[numbas2]

I've returned here this year as I do most years (I come and go...) and was soooo happy to find another Kafra thread going. Thoroughly enjoyed this year and feel this is up there with the original. Well played abulezz!

 

[abulezz]

10 hours ago, Sysiphus said:

Fantastic to get such a good CD to pair with the young GK. Keep it up.

He looks real good - we need another strong CD to partner with him and I'm guessing our defense will get a lot better.

 

7 hours ago, Torminator said:

Awesome progress! In my save i appointed model professional Carlos Puyol as my HoyD after reading that Determination and character were the two most important attributes of a HoYD.

 

Really good prospects!

 

What is your highest valued player?

Thanks! Right now, Marques is valued at £48M, followed by Howell at £32M - our highest valued player to come out of the Kafra Youth Academy, however, is current Arsenal right winger Jim Yuill, who is valued at about £65M!

 

7 hours ago, numbas2 said:

I've returned here this year as I do most years (I come and go...) and was soooo happy to find another Kafra thread going. Thoroughly enjoyed this year and feel this is up there with the original. Well played abulezz!

 

Thank you for coming back and tuning in!  So far, progress has been amazing this version as compared to the past couple of years - the board(s) have been real kind with providing support to better our facilities, and the team has made up the leagues relatively quick.  I've lucked out with some real good Intakes early because of the early investments in facilities, so that helped things a lot. 

[Torminator]

I see that you continuously have the worst defense in the league. Not to be annoying but could it be your tactics? 

[abulezz]

5 hours ago, Torminator said:

I see that you continuously have the worst defense in the league. Not to be annoying but could it be your tactics? 

Lol - I am sure my tactics have some part to play in it, but generally speaking, there is a lack of talent relative to other PL teams on the squad.  

[Torminator]

Whaaat dont tell me your on a holiday! I need my Khafra fix!!!!

[abulezz]

On ‎28‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 06:26, Torminator said:

Whaaat dont tell me your on a holiday! I need my Khafra fix!!!!

LOL - na, just had a hectic couple of weeks.  2035/36 season almost done, will have the update soon.  Got what looks like a couple of gems!

[abulezz]

SEASON REVIEW 2035/2036

 

 

TEAM REVIEW

We again moved up one place in the Premier League this year, finishing in 9^th Place – in the five years we have been in the Premier League, we have moved up each year, starting from 14^th Place and finishing with 9^th.  Again, our main issue was our defense – surprisingly, however, it was not so bad until later in the season, when we started conceding 3 and 4 Goals on the regular.  We ended up as the 19^th worst defense in the PL, which was more in line with what our history suggests.  Our offense continues to not be as effective as it was previously, but it was still pretty decent – we finished as the 8^th best offense in the PL, with Dan Demby leading the charge and winning the Kafra Player of the Year for the first time in his career.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY PLAYERS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Dan Demby (2027), 25 Years Old, Striker: I don’t think there was any doubt about Demby being our best player this season – the striker led the team with 16 Goals, 16 Chances Created, 5 PoMs, 63% Shot Target, and 7.18 AR in 33 Appearances.  This is his first Kafra Player of the Year award, and he takes it after three straight years of Ricardo Marques being named our top player.  It was not even his best season to date in the Premier League, but he deserves the award after being our most consistent player and our most lethal weapon up front this year.  In the club’s 18 years of existence, only a striker or a left winger has won the award, and Demby becomes only the 5^th player to ever win it.  Is he our most talented player? No, he isn’t, but he is amongst our hardest working, and that alone is a trait to be glorified for.  Rating: 7.5/10

 

 

DEFENSE

Terry Howell (2027), 25 Years Old, Left Defender:  Five years in the Premier League, and only one missed game – if you are going to say anything about Howell, it cannot be that he is not reliable.  This was also his best season of the last four – in 38 Appearances, he registered 3 Goals, 2.82 TpG (up from 2.46), 10 Key Tackles (Best on team), 79% Pass Ratio, and 6.91 AR (up from 6.88).  He has now earned 35 Caps for England and remains his nation’s starting left-back.  He also signed a new contract that will keep him with us until 2041, earning a cool £77K per week.  Howell is one of the pieces that are good enough to be on a team that can challenge for a European spot.  Rating: 7/10

 

Steven Smith (2028), 24 Years Old, Central Defender: Thanks to the Kafra Youth Academy finally gifting us a couple of good prospects at the CD position the past couple of years, this might be Smith’s last season as our undisputed full-time starter.  He has been dependable and relatively consistent, and has always ranked at the top or near it when it comes to important defensive statistics – for example, this year he was tied for 1^st in the PL with 148 Interceptions, 8^th with 83% Headers Won Ratio, and 2^nd (behind his teammate Panagiatou) with 42 Shots Blocked.  He played in all 38 Games, and he has only missed a single game in the last four years – he also registered 1.44 TpG and 6.77 AR (down from 6.90).  The former U21 England defender is definitely give up playing time to young prospect Rodrigues next season – the only question is how much.  Rating: 6/10

 

 

MIDFIELD

Josh Vincent (2030), 22 Years Old, Central Midfield: Like many on the team, Vincent has proven his durability and reliability over the course of the past few years.  He played in 36 Games this season, registering 4 Goals, 4 Assists, 2 PoMs, 1.62 TpG, 81% Pass Ratio, 81 Interceptions, 1,631 Passes Completed (team-high), and 6.90 AR (down from 6.97).  The former U21 England star (14 U21 Caps/2 U21 Goals) has just about reached his full potential (3.5/5 CA, 4/5 PA), and my staff consider him a decent player for most PL sides – to us, however, he is vital as he is our only PL level CM, with no one else really coming close.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

Dennis Duncan (2031), 20 Years Old, Right Winger: My hope was that I could develop Duncan into some sort of star winger – it didn’t happen, but he still a reliable starter for us thus far in the PL.  Despite his young age, this was his 5^th year as a starter for us – unfortunately, this was also the first year he had to deal with serious injuries, which limited him to 29 Games.  He registered 4 Goals, 7 Assists (down from 12), 1.69 TpG, 1.94 DpG, and 6.91 AR (down from 7.11) in what was a relatively frustrating season for him, especially since he had not missed a single game in the previous 3 years.  He is a member of the England U21 team (5 U21 Caps), and my staff still think he can get a bit better (3/5 CA, 4/5 PA).  Rating: 6.5/10

 

Callum Foley (2032), 20 Years Old, Central Midfield: Although I love Foley because he is my type of player (hard-working, driven, reliable), the truth is he is a starter for us because there is currently no alternative at the CM position.  Still, that is not to take away from what he has contributed – in 37 Appearances, he registered 5 Goals, 3 Assists, 2 PoMs, 2.49 TpG, 80% Pass Ratio, and 6.90 AR (down from 6.98).  He had a better year last season, where he also registered 11 Assists to go with 6.98 AR, but his capabilities are clear – my staff have him rated at 2.5/5 CA, and although they have him at 4/5 PA, I expect that to go down next season.  Overall, he is one of my favorite players on the team, but he probably belongs a level or two lower in terms of football standard.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

 

ATTACK

Ricardo Marques (2030), 22 Years Old, Left Winger: This season, I experimented with having Marques play as striker and Slone as left winger, and it is safe to say the experiment did not work.  Marques had his worst season in the past 4 years, but I tried it because his description is Elite Striker – I thought maybe everyone sees something I don’t!  Clearly, he belongs on the left-wing, and that is where he will be next season.  As for this year, he played in 32 Games, registering 12 Goals, 5 Assists, 1.22 TpG, 1.06 DpG, and 7.05 AR (down from 7.32) – there was a big difference in the standard of play from our most talented player, and I take blame for it.  Rating: 7/10

 

Curtis Slone (2028), 24 Years Old, Striker: Marques struggled in the switch, but Slone was just about the same player at left-wing as he was a striker.  In 36 Appearances, he registered 9 Goals (10 last season), 10 Assists, (8 last season), 2 PoMs, 1.52 DpG, and 6.95 AR (6.96 last season) – his contributions remained the same, as did his consistency.  I always get the feeling that Slone should be doing better, especially given how he lit up the Championship a few seasons ago and given how well he performed in our first season in the PL (24 Goals, 7.31 AR).  He might not be a complete player, but he has the right skills to be a potent goalscorer, something which he hasn’t been the past couple of years.  That being said, he remains one of our most talented players and one of the only players on the team to win the Kafra Player of the Year.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

 

HOT PROSPECTS

Aaron Taylor (2033), 19 Years Old, Goalkeeper: His season ended a bit prematurely in April thanks to a calf injury, but he still managed to play in 34 Games, registering 1.74 Con/90 and 6.91 AR.  Both numbers were career-highs, and he also showed encouraging improvements in his attributes, something I was getting slightly worried about.  His description is Wonderkid, and I don’t think there is any doubt that he has the potential to be an England No.1 in the future.  He signed a new contract (unfortunately, he insisted on a Minimum Release Clause), so we got that taken care of.  Overall, he is probably our most gifted prospect under the age of 21. 

 

Dylan O’Keefe (2034), 18 Years Old, Central Defender: He did not play this season, but for some reason my staff still have him at 5/5 PA.  I don’t see it – which is maybe why I am not giving him much playing time – but I do like his quickness.  His attributes have seen some good improvement as well, so it might be time to consider finding some time for him on the pitch. 

 

Daniel Jackson (2035), 17 Years Old, Striker: Jackson’s rookie year was all about the experience and helping development, and in the respect, we did a good job.  I love his skill-set – I love a striker that has pace and good technical abilities, and that is the category he falls under.  His performances were nothing to write home about, but I am not judging.  I would like to see him show a goalscoring touch, but hopefully that will come.  My coaching staff are crazy about him, as well – his 5/5 PA has been solid all year. 

 

Giorgos Panagiotou (2035), 18 Years Old, Central Defender: It was no easy task to ask from a 16 year old rookie to start as CD for the worst defensive team in the league, but I am exceptionally happy with the Cypriot defender’s first year.  He played in 37 Games, leading the league with 58 Shots Blocked and also registering 2 Goals, 1.37 TpG, 8 Key Tackles, 93 Interceptions, 916 Passes Completed (4^th on team), and 6.89 AR.  For some reason, my staff have downgraded him to 4.5/5 PA, so maybe they think he will not develop as well as he should, but he already has some amazing attribute numbers for a player his age. 

 

 

IMPORTANT PLAYERS LEAVING/RETIRING

Ryan Jones – Career: Jones was the club’s starter at left-back in the late 2020s and early 2030s, but he never quite delivered on his potential.  Coming out of the Kafra Youth Academy, he had the look of a future England international, and although he earned 12 U21 Caps for his nation, he never made to become a full international.  His two best seasons came when we were in the Championship, and although he was decent for us in the Premier League, he was eventually replaced by Terry Howell.  He played 9 full seasons with the club, playing in 319 League Games, and was an important piece of our main mentoring unit, as well.

 

 

YOUTH INTAKE

                                                                                        

 

 

Tomas Rodrigues – Keith Bamford

Once or twice a save, you will get an Intake that hits the exact spot you are hurting – in my case, it was CD and DR.  This Intake was heaven sent, as it gave me two top-notch prospects, one in each position, and they both look capable of being something special for us.  Of course, time will tell what will happen and how they develop, but they are going to be part of the first team immediately.  In Bamford’s case, he jumps in as our starting right-back from day one.  Their Unambitious trait is worrying, but I have a mentoring group that can hopefully get them up to Fairly Determined.  Outside of those two, there is nothing else of note, but that doesn’t matter if these two end up developing the way I hope.

 

 

 

 

YOUTH CLASS REVIEW

2034/2035: The star of the ’35 Youth Class is Giorgos Panagiotou, who is already a starter for us at CD.  The only other current prospect of note is SC Daniel Jackson, who looks like he has a world of potential. 

 

2033/2034: Initially looking like a weak Intake with no notables, a couple of CDs are starting to make some noise in Dylan O’Keefe and Kenroy Gillings. CM Kevin Harris has also been called up to the first team. TOP PLAYERS: Dylan O’Keefe

 

2032/2033: Aaron Taylor is easily one of the best prospects to ever be delivered by the Kafra Youth Academy, and he is already our starting GK.  There are no other prospects of note other than Taylor.  TOP PLAYERS: Aaron Taylor

 

2031/2032: The ’32 Youth Class was considered weak, but a few players have started to make some noise.  Matthew Vincent was the top prospect coming out, but CM Callum Foley, CD Owain James, and SC Jordan Chamberlain have all become part of the first team and have made good progress in terms of development.  TOP PLAYERS: Matthew Vincent, Callum Foley, Jordan Chamberlain

 

2030/2031: Dennis Duncan is already our starter at right-wing, and there are two other prospects in Emeka Umeh and Pete Charlesworth (SC and DR, respectively) who have a chance at the first team.  TOP PLAYERS: Dennis Duncan, Emeka Umeh, Pete Charlesworth

 

2029/2030: The top prospect from the ’30 Youth Class is Ricardo Marques, who was named the 2034 World Cup Best Young Player and has won the Kafra Player of the Year 3 times.  Marques and Jim Yuill from the ’26 Youth Class are definitely our top prospects to come out of the Kafra Youth Academy.  The other notable prospect from the ’30 Youth Class is our starting CM Josh Vincent.  TOP PLAYERS: Ricardo Marques, Josh Vincent

 

2028/2029: Kwame Nartey is on the fringes of the rotation for the first team, while Ben Foyston played a few games for us this season. The ’29 Youth Class continues to look relatively weak compared to our other most recent Intakes.  TOP PLAYERS: Kwame Nartey, Ben Foyston

 

2027/2028: The best player from the ’28 Youth Class is Curtis Slone, who is a three time Kafra Player of the Year, 2031 U21 World Footballer of the Year, and 2032 PL Top Goalscorer.  The rest of the prospects from this youth class were all defenders, with the best of them having been our current CD starter Steven Smith.  TOP PLAYERS: Curtis Slone, Steven Smith, Dan Ellis

 

2026/2027: The stars of the ’27 Youth Class are England international Terry Howell, who is now our starting left-back, and the 2034 PL 2^nd leading Goalscorer and 2036 Kafra Player of the Year Dan Demby.  Ryan Jones remains the only other player of note from this talented youth class.  TOP PLAYERS: Terry Howell, Dan Demby, Ryan Jones

 

2025/2026: The best player from the ’26 Youth Class is right-winger Jim Yuill, who currently plays for Arsenal earning £195K per week and is valued at £64M – we sold him for £3.7M total.  Yiull has earned 32 Caps/6 Goals with England to date, and is a World Cup winner after lifting the title at Japan 2034.  The other notables are Louie Weir, who was our starting right-back from the mid 2020s to the early 2030s before leaving the club, and John Cooper, a rotational player at the SC and CM positions for us from the late 2020s to the early 2030s. TOP PLAYERS:Jim Yuill, John Cooper, Louie Weir

 

2024/2025:  Adam Laing is currently the only member of the first team left from the ’24 Youth Class, with Nelson Peres having left the club on Free Transfer.  The only other player of note is Marcus Clarke, who was with PL club Southampton but retired at the age of 25 after being let go.  Clarke was a wasted talent – he was amongst the leading goalscorers at the tournament for England in the 2029 U20 World Cup.  TOP PLAYERS: Marcus Clarke, Adam Laing, Nelson Peres

 

2023/2024:  What initially was by far our strongest Intake has slowly eroded into an underachieving one – several players are still in the game playing high level football, but none remain at the club.  TOP PLAYERS: Jonathan Sheckleford, Joseph Oliseh, Gary Bowen, Mike Beverley, Roberto Santos

 

2022/2023: With Mike Rigby now having left the club, there is no one from this Intake that remains part of the first team.  While not the weakest Intake, the ’23 Youth Class has been perhaps the most disappointing and underachieving. TOP PLAYERS: Mike Rigby

 

2021/2022:  The ’22 Youth Class has a clear best player in GK Rhys Lalite, who was our starter throughout the 2020s and early 2030s. The other two noteworthy players (the only ones still in football) are Kyle Connolly, who plays for Swindon, and Anthony Garrard, who left the club in 2031.  TOP PLAYERS: Kyle Connolly, Rhys Lalite, Anthony Garrard

 

2020/2021: Widely considered our weakest Intake, no one from this Intake is still in the game.  Adam Burgon was the best player from the ’21 Youth Class, playing a few games for the club.  TOP PLAYERS: Adam Burgon

 

2019/2020: Sam Rodon is the only player of note from the ’20 Youth Class. He was one of the club’s most valuable players in the 2020s, playing at CM and appearing in 475 Games with a 6.86 AR. Niall Jackson was a back-up at the winger and striker positions from the early 2020s to the late 2020s, before joining Dorchester and retiring in 2030.  TOP PLAYERS: Sam Rodon

 

2018/19: Emmanuel Adu remains the only player in football from the ’19 Youth Class, playing with Wycombe in the League Two.  Olisema is the only other player of note from our first Youth Class, as he was a rotational defender for us in the early to mid 2020s.  TOP PLAYERS: Emmanuel Adu, Benjamin Olisema

 

 

[numbas2]

Nice work and love the two new youths, I hope the mentoring works out.

O’Keefe might develop better as a full back?

[abulezz]

6 hours ago, numbas2 said:

Nice work and love the two new youths, I hope the mentoring works out.

O’Keefe might develop better as a full back?

That could be a better fit for him given his attributes - I have him training as a CD right now, but I am going to give it a shot as Left-Back.  

[abulezz]

 

SEASON REVIEW 2036/2037

 

 

TEAM REVIEW

We had some of the best players in the Premier League in terms of form on the team this season – Marques led the league with 7.44 AR and Demby was the PL’s Top Goalscorer with 23 Goals.  Not only that, Duncan was the leader of the PL with 17 Assists, and Panagiatou was amongst the leaders in most defensive counting statistics.  Our offense was ranked 2^nd best, and even though our defense was typically bad, we had a Goal Difference of 0 – we scored as much as we conceded.  Even with all that, we moved back for the first time in our PL history, dropping from 9^th to 12^th Place.  It is hard to explain – individually, most of my team had better seasons than the last, but two essential factors caused this to happen.  The first one is that we had our most injury-plagued season as a team in this entire save so far.  Many players went down to injuries that lasted weeks, and in some cases, months.  The second factor was our fluidity as a team – the squad was just not clicking it seems.  Too many missed passes, runs that were happening without incoming passes, mistakes on defense – all of this I could tell from the few highlights I would see per game.  The injuries will hopefully take care of themselves next season, but the second point has to be worked on and improved.

 

Our Facilities overall have become great – the new Kafra Stadium is excellent, and both our Youth and Training Facilities have become of high standard.  The club continues to make a boatload of money thanks to our tight control on the wages.  Now it is just a matter of maintaining the standard and improving an already excellent coaching staff, if I can.  The Intakes are certainly showing some class, although I have some questions about the players’ development after coming up through the Kafra Youth Academy, so I have focused recently on improving my U18 and U21 coaching staff.

 

In the Premier League, Manchester City won their first title since 2031 – they were the dominant team in the early to mid-2020s, winning four in a row from 2022 to 2025, and winning 5 PL titles overall in the 2020s.  They were runners-up to Chelsea last year, who finished in 3^rd Place behind Arsenal. This was Arsenal’s highest finish since 2020, and they were joined in the top 4 by Everton, who beat out rivals Liverpool (5^th).  Southampton (6^th) finished infront of Tottenham (7^th) and Manchester United (8^th) – the latter disappointingly will not be participating in Europe due to their low place.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY PLAYERS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ricardo Marques (2030), 23 Years Old, Left Winger: Back on the left wing after an one trial up front as striker, Marques left no doubt about where he belonged.  Not only did he deliver his best season so far in his career, he also led the Premier League with 7.44 AR, to go along with his 17 Goals, 14 Assists (3^rd in PL), 6 PoMs (2^nd in PL), 44 Key Passes (3^rd in PL), 17 Chances Created (2^nd in PL), 2.07 DpG (16^th in PL), and 51% Shot Target.  In other words, he was outstanding in almost every facet of the game.  The World Cup winner has now earned 23 Caps/11 Goals for England and is the highest-valued player on the team at £66M – he is also the 3^rd highest valued player on the England national team, with Kafra Youth Academy product Jim Yuill the highest at £74M.  Marques continues to spark interest through Europe, but all bids have been staunchly rejected.  This is his 4^th Kafra Player of the Year award, making him 2^nd only to club legend Lewis Hodges.  Rating: 9/10

 

 

DEFENSE

Aaron Taylor (2033), 20 Years Old, Goalkeeper: Our defense was shambolic as usual, but Taylor was not the reason.  In 37 Appearances, he registered 2.24 Con/90, 4 Clean Sheets, and 6.98 AR, which was a career-high.  His AR speaks to just how solid he was for us between the posts – despite being the worst team defensively in the league, he nearly hit 7.00 AR.  I cannot imagine how many goals he saved us from, and that consistency between the sticks is reassuring.  His development has been decent if not spectacular, but he’s getting there.  He’s the U21 England No.1, but if he continues to develop like this for a few more years, he should be challenging for the main team’s GK position.  Rating: 7/10

 

Terry Howell (2027), 25 Years Old, Left Defender: After year’s of being our most durable player, Howell had to contend with an Abdominal Strain the ruled him out for a month, limiting him to 32 Games (28 Starts).  He registered 4 Goals, 3.12 TpG, 60 Interceptions, 1,123 Passes Completed (2^nd in team), and 6.81 AR, which was down from 6.91 AR last season.  Our defense overall did not fare well, and Howell didn’t seem in the right groove all season.  The England left-back (44 Caps) will hopefully bounce back and give us a better year next season.  Rating: 6/10

 

 

MIDFIELD

Josh Vincent (2030), 23 Years Old, Central Midfield: An injury-plagued season really did a number on Vincent this year – he played in only 23 Games, registering 2 Goals, 3 Assists, 3.14 TpG< 79% Pass Ratio, and 6.85 AR, down from 6.90 AR.  He had to contend with knee problems and a groin strain almost all season long, and that affected his form as well as his attributes, which decreased considerably while he was out.  He will have a long summer to rest and get back into playing shape, and hopefully he won’t have to face the injury problems he did this season next year.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

Dennis Duncan (2031), 21 Years Old, Right Winger: After an off year, Duncan bounced back in a big way, leading the Premier League with 17 Assists and 50 Key Passes to go with his 4 Goals, 3 PoMs, 1.94 TpG, 1.83 DpG, and 7.10 AR – that was the 2^nd highest mark of his career and significant improvement over the 6.91 AR from last season.  My staff now believe he is very well suited for the Premier League – for a long time, they maintained the opinion that he is Championship level player.  He’s not going to be the world-beater I set out to make him, but he is doing just fine for us down the right wing.  Rating: 7.5/10

 

Callum Foley (2032), 21 Years Old, Central Midfield: I’ve declared many times just how much I like Foley, but being objective, he is not a PL level CM.  That is why new prospect Muller is automatically going to start eating into his minutes and could be a starter earlier than Foley would like.  For this season, however, Foley played in 35 Games, registering 6 Goals, 3 Assists, 2.86 TpG, 79% Pass Ratio, and 6.85 AR, which are decent statistics for a CM.  Still, there is no way I leave Foley out of the rotation, and even if I decide to dive straight in with Muller and deal with his growing pains in order to speed up his development, Foley will still be the first name off the bench for me.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

 

ATTACK

Dan Demby (2027), 26 Years Old, Striker: The new 2036 Premier League Top Goalscorer is Dan Demby, whose 23 Goals led the league and earned him Kafra’s very first Premier League Select call-up.  Demby played in all 38 Games, registering 23 Goals, 6 Assists, 6 PoMs, 79% Pass Ratio, 58% Shot Target, and 7.26 AR.  Our main weapon upfront for quite a few years now, he has proven his weight in gold for us, and has led a potent attack at the highest level of football, so there can be no doubting his ability.  He is one of those players that if they existed in real life, you know they would be known for their heart, will, and never say die attitude.  Rating: 8/10

 

Curtis Slone (2028), 25 Years Old, Striker: The good news is that his 7.33 AR was a career-high and indicative of how influential Slone was on the pitch for us.  The bad news is he fractured his leg in training in November and was out for half the season, limiting him to only 22 Games.  He registered 13 Goals, 2 Assists, 3 PoMs, 1.06 DpG, 62% Shot Target, and 7.33 AR in his limited time, but he did show his quality and it was a stark improvement over last season (9 Goals, 6.95 AR).  Daniel Jackson proved himself quite the quality striker in Slone’s absence, so Slone’s spot is no longer guaranteed, although he will start next season as our starter.  Rating: 7/10

 

 

HOT PROSPECTS

Dylan O’Keefe (2034), 19 Years Old, Central Defender: O’Keefe finally got some decent run this season, appearing in 10 Games and registering 4.42 TpG and 6.75 AR.  My staff continue to have him rated at 5/5 PA, so I really think I might be missing something here.  If his Defensive skills were better I would understand, but he is decent at best, and certainly not PL level – yet, at least.  I will continue finding time for him and monitoring his development. 

 

Daniel Jackson (2035), 18 Years Old, Striker: Is he our next big thing?  He certainly played like it this season – in 30 Appearances (26 Starts), he registered 12 Goals, 13 Assists, 75% Pass Ratio, and 7.13 AR.  That was actually pretty impressive considering he was playing against some of the best defenders in the world, which really showed his class.  His improvement in his attributes were also fantastic – he improved immensely in his sophomore year and is now putting Slone’s starting spot in real danger.  I am excited about this one.

 

Giorgos Panagiotou (2035), 17 Years Old, Central Defender: His sophomore season was almost a carbon copy of his rookie one – in 36 Appearances, he registered 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 1.83 TpG, and 6.89 AR, which was exactly the same.  He led the league with 68 Shots Blocked for the second season in a row, adding 143 Interceptions (6^th in PL), 71 Key Headers (8^th in PL), and 9 Key Tackles (10^th in PL).  The only drawback is his relative slow improvement in his attributes, which might be the reason why my coaching staff have him rated 4.5/5 PA and not the full 5. 

 

Keith Bamford (2036), 17 Years Old, Right Defender: Bamford struggled in his rookie season – he played in 37 Games, but registered only 1.97 TpG and 6.59 AR.  His personality changed from Unambitious to Balanced, and hopefully I can get him to be better than that with some mentoring.  I will be expecting a better sophomore effort from our starting right-back. 

 

Tomas Rodrigues (2036), 17 Years Old, Central Defender: Almost zero improvement in his attributes has me concerned, and he still is carrying his Unambitious personality trait after a full season of mentoring.  He did not do bad (38 Appearances, 6.71 AR), but obviously I want him to show more improvement.  My staff have downgraded his PA to 4.5/5 after he came out of the Intake at 5/5. 

 

 

IMPORTANT PLAYERS LEAVING/RETIRING

Rhys Lalite – Career:  Lalite has played in 479 League Games for us over the course of his career, starting in 2022 all the way up to 2033, when he was replaced in the starting lineup by the younger Aaron Taylor.  Throughout our stay in the League 2, League 1, and Championship, Lalite manned the posts for us, and was our starter through our first two Premier League seasons, too.  He was replaced not because he was inadequate, but because Aaron Taylor was extremely talented – his 6.93 AR over his career speaks on that.  He leaves the team having played only 1 Game in the past 4 seasons at the age of 31, but in terms of GKs, he is definitely a Kafra legend.

 

 

YOUTH INTAKE

                                                                                        

 

 

Mick Muller – Alfie Palmer – Harley Sawyer

 

Not the best Intake, but I am encouraged by Muller.  He addresses a relatively weak position for us at CM if he develops properly, and I plan on giving him playing time right away.  I’m not really a fan of anyone else in the Intake, but if Muller works out,

 

 

 

 

YOUTH CLASS REVIEW

2035/2036: The ’36 Youth Class delivered two starters right off the bat in right-back Keith Bamford and CD Tomas Rodrigues.  There are currently a few other prospects worth watching (Billy Sweeney, Matt Simmonds), so this is looking like a healthy intake.

 

2034/2035: The star of the ’35 Youth Class is Giorgos Panagiotou, who is already a starter for us at CD, but Daniel Jackson has also become a real big hit with the team.  There is still some chance for a couple of other prospects to be potential contributors, too.  TOP PLAYERS: Giorgos Panagiatou, Daniel Jackson

 

2033/2034: Initially looking like a weak Intake with no notables, a couple of CDs are starting to make some noise in Dylan O’Keefe and Kenroy Gillings. CM Kevin Harris has also been called up to the first team. TOP PLAYERS: Dylan O’Keefe

 

2032/2033: Aaron Taylor is easily one of the best prospects to ever be delivered by the Kafra Youth Academy, and he is already our starting GK.  There are no other prospects of note other than Taylor.  TOP PLAYERS: Aaron Taylor

 

2031/2032: The ’32 Youth Class has proven to be a relatively weak one.  Foley has been the best of this bunch, and has been our starter at CM for the past couple of years.  The best two other prospects are left-winger Matthew Vincent and striker Jordan Chamberlain, but they are unlikely to become a big part of our rotation.  TOP PLAYERS: Matthew Vincent, Callum Foley, Jordan Chamberlain

 

2030/2031: Dennis Duncan is our current starter at right-wing, but other than that, there has not really been anyone who has amounted to much from this weak class.  TOP PLAYERS: Dennis Duncan

 

2029/2030: The top prospect from the ’30 Youth Class is Ricardo Marques, who was named the 2034 World Cup Best Young Player and has won the Kafra Player of the Year 4 times.  Marques and Jim Yuill from the ’26 Youth Class are definitely our top prospects to come out of the Kafra Youth Academy.  The other notable prospect from the ’30 Youth Class is our starting CM Josh Vincent.  TOP PLAYERS: Ricardo Marques, Josh Vincent

 

2028/2029: Kwame Nartey is on the fringes of the rotation for the first team, while Ben Foyston played a few games for us this season. The ’29 Youth Class continues to look relatively weak compared to our other most recent Intakes.  TOP PLAYERS: Kwame Nartey, Ben Foyston

 

2027/2028: The best player from the ’28 Youth Class is Curtis Slone, who is a three time Kafra Player of the Year, 2031 U21 World Footballer of the Year, and 2032 PL Top Goalscorer.  The rest of the prospects from this youth class were all defenders, with the best of them having been our current CD starter Steven Smith.  TOP PLAYERS: Curtis Slone, Steven Smith, Dan Ellis

 

2026/2027: The stars of the ’27 Youth Class are England international Terry Howell, who is now our starting left-back, and the 2037 PL leading Goalscorer and 2036 Kafra Player of the Year Dan Demby.  Ryan Jones remains the only other player of note from this talented youth class.  TOP PLAYERS: Terry Howell, Dan Demby, Ryan Jones

 

2025/2026: The best player from the ’26 Youth Class is right-winger Jim Yuill – he left the club for £6.25M to Everton, then sold to Arsenal for £64M, and at the beginning of the year, he joined Malaga for an astonishing £129M.  He is easily the most talented player to come out of the Kafra Youth Academy in its history, and the England right winger is now entering prime of his career.  The other two players of note are Louie Weir, who started at right back for us a few seasons, and John Cooper, who was part of the rotation at MC and SC.  TOP PLAYERS:Jim Yuill – Yuill Career – Yuill Biography, John Cooper, Louie Weir

 

2024/2025:  Adam Laing is currently the only member of the first team left from the ’24 Youth Class, with Nelson Peres having left the club on Free Transfer.  The only other player of note is Marcus Clarke, who was with PL club Southampton but retired at the age of 25 after being let go.  Clarke was a wasted talent – he was amongst the leading goalscorers at the tournament for England in the 2029 U20 World Cup.  TOP PLAYERS: Marcus Clarke, Adam Laing, Nelson Peres

 

2023/2024:  What initially was by far our strongest Intake has slowly eroded into an underachieving one – several players are still in the game playing high level football, but none remain at the club.  TOP PLAYERS: Jonathan Sheckleford, Joseph Oliseh, Gary Bowen, Mike Beverley, Roberto Santos

 

2022/2023: With Mike Rigby now having left the club, there is no one from this Intake that remains part of the first team.  While not the weakest Intake, the ’23 Youth Class has been perhaps the most disappointing and underachieving. TOP PLAYERS: Mike Rigby

 

2021/2022:  The ’22 Youth Class has a clear best player in GK Rhys Lalite, who was our starter throughout the 2020s and early 2030s. The other two noteworthy players are Kyle Connolly, who bounced around League 2 and League 1 before playing several seasons with Swindon,  and Anthony Garrard, who left the club in 2031.  TOP PLAYERS: Kyle Connolly, Rhys Lalite, Anthony Garrard

 

2020/2021: Widely considered our weakest Intake, no one from this Intake is still in the game.  Adam Burgon was the best player from the ’21 Youth Class, playing a few games for the club.  TOP PLAYERS: Adam Burgon

 

2019/2020: Sam Rodon is the only player of note from the ’20 Youth Class. He was one of the club’s most valuable players in the 2020s, playing at CM and appearing in 475 Games with a 6.86 AR. Niall Jackson was a back-up at the winger and striker positions from the early 2020s to the late 2020s, before joining Dorchester and retiring in 2030.  TOP PLAYERS: Sam Rodon

 

2018/19: Emmanuel Adu remains the only player in football from the ’19 Youth Class, playing with Wycombe in the League Two.  Olisema is the only other player of note from our first Youth Class, as he was a rotational defender for us in the early to mid 2020s.  TOP PLAYERS: Emmanuel Adu, Benjamin Olisema

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by abulezz

[abulezz]

Our first ever Team of the Year selection:

[Torminator]

Wow congrats! 

 

Really nice that your facilities are still being improved. As soon as your defensive youths develop you might challenge for a European Spot. Would be cool to go into europe

[abulezz]

45 minutes ago, Torminator said:

Wow congrats! 

 

Really nice that your facilities are still being improved. As soon as your defensive youths develop you might challenge for a European Spot. Would be cool to go into europe

You are spot on - our offense has been firing on all cylinders this season, but the only thing holding us back is our defense.  If that improves - if we stop conceding 4 and 5 goals while scoring 3 - then we definitely would be in a position to challenge for a spot in Europe. 

[Torminator]

I feel that this is your best version in years. I wonder why you concede so many, do you know why?

 

[abulezz]

6 hours ago, Torminator said:

I feel that this is your best version in years. I wonder why you concede so many, do you know why?

 

Thanks! I am definitely enjoying this save more than the previous couple of years.

As for why I concede, I just think its the relative lack of skill in the backline.  Out of my five (including GK), only Howell is above 20, and 3 of them are 18 or below.  They are naturally going to get better as they mature, the only questions at this point is when and how much better. 

[numbas2]

Looking forward to the next update

[abulezz]

2 hours ago, numbas2 said:

Looking forward to the next update

Coming soon - just completed the season, lol. 

[abulezz]

 

SEASON REVIEW 2037/2038

 

 

TEAM REVIEW

 

We continue to meddle around the mid-table thanks to our inconsistency as a team – we go from Clean Sheet to conceding 3-4 Goals from game to game.  After reaching a high of 9^th Place two years ago, we finished in the same place as last season – 12^th Place.  Again, we were amongst the best offensive teams, ranking in 5^th Place, and again we were amongst the worst defensive teams, ranking in 19^th Place.  Our defensive line struggled throughout the season, both as a unit and individually – even our experienced defenders like Terry Howell took a step back this year.  The good news is that we have the emergence of SC Daniel Jackson up front, who actually unseated Curtis Slone in the starting lineup.  He was joined by rookie Mick Muller in the starting lineup, who took over from Callum Foley at CM.  Overall, I think we are where we are supposed to be – good enough to fall into a relegation battle, but still some ways off competing for a European spot.

 

In the Premier League, Man City claimed their second straight title, albeit it was a close with Chelsea coming in 2^nd (up from 3^rd last season).  Everton (3^rd) and Liverpool (4^th) rounded up the CL places, with Tottenham, Arsenal, and Fulham looking like the ones that will be advancing to the Europe League spots.  Manchester United (8^th) had a tremendously disappointing season again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEY PLAYERS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ricardo Marques (2030), 24 Years Old, Left Winger: Second only to legend Lewis Hodges with his 5^th Kafra Player of the Year, Marques became the first player in Kafra history to be named to the World Team of the Year.  In 31 Appearances, he registered 12 Goals, 11 Assists, 4 PoMs, 1.18 TpG, 1.84 DpG, and 7.25 AR – he actually had a better year last season, but different lingering injuries throughout the season held him back somewhat.  Still, he was our best player, and continues to now add to his accolades – in addition to his Kafra Player of the Year award, he was also crowned the Best Young Player at Japan 2034, where he also won a World Cup title with England, and this year he became part of his first World Team of the Year.  The world’s biggest clubs constantly try to pry him away from us, but he seems happy for the most part despite a few “believes he should join a bigger club” comments every now and then.  Rating: 8/10

 

 

DEFENSE

Aaron Taylor (2033), 21 Years Old, Goalkeeper: No longer designated as a Wonderkid, he nevertheless still carries a 5/5 PA from my coaching staff.  His progress has been steady albeit a bit slow, and his potential as listed by my staff is now to be a good Premier League GK.  He is – by far- the most talented GK on the squad, and despite another bad season by our backline, continues to maintain a respectable average – in 37 Games, he registered 2.11 Con/90 (not respectable), 4 Clean Sheets, and 6.90 AR (respectable).  That being said, he did drop from 6.98 AR last season when I was hoping I would see him cross the 7.00 AR barrier, but I have no fears.  I believe he will live up to my expectations very soon.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

Terry Howell (2027), 27 Years Old, Left Defender: This was Howell’s worst season of his career, and by a wide margin.  He played in 33 Games, registering 2 Assists, 3.27 TpG, and 6.68 AR – for comparison, he was at 6.81 and 6.91 AR the two previous years, carries a 6.94 AR over his career, and his lowest mark before this season was last season’s 6.81 AR.  Should I be worried about this trend from England’s starting No.1?  I think yes and no – yes, because maybe there is a more effective way of playing him and utilizing his talent, and no because I know what his capabilities are and what he can do.  He is entering the prime of his career, and he is one of our most important players, so I am hoping he will have a big bounce back season next year.  Rating: 5.5/10

 

 

MIDFIELD

Josh Vincent (2030), 24 Years Old, Central Midfield: After an injury-hit season last year, Vincent played in all 38 Games, dispelling any notion that the injury had long term effects.  He registered 2 Goals, 4 Assists, 1.35 TpG, 80% Pass Ratio, and 6.86 AR, which was right along his career average of 6.87 AR.  He’s obviously not developed into an international standard CM, but he continues to be reliable for us in the middle and amongst the leaders of our team.  Rating: 6.5/10

 

Dennis Duncan (2031), 22 Years Old, Right Winger: Duncan is what you classify as an overachiever at this point – attribute wise, he is nothing special, but he constantly ranks on top of the PL in important offensive categories.  He led the league with 63 Key Passes and was second with 13 Assists and second only to his young teammate Daniel Jackson with 20 Chances Created to go with his 4 Goals, 1.65 TpG, 1.33 DpG, and 7.01 AR, which actually went down from 7.10 AR last year.  He is a Championship level player according to my staff, but he seems to be doing just fine.  I am under no illusions, though – in the system that I utilize, I need good players on the wings, and despite his contributions, he is not good enough to be a starter on one of the top teams.  That being said, Duncan has more than be useful for us, and will continue to be.  Rating: 7/10

 

 

ATTACK

Dan Demby (2027), 26 Years Old, Striker: Another typical season from Demby – he was amongst the leading scorers in the PL, and did the exact job expected him.  In 37 Appearances, he registered 18 Goals, 9 Assists, 2 PoMs, 79% Pass Ratio, 61% Shot Target, and 7.12 AR.  The surprising thing is that he ended up being outshone by his 18 year old partner up front in Daniel Jackson, but this should take nothing away from Demby – he earned his first few caps for England (4 Caps) and has been possibly our most reliable and durable player over the past few years.  Rating: 7.5/10

 

Curtis Slone (2028), 25 Years Old, Striker: I decided to try the Daniel Jackson experiment a year early, and it ended up working well for both players.  Slone thrived as my first option off the bench, registering 10 Goals, 3 Assists, 3 PoMs, 78% Pass Ratio, 61% Shot Target, and 7.13 AR in 30 Appearances (8 Starts).  With Jackson playing so well, Slone is probably going to be relegated to the bench going forward in his career, but if he continues to shine the way he did as the first option on my second unit, then that is really all I could ask for.  A very good season from him. Rating: 7.5/10

 

 

HOT PROSPECTS

Daniel Jackson (2035), 19 Years Old, Striker: In last year’s review, I asked whether he would be our next big thing, and that question has already gotten an answer it seems – a resounding yes.  In 37 Appearances, he registered 20 Goals (4^th in PL), 8 Assists, 3 PoMs, 63% Shot Target (3^rd in PL), 43 Key Passes (6^th in PL), 22 Chances Created (1^st in PL), and 7.10 AR – not bad at all for an 18 year old playing in his first season as starter for the club.  He has now been dubbed a “Wonderkid”, and his attributes showed remarkable improvements throughout the season.  He reminds me a lot of Demby, but obviously with higher potential.  I am looking forward to this young man’s career.

 

Giorgos Panagiotou (2035), 18 Years Old, Central Defender: The young CD took a big step back this year, and I am worried my coaching staff will ultimately be correct in their assessment that he will not be a great player, but maybe just a good one.  In 29 Appearances, he registered 1.39 TpG and 6.70 AR, down significantly from 6.89 AR last season.  There are two things of note: 1) He had to deal with a few injuries throughout the season that probably hindered his form, and 2) his attributes remain relatively stagnant with little signs of improvement.  With all that being said, he is only 18 years old still, so there is a lot of time for that to change, which I am really hoping happens.

 

Keith Bamford (2036), 18 Years Old, Right Defender: Still relatively the same player in terms of talent as he was when he came up from the Kafra Youth Academy, that is a worrying sign now that he has two full seasons under his belt.  He played in all 38 Games, but could only muster up 1.56 TpG and 6.67 AR – to give him some credit, that was up from 6.59 AR in his rookie season.  There seems to be a general trend with my defenders not quite developing as they should, so I am going to look into that more deeply this off-season. 

 

Tomas Rodrigues (2036), 18 Years Old, Central Defender: Perhaps the most disappointing prospect so far from my recent defenders coming out of the Academy, Rodrigues has come from a 5/5 PA to 4/5 PA, and his form and training performances have not suggested anything to prove my staff wrong in their assessment.  He shared the starting load with Steven Smith this season, registering 32 Appearances, 1.07 TpG, and 6.69 AR, which was actually down slightly from 6.71 AR.  He has earned 7 U21 Caps for Portugal, and his personality has changed from Unambitious to Loyal, so that is kind of encouraging.

 

Mick Muller (2037), 17 Years Old, Central Midfielder: Muller’s debut season had its expected ups and downs, but I was relatively pleased with how it turned out.  In 33 Appearances, he registered 4 Assists, 3.53 TpG, 80% Pass Ratio, and 6.76 AR, while showing good progress in training.  He’s not my ideal CM attribute-wise, but he seems to have his head in the right place, and he is already a starter for us. 

 

 

IMPORTANT PLAYERS LEAVING/RETIRING

None of note.

 

 

YOUTH INTAKE

                                                                                        

 

 

Tom Craig – Sean Morrison

 

We get another CM prospect in Tom Craig this year, and he looks pretty decent.  I don’t know if I like him as much as last year’s CM prospect Muller, but he looks like he could turn out to be a pretty good player.  I don’t see anyone else becoming more than a rotational player in this Intake though, and even that is limited to Sean Morrison.

 

 

 

YOUTH CLASS REVIEW

2036/2037: Mick Muller has been the shining prospect from the ’37 Youth Class – there a couple of relatively high rated prospects so far (SC Harley Sawyer, DC Alfie Palmer), but it is unclear how good they can become.  Muller, on the other hand, is looking like a special player for us already. 

 

2035/2036: The ’36 Youth Class delivered two starters right off the bat in right-back Keith Bamford and CD Tomas Rodrigues.  There are currently a few other prospects worth watching (Billy Sweeney, Matt Simmonds), so this is looking like a healthy intake. TOP PLAYERS: Keith Bamford, Tomas Rodrigues

 

2034/2035: The star of the ’35 Youth Class is Giorgos Panagiotou, who is already a starter for us at CD, but Daniel Jackson has also become a real big hit with the team.  There is still some chance for a couple of other prospects to be potential contributors, too.  TOP PLAYERS: Giorgos Panagiatou, Daniel Jackson

 

2033/2034: Initially looking like a weak Intake with no notables, a couple of CDs are starting to make some noise in Dylan O’Keefe and Kenroy Gillings. CM Kevin Harris has also been called up to the first team. TOP PLAYERS: Dylan O’Keefe

 

2032/2033: Aaron Taylor is easily one of the best prospects to ever be delivered by the Kafra Youth Academy, and he is already our starting GK.  There are no other prospects of note other than Taylor.  TOP PLAYERS: Aaron Taylor

 

2031/2032: The ’32 Youth Class has proven to be a relatively weak one.  Foley has been the best of this bunch and has been our starter at CM for the past couple of years.  The best two other prospects are left-winger Matthew Vincent and striker Jordan Chamberlain, but they are unlikely to become a big part of our rotation.  TOP PLAYERS: Matthew Vincent, Callum Foley, Jordan Chamberlain

 

2030/2031: Dennis Duncan is our current starter at right-wing, but other than that, there has not really been anyone who has amounted to much from this weak class.  TOP PLAYERS: Dennis Duncan

 

2029/2030: The top prospect from the ’30 Youth Class is Ricardo Marques, who was named the 2034 World Cup Best Young Player and has won the Kafra Player of the Year 5 times.  Marques and Jim Yuill from the ’26 Youth Class are definitely our top prospects to come out of the Kafra Youth Academy.  The other notable prospect from the ’30 Youth Class is our starting CM Josh Vincent.  TOP PLAYERS: Ricardo Marques, Josh Vincent

 

2028/2029: The top two prospects from this Intake were Kwame Nartey and Ben Foyston, neither of which have a significant part to play on the team anymore.  TOP PLAYERS: Kwame Nartey, Ben Foyston

 

2027/2028: The best player from the ’28 Youth Class is Curtis Slone, who is a three time Kafra Player of the Year, 2031 U21 World Footballer of the Year, and 2032 PL Top Goalscorer.  The rest of the prospects from this youth class were all defenders, with the best of them having been our current CD starter Steven Smith.  TOP PLAYERS: Curtis Slone, Steven Smith, Dan Ellis

 

2026/2027: The stars of the ’27 Youth Class are England international Terry Howell, who is now our starting left-back, and the 2037 PL leading Goalscorer and 2036 Kafra Player of the Year Dan Demby.  Ryan Jones remains the only other player of note from this talented youth class.  TOP PLAYERS: Terry Howell, Dan Demby, Ryan Jones

 

2025/2026: The best player from the ’26 Youth Class is right-winger Jim Yuill – he left the club for £6.25M to Everton, then sold to Arsenal for £64M, and at the beginning of the 2036/37 season, he joined Malaga for an astonishing £129M.  He is easily the most talented player to come out of the Kafra Youth Academy in its history, and the England right winger is now entering prime of his career.  The other two players of note are Louie Weir, who started at right back for us a few seasons, and John Cooper, who was part of the rotation at MC and SC.  TOP PLAYERS:Jim Yuill – Yuill Career – Yuill Biography, John Cooper, Louie Weir

 

2024/2025:  Adam Laing is currently the only member of the first team left from the ’24 Youth Class, with Nelson Peres having left the club on Free Transfer.  The only other player of note is Marcus Clarke, who was with PL club Southampton but retired at the age of 25 after being let go.  Clarke was a wasted talent – he was amongst the leading goalscorers at the tournament for England in the 2029 U20 World Cup.  TOP PLAYERS: Marcus Clarke, Adam Laing, Nelson Peres

 

2023/2024:  What initially was by far our strongest Intake has slowly eroded into an underachieving one – several players are still in the game playing high level football, but none remain at the club.  TOP PLAYERS: Jonathan Sheckleford, Joseph Oliseh, Gary Bowen, Mike Beverley, Roberto Santos

 

2022/2023: With Mike Rigby now having left the club, there is no one from this Intake that remains part of the first team.  While not the weakest Intake, the ’23 Youth Class has been perhaps the most disappointing and underachieving. TOP PLAYERS: Mike Rigby

 

2021/2022:  The ’22 Youth Class has a clear best player in GK Rhys Lalite, who was our starter throughout the 2020s and early 2030s. The other two noteworthy players are Kyle Connolly, who bounced around League 2 and League 1 before playing several seasons with Swindon,  and Anthony Garrard, who left the club in 2031.  TOP PLAYERS: Kyle Connolly, Rhys Lalite, Anthony Garrard

 

2020/2021: Widely considered our weakest Intake, no one from this Intake is still in the game.  Adam Burgon was the best player from the ’21 Youth Class, playing a few games for the club.  TOP PLAYERS: Adam Burgon

 

2019/2020: Sam Rodon is the only player of note from the ’20 Youth Class. He was one of the club’s most valuable players in the 2020s, playing at CM and appearing in 475 Games with a 6.86 AR. Niall Jackson was a back-up at the winger and striker positions from the early 2020s to the late 2020s, before joining Dorchester and retiring in 2030.  TOP PLAYERS: Sam Rodon

 

2018/19: Emmanuel Adu remains the only player in football from the ’19 Youth Class, playing with Wycombe in the League Two.  Olisema is the only other player of note from our first Youth Class, as he was a rotational defender for us in the early to mid 2020s.  TOP PLAYERS: Emmanuel Adu, Benjamin Olisema

[Torminator]

Nice update. Craig seems more like a striker to me. 

 

Some really nice players in your team with incredible value. Do you get many transfer requests?

[abulezz]

2 hours ago, Torminator said:

Nice update. Craig seems more like a striker to me. 

 

Some really nice players in your team with incredible value. Do you get many transfer requests?

Definitely - we can a number of offers for Marques and Howell, and every now and then offers for Demby, Steven Smith, and Josh Vincent.  Those are the main ones - I haven't started receiving any for the younger players yet! 

[migeo]

Are you not improving the Junior Coaching?