[FM21] Hometown Heroes

[_Ben_]

1 hour ago, Maaka said:

This is a great read, Ben.

Btw, any chance you could share your spreadsheet?

Of course - I do need to spend some time just checking over it all though, as there are some glaring errors!

[QP]

That spreadsheet looks amazing man but I'm more interested about how you gather some advanced metrics and stats for the league.

[_Ben_]

3 minutes ago, QP said:

That spreadsheet looks amazing man but I'm more interested about how you gather some advanced metrics and stats for the league.

Which ones?

[QP]

Like this;

 

Probably you can gather them through player search but If there is an easier way I'd like to hear more about it.

Edited December 1, 2020 by QP

[_Ben_]

27 minutes ago, QP said:

Like this;

 

Probably you can gather them through player search but If there is an easier way I'd like to hear more about it.

Ok - so I have a player search filter that looks like this:

From there, I'll create my filter - based, this time, on position - as I want to compare midfielders at this level.

I then export the data:

Amend what I want to compare in Excel. I tend to remove all of the names that aren't my players so I can use data labels:

Then create the scatter plot to show the data. In this case, I can see that my strikers should be putting away more of the chances created by Jacob Ramsey!

 

 

----

Hope that is helpful? Let me know if you want the player search view and anything else!

Edited December 1, 2020 by _Ben_

[_Ben_]

December 2028/January 2029

I don't think we are good enough to be promoted but we're certainly amongst the better teams in the league and only a few changes away from creating a side that could beat anyone.

We have had another good couple of months as, to be fair, I've found the transition between these three leagues fairly easy. I'm not sure when/if I will find the step up hard but, first three seasons aside, we haven't really ever been a poor team in each league. Easier for me to enjoy the game? Yes. Realistic? Probably not.

[QP]

@_Ben_

Thanks man, appreciate it that's really helpful.

[_Ben_]

March 2029: Defensive efficiency

We've had some worries in the past, as most lower level clubs have, but I feel that I've really got my team where I want them defensively. We don't face many shots - the fewest in the league, in fact - and we rarely concede from them anyway.

A lot of this has been down to the combined work of Amari Fenney and Noah Kilman:

• A combined 32 clearances per match 
• A combined 7 headers won per match.
• A combined 16 interceptions per match.
• A combined 1.5 tackles attempted per game - showing that our defensive pressure sees the ball won much further up the pitch and allowing our centre backs to sweep up, as it were.
• Winning, on average, 82% of their tackles.

---

That leaves us in a pretty good position:

 

[_Ben_]

2029 Youth Intake

Nationalities. Excel Analysis.

---

Well. For the first time ever, I feel that I have some players who are potentially going to be useful. My immediate check is whether they have 'young' in their media description - which is normally an indication of being young (obviously) but also low CA. Billy Airey is the first of those who, actually, looks ok: Decisions and Determination are good and Concentration and Anticipation aren't bad. Will probably go as a DM as he's not amazing on the ball but will need to work on his marking and positioning for that. Predrag Vukcevic is strong physically and not too bad mentally, either. Whilst all of his attributes, technically, are single figures - there isn't anything that is incredibly low. Sorting his personality will be first on my list to do but we'll see how far he can go. Lastly is Sam Broome, a player who my tracking system identified. He has the makings of a decent Advanced Playmaker, which is something I want to develop him into.

This season saw a new HoYD as well as the first full season with better facilities (Youth Recruitment and Junior Coaching) and our first season in League Two. Not only has the been more players with ambitious styled personalities and more with professional styled personalities (both increased by 1 from last year), there is also a clear boost in all areas:

For the first time - I'm leaving here happy!

Time to increase my academy debutant number by 300%!

[_Ben_]

April 2029: Intake bug?

Intakes during the Beta save:

Intakes post-Beta:

---

Adding to something that @Jimbokav1971 and others have posted - the nationalities of players in the intake is known bug and it's quite visible here. As is the other known bug where big AI clubs are getting smaller and smaller intakes - as such, my player count has fallen to 32,000. I hope that this can be rectified before I get through too many more... 

 

 

[_Ben_]

April 2029: Injury bad luck

20 year old Johnny has amassed just three games for us between these two injuries:

The medical report says they are different legs, as seen below, but this is pretty horrific for a player who was potentially going to be a key player for us.

[_Ben_]

April 2029: End of season update

As we enter the last game of the season, we can now no longer get promoted automatically. I got caught up in a good run of form and forgot the update:

Then this happened:

Granted, we did face the top two but we've literally fallen apart. Everything that we did well, we suddenly stopped doing well and now you'd happily bet against us going up!

[_Ben_]

April 2029: Another one?!

Three games - two broken legs?!

[_Ben_]

May 2029: End of Season

Disappointing, but on the whole of the season - probably about deserved. Here is the full league table.

A comparison on the strength of this league is that Solihull Moors, who came up with me, finished 12th. I don't actually feel that this league is much of a step up from the National, and that itself wasn't much of a step up from the National North. However - Accrington, Burton, Notts County and Mansfield are joining us next year and Fylde, who bounced straight back up, along with York from below us too. We also finished above Luton, who, 8 years ago, actually finished 3rd in the Championship. 

A small amount of key upgrades and we can get out of this league. In particular - I've taken this from the end of season meeting:

---

I must say that, overall, I'm really happy with this. Amari Fenney was a cut above at the back, performing well above the average in all of his defensive areas. Ike also impressed me and justified his tag as highest earner - even if was a little less creative going forward than I'd have wanted. Jacob Ramsey classed only as 'average' but was my linchpin would have rated much higher if Gregory and Thomas had bettered their already good tallies. I have been disappointed with Cole Dasilva this year as well as Spencer Harwood as the latter, playing predominantly as a striker, netted just once.

---

[_Ben_]

June 2029: Player Sales

Darren was my first 'superstar' to be fair - he arrived from Chelsea and was a cut above everyone else in the Vanarama North. We've outgrown him though now and that is telling both by his suitability for the role and his performances this season. I wanted to cash in now off the back of his first team action rather than keep him until I've hopefully replaced him and be unable to move him on. He's actually stepped up to League One Walsall but I doubt he'll play much. Harwood has been a big disappointment; on paper, he's good enough to play although I can't be fooled by where those high attributes are - not really in areas that demonstrate his game to me. Again, a risk has been taken to get rid now but I hope there'll be someone available to cover the wings when the contracts have expired.

[_Ben_]

July 2029: Ground Share

This means that Stratford have been promoted, which means I need to update my tracker of local clubs!

[_Ben_]

2029/30 Recruitment

I found this summer a lot harder and struggled, initially, to find players who would improve the squad. I've brought in six new faces, which is probably three more than intended but I'm happy with what I've got:

Sean McLoughlin. Neil Ward. Spencer Gale. Jack Watson. Gabriel Chibueze. Neco Williams.

----

My first Model Citizen arrives! Sean McLoughlin has a load of experience at this level and, even though he's slowing down slightly, has dropped down from League One MK Dons to join us. He won't be the first name on the team sheet but will get plenty of action. A summer backroom reshuffle has given me some more American staff, which has helped - as new DoF Kelyn Acosta recommended Neil Ward to me. He's not the ball player I like, but he's a very good centre back for this level. I now have two strong right/left pairings and I am very happy here. Spencer Gale - Gareth Bale?! The 22 year old was in my scout reports and I noticed his unusually high finishing and off the ball for a wing back and my plan is to turn him into a right winger. My right sided players have, in the past, cut inside, and I think his Traits will make him deadly! I had to settle for Important Player but, to be fair, we don't have much depth there. Ex-Villa player Jack Watson is a bit of an upgrade at DM although he's far from perfect or the finished article and Chibueze will add some depth, especially while Harry Cleaver is out with a broken leg, allowing Jacob Ramsey to move to the wing. Lastly, Neco Williams comes in. I was initially shocked that a player who is so highly rated in real life would join, but look at his career - just 61 appearances: a loan at Middlesbrough and a spell with Real Salt Lake before coming a free agent. He's actually a lot weaker than the rest of the squad but is a bonus on name alone.

---

We are getting closer to what I want and, ignoring the DC suitability (I like ball players and, at this level, you won't get that!) - we are looking strong. My worry was that we were no better than last season but, looking at the average role suitability of each player - we have made some steady improvements everywhere other than at DMC and slightly at RB, as Worrell was replaced by Neco Williams.

[PequenoGenio]

Em 01/12/2020 em 21:33, _Ben_ disse:

April 2029: Intake bug?

Intakes during the Beta save:

Intakes post-Beta:

---

Adding to something that @Jimbokav1971 and others have posted - the nationalities of players in the intake is known bug and it's quite visible here. As is the other known bug where big AI clubs are getting smaller and smaller intakes - as such, my player count has fallen to 32,000. I hope that this can be rectified before I get through too many more... 

 

 

Hello. First. another amaging save that you have here. Learning everytime that i read something about it.

Second: the hot fix that came out today fix this and it is save gama compatible. It's not 100% fixed yet as SI is still working on it but for now is fixed

[_Ben_]

18 hours ago, PequenoGenio said:

Hello. First. another amaging save that you have here. Learning everytime that i read something about it.

Second: the hot fix that came out today fix this and it is save gama compatible. It's not 100% fixed yet as SI is still working on it but for now is fixed

I saw this, thanks - we'll see at the next intake won't we! I am concerned that the database size has massively shrunk and I felt it this summer has been much harder as there hasn't been the sheer number of players about.

Also - thanks for the kind words!

[_Ben_]

August 2029: League Two Kicks off

It's a long way from where I'm used to and a long way from where I want to go in terms of a squad built around academy players - but I really do like this team.

[_Ben_]

August 2029: Directness from Spencer Gale

Early days but I really like this from Gale:

Picking up the ball deep and driving forward. It ended in an attempt on goal worth 0.44 xG but the speed that he gets away from others and his directness is great.

[Ikthop]

 

On 29/11/2020 at 10:50, _Ben_ said:

July 2028: Skinning update

This is where I currently am with the actual skin:

 

Yellow box:

In this area, I want to move media description over to replace agreed playing time and add in Media Handling style as this is another indicator of hidden attributes. I don't know the coding for these strings though, at all!

 

---

If anyone knows anything or anyone with this know-how, I'd be forever grateful! My play time has slowed to a snails pace as I look to get this where I want over the summer months!

 

 

Hey Ben, I have no skinning skills at all, but I have managed to make some tweaks for my personal use, using a trial and error method. Those tweaks include adding media handling style and media description to the player's profile panel. IIRC I got this code from TCS2020 skin created by bluestillidie00, credits to him.

 

		<!-- Media Handling -->
		<container>
			<attachment_group class="vertical_arrange_autosize" vertical_offset="0" horizontal_alignment="horizontal" horizontal_inset="0" />

			<widget class="label" id="Pghm" auto_size="vertical" font="title" colour="text">
				<translation id="text" translation_id="310463" type="use" value="Media Handling[COMMENT: player transfer panel; how staff handles media]" />
			</widget>
			<widget class="media_handling_label" id="Pghm" auto_size="vertical">
				<record id="object_property" get_property="Pghm" />
			</widget>
		</container>

 

		<!-- Media Description -->
        <container>
            <attachment_group class="vertical_arrange_autosize" vertical_offset="0" horizontal_alignment="horizontal" horizontal_inset="0" />
            <widget class="label" id="Pde:" auto_size="vertical" font="title" colour="text">
                <record id="object_property" get_property="Pdes" name="true" />
            </widget>
            <widget class="player_description_text" id="Pdes" auto_size="vertical">
                <record id="object_property" get_property="Pdes" />
            </widget>
        </container>

 

[_Ben_]

11 minutes ago, Ikthop said:

Hey Ben, I have no skinning skills at all, but I have managed to make some tweaks for my personal use, using a trial and error method. Those tweaks include adding media handling style and media description to the player's profile panel. IIRC I got this code from TCS2020 skin created by bluestillidie00, credits to him.

Thank you so much!!

We are close to where I really want this now:

[_Ben_]

October 2029: Early Season

A quite exceptional start to the season as we are undefeated in the first 10, with some style, too!

Take away the Mansfield tie, where we were actually three goals down, and we'd have just conceded five times but are still maintaining a real strong attacking intent. The Mansfield tie, itself, shows how far we've come - absolutely thrashing them despite being supposedly down and out on the half hour mark. I think that we have a real chance of winning this league this time round!

[Nottingham Forest]

That’s an incredible start to the season.

[_Ben_]

2 minutes ago, Nottingham Forest said:

That’s an incredible start to the season.

I know! I've always wanted to spend several years improving my teams and make slow progress - with about 3 years per league if I can, but we just seem dominant at this level. Probably because I've purchased way more players than I normally would but it does feel strange.

I mean, look what we've just done to the team in 2nd place:

Dominated.

[Watson156]

Really progressing well now. Cant wait to see what the Model Citizen can do to your mentoring system. Hopefully by the time you reach the Premiership you'll be having Model Citizens coming from everywhere!!

[abulezz]

Fantastic start to the season - firing on all cylinders now. 

[_Ben_]

4 hours ago, Watson156 said:

Really progressing well now. Cant wait to see what the Model Citizen can do to your mentoring system. Hopefully by the time you reach the Premiership you'll be having Model Citizens coming from everywhere!!

The honest answer is that I don't really think he'll have much impact. He wasn't brought in as a first team player, and, as such, isn't as important within the team. Here is my first team squad based on the influence that they'll have:

Whilst he doesn't get impacted by it - there isn't really any one 'less' than he is in the squad so won't pass a lot on. My team leaders are solid at the moment in the fact that they have good Determination and ok Professionalism, which will keep the Unambitious and Low Determination players moving, but it's not ideal in creating great personalities, sadly!

[_Ben_]

2 hours ago, abulezz said:

Fantastic start to the season - firing on all cylinders now. 

Yeah - we've put ourselves in a really strong position, I must say. As mentioned - I'm finding it a little easier, at this point, than I expected but this isn't a normal - for me - style save as I'm recruiting a lot.

[_Ben_]

October/November 2029

We are really pushing on here and cementing ourselves as real promotion candidates.

A couple of wobbles: firstly against a good Rochdale and secondly against a poor Morecambe side but we are scoring really well and putting teams to the sword with some quick attacking play. I have been able to give some minutes to a couple of youngsters, too:

---

Billy was the top player through my intake last year and has some strong attributes - particularly his decision making. I have used him, for three appearances, as a DM(d) when we are comfortably winning as a player who can nullify a counter attack. I didn't want to go full BWM as his Anticipation/Bravery and slight lack of physicality would see me potentially left open. He's not done too badly - with a 6.6 AR, 2 headers won per game, 4.67 interceptions/90 and a 78% pass completion rate.

He has made some small developments and this really highlights that, in fact, he needs to work on his defensive game as that is poor compared to his passing.

---

I really like Sam and he too has spent a bit of time in the first team, deputising in the AML role as an advanced playmaker - making use of his balance, flair and teamwork. I'm developing his Passing to be on a par with his Dribbling and we are making some small gains:

[_Ben_]

December 2029: Youth Intake Preview

Infuriating, especially when we have just agreed these:

[Nottingham Forest]

That’s some preview. One way or the other....

[_Ben_]

14 hours ago, Nottingham Forest said:

That’s some preview. One way or the other....

I wonder what this preview is compared with? Last year, we had nobody in the U23 squad so this will be poor in comparison with that as we now do have some players. Also, our first team is stronger than last year, so does it compare to that?

My PA analysis and year on year comparison will shed some light on that...

[_Ben_]

January 2030: Interesting?

Doing a little staff upgrading and, when removing my assistant manager, I notice this. I don't have an u18 team (yet, but do want one) - so maybe this is like the precursor for that? Setting my HoYD for that may have an impact on some things - particularly when it's hidden. Who knows?!

[_Ben_]

January 2030: Staff upgrades

I think there may be a correlation between my interest in signing them and their personality...

All are youngsters with PA (hopefully) to spare as their coaching badges are not completed. Even though they haven't had chance to settle in and bring their knowledge to us, we automatically have gained a bit of and sit in a good place, I think, for a League Two side.

EDIT: A crash when adding a column to a view has taken me back to before this. Time to re-do it all again!

EDIT 2: All caught up and on similar deals to last time. I'll show individual screenshots and  break down some attributes when I decide on what I want to track.

Edited December 5, 2020 by _Ben_

[_Ben_]

January 2030: Debut

Will was quite underwhelming at intake day but has played well for the youth team - with 13 goals in 17 appearances. Following a couple of first team injuries, I decided to give him a go in the first team, against Barnet (sorry @Jimbokav1971!) He did not disappoint:

100% pass completion with 75% of his shots on target in his hour-long cameo, which ended in an AR of 7.9.

[_Ben_]

January 2030: Youth Progress

I kept, for the first time, quite a few of my youth players from the intake last year. Here they are, nearly eight months on:

The top three have all had first team football, which is fantastic and demonstrates this shift that I want to make moving forward. Sadly, Vukcevic hasn't made a mark yet, despite his ability being better than the others - simply because his development (attributed to his personality) hasn't been strong enough. This isn't a particularly strong, or deep, group but I feel we are moving somewhere! Three or four debutants per year, regardless of whether they will make the first team or not, is good commitment to these kids.

[_Ben_]

December 2029/January 2030:

We don't seem to want to go up this year.

Just two league wins in December and one in January means that we have been caught up and swallowed by the large chasing pack. We have combined good performances with a clear xG win and awful performances in equal measures but it's clear that something isn't working too well right now. Never the less, we'll keep on and, even if we don't go up, are building something very strong.

I do wonder whether there is an impact of new staffing. I have, pretty much, ripped apart my backroom, mid-season, and there must be a time for them to get to know the players before they can fully impact on their training?

----

I have been playing around with the mentoring groups of late to see what I can find out.

I went for the below group to combine my Team Leaders (both of whom have decent personalities) with my M.Citizen, Sean McLoughlin. I am most interested by 'effect from group' as, the one player I want to impact the group doesn't have the greatest impact on it. I chose three players in Gale, Cleaver and Okafor who are being impacted more than they impact for the purpose of this.

This month, I have been told that the below has happened to Spencer Gale:

What does this tell me?

• The group has more ambition than he does. Yet I have no indicators of any ambition as, unless they have it in their personality (i.e. McLoughlin is >12 as a M.Citizen) which is good.
• The group has more Determination that he does - (Ramsey: 15, Mundle: 14, McLoughlin: 14, Okafor: 15, Cleaver: 17 and Gale: 12) which is another good move.
• There has been no change in professionalism for anyone. Gale is listed as Level Headed, which indicates his Professionalism is at least 13, which is a good sign.
• The group potentially has poor Temperament. McLoughin, as Unflappable, has at least 15 for this and there is no indication that anyone would have low Temperament (this is a reverse scale with 20 being the best) but it just may be that Gale's is higher than the rest.
• He has become more controversial. Okafor is Outspoken (Controversy >15) but Mundle is Reserved (Controversy <5) so this again will indicate he's not slipping to a worrying level at this point.

Should Okafor be removed from this group? He clearly has one of the least wanted hidden attributes, whereas Cleaver does not and will a) impact Gale and b) take from the others. Something to have a play around with.

----

I like that I get to see these little insights here and want to investigate more going forward.

Edited December 5, 2020 by _Ben_

[_Ben_]

February 2030: Youth progress

On the back of this, I have promoted Broome as I feel his attributes fit nicely and allowed the top three to train with the first team. I think I'm finally coming round to the fact that this is relative and is far flung from the wonderkids I developed year with Volta at the end of FM20!

[_Ben_]

February 2030: Ability changes

Hendo is not the best (12 JPA, 10 JPP) but these are positive signs...

[_Ben_]

March 2030: Milestone

I can't believe I still need three promotions to even make the top flight!!

[_Ben_]

March 2030: Poached

Second one of the save!

[_Ben_]

April 2030: Youth Intake

Nationalities. Excel Analysis.

---

Considering that this intake was solely orange - in terms of no positive points, I think it is actually very strong. The biggest standout for me is that we have 6 personalities that are, at least, somewhat professional. Improving the backroom staff is hopefully the cause of this and I'll continue to develop this when I (hopefully) get my u18 squad. Oscar Bennett has the makings of a decent centre back and Jacob Hampson could become a good midfielders but, beyond this, there are players who will develop and, depending on how fast we rise through the divisions, will actually get football and development time. The best player, based on my calculations, roughly, of his ability - Aleksandrs Grigorovs, was accidentally released when I pressed the wrong button - but my staff doubt his potential anyway!

The increases to the Youth Recruitment seem to be working again; we have English players from as far afield as Rugby and Worcester now, which is wonderful. 

Considering that this was meant to be poor, the average of the player attributes has actually grown on last year, indicating that the Junior Coaching upgrade has worked, even if their collective intelligence has dipped slightly:

[_Ben_]

February/March 2030:

Right back in it and now only a matter of points from promotion!

We have put together a really solid run here - tightening up at the back and making the most of a deeper squad than most at this level - which, coincidentally, is hurting us financially. 

---

As you can see, we are much stronger in terms of performances this season than the rest of the league but, to my surprise (i.e. the first time I've looked as I don't feel the screen is in any way realistic) we are actually a better physical team as well as considerably better mentally and, to my surprise technically.

[_Ben_]

April 2030: Winners!

Not quite Aguero-esque and we had plenty more games to win to go up, but, 2-1 down against Fylde, until this happened:

[Nottingham Forest]

Great win dude. Congrats. 

[_Ben_]

2029/30 Season Review

Based on how we took to League football last year and the strength of our squad, of which I wasn't quite aware of just how good it was meant that this was probably coming. My goal is to take three to four years per division outside of the non-League - although that plan didn't work too well as it did take four years to get out of the National North - so this has to be considered positive progress at a rate quicker than expected. I genuinely expect the next jump to be slower as we will be recruiting less and facing much more difficult opposition. However - talk of that comes after we celebrate and review!

We have pretty much blown the competition away here. Through January and February we were poor, but, as injuries subsided, we picked up the pace and didn't look back! With just the 21st highest salary in the league (a little over £1m over the course of the season), you could say that we have recruited and developed well!

'Not quite to the extremes that we have had in previous seasons but 1.8 GF/90 and 0.8 GA/90 shows that we are doing the right thing at both ends.

---

Everyone who I wanted to contribute has done so, which is wonderful. Goals, again, for Thomas and Ramsey, Stanley and the impressive Gale chipped in too. Defensively, McLoughin and Fenney played a strong second fiddle for Kilman and Ward and it has only really been the backup players: Hill, Kelly, Dasilva, Williams and Cleaver who have struggled for form. Chibueze has blown a bit hot and cold but has come out with a poor AR and a really lop-sided comparison - excelling in some places but struggling in others.

---

My plans for next season are to keep this squad together. There is lots of interest in these in-form players and, given the fact that are finances are struggling, as seen below, we need to be very sensible in the market.

This does not factor in any cup runs or player sales but the idea of losing £3m a year worries me greatly. We've still got £1.8m of debt from the new stadium but I need to ensure that my books are balanced - last season, for example, we didn't cover our wages with our gate receipts - coming up about £60k short, which needs fixing. I'll look more into this over the summer.

[_Ben_]

June 2030: A deeper look at finances

I'm no financial expert, but I'm going to try and lay out a blueprint for us to succeed financially before we make the hallowed ground of the Premier League (hopefully) and the riches that prevail. Getting promoted this season will mean that my forecasting will be on the safe side and, if that does lead to a tougher first season than intended, I can always re-evaluate. Firstly, here is the overview from last year:

This meant that we lost over half a million pounds:

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In an ideal world, my gate receipts will cover my player wages and bonuses. With 23 home league games and any cup games - this is almost 'guaranteed' money. Obviously, making this forecast now is slightly inaccurate - we have to deal with any promotion wage rises as well as factoring in that our attendance should increase as we play at a higher level and we should be able to beat more teams below us, meaning that progress in cups will be better. However, this year was not good on that front:

---

With our emphasis moving towards youth, I also want to subsidise the youth costs by selling some players each year. This year we did come relatively close to matching that:

---

ENTER some more charts!

Last year, we spent £1.263m on wages and bonuses so my little calculation isn't too far off. I have calculated a yearly wage as well as a rough estimate of bonuses. Starting with the Season Assist and Bonus award - I have added it if they received it this year. In the goal bonus - I have estimated that my midfielders will score ten times and my attackers twenty. For clean sheets: I have used 21, which is the number that we kept this season, even though I expect that to reduce next year. For assists - I used 3.75 as that was the average number of assists any player on my team produced and for appearances, I banded them: Star: 50, Important: 45, Squad: 40, Fringe: 35, Future: 10 games to get an overall appearance fee.

This raises some good points:

• Is Harry Cleaver, the third highest overall receiver, worth it? Considering that he's no better than average across this year. He's young and sellable and this could cover a lot of the youth setup money
• Is Neco's sale the answer to my financial issues? Not a great performer but holding a really big value. Taking home a lot more than people around him who are playing better!
• Neil Ward, whilst good, is taking home a lot more than the other players at his 'playing time level' - is he worth the investment to keep or better of bringing in some money

---

Going forward, I want to build a proper wage tracker, comparing that to the financial reports from the previous year. However, in the mean time I can create a rough budget by looking at my potential gate receipts for next year:

Now, compare that to the £48,076 budget (without bonuses) I have been given for next year - there is a real difference and one I need to be aware of.

 

[OlivierL]

4 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

June 2030: A deeper look at finances

I'm no financial expert, but I'm going to try and lay out a blueprint for us to succeed financially before we make the hallowed ground of the Premier League (hopefully) and the riches that prevail. Getting promoted this season will mean that my forecasting will be on the safe side and, if that does lead to a tougher first season than intended, I can always re-evaluate. Firstly, here is the overview from last year:

This meant that we lost over half a million pounds:

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In an ideal world, my gate receipts will cover my player wages and bonuses. With 23 home league games and any cup games - this is almost 'guaranteed' money. Obviously, making this forecast now is slightly inaccurate - we have to deal with any promotion wage rises as well as factoring in that our attendance should increase as we play at a higher level and we should be able to beat more teams below us, meaning that progress in cups will be better. However, this year was not good on that front:

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With our emphasis moving towards youth, I also want to subsidise the youth costs by selling some players each year. This year we did come relatively close to matching that:

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ENTER some more charts!

Last year, we spent £1.263m on wages and bonuses so my little calculation isn't too far off. I have calculated a yearly wage as well as a rough estimate of bonuses. Starting with the Season Assist and Bonus award - I have added it if they received it this year. In the goal bonus - I have estimated that my midfielders will score ten times and my attackers twenty. For clean sheets: I have used 21, which is the number that we kept this season, even though I expect that to reduce next year. For assists - I used 3.75 as that was the average number of assists any player on my team produced and for appearances, I banded them: Star: 50, Important: 45, Squad: 40, Fringe: 35, Future: 10 games to get an overall appearance fee.

This raises some good points:

• Is Harry Cleaver, the third highest overall receiver, worth it? Considering that he's no better than average across this year. He's young and sellable and this could cover a lot of the youth setup money
• Is Neco's sale the answer to my financial issues? Not a great performer but holding a really big value. Taking home a lot more than people around him who are playing better!
• Neil Ward, whilst good, is taking home a lot more than the other players at his 'playing time level' - is he worth the investment to keep or better of bringing in some money

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Going forward, I want to build a proper wage tracker, comparing that to the financial reports from the previous year. However, in the mean time I can create a rough budget by looking at my potential gate receipts for next year:

Now, compare that to the £48,076 budget (without bonuses) I have been given for next year - there is a real difference and one I need to be aware of.

 

This looks once again amazing, can i hire u in my excell staff ??  f