The FM21 Youth Academy Challenge

[witticism]

2 minutes ago, XaW said:

 

 

Process of elimination leaves out a natural MC to possibly be good as they werent mentioned specifically as being bad so there's hope!

[XaW]

Just now, witticism said:

Process of elimination leaves out a natural MC to possibly be good as they werent mentioned specifically as being bad so there's hope!

Yeah, that or goalkeeper, but it's kinda the hard way of saying it...

[Atrux]

Man my team is able to hold it's weight but the defense is soo leaky. Had the typical match, more possession, a slightly higher xG and we lose 1:4. Very exciting though.

[XaW]

Well, this was a new one. My starting winger have decided he is not good enough to play for the club and wants to be transfer listed and move on... Uhh...

[VillaSmith]

Second intake is in, apparently my HoyD was dead wrong as my best players are not GKs or CMs...

Not much to shout about, Njoku looks okay, but he's another left footed defender when I'm in desperate need of a RB, although there is one RB that may do for now.

[witticism]

I'd be keen on a left footed RB even excluding Guardiola ambitions, plus, any port in a storm, talent overcomes footedness I'd wager.

[VillaSmith]

9 minutes ago, witticism said:

I'd be keen on a left footed RB even excluding Guardiola ambitions, plus, any port in a storm, talent overcomes footedness I'd wager.

Yeah, that's defintely an option, and I suppose it is the nature of the challenge that I may have to force square pegs in to round holes, for some reason I'm just not comfortably with an all left footed defence. It's unnatural!

Although reassessing my squad, it does allow me to solve another issue and move a player from last years intake (Jamie Rolls [22D]) in to midfield where I needed bodies too whilst Njoku becomes my backup CB.

[Cheez3y]

If I want to be in charge of the U21 and U19 (settin up the formation for e.g.) I need to cull the U21 & U19 manager?

[witticism]

2 minutes ago, Cheez3y said:

If I want to be in charge of the U21 and U19 (settin up the formation for e.g.) I need to cull the U21 & U19 manager?

I thought SI removed the ability to do that

[jmonfu]

17 minutes ago, Cheez3y said:

If I want to be in charge of the U21 and U19 (settin up the formation for e.g.) I need to cull the U21 & U19 manager?

Just change the responsibility to yourself in the Staff Options no?

[Cheez3y]

23 minutes ago, jmonfu said:

Just change the responsibility to yourself in the Staff Options no?

Nah, i change so much but nothing worked.

Only when I dont had a U21 manager it forced my to select and play the U21 games.

[jmonfu]

19 minutes ago, Cheez3y said:

Nah, i change so much but nothing worked.

Only when I dont had a U21 manager it forced my to select and play the U21 games.

wow you are going hardcore with playing the U21 games yourself!

[Cheez3y]

6 minutes ago, jmonfu said:

wow you are going hardcore with playing the U21 games yourself!

idk yet, if this is the only chance.

I want this guy to be played in the midfield as Carrilero, but everytime my U18 manager plays him as RB.

Even though he is only 17, he is to slow to be a wingback, to short to be a centerback.

But in the midfield as Carrilero (as supporting player) he could be an option for me.

 

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by Cheez3y

[witticism]

From memory, I never could choose the tactic (it copies the first team tactic set up) but I could select the lineup without much interference? I think

[jmonfu]

20 minutes ago, Cheez3y said:

idk yet, if this is the only chance.

I want this guy to be played in the midfield as Carrilero, but everytime my U18 manager plays him as RB.

Even though he is only 17, he is to slow to be a wingback, to short to be a centerback.

But in the midfield as Carrilero (as supporting player) he could be an option for me.

 

 

maybe put him in the first team, training as CM (Carillero) and available for U/21 U/18, once he gains knowledge of the CM position maybe he will be played there by your youth coaches. And in the meantime give him some small appearances with the main team.  Is that an option?  I would not take over the U21 and U18 just for 1 player to play Carillero, but that's me.

[OlivierL]

No news about the intake bug ?

 

[VillaSmith]

With one game to go, we did it! Happy to get it done with a game to spare after being top most of the season, gives me a chance to play some youth players in the last game.

 

Will do an end of season update soon, but clearly it was my stellar home form towards the end of the season that secured the title...

 

[keeper#1]

South Shields 2025 Youth Intake

My now ex-Fairly Professional HoYD brought in a class that is the best mentally and physically that we've had but worse technically that last year's class.  The personalities took a hit too.  He brought in six negative personalities (3 unambitious, 2 low determination, and 1 easily discouraged) while only bringing in three positive personalities (1 resolute, 1 professional and 1 fairly professional).  There's some talent here that will join the first team but I'm not expecting much/hoping my HoYD is wrong.

Iraqi by birth but to English parents, Al-Ali brings in a much needed presence on the left wing.  I've been filling in with central midfielders or center forwards on can play on the left wing.  The 4-1-2-2-1 and 4-2-3-1 aren't working like I hoped so I've gone back to a more basic 4-4-2 and need a true left winger.

A center back who can't mark and can barely tackle is not a great thing.  I may try to convert him into a defensive midfielder as an anchor man or ball-winner.

Laws is a natural central midfielder who can play out on the left wing as needed but his more natural position is in the middle of the field.  

Undersized Polish midfielder Kwiatkowski has English parents and brings a great first touch and pace to South Shields.  He could find a role with the team if he continues to develop.

Howell is the type of center back that I need.  He can mark and tackle.  His positioning is good.  He's a bit on the slow side but everything else looks to be good (for this level).

 

[Cheez3y]

1 hour ago, jmonfu said:

maybe put him in the first team, training as CM (Carillero) and available for U/21 U/18, once he gains knowledge of the CM position maybe he will be played there by your youth coaches. And in the meantime give him some small appearances with the main team.  Is that an option?  I would not take over the U21 and U18 just for 1 player to play Carillero, but that's me.

Why not just try it?

For Science!

I fired my U21 manager and suddently Im in charge of the U21.

I can select now everything and I can choose to play it or to quick sim it.

 

Hmm maybe I go for it ,but I will just quick sim it.

[Flashman\'s School Days]

Wuhan Three Towns - 2022 Season Review

 

Manager Attributes - Characteristics

Transfers - Fixtures 1 - Fixtures 2

CFA China League One

After looking through the squad I wasn't the most optimistic nevertheless I chose a tactic which I thought would work well but then my lack of optimism was compounded when we lost to our U23 side with neither side looking good at all.  For some reason my assistant manager then scheduled a game against Guangzhou only a couple of days later who turned up with full first team in tow.  After that inevitable loss we settled into a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 that served us really well during the remaining friendlies which gave me a bit of a boost and in a favourable first game against fellow promoted side Qingdao we managed to pull off a close but deserved win.  The next two games were against the side predicted to finish third bottom and a team from the league below, we performed poorly in both which led to a panic change of formation again.  This time I went with a 4-4-1-1 with a back up 4-4-2 and whether this was the magic formula or if I would've been ok sticking with my original plan we'll never know, but playing the majority of the season with the 4-4-1-1 we quickly took to the top half of the table and never let it slip.  Some of the results were inconsistent and often we fell to teams at the bottom of the table but at the same time we managed to beat league champions Chongqing home and away which was half of their defeats all season.  In the end we managed to secure a 6th placed finish with a 5-3 and a 4-0 over the third and second placed sides respectively in what seems like a dream season that hopefully won't turn into a nightmare next year.

Squad - Best XI

 A lot of the squad are really getting on in age, both starting full backs are over 35 now, a few of the midfielders are 33 and above (including a very good technical former China international) and finally our player of the season, our top goalscorer and the league's top goalscorer Qu Cheng is also 33.  Qu Cheng managed 30 goals in the league which is over half of the goals we scored, nobody else was really a regular scorer and we actually struggled with player ratings especially at full back, although in most positions players didn't cover themselves in glory on that front.  A youth player Feng Shaobo had come through in the holiday season managed to make quite a few first team appearances, is steadily improving and provided 2 goals and 4 assists.

Youth Intake

Earlier in the season we received the wonderful "Golden Generation" news and when the intake came through it really was as promised with no less than 9 five star potential youth players which must be one of the best intakes I've ever had on a game. A few are already good enough to get into the side and currently we have four players rated at 2.5 stars current ability.

Tian Weiwei 22a - Wei Mingfei 22d - Ma Jian'gang 22f - Guo Qi 22h

Finances

We have absolutely haemorrhaged money this season, making a loss of almost £1.5m despite the board putting in over £600k to help out.  This isn't helped by having only £50k of sponsorship money and an average attendance of under 500 people.  Halfway through the season the board took the wage budget down from £57k pw to around £40k pw which put me around 8k over budget.  Even with renegotiating contracts I only managed to get this down to still be 5k over although the board have been generous in allowing me a tiny bit extra next season I'm still over and this is before handing any of the youth players professional contracts.  The board have also installed a "repair the club's financial damage" into the club vision which they require by the end of the 2024 season.  Even if I was to sell players I don't see it impacting the financial side of the club when we are losing £250k a month unless we sold someone off for a ridiculous sum and at the moment that seems very unlikely.  The poor finances have also meant that I haven't been able to upgrade anything nor take any coaching badges so lets hope a sponsorship deal is forthcoming.

Next Season

The plan next season is purely to survive in the league again in what may turn out to be a transitional year between the old and young sides of the squad and fingers crossed the board can do something to help us financially

[hubwub]

Another person playing in China. Welcome @Flashman\'s School Days!

What's the stats on your HOYD?

[Flashman\'s School Days]

2 minutes ago, hubwub said:

Another person playing in China. Welcome @Flashman\'s School Days!

What's the stats on your HOYD?

Thanks @hubwub, I got in this guy from a Chinese football school, his personality isn't the best but he's leaps and bounds better at coaching than anyone at the club which is helpful as I'm not allowed any U19 staff apart from the U19 Manager

[OlivierL]

FYI : 

Quote

Seb , i have a new question; We know (because of this great topic ) what will influence the youth intake quality. For improving the personalities, does it help to have staff (senior and or youth staff) with good personalties? Or is the personalty of the hoyd the only important one? I always try to find staff with good personalties but not sure if this works all the time.

3 hours ago, Seb Wassell said:

You want all youth related staff to have 'preferable' personalities, but the HoYD is the key.

[officiallydeej]

AS Rodos - 2024/25 Season Review

 

 

A really frustrating season of inconsistency when I'd expected a genuine promotion challenge. We started the season with only 1 win in 7 games which should have ended any hopes of promotion we had, but the rest of the league were also poor meaning we only ended up 8 points from the playoff spot - 4 less than less season. Anything like last seasons form would have taken us up, last seasons points total would have seen us finish second so the inconsistency was even more infuriating. We were also dumped out of the cup by a lower league team at the first hurdle, less said about that the better.

 

A lot of younger players in the first team squad now which is possibly the reason we found winning runs so hard to come by. Arkoulos, Mulaj and Mantikos are now mainstays in the starting 11 with other youngsters filling the bench and getting regular minutes. 

 

Still not overly happy with the personalities but they are in improvement on previous intakes. For the first time I didn't sign all the candidates with only the first 7 from the list taken on this season. Martinis is the pick of the bunch and is already training with the first team.

 

Next Season

I'm not very good at predicting these am I?! At the end of last season I expected a serious promotion push after the year on year improvement and we ended up spending most of this season in 12th place until an upturn in form in the last month of the season shot us into the top half. Larisa have managed to survive in the top division this season so we don't have to deal with them coming down, if we can get off to a strong start I'm hoping the momentum will be able to keep us up around the top end next term.

 

[hubwub]

23 minutes ago, OlivierL said:

FYI : 

Which thread is that from?

[OlivierL]

Just now, hubwub said:

Which thread is that from?

 

[XaW]

Season 2026/27 - JD Cymru Premier

Another solid season, unfortunately, we finished below the line at the split so we went into the lower bracket. We did manage to finish at the top of it though, and it turns out we got into the playoffs for European spots. We managed to beat Swansea Uni in the semi final and then Bala Town, so I guess we are finally going to have a turn in Europe next season. We keep improving and I hope we can go back into the Championship bracket next season.

Transfers | Youth Preview | Youth Intake

A pretty good youth intake this time, even if it couldn't reach the heights set last season. Still, some great talents.

Key players: David Williams 22g, Gentian Curri 26k & Brad Parry 25o

[JLAB]

ACN Siena 1904 - 2022/23 Winter Break Update

As I go into the winter break in Italy, I find myself looking at my youth intake preview and wondering if all I'm going to be getting are good strikers and good central defenders this season in the youth intake.

Still, despite the potential disappointment of the youth intake this season, the league has been a dramatic improvement from last season, the tactic that I developed to help us avoid the relegation playoffs has helped us become stronger, much to my own surprise. Sitting pretty in 3rd place with 38 points, the same amount of points as we picked up in the entirety of last season is helping us feel like this season has got a lot of potential. We've scored 29 goals and considered 24, which is why our goal difference is as low as it currently is. We've had some pretty horrific games in the past, so hopefully we can put that behind us.

There is still the matter of my best youth intake of last season, Michele Mazza. I'm strongly considering training him to become a Mezzala, for I am playing the role in midfielder alongside an Advanced Playmaker or a Ball Winning Midfielder. His desire to get forward whenever possible just helps with the Mezzala role and his technique and work rate would be very useful in the Mezzala role as well. I know he's got a lot of potential and at only 17, I need to tread carefully. I want to make sure that he can reach his full potential and will do everything in my power to ensure he manages to do so.

 

[Braumiller]

Monmouth season 4 write-up coming at some point this afternoon.  Before I do, I need to find one particular highlight and figure out the best way to capture, host and post it.....

Oh lordy....

[OlivierL]

I'm not going to continue in Iceland (or start somewhere else) till i know more about that youth intake bug in unplayable leagues.

 

[Motlhen]

Hey all- I am about to start my second season and need some advice on our dire goalkeeper situation.

Who would you start? I have 3 options:

1. Last season's pacy 'keeper who has no Aerial or Jumping Reach as he's 178cm.

 

2. A 17yo Basque 'keeper about to come back from loan from our affiliates who can jump but can't run or be trusted to kick, throw or talk.

 

Or 3. A large 15yo at 194cm who also can't run, but has pretty good jumping reach and the added extra of (sort of) being able to take a first touch when compared to the other two.

[hubwub]

1 hour ago, Flashman\'s School Days said:

Thanks @hubwub, I got in this guy from a Chinese football school, his personality isn't the best but he's leaps and bounds better at coaching than anyone at the club which is helpful as I'm not allowed any U19 staff apart from the U19 Manager

In my game, he is still at Luneng Football School. He is getting paid €10 p/w in my game and his contract ends at the end of the 2023 season. CRAZY!

[Braumiller]

On The Pitch - League Table
Well, this was a step backwards kind of season.  We struggled to get anything going and the eventual chopping and changing of tactics to try and find any kind of form never really paid off.  Suffice to say the season can be summarized by the final two games of the season.  We sit 10th (11th and 12th are relegated) with home games against the 11th and 12 placed teams to go.  A win in either game ensures survival, any kind of slip up and we are in big trouble.

Home to Llandudno.
We go up 1-0 early on, first goal in his 2nd game for Marcus Pring 04C.  A much better game than his debut where he got sent off for 2 yellow cards!  We are all over them and have a 2nd chalked off for offside....  They equalize with their only shot on target (they did have 10 off target!) and the game gets very nervy, but ends 1-1.  Haverfordwest win their game, jumping them to 11th and tightening things up even more...

The table going into the final day of the season

Home to Haverfordwest.
A win needed to survive, or a draw if Llandudno fail to win their home game against Llanelli....
We are the better team in the first half, but have the tightest of close calls I have ever seen with Haverfordwest coming within millimeters of scoring.  VIDEO PROOF! 
Llandudno take an early lead, meaning we are now in the relegation spots.
Llanelli then equalize on the stroke of half time and we are back out of the drop zone for now.
They start to take control in the 2nd half, but we are the ones who get the ball in the back of the net which is wrongfully called back for offside!
Our game becomes very nervy and while they edge the stats it ends 0-0.
All eyes turn to Llandudno/Llanelli where it is drama o'clock!  Llandudno have a goal disallowed in the 89th minute which would have seen them safe and us relegated and then Llanelli have a goal disallowed in the 91st minute which would have sealed things up.
Thankfully it ended 1-1 and we escape by the very skin of our teeth.

Off The Pitch
The first season of our descent into the financial abyss began.  As expected the club lost over half a million pounds because of the ridiculous overspend on a 16k stadium for a team that averages around 250 folks a game...
Our bad form on the pitch caused morale issues, and the first batch of youths started wanting new contracts as an improvement on their 5 pounds pw.  Thankfully the new deals helped placate them and the unrest went away.
As a result of our financial meltdown, the board reduced my wage budget from 3,620 pw to just 630 pw (we were spending 620 pw at the time).  Things are about to get uncomfortable.....

Youth Intake - screenshot
A cracking intake this year, the lone ray of sunshine.  Our best to date and 3 tagged and straight into the starting XI
Chris Hilton 04A - The kind of kid you are hoping will prove to be a real game changer.  The fastest player at the club and other great attributes for his role and our level!  Truth be told be didn't set the world on fire in his games at the end of the season, but I believe it was him clearing off the line in the video above!
Peter Needs 04B - A highly rated central defender, which is needed as we ship goals at an alarming rate.  Under sized, but brave and the highest current ability DC immediately!
Marcus Pring 04C - A more defensive minded midfielder, which is a nice addition.  Got sent off late on for a 2nd booking on his debut, so he missed a game of the run in.  He scored the goal in the 1-1 draw on the penultimate day of the season though, which proved to be a priceless point.

Squad Stats

Transfers

Our squad is now bloated after 4 fully signed intake, with 63 players between the senior squad and the under 19s.  I need to start letting some go (although all still have max potential ratings, so it may just be bad personalities I get rid of - they all cannot play anyway!).

Oh yes, our new stadium.

16,681 all seater!.......   

Edited December 1, 2020 by Braumiller

[craigcwwe]

Season 2021/22 

Table Fixtures 1 Fixtures 2 Transfer History 

Last four games. 

Due to the weird and wonderful nature of South American football we entered the Copa Argentina cup competition at the fifth round and defeated fellow second division side Gimnasia (Jujuy) and got an away draw to namesakes Club Atletico Talleres from the top tier in the 6th round but that game won't take place until next season. 

Forgot to get a screenshot of my squad before the season rolled over.

As for the table, very pleased with a 7th place finish in my first season at the club when the board expectation was simply to fight bravely against the drop. We were never in any trouble of even getting dragged into a relegation battle at any point of the season and narrowly missed out on making the promotion play off by four points but truth be told I'm quite content to be a stable second division side for a few seasons whilst I blood the first batch of youngsters from my first youth intake. Lovely season ending victory at the champions!

So yeah, next season will be a case of revamping the first team squad, out with the old and in with the new, quite literally in this case. Due to this a tougher season than the first is half anticipated, would make sense so simply staying in the division is my aim again. 

Staff wise there's been a lot of changes here too, most notably the HoYD is gone! He's out the door. Out of contract and I had no intention of renewing his deal. So I'm on the lookout for a new HoYD with hopefully a better personality than the last one (Balanced) and fitting my tactical preference(s) would be grand. 

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by craigcwwe

[officiallydeej]

No matter how frustrating this challenge becomes for you at times, remember it could be worse. Spare a thought for the newly promoted team in my division Diagoras, who followed up their opening day 8-1 defeat at Volos with an 8-0 rousting at home against my rampant Rodos team. I'm hoping this is a sign of good things for me, but realistically they seem so bad that this might end up being a regular scoreline for them.

 

 

[VillaSmith]

Season 2 - 2022/23 - Vanarama National League North

League Table - Fixtures 1/Fixtures 2/Fixtures 3 - Squad 1/Squad 2/Squad 3 - Best XI - Transfers

League - A brilliant season that saw me go top after match 4 and stay there for the rest of the season. We were fantastic at the start of the season not losing for the first 12 games, however we started to run out of steam a little bit in the new year and ended up limping to the title with an inconsistent run of form that saw me win only 1 of my last 8 home games. Weirdly enough, I feel that we were worse than last season, although it may be my shaky end to the season that gives me that impression. I did manage to blood some youth players this season with Sofokleous, Nwachukwu and Rolls all getting solid game time, as well as some of the younger players I inherited like Wade, Jenkins and Errington. Next season the aim is obviously to survive, but it will be a difficult ask.

Cups - A poor showing in the FA Cup getting knocked out by Stalybridge Celtic from the division below, but that wsa my own fault for heavily rotating my team for that game. The FA Trophy was much better for us getting to the 4th round, beating National League sid eFylde in the 3rd Round, and then losing to Plymouth thanks to a 119th minute goal. We did brilliantly to give Plymouth a game for the first 90 minutes, but didn't have the energy to keep competing in extra time.

Finances - We were in a relatively healthy position all season long financially, and over the summer the chairman has injected a further £375K loan, but I have unfortunately been able to use these funds to improve the facilities. The chairman also invested some money to improve the stadium along with a grant so that we meet National League requirements next season.

Youth Intake

Mustapha Njoku [23A] - Kenny Meyler [23B] - Darren Oakes [23C] - Matty Minchella [23D] - Fred Barber [23E] - Kennedy Sudi [23F]

A closer look at the Youth Intake for this year. Njoku is the bright spot of this intake and has gone straight in to the senior squad, the rest I will try to find loans or keep in the U18s, but hopefully they can push in to the senior squad in the future.

[Braumiller]

I should be working on my big project at work, but now I have season 05 on my mind....... 

Thinking of shaking things up after 4 years of attacking football, the past two years of which have not really gotten us anywhere.

I want to change things up and try and grind out boring results, but it could be managerial suicide

The board have been spoilt;

I think I can provide the top one, I obviously can give the bottom one.  Attacking, possession & entertaining.....  Hoping they can see past those, with importance flagged as just 'favoured'

[vikeologist]

I think the youth intake previews are largely garbage. Sometimes there's a big correlation, sometimes a bit, sometimes none.

They as well be called a Youth Intake Horoscope.

My first (and therefore in FM21 only one said, At least 1 of our full backs has plenty of promise. I got 2 full-backs and they had the lowest potential. One of them was a Cypriot who had caught the eye. Maybe he caught the eye because he's useless, but you know, they are all pretty useless.

Neither of them (the fullbacks) shows any sign of having any potential.

So sure, if it says there's a young player from x place, there will one, and i'm sure a 'golden generation' is more likely to be good than a 'don't expect much'. I dare say there is some correlation between preview and actual intakes, just as I believe Seb that your HoYD's personality influence the kids', but in actuality it's pretty invisible to me.

Edited December 1, 2020 by vikeologist

[Winski]

Very good news, guys!

[Winski]

Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur (ÍR)

Start of season 2022

 

Although I enjoyed the start of my save with Alemannia Aachen, I couldn't 'click' with the save. I wanted something different then playing in Germany. So I decided to go back to Iceland. And there is only one club where I want to play with: IR. I fell in love with the club when I had a great save with them in FM17. The only save I had with FM17 was with IR, for about 30 seasons. And with a squad full of acadamy players we first won the Europa League and eventually the Champions League. I didn't follow the exact rules of this topic, because I allowed myself to buy academy players back. And after I won the Europa League with only youth players, I allowed myself to buy a maximum of 3 players. And a couple of seasons later we won the Champions League. I really enjoyed that save, it was by far my favorite CM/FM ever.

So yeah, the main reason to start with IR is because of that experience. But now I want to follow the rules of this challenge.

Let's go!

[VillaSmith]

Sofokleous forced a transfer, but I managed to get £50k upfront and 50% of the next sale, so hopefully West Ham can develop him. I've also set the deal to go through next summer, so I have one last season with him.

[OlivierL]

5 minutes ago, Winski said:

Íþróttafélag Reykjavíkur (ÍR)

Start of season 2022

 

Although I enjoyed the start of my save with Alemannia Aachen, I couldn't 'click' with the save. I wanted something different then playing in Germany. So I decided to go back to Iceland. And there is only one club where I want to play with: IR. I fell in love with the club when I had a great save with them in FM17. The only save I had with FM17 was with IR, for about 30 seasons. And with a squad full of acadamy players we first won the Europa League and eventually the Champions League. I didn't follow the exact rules of this topic, because I allowed myself to buy academy players back. And after I won the Europa League with only youth players, I allowed myself to buy a maximum of 3 players. And a couple of seasons later we won the Champions League. I really enjoyed that save, it was by far my favorite CM/FM ever.

So yeah, the main reason to start with IR is because of that experience. But now I want to follow the rules of this challenge.

Let's go!

Good luck, u know i love the club since last year and reading your old topic !

 

[ANGL]

1 hour ago, Winski said:

Very good news, guys!

That's fantastic! I'm totally starting the challenge after these news. 
Can anyone give me any advice on choosing a country to start? I've always played in most known leagues (Spain, England etc), any recomendation for interesting countries?

[thomas_e]

'

Sacachispas FC

Youth Intake 2024 

 

Well, a dissapointing intake this season! Our HOYD has a contract that expires after this season and even though I can't offer much of a salary I hope to replace him. We can't handle too many intakes as bad as this one. Low potential and terrible personalities!

The only player likely to have a bright future is Marco Gomez. He's a central midfielder which is good, but only 8 in determination and "low self belief" personality  

Anyone have any experience working with that personality? I'm actually considering bringing him up to the first team to receive mentoring and train with them right from the start. 

 

     

[TheGreatTraveler]

So much for not being a golden generation, couldn't have wished for a better first intake 

Freamunde is gonna take the division by storm (if I don't get sacked first)

[TheGreatTraveler]

6 hours ago, Motlhen said:

Hey all- I am about to start my second season and need some advice on our dire goalkeeper situation.

Who would you start? I have 3 options:

1. Last season's pacy 'keeper who has no Aerial or Jumping Reach as he's 178cm.

 

2. A 17yo Basque 'keeper about to come back from loan from our affiliates who can jump but can't run or be trusted to kick, throw or talk.

 

Or 3. A large 15yo at 194cm who also can't run, but has pretty good jumping reach and the added extra of (sort of) being able to take a first touch when compared to the other two.

How confiden are you about surviving? If you are super confident put one of the kids in and let them learn through experience. If not, I'd stick with the first guy. 

 

[shaunvamos]

Excelsior Maassluis 2028/29 Season Review

 

It really was a horrible start as you can see and I was writing the epitaph for our relegation. But we picked up a few results here and there, including an excellent win over Feyenoord, and finished in 13th, all without our star CB who left on a free! We do have plenty of depth at CB though which helped a lot, and the even better news is that we have held on to all our best players, and there's still plenty of room for them to improve so next season should be even better. Credit should go to our keeper and now U21 Dutch international Mokofeng 4F, who has improved out of sight this season and is now our best player with a calculated attribute rating of 65.38! We also hit a new PB in the cup with an exit in the quarter finals. Probably doesn't mean too much in the grand scheme of things, but it's further evidence that we are progressing in the right direction. 

Further evidence of positive progression is further upgrades to our training, youth and youth recruitment network. I'm excited to press on.

 

Daniel Mofokeng 4F - Tijmen Westra 1J* - Selorm Mohammed 5B*

 

Youth Intake

 

Hendri Adrian 8A* - Stanley van Duin 8B - Henny Philips 8C*

 

Another excellent intake with two of top 3 having excellent personalities. I might finally have to delve into the mentoring side of things as van Duin looks excellent and I need to change his personality.

 

Transfers

I don't even remember selling this guy. Oh well.

 

Progress

 

[The Gold Guard]

Truro City Youth Academy Challenge
2022/23
Act III
 

"We didn't have a bad season - majority of the league did. That's the only reason why we didn't look like going down." Truro assistant, Stuart Searle, summarised the season at the final post-game press conference at Treyvew Road.

It is the harsh, honest truth. Truro City overachieved retaining the exact same position as last year. It's nothing to be ashamed about though. We fought much more valiantly and the morale is much better because we finally have a dynamic majority that want to be here. No egos. No superstars. Except for the manager of course...

Table | Squad | Transfers | Staff

High points:

• We won huge games early on against the top-half teams to avoid relegation in the latter half of the season
• We were a side that determined and dictated the play-off spots
• Attacking football worked well before January and again towards April
• Much better FA Cup run with Andrew Neal even scoring 5 goals
• Dropping the wage bill a bit more by the month

Low points:

• Dipped again in January from play off spots to mid-table
• Lost another crucial veteran because of contract disputes
• The club's in the red - just under 100K. Gotta do better in the cups.
• Goalkeeper is being held hostage. No one wants him but still need him playing better mentally.
• We are currently at Robin Hood status regarding points

Youth Preview | Youth Intake | Youth Squad

The money isn't there for the facility upgrades yet. Hoard mode activated. There are no standouts at all. We'll see who rises up to the challenge.

Summary

"The kids coming through are still young pups but are playing with heart and for the badge. That's what you want." - Tommo, local fan

"I have no idea what Chad says in that change-room but when the team is down at half-time, they get out that dugout for the second half like there's snipers on the roof aimed at them each. They are playing for their lives. How it used to be back in my day when I playe-..." - Gazza, lifelong fan

"I'm just a glorified babysitter. When does my team get to play in a bloody league?" - Jake Newton, U23s Manager

End of Act III

Edited December 2, 2020 by The Gold Guard

[Atrux]

I will put Lancaster on hold and try my luck in Bulgaria

[vikeologist]

Vikeologist's 2nd Folkestone Intake Report

 

Predictably our intake bore only limited relation to the preview, or indeed to our HoYD’s Model Professional personality.

I’m not complaining. The preview was pretty depressing, but on arrival my HoYD spluttered out the golden generation guff.

The personalities are a problem. It will be difficult to improve them at the moment.

I’ve offered a contract to all but one of them.

4 players with 5 star potential, but nobody with much current ability. It doesn’t really suit our positional needs. I could do with a right back or a left footed left winger, but our present team is relatively young, so we still have a few years to build up our squad.

The top prospect looks like yet another central midfielder, like last year’s top 2 prospects, but they both became instant starters, so Niall Rigg2a is close to being able to earn a spot on the bench.

Or I could try to turn him into a left winger, because he is supposedly equally good in that position. He has no speed, but as a left winger, his best role is as a defensive winger, which is what I use, and unlike all of my other left wingers, he is actually left footed. So, in the process of writing this, I’ve decided. He’s a left winger.

I don’t have high hopes for any of them, but as I say, it’s all about adding bodies at the moment.

Edited December 2, 2020 by vikeologist