dafuge's FM21 challenge

Faramir · December 21, 2020

Needham Market- Season 7 2027-28 1st season Premier

New additions:

Because of our reputation (National, but low compared to most Championship sides), we continued to raid Scottish football (also because we have extensively scouted most of the top Scottish clubs).

Lewis Miller (1.3 Million from Dundee United) 22 year old versatile Scottish SC,MC that I planned on making my DLP, but adjusted when new circumstances arrived. Slick, unpredictable player, but his poor tackling was likely to be a hinderence in a central midfield role.

Donald Stewart (1.6 Million from Aberdeen) 21 year old Scot GK has Premier-level ability. Despite Jaaskelainen's steadiness last season, I never really looked on him as a Premier level starter, but he is fine alternate to this instictive youngster.

Luke McMahon (725K from Motherwell) 22 year old Northern Irish DC that will take Kenneth Opoku's place in our central defense when we have to return the loaned English Under-21 International at the end of the season.

Jason Knight (8.75 Million from Derby) the main splurge in transfer spending went to this established 26 year old Irish center mid to firm up our midfield situation.

Eugene Mooney (Free from Partick Thistle) pacey 18 year old Northern Irish winger that suits our attacking style very well and will likely be an impact player for us.

Ross Murray (3.8 Million from Hibs) another silky winger, the 21 year old Scot suits our counter-attacking style very well.

Ross Mackenzie (2.5 Million from St.Mirren) 20 year old Scot Rightback that gives both more depth there, but likely better play than Frankie Whalen was providing.

Shayne McKeown (900K from Swansea) We welcome back the 21 year old English prodigy that Swansea paid us 6.5 Million for - and then never played. Adding McKeown, a slick passer, as DLP allows Miller to play either up front or on wing as needed.

***

We were handed a brutal schedule to start our initial Premier campaign and our results reflected it as we are still in flux tactics-wise (the new players aren't bedded into the system yet and our teamwork is still lacking). We are sharing Craven Cottage with Fulham while our new stadium is constructed.

Away at Liverpool- we played the defending champs close for a 1-1 first half, but our defense collapsed in the second half in a 6-2 thrashing.

Home to Manchester United- It was an even match until they found a late match winner to beat us 2-1.

Away at Watford- A fine, fast start gave us a 2-0 lead, but a missed interception on a long cross left us with a very disappointing 2-2 draw.

Carabao Cup- Home to Arsenal- We battled them to a 1-1 draw, but lost on penalties.

Home to Tottenham- We battled back to a 2-2 scoreline, but missed golden chances haunted us as they scored a late match winner to defeat us 3-2.

Not a promising first month, but I like how our club is setup and we just need to find a little finishing form and more solid defense to gain better results. It hasn't helped us that we suffered the injury bug to begin the season and Opoku, James Maxwell and Emmanual Arthur have all missed most of the first month.

goonergez · December 21, 2020

Morpeth Town FC: 2025/26 Season Preview

Four seasons not really worth reporting had me questioning the future of this save, but for now I am sticking with it. I'm not sure how much longer I can go on with so little progress, but I am going to try and graft through these frustrating times. After a disappointing end to last season, I was scratching my head about what to do. We need to strengthen the midfield, but all the while Rumarn Burrell is here we can beat anybody.

The summer gave me a good opportunity to clear some money on our wage bill, as our squad had grown a little bigger than I like. The arrival of two new full backs last summer meant I didn't need to worry about those areas in our squad anymore, but the midfield needed some work. We had players who looked decent enough, but never produced more than consistently average. If we wanted to take that next step that is something we would have to address.

We allowed goalkeepers Matt Hall and Louis Jones both to leave the club, as well as defenders Luke Garner and Luke Cox. None of them featured often last season, and so they were relatively straightforward decisions. Central midfielders Keaton Ward, Jamie Miley and Lautaro Chavez all featured on a regular basis, but were not offered new deals as I looked to upgrade upon them.
Winger Lwazi Baatjies would've stayed, but I wouldn't raise his wages to a level he wanted, as I didn't feel he deserved to be on the sort of money he was asking for. We also lost attacking midfielder Sean Williams on a free transfer to Bohemians. He performed well last season, but like Baatjies wanted a simply astronomical wage to stay with the club.

Arrival wise we picked up six new players as I looked to add some quality into our squad. The defence was strengthened with the arrival of 19-year old Warren Ward on a free transfer from Darlington, and Tomos Cartwright after his release by Manchester City. The other four arrivals were all for midfield, as the released players left us looking threadbare.
The best of which was probably 19-year old Leonie Lambert who was picked up on a free transfer from Scarborough Athletic. He looks a real talent, and is still young enough to improve considerably. Fellow winger Marc Howells joined after his release by Sunderland, and is also only 20-years of age. 22-year old Jonathan Krakue was also picked up after being released by Sunderland, and looks a real promising player in central midfield. We also added 19-year old Kai Hughes from Leeds United to offer some depth to us in the middle of the park.

I am pretty pleased with the squad we have now, and feel we are well covered in all areas. We haven't lost anybody particularly vital, in particular clinical striker Rumarn Burrell. All the while we have him then we have the capability and fire power to beat anybody. We're expected by the media to finish in 4th place, which would grab the play-off spot that I am craving. I tend to side with that prediction, thinking we lack the depth to compete right at the top, but possess the quality to battle anybody. Defensively we will need to be tight, but as said before Rumarn Burrell is an absolute match winner. The board only ask for a mid-table finish, which again I don't see as a struggle.

goonergez · December 21, 2020

Morpeth Town FC: 2025/26 Review

Another season has drawn to a close, and my fifth season in charge of this football club has ended. It was more of the same for me and my side, as inconsistency prevented us from achieving anything like I thought we were capable of. Once more we head into the summer months as a Conference North side after a lacklustre season.

We actually started the season on fire, winning our first three matches and scoring a bucket load of goals. A stunning comeback away at South Shields in our second game a highlight for the season. Trailing 1-4 after 55 minutes we scored five goals in a twelve minute period to turn the game on its head and take the points. A little dip in form didn't hurt us, and after ten games we still sat in a solid position inside the top half. That was when everything started to go wrong. Having waxed lyrical about solving my full back problems last summer, I was left as a laughing stock. Both Matty Rain and Martyn Bove were woeful, and in fact both spent considerable time out of the squad over the season. They really did let us down.

I was also left seriously underwhelmed by Jesper Kutshienza. The centre back was atrociously bad, leading to me selling him to Plymouth Argyle for a fee of £20,000 in January. Our form picked up significantly in the latter stages, but not before we had dropped to a low of 18th place. We climbed the table, but were never in danger of troubling the play-off spots. Yet again mid-table the best we could achieve. It's starting to get seriously demoralising now. Striker Rumarn Burrell was yet again the highlight of our season with 33 more league goals. Defensively we were pretty average, although centre-backs Connor Teale and Warren Ward impressed. Midfield was once again a bit of a sore point for us, and work will need to be done again to improve.

With a new stadium to fund, a cup run this season would've been hugely beneficial. Unfortunately it didn't really happen for us. In the FA Cup we left it late to dispatch Stalybridge Celtic 4-0 at home, and then Hereford 2-1 away. The final qualifying round gave us Altrincham of the Conference National, but despite a decent display we were beaten 1-2 away. In the FA Trophy we disappointed, losing 0-1 at home to AFC Telford at the first hurdle.

Two very different things will dominate the summer at this football club. Firstly we will move into our brand new stadium ahead of next season. It'll be fantastic to have our very own home ground again, and I cannot wait to lead the team out there. Secondly, we will almost certainly be saying goodbye to club legend Rumarn Burrell. He's scored a quite outrageous 135 goals in 163 matches for us, but currently won't discuss terms on a new contract with us. To lose a player of that quality and clinical talent will be hard, but we also can't begrudge him. At 25-years old he sees his future at a higher level than this, and I can't say I blame him. I'll have to spend much of the summer trying to find a replacement for him though.

It's going to be a long and busy summer for us, as we really need to strengthen in a lot of areas. I want us to hit the ground running in our new stadium, and to do that I will need to bring in some more quality. We have a lot of players out of contract this summer, and I will be using it as an opportunity to have a bit of a clear out. Financially the club is a mess now, the loan for the new stadium has absolutely killed us. We're negative £250,000, and so I will probably attempt to reduce our wage bill in order to try and gain a bit of control back. It's a busy summer, and probably the biggest one I have faced so far.

Amarante · December 22, 2020

So after trying again. I've bowed out. To those of you who compete this challenge you're all truly legends. This challenge had me questioning if i knew anything about FM till i had to create a new save and went unbeaten. For some reason how i want to see football played is not compatible with non-league teams and i don't have the patience with players with single digit stats. And i really wanted to see if i could go to the premier league too/.

I'll probable attempt this at a later date after i get bored with my other saves bu at this moment. This is hard. Very Hard.

Edited December 22, 2020 by Amarante

goonergez · December 22, 2020

Morpeth Town FC: 2026/27 Season Preview

My journey here has seen five seasons so far, with mediocrity probably the best word to describe it. The last couple of seasons in particular have been disappointing, and the end of the last campaign saw me just begging to get to the end. This summer brings with it a bit of excitement though, and for the first time in a while there is genuine anticipation for the campaign to get going. The first good news saw a change in club chairman. The new arrival wiped our initial debts, meaning that our bank balance looked a little healthier. Thankfully his vision for the future is similar to his predecessor and so I don't feel under any immediate pressure to overachieve. I am confident that I can still be here for the long-term.
The second piece of positive news was this,

Really exciting for this club, as we get to move back home. I'm sure it isn't coincidence that the move to play our home games at Whitby saw us produce two very disappointing league campaigns. I'm hoping that being back in Morpeth will be a boost to the club and now we can almost start again and look to move this club forwards.

Contract expiration day was busy this summer, although we managed a third piece of fantastic news just before that. Club record goal scorer Rumarn Burrell put his issues aside, and signed a new two year contract to stay with the club. It's a mega £800 a week deal, but we simply had to pay what we wanted as we couldn't afford to lose his goals from our side. That kind of threw my plans for the transfer window open though, as I had spent a lot of time preparing to build a squad without him.

In total eleven players departed the club, with only a couple of them really on the fringes of our squad. The most significant were probably defenders Matty Rain and Perez Goumou as well as wingers Vinnie Steels and Pedro Meneghello and backup striker Christian Meekings.

Having cleared plenty of room on the budget (despite the increase in wages of Burrell), I set about bringing in some new faces to try and push this club on. 22-year old goalkeeper Harrison Bond was snapped up after his release by Sunderland, and will come straight in as our new number one. Defensively we added left back Ronnie Duxbury after his release by Leeds, and he will become first choice after the departure of the disappointing Matty Rain. 27-year old centre back Mich'el Parker was picked up from South Shields, and we also picked up promising 17-year old Phil Jeffrey after his youth contract expired at Manchester United.

We saved our most exciting signing for central midfield though

Needing some cover I moved quickly to sign Michael Madsen after he was released by Burnley. He looks a fantastic prospect, and I am expecting him to become a real key component within our creativity in midfield. I finished our summer activity with a couple of players to offer some depth. 23-year old striker Callum Speed comes in as backup to Burrell, and 18-year old winger Joe Hill was signed after he was released by Leeds United. Neither look like becoming real key figures for us, but depth is key to trying to bring success and we found that in both.

After a really disappointing season last time around I am really hoping that the change in chairman and the new stadium will give us some sort of spark to try and progress. I'm trying to look at this stadium move as almost a new beginning, and that shows in some of our transfer activity. I'm determined to start pushing forwards, and this seems the perfect place to start. Speaking of the new stadium I am hoping that we can start to produce solid performances at home. If we can put together some good form at home and make ourselves hard to beat, then that should lay the groundwork for a positive campaign. The new chairman still only wants us to clinch a mid-table spot, but I am confident that this set of players should be able to do better than that. If we can make the chances for Rumarn Burrell, then I have no fears about us scoring plenty of goals. Defensively we will need to be strong, but we have the calibre of players to do just that. The media expect a 9th placed finish for us, I would like a couple of players higher than that to sneak into the play-offs. A cup run would also be nice, and would also bring in more funds now seeing as we can hold more fans for home matches. An exciting season ahead, and I cannot wait.

CMU Chips · December 22, 2020

Season 9 - Championship - 14th

The lack of club reputation hit us fully this season. Most players won't even give us the time of day, and I'm still getting green scouting recommendations for players who are VNN/VNS quality. This was a very confusing season on top of that; we were 10th in xG (60.19) but 3rd in actual goals (86), while being miles above everyone in xG against (nearly 100!) but only conceded the 17th most goals (79). Part of this was due to our goalkeeper. I loaned Gavin Mullins back for a second season, but less than a week later my scouts recommended a guy who was at Notts County. I paid £66k (second largest transfer in club history) and he was incredible. Despite allowing the second most goals of any goalkeeper in the league, he finished with a 7.27 average rating (3rd highest among all players). Our tactic has always been built around defense first and a route 1 style once we get it (hence almost all our goals being scored by our two strikers), but this new keeper elevated the team and kept us in the playoff spots for most of the year. By the end of the season, teams had figured us out and the luck dried up, and we only won 1 of our last 13 games as we free-falled down the table. Finances were also strange as our highest paid player ended up being the backup GK we had on loan. Our next highest paid were: a CB who was terrible (6.57 average), a CM who was terrible (6.56 average), a loan LM who was not good (6.67), our CB who we previously sold (emergency loan in January while we tried to cling to the playoffs), and a backup RB who made 0 appearances, and then finally two good players in Scott Wilson and our new starting GK.

As such, our transfers were nothing much to write about. We set a new spending record with £200k on a CM who played reasonable well, contributing 11 assists in a system where our CMs are often not all that involved, and the aforementioned £66k on our star GK. The only other transfers of note were Asa Gutteridge, a LB who made 38 appearances and did fine with a 6.82 despite 0 goals and 1 assist in a very leaky defense and Pat Daws, a loan striker who ended up winning Championship player of the year (and top scorer). His contract was extended by his parent club, but he will be back on loan next year.

The wage budget for next season is nearly unchanged, which is a shame as we have quite a few weaknesses. None of our CBs played well and our left mids provided almost nothing going forward. We had one good CM but the rest were all awful. I've already gone forward to rep improvement day, and we still have the rep of a mid-table League Two team, so it's hard to get people to even negotiate with us. Finances are seemingly fine as we had enough money to improve all facilities and youth level, so maybe after next year they'll consider an expansion/new stadium as we were at capacity almost every game.

League Table -

Squad Stats -

Transfers -

russ the womble · December 22, 2020

Wanted a Merstham save but decided to go with Carshalton Athletic instead.

DazRTaylor · December 23, 2020

One game to go...

DazRTaylor · December 23, 2020

End of Season Review

Season 2026/27

FC United of Manchester

League Table - We were top of the league for seven weeks early in the season, before collapsing to mid table and recovering somewhat in the New Year.

League Fixtures 1, 2 & 3 - We had a decent start before having a very tough three months. We found our form again before securing promotion on the last day as results elsewhere went our way.

F. A. Cup - We went out in the third round, losing at home to Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers in a replay, having got a fine draw at Molineux.

Carabao Cup - An excellent cup run as we matched our semi final appearance of two years ago. We narrowly lost to Aston Villa for a place in the final over two legs. The win at Manchester City in the quarter final is the obvious highlight.

Pre Season Friendlies - A decent pre season, though four defeats gave me cause for concern.

Squad - Our squad is very young though they are starting to fulfill their potential.

Squad Dynamics - As good as I could expect.

Transfers In 1 & 2 - I spent big in an effort to reach the Premier League.

Transfers Out 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 - I raised less than half of what I spent, though a huge number of youngsters left on loan to gain match experience. In total, twenty eight players left for transfer fees and fifty five players left on loan deals.

Youth Candidates - Not a great bunch at all, with Mick Watson YP27A28 being the player with the most potential.

Finances - We are in the black but only just. This won't be an issue for the immediate future as the Premier League money will be rolling in.

Key Players

Harry Goodwin YP23A6 - Having stopped sulking in the summer, the academy graduate signed a new contract and is the first choice centre back.

Gaston Acosta - Argentinian central defender on loan from Boca Juniors. We have an option to buy for £5.5m, which I will be taking up...if he wants to sign, which he doesn't right now.

Teddy Jenks - The 25 year old central midfielder signed for a bargain £675,000 from Southampton. Had a stellar year.

Alfie Belford - A gamble, as he signed from Coventry City for a club record £12.75m. Overall, he had a good year but the goals dried up towards the end of the season.

Javier Pérez - The Uruguayan winger is simply sensational.

Next Season

Survival. Nothing else matters.

Personal Coaching Data

Season     Reputation          Qualifications         Att   Def   Fit   GkD   GkH   GkS   Tac   Tec   Men   WWY   Ada   Det   PlK   YoK   LoD   MaM   Mot
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At start   Minimal   (0.25*)   None                     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     1     4     1     1     1     4     1     1     1
2021/22    Minimal = (1.25*) ↑ National B ↑↑            7 ↑   6 ↑   3 ↑   1 =   1 =   1 =   6 ↑   5 ↑   6 ↑   4 =   1 =   5 ↑   5 ↑   6 ↑  11 ↑   7 ↑   7 ↑
2022/23    Minimal = (2.25*) ↑ Continental C ↑↑         9 ↑   8 ↑   3 =   1 =   2 ↑   1 =   8 ↑   8 ↑   8 ↑   4 =   1 =   7 ↑   7 ↑   8 ↑  14 ↑   8 ↑   9 ↑
2023/24    Nominal ↑ (2.75*) ↑ Continental A ↑↑        11 ↑  12 ↑   5 ↑   1 =   2 =   1 =  11 ↑  11 ↑  11 ↑   7 ↑   1 =   9 ↑   9 ↑  11 ↑  20 ↑  12 ↑  13 ↑
2024/25    Okay    ↑ (3.25*) ↑ Continental Pro ↑       13 ↑  13 ↑   6 ↑   1 =   2 =   1 =  13 ↑  13 ↑  13 ↑   7 =   1 =  11 ↑  11 ↑  13 ↑  20 =  13 ↑  14 ↑
2025/26    Okay    = (3.25*) = Continental Pro =       13 =  13 =   6 =   1 =   2 =   1 =  13 =  13 =  13 =   9 ↑   1 =  11 =  11 =  13 =  20 =  15 ↑  15 ↑
2026/27    Okay    = (3.25*) = Continental Pro =       13 =  13 =   6 =   1 =   2 =   1 =  13 =  13 =  13 =   9 =   1 =  11 =  11 =  13 =  20 =  16 ↑  16 ↑

Club Facilities

Season     Training Facilities  Youth Facilities  Youth Level  Corporate Facilities  Junior Coaching  Youth Recruitment  Club Reputation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Start   Basic                Basic                  4       Adequate              Average          Fairly basic       Local      (1.00*)
2021/22    Basic =              Below average ↑        4 =     Adequate =            Good ↑↑          Average ↑↑         Local =    (1.00*) =
2022/23    Basic =              Below average =        4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional ↑↑   Exceptional ↑↑↑    Local =    (1.00*) =
2023/24    Basic =              Below average =        4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional =    Exceptional =      Regional ↑ (1.50*) ↑
2024/25    Basic =              Adequate ↑             4 =     Adequate =            Exceptional =    Exceptional =      Regional = (2.00*) ↑
2025/26    Below average ↑      Average ↑              3 ↑     Adequate =            Exceptional =    Exceptional =      Regional = (2.00*) =
2026/27    Adequate ↑           Good ↑                 3 =     Adequate =            Exceptional =    Exceptional =      National ↑ (2.50*) ↑

Season Record

Season     Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22      57        43        5        9         147              52                 +95
2022/23      54        38        8        8         138              54                 +84
2023/24      59        46        5        8         138              34                +104
2024/25      61        37       13       11         125              59                 +66
2025/26      52        27       12       13          99              52                 +47
2026/27      55        31       11       13         110              55                 +55

Overall Career Record

After Season   Played     Won     Drawn     Lost     Goals For     Goals Against     Goal Difference     Time At Club
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22          57        43        5        9         147              52                 +95              323 days
2022/23         111        81       13       17         285             106                +179              667 days
2023/24         170       127       18       25         423             140                +283            1,045 days
2024/25         231       164       31       36         548             199                +349            1,409 days
2025/26         283       191       43       49         647             251                +396            1,784 days
2026/27         338       222       54       62         757             306                +451            2,136 days

Trophy Haul

Season     Competition Won
--------------------------
2021/22    Vanarama National League North
2022/23    Vanarama National League
2023/24    Sky Bet League Two
2024/25    Sky Bet League One

Trophy Cabinet

League Titles
-------------
1 x Sky Bet League One (2024/25)
1 x Sky Bet League Two (2023/24)
1 x Vanarama National League (2022/23)
1 x Vanarama National League North (2021/22)


Cup Competition Victories
-------------------------

Career Overview

Season     Champions League    Europa League    Europa Conference League             League                             Position     F.A. Cup                    League Cup        Achievements
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League North        1st       Third round                     N/a           Promoted as champions.  Fifth round of the F. A. Trophy.
2022/23           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Vanarama National League              1st ↑     Third round =                   N/a           Promoted as champions.  Fifth round of the F. A. Trophy.
2023/24           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Sky Bet League Two                    1st ↑     Third round =               Second round ↑    Promoted as champions.  Semi Final of EFL Trophy.
2024/25           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Sky Bet League One                    1st ↑     Fourth round ↑              Semi final ↑      Promoted as champions.  Second round of EFL Trophy.
2025/26           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Sky Bet Championship                  4th ↑     Third round ↓               Third round ↓     Lost in promotion play off semi final.
2026/27           N/a               N/a                    N/a                       Sky Bet Championship                  2nd ↑     Third round =               Semi final ↑      Promoted as runners up.

Record Number of Appearances (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Appearances
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    Ben Bright YP22A1                         3
2022/23    Harry Goodwin YP23A6                      8
2023/24    Harry Goodwin YP23A6                     54
2024/25    Harry Goodwin YP23A6                    102
2025/26    Harry Goodwin YP23A6                    139
2026/27    Harry Goodwin YP23A6                    178

Record Goal Scorer (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Goals
---------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    Ben Bright YP22A1                      1
2022/23    Ben Bright YP22A1                      1
2023/24    Ben Bright YP22A1                      1
           Harry Goodwin YP23A6                   1
           Ade Ibe YP24C13                        1
2024/25    Ben Bright YP22A1                      1
           Harry Goodwin YP23A6                   1
           Ade Ibe YP24C13                        1
2025/26    Charles Jacobs YP25A17                 4
2026/27    Charles Jacobs YP25A17                11

Record Number of Assists (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Assists
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    No one                                  0
2022/23    Harry Goodwin YP23A6                    1
2023/24    Harry Goodwin YP23A6                    4
2024/25    Harry Goodwin YP23A6                    4
2025/26    Harry Goodwin YP23A6                    6
2026/27    Harry Goodwin YP23A6                    8

Record Number of Clean Sheets (Players From The Academy Only)

Season     Player                    Cumulative Number of Clean Sheets
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22    No one                                     0
2022/23    No one                                     0
2023/24    No one                                     0
2024/25    No one                                     0
2025/26    No one                                     0
2026/27    No one                                     0

Faramir · December 23, 2020

Needham Market- Season 7 2027-28 1st season Premier

We reached midway through the season in fairly good form and had fought our way to the top half of the table.

Our results were checkered by our poor performances against the top clubs.

In what might be our seminal match of the season, we took on surging Man City on the road and fought back for a late 1-1 draw thanks to a stellar effort from keeper Donald Stewart and the late equalizer by Kurt Brooks.

Dons · December 23, 2020

Needham Market

Sky Bet Championship
Season 30/31

Squad - Table - Transfers - Finances - Profile - Injuries - Accolades - Financial Overview - Data Report - Moments to Remember - Season to Remember - Financial Report - Club Info

A very pleasing season, which had us promoted to the PRM. With 3 games to go, we were promoted and comfortably ahead to win the title. However, in the last 5 games, we only managed 1 win, a loss and draws. Sheffield Utd had 5 wins in their last 5 games. With a draw in the very last game, we finished at 97 pts, same as Sheffield Utd, but we had a better record and could lift the trophy.

Did sway from my normal tactic and played most of season 4-2-4. We conceeded slightly more goals, but we finally started score, and had some massive wins on the way. Tony Ellis was finally showing his worth scoring 40 goals in 47 games. He also went on to win EFL Young Player of the Year. Had it not been due to an injury in the end of the season, he would most likely had become top scorer in the league. Joel Freeman set the record for most clean sheets, the former record was set by a former Needham player.

The Cups were really good. In the Carabao Cup we were knocked out by Wolves in the Q.final, on penalties. In the FA Cup, we got even with Wolves with a sounding 4-0 win. In the Q.final we beat Coventry 5-0, before loosing 1-0 away to Man City in extra time.

We also saw upcoming improvements to our facilities. Most disappointing part of the season, was this years youth intake. They were just really bad. Yet again we were witnesses to attempted takeovers. Now just looking forward to move into our new stadium, and try survival in the PRM.

Notable players of the season:

Kane Lockwood - FB - Only used in defense this season, but a great season. Turned down a 28,5kk bid from Derby.
Lawrence Lawal - DC - Signed last season from Chelsea. Our future DC hope.
Niko Badelj - MC - Bought from Dinamo for 2.8kk. Potential PRM and seems like a bargain purchase.
Jerrome Champion - IF/MC - Signed for us in 24/25. Despite stats not moving much more, he is just great and versatile. Turned down a 34kk bid from Everton.
Daniel Ellis - IF/SC - Third season for him, and keeps getting better.
Owen Kelly - MC/SC - Suprise of the season. Bought from Tottenham for 175K.
Ben Voisey - SC - Found his former form and worked really well with Ellis.

Season	League	Position	Ch.Leag	Eu.Leag	FA Cup	Car. Cup	PJT	FAT
30-31	CH	1st	*	*	S.Final	Q.Final	*	*
29-30	CH	6th	*	*	4th rnd	4th rnd	*	*
28-29	CH	10th	*	*	5th rnd	4th rnd	*	*
27-28	L1	1st	*	*	5th rnd	2nd rnd	S.Final	*
26-27	L1	3rd	*	*	4th rnd	2nd rnd	2nd rnd	*
25-26	L2	1st	*	*	5th rnd	2nd rnd	Q.Final	*
24-25	L2	5th	*	*	2nd rnd	2nd rnd	Final	*
23-24	VN	1st	*	*	2nd rnd	*	*	Final
22-23	VN	10th	*	*	3rd rnd	*	*	S.Final
21-22	VNN	3rd	*	*	1st rnd	*	*	Q.Final

goonergez · December 23, 2020

Morpeth Town FC: 2026/27 Review

Another season has drawn to a close, and it was our first campaign in our new home, the Morpeth Stadium. We started life there brilliantly, winning 2-0 on the opening day of the season after two goals in the first two minutes. We carried on well at home, but to be honest our away form cost us. Form completely dropped off after a few games, and we never really recovered. A good run of form through February and march saw us climb briefly into play-off contention, but it didn't last and yet again we had to settle for a mid table finish. Very disappointing. Yet again the only real positive of our season was the goals of striker Rumarn Burrell. He once again impressed, scoring 41 in 46 games. His record for us is truly phenomenal. Centre back Connor Teale became the clubs all time top appearance maker during the season which was also pretty impressive. Summer signing John Sargent was impressive, but suffered two separate ankle breaks and missed the majority of the season. He's signed a new deal though, and hopefully we can see more of him next time around.

Neither of the cup competitions bore any fruit for us either, during an all round disappointing season. In the FA Cup we beat Matlock Town 5-2 away, before drawing 1-1 at home to Biggleswade Town. A 2-1 victory in the replay put us into the Fourth and final qualifying round. A club record attendance and club record gate receipt didn't help as we were beaten 0-3 at the Morpeth Stadium, and crashed out. In the FA Trophy we exited as quickly as we entered, losing 0-2 away at FC United of Manchester.

A season that started average, picked up positively and ended badly. We never truly threatened the play-off spots, although at one stage it looked remotely possible. The moment Rumarn Burrell went through a blip everything went to pot though. I'm disappointed with how things went, and yet again I am questioning my future here. The finances have dropped off, and to be honest I am not sure if we can move forwards anymore. I'm currently debating whether to stick with it, and save myself the embarrassment of not posting. I'm going to have a major clear out in the summer, and make one last effort at trying to gain promotion. Six seasons in though, and literally nothing to show for it so far.

Faramir · December 23, 2020

@DonsGreat job on the promotion!

Dons · December 24, 2020

7 hours ago, Faramir said:

@DonsGreat job on the promotion!

Cheers. Will be interesting to see how we fare on both saves in the PRM!

dafuge · December 24, 2020

Met Police - Sky Bet Championship - 2029/30

Two promotions in three years has put us up with a lot of big clubs, the big worry was that our finances just wouldn't allow us to compete with them.

League Table - we were top for a while but injuries played a part in our loss of form, we had a chance to take the title on the final day but an 82rd minute Palace goal sealed it for them instead.

League Cup - just the one match as it didn't end well.

FA Cup - an amazing win over Forest set up the money spinner against United.

Squad - I'm not really sure how many of these will be good enough, so there could be a major rebuild on the way.

Transfers - still just free transfers, but European scouting allowed us to sign some good foreigners.

Finances - the United game eliminated our financial worries.

Key Player Profiles:

Álex Domínguez - the new main striker.

Önder Çetin - we were lucky to get him, just as the transfer window ended.

Oscar Thorn - he's a club legend now.

Career Overview:

Season      League                       Position     Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22     National League South        14th           
2022/23     National League South        1st          Promoted as champions
2023/24     National League              14th
2024/25     National League              7th
2025/26     National League              2nd          Promoted via playoffs
2026/27     League Two                   7th          Promoted via playoffs
2027/28     League One                   6th       
2028/29     League One                   1st          Promoted as champions
2029/30     Championship                 2nd          Promoted

Next Season:

Survival is all I'm after, there's no way we are going to jump straight to the top of the league like we have for the last few years.

Faramir · December 25, 2020

Needham Market- Season 7 2027-28 1st season Premier

Well, it was a close race, but we couldn't beat lowly Wolves on the final day of the season and were left on the outside looking in for Europe, as we wound up 8th and one point out at the end. Easy to reflect on a couple of the one goal losses we suffered down the home stretch, but we just didn't play a good defensive match against Wolves and it killed us.

Dons · December 26, 2020

Well done @Faramir. Close to Euro footie. Your first season was better than mine currently is!

goonergez · December 26, 2020

So it has been several years coming but the news has finally come.

I just couldn't handle it anymore. Another positive summer strengthening, and another positive start to the season that faded off uncontrollably. We started the season 7-2-0 and sat comfortably towards the top end of the table. Burrell was still scoring, and I thought that this season was finally going to be our season. A brief period of inconsistency followed whilst we competed in both the FA Cup and the FA Trophy, but then things hit the fan. Eventually after five defeats in six I just could hack it no more and had to leave.

I am unsure as to what to do next. I feel like I have one more attempt left in me at this challenge, but watching everybody else's successes in here make it a tough choice.

Dons · December 26, 2020

Needham Market

Premier League
Season 31/32

Squad - Table - Transfers - Finances - Profile - Injuries - Accolades - Financial Overview - Data Report - Moments to Remember - Season to Remember - Financial Report - Club Info

Scouting knowledge - PRM Wages - PRM Profits - PRM Wages - PRM Youth Development - PRM Commercial Income - PRM Matchday Income

First season in the Premier League was ok result wise. Finished in 12th place, which was pretty much what I had hoped for. It was however, a season full of injury. Season wasn't really started, before loosing Tony Ellis to a 3 month injury. Several other key players where sidelined during the season. At one point, all our strikers were out. Liverpool were untouchable and also won the Treble.

In the cups we didn't go far either, as we were unlucky to draw the larger teams. In the Carabao Cup we exited in 4th round to Man City. In the FA Cup it was a 5th round exit to Chelsea.

Despite a mediocre season, we did manage to break a Premier League record, as we managed to get the worst discipline record ever! On the more bright side of the game and effects of Brexit. It is a lot easier to get work permits and sign young talents from abroad. I naturally ended up signing players with potential, who may or may not ever become first time regulars... - Gianmarco Moretti - Luis Marques - Victor Lindenberg - Lucas Osario.

We managed to get facilities upgrade again, as well as the youth upgrade, which was downgraded last season. An enlargement to the stadium is also in progress, during which we will be playing at Norwich.

Notable Players:

Joel Freeman: GK - Was the only reason for our defensive abilities and final position, as the defenders this year were sub par compared to the competition.
Niko Badelj: MC - Had an impressive season given the circumstances. Progressing really well.
Daniel Ellis: IF - Our IF's where half our attack and performed really well.
Emmanuel Bello: Other part of the IF's.
Ross Hooper: Our young future star from Man Utd.
Callum Nash: IF, who played SC as well due to injuries.

Season	League	Position	Ch.Leag	Eu.Leag	FA Cup	Car. Cup	PJT	FAT
31-32	PRM	12th	*	*	5th rnd	4th rnd	*	*
30-31	CH	1st	*	*	S.Final	Q.Final	*	*
29-30	CH	6th	*	*	4th rnd	4th rnd	*	*
28-29	CH	10th	*	*	5th rnd	4th rnd	*	*
27-28	L1	1st	*	*	5th rnd	2nd rnd	S.Final	*
26-27	L1	3rd	*	*	4th rnd	2nd rnd	2nd rnd	*
25-26	L2	1st	*	*	5th rnd	2nd rnd	Q.Final	*
24-25	L2	5th	*	*	2nd rnd	2nd rnd	Final	*
23-24	VN	1st	*	*	2nd rnd	*	*	Final
22-23	VN	10th	*	*	3rd rnd	*	*	S.Final
21-22	VNN	3rd	*	*	1st rnd	*	*	Q.Final

nully29 · December 26, 2020

3 hours ago, goonergez said:

So it has been several years coming but the news has finally come.

I just couldn't handle it anymore. Another positive summer strengthening, and another positive start to the season that faded off uncontrollably. We started the season 7-2-0 and sat comfortably towards the top end of the table. Burrell was still scoring, and I thought that this season was finally going to be our season. A brief period of inconsistency followed whilst we competed in both the FA Cup and the FA Trophy, but then things hit the fan. Eventually after five defeats in six I just could hack it no more and had to leave.

I am unsure as to what to do next. I feel like I have one more attempt left in me at this challenge, but watching everybody else's successes in here make it a tough choice.

Those are symptoms of players becoming unhappy and/or disconnected from the manager. Try these tips:

1. If someone is not in your first team and is becoming unhappy, release him. Otherwise it would rot your morale.

2. Set a day, like 1st day of every month, and praise conduct of each of your players. Also praise them if training rating is above 7.30 and criticize if it's below 5.70. Criticize form if last 5 is below 6.50 During the losing streak, discuss their last game. Praise passing if it's above 85%. Praise defensive game if tackling is above 80% and more than 5 tackles made. Criticize for having strikers to feed off the scrap heap. Criticize forwards for leading the line poorly. If a striker is on the draught, tell him you believe in him and he's all but guaranteed to score next game.

3. On the scouting center, set filters to send free agents offers into your mailbox and default trial to 3 weeks. If a player, who offers his services claims that he would be one of the better players in the team, trial him.

Edited December 26, 2020 by nully29

Abaddon879 · December 26, 2020

Farnborough - Vanarama National League - 2022/23

Once again, the media predicted us to finish 24th. Reinforcements were needed to add quality to a squad low on quality.

League Table - It was a slow start to the season once again, while the new signings settled, but once we hit our stride we were far and away the best team in the division. We even set a new league record for the most goals scored in a season - 20 more than our nearest competitor, and 18 more than anyone else in the division!

FA Trophy - Another poor showing in the FA Trophy, and with our latest promotion, hopefully our last appearance in the competition.

FA Cup - A great run in the FA Cup that helped our finances immensely. A key 2-1 victory over Charlton set up a massive away tie at Chelsea. This one match generated us roughly £600k due to the split of FA Cup gate receipts.

Squad - A better squad in terms of overall quality and depth, although we lost several players in December/January as several out of contract players decided they weren't getting enough playing time and left on frees. We also lost our star signing in January, but we couldn't turn down the money on offer for someone that had only been at the club six months.

Transfers - We brought in some much needed strength in key positions, but also lost several players due to not keeping an eye on their contract status. We signed Coffey on non-contract terms, and as a result lost him on a free. We were lucky to get a player of Gilchrist's calibre for just £300/week, so when Championship team Preston came and negotiated up to £125k, we couldn't turn it down. Luckily his departure didn't destabilise the team too much, as we marched on to the title regardless.

Finances - As you can see, the Chelsea tie was massive for the club.

Key Player Profiles:

Jonathon Mitchell - Picked up on a free and proved to be solid between the sticks. Ended the season with the fourth best average rating, and played a key role in the win over Charlton.

Eric Bugarin - Carried on his goal scoring form from last season, and ended joint fourth top scorer in the league with 23.

Sam Bellis - Picked up from Southampton, formerly of Man City, and showed his pedigree. The league's second top scorer, forming a deadly partnership with Bugarin up front and contributing 26 goals.

Career Overview:

Season      League                       Position     Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22     National League South        7th          Promoted via playoffs
2022/23     National League              1st          Promoted as champions

CMU Chips · December 26, 2020

Season 10 - Championship - 10th

This season was a draaaaaaag to get through. With the update turning defenders brains non-existent while they aren't pressing, we suffered defensively as we no longer cared to intercept passes or defend crosses or mark from free kicks or really do anything if the ball wasn't in our box. Not sure why the developers want everyone to play like Man City, but that's what we got to watch over the last half of the year. As such I couldn't play more than a couple games at a time. Attacking-wise it was fine so we still managed to score the 3rd most goals with only 40% average possession, but I still haven't decided whether I'm going to bother continuing at this rate. The only players over a 7.0 rating on the season were our two goalkeepers and our three strikers, but that's not surprising with our defenders not helping the team and our CMs having low pass completion rate with our direct style. We can't make any money since our stadium only holds 5405. We sell out every home game (technically not true, we sold out 22 of 23) and have the smallest wage budget in the division, but there have been no plans to expand or replace our stadium so we stay stagnant in terms of funds.

For reference, our entire team wage budget is smaller (£74k p/w) than each of the 5 highest paid players in the division (ranging from £77k to £92k). Unless we find a way to make some money, I think we might be stuck as a mid-table Championship side. The only interesting transfers this year:

our first player that takes up a foreign slot, Aritz Ormaetxea.
a very pacy backup striker who ended up scoring 18 league goals, Ash Moseley.
a CB who we had on loan last year (and once in League Two) who was released by Leicester, Edgars Malins.

Everyone else wasn't much to write about.

League Table -

Squad Stats -

Transfers -

Year

League

Position

Cups

Training

Youth

Junior

Recruitment

Attendance (Cap)

Badges

Transfers (In-Out)

Top Scorer

Most Assists

Av. Rating

Clean Sheets

May balance

Total wages

2030/2031

Championship

10th

FA - 3rd round, Carabao - 1st round

Adequate

Average

Exceptional

Adequate

5399 (5405)

Continental Pro

10 - 6 (+£231k)

Pat Daws - 27 (27)

Scott Wilson - 14 (14)

Scott Wilson - 7.31 (34)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 12 (12)

£1.88m

£74k p/w

2029/2030

Championship

14th

FA - 3rd round, Carabao - 1st round

Below Average

Good

Adequate

5345 (5405)

Continental Pro

12 -5 (£240k)

Pat Daws - 34 (34)

Jeremy Myers - 12 (12)

Pat Daws - 7.33 (44)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 8 (8)

£350k

£66k p/w

2028/2029

League One

4th

FA - 1st round, Carabao - 1st round

Basic

Adequate

4900 (5405)

Continental Pro

10 - 3 (+£1.5m+)

Harry Warwick - 25 (25)

Scott Wilson - 10 (10)

Harry Warwick - 7.34 (43)

Gavin Mullins - 17 (17)

£635k

£33.3k p/w

2027/2028

League Two

2nd

FA - 2nd round, Carabao - 2nd round

Basic

Average

Adequate

3055 (5405)

Continental A

13 - 9 (+£327k)

Scott Wilson - 29 (29)

Harry Warwick - 11 (11)

Harry Warwick - 7.28 (48)

Luke Bell - 14 (15)

£247k

£21.3k p/w

2026/2027

Vanarama National

1st

FA - 1st round, FAT - 4th round

Basic

Average

Adequate

1935 (4155)

Continental A

11 - 5 (+£14.5k)

Scott Wilson - 42 (44)

Harry Warwick - 16 (16)

Scott Wilson - 7.44 (48)

Luke Bell - 17 (17)

£284k

£14.8k p/w

2025/2026

Vanarama National

6th

FA - 4th qual., FAT - Quarter Final

Basic

Average

Adequate

1721 (4155)

Continental A

17 - 8 (+£9.5k)

Harry Warwick - 40 (44)

Scott Wilson - 16 (17)

Harry Warwick - 7.34 (52)

Tom Smith - 14 (14)

£220k

£11.6k p/w

2024/2025

Vanarama National

14th

FA - 3rd round, FAT - 4th round

Basic

Adequate

1871 (4500)

Continental A

14 -2 (£10.25k)

Harry Warwick - 32 (38)

I don't know, this is bugged

Jamie Harrop - 7.34 (38)

Tom Smith - 12 (14)

£200k

£9.2k p/w

2023/2024

Vanarama South

1st

FA - 3rd round, FAT - 2nd round

Basic

Poor

Average

Adequate

1200 (4500)

Continental B

6 - 5 (£0)

Harry Warwick - 44 (48)

Charles Sagoe - 15 (17)

Harry Warwick - 7.41 (50)

Tom Smith - 19 (23)

£88k

£7.4k p/w

2022/2023

Vanarama South

5th

FA - 2nd round, FAT - 4th round

Basic

Poor

Average

Adequate

1310 (4500)

Continental C

15 - 6 (+£26k)

Connor Hall - 15 (Powell - 23)

Jesse Starkey - 11 (12)

Aarran Racine - 7.49 (44)

Tiernan Parker - 5 (5)

£138k

£6.2k p/w

2021/2022

Vanarama South

7th

FA - 1st round, FAT - 3rd round

Basic

Poor

Average

Adequate

1123 (4500)

National B

14 - 4 (£0)

Euan Pollock - 26 (34)

Jesse Starkey - 10 (11)

Aarran Racine - 7.48 (51)

Tiernan Parker - 20 (23)

£14k

£5.1k p/w

Edited December 26, 2020 by CMU Chips

dafuge · December 26, 2020

Met Police - Premier League - 2030/31

Four promotions in five years has put us in a really difficult position, we just can't compete with the biggest clubs in England.

League Table - I'm delighted with the result but our results were just random.

League Cup - we had a tough draw early on.

FA Cup - we got revenge over Arsenal, but lost in the next round.

Squad - it's improving, but it's still a Championship level squad.

Transfers - I got a bit carried away blowing most of our budget on a winger who failed to impress.

Finances - Premier League finances are a bit different.

Key Player Profiles:

Álex Domínguez - our top scorer again.

Alessandro Lauricella - an amazing free transfer.

Önder Çetin - the big signing from last season was still one of our best players.

Career Overview:

Season      League                       Position     Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22     National League South        14th           
2022/23     National League South        1st          Promoted as champions
2023/24     National League              14th
2024/25     National League              7th
2025/26     National League              2nd          Promoted via playoffs
2026/27     League Two                   7th          Promoted via playoffs
2027/28     League One                   6th       
2028/29     League One                   1st          Promoted as champions
2029/30     Championship                 2nd          Promoted
2030/31     Premier League               14th

Next Season:

I feel we are good enough to stay up again, but improving the squad is going to get more difficult with the limited finances.

Abaddon879 · December 27, 2020

Farnborough - Sky Bet League Two - 2023/24

Another preseason prediction for us to finish last, but our signings soon changed that and by the time our transfer business was done, we were predicted to finish fifth.

Preseason - You know the drill here. Financial boost to the club, test out new players, a and build fitness. We also played fewer matches, as we looked for a more structured preseason schedule with our new professional status meaning full-time training. Despite playing much larger reputation teams, we weren't once humiliated, and actually managed to win a fair few of them. I can only put this down to them not playing full strength teams or lacking fitness. As a final hurrah of preseason, we played fierce rivals Aldershot and beat them 4-2. This was the match to kick start our season and give the fans something to cheer for.

League Table - We were never really threatened from the start. We were unbeaten in the league until November, and ended the season with the most goals and fewest conceded to hammer home our dominance.

EFL Trophy - A fairly weak group, but was never a competition that we focused on. Mostly playing the reserves to build match sharpness for fringe players.

EFL Cup - A strong start with a 5-0 thumping of Northampton gave us some hope early in the season, but we were put in our place by Cambridge. As the finances on offer here are less than the FA Cup, there was less emphasis.

FA Cup - Another fantastic run saw us defeating Sheffield Wednesday and Fulham to set up another money spinning away fixture at Leeds. A massive goal fest saw us on the end of a 6-3 beating. Not a great score line, but at least we went down fighting. You will see once again from the finances, that it helped the club massively and boosted our balance by around £600k again. As this was the fifth round, we also saw an increase in prize money as a result.

Squad - It took a few seasons, but I'm finally happy with the squad depth assembled this season. It had quality in every position and we finally have a good nucleus to build from.

Transfers - Originally we had not planned many signings, but there were a number of excellent players being released, so we put offers in early before a number of contracts expired to beat the rush. With our newly acquired scouting reach of Wales, we also raided a few of their lower tier teams for two young defenders who had great technical and mental abilities, but need a bit of work in the physical department.
Once July 1st hit, we snapped up several more players, notably strengthening in every position. Key signings were made for the wingback roles, and a new striker partnership. Our squad had been complete going into the first game of the season, but then a player became available that we had to break the bank for.

Finances - The new stadium expansion is now costing us £7k/month, which saw a gradual decline in our balance, but luckily another cup run helped to provide another much needed boost. I'm a little worried how our finances will fare if we fail to mount another cup run next season.

Key Player Profiles:

Oscar Thorn - I had been a little worried when I first signed him. His stats were good, but our coaches informed me he wasn't a very consistent performer... He's now the new club record holder for most goals in a season, with 27 in the league and 34 overall. Needless to say, the coaches will be leaving the club this summer.

James Hillson - Although being in last season's hall of fame, I didn't feel Jonathon Mitchell was able to make the step up, so we we signed this guy. A former player from my hometown Reading, snapped up by Arsenal a few seasons ago, but didn't do enough to seal a new contract there. Their loss was our gain, and he had a remarkable season, conceding just 40 goals in 46 league games, and keeping 16 clean sheets. His aerial ability isn't the best, but at this level you wont find many better at shot stopping!

Rhys Williams - And this was the guy that we broke the bank for. I had forgotten about him in all honesty, as he wasn't interested when first released by Liverpool. As we started preparing for the first game of the season however, Bolton put in a bid, and I thought I would make a cheeky enquiry to his agent. The wages he was demanding were eyewatering, but it wasn't an immediate refusal and his ability was plain to see. A fast, physical ball-playing defender that has no rights playing in League Two. Due to this high wage demands, we were also able to negotiate no minimum release fee, so this guy will either be a monster player for a number of seasons for us, or command a club record transfer fee when he leaves.
Helping us to promotion in his first season, he has already begun to repay the £125k yearly salary he is costing us

Career Overview:

Season      League                       Position     Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22     National League South        7th          Promoted via playoffs
2022/23     National League              1st          Promoted as champions
2023/24     League Two                   1st          Promoted as champions

Edited December 27, 2020 by Abaddon879

dafuge · December 28, 2020

Met Police - Premier League - 2031/32

We avoided a relegation battle last season, so this year was all about getting a squad together that could move us up the table.

League Table - we finished the season in great form and qualified for the Europa Conference League, whatever that is.

League Cup - we've not quite got the squad depth to really go for this, but we might start to be able to give it a go.

FA Cup - we had a great run but we went to Wembley with half of our defence unavailable.

Squad - the squad is finally taking shape, we've got a number of good young players now.

Transfers - we had a much better transfer window, pinching some great young players from Serbia and Colombia.

Finances - the finances are not a worry, but the wages of the players will start to increase.

Key Player Profiles:

Álex Domínguez - top scorer again.

Juan Mauricio Delgado - a bargain at £1m.

Pablo Casalino - not the greatest return, but he's a quality player.

Career Overview:

Season      League                       Position     Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22     National League South        14th           
2022/23     National League South        1st          Promoted as champions
2023/24     National League              14th
2024/25     National League              7th
2025/26     National League              2nd          Promoted via playoffs
2026/27     League Two                   7th          Promoted via playoffs
2027/28     League One                   6th       
2028/29     League One                   1st          Promoted as champions
2029/30     Championship                 2nd          Promoted
2030/31     Premier League               14th
2031/32     Premier League               7th

Next Season:

We are not ready to challenge for the title, but I think we could be capable of qualifying for European competition again.

dafuge · December 28, 2020

12 hours ago, Abaddon879 said:

Oscar Thorn - I had been a little worried when I first signed him. His stats were good, but our coaches informed me he wasn't a very consistent performer... He's now the new club record holder for most goals in a season, with 27 in the league and 34 overall. Needless to say, the coaches will be leaving the club this summer.

Signing this player was a game changer for me:

Abaddon879 · December 28, 2020

1 minute ago, dafuge said:

Signing this player was a game changer for me:

I had actually expected another of our signings, Paul Glatzel, to be the key player up front after a debut hattrick, but he had a bit of a wobble and was complaining about a few things during the season. Meanwhile, Oscar Thorn just got on with his job and scoring goals. Great little player. Promising to see that he may be able to continue his rich vein of form higher up the leagues. Don't think I'll need to strengthen the attackers department this summer, which leaves me to focus more on the midfield and problem wingback positions.

goonergez · December 28, 2020

Scarborough Athletic FC: Initial Takeover

After unsuccessful but personally enjoyable attempts at this challenge with Lancaster City and Morpeth Town, I just can't bring myself to give up just yet. My club of choice was narrowed down to two options, but I chose Scarborough Athletic over South Shields purely on the fact I can remember them when I was younger. I like to take over clubs that have a minimal history at this level, looking to put together a more positive future. Scarborough Athletic FC fit the bill, as they are a young football club. They were formed back in 2007 after the original Scarborough FC were wound up due to unpayable debts. The newly formed club have never played at this level, meaning in game promotion gives them their highest ever league position. The newly formed club were formed by a supporter group of the original, and they decided to take on the club colours, crest and motto for the new club. The club nickname is 'The Seadogs', after the supporter group that formed them. Scarborough Athletic moved into the Scarborough Sports Village back in 2017, after ground sharing with Bedlington after their formation. The ground has a capacity of 2,833 with 586 seats. Not a bad stadium at all for the Conference North.

My arrival sparked a busy summer for the club, as I set about shaping this football club. First up was to sort out the backroom staff, and in came a whole host of new faces. Former Lincoln City and Tamworth man Paul Green arrived as my new assistant manager, and former England international Darren Bent joined Denny Ingram on our coaching staff. A new scout and physio were both picked up too.

With the ability to make wholesale changes to the playing squad, I decided to sort a tactic out and then bring in players to fit around it. The only player I inherited who looked particularly strong was 26-year old Scottish centre back Kieran Weledji. I set upon a 4-2-3-1 formation with the aim of sitting deep and organised before breaking with a fast tempo direct style of play. I want a a side that is hard to break down and concedes very few goals. The squad was on the small side, but also possessed a few players on wages that in my eyes were far too big. Striker Nathan Cartman went to Yeovil for £1,000 and Issac Assenso was sold to Blyth Spartans for £2,500. That cleared about £600 on our weekly wage bill, which was good as I plan to keep a real good mark on the finances here. Disappointingly we lost the best looking goal scorer on our ranks. Connor Simpson was on a non-contract agreement here, but left on his accord to join newly promoted League Two side Bromley.

The first order of business was to find a goalkeeper, as upon arrival their wasn't one on the books here. 21-year old former Burnley man George McMahon was the man who came in as number one. A total of ten new players arrived at the club, with this exciting period reaching its conclusion. The first transfer window is so important, as I feel you have to build a side for the first couple of years during that period. The most exciting signings were probably up top, where we brought in two good goal scoring options. Former Bolton Wanderers man Eddie Brown was snapped up, and joined by former Leeds United youngster Emmanuel Ammisah. Both look to possess real quality, and hopefully mean scoring goals won't prove an issue for us. Defensively the best addition was another former Bolton youngster. 19-year old centre half D'Neal Richards looking a promising addition. In midfield we mixed youth with experience, especially in the centre. We signed 32-year old Jake Moult on a free transfer from Altrincham. To partner him we snapped up 21-year old former Sunderland man Sam Wilding.

Having pieced together a pretty solid looking squad, expectations for the season can be pretty positive. We've got some really good players all across the field, although our squad is pretty slim. The board expect for us to fight bravely against relegation, something which I think we can definitely achieve. Personally I would like to start my career here with a solid mid-table finish, potentially pushing towards the play-off places. In all honesty this first season is just about getting set up here though, looking to build towards a successful future. I have big ambitions here, and feel this club is well suited to them. Financially we sit in good shape, and despite having a decent wage bill and about £150,000 in the bank, we haven't gone crazy at all. Attendances look like they'll hover around the 800-900 mark which is big for this level, and means that we should be making money rather than losing any. I class my first summer at the club as a big success, and now it'll be interesting to see how we cope with football at this level.

Faramir · December 28, 2020

Needham Market - Season 8 2028-29 2nd Season Premier

New additions for the campaign

Midseason Transfer deadline player I forgot to mention before is 21 year old Scot MC Kenny McCrorie that we added for 2.1 million from Dundee and offered us very solid play in covering for injured Jason Knight. Another player I completely forgot to mention was that we had gotten Wayne Dennis back for 84K from Norwich before last season (after selling him for 4 Million). He stayed on our Under-23s most of the season as we were overloaded at forward, but I brought him up for the last three matches and he wound up earning the Premier Player of the Month award for May as he scored 4 goals in 2 matches.

Emmanuel Arthur (Season long loan from Arsenal) I am glad to have the 20 year old English Leftwinger back on loan again. He has continued to play well the two previous seasons on loan for us.

Kenneth Opoku- (4 Million from Watford) I was surprised, but they actually were willing to sell us Opoku after 2-1/2 seasons on loan. I was happy to add the English 21 year old prodigy on a permanent basis as a key central defender.

Juan Antonio Gutierrez (Season long loan from Barcelona) 20 year old Spanish DRC who joined us at the end of last season as cover and played well in limited duty, I was happy to add him again to bolster the backline.

Richard Hayford (6 Million from Plymouth) A very promising 18 year old Swedish D/MC who is already at Premier level development. We are building a very solid midfield and he will get some solid playing time this season.

Marcus Ap Dafydd (10 Million from Middlesbrough) I have been coveting this 22 year Welsh Leftback for a couple seasons now and was pleased to finally add him.

Ivar Breki Palsson (875K from Stevenage) Very promising 19 year old Icelandic DC who I fully expect to be challenging for a regular role in the next couple seasons. Will likely loan him out this season to make sure he gets playing time.

Ever Messidoro (Free transfer) My South American scout found this 18 year old Argentine MR who was without a club, but had made their Under 20 team. We signed him immediately and will hope that he lives up to the promise.

Matias Colombini (3.4 Million from River) Colombini isn't listed as a Wonderkid, but this 18 year old Argentinean MC sure feels like one to me. He was wanted by Chelsea, so I had to jump a bit early to get him and he will start for us this season. I didn't like giving him a 103 Million release fee, but I couldn't avoid it and will hope to eventually get him on another contract if he is as good as my instinct tells me he will be. Colombini's arrival results in the transfer listing of Jason Knight. The 27 year old Irish MC was a disappointment and wound up hurt three different times last season, so I will try to move him and his large contract on to another club.

Neil Shankland (Season Long Loan from Manchester Utd) 20 year old Scot Wonderkid that I was happy they were willing to loan to me and happy that he agreed to the loan. Much as I like our current set of forwards, I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this to get a terrific young forward for our lineup.

***

We found a taker for Jason Knight as he is moving to Bristol City on a loan (1/2 wages paid) with a future fee agreed upon if he works out for them.

In what is a wierd set of cirumstances, I wound up loaning Shayne McKeown to AFC Wimbledon for the rest of the season. I had wanted to make McKeown a starter, but he was upset that I hadn't loaned him out last season and his morale never improved, despite the playing time I was giving him. The only way out of this catch-22 was to actually let him go on loan and then see if he is happy when he comes back.

***

One deadline transfer deal brought 21 year old Mexican Alberto Hernandez from Puebla for 5.5 Million. With the McKeown loan, I didn't really have a midfielder that was perfectly suited for DLP role. Hernandez was another scout's find as I hadn't seen him before their actual report. He was affordable (we still don't have a large transfer budget despite our now 'Rich' club status), so we have to keep bargain hunting. This was another player that Chelsea and Arsenal were interested in, so it was a coup to bring him to Needham Market.

After my GM wanted to keep spending ALL of our remaining transfer funds on various strikers (which I vetoed), he finally did find an acceptable deal as we paid Hibs 1.7 Million for 21 year old Scot SC Hugh Chalmers. We had extensively scouted Chalmers last season, but he was too pricey at that time. The 1.7 Million (we still have 14 Million remaining) was well within my comfort zone for Chalmers and he adds good quality for a modest salary (though he is dealing with strained ankle ligaments and will still be out for a couple weeks).

tremor · December 28, 2020

Scarborough Athletic - The big(ish) catchup.

I've been slacking on the updates but I have been making great progress in the game. I think the biggest thing I've been finding is that getting your fitness sorted and working with a high energy, high press has worked really well. Having built my ideology on that I have really focused on high work-rate, high determination and physical stats over anything else and i seem to have been able to run other teams into the ground. So far it hasn't let me down, but as I move further up the leagues I think we'll get exposed by teams with better nouse... but so far, so good.

The other big revelation for me has been getting in early with trials and searching for players, often getting people in at the end of the season before the holidays to begin evaluating them and getting good reports. I've also found that by blowing 60-70% of your scouting budget in the pre-season you can scout the full nation and I've been unearthing a lot of gems cast off by the bigger clubs that I wouldn't have found. I think almost all of my first team squad are youngsters cast off by prem clubs, which is a big change for me as I usually go for experienced journeymen sprinkled with a few youngsters... definitely proving that you can do it with kids!

So, I have done better than I hoped and gotten promoted straight up from the VNN and the VNL and we we are currently sitting top of league 2. The club have upgraded the stadium but not much else, paid for me to go on a few coaching courses but currently refusing to put me on continental B because they think that I'll leave. Things are looking bright, although there is a rumbling of takeovers which makes me nervous and for some reason the club want me to play a direct style of football and they are not happy with my high tempo pressing... but I hope that getting continued success will offset that unhappiness.

Here are the screenies, I'll do a better job of giving a proper season update once I've completed this season.

goonergez · December 29, 2020

Unfortunately my save at Scarborough didn’t last long, and I’ve spent the last day or so on one of those new save cycles we all go through. I’m still keen to have an attempt at this challenge though, and have a save ongoing that could well be a sticker. I’ll keep grafting through it and if it sticks I’ll post some updates.

there’s some good progress going on in here though, and it’s really great to see how everybody is getting on. Keep it up guys.

dafuge · December 31, 2020

Met Police - Premier League - 2032/33

With a 7th placed finish and a young squad that was starting to take shape, I was hopeful we could qualify for European football this season.

League Table - we were in the bottom half at the midway point, but our form picked up at the end just like last season. I've checked, we've made it to the Champions League!

League Cup - I was hopeful of a good run, but an 89th minute own goal ended it for us.

FA Cup - we did well to knock out United, but couldn't get past City.

Squad - I'm so close to having the perfectly balanced squad, but having 14 wonderkids can't be a bad thing.

Transfers - the January transfers made up the numbers, but I spent big on some quality players in the summer.

Finances - we made a big loss, but the investments should pay off.

Key Player Profiles:

Álex Domínguez - top scorer again, but he's not the standout player he used to be.

Jason Bradley - the £30m man.

Andrés Ibáñez - we now have two quality AMCs.

Career Overview:

Season      League                       Position     Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22     National League South        14th           
2022/23     National League South        1st          Promoted as champions
2023/24     National League              14th
2024/25     National League              7th
2025/26     National League              2nd          Promoted via playoffs
2026/27     League Two                   7th          Promoted via playoffs
2027/28     League One                   6th       
2028/29     League One                   1st          Promoted as champions
2029/30     Championship                 2nd          Promoted
2030/31     Premier League               14th
2031/32     Premier League               7th
2032/33     Premier League               4th

Next Season:

I've built a squad ready for European football, so I'm hoping they are all good enough to cope with the extra fixtures.

CMU Chips · December 31, 2020

Season 11 - Championship - 11th

My fears were realized, we are stuck in mid-table. We can't pay most Championship level players. Even the Premier League loanees are on 10k+ p/w, which is 25% more than we can offer. I'll be trying a tactical change next year, we'll see how it goes. Our only good transfer this year was a loanee who scored 9 and assisted 9 from LM. He'll be back for next season. Our stadium expansion has been on the 5-year plan for seemingly 20 years at this point, but until it happens we have no additional money for players. We sold out 22 of our 23 home games for the second consecutive season. I've petitioned for both a new stadium and an expansion multiple times, all have been rejected. I hope they just do it this summer but who knows.

League Table -

Squad Stats -

Transfers -

Year

League

Position

Cups

Training

Youth

Junior

Recruitment

Attendance (Cap)

Badges

Transfers (In-Out)

Top Scorer

Most Assists

Av. Rating

Clean Sheets

May balance

Total wages

2031/2032

Championship

11th

FA - 3rd round, Carabao - 1st round

Adequate

Average

Exceptional

Adequate

5399 (5405)

Continental Pro

6 - 9 (+£550k)

Ash Moseley - 27 (28)

Scott Wilson - 11 (12)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 7.24 (46)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 7 (7)

£2.54m

£69k p/w

2030/2031

Championship

10th

FA - 3rd round, Carabao - 1st round

Adequate

Average

Exceptional

Adequate

5399 (5405)

Continental Pro

10 - 6 (+£231k)

Pat Daws - 27 (27)

Scott Wilson - 14 (14)

Scott Wilson - 7.31 (34)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 12 (12)

£1.88m

£74k p/w

2029/2030

Championship

14th

FA - 3rd round, Carabao - 1st round

Below Average

Good

Adequate

5345 (5405)

Continental Pro

12 -5 (£240k)

Pat Daws - 34 (34)

Jeremy Myers - 12 (12)

Pat Daws - 7.33 (44)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 8 (8)

£350k

£66k p/w

2028/2029

League One

4th

FA - 1st round, Carabao - 1st round

Basic

Adequate

4900 (5405)

Continental Pro

10 - 3 (+£1.5m+)

Harry Warwick - 25 (25)

Scott Wilson - 10 (10)

Harry Warwick - 7.34 (43)

Gavin Mullins - 17 (17)

£635k

£33.3k p/w

2027/2028

League Two

2nd

FA - 2nd round, Carabao - 2nd round

Basic

Average

Adequate

3055 (5405)

Continental A

13 - 9 (+£327k)

Scott Wilson - 29 (29)

Harry Warwick - 11 (11)

Harry Warwick - 7.28 (48)

Luke Bell - 14 (15)

£247k

£21.3k p/w

2026/2027

Vanarama National

1st

FA - 1st round, FAT - 4th round

Basic

Average

Adequate

1935 (4155)

Continental A

11 - 5 (+£14.5k)

Scott Wilson - 42 (44)

Harry Warwick - 16 (16)

Scott Wilson - 7.44 (48)

Luke Bell - 17 (17)

£284k

£14.8k p/w

2025/2026

Vanarama National

6th

FA - 4th qual., FAT - Quarter Final

Basic

Average

Adequate

1721 (4155)

Continental A

17 - 8 (+£9.5k)

Harry Warwick - 40 (44)

Scott Wilson - 16 (17)

Harry Warwick - 7.34 (52)

Tom Smith - 14 (14)

£220k

£11.6k p/w

2024/2025

Vanarama National

14th

FA - 3rd round, FAT - 4th round

Basic

Adequate

1871 (4500)

Continental A

14 -2 (£10.25k)

Harry Warwick - 32 (38)

I don't know, this is bugged

Jamie Harrop - 7.34 (38)

Tom Smith - 12 (14)

£200k

£9.2k p/w

2023/2024

Vanarama South

1st

FA - 3rd round, FAT - 2nd round

Basic

Poor

Average

Adequate

1200 (4500)

Continental B

6 - 5 (£0)

Harry Warwick - 44 (48)

Charles Sagoe - 15 (17)

Harry Warwick - 7.41 (50)

Tom Smith - 19 (23)

£88k

£7.4k p/w

2022/2023

Vanarama South

5th

FA - 2nd round, FAT - 4th round

Basic

Poor

Average

Adequate

1310 (4500)

Continental C

15 - 6 (+£26k)

Connor Hall - 15 (Powell - 23)

Jesse Starkey - 11 (12)

Aarran Racine - 7.49 (44)

Tiernan Parker - 5 (5)

£138k

£6.2k p/w

2021/2022

Vanarama South

7th

FA - 1st round, FAT - 3rd round

Basic

Poor

Average

Adequate

1123 (4500)

National B

14 - 4 (£0)

Euan Pollock - 26 (34)

Jesse Starkey - 10 (11)

Aarran Racine - 7.48 (51)

Tiernan Parker - 20 (23)

£14k

£5.1k p/w

Edited December 31, 2020 by CMU Chips

nully29 · December 31, 2020

Pardon my ignorance. I don't see Cambridge City in the list, nor mentioned anywhere. Are they still in the game? Used to manage then in FM20 and I am in awe of Cambridge

dafuge · December 31, 2020

2 minutes ago, nully29 said:

Pardon my ignorance. I don't see Cambridge City in the list, nor mentioned anywhere. Are they still in the game? Used to manage then in FM20 and I am in awe of Cambridge

I believe they are in the Isthmian League Div 1 North, which is one division below the the teams that are eligible.

DazRTaylor · December 31, 2020

40 minutes ago, nully29 said:

Pardon my ignorance. I don't see Cambridge City in the list, nor mentioned anywhere. Are they still in the game? Used to manage then in FM20 and I am in awe of Cambridge

They are in tier eight. If you holiday for a few seasons, there is a chance you will get them.

goonergez · January 1, 2021

I've had one of those difficult patches with this game, where you go on a cycle of new saves without gaining any interest in any of them. Finally I have stopped that rot though, and I am a large chunk through my first season on my next attempt at this challenge. I haven't had any success on FM21 yet, but hopefully this will finally be the one to change that.

Warrington Town FC are a semi-professional club based in the town of Warrington in Cheshire. They were founded in 1949 as Stockton Heath, and took up the current name in 1961. They play their home matches at Cantilever Park, named after the Cantilever Bridge next to the stadium that runs over the canal. The stadium has 300 seats in a stand, and a total capacity of 2,000
In game promotion from the Northern Premier League puts them into the Conference North for the very first time in their history. In real life they have finished in 3rd place for the past three campaigns, including the previous one which was of course shortened due to the coronavirus outbreak. During those three seasons they managed to win the play-offs back in 2018/19. Normally this would've gained promotion, but that season they had to compete in a one off match against Kings Lynn due to league restructuring. They lose a ill tempered affair 2-3, in a match which was overshadowed by crowd issues. Back in the 1992/93 season they reached the quarter final stage of the FA Trophy, forming a club record. In the FA Cup they reached the Second Round proper back in 2014/15. I'll be hoping to rewrite that during my tenure here.

dafuge · January 1, 2021

Met Police - Premier League - 2033/34

In just three years in the top flight we had qualified for the Champions League, could this be the season we emerged as title contenders?

League Table - we just couldn't keep up with the top four, leaving us stuck in 5th with nothing to play for at the end of the season.

League Cup - we should be good enough to do well in this competition, but our run finished early.

FA Cup - it doesn't come much worse than a 121st minute loss.

UEFA Champions League - we had a really tough group draw, but finishing 3rd set us up to make history.

Squad - I've got the perfect 22 man squad, but I just can't keep everyone happy.

Transfers - just a few transfers, most of which seemed to be Brazilians.

Finances - the finances are good, but these small wages won't last too much longer.

Key Player Profiles:

Álex Domínguez - top scorer again.

Stamatis Zafeirakis - he started slowly, but he's starting to find his form.

Mats Vandamme - the big money signing.

Career Overview:

Season      League                       Position     Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22     National League South        14th           
2022/23     National League South        1st          Promoted as champions
2023/24     National League              14th
2024/25     National League              7th
2025/26     National League              2nd          Promoted via playoffs
2026/27     League Two                   7th          Promoted via playoffs
2027/28     League One                   6th       
2028/29     League One                   1st          Promoted as champions
2029/30     Championship                 2nd          Promoted
2030/31     Premier League               14th
2031/32     Premier League               7th
2032/33     Premier League               4th
2033/34     Premier League               5th          Europa league winners

Next Season:

I've got an excellent squad, but we lack the elite quality to challenge for the title. I'd be happy with qualifying for the Champions League again.

G_D_K · January 2, 2021

Season Review (Season Three, 2023-24)

Table / Position Graph / Squad / Finances / Transfers / Manager Attributes / Manager Character / Facilities / Annual Injuries / Competitions / Reputation / Club Vision

SUMMARY

Season Three started out a bit slowly, with a record setting loss to Gateshead followed by a 3-3 draw vs York City before we picked up our first win (a 1-0 victory over King's Lynn). Two more draws and a loss completed the month and we finished August much nearer the bottom of the table than the top -- a position I was really concerned about. Despite our shortcomings, Callum Crook started out on fire with 6 goals in those first 6 matches, on pace for a goal a match (a pace he would more or less end on at end of season too!). We turned a corner in September, finishing the month undefeated but only getting 2 wins in 5 league matches...still, enough to inch us a little bit away from the relegation quagmire and put us comfortably mid-table. For the next three months, it was more of the same --- some wins, some losses, and more than a few draws...enough for looking at a mid-table finish, but not enough to look higher.

Then, something changed in January. Perhaps it was the FAT loss to VNL Chesterfield...maybe I had a team talk... or maybe the tactical familiarity finally kicked in...but after the FAT loss, we finished the season -- 23 straight matches, undefeated. Slowly we climbed the table, and by match-day 32 we made our first appearance in the playoff spots. After match-day 37, we sat in the 3rd position in the league, though still a fair distance away from (then leaders) Spennymore. But we continued our inexorable march toward the end of the season, and with 3 to play we sat 3rd, 3 points off the #1 and #2 teams, and a potential league title in our sight. In the end, it came down to the final match --- a win by us and a loss by York City would but us ahead of York on goal differential, while a win by us and a draw or less by Halifax town would put us ahead of them --- if both happened we would claim the title. Unfortunately, York drew 24th Cambridge city in their final match, and had an easy victory to secure the title. We did our part however, and Halifax failed to win their final, giving us the #2 spot overall in the league and the home advantage for the playoffs.

Overall, the team managed very well. I added a new 5-3-2 formation using wingbacks to give me a second 2-striker formation that wasn't as defensive as my beloved 4-1DM-3-2 that I've used for years --- I just need to fill those wing-back spots by training my fullbacks (or signing natural wingbacks) to make it work a bit better...many of our early-season woes were due to this tactically unfamiliar formation.

Defensively, we added DC Deon Woodman, who while not on the level of our first season loanee Fouche, was still strong in defense both in the air and on the ground. His 7.03 AvR was among the leaders at the club, and he added 2 set-piece goals and an assist to improve the club as well. New signing (and signing of the season for Leiston) GK Brougham was a solid addition and soon became the first-choice keeper (despite some early reservations). He ended with 32 matches, 32 conceded, and 16 clean sheets, ending with a 7.04 AvR. Brougham's backup, Stuart Hood (a signing from the previous year), was nearly as solid, playing in 16 matches, with 7 clean sheets and 23 conceded. I've ended up resigning both, with both being VNL potential, but some irish clubs sniffing around Hood. Perhaps I can cash in on Hood and pick up even a small amount of much needed coin.

The midfield was led by Finlay Barnes, one of the individuals I inherited with the team (and will be starting his 5th season in the coming season). Playing mainly as an AMC, he scored 16 goals (7 in 9 PK attempts), added 14 assists, and was a real workhorse for the team. Playing alongside him as wingers were Kyran Henderson (AML) (7G/10A) and new signing Portuguese Danilo Perera (3G/6A), while backup Andrew Sealy-Harris contributed 5 goals and 3 assists of his own. Two loanees that we brought in didn't totally impress, though they were at least solid workhorses. Very confusingly, I kept getting calls from their respective managers complaining that we weren't playing them enough in their agreed role as per the loan (as DLPs --- something they both played 90% of their time in) --- so I might not be able to loan any more players from Dover or Southend. Oh well!

Where we really managed to shine (in a season where a lot went right), was up front. (I'm not sure where we finished in comparison to the rest of the league --- advanced too far to go back and look unfortunately). Using a mix of one and two striker formations, we really only used two strikers for the season, with youngster Harry Jessop continuing to develop in the U23s (he only made 5 appearances, scoring a goal). Sanderson, the 2nd choice striker and partner of Callum Crook, had a poor spell of matches mid-season before getting on the mark and finishing solidly. He ended with 16 goals (joint 2nd on the team) and added 9 assists, for an overall AvR of 7.35. That is very good class for a #2 striker -- sadly, the few times I put him up as a lone striker he just couldn't seem to convert. He worked best in the shadow of the master, however. The master being, of course, The Callum Crook. Crook just keeps astounding, and when you think it can't get better, it does. His first two seasons' consecutive records of 37 goals and 40 goals was shattered this year, as he managed 49 goals in 48(2) appearances! He added 6 assists, and finished the season w/ a team high AvR of 7.45. He set a Leiston most-goals-in-game record at 4 (in a 4-0 whalloping of Alfreton), won his 3rd consecutive VNLN top goalscorer award, and regained his VNLN Player of the Year title (temporarily loaned to...some obscure player last year). Fans player of the year, Young player of the year, Goal of the year (team) --- he did it all. And, he'll be back for more next season!

It all added up to a rather exciting season (especially after the FAT Loss to Chesterfield --- something which might have incentivised the team. That run of 23 undefeated matches led us to....

Promotion / Playoffs

...the playoffs. The playoffs, where in the last two league matches, we obtained home advantage. Our second appearance (our first ended in a one-and-done vs (I think) Chesterfield --- who are now back down the the VNLN..... and hopefully we will be taking their place.

Well....to end the suspense quickly --- as the playoffs were rather...boring....for the most part....

we rode our winning streak into the playoffs, and it was enough. Barely. We knocked of Spennymoor for the 2nd time in a 20-day (or so) period via a Barnes penalty in the 76th minute for the only goal of the game. This set us up for a real revenge match, as we faced Gateshead (who beat us 5-2 in the opening match of the season, then again beat us 2-1 as our final league loss back in January). Another boring match ended, fittingly, with Crooks 49th and final goal of the season, a shot from 6 yards off of a cross from DL Butterfill. The feather in Crooks (and Leiston's) cap, and we are through to the VNL!!!

Cup Competitions

The cups this season had a very familiar ring to them, as we followed mostly the same path in the FAC --- featuring wins over Mickleover (4-2), Alvechurch (1-0), VNL Barnet (3-2), before a not-too-terrible 3-1 loss vs L1 Charlton. Same pattern as both prior cup runs --- 2 lower league teams, a VNL team, then a VNL (or higher) team in the first round. Still, with gate and attendance records from the home Charlton match, small as they were in the grand scheme of things, I don't mind repeating it!

The FAT saw us progress a bit further this year, (unlike last year, where we failed the boards demand), and featured a 3-0 FAT2R win over Kidderminster, a narrow 1-0 FAT3R win over Buxton (Barnes with a 1st half stoppage time PK), before we lost to eventual winners Chesterfield 3-0 --- a loss that just might have kick-started the team into it's 23 match (and counting) unbeaten streak.

Additional Details

Team of the Season

Best XI Inductees Five players, led by DR Ashaiah Fearon were deemed good enough to enter the rolls. Crooks strike partner Sanderson, DC Woodman, freekick specialist Lussey, and first choice keeper Brougham also were added to the illustrious list.

Historical Best XI

Fans Player of the Season Callum Crook with 49 goals -- again, of course! (By the way, that puts him at 126 goals for the team in 3 seasons!!!)

Signing of the Season Ed Brougham -- a GK that should be good enough to play in the VNL.

Young Player of the Season Callum Crook. Sheesh. Any more awards you want to gobble up?? Oh yeah.... VNLN PoY (2nd time), and VNLN Top Goalscorer (3rd time -- in 3 seasons)

Goal of the Season -- Sigh.... you guessed it....Callum Crook..... is there anything he can't do????

Youth Intake Preview/Intake/ Top Graduate

Spoiler

Preview Season 1 Ken Ward, A left back that with just a little development might crack the first team next season. (incidentally...coincidentally? 2nd edition of FM in a row that my "top graduate" was named Ward! FM20 was Karl Ward!

Preview Season 2 Maxwell Gard, (not my pick as top youth!) is a multi-role potential player that looks good enough to fill in immediately in a pinch. Whether he develops or not will be the deciding factor.

Preview Season 3 John Evans -- a Center-back with potential. Need to get my Model-Citizen to mentor him a bit...and need coaches and facilities to actually improve players.

TEAM, INDIVIDUAL, AND LEAGUE RECORDS

A host of records were set or broken this year: (* denotes ongoing record -- bold indicates record broken this year)

Spoiler

Needham Market -- Team Records

Highest League Position -- 2nd in Vanarama North (2023/4) / Previous record -- 7th in Vanarama North (2021/2)

Lowest League Position -- 14th in Vanarama North (2022/23) / Previous record -- 7th in the Vanarama North (2021/22)

Most Points in a Season -- 87 (2023/24) / Previous Record -- 76 (2021/22)

Fewest Points in a Season -- 61 (2022/23) /Previous Record -- 76 (2021/22)

Most League Wins in a Season -- 24 (2023/24) / Previous Record -- 22 (2021/22)

Fewest League Wins in a Season -- 16 (2022/23) /Previous Record -- 22 (2021/22)

Most League Defeats in a Season -- 17 (2022/23) / Previous Record -- 14 (2021/22)

Fewest League Defeats in a Season -- 7 (2023/24) / Previous Record -- 14 (2021/22)

Most League Draws in a Season -- 14 (2023/24) / Previous Record -- 13 (2022/23)

Fewest League Draws in a Season -- 10 92020/21)

Most League Goals in a Season -- 92 (2023/24) / Previous Record -- 81 (2021/22)

Fewest League Goals in a Season -- 68 (2022/23) / Previous Record -- 81 (2021/22)

Highest Attendance -- 2374 (vs Charlton, FAC1R, 10 Nov 2023) / Previous Record -- 1556 (vs FC Halifax, FAC4QR, 16 Oct 2021)

Highest Gate Receipts -- £39.69k (vs Charlton, FAC1R, 10 Nov 2023) / Previous Record -- £26.04K (vs FC Halifax, FAC4QR, 16 Oct 2021)

Average Attendance -- 712 (2023/24) / Previous Record -- 479 (2022/23)

Lowest Attendance -- 254 (vs Scarborough (H), VNLN, 2 Aug 2022 / Previous Record -- 299 (vs Gloucester (H), VNLN, 14 Sept 2021)

Biggest Win -- 6-1 (vs Merthyr (A), VNLN, 5 Mar 2022) / Previous Record --

Biggest Defeat -- 2-5 (vs Gateshead (A), VNLN, 5 Aug 2023) / Previous Record -- 1-4 (vs Chorley (A), VNLN, 27 Aug 2022)

Highest Scoring Match -- 4-4 (vs Boston Utd (A), VNLN, 19 Aug 2023) / Previous Record -- 5-2 (vs AFC Telford (H), VNLN, 27 Nov 2021)

Highest Scoring League match --4-4 (vs Boston Utd (A), VNLN, 19 Aug 2023) / Previous Record --5-2 (vs AFC Telford (H), VNLN, 27 Nov 2021)

Most Matches Won in a Row -- 7 (20 Jan - 27 Feb 2024) / Previous Record -- 4 (25 Feb - 11 Mar 2023)

Most Matches w/o Losing -- 23 (16 Jan - 21 May 2024)* / Previous Record -- 9 (25 Feb - 10 Apr 2023)

Most Matches Lost in a Row -- 5 (18 Apr - 30 Jul 2022) / Previous Record -- 4 (18 Apr - 3 May 2022)

Most Matches w/o Winning -- 7 (7 Apr - 8 Aug 2023) / Previous Record -- 6 (15 Apr - 30 Jul 2022)

Most Matches w/o Scoring -- 2 ( 28 Dec 2021 - 1 Jan 2022)/ Previous Record --

Most Matches w/o conceding -- 5 (9-29 Mar 2024) / Previous Record -- 3 (2 - 16 Oct 2021)

Needham Market - Individual Records

Most League Goals by a Player -- 117 -- Callum Crook*

Most Overall Goals by a player -- 49 -- Callum Crook (2023/24) / Previous Record -- 40 -- Callum Crook (2022/23)

Most League Appearances by a player -- 162* (Kyle Hammond) / Previous Record --

Most League Goals by a Player -- 37 (Callum Crook (2021/22) / Previous Record --

Highest Average Rating -- 7.44 (Callum Crook (2023/4) / Previous Record-- 7.41 (Josh Fouche (Colchester loanee)

Youngest Player -- Lawson Warner -- 16y239d (vs Gateshead (A), VNLN, 7 Aug 2021)

Oldest Player -- Rossi Jarvis -- 33y 362d (vs Guisley (H), VNLN, 8 Mar 2022)

Fastest Goal -- Kieran Henderson -- 23s (vs Kettering (H), VNLN, 1 Apr 2023) / Previous Record -- Andrew Sealy-Harris -- 25s (vs Buxton (A), VNLN, 29 Jan 2022)

Most goals in a Match -- 4 -- Callum Crook (4-0 vs Alfreton Town (A), VNLN, 23 Mar 2024) / Previous Record -- 3 -- Callum Crook (4-0 vs Merthyr (H), VNLN, 31 Aug 2021)

Most goals in a League Match -- 4 -- Callum Crook (4-0 vs Alfreton Town (A), VNLN, 23 Mar 2024) / Previous Record -- 3 -- Callum Crook (4-0 vs Merthyr (H), VNLN, 31 Aug 2021)

Most Assists in a Season -- 11 -- Finlay Barnes (2021/22) / Previous Record --

Must Shutouts in a season -- 14 -- Olivier Eto'o (2021/22) / Previous Record --

Most PoM Awards -- 14 -- Callum Crook (2023/24) / Previous Record -- 12 -- Calum Crook (2022/23)

Youngest Goalscorer -- Lawson Warner -- 17y 94d (vs Alfreton (H), VNLN, 15 Mar 2022) / Previous Record --

Oldest Goalscorer -- Adam Bailey-Dennis -- 32y 204d (vs Alfreton (A), VNLN, 10 Apr 2023) / Previous Record -- Adam Bailey-Dennis -- 31y196d (vs Scarborough Athletic (H), VNLN, 2 Apr 2022)

The Rest of England

Spoiler

Promoted from the Regional Premier Divisions

Chippenham Town, Tamworth, Stourbridge, Braintree, Dorking, Warrington, Tonbridge Angles, Leamington

LEAGUE WINNERS (Promoted / Relegated)

EPL: Man City (Derby County, West Brom, Blackburn)

Championship: Brighton (Brighton, Portsmouth, Aston Villa / Coventry, Walsall, Salford)

League One: Barnsley (Barnsley, Peterborough, Crewe/ Crawley Town, Oldham, Shrewsbury, Newport County)

League Two: Rochdale (Rochdale, Tranmere, Cambridge United Swindon Town/ Morecambe, Eastleigh)

Vanarama National League: Wrexham (Wrexham, Solihull Moors / Havant & Waterlooville, Torquay United, Chesterfield, Sutton Utd)

Vanarama national North : York City (York City, Leiston / Boston United, Ashton United, Nuneaton Boro, Cambridge City)

Vanarama national South: Brackley Town (Brackley Town, Slough Town / Hornchurch, Chelmsford City, Weston-Super-Mare, Chesham United)

CUP WINNERS

English FA Cup: Fulham (vs Liverpool)

Carabao Cup: Man Utd (Vs Arsenal)

Community Shield: Man City (vs Liverpool)

Papa John's Trophy: Man Utd U23s (vs Tottenham U23s)

English FA Trophy: Chesterfield Orient (vs Maidenhead Utd)

EURO QUALIFICATIONS

Champions Cup Group Stage: TOttenham (Europa League Winners), Man Utd (ECL winners), Man CIty (EPL WInner), Chelsea (2nd in EPL), Liverpool (3rd in EPL)

Euro Cup Group Stage: Fulham (FA Cup Winners), Leeds (Europa Conference League Winners)

Euro Cup 2QR:

CONTINENTAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Man City -- Eliminated from UEFA Champions League 1st Knockout Round (by Dortmund)

Liverpool -- Eliminated from UEFA Champions League 1st Knockout Round (vs Barcelona)

Chelsea -- Eliminated from UEFA Champions League Quarter-FInal (By PSG)

Arsenal -- Eliminated from Europa League Semi-Final (by Tottenham)

Leeds -- Won UEFA Europa Conference League (vs Athletic Club Bilbao)

Tottenham--Won UEFA Europa League (vs Marseille)

Man Utd -- Won UEFA Champions League (vs PSG)

What's Next

Well....we're in the VNL --- but we'll have our work cut out for us to stay here. We ended the regular season with the board calling me to the carpet for failing to achieve one of the vision requirements --- "repair the financial damage to the club". Great....what am "I" supposed to do? You gave me a budget --- I stayed under it. If you don't know what kind of budget is required to balance YOUR checkbook.....don't look at me to help!!!

Seriously --- that was a bit awkward -- we had just finished 2nd when that happened, and would go on to earn promotion via the playoffs. What can I really do? I made some tentative attempts at selling some players, but I don't have anyone that is wanted by any clubs. Nothing I can do...so we're looking forward to improving the squad on a £6K/wk budget (spending about £4200 of £4700 budgeted in VNLN--so we have a little room). Managed to resign the core of the coming season's squad without increasing wages too much, and signed 3 new players in May to join the team in early June --- all with VNL+ potential (one MC is L2 potential). Hopefully, we'll be able to at least survive with just a couple more additions. Will need a replacement for Sanderson, who thinks our team unable to meet his ambitions --- so another strike partner will have to be taught that Crook is the King!

Career Overview

Season Team League League Position(Predicted) FAT FAC JPT LC UEFA CL

Spoiler

2021/22 Leiston Vanarama North 7(24 ) 2rd 1Rd

2022/23 Leiston Vanarama North 14(24) 2rd 1Rd

2023/24 Leiston Vanarama North 2(21) Prom via P/O 1rd 4Rd

Dons · January 2, 2021

Needham Market

Premier League
Season 32/33

Squad - Table - Transfers - Finances - Profile - Injuries - Accolades - Financial Overview - Data Report - Moments to Remember - Season to Remember - Financial Report - Club Info

Scouting knowledge - PRM Profits - PRM Wages - PRM Wages Turnover - PRM Youth Development - World Development - PRM Commercial Income - PRM Matchday Income

A very good season, despite not winning anything. We were close to getting a trophy, but close doesn't give trophies. We finished the second in 6th place, which was better than the expected mid table. At one point, we rose as high as number 4, but couldn't maintain a good run in the end, which also was due to playing several of the top 4 teams. Despite qualifying for the EURO, the ungrateful board just had to rub salt in it, as they also noticed, we could have played Champions League.

The cups runs were the highlights, which also gave us a new target to beat. Liverpool had been dominating the Premier for a few seasons, and this was their first "bad" season, as they "only" placed 2nd. In the Carabao Cup we drew them in the Semi Finals and lost both games. In the FA Cup we played them again in the finals, where we lost 3-2 in extra time. We did however, set a new record for most goals scored, as Tony Ellis scored 10 goals. Much to our own surprise, he also won 3d runner up in most scored goals in the League.

We are nearly playing a full stadium at home, even with an expansion which sees us able to entertain 23.649 spectators. Board decided, we didn't need to expand further on that. We did however get a further expansion to facilities as well as improved youth rating.

Several club and fan favorites were sold this season. Apparently it's popular to play in China, as they decided to purchase a few of them. Ben Voisey went to Tianjin. Kevin Wilson went to Tianjin. Liam Overton went to Guangzhou.

Several national teams offered me the position of manager, with the most attempting being Italy. Don't recall being offered 4 jobs at same time before. On a real life level, after getting the new stadium - Managing to paste piccys into the game has to be the highlight.

A few players will be joining for next season. The most anticipated is a new DC - Nazareno Correa seems like a bargain for 4.8 mill.

Noteworthy players:

Joel Freeman - GK - 14 clean sheets and 3d placed Golden Glove in the league.
Grant Kindlan - DR - Broke through this year in the first team.
Daniel Thomas - DC - Is starting to show promise.
Tommy Doyle - MC - Was released by Aston Villa and was thought as a mentoring choice to counter determination drops from youth. He turned out to play really well.
Niko Badelj - MC - Is hopefully first choice in the midfield for many years to come. Just brilliant.
Daniel Ellis - IF - Had a great season and best choice as IFR. Also won Oceania Footballer of the Year. Tottenham made a crazy bid of 68mill, which naturally was rejected. Just signed a new 5 year contract.
Valdir - IF - New signing from Brazilian COR. Signed for 16 mill. Our future IFL - Was very happy when he signed a new contract at end of season, which saw buy clause increased.
Owen Kelly - SC - Second season as regular player and improving really well. Won English players Young Player of the Year.

*Season*	*League*	*Position*	*Ch.Leag*	*Eu.Leag*	*FA Cup*	*Car. Cup*	*PJT*	*FAT*
32-33	PRM	6th	*	*	Final	S.Final	*	*
31-32	PRM	12th	*	*	5th rnd	4th rnd	*	*
30-31	CH	1st	*	*	S.Final	Q.Final	*	*
29-30	CH	6th	*	*	4th rnd	4th rnd	*	*
28-29	CH	10th	*	*	5th rnd	4th rnd	*	*
27-28	L1	1st	*	*	5th rnd	2nd rnd	S.Final	*
26-27	L1	3rd	*	*	4th rnd	2nd rnd	2nd rnd	*
25-26	L2	1st	*	*	5th rnd	2nd rnd	Q.Final	*
24-25	L2	5th	*	*	2nd rnd	2nd rnd	Final	*
23-24	VN	1st	*	*	2nd rnd	*	*	Final
22-23	VN	10th	*	*	3rd rnd	*	*	S.Final
21-22	VNN	3rd	*	*	1st rnd	*	*	Q.Final

Faramir · January 2, 2021

Needham Market - Season 8 2028-29 2nd Season Premier

We can play with the big boys now.

CMU Chips · January 3, 2021

Season 12 - Championship - 7th

A new tactic for away games and a bunch of free transfers came up just short. I put the money from the first player sale towards a stadium expansion...... which was abruptly canceled with no refund after the season. Our expansion was cut from 2000+ to 500 (and we had to pay again for some reason?) and it also cut our planned training and youth facilities improvements. I don't really know what to do. Short update but I'm pretty pissed at the cancelation of all our improvements.

League Table -

Squad Stats -

Transfers -

Year

League

Position

Cups

Training

Youth

Junior

Recruitment

Attendance (Cap)

Badges

Transfers (In-Out)

Top Scorer

Most Assists

Av. Rating

Clean Sheets

May balance

Total wages

2032/2033

Championship

7th

FA - 3rd round, Carabao - 1st round

Adequate

Average

Exceptional

Adequate

5398 (5405)

Continental Pro

10 - 6 (+£9.25m)

Ash Moseley - 36 (36)

Scott Wilson - 15 (15)

Ash Moseley - 7.40 (42)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 7 (7)

£1.59m

£73k p/w

2031/2032

Championship

11th

FA - 3rd round, Carabao - 1st round

Adequate

Average

Exceptional

Adequate

5399 (5405)

Continental Pro

6 - 9 (+£550k)

Ash Moseley - 27 (28)

Scott Wilson - 11 (12)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 7.24 (46)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 7 (7)

£2.54m

£69k p/w

2030/2031

Championship

10th

FA - 3rd round, Carabao - 1st round

Adequate

Average

Exceptional

Adequate

5399 (5405)

Continental Pro

10 - 6 (+£231k)

Pat Daws - 27 (27)

Scott Wilson - 14 (14)

Scott Wilson - 7.31 (34)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 12 (12)

£1.88m

£74k p/w

2029/2030

Championship

14th

FA - 3rd round, Carabao - 1st round

Below Average

Good

Adequate

5345 (5405)

Continental Pro

12 -5 (£240k)

Pat Daws - 34 (34)

Jeremy Myers - 12 (12)

Pat Daws - 7.33 (44)

Thimothee Lo-Tutala - 8 (8)

£350k

£66k p/w

2028/2029

League One

4th

FA - 1st round, Carabao - 1st round

Basic

Adequate

4900 (5405)

Continental Pro

10 - 3 (+£1.5m+)

Harry Warwick - 25 (25)

Scott Wilson - 10 (10)

Harry Warwick - 7.34 (43)

Gavin Mullins - 17 (17)

£635k

£33.3k p/w

2027/2028

League Two

2nd

FA - 2nd round, Carabao - 2nd round

Basic

Average

Adequate

3055 (5405)

Continental A

13 - 9 (+£327k)

Scott Wilson - 29 (29)

Harry Warwick - 11 (11)

Harry Warwick - 7.28 (48)

Luke Bell - 14 (15)

£247k

£21.3k p/w

2026/2027

Vanarama National

1st

FA - 1st round, FAT - 4th round

Basic

Average

Adequate

1935 (4155)

Continental A

11 - 5 (+£14.5k)

Scott Wilson - 42 (44)

Harry Warwick - 16 (16)

Scott Wilson - 7.44 (48)

Luke Bell - 17 (17)

£284k

£14.8k p/w

2025/2026

Vanarama National

6th

FA - 4th qual., FAT - Quarter Final

Basic

Average

Adequate

1721 (4155)

Continental A

17 - 8 (+£9.5k)

Harry Warwick - 40 (44)

Scott Wilson - 16 (17)

Harry Warwick - 7.34 (52)

Tom Smith - 14 (14)

£220k

£11.6k p/w

2024/2025

Vanarama National

14th

FA - 3rd round, FAT - 4th round

Basic

Adequate

1871 (4500)

Continental A

14 -2 (£10.25k)

Harry Warwick - 32 (38)

I don't know, this is bugged

Jamie Harrop - 7.34 (38)

Tom Smith - 12 (14)

£200k

£9.2k p/w

2023/2024

Vanarama South

1st

FA - 3rd round, FAT - 2nd round

Basic

Poor

Average

Adequate

1200 (4500)

Continental B

6 - 5 (£0)

Harry Warwick - 44 (48)

Charles Sagoe - 15 (17)

Harry Warwick - 7.41 (50)

Tom Smith - 19 (23)

£88k

£7.4k p/w

2022/2023

Vanarama South

5th

FA - 2nd round, FAT - 4th round

Basic

Poor

Average

Adequate

1310 (4500)

Continental C

15 - 6 (+£26k)

Connor Hall - 15 (Powell - 23)

Jesse Starkey - 11 (12)

Aarran Racine - 7.49 (44)

Tiernan Parker - 5 (5)

£138k

£6.2k p/w

2021/2022

Vanarama South

7th

FA - 1st round, FAT - 3rd round

Basic

Poor

Average

Adequate

1123 (4500)

National B

14 - 4 (£0)

Euan Pollock - 26 (34)

Jesse Starkey - 10 (11)

Aarran Racine - 7.48 (51)

Tiernan Parker - 20 (23)

£14k

£5.1k p/w

Abaddon879 · January 3, 2021

Farnborough - Sky Bet League One - 2024/25

Mostly due to the strong signings we made last summer, for the first time since taking over we were not predicted to finish bottom. Instead the media had graced us with a predicted 21st place finish. This meant that survival was very much a possibility, and I would go as far as to say expected.

Preseason - A very strong preseason from us saw us beat some much more illustrious teams such as the Glasgow pairing of Rangers and Celtic, as well as Blackburn and Aston Villa. This suggested to me that the squad was strong enough to comfortably remain in the division, and maybe even push for top half.

League Table - Not quite as easy as last season, as we had two significant stumbles during the season which could have easily cost us, but we recovered strongly, and finished the season 6 points clear at the top.

Uncertainty around the ownership of the club seemed to destabilise us, and where we would usually score one more than the opposition, we went on an extended run without scoring and our strikers forgot how to find the net. Some training focus on chance creation and finishing aligned nicely with the announcement of the takeover being complete just before the Sunderland game saw us rediscover our touch with a 5-0 demolition of Plymouth. Luckily for us, our early season form had allowed us the luxury of this poor patch, and we did not lose top spot as a result of this.

EFL Trophy - Unexpected progression to the quarter finals, but the match against Man Utd U23s came during our second wobble (se above), and so we were easily dumped out.

EFL Cup - A battling display against Bristol City was quickly forgotten as we were beaten on penalties by Gillingham.

FA Cup - We were no longer reliant on a cup run to keep the club running, but nonetheless I was disappointed to lose. Again, this coincided with our second poor run of form, so was to be expected somewhat.

Squad - You'll notice a large number of loan players make up our defence this season. This is a clear weak point for the squad, and something I am hopeful to correct in the off season. Archie Stride has been with us for two seasons now, and it looks like Leyton Orient may not want to renew his contract so I will hopefully be picking him up on a permanent contract in the summer. He has been a key player on the left wing for us, and will be hard to replace should they not let him go. Both Alex Kirk and Rhys Williams had bids for them in the January, but I was not in a position to even consider selling either of them at the time. Time will tell how many of these players remain at the club at the start of next season, as the step up from League One to Championship will be significant.

Transfers - The summer was dominated by the departures of youth prospects Dan Braithwaite and James Ballard for huge transfer fees. In addition to these, as a result of the on-going ownership situation at the time, several transfer embargos were imposed, severely disrupting our activity in the transfer window.
It was clear early into the season that we were suffering from a thread bare squad in certain places, so the focus in January was to improve our options at centre back. Paudie O'Connor came in on a 6-month contract for big wages, but registered just 1(5) appearances and did nothing to show he deserved a longer contract (or quite frankly, the wages he had demanded) so will be leaving just as quickly as he came in.

Finances - It's obvious what a difference the money from the Braithwaite and Ballard transfers made, They have ensured the clubs financial future for the next

Key Player Profiles

James Hillson - For the second season in succession he has been fantastic, and single-handedly won us yet more matches with his shot stopping. An incredible 23 clean sheets in 46 league games, with only 32 goals conceded. If he continues in this form, he will soon be playing in the Premier League )either with us or after a big money transfer).

Sean Adarkwa - Was originally a squad player, and mostly used as backup, but after injuries and poor form saw other players drop out, he came in and made it difficult to drop him. 19 goals overall, and top scorer in the league with 14 goals in 19(4) shows just how good his return was. His goals arrested our second slump of the season, with 4 against Plymouth alone, so he fully deserves his position here. Whether he will be starting as much next season is entirely up to him.

Oscar Thorn - Despite loosing his place halfway through the season, he still ended the season as top overall goal scorer with 20, and won player of the season for a second time. I fear that his playing time will be limited next season however with the emergence of Sean Adarkwa and Guillem making strong claims. Time will tell how he responds next season, but his pace and overall athleticism are key assets not to be overlooked at any level.

Career Overview:

Season      League                       Position     Achievements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021/22     National League South        7th          Promoted via playoffs
2022/23     National League              1st          Promoted as champions
2023/24     League Two                   1st          Promoted as champions
2024/25     League One                   1st          Promoted as champions

Edited June 7, 2021 by Abaddon879

Faramir · January 4, 2021

Needham Market - Season 8 2028-29 2nd Season Premier

Midseason Transfer Session

The Board increased our transfer fund to 38 Million as we are doing so well on the financial side of the club.

We re-upped our loan with Barca for another season-long loan of 20 year old Juan Antonio Guttierez. Gutierrez, who has dual Spanish/English citizenship, has been making appearances for English Under-21 side on the National stage. He will continue as a squad player for us, mostly filling in at rightback for 1st choice Ross Mackenzie.

Also, we loaned Emmanuel Arthur from Arsenal for another season, as they still don't have a place for him on their side and we do.

On the speculative side, we signed on free transfer 18 year old Uruguayan MC/AMC Alvaro Pirez from Defensor Sporting. Pirez looks like a superb AMC, but I suspect he won't fit in well in our counter-attacking setup. If he doesn't, we will still cash-in because he will be worth a goodly sum if we move him on. He may well show me wrong, but he doesn't have a lot of committment on the defensive side of play.

More speculative plays included signing 18 year old Scot Rightwinger Toby Macneil from Aberdeen for 1.7 Million (immediately loaned out to Chesterfield to fulfill loan promise and get him playing time). We also brought in 19 year old Danish Rightwinger Samuel Kwankwo from Aldershot for 1 Million. He has Premier League ability if he develops and our scouts loved him.

Also on the speculative side we signed 15 year old Scottish Leftwinger Harvery Jarvis from Aberdeen's youth ranks for 875K initially, with some clauses that might push it up around 2 Million. My Scottish scout loved the kid and I was impressed with his intial attribute bundle. He looks like he will fit in well here with some development.

To solidify Leftback we loaned Murray Brannan from Rangers for the rest of the season. I have been trying to land Brannan on the transfer side, but Rangers won't budge- so at least we can give him a good trial as a squad player (and hopefully build up his affection for us).

Our priciest addition was 21 year old Irish SC Matt Hanley from Southampton for 4.5 Million. Hanley is a talented forward that fits the build I was looking for and should be an impact player for us.

Though we really didn't need another forward, as we will have a difficult time keeping everyone happy, I couldn't pass up the chance to land 23 year old Scot SC Willie Mathieson from Swansea for 800K. They were disposing of him and we had been scouting him for two seasons- trying to decide if he was worth the money. It was bargain hunting at this point.

Jordan Harvey, a 24 year old Scot Fullback came to us for 1.2 Million from Blackburn. He helps with depth at both Fullback slots.

Michael Tootle is a 20 year old English MR that we brought over from Manchester United for 475K. I wasn't very happy with Carl Newman's continued poor play when filling in for Ross Murray, so Tootle is hopefully a better alternative.

Leaving us was Leftwing Alan Clark, who we sold to Motherwell for 1.2 Million. Clark never seemed to play well or develop and was 3rd fiddle at Leftwing. He was on the verge of unhappiness and it made sense to move him on for a decent return.

Off on loan for the rest of the season is our 22 year old American Benjamin Rodriguez. Rodriguez needs playing time and Colorado pushed hard to loan him from us (over many other MSL clubs).

We also let Zane Monluis go on loan to Sheffield Wednesday. Monluis hasn't played much on our backline and I don't plan on offering him a new contract, so he may move permanently if he can impress them.

Aaron Ross was a Model Citizen Scot Rightwing that didn't develop for us and we sold him on to Plymouth for 115K.

***

With 10 matches remaining, we were still hanging around for Champions League, but the final 10 matches were the most difficult stretch of our season.

With 5 matches remaining, we were in a dogfight for a top 4 spot.

Superowl90 · January 5, 2021

Long gap between posts due to the xmas period but just finished my second season and sneaked into the play-offs to finish with back to back promotions. Now to conquer the football league !!!

Once again Sam Bennett finished as top goal scorer with 28 goals.

We had a slump just before January so i changed to my usual formation of 5-3-2 and got a big target man in and it turned our season around. We also got to the FA Trophy final but lost out by the odd goal in 3

The club has just gone professional and i am really getting into this save

Faramir · January 5, 2021

Needham Market - Season 8 2028-29 2nd Season Premier

We won our final match of the season against Bournemouth to earn a top 4 spot and a place in Champions League.

End of the season 8 (2028-29) Highlights

Goals:
Kurt Brooks- 23
Neil Shankland- 17
Declan Thompson- 8
Tony Rostock- 7
Ross Murray- 7
Matt Hanley-5 (after joing club, 12 total)
Eugene Mooney- 5

Assists:
Emmanuel Arthur- 10
Alberto Hernandez- 10
Eugene Mooney- 8
Kurt Brooks- 8
Neil Shankland- 6
Matias Colombini- 5

MOM:
Kurt Brooks- 8
Neil Shankland- 7
Donald Stewart- 2

Rating:
Kurt Brooks- 7.31
Neil Shankland- 7.12
Declan Thompson- 7.10
Donald Stewart- 7.04
Luke McMahon- 7.00

Yellow Cards:
Kenneth Opoku- 12
Matias Colombini- 11
Alberto Hernandez- 11
Ross Mackenzie- 11

EPL Top Goalscorer Award- Kurt Brooks
EPL English Players' Young Player of the Year- Neil Shankland

goonergez · January 5, 2021

Metropolitan Police FC: Takeover Report

I've gone through a really rough patch on FM, which has got me questioning whether to just ditch this version or not. I was hoping to get cracking on a long term save over the Christmas period, but it never came to fruition. I'm not ready to ditch this challenge yet though, and have finally got an attempt going which I feel like I am stuck right into. Apologies to @dafuge for stealing his team, although I guarantee he has already achieved more than I will throughout my attempt.

Metropolitan Police FC, nicknamed 'The Met' were established back in 1919, and are based in East Molesey in Surrey. Initially the club was set up purely for members of the force, but that rule was removed when the commissioner refused to sanction time off for players. The club is still partly funded by the Police lottery though. The club play their home games at Imber Court, based on the sports sight of the police force. The stadium has a capacity of 3,000, and a seated area of 297. The in game promotion puts the club in the Conference South, although they have never reached that level before. There has been a total of five appearances in the First Round proper of the FA Cup though, as well as two appearances in the Second Round of the FA Trophy.

My arrival here at the club brought with it minimal expectations and plenty of intrigue, with everybody expecting a first season at this level to bring with it struggles. The board asked purely to avoid the drop straight back down, and the media predicted a finish of 23rd. Not a lot of hope was thrown our way. A weekly wage budget of £4,500 was promising though, and certainly big enough to bring in a few new faces. Unfortunately there were already a number of high earners at the club, with the hierarchy offering out some poor value contracts before my arrival. Of the inherited players there were a number I felt could be big players for us though. 27-year old striker Jack Mazzone immediately stood out, and looked to possess all the abilities required to score plenty of goals for us. I was also excited by club captain, 26-year old centre back Ollie Robinson and Malaysian holding midfielder Junior Eldstal who clearly possessed quality.

Disappointingly I didn't manage to clear any room on our weekly budget during my first summer here, with any interest avoided due to the high wages. That meant I was stuck with a goalkeeper on £275 per week who simply wasn't up to it, as well as a striker on £200 who looked like he would never score. Add to that a selection of three very average midfielders earning around £800 per week between them. We attempted to shift all of those guys on, but there was no concrete interest in any of them. It limited my transfer activity somewhat, but we did manage to bring in eight new players to the club.

My first signing for the club was that of young Welsh midfielder Elias Youssef. We snapped the 21-year old up on a free transfer from Taunton, and I was excited to slot him into our midfield. The centre of midfield was overloaded, but I wanted to bring in someone who I felt possessed a little more quality than what we had. Defensively the squad looked fairly strong, but I wanted a couple more options at centre back to help us out. 19-year old Mohammed Buhari and 18-year old Adam Biss were signed, with the former looking like a regular starter and the latter more for cover. I spent the whole summer chasing a goalkeeper, and eventually we moved to bring in a new number one. 21-year old Jordan Pierrepont was picked up from Basley on a free transfer, and would go on to be a solid enough stopper.

Lacking wingers I moved to bring two in, both young players released from clubs higher up the pyramid. 19-year old Johnson Gyamfi looked the better prospect, but Harrison Brook did look like a solid enough option as well. I finished my summer activity with the signing of a backup striker. Jack Mazzone would be a key figure up top for us, but we definitely needed an option in case of injury or suspension. For that reason we moved to bring in 27-year old Ben Seymour-Shove on a free transfer. He scored 10 goals for St Ives Town last season, and I hoped he would chip in with a few for us during his time here.

Tactically I wanted to keep things simple, whilst also identifying ourselves as a team that were difficult to beat. I set us up in a 4-1-2-2-1 formation, aiming to get the ball from back to front as quickly as possible. We would rely on our wingers to help the transition, as well as Jack Mazzone up top scoring on a regular basis.The squad I had looked good enough to play in that way, and I was confident in our abilities to comfortably achieve our pre-season targets. As far as I was concerned it was a season of transition, as I looked to stamp my mark on the team and lay groundwork for the future. I didn't expect us to compete with the top sides in the division, nor did I expect us to become embroiled in a relegation battle. A safe mid-table finish would keep me happy, and was pretty much my only target.

I have completed the first season of this save already but I will hold off my next update for a little bit as not to spam the thread. There is some really good stuff going on here though. @Faramir congratulations on reaching the Champions League. I can only dream of such success in my managerial world.

goonergez · January 5, 2021

Metropolitan Police FC: 2021/22 Review

My first season in charge at Imber Court has drawn to a close, and it was an enjoyable one for the most part. Pre-season targets were comfortably achieved, and everything I had wanted this side to be had shown throughout the campaign. It is far from an exciting update for you, but for me it symbolises a good job done and plenty of room for improvement too.

Any pre-season fears of relegation were soon quashed, with a superb ten game unbeaten run getting our campaign up and running. We picked up seven wins during that run to open, and Jack Mazzone had started on fire for us leading the line. He bagged eight goals during those opening ten games, and looked a constant threat throughout. Defensively we looked great, and goalkeeper Jordan Pierrepont had already kept an impressive five clean sheets. The unfortunate thing for us was that the unbeaten start was ended in a disappointing derby day. A 0-1 defeat away at Hampton & Richmond denting us. The feeling of a first defeat, coupled with the beginning of the two cup competitions seemed to hurt us, and we sort of stuttered our way through the next couple of months. We lost more matches than we won, but pleasingly the majority of them were tight games, and even defeats were mostly by a single goal. The end of November saw a disappointing 0-5 drubbing away at Havant & Waterlooville, but was the only game all season in which we got completely blown away.

The Havant defeat seemed to hit our confidence and morale, and we lost a further four games in a row, failing to find the back of the net in any of them. A couple of draws ended the run, but it wasn't until nine games without a win when we finally prevailed. A turnaround 2-1 victory over Truro City sparking joy around Imber Court. At this stage we made a tactical shift, moving to a flat midfield four with one holding man just behind. At this stage we also made a new signing, bringing in a new goalkeeper. 18-year old Joshua Roach was unattached after being released by West Ham, and came in to replace Pierrepont who was starting to ship too many goals for my liking. This seemed to help solve our leaky backline, although didn't help much in regards to scoring goals. We were inconsistent all through the rest of the season, but did enough to clinch safety well in advance, and finish comfortable in mid-table. We achieved exactly what I had set out to achieve.

The arrival of Roache helped us to tighten up a leaky defence, and he kept an impressive 7 clean sheets (in 19 appearances) after his arrival. Jordan Pierrepont had performed alright before his arrival, but had started to make some poor positioning errors that were affecting our form. All in all I was pretty happy with our defensive play though, and it was scoring enough goals that were proving our problem. Of the 44 league goals we scored, Jack Mazzone was responsible for 30 of them during a highly impressive season. I have rewarded him with a new contract, fighting off some of the interest from Football League clubs in his services. On the contrary we got just 8 goals from our wide men. Johnson Gyamfi only managed 3, with Harrison Brook also disappointing with just the 2 goals. Finding more goals from our wide men will be a priority over the summer.

The cup competitions were a real disappointment for us during my first season, as we fell out of both relatively early on. In the FA Cup we drew Kings Langley, and a much changed side only managed a 0-0 draw away from home. In the replay I restored most of our big names, but we didn't perform well enough. In the end a 1-2 defeat saw us eliminated at the first hurdle. We did better in the FA trophy, getting through a couple of rounds. After a 0-0 draw away, we saw off Hendon 2-1 at home with a 93rd minute winner from Jack Mazzone. A first half performance of quality saw us beat Whyteleafe 3-0 at home, and that booked us a tie at home against Conference National side Notts County. We lost the game 0-2, but put in a fairly good account of ourselves after a slow start.

I have to be honest and say that I am actually really pleased with how my first campaign at this club has gone. We were competitive throughout near enough every game, and if we were a little more creative and clinical in front of goal then we could have finished so much better than we actually did. Still, safety was the priority and we ended up achieving it pretty comfortably. Off the field we are starting to develop some significant financial issues though. We have a small wage bill compared to most, but the lack of big crowds has seriously hurt us. We're only getting crowds of about 300-400, and that doesn't cover the costs of our wages. Despite having a small bill, I am going to have to trim it more to look after this club longer term. What would definitely help is to develop some talent from within, and pleasingly we picked up a couple of promising youngsters in our annual youth intake. I'm particularly excited by young centre half Demar Christian.

Demar looks a promising talent, and I will definitely try and get him around the first team next season. Defensively I will be on the hunt for a left back in the transfer market, and we could probably do with another centre back option too. Club captain Ollie Robinson performed solidly enough last season, but I am debating whether his £300 per week wages are too much for him to justify. I'm also after a couple of wingers who can score goals, as well as a backup striker. We relied far too much on Jack Mazzone to score, and we need to add some goals from other places if we are to improve. As I said, improving the squad is going to have to be conducted carefully though, and every signing will have to be seriously weighed up. I am confident we can do it though, and hopefully next season we will be able to push more towards the top half of the league table. We could do with a decent cup run too, as the money coming into the club would seriously help us in the longer term.

goonergez · January 6, 2021

Metropolitan Police FC: 2022/23 Season Preview

My journey with the Metropolitan Police is through one season, and now it's time to start focusing on a new campaign. We completed a solid season to finish a debut Conference South campaign in 14th place, and very safe in mid-table. Progress was the name of the game for the second season though, and that meant a summer attempting to strengthen the squad. The first news of the summer was the club offering me a new one year contract to remain in charge. I wasn't surprised to receive it, but for some reason it felt like an achievement for me. Clearly the board were very happy with a solid first season.

The board made expectations purely to avoid relegation again this time around. Despite the financial situation at the club continuing to deteriorate they increased our weekly wage budget by £1,000, to just over £6,500 per week. I had absolutely zero intentions of getting near that, instead wanting to decrease our bill from last season. Contract renewals were handed out to three regulars in our side last season, with two of them real key members of our squad. Captain Ollie Robinson was an ever present last season, and right back Simba Kudiywa figured regularly too. We managed to get them to put pen to paper on a year long contract, both on reduced wages from last season too which was a huge bonus.

Although we did hand out a few contract extensions, we also used the opportunity to have a huge clear out of the squad as other contracts expired. All in all we cut over 50% of our wage bill, as a total of ten players departed the club. Over £2,000 per week was saved. Of the ten we allowed regulars Junior Eldstal, Harrison Brook and Felix Chumwuka the most significant. Of the rest it was only really the squad players Ben Seymour-Shove and Adam Biss who may be missed. It was pleasing to clear the dead wood though, especially the players I had inherited that were on big contracts.

The summer saw many faces arrive at the club on trial, but not that many stay on a more permanent basis. We did bring in new signings, but in regards to how many I had definitely expected more. Very early on in the summer we strengthened our defence, bringing in three players for the defensive line. 20-year old centre back Eiran Cashin came in to add some depth, and full backs Ollie Walters and Ziyad Al-Oyouni also joined. 22-year old Walters will slot straight in at left back, having arrived after his release by Ebbsfleet United. Al-Oyouni comes in to play at right back, and arrived after his release from Lincoln City. I said in my end of season review that wingers who could score goals were a priority for me this summer, but it was actually really difficult to find any. We did, but it certainly wasn't easy. Firstly we moved to sign 20-year old Ellis Wilson from newly promoted Halesowen on a free transfer, but more excitingly we signed 21-year old Kane Thompson-Sommers after he was let go by Birmingham City.

The youngster looks like a real talent, and a top coup for this level. Surprisingly we were the only club interested, but I am sure he will show his worth in our colours. My last two targets were a central midfielder and a backup striker, and we managed to find both. 20-year old Greek Fotis Pikoulas came in to offer something to our central midfield, signing after being released by Nottingham Forest. He's possibly my favourite signing of the whole summer, and I really fancy him to be a massive improvement for us. 19-year old Brad Young comes in as backup to Jack Mazzone, but is also able to play on both flanks. That versatility could prove important to us, as we have a very small squad. Hopefully he can score more than the two goals that Ben Seymour-Shove offered us in a similar role.

I'm pleased with how the summer went, and I actually feel pretty confident ahead of the season kicking off. We've brought in some really good players, and the squad looks pretty well balanced to deal with the coming campaign. We've also managed to do all of our business whilst managing to reduce our weekly expenditure. The financial position here really isn't good, and any reduction in costs can only be a good thing. I don't expect us to be fighting it out at the top end of the league table, but a top-half finish would be pleasing. I think its achievable, but we are going to have to be a lot more consistent than we were last season. We need to score more goals, and I don't want us to be quite so reliant on Jack Mazzone to put the ball in the net. He's a fantastic striker, but we need to add more goals to our play if we want to have a good season.

goonergez · January 6, 2021

Metropolitan Police: End of the road

After a positive first campaign in charge at Imber Court, hopes were high for progress during the second. We had a positive summer strengthening the squad, and hopes were high that we could show some improvements on last seasons 14th placed finish. The squad was slim, but possessed quality, and I believed we could definitely improve on last time around. How wrong was I. We started well enough, winning a couple of our first five games, and producing positive enough results. Unfortunately that was about as good as it got.

Various long runs without victories hurt us, and after a bright start we soon slipped down the table at an alarming rate. The midpoint of the season saw us sit in the relegation places, and we only briefly managed to climb out. After a run of twelve matches without a win (including ten losses), the journey came to an end and my hopes of success with this club were over.

Trying to pinpoint exactly what went wrong is a little difficult. As with my first season in charge we spent the majority of games being very much competitive. Granted we conceded far too many goals, but defensively we didn't seem a shambles at all. Up top we didn't score anywhere near as many as we should've done. Jack Mazzone tried his best, but he only managed 14 league goals in 31 appearances. A really let down after his first season heroics.

I'm absolutely gutted that this save has ended, and now I seriously see no motivation for this game. For the first time in a long while I felt invested into a save and excited to see how it would go. Unfortunately the answer to that was very much sour. It's back to the drawing board for me now, as I assess whether to even continue with the edition. I have struggled to feel remotely attached to it so far, and have never struggled this much on any edition. For the time being I am going to step away from this thread, but I will definitely be keeping a keen eye on everybody's progress. For me this is by far the most enjoyable way to play this game, and I can't see enjoyment in any other. Keep up the good work in here guys, and I will be reading on with interest.

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