FM21: The English Football League thread

[robterrace]

A bit of a 'left field' departure here for me.

Fortuna Dusseldorf breaking their record transfer fee to buy Loic Mbe Soh.

[Dave92]

Port Vale Season 2 - Squad Review

Goalkeepers

Two new signings in Trueman and Turner. Trueman was first choice for the majority of the season and largely performed well. Turner played the first couple of games, in the cup and gave him a chance at the end of the season. Not much between the two in truth, question is whether either will be capable of cutting it in the Championship. Plan likely to be to sign a young keeper who is not likely to start, but could then develop into a number one. Not certain though.

Defenders

The defence excelled. The most common back four was Gibbons, Smith, Thomas and Clark, all 4 of whom were superb. Smith topped the league average ratings, Clark the assist charts. Feel all four are capable of playing in Championship, but unfortunately Clark definitely won't be with us as he has signed a contract to go to America next year, a real shame. Would love to keep Thomas for a third season, but currently Burnley seem reluctant, saying they want him to play with better players. Losing both of those two would be a major blow. Neufville played regularly at left wing back, impressing if not quite developing at desired rate. Godwin-Malife perhaps didn't play quite as much as anticipated, but was another good signing. Youngster Estrada made a few appearances, mainly in the cup, and then in defensive midfield when Evans was injured later in the season. We definitely lack depth at the back, so expect a couple of recruits.

Central Midfield

As the season progressed, the midfield looked very different from the previous season. Evans was an exceptional signing and gave us great solidity, even if he did kick his way to 18 yellow cards and 6 games worth of suspensions by the end of the season. Jake Taylor didn't score, but made the box to box midfield role his own, and I expect both to continue to feature heavily next year. Tom Conlon was largely first choice in the Mezzala role and continued to play well, but hasn't developed as much as I hoped. By the end of the season he was regularly challenged by Romaine Mundle for that place, the former Tottenham youngster having been one of our best developers this season. Conlon is out of contract too, and we need to decide whether he will be retained. Burgess and Oyeleke both rotated in at times. Neither let us down, but both are out of contract and will leave at the end of the season as not at Championship level. I shall be eyeing up a high quality addition here.

Wide Midfield

Loanee Jordan Stevens was a crucial player and regular fixture on the right wing, with 13 goals and 7 assists. He also won countless penalties and is someone I think I may keep next year, either on loan or on a permanent transfer as he is our most talented player in that area. Cullen played in an inside left role and scored a remarkable 25 goals in only 37 appearances, granted a number were penalties. I'm shocked he has performed so well as really he is a League Two standard player. He is out of contract, so I have a decision to make there (advice welcomed). Worrall struggled with injuries but did fine when he played, he is out of contract though so will be let go, whilst Rodney scored 8 but has not really kicked on this season. Eddie Carrington broke into the squad, but then broke his leg. He returned for the u23s and tore his hamstring in the first minute. Terrible luck for the young lad! Robson made a few appearances and has potential, whilst 17-year-old Ryan Hall is a brilliant prospect from our academy and one I expect to become a fixture of the team in the future.

Forwards

Jaden Thompson-Brissett continued his superb scoring record, finishing as top scorer with 28 goals. He has excelled in Leagues One and Two, but will he be able to cut it in the Championship? We only play one central striker, so he was largely an ever-present. Cullen occasionally played up front, but the main back up option was youngster Nelson Agho. He scored 6 goals, but playing in the Championship will be a big ask. We may need some strengthening here and in general in the front three areas.

[Zeonflux]

Well it’s been a while since I last updated but I was able to get my Hereford team promoted to the National League at the second attempt and then took 2 cracks at the playoffs to get promoted to League 2.

Currently nearing April of my first season in League 2 and we’ve already secured promotion to League 1 with Liam Cullen and a Regen called Nathan Dent leading the charge with 28 and 32 league goals and 40 and 39 goals overall respectively.

[warlock]

2 hours ago, robterrace said:

A bit of a 'left field' departure here for me.

I admit, it's a bit hard to keep up with your wheeling and dealing, but you seem to be racking up a huge amount in sales and not spending much. Is that about right, or am I missing something?

 

[Mackem742]

Sunderland AFC season 1 summer transfer update

Transfers in and out

Very happy with the transfer business done. Ive strengthened the entire squad and cleared out the players who didnt want to be here.

Fixtures so far

Happy with the start, the only blip being the Carabao Cup defeat to Huddersfield but its a competition I wasnt expected to compete in and it was just an added distraction to the main goal of promotion,

League table so far

Good start, transfer window is now over and Im happy with the squad. Main rivals and favorites for the league Hull are already 5 points behind so im fairly confident.

[robterrace]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

I admit, it's a bit hard to keep up with your wheeling and dealing, but you seem to be racking up a huge amount in sales and not spending much. Is that about right, or am I missing something?

 

From the end of the season.

Out - 

Lyle Taylor - £1.5m
Harry Arter - £400k
Perry Ng - £425k
Brad Collins - £925k
Ryan Yates - £9.5m
Joe Worrall - £15m
Luke Offord - £1.3m
Scott McKenna - £8.25m
Tein Troost - £2.5m
Andrea Adorante - £500k
Tim Handwerker - £5m
Robin Hack - £7.25m
Nuno Da Costa - £4.2m
Luca Campanile - £11m (£1.2m is based on international appearances)
Loic Mbe Soh - £8.2m

Incoming fees - £76m(ish)

In - 
Callum O'Hare - £1.2m
Finlay Robertson - £2m
Jonathan Panzo - £1.2m
Callum Connolly - £750k
Daley Sinkgraven - £2.4m
Rodrigo Caio - £3.8m
Matty Longstaff - Free
Antonio Sivera - £600k
Matthew Targett - £3.8m
Dujon Sterling - £1m

Spend - £17m(ish) + about £2m for loan signings.
 

[robterrace]

A rarity for me. A free transfer.

This player was at Servette in Switzerland last season, and had been without a club since leaving in June.

He has a very good pedigree, and with some remedial work, will be a good player for the team.

 

[warlock]

1 hour ago, robterrace said:

From the end of the season

That's about what I thought. If you've improved the squad while turning a profit of £50m I'm in awe of your business acumen 

[robterrace]

19 minutes ago, warlock said:

That's about what I thought. If you've improved the squad while turning a profit of £50m I'm in awe of your business acumen 

Its the first time I've decided to do it this way in a long time, and I'm actually happy its going this way.

 

[robterrace]

2 hours ago, warlock said:

That's about what I thought. If you've improved the squad while turning a profit of £50m I'm in awe of your business acumen 

Being honest, I like the fact I'm sort of exploring markets I don't normally look at too.

[warlock]

1 minute ago, robterrace said:

I like the fact I'm sort of exploring markets I don't normally look at too

It's not the way I play the game, but it's always fun watching you play the markets 

[smplfc123]

So the inevitable happened. I think deep down I knew it was going to happen when I posted saying I wasn't sure where I could progress with Huddersfield. We had overachieved in our second season, but we didn't really have the funds and I didn't really have the pulling power with my low reputation, to entice better players to join us. I stumbled through pre-season trying to switch up tactically and eventually, fell out of love with save.

However, despite saying I was going to go abroad next due to the recent struggles with the Brexit WP issues, I've been drawn in to having a go with Ipswich thanks to @warlock.

[Jogo Bonito]

14 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

So the inevitable happened. I think deep down I knew it was going to happen when I posted saying I wasn't sure where I could progress with Huddersfield. We had overachieved in our second season, but we didn't really have the funds and I didn't really have the pulling power with my low reputation, to entice better players to join us. I stumbled through pre-season trying to switch up tactically and eventually, fell out of love with save.

However, despite saying I was going to go abroad next due to the recent struggles with the Brexit WP issues, I've been drawn in to having a go with Ipswich thanks to @warlock.

Fair enough, no point going on with something just for the sake of it 

Good luck with Ipswich, wishing you well. Great club with fine traditions.

[warlock]

36 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

I've been drawn in to having a go with Ipswich

Excellent choice! It will be interesting to see how they perform in a parallel universe - I expect some players who aren't performing for me will do better in your save, and vice-versa.

I'm enjoying it a lot. Expected to post my usual intro/update at the end of the transfer window but just kept playing and it's now Christmas (again!!) Will try to get something up this afternoon.

[Jogo Bonito]

21 minutes ago, warlock said:

Excellent choice! It will be interesting to see how they perform in a parallel universe - I expect some players who aren't performing for me will do better in your save, and vice-versa.

I'm enjoying it a lot. Expected to post my usual intro/update at the end of the transfer window but just kept playing and it's now Christmas (again!!) Will try to get something up this afternoon.

Great stuff. Happy Christmas again 

[Welshace]

Also started a little Ipswich save, although it should be noted, i've got rid of the injuries at the start of the save as the reason i wanted to start with them is some of the injured players.. so yeah, just for full disclosure before we start

[warlock]

Ipswich Town, Christmas 2020

This isn't my first rodeo in Suffolk - I've managed them multiple times in recent versions of FM including this one. The long-term aim is always to emulate the great Bobby Robson and lead them to European glory, but that dream usually dies under my lack of stickwithitness. So, no promises but we'll see where this attempt leads us...

The squad is a little different after the winter update - a few more youngsters are out on loan, a couple of replacements are in on loan. Broadly, the squad is more than capable of reaching the board target of a finish in the playoff positions and should be strong promotion contenders. There are weak areas, made weaker by long-term injuries to important players, notably RB Kane Vincent-Young and forward Kayden Jackson. Generally, the squad is an odd mix of the very young and the very, very old.

Transfer business

On arrival, there is no money - no transfer budget and no surplus wage budget. So some departures are needed before you have room to make changes. A number of players were sold or loaned out to generate the funds:

Not much in the way of transfer fees but anything was good and, more importantly, we freed up some wage budget.

With one CB (Nsiala) departing, and another (Chambers) devoted to RB duties, we were light in central defence so Burnley's Richard Nartey came in on loan. Additional loans are a problem, because the squad starts with the maximum 5, but I had already decided to cancel the loan of LW Keenan Bennetts, and had the idea that Nartey would rotate with young Arsenal CB Mark McGuinness so they'd rarely be in the matchday squad at the same time. Which gave the possibility to address what I consider to be the biggest weakness in the first team: goalkeepers. According to the coaches, Czech Tomas Holy is the best choice, but while his 6'9" height gives him good attributes for aerial ability and jumping reach, these are more than offset by his bang-average mentals, reflexes and agility. There's also trouble in store because Holy and backup David Cornell both have "first choice" status. Having decided that the first to complain about playing time would be first out of the door, I set about finding an upgrade.

And didn't find much. In the end I settled on Arsenal's Dejan Illiev, a GK who is barely good enough for Ipswich so god knows how he ended up at Arsenal. But he was available for a £5k a week loan agreement and arrived just ahead of the transfer deadline, which shows how difficult it was to find a likely candidate.

I still have about £90k in the transfer budget and £11k a week for wages so there's wiggle room in January.

Early form

We started well, despite an opening-day loss to Stoke in the Carabao Cup, winning our first 5 league games. I employed a 442 and some variants as I looked for a system that would get the best out of the players available. With Jackson injured we were short of strikers, but I promoted  Aaron Drinan from the u23s and he repaid my faith by racking up 6 goals and 5 assists in 12(7) appearances. But after that initial success, cracks began to appear in October:

Our reliance on set-piece goals from CBs McGuinness and Woolfenden was a concern, as was our inability to claim the win against Crewe despite them gifting us a goal in the first minute. And November merely confirmed my suspicions:

With the visit of Forest Green in the FA Cup, I saw the opportunity to try a 433, with the idea that a DM would make us more secure at the back while a 3-man frontline might help us break down the 3-man defences we seemed to face every week. Tactical genius, if I say so myself:

That dodgy spell in November saw us slip down the table, but December has propelled us back to the top and I'm happy with things as we head into the new year.

Some dealing will need to be done in the January window - Holy was the first with playing-time concerns, so he is joining Slovacko in a £42k deal. And the loan for Nartey will be terminated after Burnley were constantly on the phone complaining about my not playing him as a BPD, so he needs replacing. I'm not happy with either of my options at LB but I doubt I'll be able to fix that in this window.

[warlock]

25 minutes ago, Welshace said:

Also started a little Ipswich save

The more the merrier!

[Jogo Bonito]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

Ipswich Town, Christmas 2020

This isn't my first rodeo in Suffolk - I've managed them multiple times in recent versions of FM including this one. The long-term aim is always to emulate the great Bobby Robson and lead them to European glory, but that dream usually dies under my lack of stickwithitness. So, no promises but we'll see where this attempt leads us...

With the visit of Forest Green in the FA Cup, I saw the opportunity to try a 433, with the idea that a DM would make us more secure at the back while a 3-man frontline might help us break down the 3-man defences we seemed to face every week. Tactical genius, if I say so myself:

That dodgy spell in November saw us slip down the table, but December has propelled us back to the top and I'm happy with things as we head into the new year.

Nice start, Paul Lambert (another Norwich manager to wash up in Suffolk) would have been very happy to be table-topping! You'll never get them playing in Europe though, that would involve staying more than one successful season in the PL unless you win the FA Cup before you get there 

Three active Ipswich managers calls for a thread title change. The rest of us can just chip in via this new Ipswich thread 

[warlock]

23 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

You'll never get them playing in Europe though

I fear you're right, but a man can dream 

[Jogo Bonito]

2 hours ago, warlock said:

I fear you're right, but a man can dream 

I was going to ask you to let me know if Darren Drysdale is appointed for any of your matches, but see you have already sold Alan Judge.

Was reading the full transcript of the case between DD & AJ earlier, very interesting stuff.

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I just finished my Ivory Coast dynasty save and I was going to do an East Africa save but I am going to have a break from Africa for now and do an EFL save so here are my options.

A youth only save with Middlesborough?

A joint save as Swansea/Wales national team?

A Chesterfield save where I only sign ex or current Derby county players?

A Luton save where I only sign players from the big 4 Prem teams in London?

A normal save with Rotherham?

A save with Barnsley where I try replicate their recruitment strategy?

Which option would you pick @Jogo Bonito @karanhsingh @warlock @robterrace @smplfc123

 

 

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Which option would you pick

Ipswich? 

Seriously, I can't offer much assistance - I have only ever done straightforward 'realistic' saves. I had a good save with Rotherham last year so I'd be inclined that way myself.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Just now, warlock said:

Ipswich? 

Seriously, I can't offer much assistance - I have only ever done straightforward 'realistic' saves. I had a good save with Rotherham last year so I'd be inclined that way myself.

Ok cheers buddy. I appreciate your feedback.

That is one for Rotherham lol.

[Jogo Bonito]

@Ronaldo Beckham

I'd say youth only with Southend. They have low expectations and an embargo so it's easy to just crack on.

But they aren't in your list. So I will say youth only with Boro as the only logical choice because you staying well away from the transfer button has to be good for all of us 

Caveat that by saying youth only isn't something I do personally. 

Edited March 12, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[robterrace]

2 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I just finished my Ivory Coast dynasty save and I was going to do an East Africa save but I am going to have a break from Africa for now and do an EFL save so here are my options.

A youth only save with Middlesborough?

A joint save as Swansea/Wales national team?

A Chesterfield save where I only sign ex or current Derby county players?

A Luton save where I only sign players from the big 4 Prem teams in London?

A normal save with Rotherham?

A save with Barnsley where I try replicate their recruitment strategy?

Which option would you pick @Jogo Bonito @karanhsingh @warlock @robterrace @smplfc123

 

 

I like the Swansea idea.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

14 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@Ronaldo Beckham

I'd say youth only with Southend. They have low expectations and an embargo so it's easy to just crack on.

But they aren't in your list. So I will say youth only with Boro as the only logical choice because you staying well away from the transfer button has to be good for all of us 

Caveat that by saying youth only isn't something I do personally. 

Damm it now I want to do Southend youth only. 

I guess I will be starting that save tomorrow 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Just now, robterrace said:

I like the Swansea idea.

Yeah I think I will do it at some point but that save is one I want to put some real effort into and at the moment I just want to do a short term save but I will definitely do a Swansea/Wales save at some point before FM2022. 

Thank you for the feedback.

[Jogo Bonito]

27 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Yeah I think I will do it at some point but that save is one I want to put some real effort into and at the moment I just want to do a short term save but I will definitely do a Swansea/Wales save at some point before FM2022. 

Thank you for the feedback.

Well, youth only won't be short term will it? I'm not helping much sorry 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

9 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Well, youth only won't be short term will it? I'm not helping much sorry 

It is fine mate. I always appreciate your help. The aim is to find me an enjoyable challenging save so even if the Southend save turns into a long term save then so be it.

 

[smplfc123]

As a Welshman I'd be interested to see the Swansea save @Ronaldo Beckham

Great start there @warlock I'm still early on in pre-season at the moment. I've gone for my usual starting option of transfers off, so it'll be interesting to see how our squad differs come the end of the season.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

14 minutes ago, smplfc123 said:

As a Welshman I'd be interested to see the Swansea save @Ronaldo Beckham

Great start there @warlock I'm still early on in pre-season at the moment. I've gone for my usual starting option of transfers off, so it'll be interesting to see how our squad differs come the end of the season.

A lot of love for the Swansea/Wales one now so I might do that one and do the youth only Southend save after.

Sorry @Jogo Bonito lol

 

[Welshace]

17 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I just finished my Ivory Coast dynasty save and I was going to do an East Africa save but I am going to have a break from Africa for now and do an EFL save so here are my options.

A youth only save with Middlesborough?

A joint save as Swansea/Wales national team?

A Chesterfield save where I only sign ex or current Derby county players?

A Luton save where I only sign players from the big 4 Prem teams in London?

A normal save with Rotherham?

A save with Barnsley where I try replicate their recruitment strategy?

Which option would you pick @Jogo Bonito @karanhsingh @warlock @robterrace @smplfc123

 

 

 

 

Also as a proud Welshman, I'd love to see a Swansea save... they have a few decent loans and youth prospects in and i'd like to see how Cullen gets on with a run in the first team!

[Ronaldo Beckham]

6 minutes ago, Welshace said:

 

 

Also as a proud Welshman, I'd love to see a Swansea save... they have a few decent loans and youth prospects in and i'd like to see how Cullen gets on with a run in the first team!

Ok your seal of approval has swayed it. I will shall do my best to bring success to Swansea and Wales.

@Welshace Can you think of any decent players eligible to play for Wales ?

I read that Will Hughes has Welsh grandparents but later found out it was his great grandparents so I can't call him up annoyingly.

 

[Welshace]

7 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Ok your seal of approval has swayed it. I will shall do my best to bring success to Swansea and Wales.

@Welshace Can you think of any decent players eligible to play for Wales ?

I read that Will Hughes has Welsh grandparents but later found out it was his great grandparents so I can't call him up annoyingly.

 

Karl Darlow

Rhys Healey (currently at Toulouse and looks good in game)

Morgan Fox

Dylan Levitt

Jay Dasilva

Neco Williams

And give my pal Joe Jacobson a call up will ya!

[Jogo Bonito]

42 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Ok your seal of approval has swayed it. I will shall do my best to bring success to Swansea and Wales.

@Welshace Can you think of any decent players eligible to play for Wales ?

I read that Will Hughes has Welsh grandparents but later found out it was his great grandparents so I can't call him up annoyingly.

 

Good luck. I like Swansea and enjoyed managing them and their players in the past. Ignoring the fact that IRL every time they get in the opposition penalty area they get given a penalty these days, they are a club I like. You could try and get Moore from Cardiff & play him for Wales too.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

34 minutes ago, Welshace said:

Karl Darlow

Rhys Healey (currently at Toulouse and looks good in game)

Morgan Fox

Dylan Levitt

Jay Dasilva

Neco Williams

And give my pal Joe Jacobson a call up will ya!

If he is good enough I will lol. Cheers for the suggestions buddy much appreciated.

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Good luck. I like Swansea and enjoyed managing them and their players in the past. Ignoring the fact that IRL every time they get in the opposition penalty area they get given a penalty these days, they are a club I like. You could try and get Moore from Cardiff & play him for Wales too.

Yeah Moore will be one of my main players for my Wales team. 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Gary Speed Takes Over Swansea & Wales National Team

Gary Speed started the revolution of the Wales national and this is a tribute to the great man who was took away too early from us.

I downloaded a Brendan Rodgers tactic that replicates when he was in charge of Swansea years a go.

Here is what it looks like.

The most shocking thing about Swansea is that Andre Ayew is earning £80k per week which is ridicilous. I am determined to get rid of him asap and get his wage off the books.

Finances aren't the best which is expected with only £360k in the bank and £0 for transfers and only £13k spare in wages.

I am hoping to sell some of the older players to bring the wage bill down and give me some cash to buy some Welsh players.

I am trying to bring in as many Welsh staff as possible to Swansea.

I will do updates as I go along.

 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

   

6 hours ago, Welshace said:

Karl Darlow

Rhys Healey (currently at Toulouse and looks good in game)

Morgan Fox

Dylan Levitt

Jay Dasilva

Neco Williams

And give my pal Joe Jacobson a call up will ya!

Just to update you on the players you told me of @Welshace. So Karl Darlow I couldn't call up as he is declared for England and it wont even let me try convince him to switch.

I managed to convince Rhys Healey to switch to Wales. 

Necro William was already in the Wales squad.

I called up Jay and his brother Cole Dasilva, I also called up Morgan Fox and Dylan Levitt.

I then looked at the Under 21's and Under 18's and I managed to call up Jack Vale, Rabbi Matondo and Swansea's own player Ben Cabango who looks really good.

Jack Vale - 19 year old Blackburn Striker On Loan to Rochdale

Rabbi Matondo - 19 year old Stoke Winger

Ben Cabango - 20 year old Swansea Central Defender

 

[oakesypvfc]

On 04/03/2021 at 15:25, Jogo Bonito said:

Nice new kits though! Did you create them yourself?

By the way, I finally got around to creating my York City story which has been going on for several months (prior to the 21.3 update - but the squad didn't really change).

 

I didn't make them myself, but I can make kits, let me know if you ever need any

[Jogo Bonito]

5 minutes ago, oakesypvfc said:

I didn't make them myself, but I can make kits, let me know if you ever need any

Thanks for the offer. You should tell Carol & Kevin that too 

[oakesypvfc]

4 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Thanks for the offer. You should tell Carol & Kevin that too 

Our kits are amazing thankyou very much XD

These are an example of my work if ever you did want anything.

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Edited March 12, 2021 by oakesypvfc

[Jogo Bonito]

4 minutes ago, oakesypvfc said:

Our kits are amazing thankyou very much XD

These are an example of my work if ever you did want anything.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Very nice indeed. I like them.

Two of your three PV kits are just fine. The home kit with the same black logo as the 2nd and 3rd kits, but white and your PV shade of orange/yellow/gold in stripes would look awesome if you ever fancy having a bash.

[oakesypvfc]

3 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Very nice indeed. I like them.

Two of your three PV kits are just fine. The home kit with the same black logo as the 2nd and 3rd kits, but white and your PV shade of orange/yellow/gold in stripes would look awesome if you ever fancy having a bash.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean

[Jogo Bonito]

Just now, oakesypvfc said:

I'm not sure exactly what you mean

Even I'm not sure what I mean  I'll PM you to save clogging this up 

[oakesypvfc]

Sheffield Wednesday - Championship - Season 2027/28

It began this season, and there was a lot to be cheerful about at Hillsborough. The Owls had signed a multi year contract with Mars to be their new kit sponsor and last season, they had begun to move away from mid table mediocrity with a very meritable eighth place finish. Could we take that step further and battle for those promotion places?

The answer was a yes, after a long hard season, we would find ourselves in the playoff places after a win on the last day. The result of us finishing in the final place however, was facing off against a Bristol City side who had finished in fourth place, how would we go on?

It ended in absolute heartbreak. We didn't expect much after not winning the first leg, falling foul to an 83rd minute equaliser. However, in the second leg, after 10 minutes, the tie was in our hands, we were 2-0 up but we blew it. The first goal came at the half hour point and the equaliser after 70 minutes. By hook or by crook though, no team could find a break through and we went to penalties. After 10 penalties taken each, Tyrick Mitchell stepped up for us and hit the post as we were knocked out, absolutely devastating. One more crack at it next season?

As always, Ryan Whitaker was great for us and new signings Faia and Fagius definitely improved us. Swann was a little disappointing with 15 in 30(13) and we will look to improve the forward line next season, with several deals already in the works. Whitaker and Swann have renewed for us once again, but Davies and Helme will not join us, the wages were just too much for what they were giving us. 

Yet another big summer ahead of us as we aim to build on this playoff berth ahead of a fifth season in the Championship.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheffield Wednesday Honours

League Two Champions 2022/23
League One Champions 2023/24
Championship: 12th place finish 2024/25
Championship: 12th place finish 2025/26
Championship: 8th place finish 2026/27
Championship: 6th place finish 2027/28 (lost in playoff semi-final)

 

[Jogo Bonito]

@oakesypvfcAh what a very unlucky end after another good season. You're so close now!

[oakesypvfc]

Just now, Jogo Bonito said:

@oakesypvfcAh what a very unlucky end after another good season. You're so close now!

I know, it was heartbreaking. You know when you're just playing a game and you know you're not coming out the better? It felt like that, especially after that equaliser went in

 

[Jogo Bonito]

Every game is like that for me at Parma in my 3rd season. I feel like a bystander at times rather than being the manager who can change it.

I hope you are up for at least one more go. You'll be very pleased to finally make it.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Rhys Healey already making an impact for Wales