FM21: The English Football League thread

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@Ronaldo BeckhamIt will be interesting to see how the long-throw tactic goes for you

Long throws are - literally - hit and miss . If you have someone with the attribute it can work well, but in my experience it depends entirely on the opposition keeper. If he's good against aerial threats and commands his box well, he'll pick off long throws with ease. Without those attributes a long throw can cause carnage in the area. On balance, I prefer the long throw because it reduces the chances of my players throwing the ball straight to an opponent and springing a counter against us.

@goonergez Just a thought, but you often talk about wanting a long-term save. But to achieve that,  you kinda have to play the save for a long time .

[John Joe O'toole]

2 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Stoke City Season 1 Early Season Update

Transer Business

Transfers Out

I managed to get rid a lot of the high earners and older players.  Frustrating the board block my moves to get rid of Sam Vokes and Joe Allen cos they wont let sell them for nothing even though clubs out there aren't stupid enough to actuall pay a fee for my rubbish players.

I hate that new feature on FM2021 and hope they get rid of it in FM2022.

Anyway back on subject I managed to get rid of the following players.

Mortiz Bauer - £400k to CSKA Moscow

James McClean - £500K to Nottingham Forest

John Obi Mikel - £2m - Al-Ain

James Chester - £1m - Swansea

Kevin Wimmer - £1.5m - Lens

I also sold highly rated youngster Tyrese Campbell to Newcastle for a combined deal of £11m. Stoke's finances aren't that great so I need to cash out on one of my top youngsters but I am hoping to bring him back one day.

I also managed to release Ryan Shawcross who was earning £50k a week in the Championship which is criminal. I got him to eventually mutually agree to release him costing the club £1.3m but it helped my budget massively.

I also released Steven Fletcher & Lee Gregor.

Transfers In

I wont name them all or we will be there all day lol but here are some of my key signings.

Stefan Thesker - 29 year old German Central Defender - Signed from Holstein Kiel for £275k

Thesker signed mainly cos of his long throw specialities but is a very solid central defender and has worked out better then I thought.

Sullay Kaikai - 25 year old English Winger/Striker - Signed from Blackpool for £500k

A player I have heard good things about on here and I have never managed him so I thought I would give him a try. He aint doing well so far but hopefully with more game time he will flourish.

Elliot Moore - 25 year old English Central Defender - Signed for £850k from Oxford

I signed Moore as he was on my EFL shortlist and I have never managed him before and I needed a good centre back to replace Shawcross. He is has good jumping reach so hopefully will get a few goals from set peices. He has performed very well so far.

Corey Blackett-Taylor - 23 year old English Winger - Signed from Tranmere for £500k

Taylor has a lot of potential and has very good acceleration. He hasn't played much for the first team but I will be giving him more game time and he will be an excellent option on the bench.

 

Did you buy RJJ?

[goonergez]

38 minutes ago, warlock said:

 

@goonergez Just a thought, but you often talk about wanting a long-term save. But to achieve that,  you kinda have to play the save for a long time .

Wise words haha. I want a long term career basically. I am sort of trying to play the game realistically. So if an interesting offer comes my way I am contemplating it. I'm only going to go if it's an intriguing offer though. Hasn't happened so far though and I am still at Blackpool as we approach the winter break for the World Cup.

Edited January 23, 2021 by goonergez

[Ronaldo Beckham]

29 minutes ago, John Joe O'toole said:

Did you buy RJJ?

No I try not to buy the same players over and over again. I was tempted but I went for other players instead.

[Jogo Bonito]

Part 7

November was a good month, despite the absence of Yakou Meite from 3rd October that would see him ruled out until Christmas

The draw at home to Stoke, anchored firmly to foot of the table (still) was disappointing, and the 3-0 loss at Bournemouth even more so

Other than that, it had been a good month in Berkshire with new signing Ricky-Jade Jones grabbing a couple of points-earning goals from the bench too

Bit a fixture-laden December was quite frankly awful - and also saw an exit in the Carabao Cup at home to Cardiff

In addition to Meite, influential left-back Omar Richards and Michael Olise were also absent for a large part of it - and Lucas Joao had (has) gone right off the boil too

Defensively everything was still reasonably tight, but Veljko was becoming increasingly concerned about a lack of goal threat and firepower

In amongst the poor results was a good point against high-flying Norwich and a fabulous 1-0 win at Brentford (2nd at the time), so it wasn't all bad

With Olise now back and Meite and Richards set to return there are hopes that the attacking part of the side will find the solutions needed to get back in the top-six

Having said that young winger Thierry Nevers (who had made seven cameo appearances) from the bench was also ruled out for six months on 14th December (damaged spine)

One thing that Veljko vows not to change is his 4231 formation, so tweaks will need to be made within that structure - a challenge to be embraced

As the form graph shows, the early promise had dwindled although never badly enough to take the side lower than 8th or 9th in the table

At least the finances have taken a massive spike in December, turning around a deficit of around minus £5 million

But this didn't come from any revenue-making activity - it was down to a substantial investment of £14.25 million from the owner Dai Yongge on 1st December

One month later, you can see that the balance has already dropped down to under £8 million which shows just how much trouble the club is actually in

December also saw two major parts of the record-breaking '106 points' team in 2005/06 returning the club in staff roles

The pair were Steve Sidwell and Nicky Shorey, who were also joined by Karl Halabi - back for another stint as fitness coach

Edited January 23, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

there are hopes that the attacking part of the side will find the solutions needed

Hope so! Nine games in a month is a helluva slog, so injuries are no real surprise. As you say, defensively things look okay so it's all about the strikers for 2021.

[Jogo Bonito]

1 minute ago, warlock said:

Hope so! Nine games in a month is a helluva slog, so injuries are no real surprise. As you say, defensively things look okay so it's all about the strikers for 2021.

Cheers, yes indeed! Are you managing Darlington (only) now?

[warlock]

Just now, Jogo Bonito said:

Are you managing Darlington (only) now?

Yes... need to update my profile .

Just into the competitive games after an interminable pre-season - first proper match was first week in October! My ass man had arranged just four Saturday friendlies so I added a bunch of Wednesday games to get fitness and tactical familiarity up. Then realised we had another month to go . In the end, we played 11 games. Luckily, I seem to have fallen upon a 442 that's working pretty well (in so far as you can read anything into friendly results):

The results against Barnsley and Fleetwood u23s were encouraging, the Wednesday defeat was much narrower than expected and put £30k into the club coffers. I'll call that a successful pre-season 

[Jogo Bonito]

3 minutes ago, warlock said:

Yes... need to update my profile .

Just into the competitive games after an interminable pre-season - first proper match was first week in October! My ass man had arranged just four Saturday friendlies so I added a bunch of Wednesday games to get fitness and tactical familiarity up. Then realised we had another month to go . In the end, we played 11 games. Luckily, I seem to have fallen upon a 442 that's working pretty well (in so far as you can read anything into friendly results):

The results against Barnsley and Fleetwood u23s were encouraging, the Wednesday defeat was much narrower than expected and put £30k into the club coffers. I'll call that a successful pre-season 

Very good pre-season form indeed. What a long time that was though, blimey. I see Dan Maguire popping up, surprised he never really delivered at York after his form for Blyth but he should be good for you.

[warlock]

39 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I see Dan Maguire popping up

Yes, he did well - 3 goals and 2 assists in 5 friendlies - so I'm hoping to see more of him as the season unfolds.

[John Joe O'toole]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Part 7

November was a good month, despite the absence of Yakou Meite from 3rd October that would see him ruled out until Christmas

The draw at home to Stoke, anchored firmly to foot of the table (still) was disappointing, and the 3-0 loss at Bournemouth even more so

Other than that, it had been a good month in Berkshire with new signing Ricky-Jade Jones grabbing a couple of points-earning goals from the bench too

Bit a fixture-laden December was quite frankly awful - and also saw an exit in the Carabao Cup at home to Cardiff

In addition to Meite, influential left-back Omar Richards and Michael Olise were also absent for a large part of it - and Lucas Joao had (has) gone right off the boil too

Defensively everything was still reasonably tight, but Veljko was becoming increasingly concerned about a lack of goal threat and firepower

In amongst the poor results was a good point against high-flying Norwich and a fabulous 1-0 win at Brentford (2nd at the time), so it wasn't all bad

With Olise now back and Meite and Richards set to return there are hopes that the attacking part of the side will find the solutions needed to get back in the top-six

Having said that young winger Thierry Nevers (who had made seven cameo appearances) from the bench was also ruled out for six months on 14th December (damaged spine)

One thing that Veljko vows not to change is his 4231 formation, so tweaks will need to be made within that structure - a challenge to be embraced

As the form graph shows, the early promise had dwindled although never badly enough to take the side lower than 8th or 9th in the table

At least the finances have taken a massive spike in December, turning around a deficit of around minus £5 million

But this didn't come from any revenue-making activity - it was down to a substantial investment of £14.25 million from the owner Dai Yongge on 1st December

One month later, you can see that the balance has already dropped down to under £8 million which shows just how much trouble the club is actually in

December also saw two major parts of the record-breaking '106 points' team in 2005/06 returning the club in staff roles

The pair were Steve Sidwell and Nicky Shorey, who were also joined by Karl Halabi - back for another stint as fitness coach

Have you got Joao scoring? I started my Reading save again, playing him as CF and its not happening. I reverted back to Puscas at Pressing Forward Attack and hes got 5 in 5

[Jogo Bonito]

7 minutes ago, John Joe O'toole said:

Have you got Joao scoring? I started my Reading save again, playing him as CF and its not happening. I reverted back to Puscas at Pressing Forward Attack and hes got 5 in 5

Not yet, but to be honest we don't create any chances for him. I just cannot select Puscas ahead of him no matter what. No no no no no. 

[John Joe O'toole]

9 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Not yet, but to be honest we don't create any chances for him. I just cannot select Puscas ahead of him no matter what. No no no no no. 

Just drew with Rotherham! 27 SHOTS You dont like Puscas then 

 

Tjaland got a broken leg

[Jogo Bonito]

6 minutes ago, John Joe O'toole said:

Just drew with Rotherham! 27 SHOTS You dont like Puscas then 

 

Tjaland got a broken leg

I'm not sure that I have had 27 shots all season. But I wanted to play as close to real tactics and formation as possible, defensively solid, skill and flair on the counter-attack. It's all good except for Joao not being the best striker in the league like he is in reality. I have never been a fan of Puscas, wasn't keen on him before or when he signed and he has done very little to prove that theory wrong. He got a few goals last season (quite a few from the spot) in a couple of purple patches, but his complete selfishness and lack of effort is unlikely to ever win me over.

Tough result against Rotherham, and on Tjaland's broken leg. Have you made transfers in or out this time?

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[oakesypvfc]

Some great progress in here folks. @goonergezDon't leave the Tangerines just yet, you've got to get them back up to that Premier League!

Good work with Reading @Jogo Bonitorough run lately but I'm sure you'll turn it around.

Cracking pre-season @warlockShould give the boys some confidence to start the year off.

Have many of you had Adebayo from Walsall? Seen him dotted around a couple of places. He has an active release clause of 250k here and wondering whether to activate it to have him as our backup to Lebrun Swann.

Update coming to you from Sheffield tomorrow 

[goonergez]

5 hours ago, oakesypvfc said:

Have many of you had Adebayo from Walsall? 

I have signed a 24-year old version of him but are probably not really in a position to comment as he is very much a backup. He’s not scored a goal in about 20 appearances in the league, but most of them have been from the bench.

[John Joe O'toole]

9 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I'm not sure that I have had 27 shots all season. But I wanted to play as close to real tactics and formation as possible, defensively solid, skill and flair on the counter-attack. It's all good except for Joao not being the best striker in the league like he is in reality. I have never been a fan of Puscas, wasn't keen on him before or when he signed and he has done very little to prove that theory wrong. He got a few goals last season (quite a few from the spot) in a couple of purple patches, but his complete selfishness and lack of effort is unlikely to ever win me over.

Tough result against Rotherham, and on Tjaland's broken leg. Have you made transfers in or out this time?

 

Nice, looking forward to the next update!

He seems to of been a bit hit and miss for RFC, i remember him scoring a class individual goal but like you say the work ethic isn't there. Joao is a physical specimen and this is reflected in his attributes. 

Yes sold 

Ryan East

Tennai Watson

Randomly, Freiburg came in for Southwood with a bid of 900k so i accepted. Seeing as i have Rafael and my future number 1 in Coniah Boyce Clarke plus Jokull Andresson for back up i think im covered in that department and seeing as hes 22 i cant see much room for improvement. Since then he has made 1 sub appearance in the bundesliga.

Cancelled Gibson Loan

This made some cash available so i purchased

Tiago Aguiar 16 YO CB from Portugal

RJJ - 300k In total, 100k upfront

Tjaland - 500k in total, 250k upfront

Also sent a lot of youth players out on loan 

[goonergez]

I’m just drawing to a close of my third season at Blackpool, and should have an update for you guys a little bit later on today. A really good start gave way to a solid enough season, and I’m six games away from a more than respectable first campaign at this level. I’ve had interviews with three different clubs, but no offers have been incoming so for now I am still here. 
 

Im kind of hoping an exciting offer comes in over the summer, but if not I’ll happily stay put. My worry is that with limited financial power I don’t think I can do much to strengthen this team to take them forwards. It’ll be interesting to see what takes place over the next couple of months.

[Jogo Bonito]

8 hours ago, oakesypvfc said:

Some great progress in here folks. @goonergezDon't leave the Tangerines just yet, you've got to get them back up to that Premier League!

Good work with Reading @Jogo Bonitorough run lately but I'm sure you'll turn it around.

Cracking pre-season @warlockShould give the boys some confidence to start the year off.

Have many of you had Adebayo from Walsall? Seen him dotted around a couple of places. He has an active release clause of 250k here and wondering whether to activate it to have him as our backup to Lebrun Swann.

Update coming to you from Sheffield tomorrow 

For League 1, I would definitely endorse signing Adebayo.

 

2 hours ago, John Joe O'toole said:

Nice, looking forward to the next update!

He seems to of been a bit hit and miss for RFC, i remember him scoring a class individual goal but like you say the work ethic isn't there. Joao is a physical specimen and this is reflected in his attributes. 

Yes sold 

Ryan East

Tennai Watson

Randomly, Freiburg came in for Southwood with a bid of 900k so i accepted. Seeing as i have Rafael and my future number 1 in Coniah Boyce Clarke plus Jokull Andresson for back up i think im covered in that department and seeing as hes 22 i cant see much room for improvement. Since then he has made 1 sub appearance in the bundesliga.

Cancelled Gibson Loan

This made some cash available so i purchased

Tiago Aguiar 16 YO CB from Portugal

RJJ - 300k In total, 100k upfront

Tjaland - 500k in total, 250k upfront

Also sent a lot of youth players out on loan 

Nice movements, all sound reasonable to me! Fair point on Southwood, I kept him as IRL he is likely to be next in line after Rafael (who I think is a great 'keeper). 

As with last season, if Joao gets injured the team cannot perform and will fall away. Puscas can't play the role and doesn't warrant changing the 4231 to play with a partner either. Joao just has individual brilliance and is by far the most important player, that's why I can't give up on him!

Edited January 24, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[Jogo Bonito]

55 minutes ago, goonergez said:

I’m just drawing to a close of my third season at Blackpool, and should have an update for you guys a little bit later on today. A really good start gave way to a solid enough season, and I’m six games away from a more than respectable first campaign at this level. I’ve had interviews with three different clubs, but no offers have been incoming so for now I am still here. 
 

Im kind of hoping an exciting offer comes in over the summer, but if not I’ll happily stay put. My worry is that with limited financial power I don’t think I can do much to strengthen this team to take them forwards. It’ll be interesting to see what takes place over the next couple of months.

Glad to hear you are still with Blackpool and look forward to your update too!

[CityAndColour]

We're just about 2/3 of the way in and we're holding onto a very slender lead at the top. Playoffs look pretty secure but we're labouring a bit, still steadily picking up points however Met Police are on a run of 11 wins in 13, and have TWO players scoring better than a goal a game (their front two have scored a combined 41 goals in 38 league games).

[Jogo Bonito]

2 minutes ago, CityAndColour said:

We're just about 2/3 of the way in and we're holding onto a very slender lead at the top. Playoffs look pretty secure but we're labouring a bit, still steadily picking up points however Met Police are on a run of 11 wins in 13, and have TWO players scoring better than a goal a game (their front two have scored a combined 41 goals in 38 league games).

Good effort, no challenge from Taunton Town this year then 

[oakesypvfc]

37 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

For League 1, I would definitely endorse signing Adebayo. 

Even in 2023?

[Jogo Bonito]

20 minutes ago, oakesypvfc said:

Even in 2023?

Well yeah he is at a prime age, why not? Check his player history in the first few years of your save and if he is doing well then it suggests he could do it. If he has been performing badly, perhaps look elsewhere. This comes with no money-back guarantee though 

Right, that's me done for a few hours to see the Preston v Reading game now. Ironically, I've just got to FA Cup 4th Round day in my game (23rd January 2020).

 

[John Joe O'toole]

1 hour ago, CityAndColour said:

We're just about 2/3 of the way in and we're holding onto a very slender lead at the top. Playoffs look pretty secure but we're labouring a bit, still steadily picking up points however Met Police are on a run of 11 wins in 13, and have TWO players scoring better than a goal a game (their front two have scored a combined 41 goals in 38 league games).

Nice work, what league and is that first season?

[goonergez]

Blackpool FC: 2022/23 Season Review

My third season in charge at Bloomfield Road has come to an end, and it was a good one for this football club. A return to the Championship was exciting, but had the potential to be a short lived stay. We enjoyed a brilliant start to the campaign though, effectively eliminating any relegation worries from an early stage. We didn't manage to keep that good start going throughout, but enjoyed a successful season to consolidate our position in the league.

I would've bitten plenty of hands off to clinch an 11th placed finish and am left absolutely delighted with our efforts. Ricky Jade-Jones enjoyed another fruitful campaign, bagging 24 goals to fire us on our way. Ohter than that it was a series of consistent performances across the board from everybody. Summer arrival Tom Lowery was brilliant after his summer move from Crewe, laying on 11 assists and grabbing three goals too. Fellow new boy Elijah Adebayo was a disappointment though. He contributed just 1 goals for us and struggled to dislodge Jade-Jones for the striker role.

Promotion last season meant we didn't have the Papa Johns Trophy to contend with this season, meaning I could take both the FA and League Cup competitions more seriously. In the League Cup we saw off Doncaster 3-1 away before losing disappointingly to League Two Barrow 1-2 at Bloomfield Road. In the FA Cup we superbly beat Premier League side Burnley 2-1 away after extra time before beating fellow Championship side QPR 1-0 at home in Round Four. Our run ended there though, as we lost out 0-2 away at Bournemouth in the next round.

A really good season draws to a close, with our target of avoiding the drop achieved in the end with ease. I didn't expect us to perform as well as we did, but to finish as clear of the drop as we did is a truly fantastic effort. We didn't finish the season very well though, which is a little cause for concern. I've had interviews with a number of different clubs over the course of the season, as I think I am now ready to take on a new challenge. I've done well here, but the lack of funds is going to hold back any hopes of taking this team much further. I'm keeping my options open for the summer, although if the right opportunity doesn't come up then I am more than happy to stay here. It'll be a busy summer if I do though. The club needs work to try and move forwards, although another season of consolidation here would be more than acceptable. I'll return soon with an update of how the summer went.

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

Blackpool FC Honours:

2021/22 League One Champions
 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Even though I am doing well with Stoke I don't feel like I am replicating Pulisball enough so I looked online and found this tactic called Defensive Hoofball starring Tony Pulis. 

Anyway here is a screenshot of how it looks.

I need to bring in the right players in the summer to complement this tactic so a big targetman is a must.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap Targetman in Season 2 ?

@Jogo Bonito & @Welshace you are my scouting team. Who do you recommend lol.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Ronaldo Beckham

[Jogo Bonito]

@goonergezA very respectable finish there with Blackpool. It may have promised more at one stage but that is definitely a good effort. Great to see RJJ doing so well for you (and Lowery). Hopefully you can make a few tweaks to your squad, and edge a little higher next season.

@Ronaldo BeckhamNo idea really. Are you playing with the Brexit files? What kind of budget? Is Wilfried Bony available and/or suitable? Richmond Boakye?

Edited January 24, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[Ronaldo Beckham]

7 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@goonergezA very respectable finish there with Blackpool. It may have promised more at one stage but that is definitely a good effort. Great to see RJJ doing so well for you (and Lowery). Hopefully you can make a few tweaks to your squad, and edge a little higher next season.

@Ronaldo BeckhamNo idea really. Are you playing with the Brexit files? What kind of budget? Is Wilfried Bony available and/or suitable? Richmond Boakye?

I forgot to say I already got Richmond Boakye. I signed him on a free in season 1 lol. Wilfred Bony would be too old and I have no idea what my budget is yet but I will let you know what my budgets are at the end of the season as I could be a Prem team again the way it is going so far.

I am currently 5th with 6 games to go.

Richmond Boakye is doing well since I have changed tactics. He has 14 goals in 30 games.

 

I am unbeaten since I have changed tactics. I have highlighted the games I have played with the new tactic.

[Jogo Bonito]

Good improvement recently. Well if you are in the PL it's out of my scope of expertise so I'll bow out of that one.

I've just had my FA Cup Round 4 game (well timed with it being that weekend in real life) and ironically my next game is Preston away, which was scheduled for next Tuesday in real life but was changed to today instead. The gods are lining up a great result for me, surely.

 

[goonergez]

I’ve just endured one of the most frustrating summers I can ever remember having on any edition of this game. I don’t have enough money to proper strengthen the squad and in the end just sort of looked around for players who may prove useful editions. 
 

Armed with around £1,000,000 to spend I just couldn’t find anybody worth spending any decent amount on. And more frustratingly anyone I did find and did end up getting close to signing failed to get a work permit. Very frustrating and very painful indeed. Not one minute of the pre-season was enjoyable

[goonergez]

Blackpool FC: 2023/24 Preview

Although I am starting to get itchy in regards to moving my career on, we've enjoyed three very decent seasons so far at Bloomfield Road. Opportunities to move on with my career seem to be heading in my direction, but for now I am still here and gearing up for my fourth season in charge. We did a good job last season to steer quite comfortably clear of relegation, and to be honest this season I will be aiming for more of the same. Financially the club isn't in the best of shape, meaning that once more I would have to conduct my business in a controlled and thought out approach. Thankfully the board only want us to try and avoid the drop again, meaning that I should quite comfortably have some job security. I want some improvement from last season though, and that would mean looking around to add some more quality to our ranks. Off the field I made one change to my staff too, bringing in former Arsenal man Steve Bould as my new assistant manager. No real reason for it other than to add my stamp to my staffing team. The board presented me with a transfer budget a little over £700,000 and this time around they also increased my weekly wage budget by around £20,000. This meant there was a little freedom for me, although not too much to go gung-ho. We would have to find some goals from somewhere though, as Ricky Jade-Jones returned to Peterborough and refused to talk to us regarding a permanent move after there promotion into the Championship.

Departure wise there weren't many, as our squad was pretty on the slim side anyways. Defensive cover Jordan Thorniley and young midfield player Steve McCormick the only two players departing at the end of their contracts with the club. Defender Jordan McGhee also left the club at the end of his deal, completing his pre-arranged deal to join Dundee United in his home country. He was never a regular for us and should be easy to replace. We raked in a lot of money this summer too. Firstly we sold winger Oliver Sarkic to Portsmouth in a £2,000,000 deal. He always performed well for us, but was never the star man I had hoped he would be. Another winger departed, as the disappointing Tarryn Allarakhia left for Oxford United. Young defender Billy Koumetio also departed. The youngster featured sparingly last time around, and I decided we couldn't pass up the funds they were offering for him.

I headed into the summer with anticipation, and armed with a little money to spend. I was excited at the possibility of bringing in 26-year old winger Xande in from League One side Wycombe. We agreed a fee of £400,000 with his club, but after agreeing on a contract the deal fell through after he was denied a work permit. We also missed out on the free transfer of a central defender I was keen to bring in as he couldn't get a work permit either. Our first completed deal was a different centre back, as 25-year old Christian Maghoma arrived from Ipswich Town. He only arrived to offer some cover, but looks like a very decent pick up. Further defensive cover was added in 22-year old Jordan Thomas after his release by Norwich.

Finding a player to ply up top for us proved tricky. I didn't have enough confidence in Eijah Adebayo to lead our line after just one league goal last season and felt we needed another option. In the end we focused on Grenoble of France to sign former Fulham man Jean-Pierre Tiehi. The 21-year old had scored 26 league goals in 67 games for them, and would be a very good signing. Unfortunately work permit issues yet again got in the way, and we were unable to complete a deal. We finally got a deal over the line when we signed 22-year old Jamie Soule on loan for the season from West Brom. He will fight it out with Adebayo for the lone striker spot in our lineup.

We lacked options on the wings after our sales, but before that I added an option for the heart of the midfield. 28-year old George Honeyman comes in after his release by Hull City. The former Sunderland man looks a really good signing, and possesses some good qualities indeed. In the end experienced man Connor Wickham arrived on a free after his release by Crystal Palace. The 29-year old brings talent and versatility to us.  We finished our summer by adding a couple of deals to offer some depth to our squad.19-year old winger Harvey Blair signed from Bolton for the season, and we signed free agent defender Dominic Revan after his release by Aston Villa. Neither will set the world alight, but we needed a couple more bodies in our ranks.

A disappointing summer draws to a close as work permit issues and a lack of available quality prevented us from really strengthening as much as I had hoped. We go into the season and I don't feel particularly confident. I wasn't able to add as much quality as I wanted and don't feel our squad is any stronger than it was last season. It could be a difficult campaign for us I feel. But safety is all anybody is after and to be honest I would happily take another season of mid table security. The media have us down for a 23rd place finish, just drilling home the difficulties that await us.

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

Blackpool FC Honours:

2021/22 League One Champions
 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Stoke City FC Season 1 Review Part 1

I managed to get promoted through the Play Offs.

I faced Watford in the Play Off Semi's. I didn't fancy my chances as Watford should of gone up automatically the squad they have. 

I managed to clinch a tight 1-0 away win over them in the first leg.

The home leg seemed to go a lot easier with a 3-1 win meaning I won 4-1 on aggregate.

I got Norwich in the final. Again another team too good for the Championship with the quality they have. 

A very tight Play Off final with nobody wanting to make mistakes but in the 34th minute Richmond Boakye scored the only goal of the game and with that goal Richmond Boakye become a Stoke City legend.

As it will not let me post more then a few screenshots I will have Part 2 very soon.

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by Ronaldo Beckham

[Jogo Bonito]

@goonergezA tricky summer there, but hopefully it will turn out better when the season gets going. How many do you have in your first team squad (images welcome) and what formation will you be playing this year?

If it's any consolation I was unable to bring any new players in during the winter window at Reading. I didn't try for many but could have done with a winger as an option on the left, and a central striker in the mould of Joao. Both would have needed to be quality but on budget terms, so as you can imagine it was slim pickings and I didn't bother in the end.

Ironically, I did find the striker and he was listed for loan (but the make loan offer tab was not able to be hit). Valued at £1.7 million, I offered £500k for a permanent transfer and it was accepted. Wages of a nominal amount were agreed - but he was rejected a Work Permit. The day after the transfer window closed, I was able to make a loan offer but with no future fee (mandatory or optional) even if it was upped to £700k. It's now going back to appeal so will probably be rejected again, but if it is accepted it won't help for this term as he would only be joining in the summer of 2021 for a period of six months anyway.

@Ronaldo BeckhamWell done on another promotion. Without doubt, you are the most successful manager in the history of football. 3000 clubs per year, with usually a couple of promotions and/or trophies at each on average. And they say the likes of Busby, Paisley and Ferguson are legends...

Edited January 24, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[goonergez]

I’m not on my laptop right now but I’ll pop a screenshot of my squad in here tomorrow. Squad is small though. For the first couple of games of the season I was only able to name four subs! A couple of pre-season injuries didn’t help.

 

eagerly awaiting you’re next update by the way....... 

 

top work @Ronaldo Beckham that’s a great first season. Must’ve been about as tough of a set of play off games you could possibly get but well done to dispatch! A deserved promotion!

Edited January 24, 2021 by goonergez

[Ronaldo Beckham]

5 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@goonergezA tricky summer there, but hopefully it will turn out better when the season gets going. How many do you have in your first team squad (images welcome) and what formation will you be playing this year?

If it's any consolation I was unable to bring any new players in during the winter window at Reading. I didn't try for many but could have done with a winger as an option on the left, and a central striker in the mould of Joao. Both would have needed to be quality but on budget terms, so as you can imagine it was slim pickings and I didn't bother in the end.

Ironically, I did find the striker and he was listed for loan (but the make loan offer tab was not able to be hit). Valued at £1.7 million, I offered £500k for a permanent transfer and it was accepted. Wages of a nominal amount were agreed - but he was rejected a Work Permit. The day after the transfer window closed, I was able to make a loan offer but with no future fee (mandatory or optional) even if it was upped to £700k. It's now going back to appeal so will probably be rejected again, but if it is accepted it won't help for this term as he would only be joining in the summer of 2021 for a period of six months anyway.

@Ronaldo BeckhamWell done on another promotion. Without doubt, you are the most successful manager in the history of football. 3000 clubs per year, with usually a couple of promotions and/or trophies at each on average. And they say the likes of Busby, Paisley and Ferguson are legends...

Cheers Jogo lol. I sense sarcasm but I will take the kind words lol.

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

3 minutes ago, goonergez said:

I’m not on my laptop right now but I’ll pop a screenshot of my squad in here tomorrow. Squad is small though. For the first couple of games of the season I was only able to name four subs! A couple of pre-season injuries didn’t help.

 

eagerly awaiting you’re next update by the way....... 

 

top work @Ronaldo Beckham that’s a great first season. Must’ve been about as tough of a set of play off games you could possibly get but well done to dispatch! A deserved promotion!

Thank you buddy. I am looking forward to see how my hoofball tactic will work in the Prem against the big boys.

 

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by Ronaldo Beckham

[Jogo Bonito]

1 minute ago, goonergez said:

I’m not on my laptop right now but I’ll pop a screenshot of my squad in here tomorrow. Squad is small though. For the first couple of games of the season I was only able to name four subs! A couple of pre-season injuries didn’t help.

 

eagerly awaiting you’re next update by the way....... 

Blimey, that's tough. I thought I had a lean squad at Reading with around 20 players plus youngsters. I need t get to the end of February for the next update, maybe tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for the interest though.

@Ronaldo BeckhamMaybe just a hint of it, but genuine congrats anyway. Good to see Richmond doing the business and taking you up.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Just now, Jogo Bonito said:

Blimey, that's tough. I thought I had a lean squad at Reading with around 20 players plus youngsters. I need t get to the end of February for the next update, maybe tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for the interest though.

@Ronaldo BeckhamMaybe just a hint of it, but genuine congrats anyway. Good to see Richmond doing the business and taking you up.

Yeah I know you meant it with good humor. I appreciate the kind words.

Richmond was a bargain on a free and doing well with the tactic I swapped half way through the season.

 

[oakesypvfc]

Ewww Sjoke! Just kidding, congrats on the promotion @Ronaldo Beckham

Tough lines @goonergez, hope you are able to find a gem or two in the winter window to fill the squad out a bit.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Stoke City Season 1 Review Part 2

I managed to get promoted 4 years ahead of schedule which is nice.

Richmond Boakye was amazing for me and really thrived once I changed tactics. He got 22 goals in 39 games. He didn't cost me a penny as well. I know Richmond from playing as Red Star Belgrade a few years a go so I knew he would do well I was surprised how well he did.

 

Other stand out players were Morgan Fox who had the best overal rating and got a few assists.

A player I am really excited about is Thibaud Verlinden who scored 7 goals, got 10 assists and got an overal average rating of 7.03. I will be trying to build a team around him.

Jorge Grant done very well as well with 10 assists himself. I got some good attacking wingers who fit my tactic well.

Final player worth mentioning is Elliot Moore who was very solid in defence for me and also loved getting a few headed goals from set pieces. 

I got a budget of £38.5m to spend. I need a big strong centre back and preferably a good targetman. I might try and get Chris Wood from Burnley if he is available.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

14 minutes ago, oakesypvfc said:

Ewww Sjoke! Just kidding, congrats on the promotion @Ronaldo Beckham

Tough lines @goonergez, hope you are able to find a gem or two in the winter window to fill the squad out a bit.

Thank you Oakesy.

[Jogo Bonito]

@Ronaldo Beckham Good to see you even got Richmond to take his photo in his new Stoke shirt too  Kidding of course, but he has never scored goals anywhere except Belgrade before so he must like The Potteries. Amazing that I recommended him and you already had him. I don't suppose I can claim any credit for that tip 

I had Moore with me at Oxford. I see his heading ability is fixed (low). It was 7 for me and for you when you last showed him, and although it has gone to 8 in that last image you might need to be careful on that in the PL. I just played Stoke away in my last game and the weather was awful - just really Stokey!

[oakesypvfc]

Sheffield Wednesday - League One - Season 2023/24

It has been a wonderful return to League One football from Daniel Oakes' Sheffield Wednesday side as they surprisingly hold the top spot going into the new year. Many thought that this team were playoff hopefuls but they really have grabbed the league by the scruff of the neck this year and have a game in hand to boot. They are currently on a 13 match unbeaten run spanning back to late October and really look like the real deal.

We crashed out in the EFL Cup to Salford on penalties in a really poor performance, was hoping to go a lot further there, but we make up for it in the FA Cup, where Lincoln await us in the third round, after we overcame fellow League One opposition twice.

Transfers - Winter window

I hadn't planned to make any transfers but had this dreaded message come through on New Years Day, which I expect will require us to make a couple of moves.

Dendoncker has been a mainstay in the team since signing on loan last summer, then being made a permanent signing last January. He will be a big miss for us but we will need to find a replacement. Konaté has been good for us as well, mainly a rotational option but very versatile. I have tried offering new contracts to both, but work permits have been rejected so will need to be sold. This winter window will be busier than I ever wanted it to be.

Hopefully, we can find suitable replacements and continue to push forward with what looks like could be another wonderful season at Hillsborough. Up the Owls!

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

Sheffield Wednesday Honours

League Two Champions 2022/23

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

5 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@Ronaldo Beckham Good to see you even got Richmond to take his photo in his new Stoke shirt too  Kidding of course, but he has never scored goals anywhere except Belgrade before so he must like The Potteries. Amazing that I recommended him and you already had him. I don't suppose I can claim any credit for that tip 

I had Moore with me at Oxford. I see his heading ability is fixed (low). It was 7 for me and for you when you last showed him, and although it has gone to 8 in that last image you might need to be careful on that in the PL. I just played Stoke away in my last game and the weather was awful - just really Stokey!

Yeah I am hoping to get another central defender with good heading and maybe Moore will become back up as I didn't like his lack of heading. Just curious did you try train Moore up to have better heading and how much better did you get him ?
I never realized the Red Star shirt was similar to Stoke's until you pointed it out. Maybe red and white stripes is a lucky omen for him lol.

 

[Jogo Bonito]

@oakesypvfcGoing really well there, good job. The WP issues are a massive problem now when managing in England. It is real though, clubs are really having to change their ideas in this window and so we can't moan about this in FM. If any of you voted for Brexit you only have yourselves to blame 

2 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Yeah I am hoping to get another central defender with good heading and maybe Moore will become back up as I didn't like his lack of heading. Just curious did you try train Moore up to have better heading and how much better did you get him ?
I never realized the Red Star shirt was similar to Stoke's until you pointed it out. Maybe red and white stripes is a lucky omen for him lol.

 

I trained him all season (players always moan about extra focus) and it didn't even go up from 7. It doesn't mean he can't jump and clear or get on the end of things, it just means the success rate at both ends won't be too helpful. Stoke and Belgrade are probably quite similar places, no?

[oakesypvfc]

Just now, Jogo Bonito said:

@oakesypvfcGoing really well there, good job. The WP issues are a massive problem now when managing in England. It is real though, clubs are really having to change their ideas in this window and so we can't moan about this in FM. If any of you voted for Brexit you only have yourselves to blame 

I trained him all season (players always moan about extra focus) and it didn't even go up from 7. It doesn't mean he can't jump and clear or get on the end of things, it just means the success rate at both ends won't be too helpful. Stoke and Belgrade are probably quite similar places, no?

Yeah, doesn't mean it doesn't suck

I grew up in Stoke and if Belgrade is anything like it, poor Belgrade 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

17 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@oakesypvfcGoing really well there, good job. The WP issues are a massive problem now when managing in England. It is real though, clubs are really having to change their ideas in this window and so we can't moan about this in FM. If any of you voted for Brexit you only have yourselves to blame 

I trained him all season (players always moan about extra focus) and it didn't even go up from 7. It doesn't mean he can't jump and clear or get on the end of things, it just means the success rate at both ends won't be too helpful. Stoke and Belgrade are probably quite similar places, no?

Oh yeah definitely Stoke and Belgrade are twin cities lol.

Yeah I was just curious if Moore's heading got better. Cheers for the information.

[John Joe O'toole]

6 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Even though I am doing well with Stoke I don't feel like I am replicating Pulisball enough so I looked online and found this tactic called Defensive Hoofball starring Tony Pulis. 

Here is the link to tactic in case anyone wants to try it out.

https://www.fmscout.com/a-fm20-tactic-by-bjt-tony-pulis-defensive-hoofball.html

Anyway here is a screenshot of how it looks.

I need to bring in the right players in the summer to complement this tactic so a big targetman is a must.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap Targetman in Season 2 ?

@Jogo Bonito & @Welshace you are my scouting team. Who do you recommend lol.

Novakovich is a cheap target man 500k ish

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

5 minutes ago, John Joe O'toole said:

Novakovich is a cheap target man 500k ish

 

Cheers mate much appreciated.