FM21: The English Football League thread

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

a great month with Adebayo in outstanding form

Going along very nicely - hopefully the star man can pick up his form on his return. A good payday from the West Brom tie would be a bonus. I'm a couple of weeks ahead of you and facing Leicester away in the FA Cup so I'm hoping for a similar boost.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Penalties it is then.

3-2 to Birmingham so far after a great save by Betenelli. 

2 pens each left.

So who is going up to the Premiership then ????

Its only Birmingham City who are going up winning 5-4 on penalties with Rhys Williams scoring the winning penalty.

[wakesta]

23 hours ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I managed to get some sturdy old heads in as part of my scouting team.

Roy Hodgson

Neil Warnock

These two would be the ultimate management team with Hodgson as the good cop and Warnock as the bad cop lol.

 

Did you replace the Assistant Manager?

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Barry Fry's Birmingham City Rebirth Season 2

Big Barry Fry managed to work his magic and bring Birmingham City FC back to the big time of the Premiership.

As you all know I got promoted through the Play Offs with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Notts Forest and then beating West Brom on penalties 5-4 in the Play Off Final.

Ricky-Jade Jones was amazing for me and will be my main man up front next season and I think he will take the Prem by storm.

Here is my overall starting 11

I am baffled that Bradley Dack got into the best overall team when he only played 1 game for me lol. I would of had Odin Bailey or Aiden Barlow in Dack's place.

Ricky Jade-Jones won both the Fans Player Of The Season and Young Player Of The Season

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

3 minutes ago, wakesta said:

Did you replace the Assistant Manager?

I am confused by what you mean mate as I have had Kevin Summerfield since I started buddy.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Birmingham City FC Season 3 Transfers

Barry Fry has worked his magic again by signing talented English right back Ainsley Maitland-Niles on a free transfer.

Morgan Gibbs-White comes in from local rivals Wolves for £18m

Kieran Dowell comes in for £3.5m from Norwich to give Bailey competition in the attacking midfielder position just behind the striker.

Former Man City youth player Anton Walkes comes in nicely to give cover to Naitland-Miles. Only cost me $575k as well. A bargain.

I wanted a set piece specialist and I got one in former Chelsea player Lewis Baker who never really got much of a chance at Chelsea. Their loss will be my gain and was a free transfer so nothing lost if it don't work out.

Another free transfer signing was former Liverpool youngster Sheyi Ojo who looks like a decent winger with good pace and acceleration.

I also signed Ben Sheaf and Demetri Mitchell on free transfers.

Here is how I line up for my first Prem game against Wolves

Edited January 1, 2021 by Ronaldo Beckham

[Jogo Bonito]

Congrats @Ronaldo Beckham Keeping a small squad then 

Thanks @warlock Yes I hope Adebayo can get back to fitness and recapture his best form. Good luck in your own FA Cup game.

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

28 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Congrats @Ronaldo Beckham Keeping a small squad then 

Thanks @warlock Yes I hope Adebayo can get back to fitness and recapture his best form. Good luck in your own FA Cup game.

 

I am buying less and less players. I just checked and I have 153 players on the books lol.

Yes that is ridicilous but I am a hoarder of players lol. Also half of the 153 players are out on loan.

My plan is to get that down to 50 players and also my aim is to win the Prem with a team full of academy players. I got a few good regens coming through.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Ronaldo Beckham

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Good luck in your own FA Cup game

Thanks, but it was not to be. We got spanked - a goal down after 2 minutes, 3 down at half-time, 4-0 at the final whistle. Happily, it doesn't seem to have had an immediate effect as we followed that game with a 4-2 win over Bolton, and a 4-1 win against Harrogate. So we're halfway through another 8-game month and looking good so far.

In my last update we were in mid-October and sitting second in the league. From then to the end of November we put together a good run, despite losing a game in each of those months:

I was worried about December as games came thick and fast and we picked up a few one-and two-week injuries along the way, but we managed to continue our good form, although it seems to be a rule that we lose one league game each month now:

As a result, we've managed to open up an 8pt lead at the top of the table:

Ajose continues to carry us, but with a few notable exceptions the entire first team squad is playing well. My other 3 strikers have chipped in with 22 goals between them, while Dasilva (8), and midfielders Collins (6) and Law (5) have been our main creators. The exceptions mentioned include our fullbacks apart from Dasilva, and the rotation players at CM. We're mid-transfer window and I have some money available but I'm struggling to find anyone who can really improve us, so transfer business to this point has been limited to bringing in a couple of loan CBs to provide additional cover and give me the option of playing a back 3.

With the board and media expecting us to finish in the playoff places, I'm confident of delivering that, and hopeful that we can do rather better. Which depends entirely on Ajose staying healthy 

 

[robterrace]

57 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

I am buying less and less players. I just checked and I have 153 players on the books lol.

And I thought I hoarded players...

[Jogo Bonito]

11 hours ago, warlock said:

Thanks, but it was not to be. We got spanked - a goal down after 2 minutes, 3 down at half-time, 4-0 at the final whistle. Happily, it doesn't seem to have had an immediate effect as we followed that game with a 4-2 win over Bolton, and a 4-1 win against Harrogate. So we're halfway through another 8-game month and looking good so far.

In my last update we were in mid-October and sitting second in the league. From then to the end of November we put together a good run, despite losing a game in each of those months:

I was worried about December as games came thick and fast and we picked up a few one-and two-week injuries along the way, but we managed to continue our good form, although it seems to be a rule that we lose one league game each month now:

As a result, we've managed to open up an 8pt lead at the top of the table:

Ajose continues to carry us, but with a few notable exceptions the entire first team squad is playing well. My other 3 strikers have chipped in with 22 goals between them, while Dasilva (8), and midfielders Collins (6) and Law (5) have been our main creators. The exceptions mentioned include our fullbacks apart from Dasilva, and the rotation players at CM. We're mid-transfer window and I have some money available but I'm struggling to find anyone who can really improve us, so transfer business to this point has been limited to bringing in a couple of loan CBs to provide additional cover and give me the option of playing a back 3.

With the board and media expecting us to finish in the playoff places, I'm confident of delivering that, and hopeful that we can do rather better. Which depends entirely on Ajose staying healthy 

The FA Cup was always going to be tough, no disgrace there. Mine against West Brom is coming up next.

You're doing remarkably well there, Ajose has scored more than Adebayo for me so is very impressive. I think it's been acknowledged that full backs and defensive midfielder ratings are too low (unless the FB is assisting and/or scoring), so don't be put off to much by those that seem to be under par.

[dozzie]

On 30/12/2020 at 23:12, warlock said:

Sadly common - reputation always seems to lag your achievements when you make a rapid rise to the Championship. But that's a great start regardless.

It has been a real struggle, but I managed to add some numbers to the squad at least and eventually, after the transfer deadline passed I finally got my man in Tahith Chong on free. Haven't played any further yet, but am expecting big things from him considering how he compares to the rest of my squad.

That said, things are still going amazingly well and I now top the Championship table. I really have no idea how I'm doing it with several players who I started with in League 2 and mostly relying on free transfers.

This guy, Ben Worman, who I've mentioned a couple of time here has played a big part. When I was in League 2 he was in the reserves and out on loan at St. Neots, in League 1, injuries meant I had to play him and he went on a real hot streak that helped secure promotion. Now, in the Championship, the lack of signings and other injuries meant he's in the team again - he scored in seven consecutive games, with 9 goals in total before twisting his ankle. Incredible really.

[warlock]

53 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I think it's been acknowledged that full backs and defensive midfielder ratings are too low

Yeah, and that mirrors my experience, but on-loan RB Ramsay was a complete liability and we have conceded a lot of goals down that right side. Which is why I'm looking at a back three; the idea is to rely less on the WBs for defensive work, which makes sense as most of my best FB/WB options are actually natural wingers anyway. I've tried the 352 in a couple of games now and it seems to work. In fact, it would have been an obvious approach if not for the fact that Exeter start with just 2 decent CBs. After a free signing and two loans we're now up to 5 so I'm pretty comfortable with the idea going forward.

As for the FA Cup payday, it's difficult to see whether it had much effect but it will show in the end-of-month finances. Here's hoping!

[warlock]

26 minutes ago, dozzie said:

things are still going amazingly well

Hope you can keep that going, but don't be too downhearted if things take a turn for the worse. It's common that halfway through a post-promotion season the rest of the league suddenly treats you with a lot more respect and results are harder to come by. Good luck 

[warlock]

Looks like the Leicester FA Cup match gained us an extra £350k above a typical month, helping us to a monthly profit of £140k 

[Jogo Bonito]

3 hours ago, warlock said:

Looks like the Leicester FA Cup match gained us an extra £350k above a typical month, helping us to a monthly profit of £140k 

Nice. I hope my FA Cup game will do something similar at Walsall. With better finances you might be able to sign Adebayo or Watters to support Ajose then?

By the way, I much preferred my 532/352 with Oxford to my 442 with Walsall, although mostly because my wingers for the latter club have been disappointing.

 

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I hope my FA Cup game will do something similar at Walsall

Fingers crossed!

As for signing a new striker, it's a low priority at the moment. In addition to Ajose, young backup Ben Seymour is coming on in leaps and bounds and is now into double figures himself. 

And I've surprised myself with this 352 - I used it a little in FM18 and FM19 saves, but beyond a very brief experiment I never tried in FM20. But I certainly like the way it's playing at the moment. I also like the way it simplifies squad management without the need for attacking wide players and the constant switching of roles because of footedness.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

3 hours ago, warlock said:

Fingers crossed!

As for signing a new striker, it's a low priority at the moment. In addition to Ajose, young backup Ben Seymour is coming on in leaps and bounds and is now into double figures himself. 

And I've surprised myself with this 352 - I used it a little in FM18 and FM19 saves, but beyond a very brief experiment I never tried in FM20. But I certainly like the way it's playing at the moment. I also like the way it simplifies squad management without the need for attacking wide players and the constant switching of roles because of footedness.

Ben Seymour was really good for me in my save with Exeter. @warlock If you want a cheap, good strike for Exeter then have a look at Anthony Scully, Scott Twine, James Daly, Ken Charles, Jake Scrimshaw or Cameron Archer. Archer and Scrimshaw would probably be the best out of them but depends on your budget etc.

 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

By the way guys as I have been going through my Birmingham save I basically scouted all the squads in League One and League Two and done a shortlist with the best players that I aint named already. 

Here is a link to the shortlist if anyone wants it.

https://mega.nz/file/RAhCyBhQ#QwJl1kDQOJkvOtHapaB0pMPaJlOgnOun_cMDlYk5298

[warlock]

1 minute ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

If you want a cheap, good strike for Exeter

Thanks for the suggestions. Probably need someone to replace Alex Fisher - he was pretty good at the start of the season, but as time has gone on his form has dropped dramatically. And at 30 years old I don't see a new contract for him.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Just now, warlock said:

Thanks for the suggestions. Probably need someone to replace Alex Fisher - he was pretty good at the start of the season, but as time has gone on his form has dropped dramatically. And at 30 years old I don't see a new contract for him.

Yeah have a look at Scott Twine then as he has a proven record of scoring in League 2. On my save he scored 21 goals in 37 games for Newport County.

Here is Jake Scrimshaw as well who is doing well on loan at Carlisle this season with 18 goals in 39 games so far and I will be playing him more when he comes back.

[Jogo Bonito]

@Ronaldo BeckhamI was shocked to see you paid £750k for Scrimshaw. I cancelled all loans at Walsall including his (he looked OK but nothing special). But then I saw you paid £3m for Twine 

Edited January 3, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[Ronaldo Beckham]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

@Ronaldo BeckhamI was shocked to see you paid £750k for Scrimshaw. I cancelled all loans at Walsall including his (he looked OK but nothing special). But then I saw you paid £3m for Twine 

I had money to burn and took a chance lol.

I assume you think I spent too much on Scrimshaw and Twine then ?

Barry Fry's Birmingham City Rebirth Season 3 Review

My first season back in the Prem ended very well. Not only did I avoid relegation I actually managed to bring Europa League football back to Birmingham with a 6th place finish. 

Ricky Jade-Jones was top scorer again with a good debut season in the Prem getting 18 goals.

Memorable victories this were against local rivals with a 3-0 win Vs Aston Villa and a 3-1 win over Wolves.

My Overall Best Starting Eleven

Youngster(Regen) Josh Kane become the starting Left Back and only 17 years old and only cost me £140k from Gateshead.

Josh Kane

Accolades

Again Ricky Jade-Jones won both the fans player and young player of the season award.

Transfers

I didn't make many signings but the ones I did make made a good impact and become first team regulars.

My bargain of the season was signing Tariq Uwakwe who I signed for £67k from Chelsea and is so versatile. 

He mostly played in the centre of midfield but can play on the wings or as a left back.

Tariq Uwakwe

I rescued Morgan Gibbs-White from his hell at Wolves and he fit in nicely in the centre of midfield or just behind my striker. He is a very good player who works hard in training. He also got 10 assists this season and links up well with Jade-Jones.

Morgan Gibbs-White

Another versatile player was free transfer signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles who became my starting right back and at only 25 years old I got a good 5-6 years of him at his best. 

Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Next season I will be implementing more of the youngsters. A lot of the really good ones are only 17 and doing well on loan. I am in no rush to throw them in there. I might pick one a season to give regular first team football to.

I will do a seperate post in a minute showing my best prospects.

 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Birmingham City Best Prospects Part 1

So after getting the board to invest in the facilities, coaching etc. Here is where I am now so you can see how good I got it at Birmingham for the future.

Excellent Training and Youth Facilities, Exceptional Academy Coaching and Youth Recruitment.

Anyway onto the best prospects I have.

Eoghan White - 17 year old Northern Irish DM/AMC

Marcus Hedley - 17 year old English AMRC/Striker

Josh Ramsey - 17 year old English AML

Chris Neville - 18 year old English GK

 

 

[Jogo Bonito]

Great first PL season RB, nice one. Twine was a great tip for @warlockin League 2 (and Scrimshaw). Hopefully your investments will pay dividends. Rhys Healey was always superb in League 2 (I managed him at Exeter a couple of years back myself) but he isn't really an option until 2023 after the somewhat surprising move to Toulouse.

When i first set up my Walsall game I signed RJJ on loan from Posh but I scrapped that before it got going as I decided I didn't want to make loan signings. He is really well rated IRL and you will have pleased Barry Fry by getting such great returns from him.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Great first PL season RB, nice one. Twine was a great tip for @warlockin League 2 (and Scrimshaw). Hopefully your investments will pay dividends. Rhys Healey was always superb in League 2 (I managed him at Exeter a couple of years back myself) but he isn't really an option until 2023 after the somewhat surprising move to Toulouse.

When i first set up my Walsall game I signed RJJ on loan from Posh but I scrapped that before it got going as I decided I didn't want to make loan signings. He is really well rated IRL and you will have pleased Barry Fry by getting such great returns from him.

Thank you Jogo. Ricky Jade-Jones has a £67m minimum release clause but hoping to get that upped sometime soon as I really don't want to get rid of him.

Birmingham City Best Prospects Part 2

Sam Piggott - 18 year old English MC/AMC

Jordan James - 18 year old English M/RC

Luke White - 16 year old English GK

Matt Abbott - 17 year old English Striker/MC/AMR

Ethan Wilson - 17 year old Welsh Striker/AMLC

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

I assumed I had the best facilities but the board are apparently upgrading the facilities even more.

My Youth Level has gone up to Category 1 from Category 2

[Ronaldo Beckham]

Well @Jogo Bonito I have got the squad down from 153 to 95 now. 40 of the 95 are out on loan so I got 55 players spaced over the 3 squads. 

I am only signing former Birmingham academy players. My only signing this season is Nathan Redmond.

I wanted to sign Che Adams but Southampton wanted £100m and Jude Bellingham wouldn't come back yet even though Dortmund accepted a £90m bid I put in but them 2 players are the missing pieces of the puzzle for me.

[dozzie]

On 02/01/2021 at 13:06, warlock said:

Hope you can keep that going, but don't be too downhearted if things take a turn for the worse. It's common that halfway through a post-promotion season the rest of the league suddenly treats you with a lot more respect and results are harder to come by. Good luck 

As predicted, the wheels have come off a bit! I'm not too disheartened, in a fair few of my defeats I've been very much in the game ad just lack of quality finishing has let me down - and i've still pulled off some decent results in between and remain in contention at the top of the table at just about the halfway stage.

My 'star' striker Ben Worman returned from his twisted ankle, scored in his first game back, then broke his leg against Luton (who got 9 bookings in the game the filthy so-and-sos) and is out for 5 months. Luckily Tjaland now has a work permit and will be recalled from loan in January.

I am desperate for new full backs though, mine have been garbage all season and I'm struggling to find quality replacements. Any suggestions welcome of gettable Championship-level targets in season 3?!

[Jogo Bonito]

@dozzieReality has finally hit, but after 2.5 marvellous seasons it's only a minor blip I'm sure. Good luck getting back on track and remember 4th is incredible anyway.

[Plainlayzee]

The Latics are flying!!! 

Taking on from my last update, sitting down towards the bottom of the table and well, frankly a bit of a mess. 

After a 1-0 away defeat to Walsall in which we didn't have a single shot on target and then Blackburn dismantled us 5-0 in the cup, I actually decided to play a bit more attacking in the hope that we can pen the opposition back and not just invite pressure. 

All of our following games were against teams in/around us at the time, with plenty of them sitting in around 7-12th in the league so teams we absolutely had to take points off. Here is how its gone so far:

A quite brilliant run of results, picking up huge wins against the likes of Exeter and Newport. The run in is similar again, all teams that are beneath us or around us so if we can keep this going, maybe we can catch up Tranmere in that 7th place.

If we end top half or just outside the play offs I wont be over disappointed given where the club was, but an optimistic part of me things we look really in control of our games and could possibly win another 8 or 9 of our last 13 games. Who knows where that takes us! 

[Jogo Bonito]

2 hours ago, Plainlayzee said:

The Latics are flying!!! Taking on from my last update, sitting down towards the bottom of the table and well, frankly a bit of a mess. A quite brilliant run of results, picking up huge wins against the likes of Exeter and Newport. The run in is similar again, all teams that are beneath us or around us so if we can keep this going, maybe we can catch up Tranmere in that 7th place. If we end top half or just outside the play offs I wont be over disappointed given where the club was, but an optimistic part of me things we look really in control of our games and could possibly win another 8 or 9 of our last 13 games. Who knows where that takes us! 

Fantastic form, nice one. The way it's going you could definitely make it, but top half would be very satisfactory.

I've played a similar number of games to you and ironically the top two teams are the same, with Forest Green Rovers and Grimsby also in my top seven too (Oldham are 15th).

[Jogo Bonito]

Season 20/21

A few days before his birthday and a week ahead of the FA Cup tie with West Brom, I decided to give my star striker Adebayo a 'bumper' new contract

 With promotion looking very much in my hands, the only release clause was a non-promotion £1.5 million opt out - the other terms were extremely reasonable

The big day (FA Cup Round 3) didn't turn up any surprises unfortunately 

But 4514 away fans would have loved the spirit shown in a battling 1-0 defeat in front of 24,906 at The Hawthorns

I loved the last paragraph in the below Sky Sports article, but after holding out for 64 minutes the boys couldn't quite keep them at bay

The rest of January went pretty much to plan, with the only dropped points being the 0-0 at Morecambe

Two wins, two losses and a draw (from a 3-1 winning position) came from a more modest February as my fatigued group of 21 were rotated quite a bit

There were no arrivals or departures at all in the winter transfer window

Adebayo has been in and out of the team due to fitness, but just about remains League 2 top scorer

I switched him to penalty duties at the end of January to boost his confidence a little, and hopefully I can manage him well enough until the season ends

Credit to Colchester and Cambridge for keeping pace at the top - with the pack not far behind

Financially it's going OK as the FA Cup gave a handy little boost that should see the club still healthily positioned in May 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[warlock]

8 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

The big day (FA Cup Round 3) didn't turn up any surprises

Always difficult, but you obviously gave them a game. The fact they had to resort to kicking you off the pitch is a compliment, I think. And a useful payoff as compensation.

Hopefully the squad will have enough left in the tank to see you over the line. It's a relief to get to March and enjoy a week between matches every now and again.

[Plainlayzee]

 

This is going right to the wire. We still have Mansfield, Forrest green and Grimsby to play and we have just beat Colchester. Effectively the top 9 are all going to knock each other out of the play offs as we go. 2 of my final big 3 games are at home...bring it on! 

[Jogo Bonito]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

Always difficult, but you obviously gave them a game. The fact they had to resort to kicking you off the pitch is a compliment, I think. And a useful payoff as compensation.

Hopefully the squad will have enough left in the tank to see you over the line. It's a relief to get to March and enjoy a week between matches every now and again.

Thanks, with the fouling I guess we must have given them something to think about even if goal attempts were 25-3 in their favour.

I'm hoping to complete the season today if possible. We will benefit from the more reasonable scheduling I think (six in March, six in April, and two in May).

1 hour ago, Plainlayzee said:

This is going right to the wire. We still have Mansfield, Forrest green and Grimsby to play and we have just beat Colchester. Effectively the top 9 are all going to knock each other out of the play offs as we go. 2 of my final big 3 games are at home...bring it on! 

It's going to be a tense final six games. Very tight, but having got there, form should be on your side. 

[Dong21]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I'm hoping to complete the season today if possible. We will benefit from the more reasonable scheduling I think (six in March, six in April, and two in May).

Great going with Walsall. Another League Two success story to celebrate in this forum.

The fixture list is a funny old beast isn’t it. I’m sure it takes me longer to complete December than it does the whole period of February through to May! 

2 hours ago, Plainlayzee said:

This is going right to the wire. We still have Mansfield, Forrest green and Grimsby to play and we have just beat Colchester.

Whatever happens you’ve done a great job considering where you found them.

[warlock]

3 hours ago, Plainlayzee said:

This is going right to the wire

Tense . Your game in hand could be huge - win that and you're within touching distance of automatic promotion. Hopefully, good form will carry you through!

[Plainlayzee]

 

 

 

Pick your favourites for the run in? Surely Salford go up, the rest...anything could happen, we all play each other really. Walsall you'd fancy to win a few, Tranmere and Grimsby maybe too. 

[warlock]

2 minutes ago, Plainlayzee said:

Pick your favourites for the run in?

Salford should give up the game if they can't secure promotion from that position . You're the form team but have perhaps the toughest run-in. Don't discount the teams at the foot of the table - the threat of relegation often has a tremendous effect on performances, so the likes of Crawley, Port Vale and even Morecambe might cause a few upsets.

[warlock]

[Jogo Bonito]

Congrats @warlock how have you enjoyed your season? Keen to have a second year?

[warlock]

33 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Congrats @warlock how have you enjoyed your season? Keen to have a second year?

Cheers, mate . Very enjoyable, looking forward to rebuilding for L1 - there's a few of the older players who'll be leaving, and one or two squad players who struggled in L2 so upgrades are required. I'll do a full end-of-season update later, but the board have given me £1.6m for transfers - which seems generous - so I have the resources available.

[Jogo Bonito]

53 minutes ago, warlock said:

Cheers, mate . Very enjoyable, looking forward to rebuilding for L1 - there's a few of the older players who'll be leaving, and one or two squad players who struggled in L2 so upgrades are required. I'll do a full end-of-season update later, but the board have given me £1.6m for transfers - which seems generous - so I have the resources available.

Very good to hear,

£1.6 million is a very decent budget for League 1 and I'll be keen to see what you do with that.

[warlock]

Exeter: May 2021

We continued our good form through February and March:

Although as the results indicate, we had settled into the kind of form that made us hard to beat but scoring more than once seemed to be very difficult. Which was hard on the nerves 

When we lost back-to-back games in April - the first and only time during the season - I thought we were going to bottle it. The loss to Cambridge meant our lead at the top, which had been as much as 14pts, suddenly dropped to 8pts. Happily, the lads discovered some grit and we never looked back. The title was secured after the win against Forest Green, and 7pts from our last three games set a new points record for L1.

No doubt about our star of the season: apart from a lean spell in February Ajose was Mr Dependable and rightly finished league top scorer. Other notable contributions came from strikers Bowman and Seymour with 15 and 12 goals, respectively; while Dasilva with 14, and FBs Lewis Page and Jake Caprice with 7 apiece, led the assists chart. We had the best attack and second-best defence, as well as the best pass-completion stats.

Looking ahead, we have a good spine to the team with a number of players who look capable of performing in L1 - a good GK, two good CBs, one great LB, a couple of good CMs, and two decent strikers (plus youngster Seymour who is developing well). With plenty of money for reinforcements I'm quietly confident we can do better than the board expectation of battling bravely against relegation.

 

[Plainlayzee]

 

It goes to the final day...thanks to this result....

 

.Tranmere play Colchester, we play Forest Green. Unreal stuff, has it ever been closer? 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Plainlayzee

[warlock]

1 minute ago, Plainlayzee said:

It goes to the final day...

Gonna be tense. Did I already say that? Past tense, present tense, future tense.

A Tranmere win would be good, allowing you to overtake Grimsby and Colchester with a draw - as long as Grimsby don't win 

[Jogo Bonito]

@warlockNice round up, Ajose and Seymour did a great job.

@PlainlayzeeGood luck for the final fixture. One might say it's going to be tense 

Edit: Finally I have completed my season with Walsall. Update will follow tomorrow if time permits.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[Jambodinho]

Sean Roughan (£300k release clause) Mattie Pollock (£250k ish)

Charlie Caton (£250k ish)

Great prospects from leagues 1 and 2. Be good signings for Championship sides and top league 1 sides. 

[Plainlayzee]

Well here is how it ended, what a run. 

Honestly can't remember the last time I was so overly emotionally invested in a FM game. Towards the end of the season, 4 late winners in our last 7 games kept us fighting to the final day, when we took apart Forest Green 3-0 in what was one of our best performances of the season. 

With Tranmere and Colchester playing out a 2-3 Colchester away win and Grismby only drawing 0-0 against 10-men, we finished the season in 3rd place by 1 points, promoted back to division 1. 

 

I've absolutely no idea how we managed that one, nor how Mansfield who were some 22 points above at one point finished all the way down there! 

I need to have a full review of the squad, it's likely nowhere near good enough so we need some clever deals and loans to give us that quality so we can make an attempt at staying up. 

I've also had a few notifications saying other clubs are considering approaching Oldham for me, I won't lie...its tempting to jump ship if the owner doesn't start looking to improve the club soon. So far he has refused to improve anything at all, not even increasing the junior coaching budget. 

Let's see how the first few weeks after the end of the season play out.