FM21: The English Football League thread

[Ronaldo Beckham]

11 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Wow, swimming in cash. I guess QPR went up did they? The Millwall youngsters would just be good for developing there, not necessarily for a promotion-chasing side like yours. I was thinking of Muller, Billy Mitchell, Abdulmalik etc.

So one vote for Reading and one for Millwall so far, interesting. Of course I want to do all five clubs but can you imagine how long that would take me 

[goonergez]

Ipswich Town FC: Takeover Report

I've had one of those horrible FM patches we all go through, where sticking with a save just never seems to happen. A brief game with Brentford was going well, but didn't leave me hungry for more as it almost seemed impossible to fail on the clubs goals. Seeking a new challenge I contemplated moving back down to the non-league challenges, but it wasn't long ago I stopped with the daFuge challenge and I kind of want to save that level for when I return. Having taken in suggestions I have decided to go with a team recommended, and one I cannot remember ever managing before. The Tractor Boys are my team of choice, and as I say I can't remember ever managing here before. I remember back in the noughties though, when the likes of Marcus Stewart and Martijn Reuser fired them into the UEFA Cup. Hopefully I can do something similar during my time here. I'm not great at this game though, and so it could well prove a long term challenge. Probably a lot more long term than some of you guys would manage. My long term hopes are to take this team as far as I can. Two editions ago I enjoyed a cracking save where I started with Charlton Athletic and visited Preston and Leeds United before winning everything numerous times with Tottenham (pains me as a gooner). I am desperately hunting a long term save though, and I hate floating from new game to new game with minimal interest. Hopefully this will be the one for me.

Upon takeover the squad looks exciting indeed. Youngsters Luke Woolfenden, Tristan Nydam, Andre Dozzell and Jack Lankester all look really promising indeed. They're surrounded in the squad by the more experienced heads such as Luke Chambers, Freddie Sears, Alan Judge and Emyr Huws. There is a really nice blend of promising youngsters and experienced players. The squad is also pretty blessed with quality. That should help me to try and achieve the board expectations of a play-off spot. The media predict a 4th placed finish, so there is definitely reason to be excited about the coming campaign. The club visions kind of fit in with my own personal style as well. They want me to develop young players from within, as well as sign players under the age of 22 to develop. I'm keen to build for the longer term here, and so my focus personally will definitely be on younger signings. Any activity in the immediate aftermath of my arrival would have to be done after sales completed though. There was no transfer budget presented, and the weekly wage budget was maxed out too. I would be forced into sales before signings, although again that fits in with my own personal style of building a self sustainable club. The joys of being brought up as a Arsenal fan I guess.

Thankfully the squad didn't need much work, and transfer activity was kept on the down low. Having settled on a 4-1-2-2-1 formation with wingers and a holding midfielder, I decided we would play a high energy quick counter attacking style. The inherited squad looked capable of that but somewhat bloated. I hate working with a big squad, and so set about clearing some of the what I considered deadwood. Freddie Sears was a man I have never been a fan of, but he ended up staying with us due to a lack of interest from elsewhere. He actually looks like a decent enough option for us, and I will have to try and put aside my negatives for him to see if he can become a key man for us. Central defender Aristote Nsiala was allowed to leave though, joining the MK Dons in a £60,000 deal. We also freed up some wages by allowing full back Myles Kenlock to join Shrewsbury Town in a £120,000 deal. He looked promising enough but i just couldn't see him get into the team. For that reason I decided to let him go and give us some room in the wage budget to bring in a player. Arrival wise there was just one, as we moved to bring young Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun into the club on a season long loan deal from Arsenal. I'll be using him as a rotation option with Jack Lankester and James Norwood. We're stuck with summer arrival Ollie Hawkins too, but I will try and shift him on as soon as possible. We did take a look at former Swansea man Nathan Dyer on trial, but in the end I decided against signing him as I didn't want to hinder any potential playing time for Jack Lankester. I didn't want to bring him in as a short term fix preferring instead to prioritise development.

We've got a really good squad here, and I am pleased that the majority of the players look able to cope with my planned style of play. I'm planning of giving the younger players a fair chunk of football this season, and hopefully we will see them flourish. The arrival of Balogun should help us with goals, and hopefully he can fire us to a play-off spot. I'm not too fussed about the cup competitions, and will be using them as a chance to give fringe players game time. It would be nice to get through a few rounds, but my focus is on the league. I want to put a strong showing together, if for my job security more than anything else. It's a competitive league, but I am confident we can give a good account of ourselves and achieve our pre-season targets.
 

[warlock]

30 minutes ago, goonergez said:

The Tractor Boys are my team

I resisted echoing @Jogo Bonito's recommendation but I think you've made a good choice. Eventually .

I hope this one works for you.

[goonergez]

8 minutes ago, warlock said:

I resisted echoing @Jogo Bonito's recommendation but I think you've made a good choice. Eventually .

I hope this one works for you.

Yeah @Jogo Bonitoseemed pretty hell bent on me giving them a go haha. Eventually I looked at them and thought I could potentially do something with them. I'm enjoying it so far actually. I feel pretty invested in this save which is something I haven't felt on a save for a while. Hopefully this will be that long term challenge I am craving.

[Jogo Bonito]

I just hope you enjoy it @goonergez as that is the only thing that matters. I think it's one to just take your time with, no great pressure as a play-off spot should be achievable and the board seem quite realistic. When me and @warlock managed them on FM20 they wanted much more, so there was lots more pressure. You mentioned Marcus Stewart earlier, I am fairly sure he is free to bring in to the staff ranks so might be one you fancy? I have a feeling Terry Butcher might be involved with them too which is quite cool if he is. They're a club with a great youth development tradition which I think suits you, and great facilities, history and fan base to really build them back up again. .

Edited January 18, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[warlock]

[Ronaldo Beckham]

9 minutes ago, warlock said:

Well done mate. Congrats and looking forward to seeing how you do in the Championship.

[warlock]

Just now, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Well done mate

Thanks! I won't be expecting another title next year, but hopefully we can do enough to consolidate.

[goonergez]

Yes @warlock. That’s a fantastic effort with that club!

[Jogo Bonito]

Agreed, great job @warlock and on to lofty heights you go!

[goonergez]

Things haven’t started great with Ipswich, but I’m trying to stick it through. We’ve won just two of our first twelve league matches and sit firmly in the bottom half of the table. Hopefully things click soon or I could find myself getting the boot pretty quickly.

[Jogo Bonito]

15 minutes ago, goonergez said:

Things haven’t started great with Ipswich, but I’m trying to stick it through. We’ve won just two of our first twelve league matches and sit firmly in the bottom half of the table. Hopefully things click soon or I could find myself getting the boot pretty quickly.

Come on Sir Bobby Robson! You can turn them around, hold your nerve. Perhaps a more controlled tactic might work as you'll be one of the better technical sides I would have thought? Perhaps you need to impose yourself more on to the opposition and let them worry about you?

[goonergez]

I feel that we are kind of playing that way. Quick tempo possession football on the counter. We have created plenty of chances, but putting the ball in the net hasn't gone as well. We've conceded too many and aren't taking enough of our chances.  Hopefully it'll click soon enough and we can go on a charge.

[oakesypvfc]

Good job on the promotion @warlock! 

Come on goonergez, you can turn it around

[Jogo Bonito]

OK, I'm back in the game too. I hope I have picked the right club, but I have several alternatives ready and waiting if that doesn't prove to be the case. 

[John Joe O'toole]

23 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Wow, swimming in cash. I guess QPR went up did they? The Millwall youngsters would just be good for developing there, not necessarily for a promotion-chasing side like yours. I was thinking of Muller, Billy Mitchell, Abdulmalik etc.

So one vote for Reading and one for Millwall so far, interesting. Of course I want to do all five clubs but can you imagine how long that would takee 

Yeah they did, and now theyre bottom of the prem! I top of the championship so hopefully buy richards back next season! Which team did you go for?

[Jogo Bonito]

2 minutes ago, John Joe O'toole said:

Yeah they did, and now theyre bottom of the prem! I top of the championship so hopefully buy richards back next season! Which team did you go for?

I am surprised they got up there. It's a shame you lost those players but yes if they go down they could be signed again.

I'll answer that one when I have done the pre-season (just in case I change my mind).

[oakesypvfc]

Had to make more deals than wanted to in January. Tenerife were sniffing around Dendoncker to sign on a free, but as we can't offer him pre-contract yet, we made him a permanent deal for £700k.

Leighton Clarkson was recalled by Liverpool, even though he was playing every game at centre mid, that was not enough as Klopp wanted him to play in DM. As a result, we moved for Ethan Galbraith on loan, saving some wages as we went, I think he will be a good replacement if not like for like. After making the deals for Galbraith and Gomes shown previously, I decided we could get rid of Hunt, who hadn't even been registered previously as we were above the wage bill, for a fee of £500k.

Things still going well in the league though, should be able to get an update up by the end of the week.

 

[warlock]

Exeter, May 2022

Here's the season roundup for my second season with Exeter. At the end of my last update, we'd just taken the top spot ahead of Wycombe, with Bristol Rovers pushing us hard in 3rd place, and our last game of March was a visit from Wycombe. We managed a very unconvincing 0-0 draw, with five games remaining.

We finally exited the Pizza Pot in the only game in that tournament I was bothered about winning. Spurs took an early lead and we couldn't break them down. But we followed that with three good wins in the league that secured automatic promotion and gave us a 3pt lead over Wycombe with two games remaining. And then we wobbled. Against Bradford we jumped out to a 2-goal lead but were hanging on to the draw by the final whistle. Wycombe won their game to close the gap to a single point. On the final day, Wycombe were champions for most of the afternoon as we were behind to Lincoln while they were ahead against Barnsley. Midway through the second half Cole Dasilva smashed in a long shot to secure the draw but it wasn't enough. Only at the final whistle did we learn that Barnsley had bagged a late equaliser to deny Wycombe and hand us the title.

Adebayo carried us for most of the season, but the arrival of N'Lundulu in January was important as they quickly formed a successful partnership, with the Southampton youngster adding 14 goals from 16 starts. Dasilva and Sparkes were the main source of assists from left wingback, creating 21 goals between them. I was generally happy with performances across the squad, although backup strikers Ajose and Bowman fell off badly in the second half of the season, while CM Ryan Wintle never really produced.

Looking ahead to the Championship, we have around £3m in transfer budget and a little room in the wage budget but that will need carefuly investment. Ajose and Bowman are both now 30 years old and with expiring contracts. If I persist with the 352 I'll need two strikers to replace them. We also need a GK - either starter or backup - and there are some hard decisions to be made about the future of right wingback Joel Randall - he's only 22 and done well to become natural in his new role, but he struggled in the second half of the season and doesn't look ready for the Championship. We're also too reliant on loans at CB and could do with one or two new faces there. Much work ahead!

[Jogo Bonito]

@warlockLovely stuff, very pleased for you. It might be tough to find good enough quality to be useful whilst at the same time not dismissing you because of the club reputation.

Good luck with that, I'll be intrigued by what you do next with your squad. 

[oakesypvfc]

Done it with 6 games to spare 

[Jogo Bonito]

37 minutes ago, oakesypvfc said:

Done it with 6 games to spare 

The Owls are on their way back, well done! Godden scored 27, that's nice.

[warlock]

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

It might be tough to find good enough quality to be useful whilst at the same time not dismissing you because of the club reputation

Um, yeah. Already finding that . Compounded by the fact that the best of the current squad all want massive wage rises, and most of the rest have automatic increases that will kick in at the start of the new season. I'm pretty sure most of that transfer budget will vanish in wage costs. So we'll largely be relying on free transfers and loans, I think.

[warlock]

@oakesypvfc Nicely done, and done in style, too 

[Jogo Bonito]

Just now, warlock said:

Um, yeah. Already finding that . Compounded by the fact that the best of the current squad all want massive wage rises, and most of the rest have automatic increases that will kick in at the start of the new season. I'm pretty sure most of that transfer budget will vanish in wage costs. So we'll largely be relying on free transfers and loans, I think.

There are always 'better' players available on free transfers though squire. For your RWB how about the likes of Brittain, Ebosele, Dabo (Coventry), Johnson (West Ham), Clare, Tom James etc. Jephcott as striker?

[warlock]

43 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

how about the likes of Brittain, Ebosele, Dabo (Coventry), Johnson (West Ham), Clare, Tom James etc. Jephcott as striker?

Thank you kindly! Scouts have been assigned .

[oakesypvfc]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

@oakesypvfc Nicely done, and done in style, too 

Thank you sir!

1 hour ago, Jogo Bonito said:

The Owls are on their way back, well done! Godden scored 27, that's nice.

Yep, they are indeedy. Shall play the last six games tomorrow and then an end of season update shall be done.

[CityAndColour]

Have finally found the time to get my teeth into an FM21, after my repeated attempts to get Tonbridge out of the Conference South last year...

Am using the lower league database by @BoyInGreen (link) as it has the Conference National, North and South returning to the correct number of teams and also returns all the season start dates to August for season two.

As an FGR fan, decided to stay true to my south-west bias and have started a save with Yate Town in the Southern League Southern Premier.

I have stuck true with my short-passing, 4-2-3-1 set-up and it has yielded some great early results, with 16 points from the first six leagues matches and a goal difference of +17.

Star men so far have been inside forward Ricardo Rees (9 goals, 5 assists) and AMC Ollie Mehew (9 goals, 3 assists), while the central defensive partnership of Matt Bower (7.63 avg) and Kane Baldwin (7.43) has led a rearguard that has only conceded two goals so far.

A playoff spot should be the minimum from here. Next up is a home game against 2nd-placed Salisbury which gives us an early chance to establish a break at the top.

 

[Balotelli]

I've just started up a save as crewe, completely different sort of save to what I usually go for never really managed lower than the championship. They've got a great core of young talented players. I've got a few lads in on loan (White, mengi and geldhart). Just seeing which players are available to pick up with decent potential ie - 7/-75. Maybe players released from bigger clubs at the beginning of the game. 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Balotelli

[warlock]

7 hours ago, CityAndColour said:

have started a save with Yate Town 

Welcome back! Should be a an engaging (and long ) save.

23 minutes ago, Balotelli said:

I've just started up a save as crewe

Welcome on board. I see you're not a prolific poster (66 posts in nigh-on 10 years!) but hopefully you'll find the time/impetus/engagement for more frequent updates here . Crewe should provide an enjoyable save.

[Balotelli]

Yeah I've lurked for years but very rarely post 😂. 

[goonergez]

Blackpool FC: Takeover Report

One of those really uninspiring periods of FM play has hit me, but I am hoping that a day on furlough will give me the opportunity to really get stuck in to a new save. I am desperate for a long term save, and that means finding the right club in order to begin. So far I haven't found that in Brentford, Cambridge or Ipswich Town. Hopefully I have found it now in the Seasiders. I chose Blackpool due to the fact they were in the Premier League not so long ago, but now find themselves hovering in mid-table of League One. I'm hoping that I can use that as a solid base to hopefully take them back to the big time. I'm not expecting it to happen right away, but as I say that is why I am hunting for a long term save.

The board outline plans to gain promotion back up to the Championship within two years. The last three campaigns have brought finishes of 12th, 10th and 13th and so that may be slightly ambitious. They want a play-off spot this season, which I feel may be pushing it just slightly. To achieve the targets I was presented with a transfer budget of £50,000, although the wage bill was maxed out. I'm actually happy with that, as I can be self sustainable in the transfer market and sell off players in order to bring in new ones. The inherited squad wasn't actually that bad, although a few players would be shifted on. The only real weakness I could highlight was up top, where we definitely needed a new face. I decided to play a well organised 4-5-1 formation with a holding midfielder in front of the back line and two attacking wingers. The squad was well balanced for that style, and wingers Sullay Kaikai and Beryly Lubala both look to possess some real talent. I want to play fast counter attacking football, but based in front of a really strong back line that is difficult to break down.

A little overloaded with left sided players, I decided to shift one on to free up some room for new arrivals. 26-year old James Husband was the sacrificed man, being sold to Barnsley for £170,000. The sale brought in money for our transfer budget, but more importantly freed up some room on the weekly wage budget to bring in new arrivals. That freedom allowed me to sign Arsenal youngster Folarin Balogun on loan for the season, and he will move straight into position as our main man up top. Hopefully he can score regularly enough to help us pick up regular points. There was only one other arrival and another loan dealing. I spent several weeks debating whether to sign experienced right back Chris Solly on a free transfer after his release by Charlton Athletic. In the end I opted to bring in another youth option and on a loan deal as well. 20-year old Romaric Yapi was brought in for the season from Brighton, and offers some competition on the right side of our defence. I finished off my arrivals with one more loan dealing, this time from Brentford. 18-year old defensive midfielder Julien Carre came in as another option, and at that stage left me feeling like my squad was complete. We had options across every area, and I was pleased with the quality we possessed.

The rest of the summer was spent fighting off Championship clubs for club captain Sullay Kaikai. He looks a real talent for this squad, and although we could've brought in upwards of £500,000 for his services, I am very much glad to keep him. I'm pleased with the squad here, and am looking forward to getting stuck in. I'm confident we can finish in the top half of the league, and my target is to challenge for a play-off spot. It won't be easy as this league looks really competitive, but i am confident we can be considered amongst some of the top sides. 
 

[Jogo Bonito]

10 minutes ago, goonergez said:

Blackpool FC: Takeover Report One of those really uninspiring periods of FM play has hit me, but I am hoping that a day on furlough will give me the opportunity to really get stuck in to a new save. I am desperate for a long term save, and that means finding the right club in order to begin. So far I haven't found that in Brentford, Cambridge or Ipswich Town. Hopefully I have found it now in the Seasiders. I chose Blackpool due to the fact they were in the Premier League not so long ago, but now find themselves hovering in mid-table of League One. I'm hoping that I can use that as a solid base to hopefully take them back to the big time. I'm not expecting it to happen right away, but as I say that is why I am hunting for a long term save. The board outline plans to gain promotion back up to the Championship within two years. The last three campaigns have brought finishes of 12th, 10th and 13th and so that may be slightly ambitious. They want a play-off spot this season, which I feel may be pushing it just slightly. To achieve the targets I was presented with a transfer budget of £50,000, although the wage bill was maxed out. I'm actually happy with that, as I can be self sustainable in the transfer market and sell off players in order to bring in new ones. The inherited squad wasn't actually that bad, although a few players would be shifted on. The only real weakness I could highlight was up top, where we definitely needed a new face. I decided to play a well organised 4-5-1 formation with a holding midfielder in front of the back line and two attacking wingers. The squad was well balanced for that style, and wingers Sullay Kaikai and Beryly Lubala both look to possess some real talent. I want to play fast counter attacking football, but based in front of a really strong back line that is difficult to break down.

Sorry it didn't work out at Ipswich, but Blackpool are another really good pick. I agree they are overloaded with left-sided players, which I always found a bit odd (they were the same last season). You are obviously a big fan of Balogun, but has he been that good in your other aborted saves that you have confidence in him to make the difference? Good luck making Blackpool Rock.

Welcome back @CityAndColourand good luck with Yate. I considered doing Taunton Town but haven't delved that far down for a few years.

@BalotelliWelcome and good luck with Crewe. A really impressive bunch of young players to build around there.

Edited January 19, 2021 by Jogo Bonito

[goonergez]

2 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Sorry it didn't work out at Ipswich, but Blackpool are another really good pick. I agree they are overloaded with left-sided players, which I always found a bit odd (they were the same last season). You are obviously a big fan of Balogun, but has he been that good in your other aborted saves that you have confidence in him to make the difference? Good luck making Blackpool Rock.

I am a fan of Balogun for sure. He's done pretty well for me in previous saves, but for once I probably can actually warrant his signing this time around. Gary Madine didn't look enough for me in regards to leading our line over a full season. For once I actually needed a striker. I was torn between him and Rodel Richards from Spurs but in the end decided Balogun looked a little more consistent (potentially). 

 

@CityAndColourlook forward to reading up on your progress. We've crossed paths before but I can't quite remember where?! I remember you're updates were always worth a read though!

@Balotelligreat to have you in here. Crewe look a decent side and I am intrigued to see how you get on with them.

@oakesypvfcthe revival begins! Excited to see how quickly you can get them back up into the Championship for sure!

[CityAndColour]

12 minutes ago, goonergez said:

@CityAndColourlook forward to reading up on your progress. We've crossed paths before but I can't quite remember where?! I remember you're updates were always worth a read though!

I reckon I inspired you to take on Tonbridge (local side?) on last year's version.

[Pablo Sanchez]

Need a fun club I can play with short passing high pressing attractice football. 

[goonergez]

4 minutes ago, CityAndColour said:

I reckon I inspired you to take on Tonbridge (local side?) on last year's version.

That does ring a bell to me and that's where I thought it was. Tonbridge are another save I plan on doing this year at some point, although I have now moved to Maidstone so that's another! 

@Pablo Sanchezmaybe Brentford?

[Pablo Sanchez]

yeah that could be a good shout. one that was jumpingout at me was stoke to try to like change the mentality lol Portsmouth was another. Hard to really choose

[goonergez]

2 minutes ago, Pablo Sanchez said:

yeah that could be a good shout. one that was jumpingout at me was stoke to try to like change the mentality lol Portsmouth was another. Hard to really choose

Bit of a long shot but what about Charlton? There are a large number of quality midfielders in that squad? Only issue would be that they sort of base themselves on a solid back line and I am not sure how that would translate to getting them pressing higher up the pitch.

[Pablo Sanchez]

Ill take a bit of a look thanks

[Welshace]

24 minutes ago, Pablo Sanchez said:

Need a fun club I can play with short passing high pressing attractice football. 

Norwich, Brentford, Watford, Pompey, or Sunderland are great shouts...

 

 

Wrexham is one i'm looking at once i find a stable update to the database to include the new hollywood owners

[StePratt]

Clitheroe Season 21/22

Heading towards the end of January in the Pitching In Northern Premier League. Things are going ok. The chairman had to pump 100k in during the summer to keep us going in the right direction, financially. However, the board were keen to impose on me a vision which was to fix the financial damage at the club. Crikey. Talk about pressure.

We started the season very well, only tasting defeat to, then table-topping, Whitby, in our first 8 games. Only being beaten once more so far has put us in a very strong position for the run in.

Back to the finances. Rather incredibly, we reached the FA Cup 3rd Round after beating League One Walsall in Rd 2. We were drawn against League 2 Doncaster. A 2-1 defeat was probably fair on reflection but the money generated by our cup run has seen me pass my required vision earlier than the board wanted. Happy days.

[goonergez]

Blackpool FC: September Update

The transfer window has just shut on us, and the busy first month of my career here is now in the books and completed. I headed into the campaign in high hopes, and pleased with where we sat in terms of squad ability. Our summer activity had impressed the media, who now had us down for a predicted 7th placed finish. I'd be happy with that, as I had underlined a campaign competing for a play-off spot as my target. I don't plan on updating every month or so like this, but with my difficulties in sticking to a save at the moment I thought it would be a nice idea to give you guys an update on how the first month or so of my career has gone.

Throughout pre-season I had been impressed with our defensive work, as we kept two clean sheets across five matches and avoided suffering a defeat. That included matches against Championship sides Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City. The 2-0 win over the former probably the highlight of pre-season. Despite of the positive work defensively I still thought we could use one more option for our back line. Hunting a central defender seemed difficult, especially with a slim transfer budget. I pinpointed Crewe Alexandra man Perry Ng as my number one target, and we spent the month of September trying to get a deal done. His club played hardball with us, but I was confident we could get a deal over the line.

It took us a long time to agree a deal, but eventually I managed to get my man. I'm absolutely delighted with the signing, and although I didn't really want to spend any money in the market I feel he gives us another really good option at the back. I've already outlined how defending well is my priority, and I am sure our new man will help in regards to that. I was helped in my funding of that deal with a sale that I didn't really want us to have to do. Midfielder Grant Ward was someone I was planning on using on a regular basis. Unfortunately Reading came knocking, and the player made it clear he wanted to leave. We ended up picking up £100,000 for his services though, enabling me to complete the above move with a little money to spare. The fee can rise a further £20,000 after appearances, and so not the worst deal for the club financially. We also allowed a couple of young prospects to leave the club on loan deals. Young full back Sky Sinclair is one I will be keeping an eye on, and he will spend this season on loan at Dagenham & Redbridge. We also allowed central midfielder Cameron Antwi to join York City on loan and hopefully the first team football can benefit both of them in regards to their development.

We kicked off with a disappointing display in the League Cup, going down without really troubling Charlton. It didn't help we were missing a number of players on international duty, but the performance didn't fill me with a great deal of confidence. I named a strong side for the Accrington game, as I see the Papa Johns Trophy as a competition we should try and be competitive in. I won't name a full strength side when the league campaign has kicked off, but this game was a good opportunity to give the players some game time and get them match ready for the league to kick off. The Plymouth game was one I hit with high hopes to kick start our league campaign. Our task became tougher just five minutes in though. as loanee Ben Woodburn was sent off for a truly shocking challenge. In the end we picked up a fantastic win, as a 19th minute strike from captain Sullay Kaikai proved enough for a winning start. Next up was a first home league game, and we produced a superb performance. Defensively we were solid, and two first half goals set us well on our way to a comfortable victory. We ended the first month of the season with a really poor away performance to suffer a first league defeat of the season. Two early goals had us chasing the match, and we never did enough to warrant getting back into it. The only positive was a first league goal of the bench for loanee Folarin Balogun, albeit only a consolation strike.

On the field we've started fairly well, the elimination from the League Cup aside. Defensively we look pretty good, and we have plenty of goal scoring options within our team. Matty Virtue has looked the most impressive player from midfield, and looks a real creative threat. Hopefully the Gillingham result was just a blip, and we can bounce back effectively. The fixture list is extremely crammed, meaning runs of good or bad form could set us up over the next couple of months.

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Blackpool FC Honours

none

[FMunderachiever]

@goonergez Hi there mate best of luck for Blackpool. Id love to see a save where, like your Ipswich save, someone had to battle through a tough period to improve the team. I think its just far more "true" to real life than seeing lots of high achieving careers straight off the bat.

I have Balogun at Plymouth and he has been top quality for me. I think he will almost guarantee you 20 goals minimum.

@warlock Congratulations on your fantastic promotion! Quite an achievement to have a club the size of Exeter in the Championship

@oakesypvfc Congratulations on promotion, and getting Sheffield Wednesday moving in the right direction. A club that deserves some good times, its been a long time since they had much to shout about

 

[Jogo Bonito]

1 minute ago, FMunderachiever said:

@goonergez Hi there mate best of luck for Blackpool. Id love to see a save where, like your Ipswich save, someone had to battle through a tough period to improve the team. I think its just far more "true" to real life than seeing lots of high achieving careers straight off the bat.

I have Balogun at Plymouth and he has been top quality for me. I think he will almost guarantee you 20 goals minimum.

@warlock Congratulations on your fantastic promotion! Quite an achievement to have a club the size of Exeter in the Championship

@oakesypvfc Congratulations on promotion, and getting Sheffield Wednesday moving in the right direction. A club that deserves some good times, its been a long time since they had much to shout about

 

I love the idea of battling through hard times too. For one of my save ideas I want to start with a points deduction to make it a really tough battle - and to avoid any chance of flying too high in the first season. If that makes me relegation-threatened, so be it.

[goonergez]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I love the idea of battling through hard times too. For one of my save ideas I want to start with a points deduction to make it a really tough battle - and to avoid any chance of flying too high in the first season. If that makes me relegation-threatened, so be it.

Cheers guys. Not quite the points deduction for me, but Wycombe are very high on my list of clubs to manage this edition. My mate is a fan of them, and I am intrigued to see how I could get on. The tiny wage budget, lack of funds and limited quality in the playing squad have scared me off trying it yet though. Almost feel its a guaranteed relegation and you're almost setting up to prepare them for another promotion a couple of seasons in.

[FMunderachiever]

1 minute ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I love the idea of battling through hard times too. For one of my save ideas I want to start with a points deduction to make it a really tough battle - and to avoid any chance of flying too high in the first season. If that makes me relegation-threatened, so be it.

I think a good one for you could be Bolton Wanderers.

No points deduction this time around, but having fallen so sharply through the leagues, cohesion is bound to be low.

Its almost like a clean slate to start with. The Staveley consortium has stabilised the club, but there are absolutely no guarantees of getting them back up quickly. Look at Portsmouth as a similar example, ex Premier League, all the way down the leagues and still stuck where reputation counts for nothing.

Its just nice to see a save where someone has had to really manage a team well to finish 10th.....rather than just assuming after season 1 its 100+ points, +50 goal difference and 3/4 of the real team has already been swapped for lads from Peru and Venezuela

[Jogo Bonito]

Just now, goonergez said:

Cheers guys. Not quite the points deduction for me, but Wycombe are very high on my list of clubs to manage this edition. My mate is a fan of them, and I am intrigued to see how I could get on. The tiny wage budget, lack of funds and limited quality in the playing squad have scared me off trying it yet though. Almost feel its a guaranteed relegation and you're almost setting up to prepare them for another promotion a couple of seasons in.

It would be a challenge for sure! Great start with Blackpool and a nice signing in Perry Ng. 

1 minute ago, FMunderachiever said:

I think a good one for you could be Bolton Wanderers.

No points deduction this time around, but having fallen so sharply through the leagues, cohesion is bound to be low.

Its almost like a clean slate to start with. The Staveley consortium has stabilised the club, but there are absolutely no guarantees of getting them back up quickly. Look at Portsmouth as a similar example, ex Premier League, all the way down the leagues and still stuck where reputation counts for nothing.

Its just nice to see a save where someone has had to really manage a team well to finish 10th.....rather than just assuming after season 1 its 100+ points, +50 goal difference and 3/4 of the real team has already been swapped for lads from Peru and Venezuela

I agree 100% that's what I have wanted for a few versions but managed to get promoted at all sorts of clubs like Grimsby, Bristol Rovers (and then stopped them just because of it).

I won't do Bolton again as I did that with their points deduction, but when I get my radical idea underway I think it will make for a good save.

The other way is to take charge of a relegated side after one year (like the Plymouth one I talked about in here a few days ago). If the squad is largely similar, you can bring in a few players, let go a few, and try to re-build both morale and the club.

[goonergez]

6 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

I won't do Bolton again as I did that with their points deduction, but when I get my radical idea underway I think it will make for a good save.

You are planning on it? Who are you thinking of? Are you just going to add a points deduction in the editor or something?

[Jogo Bonito]

5 minutes ago, goonergez said:

You are planning on it? Who are you thinking of? Are you just going to add a points deduction in the editor or something?

Once I work out how to do it in the pre-game editor, yes I will do that for Millwall. Along with some other ideas I have, I want them to face a really tough first season and then build a real club culture thing beyond that. 

I asked how to do it in the PGE without putting them in admin (I know how to put them in admin but don't want to do that as I want the owners to remain). I was given an answer but I'm not smart enough to actually follow those instructions and too embarrassed to ask again