[FM22] Overhauling SAD Franchise, (completed) and now Portugal. (Portugese edition). (Youth Only)............... Maybe!

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2035. 

Tactical Tinkering. I've made a few changed this season after the problems experienced last season after the update. Gone went the long throws in favour.... either short throws or mixed throws, (can't remember which). Also gone are our short corners, which although aesthetically pleasing on the eye, were just not productive. Rather than take advantage of the frailties of the AI in this area, I have left a player offering himself as a short option and set the delivery to mixed. With strikers scoring being the main problem. (in my experience post update), I added "shoots less often" to both front roles. That's about it as far as tactics go, but I have also set some individual instructions that suit individual wide players strengths rather than limiting them to the overall team tactic, so although the player with 2 IW's in the ML/R slots, if I have a right on the right or a lefty on the left, then they will be encouraged to play as a more natural wide player and given PPM's to match.

Liga Bwin. We've lost just 1 of our opening 18 league games this season, (as well as winning the closing 4 of last season without conceding a goal). The only game we have lost, (in the league), this season was the Gil Vicente game where I rotated all 10 outfield players and we got well thumped by 5. We've kept 9 clean sheets in these 18 games and have conceded a maximum of 1 goal in our last 10 games. I think this is real significant progress because I think our defence is the weakest area of our squad and especially at right back we have a 1st choice player and then very little in terms of depth. 

SAD  Franchise Derby. We really should be winning games like this. 

Their current manager has done much better than the last bloke and he has a decent record against us. 

UEFA Europa League. This was a rotated squad, but I still wasn't expecting a grey player to score a hat-trick against us. 

Taça de Portugal Placard. We were edged out in a tight game that might have gone either way. Our 2nd string are just not good enough to win these games at the moment. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2036. 

Liga Bwin. The wins are great, but what's most pleasing is the clean sheets. Please also note that there is an away win at Sporting there too!  Before we get too heady and excited, I should point out that we have only lost 1 of 23 league games and are still 8 points behind Benfica who are absolutely smashing it at the top. We still have a long way to go. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2036. 

Liga Bwin. 3 wins out of 4 and it's no surprise that the points we dropped were away from home. 3 clean sheets as well is brilliant, but the 2 we conceded against lowly Gondomar were scored against a weakened team, and also very late on. Only Porto and Sporting have conceded fewer goals than us this season. What a transformation! 

Sad  Franchise derby. We won and that's the main thing, but we also completely dominated them and deserved a more comfortable score-line. Their manager is doing really well for them and the sooner he moves to a bigger club the better. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake day. Mar 2036. 

What I'm hoping to develop is the CA of the players as they come through. At the moment even if we get players through with really good PA, it isn't very easy to get them near that level when they start so far off it. In terms of positions I really want the best players to be either a right back or a centre-half. (Definitely not a GK). 

It's a Golden Generation, but then again it's going to be a Golden Generation every season until we have a squad full of CA rather than PA, (and we're a long way off that yet). 

The Elite talents look good in so much as there are 5 different positions on show and 1 of them is a much needed right back. 4x 5.0 PA players and 1x 4.5 PA player. 

• We have more varied Nationalities through this years intake. 9 different Nationalities in total. 
• Only 2x centre-backs and both of them not very good, (rated by PA).
• 2 of the top 7 Nationalities are Low Det/Unambitious. This is not a good mix. 
• The PA appears very good. 
• The CA is not so good with nobody better than 1.5 CA. 

(36a) Cruz (POR) looks decent, but at 5.0 is possibly the smallest player I have ever managed in FM ever. 

(36b) Sousa (POR) looks good actually. I like the look of him. 

(36c) Mussagi (POR) (MOZ) looks good and I just hope he has the PA to make him the right back I have been waiting for. 

(36d) Cardone (ITA) looks good, (apart from the Low Det/Unamb), and we have so many GK's that it's a bit of a waste. 

Oh wow. This is better than I was expecting but just what I was hoping for. There are 6 players rated at 137+. This is a REALLY good intake. 

(36e) Pisco (POR) looks great. I see him as a DLF rather than an AF and he even has a PPM that fits that too. 

(36f) Antunes (POR) is another left back, (we seem to have loads), but it will be a while before he is ready to play for the Senior squad anyway. I don't like his balance and positioning attributes. 

(36k Moreira (POR) is a much needed centre-half and I'm delighted that he is better than his PA star ratings suggests. I like the look of his attributes, if not his personality. 

[Edit] Looking at all players at the club, (sorted by actual PA), you will see that 5 of this intake make the top 10. It's just a shame that 3 of the top 7 players by PA are GK's.

To give you an idea of how much progress we still have to make, here is the players sorted by CA. 

It seems like it's been a bit of a slog at times, but we now have 9x players rated at 120+ CA

Edited December 19, 2021 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2036. 

Liga Bwin. 2 more wins close the gap on Sporting to just 4 points with 5 games remaining. They have lost 2 of their last 5. We can't catch them? Can we? 

 

UEFA Europa League. I thought we had blown it after a poor result in the 1st leg, but we came good in the end and although (23e) Valente (POR) 6'4" * missed a penalty in injury time that would have avoided the drama of extra-time. We have a tough draw in the Quarter Final, but it's to be expected as this is the Europa League rather than the Europa Conference. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

 

 

Facilities. 

Finances.   

[Rikulec]

Looks like this could be some sort of a breakthrough season! Do you think it's the tactical change that made it happen?

[Jimbokav1971]

27 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

Looks like this could be some sort of a breakthrough season! Do you think it's the tactical change that made it happen?

I think it's a mixture of things. The CA of our players is improving the whole time and while our level is still behind that of the Big 3, it is at least much closer now. We've been pretty lucky with injuries too. Our 1st choice GK has started all 41 of our games so far this season and both our centre-backs have stayed fit for most of the season. We have at least 2 similar ability players in every position except centre-half and right back and the back-up players have really developed well this season and stepped up when called-upon. 

I think the tactical tinkering has worked a little, (it's hard to tell). I don't think any one thing has been significant on it's own, but all of them together have added up. The corners are better, but not hugely so. Our strikers convert more chances, we retain possession better via throw-ins, and our wide players playing more naturally rather than being shoe-horned into how I would ideally like them to perform are performing better too. 

[Sonic Youth]

1 hour ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Liga Bwin. 2 more wins close the gap on Sporting to just 4 points with 5 games remaining. They have lost 2 of their last 5. We can't catch them? Can we? 

Benfica surely 

Your form is very good this season and rewarded in the table with your current position. Plus multiple wins against the top 3 and good results against the other annoying V teams plus Braga 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Sonic Youth
Good form

[Sonic Youth]

3 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Youth Intake day. Mar 2036. 

What I'm hoping to develop is the CA of the players as they come through. At the moment even if we get players through with really good PA, it isn't very easy to get them near that level when they start so far off it. In terms of positions I really want the best players to be either a right back or a centre-half. (Definitely not a GK). 

It's a Golden Generation, but then again it's going to be a Golden Generation every season until we have a squad full of CA rather than PA, (and we're a long way off that yet). 

The Elite talents look good in so much as there are 5 different positions on show and 1 of them is a much needed right back. 4x 5.0 PA players and 1x 4.5 PA player. 

• We have more varied Nationalities through this years intake. 9 different Nationalities in total. 
• Only 2x centre-backs and both of them not very good, (rated by PA).
• 2 of the top 7 Nationalities are Low Det/Unambitious. This is not a good mix. 
• The PA appears very good. 
• The CA is not so good with nobody better than 1.5 CA. 

(36a) Cruz (POR) looks decent, but at 5.0 is possibly the smallest player I have ever managed in FM ever. 

(36b) Sousa (POR) looks good actually. I like the look of him. 

(36c) Mussagi (POR) (MOZ) looks good and I just hope he has the PA to make him the right back I have been waiting for. 

(36d) Cardone (ITA) looks good, (apart from the Low Det/Unamb), and we have so many GK's that it's a bit of a waste. 

Oh wow. This is better than I was expecting but just what I was hoping for. There are 6 players rated at 137+. This is a REALLY good intake. 

(36e) Pisco (POR) looks great. I see him as a DLF rather than an AF and he even has a PPM that fits that too. 

(36f) Antunes (POR) is another left back, (we seem to have loads), but it will be a while before he is ready to play for the Senior squad anyway. I don't like his balance and positioning attributes. 

(36k Moreira (POR) is a much needed centre-half and I'm delighted that he is better than his PA star ratings suggests. I like the look of his attributes, if not his personality. 

[Edit] Looking at all players at the club, (sorted by actual PA), you will see that 5 of this intake make the top 10. It's just a shame that 3 of the top 7 players by PA are GK's.

To give you an idea of how much progress we still have to make, here is the players sorted by CA. 

It seems like it's been a bit of a slog at times, but we now have 9x players rated at 120+ CA

This is an intake you’ve needed I think, as even if you didn’t know the CA/PA, you’d keep these players on the grounds you posted above before going into the abilities of the intake. I think this intake is giving you long term solid depth and first team players for the future (and potentially present as backups).

[karanhsingh]

Excellent intake 

Guess you could sell one or two of those keepers at some point

[Sonic Youth]

2 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Excellent intake 

Guess you could sell one or two of those keepers at some point

Yes, especially if one hits 100   

[Jimbokav1971]

7 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Benfica surely 

Your form is very good this season and rewarded in the table with your current position. Plus multiple wins against the top 3 and good results against the other annoying V teams plus Braga 

Yeah sorry. Definitely Benfica rather than Sporting. 

We've still only lost 1 game in the league, (which is astonishing). Benfica have lost 3, Sporting 4 and Porto have lost 8. We've beaten all the Big 3 for the 1st time and the big thing for me is that we have only conceded 19 goals in 29 games and the best defensive record in the league is Porto with 18. (23e) Valente (POR) 6'4" * is in a 3-way tie for the most clean sheets on 17 in the league. (It was only a couple of seasons ago that I was attempting to keep 10 clean sheets in a season). 

[Jimbokav1971]

8 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

This is an intake you’ve needed I think, as even if you didn’t know the CA/PA, you’d keep these players on the grounds you posted above before going into the abilities of the intake. I think this intake is giving you long term solid depth and first team players for the future (and potentially present as backups).

The top end depth in PA really was impressive. I just need to develop them to that level now. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Excellent intake 

Guess you could sell one or two of those keepers at some point

Yeah, it's absolutely our best position.

Until recently the only GK who had any re-sale value was (23e) Valente (POR) 6'4" *, (who I obviously didn't want to sell), but now it seems we have a few options to bring in some money via the sale of a GK. 

(23e) Valente (POR) 6'4" * is valued at £11M-£13M but he will get 35% of any re-sale value. He's currently on 91 career goals and I will try to sell him once he reaches 100. 

(27d) Barreto (POR) * is a really strange one. I can't work out why his transfer value is so low. My thinking is that if I can play him then it will surely rise. 

(31g) Simões (POR) * is valued at £9.2M-£12.5M

(35b) Amílcar (POR) 6'0" * is valued at £18.5M-£30M 

I still need (23e) Valente (POR) 6'4" * to score 9 more goals and then I need to play (27d) Barreto (POR) * to increase his value so I probably should be able to sell 1 of (31g) Simões (POR) * or (35b) Amílcar (POR) 6'0" * and possibly even both of them.

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Sonic Youth said:

Yes, especially if one hits 100   

Yep, once he reaches 100 goal I will try and sell him. It's only possible if someone shows me the money though. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2036. 

Liga Bwin. It was a tough month in the league, especially as the Sporting game was squeezed in between 2 Europa League games against Sporting, meaning that we played 3 consecutive games against Sporting, 4 consecutive games against "Big 3" opposition and Braga are no pushovers either. All in all I was pretty pleased. 

UEFA Europa League. They battered us in the 1st leg and it was too much to over-haul in the 2nd leg. No shame in going out against them and I'm delighted to have made it this far at our 1s attempt in this competition. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Transfers. £11M for  29 year old right back (22a) Edgar Nunes (POR) * sounds like a great deal, especially when he's not amazing anyway, but when you just don't have any other right backs it really is a problem and I just can't afford to do it, (no matter how much I would love the £11M in the bank). (36c) Mussagi (POR) (MOZ) is the hot prospect right back at the club but he's only 15. (33h) Justino (POR) is 18 and has played a few times this season but is not up to standard yet. 

Finances.   

[Sonic Youth]

Your almost in the ECL, if not already made it into the places.

Sporting a stretch too far in the Europa, but might be distracted allowing you to sneak into second 

Is your sponsorship deal about to be renegotiated?

[Jimbokav1971]

7 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Your almost in the ECL, if not already made it into the places.

Sporting a stretch too far in the Europa, but might be distracted allowing you to sneak into second 

Is your sponsorship deal about to be renegotiated?

Yeah, we're guaranteed Champions League football next season. 

With 2 games left we're level on points with Sporting in 2nd/3rd, but our last 2 games are against (H) Paços de Ferreira (14th) and (A) Moreirense FC (12), so there is a reasonable chance of a decent points haul there. 

Sporting on the other hand play (A) Santa Clara (12th) and (H) SAD  Franchise (10th) so they should expect a similar haul. The race for 2nd is going to be tight. 

With regards to our sponsorship deals.... the general sponsorship deal expires at the end of the season, (currently £1.9M), but the Youth Team deal also expires in the Summer (currently £850,000). 

[Jimbokav1971]

May 2036. 

Liga Bwin. We got the 2 wins the secured our Runners Up spot. Sporting drew 1 of their games so we did it with a little to spare in the end. Still 6 points behind Benfica, but still an enormous improvement on previous seasons. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances.   

[corinthiano]

Was on holiday for a couple of weeks and caught up with this last night, you are making great progress and really closing the gap to the top 3! Do you think you can win the league in the next few seasons?

[Sonic Youth]

6 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

With regards to our sponsorship deals.... the general sponsorship deal expires at the end of the season, (currently £1.9M), but the Youth Team deal also expires in the Summer (currently £850,000). 

I mentioned it because I wonder if qualifying for ECL will affect the deal.

[Jimbokav1971]

33 minutes ago, corinthiano said:

Was on holiday for a couple of weeks and caught up with this last night, you are making great progress and really closing the gap to the top 3! Do you think you can win the league in the next few seasons?

Thanks.

Not a chance of winning it in the next couple of seasons I don't think. I'm not positive we will ever win the league, (although obviously it's the aim). 

[Jimbokav1971]

8 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

I mentioned it because I wonder if qualifying for ECL will affect the deal.

I would expect so. When you think about it we have won the Europa Conference, qualified for the Europa League, (getting to the Qtrs), and now qualified for the Champions League since the last deal was done. It should be a significant rise. 

The Champions League money will also be significant too. 

[karanhsingh]

Wow - 2nd spot is fantastic! Porto had a really bad season there

[Jimbokav1971]

13 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Wow - 2nd spot is fantastic! Porto had a really bad season there

Yeah. pretty chuffed to finish Runners Up. 

To be honest, they did pretty well to finish as high as they did in the end. 

In their opening 16 league games last season they won 6, drew 3 and lost 7. They only lost 1 of their 18 league games after that. 

It's interesting to look at the home and away stats for last season. We were very good at home last season, (and Porto were decent too). 

We probably drew too many games away from home last season, but it's better than losing them, (as Porto did). 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2036. 

Liga Bwin. We started off ok, but then somehow didn't win against Boavista in a game we dominated and then got absolutely thumped by Porto. 

UEFA Champions League. We were seeded 3rd, so either Sturm Graz or FC Lausanne-Sport are better than I expect. Either way, this is a great draw for us. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Job interviews & offers. 

Transfers. 

Selling our record goal-scorer (23d) Hugo (POR) * for the modest fee of just £7.5M could be seen as a risk, but in truth I think it was a no-brainer. He only had 1 year on his contract and wanted a fortune to re-sign. It just wasn't worth it. His absence will also free up a striker slot for a young up-and-coming striker to aid their development. 

I think it's fair to say that we have a wealth of options at striker. 

(22b) Amorim (POR) * hardly featured last season so it made sense to cash in on him before he left on a free at the end of the season. 

Facilities. 

Finances.   

Edited December 23, 2021 by Jimbokav1971

[Sonic Youth]

You’ve cracked the top 10 (top 5 even) with International teams! Who’s ranked above England?

Also Andre Villas Boas was England manager 

Have you settled on a forward yet? Or are you changing tactics slightly to fit forwards in ala Pep or Tuchel 

[Jimbokav1971]

19 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

You’ve cracked the top 10 (top 5 even) with International teams! Who’s ranked above England?

Also Andre Villas Boas was England manager 

This is the Top 10. 

I'm surprised that Spain & Brazil aren't higher based on them being the only other 2 active structures. 

England have made some very strange appointments.

I'm not sure what AVB did to warrant getting the England job. 

When I turned the England job down, Harry Kane was appointed as England Manager, (his 1st Managerial role). 

 

[Sonic Youth]

19 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

This is the Top 10. 

I'm surprised that Spain & Brazil aren't higher based on them being the only other 2 active structures. 

England have made some very strange appointments.

I'm not sure what AVB did to warrant getting the England job. 

When I turned the England job down, Harry Kane was appointed as England Manager, (his 1st Managerial role). 

 

Very od by England there, and now resorting to jobs for old boys? Is Kane looking ok as a manager?

[Jimbokav1971]

29 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Have you settled on a forward yet? Or are you changing tactics slightly to fit forwards in ala Pep or Tuchel 

No, I'm not looking at just playing 1 single forward. 

We have European games, (and a decent Champions League Group at that), and I plan on doing better in the domestic Cups so there should be lots of games. 

(27a) Mateus (POR) * DLF is our 1st choice DLF, (on the right of a 2). 

(27i) Sambú (GNB) (POR) * 6'3" is a player who hasn't been a regular starter for a while. I'm just not sure his strengths suit the way we play, (or vice versa). If I can sell him I will. 

(32g) Ramos (POR) * is probably going to be 1st choice on the left up front. 

(30a) Bernardino (POR) * is 2nd choice on the left up front. He will be rotated in when I rest (32g) Ramos (POR) *. 

(34a) Ribeiro (POR) * is the 3rd choice "lefty" as an option up front. 

(31e) Fonseca (POR) * is another "lefty", but he looks more suited to the right hand DLF role. 

(30b) Horta (POR) * has been sent out on loan because he wasn't going to be 1st choice and I didn't want to stunt his development. 

(31j) Gomes (GNB) (POR) * has gone out on loan but he's probably the "righty" that I like most for the DLF role. 

(35h) Rebelo (POR) * will get game-time on the right up front. 

(36e) Pisco (POR) might just the the long-term successor on the right up front. 

[Sonic Youth]

21 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

No, I'm not looking at just playing 1 single forward. 

We have European games, (and a decent Champions League Group at that), and I plan on doing better in the domestic Cups so there should be lots of games. 

(27a) Mateus (POR) * DLF is our 1st choice DLF, (on the right of a 2). 

(27i) Sambú (GNB) (POR) * 6'3" is a player who hasn't been a regular starter for a while. I'm just not sure his strengths suit the way we play, (or vice versa). If I can sell him I will. 

(32g) Ramos (POR) * is probably going to be 1st choice on the left up front. 

(30a) Bernardino (POR) * is 2nd choice on the left up front. He will be rotated in when I rest (32g) Ramos (POR) *. 

(34a) Ribeiro (POR) * is the 3rd choice "lefty" as an option up front. 

(31e) Fonseca (POR) * is another "lefty", but he looks more suited to the right hand DLF role. 

(30b) Horta (POR) * has been sent out on loan because he wasn't going to be 1st choice and I didn't want to stunt his development. 

(31j) Gomes (GNB) (POR) * has gone out on loan but he's probably the "righty" that I like most for the DLF role. 

(35h) Rebelo (POR) * will get game-time on the right up front. 

(36e) Pisco (POR) might just the the long-term successor on the right up front. 

Some interesting choices you’ve got there to knit together. Some are ready made and others bring different attacking options, plus youngsters looking to impress! Going to be interesting to watch your forward line this season 

[Thebaker]

looks like an easy CL group, good chance of progression. Is the finances before or after the initial CL money was paid out?

Slightly annoying i imagine that B players don't appear when looking at comparisons of 1st team players, Ramos didn't appear in most of the other comparisons.

[Makoto Nakamura]

6 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Sean Dyche to Pep Guardiola, the FA went to both extremes VERY quickly! 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2036. 

Liga Bwin. Draws are really frustrating. We've only collected 3 points from 3 games this month, but 2 of them were against Benfica and Sporting and in each game we conceded an injury-time equaliser. 4 more points to a total would make the situation look much better. 

UEFA Champions League. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this European campaign, but at the very least it looks like we will be playing Knockout Football in the Europa League in the New Year. 

Taça da Liga Allianz Cup.

Goal-scoring GK's. 

 

Records. 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

19 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Some interesting choices you’ve got there to knit together. Some are ready made and others bring different attacking options, plus youngsters looking to impress! Going to be interesting to watch your forward line this season 

Yeah, things have started OK up front, but the plan is definitely one with more long-term goals in mind. None of them are prolific scorers at the moment, (although whoever plays for the B Team scores for fun). 

I expect there to be a short-term drop in form, possibly even for as long as a couple of seasons, but after that I think we will have much more depth and be able to really spring past the level we were at before, (at least as far as strikers are concerned).

[Jimbokav1971]

17 hours ago, Thebaker said:

looks like an easy CL group, good chance of progression. Is the finances before or after the initial CL money was paid out?

Slightly annoying i imagine that B players don't appear when looking at comparisons of 1st team players, Ramos didn't appear in most of the other comparisons.

I'm not completely sure, but the fact that our bank balance was similar afterwards makes me think that we had already had the Champions League cash.

I hadn't noticed that B Tram players weren't included, or more accurately I think I had noticed and then forgotten. I think there are lots of things related to B Teams that don't work quite as they should. 

Frustratingly the B Team is still in a non-pkayable league. I wonder what impact promotion to a playable league will have, (if and when it happens)?

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2036.

Liga Bwin. We've had a tough start to our league campaign, but two 3-0 wins are just what we needed to get us back on track. 

UEFA Champions League. A late leveller in Europe keeps us in contention for qualifying. At this stage I'm not sure of I'd prefer to sneak through 2nd in the group, (and probably lose in the 1st Knockout Round), or finish 3rd and drop down into the Europa Conference. 

Taça de Portugal Placard. We eased through both domestic Cups with comfortable 3-0 wins, and I wonder if we're capable of winning one of them now? If we get big by one of the Big 3 then so be it, but I don't want anyone else beating us. 

Taça da Liga Allianz Cup.

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2036. 

Liga Bwin. None of our 6 league games next are against the Big 3, so it gives us a great opportunity to continue our good form and progress up the league. 

UEFA Champions League. We will play in the Europa Cup in the New Year and I can rest players in the last Champions League Group game. 

Taça de Portugal Placard. We left it late, but we're still in the next round. 

SAD  Franchise Derby. 

Goal-scoring GK's. Unfortunately, although (23e) Valente (POR) 6'4" * notched his 95th career goal, he also saw a penalty hit the post in the league game against Portimonense. 

Finances.   

[Sonic Youth]

Pretty good round of games, with the only loss allowing Belenenses to play in the Europa League!

speaking of Europe:

35 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

UEFA Champions League. We will play in the Europa Cup in the New Year and I can rest players in the last Champions League Group game. 

All of those promising youngsters getting a high profile game?! They better get that prize money for winning!

Your a good chance of winning a cup if you get past the top three.

Does this mean you’ve set a goal of not being beaten by any other team except for the top three (and even them if possible)?

Can only see you going on a winning streak from here.

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2036. 

Liga Bwin. A much tougher month this month but probably we're not a million miles off where we're expected to be. Gil Vicente have long been our bogey team and Braga are decent and really doing well this season. We missed a penalty against Maritimo that might have made the difference, and if we don't lose that game then maybe we find a way to win against Estoril. Of course we dropped points, but perhaps not as many as it appears. 

UEFA Champions League. I thought that a weakened side had done enough to win this, but we conceded an injury time equaliser from the penalty spot. 

Taça de Portugal Placard. Benfica were WAY too good for us on here. 

Goal-scoring GK's. No goals this month and (23e) Valente (POR) 6'4" * actually saw his penalty saved in the loss to Maritimo. He's now missed 3 of 8 penalties taken this season and the reason, (I think), is because he wants a new contract and is unhappy that I won't offer him one. 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2037. 

Liga Bwin. Our GK (23e) Valente (POR) 6'4" * was unsuccessful from from spot against both Boavista and Sporting. While we still won the 2st game, the 2nd miss obviously cost us 1 point, but also significantly cost us momentum. If we draw that game then maybe we win the Pacos de Ferreira game and if we win that then maybe the Braga result is different too? On the plus side, our performances were actually decent and we were pretty unlucky. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 3 more goals to the ton. After missing 2 consecutive penalties, (and 5 in total this season now), (23e) Valente (POR) 6'4" * still needs 3 more for the milestone. 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2037. 

Liga Bwin. We weren't expected to beat Benfica, but we were absolutely expected to beat Leixões and that's definitely points dropped. Although we're outside the European spots at the moment, we have a game in hand on Gil Vicente & Estoril and none of our remaining 7 games are against the Big 3.

We play Gil Vicente (at home), and importantly 4 of our remaining 7 games are at home. 
Estoril play Sporting & Gil Vicente. 
Gil Vicente have to play us, but they are also not playing any of the Big 3 (or Braga) in their remaining 6 games, but they do have Estoril at home on the last day of the season. 
Vitória de Guimarães have a really tough run-in, playing ourselves, Gil Vicente, Estoril, Benfica & Braga. As a result I expect them to fall away.
Leixões may have just beaten us, but their last 2 games of the campaign are against Porto & Sporting. 

I fancy our chances from here, but nothing is guaranteed. We're obviously also still playing in Europe. 

UEFA Europa League. A comfortable away win in the 1st leg allowed me to rest players for the 2nd leg, (and still win). 

Goal-scoring GK's. 2 more goals required. 

Finances.   

[Sonic Youth]

Down to the business end of the season, and players need to step up if they want that European place or final birth!

I can’t make heads or tails how your forwards are performing this season, though that could be because Hugo was an easier name to spot in the goals scored 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake day. Mar 2037. 

2x 5.0 PA players is decent, but with 2x 4.5 PA players and 2x 4.0 PA players there would seem to be some depth there. 

Golden Generation my arse.  Don't get me wrong, there is a fair bit of depth there, but the top end quality really isn't there. 

Look at how badly wrong they got (37a) Giovetti (POR). 
And going the other way, look at (37i) Pereira (POR) and (37j) Almeida (POR).

[Sonic Youth]

Kind of underwhelming intake there, with no player who will really take you to the next level.

What’s your intake’s flair like, as it doesn’t look that crash hot in this intake (albeit from three picks ) ?

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2037. 

Liga Bwin. \We dropped points against Morierense, who are now managed by the old Manager of Sad  Franchise who managed them for the past 4 years. We're into the European spots at least and it would be an awful shame if we qualified for Europe at the expense of Gil Vicente, (who have now lost their last 4 games). 

UEFA Europa League. We should have won this game and I'm really annoyed/frustrated that we didn't. We should have won the 2nd leg comfortably, (but didn't). 

Just have a look at the PA of they "mostly grey" players though.

SAD  Franchise Derby. 

SAD   Franchise have a new manager. The old bloke, (who was there for 4 years, finishing 10th, 9th, 14th & 10th), is now Manager of Moreirense FC. 

The new bloke came is nowhere near as good as the old bloke and I expect him to get them relegated before too long. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances.   

Edited December 26, 2021 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

22 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Pretty good round of games, with the only loss allowing Belenenses to play in the Europa League!

speaking of Europe:

All of those promising youngsters getting a high profile game?! They better get that prize money for winning!

Your a good chance of winning a cup if you get past the top three.

Does this mean you’ve set a goal of not being beaten by any other team except for the top three (and even them if possible)?

Can only see you going on a winning streak from here.

I was delighted to finish 3rd in the Group. We could have possibly finished 2nd had I prioritised Europe, but to what end? 

I think we're still a little way off winning silverware again. We're weak up front in terms of CA, even though we've got some depth in that area, (They are all a little lacking in CA but have good PA). 

I haven't set a goal of not being beaten by another Pourtugese side outside the Big 3. I just don't think we're quite there yet. We were almost there last season, but while the loss of Huge will benefit us in the long-term, it will still cost us in the short-term. 

We're still too inconsistent to go on a big streak. We're just nowhere near as clinical as we were last season. 

I will update you at the end of the season as to the performance of the strikers, but here is a snapshot. 

(32g) Ramos (POR) * has become 1st choice on the left up front, and has scored 12 league goals in 24(1) appearances so he is doing something right. 

(30a) Bernardino (POR) * is 2nd choice and has made 12(16) appearances in all competitions, but only scored 2 goals. 

The right hand side has proved more problematic and I'm not sure who's 1st choice there now. 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Sonic Youth said:

Down to the business end of the season, and players need to step up if they want that European place or final birth!

I can’t make heads or tails how your forwards are performing this season, though that could be because Hugo was an easier name to spot in the goals scored 

I think they stepped off rather than up. 

(32g) Ramos (POR) * is the main guy to look out for. He has done ok, but those in supporting roles still under-performing I think. 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Sonic Youth said:

Kind of underwhelming intake there, with no player who will really take you to the next level.

What’s your intake’s flair like, as it doesn’t look that crash hot in this intake (albeit from three picks ) ?

I'm not sure I agree. There are certainly no stand-out superstars there, but that's not really what I'm looking for at the moment. I'm desperate for a right back at the moment. 

If we just look at PA then we have 3x MC's, 2x DC's a ML and a DR with reasonable PA which, (if reached), would put the players in a position to challenge for a 1st team position, (at this current moment). The problem however is that 2 of the players have CA's of 45 & 47 and it's unlikely I'm going to get them to their PA, (although I will try). In particular I need the right back urgently because we're short in that area. 

These columns show the intake's flair, Det & Workrate. It's not great, but then again I tend to not pay too much attention to flair, (rightly or wrongly). 

If I look at the squad as a whole then we have more flair, but obviously this is with it ranked by flair which obviously includes some poor players who will never play for us. 

[Sonic Youth]

I guess it’s all perspective, as inside tells you one story of need and looking from outside in my eyes says another. Other readers will think something else too 

Thanks for putting up flair as well as determination and work rate. It’s interesting that flair seems to come through a bit more consistently than the other two, but not together in a 15+ each (45/60) style. Though determination and workrate can be increased easier than flair.