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

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2045. 

Liga Bwin. An unbeaten month moves us up to 6th in the league and we're only 4 points off Maritimo in 4th, but 4 points is exactly what we dropped this month and we just can't keep leaving these points out there if we're going to make the top 4. 

xG watch. 
Famalicão 1.47 - 2.19 Belenenses. 
Belenenses 3.12 - 1.37 Guimarães. We conceded another goal as a result of our GK taking attacking free-kicks, (the 4th conceded in this way this season). 
Maritimo 1.30 - 1.16 Belenenses. Their leveller was scored by none other than (39d) Rebelo (POR) * who has 11 league goal for them while on loan this season. 
Belenenses 2.15 - 0.84 Gil Vicente. 
Santa Clara 0.37 - 2.37 Belenense. 

Un-related, (literally). On each Youth Intake day I scour the surnames of the players as I create their nicknames. If course I'm looking for a son initially, but I'm also looking for surnames the same as other players who have come through the Academy, and then if they are the brother of the previous Academy product. There are lost of multiple names, but so far no brothers. (Twins is a dream!). At this stage it should be pointed out that young starlet (44a) Simões (POR) *, (who scored 2 goals in 3 appearances this month), is NOT related to our goal-scoring GK (31g) Simões (POR) 6'1".

I was a little unsure about starting a 16 year old in league matches when we're behind in the battle for 4th place, but the injury to (32g) Ramos (POR) sort of forced my hand a little at the start. He's gone ok in his 3 games this month, (scoring 2 goals), and importantly we won 2 of the 3 games, (although he did have a goal ruled out for offside in the draw against Maritimo). 

I mentioned that (32g) Ramos (POR) had been injured and he was struggling physically when he came back so I didn't want to start him in each game, but he has scored 2 goals in both the games he did start. Whether this can be used as evidence that I got this right, or evidence that I got it wrong and should have started him in the Maritimo game remains to be seen. At the moment I'm happy with the decision. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances.   

[Sonic Youth]

On 13/04/2022 at 00:21, Jimbokav1971 said:

(44a) Simões (POR) could just be the striker I have been waiting all save for. I don't really know how good a PA of 169 is, (or if I can get him there), but I'm guessing that it's a top Champions League/International player. In current terms, a Benzema or a Lewendowski perhaps? The challenge of course is to help him get close to his PA. Finishing of 17 at 15 years old.  I'm not sure I've even had anyone with 15 finishing before. The media comparison is  He was before my time and although I've never heard of him, that's some pedigree.

That would be this Simoes (with the accent above the o of course). Nice to see he’s getting minutes and thriving from the off 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake day. Mar 2045. 

What I'm really looking for here is at least 1 good centre-half and ideally 2. It's been mentioned that we have great depth at centre-midfield, but with the sale of (40b) Ramalho (POR) * and an injury to (36a) Cruz (POR) * it certainly hasn't felt very deep but of course we have 4 quite decent looking central midfielders out on loan that seem to be developing rather well. 

So on top of 2 centre-backs.... I would never say no to a striker, (ever), but perhaps a GK and a wide player maybe?  

So it's a Golden Generation again, (but aren't they all). 

3x Elite talents is ok, but I generally don't pay too much attention to that. 

Ok. So no 5.0 PA players is a bit of a blow, but there are 3x 4.5 PA players and there is a little bit of CA with 4x players at 1.5 CA. 

Squad by PA. Det looks pretty decent and while personalities aren't great, they aren't awful either. 

Squad by Actual PA. This is actually a little better than the PA suggested. We have 1 player at 169 PA, (and he starts off with a very decent 84 CA), and 3 more players between 137 PA-140 PA).

(45c) Rosa (POR) looks great. Really like the look of him and especially his 4x physical attributes at 14+ and his dribbling (14), technique (14) and Long Shots (16). I really like the look of him. I love that he is dubbed the next  and we have already seen Fernando Gomes earlier in the thread, Something else that I've noticed is that he has a LOT of staff on his favoured personnel list considering he is a Day 1 youth player.  You also might notice that while they are not all good personalities, while there are certainly some that aren't great, things are at least moving in the right direction. 

(45e) The Gimp (ENG) 6'2", (so named because his real name is Lee Gimpel), looks a little raw, but if you change the (9) scores of Heading, Marking, Passing, Anticipation, Stamina & Strength all by 1 point then he would look significantly better. Let me show you. 

This is what he looks like with just the 6x 9s increased to 10's. MUCH better I think you would agree. I think I have mentioned in a previous thread that our eyes are drawn to the double digits and what we should do is try to imagine how the player might look with some basic development rather than ignoring the single digits. This player is a perfect example of that. (Now off to change those 10's back to 9's). Done. 

(45f) Basto (POR) looks decent and I quite like his mentals. 

4 players from this intake make the 1st page of the squad list ranked by Actual PA. 

In terms of actual CA 115 is the bottom of the 1st page and when you compare that to 137 at the bottom of the 1st page in terms of actual PA there is room for development. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

NxGn 2045. 

I will admit that I'm just the tiny bit gutted to only have 3 players on the list this year, (after 4 last season). 

(41g) Amaral (POR) * is ranked #3 on the list. He has a CA of 122 and a PA of 134 so he is developing nicely. He will probably max out his PA but will be too old for this list next year. 

(41a) Gil (POR) * is ranked #6 on the list. He has a CA of 144 and a PA of 152. He will max that out I'm sure, but this will be his last season on this list. 

(41d) Hussein (TAN) 6'5" * is ranked #36 on the list. He has a CA of 112 and a PA of 133. There's still some way to go, but he's developing well.

If I rank our players by CA and then look at the teenagers, this is what we've got. 

144 (41a) Gil (POR) *.
122 (41g) Amaral (POR) *.

116 (41c) Abrantes (POR) * is out on loan in Liga 2 and is developing rather well. he has a PA of 136 and will be in contention next season. He's unlucky not to be on the list and maybe that's because he's not playing in the top tier. 

113 (41e) Gonçalves (POR) is out on loan in Liga 2. His PA is only 118 so not much more room to develop. 

112 (41d) Hussein (TAN) 6'5" *.

110 (42b) Felizardo (POR) 5'10" * is a little unlucky not to be on the list this year. 

107 (42i) Edgar João (POR) (ANG) is another who is a little unlucky to have missed out. 

102 (41b) Diogo (POR) 

[Jtomsett11]

7 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Youth Intake day. Mar 2045. 

What I'm really looking for here is at least 1 good centre-half and ideally 2. It's been mentioned that we have great depth at centre-midfield, but with the sale of (40b) Ramalho (POR) * and an injury to (36a) Cruz (POR) * it certainly hasn't felt very deep but of course we have 4 quite decent looking central midfielders out on loan that seem to be developing rather well. 

So on top of 2 centre-backs.... I would never say no to a striker, (ever), but perhaps a GK and a wide player maybe?  

So it's a Golden Generation again, (but aren't they all). 

3x Elite talents is ok, but I generally don't pay too much attention to that. 

Ok. So no 5.0 PA players is a bit of a blow, but there are 3x 4.5 PA players and there is a little bit of CA with 4x players at 1.5 CA. 

Squad by PA. Det looks pretty decent and while personalities aren't great, they aren't awful either. 

Squad by Actual PA. This is actually a little better than the PA suggested. We have 1 player at 169 PA, (and he starts off with a very decent 84 CA), and 3 more players between 137 PA-140 PA).

(45c) Rosa (POR) looks great. Really like the look of him and especially his 4x physical attributes at 14+ and his dribbling (14), technique (14) and Long Shots (16). I really like the look of him. I love that he is dubbed the next  and we have already seen Fernando Gomes earlier in the thread, Something else that I've noticed is that he has a LOT of staff on his favoured personnel list considering he is a Day 1 youth player.  You also might notice that while they are not all good personalities, while there are certainly some that aren't great, things are at least moving in the right direction. 

(45e) The Gimp (ENG) 6'2", (so named because his real name is Lee Gimpel), looks a little raw, but if you change the (9) scores of Heading, Marking, Passing, Anticipation, Stamina & Strength all by 1 point then he would look significantly better. Let me show you. 

This is what he looks like with just the 6x 9s increased to 10's. MUCH better I think you would agree. I think I have mentioned in a previous thread that our eyes are drawn to the double digits and what we should do is try to imagine how the player might look with some basic development rather than ignoring the single digits. This player is a perfect example of that. (Now off to change those 10's back to 9's). Done. 

(45f) Basto (POR) looks decent and I quite like his mentals. 

4 players from this intake make the 1st page of the squad list ranked by Actual PA. 

In terms of actual CA 115 is the bottom of the 1st page and when you compare that to 137 at the bottom of the 1st page in terms of actual PA there is room for development. 

Rosa looks like the striker you've been waiting for to challenge the top sides. The challenge is of course to develop enough of these world class players at once to compete!

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Jtomsett11 said:

Rosa looks like the striker you've been waiting for to challenge the top sides. The challenge is of course to develop enough of these world class players at once to compete!

I think we're actually really well-set for strikers, and it's fast becoming as strong as centre-midfield. 

This is strikers sorted by actual PA and only including those >120 PA.

16 year old (44a) Simões (POR) * has already been blooded into the 1st team this season, scoring 4 goals in 7 appearances in all competitions. I do wonder how his Low Det/Unamb personality will hinder him though. 
15 year old (45c) Rosa (POR) * is a year younger, (and with the same PA), but actually already better and doesn't have the Low Det/Unamb issues to deal with. He's also nowhere near as good a finisher and doesn't have the PPM's.

I think I will be sticking with (44a) Simões (POR) * for now and letting (45c) Rosa (POR) * develop more naturally over time. 

It's interesting though that  (44a) Simões (POR) * came through the intake last year at 79 CA and he's only popped 4 points in this 1st 12 months despite playing a little bit of Senior football, (linked to Low Det/Unamb I'm guessing). It could be that I can't get him to his PA as a result. 

(39a) Moreira (POR) * seems to be over-looked again and again. He has really good PA but I'm just not using him enough, (because he's a lefty), and he's now fallen behind 2 lefties in terms of PA. He's GOT to go out on loan and play next season. I've also GOT to get rid of that "plays with back to goal" PPM.

[Thebaker]

simoes might improve his personality by being around the first team, mentoring might improve it quite a bit with the right mentors as he is young and low rep compared to the other first teamers

[Jimbokav1971]

1 minute ago, Thebaker said:

simoes might improve his personality by being around the first team, mentoring might improve it quite a bit with the right mentors as he is young and low rep compared to the other first teamers

Yep, I'm hoping that he improves naturally. I'm not planning on doing any mentoring at all because I want to see how you can develop players without it. Developing players with it has been done to death. 

These were his attributed on Youth Intake day 2044. The Low Det/Unamb mix really is a bad one. Will his Pro be enough to pull him through until it changes, (if it changes)? 

Det 6. 
Pro 13.
Amb 5. 

These are his attributes on Youth Intake day 2045. Although he's made 7 senior appearances, he's only actually been in the Senior squad for the last 5-6 weeks or so. 

Det 6.
Pro 13.
Amb 5.

So no changes, but then again he's been in the U19's squad for most of the year. 

[Sonic Youth]

That’s youth intake has some nice players in it. Rosa looks like could be special, while that DC/SC/DR could also be useful 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2045. 

Liga Bwin. It's a good month in the league with 3 wins from 3, and we move up to 4th, (but with 2 games in hand on the 3 teams behind us). Things are looking decent after winning 24 of our last 33 available points. 

xG watch. 
Belenenses 2.28 - 0.97 Estoril.
Estrela 1.23 - 1.76 Belenenses. 
Belenenses 1.82 - 0.58 Moreirense. 

UEFA Europa League. We've had a good run in Europe over the last few seasons, but we were well beaten over 2 legs here. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

7 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

That’s youth intake has some nice players in it. Rosa looks like could be special, while that DC/SC/DR could also be useful 

Yeah, there are a few decent options there. I think the difference we're seeing now is that the starting CA is higher so they don't have as far to go to reach a decent CA. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2045. 

Liga Bwin. We're unbeaten in our last 13 games and it appears to have been enough to give us the edge in the race for the 4th Champions League spot as we're still 2 points ahead of Maritimo with a game in hand. It shows how far we still have to go that we can go unbeaten for 13 games and still be 7 points behind 3rd place. 

The real story however is that Braga are somehow clinging on at the top of the table and with 2 games left to play, they still hold a 1 point advantage over Porto. They have performed unbelievably well this season, but their last 2 league games are away to Porto and at home to Benfica, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Porto might yet be crowned Champions. They also have the 2nd leg of the UEFA Europa League Semi-Final to play, (against Benfica), and they take a 1-0 advantage into that 2nd leg. Additionally they have the Taça de Portugal Placard Final to play against Benfica. So their last 4 games are Benfica, Porto, Benfica, Benfica.  They are unbeaten in their last 21 games, but they will do well to win anything from where they are now. 

No Team outside the Big 3 have won the league title since this save began and indeed only 2 sides outside the Big 3 have finished 2nd in Liga Bwin since this save began. Braga finished 2nd in 2021/22 and we finished 2nd in 2035/35. Every other 1st and 2nd place in the 23 seasons this save has been running has been taken by 1 of the Big 3. This could be momentous. 

Liga Portugal 2 SABSEG.

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

New contract. May 2045. 

Still just 1 year though. 

[_Ben_]

2 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Moreira (POR) * seems to be over-looked again and again. He has really good PA but I'm just not using him enough, (because he's a lefty), and he's now fallen behind 2 lefties in terms of PA. He's GOT to go out on loan and play next season. I've also GOT to get rid of that "plays with back to goal" PPM.

What kind of football do you play Jim? In writing, the trait sounds like a big lump of a Target Forward, but I’ve seen it play out much more like a link up man, which would suit his Off the Ball too. He plays facing the midfield, and, if you added ‘Comes Deep’ could then make a lovely little Deep Lying Forward, especially as he’ll then progress the ball aggressively based on traits/Dribbling. 

He’s actually my favourite of all the strikers but, given the restrictions you have in terms of recruiting, you’ve gotta play who fits your team - so I get it completely!

[Jimbokav1971]

8 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

What kind of football do you play Jim? In writing, the trait sounds like a big lump of a Target Forward, but I’ve seen it play out much more like a link up man, which would suit his Off the Ball too. He plays facing the midfield, and, if you added ‘Comes Deep’ could then make a lovely little Deep Lying Forward, especially as he’ll then progress the ball aggressively based on traits/Dribbling. 

He’s actually my favourite of all the strikers but, given the restrictions you have in terms of recruiting, you’ve gotta play who fits your team - so I get it completely!

You might have a really good point here, so I'm glad you raised it for others even if it turns out he's not the man for me.

The truth is that I have looked at him twice in close-season and said he's the one I want for my right of a 2 second forward role. I used a DLF for ages and then tried a Treq and it's currently a F9, (which is having the best results), but if truth be told I don't know if it's having the best results because it's the best role or because I have better players and the improved results are simply being forced. 

In terms of what style we're playing..... hang on, we're not meant to be playing this.... 

I have no idea how long that's been set like that but it certainly wasn't what I inherited from my FM21 Barca save. It's possible I have done it while drunk, (sorry), but equally as possible that I did it to try and get over a slump. I haven't noticed because I'm using an IR button so only watch the goals and nothing triggered.  We have been doing ok so there wasn;t really a reason to delve into the tactic again.  I have to say, I think it's a few seasons that it's been stuck on this without me noticing. I think it was possibly before I took the last break. (That's quite a few seasons!) 

Here are all the strikers at the club, listed by actual PA, and please be aware that obviously some of these aren't strikers. 

For those reading, here is. 

The main problem with the "plays with back to goal" PPM, isn't it's existence, but the fact that he's a lefty. I want my left striker to be my main goal threat and I want the right sided striker to be my more conservative option who drops deeper, (where the PPM is more suited). So it's more about him being a lefty than anything else. 

You know, I can't let this go. How on Earth have I been playing on defensive and what was it before? (I can't remember and am too scared to go back and check because it will show quite how long I have been clueless for). Flippin idiot!  

[Edit]

If I was to hazard a guess when I did this I would go for.... sometime during the 1st part of the 2040/41 season. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[RoguPL]

9 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

New contract. May 2045. 

Still just 1 year though. 

Can this be because you are 73 years old ? 

[Jimbokav1971]

 (May 2045. 

Liga Bwin. The loss against PdF wasn't enough to stop us securing a 4th placed finish and Champions league football for next season. 

Goal-scoring GK's. It's interesting, (at least to me), that not only did (31g) Simões (POR) 6'1" hit double figure goals in a season for the 2nd consecutive season, (11 last season and 11 this season), he was also successful with 100% of the penalties he took this season, (10/10), and what's more saved 100% of the penalties he faced, (4/4). That's particularly impressive when I look at the tactical instructions I have given the team. I couldn't understand why we were getting so few opportunities from set-pieces.  (I'm such an arse). 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

1 minute ago, rrozek93 said:

Can this be because you are 73 years old ? 

That's a very valid point! 

[Jimbokav1971]

Facilities. May 2045. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Braga watch. May 2045. 

My prediction at the beginning of the month was that Braga would lose their bottle and come away with 0 trophies from 3 over the last month of the season. 

Things started badly as Benfica beat them 1-0 in the 2nd leg of the UEFA Europa League Semi-Final, and then thumped 3 more goals past them in extra time. 

They bounced back with a 0-0 against Porto and then absolutely smashed Benfica to secure the 1st League title for a non-Big 3 side in the save. 

Riding the morale boost from winning the league, they stuck it to Benfica again to complete a marvellous double for a non Big 3 side. 

Liga Bwin. 

Taça da Liga Allianz Cup. 

Taça de Portugal Placard.

UEFA Champions League. 

UEFA Europa League. 

UEFA Europa Conference. 

Benfica. 

Porto. 

Braga. 

Sporting. 

Guimarães. 

All in all a really good season for Portugese clubs in Europe as we won the UEFA Europa League and was also Runners-Up and Semi-Finalist in the same competition, as well as Semi-Finalist in the UEFA Europa Conference. That's a LOT of coefficient points. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Playing with a Defensive mentality by accident. May 2045. 

There are a few things here to think about. The 1st is the number of goals we have scored and it makes sense that we've been struggling for so long playing in such a conservative way. The 2nd thing is that it will have restricted our Goal-scoring GK opportunities significantly and I'm really keen to see how things develop next season with a more attacking strategy. 

Something that doesn't really fit with the defensive mentality though, (at least my my basic understanding of it and remember that I'm not one of these tactical experts), is the number of attacking movements which is ridiculously high even on a defensive mentality. (It's so high that we are barely on the graphic). 

Lots of dribbles AND reliable in possession is a strange mix. 

Our passing is less good, but this might be as a result of our central players having "Tries killer balls often" as a PPM. 

To put that in context, this is what the Defensive Mentality.

In terms of our tactical instructions in possession, they don't fit at all with what I had in mind with Barca in FM21 and there must have been quite a mind-set change at some point, (that I have absolutely no recollection of). 

It would be easy to start from scratch again but I don't want to do that. I've changed from Defensive to Attacking because I still think that a certain directness suits us, (although I will be paying more attention to this from now on). 

The 1 thing that is really catching my eye is "Play for set pieces", because obviously scoring goals with my GK wasn't a goal in the Barca save but is very much part of what I want to do here. When you consider that our GK scored 11 goals in each of the last 2 seasons without this, (and with a Defensive mentality), it suggests that there might be significant scope for improvement here. At the moment I'm going to hold off though because I want to look at the change from Defensive to Attacking without it being clouded by multiple changes that will have their own impact. 

Linked to that, we already have a really high number of fouls against our players. (Fouls on our players), so can you imagine how this might develop with is playing for set-pieces, especially in terms of opposition cards and Goal-scoring GK opportunities. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Season Summary. May 2045.

Liga Bwin. Got to be happy with 4th. It was the goal at the start of the season and a 7 point gap to 3rd seems a stretch to close. The Braga performance is the real surprise. 

Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira.

Taça da Liga Allianz Cup. The board expect us to get to the Semi's of the domestic Cup competitions so we're going to have to improve. 

Taça de Portugal Placard.

UEFA Europa League. I made it clear that my priority was the league so this isn't actually a problem although I thought we under-performed slightly in the Group despite finishing top. 

Liga Portugal 2 SABSEG. Wasn't expecting to be so dominant here. There is a rule whereby you can only play 2x O23 players which I wasn't aware of previously. I think that's just because we're a B Team at this level. I had offered contracts to older players in order to flesh out the B Team, but I will loan them out and prioritise younger players from now on. 

U23's Premier League South. A poor performance here largely because the best players at this age are either playing for our Senior Team, The B Team or have been loaned out. This is very much a lower priority. 

U23's Premier League Qualifying Round. 

Portugese U19's 1st Division Group B. While this isn't a priority, it's good to see the depth of the youngsters, especially when so many of the brightest starlets are playing elsewhere. 

Portugese U19's 1st Division Championship Group. 

Squad by appearances. 

11 goals in a season for (31g) Simões (POR) 6'1" is significant and worth of a mention. 
22 goals for (32g) Ramos (POR) is a return to some sort of form, (even with the restriction of playing with defensive mentality). 
6 goals and 10 assists for (32b) Moucheira (POR) is decent because he has been 2nd choice in recent seasons. 
6 goals in 11 appearances for 16 year old (44a) Simões (POR) * is quite remarkable. 
7.27 is the highest average rating for an outfield player over the season by (30g) Coelho (POR) 6'4" *. I expect things to alter hugely next season with our change in mentality.

Goal-scoring GK's. I'm going to predict that he scores 15+ goals next season. 

Squad by actual CA. 

Squad by actual PA. If I look at the gaps between CA and PA, where players have not developed as I would like, it's interesting to track across to their personalities and see if that's a reason why. 

(36d) Cardone (ITA) 6'1" * CA 119 PA 158 is not only Unamb but also Low Det. It makes sense why he has fallen slightly short, (although I would still expect to see some development). 

Finances. 

Edited April 22, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Striking options. Jun 2045. 

The comment by @_Ben_ about (39a) Moreira (POR) *, and the knowledge that we will be moving from Defensive to Attacking mentality is making me really consider my options up front. 

While (32g) Ramos (POR) has really struggled for goal in recent seasons, (presumably because of our mentality), he actually scored 22 goals in all competitions this season and 15 in the league.

When you consider that (39d) Rebelo (POR) *, (who is a significantly poorer but similar player), scored 17 Liga Bwin goals this season while on loan at Maritimo, (who finished 5th), and finished 3rd top scorer in the league, it's certainly food for thought. I have known for a while that something was wrong, but never twigged until recently that it was the mentality. 

 

I think it's REALLY important that I get the correct players in the correct squads and the correct players out on loan, (at the correct level this season). Everything must be geared to player development this season and players must not be allowed to stagnate. 

I can't wait until Ashton Hughes of Porto retires. He has been an absolute pain in the arse for most of this save and has literally bullied us all over the place. He's been a large reason for heir success over the last decade or so. It's astonishing to think that he was 25 years old when he left Man City and had only scored 1 single league career goal. I'd say he's done pretty well to score 222 more in the league and 287 career goals in all competitions. He's even a bloomin Model Pro to boot. 

His CA is 148 and his PA is 152 if we can use that as some sort of benchmark. 

[Edit]

Edited April 22, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Rankings. Jun 2045. 

European Competition rankings.

European Club rankings. 

Nation Club coefficients. There was no announcement, (presumably because our qualification places remain the same), but Portugal have moved up from 4th to 3rd. 

Qualification places. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. GK's. 

(31g) Simões (POR) 6'1" is comfortably the best GK. 

(36d) Cardone (ITA) 6'1" * has the best PA, but his poor personality means that I have given up hope of him getting close to that so will hopefully loan him out or sell him. 

(40c) Teixeira (POR) * and (39i) Sérgio (POR) have been made available for the B Team. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. DL's. Jul 2045.

(36b) Sousa (POR) * and (33a) Ramos (STP) (POR) * will compete in the senior squad but (33a) Ramos (STP) (POR) * will be leaving on a free at the end of the next season so I will have to look at developing (36f) Antunes (POR) * as he will be 2nd choice next season. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. DR's. Jul 2045. 

(41a) Gil (POR) * and (36c) Mussagi (POR) (MOZ) * will compete in the senior team. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. DC's. Jul 2045. 

I've converted (39c) Salgueiro (POR) 6'4" DC from a midfielder to a centre-half and (30g) Coelho (POR) 6'4" * will partner him where possible. 

(42b) Felizardo (POR) 5'10" DC is another convert from midfield  and together with (35f) Azevedo 6'2" and (41d) Hussein (TAN) 6'5" * we should have enough depth. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. MC's. Jul 2045. 

It's still an area of real strength. (35a) Paulo Júnior (POR) * is Worldclass and wonderkid (40a) Sérgio (POR) * will partner him a lot. (36a) Cruz (POR) * will provide support with any of the youngsters when needed. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. ML's Jul 2045. 

(32c) Tomás (POR) * and (32b) Moucheira (POR) have been vying for a starting sot for what seems like ages. It was usually (32c) Tomás (POR) * who got the upper hand, but last season (32b) Moucheira (POR) was much more effective staying wide than (32c) Tomás (POR) * was cutting in. 

I'm not sure yet how the change in mentality will work, and whether a wide lefty like (39g) Fonseca (POR) * is the answer, or an inverted righty like (42a) Salazar (POR). 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. MR's. Jul 2045. 

(41a) Gil (POR) * sometimes plays on the right wing, but I want to exclude him here for this. (31d) Pais (POR) has been the 1st choice for what seems an age and I really want a natural wide righty rather than an inverted lefty to support him. (Ideally I want to play a wide player on 1 side and an inverted player on the opposite flank). With that in mind (39b) Tiago (POR) is probably my 2nd choice on the right flank.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. SC's. Jul 2045. 

(32g) Ramos (POR) will be 1st choice on the left. Rather than bring 1 of the high potential youngsters like (44a) Simões (POR) * or (45c) Rosa (POR) * in to the senior squad to act as a back-up, (and not get much playing time), instead I'm going to make them available for the B Team and let them play a full season in Liga 2. Instead I will keep (39d) Rebelo (POR) * at the club, (who was 3rd top goal-scorer in the league last season). They are all left-sided options. 

In terms of the right sided options up front, (41g) Amaral (POR) * and (36e) Pisco (POR) * will compete. (39a) Moreira (POR) * is an option here but I would rather see him go out on loan and get a full season playing under his belt. 

[RoguPL]

I feel like with tactical mentality change you will be pushing for top 3 next season ! 

Good Luck ! 

[Jimbokav1971]

8 minutes ago, rrozek93 said:

I feel like with tactical mentality change you will be pushing for top 3 next season ! 

Good Luck ! 

Thanks for not ridiculing me.  I know it must have been tough.  

 

[RoguPL]

4 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Thanks for not ridiculing me.  I know it must have been tough.  

 

I think that despite using defensive tactic the results were not tragic. I think you have won Europa League with defensive mentality so something must have been working  

[Jimbokav1971]

Just now, rrozek93 said:

I think that despite using defensive tactic the results were not tragic. I think you have won Europa League with defensive mentality so something must have been working  

I think we have to remember that the titles for these mentalities mean very little. 

Attacking sounds the opposite of defensive, but both are quite direct when playing the ball forward and the main difference is that in defensive the tempo is much lower and the the players "sit" off the ball. I wonder if this is the trigger for while our wide players were making so many attacking movements? They were doing this because of PPM's and individual instructions, because there weren't passing options ahead of them. The delivery itself, (when it does come), is similarly direct. 

In my head a better description for these mentalities would be "conservative, low tempo direct" and "adventurous high tempo direct", because the current names don't actually give a good indication as to what they actually mean. Mine aren't brilliant, (they are pretty basic), but they are a damn sight better than the current names. 

 

[Jtomsett11]

1 hour ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I think we have to remember that the titles for these mentalities mean very little. 

Attacking sounds the opposite of defensive, but both are quite direct when playing the ball forward and the main difference is that in defensive the tempo is much lower and the the players "sit" off the ball. I wonder if this is the trigger for while our wide players were making so many attacking movements? They were doing this because of PPM's and individual instructions, because there weren't passing options ahead of them. The delivery itself, (when it does come), is similarly direct. 

In my head a better description for these mentalities would be "conservative, low tempo direct" and "adventurous high tempo direct", because the current names don't actually give a good indication as to what they actually mean. Mine aren't brilliant, (they are pretty basic), but they are a damn sight better than the current names. 

 

I wonder if this has affected your teams ability to come from behind and break down stubborn defences? If you take the lead a low risk mentality isn't an issue as teams will leave space, but I can imagine that it would have impacted you in the opposite situation.

The thing with using IR (and I've only used it on my current career so I'm relatively new to it) is you have to make judgements about problems over a longer period or using stats rather than on what you see (unless you start watching games which kind of defeats the purpose of using IR) which means things like this can pop up and if the overall results aren't too bad it's not that noticeable. Your threads are obviously not as tactically focused as some others (especially not game to game), but then your focus on player/ club development over the long term is what makes it interesting to read in my opinion whereas in other threads it's the tactical discussions that are enjoyable to follow. Each player is different so while for many having a tactic sat on 'defensive' for 5 years might seem an absurd oversight, for anyone who follows your threads and style of play it feels more of a "ah, let's see how that affects things in the next 5 years" moment. 

[Jimbokav1971]

7 hours ago, Jtomsett11 said:

I wonder if this has affected your teams ability to come from behind and break down stubborn defences? If you take the lead a low risk mentality isn't an issue as teams will leave space, but I can imagine that it would have impacted you in the opposite situation.

The thing with using IR (and I've only used it on my current career so I'm relatively new to it) is you have to make judgements about problems over a longer period or using stats rather than on what you see (unless you start watching games which kind of defeats the purpose of using IR) which means things like this can pop up and if the overall results aren't too bad it's not that noticeable. Your threads are obviously not as tactically focused as some others (especially not game to game), but then your focus on player/ club development over the long term is what makes it interesting to read in my opinion whereas in other threads it's the tactical discussions that are enjoyable to follow. Each player is different so while for many having a tactic sat on 'defensive' for 5 years might seem an absurd oversight, for anyone who follows your threads and style of play it feels more of a "ah, let's see how that affects things in the next 5 years" moment. 

I had responded to this already but must have forgotten to press send.

I think you make a really good point and the criticism of using the IR button that tactical tweaking is hard, is pretty fair. That being said, this has very little to do with the IR button or tactical tweaking and a lot with me just being plan stupid. Let's be honest, the signs were there for all to see except me. 

1. I had a problem with the scoring of my strikers literally falling off a cliff in 2040. I looked at PPM's and where the service was coming from and personality and footedness and individual instructions and roles and duties and all sorts, but not the team mentality.

2. The high attacking movement returns should have been another trigger to me asking what was happening and why, (and again in hindsight it was an obvious issue). 

3. The low goals conceded was another one. Our defence is weak. With the full backs returning so many dribbles, why weren't we conceding as a result? 

4. Low Goal-scoring GK opportunities. 

5. Poor performance of inverted wide players, (who were inverting from deep into traffic rather than inverting and attacking the back 4). 

It all seems so obvious now but I knew that my Barca tactic worked against top end teams with good technical players so there was no need to check anything..... because I have absolutely no recollection of going to defensive. 

1 of the reasons that I changed only the mentality and didn't trigger the play for set-pieces option, (because I wasn't looking to score goals with my GK in that Barca FM21 save), is because I want to change 1 thing at a time and know that this is the onlyb change impacting things. If I change 2 things, then how do I know which one is having an impact and if it's negative or positive?

You are completely correct that my threads are not as tactically focussed as others, (and for very good reason).  While it's not a comparative strength of mine, I can usually work things out and have been known to go into significant detail when fixing relative minor problems. 

There is absolute no denying it though, although I have never said the words "ah, let's see how that affects things in the next 5 years", it certainly sounds like something I would say, (and is certainly how I feel most of the time). 

All that being said though, you just account for stupid and there is simply no other way to describe this situation I have created. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2045. 

Liga Bwin. This appears like a poor month on the face of it, but with away games against Porto and Braga, and bedding in a new mentality, there were always going to be teething problems. That being said, we won the xG battle convincingly in 4 out of the 5 games, and again while I don't want to get too bogged down in concentrating on just this 1 stat, it's certainly a suggestion that we were better than 6 points out fo a possible 15 suggests. It should also be pointed out that we haven't thumped anyone 6-0 with our old defensive mentality, (and nor would I have expected us to). 

xG watch. 
Belenenses 3.68 - 0.51 Gondomar.  A good start to the season and 2 goals for (32g) Ramos (POR). 
Porto 0.67 - 2.42 Belenenses. A really good performance if not quite the result. 
Braga 2.74 - 1.26 Belenenses. Brage are a good team and we will take that on the chin. 
Belenenses 2.10 - 0.71 Gil Vicente. We were very unlucky not to win never mind about draw. 
Santa Clara 0.85 - 4.59 Belenenses. We gave them a good thumping. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances.   

[Sonic Youth]

On 23/04/2022 at 05:36, Jimbokav1971 said:

You might have a really good point here, so I'm glad you raised it for others even if it turns out he's not the man for me.

The truth is that I have looked at him twice in close-season and said he's the one I want for my right of a 2 second forward role. I used a DLF for ages and then tried a Treq and it's currently a F9, (which is having the best results), but if truth be told I don't know if it's having the best results because it's the best role or because I have better players and the improved results are simply being forced. 

In terms of what style we're playing..... hang on, we're not meant to be playing this.... 

I have no idea how long that's been set like that but it certainly wasn't what I inherited from my FM21 Barca save. It's possible I have done it while drunk, (sorry), but equally as possible that I did it to try and get over a slump. I haven't noticed because I'm using an IR button so only watch the goals and nothing triggered.  We have been doing ok so there wasn;t really a reason to delve into the tactic again.  I have to say, I think it's a few seasons that it's been stuck on this without me noticing. I think it was possibly before I took the last break. (That's quite a few seasons!) 

Here are all the strikers at the club, listed by actual PA, and please be aware that obviously some of these aren't strikers. 

For those reading, here is. 

The main problem with the "plays with back to goal" PPM, isn't it's existence, but the fact that he's a lefty. I want my left striker to be my main goal threat and I want the right sided striker to be my more conservative option who drops deeper, (where the PPM is more suited). So it's more about him being a lefty than anything else. 

You know, I can't let this go. How on Earth have I been playing on defensive and what was it before? (I can't remember and am too scared to go back and check because it will show quite how long I have been clueless for). Flippin idiot!  

[Edit]

If I was to hazard a guess when I did this I would go for.... sometime during the 1st part of the 2040/41 season. 

Well that explains things (goals scored, goal droughts).

I’m curious what the media description of your style is, defensive? Does your board ask for a certain style too? Are you playing something that’s passing for them?

It’s great actually to find that all of your successes lately has been with a mentality opposite to most stories posted on the boards. Perennial European contenders and moving forward towards becoming a top side in a league that is growing stronger. Kind of makes me wonder what a middling team mentality with attacking or aggressive PI’s would generate?

The other curious thing about this what type of players came through your youth intakes, mostly midfielders, with wide defenders/players. Would that suggest that team mentality doesn’t affect youth intakes?

Oh, and it’s a good time to change to attacking with the current crop of attacking options coming through 

This season is going to be super intriguing!

[Jimbokav1971]

Sept 2045.

Liga Bwin. 3 wins from 3 is decent and moves us up to 4th after a poor start to the campaign.

xG watch.
SAD Franchise 0.87 - 2.29 Belenenses. 
Belenenses 2.81 - 0.17 Nacional.
Belenenses 3.53 - 0.44 Sporting. 

UEFA Champions League. We're not good enough to compete in the Champions League yet, so the plan is just to finish 3rd and drop down into the Europa League. This will help not just our own coefficient, but importantly the National coefficient which is so important to to the allocation of European spots. 

Estoril Praia. Fingers crossed we can qualify from here. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 4 GK goals in 1 month is pretty decent. 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2045. 

Edited April 30, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Sonic Youth]

17 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Oct 2045. 

Shows how far you’ve come with players good enough to come through and keeping them from teams with larger reputations if you’ve got the same amount as Porto. I guess the next way to look at this is how many are starters for Portugal.

Also, no Ramos!

[Sonic Youth]

18 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Sept 2045.

Liga Bwin. 3 wins from 3 is decent and moves us up to 4th after a poor start to the campaign.

xG watch.
SAD Franchise 0.87 - 2.29 Belenenses. 
Belenenses 2.81 - 0.17 Nacional.
Belenenses 3.53 - 0.44 Sporting. 

UEFA Champions League. We're not good enough to compete in the Champions League yet, so the plan is just to finish 3rd and drop down into the Europa League. This will help not just our own coefficient, but importantly the National coefficient which is so important to to the allocation of European spots. 

Estoril Praia. Fingers crossed we can qualify from here. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 4 GK goals in 1 month is pretty decent. 

Finances.   

You say poor start, but your top scorers and are keeping it tight at the back after almost 10 games. That’s almost sounds like a slow start, though it’s a pity the losses weren’t draws instead.

Europe and third in the group looks on track (tough group!).

Four keeper goals? That’s been a while for so many in one month 

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2045. 

Liga Bwin. I'm frustrated to drop 3 pts against Moreirense, but we conceded a hat-trick in the opening 27 mins to their inverted left winger and it was an uphill struggle after that. 

xG watch. 
Moreirense 1.97 -2.91 Belenenses. 
CdP 0.71 - 3.16 Belenenses. 

UEFA Champions League. I picked weakened sides in both of these games and was delighted to get a draw in the 2nd game. Remember, my goal is to finish 3rd and qualify for the Europa League. 

Taça de Portugal Placard. A comfortable win here. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances.   

[Jimbokav1971]

On 25/04/2022 at 04:35, Sonic Youth said:

Well that explains things (goals scored, goal droughts).

I’m curious what the media description of your style is, defensive? Does your board ask for a certain style too? Are you playing something that’s passing for them?

It’s great actually to find that all of your successes lately has been with a mentality opposite to most stories posted on the boards. Perennial European contenders and moving forward towards becoming a top side in a league that is growing stronger. Kind of makes me wonder what a middling team mentality with attacking or aggressive PI’s would generate?

The other curious thing about this what type of players came through your youth intakes, mostly midfielders, with wide defenders/players. Would that suggest that team mentality doesn’t affect youth intakes?

Oh, and it’s a good time to change to attacking with the current crop of attacking options coming through 

This season is going to be super intriguing!

Media description. 

It would be so much easier to play a 4231 or a 433. The way I play with Youth Only and my GK scoring goals is already making it harder, and my self-imposed restriction to 442 is part of that too. I don't want this to be easy. 

I don't think that team mentality influences what type of player we get through the intakes, but I've long thought, (with no evidence to back it up), that HoYD Playing style is influential. Looking at our current HoYD I would suggest that there is a preference of a decent spread of quality between attack and defence, with mentals being better than technical attributes and technicals being better than physicals. (Mental15 Technical10 Fitness8). I'm not saying that it's not possible to get a really good physical player through the intake with this HoYD, but I do think he leans away from that slightly. The difference itself is probably quite small in all likelyhood. 

I have decided against moving to attacking. Instead I created 3 identical tactics, left 1 on defensive, set the 2nd to balanced and set the 3rd to attacking. I didn't want to change things too much so have opted for balanced at the moment. 

I think our young players are just a little short of the required quality to impact the senior squad. 

16 year old (45c) Rosa (POR) * has made 2 Senior appearances, (1x Champions League & 1x Taça de Portugal Placard), but his real growth has been seen in the B Team where he has scored 9 goals and 3 assists in 6(1) Liga 2 appearances.  

17 year old (44a) Simões (POR) * scored 6 goals in 11 senior appearances last season, and added 1 goal in 3(1) senior appearances this season. He hasn't been as good for the B Team in Liga 2, with only 1 goal and 1 assist in 4(3) appearances. The fact that he's a "righty" doesn't help, and he has also been played on the right for the B Team. 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Sonic Youth said:

Shows how far you’ve come with players good enough to come through and keeping them from teams with larger reputations if you’ve got the same amount as Porto. I guess the next way to look at this is how many are starters for Portugal.

Also, no Ramos!

Ramos has been called up quite a few times, but has never got on. If this was real life he would certainly have been capped. 

(35a) Paulo Júnior (POR) * and (40b) Ramalho (POR) * regularly start in the middle of the pitch for Portugal. (36a) Cruz (POR) * is recovering from injury so not in the squad, but he's the 3rd option in the middle of the pitch. Nobody gets a look-in at the moment

The 1st choice GK (58 caps) is 34 & the 2nd choice GK (50 caps) is 31, so 26 year old (35b) Amílcar (POR) 6'1" (18 caps), could still become 1st choice. 

25 year old (36c) Mussagi (POR) (MOZ) * is un-capped and might stay that way because 20 year old (41a) Gil (POR) * is about to be called up for the 1st time at right back. 

GK  (31g) Simões (POR) 6'1" is another who has been called up for 20+ games but never capped. As he is 30 now, the chance might have been and gone. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

You say poor start, but your top scorers and are keeping it tight at the back after almost 10 games. That’s almost sounds like a slow start, though it’s a pity the losses weren’t draws instead.

Europe and third in the group looks on track (tough group!).

Four keeper goals? That’s been a while for so many in one month 

When you look at it like that then things are indeed looking better than I suggested, but I'm just frustrated that we're dropping points where we shouldn't be. 

We're still top scorers in the league, but we've conceded 7 goals in our last 3 games so not working as well as I would like. The Moreirense game was a real kick in the nads. We were 3-nil down before we even got started. 

Yeah, GK goals are going nicely at the moment. (Famous last words). 

[Jimbokav1971]

Liga Bwin player development. Nov 2045. 

This appears impressive on the surface, but actually only 5 players are playing at other Liga Bwin clubs, (so less impressive). 

[Jimbokav1971]

International call-ups. Nov 2045. 

We've had 4 players called up for the (POR) squad and 7 more called up for the (POR) U21 squad.