[FM23] Out of Africa. (Spanish out of Morocco to be precise). We will start with Ceuta, but if things go badly I might end up at Melila.

[Jimbokav1971]

Jun 2030. 

LaLiga 2. Well we did our job and won our games, and much to my astonishment, Alaves completely bottled it and went and lost both of theirs. When they lost their 1st game I did wonder just for a split second, but I never thought they would lose both of them. They played Alicante and Barcelona B, (who are both decent), and had I bothered to check that before they played I might have been more interested.  I just assumed they would win 1 of them or we would draw. I know it's ridiculous and we will get absolutely hammered next season, but we will be playing in La Liga next season. (Let's be honest, even with Crespo we would have got battered next season. Without him.... OMG it doesn't bear thinking about). 

We won 10 of our last 12 games and Crespo scored 13 in those 12 games. 

It's great that we're going up, but we have absolutely no chance of staying up. I think I will be banking the money, investing in the facilities, no signing many players at all and just preparing for the following season in LaLiga 2. We are going to get obliterated. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

Woodwork. We hit the woodwork 28 times in 44 games. 

(27a) Crespo *, (who has recently turned 19), scored 32 more goals to go with the 34 he scored last season and the 18 ge scored in his 1st full season with us. He's now scored 88 goals in 105(13) games. That's absolutely ridiculous for a teenager who isn't allowed to take pens and free-kicks and is playing in a team expected to struggle at the bottom of the table and are 2nd favourites for relegation. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Problem #1.

I don't think we have fully thought this through. 

I knew that our stadium wasn't big enough for LaLiga, but I don't know how much it was short by and also didn't realise we could continue to use our existing ground for 2 seasons. (I thought we had to share for 2 seasons). 

I've already mentioned that I think the TV rights for LaLiga are approx £55,000,000 and I've just seen that there is a parachute payment and it's only for..... actually, I don't know. Is it only 1 season? Either way we get approx £55M next season, then we get £11.75M + £5.25M the following season even if we get relegated back down at the 1st attempt.

[Sonic Youth]

Promotion! That’s excellent 

This offseason is going to be very eventful. Will be curious if you get your upgrades, new stadium and new players 

A loan for Crespo next season?

[MadCatPT]

Congrats on the promotion! Do teams that have been promoted normally come right back? Or do they stay up?

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Promotion! That’s excellent 

This offseason is going to be very eventful. Will be curious if you get your upgrades, new stadium and new players 

A loan for Crespo next season?

I will try and loan Crespo back, but he's looking decent now. Fingers crossed that Liverpool don't want to play him. (Must have a look at their strikers). 

I'm not going to request either a stadium upgrade or a new stadium. It's none of my business and I will leave that to El Presidente. Facilities upgrades on the other hand...... 

New players I'm not really sure about. Anyone we sign will be signed on the basis that we're playing in LaLiga and I'm 99.99% positive that we won't be playing in LaLiga next season. On the other hand, I fully expect to have to pay a premium to re-sign our players who's contracts run out next season, or even the following season because they're probably going to be unhappy after relegation next season and then refuse to extend when we're back in LaLiga2. 

I suppose the smart move would be to continue to do what I'm already doing and just look for young players who are good enough to impact the team but who are still in their development period. Then again, we're going to have £55M burning a hole in our pockets.......

[ToMexico!!]

An excellent unexpected promotion! Crespo has been amazing for you, fingers crossed for a loan back. 

I told you his value would skyrocket up! Has his sell-on clause come up for sale? 

[Jimbokav1971]

31 minutes ago, MadCatPT said:

Congrats on the promotion! Do teams that have been promoted normally come right back? Or do they stay up?

Let me have a look. 

S. Gijón came straight back down. 
Huesca survived for 1 season and then came back down. 
Leganes came straight back down. 

Valladolid survived for 2 seasons and then came back down. 
Levante are still in LaLiga and have just survived their 6th season at that level. 
Granada came straight back down. 

Vallecano came straight back down. 
Albacete are still in LaLiga and have just survived their 5th season at that level. 
Alaves came straight back down. 

Cadiz are still in LaLiga and have just survived their 4th season at that level. 
Granada survived for 1 season and then came back down. 
Huesca came straight back down. 

Las Palmas came straight back down. 
Eibar survived for 1 season and then came back down. 
Atletico Pamplona (Osasuna) are still in LaLiga and have just survived their 3rd season at that level. 

Alaves came straight back down. 
Malaga came straight back down. 
Almeria survived for 1 season but have just been relegated. 

Tenerife have just been relegated at the 1st attempt of survival. 
S. Gijón have just been relegated at the 1st attempt of survival. 
Las Palmas have just escaped relegation.  

In summary, while it isn't impossible to stay up, it's more common to see teams come straight back down. 
Of the 21 promoted sides in this save, only 5 remain in LaLiga now. 

But I think you're getting ridiculously carried away thinking about avoiding relegation. It just isn't going to happen and I think we might set records for lowest points at that level. We were 2nd favourites for relegation in pre-season last season and I never signed anyone after that. 

We're coming straight back down and all there is to do is count the money and smile. 

[Jimbokav1971]

23 minutes ago, ToMexico!! said:

An excellent unexpected promotion! Crespo has been amazing for you, fingers crossed for a loan back. 

I told you his value would skyrocket up! Has his sell-on clause come up for sale? 

OMG!!!  I've been so busy playing matches I never thought to look. 

Actually, although I haven't been looking, I think I would have noticed, but no, there is nothing available right now.

He really has been amazing and can you just imagine if he had stayed with us. All that lovely wonga. It makes me wonder about how good he actually could be and also about the experiments I have been running in the other thread. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

A loan for Crespo next season?

Let's have a look and see what Crespo has for competition up front at Liverpool. 

I'm going to put the next bit in a spoiler so that people don't have to see how players develop. 

Spoiler

I'm going to ignore the top 5 players. 
Then we have Crespo himself. 
Then 2 more loan players on loan at Dusseldorf & QPR & don't look good enough from what I can see. 
Spridgeon looks ok from what I can see and made 3(1) appearances last season scoring 1 goal. 
Padden is a right winger.
Lovegrove is amazing and scored 28 goals last season. 

Endrick is a Wonderkid that seems to be on everyone's lips this season. Liverpool paid £79M to sign him from Villa last season. 

Darwin Núñez was mainly used from the bench last season (7(29) appearances and 7 goals but he's never been prolific for Liverpool. 

Joe Geldhardt is actually a young player I like in real life and Liverpool have just paid £52M to sign him from Forest last season.

Gonçalves (CPV)(POR) * is on my radar because he appeared on the NxGn list a few years ago. 

Ergys Lekaj is (GER)(ALB)(ENG) and came through their Academy but is yet to make his Premier League debut. 

In Summary, I think Lovegrove & Endrick will be their 2 main strikers, and they play 1 up front with 2 attacking wingers. With the likes of Nunez & Geldhard as backup, I don't think Crespo is going to get a look in yet. We might just be able to get him back in. 

 

Summary for those who don't want to click on the spoiler.....

I think there is a Newgen + a well-known Wonderkid competing for the starting spot and then they have Nunez & Geldhardt as backup. I don't think Crespo is going to get a look in. 

[Edit]

OMG  I missed 37 year old Salah who is still there and doing the business. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

New stadium. Jun 2030. 

Ah ok. I didn't realise that we would have to groundshare. I thought that we could stay in our own stadium for 2 seasons. 

This isn't actually a disaster. It's only 15,000 capacity, (which is more than double the current one), so it only costs £15M, (paid for by a loan), and there is also a sponsorship deal that gives us £7.5M, (so why do we need a loan of £15M?)

[Jimbokav1971]

Facilities. Jun 2030. 

El Presidente hates me! 

[Jimbokav1971]

4 hours ago, ToMexico!! said:

Crespo has been amazing for you, fingers crossed for a loan back. 

It looks like we're out of luck, but I will still give it a go. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Wonderkid. Jun 2030. 

It's possible that he has been a wonderkid for a while and I just haven't noticed, (because he plays every game and I never have to click on him), but (28c) Bermúdez 5'10" becomes not only our 1st Wonderkid, but also the 1st wonderkid produced by our Academy. There have been a few bids come in fro him recently, (Arsenal and PSG in particular), and the bids have amounted to £2.6M in total I think, but we have 2 years left on his contract, (after I activated the +1 clause), so I'm in no hurry to sell. Let's see what a season in LaLiga does to his development before I sell him. 

I'll be completely honest with you, I don't particularly like him. 5'10", Junping of 7, but lots of his other attributes look great for a teenager. (When I say I don't like him, everything is relative. He's brilliant. His attributes are just not quite where I would choose them to be). 

[jozza800]

Because of the promotion, you should find that Bermudez will go for a lot more than Crespo. Players get a nice value bump after promotion.

No getting your eyeballs ripped out on this one!

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, jozza800 said:

Because of the promotion, you should find that Bermudez will go for a lot more than Crespo. Players get a nice value bump after promotion.

No getting your eyeballs ripped out on this one!

Yeah I expect so. Playing at a higher level will also boost his development. 

We only have 2 years left on him so I expect to sell him at the end of this season. There is a £5M min fee release clause but I would much prefer to get him to sign a new contract part way through the season. Not sure how likely that is. I suppose it depends how the season goes. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Bermúdez bid. Jun 2030.

PSG have made a big that's worth £3.5M all in, but it's only £775,000 up front. I wouldn't mind this deal so much of it was from a smaller club, but there is no way I want him to go to the likes of PSG on a deal like this. If they want him then they have to show me the money. 

PSG are the club I would least like to sell him to, but also not Arsenal or Chelsea.

[MadCatPT]

You better lock up El Presidente, change his computer password, internet, password, email password and cancel his cellphone.

Maybe all of the above. 

[Jimbokav1971]

11 minutes ago, MadCatPT said:

You better lock up El Presidente, change his computer password, internet, password, email password and cancel his cellphone.

Maybe all of the above. 

He's killing me, but unfortunately I think he's the brains of the outfit, (but more on that in a later update). 

[Jimbokav1971]

2030 World Cup. 

We've got 1 player at the 2030 World Cup which is being held here in Spain. (England are the holders after winning it in USA in 2026. 

Just when you thought FIFA couldn't get anything else wrong, they have somehow changed the Group stage so that there are 16 Groups of 3, (48 teams), rather than 8 Groups of 14, (32 teams). Is this a real thing? This is an abomination and is surely about FIFA doing all they can to make sure that the big teams always qualify and never miss out. No wonder Burkina Faso qualified. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Transfers In. Jul 2030. 

We've already signed 10 players, despite the fact that I said we weren't going to make needless signings. 

Khelifa (FRA)(ALG) 6'4" was signed because of his 5.0 PA. It's obvious that we're going to lose Bermudez sooner or later, so I need to have someone else ready to step in when he goes. How good they are in terms of CA doesn't really matter. It's all about the PA. If I have to throw them into the 1st team then they will soon improve. 

Dieng (NOR)(SEN) was initially a 5.0 PA rating but his PA was downgraded to 4.0 after he signed, but in any case I really like his physical attribute and thing he has something to offer in the wider attacking slots. 

Eshun (GHA)(ENG) is a left winger and we don't currently use winger, but that's not to say we won't in teh future. Again, I really like some of his physicals and I can see him developing.

Nogbou (CIV)(FRA) 6'3" is another 5.0 PA prospect and another who's physical ability I like. at 21 there is still time for him to develop. 

Traoré (BFA)(FRA) is a little weaker physically than I would like, but again he has 5.0 PA and time to develop. 

Diédhiou (SEN) has the makings of a good centre-half and again is a teenager with 5.0 PA.

Lebese (RSA) and his dribbling ability really caught my eye. He's been downgraded since he signed and has gone back to South Africa on loan, but I like the look of him. We paid £240,000 but I think it's a no-brainer. As he plays he will be valued at much more than this. 

Mokoena (RSA) is an AMC who I have signed with a view to him playing in one of the wider SC positions. I see him as a creative outlet rather than a central clinical finisher. We paid £180,000 for him but I think that's a very good bit of business. 

Diallo (FRA)(MLI) is quite versatile, but I think I signed him with a view to playing him as a CM(a), despite his lack of finishing ability, (which is currently a BBM(s) in our current tactic. We paid £500,000 for him, but he's immediately worth more than that so I think this is a good investment now even if he doesn't improve, (which he surely will). 

Moloko (RSA) 6'4" has the makings of a very good player. His physicals are really decent for a 20 year old and I think he can develop well over the next 4 years. £300,000 seems like a bargain to me. 

While I originally said I wasn't going to sign new players, the players I've signed are very much for the future and £1,200,000 out of our £9.6M transfer budget doesn't seem too ridiculous. We're £2M in the red though and I don't like that because I'm sure it gives El Presidente the jitters and I want him nice and calm when he's dealing with transfer bids on our players.  

Finances. We know we're getting £55M TV Money over the course of the season which is almost £4.6M per month, so I'm really quite relaxed about the long-term finances. 

We're nowhere near our wage budget and there is still £8.4M to spend on new players, so financially things are looking good right now. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Finances. Jul 2030. 

Not that it makes much difference, but I thought we were getting £55M in TV money. I'm not sure where I got £55M from. 

[Jellico73]

3 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Finances. Jul 2030. 

Not that it makes much difference, but I thought we were getting £55M in TV money. I'm not sure where I got £55M from. 

Previous numbers maybe?  Or maybe if you get more games televised that will go up?  It's been a minute since I played in Spain...

[Jimbokav1971]

Disaster. Jul 2030. 

I've been really careful to ensure that no players have a 25% promotion clause or any yearly % increases in their contracts because I knew that finances were going to be a big deal. The problem though is that the minimum for players in LaLiga 2 is about £6,300 per month for registered players and the minimum for registered players in LaLiga is £11,250 per month. 

We've only got 5 players at the club who meet that criteria. 

My initial thought was, "that's fine, we'll just offer them a new contract on increased terms and everything will be fine!" Wrong! They don't want a slight increase. They want double what they are on now.  There is also a group of 10 players that have just recently signed and who don't even want to negotiate terms. I can't believe I've made the same mistake again.

[Sonic Youth]

Oh man, that changes the pre-season.

How many players can you actually register for the first team, and then how many can you register for the B team (does the B team have a wage limit?) but play them in the first team?

[Jimbokav1971]

Loan offer. Jul 2030.

I've made an offer to loan Crespo from Liverpool but they have turned it down. 

The board will allow us to pay 100% of his salary, (£112,000), but nothing I try can get a deal done. They don't mean an option to buy. They mean a commitment to buy. 

[Jellico73]

The loan side of the transfer market is a bit messed up at the moment.  They are working on it.  Maybe try again later in the transfer window, if he's not loaned out to another club, a lot of time the prices will come down to something within the realm of plausibility.

Jellico

[Jimbokav1971]

5 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Oh man, that changes the pre-season.

How many players can you actually register for the first team, and then how many can you register for the B team (does the B team have a wage limit?) but play them in the first team?

I'm honestly not sure. I think I read it was 4, but I'm sure I have used more than 4 at a time like this before. When this happened before I always assumed it was going to be a huge deal, but it never actually was. 

Let me see what the rules say in the different leagues again.

LaLiga.

I think this is the section, but maybe I'm wrong because I'm sure there have been more in the past. Of course because the B Team are in an unplayable league, we don't have to actually register players so maybe that's the workaround. 

And I still think we should be able to play at home. 

LaLiga2.

Primera Federación.

I guess we will find out when I get to the 1st LaLiga game. 

[vivu]

12 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Finances. Jul 2030. 

Not that it makes much difference, but I thought we were getting £55M in TV money. I'm not sure where I got £55M from. 

I believe the TV rights in Spain is not fixed. The big two takes a big chunk out and the rest is shared based on the past performance or something like it

[Jimbokav1971]

5 hours ago, vivu said:

I believe the TV rights in Spain is not fixed. The big two takes a big chunk out and the rest is shared based on the past performance or something like it

I can't even remember how I knew it was £55M in the first place... 

[Jimbokav1971]

Hi All. Apologies for the lack of updates. I've just been really enjoying Rimworld and the World Cup so FM has had to take a bit of a back seat. I was planning on start back up today/tomorrow but have just seen that Dwarf Fortress has been released on Steam so....... 

[vivu]

1 hour ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Hi All. Apologies for the lack of updates. I've just been really enjoying Rimworld and the World Cup so FM has had to take a bit of a back seat. I was planning on start back up today/tomorrow but have just seen that Dwarf Fortress has been released on Steam so....... 

How is Rimworld? I have been sidetracked a bit by the new DLC in Civ6

[Jimbokav1971]

3 hours ago, vivu said:

How is Rimworld? I have been sidetracked a bit by the new DLC in Civ6

Rimworld is amazing. Just amazing. (The new DLC). But I have just started looking at Dwarf Fortress.  Now THAT is a steep learning curve! 

[_Ben_]

On 06/12/2022 at 15:37, Jimbokav1971 said:

Hi All. Apologies for the lack of updates. I've just been really enjoying Rimworld and the World Cup so FM has had to take a bit of a back seat. I was planning on start back up today/tomorrow but have just seen that Dwarf Fortress has been released on Steam so....... 

I was thinking the other day that I hadn't seen you active for a few days! Get back to Spain Africa soon!

[Jimbokav1971]

On 08/12/2022 at 18:20, _Ben_ said:

I was thinking the other day that I hadn't seen you active for a few days! Get back to Spain Africa soon!

Thanks @_Ben_

I think it's time to start getting back into this so loading back up now, will have a little bit of a recap and then see what's what. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Recap. Aug 2030. 

We're at the start of our 8th season and things have been going well. 

The biggest issue relating to the save so far has been the registration rules with regards to the minimum wage that players have to earn before they can be registered. 

More than this though, bigger than the rules themselves is the fact that they change depending on what League you're playing in, so when you sign players for a LaLiga 2 campaign and you ensure that they are being paid more than £5,500 per month so that they can be registered, and then get an unexpected promotion to LaLiga, all the hard work of ensuring that players are on a low wage, (money is tight), but also getting paid more than the min wage for registered players, goes completely out of the window when you realise that there is now a new higher min wage for registered players and very few of your squad are now eligible for registration in LaLiga. 

I will be completely honest here, while part of the reason that I have been away is that I was really enjoying 1st Rimworld and then Dwarf Fortress, as big an issue was the fact that I was dismayed that I had to go and re-negotiate the contracts for everyone at the club, (who I wanted to play for the 1st Team), and as much as a pain as that was, it just wasn't going to be possible for any of the players who I had signed in January and who had just arrived on a free, (because although they signed their contracts 6 months ago, they had only just arrived at the club). I was just fed up that such a pain in the bum job had to be done again and again and again. I work really hard on contracts  and when I say really hard I mean REALLY hard, to such an extent that I rarely if ever have a player at my club who gets paid any of the following. 

Yearly wage rise. 
Sub appearance fee. 
Sell on fee clause. 

I just choose not to include even though it means I might have to pay slightly more up front. This is non-negotiable and I can't remember the last time I agreed to a single one of these clauses in any FM save. I would just prefer to lose the player than include them.

LaLiga min wages. 

LaLiga2 min wages. 

With that in mind, it's probably ridiculous that we're in LaLiga in the 1st place, so maybe rather than getting peeved about something so small, maybe I should just enjoy the wins we've had so far and go with the flow a little more. It's certainly the way I play when I play Youth Only, and I think by signing players I have created more scope for success in this save, but I have also made it significantly less enjoyable for myself. I didn't appreciate at all how much work was going to be involved in scouting for this save, (which in hindsight was particularly stupid of me because it was blatantly obvious). 

Anyway, that's enough of the whinging and moaning. Time to have a look at the players at the club 1st so I can remind myself of who we have, because right now apart from a striker we we sold and got back in on loan, (can't even remember his name), a decent young GK, (can't remember his name), and a 3rd good young player, (I can't remember his name or his position but think he might have been a striker), I remember very little about the save. 

Squad by CA. Unfortunately it would seem as if the striker is no longer here on loan, (he was signed by Liverpool and we did get him back in last season but not this season and his name was....... Crespo. Now I remember ). More bad news though in that our decent young GK, (Bermudez) has been signed by someone, (I can't remember that at all), but thankfully PSG have loaned him back to us for the season. I can't believe I sold him to PSG of all clubs. That really is a surprise and not like me at all. There is a little bit of quality at the club, but nowhere near LaLiga level in my opinion. 

Squad by PA. This looks pretty promising. We have 9x 5.0 PA players if we don't count Bermudez, but Gil is the only one I remember. 

Squad by wages. We're paying 2 players £30k per month, (which surprises me), and then we have 7 more players being paid enough to be able to be registered in LaLiga, (so 9 players in total and 10 players if we include the on loan GK Bermudez). That's actually not a disaster depending on what positions they cover. 

My workaround for this situation has previously been that players in the B Team can play for the 1st Team without being registered, although it would seem to be limited to 4 players mer match squad, (and I'm not 100% sure that this is working as intended in the game because I'm yet to be told that I have too many players from the B Team in the 1st Team squad). It could be that it seems like we regularly have more than 4 players from the B Team in a 1st Team match squad, but actually don't, and it's something I will keep an eye on as the league campaign gets underway. 

Finances. Things are looking really good here, but I need to build up some cash reserves so that El Presidente doesn't get involved in transfer offers. 

Facilities. We should have been able to play at our existing ground for 2 seasons while in LaLiga according to the rules, (but this hasn't worked for some reason and I remember getting a message telling me that the board were looking for a ground-share). This could possibly be in order to make more money rather than being enforced, but I seem to remember reading it and thinking it implied that the move was enforced). 

A new stadium is being built!  I don't remember this at all. (It's only been a few weeks hasn't it?)  In any case that's 2 years away. Does that mean we're now staying at home for the next 2 seasons?)  I don't remember the new stadium but I do remember El Presidente looking for a club for us to Groundshare with... Don't I? Am I going mad? 

Finances again. As a result of the new stadium we obviously have a loan and it's £15M because we didn't own the existing ground so there was nothing to sell. £15M for a £15k capacity stadium seems ok I suppose. Now I come to think of it, I think I remember posting about how cost effective this new stadium + loan would be and I came to the conclusion that it was a good move, (so I do remember it sort of). 

Edited December 13, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Registration Day. Aug 2030. 

I'm really confused and let me explain why. 

This message is telling me that there are only 5 players who are currently not registered to play in LaLiga. 

I can't tell you anything about any of the players if I'm honest. I just don't remember them. 

Mendy (SEN)(ESP) * is a player that I quite the look of as our 2nd striker, no set role I don't think...... Oh hang on. We're not playing with my old 442 tactic are we. We're playing with a 433 tactic, (that I don't particularly like), but which is quite effective. So this guy would make a decent wide striker in that system, (although not LaLiga decent in a million years). He was on loan in the 3rd tier last season. I probably need to either loan him out again or relegate him to the B Team so that he can play in the 1st Team. I think the problem with the 4 B Team players being eligible for a 1st team match squad doesn't work because the B Team are playing at such a low level, (still non-playable), that they don't actually ahve to be registered at all so everyone in the B Team is eligible for the 1st Team. The issue with this is obviously that you can't tell players the correct reason for them being in the B Team, (to circumvent the ridiculous Registration rules), so they think they have been demoted and become unhapppy. 

Moloko (RSA) 6'4" is a player I quite like the look of. We paid £300,000 for him but he's still very raw and nowhere neat LaLiga level, (which is not the same thing at all as being god enough to start for us), but he's a recent arrival and I did this deal expecting to be in LaLiga2 again this season so he isn't getting paid enough to be registered and won't negotiate and increased contract because he's only just arrived, even though I just want to give him more money.  The only real option I have here, (if I want to play him in the 1st Team), is to demote him to the B Team. On the plus side, although he's going to hate me, he's got 5.0 PA and some time playing La Liga should explode his development. 

Mokoena (RSA) is a but of a strange one in that I'm not sure where I intended to play him. I don;'t think he looks like a wide forward to me so I must have signed him to play as 1 of the 3 in the middle of the pith.... but which 1? The right of the 3 is a CM(a) and that's the most likely option, but I'm actually training him to ba a F9 so I'm really confused here now. The main reason I think I would have signed him was because of a 5.0 PA scout report, but it's obviously been downgraded after joining us. 

Nogbou (CIV)(FRA) 6'3" was signed on a free and he lack of heading ability is a bit of a worry. I think he might be good at winning headers, but once he has won the ball it could go anywhere. (That's still how it works isn't it?) I don't think I have thought this through. 

How many players have we already got registered?

Well it says that there are 18 players registered for the 1st Team, but all I see are player not registered who I want to play. Let's ignore that for a moment and concentrate on who can play. 

GK. 

(28c) Bermúdez 5'10" isn't registered, but as he's only 18 years old he doesn't actually have to be registered. £5M. Is that all we got for him? (from PSG!!!) 

Diarra (MLI)(ESP) 6'2" is somehow registered despite only being paid £7,750 per month.  I really don't understand this. I've previously listed him for loan, (I think because I didn't think he could play), but we have Bermudez anyway so maybe I should just loan him out? 

DL. 

(23b) Escalona (VEN) * is obviously a product of our Academy and I think he's now the highest earner at the club. I have a vague recollection of considering letting him go, but I think I decided to offer him such a good contract simply because we were doing well in the league and I thought money might become less of an issue than it currently is. 

Letsema (RSA) 5'10" looks a decent defensive full back, but like so many of our players, he's a million miles of LaLiga quality. 

DR.

Ramazani (BDI)(BEL) has been brilliant for us and was even great last season in LaLiga2, (making 32 starts), but his physicals have fallen off a cliff and it was a mistake to extend his contract. He's registered, but I', not sure how because he's not getting paid enough. Maybe it's only newly registered players that this rule counts for? 

Ngiamba (COG)(FRA) made 10(18) appearances in LaLiga2 last season, (but I'm really not sure how). 

DC.

Aremu (ESP)(NGA) 6'0" made 34(6) appearances last season but he's very average. 

Diakité (CIV)(FRA) only made 1(1) appearance last season and doesn't look great. 

Sibacha (ECQ)(ESP) 6'0" made 7(13) league appearances last season. 

MC.

 

Sanyang (GAM)(ESP) 6'2"

 

 

SC.

Benachour (ALG)(FRA)

(29a) Gil

(23f) Francisco SC *

Balogun (ESP)(NGA).

How on Earth did I get this team promoted?   

[Jimbokav1971]

Well this seems fair. Aug 2030. 

[Jimbokav1971]

And this unbelievable less so. Aug 2030.

I've never seen anything quite like this before. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2030. 

LaLiga. If you had told me that we would be unbeaten after our opening 2 games I wouldn't have believed you. Astonished that we not only drew, but also that we came from behind in each game. Mallorca finished 9th last season and Cadiz finished 14th, so these are not rubbish teams that we've faced. The Barca game is different, but also really pleasing in that there was some semblance of competition rather than a completely one-sided contest. We didn't have any shots on target, but we did have some shots that were off target. 0-3 is a right result and I was surprised to see such names as ter Stegen, Højbjerg, FdJ, Raphinha, Araujo, Koundé, Daka, García, Hudson-Odoi, Nico, Wirtz & Pedri. Usually by the time I get to the top tier in any league, the real players are all long gone. This is unusual but also exciting for me. I really don't expect to be at this level next season though.

Goal-scoring GK's. The goal against Mallorca was a penalty, but unfortunately, because (28c) Bermúdez 5'10" left the club and was loaned back in, his position as penalty taker was removed, (because he was no longer at the club). I have rectified that now. 

Finances.  

[Jimbokav1971]

Commercial Income. Sep 2030. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2030. 

LaLiga. In 1 way I'm really pleased with our performances. We're not conceding loads of goals and we're staying "in" matches for long periods. What I'm not so keen on is the fact that we haven't scored any goals in 3 games this month, and have only managed 2 goals in 6 appearances this season. Not that there is even a slightest chance, but if we want to avoid relegation, then we need to start turning some of these draws into the occasional win. We don't need many, but we will need some at some point. Draws simply won't be enough to keep us up. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 0 goals and 0 shots either on or off target in 2 months, (although there was a penalty stolen in the 1st game).

Facilities. 

Finances. 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2030. 

LaLiga. Things aren't looking good. We had 3 tough games and then missed the chance to take our 1st 3-point haul against our nearest relegation rivals Atletico Pamplona.  I don't think it's likely that we will get sacked for losing and even for getting relegated, but I do think it's likely that we will get sacked for losing the dressing room and that appears to have happened. We basically need to somehow fluke a win,

Goal-scoring GK's. 1 shot on target this month, but no goals. 

Finances. 

Records. These aren't good records, but they're the only one's we're setting. 

[RoguPL]

Good to see you back at it

Good luck in the rest of the games  Hopefully you can turn it around. Maybe a tactic tweak? 

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2030. 

LaLiga. Our 1st win is finally here and more than that we scored in all 3 games this month. We're still bottom of the table, (where else would we be), but we're still in the mix and a 2nd win changes everything. The odds are still hugely against us, but we're making a fight of it at least. Next month we play 13th, 15th, 17th & 7th. We really need to collect a 2nd win. I'm not hugely confidant though if I'm honest. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 2 shots this month. Both off target.

FInances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

8 hours ago, RoguPL said:

Good to see you back at it

Good luck in the rest of the games  Hopefully you can turn it around. Maybe a tactic tweak? 

Thanks. It's actually good to be back after the initial squad registration worry. 

I could tweak the tactic. Of course I could. And I could also stop my GK taking free-kicks and pens, (but where's the fun in that!)  With regards to a tactical tweaks, I'm not completely sure what benefit there is to that. I know we're bottom, but we're still enormously over-performing and if we can get even close to avoiding relegation then I will be delighted. I think there is more chance in any tweak having a negative impact rather than a positive one. Don't get me wrong, I will still look for tweaks that fit the individual player in any position, but I can't make changes for changes sake. Our best bet of avoiding relegation is the increased development of some of our existing players, and new signings, (especially loan signings). 

Edited December 16, 2022 by Jimbokav1971
spelling

[Sonic Youth]

La Liga challenge initiated! Challenge accepted. Looks like quite the challenge. Looking forward to seeing that second win turn into four or five 

[Gundo]

Congrats on promotion, @Jimbokav1971, best of luck this season. It might be tough but you got this 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Sonic Youth said:

La Liga challenge initiated! Challenge accepted. Looks like quite the challenge. Looking forward to seeing that second win turn into four or five 

Oh how I wish I shared your faith. I think if we win 5 games then we will 100% be safe, but I'm just not sure how likely it is. Will give it my best though. 

Of more concern is the negative atmosphere in the dressing room. Keep getting El Sackico messages, 

[Jimbokav1971]

15 minutes ago, Gundo said:

Congrats on promotion, @Jimbokav1971, best of luck this season. It might be tough but you got this 

Thanks. If I can take it to the last game of the season, then I will honestly be delighted even if we do go down. Just got to try and ensure that we stay in touch with the pack and don't get dropped too early. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2030. 

LaLiga. The win against Getafe was brilliant, but how I wish we could have sneaked all 3 points against Celta Vigo. 1 point in these close games just isn't enough. The problem is we're just not scoring enough goals. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. I would like to say that I rotated the squad for this one and....... I didn't rotate the squad. This was us at full strength losing to a team from the 4th tier. 

Goal-scoring GK's. Good to finally get off the mark this season. 

Youth Intake preview. I don't think I have been paying enough attention to my HoYD. We play no wide players other than full-backs and he has just brought through an intake consisting of 0 strikers and 6 wide players who aren't full backs.   

Interestingly, we have a HoYD and his preferred formation is 433 and his 2nd preferred formation is 442. Unfortunately it would seem that my U19 Manager is in charge of the intake and his preferred formation is 442 and his 2nd formation is 4231. I've changed it again now, but it seems to default to someone else, (correctly), when we no longer have a HoYD, but then isn't defaulting back to the new HoYD when they arrive. 

Records. 

Transfer Targets. I'm interested in bringing (27a) Crespo * in on loan again. (Who wouldn't be?) He's currently out on loan from Liverpool and playing for Bochum in the German 2nd Tier. While they wouldn't allow him to come here at the start of the season, surely it's better playing for us in LaLiga than him playing for Bochum in 2.Bindesliga? When the transfer window opens I will see if I can take over the deal. He's so much better than what we have at the club and I think he would probably keep us up on his own. 

Finances.