[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.

[Jtomsett11]

Nice to see a second win, keeping in touch! What did the board expect from this season, "a fight against relegation?" I'm always nervous about relegation in these scenarios where you massively overachieve as you never quite know if they'll sack you or not.

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2031. 

LaLiga. The Cadiz away win was all the more surprising because for the 1st time this season I rested the 1st choice players ahead of the more winnable game against Mallorca (18th) on 2nd Feb, and instead selected the team by PA rather than CA. It's certainly raised some questions in my head with regards to what is and isn't our 1st choice XI. We're 1 of 5 teams in the mix for relegation at this stage, with a 4 point gap to everyone else. Things are looking up with the arrival of Eyama (EQG)(ESP) though. 

El Presidente. I'm delighted that old El Presidente Moreno has left and been replaced by new El Presidente Rico. Old Presidente has refused my Youth Recruitment requests more often than any previous Chairman/El Presidente for as long as I can remember,. 

This doesn't make sense to me. I always thought that "Attempt to avoid relegation" means that the board thought it was unlikely that we were going to avoid relegation and that relegation was actually expected. I thought that it was often an indication that sacking wouldn't follow relegation. 

Eyama (EQG)(ESP) was signed when it became clear that there was no way that Crespo was going to join us, (despite him playing in the 2nd Tier in Germany). They wanted a guaranteed fee of £41M in the contract for us to do a loan deal, despite the fact that VfL Bochum obviously have no such clause. 

We're paying £72,500 per month, (when the next highest paid player at the club earns only £30,500 per month), but my expectation is that he won't be here for long and I expect to make a tidy profit on him as we only paid £3.1M for him, (all cash, up front). If we get relegated then there is a clause where he can leave for £3M so we will lose the £72,500 per month while he was here, plus £100,000 of the transfer fee so the chances are his being here will cost us somewhere in the region of £680,000, (plus a £1M signing on bonus so approx £1.7M), but if we avoid relegation then he has a min fee release clause of £20M and has signed to a 4.5 +1 deal. I obviously really like the look of him as an 18 year old and it just remains to be seen what sort of PA he has. It's unlikely to be amazing because they only wanted £3M for him and he was prepared to join us, but it is a step up in footballing terms because he had never previously played higher than the Spanish 2nd Tier. Either way, I'm willing to bet a £1.7M potential loss against his potential value, and also the very slim chance that he might just score enough goals to keep us up this season. He's played 3 games and scored 3 goals so far so that will do for me. I actually see him more as 1 of my wide strikers, but the problem is that because we no longer have someone like Crespo to play in the middle of the 3, I'm having to show-horn him into that position for now. Either way, I really like the look of him and I think we have a slightly bigger chance of staying up now. 

I should also add that although you can see that his Nationality is Spanish, you also might notice that his nickname suggests that previously Eq.Guinea was his primary Nationality and Spain his 2nd. In actual fact he's already represented Eq.Guinea at full International level twice, (scoring 2 goals), but because these games were friendlies he could still choose to swap to Spain, (which in an absolute Michael Ballacks of a rule if you ask me!).

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

Edited December 16, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Jtomsett11 said:

Nice to see a second win, keeping in touch! What did the board expect from this season, "a fight against relegation?" I'm always nervous about relegation in these scenarios where you massively overachieve as you never quite know if they'll sack you or not.

Yeah, the board objective was always "attempt" to avoid relegation and I think that's realistic. The promotion last season was a complete surprise so I didn't really have an awful lot of time to think about the repercussions if we were relegated at the end of this season, and even less so in light of the recent break I had from the save. 

Although my progress in FM has usually been more steady in previous issues of the game, I particularly remember getting relegated in FM14 with San Marino and not getting sacked. I'm sure I have been relegated and not sacked more recently than that, (I must have surely), but I can't remember ever being sacked and thinking that's ridiculous.

If we get sacked at the end of this season and then I get sacked then I think that will be ridiculous, but I will just have to deal with that as and when it happens. Although I've thought about it, (and mention Melilla specifically in the title), I'm not completely sure what I'm going to do. 

[Thebaker]

It seems odd that they think you should be higher with 'attempt to avoid relegation' and that they are disappointed by your position considering several teams are only just ahead of you. Perhaps the new chairman has high ambition and low patience.

[Jimbokav1971]

38 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

It seems odd that they think you should be higher with 'attempt to avoid relegation' and that they are disappointed by your position considering several teams are only just ahead of you. Perhaps the new chairman has high ambition and low patience.

Possibly. It's a shame that I hadn't checked it earlier. 

In fact, going back to my last save, (I save monthly), I can see this.....

The old regime were of pretty similar opinion. 

[Jimbokav1971]

January Transfer window. 2031.

Bermúdez was sold in the close-season and then loaned back in for free for the whole season. 

Mabasa (RSA) was bought more for potential rather than ability, but he's already featured regularly since arriving. I see him more of a striker than a midfielder, but for an 18 year old his mentals make him an attractive proposition for a central role. We paid £500,000 for him and he's already worth much more than that so this seems like good business. 

Eyama (EQG)(ESP) was the big signing this window, not because of the £3.1M fee but because of the wage. I really like him though and he has already really improved us. If we can stay up this will be a phenomenal piece of business, but if we get relegated then it will be a little bit of a mistake but absolutely worth the risk in my opinion. 

Dlamini (RSA) is one for the future largely because he's physically not ready yet, but I like the look of him and we will be losing the ageing Ramazani. (BDI)(BEL) before too long so it made sense to anticipate his absence. We signed him for £1M and the suggestion is that he's going to be worth much more than that. 

Mrabet (FRA)(MAR) is a bit of a strange one. We had agreed a deal to sign him on a free at the end of the season but they they only asked for £20,000 to make the transfer immediate so it seemed silly not to. He's still got 5.0 PA, but his valuation, (even with the low fee paid), makes me think that he possibly won't live up to his 5.0 PA billing. 

Condé (ESP)(MLI) is a bit of a punt in the dark due to his age, but his PA is still 4.5 PA after arriving so there is still hope and the fact that we nabbed him on a free makes it really low-risk too. 

Ouahabi (TUN)(FRA) was another who was initially signed on a free to join at the end of the season, but an immediate transfer for £81,000 seemed like a good deal so I went for it. He's still showing as 5.0 PA so we will see how things develop. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2031. 

LaLiga. When we beat Mallorca it meant we had gone 3 games unbeaten for the 1st time this season and although 3 losses followed and we dropped back to bottom of the league, we're still in there kicking and fighting. 

Next month we play 1st, 3rd, 4th and 8th, which are unlikely to yield any points, so it's even more important that we get something from Pamplona game. Usually I would say this this is a must win game, but actually I think it's just must not lose. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Facilities. The loan isn't for the Facilities at all. It's for the new stadium which houses the new facilities. 

New El Presidente. Same old responses. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2031. 

LaLiga. I was hoping/expecting to collect 3 pts from the Atletico Pamplona game, but we were well beaten and came away with nothing. On the plus side we scored 2 goals to draw against 4th placed Real Hispalis and 3 against 10th placed Sevilla, but these 5 goals only earned us a paltry 2 points. As a result we're now 3 pts adrift at the bottom of the table. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Confidence. Apr 2031.

It's been a long time since I've had one of these, and I don't think I have ever one quite like this. The issue isn't our results, (even though they're not great), and instead it's the dressing room atmosphere, (which obviously I can't fix without a win). 

Well this is a surprise. The issue is our loss against 10th placed Sevilla. We were drawing 1-1 after about an hour when we had not 1 but 2 players sent off and ended up losing 2-1. How are we meant to win with 9 men? 

[Jimbokav1971]

Job Offer #5. Apr 2031. 

It's strange that I'm managing this piddly little club and over-achieving enormously and they're on the verge of sacking me, while at the same time bigger clubs are approaching me. It doesn't really make sense. Either I'm doing well or I'm not doing well. There shouldn't be any "perception" issues here. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake day. Apr 2031. 

Preview. 

Summary. 

Squad by PA. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2031. 

LaLiga. We more than did our bit this month with 7 points from 5 games, but we were largely dragged there by Eyama (EQG)(ESP) who scored 5 out of our 6 goals this month and was instrumental in our wins. He's now scored 13 goals in 17 appearances this season and God only knows where we would be without him. We've got 6 wins and 9 draws in the league now and if I'm honest I thought this would be enough to keep us up, but I was way off the mark. We're 6 pts behind Levante with 4 games remaining. We have home games against Albacete (10th) and Valencia (8th), before we finish with away games at Vigo (14th) and Las Palmas (16th).We've given it a right good go, but I think we're going to come up short. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

[ucdark]

Ohhh, 4 matches left, 6 points diff. May is gonna be stressing 

[Jimbokav1971]

20 minutes ago, ucdark said:

Ohhh, 4 matches left, 6 points diff. May is gonna be stressing 

Nah, almost zero chance of us pulling it off. We lost to Albacete and then beat Valencia, so with 2 games remaining we're still adrift by 4 pts. If we win our last 2 games, (which are both away from home), then we survive unless Las Palmas pick up at least 2 points from their last 2 games. 

There is no way we're winning both our away games. We've only won 9 away points all season. 

[Jimbokav1971]

9 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Nah, almost zero chance of us pulling it off. We lost to Albacete and then beat Valencia, so with 2 games remaining we're still adrift by 4 pts. If we win our last 2 games, (which are both away from home), then we survive unless Las Palmas pick up at least 2 points from their last 2 games. 

There is no way we're winning both our away games. We've only won 9 away points all season. 

We've been relegated with 2 games remaining at Las Palmas smashed Getafe 4-1 to survive. 

All that remains is to see if I keep my job or am sacked. 

[Jimbokav1971]

New contract. May 2031. 

I only realised my contract was up for renewal after our relegation was confirmed, and in my head I just assumed that while I wouldn't actually be sacked, they would just decline to offer me a new contract and that would be that. 

They have (surprisingly in my book), offered me a new 2 year deal. Don't get me wrong, I think I've done a brilliant job given the resources, but I honestly thought that was the end. I had even decided that it actually might be quite interesting to take this "African-Only" template into another Nation. (I guess that will have to wait for a while). 

[Sonic Youth]

That’s a good effort at avoiding relegation, with the start to the season what I’d point to as the place where you didn’t pick up many points.

Nice to see you getting a two year contract as well!

The signing of Eyama looks inspired too, considering how far off you’d have been without him.

This off/pre-season is going to be interesting to see what you decide to focus on 

[Jtomsett11]

8 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

New contract. May 2031. 

I only realised my contract was up for renewal after our relegation was confirmed, and in my head I just assumed that while I wouldn't actually be sacked, they would just decline to offer me a new contract and that would be that. 

They have (surprisingly in my book), offered me a new 2 year deal. Don't get me wrong, I think I've done a brilliant job given the resources, but I honestly thought that was the end. I had even decided that it actually might be quite interesting to take this "African-Only" template into another Nation. (I guess that will have to wait for a while). 

Bloody well deserved! Thought you might avoid relegation there in the end but at least you weren't disgraced at all. Seems the whole board confidence is still not quite working as intended,  with random results/ decisions the cause of problems rather than overall longer term trends etc. 

[Jimbokav1971]

May 2031. 

LaLiga. When we lost at home to Albacete I knew the gig was up. Beating Valencia didn't even give me a glimmer of hope and then Las Palmas won before we even played Vigo and relegation was confirmed.  It was only after Vigo gave us a right doing that I realised that the last game of the season was against Las Palmas, (what a cliff-hanger that would have been had we managed to take it to the last game), but in any case we didn't win and I can't really complain about relegation and am just grateful that I didn't lose my job, (although I had warmed to the idea of taking African-Footy to a new Nation over the last month or so). The save might have started as just Ceuta or Melilla, but I'm 100% comfortable managing someone else now if I get the sack. It certainly won't be the end of the save. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

FInances. 

Supporter Profile. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

That’s a good effort at avoiding relegation, with the start to the season what I’d point to as the place where you didn’t pick up many points.

Nice to see you getting a two year contract as well!

The signing of Eyama looks inspired too, considering how far off you’d have been without him.

This off/pre-season is going to be interesting to see what you decide to focus on 

Yep, the 2nd half of the season was much stronger than the 1st, and while I might try to pretend that this is just young players developing over the course of the season, it's actually down to the signings made in January, particularly that of Eyama (EQG)(ESP).

1st half of season. P19 W2 D6 L11. GF10. GA29. GD-19. Pts 12.
2nd half of season. P19 W5 D4 L10. GF23. GA40. GD-17. Pts 19.

I have no doubt that we stay up if we sign him in the Summer rather than January. 

The bad news though is that he's not interested in negotiating a new contract and has a £3M min fee relegation release clause and Fulham are already sniffing round him. I've offered him out for a smaller fee to include a friendly, 25% re-sale and a loan back, and we will see if that works. Either way, he won't be here next season. 

Me offering him out for £1M, 25%, a friendly and a loan back would be great for us, and the sharks have started circling. I'm happy to make a loss on him if it means we get him back for another season. 

[Jimbokav1971]

33 minutes ago, Jtomsett11 said:

Bloody well deserved! Thought you might avoid relegation there in the end but at least you weren't disgraced at all. Seems the whole board confidence is still not quite working as intended,  with random results/ decisions the cause of problems rather than overall longer term trends etc. 

There was a little period in the New year where I thought we might do it, but we always seemed to be behind the curve and were always chasing someone eles results rather than forcing them to react to our wins. I can't really complain. It would have been ridiculous to have relegation with that squad. 

Yeah the confidence doesn't seem right. I'm delighted to have kept my job, (because I had resigned myself to losing it at 1 point), so we will have to hope that more gradual progress is rewarded in future. Not sure I'm too keen to go straight back up next season with that in mind. I know we receive a parachute payment of approx £11.5M or something next season, but I don't know how many seasons we get it for ir if it's a 1 time only deal. In any case I think I'm really happy with how things are within teh club structure wise and if if we can just develop the Facilities some more we will quickly become financially independent of the TV money. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Facilities. Jun 2031. 

It's just so frustrating that they won't improve the Youth Recruitment. Never seen anything like this. 

[Rikulec]

You put up a very good fight in La Liga despite the gulf in player quality and club size, well done. Unlucky in the end.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad by PA. Jun 2031. 

We've got a fair amount of depth at the club now even knowing that we will lose (28c) Bermúdez 5'10" and expecting that we will lose Eyama (EQG)(ESP). 

I'm not expecting to dominate LaLiga2 next season and I also don't want to either, but I certainly want to be in and around the Playoffs. I've added Min fee clause values because they're important in a save like this.

I'm obviously keen to improve the squad, but I want them to be young players that we can sell for a profit. 

We have 11x 5.0 players at the club, (9 if we ignore Bermúdez and Eyama), 3x are the best players from each of the last 3 intakes and then we have 6x Africans. 7 of the 11 are teenagers and the 2 that aren't teenagers are 20 and 21 so things are looking decent there. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2031. 

Considering we've just been relegated, I don't want to bring in too many players because we've already got a young squad with lots of potential so it would be madness to bring better players, (in terms of CA), in above them, (stunting their development). 

What I really need to do is work out where we're weak and where we're strong. Then just fill the gaps. 

GK. 

(28c) Bermudez is leaving but it appears that (31a) Fernando might be decent so I will be throwing him straight in. 

DL. 

(23b) Escalona (VEN) * is plenty good enough for LaLiga2 and he will be supported by Aradj (ALG)(FRA). I'm going to try and get  Letsema (RSA) 5'10" out on loan.

DR. 

Ngiamba (COG)(FRA) will be 1st choice at right back and Dlamini (RSA) will provide backup. Stalwart Ramazani. (BDI)(BEL) will hopefully be leaving. 

DC.

Moloko (RSA) 6'4" & Nchama (EQG)(ESP) 6'2" will be our starting pair with Diakité (CIV)(FRA) 6'1" and Aremu (ESP)(NGA) 6'0" supporting them. 

That should free up the following players to go out on loan. 

Nogbou (CIV)(FRA) 6'3"
(23c) Víctor 6'2" *
Diédhiou (SEN)

Mohamed. (MAR)(ESP) 6'0" can be sold/released. 

MC. We're playing a 433 at the moment with a flat 3 in the middle of the pitch. I don't think I'm going to return to 442 anytime soon, but I'm also not convinced that 433 is the way to go either. (I just think 3 strikers is a bit of a cheat that the AI can't cope with). With that in mind and the thinking that I'm probably going to stick with 3 in the middle of the pitch, (but possibly have them in a DM diamond at some point in the future), I think I need some real depth here.

I've always liked using an RGA so I think I've done that to death, and I don't want a DLP or a RPM because I've done that too. I want the DM to be a proper Makelele DM. I want him to just win the ball again and again and again and again and again. I like the idea of a HB(d), but I think the answer right now is A(d).

DLP(s) Aidir (MAR)(ESP) I want to really look for a young DLP. Mabasa (RSA) is a striker but I think he can fill in as a DLP. 
BWM(s) - A(d)? Nchama (EQG)(ESP) 6'2" & Ouahabi (TUN)(FRA) (30a) Álex.
CM(a) Diallo (FRA)(MLI) & Coulibaly (MLI)(ESP).

Mohamed. (COM)(FRA) 6'3" is leaving this Summer. 

SC. We're not playing with wide players other than full-backs, so wide players either have to play up front, at full back or in central midfield. That's really not ideal. 

SLC. Lebese (RSA) & Mrabet (FRA)(MAR). 
SC. Eyama (EQG)(ESP) We're really lacking a central striker if Eyama goes and as that's almost a foregone conclusion I don't need to sign just 1. I need to sign 2. 
SRC. (29a) Gil & Benachour (ALG)(FRA)

Eshun (GHA)(ENG) can go on loan. 
Condé (ESP)(MLI) can go on loan.
Dieng (NOR)(SEN) can go on loan.

Awudu. (GHA) is leaving. 
Mendy. (SEN)(ESP) can be sold. 
(23f) Francisco. SC can be sold. 
Balogun. (ESP)(NGA) can be sold. 

[Jimbokav1971]

5 hours ago, Rikulec said:

You put up a very good fight in La Liga despite the gulf in player quality and club size, well done. Unlucky in the end.

Yeah, thanks. 

It would have been a miracle had we pulled it off. In some way I'm almost glad that we didn't escape because it would have been just ridiculous. 

[Jellico73]

19 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

New contract. May 2031. 

I only realised my contract was up for renewal after our relegation was confirmed, and in my head I just assumed that while I wouldn't actually be sacked, they would just decline to offer me a new contract and that would be that. 

They have (surprisingly in my book), offered me a new 2 year deal. Don't get me wrong, I think I've done a brilliant job given the resources, but I honestly thought that was the end. I had even decided that it actually might be quite interesting to take this "African-Only" template into another Nation. (I guess that will have to wait for a while). 

I think if you had been in last place with no hopes of staying up, instead of fighting to stay up until the very end, they would gave sacked you.

[Jimbokav1971]

Jul 2031. 

Finances. 

Records. 

Transfers. 

Players In. 

Players Out.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Jellico73 said:

I think if you had been in last place with no hopes of staying up, instead of fighting to stay up until the very end, they would gave sacked you.

I think you're probably right. 

[DavidBeckham]

Ndlovu looks fantastic! What a finisher at just 19 and his off the ball is great as well!

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2031. 

Pre-season. Pre-season went ok, (not that it matters), and the biggest issue I faced was not only finding a 2nd striker to act as backup for Eyama, but then replacing Eyama once his min fee clause was met. We knew it was going to happen, but still. 

LaLiga. 3 wins from 4 is decent, but we actually played really well against Getafe, but we couldn't but the ball in the net and they somehow managed to score 3 times. The xG was similar but we had 60% possession and 12 corners to their 1. Maybe they just carried out a really effective game plan. 

Goal-scoring GK's. I've made an interesting choice in our 1st choice GK this season because although Diarra (MLI)(ESP) 6'2" is a current Malian International, I have decided to go for 16 year old (31a) Fernando on the basis that he appears to have the best PA at the club and it's far easier to blood him in the 2nd tier this season than possibly getting promoted with Diarra playing this season and then trying to blood (31a) Fernando in LaLiga next season. If this is the difference between promotion and another season at this level then so be it. 

Finances. 

Facilities. We finally get a Youth Recruitment upgrade agreed. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Summer Transfer window. Aug 2031. 

We've brought in £4.7M with the sale of Eyama (EQG)(ESP) plus assorted others, but have only spent £400,000 in bringing in replacements. 

Players In. I brought in 2 DL's, a DC and a SC to replace (23b) Escalona (VEN) * (DL),  Letsema (RSA) 5'10" (DL), Aremu (ESP)(NGA) 6'0" (DC) and Eyama (EQG)(ESP) (SC), 

Players Out. 3 of the players we sold only left because their min fee release clauses were met. Although we only lost £100,000 on the Eyama (EQG)(ESP) deal, we also lost £1M in terms of a signing bonus, (although it's possible the buying club would have had to pay whatever was outstanding on that I think), but he was also on a pretty hefty wage while he was here. I think I mentioned at the time that it was a slightly risky signing, but it was one that so nearly came off. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that. 

[Jimbokav1971]

9 hours ago, DavidBeckham said:

Ndlovu looks fantastic! What a finisher at just 19 and his off the ball is great as well!

Yeah I liked the look of him initially, but his pace isn't what I would want it to be, (although acceleration is still decent). As a 5.0 PA teenager though, I'm really paying for what I can turn him into rather than what he is now, so that's fine I think. A few points on pace, agility, strength & composure should help him no end. 

He's not been in great form though. Lots of chances/shots here, but not much in terms of xG. He did however hit the woodwork twice in the loss to Getafe. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2031. 

LaLiga. A bit of a poor month, but only 1 loss so it's certainly not a disaster. The B Teams can't be promoted so it's interesting to see the league table look like this with the playoff positions spread out.

Goal-scoring GK's. 

Finances. 

Ndlovu (RSA) scored 3 goals this month, but there is much more to come from him. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2031. 

LaLiga. A really tough month. We actually played ok in terms of performances, but the results just haven't fallen for us. As a result we've fallen from 6th to 14th in the league. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

Ndlovu (RSA) only scored 1 goal this month 

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2031. 

LaLiga. We were better this month but our results are still really inconsistent and we're conceding far too many goals, (but I suppose that's what happens when you play a 16 year old in goal with a really young team). 

Goal-scoring GK's.

 

 

 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2031. 

La Liga. We've gone from a run of really quite poor form, to now winning 4 on the bounce and 5 in our last 7. We're back up to 8th place in the league, but we're 7 pts adrift on the last playoff 

spot. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. I thought we were crashing out against La Liga opposition, but young GK Fernando came up trumps and rescued with a brace of pens, (after providing a brace of assists in the previous game). 

Goal-scoring GK's. After 0 goals and 0 assists in his 1st 13 career appearances, Fernando has now scored 5 goals and 2 assists in his last 7 games. 

 

 

Finances. 

Youth Intake preview. I looked at this initially and my eyes were drawn to A, A, B, C & C and I wasn't impressed. Then I saw that the intake was rated as 5.0 "Excellent", (that's a surprise), and then I saw that as well as strikers being listed as an "A" position, we also had 3 coming through in this intake, (remember I swapped from the U19's Manager to the HoYD after the last intake preview). Maybe this won't be as bad as I initially feared..... 

Records.

Job Offers. I'm not really interested in the Villarreal job. It's probably the least attractive of the clubs to approach me, despite the fact that their "club vision" was actually really in sync with my own. 

Facilities. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2032. 

LaLiga. What a strange month. I picked the squad for the Malaga game based on PA rather than CA. They were top of the table and we were away and had a Cup game a few days later so it made sense. What didn't make sense was that we ran out convincing 4-2 winners im a stupendous performance!  Possibly even more impressive was that despite having a player sent off after 21 mins against Vallecano, we still almost got a result and were hugely unlucky not to get something out of the game. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey. We were good against Valladolid and unlucky to lose, but that's the way it goes. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

Records. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan Transfer window. Feb 2032. 

Shezi (RSA) was a player I was really keen to sign because I felt we were short up front in terms of a real proper clinical finisher. £275,000 seems an absolute bargain and he announced himself in some style with a brace away at top of the table Málaga.

Chimwemwe (ZIM)(RSA) seems an interesting signing and his standout qualities are clear for all to see with First Touch (16) Technique (17) and Decisions (16) all very impressive for a player so young. At £250,000 (rising to £300,000) he's another bargain and it will be interesting to see how he develops. 

Vilakazi (RSA) * is a player that I have been tracking for a while but I could never seem to get a deal done. In the end I managed to sign him for just £1M (rising to £2M), and I don't have an issue with that price at all. We don't use wingers at the moment, but that hasn't put me off signing him at all. I would happily play him on the right, (or left), up front. I am looking at developing a 2nd tactic, (because I'm still not sold on the 433 we're using), but think I avoid going back to the 442 that I feel like I have done to death and want to do something with a 3 in midfield where the DM is something other than a RGA. 

Alpou (REU)(FRA) * is another that has been on the radar for quite a while despite only being 18 years old. He's opted to play for (REU) rather than (FRA) which means he's likely to accumulate a lot of caps. He's still a bit raw, (as you would expect), but I like the look of him and of course he has been signed as a 5.0 PA player rather than for his CA.

[_Ben_]

This season has proven what an amazing job you did last year, Jim. You’ve been relegated yet aren’t among the best teams. I, like you, am finding some real gems in Africa this year - I guess I must credit you for that inspiration!

[Jimbokav1971]

6 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

This season has proven what an amazing job you did last year, Jim. You’ve been relegated yet aren’t among the best teams. I, like you, am finding some real gems in Africa this year - I guess I must credit you for that inspiration!

I've got to admit I really put a lot of effort in last season. I mean I properly looked at EVERYTHING!

I'm far more relaxed this season and if we don't go up then it's no big deal and although I'm aiming for the playoffs it won't be a disaster if we don't make it at all. As good as we did last year though, I wonder at how the hell I got that group promoted in the 1st place! I think it was just down to Crespo if I'm honest. Had he stayed we would probably have been playing in Europe now. 

With regards to Africa, it also gave me an interesting viewpoint on the recent World Cup irl. Morocco were obviously brilliant, (and I loved their Conte style), but Senega, Cameroon & Ghana also had their moments and even Tunisia did ok, (they beat France ffs!!!!!) 

The biggest frustration I'm finding though is that there are almost too many South African players to scout, (it being the only active African structure). I didn't use an edited database because I started with the Beta, but I should have tweaked things slightly in terms of African Nations, 

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2032. 

LaLiga. We're playing ok, but we're not really "clicking" and we're certainly not as clinical or as consistent as we need to be. I suppose that's because we have such a young squad who are still developing and having an extra-young GK to add to that just makes things worse. We're only 2 places off the Playoffs though, (although it's 8 points), but there's still plenty of football still to be played and playoffs is still the aim.

#

Goal-scoring GK's. Just the 1 shot this month, (off target). 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2032. 

LaLiga. 4 wins on the bounce is brilliant and brings us level on points with Lugo in the last Playoff spot. We've still got 10 games to play so there is plenty of time for the position to change, but we're the form team in the league right now. 

Goal-scoring GK's. A really good month for Fernando as he scored in 3 consecutive games, bagged his 1st free-kick and brought his tally for the season, (and career), to 9 goals. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake day. Apr 2032. 

Preview. 

Summary. 

Squad by PA. 

 

[Sonic Youth]

This season’s flown by so far, feeling relaxed. How is the board and fans feeling about this season?

That youth intake is intriguing! Two strikers, with one the second coming of Crespo (), while the other a potentially inverted wide/winger forward (know how you love righties on the left ) looking player to progress the play. Plus, another GK who’s got quite eccentric and two footed. If they all turn out for you, it will be a good intake.

[Jimbokav1971]

12 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

This season’s flown by so far, feeling relaxed. How is the board and fans feeling about this season?

That youth intake is intriguing! Two strikers, with one the second coming of Crespo (), while the other a potentially inverted wide/winger forward (know how you love righties on the left ) looking player to progress the play. Plus, another GK who’s got quite eccentric and two footed. If they all turn out for you, it will be a good intake.

It does look decent, but it's just so early that it's impossible to tell. 

I like both the strikers. Initially I preferred the French/Basque kid, but the Spaniard has better mentals. We will just have to see how they develop. 

I noticed the GK's eccentricity too.  Again, we will see how he develops because obviously Fernando is doing pretty well  at the moment and only came through the previous intake so we're not exactly in a rush for another GK. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2032. 

LaLiga. We're unbeaten in 9 league games now and into the Playoffs. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Finances. 

Facilities. 

[Sonic Youth]

Nice, into the playoffs. Still tight though.

That defense is a little leaky too. Hopefully everything comes together in the last games for the season. It will be another amazing season to see Ceuta be promoted again!

[Thebaker]

Looks like 2 great strikers there, David is probably better than he looks as he is 2 footed.

Edited December 23, 2022 by Thebaker

[Jimbokav1971]

6 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Nice, into the playoffs. Still tight though.

That defense is a little leaky too. Hopefully everything comes together in the last games for the season. It will be another amazing season to see Ceuta be promoted again!

It is tight, but we've only lost 1 of our last 13 and only drew 2 more. We're the form team in the league right now and we're not being carried along by a Crespo as was the case the last time we got promoted. Goals being shared about although Shezi (RSA) has made quite an impact with 9 goals in 9(5) appearances. 

9 goals in 14 games is brilliant, but just to put that in perspective, our GK Fernando has 6 goals and an assist in his last 13 games. 

The goal for me is still the playoffs rather than promotion, but if we do sneak up I will be far happier managing this squad in LaLiga than I was with the last lot.