[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]

Aug 2033. 

Strategy. With 20 players out on loan, and 7 more left on permanent deals, (even without players being released), the squad has been trimmed and this has been a conscious decision by me. The biggest danger to me and the club is player unhappiness and we simply can't afford to have so many players competing for so few spots in so few games. As a result I have 21 players registered for the league and after that I will use U19 and B Team players to flesh out the squad. 

LaLiga. We're unbeaten after 3 games and I couldn't be happier. 

Goal-scoring GK's. No goals and no shots. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2033. 

Transfers. I thought the window was closed. It wasn't.  They met his min fee release clause and I wasn't expecting. All I could do was recall Khelifa (FRA)(ALG) 6'4" from the 4th tier and as I'm not even paying him enough to register him, I've had to stick him in the B Team as a workaround. I expect this to have a significant impact on our season. 

We even had to pick a grey player in goal for the Vallecano game because there was a B Team fixture on the same day and I hadn't made any of the GK's unavailable for the B Team. 

LaLiga. It's a tough month. How we kept a clean sheet with a grey GK in goal I have no idea. 

Goal-scoring GK's. We had a grey GK in the 1st game this month and then Khelifa (FRA)(ALG) 6'4" played in the next 2 games. The reason no stats are showing up is because he's in the B Team but not playing B Team games so 1st Team data doesn't show up. 

Records. 

Finances.  What with £20M from the sale of Fernando and another £10M from the sale of Crespo we're now really comfortable financially. 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2033. 

LaLiga. We;ve got absolutely zero chance of qualifying for Europe with this rubbish GK. 8 (EIGHT) goals stings a bit but we're still 

Goal-scoring GK's. Nothing to see here. 

Facilities. 

Finances. 

[Sonic Youth]

Oh wow, Fernando’s gone! And again needing to bed in another GKer, just as the team was coming together.

It’s a good thing that you’ve got money in the bank to get a better level of replacement if necessary 

This season now has an extra level of interest about it. It will be curious if you can still become a team competing for Europe.

[Jimbokav1971]

6 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Oh wow, Fernando’s gone! And again needing to bed in another GKer, just as the team was coming together.

It’s a good thing that you’ve got money in the bank to get a better level of replacement if necessary 

This season now has an extra level of interest about it. It will be curious if you can still become a team competing for Europe.

I was surprised that his min fee release clause was so low. I think I snoozed here and of course you can cancel a bid or bids if you trigger an +1 option on a player, but this obviously doesn't work when the min fee clause has been met. The truth is I'm just not used to playing in SPain where everyone has a min fee release clause and I need to pay more attention. 

I think the problem is that a couple of years ago, £20M seemed like an enormous amount of money, but now, especially when it's for a player where we have little/no backup it seems an awful deal. In my head I kept thinking, "we have a +3 option on him so I don't have to worry about him leaving". WRONG! 

This is the squad sorted by PA with their min fee release clauses down the right hand side. 

£10M, £10M, £10M, £30M, £5M, £20M, £5M, £25M, £50M, £17.5M, £5M, £20M, £17M.....

I guess it's just sods law that it's the 1 player in the whole squad who I didn't have a replacement for. 

[Jimbokav1971]

6 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Oh wow, Fernando’s gone!

To be completely fair, I think his development had gone under the radar and I should have expected someone to come in for him based on how he looks. 

He's actually gone to Dortmund as a starter!  I wasn't expecting that either. He's not playing very well so far, but then again he's 18 years old so we shouldn't be expecting too much. 

The suggestion is that he can get a LOT better.  Yeah, I think I screwed up here. In my head I had expected to have him for 5 more years, (or a fee after 4 years).

I should point out that he scored all 16 of his penalties and that's the most I've ever seen a GK score without missing. (I think that 9 was the previous record). I'm gutted that I'm not going to be able to go further with him. 

[Thebaker]

Shame that fernando has gone, are you going to bring in a GK in jan or sooner on a free?   Solid is an unusual description for a player, especially one who is not strong, i wonder what it actually describes.

[Jimbokav1971]

46 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

Shame that fernando has gone, are you going to bring in a GK in jan or sooner on a free?   Solid is an unusual description for a player, especially one who is not strong, i wonder what it actually describes.

I noticed that too and wondered the same thing. It's also unusual for a young GK too I think. 

Well the window is closed at the moment but I have 125 GK's on my African shortlist and 6 of them are on either Amateur ot non-contract contracts. Unfortunately they all seem absolutely pants and even worse than the best 2 young GK's we have currently at the club. 

Khelifa (FRA)(ALG) 6'4" is the best we have. That's doesn't speak for much because he's currently conceding goals at a rate of a goal every 30 mins so...... 

(32c) Lazić (ESP)(SRB) is the only other one that I would consider playing, (but then again the rubbish GK kept a clean sheet against Vallecano so what the hell do I know!), and is 4 years younger, but how good either of these players might be in the future doesn't hide the fact that they are nowhere near the level we need them to be right now. 

On the plus side I think we're good enough to avoid relegation with either of these 2 playing in goal all season, but the minus side we're certainly not good enough to qualify for Europe with either of these 2 in the starting XI. 

In summary, anyone that I could sign wouldn't be able to join us until the window opens on 4th Jan 2034 and we have 7 league games and a Copa del Rey game to play before then. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Nov 2033. 

LaLiga. I selected a starting XI against Barca based on PA rather than CA, (as I did last month against Real Madrid). I don't mind losing these games and it seems sensible to rest the 1st choice players and keep the 2nd strong happy by giving them game-time. We were great against Albacete though and 5x 1st half goals was no more than we deserved and proved the benefit in my rotation policy.  We battered Real Hispalis and really should have won, but just weren't clinical enough on the day and they were. 

Goal-scoring GK's. He might have shipped 8 goals against Real Madrid last month and 7 goals this month against Barca, but he kept a clean sheet against Albacete and also chipped in with 2 goals himself this month. 

 

 

Facilities.

Affiliates. We started with just the B Team, (who frustratingly are still in an unplayable league by the way), but I have managed to add 2 junior affiliates. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Dec 2023. 

LaLiga. We picked up a valuable 3 points against Real San Sebastian, but I was hoping that we might have nicked something against Valencia as we drew the xG battle 2.27 - 2.27 but lost the game. We're 9 points clear of the relegation zone, but I was much happier before S. Gijón won their last 2 games. 

Copa de Su Majestad el Rey.

Goal-scoring GK's. 3 more goals brings Khelifa to 5. 

 

 

 

Youth Intake preview. If I could have picked any positions to be rated an A I would have picked, GK, DC and MC, so I can't complain about this at all. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan 2034. 

LaLiga. A good month almost turned into a great month, but we couldn't finish off Vallecano. We're 13th in the league, 13 points clear of relegation. 

Goal-scoring GK's. It only took Al-Obaidi (LBY) 2 games to get off the mark and we've now scored 22 consecutive penalties, (albeit with 3 different GK's). Fernando scored 16, Khelifa scored 5 and now Al-Obaidi has scored 1. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Feb 2034. 

LaLiga. Our 1st 100% month and we;ve moved up to 10th in the league. Unfortunately we're 9 points off the Playoffs and that's too big a gap for us to close I think because we have some tough games coming up. 

The Sevilla win was pleasing for 2 reasons. 1st of all they were in 4th and we were playing away, but also because (27a) Crespo * is now playing for them, but the 2nd reason is because I rotated all 10 outfield players to give is the best chance of winning the easier Espanyol game 4 days later. 

(27a) Crespo * looks amazing and has scored 10 goals in 11(7) appearances since joining them, after scoring 25 goals in 37 games for Bournemouth in the Championship last season as they romped the league by 15 points.  He really should be playing for a bigger club and God only knows how Sevilla managed to sign him for just £35M. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 2 goals in 5 games is decent for Al-Obaidi (LBY). As is his average rating of 7.46.

 

Finances. 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Mar 2034. 

LaLiga. Despite a really tough run of fixtures, (we lost 4 games this month), we're still only 5 points off the playoffs with 8 games remaining. Only 3 of the 8 games are at home, but they do seem to be decent fixtures. Can we pull this off? 

Top goal-scorer. With 8 league games still to play this season, Shezi (RSA) has already scored 23 league goals, (in 27(1) appearances), and is just 1 goal behind Figueiras of Levante. Nobody has scored more than 29 goals in LaLiga since this save began. I think they will do this season. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Facilities. 

Records. 

Job Offer. 

NxGn 2034.

Finances. 

[Sonic Youth]

Looking good!

How much of where Ceuta are now is down to Fernando and how much is to other parts of the team needing tweaking?

Sheri and Madidilani are playing well if one is vying for golden boot and the other made it into the top 50 of NXGN. Including the other RSA player sold to Sevilla, what’s up with all the South African youngsters?

8 finals to go for European football! 

[Jimbokav1971]

4 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Looking good!

How much of where Ceuta are now is down to Fernando and how much is to other parts of the team needing tweaking?

Sheri and Madidilani are playing well if one is vying for golden boot and the other made it into the top 50 of NXGN. Including the other RSA player sold to Sevilla, what’s up with all the South African youngsters?

8 finals to go for European football! 

I think we're actually a relatively balanced team at the moment. We don't really have many stars in terms of CA. The starting lineup has everyone between 2.5 and 4.0 CA stars.

The main reason we have so many South Africans is (I think), because they're the only active structure in Africa, so it's far easier to scout. It's not as easy to scout an inactive Nation.

We've actually only get 3x (RSA) players in our best starting XI, but there are 11 at the club, (all between 19-24). I don't know if there are more South AFricans in the game, (I think there are), but it's just what my scouts are finding. 

[Jimbokav1971]

4 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

how much is to other parts of the team needing tweaking?

We're constantly looking for new players, but new signings seem to disrupt us significantly and especially as I want to qualify for Europe I'm considering just using a settled squad for a little while. Our upturn in performances this season, (even without a proper GK), seem to be on the back of a much smaller squad where we haven;t even registered the full compliment of players. Yes of course players still want to leave, but all in all it's been a much happier group. 

Ideally I would have the following. 

1x GK. (They get injured so rarely I will take my chance with just 1 + an U19). 
2x DL.
2x DR.
4x DC.
6x MC.
6x MC.

That's only 21 players and until we play in Europe I can't see us needing more. Obviously U19 players don't count and we seem to have a few gems knocking about so that's a bonus, but with this number of games, we don't need a bigger squad, (and it's also counter-productive in terms of player development too). 

If we do somehow qualify for Europe then it will give me the freedom to sign more players, but if we just miss out then I will probably just look to significantly upgrade individual players, (if I can). At the same time though, I'm very mindful of the high PA players we have coming through and the last thing I want to do is clog up their pathway to the 1st Team with expensive ageing signings. 

In terms of 5.0 PA players, this is what we've got. 

The biggest thing in Youth Development is actually playing the players. If I keep signing new players with better CA and playing them ahead of the youngsters then most of them will never make it.

This is what our line-up would look like if I only looked at 5.0 PA players. We actually have 4 strikers for just 3 positions. At the same time I can't even sell 21yo Shezi (RSA) despite the fact that I think he will obliterate the LaLiga scoring record this season. 

GK. Fofana (FRA)(CIV) 5'9"
DL.
DR. Dlamini (RSA)
DC
DC. (33c) Francisco 6'3" *
MC. Madidilani (RSA)
MC.
MC.
SC. (33b) Marcos * & Alpou (REU)(FRA) *.
SC. (33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4"
SC. (29a) Gil

Then we look at 4.5 PA players where we have 6 more players. 

Then we add these 6 players into the system and this is what we have. 

GK(1). Fofana (FRA)(CIV) 5'9"
DL.
DR(1). Dlamini (RSA) & (33f) Tejera *.
DC
DC(1). (33c) Francisco 6'3" *
MC(1). Madidilani (RSA)
MC.
MC(2). (33a) Goñi (ESP)(BAS) * & (33e) Arnau *.
SC(2). (33b) Marcos * & Alpou (REU)(FRA) *.
SC(3). (33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4" & (32a) David & Zuma (RSA).
SC(2). (29a) Gil & (32b) Intxaurraga (FRA)(BAS)

This shows me that I would be absolutely bonkers to sign a striker.
We definitely need a DL and a DC and we also specifically need a BWM in midfield.

If we then add in the 4.0 PA players, (and there are 8 of them), then it gives us an even more complete picture & the position is even more stark. 

GK(1). Fofana (FRA)(CIV) 5'9"
DL(1). Nyamsi (FRA)(CMR)
DR(1). Dlamini (RSA) & (33f) Tejera *.
DC
DC(1). (33c) Francisco 6'3" *
MC(3). Madidilani (RSA) & Wissa (BEL)(COD)(ENG) & Almeida (CPV)(POR)
MC(2). (30a) Álex & Van Vuuren (RSA)
MC(2). (33a) Goñi (ESP)(BAS) * & (33e) Arnau *.
SC(2). (33b) Marcos * & Alpou (REU)(FRA) *.
SC(4). (33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4" & (32a) David & Zuma (RSA) & Shezi (RSA)
SC(4). (29a) Gil & (32b) Intxaurraga (FRA)(BAS) & Vilakazi (RSA) * & Condé (ESP)(MLI)

We're desperate for a centre-half or 2, but also a left back. 

Now remember, this only includes players with a minimum of 4.0 PA, but remember we've got players in the best starting XI with only 2.5 CA and there could be a big difference between 2.5 CA players and a 4.0 PA player. 

So I guess what I'm trying to do is show you how I work out what positions I need to spend on and where I can let players go. There probably isn't a single striker at the club who I wouldn't sell for the right money at the moment,, but obviously I'd be much less keen to sell a starting centre-half.

The danger however is that we get too bogged down in PA though. PA actually doesn't mean anything unless you can get the players there. 

Take this player for example. (30a) Álex has 4.0 PA and I've been trying, (and failing), to develop him. This season I sent him out on loan to the 3rd Tier but he wasn't playing well and wasn't developing so I recalled him and played him in the B Team here and he's not playing well and not developing and I've also played him in the 1st Team here when I have rotated the squad and of course he hasn't played well and isn't developing. The truth is I probably need to just stick him in and leave him in the team for a whole before making my mind up about him. If we were just looking to survive then that would be fine, but with our goal being Europe and his form being so poor, it's meant that he hasn't has the opportunities that I would like. At 19 yo it's not too late to save him, but it needs to start happening quickly for him. 

To try and do this for every player in every position is hard work. Of course it's easier for those who also have the CA to slot right into the 1st Team, but close season and just deciding who is where in the pecking order for each position is a mammoth task. 

I really don't want to fail (30a) Álex, but it's certainly not looking good at the moment. 

[Jimbokav1971]

(30a) Álex. Apr 2034.

Following on from the last post, I have a decision to make immediately. 

We have a LaLiga game today, (2nd April), (H) against 20th placed Almería.
We have a LaLiga game in 6 days tim, (9th April), (A) against 8th placed Albacete. 

I want (30a) Álex to start in 1 of these games. If we were just trying to avoid relegation then it's easy. I play the strongest possible lineup in the Almeria game, we win that and then I play a rotated squad against Albacete and (30a) Álex starts that game. Here though we should be taken the Almeria game as an automatic win and then also trying to win the Albacete game. In which case (30a) Álex should start the Almeria game and then be on the bench for the Albacete game. If he underperforms though we might lose the 1st game, (which we should be nailed on to win), and then lose the 2nd game which is possibly 50/50 anyway. 

The other thing of course is that I'm a fan of keeping "cells" together, so rather than rotate a single player in or out, I like to rotate "partnerships or cells" in or out. In the case of (30a) Álex, that means not just him but also his 2 midfield partners. So now I'm not just weakening us by playing him in the middle of the pitch against Almeria, but the 2 midfielders on either side of him will also have been rotated. Are they/we good enough to do that? 

Do you see what I mean?

In the end I played a full strength defence and attack against Almeria, but rotated the midfield and it cost us as we conceded 2 late goals to lose 3-2. (30a) Álex actually did ok and was withdrawn with the score at 2-2. 

That 2 points dropped is going to be costly come the end of the season I think. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake day. Apr 2034.

Preview. 

Summary.

Squad by PA. 

(34e) Santamaría is the player that most catches my eye, but of course he's another striker and to get anywhere near our 1st Team I think he will have to be very good. I was hoping for something a bit special from this intake after all the upgrades. I don't think we got it. 

Edited December 30, 2022 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intakes. 

It's really weird. I've obviously had some really good players come through the intake, but many of them have actually come through when our facilities weren't very good and when our reputation was much lower than it is now.

2023. I'm still of the opinion that the 1st intake in all saves at al clubs is over-powered. 

2027.

2028.

2029.

2031.

2032.

2033.

We've got the facilities up to a really good level now, (still improving), but after the most recent intake it doesn't feel like value for money. Maybe I'm being too greedy. I know we have had some good players come through already and there will be others (like (30a) Álex), who I think has good PA but who I just can't seem to develop for whatever reason). He is the sort of player who would have really benefited from having the B Team in a playable league where I could just stick him in as a starter and know that he will just play 60+ mins every week. 

I know this seems like I'm moaning and I probably am and should shut up and just enjoy the players we've produced, but I just guess I expect us to get more than this in a Nation like Spain. We're the 19th ranked club in Spain by rep, but we know/think that this only comes into play when the level of the facilities are equal. I suppose what we need to do is pop our rep to Continental and see how that impacts things, but to do that we need to start qualifying for Europe. That will in turn give us more games and more money that will allow us to develop our existing players, and buy new ones who are not currently interested. 

[Thebaker]

Looks like you have the backup GK covered now.

I suspect Alex is rubbish, if he came through with 1.5 CA then he is probably at his PA and the coaches have assumed his PA is higher. I have seen it before with players who are A or B in intakes with decent CA. At 22 the PA will drop to 2 stars from 4 overnight, with a reasonable personality and game time he should have improved.

In spain i found at LA liga level any 5 star youth player is probably world class as spain generates a lot of them, even at lower levels the players are very good.

I do understand what you mean about the 1st intake being too good. I once had a game with Methyr in the NLS who had poor facilities, my intake in the first season had 3 players who went on to play in the premier league!

[Jimbokav1971]

13 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

I do understand what you mean about the 1st intake being too good. 

Honestly. 

The only reason I'm not stating it as a statement of fact is because I haven't yet run the experiment to prove it. I am adamant that the 1st intake is OP. 

[Jimbokav1971]

15 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

Looks like you have the backup GK covered now.

Yeah we do. I'm not getting caught with my pants down like that again. 

I've just realised that I never did a January Transfer window update, (so will do that in a minute). 

Al-Obaidi (LBY) 6'3" will be our 1st choice for a while. 
(34a) Ojeda 5'11" has the best PA at 5.0, but because he's only been here a week I'm not sure I trust that rating.
Fofana (FRA)(CIV) 5'9" also has 5.0 PA, but I trust that more because it's a scout report rather than a week 1 coach report. 
If we add Khelifa (FRA)(ALG) 6'4" into the mix then we should be able to deal with just about anything the FM Gods throw at us. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Jan Transfer window. Apr 2034. 

In.

Out. 

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Thebaker said:

I suspect Alex is rubbish, if he came through with 1.5 CA then he is probably at his PA and the coaches have assumed his PA is higher. I have seen it before with players who are A or B in intakes with decent CA. At 22 the PA will drop to 2 stars from 4 overnight, with a reasonable personality and game time he should have improved.

You could be right, but he came through the 2030 intake and we've just had the 2034 intake and his PA rating is still decent at 4.5. When you consider how much our best players have improved from 2030, (I call it PA inflation/depreciation), I would say that a 0.5 drop in 4 years is actually pretty small. Even if he isn't 5.0 PA now and is only 4.5 PA, I'm still not getting the growth I would expect from him. He's a (Bal) personality but I have so far managed to not look "under his hood" at his hidden attributes 

Although he is inconsistent, these is nothing else hinted at in his coach report. 

I think I'm going to start him in every game next season and see how that works, give it to at least Christmas and then review things then. If he's not improving then I may just have to accept that the coaching report is wrong and he's just not very good. Of all the players I've had so far in this save, he's the player I've been most intrigued about. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2 hours ago, Thebaker said:

In spain i found at LA liga level any 5 star youth player is probably world class as spain generates a lot of them, even at lower levels the players are very good.

I think that's unlikely isn't it. I've got 11x 5.0 PA players at the club. It's enormously unlikely that they will all be worldclass isn't it? 

Maybe if I was managing Barca and they had a 5.0 player then that would suggest that they would be worldclass, but the level of player I have available is nothing like that of Barca. I will be happy if we have any worldclass players at the club. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Apr 2034. 

LaLiga. Well that well and truly has put an end to any hope we had of playing European football next season. 4 losses out of 6 last month followed up by 4 losses out of 5 this month and with 3 games remaining we find ourselves 13 points adrift of the playoffs, but 13 points clear of relegation. We're in mid-table oblivion. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 2 goals in his opening 5 games and then 0 in his following 11 games tells you all you need to know about our recent form. 

Finances. 

[Thebaker]

2 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I think that's unlikely isn't it. I've got 11x 5.0 PA players at the club. It's enormously unlikely that they will all be worldclass isn't it? 

Maybe if I was managing Barca and they had a 5.0 player then that would suggest that they would be worldclass, but the level of player I have available is nothing like that of Barca. I will be happy if we have any worldclass players at the club. 

 

In my first season in La liga i had a Gk come through, the 2nd of 4  5* players in that intake, my facilities were slightly better than yours. I loaned him out to L2 teams until he was 20 when i realised he was the equal of my 1st choice keeper  (and worth 35 million) and then played him. By 23 he was the spanish national keeper.

When i finished the save (fm23 came out) i looked under the hood, his PA was 178 and his CA 170, after 8 years in la liga finishing between 2nd-8th i had 6 youth players over 150PA and another 3 over 170.  To my mind any player over 150 could be worldclass with the right attributes even though i think they don't get the 'elite' description unless they are over 160CA

My facilities were almost maxed out by then 18-20 across the board and i had the 5th most reputable club although it was still only continental rep . Spain really does produce a lot of talented players.

[Jimbokav1971]

May 2034. 

LaLiga. We had a torrid time in the league in the last few months and managed to win only 3 of our last 14 games, (drawing only 1 more). That means that we lost 10 of our last 14 games. What an absolute shambles that is. 

Goal-scoring GK's.

Facilities. 

Records.

Awards. He may have missed 8 league games and finished the season injured, but Shezi (RSA) was still voted LaLiga Young Player of the Year and was Runner Up in the LaLiga Golden Boot. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. GK's. May 2034. 

After the debacle of (31a) Fernando going to Dortmund when they met his min fee release clause I have a little more depth and we should be safe. 

1st Team. Al-Obaidi (LBY) 6'3"
B Team. Khelifa (FRA)(ALG) 6'4"
U19's. (34a) Ojeda 5'11", (33k) Castro 6'3", (34i) Quintanilla 5'10"
Loan. (32c) Lazić (ESP)(SRB), Fofana (FRA)(CIV) 5'9", Khelifa (FRA)(ALG) 6'4".
Sell.
Release. (31d) Rojas.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. May 2034. DL's.

This is one of the weakest area of the team so with that in mind I have made 2 signings in this position that will arrive when the Summer window opens. I really like the look of & Lakhdar (MAR)(ESP) and my plan is to rotate him with the more experienced Nyamsi (FRA)(CMR). As a general rule Lakhdar (MAR)(ESP) will play in home games and Nyamsi (FRA)(CMR) will play away, but that might be swapped to easier/hard games depending on the opposition. 

1st Team. Nyamsi (FRA)(CMR) & Lakhdar (MAR)(ESP).
B Team. (31m) Palomares.
U19's. (33g) Santamaría., (32f) Pablo.
Loan. Kemayou (CMR)(ESP), (30o) Jiménez., (34p) Ortega., 
Sell. Sefu. (GER)(COD)
Release. (30o) Jiménez.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. May 2034. DR's.

I think that right back is another weak area of the squad, but I'm really struggling to find players that we can afford and that I like. It may be that this is a position where I will splash lots of cash and spend lots of wages to give us an enormous upgrade rather than a step by step improvement, (but I have to find the player 1st). 

Eze (ENG)(NGA) is the best right back at the club now and his 8 assists in 13(20) appearances compare favourably to the 7 assists in 26(8) appearances from the more experienced Ngiamba. (COG)(FRA) last season. 15 assists from right back shows how significant this position is to use which is why I have decided to have a swap round. 

Ngiamba. (COG)(FRA) is 27 and has a year left on his contract. It makes sense to offload him now. 

(33f) Tejera * only came through the intake in 2033 and I really like the look of his mentals for a 16 year old. He went out on loan to the Spanish 4th tier last season, (and did well). Currently showing at 4.5 stars, Might be worth keeping an eye on his development. 

1st Team. Eze (ENG)(NGA) & Dlamini (RSA)
B Team. (32k) Agudelo (COL)(ESP), (31p) Castellano., 
U19's. (33f) Tejera *, (34b) García 6'1", (34k) Zapata.
Loan.
Sell. Ngiamba. (COG)(FRA)
Release.

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. May 2034. DC's.

I don't think we're strong in this are and we may need to splash the cash on an experienced player. 

Gherbi (FRA)(ALG) only has 12 months left on his contract so I need to either extend it or sell him.

Moloko (RSA) 6'4" also has 1 year left on his contract, but I've triggered his +1 clause rather than offering him a new contract. 

1st Team. Moloko (RSA) 6'4" & Nyakossi (SUI)(TOG) 6'4". Gumede (RSA) 6'3" & Gherbi (FRA)(ALG).
B Team. (31g) Diallo. (MLI) 6'1", (31h) Pizarro.
U19's. (33c) Francisco 6'3" *, (34h) Blanco 6'2", (32m) Álvarez. (ESP)(BAS) 6'5", (34o) Viera. 6'0", (32p) Beceiro. DC
Loan. (34h) Blanco 6'2", (32m) Álvarez. (ESP)(BAS) 6'5", (34o) Viera. 6'0", (32p) Beceiro. DC
Sell. Diédhiou. (SEN)
Release. (30m) Marcos. 6'0" DC, (30n) Romero. 5'10"

Looking at our 4 best centre-backs now in isolation it's clear that they are nowhere near good enough if we want to challenge for Europe. Any success we've had at this level will be in spite of them rather than because of them.

[Jimbokav1971]

Affiliations. Jun 2034. 

Affiliations. We've got our 3rd Junior Affiliate now, (on top of our B Team which is still in an unplayable league so largely useless). 

The way I understand it, we benefit from the same scouting knowledge as any of our Affiliates.

Gaz Ajaccio don't have any other affiliates so we only benefit from their French knowledge. 

Lusitânia Lourosa have an U19 affiliate from Guinea-Bissau, so now we should benefit from that too, (as well as Portugal). 

SV Waldhof Mannheim 07 don't have any other Affiliations so we only benefit from their German knowledge. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2034. MC's. 

I would have said that MC was one of the stronger areas of the squad, but look at this we have 1x 4.0 CA player, 2x 3.5 PA players and then we're into 2.5 CA players..... so maybe not. 

1st Team. I've picked 6 central midfielders to compete for 3 roles, but some players are capable of playing in multiple roles. 
MLC DLP(s) Wissa (BEL)(COD)(ENG), Van Vuuren (RSA) 6'1" 
MC BWM(d) (30a) Álex, Nchama (EQG)(ESP) 6'2"
MRC CM(a) Madidilani (RSA), Diallo (FRA)(MLI)
B Team. (32j) Luque, (31o) Martínez., (31i) Lemos.
U19's. (33a) Goñi (ESP)(BAS) *, (33m) Ortega, (33e) Arnau *, (32e) Ceballos., (34f) Gutiérrez, (33o) Gallego *, (34j) Encina. (ESP)(ARG), (34h) Blanco 6'2", 
Loan. Chimwemwe (ZIM)(RSA)
Sell.
Release. Abiodun. (NGA)(ESP), 

[Jimbokav1971]

Squad Depth. Jun 2034. SC's.

I think this area of the team has been a nig strength, and while losing Benachour (ALG)(FRA) will be a loss, his absence just offers opportunities to other players. 

(33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4" tops the PA charts and scored on his debut last season. In the absence of Benachour (ALG)(FRA) he will be our 1st choice SLC this season as we look to explode his development. 

Shezi (RSA) has scored 66 goals in 74(13) appearances in the 2 and a half seasons since he arrived and I'm really hoping that he might hit 30+ goals this season and maybe just maybe get close to the 100 goal mark for us. He's only contracted for 1 more season so I need to offer him a new contract unless I want to lose him on a free at the end of the season. 

(29a) Gil has been the unsung hero of the forward line and I'm hoping that we will really prosper with a more solid foundation to build from.

1st Team. 
SLC. (33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4", Lebese (RSA)
SC. Shezi (RSA), Ndlovu (RSA)
SRC. (29a) Gil, Mokoena (RSA)
B Team. (32o) Aguinaco., (31k) Daniel., (31f) Cruz., (30p) Rubén., (30g) Ramón
U19's. (33b) Marcos *, (32a) David, (34c) Ortega, (32n) Díez (ESP)(BAS), (34e) Santamaría., (33p) Sánchez..
Loan. Zuma (RSA), Zuma (RSA), Vilakazi (RSA) *, Alpou (REU)(FRA) *
Sell.
Release. Benachour (ALG)(FRA), (30p) Rubén., (30j) Mangina. (AUS)(ITA), (31f) Cruz.

[Jimbokav1971]

Slightly off topic. 

1. I want to manage in South Africa. 
2. I want to manage an International side, (but not European). 
3. Asian Journeyman/Trophy collector.....

I've got to admit, getting sacked wouldn't be the end of the World. 

[Jimbokav1971]

2034 World Cup. May 2034. 

3 of our players have been called up to play in the 2034 World Cup (Hosts Japan Holders Portugal). 

Benachour (ALG)(FRA) isn't good and there is no point pretending otherwise, but his sheer athletic ability makes him a threat and he's been good for us and leaves on a free transfer with our blessing this Summer. 

Madidilani (RSA) was signed for just £1M last season and will prove an absolute steal at that price. He will be our long-term DLP but played last season out of position as a MC(a). 

Nyakossi (SUI)(TOG) 6'4" is one of our few experienced players, but not sure how much he will feature in Japan. 

There are 10 African Nations represented at the World Cup and we have an interest in many of them. 

Cameroon (ranked 13th)

Nigeria (ranked 14th)

Senegal (ranked 16th)

Ivory Coast (ranked 22nd)

Ghana (ranked 26th)

Egypt (ranked 33rd)

Mali (ranked 42nd)

Algeria (ranked 43rd)

South Africa (ranked 47th)

The Gambia (ranked 59th)

The thing that surprises me most from the rankings is that South Africa are ranked so low. I've seen some really good young players in my scouting reports there. Maybe they are on the up and will develop over the next decade or so. 

Egypt, Mali & Algeria all made the 2nd Round, but all faced good opposition, (they all finished 2nd in their group), and all crashed out. 

[Sir_Liam]

South Africa always seem to produce good young players on FM who don't cost that much, so I'm not surprised you've found plenty of decent players there.

[Jimbokav1971]

16 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Slightly off topic. 

1. I want to manage in South Africa. 
2. I want to manage an International side, (but not European). 
3. Asian Journeyman/Trophy collector.....

I've got to admit, getting sacked wouldn't be the end of the World. 

I said "not European". 

[Jimbokav1971]

Interesting development. Jul 2034. 

I've been delegating the appointment of staff until now, and it would seem that the good work by our HoYD has not gone unnoticed. 

Actually I might have appointed this bloke myself when I realised that We didn't have a HoYD and the U21 Manager was in charge of intakes.

I was obviously looking for a HoYD with Spanish knowledge, but couldn't ignore this bloke when I saw he was available on a free. He may not has Spanish knowledge, (and it remains to be seen how important that is), but he does have Sierra Leone as a 2nd Nationality). He was just too good to turn down. I don't even like his preferred formations. 

[Edit]

Every time we appoint a new HoYD, it reverts to the U21 Manager being in control of the Youth Intakes. We appointed the new HoYD on the same day as the old one left, but still the same thing has happened again. Surely it can't be designed to work like this? 

I've had to manually change it to this. 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Season Preview. Aug 2034. 

They think we are predicted to finish 15th of 20 in LaLiga. 

Strangely though they haven't selected any of our strikers as amongst the favourites to win the Golden Boot, despite the fact that Shezi (RSA) finished 2nd last season and only missed out narrowly the season before after missing 9 games though injury. 

Yes, that is our old friend (27a) Crespo * there at the top of the list. He only scored 13 LaLiga goals last season. I expect him to score more this season.

[Jimbokav1971]

7 hours ago, Sir_Liam said:

South Africa always seem to produce good young players on FM who don't cost that much, so I'm not surprised you've found plenty of decent players there.

I've never taken too much notice, but every 3rd decent young African seems to be South African at the moment. It's getting to the stage where it's putting me off signing them. 

[Jimbokav1971]

I wanted to dip into International management, but it also seemed sensible that it would be an African Nation, so here we go. 

I've decided that I need to work my way up to a full International job, so I'm starting with the U20's and Ivory Coast have taken a punt on me. 

 

Over the course of the save (CIV) U20's actually have a decent record.

Played 131.
Won 75.
Win % 57%.
Drawn 29.
Lost 27.
Goals For 243.
Goals per game 1.85.
Goals Against 118.
Goals against per game 1.11.
Goal Diff +125.

If we change only include competitive games, (and the French Youth Invitational doesn't count), then things change somewhat. 

Played 71.
Won 39.
Win % 55%.
Drawn 15.
Lost 17.
Goals For 109.
Goals per game 1.53.
Goals Against 64.
Goals against per game 0.90.
Goal Diff +1.7.

African U20 Nations Cup. This seems quite straightforward and is every 2 years. Qualifying is less straightforward it seems.
2023 Champions.
2025 Failed to qualify.
2027 Failed to qualify.
2029 3rd Place. 
2031 4th Place.
2033 4th Place. 
2035 Failed to qualify.

U20's World Cup. I have no idea what's going on here. Actually... is qualification for the U20 World Cup linkes to qualification for the AFCON U20's? It certainly seems that way. 
2023 Quarter Finals.
2025 NA.
2027 NA.
2029 Quarter Finals.
2031 4th Place.
2033 2nd Round. 
2035 NA.

There is no separate ranking for National aged group teams, (which I've always found a bit strange). The (CIV) Senior squad is ranked 24th which is decent. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Aug 2034. 

LaLiga. We were decimated with injuries and suspensions for the 1st game, and I would have been delighted with a draw were it not for the fact that their goal was scored in the 93rd min and we were well worthy of all 3 points. Against Atletico it was a pretty even game and we just took our chances. 

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

(33d) Pascual (ESP)(BAS) 6'4" scored on his 1st Team league debut a couple of seasons ago, but made 9(10) LaLiga appearances last season without scoring. He's scored in both our games so far this season and is developing nicely. 

Records.

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Sep 2034. 

LaLiga. A really poor month in terms of results, but perhaps not in terms of performances from 3 away games out of 4.

xG watch. We won the xG battle in 2 of the 4 games, but even in the 2 games we lost, it was really competitive, so I'm not panicking yet especially taking into account the number of newe players we're trying to bed in. 
Espanyol 1.53 - 1.34 Ceuta.
Villarreal 1.03 - 1.45 Ceuta.
Ceuta 1.08 - 0.73 S.Gijón.
Las Palmas 1.23 - 1.18 Ceuta.

Goal-scoring GK's. 0 shots of any type this month. 

Finances. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Ivory Coast U20's. Sept 2034.

It was only a friendly, but it was good to get off to a winning start all the same. The fact that we did it after being reduced to 10 men after just 10 minutes is all the more impressive. 

Games played 1. 
Games won 1. 
Games won 100%. 
Games drawn.
Games lost. 
Goals for 2.
Goals against 0. 
Goal difference +2.

Competitive games played.
Competitive games won.
Competitive won %.
Competitive games drawn. 
Competitive games lost. 
Competitive goals for. 
Competitive goals against. 
Competitive goal difference. 

Berthé (CIV)(GER) is the player who was shown the early red card. 

Sanogo (CIV) scored the opening goal in a MOM performance.

 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Oct 2034.

LaLiga. We've just started to get our mojo back. The problem with the early part of the season has been obvious. It took us 9 games for either of our central strikers to score a single goal. Shezi (RSA) was injured at the start of the season and then lacking match fitness when he did play. Ndlovu (RSA) was fit but just not in great form. 

Goal-scoring GK's. 2 goals from Al-Obaidi (LBY) 6'3" this month. 

 

 

Finances. 

[Thebaker]

Didn't realise you could manage u20 sides. For knowledge by clicking on scouting/scouting knowledge/scout assign/world knowledge/ nations and then clicking on a country it will then tell you the source of that knowledge if staff or an affliate.

[Jimbokav1971]

Summer Transfer Window. 

Apologies. I wrote this in another tab and forgot to press send. 

I've gone a bit mad.  

The Transfer Window isn't even open and I have 8 (EIGHT) confirmed transfers in. 

Transfers in. 

Lakhdar (MAR)(ESP) came in to boost our prospects at left back. He's not a million miles away from competing for a 1st Team spot as it is and he's only on 2.0 CA of 5.0 PA. I really like the look of him. He cost us £5.75M but if he really is 5.0 then it will be a bargain.

Kemayou (CMR)(ESP) is younger, (and cheaper at just £2.5M), but I'm really pleased he's still 5.0 PA after arriving, (because I assumed he wouldn't be). Really pleasantly surprised. 

Gamal (FRA)(EGY) is not only the signing of the Summer, but is potentially the best signing we've made in this save, along with Wissa (BEL)(COD)(ENG). He cost only £3.1M and left back has just gone from one of our weakest positions to one of the strongest. He's a physical beast and his mentals are pretty fine too. I really like him. I mean I REALLY like him. I'm not overly keen on signing players for the here and now and much prefer signings who will benefit us further down the line, but this is an exception and at 26 he's got a good few years left in him. 

Mebarki (ALG)(FRA) is pretty raw, (but he is 17), and he arrived after I chanced my arm and paid £800k compensation to Rennes for him. It backfired a little in that his coach report isn;t as good as his scout report, but we will see. 

Marabe (RSA) arrived for only £1.5M and quite frankly I think that's ridiculous. His PA has gone down from 5.0 to 4.5, but that's still a right bargain and I love his attribute balance. I initially saw him as a DLP, but I'm having problems finding a CM(a) and I keep signing DLP's, so if he can cover there then great. I originally signed him because Blackburn met the £19M min fee release clause for Wissa (BEL)(COD)(ENG), but the deal fell through and he's still here at the moment so I have too many players again.

Meyer (RSA) arrived on a free and although he's a little raw, (and his PA is 4.5 rather than 5.0), I still think he could develop into a different player. 

Ngoy (NED)(COD) was actually a risk because we paid £5.5M for him, but his coach report still says 5.0 PA so it's a case of watch this space. 

Benyahia (ALG)(FRA) was another punt, (but a cheap one as we signed him on a free). His PA dropped after his arrival so probably just as well that we didn't pay cash for him. 

El-Akchaoui (MAR)(FRA) was signed slightly later in the window than the others, (ie not on day 1)  Again it was obviously his PA that attracted me, although that has dropped since he arrived. Still, how decent does he have to be to get a profit on a £2M purchase price?

So far I have managed to restrain myself and I've signed 0 strikers, 0 keepers and 0 winger, (so I'm doing ok in this window). 

Premier League side Blackburn have twice met the minimum fee release clause of £17M for Wissa (BEL)(COD)(ENG), but both times they have failed to agree terms. Fingers crossed for 3rd time lucky eh, (because I've already signed his replacement). 

He never did leave in the Summer.